Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For both worlds, the day started out like any other.

He leaned back with a sigh, moving the pipe to the other side of his mouth to release a cloud of smoke. Staring out the window, he briefly wondered if he could do anything but the huge stack of paperwork sitting inauspiciously on his desk, but the thought was stolen away with the sight of his village. It had taken many years and plenty of bloodshed in order for this time of relative peace to occur.

From this viewpoint, he could see Konoha's citizens bustling and going about their day.

An Akimichi and a civilian were haggling over vegetables. Families were shaking out carpets and washing window, younger academy children were were running excitedly to the ninja shops, shuriken and kunai glinting in the dappled sunlight, which was filtered by Hashirama trees. Now that he thought about it, the graduation exams were coming up shortly. His thoughts shifted to Naruto. Regardless, all were enjoying early spring.

It was a beautiful day, one that should not be wasted sitting behind a desk.

It was early spring, and he was sure the chunin wouldn't mind some extra help in handling the documents and books.

And with that, The third Hokage, the God of Shinobi, got up from his chair and left the trivial paperwork behind like a bad dream. It was inconsequential anyway, it being a time of peace in all. And while it was never bad to stay on top, most of it consisted of squabbling nobles. Despite that, Hiruzen felt a strange feeling of foreboding...

Harper stretched out on the couch like a cat, a pleased groan escaping her lips before collapsing in a boneless, ungraceful, heap. She hastily tugged the edge of her belly, and Blearily opened one eye. She took the time to appreciate the fact her semester of college was over and that she could at least take some time to relax before slumping over her textbooks.

Winter break had just begun and she reckoned herself to be a lot like the snowflakes drifting lazily outside. Briefly she imagined herself jumping around in the accumulating fluff and sticking out her tongue before the thought was chased away by the boiling metal teapot. Her cat, Patches, Jumped up onto the counter. Oh how clever, a calico cat named Patches. Joke's on them, though. Patches was a rescue animal with a missing eye. Scar tissue covered an empty socket and it reminded her of a pirate.

She was taking a break from the house work. Harper was so busy this semester she had a hard time getting to everything around the house. She had to make a stop at the hardware store to get new pipes for the kitchen sink. The old ones rusted. It had take two trips because the first time around she was in a hurry and grabbed the wrong pipes. Taking a long sip of tea, she sighed in relief.

She wondered how her friends were doing. She had invited them over to just chill for awhile and catch up since they were seeing less of each other due of collage, but they were all busy with something or other. That was okay! She could just do something else.

Ignoring the lump in her throat, she reached on the marble counter and poured the boiling water into the awaiting oversized mug, because if she was gonna have tea it was going to be in a cup big enough to drown a small mammal, Dammit! Honestly boiling water took so long, she wished it was quicker. She reached for a sugar cookie, but hesitated and withdrew her hand. She was chunky enough as it was. With each sip, thoughts of her life slipped back in.

She thought of her studies in college, specifically the History major she was going for. Her mother hadn’t been happy to hear about that. She believed jobs like that didn't pay, and while she want wrong, its what Haruhi wanted to do with her life. Haruhi could get by though.

Her mother was part of a large manufacturing company, she just didn't understand.

Haruhi sipped her tea, a frown replacing her smile. So what if she was into the creative arts? It wasn't hurting anybody. If she liked to read more than selling hardware to people did it really matter?

Speaking of which, with being so busy in college, she hadn't had anytime to read any of her old favorites.

She immediately shuffled, in her oversized hoodie and sweatpants, over to the massive shelf and found some of her favorite books of all time.

It had been so long she had last cracked open a Naruto manga and her lips quirked up into a soft smile.

With a happy hum, she cracked opened one of the neglected books she randomly chose and arrived on a page where Lord fourth was creating a seal. Despite her extreme comfort, curled up on the couch with her tea, book, and hoodie, she had a strange feeling. Nostalgia? Maybe...

"Good morning, Lord Third!" greeted multiple ninja as he made his way from the Hokage tower to the library, which was also carved into the mountain. He smiled kindly in his grandfatherly way, and greeted them right back. As he walked and chatted, he noticed immediately his right hand man, Nara Shikaku, slip beside him and match his stride.

The man lazily drifted his gaze over to the Hokage, question lighting them up. Hiruzen tipped his hat and smiled around his pipe, pushing the library doors open.

"Lord third!" came surprised shouts from the chunin workers.

"I couldn't help but think it was a lovely day for some spring cleaning." He replied. And with that, he fluidly fell into a rhythm with the others, sorting books and striking up a conversation.

The chunin were surprised, but delighted that their Hokage would help them with something so tedious. He was acutely aware of this, as his humble interactions with his people was what made him so well liked and beloved, even more so than his battle prowess. Of the Chunin there, one, who he believed was named Mizuki was showing subtle signs of tension. He would have to keep his eye on him, as he had recently shown suspicious behavior.

He chuckled at a joke told by one of the desk nin, sorting through The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi and ninja Tricks 101.

He smoked his pipe again and looked around at some of the people here. Ninja of all ranks could be seen, but what caught his attention was the academy teacher sitting and grading papers while doing some last minute research before genin testing took place. Iruka Umino. He was a perfect example of what a Konoha nin should be.

The man was so involved in what he was doing he started with a small yelp when the Hokage stood behind him and cleared his throat.

And for the umpteenth time that day, someone shouted "Lord Third!" He continued to smile before asking about the academy.

Clearly flustered but composing himself, Iruka started talking about the academy students. "There is incredible potential in some of the students, but most have trouble with teamwork."

Hiruzen loved hearing about the village's future but their time was cut short when Iruka left, late for class. With him the library started clearing out. But what accompanied his departure was the strange feeling he had felt before he left. It could have just been his imagination, but he felt as if it was tugging him towards a certain point in the library. One thing a shinobi learns is to ever doubt your gut feelings.

Disengaging, the God of Shinobi glided in his robes over to the S-ranked section of the library and disappeared like the ninja he was, inside the room hidden by genjutsu, traps, and fail safes.

He blinked at the darkness, his pipe providing dull light in the secure room. Folding his hands he signaled for the lights to flicker on, revealing rows and rows of scrolls filled with Konoha's forbidden jutsu and hidden secrets. As he walked past the Scroll of Seals, he noticed something.

The feeling was getting stronger.

With a sigh of regret, he was halted from continuing further when his eyes came upon the scroll detailing the Uchiha massacre. There was much that could have been done, but it was done too little too late. All that survived was a double agent and an academy student, who would also be graduating soon.

He continued walking.

And only stopped when came across Minato Namikaze's fuinjutsu scrolls, buried in the very back of the sterile room. Again, he was overcome with regret at the thought of his short lived successor, his pipe since gone out. All he could do was hope Naruto would do well in life.

He shuffled through the papers, and shook his head at The Fourths obvious genius. He would have to contact Jiraiya somehow, these seals would absolutely enthrall him. And while he knew they had not yet been studied because of the pain Jiraiya felt at losing his student, he was sure there was much to learn from them. Just then, the smallest yet of Minato's seals slipped out from between two larger ones.

He stiffened in shock. He knew every single document hidden in this corner of the library, so how did this smaller one slip past him?

He lit his pipe and looked closer at the seal. He was no master but could pick out the general meaning if he looked closely. Instantly he spotted similarities with summoning seals and Minato's infamous space-time ninjutsu. He immediately tucked the slip into his robe and briskly headed out. This would call for much more in depth scrutiny than what could be given by his current standing.

The time for Jiraiya's return was long overdue.

She sighed happily as she read the book. It was very fresh, almost as if she had never read it before. But, she thought, shifting her weight, that was impossible. She knew every book on her shelf; there was no way that she had never read this one. It was simply not possible for her to have missed one! She had to know where it came from.

But Harper couldn't help the nagging suspicious feeling that clouded her mind as she closed the book and studied the cover. It was obviously a Naruto book, but quite different from the others. For one, it was smaller in size and had a huge seal on the front cover instead of characters.

Studying it, she noticed similarities to Minato's space-time ninjutsu from what she had read on the wiki.

She slid off the couch to land on her knees and crawled over to the bookshelf. It wouldn't hurt to do some comparisons with other books.

He regarded the tiny slip of paper with a critical eye, leaning back and humming deeply. During their examination of the slip, they had found a second seal on the back.

Lord third leaned forward with a serious expression and laced fingers. He had practically scoured Fire country to contact Jiraiya. Really, you'd think he'd have better contact with his spymaster but reality said otherwise.

The Sannin cleared his throat.

"It seems the second seal is just for storing another scroll. Nothing should go wrong if we activated it" he said.

Hiruzen nodded his permission as his former student leaned over and activated it. With a pop and a cloud of smoke, a new document emerged and landed on his desk. From what he could see it was signed by Lord Fourth himself. Behind him, he felt Jiraiya inhale sharply. Slowly and carefully he smoothed it out and proceeded to read the letter written in familiar handwriting.

An explanation of sorts:

The original purpose of the seal is a birth gift for my child. Kushina and I may not always be around and he will always be in need of guidance and a companion to help him through life and to make wise decisions. This is why I crafted this seal and it's my wish that he should receive it upon being old enough to handle some responsibility. Graduation age should be good enough, I think.

- Lord Fourth, Minato Namikaze.

This was a problem.

Naruto was around graduation age. In fact, he failed the test twice. But nobody except the closest people knew Naruto Uzumaki was the son of The Fourth Hokage, Konoha's yellow flash. Giving him his father's gift would be raising a red flag- no matter what it was. Who could they give it to instead?

Looking over, he realized Jiraiya was on the same trail of thought. Reaching over, he explained the inner workings of the seal.

"It's a combination of a summoning seal and a space-time ninjutsu. There is also outlines of a size modifier. Used commonly in sealing scrolls. Whatever happens, it probably won't be big."

And with that reassurance, he leaned over and activated the seal.

Both were still with anticipation, Hiruzen having stopped smoking his pipe.

For a few seconds nothing happened.

Then, quick as lighting and with a puff of chakra, a small figure emerged and landed on the paper.

Looking over the face of her shelf, she became even more baffled as to what exactly this book was. She did not like the feeling of not knowing something. The strange feeling had returned tenfold; it was like an itch that became progressively worse the longer it was left alone. With a bemused groan, she rolled over like a beached whale and held the book right above her face.

Patches kneaded her cheek.

"Go away." She grumbled. Biting her cheek, she let out an impatient groan. Why was this so hard to figure out?

The clock read 2:34.

Harper scrubbed her face with her fist.

Staring at it, she noticed the seams were glowing. Was it because it was laminated?

Her hand hovered over the for a moment, wondering if she should touch it. Her intuition was saying no, but...

She shifted and lifted her hand to reach up and touch the seal against her better judgement.

She regretted it immediately.

The seal suddenly became a circle of swirling blue and despite fitting in her hand it appeared bigger and bigger. Screaming, she realized she was shrinking as the seal got closer and closer, until she was so small, she fit through it like a mouse through a mouse hole, or a late rabbit through a small door.

Chapter Text

She didn't know what she did.

Sure, reading books and walking around in oversized clothes might have been sinfully lazy, but if anything she should have gone to hell; not the Naruto universe. But they were basically the same thing, now that she thought about it.

After being sucked through the vortex of doom, she landed on a hard surface, barely thinking and suffering from severe whiplash. Groggily shifting around, the first thing she noticed besides the wooden surface was the stunned silence in the room.

She could relate, honestly.

Doing her best not to freak out, she sat up slowly with her eyes still closed before cautiously cracking one open. And was immediately greeted with something you only read about in some of her comic books.

Because the Third Hokage, God of Shinobi, and Jiraiya, Sannin and legendary Toad Sage, characters from her favorite anime, were staring down at her in complete bemusement. She imagined she was quite the sight sitting in her gray sweat pants, dark blue hoodie, and rectangle glasses. Then she realized that they were absolutely huge, and the Hokage's hand a little to her left was bigger than her. A little hysterically, she thought maybe she was having a vivid dream.
Yeah that was it.
Calmer now, her instincts kicked in and she hoisted her shocked butt up and brushed off invisible ink with shaky hands like she did this everyday. Her face flamed as she tugged down the edge of her wrinkly hoodie over her belly and a hand went up to try and smooth down her rat's nest.

She decided to start small.

"Hello, I'm Haruhi. Please take care of me." If she recalled, Naruto was Japanese-centric. She hoped they spoke English.
She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable the longer they gaped at her. Was something in between her teeth?

Jiraiya was the first to recover. He sucked in a huge breath, posed with his foot propped up, arms stretched and shouted:" I AM JIRAIYA, THE LEGENDARY MOUNTAIN TOAD SAGE!"

“...”

Well, she thought, at least she knew the language was English. The Third recovered just seconds after Jiraiya and was now looking over her with an appraising eye, moving the pipe to a corner of his mouth. A glint hidden in the corner of his eye. She shakily smiled back, slightly ruffled by the explosive introduction.

"Who are you?" She asked, feigning ignorance. She didn't know how to explain her knowledge so this was the best strategy she could take. Plus she could pass of any tells with her shaking from earlier.

He looked down before smiling warmly. "I am Lord Third, and you may call me such."

"It's nice to meet you both. Did you summon me?" She was completely bullshitting the last one, but it seemed like a good idea.

Honestly, she was thinking about the genie from Aladdin and how this all seemed like some sort of elaborate magic trick. But she needed to say something to retain her innocence. Plus that little puff of smoke was a lot like when you summoned things. She looked up questioningly to see their answer and almost missed the way they stiffened slightly. Almost. To her surprise she had apparently hit the nail on the head.

She decided she was now a unique summon who resided in her own private mountain valley and served as a companion, which is why no one had ever heard of her.

Lord Third nodded and looked at her "Yes we have."

"Can you tell me why? Not that I mind. It's just that I've never been summoned before." She wanted to know how she got here so she could leave just as fast. And they had to know something!

Jiraiya responded rather matter-of-factly, "We were testing out a seal, little lady, it appears you are the result."

The Hokage tipped his hat in greeting. "It's interesting to have you here. But you can return just as soon as we ask a few questions."

What questions? She suppressed an uncomfortable shuffle and tilted her head curiously. She had some of her own.

"Aw, she's adorable!" Jiraiya chuckled. Reaching towards her faster than she could dodge, he put a finger down on her head in a heavy, to her, pat.

"Hey!" she squealed a bit angrily and ruffled at the faster than lighting movement, "I'm fragile!" She didn't even need to act to be cute after all; she just was.

"Jiraiya." The Hokage scolded "We are asking her questions, not harassing the poor thing."

Jiraiya hummed at this before leaning over until she could clearly see the wart on the side of his nose and asked "Just what type of summon are you?"

She laughed outwardly, her mind dragging up the back story she had just come up with.

"A nice one. I'm meant to be a friend to whoever summons me." She smiled shyly, looking up at them through shoulder length curly black hair she had purposely made spill over her shoulder. She had to play it safe though, the information she had was her ace and she couldn't put all her cards on the table. Even if she herself was on said table.

They looked down on her with amusement and extreme interest and, a glint of something else. They probably had never seen something quite like her, which was good. That could give her some wiggle room.

"I suppose that means you're our friend?" The Third asked quizzically.

She nodded shyly, not having to pretend in her delight. These were two powerful characters who could send her back home or at the very least back her up. And, she genuinely loved meeting and getting to know new people. These people promised to be interesting.

"May I pick you up then?" The Third asked.

She blinked, startled. Her heart beat faster. No matter how well she was keeping her cool, that was a whole new ball game. The Third was also testing her and in order to live up to her claim she had to. But then again she could fall back on what she said earlier, that this was her first summoning. Ugh! She was overthinking things again!

She gulped. "Okay, j-just be careful"

And he slowly reached over to lay his palm flat on the table right next to her bare feet. She looked and put her palm down on his, slowly leaning over and using his pinkie finger as leverage. Her first thought on kneeling in his palm was that it had many callouses. Her heart was pounding in her ears as he lifted her up to face level, Jiraiya also leaning over his shoulder to get a closer look at her.

For the first time she realized what the other emotions was in their eyes; awe. For the first time she realized she was shaking throughout the entire thing.

Her expression softened dramatically and the shudders stopped with a deep breath.

She looked them full in the eyes before bowing and cheerfully shouting," At your service!"

They looked taken aback before adopting supremely amused expressions, Jiraiya and the Hokage both laughing.

"My last question will be; just what are we supposed to do with you?"

She froze before giggling nervously.
"It doesn't really matter,"
It does.
"You could keep me or send me back."
Please send her back. Like, right now, she wanted go to back now. The two exchanged looks, obviously following the same trail of thought before looking down at her again, Jiraiya's white mane shifting over his shoulder to pool like a waterfall to her left.

The Third seemed to like that idea too.

"You are an incredibly interesting creature, but I believe it's time you head back." She nodded with a pout, internally cheering, but also ‘creature’! What did he mean by that? Good riddance! She’d wake up on her carpeted floor with carpet creases in her face, but otherwise fine.
But now that she thought about it they had seemed unusually open to her for a potential threat and something they knew almost nothing about. And yeah, sure a few inch tall woman with frizzy hair wasn't the most threatening thing ever, but you'd think they'd be more on guard. Especially since Jiraiya was a spy master. Shouldn't he want to find out more about her? Unless they already knew something she didn't…

Maybe her presence here was unintentionally compromising something? Maybe it was something they thought she should already know but didn't?

But it didn’t matter. This fever dream would be over soon and it was for the better. She was vulnerable here, even more so than she usually would be, given her current height. A fruit fly could take her on and win.

But this was an experience. Sure she was still debating if this all wasn't some dream and that she would wake on on her couch with a cup of cold tea and a cat, but you didn't get the chance to study cultures up close every day. (unless you were a scientist with a microscope-)

But she wanted-no, needed to know more. This was a whole new world of possibilities and it made her toes curl and the thought of all that potential learning.

The Third slowly lowered his hand until it was flat on the table. She carefully shifted her weight and reaching out one foot, then two, before she was standing on the table, with both of them staring at her expectantly.

She stared right back.

Jiraiya coughed awkwardly before asking “Aren't you going to go now?"
She froze. Then, blushed to the roots of her hair. This entire time, she had thought they knew how to send her back. Maybe they still did, and she was just jumping to conclusions!

"...I thought you guys were going to send me back." She stated more than asked.

It was their turn to freeze as they looked at her with disbelief.

"Well, I never said I was a normal summon. " She chuckled weakly.

They leaned back, obviously deep in thought. It became apparent to her that, while not minding her presence and actually somewhat enjoying it, they had thought, with her being a 'summon' that she would have been able to leave anytime. She was not supposed to be here. And yeah, she already knew that, but it wasn't the fact that this universe wasn't supposed to exist more than it was that the Hokage and Jiraiya didn't want her here.

The Hokage leaned forward, fingers weaving together and a serious expression befalling his face.

"You say you are a companion?"

Cue hesitant nod.

"Then how would feel if one of my most trusted men took care of you while we figure out how to send you back?"

She nodded again, slower this time. As a college student, she made a point not to trust men she didn’t know beforehand.

The Hokage puffed on his pipe before turning to look back at her. "This might take awhile. I'll have some food sent."

Thrice, she nodded, before realizing Jiraiya had vanished. Probably to go get the man or peep into the women's bath. The food arrived soon enough (bread with jam) and The Third turned to his paperwork while she ate, both of the waiting for this man.
It was harder than she thought it would be to eat, and by the time she had hauled the butter knife that was bigger than her and smoothed the jam on a rip of bread the size of her face she was panting and sweating. Eating was exhausting here.
She glanced around the Hokage’s office and was struck by just how...primitive it was. The camera looked like something you’d use at the turn of the century. The light bulbs looked like they guzzled energy and the T.V they had was something she hadn’t seen since she last went to her grandfather’s house when she was a kid.

The corner of her lip lifted spitefully; The technology here was stone age. She was glad she was going back.
She already missed her phone.

She was just dozing off against an eraser when the door burst open, revealing Jiraiya, in all his glory, and a figure behind him.

She barely stifled her gasp when she saw who it was, before swallowing heavily. This was definitely going to be an interesting time.

Look on the bright side, she thought nervously. It was an experience!

Chapter Text

She was going to have to get serious.
As she stared from her position right from the glass full of water(which made her reflection look really cool), in front of the pen laid on its side, and the stack of sticky notes which might as well have been a mini pyramid, she knew she would never be able to lie or dish out half truths to this guy.
Kakashi Hatake, The Copy Nin, Son of the White Fang, etc, stared at her in shock. His one eye was impressively expressive considering he was an elite nin, and now that she thought about it, wouldn't he have better things to do than practically babysit her?
It honestly was probably because he was a elite ninja. He could keep an 'eye' on her. Besides all that, though, she still thought there was another reason for him to be here. She was missing something. Not that she didn't already know that. Maybe because he was a student of the fourth, and knew a couple things about the seal?
She started in awe right back at him before snapping to attention. With a sudden bow forward that flipped her hair over her shoulders she squeaked,
"Hello! I'm Haruhi, please take care of me!" He had come back with Jiraiya and was no doubt debriefed about her, It was still a good idea to introduce herself though.
Looking up (cutely she hoped. Normally she was stuck in an constant impression of a troll. College didn't really leave much her time, and it showed with her foregoing her skin care routine.) She saw Kakashi look at her like all his worst fears had been confirmed.
He was frozen in his normal slouch, his gravity defying hair flopped slightly to the side-making him look like a confused puppy. His visible eye widened before slightly narrowing in defeat and curiosity. Under his heavy stare, she fidgeted and blushed. This man was crucial to the plot, and incredibly good looking. She had been quite out-of-touch with the fandom, but she knew enough to see the episode with Kakashi's true face.
'Quick! Think of something else!' she frantically thought to herself. It would not bode well to start crushing on this guy when accidentally moving his pinkie finger could crush her. Not like that mattered, he would wipe the floor with her any day, even if she was big. At that thought, her throat squeezed shut. She was really outclassed here.
Behind her, someone cleared their throat.
Whipping her head around, she saw the Hokage eyeing her and Kakashi with an amused expression, Jiraiya looking on with a lewd grin.
Cackling, he said
"It seems like Kakashi was the right choice after all! I'm off!" And with that, he jumped out the window she was sure he shouldn't have been able to fit through, white hair streaming behind him like a stratus cloud. A muffled shout of 'research!' reached the office before that too was carried away by the wind.
The Hokage sighed, probably beyond used to his shinobi's antics. She pulled her gaze away from the window and the sky beyond, turning her body to face the room again, only to squeak in surprise when Kakashi's cloth covered face was inches away from her!
She squealed and jumped-probably sounding like a pig, and fell on her rump, having tripped on a corner of the pen.
This only encouraged him to lean in closer, and she shuffled away until her back bumped into the glass.
Her mind froze as did the rest of her. Her breath became shallow and slow and she tried to disappear. Swallowing she tilted her head and looked up into his eyes. A gasp escaped her.
Kakashi was now looking at her with unbridled cursorily, his one grey eye widened and not moving from her petite figure. She could see herself reflected in the pupil, the image fading out as it came to the grey iris. She looked like a startled mouse, with glasses making her eyes indistinguishable, curly hair all askew, and limbs swallowed by dark cloth. It was impossible to make out any definite features, as the lighting in the office wasn't the greatest. Chest rapidly rising and falling to boot, his face this close to her wasn't doing her any favors.
She flinched again when he slowly raised his hand and moved it towards her, skimming the Hokages papers like a motorboat on top of water. With wide eyes, she watched as it descended, the hand slowly curling into a fist until only the index finger remained out, and ruffled her hair like a dog. She was a cat person.
"Hey! what gives!" She shouted in a ridiculously small voice, swatting at his hand like an over sized fly. She bit her lip, becoming impatient. She should have been at home reading her book. She didn't expect it to take this long and Kakashi messing around with her hair did not make her happy. But before she could do anything, Hiruzen decided to make himself known, clearing his throat again, obviously annoyed at being ignored.
Kakashi backed up and off the desk, if anything, looking more curious. Slightly abashed, he rubbed his head, flopping around his hair. His one eye avoiding looking at them. She wasn't sure if he was sheepish because the Hokage called him out or if it was because of the head pat. Maybe both.
"As you know Kakashi, you are simply one of the best for the job. Both of you would benefit greatly from this arrangement."
Still looking at her out of the corner of his eye, it sharpened when he listened.
"Hmmm, I'd have to say... no."
She and The God of Shinobi simultaneously choked in shock. Him on his pipe and her on her own spit. They stared at him, as he had just pulled out an orange book with a suspicious cover.
Suddenly the room was clouded with tension. Kakashi stiffened before flicking his eye up to Hizuren. She stood up cautiously, after having fallen back down with the rejection.
"I think you misheard me, Kakashi."
"As your Hokage, you will accept the B ranked mission and take Haruhi in as your ward."
'Wow' she thought in a daze. What a badass. No wonder he was called the God of Shinobi. Yes she was very easily impressed. But still, her feelings were kinda hurt. Kakashi was awesome and a moral compass for the series, to have him flat out reject her was a blow.
'Whatever!' She thought angrily, all the while keeping her confused smile plastered on. It wasn't like she wanted to be stuck with some porn reading man child anyway.
Even if he was cute.
"That's all, you are dismissed." Kakashi put his book away and slowly walked over to her. Fighting back the creeping blush and urge to run, she awkwardly grinned, giving a small wave of her finger that mimicked tree leaves.
They gazed at each other in contemplation before he repeated his motion from before and slowly lowered his hand to lay flat on the desk. Feel a sense of Déjà vu, she padded over and gulped, not meeting his eye. She leaned forward and slowly lifted herself onto his hand. His fingers twitched, and if she hadn't been leaning on his hand she wouldn't have seen or felt it, it was so minuscule.
He slowly lifted her up to chest level, and with one salute he walked out of the office.
She was hyper aware of his every movement and she was sure he was too. The hand was as steady as a rock and she barely felt the swaying of his steps. A distant thrumming was under her folded criss-cross applesauce legs, and with a jolt she realized it to be his heartbeat. She felt a heavy gaze on her and tilted her head towards his, hair dancing over her shoulders.
He had the same look as before. The one eye staring down at her as if it didn't quite believe what he was seeing. Same, friend.
It was adorable.
She relaxed, tilted her head, and sent a beaming grin up at him. He gawked slightly but continued to stare, completely enthralled.
With the ice broken, she made her move. She stood up and started to climb his sleeve like a hyper kitten. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"W-what are you doing?" He slightly stuttered, sounding nervous.
Sizing him up, she said;
"Getting comfortable. I'll be here for awhile." And with that and a toothy grin, she scaled his frozen arms (biceps!nice!) and crossed her way across cress like jumping through tires. She shifted along the collar just below his throat, the heat from his vision being replaced with the heat from his neck as it blocked out his sight. Crossing along like she was on the edge of a cliff, she dropped into his breast pocket, directly above his heart.
It was a lot like a hammock. It wasn't completely pitch black as the top was still cracked open a bit, and small amounts of light seeped through the fabric. It was dim, comfortable, and she could seriously fall asleep.
That was before she was nearly suffocated by a stray pookie.
Harrumphing, she impatiently grabbed pieces of paper and string and started tossing like she owned the place. And, as far as she was concerned, she did. Outside her cocoon, she felt him falter in steps again-or maybe he never started walking in the first place.
"...Should I be concerned?" He said, watching her appear and disappear from his pocket, idly brushing off pocket dust from his uniform that didn't make it to the floor.
"Nope, I'm gonna take a nap!" she giggled. Bemused, he continued watching her until she was done, and slipped back down. Once again enclosed in the fabric, she sighed in relief at just how comfortable it was. Feeling like she was forgetting something, she had an 'ah ha!' moment and took off her glasses and put then in her shirt.
She started swaying with careful footsteps, and now that she was directly above it, she could hear his slow heartbeat, lazy like he was.
She drifted off to sleep, as it had been a long day.
She would sort everything out after a quick power nap.
God knows she needed it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mole shifted from their position on the tree branch, having just witnessed everything that had occured in the office.
It was a near failure when the Legendary sannin jumped out the window, his position having almost been compromised, but s quick reflexes saved Mole from being caught.
Lord Danzo would be pleased to hear about this.
A mysterious summon, a kind never seen before and from one of Lord Fourths seals and meant for the jinchuriki.
While non threatening in appearance, is could pose problems for Konoha.
With a hand sign, Mole shunshined away.

Chapter Text

Wherever she was, it was comfortable.
Insanely so.
She felt safe.
Through the haze of sleep, she registered it smelled like pine and dog, for some reason. And that was cool. Except for the dog part.
She didn't have a dog.
She must have left the windows open again in order to smell the pine trees in the backyard.
Swallowing, she let her mind drift like a lazy cumulonimbus cloud. At some point in her dreamlike state, it had turned into a dog with a weird laugh and she smiled wanly from wherever she was watching, and her mind became blissfully blank. A steady beat was surrounding her, like at a softcore night club, just as dark too. It was warm-but not too warm and she was cradled by the blanket.
But by god, for some reason there was a nagging feeling in her chest. Like something big had happened, or she needed to do something but she forgot.
Probably just the window.
Snorting slightly she turned and buried her face into the weird smelling fabric, trying to sink into it and a blissful sleep again. It was winter break and she was sure whatever was so pressing could wait. Her mind became as blank as the landscape she had seen earlier in the day. She was musing how it was strangely warm for a tundra, until a rabbit with spiky gray hair appeared. At first she didn't see it because the spiky silver blended perfectly with the icicle clad trees, buts its black face was hard to miss. She frowned from her position from the boulder, before shrugging. Something told her weirder things had happened to her.
She continued to sit and listen to the wind whistle through the ice until something rocked her world.
Literally. Not just because she was splayed on top of a boulder.
Eyes snapped open, greeted to a almost completely dark space. Walls that looked like they were lined with felt wallpaper surrounded her like a hammock. She froze, searching the dimness for the rocking.
Then it happened again.
The walls moved tentatively, like a musician plunking notes for an unfamiliar song. She was moved back and forth as a wind chime would, one of the wall things squashing against something hard and flat. The beating got briefly louder before fading as she swung away.
Squawking, she shouted "Hey! What gives!"
Really though, what was going on!?
The movements abruptly stopped and her heart beat loudly in her ears as she tried to gather her thoughts. The feeling from before was back as she desperately tried to remember how she got here. A cloud resided where her brain used to be and she couldn't seem to gather her thoughts. She hissed as a sliver of light appeared at the top of her hammock cave. It was a slow calculated move as if something was deliberately moving whatever was restricting the light slowly, as not to startle her.
Blinking as her pupils dilated, she took it as the invitation it was and shakily stood up, grasping to the walls in a baby like action. She now realized the space was a lot smaller than she had originally thought, as her head lifted the piece of fabric up and exposing her to the rest of the light.
The first thing she thought was she definitely didn't fall sleep with her contacts in, because everything was blurrier than an abstract watercolor painting. Normally though, she could make out shapes and shadows, thus she could easily navigate without her contacts or glasses, so by the insane blurriness, she must be elevated at a huge height.
That really didn't make her feel better.
Haruhi did not like heights, ever since she fell one day when helping her father with the roof, breaking her wrist.
Panicking slightly, she recalled how she dipped at the very bottom of the Venus fly trap thing, like there was no solid surface of something, and the pull of gravity was stronger. Jerking her head around she stared and sighed slightly in relief when she could make out the fine details of the fabric. Then she was thrown for a second, as even if she was wearing her newly prescribed glasses the details should never be this good. Hell, it was an arms length away from her, but she could still make out the individual weaves! At this distance that shouldn't be possible. And it stretched on and on, way past her ability to see where it stopped. Indeed the green fabric seemed to curve and arch up into something vaguely black.
Her breathing became heavier and more panicked as something shifted uncomfortably around her. She was now micro aware of a faint rise and fall-almost like the ocean tides.
"Eureka!" She shouted, and patted herself down. Pulling her glasses out of her hoodie pocket and stuffing them on her face, she blinked as her vision adjusted to the new perspective.

And then promptly gasped as the memories came river rushing back with the sudden flow of clear images. She owl twisted her head and shoulders around and found Kakashi looking at her with the most awkward expression she had ever seen on someone.
Seriously, he looked like a preteen discovering how babies were made.
She normally would have laughed hysterically with no qualms at that thought, but seeing his one hand hovering like a silent helicopter to her left, with the index finger extended to poke, she flushed in embarrassment. And titanic sunk back down in what she now knew was a pocket. He had obviously witnessed her mini freak out and now that her mind-cloud was gone, she was starting to freak even more. What she had just done was out-of-character for what she supposedly was. And no, the irony didn't escape her that he was a character himself.
Poke.
"Be right there!" She responded.
This was all supposed to be a dream! But if she woke up from a dream...then this must be real! She grabbed her hair and her breath came out in short, quick, gasps. She started rocking back and forth, trying to calm herself. Her hands fluttered around her hair, trying to get it to lay down flat and brushing against her chapped lips. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, She grasped the inside of the pocket, and lifted herself up carefully, angling her body towards Kakashi's face.
She internally cringed as she saw him staring down at her, probably judging. Not saying anything, he moved his hand like a flying saucer and laid it flat less than an arms length away. Getting the memo, she blushed minutely, maneuvering herself onto his hand with relative ease. The hand curled loosely around her, palm up, lifting her up to face level.
For a second she considered he maybe had the Sharingan in both eyes, because his gaze was intense and she couldn't seem to look away.
She could tell he was grappling with emotions -she just couldn't tell what ones.
Damn ANBU training and mask!
He was giving her an appraising look, while slowly lowering her on what she now realized was a marble counter. Hopping of his hand, she stumbled a bit, grabbing the edge of her hoodie to nervously fiddle with it. She shivered slightly when the pads of her feet ghosted over the cold marble top, and slid around to face Kakashi.
"...Since you are going to live with me, there will be some rules you need to follow." His eye narrowed with his serious tone, and she gulped, nodding hastily.
"Rule one: don't make a mess."
Like she could.
"Rule two: don't get in the way."
As long as he didn't get in her way.
"And rule three," he said with a creepy eye smile, possibly because he noticed her disgruntlement.
"Do not touch my Icha Icha."
Wasn't that the orange book with the scantily clad women on the cover?
"What's Icha Icha?" she spoke slowly, tossing the foreign title around in her mouth.
At this, he froze up, and looked at her before narrowing his eye and sighing.
"All for the better I suppose."
She narrowed her brown eyes. Or course she would be stuck with a pervert. Kakashi was hopeless and his looks were truly wasted on him.
An awkward silence descended upon them both. Him staring at her, and her staring at him. Shifting from one foot to the other, part to keep up her image(because she was nervous and this was how she defended herself), she wondered if this whole fake personality thing was worth it. She could still stick to her story, but faking an entire personality wouldn't be a hard thing for him to see through.
Ah, who was she kidding! She really was nervous! Pretending she wasn't would only make it worse!
And he was still staring at her.
With a tiny gasp, she realized he was waiting for her to make the first move. It figures someone as socially awkward as him would wait for someone else to go first.
Looking up and away from the fascinating blown up marble, she full on looked him in the eye.
"I'm hungry."
As if on cue, her stomach rumbled. Blushing, she thought it wasn't her fault but whatever. Tea for breakfast and an apple probably wasn't enough. Neither was toast and jelly.
He continued to stare his one visible eye widening comically, taking up an amused glint. He glanced at the counter behind her, and if she didn't have her glasses on and if everything wasn't bigger and amplified, she wouldn't have noticed his minute flinch and weariness in his eye.
Following his gaze and turned to see the most beautiful ceramic fruit bowl she had ever seen.
It was a solid head (in relation to her) size bigger, and was decorated with glowing green vines that wrapped around the base and top lip like lace. Flowers of all shapes and sizes started from the bottom and moved upwards as if a stray gust was blowing them along the wind. It was glazed to perfection-she could see a faint outline of herself next to a white jasmine.
It was a fine work of art. Something Haruhi could appreciate.
The only thing, she thought as she leaned over the side she had shimmied up, that could make it perfect, would be if it wasn't as dry and empty as the Sahara desert.
"U-uh." He stuttered before clearing his throat. He was at the fridge in an instant and she felt a slight draft in the room from the motion. She skittered to the side of the counter trying to see if there was any food in the fridge. Stretching on her tippy-toes, she pouted as her efforts were foiled when he glanced over his shoulder and shifted himself in her line-of-sight, blocking the fridge's contents. One second of silence later and she realized something.
She had the sudden epiphany that he didn't have people over too often-although that wasn't much of a revelation.
She had an empty fruit bowl on her counter too.
Her face softened with compassion. He probably didn't have any food in his fridge, for all his wealth from missions, he probably had no one else to spend it on.
Or maybe he was cheap. Probably both.
Sure enough, when he hastily closed the fridge, she peaked under his arm. Pristine white shelves empty, and just plain depressing.
She quickly cleared the expression off her face and replaced it with one of curiosity. He was now looking at her with a slightly lost expression, and if she hadn't watched the anime, she wouldn't be able to tell either way. Again, she had to fight to keep her bleeding heart from showing, as he looked like a lost puppy. He didn't know how to take care of her, and judging from the lack of fresh food, he didn't know how to really care for himself either.
"It's okay." She said." I'm not really hungry."
Her stomach growled and he dragged a disbelieving eye from her face to her tummy and then back.
Great. Now he probably thought she was a liar.
Which she was, but still.
"Maa, It's time to go shopping anyway." He said, reaching behind to rub his head. Smoothly, he then removed the hand and laid it flat on the marble to the right of her. She jumped, before flushing. She was excited because it was pretty exhilarating to be going out. She knew with how skilled Kakashi was that he wouldn't drop her.
Probably.
Slowly he lifted her to shoulder height and stared, not knowing where to put her.
She smiled lopsidedly like his hair, and pointed to the pocket she had just been sleeping in.
A flicker of understanding passed over his face, and he flicked open the top of the vest pocket with one finger and slid her in. Snorting in amusement, she wondered if this was how baby kangaroos felt.
He opened the door and walked out, her hanging on the corner of the pocket, pulling herself up to peer over the edge.
She blinked. Then promptly gasped.
Konoha at dusk was beautiful.
The shop lights glowed in the dark like fireflies, crisscrossing over the main path and across the street to connect with brick, wood and stone. Ally ways were swept and sprinkled with green leaves from trees of every shape and size that seemed to fit themselves in every nook and cranny they could find. The sky was half filled with clouds shaded with pink, orange, purple, and gray, which tinged the shop windows and everything else a light pink.
Finally the mountain with the four faces carved in it took her breath away. The details and general shape was intense. It was awe inspiring.
"It's beautiful." She whispered breathlessly.
A peaceful mood settled over them, much like the pink tinge from the clouds over the village. The sun was already hidden by the trees. But still, there was an undertone of tenseness; Kakashi's chest was like an iron board under her feet.
Eyes were wide and taking in every shop and person that walked past. It must have been a holiday (judging by the hanging decorations), as a lot of shops were closed. Even more for the night.
In the distance she thought she could make out Ichiraku's Ramen.
As they walked, she could make out a store that still seemed to be open. As they approached, she could tell it was a grocery store, with fresh fruit(some unfamiliar) lined up in the front.
He walked silently and ghost like into the store, grabbing a basket and heading over to one of the aisles with the fascinatingly wrapped food.
So involved with taking everything in, she didn't notice Kakashi had stopped and was speaking. She was in the middle of a staring contest with a dead fish (spiritually connected) when she felt a tap on her head.
"Buh!?" She said articulately. Why did people keep doing that!?
"What would you like, exactly?" He responded with a bemused undertone. She defensively tensed. Was he laughing at her?
"U-uh, it doesn't really matter. I don't think I'll eat a lot in comparison." It was nice of him to ask, though, though that should have been obvious.
He hummed in response, and continued to browse the shelves, picking up foreign food items and putting them in the basket. Her tummy jumped with excitement (or was it hunger?) at the thought of eating the new food. When it seemed he had all the ingredients, they walked over to check out and Kakashi placed the items onto the counter. She watched, completely absorbed.
The cashier drowsily added up the price before stating the final cost.
"That'll be 4- Oh! Hatake-san! I haven't seen you in awhile!" they exclaimed, snapping out of their funk really quickly.
She felt him shift awkwardly. The man simply did not do social interaction.
"Ahh, been busy." He sweat dropped.
"Preparing an home-cooked meal I see. Better than those nutrient bars for sure!"
N-nutrient bars?
Haruhi grimaced.
The cashier continued to chatter happily in their bluebird way, putting their future dinner into a brown paper bag. When they were finally done, Kakashi picked up the bag, positioning it on the right side of his chest-away from her, and waved goodbye.
"Bye! Hope to see you again soon!" With a jolt, she realized she hadn't bothered to read for their name, so into the bagging process that she was. With a small smile, she thought she could just find out next time.
They started the journey back, the sun having long since set. While still alive, the village was silent and mostly still. Stars were twinkling between the tree leaves, and the leaves themselves hushed in the wind, almost as if telling them to be quiet.
She ignored them.
"What are we making for dinner?" She asked inquisitively.
He didn't respond at first, probably pulling himself out of whatever funk he was in. By this point, they had made it back and he swiftly shifted balance and closed the door behind them. He reached over and deposited the bag on the counter. She took the initiative to pull herself up and out of his pocket, running down his carefully still arm and onto the table. She had pretty solid balance, actually. She used to be that neighborhood kid who stood up on the bike seat with no hands.
"...I was thinking something simple." He finally responded, unpacking vegetables and rice on the stove adjacent to the countertop. She started at this, before nodding, standing unsure next to the tomatoes. He pulled out a pan that looked like it hadn't been used in ages, and set it on the stove top. He poured some oil into it and turned on the heat.
"Can I do anything?"
He turned to look at her with an appraising eye, almost asking 'what could she do'? And while she was still small, she wasn't weak, with an innately muscular build. She was sure she could muscle something over. So with that, she flushed slightly but determinedly held his gaze.
She wasn't helpless.
"Can you get out the onion?"
Taken aback, she blinked, before nodding and making her way over to the bag. If memory served her correctly, he didn't get anything glass or something that could be spilled if tipped over. If she lifted from the bottom and shifted over to the side, she could lay the bag on it side and could walk in like she owned the joint.
Not that that in itself posed a problem. The smooth counter was almost friction-less, and coupled with the paper bottom she wouldn't be able to tilt it over. Only move it.
She smirked.
That's all she needed.
First running over to the corner that connected with the wall she got a stack of napkins. Hidden behind them was an almost empty glass salt shaker. While she could pick it up and carry both things over individually, she needed to conserve energy-especially now that the shaker was a lot heavier. So she rolled it over and on top of the stack and proceeded to drag the napkins over the counter and to the bowl with little effort.
Going back and arriving at the bag, she grasped the side in her fists, and pulled it over until half of it was propped up against the beautiful fruit bowl. She walked around to the front of the bowl, dragging the napkins and salt. She lifted the salt shaker onto the edge before she climbed onto the rim herself. In reaching distance of the top of the bag, She jumped up and grasped the corner, landing on the head of the shaker. The top of the bag bended slightly in her direction.
Making sure the corner wouldn't rip in her grasp, She wrapped her legs around the shaker and swung herself over the side, tilting the bag with her momentum so it wouldn't fall into the bowl. She heard the bag's contents bump together as they went down.
"Timber!" She whisper-giggled.
The bag tipped over-and on top of her. She and the saltshaker landed safely on the pile of napkins she had place there previously. She wriggled free and rolled from under the bag, huffing all the while.
Standing up, she dusted herself off and walked around and into the gaping bag. Imaging herself to be Indiana Jones, she picked her way through veggies in the hooded bag and gave a squeal of victory when she finally spotted the onion. Using the other, heavier, objects as leverage, she pushed off them and pushed the onion out of the bag.
Breathing heavily, she blinked as she emerged from the bag. As she looked around she was presented with a new problem. She had no way to get the onion over to Kakashi. She briefly thought about using the napkins again, but with them being under the bag, it would be hard to get them out.
Maybe she could...roll it?
Getting behind the onion, she experimentally gave it a push and let out a delighted laugh when it actually moved. Sometimes the answer was more simple than the question.
She fell into a pattern, pushing one side and then another so it would stay balanced and wouldn't roll over the bump where it was cut.
Huffing and puffing big bad wolf style, she stopped it inches away from where Kakashi was cooking, sinking down on the cool marble and sighing as it made contact with her cheek.
Her eyes fluttered open when she felt the onion being lifted away from her.
She bleary watched as he took a chopping knife and shaved the loose skin off. He started out slowly, like a musician who hadn't played in awhile, before falling into a rhythm faster than she could see.
It really smelled nice now; the frying onion filled the air and the sizzling veggies was pure torture to her hungry belly-especially after that workout.
Still she was delighted. She considered it a huge triumph getting the onion over here. Most people wouldn't think twice about something so trivial, but then again, she wasn't in the most normal of situations.
So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice he was done cooking until he cleared his throat-inches away from her.
Shrieking, she jumped up again, before turning and scowling at him.
"Do you enjoy scaring me or something?" She asked angrily.
His eye curved into a smile.
"No need for that. Dinners ready."
Ha! He thought that could calm her down! Satiate her fury!
He was absolutely right.
Throwing him one last annoyed look, she ran back over a foot away from the brown paper bag, which was now mostly empty. There was a chair there he intended to sit on, and a glass plate that contained the stir fry.
A giddy feeling filled her like the meal soon would. Kakashi didn't have to cook an entire meal, he could have just gotten take out so she was touched, really.
Even if it was just for his mission.
The both settled down to eat, her grabbing a fried tomato and climbing the bowl and him sitting on his chair.
She painstakingly made sure to not look at Kakashi while he ate.
He made this meal, so he should enjoy it.
She paused to swallow thickly, and abruptly realized she was the only one eating.
"Hey..." She spoke hesitantly, giving him a warning. Slowly lifting her head she looked him full on with a serious sincere expression.
"Thank You."
Hey may have been a socially lacking manchild, and only doing this for a mission, but at least he was nice.
His eye widened in shock, which looked comical with his stuffed squirrel cheeks under the mask. A tension she had noticed before left his shoulders, body relaxing.
"Maa, no problem." He waved dismissively at her, resuming his chewing.
She still couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Her being here was very intrusive, and as a shinobi it had to have put him on edge.
Despite that, a content atmosphere settled in the kitchen and along their shoulders.
Haruhi smiled as she bit into the crispy tomato. Whatever happened next, she knew they could work it out.
If she had chosen that exact moment to look up, she would have seen a small smile on his lips as he enjoyed the food, and a considering look on his face as he thought about her.

Chapter Text

Dinner was amazing. She wasn't expecting something from this backwards world to be so good, but she could taste the onion and other spices in the tomato, and it left her with a warm full feeling inside. She was at optimum state to fall asleep.
There was only one problem;
She had nowhere to sleep.
After much fanfare she had found a rather cozy pillow in the living room and just decided to sleep on that.
She knew for a fact Kakashi wasn't gonna sleep tonight, paranoid about her presence. Seeing as she had a power nap in his pocket earlier, she was having trouble falling asleep too. So even though she was exhausted from the onion thing, she couldn't sleep.
And she was also worried.
Might as well do some planning now.
She knew much more than she should have. About Konoha's society, and the way ninja's worked. Never being to Konoha before, she shouldn't. The best she could do was reveal nothing at the beginning, and ask a lot of questions. The longer she spent here, the more she could let slip, as anyone suspicious would assume she had picked it up from everyday life.
How long would she spend here?
Kicking her feet, she twisted like a cat onto her stomach, stretching her arms out ahead as if reaching for the answer; only to pull back with fists curled on empty air.
She wouldn't know the answer as long as she didn't know how she had gotten here. And asking how would be suspicious as they had established she was a summon. God, she wished this world full of child killers and accepted state approved assassinations wasn't real.
This was fine though. She could adjust. And with that, she adjusted herself one last time, arm sliding over the sinfully soft stitching that smelled really nice, and drifted off.
...
She woke to a soft nudge that rolled her entire body over. Not bothering to do anything at all, she calmed her heart and sunk lower into the strangely nice smelling pillow. Until she was nudged again and this time slid off the pillow.
She didn't even have time to scream as she slide of the edge, back smacking the wooden floor, leaving her momentarily breathless. She gasped for air, doing her best impression of a trout on a river bank. A brief flash of panic when she realized she couldn't make out anything, having taken her glasses off. It was made even worse when she couldn't check her hoodie pocket for them, being unable to move in all. Concentrating, she felt their slight weight against her lower belly, and would have sighed in relief if she wasn't trying so hard to breathe. Seriously, what knocked her off!?
She blinked, but didn't bother to squint as a huge shadow suddenly eclipsed her, leaning over the pillow she was just knocked off. It was vaguely circular shaped, with two bumps on either side.
"Hey. Girlie, you were sleeping on my pillow."
Well fuck them. Waking her up and almost killing her. Not like she wanted to be in this warped, backwards world, stuck under the care of a man who couldn't even care for himself.
"I'm a woman, not a girl." She said defensively. Just because she was tiny now didn't change that fact.
The blob snorts, probably thinking to her five inch tall frame. The action is strangely animal like...
Finally regaining mobility, she slowly reaches into her hoodie pocket and pulls out the green frame and slightly smudged lenses and puts them on her hair covered face. She blinks once, twice, and wishes the fall killed her.
Because, staring down at her in a mixture of amusement and annoyance, is a dog.
She hates dogs.
Unconsciously, her hand moves to the back of her left thigh where a faint white bite scar resides. Dogs are loud, terrible for sneaking out, not as soft or fluffy as cats, they drool, and poop all over your yard. Plus they kill you. You never hear of a house cat killing people, do you?
She slowly sits up, not breaking eye contact. Her legs are tense with the urge to run.
"Let's start over. I'm Haruhi." she manages around the lump in her throat.
"Pakkun."
Pakku-shit. Like Kakashi's right hand man-er, dog?
Ah, she thinks.
"Well Pakkun, could you explain why you pushed me off the pillow" She asked as politely as she could.
"My pillow." He corrected in a less than amused expression. He probably smelled her dislike or something. Whoa, wait a second, his pillow!
"Yes." he answers verbally.
"You're stinking it up. I thought humans were supposed to be hygienic. "
And that was it. Her self esteem now smaller than she was. A Fucking dog just told her she smelled bad and he was probably right. She hadn't changed her clothes or had a shower since she got here, however long ago that was, and if he was telling the truth and this was his pillow, well, she recalled it smelled amazing, like floral green.
Shit, she was sympathizing with Sakura so hard right now. She never thought she would, considering she hated the character, but whatever.
"Right, where's Kakashi?" She asked briskly. Because they were getting shit done as soon as she found him.
"Not here."
So Kakashi sent his summon to watch her as he did whatever? Cool, but she needed to know when he'd be back. A stab of annoyance went through her; he better be quick with whatever he is doing.
"Where is he? When will he be back?" She tries for the hell of it. He doesn't answer her, just giving her the most done look she had ever seen. And that was saying something as she's been in public school her entire life. He was either out reporting to the Ninja dictator, at the memorial rock stuck in a spiral, or doing god knows what.
She sits up and surveys the living room, mindful of the dog not far away. It has a couch, table and bookshelf, all empty. No pictures really hang on the wall, and the room is in mostly neutral colors. She wonders if the other rooms are this empty, and if so, where does he keep all his stuff? Spotting the hallway on the other side, she stretches, well aware of Pakkuns hot breath against her back, and starts walking.
Her glorified babysitter barks in question, hopping the pillow like a hurtle and land a little to her left. Barely controlling her flinch, she turns and speaks;
"Can you show me where the bathroom is?"
He blinks, obviously surprised. He was probably thinking she would ask for Kakashi again. But she was a fierce, smelly, independent woman and she would make it to the bathroom and clean herself up.
"Hop on. I can get you there."
...Hop on?
Her breathing picks up, and she wipes her sweaty palms on her sweatpants.
“I’m good, man. I can just go myself.”
Pakkun shook his head.
“I gotta watch you. Just climb on.” He leaned down next to the pillow, clearly indicating for her to climb on.
Haruhi took a shaky breath, before slowly approaching. She touched his shoulder and fluinched backwards, but when nothing happened, she grabbed hold and swung her leg around his neck.
Her stomach swooped when he stood up, and she giggled, anxiety being replaced with amusement as they padded down the hallway.
The stopped in front of a closed door.
They both looked on, stuck.
"It's not locked, it it?"
"No."
"Can you open it?"
She slid off his back. Standing up on his hind legs, he wasn't nearly tall enough. The pads of his paws pressed uselessly against the hardwood. While he was able to leap tall trees in a single bound, this was much more delicate, and she doubted his jaws could turn the metal knob. She frowned, and went into her L from death note mode.
Observing her surroundings, the hallway was mostly empty. The floor was hardwood up to a point, ending just after the wooden table. The table itself would still be too short to reach the table. She frowned, then gasped slightly as an idea hit her and started mumbling under her breath.
Pakkun gave her a (justified) strange look.
"Haruhi, what are you talking about? Have you figured out a way to get in?"
"Yes." She answered honestly. "But i'm going to need your help."
She carefully explained the details of her plan to him, clearly impressing him. "You have a good head on your shoulders. Lets see if it works." She smiles for the first time that morning.
And with that, they ran over to the wooden table. Pakkun, doing most of the heavy lifting, grabbed a corner with his teeth and gentle tugged it the few feet towards the door. Because it was all polished hardwood, it slid easily enough over the surface. She stood off to the side, shouting directions to Pakkun.
He tugged the three legged table over against the door. Phase two was in action. Pakkun let go of the leg, licking his jaws. Leaning over again, she jumped up and grabbed his blue headband with the Konoha leaf symbol on it, and wrapped her hands into the blue cloth. He tensed, then jumped. She felt her stomach being left behind on the wooden floor as he landed onto the flat tabletop.
Slowly jumping off the side of his headband, she looked as he stood up on his hind paws and was now tall enough to reach the knob. Taking both of his front paws, he placed them on either side and very carefully twisted.
Click.
Pakkun shifted his weight and the door slowly swung open. Pakkun barked victoriously and she whooped. He jumped down and dragged the table to wedge itself between the door and its frame, so it wouldn't close and trap them in.
Eyes widened as they took in the darkened bathroom. Her vision turned towards the wall, looking for a light switch. It was to her right, to high to reach and located in a place to small for Pakkun.
This looks like a job for Wonder Woman!
She glanced at the hand-towels hanging from a rack in arms distance from the edge of the table. Still in L mode, she reached over and grabbed a handful, and started climbing.
"I'll catch you, so you don't have to worry." Said Pakkun. She shot a grateful smile his way in response.
She shimmied to the side, ignoring the drop below her, until her feet landed on the white counter. Sighing in relief, she carefully walked over to the dark wall and jumped up on the protruding tile rim. Standing on her tippy toes she was just tall enough to grab the other light switch facing downwards in a reverse grip and pull herself up to flick the lights on.
The sudden fluorescent lights made her eyes sting for a second until she became used to it. Looking around she noticed a mostly blank counter, with a soap dispenser in the corner. This was probably the guest bathroom.
"Haruhi." Pakkun piped up like an particularly helpful video game tutorial "The mirror should open, and hygienic products are inside, if you can figure it out."
"Thanks!" Maybe dogs weren't so bad. She still didn't like them.
She frowned when faced with a new problem. How to get the cabinet open? It wasn't locked, thank god, but she couldn't reach that high. Idly, she walked over to the yellow soap dispenser and pushed it over the counter top to the side where it should open from. Grabbing hold of the plastic wrapping she hoisted herself up and sat on the plastic head, soap spritzing out.
She watched as it leaked down the front and suddenly had an crazy idea.
Hopping off, she stood on the tall flat handle for the hot part of the sink and pulled it over next to her, Jamming the flat, shovel headed tip into the crack, she let go and the mostly empty bottle of soap stayed wedged there, sticking out on a 45 degree angle.
Grinning she stopped the clean sink and turned of the faucet.
"Pakkun, i'm going to take a bath, don't look and warn me if Kakashi's coming." And with a grunt of agreement she turned back to the matter at hand.
She hesitated for a moment. She needed to take off her clothes in order to take a bath, but what if someone saw? A self conscious hand rested on her chubby stomach. She glanced down at Pakkun who had his head turned away. She stripped and readied herself and jumped onto the bottle, Propelling all her weight forward and releasing her inertia. With a shutter, the glass cabinet opened slightly, and she and the bottle fell back into the water filled sink.
Swimming to the edge, she hauled herself out with the emergency holes in the side of sinks in case it overflows. Panting and butt naked, she looked into the contents of the cabinet. Like most of the house so far, it was pretty empty. It had a case of floss, toothpaste but no brush, and-
-A TRAVEL SIZED BOTTLE OF SHAMPOO!
Grinning, she climbed the shelves like a baby climbs a staircase, and knocked it over. It fell into the sink with a splash. Grabbing the tooth paste, she unscrewed it, grabbed a blob, and stuck it in her mouth, cause she'd be damned if that wasn't nasty smelling. She then took the cap and stuck it on the hook that would lock the cabinet-just in case. Finally, She takes a long string of floss and ties knots in it. When she deems it's long enough, she cuts it with the corner built in the box.
Carefully climbing down, She lands on the handle again. She reached around and tied the knotted flossing string around the neck, and jumped back in, satisfied she'll be able to get out easier next time.
She washes her hair and takes care of other things while she's at it, making small talk with Pakkun. When he offers his shampoo to her, she draws the line. Carefully taking her undershirt, she washes that and her other clothes, spending extra time on the soup stains in her pants.
When she's done, she ties one end of the mini bottle to the string and pulls herself out.
She goes up to the stopper at the back of the faucet and pulls up, draining the now cool water. Pakkun helpfully grabs a washcloth for her and she towel dries herself, knowing her hair take awhile to dry, due to how thick it is.
After putting on her boy shorts underwear and sports bra she leaves her other cloths items on the corner on the cabinet shelves to dry.
"Pakkun, Catch me!" She shrieks, wrapped in the washcloth, and jumps off the side.
She lands on his back and slides off onto the red plush bathroom carpet. Both of them walk under the table and into the kitchen. She decides Pakkun isn't so bad.
They appear to have impeccable timing.
Kakashi walks through the door, carrying brown paper grocery bags with fresh food. He doesn't notice her for a moment, kicking off his sandals and locking the door, but when he does, he stops in his tracks.
They all stared at each other, him taking in her drying, almost naked state wrapped in a white cloth, and her taking in his full arms and less so wallet. Pakkun poofs away.
She grins and he looks on with apprehension.
"Don't get too comfortable, Kakashi. Were going clothes shopping."

Chapter Text

He blinked.
She grinned broadly, her fresh teeth glinting in the light coming from the door.
He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing under the mask.
She leaned to the side, washcloth riding up one of her legs. His one stupefied eye following the motion. She guessed it was a transition, from only seeing her in oversized sweatpants, to suddenly covered only in a washcloth.
"I am going to put these away." He stated blandly, and walked to the connecting kitchen.
Poor, awkward Kakashi.
Now that Pakkun wasn't here, she really had no other option but to watch him. Besides, she was hungry, dinner was last night and she just did some intense maneuvering. Walking through the goliath opening, she watched as Kakashi methodically put fruits in her favorite bowl and perishables into the fridge.
Cool beans.
From her position on the tile floor, she wasn't sure she could actually make it up onto the counter and into the fruit bowl. He had chairs, but way too big for her to move, and the sides of the counter were polished wood-no climbing that.
"Hey, could you give me a lift onto the counter?"
He pauses and looks at the washcloth toga like it's was an alien. Feeling the need to reiterate she licked her lips and spoke under his gaze.
"I'm hungry and the fruits on the counter in the bowl."
He didn't reveal his feelings at the simple answer, and instead slowly walked over to her. She tensed at feeling the vibrations, even though his steps were soundless. He splayed the back of his hand against the tile and watched as she glided over, cautiously kneeling on his gloved palm.
The giddy swoop in her stomach made her giggle as she was deposited directly into the fruit bowl. Part of the cloth covered her face and by the time she removed it, Kakashi was gone, probably putting groceries away. Looking to her left, she spotted a bright orange clementine.
Perfect.
Shuffling so the clementine was blocked by her Julius Caesar robe, She took the small, sharp piece of metal that had been used to cut the floss out of her bra, and made an slit into the orange skin. Hastily putting it away, she ripped at the new opening so Kakashi wouldn't know she had mutilated his floss. Not that Pakkun probably wouldn't tell him all that he could.
As she chewed a slice the size of her forearm, she wondered what was taking kakashi so long. Climbing as quickly as she could while juggling her dignity and the slice, she stood atop a pear and watched him slowly put packaged ham away.
Why was it taking him so long?
Narrowing her eyes, she continued to watch him. He seemingly avoided her gaze as he came back to a different part of the counter to unpack.
"Did you see your friend at the check-out as last night?"
He seemed to take that as an opportunity to stop.
"Yes. Night shift." He stayed still a bit longer, almost as if hoping to put off unpacking as long as possible. Before sighing and resuming.
"Are we still going?"
He didn't react, like the trained elite ninja he was, and continued what he was doing. Which was unpacking the groceries. Slowly.
"Quit stalling!" She suddenly shouted around a mouthful of clementine.
This time he did react, freezing for a split second, before going so fast he turned into a blur. All the items were put away in three seconds, and he was suddenly standing in front of her, slouch in all.
She didn't even blink, too used to it. But she did shriek when he suddenly grabbed the washcloth, making her drop the orange slice. He lifted her, dangling like a baby in a sling, over the side of the bowl and onto the counter.
"Maa, soon."
"Oh! How soon? Like in five minutes?" She asked, immediately rebounding. She sat up, clutching the front to her chest as it was slipping off both shoulders. Unbeknownst to her, his eye followed the movement in a suitably dumbfounded gaze.
"Now sounds fine."
"Cool Beans!"
She shuffled up, in that awkward way you do when you make a snow angel and are trying not to ruin it.
"Pocket time? Cause if we're going shopping i'm not sure you want anybody to see me." She thought that was reasonable. Plus she didn't want to meet anybody knew without her fancy new slacks.
He slowly wrapped his hand around her middle, seeing as she couldn't exactly stand well. Lifting her to the pocket he asked;
"Can you fit?"
"You calling me fat!?"
He sweat dropped, panicking slightly as he didn't really know how to deal with mad women.
Or really, women in general.
Chuckling in good humor, she grinned impishly as a mischievous idea crossed her mind.
"It's all good, man. I can fit, but only if I take off the washcloth."
...
He said nothing, living up to his namesake as a scarecrow. It was a look of absolute shock and slight fear. She grinned, happy she could read him so easy.
"...Are you sure you can't fit?" He sounded slightly strained.
"Well yeah I could, but it'll look funny and its wet."
Frowning slightly, she rolled off his palm and quickly into the cover of the pocket. She was right; it was crowded and uncomfortable. Grinning, she unwrapped herself and threw the damp washcloth out, the pocket flap hiding everything except her arms and head.
She was now naked in Kakashi's pocket.
In a lighting quick move, she watched his hand catch the washcloth in a mechanical action as if his brain had short-circuited. Ducking back in to hide her shoulders, she cheered;
"Let's go, Kay-Kay-She!"
And with that, he took his usual slow steps towards the door. Opening and then closing the door, she blinked and smiled happily-the air smelled fresh and dewy. It seemed to be a school day, with kids carrying books all in the same direction. Good. Looking closer, she noticed some of them were wearing ninja sandals and had weapons pouches. The academy? With a stab of fear and excitement, she wondered if she'd see any of the rookie nine.
"Slow down Kiyo!"
"We can't be late for the test!" She shouted back faintly to her friend. Maybe they had a unit exam thing? At any rate she felt Kakashi tense slightly. It must mean something to him and because of that, was important. They moved out of the residential section, and the houses melded into markets. Trees popped from alleyways and the cobblestone street was dappled with shade. And while the road was pretty, she'd like to know where it was taking them.
"Do you know any places?" She asked. Waiting in silence for a bit, she peeked out and turned upwards. He was blushing slightly and staring ahead, coming to a dead stop-in front of a toy store. Porcelain dolls with lacy dresses filed the windows. Their version of barbie was decked out in ninja gear.
Good to know they started the indoctrination young.

They stayed put right outside the shop. Kakashi’s fingers had stopped inches away from the door handle, and now stood frozen in the air.
“Aw, is Kashi-kun afraid of a door handle?” She cooed.
Craning her neck again, she yelped and almost fell out of the pocket as he took a sudden step forward and opened the shop door with a single, slow, push.
The bells on the handle were ominously silent.
There wasn't much activity going on in the store, as most of the kids were at school or still asleep. A bored employee was putting away handmade dolls in a glass case behind the cashier. Kakashi approached again, walking at a snail's pace.
He stood silently in front of the desk. The employee continued putting the intricate dolls away, having not noticed the silent Kakashi. He awkwardly cleared his throat.
The girl started, whipping around and clutching the dolls to her chest, looking on with shock. Then doing a double take when she saw the vest (but not her) and the obviously masculine appearance. Now she had nothing against guys and dolls, it's just seeing a Jounin in their little shop was surprising.
"Is there anything you need help with, sir?" She asked, recovering slightly.
"Yes, I have a...special order. Can I speak to the manager?"
"Of course, be right back."
The employee disappeared into the back room. Soft talking could be heard before muffled footsteps headed towards them. The girl came into view, hands clasped in her front and smiling sweetly.
"You can go in back. She'll see you. Call me if you need me!" And with that incredibly good service, Kakashi headed towards the door with a soft 'thanks'.
The back room was slightly darker than the main shop. Scraps of cloth for doll clothes laid around, and broken dolls and missing plastic limbs were in piles in the back, waiting to be repaired. She was slightly intimidated. In the very back of the room, in a very comfy looking chair, sat an older woman. This lady didn't look like she didn’t messed around, with glasses sharpening her gaze, and long nimble fingers with callouses at the ends. She turned an interested eye towards them.
"What special accommodations do you need? Cloth repair? Or new doll clothes?" She fired off questions.
"The latter, please."
She leaned towards them slightly and patted her desk expectantly.
"Show me what i'm working with."
He heart was beating rapidly and her palms were sweating. She was peeking over the top, still concealed-but not for long. She was feeling incredibly vulnerable, wishing she had just brought the washcloth with her, even if it would have been uncomfortable. Bravely, she said;
"Kakashi, put me on the table so she can see." And with that, she rose, supporting herself by pulling on the corners and lifting her head and shoulders into view and giving the woman an lopsided, nervous, smile.
She gasped in shock and openly stared, an expression probably not seen often. Her eyes scanned over what she could see of her from the pocket.
Kakashi lifted his hand and pointedly looked in the other direction and she timidly climbed onto his palm. Taking a few steps, she stepped off onto the table and stood, shivering slightly, under the awestruck gaze of the woman. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, and she raised her thigh to cover the v of hair between her legs. She wished she had something to cover her belly.
She must have been a sorry sight.
"Do…” Haruhi struggled to talk past the lump in her throat. “Do you think you'll be able to make clothes for me?"
The awed expression was quickly toned down, and a snort left her.
"Don't insult me. Come over here so I can get your measurements"
Unexpectedly, she started to tear up. She guess she didn't realize how much it meant for her to get new clothes until she realized it was possible. Nodding frantically, she moved closer to the dollmaker, who was pulling out a coiled measuring tape. She stopped where the lady directed her too and waited, trying to collect herself and halt her slight sniffling.
The woman held the metal tip against her side, and she flinched as the cool metal raised goosebumps.
"Hold still..." the seamstress mumbled, wrapping it around her waist.
She did her best impression of a statue. She really wanted new clothes and definitely didn't want to mess it up. So she turned when prodded and out of the corner of her saw Kakashi’s head starting to turn towards her. She was supremely uncomfortable.
"Give her some privacy boy! A Woman deserves her privacy!" The seamstress snapped at him. He tore his gaze away, embarrassed. She giggled, mostly amused he got told off and grateful. The seamstress winked at her and she grinned back. She sensed a future bro.
"I'm Haruhi."
"Kasumi."
"Thank you for doing this, Kasumi. It means a lot to me."
"Every self-respecting woman needs a decent wardrobe. And you did look quite sad, standing there naked..." Kakashi choked in the background.
"Uh, thanks?"
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you so small?"
She hesitated, not knowing what to say. The Hokage didn't specify if he wanted her to be a secret or not. Luckily, Kakashi stepped in.
"She's the result of an unfortunate jutsu accident." That was actually a very good cover story, especially since he was wearing the vest to back it up. Kasumi harrumphed and shook her head. Scratching down all the measurements she tossed her head towards the back of the room, where spare mismatched clothes were in separate plastic containers. Pieces of doll furniture were also there.
"Pick as much as you can carry. Clothes and furniture. These won't be ready for awhile" She said, gesturing to the new notes.
Shocked, she couldn't stop stuttering her thanks. Since the table spanned the room, she ran across the wooden top and all the way up to the boxes. Kakashi, who was determinedly avoiding looking at her still naked body, helped and opened some of the boxes for her.
A cute pink frilly dress-No.
An ugly box brown shirt-No.
An ankle length skirt with army green vines- Not her style.
"Picky." Kakashi said in amusement, watching the clothes land in a pile to the side.
Finally, she found something that suited her. A light Forest green tank-top with dark trim that was cut to reveal the sides, and a pair of baggy cream shorts with golden peaches(and pockets!) on them. Quickly putting them on, she ran in front of his line on sight (which was trained on the rejected pile) and he flinched before fixing his gaze on her.
"Hows this?" She spread her arms.
"...It suits you." He said simply, looking on intensely.
She grinned happily, blushing.
"I know."
After finding a couple a couple more items she liked, Kakashi opened some of the other boxes with the mini furniture. They picked out a bed, chairs, a table, miniature bookshelf, and a ton of other things. Heading to the main part of the shop, the girl had gone to the front to clean and Kasumi was checking them out. Sorting their things she asked what color bag they wanted.
"Pink."
"Black."
Kakashi and Haruhi made eye contact, her grinning. She would love to see him carry a pink bag all the way home. He had a different idea.
"Are you sure you don't want that pink dress?"
Scowling, she gave in.
"How much?" Kakashi sighed, looking back to the manager.
"It's on the house. It's not often I get customers like this."
That definitely made him happy, as he perked up and eye smiled. Picking up the bag in one hand and her in the other, he inclined his head and walked out the store. She climbed back into his pocket, happy with her outfit. Amazing what it could do for a girl.
"...We could always go back for that pink dress."
"Shut up!" She shouted in mock anger, and punched the vest. If anything, it amused him, as evidenced by his shaking shoulders.
All in all, it was a good start to their day. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

Chapter Text

Again, the walk home was short and sweet. They spent it in a peaceful silence, her jovial with her new clothes and he was just happy to be out of the toy store. She even thought she heard him humming, but that could have been the fat lazy bees in the flowers they had just walked past.
The humming was addictive, and soon she found she couldn't help herself. While she had never joined anything like band or choir, she still loved music. She couldn't read music to save her life, mind you, but she had very acute ears, that picked up a tune and could follow it note for nameless note.
She was in the middle of humming Tiny Dancer by Elton John, when felt the weight of an inquisitive gaze.
"Do you like singing?" Kakashi asked, cutting her off.
"It passes the time and it's fun!" She responded without shame, and continued humming her song.
Far off and blocked by trees, she could make out the Hokage mountain, which seemed pretty colorful for a slab of rock. It looked like someone painted stuff onto it.
He shifted balance again, and opened the front door. They were greeted to a quiet house, clean wooden floors, and mostly empty walls. Dust danced in the light streaming from outside. She was hit with the smell leftover from last night, cooking oil and fried vegetables lingering in the air. She wondered what they would have tonight.
She was surprised to find herself looking forward to it.
He slouched into the living room, leaving his shoes on for some reason, and put the bag onto the coffee table.
Looking at the bag full of furniture she asked;
"Where could we set up shop? what would be a good place to put all this?"
He glanced around.
"How about that book shelf." He stated more than asked.
She jumped off the low table, sunlight catching her hair and the soft rug catching her. Kakashi picked up the bag and placed it by the book shelf. She surveyed the books. Most of them were ninja scrolls, the recent ones bound tightly. A couple hardcover books and paperbacks were also evenly spaced behind and next to the scrolls. They were short and fat and tall and thin. Some had uneven pages and others had golden edges, and some were just normal. It was a bit dusty.
It was her dream come true. The entire shelf went up to Kakashi's hip-so relatively short. Perfect for her. It was also out of the way of the hallway, offering some semblance of privacy. Her favorite feature, however, was the sliding door. It was big enough to cover half of the book shelf at anytime, and could slide like a glass shower door to each side. It had two levels with a single wooden shelf. It was Awesome and convenient.
"That, would be amazing!" She said shrilly.
He unpacked, pulling out miniature furniture and bundled clothing. He placed the around her, in front, and on top of her!
"Hey! Not on me!"
"Sorry about that. Need a hand?" He said, leaning over and plucking it off her, not sounding at all sorry. Rather amused actually. She was too, but for the sake of comedy she acted angry.
"I can do it!" She puffed. Standing up on all fours, she stood up and tossed her hair back. He sat down on his rear, criss-cross applesauce and ready for a show. She proceeded to push around the mini-bed and chair, occasionally asking him for help, and swearing angrily when he laughed at her. She put her little space in the middle, so it was blocked by the door but still had light bouncing off the laminated book covers. If it ever bothered her, she could always move a scroll in front of it.
“Say Kakashi,” She asked, wiping sweat from her brow, “Is there some sort of light I could have? Like a mini electric candle?” She wasn’t sure if they had that here, but she figured it was worth a shot.
“Hm, I think so. I pick one up later.”
She continued to move things around before stopping, leaning against a book.
"Phew, that was exhausting." She grinned wearily up at Kakashi, who eye smiled in response.
"Do you think that's an okay place to put it?"
"Hmm." He regarded her new place of resting with a critical eye.
"It seems fine."
"Will people be able to see it when they walk in?" This was a loaded question. She was purposely searching for information as to who could potentially find out, and to gauge if he had any friends.
"You should be fine. Not many people come over here." Well, that was depressing. He must still be smarting from ANBU.
"Wait, can people see me? Like, were you given specific orders for me not to be seen unless necessary?"
He turns the critical eye onto her. And that's when she realized he wasn't fooled by her dumb act. Not for a second. She goes in back, pretending to check on the arrangements and internally screaming. He probably caught on when she got that stupid onion out of the bag. Gah! She was so stupid! While he may not know the full extent of her knowledge, he was definitely suspicious. She had originally just wanted to help and yeah, maybe she was insecure being so small, and maybe she wanted to prove she wasn't useless.
Pulling herself together she turns around and half expects his face to be right behind her. But as she emerged from behind the door she found he was nowhere to be seen.
"Hello?" She called out, slightly worried. Kakashi had vanished, seemingly having left the room. Looking down, she noticed she could just crawl on the books. A bigger one on the lower shelf had tassel she could use to get down. Climbing down like those firefighter poles at the park, she landed on the wooden shelf before jumping off onto the carpet. She ran past the pillow from last night, all the while searching for Kakashi.
She stopped in a dead halt before her feet hit the wooden hallway, still searching for signs of Kakashi. Damn ninja. She immediately noticed the slip of light in the hallway, coming from a crack in the bathroom door. Noticing the table moved back to its originally place she gulped.
Oh.
That's what was taking him so long. He went to the bathroom and discovered the mess she left behind. Cheeks burning she jumped when he called her name.
"Yes?" She called, heart pounding.
Running up to the door, she slipped inside. The bathroom looked completely different from the floor. She couldn't see the sink for one.
Kakashi, the man the myth the legend himself, was standing and staring point blank at the sink. She jumped onto his pant leg, and being a champ at the rock wall, climbed up to sink level and jumped off.
She cringed. The sink was left to drain, but the water has left stains on the white marble. The toothpaste had been left open and a little had leaked onto the counter, while its cap was still wedged onto the latch. The string of floss was tied like a noose on the neck of the faucet, and the bottle of shampoo laid on its side, perfuming the air. The soap bottle had leaked all over itself and was leaned against the cabinet. Finally, her pants, shirt, hoodie and...other articles, were all hanging limply from the first shelf. She had been so caught up in her success she had forgot to clean up. What a genius. Her self-esteem was taking a hit.
Looking up, she found Kakashi looking down at her with amusement.
"Been busy?" He teased.
"S-sorry."
"Maa, I don't think I've ever seen you this shy." He teased."Oh, wait. In the shop, in the Hokage's office..."
"Hey! Stop making fun of me." She scowled, crossing her arms and tossing her hair over her shoulder. Suddenly remember why she went looking for him in the following silence, she looked on nervously.
"Why did you leave so suddenly?" She didn't like to admit it, but his disappearing act spooked her. She had become very dependent on him. Sensing her insecurity, he eye smiled reassuringly;
"We were working so hard, It seemed like a good idea to wash my hands and get started on dinner."
"Oh! that is a good idea!"
He just raised an eyebrow, before moving to tug off his gloves. Slowly, he pulled them off and lathered his hands with soap, righting the bottle.
He washed his hands slowly, turning over each one under the lazy, warm water. He dried them on the same towel she had parkoured on, them turned and seemed to say with his one eye 'your move'.
Pouting, she stuck her tongue out at him before slowly moving over to the soap bottle. Scooping some off the front, she turned and glanced at the streaming water before slowly wrapping her legs around the neck and scooting until the stream trickled over her feet. She leaned down and around the tip, moving her hands back and forth in the spray.
Hearing a stifled chuckle, she looked up to see Kakashi with his best innocent face on.
"You enjoy watching me struggle, don't you?" She said blandly.
An eye smile.
Figures.
Deeming her hands clean enough, she scooched back carefully until her toes touched the counter top. Holding her wet hands in front of her, she shuffled over to the towel and dried her hands. She was slightly shaking, now that she wasn't near the warm water.
Turning around, she jumped slightly, as his face was inches away from her-again.
"Chop chop." He eye smiled, probably smirking under the mask. Laying his palm flat next to her, she brought her shivering frame over to his hand and almost sighed in relief when her thigh brushed the warm thumb. Properly seated, he walked put in the hallway and towards the kitchen, having magically cleaned while she has dried her hands.
He made his way into the kitchen, wood being replaced with tile, and set her on the counter.
"What now, Mr Clean?" She joked.
He thoughtfully hummed in response, heading over to the fridge. Shuffling around in there, he pulled out a wrapped package and set it on the counter, a bit to her left.
Having not put his gloves back on, he unwrapped the paper and revealed a set of 4 raw chicken breasts.
"Are we going to make this all?"
"No." He dismissed.
"If we do, there'll be leftovers!"
He froze in realization.
"I love leftovers." He murmured gleefully.
That settled it.
He had laid them all on to one big plate, before rooting around in the fridge some more. All the while, she was happily swaying in the background. He pulled out some veggies from the fridge and spices from the cabinet. She ran along them, identifying cumin, parsley, and a bunch of others.
Bringing out the oil, He let it fall in ropes into the frying pan and turned on the stove. Carefully, he took some of the veggies and started a stir fry. He bent over and out of sight and came back into view with a giant pan. She giggled when he deliberately took spices, sprinkled the chicken and placed them around her in a circle, like a sacrifice. Good to know he had a sense of humor.
Opening the oven and sliding the pan in, he closed it, and rushed over to the stove. He picked up the spatula and moved the veggies to cook. The smell from last night had never really left, but now it was back tenfold, and filled with the smell of roasting chicken. Her mouth was watering, and it was much more appealing than the smell from when she had first got; it smelled like a hospital.
While he cooked and she read the labels she swore she could hear someone humming.
Or that could have been the sizzling vegetables cause it was pretty off-key.
Now Haruhi had a philosophy. Eating food with someone else, was a sacred thing. It was like sharing life. There's a reason why food is involved in the majority of religious rituals. Eating with someone else peacefully is an act of communion. She firmly believed it's why they got along decently last night.
It was a peaceful silence, filled with cooking and wind from the darkening outside, and her humming. She had picked up where she left off.
Eventually, the stove tinkered off and the oven lights went out, signifying the chicken was ready. The white oven door opened smoothly, and the roasted chicken smell rolled into the kitchen.
Pointedly looking away, She took a piece of potato and chicken and happily nibbled on it.
"Hamster Haruhi..." Kakashi thought out loud.
"Ha!" That was actually pretty good. With the ice broken, she reciprocated in kind.
"Koala Kakashi." She heard him choke a bit on his food. Take that! He probably didn't expect her to rebound like that.
They bantered a bit through bites of food, her being careful not to turn around. She was in the middle of telling him ones of her best punchlines, pacing furiously back and forth.
Then she tripped over the corner of the plate.
Shrieking, she fell over the edge. Her veggie piece fell on the counter and a startled gasp left her. Hair whipped around in her face, and for a second she was airborne.
Time slowed. Her heart thudded in her ears as the tile approached.
Then quick as a flash, a hand caught her.
She was shaking and her arms were pinned to her side.
"T-thanks. Thought I was a goner." She chattered.
"No problem." He seemed to be checking her over.
Placing her on the counter again, she roughly sat down next to her dropped dinner. One hand finger combing her hair, she tried to use the other to get up but failed. A fingertip appeared out of the corner of her vision.
"Ah, thanks again." Grabbing it, she pushed up and leaned on it very briefly.
"Well, it is my mission to protect you."
"Y-yeah." She was going to pretend the flush was adrenaline. It wouldn't even be a lie. She was right to believe she could count on him to catch her.
Looking up, she caught one last concerned look before he suddenly stiffened.
"What's wrong?" She asked, worried. Was it a ninja signal?
"Maa, I'm sure it's nothing. Wait here." He was gone in a flash, mask now up.
He left her! On top of the counter with no Pakkun! And with now cooling food!
She put her food down, to worried and upset to eat. What could have caused him to leave so suddenly? Well she wasn't a helpless damsel, that was for sure, so she gathered up the paper bag and despite her newfound apprehension, made sure it had no hole in it, and wrapped each handle around her fists. Then jumped.
It was a head rush for sure, and she landed heavily onto the ground. Undamaged, she ran over to the window and stared intently as if it would reveal all the answers. A hawk flew past. She knew they were used for Konoha's messaging system for important events/emergencies. And at his urgency it was probably the latter.
What emergency could have cause him to poof like that?
…
He suppressed a giggle, running on the balls of his feet and into the back of the library. He normally wouldn’t step foot in a place like this, but times like this called for it.
He paused behind a shelf and scratched his hair.
What had Mizuki sensei said again?
He snapped his fingers in realization. The secret room with the forbidden scroll was hidden in the back!
Naruto disable the traps and slid through the formerly hidden door into the dark room. He fumbled in the dark for a second, before pulling out a lighter from one of his pockets and flicking it on.
Immediately, tall shelves filled with ominous looking scrolls greeted him, stacked eight feet high to the ceiling.
He walked slowly and carefully, scanning the labels.
He just passed a withered yellow one when another pristine white scrolled with a symbol appeared in his vision, dancing in the light of the flickering flame.
He scratched his cheek and squinted.
This wasn't the right scroll, so why did it capture his attention so much?
“…”
Because it had the Teme’s clan symbol on it!
Naruto released a growl, and made to grab the scroll, his thoughts angrily racing with images of the Teme. He thought he was so great!
Shouts stopped him.
Naruto pulled back as if burned. The door was still wide open, and he had a clear view of the library, the moons light streaming through windows. Ninja were standing in the middle discussing where he was. Luckily, the genjutsu still held, and they couldn’t see him. But he would have to hurry. His Sexy jutsu would only keep the old man down for so long.
He moved on. He could always come back for it.
...
Well maybe she could finally use her prior knowledge for something.
She slipped back into L mode.
He had left ANBU, but by the state of his house he wasn't as socially healthy as he was when he became team sevens sensei. She needed to better grasp just what time frame they were in.
Gasping, she jumped up. Running into the hallway and slipping slightly on the smooth wood, she tried to find which one was Kakashi's room. She chose a random one at the end, and wiggled under the door. Too bad she couldn't do that for the bathroom. But because this had a rugged floor on the other side, it had give and she just barely fit.
Gasping for breathe (the bottom of the door squeezed it out) She looked around. It was slightly more lived in than the rest of the house-but that wasn't much. She was having seconds thoughts about being here, as Kakashi was a man who values his privacy. Looking around quickly she didn't spot the group picture anywhere. Confirmed. But judging on his appearance and the state of Konoha, it was long after the Nine-tails attack.
Maybe she could figure what happened from the trips into town?
She remembered bumble bees. Oh, and the ramen shop. They had fantastic service at the doll store and apparently he didn't get out much. The Hokage mountain was colorful and the people walking about seemed fine, especially those academy kids. Two of the girls were talking about something and one was running ahead. It was a big day apparently.
They had a test-OH!
Was today the day Naruto and the rookie nine became ninja!?
If she was right, sundown was about half an hour ago, Naruto must've already stolen the scroll! That was why he left.
Well, now that that was cleared up, she had nothing to do. She didn't think she could sleep. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking. Everything started today.
...Could she get to meet the rookie nine? Team seven?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, she was getting ahead of herself. She wasn't even sure how long she was going to be here, and even if it all wasn't some dream.
Wiggling back under the door, she jogged into the living room and headed over to her book shelf. She doubted she could sleep, but maybe a couple of the books would be interesting. Hopefully enough to calm her trembling hands. Even though she knew enough not to be worried, she couldn't help herself.
Looking at the available books, she strangely found a mixture of Japanese scrolls, and a strangely formal English writing. It was a gardening book. And that was cool. She herself had had a vegetable garden back at her house. Her parents had left her with a small suburban household with a big yard on the edge of a Forest preserve. Deer would sometimes come and eat her plants, so she had to put a fence up.
So she pushed it open on the floor and started reading.
She didn't know when she started, but when she stopped, the sun was peeking through the windows and Kakashi was framed by its light, leaving him in a glow. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. He looked tired, his one eye drooping and figure slouched more than normal. He crouched down. His hair looked like silver and the rest of him was highlighted in the ray's. His eye was striking with fractured grey colors shimmering in the sunlight and dust dancing around him.
He was alright.
She breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't even know she was holding, and his eye drifted over to her. He glanced at the gardening book and then to her, a glint lighting up his formally tired eye.
"Planning on starting a garden?"
"Why not? Since you love veggies so much." She responded, relief evident in her tone. She stepped in the sunlight, in order to get a closer look at Kakashi and to make sure he was alright.
She heard a quiet gasp as she blinked the light from her eyes.
He was incredible looking up close. The light fell to reveal ruffles in his clothes, and he smelled like the air coming into the house and dinner. His posture was tired but was now shocked. He didn't tense anywhere so thankfully he wasn't hurt.
Her eyes roamed upwards, and finally connected to his wide-open, shocked ones.
He was staring directly at her, and his dilated pupils were encircled by a ring of cloud grey irises. The wide black reflected her entire body, and the morning sun made her absolutely glow, and penetrated her glasses. The rim of which, almost completely covered her more-prominent-than-usual eye bags. Her almond eyes were clearly reflected, and splashes of orange-brown were visible beneath black lashes. Her hair looked like her mothers, with tight black curls which framed her cheekbones and prominent jaw line. Dark pink lips were pulled into a relieved smile, And the sides of her tank top had risen up to reveal the sides of her hips.
She looked pretty good for someone who had stayed up the entire night.
The magic that had unknowingly descended upon them was suddenly broken when his eye darted away, a shade of pink settling on his cheek under his eye. He nervously scratched his cheek.
She blushed too, shifting on her feet.
"Is everything alright?" Are you alright? She asked quietly.
His eye darted back, and softened; sensing the real question.
"Yes. Everything's fine." He was still looking at her, and must have picked up on her other question.
"Sorry for leaving you so suddenly. I'll make it up to you."
She started, as he had correctly guessed what was bothering her. His eye then turned up into that familiar smile.
"Get some sleep. We have a lot to do later on."

Chapter Text

It was a hazy sort of relief.
Because all of that was just a dream. She sunk back into that static blissfulness, surrounded by the smell of books she had probably left in her room. Her head filled with white noise, she stretched her toes on the full sized bed, and wrapped herself in the not tiny sheets. She wasn't stranded and definitely didn't almost fall off a counter.
What a weird, vivid dream. For some reason, she had dreamt she shrunk down and into another universe. That couldn't possible be true though, as she had the evidence to back it. She was sleeping on it. A full sized bed.
"Haruhi..."
Did she leave her alarm on? She was on winter break.
"Get up, Haruhi."
The voice sent tingles down her spine. It sounded hesitant and distinctly male. Slightly amused.
Did her friends break into her house again?
"Go away. Sleeping." She then ignored the warm draft in her room. Must have left on the heat.
"But it's a big day today."
Why did it sound so big? And who was this? She distantly remembered planning something.
She cracked her eye open.
Ah. Big indeed.
"No." She was staring directly into Kakashi's Face. He was leaning over her and was decidedly not staring at her. He had pushed back the door on the bookshelf slightly so that he could lean over and wake her up. The warm draft was actually his breath, somehow, through the mask, and no wonder it smelled like books!
"That's not very nice."
"Waking me up isn't very nice. I was having a nice dream."
"Well I suppose it doesn't matter if were a little late..."
She bolted up and he flinched back, startled.
"Late? For what?" Was it Naruto? If she recalled, team seven were the last ones waiting. She bunched the sheets nervously.
"You'll find out." He said, eyeing the movement and studiously avoiding her gaze.
"Well, we have to get ready then."
She shifted the sheets over and place one, then two feet on the wooden shelf. She figured they could have leftovers for breakfast. He cleared out of sight, probably heading to get ready himself. So, yawning, she passed some dressers with clothes and arrived just past the plastic book covers to the thick textbook with the tassel. The room hadn't changed much, except Pakkun's pillow was now gone. The sun was also higher- a little before lunchtime, she'd say.
Quickly running back, she flung open a dresser(wedged between a short, stumpy children's book with gilded pages and a blocky one with a indescribable title) and rifled through clothes. She changed into green baggy capri with pockets that had golden buttons (she loved pockets) with ties that hugged the calf, and a beige background T-shirt with a golden-green grass pattern.
It may sound silly, or a girly things to do, but dressing nicely made Haruhi feel better, and she wasn't ashamed that she liked clothes, and liked to do beauty routines. It made her feel pretty.
She ran back out and rappelled down the crimson red tassel. She gently touched down on the wooden shelf, before jumping the inch onto the carpet.
Taking a second to balance, she stood from her crouch and ran towards the kitchen, sliding a little when the pads of her feet made contact with the slick tile. She jumped over a crack in the tiles and ran up to Kakashi, who was taking out the leftovers. Called it.
Deciding she was done with being lifted everywhere, she ran to the wall below where a painting was hanging. Feeling the floss blade securely in her bra, she took it out and cut off the thick rope from the paper bag. She could feel Kakashi watching her curiously, but whenever she turned, he looked away.
"I could help you."
She jumped. Looking at him, she couldn't tell what he was thinking, as he was still facing the fridge.
"I want to see if I can do it by myself first."
Finally, much like when she wrapped her hands around Pakkun's headband, she wrapped her hands around the rope. Running up to the wooden leg, she threw the rope over the lowest rung and caught it on the other side. Tugging it, she put one foot, then two against the leg and walked up sideways. She repeated this until she stood on top of the chair, still a good foot away from the counter.
A rustling was heard, and the bowl of fruit she loved so much was pushed into view and a finger conveniently flicked a banana over, in reach of being grappled by her makeshift rope.
She grinned. What a softie.
Now up on the counter, she sighed. Kakashi had heated up the chicken. She ran over and sat down next to the plate. His finger twitched. It went without saying she avoided looking at him. Not wanting to step on the plate with her dirty feet she asked;
"Kakashi, could you rip a piece off for me?"
"Sure."
He reached over, having ripped off a piece of the chicken. Reaching out, she grabbed it with both hands. His finger twitched slightly.
"Thanks."
"Hm." She hated how suddenly awkward things were. And they had been making progress too!
As she nibbled thoughtfully on the food, she couldn't help but think of when he called her 'hamster Haruhi'. Did she really look like one?
Anyway, she was starting to stink again. Finishing up, she wiped her hands on a nearby napkin that might as well have been a bed sheet, and said;
"I need to wash up."
He almost choked on his food. He finally looked at her, a reddish tint to his face and squirrel cheeks under the mask.
"Who's a Hamster now? Anyway If we're going somewhere I need to get cleaned up."
He leveled a stink eye at her, swallowing all the food in one gulp.
"Can't have you messing up my bathroom again..."
"I said I was sorry!"
"Kidding, Kidding..."
Another silence, except unlike last time it wasn't companionable. She had an idea.
"Do you have a old mug you don't use?"
A weird look.
"Yes, I do. What were you thinking?"
"Well, maybe you could fill it up with water and put it on the bathroom counter instead."
A very weird look.
"Hear me out!" She put down her leftovers, and ran in front, dramatically windmilling her arms. He seemed to shake off whatever was bothering him and raised an eyebrow.
"Just get an old mug you don't use anymore and fill it up with warm water." She explained.
"It'll be less messy and use less water!"
And that's the story of how Haruhi took a bath in a chipped tea cup with mint green lining. Kakashi had fumbled around in the shelves a little bit, and had unearthed the teacup. An interesting array of cups and plates had found a place next to the ceramic bowl and her, and a cookie jar with cute bee's on the front ( buzzing a little over her head) was found to have fossilized cookies in it. Kakashi had been even more sheepish than the time when there was no food in the house. It was cute honestly. She had laughed, smiled, and reassured him it was alright, and his barely there blush that had seemed to become a permanent fixture in the morning hours, shone a little brighter.
Speaking of a glow up, she might as well have been the sun. It was a tea cup, and it was only appropriate to put tea in here. She had grabbed a green-tea bag off the counter and had him pour the water over it. She had always heard how good a tea bath could be for you, but had never been able to do it at this scale.
New clothes and a beauty routine. For the first time since coming here, she felt like a person again.
He probably would have thought it to be super weird, but with all that already happened, it rolled off his shoulders like water.
She kicked over to the edge of the teacup and looked around the bathroom. A new hand towel had been chosen. The sink gleamed, the tile floor had a circle of carpet, the toilet was closed, and, from what she could see from here, the shower was bone dry.
A quiet had descended over the house, the type where you know instinctively know one but you is home. She was stuck between wondering if he was doing sensei things or had gone to get groceries again.
Deciding she was getting wrinkly, she pushed up on the rim, and stepped on the teacup handle.
Water trickled down the side, much like when you're driving through a national park and there are mini waterfalls on the sides of the road.
Did they even have paved roads here?
God.
She walked over to the pre-put out washcloth and patted herself dry. She dressed herself in the clothes she had changed into this morning, and slid down the knotted thread Kakashi had tied to the corner of the sink. The door was cracked open, so she just walked right out.
She didn't know how to explain it, but the atmosphere seemed to change.
She wasn't alone.
"Yo."
Whipping around, she came face to snout with Pakkun. Squashing down her justified fear of dogs, she gave a tiny smile of relief.
"Hey." She jerked her chin, damp hair going back.
"Kakashi will be back soon, so get what you need."
Well she already had everything she needed. Shoes were impossible, she had her clothes and security blanket/makeshift knife, so she was good. They waited together for a bit in the living room, her pulling out some of her clothes to show Pakkun. She refused to admit it, but the dog had a nice sense of aesthetics.
"You two seem to be having fun."
Kakashi was standing in the hallway looking in. He seemed completely unconcerned about the time. She grinned and held up her bra.
His eye briefly widened before turning to look at the clock, suddenly concerned.
"We'd better head out." He rubbed the back of his head.
For someone who reads porn, Haruhi thought it was laughable the way he reacted around bras.
Walking over, he laid his palm flat on the shelf a little bit to her left. She put back the clothes on the table and ran, slowing down when she came to his carefully still hand.
Reaching out, she placed both of her palms on his, and shifted her weight onto her knee. Rolling over she came to a stop in the middle of his hand, over the fabric of the glove. The pad of his pinkie touched her back.
He stood and lifted her to the pocket. Knowing the drill, she stood on her toes and fell headfirst into his pocket.
"Oopf!
Not much had changed. Maybe the pocket was bouncing slightly as he held in a laugh, but it got quiet pretty quickly.
She righted herself as she felt them walk outside, signified by the change in air pressure.
She kept her head down mostly, as it would have been unsteady to peak her head over the top. Her thigh and back pressed against a incredibly tense chest. Sighing in frustration, she remembered how suddenly... skittish, Kakashi had become around her.
Or maybe it wasn't her.
Could it have had something to do with that alarm yesterday? Is that why he was so tense?
Probably. She really needed to stop being so defensive.
She felt a tap through the pocket. Standing up as best she could, she peeked over the top. He was looking down at her with a hooded, careless eye. She had never seen him with an expression like that.
"Haruhi. It's important you're not seen."
She nodded and sunk back down-but not all the way.
Solid steps indicated they were indoors again, with no gravel or uneven pavement underfoot. His footsteps made no sound. Distantly she heard someone being told off.
Kakashi stopped, and put his hand on a cracked open door. A startled silence could be felt from the room within. He pushed open the door, stepped inside, and a chalkboard eraser fell onto his head. A cloud of smoke washed over him like a veil, temporarily blocking her from sight.
"HAHAHAHA! I GOT HIM, HE TOTALLY FELL FOR IT!"
"I'm sorry, Sensei! I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen! I'd never do anything like that!"
Overwhelmed, she slipped the rest of the way down to the bottom of the pocket. And she didn't need to see or hear Sasuke to feel the judgement rolling off of him. She felt Kakashi take a shallow breath.
"Hm, how could I could I put this, my first impression of this group; you're a bunch of idiots."
Sweatdrop.
...Well, he wasn't wrong. All three of them were pretty pathetic if you ask her.
"Meet me on the roof."
And with that they were gone. Moving so fast she was plastered to the back of the pocket, she was thrown forward when they stopped, presumably on the roof. Splayed awkwardly in the pocket, she almost screamed when a gloved hand reached in and grabbed her!
Pulling her up, the green flap brushed against her hair and foot. Her arms were both resting on top of his index finger. One leg was wrapped completely and the other was sticking out between the middle and index fingers.
"When I told you not to be seen, sticking your head out to watch the three genin is not that." He fixed her with a hooded gaze, somehow piercing.
"Okay, sorry." She snarked back. He didn't do that familiar eye smile, but he did shush her and move his thumb over her mouth mischievously. He dropped her back in the pocket, and just in time too; the genin arrived on the roof top.
"Alright, why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time."
"Introduce ourselves, well, what are we supposed to say?" Sakura asked skeptically.
Oh no! She was missing it! She shifted down in the dark green, a sliver of light being provided by the cm of pocket he had left open. No way to peak.
"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future. Hobbies. Things like that." He added as an afterthought. Crossing his arms she was pushed slightly up.
Taking her makeshift knife out of her cargo pants, she carefully wedged it between the blown up fabric. She paused.
"Why don't you tell us stuff first. Before we talk tell us about you so we can see how it's supposed to work." Naruto said.
So not a complete idiot. But he had to be a little smart, dealing with the village's hate.
"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate. I don't feel like telling you that." Surprised gasps.
"My dreams for the future" He said almost grandly "I never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies." Yeah, like looking after a woman the size of one of your fingers.
Sakura grumbled to the other two and Naruto nodded in agreement.
"Okay your turn. You on the right, you first." He almost twitched.
Naruto then launched into a tangent about ramen. This was her chance! Arms aching from being still for so long, she carefully cut as best as she could in the near darkness. Sweat dampened her forehead slightly. Just a bit more...
Ah! A tiny bolt of sunlight directly hit her one eye! Flinching back, she blinked repeatedly and carefully leaned forward to the tiny light. Looking through was an experience. Her glasses squashed lopsidedly against her face and she had to hunch slightly to stay on balance. But there they were.
Naruto was wiggling his forehead protector up and down, and explaining his hobby.
"And my future dream is; To be the greatest Hokage, then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!" At this point Naruto stopped wiggling his protector and clenched a fist by his face. Kakashi was carefully still.
"Alright, next." She pressed her face closer.
"I'm Sakura Haruno..." She was actually a cute kid. Too bad it didn’t make Haruhi like her.
Yeah, Sakura was a preteen girl, but when Haruhi was her age she sure did not act like that. She didn't know a single girl in real life who did, actually. Much less a whole class, which seems to be the case here.
Sakura had a blush on her face and gave the unresponsive Sasuke a sideways look. Sasuke himself, wasn’t looking anywhere in particular, but as Haruhi studied him closer, she noticed his jaw clenching, and unclenching, along with the muscles in his calves and forearms.
Tenseing.
Untensing.
Tensing.
Untensing.
Getting impatient, Kakashi said,
"And, what do you hate?"
"Naruto!" Said boy jumped as if he had been electrocuted. This was love-stricken Sakura, basically a useless fangirl. She wouldn't get much better either.
"Last one."
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything." Gasp from Sakura. Haruhi frowned, noting how blunt Sasuke was, and how he didn’t seem to pick up on Sakura’s hurt expression.
"What I have is not a dream, because I will make it an reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain someone."
Wow.
His hands were clasped and a serious expression was on his face. This was a revenge driven I'm-better-than-you, Sasuke. Annoying as shit. Haruhi could smell the inferiority complex and insecurity rolling off of him. And it's not like she had much room to talk when it came to insecurity, but this was a lot. She couldn't stand people like this.
A stunned, unsure silence had fallen across the rooftop. Naruto was looking sideways at Sasuke, obvious apprehension on his face. Sakura looked like she had never quite seen him before.
"Good. You're each unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."
Naruto excitedly asked what kind.
"It's a task that the four of us will do together."
"What what?!"
"A survival exercise." His voice, if possible, got an octave lower.
Cue complaints.
“A survival exercise.” Sasuke muttered under his breath, voice oddly blank.
"This is not like your previous training."
"What is it then?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi's shoulders shook from ominous closed mouth laughter, throwing her off balance and away from the tiny hole. She scrambled back.
"What's so funny?" Asked an almost pouting Sakura.
"Hmm well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it." He said almost sing-song, and continued laughing.
"Of the 27 graduated who just came here, only nine will actually be accepted as genin. The other 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is an make-it-or-break-it pass-fail test, and the chance that you'll fail is at least 66 percent."
Holy shit Kakashi, don't kill them. She could sense the change in atmosphere from the pocket. Looking back out, Naruto went slack jaw and blank eyed in shock, Sakura lost all expression, and Sasuke somehow became more serious.
"See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"
"That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?!"
"Oh that. That was just to select candidates who might become genin. Or not."
"That's how it is. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5AM and bring your ninja gear."
All three of them had intense looks on their faces. Naruto's lips had been pursed into a thin line and looked like he was whacked in the face with a broomstick. Sakura went from looking at her hands to Sasuke, shaking. Said boy didn't change his facial expression a bit but his hands were slightly trembling.
"That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow you'd better skip breakfast or else, you'll puke." And with that helpful advice, Kakashi waved his arm and left.
The walk home was slow and quiet. She didn't know how to deal with the sudden change in attitude from Kakashi, and he was deep in thought. He absentmindedly opened the door, and they were greeted to a quiet house. The smell from cooking the chicken had mostly dissipated, and it somehow seemed empty and sterile again.
He gently took her out of the pocket, hand wrapped around her waist. She tilted her head, worried. Not looking at her but at the wall he walked over aimlessly and deposited her on the counter before turning and walking away.
"Wait, Kakashi!" She ran up to the fruit bowl and stood on top of the rim. He stopped, back still to her.
"Have some food Haruhi. I'm busy." Within a second he was gone. Dammit! She crossed her arms frustratingly.
It was currently physically impossible to get the leftovers out of the fridge. Fruit for dinner didn't sound appetizing but it looked like her only option. She still couldn't believe he had left her on the counter! Again! Fuming, she rolled over into the fruit bowl and landed on a softening pear. Shifting around, she spotted the barely eaten cutie. Since it was already open from yesterday she grabbed another slice and took a juicy bite. It soothed some of the rumbling. But what it didn't stop was the worried feeling deep within her stomach.
Kakashi had been tense ever since this morning. Was it nerves? Was seeing his sensei's son emotionally stressful to him?
Whose bright idea was it to make Kakashi team sevens sensei? He was still clearly recovering from trauma, reading Icha Icha as a coping mechanism. Putting him with his dead Sensei’s son, another traumatized boy exactly like him with an older brother he worked with, and a girl exactly like Rin.
That was a recipe for disaster.
Why couldn't she have gotten Genma instead?
She put the slice down, suddenly losing her appetite. Being so small, what could she do to actually help? She couldn't even clean up after herself. A feeling of helplessness settled over her shoulders.
What could she do to help him?
She got up from the bowl. There was surprisingly still daylight left. Kakashi had probably went to his room, and it wouldn't be wise of her to breach his space again. At the corner of the counter, even though it wasn't practical, Kakashi had took thread used for sewing holes in ninja clothes and hand fashioned a rope much like the ones in gym class. Climbing down was tedious and her arms were already aching from earlier. She could have used some help.
She walked past the eerily silent hallway and into the living room, where birds were chirping right outside the window.
She gripped the book tassel with her hands and climbed up. Weaving past books, scrolls, chairs, and tables, she made her way to her bed. Today had been exhausting, catching a few Z's early wouldn't hurt. Somehow, it was still hard to fall asleep.
...
Something was off.
Her eyes snapped open to be greeted with darkness. As they adjusted, she could make out the plastic book sleeves and the corner of the polished shelf.
What had woken her up?
No one would have been insane enough to break into Kakashi's house, so was it Kakashi himself?
Slowly sitting up, she stepped out of bed and to the edge of the shelf door. The living room was bathed by moonlight. The room was colder than it should have been. She grasped the tassel and hit the bottom shelf. Walking with arms crossed past a giant table leg, she stepped into the hallway. The draft was coming from here.
At the end of the hallway, his door was open. A faint smell of pine reached her.
She paused.
He was obviously upset earlier. She had no right to go into his room. He probably wanted his privacy. But what if she could have helped? And then didn't? Could she do anything?
But instead of going towards the room something pulled her towards the kitchen. More specifically, her grumbling belly. If she walked in there and then started growling she would throw herself off the nearest counter.
Quiet as a mouse, she padded into the kitchen,
And came to a dead halt.
She wasn't alone in here.
She wanted to run and tensed up to do just that; something stopped her. The dark figure was hunched over the counter. Their hands were clasped together, their head was bowed, spiky hair falling over their face.
"Kakashi?" she whispered.
This was bad. Kakashi was having a panic attack and there was nothing she could do. What the fuck could she do? Give him a hug?
'This isn't about you!' She screamed at herself. This was about what she could do, not what she couldn't. Running below the painting, she grabbed the thread and climbed record fast to the top.
She cursed whoever decided to put him on team seven. It probably induced this flashback.
From this angle she could see his face.
It was still covered, but his eye was wide open and seeing things that weren't there. The pupil was dilated and the lids were stretched wide open. He looked like a scared animal. It was trained on her.
He was dangerous.
Only to late did she realize her mistake. He could kill her right now, and she'd never go home. She started shaking too.
But she couldn't leave him like this. He needed her.
She slid behind the fruit bowl.
"Kakashi? It's okay. Nothing is going to hurt you here."
She was so unqualified for this.
She took a shaky breath, and turned her body to see behind the fruit bowl-
-and directly into his uncovered Sharingan.
She screamed, and fell backwards off of the counter.
A flash of silver and the breath was driven out of her.
She was jerked to a halt, a merciless hand gripping her-inches away from the hard tile floor. Trembling, gasping like it was her last breath,and crying slightly, she clutched his gloveless hand.
Maybe it was the feeling, of her shaking like a leaf in his hand, that snapped him out of his episode.
"Haruhi?!" He gasped in shock, eyes trained on her.
She didn't respond, being unable to form words.
"Did you fall of the counter again?" He said in disbelief.
"Let go...too tight." His hand that was still clenched around her immediately loosened.
...
"Did I do this?" He looked on in shock and dawning horror. Staring at his hand and her in it. She laid on his palm.
"No! I...fell off of the counter again. I was hungry and slipped in the dark. You must have heard me scream."
"Let me look." She froze carefully. He lifted up her shirt and inhaled sharply.
"I-is it bad?"
He put down her shirt and closed his eyes. A deep breath in, then out.
"Let's get you cleaned up."
He stood carefully, not taking his eye off her, and walked into the hallway. When he went past the bathroom she blinked in confusion. They were in his room. It remained unchanged from when she had been in here last.
He moved towards a room in the back and flicked on the light. Turning her head and spotting herself, pale in his hand in the mirror, she realized she was bleeding. A crescent moon rested on her belly, where his nail had dug in from when he caught her. She heard the warm tap being turned on.
"I need you to lift up your shirt." He asked quietly.
She complied, bunching it up on her chest. She kicked her pants off, and laid in his hand. He carefully took soap and rubbed it over her belly. She bit her lip, as finger shaped bruises were forming.
He then cut a very small corner of a bandage, and wrapped it carefully around her dried middle. When he finished, he ripped of a tiny piece of medical tape, and taped the end down.
He was unsure of what to do now. So like before, she made the first move.
"I'm hungry."
Her stomach took its cue and growled.
He sent her a reluctantly amused look.
And that's the story of how she was sitting on a paper towel on the counter in her underwear while Kakashi cooked dinner. At one in the morning.
"Thanks for cleaning it.”
He hummed.
Another awkward silence fell across them and Haruhi bit her lips and started fiddling with her hair.
What could she say?
Kakashi sighed and glanced at her from behind his shoulder.
“I apologize. I shouldn't have grabbed you so hard.”
"No. I should have been more careful. And besides, if you hadn’t I would have gotten hurt way worse." She turned down, tracing the shadow of her foot. Seeing Naruto must have triggered flashbacks. She was right there and even felt the tension, saw the warning signs.
A beeping on the stove shook them out of whatever daze they were in, and he turned his attention back to the stove. A few motions later and he brought back a plate of steaming food along with leftover chicken. She took a piece of cheesy rice and nibbled carefully. Kakashi looked at her contemplatively.
“...I guess that's true.”
Haruhi was confused for a few seconds before she realized he was talking about catching her.
She nodded and took another bite.
They ate peacefully after that. Her occasionally humming to fill the peaceful silence. Despite being only in her underwear and t-shirt, she wasn't cold. The room seemed to be filled with heat from the stove.
"Hey... Kakashi?"
"Hm?"
"Were not really getting up at five, right?"
He started shaking again. Spooked she sat up.
"Kakashi?"
Laughter, deep and open, unlike the one from before, filled the room to bursting. He tossed his head back, mouth clearly open under the mask.
She started to laugh too.
He couldn't respond, and shook his head. Things cleared up after that. They joked quietly and she even punched his hand a few times. A sort of timeless haze settled over the kitchen, a dim warm light, burning gently from the stove, and casting them both in a glow. Eventually she had laughed so hard, it aggravated her stomach.
Her eyes were drooping and he offered a ride on his hand.
She cast him a cautious look. She walked over. His fingers didn't twitch this time, relaxed.
He cleaned up and carefully laid her on the shelf. Before turning away he said something that startled her.
"No."
She sent him a look.
"We will not be there at 5AM."
She giggled out a goodnight and headed to her bed.
She went to sleep with a smile on her face.
So did he-even if you couldn't see it with his mask on.

Chapter Text

Damn birds, always chirping.
She sat up clumsily in her bed, brushing off scraps of fabric used for blankets. From here she could make out her tables, chairs, and dressers, plus a few books. To the right blocked slightly by the door was the floor and living room far off into the distance. Oh, she was not looking forward to climbing down that.
"Ouch!" Picking herself up, she twisted too hard.
Taking a second and leaning against a cookbook, she waited for the sharp sting to fade into a dull throb. She was still only in her underwear. Walking rigidly over to the dresser(wedged between two hardcovers) She opened it slowly and pulled out a pair of very baggy, short, beige sweatpants. If they were going where she thought they were shoes were probably a good idea. All they had really were mismatched pairs though. Taking some of the scraps, she wrapped them tightly up to the calves of each leg, and put the knee length sweatpants things on. She was sure those scraps were made out of ninja cloth, and would serve as pretty good glorified sock-shoes. Taking out a baby blue shirt She put it on her head and shimmied into it.
Yawning, she stepped lightly over to the edge and looked over. The living room had that quiet energized morning vibe going on, the type when you're well rested and ready to do jumping jacks or something. Truly, great things would happen today.
And, she thought, looking down at the giant red books and the carpet floor at least three times her height, it would be even greater if she wasn't back to square one. She would need to find another way down, the easiest path. Looking at the books, she realized if she pushed gently she could make a staircase.
She was in the process of easing a paper back from the shelf when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.
Turning around she came face to face with Kakashi.
At this point it was a given and she wasn't surprised anymore.
"We'd better get going. I'll let you wash up and eat quickly first." He carefully laid his palm flat. She had no other choice and because Kakashi was better, she rolled on. Breathing shallowly, she clutched a finger as he slowly brought her to the bathroom. Fully expecting him to leave, she was slightly startled when he coughed awkwardly.
"I need to check it." He blushed slightly, but conveyed the necessity of it with his gaze. She nodded shakily, and took off the baggy pants and slid off her shirt, his eyes sliding with the movement. He gulped.
He cupped one hand around her back, so she could rest on it. The other poked tenderly at her exposed stomach and lower chest.
"Nothing's broken." He said quietly, blush having since evaporated. She finished her business, brushing her teeth the best she could and washing up with occasional assistance from Kakashi when it became too much. They finished up and he carried her to the kitchen, where she worked on that clementine.
"As you know, I'm testing the three genin from yesterday to see if they are capable of becoming genin under me."
She chewed from her perch from on top of the apple.
"You won't be staying with me."
She stopped chewing at this, and almost choked. Was she supposed to stay home then? Reading her confusion he clarified;
"It's too dangerous, and I wouldn't forgive myself if you got hurt even more. You'll stay back with Pakkun."
Sounds legit. She gave him a thumbs up.
He let her finish up and helped her stand with with his index finger. Instead of being put in his pocket like before, she was carried in his hand.
“You’ll be with Pakkun instead of me.”
Oh.
When they finally left, it seemed to be about nine in the morning. Most of the early birds had been replaced, sitting and flying among the many trees that speckled Konoha. The roads far from the center of the village weren't gravel, but dirt packed. An energy tinged the air. It swept through the trees and blew her hair softly over her shoulders like a cloud.
They didn't meet anyone on their way, it still being relatively early in all. Besides, most of the people were heading towards the heart of the village, not away from it.
The trees became thicker, and birds and other animals replaced the sounds of people. They were still in the village, but deeper into their training grounds. One of the animals happened to be a black cat with orange eyes. It licked it's paw a few feet in front of their stopped forms, before bounding up a tree. Almost immediately, Kakashi turned and headed down what looked to be a deer trail that was now mostly used by people. Foliage ghosted over his pant leg.
"It's quite beautiful." Kakashi said, looking around then down at her.
She wanted to agree, but found her breath taken away. She looked over her shoulder at him then turned back. The trees were dozens of feet high, wildflowers bloomed in every spot of clearing they could find-even on the side of the path a bit. Briar's were a rich red brown and winded up the trees, and a faint trickling led to a tiny waterfall with stones gleaming in the morning sun.
They walked up to one of the larger stones, big and flat enough for Kakashi to squat down. The waterfall, maybe up to his waist, was right in front of him. He gently lowered her on another moss covered stone to his left and slightly behind him. She didn't mind. The view was great.
He reached up and in a jerky movement, bit his thumb. She flinched slightly at the movement. He continued to paint a circle and some of the unreadable symbols. She craned her neck in vain, as she couldn't read them. Muttering under his breath, there was a poof, not unlike when she had arrived here. The moving water swept it away and suddenly Pakkun was there!
"Yo." He greeted. Kakashi rubbed his head and explained what would happen. She listened in. Apparently, she and Pakkun would watch the test from the sidelines. He would use his ninja dog skill or something to observe undetected by everyone expect Kakashi, who would be directing the test. They got up again and walked to the clay packed riverbank. Some of the fresh water droplets got in her hair.
When they were on the path again, Kakashi placed her on Pakkuns head. They saluted to each other and split. Pakkun occasionally filled the time with small talk. They had ventured from the openness of the trail to one in the undergrowth. Judging from the paw marks, fur on the briars and pellets under the roots, she and Pakkun were traveling on a bunny trail! How cool!
The thorny red branches and green plants formed a canopy over them. It was dusky at some points but sudden breaks in the canopy, where maybe a tree or a rock broke through, left a halo of light. Like tunnels!
Some of the larger trees had roots sticking up and forming above ground caves. She could have sworn she saw a family of rabbits under one. All the while they were completely silent.
He slowed down suddenly, mindful if her sides.
"Shhh." He whispered. She tapped to signify she heard. The crept up, and stopped on the edge of the biggest clearing yet.
There they were.
Those three kids would become legends, neo-sannin if you please.
Save the world in all.
Right now Naruto was snoring loudly, Sakura, who was sitting next to Naruto, kept blushing and looking up at Sasuke, and Sasuke had a constipated look on his face. God help them. At this point the sun was much higher in the sky, only a few hours till noon. The sun wasn't so much relaxing now as it was serious. Unhindered by clouds, it beamed down on the clearing.
"Hello everyone. Ready for your first day?" Kakashi said casually, having popped up out of nowhere. His hooded expression was back.
"HEY YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura jumped up screaming in unison.
"Well, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way" He pointed and eye smiled.
"Liar!" Sakura said this time.
"Well how about I had a tiny woman with me and she needed to finish breakfast. " They looked on like he had sprouted an extra head. She giggled.
Instead of being offended, it somehow made her happy. Lucking, Kakashi had chosen that exact moment to start the explanation.
"Well," He cleared his throat "Lets get started."He walked over to one of three tree stumps and put his hand down on an alarm clock.
"Here we go. It's set for noon. You're assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me." He jingled them in emphasis. "That's all there is to it."
"If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch."
That got a verbal reaction. All of theme developed tortured expressions. So that was why he told them to go without lunch.
" You'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you." He pointed to the posts.
"Wait a minute, there's three of us. How comes there's only two bells?" Sakura asked sharply.
"Hm well that way, at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy." He swung the bells forward.
"Then again, all three of you could flunk out too." No mercy.
"You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells." He curled them into his fist.
"Those weapons are too dangerous!" Sakura exclaimed, arms spread. Naruto laughed.
"Especially since you couldn't dodge that eraser."
"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them. When I say start you can begin."
Naruto had other ideas. From what she could see with the leaf blocking her view, he screamed and charged, kunai out.
In a whirl to fast for her or anyone to see, Kakashi grabbed Naruto's kunai arm, turn him and pointed it at the back of his neck. Naruto struggled fruitlessly to escape the iron hold.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say start yet." He stated, annoyed. Sakura and Sasuke took a step back. Her heart was in her throat. She knew Kakashi was powerful. Matter of fact, he had one of the highest kill counts in the entire series. But she had never seen him in action before.
He let Naruto go.
"But, you came at me with the full intention of destroying so...how can I say this? "I'm actually starting to like you guys." Well good. They'd be together for awhile.
"Start!"
The three jumped up and into the trees. The fun starts now!

Chapter Text

They were still. Like the calm before the storm.
She and Pakkun hadn't moved much from under their bush. Yes it was theirs now. Kakashi was standing in the clearing, hands in his pockets and looking back and forth measuredly. At one point he had glanced at them and winked.
The three genin seemed to be hiding for now. With a burst of Chakra, they had jumped off into the trees and were hiding out of sight but within range.
Suddenly, like some war statue, Naruto was standing in the middle of the clearing with his arms crossed, hard to miss with his orange jumpsuit.
She felt the collective sweat-drop. The leaves stopped rustling in a collective 'whut?' moment.
A piece of work for sure.
Pakkun snorted.
"You and me, right now, fair and square, lets go!" She was cringing so hard. She had to force herself to relax because she was hurting her sides. Massive second hand embarrassment. She heard Sasuke scoff from somewhere above her, and while she would gnash her teeth at his arrogant nature, she couldn't help but side with him on this one.
Kakashi tilted his head and squinted in confusion, face a perfect ‘wtf’ expression.
"You know, compare to the others you're a little bit... weird." He straightened his neck.
"Oh yeah, the only weird thing here is your haircut!" She giggled slightly. Kakashi shot her an annoyed glance.
Screaming, Naruto charged Kakashi.
Tuffs of dust were kicked up as he charged towards a nonchalant Kakashi. Pakkun leaned forward and she swatted a leaf out of her face.
Kakashi reached into his weapons pocket.
The move was intimidating enough for Naruto to stop dead in his tracks and jump back, watching Kakashi like an alert.
"Shinobi battle techniques part one. Taijutsu, the physical part."
"Huh!" He swiftly pulled out of his weapons pouch...
...an orange book. With a scantily clad woman being chased by some horny drooling dude.
"What the!" Naruto let out, not expecting that. She was struggling. She plucked a leaf and squashed her face in it, desperately trying not to laugh. Kakashi seemed to brighten at her struggles, and flipped a few pages while Naruto sputtered on.
"What are you waiting for, make your move." He called, flipping another page.
"but.. I mean, why are you reading that book!"
"Why? To find out what happens in the story of course!" He exclaimed in his passive, laid back way. "Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading, or, whatever."
"I'm going to crush you!" Naruto screamed, charging.
He let loose a series of punches and kicks that rustled the nearby tall grass. Without looking up from his book, Kakashi stopped and dodged every single one with his hand.
Haruhi felt her eyes widen at the sequence.
"Now you're mine! Huh?" Naruto blinked with confusion when Kakashi was suddenly gone.
"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time." He appeared right behind Naruto's extended form, hands shaped into a sign.
Oh, please no. Don’t.
She heard Sakura gasp a couple bushes away.
"Naruto! Get out of there quick! He's going to destroy you!" She shouted, peeking out through the bushes. It was a good thing Sakura cared, she mused, shifting back on Pakkun's head. Said dog was watching with anticipation.
"To late," Kakashi almost sang.
"Leaf village secret finger jutsu! A tHOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" He jabbed his joined fingers right into Naruto's butt. The kid screamed and went sailing over the treetops.
She was suffering from second hand embarrassment so hard. She cupped her hands in her face and blew out a big puff of air. She felt the judgement rolling of Sakura and Sasuke in waves. She couldn't even call them out cause really, what the hell was that?
A splash was heard and Kakashi turned his back to them and watched Naruto crash land in the lake like a shuttle falling from space.
"Okay. Where was I." He pondered sounding not at all like he had just violated his potential student. He was flipping the page when two shuriken burst out of the water and whirled towards Kakashi, heading straight towards his head!
Accurate as heat seeking missiles they approached their target. Not looking up from his book, Kakashi stuck up his index and middle fingers and caught the two like horseshoes.
Wow. He was forgiven. She was still going to rib him later.
Naruto crawled out after his weapons, sopping wet.
"What are you doing now? You know you wont get lunch unless you get a bell by noon." Kakashi said, exasperated. She was captivated. Leaning forward through the blue green leaves, she stood on top of the blue ninja cloth wrapped around Pakkuns head and pulled on some twig branches for support. Her hair shifted over her shoulders.
"...You look pretty wobbly for somebody who's going to surpass the Hokage." He said skeptically. She missed some dialogue then.
"Pakkun," she hissed "Is there anyway we can get closer?"
"No. Not with the other two hidden."
She grunted in annoyance.
Naruto failed around like a suffocating fish, shouting about being hungry. A little too close for comfort, she heard two other bellies rumble. Pakkun sensed this and slowly backed away into the undergrowth.
"Where are we going?" She whispered as they ducked under a protruding tree root. Thick bushes with purple-green leaves and baby trees (saplings) that shot up like springs, leaving Pakkun to skillfully weave around them.
"Somewhere safer. Those kids were too close. Not that I was worried amateurs like them could catch us."
Then they heard a shout that rustled the leaves and scared the remaining birds away.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Fuck! She was missing it!
Pakkun took a turn along a dip in the grass and skimmed a pile of boulders. From this standpoint, they were far away from the two hiding, but could still see the action. What looked like a cloud of Naruto clones flew through the air towards Kakashi. Of course Kakashi still looked dead inside.
"That's very impressive." Pakkun offered. "A dead-last mastering a B rank jutsu isn't much of a dead-last at all." She could only nod in agreement. People really weren't that clear cut.
"Huh!"
Naruto had jumped Kakashi from behind! She knew how this went, but she still couldn't help the worried gasp that escaped her. Pakkun leaned forward, almost sending her toppling onto the sun baked rocks. Battle cries were heard as Kakashi freaked out. The other two were probably stunned.
At the last possible second Kakashi switched himself out for another clone and Naruto ended up whamming himself in the face with his knee. She winced in sympathy.
He stood off to the side and shot a wink back at them. She waved and gave him a thumbs up.
The Naruto's were beating each other up now, pissed one had gotten nailed in the kisser and the others rustled in the fall.
Eventually all of them had dispersed and the real Naruto was left standing alone and contemplating life. Kakashi had disappeared.
'Ah kid,' she wanted to say to Naruto, 'that's rough buddy.'
He suddenly jerked forward, having spotted something on the ground she couldn't see. Reaching out, his efforts were thwarted when a rope snapped around his ankle and slingshotted him upwards. Kakashi emerged from the tree line and picked up a single glimmering bell. Wow. He mockingly tossed it up and down, and had a few selective words with Naruto, who was seething in rage.
In a distantly patronizing tone, he continued to lecture Naruto. He turned his back towards the tree line.
Sharp metal burst from the coverage and streaked towards Kakashi. For one terrible moment, it looked like he would be turned into Swiss cheese. They made contact, and a series of solid thunks could be heard and Kakashi poofed and turned into a log.
Sighing in relief, she fell back against Pakkuns head. Faintly she heard a rustling where Sasuke sprinted away on the treetops.
"So that's where he is."
!
Kakashi was crouched on a pile of rocks behind them with an absolutely sinister expression. She done just about tinkled herself.
"So, you were worried about me?" He teased, expression mellowing out slightly as he glanced away from Sasuke and at her. She froze, then grinned.
"Not for a second."
He looked on surprised and maybe a bit put out.
"I know you can handle yourself."
He paused, then blushed slightly. Pulling out something from his own weapons pouch, he mumbled, and moving so fast her hair blew over her shoulders.
They were silent for a bit. She didn't know how to explain it, but she knew Sakura chased after her crush. It was her and Pakkun now.
"You know," he began" I've never seen Kakashi lose his cool like that." Pakkun remarked thoughtfully. "I'll have to tell the others!" She assumed he meant the other dog summons. And that was cool. But what did he mean by lose his cool?
"Whoa!" She was jolted out of her thoughts when Pakkun picked his way down the rocks.
"You don't want to miss it, do you?"
He continued to pick his way down the sun baking rocks. She hoped he was careful, snakes and other reptiles normally like resting on top of rocks like this. A scream rang through the forest. It had to be Sakura's. Kakashi got her then.
She bit her tongue. She couldn't lecture Kakashi as he wasn't here at the moment, and this was a test for their future. If he went easy on them they didn't deserve to pass.
But then again, this who child soldier thing rubbed her the wrong way.
They stopped on the edge of a smaller clearing just in time to see Sakura faint and Kakashi flip another page from his perch in the tree.
"Kakashi!" She shouted, hands on her hips. Sputtering, he almost dropped the book and fell off the tree. Of course he didn't land on the ground, he pulled some jutsu out of his ass and vanished. Probably to torment Sasuke. Carefully as she could, she slid off Pakkun, who helpfully lowered his head to the ground.
She paused.
Her intuition was telling her not to. She Didn’t know when Sakura would wake up, or if she would accidently hit her. And Haruhi didn’t really want to be seen. If she was seen, she would be forced to talk, and if she was forced to talk, they would become friends and it would be that much worse when she leaves. And there was the fact Kakashi told her to stay hidden…
She thought of Sakura's terrified scream and rolled her shoulders, jaw clenching in anger.
If Kakashi had wanted her to stay put, he shouldn't have been a dick.
She jogged over to the KO'd Sakura and lifted her eyelid. Rolled back.
"Haruhi!" Pakkun growled.
Startled she swung around-his maw was inches away from her!
Petrified, she couldn't move as his teeth clamped around her shirt.
He broke the cover of bushes just as someone landed in the small clearing.
She exhaled a shaky breath and her fingers spasmed against her thighs as she felt Pakkuns sharp teeth scrap her back and his heavy hot breath dampening her hair.
They leaned forward to see who it was.
The figure grinded to a halt, kicking up dust. Swiftly, they crouched next to Sakura's side and checked her like Haruhi did. Feeling her hummingbird heart fluttering in her wrist, they exhaled a sigh of relief and put Sakura's hand down. As an afterthought, they took Sakura's shoulders and shifted her into a more comfortable position.
"S-sasuke?" Sakura whimpered faintly.
Sasuke shot up, and jumped into the trees before she could awaken further.
Haruhi shook her head. The ice-cube caring about someone? She narrowed her eyes at the spot where Sasuke disappeared into the trees. As Haruhi recalled, he was an arrogant little turd with a massive chip on his shoulder and no respect for anyone at this point. Why would he check on Sakura?
She was lowered to the moss covered ground. Which was good; she had bad past experiences with dogs. He planted his chin for her to climb on, and she did. With difficulty. She bunched her trembling hands in the fabric and had to use a nearby rock as a step stool, the memory of Pakkuns teeth against her back still fresh. His canine was as big as her fist.
"Kakashi was right."
"Hm?" She continued humming, mostly to calm herself.
"You do like humming."
She had nothing to say to that, so she didn't respond. She did stop humming though. Pakkun sprinted on the ground before tensing.
"Hang on"
"Hang on-AH!"
She clutched the head band, digging her feet behind his ears. Her hair streamed behind her and her lips rippled with the g force, stealing her breath away. He jumped a few more times, each one a lot like a less fun roller coaster, before he bounded carefully to the forest ground again.
She gathered herself.
"Pakkun" She hissed.
"Shh" He whispered back.
In front of them was Sasuke. And behind him leaning on a tree was Kakashi. Still reading his porn.
"...Say that after you get one of these bells, Sasuke." He taunted.
Sasuke was staring blankly at the treeline. They shifted uncomfortably, it seemed like he was looking right at them. He shifted around and a super tense standoff took place. She could almost hear the background music as they sized each other up, like two wolves or something. Or a mexican standoff.
"Ha!" Sasuke flung sharp metal like rain.
"There's no point using normal attacks!" Kakashi said leaping to the side.
Sasuke smirked.
"Hn!"
A kunai soared through the air and sliced through a suspended rope. A trap! As much as she thought he looked like a shrimp, he was good.
Kakashi did a one handed backflip, barely dodging a square of weaponry, which embedded itself up to the hilt with solid thunks in a tree trunk.
He slid along the ground.
"Huh!"
Sasuke appeared so fast behind Kakashi he was a blur to her senses. With his back towards Sasuke he was open to attack.
"Thwack!"
Kakashi barely raised his forearms in time to stop the spinning helicopter kick. The sound of shoes on forearms made her cringe.
Kakashi gripped his foot. Sasuke was now stuck. Twisting his torso even further, Sasuke formed a fist and swung.
Catching it like a baseball, Kakashi actually slid backwards. Rotating in the air, Sasuke took his free foot and arch it blindingly fast towards Kakashi's head, who, again, barely ducked in time. Upside down he was inches away from the unguarded bells on Kakashi's hip. With his free hand he reached.
"Ting."
With a enormous movement Kakashi threw Sasuke off just as the tip of his finger flicked the bells.
Both slid across the clearing away from each other, Kakashi now taking Sasuke seriously. Sasuke’s smirk slid into a scowl.
In the distance, she heard someone shouting. The two paid no attention to it.
"Well, you are different from the other two, i'll grant you that." Said Kakashi.
"Hn." Jesus, was this kid a caveman. His vocabulary was limited to three noises. It was grating on her nerves. He rapidly flicked through a series of hand-signs, air whistling around his arms. He reared back, hair standing on end and shorts whirling around him. He took a deep breath.
Kakashi looked even more rattled than when Sasuke almost got the bell. His disbelief was tangible. He leaned forward to watch and his arms spread back, prepared to jump.
"HISSS"
HOLY HELL, SASUKE WAS BREATHING FIRE! GET HER THE HELL OUTTA HERE!
It formed a mass in the center of the thankfully rock clearing, cracking the stone. It dissipated, leaving a smoldering crater and no Kakashi.
"Hn?" Sasuke put his arm down and looked around in shock.
"Where?" A voice taunted.
Crack! A gloved clad hand reached through the hard packed dirt and grabbed Sasuke's ankle.
"Aha!?"
"I'm where you least expect me."
With a short scream, Kakashi yanked his ankle and pulled him straight down into the dirt!
The bells tingled.
Kakashi crouched in front of Sasuke, who was now buried up to the neck.
"Right under your feet. Earth style, headhunter jutsu. " He said patronizingly, like a schoolteacher who hated you.
"Can't move, huh? That was ninjutsu, the third shinobi battle skill. You have talent, and you were right, you are 'different ' from the the others. But different isn't always better."
Standing up from his crouch, he puts one hand in his pocket and the other held up the book. He starts walking away.
"They say the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down."
She sat there stunned. Kakashi went all BAMF on this ostrich kid. She could still see him squirming in the dirt, fruitlessly trying to wrench himself free. Pebbles fell around his neck whenever there was an opening. She felt something block her sun.
"What's your game, Kakashi?"
"Hm?" He replied, flicking a page.
"It's not just about skill. What do you want from these three kids?"
At this, he glanced from the book to her, and gave her an appraising look.
"You're very sharp, Haruhi."
"So?"
Eye smiling he said:
"You'll find out."
...And he was gone. Great. Pakkun made a move to leave.
"Wait!" She hissed. He paused.
She didn’t like Sasuke by any means, but she was frustrated at his and the others lack of progress.
Licking her lips, she turned her head towards Sasuke. Making sure they were covered by shadows and leaves she leaned forward.
"Sasuke!" She raised her voice.
Said boy stopped struggling and whipped his head around. Him being a human and not an owl, he wasn't able to turn his head all the way.
"You have two others, use them!"
"Who's there?" He demanded.
Pakkun, sensing something she didn't, pulled back and silently left the edge. Something rustled what sounded like 20 feet away. They broke into the clearing.
"Huh?!"
"S-sakura? It's you?"
"AH! Sasuke's just a head without a body and he's talking!" She fell onto her back in a dead faint.
"Hey!?" They faintly heard Sasuke say before they walked out of range. She knew Sasuke would get himself out and wake Sakura up, then have a bit of an heart to heart. Haruhi’s lip curled condescendly as she thought of how easily Sakur fainted at the sight of Sasuke. But to be fair, Kakashi did put her under a traumatizing Genjutsu, so she would let it slide.
But now it was time to see what sunshine boy was up too.
Pakkun panted, expertly running through the bunny trails. It reminded her of the Easter bunnies tunnels in Rise of the Guardians.
"Huff huff huff" Pakkun was going as fast as he could with her on board, but it wasn't enough.
"Ringgggg!"
Pakkun slowed to a trot.
"We were too late." In the distance through a break in the trees she saw the pile of rocks from before. They make it to the beginning of the clearing and made their way around, using the brownish crabgrass as camouflage. They could hear three hungry bellies in unison. Naruto was tied to the middle wooden trunk, evidently having tried to take one of the two boxed lunches from before. Sasuke and Sakura were on either side in various sitting positions. In front of the three stood Kakashi, with a mocking smile on his face.
"Uh oh, stomach's growling, huh? That's too bad. Oh! By the way, about this exercise, I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy."
Naruto shrieked in delight.
Sakura said "What? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that" At least she knows how terrible she did.
"Hn." a small smirk from Sasuke.
"Oh boy! all three of us!" Naruto shouted in glee.
She felt a sinking in her stomach when his smile became sickeningly sweet.
"Yes all three of you are being dropped from the program. Permanently!"
My God.
Sakura looked like she was slapped with a trout.
Sasuke 'hn' in shock.
And Naruto screamed in opened mouth horror.
"Drop us from the program! that means we can never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells we would be sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out wHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!"
"Because you don't think like ninja, you think like little kids. Like brats." That was the last straw.
Sasuke lunged forward, a move that pushed the leaves all the way from they were hiding.
Hands on his hips, Kakashi's eye followed Sasuke.
"Twck!"
"You think it's all about you." Kakashi said spitefully from his position half kneeling on Sasuke's back and stepping on his head.
"Let go of Sasuke! You can't step on him like he's some sort of bug!" Sakura screamed, mindlessly defending her crush. Oh, she was not liking this. Haruhi shrank back. This charged atmosphere was messing with her good vibes.
"You don't know what it means to be a ninja! You think It's a game, huh! Why do you think we put you on squads, did you consider that question for one moment?!" His voice was merciless and made everyone in the vicinity feel like an idiot.
"Uh, I-I don't know what you mean!?"
"I mean," He said dangerously "You never realized what this exercise was all about. Not even close."
"What it's about?"
"Yes. That's what determines whether you pass or fail."
"That's, I mean, that's what I wanted to ask you about from the beginning." Sakura almost whimpered.
"Tch. Use your head. Three people on a squad. Why. do. You. Think, we would do that?"
Naruto screamed wordlessly in frustration.
"Ah! How are we supposed to know why you picked three people! We didn't make the rules!"
“…”
"It's so basic; TEAMWORK."
“...”
"Just working together, is that what you mean?" Sakura questioned.
"That's what I mean. It's too late now, But if all three of you had come at me you might, have been able to take them. Well, anyway, it's over."
"Ting." The bells taunted.
Sakura looked like she was thinking.
"You set it up with three people but only two bells. If we worked together and got the bells only two of us could keep them and that would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up!" Sakura, when not being blinded by her crush, was actually smart.
"Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other." He sounded like he was giving her a mocking pat on the head. "I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves." He emphasized.
"A genin should have a natural feel for teamwork. But you, it never even crossed your mind."
"Sakura!"
She leaned back and gasped.
"You obsessed over Sasuke, who was gone while Naruto was right in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him."
"Naruto! You do everything on your own. Everything!"
"And you, Sasuke. You thought the others were so far beneath you they were worthless. Arrogance. " Kakashi sneered. HAte gleamed in his eye, and for a second Haruhi was caught off guard. She didn’t like Sasuke at all, but he hadn’t done anything to warrant that. Yet.
She realized what she saw was self hatred. Sasuke was too much like his former self.
He looked up from Sasuke with a fearsome leer.
"Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course you need individual skills but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves above the squad this can lead to failure and death!"
He reached into his weapons pouch.
"For example..."
"Sakura!" Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!" He held his kunai to Sasuke's throat.
Both of them panicked. Said boy looked rapidly back and forth. He pulled his knife away and Sasuke exhaled in relief.
Kakashi whirled the weapon around his finger.
"The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice." He sighs.

"And someone ends up dead. "
He put it back in the pouch and finally stood up from Sasuke. He walked away and towards a large polished stone with inscriptions in it.
"On every mission your life is on the line."
Sasuke stayed down.
"Did you look at the Stone? The names engraved on it?" He stopped in front of it. His back was turned to them and his hands were curled into loose fists at his side. She shifted in realization. This rock was a memorial, she remembered now. Kakashi had people he cared about on that rock. She felt her eyes well up, even as she aggressively fought it down. This wasn't about her.
"They are all ninja, who are honored as heroes in our village."
"That's it that's it, that's it! I'll be a hero too" Naruto screeched. Why the hell did he sound so happy? Haruhi’s brow furrowed.
"They are a... special kind of hero." Kakashi looked back, face blank.
"Huh? What kind of heroes are they? Come on!" He said, happy as can be. Sasuke used the moment to get up and walk back over, cool as a cucumber.
“…”
"They are all K.I.A"
Jesus Christ. Or did he exist here?
"Oh! That sounds real cool." Fuck it she was gonna put his name on the rock. He was embarrassing himself and she was blushing from second hand embarrassment so hard she was just about as red as the sharingan.
"It means killed in action, they all died." Sakura said sadly.
He froze, smile waning on his face. Dumbass.
"This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends are engraved here. " She curled a fist to her chest and hair fell over her shoulder to cover her face. Feel trip she guessed.
He took a breathe that raised and lowered his shoulders. He looked over one.
"All right, I'm going to give you one more chance." At the action, her heart sped up. That was a good thing for him to do, and she hoped the three-no matter how undeserving- would capitalize on it.
"But I’m going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. But; Naruto doesn't get any." Said boy grimaced. She thought it was a fair trade off though. "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself."
His face took on shadows again.
"And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail. I make the rules, you follow them. Got it?"
Kakashi handed out the lunches to Sasuke and Sakura, while Naruto looked on hungrily. Making up some excuse Kakashi left them to it. She shifted again, releasing the leaf and taking a deep breath to calm herself.
She and Pakkun were positioned on a side of a tree trunk, in a dip in its side. She was perched on top of his head. A patch of pretty yellow buttercups grew to their left.
"So you figured it out."
Blinking she looked up.
Kakashi's face was inches away from her.
It appeared obvious in the reflection she had been crying. Her upturned nose was a cherry red, and her normally red tinted cheeks (mild rosacea from her father) were maroon to match. Strands of her curly black hair clung to her cheekbones where it was damp.
Gently, he lifted a finger and brushed the hair out of her face and traced it to her shoulders with his index. It tingled slightly. He didn't break the gaze.
"I heard you try and help Sasuke. You figured out they needed to work together."
She gaped, then blushed harder. He saw that?
Of course he did.
She grinned, wiping some of the tear tracks off her face.
"Well Kakashi, when I saw just how good you were I just knew they could never do it alone."
He blinked, scratching his now blushing cheek and looked away briefly before his eye returned to her. He just couldn't look away for long.
"Too bad you're not a ninja. You figured it out quicker than of the other three."
"Well, I am a fair bit older."
Silence fell again, and she tried to decipher what Kakashi was feeling. Surely he was rattled by his revelation to the kids about his past loved ones?
"Are you okay?"
"Oh sorry-"
"Ah, you first-"
She giggled and covered the side of her face and he chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and eye smiling clumsily. They had asked the question at the same time.
"Were you crying because of what I said earlier"
"I-it's not your fault. I just-"
"It's fine. I didn't know you felt like that."
She bit the inside of her lip, embarrassed.
"Here."
He reached over her; she could feel the heat from his arm as he passed. Stooping slightly, he plucked a single butter cup with expert precision. With his other hand, he cupped her hands and delicately placed the solidarity flower in her cupped palms. It was a bright sunshine yellow with a orange center. Five fat, rounded, leaves were shaped upwards into a bowl.
"Can't have you upset, now." She was speechless.
She closed her slightly parted lips and smiled lopsidedly.
"Thank you." She said gratefully.
"O-oh! It was nothing!"
She laughed into her shoulder, a wave of hair covering her face. She noticed something through the leaves. Turning back to Kakashi (who quickly looked away) she shifted the flower into one hand and used the other to gently nudged the fingertips that were still resting on her lap.
"Go get 'em."
He eye-smiled warmly down at her, managing to keep his gaze unhindered. Standing to his full height, he turned and like an angered god, thundered through the leaves to the three genin, who had started feeding Naruto.
Smiling, she sat back down and lightly pressed the flower to her face.
"What am I? Chopped liver?!" Pakkun exclaimed angrily, having been forgotten in their exchange.
"Oh! sorry!"
Smiling sheepishly, they turned back to the situation. Sasuke and Sakura went directly against Kakashi's rules and had fed Naruto.
A whirlwind of Chakra, wind, and dust spread across the clearing, a manifestation of Kakashi's wrath.
"YOU!"
Naruto and Sakura screamed, and Sasuke 'hn' dramatically.
"You broke the rules! I hope you're ready for the punishment!" He slowly formed hand seals, and disappeared while clouds in the background crackled with lighting.
"Any last words?"
Naruto chattered.
"B-but y-y-you s-said-"
Kakashi tilted his head. "Yes?" He demanded.
"You said that there were three of us! That's what you said and that's...why Sakura and..." Surprisingly, Sasuke stepped up to the plate.
"Were all on this squad and were all in it together!" He shouted.
Sakura, inspired by her crush, stood up.
"Yeah that's right!" She said something but a particularity loud rumble blocked the words.
Naruto screamed 'yeah' repeatedly.
"That's your excuse?!" Kakashi demanded angrily.
“...”
"Hn. You pass." Kakashi then smiled, cool as a can of beans.
"Huh?!"
"You. Pass."
"What do you mean?" Sakura looked confused.
"You're the first squad that's ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception." He paused.
"In the ninja word those who break the rules are scum. That's true. But. Those who abandon their friends...are worse than scum!" Amen.
He looked up to the sky. The clouds cleared.
"Y-ya know," Said a teary eyed Naruto "He's kinda cool."
Haruhi smiled softly, pressing the buttercup to her face.
He really was.
"The exercise is over, everyone passes! Squad seven starts its first mission tomorrow!" He channeled enthusiasm in his passive way. He gave them all a thumbs up.
"Let's go home." That sounded good to everyone in the vicinity, knowingly or not. Sakura and Sasuke followed Kakashi. Pakkun made to do the same but her conscious stopped her.
"Pakkun! Naruto is still there!" She whispered.
"Fine."
They crept around the back, out of sight. Pakkun let her fall to the ground and he grabbed a piece of rope with his teeth.
"The other way." She hissed. Pakkun couldn't see where to pull from his angle.
"H-hey who's there!" Naruto started thrashing, ropes now loose enough to get free. By that time, they were gone.
...
They had taken the long way home. Pakkun had decided that, with the now three kids following Kakashi, it was probably a good idea they stayed back. She wondered why she couldn't been seen and when would they see her, if ever? And would it even be a good idea to get to know them in the first place?
But combined with the long trail (to avoid being seen) Her stopping them to look at mushrooms, flowers, or pretty rocks,(they were cool!) and the fact Pakkun couldn't go too fast with her on his head, it was almost dusk when they finally got back. Distracted by the trip, events of the day, and the smell of food seeping onto the porch, she forgot one important detail;
When she asked him if he was okay, he never answered her.
The answer was no, probably, and she shouldn’t pry, but…
Wel, she felt obligated to ask, and try to help. He was taking care of her during her stay here after all.
Maybe he was distracted by something, and she couldn't blame him for that. But it just seemed unlikely for him to 'forget' to answer. But the drifting thoughts were chased away when they arrived. Kakashi had left the door open slightly and Pakkun nudged it the rest of the way open before closing it behind him. He then unsummoned himself.
She stood in the middle of the hallway. Kakashi seemed to be in a good mood. He had made a dish she didn't recognize, but it included veggies so it was all good. He went to bed afterwards and so did she.
So when she woke up, she was greeted with cricket noises from outside and the sense that, she had to go to the kitchen. She shifted in her matchbox looking bed, and twisted herself over the edge. She had no idea what time it was but judging by the was the silver moonlight gleamed off the table it had to be around midnight. She went through the motions, and ended up in the hallway, slightly calloused feet barely felt the cool wooden floor, and deep breaths were heard as she inhaled the smell of steaming tea from the kitchen mixing with the night air.
She paused. Having a memory as least a little bit better than a goldfish and slightly aching sides to boot, she knew she shouldn't sneak up on Kakashi.
But something told her he was waiting for her.
She walked into the kitchen without hesitation. Besides, he made green tea, which was her favorite. Just as she had thought, he was leaning over the counter, eye following her path. She approached and he stooped down, carefully and reassuringly cupping her in his palm, and then put her on the edge of the fruit bowl. He slowly drew his hand away, as not to startle her.
She resisted the urge to swing her legs and instead crossed them at the ankle, waiting for him to speak. She bowed her head and allowed him to take a slow sip in peace.
"I'm a sensei now." He said, like making sure it was real. He tossed the words around in his mouth like he had never quite heard of them before.
She tilted her head upwards in interest, listening.
"I think... a part of me...knew these three were special. No one had ever passed my test before, and I think to avoid turmoil I focused on that fact and applied it to them."
He lowered his eye to his hands, which were splayed just below her at the base of the bowl. Gathering his thoughts.
"What are you worried about?"
...
"I'll do my best, but I'm not sure it's what they need."
Kakashi was unsure of himself. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was with good reason. Kakashi had done a mediocre job at best the first time around, ignoring Sakura, dumping Naruto off om Ebisu, and forgetting to teach Sasuke to learn from his mistakes early on. Plus the fact he still wasn’t recovered from his previous trauma and the three kids reminded him of his dead teammates...
"Well, all you can do is your best. Taught them what you have learned from your own mistakes. And remember, you are learning how to be a Sensei, just as they are learning how to be a ninja."
He sighed, shoulders moving like mountains as he considered her words. She looked away as he took another sip of tea before speaking.
"All of these three are very, ah, special cases. A naive civilian girl, traumatized arrogant boy, and a deadlast with big ambitions. They assigned me to that team because of many reasons, the complicated factors surrounding each kid is one of them."
She jumped down onto his upturned palms and placed her hands in the the middle of his, him having taken off the glove.
"Well Kakashi, you don't have to do it alone." He could always ask the other Senseis what to do, like Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai.
He gaped for a second before eye-smiling at her.
"Silly me, I didn't consider."
"Kakashi, are you okay?"
"Yes. Yes I am."
She laughed and jumped off, wandering towards the cup of tea in interest. He called her name, voice serious now.
"Haruhi. I told the children about you."
What!
"When Naruto caught up, I told them there was a special supplement to our team, and that I would reveal what it was when they were ready."
Why would he do that? She thought he wanted to keep her a secret.
Seeing the betrayed look on her face, Kakashi quickly backpedaled.
“We don’t know how long you’ll be here. It could be for another day, or for another month. Looking after you and the genin at the same time while trying to keep you a secret isn't realistic.
She reluctantly nodded, unable to find flaw in his argument.
"Tomorrow is our first mission. I want you to come along, as it won't be anything dangerous."
"What will it be?" She asked.
His eye twinkled, regaining it's spark.
"You'll see."

Chapter Text

She raised a single shaky hand into her hair and started twisting the already curly strand around and around nervously.
It's not like she could help it, though!
They had been over the plan going on seven times now. The routine would be the same-she would hide to the best of her ability until she was given the all clear. Characteristically, Kakashi was arriving two hours late so they had had plenty of time to talk. The sun was up and beaming on them and she almost couldn't stand the heat in the pocket.
Or maybe it was something else making her uncomfortable.
What would the kids think of her?
He tapped her head. Scowling, she swatted his fingers away. She didn’t want to know. She would much rather stay hidden, but if that meant having to hide in this sweltering pocket for however long she was here, then she would have no other choice but to reveal herself. Her nose twitched in irritation.
She blinked as a thought crossed her mind.
"Hey, what was that, yesterday?" She asked.
"What was what?" He looked down curiously.
"The dramatic yelling-A THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" She imitated him.
"W-well, I was just kidding!"
It looked pretty real to me."
Flustered, Kakashi buried his face into his book and didn't look up until they came a little past the deer trails again.
"Okay, you remember the plan?"
"Yeah."
She slipped down to her peek hole and he left the top partially open so she didn't suffocate.
She heard them loudly complaining and breathed shakily. This wasn't shown in canon except right up to the C rank mission. She was going fully into uncharted territory. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. It was incredibly reassuring to have Kakashi there, though.
Even if she was still sour at him.
"OH, I KNOW, WERE GOING TO SAVE A PRINCESS AREN'T WE!? TELL US TELL US! Naruto bellowed in his preteen way.
"Yeah, Sensei!" Sakura shouted.
"Hn."
It seemed in their excitement they forgot to tell Kakashi he was late. She punched him in the chest though, for all the good it did.
"Let's head out. To the mission desk!"
She felt them about face and walk away. The three kids scrambled and ran after Kakashi.
Out of her peek hole, she couldn't really see anywhere but straight, but with the sun behind them, she saw all three shadows turn towards each other, as if agreeing before looking back at Kakashi.
"Um, Kakashi sensei?"
"Hm?"
"What's the thing we need to prove ourselves for? Can't you tell us?" Sakura spoke for them all.
They were talking about her! She reflexively twitched away from the tiny tear before forcing herself back. Kakashi's shoulders hunched as if to calm her.
"Like I said you need to prove you're capable on this mission."
"Capable of what!? Come on!"
Them all crowded Kakashi and she got a good eyeful of Naruto hopping around like his pants were on fire.
He deemed them unworthy of response and they fell into a charged silence. The three, even Sasuke, were anticipating their first mission. She fell back against the back of the pocket, a circle of light landing on her thigh. She felt the corner of the book nudge the pocket inconspicuously twice.
‘Are you alright?’
She tapped back twice.
‘I'm fine, continue as planned.’
He went back to reading his book. They approached the center of town, and things got a lot busier. It seemed to be some sort of rush hour, as everyone looked like they were in a hurry to be somewhere. Not like they weren't either, though.
Everyone was pretty much dressed all like civilians, including the off mission ninja. You could tell who was a ninja though if you payed attention to how they moved. It also help all of them nodded to Kakashi in passing. The buildings became more crowded the training grounds faded away and the smell of foods wafted into the air. Trees provided spots of shade where people rested before continuing.
She felt the air cool as Kakashi stepped into a building, and the force of each step altered with the floor.
They must have been at the mission room now. She recognized this place as part of the academy as they headed in a different direction than before.
Naruto was positively bouncing in excitement, Sakura was fidgeting from foot to foot, and Sasuke's head was up and looking around.
"Kakashi. Here for team seven's first mission?" Said the Third hokage. She waved as best she could and he sent a brief eye twinkle her way. He was very nice for a militaristic dictator.
"Hello Iruka sensei! We're here for our first mission!" Naruto shouted.
"Good job! I'm Proud of you. All of you!" The three kids were obviously pleased and turned towards Iruka.
Actual cinnamon roll Umino Iruka.
She was blushing.
He was scratching his nose and laughing at Naruto's antics. He said something to the three but she couldn't pick it up-she was too busy admiring his perfection. He was adorable and she needed to protect him-
"Team seven is assigned the D-rank mission of babysitting a official's young daughter." Lord Third cleared his throat.
Well then. She knew as their first mission, while it was a big deal, the mission itself wouldn't be anything extraordinary. The three preteens, however, didn't think that far ahead.
"WHAT!?" Naruto screeched.
Sakura and Sasuke were stunned into silence. She felt Kakashi hold back a laugh. She would have laughed and she probably would later, but she was too busy being stunned by Iruka in general.
The third tossed the scroll to Kakashi who caught it with the hand not holding the book.
"Alright team, let's go!"
And he walked out of the room and into the hallway, the preteens scrambling behind them.
She finally let her giggles loose before asking;
"Why a babysitting mission?"
He paused for a second before sheepishly saying,
"Well... I wanted them to have experience with tiny people..."
“…”
She punched the corner of his book. "I'm not a baby!" She choked out.
"I know I know, but I need to see how they can handle taking care of someone else who can't take care of themselves." kakashi backtracked babbling slightly. He only made it worse.
"...Can't take care of themselves? Is that really what you think of me?" she spoke quietly.
He realized his mistake too late.
"W-what I meant to say was, not someone who was incompetent, but-Haruhi?"
She had sunk back down into her pocket, feeling just as small as she was. He called quietly to her again, as the preteens were catching up. It might have been immature, but she didn't want to respond. So she didn't.
She rubbed above her collarbones, feeling the lump in her throat. That really hurt.
When the kids caught up a few moments later, Kakashi explained the mission. There was a lot of whining on Naruto's part, but they eventually made their way over to a much nicer looking home, even better than Kakashis. She noticed he sounded off when explaining, but she didn't really care right now. She knew she wasn't as reliable as she once was, but being compared to a baby, and by Kakashi no less...
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Naruto pouting, Sasuke brooding, Sakura nervous, and Kakashi distracted. Yikes.
Sakura knocked on the door and they stood back and waited. A well dressed woman stepped out hastily.
"Oh good! You all must be the genin team. She's in her crib right now and instructions are on the kitchen counter and baby food is in the fridge. Now excuse me, i'm late for my meeting. Good-bye!"
And without leaving room for any questions she hurried off down the road and was soon out of sight.
"Okay then!" Kakashi clapped his hands in front of him. The three turned towards him and then slowly walked in the house, Naruto tripping on the steps.
They walked nervously into the house. It had an air of a very busy person, who was organized but sometimes just couldn't. There were coffee stains and the carpet was rumpled. Papers and ink were splayed on a desk in the living room. Hearing a faint crying from the room, the three broke into intense whispered arguments.
"Sakura's a girl, she should go-" Sasuke spoke hastily.
"-Well, Sasuke's the great number one so he should do it-!"Naruto whispered back.
"-Wow, because I'm a girl?!" Sakura screeched indignantly.
"WwwaaaAAAHHHHHH!"
"That's enough!"
The three fell silent and turned their gazes on them.
"You have a mission, all three of you! Go up and figure it out together, or have you learned nothing?"
Cowed, the preteens bowed their heads and slinked upstairs. Sasuke, being the clearest thinker, grabbed the instructions from the table.
Then it was two.
He chuckled, trying to defuse tension.
"A lot of work is needed on them."
She stayed silent, but crept back to the hole. He sighed and she felt the puff of breath roll over her.
"What do you think of them?"
She stayed silent.
…
“They sure do have potential, don’t ya think?” He asked her.
"...what do you think they'll think of me?" Haruhi finally said, ignoring Kakashi’s forced attempts at conversation.
"Well, It's not possible to think bad of you, so don't worry too much."
They fell quiet, just as Sakura's voice rang out.
"Kakashi sensei! We need your help! We can't get the baby to stop crying!"
She felt him twitch.
"Right now?"
"Yes!"
"I'll meet you up their. Sakura ran back up the stairs, and Kakashi took a deep breath, as if to steel himself. He crossed the carpet and climbed the steps. The wails hadn't stopped, and in fact were progressively getting louder.
They were met with a scene of chaos. Naruto was barely holding on to a struggling baby, Sasuke was pouring over the apparently invalid instructions, and Sakura was looking back and forth between the two, not knowing who to help.
A sigh.
The wails were like sirens now, and her ears were ringing.
"You three! Take the instructions and make the baby formula! Naruto, give the baby to me!"
The three compiled, and handed off the wailing babe to Kakashi and fled downstairs. Up close with the child pressed inches away from her, her tiny eye-hole was blocked by yellow cloth and she had to cover her ears in order not to go deaf.
She felt him rock the baby in jerky unpracticed movements, letting out stresses shushes. It kinda worked, but the baby was still sniffling loudly in a way that threatened more.
Now, that simply wouldn't do.
Haruhi was mad at Kakashi, and was tempted to let him handle the baby by himself, with no help. Payback for telling the kids without her permission and then insulting her, no matter how unintentionally it was.
But she couldn’t just leave the poor baby like this. If punishing Kakashi meant others were made uncomfortable as well, she wouldn’t do it.
Bracing herself, she let go of her ears. The noise rushed in like water, and she cringed at the pressure. Jumping up she peeked out and came face to face with the baby. Kakashi looked down at the baby, then her desperately.
"I don't-I'm not good with babies."
"Make your motions fluid. Take the stress out of your voice, too." Haruhi said, While she had no kids of her own or little siblings, she did babysit in her teen years for cousins of hers.
He nodded, relieved.
His formerly border-line panicked movements became much smoother, his breathing was controlled in an exercise. It's sniffling faded to wet hiccoughs.
He sighed in relief, and stopped.
"WwaaaaaAAAHHH-"
"Hey! Hi baby! How are you?"
The baby stopped dead, little mouth with one tooth opening and closing in shock. It stared up at her from it's position in Kakashi's arms, with unabashed curiosity. Said man was stone still.
She carefully slid out and crawled onto the babe's chubby stomach. It sucked on one fist and didn't look away.
"That's a good baby. No crying, okay? Can you tell us what's wrong?"
She sniffed the air.
"Well, you don't need to be changed. And you were fed before we got here!"
Indeed, there was an almost empty bottle of baby formula on the nightstand.
She dramatically stretched on the baby belly, making the kid giggle.
"Oh! You miss your mommy, don't you?"
The sniffles picked back up, and Kakashi stiffened.
"Kakashi, move back and forth again" She whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
She cooed, and balanced up Kakashi's forearm to place her palms on the babe's cheek.
"It's fine. She'll be back. But for now, we'll take care of you."
The baby let out a tiny giggle, and a fist the size of her torso flexed around her shoulders. She laughed and took the hand in both of hers and danced around it.
"Kakashi-Sensei! We got the baby formula!"
His back was towards the door so she scaled his jacket face just in time-Sakura walked in front of them.
She led the way downstairs into the kitchen, where the instructions were being poured over by the other two.
"Well, it looks like you three managed after all." He said with a faint note of pride, looking at the newly filled bottle.
He handed the baby to Sakura, who took the bottle from Naruto and fed the baby. Throughout the process, it's eyes trailed back to Kakashi's vest, more specifically, the breast pocket over the heart. She waved.
"Hey! What's that smell?!"
"Ew-!"
"Naruto's changing it-"
"-Urg!"
Naruto was forced to change the diaper and somehow managed. He did live alone though, so he must have picked up on some skills.
The thought made Haruhi sad. How long did Naruto live alone for?
When the official came back a couple of hours later, she thanked them for doing such a good job. The baby was dozing and she waved them off as they headed down the shaded street. They walked in a peaceful silence with the crunch of gravel underneath them.
She felt a double tap.
‘Are you ready?’
Was she?
She thought of the way Naruto bounced the baby, trying to calm her. She thought of Sakura, cradling her, and even about Sasuke, who read and re-read the instructions. They started the mission disappointed and out of their comfort zone, but still performed to the best of their abilities. And while Haruhi wasn’t a baby, and resisted being called one, she couldn’t ignore the perseverance and determination the kids showed today.
Biting her lip, she leaned back and pushed twice.
‘Yes.’
"I've decided you all are ready."
Three shocked faces looked back on them.
"Really!? Do you mean that!?"
He nodded.
"Let's head over to the training grounds."
The trees lining the edge of the gravel road became thicker and thicker, and the gravel turned to dirt and then crabgrass. Finally, They came to a stop at the three stumps with her heart racing.
He leaned on one of them, and the preteens sat in a half-circle around him, all looking on in anticipation.
"You can come out now." Kakashi called.
"Huh?!" The three whipped their heads around, looking for someone to pop out of the bushes.
"Hello." She called down from her new perch on Kakashi’s shoulder.
The three gazes stopped on her and their reactions were almost comical.
Naruto screamed and fell onto his back, gasping and pointing at her. Sakura brought both her fists to her chest and stared with wide eyes. Sasuke blinked in shock, mouth opening and closing silently.
She gave a strained smile and bowed on Kakashi's shoulder.
"I'm Haruhi, please take care of me."

Chapter Text

A moment of complete and stifling disbelief blanketed the air.
The shock was so heavy she felt the tips of her hair stand on end. Naruto, who normally couldn't shut up, was open mouthed in shock and looked remarkably like a fish with his opening and closing mouth like a bad drawer hinge. The other two weren't faring well either.
It was the most expressive she had ever seen Sasuke, even including the bell test. His eyes popped and his jaw was locked in an effort to maintain his composure. Sakura had screamed in shock, before sputtering.
"SHE-SHE'S SO SMALL!"
Wow thanks. Her smile fell, seeing as the dumbfounded expressions had yet to soften. They were completely shell-shocked.
Then Naruto laughed and she couldn't help but sigh in relief, Kakashi's shoulders also rolling.
"Oh, I get it! You're playing with us again! You just bought a beat up doll!"
And she was going to kill him. Kakashi closed his hand around her and glared at Naruto. That orange eyesore called her a beat up doll?! She was fabulous! She punched his hand, the glove making it swelter. She considered biting his finger before reconsidering. She heard muffled yelling.
"...You mean she's real!...!?
Yeah she was! She scowled and sat on her knees, crossing her arms. Cracks of light appeared through his fingers and he slowly opened his hands, sensing she had cooled off.
She kneeled on his cup palm, blink at the three very close, very fascinated faces. She saw her reflection in three pairs of blue, green, and black eyes respectively. The doe eyes blinked in awe, and she felt Kakashi's amusement rolling off of him in waves.
"N-no way..." Sasuke for once appeared to be caught completely off guard.
"She's so cute!" Sakura's pupils had blown up wide as she looked Haruhi over, taking in her curly hair.
"Sorry for saying you weren’t real, miss!" Naruto poked his hands sheepishly.
"So, you weren't joking when you said you had a tiny woman!"
"It was her." Sasuke finally decided to contribute. "You told me how to get free from the ground."
Sakura gasped.
"I thought I saw something by my face!"
"And I heard someone loosening the ropes!"
Well she wasn't nearly as 007 as she thought she was. Kakashi gave her the stink eye and she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Can I hold her?" Sakura said suddenly.
"You can do that!"
"Well, Kakashi-sensei is!"
"Hey! Don't I have a say in this?" She shouted up. She brushed her sweaty hands on her long shirt and every one sheepishly and stupidly focused on her. Out of all the kids, she actually trusted Sakura the most to hold her.
"Now now, children. You have to respect Haruhi's wishes. If she says-"
"It's fine, Sakura, just be careful." She cut Kakashi off. Said man gave her a glance downwards.
The girl cupped her comparably smaller hands upwards and she jumped from Kakashi's gloved one's to Sakura's slightly shaking ones. It was endearing to see how much the girl cared about this, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't second guessing herself. When she landed in a crouch she was self conscious with the intense stares. Sakura's fingers twitched.
"You're really pretty..." Sakura whispered in awe. "And how do you have such nice clothes?"
Yeah, Sakura was her favorite. Even if she was annoying.
With a nod of her head, Sakura poked her hair and pulled a little bit on the hem of her mid-thigh length maroon overalls. She had worn a light grey crop top underneath.
Fashion was important to her, Okay?! It made her feel better about herself, especially with being so small!
Besides, the silver buttons matched. And she could always appreciated someone who complimented her style.
"I wanna hold her..." Naruto whined reaching forward with grabby hands.
In a move that had her freezing Sakura clenched her teeth and swung a fist right into Naruto's skull.
"Jeez!" Haruhi yelped. "Naruto's dumb enough without losing more brain cells!" Honestly, Haruhi would never understand this worlds obsession with violence.
Sasuke snorted with amusement and everyone turned to stare at him. Said boy flushed slightly at the attention but didn't have to worry about being in the spotlight too long. Three hungry adolescent stomachs rumbled in unison.
She turned and looked over her shoulder, exchanging an amused glance with Kakashi. Being in college beforehand and paranoid about not making it to classes, his lack of punctuality had grated on her initially.
Now it was just amusing.
They had taken their time again and had arrived with breakfast in bellies. While the pre-teens had eaten hours beforehand, waiting for them to arrive.
Kakashi clapped his hands.
"Well, we should all go out to eat!"
Everyone agreed, and they headed towards town.
It was exactly mid afternoon, and everyone's shadows looked like muffins. The same flowers from a couple days ago were in full bloom and the air in the downtown district was thick with fat bumblebee's and the smoke of cooking food. There weren't as many people as she thought there would be, as Kakashi had taken her back from Sakura as a precaution. It seemed most of them were either in a restaurant or busy at school or work.
Naruto was leading the way, dragging everyone behind him. Sakura had raised her fist when Naruto had said something stupid. Again. But with a glance at her sitting on Kakashi's shoulder (protected by some camouflage jutsu) she had lowered it, Naruto exhaling in relief.
But as they walked she was struck with the sense of familiarity.
She and Kakashi had taken this way for the grocery shopping and to the toy store. And if she just stood on her tippy toes...
-Yes! There was The Ramen Shop!
"YEAH!" Naruto cheered, and raced ahead with surprising speed. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi all sighed in tandem. When they caught up moments later, a man in a chef's uniform stood in the back and a pretty young woman was serving Naruto.
"Hello!" She called. Haruhi stayed quiet, while everyone nodded their greetings. That chicken ramen looked hella good and she whispered her order into Kakashi's ear. Said man giggled at the feeling before clearing his throat.
When everyone had placed their order except Sasuke and the woman and her father had their backs turned, she spoke up.
"Aren't you gonna get anything?"
"Hn."
"So what are you gonna do then? Photosynthesis?" She snarked.
Sasuke then glared up at her, and she enjoyed her perch by turning up her nose, almost falling off from Kakashi's little twitch of amusement. Naruto laughed before stopping and scratching his head.
“Uh, What's photosintheis?”
Haruhi sighed and waited for Sakura to correct him. When she looked at her, just as confused as Naruto, Haruhi took a deep breath. Everything was so backwards here. Basic science like that escaped them.
“Uh, Haruhi-” Naruto began.
“Quiet Buttercup.” She murmured, suddenly very tired.
All of them were shocked when Sasuke let out a short chuckle at Naruto's expense, but he quickly cut himself off. Naruto sat and steamed angrily, but quickly cheering up when the ramen arrived.
And by god did it arrive.
Giant steaming bowls she could do laps in, filled to the brim with noodles, vegetables, and meat. The sauce was heavenly and she jumped down from Kakashi's shoulders to get closer.
She could do this safely, as the jutsu affected the two behind the counter.
Plus, ever since she got here she noticed she had been more physically able. She had chalked it up to just her cunning, but she had never been this fit before. Moving something bigger than her or jumping from that far, surviving falls? She was just more hardy now, and she wasn't sure if her body was adjusting or not. She had her theories, though. The biggest land animal in the world was the elephant. They were huge, and more importantly incapable of jumping. Fleas on the other hand, were among the smallest and were capable of jumping over a hundred times their size. She reasoned the dramatic decrease in her overall mass led her body to become more efficient-like the fleas.
Or something.
She really didn’t know.
All she knew for sure was that this Ramen was the best thing she ever ate. The preteens all were enjoying their meal-even Sasuke. At her jibe the boy had rectuntaly ordered something.
"This is the best thing I've ever eaten." She said between bites of spiced chicken.
"I'm wounded." Kakashi put his hand on his chest. She didn't bother gracing that with a response. Then she ran into a problem. How was she supposed to eat? She had grabbed a piece of chicken from Kakashi, but to actually reach into the bowl and fish out some noodles? The chopsticks were bigger than her!
Sensing her dilemma Kakashi helpfully added;
"What I make you, you can eat." He almost sulked.
"Here." Naruto broke the small tips off of the end of his chopsticks and made sure there were no slivers, shaving them off with the tip of a kunai. He handed her a pair the size of her forearm. Which, was entirely too large still, but got the job done.
Everyone stopped and stared at Naruto. Because wow, an actual good idea. While she knew Naruto was capable of them from time to time, it was different seeing it up close.
"Not bad. Buttercup." Said Sasuke. Sakura nodded her head, agreeing with her crush, and Naruto was torn between yelling back at Sasuke or being happy Sakura agreed with him.
Kids.
Kakashi shared her sentiments and without further ado they dug in.
Again, she firmly believed eating with others was a sacred thing. And just as the tenseness between her and Kakashi went away after the breaking of bread, the atmosphere relaxed too. The stupefied side glances stopped and a peaceful silence settled over them.
The genin seemed fascinated watching her struggle to eat a giant noodle. The ceramic white bowls were a challenge in and of themselves to get to the edge of, her resorting to dragging the napkin dispenser(with a little help from Kakashi) and sitting on top of that. She had given up on making shoes and just went everywhere barefoot. Kakashi carried her most of the time anyway, and she had thick, calluses on her feet from an entire childhood spent running around barefoot, so it's not like it mattered much.
Then there was the business of pulling out the noodle without making a mess. She pulled out one of the napkins from below, almost falling into the bowl before Kakashi caught her. She placed it under her to catch broth. And because the metal was really cold too.
She felt Sasuke sizing her up, probably not expecting her to be so resourceful. Maybe he shouldn’t be so judgemental then.
"How did you get so small?" Naruto broke in with his usual amount of tact.
With a bite of noodle sticking out of her mouth, she signaled Kakashi to take this one.
"A jutsu accident. I've been assigned to watch her." He said simply.
The three exchanged glances before turning to her. She shrugged and took a bite of a bell pepper. She took the time to observe the kids. It had fallen to an argument between Sasuke and Naruto, and between bits of food, they traded insults. Sakura had sat between them, probably on purpose.
It was clear she was the mediating force. But between struggling not to laugh at some of Naruto's funnier insults, and defending her crush, she wasn't doing a very good job.
But what fascinated her most was how well they seemed to click. Their personalities seemed to compliment each other. Sasuke's pessimism, Naruto's optimism, and Sakura's realistic personality. Now if only they could listen to each other...
When she felt a breath ruffle the napkin slightly, she knew Kakashi was on the same trail of thought as her.
"They go well together." He murmured thoughtfully.
"They're all… so childish. I can’t fault them for that, but from what I've seen so far, being a ninja means growing up before you’re ready, and I’m not sure they can."
He hummed in agreement.
"Hey, why aren't you eating anything?" Haruhi asked Kakashi.
"They'd just clamor to get a good look at me without the mask. I'll eat when we get home."
Made sense.
"But like, aren't you like super stealthy?"
He didn't grace that with an answer. But he did order to go.
After finishing up, they went to see what their mission would be now. Naruto had blazed a trail ahead and screamed in frustration when they were assigned another D-rank. This time, it was pulling weeds. Her and Kakashi sat under the shade. He read his porn and she amused herself by reading along and watching the three get frustrated working under the sun. Judging by the way Kakashi read his porn and giggled when something even remotely sexual was mentioned, she hazarded a guess that he didn't have a lot of experience in that aspect. He was a ninja and that would be putting himself in a vulnerable position. Idly she played with her floss-cutter-turned-makeshift-knife. It comforted her and was very handy, for cutting oranges or holes in pockets.
They had just gotten to the part where the leading protagonist had thrown her lover onto the bed when they heard screaming.
Naruto, while weeding the garden, had pulled out the herbs as well, and the woman had come out and was currently nailing him over the head with a frying pan. The other two were rolling their eyes in the background. While trying to outdo Sasuke, he had destroyed her garden.
Looking up at Kakashi, she noticed the faraway look adorning his face, almost as if remembering something.
The woman went back inside.
"Nice one, Dobe."
"Teme!"
Naruto and Sasuke were facing off, and Sakura was in between, trying and failing to stop it.
"Argh! Why doesn't anybody ever listen to me!
Kakashi sighed, ready to step in.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Everyone paused. Naruto's fist clutching Sasuke's shirt and vice versa.
"You say you're not children anymore, but then here you are! You're all supposed to be a team. Or did you forget what Kakashi's told you already?”
The fight rapidly dissipated.
It was rather uneventful after that. The mission was technically complete and they parted ways.
But instead of them heading back home, they took a turn downtown and headed down a familiar path. She had a feeling she knew where and when they opened the door to they toy store her guess was confirmed. She didn't know they were coming here and sent an inquiring look from her perch on his shoulder.
Smiling nervously, he rubbed the back of his head.
"I forgot to tell you, but Kasumi has your clothes ready." A jolt of excitement had her shoot to her feet and she almost fell off.
"Really?!" She jumped and in her excitement, then hugged and kissed Kakashi's cheek.
She jumped back, worrying she crossed a line.
Peeking between the curtain of her hair, she was gratified to see the blush on the quarter of his face and the obviously speechless expression. One of his hands was cupping his cheek, and his eye was trained on her.
Was it possible that Kakashi...no, she was imagining things.
She had toyed with the possibility beforehand, but with the whiplash from dimension hopping, the confusion, and her sudden adjustment in height, her head had been too crowded to entertain it. But is was silly anyway.
"A hmm." Someone cleared their throat.
Kasumi stood there with her arms crossed and an amused smirk gracing her aging face. She looked younger than before, frown lines less prominent. She seemed to have a healthy glow to her and her hair, which was slightly greasy last time, was shining and up in a braid.
"Kasumi! Looking good!"
Kasumi's smirk widened into a grin and her eyes twinkled.
"My favorite customer. Stuff's in the back."
The other employee was in the side of the shop and politely ignored them.
They made their way behind the heavy wooden door and into the back where she had been measured last time. It was cleaner than before, well dusted, and a curtain blocking a window she hadn't known was there was parted, sunlight on fabric. In the corner she noticed a package full of tiny clothes-perfect for her. Most of the dolls here weren't her size, and thus the clothes weren't either. She was stuck switching between 5 outfits.
Kakashi, who only really wore one thing (his ninja gear) was left out of the loop.
"I've never truly meet anyone like you. And not just because of your size. It's inspired me, and I wanted to show you something.."Kasumi said.
"What is it?" She asked, blinking in surprise; Kakashi's attention focused.
Kasumi, with the energy of someone much younger, went to a shelf and pulled out a box. Opening it, she lifted a doll, the exact same size as her and placed it in front of her on the wooden table. It was like looking into a mirror. The only differences between her and the doll was the coloration.
It has the same small almond eyes, upturned nose, prominent jawline, and high cheekbones. The differences was the lighter skin tone, and long dark hair. It looked more Japanese instead of African American.
She was speechless. The doll was clearly a masterpiece, but it felt like the bottom of her stomach turned over. But seeing Kasumi with so much life in her, she just couldn't tell her that.
"It's-It's amazing!" It was, really.
"The craftsmanship is top-notch." Kakashi observed from right next to her.
"I'm planning on creating a few more varied ones-nothing to big, and I just wanted you to know about it. We don't really have any realistic dolls in Konoha, so I used your measurements to create some to scale."
That was a smart idea, but Haruhi couldn't help but feel...violated, in some way.
"I've asked customers coming into the store, and all agreed it would be interesting to see this doll. I'll use the profits to keep making you clothes and other accessories."
Oh. Kasumi was asking her permission to do this, and sweetening the pot with the deal of future freebie's. Her mind flashed back to the first time they were here, and Kakashi not having to pay anything.
Haruhi may not like this, but she knew a good deal when she saw one.
"That's a great idea!" She grinned rather widely. Kakashi had grown from relaxed to serious in the background, but made no move.
They worked out the details of that, and Haruhi threw in a couple suggestions of what Kasumi could do. Delighted, Kasumi told her about her brother, who was a carpenter and occasionally helped building dollhouses. If she needed any specialized furniture to make life a bit easier, Kasumi said he could get it done without having to know about her. This time Haruhi smiled a but more genuinely.
Kakashi then finally piped in with a great idea.
"Could your brother make mini staircases?"
He said he would stop by with the measurements later. It would sure be easier than the string.
just as they turned to leave, inconspicuous black bag in hand, a call stopped them. Kasumi slipped the almost look-alike doll into the bag, then bid them farewell.
It was quiet on the way home.
Kakashi placed the bags down on the counter and gently took her from his shoulder, placing her carefully next to the fruit bowl-knowing it was her favorite. Had it always been like this? She guessed you didn't go through a breakdown then get comforted by someone to not like them. He rummaged through some of then shelves, the pulled out the cookie jar with the bees on it.
He turned and rubbed his head again, trying to explain.
"Since you aren't hungry, I figured instead of making dinner we could make dessert."
"Sound logic." She complemented.
He visibly brightened, and placed it to her left. While she inspected the bee design, he pulled out some flour he must have got from the store.
"What type do you want?" She asked. She didn't actually know what they could make.
"I was thinking whatever you wanted would be fine."
"Hm. How about sugar cookies? I like sweet things."
"I can do that." He murmured.
She entertained herself by tracing the slightly raised canary yellow bumblebee's on the jar. The background was a smooth paper creme color and felt just as smooth as it looked trailing her fingers over it.
He gathered all the ingredients around the table, setting them next to her so she could read the labels. He crossed over into the living room and he ran to the edge of the counter to see what he was doing. He slide the half door over to the other side, revealing a whole bunch of books she hadn't seen before. She was unable to make out the titles from here, but he pulled out a thicker one and slid the door back in place.
He blew dust from the book (unsuccessfully) and placed it in front of the fruit bowl. Opening it, he said;
"You like books, don't you?"
"Yep."
"Can you read the directions then while I mix?"
Uh oh.
Could she?
She noticed most of the texts she had seen weren't in English. Running over to the book and hopping on, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was written in English for most of it, and there were pictures detailing the rest. So she could help Kakashi after all. A rush of unexpected relief had her dizzy for a second.
He pulled the eggs out of the fridge and didn't notice the side was open. When he turned back towards her, one came loose.
In slow motion, the white egg fell.
SPLAT.
He looked like it was the end of the world. Point blank staring at the scattered egg in disbelief.
She lowered her voice.
"Hi, I'm Kay-kay-she, I'm a Talen-ted ninjay."
He whipped his head to her, fiery blush erupting from his face. He stuttered, trying to explain what just happened.
"Jeez Kay-kay-she, the only thing hotter than you right now is the oven."
She took pity on the man and leafed through the instructions while he sheepishly cleaned it up. His personality now and then from testing the kids deeply contrasted.
He brought over the remaining eggs, making a point of putting his hand over the corner. She laughed and he recovered enough to set the ingredients down. She murmured the instructions that Kakashi picked up easily enough with his hearing. He was contemplatively silent, humming to signify he heard her. He doled the batter onto the sheet, and she read aloud the cooking time.
After he placed the tray in the oven and closed it, a peaceful silence settled in the kitchen along with the smell of baking dough.
She pretended to be absorbed within the book. It wasn't hard, as a lot of the recipes were new to her, and she wanted to be able to help with future desserts. But if years of public education taught her anything at all, it was how to pay attention to two things at once. So while reading about cakes, she read Kakashi.
As an elite ninja, he didn't give much away. Or normally, he wouldn't, but now, he might as well have been a book. He had whipped out his own Icha Icha, but his eyes weren't moving with the text. He was relaxed against the counter, all except for the tense way he held the book. He had unpacked his ramen and with the book hiding his face, ate it.
He wanted to talk about something.
"Haruhi?"
"Hm?" She looked up.
He seemed to strengthen under her gaze.
"I wouldn't have minded."
Genuinely confused, she asked;
"What do you mean?"
"You were uncomfortable earlier with the doll. You didn't have to go along with it if it meant saving me some money." He said, completely serious.
She was speechless. He then smiled.
"Besides, it's as you said, I'm a talen-ted ninjay, I have money to spare and then some."
Her eyes softened.
"I know you're right. It's just that, being here is just..." She searched for words.
"...It make you feel..."
"...Small."
Haruhi didn’t know where this was coming from, and neither did Kakashi, judging by the surprised look on her face. But Haruhi just couldn’t seem to stop herself.
"There's a lot I can't do now, and I’d be lying if I said that didn't affect me. I'm just dependent on you, and I don't like the feeling of being virtually useless and bothering someone else. Before all this, I did everything on my own and was reliant completely on myself. I miss that. "
He had put down his ramen and book, pulling up his mask. Focused on her
"Don't get me wrong, all the people I've met so far have been nothing but great to me. Konoha is a beautiful place and I can see why you call it your home."
"It's just... it's just not my home."
It seemed the more she talked, the more her true feelings made themselves known. Not even she had known how she had felt until now.
"You've been taking care of me, and I'm grateful. It's just that you shouldn't have to. With the doll, it reminded me how out-of-place I am here. I thought I could be less of a burden that way. But I felt like a doll-something pretty to look at, but not a person. And I know that's not true, but since when have feelings ever cared about facts?"
She sat on the corner of the cookbook, looking down at her clasped hands. The tears welling up in her eyes blurred them.
There was a careful silence in the kitchen. Broken by the stove beeping.
He pulled on oven mitts and set the sheet down a foot away from her. She felt the heat on her side, but kept her head down, ashamed of crying. Suddenly a cookie, smaller than the rest (about the size of her chest), made specially for her-appeared in front of her now covered clasped hands.
"Cookie?"
She nodded and took it, but not a bite. They sat there silently for awhile.
"That cookie is smaller than the rest."
She looked up through a cloud of hair.
"That doesn't mean it won't be any less delicious than the others. It's still a cookie."
Oh. He was trying to comfort her. In his own socially awkward way.
She hiccoughed with a giggle. His face melted with relief.
"Are you comparing me to a cookie?"
"Why not? You're sweet like one."
She tossed her head back and laughed, dislodging the last tear.
"You really are a ninja. No one else would have been able to pull a smooth move like that!"
"You aren't useless. Look at how you helped me make the cookies. And earlier, when you got Naruto and Sasuke to stop fighting. Not just anyone can do that. And you take care of yourself. Clever things like figuring out how to open the cabinet and even rolling the onion across the table."
She sniffed and rubbed her face.
"Yeah, you're right."
He chuckled too, and she nibbled happily on the cookie.
"Hamster Haruhi."
The rest of the time went like that. They leafed through the book and talked about what they could make next. The same atmosphere from before surrounded them, relaxed peaceful, and...something else.

Chapter Text

It was with a dramatic gasp and a frantic dash when she realized Kakashi had forgotten to take the group picture.
He hit his eyes with both palms, muttering to himself.
"I'm not sure if a professional will be available today..." He muttered.
"You alright there, buddy?" She sipped her tea from a cleaned out medicine cup. The cups her size had holes in them. They had tried to use them, but they figured they weren't actually meant to be used like that. She climbed the cookie jar, using the honeybee's as foot holds, and grabbed a giant cookie. It was entirely too big for her so she kneed it in half. The handed the slightly larger half to Kakashi who was still stressing internally.
"Oh wha- thank you. " He said, pinching the cookie. She nodded and inched her way out of the jar, feet dangling and trying to find a bee wing. Her gripped tightened when her feet found no purchase on the slippery glazed surface.
Warm fingertips under her cause a relieved sigh to echo across the cookies. Pulling herself the rest of the way out, along with her cookie, she landed on Kakashi's open palm stomach up and laying on her back. She blinked and Kakashi quirked an eyebrow in amusement.
"You alright there, buddy?" The foreign word rolled of his tongue.
"Eat your cookie."
She closed her eyes and nibbled on her half, and she heard the tell tale crumbling of a cookie. He started walking, evidently feeling better.
"When we start our mission today, I can take the picture and hand it in at the desk." He spoke aloud.
"Sounds good. You'll be fine. You're always know for being late, so that probably applies to pictures too. " She said. Her eyes remained closed, enjoying the feeling of his steps.
"You're right!"
He slipped her into his pocket while simultaneously pulling the digital camera out of another. Haruhi had been initially surprised that a backwards world like this had something so advanced, as she remembered their official picture was taken with something that looked like it was from the 1800’s. But it made sense the good technology was saved only for the higher ranking ninja. This, of course led Haruhi to ponder about the class difference between ninja and civilians and how the restricting of technology was holding their entire world back, before she became too depressed to continue.
He checked it over before humming good naturedly and dropping it on Haruhi.
"Hey!"
Kakashi hummed on his way there, a habit he had seemed to pick up recently. She decided to check out the camera.
The camera was gray, and she wasn't sure what shade because of the pocket's dim lighting, but it had a black ring around the lens. The power button was on the top and the shutter button was on the front. She couldn't quite get to that, as it was facing away from her.
She jumped a bit when Kakashi's humming increased. Then she realized it was a good thing and a grin stretched across her face. She turned it on and was correct in her assumption-it was a very primitive digital camera. And if this is what the elites got, she didn't even want to know what regular cameras were like. Well, she did, but that's besides the point.
Since it was so simple, she had no problem with setting it on a timer, leaning it back against the pocket, and striking a pose. She grinned, took off her glasses, popped an unsteady squat, fluffed her hair, and made a heart with her hands. A flash in the darkness was her signal. She did a couple more, including a hilarious one where she was on top of the camera and looking over into the lense, but she knew they were arriving soon. And this thing didn't have much storage space. So she turned it off and acted like it never happened.
Kakashi hummed all the while.
It took a bit, but when they arrived it was punctuated by duo screams of 'YOU'RE LATE', from Sakura and Naruto.
She climbed the camera and poked her head out, blinking sunlight from her lashes.
A tap to her head, and then a hand in front of her. She rolled onto Kakashi's palm and he placed her on his shoulder.
"Good morning Haruhi!" Sakura cheered.
"Morning." She said back.
Without pausing Kakashi walked past and continued on his way towards the mission desk. She could tell the three were in a grumpy mood. All of them were getting fed up with these D-ranks. And with the being dragged by dogs, babysitting, and weed-pulling, it's probably not the glamorous life they had imagined.
Kakashi didn't bother to go inside, instead opting to read his book outside. In the clear, she popped her head up.
"-Aw, c'mon guys, this mission doesn't sound so bad, It's a rescue mission. How cool is that!? Right Sakura?"
A rescue mission? Kakashi seemed to know what was going on, if the chuckling was anything to go by.
"Just what do you know?" She whispered suspiciously. He only laughed louder.
"You know, whatever grueling mission they've accepted, you're gonna have to do it with them."
He stopped chuckling.
She peeked from her trusted eye-hole, and found them approaching a part of the Forest she had never seen before. The trees were taller and the undergrowth sparse.
When the three had realized they were basically chasing down a cat they complained but ultimately couldn't do anything about it since they had already accepted. Kakashi distributed three ear pieces to the genin and kept one for himself.
"Your mission is to capture the cat-Tora, unharmed. Report over the radio pieces. GO!" They took off into the trees with a whoosh. Haruhi pondered about how radio pieces like this were only used for ninja missions.
“…”
"So... there's more to this cat than it says, right? Like is it a demon or something?"
"It could be."
"Well, I wanna listen in, so make way."
"Huh-what?"
She gripped the fabric of the vest, digging her nails into it, and climbed to his shoulder. He was carefully still. She swung her leg over the neck ruffs, deeming herself close enough to listen in.
He was still still.
"You alright there buddy?"
"Fine! Fine."
It was silent over the radio. Evidently, they were still getting into position or something. A bead of sweat trailed down Kakashi's forehead. She stared at it, wondering about Kakashi's recent behavior. She remembered in the toy store kissing his cheek, and the bout of speechlessness that followed. The mask was soft, and seemed to be make out of a sturdy breathable material, like silk. At this angle she could appreciate the shadows of a jawline. Her eyes trailed her thoughts, following his features.
His hair stood on end. But it always stood on end. She balanced on a clavicle and almost fell when it twitched.
"Sorry!" He whispered, for no apparent reason. She hummed into his ear, staring at his hair and ignoring the shiver resulting from it.
"Kakashi..." She breathed in his ear.
"...Yes?"
"Don't take this the wrong way...but your hair looks like a cumulonimbus cloud."
Tension leaked out of him like a popped balloon, and a cloud of depression surrounded him.
"W-wait! I meant that as a good thing! I think your hair's cool!"
"You do?"
"ARGH! STOP FLIRTING! WERE IN POSITION!"
She fell into the ruff and Kakashi was blown backwards from the ear piece. Sakura and Sasuke made noises of agreement.
"Wait! Where did the cat go?" Said Sakura, thankfully not shouting.
"Nice, dobe. Your shouting scared it away."
It took a bit for them to find the cat again. Reporting their positions over the intercom, Kakashi walked around a clearing, instructing them.
"The target has moved! Follow it!"
Jumping was heard, and then the screeching and yowling of a cat. Naruto shrieked over the intercom as Sasuke reported the mission success. They regrouped to a cat violently beating up Naruto while the other two watched in mild interest. Having spotted some catnip earlier growing in a ditch, Haruhi told Sakura to get some. The cat, Tora calmed after that.
"Hey Kakashi? Didn't you need to take a picture?" He nodded.
"Alright, my cute little students, we are going to be taking a picture."
"What?! I don't want a picture with Sasuke!"
"Same."
"You guys!"Sakura stomped her foot."I thought you were better than that. Sasuke! And Naruto!" Said boy flinched, wide eyed at his crush." If we take a picture you won't have to be next to Sasuke. I'll go in the middle."
As if to punctuate her point, she walked in-between the two. Sasuke looked like he couldn't believe Sakura had actually bad mouthed him, and Naruto looked happy at the prospect of being next to Sakura.
Kakashi pulled out the camera, with her on top of it, tilting it so she wouldn't fall off.
"I can take the picture of you guys." Haruhi said.
"Aww, but I wanted you in the picture..." Naruto whined.
"No, Naruto, we want as little people as possible to know about her, being in the picture would jeopardize that."
Ouch. Made sense, but ouch.
"Why can't we put her in Kakashi-sensei's pocket and put the camera on a timer?" Sakura said in a 'duh' sort of voice."I need help keeping Naruto and Sasuke apart."
That sounded good to everyone.
Kakashi put the camera on a tree stump and she jumped into his pocket. He fiddled with some of the switches, pausing and giving her a raised eyebrow, which she responded with a cheesy grin. Naruto and Sasuke were already butting heads, digging up clumps of grass with how hard they were pushing. Kakashi pushed them apart by the head and placed a steadying hand on each shoulder. Sakura hunkered down in the middle, smiling.
"Naruto, stop glaring at Sasuke. And Sasuke, could you maybe, oh, I don't know, scowl less?"
"...Hn." Said boy flushed, looking away sheepishly. For dramatic effect, she stuck the top of her head out of the pocket, where only her hair could be seen. Again, a flash went off, signifying the picture was taken. Sasuke immediately broke away. Sakura turned around instead, speed causing her long pink hair to fly out.
She cupped her hands, obviously asking to hold Haruhi. Kakashi tilted his head, a spike of grey hair brushing her. Asking if it was alright.
"It's fine. Us girls gotta stick together."
She jumped to Sakura's hand, Kakashi flinching slightly in surprise.
The three crowded around Kakashi, and exchanging a glance that immediately aroused suspicion, Naruto took a deep breath.
"Were tired of D-ranks! We want better missions!"
Sasuke and Sakura nodded. Then they did something unexpected.
They all turned and looked at her in Sakura's hands.
"Can we?" Sakura simpered, lifting her up to the puppy dog eyes. At this point, it had been two weeks since the bell test, and they went on D-ranks basically everyday, sometimes doing more than one. She could see why they were getting tired.
"U-uh, ask Kakashi!"
Said man was baffled, his eye then narrowing in thought.
"We'll have to ask the Hokage."
"YEAH! Your future Hokage deserves better!"And with that Naruto lead the way, Sakura and Sasuke not far behind. Sakura ran back, handing Haruhi over, before catching up, the other two waiting for her.
"..."
"It's not normal for genin to receive anything more than a D-rank this early on." He informed.
"Well the basis is teamwork, right? Look at what they just did. Look at the glance they shared. Sakura planned to ask for me, because she knew you'd be more easily swayed. Naruto knew when to butt in, and Sasuke...well, he didn't protest. They worked together to get that maybe from you." She murmured, stupefied.
"You're right..."
He chuckled.
"There's hope for them yet."
Kakashi placed her on his shoulder, and she gripped the green neck ruff as he started after them. They were halfway to the Hokage tower when her heart froze and she lost her grip from pure fear.
A rush of wind and she was cupped in Kakashi's hands, the man himself looking shocked and a bit guilty.
"Was I going too fast?"
"N-no, I just lost my grip."
"Hm, I was going to suggest for you to go into the pocket anyway. You sure you're okay?" His hands were cupped slightly around her.
"Yeah." And he couldn't tell if that was an answer or an agreement. Either way he made sure she was secure, and she made sure he couldn't see her before she bit down on her hand in a silent scream.
She needed to go home, dammit!
The mission to waveland, or whatever, was soon. And she knew it was much more than a C-rank. Try A-rank, which was basically the hardest you could get. She was supposed to be gone by now. Hell, winter break was probably over all ready. And if she was right about this(which she was) then Kakashi and the pre-teens would be gone for at least three weeks!
She felt like she was forgetting something else...
Fuck! Patches! Her poor baby! She jolted upwards, before forcibly sitting down. She didn't know how close she was to the tower. Quickly she peeked out of the hole. It seemed Kakashi was going a bit slower than normal, probably worried about her falling or something. Or maybe, she thought, he found Naruto's rage amusing.
At any rate, she hit her forehead against the pocket inside. Her cat was probably fine. God knows how many times she had to rip dead rodents out of its mouth. She also left the third story attic window open. Fuck, she should have closed that.
The point was, despite how close she had gotten to Kakashi, she couldn't help but feel it was time to go home.
Unwillingly, images of the past few weeks rushed to the front of her mind. Arriving in a sterile manicured house, with the curtains closed and the smell of greasy takeout noodles because there was really no reason for a home cooked meal. The place was dark and locked up. Well taken care of, but still had the air of barely caring and barely concealed depression. The counter was empty of fruits and cookies, and the bookshelf was gathering dust.
The only light had come from the doorway in which they stood in, and his shadow looked lonely in the door frame silhouette. As if to prove her then point, a flower was shriveled in a cup.
Now, there were pillows in the living room where she had convinced Kakashi to build a pillow fort. She was astonished when she heard he had never built one. Bright yellow buttercups resided in a ceramic vase about the size she was-which Sakura had made on one of the missions. She had loved the flowers and Kakashi noticed, getting her more. Depending on the day, the house smelt of dinner or dessert, wafting from the kitchen and filling the house with life. The curtains were often open letting light leak in, and window screens brought in the smell of wind and ruffled Kakashi's hair.
But then there was her home.
It was...home.
She had been a only child and her father had died of heart disease when she was thirteen. He went peacefully in his sleep, something anybody would be jealous of. Her mother was a business women and often wasn't home, so for the latter half of her life, she had the place all to herself. A medium sized home that was never lonely, friends always visiting. The cool basement with video games, the attic with antiques, and the stylish but comfortable rooms. A garden in the back, filled mostly with vegetables but sunflowers as well. Tall oak trees and a small pond. Every spring a pair of mated duck would land there.
She took care of most of her own needs with money from her mother and then herself, working stable jobs. She inherited her father's car and her life was so free and liberating everyone was jealous of her to some extent.
She wondered, did Kakashi get visitors like her? Was he lonely in his own house? From the time that she had been here, he had received almost no visitors except Gai who was rejected, an a few others on business.
Would he be lonely when she left?
Was this a dream?
She always had a vivid imagination and colorfully described everyday things. This transferred over into her dreams. More often than not she would lucid dream and remember them when she woke up. She still remembered dreams from her childhood, just because of the sheer details in them. She would wake up crying with tears on her face if it was sad, and a smile when she dreamed of happy years.
This didn't feel like a lucid dream, and if it wasn't she needed to get back.
Pronto.
How Kakashi felt or what he felt wasn't on her. He had team seven, it would be better if she left.
...But what about what she felt?
The light-hearted banter she and Kakashi shared didn't seem as fun anymore, and neither did team seven's dynamic. Neither did the fast approaching C-rank.
As if on cue, Kakashi stepped into the mission room.
She clutched the fabric like it was a life-line, eyes zeroing in on the Hokage. She was here! She peeked her arm out and waved when everyone's attention was on the woman suffocating Tora. His eyes glimmered and his fingers did a tiny wave in response. That's right! Don't forget about her!
"NOOOOO. I WANNA GO ON A REAL MISSION!SOMETHING CHALLENGING AND EXCITING NOT THIS LITTLE KID STUFF!"
Kakashi sighed.
"HOW DARE YOU!" yelled Iruka, equally loud. "YOU ARE JUST A BRAND NEW GENIN WITH NO EXPERIENCE! LIKE EVERYONE ELSE YOU START WITH SIMPLE MISSIONS TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS AND IMPROVE YOURSELF."
"ARE YOU SERIOUS BABYSITTING IS NOT A MISSION IT'S JUST A STUPI-AGHHH!"
"Will you put a lid on it." Said a annoyed Kakashi, hand in a loose fist from where he socked Naruto. She almost fell out of the pocket, and gave a good kick against his chest. Naruto screamed a bit more and rolled on the floor.
"Naruto!" Said the Hokage. She perked up. She needed to listen to him because he was her ticket out of here. "It seems you do not understand the tasks that have been given."
Teach her. Enlighten her.
The Hokage launched into an explanation of sorts on how missions and their assignments work, Haruhi listening attentively. She could use this later.
"So you are given-hm!?" The Hokage cut himself off when he realized no one was listening.
"So I had this tonkatsu ramen yesterday and I'm thinking miso ramen today-" said Naruto from his position of crisscross applesauce from the floor.
"Silence!"
Everyone turned to look at the Hokage. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh, sorry."
Naruto launched into a spiel about not being a little kid anymore then proceeded to turn his back to the Hokage and cross his arms and sulked angrily.
"Channeling your inner Sasuke now?" She muttered perhaps a bit too loudly as Kakashi laughed and Sasuke glared at her. She got passive-aggressive when she was upset not her fault.
"So be it."
"Huh?!" Said everyone.
"Since you are so determined" Pause for dramatic effect "I am going to give you a C-ranked mission."
And fuck there it was. What would happen to her?
"You'll be bodyguards on a journey."
"Really? Yes! Who!Who! Are we guarding a princess, or some big Councillor!" Shouted Naruto, turning around. Sasuke lent forward Sakura having grabbed his arm in excitement. She grabbed Kakashi's vest. Sinking down, she pressed her face to the peeping hole, as if it would reveal all the answers to her internal debate.
"...Send in our visitor!"
Team seven turned with curiosity, along with her stomach.
The door slid open and the first thing that was visible was a bottle of beer, with a beer belly close behind.
"What tha- a bunch of snot nosed kids? He took a swig, beer dripping into his beard. Naruto stood up with a 'hu?'
"And you the little one with the idiotic look on your face, you really expect me to believe your a ninja?" For a second she thought he was talking about her and was about to jump out, but then Sakura and Sasuke lined up side-by-side with Naruto, showcasing him as the smallest ninja.
"HAHAHAHA, who's the idiotic one with the look on his-
“…”
-I'LL DEMOLISH YOU!"
"You can't demolish the client, Naruto, it doesn't work that way." Kakashi said, very annoyed at this point.
The man took another swig, his face becoming serious and the red drunken haze dissipating.
"I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder. I must return to my country I am building a bridge there that will change our world. And I expect you to get me there safely even if it means giving up your life."
The details were worked out and the three-even Sasuke, dashed off to get packed.
So did Kakashi. He didn't say it but he way pretty hyped to.
She wasn't.
When they got back and she didn't immediately jump out-being curled in a ball at the bottom of his pocket- he picked her out, concerned.
"Haruhi!?"
She was pale and sweaty, trembling slightly. She mechanically twisted and pulled her hair-a nervous tick. And jumped when Kakashi said her name.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing! It's-it's just I haven't been feeling well recently." She winced at how obviously thin the excuse was. Even if it was true. She couldn't just tell him she knew his entire past, present and future. More honestly, she said
"I've just been a little homesick... and I've left people behind." Kakashi knew she was asking; when she could go home, but he also read it was just more than homesickness.
"What's got you worried?" He teased, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"...Did you notice the way Tazuna spoke? How he went out of his way to point out the weaknesses within the team? Like he was worried about them? And then the way he put emphasis on protecting him, even with their lives when he had just called them snot-nosed brats? This is a C-rank, so there shouldn't be a need for death, right?I think there's more to Tazuna, and I agree when the Hokage said they should still be doing D-ranks."
He became deathly silent, obviously digesting her words, combining them with his own suspicions. And then he did something unexpected.
He chuckled. She looked up, heart beating with offense.
"It's a shame you weren't born here, you would have made a great ninja."
That pleased her more than it should have. "But I wasn't born here, and I don't belong, I need to go home." The 'now' was left unsaid, but still there.
He leveled a considering look at her.
"Is the C-rank upsetting you? Because were going out of the village." He stated. She could only nod, throat suspiciously choked up.
"Well... you could stay here."
By herself?!
FUCK NO.
But Kakashi seemed to think that was a good idea.
"-I'll summon Pakkun, and you can meet Gai, he's competent enough-"
Panic rose in her chest and a sob almost tore from her chest. The only way you could tell though, was the widening of her eyes.
"-I have concerns of my own with this mission and if we hadn't already agreed to it, we wouldn't be going. But now I know for sure not to take you with. It'd be dangerous."
On one hand, she didn't want to go. She definitely didn't want to go. On the other hand, Kakashi really was the only person she trusted with her safety. She had never even met Gai!
"But I feel safe with you!"
...
Oh shit, she say that?
"An-and if you left, I'd feel worse." She finished in a whisper.
...
His features were shadowed by his hair.
"Haruhi, our mission may be to guard Tanzuna, but my mission is to keep you safe. To protect you from harm, and this mission isn't shaping up to be pleasant."
"How are you supposed to protect me from harm if you're not here?" She winced, realizing how she sounded.
"I can't take you with, outside of Konoha's protection."
"...Okay." She nodded firmly, desperately reigning her emotions.
Dinner wasn't really dinner. It was more Kakashi getting ready and her wrestling with a crisis that didn't end with the dinner.
Wide-eyed, she laid in her matchbox bed. She wished for some form of comfort and almost felt the phantom weight of a cat curled by her feet. This was serious. This C-rank cranked up the violence in Naruto. It's when the toilet humor and accidental kissing is over. People died on this mission. She would be squashed like a bug. Would she be a murderer by keeping silent? What if Kakashi dies this time?
She threw back the covers, bumping into a book spine because of the tears blurring her vision, the terrible vision itself, and the darkness of the room. She groped in-between the books looking for something. When she found it she held it at a arms length, sniffled, then hugged it.
She dragged the doll her back to bed and wrapped her legs around it's waist. She took a deep breath, trying to fall asleep.
Her face screwed up in frustration and she threw the doll down on the bed, scooted out, and jumped down from the bookshelf, stumbling at the bottom. Quiet as a mouse, she padded to the kitchen.
'It's too bad the stairs aren't in yet' she thought as she shimmed up the string.
Rolling onto the counter, she made her way over to Kakashi's vest laying left of the cookie jar. She stood, shuffling like a kid outside their parent's door before she took a deep breath and crawled into the pocket, closing it behind her. It was completely dark in here, and pressed comfortingly from all sides. There was her peek hole and a space at the bottom where she normally curled up.
But most of all, it smelled like Kakashi.
A smile curled up onto her face as she remembered her first time in the pocket. She had fallen asleep then too, hadn't she? She drifted off to sleep, dreaming about a snow-land and chasing a silver bunny with a mask over its face.
Laughing as she tripped over snow banks.

Chapter Text

Everything was so beautiful here.
Pine trees rose in green spires, with snow on their ends and icicles that you could pluck off and lick. She plucked one off and offered it to the bunny in her arms. It's nose twitched, and nibbled on the end of the icicle, ice flakes falling on her arm.
It was a mostly flat terrain, a frozen over stream a few yards away. Her and the bunny and slid over it and had chased each other. Parched now, The icicles were the only source of water. The bunny was warm and reassuring in her arms, and after a few nibbles, squeaked and hopped around her ankles.
Their game of tag resumed and it was when she was clipped by a low hanging branch she realized she was dreaming. Normally this was the part that if she wasn't careful she would wake up. She banished that thought and chased Bunny. There was a constant rocking, and a part of her though maybe they were all on a giant boat.
While chasing Bunny, she ran across a familiar boulder. The wind picked up in random intervals, sometimes monotone, and other times loud and angry. It raised and lowered like a voice. It whipped her hair around.
But this dream was so sweet and relaxing, she could swear the powdered snow was sugar. It was so nice compared to what she had been going through recently. The howls picked up and she raised her bare forearms to cover her face.
The wind picked up so ferociously she was blown right out of her dream.
Eyes snapped open in confusion to a hot dark room. She heard the wind again, but this time the words were distinguishable.
Last thing she remembered was falling asleep...in Kakashi's pocket.
“…”
Where was she now? There was a little hole in the wall so she leaned forward to peek. She blinked the light out a couple time and there was a few blurry images in front of her. It looked like the genin.
Oh Fuck.
Oh god, this could not be happening!
The movements, they were footsteps! She had never left Kakashi's pocket!
She needed to know how far they were into the journey. If they were just starting out it would be no big deal to get her back. She blinked rapidly as she tried to hold back tears. How far along were they? She strained her ears, deathly still. It seemed like they weren't talking much.
"Say, Tanzuna?" Asked Sakura.
"What is it?"
"Your country is the land of waves, right?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
She remembered this! Wouldn't they be attacked soon? In that case...
She clutched the fabric, still lying on her side. She needed to stop delaying and let Kakashi know she was here. No matter how upset he would be. A rush of something flooded her veins with strength. She could do this. Kakashi continued with his explanation of the ninja villages, assuring the children they would not be attacked. Ha.
She wrestled with herself. Her thigh itched but if she moved her hand Kakashi would notice. But if they were going to be attacked soon it wouldn't matter cause Kakashi would survive. She heard the sound of running water.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. She could hear his heart from this angle.
She took a shaky breath, then kicked as hard as she could.
Ba-bump...Ba-bumpBa-bumpBa-bumpBa-bump-
Lighting quick and just as silent, she was grabbed out of the pocket. Now here comes the thunder.
He pinned her in his hand with a thumb and a piercing stare. He wiped his expression blank, scanning her. He then sighed. They were in the back of the group, Kakashi having taken up the rear in a protective move as he was the strongest. None of them noticed.
He sighed again.
"What's wrong Kakashi sense-OH!" Screamed Naruto, naturally the loudest. The call chased off birds in near by trees. Five pairs of eyes were on her.
"Wh-what is this?!" Yelled Tazuna. He dropped his beer bottle in shock, staring at her wrapped in Kakashi's hand.
"What is she doing here? It's dangerous outside of Konoha." Said Sasuke. It was too late to pretend she wasn't here, and thanks to Naruto's big mouth Tazuna knew about her. They had technically already met, but he didn't know that.
"-I'm so glad you're here cause we had been doing D-ranks together for awhile now and it's always more fun with you around and we were so upset when Kakashi sensei said you weren't coming-" Babbled Naruto, reaching out to her.
Kakashi mechanically lifted her higher, out of his reach. They were in a dead stop in the middle of a dirt road, trees on either side. In front of them was a creek and she knew as soon as they crossed to the other side and walked a bit they were basically fucked.
"Put me with Tazuna." Haruhi blurted.
"ME?!" Said the baffled man.
"Haruhi, what are you talking about-"
"Staying with Kakashi is the wiser move, as he is a jounin-"
"You can stay with me!"
Each of the genin spouted.
"Haruhi." Kakashi said tersely. Everyone fell silent, obviously sensing his inner conflict.
"Well your mission is to protect Tazuna? If I'm with him, It'll be easier to protect me."
"It'll also make you a bigger target."
"Whoa whoa whoa, you guys worry too much!" Laughed Naruto.
"Not now!" Haruhi and Kakashi said in tandem. A bead of sweat rolled down Tazuna's face, something both of them noticed.
"Go with Sakura." It wasn't a question. And judging by his pissed off expression she wasn't gonna argue. Well it's not her fault he couldn't tell she was in his pocket! Sakura held out her hands, smiling smugly at the two boys.
But now that she thought about it, it made sense why he chose Sakura. Like her he didn't trust Tazuna. He did dupe them but he was a good guy-he just didn't know that get. He needed his hands free in case of an attack, Sasuke as the second most powerful would need to be free too. And Naruto was too reckless.
Tazuna was still giving her the side eye in an understandable way. But the preteens- seemed to have perked up since her presence was known.
"Don't let your guard down, were still on a mission." Snapped Kakashi.
They walked in silence from there, footsteps loud. Haruhi played with her hair, but instead of finding it reassuring like she normally would, her gut twisted.
And then they walked past a large puddle. On a cloudless day with no other wet spots in sight. Too far away from the creek for it to be a splash. Kakashi casually moved so he was in between the group and the puddle. Naruto and Sakura remained clueless, but Sasuke noticed Kakashi's movements. His eyes flickered to her, then back at Kakashi, and he fingered his kunai.
They walked past the puddle, and her heart pounded in her ears.
Everything exploded.
"What?!"
She screamed as thick heavy chains wrapped around Kakashi-tearing him to pieces. His yell echoed down the road.
Sakura screamed, shoving Haruhi into her bag
"KA-KAKASHI SENSEI!"Naruto froze, the whipping of the chains and clouds of dust kicked up approaching him rapidly. "Now it's your turn!" They rasped from right behind Naruto.
"NARUTO MOVE!" Haruhi screamed.
Then Sasuke jumped into action. Alert and ready, he launched a shuriken into the center of the chain, pinning it to the tree, then whipped a kunai, nailing it into the bark. Sasuke then landed in a crouch on top of the pinned arms. Using that as leverage Sasuke donkey kicked both of them in the face.
With all attention on them her shriek was muffled by Sakura's bag when someone grabbed it. What was happening? This didn't happen in canon! Just as she was about to open her mouth again, Kakashi's face appeared, and she was overcome with relief. He shoved the bag on Tazuna then disappeared into the trees as Sakura got into a guarding position.
"Stay behind me!" Sakura yelled
The two missing nin were coming straight at them with rapid footsteps and popped out eyes on the target. Them.
'Whoosh!' Sasuke appeared in front of them.
He didn't have to.
Even faster than Sasuke, Kakashi appeared and took a missing nin under each arm. His back was to her, choking them and knocking them out with each bicep. Naruto gasped and looked up from his position on the ground.
"Hi." He said casually.
Sakura gasped with moon eyes and Sasuke grunted with annoyance.
"Nice." she called out. A pile of chopped up wood laid in the spot where Kakashi was 'killed'.
"Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, I just didn't think you freeze up like that." He walked into the middle of their circle, carrying the unconscious attackers. Tazuna sighed in relief, before looking down into the cavern of the bag. They both froze, not knowing what to do. Then he got a gleam in his eye. The type of gleam where you want to learn more.
Sakura grabbed the bag and pulled her, out, sniffling and pressing Haruhi to her face.
"It's okay Sakura, I know, it was pretty scary." Haruhi patted her cheek, tears falling and wetting her head.
"It's fine, Sakura. I would have handled them if Kakashi hadn't." Sasuke grumbled, looking anywhere but them.
"Good job, Sasuke, very smooth. You too, Sakura." Sakura clutched on to her, mindful of her grip. Naruto in the background looked like he was questioning his entire life. Dirt clenched between his fingers as he slowly got up, staring intensely at a passive Sasuke. Kakashi leveled her a mindful look. She wondered why he put her with Tazuna, maybe because he had taken her words into account?
Sasuke turned to Naruto, but before he could say anything, she cut him off. "Sasuke, you did good. You protected both your teammates." Sasuke closed his mouth and turned away from Naruto, nodding slightly to her.
"And Naruto." He flinched. "Don't feel to down this time, I know you'll be prepared next time there's a fight." It was funny how the fight was over in seconds when she had spent the past few days worrying over it.
"She's right Naruto. But stand still, these ninja had poison in their claws we need to remove it from you quickly." Kakashi said briskly.
Naruto lifted his injured hand up, trembling.
"By the way, Mr. Tazuna, we need to talk." He said, leveling a chilling glance at the bridge builder. Naruto might as well have been a statue. Kakashi tied up the Nin with some help from Sasuke, and they all gathered around, before Kakashi launched into an explanation.
"They're chunin from the village hidden in the mist their specialty is relentless attack, they keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice."
"How did you know about our ambush?" One of the missing nin coughed into his mask. One eye squinted up at Kakashi through the blood running down his forehead.
"A Puddle. On a clear day when it hasn't rained in weeks? He said condescendingly.
"In that case, why did you let the genin do the fighting?" Inquired Tazuna. The genin looked to Kakashi.
"I could have taken them out quickly, but then I would have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was. And, what they were after." He said, side eyeing Tazuna.
"HM? What are you getting at?" Said Tazuna defensively.
"You're withholding information from us!" Sakura shouted suddenly, right in Haruhi's ear. They all turned to look at Sakura.
"Good job, Sakura." Kakashi ruffled her hair. "I wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja, or, if they were after you, the master bridge builder. When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection. From robbers and highwaymen. You didn't say there were ninja looking for you. Hunting you down. If we knew this, it would be a B-ranked mission or higher. Our task was simply to get you to your destination and protect you while you finished building your bridge. "
He narrowed his eye.
"If we knew we would fending attacks from enemy ninja we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B-rank mission. Apparently you have your reasons, but lying to us is not acceptable. We are now beyond the scope of this mission." He said with finality.
But that speech was kinda hot she wasn't gonna lie.
Sakura pitched in, agreeing with Kakashi. Raising some good points of her own, like the fact Naruto was injured.
"Hey, wait. What else aren't you saying?" Haruhi couldn't resist. She aimed her question at Tazuna. Tazuna didn't respond at first, rattled by Kakashi's speech and her mere presence.
"I'm sure he can tell us all about it when we get back to the village." Said Kakashi, glancing at Haruhi.
...What?
Naruto and Sasuke exploded with protests.
She didn't know how to feel. On one hand, the three kids would be spared the trauma of Zabuza and Haku's deaths. They would all turn around right now and head back to Konoha and Kakashi wouldn't get hurt. Tazuna would get the proper protection, which would be way better with dealing with Gato with. His argument that he couldn't afford the B or A ranked mission falls flat too. He could get the bridge built and pay off his debt with the new trade, or the money taken from Gato, or both. And with her back in Konoha, she could go up to the Hokage with Kakashi and be sent home. They could get another C-ranked, a proper one this time, and develop that way. The chance that she could die was very real.
But on the other hand...
How long would it take? Would it be too late by the time another team was sent out? Who says Tazuna would even get another team instead of being thrown into T and I? Could she be selfish enough to damn an entire country? And then there was the Genin. They all learned lessons and developed from this. Sakura learned about her outstanding Chakra control-crucial for career as a medic. Naruto learned the value of his precious people, a theme that would be repeated throughout both series. And Sasuke risks his life for Naruto and develops the Sharingan.
In the end, none of the genin actually gets permanently injured(excluding mental trauma), and the Land Waves is saved.
Her brow furrowed as she weigher their options.
The entire point of her wanting to go back to Konoha right now was so that she wouldn't change anything. But going back right now would be changing something-they wouldn’t being going on this mission-a crucial plot point. The Land of Waves arc is pivotal to the plot and if it doesn't happen the Akatsuki isn't going to wait for Naruto to play catch up.
It was too late to try not to affect the plot, not when she had already been living with Kakashi for weeks and her obvious emotional impact on team seven as a whole. But it seemed Kakashi had already decided for them.
"AAARRGGHH!" Naruto stabbed himself in the hand, blood flying out in a splash. Everyone gasped.
"WHY AM I SO DIFFERENT?!" Naruto ground out, his mental crisis continuing. "Why am I always arrhh-!"
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, stepping forward. But Haruhi put her hand down on Sakura's palm in a firm tap, stopping her. Naruto then launched into a monologue.
"I will never back down again, I'll never run away, and i'll never let someone else rescue me again..."
He ended with a blood oath. "Don't worry, I'll be fine!"
"...Naruto, that was, um, really cool how you took the poison out in all, but uh, if you lose anymore blood your going to die." Kakashi said rather stunned. Then in a bit of humor said "Good idea to stop the bleeding now. Seriously."
"Naruto!" Sakura yelled unsurprisingly. "You've got a self abusive personality. It's called masochism." Then surprisingly, she held out the hand Haruhi wasn't on." Here, I researched first-aid, let me look at it."
"That's nice, Sakura." Kakashi said almost hastily."But let me do it."
Sakura humphed, but stayed back. Haruhi kept her eye on the wound, and from this angle, wasn't surprised to see it closing.
Steam leaked from it and she hysterically thought of Attack on Titan, the only universe worse than this one. She couldn't see the look on Kakashi's face, but Naruto provided some useful commentary.
"Umm, uhh, you have a really serious look on your face, you're scaring me, am I okay?" Naruto trembled.
"Uh, yeah, you should be fine." He then started wrapping Naruto's hand.
"That's good then. If he's going to be fine, we can continue on." Haruhi said. Sasuke whipped around to stare at her, obviously surprised. Kakashi paused in wrapping Naruto's hand, before continuing slowly.
"It's too dangerous to continue." Kakashi articulated, only to be met with resistance by the three of them. Sakura kept silent, glancing rapidly to and from Sasuke.
Naruto and Sasuke kept shouting over each other, and Haruhi didn't bother trying to let herself be heard.
"Mh-hm, cause you two make such a convincing case." Kakashi said blandly, cutting in.
"Sakura, what are you thinking. Tell us what you really feel, not what you think we'd like to hear." Haruhi snapped, capitalizing on the opportunity. Both boys were rendered speechless, but Kakashi simply raised an eyebrow and waited.
Sakura clenched her hand around the kunai, knuckles turning white. She bite her lip, glancing at Sasuke then glancing away just as quickly.
"Well, now that Naruto is better like Kakashi sensei said, and the fact we have a jounin on our side, there no big reason not to continue onward. If we refuse the mission it will send out a signal that we are weak, and I really want to get stronger." The last part came out in a mortified whisper, and Sakura looked down at Haruhi in her hand. She made sure Sakura could see the proud smile on her face.
A deep sigh from Kakashi.
"Fine." Cheers drowned him out for a second. "We escort Tazuna back to his home, then decide whether to stay, or leave."

Chapter Text

It had took a bit more convincing to get Kakashi back on track.
The three genin in a panic had shoved Haruhi onto him, pleading in their respective ways to talk him down. Unlike how it was originally, Kakashi this time around seemed like he wasn't going to budge on his decision to go back to Konoha, even without Sakura's support.
So she fell back on humor.
"Kakashi, I'm not that big of a deal, really! Don't let little old me stop you! I'll be quiet as a mouse! C'mon, don't be a lightweight!" She half-joked, pressing him on.
He reluctantly snorted in amusement, before catching himself and crossing his arms. Sasuke smirked, and Naruto and Sakura giggled. Tazuna stayed carefully neutral as his life depended on whether or not she could sway Kakashi.
That combined with earlier protests from Naruto had tipped him over the edge. His head fell back in defeat. They gathered their things, on higher alert than last time. They walked in silence as the mist grew thicker and thicker, signifying a large body of water was near. Strangely enough, some of the tension left her as the sun became blocked out, photons scattered by the mist. The crunch of wet gravel was strangely reassuring, even when that transitioned over to the near smooth silence of the moss on the seaside rocks.
With the harsh glare of the sun out of her face, she felt better.
Tazuna let out a low whistle that echoed across the water. Her ears strained when she heard a responding one, and a figure on a boat glided over. She was giddy in excitement. She had lived in the great lakes region, and large bodies of water were just a part of her life. It was almost like she was home again-except for the smell of salt.
They boarded the boat with little fanfare, Haruhi hiding again in Sakura's bag. Kakashi was already upset Tazuna had found out about her existence, no need for the farrier to find out. The water was a bit choppy-signifying a coming storm. They all sat criss-cross applesauce.
"This fog's so thick, you can't see anything." Sakura whispered.
"I know." Haruhi sighed happily.
"You're so weird." Sasuke scoffed at her.
"Well, you don't like sunshine that much either, emu." She said faintly.
Naruto exploded in laughter.
"Sakura, punch him." Haruhi hissed. Cracking her knuckles, she did just that.
"HEY!" Naruto screeched, the punch having the opposite effect of what she intended.
"Keep it down, there's reason why were being silent! Cutting the engine and moving through the dense fog-so they don't see us!" The man snapped.
“…”
"...The bridge isn't far now, our destination is just ahead. The land of Waves."
Tall dark shadows appeared from the mist like the legs of giants. Despite being shrouded, the bridge was truly impressive. It arched out of the water and out of view, and seemed to be holding the mist at bay. It ended abruptly like a cliff, and various construction vehicles were scattered along it.
"Mr Tazuna, before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something." A moment of tense silence. "I men who are after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore." Kakashi said.
Everyone was watching Tazuna attentively.
He opened his mouth and spoke. "I want to let you know. As you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man, who casts a very long and deadly shadow."
Very nice usage of literary devices. She could respect that.
"A deadly shadow?" He asked, fake politeness lacing his voice." Hm, who is it?" She wasn't fooled, Kakashi was very interested.
"You know him, or I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world, the shipping magnet Gato!"
"Huh! Gato? Of Gato transport!? He's a business leader, everyone knows him!" Kakashi said, rattled.
Naruto leaned forward excited.
"Who who!? What what?!"
"Gato, is a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true, but below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations he sells drugs and contraband. Using gangs and ninja."
Is was deathly silent.
"It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on the land of waves he came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simple...disappeared. In an island nation a man who controls the sea controls everything! Finance, government, our very lives! But there's one thing he fears, The bridge! When it is complete it will join us to the land and that will break his control."
He looked up.
"I, am the bridge builder."
It was silent for a moment, before Sakura and Sasuke summed up what happen, connecting the dots with the nin in the forest.
"I don't understand, if you knew he was dangerous, knew he would send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?
"...Because the land of waves, is a small, impoverished, nation. Even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for a A or B-ranked mission. It's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home. " He intoned.
Then his voice changed and she choked on her muffled laughter.
"Grandad granddad! I want my granddad!" He whisper shouted in a high pitch voice. Everyone sweat dropped.
"Oh and my daughter will condemn the ninja of the hidden leaves denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and blaming you for a life of sorrow!"
Naruto and Sakura whimpered, and Sasuke looked a bit sick. Uh, not her kids! While she may not have cared for Sasuke very much, she definitely didn’t approve of Tazuna’s guilt trip.
"We get it! No need for this cheese, old man!" She hissed.
Kakashi scratched his leaf symbol.
"Well...I guess we have no other choice!" He said
"When you said we were going on a trip, I didn't think it would be a guilt one." Haruhi quipped. Everyone agreed.
"Ahh, I'm very grateful!" He said cheerfully, throwing a peace sign over his shoulder. Haruhi couldn't help but grin in amusement, before frowning.
"Then this won't be the last of it then. The next people Gato sends will be more powerful." Haruhi cautioned. The pre-teens needed to know what would happen. The atmosphere became serious and the lightheartedness from Tazuna's little display disappeared.
As if emerging from some dream, they crossed under the bridge, and left the heavy mist behind. Then they saw the land hidden in the waves. Shallow water trees were rooted in the sea and houses on stilts were a few ways off the shore. Everything was bathed in sunlight, giving it the illusion of being a happy place. Seagulls, something she hadn't heard in ages, called from all around.
She inhaled the scent happily, listening to the sound of the flying rats with glee she never would of thought she’d have for them. A memory of her and her family on the beach crossed her mind, her and her little cousin throwing pretzels at the gulls causing a smile to spread across her face.
They drifted up to a wooden pier and one-by-one they jumped off, Sakura scooping her up.
"That's as far as I go, good luck!" The farrier said.
Tazuna thanked him, and he pulled his motor for the first time and left.
"Okay! Take me to my home, and I mean get me there in one piece!"
They started down another path, Tazuna and Kakashi in the rear, her and the genin upfront. Sasuke increased his pace, now toe-to-toe with Naruto. Naruto growled and sped ahead.
"Naruto! Get back here!" Haruhi called.
"Not gonna let Sasuke-teme beat me again! I'm gonna be alert Haruhi-sensei!" He growled, whipping out a kunai and looking back and forth. Kakashi and everyone else had stopped and just watched the spectacle.
"Over there!" He hurled a kunai into the bushes, siphoning off leaves.
"Huh?!" Said everyone. A beat of intense silence where everyone started at the bushes.
"Oh, just a mouse." He said casually. Tazuna growled in anger, and Sakura started yelling how fake he was. Kakashi, very stressed at this point, lectured that kunai were dangerous.
"STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME YOU SCRUMPY LITTLE DWARF!" Tazuna bellowed. Naruto shrugged it off and dramatically started scanning the bushes. Then he threw another kunai. Sakura's bag was now of sweltering proportions.
Sakura whacked him over the head then got into an argument with Naruto. But Haruhi's eyes were on Kakashi. He walked over to the bushes where his kunai had thunked into the tree trunk, separating the leaves. She was struck with a sense of deja vu, back at the bell test. Through the leaves she could see a twitching white rabbit and a kunai inches over its head.
Haruhi frowned.
A white rabbit, near the beginning of summer? It was part of a rabbits evolution to shed it's white fur for brown for the summer, part of a survival thing that she had read up in a nature book. White for blending in with snow, brown for dirt and branches So a white rabbit was weird. Sakura walked closer and got a good like at the traumatized creature.
"Naruto! Look what you did!"
"Ah! A rabbit!" He screamed, horrified. He ran forward and hugged it, as if that could erase the past few minutes. Everyone gathered around to watch the scene, except Kakashi who was eyeing their surroundings suspiciously. Her eyes followed his and a tingle of foreboding shot down to her toes. Trying to shake it off, she asked Sasuke;
"Hey Sasuke, would you like to hold the rabbit?"
"And become flea bitten like Naruto? No thanks."
But it didn't help. Kakashi turned and scanned the treeline, eyeing the rays of sunshine passing through, and the dark upper branches.
"Look out!" Kakashi shouted.
Like a helicopter the giant blade streaked toward them. Throwing themselves to the ground, it soared over head harmlessly, gouging a tree trunk. She coughed, the bag breaking her fall. She shivered as she lifted the heavy bag above her, energy flooding her limbs in order for her to lift the bag-something she shouldn’t have been able to do.
She shakily rose from the bag, which Sakura was now clutching to her chest.
A man, Zabuza, she remembered, stood on the thick handle of the sword, some thirty feet up.
Sakura plunged her hand in the bag, and took out a kunai from another pouch to Haruhi's left.
"Well well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from the village hidden in the mist." Naruto tensed up and clenched his kunai, rocking impatiently on the balls of his feet, looking as if he would lunge forward.
"Hold Naruto back." She hissed up at Sakura, hiding in her bag. Sakura's hand darted out and grabbed Naruto's shoulder, but before he could yell the fierce glare on her face shut him up.
"Everyone, stay back. He's not like those other ninja. He's in a whole other league." Kakashi warned. "If he's our opponent, I'll need this..."
And oh my god, it was happening. The Sharingan. Kakashi's hand drifted upwards, every eye in the clearing on him. She clenched the strap. She had only seen it once, when he had his panic attack in the kitchen late at night. But she hadn't seen it since then. The copy wheel was something to be afraid of; it was frightening to stare into it. Plus the fact that none of the genin knew about it, especially Sasuke.
Her heart beat rapidly, and her limbs trembled with the force of her grip. She was suddenly overcome with the urge to jump as hard as she could and run. She was strangely sure she could get away. Weeks of almost constantly being carried left her feeling bottled up and about to explode with foreign energy.
The genin fixed Kakashi with an intense gaze, under the impression he was going to take of his mask.
"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, did I get that right?"
Sasuke gasped, stress lines appearing under his eyes.
"It's too bad, huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man." He rasped out again.
Kakashi glared harder, never taking his eye off the ball.
"Now quick manji formation! Protect the bridge-builder. And stay out of this fight! I taught you teamwork, now it's time to use it."
He lifted his headband and opened his eye.
"I'm ready!"
Everybody silently freaked, Naruto sweating before yelling in confusion.
"Everyone keeps saying Sharingan sharingan! Will someone please tell me what sharingan is!"
Sasuke spoke.
"Sharingan. A rare power. It resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu can instantly see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. And reflect the attack back at the attacker. The sharingan is a special, rare, form of dojutsu. However, there's more to the sharingan than that. A lot more. " That had to be the most she had ever heard him speak, and she was impressed despite herself of his knowledge, even though it made sense for him to know so much.
Zabuza had maneuvered himself to face them on the narrow sword handle. "You got it right, boy. But you only scratched the surface. The sharingan can analyse a opponents technique, then execute it to the fullest detail. "
Mist spread over the road and trees, and instead of feeling comfortable it felt oppressive. She whimpered and ducked down further into Sakura's bag.
"As for you, jounin, the assassination unit in the village hidden in the mist we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. You're profile was in our bingo book. It called you 'The Man who Copied over a Thousand Jutsu'. Kakashi, the copy ninja."
The longer his raspy voice talked, the harder she shook. Her veins were filled with tension. Tears dribbled down her chin and she was glad the genin couldn't see her because they'd freak out.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Naruto shouted. No, it wasn't, but he'd find out soon enough. Meanwhile Sakura was reconsidering Kakashi and Sasuke was having a crisis. This was the first time she had seen the boy this rattled-including the bell test.
"Enough talk. I need to exterminate the old man. Now."
The genin darted in front of Tazuna, kunai's out and guarding him from all sides. Her blood roared in her ears and she blinked spots out of her eyes.
"He's over there!" Yelled Naruto
"Standing on the water!" Sakura said, louder.
Something was whirring, spinning past her as she stuck the top of her head out of the bag, making ripples in the water and pulling on her.
"Ninja art, hidden mist jutsu!"
Godgodgodgodgod, she couldn't even see the trees anymore.
"-He'll come after me first." Kakashi said darkly as he walked in front of them. She felt a stab of fear.
kakashi was going to get hurt, and it was all her fault. He was willing to turn them all around and back to Konoha for her but she talked him down. 'It was too late for regrets', she thought, hunkering down.
Kakashi launched into an explanation of Zabuza's background, and she felt her stomach drop with each detail. When he got to the silent killing technique, she felt Sakura shiver.
"Well, if we fail we only lose our lives..." Kakashi snarked sardonically.
"How could you say that!" Sakura gasped.
Kakashi vanished, swallowed by the mist. They were alone. She beat off a wave of panic, remembering him leaving her by herself on the counter.
"Eight points." A voice hissed from all around.
"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, which will be my kill point?"
Fuck her, that was some scary shit. She felt the tension ripple through the clearing. Killing intent. It was a solid delivery and if she had been a different person, she would have peed herself. Her teeth chattered like it was ten below with a wind chill off the lake.
A sudden blast of wind rocked the bag straps and then Kakashi was visible again, surrounded in an aura of blue chakra. She stopped trembling. A smile unwillingly crept up on her face and her grip on the leather strap loosened a bit. Kakashi would get through this. Nothing significant had changed so far.
To her left Sasuke raised his kunai with both hands in a motion like he was going to stab himself. Sweat dropped down his pale face. Before she could call out Kakashi looked back.
"Sasuke! Calm down. I'll protect you with my life." He looked at her, her eyes wide. "All of you." He smiled, the expression out of place in the tense atmosphere. "I will not allow my comrades to die! Trust me."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
Zabuza had apparently teleported directly into the middle of their circle. The scream caught in her throat and she flung herself to the bottom of the bag. She gritted her teeth as the bag with her inside lurched backwards from where Kakashi had flung them to safety. The world swayed as she righted herself and her crooked glasses, feeling the gravel through the cloth. She peeked out.
Kakashi held a kunai stuck inside Zabuza, as she looked on wards she noticed the waterfall coming out from the stomach wound. A water clone.
"Sensei behind you!" Naruto shouted.
Kakashi turned wide eyed, before being slashed in half by a giant sword. He fell apart in ropes of water. Kakashi had copied Zabuza with his Sharingan. ‘Zabuza was gonna get it, Kakashi was pretty good!' She thought with giddy relief.
"Don't move." A kunai was held to the other Zabuza's throat. She knew Kakashi had survived the fight, but she could have sworn there was more to the fight than this. Something about being trapped in water...? But it was obvious Kakashi had the upper hand.
"Now, it's over." Kakashi said in a low voice that sent a rush of warmth through her. It would be okay. She unclenched her fist, but it was still shaking. Similarly the genin gave various noises of approval.
Until Zabuza started laughing, arm limply holding his giant sword. Kakashi pressed the kunai closer to his neck.
"Finished?" Zabuza said in a voice coated in humor and poison." You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation."
"Kakashi it's another water clone!" Haruhi screamed in panic from Sakura's bag.
Kakashi slashed his knife across it's throat and a waterfall erupted from the water clones severed throat.
A growl erupted from the mist and Kakashi just barely dodged the sword cleaving towards him. A donkey kick from Zabuza then had him sailing through the air. He disappeared with the shirtless man in pursuit, who jumped head first into the water.
Kakashi rose from the lake, hair dripping and heavy.
"Fool! Water prison jutsu!"
And then Kakashi was encased in a ball of vibrant water.
"This prison is made of water, but it's stronger than steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi."
A rush of anger flooded her. He was just trying to lead Zabuza away from the genin. While having Kakashi taking down like this wasn’t comforting, It was reassuring what she said hadn't mattered though, it meant she hadn't changed anything.
"I'll finish you off later. But first, your little friends will have to be eliminated.” He growled. “Water clone jutsu!"
When the second Zabuza emerged from the water, her limbs trembled like trees being buffeted in a thunderstorm. The same rush as before flooded her. She could only hope things went like in canon, or she might accidentally be killed.
But something bothered her. Logically speaking, it made no sense for Zabuza to hold Kakashi in prison. He could have just killed him right away.
"You three, stay together! Don't rush him. Don't panic. Like Kakashi said during the bell test, if you three work together there may be a chance of taking him out!" Haruhi hissed up at the three genin so that Zabuza wouldn't hear. The genin gulped, grouping together.
"-When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you-"
"He can't make more than one at a time, it seems. The prison takes a lot of Chakra to maintain. If we can get around the clone to the vulnerable Zabuza and free Kakashi, we have a chance." She whispered frantically. The three nodded, their hands trembling.
"-But to call upstarts like you ninja, is a joke." The mist got heavier, and she felt Naruto losing it. In a series of movements that she wouldn't have been able to follow otherwise, the clone's knee connected with Naruto's jaw, sending him flying and knocking his headband off.
"Listen! Get the bridge builder and run!" Kakashi's voice wavered from the water.
" You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison so he can only fight you with his water clone, but the clone can't go far from his real body. If you get away from him he can't follow. Now run!"
He seemed to be staring right at her, and for a fleeting second she almost caved and told the genin to run. She knew what this meant to him. He had failed his team. Again. And if they died because another one of his mistakes it would crush the man. But the notion that they could escape was a desperate one, they either stood their ground here or they would be hunted down like that rabbit.
Sasuke came up with the same conclusion and his eyes darted to her before training on Zabuza, who was still standing on Naruto's leaf symbol. He gritted his teeth launching himself forward, hurtling shuriken. Her heart lurched in her chest, concern lighting her on fire.
"AH!" Sasuke darted to the side, picking up Naruto then jumping back to her and Sakura, panting. He landed in a crouch, before standing up and glaring at Zabuza.
"We need to come up with a plan." Sakura hissed at both of them. "A distraction."
"Naruto no!" Kakashi yelled in horror. Naruto darted forward and her heart caught in her throat. Sakura clenched the kunai with one hand, and held Haruhi in the bag with the other, desperate for reassurance. Haruhi couldn't breathe and Naruto's shouting abruptly stopped with a choked gasped. She was trembling again, spots in front of her vision with a head-rush.
She peered out. Naruto was in a crouch, clutching his headband. He would be alright. He healed from the wound earlier after all. She heard Sasuke and Sakura whispering behind her.
"-His name is Naruto Uzumaki!"
He jumped back, a few feet away from them."Sasuke, can you hear me?" A nod." So you're finally thinking about teamwork, huh?" Sakura's grip on her had lessened and she could wiggle around now. She was staring transfixed on the two, a blush coating her face.
"Sakura," Haruhi whispered." While they make a plan go guard Tazuna."
Sakura lifted her kunai, jumping in front of Tazuna.
"-When I was your age, this hand had already crushed many opponents."
"Zabuza, the demon." Kakashi stated.
"Oh, so I was in your book too, huh?"
"Long ago in the village hidden in the mist, also known as blood mist village, before a student could become a ninja there was one final test. "
"Do you know about the graduation exam?" Zabuza laughed.
"What's the big deal?!" Naruto shouted." We had a graduation exam too!"
"Did you have to kill the other students to pass?"Zabuza asked.
Oh fuck, fuck that.
"Imagine young ninja like you, eating together, training together, and then comes the final exam, only they've changed the rules. Kill, or be killed!" The three where shocked into stillness."He was your friend shared your dreams! Now it's him or you."
"T-that's so cruel." Sakura clutched her kunai.
"Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students " Kakashi finished.
“…”
"It... it felt so...good!" Zabuza's eyes snapped open.
Yikes! Yikes. The urge to jump into the trees and hide was becoming stronger and she was so close to losing her shit, her head throbbed with energy.
"Ah!" A knee to Sasuke's gut sent him flying and then an elbow to the stomach had blood flying from his mouth.
She and Kakashi exchanged desperate looks, and the guilt crashed over her. A ringing in her ears blocked out all sound as Sasuke was crushed underfoot.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" When Zabuza threw off the dozens of clones, one skidded away, searching through it's bag.
“You’re not the only one who can use clones.” Naruto growled.
"Sasuke!" Naruto threw a folded up Shuriken to Sasuke, who caught it and spun. But there was just one problem.
Zabuza wasn't in the clearing.
"Sasu-ACK!"
The clone reappeared in front of Sakura, grabbing her by the throat. Through a bandaged mouth, he mused.
"I know it was you, the girl of the group who warned Kakashi. I've heard you muttering to the others. You, are a liability."
A icy hand of guilt and horror grabbed her heart as Zabuza raised his sword. Sasuke yelled in horror. But Haruhi didn't hear it.
With energy that had been building up for weeks, she darted into Sakura's weapons pouch unthinkingly, pulling out a shuriken almost as big as her.
"What tha-" She jumped straight from the bag to Zabuza’s neck, chakra propelling her right into the clone's jugular.
With a scream, Haruhi dragged the sharp metal across it's throat.

Chapter Text

The clone fell apart like a well thrown water balloon.
Sakura fell limply back to the ground, landing with a dull thud. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing hoarsely. Haruhi landed with a gasp on her stomach.
"THROW IT!" She screamed at Sasuke. Sasuke who was still staring at Sakura in shock, snapped out of it and threw it across the clearing, directly at Zabuza. He was still in shock from his clone being destroyed by a few inch tall woman and barely dodged, this time lacking a witty comeback.
Kakashi didn't react at all, horrified eyes on the two female members of team seven. Then the second Shuriken hidden under hit, right in Zabuza's shoulder.
He screamed in pain and a puff of smoke obscured him. Kakashi fell onto the water and in a movement to quick to follow, pulled the real Naruto away from the demon. Blood was on his orange jacket and her heart leapt into her throat before she realized it was Zabuza's. Naruto's kunai was covered in blood from where he had launched it into the demon's shoulder.
Zabuza jumped back, bleeding heavily and panting, watching the wrathful Kakashi like a cornered animal.
Sasuke ran over to Sakura and her, the Naruto clone long since poofing out of existence. He dropped into a crouch and his hands hovered unsure, never having actually picked up Haruhi or helped Sakura before. He helped Sakura up and Haruhi was lifted by a stunned Tazuna. He held her as if she was made of glass, delicate and could cut you if broken.
Naruto swam back to shore, and Kakashi was beating Zabuza so bad it wasn't even a competition. He got beat down in canon, here, he was getting slaughtered. She quickly scanned the treeline for Haku.
"Q-quickly, Zabuza might have an accomplice like the two others had each other. Stand guard!" The three shakily went in formation, eyes drifting back to the massacre. Bleeding heavily from multiple wounds from his shoulder, Zabuza swayed from blood loss. His eyes were tinged with desperation as Kakashi went in for the kill.
And then she heard chirping.
Chidori.
Kakashi was warming up, having immobilized Zabuza.
"STOP!"
Sasuke whipped around, just in time to stop Tazuna from being taken hostage. But too late for her.
An elegant hand clenched around her, and a giant needle was being pressed against her collarbone. Kakashi's chidori fizzled out of existence. So did Zabuza, escaping through the trees with a frantic dash.
The genin and Kakashi surrounded Haku from all sides. He was trapped.
"Zabuza could have easily killed Kakashi, and you could have taken out the genin while they were distracted. What are you playing at? Why didn't you carry out Gato's order to the fullest and get the job done as soon as possible? Are you playing him or is he playing you?" She whispered.
The fist spasmed around her, and the shouts of outrage were deafening. Although exhausted, Kakashi fist was gripping the Kunai. His sharingan swirled. Haku knew he wouldn't be getting out of this alive with the three genin, much less Kakashi, and Zabuza wouldn't be able to save him in his condition. Haku would rather die than betray Zabuza.
She was the only thing keeping him alive, but Haku didn't care about his life.
With a scream, she burned Haku's hand with whatever chakra she had left, causing him to drop her in pain and surprise.
Kakashi jumped sideways for her, barely catching her before she hit the stone. The last thing she saw was his panicked expression, and a fleeing Haku.

...
...Voices hummed in the background. Some hysterical, all strained.
"Kakas-...-what wil..hh! Is there any-ohmy...Haruh-!" She fell back asleep to ignore the static.
Flashes of light made her eyes hurt and confused her. She closed them tighter.
Her back hurt and sensations like a thousand tiny bugs prickled all along her body. So she fell back asleep.
When she woke up for the fourth time, it was with a gasp and an abrupt jolt upwards. This wasn't her matchbox bed! And where was her warm cat curled up at the base of her bed and keeping her toes warm? She cracked her eyes open to a dim room.
It was barren and mostly empty, the only items being a picture on the wall and the pillow she was on. The sound of slow even breathing captured her attention-it sure wasn't her's. She painstakingly turned over to the other side and blinked at the sleeping figure of Naruto. And Sakura. And Sasuke. They were all sleeping on a spread out mat, obvious eye bags adorning their faces.
She looked down at herself. She had come on this trip with nothing but the clothes on her back and her glasses, so she wasn't surprised to see herself only in her boxers and a bra. She had been wrapped in a wash cloth, various parts of her body covered in bandages. Every bit of her ached and if she tilted her head just right, she could see a giant bruise and a gash from where the senbon had been pressed to her shoulder.
"You gave us all quite a scare." A relieved voice said.
She turned as quickly as she could, coming face to face with Kakashi. Inches away.
"I thought you stopped that."
"Maa, it's making a comeback."
His breath fanned over her in a sigh, and his eyes trailed up and down her body-checking her injuries. She did the same.
Kakashi was in better shape then he was in canon and her heart stilled as the thought crossed her mind. He wasn't wrapped in nearly as much bandages and was clearly walking on his own without the support of crutches. The way he cautiously moved dictated some soreness, but he wasn't bedridden.
"You're suffering from chakra exhaustion and a puncture wound." The previous emotion was erased, the blush gone.
"It's not like I wanted to."
He stared blankly before sighing again. He seemed to do that a lot. But their chatter had another sided effect.
"-WERE SO GL-GLAD YOU'RE ALRIGHT AND YOU WERE LIMP AND NO-NOT MOVING, AND AND REALLY PALE!" Naruto desperately tried to stifle sobs, biting his sleeve. She looked back up at Kakashi, whose face was covered by hair.
Sakura and Sasuke had shot up, eyes wide. Sakura immediately crawled over to Haruhi and with surprising confidence, started checking her over.
"I wasn't sure entirely what to do but I know cause I read it in the book, Haruhi-Sensei, that you need bed rest and can't do jutsu." Sakura blurted.
"What," She licked her lips." Made you a medic all of a sudden?"
Everyone looked on, wanting to know the answer. Sakura fidgeted, looking back and forth from her to Sasuke, who had his emo face on.
"I remembered how you said Naruto can't lose anymore brain cells and how we help our teammates, and well, I started thinking about how I could."
Oh. Okay then.
"She fixed me up too. "Kakashi said.
Naruto ran downstairs, blabbing something about getting food. Sakura ran after him, yelling about how he would poison Haruhi-sensei if he did. Sasuke twitched.
Kakashi smiled at her, touching her hand before getting up to leave her alone-with Sasuke. She stared at him, and he resolutely looked everywhere but her. They sat in a tense silence for a bit, Haruhi waiting for him to crack. He mumbled under his breath.
"What?"
"...Sorry." He ground out, teeth clenched.
!
The great Sasuke Uchiha, apologizing! For what?
"Um, what for?" A muscle jumped in his jaw.
"...For not protecting you. I let the missing-nin get you." Oh! He was talking about Haku grabbing her from Tazuna. Sasuke's hair was in his face and she couldn't see his expression.
"It's okay, really! That nin seemed to be at least chunin level." She laughed, relieved it wasn't something else. Sasuke untensed, looking almost hopefully at her before catching himself, grunting, and walking away with one last glance over his shoulder. And for all his drawbacks, Haruhi was reminded he was still a child.
Would he be after this mission?
Now left completely alone, she wondered just how long she had been asleep. The bandage over her shoulder had a bit of dried blood, so it only recently stopped bleeding. So maybe a day, two max.
Zabuza was injured worse this time around, and Haku's cover was blown, so they would probably take more time to recover. Team seven had the advantage. She didn't have to wait long, as Naruto and Sakura came back, with more food then she could possibly eat.
Fish,(yuck) fruit that was slighted wilted, and rice. She didn't want to eat up here, so she wrapped herself in the washcloth and asked Sakura to carry her down. Unable to resist, Sakura picked her up.
Kakashi, Sasuke, Tazuna, and Tazuna's daughter were there. She supposed Inari went to bed or something, which she was happy about as she remembered him being a whiny piss-baby.
She had to hide because of Tazuna's daughter.
007 style, she glided over the table when the daughter was washing dishes(much to the genin's and Tazuna's amusement) and crawled into Kakashi's pocket, the man with a perfect poker face. It was a struggle to get the washcloth in with her, she she just threw it on the table, a scandalized gasp leaving Sakura, and Naruto making kissy faces.
"Déjà vu, huh?" She said.
Sasuke choked on his rice.
"W-what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Kakashi eye smiled. At this angle, if she poked her head out she would be hidden. So she stuck it out and nibble on a rice piece the size of her finger. It was hella good. She noticed the side glances and well she new she wasn't something you see everyday. But this was different. It was as if all of them were sizing her up, rethinking her, and she wasn't sure she liked it.
Well slitting Zabuza Momochi's throat, even if it was a clone (and only because he didn’t know she was there), then escaping another Nin was something else.
But something had irrevocably changed with those actions.
What would happen now?

Chapter Text

Training.
For the genin at least. She was on strict bed rest. Which again, gave her a lot of time to think.
That she, Hamster Haruhi, defeated someone Kakashi originally couldn't.
She took out an S and B-ranked nin respectively. Abit on accident and by chance, because she had no idea she could do that until she did it. She was going to rub this in Kakashi's face up until she got back home.
The problem was he wasn't even here. As she said, he wasn't as injured as he was in canon, so he went along with the three genin to train and guard Tazuna. She wasn't worried about him sending anyone else, as Zabuza was about the best you could get. The point was, there was no reason for her to be cooped up here! And maybe she was lonely. Naruto had left a shadow clone to guard the house and well, Naruto by himself wasn't the most observant. Getting around one clone should be easy enough.
She steadily sat up, taking the washcloth with her. She wrapped herself in it and was gratified to find the beige cloth matched the woodwork. She padded down the hall before stopping in a dead halt.
How was she supposed to find them?
"Haruhi-Sensei! You need to go to sleep!" One of the clones shouted. She jumped and hid her wince, not knowing there was two. The clone was hovering, wanting to help but nervous to touch her.
"But Naruto, I need to get to Kakashi, he has something I need. Can you take me to them?" She asked kindly. The Naruto clone blushed, looking on in shock. Before slowly slipping his hands around the cloth.
Naruto had grown on her, but sometimes he was just too damn easy to manipulate.
He carried her awkwardly in both hands, not sure whether to keep her close of far away, and settled for the middle ground.
"He took us out to the forest. For training!" He blurted.
"Ah. Leave a clone here." He carried her over the muddy ground, and she was suddenly relieved he caught her.
"...That was really cool, but scary too." He mumbled, surprisingly quiet for once.
"With Zabuza?"
"Yeah..."
"I didn't mean to scare you guys, sorry."
"It's fine, but-" He cut himself off, giggling." -But none of us were as scared as Kakashi."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Yeah! He...was really upset, Haruhi-sensei! He almost left us behind, and after he caught you he refused to let you go until Sakura said she could help"
Well it was good to know Sakura was the one who changed her. But the guilty feeling was back.
"He did a weird thing, and made his chakra green. Sakura said it was his medical chakra. " He offered.
"Well, I'm glad everyone turned out okay."
"Yeah!"
Thunking sounds could be heard, and the pants as Sasuke and the real Naruto tried to catch their breaths. As the clone stepped into the clearing, the two paused in surprise.
"What are you doing here!?" They both shouted.
"Stop yelling at Haruhi-sensei! She needs to get to Kakashi-sensei!" The clone bellowed. She clapped her hands over her ears, washcloth slipping. After pointing the clone towards the right direction, the boys threw themselves into tree climbing, throwing looks at her to see if she was watching. She clapped and smiled, before telling the clone to head towards the bridge.
Is was misty and she felt a chill crawl up her spine. When she had woken up this morning, her entire torso was covered in bruises vaguely shaped like fingers. Maybe she should have stayed back there at Tazuna's house.
But she could see the sunlight through the thinning trees, and distant sounds of working people reached them. She lifted the washcloth over her head, making it seem like he was carrying just a cloth. They weaved their way through workers, machinery, and supplies.
Until-
"Naruto!" She heard Sakura hiss "What are you doing here with Haruhi?!"
"It doesn't matter. Sakura and Naruto stay here and guard Tazuna. I'll take her back." Looks like they found Kakashi.
While she couldn't see she felt herself being shifted and handed over. The stride lengthened and she knew they were out of range from other people when Kakashi spoke.
"Are you alright?" He asked, lifting the cloth over from her head. She clutched it to her chest so she would be covered and tried not to blush at his concern.
His pace had slowed considerably since the bridge, and he lifted her to eye level, eye zeroing in on her bruised leg that was sticking out.
"I'm fine. Just wanted to talk to you." Was it just her, or did he appear to be a bit nervous at that?
"Yes?" And then suddenly the cat got her tongue. She forgot what she wanted to say.
"W-well, I um, that Gato man won't just give up, will he? And are you better?" She stuttered. His expression turned serious, eye narrowed in thought. She blushed and averted her gaze onto the dirt path. His pace had slowed to a crawl until he had stopped completely.
"Gato and his men will be back. And we'll be ready for them." He then smirked. "Haruhi, I didn't know you cared." He crooned, laughing.
"Shut up, Shittake! I save your butt!" The laughter stopped abruptly, and he leveled her a considering look. Realizing what she said she tried to explain.
"I don't know how I did that, It's just that I was so scared, and just suddenly I could."
"Well, you are a summon, it makes sense you are able to control chakra like that." Under his breath he added "An A-ranked nin.."
"Yeah. But it's got me thinking, Kakashi. As soon as we get back to Konoha, we should go to the Hokage. I only won that because they weren't expecting me. It's dangerous! Get him to unsummon me. You're great but it's probably time I head back."
Kakashi had started moving again and his pace faltered. He sighed.
"You're right. But we won't be back in Konoha for a few more weeks at least. And during that time you will be training too."
Wait, what?
She was gonna be a ninja!?
Oh boy...
...
Turns out, no, she was not going to be a ninja. Kakashi had taken her back to Tazuna's home, and somehow without her knowledge, Tsunami found out about her existence. She was coddled by the woman-not that she minded, and was even given new clothes she had sewn. With her being so small, it wasn't too hard to come-by the materials, that is. Tsunami brushed off her stuttered thanks, saying it was a hobby of hers to make clothing.
She had also become, uh, acquainted, with Inari.
The brat was still sulking in his room. She remembered their first meeting, and maybe it could have gone better.
"I don't believe it and nothings gonna be good!"
"Who are you!"
"Ah, Inari, where've you been!"
"Welcome back grandpa!"
"Inari that was very rude! These ninja helped your grandpa and brought him here safely!"
The boy looked out from under his fisher's hat, with a cold dead glare. He turned to his mother.
"Mom don't you see these people are gonna die! Gato and his men will come back and find them and wipe them out!"
"WHAT'D YOU SAY BRAT!" Naruto screeched. "Listen up you know what a super ninja is? Well that's me only a lot better. I'm gonna be hokage! This gato or blato or whatever is no match for a real hero like me!"
"Huh. There's no such thing as a hero." He looked up so his face could be seen. A smirk was on it." You're just full of stupid ideas!"
“…”
"WHAT'D YOU SAY!" Naruto ran forward in a rage and Sakura held him back.
"Jesus Sasuke this kid could give you a run for your money. " She said out loud. Loudly.
“…”
"W-what was that?!" The kid-Inari said.
"It's me, your conscious. We don't talk much anymore."
Inari turned and ran.
'Inari where are you going?"
"To look out at the ocean, I wanna be alone!" A door could be heard loudly slamming shut.
...
Defiantly could have gone better. But after a bit more bed rest and Sakura's help, her bruises and the soreness had faded. Naruto and Sasuke would come into the room after Sakura left to get something and each would try to one-up the other.
"Well, I went higher on the tree! Just look at my markings, it's a half-inch higher than yours!"
"Dobe, you wish. Your kunai is just thick-like you."
She choked on her food, and Sasuke sent a smug smirk to Naruto. That was pretty good. Kakashi was done recuperating, back at full health. Currently he was sitting in the corner and reading his trusty porn.
She couldn't say the same for Zabuza and Haku though, they definitely had an edge over them.
Sakura came back and both boys sprung apart. Last night they had started throwing punches and Sakura had walloped both of them across the head before Kakashi could lift a finger. She then fretted over Haruhi.
Naruto whined but Sasuke looked a bit put out-having believed Sakura wouldn't hurt him. She later brought this up with Kakashi when he had sent all the kids away.
"Sakura seems to have changed since the bell test. She doesn't play favorites as much." Haruhi stated.
"Well, having another female to look, uh, up to helps a lot. " She kicked his hand, trying to hide the uncomfortable feeling welling up inside her. How else were they different because of her?
And then Sakura and Kakashi cleared her for movement. She was deemed able to exercise and move about, most of the bruises healing and the cut on her shoulder considerably better.
Kakashi giggled, before it turned into menacing laughter. "Shittake, was it?"
"Uh, I'm sorry?!" She squeaked.
As it was the most necessary for her to get her chakra under control, she would start with tree climbing. He had shown her the hands signs while she was still recovering, and she picked it up with some trouble. But putting a bucket of water under her every time she fell was maybe going a bit to far. He was just lucky she knew how to swim! And yeah, she knew it was because if she fell that far she would get hurt but still!
He giggled again as she plunked into the water.
"You look like a drowned rat!"
"Kinda like how you did when Zabubu or whatever donkey kicked you into the lake!"
He was silent and she was about to crow in victory. Until he turned the bucked upside down.
"GET ME OUT OF THIS MUD!"
"No." Kakashi said petulantly.
Not to worry-training wasn't usually like that. At the end of the week and after much mud she was able to climb the tree eye level with Kakashi and hold it for a solid minute. She also practiced landing with chakra.
Could she talk about that for a minute? Chakra, that is?
Well she figured out why she had been feeling so weird for the past week. And what that weird feeling was when they were attacked by the demon brothers. Chakra. Over the weeks it must have slowly assimilated into her body. Every time she called upon it, it was like a kick in the ass, like she was hooked up to an IV drip full of 5-hour energy.
When she awkwardly twisted her fingers into hand-signs, she felt tugs behind her gut.
But one of the kids was always there to cheer her on. She kissed Naruto's cheek one time when he said something particularly sweet, and Kakashi shooed him away and pouted.
Teasingly she asked if he wanted another one, only for him to disappear in a shower of leaves that completely covered her.
At first they were all hesitant about the whole training to take down missing nin thing.
"Why was I able to stop Zabuza? Because you've all helped me. You've grown." Kakashi said.
And then Haruhi helpfully pitched in with the small detail of her taking down a clone and the other nin all by herself.
Even if it was a fluke.
It still helped moral though.
But make no mistake- they were working harder than she had ever seen before. Both of the boys had mastered tree climbing, and Sakura had even make huge steps in water-walking. Kakashi was going over what he knew with them with Zabuza, and speculating about Haku.
It was, in fact when she had worriedly went with Sasuke to check on him after he hadn't come back to the house that she realized he was talking with Haku.
By this time she had nagged at Sasuke the entire morning to hurry up. And while she was in no hurry to go anywhere with Sasuke, she couldn’t help but worry about Naruto, the knucklehead. They were almost at the training clearing and still no sign of Haku along the path. Would Sasuke recognize him? Asking to slow down or turn back would look way too suspicious, especially since she was the one who wanted to get here as soon as possible.
Shit.
Sasuke walked silently, and she gripped the wide collar as he crouched into the bushes. Soft murmuring could be heard and she could just make out the bright orange of Naruto's jacket.
A piece of his hair-damn they should cut that-fell and partially blocked her vision.
She tossed it back over his head band and he leaned over a bit more.
“…”
"You can come out now."
!
She ducked back down behind Sasuke's neck, his hair and high collar hiding her. He stepped into the clearing.
"Behave!" She hissed as quietly as she could. She couldn't see much of anything from this angle, but she could hear.
"Sasuke! What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you, dobe. Whose this?" Sasuke said, barely masking his hostility.
"My name it Haku." Haku said in a voice that actually was very feminine. She could feel Sasuke sizing him up. Maybe he recognized the long hair?
"Yeah Sasuke! They're gathering herbs, their friend is sick!" She noticed the lack of gender pronouns.
"Why don't you sit with us?"
Sasuke sat down carefully and far away from the two. Naruto went back to talking like nothing happened. He told Haku about his dreams and motivations, and Sasuke perked up in interest.
"So are you doing it for this certain person? Or are you doing all this training for yourself?" Here they go. A cornerstone of the Naruto series about to be set.
"You see, when a person has something precious they want to protect, then they become genuinely strong."
There was a silence in the clearing, and she felt Sasuke become as still as stone. She wondered how Haku would affect him.
She heard rustling.
"Let's meet again sometime."
Silence. She could hear Naruto get up, but Sasuke surprisingly sat in place. He was frozen.
"Hey." She whispered, leaning back into sight. "It's something you can think about, but not now." He nodded slowly, lifting her out of his collar and getting up. It was a testament of the impact of Haku's words when Naruto didn't even argue he should be the one holding Haruhi.
"...It's like when Kakashi was freed from the prison and needed to protect us, he was able to take down Zabuza. Because he had something precious to protect." Sasuke spoke aloud.
"Yeah." Said Naruto.
"And it's like when you two had to protect me and Sakura. You two worked together and freed Kakashi. " Haruhi pointed out.
"Who was he?" Sasuke asked.
"You heard them. You'll probably find out."

Chapter Text

She felt like she deserved a break from all her training. So she hitched a ride with Sakura to the bridge to guard Tazuna. Kakashi didn't want her doing anything more until they got back to Konoha.

"Be careful." Kakashi fretted.

"I always am!" Sakura beamed. On the walk there Sakura chatted away and Haruhi half-heartedly payed attention. It wasn't that was she said wasn't interesting, it was just the heavy sun made her lethargic.

Kakashi had become super productive lately, checking up on Haruhi whenever possible. She didn’t know what to make of it.

Sakura sat on the end of the bridge and Haruhi was nearly lulled to sleep by the dinging of the hammers.

"I'm here because I finished before them!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Huh. You're joking!" Tazuna said.

Sakura growled.

"Taunza! Uh, I need to talk to you." A man said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Haruhi gave him the stink eye. How dare he interrupt her beauty sleep?

"Huh, what about?" Tazuna asked, butting down the steel bars.

"-I've pushed my luck far enough. I want out!" The man said.

Haruhi opened both of her eyes fully. What a coward. Didn’t he realize how important this bridge was? She sneered, closing one eye and keeping the opened one trained on the man who wanted to abandon the project.

"Now you're going to quit on me just like that! You're kidding!" Tazuna yelled, more upset than she had ever seen him.

"Gato and his thugs will show up eventually, and when they do, they will kill you and the bridge won't get built anyway. "He sighed, "It's a lost cause Tazuna, why don't we stop while we can still get out of this alive?"

Sakura was watching in rapt attention. From this angle Haruhi could see her mouth drop open a little bit.

"No chance." He said steely. "This is our bridge. Our island is poor and it will stay that way until this bridge connects us to the mainland! Commerce, trade, and Hope! That's what we're building here." Tazuna shouted.

"There's not going to be much hope if were all dead."

A beat of silence.

"It's already noon. Let's break for lunch." Tazuna walked past him without looking back.

"Tazuna! lets not end it like this!"

"Save your breath. And don't bother coming back after lunch." And with that he walked away.

They ran to catch up, and when Haruhi voiced her thoughts on the deserter, calling him a coward, Tazuna snapped at her.

“Try putting yourself in his shoes, will ya! I’m not exactly happen with him either, but I understand where he’s coming from!” Tazuna rasped, then took a swig of beer.

Haruhi sank down, a scowl and a blush coating her face.

Instead of chatting like she did before, Sakura was silent, with an out of character pensive look on her face. Haruhi tried grabbing her hand but couldn't reach. Haruhi thought of the events leading up to this.

They had gone to the bridge and left Naruto and Sasuke behind to train. It was pretty funny seeing the looks on the boys faces.

Naruto clenched his fist, glaring down the tree like it was Zabuza incarnate. Sasuke's gaze was lodged on Sakura in disbelief. The girl preened before her smile slipped when Sasuke didn't break face and continued to look on with point blank disbelief.

She lost her concentration and jumped down, smiling at Kakashi's words.

"Girl power!" Haruhi cheered, trying to lighten the atmosphere. It worked, as Sakura giggled and Naruto started one of his rants. Sasuke turned away, with no congratulations or acknowledgement besides an annoyed grunt.

Fuckin twerp.

But she saw how he clenched his fist, and the desperation to do better in the way he glared at the tree.

"Hey Sakura! Exactly how did you do that?" Haruhi asked as loudly as possible.

In a chatty mood, she launched into a detailed explanation, Sasuke's and Naruto's ears both tuned in.

Kakashi sent them to the bridge and Sakura tried to lift the mood by chatting and it worked! Until that worker put a wrecking ball through it.

They were walking down a dirt road, roof shingles falling off the houses, paint cracked and faded, water stains on the houses foundations. It was a far cry from Konoha. Or maybe it wasn't, cause the only places she went was with the genin on missions and Kakashi.

"Um, where are we going?" Sakura said over the guttural sounds of the motorboats.

"You wanna eat tonight don't ya? I gotta pick up some things for dinner." Haruhi nodded in understanding. She was glad she was so small now-she was easy to feed.

A man with sallow cheeks walked past with a sign she couldn't read. She assumed he was asking for food. People who stood on the side-streets had their heads bowed and refused to look anyone in the eye. Women held their malnourished children close. A prostitute was barely visible down one of the dark alleyways. Two young children sat defeated against the side of a falling apart building.

"Thief!" A voice cried out. A small boy ran in and out of the side streets. It rang strongly against the nearly silent buildings. And then she realized why she was so unnerved. She had never seen this many people, this silent.

"All these people...can't anyone help them?" Sakura asked looking around and taking in the slumped over forms.

"We are. Tazuna is." Haruhi replied.

"..."

They walked in silence for a bit more. Haruhi didn't like the eyes Sakura was getting. The people who did look up stared at her bag (the one she was in) greedily.

"Um, Sakura?" Haruhi tried calling. But she was way too lost in thought.

"Sak-AH!"

"What-HEY!"

With a roundhouse kick, Sakura knocked the man who grabbed her bag unconscious. People in the streets pointed and muttered as they hurried back to Tazuna.

"Huh. You really are a ninja. Girls around here don't fight like that." He sounded impressed despite himself.

Sakura said nothing, only nodding. They entered what could have been a grocery store. A man greeted them, but staring at the shriveled carrots only made her uncomfortable. Everything was meager. Tazuna was obviously one of the best customers as he got the royal treatment, the manager rolling out the red carpet. She guessed he had a lot of money stored away, because if he really was the only person to be able to build the bridge he must be really talented.

Sakura was silent walking back and Haruhi was getting worried about her.

A small hand reached up and tugged at Sakura's red dress-right by her butt.

" Hey buster -!"

A little boy with dirt on his face and hair spiked from grease smiled like a cherub. He cupped his hand.

"Please?" He giggled. His game was on point. He was using his cuteness to get food because he knew Sakura wasn't from around here. She didn't hold it against him-she did the exact same thing to Kakashi when she wanted something.

"...Hm, uhh...here." Sakura handed him some candies.

"Aw, thank you!" The kid looked at them like they were pure gold and ran away, clutching them to his chest. Sakura watched him go.

"Sakura, we should catch up to Tazuna. You can help them then." Haruhi called up softly.

They walked silently as they caught up with Tazuna.

"This is how it's been since Gato came here." Tazuna said, approaching from where Sakura was still turned. She wiped away tears.

"The children suffer and the adults are afraid to stand up to him. They've lost all hope, and that's why we have to finish the bridge. It will bring commerce and trade, but much more importantly, that bridge is a symbol of courage. We must restore the spirit of out people. When the bridge is finished...the people will start to believe again."

He clenched his fist.

"They will believe they can live with dignity. We can't let Gato stop us!"

Wow. Tazuna may not have been a ninja, but he was a man on a mission.

Sakura bowed her head. The walk back was quiet.

Tsunami was an excellent cook. A testimony to her skills was her turning what they brought back into a warm filling meal. Even though Tazuna could buy the best here, the best wasn't much. She still missed Kakashi's cooking though. Could go for some of that stir pot he always makes.

"It's been ages since we had so many guests around our table." Tsunami said.

Sasuke and Naruto were absolutely ravenous. It was like they had never eaten before.

"I want some more!" They both shouted in sync. They glared at each other across their chopsticks and bowls, breaking eye contact to only throw up.

Sakura didn't get up to yell at them which left it up to Haruhi. She decided to take a different route.

"Naruto! Sasuke!"

They looked up, wiping their mouths.

Haruhi was filled with white hot rage as she stared the two of them down. She remembered the little boy with ribs showing through his rag of a shirt and clenched her fists so hard red crescent moons appeared on her palm.

"You know how it is here! There are people and children starving on the streets, and less than enough food to go around and you two decide to engage in an eating contest and throw it up!? Do you two think this is a joke? Apologize to Tsunami for wasting her well cooked food and then to Tazuna for wrecking his house."

She exhaled sharply, turning away from them.

"Naruto, I expected better from you." He flinched. Turning to Kakashi, she said;

"I think the two boys should accompany Tazuna to the village next time he goes food shopping."

Kakashi put his bowl down.

"That sounds like a lovely idea." He agreed.

Everyone was kinda shocked into silence from her outburst. Haruhi was normally calm and not easily angered. But she had seen a lot today, stuff she only saw on the news  was suddenly shoved in her face.

"...Hm, for such a little thing, you got a pair of lungs on ya." Tazuna resumed eating and the tension was broken.

They continued eating and everyone was just finishing up when Sakura walked up to one of the pictures on the wall.

Here we go.

"Excuse me, this picture is torn is there some reason for that?" She asked. "Inari you kept glancing at it all through dinner, it looks like there was someone else in the picture but they got torn out. I mean that's kinda strange isn't it?"

Jesus Sakura, amazing deductive skills but show some tact at least. She noticed Naruto's hand twitch. All activity halted.

"It's my husband." Tsunami said quietly.

"They used to call him a hero in this land." Tazuna spoke in a low and gravelly voice.

Inari pushed back his chair and started to leave.

"Inari where are you going?" Tsunami asked. Uh oh, family drama no thanks. She went after him but not before turning back to yell.

"Father, you can't talk about him in front of Inari, you know that!" She slammed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know, Inari..." Sakura stuttered.

"Is there a story behind this?" Kakashi asked.

"He wasn't his real father, he came into our family later. And he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close." Naruto gasped in realization.

"In those days, Inari used to laugh all the time. But then-!"

"Hm?" Kakashi said.

A tear dropped onto the table.

"All that ended. He never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since the day everything changed."

Tazuna launched into a retelling of what happened to the village that had her fighting back tears along with Naruto and Sakura. And Tazuna. Seeing the the border-line hardass crying was a shock to the senses.

Is it weird this man reminded her of Naruto?

Then he got to the part where the man was put in front of the village. This bitch Gato was going down.

Naruto must have felt the same way, as he stepped up-only to fall back down, weak from training.

"I'm gonna prove it." He growled.

"Hm?"

"I'll-'I'll prove that it's true! That in this world, there are real heroes!" Naruto stood on his shaking legs, fists clenched.

"You do it." Haruhi hiccoughed. Kakashi glanced worriedly at her.

Another door slammed as Sakura ran out of the room, bawling.

"What's up with her?" Sasuke muttered.

"Shut up! You started it with her anyway!" Haruhi snapped, making Naruto open the door for her so she could go after Sakura.

"What, me?-" Was cut off. The hallway was long and empty, the dark bulbs providing no light. She was glad they had no pets. Faintly she heard muffled noises from one of the guest rooms. Slipping under the door crack she entered what appeared to be a darkened room-with Sakura's back against the corner and crying.

She was trying to muffle her sobs with little success and Haruhi stopped dead in her tracks.

"O-oh, Haruhi sensei. I-I'm sorry, it's-it's just that it's b-been-"

"-A rough day." Haruhi finished softly. Haruhi normally couldn’t deal very well with tears, but she had been there right along with Sakura, and knew how she felt.

Sakura sniffled, nodding.

"...Do you want to talk about it?" Haruhi sat in the patch of moonlight from the window. And waited.

Sakura sniffled.

"I me-mean, this morning at training, when we climbed the tree I-I was so proud because for once, I did something better than the boys that wasn't book stuff. An-and I looked at Sasuke because I t-thought he would be so proud, but he ju-just lo-looked at me in disbelief! Like he thought I was incapable and I thought he would be impressed!"

Sakura wiped at her face and Haruhi ran to the tissue box and dragged it over.

"'Danks." Sakura blew her nose.

"And t-then at the bridge, Tazuna didn't believe I could do it better and I know he was impressed later when I kicked that guy away, but I still can't stop thinking about that. And then we went into town, and oh ! Those poor people and I felt so bad for being upset over everything else! A-and then I almost let you get kidnapped! Twice!"

"I don't hold that against you." Haruhi said quickly. Neither times had been her fault. But Sakura powered on.

"I never felt so helpless seeing all those people hurting.”

“You’re not helpless, Sakura. You helped me heal faster, remember?" Haruhi said.

"Y-yeah." Sakura picked on her dress. "But then there was the story Tazuna told us and I just felt terrible."

"Same here." Haruhi winced, thinking about what she said to Inari. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so quick to jump the gun...

Her sniffles cleared up and Haruhi saw an opportunity for a life lesson. Might as well deliver as much as she can before she leaves.

"Sakura, you are a girl who feels very deeply and has a lot of compassion. You genuinely want to help people, and that's not a bad thing at all. The ability to show love and care for others is a sign of strength."

Sakura looked up, pink rimming her green eyes.

"Just think of today and all the people you helped! You explained perfectly how to tree climb, and Sasuke and Naruto both had it down by dinner! And that little boy-did you see his face? To him, you gave him gold. I wouldn't be surprised if he carried those wrappers around with him!"

Sakura giggled reluctantly, hiccoughing halfway through.

"And Sasuke never thought you couldn't do it, but logically it makes sense! When you have less Cat-ra or whatever, it must be easier to control!"

"Chakra." She mumbled, a small smiled on her face.

"Yep. But Sasuke wasn't unimpressed. In fact, Sakura, I'll let you in on a secret." Sakura went wide eyed and leaned in closer, hair forming a curtain around them. Haruhi stood on her tippy-toes and cupped her hands.

"He was jealous of you!"

Sakura gasped, hand curling to her chest happily before she frowned like Haruhi had just taken the gods name in vain.

"But I don't want Sasuke-kun to be jealous of me! I want him to like me! Haruhi-Sensei, can you help me?"

Haruhi popped out her hip, crossing her arms and stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"Sakura, what does Sasuke want, or like?"

"Huh? W-well he likes...kunai?" Sakura winced, knowing how that sounded. Haruhi’s eyebrows twitched. She had some work to do.

"Sasuke likes power, and skill. And people who give him breathing room. You showed power when you K.O'ed that would-be thief, and skill when you got to the top of the tree. And you haven't really fangirled since the Bell-test! I'd say you're already on track!"

"Really?" She said hopefully.

"Really really." Haruhi nodded sagely. Sakura smiled for the first time since this morning, before it faded.

"Can I tell you something, Haruhi? And you won't make fun of me for it?"

"Go for it, kiddo."

"Well, um, The reason I joined the academy and became a ninja was because I wanted to be better, to be stronger, and make my parents proud. And I want to be a great ninja for them and for him. But...more than anything, I want to help him. When we were really young, I remembered h-he used to always l-laugh and smile. But he doesn't anymore." She finished quietly. "Like Inari..."

Oh shit. Oh shit.

"A-and I want to help him, to help him stop hurting, and my mother always said, hugs and telling someone you care is how to, but it never worked! But then you came, and I could see Sasuke look up to you. And you got him to laugh a few times. Something I've been trying to do since the academy!...So I tried to be like you..." She poked her fingers together.

Haruhi nodded, telling her to go on.

"I was worried you'd think I was like all those other fangirls...so I tried to be different and like you. I'm not sure if you noticed it Haruhi-sensei, but you got Kakashi-sensei wrapped around your little finger! And under you, Sasuke and Naruto behave and act good and I'm, I-!"

Sakura hunched over in exhaustion.

"..."

"...Sakura, you are an amazing person, with boundless compassion and you always want to help others. Changing to help Sasuke because you care for him and want to help is sweet and touching."

Sakura nodded, telling her to go one and nervously biting her lip.

Haruhi paused.

"...But you should never change yourself for someone who doesn't appreciate it. If you think it's worth it-then it is! But you must always help yourself before helping others. Because how can you help others when you can't even help yourself? You should improve for yourself , is what I'm saying, Sakura."

Sakura's jaw dropped, eyes popping open as she processed the words.

"It-...-it is worth it to me." She mumbled, more to herself than Haruhi.

"Then do it."

Sakura looked up gratefully.

"Thank you!" She snatched Haruhi up and squished her to her cheek. Which was still damp. "You're the best!"

Haruhi giggled as Sakura squished her to her cheek and groaned as she felt her shirt get wet. She pushed back. She needed to say more-she wasn’t done yet. She needed to put Sakura’s actions in terms Sakura herself could understand.

“Sakura,” She dropped her voice into a low whisper, making sure Sakura was listening, “This is what you want, and that's great in all, but if Sasuke doesn't want a romantic relationship- which he has already made clear he doesn't- then don’t push it.”

Taken aback by Haruhi's sudden turn, Sakura could only stutter.

She continued in a whisper.

“Sasuke doesn't need someone who clings to him, and smothers him 24/7. He needs friends, people he can count on to have his back and help him. People who won't put him on a pedestal, or worship him. You need to treat him like a person, Sakura, not a prize to be won between you and Ino, or a trophy. Sasuke has put up barriers between the two of you because you make him uncomfortable!” Haruhi whispered-shouted.

“W-what! No…” Sakura looked to be on the verge of tears again, and Haruhi quickly continued before she could start sobbing.

“Sakura, how did you feel when Naruto would follow you around all day, clinging to you and saying how much he loved you?”

Sakura’s tears quickly subsided at the sudden question, replaced with angrily furrowed brows.

“I felt so annoyed! Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? You’d think he’d take a hint!” She scoffed.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

“So, to clarify, you felt irritated by his constant advances, and uncomfortable, especially since he couldn’t take no for an answer. You felt almost like you were being attacked, hounded with affection you didn’t want. Is that correct?”

Sakura gasped excitedly.

“Yes, that’s exactly it!”

Haruhi licked her lips.

“Did you ever consider that, maybe Sasuke feels the same way? That you are doing the same thing to Sasuke that Naruto did to you?”

Sakura was struck dumb. Her mouth opened and closed in complete shock. She blinked rapidly, brain turning over what Haruhi just said.

Haruhi’s eyes softened in sympathy.

Choked noised emerged from Sakura and she stuttered out a short sentence.

“I-I didn’t mean too!”

“Of course you didn’t mean too, Sakura! But you did! You and the others! Imagine how Sasuke felt with all that attention, especially after...after he lost so much. He needed a friend, not a wife.” Haruhi whispered.

Sakura was silent.

“You may not have intended for this to happen, for him to feel this way, but you made him feel uncomfortable, like he couldn’t be safe or secure around you. That is the result of your actions, and you need to own up to that.” Haruhi said seriously.

Sakura nodded slowly, the reality of the situation sinking in.

“...What do I do now? How can I make this better, Haruhi-sensei?” The guilt and self-hatred in Sakura’s eyes made Haruhi wince.

“If I’m to be honest, Sakura, there is only so much you can do,” Haruhi whispered. “You certainly haven’t helped, but bad things have happened to Sasuke that were outside of your control. He has issues of his own to work through, like his tendency to isolate himself. And there are other people-not just fangirls-who put so much pressure on him. You can’t do anything about that.”

Sakura ran her tongue along her teeth, then bit her lip.

“So, nothing at all? Sakura whispered

“No.”

Sakura looked up, startled.

“No, there is something you can do.”

“What?”

“For starters, you can try being his friend first. While your admiration is understandable and, well, admirable, it makes him uncomfortable. The best romantic relationships start off as friendships. In order to have a healthy friendship with him, you need to respect his personal space. You need to respect him as a person dealing with real trauma.”

Sakura nodded, then her face screwed up.

“Can I still compliment him?” She asked.

It was Haruhi’s turn to be rendered speechless. When had she ever, said to give Sasuke the cold shoulder? Thinking back on their conversation, realization dawned on her.

While she had never said that, what she did say, about giving him his space and not worshipping him, could be taken that way.

“Of course you can! Just phrase it in a way that would sound like a normal complement, like one you’d give to a classmate.” Haruhi corrected herself.

Sakura breathed out a relieved sigh, and Haruhi was again reminded of just how young she was.

“Sakura, I have another question for you.”

“What?”

“You and Naruto are friends now, how did that happen? I want you really think about it.”

Sakura shifted, sitting on her butt now. Her hand went up to rest on her lower lip and her eyes narrowed in thought.

“Well,” Skura began, “Naruto stopped following me. Stopped bombarding me with question and asking to go out with him. He gave me distance, and the space I needed to grow closer to him.” Sakura answered.

Haruhi let a warm smile crossed her face.

“Good girl. That's what you need to do, too.” She said. Sakura grinned, eyes sparkling with determination.

“And remember, It’s not just you. Sasuke may take awhile to completely warm up to you, and even if you become real friends and not just teammates, he still might not want a romantic relationship with you. And that’s okay! It may feel like the end of the world, but it won’t be. Trust me.”

Sakura frowned at that, but again, slowly nodded.

They sat in silence for a bit, thinking about what was just said.

Sakura’s face had blanked out, the stress of the past few days finally getting to her.

“Haruhi-sensei?” Sakura asked.

“Yes?”

A smile slowly spread across her face before she picked Haruhi up and gave her a pseudo-hug.

“Thank you!”

"Uh, you're welcome..." She pushed against Sakura's cheek. " It's about time to go to bed, though."

Sakura giggled.

"Ya know, you give really good advice for someone who doesn't like anything but stir-fry."

"This is true."

Sakura put her down, both of them saying their good-nights. She walked towards the door-sliding under. She took one last look at the door before turning around and gasping in surprise.

Sasuke was leaning against the door.

At her gasp he looked down like a deer in the headlights but before he could run, Haruhi latched onto his shorts and jumped onto his shoulder.

"And what do you think you're doing?" She hissed.

"U-uh." He backed away from the door.

"How much did you hear?" Sasuke flushed in embarrassment

"Nothing much." He muttered.

"Well, don't let Sakura know you overheard. Goodnight." Haruhi said curtly. She jumped down and started walking away. It was probably her fault he got curious, anyway. She had yelled at him twice before she left. She walked down the dark hall, turning the corner and leaving Sasuke by himself.

"..."

"...Goodnight." Sasuke whispered back.

Haruhi was fuming.

Her pace was quick and agitated as she made her way towards the guest room. A finger reached up and started twirling strands of the curly hair around her finger. Guilt gnawed at her as she thought about her recent behavior.

She had been behaving like a child.

While the stress of her situation was understandable, her judgemental attitude of these people was not. Writing off Sakura as just an airhead, criticising that man on the bridge, he just her attitude towards Sasuke alone was abhorred. It wasn’t their fault she was stuck here.

She fumed at herself, punching her arm.

How could she apologize?

The thought of going back there and saying sorry was daunting, and she wasn’t sure she could do it, or stand to see the condescing look on his face if she did.

Haruhi headed to her room. She could apologize later, but right now, she wanted sleep.

Lord knows she needed it.

Chapter Text

As she said before, both Zabuza and Haku were injured in the fight with Kakashi.

One of Zabuza's shoulders looked like it was only hanging on by the bone, and the other arm wasn't much better.

For some reason, Haku took longer coming to Zabuza’s rescue than before. Plus the fact Haku sustained heavy burns on his hand where Haruhi expelled almost all her Chakra. This probably bought them an extra week or so. Seeing Haku in the woods leave almost as soon as Sasuke arrived, burnt hand in his basket, was a confirmation if any.

Right now it was night time again. Tazuna was on fire and they had just escorted him home well past eleven at night. He saw an opportunity to get as much done as possible, and took it. The workers at the bridge, having not been directly attacked yet, picked up in the fervor, and they made amazing progress. But it left everyone bone-tired afterwards. She had gotten tired just watching them.

The Genin had made leaps in their training and she was fortunate enough to arrive with Kakashi to see Sasuke thanking Sakura for her help. The girl had looked like she would jump him, before taking a deep breath and composing herself. And speaking of Kakashi... She hadn't really talked to him since before the mission.

All the kids were asleep, as it was Kakashi's turn to keep watch, and while her eyes were drooping and she stumbled over her feet, she knew now was her chance. Her feet padded on the wooden floor as she searched for Kakashi. She turned around a corner and through the windows she could make out the moonlight streaming onto the porch. She heard a sliding noise, only to see a hand pushing the back door open a crack-just enough for her to slip through.

She squeezed through under the hand, and appeared in Kakashi's shadow, the man himself still staring at the moon.

"Hey." She called up.

"Yo." He replied.

She fidgeted, not sure what to do. It was just like last time-she came here to say something, and then her tongue was in knots!

"So, how you doing?" He asked.

"Fine! Fine." "..."

"...Actually, no. I'm not." Haruhi confessed.

The change was immediate. She had had his full attention before, but his posture changed. He turned and reached out to her. He sure was something else from this angle.

"Are your injuries bothering you? Did something happen-" He began in a hurried voice.

"No! That's fine, I'm just... worried." She rubbed her arms.

The night was chilly and so was the porch. His hand twitched towards her, before he laced them at his sides.

"It's pretty chilly, are you gonna be alright?" He asked.

"Yeah." "...What's wrong then?"

"I'm just worried. Zabuza and the other nin will be ready for us soon. "

"Well, we will be ready for them too." His eye darkened.

"I will be." He must have been pretty shaken up when he got caught in the water prison.

"Yeah, Zabuza won't get you this time. Not when the genin know what they're getting into." He scratched his cheek and laughed nervously.

"He sure got me..." He forced an upbeat tone.

"But you got him! You kicked his butt and he couldn't do nothing but run away. I was impressed!" Kakashi’s visible eye widened in shock.

"Really? You thought that was cool?" Disbelief coated his voice. "Sure did! Cool as a cucumber!" He laughed again, more genuine this time. She yawned, before it was cut off with a ferocious shudder.

"Here-let me." Hands slipped around her slowly and she sighed at the warmth, Kakashi had taken his gloves off. He lifted her feet from the porch, shifting so they were both turned towards the moon. She felt herself being placed on his thigh and his fingers shifted, allowing her to look at the night sky. She blinked eyes adjusting to the moonlight and almost missed Kakashi's intake of breath.

"You okay?" She murmured, strands of silvery hair getting in her face. He cleared his throat.

"Y-yeah." His thigh was warm under her, and she sighed happily, legs spreading out against her will. His fingers were still somewhat cupped around her and she looked up for an explanation.

"To break the wind. Don't want you shivering." He said...embarrassed? She nodded in understanding.

"Is there something you want to say to me, Kakashi?" She whispered, not wanting to disturb the Man in the Moon.

"Haruhi...you were taken hostage and hurt, because I got captured. Zabuza's accomplice should never have had the opportunity." The fingers turned and dug into his thigh. She had never actually thought about it like that.

"That's not your fault, nobody knew he had an accomplice. And it's like you said- we'll be ready for when they show up! We'll be ready then."

"Doesn't stop you from having nightmares now." He muttered angrily at himself.

"..."

What did he say?

"S-sorry, I didn't know I was bothering anyone. Did I talk, um, in my sleep?"

"No, you didn't. You didn't make any noise."

"Then how did you know?" He checked up on her when she slept? The was...oddly sweet, but kinda creepy.

"Haruhi, even with Chakra, you are still vulnerable. My mission is to protect you. To sum it up, my mission is you. And I've done a pretty bad job so far." He sighed.

"I guess...well, I just wanted to apologize. Sorry." She blinked the sleep from her eyes angrily, standing up.

"Kakashi, I never knew you were stupid! You got nothing to apologize for! If anything, I should be the one saying sorry!" She exclaimed.

"What?" He said surprised.

"Well, I've imposed on you, and invaded your home, and made you take care of me. Hell, Lord Third practically shoved me on you!"

"Well, I think you're exaggerating." At her annoyed crossed-arm stare, he elaborated.

"No offense, but you're not exactly hard to take care of. In fact, you pretty much take care of yourself. You're more of a help than an hindrance-Sakura's progress is amazing."

"Plus," He added "I don't mind. I was weary at first, but it's not bad at all having you in my house." A pause.

"How about we just both call ourselves stupid."

"Okay."

"..."

"...I don't think you're stupid." He mumbled. Haruhi tossed her head back and laughed.

"Quiet you!" She punched his leg.

Things descended into a light hearted quiet silence-the kind where you just enjoy each others company. They could almost hear the waves from the harbor hear. The wind was now just a light breeze, shaking some of the branches closer to the house. It was quite a change in perspective when the sun went down.

"Ya know," He chuckled " People don't call me stupid often, in fact, they say I’m pretty smar-Haruhi?" She had laid back down on his thigh, resting on her side, curled up into a ball and pressing herself closer for warmth. Hair blanketed her shoulders and face, lips parted slightly to let air through. His eye softened, curling with a smile.

"Goodnight, Haruhi." Kakashi paused, as if debating something with himself, before shaking his head and leaning down, pressing a kiss to her side.

Chapter Text

The air seemed to crackle with tension the longer time went on.

Kakashi was teaching them water specific jutsu's-so even if they couldn't do them they still knew about them.

Sakura took to them like a fish to water. With her control and what not.

It was only a matter of days now. People at the bridge jumped with every clang of the hammers and Kakashi had stopped taking her everywhere. She was basically on house arrest. She suggested for Naruto to leave two clones at all times, and that helped lesson his anxiety.

It was the day when all of them except her, Tsunami, and Inari headed out she knew it was round two.

Inari had been unusually passive since Kakashi had pulled him aside for a little chat and was in his room. The two Naruto clones were by the front door and the same boy was training while the other three guarded the bridge.

"Tsunami?"

"Yes Haruhi?"

"Can you...lock the front doors? No reason in general, they can knock when they get back."
S
he stopped sewing. She slowly got up and turned the lock. It was a false sense of security for sure, but whatever could help. Would the men come to kidnap her like in the show? Would the heads up she gave the two clones help?
Tsunami sat back down and all was quiet.

"-Hey! Who're you!" A clone shouted. Her heart hammered in her ears. They exchanged startled glances, before bolting to the windows. Or trying to on Haruhi's part. Shouts were heard as the Naruto clones fought with the goons outside. Snatching Haruhi up, Tsunami grabbed a kitchen knife and kicked a couch in front of the door. She ran to Inari's room.

Crack.

"Come out, we know you're here!" A rough voice shouted.

Haruhi spotted the kid hiding under his bed. Frantically pointing, she put the knife in between her teeth and grabbed her son. Crashes were heard as the dishes were knocked over. They took off down the hall.
Inari grabbed the knife from his mother's mouth and jumped from her arms.

"Inari!" They both shouted. She didn't love the kid but that didn't mean she wanted him to die! He ran down the hall straight towards the chuckling hulking men. Haruhi jumped down as Tsunami ran after her son. What could she do? Against two giant hostiles-that was besides the point! She need to focus!

She kept to the sides and gasped in horror. One of the thugs had Inari by the throat.

"Listen lady. You're Tazuna's daughter right? Well if you don't want this boy dying you better come here."
Haruhi ran unnoticed outside what might have once been a door frame but was now just a hole in the wall. She knew Naruto and Kakashi set up traps around the house, in fact, she was there watching him.

She scanned the treeline.

There! She climbed the tree with difficulty, sweat trickling down her brow as she used chakra, and shimmied onto the branch. She took one of the shuriken from another trap and aimed it at the rope holding back a barrage of kunai. She looked inside. Tsunami was holding a knife to her throat.

“Get your hands off my son or I’ll-”

Not at all encouraged, Haruhi aimed the kunai at the thugs back and fired.

"ARGH!" He dropped Inari as kunai buried themselves into his shoulder. Blood sprouted like a fountain and Inari, who instead of running like his mother was shouting to, grabbed the knife he dropped and stabbed the man's foot.

"ARGHHH!"

His partner was whipping his head around not know who to go for first. Let her clear that up.

"We are Ninja, from the village hidden in the leaves! And if you do not back off right now, we'll launch a barrage of kunai instead of one!

Her bellowing had provided a distraction, Tsunami grabbing her son and running to the back of the house. Haruhi readied the other kunai-this time attaching them all. They were scanning the treeline, looking for multiple full sized nin instead of one Thumbelina. She fired.

They screamed again but were able to block most of the kunai. She jump down into the thick foliage, bringing the small shuriken with her.

"Hey! I don't see any ninja! They were bluffing!"

Uh oh.

Faster than Haruhi could move to the next trap, the two dashed after the mother and son. Shit! Their wounds would slow them down but not enough!

"Hey Haruhi-sensei!"

She was scooped up.

"Need a hand?" Naruto grinned, covered in dirt from training. He must have come as soon as his clones popped.

"No." Her voice wavered. "But a hero would be nice."

Naruto grinned putting her in his pocket before taking off at inhumane speeds after them. Her eyes watered but she clenched her jaw. Naruto followed the bloody footprints and they arrived to see Inari with his mother behind him and the two thugs closing in fast.

He made shadow clones and opened his mouth.

WHAM.

"..."

"Yo-you k-knocked him out..." The man with the injured foot gasped. Indeed, Tsunami had grabbed a frying pan and knocked out one of the thugs in one fell swoop. A glare of maternal protectiveness sat on her face, and it was leveled in thug number two.

Naruto, in a series of jumps, knocked him out from behind.

Tsunami sobbed her thanks, clutching her son close to her. Inari didn't push away, but was staring at Naruto in awe before snapping out of it.

"Mother, I have to go!"

"No!"

"Mother, I need to get the other villagers, and stand up to Gato! Naruto did it and so did Haruhi! And shes small!"

Tsunami shook.

"Please...not you to." She moaned. Inari stiffened.

"Ma'am, Inari is right! Gather as many villagers as possible and go to the edge of the bridge!" Naruto said.

Haruhi stood on Naruto's shoulder. This needed to be heard from one woman to another.

"Tsunami, look at what you just did. You saved your son and knocked out a dangerous criminal-with a frying pan. Look what you were able to do even without us!"

Tsunami looked up, realization dawning on her features.

"Now fight for your village like you fight for your son, and you'll be amazed at what you can do!" Haruhi shouted. Naruto nodded his agreement. Tsunami looked up, and a spark was in her eyes. She nodded, her son grabbing her hand and they ran towards the village.

Naruto grabbed her and darted towards the bridge. Jumping on trees she had to steady her glasses with one hand. She saw the bodies splayed out on the bridge, but the rises and falls of their chest reassured her they were still alive.

But then the mist cleared and everything was all wrong.

Kakashi was facing off against a badly wounded Zabuza's who shoulder still wasn't fully healed. A giant pack of dogs growled like thunder. Haku was on the ground behind him, mask broken and coughing up blood. The entire side of his body was burned with what looked like the fireball jutsu this time instead of one hand. He lay defeated on his side.

Sasuke eyes were swirling, blood red. He was shaking and senbon lined his body. Shards of broken mirrors lined the bridge. He stood guard in front of Tazuna who was leaning down-over the broken and bloody body of Sakura.

Chapter Text

Naruto's entrance caused everyone to turn towards him.

Kakashi's eyes were cold steel and she wanted to run to him.

Zabuza took the opportunity to make water clones, jumping back behind a broken Haku, who had a cauterized hole burned through his side from Chidori.

Without blinking Kakashi destroyed every single one.

"Naruto! What are you doing here!?" Naruto didn't, or rather couldn't answer, staring in disbelief at Sakura. Tazuna had lifted her so she was partially resting in his arms, a look of guilt splashed across his face along with spots of blood. Sasuke kept his eyes on Zabuza, shaking, never looking away.

Haruhi jumped town, tunnel vision aimed right towards Sakura. Zabuza's cornered eyes followed her small form and Kakashi stiffened, before jumping in his line of sight eyes leveling Zabuza with a fierce glare. Haku trembled trying to pick himself up.

"I've failed you..." Haku whispered, mouth twisting with the harsh burns on his once beautiful face.

Haruhi didn't notice any of that. She ran to Sakura's side and balked at how pale she was. In an action that sparked memories, Haruhi laid her hands on Sakura's cheeks. But unlike last time, where Sakura stirred, this time her eyes didn't flutter open. A long gash was on her back, and senbon were stuck in various parts of her body. Haruhi couldn't tell if she was breathing.

"She jumped in front of me. My back was turned and she took the blow." Sasuke said, voice light with disbelief.

She paused from her search to find a pulse. Naruto had come over and stood limply next to Sasuke, eyes wide. All the energy he had jumped into battle with drained from him like the color from Sakura’s face.

"It's not your fault. Naruto, stand guard with Sasuke and wait for Kakashi's signal." She searched for a pulse, forcing calm into her every movement as not to scare the boys further. She heard Kakashi clash with Zabuza and dogs snarling. Tazuna spoke but it was almost like he was under water.

The deep wounds on Sakura's back clearly indicated a sword had cut her. Blood was splattered around the bridge and congealed on the icy stone. She couldn't find a pulse. But Haku couldn't have killed her, maybe he did that trick? But her heart stuttered as she realized there were no needles in her neck like there was in Zabuza's.

"Haruhi-sensei?" Naruto asked, in a voice way to small to be his. Her world tilted. This couldn't be happening. She needed to distract them. Haku had gotten up and summoned enough strength to cast an ice jutsu that make a wall between them and Kakashi. "Sasuke, go help Kakashi. There's nothing you can do here. Naruto, make some clones and go help too." The boy was effected even more than Naruto, visibly upset. But not visibly injured. Naruto smashed through the ice barriers with his shadow clones, surrounding Haku and Zabuza. Haku made more ice shields and for a few long minutes, was trapped with Naruto. But she didn't notice any of that.

Sakura wasn't in a death trance and Haruhi couldn't find a pulse. She was sitting right on her chest and there was no movement.

"She was a brave girl..." Tazuna said thickly.

"Is!" Haruhi snapped. Because there was no way Sakura was dead. A ringing in ears that sounded vaguely like a pack of barking dogs was all she could hear.

"...But then you came, and I could see Sasuke look up to you. And you got him to laugh a few times. Something I've been trying to do since the academy!...So I tried to be like you..." Not possible.

Sakura had her whole life ahead of her, and she would become so so much more than Haruhi. Haruhi started rocking back and forth. Her hand snaked up and twisted so hard and fast she pulled strands of hair out from the roots.

-"What do I do, Haruhi-sensei? How do I make this better?"

“It...It is worth it to me.”

"I'm glad it was." Haruhi choked out. She got up from Sakura's chest.

"Huh? Haruhi-sensei, What are you saying!?" A Naruto clone asked.

"Eyes on the battle!" She snapped throatily. Sasuke had launched another fireball at Haku who didn't move. Zabuza blocked it in the nick of time but Sasuke was attacking with a rage she had never seen before. They would die soon and then Gato would come. Kakashi was injured, left arm useless. Sasuke was using up all of his energy and there was no guarantee Naruto would be able to bail them out.

They would never know the truth. Kakashi was bleeding heavily and they would be overrun by the bandits without Zabuza.

"Tazuna watch Sakura's body."

"Wha-!" Haruhi ran. She ducked around Naruto's feet, ignoring Naruto's shout of protest. She pumped chakra to her legs and slid across the wet bridge. Sasuke had Haku on his knees and Zabuza was being held in place by various dogs. Sasuke leveled his kunai and Kakashi raised his arm-

"STOP!" "..." Suddenly all eyes were on her. She felt so small with Kakashi's gaze boring into her, but she knew he was almost out of chakra and she didn't want Sasuke's first kill to be like this. She needed to stall for time, distract everybody until Gato arrived. She swallowed past the huge lump in her throat and wiped her palms on her pants.

This was so wrong. Children killing each other.

"Is this worth it?" She directed her gaze past Kakashi and straight to Zabuza. Sakura’s pale face flash across her mind.

"Why would you work for Gato? You know how he is. You know what he’s like. Now you are heavily injured, likely to die. Was it worth it? Gato doesn't care about you, you know he’s just using you! Stop right now and while you won’t get paid, you’ll escape with your lives. If you don't..." Haruhi stopped, swallowing hard.

The stunned silence on the bridge, was, surprisingly broken by laughter.

"My my, you are a sharp one." Haku commented, fingering an ice shard with a charred hand.

"We are tools. We are meant to be used." Zabuza rasped. Kakashi wasn't having it. He signaled his dogs and held his kunai at Zabuza's throat, eyes sharp as a blade. Sasuke did the same with Haku kicking the shard out of his burnt hand.

"Tell us Gato’s whereabouts, and we might allow you to live." Kakashi growled. She heard Zabuza grit his teeth. Kakashi dug his kunai in a bit more, and a splatter of blood mixed with the water on the bridge.

"I'm warning you..." He dug in a bit more, and this time a spurt. He drew back and raised his arm.

"Stop! I'll tell you! Let Zabuza go!" Kakashi's arm stopped an inch away from his throat and Zabuza glared in shock at Haku's crumpled form. Haku coughed shakily into his hand, before smiling bitterly.

"Why, why Haku!" Naruto suddenly screamed. She hadn't even noticed him.

"After all that talk about precious people and you go and, and-" Naruto couldn't finish.

"I am Zabuza's tool, Naruto. I do what I can to serve him." Zabuza violently wretched himself from Kakashi's grip, jumping back and kicking Sasuke away from Haku. He panted heaving, arms hanging limply from his sides. He threw his head back and laughed bitterly.

"Don't you get it, boy? Shinobi are weapons to be used of and then disposed of."

"Like Sakura!?" Sasuke spat, bristling.

"She was more of a threat than you ever were. Smarter." Zabuza taunted. Kakashi grabbed the back of his collar before he could charge to his death. Haku stood hunched at Zabuza's side, awaiting orders.

Tazuna's cry of shock had them all whipping around. Sakura was sitting up, clutching her chest in confusion. She was beaten, bloody, and worse for wear-but alive.

"How-" Haruhi choked.

Oh!

There was more than one pressure point in the human body, and there was still a needle sticking out of her chest! That must have stopped her heart briefly! Of course he could aim for other areas than the neck!

A wobbly grin crossed Haruhi’s face as her eyes blurred.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto bawled, gently wrapping her up in a hug. Sasuke's knees wobbled and he collapsed next to them.

"Why are you here, really?" Kakashi demanded, confused at their motives now that Sakura was alive. Zabuza hefted his sword with his one good arm.

"To kill the bridge builder!" In one smooth movement, Kakashi scooped her up and jumped in front of a startled Sakura. He gave her to Tazuna and pulled out another Kunai.

"Haku...you failed me." Zabuza rasped.

Haku coughed up blood, bowing his head, he swayed on his feet.

"I am sorry. The way of shinobi is very difficult to me." He whispered

She jumped down onto Naruto's shoulder and threw her arms around Sakura's face, sniffling desperately. Sakura pulled the needles out of her chest in a stupor, watching the, slide out from her clothing, coated in red. She looked fascinated, like she couldn’t really believe or comprehend what she was seeing. Sasuke took them and threw them over the side.

"Haku, it doesn't have to be like this! I know you aren't bad and you aren't just a tool! Don't do this." Naruto pleaded. Haku split from Zabuza's side and ran behind them. Naruto and Sasuke went into a defensive formation, Sasuke facing Haku and Naruto and Kakashi pining Zabuza.

A tense silence as they squared off, Tazuna helping Sakura to her feet while she pulled out a kunai from her bag.

"This will not end well for you." Kakashi said firmly. They had the upper hand.

And then Haku dropped like a stone.

Roars of laughter and shouts were heard as a mob of brutish men with hundreds of weapons crested the bridge.

They yelled and shouted jeers at the downed Haku, who couldn't move in time to dodge the chained iron ball that cracked him blank in the back of the head. He lay flat on his back, not moving.

The mob quieted and parted. A long shadow threw itself over the bridge.

"Gato. What are you doing here." Zabuza growled. The man chuckled slowly, his laughs turning to guffaws as they slowly got louder and louder. It was picked up by his loons and soon the whole bridge echoed with harsh cackles that bounced off the still construction equipment, echoing.

He launched into a speech, and Zabuza's fist clenched around his sword at the betrayal.

Gato abruptly stopped and kicked Haku in the face. She saw his slack jaw leak blood. Internal bleeding, probably from the chidori to his side.

The third degree burns twisted his nose and mouth grotesquely, pus and blood oozing from the other severe burns coated the bridge around him.

Haruhi turned to the side and threw up.

Gato laughed again, kicking the still Haku in the chest. She was gonna fucking kill him!

Naruto's choked cry of rage and the killing intent that swept from behind assured her Gato was a dead man walking.

"Heh. Too bad he wasn't alive to feel it." Gato sneered.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Naruto dashed forward, intent on landing a solid punch to Gato's face before the days end. The giant mob raised their weapons but before Naruto could get himself impaled Kakashi grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him into a bear hug. Haruhi couldn't blame him. She was shaking in rage and disgust, Haku’s mutilated face flashing across her vision.

"Well what about you Zabuza! You gonna let him do that!" Naruto shrieked.

"Be quiet, you fool. Haku's dead what does it matter."

"What!? You mean you could just stand there and watch him get treated like a dog! You and Haku were together for years doesn't that mean anything?"

"You don't understand the way of Shinobi." He said coldly. "I merely used him just as Gato used me."

"Huh?"

"Now, it's over. His usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, yes that means something to me, But the boy? Nothing."

"Who are you trying to convince?" Haruhi whispered, causing Sasuke and Sakura to look at her.

"If you mean that, then you're an even bigger rat than I thought." Naruto spat.

Kakashi grabbed his shoulder trying again to keep him from getting killed from his mouth. But sometimes you needed to speak up. 

"Okay that enough. He's not the enemy, not right now." Kakashi said tiredly. Naruto growled and swung Kakashi's arm off of him.

"Shut up! As far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one!" Naruto yelled, pointing his finger at him. Naruto stood panting, breath coming out in noisy gasped as his shoulders moved up and down.

"Why you...you ungrateful!...after everything he did for you, Haku lived for you! You were the most important thing in the world to him! And he meant nothing to you, nothing at all?” Naruto’s voice shook, incredulous and heartbroken.

“While he was sacrificing everything for you, you never felt anything at all for him? A-and if I become stronger, does that mean...I'll become as cold hearted as you are?! He threw his life away and for what? For you and your dream?" Tears gathered in Naruto's eyes and she had to bite her hand to keep from crying out loud. His voice trembled as he spoke.

"You never let him have a dream of his own. But he didn't care, and you just toss him aside like he was nothing. A broken tool... man that's so wrong, so wrong!"

“...”

"...You talk too much." Zabuza rasped. Slowly, wet spots appeared on the ground in front of Zabuza. He tilted his head back towards the sky.

"Your words cut deep, deeper than any blade. While he fought you, his heart was breaking in two. “ Zabuza paused.

“You see, Haku was always too soft and too kind. It's why he spared your teammate. He felt pain and sorrow and now curse him I feel them too."

"..."

"Well? Cat got your tongue. Are you so surprised to find I'm human as well? Even shinobi are human, no matter how hard we try to escape that simple fact, we always fail."

Haruhi wiped her face frantically, unable to keep up with the tear drops. She opened her bleary eyes to see Zabuza catch a kunai in his mouth. The muscles in his back tensed and he dashed forward.

Gato screamed and ran back into the mob, the thugs closing around him.

"Ha. What's one man-URK!" Zabuza sliced through the thugs throat and Haruhi turned herself into Tazuna's forearm, unable to watch. Bile rose in her throat at the sound of the mobs dying screams. She wiped her face and forced herself to look up. This was the consequence of living in this world.

This violence. All this was just a reminder of why she shouldn't, couldn't be here. 

She peeked up in time to see Gato go over the edge of the bridge, blood flying from his slit throat. The mob buzzed like angry bees before being silenced with a single glare from Zabuza. They parted as he staggered forward, where he fell to his knees besides Haku. Haruhi couldn't help but feel she was intruding on something precious. When Zabuza finally stilled, Sasuke let out a breath of relief.

"Hey, what about our money?"

"I came here to get paid-"

"-Gato's dead."

"-Raid the village!" The mob turned toward them.

They were all that was standing between them and the village now.

Kakashi was exhausted and heavily injured, Sasuke's sharingan leaked his chakra, Sakura was injured too, and Naruto couldn't do it all by himself. The mob started jogging then broke into a sprint, running around the bodies.

"Stop right there!"

A giant army of villagers had arrived.

Inari was carrying a chipped red bull horn, and his mother stood next to him armed with a frying pan. People were carrying shovels, rakes, gardening hoes and everything else you could think of. But the most potent thing was the look of fierce determination on their faces. The bridge workers had gotten up, and were carrying their construction equipment, ready to defend their hard work.

"If you want the village, you're are gonna have to go through us!"

A roar unlike anything else, louder than the mob echoed across the water as the villagers charged forward. The thugs screamed and scattered, some jumping overboard. The ones who tried to fight were quickly overrun. Kakashi and Sasuke jumped to the side, carrying them all with. He cast a protective jutsu around Zabuza and Haku. A moment of stunned silence cloaked the bridge.

"We won." Murmured the man who had left Tazuna. The one Haruhi had called a coward, but was one of the first to charge forward, two-by-four in hand.

A rumble crossed the bridge, then a murmur, until it built up into cheers of triumph. Laughter rang across the bridge and surrounded them, people threw their hands up in the air and rejoiced. Tazuna handed her to Sakura and ran to hug his family. Tsunami clutched her son in her arms, unable to do anything but kiss his face and cry.

Tazuna was the happiest she had ever seen him, alternating from hugging his family and celebrating with the man who returned and with the other workers.

The little boy from the village had stuck the candy wrappers to his face with mud, and the shopkeeper with the shriveled carrots was dancing and jumping through puddles. The prostitute was crying, thick makeup smeared by her tears of joy. Her chipped metal mirror, the one she had used to clobber a thug over the head, slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the bridge.

As if by some higher power, the mist cleared, letting sunlight to stream in and reflect on the puddles, light bouncing everywhere.

And then there was them. Team seven stood on the side of the bridge. Haruhi's heart was full, fuller than it had ever been. With pain and happiness, but a weariness that went down to her bones. Sasuke's sharingan was wavering as he committed everything to memory, Sakura stood with tears dripping from her emerald eyes, and Naruto was grinning in a bittersweet sort of way. There was a new depth to his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Haruhi jumped onto Kakashi's arm.

"Haruhi..."

"We should get their bodies, and give them a proper burial." She whispered. He eyed her softly, nodding his agreement to her. They weaved through the celebrating people, coming to the two bodies laid side-by-side, Zabuza's hand fallen from Haku's face. But the longer she looked, she realized something was off. A faint rise and fall of his sides revealed something to her. Haku was alive.

Chapter Text

Kakashi had immediately lifted the unconscious Haku up and made his way to Tazuna's house as soon as possible.

It was hard to navigate through the crowd of celebrating people, but they did. The rest of team seven followed, Sakura being carried by Sasuke. They cleaned him up and dressed his wounds as best as possible, but all they could do was wait. The back of his skull was bleeding heavily from the iron ball, and his burns ran the high risk of becoming infected.

In the meantime, the village was filled with a passion she had never seen before. People held their heads up high in the streets and looked each other in the eyes as they walked past. They worked day and night on the bridge, and at the current rate, would be done in less than two weeks. The candy boy carried water from the creek, the former prostitute-Misa, helped Tazuna to direct workers across the bridge.

Haku slept on.

Naruto was sent with some villagers to test the waters now that Gato was gone. They were able to bring back many fish and other goods, supporting the village until the bridge was done.

Haku slept on.

Not being able to hold it off any longer, they buried Zabuza. Putting his giant sword as a grave marker. Tazuna bowed his head in respect.

Haku slept on.

Kakashi was with Tazuna at the bridge now, finally better enough to get out of bed. Haruhi had coddled his something fierce because of it.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can have Tsunami bring something up." She chattered, kneeling on the bedside table.

"Nah. Having you here is enough." He eye smiled. She laughed, taking it as a joke before jumping down.

"I'll tell her to make Miso soup. I know it's your favorite." He was delighted. But not just because of the soup. And that's where she was now. With Tsunami in the kitchen. Haku was in one of the spare bedrooms, still sleeping. Kakashi said he could wake any day now though. Sakura was there watching him as she was still recovering herself. She bore Haku no ill will.

Sasuke and Naruto had come away the least injured, and proved it by a fierce water walking competition. Which Naruto was losing until she gave him the idea to split up his chakra with shadow clones. Tsunami was bustling around the kitchen, having achieved some inner peace, as she was glowing like never before. Standing up for herself had done something no amount of money ever could. It had given her self-pride. Her husband was back into the picture, tape sealing the rip until it almost wasn't visible. She sang as she worked. Come to think of it, when was the last time Haruhi had sang? Or even hummed? It must have been before they left for wave.

Slowly she picked up a tune, that one from Tangled. Tsunami paused in her cleaning before starting up again. She was just getting in her groove when she heard Sakura yelling.

"Stay here!" She said to Tsunami. She jumped down and bolted towards the guest room. A wide eyed Haku was sitting up and breathing in huge gulping breaths. The burned side of his face was turned towards her as he whipped his head frantically around the room.

"Zabuza, where is-" Sakura was standing back stiffly.

"Haku, it's okay! We won't hurt you!" She raised her empty hands.

"That is not what I asked." He said tersely. His hands clenched the sheets. Sakura adopted the deer in the headlights look so Haruhi stepped forward, clearing her throat, eyes on his burned hand.

"Zabuza killed Gato for betraying you.”

“You were hit from behind from one of Gato's thugs. Gato betrayed you guys so Zabuza fought and killed Gato and his thugs. He died from the injuries he sustained from the mob." She blurted. Like ripping off a band aid. Silence. Haruhi was just about to jump ship when he moved.

"I...see. Thank you." The hollowness made her flinch. And he closed his mouth and didn't say anything else.

That was worrisome. Sakura said about getting food for him and left. Haruhi couldn't help but feel worried about Haku and his future. He would probably be allowed to come back with them to Konoha as a genkai kekkei user and one of an almost extinct clan at that. And the fact that he was... scarred from fire. The left side of his body, most notably his face. It was significant. The few patches of skin that had healed were shiny and puffy while the rest needed skin grafts to heal. The only reason Haku hadn’t died from infection yet was because of a basic cleansing jutsu Kakashi knew. And then with Zabuza gone too... Haruhi was worried.

Her maternal side was kicking her in the ass whenever she caught sight of his hand. She guilty averted her eyes. Sakura returned with his meal and he finished it quietly. Haruhi was gonna have a talk with Haku, let him know his options and that he wasn't alone. She waited patiently and Haku seemed to realize it was his cue.

"Where is Zabuza buried?" His head was bowed. Once long beautiful hair was charred and filled with split ends from the fire. Haruhi couldn’t help but stare. She had never seen someone this hurt up close before.

"We'll take you to see his grave as soon as you're better." Haku placed his dishes to the side. He curled his knees to his chest and hair fell in his face, and she was violently reminded of a starving child on a bridge. He looked lost again.

"What will become of me?" He whispered, more to himself than her. "I am a broken tool. Purposeless."

"Haku, you are not a broken tool!"

"Look at me!" He shouted, and it was so out of character she blinked. His hand was cupping his burnt face, and his eyes were filled with pain. She took a deep breath. Then another. She ran her hands through her frizzy hair. What could she say? Her hand twitched upwards before she stopped.

"Zabuza said while you were unconscious he cared for you. He said you mattered to him and then he defeated Gato for you. Despite being severely wounded, he laid himself down next to you. And you know this as well, when people care for someone they want what's best for them. Zabuza wanted what was best for you. Do what's best for you then, Haku."

"But Zabuza, he was my purpose. I am nothing without him." His voice trailed off, sounding like the child he was. Haku’s eye, the one that wasn’t inflamed and squeezed shut was glassy and lost. He swayed from where he was sitting up. Haruhi took a deep, shaky, breath.

"You said he was your purpose, and now that he's gone you have none. No purpose. Well, he can still be your purpose. You can still live for him-even though he’s gone. Live in memory of him. Zabuza cared for you, and would want you to be happy. Please, come with us." Haku hugged his knees tighter, before a bittersweet smile curled up on his face.

"You're just like Naruto. You have a way with words, that make people reconsider, feel empathy. Did Naruto perhaps, learn this from you?" Haruhi flushed.

"Perhaps. I don't want an answer now. Rest, and we'll take you to see Zabuza." Haku's head was already lolling to the side, and exertion had cause his hands to tremble. He nodded and she left the room, signaling to Sakura in the hallway to come later for the dishes. It would be a while yet until dinner time when the boys would come back, and Haruhi was kinda bored after the talk with Haku.

With how stubborn Naruto was there was a strong chance he would come back with them. Haruhi herself was feeling a bit under the weather.

She was homesick. She missed pizza too. Everyone was getting antsy from being away for so long and with the bridge scheduled to be done in a week had everyone on the edge of their seats. Sitting here and waiting was horrendous. She wished Kakashi would come back as teasing him was always fun. What was she doing before Haku?

Absentmindedly, she started singing under her breath. It was that one song from tangled, from when they were on the boat. For some reason, it reminded her of Kakashi.

"And at last I see the light~" She hummed, amused with herself. It was a lovely song, and belting out each note did make her feel better. It reminded her of rainy days in her house, singing along to chosen songs (This had been a song of choice) while her Italian friend made pasta and the others dramatically danced on her couches and made pillow forts. She ignored the faint flutter in her heart.

She and Kakashi made pillow forts too. Even if he talked mostly about how structurally unsound it was. What a nerd.

"Um, Haruhi-sensei?" She snapped out of it.

"Yes Sakura?" The girl was standing to the side and giving her a strange look.

"You were smiling at nothing, I just wanted to know what was so funny?"

"O-oh, I was? Well, it was nothing." Sakura left and Haruhi picked up the rest of the song, falling into a quick nap. They would be back soon. Kakashi would be back soon. She again ignored the flutter in her chest at the thought. She was homesick, that was all. 

"-ruhi, wake up." She mumbled, turning back into the pillow. A prod between her shoulder blades had her blinking open her eyes.

"Dinner time, Haruhi." She jumped up.

"Kakashi! How did it go?" "You'll find out at dinner." She jumped on his awaiting hand, and hugged his thumb excitedly. They would be going back soon! She would be going back soon!

“…”

...She would be going back soon.

Dinner was a happy affair, with Inari laughing and smiling as he told them of his day in the village. He had played tag with the candyboy, whose name was Akio. Tazuna spoke of their great progress and how it would be complete soon, especially now that Gato had stopped scaring away villagers.

Misa, the former prostitute, was a great help. When Sakura mentioned Haku's brief awakening, conversation stopped.

"Kakashi-sensei, Haku has to come back with us! He didn't do anything permanent and he's strong! You have to let him!" Naruto yelled. Kakashi hummed thoughtfully.

"The village would most likely grant him sanctuary, but it's ultimately up to him Naruto."

"Haku's doing better. I figured we we should let him see Zabuza's grave before we ask anything of him." Haruhi put in. Everyone agreed that was a good idea. Haruhi laughed at Naruto's dramatic retelling of almost drowning and she smirked along with Sasuke as he told how he had to fish Naruto out.

Sakura then butted in, saying how she was better than the both of them combined at water walking. Kakashi murmured to her about trying it herself, and she found herself nodding in agreement before she really considered what he was saying. She might as well-it's not like she was gonna be here much longer in the first place.

(Interlude-Sasuke Uchiha)

His shoulders were hunched over and his hands were curled into fists in his pockets. He grit his teeth to keep from snarling.

Naruto walked next to him and behind Tazuna, mouth curled into a scowl and arms crossed behind his head. Sasuke’s lip curled in disdain as he stepped on a piece of trash.

The brown water squished between his toes unpleasantly.

Why was he even here? He thought back to the dinner yesterday. Haruhi had yelled at them after he and the dobe ate too much, and now, after guarding Tazuna, they were going into the village with him. Sasuke did like it. He had mostly stuck to just the bridge and the outskirts of wave, never going too deep into town. And Sasuke didn’t see why Kakashi would listen to Haruhi. She wasn’t a ninja.

“OOPF!” “Hey, watch it!” Naruto yelled. Sasuke scoffed. The dobe could never be quiet. He cracked open a lid, to see a dirty little child that had run into Naruto with his butt in the dirt. Sasuke paused, eyes opening fully.

The child’s age was extremely hard to tell. Skinny arms, rags for a shirt where his ribs were clearly visible through the large holes. His knobby knees knocked together as he tried to stand up. Naruto stood to the side, mouth opening and closing in surprise. He stared speechless at the boys skeletal fingers, at his sallow face. He was suffering from severe malnutrition.

Naruto made an aborted move to help him up, but paused when the boy flinched. The boy reached down into the dirt, picking up two empty candy wrappers before running away. For a moment, the only sound was the wind. Despite being surrounded by people walking, it was eerily silent, and Sasuke wasn’t sure why it had taken him this long to notice.

No one was speaking. No one looked up from the dirt road, or laughed. Sasuke’s limp hands fell out of his pockets.

“This is why I am building the bridge.” Tazuna’s voice shattered the silence, startling Sasuke like a bucket of cold water to the face. Tazuna wasn’t drinking or scowling like he usually was, a look of dead seriousness replacing it.

“Children suffer, and the adults do nothing. That is why I build the bridge.” Tazuna he lifted his bag, and walked on. He and Naruto exchanged glances, and Sasuke was mollified to see his own guilt reflected in Naruto’s eyes. They wordlessly caught up to Tazuna, silent as graves.

Sasuke noticed the woman in the alleyway, heavy makeup unable to hide her eye bags. The store they went in had empty shelves up to the ceiling. It was so different from Konoha, where there was so much food the extra was thrown out at the end of the day. Sasuke thought back to the dinners he had. He thought of Haruhi and how she had yelled at them. Maybe she knew what she was talking about after all. He clenched his fists. That bridge was getting built.

No matter what.

Chapter Text

They took Haku the very next day. It wasn't like they could have stopped him anyway.

Sasuke looked on and shuffled awkwardly and decided he would stay with Tazuna that day, Sakura was still slightly injured, so she stayed with Tsunami. So she, Naruto, and Kakashi went with him. Haku didn't talk much, and Kakashi pulled Naruto's ear when he tried to open his mouth. He also pulled his ear when he tried to carry Haruhi instead of him. Gravel crunched under foot and crisp sea air filled her lungs. She took one deep breath, then another.

They trekked up the hill, the harbor and the nearly completed bridge coming into view. Haku was sweating but completely determined to reach Zabuza's grave. He wiped perspiration from his brow and his hand froze over his face when he caught sight of the hilt of the giant sword. He continued wiping his brow, hand falling to his side.

They stood back as Haku walked forward. He knelt there for some time, for hours probably. Naruto trained a little ways off, while Haruhi laid in a half awake state in Kakashi's pocket, humming a tune. Kakashi was reading his book, of course. And maybe listening just a bit. She was humming the second verse of her song, when she felt something rest on her head.

Grabbing up her hand wrapped around it and brought a blue buttercup into view. She looked up at Kakashi, but his eye was studiously on his book, blue buttercup patch to his left. She took the flower and played with the petals as she continued humming. Haku's head remained bowed for the longest time. He looked to be deep in prayer and thought. His hands were folded on his lap. His choppy hair swayed in the breeze. Haku was thinking deeply and Haruhi could guess what about.

Naruto came back panting heavily and he plopped down next to Kakashi, ruffling the pages of the book.

He was just in time to witness Haku grab Zabuza's sword, pulling himself up. And pulling the sword out. They watched wide-eyed as the heavily injured boy hoisted the giant sword over his good shoulder. He stood and turned towards them, determination in every corner of his face.

"I will come back to Konoha with you, and offer my services and Zabuza's sword as a peace offering. I know the locations of Gato's empire, and can reveal these locations to Konoha for sanctuary and a chance to be a Konoha shinobi."

"..." o.0

"ALL RIGHT!" Naruto screamed. They headed back as it was well past lunch time. At first Kakashi offered to carry the sword after Haruhi made it clear she didn't mind a lift by Naruto but Haku insisted, and she could see a glimmer of respect in Kakashi’s eye. When they finally got back, he was sweating heavily and trembling, but walked with dignity. He dropped the sword on the porch and collapsed halfway to his bed. Naruto carried him the rest of the way.

At dinner, Tazuna reported the bridge would be complete in a couple days. A couple days that passed quickly. The had packed up their things and Kakashi had reluctantly handed her off to Sakura. Haku was still sore so Kakashi was carrying the blade this time, Haruhi had wolf whistled and Kakashi blushed. A group of villagers had come to see them off.

"I can't tell you how much were going to miss you." Tazuna said.

"Do be careful." Tsunami smiled, gratitude in her eyes.

"Thank you, for everything." Kakashi said.

"Now now, don't get all choked up." Naruto said in a suspiciously tight voice.

"We'll come back and visit real soon." This led to Inari becoming choked up then both of them turning away trying to conceal the rivers streaming down their cheeks. She and Sakura exchanged exasperated glances. Boys. But then again, these people didn't know about the ninetails and Naruto probably wasn't used to this fair treatment.

"What are you going to name it?" Haruhi asked.

"Hmm...How about Team Seven Bridge."

"I like that." She and Kakashi said at the same time. They smiled at each other before looking back. Everyone waved farewell and they left for Konoha.

"Hey Haruhi sensei, it'll be great to be back home, won't it!"

"Yeah...Home." She mumbled, plastering on a smile. She felt eyes on her. It would be a two day trip back to Konoha at ninja speed, so when they set up shop for the night Kakashi had first watch. The kids all went to sleep. It had been a very eventful day, as Haku had many questions, and Sakura and Naruto had some for him too. She had a feeling Kakashi wanted to talk, so she wrestled herself out of Sakura's grip and sat next to him.

"You know, Haruhi, I don't mind you in my house." At her confused expression he clarified.

"If you want to say in Konoha, you could stay with me." Did Kakashi...look hopeful? She blinked in surprise, blushing slightly. She remembered when they first met, and how he had outright refused, to her and the Hokage's face. This was definitely was a change compared to how it once was.

"Thank you Kakashi." She took a deep, shaky breath.

"I've made my decision." Kakashi looked up, and there was a strange glint in his eyes.

"I've imposed on you long enough. Thank you, for everything." The glint died out, like a matchstick being dropped on concrete and grounded to ashes underfoot. He said nothing, only nodding before looking away. …

While Haku wasn’t an expert sensor, she was better than most. So when she sensed another presence in the treetops while Zabuza was fighting Kakashi and the genin guarded the target, she had to investigate. Any target she didn’t explicitly know as an ally was an enemy. She would find them and dispatch them quickly. As much as Haku didn’t want to, she had to leave Zabuza by himself for a bit. Haku jumped gracefully from her position, being careful not to alert the genin or the two fighting. She scanned the treetops through her mask, eyes narrowed. The signature was unusual, different than anything she had felt before. She heard quickened breaths and a rustling of paper. Haku flicked her senbon from her sleeves and readied herself. But before she could do anything, there was a faint pop, and a small cloud of smoke drifted through the thick foliage.

Stretching out her senses, she was greeted with a now empty forest. Who could it have been? Very few people were skilled enough to disappear like that. Shaking her head she rushed back to Zabuza, just in time to see the Copy nin about to land a fatal blow. “STOP!” … The battle was the closest she had ever come to losing Zabuza. Her hands shook trying to clean his burns and heal his shoulder. Her burnt hand stung, days after the battle She would need to collect herbs. Leaving Zabuza at their hideout, she picked up her wooden basket and headed to the heavily forested areas of the island. She had spotted herbs there before. There was a boy there, sleeping in the grass.

Haku immediately recognized him as one of the genin from the battle that injured Zabuza. Her hand twitched as it neared his face, stopping to rest on his shoulder. She shook him awake.

“Huh, Wha-?” The boy was cute, if not bit dumb. A bit like some of her rabbit summons. She told him her name. He prattled on blushing and stuttering, shooting glances at her face. He probably thought she was a girl. The thought caused a pain in her chest before she beat it down, along with the urge to tell him she was actually a boy too. She was with Zabuza now, he didn’t care she was a girl and not a boy, and he didn’t care she was a Yuki. So she didn’t correct him. She felt a presence hidden in the bushes, the Uchiha boy and a smaller signature. She waited a bit before calling out to them.

“You can come out now.” When the other boy approached, Haku had to fight to keep her composure. He was very handsome. He was leveling her with an intense gaze, and Haku fought to keep down her blush.

She knew he thought of her as a boy, and only platonically. She continued to talk about her precious people, carefully watching their reactions, and being careful not to keep her eyes on the small figure hidden in the Uchiha’s collar. She leaves quickly, burnt hand in basket.

She was brave. The pink haired Konoha nin was obviously out of practice, if her incorrect grip on her kunai was anything to go buy. Her thin legs shook with exertion, but the determination and will in her eyes was like fire. She stood in front of the Bridge builder, pumping chakra to her feet in a way that allowed her to glide over the ice and not slip. Haku was impressed. As she glided to block more senbon Haku watched her feminine movements and had to beat back a wave of yearning, watching her pretty red dress trail behind her along with her long pink hair.

This kunoichi had gone toe-to-toe with Zabuza in order to buy her teacher time, and had been awarded with deep cuts from his sword. Her movements were tense and painful. Haku’s eyes flickered from her to the Uchiha boy, Sasuke, who was finishing off the last of the water clones. She needed to get her out of the way. She flicked senbon into her soft chest, right above her heart.

The boys scream of rage cut Haku to her core. It sounded like her mothers- She shook her head. She needed to stay focused. They fought ferociously, but Haku was already tired from the kunoichi's trick with the construction equipment-she had taken a bulldozer and destroyed most of her ice mirrors. Haku had to use most of her Chakra to save herself. When the boy, aflame with rage over the loss of one of his precious people spit a fireball the size of a house at her, she was unable to dodge. It was an intense pain, unlike anything she had felt before.

She screamed in agony as it hit her side, skin popping and hair fraying and shriveling like hay over a fire. Her mask cracked under the intense heat of the flames. The shock and betrayal on his face only made her hurt more. She wanted to apologize, but she never could say sorry, because it was for Zabuza. All for him. The man who accepted her as she was, who said she was good enough just the way she was. Who never tried to change her to fit his ideals of the perfect person, only training her and teaching her. Feeding her and buying her dresses when she had worked up the courage to ask him.

But this boy, and the look of pain on his face, a look so familiar because she had seen it on herself, made her want to.

The rest of the battle passed in a blur, ending with a sickening crack that rattled her from the back of her skull to the ends of her toes. When she woke up to see the tiny woman and the Kunoichi her stomach sank. Was she a prisoner now? Everything was so murky and her head was throbbing. Thinking felt like trying to swim with heavy clothes on. The tiny woman was calling up to her and Haku paused, trying to get her wandering eyes to focus on something. The tiny woman was very beautiful, her skin a shade of brown she had only ever seen once from a missing nin from Kumo. Her black hair was thick and curly, falling a bit beyond her shoulders.

Her body was pear shaped and on the heavier side, but it suited her somehow. She had a pair of blue wired glasses, which helped small almond shaped brown eyes to see. Her nose was cute and pert, and her mouth had full pinkish-brown lips. She was a real woman. The eloquence she spoke with, and the air surrounding her assured that.

Haku again swallowed back her envy and pain.

Zabuza was dead. The only person who had ever accepted her, who knew the full truth about her and still cared, was dead. She laughed bitterly, and complemented the woman-Haruhi.

The next day, they took her to see Zabuza’s grave. The walk was hard, her burns and head throbbing and stinging as she walked. She refused help. This was something she needed to do alone. So here she sat. Naruto trained in a clearing not far away from them, and Haruhi and the copy-nin sat together.

She watched as he flirted with her, plucking a buttercup and placing it on her head. She saw her reflection in Zabuza’s sword. Once beautiful skin, skin she had nourished with handmade lotions made from herbs she had picked, was marred. Burns twisted her face to a point where she looked like an oni, and her hair, her long beautiful, feminine hair, looked like hay.

It was choppy and patchy where hunks had been burned or cut off. Split ends and singed hairs were left over if they hadn’t been removed. A burn below her left ear assured her that spot would be barren for the rest of her life-however long that may be. She was hideous.

Not beautiful like Haruhi, or Sakura. Not a woman like Tsunami, or the woman who was helping Tazuna build the bridge. She would never be a woman now. Her fists dug into her thighs.

What would happen to her now? She was a missing nin, wanted due to her bloodline.

She was strong-but not as strong as Zabuza. And certainly in no state to protect herself now. It was only a matter of time before nin came to collect her bounty, and before word got off the island that she was all alone now. The bridge was almost completed, word would reach the outside world soon. And the Konoha nin, there was very little chance they wouldn’t tell their Kage.

Going with the Konoha nin back to Konoha would be...awkward, to say the least. Ninja were a paranoid bunch, and the circumstances surrounding her would guarantee distrust. And Haku wasn’t a fool, she knew Konoha was a ninja village like any other. She heard from Zabuza how the Uchiha were treated.

If she went, she’d be forced to serve a village that didn't care for her like Zabuza did. But on the other hand… She needed help.

These burns wouldn’t completely heal without out a skilled medic, and Konoha had the best ninja hospital in the world. Being in Konoha would offer her protection, and a chance- She swallowed. A chance to start over. She could finally be herself. It would be hard, but not impossible. She glanced at Haruhi, who was twirling a lock of her hair in between her fingers.

“Zabuza cared for you, and would want you to be happy. Please, come with us.”

Haku’s eyes focused, and she stood. She had made her decision.

Chapter Text

The rest of the trip was strangely quiet between the two of them.

A cold spell had descended upon her and Kakashi and maybe it was just her imagination but he seemed happy to have an excuse not to carry her. In a way that wasn't obvious he studiously avoided her gaze while keeping up the conversation.

"Anyway Haku, when you get to Konoha you'll have to meet the old man first but afterwards I can take you to get some ramen!"

"I know something for your injuries Haku! And Konoha has the best hospital in all the nations. I read it!"

"Hn."

She could tell Haku was getting excited despite his best efforts. The trees were taller and thicker, and the buttercups were yellow now. It was when they crossed over a stream on a flat wooden bridge she realized they were close.

Close to Konoha.

She swallowed the frog that had lept in her throat. They walked for a few more hours, Haruhi pitching in on the conversation once or twice, but other than that she was uncharacteristically silent. When the gates came into view Naruto whooped and would have ran ahead if Kakashi hadn't called out.

"We need to report directly to the Hokage as the parameters of the mission have changed. Each one of you need to be there to offer up your view."

The four of them nodded. Kakashi refused to let Haku carried the sword, as he was still injured and having an unknown carrying a weapon up to the gates was unsettling.
Haruhi knew the mission report came before her being sent back. She didn't mind as a lot of important stuff did happen. But she was busy thinking what she would do when she got home. Would she have been missing for over a month? What about her cat and friends? Had her mother cried a lot? Haruhi had been gone for a long time.

...What would the genin say when they realized she was gone?

Well, she wouldn't know.

The chunin at the gates gasped and scrambled up when they saw team seven and after a few words from Kakashi they let them through, their eyes following them as long as they could.

Whispers followed them to the tower, Naruto waving and grinning at the attention that wasn't necessarily negative. People pointed and started at the burns on Haku's face and she felt a rush of anger on his behalf. She hoped Kakashi and the others would stand up for him. Maybe let Haku borrow a mask.

Kakashi leading the way and the team behind him, she watched his back, walking farther and farther away. Desk chunin muttered and watched them, but were smart enough to not get in Kakashi's way. They were rushed into the room. The Hokage had put down his pipe and Haruhi made herself comfy in Sakura's bag as he laced his fingers, a serious expression befalling his face.

Kakashi opened with a basic explanation of what happened, the changing of the mission rank and bigger threats. When he got to the part with Zabuza and Haku his eyes darted to Haku, before focusing on Kakashi.

Kakashi airbrushed the battle to exclude Haruhi, as the desk Chunin were still listening with open mouthed rapt attention. Team seven jumped in with their own comments and stories and when they finally got to the end of the second battle Naruto couldn't contain himself.

"I WILL VOUCH FOR HAKU! HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY HURT ANYONE!" Naruto bellowed. Birds took off.

A tinkling laughter filled the room.

"Thank you, Naruto. But I can speak for myself." Haku smiled, and despite his burns it was still charming.

"I would love to hear it. However, all ninja except Kakashi and Haku needs to leave."

To her surprise, Kakashi swiped her from Sakura's bag while she passed. A moment of confusion spent in darkness before she was in Kakashi's pocket again. Her heart hammered as she poked her head up. Haku's fate was about to be decided.

As he told his story she had again, to fight back tears. She thought she might have heard Kakashi sniffle once or twice, but she couldn't be sure.

"So you see, Lord third, the ninja way is very hard for me, but I know it's the best for protecting those precious to me. My wish is to be a real ninja, as I was not affiliated with any village before-despite my training."

Haku laid the giant sword on the floor, from which he had just taken from Kakashi.

"I offer my services, this sword and locations to Gato's empire in exchange for sanctuary, and, a chance."

He knelt and bowed his head.

The third puffed his pipe, eyes on Haku. His expression softened.

"Haku. Normally, ninja in your position would not have been accepted in the village. But with your story, offers, and vouches from your friends, you may be allowed to stay. You will have an evaluation and will be ranked accordingly."

Haku nodded, getting up.

"And if I'm not mistaken, there's something else you need to talk to be about Kakashi?"

Taking the initiative, Haruhi jumped onto Kakashi's shoulder. Haku opened the door and the three genin tumbled out in a pile, kicking and shoving.

"Old man, Haku can stay!" Naruto shouted with glee. Sakura squealed and Sasuke said nothing but smirked. Haku walked into the hallway and called for them to follow.

"Bye." Haruhi called with a note of sad finality.

The kids had grown on her-especially Sakura. But Haruhi had already overstayed her welcome. While the thought of going back home after two months and trying to explain what had happened to her was unappealing, staying in this world with child soldiers was even more so. Haruhi lifted her hand and waved goodbye.

"Bye? Wha-Haruhi-sensei!?" But the door closed in their faces. A reinforced one that they couldn't get through.

"Haruhi, I trust Kakashi has been treating you well?" He asked kindly. She restrained herself from twisting her hair-a nervous habit.

"Yes he has."

"But that isn't what you came here for." She nodded.

"Lord Third, Konoha has been nothing but kind to me and I enjoyed my stay here. But...I don't want to impede or anything. I would very much like to head home now."

He folded his hands, a troubled look on his face.

Haruhi's heart beat rapidly, and she knelt on Kakashi's palm. She wiped her hands on her pants and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Haruhi, I understand you are out of your element here, and I commend you on your adjustment. But this seal is like nothing Jiraiya has ever seen before- we don't know the risks of unsummoning you. Jiraiya himself is currently out of Konoha at the moment and I don't want to risk anything without a seal master present."

Akatsuki.

Haruhi nodded, unable to get around the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. Suddenly she wasn't shaking anymore-all the energy had been sucked out with those few words.

Kakashi turned to leave but Haruhi didn't notice, too much in a stupor. Blood roared in her ears as she knelt statue still. 

Was she stranded?

She vaguely registered shouting. Naruto was waving his finger at her with a twisted expression on his face. They had somehow moved from the office to an empty side hallway without her knowing it. She tilted her head down at him. He was panting heavily and his arms were crossed and he seemed to be blinking back tears.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" She said worriedly.

"..."

A dead silence as everyone stared at her. Just stared in judgmental disbelief. Naruto was actually stunned into silence. She was so confused, everything was moving so sluggishly, like her brain had turned to jello. Then, in a voice way too small and insecure to be Naruto's, he spoke.

"Haruhi-sensei, you were gonna leave us. Like...just go. After everything like-like we were nothing." He whispered. Not shouting at all.

His eyes were big and doleful. He seemed to be incredibly shaken up by this. To have finally found a group of people who accepted him for him, to have one of them leave so suddenly with only a goodbye would do that. He probably felt powerless, helpless again, like he was watching Sakura and Haku die all over again.

Her heart stuttered and she felt sick. She never meant to hurt anyone. That was why she wanted to go back. He wiped his face angrily, tears smearing

. Sakura sniffled in the background.

"How could you?"

He said it so lowly, with so much hurt and anger, accusation, emotions Haruhi had been doing her best to repress bubbled like a boiling pot to the surface. She sniffed. Once, then twice. Kakashi's finger twitched.

"I never meant to hurt you guys. I'm sorry, but-"

"Well what did you think leaving was going to do!?" Naruto demanded. His nose was turning red and pink rimmed his eyes.

"I..." Her voice cracked and Naruto recoiled. "I just wanted to go home."

"..."

"But Konoha-"

"Is not my home.” She snapped. Her voice echoed.

“Did you ever take into consideration my feelings? How I felt? The utter helplessness I felt? The vulnerability I felt? I literally didn't fit in. A strange new place filled with people I've never met before. I felt like a fish out of water, weak, useless-"

"That's not true-"

"Feelings don't care about facts, Naruto!" She shouted. It echoed off the walls.

"I'm sorry, okay!?" And to her horror, her throat clamped shut, cutting her off and terrible, guttural sobs sprung from her throat.

She buried her face into her hands, desperately trying to muffle the heart wrenching sobs that escaped her. Her shoulders heaved and her hands shook with the effort.
The hall was silent except for her sniffles.

Kakashi murmured something to the four, before lowering her into his pocket. She curled into the familiar fabric, still desperately trying to quiet herself. She felt them move and Kakashi talking to a few more people. Her face stung in that numb tingly way and the front of her shirt was wet.

Her vision was blurry from the tears, so she wiped her face and lifted her shirt up over the bridge of her nose. They were almost at Kakashi's house. He opened the door and she almost recoiled at the sterile scent that hit her sensitive nose. It was like the personality and warmth had cleared out with them.

He walked and placed a giant brown paper bag on the counter. He lifted her out of his pocket and placed her on the counter a little to the left of the fruit bowl. She kneeled again, hair falling around her head as a sort of curtain, and shirt pulled up.

Kakashi said nothing, only getting started on dinner. When the familiar smell of stir-fry reached her nose, filling the air with that familiar warmth she almost smiled in spite of herself. She gave one last hiccough and blew her nose in a napkin, and now that her nose was clear, she could smell that familiar scent wafting through the air.

Kakashi said nothing as he slid a saucer in front of her and then dug in himself. She politely turned her back, munching on a pepper. The tangy crunchiness cheered her up a lot more than it should have. She loved stir-fry, But there was still something on her chest...

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"You didn't um, ya know, feel the same was as they did..."

The chewing stopped. He seemed to consider his answer before responding.

"It's like I said, Haruhi...I wouldn't mind if you stayed. In fact, I'd be pretty happy."

"B-because I never meant to hurt anyone, you see, um, I just wanted to go back. S-so maybe I need to apologize to them. And you. Sorry. It was nothing you guys did."
"There's no need for that. It's perfectly understandable. But I don't think you realize the impact you have on this team. In almost no time, you have become the emotional backbone of squad seven. Of course they'd be upset knowing you would leave."

"But what about you?"

"...I'd be pretty upset too. But don't let that stop you." He said quickly. He then eye-smiled.

"While we wait for his return, I picked up something that just might make this a little more manageable for you..." He reached into the brown paper bag and pulled out tiny wooden stairs. Fold-able and easily put up.

"Oh, Kakashi!..." This was great! It gave her mobility! Independence...

"Maa, I thought that would make you feel better." It seemed their cold-spell was over.

Perhaps a bit impulsively, Haruhi jumped up and climbed his arms, much to his surprise.

"Haruhi wha-?"

She threw her arms around his face, laughing, and then kissed his cheek, right above the mask.

He froze, his confused speech stopping like it had hit a brick wall.

She jumped back down to the counter, landing heavily on her knees. When she looked back up, his one eye was still open in shock, a rosy dust had settled on his cheek. His hand rose to cup it and she cheekily bit into her pepper, pleased with herself.

She finished up, then went down the stairs to the floor with ease. She went to the guest bathroom and up to the sink-with ease.

She never thought she would miss the feeling of walking up and down stairs but here she was. The ability to finally do something for herself without having to ask for help was liberating. She felt like an adult again.

Saying good night to Kakashi, she headed towards her bookshelf.

Books had always been a huge part of her life, ever since she started reading at four. She always sat in the back of class with a book, or with one hidden in her textbook. She would spend hours at the library and use all her birthday and allowance to buy some. In fact, reading was the very thing she was doing when she was summoned here. To her, this bookshelf was more than just a place to sleep. It was the closest thing to home she had here.

She saw that Kakashi had sneakily applied another staircase and wedged it in between a couple books.

She settled on her bed, and while the doll was no Patches, it did the job well enough. She turned on her side of the bed, the one away from the opening and closed her eyes.

...

She sensed a disturbance in the force.

The air had changed around her as if another presence was warming it. It might just be Kakashi checking up on her again...

She cracked open a eyelid, and then bit her arm to keep from gasping. A hand like a giant spider was creeping towards her. Something metallic glinted in the darkness and it wasn't a kunai. The arm(which was not Kakashi's) seemed to be searching for something.

Her.

Its fingers felt along the wooden shelf like antenna, pads running perversely across her furniture and on her clothes.

It was getting closer.

Ba-bump-Ba-bump-Ba-bump-

She desperately lowered her breathing, and rolled over the side of the bed silently to the shelf, leaving the doll on the bed. She crawled to the other side inside a scroll and trembled.

Peeking out she saw the pinkie finger inches away from her. It wasn't Kakashi's. No way. She knew his hands.

It patted silently, still searching. The fingertips came to her bed and paused, hovering right over where she just was not a minute ago. In a vice like grip it wrapped around the doll, lifting it up and out of sight. Vanishing into the night.

She didn't know how long she sat there trembling, but when she came to her senses, she jumped up and ran.

Past the couch into the hallway, beyond the bathroom and knocked on Kakashi's door.

He opened it and she normally would have squealed at his bed head, if she hadn't been almost kidnapped. She nearly cried in relief.

"Kakashi, somebody was here, in here-"

He scooped her up against his chest and darted into the living room-where the stairs in the side of the bookcase laid cracked and bent. She trembled and he rubbed her back with his thumb.

He was pissed.

He summoned Pakkun to do a check and secured the rest of the house. The man was long gone and she wished she could have made out more of him in the darkness. Because he had just destroyed something that gave her security, made her feel better.

He had violated something she had considered her second home, destroying whatever sense of safety she had left. Some part of her had always thought Kakashi's home was untouchable. Thanks to this guy, that idea was dashed.

"Kakashi, what now?" She whispered.

Kakashi rubbed his chin.

"Hm, well, there's simply no other way." he nodded in finality.

"Kakashi..."

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"Haruhi, from now on, you're sleeping with me."

Chapter Text

When she woke up, it was with much confusion.

And comfort.

It was very soft but definitely not Kakashi's pocket or her bed. A steady torrent of rain between a drizzle and a mild downpour pattered against the window
She felt like she was drowning in fabric, the absolute fluffiness felt like it could smother her with it's buoyancy. Shifting her heavy limbs, there was a noticeable dip where she was sleeping.

A pillow.

She was sleeping on a giant pillow.

Even bigger than the one she had slept on in the living room, the one that was Pakkun's pillow. It was like sitting in a crater on the moon. It also smelled really, really nice...like pine.

A deep heavy breath to her left, almost a snore but not quite, startled her into upright position. She still couldn't see over the arch of the pillow but she had a pretty good idea of who it was. Grabbing handfuls of fabric, she made her way over, overbalanced, and tumbled onto the bed.

She flopped like a pancake thankfully onto the firmer mattress. The heavy breathing cut off.

"Kakashi, what do we do today?"

He didn't respond for a few seconds, probably deciding whether to go back to sleep or not.

"...Today is our off day for team seven, to recover in the aftermath of a high ranked mission."

"Well, we used up all the remaining food last night, so we need to go shopping."

He grunted and rolled away from her. She fell down at the movement. It was a lot like being on a trampoline and standing up and then some guy jumps right next to you and your legs cave.

She got up and bounced over, imagining this was a lot like being on the moon. She grabbed his black night shirt and stepped on his back, feeling him shudder at the weird feeling.

"Please?" She whined. "I'm hungry and I-I don't wanna go by myself." She pouted.

He remained remarkably still, before reaching over and picking her up with his hand. He sat up sluggishly with his eye barely open looking exhausted. For a second she felt bad, as he had stayed up a bit longer to search for her would be kidnapper, but that feeling disappeared with her growling stomach.

He eye-smiled and stood up. He put her down on the ground and they both went to brush their teeth or whatever. She finished before him of course, so she went into the kitchen on top of the counter. What fruit was left was spotted and wrinkled. Her nose curled and she jogged to the other end of the counter.

Kakashi walked in, raking his fingers through his tremendous bed head. She giggled and he sent her a deadpanned questioning look.

"Cumulonimbus cloud Kakashi."

"Maa." He flapped his hand. He checked the fridge as if food would magically appear, before closing it in defeat. Kakashi searched for an umbrella and Haruhi ran to the bookshelf and climbed up it the old fashioned way, changing into day clothes.

Kakashi had changed into long sleeves and his flak jacket and she put herself between that green ruff and his cloth covered neck. It was raining outside so they didn't have to worry about a lot of other people being out.

They stepped outside and immediately the pattering of rain against the umbrella relaxed her in a way almost nothing else could. She sighed and leaned against the neck ruff, appreciating the smell of rain and the freshness that accompanied it.

"...You really like rain, don't you?" He mused.

"Yeah." She sighed happily.

It was peacefully quiet into the shopping district of Konoha, the few people that were out holding newspapers or umbrellas and walking quickly to their destination. Kakashi walked slowly, probably to let Haruhi appreciate the rain for a bit longer before they went into the store.

Where they arrived at the familiar place she had seen once before, they took shelter under the canopy, Kakashi shaking out his umbrella before hooking it to his side.

"What do you want to get?"

"Veggies, fruits, maybe some chips too."

"Sounds good." He agreed.

The store was mostly empty, the cashier from last time lost in a book at the checkout. They compared noodles, looked over sauces, and snuck a few grapes for themselves. He bought her a bag of peach rings as she had squealed in his ear when she saw them.

They were giggling over a funny looking fruit that kinda looked like a butt when they heard a roar.

"YOSH! MY ETERNAL RIVAL HAS RETURNED, WITHOUT VISITING ME FIRST!"

Ears ringing, she considered her options. Kakashi was frozen in shock and at this angle wouldn't get past Gai. There was only one way but up. She jumped and grabbed his hair, pulling herself up into his cloud-like hair. it got the job done and hid her perfectly but she couldn't get over how weird it was. She was glad he took a shower this morning.

Gai was still going strong and within seconds blew away the peaceful atmosphere. The Cashier had fallen off his chair and Kakashi was standing extremely stiffly. She felt rather like a panther in a jungle.

She loved Gai.

Like, he was just so cool? Endlessly optimistic and kind? Passionate? She liked that. Quite reminded her of herself in fact. She giggled. She wished she could meet him face to face, she was sure his reaction would be the best!

"Was that you?" Said a confused Gai.

Kakashi walked up to the cashier and paid for their things Gai at his side like a limpet. It was Obvious Kakashi was trying to shake him but couldn't due to her nesting in his expansive hair. Was it weird she was happy about that?

"My Youthful Rival! I shall accompany you!"

"That's not nessacar-"

"AH! You will be making lunch. I happen to say we should make curry!" Gai exclaimed, holding out his own bag of groceries. Haruhi had actually never had curry before and was very interested. Kakashi opened his mouth, undoubtedly to say something rude, so she tugged on his hair.

"No-ouch!"

"Hmm? Have you something to say, my Eternal Rival?"

"No." Haruhi giggled again, and felt Gai send another strange look at Kakashi.

"Ah, my rival, I see you're in a good mood as well! I Must admit to never hearing you giggle like that, HA!"

Haruhi giggled again but Kakashi chose that moment to open the umbrella.

"Curry, curry, curry..." She chanted quietly, stamping lightly on his head.

"What was that? You want curry too!" Gai seemed to be on the verge of tears. She felt Kakashi slump in defeat. Now that she thought about it, Gai was trustworthy. Before they left Kakashi considered handing her over to him.

She peeked out to see him talking animatedly towards them, underneath his own umbrella. He gasped and she retreated quickly.

"KAKASHI THERE IS SOMETHING IN YOUR HAIR!"

She slid off his head and into his front pocket-just in time too as Gai started searching Kakashi's voluminous hair. She giggled.

"What is this Kakashi? Are you ticklish?"

She giggled again and Kakashi booked it back home. She giggled as Kakashi ran, trying not to slip in the puddles with Gai hot on his tail.

"YOSH! This game it quite fun, isn't it?" Gai shouted. Gai thought Kakashi was the one giggling! This only made her laugh harder, ignoring Kakashi's shushes. His front door in sight, he slammed it shut, sighing and putting the wet umbrella to the side. Gai could be heard in the distance. He pulled her out of his pocket with an annoyed look on his face, Haruhi grinning cheekily up at him. He put her down on the floor and went into the kitchen.

Haruhi got on from laying on her side and walked towards the kitchen.

BANG. The door flew open behind her.

"YOSH MY YOUT-HUH!?"

Gai stood in the doorway one hand giving a thumbs up and the other holding the umbrella behind him. One foot was held out from when he kicked open the door. His face was slack open-mouthed in shock.

Haruhi stood frozen like a mouse in his shadow, before grinning and waving.

"Hello! I'm Haruhi! It's so wonderful to meet you!" She giggled.

He stayed frozen in position.

"A-a tiny person..." He whispered in shock.

She beamed and waved.

In a motion that blew back her hair he threw himself on his knees and elbows, inspecting her from all sides. She didn't mind, cause Gai was cool. Kakashi was standing frozen in the background.

"I heard you back there. You seem like quite a youthful person." Haruhi said cheekily, winking up at Gai. He laughed, still a bit thunderstruck. Outside the rain picked up and Kakashi went and closed the door. He lent and picked her up.

"Kakashi are you sure that's okay?" Said Gai worriedly.

"Maa, it's fine." He said, turning himself and her away from Gai. "You might as well stay a bit and get an explanation."

"Curry." Haruhi whispered. Kakashi tightened his grip.

"Ah! You want curry, then!" Gai said, starting to regain his former mood.

"That's alright Gai, I can-"

"Curry!" She giggled, cutting Kakashi off.

Gai looked delighted, spouted some gibberish and took over the kitchen. He threw question after question over his shoulder and Haruhi happily answered them all. Kakashi sat on a stool with his arms crossed.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked.

"I simply can't choose one! What's yours?"

"Green!"

"I can tell!"

They both laughed. Gai was just the type of person that brought out her kind happy side.

"How did you get so small?"

"Jutsu. How did you get so big?" He was just as tall as Kakashi, who was canonical one of the tallest characters.

"Training! AND YOUTH!"

He launched into an explanation of his insane training regiment, Haruhi clapping with delight. He caught him shooting looks of awe and curiosity at her and she beamed in return. She couldn't explain why she liked Gai so much.

"So, how do you know Kakashi? Are you guys friends?"

"We are RIVALS!" He said over the in-process curry.

"Oh?"

She glanced at Kakashi, whose forehead was on the counter. Gai happily explained their rivalry in its entirety, including their score.

"Alas, my Rival is currently ahead-by one point!"

"Keep at it!" She encouraged.

She was endlessly fascinated with Gai and she could tell it was mutual. Kakashi remained silent. The curry was ready and her mouth watered as he placed a bowl in front of her.
It was delicious and she let Gai know, who then wiped away a tear.

"My cooking is good too" Kakashi grumbled.

"Another point for Gai! You're tied now!" Haruhi said around a mouthful of curry.

"YOSH!" He cheered.

They ate up, Kakashi turning around, in a bad mood for some reason.

Gai declared he had to go not long after that, something to do with extra training with Lee and his nightly exercises. He promised a return and Haruhi smiled in delight as she ate her Curry.

Kakashi cleaned up and put the leftovers in the fridge without speaking. Haruhi went down the stairs to her bookshelf and called back.

"Kakashi?"

"Hm."

"If I'm staying in your room now, shouldn't I move my stuff there too?"

He took a moment.

"Yes."

Haruhi made work of moving her things into his room under the cabinet. It was actually pretty easy-even without the stairs. Kakashi was pouting in the kitchen again sorting and washing everything slowly. This continued for about two hours and the rain was picking up outside. 'It was a good thing they got home when they did' she mused. As the rain picked up, so did her mood. She felt better than she did yesterday.

But Kakashi's did not. His pouting turned to sulking, and Haruhi wasn't sure what to do. Was he that upset about curry? The clouds outside were magnificent and she sighed happily.

"Do you really like rain that much?" He asked.

She nodded as she passed the kitchen.

Kakashi was quieter than normal, not even humming like he normally did. She bit her lip. How could she get him to speak?

"Kakashi, wanna know what my favorite color is?" She called back.

"What?"

"Gray. I like gray quite a lot." She said. "It can be a very nice color. It had a bad rep as boring, but just look at those storm clouds! And the best characters in books are always gray..."

"Oh." He ran his hand through his hair.

The atmosphere seemed to pick up.

"What's your favorite color?" Haruhi asked, in the process of carrying a miniature chair over her head.

"...I quite like golden-brown ." He mused. Haruhi grinned, resting her palm below her eyes.

The grin slid off her face as thoughts of the genin reached her. They would still probably be mad at her-as they should be, as that was a bit heartless on her part. She slowed her pace and Kakashi picked up on it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She sighed.

"You know, the genin will forgive you."

"How do you know that?" She questioned sharply. He appeared from the kitchen holding soapy dishes and sleeves rolled up, eye-smiling at her.

"Because it's impossible to stay annoyed at you!" He laughed " You're too...Haruhi, for that."

She scowled at him, but that only made him laugh again.

They continued working peacefully after that, Haruhi arranging her things under the dresser and Kakashi doing things around the house. Cleaning and setting up extra defenses. Time passed extremely quickly this way, and she pulled the garden book off of the shelf-despite said shelf now giving her the creeps. It seemed Kakashi had removed the broken wooden staircases.

He read his Icha Icha and she read her veggie book which was a lot more fascinating than you'd think. When her eyes started to itch in exhaustion she went to bed-now under his dresser. For some reason, it wasn't as comfortable as it used to be.

Her eyes slid shut and she started dreaming.

A woman sat at an empty kitchen table. A clocked ticked in the background, signifying the time as 2:01 in the morning. The woman paid no heed to the time, only gazing blearly into her cup of long cold tea.

The reflection that stared back at her was one of a tired woman, deep purple eyebags under dark brown eyes, skin dull with a lack of sun.

Where was her daughter?

She regretted not checking up on her immediately, like she said she would. But they needed her at work, and as the manager of that branch of the company she couldn't just leave.

"Mom?" A voice said tentatively.

Her eyes widened and her head snapped to the side.

There was her daughter. Her chair stretched on the tile floor as she jumped up, eyes alight with joy. She made a move to go and hug her daughter, but when she stretched out her hands, she stopped and stared at the huge appendage.

She looked and her eyes became bigger, wider, darker. She lifted her arm around in a circle. Bones cracked and the business shirt ripped and tore. It grew bigger longer giant as it descended towardshersmallhelplessform-

Haruhi gasped, springing out of bed. Her heart thudded in her chest.

"Just a dream!" She whispered." Just a dream."

"Haruhi?" Said a worried voice. Directly to her left Kakashi was kneeling with his face pressed to the floorboards. His gray eye gleamed worriedly at her hunched over form. She got up on shaky legs.

"Kakashi...can I sleep on the pillow again? Please?" She asked.

He said nothing, only offering his hand to her. She was overwhelmed with gratefulness and hugged his thumb as she crawled on.

"Thank you. Sorry if I woke you."

"Maa, I was reading Icha Icha anyway."

She giggled nervously and tucked her hair behind her ear. Kakashi placed her on the bed and she ran over to her pillow, climbing to the top. Feeling mischievous, and grateful now, she licked her lips and opened her mouth.

"I love curry, Kakashi, but it just doesn't beat stir-fry," She called over to him. "Take another point Kakashi. As much as I like Gai, I like you better." She winked and blew a mock kiss. She then followed it up with a muffled goodnight.

"Goodnight."

"...Goodnight."

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Alright! Another Haruhi x Kakashi moment(s)!
Do they have chemistry? In a few chapters, I'll crack down on Sasuke. In this story, filler chapters are actually very important, as they give me time to develop the relationships.
May of you have asked when and will she get bigger and my response is; in due time, my friends. In due time...

Chapter Text

Haruhi clutched the pocket inside worriedly.

Their day off had passed and she and Kakashi were heading, (two hours late) to team seven's meeting place on the bridge. Haruhi wasn't in the habit of biting her nails but if she was they'd be stubs by now. She had actually wanted to wait longer but Kakashi actually insisted on leaving a bit earlier than their normal three hours. It was like he wanted her to confront the students or something.

"Oh Haruhi, I forgot to tell you. The Hokage has declassified you."

Haruhi nearly missed it with how stesses she was.

"...What?"

"Well, you weren't a very well kept secret in the first place, but now that you'll be staying here longer you can be out in the open." He said before adding quickly "That is only if you want to of course."

"Oh."

That was nice but she had more important things to worry about. Like what the kids would say. And really, was that what she was? A secret? She squealed at the thought and covered her ears, ignoring Kakashi's bemused look.

They were in the forest now and the bridge was just up ahead. Distantly she could hear Sakura yelling at Sasuke and Naruto, telling both of them to knock it off. Kakashi stepped over the top of the hill and they quieted like someone hit the mute button.

She shrank down into the pocket and curled up at the bottom, too worried to actually look out of her peep hole. Speaking of which, she'd found the floss cutter while moving all her stuff around the other day. It had been a pleasant surprise when she had found it, but was only able to perk up her mood for a little bit.

Kakashi went on to explain they should go and see what missions were available and the three nodded before descending into silence.

"Where's Haruhi-sensei?" Naruto asked(demanded).

She sunk even lower. She should just face them already but apprehension was grabbing her gut and twisting it. She had to get out before Kakashi pulled her-

"She will speak when she wants."

Wow okay.

She was glad Kakashi respected her feelings.

But Haruhi felt...cowardly curled up at the bottom of Kakashi's pocket- especially when he was defending her like that. So she took a deep breath and hauled herself up.
She was done hiding.

"Haruhi-sensei!" Sakura and Naruto shouted before falling into a nervous silence. Sasuke dug his hands in his pockets, Sakura put her hand to her mouth and Naruto flailed around.

...Were they just as worried as she was?

Barely daring to hope, Haruhi cracked a small, shy smile.

The tenseness melted from their frames and Naruto burst out bawling.

"We're s-sorry, Haruhi-sensei!" Naruto wailed.

Haruhi was blown away. She expected them to be mad, not relieved to the point of tears. Naruto was making grabby hands at her as she was on Kakashi's shoulder and she decided to comply, jumping down as he pulled himself together.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't think I was such a big deal." Haruhi ran a hand through her now damp hair from Naruto.

"But Haruhi sensei, you promised you'd help." Sakura pouted. Naruto sputtered some gibberish.

Yeah, she did do that.

"You're a part of team seven! You're important!" He sniffled. Sasuke gave a jerk of his head that might have been a nod.

Since when did that happen!? She was expecting emotions to run high, but not this whiplash! She guessed it didn't matter anymore, considering she would be here for a while longer by the looks of it.

The thought made her cringe.

She hadn't heard a peep about the chunin exams and Jiraiya only came back after the forest of death. She had months to go and doing what she was doing before would be pointless. She had already failed miserably at trying not to change the plot.

"A mission! Let's go!" Naruto shouted. Haruhi jumped over to Sakura to Kakashi's disappointment, and with everyone in a much better mood they made their way to the mission desk; Haruhi standing proudly on Sakura's shoulder. She started to have second thoughts as soon as they made their way through town towards the tower. At first nobody noticed, but when they did, they exclaimed loudly and pointed.

"What is that?"

"Look as her shoulder!"

Because he made her feel safe, she'd jumped back on Kakashi's shoulder and hid behind the green ruff by kneeling on his clavicle. He seemed not to mind. News traveled fast and by the time they reached the tower people were blatantly stopping and staring.

They walked in and the desk chunin stood up behind their desks, but seeing her with the copy nin had them sitting down again. Whispers and stares followed them and her face was a bright cherry red by the time they got to the mission room, where Iruka gasped in shock. She blushed and waved.

Iruka waved back, in a sort of shell shocked way.

The Hokage was smiling (smugly?) as he smoked his pipe.

"Team seven successfully completes an A-rank mission and is back only after a day of rest." He stated. The kids shimmied with repressed energy.

"Yeah yeah! Give us another mission old man!"

"Hmm..."

"C'mon!"

"It's standard to have at least a week of rest after this high of an A ranking mission."

"We already rested after we defeated Zabuza!" Naruto yelled.

The Hokage kept up his thoughtful expression.

"Well, then the five of you can get acquainted-"

"Huh?" Said everybody, except Naruto as he didn't know what that word meant.

"-With your newest team member. "

The Hokage signaled somebody with a wave of his hand and they waited with baited breath as they went to go get the newest teammate. Haruhi had an inkling as to who is could be but she didn't want to get her hopes up...

Naruto screamed.

"HAKU!" He cried, jumping the poor kid. Haruhi grinned as the other two greeted Haku a bit more gently, Sasuke almost in fact completely ignoring him. The kid seemed to be doing a lot better, burns being treated. He had scar tissue on his face and, she realized with a jolt of guilt, on his hand.

"Kakashi, isn't this great?" She breathed excitedly in his ear. He nodded.

"Team seven's official mission of today is to relax and show Haku Konoha. There is an initiation period for everyone entering Konoha and he

will be spending that time with you." Lord Third leaned back, smoking his pipe contentedly.

And with Iruka still gawking at her, they turned and walked out of the Hokage's office. The grin slid off her face, all the nin still gawking at her. She supposed it was a good thing as it took the spotlight off of Haku but the pointing was annoying. None of the nin dared approach her when Kakashi was right there, so she got off the hook.
That is, until they got outside.

A crowd of curious onlookers had amassed in front of the tower-all whispering and pointing and Haruhi flushed. When they spotted her some squealed in excitement and started walking up to Kakashi. This was a crowd of civilians who wouldn't be intimidated by Kakashi's rep. Wide-eyed, she didn't know what to do.

"So cute~" A woman cooed at her. Like she was a gerbil or something.

"Do you think he'll let us hold her?" Whispered one loudly to his friend.

"HEY! You're making Haruhi-sensei uncomfortable!" Naruto shouted. The crowd halted at Naruto's words, and started muttering to each other, obviously nothing nice. But Naruto squared his jaw bravely and stared them down until they mostly dissipated, still shooting curious glances at Haruhi. Wasting no time, she slid down into the pocket and curled up into a ball. She would have to say thank you later.

She listened in as they showed Haku around Konoha. She peeked out a couple times and instinctively pulled away when someone approached.

"And then here's the Ramen. It's the best food in the world." Naruto bragged.

"I can't say I've ever had it." Haku said. He seemed pleased enough to be here, but...something was off.

Naruto gasped in horror.

"RAMEN!" He shouted, like it explained everything."We're having Ramen!"

And then he dragged Haku off to the stools. And since Haku was everyone's mission they had no choice but to follow. Haruhi didn't recall ever having ramen either. Making sure the coast was clear she leaned out and climbed onto Kakashi's shoulder. Haku seemed embarrassed at his ignorance of the dish, and Haruhi felt the protective need to take the weight off of Haku.

"Is Ramen good?" She asked Naruto.

Naruto slid off his chair, apparently dealing with many strong emotions at once. He clutched at his chest and breathed heavily.

But it did take the pressure off of Haku so HAruhi wasn’t upset.

"Dobe." Sasuke said with no real venom, which piqued Haruhi's interest for a second-until her stomach rumbled and took that away. Kakashi shot her an amused glance as she had had a pretty small breakfast this morning due to nerves.

"Why don't we find out." Kakashi said, and sat down on the stool the the left of Naruto.

"Hello and welcome to-huh!" Haruhi grinned and waved at the girl behind the counter. They had met once before, but they just didn't see her. The girl went wide eyed, covering her mouth with both hands. Haruhi wondered why everyone reacted like that.

"Hi." She said breathlessly. "What's your name?"

"Haruhi." She grinned. She liked the reaction she was getting-especially from the ladies.

“I’m Ayame.”

Haruhi smiled at her.

"RAMEN PLEASE!" Naruto bellowed. She snapped out of it and went to the back of the shop.

"What's this? Said another voice behind the counter. "Naruto, you've brought some friends with you again." Naruto blushed and grinned.

"Some of them haven't had ramen before!" He said as if this was an outrage.

"Really? Who?"

"Them!"

"There's only one."

"Hello!" Haruhi jumped down onto the counter. Ichiraku, much like his daughter, gasped in delight. His daughter peeked from around the corner.

"Can I..." He laid his palm flat.

Haruhi’s brow twitched in annoyance, before she quickly covered it up. Teuchi was a good man.

"Sure." Haruhi climbed on and Kakashi crossed his arms. She had no problem with being held as long as they were respectful.

"You came to my shop for Ramen?" He asked happily. She nodded. Putting her down he went to the back, talking about how he had just the thing for her. She beamed happily. Maybe this declassified thing wouldn't be too bad. She was busy beaming and waiting for whatever they brought out when talking caught her attention.

A crowd of people stood around Ichiraku's pointing and whispering at her. She sweat dropped.

At her response a few of the braver ones approached and bombarded them with questions. Kakashi was overwhelmed with the social interaction and sat there in a panic. The same with Sasuke. Naruto didn't care about them.

"Hey, One at a time!" Sakura snapped from her position in between the two boys. She seemed to be taking her position of peacekeeper to heart.

"Okay, where did you get her?"

"Can I hold her?"

"Can I borrow her sometime?"

"Awe, she's so cute!"

A man snapped his arm out towards her and Haruhi yelped and closed her eyes. A weird snapping noise caused her to look up and see an annoyed Kakashi gripping the man's arm. He didn't say anything... just glared and let him go.

Haruhi fled and hid behind the napkin dispenser only to be greeted with more cooing. For a second there she was reminded of the man who had tried to kidnap her. They were talking about her like she was a particularly smart pet and she wasn't okay with that.

"Shoo! Go unless you are going to buy Ramen. You're disturbing my customers!" Ichiraku came over, carrying bowls of ramen on each arm. The crowd again dispersed with some of the people staring in interest at the ramen.

"Thank you." Haruhi said.

Grinning, he put down a mini bowl of ramen with smaller utensils right in front of her. How considerate. She dug in along with Haku who ate more daintily than her.

But that was a given. She smirked in amusement. The three genin couldn't decide whether to watch her or Kakashi.

"So you guys like it." Naruto stated, as a no answer was unacceptable. He slurped on his own ramen.

She nodded, mouth full. She grinned at Haku who smiled placatingly back at her.

"It is very good." Haku said, taking the smallest bite humanly possible.

"Yes it was." Said Kakashi, putting down his chopsticks in an empty bowl. He leaned back lazily rubbing his stomach.

"HUH!?" The genin shrieked. Kakashi's eye gleamed with mirth from under the lid but he hid it very well. Haruhi snorted into her ramen, receiving three frustrated looks from the kids. Haku carefully ate his ramen, the side of his mouth with the burn scars sloping downwards.

At this, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably and went back to staring at his ramen, which he had ordered of his own accord instead of being elbowed into it. He had yet to take a bite.
Interesting.

Out of them all, Sasuke defiantly had the coldest relationship with Haku. If you could even call it that. Could it be because of the burns he sustained from Sasuke? She hummed, bringing a bit of bread to her mouth.

"I just think it's so interesting!" Sakura gushed. "I've signed myself up for small volunteer positions at the hospital, and I've been studying the human body too!" She smiled, then shot a shy look at Haruhi.

"That's great Sakura! But uh, what for?" Haruhi said.

"Oh, well..." She blushed nervously before squaring up. "I want to be a medic nin. I have the best chakra control on our team so I already have a head start."

Haruhi grinned and nodded. Kakashi voiced his approval too and to everyone's surprise, Haku spoke.

"I could help you."

"Really?" Sakura's face flushed in surprise, before she smiled. Haruhi remembered him gathering herbs in the forest.

"Yes. I was very adept at healing wounds and am very knowledgeable with herbs." He smiled again, seeming to perk up from before. Haruhi could tell healing was a passion of his.

"But Haku! I thought you were gonna be a ninja, not a medic!" Naruto whined. Sakura smacked him over the head.

"You can be both idiot!" She growled.

And then Haruhi realized the problem and had to refrain from smacking herself. Haku's eyes blanked out again, and his chopsticks hovered for a second.

In order to preserve Zabuza's legacy and to protect himself as a missing nin, Haku had to come along to Konoha. And be a ninja. Something Zabuza stated destroyed him from the inside. What good was Haku coming here if he would waste away anyway? In a way, it was crueler than a Chidori to the chest.

"Haku, do you want to become a medic?"

"..."

Sakura dropped her chopsticks.

"I Didn't think I could. I thought I had to be a ninja. I was assigned chunin rank already." He spoke slowly.

"Well, you can go with Sakura to the hospital, see what you can do." Haruhi offered. Sakura was quick to nod her agreement. "You guys can ask Kakashi for help if you need it."
"I might be able to pull a few strings." Kakashi agreed, looking away briefly in embarrassment when Haruhi sent him a beaming smile. It was perfect. Haku was a kind soul and would see very little battle if he worked at the hospital. He could help instead of harm. It would be perfect for him.

"And Haku, I'm sure we can work together!" Sakura said, putting a hand on his shoulder before pulling it away, blushing and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

SNAP.

"Sasuke, your chopsticks!" Naruto cried out in shock. Indeed he had gripped them so tightly they broke in half. Sasuke grunted, before reaching for a new pair. Haku picked up his own pair again and dug in, humming in appreciation as he took a large bite.

"This is very good Naruto. You have excellent tastes." Haku said warmly. They continued to eat in silence for a bit, the general atmosphere picking up as Naruto slurped his noodles, opened his mouth, and spoke.

"I've been working on some cool new techniques!" He said around a mouthful of ramen.

"Naruto. Swallow." Haruhi chided.

He sheepishly swallowed before speaking again.

"I've been working on some stuff with my shadow clones." He bragged. "Let's go to the training grounds after this and I'll show you!" With that in mind, they finished their meals only to find it was on the house. Haruhi thanked them exuberantly, along with Naruto and Sakura. He smiled and nodded, before waving in the line of curious bystanders who wanted to eat at the same place the tiny woman did.

Naruto chatted animatedly all the way to the training ground, waving his hands and running circles around their group. His chatter helped distract Haruhi from the glances of the villagers. Naruto powered on through, and she couldn't help but admire him for that.

When they arrived at the training ground, it was already fully occupied. It seemed a lot of ninja had off days today.

"Next one." Kakashi said.

That one was empty. Emptier.

Naruto broke into a couple side lunges, kicking up dust. Voices picked up and what seemed like two dozen civilians were there, watching them raptly. They stood on the sidelines, talking to one another and pointing obtrusively. And getting in the way of Naruto's moves.

"Argh! We need somewhere private!" Naruto yelled, clutching his hair and shaking his head back and forth. they all stood and tried to figure out the problem when Sasuke unexpectedly spoke up.

"Follow me."

"Why?" Naruto demanded.

"...I know a place." Then, as an afterthought, added "dobe."

Naruto scowled, but followed anyway.

Haruhi looked down from Kakashi's shoulder curiously as he took off after them. They plodded after him, Sasuke occasionally throwing discreet looks over his shoulder to make sure they were still there. As they moved on, it got quieter, almost...eerily so. It was a part of Konoha she had never seen before, including during all those D-ranks. As time went on, Sasuke's shoulders microscopically tensed up. He was obviously uncomfortable. They passed a row of empty houses and she felt Kakashi tense up, eye on Sasuke.

Oh.

OH.

They were heading into the Uchiha compound.

If she had been drinking something it would have been a marvelous spit-take. She hunched over and studied the houses, the silence was stifling and the kids picked up on the mood, Naruto falling mostly silent.

Sasuke turned away from the row of soulless buildings, and turned towards a wooded area. Haruhi relaxed her grip on Kakashi's jacket. It seemed the mood had gotten to her too.

She actually felt bad. Out of all of team seven including Haku, she had bonded with Sasuke the least. Heck, she bonded more with Haku than Sasuke and he was on the team first! They were basically exactly how they were when they first met.

They stopped at a training ground. It had gone slightly to seed, with weeds at the edges, but otherwise was empty and fully operational. A shed with what she assumed was filled with training equipment was tucked away in the corner. Impressive almost unmarked wooden beams stood in the middle of the field.

"Wow!" Naruto yelped. "This is great Tem-uh, Sasuke!"

"Hn."

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, jerking his head and stuffing his hands in his pocket.

Naruto launched into an explanation of his jutsu.

"Here's what I came up with!" He shouted.

He formed three of himself, each clone forming a hand sign. For contrast, the two clones were wearing slightly different colors.

"Replacement jutsu!"

The two clones switched spots.

"See I can switch with myself! Replace with a clone where there's no log! Pretty neat, huh?" He grinned, looking up sheepishly.

"Yes...That is very smart of you, Naruto." Kakashi said, impressed. " Since the clones are solid and not just an illusion, they have mas

s and weight to them, making it entirely plausible for you to switch with them. Good job!"

"Hey if Naruto can switch with a clone, what about the others?" Haruhi asked. "Can you guys do it too?" She aimed this at the three younglings. Still impressed by Naruto's bout of cleverness, they took a moment to mull over what she said.

Sakura cracked her knuckles. As the second smallest to Naruto it was only logical she went first.

"Replacement jutsu!"

A clone stood where she once was.

"Naruto this is really clever!" Sakura said. "We could do a lot with this! You could make the clones for us and we could use the clones to get closer or farther away from an opponent. This is huge!"

Naruto preened with the compliment.

Kakashi was about to burst with pride. She could feel him brimming with happiness as the four converged, thinking up ways to use the clones to their advantage.
"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Haruhi said.

"Yeah." Kakashi sighed.

"-Maybe we could use the clones as bombs! Like one of us is cornered so we replace with a clone who is equipped with a exploding tag or-"

"We henge as Naruto clones so they can't tell us apart from the clones and the real thing so they would be caught off guard and we have the advantage of surprise since they’re not expecting our fighting styles-"

"-What if Naruto made clones that looked like us instead of him? As decoys or doubles?"

When Haku threw out something about his clones and the mirrors Haruhi had to take a little break. All of them were so clever she had trouble keeping up. Sasuke seemed to have mostly shaken his case of the blues, and was leaning over and listening intently to something Sakura was saying. She paid attention to how the light breeze (which had picked up in the last ten minutes or so) rustled the dandelions.

Kakashi's mood dropped like a rock.

His neck muscles tightened as he scanned the treeline-which suddenly looked ominous. The gently shaking trees and the rustling scraped along her ears. The four of them were still talking loudly about their various plans and none of them seemed to notice anything was wrong or off.

Kakashi shifted, blocking her from the view of a place in the treeline where his sharp eye had rested.

"Kakashi...is it him?" She whispered.

Kakashi stood up.

"Maa maa, I think that's enough for today team!" Kakashi said, adopting his usual relaxed look. He nonchalantly placed her in his pocket and she didn't fight it. "It's time to go. That's enough for one day."

"But Kakashi-sensei, we were just getting started! Haruhi-sensei! Tell him!"

"Uh, that's enough for one day."

Kakashi's resolve strengthened with that and he firmly escorted them off the compound- taking extra care to see Sasuke to his apartment. Naruto complained loudly before asking Sasuke if they could come back. Kakashi interrupted.

"Maa, I need to be there, and none of you can be at that location by yourselves. Team rule." He said as way of explanation. Sasuke cast them a suspicious look before grunting as they waved goodbye.

As they walked home by themselves Haruhi peaked out.

"Is he gone yet?"

"Hm." He waited until he was inside to talk.

"I'm not going to lie to you Haruhi, I'm not sure who he is. If he was after Sasuke or Naruto or me I would understand, but for all intents and purposes he's after you." He was getting noticeably frustrated.

"But, how did he get inside Konoha? How has he stayed undetected for this long?"

"I don't know." He snapped, sliding against the door onto his backside.

"Well, excuse me." She snapped back. She huffed and jumped down, landing on shaky legs. She turned her back and folded her arms, nose turned up.

He sighed.

"Sorry. I just don't know who it is, or what he could possibly want with you." He ruffled his hair with one hand, the other in his lap. She relaxed her arms, angered features softening into a worried look as she glanced at him.

Then his eye turned to steel.

"But I know one thing. I won't let him get to you."

Chapter Text

The next couple of weeks went by like this.

Naruto kept training with his clones, taking the rest of the team's suggestions to heart. He borrowed Sasuke's training grounds, having found it was an ideal place to practice his techniques. Sasuke had given his permission and often went with him as Sakura and Haku were occupied. That's where Haruhi and Kakashi spent most of their time too.

Sakura threw herself into her work with a passion never seen before, taking Haku along for the ride. She seemed to care about little else, noticeably toning down her reactions to Sasuke to the point that Haruhi (and Sasuke) were left blinking. Haku and Sakura trained endlessly and were always talking about things that even Kakashi couldn't

understand sometimes. After their medical work they would all join up at Sasuke's training ground to train as a team.

Kakashi had also taken to showing Sakura basic genjutsu, and how to dispel them.

Sometime during this, Kakashi found a back route to the training ground through the forests and showed team seven the path. It definitely beat walking through the ghost town and she couldn't help but feel Sasuke was grateful to them for it.

It had sort of become their unofficial meet up place.

They had cleared out the shed and updated it with new equipment and snacks. There was even a recliner in the corner. Kakashi surprised the four pre-teens by adding new training posts and targets.

They found during one of their training sessions that Haku had the best accuracy, Sasuke being a close second. Sakura would have been third, except her throws had too little force behind them. One day Sasuke had enough of it.

"Here." Sasuke said one day, and demonstrated how to throw more forcefully. Sakura threw the kunai and hit the edge of the bulls eye. It stuck. She offered a small smile and said thank you without looking Sasuke in the eyes, being immersed in her book. Sakura and Haku had a test coming up soon and were bouncing questions off each other.

"Sakura, what do you know about the Endocrine system?" Haku asked.

"Oh!" Sakura said, beaming, and launched into an explanation. Sasuke stood stunned, Naruto snickering, before he hurtled a Shuriken so hard it cracked the wooden center.

The next day, he tied with Haku on the number of bulls-eyes they each achieved.

It didn't seem to impress Sakura, who was muttering as she read a thick medical textbook. Sasuke scowled, first at Sakura then Haku. He turned to practice off in a corner of the grounds.

"Trouble in paradise." Kakashi muttered, practically smothering himself with his book. Though not noticeable to the four, Kakashi had been in a sour mood since the second

encounter with the mystery person. He had been unable to find them. Haruhi had no doubts he had his guesses, but she herself was completely baffled as to who could possibly want her.

What gods had she pissed off?

Sakura was still muttering to herself, brow furrowed. Haruhi decided to see what was going on out of sheer boredom- she could only take so much more of Kakashi's sulking.

Sakura had noticeably changed lately, maybe Haruhi could also pick up on why.

She walked over, picking up a pebble the size of her head. The three boys were at the other side of the grounds with Kakashi who had remorsefully put his book down to help

them with something.

"Hey Sakura."

"Hello Haruhi-sensei." She said distractedly.

"Whatcha reading?"

"A medical textbook." She looked up and smiled. "We're having a test soon."

"Ah. Mind If I read on your shoulder?"

Sakura didn't mind, so she sat happily and proceeded to understand nothing of it. The graphics were entertaining though. Haruhi wanted to figure out how to approach the topic of Sakura's behavior but with her so engrossed in the textbook she wasn't sure how. She tossed the pebble to the ground and watched it jump once before halting. It wasn't like Sakura was misbehaving...

"You're pretty into that, it seems like it's been taking up a lot of your energy." Haruhi commented.

Sakura paused, smiling.

"Yeah, you noticed!"

"Yeah, what's that all about?" Haruhi asked. She smirked, noticing Sakura picking up some of her language.

"Well..." Sakura folded and unfolded the corner of the textbook. "I need to get stronger."

"Yes..."

"And so I wanted to focus on my studies. I don't have time to care about Sasuke. He's a distraction." She said, in an eerie imitation of Sasuke.

"...Sakura, you're a smart girl, but that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"B-but, I wanted to be tough, like you! You don't care about anyone like that!"

"What would you know about that? How do you know how I do and don't feel?" Haruhi snapped, a bit offended.

"..."

She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Sakura. The absence of emotion does not make you strong. Quite the opposite in fact. The ability to care for another as much as you care for yourself is proof of a strong heart. The ability to open up like that is very powerful. Never be ashamed for caring about someone."

"But..." Sakura bit her tongue. "I'm sorry Haruhi-sensei."

"You don't need to apologize to me." Haruhi said, grinning slightly. "I think it's a phase all of us go through at some point, not wanting to care.”

Hey...

"What happened to me helping you get Sasuke to like you?" Haruhi whisper-shouted.

Sakura chewed her lip-a nervous habit of hers. It looked like something was paining her before she spoke.

"If Sasuke likes me, then he likes me. But if he doesn't there's no point to chase him and make him uncomfortable. Like you said." Sakura said insecurely.

"Ah. Very mature of you. You still shouldn't give up though, not if that's what you want." Haruhi said. Sasuke had activated his sharingan because of Sakura. She was more important than she thought.

"Alright." Sakura said back, then snapped her textbook closed."I think that's enough reading for now." She said. She stood up and offered her hand, and they both made their way over to the four guys- who were still arguing. Haruhi's eyes swept over the four of them, finally landing on Kakashi who was holding back an enraged Naruto who was clawing for Sasuke.

Why did Sakura think that about her? About Haruhi not caring for someone else like that? She meant, it was possible!

"Hey Sasuke!"

"...?"

"Thanks for showing me how to throw better. I know a cool technique for chakra control...If you want."

"Sure." Sasuke said blandly. But his flickering eyes betrayed his excitement. The cloud of depression that had been following him around for awhile now- ever since the ramen stand- dissipated a little bit.

Naruto crowded around to watch, Kakashi having let go when he realized Naruto wouldn't attack Sasuke. Sakura showed the boys minus Haku who had already learned the same one.

All in all, a good day.

They finished up with Sasuke lacing chakra through his kunai to the point it pierced through the target and embedded itself in a tree trunk behind it.

"Wow Sasuke!" Sakura shouted.

"Hn." Sasuke said smugly, shooting a glance at Haku.

In celebration Kakashi made the surprise announcement to go get ramen. With him paying. They waited for Naruto to collect himself as he had broke into tears, before taking the back way out.

They arrived at the stand, surprised to see the worn stools from before had been replaced with newer comfier ones. The bar looked better too. Ichiraku must have hit a lucky patch then.

"Welcome back! Please have a seat!" Said Ichiraku.

The all sat down and ordered. Haruhi was cracking a joke about a super-powered kunai when a shout interrupted her punchline.

"Haruhi, Kakashi!" They shouted.

Haruhi looked up only to see a familiar face approaching. A joyful grin lightened their face like the sun and they were waving their arms.

"Kasumi, hey!" Haruhi yelled back.

The old woman never looked younger, lines disappearing under her grin.

"Haruhi. You have single-handedly given me the best business month of my entire life!"

What.

Her confused expression must have shown because Kasumi laughed again.

"It's you! The dolls are flying off the shelves! Everyone's heard of you and they stopped at my shop. I'm here to deliver your money." She pulled out a thick envelope and placed it at her feet on the counter.

"Bye!" Said Kasumi, who waved and hurried off.
"..."

"Kakashi, I'm paying." Haruhi said.

"Alright." Said Kakashi, sounding a bit stupefied.

The four were confused before shrugging and eating their ramen.

"Hey Billboard brow!"

What now?

"Ino." Said Sakura, more invested in her ramen. Haruhi perked up at this. Sakura's rival. If Haruhi played her cards right she could bounce the girls off each other to help them improve.

"Huh, and you call me a pi-OH!" Screamed Ino, pointing at Haruhi. "So cute!"

Haruhi paused her chewing, shooting a bread filled grin at Ino that had Naruto cackling and Kakashi rolling his eyes fondly.

"She's just like Choji!"

"Somebody call?" Said a thick voice.

A round kid walked in munching on a bag of chips. Two others followed behind him, both with hands in their pockets. Cheeks bulging, Haruhi waved and hid behind the napkin dispenser. This was too many people for her tastes.

"She was just there!"

Somebody lifted the napkins revealing Haruhi in all her glory, crouched and working on a piece of bread the size of her head. She swallowed thickly and waved.

Shikamaru's jaw dropped and the normally relaxed boy looked like he couldn't believe it. She just wanted to eat her bread.

"So the rumors are true." Mused Asuma. "Who's this?" He said, gesturing to Haku.

"I'm Haku. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said charmingly. The side of his face that was facing them had no burn scars on it, so none of them reacted strongly. Sasuke didn't greet anyone, looking down into his barely eaten ramen. Choji blushed and rapidly shoveled chips in his mouth.

"Well, we have to go. We're not done with our mission yet." Asuma said around his cigarette.

"Aw." Pouted Ino.

"See you later!" Said Haruhi. They looked surprised she could speak, but waved nonetheless as they left. Kakashi pulled money from the envelope and paid for their meals-but not before Haruhi strong armed him into it.

Everyone went home.

They ran into Team Asuma again around Konoha and even trained together a few times. Shikamaru asked many questions and Haruhi answered as best as she could. It was only fitting as she had piqued a Nara's interest.

Ino and Sakura glared at each other, and were constantly competing. Though not as bad as before. In a talk inspired by Haruhi's clothes, they managed to get through a conversation without any hostility.

Haku was unsure around these new people. When they saw the burned side of his face one day when it was particularly windy, the gasps were audible. Haku refused to cut his burnt hair, instead dousing it in oil and making a curtain to cover his burns.

She didn't know why she noticed, but Sasuke turned away and went to throw kunai. In an effort to comfort Haku, Ino struck up a conversation about his hair care routine, Sakura and Haruhi joining in.

They all agreed eggs were good for softening, and olive oil was best for mending split ends.

And while everyone from both teams grew closer...Sasuke grew more distant. He barely even 'hn'ed' anymore, and preferred to train on his own. She wasn't the only one to notice, if the side looks from everyone but Naruto were anything to go by.

Naruto was a bit obtuse, especially when it came to other people’s feelings. She supposed she couldn’t blame him though.

Haruhi was getting worried-if only because Sasuke could turn violent, like he did in canon. That was a bit of a stretch, considering he was still a genin, but still...

Was this even canon?

Haruhi didn't know. To Sakura's credit, she didn't give him the cold shoulder anymore and instead chatted with him. Sasuke had been in a bad mood all week so Sakura was brave to try and strike up a conversation. At first he made an effort to listen, then he just tolerated her. And then a muscle twitches in his jaw. Sakura was getting flustered and kept on chatting until Sasuke snapped at her.

"Will you shut up?"

"Don't talk to Sakura like that Teme!" Naruto growled.

"Honestly Sasuke?!" said an exasperated Haruhi. She crossed her arms and scowled at him.

Sakura stood up without saying another word and left. He took his storm cloud with him and the mood noticeably brightened.

"What was that all about?" Haruhi asked.

Naruto shrugged and Kakashi stayed silent.

They left soon after. The mission of the day and training was over so they had nothing else to do. Haruhi frowned, trying to figure out what was wrong. Sasuke wasn't like Sakura. You couldn't just go up to him and ask and expect to get an answer. 

A sweet smell tickled her nose and she looked up from her place on the counter. Kakashi was stooped over the open oven, bringing a tray of cookies and it's sweet smell into the kitchen. He was humming under his breath-a tune she recognized as she had been humming before.

"Are those sugar cookies?" She gasped.

"Mh-hmm."

He placed them to the left of her then picked one up and gave it to her. She was able to hold it easily enough seeing as she had regained most of her strength, and nibbled on the part closest to her face.

"Thanks, but why did you bake them?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"You were frowning." He said. Then curiously added "Why?"

She swallowed her cookie bite thoughtfully.

"Sasuke."

"Hmm?"

"Sasuke. I was thinking about him."

"Ah." He said in understanding.

"Kakashi, what's up with him? He's been snapping at everyone more than usual. He's been moody lately too."

Kakashi didn't respond. She looked up to see his cheeks bulging under the mask, having shoved five sugar cookies in at once. She smirked and took a bite of her own cookie.

"I agree. He has been acting up lately."

"I figured it was because of Haku. Maybe he's jealous of him?"

"Possible." He hummed. He seemed to be turning over something before gulping down his mouthful of cookies

"I hope it won't be a problem." He added abruptly.

"What?"

"I need to go to a meeting now, and you'll be staying the night at Sasuke's."

"WHAT? Right now?!"

"Right now." He said determinedly.

Kakashi picked her up like she was going to bite him and honestly she was tempted.

They were out the window before she could blink. With hair in her face she wiped it away, to see them bounding over rooftops towards the better apartments in Konoha. She gritted her teeth and clutched on to the edge of the pocket. In what seemed like seconds they were sliding in through a window into an empty hallway.

It was obviously an upper class apartment complex, with paintings hung in the hallways and a polished wooden floor. Door's with numbers on them lined the wall.

Haruhi felt immediately out of place.

Kakashi quietly approached and knocked on a door tucked behind a fancy small table. They waited in silence and Haruhi could feel the person behind the door standing there in suspicion.

It slid open.

"Here watch her." Kakashi almost slurred because he spoke so fast, shoving a disoriented Haruhi into Sasuke's hands. He was gone quicker than either of them could blink.

"What?" Sasuke said tonelessly. Stunned, Haruhi couldn't respond.

The hallway was dark as they looked on and the apartment, if possible, was even darker. He stared blankly at her and Haruhi shivered in the cool hallway, rubbing her arms. She tried for a weak smile but it faltered as she caught sight of him.

He looked the worst he had in weeks, smudges under his eyes and sallow pale skin. He seemed to be looking right through her and just before Haruhi spoke up, he turned around and into his apartment, closing the door behind him.

His apartment was stale and tasteless in the way that was completely uninspiring. There were very few objects and the furniture looked to be mostly unused. The apartment reminded her of Kakashi’s house from before.

It was big but empty, with no personal items and what seemed to be greasy takeout in the trash.

She really didn't know how to act around Sasuke and he didn't seem to either. He was showing signs of life by glancing around his dull living space and then at her. His previously glazed over eyes seemed to be thawing and was he...chewing his tongue?

The fact that she could empathize with him affected her more than it should have.

"You can stay in here." He said in a faint voice, tinged with unsureness.

Okay, she was a bit freaked out now.

Sasuke looked terrible and was acting differently than normal. Seeing the the cold boy showing so much doubt and the vaguely lost expression on his face spooked her. He placed her on the unused couch, before retreating to another room-glancing at the clock as he left. 9:27.

Haruhi tossed and turned, playing over their short interaction. She punched her thigh, wishing she had at least said thank you for letting her sleep here. His troubled expression played over in her mind and she buried her face into the cushion. She wanted to know what was bothering him and not just because she was curious. She wanted to help.
Sasuke wasn't all bad. She tended to forget that, to ignore it because it was easier that way. She shifted guilty. She never really apologize for snapping at him. She figured it wouldn’t matter to someone like Sasuke anyway.

Time passed like molasses. Slowly and thickly. Hair stuck to her neck. Her thigh itched. Her elbow fell asleep. The scar on her shoulder pulled.

Sasuke had been in a depressive state all week and Haruhi figured it was because of Haku. Because he had better aim than him or because he seemed to have captured Sakura's attention. Or maybe even because of Sasuke's lack of personal progress when everyone else on his team was improving- even Sakura.

Now, she wasn't so sure.

Not knowing something made her uncomfortable.

She flung herself onto her back. Kakashi's sudden departure was now the furthest thing from her mind. She kept replaying the image of Sasuke training by himself in the corner of the grounds over and over again. His unease had been going on for weeks now. Possibly even longer. How she hadn't noticed this baffled her, made her feel like a jerk.
She grunted and rolled herself onto her back.

And despite whatever was bothering him, despite for how long it has been bothering him, he took the time to show them the Uchiha's official training grounds because he knew it would give them privacy and a place to train.

She sat up and hugged her knees.

A gasp came from the other room, loud as thunder in the silence and she snapped to attention. His door swing open as he staggered to the kitchen sink. At first Haruhi thought he was thirsty for a glass of water, but instead he took his trembling hands and placed them on either side of the digital clock, the numbers glowing in the dark. He looked as if he was trying to alter it by staring hard enough. His glassy pupil-less eyes glowed green from the numbers with how wide open they were.

He whispered something to himself, hoarse voice muted in the dark. Sasuke should not be alone tonight.

"Sasuke." She said as loud as she could without shouting.

He jumped and his hand twitched to his side like he was reaching for a weapon. The action made her lean back slightly, images of a violent Sasuke from the future unwittingly springing into her mind.

"Haruhi-sensei." He said tersely. He looked like a deer in the headlights, unsure of going back to his room, maybe not wanting to.

"Come over here." She said.

He reluctantly walked over and sat as far away from her as possible. She thought he would have been annoyed and irritated at being told to interact, but he just seemed...relieved? Haruhi searched for a way to begin a conversation.

"Sasuke, how's your training going?"

He started, as if not expecting her to ask. "...Good."

"That's good. What do you think about everyone else's progress?"

He took a few moments to respond.

"They're all doing well."

Haruhi bit her lip in frustration.

"What about Haku? How do you think he's adjusting? What do you think about him?"

Haruhi waited with baited breath.

"..."

"Haku…" Sasuke began, “He’s good.”

“He is.”

They sat in silence for a bit more.

“I keep thinking about his talk about precious people. What do you think about that?”

Sasuke thought for a second.

“I think he’s right.”

The urge for Haruhi to interrupt and agree bubbled up into her throat but she beat it down. Sasuke needed to talk about what he thought.

“When Kakashi-sensei had to protect us, he beat Zabuza when before he couldn’t. When Haku had to protect Zabuza, he took on Kakashi-sensei. When Sakura,” Sasuke paused, before starting again. “ When Sakura had to protect me, she jumped in front of Zabuza’s sword. She fought in a way neither of us thought she could.”

Near the end it seemed as if he was talking more to himself then her.

If this was any other time, any other place, Sasuke would not have opened up like this. But he was unstable and vulnerable and needed someone to talk too.

"But when I realized who Haku was with, I got really angry-like he betrayed me. And that was nothing compared to when I thought he killed Sakura. I burned him and scarred him, but all along he was the good guy, he didn't kill Sakura and he taught me a lesson. I was...wrong." He seemed to wrestle the last word out of his mouth.

He was feeling guilty. He wasn't jealous. Haruhi knew she needed to say something. It was about to burst from her lips.

"It just shows you shouldn't judge people without knowing their motives or having a good reason too. It was an easy mistake to make, Sasuke. One I made too. I judged you before I really knew you and didn't bother to try and get to know you. I made that mistake but I have no excuse. I'm sorry."

His bangs shadowed his eyes.

"You were always like that." He muttered. "You always said and did little things. I knew you liked me the least."

She flinched. Since the moment she arrived this world, Haruhi had a condescending attitude. It was justified, in some ways, what with the military dictatorship and child soldiers, but none of that was the fault of three kids. The entire time, Haruhi looked down on these people, considered herself above them, but when it came to judging Sasuke and treating him coldly, she was just as bad. Worse even, considering that she knew the full extent of his background.

She needed more than apology to make up for this.

"At Tazuna's, you said you expected better of Naruto when we were...behaving badly. But you said it like you expected me to be that way. You always look at me, like I’m a loose cannon. "

She flinched.

"I'm sorry."

The hum of the air conditioner filled the silence that blanketed them.

Sasuke mumbled something under his breath.

“I didn’t catch that.” Haruhi said.

Sasuke took a shaky breath.

“They’re not my precious people.”

“...”

Haruhi didn’t know what to say. So she said nothing.

“My precious people, my real ones, are gone. Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, y-you are not them. Will never be them.”

Haruhi looked up at his face and was shocked to find a tear dripping off of the end of his nose. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his mouth was curled into a grimace of pain.

“I am like Haku. I couldn’t protect them. All I could do was watch. Just watch again and again and again and again-”

Sasuke cut himself off.

Sasuke was avoiding Haku not because he hated him. Sasuke was avoiding Haku because he reminded him of himself. And because he was guilty of the injuries he gave him. And now that Haruhi thought about it, it did make sense. Both were oppressed members of a coveted bloodline, betrayed by a family member they loved and left alone for dead.

“You’re right, Sasuke.” Haruhi said, trying to pronunciate around the wad in her throat, “We can’t replace what you lost.”

Sasuke head jerked in what could have been a nod. He pulled his knees up to his chest and his his face.

“But we can care for you. We are a team, and we look out for each other. I’m sorry you had to go through whatever happened to you, but if you need anything, just come to me, or anyone else on team seven.”

Sasuke was still, but his head was tilteds in a way where she knew he was listening.

“Sasuke, is this why you’ve been so depressed lately? Been like this?”

Sasuke didn’t say anything, but she didn’t blame him. It must be very hard to articulate your feelings when you’ve been raised in a society that prizes emotionless killers. The shinobi code forbade crying. It must also be hard when you've been emotionally and mentally abused and tortured by an older brother who thought he knew what was best for you, but really didn’t, as he was also brainwashed by the same system and was a child as well. It especially must be hard when you’ve lived alone since you were six and had no one regularly to talk to, and likely haven’t had a therapist.

“...Haruhi-sensei, I’m always like this.”

Haruhi blinked.

Oh.

“Going on missions is easy. Training is easy.” He licked his lips. “ Eating is hard, when I’m just so tired. Sleeping is hard. Because that is when I see them.”

Sasuke’s eyes took on a haunted quality, and Haruhi started cursing out Itachi in her head. There was no excuse for the abuse he put Sasuke through. None. He wasn’t ordered too, and a supposed genius like Itachi should have know the effects it would have had on Sasuke.

“I realized something, when we walked through the compounds.” Sasuke murmured.

Haruhi listened.

“...I can’t remember them anymore.”

Haruhi blinked. This was not what she had been expecting. Sasuke sounded confused, like he couldn’t believe.

“Who can’t you remember?” She asked softly.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, not in anger, but to try to keep from crying.

Sasuke was talking about his slaughtered family.

Haruhi took a deep breath. What could she do to help him? What could she say?

“My father was the greatest.” She said.

Sasuke, not expecting that, looked at her.

“We would cook dinner together-Rossotti, chicken pot pies, deep dish, you name it.” She chuckled. “We would dance around the kitchen to music, and have dinner ready for mom when she got back from work. We would go fishing together, catch some and throw others back in. He would play the piano, and I would sing. We would have
much fun.”

Her smile faded.

“And then, it wasn’t fun anymore.”

Sasuke was now staring at her intently. His wide black eyes were trained on her face, instead of averting somewhere else.

“Dad always had poor health. But with exercise, and good eating, it was always manageable. He could still do things. But when I was about your age, it got worse.”

She ran her tongue along her teeth.

“He was always tired. He couldn’t get out of bed, or keep food down. He got distracted, and distant. When he died, I felt like the world had ended.”

Sasuke blinked.

“I stopped eating, my grades dropped. Thinking about him was painful. I boxed up all of our pictures, stopped cooking, covered the piano. I wanted to forget, because that was easier, that was less painful than remembering.”

A tear made tracks down Haruhi’s cheek and dripped from her chin.

“One day, years after he had been gone, I realized I didn’t remember what he sounded like anymore. I had spent so long trying to forget him that I succeeded. I was horrified. I was guilty. You don’t realize it right away, but the sickness, the bad events, takes more than just your loved ones life. It creeps into your memories and poisons them until all you can remember is sickness. You remember how gray and still they are, now how once they laughed and danced. It makes it hard to remember that there was a time before. My dad didn’t used to always be sick. He used to be happy, and full of life, but all I could remember was the how he was paler than the hospital sheets.”

She took a deep breath before continuing.

“It took all I had to dig up video tapes of us he made with us cooking.”

She raised one of her arms to wipe at her face, the other one taking off her glasses.

“It was hard. It was painful, and I cried. But remembering him, and the good times we had, was worth it. I started eating better again, I reconnected with friends, and my mother. And while nothing will ever replace him, they helped, and I know he’d want me to be happy. So I do my best to look on the bright side, and live my life the best that I can."

Sasuke was silent, but his hands fisting his pants and the dark spot on his knees told her all that she needed to know.

“I won’t pretend that I know exactly how you feel, Sasuke, or understand what you went through. But Let me tell you this.”

He tilted his face towards her.

“You will always miss them. The death of people precious to you will be with you for the rest of your life. Thinking about them will always be bittersweet. But it does get better. Other people will come into your life, and be there for you. They will make you laugh again and care for you, and make you feel like, like everything is going to be okay. Maybe not great, o-or amazing, but alright. These new people will replace what was lost, but they can give you new things to laugh and smile about.”

She let out a shaky sigh, monologue finished.

Sasuke shoulders shook, and Haruhi let him cry.

He needed it.

She stood up, and looked around for something that could help Sasuke clean up. She spotted a unopened cardboard tissue box with a layer of dust settled on top. It rested on the couch table a few feet to her left.

She walked unsteadily on the couch over the the armrest, where she climbed the pillow to get the the arm. There was a gap of three inches in between. She stepped back and ran, jumping over the divide and thumping against the box.

She was still too short to reach the top of the box, so she looked at what else was on the table. A wooden coaster and a small water glass. She pushed the glas up against the box and hoisted herself up into the rim that was about as thick as her foot. She pulled the floss cutter out of her pocket and cut the box open. She grabbed three tissues and carefully jumped down.

Realizing she couldn't run and jump with the tissues due to the angle, she picked up the coaster and made a makeshift bridge, which she then walked across.

She jumped down with the tissues and stopped walking when she was a few inches away from his thigh.

She tapped his leg and held them up.

When a pale hand reached over and plucked them from her, she smiled.

Sasuke breathed deeply for a while, wiping his face and leaning his head back against the couch. His eyes were closed.

For awhile they just sat there in the darkness, only light coming from a streetlamp outside and the green from the alarm clock.

"I need to get stronger." He whispered.

"Why do you?"

"That man. I need to avenge my clan and I need to be stronger than everyone else."

"Avenge?"

"I need to kill a man, and for that I need to get stronger."

Hearing a twelve year old talk so matter of factly about death was very off-putting but she didn't let it get in the way of listening to him.

"Sasuke, you have enormous potential and I believe you can do anything you set your mind too. But we're a team. You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help."

"..."

Sensing the need for a change of subject, she licked her lips.

"Remember what I said before about trying to find out motives, who they actually are? Why did he?" She said carefully.

"...Because he was testing himself. Because he could. I thought I knew him." Sasuke mumbled, hands spasming.

That was a load of shit.

"Before you kill this man-hear me out-try to find out why. That just seems suspicious. What was Kakashi's quote again?"

"See underneath the underneath." He blinked.

“Sasuke, he isn’t worth your time-”

Sasuke snarled.

“You don’t understand! He can’t be in this world. He is evil! He is poison!”

Haruhi looked at him with wide eyes. He rarely raised his voice. At her expression, Sasuke calmed down, and looked away.

“Okay, I’m sorry. He is evil, definitely. But what I was going to say was, You don’t have to frame your entire life around him. He doesn't deserve to belong in this world, I agree with that, but don’t deprive yourself of happiness and friends because of him. Don’t let him mess up your life more than he already has.”

Sasuke was silent at that, turning over her words.

Haruhi started twisting her hair.

The fact that Sasuke called Itachi poison was interesting. It made her change her view of him. Everyone assumed he wanted to kill Itachi as revenge for himself and for his family, and because Itachi trapped him in a Genjutsu for three days and ingrained it into his brain. Haruhi had never considered that maybe there was other reasons than that.
Sasuke did see it as revenge yes, but he also saw it as a duty to protect the world too.

He glanced at the clock. 11:58. He had stopped trembling, the haunted look in his eyes was replaced by a thoughtful one. He removed his hands from his knees and placed them at his side.

"You know Sasuke, I thought you were avoiding Haku for different reasons." She said.

"Hn?"

"I thought you were mad because he was taking up Sakura's attention." She grinned.

Color returned to his pale sallow cheeks for the first time in weeks in the form of a blush. He bowed his head before looking at the clock. 12:00. Tension leaked from his frame and his legs relaxed and fell sideways, his knee landing close to her.

"You wish." He scoffed turning up his nose.

"Well, it's pretty late. Do you have anything else to say?"

"No-"

"Hello all!"

"KAKASHI!?" They both shouted in surprise. Haruhi looked at him with wild eyes. How much did he hear!?

"What are you doing here?" Haruhi choked.

"Me?" He asked, pointing at himself. "Well, the meetings over of course!" He laughed, rubbing his hair. "Time to go."

"Okay then." She said, blinking her heavy eyes. She and Sasuke looked at each other and she gave him a small smile. They had just had a big moment. She was gratified to see his lips twitch into what might have been a smile. Grinning she stood up on Kakashi's hand.

“Good night! Or should I say...good morning." She wiggled her eyebrows. While her humor was a bit overdone, Haruhi wanted to diffuse the tense atmosphere.

Sasuke snorted then bit his lip as Kakashi jumped, and Sasuke was out of sight in a matter seconds. It was all so abrupt, the switch from emotional conversation to suddenly leaving that haruhi was dizzy for a second.

They traveled thoughtfully for a few moments. Haruhi wondered why Sasuke kept on staring at the clock. What was he waiting for?

"You know," Kakashi began, "I have met very few people as gifted with words as you are. The only other I can name right now would be Naruto."

Good with words? But she hadn-

"You were listening in the whole time! The meeting was a farce! You just wanted me to talk to Sasuke!" Of course Kakashi wouldn't leave her alone with Sasuke with a kidnapper on the loose!

"Not the whole time. And that was good of you, Haruhi to stay with him. Especially today. Or should I say yesterday." He mused, imitating her earlier joke and ignoring her outburst.

"What do you mean?"

His eye unwrinkled.

He sighed.

"Last night was the anniversary of his clan's death."

"..."

"You really did help him tonight, Haruhi, and that meant a lot to him. Even if he didn't show it."

Extra~
"Hey Haku." Said Sasuke evenly, kicking dirt from the training ground. "Could you show me some tips for throwing senbon?"

Haku blinked once, then twice, before a slightly crooked smile graced his face.

"Of course."

Chapter Text

It was a normal day at the training grounds.

Or what they thought was normal.

Naruto was doing something with his shadow clones-a combination attack it seemed like with some sort of wind jutsu. Kakashi had brought chakra paper a week ago so the genin could find out their elemental nature. Haku already knew- water and wind, and because of his bloodline he had an ice affinity too. Sasuke was fire(with lighting), Naruto was wind, And Sakura was water too. Naruto was beside himself with excitement and immediately demanded to learn an elemental jutsu.

Haku didn't need any help, and neither did Sasuke as he had his fireball jutsu. The two of them went to practice their aim. Haku was still marginally better than Sasuke, but Sasuke took it very well considering his reaction a week ago. He was more open now, noticeably less hostile and easier to work with. The only thing Haruhi spotted that could be considered off in a bad way was his extreme thoughtfulness now. He was mulling something over. Ever since she had that talk with him.

Naruto was practicing right now, and Sakura was resting up against a tree, an oddly pinched look on her face.

That was never good.

Boys being boys, didn't really notice and if they did, chalked it up to Sakura's frustration with her water jutsu's. Due to her small reserves, Kakashi had given her exercises to increase her reserve and already phenomenal control.

But Haruhi had a feeling that wasn't what was getting her down.

"Hey Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Sasuke had packed his gear up and appeared to be heading out. He stiffened at Naruto's question before relaxing, self-assurance flitting across his face.

"I joined a history group and We're going to the museum. I want to learn more." The 'about my clan' was left unsaid.

"Sounds great!" Haruhi grinned, and Sasuke smirked (smiled) back at her. While they had yet to bring the talk up, their relationship had dramatically improved. It piqued her interest. She didn’t know konoha had museums.

Kakashi peeked over the rim of his book with an appraising eye, sizing up Sasuke and hummed his approval. Haruhi had chewed him out for tricking her like that but after many apologies and seeing how better Sasuke was after it, she had let it go. Plus he had given her another cookie. Sasuke's eye-bags were all but gone, his skin was still pale but held color now, and a healthy glow had returned to his once sallow skin.

"Sakura, maybe you would like it?" Sasuke asked, turning to look at her curled by the tree.

Sakura burst into tears.

Shoulder shaking sobs exploded from her lips and wails rose and fell like the wind or a Banshee. She smothered her face in her hands and pressed her knees to her stomach and continued caterwauling.

Sasuke was completely caught off guard, frozen in shock. A guilty look crossed his face and he opened and closed his mouth.

Then Kakashi started freaking out right next to her.

"What?" She said, bewildered and worried about all the sudden freaking out. He gripped his voluminous hair with both hands and his one eye popped in horror but more than anything what told her to worry was the fact he let Icha Icha drop in the dirt.

Sakura got up and ran away, clutching her stomach with both hands.

Oh.

FUCK.

Haruhi started freaking out and then Haku ran and so did Sasuke and Naruto was screaming for someone to tell him what was going on. She was about to start yelling for everyone to chill out when the breath was stolen from her when Kakashi scooped her up and started running in the direction Sakura went.

He was mumbling rapidly under his breath.

"Fixherfixherfixherfixher-"

Kakashi skidded to a stop in front of a row of houses. People startled at their sudden arrival, clutching their bags and children closer as they eyed the crazy Kakashi. He rapidly knocked on a door and when Sakura answered, tears still on her face and a hand on her stomach, Haruhi was unceremoniously shoved her way and then Kakashi ran, gone in a second, leaving her in Sakura's free hand with the street staring at them.

"Close the door!" She whispered, beyond embarrassed. That Kakashi! He did it again! Why does he shove all the hard stuff on her?! She was gonna wring his neck!

As she fumed Sakura sniffled miserably. Haruhi snapped out of it. That would come later.

"Sakura sweetheart, what do you know about...uh." She stuttered.

"We just learned ab-about how to hide the scent of b-blood and the symptoms! Not what to do! Haruhi-sensei! My parents are out of town." She wailed.

So education was shitty here to. Huh.

"Okay it'll be fine."

"I"m bleeding! And my stomach hurts really really bad! Worse than that time I got stabbed!"

"Honey, do you have rice?"

"How wou-yeah."

"Get an old big clean sock and fill it with rice. Then put it in the microwave."

Though confused, Sakura sniffled and walked with one hand on her stomach and the other holding Haruhi. The house was tasteful and seemed larger than it was with the airy curtains and spaced furniture. Pictures of a younger Sakura with her parents sat on the mantel. The walls were a light cheerful pink and she was delighted they matched Sakura's hair.

They walked up a carpeted staircase and turned left into a room with a king bed in it. She knelt and winced, digging in a drawer to pull out and old white sock. They tromped back downstairs and Sakura filled it with rice and put it in for 85 seconds.

It dinged.

"Um, what now Haruhi-sensei?"

Haruhi was unexpectedly filled with a burst of warmth for Sakura to trust her so much as to do this without knowing why. When Haruhi had first gotten her cycles, she had been the same age as Sakura. She was too embarrassed to go to her dad, her friends didn't have theirs yet, she had no siblings, and her Mother was away again. She wouldn't let Sakura go through this by herself.

"Press it to your lower stomach. It'll help with the cramps."

"Okay...Um, why does it help?"

Haruhi cracked her neck.

"You know how's there are cracks in sidewalks? That's because in the summer they expand. Heat makes things expand and relax. Period cramps are just your muscles clenching up so tightly you can feel it. By putting the hot pack against your muscles you are getting them to relax-therefore stopping the cramps."

Sakura absorbed every word like a sponge and Haruhi had the delirious thought this must be what it felt like to be a medical textbook.

"It does feel better." She said.

"Good. Do you have any pads or tampons?"

Sakura blushed.

"I used up my mom's. I think I have one more."

"And when are your parents coming back?"

"In a week."

Haruhi shook her head. That simply wouldn't do.

"Put on the last one and then dress comfortably. We're going shopping."

Sakura nodded and went off with her rice filled sock to the bathroom and changed. She walked out wearing long pants and a T-shirt.

"Warm up the sock one more time, get your money and let's go shopping for what you need. " Haruhi said confidently.

As Sakura nodded and moved to obey orders Haruhi turned around and bit her lip. The lord have mercy on her. A thought struck her out of the blue and her heartbeat accelerated.

When was the last time she got her period?

It ended a day before she arrived here. She was a month and a half overdue. She had a history of irregular periods and it could be chalked up to the stress of dimension hopping, but if it didn't show it's ugly face soon she would have to say something to Kakashi, as awkward as it would be.

"I'm ready."

"Let's go."

The people had moved on by the time Sakura locked the front door and they shuffled out. She was wearing comfortable, loose dark clothes like Haruhi had instructed and had taken a couple sips of water before they left.

"Let's go to the nearest pharmacy or multi-purpose store."

Sakura nodded, her face flushing with embarrassment. Haruhi made a mental list of what Sakura would need to gets-Pads, Tampons, possibly more rice, painkillers, facial cream if her face broke out, light foods if she got nauseous, chocolate, and herbal tea. Maybe look at the right clothes too. Something dark and baggy.

The bells dinged on the store which had the distinct smell of a pharmacy. A stand of snacks was to their left and a pyramid of cans a little beyond that. In the back of the store was the counters.

Sakura sniffled again and darted to in one of the isles.

"I'm sorry Haruhi-sensei. I can't stop crying."

"That's fine. Some girls just get more emotional."

"Oh."

"I'm sure you can check out textbooks about it." Haruhi said not unkindly. "Grab a shopping basket first."

Sakura grabbed a shopping basket.

"Let's look at the hygiene products first."

They browsed through the store and Haruhi was struck with the fact this was actually happening. She took a deep breath. It wasn't like it was worse than being shrunk into another dimension.

"B-billboard brow!"

"Pig!?"

Uh oh. This was the last thing Sakura needed right now. She looked away from the prices to find Ino staring in surprise at Sakura. Not glaring, just caught off guard.

"What are you doing here?" Ino asked, flustered.

"Well, what are you doing here?" Sakura said defensively.

Both of them looked at each other, then at the wall of pads and tampons at the same time.

Sakura swallowed.

"You too?" Sakura said evenly.

Ino started crying and Haruhi took a deep, calming, breath. She was gonna get Kakashi. He would never hear the end of this. Ino was talking between huge, breathless airy sobs.
"My mom is gone, e-everyones busy, I don't know-"

"Sakura has the same problem so you can come with us." Haruhi said calmly.

Sakura nodded fairly. Ino looked like she was about to cry again but pulled herself together. Haruhi didn't know a lot about finance here so she let the girls work out the prices and told them which ones to get depending on their physical activities and ones to use overnight.

"Thank you, Haruhi-sensei." Ino said after a particularly helpful piece of advice.

They were giggling over one of the packages of pads(which featured a woman in a white sundress) when Haku turned the corner, shopping basket tucked in his arm).

“Oh, Hey, Haku!” Sakura giggles, in a better mood now. The marred side of Haku’s face was hidden by a sheet of choppy hair.

Haku was staring wide eye at the three of them, Hand in a basket full of noodle cups, before smiling.

“Good afternoon, Haruhi sensei, Sakura-chan, and…”

“You can call me Ino.”

“Good afternoon, Ino.”

His eyes trailed from the wall of pads and tampons to the three of them. It was a strange look, like the feminine hygiene products were about to bite him, but he couldn’t look away from them. His eyes would flicker to the three of them, then to the pads, and back to the floor in rapid succession.

In a mischievous mood, Haruhi smirked and spoke. She wondered if Haku would be freaked out by pads like some other guys were. He didn’t seem like the type but it would be funny all the same.

“Haku, you want to join us?”

He jumped, head whipping to her.

“No Haruhi-sensei! He’s a boy, this is a girls trip!”

Ino nodded, and Haruhi shrugged.

“Bye Haku.”

Haku left rather quickly after that.

They stopped to get some snacks, face cream, and painkillers. Combining their money they were able to afford it. The girls were giggling and Ino stole Sakura's rice sock for a bit.

"We should name it." She declared, her mood having picked up. "I say Socky."

"Riceball." Sakura said.

"Ralph." Haruhi said.

They gave her weird looks.

"What?" Haruhi said defensively.

They giggled before looking at the labels on the chocolate. They had already gotten into the painkillers and their relief from the cramps was palpable. Sakura opened her front door then flopped down on her couch.

Ino ripped open the pads and locked herself in the bathroom.

"Sakura, maybe you could get Ino her own rice-sock." Haruhi said around a square of chocolate the size of her head. Sakura made a few awkward movements trying to get up but managed to stand. Haruhi showed her how to side-step up the stairs by mimicking the action on the living room carpet. Sakura came back down with a matching sock just as Ino walked out of the bathroom.

"What's that?" She asked.

"You can fill it up with rice for your own hot pack." Sakura said.

Ino seemed to think that was a good idea, dumping rice in, tying it, then throwing it in the microwave.

"So Sakura, I see you're training to be a medical ninja." Ino said.

"Yeah, I am."

"I asked my dad if I could, so I'm getting a spot at the hospital too. Maybe we'll see each other."

Tension sparked between them and Haruhi bit back a sigh. These two could be just as bad as Naruto and Sasuke.

"I won't let you win!" Sakura hissed.

"Same!" Ino hissed back.

"Emotions are running high today." Haruhi noted, but was ignored.

"Just because you're getting stronger doesn't mean Sasuke will like you!" Ino spat.

Whoa.

Sakura looked hurt for a second before she welled up in fury.

"Girls girls!" Haruhi shouted. "Let's think for a second! You're both amazing. There's no need for this."

"Yes there is!" They snapped at the same time.

Haruhi shook her head.

"Look at you two, how much fun you had despite what is going on! You were able to help each other and make yourselves feel better! That's priceless and no boy can replace that. Compete if you want to, but that's no reason you can't be friends too." Haruhi declared hotly.

Ino and Sakura reluctantly looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

"It's possible." Said Haruhi, thinking about Kakashi and Gai.

"Yeah, that's true." Sakura said.

"Sorry-billboard brow."

"Pig."

Haruhi sighed.

…

They argued for a bit more before coming up with something light to eat.

They warmed up two cans of chicken noodle soup for lunch that they had bought, the light broth good for their stomachs, since they were upset.

The put some soup for Haruhi in a bottle cap on the table.

Haruhi happily ate her soup. She felt better about eating whe the portion size was about what it should be for her. But she couldn’t help but notice the girls picking on their food. She assumed it was because they were nauseous, because neither of them had eaten since breakfast-which was hours ago.

“Are your stomachs upset?” Haruhi asked them. She lost her appetite while on her period and got nauseous too, but she was speaking from experience when she said eating something normally made her feel better.

Sakura bit her lip and Ino flipped her hair.

“Well…” Sakura said.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

“I know that your stomachs might be upset, but you’ll feel better with something in you. It will raise your blood sugar.”

Ino and Sakura exchanged a look.

“It’s just that this soup has a lot of calories.” Ino said.

Haruhi blinked. Then blinked again only to see Sakura nodding to what Ino had just said.

“What.”

The girls looked away nervously.

“This is a lot, Haruhi-sensei. I’ll feel bad if I eat so much.” Sakura said.

Oh.

The girls were worried about eating too much. Instead of scoffing or telling them to stop being dumb girls, Haruhi’s heart softened instead.

She was the same when she was their age. Haruhi was always a bigger girl who enjoyed cooking, and that was reflected with her size. She was a favorite for bullies due to that. She used to feel like Play-Doh being squeezed through a child’s fingers.

She would often ‘diet’ and set a goal to eat less than a 1,000 calories a day. That was extremely unhealthy, especially since she was a growing child. It led to dizziness and dropping grades.

Even now that she was an adult, she still had times where she would feel guilty and gross for eating more than she thought she should.

“What do you mean by eat too much, Sakura? Ino?”

“Well, you know…”

Haruhi did know, but she wanted to hear it from them.

“It won’t be good for our figure.” Ino finally said, sounding remarkable unsure for such a confident girl.

Haruhi chewed on her lip.

“Girls, you’re Kunoichi, right?”

“Um, Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“And your both young and growing, right?”

“Yes.”

“And young growing girls, especially girls who lead the physically taxing life of ninja should eat healthy, and should eat more than once a day, right?”

“...”

The girls blinked and averted their eyes.

Haruhi sighed.

“I know what it's like to be ashamed of yourself and how you look. I think it's something all women go through in their lives. But depriving yourself of necessary nutrients in a vital time in your growth won’t help anyone.”

“B-but, if I become fat, Sasuke-kun won’t like me!”

That was Ino.

“Ino, Sasuke doesn't care what you look like. He’s really not interested in looks. If he was, do you think he’d be friends with Naruto?”

Sakura wisely kept silent, having already had the ‘Sasuke talk’ with Haruhi.

“Well, what does he care about then!” Ino said, face flushed.

“Sasuke cares about strength. He cares about people who see Sasuke as Sasuke, not a prize. He needs friends. He doesn't need or frankly want a wife right this second.”

Ino gaped in shock, looking hurt.

“This isn’t an attack on you Ino, or you Sakura. But being healthy and eating a good diet is extremely important for growing ninja. While I’m not a Kunoichi, I think the other graduating team has a female sensei. You can ask her what to eat.”

“But…” Sakura trailed off.

“There's no shame in wanting to look better. It’s still possible to be pretty and be a Kunoichi. I know this might be some competition between the two of you, but how about instead of competing to see who can eat less, we see who can eat the healthiest and be the strongest kunoichi?”

Ino nodded slowly.

Haruhi sighed again.

“Look...girls, I understand the urge to restrict, and to slim down. I felt the same way when I was your age, and sometimes I still do. But this isn’t healthy, and will probably even backfire on you. I would know. Ino, you said you wanted to be a medic too?”

Ino said yes.

“Well, a big part of being a medic is knowing what's best to eat for the human body. What is best for the human body. How about you and Sakura, since she’s also studying to be a medic, go and buy a few books on nutrition. You can learn how to stay slim in a healthy way, and eat properly. Doesn't that sound good?”

“Yes.”

Yeah.”

The girls made plans to meet up again and study to be medics. Haruhi was gratified when they picked up their spoons again.

When Kakashi came to get her, she was almost disappointed she had to go.

Almost.

Pre-teens were very annoying.

"I cannot believe you shoved me off like that! Again! I'm beginning to believe you don't want me!"

"Maa maa! I do!"

"Maa yourself!"

Haruhi growled, crossing her arms. Kakashi withered into the bench under a tree. Her scowl slipped into an upset frown and her arms uncrossed to play with the ends of her shirt.

"I'll make it up to you."

She raised an eyebrow.

He laid his palm flat and she sighed and shook her head, deciding to humor him for a bit. Climbing on she flopped onto her back. After Ino and Sakura came to a truce most of the tension melted away and they bonded over their shared misery. They even chatted about bringing Hinata into this when she got hers. Haruhi wouldn't mind that.

Haruhi left with Kakashi. It was dusk and clouds dappled the horizon and she could tell they were minutes away from a spectacular light show.

"Hold on."

She slipped into the pocket and grabbed the flap as he jumped up the face of the mountains.

Gravel didn't crunch as Kakashi landed, although that was to be expected. Trees faded away as they approached the cliff-face and her eyes squinted at the light. Clouds coated the sky like meringue, and the rock of the mountain was cast in an orange glow. Everything was and it gave Kakashi's hair a rose-gold tint. It was very distracting.

Konoha's lights flickered on like fireflies but it did nothing to dampen the moment.

At some point Kakashi had sat down-careful not to disturb Haruhi on his shoulder.

She sat on his shoulder and he looked on, attention divided between her and the darkening sky. Her eyes glowed under her glasses and the smile she was wearing was very pretty- sweet with enjoyment of the view.

"Say Kakashi." Haruhi murmured, her slight smile quirking.

"Buh?" He said distractedly.

"Why do they call me sensei? What do I do?"

His stared blearily at her until he realized she had asked a question. His gaze sharpened as he mulled it over.

"...While you may not teach them how to fight, they still learn from you."

"Can you elaborate?"

"Naruto learned to talk to people, to keep his emotions in check. Haku learned he had a purpose in himself. Sasuke learned how to open up, to communicate and trust in his teammates, but most of all to cope. And Sakura improved the most of all. She learned how to value herself, to treat her teammates fairly, and to improve. Not to mention today. You may not be teaching them jutsu's, but what you are teaching them is just as important."

"W-wow." She stuttered.

Kakashi blushed and rubbed his head.

Sakura was acting funny again.

It had been five days since her spontaneous crying episode and everyone was still walking on eggshells around her. So her sideways glances and shuffling around had the hair on their arms standing on end.

Sakura took a deep breath, looking at Haruhi and everyone flinched.

"My-My parents heard how you helped me and they want to meet you! And Team Seven! They're arranging a dinner and they've invited you all!" Sakura blurted.

All activity halted.

Oh boy.

Chapter Text

It had taken months of pondering for Haruhi to realize something vital about Kakashi. When she realized it, she had squealed, clasped her hands together and wiped a tear away.

Let me explain.

It had happened late at night, with her belly grumbling loudly enough to wake her up. She blinked open heavy eyes hoping she hadn't woken Kakashi. Haruhi stared at the underside of the huge dresser as her eyes adjusted before she slipped onto the carpet. Kakashi snorted and turned over and she breathed a sigh of relief as she squeezed under the door and snuck into the kitchen.

She rubbed her arms in apprehension as she made her way into the dark kitchen. Her gaze strayed to the bookshelf for a second and she twitched, an imaginary man sneaking through the window.

She climbed the staircase to the countertop and plucked a green grape. She crunched through the green skin and sighed at the cool sweetness dribbling down her chin. As she finished her grape her eyes kept being drawn back to the books as if by a magnet, specifically to the part where the sliding door was covering the other side of it. She had never actually seen what was on the other side…

Finishing her grape, she ran down the steps and over to the shelf, looking up with apprehension at the window. She quickly climbed the tassel and approached the spot where her old bed had been. Just a little beyond that was the big book hindering her from going any further. She pushed a paperback out of the way.

No dice.

In an 'ah ha' moment, she jumped down and ran to the front of the door. She wedged a wooden bookmark in between the door and the shelf and leant on it. It cracked open the tiniest bit-just enough for her to sneak in. She squinted her eye but could barely see anything. Feeling with her hands she patted until she found the spine of a book. Looking closer she read the title.

Icha Icha Vacation.

She had found Kakashi's secret stash.

Just what the heck made those books so interesting anyway!? She had read over (On) Kakashi's shoulder a few times but she always looked away and got bored. The smut was only okay. But he seemed to be enthralled by it. Haruhi was pretty sure he was a virgin because only virgin's got that excited with poorly written smut.

Haruhi didn't mean that in a mean way, but it made sense.

Determined, she squeezed out and pushed off of a book to shut it again and dashed to their room.

Kakashi was exhausted. She could not state that hard enough. After Sakura had dropped the bomb (The dinner) earlier that morning the other three had gotten hyped up. They demanded a training session and Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Haku against Kakashi with their improved skills and teamwork had been a real challenge.

She snuck back in with little fanfare, taking a moment to smile at sleeping Kakashi before climbing up the bed sheets and over to his nightstand. The faithful orange book rested there next to the turned off lamp.

She cracked open the cover and silently turned the pages, frowning as she realized Icha Icha wasn't what it seemed to be.

It was not, solid porn as most thought. In fact, it read closer to a sappy(well written) romance novel with smut in it.

If anything, it was cheesily romantic. The protagonist spending time with their love interest, and trying to get their love interest to fall for them before said love interest leaves. The pages that were particularly worn had the best of these cheesy lovey-dovey scenes in them. The one she had seen Kakashi on the most often (Page 271) Had the main character confessing their undying love in a dramatic fashion, complete with roses and tears.

"..."

Oh.

My.

God.

Kakashi was a hopeless romantic.

She squealed.

"What!? Haruhi!?" Kakashi flung himself forward, blankets flying off him as a kunai appeared in his hands. When he caught sight of her and the page she was reading, he froze.
"Kakashi sooo cute~" She cooed. "A romantic! Who would have thought?"

"W-well, I-I, No! That's not at all-why did you wake me up!? " A flustered blush rose up on his face and overtook his cheek.

She giggled.

Kakashi deflated like a balloon and his eyes blanked white in embarrassment as he pulled the sheets up over his head. For a second his tight grip looked like he wanted to strangle himself.

"There's no reason to be ashamed! Girls love sensitive guys!" Haruhi said mischievously, bouncing around the nightstand. She leapt from the table onto his bed and continued jumping on his chest.

He stopped tugging the sheets. There was a pause in motion as she felt him lift his head. From underneath them he said;

"...Do you?"

"Maybe." She said cheekily, ignoring the way he deflated, head flopping in defeat onto the pillow. "Goodnight!"

His one eye peeking out from the blanket shot her a stinky look and she descended into peals of hysterics as he ruthlessly (but carefully) poked and tickled her sides.

She had promised Naruto. He had pulled her to the side after the training session, desperate for help. Seeing the boy who was usually brimming with confidence so nervous over the dinner had made her want to squeal but also hug him. Then she realized she couldn't hug him so she did the next best thing.

"I'll help you get ready tomorrow." She had said to him without thinking it through. She actually had no idea what passed for formal wear here, and with her and Kakashi heading there right now she was about to jump ship.

Kakashi leant in through the window.

"Eat your greens, Naruto." Kakashi said, reading his book while holding out the bowl of greens to the scowling Genin.

"Eat healthy. You'll have to do it when we get to Sakura's tomorrow." She chipped in, running down Kakashi's extended arm.

Naruto's scowl softened into a frown as he considered the bowl. He snatched it and stuffed some into his mouth, kale bits falling into his instant ramen.

"Dou 'Ike Dat?" He said thickly.

"Very attractive."

Not picking up on her sarcasm, Naruto beamed and shoved more in his mouth. She walked around the table as Kakashi read his Icha Icha, surveying the apartment. To her great surprise, it was cleaner than she thought it would be. In fact, the place was so pristine it shined. The tile floor was pure white, the carpets were so clean they looked to be shampooed, the kitchen surfaces were wiped down and even the windows were cleaned.

What apparition could have done this?

"Hello Haruhi-sensei." Haku said pleasantly.

"Hey Haku." She said. Wait.

"What are you doing here!?" She said surprised.

Haku laughed.

"I live here. Naruto was kind enough to invite me into his home." Naruto blushed and hid behind his kale.

Haruhi didn't know that.

"T-that's really kind of you Naruto." She said. That explained the spotless apartment.

"Well, if you don't need me…" Kakashi inched out the window, threw a wink at her and then was gone. Haruhi had accepted he would be dropping her they dashing from now on. She stole a green leaf and crunched into it. Delicious.

"We need to shop for proper attire first, Naruto, Haruhi-sensei. Then we should perhaps look for some food of our own to stock up the fridge, and after that clean up a little more." Haku listed.

He seemed rather talkative. He was normally more passive. Also out of character, Naruto was listening with rapt attention.

They packed up and stepped out, Haku locking the door behind them. Haku's hand that wasn't holding her twitched like he wanted to twist his long pretty hair, before falling to rest at his side.

Haruhi shifted uncomfortable on Haku's hand. While it was true they had gotten closer over the weeks of training, it still felt...weird having him hold her again.

Naruto twitched nervously before slapping on a cheesy plastic grin. He put his arms behind his head in his standard relaxed pose-only she could see his hands nearly ripping out his hair.

"So guys...Haha, where to first?" Naruto's tone was one of forced relaxation, and she couldn't help but notice the little warble in his voice.

Her heart melted.

"Well, clothes that are more formal, first." She said. God, what even counted as formal wear here? Naruto wouldn't know, and Haku wouldn't have been to a dinner like this in years, much less in a place like Konoha.

"I've surveyed Konoha before. The clothes shopping district is this way." Haku said.

It was still early in the day, and the air carried that crisp morning smell with the scent of freshly baking bread. They walked into a small sleepy thrift shop, filled with decent, seemingly cheaper clothing. No one was at the counter and no one was browsing the racks.

They just stood there, at a loss for what to look for.

"All right!" Haruhi clapped her hands. "Look for clothes without rips, tears or stains, and ones that fit. We'll narrow it down from there."

Relieved at having directions, Haku placed her on one of the racks and they started browsing. They separated clothes on their own respective piles and haruhi shouted out advice.

"Try for something not too formal, but not informal. Dress in between those two. Sakura's parents aren't fussy." Haruhi called. They nodded and Naruto pulled out a pair of sharp sky blue pants that matched his eyes, and a toned down orange shirt with a stain in the front.

"Keep those." She called. Her inner fashion senses were surfacing again and she was already evaluating the shoes Naruto had and the color tones. Her eyes raked over the racks and she spotted a canary yellow shirt with a breast pocket which she promptly told Naruto to grab. It would go perfect with his hair, and the pants were darker at the creases but still matched his eyes. All he needed were neutral shoes to balance everything out. Her mind whizzed with all the possible combinations and she turned her attention to Haku.

"Go try them on." Naruto nodded and scampered into the changing room.

Haku had dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was taller and slimmer than Naruto too so slightly looser clothes would be better for him. Light brown pants, almost a beige color would do well on him, and a simple dark aqua shirt would contrast that nicely.

He shifted under her gaze, his bangs falling in his face and hiding most of it.

"Okay Haku, look for clothes that are brown or blue-green."

Haruhi needed to get this right. First impressions were everything.

A man walked out of the back room, surprise coating his face-especially when he saw her, but a glint of recognition lit his eye and he smiled.

"I didn't know I had any customers. Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked. Haruhi was tempted to tell him to go away and leave them alone, but they needed all the help they could get. He showed them clothes that might go well with the color scheme and chatted about the different styles. The changing room door opened.

"Haruhi-sensei I tried them on-" Naruto tensed up.

"…"

The man stopped talking, staring in ill disguised horror at Naruto.

Uh oh.

"Sir, you were saying?" Haruhi's smile became tenser. He seemed to have not heard her as he had yet to break his stare. Naruto was getting antsy and she could see the dejection on his face.

"As-as I was saying." He stuttered, "This shirt would go well with the overall outfit."

Naruto cautiously approached her from the side, taking the long way to avoid the manager. It did little to relax the man, as he shuffled away from them and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, his gaze narrowing.

It was time to do what she did best.

"You do have a wonderful fashion sense. I can see why you run this shop."

He gaped at her, searching for the lie and thrown by the sudden change in atmosphere. But when he found none the simmering hostility was replaced with

confusion and reluctant happiness at the compliment. His focus has shifted to her. Good.
She kept up the pleasant chat as they browsed and the man relaxed the tiniest bit. His gazed flickered back and forth in confusion from Naruto and then to her.

"Naruto, why don't you tell him about your mission?" Haruhi said. She forced a calm expression. This was a risky move. Speculations had swirled among much of the civilian population, especially due to who made up the team and the takedown of Zabuza. She knew he'd be interested and she was proven right when the last traces of hostility vanished, replaced by curiosity. But beside her Haku stiffened.

Naruto launched into a retelling of the wave mission, and by the time he got to the bridge battle, the man was entrapped in his story, urging him to go on. With a couple pointed coughs from Haruhi she was able to avoid any slights against Haku.

"What happened to the bridge?" The man demanded.

"It was finished and they named it after us, Team Seven!" Naruto said proudly.

The man's jaw dropped before he turned and looked at her.

"It's true." she said.

He shook his head, still trying to comprehend all that he heard before he cleared his throat.

"Well, here. These clothes should be good too." He muttered, handing a stack to a shocked Naruto.

"If you need anything else, I'll be in back." And with one last thoughtful looked he disappeared into the back room.

Haku sighed, turning his head to finally show the scarred side.

"That went well." He said.

Naruto was less responsive. His eyes had glazed over in what looked like a sheet of tears and he stared transfixed at the pile of clothing the man had picked out for him and blubbered he was going to try them on now. The door swished closed.

"That went well." Haruhi agreed. Haku nodded but abruptly stopped, his gaze focusing on the door. The bells on the handle stayed silent as they turned, revealing Sasuke.
He stood in his normal attire of white shorts and a high collared blue shirt, but the way he stood with his back slightly hunched and his eyes too the floor cued her in that he was nervous. A faint blush rested on his pale face as his gaze dragged up from the dust speck on the floor and rested on the pile of clothes Haku was holding.

"Would you like to browse with us?" Haruhi asked kindly.

He flushed light pink and nodded, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets as he made his way over to them. Sensing he was about to say something, Haruhi kept silent.

"It's been awhile." He mumbled after a minute. "I haven't eaten dinner like this since before…"

"It's fine Sasuke. You don't need to explain yourself to me." She smiled, before sizing him up.

What colors would look best on him?

She needed something fresh. So not blue or white. His pale features and black hair and eyes were convenient, as anything could go with that. But she didn't just want anything…
She took in the faint blush on his cheeks.

"Pink." She said.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke said.

"Pink. Pink is your color. Look for a pink shirt with sleeves to the elbow and black pants." She nodded, happy with her choices.

"...But it's pink." He said lamely.

"And you'll look very good in it. I'm sure Sakura will appreciate it." She winked.

Sasuke had nothing to say to that, and set out to look for the clothes.

"Here Sasuke." Haku said, holding out a light pink shirt with long sleeves. Sasuke looked up from a pair of black shorts to shoot a surprised look before accepting it with a small nod.

"Knock on the changing room door. Naruto should be done soon and you both can try on your clothes."

Sasuke nodded and gathered his clothes up and knocked on the door.

"Okay, I'm coming out." A slightly wavering voice said. Naruto opened the door, his nose and cheeks suspiciously red, but otherwise looking sharp in his outfit.

"Sasuke! What are you doing here?"

"Trying on clothes." He said shortly. He pushed past Naruto and closed the door behind him.

"Hm, looks good Naruto." She said.

"Really?"

The Canary yellow T-shirt with the breast pocket and the sky blue pants was fresh as fuck on Naruto. It was well balanced and the color scheme was fly.

"Yes. Very put together. Now Haku just has to try his on." The door clicked as Sasuke stepped out and Haruhi swallowed a gasp.

The light pink long sleeve shirt brought out his normally hidden blush and lips and almost seemed to make his eyes glitter. The baggy black capri with the pockets on the side was sharp-especially with the silver trimmings.

But there was still something off…

"Sasuke, roll up your sleeves to your elbow. Like this." She mimed rolling up her sleeves and Sasuke copied.

Now up to his elbow and cuffed, it looked even better.

"Perfectio." She said smugly.

"Alright, You and Naruto change back to your original clothes and pay for it. I'll work on Haku."

They nodded and gathered up their clothes and headed to the counter, pushing each other and checking out clothes on the racks upfront.

She turned her full attention to Haku. He stood in the back with clothes of his choosing- a pair of beige pants and a toned down aqua shirt with tiny wave patterns on it.

"Nice!" Haruhi said appreciatively. It was very masculine, with the sharp cuts and colors. "Try it on." Haku hesitated for a second before slipping into the changing room. Haruhi waited patiently, taking in how the sunlight was now streaming in the store window, illuminating a rack of ties and jewelry. She was eyeing a necklace with sunflowers approvingly when Haku stepped out.

The beige pants worked well with his eyes and the Aqua blue-green shirt was a nice contrast. The little waves had her sold.

"Execellent."

But instead of going back in and changing he hesitated again, throwing her a glance. Sensing he wanted to say something she looked over her shoulder to see Naruto choking on something (probably a button) and Sasuke giving him the Heimlich maneuver.

"What is it, Haku?"

"...I'm...not sure I should go."

"…"

Out of all the things Haruhi had expected this was not one of them.

"Well, of course you should. You are a part of team seven, Haku." She said softly.

He nodded without conviction and Haruhi furrowed her brow.

"Why don't you really want to go, Hun? You can tell me."

Haku didn't say anything, but the way he turned the burnt side of his face away from her was answer enough.

"Sakura doesn't care about your burns, Haku. She looks past them and sees you as the kind soul and good friend you really are. And if her parents are anything like the girl they raised-which they are-they won't care either."

The hesitance didn't go away.

"Haku…" She asked.

"I-" He cut himself off before licking his lips and speaking again. "I hurt Sakura pretty badly."

Oh.

"Sakura doesn't hold that against you, Haku. You hurt me but I don't care about that Haku." His eyes seemed to rest on the circular mark on her clavicle where the senbon had punctured her. "A-and I hurt you too."

His burnt hand was carefully still.

"That was different then. We were enemies then. But now, now we're one the same side. You are part of team seven and you're our friend, Haku honey. Don't you forget it."
Haku blinked for a moment, seemingly in a stupor. Then he smiled shyly, moving a piece of hair into his face.

But that smile was faint and weak, almost a grimace.

What was she missing?

Haku was looking at the clothes like they would bite him. He swallowed thickly as he took in the bold cuts and dark colors. Did he not like the clothes she picked out?
“You know, if you don’t like those clothes, we can pick out something else.”

He looked startled for a second, before biting his lip. He seemed to want to say something, eyes flickering back and forth from her to the other clothing on the racks, to everyone else around them.

He put down the clothes she had picked out. He walked to the rack filled with womens and girls clothes and flipped through them. He pause when his face stopped in front of the women’s sign. He pulled out a baby blue blouse, and a pair of loose pants that has pockets with golden gilded buttons.

“It would look together.”

Haku nodded, face stiff in a forced relaxed expression. Haruhi’s brow furrowed.

And then everything clicked.

Haku must've noticed the realization drawing on her face because he-she flinched, and clutched the clothes closer to her.

“Would you like to go try them on?” She asked softly. “ I think you would look very good in them.”

Haku nodded, and closed the door behind her as she closed the dressing room door.

It all made sense. The uncomfortable looks when Naruto called her Haku-kun, the vague looks of envy when looking at other girls or in shop windows. Her aversion to cutting her hair, even though it was severely burned. The look on her face at the store when Ino, Sakura, and her were buying their period supplies. How had she not noticed this before?

Haku emerged from the dressing room.

She looked amazing in that outfit, Haruhi couldn’t pull it off better herself.

“It looks great, Haku. Would you like to get that one?”

She nodded.

She turned to go back and change, before Haruhi called out.

“What would you like me to call you?”

She stopped.

“...Haku. Haku-chan when no one else is around.”

She nodded, and smiled.

Haku changed back into the gender neutral clothes she had worn before, carrying her clothes under her arm.

"Let's go checkout." She said.

Naruto had stopped choking and was rubbing his throat while Sasuke continued to look on annoyed.

"Sasuke, can you call the man back?" He nodded.

Sasuke then offered to pay despite Haku's protests saying he had a lot to spare.

"Come back again." The man called after them. He had warmed up to Naruto after hearing about his mission to wave.

They wanted to get their clothes home as quick as possible, but before they left they stopped and shopped for food for a little bit. Naruto, Sasuke, and Haku made her promise to meet with them beforehand at Naruto's apartment and with her arms twisted she agreed.

But how would she get Kakashi too?

Haruhi fidgeted with her piece of stir fry, folding and refolding her legs under her. Kakashi was waiting patiently for her to collect her thoughts behind his book.

"All four of them are nervous about the dinner and I really want to be there early to help and I know you don't want to be there early, so um, I don't know, if you could maybe drop me off?" Haruhi had meant to be firm but it ended in a question as she got nervous. She blushed and looked down at her clasped hands.

"...Maa, if it means so much to you, I suppose we could get there...early." He said with obvious distaste.

The Kakashi Hatake, always at least two hours late, willing to be somewhere early!?

"Oh Kakashi, Thank you!"

He waved her off, smushing his face against the book so he wouldn't have to look at her grateful expression. And so she wouldn't see his reddened cheek.

Chapter Text

"Alright, how do we feel?" Haruhi asked.

Naruto twitched, Haku stiffened and a muscle in Sasuke's jaw jumped. Kakashi just sighed. Again. Haruhi wiped her sweaty palms on her black pants. So caught up in making sure they looked good and had something nice to wear, she had forgotten about herself. One emergency trip to Kasumi's and then she had a form fitting pair of black pants and a nice blue blouse. Kakashi had also been in a mood lately. He didn't even complain when she demanded they go to the shop, and there was the small little thing of arriving early instead of two hours late. He was carefully staring straight ahead.

"Okay then, we have officially five minutes before the door opens. You all look dashing, Sakura's parents are cool and no worries."

They didn't look convinced, though Naruto did stop twitching briefly. He had probably never experienced anything like this, considering how much he was ostracized. Haruhi self consciously fluffed her hair. There were a lot of times when she wished she was bigger, and now was one of them. Despite being smaller she felt like the spotlight was on her. Sakura's parents knew she was small, right?!

"…"

Haruhi wasn't even sure who she was trying to reassure with that. She was beginning to really understand why the three boys were so worried. Haruhi tapped her fingers against her thigh, Impatiently asking someone to knock- better get it over with.

Haku volunteered to knock. Just when her knuckle brushed the door it was yanked open, and Haruhi was struck by the weirdest sense of deja vu.

The man's hair was a dusty pink, and shaped like Patrick Star from spongebob. The wide smile on his face was almost an exact replica of Sakura's. Haruhi was reeling and missed his vocal welcome. She did catch Sakura in the background from her perch on Kakashi's shoulder whose face was as pink as her hair.

"-This must be Haruhi!"

She blinked.

"Y-yeah, Hi." She smiled and hoped there was nothing in her teeth. But not like he would be able to see it if there was. At least he knew she was small.

"Sakura's said a lot about you." He said with a 10 megawatt grin. "We heard all about this amazing "Haruhi sensei"-we're so glad to finally meet you!"

"Dad!" Sakura blurted in embarrassment. The three boys turned towards the sound of her voice, but didn't see her due to her father being in the way. She was tastefully dressed in a white sundress with a cherry blossom pattern and a green sash. Haruhi could appreciate that. Haruhi could also appreciate the kind smile Sakura's dad was giving her and she almost immediately felt her worries melting away. Her worried smile became genuine.

He laughed and rubbed his head, and Haruhi was reminded of Naruto.

"Come inside! Dinners ready." He stepped out of the way, revealing Sakura to the boys. Naruto immediately laid on the compliments, probably trying to get into Kizashi's good books.

It was Haku's and Sasuke's reactions that interested her. Sasuke's eyes bugged out for a second before he blinked and smiled microscopically. Haku tilted her head. The color coordination of pink and green-blue between the three of them made Haruhi's inner crayola fantic squeal in joy. It almost looked like a painting or something.

"Looking sharp! Come in." Her dad said.

They took off their shoes and walked through the hallway that Haruhi had previously been in when she had helped Ino and Sakura. Pictures of a young Sakura and her family decorated the wall, while a delicious smell drifted from the kitchen.

Stir fry.

Sakura giggled, seeing Haruhi's face.

"I know how much you like stir-fry, Haruhi-Sensei, so I told mom to make some for you."

Haruhi beamed, mood lifting like fog in the morning. Entering the Kitchen first was her and Kakashi, who looked supremely uncomfortable with being there on time. Haruhi couldn't blame him really. In a better mood, Haruhi peered over her shoulder make sure everyone was in the hallway (Mebuki went out to greet them) before leaning on the side of Kakashi's face.

"Kakashi," She whispered "If you want to leave and come back later that's cool. You can go and I'll tell them you had to leave and do something important."

Haruhi really didn't want him to leave- it would make her feel exposed- but she didn't want him to be uncomfortable either. She was enough of a bother as it was, and she still felt bad for dragging him around. She wiped her still sweaty palms on her pants, nervous about facing Sakura's parents alone.

"Maa, that's okay." He said, eye smiling in a way that told her it was not okay.

Alright. They'd suffer together. While feeling bad for causing Kakashi stress like this, she did not like being in social situations for very long especially not with people she didn't know yet. All those new people crowding her and wanting to pick her up like a gerbil had her twitchy with meeting new people.

She was glad Kakashi decided to stay with her. It made her feel better. The chattering became louder and she heard Naruto's grating laugh sound from the hallway.

"Kakashi-san! It's nice to see you again." Sakura's mother entered the kitchen, everyone else following behind her. Yes, it made sense for Kakashi to visit his student's parents. Mebuki had a V shaped bang covering most of her forehead and dark green eyes.

"You too." He smiled, and if Haruhi hadn't known what to look for she wouldn't have been able to tell how out of his depth he was. They took their places around the table; Naruto, Haku, Sasuke and Kakashi sitting on one side while Sakura and her parents took the other. Food steamed in its various containers and with a sinking feeling Haruhi realized she didn't know where to sit.

Would it be rude to stay on Kakashi's shoulder?

She didn't see anything wrong with it, but she wasn't sure how to eat.

Well, she wasn't hungry.

But wouldn't it be rude to come here and not eat?

"Oh, Haruhi!" Mebuki exclaimed. With an uncomfortable feeling Haruhi lifted her head to meet her eyes. "I made a special spot for you!"

Right smack in the middle of the table, in clear view of everyone and directly under the kitchen light was a square of yellow cloth that clashed horrible with her blue blouse. The blood drained from her face as she forced a smile.

"Oh! You...shouldn't have!"

"Really, it was no problem." Mebuki smiled. She and Kakashi exchange nervous looks. Her being in the middle meant being separated from him. In this situation with new people and high stakes, they really didn't want that.

The four kids trooped into the kitchen, Sakura filling the air with a nervous chatter and Naruto laughing obnoxiously. Haruhi wanted to tell him to stop, but the thought of the attention it would draw halted her in her tracks.

The Haruno family took one side of the table and the rest took the other. With extreme hesitation, Haruhi slid down from Kakashi's shoulder and silently sat in the middle, knees in from and sitting on her feet. It was an extremely uncomfortable position, but she felt sitting criss cross applesauce was too casual, and asking to move to the side of the table by Kakashi would just draw attention to herself.

She fought to control her blush, embarrassment causing her to overheat slightly. Her rosacea was enough as it was.

Mebuki placed plates in front of them. A feeling of trepidation took over her. Her size was an issue as she normally just took food from kakashi's plate or someone gave her something. She stopped at Haruhi to put a baby plate down.

A baby plate.

Her mouth ran dry and suddenly she couldn't speak, overcome with surprise and feeling strangely paralyzed.

It was plastic and not much smaller than a tea plate. It had wavy rims and was a bright hot pink. A baby plate. Like for a baby no bigger than the one she and Kakashi had calmed on that one D-rank mission. A pair of toothpicks rested in the middle of them, still a little too big for her, but at least it was something.

There was a beat of silence and suddenly everyone was staring at her. She must have missed something.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked. It felt like when she zoned out during her teachers' lectures back in High school and suddenly she had no idea what was going on, all eyes on her.

"Well, My Sakura has told us so much about you. Before it was all Sasuke-kun!" Her father raised his voice into a high pitched squeal before dropping back down." But now it's this Haruhi-sensei she talks about!" Her dad laughed. Sakura blushed, studiously keeping her eyes down.

"Oh really?" Haruhi said. She didn't know Sakura held her in such high regard. Mebuki nodded, a soft gleam in her eye- the thanks of a mother. Great. The yellow cloth was some sort of seat of honor then. Haruhi grew even more uncomfortable, restraining herself from shifting nervously. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck, hidden by the curls of her hair.

"Yes! So, a jutsu accident, huh? What's it like being small?"

Oh, you know, crushing for your self esteem, feelings of helplessness, dependence, unbalancing. Haruhi couldn't say that though.

"It's rather unique." She sugarcoated. That got laughs from Sakura's parents and she relaxed the slightest bit.

Mebuki started spooning out the food and Haruhi retensed. How much should she eat? How much could she eat? God, she was never doing this again.

Mebuki leaned over, and very gentle spooned the rice and veggies onto Haruhi's baby plate while everyone else got their own food. Ignoring her burning ears, Haruhi thanked her. The portion she had been served was small in comparison to everyone else's, but it was about the same size as Haruhi. She cringed as she thought of her waist line.
Sasuke's eyes widened and against his will an appreciative hum slipped out. He had just bitten into a piece of the tomato.

"I'm glad you like it!"

Sasuke flushed, noticeable on his pale cheeks. Haruhi had told Sakura before that Sasuke's favorite food was tomatos, just in case she wanted to make him a bento box or something.

"It's very good." Sasuke said, and given how antisocial and nervous he was, Haruhi thought it was a miracle they had gotten that out of him. Naruto chimed in agreeing. Using the distraction Haruhi awkwardly picked up her makeshift chopsticks and lifted a small piece of tomato. Closing her eyes and sniffing, images of her and Kakashi's first dinner appeared in her mind. Rolling the onion, watching in awe as he effortlessly chopped the vegetables, and the tentative peace that seemed to settle between them. She took a bit and almost let out an appreciative hum of her own.

"-ruhi?"

She had apparently zoned out again. Great. Sakura's parents probably thought she had holes in her brain.

"Yes?" She asked after swallowing her bite of tomato.

"Well, we just think it's wonderful how Sakura is taking the ninja life seriously now. She talks nonstop about her team." Mebuki said, speaking for both her and her husband who nodded with his mouth full.

"I'm right here!" Sakura said, embarrassed.

"Really Sakura-chan!?" Naruto said excitedly. His baby blues shined with excitement at the thought of Sakura talking about him.

Sakura's dad laughed, and was probably about to say something embarrassing when Haku spoke up for the first time.

"Thank you for having me."

The way he said it made Haruhi think there was more to it than just thanking them for dinner.

"No problem at all!" Kizashi said, having finally swallowed his food. Feeling like Kakashi, Haruhi quickly took another bite of the pile of food while the attention was off of her.
There was still a huge amount on her plate. She felt like it was a metaphor for her life or something.

Naruto was talking about one of their training sessions much to the delight of Kizashi, going into depth about his shadow clones and all the tricks he wanted to try out. Sasuke and Haku finally relaxed, the topic something they were familiar with. When Sasuke complemented Sakura's control and improvement, the two parents beamed.

"I must agree." Haku said quickly, nearly cutting Sasuke off, "Sakura-san Has better control than even I, and I am a Chunin." Haku said gracefully.

"A chunin you say?" Sakura's dad said excitedly.

"I only ever got to Genin myself. I was always more of a tradesman." He turned to Sakura, clearly impressed with Haku. "You have very impressive friends."

Sasuke bit down on his food with a little more force than necessary.

"They are impressive. They've all grown considerably since I first took them on." Kakashi said.

"Thanks to you." Mebuki beamed, putting more food on his empty plate. Kakashi nodded his thanks, and ignored the intense looks everyone was giving him.

The discussion continued, and Haruhi kept pulling on the collar of her shirt. She was super hot for some reason, which was weird considering the food wasn't spicy.

"Do you like it Haruhi-san?" Mebuki asked. And suddenly all eyes were on her again. She could feel her face heat up as she looked at her baby plate filled with a pile of food she could never eat.

She nodded, uncomfortable.

It was clear that Sakura's parents weren't done with asking her questions and just as Kizashi opened his mouth to speak, with no doubt to say something else to put her front and center someone else spoke up.

"D'his is delicious." Kakashi said, mouth full and cheeks bulging under his mask. They all looked away from her and she breathed a small sigh of relief. Kakashi dipped his head and winked at her, everyone else missing it.

Bless that man. Haruhi felt a spring of gratitude and affection, and to her horror, she felt tears gather in her eyes. She quickly stamped them down, flooded with confusion. She quickly took another bite with her giant toothpick chopsticks. What was wrong with her? Was the stress finally getting to her?

Mebuki and Sakura cleaned up and brought out dessert- something with strawberries. Haruhi wasn't really paying attention.

Sasuke didn't like sweets, but when Sakura said she made it, he bravely ate a few bites. Naruto exclaimed his love for the sweets, and Haruhi found herself enjoying it too, despite the awkwardness of it all. She only really felt comfortable eating when she wasn't so exposed, or when it was just her and Kakashi.

They continued to talk and laugh, Mebuki taking out a camera and snapping a picture of them when they were in the middle of a board game, Haruhi having been reclaimed by Kakashi and sitting on his shoulder.

"Sasuke cheated!" Naruto bellowed as he lost for the fifth time in a row.

"Maybe I'm just that good." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto growled and reset the board. Sakura and Haku-chan chattered in the background, something with their medical textbook while keeping up a conversation with her parents. She was in the middle of picking apart the conversations they had over dinner and wondering if she could talk about anything else with Sakura's parents when Kakashi tensed.

"Is it him?" She whispered worriedly.

A slight shake of his head told her no, but he didn't relax.

"Well!" he said loudly. Naruto startled and looked up. Sasuke took the chance and switched some of the pieces.

"I had a great time here. But It's time for Haruhi and me to leave now."

Haruhi blinked in surprise.

"Really?" Mebuki said, a bit disappointed. Her husband nodded, and looked at them questioningly. The four children looked up in surprise, before shrugging and going back to their board game. Haruhi sensed Mebuki's mood and quickly spoke, seizing the opportunity to leave.

"Yeah, it's about time for us to leave. I loved my time here though, I'll have to visit again." She smiled.

Mebuki nodded and everyone said their goodbyes.

"Alright Team Seven! Meet at our usual spot tomorrow. It's gonna be a big day."

The original three members broke out in whispers, since the last time Kakashi had said something like that it involved them getting bulldozed in the bell test. But Haruhi never heard their speculation, as Kakashi was already gone and out the door. They dashed over rooftops so quickly is blurred, but Haruhi recognized where they were heading seconds before kakashi stopped at his doorstep.

He opened it before quickly snapping it closed and bringing her to eye level.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, eye narrowing.

...What?

"U-uh, no, why?" She managed.

Kakashi remained silent for a moment, before something clicked. His eye widened and averted itself. He strode over to the guest bathroom and flicked on the light, plopping her on the counter.

"I-I'll let you take care of it." He stuttered, closing the door with a snap.

Huh.

She breathed deeply, before letting out a huge sigh of relief, a strand of her hair swaying with her exhale. The tension leaked out of her shoulders now that the dinner was over. The dinner definitely didn't go as well as she would have liked, but it could have been worse.

She thought of the baby plate and cringed.

Her spare set of sleep clothes was in the drawer, she just had to change and brush her teeth. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her mind as she slipped off the blue blouse and tugged down her black pants.

...Why was her hand wet?

She narrowed her eyes as she brought up her fingers to her face and held them up to the light bulbs

Realizing what it was, she closed her eyes and counted to ten. She striped herself and clean herself off, washing blood off her pants and underwear before ripping up a bit of cotton and wrapping that in the tiniest bit of bandages before putting it in a new pair of underwear. One less thing to worry about, she guessed. Or maybe it was one more?
She climbed down the installed mini staircase, thoughts of her life swirling in her head. She had never expected to stay here long enough to meet Sakura's parents, much less have dinner with them. It was dangerous here, being that everyone was either a child soldier, part of a corrupt system, or just batshit insane. And being next to the main characters, small, and a civilian, her chance of death just skyrocketed.

Sensing she needed some time to think, Kakashi said good night, and studiously read Icha Icha as she went under the dresser to her bed.

Ever since the beans were spilled about her existence to the rest of Konoha, and that man had tried to kidnap her...she thought every new person was just gonna snatch her up and run, and there wouldn't be anything she could do about it. Even if she was big, there would still be very little she could do. That wasn't being irrational. She wasn't a ninja, and had no plans of being one.

Sleep was harder to come by and sometimes she would startle awake for no reason other than a sense of paranoia. Kakashi was an amazing security blanket, but he couldn't always be there.

The dinner was bad.

It had never been so apparent until that moment just how much she didn't fit in. Literally, she did not fit in. Some part of her used to think everything here was the wrong size but really, it was just her. Having to sit on the middle of the table, be served on a baby's plate, making Sakura's parents go out of their way to cater to her, it was degrading.
She felt like she was too big and too small at the same time, as impossible as that sounded. The odd one out.

Her hand twitched into a fist and she swiped away the tears welling in the corner of her eyes.

She had done everything for herself, ever since she was a small child she got herself up and ready for school, made dinner, and even got a job in highschool to pay for her car. To be suddenly completely dependent on Kakashi, needing help for everything was too much for her. It was nice at first, someone else caring for her. Her Father couldn't care for her and her mother was working to support them, so it was nice. But it got old really fast.

She wanted to go home.

She didn't care how lonely it was now that her father finally passed.

Her dad had been on a downward spiral with his health for years. It was something they knew would come, but when he passed in his sleep from a stroke when she was a senior, Haruhi felt like she was living in a daze. Her mother threw herself into her business after that, unable to cope with the loss of her husband.

Haruhi didn't care how big and empty it was, it was still home and she wanted to go back.

Haruhi wanted to go somewhere to relax, just cry and let it all out, but it was too dangerous. She flinched at the idea, images of a spider-like hand flashing across her mind. She couldn't stray from Kakashi.

She felt like a mouse caught in a trap.

"Hamster Haruhi…" she murmured ironically.

She hated being small, but at least she could curl up and almost disappear completely.

"Okay team!" Kakashi said. "I have something very important for you all!"

Haruhi looked from her perch on his shoulder. She had an inkling…

"What is it sensei?" Sakura asked.

In response, Kakashi whipped out three sheets of paper, with text she couldn't read from this far away. It was obviously a form of some sort.

"Kakashi-sensei Kakashi-sensei! There are only three papers but four of us. Are you gonna make us fight again, is this another test!?" Naruto shouted, scowling.

"Naruto, I think you're finally learning!" Kakashi beamed. "And yes, this is a are the forms you three need to fill out for the chunin exams, and Haku already has the rank of Chunin, so he won't be needing one."

Kakashi's eye crinkled.

"I know you three can do it."

Haruhi closed her eyes and slid down into the pocket.

Chapter Text

Snap.

Snap.

Snap.

Haruhi’s finger whirls around her lock of hair, pulling and tugging on the strands in her worry. She really doesn’t like this.

A part of her always knew this would happen eventually, but being confronted with it was like being slapped in the face with a trout. The fact that this hell-world had glorified gladiatorial pits where people, often children fought each other and sometimes died was vulgar.

And now her kids were going to do just that.

When Orochimaru was after them.

She gave a particularly ferocious tug that made her wince in pain. She then scowled.

“What's wrong Haruhi-chan?” Kakashi asked.

She wanted to tell him it was the dystopia they were currently living in plus the fact he was sending the kids to Orochimaru but instead said something else.

“I've heard that the Chunin exams are dangerous. Are you sure they’re ready? Won't it take a lot for them to pass, if they pass at all?” She blurted.

Kakashi hummed.

“Well, to be honest with you, none of them have a great chance of passing.”

Haruhi was shocked, hand stilling.

“Then why did you sign them up?”

“Because it was the safest time to do so.”

That rendered Haruhi speechless. Sensing her bafflement, Kakashi took it upon himself to answer.

“The next Chunin exam would be in Kumo. Kumo is notorious for its bloodline theft. Sasuke wouldn’t be safe, and neither would Naruto. The two Hyuga’s Hinata and Neji definitely wouldn’t be safe. The Chunin exam after that would be in the sound village, a village we don’t have much information about except a multitude of disappearances-mainly of promising young individuals. I signed them up now so they could get the experience of the exam in a relatively controlled environment, where they have the home field advantage and other Konoha teams to rely on. It’s not that I doubt their abilities, or that I don’t believe they can’t do it, but If they learn now they won’t have to suffer later.”

That...actually made a lot of sense. Signing the three genin up for the exams when they clearly weren’t ready for them was one of the only things she didn’t like about Kakashi, but hearing about it from his POV changed that. But she was still worried about Orochimaru. How could she bring that up?

“But what about that man who tried to take me? The one who stalked the kids at the training grounds? Is it really safe for them?”

Kakashi considered her concerns, something she really appreciated.

“To be honest, being a ninja will never be safe. This is as safe as it gets. And we’ve known for a long time about security breaches in Konoha. Us Jounin were told to keep it on the down low, but…”

He leaned down.

“The teams from sound were expelled. “

“Why?”

“We’ve been detecting suspicious activity from sound for awhile now. Tsume Inuzuka-she's the clan head of the Inuzuka clan- captured a faint scent trail of them around Konoha-before admittance to the exam was allowed. And not only that, but we suspect multiple persons following team seven are around. During the bell test, Pakkun briefly picked up a scent before it disappeared. Haku detected something with her chakra sense when I was fighting with Zabuza for the first time. And the security breaches are being combated with more frequent patrols.”

That explained so much.

Details she had once written off as trivial came to light. During the bell test, when Pakkun had suddenly paused to sniff at the bushes. She had thought he was smelling for a squirrel. And when they were protecting Tazuna on the way to his house, and Haku was late to save Zabuza. Had she detected a mysterious person then and went to see who it was? Was it the same one who had tried to kidnap her?

“Is it the same person who tried to kidnap me?”

“No, actually.”

What.

“Pakkun compared the scent leftover at the bell test training grounds to the one in the living room. They were completely different.”

“What you are trying to say is that multiple people are watching me.”

“Uh, yes?”

She started twisting her hair again.

“Do we have any idea who they are?”

“Well, Pakkun did say both scents were familiar. One of them he had smelled faintly around Konoha before. We couldn’t get a read on the other. Pakkun said the one in the bell test clearing smelled a lot like you, but that's because you were so close to his nose. We’re not actually sure what the whole scent is.”

Yikes.

Sensing her worry, again, Kakashi reassured her.

“Haku will be accompanying them into the exams.”

That was actually reassuring. Haku was a mid-chunin last time they fought on the bridge. With Konoha’s health care, plus the extra training she received here placed her at low jounin. Plus her bloodline and experiences outside the village made her formidable.

She would at the very least be able to stall Orochimaru.

The thought made Haruhi feel marginally better.

The three plus Haku should be making their way over to them now, and then to the first part of the exams.

Haruhi had faith that Sakura and to an extent, Haku would be able to answer all the questions. She wasn’t so sure about Sasuke, and definitely not Naruto, but she figured the other two would be able to help.

The four had improved by leaps and bounds since wave, and were miles better than they were in the anime at this point. They were more prepared now than they ever were.
Naruto’s ability to think critically and his chakra control was at a point now, that he otherwise wouldn’t have reached until Jiraiya came to town. Sasuke gained the ability to communicate and respect his teammates-something that didn’t really come until the end of shippuden. Sakura gained self-respect, and physical strength. She had started training with Rock Lee, and wore leg weights. She was already putting a new spin on her water jutsus. And Haku was alive, so…

“Haruhi-sensei!”

“You guys are here!”

The kids had arrived.

They formed a semicircle around Kakashi and her. Sakura babbled about how she used Kakashi’s training to see through a genjutsu on the second floor. Naruto spoke about something she couldn’t make out-a weird guy who knew too much? And Sasuke and Haku were silent, observing their surroundings.

“Alright, you four be careful. Sick together, help each other out okay? If you see anyone suspicious let each other know. Don’t be afraid to talk to Ino’s, Hinata’s, and Tenten’s teams.”

“Okay.” Sasuke said. He seemed to take her words to heart, if his considering glances at the other teams was anything to go by.

“You worry too much!” Naruto laughed.

“Worrying is a good trait to have, especially when you’re a ninja.” Kakashi defended her.

Haruhi smiled, ignoring the tight coil in her chest, and wished them good luck. She watched as the walked through the doors and out of sight. It was all up to them now.

Snap.

Snap.

Snap.

…
…
Sakura breezed through the ten questions. Seriously, were they even trying? Sakura had done problems like this when helping her mother with her job as an electrician. She did problems like this when helping her parents with taxes.
She wished she could say it was as easy for Naruto. She and Sasuke exchanged worried glances and looked back at Naruto, who was currently ripping out his hair, like Haruhi-sensei did when she was worried, except more extreme.
Sasuke’s sharingan was hidden. Sakura had taught him how to use a combination of genjutsu and the transformation jutsu to hide his eyes, as to not attract attention. He then copied her hand movements to get the right answers.
But at this angle, neither Sasuke nor Sakura would be able to let Naruto copy off of them. And while he had improved greatly, it wasn’t enough to answer all these questions by himself.
Ino pig had tried to get into her mind, but Inner had kicked Ino out. Ha.
Shikamaru had eventually trapped his team in the shadow-possession jutsu and wrote the answers down for them.
If only Naruto would turn around, then she could capture him in a genjutsu and tell him the answers.
But then again that wouldn't have worked anyway. Sakura had tried a genjutsu on him during training, but something was off with his chakra. It was harder to twist and mould, and it felt...disturbing. It was heavy and sluggish- especially around his stomach. Even If he turned to face her, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to catch him in a genjutsu.
That left Hinata.
Haruhi-sensei said something about helping each other out, and while she may have pushed away Ino, because no way was Sakura letting her win-even if they were friends again, Hinata could help.
Sakura gathered her chakra, and flicked a rolled up piece of paper at her head. When Hinata turned, Sakura struck.
“Sakura!?”
“Hinata, sorry about this, but could you help Naruto? Could you let him know the point of this test is to cheat. We’ll owe you one.”
“Oh, o-of course!”
Sakura let go of the genjutsu.
...
Haku watched the three genin with sharp eyes from her seat in the front. As a proctor and bodyguard for the three genin of team seven, she was keeping her eyes peeled. She was to watch and not intervene unless there was a serious threat.
However, Haku was seriously considering murdering Naruto right now. She could not believe this kid was the one who had defeated her.
She had figured out seconds after the test started what it was really about. Cheating. When Hinata finally started to speak to Naruto and help him Haku unclenched her jaws.
It was clever of Sakura to use Hinata to help. But if Hinata’s previous sideways glances were anything to go by she would have helped anyway.
That was good.
Such a trouble-prone team needed allies.
Her eyes scanned the genin again, pausing on Ino.
Ino.
Haku was glad she was wearing a mask, because blushing would have been embarrassing.
Ino, was just, so…
It was hard to put into words. In the corner store, Haku had been speechless for a second, before quickly fixing her hair and hiding her face again. Haruhi-sensei and Sakura-chan hadn’t been a surprise, but this beautiful kunoichi had caught her off guard.
Her eyes were sharp as she scanned prices and got the best deal, her hair was in a beautiful fishtail of golden hair that Haku just wanted to run her fingers through. Haku looked at her own damaged hair and winced. She would never be beautiful like Sakura and Ino.
Especially Ino.
When Sakura had said this was a ‘girls trip only’ it felt like a punch to the gut. She had rapidly excused herself after that.
It was silly of her to think she could have sat down with Ino, Sakura, and Haruhi-sensei.
Or, at least she thought.
It had taken every ounce of courage in her, but when Haruhi-sensei had said the girls clothes looked good on her, and when she called her Haku-chan, it had all been worth it. She felt pretty, in those clothes. Haruhi-sensei said so, and she was honest.
For the first time since Zabuza died, she felt like herself.
Haku relaxed, only to tense up again.
She sensed something. She knew team seven was being watched, by multiple people as she and Kakashi had talked about it. This time, is was one person outside in the trees. Their chakra was repressed, weirdly. Normally when a signature is dampened, all of it is dampened equally. But the little ripples that came with emotional reactions and personalities just wasn’t there. It was like whoever was watching them were emotionally repressed.
They were different from regular ANBU.
The Hokage had said she would be watched, as was standard for incoming citizens, but it was Kakashi who was supposed to be doing that. Who authorized this?
Were they watching her? Team seven? Something else? That man with the gray hair and glasses who knew more than he should? That kid with the red hair and the repulsive chakra emitting from his stomach?
There were too many variables to tell.
She announced in a voice that was barely above a whisper that she needed to use the facilities, and left the room.
She quickly made a ice clone in the corner of the hallway, shrinking down her own signature. She had hid from Kakashi Hatake, these agents were nothing in comparison.
She sped through the hallways, finding a window, opening it, and jumping out, keeping the chakra signatures in her field the entire time.
She landed in a tree, mask still firmly in place. She flared out her senses and tracked the signature. They had moved away from the academy window, and into the more heavily forested area.
She peeked into the classroom in time to see her clone sit down on her chair. It was indistinguishable from the real her, due to the fact that is wasn’t a illusion.
Her eyes narrowed behind the mask as she zeroed in on the signature. She whipped out a senbon and pressed it to the jugular.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Her voice was ice.
A Pale hand twitched towards a tanto, but Haku pressed her senbon in just a bit harder, and blood pearled on the incredibly pale skin.
“We have been watching you, Haku.”
“Really.”
“Yes. Accomplice to Zabuza Momochi, Bloody Demon of the Mist. Last known survivor of the Yuki clan-”
Haku squeezed his throat.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“...”
“We are interested in you, Haku. You have many things you can offer the village. Where your talents can be used to their fullest potential. Lord Third is holding you back.”
Haku opened her mouth to speak, to demand answers, but with a hand sign and a swirl of leaves, the boy with milky white skin was gone.

…
Ibiki was terrifying.
Sasuke would never admit that out loud, but it was true. His chakra flared in a way that reminded him of his first fight with Zabuza. The stifling atmosphere that choked him and crushed his lungs.
But Ibiki’s speech was really something to think about. What was Sasuke willing to give for Konoha?
The history classes Sasuke was taking were run by civilians. At first Sasuke had scoffed, believing he wouldn’t have anything to learn from them. But after a few lessons, he could see how it was changing the way he thought of the world. Konoha suddenly wasn’t this shining beacon of justice. Terrible things that Konoha nin had done in the name of the village weren’t being washed over with propaganda like it was in the academy.
Since civilians weren’t ninja, they had different, less biased perspectives on the Shinobi way.
He learned that Konoha wasn’t perfect, and that underneath the surface, there was a plethora of things it could be hiding.
What could he, or rather, would he give for a village like that?
When Naruto started shouting and when that purple haired woman bursted through the glass, he almost signed in relief.
When they got to the clearing outside the forest of death, Sakura had already talked to the other members of team 8, 10, and team Gai. They made a nonaggression pact and a call for aid if needed and if they were in the area.
Sasuke was impressed with Sakura's diplomacy skills. Haku stood silently to the side, and Sasuke noticed right away the tenseness in his shoulders. It made him tense and he followed Haku’s gaze to land on a strange woman with the grass symbol on her headband.
He didn’t like that.
He didn’t like how she was looking at him like a piece of meat.
Sasuke was suddenly immensely grateful that Sakura had make that pact with the other Konoha teams. With his covered sharingan, he noticed Shino dispatching one of his bugs in order to land on that creepy woman.
One of them landed on Sasuke. He shot Shino a look before Sakura gave him a pointed glance and whispered into his ear.
“We’re all being bugged. It means we have a system of communicating and keeping track of each other.”
Sasuke nodded and accepted the bug.
Ibiki's speech had been a wake up call. The Chunin exams wouldn’t be easy, and they need all the help they could get.

Chapter Text

After that encounter with the creepy lady with the long tounge from grass, Sakura had to say, she didn’t fell to optimistic about this whole “Forest of Death” thing.

The purpled haired Jounin, Anko, didn’t seemed to excited either. She had a small, but noticeable frown on her face as she handed out scrolls to the waiting groups. Or maybe, that could just be how she normally looked, Sakura didn’t know.

But she was still pretty cool. Sakura would have to ask Kakashi about her.

She had no doubt there would be deadly creatures in there, but as she side-eyed that grass nin and the psycho from sand, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were bringing the deadliest aspects in with them.

“Hey Fo-Sakura!”

“Pi-Ino.”

Ino was smirking, magnificent blond hair pulled back into its usual ponytail. Sakura looked at a strand of pink hanging over her shoulder, wondering if she should tie it back too.

Ino had followed her gaze and with a sigh and a shake of her head, pulled an extra hair band off of her wrist and moved behind Sakura.

“Tilt your head down.”

Sakura did.

Ino braided her hair.

“...So, that redhead psycho is kinda hot. Sasuke’s bad-boy vibes times ten.”

“I-Ino!”

“What? It’s true!”

Sakura couldn’t argue with that. But as she glanced at Haku, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. She could tell behind his mask that he alternated between staring at the grass Kunoichi and at Garra, who was now muttering to himself and clutching his forehead.

“I know, Ino, but still, he’s bad news.”

Haruhi would think so too.

“Yeah, I’m not dumb enough to approach him. Sasuke at least isn’t a psycho.” Sakura bit her tongue, resisting the urge to say she wasn’t giving Sasuke enough credit. He had gotten a lot better lately, but at the same time she agreed.

“Hey Ino, if team seven has an extra scroll, we’ll give it to you.”

“What-oh, thanks, we will too.”

“That is a good strategy. We don’t know what we will face after the forest of death.” Haku had appeared behind them.

“Ino, I suggest your team finish your business in the forest of death as quickly as possible, with all due haste. The longer you are in the more likely hostiles will take your scroll.”
Ino was staring wide eyed at Haku, a blush dancing across her surprised face before she nodded, a determined glint in her eyes.

“Did you notice that the sound teams are gone?”

“Uh...no?” Ino and Sakura said. Truthfully, they hadn't even realized they were competing.

“But Sakura, you and Sasuke talked to one of them before the first exam started.”

Sakura scrunched up her face, before she gasped in realization. They had talked to the team before meeting up with Haruhi and Kakashi-sensei. They had all taken a special interest in Sasuke, just like everyone else. She wondered how tiring it got for him, to have everyone constantly into his business.

“Oh! Kin! She seemed kinda snooty, but not too bad. Why were they booted?”

“They were booted because the circumstances surrounding them were suspicious. They are suspected of making plans that would have thrown off the entire Chunin exams and needlessly endangered Konoha genin.”

“You mean, endangered them more than normal.”

“Yes.”

That was surprising.

This whole test was dangerous. What could they have been planning that would have warranted them being kicked out?

Ino had the same thoughts apparently, and wanted to tell her teammates.

“Well, I better get back to my team now. Bye Sakura, and thanks, Haku.”

Haku inclined his head, taking his eyes off of Gaara briefly to watch Ino’s swaying blonde hair as she walked away from them.

Just what had they signed up for?

“So Kakashi, what exactly is the second part of the exam?”

Two chunin had just walked past them talking about it.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully, eye betraying his hesitation to share information with her. On one hand, Haruhi was stressed enough. She had been twisting her hair nonstop, and biting her lip. On the other hand, the truth set you free. She could feel better knowing what the kids were getting into. And he didn’t like lying to her.

“It’s in the Forest of Death.”

Haruhi didn’t look too surprised or put-out, so Kakashi took that as a good sign.

“And what is that?”

“Well, a… training ground of sorts.”

“The Genin have already trained though. Why would they go there?”

He had to hand it to her. When Haruhi caught a scent, she was on it faster than one of his ninken.

“The Forest of Death is unique and special due to the fact that it is a naturally chakra dense spot. Due to the high level of Chakra in the forest, the creatures born there are… enhanced.”

“Enhanced?” Haruhi asked sharply.

Ah, you really couldn’t put anything past Haruhi.

“Yes, bigger, faster, taller. Things like that.”

“And the kids will be up against that?”

“Yes.”

“Hm, but that still doesn’t answer my original question. Why there? For a challenge? That can’t be the only reason.”

Kakashi shook his head as his eye crinkled into a smile.

“Exposition.”

“To show off?” The pure curiosity in her tone was endearing.

“Essentially. That hotspot of chakra is one of the last in the elemental nations. In fact, out of all of them, its the largest and closest to a hidden village. By showing the dangerous creatures inside and its proximity to the village, it's a show of strength on Konoha’s part. And there’s the fact that our hotspot is partially created by the first Hokage himself. He put years of time and effort in to the place to sustain life, and rare plants and animals. It’s a reason why many of the tree are so much larger than normal.”

“That's fascinating.” Haruhi said, sounding genuinely intrigued, “But why is it one of the last?”

Sharp as a kunai, his Haruhi was.

“Well, officially, Konoha has been in three incredibly destructive wars. That's not even counting the skirmishes and other conflicts. High death tolls, and damage to the environment. That's the important one. The wars waged by all the elemental nations together, with their organized shinobi forces, destroyed and damaged most of the hotspots. While some still do exist in more remote areas and farther from warzones, it’s a small continent, and most are gone. It’s what makes this hotspot, the Forest of Death, so precious to Konoha. It's a symbol of our prosperity, that we have something that almost no one else has. That we’re naturally better.”

Haruhi was silent for a moment.

“So what you are trying to tell me is, that Konoha has one of the last hotspots on the planet, filled with incredibly rare creatures and plants found nowhere else, and the government-Konoha, is instead of protecting it, are using it to their benefit, to show off, and stage incredibly destructive battles. Battles that would compromise all the hard work the first Hokage put into it, and the creatures living there? Does that sound right?”

“...”

Absolutely scathing, he thought admirably.

Kakashi nodded.

To his surprise, Haruhi let out a cynical laugh that made his toes curl.

“Ah, you know what, Kakashi? Maybe our worlds aren’t so different after all.”

The screams of pain were getting louder. They could attract attention, and in this forest, that was nothing good.

“Oh God, Help! Karin!”

Sasuke pressed himself further into the bark of the giant tree and grit his teeth. The screams had turned into moans as the genin had died, and Sasuke could hear the crunch of bones grating against his eardrums.

“Mom…”

He peeked over a branch just in time to see a giant bear swallow a genin whole, a twisted arm being sucked in. Blood bubbled past its maw, and Sasuke could make out the faint outline as he went down.

He wished he had turned his sharingan off, because that would haunt him for the rest of his life. But even if he had turned his eyes off, he still probably wouldn’t have been able to forget it.

Sasuke desperately needed to vomit, but the sound and smell might attract the giant bear.

He imagined his bones cracking like toothpicks as he too was eaten, screams being smothered by his own blood and breathing the vile breath of the bear.

God.

Why did it have to be like this? Why was all this pain and suffering necessary in order to become a ninja? Was it because that was all a ninja life had to offer?

The giant bear’s fat purple tongue licked the blood off it’s sharp teeth, leaning down in order to sniff the body. The lower half was splayed against the tree roots, while the upper half was lying awkwardly on the grass. That genin had been bisected by a bear claw bigger than him.

The bear grunted, turning away from the genin and lumbering away from him-and towards Sasuke. He had a moment of panic.

His strongest fireball would only tickle the bear though it’s thick fur. Blunt force wouldn’t do much, and if it stood on its hind legs it could possible reach him.

To his great relief, the bear walked right past him, seemingly intent on something.

When the bear was out of sight and Sasuke couldn’t hear it’s heavy breathing anymore, he leaned over and threw up.

Coughing as he stood, Sasuke’s brow furrowed. Not that he was complaining, but the bear probably should have attacked him next.

He then realized there was only two bodies in the clearing.

Where was the third member? Was it this Karin that one boy had shouted before he died?

Whoever this Karin was, it was probably the member with the scroll. And they were probably in trouble.

Sasuke tilted his head back and took a deep breath in. Which was a mistake. The dead boy’s intestines were out, along with the partially digest food held inside. It smelled.
They probably left this Karin behind to go searching for food. That meant the she was a support fighter and stood even less of a chance than the other two.

Sasuke jumped after the bear.

He knew it was a stupid thing to do. It wasn’t his responsibility to help. All he was doing was getting the scroll. Yeah. And he couldn’t get it if it was in the bears stomach.
He paused.

The trees were even wider and bigger here, with all the low hanging branches gone and nothing for the bear to break or snag fur on. The ground was hard packed dirt. No paw prints.

A scream echoed from his right.

He started sprinting towards the sound before he knew what he was doing, heart pounding in his chest.

Was he too late?

He landed on a tree branch and stopped abruptly. Lurching forward before pulling back. Thank god he knew tree walking. The bear had cornered a red haired girl against the trunk of another huge tree. In her hand she was clutching an earth scroll.

They already had that one.

But Sasuke didn’t move. He didn’t leave.

He watched as the girl leaned down and shakily scooped a handful of dirt in her hands and threw it in the bears face. It stumbled back, eyes watering and nose twitching. It’s roar shook the tree branch he was on and the girl-Karin, ran for her life, just as the giant jaws snapped closed inches behind her.

Maybe he wasn’t needed after all.

But Karin was sent reeling from the motion of jumping away, and tripped over a tree root. Her glasses were sent flying into the clearing, and she hit the ground hard.

Damn it.

The bear turned it head and Sasuke saw his opportunity.

“Shishi Rendan!”

He slammed his foot over and over again into the bears skull, knocking it unconcious.

There was a beat of silence after the bear collapsed, the girl still too surprised to move and Sasuke catching his breath.

He felt like he had to throw up again.

After a moment, Sasuke straightened himself and limped over towards the girl. He had kicked so hard he bruised his foot. He stooped down and plucked her glasses from the ground. They were shaped liked Haruhi’s glasses.

Perhaps it was because of that that made him clean them with the edge of his shirt. He noted that they were a bit bent. He looked and looked down only to see the girl staring up at him with wide red eyes.

He was startled for a second before he realized they weren’t sharingan.

She was still looking at him.

Sasuke began to feel uncomfortable. He hated when people stared at him. He offered her a hand in order to help her up and was gratified when she stopped gawking at him and instead looked at his hand. He released a tiny sigh of relief.

She blinked in confusion, before finally, cautiously, grabbing his hand, fingers curling around his painfully slow. He tightened his grip and pulled her up, ignoring her yelp of surprise.

He checked her over for injuries, and handed her glasses back to her.

She took them in a robotic motion, to surprised to say or do anything else, and slid them on her face where they rested crookedly on her nose.

The wide red eyes were on him again, and he felt a blush curling up from his neck to his face.

He cleared his throat.

“We already have a earth scroll.”

Still staring. She seemed too stunned to say anything.

Since she seemed physically fine, Sasuke turned to leave, walking carefully to the edge of the clearing. His back itched. Was she still looking at him?

He turned around.

Yes she was.

Dirt covered her chin from where she had fallen, her hair was matted, the back of her jacket was shredded from the bears teeth had just barely missed her. Her skinned knees dripped blood and formed small pools around her ankles. Her glasses were askew.

‘Leave her, she's fine.’

She blinked wide eyes at him again and his face flushed.

‘Just leave her.’

He sighed.

“Karin.”

She startled, putting a hand on her chest as if to say, ‘me’?

“Yes you. Listen, do you want...”

Her fist had curled under her chin, and her lips parted slightly as she listened to him. Long red lashes blinked at him.

Sasuke found it very distracting.

“...D-do you want to come with me?” He flinched. That sounded awkward even to him. It reminded him of Kakashi-sensei.

She didn’t answer.

He was just about to turn away where she finally said something.

“Yes!”

Sasuke jumped at the loud noise and scanned the treeline for enemies before turning back to her.

“Yes, well, then gather your things and come with me.”

He jumped onto the lowest hanging tree branch-a good twenty feet up- and patiently waited for her.

She blushed, face stricken.

“My team…”

“...They’ve left you behind.”

She flinched and Sasuke mentally kicked himself.

“Well?” He said, getting annoyed. He was already overdue, his team would be waiting for him.

“I can’t get up there.”

His eyebrows twitched. Seriously, what kind of terrible sensei signes up such an unprepared genin?

He jumped down in front of her, noting the way she flinched at his abrupt movement.

“Get on my back.”

She adjusted her glasses-nervous habit, and shuffled closer. Sasuke felt like he was coaxing a skittish cat out from under his porch.

She slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hopped onto his back. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her thighs and noted that she had no weapons on her except for one dulled kunai. He recognized the pattern on the handle. It had been the same one on the other kunai that the two dead boys had.

It looked like they had taken her weapons for themselves.

A ball of anger curled in Sasuke's stomach at the realization, and he realized he couldn’t bring himself to regret asking her to come with him. There was no way she would have made it through.

He tightened his grip, and jumped onto the branch.

She gasped into his ear, breath ghosting over it and he had to repress a shiver. Her thighs tightened around his waist.

Girls.

He kept up a steady pace, heading in the direction he had came from.

“I have too much chakra.”

That was a bit of an odd thing to say. But hearing her say more than one word was progress, so Sasuke didn’t comment on it.

She realized this and explained.

“U-uh, I have a lot of chakra. Controlling it is harder with the amount I have, so tree walking is harder for me.

Well that explained a lot.

He grunted to show he heard.

They fell into a silence as the sun started to set, and soon crickets started chirping beneath them.

“H-how did you know my name?”

Sasuke couldn't very well tell her he heard it with her teammates dying breaths, so he improvised.

“There is a list of all the teams, with pictures and names. Your’s was on there.”

She fell silent.

The farther they traveled, the worse Sasuke started to feel. He paused on a tree branch and shifted so he could raise one hand to wipe his brow.

He was pretty sure they were lost.

He chewed on his lip.

“Karin.”

“Yes?” She whispered behind him.

“I think we might be...lost.” While Haku could no doubt find them with his sensing capabilities, it would take awhile in this chakra dense forest, and time wasn’t what they had.
She was silent for awhile and Sasuke cringed, waiting for shouting to start.

“I think I can help.”

To say he was caught off guard would be an understatement.

“What?”

“Describe to me how their chakra feels.”

Sasuke hesitated, before doing just that. He was unaware Karin was a sensor. He turned to look back at her.

Karin’s face scrunched up in concentration, and she started playing with the edge of his t-shirt.

Very distracting.

“Go left.”

Sasuke went left.

“This forest...it’s unlike anything I’ve ever been in before. There is so much chakra everywhere…”

Karin fell silent again, so Sasuke shrugged and moved on.

As he continued on, hope blossomed in his chest. He started recognizing this part of the forest. A small relieved smile worked its way across his face. He knew he made the right decision when he decided to take her along.

He paused on a tree branch, re-activating his sharingan to see in the darkness. He could just barely make out Sakura’s pink hair.

“Why did you decide to take me?”

The question was so abrupt Sasuke didn’t answer right away. Why did he? Sure, now he could see that it was a good decision to make, but back then, she was just some random girl who had tripped over a tree root. And she was an unknown, she was an enemy in the exams. Sure, it would be pointless to attack him. But then again, Shinobi were all about pointless suffering. Zabuza made that pretty clear.

“Because…”

Haruhi would have done it. It was the right thing to do. The way she curled her fist reminded him of Sakura and he couldn’t leave her behind. And because he wasn’t that man, who left people alone in pools of blood, helpless.

“...You could be useful to me.”

“Is that all?” And she sounded so dejected and put out that Sasuke mentally berated himself again. Her grip on him loosened, and cool air rushed to the spots her arms had previously been covering.

“No. You were smart when throwing dirt in the bears face. You have potential, and I think it would be a shame if you died and it got wasted. And we can help each other. We escort you safely to the tower, and we have a extra pair of eyes and another sensor.”

“Oh.” She sounded happy.

Girls were so complicated.

“Do you really mean it?” She asked, and Sasuke started to sweat. What was he supposed to say to that?

“Yes.”

A small smile crossed her face and Sasuke was startled at the difference it made. He swallowed roughly before letting her down. They could walk the rest of the way.
“I never did get your name.”

“Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha.”

“Thank you Sasuke-kun.”

He crammed his hands in his pocket and resisted the urge to grunt. Haruhi said girls didn’t like that, and that the ones that did just didn’t know it yet.

“I never got your full name either.”

“B-but you said you saw the paper?”

Sasuke curled his fist in his pocket. He blamed his mistake on the fact that she kept on looking at him like that.

“I didn’t get the time to read it all.” He said bluntly, closing his eyes and walking forward.

“Oh, well then, my name is Karin.”

He opened his mouth to say he already knew that.

“Karin Uzumaki.”

He ran into a tree.

Chapter Text

Ino snarled as she ripped another burr the size of an apple out of her hair. At this rate, her hair would never be clean again.

Shikamaru and Choji winced at her frustration, knowing it could be directed at them if they weren’t careful. Ino had been in a mood ever since they entered the forest of death.
Ino wasn’t really angry, just frustrated, confused, and a bit worried-Okay, she was angry.

Angry because forehead pulled the rug out from under her, again!

She loved Sakura, and Ino valued her friends, she really did. But for the life of her, she could not figure out just what the heck she saw in Sakura’s mind!

Top that off with that fact they were stuck in the exams with a red-haired psycho, the exams themselves are most likely being tampered with, and that fact that she started her period a week early made Ino a

Very,

Very,

Unhappy camper.

She was rolling up bandages and sticking them down there for now, but she only had so many, and it’s not like Haruhi-sensei was here to tell Ino what to do to make it better.
The elation of passing the first part of the exam had driven the matter of Sakura blocking her clan jutsu to the back of her mind. And then they were swept up when that purple-haired jounin blew in the room and knocked everyone off their feet. Ino just didn’t have much time to think about it.

And then, to top it off, Ino finds out the shady background of the exam, that someone probably tampered with it when she had walked over to Sakura to talk to her.

So of course, she had to go and tell her teammates right away. Can you imagine if she didn’t? Something this important needed to have at least three of Shikamaru’s backup plans.

But, anyway, Sakura.

Sakura.

It may sound like she is making a big deal out of nothing, but let her put it this way.

The Yamanaka clan has existed for centuries. The entire history of Konoha was a blink of the eye to them.

And during that time, her clan has been tediously perfecting, experimenting, and improving their clan jutsus, but none more than the mind-body-transfer.

The great Uchiha clan of the warring states couldn’t even block it. The best they could do was mitigate it, even with their sharingan.

Some of the best warriors who ever existed had fallen prey to it. Once you were trapped in a Yamanaka’s jutsu, you couldn’t escape.

Except for Sakura, apparently.

What.

The.

Hell.

Her scowl deepened, giving her slight frown lines. The boys didn’t dare comment.

While there were exceptions to the mind body transfer, like being made of intense, toxic chakra, it still wasn’t the same.

When Sakura kicked Ino out of her mind, it was almost like there was another person in Sakura's head.

Ino immediately thought of a multiple personality disorder, but even then, that didn’t make sense.

Typically, its only one personality manifested at a time in the head, and certainly not two. And even then, it didn’t explain how it ejected her from Sakura’s head.

This was entirely new.

That fact that a civilian-born ninja defeated a centuries perfected clan jutsu would make the clan elders have an entire barn.

And that fact that Ino would be committing treason against her clan for not reporting this.

Sakura was her best friend/rival, and they had their differences in the past, but Ino cared for Sakura like a sister, and she needed to protect her.

Because if Ino’s suspicions were true- and they almost always were- then Sakura had developed an entirely new bloodline limit.

That was a huge deal. Gigantic, really.

Ever since the villages were founded some one hundred years ago, the number of bloodlines has rapidly decreased. The organization, and the extra man power that the Ninja villages provided made wars extremely destructive. Entire bloodlines were wiped out, some before they even could really develop.

If Sakura really did have a new bloodline- which Ino was sure she did- then it would be beyond priceless.

A new bloodline hasn’t appeared in years.

There would be a bounty on Sakura’s head. People would force her out of the dangerous shinobi path and try to make her pump out kids. Her clan elders would want Ino to bring her best friend in, and try to figure out a way around it.

And Ino was sure is wouldn’t be pleasant.

Ino’s father of course, would try to hold them back, but there would be very little he could do against the crotchety clan elders.

Sakura was from a civilian family, with a retired father who only made it to genin, and an electrician mother. They had very little political power in the village. They wouldn’t be able to protect Sakura.

So Ino had to.

With new found resolve, Ino stood up from her squat and made sure the bandages were in place.

Only to curse when she hit her head on a tree branch.

Could you blame a girl for being in a bad mood?

As Ino turned towards her teammates and headed out to hunt down another team, she couldn’t help but wonder if Sakura knew the danger she was in.

“Kakashi...I feel weird.”

Kakashi, who had been reading his book, immediately snapped his eye to Haruhi who was splayed out on her back on Kakashi’s thigh.

“How?”

Well, for one, Haruhi could feel a migraine coming on. Her face and hands were beginning to tingle and her vision was blurry. And it’s not like she could take medicine for it either, since any amount would likely be an overdose for her.

Two, she could feel her chakra bubbling and rolling under her skin. It was extremely uncomfortable.

And three, she was anxious about the kids to the point of throwing up.

“There’s something off with my Chakra,” She admitted, “It feels like its alive or something.” Haruhi didn’t want to tell Kakashi at first, since he was such a mother hen, but it was gettin to the point where she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Kakashi didn’t relax, his eye creasing in worry, and look, she was back at it again, upsetting other people.

“I did notice it felt differently, but I’m no sensor. It’s probably stress. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

Haruhi nodded. She didn’t tell him, but the only thing he could do to make her feel better was sending her back to her world so she could pretend like none of this ever happened.

And yes, that was an incredibly selfish thing to think, but Haruhi was sick of this place and its giant corrupt shinobi system. She’d take America’s flawed democracy any day over this bullshit. At least the real world had WiFi.

When Sasuke went missing, they worried. Not too much, granted, as he was extremely talented. But when he appeared hours later, with a mysterious girl on his back, they freaked out.

Sakura tried valiantly to squash down her jealousy.

It wasn’t working.

Sakura knew that this girl was most likely all alone. Sasuke wouldn’t bring her with him if he thought that her teammates would follow. A part of Sakura knew they were dead, but just didn’t want to admit it.

Sakura felt bad for her. She remembered the feeling when they were fighting Zabuza and she thought he was going to kill Sasuke, and it was something she didn’t want to repeat.

But at the same time, Sakura worked hard to get to where she was, and this girl made her feel like she was being replaced. It had been a huge blow to her confidence to realize that despite being the number one kunoichi, Sakura would never get above genin if she didn’t step it up.

Being in a shinobi village wasn’t the easiest for civilians, and civilian born ninja. They were often treated as less that clan people. Her father was the first ninja in his family, and despite having enormous potential, he was shunted sideways into the genin corps when his sensei failed his team because he wanted clan kids.

Her mother had a permanent scar on her back from a work accident. She had gone to the hospital straight away, but since she was a civilian and not a shinobi, her injury had been deemed as a non priority. Her mom was forced to fill out papers and sit in the waiting room for hours while blood dripped down her back and into her buttocks and onto the chair.

Sakura and her dad were near hysterical with worry when they finally thought to get to the hospital, where they found her in tears in soiled clothes.

Her mom did eventually get healed, but that was only because her father was able to prove he was a genin. Or else they would have sent her home with bandages and painkillers.

Even today, Sakura couldn’t understand why a medic couldn’t spend a few minutes to heal the gash. The third shinobi war was was long over by then, so it wasn’t like they didn’t have any medics to spare.

Well, that was a lie. She did know. It was because they were civilians.

It was part of the reason Sakura felt more comfortable around Haruhi-sensei than Kakashi-sense, because she was a civilian too. Sakura saw it in Haruhi’s face sometimes, the feeling of not fitting into the shinobi world, and her heart went out for her. It really did. Being raised in a civilian family meant they had little power throughout the village, but it also meant that Sakura was raised in a healthy environment, with loving parents.

Not to say that shinobi made terrible families, just look at Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. But those three were the exceptions.

Shinobi kids were expected from birth to do one thing, and there was constant pressure. Just look at Hinata, now a stuttering mess, Sasuke with no parents, and Naruto had no parents either. And with chakra reserves like that, there is no way his parents were civilians.

Same thing goes for Kakashi-sensei, TenTen, and Rock Lee.

Its that familiar faint look of disbelief on Haruhi-sensei’s face whenever she sees something otherwise considered horrific that shinobi just brush off. Like the honeypot missions aka, the seduction missions that Sakura would no doubt have been shunted into if it wasn’t for her academic rankings.

But still, even regarding all that, being a shinobi meant you had power. It meant you could defend yourself, and go outside of Konoha without waiting for days at a time to get it cleared.

It meant getting treated right away.

Being a civilian would have been an easy choice to make, but Sakura was sick of being considered weak.

Sakura knew she had excellent chakra control, partially due to her small reserves. She had received her evaluation in the mail marking her as a budding genjutsu mistress, and a medic nin.

That last part was weird.

Walking into the hospital to register for medic training and tests after the Wave mission had also been weird, since she could see the exact chair her normally smiling mother had sat on while she cried and bled and filled out tedious paperwork instead of being treated.

Sakura breathed deeply, trying to calm herself at the memory.

Tree bark cracked under her grip.

Sakura promised herself that she would be a better medic than the one that “treated” her mother. It was her dream now, to open clinics where everyone could be treated, and not have to sit in their own pool of blood because they weren’t deemed important enough.

Whatever that meant.

It was why Sakura worked so hard in the academy, and poured over books. But her book smarts would do no good if she didn’t have the physically capabilities to react to a threat. Or else all she’d be was a desk nin.

It was why she had idolized Ino, and then Sasuke. Because they were clan kids, and they had things that she just didn’t. And they didn’t even realize it!

When Sakura went with Haku to help Ino sign up, it had been so different from when Sakura had signed up! They questioned Sakura, regarded her with doubt and skepticism, And it was all she could do to keep inner restrained.

They grilled her for answers, and then held off on giving her an internship-despite being number one academically in her class- and instead waited three whole weeks to grant her access to minor parts of the hospital. And it would have been longer, had it not been for Haruhi-sensei and Kakashi-sensei helping her.

But when Ino went to register for an internship, she had been greeted with warm smiles. They accepted her right away, and only gave her one week of wait time instead of three, and immediately granted her access to minor parts of the hospital. It was like all of Sakura's hard work was nothing in the face of being born into a clan.

But training every morning with Lee and Gai-sensei, and then genjutsu training with Sasuke and Kurenai-Sensei finally made her feel like she was making progress. That she was a real ninja, and that she wasn’t less for being the daughter of a first generation shinobi and a civilian. Sakura finally felt like she belonged in this world.

And then this girl shows up out of nowhere. A girl who is a natural sensor with a crazy amount of chakra and apparently held off a bear bigger than a house.

A girl that gained Sasuke's respect in minutes when it took Sakura years.

Maybe the new girl could hear her teeth grinding because she looked at Sakura and flinched when she caught her eye, looking away just as quickly.

Good.

Maybe Sakura was being mean, but whatever. Sakura was here first.

And then she told them her name.

Karin Uzumaki.

Uzumaki.

“You...Uzumaki? That’s your name?” Naruto spoke with disbelief, shouting toned down to words just barely above a whisper.

The girl nodded, looking confused and nervous.

Sakura was frozen with disbelief. Sasuke didn’t look surprised, he just sat there and continued to rub his bruised forehead. Sakura wanted to ask how he got that bruise, but her mouth refused to form words.

“She’s lying!” Inner screeched in fury.

“My last name is Uzumaki to.” Naruto spoke. It was quiet and soft and careful, like a parent tucking in their child, and for a moment, Sakura forgot to be angry at this new girl.
She had seen Naruto speechless before, but never like this.

His eyes were filled with a desperate hope, his shoulders were drawn in on themselves, making him seem even shorter.

“You have the chakra of an Uzumaki.” Kar-the girl, whispered.

Haku watched the two of them interact intensely.

“You are a sensor.” Haku stated.

The girl jumped like a scared rabbit, before nervously pushing up her glasses, and Sakura hated how it reminded her of Haruhi-sensei.

“Yes.”

“She is.” Sasuke finally spoke, still nursing his throbbing head. “She was how I was able to find my way back. She also has another earth scroll that we can use as leverage.”
Naruto blinked.

“Are we related?” He whispered. What Sasuke and Haku said didn’t seem to register.

“Well, was one of your parents an Uzumaki?” the girl couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from Naruto, and Sakura was pleased, because it meant she wasn’t staring at Sasuke.
“Well, if Karin is to be staying with us, we can help her back to the tower. But right now we need to set up camp.”

Haku flicked quick hand signs at Sakura. He had checked out her field, and she apparently had no hostile intent towards them.

Sakura and Sasuke moved to follow Haku’s orders, but Karin and Naruto stayed still, in shock that there was still family out there.

She didn’t sign up for this.

Ino was between a rock and a hard place.

“Take the scroll and run!” Shikamaru shouted. His voice sounded nasally, due to the fact that he was being held upside down from the ankle by a hulking genin from Kiri.

The two others- a girl with long blue hair and another girl with sharp teeth, had Choji pressed into the dirt. The girl with seaweed colored hair and sharp teeth bared her mouth into a grin, pressing her kunai into Choji’s throat, and Ino felt a rush of anger.

Game on, bitch.

Ino’s eyes narrowed, flickered back and forth between the two of them and the Genin. The male had bound Shikamaru’s fingers, so he couldn’t do his shadow possession jutsu.
The two girls had trapped a Human Boulder Choji in a hidden swamp, destroying his momentum and then tying him up.

Ugh, Ino wasn’t a frontline fighter!

Ino grit her teeth and ran, vines ripping past her face.

“Wait, come back, Shikamaru was jokin-”Choji’s scared, desperate shout was cut off as Ino jumped into the ravine she had seen earlier. She bit back as scream as she hurtled to the bottom. Her arm lashed out, kunai digging into the mossy rock and slowing her fall.

She landed on the damp bottom, mossy bits getting into her sandals. It was at least ten degrees cooler, very shady and dark, and very, very, narrow.

Seaweed green hair flashed out from the corner of her eyes at the very top of the ravine before Ino ducked into a cave, nail catching on a craggily rock, loosening pebbles that crackled to the ground.

It echoed across the ravine as Ino retreated into the cave. She could feel her breath crystallizing in the coolness of the cave, and she reached her arms out in front of her, scroll buried in her sports bra, and she tried to ignore the gush of blood she felt in her underwear.

That seaweed head was going to pay.

She hissed in pain when her fingers cracked against a stone wall.

“Nowhere to run~” A voice cooed behind her.

Ino whirled around, hair brushing against the wall as she turned to face the Kiri Genin. There was a twisted sort of smile on her face, like a piece of rope tied in a figure eight. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness, and her seaweed green hair was blocking out most of the light from the cave entrance..

Ino got into position, eyes glinting like metal knives.

“You're going to fight? Cute~” Seaweed girl’s eyes widened in manic delight, and she lunged.

They tussled in close combat for a bit, seaweed girl biting Ino’s arm with her sharp teeth. Ino screamed, and headbutted her, her forehead-protector bashing the girls nose.
She let out a garbled scream, blood rushing down her broken nose, and Ino took the opportunity to grab the girl and throw her over her hip into the back of the cave.
Ino caught her breath, but before she could get into position, she was choking on water. Ino tried to close her mouth, but water flooded her nostrils and into her lungs.

There had been a puddle at the bottom of the cave.

Seaweed girl snarled in rage, hands out and manipulating the water bubble around Inos head as Ino fell to her knees, drowning on land.

Her eyes stung and she felt like her nostrils and throat were on fire as the sandy water forced its way into her lungs and stomach.

“Just take deep breaths~” Seaweed taunted, shark teeth glinting in the back of the cave.

If Ino didn’t do something, and fast, she would die, and so would her teammates.

But Ino is trapped, And she’s scared, and her vomit and tears mix with the already dirty water, obstructing her vision.

In a sweeping kick she had learned from Rock Lee from cross team training, Ino sent a rock hurtling towards Seaweed’s face.

Seaweed screamed as the rock connected with her already broken nose, and let go of the jutsu, hunching over in pain.

Ino needed to make her move.

Hands moving so fast they were a blur, Ino performed the mind transfer jutsu at the girl just standing up at the back of the cave.

A familiar rush, and suddenly Ino was howling in pain, clutching her face. A dull thunk rang out as her original body fell to the cave floor.

Ino quickly deadened the nerves in her-seaweed girls face, and quickly cracked the nose into place. Ino didn’t quite have the healing jutsu down yet, but she new jutsus to get rid of the swelling, and she scoops some of the silty water to wash away the blood.

All the while, seaweed girl rages in the background, trapped in her own mind, and unable to control her body.

Ino smirked.

Her trap had been successful. Since Shikamaru was tied up, Ino knew she couldn’t rely on him to keep a target steady for her to take over. So she had purposefully led the girl into the ravine, and into a cramped space where she couldn't move or dodge.

Ino walked over and quickly checked her still body for signs of damage. It looked alright, as she landed in the wet sand. Ino checked to make sure the scroll was still in her bra, the quickly lifted the body over her shoulders.

Was it weird, to be carrying herself?

Yes, yes it was.

Ino looked to her left and noticed a tiny red-but quickly growing-stain on her shorts and scowled something fierce.

Those two owed her for this.

The exited the cave back into the mossy ravine, and looked upwards.

Channeling chakra to the bottoms of her feet, Ino cautiously stuck her foot to the ravine wall, and then the other. A couple more pebbles clattered down, but her feet stuck, and Ino shuffled upwards.

She had to squat where it became particularly thin, but she made it to the sandy forest floor, and shifted her pliable body across her shoulders.

She then marched straight towards the clearing.

“Nice! You got the runaway!” The hulking genin gloated.

Shikamaru and Choji gasped in horror, looking at her limp body being held over her borrowed shoulders. They were both tied on the ground with chakra restricting rope.
Ino let the same twisted smile crossed her face, and hoped it looked convincing enough. Ino Giggled, and god, that felt weird in this body and took out a kunai. Riffling through the girls mind, Ino then spoke what she though the girl might have said.

“Gonna search her now.”

“You do that.” Said the girl with the blue hair shortly.

“How did you catch her?” The hulking genin asked.

“Dumb girl trapped in a cave.” Ino giggled again, fingers twitching over her leg.

“Alright!” The hulking boy laughed uproariously before speaking again, “I guess we can kill them now,” And to Ino’s horror, they drew out two kunai and pressed them to Shikamaru's and Choji’s throats.

She hisses.

They pause, and stare up at her in confusion.

“Use them as leverage. They know things about Konoha genin.”

The two looked at each other and shrugged. Ino’s heart beat rapidly in her chest as she squashed down her sigh of relief.

“I will scout ahead. We could camp overnight in the cave system.” The blue-haired girl said curtly, then left the two of them in the clearing.

One down.

As much as it pained her, Ino dumped her body across the ground and almost winced when some dirt got on her face, ruining her complexion. And her eyeliner was smudged too.

Just great.

“You search her, I watch them.” Ino said in seaweed girls normal singsong voice.

The hulking genin grunted, walking past her and kneeling down. He then proceeded to take his time checking her over for traps, and emptying her pockets.

“You won’t get away with this,” And it hurts to hear Choji, normally so kind, spit words like that at her, but she can’t focus on that now. She needs to pay attention.

While her medic training had been progressing smoothly, Ino was no Haku.

Mmn, Haku…

Ino tried not to let the dreamy smile slide across her face.

He was just... so...cool. Literally.

Ino still though Sasuke was all well and fine, but he could never talk medical terms to her like Haku did. And honestly, what a sense of style to. A perfect gentleman. And sure, while his hair was terribly damaged, he could do amazing up-doo’s with it-

She shook her head.

Focus.

The point was, Haku was older and more experienced and accurate than her. She could never take the hulking genin in a one-on-one fight, much less with two teammate to protect. She needed to wait for him to shift into the perfect position. She needed to go for the points in his neck, and she needed to do it quick.

Hulky shifted, reaching into one of Ino’s pockets-he didn’t think to check her bra.

Ino sprang forward, and with a chop of her hand, slammed it into the back of his neck.

He went down like a cut tree, and for one hysterical second, she was tempted to shout timber.

She grunted when she caught his body, keeping him from crushing hers, and ignored the gasps of surprise from the boys behind her.

She laid it down on the sandy ground, and then turned to the flabbergasted boys behind her.

“Missed me?” She grinned cockily, putting her hands on her hips.

Shikamaru figured it out first.

“Ino?” He gasped, before breaking out into a grin when Ino nodded her borrowed head.

Ino quickly untied the ropes around their wrists.

“Heres they plan, boys. We wait for her to get back, and hide hulky over here in the bushes. When she comes back we ambush her.”

They nodded, rubbing their sore wrists before loosely putting the ropes back on.

She set up traps around the clearing, and waited.

It wasn’t long before the blue-haired genin came back, face as impassive as ever. She paused, looking at Ino’s still body, and Ino started to become nervous.

“Wheres Kubo?”

Ino panicked, before realizing it was hulky.

She hummed, staying in character and jerked her neck towards the bushes, and mimed unzipping her fly and pulling something out.

“You’re guarding?” Blue asked again, and Ino nodded again. Blue gave her yet another unreadable expression, before leaning over Ino’s body to continue looking for the scroll.

Just a little more…

“Shadow Possession complete!”

The girl screamed as she was paralyzed in place by Shikamaru. It was loud and horrendous, and echoed across the sandy clearing.

Ino ran forward, and quickly knocked her out.

They cheered and applauded, relieved to be alive, and quickly got up. Saying a quick goodbye to seaweed, Ino knocked her out and felt herself rush back to her original body.
Seaweed fell back to the floor, nose re-creaking on impact and blood flooding into the sand, and Ino almost winced.

Almost.

She stretched, and winced at another rush of blood leaked past the bandages.

She was leaning over to pick up all the things hulky had dropped, when a chill went up her spine. One of her senbon disappeared into the sand, and Ino screamed, quickly jumping up into the trees, Choji and Shikamaru not far behind.

And then the ground exploded.

Sand rushed past her like a hurricane, and she screamed again, unable to jump away because it was everywhere, and through the whistling of swirling sand, Ino could only make out one thing;

“Mother is hungry for you.”

Chapter Text

Hinata was never sure of herself, but the last few months had sent her into inner turmoil.

She had been thrown into a tailspin of insecurity, unsureness, and self doubt. It felt like she was caught in a whirlpool about to go under, or in the sink, circling the drain.
Hinata knew she was a horrible person.

Ever since she was younger, she had always known.

Talentless, meek, shy, weak, even compared to other girls.

Especially to other girls.

The one good thing about the Hyuga clan, is that they treated their females with respect. The Gentle Fist style was based on flexibility, agility, and Chakra control, traits that were common in Kunoichi. As such, her clan wasn’t like the Nara, who viewed women as things that were nice, but better in the peripheral.

But none of that seemed to matter when is came to Hinata, who was weak even despite being the former heiress.

When put up against Ino, Sakura, or Tenten, all the girls were strong, and confident, and Growing outward, while all Hinata could do was shrink back into her jacket with her dumb chubby stomach.

Hinata hated that she was jealous, but she couldn’t help it.

She originally didn’t have a crush on Naruto. She had admired him because he never gave up. He was treated worse than her, but everytime, he got back up.

She watched him from afar, wishing she could build up the courage, talk to him, ask him how he did it, how he let their barbed words roll off his back like water, but words escaped her.

People like Naruto, had it so much worse than her, so why did she feel so bad?

Neji lost both of his parents, was forced to carry the cursed seal, because Hinata got kidnapped, and because of that, the scared clan elders sealed all the kids early.
Hinata failed everyone.

Hanabi, her little sister, most of all.

Hinata tried, she didn’t want to fight her little sister for the position of heiress. But she knew she had to.

She needed to save her sister from that, from being bulldozed, crushed under the heel of the clan elders. Broken down to pieces, so she could be built up in the way they wanted her too. Cold, mercyless, in charge of their clan.

In charge of the cursed seal.

The seal that kept the majority of their family enslaved. That kind of power in the hands of a child would be disaster, and her sweet little sister was already becoming closed off, and stoic, at the age of nine she spoke like she was decades older, and viewed Hinata not as an older sister, but an obstacle to overcome.

Hanabi looked so much like the mother Hinata had lost, and every step of the fight hurt. Tears bubbled into Hinata’s eyes, as she looked at the face so like her mother’s, the mother who she promised to to protect her baby sister, and she couldn’t.

She couldn’t raise a hand against her baby sister.

It had only been three and a half years since she lost the fight, and already, the damage was extensive.

But Hinata was weak, and that moment of faltering cost Hanabi her childhood.

She would never forgive herself.

Hinata and Hanabi were different with how they dealt with pain. Hanabi grew cold, and emotionless, and Hinata became flustered, doubtful of herself.

But both of them rotated inwards.

Hanabi was hurting, and there was nothing Hinata could to to save her.

In her position on the forest floor on all fours, Hinata spat out a mouthful of blood as Neji spoke.

“So, this is the main branch.” Disdain dripped from his voice like poison. He got into position, palms up and flat as he waited for Hinata to get up.

She couldn’t save Hanabi.

Just like how there was nothing she could do to save herself now. It seemed Hinata was destined to fight her family and lose, no matter what.

His foot swung up lighting fast, kicking into her stomach and flipping her over and over, until she rolled to a stop in a ditch, her blood now mixing in with mud.

Her tears streaked down her cheeks, and she flinched when Neji spat, some of the spit getting on her face.

“Pathetic. Get up and fight.” His words were like knives.

How many times had she been called pathetic in her life? By her father, the clan elders, the main branch, her peers.

It was in the sneers directed her way, the cheap clothes her father forced her to wear, his own way of saying how little he valued her. It was in the lack of training mandated by her elders, to keep her weak, and the laughs of her former classmates.

Pathetic.

He grabbed her hair, bony fingers cracking against her scalp as he pulled her up, only to slammed his knee into her solar plexus.

She crumpled, arms crossing over her stomach as she desperately fought for air that was driven out of her lungs.

Pathetic.

Hinata let out a gurgled scream as Neji cracked her nose with a well placed palm strike. Then again, what did she expect from the Hyuga prodigy?

Hinata had let everyone who had ever loved her down, her Mother, Neji,

Hanabi.

She deserved this.

Because she was pathetic.

Just like how grass was green, Dango was sweet, and Neji was better than her.

“Why won’t you fight?” Neji snarled in frustration, palm striking her so she stumbled backwards.

Hinata then realized he wasn’t blocking her chakra points. He must not have thought she was worth it.

He was right. She wasn’t a threat to him.

“You. The Main Branch.” Vitriol rolled off his tongue. “Not so high and mighty now, are you?”

Hinata wanted so say that she didn’t want to be born into the main branch. She didn’t want to see the branch family, her family enslaved by a stupid pointless seal. She didn’t want to use other Hyuga as cannon fodder. She didn’t ask to be born into the main family.

The branch family had the cursed seal, but the main family was the truly cursed ones.

But at the same time, Hinata wanted to scream.

She wanted to yell, and shout, wail out her heart at Neji. Her normal meek self was horrified at the thought, but the Hinata of the past few months was enraged.

Her teeth grinded together, mud squelched through her clenched fingers.

She was seething.

She was Mad, So, so mad. Hinata kept it in, because she deserved it, but Hinata may have been born into the main branch,

But she was nothing like them.

“-ain Branch is full of cowards who hide behind seals they brand on children like cattle, they inflate their own importance, leave the best jutsu for themselves, the best foods, and clothes for themselves. They take and they take, and never give back, treat us like lesser beings-”

Hinata screamed.

Long and hard and loud, it echoed among the treetops, scaring away any birds that might have remained.

It started Neji into stillness and silence.

Hinata continued to scream, not in fear, but in rage. It echoed off of the trees, scared birds away, and rang in the stillness of the forest like bells.

How dare he?!

Everyday, she watches as Habani retreats further and further into herself. The bright vibrant, mischievous personality of her younger self is crushed like a bug.

Everyday, she deal with the sly comments from the elders, telling her that she is unwanted, useless, lesser, helpless.

Everyday, she is confronted with the reality of her situation like a raging bull, that she is helpless in her own household. She cannot save Hanabi. She cannot give her mother's soul peace. She cannot save herself, in that compound. She cannot leave, and yet she feels like she cannot stay there a second longer or she’ll rip out her hair-

Her screaming cuts off.

“You think I don’t know?!” It’s so different from Hinata usual meek self that Neji remains frozen, byakugan eyes wide in shock. She didn’t even stutter.

Her chest starts heaving with suppressed sobs, irritating the huge bruise forming above her belly button.

“You think I-I don’t know what it's like to be helpless in my own home? To watch everyday as the people I love are crushed! You don’t think I know what's it’s like to feel helpless at the feet of my father, the clan elders?Y-you t-think I don’t know what it's like to hate myself each and everyday?! To b-be told I’m less for just being me? For caring?”

“You don't have the curse seal on your head!” Neji roared.

He charged towards her, chakra lighting up his hands.

This is it.
He reared upwards, chakra laden hands going to the chakra gait at her heart.

Time froze.

He was going to kill her. He was going to stop her heart.

Her heart roared in her ears and air rushed around his deadly palm strike. His eyes zeroed in with a manic focus right below her collarbone, intent on stopping her life for good.
Hinata’s hand shot upwards, lit with chakra and struck the gate at the base of Neji’s neck, her other hand shot forward, blocking Neji’s attack by deadening all the chakra points in both of his arms.

He fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed. Hinata panted harshly, hands on her knees.

She was done with being everyone’s punching bag.

So, so, done.

The clearing was dead silent for a moment, and Hinata briefly reveled in disbelief at the fact that she had just taken Neji down in two moves. He had really underestimated her, and maybe she had too.

It was a novel thought, finally winning over someone, something, but looking down at Neji in the dirt, she was unable to feel a sense of victory, even considering all the bruises on her body.

She immediately felt guilty at herself for enjoying her victory over Neji. He wasn’t the clan elders. He wasn’t her father.

His face was squashed into the dirt, eyes wide and seeing everything and yet nothing. He looked...defeated. Hopeless.

She turned him over so he could breath, then sat down heavily.

“...”

Hinata expected him to be screaming at the top of his lungs, but instead he was dead silent.

“...How? It was my destiny to kill you.” Neji said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Hinata didn’t know what to say. She never thought anything like this would happen.

“...Why didn’t you use it.”

Hinata flinched, eyes wide.

“The punishment of a Branch member attacking a Main branch member is death. I know you can use the curse seal, Hinata. You were heiress first. Why didn’t you?”

“I-I don’t want to kill you!”

“And yet you killed my father.”

Hinata exhaled harshly, tears dripping down her face again.

“D-do you think I wanted to be kidnapped? Do you think I wanted your f-father to die?” It came out tired, and worn, and Hinata was almost surprised, except she was too emotionally exhausted to be anything else.

Because she was tired.

So, so tired.

Everyone judged her. No one bothered to see anything else in her but a shy nervous girl who could only stutter when she spoke.

They judged her when she was kidnapped when she was three years old, and how she because quiet and scared after that. She was judged for being unable to go to the academy when her mother died, too upset to learn. She was judged when she couldn’t strike her little sister who had her mother's face, and she was judged when she didn’t make it to the top of the class, because she was scared of being put down by her clan since she didn’t know the material.

Neji’s eyes stared into nothing.

“I-I know what’s it's like to feel helpless. P-powerless. Like n-nothing you do matters, b-because, at the end of the day. You’re stuck.”

His eyelashes fluttered.

“Y-you feel like you can’t do a-anything! That you are considered l-lesser for that, and like you c-can’t change that.”

Hinata sniffed, and wiped her face.

“I’m s-sorry your father died Neji.”

He grit his teeth and screwed up his face in grief and anger. It was clearly killing him to hear her speak and apologize to him.

But they both needed to hear this.

“What h-happened to him was wrong. He shouldn’t have had to d-die, and I will never be able to say sorry e-enough.”

He had closed his eyes at this point.

“B-but I didn’t want to be k-kidnapped. I-I didn’t want your father to die, and I don’t w-want any of the branch family to be sealed!”

Neji’s snapped open in shock.

To talk openly and disapprovingly of the curse seal was treason in the Hyuga clan. Many a branch family member have gotten their brains liquefied because of it. Some Main family members were killed too.

But Hinata was serious. She, she hated it. They shouldn’t have to live like this. The Branch family and the main family were still family, and you’re supposed to protect family.
Family was precious.

It was a lesson she had learned when her mother had died, suddenly and without explanation, and Hinata found her cold in her bed.

She learned it whenever she saw Hanabi, eyes growing colder and lifeless as she was shaped into heiress.

It was when Sasuke Uchiha came to school, transformed from a boy she made sandcastles with to one who sat hungry at lunch because his family, his mother had died too and he didn’t know how to cook.

It was now, looking down at her cousin who had just tried to kill her, and wanting to help him and everyone else remove the curse seal.

Even if it cost her her life.

Hinata was done with rolling over and showing her stomach. She would be like Sakura now, growing stronger and doing her best. And maybe Hinata couldn’t change anything, but she could try, because what the Main family was doing was wrong.

Neji was staring at her now, eyes wide in incomprehension.

“You would remove the seals if you could.” It was a question and a statement all in one.

She nodded firmly, narrowed eyes and trembling lips daring him to tell her no.

He blinked.

Once, twice, and then started crying.

Nothing like Hinata’s ugly gross sobs, where her fat face scrunched up, but tears that rolled off his cheeks like rain drops off a window.

His face didn’t scrunch up, but smoothed out, too drained to pull an expression.

Hinata leaned down, and with her hand not cupping her broken nose, she brushed dirt off of his face. She readjusted his headband so it covered the curse mark.

“W-what has happened to you is wrong, brother. A-and everyone else too. From t-the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry, a-and I will do everything in my power to help y-you and everyone else too.”

Neji didn’t respond for awhile, tears still silently streaming down his face. Hinata activated her byakugan, to see if his chakra points were still blocked.

They were, but before Hinata removed them, she wanted to hear what Neji had to say.

He takes a deep breathe, and then another, and finally speaks.

“...I will help you.”

Even with his stuffed nose, he still spoke regularly and properly, even if his voice cracked a little. He was looking away from Hinata

She blinked in shock, before smiling gently.

Hinata knew a part of her should be mad at him for attacking her, and a part of her was upset at that. But she understood.

How could she hate Neji when she understood exactly why he did it?

How could she hate him for having the courage she never had- to stand up to someone in the main branch?

She was upset with him for trying to kill her. She would have to be disturbed to not be. But she didn’t hate him for it.

“I’m going to unblock y-your chakra points. Will y-you remain calm if I do?”

Neji’s face remained passive in shock, but her eyes reveal his chakra swirl in surprise.

He nodded.

Hinata slowly and carefully unblocked his chakra pathways.

Neji remained silent throughout, and Hinata could feel, rather than see, his eyes on her with her byakugan, but said nothing, focused on unblocking his network. It was substantially harder than blocking it in the first place.

Finally, after sweating over Neji for minutes, Hinata unblocked the last point in his neck.

He was still for a moment, and Hinata leaned away to give him room to get up.

He sat up slowly, propping his torso up onto his elbows.

He still seemed to be in shock. He kept on opening and closing his hands, just looking at them, and then at her.

He couldn’t seem to believe it.

Neither could Hinata.

She held out her hand to him, to help him up from his place in the dirt.

He quietly turned to stare at her hand, at her open palm and slightly extended thumb. There was blood on the knuckles, and dirt around the fingertips. It was open and welcoming.

Neji reached up slowly and took it.

Hinata released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She pulled Neji up, being mindful of his sore arm and neck. His hand tightened fractionally around her’s, almost as if he too was suspended in a state of disbelief.

He stood to his full height, a few inches taller than Hinata, but didn’t let go of her hand. And despite his height over her, Hinata didn’t feel small anymore.

“Whats going on here!?”

Startled, they jumped apart, Hinata wincing at her sides.

Team Gai, Team seven, and her own team, Team eight. There were two others, Haku, and a girl who she had never seen before, with bright red hair, who was staying very close to Naruto.

Hinata was suddenly very aware of the blood dripping from her nose and the various cuts and bruises across her hunched figure.

Kiba snarled and Shino’s bugs rose in an agitated cloud as they jumped in front of her.

“You were trying to kill her!” Kiba growled, and Hinata wanted to protest, but Kiba was right.

“R-really, everyone calm down!”

Silence.

Wow, was that her? Her voice had take on an almost authoritative quality to it, and considering she almost never spoke above a whisper, her shouting stunned everyone into silence.

“Hinata, are you alright? Karin and Haku said they sensed something.” It was Naruto.

Naruto was talking. To her.

Hinata’s face became alarming red and she swayed on the spot, the leaves blurring into splotches of green.

Kiba grabbed her arm, alarmed.

Hinata blinked furiously, then righted herself, forcing down her blush.

“It’s o-okay, really. We were j-just..talking.”

“You have injuries. Why? Because he ‘talked’ with his fists.” Shino said, voice agitated.

Neji squared his jaw defensively, and his teammates moved to his sides as Hinata’s teammates tensed beside her.

“W-wait-”

But before Hinata could sing another single word, the red-haired girl-Karin, screamed.

They all jumped.

“What!?” Sakura snapped at Karin, startled. The weights on her arms and legs moved as Sakura shifted into a fighting stance.

“I sense it too!” Haku’s voice was urgent, with a tint of fear, and Hinata and Neji activated their byakugan.

If Haku, calm, composed Haku was scared, then they all better start praying.

“What is that!?” Neji gasped in shock.

Hinata strained her range, and there on the edge of her vision, she saw it.

A bright blob of monstrous, seething, chakra, and three smaller ones in front of it. The smaller signatures were completely dwarfed by the huge one shining like a sun, flickering in terror.

Without waiting for the others to catch up, Hinata jumped into the trees and called out behind her.

“We need to m-move! Team Ten is in Trouble!”

Chapter Text

Sakura panted harshly, more in worry than in actual out of breathness, due to her training with Lee, who was running a few paces ahead of her. Even farther ahead was Hinata, short hair rippling with the surprising speed of her run, despite her injuries.

Must be the clan training.

The rest of them were behind her, even Sasuke, although not by much. Her training with Lee had greatly increased her speed to the point where, when properly motivated, she could outstrip even Sasuke.

The fact that Ino was in mortal peril served as great motivation.

Sakura felt bile in her throat and swallowed it with sheer stubbornness, ignoring the fact that it felt terrible as it went back down.

Haku and the girl said they sense a huge malicious chakra signature right over where Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were. Haku almost fell backwards when he had realized Ino was in trouble. Naruto had to catch him. Right now, Haku was pulling ahead of her, masked face firmly staring ahead, and Sakura Increased her own pace in turn.

When Karin suggested they stay behind and away from danger, Sakura had snapped. No way was she leaving behind Ino. They had just gotten back together. Not again, never again.

“We made a pact! All Konoha teams help each other out when they need it, and they need it!” Naruto had exclaimed, before breaking into a run after Sakura. Everyone else soon followed.

Someone screamed. High and shrill, filled with such a bloodcurdling note of terror it could cut glass. Sakura would look back and still wonder who it was, even after it was all over with.

“Look out!”

Sakura threw herself to the side just as the massive tree branch she was on exploded into tiny wooden shards.

The tiny pieces peppered her arms like bee stings and she screamed. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw the rest of them dodge just in time to avoid being crushed to death by a giant arm of...sand?

Sand was swirling all around them, and at the eye of the storm was the same red haired boy that Ino had said looked like trouble.

He was screaming, something about a mother. His fingers scratched at his face, but instead of drawing blood, sand fell down. His green eyes were wide open to the point where they looked like they were going to pop out of his skull. She could see a clear ring of white around the irises from her position of over 40 feet away.

He was insane. Crazier than a bag of cats as Haruhi would say. If a tinfoil hat had a smell, he would be it.

“You idiots, get out of here!” Someone screamed again.

It was the older sister. Hair like a desert bush and teal eyes glowing like fire. She was batting away sand with her giant fan, deflecting and dodging it while the other one used chakra strings to pull himself to safety.

The older genin-Temari, sliced an arm in half with her huge metal fan panting harshly as she shouted something to her brother.

“It’s not the right time-” Temari was cut off as she dodged another arm.

Her eyes tracked the movement before stopping on two figures huddled over something. The one figure was significantly slimmer than the other, with a spiky ponytail, another heavier figure with his hair split down the middle with cloth. She looked down at the figure lying in the grass and her blood turned to ice.

She couldn’t breath.

She was suddenly watching Haruhi, small, so small and sleeping after using up all her chakra.

She was on the bridge again, watching as Zabuza’s sword cleaved towards Sasuke.

“Sakura!” Lee tackled her out of the way of another lashing sand tentacle. It would have knocked the wind out of her if the sight of Ino’s prone lower body hadn’t already.
She looked around in a daze. Gaara had stood up, attention on them now. Sand was lashing out in all directions. Neji and Hinata danced around the sand whips, disintegrating them with touches. Haku was firing off icicles to split them in half and shield the others. Sasuke’s fireball muffled the worst of the attack and Naruto's shadow clones confused Garra enough that he went for them instead of the others.

Karin stood in the back looking unsure while TenTen threw explosives tags at sand that tried to sneak up on Haku, scattering it.

Garra screams again, and releases a burst of energy that sent Karin and Haku to their knees, and had even Sakura, who is not a sensor, gagging on the chakra. It felt like trying to breath in honey.

‘Snap out of it!’ Inner screams and then Sakura is moving. She grabs Haku and the pair ran towards Ino while the others kept him distracted. Naruto snarls, pupils turning into slits and a red energy emitting from him. Before Sakura can ponder what this means, Ino’s upper body comes into view.

The screams of the battle behind her are tuned out, faint and muddled like she is under water. Ino is suddenly all she can see. Haku trembles in horror beside her, one hand reaching out, but she doesn't notice.

All she can see is what's left of Ino’s face.

The bile she had previously swallowed came back up.

Ino’s face, her pride and joy. The various creams and lotions and tips they used to trade, what they started trading again, all useless. The makeups, lipsticks, and eyeliner that made them feel big and powerful, all gone.

She wiped her mouth, only to see Haku had fallen to his knees next to her. She hauled him up and dragged him towards Ino. He stood up then, staggering towards her, hands already glowing green.

Sakura follows, eyes locked on to the place were Ino’s face should have been.

The damage was extensive. Broken cheekbones, broken nose, exposed jawmusclesexposedteeth-

‘CALM DOWN SHE NEEDS US!’

Sakura crouched next to Haku and got to work.

The fight raged in the background, and Sakura looked up for a single second, gasping when long chakra things, chains erupted from Karins back. She screamed, and held down the rampaging Gaara, who was being engulfed by sand. His eyes lost their green, being replaced with a grey that Sakura knew didn’t bode well for them.

She looked down again.

Haku didn’t have the accuracy or the supplies to fix Ino’s face, and neither did Sakura. Hell, just stemming the flow of blood was exhausting, even with her stellar chakra control. Haku was dealing with the worst of the injuries, but the damage was so severe and extensive, one wrong move could mean Ino lost her vision, or taste or smell.

They shouldn't be touching her at all, but if they didn’t, she would die from blood loss, or infection.

This was all wrong, this wasn’t supposed to happen! Why did they have to go through this!?

Screams erupted from the clearing as sand wrapped around Lee’s torso. Her heart jumped into her throat, because she couldn’t bear to see another friend get hurt, but before she could jump into action Hinata sliced the arm in half with her palm.

But Sakura could see them wearing down. They weren’t moving as fast, and were starting to slip up. Gaara was slowly slipping back towards them.