Yui didn't hold onto me like this while we slept.
That was the first thing that my mind processed as I began to wake up; Yui didn't cuddle, she just didn't. She slept on her side of the bed, and I slept on mine. So why were there arms around me?
Glancing back over my shoulder, I relaxed when I noticed an excessive amount of pink, but- Hold on... that just opened up a ton more questions!
I sat up, Sakura jolting awake from the disturbance, "What the hell are you doing here!?"
She blinked at me wide eyed, "Sleeping?"
Yui rolled over with a yawn, "You didn't notice?"
"No," She was just okay with this, "How did you get here?"
"Um..." Sakura looked off to the side, "Magic?"
My eyes narrowed, I knew better than to expect a proper answer but that didn't mean I didn't want one all the same, "Sakura, how did you get into my house?"
She blinked, then performing jazz hands, "Magic."
"Just let it be." Yui suggested, "It isn't a massive problem, is it?"
"She broke into our house without permission." I stressed, "How is that not a big deal? And how did she get here anyway?"
"I gave her permission." Yui stated, now also sitting up, "I can't tell you how she got here, but last night she asked if she could come in. You were already asleep and all that, and I didn't think you'd be such a baby about it since I'd expect that she's already done this with you."
"Well... yeah," I huffed, "But that was different."
Yui shrugged, "It didn't hurt anything anyways, I wasn't going to leave her outside, and," she wrapped her arms around Sakura to which she reciprocated, "She gives me hugs."
"You never ask me for them!" I blurted incredulously, "I didn't know you wanted that."
She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I usually expect you're going to say no or make a big deal out of it anyways."
"I..." okay, she had a point, and I sighed, "Maybe just let me know next time?"
Sakura nodded, "Will do! Though this was a little unplanned."
I waved it off, standing up to get ready as Yui helped Sakura to the bathroom for the two of them to get ready. Why the hell would she be here? I thought she was living with Hinata and Kiba, but, then again, her strange, trident-wielding guard had come back, so maybe she was living with Naruto? But, then why wouldn't she be with him? Did Hinata and Kiba even know about this? It made enough sense that they'd want a break from her by now, but that 'unplanned' part made me nervous that I'd have to deal with some panic later today.
I brushed those worries off for the moment, though, heading to the kitchen to begin making breakfast, but, as soon as I walked into the room I noticed a subtle draft. My eyes quickly shot to the window where a foot carefully lowered itself into the room... Kakashi slowly entered, trying to not make any noise, and promptly froze as we made eye contact.
"Oh," he smiled, "Hello Sasuke."
I stared at him in disbelief, "Yo... Sensei... whatcha doin' there?"
He didn't speak for a moment, "Just a visit." Dammit, this shit again.
"I'm not your dealer, stop stealing from me." I deadpanned.
He frowned, pulling his other leg up onto the windowsill so he could crouch on it, "I wouldn't have to if you'd just tell me who your dealer is."
"I thought you weren't doing this shit anymore!" I retorted, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
"And I thought you weren't either." he leaned to the side to peer around me, and I knew that Yui must've joined us.
"Hm, this is weird." she helped Sakura over to the counter and then over to open up the fridge, as unbothered as she was by most things. I still wasn't quite sure how she could take everything so casually.
"Hi, sensei!" Sakura waved enthusiastically with the hand that wasn't supporting her, and I internally groaned at how the conversation was going to be a lot more annoying now.
"Oh, hello Sakura." he stepped down from the sill and fully inside, "I heard that you might be here."
"Who told you that?" I inquired, at least maybe I'd get a little insight into my earlier confusion."
"Naruto." he answered, leaning against the counter himself, "I take it you both are well?"
"I slept so great!" Sakura grinned, "As much as I love cuddles, it was nice to have room to stretch around for once."
Kakashi's brow furrowed in mild bemusement, "Is that so," he glanced at me, "Did she?"
"She broke in last night." I flatly answered.
"I let her in without him knowing." Yui amended.
Kakashi nodded, "I see, well, all the same I'm glad I found you. Have you gotten ready yet? Because the council has been pressing to get you into the meeting room for weeks now."
Sakura groaned dramatically, and I had to agree with her, anything having to do with the council would either be infuriating or boring, maybe even both, "Seriously? Ugh, this will suck!"
"I take it you're ready then," he smiled slightly, also clearly dreading this, "I apologize for the short notice, and for the fact I have to give you notice at all. But, if we don't take care of things now, the council will only get hastier."
"Yessir." Sakura sighed, propping her head in her hands with a pout, "I hate the council."
"Agreed." Yui and I said in unison, and I quirked a brow back at her, "Where's your leg, by the way?"
"Back with Hinata." she grumbled, "We haven't quite fixed it yet."
"Why don't you just wear one of the others we've made until yours is fixed?" I asked. Did she just not mind the lack of mobility?
She scowled at me, "You have no idea just how painful the attachment process is, do you?" she shook her head, "There's no way that I'd go through that just to have to go through it again a few weeks later."
"I get it," So, she wouldn't be able to walk there, "Need an escort?"
Kakashi frowned, "I could carry her there. There's no need to bother yourself."
Even though he was clearly capable of doing so, as he said, I still had the sense that Kiba would be furious with me for allowing it. Neither of us had appreciated that little fainting incident the day Sakura returned, and Kiba had sworn that he was going to make sure Kakashi wouldn't have the opportunity to do it again. While I agreed with him and all that, it was kinda weird how clingy Kakashi was anyways, I had to admit I was more scared of the consequences I'd face if Kiba found out, "Naw, I got it," I bluffed, "Besides, it wouldn't be a good look for you going around carrying people when you're Hokage, and it'd be awkward since you're also technically on the council. It'd be simpler for me to help."
"Good point." he nodded.
"Yea! Sasuke piggy-back ride!" Sakura cheered, thankfully okay with the idea. If there was any obstacle we faced, it was Sakura's adoration for Kakashi.
"Do I need to be there?" Yui prompted, "I am technically on the council, right?"
"No, that won't be necessary." Kakashi waved it off, "They are calling this one a 'debriefing', so not all members will be there."
"Got it." she went back to her cooking, probably more than happy to not have to leave the apartment.
After a quick breakfast, I picked up Sakura, and we began our walk to the Hokage's tower, Sakura happily humming as we made our way. I did have a question, though, "Hey, Sensei, you never mentioned what the council wanted her for."
"Hm?" he shot me a look before turning his eyes to the road with a sigh of resignation, "Unfortunately, even I am not entirely sure what they want with her. I'm assuming that it is because they have a lot they want to discuss with her in general." his gaze shifted to her, "Which shouldn't be surprising."
Sakura nodded with a pout, "Jeez, they can't just leave me alone!"
"No kidding." I scoffed, "They can't leave anyone alone anymore."
"Now, now," Kakashi soothed, "There's no need to automatically assume the worst."
"It's the council." I flatlined.
He was silent for a moment, "Once again... good point. I'm a bit relieved that I found her with you."
"Yeah?" that was kinda odd.
"Well," he smiled nervously, "If Hinata knew about this..."
"Oh." Yeah, made sense.
"And that boyfriend of hers wouldn't allow it either." he seemed tired suddenly, like just thinking of dealing with Kiba was exhausting, because it was.
I laughed, "And then there's the cat!"
"The Demon Lord Dark Goliath?" Sakura questioned, of course it was named that, "He'd just insist on coming with me."
"All the more reason." Kakashi replied as we entered the meeting room.
The members fell silent as Kakashi walked to his seat, me carrying Sakura to the center of the semi-circle and setting her down, her leaning against me.
"Why is the Uchiha boy here?" One of the members asked.
I put an arm around Sakura, glaring at them, "Does she look like she can walk to you? I'm her bodyguard right now."
"It is normal for her to have sanctioned bodyguards." Kakashi agreed, gesturing to the member like they should have known something obvious, "It's been a standard set by Tsunade that she should be accompanied at all times."
"We'll allow it." Another member spoke up, "Please, let's begin, we have much to go through."
The council fell silent again as a more elderly member cleared his throat, "We would like to begin, Sakura, by welcoming you back to the village. We are ecstatic that you were found safe and well, and that you have been brought back home after all this time."
Sakura gave a small nod, grip tightening slightly on my sleeve. She knew as well as I did that they were trying to offer her trite, soulless words to cushion what was going to be an outrageous request or demand.
A woman then stood, "We would like to formally welcome you back and offer any aid that you may feel you need as reparations for the treatment you received during the War."
Oh... wow, that was unexpected. I shared a look with Sakura as Kakashi sat in his chair, a smug grin clearly on his face. Of course he'd try and make them pay, I had to stop myself from smiling at the idea.
"That being said," but of course it wouldn't come without some sort of catch, "We would like to know if you have gathered any information while you were gone."
Another man nodded, "Yes, have you had any more dreams that we should know about? Is there something on the horizon that must be prepared for?"
Sakura's gaze shifted upward, her trying to recall, "Nope! I haven't had anything that hints at something horrible happening if that's what you're wondering. A lot of my dreams are pretty mundane now, nothing 'world endy'." That was good to hear.
"Are you certain?" Another member pressed. God, were these geezers too old to hear properly?
"Yep, pretty sure I'd remember if I'd seen some sort of world ending event." she answered, tone light despite the sass in her words, "I'm pretty sure we're going to have peace for a while now."
"Good, good," a man sighed, smiling, "On the topic of peace, now that you are back, we have more opportunities open to us for foreign relations."
She tilted her head, "Really?" Yeah, that was kind of an odd thing to hear in relation to her.
"The other Kages like you Sakura," a woman explained, "The Raikage has expressed great interest in visiting to talk with you, and I believe the Kazekage is already planning a trip to Konoha."
"I'd love to see them again!" she gushed excitedly, "And Gaara has Lipstick!" Oh, right, her wackass dog.
"Excellent," the woman continued, "Then we'll be sure to send word out that you are open to meetings. I hope you realize how helpful this is when considering our relationships with the other villages."
"Yep." Sakura nodded again, clearly still distracted by the idea of seeing Gaara and her dog.
"On the note of meeting," Kakashi leaned forward, "When will your leg be done? I'm sure it will be hard to carry out events like those without the ability to walk, nevermind go about your daily life."
Sakura hummed pensively, "Well, I think we might be done by the end of the week. We're working on fine tuning the connective bits inside of it right now, so everything's structurally done." Eve after working on prosthetics for a while, I still didn't really have any idea how they actually worked, so I was happy that she and Kiba had an idea.
"That's perfect." A man smiled in a way I didn't like. That was a smile that had sinister intentions behind it, and Kakashi picked up on it too, "Having you be able to move around on your own is ideal, of course, and, concerning your lifestyle from now on, we'd like to propose something."
Sakura glanced up at me in trepidation, "Yeah?"
"Well," the man's confidence seemed to wane slightly at the idea of the proposal, not a good sign, "Your abilities are invaluable to the village, and, as such... well... do you currently have a partner." No. No way.
"Um..." Sakura's eyes narrowed, "No?"
"So," the man sighed, "Would you be opposed to an arranged marriage, possibly multiple?"
"Huh?" Sakura blinked at him. Holy shit, again with this!?
Kakashi's eyes snapped to the man, "You cannot seriously-"
He held up a hand, "Please, Lord Hokage, you must understand, she has a very important ability, and we need to ensure that it gets passed on!"
He stood up, slamming his hands on his desk, "She's a teenager!"
Looking to Sakura for her opinion, I couldn't miss how she was holding a hand to her mouth, a familiar, lewd look in her eyes as she blushed, "So... like what you're saying is that I'd get a husband? Maybe a harem?" Oh no, I forgot she was weird!
Kakashi's attention snapped back to her in mild horror, and one of the women shifted uncomfortably, "Yes, that is what we are proposing. Since you do not have a partner, we are offering you the ability to be matched up with one."
She frowned, "I... That's... kinda..." At least she was conflicted, she knew better in the end than to think it was a good thing.
"Perhaps if we showed you your options?" an older man made a gesture, and Kakashi and I gawked at the doorway as a line of at least ten guys walked into the room, "We have a few representatives from a few different clans if you have any preferences."
Sakura's eyes surveyed the group, that familiar, terrifying look of flustered lust slipping into her eyes, "Ooo, what a line up!" She let go of my arm, supporting herself on a nearby desk to move over but tripping, one of the guys reaching out to catch her, "Thank you~!" she swooned, feeling up his arm, "Mmm, this one does have muscles." The poor guy seemed mildly confused, only growing more so as her gaze shifted to his left, "But he has such a pretty face!"
Reaching out for a blond who looked like he could've been a Yamanaka, he took her hand gently to help support her.
She then looked back to his right, "But that one has fluffy hair! And that one looks like he has a nice ass!" she peeked behind the lineup as she said so, and I think I finally was getting a grasp on what was happening.
She was making fun of the council right now; making fun of how they expected her to react and how accepting they thought she was going to be, for whatever reason. With a smirk, I walked over, "That one's hair is nice, but look at his build." I leaned against a desk, giving another one of the guy's a once over, "Do you specialize in taijutsu?"
The guy actually blushed, giving a small nod, and it dawned on me why Sakura liked doing stuff like this: it was fun!
The council members' looks of satisfaction were melting off, now being replaced with grimaces of bewilderment or even disgust. Rightfully so, I think they were now getting worried about these guys.
"But look at his hair!" Sakura argued, the guy bending over so that she could ruffle his hair, "Ah! And it's soft too!"
I walked over, the guy restraightening and brow furrowing as I studied him, "Absolutely," I ran a hand through his hair, "But it also highlights his face shape nicely," I traced my thumb down his jaw, "Maybe I should get a harem after all." the guy's eyes widened in a 'deer-in-headlights' manner. I almost felt bad for him, then again he agreed to be used in some sort of harem arrangement, so...
Sakura collapsed onto another guy, pressing her face into his chest, "Oh! He has abs-"
"NO!" Kakashi jumped up onto his desk, the council members all flinching back as he leapt forward towards us and ripped Sakura off of the man, holding her under one arm. Refacing the council, he pointed an accusatory finger, "NO!" before I could react, he then grabbed me and held me under his other arm, "NO!"
With that, he ran out of the room, kicking the door open and carrying us out into the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did I take the joke too far? I mean, I didn't think that Sasuke would join in, but it was funny, right?
Kakashi stalked down the street for a while in silence, no council members giving chase luckily, but leaving Sasuke and I clueless as to what was happening. I glanced over at him; it was kinda funny to see Sasuke being carried like this too. I could admit it to myself, I was small, being carried like this made sense, seeing a grown ass man being carried like this was funny.
Footsteps finally slowing down, and noticing that we were getting odd looks, Kakashi set us down, arms crossing over his chest, "No. Harems. Got it?"
"Of course not!" I huffed, "Do you really think I'd whore myself out like that?"
Kakashi winced at my terminology, "Not... necessarily but-" he pointed to Sasuke, "Why the hell did you join in!?"
He shrugged, "For fun."
Kakashi frowned, dragging a hand down his face with a sigh before looking around, "Would you two like to... sit down somewhere? Lunch maybe?"
Sasuke shrugged again, "Sure."
"Lunch with sensei!" I cheered, Sasuke shaking his head as we made our way to a nearby cafe and sat down.
Sasuke propped his head in a hand, "You kinda lost your cool there, Sensei."
"Of course I did." Kakashi scowled back at him, "They didn't notify of this plan at all, and once again it is manipulative and wrong." he shook his head, "I can't believe they'd try it twice, and to try and incentivize her as well."
"Yeah, it's kinda gross." I agreed. No way I'd just let myself be handed off to a guy just so he could get me pregnant.
"Why don't you just abolish the council at this point?" Sasuke questioned. What an anarchist mindset; I liked it.
Kakashi shook his head with a tired smile, "As much as I'd like to at times, it would not be a wise decision." he sighed, "The Hokage should not become a dictator, the council is valuable for offering other perspectives and making sure that a Hokage is not unchecked, even though they might be corrupt themselves. It wouldn't be moral, and the people wouldn't like it either."
"The council's still lame." I huffed.
"And the best thing to do is to try and solve the council itself." Kakashi replied.
Sasuke slumped back in his chair, "Yeah, I just don't get why they have to be fixed in the first place. Is it really that hard to mind your own business and just think about the good of the people, not about weird power constructs or whatever?"
"Well, the issue with that is that they are trying to think about the good of the people," Kakashi explained, "But they see the world in a different way then your generation. They see the world in terms of power dynamics, and believe that to keep the people safe they must ensure that we have a good basis of offense and defense. They don't see building up power as a way of accidentally increasing tensions. In a way, it is very nearsighted and could pull us back into how things were."
"But do they have to pull us into it?" Sasuke grumbled.
I nodded, "It's really annoying, always having someone breathing down your neck because of something you can't control."
"That is the unfortunate reality." Kakashi gazed out the window, an odd mix of emotions in his expression, "You cannot expect to be treated like the average person because you are not an average person, and whether you wanted that or not unfortunately doesn't change reality. Your abilities make you an asset in their eyes, and you will be treated as such."
"Okay, but why would they think my ability is hereditary in the first place?" I questioned, "You'd think the Haruno's wouldn't be civilians if seeing the future ran in the family, and who's to say that I can pass it on?"
Kakashi turned to me, quirking a brow, "It could be a mutation that starts with you, and we can't honestly be sure till we see evidence." he frowned, "I don't know how else it could have come about, did you receive some off curse otherwise?"
I shrugged, knowing that if I said too much I'd end up digging a hole for myself, and Sasuke scoffed, "Regardless, wouldn't it be a bad thing to have a bunch of future seers running around? I mean, you'd have a bunch of conflicting information, and it'd be too easy for them to intentionally lie to and manipulate people." That was a good point.
Kakashi agreed, smiling, "Now that I think about it, it was a good thing that Sakura didn't get that idea."
"Hey! Give me some credit!" I gasped.
"I am," Kakashi chuckled, "I find it quite amazing that you dedicated your abilities to helping." he then glanced at Sasuke, "You and your classmates have a perspective that is both logical and needed, if you all weren't chaos incarnate I'd be tempted to make you all the new council."
"Hinata would hurt too many people's feelings." I concluded.
"Yeah," Sauske nodded, "A lot of us would hurt people's feelings, and we'd probably all abuse our power at least once." he hummed, standing up, "Hey, Sensei, do you think you could watch her for a bit? I just remembered that Hinata might not know where she is, and for the sake of the village I should probably tell her."
Kakashi gave a wave, "Will do." he then winced, "And try not to mention the whole council thing, it won't end well."
"Yessir." Sasuke gave a mock salute, running off and... leaving me alone with Kakashi.
Now put into a situation all too familiar to my dreams, I was left trying not to stare at him while thinking of something to say. Why was it that when I was left alone with him I suddenly didn't know how to talk?
"That whole business," Kakashi began, my eyes shifting back to him, "How do you feel about it? In retrospect, you seemed to have been making fun of the idea, but I'm a little surprised you weren't more willing."
"Like I said, I'm not going to whore myself out." I shrugged, "I'm not as shallow as people think, shallow yes, but not enough to be willing to just throw myself at any guy I deem hot enough." I smiled softly to myself, "I'm a one man woman, and I'm not going to choose just any man."
"I'm glad to hear it." Kakashi replied, "The idea is archaic anyways."
"Well, yeah, and I wouldn't be able to sustain multiple relationships like that anyway." I admitted shyly, "I think the maximum I could do is maybe two, but even having one relationship like that is hard enough."
"The point of a harem isn't human connection," Kakashi responded lightly, smirking, "But I suppose that's where the true problem lies. You want human connection, as you should."
"And I know it seems like I'd be up for the idea because of how I act, but it's... different," I frowned, trying to find a way to explain, "It's just flirting and joking, some of it is just how I express affection. I'm a physical person, and I don't have the impulse control that other people have." I shrugged with a smile, "If I see someone I think is hot I'm going to say it, and maybe act on it too."
"That... makes a lot of sense." Kakashi gave me a look, "You certainly made that clear enough to me."
I blushed, "W-well, yeah, and I guess it makes sense how people can misinterpret stuff like that, but not everything has to be romantic, y'know?"
Kakashi nodded, "But when you're surrounded by a lot of battle hardened shinobi who are afraid to touch each other, any casual contact may be misinterpreted, nevermind what you do."
"I guess it's just one of those things I don't understand." I propped my head in my hand, drawing patterns on the table with my other, "Even though I've been in a relationship, I'm still not sure what it means completely. I know how I express affection for people doesn't mean that to me at least; I don't really want a relationship with my friends even though I love them. I can tell that even though I don't know what a 'relationship' is."
Kakashi's eyes softened, "There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. Everyone's path through life is different, and trauma has a way of rearranging things."
"I don't understand a lot about life though," I grumbled, it was annoying to admit, "I feel like I've been going around all this time directing people through things and to avoid things I don't fully understand the importance of." I smiled, "I guess I'm happy that Hina's going through some of that stuff first, I can learn something at least."
"Oh, she's going through some 'stuff' to be sure." Kakashi joked, looking down at my hands, "It is incredible to me that you can still consider yourself 'innocent' after it all."
"I didn't really do much," I shrugged, "And dreaming of death isn't the same as actually seeing it... or killing someone."
His brow furrowed, "You've... never killed anyone?"
"I don't think so." I answered; it was insane to think about, I was literally friends with a bunch of mass murderers.
Kakashi's hand moved closer to mine, like he was considering taking it, "You've actually never killed anyone."
Taking advantage of his hesitation, I pulled my hand back to rest my face in both of them, "Sasuke isn't back yet, I wonder if Hina's killed him."
"Do you think she could?" he posed.
"Maybe," I reasones, "Different situations and all that, but it's definitely possible."
"I take it you want to go home then." He smiled standing up, "I guess he was right about her not knowing?"
I giggled shyly, "I mighta not told her."
He let me climb on his back, heading out of the restaurant with the shake of his head, "Already causing trouble, hm?"
"Yep!" I smiled as Kakashi began maneuvering us back to the apartment, jumping up onto the rooftops and taking the quickest way. I guess Hina wasn't the only one who liked roof walking.
He jumped back down to the streets as we grew near, just in time to hear a, "You did what!?"
Sasuke came skittering backwards out of the apartment, falling back into the dirt as Hinata came marching out to meet him. She picked him up roughly by the collar, and Kakashi froze in place with me. Her eyes shifted to the side, and as soon as she made eye contact with us she dropped Sasuke.
I leaned down, "Put me down and run." I whispered.
Kakashi gave me a brief nod, doing as I asked before promptly disappearing right as Hinata reached us, and I held my arms out to her as she glared down at me like the disapproving mother she was.
I loved being back home.