Adorable fanart by Nixygg (deviantART). Thank you!
"Sometimes I wonder if I ever bought milk from the same cow twice."
-Anon
Disclaimer: I, Darkpetal16, do not own Naruto.
Warning: This is a feel good story. Realism takes a back seat.
Beta: Un-beta'd. If you see any mistakes please let me know! Pretty please with chocolate on top.
Edited: 12/9/14
Edit: 5/12/17
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
My fingers trailed down the delicate stitches on Haku's chest. Haku was sitting up in his bed, an exorbitant amount of pillows behind and around him, as well as many flowers, fruit-baskets, and little knick-knacks. Naruto had advertised to the people of Wave that it was Zabuza who had personally slain the evil tyrant, which earned the missing-nin a big shiny pedestal to stand on above them. Not even a day later did they find out about his "precious" student, and in hopes of showing gratitude, the people showed up with many gifts for the duo.
It was left unsaid that not even a week ago Zabuza and Haku had been out for Tazuna's head.
"It looks like we're out of the woods," I finally said. Haku smiled warmly at me, and Zabuza let out a small gruffing noise to my right. The missing-nin had played nursemaid to his student the past couple of days, allowing me to nurse his own wounds in the process, as well. He, too, sat in a bed with many fluffy pillows propped around him. "No infection, and no signs of rejection. You'll have to be careful for a while longer, but I feel pretty confident that in a couple days I'll be able to heal the wound shut and we can take out the stitches."
"Thank you, Sakura-sensei," Haku politely said, a serene smile still on his face. "I owe you—"
I shushed him by smooshing his cheeks together so his lips puckered out. "I know. No need to say it anymore, Haku. You know exactly how to thank me, if you choose to."
Haku nodded his head, and I removed my hands. "Yes. I have thought it over, and I am very honored to be invited into your harem. I will gladly accept."
I squealed. "Fantastic! How about you, Zabuza?"
"I'm not joining some goddamn harem."
"So that's a yes?"
Zabuza gave me a withering glare. "You're going to act as though I'm part of you harem, regardless of what I actually say, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Zabuza let out a long sigh. "I don't care anymore. We're even by this, you annoying doctor-brat."
I squealed in delight again, moving over and throwing my arms around his neck. "Get off, you stupid—"
"Shut up and accept my love and affection," I ordered him as I started to nuzzle. "I love you guys."
"Die in a fire," Zabuza grouched, glaring balefully at the giggling Haku. He unhooked my arms around his neck and promptly shoved me away from him. I landed on my bum, still beside myself with happiness that I had successfully coerced two awesome people into my personal harem.
I stood back up, beaming at both of my patients. "I'll let you two get some more rest. If you need me, I'll be in town at the clinic."
"Of course, Sakura-sensei," Haku murmured. "Have a pleasant day."
"You, too, cutie."
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
Since the two days of Gato's demise, the town had transformed. Everyone rallied together to finish the bridge (unfortunately Kakashi and Zabuza's battle had caused some structural damage to the bridge, which pushed its completion date back another week, despite having numerous workers helping out). All of Gato's previous thugs were rounded up by the villagers, and Naruto and Sasuke: each thrown into the makeshift prison, to be awaiting whatever justice the village decided to award them. Gato's mansion was ransacked and the money was distributed fairly evenly. A large sum of it went to Zabuza and Haku as thanks for killing him, and another large portion actually came to us. Tazuna insisted paying us for doing a proper job.
With the monopoly on Wave effectively destroyed, a few villagers sent out invitations to merchants to come to Wave in hopes of reestablishing a healthy economy.
The village itself had an optimistic and cheerful atmosphere, with everyone frantically trying to repair what they could in hopes of enticing more merchants and other necessities.
I was given Kakashi's permission to resume my post as their doctor, and much to my surprise (and utter joy) he actually had Pakkun sit with me. It would turn out that Pakkun had learned anatomy with Kakashi, and was damn good at sniffing out infections.
Not to mention I sincerely felt better having someone else supervise my work. Especially someone so unbelievably adorable and who would reward me for doing a good job by letting me squeeze his paws.
Naruto and Sasuke still alternated guarding Tazuna. I wasn't sure what Sasuke did when he wasn't on guard duty, but I knew that Naruto helped around the village however he could when he wasn't on guard duty.
Kakashi was another mystery. I would wake him each morning, examine him, and after giving my okay (I knew very well that he was only humoring me, and we both knew that he didn't need my permission to do anything) he left. Where to, I hadn't a clue, but Pakkun was able to alert him if there was any kind of emergency, so I wasn't concerned too much about it.
The clinic had been one of the first things the villagers had fixed up for me, and I had many wonderful people offer me their assistance whenever I needed it.
One of the women actually made me another doctor's coat since my previous one had been ruined by the failed attempt to save those two men.
I had my haired pushed back with my hitai-ate in order to keep the bangs out of my face. My hands worked quickly as I sutured a boy no older than myself. He had slipped on the rocks by the dock and split open his calf. It was deep enough to require stitches, but it didn't sever anything too important, or cause enough damage to warrant using my Shōsen. Instead, I numbed the area and began my stitches.
The boy watched me work with transfixed eyes, his friends flanking either side of him.
"You're gonna have to tell your kaa-chan," I told him, neatly pressing the flabs of skin together while I worked.
His face screwed up in obvious distaste, while the other boys snickered at him. "Can't you make it like it never happened, Sensei?"
"It's healthier to allow your body to regrow at its natural rate," I told him. "The wound isn't severe enough to warrant any more chakra aside from numbing. It won't even scar."
He whined. "What? That's so lame! All this, and not only am I going to be killed by kaa-san, but I'm not even going to get a scar out of it?"
"If you want a scar so bad, just play with fire," I told him.
Pakkun wheezed out a laugh. "What kind of doctor tells her patient to play with fire."
"Only the best kind, of course," I told him flippantly. "There we go. Let me write you up a note so your kaa-chan knows how to take care of you."
One of his friends sniggered. "Yeah. Wouldn't want him to get too much worse after she blisters his butt."
That got a groan from my patient, and a snicker from the other friend. I reached over, pausing in my rapid writing, and sympathetically patted my patient. "After your spanking, be sure to ice your bum bum."
"Hai, hai, Sensei," the trio chorused.
"On your way out, please send in my next patient."
They all gave varying degrees of affirmation as they left.
I popped my knuckles and stretched out in my creaky chair. The clinic was small, and I was only using one tiny room to take care of patients. It smelled musty, was almost entirely made of wood, and the floorboards were heavily stained.
I loved it.
As the next patient entered the room, I reached over and picked up Pakkun and began to nuzzle the top of his head. "Cutest puppy ever."
Pakkun accepted my love like the cute badass he was.
"Good afternoon, Sensei," greeted a beautiful young woman. She brushed back her long green hair and sat down on the bed.
"Happy Caturday, Nee-san," I returned, smiling brightly at her. "How can I help such a pretty lady today?"
She blushed. "I, um, I'm late."
"Oh," I wittily responded, reaching over and placing a hand over her lower abdomen. A heartbeat passed and I pulled back. "Congratulations, Nee-san."
Her eyes lit up and she let out a quiet gasp. "So I'm...?"
I nodded my head. "You have a second chakra network developing inside of you. Um. Let me consult my book and I can give you a due date, if you'd like."
She nodded her head enthusiastically. "This is so wonderful! Yuri-chan will be so happy."
"Congratulations again," I repeated, standing up and putting Pakkun in my seat. I headed over to my backpack and rummaged through to try and find my book on the reproductive system. "Ah, there it is."
That was how my days went by for the remainder of our time in Wave. I would make my rounds on our team, including Zabuza and Haku, then I would spend the rest of my time at the clinic tending to whoever needed care. There were a couple more cases that required more expert hands than my own, but for the most part I was able to work independently with Pakkun supervising.
The day we were about to leave was the day that Haku was able to leave his bed.
All of us had gathered at the end of the bridge with quite the send off.
Some of the younger children had woven a beautiful flower crown for me after I fixed their kaa-chan and tou-chan boo-boos. On the day of our departure, they had woven a fresh one for me that I wore proudly.
It seemed like the entire village had gathered to send us off, with Zabuza and Haku right at the front (Haku was leaning on a single crutch—he was on severely strict orders to rest as much as possible. I would have put him in a wheelchair if I could).
Kakashi stood the furthest away from our group, his hands in his pocket. Naruto and I easily and happily lapped up the attention, while Sasuke seemed more inclined to inching further and further away from the crowd of people.
"We owe a lot to you," Tazuna said loudly, instilling a hush over the crowd. "Not only did you protect and help make this bridge, but through your efforts this village's greatest and longest nightmare is finally over."
This caused a round of cheering and thunderous stomping behind him.
Tazuna lifted his hand for silence again, smiling widely. "You helped us, healed our sick, and took care of us. Without you, none of this would be possible. Without you, we wouldn't have hope. Thank you, shinobi of Konoha. In a gesture of our appreciation we decided to name the bridge... Seven's Hope, so we may never forget the hope Team Seven has brought us."
The crowd roared its approval. I took Naruto's hand and in perfect synch the two of us bowed to the crowd. "Thank you, thank you very much."
"Maa, maa," Kakashi said placing a hand on the top of each of our heads. "We should be heading out. I want to reach Konoha before it gets dark."
"Woo-hoo! Wait until Jiji hears about this," Naruto boasted, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement.
I winked at Haku and Zabuza. "Don't miss me too much, you hot people, you."
Haku laughed quietly, while Zabuza sneered at me. Haku hobbled towards us, an incredibly attractive smile on his face. "Thank you all for what you have done. I'm certain we will meet again one day, and I look forward to that day."
"Oh, stop it," I said, lightly hitting his shoulder. "You're gonna make me blush with that kind of talk."
A spark of amusement entered his eyes and faster than what I could process, he placed a warm kiss on my cheek.
Naruto let out a gasp of sheer horror, while I got many catcalls from the crowd.
A blush rose up to my cheeks. "You can do that again."
Haku laughed. "I wouldn't want to keep you. Have a safe trip, Sakura-chan."
I sighed. "Just got my harem started up and I already have to abandon members for a while. Kakashi-sensei, I need a comfort hug."
"You already had your hug for the day," Kakashi said patiently. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow."
I whined.
Sasuke sighed. "Can we leave now?"
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
"And we're back," I said as we entered the gates of Konoha. My hand moved on its own and grabbed Kakashi's. "It's dark and scary at night. Walk me home, please?"
"Nope," Kakashi said cheerfully, yanking his hand out of my own like it was on fire. "Report to the Hokage's tower at oh-six-hundred tomorrow to give your reports. Later, minions."
"I'll walk you home," Naruto offered happily after Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
I beamed. "Excellent." I held out my arm. "This will give you good practice for when you're dating your future wife."
Naruto hooked his arm through mine. "Who's that?"
I patted his arm. "The same girl who currently has a crush on you."
Naruto gasped. "Someone has a crush on me?"
"Yes. And if you prove that you're mature enough to be a good boyfriend, I'll tell you who. This girl has had a crush on you since the first year of the academy. She believes you'll make the best Hokage, ever, even."
"She's sounds perfect," Naruto whispered in awe.
"She is," I agreed. "Now walk me home like the gentleman I know you are deep down inside."
"Yes, ma'am!"
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
I entered the kitchen around five the next morning, greeted by the smell of pork and eggs. Sakura's mother, er, Kaa-chan was making an omelet. She beamed when she saw me enter. "Good morning, Sa-chan! I have big breakfast ready for you."
"Extra meat?" I asked hopefully.
"Extra pork," Kaa-chan promised.
It was a little weird associating the word mother with a woman I didn't really know (I had maybe a quarter of Sakura's memories, and I was still relatively detached from them). Mother was distant, and viewed me more as a pet for her project, rather than an actual daughter. Not that I was complaining, of course. I had shelter, food, and she was a firm believer in buying people's' affection, so I had an impressive collection of materialistic items. Father went AWOL from his center, and I hadn't seen him in over a decade.
Sakura's kaa-chan, though, was very warm and prone to physical affection. So was her tou-chan, and pretty much her entire family. They were prone to using their fists, too, when angered, but never out of malice.
I sat down at the worn wooden table, and Kaa-chan placed a bowl of steaming eggs, pork, cheese, and veggies in front of me. She then poured me a glass of fresh lemonade (because the woman was a dedicated gardener and nurtured two cherry blossom trees, and three lemon trees) before she sat down beside me, a happy smile on her face. "Tell me more about your mission."
In between wolfing down the delicious food and chugging the lemonade, I told her everything that happened on the mission. I left out the part where I failed to save the men with gangrene because that shit was depressing, and no one wanted to hear about depressing shit (unless they were in an angsty mood, which we certainly were not).
She oo'd and aw'd and squealed happily at all the right parts. Since I had come home so late last night she and Tou-chan didn't push for more than brief assurances that I was okay and everything went okay.
"How exciting," Kaa-chan sighed. "What a romantic life you lead. Are you happy, little flower?"
"Of course I am," I told her. "Are you?"
"Mn! I'm very happy for you. Ah, let's not tell Tou-chan about Haku, though, ne?"
That made me snigger.
A companionable silence filled the homey kitchen while I continued to eat and Kaa-chan pulled out her crochet supplies. When I was finished eating, she asked, "Would you like more?"
"I'm full enough," I reassured her. "After the debriefing, I'm going to try and train with Hina-chan today."
"Training Ground Five, right?"
"Right."
She smiled brightly. "Okay. Be sure to tell her, and your teammates, they're welcome to come over for lunch or dinner."
"I will," I promised. After a brief hesitation, I bent down and kissed her forehead. "Bye-bye."
"Have fun, Sa-chan!"
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
Team Seven gathered at the entrance to the Hokage's tower at exactly six hundred. Kakashi appeared in a whirl of leaves right on the dot, his favorite book nowhere in sight. With an excited giggle, I threw myself at my favorite sensei, using up by alloted physical contact of the day for a tight hug. When I began to nuzzle into him, Kakashi decided I had had my fun and began the process of prying me off him.
I allowed him to do so, letting out a reluctant sigh. "One day you will crave my hugs. Mark my words."
"I very much doubt that," Kakashi responded dubiously. "Okay, team, let's head inside. Have you all finished writing your reports?"
"I even drew pictures," Naruto exclaimed, holding out his crumpled papers. A quick glance from them made me whistle of appreciation. The prankster was a better artist than me.
"I'm sure Hokage-sama will be happy to look at your pictures," Kakashi responded, and I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic, or sincerely believed that the Hokage's notorious soft spot for Naruto would cause him to enjoy the pictures.
"What are we doing after we give the report?" Sasuke asked as Kakashi began to herd us inside. I purposely stopped short right before him in hopes he would bump into me, but the ex-ANBU saw that coming and was prodding my back with the blunt end of a kunai. I pouted at him.
Kakashi pushed the kunai further in, forcing me to keep up with his pace, and stay a good arm's-length in front of him. "I'm not sure. Protocol would dictate that any time a mission escalates a rank, the team is required to take a three day resting period, minimum. Given that none of us were seriously injured, and had time to rest up the following week, it may be possible the Hokage will waive the rule for us."
"If he does waive it, what will we do?" I asked, smiling brightly. "Can we train together more? I wanna learn a ninjutsu! Genjutsu would be okay, too, I guess. Oh, oh, and I wanna learn kenjutsu, and, and—"
"We'll see," Kakashi interrupted. "Ah, Sakura-chan? You know how to act in front of the Hokage, right?"
I morphed my face into an innocent expression. "Whatever do you mean, Kakashi-sensei? I would treat Hokage-sama like all my superiors."
"... You understand that I am technically your superior, right?" Kakashi asked slowly.
I purred. "You can be whatever you wanna be, baby."
"Okay," Kakashi said loudly, "Sakura-chan, no talking, please."
Naruto sniggered at my betrayed look, while Sasuke turned his head to hide his smirk.
We had reached the Hokage's office
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
I remained quiet as my teammates gave detailed reports of the mission. Naruto even turned to specific pictures in his report to show the Hokage. Hiruzen interrupted a few times to ask some pointed questions (and when it was first mentioned that Kakashi allowed us to carry on with an A-Rank mission, Hiruzen gave a very pointed look towards the ex-ANBU Captain. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that the grandfather had even leaked some killing intent towards Kakashi, but that couldn't be the case, could it?).
"And what is your take on the mission, Sakura-san?" Hiruzen inquired. "You have been largely silent."
I felt my teammates stiffen around me, and I smiled widely. "Pretty great! I got my harem started up."
Amusement entered the Hokage's eyes, as I felt Sasuke sigh and Naruto try to cover his laughter. "Did you now?"
"Yes," I confirmed happily. "I have every intention of being the next Mega Super Pervert, you know!"
"You know, I trained the original Mega Super Pervert," Hiruzen told me, seeming to find my excitement humorous.
"Oh, I know," I assured him. "Jiraiya-sama is amazing. I wish I could read his works, but apparently," I turned and shot a glare at Kakashi, "I'm too young and someone won't buy them for me."
"The dilemma of age," Hiruzen uttered. "Truly, what a shame. I'm surprised no one has told you, though, that those of Chūnin rank and above are considered legal adults in Konoha's eyes, and as such you would legally be allowed to purchase those books once you become a Chūnin."
I gasped in the same moment Sasuke moaned, Naruto couldn't hide his laughter anymore, and Kakashi whispered despairingly, "Why would you tell her that?"
"I am so going to become a Chūnin," I declared, my next goal set before me. "And then I shall have an Icha Icha fest, and use all the pick-up lines learned from it on Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi buried his face in his hands.
Hiruzen chuckled. "I'm quite glad to hear that, and I look forward to watching you succeed."
"Succeed in becoming a Chūnin?"
"That, too," Hiruzen agreed.
I felt Kakashi twitch behind me and the veteran cleared his throat. "Do you have any further questions for us, Hokage-sama?"
"So will Kakashi be part of your har—"
"Relevant," Kakashi pleaded. "Any relevant questions, Hokage-sama, please?"
I leaned forward and whispered to Hiruzen, "I think we're making the poor dear uncomfortable."
"It would appear so," Hiruzen murmured, sighing. "I have no further," Hiruzen sniffed, "relevant questions for your team. Take the standard three days off, collect your mission pay, and report back here for your next mission."
We saluted.
"Dismissed, except for Kakashi. Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san, and Sakura-kun, have a pleasant day."
The three of us shuffled out of the office, and it clicked shut behind us.
"Now what?" Naruto asked.
"I'm going to wait for Kakashi-sensei," I decided. "I have a few hours before I have to meet up with Hina-chan to train, anyway."
"I'm going to train," Sasuke said slowly.
"Then I guess—"
"Hey," I interrupted, "you two should train together. And learn, like, water-walking."
"What?" Naruto asked.
"Water walking. You know how Zabuza was able to stand on the water? And remember the tree exercise? Water walking is doing the tree exercise, except on water. It's the next level to chakra control. And you two seem to do better when you're competing with one another. So, I say you two should go down to our training grounds and go practice water walking."
The two boys exchanged glances, both looking reluctant.
"I'll bring you guys homemade lunch before I train with Hina-chan," I bribed.
"Okay," Naruto decided, nodding his head. "I guess I can work with the bastard long enough for lunch."
Sasuke shrugged. "I suppose ravioli is acceptable for lunch if I have to train with this idiot."
"Consider it done," I promised. The two boys looked at each other once more, before they began to head off. Not even a minute into their travel, and I could already hear them bicker. The familiar noise made me feel a bit nostalgic. I sat down on the rough carpet, leaning against the closed door. I shifted so my backpack was in my lap, and I opened it to pull out my next sewing project.
A solid half an hour passed by in relative silence before the door opened behind me and I fell into the office and onto Kakashi's feet.
Kakashi looked down at me, and I smiled up at him. "Hello."
Kakashi rubbed at the back of his head. "Did you wait for me?"
"Of course I did," I told him, surprised he seemed sincerely stunned. "I love you. Why wouldn't I wait for you?"
The fact that I waited for him must have really thrown him for a loop, because Kakashi's visible eye widened marginally and he stiffened considerably. "Uh—right—then—make sure you, um, train, and we'll, um, meet up again after our, uh, uh, vacation is over. Bye."
Then he was gone, and I heard Hiruzen's wheezing laughter from the office. Still laying on the floor, I raised my hands in a greeting to our Hokage and waved them around excitedly. "Hi, Hokage-sama!"
"Hello, Sakura-chan," Hiruzen chuckled.
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
Hinata's eyes were wide with astonishment and a little bit of awe. "That sounds s-so amazing, Sakura-chan. Our C-Rank wasn't a-anywhere near as... as... daring."
I beamed at my dear friend. "It was definitely fun! How have you been, though? Done any more training?"
Hinata nodded her head hesitantly. "I, um, I've been practicing releasing tenketsu blocks like you said. I'm n-not very good—"
I smoooshed her cheeks together so she couldn't finish what she was saying. "You are a brilliant kunoichi. Say it with me. I am a brilliant kunoichi."
"I am ah bwiwian' ku-kunowichi."
With a smile, I released her. "Good. Keep practicing until you can release the blocks without using your hands. Trust me. You're gonna need this skill for later."
"Okay," Hinata murmured agreeably. "U-Um, Sakura-chan?"
"Yes, dear?"
"My... Tou-sama r-requested to m-meet with you. Um."
I cocked my head. "Okay. When does he want to meet?"
"H-He didn't specify."
"Hmm. Okay, we'll end training a bit earlier today and then I'll go meet him," I decided. "With that settled, let's get started. I wanna be hella strong for the upcoming Exams." Hinata giggled while I began to flex my biceps. "Look at these guns! Show me your guns Hina-chan."
Still giggling, she held out her arm for me to squeeze her biceps. She was already a fairly fit girl at the start of training, but under Iruka's advised regime there was a noticeable difference. She was leaner and more toned, not to mention her hands were thoroughly calloused; enough so that she didn't have to typically wear gauze after our sessions anymore.
The difference for me at the start of training was astronomical. Sakura had been starving her body of necessary nutrients in her misguided attempts to look pretty, and she did not work out in the slightest outside of the required academy hours. The drastic change in routine did wonders for the growing body. I had proper fat, and muscles now!
I felt immensely proud of myself for the transformation. Hinata and I had reached a milestone in our physical development and it warranted a little self-praise and ego-grooming. It also signified that we would be able to take our training to the next level.
"Tomorrow," I told her, still poking at her arms (it seemed she was a little ticklish and her giggles were so contagious and delightful, I couldn't resist), "we shall pick out training weights since we're now properly strong enough that we won't damage our muscles by using them."
I stopped tickling the princess long enough for to catch her breath. She was wheezing, curled up in the fetal position with a happy smile on her face. "O-O-Okay."
With energy that would put an Uzumaki to shame, I leapt up and clapped my hands together. "Alright! Let's do some hardcore sparring now."
Hinata rolled onto her back, a gleam in her eyes. "I promise not to bl-block your tenketsus."
I bowed, offering my hand out to her. "I thank you for your kindness, milady."
With mock grace she took my hand and stood back up, brushing off the dirt on her clothes and readjusting them. "O-On the count of three?"
I beamed. "One, two, three!"
We leapt at each other, determined smiles on our faces.
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
"Owie, owie, owie," I whined as Hinata slowly stitched my left arm closed. Hinata's chakra control was superb enough that she could learn the Shōsen and become an iryo-nin, but she chose not to because she honestly wanted to become an accomplished front-line fighter and focus on her clan techniques. I personally thought she would have made a rockin' iryo-nin (and we could have been the duo sexy doctor/nurse which would have been awesome), but I wasn't going to pressure her into changing her mind. She got enough discouragement everywhere else, I would never add on to that.
That being said, I did insist that she had some basic first aid training, including emergency sutures and amputations.
During our spar we had both nicked the other plenty with our kunai. While I could heal up our injuries no problem with Shōsen, I chose not to in order to give Hinata hands-on experience with stitching. I didn't want to numb the area either, so I could immediately tell her if she was doing something incorrectly, or if she accidentally punctured something that should have been left alone.
"S-Sorry," Hinata apologized.
"Don't be sorry," I told her. "I'm just being a crabby patient. You really got me good."
"Sorry," Hinata apologized again.
With one hand I smooshed her cheeks together, causing her to pause in her work. "Never apologize for being good at something, silly. I'm proud of you for what you did here today."
I felt her face warm underneath my hand, and when I withdrew it I saw a pleasant flush on her cheeks. I smiled warmly at her, and she returned it with one of her own. Comfortable silence fell between us as she worked on stitching me up, then dressing my wounds. I had a fair amount of gauze covering my body at that point. My entire upper right arm, my entire left arm, my right calf, stomach, both feet, and hands, and even some wrapped around my head.
My black training capri pants were torn at the edges, and I had a gash through my midsection, tearing open my red cammie.
Hinata was equally as battered and covered in gauze as I was.
When we were both all doctored up, the sun had just started its descent over the horizon. I stood up, wincing at the sensation and said, "Alright, let's go meet with your tou-chan."
Hinata looked up and down at me, an eyebrow raised.
"Either we meet him like this, or I go to him in a bathrobe first thing tomorrow morning."
She covered her mouth in a useless attempt to hide her smile. "I-I, um, suppose then that it would be, ah, best to meet with him now."
I offered her my arm, and she took it daintily. "Right you are, milady. Right you are."
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
Gingerly, I took a seat across from Hiashi. I winced as I felt the stitches stretch across my arm and abdomen. Hiashi watched me with a focused gaze, his face a perfect mask of apathy. Hinata fidgeted beside me, her gaze steadily looking down.
My eyes roamed across the pristine office, taking in how everything was meticulously organized and if I didn't know any better, I would say that no one had used it for years.
It looked detached, and entirely without life.
'Reminds me of home,' I briefly thought. "I'm thirsty."
Hinata's back stiffened. "Um, I can go get—"
"Please provide our guest with some refreshments, Hinata," Hiashi said softly.
Hinata nodded jerkily before she left quickly.
As soon as she left, I glared at Hiashi. "You outta be ashamed of yourself."
"Excuse me?" Hiashi's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of father psychologically harasses and hurts his own daughter?" I demanded. "No wonder people think the Hyūga have stick up their asses and think they're the next fucking Uchiha: their own Clan Head treats his own daughter like a piece of shit!"
Hiashi's cheeks flushed in anger and he hissed, "You have no—"
I leaned forward and put both my hands on his desk, entirely nonplussed. "I don't care if you're socially awkward with children, or if your own father treated you like this. You're smart enough to know that your disinterest, disapproval and all around jackassery is debilitating to Hina-chan. Yet you still do it anyway!"
"You have no right," Hiashi thundered, a vicious glower on his face. Killing intent poured from him, but it didn't even phase me.
"I have every right," I snarled back. "I see first hand the kind of damage you caused her. She's not some toy for you to toss aside because she doesn't meet your pathetic standards. Humans are not things that conform to ideals. Each human is different. You can't expect Hina-chan to learn and grow in the same kind of way you and your brother did, can you?!
"No. you absolutely cannot! This whole village formed with the idea of providing children the ability to grow in a nurturing and safe environment. Yet you spit on that ideal every time you treat your own daughter like garbage because of some arbitrary and fucking stupid ideals—ideals that are hella outdated! If you keep up with your fucking child abuse you're going to lose her. You're going to lose Hina-chan in a way that you will never get her back. So you better get your shit straight, and start acting like the proper tou-chan that she deserves, or you'll find yourself dealing with me again. And I promise your underwear will never feel safe again," I snarled. "I will devote every waking moment of my life to making your life as miserable as you have made her's. I swear."
Hiashi's body trembled with restrained anger and the venom in his following words was impressive. "Get out."
"Gladly," I snapped. I stood up, threw open the door and found myself face to face none other than a gob-smacked team ten, along with an extremely uncomfortable looking Gai.
I nodded to them, then brushed passed them and to a positively petrified Hinata. I smiled at her and blew her a kiss. "Take care, dearie. I'll be by tomorrow to pick you up for training."
"B-B-B-B-B," Hinata squeaked.
With a spring in my step, I left the Hyūga compound.
'I'm in the mood for some ice-cream.'
Oo. Yes.
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
"I'm here to pick Hina-chan up for training," I chirped to the Hyūga guards.
They both exchanged glances before one of them left. Three minutes passed by for Hiashi appeared at the front gate, his gaze hard. "Haruno."
"Hina-chan's tou-chan," I greeted coolly.
Hiashi eyed me for several moments before he tilted his head, beckoning me to follow him. Cautiously, I did so. He took me through the compound to a small, well-hidden garden in a courtyard. There were lemon trees, an abundance of flowers and rows of vegetables, each lovingly labelled. Hiashi took a seat on the porch, gesturing for me to sit beside him.
Dubiously, I did so.
"Since you chose to speak so plainly last night, I will grant you the same favor. I am torn between demanding compensation for your lack of civility, and desiring to keep my original purpose of wanting to meet with you." Hiashi paused. "I love my children. Do not ever, ever claim otherwise."
I resisted the urge to snort at that.
"However," Hiashi continued, a strained look briefly crossing over his face, "I understand how someone on the outside would perceive it to be otherwise."
"Why?" I asked. "Why do you treat her like such if you actually love her?"
"My late wife, Hisana, made this garden," Hiashi said quietly. "She passed away shortly after Hanabi was born. She was killed in action—she let her guard down, was tricked by the enemy. She was too gentle to be a kunoichi, and that kindness lead her to—"
"So now you punish your daughter in hopes of, what? Hardening her?"
"Hinata is too gentle to be a kunoichi. I do not want her to be a kunoichi at all."
"That's complete bullshit," I told him. "Hinata's way stronger than you think her to be. She's kind, and despite putting up with you apparently passive aggressively trying to destroy her dreams, she's still tried her hardest. She hasn't given up despite her own tou-chan treating her like garbage. She hasn't stopped loving you despite you being a complete jerk to her. That takes a special kind of strength to do that—a special kind of strength in order to forgive something like that. She's strong. Stronger than you and I could ever be."
"It would be best if she wasn't a kunoichi at all," Hiashi said softly.
"It would be best if she was loved by her tou-chan regardless of her choices," I retorted.
"You—"
"Tell this stuff to her. Treat her like Hisana would have treated her. She doesn't have a kaa-chan anymore, and right now she doesn't have a proper tou-chan."
He glanced at me. "What would a proper tou-san do, then?"
"Ask about her day," I said quietly. "Attend one of our training sessions, and don't focus on her mistakes. Praise what she does right." I lifted up my shirt and presented him with my large gash. "She did this to me. When she's not scared shitless, or feel like she's being poorly judged, she flourishes. She's damn good, Hiashi-san. Show her that you know she's good."
Hiashi let out a long sigh. "The reason I asked to meet with you in the first place is because of the change you brought to her. I never thought I would—" Hiashi caught himself. "What you did was inappropriate, and incredibly rude. If you have an issue with me, it should be dealt with privately, not in public."
I was about to retort, when he raised his hand. "That being said, I do understand why you lost your temper. You clearly care a great deal for my daughter, and you are at an emotional age that without proper training you cannot be expected to be in full control of your actions. All you saw was your friend being... mistreated, and you acted on the knowledge that you had."
Frowning, I decided not to tell him that I had planned for my outburst for quite some time in hopes of Therapy-no-Jutsu'ng him. If I had kept it private, I felt like Hiashi would not have taken my concerns as seriously as having an audience. I also wanted to hurt him, at least a little bit, as much as he hurted Hinata.
Frankly, I still planned on some kind of vengeance on her behalf, but not for a while. It would be too obvious that I had done it if I acted so soon after my outburst.
"I get that you're," I hesitated, "traumatized from the loss of your wife, but Hina-chan isn't Hisana. She's your daughter, and she needs a tou-chan. Is it really so much to ask of you to be that for her? She's not going to give up on her dreams. You've clearly tried for years to convince her otherwise, you honestly think it'll change now?"
"No," Hiashi admitted softly. "After seeing the changes brought to her by encouragement, I have been forced to reconsider many things. That being said, in regards to your..."
"I'll apologize if you come to our training session today," I told him. "See for yourself what being positive can do for her."
Hiashi's lips twitched. "Very well."
I paused. "You should probably try to stay hidden at the start, though. If she knew you were watching she'd probably get all nervous."
"That seems likely."
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
I watched the shy Hinata smile at her father, and Hiashi award her with the faintest smile of his own. The two were headed home after our training session, both looking a lot happier than I had ever seen them.
Hiashi was ready to beg for Neji's forgiveness around this point. He only needed a bit more of a push to change for the better for Hinata. And now that he'd seen her be strong, seen the potential inside of her, he'd never only see a weak little girl. At least, that was what I hoped.
I had done my best to encourage the bright optimism and confidence I knew she had inside of her. I had done my best to fuel her dreams, and I had done my best to give her the strength she so desperately needed.
Not only to prepare her for the horror that was the Chūnin Exams, or for the upcoming Akatsuki / War, but because I sincerely believed she would be happier that way. She would be happiest with not only Naruto's acknowledgement, but her own family's, too.
I may not have been fond of Hiashi, but I understood her desire to be loved by her only living parent. And since that was what she wanted, I would do my best to provide it.
Besides, who knows what kind of influence having a positive atmosphere at home and outside of home would do for her?
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
I relished the feeling of blankets and warmth. The sun poured in through the window, and despite it being right in my eyes (I kept my blinds up and curtains pulled back), I simply did not want to get out of bed. Today I would go shopping with Hinata to pick out weights, and since Team Seven was still technically on leave, I had nowhere else to be aside from that.
It was decided by myself that I would spend the day being utterly lazy and resting up.
'I am the blanket. The blanket is me.'
My stomach growled like the traitor it was.
A moan escaped my lips.
Then my bladder told me it was time to get up, too.
'Traitor. All of me.'
Get up, lazy ass.
With another groan, I rolled out of my body and flopped to the floor, taking the blankets with me. Still bundled up, I made my way to the bathroom, and then down into the kitchen.
Tou-chan looked up from his sudoku, his eyes gleaming. "Good morning, little flower."
"G'morning," I mumbled.
Kaa-chan entered the kitchen and kissed my cheek. "Good morning, love. Let me whip you up some breakfast."
"Please and thank you."
I sat beside Tou-chan, stifling a yawn. Tou-chan patted the top of my head. "Another busy day of training?"
"Probably," I admitted. "Tomorrow I'm supposed to meet up with my team so we can take our next mission."
Tou-chan nodded at that, then his bright green eyes lit up. "Oh, that reminds me. Your friend came by and wanted to give you this."
I blinked as Tou-chan hurried out of the kitchen before returning with a medium-sized box and a feminine note on top. He set both in my lap, and I carefully opened the note before reading it.
Sakura-chan,
Tou-sama has decided to take an active role in my training once again. I know I have you to thank for that, and I cannot properly express my gratitude enough to convey how much it means to me. Thank you.
I'm sorry, however, that it means that we will not be able to train together for a while. I know we were both excited to begin our weight training, and go shopping together, so I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of purchasing our weights. Let's both become strong kunoichi.
Sincerely yours,
Hinata
I re-read the overly formal note, wondering how embarrassed the cutie felt when writing that. The thought made my lips quirk upwards. I handed the note over to Kaa-chan, as I could feel her trying to read it over my shoulder. She squealed happily when she finished reading it before handing it Tou-chan.
'I am surrounded by adorable people,' I thought, resisting the urge to pinch both their cheeks. My gaze swung over to the white box, and I lifted the lid.
My mouth dropped open.
The weights were seal weights.
The single most expensive kind of weights one could buy. Standard weights were bulky and pretty obvious to the fact that they were weights. Seal weights were intricately embedded into a durable cloth-like material and transformed into things like small wristbands or akin.
There were four articles inside the box, each of them a deep red with a little pink flower in the center; two wristbands, and two for my ankles. Beside the articles were instructions, and a five year warranty (which would not have been cheap given our line of work).
With careful hands, I pulled each one out and examined it. "Holy smokes."
"What cute little wristbands," Kaa-chan exclaimed.
"They are cute," I agreed, not correcting her that they were more than simple wristbands. "Kaa-chan, would you mind packing me a lunch, and some snacks, too? I think I'll be a bit late out tonight."
"Okay, Sa-chan!"
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
I meandered through the streets of Konoha, my arms and legs aching something fierce. The sun had long since set, and the roads had thinned out as the night wore on. I took my time making my way home.
Sometimes I was so amazed by everything I saw, and everything I felt.
It was miraculous—a dream come true, really—to have woken up in the Narutoverse, right at the heart of everything. I never thought such a thing could happen, and I found myself wondering exactly how it happened.
I would have considered it all to be part of one of my "episodes", but my episodes never lasted this long, and they were a lot more wild than the relatively tame Narutoverse. At least, I didn't see any oozing walls, mountain of corpses, or sneering faces.
Konoha was exactly as warm and bright as I imagined it to be. People were generally friendly, and children ran about the streets entirely unsupervised. It was a very trusting environment, and I felt envious of all the children who were born and raised from the start there.
The smell of fried food caught my attention, and I decided to indulge a little from a food stand before heading home.
As I nibbled on the deliciousness, my legs and arms cursing at me for not immediately returning home to take a hot bath, I couldn't help but think: 'I wish these kinds of days wouldn't end.'
It was a shame, really.
But the clock kept ticking, and the Exams and Akatsuki drew nearer, with the War right at their heels.
As unavoidable as death.
That thought made me smile wryly.
'As unavoidable as death, huh?'
( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)
I'd like to thank Cantrona and OCGuruJenn again for drawing lovely fanart at the start of this story for Wattpad. :)
Why do we call Wave Wave, but the Leaf is still written as Konoha in most fanfics?
Hiashi is an interesting fellow in the sense that Kishimoto made him one of the most contradicting characters in the manga. He starts off as a total hard-ass and general bad father, but then after seeing one teeny tiny Naruto fight with Neji he suddenly transforms into someone who begs for forgiveness and becomes a good father? Either the guy was ready to be a good father all the way through and was keeping up one hell of a mask for God knows what reasons and just needed one little push to break that mask, or the guy is contradiction personified.
For the sake of feel good story, I chose the former.
Next up: Chūnin Exams.
I might make it like Rotted Rowan and try to squeeze it down into just one really really long chapter, or two really really long chapters.
Speaking of which, gotta update RR again before I update this story.
Answer: Kakuzu, ofc. He could teach me how to become rich, I bet. And money is the best super power.
Question: What kind of pet would you want?
Reviews are love!