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Rich History

Summary:

Sai sat quietly, gazing up at everyone drinking at the bar. It was hard to explain the feeling, really.
The ropes intertwining them all were filled with rich history and familiarity, something he could not recognize or connect with.
He didn't really understand why. After all, he was not like them in that sense.
He had no history, no records, or any identity outside of ROOT.
Even now, he was solely a weapon trained to aid fellow shinobi for the sake of the village.
His artistry, his sole lens in this far too complicated world, was diluted to the means of shinobi work.

Yet even with lights blaring down on everyone, laughter filling the air with the scent of alcohol perfuming around, two bodies stuck close to his side.
They had known each other far longer than they had ever known him. But...
Everything was so smooth around them. Like the fine tip of a granite pencil, brushing strokes against a white canvas. It was so effortless and polished. So simple. To just be.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Sai sat down on the dried mud, caked in sweat and scratches all over his body. 

After nearly 9 months of havoc, the 4th Shinobi War was finally over after the defeat of Kaguya. 

Sai was not unaccustomed to this numbness stationed in his chest, after years of trained emotional regulation in his ROOT days. Yet it was something… to a greater degree.

He assumed it reflected his new title as a war veteran, having watched comrades wounded and perish all before him. And while it was true, he could not help but put his gaze up to the backs of his teammates as they carried the Wounded Uchiha out of the battlefield.

Their faces, similar to his, were caked with mud, but joyful, as they gazed upon each other and back at the Uchiha. A state of serenity encapsulated them all.

He had not thought of himself as the replacement of Sasuke Uchiha in the slightest when he would venture into Team 7 missions. As he had no initial knowledge of the man, nor cared at the time.

However

His chest compressed as he watched Naruto and Sakura interact with the Uchiha, even when all 3 could barely stand. Or rather, with Sakura supporting them both.

While he was not acquainted with the Uchiha, apart from his homicidal tendencies drawing in Team 7, he had been told countless stories left and right about their time as Genin.

 

The three were all picturesque, established in ink long before he ever had the recollection of emotion.  Roots so intertwined and established, that there was no misunderstanding of their history.

Sai gazed at the rest of the Konoha 11. Most were talking in groups, resting and patching themselves up from battle. All of them treated each other like family, so rich in history, on record, and in memory.

He had not thought of comforting Beautiful at the moment, as with the passing of her father, it would be best to give her space. However, he understood the intricacies of Team 10 and their allyship, as they all huddled around each other solemnly and in support of each other.

Yet, he had no idea why his heart cried out to comfort her, yearning to comfort her even at an undesirable time.

An unrecognizable feeling came over him, looking at both Beautiful with Team 10, and his own Team walking away in the distance, completely ignorant of the world around them. Only comforted in their Teams' grasp. 

A cold sting ached against his throat when the thought of not moving crossed his mind.

Would they notice his absence?

Would they care?

Would everything still be the same?

After all, even after all is said and done. He was still a soldier first. Only now for a different side. He still struggled with the complexities of emotion and social awareness and had no single tie to Konoha aside from his placement in Team 7.

Even the Uchiha, estranged from the village, had familial roots tied to the village because of his clan, but also in the form of Team 7.

Sai, on the other hand, had no connection to Konoha, no history tying him down to the Hidden Village, nor any records of his blood or lineage. He had no hobbies, interests, or likes, aside from his trusted sketchbook and ink. Though the small container was most likely filled with blood, sweat, and tears, rather than being spread on a canvas, illustrating meaning and passion. 

He was nothing. 

Absolutely nothing but a soldier to the state.

He already assumed that his next steps would have to be placed in ANBU, after his former title and experience in another underground organization.

Ugly, after a near head-splitting punch to the head, had told him to "be more positive." Whatever that means. Even though the sight of his smile would annoy her, calling it “fake”.

But what’s the so-called difference?

Beautiful was the type to tell him to keep his head up and think about the rest for later. To defeat conflicts with passion and reflect later. 

He felt his mouth tinge upward, rather uncomfortable, without his control.

Spooked, he touched the ends of his lip, trying to smooth the lines caused by the stretching of his face.

Even now, he was bewildered by his random episodes where his face would want to stretch and extend from his usual stoic demeanor. It has been happening more often.

“But, that's ok”, he pictured them saying.

 

Sai had ordered some pie and cookies from the nice cafe. It was the place Beautiful had wanted to meet up in, both him and Ugly. 

All their plates had already been served, warm and steaming. The only sounds were of plates clattering, music playing,  and Ino discussing her Team's mission as Sakura ate away.

"It was such a horrendous time!" she cried out

"I don't understand how such a spoiled boy could be the grandson of the Daimyo. You’d think with such a high status, they’d at least discipline the boy to be respectful and shit”

Neither he nor Sakura spoke, both knowing she was on a roll to be stopped.

“If that kid was raised in a clan, they’d straighten that entitlement right away. If not, you'd be embarrassing your clan’s honor and reputation!” she huffed, before turning to Sakura, “Oye, Forehead! Is this some sort of Civilian thing? Or do you think the kid was just born that way and spoiled?”

Ugly rolled her eyes, crossing her arms

“Just because I’m civilian-born doesn’t mean I speak for all those in the Konoha Prefecture” Sakura retorted, already used to Ino’s prodding to be completely annoyed.

Sai had been aware how Sakura was the only civilian-born shinobi from the Konoha 11, having graduated the academy at a disadvantage, with the rest having extensive after-school practice with their clans, but also being blessed with high chakra reserves.

“Plus, you can’t talk! With how lenient your dad’s always been with you, Pig!” Sakura barked.

The blonde let out a squawk, clearly not expecting her response, but quickly putting up her faux-confident demeanor.

“For your information, I turned out just fine! Daddy’s always just been an affectionate guy, you know. He was also very progressive…Especially when having his only daughter be the future clan head” Ino exclaimed, frowning slightly as she thought of her clan's old traditions. It wasn’t just the Yamanaka clan, but almost all the clans in Konoha used to have such conservative guidelines, some still do.

“So is child discipline some sort of cultural difference between the two citizens?” Sai questioned. He hadn’t seen much of this from the books Kakashi-Sensi had given him to practice. Most were just based on societal etiquette, geography, and the history of Konoha.

“Probably not,” Beautiful said, dismissively, “it’s just too easy to tease Forehead over here”

A small frown plastered Sakura’s face. She just rolled her eyes, not wanting to waste more of her time.

“I don't have time for your childish games” She let out, gazing somewhere else, a pout forming, “I have to go back to the hospital in a couple of minutes anyway”  

Ino winced, her face morphing into a sneer.

“What are you, 50?! Who talks like that anymore”

A flush ran down Sakura’s neck at the comment. She had been told she always acted older for her age, but she mainly thought it was because of all the time she had to deal with Naruto and Sasuke’s actions. But she never got compared to being a 50-year-old woman?!

Before she could respond, Sai remembered something.

“‘Konoha’s Top Ten Tricks to Woo your Acquaintances into Friendship’ mentions how friends show their love their banter and taunting, does that hold true for both of you?”

He had noticed how the two had some sort of rivalry, escalating to meaningless jabs and slander, which were completely different from the books he read on friendship. 

Weren’t friends supposed to hold hands and tell each other their deepest secrets?

He didn’t realize he had said that out loud. 

Either way, both kunoichi burst out laughing. Hands covering their faces to cover their equally loud voices.

“Sai, we’re not kids anymore! Also, what’d you think we were gonna do? Look deep into each other’s eyes and say ‘I love you’” teased Ino, commenting through breaths of laughter. 

“That’s too much for me,” Sakura responded, cringing at the thought. The mere idea of locking hands with Ino-Pig had her blanching. Even though she wouldn’t admit to Sai that they used to hold hands back in their first years in the academy, walking through the Yamanaka Garden collecting flowers and making crowns.

“Oh, so, THIS is too much for you?” Ino teased.

“I don’t know what you mean” Sakura replied, squinting her eyes at Ino, trying to decipher what she meant

“You cried over cats!”

“They were saying that the pet-care center had lost tons of owned cats,” Sakura retorted, trying to justify herself, but pouting at the thought of those poor little fur babies all on their own in the cold streets.

“Wasn’t it just a rumor?”

“You don’t know that!”

“Well clearly neither did any Shinobi around the area”

“That doesn’t mean anything, for all we know, the citizens didn’t notify any authorities” Sakura practically whined.

Ino gave her a look, a gaze that screamed, “Really? Do you hear yourself?”

“If you wanna find your cats, how are you going to find them without alerting the people who could most likely find them? I know Team 7 also had to countlessly catch that pesky runaway cat in our D-rank missions! Shinobi were literally capturing cats, for practice!”

 

Sai felt a tingle of warmth spread across his chest while displaying the interaction between the two kunoichi, before deciding to take another bite from his pie.

He didn’t hear what Ugly grumbled, but that seemed to have sparked something in Beautiful as she turned her full attention to Ugly before saying, “Oh ok, then, go on, tell me you love me. Your dear best friend, the only friend you’ve ever had, th-

“You’re not my only friend, Pig!”

“Alright then, then look into my eyes and say you love me” Ino teased, staring deeply into the emereld eyes.

“Ew, no”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Aren’t I, like, your soulmate?!”

Sakura chucked at Ino’s ridiculousness

“So you’re telling me if Beautiful wasn’t the Uchiha, you wouldn't be saying anything?”

Sakura, mouth gapped, let out a squawk, only to be overwhelmed by Ino’s hyena laughter.

She patted Sai’s back in approval for his unintentional clap back, before returning to Sakura.

“You backstabber, so you could tell Sasuke-kun this, but not even your soulmate” She grumbled.

Sakura, still frozen, in embarrassment(?), looked blankly at Sai.

“You know, I’d usually hurl something at you for a comment like that,” she gestured to the table beside them (Sai immediately paling, if he could somehow get any paler), “but damn, if it wasn’t that funny” she let out, hands covering her face trying to stuff her laughs, half in shame.

Sai felt his mouth stretch uncomfortably wide, causing him to cover his own face, instinctively, before grunting and repositioning himself back in his chair. Unnoticed by the 2 kunoichi.

 

A few minutes went by and the two were back to their staring contest, as neither looked away nor blinked, both communicating with their eyes. If Sai didn’t know any better, he would have assumed Ino used her clan’s Jutsu on Ugly.

But it didn’t take long before Sakura relented.

“Fine” She sighed

Beautiful smirked, leaning back and crossing her arms, waiting for Ugly to start.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair before fully turning to Ino, occasionally diverting her eyes, feeling flustered.

“I-

“No, no, no, no” Ino stopped her. Sakura felt a vein bulge at her forehand.

“You gotta say…,” Beautiful fawned over herself dramatically, “Ino, my bestest friend in the world. I love you”

“TO HELL WITH THAT” Sakura yelled, much dismayed by Ino’s laughter.

Sai hadn’t noticed a child-like smile planted on his face from how distracted he was with the chaos in front of me. 

All of it was very amusing and entertaining to him. He hadn’t had this much reception from his other comrades.

“Oh, don’t be such a coward, Forehand! Don’t just quit now, especially when you just started… Oh! And to add onto that,” Ino grabbed Sakura’s hand, “Ok, you can start now”

Sakura let out a long-winded sigh, after years of dealing with Ino’s foolishness, before staring back at her. Her dignity vanished. If not, she’d have to deal with more yelling from the blonde, and she didn’t want to start her 10-hour shift with Ino’s screams damaging her ears.

“Ino, my bestest friend in the whole worl-”

Sakura couldn’t finish before cringing.

Sai was going to retort before she put up her hands to stop him.

“Wait, I can do this”

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a deep, DEEP, breath.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic! It’s not like I’m asking you to tell me something horrible!

Sakura didn't say anything, taking her time before opening her eyes and looking back at Ino.

“In the whole world,” she looked like she wanted to blanch, “I love you.”

“...”

“Ew, gross!” Ino gagged, before laughing once again, at Sakura’s irked face at her fake-out.

 

Ino raised her glass in the air and cleared her throat, Sakura following, before advising Sai to do the same, to his confusion

“It’s an indication that someone’s going to prepare a speech. So when we also raise our glasses, it’s like we’re saying ‘We hear you.’”

“Ah”

Ino cleared her throat again, a little more rougher to grab both of their attention. 

“To more amazing adventures!” Ino cheered, clinking her cups with the two.

“And also,” Ino got a bag behind her chair and placed it in front of Sakura, “Happy Early 16th Birthday!”

Sakura blinked, staring back at Beautiful and the gift bag. Her eyes began to soften.

“Ino…you didn’t have to…”

“Yeah, yeah,” she responded, hands dismissing her, “I know you’re gonna be heading off to another mission by the time your actual birthday roles by, so I’d rather do it now than never”

Sakura smiled, bashfully, “Well, thank you”

An abrupt sound made both of them jolt,

Sai had pushed his half-eaten pie and cookies to Sakura’s tray.

“Here” He gestured at them.

Sakura looked at him amusingly, mouth twitching up, “is this supposed to be my present?” 

Sai remembered the book of puns Kakashi-Sensei got him a while back to improve his friendliness.

“Maybe eating something sweet will finally make you sweeter…”

“...”

It was a lame pun to begin with, especially coming out of Sai’s monotone voice, and stoic demeanor but that didn’t stop him from flying out of the room as he heard the familiar sound of knuckles cracking, electrifying the air.

 

Sakura looked to Ino, who was trying to stuff herself with food to hide her laughter.

“That’s gonna be you next if you think about laughing, Pig!”

_____________________________________________________________________

Sai strolled through the hospital after coming back from battle. Yamato-Sensei and Naruto were both stuck to their hospital beds, one suffering a short-term coma, and the other suffering from severe chakra exhaustion.

He was looking through each room trying to find Ugly’s office, remembering how she got promoted to senior medic a while back. Even then, it was taking hours trying to find a door with her plaque initialed. 

Since their squad leader was out of commission for the time being, he planned to go to the Hokage’s tower to give Team 7’s report on their latest test mission.

Though, it was common knowledge between the men that Sakura’s position, as the apprentice to the Hokage, was a bonus, especially if missions didn’t go as planned. 

None of them liked being scolded by the blonde, her anger only reigning in tremors. He still shivered at the thought.

It was obvious to them all, including Sakura, that the Senju had a soft spot for her, so her presence was always stationed, just in case.

 

Sai stopped one of the Shinobi patrolling the hospital.

“Have you seen Dr. Haruno?” 

The Shinobi looked back at him with drowsy eyes.

“The Hokage sent her home to prepare for dispatch today” he responded, before yawning.

What.

“Dispatch?”

“For the war”

Oh.

OH.

“I see, thank you”

Though Sai walked away, he felt…odd.

He knew they would all have to go to war at some point or the other, they had all seen how things were escalating, but he wasn’t expecting it all to happen so soon.

Sai walked out of the hospital trying to remember his way to Ugly’s home.

He would ask her what this weird, gnawing feeling, lodged in his throat, was about. 

After all, they had all had their own separate missions already, where individual expertise was needed far more than a group effort.

So why was it different?

Every day, as Shinobi, they had to put themselves in danger and difficult situations, something they’d all been trained in since a young age. Sai, being trained even younger, due to his ROOT background.

All of them had been trained to kill, injure, and be around the unthinkable. 

Sai sighed. The least he could do was say goodbye. 

It wasn’t an official thing they did but Ugly always mentioned how generosity played a role in it. How, as a team, we should not only check up on each other in battle and in wounds but also mentally.

Sai didn’t get how checking up on his brain would be so necessary for the Team. 

Perhaps, she meant intelligence? Sai pondered.

A well-endowed Shinobi also had to have the mental power to overcome hardships that didn’t require fists or chakra. 

Sai hummed in understanding.

To further show his Team spirit, Sai would bid Ugly goodbye, as a way to check up on her brain! He understood it now!

 

It didn’t take long to reach Ugly’s apartment, her small patio decor adding a bit of flare to her door, very “Sakura” in a way. 

She opened the door after a few rasps.

“Ah Sai, good timing! Can you help me pack my kunai, they’re all on that table” she exclaimed, pointing to her kitchen.

Sai couldn’t even let a word out before Ugly continued back to her routine, and disappeared into her room.

Standing there for a bit, he processed everything around him; the big military bags in the living room, the containers of food near the fridge, and her medical equipment.

“This is all really sudden for me, to be honest” Ugly mentioned after re-entering the room. 

She hadn’t stopped moving since she heard the news, she had to hurry up and leave soon, after all! 

A crease cemented her forehead, the small etch of a frown displayed on her face, even though she was trying to look brave and resilient on paper. 

Sakura didn’t want others to look after her anymore. She was no longer the scared child cowering behind Sasuke and Naruto as they fought enemy after enemy in their Genin missions. 

She had an image to keep, not just to herself, but also as the Hokage’s apprentice, so there was no time for tears!

But that didn’t stop the thoughts from overwhelming her.

How much should she pack?

Too little?

Too much?

Can I bring some keepsakes?

Oh, Kami! What was going to happen to her apartment?

Will she lose the lease? 

The insurance?!

She couldn’t breathe.

A loud thunk startled her out of her thoughts.

Behind her, Sai had plopped her remaining bags onto the kitchen table waiting for her next orders. Looking down, she realized the bag she was already packing was close to exploding from the brim. 

Overpacking, something she was unintentionally doing when panicking.

So, after taking a few things out (celebratory lotions, a few useless items, etc), she turned back to him.

“Thank you for the help, really!”

“I didn’t do much”

“Well…You may be right, but I’m on a tight schedule right now. Speaking of which…” Sakura looked at her watch, dread encasing her face.

Running to her living room, she put on her green vest, padding her legs, and pocketing weapons all around her war suit. 

The heavy green of her suit matched her brighter-green eyes, yet making her pink hair stand out like moths to a flame.

She strapped her bags on her shoulders before carrying the containers of food and attaching a small note to the top of the tower of containers.

Sai followed after her wordlessly, like a lost puppy.

He was not sure what to say or do at the moment.  

 

Sakura placed the containers of food at her neighbor's door (to not let her food go rotten), before heading out through the front door of her apartment complex. Sai still following after her.

He didn’t know how to feel about the whole thing

I mean, what did he ever know about “feelings”

Such a primal yet complex substance that messed with his mentality.

 

War was long, it was always considered long.

Meaning he wouldn’t be seeing Ugly for who knows when.

Will there be a when?

Sai was well aware that she was nervous, after all, it was Ugly who taught him the distinctions.

“...People’s breathing quickens, while their faces harden, that’s a key indicator” she had mentioned to him.

Yet, given how rushed she was, he also knew it was not the right moment to confront her about it. 

Again, it was also something she taught him.

“It’s very rude and repugnant to call out a person’s behavior, especially when they’re not at a point of self-realization!” she scolded him after Sai nearly got punched in the face when telling a livid man, who got robbed by rogue shinobi, to just “calm down already, because he was getting a headache.”

Sai didn’t really understand some of her words at the time, as ROOT never focused on training the children's vocabulary for reasons not related to execution. Words such as “self-realization or repugnant” just went over his head.

But even for his blatant lack of self-awareness, Ugly’s words, not his, he knew it wasn’t a good time to probe the issue.

Still, he felt like he wanted to tell her something. But at the thought, something came to mind

This nervous tingle in his throat kept expanding and expanding as they walked to the entrance of the Hidden Village. 

When would be the next time all 3 of them could meet up for breaks, cooking lessons with Ugly, hours studying techniques at the library, or visiting Beautiful’s flower shop?

He knew he felt… “unhappy” by this matter, it was obvious by his dejected state, and the books he read on emotion (yes, that’s a thing). 

But.

It wasn’t just that…

Although, even to the point where Dickless would outright call him crazy if he mentioned that he’d miss their banter. 

Which was understandable.

His usual, brazen comments and having to dodge fists, usually met with their own remarks just as rash, was the type of relationship both he and Ugly had.

It was amusing to tease her, funny even, something Sai noticed that Beautiful enjoyed as well. 

But Ugly held no ill intent to it, nor would Sai take so kindly to others having the same mannerisms with Ugly.

It’s not the same…

In the little bubble surrounding the three, light jabs and teasing felt so natural and unserious, mainly filled with laughs (by the kunoichi) and smiles (by him).

So seeing someone from his bubble, leave to war, for an undefined amount of time, or maybe never.

No.

Sai shook his head to get rid of the thought, even if he was [unhappy] about this, he would not think of her as weak.

How could he?

She had taught him so much in the short amount of time they had been comrades. He wasn’t a straight-up asshole anymore, her words, and little by little he was starting to understand the vast world around him with her help.

 

He still remembers staying up late as she read him stories when camping out for a mission. 

“So she willingly volunteered for her sister, even though she knew it meant death?” He had wondered at the time.

“Well it was out of desperation, Katniss loved her sister so much that she was willing to sacrifice herself for her sister’s survival”

“But just to ultimately die?” He had been so confused by that.

“Well…I mean, when you love someone so dearly, specifically a family member, you’d do anything to keep the ones you love safe from danger. No one ever wants to see someone they love injured or potentially worse.”

“How do you know…when you have someone that you love?”

“I mean, love is not the same for everybody. Plus, there are different types of love; platonic, romantic, and familial. But I guess they all carry one thing…”

“And what’s that?” He had asked, shifting his sleeping bag to face Ugly. 

“You cherish the person. They're a shining star surrounded by an array of plants and galaxies” She said, pointing up at the stars, before smiling. 

“Sai?”

Splashes of blue and white glittered the sky, hazily, something not even a canvas could reproduce.

“Sai..?”

Yet, he had held up his finger, tracing lines of fake strokes, as if painting the sky.

“SAI!”

 

He jolted, returning back to reality to see that they were already in front of the gates. Many other shinobi gearing up and throwing their luggage at the back of a caravan.

“Why are you crying?”

Wet streaks of liquid ran down his face, almost like paint drizzling down.

Sai touched his face, not being able to recognize it.

“You…”

Sakura waited, clearly seeing that he needed his time.

“You are someone I cherish, and I don’t want to see you go.”

Sakura didn’t say anything, so Sai continued.

“Do you remember that book you read to me a long time ago, about the sister who volunteered for her younger sister’s place?”

That caused Sakura to speak, making the connection.

“You can’t opt out for me Sai, I have strict orders from the Hokage to aid the doctors on the field,” She said sternly. 

He frowned.

“No, that’s not what I mean. I know I can’t change that. But … that day, you told me how to recognize love in a person. Though confusing as it is, I do cherish you, to the point where you putting yourself in harm's way, going to war causes me great stress.”

Sai continued, still puzzled over this sentiment.

“But, I feel like that sister who wants to protect her younger sister from harm. Not in the sense of weakness. But… I don’t know why. We were all trained for this as Shinobi…But it’s also…different”

Sakura’s eyes widen, and after a few seconds go by, a soft smile envelops her face.

“Take your time, you’re getting there”

Sai paused, even more puzzled, but continued anyway.

“It’s like I’m the sister, an-”

“Katniss”

“Yes, Katniss”

“It’s like…,” Sai felt like his head was splitting from all this confusion,” I’m a representation of Katniss…With my behavior towards you, Ugly..like your Primrose?”

Sakura nodded.

“Go on”

Sai didn’t know where else to go from there. All he understood was their connection being vaguely similar to the characters in a fairytale. What else was there to make of this? It didn’t answer his question.

“I’m not sure how this connection explains anything. It was evident in the story that the younger sister didn’t have the necessary resources to survive such a fate, but that doesn’t apply to you”

His last comment made Sakura smile.

“I’ll make it easier for you… Katniss didn’t love her sister because she was physically weaker than her and didn’t have the same survival instincts as her.”

“Why not just tell me instead of prolonging things” Sai retorted, frustration leaking from his tone.

Sakura sighed, she looked back at the other recruits, many still checking in. She still had a few minutes left.

“You won’t fully understand the implications if I just give you the answer.”

A pause.

“Fine”

Sakura nodded her head his way to proceed.

“Katniss didn’t love her sister because she was weaker than her. That's not why she volunteered. So...”

Sai paused again to think

A minute goes by.

Then another.

“So, she loved her sister because they were connected?”

“How so”

“By blood?”

“Close…”

“Because they were family”

“Exactly!”

“But how is that different from being related by bloo-”

Oh

“You’re my family…Both you and Beautiful are like my family”

Sakura grinned.

“Family doesn’t just come in the form of a blood connection, Sai. Sometimes those completely unrelated to us become the most significant people in our lives. Who care for us with the same structure as a family would.”

 

Sai felt his tears this time.

He felt his face scrunch up uncomfortably as his vision blurred from the liquid in his eyes. 

It was painful but…relaxing at the same time.

Although he couldn’t see a thing, he felt Sakura’s strong arms embrace him tightly, patting his back as he sobbed in hers.

He couldn’t think straight as he was going through this episode, just felt Sakura move them to the side to shield them away from everyone else.

Sai hadn’t felt this way for anyone other than Shin, something his mind tried to suppress along with his memories of ROOT and his death.

He didn't ever think he’d have a similar feeling and connection to anyone else. 

Even though his memories of his brother were dim and foggy, he felt it.

He felt the same glow of warmth envelope around him as he had been around him.

 

He couldn’t tell if minutes or hours went by just sobbing, only then did Sakura retract from him. His shoulders felt a lot colder.

“Listen”, she started, clearing her throat at a pause,” I’m… scared. I’m really scared about all of this. And I know I shouldn’t be. I’m a kunoichi for kami’s sake! I guess I’m mainly just overthinking all of this. It’s just that … Tsunade-sama has talked a lot about war in our down-times after training. What she saw, the anger, pain, and frustration she felt, and I guess it’s just making me paranoid.”

Sai, now red-eyed, wanted to soothe her worries.

“No one has the same experiences in war, Ugly. You can’t expect to see the same situations as the Hokage’s time”

“I know that!” She huffed, “I just …feel weird about all of this. And the timing too.”

Sai patted her head in reassurance, as he had seen older brothers do with their younger sisters.

The girls would laugh and lean into their brothers' arms for comfort.

Only Sakura scowled instead.

“We’ll soon see each other again…After all, we’re family, like you mentioned”

“I didn’t say that, you did!”

“You understood the implications first, you were just waiting for me to catch up…”

“That doesn’t even make any sense!”

Sai put his hand to his chin in contemplation, “I feel like I’d be the older brother out of the two of us”

“As if?! I practically take care of you!”

“Not at all, I know how to cook and clean, and take care of myself very well!”

“That’s not what I me-”

A shout from a ruffled-looking shinobi got their attention, indicating to the group their departure.

“Well,” Sakura shifted at her feet, awkwardly,” I guess, I’ll be going now”

Sai nodded and stepped forward to hug Ugly. Though this time they were quick to let go.

He watched her walk off to the caravan, displacing her luggage before aligning with the group of soon-to-be soldiers.

 

“OH!” Sakura yelled from the distance, as a thought raced to her head, “And don’t lie! I’m practically already your older sister after having to deal with your dumbass!”

Sai’s mouth twitched up but didn’t comment.

Only waving his hands, to signal his goodbye.

 

“HEY!”

Sai slowly turned to the loud voice. Rubbing his eyes after staring too long at the distance without blinking, just reminiscing memories.

After the uncomfortableness went away, he noticed the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura stood tall, waving at him from the distant cliff, trying to get his attention. The Uchiha and Dickless both struggled to walk forward after losing their main source of support.

“COMING!” He yelled back, channeling his chakra to jump next to her.

Sakura didn’t say anything as she patted his back and maneuvered him in the direction of the village.

Sai looked up at the starry sky, tracing the colors with his eyes.

It seems like some roots attached to him without knowing.

But there was no time for thought anymore!

It was time to go home. 

Notes:

I hope you found this story to be, at least, decent lol. But in all seriousness, I hope you all enjoyed this one shot! I've been meaning to write for a while, so I thought now would be a good chance.
P.S.: If I ever do go back to this story, it will mainly be just for editing and fixing any grammar mistakes (redundancy, etc). It’s one of my first times writing (ish), so I’m doing this for practice!

Oh also, my headcanon is that since Sakura is a Civilian-Born Kunoichi (not from a clan), I wanted to make a big distinction between the lives of shinobi and civilians in Konoha. Which in hindsight, makes sense since they have different values, priorities, and lifestyles. So my headcanon is that shinobi and civilians are in split living communities. The "Konoha prefecture" is for the civilians (where businesses bloom and economies grow), while clans are centered around their compounds (ex. the Hyuuga compound).
Idk why I have this headcanon, but I'd like to add it.
Lemme know your thoughts! (constructive criticism, no hate lol)