Lavender Rain [TIME TRAVEL]

Arc One: A Different Type of Halcyon: The Misty Observation

"Oh, but that's the irony,

broken people

are not fragile."

Oddly enough, the trip to the Mist was relatively easy for Uchiha Shisui, as there were no signs of civilian bandits or missing-nin. 'The calm before the storm' is whispered in warning in Itachi's voice, and Shisui found both the elder Haruno's pleasant company, though he could not decide if it was because one was a retired shinobi and the other still active. But he felt at ease in their company, something he hasn't truly felt since the nine-tails attack that happened five years prior.

Haruno Kizashi was as much as he was described in his profile given to Shisui before the start of the mission. He was a handsome man in a strangely quirky way, with his oddly shaped hair and sharp but kind eyes. Shisui liked his jovialness and playful attitude. He was like a shaded tree, welcoming everyone to take a nap underneath him from the sun.

Haruno Mebuki was a witty woman with a sweetly sharp smile, and Shisui always felt that if he ever got on her bad side, he would suffer thoroughly for it. She was a smart woman, and Shisui enjoyed their light debates, exchanging stories and memories of his auntie Mikoto. 'If Shisui was a braver man, he would have teased his auntie about her genin shenanigans.'

The only one Shisui found any difficulties talking to was the young heiress herself, Haruno Sakura. The young teen couldn't help the furrow of his eyebrows as he thought about the quiet and solemn five year old who had been reading nothing but thick textbooks about the Hokage's throughout their entire journey to the other village. The Uchiha had learned quickly enough that Haruno Sakura was not like the other children her age, but rather a child prodigy if his silent assumptions were correct.

"Ne Haruno-chan, what is it you're reading, huh?" Shisui mused out as he gave the younger girl a bright and brotherly grin. The caravan had stopped to settle in for the night, and now they all sat around a warm fire as dinner was being cooked. The scent of summer was heedy to the senses, as salt clung to his scent ducts.

Haruno Sakura scrunched her nose up (and Shisui had to hold back the urge to poke it) as she looked up from the book she was reading. "I'm reading about the different Hokage's, Uchiha-san."

SHisui's eye twitched at the honorific. 'I'm not like those stuffy elders of my clan!' "You can call me Shisui-nii, Haruno-chan."

Sakura gave a slow blink as her blank jade-green eyes stared at the elder boy for a moment. "Shisui......" she started slowly, before trailing off. "San." she ended, causing Shisui to hang his head.

"I guess we can work on that later." He muttered underneath his breath as he glanced down at the slender girl, who went back to reading her book with an upmost serious expression on her cute face. 'Ah, I really want to poke her cheeks. Is this how Itachi-kun feels around Sasuke-chan all the time?' "Do you have a favorite Hokage, Haruno-chan?"

Sakura gave a low hum as she turned the page and answered. "I do."

Shisui watched her eyes flicker between the words, "Oh and who is your favorite Hokage, Haruno-chan?"

"The Shodaime, Senju Hashirama." Sakura replied with a small smile that was soft on her face. This was the first smile Uchiha Shisui managed to see from her since they started their trip.

"How come he's your favorite, Haruno-chan?" Shisui inquired with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Sakura glanced up again from her book to give Shisui another gentle smile, though this time it was directed at him, and for a brief moment her eyes seemed to fill with life again. Shisui felt his breath catch at how vibrant her eyes shined beneath the campfire's glow. "Because he built a safe haven for us."

Shisu became confused at her response as he tilted his head. "Safe haven for who?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and huffed out a sigh, "For us kids, who else? Senju Hashirama-sama got tired of seeing kids fighting and dying after he lost several of his brothers. So with his friend Uchiha Madara-sama, they built Konohagakure, the first of the Hidden Villages."

Shisui felt his grin slip briefly as his onyx-brown eyes widen with her mature response that most five year olds were not capable of understanding yet. Well, unless they came from Shinobi clans. 'Though he is slowly starting to see that is clearly not the case.' "I see." He softly spoke as he watched her close her book, as Mebuki called for her in the distance to come wash her hands before dinner. "You seem smart and mature for your age, Haruno-chan." Shisui sung out as he tried to lift the suddenly gloomy atmosphere.

Sakura gave a simply shrug of her shoulders, her eyes becoming dim as she tucked her book underneath her armpit. "My kaa-san and tou-san say I'm what you call a prodigy," she muttered with clear reluctance, stating she disagreed with her parents on the matter.

"That's what I was afraid of." Uchiha Shisui muttered underneath his breath as he stared knowingly at the little girl's tiny back as she walked away from him and towards her mother. Shisui knew very well what Konoha did to their prodigies. He'd seen it first hand with his baby cousin Itachi.

And himself.

Shisui pulled himself out of the gloomy memory as he glanced around the decent size compound house of Mebuki's brother, which they would occupy for the next few weeks. It had already been a few days since they settled in, and he finally learned where Haruno Mebuki got her sharp and bloodthirsty attitude from, as they were all introduced to Hamasaki Sadao.

"Oh, Shisui-kun, will you take Sakura-chan to see her uncle's shop? He agreed to watch Sakura for us today while we met with a few of our clients. He should expect the two of you soon." Mebuki smiled as she handed over a map, with the foresight of Uchiha Shisui getting lost within the village. 'As a true ninja, he would not expose the fact that he knew the village's layout somewhat decently due to his undercover missions.'

Shisui gave a slow bemused blink as he took the map and gave the elder lady a thumbs up with a happy grin. "Course I will, Haruno-san." Shisui's eyes twinkled briefly, because he was pretty sure Mebuki knew he had undercover missions here before.

Mebuki gave a happy hum before a dark expression spread across her face as she smiled sharply at the young Uchiha, her Kiri teeth on clear display. "You better take care of my daughter, you understand? One strain of her precious hair out of place, and you'll learn why Uchiha Mikoto became such a scary woman." She threatened, her hand tapping lightly over a pouch he knew contained poisoned senbon.

Shisui suppressed the shiver that wanted to go down his back, but his face still blanched a sickly pallor. "H-Hai." He stuttered out in slight nervous fear. The Uchiha jounin swiftly learned that Haruno Mebuki was more terrifying than Mikoto-oba. Something he had never thought possible.