What the New Year Brings

Thank you so much for the kind reviews and for sticking with this story!

Please bear with me. This is the last OC (Original Character) centric chapter. It's necessary, though, in order to wrap up the long ass mission arc I started. After this, I promise to make it completely KakaSaku-centric again, just the way I like it. ^_^

Also, when I was writing the argument between Hiraku and her dad, I was actually thinking about all the things I would want to say to my dad because he doesn't approve of my relationship with my boyfriend either, but unlike Hiraku's dad, mine has chosen to be passive aggressive instead, although that isn't necessarily a better thing. Fortunately, he lives on the other side of the world, so whatever...

Chapter 41-Sometimes What You're Thankful For Isn't the First Thing You Thought It'd Be

It takes us a minute to notice the other people in the room. We had been so caught up in saying hello to our own friends that the other people had literally faded into the background like the many chairs and tables.

Without missing a beat, Garra, ever the leader, follows proper etiquette and introduces each group of people to the other.

In kunoichi class, we had been taught such things, proper manners and refinement, but it's only after listening to Gaara that I remember how something as simple and complicated as introductions are supposed to go:

"Toumoku Soen, this is Hatake Kakashi, the captain of the Konoha ninja escort team. Hatake Kakashi, this is Toumoku Soen, the daimyo of Wind Country."

In Shikamaru terms, if you've got a king and a knight together in a room and you need to introduce them to each other, you say the king's name first and introduce the knight. Then, you flip it, saying the knight's name first and introduce the king.

As such, everyone is meticulously introduced to each other with the royals introduced to each other first and then Team Kakashi introduced to them. When it's Shinri's turn to be introduced...Well, we'll get to that soon enough.

After the very long formalities are over with (I don't think I was introduced to anybody until 20 minutes in), I come to learn this:

The daimyo of Wind Country is named Toumoku Soen. He is a tall, slender man with small eyes so slanted that it looks like he's walking around with his eyes closed, and he sports a jet black goatee that somehow only makes him look more regal.

In contrast, our daimyo of Fire Country, named Shuhan Urusai, looks interestingly enough like a male version of Madam Shijimi with big, plump cheeks, a little, piggy nose, and thick, dark hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of his head.

I guess it's true: That after awhile husbands and wives really do start to look a lot like each other, eating the same kinds of food and using the same brand of shampoo and stuff like that. It makes me wonder if I'll start looking like Kakashi or he'll start looking like me once we're married. Maybe my hair will turn fluffy and rise up on end because who knows what kind of shampoo he uses? Or maybe we'll start dressing like each other, or more accurately, I'll start dressing like him because he seems determined to wear his jounin uniform 24/7. So basically, Kakashi will stay Kakashi (bastard!) and I'll somehow turn into a female version of him. What an interesting pair we'll make then, more than we already do.

Which brings us to last royal present in the room: Hiraku's fiance, Toumoku Shousha, the son of the Wind Country daimyo.

Shousha is in one word "captivating," and by all means he is an absolute perfect match for Hiraku, in the physical sense at least. He is tall, slender, and regal looking like his father, just as Hiraku is lithe and graceful, a stark contrast to her parents. Shousha's eyes, unlike his father's, are almond shaped and a deep, warm shade of brown, the same as Hiraku's, although her eyes are prettily trimmed by thick, long eyelashes that look like a soft, sable paintbrush splayed against her cheeks whenever she looks down or closes her eyes. And lastly, both Shousha and Hiraku have the same raven-colored hair, Shousha's trimmed short and neat around his ears and the back of his neck, but kept long up front so that it falls in a cute, boyish way just above his eyes, while Hiraku's is sleek and long, falling elegantly just past her shoulderblades.

When the two had shaken each others hand for the first time, we all held our breaths, not only because it was their first time meeting each other, but because they had made such a striking pair. There's no other way to say it: They looked like they were made for each other, and whatever offspring they might've produced would undoubtedly have looked as perfect and gorgeous as them.

But for all Shousha's good looks, he still couldn't get Hiraku to look as warmly and lovingly at him the same way she did at Shinri, but now, in the present, the look she reserves for Shinri alone is that of worry.

"And this is..." Gaara looks quizzically at Shinri, as if wondering himself what this stranger is doing in a room full of royalty and ninja elites.

"This is Hanburu Shinri." Hiraku says, literally stepping up so that her body stands protectively in front of Shinri's. "He's my-" she hesitates for a second, as if trying to find the right words. "He's the stableboy back at the castle," she states matter-of-factly as if that explained everything.

Everyone in the room just looks even more confused.

"The stableboy? What is he doing here?" Hiraku's father asks incredulously.

Hiraku's pretty face suddenly turns both flushed and panicked, as if she doesn't know what to say.

"Well, being a stableboy Shinri, uh, works with horses, so he came along because, um, there aren't any horses...We rode camels the rest of the way!"

Kakashi and I pass each other a look. We don't know what the heck Hiraku is doing, but whatever it is, it isn't confessing her love for Shinri. We both turn to look at Hiraku again, screwing our faces up, trying to understand her strained explanation.

"...So the real reason he's here now is because, uh, he has never seen camels before and wants to learn all about them, so I, uh, brought him to this meeting so that I could, uh, introduce him and see if I could, uh, get him a position working here as a stableboy for the camels!" Hiraku smiles enthusiastically as if she's really trying to sell Shinri to the royals of Wind Country, although those of us who had been in the convoy know that she's smiling because she's proud of herself for having pulled that convoluted lie out of her ass!

"What?!" Naruto shouts indignantly. "That's not the reason you-"

"Naruto...Don't." Yamato says, shaking his head.

"What? Why?!"

Kakashi, Shinri, and I merely shake our heads just like Yamato because we all know why: Hiraku has apparently lost her nerve.

As upset as I am as Naruto, and as much as I want nothing more than to go all "Shannaro!" on Hiraku right now, my hands are tied. All of our hands are. Everything had depended on Hiraku making the first move. She is the key domino. The first move has to be hers and no one else's, not even Shinri's, because in this room he has no say, none of us do, not even Kakashi who is well known throughout the ninja world. In this room full of political power players, Hiraku alone carries enough clout to bring about change, but now that she's lost her nerve...

Knowing that all the things I had spoken to Hiraku about had amounted to nothing, I close the small distance between Kakashi and myself and press myself against his side. In turn, Kakashi wraps an arm around my shoulders, kisses the crown of my head, and gently rubs my upper arm comfortingly.

"You did everything you could," he murmurs to me softly.

Meanwhile,

"Of course we'll take him on as a new stableboy! It's not a problem at all!" Shousha smiles reassuringly at Hiraku, already doing everything that he can to please his bride-to-be.

"Good! Well, now that that's settled, I'd like to know what the heck this is about!" Hiraku's father asks furiously, shaking the message we had previously attached to the messenger bird's leg in front of him.

"Oh! That!" Hiraku says, turning red-faced once more. "Well, I only had that sent out because I, uh, didn't want my arrival to be turned into a big deal and-"

Not able to take anymore of Hiraku's lies, I give her one last angry glare then bury my face into Kakashi's chest, turning my face so completely into his jounin flak vest that I intentionally can't see Hiraku anymore.

How stupid could I have been to think that I could make a difference?! To think that I could change the way people think and feel about love, even if it isn't the kind of love that most people would call "conventional."

"And..." I hear Hiraku's voice trail off, like she had lost the momentum of whatever else she had been about to say.

Then, I hear her take a deep breath and let it out in a long, defeated sigh. "Daddy..." I hear her say a little more strongly. "I'm sorry, but I haven't exactly been honest with you, any of you. The real reason I sent that message out is because...I'm afraid I'm going to have to retract my agreement to this arranged marriage."

Shocked by what I just heard, I quickly lift my head up from Kakashi's chest and turn to look at Hiraku.

For whatever reason, she's looking between me and Kakashi and back again with a soft look in her eyes and a small smile on her lips.

"What?! What are you talking about?!" Hiraku's father asks angrily, a thick vein on his temple looking about ready to burst.

"Daddy, Shinri here is not only our stableboy, he's also my...best friend. He always has been ever since I was little. I never told you about it, though, because I know how you are about everyone knowing their place and staying there."

"Damn right," the daimyo mutters.

Hiraku seems to shrink a little, but continues on.

"But as Shinri and I both grew older our relationship...changed. Shinri became more than just a friend to me, he became someone I couldn't imagine living life without."

"So you want to keep the stableboy around so that you can keep your bizarre friendship with him. Fine. You can keep him. I'll just have to hire another stableboy to take his place back at the-"

"Daddy, I don't think you're quite understanding what I'm getting at! When I say I can't imagine living life without Shinri, I mean that I can't imagine living my life with anybody else except him!" Hiraku states firmly, looking determinedly back at her father.

The daimyo looks at his daughter as if seeing her for the first time, as if just now noticing her protective stance between him and Shinri, and how her words of conviction could only come from somebody in-

"NO!" the daimyo's eyes go wide both in realization and rage. "You're about to be married to one of the richest, most powerful bachelors this side of the world and you're in love with this...PEASANT?! Have you gone out of your mind?!" the daimyo shouts so angrily that spittle flies out of his mouth.

Hiraku looks terrified. Heck, I'm terrified. So is Kakashi. It's because the daimyo's reaction is playing out like a sneak preview of what my own father's reaction will be when I tell him that not only am I in love with my former teacher, but I'm engaged to him, too!

Just when it looks like Hiraku is about to fall apart and crumple down into tears, she stands her ground instead.

"I haven't lost my mind, Daddy. I've just made it up. If I'm going to commit the rest of my life to somebody else, I want it to be because I'm in love with that person and marrying him is the next natural step, and not just as a favor or a convenience, even for you, Daddy."

"I don't believe this!" Hiraku's father says, holding his head in his hands. "Are you doing this to get back at me for something?!"

"What? No!" Hiraku cries in disbelief. "Daddy, I'm not doing this to be rebellious, I'm doing this because I've finally found someone to love and love me back, and it's not fair to Shinri, or to me, or even to Shousha-san if I get married just because of some sense of obligation. I just don't want to do something that I'll end up regretting for the rest of my life!"

"Which is exactly the reason why I'm mad at you! Don't you see how a decision like this can ruin your life?! Sure, okay, you're happy now, but what about 5 years from now or 10 years from now when you finally start to experience the consequences of your decision? I'm just trying to protect you from having to deal with that sort of regret later!"

The hardened look on Hiraku's face starts to soften.

"Daddy, thank you for trying to protect me, but whatever path I decide to take in life, there will always be risk of regret. And if what you say does happen, then at least I followed my own heart and intuition. At least I won't regret not having done that. Besides, I think the greatest regret that I have to worry about is letting love go with odds of six billion to one of ever finding love in the first place!" Hiraku smiles wistfully. Then, she steps next to Shinri and presses herself against his side, the same way that I'm pressed up against Kakashi. At that moment, I come to understand.

By reaching out to Kakashi, I reminded Hiraku that she isn't the only one in a relationship that other people might consider "wrong." It reminded her that she has people who are willing to stand behind her if she needs it, and knowing that, she found the courage to do the hardest thing of all: Speak up.

But I'm not the only one who realizes what, or rather who, brought about Hiraku's change of heart.

Hiraku's father looks between Hiraku and Shinri's smiling faces, then to me and Kakashi, and back again.

"This - this is all your fault?!" the daimyo shouts, glaring furiously at Kakashi and me.

Both Kakashi's and my eyes grow wide. It's one thing to watch the daimyo go on a rampage with his daughter. It's another thing to have him go on a rampage with us.

"What kind of nonsense have you two been filling my daughter's head with?! Your job was to bring her safely to her destination. That's it! At what point did you think it was part of your duty to fill my daughter's head with lofty ideals about love?!"

Before Kakashi and I can answer, the daimyo cuts us off by saying, "What you two did was completely out of line! Make no mistake, I'll be speaking with your hokage about this and I won't be satisfied until you're both stripped of your shinobi status!" he says vehemently. "And you!" he says, whipping his head around to glare angrily back at his daughter, "I will not accept this-" he looks disdainfully down at Shinri "...Servant as your boyfriend! Ever! What were you thinking?! Were you even thinking?! I thought you were a smart girl, Hiraku, but apparently you're not if you think it's perfectly okay to listen to a naive, doe-eyed girl and her shameless, cradle-robbing boyfriend!"

"WATCH. YOUR. TONGUE."

We all turn around to look at the source of the sharply spoken words. With her lips pressed firmly together in a tight, thin line and her chin held up high proud and strong, Madam Shijimi glowers intensely back at her husband, paying no heed to all of our shocked stares.

"This is about your daughter, Urusai, and about what she wants. Yes, what Sakura-san and Kakashi-san did may have been out of line, but that gives you no right to speak about them the way you just did! If anything, they have a better understanding about your daughter and what she's going through and what she's feeling than you ever have and probably ever will! Don't you see? This servant-" Madam Shijimi says, gently placing her hand on Shinri's shoulder, "He makes your daughter laugh. He makes your daughter smile. He makes her happy! So you shouldn't be angry at him or at her or even at the people who made them realize how rare and precious the kind of relationship they have is, you should be happy for them! You should be thankful for them! Be thankful that your daughter has enough sense to fall in love with someone who values her. Be thankful that someone as good-hearted as Shinri does value her. And be thankful that there are people out there as compassionate and caring as Sakura-san and Kakashi-san that they went out of their way to make sure your own flesh and blood didn't make a decision about something as life-altering as marriage without having her heart and mind completely open first!" Madam Shijimi fumes.

"Be that as it may, dearest," the daimyo says through gritted teeth, "Our daughter is born into nobility. She can't just go bouncing around town with whoever she pleases. There are certain responsibilities and expectations of her that need to be met or have you forgotten about that, too?" the daimyo asks, narrowing his eyes at his wife.

Madam Shijimi scowls at her husband, then quickly spins around to face the daimyo of Wind Country instead.

"Our two countries have already been united by the kages of our hidden villages," she says in a clear, crisp voice. "The marriage between your son and my daughter was arranged merely to reinforce that bond. By backing down from this marital agreement, has my daughter in any way damaged the friendly relations between Fire and Wind?"

The daimyo of Wind calmly appraises Madam Shijimi and her inquiry.

"That is up to my son to decide," he says coolly.

Shousha and Hiraku meet eyes, Hiraku looking worried, Shousha looking embarrassed.

"Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed," Shousha admits, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and looking up at Hiraku from his bowed down position. "When I first heard that I was arranged to be married, I was furious. Like you, I wanted to marry for love, not obligation, but at the same time I hadn't met the right person on my own so I thought, 'Okay. Fine. I might as well give this arranged marriage a chance. It couldn't hurt the way things have been going.' Then tonight, when I finally saw the girl they had chosen for me, when I saw you..." Shousha turns a brighter shade of red than he already is. "All I'm saying is that I honestly would've liked to have gotten to know you better, maybe even been given the chance to fall in love with you, but...I won't hold it against you if you want to back down. From what I understand, you fell in love with your best friend. How could I possibly compete with that?" he says, giving Hiraku a sweet, crooked smile.

"Thank you, Shousha-san." Hiraku says quietly, smiling back at him in relief, as if a great burden had just been lifted off of her shoulders. "And I'm truly sorry," she adds. From the look in her eyes we can all tell that she genuinely is. "I hope you'll find what you're looking for someday."

"Me, too." Shousha smiles ruefully back at her.

Madam Shijimi turns back around and smiles at her husband.

"See? Problem solved," she says gloatingly.

Urusai looks flabbergasted.

"This doesn't change the fact that I don't want my daughter in a relationship with someone who is less than worthy of her!" the daimyo grounds out.

"Urusai, a person's worth is more than the amount of money he has in his bank account!" Madam Shijimi snaps back.

"Now I know where our daughter gets her deluded ideas from: You! Do you have any idea what an embarrassment this will be to our family, to me, if this gets out? Everyone will be talking about how the daimyo of Fire Country can't even control his own daughter. How can he possibly control an entire country?! No, I will not allow this! As Hiraku's father, I forbid it!"

"And as her mother, I don't!"

"Shijimi, need I remind you that not only am I the head of our family, but the head of our country as well? And if you continue to go against me on this, I will have you locked up for treason!"

"I'd like to see you try to." Madam Shijimi says, taking a step towards her husband, fearless and unwavering. "You may be the daimyo and I may still be your subject, but in marriage, we are equals, and I'm telling you as your equal, I will not let you run our daughter's life! You're always so caught up in what you want and how other people's actions will reflect on you. Everything is always about you! Well, if you haven't noticed, everything isn't all about you! Your daughter has a life of her own and it's her right to live it the way she sees fit. She's a grown woman now and all we can do is give her advice and tell her our concerns if we're not happy about the decisions she makes, but that's it!"

For a long time, Madam Shijimi and Urusai do nothing but glare angrily at each other.

"Fine! Have it your way!" Urusai says angrily, breaking the staring match with his wife to look over her shoulder and at their daughter standing behind her.

"Hiraku!"

"Yes, Daddy?" Hiraku asks nervously.

"Your mother is right. Your life is your own and you can live it any way you want to, so you can rest assured that I will not stand between you and the stableboy, BUT-" he cuts into Hiraku and Shinri's premature cheers, "Expect no support from me financial or otherwise either. If you want to live the rest of your life with a peasant, then live the rest of your life as a peasant, too!" he says coldly, giving his daughter, her boyfriend, his wife, and everyone else in the room one last icy glare respectively before turning around and stomping out of the room.

"Life is hard enough as it is and you two just made it twice as hard on yourselves!" he shouts before slamming the door behind him.

We all turn to look at Hiraku and Shinri. They look absolutely crestfallen.

Madam Shijimi, however, looks angry enough to murder her husband.

"That son-of-a...If he thinks he can get away with disowning his only daughter, then he's got another thing coming to him!"

"Mom...it's alright." Hiraku says quietly. "It's better this way. Even if by some miracle Dad had accepted my relationship with Shinri, I still wouldn't have wanted to take his money or live under the same roof as him anymore. All I ever wanted was to start a new life with Shinri. It may not have happened the way I wanted it to, but I still got what I asked for," she says, giving her mother a broken smile.

"If it'll be of any help," Shousha says tentatively, as if afraid to interrupt, "We'll still take Shinri-san on as a stableboy for the camels, and you're both free to start a new life here in Suna."

Hiraku turns to look at Shinri, then at her mother, and when they both give her a smile of approval, she turns to Shousha and gives him her own smile, the brightest one she can muster in spite of everything she has just been through.

"We'd really love that. Thank you, Shousha-san," she says quietly.

A wave of guilt overwhelms me.

"Hiraku-hime, I'm so sorry! If it hadn't been for me..."

"What, Sakura-chan? If it hadn't been for you I'd be up in my guestroom right now balling my eyes out because I just said goodbye to the only man I ever loved and am about to get married to a man I don't. And it's not like you didn't warn me that this was going to be difficult and messy. You were honest from the start, and still I chose to tell my father anyway. I'm just sorry my dad came down on you and Kakashi-kun like that. At least now I get to live the life I want for myself rather than the one someone else chose for me. So...thank you." Hiraku says, smiling at me.

I feel my face heat up and start to rub the back of my neck. Kakashi's habits are starting to rub off on me. At this rate, I really will be a female version of him once we're married!

"You're welcome, but I think we should really be thanking your mom instead! You were truly amazing, Madam Shijimi!"

Madam Shijimi smiles back at all of us, looking smug and proud of herself.

"Well, you know, no one should ever, EVER mess with Mama Bear," she says simply.

We all laugh in agreement, me snuggling deeper into Kakashi's embrace, and Hiraku into Shinri's.

I never thought I'd be one to say this, but Madam Shijimi is my hero!

To be continued...

~*~*~*~

- Hiraku's name means "To enlighten" in Japanese and Shinri's means "truth."

The dad's name means "noisy leader." In contrast, the Wind Country daimyo's name means "silent leader." Lastly, the fiance's name means "winner," which is ironic because he doesn't get the girl.

- Picture of Wind Country's daimyo:

leafninja.com/locations.php?p=wind

Now, Kishimoto, make my Thanksgiving and let Kakashi LIVE!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! ^_^