Someday You Will be Loved

A/N: Repost. I have been a machine since finals ended. The planned interlude, finishing Home Movies (most of which were already done and languishing on my comp.) and now two chapters here. Because I want it DONE. Now. I don’t want it sitting here on my mind any longer. And I hate not finishing a story.

Things are about to get a little confusing, so beware. Lots to cover in these final chapters. I had to revise my plot a little, as things were getting a little out of hand and I was getting off track. It’s now fully back in my control (damn characters have minds of their own, I swear).

And to those who are upset with my usage of ojii instead of oji for Matsu, I have been told by a friend, who is from Japan, that if her family was traditional enough, he would be called that due to his age and status as head of the family. I know it’s all confusing to most of us who aren’t from that country, but the suffixes and such aren’t cut and dry.

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“Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 5”


“So tonight, so I lied, are you the now or never kind?”

The dining room was beautiful, all decorated in fine crystal and silks, people mingling about the large table as they talked to old friends while finding their place cards. It was a beautiful cage to be trapped in, of that she was sure.

“And let me introduce you to…”

She heard him from behind her, and the smile was immediately plastered onto her face, welcoming anyone he might bring to her. She turned around, bowing low.

“This is my niece, Kazedama Rika.”

“Good evening, Rika-san.”

She glanced at him before lowering her eyes. She felt her blood boil, but she just clenched her fists that much tighter in the fold of her evening gown.

“Jin-sama.”

“It has been some time.”

“Indeed.”

“You will be a lovely bride, I am sure of it.”

“Indeed she will, my friend. You will be a very lucky man,” Matsu interjected.

“She looks just like her mother. Even her name. My, it’s like seeing a ghost!”

The two men laughed with each other, her uncle taking her arm and escorting her to the place beside her aunt at the table. He was all that was gentlemanly to them, pulling out chairs and making sure they were seated and cared for. Her aunt just smiled a little, putting her hand on Sakura’s right arm.

“It will be fine, I promise,” she whispered.

Sakura just nodded.

Thankfully, she wasn’t sitting near her soon-to-be husband. He was near her uncle at the other end of the table, where the men where discussing their business interests. They were with the women, who all seemed to be too afraid to do more than whisper to each other.

Yes, what a pretty little cage she had found for herself.

Dinner went smoothly, with no major problems and very little to upset her. There was talk of fashion and jewelry, even talk of some handsome man who was attending the party, but all was kept to a low volume and out of the range of the male’s ears.

Tonight marked the beginning of a new merger, a merger she was a main part of, which would be announced over dessert. Jin’s shady business dealings would combine with her uncle’s, and she was the offering, the sacrifice.

She had to remind herself she had agreed to it.

She glanced down the long table out of the corner of her eye, seeking Jin. This man had done so much to destroy her life for such petty reasons. And now she would be forced to marry him, to live with him, to capitulate to his every demand or face punishment.

And her uncle was very creative.

Her display of insolence earlier—over a wardrobe change—had resulted in threats on her cousins, children she didn’t know but wouldn’t dare let him harm if she could help it. And what was worse was that he knew it. That didn’t mean she thought the threat to his own children to be an empty one. There was no real way to tell what he was capable of. He was a Kazedama, after all.

There was a tinkling of glass, a spoon against a cup. Everyone went silent.

“I thank you all for being gracious enough to attend this little affair tonight.”

There was a requisite round of thank-you’s and other generic replies, mere accompaniments to her uncle clearing his throat.

“This is a very important night, you see. Tonight marks the beginning of a new era for the Kazedama enterprise. For years we have worked toward a merger of the major powers in this fair city, and it will finally happen.”

The applause echoed around the room, silencing Sakura’s disagreeing thoughts.

“But it is not the only new relationship forged on this eve. For tonight we welcome one of our own, a lamb that had been herded from the flock, who has returned to us. She is welcomed in the seat of her family, into the love of her equals, and she will be the future of us all. My dear niece, so much like her beautiful mother, will be the status of this merger.”

All eyes turned to Sakura, and she stood at her uncle’s command. He walked around the table to her, gently gripping her upper arm and leading her to Jin, who was now standing up near his own chair.

“You see, this merger will be a merger of families, wed to each other and tied forever. With this, we will finally see all of our hopes for our city come true.”

Everyone stood, applauding and congratulating the new couple. Sakura smiled, and thanked each person who came up to her with well-wishes in their mouths and greed in their hearts.

The chaos only lasted a few moments, though, before everyone wandered back to their seats, awaiting the grand finale of the night before retiring to the large receiving area.

“But, I have one other surprise, something I have formulated just for tonight. I hope it will be grand enough that you appreciate it, as it has all been done for your benefit.”

She glanced around.

Her heart began to race, her intuition spiked. She could feel bile rising in her throat, fear seeping into her bones. How could she be so blind? Where was her training when she needed it?

She should have noticed sooner. Now she realized it. Men had slowly been filtering into the room, standing near the sides in tuxedos and the uniforms of the servants. Each was standing silently, almost tense.

“You see, I have learned many things in my years of heading this corporation.”

Her uncle motioned for a servant, who soon had his wife removed from the room. He nodded at Jin, who stepped behind him, arm around Sakura the entire time. Whether it was to keep her safe or prevent her from running, she wasn’t sure.

Those at the table stared at the approaching men in horror, glancing to their host now and then, trying to gauge their chances of escape. But there was no hope, no chance. The noose had been tightened in a way that ensured their demise.

“One of the many lessons I had to learn was how to pick your battles. And how to fight those battles.”

The men in the shadows stepped forward, surrounding the table.

“Many of you have not been honest with me. Many have been scavengers in my life, sucking everything out that you could. Some have merely hung on to my success, using it for your own gain. We Kazedama do not take so kindly to such cowardice.”

The malice in his voice gave her the chills.

“Now, though, there is a new beginning. One with the shining future brought from future generations, new conquest, and golden ambition. One that you have attempted to quash with every breath and every action you have taken against me.”

His smile was dangerous.

“You will do so no longer.”

The screaming had barely begun when Jin whisked her out of the room through a door to the kitchen. Servants and caterers scattered, terrified by the shouting and gurgling coming from the dining room. They knew the Kazedama head well enough, and they knew what had just occurred. No one wanted to be caught in the confusion.

By the time they made it outside she could hear the screams dying off, but the images were finally implanting themselves into her head. How could she sit by while this happened? Granted, she could care less about a room full of criminals, but how could she be silent?

“They deserve it, you know.”

He was so sure, so arrogant. Almost forty people had just died for him, and he could care less.

“Did you think that being installed in your family’s good graces meant the end of your career? I hope you were not that naïve. You were not that naïve before, Ame.”

“I didn’t think he would use a dinner party…our engagement party.”

Her upset was beginning to filter into her words. Her emotions were showing. Jin frowned at her, guiding her to a stone bench near the path to the gardens.

“Always use what one would least expect, hm?”

Jin laughed.

“You always were so cute, so innocent. No matter what I asked you to do, everything was still shining hope and brave sincerity.”

“You’re sick.”

“No, I’m smart. I know how to survive. Something your Haruno ancestors apparently never mastered nor instilled into you.”

“You know nothing about me, not really.”

“Hm?”

“You heard me.”

“I heard a young girl, trapped in illusion. You will have to wake up soon, you know. I am your future. Everything else is the past, not even worth perusal.”

“Do you think, then, that you will survive seventeen years with me in your house? If my career is not over…”

“You will not even think it, if you value the lives of your friends, your little cousins, everyone who ever meant anything to you.”

He turned a little circle in front of her, gauging his surroundings. When he looked at her again, his smile was bitter, filled with loathing.

“How does it feel, Sakura? To know you’ve been merely a pawn in my game rather than ruler of your own?”


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“Hokage-sama, we have counted thirty-six missing shinobi, and none of the ROOT members have reported in days.”

She slammed her hand down on the table, cracking the wood underneath her fingers.

“I want to know where they are. Now.”

The ANBU nodded before zipping out of existence, and she sighed, settling into her chair. The redhead and Shikamaru had been bent over the table in her private office for hours now, one piecing together an attack plan and one explaining each detail of Sakura’s think packet.

Although, now it could just be called the ‘evidence.’ No thinking needed anymore.

All the connections were there, and she had to wonder how Sakura was taking it. It was one thing to realize that Danzou had been pulling the strings on his own for so long, but to find out that he had been using the Sandaime…

She knew that the Sandaime had made some difficult decisions. She knew about the Uchiha massacre, as did Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura now knew as well. But finding out that he had left so much undone, so much to be loosely interpreted by Danzou. And that this was the result…

She held up the newspaper clipping Reno had brought with him. A shining picture of her star pupil and a man almost twice her age, both smiling over glasses of wine. She saw that Sakura’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, didn’t light her face up like they used to.

Still, she had grown so beautifully. Her Sakura had become a beautiful woman in the past few years, and she looked so much like her mother with that dark hair that Tsunade could still hear Haruno Rika on her deathbed, almost begging for them to protect her little girl.

Her dream-child.

She had been a horrible mother to her. She had sent her into such dangerous situations, forcing her to grow up so quickly, even before she truly understood what life was about. Had Sakura ever really loved? Had she experienced that rush of hormones that came with love’s first kiss, with the thrill of the first date, first touch? Or had she only known blood and death, shinobi bloodlust?

Her mother had fallen to the Kazedama disease, the thrill of the fight and need for bloodshed. She wondered if Sakura would as well. Had she done what was necessary, what was right?

Her door was thrown open, and the anger coming from the intruder was palpable.

“It’s done, even though it isn’t like it gets us anywhere now. We might have just made ‘im that much more powerful a symbol.”

“Ibiki, he killed that girl. From a jail cell. Not that I would have let her live, but the fact that he still held that much power made his death a necessity.”

“Well, he’s dead.”

He crossed his arms, staring her down.

“Any news?”

She sighed, swiveling around in her chair to look out the window.

“No. Not yet, at least. Gaara has moved his troops to the border, and Jiraiya said that he doubted they would do anything without some sort of go ahead.”

He nodded.

“Either way, we’re prepared. We know where they’re hiding, what they have, where they have it, and what they know. They’ll be dead soon. The evacuation of the civilians is really just to ensure there are no casualties we don’t need.”

“Hn.”

“Don’t grunt at me, Ibiki.”

“Ma’am.”

She shook her head clear, trying to focus on the reason he was here.

“The body?”

“Destroyed. ROOT can’t get a hold of it, now.”

The office was silent for just a few moments, the only sound filtering in from the chaos outside the office.

“And Danzou?”

“Locked away so tight in ANBU HQ that no one can get to him. He waits on you.”

“I’ll deal with him later. Right now—“

“Tsunade-sama—“

“Can I go a few minutes without an interruption, please!?”

She swung around to face the door, and her jaw almost dropped. Ibiki bowed swiftly before making his way to the door around the newcomer. He glanced in his direction, shook his head, and then disappeared outside the large double doors.

“I assume you’ve heard,” she said dryly.

He just stared at her, his one eye narrowed in anger.

“Seems like everything’s just flying out of this office, these days,” she muttered before moving back to her chair and her desk, covered in paperwork and odd battle plans, “I’ll be damned lucky if anyone around this place ever learns to keep a secret for longer than an hour.”

“I was responsible for her.”

“Would you like to see the wedding announcement? I assure you the picture is quite—“

“I have beaten myself up over this for three years, wondering where I went wrong, why two students decided to turn their backs on everything I taught them. I haven’t allowed myself to even speak her name.”

“Kakashi, it was secret until just a few days ago. Only Gaara knew even enough to keep her from an execution. No one knew anything until all this started happening…”

He threw the newspaper clipping at her, fury crackling around him. She almost felt a need to call for ANBU; she had never seen Kakashi show any true anger. Hell, she hadn’t seen him show anything true, ever.

“You think that’s enough to keep us from having some say about this? You know Naruto and Sasuke will be out of here in a minute to save her, so will Sai. And I’ll be with them.”

“And that’s fine. We already have an operative in the area working to find any chinks in the security around her. But I don’t think you realize what, exactly, she’s done.”

“She’s done what you asked of her. She’s done what you promised her mother she would never do.”

“What was I supposed to do, Kakashi! Was I supposed to sit back and watch as Konoha fell around us, or did I do the right thing in sending in the one person I trusted with the job!”

“You should have told me.”

She sighed, her head dropping almost to her chin. They were getting an audience; Shikamaru and Sakura’s redheaded friend were watching, as were Shizune and Kotetsu. At this rate all of Konoha would know by sundown.

“I am still Hokage. My word is still law.”

He nodded, poofing into smoke and out of her office.

She looked up at the sound, seeing Shizune and Kotetsu standing at the door. Shizune had a look of utter shock on her face, staring at her as if she was unrecognizable. She dropped to the floor, gathering a pile of papers up that she must have dropped at some point, before running off in the other direction, sniffling. Kotetsu pulled the doors to, silently.

“Damnit all!”

Her scream was punctuated with the sound of her nearest sake bottle crashing against the wall and thudding to the floor in pieces.

In another area, deep beneath Konoha, Danzou sat in his cell. His operative had managed to take out Sasami, but he hadn’t heard anything after that. ROOT was already in position he was sure, but whether or not his second-in-command had made it free was something he did not know.

How could the revolution occur without guidance?

“That was when I ruled the world…”

He had no clue of what Tsunade knew, he didn’t know if Sasami had given them anything before her death, didn’t know what Tsunade little bitch operative had found.

He had nothing to go on, nothing to do other than sit in this jail cell and wait for the Hokage to bring her condescending self down here, most likely for his personal execution. That was fine.

He held no fear of death.

He only feared that she would win the game. That Konoha would continue to be this soft, slovenly village formed from her peaceful antics. They were ninja, and she did not seem to understand this. They were tools of war, built for death and carnage.

Locks clicked down the corridor, and he heard someone scream.

This place had never scared him, still didn’t. This was his domain, his place of rest. He had a hand in building this jail, knew every corridor, every cell, every chance of freedom. He built it too well, obviously. He doubted his operatives could get another man in, which meant he would die here.

“Danzou-san?”

“Hai, ANBU-san,” he sighed, turning toward the voice in front of his cell.

The hall was dark, and nothing reflected in the light. The ANBU kept to the shadows, hidden, trying to instill a sense of fear into a man who didn’t know the meaning of the word.

“Hokage-sama has sent word. She will be down in a few hours to speak with you.”

He laughed, a dry cynical noise that startled a rat in the corner into scurrying between the bars.

“Indeed. I’m sure we will be talking, ANBU-san.”

“Just a puppet on a lonely string…”

His soft voice echoed in the darkness.


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A/N: Look underneath the underneath people. Kakashi commands it. He also commands that I find a beta, but it hasn't worked well so far.