Chapter Text
Mirai Hoshigaki was by no means a foolish woman. She was well aware that things are not always what they seem at first glance. Even so, when she first laid eyes on Sakura Haruno, she had to fight back a sneer of distaste at the fragile look of the Leaf Kunoichi. Mirai had made sure to keep an ear to the ground regarding the on-going…situation with the Leaf shinobi and the group her son had joined up with after leaving Kiri. She was well aware the kind of people Kisame was working with. Konoha shinobi may not be the first choice of people she would want watching her son’s back, but they were nothing if not a loyal breed for the most part. And this girl, this thin pink-haired wisp of a child who barely reached Mirai’s waist, was the one paired with her son on almost every mission he was sent out on. Mirai could see the girl had some strength to her, no shinobi would last as long as she had running the missions she did the past several months without a bit of power in their limbs and steel in their spine. But even so…
“Thank you so much for your hospitality. We greatly appreciate you allowing us to stay in your home during negotiations.” Sakura gave a polite bow and looked up at Mirai with earnest, if slightly nervous, green eyes. Mirai shot a brief look to Kisame, standing further off in the small courtyard at the front of the main house with the rest of the group who would be staying in the Hoshigaki Clan home during the negotiations between Kiri, Konoha and the Akatsuki. Presumed dead decades ago or not, Madara Uchiha had once been a Konoha shinobi and the discovery that he had been alive and manipulating the fourth Mizukage from the shadows had not inspired any kind of friendly feelings between the two Hidden villages. A few members of the Akatsuki were attending the talks as a sort of neutral third party, there to provide what knowledge they had about Madara and his plans after he had attempted to corrupt their organization. Not that they would get much respect here. The Akatsuki were working towards a world of peace and Kiri wasn’t known for being anything remotely close to peaceful. Their “Bloody Mist” moniker had not been falsely earned and any change in a historically ruthless society like theirs was not apt to change overnight, no matter who the new management happened to be.
Mirai returned her gaze to the young kunoichi before her.
“Anyone that fights beside my son is welcome here. I understand better than most not wanting to sleep in a foreign place during such…tense situations. This place may not be familiar to you either, but you have my word that so long as I breathe you and yours will be safe in my home.” Sakura’s cheeks flushed a light pink and she beamed at Mirai in thanks. Mirai snorted in reluctant amusement and shooed Sakura off. The young girl gave another small bow and scampered over to Kisame and Mirai watched in fascination as her son turned and immediately gave Sakura his full attention. Even more startling was the loud, full-body laugh that shook her son’s frame after a brief exchange with small girl, his face alight with amusement and eyes sparkling with an excited sort of warmth. Mirai hasn’t seen her son look so carefree since long before he fled Kiri after killing the traitor Fuguki and striking out to find his own truth in the world.
As she watched her son laugh, surrounded by comrades he trusted in his home, Mirai decided that she would have to be sure to take a closer look at Sakura Haruno over the next few weeks. She wanted to see what her son saw, wanted to see what was in this girl that made her son look more at ease than she had seen him since he was a small child when he stood at her side. Small or not, there was something….more to this girl under all that pretty pale skin and candy floss hair, she could feel it.
A feral grin pulled across Mirai’s face and she did nothing to fight it. She couldn’t wait until Manami got back from her latest assignment. Kisame had never brought a girl home before and Mirai was sure her daughter would be giddy at the prospect of helping her unravel the mystery of Sakura Haruno. Yes, the next few weeks were going to be…fun.