My Step Cousin

Chapter 1: She's a fangirl, right?

He wondered why. Why it was that even on his day off, even when he was guaranteed an entire twenty-four hours without missions, paperwork, police cases, or ANYTHING, even when he's gone through the trouble of completely masking his chakra, AND casting a genjutsu to ensure that he not get held up by hordes of raging fangirls, he wonders why even after all that, that there is inexplicably someone following him.

Someone female, around his brother's age, and someone with a strong sence of determination not often found outside his own clan. And Itachi thinks to himself, that he might as well stop walking away, and avoiding this girl, so that he can just get this over with.
"Yes?" He says in an utterly emotionless tone. And the girl stops not five feet from him, and waits patiently for him to face her.
He does so, and Itachi mentally notes that although dying ones hair is perfectly fine under certain circumstances, pink is just plain foolish.

"Its natural." She says catching him as he stares.
And he immediately turns his gaze to her, surprisingly glowing, although with something akin to anger, emerald eyes.
He inclines his eyebrow a fraction of an inch, and she takes one more step forward.
"Uchiha." She says, and Itachi nearly let's the shock show on his face, nearly. "Yes, but how did y..."
"My father... Step Father taught me how to see through genjutsu. Even the impossible ones formed by Uchiha. So you might as well lose the disguise seemings how I'm obviously not a fangirl. And I'm seeking help in locating someone."
As asked, Itachi drops the genjutsu, and gives the strange pink haired girl, obviously a kunoichi, his full attention.
"Its common courtesy to give ones name." Itachi dead pans. The girl smirks as if she'd heard this before and she inclines her head a fraction of an inch. "My name is not important to you at this second. But, would you by any chance be Uchiha Shisui?"
"I am not. I am Shisui's cousin, Itachi."
"Itachi? My step father spoke highly of you. Said you could be trusted." She eyes him up and down. Calculating. "I have yet to decide that myself though. My name is Sakura. My surname is not important. Now, Uchiha-san. Would you be kind enough to tell me where I might find Shisui? It is of dyer importance." Itachi thinks on this for a moment, before deciding. "I was on my way to Shisui's the very moment Sakura-san. Why don't you just join me?" He isn't sure if this is right. For all he knows, this seemingly sixteen year old girl, is actually an enemy in disguise. After all, she had effortlessly seen through his S-rank genjutsu, and for as much as he knows about this girl. She could be on a mission to kill Shisui, and then turn on him. But then, the way she handled the entire affair makes that highly unlikely. So Itachi decides to just stand by and let the whole thing unfold. From what she's said, as little as that may have been, she has a step father. Whom apparently knew him, and Shisui, and obviously knew how to get around the Sharingan. So he finds it within his best interests, to know what business this kunoichi has with his cousin.

Itachi then takes a moment to evaluate the girl walking beside him, pink hair(natural apparently), green eyes, pale skin, carries a back pack, jeans, red T-shirt that hangs off one shoulder. And Itachi's eyes narrow when he realizes what exactly is wrong with that shoulder. It has a bruise, a large black, blue, and purple bruise. Covering the entire shoulder, and after activating the Sharingan its looks remarkably like someone had full force punched her with a chakra enhanced fist.
He deactivates the Sharingan and stops walking.
"Sakura." She stops walking as well, and turns to face him. Upon realizing the point of his gaze, she scoffs. "That is nothing for you to worry ab..." "Did you're step father do this to you?" It is his first instinct as a Konoha police officer. But nothing prepared him for the sort of reaction this girl gives. "How dare you THINK such a thing! My father was one of the most loving people on this PLANET!" Now that is something Itachi had never heard, from an obviously abused teenage girl. So he inclines his head to the large bruise on her shoulder. "Let me guess. You fell?" Itachi mocks, having heard every story ever made up by abused teens, and wives. "What kind of Kunoichi 'FALLS' and gets a titanic sized bruise on her SHOULDER? Of all places!" Sakura retorts sarcastically. "This bruise was inflicted by the chakra laden punch of my late mother. SHE was the abusive one Itachi-san, not my step father. And he tried everything to make her stop. But in the end, it cost them both there lives."
Itachi wants nothing more than to ask her to elaborate the meaning of this statement. But thankfully she saves him the trouble. By walking over to a park bench and removing her T-shirt. Now clad in her tank top, Itachi can clearly see the horrible job of an obviously self stitched kunai wound on her opposite shoulder. "I figured that if the only shirt I had only covered one shoulder, it might as well cover this one." She comments. "My father had, had enough of my mother abusing me. And when he tried to make her stop. She grabbed my hair, and slashed my shoulder with a kunai. My father immediately retaliated, in the end though, he only survived moments more than she did. My parents killed each other Uchiha-san. And that is why I must find Shisui."
"I fail to see how this involves my cousin. Would you care to elaborate, Sakura?" "No." Itachi is shell shocked by this, no one, let alone a TEENAGED Girl, had ever out right refused him anything. Not including his younger brother by two years, Sasuke. (A/N* NO! He's not spoiled! He's just used to girls her age being Fangirls. That's all) This reaction is so new to him, it begs the most composed responce in the dictionary. "...Pardon?" Sakura simply glares up at him, before putting her T-shirt back on, and adjusting it to cover the stitches on her right shoulder. "I'm not going to tell you, until Shisui knows first. Its only fair he receive such... shocking news before anyone else." She replies. "Very well." Itachi says, then continues walking in the direction of Shisui's small house.

When they reach his door, Sakura can feel nothing but nervous. This is her only chance. She refuses to go back. She'd rather kill herself than go back. Which is what she plans to do if Shisui decides he wants nothing to do with her. Kidding. She can feel her heart race as Shisui stands in his door and listens to Itachi as to the reason he brought her here. Then he asks them both in, and escorts them to his living room before asking them both to take a seat. Itachi sits on the couch and Shisui joins him there, and Sakura can't help but laugh mentally at the fact that they sit in exactly the same pose. It isn't until Shisui clears his throat that Sakura is brought back to her senses. "So, Sakura? Was it?" Shisui asks, and she nods in reply, as she sits in the armchair across from them both. "Alright Sakura, please state what business you have with me." Sakura takes a calming breath, reminding herself that she needs to remain professional through the whole thing. There is no other way to get through this. "I am sixteen years old, for starters." So far, so good. She thinks to herself, as she realizes that her voice isn't shaky in the least. Shisui nods, "Go on."
"Very well. As I stated before. I am sixteen, and therefore, I am not legally able to take care of myself." She then takes out a stack of papers, and sets them on the coffee table in front of the two Uchihas' "Shisui. These are papers to dictate guardian ship over Sakura." Itachi states, looking everywhere for a last name, that this girl SHOULD have put down while filling out the papers. Shisui nods. "I see." He then looks at Sakura. "Explain." She nods back. "Does the name Uchiha Haruno Yumi mean anything to you?" Had the two men sitting in front of her belonged to any other clan, she's sure they would have both choked on there own saliva. However, they are Uchiha, and there for. They just shared the identical expression of being absolutely floored. Well as floored as an Uchiha can look. "As I understand Shisui, Haruno Yumi was your step mother." Itachi says, and Shisui confirms it. "Well, Shisui." Sakura begins again. "I understand, you have been out of communication with your father, my step father, Uchiha Madara. Since he remarried the woman, my mother, Yumi." "I was unaware that Yumi had a daughter." Shisui says. "So was Madara. I'll explain. Yumi had been married once before, to a carpenter named Haruno Tai. My biological father. He died shortly before I was born. And Yumi raised me until I was six. She then decided that she didn't want me, and threw me into the first orphanage she was fortunate enough to come across. I don't know what she did from there, but I do know, that Madara was thrilled at the idea of having a daughter, and somehow convinced her to reclaim guardian ship over me when I was eleven. My step father loved me, trained me, and taught me nearly everything I know. But my mother never wanted me. She was also mentally unstable. Which is increasingly dangerous in a Kunoichi. She claimed that I was stealing her husband from her, and she turned abusive by the time I'd lived with them for a year. She would beat me whenever he was on a mission, or whenever he wasn't in the house. And by time I was fourteen I told my father that it wasn't bullies at school, it was Yumi. And he attempted to persuade her out of it. Although she didn't beat me as often, she did abuse me whenever he would be gone on missions. But no longer while he was in town. A week ago, Yumi attacked me with the intent to kill, while I was cooking dinner for the three of us. When my father tried to save me, Yumi snapped. She lunged at him, and it became a battle. At one point I tried to help my father, but Yumi just threw me out of her way with one chakra laden punch to the shoulder. And I hit my head on a tree. When she saw that I was an open target, bordering on unconsciousness. She tried to strike. My father jumped into the path of her sword, and at the same time, delivered a blow to her heart, killing her immediately." Itachi didn't know what shocked him more at this point. The fact of how this girl's own parents killed each other, or the fact that she is telling them the entire story with a straight face. And without even a hint at tears. As for Sakura, she is nearly at her wits end keeping her composure. She takes a few more breathes, then continues. "A moment later I regained my senses. And caught my father as he fell to the ground. The last thing he said to me was that he loves me, and that if I ever found my brother. To tell him that he loves him too. After that, I passed out. I woke up two days later still hugging the body of my father. I buried him and my mother near the stream behind what was left of our house. I then stitched myself up, and went looking for work. When I reached the city however, and it got out that I was an orphaned minor. The children services came looking for me. I've out run them for a little while, and I put one under a genjutsu to tell me how I could legally get out of foster care before I'm eighteen, and he said that, as Madara was my legal guardian, if I were to find his son, and persuade him to sign for guardian ship over me, then I wouldn't have to return to foster care. And I've been trying to find you ever since. Shisui-san. I know you probably think I'm crazy, and I myself can't think of one reason why you should sign those papers right in front of you. But I do know that my father would have been overjoyed to know that we at least met. And that's enough for me. If you wish me to return to f..." Sakura stops abruptly as she sees Shisui sign the papers. And she has all the grace to look completely confused. "But, how do you know I'm not making it up? Why would you? You don't know one thing about me!" Shisui, and Itachi smirk simultaneously and Shisui slides the papers back over to Sakura, whom now looks even More confused. If that's possible. "The papers cannot be finalized until you fill in your last name Sakura." Shisui says. Sakura quickly grabs the pen he holds out to her, and neatly writes Haruno on the line for her name. Then Shisui takes the papers back. "I honestly didn't expect you would do this for me Shisui-san." Sakura says, slightly dazed.
"Sakura. I will do this on one condition." "Name it." She replies quickly. "Never call me Shisui-san again. I am your older brother, and you will address me as such." He says, before the smallest of smiles touches his lips. Sakura leaps out of her chair and wraps her arms around Shisui's neck in a tight embrace as silent tears fall from her eyes. "Absolutely... Aniki." She says as her voice cracks, and Shisui slowly hugs her back. "Now then. We had better get you to Tsunade-sama to take care of the wounds on your shoulders. Then we should go shopping and get you some new clothes. Itachi, do you think you could take care of the paperwork for me?" "Of course Shisui."

Later that night.

Sakura falls asleep in her new room, on her new bed, almost immediately. And for the first time in years, sleeps peacefully. Shisui silently shuts her bedroom door, then goes back to the couch where Itachi is sitting drinking HIS raspberry tea. "Mother wants to meet her new step neice. And she wishes to invite the two of you to dinner your next night off." Itachi states boredly. "Of course. But I think we should give her time to settle in first." Itachi nods in agreement. And they sit there in silence for the next few moments.
Finally Itachi speaks. "Why? I can't seem to figure out why you would do it. Your father dropped all communication to you after he left. Why take in a girl Sasuke's age, whom wasn't even his?"
"Itachi, do you remeber that time in the woods? When Sasuke nearly lit your ponytail on fire with his dragon flame jutsu?" "Yes." Itachi says, unconsciously reaching up to touch his hair. "After that incident I said I never wanted a little brother." "How is that an explanation to my question Shisui? What is it supposed to mean?"
"Simply this cousin, it means that I have always wanted a little sister."
And with that. Shisui begins to pick up the paperwork spread across his living room.

To be continued.

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET SIXTEEN VAIRA!**