Orange-phobia 😔
Haruno Sakura has rules.
Rules introduced to her by her parents that she must live by.
She is seen, not heard. She does not complain and she does not ask questions. She does not raise her voice and she does not speak unless spoken to barring introduction. When seated with family Sakura must wait for permission before dining and she always does as she is told, no matter what.
Sakura should not cry. (“It’s unseemly and rude.”)
Her smile should create no crease. (“A withered flower is a useless flower, you will not crinkle.”)
Her anger should be dealt with privately and appropriately. (“A lady who shouts is a Lady left.”).
But Sakura will admit, to the appropriate audience, that she has a terrible tendency to break these rules outside the confounds of her family.
It starts, not when her grandmother dies, but almost a year later when she has her first nearly rebellion. Before leaving, Sakura’s parents informed her that she would be enrolling in school approaching her 7th birthday, and in lieu of them not being present (“We have negotiations in lightening.” they write.) she decided to take the initiative and enroll herself in the Konoha Shinobi Training Academy instead of the likely intended Konoha Civilian Academy.
(after all her parents never specified which, and the enrollment costs are the same.)
She learns that not everyone follows her rules. A purple girl, Ami, shouts freely, and Naomi, the tallest in their class, cries during nearly all her interactions. Shido, a boy older than her, interrupts the teacher at every possible chance and none hesitate to ask questions.
Sakura thinks at first, that maybe none of them are very good at following the rules, but then, the teacher does not punish them. He does little more than sigh in exasperation and continue with the introduction and Sakura is left to wonder.
Do the rules only apply to her?
But no, she knows others who follow the rules. Kenji, a 13-year-old boy who lives in the fishing district isn’t allowed to cry either, she knows so because she heard his father's reminder. Himari, a teenager who works at her favorite bakery has never been heard saying anything more than a greeting, and Mrs Nana from down the street follows her husband's every word.
…But, she also knows that Kenji shouts at his father frequently, that Himari smiles with a scrunched nose, and Mrs Nana never fails to tear up when her husband brings her flowers.
That night Sakura lays in bed, thinking of her first day at school and she fears. Fears that perhaps, maybe, she’s done something to deserve the rules.
(but a small voice whispers that can’t be right).
She does everything right. She’s quiet, she’s polite, she does not cry or sniffle or shout. Sakura sits with perfect posture on every occasion and never fails to brush her hair before bed and let others go before her in line at the store.
Sakura thinks about her classmates, of the messy pigtails on the girl who sat next to her and the boy with sticky hands she grasped on their trip to the bathroom. She thinks of the full-toothed smile their teacher sent them on the way out of class and can't help the way her hands clench around the soft pink blankets. She sees in her mind's eye the boy who cried when he got pushed to the ground and feels her toes curl.
Sakura remembers a girl wearing tan shorts and a navy T instead of a dress and for the first time maybe ever, feels the inkling of rage.
(of envy)
And now that she’s started she can’t stop, the dam is broken and images flood her brain.
She thinks of the tea ceremonies her grandmother had her perfect, of the days spent under her watchful eyes receiving criticism for shaky tired hands and out-of-place hair, of the rice she was told to kneel on when the tea spilled and the wrist whacking when tears inevitably bubbled.
She thinks of hours spent before a mirror with her mother to “perfect” her smile. Of reciting the virtues of a wife while cutting carrots, and the way her gums bled while brushing for the whitest teeth. The scoldings for scraped knees and nights spent hungry after not being allowed dinner for dirt-marked dresses.
(and she tries not to think of the pain the morning after, of being told to set the table and wait, wait for food that will not come because she does not deserve it.)
Scenes play before Sakura's eyes as she lay there, paralyzed, and she remembers, going to her father on her 5th birthday after they’d just gotten home and asking for a hug. Remembers the way he did not laugh and smile the way Kenji's father does when he cuts the fish just right, or scoop her up the way Ami’s mother did after school that day, or even really look happy to see her like her mother did for her grandmother.
No.
She remembers with mourning clarity the way he scowled, pinched brows and sour mouth, and gruffed, “I did not teach you to ask questions or favors.”
And Sakura is no longer fearful.
She is no longer worried.
The anxiety over the implications of her rules has left her and she is Furious .
That night, Sakura decides, under seething rage and hateful tears, that rules don’t count if there's no one there to enforce them.
And she feels free.
But, freedom is, admittedly, easier said than done.
There have been little things, in the past 8 or so months that Sakura has secretly rebelled with. She asks questions in class, she speaks to strangers at the market without prompting and now more than ever smiles with her whole face (though she confesses that one is pretty much only achieved under Shikamaru’s observation.)
Sakura is slowly but surely making her way to following her own rules but she understands that most families don’t have to in the first place.
That still doesn’t make the Nara family’s interactions any less odd though.
Shikamaru who should be quiet shouts and Yoshino-san who should stand in deference interrupts Shikaku-sama and Sakura simply cannot help glancing his way for the permission his wife and son do not seek. (The permission they do not need)
They invite her for food and Sakura is already so on edge with worry for Shikamaru that she cannot help but fall back on old teachings and forget her independence. (And when she bawls and nearly hyperventilates she thinks privately, how grateful she is that she is allowed to do so in her best friend's presence.)
Lunch is tense and the question is unexpected. It comes as their meal is nearly over, and she has calmed herself from her worry of Shikamarus's near (nonexistent) misstep so she answers frankly, “Oh, well at first I thought he was dead.”
(Shikamaru)
Shikamaru is going to die of mortification.
His mother is laughing and his dad has a disgustingly amused expression on his face as Sakura finishes explaining the real reason for her sitting by his that day. (“I thought perhaps he had sleep apnea and was rather worried-”)
Sakura, ever the angel is looking adorably befuddled at their reactions. It's reasonable, seeing as the prospect of their son dying in his sleep via asphyxiation really shouldn't be funny. But she doesn’t need to know that when Uncle Chouza taught him, Ino and Choji about lung training both Ino and Choji passed out trying to see how long they could last and Shikamaru (being the smart one) made a big fuss about how “utterly stupid” they were and how “only idiot’s try something like that without supervision.” (of course, Shikamaru could argue he did have supervision since he is very much aware of his chunin guard.)
Either way, Sakura does not need to know the reason for his parent's humor so he decides to ignore them and distract her, “You know, you really shouldn’t have just sat next to me like that, I could have been a foreign nin pretending to be a kid or something.”
Sakura turns to him with incredulous eyes, “Shikamaru… you let someone watch you sleep for 3 months, what if I had been a foreign nin?”
“Ah, wrong distraction.” he thinks forlornly, and really, she has a great point, he should cut his losses here, but this is the most emotion he’s seen from her since they sat down so he’s going to run with it, “Why would a foreign nin watch a kid for months, they wouldn’t even have been able to study my habits to impersonate me, I was “sleeping”.”
She relents, “Okay fine, but what if I was a pervert who likes watching kids sleep or just waiting for you to get used to my eyes on you so I could follow you home undetected.” which is a very concerning train of thought (should he be worried??) and valid concern but it also reminds him of a question he has about her earlier rant. “You mean the same way you followed me home?”
Sakura flushes and seems to forget about his parents (who are watching the interaction with barely restrained glee) entirely as she raises her voice (not shouts, never shouts), “I’M not a pervert!” and in a proud tone states “And I didn’t follow you home, I followed some other Nara to the compound and sniffed you out.”
“Wait really?” he takes a glance back at his parents in concern. Sakura, no matter how skilled she is, is still 7, she shouldn’t be able to track and find his home (maybe, Sakura is kind of a genius) which means people are slacking. “Wait how did you “sniff me out” if I wasn’t using any chakra?”
“Oh well at first I just tried to sniff you like usual but that didn’t work so I just wanted reeeally hard to find you with my chakra and now I can kinda taste where you are.”
Which… WHAT?! That's not how chakra works??? Like at all? Is she a natural sensor? Did it just take wanting to find him to unlock it? Why does she keep breaking the rules of chakra?!
“ Wait did she say taste???”
“What do you mean you could taste where I am? Are you tasting chakra right now? Because if you are you have to teach me.” he grabs her hand for emphasis because Shikamarus been wanting to be able to taste chakra since he was like 4 and he is not letting this opportunity pass him by, “I taught you how to sniff now you gotta teach me how to taste, it's only fair.”
Sakura looks highly amused and slightly smug and at any other time he’d be admiring that never-before-seen smile (smirk really, he’s never seen her smirk before) but right now he’s on the precipice of knowing how chakra tastes (TASTES!!) and he cannot have distractions, “Yup, you taste like…”
She drifts off, closing her eyes and scrunching up her nose and mouth in thought (it’s incredibly endearing and Shikaku is having an actual conniption from where he observes, forgotten) “-like brown?”
“What???” He tastes like brown??
She nods, face thoughtful and eyes closed, “Ya, a red-brown. Like a really dark Mahogany.”
“I taste like Mahogany” he deadpans.
Her eyes open (-he wonders if she tastes like emeralds-) taking a glance down at the hand he’s still holding hers in she smiles, all excited, “Yup, it's very cozy, like a warm dark Mahogany with flecks of gold, kinda savory.” it still makes absolutely no sense but at least he doesn't taste like mud or something, “warm savory Mahogany huh?”
He’s about to ask if she can “taste” anything else when his mom cuts in, “Sakura are you perhaps a senor?” she asks politely but Shikamaru knows that if it was any other circumstance she would be jumping for joy. His mother is a natural sensor and no doubt excited for the connection teaching Sakura would bring.
Sakura’s head swings around to stare at his parents, she had evidently forgotten about them and Shikamaru takes a moment to mentally curse his mother, she’d just gotten comfortable too.
He watches in disturbed interest as Sakura's back straightens under his parent's watch to a painfully perfect posture and her expression once proud and excited, relaxes into the smooth calm smile she wore the night they first spoke.
She looks like a doll.
“I don’t think so Yoshino-san, but I'm not entirely sure what sensing is, I read a little about it once in a mushroom book but I was barely through the chapter when the librarian took the book, I think it was meant to be in the genin section.”
His mother skillfully pretends to not notice the change in demeanor but her face sours a bit at mention of the book, “Do you mean the Mushroom shaped book written by Toadstool labeled “Gross Fungus and Where to Find them Plus Chakra Tricks”?”
Sakura nods, some personality reentering her face as her eyes glint in interest at the odd book description, “Well, the librarian was right, that's definitely not supposed to be in the student section, she was likely taking it to the small chunin library behind the genin section. The book is no good for sensing anyway, it's better for concealing and moulding but we can talk about that later, alright?”
Sakura nods again and Shikamaru can't help sharing an amused glance with his dad over the one-sided conversation. His mother is a force of nature, truly.
“Great! But back to sensors, there are 3 types, natural born, whose skill and nature vary. Learned sensing which is strictly chakra radar and tracking based. And lastly summons sensing, which is a skill gained from signing a contract with a summons that has the ability and inheriting it from them but I doubt you have that one.”
His friend nods once again, looking enraptured with the lesson, “From your description of Shika’s chakra I’m going to guess you are some sort of natural sensor, like me!”
“Ah, but I've never sensed anyone else before, and even now I can only sense Shikamaru.” Sakura cuts in, looking doubtful.
His mother, however, is quick to reassure, “Oh that's all right, there are dozens of different types of sensors.” she smiles, “I once knew a ninja who could see chakra as auras, he said I was orange which was incredibly rude, It's my least favorite color, and my mom, while not a ninja, could very slightly hear the differences in peoples chakra, her sensing wasn’t very strong though because her pool was so small. I personally have a rather common form of sensing in which I have a sort of bubble around me and I can sense anyone who isn’t suppressing their chakra in that bubble. They show up as little markers in my brain.”
Any reservation Sakura held toward his mother seems to seep from her form as she lights up at his mom’s description. (it's brilliant to watch her learn) Sakura leans forward, hand still held in his, to ask, “Can you taste them to?”
“No!” his mother laughs, “But if I know a person real well I can hear them! Shikaku sounds like bamboo windchimes!” and with that, the family of 3 has the pleasure of watching Sakura smile in wonder, “Are you tasting chakra Sakura? I remember you said you were trying to smell Shikamaru to find him is that part of it?”
Sakura has the decency to look slightly embarrassed as she admits, “Um no, Shikamaru taught me how to smell chakra. But when I tried that in the forest it didn’t work because he wasn't using any so I tried feeling the smell of his chakra with my chakra? If that makes sense?”
Shikamaru very carefully avoids the unimpressed stare his father is giving him from across the table, he knows he shouldn't be giving out clan secrets but it’s Sakura he doesn't think Anyone can say no to Sakura when she uses baby seal eyes. (not that she used them at the moment but Dad doesn't need to know that)
His mother nods with an understanding that only another natural sensor could have, “Not really-” Never mind I guess, she’s as clueless as the rest of us, “ -but you said you focused on his smell and you can’t “taste” anyone else?”
“That's right.”
His mom “hmm’s” in thought and tips her head a bit to stare at the pink-haired girl, “I wonder if you need to know their chakra signature for it to work or if you specifically need to know what their chakra smells like, want to try?”
And if her smile was pretty before it’s a marvel now as she eagerly nods, “Yes please!”
But before anything can go much further his dad cuts in, “Hold on, as eager as I am to see this experiment, why don’t we clean up lunch and take it to the living room, alright?” Shikamaru sees Sakura’s back straighten and clearly so does his dad because as soon as he’s standing he’s leaning to gather their bowls and tossing Sakura a conspiratory wink, “This old man's back can’t handle these chairs for too long, I much prefer the couch.” and leaving to wash the dishes.
“Man, his parents are the best.”
7 minutes and a bowl of fruit for “dessert” later finds Shikamaru and Sakura sitting on a two-seater couch across from his parents. His dad stayed true to his word and seated himself on a plush armchair but his mom has pulled up a stool to be a bit closer to Sakura for their little “experiment”.
Sakura is yet again perched all doll-like with her ankles crossed and hands in her lap and Shikamaru is really starting to wonder about that. She never seemed to be overly conscious of her manners before but maybe her parents are the strict type? Is she just like this around every adult and he’s never noticed because they don’t really hang out around other people? Or is it because she’s a guest in their home trying to make a good impression?
Shikamarus not really sure but he makes a point to slouch as much as possible into the back cushions, leaning on her to try and coax the girl into a snuggle. Sakura doesn’t lean back but she does relax a little and unfold her hands to loop their arms (bringing a barely repressed smirk to his mother's face and causing his father to make a small wheezing sound).
With anyone else, he’d be a little embarrassed, or at least reluctant, to show such physical affection in front of his parents. But, well… Sakura’s Sakura, she’s sort of his favorite person and he’s been craving quality time with her all week. Right now he’s practically a puddle of contentment. Warm soup in his stomach, a bowl of fresh mango on his lap, Sakura basically hugging him, and soft music playing from his dads record player. It’s more peaceful than he’s been since Choji unintentionally slapped some emotional clarity on him on Tuesday.
“So!” His mom claps, “Let’s get started!”
“I’m going to hold your hand, and let my chakra flow into you without allowing any outside my body so there’s no chance of you smelling it. This way we can see if you need to come in contact with chakra to “taste” it, or if you actually need to smell it.” His mother scoots her chair forward a little and Sakura holds out the hand not merged with his arm for his mom to cradle it gently.
His mom is muted when she speaks next, “I know you’ve probably done this with Shikamaru already to learn to smell chakra but just a forewarning I’m going to insert my chakra now, it’ll probably be a little warm.”
The room is quiet as Sakura closes her eyes and soothes her breathing, she seems to be concentrating intently on his mother's actions. They’re still for a moment as his mom draws her chakra in and out, and soon she’s letting go, and Sakura’s sighing in disappointment.
“No, I didn’t taste anything, it must only work when someone’s expelling chakra.”
But his mom is not discouraged in the slightest, “Okay great! Then now I’ll just let out a little chakra and we can see if that works or if there’s a different activation requirement. Who knows, maybe you need to be super familiar with a person's chakra for it to work, like how I hear Shikamaru and Shikaku but not you because I spend pretty much every day with them.
And then all at once the room is filled with his mother's citrus scent and Sakura is pulling a face, nearly sticking out her tongue and telling his mom to, “Stop please it’s sour! Like an unripe orange, ugh.” and bringing a hand to cover her mouth in disgust.
Shikamaru tries to contain his laugh at the offense on his mother's face, she no doubt thought her charka would taste as sweet as it smells and is disappointed in Sakura's reaction. But at his mother's squawk of, “Oranges?! Again???!” he loses control and falls into a blushing Sakura giggling as he listens to her try and make his mom feel better, “It’s not that bad! Really! I was just surprised!”
His mom is sitting slouched in her chair grumbling about, “stupid sensors” and Shikamaru can see from his place sprawled over Sakura’s lap that his dad has a long-suffering expression, even as he rubs her back in comfort. See, his mom is in an ongoing war with the sensing community, the troublesome woman hates oranges with a burning passion and yet every natural-born sensor she’s ever met has said she feels, distinctly, like an orange.
The man his mother mentioned before said his mother's “aura” was the exact shade of a clementine, Grandma adamantly argues that her daughter somehow sounds like a blooming mandarin. The Hokage’s wife, a woman with a famously odd natural affinity to “sense the way a person feels” said his mother “feels” like an orange grove. An enemy nin from a few years ago who could literally feel the texture of a person's Chakra likened his mom's mud wall to that of an orange rind, and every Nara in the main house can attest to her citrus smell.
And that's not where it ends.
His mother once had her fortune told while touring the capital and the card pulled was that of tangerine blossom. Mom's Identification number from when she graduated the academy is 15-18-1-14-7-5, which if lined up with the common spoken alphabet, spells Orange. And last but not least, his mother’s summons, which she reverse summoned herself into to find her perfect match, is a Capybara, whose favorite accessory is an orange to sit on its head.
So ya, the fruit haunts her and Shikamaru has absolutely no doubt in his mind that she was secretly hoping and coaxing Sakura into this experiment to prove once and for all that everyone is lying to her about her natural affinity with the seasonal citrus in some giant conspiracy to force her into a positive relationship with it.
“Mom-” he cuts off, giggling some more, “Mom, I think -haha!- I think it’s time to face it, Oranges are your spirit fruit!”
His mother is entirely unimpressed with his declaration if her face is anything to go by but instead of denying it or arguing she just sighs, defeated, and shrugs, “Well at least I don’t taste like a piece of warm wood.”
“Ummm, that's a savory piece of Mahogany to you ma’am.”
“Mmhm, okay.” she rolls her eyes at him and refocuses on Sakura, who is looking a mixture of pleased at Shikamaru’s mirth and hesitant towards his mom. “I’m sorry about that Sakura, see me and Oranges have a bad history amd unfortunately they seem to be intent on following me.”
“Ahh, I see” She nods in sympathy, she definitely doesn’t but it's kind of her to pretend anyway, “Sometimes butterflies and small animals follow me around and try and eat my hair, it can be pretty annoying.”
…
It’s silent, as the trio turns to stare at her, Shikamaru with something like understanding in his eyes “So she really IS a fairy” , Yoshino in mystified silence because she had not known what to expect when the girl gave her sympathies but it definitely wasn’t That , and finally, Shikaku in adoration because the small pink girl in front of his is just getting cuter and cuter and frankly, he’s surprised he doesn't have cavities already.
The stares, understandably, discomfort Sakura and she glaces at each of them awkwardly before adding “...and birds.”
And then his dad's chakra explodes.