Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions.~

"Sakura any ideas about what to do with this?"

"What happened?"

Sakura picked up the papers in Tsunade's hands as she proceeded to read them.

"...are you sure this is true? Tsunade-sensei?"

"Yes. Which is why it is so worrying."

"Hmm….How many businesses have been affected by it?"

"Nearly thirteen percent of all the business in the Fire nation, and the percentages are only climbing higher day by day, since everyone is starting to catch on."

"Hmmm….have the hokage and the village elders spoken on the matter?"

"Yep, they decided to release information about how to counter genjutsu so that people are better informed about the risks of genjutsu while they sign contracts."

"Hmm…then what's the problem?"

"The question is about how to stop people from doing such a thing in the future when actually good genjutsu users are employed by people to help sign fraud contracts."

"...Megumi had the concept of a lawyer in his notes, but we don't have a law department yet, so why don't we send the copy of the contract to the village for it to be verified by comparing it with the standard of what each party claims it to be?"

"But that would take too much effort on everyone's part and too much man power, and not everyone would be keen on their contracts getting looked over."

"Yes that is right, so you don't need to make the process mandatory, but just arrange it so that either side can at anytime during the signing of the contract without informing the other party get the village involved in watching the proceedings for signs of any fraud. This way the threat of getting caught is always there, so anyone who gets caught has to pay a heavy fine, which would probably deter them in the short term until the village becomes corrupt."

"How can you say that Sakura!?"

Sakura deadpanned and then pointed at the poster of a one eyed man stuck to the wall with several shuriken stuck on his face.

Tsunade looked at the poster and then sighed and quietly looked back at Sakura.

"So? What about in the long term?"

"Hmm… make them use genjutsu like the ones in our books to have them each record the statements of the contract in genjutsu form instead of just written form. They can then use this as an immutable proof later down the line as long as the seal is not damaged or tampered with. It'll boost our business further since currently we're still the only ones who can make such a thing, but the village will probably want to know our technology soon since they'd want to remove their dependency on us for such a thing I guess….a lot of book publishing companies have started to hire rouge ninjas to infiltrate our ranks, but they have been unsuccessful in stealing anything practical and useful till now because of Megumi's cryptography techniques."

"So?"

"Just sell the basics book that I wrote on the circuits by reading what Megumi made and explained in his notes. The basics should be enough to keep them entertained for another few years. I've delved deep enough into it based on Megumi's explanations to have advanced quite far ahead than what they'd be able to figure out in their entire lives."

"Narcissistic much?" Tsunade snarked.

"No not really… I used to think the same thing when Megumi first used to tell me that, but its true his land was just far more ahead in terms of all this. We are like cave people in comparison. Can you imagine the food you eat on a daily basis coming from the Land of lightning? It is crazy the things he's written in his notes…."

*Sigh*

"You're beginning to speak as if we're lesser Sakura! Again!"

"No. That's the first thing Megumi warned me about as well, he doesn't let me read the notes if I don't tell that I'll only be using the knowledge in them to spread them out in some form as long as it is safe to do so, but sometimes it is just hard to ignore the comparison. His world was probably backward in a lot of other things relating to chakra, but here in economics it is far ahead of us."

"Sakura….you're at it again…"

"...? What?"

"How long was it this time?"

Sakura's eyes widened a bit as she just looked away and didn't say much.

She quickly got up and left as she spoke softly, "I'm going out for a walk, let me know about whatever happens later."

"You can't keep dodging the issue Sakura! You're not well! You should move on! I've lost people close to me too! But that doesn't mean that I'm stuck behind in the past all the time! Didn't Megumi always say, 'As long as you keep your eyes stuck to the past you'll miss your present and come to regret your future?'"

Sakura turned around with anger and pain in her eyes as she seethed, "None of you remember him like how I do alright! So just leave me alone! I'll work it out in my own time! On my own!"

Sakura then proceeded to look at a random corner of then room and then averted her eyes from there after which she just walked out of the house, storming away in fury.

As Sakura was walking around in the forests she came to the spot that Mebuki had introduced Megumi to all those years ago, the lake where she had first taken him when he was feeling tensed about the Kyuubi attack on the village.

Staring at the water in the lake Sakura kicked a stone into it to somehow vent out her frustrations causing ripples to form on the surface of the lake similarly causing upheavals in her mind as well.

She closed her eyes as she moved to her rudimentary mindpalace where she found herself in front of a majestic Sakura tree.

Looking at it calmed her down a little so she returned back to the real world where she spotted a pair of curious black eyes staring at her, right in front of her face.

"That was wrong to do you know?"

"...but I can't live without you Megumi!"

Megumi just moved around and soundlessly sat right beside Sakura. The grass did not bend under his feet and neither did his shadows darken anything around him.

"What do you think I will feel when you meet me in pure land again? Do you think I'll like it if you become such a broken mess just because I wasn't with you?"

"You don't get it Megumi! How am I supposed to simply forget your promise to me! You said you'd be there when I finished building the damn tree in my head!"

"...Sakura, sometimes, things just don't work out as you expect them to!"

"So what? I want you here! Do you know how hard I worked to do things so that everything progressed the right way!? Do you know how many people I had to help out with so many different things so that other people could laugh and smile like you wanted them to!?"

"...But you aren't one of them right now aren't you Rura?"

"Exactly my point! And don't you dare use that name for me you filthy bastard!"

Sakura punched right at the flawless face of Megumi, through whom her hands passed through as Megumi vanished into thin air as if he was a clone.

Lying flat on the ground Sakura thought about all the things that had gone wrong for her during the last few years.

Everything had begun great as she used Megumi's notes as guidelines to help out whoever in her family asked her questions about problems that they couldn't solve themselves.

Be it the business her parents were managing or Tsunade who brought to her the problems that the Hokage and the rest of his council usually had no solutions to.

Everything was perfect, at least it seemed perfect to Sakura with everyone laughing and enjoying spending their time with the people they loved and enjoyed to stay with.

It was perfect for Sakura too as she spent most of her time with Mebuki, Kizashi, Tsunade and Shizune. But as everyone got busier and busier she got more and more left out and alone.

To keep her mind off of things she spent her time improving her skills to the highest possible degree she could. She had managed to create prototypes of the prosthetics that would help disabled people with all that focus, which she was praised a lot for by Tsunade who had taken them for testing.

Finding herself wasting time in having to refer so many things, Sakura decided to use Megumi's method to improve her memory by memorizing the details of everything around her and built the Sakura tree she would be proud off.

The problems had begun then just like the tree that had taken root inside her head. No one realized it then but because of her memory improving Sakura had begun to recall the bits of conversations she and Megumi had often from time to time.

In the beginning it was just Sakura often laughing as she remembered the jokes Megumi used to make, but slowly day by day the line between what was real and imagination had become blurry for her.

She just couldn't leave behind the allure that the imaginary Megumi presented her.

After all, who could when you could make your imaginary friend say whatever you wanted them to say to you.

As the tree in Sakura's mind finished building itself, Megumi finished presenting himself in Sakura's real life as she started to hallucinate him as he moved about everywhere, talking to her and keeping a conversation just like they use to earlier inside their heads so that no one else could hear.

To her it felt absolutely real.

It felt to her like their cases had switched and she was now the one in control of the body while Megumi was the one stuck inside it.

Her close ones had started spotting the problem when Sakura would often start to talk to walls and random objects in the house but when asked to explain she'd just say she was talking to Megumi confusing them.

It was only when one day Tsunade accidentally drugged her with alcohol did Sakura spill the beans about having hallucinations about Megumi.

Of course it caused a rift in her relationship with them when they tried to help her out, but she quickly pretended like nothing had happened since she felt that if she didn't help people progress then that would mean she was becoming bad and Megumi wouldn't like that.

Slowly day by day, without anyone ever realizing it, she had become a slave to her own mind.

Drops of water fell down from the sky and onto Sakura's teary face from the darkened sky filled with dark clouds.

"I can't keep doing this anymore Megumi…"

"If only I hadn't asked you to get a new body…."

"It all happened because of me…"

"I deserve to be dead…."

"As long as I'm not alive, I don't need to keep doing this right?"

"As long as I'm not alive don't need to be the one who has to sacrifice herself for the sake of happiness of other people do I?"

"I don't need to be alive right? After all how does it matter that I do anything? I'm sure Tsunade-sensei and Mum and Dad will make sure to read your notes and do everything in the same way I did."

"Yes, I don't need to be alive. After all there is no use to me being alive anymore. I'm useless."

*THUNDER* *THUNDER*

Under the flashes of lightning strikes, Sakura picked up a jagged rock by stretching out her arms as she brought it closer to her neck and placed it on her artery, ready to slice it off.

*THUNDER* *THUNDER*

"What are you doing Rura?" A pained voice sounded from above her.

Sakura turned around to see Megumi standing in front of her with multiple scars on his face but looking otherwise exactly the same as he had just did, wearing a kimono but with the addition of his left arm covered in full length gloves.

"Ha! Now you've changed how you look just to show me how much more I had hurt you? And didn't I just tell you not to call me by that stupid name!? You don't deserve to call me such a thing! You're just a figment of my imagination. So get lost and let me end my life in peace at least."

"I'm just a figment of your imagination? But I'm real?" The scar faced Megumi asked with slight confusion.

"Yeah! Keep telling me that....Like I'll fall for that same old lie you tell me to keep trying to get me to fall in love with you! I won't! I love the real Megumi not you! You are and will always be a replacement! I HATE YOU!"

*THUNDER* *THUNDER*

"...." Slightly widening his eyes, Megumi remained in stunned silence for a few seconds before he decided to softly sit down beside her.

"What is this all about Rura? I've been gone for such little time and you've made a mess of yourself? Hadn't I already told you to take care of yourself?"

"Shut it you bastard! You've ruined my life! I wish you were never here in the fist place! Get lost to what ever place you keep appearing from!"

Sakura pushed the jagged piece of rock right into her neck drawing a bit of blood as Megumi caught her hand and stopped it in place.

"STOP HOLDING MY HAND RIGHT NOW! I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ARE DOING THIS BUT STOP IT RIGHT NOW! OR I'LL BLOOW THE ENTIRE VILLAGE APART!"

Leaning over the struggling Sakura Megumi rested his face softly on hers keeping the rain away from her eyes and face, patiently watching as tears streamed down from them.

Crying her heart out for a while and feeling spent out and tired, Sakura opened her eyes after a while only to stare into the oynx black eyes that Megumi had held closely in front of her.

Sakura's eyes widened a bit as she felt the warm breath Megumi produced when he exhaled, but then hardened them again as she rationalized that her problems had just gotten even worse somehow.

She tried to raise her head and headbutt Megumi to get him off of her but she couldn't push past a certain point after getting closer to him which only brought their eyes closer to each others.

Sakura could spot every little detail that Megumi's eyes held as his irises expanded and contracted adjusting to the various flashes of light from the large thunder storm that was brewing up above them.

Megumi then got up as he held Sakura's hands and pulled her up.

Unable pulling her hands out of Megumi's even after trying and resisting, as he had tightly interlocked their fingers as she felt something keeping them stuck together, which caused her to become afraid of what was happening. Megumi first pulled Sakura in to the village that was now mostly empty because of the heavy downpour which had pushed everyone to seek some shelter in nearby stores or just their houses. 

As then as they kept moving deeper and deeper they soon reached a dark alleyway where they spotted a single disabled person who had no limbs and was crawling on the ground trying to eat the food that was donated to him by someone but was now wet and drenched with the water pouring from above.

Megumi pulled Sakura closer to the man who had now looked up after noticing them stepping closer to him at the end of the alley.

Without a care in the world Megumi just splashed water from the floor all over the disabled man dirtying his already miserable food even further.

"Hey!! What are you doing!? Why are you doing that to him!?"

Sakura asked in a panic as she couldn't do anything to stop what was happening.

Megumi just leaned down beside the man in front of them both as the man looked up at the two of them in fear, especially Megumi since the scars on his face shown in a terrifying way under the flashes of light from the now frequent lightning strikes above.

Megumi stretched his free arm out and gripped the disabled man by his neck.

"Look Sakura, he's a useless man."

"He has absolutely no use to society, filthy and eats like an animal. Even animals have some use, but this man here is much worse. Shouldn't he just die? After all the food that was given to him could've just been used by someone else who is more useful, perhaps even an animal."

*GLUCK**GLUCK**GLUCK*

Megumi began to force his grip onto the man's neck as it crushed under pressure, chocking him terribly slowly, as the man begged for air by repeatedly taping his chin on Megumi's hands.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was watching. Her eyes shook as a sort of rage took over her and forgetting that the person in front of her was just an illusion, she activated her hundred seals jutsus as she swung her fist with all her might right towards Megumi's face.

The punch stopped an inch away from his face as Sakura found herself shocked at what was happening but Megumi calmly asked.

"Why are you stopping me Sakura? Isn't this person just useless? Isn't it better for a person that is useless to just die?"

"STOP IT YOU FILTHY MONSTER! WHO EVER YOU ARE STOP MESSEING AROUND BY PRETENDING TO BE MEGUMI!!! I'LL MAKE SURE TO KILL YOU A HUNDRED TIMES BEFORE YOU EVEN WALK ABOUT OF THIS ALLEY WAY!"

"Why? After all isn't he just a useless piece of meat? A trash bag that cannot even be used? Something that is just going to produce even more trash? Something useless!?"

"I DON'T CARE!!! JUST STOP IT!!!"

*sigh*

"Then why did you decided doing it to yourself was such a great idea? Huh? Rura?"

Megumi pulled Sakura closer as he held Sakura in his arms tighter as she felt his entire body tremble with the feeling of weakness, as the man behind him just vanished into thin air along with the food.

For a second Sakura couldn't believe what had just happened and after a minute she still couldn't believe what was happening as she found herself in the arms of someone awfully familiar and real but her brain was refusing to believe any of it was real.

Blood rushed up to her head as the world around her started spinning before she pushed Megumi away and slammed her head onto the ground to feel some semblance of normalcy by feeling the pain that the hit produced on her head.

"Ha… that's going to leave a mark for sure, even make you dumber… or probably not since you were obviously already the dumber of the two of us." She heard Megumi say.

Raising her head Sakura looked at Megumi for a few seconds as she asked in a trembling voice.

"Me- Megi?"

"Haha! Fool if it isn't me who will it be?"

"But… but…you died?" Sakura touched his face to see if Megumi was just someone under the transformation jutsu but she could feel each scar that marred his pretty face.

"Should I have? You understand if I hadn't arrived just in time I'd have ended up having to watch you lying dead in a pool of your own blood don't you? Did you want me to just die along side you once I arrived?"

"Wh- …. What?" Sakura just opened and closer her mouth a little as she couldn't find the right words to say, her mind that was until recently usually constantly spinning with thoughts and emotions was right now unnaturally still as if it had been pulled out of her head and thrown away.

"What? Lost your mind?"

Sakura almost nodded at Megumi's words but then stopped herself mid nod as tears began to well up in her eyes.

If before she was crying a river of tears, right now there was an ocean of it in her eyes.

Flinging herself at Megumi Sakura started bawling out while speaking unrecognizable gibberish.

Megumi put his arms around Sakura as he waited a bit for her to calm down as he patted her back to slowly bring her back to some sense of normalcy.

Slowly pulling herself away from the Megumi who was in front of her Sakura stared once again into Megumi's eyes as she asked the single burning question she was having in her chest.

"How? Is this real?"

"Hehe.. it is great and all that you want to learn about my adventures in this vast world, but what do you think about us first getting up and going around to our house so that we can take a little care to not fall sick? I don't know about you but I don't like falling sick."

Megumi stood up, holding Sakura's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers as he teleported with her to the lake spot they were in just a few seconds before.

"Wh- what? Was that?" Sakura asked bewildered as she looked around everywhere around herself confused with the sudden change in surroundings.

"Don't worry about it, there's plenty of time to talk about all of that later." Megumi said as he squeezed Sakura's hand in reassurance as Sakura felt her chest lighten a little as she heard those words.

Megumi bent down to pick out a few flowers from the bushes around the lake that he knew Mebuki loved and then placed a few into Sakura's dripping hair as he wiped away the tears that were flowing down her face.

"Hmm…could be better but good enough for now."

Expecting a reply from Sakura Megumi looked at her but she still couldn't make words so she just stood silently staring back at him, confused.

"Alright, alright if you want to play dumb then why not go home and play dumb since we're getting wet? Shall we leave my lady?" Megumi asked holding his hand out for Sakura to hold like a gentleman.

Sakura stared at his hands for a while and grasped them while saying, "...alright."

"Oh! She talks!" Megumi joked as he teleported right in front of the house he remembers they used to live at.

"Same place still?" Megumi asked Sakura but she just nodded this time, opting not to speak.

*Knock**Knock*

With a soft knock Megumi patiently waited along with Sakura who was expecting the door to remain closed more and more with each passing second as she still couldn't believe all of it was real.

She expected someone to open the door and just look at her confused when they saw her holding an invisible person's hands.

*Creeeeeeeeeak*

With a slight creak from the rain having rusted the hinges, the door opened slowly as a black haired person stepped out from inside it.

As soon as the person saw the miserable Sakura the person immediately stepped closer and began examining her with much worry.

"What happened to you Sakura-nee!? How did you become so wet? Did you not take shelter during the rain?"

Sakura's eyes shook as she was about to take this as proof of the person beside her not existing when,

"Uffff~ Shizune! I thought I was your real favorite! How can you forget about me and move onto Sakura so suddenly!? Don't you care about me!? After all I'm here after so long!?"

Shizune turned in the direction of the voice, confused about the person who was speaking to her and why she'd choose them over her Sakura-nee.

Just as she was about to get angry and call off the other person, she happened to lock eyes with him and look at their scarred face.

A normal person might've been fooled by the changes in appearance the face had had over the course of time it had not been seen, but Shizune's lips trembled as her eyes shook.

"Megumi-nii-san?"

"Oh! So you do remember about me!?" Megumi asked as he put out his arm around the Shizune who was taller than him since she was older than him in the real world but still embraced her like an elder brother would a younger sister that he had seen after long.

Shizune couldn't believe her eyes as she too excitedly hugged Megumi back with full force.

"MEGUMI NII-SAN!!!!"

Shizune squealed in much joy, after which it wasn't long before everyone in the house rushed down stairs only to find Megumi hugging Shizune hands and jumped in to hug him as well.

Sakura still couldn't believe herself but Megumi slowly just pulled her into the family hug and stuffed her in between and hugged her along with everyone.

Sakura could feel the weight all the weight Megumi had placed on her, he felt real.

Sakura's eyes started to drip tears of joy in silence as Megumi whispered in her ears, "It's good to be back Rura. I missed you."

Sakura's eyes trembled as she buried her face into Megumi's neck, sniffling and sobbing and soon wailing as Megumi carried her with him into the house along with everyone else who followed the two of them into the house, with moods beyond joyful, smiling as if they had all gotten granted their only wish.

-------------------------

Thank you for reading!

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