#//this man is a threat and a danger to kumo's health

[shiroi---kumo]

on the topic of "The Lamb" if you want his song on Kumo's playlist it's this one and this man makes me scream at near constant because he really needs to not.

I also want to say he is called "the lamb" because that's what Kaze calls him (never verbally). Kaze refers to Kumo as 'a lamb' many times in thought in Quen's posts and thus that was the title that stuck. If this alter has an actual name, he hasn't said what it is yet.

[dimigex]

Healing Hands (Tenzo/Sakura)

The work that I’ve been offering sneak peeks to for what seems like an eternity finally has the first chapter posted.  You can find more on A03 and FF . This is a super slow burn, Tenzo isn’t even in the first chapter at all. But you trust me, right? It starts as Sakura-centric and it’s going to deal with mental health and ptsd and nightmares and all kinds of things lol There’s a snippet below the cut

Subtle changes became more noticeable as Sakura traveled deeper into the forest. Less sunlight broke through the canopy overhead, allowing the temperature to dip toward a more comfortable range. Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief, even as the cool air raised tiny bumps along her arms. After four months in Sunagakure, the sudden chill felt more like winter than early autumn.

Sakura inhaled, breathing in the deep, earthy smell of home. The rapidly approaching dusk painted the leaves in rich hues that she hadn't seen in over a year. She'd spent the last sixteen months outside Konoha as an ambassador. Sakura had been tasked with traveling from village to village, sharing Konoha's healing knowledge, while learning from other medical nin in turn.

The mission had been successful, allowing Sakura to master dozens of new techniques. Some, she would put into practice as soon as possible, and others she wished she'd never seen. Sakura's notes were a jumble of shorthand scribbles that she hadn't taken the time to clarify. It would take weeks before she could make the mess comprehensible to anyone except herself. A warm bath and her bed sounded far more appealing than organizing paperwork.

The sunlight faded toward gold as the familiar gates of Konoha came into view. Adjusting the pack on her shoulders, Sakura dropped to the ground and ran a hand across her dusty clothing. There was nothing that she could do to make herself sppear cleaner, but she took a couple of seconds to run her fingers through her hair at least. It had grown longer over the past year, and she still hadn't decided if she wanted to keep it that way or not. Sakura added that to the list of problems for another time.

Content that she'd made herself as presentable as possible, Sakura continued into the village. Thankfully, the area where each visitor was required to check into or out of the village was nearly empty. Two familiar shinobi were seated behind the large, wooden desk. Well, Izumo sat. Kotetsu leaned back until his chair looked dangerously close to spilling him on the ground. Both of the men flipped idly through the papers in front of them.

Grinning, Sakura rapped her knuckles against the wood. "Don't let Tsunade-sama catch you slacking off like that. Do you really want to go back to toting books?"

Kotetsu's chair thumped back to the ground, and his dark eyes flicked up. They widened in surprise at Sakura's presence. "Well, well, well," he drawled, lip curving into a smile. "You decided to come back after all. I was starting to think that some dastardly foreigner stole you away from us."

"As if," Sakura laughed, falling into the easy banter. When she'd been apprenticed to Tsunade, Sakura had gotten to know Kotetsu and Izumo fairly well. One day, Sakura had overheard the pair complaining about the menial work that Tsunade assigned to them and commiserated at the unfairness. That had been the start of an unexpected friendship. Sakura winked. "They're savages compared to Konoha nin. Even our civilians are better than their best shinobi."

"All of them?" Kotetsu teased, the thin strip of bandage across his nose wrinkling with his smile.

Sakura had never found out why the man wore it. She frowned at Kotetsu's knowing look, but refused to rise to the bait. She might be close to him and Izumo, but she wasn't about to reveal her personal life. Especially since they acted more like big brothers in that regard. Izumo had growled more than a few heated curses about a certain Uchiha before Sakura left, assuming he'd been a large part of the reason.

Slamming the door on that thought, Sakura nodded. "All of them. Look boys, I promise that we can catch up later, but right now I just want a hot bath and my bed, maybe a little food."

Izumo clutched at his heart like Sakura had wounded him. "And, I thought we were friends."

"Acquaintances at best," Sakura teased, stepping closer to the men. She patted Izumo's shoulder. "If anyone unofficial asks, tell them that you haven't seen me. At least until tomorrow morning. Please?"

Kotetsu shook his head, then rolled his eyes for good measure. "You won't stay to chat and you're going to ask favors? I'm not sure that I like this new Sakura."

"That's a shame," Sakura answered, dropping her voice so that the men had to lean closer to catch the next words. "The new Sakura remembers that stupidly expensive sake you two prefer. You know, the one that's only available in Kumo? But, since you don't like her-"

"Sakura, who?" Izumo interrupted before Sakura could finish the rest of her thinly veiled threat. "Haruno Sakura? Oh, I don't think she's supposed to be back for a few more days at least."