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electrasev5nwrites · 1 year ago

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Ninja Daily: Vapors 88

"Kakashi-senpai!"

He lazily glanced at his pink-cheeked kohai without halting in his push-ups. A safe fifteen feet away, Gai was enthusiastically doing his own workout, counting at the top of his lungs while his creepy bug-eyed devotee shouted encouragement and danced around.

Unusual. Tenzou usually had the sense not to wander too close to Gai. Not after the unfortunate incident when Gai had corralled him into whatever challenge had been going on at the time. Something involving counting grains of rice, if his perfect memory served him correctly.

Tenzou nervously glanced between his two superiors, before seeming to clench his jaw. "Senpai, Hokage-sama came back today."

"Thank you, messenger pidgeon," he allowed graciously, raising a sardonic eyebrow before turning his face back down to the ground, concentrating on his repetitions. He had let Gai win tic-tac-toe last time, so he had to win this challenge or face insufferable gloating about being two points ahead in their never-ending game.

Gai gave an enthusiastic roar from his belly, clapping his hands between reps and pounding his palms into the ground when he landed with enough force to send little cracks spidering through the dry earth. His kohai seemed more uneasy than the commonplace sight merited.

"Aiko didn't come back with her."

By the time the grin had faded from Gai's face in a sort of wary realization that now was not the time to taunt his rival about imminent defeat, Kakashi was already bounding through the upper branches in a path that cut rudely through two more training grounds on the way to the central administration building.

Tenzou caught up to him a few seconds later, clearly having been blind-sided by his sudden motion. "Don't- I mean, I don't really know that anything is wrong," he huffed, giving Kakashi a wide-eyed glance that perhaps hinted his expression was less than pleasant. "I just heard from Kotetsu when he got off his shift." He swallowed dryly, falling a half-step behind his commander. "Maybe she stayed late for some reason, or went to Suna with their ambassador. She spends a fair bit of time there."

The awkward reassurances didn't make him feel any better. The look on Tsunade's face when she saw him pick open the lock on her office window and step in made him feel considerably worse.

"It's like you have this seventh sense for when your underlings are in trouble," she remarked tiredly, dropping her gaze to her hands. "I was about to send for you."

The sound of Tenzou's sandals scuffling behind him was the first thing he noticed that indicated the boy had actually followed him in. Kakashi was holding his breath, tempted between pushing the Hokage for an explanation and not wanting to hear what she had to say.

"Akatsuki," she said finally, giving him a pitying look, wrinkles phasing through her genjutsu into visibility. "They sent at least one agent into the conference, supposedly from Ame. Aiko was… Aiko interfered when this woman assaulted Sabaku no Temari, and is currently missing in action. Along with the two jinchuuriki who were in the area." Her listless tone somehow made the news worse.

His jaw was locked shut.

"Missing in action?" Tenzou repeated quietly. His face was pale, but Kakashi didn't see. He was still staring at the wall behind Tsunade's head, struck stone still by horror.

"I'm sorry." Tsunade leaned over and painstakingly removed a worn envelope from her knapsack, which Yamato only now realized was still sitting on the floor by her desk. "Here." She stood to press it into Kakashi's hands, and seemed to waver on the thought of hugging him for comfort. He took it absently without looking at what he had.

She looked away and sat back down without offering any comfort. Probably for the best. He wouldn't know how to react to it. "For what it's worth, I don't think that they would necessarily want her dead. She's valuable. Akatsuki might want to barter her for Naruto. Of course, we can't…" Tsunade swallowed hard and averted her eyes, before quietly adding, "and she's a tricky little thing. Maybe she can get away."

"If she could, she would have," Kakashi muttered brokenly, hands limp at his sides. "but she's not dead."

The Hokage seemed surprised by his optimism, but nodded. "We have to hope so. I won't declare her dead until I abso-"

"No, I mean that she literally can't be dead," he interrupted testily, giving the floor a resentful glare. "See?"

Yamato and Tsunade exchanged a look that implied he'd lost his damn mind.

"Senpai, that's a kunai," the younger man ventured cautiously when Kakashi gave it an impatient shake with the hand that wasn't absently clutching the sealed envelope.

"The sealing formula is still on it," he bit out sullenly, slipping the weapon away. "Hiraishin is sustained through constant connection with the creator. It would have failed if she were dead." After Minato had died, he had thought it was merely a nightmare for months and would only accept the truth when he felt the now ordinary kunai that he'd carried since he was twelve. He would never forget how it felt to hold a dead, empty piece of metal that had once been a source of comfort and strength.

The other two looked relieved for a second, before Tsunade had a thought that made her queasy.

"Does that mean my desk is going to explode one day?" She prodded it experimentally with a forefinger.

He didn't have time to answer before Tenzou interrupted with a suspiciously high-pitched, "Aiko-chan gave me an explosive without telling me about it?"

"Probably," Kakashi admitted honestly. "That sounds like something she would do. But no, they won't go off accidentally. The explosion is an intentional addition to the formula that she can activate at will. She wouldn't be so reckless as to give a half-dozen people seals that would explode if she died. Aiko isn't that irresponsible or short-sighted." He gave a slow exhalation, closing his visible eye and letting his head sag.

"But that's great news," Tenzou tried placatingly, giving him a faint smile. "We know she's okay."

"Of course she's not okay," he scoffed, gritting his teeth painfully for a moment before he continued. "If she were, she would just return."

"She could be lingering in order to try to assist the other hostages," Tsunade mused, looking as though his hypothesis was the best news she'd had all week. "Aiko would know that Iwa and Kumo are looking right at us. If she came back without them…" She grimaced. "That reminds me. I have a mission for you two of the highest level of sensitivity. The Raikage had already sent his proposed meeting time for exchanging the prisoner when I got back, and I don't want to exacerbate things by being late. The jackass scheduled it with such short notice that I will need you two to leave within an hour or so to make it on time. He probably didn't want us setting up an ambush," she mused sourly.

"Noted," Yamato mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck. "But, about Aiko… What are you going to tell everyone else?"

Tsunade gave Yamato a helpless shrug, overlooking the man sulking between them. "The truth. What else can I say? I considered keeping this from Naruto when I realized just how hard it was going to be to keep him from doing exactly what Akatsuki wants, but it would be too cruel. Besides, I can't keep this quiet. Especially if it really is going to lead to war." She cringed, curling into herself and wrapping her arms around her chest, rubbing her sides as if she felt a chill.

"When exactly did this happen?"

At the sharp tone, Tsunade jerked to attention and directed all her attention to Kakashi, who suddenly looked intense and dangerous instead of like he was about to crumple over. "Ah—in the early hours three days ago," she clipped out, concentrating to remember more detailed information. "I last saw her at perhaps three in the morning."

"That's a long time for her to be incapacitated," Yamato noted uneasily. The worry on his face wasn't hard to decipher. She couldn't possibly sleep that long—they must have either poisoned her or all-but killed her to keep her immobilized for days on end.

He didn't even want to think about what awful things she might be enduring.

A day prior

"And then Kakuzu-sempai said that Hidan-san was a nuisance, so Tobi thought that Hidan-san might be sad and Tobi went to ask him if he needed to talk about his feelings, because that always helps Tobi!" There was a mournful silence, and then Madara Uchiha added with a quiver in his artificially high voice, "Hidan-san was embarrassed and he told Tobi that he didn't need to talk about his feelings. He didn't even want a hug! Wasn't that silly of him, Aiko-chan?" As he talked, he flung open a door and trotted in, leaving her to trail behind. He was very unlike the uber professional Itachi, she noted.

Before meeting this man in person, Aiko hadn't been certain if he was Obito driven mad by pain and grief, if he was Obito possessed by Madara but still somewhat present, or if Madara was merely wearing Obito's body like a fashionable coat. Now, she couldn't be anything but certain that there was nothing of Obito here, because no one who was anything less than pure, unadulterated evil could come up with a deception and persona as offensively irritating as this one. This act had been the product of decades of learning how to be an irritating jackass. Obito simply wouldn't have had the time to become this deranged.

"It was terribly silly," Aiko agreed solemnly, giving him a shy smile. "I bet he was just too bashful to accept it."

Evil lunatic or not, she valued her skin. Oddly enough, she might be safer with Madara than Itachi or Kisame. Itachi had reasons to kill her to protect Konoha, and Kisame or another Akatsuki might kill her if they thought it worth Pein's anger. Sure, she didn't have the thin protection of Pein's desire to keep her alive in regards to Madara, being as he was the real boss here. But he was also a person who planned, like, twenty years ahead. Sure, his plans were stupid, (form criminal organization, fuck around with Konoha, and then somehow rule the world?) but that was beside the point. The only reasons he would kill her would be if she was in the way of his plan (which she couldn't help) or if she ticked him off to the point where he didn't care about interfering with the efficiency of his puppet organization doing what he wanted it to do.

So instead of taunting him, she was pretending to be charmed by Tobi, since option # 1 (otherwise known as 'run away screaming bloody murder') was difficult when in a towel and half-dead from hunger and chakra exhaustion.

"Would you like a hug?" He leaned in far too close, as if trying to put her off balance or trick her into displaying unease. But Aiko was a goddamn champion of hiding distress behind a cutesy girl act, and she didn't so much as flinch. "You seem sad," Madara finished gravely.

' Sure, you crazy bastard.'

"I am a little sad," she admitted, gently shutting the drawer of no longer needed clothes that Deidara had left behind, clutching a black shirt with mesh shoulders to her chest. "I think you're right, I could use a hug."

He squealed and threw his arms around her shoulders—then just as easily flinched away dramatically and backed up all the way to the other wall. "Eek! Aiko-chan, you haven't put on clothes yet!" he wailed.

' No shit, Sherlock.'

"J-just turn around!" She squeaked out. It was lucky that he did, because she was unable to fake a blush. It was somewhat of a relief to drop her towel and pull the shirt over her head, even though it felt really fucking weird to wear a dead man's clothing and the mesh fell in a way that Anko would have approved of. Beggars couldn't be choosers. Deidara had been on the petite side for a man, but she was petite for a woman, so the shirt's hem was just barely long enough to be decent if she stayed perfectly still and there was no breeze.

That didn't seem like a likely combination of circumstances, so she pulled open the next drawer in hopes of finding pants, without noticing that the Uchiha turned around at the noise. It was just full of hair products, so she knelt to open the bottom one. That was successful. Aiko pulled them on post-haste, not caring that they were the worst fitting thing she'd ever worn. She could adjust the fit and make do. "I'm decent, Tobi-san," she called out, before turning around herself.

She had to blink at just how close he was. Aiko hadn't heard him move at all. To cover her surprise, she bit her lip before asking, "Is there a belt around or anything?" To demonstrate, she lifted her arms straight up so he could see how ill-fitting the slacks were.

"Ahh, you're so cuuuute, Aiko-chan," he squealed, lurching forward to pick her up around the waist and shake her around. She put a steadying hand on his shoulder and tried not to vomit.

"Tobi-san, I don't feel well," she choked out, meaning it.

Apparently he didn't want bile down his back, because he immediately stopped and put her on the ground gently. "Tobi doesn't think that any belts here would fit you." She had the odd sense that his lower lip was wobbling when he tilted his head down. It almost immediately popped back up, though, and he bounded off to the closet. "But Tobi is certain that he could make a new hole to make a belt smaller!"

'You're a genius alright,' she thought cynically. 'I have now known you for almost five minutes, and I know that I do not want you to be anywhere near me.'

"I would like that." Politely, she did not move towards the closet. Shinobi tended to get crabby when someone moved to box them into a confined space. The garment he emerged with was a very thin black belt. He painstakingly gouged out another hole with the tip of a kunai and then handed it over with a triumphant flourish.

' I might be safer with him, but this is nerve-wracking. Maybe I just should have stayed put in the first place.'

Itachi briefly pushed down the urge to give up on his elective situational pacifism when he came back after having begged a change of clothes off of Konan to find that his charge had apparently wandered off in the three minutes he had been absent.

'This child is an idiot of impressive proportions,' he noted tiredly, following the little wet footprints down the hall. They led to the kitchen—but faded before they led him back to the girl who'd left them. He didn't need them, however. A girlish voice was barely audible through the closed door to what had been Deidara's room once upon a time. Unease flickered in his consciousness. Either she was talking to herself, or she had run into someone else in the base.

He couldn't think of a single person in his area who could be trusted to behave around a captive from Konoha. Especially one who had potentially damaging information.

Perhaps he should have killed her when they had been alone earlier to prevent her knowledge from falling into Akatsuki's hands. He was loathe to end her without an immediate sense of danger, however. If all was truly well in the world, Itachi would never have to harm another sentient being in his life.

With a small amount of expertly hidden trepidation, he pushed the door open.

Immediately, he wished he hadn't. His patient was wearing some of Deidara's old clothes and sitting cross-legged on the duvet next to the man who called himself Tobi. They both looked up at him, but he had no illusions that the expression hidden behind that mask was the innocent curiosity on the girl's face. Madara was almost certainly getting no small amount of enjoyment out of this play-act. Had he accompanied the girl to thwart Itachi? As a silent threat? Or just because he got some strange amusement out of letting her think him a fool?

"You're just in time, Itachi-senpai!" his elder chirped in a tone that sounded demented to his ears. The placid enjoyment on the girl's face implied that it was his additional knowledge that gave him that sense. Then again, the amount of uncharacteristic trust and positivity on her expression was downright suspicious. Surely she wasn't so stupid as to genuinely be charmed by someone met in a den of S class criminals? Perhaps it was an attempt to ingratiate herself with someone who might help her escape—Tobi did portray himself as the most approachable.

' Then again, it is possible that she has recognized Tobi as someone to be wary of and does not wish to risk angering him.'

It seemed implausible from the manner in which she had provoked Pein that she would choose to kowtow to Tobi unless she seriously believed she was in imminent danger from him.

If that was the case, she had excellent instincts or her frightening visions of possible futures had let her on to Madara's secret identity.

The teenager tilted her head and smiled at him. "We're playing Go-Fish!"

Yes, that was downright uncannily out of character. The girl was acting. At least she was good at it: she seemed genuinely pleased to find herself playing child's games with a madman.

"I am afraid that I must borrow your companion." He let his expression linger deliberately on the prisoner. "Pein-sama has requested that I provide her with medical attention."

"Awww, Itachi-san! Can we play more later?"

Message received. Madara did indeed suspect he would try to keep the Uzumaki girl away from him, and he couldn't disobey now.

"Of course," he agreed tonelessly. There was no other option. "I prepared the medical supplies in the room where you were awoken. Come."

"No need for that!" Madara interrupted in that vexingly high pitched tone he favored, swiveling his orange mask to stare directly at his female companion. "Deidara-senpai kept some in here! I can get them for you." The quickly retrieved kit was rather disproportionally stocked with burn treatments, but it did have the antiseptic and bandages that would suit his purposes.

He kept the displeasure this solution aroused off his face. "Very well," Itachi agreed as if he did not care one way or the other. "However, it was unwise for you to dress her before her wounds had been treated. Deidara's shirt will have to be removed." At the reflexive grimace that provoked, he found the opportunity to add, "Perhaps it would be less intimidating for your companion if you were to give her as much privacy as possible."

"Whatever you say, Itachi-senpai!" Tobi bounced off the bed and out the door, a hint of menace in his almost manic movements that came just an iota too close to Itachi himself.

"I would suggest wrapping the towel around your torso to give me access to your wounds," he directed, strangely less comfortable now that he was alone with the otherworldly girl who knew far too much. Especially since he had just essentially ordered her to take her clothes off. He might have offered to wait in the hall while she changed, but it had already been proven that she would wander off given thirty seconds unobserved and immediately locate the most dangerous human being on the continent, so it seemed to be an ill-advised course of action.

Instead, he politely averted his eyes and tried to forget that there was a half-naked woman in the room until she rather testily informed him that she was finished.

"Do you have any wounds that are not readily apparent?" The set of her shoulders was stiff as he went about painstakingly sanitizing every little slice into her skin. It looked as though Konan had rained down attacks from above—the top of her head and shoulders had by far the worst of it, although she was permanently missing a small slice out of her left ear.

"I think I might have a concussion," she offered grudgingly, clearly trying not to look at him.

Itachi attempted not to dwell on the fact that she could hide her discomfort around the most dangerous man in the world but trembled at his touch. He instead concentrated to summon the little tinge of medical chakra into his right palm and gently passed it over her scalp, combing through the drying hair carefully and avoiding sealing up any cuts he had yet to sanitize. There was a technique that provided merely diagnostic feedback, but he had yet to acquire it, so he had to make do.

What he found was beyond his abilities. "You are technically correct in that you have a concussion, but it is not so simple. You are experiencing a brain hemorrhage and the swelling will soon become severe." His pronouncement was dispassionate, but he was already off in thought, discarding possible solutions. He could only conclude, "We have no medic who can treat this."

"You don't, huh." Her voice was oddly toneless. "Am I correct in thinking that a lack of treatment may result in permanent loss of brain function?"

"Probable," he agreed, a little perplexed that she was taking this so calmly. "Although stroke or death are also possible."

"I see." She clipped the words together. That seemed to be all she had to say, so he quietly went back to his work, extracting bits of dirt she had missed on her back especially and sanitizing everything before he went back and took the opportunity to practice his mastery of the mystical palm technique, prioritizing the deeper gouges in her hands and wrists that may restrict her movements.

Should he offer to help her escape? She already knew that he was a double agent. The words stuck in his throat when he tried to summon them, however. It was far too dangerous to say such a thing in this place, and he did not see how he could possibly return her to Konoha without implicating himself. As abhorrent as it was to cause harm to another person even through inaction, his mission was far more valuable than her life and safety to Konoha as a whole. Akatsuki was going to perform their second extraction tomorrow and add the two-tailed beast to the statue with the eight-tailed beast when the other members returned to the base. He would have to be present for this event, and the girl would either be locked up or unconscious for the duration to reduce possible complications.

…Probably both, given her obvious propensity for troublemaking.

Then again, if she knew anything at all about the sealing procedure, she would know that no one would be available to watch her. The Uzumaki child was not without intelligence. It was both her best chance and completely hopeless.

Perhaps she had something up her sleeve. At least he could offer a little information and see if she could help herself. "Do not expect further assistance. I will not be available to re-treat your wounds tomorrow. I will be recovering my full chakra capacity in anticipation of the day's events."

The evaluating way she gazed up at him was reassurance enough that she could read between the lines to what he was actually conveying, so it was acceptable that she gave no reply.

"I knew you two would have fun together," Kisame observed from the door. Itachi did not bother to reply, letting his hands fall back to his side and turning to face the taller man. She could keep the patchwork map of scratches. They were not life-threatening, and not worth the effort of healing.

His blank expression seemed to fuel Kisame's amusement. "I don't know what I'm interrupting, but apparently I'm the babysitter, red." He bared his teeth at the Uzumaki girl, but didn't let his gaze leave Itachi. "So you can relax for a while, Itachi."

He gave a small nod. That was acceptable. If the girl was to attempt to escape, he did not want to be forced to thwart it or risk being suspected of complicity. It was best to be as far away as possible. "Of course."

'Well, hell. That's not good at all.' Her hands were trembling, so she pressed them into her lap and tried to ignore the S-class missing nin eying her like she was a particularly interesting insect. She didn't have the energy to care about Kisame right now, or even to be relieved that Itachi had finally left her alone.

Aiko had just received rather bad news, after all.

Her mind was the one weapon she could not do without. She had already judged that it was far too hazardous to risk using Hiraishin in this state with the easy assumption that a few days' time at the absolute most would rectify the situation. Then she could rattle off an insult to whatever Akatsuki was lurking about and go home a hero with two jinchuuriki in tow.

'Or I might only have their bodies, and then I'd have to make sure we all permanently disappear,' the creep of doubt that she'd been ignoring piped up insidiously. Before now she had been able to ignore it, but it seemed much more real and probable now that she had both a tight deadline imposed by the rapidly approaching time when the Akatsuki would gather to extract one of the bijuu complicated by her body's pathetic weakness.

But she didn't want to die. Not for stupid fucking Konoha.

That left only one recourse, then. She had to try to escape. The plan was hardly complicated: her only chance was to hope like hell that she could still use Hiraishin, steal the jinchuuriki, and leave.

"Hey, red." An enormous foot nudged her ribs none too gently, drawing her attention up to the man in the room with her. "I don't appreciate being ignored."

"Sorry, blue," she replied automatically, blinking up at the toothy behemoth hovering over her. He just grunted, and then thoroughly creeped her out by leaning in and sniffing her hair. Aiko froze.

His breath was hot on the back of her neck when he grunted, "You stink like Itachi's cheap soap."

She tried not to let her mind dwell on the fact that the Uchiha bastard apparently didn't even use shampoo and his hair was a hundred times nicer than hers. That big dumb butt. Unknowingly, she pouted, puffing out her cheeks irritably.

"Well, I'm supposed to do this every hour or so, and I'm already behind," Kisame sighed, soft rustling sounds behind her clueing Aiko in that he was doing something.

"Do what?" she asked a little suspiciously, swiveling just enough to see that the very tip of his sword was unwrapped before he rested it on her shoulder. The weight nearly bowled her over, but it was the sensation of tiny needles in her flesh that made her mindlessly jerk to push the weapon away.

He caught her wrist, and it seemed pitifully small in his gigantic paw. "I wouldn't touch her if I were you," Kisame cautioned in a rumble with a strange undertone she couldn't quite identify. "She only likes me enough to tolerate touching. You might lose a hand or more."

That sounded like a massive bummer, so Aiko just tried to shrink away from the blade bulging obscenely against her flesh. It followed her movements. Finally, she gave up. "Why are you using me as a shelf?" Aiko managed to force out, feeling so much worse than she had a moment ago, even discounting the blood trickling down the flesh Itachi had just healed.

"Pein-sama seems to think you're dangerous," he informed her lightly, pulling the blade away nonchalantly while she tried to catch her breath, gripping her stomach with both arms. "I happen to be an expert at draining a person's chakra to exactly what they need and leave them none for daring escape plans."

"Ah," Aiko huffed out, vision flickering slightly. "The joke is on you, then. My daring escape plan requires no chakra at all. I'm going to impersonate you and walk right out of here."

He threw his head back and laughed. Then he scooped her up like she was a kitten and cradled her with a single arm, striding out of Deidara's room with two long steps and back up a vaguely familiar hallway. "How do you intend to do that, red?"

"I was going to beat you up with just taijutsu, switch our clothes and then tell Itachi I'm going out for ice cream," she mumbled, feeling her head sag against his chest despite her best efforts.

"Well, you'll need some fuel for that," Kisame informed her mock-seriously, kicking out a wooden chair and settling her into it with surprising gentleness from such a large, scary-looking person. "I'm afraid that protein would help you re-build your chakra levels, so you'll have to settle for rice porridge. It's the only other thing I can cook."

She might have fallen asleep, but Aiko vaguely remembered noting that he put an ungodly amount of honey into the steaming bowl he set in front of her.

"Hey, can you walk, red? I don't want to stand around while you eat."

Aiko gave it a valiant attempt, but ended up nearly sliding under the table when her attempt to push her chair back failed.

"I will take that as a no." She blinked, and then she was picked up just the same as before, dazedly blinking at the bowl in his massive fingers while he walked outside. Aiko found herself propped up against the building with the hot bowl on her legs. He ruffled her hair fondly before straightening to his full height. "I have energy to burn, so you're going to watch me train. I agreed to keep you out of trouble, not play nursemaid."

Her tongue felt heavy and dry in her mouth, but he hadn't thought to bring her a drink. Aiko dubiously glanced down at the food she'd been allotted. She felt so weak and queasy that eating sounded like the last thing she wanted to do, but it could only help improve her condition. There was absolutely no chance that she could escape in this condition, and she had no idea how long it had been since she had eaten. Her physical state would only get worse the longer she went without caloric intake.

She nearly gagged at the heat and sweetness, but forced it all down. Oddly, she felt incrementally better within minutes: good enough to pay some attention to what Kisame was doing. It was actually rather interesting, from a professional standpoint. He was sparring with four water clones on a shallow lake of his own creation, dodging what had to be at least B level techniques from all of them that did things like boil the water, attempt to drag him down, or hit him with anything from man-sized sharks made of water to concussive bullets like what she used.

"You know, you're the first really strong water-type I've met," Aiko mused aloud. The statement hadn't been intended to flatter, but he looked proud nonetheless.

"You haven't seen nothing yet, itty bitty. I'll do this jutsu with just the chakra I got from you."

'I really wish I could focus enough to remember those handsigns,' she thought blearily. At this point, she wouldn't even certain that she was seeing them all. Thoughts of memorizing them so she could steal his toy were completely lost when she realized that he was forming a gigantic tank of water in the air that towered over the entire building she was pressed up against, sides as flat as if there was glass to keep them in despite the fact that she could see the liquid was raging in a vicious current. Whoa. He was standing on the top of the rapidly rising water, and tossed her one last look that implied he never got tired of showing off before he grinned and started working on another series of handsigns.

"This area is all under my control," he informed in a half-shout, rolling his shoulders menacingly. "It's impossible to escape, but right now, anyone who can walk on water would be fine. I could trap them in a water prison while their movement is constricted, but that gets old. This is how I drag my victims to the bottom, or tear them apart."

The water lurched and—were those twenty foot sharks circling in the water to create a whirlpool? They definitely were, and there were too many moving too quickly for her to count. Just trying to follow their movement gave her a headache.

Her priorities quickly changed when the 'sides' of the tank suddenly disappeared, and several thousand tons of water came rushing at her with a swarming mass of angry looking sharks on the top. She had just enough time to think, 'oh shit' before Kisame scooped her up with a laugh and landed easily on top of the building, grinning at he looked over the swamp that he had just formed.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. Poor itty bitty." A massive hand tweaked her nose, and he laughed again when her eyes crossed.

"Where is the water going?" she changed the subject, embarrassed that she'd frozen. It was disappearing with an almost shocking haste, and there had been an enormous amount of it- easily six times what she could make.

'Did he really use just my chakra? He must be so much more efficient with it than I am.' Contemplatively, she glanced down at the enormous trunk of an arm that was supporting her. He just didn't look like a guy who cared to use finesse.

"Pein-sama installed a drain system," Kisame admitted carelessly, jumping back down on top of the draining liquid and heading towards the other side of the building he had just abused. "My jutsu practice supplies the water for the base."

Aiko blanched. It was a pretty big building, and he was just one man.

'These are the types of people I'm dealing with,' she remembered with a sinking feeling. 'I can't fight on a level ground against any of them.'

It was dreary and rather dark out, but it was difficult to gauge the time because it sort of looked like the sky was always that way in Ame. She was pretty sure she was in Ame. The rest of the night wasn't terribly eventful, but it must have been evening at least because Kisame only drained her chakra three more times before he set her on Deidara's bed, patted her head like she was a kitten, and then locked her in for the night.

'I really might die here,' she realized with dawning horror the first time that he came in and woke her up by draining her chakra again before shuffling away in his pajamas. That hadn't seemed real before. She always got out of sticky situations. Being slippery was like, her thing. But they really were doing a professional job: When Kisame said he was going to drain her chakra every hour, he really fucking meant it. She drifted between a haze of sleep and unconsciousness all night, and felt like absolute crap in the morning.

The thought that the jinchuuriki were probably worse off than she was… was not reassuring. They almost certainly weren't being fed because Akatsuki was going to kill at least one of them sometime that day. There would have been no point. So they were probably being kept drugged into unconsciousness to prevent any struggles. That would be what Aiko would have done. That meant that they probably would have something of a fighting chance if allowed to wake, she hoped, since they'd have their chakra.

Good and bad. If they were capable and decided to work with her, that would work in her favor. If they were in better condition than she was and still wanted her dead, she would be screwed and very possibly vulnerable. That was one of the reasons that she decided she could only go to Konoha—yes, if it turned out that Fuu or Nii was still hostile, they would claim Konoha had done the original kidnapping and just tried to trick them. That was bad. But being alone in the middle of nowhere with two possible hostiles was far worse, and she desperately needed medical attention and safety. Aside from being where she felt safest, Konoha had the best hospital and medics in the known world.

"Feeding time, for Samehada first, and then you," Kisame promised cheerily, flinging her door open. Aiko winced and wished that hiding under the sheets was a valid tactical strategy.

True to his word the day before, there was none of the meat or nuts that she was craving frantically when Kisame fed her in the morning. She tried not to glare or let her head hit the table when a goddamn salad was put in front of her while Kisame settled down with miso, rice, and four fish.

It was a perfectly good salad�� a bizarrely good salad, if she were to be honest. Kisame apparently didn't believe in dressing, but he did believe in spinach, mandarin oranges, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. She could see the logic behind the composition—a lot of iron to help her replace her lost blood, and a variety of nutrients from other sources. It still wasn't answering the insane craving in her bones for something she could turn into pure life energy.

'I am going to escape, go home, and eat half a goddamn cow,' Aiko promised herself, because the alternative was to lay down and die. For now, she ate the entire salad and asked for seconds. She got more sweetened rice. What the hell was up with this man and sweetened rice?

Still, this was probably the best that she was going to feel. It had been almost an hour since Kisame had last drained her chakra. She had no idea when they were planning on performing the extractions, and they probably wouldn't be so helpful as to tell her. Really, they probably wouldn't be so obliging as to leave her conscious and unobserved while they got to work. If they had any sense at all, the first order of business would be to knock her the fuck out so she couldn't use the chakra she would be accumulating while they were too busy to pay attention to her.

So she experimentally rolled her ankles under the table and looked up at Kisame endearingly. "Thank you for breakfast, blue-san. You know, you seem out of place here. How did you end up working in chateau crazy?"

He stared. "You think I seem like the sanest person here?" he clarified gingerly. At her nod, he shook his head slowly. "Well, that's a new one. Usually the assumption is that Itachi is least likely to peel someone's face off and wear it to bed. No offence, red, but I don't feel like talking about it."

"That's fair," she admitted evenly, propping her chin up on her hands and feeling around for the two Hiraishin seals she was most concerned with at the moment. They were in the same locations she had originally noted when she first woke up. Aside from feeling tired, she was almost used to the constant splitting headache and fatigue from chakra exhaustion. She could do this. "I just thought I should ask before I enact my daring escape plan and all," she teased with a smile, scrunching up her nose. Oddly, he didn't seem to take the warning seriously at all. "You know, if you ever decide you want to make a break from these nutjobs, I will totally hide you in my apartment if you agree to teach me how to be completely and utterly terrifying with water jutsu. I've always wanted to be internationally feared." She gave a real sigh of longing.

"As appealing as the thought of being confined to a teenager's apartment is, I think I will have to pass on that one," he rejoined dryly, sticking his chopsticks in his now-empty bowl and leaning back slightly. "I'm flattered, though."

"Well, I'm sure that Tsunade-sama would let me bring you in legally if I asked, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to share," she pouted mock-regretfully. He was by far the most impressive master of water jutsu she had ever used, and given half a chance to learn from him, she would walk over broken glass to do it.

Still, there were pretty shinobi princesses to rescue, less sucky places to be, and meat to sink her teeth into. That sort of thing. Shouldn't dawdle.

Kisame snorted, looking almost fond of her. "You're a weird kid."

"And you're surprisingly cool," she countered, locking onto the signature that she thought was Fuu. It was hard to tell which of the other woman disliked her more, but at least Fuu was more frightened of her than angry with her. Hopefully, she would be willing to listen and cooperate to save her own skin. "So long, and thanks for all the fish," she added with a pointed look at the fish he had definitely not shared. He was just making a confused expression when she yanked on Fuu's chakra signature—and found herself falling to the ground, clutching at her aching head. If anyone else was there, she had no idea and she was completely at their mercy, because the pain was unbearable.

The first thing she noticed when her vision returned from 'white' and the feeling had changed to a throb instead of an electric current that consumed her being was that she was crying on her hands and knees. The second thing was that Fuu was conscious but badly beaten, and chained to a wall. She also looked somewhat alarmed.

Aiko had to purposefully wipe away latent curiosity about just awful she must look judging by Fuu's expression. "Sorry about that," she slurred. Oh. Embarrassing. Was she drooling? She wiped the side of her mouth. Well, it wasn't drool. Wasn't sure if blood is better or not, so she put the thought aside for later. "I don't know about you, but I think we should rescue ourselves. How does a jail break sound?"

"You look like shit," the other girl said bluntly, before pointedly tugging on her wrists. "And I doubt you can break these."

"No need, I'll just grab you. Um." She hesitated, feeling like throwing up, but forced it down. "Nii Yugito is the next stop, and then we blow this popsicle stand. If that happens again, can you watch my back while I recover? Am bleeding in the brain," Aiko explained, waving at the general area of her head as she lurched forward to wrap her arms around Fuu's waist. She looked like she'd been through hell, but that the aforementioned hell had happened several days ago. To a normal person, that would make little difference, but it was a different matter entirely when applied to a jinchuuriki. The cuffs were the awful kind that stopped chakra circulation, which made some sense to a distant part of her brain. But now was not the time to stop and think, and the ability to do more than one thing at once was apparently no longer something she could do.

"Of course," Fuu murmured from above her. "If you can really get me out of here."

"Hold on tight," Aiko huffed, despite that not making any sense at all since she was the one holding onto Fuu. Concentrating on taking just Fuu and not the metal touching her limbs was shockingly difficult for something she didn't usually have to think about, but she managed.

' One more to rescue. If I wasn't more concerned that Yugito might attack me on sight, I would have gotten her first and probably left Fuu for dead once I realized how hard this was going to be. She's much more politically important.'

Didn't matter now. She tenuously gripped the Hiraishin seal that was closest- and by closest, she really did mean closest by an enormous margin. At least the two jinchuuriki were closer together than she had been to Fuu. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible. She only had to make two more Hiraishin. Go to Yugito, go home. She could do it. She could do dozens within seconds at her best. This was nothing.

But the seal slipped out of her grip. That had never happened before, even when she was first learning. Frustrated, she attempted to lock in on it again—and succeeded this time.

When the ringing in her ears stopped, the first thing she knew was that she was making an awful wailing sound and it hurt her throat. Aiko stopped immediately and tried to push herself up, noting that her vision appeared to be shot. It was far worse than the double vision she had first woken up to in the Akatsuki base where even now pursuants were likely mobilizing. How long had she been disabled by that travel?

Of course, it was worse than she realized.

"I thought you were dead," Aiko croaked out at the foul-mouthed blur that Fuu appeared to be fighting. Hidan (she was pretty sure that was who it was) responded with an obnoxious laugh.

"Hey, you're that bitch who'd heard about Jashin! Did you come to convert, or just to donate your body to the cause? I might have fucked you before, but you look like total shit now. Still, Jashin accepts all forms of fucked-up ugly whores. Equal in his sight and all that shit."

"Yeah, that's him," she muttered to herself, struggling to her feet. Odd. Was the floor really moving, or was she seasick for some other reason? "Yugito?" she called out plaintively. "Are you here?"

The response was raspy, as if she was breathing through a lungful of blood. "the fuck happened to you, Uzumaki? I'm right here."

"Okay, good," she mumbled, awkwardly fisting a handful of the clothing she felt when she stumbled in the direction of the familiar voice. "You're not tied or anything, right?"

There was a brief silence from the only other person not involved in a fight. When it came, Yugito sounded a bit unnerved. "No. I was just uncuffed by this asshole."

"Cool." She stood as straight as she could in the disorienting blur of colors that had become her perception, and wrapped her trembling arm around what felt like Yugito's waist. They had to go, they had to move. Beating Hidan was pointless and would just give reinforcements time to show up. "Fuu?" she called out plaintively, hoping the older girl would know what she wanted. Aiko was almost surprised by how weak her own voice sounded.

A heartbeat later, a thin arm was around her waist. "I'm here, move!" Fuu barked out. Aiko obeyed thoughtlessly, thinking of nothing but home. She wanted the seal in her bedroom but really Tsunade's office would be a better choice, she would meet a medic there and this all could get sorted out, it was going to be okay.

But when she came back, cheek lying in what seemed to be mud and her own bile, Aiko felt raindrops on her body. "Please, god, tell me we're out of Ame," she choked out, not bothering to suppress tears. Everything hurt, and the blurs of colors had turned to shades of red that were completely useless for navigating. There was a hand on her shoulder—Yugito, she thought, because that was where the older woman's voice came from.

"No, we aren't. But we can wait a moment for you to feel better and run from here."

She sobbed openly, pushing herself up to her knees and palms. Her head shook. "No, we can't," Aiko frantically explained, just wishing this nightmare would end already. "He uses rain like I do to sense. They know where we are. If we're in the rain, they're coming directly to us. We have to go. Please, god, work this time," she wailed, not even noticing that she was reverting to English. "One more. One more." Blindly, she reached out, feeling for Fuu. "I need to touch both of you so we can go again."

"Uzumaki, you're going to kill yourself!" Yugito spat out, sounding—odd, was she sounding concerned? But didn't she hate Aiko?

"I might, but if I don't, we're all dead," she wheezed. Only the sensation of heat on her cheeks let her know that tears were mixed in with the rainwater. "I think I have one more in me."

No one answered her, but arms were wrapped around her torso from both sides.

Aiko took a moment to hope that neither of them would take the opportunity to kill her. It wouldn't be hard now. Honestly, at this point, she didn't think there was any chance she could make the trip to Konoha. But she had to try.

And she pulled on the seal in Tsunade's office one more time with everything she had. Literally everything—she was unconscious before she hit the ground again somewhere new.

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction

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queenhollyberry90 · 2 years ago

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My OCs/FANFICs I'm Working On

Why am I posting this? Cause lol. It's taken me years to become confident in my writing to actually post what I've been writing so I thought I'd share. I'm writing this in reverse order so it'll be from my most recently conceived to my oldest.

Adela Kunzli - Attack on Titan; Eldian from Paradis and member of the Scouts. Her story is A Love Like This Burns So Deep, and each chapter has a section from the past and the present. The story is rated Explicit for both loving and dark reasons. I came up with her back at the start of the year. Like, I had her one week and went fuck it, I've got to write this lol. She's one of two OCs I have that I have a bunch of What If's/One-Shots for.

Sarah Evans - AEW/Wrestling; Only fic/oc to take place in the real world. Sarah's a wrestler who goes by Diana Spector in the ring. She exists because I became horny for some wrestlers and am not a fan of celeb x you/reader style stories personally, but I like the concept of them, so I came up with this. Originally started out as an Orange Cassidy/OC but is now Preston Vance/OC. My threesome chapter for her is just sitting in my drafts, and nothing else has been written outside of drabbles I keep deleting and re-writing.

Bryn Olasdotter - Teen Wolf; A Valkyrie and member of the McCall Pack. She is in Only The Moon Howls. Originally she was named Brandi Hale and was Derek's cousin and Stiles's love interest before evolving into Brandi Segher and being a weretiger after the episode came out where Derek said he's the only member of his family left. Between the airing of seasons one and two, she became Bryn and a Valkyrie. Bryn initially had a love interest named Miguel, who was a werejaguar, but I scrapped that because as Bryn evolved and the show continued, they didn't make sense together. Bryn has always, since the beginning, had body image issues (though she used to suffer from body dysmorphia and was bulimic) and has a contentious relationship with her mother.

Akiko - Naruto; I have a bunch of Naruto OCs, but she is my most prominent. Originally thought up back in 2003 (?), her name was initially Hikari Jasmin, and she was the great-granddaughter of Ebizo. She became Akiko more recently, and her family has changed, but her personality, looks, and skill set have all stayed the same. I'm currently writing the first chapter of the story, which is a Kankuro x OC and is mostly smut with some plot, lol.

Hal - Saint Seiya/KotZ; Hal stayed the same the most out of all my OCs from the time she was conceived till now, with only three changes happening. Originally her name was Alexandra; she was a Kido kidlet like the other Bronzes and had armour but was not a Saint of Athena but worked for another deity. Her name is now Hal (a nickname), and her father is the British Ambassador to Japan, and she's not a Saint/Knight/Warrior or whatever you want to call it to a deity. Originally she was the love interest for Hyoga, but I switched her over to Ikki once I realized that even though it was opposites attract, Hyoga's non-manga love interests aren't even close in personality to Hal's, and she is better suited for Ikki. And omg, was that the best thing because I think Ikki and Hal are absolutely adorable together, and I just can't with them. They're so wholesome but smutty at the same time, lol.

Amaunet - X-Men/Marvel; My first ever OC was not Amaunet; it was actually a mutant named Reign, but as I began creating other mutants and Marvel characters, she went from being the top to just being there, and Amaunet became the main. Her real name is Jochebed Nassar, and she is from Palestine. I won't go too far into her backstory as I am writing her story up, but where she grew up is extremely important to who she is. Originally her name was Jennifer Howlett, and she was Wolverine's daughter from Egypt, but that didn't last long once I realized her name didn't match; she did stay as a Howlett for a time, but I scrapped that back when I re-worked her to fit into New X-Men Academy X, becoming the person she is now. Jo is my main character in multiple X-Men multiverse fics, such as 'House of M Doesn't Happen,' and Universe 161, aka everything, is canon up until when I stopped reading comics because I hated how cross-overy it became and just made up the rest on my own. Jo is the only one I have drawings of because of her various gear/costumes. She has aerokinesis.

#fanfiction #original characters for existing work #oc's #i love them they are my babies and I just want to talk about them #x-men #saint seiya #naruto #teen wolf #aew #attack on titan

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narutoheretic · 2 years ago

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you should tell us all about your root ocs 🤠 i have so many as well, yet i still think i need to make more bc of how big and international the org’s supposed to be :O

resurrecting another ask so old I don't remember a ton of concepts, BUT luckily i have the old scraps of danzo-trains-naruto fic (which still lives in my head despite me never being able to write it yet) to go off and find at least a few Root OCs. it was really fun to remember all these guys, so thanks for that!

harumi - an older Root member, was a young woman when Danzo was middle-aged (she pops up in here, beneath my lungs to talk with Kagami). she's weird and socially anxious but in a way that makes her really good at translating people yelling at each other into polite-speak, so she her career for a while was mainly just carrying messages. She began working with Kagami on his diplomatic/ambassador missions shortly before Kagami's death; she was the only survivor of the Iwa attack that killed Kagami and everyone else on that mission, and it cost her a leg and some severe scarring. After a few months of bluescreening, she became essentially an etiquette teacher, training the members of Root that would have to interface with the public; and, notably, teaching Kushina proper behavior and diplomacy when Kushina was first brought to Konoha.

rokuro - another older root member, one who worked closely with Danzo during the Shinobi no Yami years. he's half-Akimichi, and due to the lenient rules on blood relation would have been happily raised as part of the clan, except he uh. was a little weirdo who poisoned a kid for upsetting his cousin when he was like, seven. the Akimichi usually are incredibly harsh on poisoners but are equally soft for kids, so they were stuck not knowing what to do until someone noticed Danzo lurking around doing the beginning of his 'if anyone wants to discard a child just know i am always hiring. children' thing. Danzo was, at least then, viewed pretty favorably by the Akimichi due to his connection thru Torifu, so little Rokuro got packed off to utilize his nascent poisoning genius for the good of the nation. he grew up into a still-weird, still-poison-happy adult, summons carp (which baffles everyone, carp seem extremely boring for How He Is) and has a homoerotic rivalry with an Anbu member.

i cannot remember her goddamn name WHY we used to say it daily. Masako maybe?? - Danzo's second-in-command for a good chunk of Root's early to middle years. from a small wandering Jashin cult, ran into Danzo when they were both teenagers and thought the whole tree cult thing he had going on was sexier than her pain cult, split from her family to join Konoha and manage the mess of orphans Danzo was already accumulating. she's hot and a little unhinged, participated in a lot of his not-war-crimes-yet-but-they're-gonna-be-codified-into-that-postwar stuff during the Shinobi no Yami rep forming years. She also had a girlfriend whose name I cannot remember, just that she worked with gear and clothing. someone had to design those little jackets

eiri - a deaf explosions expert, friendly with Harumi but younger than her by about a decade. she's not as fleshed out, but I vaguely recall that she was supposed to be one of the first kids literally born into Root, with her parents both being Root members.

seji - one of the two heads of what I loosely termed the Manipulation department, members that specified in undercover missions, forming false friendships, honeypot missions, etc. started out as a random orphan with no bloodline, but has grown up to be extremely confident and charismatic to the point people often assume he's a clan discard. unfortunately i never named or characterized the other head lol, I think they were teammates (of the Root buddy system variety) tho

small shoutout to masaki, from the particular canon version of the training fic, who is literally just Uchiha Shisui with different eyes wearing Groucho Marx glasses and a fake beard. no like, literally in this AU shisui worked with danzo to help orchestrate the massacre, because he Was pretty much suicidal and wanted to escape his fate/position in the clan at all costs, and made some very bad decisions thereof. one of them possibly being giving his eyes away because he was sick of their abilities and didn't want his mental and physical health to deteriorate any further, but despite the huge adjustment there and the lingering guilt, he's actually pretty happy with his new life and identity. second-in-command of Root from shortly after Masako's death until canon.

#the roots that grow in the dark #headcanons and ocs #replies

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harpers-tartarus · 3 years ago

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okay but if Naruto learned to use Fuuton with a tessen like Temari...that would be amazing

bc I just imagine at the start of the war, Temari says "Wherever you send Naruto, you'll have to send me, we're partners."

"Romantically?" The Tsuchikage asks, confused and she glowers.

"No," she says coldly, "we're battle partners."

"Aren't you from different villages?"

"Yes," she says stiffly. "He is the Ambassador of Konoha. I am the Ambassador of Suna. And I am the reason he is so proficient in Fuuton style."

"Temari."

She looks up and Mito shares a glance with Gaara who nods. "Look after him," Mito says, fingers tight over the hat she'd inherited only last week.

"I'll do my best," Temari promises.

"And wreck shit up," Mito adds, sounding more like herself and less like the restrained leader she's been.

Temari bears her teeth. "You know it."

#I AM MAKING NARUTO AN AMBASSADOR #he is the reason that konoha and suna have such an iron clad treaty!#and he's besties with gaara #so the other two basically adopt him #futton no mito crap

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woodsfae · 2 years ago

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Babylon 5 s02e03 The Geometry of Shadows

table of contents • previous episode

That’s a pretty cool tricorder medical diagnostic device.

“Sinclair I could trust...this guy I don’t know.”

Honestly I can only hope that Sheridan won’t put up with nearly so much assaulting civilians. Hold him to a higher standard.

“I keep wondering what qualifies me to take back my job,”

me too,

“and I don’t have an answer.”

me neither.

Londo, instead of enjoying the curiosity and adulation of the other Centauri, maybe be worried about what the fantastically powerful war crimes committing Morden Et Al are up to??? And promising favors to more shady people, even if they’re Centauri, isn’t improving things! Londo needs - very badly - to learn to look beneath the underneath (I am so sorry for quoting Naruto but it really is a good life lesson put succinctly).

Bazaar fight with a previous un-introduced (I think?) species is a great way to roll into the opening credits, hah. Drazi fight! I’m guessing they aren’t just paler Narns.

They took away Na’Toth’s lipliner for the s02 opening credits!

Techno-mage - another new thingy. They use science to achieve the effects of magic. The Centauri have and have had them. They don’t like to leave their places of power, so seeing them is rare, and to the Centauri, seeing one of them is a bad omen. And here’s three! There are endless new mystical aspects to this show!

YES promotion and diplomatic training for Susan Ivanova!! Really, she only needs a reminder that her more thinly veiled threats like “You’re too young to experience that much pain,” is more diplomatic than “I’m going to put your seats in the fusion reactor and you along with them.”

Vir’s cosmological views are both interesting and make total sense that he believes that (derogatory).

I 100% believe that Londo Mollari would be utterly miserable with more power. As the Emperor, or whatever he has in mind, once he gets there, he’ll be miserable.

Unfortunately, John Sheridan is going to convince Garibaldi to stay. But hopefully him staying does come with some character development that I find less annoying. How sad for me that in the Gathering I was like “He’s adorable. A wringable dishrag of a man,” and now he’s just a cop who is a little bit likable.

Green vs Purple Drazi is an absolute nightmare of a way to try to begin diplomatic training. Hope that tackle didn’t break anything!

Oh, Vi (Vir Cotto, apparently!)r. I don’t care about him at all. But I do care about these extremely cool technomonsters!!!

Technomage: “You don’t frighten easily.”

Vir: “I work for Ambassador Mollari. After awhile, nothing bothers you.”

Laughed out loud at that.

Technomage: “There is an old saying: do not try the patience of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.”

Are these guys human? That’s mostly a Tolkien quote. Londo will certainly go storming in there, since Vir seems smart enough to refuse to go back. I wanna know where the technomages are headed. Are they going to oppose the Shadows? Join them? Investigate them? Fuck around with something totally different? Any of these eldritch beings that Catherine encountered going to come into play?

It is extremely interesting that, while the Minbari seem to be the most mystical, we have been shown more Narnuan direct connections to actual mystic things, like the eldritch beings, the previous war against the Shadows, and these technomages which seem to straddle science and magic.

Ivanova did break something(s)! Drazi 1, Ivanova 0.

The Drazis’ habit of dividing themselves arbitrarily and killing each other till only one faction remains sure is a cultural trait of all time.

There’s over a hundred technomages on b5! That seems like a lot when they don’t usually ever leave their places of power at all.

Technomage: “Captain, you have been used. This...creature...has been seeking an audience with me ever since I arrived.”

lmao.

Technomage: “You must learn manners and respect. From this moment on, you will!”

Well. I’m down for Londo Mollari learning some sense of a.) common sense, b.) empathy, c.) practical morality, but idk if I’m down for whatever this gothic af dude’s going to dish out.

I do want his robe, though. SO BADLY. I am trying very hard not to mentally plan out a whole new sewing project on top of all the others I’ve been daydreaming about.

“It is within that ambiguity that my brothers and I exist. We are dreamers, shapers, singers, and makers. We study the mysteries of laser and circuit, crystal and scanner. Holographic demons, and invocations of equations. These are the tools we employ, and we know many things.”

These guys are my aesthetic. I want to quote literally everything he says.

And they do know about the Shadows that are coming, and they’re going to hide themselves and their knowledge from being either destroyed or misused. New life goal: be a technomage. Love the drama, the robes, the poetry, the pretentiousness, and the practical ability to back all that up.

Smart of Ivanova to deal with one color of Drazi at once. Greens first, since they’re actively killing off the Purples now. Love that their solution for stopping the fighting is to vent all the Purple Drazi into space.

It’s a heavy-handed metaphor, but it checks out.

Goddamn it, Garibaldi is going to, very likably, go back Ivanova up just based on his gut feeling that she needs backup.

What did I say! Faking selling Acme products a la Looney Tunes and bringing back his love of the cartoon from the Gathering is absolutely adorable.

Mollari is having his life being hacked to embarrassment and inconvenience by the technomage and actually I am absolutely here for what is being dished out. Idk what a spoo ranch is, but I hope it’s deeply embarrassing to Centauri. Londo needs his hubris checked before he gets literally every sentient in the universe killed.

BAHAHAHA Drazi Rules haven’t been changed because they’re caught up in committee, therefore, Ivanova is the Green Leader since she’s holding the green star scarf.

It’s...depressingly nice to see that Mollari is capable of apologizing, and almost without caveats and qualifiers, too.

Sheridan: “In other words, you’re perfect for [Head of Security] because you’re compulsive and paranoid.”

Garibaldi: “Or, compulsively paranoid!”

both funny, and also kind of a good point.

Oh man, I am so about this technomage in every possible way. When people in the future ask what my pronouns are I will say techno/mage. When people ask what my gender identity is, I will hold up a little printed out photo of this guy in an anatomically-realistic locket. I am a little crossfaded right now because that’s way more fun than a max dose of tylenol/ibuprofen combo.

Sheridan likes to repeat things that series guests say to him, and I like that about him.

next episode

#babylon 5 #technomages #michael garibaldi #susan ivanova #john sheridan #woodsfae b5

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ao3bronte · 3 years ago

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🌈⚔️MARIGAMI HEADCANONS🌈🎀

<< [PART 2]

“You saved me!” Marinette exclaims, pressing a kiss to Kagami’s cheek an hour later. Kagami expects her to kiss the other cheek like a usual greeting but that moment never comes. “I was just checked off by three brand ambassadors! Look!”

Marinette is already signed into her portal and shows Kagami the form on her iPhone. Although several names remain grey, three considerable fashion houses are highlighted in green. “I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you for believing in me!” Marinette hugs her again, jumping up and down with delight. “You always know just what to say to make me stop acting so stupid!”

Kagami gently places her hands around her friend’s waist and closes her eyes, reveling in the sensation. Hugs, foreign as they are, are always welcome when they come from Marinette. “It’s my duty as your friend.”

Marinette giggles and pulls back, her smile and her eyes sparkling in the overhead lights. “Thank you. Now come on, I just need to pack up a few more things and then you can come back to my place and have dinner! Maman’s making a traditional Sunday meal tonight and I want you to try it.”

Kagami gracefully accepts the invitation and reminds her chauffeur via text that she will be going back to Marinette’s place for the evening. Kagami lifts several of Marinette’s suitcases onto her shoulder — a feat of strength that makes her friend gasp (much to Kagami’s delight) — and they climb into the limo just in time for dinner.

The food is delightful and the company even more so. Marinette’s family is kind and generous and they fill the small space with effervescent joy and energy, something that her own home lacks in spades. Kagami would like to spend more time here and says so plainly, inspiring a lifetime open-door invitation from the Dupain-Cheng’s.

Marinette urges her to come hang out upstairs after dinner and Kagami follows, sitting comfortably on the chaise beside her as Marinette prattles on about the day’s events. Kagami silently forwards her the notes she’d taken about the other designers and they snack on pastries and watch anime well into the evening, basking in each other’s company.

At one point while they’re watching Naruto, Marinette leans her head on Kagami’s shoulder and Kagami wraps her arm around her friend’s back without hesitation. They stay like that for a while, content at the connection, but then Marinette starts talking about something Kagami hadn’t anticipated.

“Have you ever kissed anyone? Other than Adrien, I mean.”

Kagami shakes her head. “Adrien didn’t want to be kissed.”

Marinette suddenly shoots up like a rocket. “What?!”

“I was never the right girl for him.” Kagami explains, staring pointedly at a knot in the hardwood. “You two are much more suited to each other.”

“I wish…” Marinette trails off, dropping her head back onto Kagami’s shoulder. “I couldn’t date him right now even if I wanted to. We’re both too busy.”

Kagami’s eyes furrow. “You don’t want to date Adrien?”

“Well, I mean—I—” Marinette stumbles over her words. “I love Adrien but he and I—” Kagami realises that Marinette is holding back something important. “I can’t give him one hundred percent of who I am. I’m stretched in too many directions and he is too. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

Kagami is honestly surprised by the confession. “But you have time for your friends.”

“I make time for my friends.” Marinette sighs and glances at the dollhouse in the corner of her room. “It’s kind of like—”

“—a balancing act.” Kagami finishes, knowing the feeling intimately. She wonders what else Marinette has on her plate that she doesn’t know about. “I know what it’s like. But I like making time for you.”

“I like making time for you too.” Marinette beams, her smile so familiar that her heart skips a beat. Marinette smiles for everyone but Kagami knows that the connection between them is special, blossoming and changing every day. Kagami feels something bubble in her stomach, a feeling she used to associate with Adrien. It feels hot and shivery like a fever, burning like sparks all along her skin.

“I would like to kiss you.” Kagami says, watching as Marinette’s eyes grow wide. “I want my first kiss to be with someone I like.”

“You—” Marinette gasps but doesn't pull away as Kagami combs her fingers through her bangs. “—you like me?”

“Of course. You’re my friend.” Or more than a friend, Kagami wants to say. Now that she’s recognized the feeling of infatuation flowing through her veins, she sees no point in denying it.

“I...well, um…” Marinette gulps and blushes profusely, matching the perfectly pink colour of her shirt. “...I mean, yes! Yes, you can kiss me if—if you still want to.”

Kagami smirks. “I do. Don’t be nervous. Have confidence.”

Marinette is about to blurt something out when Kagami closes the distance between them and kisses her gently, cutting off any unnecessary blathering. Kagami loves the sound of Marinette’s voice, yes, but tonight she wants to do something other than listen to that beautiful mouth talk.

fin.

SEE ALL OF MY LGBTQ+ HEADCANONS HERE!

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous pride #marigami #kagaminette #lgbtq #ml

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torivikachu · 4 years ago

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wanna play by the rules and entertain the idea of straight ships in Naruto?

I couldn't sleep so - apparently, yeah.

the only canon ship that makes sense is ShikaTema. like really. thats like my second best ship apart from SNS but if we consider the straight world - I'm gonna go with that one. they are so made for each other its not even funny its freaking adorable!!!! Shikamaru what-a-drag-women-amiright Nara x Temari I-like-dorks-who-I-can-dominate Sabaku is the power couple we deserve. and she is like the only married woman apart from Sakura who hasn't completely abandoned her work? she is an ambassador of Suna. right? or wait. was it just fanfiction? nevermind, she is a badass anyway.

I don't know about Karui and Choji... I mean, they are okay. maybe. I just have no idea how they could've ended up together. AT ALL.

moving on, there is SaiIno who I both adore to the depth of my heart and believe to be the low-key SNS. even though they don't make much sense too thanx to the plot, I do like them together. Ino always chased after Sasuke, but more cause everybody did... and honestly after all Sasuke has done you have to be a total idiot to still love him (I know two of those can you guess who). Sai - while looking similar - is handsome, smart and weird in his own way, and has this enigma fleur about him so I can totally see how he could have caught her attention, and she is a pretty girl who can kick ass and not afraid to stand up for herself, and if we entertain the idea that Sai has a thing for blonds after Naruto brought him out of his shell then maybe it makes even more sense. but what do I know...

I am really struggling to remember other ships (at least regarding rookie 9+3) so I'll just jump to the major ones I take issue with.

SasuSaku and NaruHina.

first of all - I don't hate these ships solely cause I like SNS. i honestly wouldn't ship them even in a completely straight word where no rainbow has ever appeared (that was lame but I am sleep deprived so back off wouldya).

they just DONT MATCH.

yeah Sakura was smitten with Sasuke and Hinata with Naruto for like... 700 episodes.

SO WHAT

that doesn't make them good couples. lemme explain why.

Sasuke is broken. okay? he.is.not.interested.in.family.

he doesn't connect with people. he can't! he broke the bond with Sakura when he left the village and that fragile shadow of it they established after the war is just not enough to build a relationship on. the only person he hasn't broken the bond with is Naruto and even relationship with him wouldn't be easy.

but we're in straight world, so I would assume he'd like to avoid human contact as a plague whatsoever. mb have a child or two to keep Uchiha bloodline, but no strings attached.

oh wait! sounds exactly like what he did.

hell, mb SasuSaku makes sense after all (SARCASM)

NaruHina is more likely.

but Hinata is so damn boring.

I mean... she isn't that boring. she is strong, relentless, stoic, brave and shit. but.so.boring.

Naruto would love playing house for a couple of years sure. cause he always wanted a family, yeah. but he also needs someone who can match him. at least on some level.

unfortunately, she cant.

she doesn't even seem to have a personality outside of Naruto. newsflash, that ain't healthy. I mean even though Sakura reduces to a blushing mess around Sasuke, she is pretty badass when he is not around.

Hinata is not. she could be! she damn well could be.

but she is not.

the only straight couple that makes sense out of these four is NaruSaku. yeah honestly. they have matching personalities, they would be a fun couple! both strong enough to not be consumed by each other, having a long history of friendship to support their love... even though they didn't have the best start, Sakura learnt to respect and like Naruto and he always adored her. their banter would keep things between them heated... damn, that's sorta even healthier than SNS in some ways.

but I really don't like that Sasuke is left out in this picture so I'd still go with SNS. Sakura can land any other guy.

or just bear Sasuke's child. that'll do nicely if she'd be satisfied with it.

but it doesn't seem likely.

so I'd leave her with Lee? or she can be alone. or InoSaku is pretty interesting but oh right thats a straight world. she could be with Sai though. but that leaves us eith a big issues of Ino being too good for any other guy out there so I am like really lost here.

Hinata would be okay with Kiba? probably. but I feel like Kiba needs somebody more... lively? though... they have been on the same team for a long time. I am pretty sure Kiba and Shino know her better than anybody else. so maybe... MAYBE Kiba would be a good match for her.

please don't ask me why I don't consider Shino cause honestly the guy is just a big buggy enigma for me I can't really imagine with anybody.

that's pretty much it with the straight ships.

I hope I can sleep now.

#attention #straight ships #naruto #shikatema #narusaku #narusasu #those hashtags seem like Konoha is like Narutos harem or something #sasunaru #saiino

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kendochick-moor · 3 years ago

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July 2016 - Naruto - Star Wars AU: Kisame's Favourite Memories

Another fic/series I need to get back to. The Star Wars AU fics were awesome Fluff Friday/Smut Monday oneshots to write... I forgot about this one until I realized it wasn’t posted on AO3.

One of these days, everything will be complete...

Popping her up and off his shoulders where he’d tossed her after their practice that afternoon—so he wouldn’t lose her, he’d argued—, Kisame plopped Sakura down at the table and set about serving their supper meal.

Sakura looked up at Master Hoshigaki Kisame as he piled food higher and higher on her plate. The plate that was already far too big for her.

“We… will be eating while we travel?” she asked, eyeing the mountain of vegetables balanced precariously on the tray. The sheer volume of the veggies implied they would not. Their journey wouldn’t take them so far they couldn’t restock supplies… would it?

“Hmph, of course,” he said, as if it was a silly question.

He set down the platter he’d been serving her from. Then picked up another one, adding a second variety of vegetable dish to her plate, mashing down some of what he’d already put there in order to make room for more.

“Should I get you a trough?” she asked drily.

“Stop using that mouth for sass and put it to eating,” he said, upending the platter and scraping the rest of the vegetables onto her plate.

By now the food towered higher than Sakura where she sat at the table.

“How am I supposed to eat all this?!”

She gestured at the gargantuan amount of food, propping herself up by her elbow.

“Completely,” he said, digging into his own meal.

Sakura glowered at Kisame but he ignored her.

“I can’t fit all this inside me,” she pouted, digging in.

“Then grow,” he muttered around his food.

Across from them, Itachi swallowed a sigh and kept his head down.

(BR)

Wind gusted around them, spitting sand and grit into Sakura’s wide, curious eyes as they debarked onto the sandy dune planet. The second sun had risen and the heat reflecting off the sand underfoot and metal of their ship burned her through her layered robes.

At first she had worried that visiting a sandy planet would remind her of her time as a young child, destitute and starving and constantly on the run. The sand on this planet was reddish-brown instead of brown-gray like her home planet, however, and the texture was different, softer, like silt. The inhabitants dressed differently, too, and the structures she could see were of rounder shapes than those she grew up with. Her heart calmed as she continued her comparison, relieved that she wasn’t fighting any reactions triggered by their environs.

“This way,” said Itachi, leading them forward.

Hurrying her steps to catch up to Itachi, Sakura glanced behind them to see Kisame shaking himself, rubbing at his arms.

She cocked her head to the side when his fidgeting continued.

“The sand?” she asked Itachi.

“Hn. It is uncomfortable for Master Hoshigaki.”

She nodded in understanding.

Not much later, she felt a light jolt from behind and looked up at Kisame.

“Stick close, Sprout,” he said in his low, familiar rumble.

Frowning at him, Sakura straightened her robes. “I can look after myself,” she said. “I was top of my class.”

“This isn’t class,” said Itachi, surprising her from her other side and much closer than usual. Her breath caught for a half-second as she acknowledged his proximity. Only with great effort did she restrain the Force that instinctively unfurled from her body to embrace Itachi’s.

It was then that Sakura noticed how Kisame and Itachi’s eyes were scanning their dusty environs closer than usual—and how many men were jerking their heads and gazes away from her when they met her mentors’ stares.

That was odd.

Regardless, now that she knew others were watching her, Sakura made an effort to walk straighter and taller, more confident in her steps.

Still, the meeting with the ambassador went well that afternoon thanks in great part to Master Itachi’s natural, if terse, diplomacy and they were saved from small talk and meandering pleasantries when Master Kisame stood up and declared it was time for him to meditate.

The trio promptly meditated to a street market stall several streets from their hosts’ constituency hall and meeting place, Kisame following his nose the entire way.

“Here it is! I knew it was this way,” he gloated, pulling out his money. “I’ll take three of everything. ‘Tachi, Sprout, what would you like?”

“A kilo of calcium carbonate. That’s going to do terrible things to your digestive syst—” started Sakura, only to be interrupted by Itachi.

“The broiled… vegetables…” he said with uncharacteristic hesitation.

Kisame chortled and Itachi looked up at him, nonplussed.

“... what is it?” asked Sakura on a sigh.

“Lizard gizzard.”

In spite of the sun beating down on her, Sakura paled.

“C’mon, you used to eat worse than this when you were…”

At Sakura’s stricken look, Kisame cleared his throat and looked away as silence fell between them.

“That one’s vegetables,” he mumbled, pointing. His shoulders rounded slightly and he hunched over, hiding his embarrassment by studying the offerings on the stall.

With a small nod and her heart receding from her throat, Sakura pointed at the vegetables and smiled wanly at the vendor. Itachi did the same and chose the lizard gizzard, too.

Surprised, Sakura arched a brow only for Itachi to ignore her look as he accepted the paper-wrapped cone of street food.

“Would you like to try one?” asked Itachi, offering her a toothpick with a small, spicy-seasoned lump of…

Sakura stared at it.

Then she felt her hood flipped over her head.

“Hey!”

“The sun’s burning your skin, lobster-face,” said Kisame.

Ignoring whether it was the sun or not, Sakura glared at her Master and tugged her hood down further. Distracted by Kisame’s strangeness, she forgot about Itachi’s offer.

“Keep moving,” ordered Kisame once he received his food.

They did.

As they settled in a shady spot beneath a fluttering tent awning, Sakura leaned back and untucked her hood, shaking it off her fair pink locks.

—then felt it pulled right back up again.

“It’s hot, we’re in the shade,” she said, tugging it down again.

Kisame ignored her protest and tugged her hood back up and over her head again.

“Stop that,” she said, batting his hand away.

It was like trying to stop a storm with butterfly net; the storm barrelled straight along anyway.

“It’s for your own good,” he growled.

“There’s nothing good about being hot and sweaty under a stuffy hood—”

“He means that you are attracting attention,” Itachi said calmly. He looked up from a stick of lizard gizzard after appraising it, brows furrowed.

Itachi’s words caught Sakura’s attention. As she had before she looked around—this time not at their surroundings, but at the people who meandered nearby.

It was then she noticed how many men were openly staring at her petite form, many individually as lonely, hungry wolves, many more in clusters and small groups, hanging back and shuffling towards corners when she met their glittering, unsettling eyes.

For the first time since her childhood as a refugee, Sakura felt her insides shrivelling up into something watery and uncomfortable.

“No one’ll get near you, Sprout,” said Kisame in a fatherly tone, patting her on the head—before tugging her hood up once again.

She nodded quietly and curled into a small, hunched ball. Any hint of hunger had vanished. She left the hood alone.

“Creepers,” muttered Sakura, poking at her food but not feeling even the slightest appetite.

On either side of her, Kisame and Itachi continued eating. Unconsciously seeking comfort, Sakura leaned to her left, instinctively curling up into Kisame’s muscled side. She breathed in deep of his familiar, reassuring scent and Itachi’s constant calm. Finding her center, she closed her eyes and listened to the people around her, practising extending her senses and reading the Force of the people and objects around her in meditation.

Meanwhile, over her head, Kisame and Itachi’s eyes met in silent conversation. Their faces were set.

After several minutes, the pair of men finished eating and stood.

“Wait here,” said Kisame, setting down his heavy bag beside Sakura.

“We’ll be right back,” said Itachi.

At Sakura’s wide eyed look of panic, Itachi’s features softened and he leaned down and poked her between the eyes.

“Promise,” he said lightly.

With that he stood and joined Kisame and the pair walked off into the marketplace.

… several minutes later they returned, Kisame straightening his robes, and Itachi as placid as ever.

Further away she heard raised voices, and what sounded like a skirmish or two; yet her Masters appeared mostly unruffled.

Out of the corner of her eye Sakura saw Master Kisame flushing his hands with water and ignored the colours that dripped down from his thick wrists to the sand at their feet.

Sakura stared at them then, unsure if she should feel awe, exasperation or just a smidge of dread.

The colour of Kisame’s light saber, wasn’t it normally tinged only a little red around the edges? That one he just put away looked brighter than usual...

“Oy,” growled Kisame.

She froze, caught staring.

“You still didn’t eat your vegetables!”

Sakura’s shoulders wilted, but she wrinkled her nose at Kisame.

“I can’t tell the difference between the gizzard and the… what kind of vegetables are these, anyway?”

“Paid for,” said Kisame, towering over her with his arms crossed.

Itachi sighed.

Coincidentally there were no more stalkers from the shadows for the rest of the visit.

(BR)

Master Kisame was invited by the Jedi Council to a quick meeting when they returned to Konoha.

When Sakura asked afterwards if he was okay, he grinned at her in his sharky way and gave her a wink.

“Etiquette refresher,” he said.

On Kisame’s other side, Itachi stifled a sigh.

(BR)

Another visit, another planet, another flight home

Itachi looked over to the other side of the cockpit and saw Sakura fast asleep, her small form curled up in a corner of the oversized captain’s seat, her chest moving lightly with the even breaths of a peaceful, pleasant dream. Her Force continued to float around her like a misty fog, tendrils reaching out for him every so often and receding once they registered he was near.

Outside the main transparisteel viewport, the stars they navigated seemed endless in the vast vacuum of space. Yet inside their cockpit in Kisame’s seat was where Sakura found it coziest to rest.

His heavy footsteps clomping down the gangway grating, Kisame entered the cockpit from behind Itachi and stilled, his footsteps silencing themselves immediately.

Then he turned around, quiet as a Konoha spring breeze, and retreated again. He returned a moment later with something in his arms and approached Sakura cautiously.

With more care than Itachi thought him capable, the hulking Jedi wrapped a soft blue blanket of woven reeds around Sakura’s shoulders, tucking her in and strapping her seat belt on, just in case. He tucked her loose hair behind her ear, smiling gently when her lips twitched into a smile of her own for a brief moment.

Kisame then proceeded to spend the next several hours squeezed into the opposite edge of his seat, hunched over as he tried to reach the instrument panel.

“We can move her to her bunk,” offered Itachi lightly. He dared not look at Kisame, but he could feel the other man glaring at him.

“She needs her rest. She’s growing,” argued Kisame in a raspy whisper. He didn’t dare raise his voice to risk Sakura stirring.

Itachi couldn’t help the grin tugging at his lips.

He nodded sagely at his Master and they continued on.

The next day when Sakura asked him why Kisame was so crabby, Itachi blinked and said he was getting old (much to Kisame’s blustering protest).

(BR)

In their guest accommodations, Naboo

Serving themselves, Kisame grunted before piling more vegetables on Sakura’s plate. Sakura’s nose wrinkled before she shoved the extra food to the far side.

They ate a few minutes longer before Kisame pushed the neglected food back towards her. And added a healthy slab of protein beside it.

He topped it off with three sprigs of ornamental parsley in the shape of a smiley face.

This time Sakura ignored it and sipped at her water, waiting to be dismissed.

Silence permeated the kitchen air and lingered with the spicy scents of Kisame’s cooking.

“Eat,” he grunted, a quarter of an hour later.

“Full,” she countered.

“You aren’t full. Eat your meat,” he said, adding, “And your vegetables.”

“I said I’m full!”

“Look Sprout, you’re going to get stepped on or lost. You need to grow. Eat your damn vegetables.”

“No, thank you, I said I’m—”

Kisame banged his fists on the table, jarring the dishes with a clatter. “I heard what you said! But you need to grow before I forget you somewhere like a lost sock!”

“I’m not a sock. And I won’t get lost!”

The yelling escalated until it got Itachi’s attention.

Swallowing a sigh and pasting on a look of indifference, he reached the kitchen just in time for young Sakura to launch a handful of cooked vegetables at Kisame, screaming,

“I’m not a sock!”

—while Kisame roared back,

“—eat it or by the time I’m done kicking your little ass my foot will be wearing you and then you really will be a—”

Itachi cleared his throat.

“The queen will see us now.”

(The End.)

#my writing #my fanfic #itasaku eventually #star wars au #the other fics are a series on my AO3 linked above #and yes this is more penance while I continue working on Pop the Top

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fuckinuchihas · 4 years ago

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🌹 - Neji

Sorry this is so late I haven’t had wifi for like a month so thanks for being so patient <3 Also side note I really enjoyed writing this so I hope it’s okay!!

Neji insists that he doesn’t need to get married. He can lead the clan without distraction if he stays unattached and unencumbered by the weight of those kinds of things. It's a little easier to imagine having a child now that the main branch of the family has grown in a variety of ways. However, he isn’t about to let down his guard just because the peace they reached after the war, seems to be holding up fairly well.

His uncle is not pleased with this revelation.

As he is still the head of their clan, Neji does have some obligation to meet his demands but after the first, second, and third attempts of ‘urgent meetings’ that quickly devolve into arranged marriage contract negotiations, he’s at his limit.

He finally turns to Hinata for assistance but with her being married to the man she’s been in love with since she could barely walk, it’s not exactly helpful.

Neji doesn’t have a Naruto.

There’s no one that has drawn him in or piqued his interest in the slightest.

He really wishes his uncle would just stay out of it.

That is until Hinata tells him about an upcoming ceremony where an ambassador from the village hidden in the waterfalls is meeting with all the local clan leaders to discuss a political marriage for their next in command.

Marrying for money or privilege has never appealed to him, nor is he idealistic enough to put his faith in a cosmic power; be it fate, soulmates, or even something as abstract as love.

However, since the war, the land hidden in the waterfalls has rightfully felt cut off from the rest of the Land of Fire despite being centered between The Hidden Leaf Village and The Hidden Stone Village.

To have something to bond those in power wouldn’t be a terrible idea…

“Who all will be present?” Neji asks, almost surprising himself that he’s actually showing an interest.

“Unfortunately there’s not many clans with unmarried heirs. The Nara clan is sending their third in line, Shino has requested that he not be included, but he’ll probably have to make an appearance anyway, and...and the Fuma clan will be sending someone, though I’m not sure who.” she says, showing quite a bit of worry.

The Fuma clan is known for their aggression but none more than the most recently appointed heir. If not for how well things were already running, mostly due to Naruto’s heart and Shikmaru’s untouchable mind…

Well, to allow that man more power doesn’t sit right in his gut.

“Tell Uncle I’ll be in attendance,” he says, ignoring the way Hinata’s eyes widen in surprise. “It can never hurt to keep an eye on the Fuma clan.”

“I’ll let him know.”

Neji gently bows his head to her and takes off in another direction.

He has some research to do.

The night of the ceremony he’s dressed in his formal wear despite the discomfort that comes from it, and his hair has been neatly straightened and pinned. There’s a prickle of nervousness at his fingertips but he ignores it in favor of arriving just a few minutes before the other guests.

His uncle is giving him the most enthusiastic smile he’s seen from the man in years and it almost immediately makes him flinch back and turn around.

No...this was his plan he’ll see it through.

It will be fine if you take up with the Nara clan member or even Shino he supposes but if it looks as if the Fuma clan have the upperhand, he’ll step in.

He isn’t full of himself, knows it’s nothing to do with who he is, his hopes, dreams, desires, but his clan is well known throughout all the villages and he has been appointed to be their heir as soon as his Uncle wishes to step down.

Some nagging voice in the back of his mind is telling him that the old man is just waiting to marry him off before doing it.

Still, a contract with him is far superior to a contract with the Fuma clan and Neji understands the power of his position if nothing else.

When you arrive, your face is hidden entirely under a thick veil, he bows his head to you politely and you return the motion, the same for your father.

His uncle then proceeds to ‘keep casual conversation’ which in political rooms means something entirely different, as the four of you wait for the others to show up.

Shino is first, he stays humble and polite for a few moments but is suspiciously called to the school no more than five minutes after the introductions are over.

Neji tries not to envy him.

You’re soft spoken and quiet, Neji isn’t sure if that’s actually who you are or who you are in moments like this but he’s at least glad that you’re speaking on some topics as the conversation loops from one thing to another.

The young man from the Nara clan...well he can hardly be called a man. He’s probably only barely old enough to be married at all, is nervous and awkward which is slightly amusing to him, but clearly not a viable candidate.

Honestly, if you can just get things sewn up before Fuma gets he-

As if right on cue, the ceremonial curtain that was hung at the entrance of the room is loudly pulled away and in walks the overly entitled cesspool of DNA known as Fuma Ichizoku.

Servants follow him into the room despite the fact that marriage negotiations are meant to be private with only one advisor per each interested party.

“Hey there, why don’t you take all that off and let me get a look at your pretty face,” he says, then he steps toward you and you subtly back away from the advance. It’s just a small movement really, the curve of your back arching just a little.

It’s enough for him.

Neji wastes no time, he stands, politely bows to you and then meets Ichizoku head on.

“I’m afraid you’re no longer welcome in these talks. Bringing uninvited guests into a treaty signing is not allowed,” he says cooly, ignoring the gasp from his cohorts. “I would advise that you read up on the formalities of contract negotiations before entering into one.”

“Do you know who I am?” he asks, his words slurring a bit as the stink of alcohol invadesNeji’s air.

“A previous guest who has been uninvited, now please see your way out,” Neji answers, looking to his people. It is in vain because they are clearly too intimidated to do anything about his disruptive behavior.

In one quick, precise movement, Neji thumps his hand against the side of Ichizoku’s neck and he barely has time to start his complaint before crumpling to the floor.

He turns to you, eyes pale and gorgeous and he asks if you’d like to file a formal complaint. You quickly shake your head no before he turns back to the group that came in with him. “See to it that he gets home safely,” he says, but he makes a mental note to discuss this with Ichizoku’s father. If he can’t do better than this, he’s not fit to lead a clan of any kind, not even theirs.

They quickly carry him out of the room and Neji returns to his seat.

Your father scratches his chin with stoic features for a few beats before Neji watches the small uptick at the corner of his mouth and he feels a flood of something warm through him.

“I’ve heard rumors you were reluctant to marry…” he says, and Neji slowly bows and nods his head.

“That’s true yes...I had no altruistic intentions of marrying and having a family. I think-I thought it would be easier to lead my clan if I wasn’t concerned about a partner or children or returning home every night,” he says, but he looks to you, bows his head again, “But if I can be of use to my clan, to the people in my village, to the Allied Nations I want to do that. I want people in every hidden village to feel included in the peace that we’ve fought so hard to get,” he says, and he doesn’t think he’s talked this much in a while but it still doesn’t feel like enough.

“So not for money or love, but political marriage interests you?”

“It’s not that, sir. I just think that when you’re part of something greater than yourself or your clan, it gives you a sense of purpose and I believe anyone who experiences that is more invested in maintaining those ideals and feelings,” he says, and you find yourself smiling under the veil.

“And you think you can share that feeling with our people?” he asks, and Neji goes quiet, lost in his thoughts for a moment.

Hiashi tries to cover the silence but your father just waits for him, observes him and waits.

“To be honest sir, I’m not entirely sure I’m the best person for that. Until recently I was blind to most of the world outside the Hyuga compound,” he says, pausing to take a breath. “Perhaps you could find a better match elsewhere. Someone more open and kind. You see, I’m not very personable. Even my teammates and closest friends find me difficult…”

“Well I certainly didn’t expect quite that much honesty,” your father says, a hearty laugh bubbling out of his chest.

“Sir?”

“You’ll do fine, young Hyuga. You’ll do just fine.”

“I’m not sure I understand…”

“The contracts can be amended if you find something to your dislike but read over them and make your decision. I know we’re eager to officially join in the peace treaty and have such respectful and honest allies at our backs.”

Neji looks to you like he’s expecting you to stop him or something but you just nod your head in agreement and let him look over the pages, your skin tingling with anticipation.

You wait, breath feeling trapped in your throat as his eyes skim over the document when his signature is finalized across the bottom, you feel yourself smiling.

#Vday event #kel answers #my stuff #naruto #neji hyuga #neji x reader #not knb #not haikyuu!!#sorry its so late!!

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finishwhatyoustarted-event · 1 year ago

Text

Final Works: Writing part 3

(link to stats and masterlist)

some works NSFW/18+; some text in summaries and tags will also be NSFW.

AO3 collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/FinishWhatYouStarted2023

That one memorable incident with the potato clock and the science museum by Ennael, LetoLeGaosaure

Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You - Fluff, Humor, Science - Rated G - "Rhyme really doesn't lose any time. Neku, on the other hand, does lose Rhyme. Joshua helps with one thing, but it could be argued that he seriously doesn't help overall. As usual."

Tastes Like Strawberry Cream by seles

NSFW - Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan - Hange Zoë/Reader - Fluff and Smut, Established Relationship, Wall Sex, Semi-Public Sex - Rated E - " "I need you," you blurted out, emphasizing the desire by sliding your foot alongside the inside of their leg. "We're in public, dear," Hange reminded you with wide eyes and red growing across their cheeks. "Hasn't stopped you before." Hange rolled their eyes playfully. Dismissively. "Isn't it your kink anyway?" Dropping your voice into a deep whisper, you purred, "Fuck me, Hange." "

Beware The Boes! by Ginneke

Tumblr post - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Link & Tatl (Legend of Zelda) - Mild Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Zinefic, Tatl POV, Playing with monster lore - Rated T "The only scary thing about Boes is not knowing when they're there. Right? Right. Tatl would like to think so… -- Written for the Faces of Evil zine, vol. 7: The Small."

To Catch the Wind by ForestWren

tumblr post - The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien - Background Fëanor Curufinwë/Nerdanel - Character Study - Rated G "In which Fëanáro begins to invent the Tengwar."

It's Just Like Falling Snow (I am Above You, and I Love You) by ForestWren

tumblr post - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Andor (TV) - Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Maarva Andor & Cassian Andor, Cassian Andor & His Various Friends and Family - Major Character Death (tagged as a warning), Found Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Afterlife - Rated G "Cassian dies. What comes next is far less lonely than he expects."

Let's be called 'Romeo and Juliet' by sasuhina_gal

Naruto - Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke - Modern Royalty, Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Real Feelings - Rated T "It's the story that shook the country of Konoha. It stunned, it amazed, it made the king so incredibly happy. The Heiress of the Hyuuga Family and Second son of the Uchiha family had fallen in love! But it was just a trick to annoy their families. Isn't it?"

Who wouldn't want Hollows and Shinigami living in harmony? Right? by Mysticalbeingwithuntoldpowers

Tumblr post - Bleach (Anime & Manga) - Roka Paramia/Tessai Tsukabishi, Aizen Sousuke/Kurosaki Ichigo - Soul King Kurosaki Ichigo, Mystery, Established Relationship Ichigo/Sousuke, Politics - Rated G “Roka Paramia, ambassador for Queen Harribel, was determined to make her speech in front of Central a successful one, a lot depended on her. Unfortunately, even the best laid plan can't predict everything. How dare someone interrupted the most crucial moment of the peace talks with an anonymous laser beam to her face. And why did the King saddled her with an overprotective seven foot giant that was way too perceptive for her own good?”

Flowers from your Beloathed by Ginneke

tumblr post - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Link/Revali - Pre-Calamity, Cultural Differences, Flower Language, Misunderstandings, Crack Treated Seriously, Very Mild Innuendo, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Injuries - Rated T "Revali starts finding flowers from an unwanted admirer — or the country’s most inept assassin. With Urbosa’s help, he’ll never figure out what’s going on. Meanwhile, Link is put in charge of figuring out exactly where the tokens | threats keep coming from…"

Hypotenuse by LetoLeGaosaure

NSFW - Lobotomy Corporation (Video Game) - Benjamin/Carmen (Lobotomy Corporation), Ayin/Benjamin/Carmen (Lobotomy Corporation) (two thirds of this are one-sided) - Friends With Benefits, Pining, One-Sided Relationship, Fluff, Platonic Cuddling, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Sexual Roleplay, Roleplayed Polyamory, Anal Fingering, Penis In Vagina Sex - Rated E "Benjamin never thought he'd get close to Carmen like this. Well, of course everyone was friends with Carmen. But… this was… something else. And the most ironic part in all of this was that it was entirely Ayin's fault, and he was totally clueless. Of course."

Run to you by sasuhina_gal

NSFW, CW: Sibling Incest - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) - Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Todoroki Shouto, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Shinsou Hitoshi, Mentioned Enji/Keigo - Mutual Pining, One-Sided Attraction, suggested voyeurism, Aizawa and Shinso are brothers, Alternate Universe - College/University - Rated M "Touya and Shouta, roommates in college, share something in common, their love for their little brothers. They know they'll live in self-disgust, never expecting it to go anywhere, but they'll realise there's a reason their their brother's safe space."

(part 1)(part 2)

#finish what you started 2023 #finishwhatyoustarted2023 #event end #please let me know if any links got messed up!

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jacksgreysays · 4 years ago

Note

For fake title: still waters (run deep) character: Shisui and or theme: Uzushio

The fisherman doesn't look surprised when Shisui arrives, not by the suddenness of his appearance or his age or the fact that, excepting the crow on his shoulder, he is entirely alone. No, the fisherman is not surprised, but that doesn't mean he's relaxed either: a large man, nearly two heads taller than Shisui with muscle honed through hard work. But it is a civilian level strength. For all that the fisherman is accustomed to shinobi, he is no match for one.

"You're headed to Uzushio, huh?" the fisherman says, less a question than an accusation without any heat.

"Yes, I am" Shisui answers anyway with a polite sort of cheer; there is a reason why he's the one being sent to Uzushio and not one of his cousins. "Tazuna-san said you're the best at navigating the whirlpools."

The fisherman gives him a skeptical glance which is fair. What Tazuna actually said was that if Shisui was fool enough to go to Uzushio, then this particular fisherman would at least make sure Shisui's fool head didn't get dashed on the rocks of the shore.

But the fisherman shrugs, accepting enough, and tilts his head at a small wooden boat tied to the dock with nets bulging with fish. "That one's mine. Are you in a rush? Because I have to get these to the monger first."

"No, I can wait," Shisui says, because that's the polite thing to do and if this fisherman is his best way to Uzushio then its worth waiting for... except, as Kansoku reminds him with a sharp tug on his hair, he is actually kind of in a rush. Shisui is a shinobi, so of course he's smelled worse, and so he doesn't wrinkle his nose at all when he offers, "Would you like some help? Four hands are faster than two."

"Alright, kid, I'll take you up on that." The fisherman's expression lightens into a wide, friendly smile and Shisui who can't help himself, returns it with one of his own. The fisherman introduces himself, "You can call me Kaiza."

---

A few weeks ago, Hidden Rain broke their decades-long silence with increasingly concerning news:

Hanzo the Salamander long dead.

A heretofore unknown organization leading the village.

Active recruitment and retainment of various S-rank shinobi.

A grudge against one Shimura Danzo, former council member of Hidden Leaf.

One year--maybe even as little as a month or two previous--would have made this the most momentous occasion in international shinobi politics since the last world war.

Unfortunately, it only just barely makes top three in the past year.

---

"So, kid," Kaiza says as they're coasting over the waves at a clip much faster than Shisui would have thought possible for the small wooden boat, "You're from Leaf, right?"

"Yes." It's literally on his forehead and more straightforward than some of the other villages' symbols, but Shisui gives him the benefit of the doubt. Kaiza is a civilian, after all. And to be fair, some of the Uchiha elders were considering changing it to match the new regime, but Fugaku-san--sorry, Hokage-sama, Shisui's still getting use to it--felt it would be best to at least try to maintain a semblance of stability.

He doesn't know if news of Konoha's turmoil has reached this far. Or if the people of Wave even care. They certainly didn't bat an eye at Shisui's questions of their new neighbor--old neighbor? returned neighbor?--all incurious shrugs and silence or entertaining but unhelpful tall tales.

"Have you ever met another shinobi?" Shisui asks conversationally, though he already knows the answer to that question. "Am I your first shinobi passenger?"

"I've seen a few Mist ninja from a distance. A very far distance, thankfully," Kaiza responds, casual and earnest; Shisui sees no reason to doubt him. "Never had a ninja join me sailing on my boat before, though. Not one that helped me unload my haul. You're a good kid."

Shisui has killed more men than there had been fish wriggling in those nets. He appreciates the sentiment anyway. Kaiza is an honest sort of man, Shisui is glad to have met him.

He could use more straightforwardness in his life.

---

The Mist Rebellion overthrew the Yondaime Mizukage after an almost tidy public assassination and thirty six hours of civil war with minimal casualties.

Terumi Mei, newly coronated Godaime Mizukage, only mentions the "grace and goodwill of allies." Neither of those words particularly apply to the surly looking Momochi Zabuza standing two steps back and one step to the right of her, but if there is another ally in the works they're not claiming the limelight.

Hidden Mist has always been a tumultuous village. Tidiness aside, nothing was surprising about it.

---

It's strange.

When Shisui pictured Land of Whirlpools, he had a vague idea mostly cobbled together from the grey, cloudy skies of Mist, or the eternal deluge of Rain, or even the foggy, sepia tones of Wave.

He was not expecting clear skies almost impossibly blue and lush treetops tall enough to rival the forests of Konoha. The beach is pink.

It's vibrant. It's strange. There's a giant chakra turtle monster happily splashing in the shallows, waving tendrils in their direction as a greeting.

The sharp jagged rocks and erratic whirlpools between them and the shore are real, at least, so Shisui hasn't been completely fooled, but from the wry, almost apologetic smile on Kaiza's face, Shisui's not great at hiding his hurt.

Kaiza pulls out a decorative coin--what Shisui had thought was some kind of superstitious fisherman charm that he'd touched before they set sail from Wave--and passes his thumb along the surface. After a moment or two, the swirling slows, the water calms, and the passage is traversable. A small figure appears on the pink beach. The giant chakra turtle monster reaches a gentle tendril out and is metaphorically met half way by an arm absolutely minuscule in comparison.

"Don't worry, kid," Kaiza says reassuringly. It's the kind of statement that would be accompanied with a clap on the shoulder, but whether the fisherman can sense Shisui's betrayal or, more likely, he's been around more shinobi and knows better, he keeps his distance. "Tazuna vouched for you and you didn't even get mad when the monger threw a fish at you and said it was a cultural tradition."

Kansoku had been less than pleased and Shisui's shirt still smells like fish.

"You'll be fine. She'll like you."

---

There is an oasis in Land of Wind. An earthquake in Land of Hot Springs caused the controlled collapse of a temple and new arrangements of the surrounding town's infrastructure. A dilapidated and forgotten shrine in the outskirts of Land of Fire was completely relocated across the ocean. Only the first has any sort of influence on shinobi politics and even that has more to do with the Yondaime Kazekage's sudden attitude adjustment than anything else.

But the revival of a nation thought long dead with the power to back it up?

Well, even if Konoha is still struggling to cobble together a government, it's the sort of occasion to send one of their best and brightest as an ambassador even if there's no firm idea what might be on the other end of the journey.

---

"Hello, Uchiha Shisui of Hidden Leaf," says the girl on the shores of Land of Whirlpools. Somehow, even with the grown man twice his size and the giant chakra turtle monster, she's the scarest thing on the beach.

Which is still bafflingly, vibrantly pink.

"I heard you were asking questions about Uzushio," she says, with a smile as dangerous and beautiful as the land she's made her home. "Let's talk."

A/N: Sometimes, you’re in a writer’s block and a prompt just punches you into the right headspace. Thank you, damnsmartblueboxes. (You know I have so many Uzushio feelings, how dare you! :D)

If anyone wants to ask me questions about this, please do. Please.

Oh, but I should clarify here: this was written intending to be in a post-Split Gardens!verse. But if you’re reading this you probably have already read some of the Gardens!verse stuff so...

Also, yes, Kaiza is the fisherman who would’ve been killed by Gato and now kinda works for Shikako as a more active and less suspicious Sazanami from the Land of Stone Arc. I mean, kinda all of Wave works for Shikako? But in a much more benevolent way than that might imply. They’re fond of their weird neighbor with her giant chakra turtle monster.

(Also, also, yes, Tetsuki Kaiza does get her name from this Kaiza though in the Naruto world she actually never has the name Kaiza. She goes from orphan Tetsuki no-family-name to either Tetsuki Utsugi or Agent Shu. Depending on how fucked her situation is)

Also, also, also: Ask Box Advent Calendar 2020!

#jacksgreyson #damnsmartblueboxes #ask box advent calendar #ask box fake fic titles #writing #fanfiction #dreaming of sunshine #naruto #the many gardens of shikabane-hime #still waters (run deep)#kaiza #shisui uchiha #shikako nara

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dante-vergil64 · 5 years ago

Text

A Ballad of Spring and Winter

Rated T

It does not take any grand gestures, no world-ending battles with extravagant rescues and no romantic confessions under the moon and stars.

It happens as just as naturally as sunflowers bloom, as the birds fly and the rain pours. Like the sun rising in the morning dawn as it showers the earth with its warmth and light, and the wind blows the air through the sky unaware of all that’s below, dancing both gently and violently, and beautiful, and free.

One late November night, as she is seating in her large office quietly reading an old tattered scroll, a shadow makes presence before her with a message on her Hokage’s behalf. She is requested to lead the efforts in negotiating an economic treaty with a village in the far west on the snow country, a part of the alliance’s plan to spread out and welcome more vulnerable communities in their wide net of protection.

Her role as ambassador is an unexpected if not humbling one, she is not ignorant of the significance endeavors like this one hold to the people who live in small and remote environments lacking defenses against bandits and rogue assassins.

She accepts After all, she is no longer stranger to diplomacy and performing tasks relying on leadership, her responsibilities in providing and taking care of her people slowly drowning the echoes of voices and phantoms that haunt the depths of her mind.

It is to be a long, perilous journey and Naruto informs her he’s arranged a protective detail to escort her during her mission. The blow to her pride is not insignificant yet she’s not nearly as arrogant as to put innocent lives in danger believing herself invincible. She has a grave she visits every Saturday at nine thirty in the early mornings as a perpetual reminder.

She bows in understanding and leaves his office to begin preparations.

Her departure is a bittersweet one as she bids farewell to the many members of her family, the compulsion to watch over them and ply for their safety and comfort temporarily rooting her in place before she embraces the young ones and assures them of her safely return.

Her little sister has gotten so big, and mature, and reliable her heart aches with pride and love when she holds her petal-soft face and kisses her forehead before turning around, walking away lest the tears she felt slowly building into her eyes escape free of her control.

She parts from her family estate accompanied by three of her trusted retainers, hard-working, and graceful, and so very Hyuuga that it doesn’t feel too much like a good bye.

When they arrive at the gates, their carriage is already placed waiting to depart at her command, the guards Izumo and Kotetsu bowing to her in respect as they bid her farewell.

She does not notice at first, his tall, intimidating figure shrouded by humble robes that seem more fit for a travel through the harsh rays of the sun desert than the blankets of gelid ice and below zero temperatures proper of their current destination.

His name is one she has not heard of in more than nine years, his existence a shallow recollection as if the voids of time had swallowed everything that he was.

For but one single instant, she wonders what his purpose is in being there, doubts of his role as her escort, but then… just as easily she understands. Of course Naruto would entrust her safety and that of her companions to that man, her leader’s blinding faith in this silhouette of a fallen star something that would never be disputed.

It is a strange meeting, if only because he is but a perfect stranger, a man whose story has been nothing but wiped out of their walls in its entirety. As far as the world is concerned, he does not exist. Whatever feeling of pity this fact evokes from her is quickly dismissed. There are enough ghosts inside her head.

She approaches and greets her temporary guardian with a solemn bow that her retainers replicate. She is the only one privy to his identity.

He responds with a slight but polite nod in her direction before gesturing for the carriage to begin their journey.

“It will rain by nightfall” he says as he closes the door next to her, his eyes sorted on the pigments of blue in the skies as if he could see something nobody else can.

She does not see him for the rest of the day, not as she stares out of the small room she rented in Tanzaku’s inn into the falling rain harshly ahead nor the next morning as they embark to resume their travels.

But he is there, she knows. It is a feeling she cannot quite explain. She cannot feel him, he’s too adept at concealing himself, nor can she unveil him with her all-seeing sight. His skills are as sharp as they were, a lifetime ago back in the war. But he is there. Like a prickling sting in the back of her neck that does not allow her to forget this fact.

It’s unnerving, and in a very strange way it is also reassuring.

She finds his figure again when they are first ambushed ninety kilometers away from the village hidden in the leaves, on the second day on the road.

She sees them before she feels them, the blessed eyes of her family lineage and her prowess as a sensory ninja allowing her to detect them well before they actually make contact. Her mind is calm, almost eerily serene as she continues to monitor them like a sentry, and she isn’t sure when this becomes quite so simple. Like the very act of drawing breath. Despite her many years off the active roaster, years she spent leading as the head of her clan, her fingers tingle with barely suppressed energy. The tenketsu of her attackers are in her line of sight as she waits for them to enter her range, a procedure so deeply ingrained into her system it feels like she is not entirely in control.

The killing arts still flow through every pore of her body, yet it is a muddled guilt and something akin to sorrow that hum dully around her heart. Like a spill on the rivers of her tainted spirit caused by time and experience, a wound that invites the whispers to come closer. She frowns, and she breathes.

The carriage stops, and he is there.

standing, waiting, his form tall and straight and so nonchalant she almost wonders if he’s aware of anything. But that is a silly thought, because not even she herself saw him arrive.

They come, sharp weapons at the ready, fully intending on inviting massacre, and red, and death and then… they fall.

And it is anti-climactic, because once again her eyes managed to miss it. One moment they had the vehicle surrounded, and then the next they were motionless at his feet.

Often times, when she has to collaborate for missions with the interrogation and torture department, she hears the word monster thrown around by the worst kind of creatures this world has had the disgusting disgrace of spawning, a collection of human waste whose fitting fates should have been to serve as food to the worms beneath. It is spoken with dread, and terror, and repugnance. And It is a testament of the power the name Naruto Uzumaki exerts on those who would threaten the world he protects. Their abhorrence for the Hokage aside, she can see it. The might of those who could flatten countries with but a flick of their fingers. Entities not at all entirely human. Beacons of hope, unreachable to all in this mortal ground, envoys of change and revolution. The ones called monsters.

And perhaps this too, is something only the two of them share together. As she sees him standing there, his figure alone, and stoic, and still before the unconscious murderers, his image casts the perfect contrast to that of the warm inviting individual who leads their people in the leaf.

And so this stranger, this benevolent monster just like one within the center of the sun, becomes unreachable.

Or he should have.

But then he crouches down and lifts one of the attackers with his single arm before placing him gently against the trunk of a tree, and something like curiosity and confusion robs her of her senses.

They are alive. He did not kill them, any of them.

She is not happy, and she is not angry or sad or disappointed. It is inconsequential wether they live or die, they are merely enemy attackers. With their actions they have become criminals against the hidden leaf. She had been ready to kill them to defend those in her care.

And maybe this, this complete control over the lives and deaths of others is something only monsters understand. Because she does not. It is uncomfortable, the visceral knowledge that she had decided to take the life of someone else in a struggle to keep herself and her retainers alive and this man is not tied by those mortal conventions.

She wants to believe it was the arrogance of a giant as it stared down an ant, but his eyes tell a different story.

One of freedom, and peace, and mountains and seas. And she is sure then that his eyes can see farther than hers.

It does not take any grand gestures, no world-ending battles with extravagant rescues and no romantic confessions under the moon and stars.

It happens as just as naturally as sunflowers bloom, as the birds fly and the rain pours. This stranger becomes an acquaintance, he is a man who does not kill, a blend of man and monster.

She wants to ask, to clear her mind of her confusion. She wants to know the reason why this man who was once regarded as the ultimate ninja weapon behaves like anything but.

Her answer comes in the covers of the night, a small campfire illuminating his face after a meal shared between the travelers. It is now only him watching over them, and her casted away from Morpheus’ world.

“I…am tired. Of seeing it I mean, blood”

And she can tell, it is the truth. She understands, the feeling of that viscous liquid spreading on her hands as corpses fall impetuously. Wether her mission is to kill or to heal the seeping red never stops, the voices never quiet. The smell of rust lingers in the air, reminding her, poisoning her, she feels her head ache and her vision distort. That is the life of a ninja.

A life she abandoned years ago. Either out of cowardliness or prudence she threw it all away, simply unable to handle the remnants of death dragging through her skin, suffocating her slowly, painfully until the only thing in her mind is the glint of that kunai knife standing inertly in her weapons pouch, and how easily it would be to just make it stop.

This man, is like her. At least…in that respect

They arrive safely to a place enveloped in vastness of white. Snow falls like delicate petals in the chilling wind. And the citadel, an enormous structure of crystallized ice is so beautiful and magnificent it exceeds any expectation she could have had.

For the time being at least, she grits her teeth and the whispers stop. she follows the guards to meet the feudal lord. There is work to do.

Weeks go by in meetings with officials, discussions and platitudes. It is tedious, and difficult yet distracting enough. She frowns, and she breathes.

They are discussing the merits of opening up transport routes that connect with Suna when loud distant giggles reach her ears.

She turns, her gaze searching past the wide crystal windows of the main palace into the city plaza on the streets below as people go to and fro around the square.

The sun rising from the east illuminates a tall ebony building marked with the word bakery above its long thick window frame. The warmth from within is palpable as streams of thin steam escape the edges of the door. The smell of baked goods invigorating the townsfolk with enticing richness and sweet aromas.

Directly in front of it, a burly stall of trinkets stands as a man in a fur coat invites passersby animately.

The giggles repeat like Christmas bells and her gaze falls on two young girls dancing to their hearts content with what appears to be a little marionette.

They shout in glee and hold hands with the wooden toy but her eyes drift away onto something else.

Just beside them, sitting in the snow-covered steps of a closed for maintenance laundry place, the man she has barely paid attention to since arriving in the village hidden in the snow looks on with with a faint display of joy. It is but a slight uplifting of the corner of his lips, a barely-there smile, yet all the same, it is an image she has never seen.

The fingers on his right hand move with deft prowess and its like she can see the threads connecting to the little wooden figure without having to call upon her birthright. The marionette dances overjoyed, spinning and bowing and its like he’s bringing to life a little piece of happiness for those little girls to have.

She feels wetness on her cheeks and her fingers lift to find drops of salty liquid descending from her eyes.

She clears her throat and calls the meeting up before standing and turning away to wipe away the evidence of her lapse in emotional control.

Her attendant Takagi approaches concerned but she smiles at him and requests some time to herself. The conference room is wide and exquisitely decorated, the furniture composed of solid crystal with masterful engravings and details carved into them.

Alone, in that room of winter and starlight it almost feels like she could forget, like the chains on her heart and the scars on her mind could drift away, like falling snow.

Her eyes return to the place outside, the girls are waving good bye as they hold the hands of an older couple as they are walking away, to the warm and safe place that is their home.

The man moves his fingers and then the toy waves one final time before it vanishes into the pages of a book. He remains there, seated in the cold, freezing temperatures. And yet…his eyes of night and stars and space are so warm she feels her control falter once again.

“I didn’t know you could use the puppet master jutsu”

“A few years ago, during my travels in the land of the wind, I met this orphan boy. His name was Akito Miokotsu. He used to sculpt these little toys every day and gave them away for free. He wanted to become a ninja so he could use puppets to make people laugh. His little brother was killed during the war, a kunai pierced his right lung. He was poor, had no money to feed himself, he was thin and yet he was always smiling. i… wanted to help him. Just make sure he was able to accomplish his dream. I took him to Gaara, bought him some food, took him to the hospital. I thought…”

“He gave me this, before he passed. He said…it was his greatest masterpiece” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

She cries. Once she’s in the privacy of her room. His words repeating as the image of the girls dancing happily overlap with the tale of the little boy. It disconcerts her. The fact that she hurts so much for a boy she has never met, will never meet.

The world they live in is filled with tragedy, she knows that. She knows it so well it sometimes feels like there is nothing else but tragedy. And yet…it hurts. That this world is still so cruel to people who have already suffered so much. She tries to focus on her work, of balancing the budget for construction projects, the logistics of stationing military presence, meeting with third party officials, discussing trade with the merchants, and fulfilling the role she was given by the village.

But the voices are so loud. She can barely hear what transpires around her. Her head feels like it’s being crushed under pressure, her skin burning as if it was set on fire. Breath enters and escapes laboriously out of her lungs and she feels like finally collapsing.

It is midnight when she wakes. Her room dark and empty save for the falling snow across the window. She feels marginally better and then notices her state of dress. Stripped of her previous clothes and in a robe made of silk but safely tucked under the fur covers of her bed.

It is surprisingly quiet and she opts to lay there, staring at her reflection in the ceiling.

The door to her room opens and her gaze drifts to that man bringing a silver tray that he deposits on a table made of crystal just beside her bed.

She turns away, seeking to escape his observant gaze in such a vulnerable state. He does not leave. His form sets beside the looming window, endless white flowing like petals drawing his eyes into the darkness.

“You should eat that before going back to bed. You need the energy”

“I’m not hungry”

“You haven’t eaten anything the past two days. It’s why you collapsed so suddenly. You haven’t been taking care of yourself”

“I’m fine”

“You’re not doing any favors to your aides by behaving in this way”

“stop”

“At this rate, the mission will have to be extended and you’ll take longer getting back to your family”

“I said stop! Just stop it! Please!”

She cannot hold the tears from slipping down her cheeks, everything finally coalescing into this moment of release. The cries and screams of those that fell, those she killed and couldn’t save finally breaking past the walls she had built trying to push them away. The unrelenting work no longer allowed her to tune them out of her head. Her hands sparkled with blood with every blink and any semblance of nourishment produced nausea.

A piece of damp fabric making contact with her neck snaps her out her spell and her eyes connect with a pair of serene obsidian ones. She does not notice his approach, yet the erratic movement of her lungs slow down to normal. The cold feeling of the water wiping away her sweat feels oddly relieving.

“You will be okay”

He says it softly, as if he was taking to himself. But his gaze rests on her. And it is said with such conviction, so sure that what he is saying is the truth, that she has trouble dismissing it as just another empty statement.

“How do you make them go away, the ghosts of your past that drag you to a place of suffering. That drown you with guilt and sorrow until you feel like you are dead yourself”

“You don’t. You face them, and smile, and you ask for forgiveness, and then you move. Step by step. Even if you stumble, even if it hurts, you smile anyway. And you say thank you, for being with me, for saving me. That is all we can really do.”

“How is it, that you can believe so blindly so certainly that I will be okay?”

“You are alive, just like me. Happiness, and peace, they are just past your fingertips. You only need to try and reach them”

He leaves, only after making sure she’s eaten her fill. Somehow it tastes better than what else she has eaten in a long time.

It does not take any grand gestures, no world-ending battles with extravagant rescues and no romantic confessions under the moon and stars.

It happens as just as naturally as sunflowers bloom, as the birds fly and the rain pours. This acquaintance becomes a friend. He is a man who does not lie. A little rough around the edges but always willing to lend a helping hand, a little more man than monster.

The mission concludes in the next few days, all the details and negotiations handled successfully, another ally to their efforts in the betterment of the world.

The snow is whiter, somehow less cold and her smiles, they are not quite so forced any longer.

Their return trip is a quiet one, the changing weather from snow to blooming flowers bringing warmth and color all around them.

He lays atop the carriage as he would a bed, no longer concealed from her eyes. It makes her smile, how alike a cat he is.

All too soon they have arrived, and she has to go back handling her clan’s affairs. There is work to do. She turns around and he is there.

His form tall and straight and so nonchalant she has to wonder if he’s aware of anything.

“Will you be departing soon? i want to hear about all the other places you’ve been to. All the sad, and happy things you’ve experienced.”

“Not for a little while, I have time for one more story. There used to be someone I admired with all my heart, someone greater than the stars and more brilliant than the sun. The story of my big brother…”

It does not take any grand gestures, no world-ending battles with extravagant rescues and no romantic confessions under the moon and stars.

It happens as just as naturally as sunflowers bloom, as the birds fly and the rain pours. This friend becomes something more. He is a man who learns to laugh, after having struggled for his happiness and peace just like everybody else. A man who loves and that is loved, a ballad of spring and winter.

#SasuHina #Sasuke Uchiha #Hinata Hyuga #sasuke #hinata

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