#I JUST WANT STAR RAIL SAKURA HARUNO | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thatpinkshinobi · 5 years ago

Text

Easy Living

3.1 K words.

Reading time: 15 min.

Kakasaku Fic.

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Guys, I'm back with a new AU! Probably this has been written before, but not by my point of view and lovely ideas! I've decided that most of my fics will be fluff. I honestly can't picture these two having a hard time!

This AU takes place in Konoha (late 30's) before WW2. Sakura's and Kakashi's age gap is just seven years. They will be slightly out of character because the story demands it, but I will stay loyal to their principal qualities.

I will rate this as M for the coming chapters.

Here's the first chapter, for the coming updates, you will find them here.

Music recommendation: Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra & Glenn Miller.

Enjoy!

/ / / / /

It was the beginning of the summer of 1939.

Deep in the forest, a ghostly figure wandered around the big white residence, the noise of crunching leaves against her feet was the only sound in the night.

The slender figure jumped into the improvised ladder that led to a balcony. The old wood trembled under her fingers, making her wonder how long she could do the same thing before it craked under her, sending her into the hard floor.

Would someone bother to come and see if she was alive?

She really doubted it as she crossed a leg above the rail and landed in her room, leaning against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She looked up to the moon, the only witness of her failed runaway.

Stars shone brightly above the Haruno residence, each spot glowed with different colors, making the young woman that observed them wonder what it meant. She closed her eyes after her mind couldn't come with an answer. With a deep sigh, she let her lungs fill with the scent of wet dirt and recently trimmed grass.

Sakura leaned across the rail as she waited for the party to begin. She knew she should be changing her clothes soon before her mother noticed her dress with dirt and the little branches and dried leaves that had stuck in her hair. She closed her eyes, letting her surroundings flood her senses, trying to keep her thoughts away from her mind. The buzz from the cicadas helped Sakura to ignore the voices that started to gather down her feet.

Hard as she tried, the laughs and gibberish ended on gaining her attention. Sakura peeked between her lashes, watching how people kept arriving in luxurious cars to attend the first summer party.

Or as her mother liked it to call them, a great occasion to catch a husband.

Sakura stayed in her room, seeing how hundreds of guests walked inside her house. Assistants in black tuxedos escorted people inside the house, women enjoying the brief attention of the young men that held their hands as they slid out of their cars.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she observed from the balcony, how Ms. Senju flirted with the young Inuzuka, his boyish grin making the old woman blush.

The giggle that left Sakura's lips made the old woman turn her gaze to her. A pair of golden eyes pierced her green orbs.

"Damn." Sakura gritted her teeth. Great first impression. Sakura thought.

"SAKURA!" the voice of her mother shouted from inside her room, the clack of her high heels echoed around the empty room."SAKURA!"

The young woman growled as she missed the opportunity to hide from her mother.

"I'm outside," Sakura sighed, enjoying her last seconds of loneliness.

"There you are, honey!" Her mother tapped her head softly. "Look at you! You are a mess! What happened to you?"

Sakura ignored her question.

"I'm dressed..." Sakura pointed her loose blue dress, trying to clean the spots of dirt with her hands.

"Come on..." Sakura let her mother drag her back to her room, the red fabric across her bed caught her attention.

"What is that?"

"A gift."

"From..." Sakura's stomach sank as she started to acknowledge where it came from.

The look on her mother's eyes confirmed her suspicions.

"Mom..." Sakura shook her head, the feeling of betrayal from her parents started to creep up her chest. This really couldn't be happening.

"Sakura," her mother scolded her, using the same look when she was younger. The same look that made Sakura agree on whatever her mother wanted to.

But not this time.

"I'm not a child anymore," wearing that dress was accepting that horrible arrangement she used to think it was just a joke.

"Exactly," her mother pulled her closer. "You are twenty-one Sakura, and you are not married or engaged!"

"Mom!"

Like age had something to do with marriage! Sakura rolled her eyes, making her mother aware she wasn't in the mood to play that game.

"I don't want to know anything else!" Ms. Haruno dropped her arm, she walked to the door. "I hope to see you downstairs wearing that dress."

Sakura stood in silence. It would be a shame that suddenly it burned to ashes... Sakura thought bitterly.

"And fix your hair, it looks like a bird's nest!"

Sakura watched her mother leave, not bothering in closing the door. She stayed in her place, thinking about how bad it would be to fake being sick and avoid that stupid party.

The young woman rubbed her chin with a finger, her eyes running up and down the dress, her mind running wild with her thoughts.

This time she had gone further, reaching the bus stop. The image of her father and what he might have done after she ran away, made her turn in her heels, back to the place she called home.

How much longer would she be able to pull the same facade?

"Knock, knock..." The voice of a man came from the entrance of her room. Kizashi Haruno peeked inside his daughter's room.

"Hey, dad..." Sakura sighed as she resigned on wearing the dress.

"Uhm, it's a nice dress," Mr. Haruno said as he walked inside the room. Sakura rolled her eyes, making her father laugh.

"I know, pumpkin... that's why I got you this!" Sakura observed how her father moved his arms off his back and handed her a white box.

The young girl looked surprised at the name lettered on the box.

"Dad, you didn't have to!" Sakura squealed, taking the box from his hands.

"Try it on."

Sakura didn't need to be told twice, she ran into the bathroom, already unfastening the buttons of her blue dress. Sakura undressed, staying just in her underwear. With excited fingers, Sakura flipped the box open, the look of black fabric sent shivers down her spine.

"Oh, dad..." Sakura cried.

Sakura took the dress on her hands and slid it over her head, the soft fabric molding into her subtle curves. Sakura zipped the dress, finally ogling her figure in the mirror.

The dress fitted like a glove, the bare shoulders shone with the dim light, the skirt helped her emphasize the missing curves of her body.

Probably it wasn't a bad idea going to the party after all...

She would make the most of it, even if she hated it.

Sakura frowned when her eyes stopped on her face. Her mother was right. Her hair was a mess, the vain attempt on pulling it into a bun was horrible, and after her late-running had made it worse.

Sakura took with tender fingers the numerous pins, and dirt from her head, letting her pink hair fell in soft waves down her back. The color from her hair stood out in the dark fabric.

Sakura wouldn't admit it. But she was quite a catch.

"Sakura?" her father knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Sakura took the few makeup products from her bathroom and applied a subtle look on her face.

When she finished and was happy with the result she came out, she found her father sitting on her bed, fixing his bowtie and cuffs.

Sakura smiled tenderly. Praising how much she looked like her father. Not only his silverish pink hair o his green eyes but also the kindness of his heart. Sakura knew his father hated her mother for forcing her into a relationship she hated. His father deserved more than a rebellious daughter and a quick runaway.

"Sakura!" Her father jumped into his feet, looking how beautiful his daughter looked.

"Thank you so much, dad!" Sakura held her breath, trying to keep the tears in her eyes. It was just a dress, but it meant so much considering the recent events in her life.

"KIZASHI!" Ms. Haruno shouted, making her and her father jump in surprise.

"I should go before your mother sees you," Mr. Haruno walked to his daughter and kissed her cheek. "My little princess, you became a wonderful woman, and I fear the day you finally find your prince..."

"Dad..."

"KIZASHI!" the voice sounded closer.

"Make sure your mother doesn't see you until the night is almost over..." Mr. Haruno winked at her daughter. "I'm sure you are good at sneaking out."

Sakura blushed. She was sure she was good at leaving her room every night.

Obviously, she was wrong.

"Ma Chéri!" Sakura heard her father shout when he found her mother. She rolled her eyes. She still wondered how her parents had fallen in love, it was a mystery that kept her awake many nights.

Sakura walked to the balcony, just to make sure if all of her parent's guests had arrived, but she just found a crowded entrance, the assistants escorting groups of people into the house.

Sakura shook her head. It was going to be one of those nights. She sighed, she had become used to it since she was just a little girl.

Her father's business was growing each day, making them one of the wealthiest families in town. Sakura had become used to be intended by numerous men.

Every party, a new last name popped on the list. Nara, Uzumaki, Inuzuka, Hyūga, and the one she hated the most, Uchiha.

The thought of his last name made her stomach sick. She shook her head and counted to ten. No, she wouldn't let him take all the fun that night.

With a deep breath, she walked inside her room, avoiding to look at the infamous red dress.

Her mother would hate her after that night, but Sakura knew she would despise herself more if she accepted on carrying it. It was like she signed her sentence with no other than the devil himself.

Sakura ran a hand nervously down her hair. Hard as she found admitting, it was getting more troublesome reject all men, many of them had grown next to her, and Sakura had witnessed how they had matured into attractive gentlemen. And she was just a woman with needs...

Sakura shook her head, banishing the thought of her mind. No. She wanted to be free, and when the time was right, she would found the right man, a man of her choice.

The young woman walked down the stairs, taking a look at the crowd of people her parents had invited. Every night more and more people appeared on their home.

Fantastic.

Sakura danced between her parent’s guests, the music flooded around the hall, making people sway to the sound of the blues. She came across many people that greeted her like old friends, making Sakura blush when they had to remind their names to her.

She recognized many faces, some were her old classmates, other her father's business partners, and their families.

Sakura was becoming overwhelmed by the number of people when the voice of a man, made her turn her gaze.

“Miss Haruno, what a delight to see you this night!” The young woman turned to see the last person she wanted to see.

Fugaku Uchiha.

“Mr. Uchiha,” Sakura bowed slightly. “I’m so happy you had the chance to visit us.”

The old man snorted.

“I wouldn’t miss one of your father big parties,” Fugaku let the smoke from his cigar sprayed around her face. “Have you seen any of my boys?”

Sakura crossed her arms on her back, her knuckles white as she closed her hands in two fists. Now she will be smelling like tobacco for the rest of the night.

“I saw Itachi with Mr. Namizake,” she pointed the crowded table at the back of the room. Men laughed around a certain redhead that enjoyed the attention.

“And Sasuke?” Mr. Uchiha inquired.

“I haven’t seen him yet,” Sakura thanked God.

"Oh, Sakura!" Mikoto Uchiha exclaimed at her back. "You look so gorgeous! But I'm sure you could have been a beauty in one of my designs! You didn't get my present?"

Sakura crossed her fingers.

"Mrs. Uchiha! I did, it was such a beautiful dress!" Sakura lied. "But my father got me this dress from Paris weeks ago, and he insisted that I wore it tonight."

"I see..." the woman eyed the designer dress Sakura was wearing.

"I should go and see if I can find Sasuke..." Sakura lied, turning on her heels and walking far as she could from that family.

Sakura moved between the guests, avoiding to be burned with a cigar or drenched with a drink.

"He's that way..." a voice whispered behind her ear, while a hand on her wrist stopped her. A soft chuckle made her smile.

Her brain had taken a fraction of second to recognize that voice.

"I thought you were spending your vacations on the beach, sandboy." Sakura smiled as the young men swing her around to face her.

"Oh, let's say I..." the boy with black hair smiled widely.

"Begged your parents to come?" Sakura smiled back at Kankuro. The look on his eyes made her blush.

"Something like that..." Kankuro took her hand and guided her to the dance floor. "I'm happy I did, you look delightful tonight."

Sakura's blush moved up to her ears. He wasn't that bad either. His clothes were completely black except for his red handkerchief on his chest pocket.

"May I?" Kankuro bowed slightly, inviting her to the dancefloor.

"SAKURA!" A pair of arms pulled her by her neck, not letting her answer the question.

"Ino, get off me..." Sakura pushed her best friend away from the unwanted hug. Kankuro smiled kindly behind the blonde that just had appeared.

Sorry. Sakura mouthed.

Kankuro shrugged, winking at her before he moved back to the crowd. Sakura sighed.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura pinched her friend on the arm.

"Ouch!" The blondie complained. "What's the matter with you?"

"I was about to dance with Kankuro," Sakura pointed the back of the young man that was at the bar.

"Oh, forget about him..." Ino pulled her by her hand. "Your father wants to introduce you to someone new!"

"Ino..." Sakura rolled her eyes. "I thought you were on my side."

"Oh, I am..." Ino winked at her as both girls traveled around the house in search of Mr. Haruno.

Men stopped in their place to let Ino walk past them, many of them making admiring exclamations that the blondie enjoyed.

What not to like? Sakura thought about her friend.

The deep purple dress she was wearing let nothing to the imagination as it wrapped her body like a second skin. Not to mention the low cut of her cleavage.

Ino was a bombshell, and she knew it. Sakura wished she had a fraction of the confidence of her friend.

"There he is!" Ino shouted as she spotted the only other pink head on the crowd. Ino waved her hand above her head. "Mr. Haruno!"

"Oh, Ino! You found her!" Mr. Haruno smiled kindly to her daughter.

Sakura observed him curious. It was always her mother, the one who did this kind of thing. Both women stopped next to the group of men. Sakura recognized Ino's father, Inoichi Yamanaka and his business partners, Shikaku Nara, and Choza Akimichi, Sakura bowed slightly to greet the group of men.

Sakura turned to the other side of her father, and she found two men she had never seen before, next to them was Fugaku.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek.

Damn it, dad.

"Sakura, let me introduce to you our new and not so new neighbors ." Kizashi raised both eyebrows, making Sakura frown. Unquestionably, her father was up to something.

"Sure," Sakura smiled kindly at her father.

What are you doing? Sakura thought as she gave a look to her father.

"Sakura..." Fugaku Uchiha caught her attention. "Let me introduce you to my new Lieutenant, Sakumo Hatake."

Sakura slid her eyes from the Uchiha and landed on a man that was several inches taller than Fugaku, his white hair caught her attention. She took a better look at it, it wasn't white because he was old, it was just like she had pink hair. His hair contrasted against his navy blue uniform, he held his hat under his arm, one of his hands was busy as he held what it looked like scotch.

The expression on his eyes made Sakura question if he hadn't seen him before. She surely remembered his face from somewhere else.

"Miss Haruno, probably you don't remember me," Sakumo Hatake extended his free hand to greet Sakura. "It's been years since the last time we were in Konoha."

Sakura took his hand and shook it slightly. So she did know him.

"Sorry, but I..." Sakura smiled embarrassedly.

"Ha, I would be surprised if you actually remembered me!" Sakumo laughed, her father joined him.

"She was just a kid, Sakumo!" Mr. Haruno shook his head.

"So it was my son, and he remembers her pretty well..." Sakumo poked the young man's ribs.

"He does?" Mr. Haruno asked incredulously.

"Yes, he remembers her pink hair," Sakumo placed a hand on the man, making Sakura shift her attention to the second man.

He looked a lot like Sakumo, but years younger, far as she could see, due to the black coat of his uniform, that covered half of his face. His white hair pointed different directions, Sakura noticed he had tried to comb it, but it always returned to his messy state. His eyes observed her curiously, a faint pink scar ran across one of his eyes. Sakura recognized that it was him who she remembered instead of his father.

"Sakura, this is my son..." Sakumo introduced her to the mysterious young man.

"Kakashi!" Sakura didn't let him finish as flashes of her early years popped in her mind. She could remember his face when he was a toddler. The images came one after another one.

They used to play and spend their afternoons together in her early years. Sakura remembered he was older than her, but now the age gap wasn't noticeable.

Kakashi looked at her surprised, he hadn't been expecting her to remember him.

Both men Sakumo and Kizashi looked at her startled.

"Do you remember my boy!" Sakumo ruffled his son's hair, making the young man growl in annoyance.

Sakura was about to speak when she felt the intense glare of Fugaku. She blushed. She had shown more enthusiasm for the unknown Kakashi, than for his son, Sasuke.

"I have some memories..." Sakura locked her eyes on Kakashi as both of them slightly blushed.

The image of a cherry tree and an old promise made Sakura's heart beat faster.

Was it possible he still remembered it?

Kakashi winked at her before she could say a thing.

He remembered it.

#Kakashi #Kakashi Hatake #kakasaku #sakura #Sakura Haruno #kakashi x sakura #Sakura x Kakashi #kakasaku fanfiction #kakasaku fanfic #kakasaku fic #kakasaku fics

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soulairee · 5 years ago

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Fruition

Summary: SasuSaku and NaruHina. One-shot. Soccer AU. "B-but that's your woman, teme!" Naruto splutters. "Shouldn't you defend her honor or something? Those bastards are nearly salivating over her!" "Let them salivate all they want," Sasuke replies, smug. "I can't blame them." Such is the life of young, beautiful soccer players and their supportive boyfriends.

You can read this story on AO3 here and Fanfiction.net here.

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“Oi, teme! Over here!”

Sasuke briefly closes his eyes and counts to ten before turning in the direction of his best friend’s booming voice. The blond is waving at him in the VIP section several rows down. He’s visibly tipsy already, cheeks flushed as he leans over his chair and spills popcorn over the laps of innocent bystanders in the row behind him.

“I can see you!” Sasuke snaps, beginning to make his way down. “Watch your hands, idiot. You’re getting food everywhere.”

Naruto belatedly realizes the mess he’s made and proceeds to sheepishly apologize to the people behind him. They glare and mutter to themselves but otherwise don’t seem too perturbed.

Once he’s joined the blond, Sasuke nods his head in greeting at the line of men on Naruto’s other side—Neji, Sai, and Shikamaru, to name a few—then makes himself comfortable. After a moment of contemplation, he unzips his jacket and tosses it over the back of his chair before settling in; for one, because it is a bit warmer out than he thought it would be, and two because he secretly loves showing off his jersey. It’s Japan’s standard women’s soccer jersey—navy blue (his favorite color) with three white stripes on each sleeve. His has the number seven written in bold, and, most importantly, the name Haruno emblazoned brightly across the back.

(He’s never been so proud to own a piece of clothing in his life.)

“I can’t sit still for shit,” Naruto tells him, nearly shaking with anticipation beside him. “It’s almost like I’m the one about to play, yanno? I can’t imagine what the girls must be feeling right now.”

“They’re probably a lot calmer than you, dumbass,” Sasuke retorts easily, but it’s half-hearted at best. His own nerves have had the best of him ever since Sakura left his place earlier that morning. He feels jittery, pumped full of adrenaline. Even though he’s not the one who trained day after day for the last nineteen years of his life to make it here, it truly does almost feel like it’s his game that’s about to start. He thinks the fact that he’s been by Sakura’s side for nearly as long and gone to every single one of her games since he met her also has something to do with it.

“I still can’t believe they made it,” Naruto continues as if the Uchiha never spoke. “I mean, I do, of course. It’s our girls after all, but holy shit this is unreal.”

Sasuke can’t help but agree. This is the largest stage their team has ever played on—figuratively if not literally, and just a few years ago it seemed like a far-off dream to the team members and the rest of the country alike. Japan’s women’s national soccer team has never made it to the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals before, and while they performed increasingly well over the last decade they still weren’t quite up to par.

That was, however, before three young, talented players from Tokyo University’s women’s soccer team were drafted three years ago. They’ve been unstoppable ever since.

“Fuck fuck fuck I’m so nervous.” Naruto’s right leg bounces up and down, shaking the entire bench.

Sasuke’s just about to make a scathing remark to make him stop when Sai beats him to it and comments, “The game doesn’t even start for another hour, Dickless.”

“I know that, dumbass. I always just get so excited and—HEY GUYS LOOK IT’S HINATA! HINATAAAA! Oiiiiii! Over here!”

Sasuke winces, solemnly thinking he may have to get his hearing checked when this is over, while the blond leans over the railing and flails like an idiot, trying to get his girlfriend’s attention.

“They’re warming up, dobe,” Sasuke mutters. “Let her focus.”

He says this even as his eyes flash from player to player until he sees a familiar, bright beacon of pink hair, and he can’t help the upturned corners of his lips as he takes her in.

Haruno Sakura walks onto the field like she owns it—all five foot four inches of her confident and comfortable, as if she were born to play. She’s walking beside her best friend and the team’s star forward, Yamanaka Ino, smiling and laughing as they pass a ball between them. Her green eyes are full of fire, back straight and proud. Sasuke doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of seeing her in her element.

True to Naruto’s incessant screaming, Hyuuga Hinata—the most reliable sweeper he’s ever seen and a monster of a defensive player, fascinatingly at odds with her naturally shy and soft-spoken nature—is walking on the right side of the group, closest to where they’re seated. Her head whips around and Sasuke can see her blush even at a distance as she waves back.

“I LOVE YOU, HYUUGA HINATA!” Sasuke curses himself for not buying those ear plugs he saw yesterday. The blond’s voice could surely cause an avalanche at this point. “You’re gonna do great!! Go kick some ass, dattebayo!”

Hinata’s red as a tomato. Her teammates laugh and pat her on the back, but the smile she tries to hide with a curtain of her hair is undeniably happy.

“Oi! Uzumaki!”

Their entire row of friends stiffen at once and gulp deeply, wholly fearful of the blonde lady stalking toward them on the field, murder in her eyes.

“If my strongest defensive player faints because of your idiotic ass again,” snarls Senju Tsunade, the team’s head coach and also the boys’ worst nightmare, “I will rip your dick off and shove it so far up your ass you’ll taste it in the back of your throat. Now shut the fuck up and let her do what she does best.” She’s glaring at him from below, and with a crack of her knuckles she finishes, “Are we clear, Uzumaki?”

Naruto lets out a meek, “Clear,” and it’s only when Tsunade’s moved away that they can finally relax.

“Jesus fuck, she’s terrifying,” Kiba whispers, and they all nod in agreement. Tsunade is a stern coach but she treats her players with the utmost care and consideration—which consequently involves her threatening the lives of anyone who messes with her girls.

A sudden increase in noise throughout the stadium draws Sasuke’s attention. The crowd has begun cheering enthusiastically, and Sasuke’s confused for a moment before he sweeps his gaze across the stadium and realizes what it is that has them so excited.

They’re playing a video on the jumbo screens—a clip of the post-game interviews from Japan’s semi-finals match against South Korea, which ended with a brutal score of 5-0. Sakura scored three of the five goals, further solidifying her spot as the team’s ace player and earning her an MVP title.

And it’s Sakura, it seems, who has captured the audience’s attention so raptly. Her interview is currently showing on the screen, and she’s radiant.

Sakura answers the reporter’s questions with a beaming smile, sweat glistening on her face and neck, green eyes exhausted yet bright with energy. She makes a stunning picture, as Sasuke and the entire Japanese crowd seem to recognize. It’s obvious that she’s a fan favorite—young, naturally beautiful, and quite honestly the most talented midfielder in the whole tournament. Sakura flashes the camera her trademark toothy grin and throws up a peace sign before the TV screen switches to a commercial.

A few male voices sound especially loud behind Sasuke’s left shoulder, yelling and chanting her name—a roar of “Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan!”—and he glances back at the group of ten or so men responsible for the noise before crossing his arms over his chest and settling back into his seat with a smug curve of his lips.

Beside him, Naruto stiffens and turns to fix the men with an icy glare. Pointing a furious finger, he barks, “Oi! That’s Haruno-san to you, you hear me! Don’t be calling her so familiarly, you bastards!”

Sasuke hears the offending group grumble and grow silent. “Leave them be, Naruto,” he says, watching as the source of their affections practices one-touch shots on the goal below. She’s light on her feet, following through the shots with a clean arc of her foot.

Naruto splutters indignantly. “B-but—that’s your woman, teme. Shouldn’t you defend her honor or something? Those bastards are nearly salivating over her!”

Almost as if sensing that they’re speaking about her, Sakura turns her head in their direction. She searches the crowd for a moment before spotting them, then smiles and waves a hand. Her smile grows soft when she locks eyes with Sasuke. Cheesily she makes a heart with her hands, beaming as she holds it out to him, and he can’t help but chuckle quietly at her antics.

“Let them salivate all they want,” Sasuke replies, content with the attention she’s shown him. “I don’t blame them.”

If this happened three years ago, he might have had a different reaction. At the start of Sakura’s professional soccer career Sasuke found himself playing the part of the jealous boyfriend far too often. He was not a stranger to her receiving male attention before and was always certain of her loyalty to him, but finding an increasing number of random men wearing her jersey at their games was hard for him to handle at first. Not to mention the fact that many of her male fans flirted with her every chance they got, and Sakura was honestly too kind—and oblivious, he noted—to reject their advances with any real gusto.

The advances only grew in number and fervor as time went on, especially when she became part of the starting line-up at the young age of twenty-two. It was around that time that Sasuke decided once and for all that his jealousy was irrational. He would only become more and more frustrated as time went on, after all, and in reality—underneath all his possessive instincts—he was proud of the attention she was receiving. Sakura was the hardest working person he knew and she deserved to be showered with endless support more than anyone. He wouldn’t let his jealousy take that away from her.

And besides, Sasuke thinks, eyes never leaving her as she continues warming up, he’s the one whose arms she falls asleep in every night. He’s the one she’s loved since they were kids, the one who’s been by her side through thick and thin.

These men can cheer for her all they want—it’ll never change the fact that Uchiha Sasuke is Haruno Sakura’s biggest fan.

He’s also, he thinks as he brushes his hand against the velvet box resting in his pants pocket, hopefully her soon-to-be fiance. He fully plans to propose to her after the game today, winning team be damned.

(He has the utmost faith in Japan’s victory, though. He can feel it in his bones.)

For now, however, Sasuke makes himself comfortable in his chair. He orders himself a beer, makes casual conversation with the other proud men beside him, and waits for the game to start.

____________________________

“Gather ‘round, girls! Let’s go!”

Any whispers that might’ve lingered in the group die down at Tenten’s shout. Silent and serious, they group up around their team captain, watching her intently.

Tenten fixes them each with a level stare before finally breaking the tension by saying, “We have worked hard to be here, ladies. Each and every one of us has earned the right to be on this field time and time again.”

There’s a hushed agreement from the girls. Heads nod, smiles flash. Excitement is tangible in the air, energy vibrating between them.

“No matter the outcome of this game, know that I am proud of you.” Tenten’s voice rings with sincerity, loud and commanding. “This country is proud of you. We are the first Japanese team to make it to the World Cup finals, and that in itself is an incredible feat.”

A few girls whoop at this, a few others clap. Several shift back and forth on their feet, needing some form of movement to channel their mixed nervousness and exhilaration into.

“This might very well be the most important game of our lives. I know what you’re all capable of—what we as a team are capable of—so let’s show the world who we are.”

Then Tenten grins, hungry and eager. “Let’s kick some ass, ladies. We’ve got a World Cup to win.”

Tenten yells a hearty “Hands in!” over the sound of their cheers. They bring their hands in together, break, and after winning the coin toss they’re spilling onto the field, thrumming with excitement.

Haruno Sakura allows herself to bask in the cheering of the crowd as she steps into position at the center mark. The sound fills her with adrenaline, sends fire coursing through her veins. The smell of turf wafts through her nostrils and the sun blazes overhead. Being on the field is a delicious feeling, one she doesn’t think she’ll ever get tired of.

Sakura positions the ball at her feet and turns to gaze at her teammates around her, almost in disbelief that they’ve made it this far. Ino’s at her usual post as left forward, jumping from foot to foot to keep her blood flowing. As their striker, she’s undeniably the quickest on the team—Sakura’s never seen a sight more beautiful than Ino sprinting downfield, her long blonde hair flying behind her as she outruns their opponents.

“Don’t screw up, Forehead!” Ino calls. The blonde grins evilly and winks, causing Sakura to laugh.

“Over my dead body, Ino-pig,” Sakura growls back. Their familiar banter always soothes her nerves before a game. They’ve been friends and teammates since they were six years old, and together they make one hell of an offensive duo.

Opposite Ino stands Sabaku no Temari, one of the older players with a feisty attitude. Sakura can say this because she’s seen the woman whip her husband, Nara Shikamaru, into place more times than she can count.

Past the three ladies who make up the rest of Sakura’s midfielders and at the very back of the four-man defensive team stands Hyuuga Hinata. She’s quite possibly the sweetest human alive and an absolutely unbreakable wall on the field. Truly, the amount of goals Hinata has let past her is insanely low. As the sweeper she’s the last line of defense before the goalie—her role is crucial to their team, and she never fails to impress Sakura with her ability to halt even the sneakiest, most talented forwards in their tracks.

Rounding up their team is Hyuuga Tenten—their resident goalie and also the team’s oldest player at the ripe age of thirty-two. One of the most passionate players Sakura’s ever seen, Tenten has earned her spot as their team captain through countless years of dedication and hard work. Her love for the sport shows in everything she does, and Sakura couldn’t ask for a better woman to lead them.

The referee calls first for the opponent’s goalie, then for Tenten, who throws up a hand to signal that she’s ready.

And in the few split seconds before the game starts, Sakura looks into the crowd and finds her gaze locked with a pair of dark, heated eyes. Their owner sits in the very front row next to the field, gazing at her intensely. He has his arms crossed over his chest, legs spread, and Sakura feels any trace of doubt and anxiety left within her drain away as she takes him in.

Uchiha Sasuke is her lucky charm, her rock, and he damn well knows it. He is also without a doubt the man she plans to spend the rest of her life with. He’s been to every single one of her games, believed in her when no one else did, hugged her while she cried and told her she was amazing even when she was at her lowest and wanted nothing more than to give up.

Sakura thinks of him, and she thinks of the game ahead of her, of the blood and sweat and tears that have led to this moment. With her team behind her and the love of her life supporting her in the crowd, she truly feels invincible.

She sees Sasuke’s lips tilt into a small smile just as the ref brings the whistle to his mouth in the corner of her eye. Sasuke nods at her, a simple gesture that only she can read: you’ve got this, it says. You’re going to do amazing. Believe in yourself. I love you.

Sakura can’t restrain her answering smile as she nods back at him. She takes a deep breath, feeling the energy of the crowd around her, the passion of her teammates. The sun warms her from head to toe and she thinks that she’s never been more ready for anything in her life.

Sakura shifts into position. The world seems to hold its breath for a moment, waiting—

Then finally the whistle is blown, and the game begins.

#sasusaku #naruhina #naruto #soccer au #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #sasusaku fanfiction #soulaire fiction

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a-damson-in-distress · 5 years ago

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The Protégé 4

Pairing: MadaSaku

Plot: In search of a new cellist for his prestigious orchestra, an infamously feared maestro stumbles upon a young rising star.

The Protégé 1

The Protégé 2

The Protégé 3

Edit: I almost forgot to add this super important note: A thousand thank yous to my regulars who have followed this story from the get-go. There are a few of you who never fail to show their appreciation and never forget to leave an encouraging comment. Don’t think I don’t notice you, you stalkers ;). I am immensly thankful for your feedback and your comments, they keep me so motivated and give me a sense of validation, like this isn’t just some sort of private thing that I only create for myself and nobody else gives a shit about it. If five hundred people read my story without leaving a comment or anything and I’ve only got the few reviews from you guys, it’s still enough to show me that my work is appreciated. So thank you!

Note: For those of you who are as confused about orchestral stage etiquette as I am and have no idea what’s going on with the whole handshake thing in this chapter, here’s what I found out about it while doing research for chapter four: The first violinist in an orchestra is also called the concert master, he represents the entire orchestra and functions as a sort of “team captain” if you will. So whenever the maestro invites a soloist, the soloist is supposed to shake hands with the maestro (thanking him for the invitation basically) as well as the concert master (though there are variations to this, some only shake hands before the performance, some before and after, etc.). By shaking the CM’s hand, the soloist essentially thanks all of the other musicians for their collaboration as solo concertos are usually a group effort, and you know the soloist can’t go around shaking the hands of a hundred people so they usually only shake hands with the CM *gasp* wow that was a long explanation. Aaaaaaanyway, here’s a video of the concerto Sakura is performing in this chapter: Camille Saint-Saën’s Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor.

Enjoy, have fun reading, let me know if you liked it, leave a comment, send a carrier pigeon, send a smoke signal, you know whatever floats your boat. You know the drill.

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“A little to the left. Chin up. Perfect, stay that way.”

Sakura had trouble not squinting her eyes when the photographer unleashed another onslaught of camera flashes upon her. She was currently in his studio doing a photo shoot for the orchestra’s and the theatre’s official websites. Her probation period was over, and they were only a week away from kicking off their tour after their first performance at home, so now the New National Theatre was going to officially announce her as the principal cellist of Maestro Uchiha’s ensemble complete with interviews, articles, videos of her rehearsals, and ridiculously over-the-top photographs.

The nickname the press had given her after her solo in Sapporo spread like wildfire, and the orchestra’s publicist decided to capitalise on her image as the Imperatrix Furiosa. So they put her in a majestic velvet evening gown dyed in a scandalous scarlet with a skirt wide enough to allow her to spread her legs to accommodate her cello on the throne-like chair she was currently sitting in. Her hair was tied up into an overly dramatic and intricate updo and fastened with fancy kanzashi hair pins that were sticking out in such a manner they made it look like she was wearing a crown.

The dress and accessories paired with the red lipstick and dramatic eye make-up made her look every bit the Furious Empress and the enticing femme fatale of Japan’s classical music scene the publicist wanted her to portray.

And Sakura hated every second of it.

“Do you think you have enough pictures now?” the young cellist asked tentatively while trying to hold her unnatural pose.

Deidara, the orchestra’s publicist, looked up from the laptop where her photographs appeared right after being snapped. “Just a few more, sweety. You’re doing great, though.” He gave her an encouraging thumbs-up and shot her an apologetic smile. Great, Sakura mused silently, she must have looked more uncomfortable than she thought. And here she was thinking she was good at hiding it.

“Seriously, though, we need to wrap this up. She’s got rehearsal in an hour, and Madara will chop off my head if his MVP is late,” Sakura heard the blonde publicist explain to the photographer. She sincerely hoped the heavy make-up was covering the deep blush she could feel spreading across her cheeks at his remark. Did her Maestro really tell the publicist she was his most valuable musician?

“No grinning, please,” came the photographer’s command from behind his lens.

Right. Stop daydreaming, Sakura reminded herself.

Straightening her back and schooling her features, the pink-haired cellist remained motionless on her make-shift throne. After a few more minutes of clicking, snapping, repositioning, and flashing, Sakura was finally free to get out of her dress and wash off all that make-up. She undid her complicated updo and gathered her hair into a high puffy ponytail. Putting on her pastel green boat neck dress with box pleats and slipping into her simple white ballerinas, she immediately felt more comfortable, like her young and goofy self and not the mature and seductive diva the photographer wanted her to be.

“Chop-chop, darling. Maestro Menacing is waiting for you.” Sakura was torn from her thoughts at the sound of Deidara calling out from the other side of the closed door. The young musician had to supress a smirk at the sound of the nickname she knew the publicist secretly used for her Maestro. He wasn’t entirely wrong, Mr Uchiha really could come across as menacing and unapproachable. But Sakura had gotten to know another side of him over the last weeks as well. There was a gentleness to him he only rarely showed, tiny little smiles of satisfaction and subtle gestures of encouragement. As much as she appreciated his constructive criticism, she loved his nods of approval and his well done, Ms Haruno’s even more.

And she couldn’t wait to prove herself to her Maestro during the upcoming tour and hope for a bit more of his praise she so selfishly craved.

After Deidara and Sakura left the photographer’s studio, they immediately headed back to the theatre where the rest of Maestro Uchiha’s ensemble was already preparing themselves for one of their last rehearsals before kicking off their tour. Sakura took her usual seat to the right of the conductor��s music stand. She was so busy tuning her cello, she didn’t even notice her Maestro approach his podium.

“Ms Haruno.” A deep voice made her look up in surprise and she was met with the sight of the raven-haired conductor casually leaning on the rail of his podium with his strong arms crossed in front of his broad chest, clad in a meticulous three-piece suit sans the jacket.

The young cellist prayed to God her blush wasn’t as visible as she thought it was.

“Yes, Maestro?” she answered in a small voice.

“How was the photoshoot?”

Sakura gave him a weak smile and chuckled softly. “Honestly? It was horrible. They dressed me up in this heavy, floor-length gown and backcombed my hair so much it looked like I had a bird’s nest on my head in the end. And I had so much make-up on I could literally feel my pores dying a horrible death by asphyxiation. Please don’t look at the photos once they upload them.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. But if it makes you feel any better, I will not go actively looking for your pictures. Though I have to admit, I would love to see a pink bird’s nest.” Her Maestro’s teasing grin made her giggle, and Sakura looked up at the raven-haired conductor with a huge smile on her face.

Just in that moment, she could hear the sound of a camera shutter from her left. Both her Maestro and Sakura turned around in surprise and spotted Deidara standing in the middle of the countless rows of seats with a camera in his hand.

“Finally. Do you know how difficult it is to get a photo of two people together who both hate to pose for pictures? You two are a publicist’s nightmare, but you’re lucky you’re so goddamn photogenic.”

Sakura turned to Maestro Uchiha and looked at him questioningly. With an annoyed eye roll, he explained, “Deidara said he needed a picture of the two of us together for our countless social media profiles. He wants to make a post about me welcoming you to the ensemble or whatever, and apparently, I cannot officially welcome you without a picture.”

His obvious annoyance with the blonde publicist elicited another laugh from the young cellist. Sakura watched her conductor narrow his eyes at her before his own lips spread into a tiny amused grin.

“Alright, that’s enough giggling now, Ms Haruno. If you keep enjoying my jokes like that, the other members of my orchestra might start to think I actually have a heart.”

Biting on her bottom lip to keep herself from chuckling at his quip and again hoping that her blush wouldn’t betray her, the young cellist focused her gaze on her sheet music and readied her instrument for the rehearsal. The other musicians took their seats as well, filling up the vacant space around Sakura, and fixed their eyes on the conductor.

Maestro Uchiha gave his final orders, raised his baton, and the musicians started playing.

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“I finally got Naruto to accept my karaoke challenge. He’s going to do Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love at the bar tonight, you gotta come with us!”

The pink-haired cellist looked up from her sheet music and was met with the face of her new roommate Ino, the principal clarinet of their ensemble. After her first rehearsal with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Temari had introduced her to some people she claimed were the only tolerable ones, and Sakura immediately hit it off with the blonde musician. Not long after getting to know each other, Ino offered her to move in with her after her previous roommate accepted another job in a different city. Though some of her newly found friends in the orchestra, who had all known Ino for a long time now, jokingly advised her against it with the explanation that she’s bi and you’re annoyingly adorable and totally her type, she’ll eat you up and spit you out, Sakura hadn’t regretted a single second of being the roommate of the exuberant and feisty clarinet player.

“Sure, I’ll be there. I just need a minute to talk to the Maestro,” Sakura answered with an amused grin.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ino bounce up and down with excitement. “Yay, it’s gonna be so great. We always go out the night before our first performance, without any alcohol of course,” the blonde musician added in a loud voice, pointedly looking in Maestro Uchiha’s direction before continuing, “but still, you’re gonna have so much fun with us. I’ll see you at home. And don’t be late, missy, I still need to do your makeup.”

Sakura was met with the end of Ino’s perfectly manicured index finger pointed accusingly at her face before the blonde turned on her heel and strutted off the stage as if it were her own personal catwalk.

Gathering her things, the pink-haired cellist made her way to the Maestro, who was currently busy berating his principal percussionist Naruto for goofing around with his timpani sticks during a break and pretending to have a swordfight with his fellow players. She decided to wait for them to finish and came to a halt in the middle of the string section when she realised that their orchestra’s concert master Kabuto was seemingly also waiting for a word with their conductor.

The grey-haired violinist was one of the musicians who hadn’t even spared her a glance on her first day. But while most of them seemed to have come around in the meantime or have at least started greeting their newest member, Kabuto was still adamantly giving her the cold shoulder. Whenever she tried talking to him, Sakura was met with nothing but haughty looks and condescending remarks. Though she had to admit, the moments of interaction between them were few and far between, because Sakura tried to keep them to a minimum. Their concert master was clearly of the highly competitive sort, and Sakura had no intention of letting him drag her into a musical pissing contest.

And still, manners were manners, so the cellist forced a tight smile and greeted him.

“Hey, Kabuto. Excited for our first concert tomorrow?”

The grey-haired violinist slowly turned his head and looked down his nose at her. He studied her for a second with narrowed eyes, as if trying to discern whether or not she was worthy of an answer, before opening his mouth, “I’m sure you are.”

Supressing the urge to roll her eyes at his usual cryptic answer, Sakura instead ignored his remark and cleared her throat. “So um, every CM seems to be handling stage etiquette a bit differently, so I wanted to ask you how you want to do the handshake tomorrow? Before and after, or just after or do you –“

“Honestly, Haruno, I couldn’t care less about the handshake or your solo. But if this really is so confusing to you, why don’t you go ask Daddy for help? It’s not like our Maestro has anything better to do than take his new little girl by the hand and show her how things work around here.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Sakura could feel her cheeks heating up at his embarrassing remark, and she stared at him open-mouthed, stunned into silence. Luckily, she didn’t have to come up with an answer, since Kabuto was approached by another violinist in that moment, asking him whether he wanted to go out tonight.

“No thanks, I’ll be staying at the theatre for a while longer. I’ve got other plans for later,” the concert master explained with a devious grin.

After the violinist left, Kabuto made no attempt to address Sakura again, and Maestro Uchiha was still not done chewing out Naruto. Since she felt so incredibly uncomfortable in Kabuto’s presence, the young musician decided to grab her cello case and leave. Not even the prospect of talking to Maestro Uchiha for a few minutes was worth it, if it meant she had to spend another second in awkward silence with the concert master who seemed to hate her guts.

---------

There was a ritual Madara had long formed a habit of going through before every concert he was going to conduct. It consisted of him mumbling every single articulation in chronological order of every piece of that night’s programme while he re-arranged the seats of his musicians on stage. Even though the stage crew of every theatre he ever worked at never failed to position everything correctly, the conductor still felt more at east when he could move every chair and every music stand to just the perfect spot.

Madara was currently contemplating whether to push a sax player’s seat half a centimetre to the left or to the right when he heard a commotion from backstage. He followed the noise to the labyrinth of dressing rooms where his eyes caught sight of three blonde musicians rushing from one room to the next, frantically looking for something.

“What do you mean, she can’t find it. It must be there!” Temari came rushing past him with a handbag before she promptly dumped its content on a table and started digging through it.

“I don’t know. When we got home last night, I asked her if all of her stuff was ready in the dressing room. She told me she checked everything three times, even tried on the shoes just to be safe, because she was afraid they gave her the wrong size.”

Madara watched his principal clarinet go through the countless makeup bags before she turned to another person in the hall. “Naruto, did you check the clothing racks in all the dressing rooms?” Madara’s gaze landed on the blonde percussionist who just entered the room with an apologetic shake of his head.

Clearing his throat to get their attention, the raven-haired conductor leaned against the door frame and let his gaze wander around the dressing room in which the three musicians were currently bustling about.

“Our concert starts in half an hour. I sincerely hope you’ll find whatever you’re so desperately looking for.”

Madara’s accusatory gaze met the desperate look of the blonde clarinet player before she approached him, grabbing his arm and tugging him down the hall.

“Maestro, you need to help us. It’s an emergency.”

Ino came to a halt in front of the closed door of another dressing room and knocked twice before letting herself in. Madara stayed behind, still unsure of what was really going on.

“Oh God, Ino, please tell me you have it, please! I need to be ready before anyone finds out, or before he finds out. Please, we need to hurry, Maestro Uchiha absolutely can’t know about this, or I’m screwed!”

Madara’s heart suddenly lurched in his chest at the sound of Sakura’s distraught voice so close to tears. He took a step forward and entered the room where he was met with the sight of his principal cellist dressed up in her concert outfit, a dark-green fitted pant suit, black patent leather Oxford’s, and a white blouse fully buttoned up – and missing a bow tie.

“Ms Haruno, what’s going on?”

She fixed her scared, wide eyes on him, and Madara was immediately hit with the urge to envelop her in his arms and assure her he’ll make everything right for her again.

The conductor couldn’t help but let his gaze be drawn to her beautiful mouth, invited by the sight of her teeth chewing on her bottom lip before releasing it to speak.

“Maestro, I’m so so sorry, but I … I can’t seem to find my bow tie. But I swear to God it was here. After the rehearsal and before I left the theatre yesterday, I checked if all of my stuff was ready like you told us and I swear to God my outfit was complete, I know I saw the bow tie with the rest of my clothes. But now it’s gone and we looked everywhere and I don’t know what to do. God, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry to disappoint you.” Her voice was shaky and on the verge of tears and Madara had to consciously restrain the urge in his feet to run to her.

He was just about to say something to comfort the distraught young cellist when he heard more voices approaching the dressing room. The maestro turned around to see a small crowd gathered outside the door, all asking and wondering what was going on with their youngest member.

“Nothing to see here, alright? Just looking for a lost bow tie. We’ll be ready any second now, so scram, got it?” The blonde clarinet player fixed the crowd with a stern gaze and waved her hands in front of her to signal the other musicians to disperse.

“Maybe we should help look? I’m sure we’ll find it faster that way. Then we can all get back to our preparations in peace.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Madara could see Sakura’s head shoot up and her eyes widen in surprise at the sound of his concert master’s suggestion. But before anybody could say anything, Kabuto had already turned around and left.

“I’m sorry for troubling you with this, Maestro. We actually promised Sakura not to tell you anything, but we really couldn’t find it anywhere after looking for so long, and now we’re kind of lost.” Ino’s apologetic gaze was shooting back and forth between the conductor and his principal cellist.

“It’s quite alright, Ms Yamanaka. I’m glad you told me. Now I can get to the bottom of this myself.”

When he saw Sakura’s worried expression turn even more desperate, Madara felt like slapping himself. That came out way more threatening than he intended it to. He was just about to clarify his statement when he heard a knock on the open door which made all their heads turn around.

Kabuto was standing in the doorway with his right hand raised, a bow tie dangling from the edge of his middle finger. “You’ll never guess where I found this,” he said in a casual tone, a barely visible smirk gracing his features.

Madara watched his principal clarinet cross her arms in front of her chest. “Oh I’m sure I will.”

Kabuto ignored her, instead stepping into the dressing room and approaching Sakura. “Somehow, it landed in a drawer of one of the dressing tables.” He slipped the bow tie off his middle finger, and Sakura barely had enough time to catch it. “Lucky for you I’m so thorough at everything I do.” He gave her what was probably meant to be a half-baked attempt at a sincere smile and then turned to face Madara, his fake grin widening, before he left the room.

The maestro’s eyes landed on the young cellist in front of him again, who was still staring after the concert master with a look of confusion. He glanced at his watch and cleared his throat.

“Everybody out. I need a minute with Ms Haruno.”

After her friends hesitantly left the room and closed the door behind them, Madara let his gaze rest on Sakura’s downcast head. It was then the maestro realised she was playing with the bow tie in her hand, tugging at it and turning it around between her fingers. She was nervous.

“Ms Haruno, look at me.”

At the sound of his soft command, Sakura slowly raised her head to meet his gaze. Madara had to supress a groan at the sight of her teeth chewing on her bottom lip again.

“Please don’t be mad at me,” her whispering voice pleaded with him.

“I’m not mad, Ms Haruno. I know none of this was your fault, trust me.” He closed his hands over her fidgeting ones and took the bow tie.

“Chin up.”

The young cellist just stared at him for a second, jade-green eyes wide with confusion.

Madara took a step closer to her, put a finger beneath her chin and forced her head up. He then proceeded to turn up her collar and fasten the bow tie around her neck.

“You’re not going to allow this incident to rattle you, you’re better than this and we both know it. Once I call you up on stage, you’re going to walk up there like you own the place, play your solo to perfection, and blow everyone away.” He gave her bow tie a final tug.

“Have I made myself understood, Ms Haruno?” Madara looked down at her with a strict gaze and a tiny amused smirk gracing his lips.

“Yes, Maestro,” Sakura nodded enthusiastically while smiling up at him with a look of pure determination.

“Good.” Madara grabbed her chin between his fingers and leaned closer to her face before murmuring, “I wouldn’t expect anything less form my protégé.”

He watched with satisfaction as a deep blush spread across her cheeks and her jade-green eyes widened in surprise, staring up at him with that look of wonder, reverence, and gratification she only seemed to have reserved for him, as if his praise was the only thing in the world giving her life meaning.

Unable to resist, Madara allowed his gaze to rest on her inviting lips for a split second before letting go off her chin and forcing himself to leave her dressing room.

His thoughts kept swirling around the young cellist even as he stepped onto the stage amidst tumultuous applause. The conductor had to admit that it was a good decision not to have Sakura join the ensemble for the entire programme but only for her solo in the last half hour; he probably wouldn’t have been able to keep his eyes from her. Though that wasn’t the original reason for not having her on stage for the entire performance. What Madara was really hoping to achieve with the late entrance of his principal cellist was to give her the grand introduction deserving of a musician of her calibre. After all, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra was one of the most prestigious ensembles in the world of classical music, and Sakura Haruno wasn’t just anybody. And a good maestro knows to save the best for last.

Despite his mind being distracted with the image of her inviting lips only centimetres away from his own, Madara was still able to focus on the musicians in front of him as he led his orchestra through the concert’s programme. After they finished their second to last piece and when it was time for Sakura’s solo, he signalled his ensemble to quiet down, turned around on his podium to face the audience and grabbed a microphone.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, as you may have heard the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra has signed on a new member. As of this April, our vacant spot of principal cellist was filled with an immensely talented young musician from Kyoto. Though she doesn’t need an introduction, she’s going to get one anyway. She is an award-winning cello prodigy who was the youngest ever recipient of the first Grand Prize at the Rostropovitch Cello Competition at the age of sixteen. She studied under Takanori Nakano, Stjepan Hauser, and Steven Isserlis, to mention but a few. After establishing herself as a world-renowned cellist in her previous orchestras, she will now join us for our tour as the newest and youngest member of my ensemble. Ladies and Gentlemen, you will now hear Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto number 1 in A minor with our new principal cellist Sakura Haruno as the soloist.”

Madara put down the microphone, stepped off his podium, and walked off the stage to where Sakura was waiting for him.

“Ready?” he asked with an encouraging smile.

She answered with a determined nod as her lips spread into an excited grin. “As I’ll ever be.”

The maestro signalled her to lead the way. As the cellist stepped onto the stage with her instrument in hand, the audience erupted into thunderous applause. Madara followed after her, clapping his hands like the rest of the guests and the musicians of his ensemble. He watched her bow deeply to the audience before turning to Kabuto and shaking his hand with a smug grin plastered on her face. She waited for Madara to step onto his podium before shaking his hand as well.

“Give ‘em hell, Ms Haruno.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see another one of her blushes he liked so much taint her cheeks as she took a seat and readied herself with a subtle, sincere smile gracing her lips.

Madara raised his baton while Sakura steadied her bow above the strings of her cello. They shared one last look, the cellist looking up at her maestro for guidance and the maestro giving her a tiny smile of approval. He nodded to his entire ensemble.

As the music enveloped the large concert hall, Madara could see Sakura sway in her seat, eyes closed and completely surrendering herself to her instrument. He knew in that moment that she was gone now, transporting her mind into whatever utopia she conjured up whenever she let go and allowed her music to simply take her away.

As easy as it was for him to get and hold her attention, the maestro had to begrudgingly admit that music still seemed to be the only thing able to ensnare her in a way he could not. He was going to have to change that soon enough, he decided.

But for the time being, Madara let her be. His protégé was lost to the world now, anyway.

#naruto #naruto fanfiction #naruto fanfic #madasaku #madasaku fanfic #sakumada #madara uchiha #madara uchiha fanfic #Sakura Haruno #sakura haruno fanfic

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darkdevasofdestruction · 6 years ago

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Chapter 1: A Little Fox

First of all, I wanted to thank @sebastianshoe for all the support on my writings and the encouragement to post a long fanfic story with multiple chapters, despite the possible negativity that could appear, but hey, I really love how this turned out, and the characters portrayed, so I thought, hey, what could hurt?

So here it is, my Gaara Love Story, because he deserves all the love and understanding in the world :)

Hope you’ll enjoy it!

Today is finally the day I get assigned a proper Team to work it and needless to say, I'm so excited! I was only 8 years old when I graduated the Ninja Academy and since then, I was allowed to be taught by a Jonin everything that I should know for my standard age and more. This, thankfully, ensured that I could accompany any team of Genins that would be assigned any kind of C-level missions (although I managed to sneak into a B-leveled one as well, thanks to Gai-sensei who fell the fastest to my 'kit eyes', much to Kakashi-senpai's amusement.)

And so, after Iruka-sensei told me about the team arrangements the Hokage did, I was to be teamed up with Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, for Team 7. What was bizarre, however, was the fact that he wouldn't disclose the name of the Jonin attending us. I suppose it would make for a fine surprise?

Fastening my black forehead protector to my arm, I walk inside the room where all the other Genins were awaiting (not so) patiently for their sensei to arrive. Seeing my favourite person just sitting there, sleeping, I walk to sit next to him, open a bag of crisps, take one, and offer the whole bag to Choji, while I was floating the crisp in Shikamaru's face, trying to wake him up with a gentle voice.

Me: Good morning, Shika~! Guess who's back with - Choji: BRAND NEW CRISPS! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, KITSUNE! *nom nom* Shikamaru jumped in his seat, yelping at the sudden noise done by his friend and with an annoyed expression, he turned to Choji, trying to reprimand him. Choji only laughed and pointed in my direction, which made the lazy boy turn on the other side, only to get wide-eyed realising it was me.

Shika: Yo, Kitsune, long time no see! What are you doing here, I thought you were already far ahead of us. Me: *shrugs* I've only been doing solo training for the past 5 years, but they never let me join a team until now, despite all my protests. I think they had something special in mind, after all? Shika: Keh. Wouldn't surprise me, really. These higher-ups are such a drag with their plans...

But just as he said that, Asuma-sensei came in the room and called for his team, the famous Ino-Shika-Cho, waiting to train yet another generation. Doing a mock military salute, I get up and sit between Hinata and Kiba, putting my arms around their shoulders.

Me: Did you miss me? Hinata: K-Kitsu-chan, I'm so happy t-to see you! Kiba: Yeahh, it's been a while, eh? Akamaru missed you! Me: Ah...! Poor baby! Him and Kasai should totally meet again soon. Let's set a meeting -

But before I could finish my sentence, Kurenai-sensei came in the room and called for their team, leaving only my own team to deal with. Gai, Asuma, Kurenai all have a team...So who is our Team's Jonin? Could it possibly be him...?

Naruto got his head out of the room, looking left and right for our teacher, complaining how he's extremely late and Sakura started arguing with him. Sasuke, as usual, was silent as a lake. Proving no surprise at all coming from the blond, he set the table eraser as a prank for our teacher, giggling like a school girl, whilst the pinkette was trying to act tough in front of her crush, but it was slightly obvious that she was looking forward to the prank outcome. Only Sasuke scoffed unfazed, explaining how a Jonin wouldn't ever fall for something so puerile and see-through. I could only sit on the desk with my legs crossed, smirking at them, already sensing an approaching figure. As soon as he put his hand on the sliding door to enter, the room fell deadly quiet, all eyes on the mysterious person - And the eraser fell on his silver, gravity-defying hair, making Naruto laugh like a monkey in victory, Sakura trying to apologise like a prude, clearly excited at the outcome, while Sasuke was more or less questioning Kakashi-senpai's skills. Once again, I could only grin widely at the situation at hand, evidently more than happy at the choice of teacher and once again ready to be on the field. Kakashi stared at us with his usual bored expression, holding the eraser.

Kakashi: Well, my first impression of you guys...I hate you. Me: Wouldn't blame ya~. Kakashi: Ah, and what a surprise, there's a fox sneaking around us. And I didn't mean you, Kitsune. Me: Wait wha- Kakashi: Kasai was done with her waiting outside the Academy, so I let her in.

Saying that, he left the room, allowing my lovely fox baby to jump into my arms as she started purring and rubbing her little head on my cheek, showing affection. Sakura yeeped, already seeing stars and hearts in her eyes seeing us and she approached us, looking a bit shy.

Sakura: Can I touch her? You look so adorable together-...It's like you're sister! Twins, really! Me: *laughs* Thank you, Sakura! It was a great surprise when I found her in the forest too. I think Kurenai mentioned the same thing that day. But hey, I guess I can gloat a bit and say that my bond with Kasai is much more obvious than Kiba's with Akamaru. *winks* Sakura: Ahhh, that's SO cool! Naruto: Ne! Ne! So this is your fox? It's so cool! I want a fox too! Me: Then start looking for one! They don't grow in trees, y'know? They just sleep under them. *smirks* Anyways, let's go on the rooftop, Kakashi-senpai's waiting for us there. Naruto: LET'S GO, DATTEBAYO! Sakura: Hell yes!

We all ran upstairs and sit on on the stairs as Kakashi leans on the railing. Sakura sat between me and Sasuke, with one hand scratching Kasai's ears, while the other was held tight into a fist in her lap, trying not to be so obvious in her fangirling.

Kakashi: Why don't you introduce yourselves? Sakura: But what should we say? Kakashi: Eh...What you like, hate, your dreams and hobbies...Or something like that. Naruto: Why don't you introduce yourself first, Sensei? Me: Not the worst idea today. Kakashi: Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no intentions of telling you my likes or dislikes. As for my dreams...I have a few hobbies. Me: And that was the most tear-strucking speech I've ever heard. Thank you for the insight, senpai.

I tried not to laugh at him, so done with life, just wanting to return to his perverted books, yet not being allowed to, just now. Sakura: So...All we found out was his name. Me: Honestly, that's more than I expected. Kakashi: Now it's your turn. You first. Naruto: I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen, but I like the ramen from Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei bought me even more! I hate the 3 minutes I have to wait after I put the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramens and my dream is to become greater than the Hokage! I'm going to make all the village recognise my existence! Me: Inspiring. Kakashi: Okay. Next. Sakura: I'm Haruno Sakura! I like...Well, the person I like is...*blushing, looking at Sasuke* And my hobby is......And my dream is...*fangirling* Me: At least they both have something in common. Compulsively obsessing over one thing. Kakashi: Seems that way. So what do you hate? Sakura: Naruto! me: *sigh* That's...Not a great start. Kakashi: Next. Me: Third time's the charm, they say, right? My name is Kitsune, I like foxes, reading and training, I dislike -...Um...*looking away* Nevermind that. My dream is...*mumbles* Peace, I guess. *shrugs* Kakashi: And it only took two words to shut you up. I should remember that. Me: Rude. Kakashi: Good. Last guy. Sasuke: My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate and there aren't a lot of things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan and....To kill a certain man. So it is true...Sasuke loathes Itachi more than anything else in the world. It only makes me wonder if maybe there was something much greater at stake that we don't know of that had the man act the way he did. Without a few skeptics in this world, it would be positively dull.

Me: Ah, what a fascinating Team, huh? We have...Ramen, Love, Foxes, Revenges and...Reading as the five main themes. We can't get bored in a group chat, then, can we? Kakashi: *sighs* Just...Give up with that. Alright, you 4 all have different personalities. I like that. Me: Can we add that to your list of likes? Kakashi: *silence* Me: I guess not... Kakashi: We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow. Naruto: What kind of mission is that, sir? Kakashi: First, we're going to do something that we 5 can do. Naruto: What, what, what, what is it? Me: Oh shit. Kakashi: Survival training. Naruto: Survival training? me: Fun! Sakura: Why are we going to train when we're on a mission? We had plenty of training while in the Academy. me: Nobody ever stops training, Sakura. Otherwise, you can't get stronger, right? Besides, it can't be just any ordinary Academy training, can it? Kakashi: Correct as usual, Kitsune. That is no ordinary training. Naruto: Then what kind of training is it? Kakashi:*chuckling* Me: I don't like that sound. Sakura: Hey, what's so funny, sensei? Kakashi: Well, if I say this, I'm sure you 4 are going to be surprised. Me: Try me. Kakashi: Out of all 28 graduates, only 10 are going to become Genin. The other 18 will be sent back into Academy. In other words, this is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of 66%. me: Ohh, that sounds sexy! Survival of the fittest! Kakashi: See! At least 3 of you are surprised! Naruto: No way! I went through all this trouble...Then what was the final exam for? me: Clearly, to pick the ones who express any ounce of potential. After all, not everyone can be a ninja. That'd just be pathetic and mundane. Kakashi: Exactly~! Naruto: WHAAAAAAAT? Kakashi: Anyways, I'm going to determine whether or not you pass at the training grounds tomorrow. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5 AM sharp! Now then, meeting over. Oh yeah, don't eat breakfast. You're going to throw up if you do. Me: Roger that~!

I sniggered at my teammates' reactions, a sly smirk plastered on my face as I looked deep into Kakashi's eyes. After he left, I look back at them, flipping my hair in a condescending manner, letting my fox companion down on the ground.

Me: I honestly hope you're not truly considering going at that Ungodly hour, especially without eating anything. It's clearly unhealthy and stupid. Sakura: But sensei said- Me: *shrugs* Do as you wish. Think of it this way, if you don't do what I suggested, you will be the first to arrive and see whether or not I was right. On the other hand, if I am wrong, there is one free spot for you. *winks* Laters~! Naruto: KITSUNE!! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO DEFY SENSEI'S ORDERS? Me: See for yourself tomorrow.

For the rest of the day and all the way until midnight I continuously trained in the forest, just to make sure I'm not getting rusty. After all, it would be a real shame if I were to disappoint senpai.

After a good night's rest and an ever better breakfast, it was suddenly 10 in the morning, so I ran to the field, seeing my teammates dead tired on the ground. I guess they didn't listen to my advice.

Me: Morning, peeps! Lovely day, innit? Sakura: You were right... Me: *shrugs* I could have been wrong as well. It's always better to listen to your intuition anyways. Naruto: Did you bring any food? Me: Should I have? O-Oh...Neither of you actually ate, huh? *sighs* How pitiful.

Not long after, we see Kakashi slowly walk towards us, and with a lame excuse, he started the mission, which basically had to do with us taking the 3 bells, which were tied to his kunai holder on the back of his waist. Sakura's question of why there were only 3 bells clearly shook everyone around me, but I had to maintain my facade, otherwise he might actually suspect a true attack.

After they argue a bit about whether or not to attack him with the true intent to kill, Senpai taunted Naruto until he put him back in his place, moving faster than the speed of light, and as he yelled our start, we all spread in different directions.

First, I went to the most powerful in our team, Sasuke, trying to persuade him to work as a whole team with the rest, but he mumbled stuff about his petty revenge and jumped away, saying he had to do everything on his own, otherwise he wouldn't be able to kill Itachi. Sakura was the next obvious choice, but she refused since her crush answered the same and she tried persuading him. After Naruto lost the fight against Kakashi, as he was once again reading Icha Icha Paradise, then used the Thousand Years of Pain to make him fly into the water.

By the end of those three's petty separate attempts, I once again tried to ask them to join me, dispelling Sakura's Genjutsu, getting Sasuke out of the carrot hole and tying the rope hoisting Naruto on a tree, but to no avail. Sighing in annoyance, I jump in front of Kakashi, impaling my katana on the ground and leaning on the handle, pouting.

Me: Why did the Hokage want so badly to get me into a team that doesn't want to cooperate? It's ridiculous! Now, how am I supposed to complete a teamwork mission with the evident lack of a team? Kakashi: *chuckles* I was hoping you'd be successful in your own friendly attempt to fortify Team 7. What a pity. Me: Maybe if all 4 of us were to attack together, we could have at least touched you. Gah...But you know what? You, Senpai, are also a part of Team 7, so as long as one of us, the 5 members of Team 7 holds the bells, then the missions is a success, correct? Kakashi: Hmmm...I like how you think, Kitsune. But I clearly specified one of you must get the bells from me, otherwise the mission fails. Me: But I'm sure you care about teamwork more than a petty mission, right? Kakashi: True, but this is how you see if they deserve it. Besides, you knew my antics and you didn't sha- Me: I actually did, but they chose obvious precaution. Kakashi: That's too bad, then. Me: You don't want to accept such an obvious loophole...Clearly, you see potential in us and you want us to succeed, somehow. Well, fine, be that wa-...Wait, what? Are those 3...together? *smirks* Ah, so they finally heard you confess to the mission's true meaning! Kakashi: Ah-...They really are there? What did you do? Me: Saved them from your traps, I guess? As he turned around to dodged the 3's simultaneous attacks, I dispelled the 3 Kage Bunshins just as they got next to him, made Kasai get the bells from him, made her run back to the forest as I threw a heavy fire attack on him with my katana, which he blocked with his arm quite easily.

Kakashi: Unpredictable as a fox. Your name truly suits you in more than appearance, after all. Me: *smirks* As if you didn't know, Senpai~. But our fight was stopped by the clock, so I quickly shrugged, unfazed, sheathed my katana on my back, my hands behind my head, telling Kakashi to return to the meeting place, where he tied Naruto to a log for attempting to steal the food.

Kakashi: Oh? Your stomachs are growling, huh? Ah, by the way, about the results of this training, none of you need to return to the Ninja Academy. Sakura: Huh? But all I did was faint. Is that okay? Naruto:Does that mean we 4... Kakashi:Yeah...The 4 of you...Should quit being a ninja! Me: Ah, before you say that... Sakura: *gasps* Sensei! The bells! You don't have them anymore- Kakashi: *wide eyes* Huh? Kitsune, what did you do? Me: You said you wanted teamwork, right? I showed you teamwork. Maybe my human companions were unwilling to help, but my dear fox kin was more than happy to help.

As I whistle-called her back, she started running in our direction, handing me the 3 bells and licking my face, as I kept snuggling and playing with her with one hand, while the other was holding the bells up, victoriously.

Me: You see, Kakashi, Team 7 managed to get the bells just like you instructed. You didn't want to accept my loophole, so fine, more work for me, but in the end, the result was what was important, despite seeking the means to achieve it as far more important. Naruto yelled in shock and glee at what he just heard, taking it a sign of "YOU PASSED!", while Sakura was yeeping just as excited and Sasuke looked annoyed, since he couldn't do that himself. Kakashi: Sometimes, you truly piss me off with your antics, Kitsune, but the truth is, I cannot deny what you said was true, which makes it even worse. I can't even...*sighs* The rest of you truly don't deserve to be ninjas. You should just quit. You are still just immature kids.

Irked out of his mind, Sasuke charged at Kakashi with killing intent, but clearly, he was pinned down in the blink of an eye, the latter comfortably staying on the younger one's back.

Me: Bad move, kiddo. Sakura: Don't step on Sasuke-kun! Kakashi: Do you think being a ninja is easy? The only one who understood why we are training in teams is Kitsune, because she actually uses that brain in her head. Sakura: What do you mean? Naruto: Of course she knew the answer! She was already training higher than us! It was cheating! Kakashi: It's anything but cheating. In other words, you 3 truly don't understand the meaning of this test. Naruto: Answer? Kakashi: That's right. The answer to determinate whether you pass or fail... Sakura: We've been asking what that is... me: Honestly, what's so difficult to understand?! I've been trying to tell you the answer the whole day! Naruto: SO WHAT ABOUT 3 OR 4 PEOPLE BEING IN A GROUP? Me+Kakashi:TEAMWORK! Sakura: You mean cooperate with each other? Me: Why else would every mission involve more than two ninjas paired up together? Just for the numbers? Naruto: Uh...Safety in numbers? Me: *eye twitch* THERE'S NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS, YOU DAMN IDIOT! Kakashi: Calm down, Kitsune. Yes, Sakura, you had to cooperate, otherwise Kitsune wouldn't have gone to all of you, asking you to join the teamwork. Truth be told, I wasn't surprised that she got the bells. I knew she wouldn't listen to a word I said yesterday and would try anything she could to achieve success. But you declined the winning side and yet, there she is, sharing the completion of the mission with dunderheads like you. If all of you would have charged at me at the same time, you could have gotten at least 1 bell. But that's too bad. Sakura: But even so! Why do we need to use teamwork when there's only 3 bells? Even if all 4 of us work together, there is one who is left over! A group conflict will appear instead of teamwork! Kakashi: That's right and Kitsune answered to that question just moments ago! This test makes you go against each other. In this test we prioritise those who put teamwork before themselves. That was the purpose, but you 3 were pathetic. Me: *sighs* It all sounds fine, in the end, but you cannot deny that in a real situation, things would be much different. After all here there was no potential death or war threat, so it was not...Well... Kakashi: That's exactly so. Sakura! You cared more about Sasuke than Naruto or Kitsune, even though they were right in front of you and you didn't know where Sasuke was. Naruto! All you did was work on your own and you assumed that this 2 would only burden you and did everything yourself. Kitsune!...You did good. Your manipulation techniques are getting significantly better. I didn't realise I turned to look at the obvious fakes until I had already done so. One more step and you could have sliced me dead. Me: Now, now, Kakashi...Let's not get ahead of ourselves...You know better than anyone else that I put little to no value in today's...Everything, really. Kakashi: I noticed your mind was constantly drifting in other places, but you have to forget of what happened. It's only going to get worse. Me: I am aware. *nods* Kakashi: Back to the subject. Missions are done in groups.It's true that ninjas need well-developed abilities, but is teamwork that is much more important. An individual action that disrupts teamwork can result to danger or even the death of a comrade. For example...SAKURA! Kill Kitsune or Sasuke dies! Me: Th-That...! Kakashi! Kakashi: That will happen. Sakura: Oh...You surprised me... Kakashi: In fact, it was exactly what happened in Kitsune's last mission. Me: KAKASHI! THAT'S ENOUGH! Sakura: And...What happened...? Kakashi: How would you answer to that, Kitsune? Me: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! *exhales* Besides, in a real situation, no idiot would kill their safe partner for the one already under serious threat, since there is no guarantee that they won't both die, and themselves next, left vulnerable. Naruto: W...Woaw... Kakashi: After getting someone hostage you will face a difficult situation and someone will die. In every mission you put your life in the line. Look at this. The numerous names carved in the stone. All those names are praised in this village. Naruto: I like that! I like that! Me: Oh, do you, really? Naruto: I've decided to have my name carved into that!! me: ...Why...Would you...? Naruto: Who wouldn't?! A hero! A hero! I'm not going to die an useless death! Kakashi: But they aren't normal heroes. Naruto: So what kind of heroes were they? Me: Naruto... Naruto: Come on! Tell me! Kakashi: Those were K.I.A. Naruto: K.I.A? me: Killed In Action... Naruto: Oh... Kakashi: It is a cenotaph. The name of my friends are carved there. Me: *sighs* Indeed... Kakashi: I will give you one more chance. However the battle for the bell will be much harsher after lunch. Eat lunch only if you're up to a challenge. But don't let Naruto eat. me:*sigh* I'm seriously debating whether or not you are bipolar. Kakashi: Who knows? Fine then. Naruto, this is punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat lunch early. Anyone who feeds him will fail immediately. I'm the rule here, got it? Me: *scoffs* Pathetic...

As I muttered that, he poofed away, leaving us in complete silence, making Naruto's stomach growl echo through the forest.

Naruto: I'm okay even if I don't eat! Don't worry! Me: *sighs* Anyone who listens to a word he says is an idiot. 'I'm the rule here!' he says. Ha! Don't make me laugh. Sakura: You were right before...I think I will trust your instincts until I develop mine, Kitsune! Here, Naruto, take my lunch. I'm on a diet, after all. Me: *smirks* How cute, do I see a kouhai here? Fine, little pink kouhai, take my lunch as well, then. You haven't eaten since...? Sakura: *mutters* Last lunch... Me: Should have known. Sasuke: Hmpf. Fine then. Take this. Sakura: S-Sasuke-kun? Sasuke: I don't sense him anyway nearby. He said teamwork. Can't let this idiot slow me down. Sakura: So cool...! Me: *amused breathe* Said the sensory type...

As the two started feeding the blond idiot, Kakashi returned in a stormy cloud, trying to appear pissed off, but instead, after the 3 of us defended the blondie, saying we were a team, he grinned and said that we all passed.

Kakashi: You 4 are the first to pass. All the others were blockheads who only listened to what I said. Ninjas have to think beyond normal. In the world of ninja those who break the rules are scum, but those who don't care of their friends are even worse scum.

I high-fived Sakura, while Naruto was on the verge of crying of how cool Kakashi is and Sasuke just smirked in pride. Kakashi: The training ends here. Everyone passes! Team 7 will start doing missions starting tomorrow! Let's go home now. Me: Well, that was entertaining. See ya next time, kids!

And with that, I saluted my team, walking home with my fox, beaming in satisfaction as what I was able to achieve today. After all...It's not every day you get to bond with your team and make new friends, right~?

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