#Tsunade considers them Senju in all but name since she's the last Senju and they are her apprentices

[team7-headquarter]

For my Diamond Girls au : The Medic Nins.

( picrew link here )

Tsunade Senju : Director of Konoha's Hospital, the medical program and the Diamond Girls. However, she delegates all the time in order to better manage her responsibilities. Can come and go whenever she wants. The slug sannin.

Shizune Kato : Tsunade's second and the one who runs Konoha's Hospital most of the time. Often exchanges places with Rin. She must stay in the village, unless there's an emergency.

Rin Nohara : Tsunade's third (yet the 2nd apprentice) and supervisor of the medical program. She must stay in Konoha at any time, given her condition. Often helping with the Hospital and the Diamond Girls.

[mira--mira]

3 things:

the first, Le gasp. Did Madara gave Hashirama the necklace that Tsunade gave to Naruto? That's always been a headcanon of mine so it'd be super cool if that was the case for OoT.

the 2nd: I now have a mental image of Gai running laps around Konoha with Lee & Hashimada bellowing about youth, like he does. Ppl just assuming that they're his Genin team. Cue either Neji, Tenten or Kakashi hearing about it and going over to check what's happening.

Kakashi will gaze upon the matching jumpsuits and give up on life

Neji and Tenten will be offended that they've been replaced.

The 3rd: Hashirama learns of Kakashi's (or well anyones) distaste for the jumpsuits and innocently suggest that when he becomes Hokage he'll implement them as the official Shinobi uniform. Legwarmers and all.

Now that I think about it, the Gai's outfit it literally Kakashi's except green and w/ legwarmers instead of bandages. So it probably wouldn't be that different, but its still kinda funny.

How are people afraid of the Gunbai? Cuz they're not old enough to have seen Madara use it and since he's a ghost, shouldn't all portraits/pictures of him be gone. I mean I guess there's still the statue. But Madara's not weilding a fan in that one. Are students just told in the academy that the fan is bad or is it more like a cultural aversion to fans. If that's the case then are they afraid of the fan or just dislike it? Cuz its kinda implied that Gai panicked upon seeing the fan and opened the 6th gate, but that's a big reaction that would only be triggered by actual fear instead of disgust.

Sorry for the long ramble. I was just so excited to see Oot update that my words got away from me. Love your fic!

Warnings for slight spoilers, it's more background necklace stuff only in point 1 but just fyi in case it’s important to you!

1. Yes! I love that headcanon but this one has a slightly different history behind it. Madara did give it to him, but it's the necklace he inherited from his mother that his father gave her. This is bc in the "canon" history, Madara and Hashirama were never public about their relationship. The traditional Uchiha courtship necklace was incredibly recognizable (the magatama ie the big "comma" symbol on sage/indra/ashura's clothes) so Madara couldn't easily make him one. However, Tajima made the same necklace for Kou but it broke into its now-recognizable shape of today and she refused to wear any other necklace but that one, saying it was unique among all the Uchiha's (she also compared it to a dick when Tajima added the two beads on either side to make it look nicer, but that's bc Kou had a rather coarse sense of humor). Typically the mother's necklace is inherited by the oldest daughter but since Kou only had sons, it went to Madara and was one of the last things he had of her. It was his declaration of love to give it to Hashirama and, considering how vilified and demonized Kou was to the Senju, his own declaration to accept and wear it.

2. Oh you better believe they’ll run laps together! (edit: I realized this got buried in my drafts so Chapter 17 has already come out, so yes you predicted part of the future 😜) Hashirama will be little more proactive in his revenge so no stumbling upon them haha! And Gai already has plans to introduce the terrors to his genin team 😉

3. He’ll accidentally stumble upon Kakashi’s specific distaste of the outfit but you better believe once he finds, he’ll just happen to bring it up to Kakashi every once in a while just to see his reaction. 

The issue with the gunbai is it’s specifically associated with the Ghost of the Uchiha. Madara’s individual name got lost (only the elders, ninja with access to classified records, and certain clans remember it). But the “Ghost” was a bogeyman to Konoha, an evil, terrible man who was cursed with only hatred in his heart, who turned on the village and tried to destroy it. 

(In the full story, it also connects Konoha’s hatred of Kurama specifically (the monster the Ghost used to try and destroy the village) which will also be connected to one reason why the jinchuriki were always set up to be pariahs, and how by killing Madara, Hashirama’s deification as the God of Shinobi was complete, as well as another reason the Uchiha were separated and held at arms length which only worsened over time as the story became more and more mythologized and Madara’s past contributions as a founder were lost.)

Because there weren’t paintings/statues of the Ghost (except for VotE which...I think is actually a bit of a controversial piece for Konoha tbh, and the Uchiha’s secret mural) the only thing that really stuck to symbolize him was the gunbai. This is a very American-centric perspective and I will be the first to admit isn’t a perfect parallel by any means but the kind of fear/hatred most of Konoha and especially ninja have towards the gunbai/Ghost can be thought of like the Red Scare panic. The “paranoia” point isn’t quite met but that kind of visceral hatred and fear over something that they’re told to fear and hate but don’t actually have first hand experience is similar. I also think it could work as a kind of dark reflection of the Will of Fire ideology. If you’re not someone who would sacrifice everything for the village and endure relentlessly...are you going to betray the village and become the next Ghost? That’s not a vocal belief in Konoha, but more something that’s kind of implied by the black/white mentality that nationalism kind of inspires. The emotion is only towards gunbai in particular, but the culture around fans in general and them being “too similar” has created an aversion to all fans esp in the ninja clans. Tenten has a small tessen (an iron hand held fan) but it’s something that very clearly marks her as clanless to other shinobi because no clan ninja would own one. 

All of this to say, when Gai first saw the gunbai unexpectedly the years of being taught this explicitly and implicitly kicked in and he reacted. It was a panicked instinct and if he weren’t the amazing man we know and love seeing Madara with the gunbai and definitely knowing their connection, other ninja in Konoha would find it perfectly reasonable for him to then try and attack Madara.

I hope this clears things up, I felt I got a bit rambly in the middle!

[jostenneil]

Something I have always wanted the characters in Naruto to question is—is being part of a clan truly important? It’s true that we see characters grapple with their heritage, fate, and destiny over the course of the series as a result of which clans they’re born into, but just for once, I wanted someone to ask—does any of this matter? And I think there’s no two characters for whom it’d have been more poignant to discuss than Tsunade and Sasuke. More under the cut!

I think it’s very interesting and perhaps even intentional that Tsunade and Sasuke, despite the ongoing wars between their clans, end up being the last members alive of either of them. (I choose to assume Tsunade is the last of her clan simply because we are never introduced to any Senju otherwise, and considering a focal point of her character is her having lost almost all of the people she loves, if she still had family, I think we would know about it.) And obviously, there’s a clear dichotomy here. Tsunade is in her fifties, and she has no interest in marriage; the Senju line will theoretically end with her. Sasuke, in comparison, is young, and he has Sakura. It’s ironic that after all these years, the Senju line will die out while in theory, the Uchiha line will be reborn into a new glory. 

But like a lot of other people, I’m not particularly keen on the idea of Sasuke setting out to restore his clan (in the traditional sense). He’s the last Uchiha alive. At this point, what does it mean to be an Uchiha? What does it mean to be part of a clan when you no longer have or are a part of one? Sasuke is the cornerstone now—he gets to make the decisions, he gets to mold his path in a direction finally unencumbered of the trauma that others have relentlessly exerted upon him. So the question is: what’s most important to him? Being part of the Uchiha clan, or being part of a family? I feel like while there are times he leads himself to believe it’s the former that’s more important, the reality is that it’s the latter. Everything when it comes to Sasuke is about the basic concept of family, of bonds, of having unbreakable ties to other people and that implying the ability to be hurt. Being an Uchiha is important to him, of course, especially as a victim of genocide, but being an Uchiha has also meant having to live with this crushing burden for years. The burden of his father’s expectations, the burden of living up to his brother’s abilities, the burden of exacting revenge for his family. The Uchiha name has boxed him into this small, traumatic space. . . 

. . . and I think that Tsunade offers an intriguing contrast. From the time that we learn about and meet her, we know that she’s a Senju. But is the fact that she’s a Senju ever truly important or critical to her role as a Hokage? Sure, she’s famed as being the First Hokage’s granddaughter, but her reputation comes moreso from her own scope of abilities as one of the Legendary Sannin. The fact that she’s a Senju isn’t something constantly thrown in our faces or used to hold her back in the narrative. If anything, I think that while Sasuke’s trauma pushes him to obsess over the Uchiha’s name, Tsunade’s trauma perhaps has lead her to realize that a name is only a name. It doesn’t mean anything beyond that; it can’t guarantee her the lives of the people she loves, especially since she’s lost nearly every single one. Being a Senju is part of a legacy that she has (and it’s true that it’s part of the reason she’s considered for the Hokage job), but the path she carves out is entirely her own, borne of her own powers and actions. She’s never chained down to that legacy or what it’s supposed to entail, especially in terms of the Senju-Uchiha conflict. In that sense, she’s a lot like her grandfather. I don’t think it would be unreasonable to assume that they’re both people who could care less about the worth of a clan’s name. 

So, building off of that, I think it would be very interesting for Sasuke and Tsunade to have this conversation as to what being part of either of their clans means to them. To see Tsunade not obsessed with maintaining her clan line could be cathartic, and it would tie in further into what Naruto has been trying to convince Sasuke of throughout the entire series: that he can still have a family even if he has lost his old one, that blood bonds do not have to be the end-all, be-all. I know there are plenty of people on either side of the argument about just what exactly Sarada means to Sasuke: 1) a restoration of his clan name, or 2) a true desire to make his own family by blood. But (while I adore her to no end) I think what would be more poignant than anything would be for Sasuke to realize that he doesn’t have to be obligated to either of those ideas in order to be happy. As I said earlier, a name is just a name. A clan is just a clan. There would be so much poetic justice, I feel, in Sasuke learning to seek out a family in the people already at his side, or in an orphan he meets while on his travels. I’m not opposed to the idea of him having his own children, of course, but I would much rather he come to that conclusion years later when he wants children for himself, not because of any obligation to carve a “real” family or “restore” his clan. 

Sasuke’s entire plot line is about fighting to break free of these various shackles: shackles of powerlessness, shackles of trauma, shackles of honor. It makes little sense to me that his narrative would still tie his decisions down to those same shackles, and to that same name whose burden he has lived under his entire life. I don’t think he has to give up the Uchiha name per se—although it’s certainly an interesting line of thought, kind of à la Fullmetal Alchemist and the Elric brothers—but I think it’s important for him to let go of what the Uchiha name has meant in terms of it dictating nearly his entire life. It’s important that he gets to live life for himself and his own happiness. 

[loyaltykask]

Does anyone know what happened to the Senju clan?

So I have a theory that like either during the second Shinobi war or after the second Shinobi war, that just every single non-leaf ninja would specifically go after Senju members. Like it wasn’t a slaughter like the Uchiha clan because they never mention a massacre but let’s just say that anyone a part of the Senju clan seen on an active mission was immediately targeted by all other the enemy ninja. Like they would just focus on killing that one Senju member even at the failing of their own mission due to orders or whatever. 

And I’m not saying there were just killed off. This was the Senju, the baddest of asses, that rivaled the Uchiha. But they didn’t practice in the whole “marring your cousin” thing and so not everyone had the power of Hashirama cells and plot armor. 

That can explain Tsundas parent's deaths and eventually, it just got so bad that most all the non-shinobi clan members just disbanded and took on different names for their own safety as civilians. Either marrying into civilian families or just joining the workforce. The council wasn’t too pleased with the lost since they were active shinobi but it was when they stopped sending the kids to the Academy which did sniff the council the wrong way. Politics are messy. 

This kept going until only the main branch family was around which was Tsunade and her bro (and wow that didn’t last long). So like they still have extended family within Konoha (third or fourth cousins) but nothing she would consider close relatives let alone family. I mostly made this theory because there’s a lot of brown-haired people in Konoha (our beautiful Yamato and out long Line of Brown-haired Jonin!) and I like to think that they have a little bit of Senju blood in them so it’s good for head cannons.

[raendown]

Because I had @dimancheetoile on the mind and somehow this is what came out on the page.

Day 23 Pairing: Shikamaru/Sakura Word count: 751 Word: Meriggiare - to rest at noon, more likely in a shady spot outdoors

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Meriggiare - Shikamaru/Sakura

He found her, after over an hour of searching, sprawled out in the shade of a tree at the edge of their backyard. Which was suspicious since he could swear that he’d checked back here twice already, although he had to give her points for positioning herself at just the right angle that she wouldn’t be visible from the house.

When he laid down at her side the scent of iron was heavy in the air. The grass under his left arm felt sticky and wet but he didn’t let it bother him. It was hardly the first time he’d had blood on him and it would hardly be the last. After a cursory glance to see that there were no visible wounds on his wife he settled back to tuck his right arm under his head and stared up at the leaves dancing above them. Sure was a beautiful day.

Neither of them said anything for a very long time. Shikamaru traced patterns in the shadows with his eyes and briefly considered a light nap.

“Who am I?” Her soft voice broke through his reverie but Shikamaru kept his eyes facing up.

“Nara Sakura,” he replied easily. “Wife of Shikamaru. Mother of Shikadai and Sarada. Head of the Konoha hospital. Student of the Godaime Hokage Senju Tsunade. Best friend of Uzumaki Naruto. Rival of Yamanaka Ino. Face-beater of the scum we do not name.”

“Where am I?”

Humming a quiet note, he answered simply, “You are home.”

A shuddering breath left her but it was not one of relief. Something in her breathing was broken just as something in her spirit was but it would do neither of them any good for him to panic. Shikamaru kept still and waited patiently.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Her voice was no less soft, not a demand but a plea.

“I have a marriage certificate infused with your chakra. The children will recognize you on sight. Every person in this village can corroborate my story. In a box under our bed I have countless photographs and on the back of many you will find dates and names written in your own hand.” His right shoulder have a tiny shrug. “Not to mention your office in the hospital with wards keyed only to your chakra.”

She fell silent again but this time it last for so long that Shikamaru was indeed able to close his eyes and catch a very small catnap. No sense in staying awake if he didn’t have no. He snapped to attention the moment he felt a shift in her presence, alert for the words he had been waiting for.

“Do I deserve this? Any of it?”

Very slowly, cautiously, Shikamaru inched his left hand across the bloody grass until he could feel the smooth lycra of an ANBU glove and slipped his fingers in to the spaces between hers. After a moment of pause Sakura clung to him like a lifeline, like she might slip off the edges of reality if one of them let go even the slightest. Her strength made his joints creaks but he said nothing.

“Yes. You deserve all of it. For the things you have done, for the hurts you have suffered, for the person you are. You deserve the world.”

“Thank you.”

At last Sakura rolled sideways to curl up against him and Shikamaru rolled on to his own side in time to bury her face in his chest, hands still linked between them while his right arm came around to hold her close.

The children wouldn’t be home for another few hours. He was grateful that the young chūnin on gate duty had known to send word to him as soon as Sakura returned from her mission. It gave him time to help bring her out of the mask that she wore only too well and remind her of who she was, of the life they had built together. Soon, he promised himself, he would talk to Kakashi-sama about retiring her from ANBU for good. Soon he would have that conversation with her as well because going behind her back and keeping secrets would not end well.

But for now he held her and whispered that he loved her as many times as she asked him to. If it was all he could do, if it was all she needed, he was more than willing to spend his afternoon resting here under the shade of his favorite tree.

[desi-pluto]

知的愛 Chiteki Ai - “Intellectual Love”

Summary: Her intelligence was his aphrodisiac just as his love for literature sparked her desire to read more books - (a tiny hint of NejiTen and SuiKarin as well) College AU

Rating: Teen

For the lovely @uchihaharunoss who loves reading school/college AUs. 

Note: the term "aphrodisiac" doesn't just apply to sex; it’s other definition is: a thing that causes excitement.

Freshmen Year

There she was studying at the grand library of Rikodu Sennin University, wearing a pair of thin framed reading glasses as she was studiously taking notes from her thick molecular biology textbook. Something about seeing a beautiful woman intently studying motivated him to step up his A-game. Especially if that woman has the same hair color of cherry blossoms and eyes like shimmering emeralds. That woman's name was Haruno Sakura. He had heard that she was a one-of-a-kind genius who got a full scholarship in the Rikodu Sennin medical school, and that she was also the apprentice of the infamous Doctor Tsunade Senju ever since she miraculously concocted an antidote to counteract the spider virus.

Here he was sitting on the other side of the library with a friend of his in the middle of a study session. It was getting hard for him to concentrate, because he was constantly tempted to sneak glances

"Hey Sasuke, can I copy your timeline notes of the Tokugawa Shogunate period? If you remember that I didn't make it to class last Thursday." Neji Hyuga, a sophomore from the esteemed Hyuga clan asks him if he could borrow his notes. With a grunt, Sasuke takes out his binder to take out the sheets of papers he took his notes, and then staples them in order before handing them to Neji, "Give them back to me by Friday, Neji."

"But of course." Was Neji's reply before he carefully puts the packet of Sasuke's precious notes in his file.

"Why were you staring at Haruno Sakura?" Neji changes topic.

"Why were you staring at Yu Tenten during basketball practice?" He retaliates with a smirk. Neji's fascination towards Tenten was no secret.

"She was cheering for me Sasuke, like any good friend would." Neji quickly responds with a faint blush growing on his cheek bones.

"Aha, keep telling yourself that Neji." Sasuke continues teasing him mercilessly.

"Don't you have to write a 10 page research paper for Law?" At being reminded of his arduous assignment, Sasuke's face momentarily turns pale at the thought of completing an all-nighter to write his paper.

'Damn it, I guess I'll have to make time to read The Silmarillion tomorrow then.' Sasuke thinks defeated with a sigh. Yes, the pragmatic Sasuke Uchiha has a love for literature. If he had the time, he'd consider joining the literature club, but alas his major forces him to study very hard in order to become a better criminal lawyer than his father; and it would mean reading more books with legal jargon.

"I must leave now Sasuke, I promised Tenten that I wold help her in understanding functional analyses." Neji stands to pack his books, while trying his best not to blush at the prospect of having alone time with Tenten.

"You don't even take calc. 1." Sasuke knew for a fact that Hyuga Neji was probably on the linear algebra level, considering he was known to be a prodigal math genius back in high school.

"I'm the best person to help her Sasuke." Neji haughtily tells him, "you'll understand when someone deems you worthy enough to help them." And with that he left the library leaving Sasuke all by himself on the table.

After Neji leaves, Sasuke with a "hmph" puts on his earphones that were attached to his cellphone so he can listen to his playlist of classical European music from Beethoven to Mozart to Tchaikovsky.

Sophomore Year

"Hey Sakura, my mom's hosting my birthday this weekend, you should come over!" Karin Uzumaki removes her glasses and pouts her lips, as she sweetly invites her for her birthday party.

"Geez Karin you don't need to act all 'cutesy' to make me go somewhere when you know the answer is yes." Sakura irritably answers her. At hearing her confirmation, Karin's expression turns ecstatic and then tells her to wear something nice but not too casual this coming weekend.

"Great, and just so you know Sasuke will be there too." Karin leaves her with a knowing smirk.

::::

Saturday comes and she's the first one to arrive at Karin's birthday party, and is grabbed by the arm to Karin's bedroom. When she goes inside the red head's room, Sakura instantly knew what needed to be done. Which was to help Karin get ready for the party.

"What will make you stand out the most?" Sakura looks through her closet of designer clothes until she hit the jackpot. She took out an unsaturated red tube dress that reached mid-thigh with a black denim jacket to go on top of.

"This will do, it compliments your hair and eye color!" Sakura hands the outfit to Karin and then turns around so she can slip her clothes on.

When she was done changing, she found Karin looking in the mirror with a sad look. "Do you think Sasuke will notice me like this?" She's been having a crush on him since they were in Oto high school but, things recently started to get complicated with their long time mutual friend Suigetsu Hozuki; who's also known to quarrel with Karin a lot. She also wasn't oblivious of Sakura's crush on Sasuke either, even if the pinkette doesn't know it herself.

"It doesn't matter how you look for him Karin, no one knows what his tastes are." She honestly answers, because it was hard for nearly anyone to guess what Sasuke is up to most of the time, aside from his close friends. 'I'd be more worried about Suigetsu not keeping his eyes off of you.' She quietly thinks to her self.

"Don't make this night about impressing him." She gently rests her palm on Karin's right shoulder.

When the house became too crowded for Sakura's liking, she decided to take a seat inside the gazebo of Karin's backyard. Aside from knowing Karin, nearly all the party guests were from said girl's high school called Oto High which was located in downtown Tokyo; plus most of them intimidated the crap out of Sakura. Basking in the fresh night air she closed her eyes and let her body absorb the cool summer wind.

"I thought I'd find you here." Sasuke's voice startles her out of her reverie and causes her to open her eyes only to see that he was taking a seat next to her. She couldn't help but admire his choice of clothing for the evening. Wearing a navy blue collar shirt with the sleeves rolled half way up - exposing his muscular arms.

"Hey." Sakura politely acknowledges him, wondering if he came to return the book he borrowed from her - ironically the book she's had for years in her home, but never finished reading it.

He takes out the hard copy of The Chamber by American author John Grisham from his black satchel and hands it over to Sakura, "It's a pretty decent book, I'm surprised you haven't read it yet." It had everything Sasuke loved to read about; suspense, history, politics, and a thorough examination of America's horrible legal system. Not to say that he loved America's justice system, he is actually appalled by it, from its prevalent racism, gender biases in careers, its lack of healthcare, the amount of countries it destroyed, he hated all of it.

"I'm not quite fond of America's justice system Sasuke, even my dad thought it could've been written better so I chose not to bother after chapter 4." She dryly tells him, which made him smirk a little. "Can't argue with that." He agrees with her while taking a good look at her. The sight of her sitting in the gazebo with that faraway look as she looks upwards toward the star-filled night sky would be the perfect inspiration for a painter or a photographer. Her long pink hair was let loose, her sea green eyes sparkled in the dark, and her choice of clothing was lovely as well, Sasuke observes her admiringly. She chose to wear a white frock that reached mid leg, and a pastel pink chiffon cardigan.

"What is it Sasuke?" She caught him staring at her, feeling genuinely confused, because he never looked at her like that before.

"Nothing Sakura." He gives her a gentle smile, that reminded her of the one her father would give to her mother.

Perhaps she'll finish reading The Chamber.

End of Junior Year

"You want me to do what with you?" He asks her amused, this was just too good to hear from her.

"You heard me loud and clear Sasuke, would you like to go out with me tonight, you know..to hangout?" Sakura asks with her arms crossed, a faint blush decorating her cheekbones.

"Alright," He fake surrenders with his hands up, "I'll see you at 7 at my place, oh and Sakura…" He walks close to her until there's very little space between them and boldly pecks her forehead where her purple diamond tattoo was, and whispers "Thank you." With that said, he goes off to class leaving Sakura with her heart beating fast as she replays the kiss on her forehead.

::::

"Wait, thee Sakura is taking you to the movies?" Sasuke's mom Mikoto Uchiha, eggs her son to tell. "Yes okasan, it's her - hold on," He paused as his cheeks darken a little bit, "how do you know her name?" He never recalled sharing her name to anyone in his family, just vague information that she's a medicine student and came from Okinawa.

"I heard you whisper 'Sakura' in your sleep, when I came to wake you up from your power nap." She wickedly grins at him, causing heat to reach at the back of his neck, now hoping his father won't walk in, in the middle of this conversation.

Just as the clock went 7:00 pm, the doorbell of the house rung. Faster than lightning, Mikoto opens the door with a smile and is delighted to see a pink haired maiden with green eyes in front of her.

"You must be Sakura! Please do come in." The elder woman grabs the younger one by the elbow to pull her inside.

Remembering her manners, Sakura clears her throat and with a traditional bow she says "Konbanwa Uchiha-san, I am a close friend of your son, and I would like to take him out to the movies with me. Rest assured, I will not take any advantage of making him pay for the two of us just for the sake of traditional gender roles, I will -"

"She gets the point Sakura." Sasuke comes right next to her as he helps her straighten her back to stand up.

"Well you sure are a chivalrous woman." The ebony haired woman chuckles at the slightly nervous young lady standing next to her son. "I mean you're both adults, so I don't see the point of you asking for my permission. Just don't get lost in any alleyways." She jokingly says a little bit. 'It's not everyday a girl comes to me to ask Sasuke out on a date.' She thinks to herself amused. 'Just friends. I see, as if I was born yesterday.'

"Have fun kiddos!" She sees them go out the door, and once their gone she feels her body relax and with a loud voice, "You can come out now Fugaku."

"So that was Sakura." Fugaku walks next to his wife with a mini smirk forming on his usually serious face. "I never expected her to be so unique."

"Neither did I dear." She agrees as she rests her head on his shoulder.

::::

Sakura couldn't contain her excitement, ever since her self-discovery of having feelings for Sasuke, she's been wanting to see if he might also like her beyond friendship. She was tempted to grab his hand and hold it firmly in her's, but she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable as she fails to not reach for his hand before he caught her.

"What are you doing?" He whispers so the other occupants in the cinema wouldn't hear him.

"Just stretching." She answers in a steady tone.

"Is that so?" He comes near her ear as his breath tickles when he adds, "is it not because you want to hold my hand, like lovers do?" He further agitates her until she aggressively grabs his much larger hand and grips it in her smaller one. "Yes. Yes Uchiha Sasuke I like you a lot and I would love for us to be real lovers." She confesses to him. "However, I won't force you to be in a relationship just because I wish it. We can continue on as friends and forget this entire conversation." She stiffly finishes and tries to let go of his hand but Sasuke unexpectedly tightens his hold on her.

"We'll talk it through when the movie is done." He tells her without turning to her. They resume to watch the rest of the Batman movie in silence.

When the movie finished, Sasuke without hesitation offers his hand to Sakura which she takes and leads them outside the cinema.

"We're going back to my place." Sasuke leads them to the train station, "Don't ask any questions."

After 40 minutes, they arrive to his fancy neighborhood while holding hands. Once their in front of his door, he rings the bell and was surprisingly welcomed inside by his father.

"Come in you two." Fugaku gives a small grin at the two of them.

"I have something important to tell you and mom." Sasuke says loud enough so his mom can come out of the kitchen, which worked because she arrives to stand next to her husband.

"As of today Sakura and I will begin to date." He says it so bluntly that Sakura's eyes widen like saucers at him. 'How is he saying this all with a straight face?' Her heart thumps loudly at Sasuke's reciprocation of her feelings.

"We're happy for you son." Fugaku pats Sasuke on his left shoulder with a proud smirk on his face.

"How about you stay the night with us Sakura-chan? It's almost midnight anyway." Mikoto side glances Sasuke with a knowing grin 'you brought her home so she wouldn't leave, you're not that slick Sasuke.'

"Arigato-gozaimasu Uchiha-san, I'll be gone by morning." Sakura promises, even though she could've called a taxi to drop her at her 1 room apartment.

"You can sleep on Sasuke's bed for the night, and he'll sleep on a futon. Sound good to you kids?"

"Yes ma'am." Sakura agrees with the conditions.

When they arrive in Sasuke's bedroom, Sasuke hands her a disposable tooth brush and a pair of black trousers and shirt to wear.

When it was time to sleep, Sasuke gently pulls Sakura down next to her on his futon and they just stare eye to eye for a long time. An old habit of their's. Not before long Sasuke caresses her cheek and leans closer to her until she places her lips on his. The kiss was tender, romantic, and longing with love.

Before things would go out of hand, Sasuke reluctantly pulls back and pecks her forehead before saying "Goodnight." As he urges her to lie down on his bed at the same time he lies on his futon.

This was just the beginning of a new chapter for the both of them.

[lady-tsunade-hime2-archived]

Please talk about Dan the Rebound.

Based on this thread, this Diary Entry, this post I made and probably whatever headcanons mention Dan.

The Second War is long and we have no solid time line. So HA I create it however I want. :P Meaning to many things overlap but oh well.

It’s obvious I’m not a huge fan of Dan Kato. But I still respect canon enough to not like totally ignore it… for the most part at least. My “main verse” could be considered the headcanons I have for Tsunade and diary entries. Since those essentially tie into each and ever thread/are inspired by a thread. Even if they are overlapping but we won’t talk about that.

Dan is a rebound. More towards an accidental rebound but one that still happened. Now I bet you’re wondering why or how and look I’m still trying to process it too cause Tsunade just told me. A bunch of things play into this too that causes Dan to be a unknown rebound. The relationship between Orochimaru and Tsunade, Nawaki’s death, my headcanon on how Dan was originally part of an arranged marriage for Tsunade, and Jiraiya in general for example.

I bet you’re wondering why I also mentioned Jiraiya. I promise it’s important and I’m not just wishful-filling for myself to talk about the Sannin all together. I’ve always pictured the said trio as a little be awkward towards each other once they hit a certain age. Between their bodies developing more and the sudden realization that oh yes they do like each other it’s harder to miss the unresolved feelings. So instead of acting on these feelings they all just ignore it and kind of hope it goes away, only it doesn’t.

It’s obvious of Jiraiya’s crush on Tsunade and in return she ignores him no matter how much she actually wants to return his feelings. It isn’t right, isn’t seen as the person she should be with considering her last name. Tsunade is well aware of her status in the Leaf. So while she returns his feelings she won’t ever be with him, at least not now.

It’s easier to ignore all this when they split up. Jiraiya staying to look over the Ame orphans and Tsunade and Orochimaru back to Konoha doing who knows what. During this time I’m sure this is where their relationship really took off. They were already closer to each other then Jiraiya for most parts. If you look at this headcanon, this is one that plays into Tsuna’s reasoning's for disliking perverts. Which assists in Tsunade being closer to Orochimaru longer. Fuck you Kishi for not having a good timeline for us.

So Orochimaru and Tsunade. An unlikely pair but one that her family would approve of. It helps that Hiruzen probably also comes around a lot of babbles about how great they’re all doing to Mito or Tobirama. Ta-da a friendship happens and which only develops more and deeper as time goes on. Which toppled into this thread? Kind of? It pre-dates the war and Nawaki’s death. It’s all accidentally of course too! Which makes it better cause they’re diving into unknown waters.

So they develop a very private relationship. One that even her family members are unsure about for a very long time. They find out eventually how ever that may be (Mito finds out first). From then on up until Nawaki’s death it’s still a really private relationship. Then it all changes.

Because a death in the family isn’t an easy thing. Tsunade had always been close to Nawaki and for Orochimaru to be his Sensei yet let him go so recklessly into the field Tsunade is feeling a bit to much of everything. He knows how Nawaki is and should have been stricter with him but also Tsunade knows how Nawaki is and even if Orochimaru was it doesn’t mean Nawaki would listen. She can never muster up enough anger to feel truly angry at Orochimaru or Nawaki. She loves them to much.

Thus leading to the split up that happens to them. Tsunade can’t reach Orochimaru no matter how hard she tries and whatever is going on in Orochimaru’s mind Tsunade has no idea. This all leads up to, well the meeting in where she meets Dan Kato. Her little brother had just died -inserts a time- (timeline what? Hahaha) and she needs to go and figure out how to make it happen where a medical ninja is going to be on every single team. So when she gets rebutted and denied and this blue-silver haired prince (hahaha) comes up defending her opinions rather then Orochimaru (who wasn’t there?) and even Jiraiya? She feels that flutter in her heart she hasn’t felt since Orochimaru started pulling away from her.

Dan doesn’t carry the weight of her teammates. He’s new, fresh, and believes in the same dreams as her. He smiles freely and yet had experienced a death of a sibling as well. So when Orochimaru seems done with her and Jiraiya is someone in her delicate world that people would scorn at she flocks and wraps herself around someone who knows little to nothing about her. She can mold herself into whatever she wants. Dan becomes her rebound. Someone she doesn’t necessarily love maybe but someone who she can learn to love for sure.

Dan is a lot softer. He’s easier to lie to and get anger with and discuss dreams that seem impossible. He’s all in all a dream that Tsunade knows it out of reach because that isn’t their reality. But she only comes across Dan, you think by chance, but really because of Mito. She noticed first what was all happening. It takes some time but she eventually finds a torn up arranged marriage between the Senju and Kato family. Gets in contact with them and eventually plans the whole thing. Mito wants her Granddaughter happy and if takes meddling and fixing what little she can she’ll do it. (TO WHICH I CAN”T FIND THAT STUPID HEADCANON  I HAVE ABOUT DAN AND TSUNADE BEING IN AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE.)

So Dan is the rebound. Tsunade doesn’t know where her axis is spinning anymore but knows that Nawaki is gone, Jiraiya wouldn’t be approved of, and Orochimaru just won’t talk or look at her. Everything from before is swept under the rug. Tsunade doesn’t doesn’t bring it up and no one else does either. Acting like it never happened. It hurts but that’s why she puts so much time and energy towards Dan.

[darquedeath4444]

Those in Between

Chapter TEN

Jiraiya leaves the meeting feeling more down than he had been in a while. He understands the reasoning of the council and knows Minato has to do what is best for everyone. That does not mean he likes the decisions and the ultimate order given to him

He is to find Senju Tsunade and bring her back to Konoha.

The Attempted Konoha Crush had highlighted what had been known but ignored up to this point. The medical technology and skills of Konoha Shinobi have not improved since Tsunade had left. It is as though she had taken all the potential of medical advancement with her the day she departed. The Council had raised that had the shinobi had more medical training, the damage could have been decreased.

After all, quick and efficient healing meant more shinobi could have been pumped back into the battle at a much faster rate.

Jiraiya himself has not talked to his teammate since Sakura herself had first come to Konoha. Of course, he knows where she is through his contacts but he also knows that their relationship is currently strained. He doubts she will comply to his request for her return simply because he asks but he also understands that things are getting desperate.

Minato is calling back teams from various long-term missions in order to send them out on shorter, higher pay jobs. This meant most of them were dangerous, but he does not have a choice. 

Konoha needs the money to rebuild, and she has to do this as soon as possible, to hold a strong face in front of other villages that might try to take advantage of her weakened state. After all, it was a former member of the village, a Sanin to boot, that had been the one to wreak havoc. That is not something anyone against them will forget easily.

Jiraiya sighs. He has one day to prepare for departure.

Sakura appears as understanding as ever at their plans for abrupt departure and Jiraiya hates this even more as the girl begins the process of packing, something they have done plenty of times before.

Jiraiya sorts out reports regarding the Akatsuki and adds in the last part of the information he has just finished arranging. He heads out to talk to Minato and leaves Sakura to finish her own preparations.

Sakura is gone when he returns a few hours later and he misses the chance to tell her that arrangements have been made and Minato's son, as well as his best friend, will now be accompanying them.

Sakura settles on the training grounds Jiraiya has told her she could use as she pleased and takes a deep breath. She must prepare for the outside again. The few days she has spent without even a hint of conflict has no doubt dulled her senses, even if only a little.

The poison running through her veins begin to bubble beneath her skin and she begins to salivate as deadly liquid begins to fill her mouth. Even the thought of battle is enough for her body to revert away from what it had experienced in the past few days of peace and back into the killing machine she had been. It was her nature, after all.

When she stands back up, her entire body is humming and her senses are sensitive to even the faintest hint of movement. She considers going back to Jiraiya's apartment then decides against it. Instead, she perches herself on the roof of a nearby building and spends the night overlooking the village she wishes she could be a part of.

Jiraiya picks up his godson, Naruto, from Minato's place in the morning. The boy is the target of the Akatsuki and they had decided yesterday that the boy would be safer with him than Konoha. Any good shinobi would not let go of the chance to use destruction as a cover to sneak in.

"Why so sudden, dattebayo?" Naruto asks. He waves to his parents before he turns back to the Sannin. "I was going to go eat ramen today."

Despite the situation, Jiraiya laughs. "My bad, my bad."

Naruto is bright, both appearance and person wise. He will no doubt overwhelm someone like Sakura, but Jiraiya hopes that he will help her, if only a little, to become her own person, because he knows, better than anyone, that even if Sakura comes out of her shell little by little, more and more every day, she is not becoming her own person. She is caged by an identity of a killing machine, a tool, and a part of her is allowing herself to remain under the label of property.

He cares for Naruto, he loves his godson, but he is not afraid to admit that a part of this is for Sakura as well. "Ero-Sennin, you listening?" Naruto demands.

"My bad." Jiraiya repeats, and he grins. "We still need to wait for Sasuke. While we do that, I'll introduce you to our other traveling companion first, what do you say?"

Namikaze Naruto catches sight of a flash of pink near the gates and falters a little when it turns out to be the hair of the most delicate looking girl he has ever seen. Of course, they are still pretty far from the gates and he cannot see any of her features, but he can already tell that she is short and thin.

"Uh, Ero-Sennin-"

"That's Sakura," Jiraiya tells him. He makes a gesture with his hand and Naruto is about to tell him that considering the distance between them and the gates, there is no way the girl would see, but a second later, something brushes his sleeve and he jumps.

He turns around and is met by the most striking pair of eyes he has ever seen. The bandages covering every inch of her skin only draws out their glow.

"Oh, uh..."

Jiraiya grins and pats the girl on the head. "Sakura, this is Naruto. Naruto, this is Sakura. Be nice to each other, okay?"

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama," Sakura says, without missing a beat.

"Jiraiya-sama? Naruto echoes.

"Hello, Naruto-sama," Sakura says. "My name is Sakura. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jiraiya winces and Naruto notes the artificiality of Sakura's tone. She manages a small smile, one that seems genuine and slightly nervous, though, so Naruto grins. He does not question the bandages or the slight shaking of her hand as she accepts his handshake after a swift, careful glance at Jiraiya.

"Just call me Naruto," he says. "Nice to meet you, Sakura-chan!"

The boy is bright.

Sakura can feel his warmth through their linked hands, even through her bandages. His eyes are as clear as the sky and his hair as bright as the sun. There is a sense of purity in the way he grins at her that seems to push her corruption away, even if only for a short while.

The boy is genuinely happy to have met her and she feels she can trust his words. She tightens her grip just a little and feels Naruto does the same. His grin widens.

Naruto is very bright.

Chapter ELEVEN>

<Chapter NINE

[iryuuki]

origin of haruno (sorta), medical ninjutsu and etc. [ very au, possibly unlikely in any shape way or form ] 

warning: this will delve very much into the senju and the uzumaki clan and their abilities. 

as otsutsuki asura's descendants, we know that the senju and uzumaki clan both possess incredibly strong life forces. seeing that asura inherited his father's (sage of six paths) 'body'. as such, i believe that not only the uzumaki had incredibly long lifespans, but so did the senju; at least, to a degree. 

i would go as far to assume that members of the senju clan, along with their powerful life force and chakra, have good chakra control. we don't have too much information on how fuinjutsus are actually executed, chakra wise (whether they require the user to have good chakra control or not; though in my humble opinion -- they do) but they also possess very strong chakra and often we would see members of the uzumaki clan, who were put/forced into the medical field (either for special abilities that they had, which could be put into use: karin's mother and karin herself; nagato's mother, fuso, also was a nurse). 

it would be among these two clans that some distant form of medical ninjutsu first begins to make an appearance, if you will. now.. delving into that, the kekkei genkai of senju hashirama -- wood release. it is stated that the user essentially converts their chakra into a source of life; it's been established that anyone with possession of hashirama's cells, also, to an extent, have the same regenerative abilities he had. so, whilst the wood release is not directly related to that passive ability of his -- it may be because of its nature (turning chakra into a source of life) that other users also are able to heal themselves.

now, it is said hashirama is the only one that has it in ALL of the shinobi nations and senju clan, however -- the senju clan are known as 'the senju of the forest' and one of the techniques listed for them is a wood style technique. pardon me, but there's simply no way only hashirama had that ability naturally. it is not a kekkei genkai that is awakened in any way (much like the uchiha and their sharingan, with strong emotions such as hatred, anger and further down, love; or the hyuga and their rigorous training to awaken/activate the byakugan) as it is a mix of two basic chakra natures: water and earth release. i think that it could be discovered early on and then further trained into OR possibly, a user with both of those basic natures, could potentially be able to 'unlock' it, if you will. 

tsunade comes from both the senju and the uzumaki, considering uzumaki mito is her grandmother. she is the one who put an actual start of medical ninjutsu and started teaching others. it doesn't say where or how she developed the ability to heal others, but i would base it on the fact that she comes from the senju clan and has seen what wood style could do and managed to recreate it. medical ninjutsu in itself, i would classify as a yin and yang release (or mostly a yang release). my reason for this is, that, all of the medical ninja (tsunade, sakura, karin, kabuto, rin) possess yin and yang release and also water and earth release. putting kabuto aside here, since he's not our main focus (though there's theories out there that he could be a senju), tsunade and karin are hella distant relatives (of sorts) and could potentially be those people to 'unlock' the wood release. 

to me, medical ninjutsu, is a replication of wood release's ability to heal the user. as much as creation rebirth is inspired from hashirama's passive/natural regenerative ability. 

after you read all of that and are probably already bored, i'm getting to the main point of today -- the family name haruno and its origins. i believe that during the second shinobi world war, the senju clan either dispersed and intermarried into other family names/clans (due to losing a leader; senju tobirama's death. and being unable to elect another one) or a lot of them were killed off whilst helping the uzumaki clan, seeing they had very strong relationships with one another. 

sakura's family, could very well be a product of such a situation; i would go as far as to say that either her great grandmother or grandmother came from the senju clan and married a man with a last name 'haruno' and she took it to protect herself and her children from potential enemies the senju had. 

so, in that way only, sakura could be related to the senju clan and if such a thing as 'unlocking' a kekkei genkai such as the wood style existed, would have that ability. 

thank you for reading and do leave any and all the opinions you have on the matter! mana, out.

[pain-somnia]

Can I Be Yours [2/?]

Rating: M (always gonna be M especially this chapter in particular)

Summary: Sakura’s Side

chapter one (with disclaimer) | next

Chapter Two: The Gaps

Sakura woke up shivering. She was usually freezing when she woke up but this morning the cold brought disappointment with it.

Although she had fallen asleep naked, she was comfortable. A delicious warmth had been lying next to her and she had the best sleep she had ever had in the past few months.

For the moment she refused to acknowledge that it was probably due to the fact that she had gotten laid the night before.

Sakura sighed and rolled out of bed. She stood on her toes and stretched, raising her arms over her head and let out a loud groan. Her body felt sore but it was a pleasant kind of soreness like that of a good workout.

A warmth started to spread from her cheeks down throughout the rest of her body. Good workout indeed.

Sakura reached over for her work phone, the silver cased one and checked for any new messages. Tsunade had weekends free and although Sakura still had errands to run, it was one of the few “lazy days” she got where she could perform the tasks at her own leisure.

Tsunade and her husband Dan were being visited by their niece Shizune and Sakura had confirmed the day before that their reservations for the day were set.

Taking a look around her bedroom Sakura ran a hand down her face and groaned again.

“Might as well pack up my stuff to take to the cleaners…”

Still walking around in the nude, Sakura pulled out her laundry bag and sorted out what needed to be taken to the dry cleaner. She would drop off her stuff when she went to pick up Tsunade’s dry clean.

Scrambling around, putting her room back in order she couldn't believe that two girls could do so much damage on their way to bed.

Sakura glared at her overhead fan. Her favorite green lacy bra was hanging off it. She would need a step ladder to get it so she ignored it and carried on with cleaning.

She ignored the random thought that a certain statuesque beauty could have easily plucked it for her.

After her room was in order the only thing left to clean was herself. Sakura should have considered doing that first but she wanted to relax and not have to worry about the disarray in her room.

Once in her bathroom Sakura turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up to her desired temperature. She turned to look at her reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror and she tilted her head from side to side, examining herself.

Sakura had always been pale. Whenever her best friend Ino wanted to go tanning Sakura would always return with a splash of darker freckles all over her body. Another downside to her pale skin was how she bruised easily.

Hickeys. Kiss marks. Love bites.

Whatever she wanted to call them, she was covered with them. There was a dusting of them over her breasts and down her torso. There was a brilliant raspberry bloom on her collarbone and when she looked further down there were darker, more deeper impressions on her inner thighs.

She recalled a mass of blue-black hair underneath her, dark eyes glimmering from the light that streamed into her window from the street lamps outside. Long and thin calloused fingers gripping at the flesh of her thighs holding her down to a tongue that teased her with gentle strokes only to turn harsh and rough when she squirmed.

Sakura's pale skin colored to an obscene red when she further recalled the way she grinded her hips down on that mouth, riding Satsuki’s face until her legs trembled and she came all over the striking woman's face.

Sakura jumped into her shower and tried to rid herself of her thoughts and the longing in her core by scrubbing her body.

She wished she were the kind of person that got drunk and blacked out. Sakura didn't want to keep the vivid memory of last night.

Didn't want to remember the husky moans that escaped Satsuki’s mouth when she wrapped her tongue around and tugged on her nipple rings. Her breasts were almost nonexistent but the dark haired woman was extremely sensitive.

Sakura sighed and pressed her forehead against the tiles of her shower cabinet. She let the water fall over her head, hiding the hot tears that flowed down her cheeks.

When Sakura had imagined lying with the woman that had taken over her thoughts for the past few months, she never imagined waking up in bed alone. . .

Sakura was always rushing everywhere.

She never really did have time to relax and catch a break as she ran all over the city doing her boss’s shopping and running her files from the hospital to the affiliated university she worked at.

The only times she really had to relax was when she was preparing meals for Tsunade and her husband. Senator Dan Kato had his own PA who had insisted that the couple get a personal chef but Tsunade wouldn't hear any of it. She was a private woman who disliked having to deal with too many people going in and out of her home.

That was why she hired Sakura. She did everything for her, took care of her home, her schedules, and anything else Tsunade may need.

Which is why she had gone that fateful day to pick up the latest edition of a textbook that Tsunade required of her students.

Sakura never minded her height. Yes, she was petite but being short never held her back. Being short just meant that she had to be more resourceful.

Had to be resourceful and climb up furniture sometimes.

She didn't expect to be lifted into the air as if she were Simba from the Lion King and then put back on the ground.

“Which one?” A husky voice like velvet asked. It was the kind of sexy, deep adult woman’s voice she always wished she had instead of her breathy and somewhat childish one. Sometimes when she made phone calls people still assumed it was a young teen calling.

Sakura should have figured that the owner of such a voice would be beautiful.

The tall person that assisted her in the retrieval of her book had a sort of androgynous sort of style. The edgy rocker look was in high contrast with the feminine angles of her face. The woman had sharp high cheekbones that Sakura would kill for. The kind usually found on a runway model.

With her height, Sakura wouldn't doubt that the gorgeous woman in front of her was one.

When she finally looked into her eyes, Sakura had to suppress a shiver. There was something so familiar about her eyes that she couldn't put her finger on. There was a lot about the woman that seemed familiar to her.

Many people had dark eyes but there was something about these eyes that called out to her. Large pupils surrounded by charcoal irises and another ring of black trapping that smokey color.

Sakura could have stared at her all day but her cell phone had to go off at that exact moment reminding her that she needed to take a change of attire to Tsunade who was to attend a benefit dinner with Dan.

Crushing down the disappointment that she had to leave before she could even get the stranger's name, Sakura gathered her things and went back to what she was supposed to be doing: managing the order of her boss’s life.

It was a job that she loved but left her little room to enjoy her own life and the people she wanted to bring into it. . .

Someone as striking in looks as the stranger she met in the bookstore couldn't be ignored. In fact after having already seen her once, it made it easier to make her out in crowds.

It was strange watching someone so beautiful do mundane things like grabbing a coffee or buying take-out. It was strange but it made Sakura feel somewhat closer to this beautiful stranger.

There were many differences between her and the beauty that kept catching her eyes.

Sakura was designer. She couldn't deny it but with friends like Ino and Karin Uzumaki it was hard not to take in interest in fashion especially when it impacted how others perceived her. She represented a renowned doctor and professor of medicine and how she presented herself reflected on Tsunade Senju-Kato.

And then there was the beautiful stranger with her wild hair and her paint splattered and torn up clothes. Sakura loved bling but this stranger did it differently with steel jewelry that made her think of armor. Occasionally she would catch some rings or bangles of glass and even with its delicate and precious looks they still complemented the chains and steel rings the stranger wore.

The way the stranger carried herself was aloof as if she didn't care what the world thought of her.

Different from Sakura who felt as though she always had something to prove. . .

Sakura guessed the strange woman's last name long before she finally learned her first name.

She was taking a shortcut through the sculpture garden when she spotted her beauty sketching away, long limbs curled into herself as she guarded her view of her sketch pad from the glare of the sun.

The dark haired woman had her hair piled up in a high messy bun on her head and as she made sure strokes of her pencil Sakura was reminded of a different woman.

It was strange that she never made the connection before considering now that she took an even closer look at her face, the beauty looked like Mikoto Uchiha.

Mikoto Uchiha was a fashion designer and happened to be the owner of the label that Tsunade favored above all others when she needed something for all of the events she needed to attend.

Because of Tsunade’s generous bosom, a lot of her clothing needed to be tailored or custom made. Sakura was always running to Mikoto’s studio to make an order or pick one up. It was one of her favorite errands because although Mikoto was an elegant woman she was also very motherly and was always asking about her and offering her treats she bought in trips out of the country.

When Mikoto was in the middle of work she would pile her luscious hair in a bun atop of her head, the same way the beauty did. Their slender necks and profiles were almost identical.

Sakura wouldn't have been surprised if the beauty was related to Mikoto somehow. Especially since the Uchiha family seemed to be made up of the most beautiful people she had ever seen.

“Uchiha!”

Sakura watched as her beauty turned to face an energetic brown haired man with red triangles on his cheeks approaching her. Her stomach became heavy and she felt somewhat nauseous. She should have figured someone so beautiful would have a lover already.

Sakura wasn't even aware that she had been hoping that the stranger had been single.

“Piss off Inuzuka. If you want me to make your girlfriend something you gotta commission me. You don't get free shit just ‘cause we’re friends.”

Sakura answered her phone a little more cheerfully than normal and continued on her way. . .

Her name was Satsuki.

Sakura was dragged to a party at Ino’s to celebrate the completion of Sai’s upcoming showcase. Ino had found out about her technically free day the next day and insisted she joined them for drinks.

It was a surprise that Ino’s artist boyfriend was friends with her beauty but it was a pleasant one.

Her beauty looked cross, grumpy to be dragged to such a crowded place and Sakura couldn't help but bite her lip to contain her smile. The woman was absolutely adorable.

The woman became even grumpier when Sai ditched her to follow Ino around as she mingled with other guests. Sakura couldn’t leave her alone, a combination of needing to help others and also her desire to spend time with her.

She had a crush. Oh, was she crushing hard.

“Hello.” Sakura knew she was batting her eyelashes but she couldn't help it. It was instinctual for her to flutter her lashes when she was flirting. “My name’s Sakura. Sakura Haruno. I'm a friend of Ino’s.”

She stuck her hand out hoping to shake the woman’s hand. Hesitantly the woman reciprocated the gesture. Her hand was surprisingly warm. Sakura was sure it would be cold with all of the steel rings she wore.

“Satsuki Uchiha.”

Satsuki. A pretty name for a pretty girl. Sakura could just imagine what Satsuki would say about her own name considering her hair color. She had to imagine it because Satsuki didn't say anything after offering her name.

“Do you want to get a drink?” Sakura offered. She felt oddly like the guys that use to try and pick her up when she and her friends went out.

But that was technically what she was trying to do, wasn't it? Pick Satsuki up?

Sakura had already decided when she saw her arrive and approach Sai that she was going to do something about their relationship as only strangers that happened to cross paths in the town.

She wasn't only going to watch fragments of Satsuki’s life. She wanted to be a part of it.

After a beat of silence in which Sakura's smile started to pull down at the corners, Satsuki nodded her head.

Yes!

Sakura led Satsuki into Ino’s kitchen and started listing off all of the options. People kept entering the kitchen to find more drinks and food. The more crowded it got the more uncomfortable Satsuki became. The more uncomfortable she became the more worried Sakura became that she would lose Satsuki's attention.

In a surprising move Satsuki grabbed a bottle of Jack and a six pack and grabbed Sakura by the wrist and pulled her through the throng of people to Ino’s empty deck.

“I don't like crowded places,” Satsuki murmured. Her ears had a red tint that caused Sakura to giggle.

Too freakin’ cute.

“So…” Sakura plopped her body down on the outdoor couch Ino had taken from her parents’ house when she moved out and patted the seat next to her. Satsuki saw the gesture and sat down next to her. “If you don't like crowded places, why come to a party?”

“Ino told Sai to bring me along and, well, have you known Sai to say no to Ino if it was something he thought was minor?”

Sakura giggled and shook her head. Ino was bossy but she also knew how sweet Ino could be when it came to her boyfriend and how much Sai adored her.

“Here.” Satsuki handed Sakura the bottle of whiskey and Sakura took a swig of it. Sakura grinned slyly at her when she noticed how wide Satsuki's eyes went.

Sakura handed the bottle back and raised her eyebrow at her in challenge.

As they drank Sakura did most of the talking and asking of the questions but Satsuki seemed to be pretty attentive even when it became obvious that she may have drank more than she could handle. Not that she was stopping. If Sakura drank so did she.

The alcohol was making Sakura feel really warm and giddy. Her eyes were getting droopy but she didn't want to close them because then it meant she couldn't look at Satsuki.

Satsuki was wearing an off the shoulder crop top that exposed her flat stomach. The later it got and the more Sakura drank the more she kept eyeing her midriff, thinking about licking her and sucking at the the dip of her belly button.

“You're pretty.” Sakura slurred and poked at Satsuki's cheek. “Really pretty.”

The only thought Sakura had was how much she wanted to kiss her. Satsuki had a pretty mouth with a lower lip that was fuller than the upper lip. Sakura wanted to find out what she tasted like. Wondered if she wore lip gloss like she did or if her lips really were that pretty shade of pink.

So she kissed her.

It wasn't sloppy or hard. Just a chaste pressing of lips together. When she pulled back there was something in Satsuki's dark hooded eyes that made her stomach clench.

“That's it? That's hardly a kiss..” Satsuki muttered, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Sakura gave her an urchin grin and slid into her lap, straddling her.

“I want to do a lot more than that.” Sakura slid her hands over Satsuki's shoulders and cradled her neck in her hands. She stroked her jawline with her thumbs and leaned down, taking her full lower lip in between her teeth.

She tugged on her lip and and pressed another kiss, stroking Satsuki's lips with her tongue until Satsuki parted her mouth and let Sakura dip her tongue in to meet hers.

Sakura slanted her mouth over Satsuki's at a slow, sensual pace. She moaned slightly when she felt Satsuki take hold of her waist. Sakura shivered slightly at the feel of Satsuki sliding her hands around and down her back. Satsuki had squeezed Sakura's round backside causing Sakura to grind slowly into her lap.

Sakura trailed open mouth kisses down Satsuki's throat, gripping her by her hips and pulling her against her. She loved they way their bodies molded against each other.

Sakura's breath caught when Satsuki's hands snuck under her blouse and cupped her breasts. Satsuki squeezed them and molded them in her palms and Sakura whimpered in her mouth. She found the courage to slide her fingers down Satsuki's stomach to the waistband of her jeans and slide them underneath.

Satsuki didn't protest. In fact she spread her legs apart, granting Sakura better access. Satsuki groaned against Sakura's mouth as Sakura stroked velvet soft nether lips, slipping lower and feeling Satsuki's wet heat.

Oh, fuck, yes!

Sakura would be lying if she said she hadn't imagined a scenario like this. She didn't always think of innocent methods of passing the time with the dark haired beauty that kept popping up everywhere she went.

“Oh, shit!” A masculine voice broke Sakura out of her daze. She narrowed her eyes at the intruder as he apologized and backed back inside the apartment.

Sakura turned to look at Satsuki wondering if the intrusion had changed her mind about what she was doing. Satsuki pressed an open mouthed kiss to Sakura's throat. And Sakura relaxed in her hold once more.

“Come home with me?” Sakura pleaded, curling a lock of Satsuki's hair around her finger.

“And what would we do there?” Satsuki slurred but tossed her a heated look that sent more heat to pool in Sakura's lower abdomen.

I'm going to tongue fuck you is what I'm going to do. . .

Sakura stared at her Keurig unsure of what to make of the cold coffee sitting in her favorite mug.

Not a thing was ever out of order in her house and she most definitely would never forget a cup of coffee.

Especially not her favorite caramel latte pack.

Sakura pursed her lips and went to microwave her coffee. She leaned against the counter as she waited and held up a blue and green metro card in her hand. It couldn't be her card. Hers was placed safely inside a protective sleeve attached to a wrist lanyard, ready to be swiped when she was in a hurry.

Her personal phone pinged! and she pulled it out to read her new message. It was from Sai.

Hello. I think you have my friend’s metro pass? . . Day’s Note: yes Sakura microwaved her coffee. she can still be a bit of a mess lol

next chapter

[neraawritesxx]

My dear anon, I don’t know whether I was to kiss you or to curse at you. The first thing that popped into my head at this prompt was 'Naruto on morphine,' and I figured I could write a cute little drabble about it.

Three headaches, four days, and eight pages later, I have this half-assed one-shot set in an alternate universe that I now want to spend all my time writing about and expanding lol. I think in the future I’m going to go back and re-write this idea and make a multi-chapter story about it. Until then, here’s a little preview. I hope you enjoy!

title: morphine dreams prompt: telling a stranger your life story pairing: naruto x sakura word count: 4,843

The elevator doors closed with a miniature 'ding.'

Sakura absentmindedly watched the numbers above the metal entryway light up, signaling her descent.

Chewing on the inside of her right cheek, the petite woman tried to wrap her mind around one single thought, her temples throbbing as she strived to formulate some type of order to her unmethodological mind.

Typically, the end of her workday was filled with excitement, especially if the end of said shift would be followed by the next two days off of work. Instead of basking in the delight of having some time to herself, Sakura felt thoroughly anxious. There were too many things on her mental 'to-do' checklist, and the pinkette found herself distractedly preoccupied; her attention drawn inward, unintentionally ignoring colleagues and coworkers who filtered in and out of the lift during her downward journey.

There were a few stops she had to make on her way home, the grocery store being the first on her agenda. The food pantry in her apartment had seen better days. If Sakura had another bowl of cereal for dinner this week, she was sure she was going to turn into a Cheerio.

There was also the issue of Ino's birthday present. Her best friend's party was coming up this weekend, and Sakura had yet to find a gift that would be considered perfect for the occasion. Though the blonde insisted on nothing over the top, Sakura still wanted to spoil Ino on her special day.

Maybe she could take a detour on her way home and stop at that day spa? Ino would appreciate a voucher for an all-inclusive day of pampering. With her best friend getting further along in her pregnancy, Sakura was sure that the days Ino was spending out of her home were numbered. It would be a welcomed reprieve before the blonde was placed on bed rest.

The rosette was brought out of her musings when the door to the elevator slid open, revealing the absolute pandemonium that happened to be the emergency room.

Sakura scrambled into the fray of bodies, expertly maneuvering through mayhem towards the large, automatic glass doors on the opposite side of the room.

The scent of blood and anesthetics filled her nose, and for a moment, the cherry-haired woman found herself smiling despite the frantic setting. There was never a dull day at Konoha University Hospital. She had started out as a medical student, thrown into the intern rotation of the emergency ward during the first semester of her junior year.

The ever-changing scene, filled day to day with different doctors, unique patients, and arduous tasks gave Sakura a such a rush; it made her feel alive. There was nothing better than assisting a patient in the fight for their life; to see that person mend and heal under the tips of her fingers.

It was a euphoric high; the elation and adrenaline she felt during those shifts was beyond compare. Though Sakura loved her mentor for taking her under her wing – and thus jumpstarting her career in the neurology ward – she still found herself sometimes wishing for a position that had a little less paperwork and a bit more action.

Halfway to her destination, someone called out to Sakura, breaking her from her reflections.

"Dr. Haruno!"

Begrudgingly, she bit back the groan that threatened to escape her lips, smothering her face with her hands. 

Fleetingly, Sakura wondered if she remained like that if the person seeking to get her attention would completely overlook her. Maybe they would just take the hint and find the aid they needed with another physician?

She was so close; so, so, so close to the end of her shift, and there were far too many tasks for her to complete unrelated to the hospital. Now was not the time to be drawn into something that would most likely sidetrack her for the next hour.

Her salvation was beyond those doors, and after a fifteen-hour day, Sakura wanted to do nothing more than to make a run for it. She may not be particularly fast, but she figured she had a good enough head start to make it to the exit before whoever was looking for her caught up with her.

At the constant hail of her name, Sakura knew that she had hesitated too long, and the emerald-eyed woman bitterly concluded that she would not be going anywhere anytime soon. Lifting her face from her palms, Sakura turned to regard the short, brown-haired girl as she drew near.

Straightening upon the nurse's arrival, a small, strained smile playing on Sakura's lips. "Yes?" The pink-haired doctor inquired. "Can I help you with something?"

Sakura didn't recognize the younger girl before her, so she could only assume that she was either a new employee or a student in one of her first rotations.

"I'm really sorry to bother you," The blue-eyed girl apologized, panting as she caught her breath. "Tsunade-sama sent me to come find you. She warned me that you might be on your way out, but I'm glad I caught you in time."

At the mention of her mentor's name, Sakura's lips pursed, drawing down into a tiny frown. There were very few reasons why her boss would send someone to hunt her down, especially when Shizune was working the same shift. Whatever it was, it must have been urgent, because the brunette before her was fidgeting impatiently, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" Sakura asked.

"If you could follow me, please?" The girl questioned, half-turning away. She gestured for the pinkette to follow, making a beckoning motion with her hand before she began to weave into the crowd around them.

After only a moment's hesitation did Sakura begin to follow, instantly falling into step beside the shorter female.

"My name is Yuma, by the way," The shorter girl quickly clarified. "An old friend of Dr. Senju's came in a little while ago and brought in a couple of his…friends…for treatment. They're beat up pretty badly. Tsunade-sama said that she would like you to take a look at them."

There was something about Yuma's tone, it was edgy, and it made a wave of unease was over Sakura. Whenever Tsunade had a 'colleague' – and she was using that term loosely – come to visit, her supervisor tended to get herself into some type of trouble. Hospital protocol went out the window when a companion from her mentor's past was around. Sakura, along with most of the other staff, tended to overlook the older blonde's antics. The thought of herself currently being dragged into one of Tsunade's side projects made Sakura slightly cautious.

The duo slipped out of the crisis ward, and Yuma lead Sakura down a separate corridor which housed the wing of private examination rooms.

At the end of the hall they turned down, Sakura observed three figures huddled together. The closer they drew, the more details she could make out. The trio was made up of all men, two of which, were standing with their backs towards her.

One was tall and somewhat lanky, with an unruly mop of silver hair. The other was closer to Sakura's height, though she couldn't get an accurate read on his build because of the loose fitting, navy-blue tunic he wore. The second man's onyx hair stuck out at an odd angle, but what caught her immediate attention was the dark smear of crimson that stained the back of his neck, tinting the collar of his shirt a vibrant purple.

The third and final man easily towered over both of his companions, and he was the only one facing in her direction. Sakura couldn't make out his face; his body was slumped, leaning towards his friends as they continued their discussion. 

What caused Sakura to relax slightly, was the third male's mane of white hair, which was quite hard to miss due to its bushiness and length.

She repressed the urge to smile, her nose scrunching up as she fought against the impulse. Sakura would recognize that head of hair anywhere, and though it had been years since she had last seen him, Sakura was confident in her hypothesis of just who Tsunade's guest happened to be.

"Jiraiya…?" The pinkette tentatively called out.

At the sound of her voice, all three men stiffened, the two with their backs facing her pivoted in her direction, movements tense, as three pairs of infinitely dark eyes regarding her suspiciously.

Jiraiya glanced at her from over the heads of his associates, holding the same expression of wary apprehension at the sight of her. After his analytical gaze slid to her bubblegum pink hair, however, a broad, feral grin curled on his lips and recognition dawned.

"Sakura-chan!" He bellowed in welcome, pushing past his two comrades to rush to her side.

Immediately, he enveloped her right hand in both of his own, bringing it up towards his face so that he could brush his lips across the back of her knuckles.

"You're as lovely as I remember," The older gentleman practically purred.

Sakura snatched her hand back as if scalded. 

"And you're just as much of a flirt as I remember," The green-eyed woman countered, though there was no real displeasure in her barb.

A tiny smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "It's good to see you," Sakura said, her voice filling with warmth. "It's been far too long."

"Indeed, it has," Jiraiya agreed with a sagely nod. "It's been, what? Four years now?"

"Sounds about right," She coincided. "I was actually beginning to miss you," She commented dryly, her sarcasm earning her a soft chuckle.

Sakura had known the older male from her earlier years at the hospital. To this day, she wasn't exactly sure what the relationship between Jiraiya and Tsunade was, nor did she have any idea as to what white-haired male actually did for a living that brought him around to the hospital so frequently. 

Jiraiya had a habit of showing up out of nowhere, either prowling around the nurse's stations or spontaneously showing up in her mentor's office uninvited. Having been working with Tsunade closely then, Sakura was prone to dealing with him and his…amorous tendencies.

Despite his odd behaviors, she felt a sort of kinship with the older gentleman. Jiraiya was a breath of fresh air that the hospital needed, especially on some of the darker days.

"So, it's safe to assume you're the old friend of Tsunade's that came to visit, but who…," Sakura cocked her head to the left, peering around Jiraiya so that she could catch a glimpse of the other two men. "Are they?"

Now that she held an unobstructed view, the cherry-haired woman could fully discern both males and their state of unruliness.

Despite the color of his hair, the taller of the two was younger than she originally anticipated. Though a surgical mask covered a majority of his face – odd, but not unheard of when visiting a hospital – the lack of crows feet around his eyes, paired with a lack of age lines wrinkling his brow, made Sakura believe he had to be in his late thirties, possibly early forties.

Dressed in a simple outfit of baggy, acid wash jeans and a short-sleeved black t-shirt, nothing else seemed out of place save for the excessive number of bandages that covered his right forearm. Whoever wrapped him up did so in haste, and apparently, had no medical training whatsoever for the dressings hung loosely and haphazardly.

Viridian eyes slid to the dark-haired male, who seemed to be more worse for wear than his companion. His face was covered in blotches of purplish-blue, and there was a small gash above his right eyebrow that was still bleeding. He seemed closer to Sakura in age, but she really couldn't tell with all the discoloration caused by the bruising.

The stain she had noticed earlier wrapped around from the nape of his neck, settling into a large mauve pool on the front of his shirt. He had been – and still was – bleeding profusely, and instinctively, Sakura took a step in their direction.

She didn't make it very far. Jiraiya, who quickly caught on to her intentions, sidestepped in front of her, successfully cutting off her path.

Emerald eyes flicked back in the older male's direction, a brow raised in question. In response, the white-haired gentleman rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, releasing a short, nervous chuckle.

"Ah, those two are fine," He stated hurriedly.

Jiraiya reached out then, wrapping an arm around her waist, propelling her - none too gently - towards the examination room that was closest to their group. "Introductions could be made later. Right now, I need you to take a look at my apprentice."

"Apprentice?" Sakura parroted in a disbelieving tone.

"Yes, you see, a…." He toiled with the right word for a moment. "Scuffle broke out, and my dear apprentice found himself smack dab in the middle of it. A wrong place, wrong time scenario, if you would. Usually, Tsunade handles these types of situations should they arise, but she's tied up at the moment. She sent me the next best thing, though: her number one student."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Jiraiya's sweet words, and her skepticism grew tenfold. Not only was she not fond of his vagueness on whatever it was that was going on, but he was also stopping her from treating a wounded man that was standing right in front of her. And what on earth did Jiraiya do that allowed him to have a pupil?

Shaking out of his hold, Sakura turned to confront Yuma, who had been watching the entire scene with wide-eyes, apprehensive eyes.

"What did Tsunade-sama say to you exactly?" The pink-haired doctor asked, gesturing towards the injured men. "Did she specify who should be treated first? Or if I should be treating any of them, for that matter?"

"Well...not exactly," The young intern replied timidly. "You see, Dr. Senju simply said, 'Whatever Jiraiya says, goes.'"

Slightly confused, Sakura's lips parted and a frown formed between her brows. She merely starting at Yuma, trying to discern why her boss was getting her involved in something like this.

She blinked once, then twice, before her expression morphed into a scowl, her frustration cutting through her surprised stupor.

Sakura growled out her inquiry. "And where exactly is Dr. Senju at the moment?"

Yuma flinched back at her tone. "S-She had a surgery scheduled for this evening. She said that you would take care of everything."

The rosette shifted her hardened gaze towards Jiraiya, who, much to her chagrin, didn't seem to be phased by the glare. After years of being friends with Tsunade, he was probably invincible to anyone's leer.

Slowly, Sakura shifted to peer towards the two other men, both of whom seemed just as unperturbed as Jiraiya. Realizing that she was not going to get any answers out of anyone at this point, Sakura settled her glower on the white-haired male once more.

"Anything else I need to know before I go treat him?" The question was directed towards Yuma, though she kept her eyes level with Jiraiya, who was now grinning at her cheekily.

"Well…" The brunette trailed off, her voice soft. "It seems that the first nurse to see him gave him a dose of morphine to help with his pain. Only after did she notice Tsunade-sama's handwritten note in his chart to not give him painkillers of any kind."

Sakura's head snapped in the intern's direction, her inquiry holding a hint of panic. "Is he allergic?"

Before Yuma could answer her question, Jiraiya placed both hands on her shoulders and resumed pushing the pinkette towards the door.

"The effects are adverse, but not deadly," The older male assured. "He just tends to get a little out of hand. I really just need you to sew him up and give him a clean bill of health. Then, we'll all be out of that pretty pink hair of yours."

Somewhat fed up with being manhandled, Sakura broke free of Jiraiya's grasp once again, rounding on him. This entire scenario screamed 'unnatural,' and if Tsunade wanted to get involved with whatever game Jiraiya was playing, that was her prerogative.

Personally, Sakura would have liked to remain blissfully unaware of her mentor's secret dealings. She should be on her way home right now damn it. 

"I may not know the full story of what is going on here," She ground out, forcefully poking the white-haired male in the chest. "But I will have my questions answered when I'm finished with him."

Without waiting for a response, petite woman spun around in a flurry of pink hair, stomping the rest of the way towards the examination room. Yanking the door open, Sakura composed herself somewhat, straighten her spine before she slipped inside, the door snapping shut behind her.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the brighter lighting of the hospital room, but when her vision cleared, Sakura finally caught a glimpse of her would-be patient.

Sitting propped up on the large chair in the middle of the examination room was a man, who, much like his onyx-haired friend on the other side of the door, was riddled with bruises. Without a shirt on, Sakura could see that there was not a patch of his sun-kissed skin that wasn't unmarred and she couldn't help but give a cringe in sympathy.

He was tall; taller than her at least, tousled blonde hair damp and clinging to his forehead in certain spots. Most of his weight was shifted to the right side, his awkward lean barely keeping him upright. His left hand pressed a sheet of gauze into his right bicep; red bloomed on the alabaster cloth, the stain visible between his splayed fingers.

He looked up at her entrance, vibrant emerald locking with hazy cerulean.

Momentarily, the rosette thought that she had seen him before, somewhere in passing, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she should know him from.

Brushing the thought aside, she took a step further into the room.

"Hello," Sakura greeted. "My name is Dr. Haruno. Tsunade-sama sent me to take a look at you."

He didn't reply, and the lack of continued communication caused an unpleasant silence to descend on the room.

After a short stretch of strained noiselessness, he finally spoke. "Oh…" He stated, airily. "You're absolutely gorgeous."

Thrown off canter by the spontaneous compliment, Sakura's eyes widened a fraction, and she almost – almost – found herself blushing like a schoolgirl.

"Um…Thank you?" She hesitantly responded, trying to relax her rigid stance as she cautiously crossed the room towards the cot.

His stance swayed slightly, and a Cheshire grin curled on his lips. "You're quite welcome," He rasped in a tone that sounded suspiciously similar to the one Jiraiya used when he was trying to pick up one of the nurses.

Ignoring the way that his eyes followed her every movement, Sakura focused all of her attention on his wound. Plopping down in the stool next to the examination chair, she reached over and seized his hand in one of her own, gently trying to pry it away from the injury.

Her first two attempts were met with resistance, and after another minute of failing at loosening his grip, Sakura sat back with a huff, green eyes narrowing.

"Can you please move your hand?" She asked with feigned civility.

He ignored her plea and instead, reached up with his with the hand not clasped against his bicep and seized the lapel of her lab coat, yanking her forward so abruptly that Sakura almost fell out of her chair.

"The name's Naruto," He cooed, breath ghosting against her cheek. "What's yours?"

Their sudden closeness, paired with his brazenness, disrespect, and the downright bizarreness of the entire situation, caused Sakura to flush in anger and mortification.

"Not interested!" She snapped, smacking his hand away. He jerked back and wobbled, unable to get a proper bearing on his balance. For safe measure, Sakura scooted her stool back a smidge.

She was suddenly all too aware of what Jiraiya meant when he said that his pupil became problematic under the influence of anesthetics. 

The kid acted like a drunk lecher.

Just how, how, did she end up in these situations?

"I need to take a look at your injury to assess the damage," She explained through clenched teeth, unable to hide her mounting ire. "To do that, I need you to move your hand away. Can you do that, please?"

The blonde's foggy gaze slowly slid from Sakura's face, to where his left hand was gripping the opposite arm. With an excruciatingly robotic stiffness, his slender fingers lifted off the bandage one by one, allowing the sheet of gauze to fall to the floor with a wet 'plop.'

The slash was a thick, jagged laceration, blood now trickling from the wound without the bandage blocking its path. Luckily, whatever caused the injury hadn't torn through too much muscle tissue. Crouching down so she could further inspect the damage caused, Sakura pivoted her head from side to side, appraisingly examining the cut from different angles.

She stood from her chair with a click of her tongue. "That is definitely going to need stitches. Luckily for both of us, you're already sedated."

Sakura ventured towards the cabinets that hung on the opposite wall, rummaging through their contents to gather the supplies necessary to sutra the abrasion closed.

When she turned back around, objects procured, Sakura found the blonde – Naruto – staring down at her legs with appreciation, the skirt she had worn that day hiding nothing from her knees, down.

"Hey, buddy! Eyes up here!" The pinkette barked, shaking one of the metal clamps in his direction.

Naruto's head snapped up so quickly that it threw him even further off his already unstable equilibrium. The momentum propelled his upper body further backward, and he ungraciously slumped back into the pads of the examination chair.

"Woah…" He murmured, befuddled. "The room is spinning."

Emerald eyes rolled skyward, and Sakura released a dejected sigh, shoulders slumping.

"Just do me a favor," She muttered defeatedly. "Please stay there. Don't move. Don't sit up. Just stay."

Naruto released a small snort, awkwardly raising his left hand to give her thumbs-up.

The next few minutes passed with little interruption from the fair-haired menace. Sakura was able to reclaim her perch next to the table and start cleansing the wound. When she began to sew the laceration, shut, she had expected some sort of outburst on his part, but to her surprise, he didn't even flinch.

For an instant, Sakura thought he had fallen asleep, his breathing deep and even. She was proven wrong, however, when she glanced up from underneath her lashes and found sky-blue eyes trained directly on her face. There was something about the way he looked at her that made Sakura skittish, a queasy feeling fluttering in her stomach.

With a grumble, Sakura turned back to her task and only after another lull of silence passed between them did she finally gamble in asking, "Want to tell me how it happened?"

Naruto huffed dramatically before responding, "This is what happens when your caretaker is a pervert, you coach is a lazy piece of shit, and your best friend is a bastard."

Sakura paused in her stitching, looking up from his arm with a raised brow.

"Care...taker?" She repeated, slowly. "Coach?"

The blonde grunted in confirmation, theatrically waving his free hand in the air as he continued to explain. "I live with the old pervert. You know, the one with the crazy white hair and the insatiable need to hit on every woman that breathes?"

At Sakura's dumb nod, Naruto continued. "Jiraiya took me in after my parents died. He's a retired kendo fighter, and after a few years of training me, he noticed that I had a knack for different styles of martial arts. He reached out to the scarecrow with legs, the one outside with the prematurely gray hair and bam I now have a trainer and a coach."

Naruto tried to clap his hands together for emphasis, but Sakura's hold on his right arm kept him in place, preventing any further injury to his person and damage to her work.

Her mind was working a mile a minute, trying to make sense of all the knowledge that he had just graced her with, while also attempting to comprehend why he had told her such personal information.

Well, the morphine was most likely the cause for his loose lips, but then again, none of what he was telling her made any sense.

The one thing that did stick out, over everything else that he had rambled, was that he was a fighter. Emerald hues perused her client, giving a slow once over, honing in specifically on the scar-like whiskers that were hidden under the blotchy, bruised skin on his face.

Realization hit her swiftly, the force of it practically stealing the breath away.

"You're that guy that they're always talking about on the news!" She accused, shock written on her features. "The mix-martial artist!"

The pitch of her exclamation was too high for Naruto's liking, and he cringed, using his free hand to cover his left ear.

"…Pretty and loud…," He murmured under his breath before his hand fell back down to his side, resting limply on the cushion. "But, yeah, that would be me."

"But…but what are you doing here?!" She asked, still flabbergasted.

"Granny's my personal doctor," He explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It took Sakura a second to realize that he was talking about her mentor, Tsunade. And suddenly, Sakura understood exactly what her boss was involved in.

Azure eyes regarded favorably, a smile – one which Sakura could only describe as predatory – pulling on his lips as he said, "Though, I wouldn't complain if you were going to take over that position."

At the waggle of his eyebrows, Sakura shot him a deadpan look. "Still not interested."

Turning back to her work, the pink-haired doctor found herself fighting down the childish urge to poke him unnecessarily with the needle.

"None of this explains why you're here," She spoke offhandedly. 

She paused for a moment, shifting the forceps further down along the wound. When she was satisfied with the new grip, she continued with her assignment.

"It's all their fault really," Naruto affirmed. "The old man opened his mouth and hit on the wrong girl. The next thing I knew, the entire bar was after us." After a slight pause, he sulkily added, "Didn't help that neither Kakashi-sensei or Jiraiya just stood on the sidelines. Sasuke and I took most of the beating."

Sakura accepted his explanation, concluding that the two names she didn't recognize must have been the other men who had come to the hospital with Jiraiya. The room lapsed back into silence then, and it didn't take much longer for Sakura to finish sewing his injury closed. 

After applying an antibacterial ointment around the sutras, the rosette placed a fresh gauze patch over the area, wrapping it securely in place with cotton bandages.

Relaxing now that her job was finished, Sakura pushed back from the examination chair, standing from her stool. Seeing that she had accomplished her task, Naruto sat up abruptly, wavering slightly with his sudden movement.

"Easy there, tiger," Sakura reprimanded, somewhat amused. "Don't go messing up my handiwork."

Naruto bobbed his head in acknowledgment, though he said nothing. Instead, his focus was directed toward the patchwork on his right arm, curling and uncurling his fist so that he could gauge the soreness in his muscles.

"Leave the current wrapping on for the next forty-eight hours. After that, you can change them daily. Make sure you put ointment on it every time you change the bandages. In about two weeks or so, you can come back, and Tsunade will take them out."

It seemed the blonde's lucidity still had yet to come back because all he did was stare at her absentmindedly, nodding his head every so often.

Blowing out a breath, Sakura brought her right hand up to rub her temple. "I'll have the nurse relay all this information to Jiraiya, and we'll make sure you get the supplies you need on your way out."

Straightening, she turned towards the door, offering a small wave "I would say that it was nice meeting you, but this has been the strangest encounter I have ever had with a patient. Next time, let's hope that they read your chart before administering any painkillers."

"Hey!" Naruto called out to her, causing the petite woman to stall her exit. "Go on a date with me!"

Sakura graced Naruto with a smile, one that was all pearl whites, before she turned back to the door, chuckling under her breath.

"Still not interested!"

Send me a pairing and a prompt from any of these lists! [x] [x] [x]

[siuilaruinofthegale]

SIRIUS!!!!!!!! this is from the newest chapter of Melodies >:))))) (for the DVD commentary)

Despite his training, Tenzo almost laughs at the way the crowd parts for this new invader — but he doesn’t. Instead, he prepares himself, ready to spring if they’re a threat. It feels like forever before he sees the person shoving their way through the crowd: a very, very… top-heavy… blonde woman, trailed by a lithe woman with dark hair. “There you are, you old fuck,” she grumbles. Tenzo relaxes a little. Though he’s never seen the woman in person before, there’s only one person this could be.

“Tsunade-chan,” the Hokage greets her warmly, opening his arms for a hug. “It’s been years! How are you, my dear?”

She glances at his open arms and rolls her eyes. Instead of hugging him, she crosses her arms… and Tenzo has to look away for a second to collect himself. “Cut the shit, old man. You know perfectly well why I’m here. The fuck is this I hear about you demoting my apprentice? Talk fast, or else I’m going to demote you, sensei.”

Sarutobi-sama sighs. “No hugs? Not even a little one?” he asks, still holding his arms out. The frown on Tsunade’s face only grows deeper. “Ah, very well…” He drops his arms, and suddenly he seems taller, more imposing, more the Hokage and less the man. “Your apprentice burst into a Council meeting she was not qualified to be in, and showed flagrant disrespect to both the Elders and me in doubting our actions by informing us, at the top of her lungs, that she considered it a grave folly to induct Uchiha Itachi into ANBU at such a young age.”

Silence. “…and?” Tsunade says after a minute, raising one eyebrow. “What else did she do? Spit on you? Pee on Koharu’s flowers? Moon Homura?” The Hokage blinks at her and shakes his head slowly. “No? Did she break anyone’s bones? Throw someone out the window?”

He huffs, a bit of anger in the sound. “Tsunade, you know full well I cannot allow people to do such things. Perhaps, had she voiced her concerns in a calmer manner, I would not have demoted her at all, but she —“

“She gave a damn!” Tsunade snaps, her nostrils flaring in anger. “See, here’s the thing you never learned about Sakura. I got to live with this shit the entire time I trained her: she’s soft at heart. Every time something vaguely tragic happened, she wanted us to drag ourselves over and help. She treated each and every kid she helped like she was their sensei, because she wanted them to feel special. She wanted them to feel loved. She —”

“Be that as it may, that’s still no excuse for such rude, inappropriate behavior!” the Hokage snaps right back.

“Was it inappropriate, or was it just inconvenient?” she snarls, lips drawing back from her teeth a little. “You think I don’t know why ANBU stays in the shadows? How dumb do you think I am? You throw shinobi into ANBU, and you sharpen them and sharpen them until they’re on the edge of breaking. A sword might have a sharp edge, but that edge is fragile, and if they’re in the shadows, nobody notices it when they break.” He stares at Tsunade, mouth set tight. “Other villages do it, too. Most missing nin are either genin who wanted to make a name for themselves… or they’re ANBU who finally hit their breaking point. You didn’t demote Sakura because she disrespected you. You demoted her because she pointed out, at the top of her lungs, that you’ve broken almost as many people as you’ve saved.”

I actually really enjoyed writing this scene, and I almost went way more over the top with it, but they ARE in public. Anyway, from the top down! (read moreing because I cannot be silent)

I danced around whose point of view to tell this from, and I eventually decided on Tenzo because Tenzo's relatively neutral, all things considered. As far as I know, he's never seen Tsunade in real life before this point, and I wanted that 'first impression' glimpse. He's also seen the real dark side of ANBU as a child, so he is more than a little invested in Sakura's fervent defense of Itachi, but he's also able to set aside emotions and view things rationally in a way that some others aren't always able to do.

I toyed with having the Sandaime's initial greeting be a little harsher, a little more commensurate with the way she's already located him in the room very rudely, but we all know the Sandaime is a master of rug sweeping. If Tsunade came over and didn't mention Sakura, he would never mention it himself -- which is why he greets her like it's a family reunion, not someone showing up to call him out.

I also wasn't too sure about Tenzo's reaction here, because he is a consummate professional, but I figured he's sat in on enough of the Sandaime's meetings that he's intimately familiar with all Sarutobi's stalling games, all the ways he ameliorates anger, and for all that he's certainly never seen someone roll their eyes at him.

The "I'm going to demote you, sensei" line made me laugh. A lot. Although I haven't shown Sakura's letters to Tsunade yet, Sakura's very good at understating things. Tsunade knows that, so she assumes it's worse than Sakura's relating, but she doesn't realize exactly how much Sakura's understating them. If she did, the Sandaime would've already been demoted. (with a fist, to be clear)

Friendly-Sarutobi and Hokage-Sarutobi being different facets of the same person was something I really wanted to fit in. Just 'cause.

This part, where Tsunade asks "What else?" was almost way bigger, too. Part of why I had Sarutobi come down on Sakura so severely was because she's civilian-born. Whether or not she's the Senju heir and Tsunade's apprentice, when she storms into the meeting with both guns blazing, she doesn't have anything super showy to back up her claims. She constantly claims she's the best med-nin in the world, but her proof of that is... mostly things only other med-nin would understand. A singer isn't going to understand why a pianist might struggle with certain things, so normal shinobi aren't going to understand much of what med-nin do. At this point, the only things she has that are very special are things that she's learned from Tsunade -- which means she might as well be Jane Doe coming in off the street and yelling at the Queen. He wouldn't have disciplined an Uchiha, heir or not, this harshly. Or a Hyuuga, or a Yamanaka, or any of the clan kids.

This "what else" bit, and what follows, is Tsunade basically looking at him and going "the fuck are you mad about old man? this isn't SHIT. she didn't spit in your face, she didn't kill anyone, she literally just showed up and yelled. this is bullshit and YOU KNOW IT."

What his defense amounts to is, "well, if I let one of them get away with it they'll all try!" along with a side of "stop being so hysterical", as a treat, since Sakura's a girl and girls are always hysterical. (I hope the complete and utter derision I focused into that word is audible.)

Melodies!Sakura's considerably harder-looking around the edges than canon!Sakura, mostly because she was born into war, but I wanted it to remain clear that she is, at the core, still Sakura. She wants to help, to make the world better, but when it comes down to it, she's willing to do whatever she has to do to keep her precious people safe. She helps every kid she runs into because she sees herself in them, because she sees echoes of Kakashi and Koga and Dana, and she doesn't want them to go into life alone -- she's all heart, despite the sharp edges.

The last bit, about ANBU, is one I dithered over a surprising amount. As far as I know, canonically, we're never given any statistics about missing nin. What we do see is that ANBU are constantly pushed to their limits, and then they're pushed even farther. Kakashi and Itachi are the most notable examples, I think, but... I think the case could be made for every single person we see in ANBU in the entire shebang. Fandom characterizes Genma as a flirt and a ladies' man, or a mans' man, or a take-all-comers person. Hypersexuality is, not always, but often a reaction to PTSD. As far as I remember, it's most commonly a reaction to specifically sexual trauma, but it's also not unheard of for returning soldiers with PTSD to end up leaning into hypersexuality. It's simply not part of human nature to be able to repeatedly imbibe (and in this case, inflict) trauma and death on others without it negatively effecting your psyche. There are always exceptions, of course, but exceptions aren't the rule.

All of that led into the last line, which took me a lot of staring into the distance and frantic re-writing to get just right. As someone who has C-PTSD herself, I tend to shy away from referring to people with PTSD as 'broken'. It's not very positive. For this, though, I couldn't think of any other word to use. Tsunade's not just talking about grown humans here. She's talking about people who, for the largest part, have been child soldiers. They've been raised on a diet of death and destruction, and without help... eventually, that's what comes back out.

In meta, we the fans know that the massacre is because Itachi was ordered to do so. We've seen it. What we haven't been shown is all the droves of people a system like this would inevitably churn out. Tsunade says it here because she's seen it. The canon deaths she's suffered through removed the veil from her eyes, however thin it was before. She's under no illusions any longer, and it's part of why my Tsunade doesn't go back to Konoha. She's seen the trail of broken ninja she'd have to step over to get back home -- and staying silent for so long means she's wielded the blade just as surely as the Sandaime has.

[thefreckledone]

shadow of your heart

a sequel to [falling star]

“Quit that incessant pacing girl. The delegation won’t get here any faster with you paving a path in the carpet,” Tsunade says, smile belying her words.

Sakura pauses, looks around, and flushes, ducking her head. “Sorry shishou,” she says quietly, unable to keep from curling her toes with worry. “It’s just…we haven’t seen each other in years.”

“You exchange letters every week, oftentimes on a daily basis,” Tsunade says, standing from her desk and pulling her anxious student into a warm embrace. “You know each other just fine.”

“But, but—”

“New D-ranked mission for you,” Tsunade says, railroading Sakura’s spiking apprehension. “Join Izumo and Kotetsu at the gate for watch.” She smiles and her eyes are pure wickedness. “The Sunagakure delegation will need a guide.”

Sakura barely has a moment to open her mouth in protest before she finds herself maneuvered outside, staring at Tsunade’s closed and sealed door. Sakura pouts for a moment and crosses her arms. “See if I help you with the Council next week,” she mutters as she meanders her way toward the gate.

Despite her best efforts, Sakura finds her gut begin to churn with a mixture of excitement and fear. She hasn’t felt this way since the Forest of Death and she doesn’t appreciate it in the least. It’s just…they haven’t seen each other face to face in two years. True, they’ve written letters but Sakura finds it a paltry substitute for flesh and bone.

What if he’s changed?

What if she’s changed?

What if he doesn’t want to be friends anymore?

Sakura pushes this thought away, stuffing down into that dark place her mind wanders late at night. It’s the place that questions her worth, her career, her very being. It’s the place that knows how unworthy she is of her friends, that tells her to hide, hide, hide. Sakura swallows back against the bitter taste in her mouth, focusing instead on the last letter she received.

He’s excited to be coming. He wants to see the greenhouse she planted and see the constellations that hang differently over Konoha.

He wants to be here.

“Ah Sakura-chan, here to relieve us?” Kotetsu asks, perking up in his seat.

“Join you, more like,” Sakura replies as she slides into the open seat beside Izumo. “Tsunade-shishou has tasked me with guiding the Suna delegation to the Tower.”

Sakura misses the way Izumo and Kotetsu exchange knowing glances.

“Ah yes, quite the task,” Izumo says in a lilting tone.

“It is a well-hidden building,” Kotetsu says.

Sakura squints at the two of them, trying to figure out their angle. Finally, she shrugs it off, deciding that it really isn’t worth her time. She zones out for a while, watching the tree line move in the breeze as Izumo and Kotetsu’s banter washes over her like white noise. She startles when a flare of chakra pierces her senses. Her eyes snap in the direction of the chakra signature, though no one is in sight.

She knows that signature.

Sakura stands, heedless of Kotetsu and Izumo as she makes her way past the gates, following the beacon that she is certain is just for her. Sakura crests the hill and sees the entourage splayed out before her.

One thing is for certain, Suna knows how to travel in style.

The group is dressed resplendently in long, billowy robes done up in deep, rich tones. At the helm of the group is Temari, moving along in confident, swaggering strides. Behind her though…

Sakura’s breath catches in her chest.

Gaara is swamped by green robes that trail a bit behind him. The Kage hat is tilted precariously upon his head and it is apparent how out of his depth he feels in the trappings and prestige of his newly minted position.

Still, he is Gaara and Sakura cannot contain the smile that breaks across her face.

He looks up and Sakura can breathe again as their eyes connect.

“Sakura,” he says and he is smiling and he is real and suddenly he is right in front of her, the slithering sound of sand telling her how he got to her so quickly. There is something warm and liquid in his eyes as he looks at her and Sakura realizes with a jolt that they are of a height now. He sticks out his hand, determination written on his face. “Hello. It is good to see you.”

The words are practiced, Sakura can tell, yet still so stilted. Sakura feels something squeeze in her chest as she takes in the furrow between his brows and the rigidity of his offered hand.

He is trying so hard for her.

Sakura grabs his hand and shakes it for a moment, smiling so hard that her face aches. She uses her momentum to pull him in for a hug, grunting when her forehead collides with his hat.

Sakura pulls away, still holding his hand and looks at him. Gaara glares up at his hat with such consternation that Sakura cannot keep from giggling. “I’ve missed you,” she says, intending it to sound light. Instead it comes out raw and true and it doesn’t even make sense because they’ve only been face-to-face for two weeks’ time and only a smattering of days spent together as friends. Yet, it is the soul-searing, bone-aching truth. He knows her, perhaps as well as or even better than Ino at this point.

His eyes lighten. “I’ve missed you too. Letters are nice, but I find I like your physical presence more.”

“Smooth, Gaara.”

Sakura nearly jumps out of her skin, dropping Gaara’s hand and looking to the interloper. Kankuro stands before them and the entourage, a smirk lighting his face. Considering that he once feared his brother with good reason, Sakura finds this a massive improvement.

“I apologize,” Sakura says, face warm. “Tsunade-shishou sent me ahead to greet you all and lead you to the Tower. If you’d follow me?”

“So you work for the Hokage?” one of the group asks, who, by the looks of him, must be a council member.

Sakura sketches a slight bow. “I am Haruno Sakura, apprentice to the Fifth Hokage, Senju Tsunade. I sincerely apologize for my unprofessionalism.”

The man regards her with keen interest in a way that makes her uncomfortable.

“It’s fine!” Temari exclaims, effectively deflating the tension as she claps Sakura on the shoulder. “You mentioned leading us to the Tower? Gaara told us that there is a barbeque restaurant in Konoha that you consider a must for any visitor. Any chance you’ll take us by later?”

“Of course,” Sakura replies, thanking Temari with her eyes for the efficient distraction. Truly, Temari would make a wonderful diplomat if she chose that route. “Follow me, please.”

Sakura feels awkward and unwieldy as she guides the train through the gates, finding herself uncertain of how she should walk or how she should move her hands. She certainly feels her age, a mere handful of years, as she guides the prestigious group to the Tower. Her neck and face are warm, but she manages to lead the group into Tsunade’s office.

Tsunade nods at her, indicating that she should take her place behind her. Sakura folds her arms behind her back, listening with half an ear as the proceedings begin. She’s heard it all already, hell, she was part of the drafting and revising of the new treaty. After the disastrous chunin exams, their last treaty was broken and, in the chaos of losing so many people including the Hokage, a new one hadn’t been drafted.

They survived on grace and unspoken rules but now that there is an established Kazekage, it is time to renew their written treaty.

Which leads to today and Gaara’s visit.

Sakura glances over the group, flushing as she meets Gaara’s eyes. His lips quirk up at the corners and Sakura hastily looks away, praying her face isn’t as red as it feels.

As she waits for her face to cool, the talk ceases and Sakura snaps to attention.

“Sakura,” Tsunade says and her voice is full of amusement. “Will you lead the delegates to the ambassador suites? Staff will be able to provide amenities from there. We will reconvene in the morning to begin discussions.” She stands and her eyes are whiskey warm. “I thank you all for traveling so far. This venture is pivotal to the future of both our countries.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama,” Gaara says. Sakura blinks. His voice is strong and confident in a way she hasn’t yet heard. “I am grateful for your forgiveness of our past follies. Our countries will emerge from this stronger and safer.”

Pride fills Sakura’s chest as the Kages bow to one another, certain that their alliance will come out of this stronger than before. Sakura quietly takes a position by the door and waits as the politicians prance and preen and prattle a bit, knowing it is all part of the game they play.

Sakura is relieved to see a slight furrow between Gaara’s brows. At least he hasn’t changed too much.

When the posturing becomes too much for both Kages, Sakura and Temari begin subtly maneuvering the envoys out the door and Sakura again marvels at Temari’s skills. They manage to make the walk through Konoha without too much hassle, though at the end Sakura is exhausted. Directing councilors is like herding cats, which were aptly chosen as the Uchiha familiar.

“Thank you,” Sakura says, slumping against the post outside the embassy.

“Don’t worry about it,” Temari replies. “I picked up the skill running around on dad’s coattails through the years. He always enjoyed watching me maneuver the councilors. Always said I’d make a good—” She cuts off, expression pained.

Sakura files that bit of information away, knowing that Temari didn’t intend to share that much. “I’m sure you’re in the mood to rest,” Sakura says, graciously avoiding the inadvertent confession. “Were your quarters satisfactory?”

“They were great,” Temari says. “I actually was wondering if you could provide me with some information. I’m looking for someone.”

“Oh?” Sakura replies, taking in the flush on Temari’s cheeks. “Do you have a name?”

“It’s the girl I fought in the chunin exams,” Temari replies, fidgeting slightly. “Tenten, I think?”

Sakura’s eyes go wide. Oh. “Of course,” she says, recovering quickly. “You aren’t planning on demanding a rematch, are you?”

“No, no,” Temari says. “I just wanted to…apologize for my actions during the exam and thank her for what she said…after.” There’s a story there but Sakura doubts she’ll hear it today. “She’s really kind and I wanted to follow up with her.” She looks at Sakura and there’s something vulnerable in her gaze. “Do you think she’ll be angry?”

Sakura thinks on that, on Tenten’s almost unending pool of patience when dealing with her teammates. She smiles. “I think it’ll be fine. Her team trains at Training Ground Eleven. If you hurry you’ll catch them before they break for the evening.”

Temari’s smile is a breathtaking thing as she sweeps Sakura up in a hug before bounding off down the road.

“That was kind.”

Sakura jumps, looking up into Gaara’s expressionless face. She honestly cannot tell if he is happy or upset with her. “Gaara, what’s wrong?”

His lips pull down momentarily before he says, “You still haven’t hugged me.”

Sakura swallows a laugh, instead straightening up and grabbing his hand. “Well I should rectify that then, shouldn’t I?”

She pulls his hat away and wraps her arms around him. He has grown and his shoulder is now the perfect perch for her chin. Something is off, however. Sakura frowns, pulling away slightly. Gaara’s arms hang limply at his sides, though his fingers twitch as if he wishes to return her hug. Sakura grabs his hands and tugs them to rest at her back. She’s sure they look like a pair of fools and damn if she can’t keep grinning like one.

Still, as she sinks back into the hug, she finds it offers a shelter, a haven, she never expected.

“I missed you, Gaara,” Sakura says against his ear.

He stiffens slightly but his breath is warm against the shell of her ear as he says, “I missed you too.”

They stand there for a long time, just basking in each other’s presence. Sakura finally breaks the hug, realizing Gaara will not. “So,” she says, clapping her hands together. “How about we grab some dinner?”

Gaara nods and there is a lost look about him that draws Sakura in She scrutinizes him for a moment. “Actually, it may be smart for you to change first. Don’t want you getting mobbed on your first day here.”

“My sand is more than enough defense for any attack against you or myself,” Gaara says and his expression is thunderous.

“It’s an expression!” Sakura replies. “No one is going to mob you though they may crowd around you because they want to know more about you. People are curious about the Kages. Haven’t you experienced something similar in Suna?”

He shakes his head, still tense and Sakura’s heart breaks anew for him. “Well,” she says, “tonight we’re going to have fun. Grab some dinner, stop by the greenhouse, and watch the stars. Sound good?”

“Amazing,” he replies and his gaze is intent as he stares at her.

“Go get ready,” Sakura says, glad when he turns away so she can press her cold hands to her cheeks.

A few minutes later Gaara returns, dressed in dark attire. The gourd is still firmly attached to his back and, after her offhand comment about mobs, she doubts he’ll part with it all night.

“Have you heard of a place called Ichiraku?”

“Just a little further,” Sakura says, leading Gaara by the hand. “Our greenhouses aren’t as nice as Suna’s. Tsunade-shishou put me in charge of the development. She and Shizune are in charge of the one at the hospital but this one is my personal project.”

“It is wonderful.” His tone brooks no argument.

“You haven’t even seen it yet!” Sakura says through a fit of giggles. She hasn’t felt this light and carefree in quite some time. Gaara brings out the child in her.

“Regardless,” he says, hand curling more firmly around hers.

“Here it is,” Sakura says, tapping her free hand against the door.

Her chakra streams free from her hand in veins along the glass panes. In the moonlight, it appears ethereal. With a soft push, the door to the greenhouse is open and they are submerged in a veritable forest.

Sakura lets go of his hand, moving to groom her bonsai plants, knowing that they are the fussiest of her plants. She works at them as she watches Gaara move through the greenhouse, his face soft and open. There’s something magical between the silence and the full moon bearing down upon them and Sakura doesn’t wish to be the first to break it.

Still, as she finishes tending the bonsais, Sakura sidles up beside Gaara and guides him over to her succulents. “These are the ones you sent me,” Sakura says, voice barely more than a whisper. “They’re crossbreeding magnificently.” She brushes the top of one covered in fuchsia flowers.

“Sakura, have you kissed?”

Sakura jumps, barely feeling the sting as her hand clenches around the cactus. Gaara makes a noise, pulling her hand away from the cactus and meticulously removing the prickles from her hand. Her hand lights with chakra and the cuts fade away.

“W-what’d you ask?” Sakura says, flustered. She sets the cactus down, petting it apologetically.

“Have you kissed?” He is calm and his gaze is steady as he watches her. His expression puckers in confusion. “Kankuro said it is something you do with someone you like.”

“I haven’t kissed,” Sakura replies, glad for the lack of adequate lighting. Her face is hot. “H-have you?”

“I haven’t,” Gaara says. “There is no one I like except you.”

Sakura swallows. “Are you asking to kiss me, Gaara?”

He is silent for a few, painfully long moments. “Yes.” His voice is so quiet, Sakura must lean closer. “Do you wish to kiss me?”

Sakura ponders for a moment, biting at her lip. Does she? Her heart pounds and her hands are clammy. “Yes.” Her voice is equally as quiet and tentative.

Gaara exhales and it rattles free of his chest in such a way that Sakura realizes he has been holding his breath expectantly. Something in her relaxes and she says, “Yes,” once more, confident now.

Sakura moves closer to him, balancing a hand against his shoulder. She cannot really make out his features well in the moonlight but his eyes shine an almost otherworldly green. They lean in at the same time and Sakura can feel his breath on her lips. Her lips part just as they bump foreheads. They pull apart, eyes wide and mouths agape. Sakura isn’t sure which of them starts but they begin to laugh, the nervousness and anxiety fleeing in the face of their humor.

Sakura presses her head into his shoulder, breathless from all the giggles. Sakura catches her breath and stands up straight. Their eyes lock and Sakura finds her breath has fled her once more and her anxiety remains absent as well. This time Gaara leans in, shifting his head slightly, and then his lips are pressed against hers.

It is an interesting sensation. His lips are dry and warm over hers, but something about the kiss feels awkward. Sakura adjusts her head, startled as his lips move pliantly along with hers. A frisson of giddiness travels down her spine as Sakura presses into the kiss, taking her time to enjoy the sensations.

They pull away from each other, breathless and panting as they stare at one another with wide eyes.

“That was…” she begins, before shaking her head.

“Much better than Kankuro described,” Gaara says and his smile is warm and inviting.

They contemplate each other for a moment and Sakura is relieved to find that their relationship isn’t irrevocably altered. He is still her friend. Sakura takes his hand in hers and starts heading for the exit.

“You ready to see the stars?” she asks.

“As long as I’m with you,” he replies as they head out into the night.