#also yes i made sasuke look at naruto’s lips instead of his eyes in the vote panel thanks for noticing

[rozaceous]

Road to Ninja!Mariko? Or maybe a zombie apocalypse au Mariko? I’m sorry I only have very stupid ideas.

An AU where she is reincarnated earlier in canon? Like around 2nd or 3rd war?

anon, you had no way of knowing this, but my original naruto oc was not in fact mariko, though the two share any number of traits! i ended up abandoning that line bc i couldn't wrangle the amnt of foreknowledge required to make canon come out vaguely canon-like, my ideas about canon kept evolving, and there wasn't a plot so much as a few scenes i had in mind.

but here, have nohara yua, who got assigned to uchiha shisui's genin team. (yes, that nohara) she's end-of 3rd war era, approximately, bc kishimoto's timeline is...flexible. i know this isn't quite what you were poking at, but it's what i've got so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yua all but slams down the last of the dishes on the puny dining table in Sasuke's puny apartment before slamming herself down in front of it all.

"All right, kid," she says, starting to serve herself from the pot of stew. Sasuke warily follows suit. "We're gonna have a talk, and it'll be a bit gross because feelings are a thing, but bear with me. Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu."

Yua prods her stew until it's fully mixed with her rice. "Right. So, excepting my older sister with whom I do not get on most days ending in a y, and a friend who's probably crazier than me, I've basically lost everyone I've ever loved. Family, friends, mentors--my heart's a graveyard. And this isn't my idea of attempting compassion," she says warningly, not missing Sasuke's sudden curled lip. He frowns at her instead, caught out. "I'm telling you this because you should know from the get-go that I'm not what you might call emotionally stable. On the other hand, most shinobi aren't, but then again, most aren't quite the level of fucked up I've attained. Though I can name a few. Whatever. That said, I'm also really fucking good at my job."

She shovels a couple of bites into her mouth while Sasuke looks on with an expression of vague disgust at her lack of manners. Yua doesn't give a shit.

"The Academy's probably going to be doing away with early graduation entirely pretty soon since we aren't in wartime and no one wants to chance repeating your precious brother--" Sasuke flinches almost imperticibly and Yua tramples on "--but with that caveat, I graduated at the age of nine, got promoted to Chunnin at ten, and was a jounin by the time I was fourteen. I made the bingo books when I was twelve, and right now I'm listed anywhere from B to S rank. Depends on the country, but Suna's shit and practically lives to piss me off, so the day they give me the satisfaction of treating me like a real threat is the day they get snow in their forecast. They're just bitter that I'm better at wind jutsu than them anyways. Iwa and Kiri are better, though, they take me seriously and have a pretty accurate take on my abilities between the two of them.

"My honest self-assessment is that I'm A to S rank, depending on what type of work you're looking for. I'm not an all-rounder by any means. My taijutsu is decent, bukijutsu is acceptable, and my genjutsu are good but my repertoire is pretty small. I'm ninjutsu type, through and through, and that much I'm damn good at. There's maybe two ninja in the village that can give me a run for my money in ninjutsu, and one of them's the Hokage."

Sasuke has virtually abandoned his stew to stare at her beadily, interested despite himself.

"Now I did all that without any bloodline bullshit, without clan techniques, and almost exclusively being self-taught. And since you're clearly wondering why the fuck I'm telling you my résumé, I'll say: if you wanna learn, I'll teach you."

Sasuke's eyes flare wide and, never one to miss an opportunity to pause dramatically, Yua takes another couple bites.

"Why would you teach me?" Sasuke demands as soon as it's clear that she's not immediately going to explain herself. "I barely even know you."

Yua chokes on a laugh while mid-chew and then starts coughing. She ends up having to gulp water to clear her esophagus.

"Yeah, that's true enough," she admits once she has herself under control. "I've got no credentials as a teacher, either; I've always sort of brushed off taking on a genin team even though I'm sure I'd like it. Partly it's because once you teach someone something, even though you're technically responsible, you've got no control over how they use what you've taught them. Students go errant all the time. And partly it's that I'm an emotionally stunted softie who would imprint all over a bunch of baby genin and mother them within an inch of their lives.

"But I'm still hoping that you'll take me on, kid. Itachi wants to fuck up our lives? Fuck that, I say. He wants you to get strong, to live like shit, all full of unhappiness and hate just to have the chance of taking him in a fight?" Sasuke's hand is white-knuckled over his spoon. "Fuck that," Yua says passionately. "Fuck that asshole and fuck what he wants. I'll make you strong enough that there won't be a damn person in the world, not Itachi or anybody, who can tell you how to live your life. Because if I can give you my skill set, your eye magic baloney combined with the fact that you've got talent in spades and a damn good work ethic will mean that you'll be virtually untouchable."

It's true, too. A Sharingan user with perfect chakra control would be able to steal and then duplicate any jutsu like Kakashi on steroids because of the lack of chakra drain from being able to properly turn off the doujutsu and the efficiency in performing those jutsu. A Sharingan user with perfect chakra control who can use substitution jutsu so well that it's basically teleportation? Unmatched versatility in attacking, superior speed, evasion, illusions-- the word invulnerable comes to Yua's mind.

---

Yua decides that it's time to step in when Naruto is unconscious at Sasuke's feet and the transformation granted by the curse mark starts to recede from his body. She substitutes from her place in the trees to a spot atop the water in his line of sight, just far enough away that he isn't going to feel provoked. Nonetheless, he jolts when he sees her, and she feels the chakra rising in him as though to attack.

"Calm down," she says quietly, words nearly lost in the crashing rush of the waterfall behind her.

Sasuke's hands return to his side, but they're clenched into fists and he regards her warily.

"Yua." His voice is raspy, a little dull. And no wonder, if he's just finished attempting to beat the life out of his best friend only for his tutor to show up. "I'll fight you, too, if I have to."

There's no relish in the words.

"No," she says, still quiet, feeling like the moment deserves her solemnity. "I'd say you've demonstrated your resolve to leave. I won't be the one to drag you back."

---

Sasuke stares at Yua, feeling something almost like panic climbing up his throat.

"The--your mission--"

"Fuck the mission, Sasuke," she says gently, and her expression is sad but not accusing.

He doesn't understand. He'd steeled himself as soon as he'd seen her, knowing that for her to show up at such an opportune moment meant that she'd likely been watching the fight between him and Naruto and that she now has a perfect grasp of her surroundings and Sasuke's condition. And Sasuke knows that even if he were in top shape and had the full use of the curse mark, even if his chakra wasn't as weak as the flame of a candle, he would stand little chance against Yua. She'd shown him the gap in their skills often enough, after all, and she's the one that he's closest to ever since everyone died, the one who made sure he ate well and did his homework and got enough rest, who taught him chakra control and how to shunshin, who calls him things like Little Duck and ruffles his hair no matter how much he protests. Naruto may be his friend, but Yua is the closest thing to family that he has left, is the person with the strongest claim to him, the one most likely to make him return, either through force or personal ties.

Even so, he'd been willing to fight.

So for her to stand before him now and announce that she's abandoning the mission that so many of his peers have hurt themselves over, that she'll ignore the orders of her Kage with ease, and all of it without the faintest trace of judgment on her face after he's tried to kill his best friend--he's just like Itachi who stole Shisui from her--

Yua must understand whatever his features are telling her without words, because she says, "I told you at the beginning that the danger of teaching is that the teacher has no control over how the student uses what they're taught."

Students go errant all the time, his memory echoes, as if summoned by her reminder. He feels it like a punch to the gut. He'd known, before, that he was essentially betraying her by leaving Konoha for Orochimaru, but now he knows it the same way that he knows one of his ribs is fractured.

"But I also told you," she says, "that I wanted you to be strong enough that no one could tell you how to live your life. And that's what I want, for you to have the power to make your own destiny. And you think that Orochimaru has something that no one else does. That his offer of power is unique, superior. So, as the one who promised that to you initially, I apologize for failing you."

And she inclines her head--Yua bows her head--

"Stop," he says in a gasp, and there's moisture building in his eyes. If it sounds like he's begging, it's because he is, because if Yua keeps talking, keeps forgiving him, then his resolve will fail him and everything will have been pointless.

"No," she says, with sudden firmness, and she stares him straight in the eye. "You're choosing your own fate, Sasuke, and I won't resent you for it. This is the path you're walking now, and you can't turn back, you can't be swayed. That's what it means to tangle with destiny--there's no room for regret. And if you're going to Orochimaru, there can't be a single doubt in your heart."

"But why?!" The question rips out of him in his desperation to understand. "After all of this, after everything, why would you let me go?! How can I--how--you--"

"Because I love you," she says without hesitation, even though he sees the glossy film covering her eyes and starting to stick to her lashes. The ferocity of her words takes him aback as much as the content. Literally, too; Sasuke takes a half-step back. "Love is the tie that binds us to one another, but it's not a chain. And anyways, I promised you freedom."

Yua starts to walk towards him, and he stands frozen beside Naruto's unconscious form until she's right in front of him. He thinks, somewhat hysterically, that he really doesn't stand a chance against Yua in a fight if all she has to use is a few words before he's as paralyzed as a fearful rabbit. Naruto--and he forces down an absurd giggle--could stand to learn from her.

She pulls him into her chest tightly and he's helpless against her. No matter that she's only barely taller than him now, no matter the muscle and experience he's gained; she overpowers him.

The hand she has pressed to the back of his head trembles. And then, before he's had time to relax into the embrace, she releases him.

"Take care," she says, and a pair of tears streak down past the purple marks on her cheeks. Sasuke studiously ignores the damp spot he's left on her shoulder.

"I--I will," he says.

They stare at each other for a long moment, each aware that they won't be seeing one another any time soon, and that the next time they meet they may very well be on opposing sides. Sasuke feels something burning deep in his chest, something that's been aflame ever since he'd started fighting Naruto in earnest. It hurts him, warms him; he feels like he's going to choke.

"Now get outta here, kid."

Still helpless against her, he listens.

---

Yua's washing her parents' and sister's headstone like she has every fourth Friday for the past several years when Kakashi finds her. She hands him a soft brush; she's learned to bring more than one.

Kakashi, faintly smudged with dirt and smelling of tree sap and algae and sweat, takes it from her wordlessly, crouching and dousing the brush in her bucket of water. His strokes across the stone are precise and thorough, practiced, and they work in quiet symphony for several minutes.

Finally, he leans back on his heels and says, "I thought you were going to talk some sense into him."

If it's not anything to do with work, Kakashi tends to say only exactly as much as he has to, speaking in bare thesis statements without the supplementary paragraphs that show how he's reached his conclusions, and as such, Yua has become extremely good at reading between Kakashi's lines.

Sasuke is gone, and Kakashi doesn't know why she didn't do more to stop him.

She exhales slowly and with purposeful evenness, offering respectful attention to the characters of her mother's name as she washes them. "I think Sasuke is operating from a different definition of sensible."

Kakashi's snort lacks humor.

"He's no fool, Kakashi," she says lowly. "Rash and impulsive, sure, but not stupid. I'm sure he knows exactly what he's walking into. Orochimaru's made no secret of wanting Sasuke's body for his own."

"I fail to see how giving Orochimaru the precise thing he wants fits any definition of sensible," Kakashi says dryly.

"There's a three-year timeline before Orochimaru can take another body," Yua contradicts. "And I think that for Sasuke it'll be plenty of time."

"For?"

"Becoming strong enough to kill Orochimaru and eliminating the threat against him altogether." Kakashi's head turns to her slightly, but Yua only notes the motion in her peripheral vision. "For better or worse, Konoha's changed since either of us were genin. At his age, I was a chuunin in the bingo books of all the major countries and you were a jounin. Don't get me wrong, in terms of comprehensive skill level, Sasuke is above where I was, but I would've won in a fight because of experience. Experience is a hard teacher, but if you manage to survive it, there's nothing better. And with that stupid curse mark and the certain knowledge that he's targeted by Orochimaru, how much field work could Sasuke really have been guaranteed?"

Kakashi's gaze on her is wary, but he doesn't interrupt.

"If he'd stayed, Sasuke would've been trained to the bone, but he would've been coddled from the world outside the village," Yua says. "And Orochimaru's already breached Konoha's defenses, has killed the Kazekage and the Sandaime Hokage. There's no guarantee that he wouldn't do something equally drastic again for the chance of getting at Sasuke, with no attention to collateral damage. And besides, if we were truly capable of keeping him safe, he wouldn't have that curse mark in the first place. So I'd say Sasuke is taking a lot of factors into account."

Kakashi sighs, running a hand through his messy stack of hair. Yua glances over, intrigued as always at the sight. If his hair is stiff and voluminous enough to defy gravity as it does, how does his hand not get caught?

"Then I guess I'm having a hard time accepting that my student is relatively safer in the hands of the S-class nuke-nin that wants to throttle his soul and possess his body," he bites out. "Especially since I like to think that between the two of us, even Orochimaru wouldn't be too much to handle."

"I'm retired from field work," Yua reminds him, though in truth she's warm at the open expression of respect at her abilities considering how long it's been since they've worked together.

Kakashi gives her a flat look. "I seem to remember you holding your own during the Crush just fine."

"I suppose," she says blandly. "But the fact of the matter is that Sasuke doesn't think that he has anything left to learn from me. And maybe he's right; there's only so many chakra control exercises I can give him. I'm in no position to offer field work."

"There was an easy way to change that and you know it."

Yua drops her brush and pours the remaining water over the stones. Some of it splashes at her bared toes. Kakashi offers his brush back and it clatters into the bottom of the bucket.

She joins Kakashi in resting in a squat, butt nearly touching the ground and her arms crossed over her knees, chin resting upon them.

"My goal in teaching Sasuke was to make him strong enough to choose his own destiny. And what he does with what I've taught him has always been his decision."

"Yua--"

"Was I supposed to drag him back?" Yua interrupts, surly. "He's demonstrated his resolve to leave, I'd say. I couldn't love that boy more if he were my own flesh and blood, but I'm not going to chain him down based on some hypocritical idea of what I think is best for him. I can only trust that I've taught him well enough that he'll make it. The other option is despair and agony and I've had enough of that for my lifetime, thanks very much."

She presses her eyes into her forearms. "I've made, Kakashi. I kept him as safe as I could all this time, I trained him and made sure he ate properly, I taught him how to keep house for himself, asked about his grades in school and what he learned in class. But never once did I tell him about my true motive in retiring to hospital work. I wasn't as honest as I should have been, and part of me--I want Sasuke in my life forever, but part of me is glad he's gone so I don't have to worry as much about the fallout of my actions. And part of me is scared of what he'll do when he finds out what I've kept from him."

There is, for a long moment, silence.

"You've always acted according to Sasuke's best interests." Kakashi's voice leaves no room for rebuttal. "If you weren't honest with him, it's because it wasn't safe. You know that as well as I do--better, even, so don't go beating yourself up about it. No one expected you to take care of Sasuke and no one would have asked it of you, but you stepped in where no one else did. You've done a good job with him, Yua, and if you're saying that you think he's strong enough to make it on his own, I'm sure he'll come out on top. Though I don't like it.

"And as for what'll happen when he finds out the truth…" Yua dares to peek up from her arms as Kakashi pauses, and he treats her to an eye smile. "Maa, don't underestimate how much that brat loves you, too."

"Tch." But despite the lingering sense of anxiety, Yua does feel comforted. And then she snickers. "Look at us, having a conversation about feelings like emotionally competent adults. Is there snow soon?"

"You can speak for yourself," Kakashi says primly. "I am certainly not and never plan to be something so dull and mature-sounding as emotionally competent. It's likely dreadful and far too much work. Besides, I have an image to maintain."

"Yes, heaven forbid that I mar your reputation as the Angst Lord of Konoha."

"Precisely."

"My name is Hatake Kakashi, and I like the gloom. My dislikes are sunshine and good cheer. Hobbies include brooding over my tragic past and staring moodily off into the distance. I have no dreams for the future because hope is a delusion for those too afraid to engage with the despair that is reality."

"You know me so well."

Yua laughs.

---

Tsunade hasn't been back in Konoha for very long, but she's been around long enough to hear about how Konoha's once-notorious Nohara Yua, whose fame had reached even derelict pubs and casinos, had turned into the sweet-mannered, harmless-looking woman barely past girlhood that had first greeted Tsunade upon her arrival in the village hospital. Well, Tsunade has nothing against sweet manners or looking harmless, acknowledges their advantages, even, but Nohara Yua had embodied those qualities to the extent that Tsunade had started to think that the girl who had been renowned as the Windwalker and internationally feared as a ninjutsu master had been the result of overblown rumor, carefully planted misdirection, and willful blindness.

Initially, Tsunade had found her to be a competent enough doctor, and generally inoffensive. Upon learning who exactly had briefed her on her new patients' statuses and given her the rundown on current hospital procedures, the cognitive dissonance had been so great that she'd had to be assured that yes, it was that Nohara Yua. No, really.

And the nurse assuring Tsunade had, with the reluctance born of politeness and the thoroughness born of a love for gossip, told an astonished Shizune and skeptical Tsunade in an undertone why the Windwalker was working as a member of hospital staff. And then Tsunade had been well aware that she was in no place to make comments about lifestyle choices after losing a lover.

Still, that the woman apparently took on D-rank home repair missions as a hobby did not inspire Tsunade to believe that Nohara was ever anything other than a reasonably talented kunoichi whose offensive abilities had been rather exaggerated, both out of strategic convenience and a desire by other kunoichi for a female figure to look up to as the next--well, her. And even if Nohara had been as lethal as her reputation had painted her, Tsunade had been sure that that person was as dead as Uchiha Shisui, replaced by someone content to live out the rest of her life in a much quieter fashion.

But Tsunade only had been sure because right now the woman in question is standing in front of her desk next to Hatake Kakashi, explaining oh-so-succinctly about the steaming pile of shit that Hiruzen-sensei had left her to inherit, the ooze and stench of which is still far from stale for all that the rug has been thrown over it for almost half a decade. The same festering dung heap that Nohara has apparently been investigating secretly and under her own initiative, with no one but Hatake in the know, for the last four years.

"So let me get this straight," Tsunade says, in the full knowledge that she'll be getting absolutely plastered later this evening no matter what Shizune has to say about it. "The Uchiha were planning a coup against Konoha leadership."

"Yes."

"And the Sandaime was aware of this."

"Yes."

"And not only did Itachi not go insane and kill his entire clan, but he was acting under orders. From Danzo. Whom Itachi believed to have the Hokage's approval."

"Yes."

"And Itachi is now acting as an undercover agent without a handler in the international terrorist organization known as Akatsuki."

"That's correct."

"While Danzo is currently operating a secret military organization within Konoha itself, which answers only to him, and which the Sandaime falsely believed to have been dissolved as he ordered several years ago."

"Yes."

"And this organization has infiltrated Konoha's active forces on every level with no one the wiser, and has been taking and executing missions without official sanction."

Nohara's gaze slides to the alcove of Tsunade's office, where the ANBU agent on duty is hidden under seal--oh fucking shit--

"ANBU Cat is someone I trust with my life," Hatake inserts smoothly.

"What a fucking relief," Tsunade snarls. "Cat, get over here."

Cat is crouched in front of her in a flash.

"Get that decorative plate off your face, Cat," she snaps. Cat follows her instruction with admirable speed and Tsunade looks into the unassuming features of a man approximately Yua's age who is clearly struggling to master some kind of emotion that makes him look extremely nauseous. "Your name, Cat. Not ANBU designation."

"Tenzou, Hokage-sama."

"Right. Tenzou. How long have you served in ANBU?"

"Seven years, Hokage-sama."

"Long enough to have known Uchiha Itachi."

"We were briefly on the same ANBU team, Hokage-sama, along with Kakashi-senpai and Yua-senpai."

"And do the events that Nohara has just finished describing sound plausible to you?"

Tenzou's eyes lower momentarily before conscientiously returning to meet her gaze. "They sound as plausible as Itachi having a violent mental break, Hokage-sama."

"And do you know of this organization called ROOT?"

In response, Tenzou opens his mouth and sticks his tongue out as far as it will go. For one horrible second Tsunade flounders, wondering if this is some faddish gesture she's too old to understand, and then she sees the seal.

"That bastard," Tsunade whispers.

Nohara snorts. "Yeah, he likes to seal up the tongues of anyone who does work for him so they can't blab. Most of my investigation into ROOT has been looking at what should be there, not what is. You find it by spotting the empty space.

"I know that he has shinobi that he's trained specifically for years, and then there are others who have engaged in missions with him thinking that they're partaking in some extra black black ops, not aware that they're doing anything that isn't perfectly legitimate, if secret beyond all reason. Kakashi got sucked in years ago, before he realized that Danzo was operating off books, and Danzo dropped him like a hot cake and left him to fester under that godforsaken seal. Recon work has been a bitch."

"If your goal was to squirrel out ROOT, why didn't you return to ANBU?" Tsunade questions narrowly. "Surely it would have been easier to gather intelligence while on Danzo's recruiting grounds."

Nohara stills, looking discomfited for the first time. "There were several reasons," she says finally. "Part of it is that I wanted to be there for Sasuke, and having a set schedule at the hospital and no missions taking me out of the village made that considerably easier. Part of it's that I want Danzo to think I'm none the wiser to his schemes, and I'd say I've done a good job of being soft and overly emotional, exactly like he hates in shinobi. And then, well, I honestly wasn't in any shape to take on ANBU work." Nohara clenches her hands at her sides, and her stare is borderline defiant. "My partner had just died under suspicious circumstances, my friend and captain had killed his clan and turned missing-nin. Not to mention, I'd just finished recovering from a mission that I'm pretty sure was supposed to off me. Bluntly, I was a fucking mess."

Hatake slides Nohara a look and Tenzou does the same, though Tenzou's look has the distinct tinge of pity whereas Hatake's is merely assessing.

"Mostly though," Nohara continues, "I no longer had faith in the Hokage. Shisui went to the Sandaime about the coup, and the next thing I knew, Shisui was dead and the Uchiha clan was gone. Things had gone extremely and terribly wrong and I knew that either the Sandaime was in on it, or he'd been too ineffective to prevent it. I could never betray the village that Shisui loved so much, that my family died to protect, but neither could I serve under Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Tsunade understands her phrasing perfectly. The village that her entire family--barring one estranged sister--had died for. The village that Shisui had loved. Not Yua.

"I can understand using Sasuke's departure from the village as the the impetus for bringing this to my attention," Tsunade says slowly. "But I have to ask the question: what do you plan to do if I don't pursue your investigation? What if I decide to leave things buried, or even to silence everyone in this room?"

Hatake freezes entirely, expressionless, and Tenzou's eyes widen.

Nohara merely blinks.

"I came to you with this information because I think that you have a sense of justice," she says. "The Sandaime was too focused on mercy, not realizing that mercy without justice is nothing but weakness. Honestly, I think the man was a coward. But you know the pain that I know, Tsunade-sama, and you left Konoha because you couldn't abide the senselessness of the loss, and I think that you're back because you want to see that loss made meaningful. And if that's the case, if what I hope and think about you is correct, then I'm ready to serve you in whatever capacity you think best without reservation.

"But if not." Nohara's voice doesn't harden or raise, her face doesn't shift. Even so, the room feels a degree colder. "Even heaven won't stop me, Tsunade-sama. I'm not interested in revenge, but if you deny justice to me, to Sasuke and Itachi and all the dead, then there will be no stopping me. I won't let anyone demean the ideal that every shinobi on the Memorial Stone died to honor and uphold. I won't let the Konoha that so many have fought and hurt for turn into an empty shell, devoid of meaning. I've done my best these last few years to work so that this wrong can be resolved as peacefully as possible. And even if I let it be a convenient face, I've genuinely tried to live gently and kindly. But in the end, I'm a shinobi. If it means that I can look the boy I raised in the eye, if it means I can take my friend's hands and let him put down his sword, and if it means that when I die I can say to my parents and my sister and my partner that nothing they suffered was in vain, then I will use every scrap of knowledge and strength I possess for violence, and I won't hesitate to cut down you or anyone who stands in my way."

Silence reigns, and Tsunade doubts that her left eyebrow has ever strained so high. Yes, the woman before her is certainly no accommodating doctor. This is a woman who is every bit the efficient killer of her mythology and then some, crafty and slippery and with a diamond will.

She scoffs. "I'll consider myself warned, then."

[baanyue]

day 11: “if i die, you’ll die with me”/tattoos

[superhero--imagines]

A/N: yes I did write this after watching Naruto, yes I would adopt all the children to save them from trauma- what of it?

* He’s probably your neighbor or someone you see often

* Even if he doesn’t live close to you, it’s not like you haven’t heard about him

* The child with the nine tail fox sealed inside of him

* You’re surprised to see that there’s no one properly taking care of this child, sure his teacher and the Hokage show up every so often-

* But there’s no one there for him everyday

* No one to come home to

* No one to offer him a smile and encouraging words on rough days

* What makes it worse is that the other villagers have basically alienated him

* “Don’t they even realize the reason they’re safe is because of him?” You mumble to yourself

* This is sort of a tricky situation, because yes this is a child

* But he’s also got the literal embodiment of all the energy in the sun inside of him

* Still, you see this kid, this child, looking with so much yearning at all the other children and their families

* And you can’t avert your eyes, not this time

* “Here let me help you with that”

* He’s only 7, maybe 8

*Naruto’s carrying two large bags full of instant ramen

* He looks at you with a glare

* “Why, you tryin’ to steal my ramen?”

* You’ve certainly got your work cut out for you

* You sigh

* “How about I make you some real food instead?”

* It takes a lot of work, Naruto is mistrustful at best

* But despite his reluctance, you don’t give up

* “Are you off to school? Here take something for lunch I made extra”

* “Wanna go get some ramen?”

* “Geez, how do you live like this?” You ask scanning all the discarded empty ramen cups “we’re cleaning your apartment”

* It’s slow, but eventually you integrate yourself into his life

* He starts coming to your door in the morning, taking the lunch you made for him and returning the container from the previous day

* He sits at your dinner table where you eat together

* It gets to the point where he’s over at your place more than his

* “Why’re you bein’ so nice to me?” He asks one night while you’re chopping vegetables for dinner. Naruto’s basically lived his whole life eating nothing but ramen so it’s been challenging getting him to eat any vegetables.

* You stop mid motion, looking over to where he’s sitting on the dining table

* He doesn’t meet your eyes

* You wonder how long he’s been alienated by people to wonder why someone would be kind to a child

* You feel your teeth dig into the tender flesh of your lip, you wish you met him sooner

* You wish you hadn’t just watched for so long and stepped up sooner

* You’re berating yourself, after all you’re the adult here- you should know better

* But then you look over to him, and soften

* There’s no use thinking of the past, all you can do now is move forward and hope that time and kindness will heal his wounds

* “You’re a good kid, why shouldn’t I be nice to you?”

* He looks at you like you just hung the moon in front of him, like he’s never heard anything so life changing

* Maybe he hasn’t

* “Naruto, I know you’re a good boy, you deserve to have good things” you say, resting one hand in his hair and placing his dinner in front of him

* You pretend not to see the tears that stream down his face, instead choosing to pat his head

* “Let’s eat, the food’s going to get cold”

* “Okay”

* After that it’s like he’s basically adopted you as his guardian

* And after a while he feels more open telling you things and asking to be spoiled

* “Can we get ramen today?”

* “Maybe if you bothered to eat a green vegetable every so often”

* Or-

* “There’s this kid in my class,”

* A girl? Well he is getting at that age

* “I think I want to be friends with them”

* You nod

* “You should invite them home, we can watch a new show together or something”

* Naruto grins

* “Alright I’ll invite them then!”

* You’re imagining some cute little girl, pink hair and rosy cheeks-

* So imagine your surprise when he bring home a rather adorable little boy

* “This is my friend Sasuke!”

* You feel your soul escape your body at the surprise

* Well, seeing him happy isn’t bad

* He definitely tries to set you up with everyone he knows

* “Iruka-sensei is pretty cool, huh?” He’ll say to you one night over dinner

* That’s the teacher that stops by every so often, you think

* He must look up to him a lot

* “Yeah, I heard he’s an amazing ninja” you nod

* “He’d make a good husband”

* Well, that’s kinda weird. But Naruto’s a weird kid, you shrug it off

* “Sure I guess” you nod

* “Do you wanna go on a date with him?”

* You choke on your mouthful of curry

* “Of course not! Why would you suggest that?”

* Naruto frowns

* “Is Kakashi-sensei more your type then?”

* When you start choking again, he gets worried

* “Don’t tell me you like perverted old geezers like Jiraiya?”

* He just wants you to be happy, before you came into his life he never knew how nice it could be to come home

* How warm it felt to be loved

* He wants you to have the same feeling

* “The only little man I need in my life is you” you say with a grin ruffling his hair

* He’s stunned for a second before he grins back

[cupajoscafe]

Drunk, Not Stupid | Shikamaru Nara x OC

HELLO HI YES THIS IS PURE SELF INDULGENT SMUT I REGRET NOTHING. This fic was born from talking about a Band!AU on my discord server for an August event!! I couldn't think of any SFW contributions so I just wrote and drew this LMAO. Check out the full piece on my Twitter and consider dropping me a follow over there and here if you like my work!! I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS IT WAS REALLY FUN!! Also please let me know if the drunk writing style is too distracting and I will adjust for future fics!! I figured it was better than just putting a lot of vowels on the ends of words HAHAHAHAH

Pairings: Shikamaru x OC

Word Count: 6.1K

Genre: Smut

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, dubcon (drunk sex, but both are consenting)

Contents: 18+ MINORS DNI!! Band!AU, porn with plot, protected sex, dirty talk, pretty tame compared to some other stuff. this is just pure self indulgence okay

Summary: After finally getting her sinking bar afloat thanks to Sasuke Uchiha's band, Yuuna spends some time with the bassist after hours to get to know him a little better.

It wasn't easy owning and operating a bar. It especially wasn't easy trying to organize events in an attempt to keep said bar from going under. But somehow, they had managed. With a few clever marketing schemes and the right band, Haruki had managed to put them back on the map and now their business was booming. Their bar had become one of the more successful venues in this particular strip of downtown, and Yuuna was forever indebted to her best friend for allowing her dream to stay alive.

Of course, Sasuke Uchiha's band had something to do with it as well. Not only was their punk rock music the best in town, but Sasuke himself was quite the looker. Most of the people who attended the shows were women who paid to get in just to get a glimpse of his handsome face. Were the owners complaining? Of course not. More customers meant more money. More money meant they were able to hire back the band for more gigs at higher prices to pay them what they rightfully were due. That was another one of Haruki's brilliant marketing schemes. Pretty boys always make for good advertising.

Sasuke wasn't the only looker in the band, though. Not to Yuuna. In fact, she found herself drawn to the bassist more than anyone else. There was something about the way he stood on stage so calm and collected, with that look on his face that said he didn't care about anything other than playing his guitar. The way he would run his tongue over his top lip as he played those licks that made Naruto's lead guitar sound even better. The way he seemed to look so relaxed while he was up on stage, plucking the strings of his bass guitar with calloused fingers as he closed his eyes and allowed his soul to come through in his music. That, to Yuuna, was much more attractive.

The first time she had spoken to Shikamaru was during the intermission of their first show at her venue. As part of the deal, all the band members got three free drinks. She was surprised to say the least when he came to the bar and refused to take them without paying.

"Look, don't be a pain. Just take the money for the damn beer."

No matter how much she refused, he kept waving that bill around. Eventually she gave in and took the money from him. They'd come to perform at the venue five times, and every time, he refused to take a drink for free.

Sometimes running an entertainment venue had its perks. After the band's seventh performance at the club, Yuuna and Haruki had made enough money that they wouldn't have to worry about paying the building's rent for a few months. Haruki had taken the deposits to the bank for the night and left Yuuna to close up shop. Of course, being one of the owners, she didn't have to close up right away. Instead, once everyone was gone, she decided to celebrate by cracking open a brand new bottle of rum and mixing it with some Coke. She pulled out a beer from the mini fridge and cracked it open, then set it down on the bar top and slid it over to the bassist in front of her whom she invited to stay after hours.

"These are on me tonight, I'm not letting you pay for any more drinks." She stated firmly with a smile, sipping at her mix and walking around the bar to sit next to him. She raised her glass up. "To making money."

Shikamaru chuckled and raised his bottle up and clinked it on the side of the glass. "To making money."

They both pulled their drinks away and he took a swig from his bottle. Yuuna, on the other hand, downed practically her whole drink in nearly one gulp. She set the glass down with a clink and sighed, wiping the excess drink from her lips with a giggle.

"Woah, take it easy. You're gonna make yourself sick." He said, furrowing his brow and staring down at the bartender beside him. "At this rate you're gonna go through a whole bottle of booze."

"Well, thanks to you guys, we did well enough tonight that I can afford to replace whatever I drink." Yuuna chuckled, standing up and skipping behind the bar to pour herself another rum and Coke with an extra shot of booze. She walked around the bar and sat on the stool next to him. The dim lighting of the overhead LEDs reflected off his face in a way that accentuated every little gorgeous detail of his face. She caught herself staring and looked into her drink then took a swig. She placed the glass down with a light clink. "So, thank you. Looks like Haruki and I will be able t' keep this place up and runnin' for a bit longer."

Shikamaru smirked and took a swig from his beer bottle, wiping the dribble that leaked from his lip.

"Glad to help out, I suppose." He drummed his fingers along the side of the bottle. "So how'd you end up runnin' this place anyways?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, gulping down a mouthful of mixed drink. She set the half empty glass down with a sigh and rested her head in her hand. "I bought this place with my friend wh'n we turned nineteen. Took out some loans 'n put in a lot of savings. We kept it runnin' smoothly for a few years until one night Kaede said she was goin' t' the bank with some deposits and she never showed up again. Took twenty thousand dollars with her and jus' bailed. Tried callin' her and our mutual friends to get a hold of her and nothin'. Ended up callin' the cops. Turns out she didn't even exist in the city records. She'd been using a fake name 'n a fake ID and she'd gotten away with twenty grand. Never saw her again."

"Jesus Christ," he uttered, pulling his bottle up to his lips. He clinked the empty glass down onto the bar top. "That's a bummer."

"No kidding," She agreed, stepping out of her chair and heading back around the bar to get him another beer. She opened the bottle and placed it on the coaster in front of him. "I thought my life was over. I was twenty one 'n had spent most 'f my savings on this place, and it was gone like that."

"How'd you get it floatin' again?" He inquired, sipping from his fresh bottle. She walked back around the bar and sat next to him again, drinking from her glass.

"I told Haruki 'n she put in her savings to help me out. She didn't have to, but she did. She's been a marketing genius and had managed to get us back in the green. We've still got a ways to go before we've paid off all the loans we took out bu' four years later we're finally able to not have t' worry about if we're gonna be able to pay the rent this month."

"Damn, that whole thing sounds like a drag." He huffed, tapping his nails against the bottle.

"Oh, totally. But we made th' most money we've ev'r made tonight thanks to you an' the rest of the band, so," She smiled at him and nudged his arm with her elbow. "Thank you."

He returned the smile and took another drink from his bottle. "It's nothin'."

They stared at each other for a few moments. She was expecting him to look away, but he kept his mocha eyes fixated on her. Her face heated up but she wasn't sure if it was because she was drunk or because he was making her blush. She inched closer to him, and noticed he was doing the same. Their faces drew closer and closer until their lips hovered over one another's. Their hearts were pounding and their faces were flushed. Without any more hesitation, she closed the space between their lips and leaned into him. He lifted his free hand up to her face where he held it against his, pulling her in closer. She brushed her tongue over his lips and he parted them just enough for her tongue to graze the tip of his own. She licked into his mouth, the taste of his alcohol still fresh on his tongue. She let out a soft moan and he did the same. They pulled away after a moment, the string of saliva connecting their mouths dissipating as they separated.

"...I should prob'ly lock up." She whispered, opening her eyes and looking up into his. He ran his thumb along her cheek and pulled her into another kiss before pulling away and chugging the rest of his beer.

After finishing her own drink, she took the empties back around to the bar and tossed the bottles into the recycling and her glass into the sink where she swore she'd clean it tomorrow. Yuuna ran to the back to get her jacket and almost tripped over a chair on the way back, but managed to catch herself and avoid face planting in front of Shikamaru. He chuckled and took his guitar in his left hand, and shoved his right into his pocket. They walked out into the brisk fall air and she locked the door to the establishment. She checked once, twice, three times, four just to make sure, then turned to look up at the cute bassist that stood before her.

"Welp, I'm goin' this way," She slurred, pointing in the general direction of her apartment.

"You gonna be okay gettin' home by yourself?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the bartender in front of him.

"S' only a ten minute walk. I'll be fine." She stated, swaying a little as she spoke. Shikamaru wasn't convinced.

"Start walkin'. I'll make sure you get home safe." He instructed. He pulled his right hand from his pocket and used it to push her along. "It'd be a pain if somethin' were t' happen to ya walkin' by yerself knowin' I could've helped."

"I've made this walk every day, m' still fine." She chuckled, leaning into him as they made their way down the sidewalk. "But I 'preciate the concern."

"Doesn't mean it won't ever happen." He protested, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his package of cigarettes. He took one between his lips then pulled out his lighter to ignite it. "Bett'r safe than sorry."

Ten minutes later they got to her apartment without any trouble. She walked up to her front door and hesitated before unlocking it. Yuuna turned to face the man behind her and her face flushed again.

"Thanks fer walkin' me home." She mumbled, leaning her back against the door. "I guess yer gonna head home now?"

"Yeah, I'll call an uber or somethin'." He said, pulling out his phone. "They're a bit pricey this time a' night on a Saturday but s' better than nothin'."

"Actually, I was thinkin'," She piped up, tapping her toes against the pavement beneath her. He looked up from his phone and pulled his cigarette from between his lips. "If ya want, y' can stay on my couch fer the night. S' cheaper than takin' an uber and this way yer not gettin' home at like four in the mornin'."

He replaced his smoke between his lips and took another drag, finishing it off before flicking it to the ground and stomping it out. He exhaled the smoke and looked up at her from the bottom step. "If yer offerin', I guess I wouldn't mind."

She smiled at him and turned around to unlock the door. She fumbled with her keys a little but managed to get them in the lock. Once the door was opened, she stumbled inside and kicked off her shoes. Shikamaru followed after her and shut the door behind him, placing his guitar case against it and slipping off his own shoes.

"Don't mind the mess." Yuuna stumbled down the hallway to the linen closet where she grabbed a blanket and a clean pillow case. She meandered back into the living room where she tossed the linens on the couch, then ran into her room to grab a pillow. She pulled the pillowcase off of it as she walked down the hallway, tossing it to the ground where she'd pick it up and put it in the wash tomorrow. She placed the pillow down on top of the clean linens on the couch, then turned to him with a huff, placing her hands on her hips. "There, that should do it for ya."

He walked over to the back of the couch and rested his hand on it, then looked down at the woman in front of him. "Thank you."

They shared another glance, staring into the other's eyes in the quiet of her apartment.

"Bathroom's down th' hall to the left, 'n my room is down th' hall to the right if ya need anything." She spoke softly, smiling up at him and breaking the silence. "Sleep well, yeah?"

He nodded at her and watched as she stumbled off to her bedroom. The light flooded the hallway, but was gone again when the door closed. He sighed and looked down at the linens on the couch. He sat down on the cushion and stuffed the pillow into the clean pillow case, then laid it against the armrest of the sofa to rest his head on. He covered himself with the blanket and stared up at the ceiling, watching as the headlights from the cars outside shone dimly through the windows and onto the walls. The moment of their kiss at the bar played through his head again and he sighed, closing his eyes to try and shut his brain off. When he felt his face flush and his jeans begin to tighten around his groin, he knew it was going to be a long night. Shikamaru gave a deep sigh and opened his eyes, then sat up on the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. With a scoff, he swung his legs over the edge of the couch and picked up the pillow, then quietly made the trek down the hallway. He noticed a soft halo of light coming from a crack in the door to Yuuna's room.

As he approached, he peeked inside with one eye and nearly choked. She was sitting at her armoire brushing her long brown hair, still wearing the same black t-shirt she wore at the bar, but she wasn't wearing her jeans anymore. Instead, she sat in her underwear. They were lacy and red, with intricate patterns woven into the fabric near the elastic waistband. He flushed about the same shade of red as her panties and swallowed, feeling himself fill out more the longer he stared at her. He gave a deep, quiet sigh, then lightly knocked on the door, pushing it open a little.

Yuuna started as she whipped around to see him standing in the doorway, face flushed as she was half naked in front of him.

"S-Sorry!!" She yelped, then stumbled out of her chair to find a pair of booty shorts to slip on. Once she was decent, she cleared her throat and turned to look at him again. "Wh-What's up? S' everything okay?"

"Yeah," He muttered, taking a step into her bedroom and holding the pillow in front of him. "I jus'...was havin' a hard time fallin' asleep an' was wond'rin' 'f maybe you wanted t' hang for a bit until I get tired."

She looked at him and blinked, then smiled and hopped on top of her bed. She leaned against the headboard with a giggle and patted the empty space by her feet, inviting him to sit with her. He walked over to her bed and laid down on his stomach by her feet, crossing his arms under his chin with a smirk.

"Nice place," He said after a moment, pushing himself up to lean on his elbows.

"S' not bad, right?" She grinned, pulling her knees up to her chest. "S' kinda small, but it's enough."

"I wish I lived closer t' stuff like you do." He sighed. "I've got a nice apartment but s' a damn drag tryna get anywhere since 'm so far from downtown."

"Has its ups n' downs," She shrugged, looking over to her window. "Area's nice but cuz it's so close t' downtown it can get pretty loud. 'Specially on weekends."

He chuckled and sat up on the bed, crossing his legs and pulling the pillow into his lap. She may have covered up, but her shorts were doing nothing to ease the growing throbbing between his legs. She turned back to look at him and smiled.

"I've been dyin' to ask ya somethin'." She murmured, leaning forwards a little as she spoke, mirroring his position and crossing her own legs.

"Go for it." He replied simply.

"Since yer in a band 'n stuff, you've gotta be like drowning in girls." She rocked back and forth, a drunken grin stretched over her face. "D'you have a girlfriend? Cuz if you do I'd feel like an ass fer kissin' you earlier."

Shikamaru gave a playful scoff and rolled his eyes. "Nope. Not seein' anybody right now."

"Right now?" She repeated. "Does that mean you had a girlfriend before?"

"I was goin' out with this girl from a few cities over about a year ago." He explained. "She worked for the government so she had to come here ev'ry now and again for stuff. She was cool, but she lived so far that we didn't get to see much of each other. Decided we were bett'r off as friends in the end."

"M' glad it wasn't a messy breakup," Yuuna smiled. "Been through one a' those before. Not fun."

"What about you?" He asked, his lips curling up into a smirk. "M' sure you get hit on all the time workin' the bar. You seein' someone?"

"Nope. M' a single pringle." She giggled. "I've got a few notches under my belt, but none of 'em clicked enough to make me wanna date 'em."

"Oh yeah?" He chortled. "How many you talkin'?"

"Mmm, six or seven I think." She pondered. "They were good fucks, but none of 'em were really boyfriend material."

He clutched the pillow in his lap and swallowed. She looked over at him and raised a playful eyebrow.

"How 'bout you? You ever go all the way with someone?"

He paused for a brief moment, looking into her emerald eyes as she eagerly awaited his answer. He clutched the pillow in his hand again and thought. The other times they'd spoken to one another, Shikamaru had learned something about Yuuna that he thought might play to his advantage in this situation. She was quite the competitive individual. With enough motivation, he knew this would be a good night. With a drawn out sigh he leaned back on his hands and tilted his head to the side.

"Once, but it kinda sucked." He admitted, staring up at the ceiling. "Was kinda boring. Didn't really have a lotta fun."

She poked her tongue out to wet her lips. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. Decided it was better to jus' not deal with it." He replied, looking over at her. He could see the spark in her eyes and he knew she just needed one more little push. "F' it's not gonna be fun, then why bother? Seems like a drag, y'know?"

She laughed and narrowed her eyes. Yuuna leaned forward on her hands and crawled slowly towards the bassist at the end of her bed. She stopped as her lips drew closer to his, only about an inch or so from his face. She shifted her gaze from his eyes to his mouth and then back again.

"Maybe you jus' weren't with the right girl." She whispered, grinning and biting her lip. He swallowed and smirked at her, not once breaking eye contact.

"Well," He started, his voice a low, raspy whisper. "If you think you can do a better job than my ex did, be my guest."

That was all the invitation she needed. Without a second thought, she giggled and surged forward to close the small gap between their mouths. She wasted no time, licking at his lips to request entry into his mouth. He granted her permission, parting his lips just enough for his tongue to meet hers. She deepened the kiss, pushing herself forward and licking into his mouth. She picked up one of her hands and pulled the pillow from his lap, ghosting her fingers over the very apparent bulge in his pants. She chuckled into his mouth and placed her palm down on his groin where she began to rub it up and down to elicit a reaction from him. He let out a low groan against her lips, furrowing his brow and breathing heavily through his nose. She fiddled with the button on his jeans and tugged them open, then slipped her hand through the front of his boxers to curl her fingers around his throbbing erection. She tugged it out of his boxers and began stroking his length painfully slowly, then pulled away from his face to look him in the eyes.

"I know what you're doin'," She whispered, pressing her forehead to his. "M' drunk, not stupid."

He huffed out a laugh. "Oh yeah? N' what exactly am I doin'?"

"If you're anything like me," She whispered with a smile, giving his cock another slow, steady pump. "You've been wantin' to fuck me since we kissed at th' bar."

He swallowed and closed his eyes. His body quivered at the feeling of her dainty fingers wrapped around his girth, giving it agonizingly slow strokes. She chuckled and leaned forward, hovering her lips over his ear.

"I bet you wanted t' take me right there. Fuck me on the bar top 'til I was screaming your name, hm?" She smiled against his skin and licked a strip from his earlobe up to the shell of his ear. She stroked him again, harder this time and with more purpose, then panted in his ear. Her breathing became heavy and she drew out a string of quiet moans from her lips. He realized then that she was imitating an orgasm and it sent a throbbing right to his cock. Yuuna took note of this and smiled against his skin, pumping his length again and quickening her wrist movements. When she moaned out his name into his ear, he had to stop himself from cumming right there in her hand. He slammed his eyes shut and panted, his body shaking and barely holding itself up. She giggled and pulled away to see his face flushed a deep pink, his eyes sealed shut, and his mouth open wide as he trembled underneath her touch. It was quite a beautiful sight if she ever saw one. "See? Drunk, not dumb."

She resumed her slow, even strokes, focusing more of the attention closer to the base rather than the head. She hummed in satisfaction when Shikamaru finally cracked one of his eyes open, licking at her lips and giggling.

"F-Fuckin' hell," He slurred, barely keeping himself together. His body quivered as he fisted the bedsheets and he let out a breathy chuckle. "G-Guess the jig is up, huh?"

She laughed softly again and pulled back from him, sticking her thumbs into the waistline of her shorts. She pushed them down slowly, her red panties making another appearance. His cock twitched again as he watched her pull her shorts off and toss them to the side of her bed. She took a moment to reach over to her bedside table where she opened the drawer and pulled out a small plastic package and placed it beside her. Slowly, she crawled forward towards him again until she was situated overtop of his lap, the tip of his cock brushing against the damp fabric of her underwear. She leaned forward to press her lips to his in a sloppy kiss, all tongue and teeth. She rutted her hips forward against his girth, moaning softly as the tip dragged over her clothed clit. She shifted forward again, pushing him down onto his back and resting on her forearm. She gave another shallow buck of her hips and smiled down at him.

"This what you want?" She asked, dragging her hips back against his erection and licking her lips. She lowered her hips a bit, the barrier of her soaked panties stopping him from entering inside her. She shifted her emerald gaze between his mocha eyes. "You wanna fuck me, don't ya?"

She lowered her hips against his cock again, grinding down against his length. He swallowed and nodded, leaning up to kiss her. She pulled back from him and he chased after her lips.

"Uh-uh, gotta hear you say it, baby," She keened. She wouldn't make a move until she had his explicit consent. She may have been drunk, but she wasn't an asshole. "Need t' hear you say how much you want me t' fuck you."

Shikamaru scoffed and surged forward, capturing her in a kiss and grinding his hips against hers. The combined actions elicited a moan from the brunette and she licked into his mouth as she matched his movements with her hips.

"Want it," He whispered, pulling away after a heated moment. He shifted one hand up to palm at her breast over top of her t-shirt and she moaned again. "Want it bad. Want you t' fuck me."

He kissed her again and she leaned into him, pressing him down against the pillow she took from his lap. Without breaking the kiss, she reached over to grab the condom she had pulled out of her bedside drawer and tore it open. She gave his cock a few steady pumps then rolled the latex down overtop of his shaft and pulled away from his face. With a lick of her lips and a smirk, she tugged her soaking panties to the side and situated herself over the tip of his cock. She slowly sank down onto him, her mouth falling into an O as he breached her tight entrance. His knuckles turned white as he fisted the sheets beneath him, and he threw his head back onto the pillow with a groan when Yuuna swiftly buried him to the hilt inside of her.

She sat on top of him and ran her hands over his chest, slipping them under his shirt to graze her palms over his bare skin. His hips stuttered as he felt his cock twitch inside of her and he pulled his hands up from the sheets to lay them flat against her waist, digging his nails into her flesh as he squeezed her. Using his chest as leverage, she lifted her hips up until he was just barely kissing her entrance, then shot downwards to swallow him whole in one swift movement. She began to bounce herself along his length, tipping her head to the side and watching through blurred vision as he buried his head back into the pillow and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head. With a chuckle, she leaned forward until her chest was pressed up against his. The change in position allowed him to hit deeper inside of her and she moaned as she fucked herself on his cock, frantically bouncing her hips to chase the warm feeling in her gut. He rutted his hips upwards into her, squeezing her waist and beginning to move to match her pace. The tip of his cock kissed her cervix with every punch of his hips as she rode him, parting her lips to allow her tongue to loll out from behind them.

Shikamaru shifted his hands from her waist and wrapped his arms around her back, holding her down against his chest as he fucked up into her sopping cunt. She whimpered as he thrusted upwards, focusing her drunken gaze on his plump lips. He pulled one hand from her back to grab her chin and yank her forward, squishing her cheeks and sealing her mouth with a kiss. He groaned against her lips as he ground his hips against hers. He released his grip on her face and shifted his hand downwards where he began to press tight, swift circles against her throbbing clit with the pad of his calloused middle finger, then shifted his other arm to rest his hand on her waist again.

"Fuuuuuck," Yuuna slurred after pulling away from his mouth to catch her breath. He smirked and grazed his tongue over his upper lip.

"You like that, yeah?" He rasped, slowing his pace down considerably to emphasize the movement of his finger against her nerves. She trembled at the feeling, shutting her eyes and furrowing her brow with a quiet moan. "Feels good when I stuff you with my cock an' I finger that pretty pussy?"

She simply replied with a nod, more than happy to let him take the reins. She continued to grind herself down against his hips and his fingers, rolling her hips in synchronization with his. The warm feeling in her core intensified as he sped up his pace a little, his cock twitching inside her as he felt her walls tightening around him.

"Yeah, you like that don't ya?" He chuckled with a hunger in his voice. "You gonna be a good girl an' cum for me?"

He continued to circle her nerves as he sped up again, thrusting into the deepest parts of her velvety walls with a grunt. She kept her gaze focused on him as she met his pace once more, bouncing her hips along his length and breathing heavily as she felt herself drawing closer to release.

"That's a good girl," He groaned, shifting his free hand down to palm at the flesh of her thigh. "Cum all over my cock, you lil' slut."

His filthy words were enough to send Yuuna toppling over the edge. Her eyes crossed and she cried out in ecstacy, her body convulsing as he fucked into her soaking hole. She ground her hips against his cock as she rode out her climax, her eyes fluttering closed and her tongue hanging from her lips.

The sight of her blissful expression was almost enough to send Shikamaru hurdling over the edge, too. He propped himself upwards and shifted their positions so she was laying on her back and he was leaning over top of her. He hooked his hands underneath her knees and pressed her legs against her chest, pulling his hips back and snapping them forward to hit deep inside her walls. She wailed out as his cock hit her cervix, throwing her head back deep into the pillows. He smirked down at her and repeated the action, receiving the same response from the woman beneath him. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she fisted the sheets beneath her; gazing up at him with heavy lashes, her tongue fell from her lips and her brow furrowed upward. She looked beautiful, like she was in absolute heaven. He began to piston his cock into her quivering cunt, her release allowing him to slide in and out of her with no effort at all. He leaned down to capture her in a heated kiss, their tongues meeting on impact.

"Such a good girl f'r me," He slurred after pulling away for a moment to catch his breath. He leaned back down to lick from her jaw to her ear where he let his lips hover. He groaned into her ear as he fucked into her, nibbling at her earlobe and licking the soft flesh. "Want me to cum? T' fill up that pretty pussy a' yours?"

She nodded her head furiously, wrapping one arm around his neck and allowing her other hand to fist his long black hair. He smirked against her ear, then slid one of his hands down from under her knee to flick tight circles against her clit once more. She moaned out loud at the sudden stimulation, still sensitive from her orgasm not a minute ago. She huffed in his ear, holding him tightly and pulling his locks as she ground her hips against him.

"C-Cum, w-wanna c-cum again," She mewled, tears streaming down her cheeks as he made quick work of her nerves again. He pulled back just enough to watch her expression as he fucked into her fast and hard, flicking the pad of his thumb against her swollen clit. Her eyes widened as the pressure in her gut built up quickly again and he snickered.

"Gonna cum again like a good lil' slut?" He slurred rhetorically, because he could tell just by looking at her that it wouldn't take long. Her body shook underneath him as he continued his intense ministrations; her eyes slammed shut and she cried out salaciously, convulsing around his cock as her orgasm flooded through her. Yuuna panted and moaned as he thrusted into her dripping cunt, twitching and writhing beneath him in the aftershock of her release. He smirked down at her and kissed the nape of her neck, sucking a mark into her skin and laving at the bruise. He kissed up to her ear where he nibbled at her earlobe, tugging it lightly between his teeth. "Yeeeeah, that's a good girl."

Shikamaru shifted his hand back under the crook of her knee and pressed her legs back until her knees were beside her head. He fucked into her hard and fast, slamming his hips against hers, eliciting a lewd moan from the woman beneath him. Her eyes crossed as he hit the deepest parts of her inner walls, fisting the sheets again as a sudden third orgasm crashed through her body. She moaned out his name and threw her head back into the pillow and his cock twitched inside her as he felt her clamp down around him again.

"Good fuckin' girl," He praised as his thrusts became sloppy and erratic. The burning in his gut had him dangerously close to the edge. He looked down at her blissful expression and thrusted hard into her before halting his movements. He panted and stared down at her, watching her eyelids flutter and her chest heave as she caught her breath. Emerald met mocha and he surged down to kiss her in a heated display of lust, and it sent him hurtling towards his own release.

He groaned into her mouth as his hips slowly rutted into hers, thick spurts of cum coating the inside of the latex condom. He let out a final soft moan against her lips and pulled his softening cock from her quivering pussy. He drew back with a deep sigh, removing the rubber and tying it off before tossing it into the garbage can beside her bed and flopping down onto the mattress next to her.

"Whaddya think?" Yuuna giggled, rolling onto her side and resting her head on his shoulder. "Better than yer ex?"

Shikamaru shifted his gaze to look down at her without turning his head. He snickered and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer into him then situated his other hand behind his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.

"I guess," He replied simply with a smirk. "Dunno, might need some more convincing."

She narrowed her eyes slightly with a grin.

"You don't wanna play this game w'th me, baby."

He raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at her from the corner of his eyes. Suddenly he rolled over to cage her in, resting his forearms on either side of her head as she flopped down onto the pillow. He moved forward to capture her in a lazy kiss, grazing his tongue over her lips before trailing it down her jaw to the nape of her neck. She gasped when he pulled away from her lips and ran her hands down the sides of his waist, then smiled mischievously as she felt his dick twitch against her thigh and fill out again. He pressed soft kisses to her skin, baring his teeth against her flesh as he smirked.

"I think I'll be the judge a' that."

[ohhipstaplease]

idk if you're still doing prompts but nh + fluff 15? I'm sorry about all the fluff pieces but I live for fluff 😅

I’m sorry if it isn’t as fluffy as usual but I HAD to write something Team 8 centric to soothe my soul today. I can see this turning into a full fanfic though...at some point (I promise)

Fluff #15: “She’s/he’s not my boyfriend!”

After Hinata confesses to Naruto—and her “I love you” goes right over his head—Kiba takes matters into his hands to (finally) get the two idiots together.

Post Pain-Arc | Canon Divergence | Jealous (!) Naruto | Ao3

“You look cute today,” Kiba said nonchalantly to his teammate as she walked towards him. 

The Hyuga beauty had uncharacteristically pulled her hair up onto the top of her head in a high ponytail, her delicate features now on display for the world to see.

Hinata, already used to Kiba’s compliments, didn’t bat an eye when he said it, she simply responded, “Thank you! I just wanted to try something a little different,” She patted Akamaru’s head in greeting, the gentle giant licking her palm as she giggled.

Kiba took the opportunity to sneak up behind her and pull on her ponytail slightly, wanting to fix the slight hairs that were sticking out. He adjusted the simple lavender tie she had placed upon the top of it for good measure as well. 

Had anyone happened upon the pair, they probably would have thought there was more between them than a simple friendship, but they were used to it. Hinata didn’t even try to push him off, she simply let him fix her hair and looked up at him with a thankful smile when he was finished.

They were meeting up to have lunch, a much needed distraction after all the chaos that had ensued in the village during Pain’s attack. Unfortunately Shino was unable to join the pair for a well-deserved day off, leaving them to their own devices.

Kiba nodded as he stepped back and appreciated his work, “I like it. I’m sure Naruto will too,” He smirked.

She exhaled, her cheeks red and splotchy, “We’re not going to let it go, are we?”

“Hinata, you confessed to him.”

“It was in the middle of battle...spur of the moment,” She tried, suddenly regretting admitting to Kiba and Shino that she had, in fact, told the love of her life, Naruto Uzumaki, her true feelings for him. She knew they’d never let it go, not until Naruto gave her an answer either way. 

She just wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say. Even if he was ready to face what she had said to him head-on, “Besides,” she mumbled, “he didn’t even acknowledge it...”

“You told him you loved him...you literally died for him. How could the idiot not see it?”

She shrugged pathetically, “It is what it is, don’t worry, Kiba.”

He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets when suddenly it hit him. An idea so genius, even Shino had to approve. Akamaru, sensing that Kiba was about to say something Shino would in fact not approve of, whined and hit his master gently on his leg with his paw. 

Kiba ignored him, knowing that what he had in mind was just too perfect not to share, “Hinata?”

“Yes?”

“What if...what if we made Naruto jealous? Just to make him see what he’s missing.”

“W-what?”

“It’s the oldest trick in the book, Hyuga,” He took her hand into his as if he had done it millions of times before, “We go on a fake date, act all cute and shit, and when he sees us together he’ll magically realize his feelings for you. You know, because someone else has what he thought was his and all that bullshit?”

“You’re insane.”

“I know what boys are like, Hinata.”

She looked down at their interlaced fingers and sighed, “You’re sure this will work?”

“If it doesn’t, I’ll pay for lunch.”

“And dessert?”

“As many cinnamon rolls as your heart desires.”

Hinata exhaled and nodded, “Alright. I mean, there’s nothing left to lose, right?”

“That’s the spirit!” 

Kiba led Hinata forward, Akamaru following close behind. He was sure his plan was going to work, after all, he barely had enough to cover his portion of lunch. That alone should have proved how confident Kiba was that he’d get Naruto and Hinata to finally acknowledge their feelings for each other. 

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Okay, just follow my lead,” Kiba said as he spotted Naruto at his usual stool at Ichiraku. 

“Naruto! How are you? Healing up okay?” Kiba asked as he sat down next to the blonde, his hand still in Hinata’s.

Naruto squinted at them, tilting his head, “I-I’m fine. Thanks for asking...”

“That’s good to hear, we all deserve some time off after that mess, right Hinata?”

Hinata didn’t dare meet Naruto’s gaze, simply nodded and pretended as if he wasn’t even there. 

“Two bowls of pork miso ramen, please!” Akamaru barked and Kiba smiled down at him, “Oh right, it’s a special occasion. Make that three bowls!”

“Special occasion?” Naruto asked.

“Nothing you have to worry about, just celebrating a certain someone saying yes to a question I asked,” He said, looking at Hinata.

Naruto’s cheeks grew redder by the second as he studied them, “W-what?”

“I asked Hinata to be my girlfriend,” Kiba said, holding up her hand in his, “And she said yes.” He roughly pulled her into his embrace and pressed his cheek to hers, “Isn’t it great?”

Akamaru groaned behind the three, trying to ignore what was happening before him. It was getting a little too painful to watch. Kiba had never been known for his tact after all.

“So you two...are...dating?”

Hinata tried to interject, feeling sick over everything that was unfolding, “N-no we-” 

Kiba quickly slapped a hand over Hinata’s mouth and laughed, “Yeah! I confessed to her right after we got back to the village. I mean, it just seemed to be the right time and all, considering everything that happened.”

Naruto let out a breath and instead of continuing the conversation further, he flagged down Teuchi, “Old man, how much do I owe you?”

Teuchi quickly put up a hand and waved Naruto off, “Oh, no, we could never charge the village hero. Not after everything. Consider it on the house.”

Naruto nodded solemnly, gave a glance Kiba and Hinata’s way, and quickly turned to leave.

“Kiba!” Hinata said in a panic, “That definitely couldn’t have been a part of your plan!”

Kiba huffed, “Yeah...I didn’t think he’d just walk away like that. Maybe we need to try a different-”

Hinata ignored Kiba and decided to take matters into her own hands, what she should have done in the first place, really.

She got up from her seat, a flustered mess, and chased after Naruto. She screamed out without thinking, “Naruto-Kun!”

His head turned immediately towards her, his brow furrowed in confusion, “Hinata?”

“Naruto-” She panted, attempting to catch her breath as she caught up to him. 

“What are you doing? Aren’t you on...” He took a breath as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, a pout playing upon his lips, “Aren’t you on a date with your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” She yelled out, a little too passionately.

Naruto stifled a laugh at how ridiculously cute she looked. Her ponytail was slightly askew, her cheeks flushed and her lips ridiculously red from her biting her bottom lip. He had been biding his time since he had returned from the village, waiting to approach Hinata and talk about everything that had happened. About what she had said to him.

“Then why did he...”

Hinata sighed, so clearly embarrassed for going along with it. But...she quickly realized that Naruto was...jealous? She could see it in his eyes, the way he acted back at Ichiraku. He was clearly bothered by what had happened. Kiba was actually...right.

So she gathered her courage and firmly asked, “Why do you care?”

“Huh?”

“Whether or not Kiba and I are dating....why do you care?”

Naruto furrowed his brow, “I don’t, I-I just,” He groaned, “Hinata, it doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter!”

“Why!?”

“I told you I loved you!”

Naruto looked at her wide-eyed, clearly in shock. Of course he knew she had confessed her feelings, but...they were also in the middle of a battle. He thought that...that maybe it wasn’t true. It was an adrenaline-fueled confession that she would walk back the moment they got back. That maybe...maybe she meant she loved him like she loved her teammates. That he was her precious friend, just as Sakura and Sasuke were his. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that the girl he’d always taken notice of always wanted to protect had been watching him too. That he’d grow to want to take care of her, to ensure she was okay. He didn’t know what that meant then, but he did now.

He didn’t understand his feelings until that day, in the midst of battle, and it killed him to think it took them nearly dying for him to comprehend that what he felt for her was far greater than friendship. 

“I-I know...” He managed to mutter, “It was just such a crazy day, Hinata. I thought that maybe I misheard you, or that you didn’t mean it in the way you did. I didn’t want to embarrass you by bringing it up again. I mean...we haven’t even talked since we got back.”

“Then let’s talk,” She said, looking down and shyly placing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I-I’d like that.”

“Yeah?”

Naruto grabbed the same hand Kiba had intertwined in his earlier, and claimed it as his, protectively interlacing his fingers in hers and squeezing her hand for good measure. 

It wasn’t like with Kiba at all, Hinata realized. Her heartbeat was out of time, her knees felt weak. Feeling Naruto under her touch was nearly too much for her to handle.

“Oh..um...” Naruto blushed as he met her gaze, “I really like your hair up, you know?”

“O-oh,” She smiled as she looked away, unable to look at him head on.

“It’s really cute.”

“T-thank you.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, of course. Um, why don’t we go get something sweet, yeah? We can talk at the tea shop?”

“Okay.”

The pair, hands still intertwined, walked toward the tea shop, a blush upon each of their faces.

Kiba, watching from outside Ichiraku, smiled to himself as he said to Akamaru, “See boy, it all went exactly as I said it would. Didn’t it? Next thing you know, we’ll be helping Hinata pick out a wedding dress.”

Akamaru rolled his eyes and continued eating from the offered bowl of ramen. It was better to let Kiba think he had won this round.

“Ah, first love,” Kiba sighed dreamily as he sat back down on his stool, “I can’t wait to see it all play out.”

[pinkhairedlily]

Chapter 10 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

To Sakura, world still revolved normally; nothing changed between them, nothing mattered enough for her to behave differently. To Sasuke, the world shifted in its axis, having revealed a glimpse of his true feelings to her however falsely convenient she deemed them to be; everything changed between them, everything mattered enough for him to behave differently.

Like flinching at her slight grazes on his skin or his ears picking up her voice in the middle of the crowd noises or his eyes following the trail of her rose hair tied up in a ponytail, bewitched by the sway of the strands as she tousled to get to the front of the fray, her fingers burning a hole through his sleeve.

“HOMERUN!” The announcer screamed through the microphone, the feedback running through ripples in the throng of people. “Uzumaki Naruto nails a clutch win in the last inning for his team in their first ever nationals!”

Screams erupted around them, and as others jumped and cursed and hugged each other, she stood there frozen in time, her hands on her mouth. “He won. He won, Sasuke.” Her voice quivered, and he knew then that she was crying.

“Yeah, the blonde idiot won.” He allowed himself to smile, picking the blonde among the ruckus that enfolded below.

An hour and lesser filled stadium after, the two went down to congratulate their friend with open arms despite the sweat and the grit. Sasuke went with the flow, jumping up and down and circling about in the middle of the pitcher’s mound. They broke away from each other’s hold after several minutes, breathless in the undertaking, and flushed with all the gleeful screaming.

Two firm pats on Naruto’s back and a ruffle on his porcupine hair. “You did well, idiot.”

“Ah I earned a compliment from grumpy. This truly is the best day of my life!” His teammates broke in laughter in the background.

“I’m so proud of you. I’m so glad we took the bullet train to watch your game,” Sakura said through tears. Perhaps it was the height of the celebration or the ride of her emotions; she reached for Naruto’s face and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke turned away just in time, thankful for the screams, hoots, and whistles that possessed the student body. In his aversion, he also saw another face who kept looking anywhere but at the two. Hyuga Hinata, his ironic comrade in heartbreak.

Haru was in the group of spectators earlier, a pseudo-coach and mood-raiser for the team, his undercut prominent against his cap. Sasuke guessed him and Hinata were civil enough to be enclosed in a common space. He walked towards her, hands in his pockets.

“I’m gonna confess to him in the cultural festival,” she told him before he could reach her side.

He leaned against the bleachers, shutting out the continuing noises from the student body. In the midst of it, he can hear Sakura scolding all of them for misunderstanding. “And you’re gonna get rejected.”

“At least I told him what I felt,” she replied. “Did you already?”

He shrugged, unsure himself whether he got the point across or not.

“You better make it clear. You berated me for giving mixed signals after all.”

“You don’t hold your punches, Ms. Hyuga.” Sasuke sighed. “I think she rejected me already.”

Hinata let out a small laugh, the first in his vicinity. “Well, I’m just giving back your advice. If you think it so, you should ask again.”

“A second heartbreak won’t do me good.”

“The future has a lot in store.” She finally landed her gaze on Naruto and Sakura who separated now and were engaged by Haru in some funny exchange. “Good luck to us, Uchiha. I’ll take my leave.”

Sasuke detached himself from the bleachers. “Without saying congratulations?”

But Hinata continued on her exit without giving him a reply. To his surprise, it was not only him who caught her leaving; a pair of blue eyes also followed after her, mouth agape, hesitant to call her name not when he was in the presence of her ex-boyfriend and ex-captain. Ah, we’re all stuck in this complex hell, aren’t we?

His phone vibrated against his pocket. On normal days, he would ignore the call, but today wasn’t normal and he had to act nice for the favor he asked.

“Did your best friend win?” Itachi’s voice greeted him.

Sasuke didn’t correct him on the terminology. He just grunted a small yes, and somehow, he can hear his brother smiling on the other end of the call.

“Glad my donation helped fund their team’s expenses. I take it you also spent some for the bullet train?”

Again, another small yes.

“That’s nice.” It was the first time he heard Itachi chuckle again after the accident. “I’m glad you have friends.”

They’re not my friends fell silent on Sasuke’s lips. All he wanted was to consistently rank first, have uninteresting interactions…but all of those foiled because of the two. “Yeah, something like that.”

He heard the beeping pager in the background. “Gotta run, little brother. See you.”

Little brother. Sasuke swallowed back an unfamiliar sound.

It was a sob.

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

Sakura tried to look at anything but him – the titles of books on his shelves behind, the heads of other faculty members bobbing, the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock. Kakashi clucked upon seeing her career sheet.

“Haruno, you’ll be graduating salutatorian, just points away from Uchiha Sasuke and yet you haven’t listed a university or a job listing. It’s referral season, and you’ve done a lot of good in this school.” Kakashi held his eyes steady on her, a firm line on his lips. “Don’t you want help?”

She mustered a smile, if that was what they call it nowadays, and handed him a filled out form. Whether he could see that it was written with wavering hands, she’d never know. “I settled on fashion design. I’ve always wanted to be a seamstress myself.”

That was a lie, and she knew Kakashi knew judging by how the firm line stayed. He briefly nodded and let her go.

Sensing the bubbling anxiety, she traversed the noisy hallways and almost sprinted to what has also become her safe space – the hidden spot of the boys behind the library. It wasn’t lunch time yet so Sasuke and Naruto wouldn’t be here. She slumped against the wall, sobs racking throughout her body.

Aimless was what she would describe her direction, untethered her depth, and a black hole her emotions.

“I wish you would let me help you.” Kakashi’s voice made her jump. She scanned her surroundings but cannot find a telling strand of silver in the hedges. He was probably standing on the entrance, just before the canopy of vines. “I didn’t follow you. I just knew the three of you went here for lunch and after-school chats. I’m a faculty, Sakura.”

“Please go away.” She never heard her voice sounded so small…and vulnerable.

“Sometimes, talking it out would make the burden feel lighter.”

She didn’t respond, and he didn’t wait for it. His audible footsteps were an indication he was moving away so she took the bait. If this was one way to be near him, why couldn’t it be in the guise of her pain?

She emerged in the hedges, eyes bloodshot red and strained, only to find him leaning against the wall, waiting with a handkerchief for her.

In an ironic turn of events, he brought her to the program she initiated. When he turned to leave to give her the privacy she needed, she asked him to stay. And that simple silent gesture gave her the courage to face her reality.

That her parents were divorcing, and in a futile attempt to cope, she made herself scarce, almost invisible.

Perhaps she was too much work for a middle-class couple with a lot of bills and unemployed siblings to feed. Maybe if they didn’t have a child that hindered their defining career opportunities to relocate or get promoted to an overseas position. Her outstanding community work and numerous distinction medals just weren’t strong enough to warrant a reconsideration of their decision.

And maybe it was a wrong move to get a part time job and dissociate from the pink-haired, studious Sakura and be the adult black-haired, funky cashier Sakura because it only gave them the idea she can live just fine on her own without any of them worrying about her instead of seeing the whole thing as a call for help.

“If you’re ready, you should share your problem to the two,” her sensei said when they finished with her therapy consultation.

“They have heavier baggage,” she simply replied.

“They’re not comparable. Naruto has an empty baggage, a kid with no past, yet he drags it around. Sasuke has sand for load, it’s leaking at the seams but he refills it. And for you, it could be air or water. It’s because you’re compressing them all inside that they become heavier.” He laid a hand on her head, an action of a sensei to a student. “Thanks for sharing some of those with me, Sakura.”

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

Cultural festival was an amalgamation of confessions, last clinchers, and stolen moments. Whoever snatched a dance with someone they liked would be blessed with good relationship – that was how the saying went among the ranks of students.

It was the reason why Sasuke and Naruto hid throughout the day in their spot, content to eat instant ramen, batches of onigiri, and packs of orange and tomato juices. Throngs of freshmen and second years were on the hunt for their feet as dance partner.

“If only they knew I have two left feet,” Naruto grumbled. “I can’t even enjoy the day with Sakura. It’s pathetic to think I’m stuck with you.”

“I second,” Sasuke said. “Do you think she’ll confess to Kakashi later?”

“She hasn’t made a move yet?”

Sasuke shook his head.

“Wait what do you mean you second?”

Minutes of silence ensued. Sasuke put a whole onigiri in his mouth, too flustered to say it right at his face. “I like Sakura.” The words were jumbled with his chewing, and he was sure Naruto didn’t catch it.

But the idiot grinned and laughed maniacally. “The great pretender finally admits! When did you realize it? Did you have the fireworks in your head too?” He even mimicked a rainbow with his hands.

“That’s a rainbow, you idiot.” Sasuke scratched the back of his head. “When she was busy looking at Kakashi playing the piano.”

“Ah, will we ever have the chance?” Naruto snickered. “Let’s confess tonight, grumpy.”

“Already thought of that and already prepared for it.” Despite the seemingly downfall trajectory of their common affections, Sasuke still managed a smirk.

Not to be one-upped, Naruto pulled out his phone and flashed a small bouquet of dahlias. “Ready to be picked up tonight.”

A Greek tragedy, that was them; two best friends falling in love with and being rejected by the same girl.

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

Majority of the school population have gathered around the giant bonfire on the campus grounds, but Sakura knew Kakashi would be stuck in his cubicle in the faculty lounge, nose-deep in a novel, headphones in to drown out the noise, and feet propped up on his desk.

Tonight was the night she would bare her other truth naked to him.

But before she could even step foot in his space, she already heard the voice of his favorite book drifting across the nooks and partitions.

“You should be with your students.” Giggling and a sound she would only assume was a string of kisses.

“I don’t have much time with you. Let me be greedy just this time.” Hearing her sensei say that painted him in another light. So there was this very attached Kakashi, far from the laidback and chill professor she knew.

Sakura should turn her heels and join the rest of the student body. She should act like a good student model, ignore her teacher’s affairs, and pretend she was never here. Except she tripped while running, and that summoned the two of them to her aid.

“Sakura? Did you need something?”

She side-eyed Rin Nohara and shook her head, her one only good chance blown to bits by her own recklessness and stupidity. She muttered an apology and starts to walk away with limping feet when Rin stopped her.

“I’ll get a drink in the vending machine. I’ll be back in five minutes Kashi.”

Thank God for women intuition, Sakura thought.

But inevitably she was left alone in the corridor with her heartbeat far stronger than the noise of the band outside around the campfire and the unknowing subject of her admiration. She held tightly to his rubber tie around her wrist, the mark etched deeper by each day she leaves it there mangled with her pulse.

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, a smile etched on his face, the soft moonlight falling on his features only to highlight his beauty mark. It was unfair seeing him like this only to have him break her heart.

She knew she didn’t stand a chance, but even then, she had to hear it clear and loud.

“I like you.”

Were three words ever enough to encapsulate the three years of affection she held for him? One word for each year she felt content with glimpses of him, may they only be passing shadows in the halls, an echoing voice in the adjacent room, the silent arbiter in council meetings or a silver strand she could easily pick out in a sea of black of white.

Kakashi looked at her, his smile still etched, his face still immaculate. “That wasn’t a question.”

“And that wasn’t a reply.” It was nature to look away when one was too scared to face truth, but for the many times he helped her, even without him fully realizing the extent, she owed it to him to be brave.

“But you already know the words.” A head pat, the same gesture that gave her comfort in the past was the same gesture that broke her heart just now. How easy it was for the breaker to give and take minute and mindless affections, but what right did she has to think they were special to begin with?

It was the end of an illusory conception.

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

A bouquet of dahlias and a bouquet of daffodils were hidden behind Naruto and Sasuke. It was dark, already past seven, the bonfire in its final vestiges, its sputtering flames waiting for last-minute lovers to dance in their splendid light.

Within the shadows came the girl of their dreams, hair untangled and morose emerald irises dipped in pools. Sasuke first noticed the bare wrist, the rubber tie gone, and he knew then that she confessed, and she was heartbroken.

He didn’t need to say anything to the blonde beside him. Her stance was enough to convey her present state of being. What she needed right now were her friends, not aspiring lovers stupid enough to break the friendship label.

And so they hid the bouquets on their backs, safe in the clutches of the dark, and when she reached out to them, their free hands already grasped her trembling fingers in waiting.

There they were, three broken-hearted people, wallowing in their own respective pain, sitting on the dewy grass that would leave stains on their clothes the next morning. When the school band started the last song, Sasuke stood up, abandoning his bouquet on the side, and pulled the other two up.

“Would be a shame to end our last cultural festival like this.”

Ten steps later, they were in the middle of the crowd of couples, three awkward friends holding each other’s hands and stepping on each other’s foot.

“For the love of God, you really can’t dance Naruto. Can’t you do a simple turn to the right?” Sasuke complained.

“Why are you putting all the blame on me? You’re the one who can’t differentiate the right from left!” Naruto spat back.

She laughed, and it somehow stopped their bickering for a moment. Bent at her stomach and eyes clinched shut in crinkles, that was their Sakura.

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 11

[cyhyr]

KakaIru Maze 2021: Decoding Ancient Lost Languages

Fandom: Naruto

Rating: T

WC: ~4540

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Additional Tags: Mysterious Injuries, Old Gods, Sacrifice, Poisoning, Curses, Hospitalization, Hopeful Ending, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Procedures, Hair Loss

A/N: *~*Throws Confetti*~* I. DON'T. KNOW. WHAT. I'M. DOING.

I did the barest amount of research for this fic. *~*More Confetti*~*

Read on The Archive

~

Normally, Iruka would balk at the idea that he should be carried through the front gates after a mission, no matter how gruelling. He has an image to uphold, and what if one of his students were to see him broken and weak after one of his missions? He’d either never hear the end of their worry or, worse, lose their respect as a strong shinobi capable of teaching them.

So no, this situation is far from normal.

He holds on tight around Kotetsu’s shoulders and buries his face in his teammate’s hair. His back is on fire, carved wounds shifting and worsening with each step. Some kind of curse-seal, or a time-released jutsu; whatever happened, Izumo couldn’t use the mystical palm jutsu to heal it, not without causing further excruciating pain and making the wounds ooze and seem to cut themselves deeper into Iruka’s back.

They had cut their losses and abandoned the mission. Iruka’s fūinjutsu was vital to its success anyway, and he was—is—in constant agony.

Thankfully, they enter the village just after nightfall. Iruka can feel a bit relieved over that—most of his current students are home and inside at this time, so the chances of being seen by any of them are slim. He bites his lip to stifle a cry as Kotetsu pushes off a rooftop a bit harder than usual and it shifts him too much.

They’re halfway to the hospital when the ANBU team flank him and Kotetsu, escorting them the rest of the way. One of them, Cat, runs close enough to talk.

“Report.”

Iruka can’t. Kotetsu responds, “An injury that responds poorly to normal medical field ninjutsu.”

“Is he awake?”

Iruka nods, knowing Cat will see.

“Iruka-sensei, can you speak?”

He shakes his head.

Kotetsu says, “He’s been in too much pain to do much more than nod or shake his head.”

“Rokudaime-sama wants you and your other teammate to report directly to him once Iruka-sensei is admitted to the hospital.”

Kotetsu fumbles another step. Iruka grits his teeth and groans, holding back a scream. “Sorry, Ru,” he mumbles. To Cat he says, “Of course, ANBU-san. Izumo’s checking us in at the gate. I’ll collect him and report, once I drop Iruka off.”

Iruka doesn’t remember being admitted. He does remember Sakura’s startled cry as he’s placed face-down on a gurney and his wounds are finally able to be seen in harsh fluorescent lighting for the first time. Gods, he’s tired of being face-down in hospital beds.

Will something, anything, have the wherewithal to fucking strike him in the chest for once, please?

He passes out.

~

A hand is holding his own gently as he wakes, extremely disoriented and floaty on painkillers. He blinks his eyes open and turns his gaze to the man beside him. Iruka smiles faintly. “K’shi,” he slurs. Oh, they have him on the good drugs.

“You are never leaving the village again,” Kakashi whispers harshly. He bows his head and kisses Iruka’s hand in his own and continues, “Hokage’s orders.”

“I‘ll go rogue,” Iruka mutters, closing his eyes. “What’s in my IV?”

“From what Sakura tells me? Everything.”

“That explains.” Iruka stops, trying to think of the rest of his sentence, but a fresh flood of painkillers just flowed into his arm and he hums instead.

“I heard from Kotetsu and Izumo what happened,” Kakashi continues. “Are you able yet to talk about it as well?”

“Nope.” Iruka nuzzles into his pillow. He’s feeling really floaty and he’d like to go back to sleep.

Kakashi chuckles. Iruka receives a kiss to his hair and a tighter grip on his hand. “Sleep, then, my love. I’ll see if Sakura can get you on something less strong, enough that we can talk soon.”

“‘Kay. Love you.”

He falls back asleep.

~

When he wakes the second time, there’s a different kind of energy in the room—a different sort of love in the air, and Iruka knows it sounds crazy but he can just tell, even with his eyes still closed, when he’s around Kakashi or if he’s around Naruto.

Now, it’s Naruto.

Also, he can feel the carving in his back, so whatever they’d had him on before they’d lowered the dosage or put him on something else entirely.

“Hey, Naruto,” Iruka says, opening his eyes.

In the chair beside his head, the blond bundle sits, knee twitching. With his bandaged arm crossed over his other and his head bowed in thought, he almost looks like the adult he’s so close to being, instead of the teenager he still is. They argue good-naturedly about it all the time; Naruto insists that he’s an adult, but at eighteen, he’s still technically a teenager and Iruka reminds him of it as much as he can.

“Iru-nii! How are you feeling?”

“Like someone took a carving knife to my back,” Iruka scoffs. “Also, strangely drained.”

Naruto nods. “Sakura-chan said that the new pain medicine has the side-effect of making it feel like you’re chakra-exhausted. But,” he frowns, “she also said that the dose should be strong enough that you wouldn’t be in too much pain when you wake up.”

“It’s bearable, Naruto. You…” He sighs, “You didn’t see me when I came in, did you?”

He shakes his head. “I was out with Kiba and Shikamaru. Kakashi-sensei told me about you this morning, when we got back. You’ve been drifting in and out for, like, three days!”

Iruka buries his face in his pillow and groans. There goes his hope that the carvings won’t scar.

“He says he’ll be by later,” Naruto adds. He shivers comically. “I still don’t see why you’d pick him of all people, Iru-nii.”

Iruka smiles. “You have a different experience with him as his student.” The smile fades and he asks, “Has there been any progress made on fixing my back?”

Naruto sobers. “See, that’s the thing. Every time Sakura tries to get close with some kind of medical ninjutsu—or even with normal healing balms and stitches—the cuts react violently. Like there’s some bad chakra embedded inside them.”

“Has anyone had a Hyūga come and look at it?” Iruka muses. “If there’s chakra in the cuts, then a Hyūga would see it with the Byakugan.”

Naruto jumps up. “You’re a genius! I’ll go and check with Sakura-chan!”

Iruka watches him leave and sighs fondly. Kakashi did well with him, he thinks, and then closes his eyes and drifts.

~

At least he’s able to move around on his own now. Iruka washes his hands in the bathroom and then braces his palms on the sink. It’s been almost a week, and no one is any closer to figuring out how to fix his back.

Having a Hyūga look at the wounds didn’t help. It nearly blinded Hinata. Iruka still feels horribly guilty about it, but she can still see and activate her Byakugan, so he’s been told multiple times to let it go.

What she had seen made everyone uneasy though. A slimy discharge of chakra oozing from the wounds, bright and powerful enough that Hinata had to close her eyes against it.

Sakura has a small team of medi-nins on his case, researching at all hours. Two days, and they still haven’t found anything.

Iruka’s frustrated.

Kakashi visits every night and Naruto most mornings. It’s nice, but he’d rather be back in class with his kids.

He had to get a blood transfusion last night. His back hasn’t stopped bleeding, and the blood loss finally caught up to him.

Iruka turns his back to the mirror, takes off his shirt gingerly, and looks over his shoulder at the carvings. He frowns—it looks odd. This is the first time he’s gotten to see the wounds, and he can’t imagine no one's noticed…

He leaves the bathroom and hunts around in the stack of drawers by his bed. “Ha!” He finds a pad of paper and a pencil, and heads back into the bathroom.

It’s difficult, transcribing the still bleeding wounds onto paper through a mirror while looking over his shoulder. It’s even harder once the dose of painkillers he’s on fully metabolizes and he’s not yet done. Twisting his upper back, stretching and sitting on the edge of the sink so he can see his lower back—it aches.

A voice comes from the other side of the door, along with a soft knock. “Iruka-sensei? Is everything alright?”

Sakura.

He places the pad and pencil on the counter and slides the door open. “Sakura, has no one realized that the wounds are words?” he asks.

She looks startled. “Huh?”

“Could you please clean them for me again, and check that I’ve transcribed it correctly?” Iruka reaches back inside the bathroom and gives the pad of paper to Sakura. “I’m sure Rokudaime-sama will be interested in this.”

Sakura finally catches up. “Yes! Um, let me get you another dose of painkillers, and a flush kit. If you could sit back down, Sensei? I’ll be right back!”

Iruka just about collapses onto the mattress, leaning his elbows on his knees. Finally, some answers are on the horizon.

~

“It’s no language the cipher corps recognize, nor is it a code in our archives.” Kakashi has his arms crossed and a shoulder leaning against the window. “But they do agree with your assessment—it’s definitely a message of some kind.”

Iruka sighs, picking at the hospital food. “Validation is nice, but I was hoping for an end to this pain.”

“I know, love. Me too.”

“When can we expect word back from Sasuke?”

“If it is Otsutsuki, Sasuke should arrive as soon as possible, per my order. If not, he likely will only return a messenger hawk with the information.” Kakashi leaves the window and comes to sit on the mattress beside Iruka. “We’re going to figure this out.”

Iruka hums and leans against his partner, resting his head against Kakashi’s collarbone. It’s not comfortable, but it is comforting. “I miss sleeping with you,” he whispers.

Kakashi kisses the top of his head. “I miss you too, love. The house is too quiet without you.”

~

Iruka stares at the encoded characters transcribed from his back. He’s… discomfited. He’s been staring at the words for almost a half-hour, trying to make sense of it.

It doesn’t change.

Iruka knows this language.

Not… not well enough to read it outright, but enough that with the characters cleaned up and a fresh copy in his hands, one that was written down while the scribe (himself) wasn’t in immense pain, he recognizes it.

“Iru-nii!” Naruto steps in for his morning visit. “How’d you sleep?”

“As best as can be expected,” Iruka mutters. “Naruto, can you do me a favor?”

“Hmm? Sure!”

Thank the gods he still has his moments of dull-headedness. “In the office at home, I have a scroll with the Uzumaki clan seal on it. It’s the only one, middle shelf. I need you to get that scroll for me please.”

“Nii-chan, why do you have an Uzumaki scroll?”

Iruka sighs. “Go get the scroll, and I’ll explain when you get back, okay?”

Naruto leaves through the open window, his footing unsteady. But he leaves and that means that Iruka can breathe and take the time to think of a way to tell him, when he gets back, about how he found out that they are actually distantly related.

Actually, no—how is he supposed to—shit. Iruka drags a hand down his face.

Hey Naruto, oh this old scroll? Found it in the archives after Tsunade-sama left office! It was in a box marked with my parents’ names on it. Yeah, turns out that my father was a refugee from Uzushio, just like your mother! Oh, and funnily enough, Umino is also a branch family of the Uzumaki!

That’s… not going to go over well, is it.

~

Break a thing for fragments. Break the fragments for dust. Break the dust, and break what remains. Here is fire.

To forge a sword, to fight, to curse your enemies on the eve of battle. This is the story of blood and its exits.

A word that sanctifies the change that comes when the seared skin peels. Words spoken in ritual to inspire an unmerciful Change. To speak them aloud is to hear the sword hiss.

All these things share certain patterns.

“Mercy,” saith the Altar, “is found only in shadow.”

“Mercy,” saith the Altar, “is found only in shadow.”

“Mercy,” saith the Altar, “is found only in shadow.”

…

Iruka wakes gasping, not realizing that he’d fallen asleep. He pats his lap for the scroll Naruto had brought him, and startles as he realizes that it’s not there. It—It had been there just, just a little while ago, hadn’t it???

“Mercy is found only in shadow,” he mutters to himself, looking around his room. “Mercy is found… There!” The scroll, the one with the Uzumaki clan seal, is rolled up and tucked neatly away on a table on the far end of the room. Iruka gathers his strength and swings his legs over the side of the bed.

He tries to stand.

And fails.

He catches himself on hands and knees, and then feels his elbows weaken and give way. His cheek hits the tile and he hisses. He tries to push up again, but can’t…

Can’t…

…

The Altar holds a spark.

Freol is the mouth, the door, the flame, the altar, and the reward.

Knife and sword shed blood for Freol; what is spilled is hers. Fires burn for Freol; what is consumed is hers.

~

“Iruka! Iruka, please, wake up!”

“The breath of Freol brings change and endings,” Iruka slurs, barely awake and compelled. He can’t stop, can’t stop, can’t speak anything other than this ancient language. “‘Mercy,’ saith the Altar, ‘is found only in shadow.’ Let those who gather near Freol be blessed and cursed. Mercy is found only in shadow. Mercy—”

“Naruto, tell me Sasuke has gotten back to us.”

“He hasn’t! And-and Kurama has no idea what Iru-nii’s saying, either!”

Kakashi shakes him, taps his cheek. “Iruka, come back, please.”

Iruka tries to say I’m sorry Kakashi but what passes his lips is a murmured, “‘Mercy,’ saith the Altar, ‘is found only in shadow.’”

~

Sakura stands in front of him solemnly. “We gave him a high enough dose of tranquilizer that he shouldn’t even dream, Kakashi-sensei. My team—”

Kakashi holds up a hand to stop her from speaking. He knows he doesn’t look good, knows he hasn’t been home in over forty-eight hours, but he can’t… he can’t stop. Iruka… “What about the scroll that was in his room?”

“Naruto said Iruka-sensei had him collect it from his home office,” Sakura says. “But no one can read it. We have been able to determine that it’s in the same language as the carvings he transcribed from his back, though.”

Kakashi looks up. “The cavern he and his team had been in—where were they?”

Sakura turns to the map hanging up in his office, and points, “East of here, near a village on the coast. Naruto mentioned—”

“The scroll is from Uzushio,” Kakashi muses, “and it has an Uzumaki clan seal on it. I’ll bet we’ll find more information about all this in the ruins of Uzushio.”

Sakura nods. “But Kakashi-sensei, you can’t—”

“I know.” He sighs. “Take Naruto and go. Find out what’s causing this. Find out how to fix it.”

She nods again and turns to leave.

“Sakura,” he calls out, softer. She stops, but doesn’t turn back to face him. That’s good; he might not be able to say this to her face. “This part comes not from your Hokage, but from me, personally. Please. He’s… Iruka’s everything. Please, find something.”

She gives him a thumbs-up over her shoulder, and says, “We won’t let you down, sensei.”

~

Kakashi watches from the windows as the nurses check Iruka’s vitals and change out his fluids. She bows to him when she’s done and then turns to leave; Kakashi holds up a palm and says, “Wait.”

“Hokage-sama?”

“How… How is he?”

She smiles softly, gently. “We’re taking good care of him, sir.”

“That’s all Sakura told you to tell me, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

He sighs. “Thank you. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Her smile turns just the tiniest bit mischievous. “A higher budget for the hospital in the next fiscal quarter wouldn’t be remiss, Hokage-sama.”

He waves her away, “I’ll see what I can do,” he says with as much humor as he can muster. She leaves, and he goes to sit in his chair by Iruka’s side.

They had to intubate him today. Kakashi couldn’t get away from the desk long enough to be here for him; not that it mattered, because they were keeping him sedated even before shoving a tube down his throat. But it matters to Kakashi because he can’t…

He can’t do anything.

He’s stuck here, managing the village, while his students are out looking for answers to whatever mysterious illness his partner has fallen to. And all he’s good for is holding Iruka’s hand, and maybe going and lobbying for an increase in the hospital budget.

His hair is limp and matted from long weeks in the hospital. Kakashi runs his fingers through the ends of brunet strands and hopes that, when Iruka wakes up, he’ll let Kakashi wash his hair.

“Please get better,” Kakashi murmurs into the clasp of their hands. “I need you. Please.”

~

“Sakura-chan.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m getting real sick of goddesses thinking they can ruin everything, y’know?”

“Yeah.”

Mercy is found only in shadow.

~

“He needs another blood transfusion.”

“Take mine,” Kakashi offers. “We have the same blood type.”

“Hokage-sama—”

“Just take the damn blood,” Kakashi snaps. “Whatever he needs, please, just. Just do it. Take it.”

The nurses bow. “Yes, sir.”

Footsteps in the hall, rapidly approaching, signal Kakashi to a messenger. He stands up and crosses to the door just as Shikamaru slides it open, panting from his run.

Shikamaru turns to the nurses and says, “He needs a bone marrow transplant.”

The nurse looks at him, startled, and says, “Whyever for?”

“Naruto sent ahead a messenger.” Shikamaru glances at Kakashi and finally catches his breath. “The one word Iruka-sensei had said, Freol? It’s the name of an ancient deity of the Land of Whirlpools, one whose purview is to change its followers. One of the ways it does this, as Sakura describes it, is through a kind of radiation poisoning.”

“But that doesn’t explain the,” Kakashi gestures vaguely, and then ends helplessly, “speaking in tongues.”

“The message said they’ll explain that part when they get home,” Shikamaru says. “Naruto and Sakura are on their way back, arrival is estimated at thirty-one hours.” He turns to the nurse. “Can we perform a transplant?”

She hums thoughtfully. “Normally, I’d say yes. But Iruka-sensei doesn’t have any close blood relatives, and if his own marrow is compromised as you say we can’t assume an autologous transplant will be effective.”

Kakashi’s heart stops. “But—”

“But,” the nurse continues, “we can start him on a treatment regimen which will increase his white blood cell count. We’ll start checking in with frequent blood tests. We can also start on a broad-spectrum heavy metals sequestration; we’ll cover Iodine, thallium, caesium, plutonium, and curium. They’re the most common.”

Kakashi motions to her, and says to Shikamaru, “She’s my favorite.”

“You shouldn’t have favorites, Kakashi-sama.”

He groans. The nurse smiles and says, “I’ll go order those tests and treatments,” and then ducks around Shikamaru and leaves.

~

Kakashi holds the scroll open on his desk, reading the translation Sakura and Naruto brought back. It’s a puzzle in its own right, but coupled with the Uzumaki scroll Iruka had kept in their office, Kakashi finds himself even more thoroughly confused.

“I understand how you came to the conclusion of radiation,” he says. “But I don’t understand how this is supposed to explain why Iruka began speaking the language. Because that is what happened, isn’t it?”

“That’s where a little bit of Iruka-sensei knowledge comes in handy,” Naruto says. He steps forward and points to a line near the bottom. “‘Many others can open the way. Few can place a seal where there was none before.’ And then I remembered this one, off-hand comment Iruka-sensei had made when we were kids. That the people from Uzushio were really good with fūinjutsu.”

“And that has to do with Iruka?”

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto groans, like he’s the genius and Kakashi is being deliberately stupid. “Umino is an Uzushio family! ‘Few can place a seal where there was none before’! I’ve seen him do that, just, poof, barrier seals.”

“Naruto, I know he’s from Uzushio. What does that have to do with his condition?”

“Freol,” Sakura says. “When he and the other chūnin got close to that cave. She recognized him as one of hers and marked him.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because the same thing happened to Naruto when we got close.”

Kakashi stands up, vaults over the desk and puts his hands on Naruto’s shoulders. “You’re alright?”

“Kurama beat her up and kept me safe,” Naruto nodded. “But I could hear her. She said something like, ‘the flames will consume, or change, or seal at my whim.’ She was angry.”

Kakashi sighs and drops his hands. “And even Kurama doesn’t recognize this goddess?”

“Actually, once they came into contact, he did recognize her,” Naruto says. “Freol was a protector of the Land of Whirlpools, he says, a creator of soldiers superior to ninja.”

“Superior?”

Sakura interjects, motioning back to the scrolls on his desk. “Right here, see. ‘Hers is the flame which hides in the flesh and the soul and twists both into something new.’ But also, this line, ‘What is left behind is Changed, and may Change others in turn.’”

“Kurama was able to tell us about Uzushio as it once was, back in the warring states,” Naruto continues. “That there would be those who would willingly sacrifice themselves to Freol, for the chance to Change into something more. Something different.”

“A superior soldier,” Kakashi muses. “And this Change. This is what’s happening to Iruka.”

Both of them nodded. “That’s what we think.”

“How do we stop it?”

“That’s the thing,” Sakura’s face falls. “I don’t think there’s a way to stop the process once it starts. Freol marks those she wishes to undergo the Change, and then… Well, all of the writings we managed to find say that the sacrifices either come out stronger, or their families seal their bodies into stasis, or—”

She stops, choking on tears she fights back with every bit of training she’d gone through.

“Or they die,” Kakashi finishes in a soft, defeated voice.

All three of them stand silent in the office for a long time.

~

Kakashi finds himself sleeping in Iruka’s hospital room most nights. The treatment is hell on his partner’s body—the windows are covered with heavy curtains now, to keep out the sunlight which could very easily burn his skin on the medication; hair which was once limp and matted is now starting to fall out every time Kakashi pulls a brush through it; his lips are chapped and broken around the tube, his skin dry and thin everywhere else. The nurses had to change his IV from his arm to the back of his hand today, because the veins in his arm are becoming too thin to support the needle.

He’s dying.

Iruka’s dying, and all Kakashi can do is hold his hand and watch.

And, gods, the last thing they said to each other… Iruka was speaking a different language and Kakashi was begging him to wake up.

Will he really have to watch Iruka die, knowing that he’ll never get to hear I love you from those lips again?

Kakashi buries his face in his arms, carefully arranged over Iruka’s thigh. He used to have such thick, muscular thighs; it’s barely skin and bone now.

Alone, with only his dying partner to hear—or not—Kakashi lets himself cry.

~

“I’m going to try something.”

“Naruto, please—”

“No. Kakashi-sensei, Iru-nii is strong. And Freol won’t pursue him if he goes through the Change, right?”

“There’s no guarantee of that.”

“He’ll be stronger, just like the other sacrifices who survived. Kakashi-sensei, all Iru-nii needs to do is survive.”

“The Change—”

“We’ll deal with it when we’re on the other side of this!”

Naruto places his hands on Iruka, and the Nine-Tail’s Cloak bubbles up around him.

The monitors, registering Iruka’s nervous system, don’t react. He’s in no further pain.

Kakashi feels the tiniest bit lighter. “I hope this works, Naruto.”

“It was Kurama’s idea,” the teen grins. “He remembered that normal healing jutsu wasn’t working before; but he was able to beat back Freol himself when she came after me. So letting Iru-nii use Kurama’s chakra as a kind of life support—it should keep Freol from making this worse at least, right? While he gets better?”

It doesn’t make sense. It shouldn’t work.

But it does.

~

Almost a week later, the nurses are removing the tubes from his throat, and Kakashi is pacing the room waiting for the tranquilizers to wear off. Iruka should wake up any minute now. Naruto’s plan worked. Iruka made it through, and his most recent blood test showed no abnormalities due to radiation. They stopped the heavy metal sequestration yesterday, but the white blood cell proteins will continue for a few days still, to help prevent further infection.

They still don’t know what kind of change Iruka’s undergone. At least, other than the physical.

His hair is gone. Sakura has assured Kakashi that it will grow back. It’s so odd, though, seeing his partner without hair. They’ve put a cap on his head to keep him warm—his body temperature has been fluctuating oddly the last day and a half, and in particular today he’s running cold.

Also, his scent has changed. He hasn’t told anyone about it yet, but Iruka smells different. Less like old parchment and a swift river, and more like… like a waterfall and the deep, loamy scent of rich, black earth. It’s not a bad change. But it’s significant. He’s already taken an overnight to summon the pack and have his ninken memorize Iruka’s new scent, just in case it’s permanent.

“K’shi?”

He’s across the room in a flash, holding Iruka’s limp hand and holding back tears.

“I thought—”

“My K’shi,” Iruka slurs, turning his head to face him and closing his eyes, a soft smile on his lips.

The tears fall anyway. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

Iruka hums. “L’ve you.”

He’s still on a considerable amount of pain medication, Kakashi realizes. He laughs wetly, leans forward and kisses Iruka’s forehead. “I love you, too. Rest, dear.”

“M’kay.”

And just like that, he is breathing slow and steady, his eyes close gently, and he is sleeping peacefully for the first time in months. Kakashi falls back into his chair with a huff and tips his head to the ceiling, still holding Iruka’s hand, and also, finally, finding an easy sleep.

[alyssaallyrion]

Solution (Iruka x Kakashi)

Rating: T

Summary: In which Konoha's laws are the problem, and Kakashi and Iruka just might be each other's solution.

A/N: Written for KakaIru Month ( @kakairu-fest ) Day 24 Prompt: Fake Dating (although this fic is more of a pretend relationship/marraige of convenience flavor) 

ao3 link 

Iruka downs his cup of sake in one gulp and winces, feeling the sweet, sticky liquid burn his throat. When he asks for another cup, the bartender gives him a concerned look but doesn’t say anything, and a bitter smile curls Iruka’s lips. He knows he must be a pitiful sight – it’s way too early on a Friday afternoon to be this drunk – yet, he can hardly find it in him to care.

It was supposed to be a great day – how did everything go so wrong? 

Earlier that day, Iruka had a meeting with Hokage, during which he was going to tell Hiruzen that he wanted to adopt Naruto. If someone had told him just a year ago that he, a new Academy teacher who has just turned eighteen, would be adopting a child, Iruka would have laughed at them, but life has a way of surprising people.

When he first saw how lonely Naruto is, despite his friendly nature and his sun-bright smile, Iruka’s heart clenched, and he had to reach out to the boy. Becoming friends with Naruto was surprisingly easy and, before Iruka even noticed, their friendship blossomed into an almost familial bond.

He vividly remembered the evening Naruto fell asleep on his couch while watching a movie. Iruka couldn’t help but smile as he picked him up to carry him to a futon that he’d set up in a spare room. In recent weeks, Naruto stayed at his apartment quite frequently, and Iruka suspected it was because he hated living alone. As Iruka carried him down the corridor, Naruto mumbled something sleepily.

“What are you saying, Naruto?” Iruka asked softly.

“So warm and safe,” Naruto murmured, “I wonder if that’s what it feels like when a father holds you?”

Iruka felt a lump in his throat as he looked down at the boy. He, at least, had memories of his parents to hold on to, but Naruto had been an orphan since birth. How must it be for him, never to have felt familiar love?

Iruka couldn’t sleep all night, haunted by the thought. While there was nothing he could do to bring Naruto’s parents back, there still was something he could do for him. When the morning came, and he and Naruto settled at the kitchen table for breakfast, Iruka asked, “Naruto, would you like me to adopt you?”

The next thing Iruka knew, Naruto flung himself at him, squeezing Iruka in a tight hug.

“Of course, I would, Iruka-sensei,” he said, smiling brightly, “You better believe it!”

And so, the decision was made.

Iruka had no doubt that all will go well, and he’ll get custody of Naruto – until he had the meeting with Hiruzen.

They were having tea on the balcony of the Hokage tower – as they often did during their meetings - when Iruka said, “I want to adopt Naruto.”

“Oh?” Hiruzen tilted his head to the side, looking at Iruka with a curious expression, “I suppose congratulations are in order then. Though I must say, I’m a little surprised – you never mentioned you were…involved with anyone.”

“Involved?” Iruka repeated, confused.

“Yes,” Hiruzen nodded, taking a sip of his tea, “As you know, only married couples can adopt children in Konoha – after all, it’s much better for children to grow up in full families. So tell me, who is it you are marrying?”

Iruka felt color drain from his face – he has never heard of such a requirement. Before he could say anything, however, an ANBU flickered in front of them.

“Hokage-sama, your presence is required urgently…”

Iruka had never been more grateful for an interruption of his meeting with Hiruzen.

Now, sitting at the bar, Iruka cannot help but feel angry and bitter. The adoption rule is arbitrary and utterly ridiculous - and isn’t it better for the orphans to have at least some family than no family at all? Iruka has no idea how he will tell Naruto the truth, and the image of Naruto’s distraught face breaks his heart. Before he starts crying, Iruka downs another cup of sake.

“Rough day, Iruka-sensei?” says a familiar voice.

Startled, Iruka glances to his right to see none other than Kakashi Hatake, sitting on a barstool next to him. If Iruka was a little more sober, he would have felt guilty about not greeting Kakashi earlier – and about the number of empty cups before him - but he’s drunk. So drunk, in fact, that he somehow missed Kakashi’s arrival.  

“Like you wouldn’t believe it,” he mutters.

The bartender arrives, placing three shot glasses in front of Kakashi. Iruka stares, mesmerized, as Kakashi empties all three glasses so quick that it seems he never takes off his mask.

“It looks like you had a rough day too,” Iruka remarks then, “Tough mission.”

“I’ll tell you my grievances if you tell me yours,” Kakashi says wryly.

They aren’t close, not at all – Kakashi had given him advice on approaching Naruto once, and, outside of that, they’ve only spoken briefly during Iruka’s shifts at the mission desk. Kakashi is not the person Iruka normally shares his problems with, but alcohol does a wondrous job at loosening people’s tongues.

“Did you know that to adopt a child in this village, you need to be married?” he says, with a sigh, “Well, I didn’t, but apparently that’s the rule. Which, I think is very stupid – there are so many orphans here, wouldn’t it be better for them to have at least one loving parent rather than no parents at all?”

Kakashi stares at him intently but remains quiet, so Iruka continues.

“But no, apparently only “full families” count, so now I have to go tell Naruto that I cannot adopt him because I’m not married. And, mind you, I care for the boy so much, I would have gotten married if I was seeing someone – but between the work at the Academy, shifts at the Mission desk, and missions, what time do I have to date? If only…” realizing that he’s rambling, Iruka stops abruptly.

Even though his drunken haze, he feels a little embarrassed. Kakashi is lending him a sympathetic ear, and instead of talking about his real problem – the fact that he could not adopt Naruto – he started rambling about his lack of a dating life.

Kakashi remains quiet, looking at Iruka pensively. As silence stretches, Iruka shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

“So,” Iruka smiles awkwardly, “I’ve told you my troubles – now it’s your turn.”

“I… don’t really believe in fate, sensei, but I must say, this is quite the coincidence,” Kakashi finally says.

“What do you mean?” Iruka frowns.

“You see, the reason that I’m here, drowning my sorrows, is because I’ve had the exact same conversation with the Hokage earlier today,” Kakashi explains, “Only, I was speaking to him about Sasuke Uchiha.”

Iruka feels a lump in his throat at Kakashi’s words. Sasuke… He still hasn’t been released from the hospital after what happened to his family. As his homeroom teacher, Iruka went to visit Sasuke a few times and could hardly bear the empty, dejected look on the boy’s face.

Still, Kakashi’s revelation surprises Iruka.

“I didn’t know you were close to his family,” Iruka says, meeting Kakashi’s gaze.

“I wasn’t,” Kakashi admits, “Or, at least, not with his parents. But I think I owe it to him – if I had only noticed that Itachi…”

Kakashi stops himself, but Iruka can guess the rest. Though officially, the identities of the ANBU operatives were a secret, in reality, it wasn’t difficult to put two and two together. There was hardly a shinobi in the village who didn’t know that Kakashi and Itachi were both in the ANBU. Perhaps, they were on the same team…

Before Iruka can say anything, the bartender comes by again, placing two cups of sake before Kakashi. Next thing he knows, Kakashi’s sliding one cup towards him. Liquid sloshes over the edge of the cup as Iruka catches it, and, when he absent-mindedly lifts his fingers to his lips to lick sake from them, he notices something shift in Kakashi’s gaze and feels shivers run up his spine.

“I think we can help each other,” Kakashi says, his voice a little hoarse.

“How so?” Iruka asks.

“We could get married,” Kakashi shrugs nonchalantly.

Iruka nearly chokes on his drink.

“What?” is all he could manage.

“It’s only logical,” Kakashi continues, “You want to adopt Naruto, I want to adopt Sasuke, the only thing standing in the way is the marriage requirement. If we get married, that problem will be solved.”

Iruka stares at Kakashi, utterly dumbfounded, uncertain where to start. Sure, when Kakashi puts it like that, in theory, it might make sense for them to get married, but in reality…

“Kakashi-san,” Iruka says slowly, “With all due respect – we barely know each other. Do you think it would be wise for us to get married?”

“You said you wouldn’t mind getting married if that meant you could adopt Naruto,” Kakashi replies, leaning his elbows on the bar and resting his chin on his palm.

“I said I wouldn’t mind getting married if I was seeing someone,” Iruka says pointedly.

“But you aren’t,” Kakashi’s eye curves, and Iruka can tell that he’s smiling under the mask, “So, it seems, this is the next best thing.”

Iruka wasn’t much of a romantic – shinobi life quickly disabuses anyone of such delusions – and still, he couldn’t fathom getting married to a man he hardly knew. But, in his drunken haze, Kakashi’s arguments almost made sense. If this lets him adopt Naruto, maybe it’s worth it…

“Perhaps, you are right,” Iruka laughs, then shakes his head, “I have heard that you, the jounin, are crazy, but you must be the craziest of all. What normal person would propose to a man he barely knows?”

“I know you are a Konoha shinobi through and through, responsible and good with children,” Kakashi shrugs, emptying his drink in one swift motion, “And that’s enough for me.”

Iruka can hardly stop himself from rolling his eyes.

“I’d also think someone like you would have other options,” he adds.

“What do you mean?” Kakashi frowns.

Iruka sighs. <em>He cannot possibly be that oblivious. </em>

“Well, Kakashi-san,” Iruka says in a tone in which he usually explains things to his youngest students, “You are the famous copy-ninja. I’d expect there to be a line all the way to the village’s gate if you were to say that you were looking for someone to marry.”

Kakashi laughs then – and it’s the first time Iruka hears the sound and, somehow, he cannot help but smile.

“Sorry to disappoint, Iruka-sensei, but the reality hardly matches your expectations,” Kakashi murmurs, then shifts a little closer and adds, “So, do you accept my proposal?”

Iruka looks at Kakashi for a moment, wondering what he’s getting himself into, then, emboldened by the liquid courage running through his veins, says, “Fine.”

“See, I knew you’d come around,” Kakashi smiles.

A million thoughts run through Iruka’s mind – there are so many things they need to discuss. Where will they live? His apartment certainly isn’t big enough for four people, and he has no idea about Kakashi’s own living arrangements. How will they tell Naruto and Sasuke, and when should they tell them? What does Kakashi <em>expect</em> out of this marriage?

But, before Iruka can say a single word, Kakashi glances at the clock and gets up from his seat.

“Time to go,” he says.

“Go where?” Iruka asks, confused.

“To the civil registrar’s office, of course,” Kakashi replies, “It’s half past four, so we have about half an hour, which should be enough time to get married. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait till Monday, and I have a bad feeling that I’ll get sent on a mission before then. So, both the marriage and the adoption will need to happen today.”

“Shouldn’t we tell Naruto and Sasuke first?” Iruka protests but still gets up from his seat.

“No time for that now,” Kakashi shakes his head, “Besides, what’s the issue? You <em>did</em> agree.” “I didn’t think we were going to do this today,” Iruka says weakly.

His head is spinning from all the sake, so he grasps at the bar to steady himself.

“A shinobi must always be prepared for the unexpected,” Kakashi sounds amused as he cites the rules at him, “And what better time than now?”

Before Iruka could protest, Kakashi wraps his arm around his waist, pulling him closer.

“What are you doing?” Iruka almost hisses, embarrassed at the warmth that floods his body on the contact.

“There is no time to walk, so I’m going to flicker us,” Kakashi says, quickly forming a seal with one hand, “Now hold on.”

*

“You want to get married now?” the chunin at the registration office seems equal parts annoyed and unimpressed.

Iruka knows the look all too well – it’s the look of someone who’s been hoping to leave the office ten minutes early all day and now has a sudden influx of work, right at the close.

“Well, you know how it is,” Kakashi says, unaffected, “True love can’t wait. Right, Iruka?”

The sudden familiarity of his tone, combined with the way Kakashi reaches out and pulls Iruka against his side, makes heat rise in Iruka’s cheeks.

“Right…Kakashi,” Iruka replies. The name without the honorific feels strange on his tongue, but Iruka knows he’ll have to get used to it.

The chunin stares at them for a moment, then sighs and walks over to her desk to fill out the necessary forms. To Iruka’s surprise, Kakashi doesn’t let go of him while she works.

“Sign here,” the chunin says after a few minutes as she turns the form she’d been filling out towards them.

It’s as if in a haze that Iruka walks over to the desk, takes the pen, and signs his name right next to Kakashi’s.

“Congratulations,” the chunin tells them, “You are now married.”

As Iruka looks at the marriage license in front of him, the reality of the situation slowly begins to sink in. He just married Kakashi of all people.

What has he gotten himself into?

“Is that all?” the chunin’s adds in a voice that makes it clear that the last thing she wants to do is to fill out more documents.

“Actually,” Iruka knows Kakashi’s smiling under his mask as he says it, “We are going to need adoption paperwork…”

[behindheremeraldeyes]

sasusaku month 20

day 3- sleeping soundly

title: power nap

summary: every Tuesday, both Sasuke and Sakura go out for lunch during her break at the hospital. It’s a sacred tradition between them, but what happens when she’s too tired to even walk?

a/n: I tried to make a very cute pic this time so they could take a break from all the stress of being a ninja hahaha I have to admit that this theme made me want to miss the time when I could take more naps, and perhaps, I should start taking them whenever I can XD As always, I hope you enjoy this one! Have fun! PS: This story is still un-beta'd. My beta-reader is quite busy lately and she didn't have time for proofreading this one yet. Sorry for the mistakes you're gonna find!

.

Rated K

.

.

.

According to the big clock displayed above the central desk of the hospital reception, Sasuke had arrived just in time for her break. It was Tuesday, and just like every week, it was the day of their weekly lunch. He was on time, as always, and for some of the staff already knew what he was doing there, it wasn’t unusual for some nurses to look at him and whisper something to each other. Some would even giggle, eventually, and when they did, the Uchiha couldn’t help but wonder if seeing two people going out for lunch together was really that amusing.

It really was just lunch, after all.

A couple of months before, Sakura had been the one who had first created that tradition between them, saying it would be a nice chance for them to bond, and even if he liked to believe they didn’t really need an official reason to meet, the Uchiha eventually decided to play along. Every week since then, she would normally be waiting for him in front of the hospital reception, and as soon as their eyes met, she would greet him joyful before they could go find a place to eat. They would spend some time together, just the two of them, chatting while enjoying a nice and peaceful meal until her break was over. He would walk her back to the hospital, then, and he wouldn’t cordially wait until he made sure she was already inside.

Those were their Tuesdays. Simple, comfortable and consistent. 

They had fallen into that delicate and domestic routine, and it didn’t take long before he grew fond of that unaltered part of his new life. He enjoyed those moments to the point where he would sometimes catch himself growing excited for their weekly encounter and lose a couple of hours of sleep because of that.

Tuesdays had become really great days, for sure. 

And as soon as he saw her smiling, small figure talking to an old lady, he realized they were about to have another good day just the two of them.

When her green eyes made contact with his mismatched ones, a brighter smile lit up on her face and it didn’t take long before she excused herself from what seemed to be just a civilian wanting to chat. Ever since he returned to Konoha, Sasuke realized the pinkette had become quite popular among the elderly, and it wasn’t unusual for them to greet her with a wrinkled smile whenever they saw her on the streets. She would always treat them nicely, he realized, and perhaps that was the reason why they all liked her so much.

She walked up to him, then, yawning deeply as her heels clicked across the hospital reception. Now that she was standing closer, his eyes could see that she seemed to be a bit tired, her eyelids looking too heavy as they threatened to cover her eyes completely. There were dark circles around her eyes, and her breathing pattern was calm and slow. 

Apparently, someone had had a rough day.

“Hey there—” She started, but her words were cut by another yawn that escaped her lips. The back of her right hand went to cover her mouth, and she blinked twice before fully opening her eyes. “—Sasuke-kun.”

“You look tired.” He said, simply, his face unaltered.

She looked at him, lifting her brows in surprise. The pinkette was still not used to how straight-forward he was, but it didn’t take long before her lips curled up. “Is it that evident?”

“Aah.” He agreed. “The dark circles around your eyes are quite big.”

“Ugh.” She pouted, her small hands now touching her face. “I guess not even all that make up could hide them in the end.” She smiled weakly at that, her head tilting to the side.

“Bad day?”

“Not really. It’s just that I got home pretty late last night.” She started, and soon they were walking towards the exit of the building. She stretched her arms above her head, moving her shoulders in order to relax her muscles a bit. "That mission took a little longer than I had initially expected and I didn’t really have much time to sleep.”

“Oh, I see.” He nodded in understatement, remembering she had, indeed, talked about a mission Kakashi had selected her for. If he recalled it correctly, she had been sent to Amegakure so she could help the new governors establish a new health care system based on medical ninjas. It was something the Shinobi Alliance had decided to do together, and though it would cost her many days of going back and forth to the village hidden in the rain, Sakura seemed very excited about the outcome. “At what time did you get back?”

“I think it was around 2am or something like that… I just know Kakashi-sensei wasn’t there when I went to his office to report back.”

“2am?!” He sounded surprised, his brows arching at her words. No wonder why she looked that tired. “And at what time did your shift at the hospital started today?”

“My shift officially began at 7am, but I was already here by 6:30am. I had an important surgery scheduled so I came in earlier to prepare everything.”

His dark eyes grew wider now, and suddenly, he stopped walking. Sakura couldn’t really be serious at that moment. She was basically telling him that she had returned to the village from a long trip around 2 in the morning, and instead of taking at least the morning off, she was already up before 6am and operating at 7am.

Normal people shouldn’t push themselves that hard. 

She had definitely spent way too much time alone with Naruto, he thought.

“You've barely slept, Sakura.”

“I know…” She said, yawning once more. “I'll get some sleep when I get home.”

“And at what time will that be?”

“It won’t take long. Probably around 7pm.” Her voice came out softly and an innocent tone lingered to it. Her eyes held no malice, and at that moment, he really thought she was even worse than the Dobe.

Maybe she had hit her it during the war or maybe it happened during her time spent training with her master, because there had to be something really wrong with that girl’s head. At that moment, she was barely being able to hold herself up, yawning every three seconds, and yet, there she was, all smiles on her face as she was ready to go out with him for lunch. Even knowing about that mission at least 1 week before she had to go, Sakura had decided that it would be okay to sign in for a 12h shift at the hospital the day after she got back. Couldn't she just haven been a decent person and allow herself to get some proper hours of sleep at least once? 

Apparently, the answer was a big, irresponsible and tired no.

Perhaps, he wasn’t the only one who needed to have some sense knocked into him. 

A couple of seconds went by until the pinkette finally realized the Uchiha had stopped in his tracks. She turned around, then, her heels also stopping, as her green eyes were now looking at him with a confused expression. She tilted her pink head to the left, her lips pressed in a thin line. “Why did you stop, Sasuke-kun?”

“Sakura…” He stopped talking, his mind still trying to think about his next words. He knew he had to be helpful without sounding rude, but he could feel an urge to call her annoying running through his veins. Even if he really hated the idea of ruining their little routine, the Uchiha knew better than to believe she didn’t have more pressing needs at that moment. “Do you still have a couch in your office?”

“Yes, I do. Why?”

“Hn.” He nodded, his hand now hiding inside the pocket of his dark pants. “Go back upstairs then and try to get some sleep. You still have most of your lunch break.”

“What?” Her eyes widened and she unconsciously approached him. At that moment, her confused expression melted into a childish pout, and he would be lying if he said that face didn’t make him feel a bit moved. “What about our lunch?”

“We can just reschedule. You need to get some rest if you want to last until 7pm.”

“This is ridiculous, Sasuke-kun. I’m fine. I’m a bit sleepy, sure, but I’m also hungry. Come on, it’s Tuesday…”

The way she was batting her eyelashes at him made his heart skip a beat. Even if her current appearance was affected by her lack of sleep, Sakura still held traces of the cute girl she has always been, and like before, it was still hard for him to say 'no' to her. She had always known how to be pretty convincing around him, and at that moment, even if he knew she could use a power nap— or any kind of nap, for the matter— it was still hard for him to simply give up on their lunch.

It felt selfish of him— futile, even, because, really, it was just lunch— but he really wanted to go out with her so they could spend some time together. They had a lot of catching up to do, and even if he would mostly just listen to her while she talked about something that had happened at the hospital or at her missions, it was always great to see her looking that happy.

After everything that had happened in the past 3 years, Sakura needed happy times in her life. Both of them did. And if their happy could be achieved by doing something so trivial as going out for lunch, then it was worth fighting for it.

However, if she could use that time in order to recover from a tiring mission, how could he deny her such thing?

“You really need to sleep, Sakura.” His voice came out firm and with no hesitation. His eyes were locked with hers, and there was no sign in him that indicated that he would back off from his decision. “It will be good for you if you can rest a little.”

“But—“

“No ‘but's. You look like you were hit by a boulder and we both know how distracted you get when you’re sleepy.”

Her lips parted at his statement, but no words came out from her mouth. Even if she wanted to answer him that she was fine and that she wasn’t really that sleepy, they both knew it would be useless. The Uchiha, if anything, is as stubborn as his blonde best friend, and at that moment, he wouldn’t simply be convinced by her white lies.

A soft smile crossed her lips, then, and she shyly looked down for a bit before her glance returned to his eyes. Her hands were now hiding behind her back, and she bit her lower lip before deciding to talk again. “I bet every girl would love to hear such delicate words regarding her looks.”

“Tch." He scoffed. “You know what I meant.”

“Yeah, I’m just messing with you.” She giggled, softly. “Are you sure it’s really okay?”

“It is, don’t worry. Try to get some sleep and I’ll go fetch you something to eat.”

“What?” She asked, confused, her sleepy head clearly not working well anymore.

“I'll go out and bring you some food. You weren’t really thinking about skipping lunch, were you, Sakura?”

“… Of course not.” She said, looking away from his judging stare. Sakura was clearly lying— or, at least, trying to— and if not for her need to sleep, he would’ve certainly scolded her for being that irresponsible. 

Maybe next time, he thought.

“Hn, yeah, right…” He nodded, his eyes closing before he could start his way towards the exit. Their shoulders brushed as he walked past her, and though he knew she wanted to follow him, he was glad she didn’t. “I’ll be back soon with your food.”

“Fine.” She said, stretching the first syllable. “Next week lunch will be on me, then!”

“Aah.” He agreed, as he continued his way across the room.

“Oh, and Sasuke-kun!” She called his name, and immediately, he turned his head to look at her. She was smiling now, her arms crossed across her chest. “Don't forget to bring your food, too! We can still eat together in my office, right?” The cheerfulness lingering in her voice made his chest feel warmer, and even though her eyes were surrendering to her exhaustion, she still looked quite happy to have found a way for them to be together for lunch. She was smiling softly at him, and even if he had initially planned on bringing her food and leaving her to rest, Sakura had just convinced him to stay. With her joyful features and her sleepy expression, she had just managed to save their beloved tradition. 

It should be okay if he stayed for just a little, right? Just until she could finish her lunch, and then he would be gone. Yes, it would certainly be okay.

“I guess we can. I’ll meet you there.”

“Hai!” She said, and he began walking again. “I’ll leave the window open for you!"

At her words, his lips formed a soft smirk as he finally exited the hospital. Though she would normally tell both him and Naruto not to invade her office through the window, on that day, Sakura figured it would be easier like that. His ears captured the sound of her heels clicking as she turned back, and he just hoped she could get some sleep before he returned with their food.

It was going to be a different Tuesday, for sure, but he figured it should be okay as long as they could be together in the end.

–––––––––

Though there weren't many people in the small restaurant down the hospital street, Sasuke made sure to take his time before ordering so she could have some more sleeping time. With his eyes always checking the clock, the raven haired boy made sure to calculate a decent amount of time— given the circumstances, of course— for her to sleep and eat properly before going back to work.

For they have gone eating together multiple times already, he knew about her taste for vegetables and something lighter for lunch, choosing to order her the special salmon with a bittersweet sauce that was made of honey, rice vinegar and soy sauce. It was a very popular dish according to the guy who worked there, and he hoped she would like his choice.

The food inside the take-out bag was still hot by the time he reached the hospital, and he made sure not to waste a single moment before climbing up the walls to her office. His chakra-coated sandals helped him make his way up, and in no time, he was at her window, which had been left open for him. He was very careful while entering, making sure not to bump on any of her belongings. As always, her office was filled with piles of papers and medical books, and he wondered how she even managed to find anything in the middle of that mess.

Once he was completely inside, his eyes wasted no time before they could start their search for her, and quickly, they found her small and delicate figure still asleep on the couch. She was sleeping soundly, her shallow breaths escaping her slightly parted lips in a smooth rhythm. Her chest was going up and down in a slow rhythm, and if he had never seen her breaking large trees with her bare hands, Sasuke would even believe she was just a defenseless and powerless girl.

Sakura looked really peaceful like that, he thought, as he looked at her with softness in his eyes. She was so calm and tranquil, clearly too busy sleeping to even notice his sudden presence in the room. Back when they were younger and they had to camp outside during their missions, she would always wake up at the slightest noises, but at that moment, he doubted she would wake up unless he literally shook her awake.

She was really tired, for sure. She was all curled up on her couch, her head resting against a crumpled jacket that was serving as a pillow for the moment. Her pink locks were falling forward, covering the seal on her forehead, and there was a small pout decorating her rosy lips. 

Though he has never been the most sensitive person out there, it was undeniable that Sakura looked incredibly cute. His eyes— even if he was probably unaware— looked at her affectionately, and suddenly, a mix of tenderness and empathy coursed through him, and he had to hold back the urge to move her pink locks from her soft face.

He didn’t want anything to disturb her at that moment. She deserved those minutes of pristine silence, and he would do everything he could in order to protect them. After seeing her like that, it didn’t take long for the Uchiha to decide not to wake her up to eat, choosing, instead, to leave her food there so she could eat it later that day. 

The salmon would turn cold, sure, but he figured that she could heat it some other time.

A soft smile took over his lips, and slowly, he made his way towards the couch where she was sleeping. For it was a chilly afternoon, he took his dark coat off, covering her small body in order to keep her warm. The piece of fabric weighted over her small figure, and he watched as she tugged it closer to her with a comfortable expression on her face. After that, the Uchiha found a spot next to her, and since they had decided that they would eat together, he believed that it would be okay if he just ate his lunch there, by her side before it also turned cold.

Slowly and carefully not to wake her up, he fished his sandwich from the paper bag, taking a bite from it and allowing the tomato, the cheese and the basil to mix inside his mouth. The sandwich tasted very good, indeed. It was just a simple thing anyone could prepare, but it still tasted pretty special for him. His eyes would eventually drift from his lunch to her sleepy, little head; and even if her small breaths were the only sounds filling the room, Sasuke couldn’t simply find the words to describe how domestic and pure that whole thing felt.

It felt so casual and intimate, in a way he hadn’t felt in years. His heart skipped a beat at the thought, bringing a shy smile to his lips, and he mentally thanked her for bringing back that innocence to his life. As the months went by, he realized how much that girl alone could do for him— even when she was doing nothing more than sleeping by his side— and he wondered how many other things could she bring into his new life if he just allowed her to.

In a matter of weeks, Sakura had turned his Tuesdays into pleasurable days, and now, he wondered what else could she do were she to take care of the rest of his week.

A sigh escaped his lips, and quickly, he brushed that thought away. After a couple of minutes, he had finally finished his sandwich, satisfied with his pleasurable lunch, and slowly, he allowed his head to fall back a little so he could rest it against the couch. He closed his eyes, for an instance, solely paying attention to the sound of her breaths, lulling him into a moment of pure bliss.

His head was feeling lighter, his breath was matching hers, and suddenly, he felt an odd warmth against his leg. It caught him by surprise, at first, but it didn’t take long before his body grew used to that small contact between them. A feeling of calmness invaded his body at that moment, and soon, he emptied his mind from whatever bad thought could even dare disturb that moment. He felt his conscious slipping from his grip, then, knowing very well what would happen if he just let it go. 

He was going to fall asleep, he knew. He was going to fall asleep on a couch by her side, and even if that would probably be something hard to explain once they both woke up, Sasuke couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

It felt too good. It felt right and even if he had had a good night of sleep himself, he figured he could allow himself to rest for a bit. 

It was just a nap after lunch, after all. Was it really such a bad idea?

No. At least not at that moment. Not on that odd, yet ordinary, Tuesday.

fin.

[rukia-uchiha-98]

Delightful Days

prompt : hogwarts au

warning : non

words count : 978 words

@shisakuweek

"Did you know that sakura-sensei from a commoner family?"sasuke asked out of no wear, "no way, you mean she's a mudblood?", "shut up dope,that word is forbidden" their hissing reached the potions class teacher, who by the chance happened to be the subject of there gossip but lucky them she didn't get what they were saying "care to share your gossip with me and the class Mr.Uchiha and Mr.Uzumaki?" her voice startled them."we're sorry sinsei, teme was talking about random meaningless things","good. No , great actually. Both of you feel free to hand me a full report about protection potions by the end of tomorrow, oh and I almost forgot minus point for slytherin and gryffindor" and sadly that didn't stop them from talking but instead it made their voices get louder and louder by each word they barked at each other witch irritated her "silence you two or i will delete more ten points from each of your houses, eleven by sum" she screamed and released some of her magical aura, scare the whole class to death "Sheesh, I don't even know how you ended being friends".

It was hard to believe that sakura came from commoner family simply because she was prodigy, mastering every single subject related about magic from the first try, becoming a professor in hogwarts at age of 19 years old catching the eyes of the head of the majestic uchiha family, that's the reason why she was allowed to be the first commoner born introduced as an Uchiha shisui girl. "you know dope, I once heard shisu talking to nii-san about his relationship with sakura", "you know teme, she's our teacher now, you should show more respect", "but she's just sakura", "that's the point, I mean she's already 2 years older, and now! Now she's completely our superior and i don't think shisui like the way you call her out the classes", "that's far from what I was trying to tell you dope, I heard him saying to itatchi-nii that she can make him freeze in his spot with one word", "WOW, shisui frozen in his place? I would love to see that. What Is it? Is it some kind of charm or something?", "I don't know, they walked away before I could hear any thing else", "WHAT? THEN WHY DID YOU TELL ME THIS", "you're really loud, shut up. I told you so that we can investigate it. I must know what that word is".

Sakura was used to the eyes that follow her where ever she goes, she was also used to feel someone trace her around, and the times when the student call out for her were countless, boys for confessions which irritate shisui and girls to know more about her famous love story which made her smile like an idiot but eventually answering them because she sees that there story is magical. From her senior to her teacher and now colleague not to mention his ancient proud family while she was from common birth, that she knew in not very good way that they were called mudblood. There were 2 pair of eyes sticking to her back for quite some time and she didn't like it. Who ever were her follower they weren't trying to approach her for any reason, they were spying on her, she knew who they were and didn't like it not even a bit.

"my blossom,how was your day?" beamed shisui cheerfully when he saw sakura approaching from the end of the corridor, "good,it was good"she answered tiredly then he leaned over to kiss her lips softly and murmured "there are two rats following you", "yeah, I know but sadly didn't know why","shall we ask them?","will you ask them for me,daddy?" for split of second shisui was frozen, but luckily he collected  himself as fast as could and clear his throat "then I shall bring them in front of us".

The time that took him to but the brats in there spot  was less than three seconds, "you know saskue usually I'm less irritated from seeing you than this time, same goes for you naruto. Care to explain why you were following my sakura around since the morning?", "we weren't following her", they heard high bitchy laugh and it was sakura turn to talk "listen uchiha! don't you dare to underestimate me, not approaching you was because i really wanted you to do it, now why were you both following me around?" lucky them or not sakura's hobby was interrogation and poor naruto wasn't really good in keeping his mouth shut under pressure "we were trying to know the spell that worked against shisui and allowed you to freeze him" he half screamed making sakura and shisui give them a look as if they were aliens and burst out laughing " OMG, a spill working on shisui,that's the funniest joke I've ever heard in such a long time", "where did you get such idea sasu-chan?", sasuke couldn't hold his sulk "what made you assume it was my idea", "cause it sound  like you".

They were preparing themselves to bed when sakura suddenly asked "really where do you think they got that idea, I mean they're not that creative or imaginative", "I think sasu-chan heard a part of my speech with itachi the other day". He reached to grab her waist murmuring sweetly in her ears "I don't want to sleep early tonight", "but you must to, we have a date tomorrow and I don't want you to sleep on me".

Once they where in their bed shisui decided to ask her the question that had been roaming around his mind for the last week "say blossom, what would you say if I told you that I want to spend the rest of my life waking up to you?", "I would absolutely say yes ".

.

.

hello again, how are you today?

I don’t have much to say today, it’s just I felt that I can write more chapters related to this, you know like a novel not just oneshot 

if you think it might work out, and if you would like to read more of it please tell me, and I’ll be  thankful for you. Big love

[bunny-hoodlum]

“Untitled” for NH2020 May “Jealousy”

No one prepares you for the first fall.

Nor the vice around one's heart, the kind that feels like you'll never be the same again if you don't remove it right away.

Naruto was twelve when he became vaguely aware of these concepts, that growing into himself -- whomever that was -- meant dealing with new aches of every severity, shape and sharpness, and removing them like the spiny seeds that clung to his sherbet-orange sweater.

Naruto stumbled out of the bushes, urgency bouncing inside his skull like pachinko balls.

Glancing down at his appearance, he wrapped his hands in his sleeves and swiped at the burrs, only to come away with palmfuls of them.

Throwing his head back, he growled in resignation.

He's been coming here after school for the past two years, ever since they moved from the prefecture north of Hi no Kuni's capital.

This particular sight, though familiar and ordinary, has evolved inside his mind. Once a green ocean to frolic across, the large sports field now resembles an emerald moat around a castle of a high school.

He sprinted across the grass, up the slope and onto the dirt path lining the perimeter. Bypassing the wash sink and the enormous gymnasium, he dashed into the outside corridor between buildings and entered the main school.

From there he made a beeline inside, his black Randoseru bouncing against his back with every step.

Here and there were older kids, boys in their black slacks and buttermilk yellow sweaters, girls in their black skirts, black socks and yellow sweaters. Some wore their red ribbons, others wore their loose or completely undone, or none at all.

Gone were their curious, mirth-filled gazes and amused whispers. Well, for the most part.

"Hey bud, you look like you'd been swimming in sea urchins." said one boy in passing, pointing his finger.

"Yeah, yeah! I know!" Naruto hurried along, his lips fluttering with an exaggerated sigh.

That aside, these teens they paid him no mind, as if he were one of their own.

Because they knew exactly where he was headed.

Naruto reached the Staff Room and pushed the slide door open. Instantly he attracted the eyes of the other teachers, their faces lighting up at his presence.

The first one to greet him was a woman with a brown bob parted from the center, with dark kind eyes and purple eyeshadow.

"Oh, Naruto-chan's here! My day is officially brightened!" said Nohara-sensei, one of the Home-Ecs teachers.

"Hey, what about me?!" interjected an Uchiha her age as he gaped at her in betrayal.

Nohara-sensei's smile remained unchanged.

Adjacent from Uchiha-sensei at the foot of the combined faculty desks, the silver-haired Hatake-sensei greeted him with a two-finger salute, his bored gaze glued to a thin book laid atop his stack of graded assignments.

Amongst these three were four other teachers, one of them being his dad.

"Naruto! You're early today!" His father said matter-of-factly as he spun halfway in his desk chair.

"Yeah! That's because--"

"Excuse me, Namikaze-sensei?" Her voice twinkled like the dreamy dulcet tones of the Kalimba, the air playfully plucked with each clear syllable.

Time slowed down, yet his heartbeat jumped and ran off, like a spooked horse after getting spanked in the buns.

The reason why he's early… The reason is...

His father's attention shifted a foot over his head, a cordial smile taking place. "Oh, Hyuuga-san! Those are the propositions for our Culture Day theme?"

"Yes, Sensei." The owner of that voice crossed the threshold, her gaze falling over him for a moment, and when she smiled at him the world grew quiet beneath the swishing of blood in his ears. And when she beheld him, her eyes curved as though her cheeks were swelled with love, and the only colors that existed were hers.

Hyuuga Hinata circled around the island of desks to hand in the stack of papers, and Naruto watched how his father interacted with one of his beloved students, and how she interacted with him.

Of course his father didn't act the way he does with his wife around his student, but somehow Naruto had to make sure.

And his father was a popular man no matter where he went, no matter where he worked. It never took very long until a new Namikaze-sensei Fanclub established itself, so Naruto had to see if she wasn't one of them.

They spoke and spoke but the topic never strayed and their eyes maintained the same friendly regard.

And yet, wordlessly, in the back of his mind he wondered.

If he stared hard enough, would she look his way again?

She excused herself with a small bow and with delicate precision, she strode towards the door, their business completed.

But as she left the Staff Room, she did not look at him again.

Naruto squeezed the straps of his Randoseru, the aches growing stronger around his chest.

"Naruto," His father called out to him. "I'm afraid I'm still going to be here awhile longer. What did you need?"

Naruto flattened his lips together then transformed his chagrin into a cheery beam.

"I just wanted to see you, Dad."

His father furrowed his brows and hummed questioningly, inciting Naruto to conjure a new excuse.

"Also... there's a new figurine I want." He rubbed the back of his head for extra credulity.

"A figurine? You haven't played Gashapon since you were ten." Even so, his father began to dig around for spare coins in his pants pocket. "What changed?"

Naruto wove around to approach his father. Minato furtively surveyed his son's appearance, the frown pretty much saying 'I've told before to stop going through the bushes', but it was faster for him, the walk to the front entrance taking him an extra ten minutes if he did.

Presenting his empty palm, Naruto accepted the coins and idly counted them to give himself more time.

It looked like just enough for a can of 200% Sweet Café Au Lait, rather than a vacuous plastic figurine.

His father was still waiting for an answer.

"Uhh," Naruto pocketed the coins into his back pants pocket. "I just found one that I really, really want, that's all."

Rin watched Naruto exit the Staff Room, her smile broader than before.

"Naruto-chan is getting cuter everyday." She mused.

"Hm? What is that supposed to mean?" said Obito, a trace of a whine still in his voice.

"Did you see his face when Hyuuga-san arrived?"

Minato lifted his head up from his paperwork, trepidation and intrigue washing over him like a chilly waterfall.

"I know exactly the meaning of that face," Rin continued, her gaze sliding over to Obito whose ears reddened knowingly. And Minato was beginning to connect the dots, though he didn't want to. "Naruto-chan is lovestruck."

_____________________________________

Later that night over dinner, Minato was quiet. Which wasn't particularly unusual when his beloved wife and son always had so much to say.

He loved their vivaciousness, how they seemed to boil over with attitude and excitement at even the smallest source of happiness, never dimming, never tiring. He loved listening to their stories.

"-- And the ball bounced off the goal and smacked Sasuke in the back of the head, and he face-planted the grass!"

"So that's what happened!" Kushina was in tears. "Mikoto called me asking if anything happened at school today."

"What did he say?"

"He told his mother he lost in a fight against three older kids!" Kushina clasped a hand over her mouth, he features scrunching up as though her laughter could escape from her eyes, and Naruto broke down into laughter with her.

Minato's gentle smile pulled up higher, and yet that familiar warmth in his face and thumping in his chest suddenly came with pangs.

But now Minato was looking at his son as though he were shining at a brightness never witnessed before.

Like a TZO hybrid star.

This love that he felt for Kushina hasn't changed since their middle school days.

And with great melancholy Minato imagined that these same feelings were growing inside his son.

_____________________________________

This was one of their rituals.

Minato washing the dishes while he handed them off to Kushina to dry.

It was an easy way to speak amongst themselves like two lovers.

"Is everything alright?" Kushina said as she wiped down a plate and added it to the drying rack beside her.

"Naruto likes someone."

"Huh?! No way! How could he not tell me?!"

"Shh!" Minato threw a glance out the kitchen entryway which lead into the living room. Naruto's blond head could be seen beyond the couch where he sat by the low table, transfixed by the prank show on tv. "He didn't tell me at all. Rin figured it out."

Kushina's shock quickly curled into a sly grin. "Did she now? Well, I wonder who it could be."

Minato grimaced. "She figured that out, too."

"What?! How?!"

Indeed, how? Rin had no business in any other school but theirs. Had Naruto being crushing on a fellow classmate instead, Rin's obtaining of knowledge would certainly be more interesting than the knowledge itself.

Minato propped his elbows against the sink and slumped forward, his hair nearly grazing the froth of dish suds.

Minato couldn't bring himself to say.

It wasn't so much respect of his son's privacy than it was his inability to accept the situation.

"He's growing up too fast."

A beat of silence hung between them before Kushina responded with loving circular strokes along his back.

Minato was the last person you would ever hear gripe nor whine, so this was rather serious.

Kushina then grasped her husband's shoulders and pressed herself against his back and held him.

He slowly angled his head towards her, temple kissing temple and they breathed in their mutual resignation that, yes, Naruto would soon no longer be a child.

No more childish fixations and hobbies, no more innocent observations that made him laugh, no more boundless curiosity where he had all the answers not the internet, no more theatrical 'labor strikes' in demand of an increase of allowance or a trip to the waterpark because Sasuke made it sound like a paradise.

None of that.

He could begin working as early as fifteen if he so desired.

He would afford his own fun, possibly sneak around when his sense of curiosity matured.

Rather than the reward of sharing and impressing his dear old dad, he'll be seduced by the appeal of secrecy and keep things to himself.

He won't desire his father's opinion on anything. At that age, teens believe they know what's best, so they trust themselves above everyone else.

Independence like that is inevitable.

And whoever in the future accepts his feelings, they'll have every part of his son that he’s lost, and Minato isn't ready for any of that.

Kushina chuckled lightly before giving him another supportive squeeze.

"Looks like someone's jealous."

[givemestories-givemelife]

Blueberries, Lavender & Hot Matcha Tea 

A SasuHina Oneshot.

Part 1 / Part 2

AN: Why? Because someone @muzikaldove  asked and I obliged . It came to me relatively easy in all it’s tropey goodness. I think you can tell how much ao3 I’ve been reading lately from this. My apologies over the fact I have no idea how to properly use a comma.

Summary: Sasuke has a run in with a certain blue haired girl and he’s confused.

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

Blueberries

Sasuke glares at a punnet of blueberries, a memory of wide lavender eyes flashing in his mind. He pinches the bridge of his nose and grits his teeth. Fuck. Things like this weren’t suppose to happen to him. He forces himself to take in a slow calming breath and attempts to sigh out all his current frustrations.

He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about that damn blue haired girl and her stupid embarrassed blush and the way she just couldn’t make direct eye contact with him, and how for some fucking reason that made his heart twist in some weird foreign way.

Because he wanted her to look at him.

He really wanted her to look at him.

Sasuke wasn’t used to the desire of wanting attention from women.

In fact Sasuke was used to women throwing themselves at him since that appeared to be the only way to receive any sort of regard from the aloof Uchiha. Sasuke didn’t have time to engage in such frivolous affairs and was mildly thankful he didn’t have to put in much effort.

But there he was for the first time ever, looking at a woman and instead of thinking the word ‘annoying’ he thought of the word ‘cute’ and that in it’s self should’ve been an indication of hell freezing over because Sasuke is Sasuke and he definitely doesn’t fucking think about anything as cute. Especially not short blue haired women with shy dispositions who spill burning hot tea all over him and his expensive new suit when he’s already late for an important business meeting.

But that’s exactly what happened.

He was uncharacteristically running ten minutes behind schedule when he noticed his favourite coffee shop was obnoxiously overrun because of course it’s a goddamned Wednesday and they have that dumb promotion for half priced iced latte's. So he scoffed at the betrayal and hoped to find a less busy cafe on the way.

And once he crossed the threshold of some hole in the wall bistro he’d never before noticed called ‘Heaven’s little corner’ he looked up at the bell that rang when the glass door hit it and smacked into something oddly soft then suddenly felt pain-

Searing pain, wet and hot, burning his chest and trickling down his legs. Sasuke clenched his eyes shut cringing violently and hissed at the sensation, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“O-oh my god,” a sweet little voice squeaked and Sasuke snapped his eyes open to glare at the retreating form of blue hair, “no no no no no no no.” The quiet offender muttered to herself grabbing all the napkins she could muster from their dispenser and turning back to look at the soaked fabric covering his chest like a devastating problem she needed to solve and quick. Rushing towards him she started wiping at the creamy green liquid that smelled like matcha with quivering fingers. “I am s-so sorry so so so so s-sorry.” She said with reverence. “A-are you okay?”

Sasuke froze watching dainty hands meticulously rub huge bunches of paper napkins against him, slowly starting to feel his ire ebb when he took in the strange girls appearance. She had long soft looking blue hair, a milky ivory complexion, an increasing redness to her cheeks and pink chapped lips pulled in a gentle pout... And that damned troublesome word popped into his mind before he could stop it.

Cute.

Sasuke’s eyebrows shot up at the intrusive thought and snapped, “stop,”  grabbing her wrists and something twisted in his gut seeing her wince at his grip so he lessened the pressure of his grasp into something resembling gentleness and pushed her hands back as if returning them. “Before you embarrass yourself even more.”

Eloquent eyes pinched with mortification shooting to the ground, he realised that she actually looked like she was about to cry.

Which really should have pissed him off.

But for some reason he couldn’t fathom, it didn’t.

He let go of her wrists like he’d been burned a second time, raising his hands in  surrender, “ it’s fine, I’m fine,” and scoffed. “Are you... okay?” He scowled at the stupid question, she’s the one clearly in the wrong but for some reason he couldn’t ignore her current distress.

She buried her face into her hands. “Y-yes. I mean, of course I am.” She said throwing the napkins in the trash.  “Sorry. I-I have to go.” And she booked it out the door not even sparing him glance.

Sasuke had to resist the urge to run after her and demand she tell him her name which was a rather concerning sentiment.

And it dawned on him that she never once looked him in the eyes throughout their entire interaction.

Sasuke changes his mind.

She is definitely annoying.

Annoyingly cute.

Fuck.

This isn’t good.

And it doesn’t make any sense! The exchange lasted less than two minutes and there was literally nothing special about this girl but for some reason he couldn’t get her out of his mind and It’s starting to be a fucking problem.

“Why is Sasuke looking at the blueberries like they’ve personally offended him.” Shikamaru drawls, hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his ripped denim jeans reminding Sasuke that he is in fact not alone on this grocery run.

It’s 7 pm on a Friday night and he and Naruto always have people over at their flat for drinks to blow off steam and bitch about the work week. Usually Sasuke would get snacks on his own but Shikamaru showed up early and Naruto asked if he wanted to go on an adventure like it was the most exciting thing and now here they are in the organic fruit section of their local super market.

“Oh, Sasuke’s pining.” Naruto says casually and Sasuke wants to punch him in the throat. Sasuke doesn’t pine, he only casually mentioned the interaction with the weird girl in passing this morning and Naruto hadn’t stopped teasing him since.

“Explain.” Shikamaru inquires with a lazy smirk.

“Sasuke’s pining,” he repeats, picking up a fat orange, throwing it up in the air and catching it, “I know he is because he mentioned some girl who spilled tea on him and he has never brought up an interaction he’s had with a girl with me. Like. Ever.” Well... Hn, Sasuke hadn’t thought about it like that.

“No way.”

“Which obviously means he’s found the one.”

“What else he say about her?”

“Not much, but he’s been doin’ a lot of glaring at a whole lot of nothing. I’m starting to think he’s actually daydreaming.”

“Would you two shut up.” Sasuke grits indignantly, prompting Shikamaru to slap an antagonising hand on his shoulder.

“So what’s it going to be Sasuke; blueberries or no blueberries?”

Naruto slaps a hand on his other shoulder. “That seems to be the question.”

Sasuke frowns and grabs the damn blueberries, throws them in the basket swivelling out of their grip towards the checkout line, attempting to remain indifferent towards the fuckers. He grabs a few bags of chips on the way.

“Did I mention that said mystery girl has blue hair.” Naruto stage whispers and Sasuke scowls when he hears Shikamaru snicker.

~ ~

Twenty minutes later they’re making the short walk back to their apartment after picking up booze, “so do we know who’s coming tonight?” Sasuke asks.

“The usual; Kiba, Choji... Uh... Ino and Sakura.” Naruto kicks a stray rock on the pavement as they pass a streetlight. “Oh yeah! Sakura said she asked some girl from her photography class if she wanted to come, what was her name?”  

“Hinata, I think.” Shikamaru adds.

“So that should be cool, we never have new people over.”

“Hn.”

“I just hope she’s cute.”

Sasuke hoped she wasn’t.

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

AN2: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN Is that a cliffhanger there? Well huh. I guess that means there’s gonna be more? Really I promise you I wanted to write the whole thing and post it as a longer-shot (Is that a term?) But I also just wanna start writing things and getting it out there so it doesn’t get trapped in my drafts. And It kinda works as a one shot... So hey... Maybe bug me for more? CHAPTER 2 is up.

[depressedkakashihatake-fics]

Fond Memories

Hatake Kakashi (No Ship)

1563 Words

For: @caffeinatedshinobi

Spending his night out with friends was a rare occurrence, one that was meant to be treasured and remembered fondly on a bad day, or during the last precious moments of life.

Instead, Kakashi was trying to get drunk, and fast.

“Whoa slow down,” Gai’s hand came down over his glass, preventing him from shooting back his third cup of sake. “What is the rush, Rival? We’re supposed to be relaxing.”

“I don’t think ‘relaxing’ is a word that exists in Kakashi’s vocabulary,” Glaring over at Asuma, he huffs when his friend simply responds with a playful smile. “You know it’s true. Your idea of ‘relaxing’ is reading that book of yours.”

“That is relaxing for me,” He grumbled, though it was sort of a lie. Most days he just read his book because it was easy to do. It didn’t involve a lot of energy, no emotional investment since he knew what was going to happen, and it kept his mind occupied. “Fine, let’s do something ‘relaxing’ then. What’s relaxing?”

He looks to Kurenai for an answer. There’s no way he trusts whatever idea comes out of Asuma’s mouth, and he’s pretty sure Gai doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘relaxing’. The only time he relaxes at all is when he has a stick of dango in his hand.

Taking the hint, Kurenai leaned back in her chair and took a moment to think about the request. After a few minutes a small smile started to pull at the corner of her lips, meaning she had come up with an idea.

“Let’s share memories,” she leaned forward, her smile so big it could almost rival Gai’s regular toothy grin. “Talk about our favorite memory with our team. How about it?”

That didn’t sound nearly as exciting as she made it seem.

“Does anyone even have a favorite memory?” He asked, relaxing into his chair and watching as everyone turned to look at him. “What?”

“Surely you have a favorite memory of the time you have spent with your team, Rival,” There’s a worried look on Gai’s face.”A time when you looked at your students and couldn’t help but smile, or feel like everything was perfect for just a few minutes.”

Bold of Gai to assume he liked his students.

“Even if you aren't particularly fond of your students,” Good old reliable Asuma. He always seemed to know what was on Kakashi’s mind in moments like this, and he held no judgement unlike a certain Taijutsu expert currently gasping in disbelief. “There must be one moment where you looked at them and thought ‘huh, they’re not so bad’”

Not so bad?

That was possible, though he’d have to think about it to remember such a scenario since most of his memories with Team Seven involved endless headaches. Naruto being a constant pain in his ass, Sasuke being...well, Sasuke. Sakura was in there somewhere too but she didn’t stick out as much.

It was a downfall of not being a complete monster, but he appreciated that there was at least one normal person on his team. It was also a result of being the smartest out of the three, so he didn’t have to worry so much about her doing incredibly stupid shit.

He’d have to think really hard to come up with a fond memory that didn’t involve contemplated murder.

“Oh no, he’s making the thinking face.” Asuma’s voice cut through his thoughts, followed by Kurenai’s laughter and the distant sound of Gai asking him if he was alright.

He ignored it all, determined to find just one fond memory with his team of gremlins.

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

Ichiraku Ramen

Not his favorite place to eat out at, but these days it was the one he saw the inside of the most. All thanks to one orange clad genin currently in the middle of screaming about how he’s going to be Hokage one day.

Quite the dream to have, for a kid who can’t keep his trap shut on a mission.

“You don’t believe me?” Taking his chopsticks, Naruto poked Sasuke in the nose. “It’s true. I’m going to be Hokage and i’m going to prove to the whole village that i’m the strongest there is.” 

“You might want to focus on learning how to throw a kunai properly first,” Sasuke swatted the chopsticks away from his face. “besides, what are you going to even do as Hokage? Make it a law that everyone has to eat at Ichiraku Ramen every day?”

He didn’t need to hear Naruto’s enthusiastic ‘yes’ to feel sick to his stomach. He was already eating more Ramen than he could handle. How Naruto survived on the stuff every day was beyond him. 

“I think the most important thing you’re forgetting here is that a Hokage should be a good leader,” Sakura spoke up. “How can you be a good leader when you can’t even get along with your own teammates?”

Point for Sakura, again.

So far she was winning in his ‘who gets to be my favorite’ competition.

Not that it was hard with teammates like hers.

“I can learn,” Naruto protested. “Besides, we have the best Sensei out of all of them! We’ll be the strongest in the village, all three of us.”

He can’t tell if Naruto is just being nice, or if he actually believed what he’s saying. If it’s the second one he has to question Naruto’s logic in calling HIM the best sensei in the village.

That title clearly went to Gai, but it might help that his students were less determined to put him in an early grave.

and that he had actually wanted to be a Sensei, unlike Kakashi.

“You’re not wrong there,” Sakura beamed. “Kakashi-Sensei’s far from perfect…” rude. “but he’s an amazing Sensei. Don’t you agree Sasuke-kun?”

Ok, he could forgive the rudeness for that one.

Turning his eyes towards Sasuke, he waited for a response to Sakura’s question. A smile pulled at his lips when he saw the Uchiha glaring over at him.

“He’s not terrible,” Sasuke admitted in a hushed tone. “I’ve learned from worse.”

It wasn’t the best compliment, but he was willing to take it.

“Hey, Sensei,” Naruto nudged him in the side. “You like teaching us, right? Showing us how to be the best shinobi in the village.”

How had he ended up with Minato-sensei 2.0 staring up at him with bright blue eyes and a smile that could melt any heart

Well, any heart that wasn’t his.

His heart and soul thrived off of being the guy that showed affection through insults and jabs. Probably not the best trait to have when one is a Jonin-sensei.

“Of course i like teaching you,” he turned his attention to the bowl of still untouched Ramen sitting in front of him. “There’s no other students dumb enough to get hit with the ‘thousand years of death’ twice.” 

No, he was not going to let Naruto live it down after he had successfully used his father’s goofy old attack on the kid again during training today.

“S-sensei…” Naruto’s head hit the counter, his voice full of shame and defeat.

Good.

He was getting too comfortable. Too chummy.

“Best Sensei maybe,” Sasuke grumbled beside them “biggest ass hole for sure.”

Well, at least they were starting to understand him. They couldn’t fully appreciate his personality if they thought he was just socially awkward. They needed to accept that their sensei was a bully just as much as they were.

It’s what made them all a perfect team, even if he did want to murder them all most days.

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

Smiling to himself, Kakashi turned his attention back over to Kurenai, who began to look very concerned as soon as he did.

“D-is everything ok?” She asked cautiously. “Did you come out of your thoughts in one piece.”

His friends were just as much ass holes as he was, and he loved them for it. 

“I thought of a fond memory,” he informed her, laughing to himself as he thought back to it once again. “I guess i do have one of those.”

Gai’s hand came down on his shoulder hard, shoving him forward suddenly and forcing him to reach out and grab hold of the table for support.

“That’s great, Rival!” Gai’s voice boomed in his ear. “Tell us! What is this fond memory of your team you found?”

“Mmmm, i don’t think I will,” there’s a sense of pride that bubbles up inside of him when all three of his friends slam their hands down on the table in protest. “It’s my memory to enjoy all on my own.” 

“You can’t just…” Asuma’s words devolve into a string of nonsense while Gai starts screaming about ‘youthful passion’ and ‘rivalry’. Meanwhile, Kurenai just leans back into her chair with a groan and closes her eyes, clearly done with the entire situation.

This.

This was relaxing for him.

Annoying all of his friends with little to no effort and watching them react with a variety of different emotions.

This is why he hung out with them.

Because they made his life interesting, and they never got so used to his trolling horrible ways (As Asuma liked to refer to it) that they stopped reacting.

This is what he loved about these three and he never wanted it to change.

[lopithecusfanfiction]

We All Wear Masks Sometimes

Author: Lopithecus Pairing: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 1674 Alternate: AO3 Summary: Kakashi comforts Gai after Lee gets injured during the Chunin exams Warnings: N/A Author's Note: This is for day 6 of KakaGai Week 2020 ( @kkgweek ).  I have a feeling a lot of the fics/art that are going to use this prompt are going to be Kakashi focused. So, I decided to do the opposite. This is set just after the preliminary round during the Chunin Exams. Also, it’s not made explicitly clear that Kakashi and Gai are together, but it is implied that they are. Please enjoy! Prompt: Day 6 - Mask

Gai has a habit of pretending to be okay for everyone else's sake even if he's not. He'll smile and laugh, say something with poetic prose, and then throw out a thumbs-up with a hand on his hip. Sure, on good days he actually is like that, Gai's personality having been molded very carefully and lovingly by his father, but Gai's father could only do so much. Kakashi knows this.

Sometimes Kakashi thinks he's the only one to know this about Gai.

On days that are hard, the really bad days that all shinobi get no matter how cheerful and optimistic one can be, Gai amplifies the theatrics to one hundred. No one really notices, no one besides Kakashi, because Gai never lets anyone get close enough to him to show his real personality. Sure, the man is close to his friends, closer still to his students, but he can't act weak around them. He can't let his friends' teasing bother him and he has to be the perfect role model for his students.

With Kakashi, it's different.

Maybe that is what happens when you grow up fighting a war together and lose everyone you love? You tend to latch onto the one that never left. You hold onto them like they are your lifeline and if that line were to ever get cut then you would drown.

Or maybe Kakashi is just being overly dramatic and it has nothing to do with that. Maybe it's just a testament of how long they have been friends that allows the two to be open with each other and no one else. Kakashi has never been great at interpreting attachments and he's the last person to try to make it into a healthy conclusion in his mind.

He's always been a little bit codependent on the people he's cared about.

Gai especially. 

Maybe that's why, before he goes to fetch Sasuke from the hospital to begin his training, he sets out trying to find Gai. He checks the training grounds first and finds Tenten and Neji there. Tenten is helping Neji train but Gai is nowhere in sight. Not surprising, considering where Lee is currently and in hindsight, Kakashi probably should have checked there first.

Still, just so he doesn't make a wasted trip to the hospital, he steps out of the bushes and makes his presence known to the Genin. "Yo."

They both turn to him. It's the first time Kakashi has actually interacted with Gai's students in the year that he's had them. It's shocking, really, considering how much Gai loves to challenge him. Although, Gai hadn't interacted with Kakashi's students until the beginning of the Chunin Exams either. It almost makes him want to laugh and he's kind of sorry he missed that introduction. He would have loved to have seen the little brats' faces at meeting Maito Gai.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Tenten greets him eagerly, pink coloring her cheeks, while Neji doesn't acknowledge him at all. He's not surprised they know his name. Maybe the Hyūga is mad at him for stopping him from killing that Hinata girl?

"Is Gai at the hospital?" he asks, getting straight to the point. He doesn't have all day. Sasuke is waiting for him.

"Oh, yeah! You just missed him," Tenten tells him, her smile disappearing. "He's visiting Lee but said he'd be back soon if you want to wait."

It's just like Gai to divide up his time between his students despite his overwhelming worry about Lee. Kakashi waves the invitation off. "I'll go see him there. Thanks."

Tenten slumps in disappointment and Neji crosses his arms, turning away. He waves goodbye at them anyway. He doesn't need them complaining to Gai about his behavior and then Gai giving Kakashi a huge speech about treating young Genins with more respect.

He doesn't go into the hospital once he's there. He'll be back to get Sasuke and going into the building one time is one too many in Kakashi's mind. So, he waits outside, flaring his chakra a little to let Gai know he's there. He doesn't expect Gai to come out and greet him right away and about five minutes later, he is exiting the building with a wide smile.

Kakashi can already tell it's fake.

"Kakashi! My dearest Rival, what do I owe this pleasure?" Gai strolls up to him, arms out in a gesture to hug Kakashi. Kakashi lets him, wrapping his own arms around Gai's solid frame. He has a feeling Gai needs this comfort right now.

When they separate, Kakashi gestures with his head. "Take a walk with me."

Gai's smile twitches, threatening to fall but Gai has always been a master at forcing himself to smile through everything. It stays steady on his face. "Very well."

They walk in silence and they eventually make it to outside a hot spring. Kakashi leans down on the railing of a bridge, staring at the water beneath them. It reminds him that Naruto is probably searching for him this very second to train him and a pang of guilt clutches at Kakashi's chest. He does wish he could train both him and Sasuke. They both have very different skill sets, however, and if Sasuke is going to be going up against that sand jutsu, then Kakashi needs to focus on Sasuke at the moment. He'll have to get someone else to train Naruto and, although the thought to ask Gai to do it does cross his mind, Gai has too much on his plate right now. Plus, Naruto is going up against Neji. It might be a bit of a conflict of interest.

So, instead, he settles on someone else. "Is Ebisu available?"

Gai walks up beside him and leans his arms down onto the railing, much like how Kakashi is right now. "I believe so, yes. Why?"

"I was thinking of asking him to train Naruto before the final competitions in the Chunin Exams," he says.

Gai looks out into the water. "I think that would be a great idea. Ebisu is very capable. I can ask him if you want?"

Kakashi shakes his head. "Just have him meet me at the hospital. I have to pick up Sasuke."

Gai perks up at that. "Has Sasuke fully recovered?"

Kakashi picks his words carefully, thinking about Lee. "More or less."

Gai narrows his eyes at him, suspicion playing on his face. "You don't have to be gentle with me."

"And you don't need to pretend with me." Gai stares at him and Kakashi pokes him in the cheek. "Let yourself feel things."

Gai scoffs, goodnaturedly. "Says the man who is the master at suppressed emotions."

"I think we both are pretty good experts at it, wouldn't you say Gai-kun?" Gai scowls at the honorific. It's not very often Kakashi uses it. It's mostly to try and lighten the mood a bit. It doesn't seem to work. "Gai, what I said during the preliminaries about the gates…" He trails off, biting his bottom lip. He sighs and wonders if he sounds a bit hypocritical. He’s never been a fan of the gates for obvious reasons, after all. "I meant what I said afterward. I was out of line."

Gai shakes his head. "No." Kakashi furrows his brows in confusion. "You were right. I should have never taught Lee it. He's too young."

Kakashi frowns and reaches up to place a comforting hand on Gai's back. "You were even younger when your father started teaching you how to open the gates."

Gai huffs and pulls away from Kakashi. "And maybe he was wrong, too."

"Gai…"

"He died because he used the gates and… and I'm not condemning him for it. He used them to protect something precious to him, to protect me, and that is something to be proud of. But maybe… maybe I was too young, too?" Gai bows his head. "Maybe he should have never taught me it… because now Lee has almost died from using the gates."

"Gai," Kakashi pulls him closer so that their sides are pressed together. "That wasn't your doing. It was that kid from the Sand. He is the one who almost killed Lee."

"Lee would have given up sooner if he didn't have the gates."

"No, he wouldn't have." Gai looks up then, surprise written all over his face. "Gai, that child, is exactly like you when you were his age. You wouldn't have given up, would you?" Gai shakes his head. "Exactly. So gates or no gates, there is no doubt in my mind that Lee would have fought with everything he had and would have never given up."

"So, then you're saying it's a character flaw?"

Kakashi chuckles with exasperation, laying his forehead down onto Gai's shoulder. "No, I'm saying it's admirable." He lifts his head to look Gai in the eyes. "Stupid sometimes but admirable."

It gets Gai to laugh, a real laugh, and Kakashi's heart warms at the sound. He pulls him a little closer, carding his fingers into Gai's hair. He ruffles the strands, messing up the bowl cut and Gai tries to pull away in complaint. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi lets him escape and watches as Gai tries to smooth his hair back down with his lips set in a pout the whole time. It's adorable and he's glad he's managed to make Gai feel a little better. He's not very good at it most times but when he succeeds it makes him happy. Especially if it's Gai.

"Gai." Gai stops his ministrations on his hair, looking up at Kakashi. He's much more relaxed now, genuine seeming. "Lee will be okay. He's stubborn like you. Nothing will keep him down."

Gai stares at him for a few seconds, thinking, before a real smile breaks out on his face and he sticks out a thumbs-up in Kakashi's direction. "Most definitely, Rival!"

Kakashi chuckles again and, with an amused shake of his head, he throws an arm around Gai's shoulders, walking back to the hospital with him.

—————————————————————————————————

A/N: Don't worry. I didn't forget about the fact that Gai needs to have Ebisu come to the hospital. I just didn't write it in. What I imagine happening is, once back at the hospital, Gai uses a messenger turtle to instruct Ebisu to get to the hospital. It probably scares the shit out of Ebisu at first, thinking something bad might have happened to Gai until he gets there and Kakashi explains everything to him. He is not amused. XD

Thank you for reading!

[angeliise]

Day 3: I’d Choose You Again and Again

If somebody asked you to choose between me and someone else right now, would you choose me?

And would you choose me again, if they asked you 10 years from now?

Hinata looked up from the soggy ground. Hinata found herself sitting on the swings by the academy as the rain poured down on her every being. People would think she is crazy to be out in this rain in only a mesh shirt but… she didn’t have anything else to cover herself with.

Why?

She had been disowned by her father. She was deemed too weak to be the true successor to the Hyuga Clan. Her father had chosen her sister instead. Just when she thought her sensei had personally chosen her as a student, she found out that it was on the order of her father.

Her sensei had greeted herself as Kurenai and left shortly after, no question asked. Sigh. She was referred to the Hokage to find a new home and was given an apartment, which she had just moved into. She hadn’t met any of her neighbors but even if she did, nobody would pay her any mind.

The former heiress stood up and walked back to her apartment. When she was in front of the door, she lifted her head slightly when the door opened. She looked up to find obsidian eyes staring down at her, holding an umbrella.

“Why are you always wearing so little when it’s raining this much?” He asked. His tone was stern and monotonous, yet Hinata felt an ounce of care from his expression.

“Always?...” Hinata said in a low tone.

“The whole of last week, and now today.”

Hinata felt her eyes water again. This mysterious man had noticed her and been watching her since last week? The week she had moved into her new home. Hinata was again taken aback by his action when he tilted his umbrella so that it shielded her from the rain. Her bangs were completely soaked and plastered on her forehead, blocking most of her view. But one thing she would never forget were those obsidian eyes staring into her soul with the most care she had ever received from someone.

****

Hinata and Sasuke were walking alongside the pavement. It was the day they were going to be assigned into their teams. It was also the day she was going to do something she never thought she would have the courage to do. Though she knew she was with Kurenai, she didn’t know of the other members. She looked over at Sasuke for a split second. She hoped that she was going to be in the same team as him no matter what. Her and Sasuke had spent a lot of time together as neighbors.

She remembered when she was only eating ramen because she never learned how to cook in her previous household. When she fell over on her way from hunger, Sasuke had caught her and invited her to dinner. Although he berated her for not being able to cook he never complained about her crashing over for every supper.  

During those times both Hinata and Sasuke had come to learn a lot about each other From their hobbies to their favorite foods to their birthdays and most importantly, their families. They bonded over their strict fathers and the unattainable goal of becoming like their siblings. Although that was it, it was enough.

It was enough for Sasuke because he had finally found someone that knew what it felt like to be inadequate. Although there was Naruto, Sasuke at least knew what it felt like to have a family. A mother. A father. A sibling. So did Hinata, which made for loads of inside jokes and lighthearted jabs at their clan’s persistence of upholding their images. As time went they became each other’s sparring partners and Sasuke was proud to have witnessed Hinata going from a reluctant fighter to becoming a competent opponent for him. But most importantly, she was slowly emerging from the depressive shell she was once in. He was glad about it for he did not want her to descend down the path he had when his clan was massacred.

Naruto’s voice sirened through their eardrums from afar. He was walking with Sakura, who was trying to hide her giggles. Though Sasuke knew that it was because Naruto was saying his name for every other word.

“Since when did-”

“Baka. Sakura would never fall for a guy like that.”

“Really?” It was in that moment she was proven right as Sakura looked away from Naruto and onto them. She shoved Naruto to the ground and enthusiastically waved over to them, more specifically Sasuke.

“Sasuke-kun!”

Sasuke sighed and looked away from the circus as Naruto called him out and was beaten by Sakura again. He looked at Hinata and smirked to himself while she still had her eyes on Naruto and Sakura.

Had he not met Hinata, Sasuke thought, then he would still be spiraling down the void of darkness that had consumed his mind ever since then. Her calm, gentle and kind aura had warmed him. He recounted the time she had invited him for dinner for once and was welcomed to a burning kitchen with Hinata desperately trying to put the fire out with a paper towel. Ever since then he knew…

He couldn’t trust her to be on her own.

He would make daily visits to make sure that she had not or was about to catch herself in fire or wring herself in her laundry and suffocate. He had taken it upon himself to teach her all the basic skills. It was those moments that helped him in opening up to her about himself and especially his past. Something he thought he would never feel comfortable talking about. The voice of Hinata brought him out of his thoughts.

“Huh? What did you say?”

Hinata embarrassingly looked away from his stare. Sasuke had gotten used to Hianta getting flustered out of nowhere. “I-I hope we get to be in the s-same team.”

Sasuke smiled at her and nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

****

Hinata eyed the floor, trying to muster the tears in as Sasuke’s fangirls roared at the Iruka. She was sitting next to Sasuke and felt a twinge in her heart from not hearing her name in the same team as Sasuke. She twitched her head when she felt a nudge at her elbow. She looked over at Sasuke who had slipped her a note. She folded it open:

You still have something important to do, today.

She eyed him and he nodded at her with a tiny smile only for her. She smiled back at him.

****

The day was over and she was waiting by the swings. When she heard incoming footsteps she turned around and felt her heart rate increase. “N-Naruto-kun.”

“Oh, hey Hinata. So what did you want to tell me?”

Hinata fiddled with her fingers as she always did when she was nervous. She would never forget the times she would run into Naruto with Sasuke and how he would practically shove her in his face. He was always so supportive of her about her feelings for Naruto who he considered a doofus. Although she embarrassed herself every time, she had still gotten to speak with Naurto. She had gotten to know him pretty well and he with her. She had for the first time thought that she might have a chance. Especially when Naruto opened up about his feelings for Sakura and how she might not feel the same way and how he should give up. Hinata would have encouraged him to continue fighting but… Naruot deserved someone who loved him just as much.

“I-It’s j-j-just...” She stuttered. She could not find the right words and resorted to the question Sasuke had suggested her if she ever found herself in such a situation. She locked her eyes with Naruto with a determined look. “D-do you like someone?”

“Someone?”

“Yes, someone..” She said and watched as his face remained neutral as he thought it over.

The corners of Naruto’s mouth faced upwards into a huge smile. Hinata smiled back as he parted his mouth.

“Of course I do!” He started, making the butterflies in her stomach run amok. Was this happening? She might very well have a chance. Maybe. Maybe she- “It’s Sakura-chan!”

“Eh…”

“Don’t get me wrong but Sakura-chan is…” He was about to finish his sentence when two arms embraced him from behind. “S-Sakura-chan.”

“What are you doing over here? You promised to walk me home, didn’t you.��� She giggled as she dragged him with her. She waved Hinata goodbye and the Hyuga watched them until they vanished from view.

The sun was setting and the rays of orange dawned on Hinata’s pale complexion. She had not moved from her spot ever since. And she couldn’t care to move herself. Just like always, someone else had been chosen over her. She really was hopeless, right? There was no way anybody would choose her over anything else? A person, a goal, an item. Everything else mattered but her! Ever-

“What are you doing sobbing over a doofus like that?”

Sasuke walked in front of her and wiped a single tear from her eyelash. He then cupped her face in his palms and wiped several tears that fought to slide down her cheek.

“Hinata.” He softly said.

Her silent whimpers turned into loud cries as her dry palms took over the tear cleansing. She just wanted to dry everything off. From her tears. To her cheeks. Her feelings. Her entire being!

“Hinata.”

“Sasuke-kun…!” She wailed. “If somebody asked you to choose between me and someone else right now, would you choose me?”

Sasuke smirked, making Hinata’s lips waver as she was scared that he would leave her too for how pathetic she was.

“What do you think?”

Hinata squirmed in defeat. Sasuke had his goal of killing his brother and restoring his clan. He wouldn’t have time for her as he got stronger. Sooner he would find a stronger partner to spar with. The sooner that happened, the sooner he would leave her. She didn’t want that. Sasuke had been her only source of happiness since she lost everything. Had it not been for him… who knows what she would have done with herself?

Hinata snapped out of her thoughts by the soft touch on her hand. It had been Sasuke who took both her hands into his and raised them up.

“Of course.” He said, looking into her eyes. “I would choose you.”

...

“Always.”  

****

Those had been the last words of Sasuke Uchiha. Hinata unbound her hair and let it fall to her waist.

Yes. It had been 10 years since that time Sasuke told her that he would choose her over anybody else if he had the choice. She hadn’t heard anything from or of him since then for he disappeared without a trace. Naruto and Sakura have since then tried to bring him back. But everytime they returned, they came back empty handed.

Hinata sat by her antique and began combing her silky hair. Naruto and Sakura didn’t work out after all. She wasn’t particularly overjoyed. In fact, she didn’t care. For her heart had longed for someone else since they left.

She wondered whether Sasuke, in the time he has been gone, has found someone. Someone that he has chosen to restore his clan with. She sighed at the thought as it always brought a frown on her face. “Sasuke-kun…” she stared into her reflection. “Would you choose me again, if I asked you 10 years from now?”

Expecting no answer, Hinata lay the brush down. “You should already know the answer to that.”

Hinata gasped as she whirled in her seat to find him sitting on her window frame. His hair grew longer, his body more lean but that didn’t stop his abs from showing through his opened shirt. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face as she was standing before the man her heart had been waiting for and would continue to wait for until the day it stops beating. “S-Sasuke-kun.”

Sasuke leaned away from the window and made his way to Hinata, who in those 10 years, had become more beautiful than he ever thought was possible. When he stood right before her, he smiled at her.

“Hinata.” He said as he took her hands into his.

“Sasuke-kun…”

“I’d choose you again,” he leaned down to kiss her tender lips, “and again.”

@sasuhinamonth

[redcameleon]

SSM 2020 Day 9

Prompt: Around the Table

Summary: Sasuke and Sakura play a party game.

Rating: K+. some cursing

“Okay so we can all agree that whatever happens here stays here, yes?” Everyone nodded in agreement. A part of Sakura hoped she would remember what happened that night. After five shots of sake, and two glasses of whatever-was-in-the-bowl, she was starting to feel it. They all sat down around a table, snacks were scattered all over the table, playing cards here and there, and an empty beer bottle laying on its side in the middle.

“You all know the rules, right? Whoever the bottle points, gets to play 7 minutes in heaven!” Everyone ooh-ed and cheered and Naruto started spinning the bottle. Sakura watched it keep spinning and spinning, praying that it would land on someone other than her.

But of course the universe just loves to mess with her, because it did point at her, and also to the man sitting right across from her. She followed the direction to see that it was pointing at Sasuke. Her face turned red but thanks to her already alcohol flushed face, no one seemed to have noticed.

Other than Ino, no one knew that Sakura had the longest crush on Sasuke. She had been trying to get closer to him but all her efforts yielded no results. Sasuke was still cold as ever towards her and she was ever so slightly starting to give up. Imagining herself being locked in a closet with him for 7 whole minutes was surely going to drive her crazy.

“Oooh Sakura-chan and Sasuke!” As if it was not clear enough, Naruto had to announce it to everyone else. The others started cheering and clapping.

“All right you two in the closet you go!” She couldn’t even argue as they were both pushed into a tiny closet.

“We’re setting the timer for 7 minutes starting.. now!” The rest of them laughed and headed back to their seats.

Sakura sighed in defeat. 7 minutes seemed long. She wouldn’t even know what to do. She could tell Sasuke was just as annoyed. He hadn’t even planned on coming to the party if it weren’t for Naruto’s incessant pleas. Then he had to spend 7 fucking minutes in a tight-ass closet.

“Um.. so.. what should we do?” Sakura tried to break the thick awkwardness between them. She figured she could use this opportunity to get to know him better.

“Hn. Nothing.” Sasuke claimed a spot at one corner and just sat there, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Sakura followed soon, claiming another corner on the opposite side. The closet was small enough for the tips of their feet to be touching. Sasuke’s face clearly looked annoyed as hell and Sakura was raking her brain, thinking of ways to perhaps make him feel less annoyed.

She knew how much Sasuke hated useless talk. Being a straightforward person, she figured doing small talks in here wouldn’t do her good. Instead, she thought of a brilliant idea.

“Hey, I have an idea for us to get out of this.” Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the pinkette’s statement.

.

.

4 minutes left.

“Naruto! Let us out!” Sasuke banged the door.

“Hey it hasn’t even been 5 minutes yet!”

“Sakura’s not feeling well, she might be sick.”

“This is all a trick, isn’t it?”

“Naruto! Let me out!” Sakura chimed in. She made gagging noises, as if she would throw up in his closet.

“Oh shit! Okay hold on!” Naruto hurriedly unlocked the closet to let them both out. One of Sakura’s arm was around Sasuke’s shoulder as he was “helping” her walk.

“What happened?” He genuinely sounded worried, Sakura almost bursted into a fit of laughter.

“Had too much to drink.” Sasuke was trying to be as convincing as possible. Thankfully, Sakura’s acting was selling their act. And they bought it.

“Sakura-chan are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine, but I think I’m gonna head home now.”

“Oh yeah yeah okay! Get lots of rest Sakura-chan!” She waved her goodbyes to the rest of them and exited the apartment. They maintained their act until they turned the corner.

They both let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding.

“Wow I can’t believe that actually worked!” Sakura exclaimed her joy. She was planning on going home soon anyway, so this was the perfect opportunity.

“Hn.” She could tell Sasuke was just as glad.

“So I guess you’re probably going home?”

“Where do you live?” Sasuke’s question caught her off guard. She had expected him to dismiss her right away and be on his way, but for him to ask her where she lives?

“Oh um not too far from here, just a few blocks away.”

“I’ll walk you home.” He’s going to walk me home? A part of her couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Had a glass or two made him lose a few screws? He wouldn’t be this nice to her if they’d crossed paths in campus.

“Oh it’s okay I think I can get back myself.” The last thing she wanted was to be a burden to him.

“You’re not sober, Sakura.” Hearing her name fall from his lips had this certain effect and Sakura couldn’t tell whether it was because of the alcohol.

“Well…” Sasuke walked past her with his hands inside his pockets. “Come on.” Sakura followed suit as they both exit the building.

From the outside, he didn’t seem to give any shits, but she could see the way he kept his guard up. He would eye any guy who was checking her out, made sure she wasn’t bumping into things.

Contrary to Sakura’s claim, her apartment was more like a mile away. He was somewhat relieved he didn’t let Sakura walk home by herself in this hour.

“Thanks for walking me home, Sasuke-kun.”

“Aa.” Is this it? Will the night just end here? Sakura thought. She contemplated for a while before she began to speak again.

“Do you want a glass of water before you leave?”

“It’s fine.”

“Okay. Well, good night.” He nodded and turned around to leave. However, something in him made him stop and Sakura watched as he turned back around and walked towards her.

“Actually, do you have some food?” Her eyes widened at his sudden request. She was delighted of course.

“Yeah of course! I’m kinda hungry too. I’ll whip up a quick meal for us!” She unlocked her apartment and invited him inside.

The night turned out way better than she had expected.