#ask me about my feelings on tobirama and romance and i will go off

[hoe-imaginess]

I don't know if you've done something like this before but do you think Tobirama would be a good s/o?

Ooooo okay. This could have been a yes or no question and I could have left it at that but y’all know me with my unnecessarily extensive posts so this is going under the cut

To put it simply for those who don’t wanna read all this: No. He wouldn’t be. 

And I think the fact it’s plainly obvious that he’s my favorite Naruto character should erase any suspicions of me being unfairly bias when I say that. I’m not just saying it because he’s an asshole

In fact—and I don’t mean to dig at people—but a majority of the time, I see others write him off as being a 100% jerk and give no more thought to it. I guess that’s just natural given how he’s portrayed a majority of the time in the anime and manga, but I do see a different side of him. There’s more to the asshole exterior. I think there’s more potential there for his character if you look close enough. That in mind, I still don’t think it’s enough credibility to mark him as a good s/o but anywayyyyyy

In essence, if you can handle Tobirama’s brash attitude and his ignorance then okay yeah, he might still be a good s/o in your eyes. It’s just not going to be an entirely healthy relationship. Just a personal disclaimer though: I don’t think it’s easy to have a completely healthy relationship. I just don’t. I’m not saying it’s impossible or unheard of, but it’s just not easy. Obstacles will be in the way and I think especially in the shinobi world, and during Tobirama’s time in the founders era when contention was high even after Konoha’s establishment, you have to expect there to be setbacks in a relationship. Unfortunately, those setbacks are almost second nature when it comes to a relationship with Tobirama. 

Of course I love imagining Tobirama with a s/o because I think he deserves one (even if this post implies otherwise) but I think when it comes down to it, and if Naruto verse has implicated as such, he’d just work better without one. Work comes before anything else. Even if he really loved a s/o, that’s going to be a hard reality to accept at times. Even if it’s his pre-Hokage days, he was still dealing with Hashirama. And before that, the warring time. He’s always been busy. I don’t think there was ever a point in Tobirama’s life where he found free time to pursue a relationship. Which is why my favorite scenario for Tobirama is an arranged marriage AU. I personally just see that as one of the only ways you’re getting Tobirama in a relationship. Otherwise, if it was a casual relationship, and even if he really liked you, it would just be so difficult. He prioritizes work, blows the lid on his temper way too easily, and doesn’t have a sensitivity chip. If you’re a sensitive person, then Tobirama is not for you. When he’s angry, he doesn’t hold back. And there’s no saying he’s going to apologize for what he did either, in extreme cases

Let’s just take a play by play on this, I guess:

Tobirama is controlling. I’ve probably said that in other headcanons before, but he is. His intentions are to protect you and keep you out of harm’s way because really, he’s just protective. But he doesn’t always execute it well. You’ll feel constantly stifled and pressured by him to do what he wants, and when he wants. He gives you a hard time when you try to be independent or brush off his counsel

His pride is also a very big obstacle. He’ll do anything to save his pride. Whether that’s refusing to admit his guilt and consequently blaming you for mistakes/arguments even if they were definitely his fault, or, not showing you any affection because he’s afraid it will peg his pride. So if he’s constantly giving you a hard time and not compensating by showing you that he actually cares, you get pretty tired of it. It’s only expected. However, I will say that when it comes to reassuring you of his feelings and showing you that affection you need, he will do it eventually. You just have to wait for it. But that’s also a hassle. It gets draining after a while. The cycle of “why is he being so mean to me then trying to make up for it without even saying sorry?” just kinda sucks

He’ll yell at you a lot if he’s in a mood. For the smallest of mistakes. He’ll yell at you in public too like Tobirama doesn’t care. He yells at everybody. Goes back to his temper problem. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tobirama could make even the most strong-willed, callous s/o cry. He’ll make you cry a lot if you’re the type who cries easily. Even if you’re not the type, tbh. You know when someone yells at you/snaps at you and it bothers you for days? That’s what Tobirama will do to you if he’s in a volatile mood. Even if he’s not yelling at you, that cold glare and those sharp eyes are just scary when he’s irritated or when he’s talking down to you. Oh and condescending you: definitely a thing he could do. Tobirama can put you down a lot if he’s in a vindictive mood

So in general yeah he can be a huge asshole and being with him can 100% lead to an unhealthy relationship… But maybe in the beginning it would be okay? When he’s getting used to the relationship and actually trying to be a nice guy so he doesn’t intimidate you. But at some point, Tobirama just stresses out with work and he finds his train of thought focusing only on that work. Anything can set him off. Anything can irritate him. The arguments will be constant. You already know Tobirama is combative and will argue about literally anything, so it’s too easy to get into arguments with him. In some extreme cases, it would be abnormal to go a day without arguing

All this being said, I do have to give Tobirama some credit, if you can forgive him after all of this:

It might just depend on who his s/o is. What kind of person they are and how they react to him. If his s/o is passive and not combative at all, it’s easier for him to see the error of his ways and apologize for his behavior. That might not be enough compensation of course, but he feels incredibly guilty and knows he’s not being fair. In general, his mood might be more placid and you can avoid the arguments and tension. He’s actually pretty pleasant aside from the occasional attitude when he’s stressed

With a hardheaded s/o who also has an attitude and will argue in circles with him, it riles him up even more and the angrier he is, the farther that empathy and sensitivity to see the error of his ways is pushed. It takes a longer time for him to come around and apologize. It also takes a while for the frustration to go away and for the guilt to set in. Like I said, Tobirama will feel guilt for all he’s done eventually. Heavy, painful guilt. He doesn’t like hurting his s/o. He can’t help the way he is. He wishes he was different but he’s been like this for too long. It’s just with a stubborn and combative s/o (which let’s be fair: it’s natural you’d want to defend yourself when Tobirama gets snappy) he can’t really see past his anger when he’s in one of his moods, so it just makes the relationship so much more difficult. It’s with this kind of s/o that you’d see all the obstacles arise

I’m always in angsty moods, but when I’m in particularly angsty moods, I like to imagine that Tobirama is constantly afraid his s/o is going to leave him. Every time he fucks up and starts yelling at them or arguing with them about something, there’s an alarm going off in his head that says “Stop right now you idiot, or they’re going to pack up and leave you when this is over” but his anger fuels him and he can’t stop. He has to have the last word. He has to be right and he has to prove you wrong 

And one fatal flaw with Tobirama, is that although when you look at him you wouldn’t think he’s the type who could ever feel deep, deep compassion for another human being, when and if Tobirama finds someone he really cares about—loves, even—it’s so difficult for him to live without them. He just can’t see himself not being with them from that point on. They serve as a reminder that life isn’t all work and strain, but there’s good things in life too. They ground him. Which is why I think having a s/o would benefit Tobirama in a lot of ways. The compassion he feels for them just shifts his perspective on a lot of things. It’s that sentiment that drives the guilt when he upsets them, and leads him to try and make up for it in the end, even if he knows they might not forgive him. But he doesn’t want them to get tired of him. They could go find someone else who treats them a lot better, and he knows that. And it makes him panic sometimes. So he’d try hard to keep his temper under wraps and to be fair with his s/o, but sometimes, it’s just not possible. That’s just the kind of man Tobirama is

I’m so fucking extra sorry but basically yeah Tobirama has his ups and downs, leaning more toward the downs if he clashes easily with his s/o. ALSO to make it clear: I’m not trying to romanticize unhealthy relationships. If I were in a bad relationship w Tobirama Senju I would leave his ass on the spot. I would encourage anyone to lmao. I’m just saying that there are ways to work around a relationship with him and that he’s not completely heartless, which is why although I don’t think he would be a for sure good s/o, he wouldn’t be downright bad. He’d deeply care about a s/o if he found someone he liked, it’s just a matter of how you handle the relationship. And really, I think the way his and his s/o’s personalities mixed would really determine if he was ‘super volatile and cold’ Tobirama, or ‘decent and relatively pleasant’ Tobirama. 

Signed, 

The admin who thinks way too much about this on a daily basis

[madarasthicc]

Map to Hope

Madara x reader

- An arranged marriage twenty years in the making comes calling for Madara Uchiha. Now that Konoha has stabilized, his bride-to-be is ready to be at his side. But is Madara ready for what marriage all entails?

[Master list]

—> [Chapter Two]

Chapter 1: Konoha’s Most Supportive Best Friend.

“I'm getting married in three months.” 

Madara had almost forgotten to tell Hashirama and Tobirama. Well, telling Hashirama meant Tobirama would hear about it as well. Fuck. Hashirama would probably tell the whole village. Not that it mattered, his clan was already aware of the arrangement so it wasn’t as if his loud-mouthed best friend could tell anyone of importance. And it wasn’t as if it was that close to coming. Three months was still plenty of time to tell them. Not as if he was springing the news on them.

When he’s met with silence he looks up at the other men in the room. As of late he had gotten pulled into helping the two Senju’s with Konoha’s government matters- “you have an equal hand in building this village. It was as much your dream as mine” Hashirama had said to him. It was what led the three of them, often late nights in the Hokage tower. Mostly Tobirama and himself going over Hashirama’s work. Ensuring it was completely filled out and correct. 

“What? Are you two deaf suddenly?” Madara snapped, banging his first on the table. It clearly woke them up from whatever stupor they were in.

“You know a woman?”

“How did you convince her to marry you?”

“Is she real?”

“This is a joke. There’s no way you convinced any sane woman to marry you.”

“Hey!” Madara snapped. “I am a catch, excuse you both.” He said straighten his clothing. “Any woman would be lucky to be my wife.” He huffed, crossing his arms. This, he expected from Tobirama. But Hashirama? His so-called ‘best friend’? It was just rude.

“I’m sorry, Madara. It’s just, well, you’re not exactly one to be romancing women.” Hashirama cleared his throat. It was obvious he was trying to be nice in explaining their disbelief. “And you’ve never mentioned a lover so-“

“He’s trying to say you’re shit with other people, neither of us have ever seen you interact with a woman outside of pleasantries, never showed interest in anything other than battle-I’m pretty sure you’d have more fun tormenting me for the rest of your life than being with a woman.” Tobirama said, holding his hand up as he counted this off. “And only the crazy put up with your bullshit.” He added flatly. 

“Hey! I’m his best friend!” Hashirama gasped, throwing a pen at his brother. 

“Exactly.” Tobirama sighed, rubbing his forehead where the pen had hit. “Only crazy puts up with you.” 

“So who’s the lucky woman??” Hashirama asked after throwing another pen his brother’s way. He rubbed his hands together excited to get the details now that he was over his Initial shock.

“I don’t remember her name.” He said with a shrug. 

“MADARA UCHIHA!” Hashrama hollered, absolutely shocked. 

“What a lucky woman, don’t even remember her name. How ever did you woo her?” Tobirama huffed, feeling a headache forming. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to ignore his brother’s rambling. 

“Madara! I cannot believe you! Your own fiancé, you can’t remember her name?!” Hashirama began to ramble off his disbelief. 

“Hey! In my defense, I have not seen her in twenty years.” Madara yelled over Hashirama's outrage, and Tobirama’s insults. 

“Then how-why in the fuck are you even marrying her?” Tobirama snapped. Gods, he felt even more pity for the poor woman. “Some poor random woman tied to you till death.” 

“Tobirama language!” Hashirama gasped, throwing a balled up paper at him. 

“Are you always looking for the worst in me?” Madara growled, his eyes narrowing at Tobirama. “It’s an arranged marriage.” He said firmly. “Has been in place since I was ten.” The room went silent. 

“Ah, so a marriage for alliance and peace?” Hashirama said, resting his head on his hand. This took all the fun out of the news. But certainly calmed his frustration with his friend. And made the situation much more understandable.

“Loyalty, money, shinobis, land-all that.” Madara waving his hand. “As the war expanded, she and other non-shinobi members of her clan moved further west.” He explained. “I didn’t have time to focus on someone I had met once when she was a toddler. It wasn’t necessarily to me she was betrothed to anyway-it was myself or any of my brothers if I died. I just happen to be the last one alive.” There was a bite to his last words. They all knew Madara would never forgive Tobirama for the death of Izuna. Both men understood and respected Madara’s grief and anger. They understood, no one loved like an Uchiha, no one hated like one too. 

“So her clan has come calling for you to fulfill your end of the treaty.” Hashirama phrased it as a statement, not a question. 

“Yes. Her clan believes Konoha is stable enough for her to settle here and marry.” He nodded. “It is what it is. She’ll have a comfortable life here in Konoha as a clan head’s wife.” 

The other two men nodded at Madara’s words. They both understood the place where he was coming from. Hashirama, being clan head as well, would marry for an alliance between them and another clan. It was how it had always been. Marrying for power and safety, rather than lust or love.

Silence fell over the room. Madara sighed and stood, “I’ll be turning in for the night.” Was all he said before he left. The brothers shared a look and without a word turned back to their paper works. It was odd to imagine Madara being a married man. It just seemed something out of character for him. But one couldn’t escape their duty to their clan. Not even in times of peace.

End of chapter one-ten notes(likes/reblogs/comments) and chapter two will be posted. Let me know what you think!

[anxiouslittlesunbeam]

Naruto Request Rules

Here is a list of a few rules I would appreciate everyone would follow:

These requests will be for Naruto characters only and I will add who I will write for down below

Only three characters per request

These will be x reader only unless I'm in the mood to write a ship I really like

Be specific if you want headcanons or a actual scenario. Otherwise I will just do whichever I feel would be better depending on the request

Please add what gender you would like me to write the reader as. I will write male or female but if not specified the reader will be gender neutral to keep it fair.

I am open to write for romance, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, family tropes.. Most things really but I will not be writing nfsw requests. I can make things a little spicy but I don't have enough experience writing stuff like that so not sure how to go about it without more practice.

Please respect when requests are open or closed and if it takes me a while to get to yours. You can send me one reminder if enough time has passed but don't spam me. I like to take my time with writing to make sure everything gets across so please be patient

My ask box will always be open if you just want to talk. I'd love to meet more people in the fandom and maybe other anime's that I enjoy. 

Finally to wrap this up I ask you not only to be respectful to me but to anyone who stumbles across this blog. I want everyone to feel welcomed and to have a good time. Not sure what all will come out of this but I'll do my best to make it worth your stay.

Characters I will write for:

Naruto Uzumaki

Sasuke Uchiha

Sakura Haruno

Sai

Kakashi Hatake

Kiba Inuzuka

Shino Aburame

Hinata Hyuga

Shikamaru Nara

Choji Akimichi

Ino Yamanaka

Neji Hyuga

Rock Lee

Tenten

Might Guy

Gaara

Kankuro

Temari

Itachi Uchiha

Deidara

Sasori

Suigetsu Hozuki

Tsunade

Jiraiya

Minato Namikaze

Hashirama Senju

Tobirama Senju

Maybe I'll add more characters once I get a better feel for them but I think this is a good amount to start off with. I don't want to half ass any of them but the challenge might be fun since I love all these babes. I'll try to organize everything better as soon as I am able to but as of right now requests are now open!

- Sunbeam ☀

[mira--mira]

Hi! I was wondering

How do you think Hashirama and Madara would be in a Road to Ninja version?

I remember once reading a Hashimada fic (which I never finished RIP) that was about Madara appearing in the RTN universe and the 3 things that stucked with me were:

1.- Madara was the first Hokage (something that Madara thought was horrible when he saw his sculpted face on the Hokage mountain 🤣)

And personally I think that it would not have been like that even in the RTN universe because we didn't see his face along with the other faces of Hokages in the movie (Yeah, apparently I'm basing myself on a movie which I'm not even sure if it's canon or not, even though Kishimoto wrote it) and the RTN characters didn't seem to even know who Madara is.

2.- Hashirama having his bowlcut as an adult

And I agree with the Madara from that fanfic, it looks awful on him. Hashirama, babe, I'm sorry but the only ones who can rock that style are Guy Sensei and Rock Lee, I know you just were trying to be cool but it doesn't suite you.

3.- Tobirama was a porn writer

Instead of being a fan of forbidden jutsu and creating justus, he wrote porn novels a la Jiraiya. And I'll hold that headcanon with my dead hands.

The only other fanfic that places the founders in the RTN universe is one where the protagonist is Mito (it's an interesting one-shot that pairs her with Itama 🤔)

She was kind of a shy person 🤔? And so it was Tobirama 🤣 which I found fun.

Hashirama, as the first fanfic I mentioned, was the Tobirama of the place (saddenly Madara wasn't in this fic).

So I would like to know what are your versions of the founders (or only Hashirama and Madara if it is too much) in the RTN universe! And how do you think things would be

Hmm, RTN is an interesting concept to me but, to be honest, I don't think Konoha would exist if a lot of personalities got flipped 😂 I haven't read any RTN fics with the founders, but if you, or anyone else, have links at hand I'd love to check them out 👀

1. Madara

Here's the big one and the crux of why I don't think the village would exist. Typically I characterize Madara as an extremely responsible man who internalizes things when he shouldn't, takes himself way too seriously, is aggressive and abrasive even to people he loves sometimes, but genuinely loves the people closest too him. Reversing this would make a character that slacks off, takes no responsibility, and is completely passive in life and has fleeting attachments to others around him. Assuming he wouldn't die on the battlefield, I could see the RTN "alternate" personality coming about of Madara's being so overpowered and competent that he loses interest and distances himself from things before he can get attached and lose them.

It makes building a village very hard though. (At first I was tempted to go RTN Sasuke route and maybe RTN!Madara is a little more openly flirty than canon!Madara, but the passivity and refusal to take responsibility would be the "core" qualities for me.)

2. Hashirama

Hashirama is a bit weird because he has a lot of surface-level "conflicting" traits in canon. He is optimistic but he pushes beyond his natural attitude and uses it as a mask to hide instead of addressing his feelings. He's mischievous, likes jokes and games, and can be a bit hedonistic with his pleasure but can equally be serious when necessary and will willingly sacrifice for others around him. And simultaneously, Hashirama and Madara are connected by a shared sense of idealism but also anger. Hashirama is a very kind, but extremely angry, man. I think a RTN!Hashirama would share a kind of apathy of RTN!Madara but instead of passivity his lack of anger would manifest as cruelty. Because canon!Hashirama is angry but his anger is usually a righteous kind. I don't think RTN!Hashirama would go out of his way to be cruel, but he doesn't have the empathy of canon!Hashirama, especially to others' suffering. He enjoys fighting just a bit too much and has no qualms about killing. In his mind, he should always come first in any situation and prioritizing (or even considering) others' is effort and him going out of his way to be "nice" and the other should be thankful. Similarly if he feels any negative emotion, he won't bottle it up and swallow it down, he'll immediately address it, usually confrontationally. RTN!Hashirama is as intelligent as his canon counterpart but he doesn't suffer fools and he hates it when people underestimate him. He's pretty proud and vain, tbh.

I really don't think the above would make him the "Tobirama" of RTN verse. To me Hashirama and Tobirama have different core values and perspectives and inverting Hashirama's doesn't make it become Tobirama's, if that makes sense. This one is also wordy bc I immediately knew how RTN!Madara would be RTN!Hashirama is a bit harder to pin down. But I hope it's clear why I have doubts about the village existing...maybe if RTN!Hashirama got it in his mind as a pet project for the hell of it, that he'd be a better leader for the country and not just the Senju alone, and RTN!Madara liked the idea of no responsibility and being able to detach even further than he already was? But that's still kind of grasping for a reason.

3. Hashimada

Equally I think any Hashirama/Madara relationship would be ehhh. They definitely wouldn't have the overwhelming bond of their canon counterparts, and it could be a relationship ripe for unhappiness. The closest I can think of to making the ship work is RTN!Madara would be drawn to Hashirama's absurd level of self-confidence and able to let the casual cruelty slide off instead of getting worked up about it. In a way RTN!Hashirama is stable and predictable. If he's pretty overpowered, there's less of a chance RTN!Madara would lose him, so their relationship isn't deep but it's more or less dependable and Madara knows exactly what he's going to get. In contrast RTN!Hashirama has an audience in the form of RTN!Madara and a partner that's not going to push back against his ideas. RTN!Madara doesn't ask for much and he doesn't complain when RTN!Hashirama puts himself first. He doesn't want, or might not be capable of, the deep emotional bond their canon counterparts have. RTN!Madara wouldn't leave Konoha (if it existed) in the AU, because he doesn't really care. If someone upset RTN!Hashirama and he decided to leave to 'do it right' RTN!Madara would probably follow, maybe out of some loyalty for RTN!Hashirama but mostly because it's what's easiest.

4. Tobirama

The core of Tobirama's character to me is prioritizing logic over emotion and both a conscious and unconscious failure to realize he can't completely eliminate emotion. Tobirama loves his brother, he's curious and has a desire to find out what makes things work and is willing to bend morality to get results if it'll serve a greater good. He's very aware of the unfairness of the world but believes it's an unspoken truth of humanity and can only be mitigated through logical means, but never completely erased. He'll be the sacrificial lamb, the one that works in shadows so his brother can have his utopian dream. Despite everything, he loves his genin, the strongest bonds he has aside from Hashirama, and does try to instill in them lessons he think will help them and lead to peace and stability in the village. He's still influenced by the prejudices of his time and can never find it in him to truly forgive the Uchiha.

A RTN!Tobirama would be a man ruled by emotion. Him writing erotica all day definitely could be one way this manifests lol. But overall he's sensitive and spiritual and can't stand the idea of killing. He and RTN!Hashirama don't get along and he actively tries to avoid his brother. RTN!Tobirama has equally strong principles as canon!Tobirama, but they're pacifist in nature and while he likes his studies, he prefers to be out talking to people and learning from them first hand. He's very naive and can be easily taken advantage of and he has trouble focusing on any one thing for too long. No matter how many times this happens, he never can harden his heart or be overly suspicious of others. RTN!Tobirama would most likely be the one support peace in this AU. He embraces the Uchiha and all the Senjus past enemies with open arms, almost to a foolish degree. It'd be a bad idea if he became hokage in this AU because he's a terrible negotiator and has a bad people-pleasing streak and struggles with long-term tactics. With the exception of RTN!Hashirama, who he considers an aberration who doesn't have a soul, humans at their core all have good intentions at heart.

5. Mito

I characterize Mito as a very level-headed woman. Her marriage to Hashirama is political in nature but they grow to be good friends and she never expected to fall in love and she's glad Hashirama didn't want a traditional wife. Mito is devoted to her community work (she works hands-on with people in the village), she seeks out connections with others and, despite the distance, remains close with her family in Uzushio, constantly writing them letters. She's spiritual and follows the Uzumakis' beliefs (not gonna list this OoT spoiler lol) and studies fuinjutsu in her spare time, something she's done since she was a child. She is willing to sacrifice if it meant protecting something she considered greater than herself, much to her own personal detriment. She loves and is proud of her children and grandchildren, but if she had a choice, she would have chosen to remain childless, she finds her true calling elsewhere.

RTN!Mito, similarly to RTN!Tobirama, is ruled by emotions. She dreams of one day making a good marriage for herself and centers romance and being a mother as her ideal life, but she's extremely picky when it comes picking the perfect husband. RTN!Mito knows how much she's worth and she refuses to settle and will not even entertain the idea of an arranged marriage. She has a hard time forming long-lasting, deep bonds with other people and views starting her own family as the solution to this problem. At times she can be a bit absent-minded and unintentionally selfish, but she's not actively malicious. She blusters a lot and depending on the situation can come off as cold and uncaring, but it's only to hide the depth of her true feelings and loneliness. In this AU she would absolutely refuse to marriage RTN!Hashirama. Nothing on hell or earth, could make her change her mind.

Mito is such a blank-slate character it feels like writing an oc more than a canon character, tbh. And this is something I don't see brought up a lot but a "heart full of love" to combat the kyuubi's hatred to me has never been exclusive to romantic or familial (to children) love. *cough* I want a complex female character who's not vilified for not wanting to have children and/or regretting having them *cough* Mito's "love" was for the people of Konoha and Uzushio. My personal headcanon regarding her and Hashirama's child (I don't think she had more than one) was that she was dedicated to her son, but quickly realized being a mother wasn't her dream or something she even actively liked. The kid was well-cared for and she was dutiful towards him, but Hashirama was the parent that loved and embraced him with his whole heart and it led to some tension between Mito and her son as the kid could tell the difference and neither of them were "wrong" to feel the way they did. This is why Tsunade was shown with Hashirama instead of Mito, he was a lot more present in her life when she was young (instead of Kishi just not having made Mito as a character yet). But after Hashirama and Tsunade's dad died (and then Nawaki), she and Mito grew close but it was definitely more of a friendship or student/mentor relationship rather than a traditional grandmother/granddaughter relationship but both were satisfied with it and loved eachother. Likewise I didn't want RTN!Mito's characterization to be shallow and hit misogynistic undertones with her being an "opposite" to Mito's calm, level-headed, focused on her work/passions characterization.

6. Closing thoughts

#1: Wow this got long #2: I feel conflicted about RTN because it seemed to flip surface-level characteristics instead of deep characterizations, and ignored flaws altogether. The ones above, esp. Hashirama and Madara's, are kind of dark in a way? But that's the only way it makes sense to me...Gai and Lee caring about style and being stylish is a funny joke but if you were to actually poke and prod and say their personalities were inverted, neither of them would be top-notch ninja as we know...unless I'm just completely misremembering RTN because I realize it's been years since I saw it lol. Anyway, hope this was entertaining!

[nightofthemeteor]

We Just Kind of Assumed

(A ficlet for Mitoka Melee Month - also here on AO3. Warning for implied/referenced homophobia, but this is happy fluff, I promise)

In hindsight, Mito could see how things had turned out this way.

The start of the term found Mito fresh out of high school and new to the city, nervous and excited and as determined to make friends as she was to succeed in her classes. It wasn’t like she’d ever had real trouble making friends before, but this wasn’t her hometown – she didn’t know how things worked here. So Mito studiously attended the welcome events her university sponsored, politely introduced herself to the other girls in her dorm, and cautiously checked out a few of the parties big enough for the invitations to trickle down to freshmen.

It was at a truly terrible house party in the second week of the term where everything started, and it started in a way Mito absolutely hadn’t expected.

She spotted the frat boy several seconds after he’d spotted her, and by that time he was already weaving his way through the crowded, noisy room to come talk to her. Mito, who had been nursing a drink in a corner and pretending she wasn’t acutely aware that she didn’t know anyone here, looked away quickly and tried to look busy – completely impossible, given that she was at a party and had nobody to talk to, aside from the frat boy sidling up to her.

“Hey,” said the frat boy. He was tall, with enough brown hair to shove into a messy bun under a backwards snapback, and by Mito’s assessment, probably good-looking enough that he was used to getting his way. “Are you a new student? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

Mito bit her lip. She had a feeling she knew where this was going, but she was in no position to pass up conversation. “Yep,” she said, still not quite committing to it.

“That’s cool,” said the frat boy. “I’m in second year.” He leaned his weight on the wall beside her, clearly aiming for casual but coming off as slightly awkward, and said, “You looking for someone to – uh – show you around?”

At least that was quick, thought Mito, wincing internally. That come-on had been about as artful as the moving truck she’d seen crash into one of the dorms last week, but at least this ordeal had been brief. “Sorry,” said Mito – and then found her tongue stuck to the roof of her suddenly dry mouth. She could easily have said I’m not interested, or It’s getting late, I was about to leave, or I suddenly have a case of horrible diarrhea, but…this wasn’t her hometown, and things were supposed to be different here. Mito steeled her nerves, looked the frat boy in the eye, and said, “Actually, I’m a lesbian.”

The frat boy blinked. “Really?” he exclaimed – and then his face lit with an enormous smile. “Me too!”

“What,” said Mito. Shit, had she read this situation totally wrong? She’d just assumed –

“Oh, no – I mean, I’m bi. Sorry. Uh,” the frat boy stuck his hand out towards her, still grinning hopefully. “My name’s Hashirama.”

“Mito,” said Mito, shaking his hand bemusedly. This was – not the reaction she’d expected.

“Sorry about…” Hashirama waved his hand vaguely at the space between them.

“No worries,” said Mito, “But if I’m being honest, your flirting could probably use some work.”

Hashirama clutched his heart with the melodrama of a stage actor, hung his head, and gave the deepest sigh Mito had ever heard. Then, before she could react, his head popped back up, this time with a rueful expression. “Not my best attempt, I’ll admit,” he said. “But in my defense: flirting with girls is extremely scary.”

Mito laughed. She was still reeling from the turn this conversation had taken, but she was also immensely relieved – this was much, much less awkward. “It’s not that scary,” she said, almost automatically, though it wasn’t like she’d had much experience in that department herself. “Is it worse than flirting with boys?”

“Yes,” said Hashirama, and then held up a finger to say, wait – “But boys are terrible at flirting back.”

It only took a couple hours for Mito to find herself on the back steps of the party house, sitting beside an extremely tipsy Hashirama, admitting her fears about this new city, and in return listening to him rant about the guy in his classes he was sure would never like him back.

“Honestly, I was trying to find a way to take my mind off him,” Hashirama told her, big brown eyes shining tearfully in the glow of the streetlamps.

“By trying to pick up random people at this shitty party?” Mito asked. “That’s a terrible idea, Hashirama.”

“Yeah,” said Hashirama, and nudged her shoulder with his knuckles. “Good thing I met the right one, huh?”

They were best friends from then on.

---

Hanging around Hashirama meant that Mito was quickly introduced to his entourage. His friend group was a mix of eclectic and not always exactly harmonious personalities, but at least getting to know them helped reduce Mito’s lack-of-friends problem. There was Hashirama’s brother, Tobirama, who was reserved and cantankerous, but did offer to help her edit her essays, despite being in the same year as her. Then, there was the object of Hashirama’s admiration, Madara, who was loud and cantankerous, but also nice to her in kind of a brusque way.

And there was Hashirama’s cousin, Tōka. Tōka, who was on the women’s softball team, but was also studying engineering; Tōka, who liked to wear flannels and dark red lipstick; Tōka, who was a head taller than Mito, and was even taller than Hashirama in her thick-soled combat boots; Tōka, who had big hands and a sharp wit and a soft smile. When Hashirama introduced her to Tōka, Mito told the story of how Hashirama had introduced himself to her, sparing none of Hashirama’s feelings in the recounting, and Tōka reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

“I like this one, Hashirama!” She declared, and Mito, overwhelmed by Tōka’s dizzying grin and Tōka’s warm hand on her shoulder, nearly melted into the floor. In her desperation to conceal the blush she could feel heating her face, it never occurred to Mito that she hadn’t explicitly said she’d turned Hashirama down.

It didn’t take long for Mito to formulate a plan. It was simple, but then, nothing complicated was called for in this circumstance – not like Hashirama’s convoluted attempts to get Madara’s attention. Mito’s plan was as follows:

Become friends with Tōka.

Flirt with Tōka.

Ask Tōka out on a date.

It was simple; it was straightforward; and the first step was successful almost immediately. Tōka and Hashirama were roommates, so just by virtue of hanging out with Hashirama, Mito ended up spending time with Tōka. Over the course of a couple weeks, Mito learned that Tōka’s easygoing attitude was shot through with a serious competitive streak – just like Hashirama, although, as Mito learned, Tōka had better alcohol tolerance. She wasn’t as outgoing as her cousin, but it took very little effort on Mito’s part to strike up conversation. But most importantly, Mito learned that just like her cousin, Tōka gave physical affection as easily as talking. She’d casually brush aside a strand of Mito’s hair from her face, or sling an arm around her shoulders, or run a hand up Mito’s back to get her attention. Mito wasn’t used to that kind of casual closeness – it was driving her insane. Not that she really minded.

The problem was that Mito couldn’t tell if Tōka’s touches indicated interest, or were purely friendly. After all, Hashirama also had a habit of resting his hand on Mito’s shoulder, and of ruffling her hair (especially when she’d just finished tying it up) – and despite the way their friendship had started, Mito was certain he wasn’t interested in anything other than friendship. And here was the reason Mito’s plan was stalling on step 2: she could return Tōka’s touches, she could lean close to her over the study table or cuddle next to her on the couch, or reach out and tangle their hands together…but Tōka accepted all this without so much as blinking. Mito couldn’t tell if she even noticed.

Other people, however, certainly did notice. Hashirama picked up on what was happening almost right away, and immediately offered to be Mito’s wingman. Mito, having observed her friend’s own bumbling attempts at romance, politely refused this offer, but was privately relieved that he didn’t seem to mind her interest in his cousin (and was secretly elated that he thought she had a chance). Unfortunately, she couldn’t prevent him from sending her exaggerated winks from behind Tōka’s back. As supportive as Hashirama was, it came as an unpleasant shock to Mito that his brother, Tobirama, was most certainly not on board. More than once, Mito would put an affectionate hand on Tōka’s shoulder or laugh at one of her jokes, and feel Tobirama’s glare like ice on the back of her neck. Mito couldn’t figure out what his problem was – did he not think she’d be a good fit for his cousin? Or, was it possible…he didn’t approve because she was a girl? Mito couldn’t believe that was the case – Hashirama was pretty open about his bisexuality, after all, and Tobirama didn’t have a problem with him – but against all logic, Mito found she couldn’t shake the specter of doubt.

Then, three weeks into the term, Mito’s roommate came down with the flu, and Hashirama offered to let Mito crash at his place for a few days. Mito expected to be sleeping on the living room couch, but Hashirama insisted that, as the guest, she should take his bed. They compromised with Mito on an air mattress on Hashirama’s floor, and Mito spend the next couple of nights enduring his truly awful snoring. Yet again, it never occurred to Mito that this decision might have unforeseen consequences (aside from the snoring), and so, two days later, when Mito tried to join Hashirama and Madara for a study session at their local coffeeshop, she was absolutely baffled when Madara snapped his textbook shut and announced, “I’m leaving.”

“What the hell?” said Mito, watching his retreating back.

Hashirama heaved a sigh so pitiful that it reminded Mito of the way her dog would sigh if you stopped petting him for a moment. “Something’s been up with him for a while,” he said, miserably, “But it’s gotten worse all of a sudden. I have no idea what it is.”

“I mean, you probably did something to piss him off,” Mito informed him, reasonably, “But what did I do?”

Amidst this weird hostility from both Madara and Tobirama, Mito was relieved to find that Tōka, at least, was still friendly with her. That was a side benefit of crashing at Hashirama’s place – she got the chance to spend a lot of extra time with his roommate. Mito had plenty of time to work herself up to step 3 of her plan: ask Tōka on a date.

She dropped the invitation oh-so-casually, with calculated thoughtlessness; no sense making it out to be a big deal. “Want to grab a coffee with me tomorrow?”

“Sure thing,” said Tōka, barely looking up from her phone, and Mito, despite the apparent success of her invitation, felt her heart sink. That wasn’t exactly the response she’d expect from someone who’d just been asked out.

Still, she forged on: “Maybe at 4? You’re out of class by then, right?”

Tōka looked up at that, and then, to the confused delight of Mito’s heart, gave her one of her long, slow smiles. “Yep, you got it. I’ll see you then,” she said, and Mito once again began to hope.

She was thinking of that smile as she agonized over her outfit the next day – it had to be casual, ordinary, but still perfect – styled her hair extra carefully, debated over whether to wear lipstick, and finally headed to the coffeeshop exactly on time. Tōka was already there, waiting in line. Mito’s heart began to race – she called Tōka’s name, and Tōka turned around, saw her standing there –

And a look of unease passed over her face. It was just a flicker, just a moment, so that Mito could almost believe she’d imagined it; even so, Mito felt her heart drop. This wasn’t what she’d been hoping for at all. But it was too soon to back out, and so Mito pasted on a cheerful smile and went to meet her friend for coffee.

The drinks were tasty, but the conversation was stilted, awkward in a way it never had been before. Mito had been imagining taking Tōka’s hand across the table, stealing her drink, maybe even sliding into the same side of the booth – but now she could only watch as Tōka’s eyes slid past her face. Mito could only think of one explanation for this change, and it didn’t take long for her worst fears to be confirmed.

“Um, I’m really sorry for asking,” Tōka said, for once looking uncomfortable instead of self-assured, “But…is this a date?”

Oh no, thought Mito. She had no choice but to be honest – no point in lying to her friend – but this one was seriously going to hurt. “I was kind of hoping so,” she admitted, and wondered if she could make it back to her room before the tears came. "But it's fine - " her voice choked a little; she forced the words out, "If you don't like me that way - it's fine."

“Mito…” Tōka no longer looked just uncomfortable; she looked wretched, so much so that Mito was a little taken aback. She seized her short black hair in both hands and said, as if the words were torn from her: “I like you – I like you so much. You’re beautiful and smart and fucking great and I just – I don’t – why are you doing this to me?”

“What?” said Mito, startled enough to forget her impending tears. She’d been expecting Tōka to at least let her down gently.

“I thought Tobirama was insane when he said you were flirting.”

“Wh…why would that be insane?”

“Because it’s wrong,” said Tōka, with such conviction that Mito felt as though she’d been slapped. Wrong? Mito hadn’t expected to hear that here, not from her friend, not from Tōka. She felt as though her stomach was trying to climb out her throat. Had her suspicions about Tobirama been right after all?

The words came out low and angry, in a voice Mito barely recognized as her own. “What do you mean, ‘wrong’?”

“Hashirama’s my cousin,” said Tōka, anguished, “I can’t do this to him.”

Once again Mito was thrown for a loop. Why would Tōka think that Hashirama would disapprove of her dating a girl? “Hashirama’s bi,” she said, utterly confused.

Tōka leveled an accusatory look at her. “Just because he’s bi doesn’t mean he’s polyamorous.”

“Wait – what?”

“What?”

The two of them stared at each other across the table. Then, finally, the pieces began to fit together in Mito’s frazzled brain. Slowly, she asked, “Did you think I was dating Hashirama?”

Tōka’s eyes were locked on hers. “You mean…you’re not?”

“Oh my god,” said Mito. She slammed her hands on the table, startling them both, and practically shouted, “NO! No, I’m not dating him! I’m gay! GAY! One hundred percent lesbian!”

Out of the corner of her eye, Mito could see the people at the nearby tables staring at them; in front of her, Tōka covered her mouth with her hand and let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched giggle. “Okay! I get it. But…I don’t understand…”

“Did Hashirama say we were dating? If he did, I’m going to murder him.”

“No, he never told us, exactly, but like – he went out hoping to meet someone, and then suddenly you were always with him. I guess we just kind of assumed?”

“Oh my god,” said Mito again. She jabbed a finger at Tōka. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, you know! I thought you were homophobic or something!”

“No, no!” said Tōka, waving her hands in front of her, “I like girls! I swear!” She planted in face in her hands and said, through her fingers, “I like you! I felt so guilty when I realized.”

Mito, grinning so hard her cheeks hurt, reached out and tugged Tōka’s hands away from her face. “You like me?”

“Yeah,” said Tōka, breathless and holding Mito’s hands, and looking at her with the same expression of disbelief and joy Mito could feel on her own face. The world spun; the only thing holding Mito to the ground was the feel of Tōka’s hands in hers, and then –

Mito suddenly had a thought. “Wait,” she said. “Who’s ‘we’?”

“Huh?”

“You said, ‘We just kind of assumed’. Who else thinks Hashirama and I are dating?”

Tōka blinked at her. “Uh, definitely Tobirama, but probably most of his friends too.”

“Holy shit,” said Mito.

[crystallized-shadow]

MadaTobi "Equivalent exchange! I'm gonna gave you half of my life so give me half of yours!" Please?

Sorry for the wait! I hope you don’t mind, but I tweaked the quote just a little bit to fit in the story a little better. Hope you like it!

Madara can’t help but roll his eyes, an amusing grin tugging at his lips but carefully hidden behind his high collar. Tobirama had been going on and on about something science related for the better part of an hour now and while Madara loved his boyfriend, he’d tuned out after 20 minutes give or take. Not that Tobirama had any idea as Madara had yet to take his eyes off the Senju. While the subject had failed to hold his interest, Tobirama’s passion for it had him enthralled. Uchiha did love passionate partners after all.

Partners, Madara thinks again, mentally testing out the word as he feels color rise to his cheeks. It had a nice ring to it, and if Madara didn’t think Tobirama would turn him down before he could finish the question, he would have proposed to the stubborn Senju a while ago.

“Madara?” Hearing his name, especially in such a different tone, jolts Madara back to the present and he blinks a few times as he refocuses his attention on Tobirama.

“Yes love?”

“You’re blushing,” Tobirama states, because he’s never been one to ask questions about their relationship, only make observations.

“Ah,” the Uchiha mutters with a shrug, “sorry my mind wandered for a moment. What were you saying?”

“I was talking about equivalent exchange,” Tobirama huffs, his eyes hardening at the idea that Madara had been ignoring him, “not that I would expect an uncultured swine like you to understand.”

“The principle that to gain something, something of equal value must be lost,” Madara states, smirking when Tobirama’s eyes widen in surprise, “I’m familiar with the concept, though not by that name exactly.”

“What else could it be called?”

“The Uchiha don’t have a specific name for it,” Madara admits knitting his fingers together so he can rest his chin on them as he leans forward slightly, “just the belief that we came from ashes, borrow the great flame’s power throughout our lives and in turn one day the great flame returns us to ashes. Our clan has always been linked to phoenixes for this reason.”

“Intriguing,” Tobirama mutters, the glint in his eyes sending a zing of arousal down Madara’s spine. “Well that cuts down on what I need to explain.”

“What does equivalent exchange have to do with anything?” Madara asks, confusion clear in his tone as he tries to figure out the leap the stupid genius had taken this time.

“As I’ve been saying, if you’d been paying attention,” Tobirama chides and Madara just rolls his eyes again, “is that the research I found on people from a far off country explained how alchemists used to believe in that principle; I believe these alchemists were early users of chakra. Their belief interested me, admittedly I hadn’t realized you Uchiha had such a similar belief and now I really want to dig into your archives and see if there is a connection-”

“You’re rambling again.”

“Oh,” and this time it’s Tobirama’s turn to flush. “Sorry…what I’ve been trying to say, about equivalent exchange, is I’ll give you half of my life, so you give me half of yours.”

Madara nearly falls off his cushion in shock. He must have heard that wrong, because there was no way Tobirama “I hate romance” Senju had just proposed to him. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” Madara begins cautiously, “but it sounds like you just proposed to me.”

“That is correct,” Tobirama mutters, hurt flickering across his face for a second before he hides everything behind a blank mask. “I understand that I’m not the ideal husband, but we’ve known each other for awhile and I thought we were compatible. I’m sorry if I was wrong, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable, just surprised,” Madara says, a large grin slowly stretching across his face, “I’d love to give you half my life you dork, only you would pop the question so suddenly and formally.”

“Sorry?” Tobirama is clearly torn between joy and confusion and the disgruntled look on his face has Madara laughing before he tugs the younger man across the table for a kiss.

“I love you the way you are Tobirama,” he mutters against the other’s lips, “and anyone that doesn’t think you’re the perfect match for me will find themselves on the wrong end of my gunbai.”

“How violently romantic,” Tobirama chuckles, tugging Madara back in for another kiss.

[raendown]

Pairing: Hashirama&Tobirama, Mito&Tobirama, Hashirama/Mito Word count: 2130 Rated: G Summary: While exploring the private gardens behind their home Mito learns that her husband has more subtle ways of showing his love for those he considers precious.

Follow the link of read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

A Garden of Every Color

Moving to a new home would always be a scary thing, especially when one was making the move alone with no family or friends around to ease the transition. It was difficult but Mito knew that it was worth it. When she agreed to wed herself to Senju Hashirama she had done so for more reasons that a binding contract of peace; she had done so because the man she had been promised to was a good man, one who would shape the future. Theirs might be a political marriage but she was confident that love would have a place to grow between them.

Considering her personality – nosey although she would prefer not to use that term – one would think the first thing Mito would do upon arriving to settle within her new village would be to investigate her surroundings. And she had, of course. The first three weeks after her wedding had been devoted to exploring every interesting little nook and cranny that her home and the rest of the village itself had hidden away. There were, however, places she had considered less important than others during the first sweep, places she relegated to her mental list for ‘later’ which could be looked over at her leisure once the more interesting parts had been thoroughly explored.

The pleasure garden growing behind the surprisingly modest house Hashirama had built for them was one of those places, lovely to look at but clearly not a place brimming with secrets she could squirrel away for later. It was impressive in sheer size alone where it stretched back in to the forest at the edge of their compound yet the true draw was the variety of plants to be found and the sheer beauty of their arrangement. Hashirama had been clever enough to leave paths through the flowers and the hedges when he raised it from the earth. He had even grown a few benches underneath the shade of the occasional tree. Truly this garden was his masterpiece, showing off just how versatile his unique talent could be and how skilled he was to have so many different species growing harmoniously together. Mito found herself fascinated to know how he managed to adjust the delicate PH balance of the soil and cater to the finicky watering requirements of so many plants.

Exploring the garden in its entirety took several afternoons, such was the size of it. Admittedly, her progress was interrupted by frequent pauses to admire just how beautiful the flora truly was. In one small area she even found a bush heavy with ripe blueberries that were already half gone, presumably to hungry birds, and the discovery was a sweet little secret all her own. She lightened the small branches even more and enjoyed her little snack before moving on to discover an entire rainbow of tulips.

On the fifth trip Mito took in to the garden, just over two months after she had come to live in Konohagakure, she found a clearing that made her chest clench in a way she didn’t fully understand. She didn’t hate it but it certainly confused her and Mito found that she didn’t have the words to describe the strangely eerie feeling this place gave her. Surrounded by hedges and hidden entirely from view of the outside world as so many other sections were, the area was bright with sunlight and yet somehow still managed to appear dark. But that was not what set this garden apart.

Not a single one of the plants here had any color. From stem to petal, leaf to root, each of them were bone white as though the life had been sapped from them by some unnatural cause – or perhaps even by a sickness of some kind. Mito wavered at the entrance but did not go in. Instead she turned and let her feet take her elsewhere on her explorations, hoping the splendor of the rest would take away the memory of that strange place.

The question lingered as she walked away; why grow a garden of dead things?

As it was several hours before she saw her husband again that day and he returned with news of middling import which claimed her attention, the memory of that one oddity did indeed slip away from her for a time as she had wished. In fact, it was nearly another two months before the thought returned to her and she had an opportunity to ask about it.

Her arm was linked through Hashirama’s, calmly strolling through the garden together as had recently become their afternoon habit. It was a peaceful and pleasant activity they could enjoy together which afforded them a sense of both romance and privacy, two things which were surprisingly hard to come by during the day – not so surprising when one considered that Hashirama had recently been voted in as the new village’s very first Hokage. The thought only struck when Mito realized they were taking a different route than usual, venturing deeper within the maze than they normally did, and she remembered with a start where this way had taken her the last time.

When they reached a fork in the path Hashirama turned as though he meant them to take the one leading east, which would bring them to a lovely area full of lavender and morning glories. Mito stopped him with a gentle tug to lead himself instead down the western path.

“I meant to ask you about something,” she said, “but it slipped my mind until now.”

“Ask me anything, my beautiful wife.” Hashirama deliberately fluttered his eyelashes at her in an adoring manner and Mito held in her girlish giggling, swatting him playfully on the chest instead. This was no time to be distracting her with such antics.

“There is a garden this way that I do not…understand.” Before she had even described it she could tell Hashirama knew what she was speaking of and yet she continued anyway, wanting to get her thoughts out. “It was a garden without color, without any life in it at all. Everything was still alive but what kind of life would it be to be a thing grown for beauty and have no beauty at all?”

Hashirama kept his eyes forward for a few steps, his expression uncharacteristically solemn. ���There is beauty in all things, I believe, if one truly cares to look for it.”

Before Mito could ask him how that related to his garden of colorless flora they had turned a slight corner and come to the entrance which would lead them to the garden of which they were speaking. Once again she stopped and was held in place but this time it was a different kind of shock which prevented her from entering, a different kind of emotion tightening her chest.

In the center of the garden in which no plant had any color sat Tobirama, his bone white fingers tracing gently around the shape of a lopsided flower and his face serene as though he had never known stress. It was the first time she had ever seen him without anything resembling a scowl on his face. Over the past few months she had gotten to know him well and as they grew close and she came to enjoy his company Mito had begun to worry that all the stress he carried so tightly in his shoulders would send him to the grave before he lived to see thirty. So many depended on him in so many ways; he often seemed to have nothing in his life but the duties he bore so stoically.

And now this.

The image before her was haunting in its simple beauty, the peace which lay quietly over the ground, a small pocket of stillness hidden from the world around them. She almost feared to breathe lest she disturb the moment. Although it was certain that Tobirama knew both of them were there he didn’t bother to look up at them, choosing instead to simply relax in the sunshine as though entirely unaware how oddly well he blended in with his surroundings. It was difficult to see where the garden ended and he began but for the light blue of his shirt, the only splash of color to be found.

When Hashirama pulled on her arm with a smile Mito went away easily at his gentle behest, temporarily struck dumb. Her thoughts whirled like the pools of her homeland, dizzying her with yet another unexpected discovery, and even once they had stepped away down another path she still could not shake the image of what she had seen from her mind.

Amazingly she felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, though she did nothing to wipe them away. She had wondered before why Hashirama, a man so full of life, would devote an entire section of his own garden to growing a field of dead things. Now she understood. He was not growing dead things. Those colorless plants were his most beloved creations, the most beautiful gesture she had ever known one human to gift to another.

“He never picks the flowers,” Hashirama told her suddenly, breaking the silence with a hushed voice. “I’ve been giving him flowers since I first gained control enough over my mokuton to make them the right color but he’s never picked any of them. I think he likes to see them live and flourish.”

“They’re beautiful.” Mito was startled by the raw honesty in her own voice.

At first Hashirama did not answer. Reaching out with the arm that was not wound through hers, he plucked one of his own flowers as they passed by and twirled the pale yellow blossom between his fingers. He looked almost as though whatever thoughts were on his mind were causing him pain and it wasn’t hard to guess what they entailed.

“My brother has always been considered different,” he murmured eventually. “And he is. Tobi is smarter than most people, stronger than most people, faster than most people. But that’s not what anyone sees when they look at him. All they see is his skin and they think ‘he’s not like me’. Except he’s exactly like them. He’s human too.”

“So you made him a place where he belongs,” Mito guessed. Hashirama snorted indelicately.

“He’s always belonged but I don’t think he ever realized that. It might not seem like he does but Tobi always listens to what people say about him and he takes it to heart more than you would expect.”

“You love your brother very much.” Tears welled up again until they blurred her vision and Mito tried to be discreet as she dabbed them away.

Instead of saying anything, because her statement didn’t really need an answer, Hashirama twirled the blossom in his fingers again before reaching over to tuck it behind her ear. He smiled that easy smile of his and it was like the sun coming out. Suddenly all the tension eased and the two of them allowed the subject to drop, moving the conversation on to lighter topics as they made their way back to the house.

Mito never spoke to Tobirama about that day in the garden and she was far from surprised when he neglected to bring it up as well. Out of respect for his privacy and his level of comfort, she was more than happy to keep it as just their little secret. Perhaps some day she could become one of the people he trusted with his whole self and she could joined Hashirama’s quest to convince him that he belonged among all the colorful flowers even when he felt he didn’t.

Not that Hashirama seemed to need a lot of help in that department.

One week after her astounding discovery she made yet another one and this time she wasn’t able to stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Taking a walk through the garden to clear her head had seemed like such a peaceful idea until she found the first new addition. But the farther she walked the more she found and it wasn’t long until Mito had to halt her feet and kneel down, reaching out with one shaking hand to gently caress the new tulip which had sprouted as though overnight, completely colorless from root to tip. They were everywhere now, growing proudly in every garden, and she had yet to see her husband do anything this subtle in all the months she had been here.

He was right though, she realized, stroking the flower once more, and she hoped that Tobirama understood the message these blossoms were trying to convey.

Beauty could be found everywhere if only one took the time to look.

[officerjennie]

💘 Kagami x Tobirama

Below the cut cause the list is super freaking long.

Ask meme referenced here

Where they first met and how?In canon, Tobirama wasn’t exactly Kagami’s sensei. Their respective teams worked alongside each other’s apparently on a few occasions, though I imagine they met a bit before that. Probably met either shortly after Kagami graduated the academy, or perhaps Kagami was friends with part of Team Tobirama and they met that way. Either way, they met long before either of them would have any Feelings.

How long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involvedThere probably wouldn’t be a flirting phase. Either one would have feelings for the other and not say anything (age gab reasons and superior/subordinate reasons), or there would be a mutual and unspoken understanding between them not to mention any hopes of a relationship.

Who fell for who first (if applicable)?It’s hard to say, because I doubt either of them would be able to pinpoint the exact moment the feelings became romantic. It was a slow shift over time for both of them.Where their first date was and what it was like?A quiet affair. Probably was more intimate, in a non-lemony way, than most first dates since they were both pining for so long.

Who asks who out and how (with a sign? Spelled out on a cake? Just a simple ‘will you go out with me’?)I can see Tobirama being the first one to step forward and ask for more. Just with words, no flowers or gifts or anything of the sort.

Who proposes first?Surprisingly, I see Tobirama being the one to propose here.

If they keep/kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away?Uuuhhh, yuuuuuppp, secret for quite a while. Tobirama sees too many potential risks in coming forward, and doesn’t want to deal with the headaches. No matter that their relationship isn’t problematic, many might still see it that way.

Where the proposal happens and how (kiss cam at a baseball game? on a Hillside surrounded by ducks? At a Disney park?)I think Tobirama would give romance a try. Might try to make dinner (and not do very well), or something of the sort. Kagami would mean the world to him, and he’d probably go a bit overboard on several important occasions to make sure Kagami knew that.

If they adopt any pets togetherYup. Lots of them. All sorts of different kinds.

Who’s more dominantI always assume this means in the bedroom, and, well. Tobes.

Where their first kiss was and what it was likeStilted and a bit awkward, probably right after their first date. Pining might have happened on both sides, but Tobes has no idea how to handle feelings and physical contact between the two of them. He’ll get the hang of it eventually.

If they have any matching couples stuff (Mugs? Sweaters? Pillowcases?)Once again, Hashirama strikes, and showers with gifts.

How into PDA they areNot very. Kagami likes to lean on Tobirama on occasion, but that’s about as far as they’ll go.

Who holds the umbrella when it rainsThey have their own umbrellas (real talk: do people actually hold umbrellas for other people? Is this an actual thing and not just a movie thing? I don’t get it)

Where their usual ‘date spot’ is (if applicable)Quiet places. One another’s homes, small sweet or tea shops, walks in the woods, a nice spot by the river.

Who’s more protective?Tobirama. Kagami has a habit of laughing everything off and getting sneaky revenge through pranks, but nothing seriously protective. Unless there’s violence threatened, he doesn’t make an outward big deal of it. Tobirama likes to spit fire at people with his words.

How long it is before they sleep together (can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’)?Share a bed? Rather soon, actually. Even if it’s still a bit awkward, they have soft moments very quickly. Doing The Lemons? It takes a bit.

If they argue about anythingYup! Tobirama thinks Kagami’s a bit careless with his well being, and Kagami snarks right back about the pot calling the kettle black.

Who leaves more marks (lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc.)?Neither are really big into it tbh

Who steals whose clothes and how oftenNeither, really.

How they cuddle (spooning? facing each other?)Depends on where they are.

What their favourite nonsexual activity isTobi’s favorite is either when they’re reading together or when Kagami takes the time to try to understand his experiments. Kagami’s is when they go out to the woods and wander.

How long they stay mad at each otherNot long, though they have a few reoccurring arguments.

What their usual coffee/tea orders areTobes ingests anything with caffeine. Kagami has refined tastes in tea.

If they ever have any children togetherProbably not.

If they have any special pet names for each otherNone anyone else would ever hear.

If they ever split up and/or get back togetherNope (that’s forever going to be my answer, no matter the ship soz)

What their shared living space is like (Messy? Clean? What kind of decor?)A bit messy, random bits of experiments here and there, loose parchment as well. Simple decor since neither of them care much for that sort of thing.

What their first Christmas/Hanukkah/etc as a couple was likeTobes probably tries to make it romantic, though it’s not much different than any other holiday. Kagami appreciates the effort and thinks it’s cute.

What their names are in each other’s phonesProbs just their first names (I’m unoriginal)

If they have any ‘couple traditions’ (buying a new mug for their collection every year? Baking every Friday evening?)They make sure to set aside at least one day a week to spend time together. Tobes gets easily drawn into his work and might forget otherwise.

Who falls asleep first and who wakes up firstTobi is inhuman. He never sleeps. There is no sleep within him.

Who’s the big spoon/little spoonTobes/Kagami

Who hogs the bathroomNeither

Who kills the spiders/takes them outsideNo killing spiders up in here. Kagami would be more likely to take it outside, and Tobes would either just leave it be or put it in a jar to study it if it’s dangerous (which is why Kagami puts them outside).

[blackkatmagic]

Hi Kat! First, lots of love from a long time fan, everything you write is always fantastic and so good at dragging everyone in to rare pair hell. Secondly, may I ask what your current project is? Take care of your wrist and peace out!

Thank you! 💕💕

I tend to always have at lest 10 word docs open, usually with chapters of ongoing WIPs, but as far as unpublished projects I’m working on at the moment...

“Taki?” Hashirama protests, not quite able to get his feet underhimself as Madara drags a painting aside to reveal a hidden door. Thatcertainly would have been nice to know about twelve hours ago. “Why did youhead for Taki? Their navy is trained for hunting pirates!” Then the situationregisters fully, and Hashirama asks, “You're losing?” Because Madara might be ridiculous and misguided, but ifanyone could compete for the title of Pirate King it would be him. Not that he can; Hashirama certainly isn't about togive up his seat, but Madara is his closest rival.

“That brother of yours has nosense of romance,” Madara says in disgust, hauling Hashirama through the secretdoor and into one of the storerooms off the galley. “He chased us out of theport and I had to do something tolose him.”

“You could have just given meback!” Hashirama protests, then yelps when his head rebounds off a low doorwayhard enough to make his vision swim. He staggers on the sloped floor, landshard on one knee with a wet trickle already seeping down his forehead. With acurse, Madara tries to catch him but misses, ending up with a handful of hishair, and makes a noise of exasperation.

“Don’t be so loud,” he says, loudly. “I have anothership docked near Kusa. As soon as we get there we can set sail for the courtand make our alliance official.”

Not over Hashirama’s dead body.And likely it will be Madara's dead body as well—Mito won't take kindly toMadara inevitably removing her title as Empress of the Eastern Sea, the wayhe’s been threatening for years now. Not that Madara's ever going to getHashirama’s throne; because kidnapping aside Hashirama is not actually helpless, and at some point hisfondness for his childhood friend is going to wear thin. Soon, if Madara's gripon his hair gets any tighter, or if he’s actually aiming for what Hashirama thinks he’s aiming for as he leans in,eyes on Hashirama’s mouth—

With a ringing crash, the doorof the storeroom flies open, and a shape fills the opening. A man in Taki'snaval uniform, with the stripe and circle of a commodore on his sleeve. He’stall and broad, dark-haired and scowling, and there's a naked sword in hishand.

“Uchiha,” he growls, stalkingin. “There you are. Running away like—”

A bright green gaze land onHashirama, and the man stops short, eyes widening sharply. Hashirama staresback, a little panicked, because he has the papers Tobirama forged but not on him, and if he’s recognized, ifthey’ve finally gotten a better sketch on his wanted poster—

“Uchiha,” the Taki commodoresays darkly, and his sword comes up. “Let him go.”

Probably not the reaction of anavy man faced with the pirate king on his knees, Hashirama thinks with somerelief, and then yelps as Madara hauls him up again. He’s getting a littletired of being manhandled; if this is how Itama always feels Hashirama doesn’tblame him for being irritated that everyone is bigger than him.

“Commodore Kakuzu,” Madaraspits, and draws his own sword as he swings Hashirama behind him. “Keep your noseout of things that aren’t your business.”

“You branching out intokidnapping is most definitely my business,” Kakuzu retorts, and his gazeflickers back to Hashirama, then settles on Madara, and his mouth firms as hesteps forward. “Surrender, Uchiha. Your ship’s been captured and your men arebeaten. There's no way out.”

Madara laughs. “Of course there is,” he says,mocking, and steps back, getting an arm around Hashirama’s waist. Kakuzutenses, but before he can move there's a blade at Hashirama’s throat. “Stepback. Move away from the door.”

[orthodoxlily]

Survey Results: Civil Affairs Spin Off! Who’s Next!?

Hey everyone!

So, Surveymonkey sent me a 3 month anniversary email regarding my Spin-Off survey and that kind of hinted that it was time to take it down. Whoops! Sorry, Surveymonkey!

Just thought I’d share the results! So for those of you who don’t know, the survey consisted of a general question about what type of fanfiction readers wanted to see next;

After that, I provided summaries of 4 potential Civil Affairs Spin-Offs and ask that my readers give them a star rating with ‘5 Stars’ being ‘Loved It’ and ‘1 Star’ being ‘Not Diggin’ It...’

SUBMISSION # 1: PRIORITIES

“Each generation of The Uchiha clan has only ever had two primary goals; survive and find a way to exterminate The Senju. After all, the Senju clan is the only real threat to the Uchiha...or at least that's what Madara always thought. Madara Uchiha has discovered a more pressing threat from within his clan - in the form of his own father. Madara faces the harsh reality that in order to protect his clan he must overthrow his father and seize leadership. While the Council of Elders supports him, they also recognize Madara's most glaring flaw; he's a military tactician, not a politician. This time, Madara needs to try and get his way with finesse...not the force he's used to. 

Lady Fuyumi Tetsuhimi, the eldest daughter of a Lord from the Land of Iron, has an enviable social prowess and a keen mind eager for political games. Intrigued by the unrest within the Uchiha clan, Fuyumi agrees to be Madara's bride and help win him the position of clan head. When she accepts the clan's request for her hand in marriage she agrees to live for the Uchiha Clan from that day forward. And she meant it.

The story follows the two as they navigate the realities of an arranged marriage where both individuals prioritize the needs of the many over each other...or even themselves. One must have priorities.

The story begins in the Warring Clans era and continues until after Konoha's founding, chronicling Madara's marriage and the power-struggles within the clan during that time. As it takes place in the Civil Affairs Narutoverse, there's plenty of world building.”

RESULTS FOR # 1

 SUBMISSION # 2: YOU CATCH MORE FLIES WITH HONEY

“Tobirama Senju was determined to be a bachelor for life. The clan’s Council of Elders and his father tried to persuade him into marriage more times then he could count but he couldn’t be bought. With a wife came children…which was something he really didn’t want. He had no right bringing children into a world where they wouldn’t be likely to live past their eighth birthday. So, he remained happily unmarried and planned to do so until his dying day.

He might have succeeded, if his soft-hearted brother hadn’t been determined to bring the Hanabachiro clan back from the precipice of destruction. Lord Hanabachiro came to The Senju clan begging for protection with little to offer other then a marriage to his daughter – and Tobirama was the only unmarried Senju man available. Not pleased with the deal but unable to deny his brother’s request, Tobirama Senju married Mitsuka Hanabachiro.

Mitsuka wasn’t very bright and was extraordinarily pure-hearted. This combination made her naïve which from the beginning gave her no-nonsense husband nothing but grief. When she wasn’t irritating him she was getting into trouble. And when she wasn’t doing that…she was slowly melting the wall of ice he’d put up around his heart. Which in truth just irritated him more until one day he woke up and it didn’t. If Mitsuka was honey, then Tobirama was vinegar and you know what they say; you catch more flies with honey.

This story begins during the Warring Clans era and continues until Tobirama’s death, chronicling his life with his wife and exploring just how two people can ‘grow’ to love one another. It’s not going to entirely be romance as it does take place in the Civil Affairs Narutoverse and it will have a great deal of world building.”

RESULTS FOR #2

SUBMISSION # 3: BULL IN A CHINA SHOP

“Azami Ito had never had big dreams, at least none so grand as moving to a big village and making money as a successful business owner. Her father did but she didn’t. She was more then content to live her life blissfully single, in her childhood home, consumed by her art. Her blown glass art, specifically. In her house she had always been the patient and steadfast one, unlikely to bend and less likely to break.

Her father was a naïve moron who was incapable of seeing the evil in the world and as a result, was swindled out of all his money and land. He then promptly died. This left Azami destitute apart from a ‘promised’ piece of property in Kumogakure that she was pretty sure didn’t exist. Still, with nothing else to her name and nowhere to go, she made the move to the hidden village to see this ‘promised property’.

To her surprise the building really does exist. To her displeasure, it’s a dilapidated heap of wood. She makes the courageous decision to stay and fix up the building to be a shop where she intends to sell her glass wares and with some elbow grease, she begins to make some progress. She even begins to make a name for herself.

Then the eldest son of the Raikage comes literally smashing through the roof and out the front door, leaving nothing but shards of glass in his wake. Azami’s life is about to take a strange twist that even she didn’t expect - she was about to fall in love.

Nothing about A says subtle: he’s a bull in a china shop (in more ways then one). Which means she’s in for a difficult courtship, considering A can’t come within 300 feet of her shop without causing major property damage.

Once again takes place in the Civil Affairs Narutoverse although obviously this one is in Kumogakure. Plenty of world-building with a bit more of a rom-com feel to it then the others. Since the Kumogakure hierarchy of Raikage seems to pass from father to son, there will be a lot of expanding on a ‘monarchy’ of sorts and all the political drama that entails. If you’ve read Civil Affairs, you’ll probably be able to notice some cultural differences that I plan to incorporate between Kumo and Konoha.”

RESULTS FOR # 3

SUBMISSION # 4: ANGST ISN’T GOOD FOR THE SOUL

“Hisano Takano, barely able to hurt a fly, was too gentle to be a ninja but that was okay since her fiery brother was always there to protect her.

Despite not being a ninja, Hisano does have the same chakra sensing abilities as her brother and her late father. Through these abilities she has discovered something very important; your mood is affected by your chakra, and your chakra is affected by the chakra of others. Even more fascinating, when certain stones or crystals are charged with chakra they can alter and even correct these ‘chakra imbalances’.

While her brother is wandering the path of the shinobi, Hisano dedicates herself to studying ancient documents that refer the very phenomenon she’s been witnessing. With their wisdom Hisano goes into business and becomes Sunagakure’s first, and only, crystal healer. At first, most of the village doesn’t believe in her methods and she’s treated like a joke.

That changes when a desperate Temari no Subaku, eldest child of the late Lord Kazekage, knocks on her door with a request for help that she could never refuse. Even if it means having to spend a few days investigating the chakra of the village’s notorious demon-container.

This one takes place in the Civil Affairs narutoverse and is really going to be about doing some world building with Sunagakure. It’s going to span from just after the chunin exams in the television series to Shippuden and is going to bring more depth to just what exactly Gaara did for the village. I feel like Sunagakure’s likely shattered political scene and nearly non-existent economy needs to have some attention brought to it. Also, it gives me a chance to build a refreshing GaaraxOC because TO ME, while it was realistic, the Boruto series did Gaara an injustice by leaving him without a romantic partner.”

RESULTS FOR #4

Next, I asked if those taking the survey could order the results based on their preference of the order they would like to see the spin-offs published (#1 being published 1st to #4 being published last). The more times a story was ranked #1, the more points it got.

As you can see, the winner was: ANGST ISN’T GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Our Runner-Up was: BULL IN A CHINA SHOP

Since seeing these results I have begun serious work on finalizing the outlines of these stories and have made substantial progress in writing them. My plan is to have one or both ready for publishing by the time I complete Civil Affairs.

Stay tuned and thanks for participating!!!

[lazyaris]

[The First Interview - MadaTobi] Chapter 3

Summary:  Have you ever wonder what will happen if Madara and Tobirama are invited to a show as their special guest? And it isn't just some normal show but the OTP Show, where Madara and Tobirama have to answer all those strange questions, questions from their fangirls and fanboys, about their relationship xD Don't you think it will be fun to watch their reactions? Warning: No Beta, English is not my First Language.

Chapter 1: Link

Chapter 2: Link

Chapter 3: Link

Or Read the Chapter 3 after the Read more

Chapter 3

 The moment the two came back, it only took a few seconds before the light went back as well, just their luck and Madara couldn't help but looking all smugly at Tobirama.

"See, I told you we won't be late."

He whispered next to his lover's ear but the Senju barely reacted, instead, Tobirama looked away, sudden acted all stubbornly which made Madara narrowed his eyes. If his lover wanted to play this game then who he is to reject him? His hand reacted into his pocket and as he pressed something, Tobirama's body sudden jolted up in surprise. The Uchiha watched his lover in satisfaction as Tobirama's lips tremble and a lovely redness spread across his face, with little choice, Tobirama leaned against Madara, gripped on his shirt with shaking fingers. Eventually, the Senju looked up, sent Madara such heat-glare, but in the Uchiha's view, it is as if Tobirama is inviting Madara to come and ravish him.

 "Now now... I know you want it and trust me, I want it as well, but we have to continue our mission, yes?"

His dark chuckle sent shivers down to Tobirama's back, the Senju knew he shouldn't have teased his lover like that. Because, fuck, this damn bastard Uchiha is a pervert and always know how to drive him mad. Tobirama regretted his actions, but it is too late right now, he could only tries and endures this until they can go back to their room.

"I hate you..." Tobirama muttered as he tried to sit up probably but still leaning against Madara. "And I love you too, darling."

 Their moment was cut short as once again, after checking all of their devices, Katsuya returned to her seats to continue the show again. Of course this also meant all the audience have returned. While Madara wanted to tease his lover, to teacg him a lesson, he still a possessive bastard, like hell he would allow those people to see just how beautiful and sexy Tobirama is, beside, if he pushes it so far, Tobirama may end up getting angry plus with both Hashirama as well as Mito on his lover's side, things could end up quite badly for him. With this in mind, Madara switched the control to the low mode, knew that it will torture Tobirama because it couldn't satisfy his needs but at the same time the Senju will able to control his emotions so no one will notice. Honestly, Tobirama wished he could strangle Madara right now. He understands it was his fault for provoking the man but isn't this a little too much? He didn't ask for a fucking toy inside him, or the fact it is pressing against his prostate and vibrating under Madara's control. It kept moving from minimum to maximum power which drove the Senju mad. Before, he would never think of something like this, but right now, he actually just want to drop the fucking mission and pinning Madara on a damn bed. He knew they haven't been together for a while due to all the missions and the facts they have their own matters, truth they still meet each other at night, most of the time they just held each other and sleep. Now, after everything they did, especial with this damn toy inside him, Tobirama's patient and self-control is going thin, the fact he could smell Madara's scent so close to him like this didn't help at all. Sighed in frustrated, Tobirama sent another glare at Madara yet the man only chuckled and it made the Senju pursed his lips (though he wouldn't admit he is pouting). Only when Madara whispered next to his ear, promise he will finish what they start once the interview end did Tobirama relax a little as he gave a small nod.  

"Fine..." He muttered. Just then, Katsuya finally spoke up.

 "Hello everyone and welcome back to the show! I'm pleased to tell you that we are ready for our interview to continue. But due to the black out just now, we have something to announce. As it is our fault for not prepare for such accident, we have decided to send out a gift as our apologize."

At this, Tobirama looked at Katsuya and frowned, this wasn't in the deal, he demanded an explanation, or they have to pay more (hey, Tobirama isn't a greedy guy, it is for Konoha, Tobirama won't let anyone take advantage of him nor Konoha, and he will make sure Konoha can develop as best as it could). Unfortunately, Katsuya just ignored him and continued, while Madara lifted his eyebrow up, slightly curious and amuse, beside him, Tobirama knew even if he protests, nothing will change, so he only sighed, focus on the interviewer as well. When life gives you lemon, better make it into lemonade, that and the fact the small little egg inside him has started to vibrate again, even if only barely, it already enough to make the Senju feels rather uncomfortable and wants to stay quite to control himself. His hips swiped slightly as he pinched Madara in secret, the Uchiha should glad Tobirama wasn't allow to bring any weapon into this place, because if he did, prepare to be poked with a sharp kunai.

 "We have decided to use some questions we received from our audiences, well then, let's begin with the first one, yes?" Katsuya grinned at her vic-- ah no, her guests and opened the first letter.

"Our next question is from an anonymous person from Uzushiogakure. How much do you like your partner?"

 Blinked - this was Tobirama only reaction upon hearing that, just how much does he like Madara? How should he even describe it in words? For someone quite smart and can insult someone with plenty different way, out of words is a rare thing, yet, it is happening right now. Because truth that he loves Madara a lot and he knows Madara loves him as well, they aren't some cheesy romance lover, they prefer actions to words so it can be quite hard for them to use words to express their feeling. Sighed, as Tobirama frowned and tried to think of something to say, Madara has already found his answer. Just like Tobirama, there was no word Madara could use to describe his love, but, he supposed if he must use a sentence to show Tobirama and the world just how much he loves his Senju, well...

 "I'm willing to take the Senju name when we marry."

Tobirama looked at him with widen eyes because everyone known just how prideful the Uchiha are, how they never take someone else's last name, even when the woman in the clan marry an outsider, the man will be adopted by the Uchiha, thus, accept the Uchiha last name. To hear something like that from the most prideful Uchiha ever, Tobirama's mind just go blank. Although they have been dating for many years and about to married by now, the Senju never expect this would come from Madara's lips, so he sat there, eyes widen, unable to look away. Honestly, it wasn't just Tobirama, everyone else was gasping, too shock for this sudden news while Madara narrowed his eyes dangerously. He knew this would be their reactions, but how could they be so surprise? After many things Tobirama has done for him, Madara knows his lover deserve this. The Elders won't be happy, but Madara has never cared before, why should he start caring now?

 "And you. How much do you love me, Tobirama?"

The Uchiha asked, hand moved up to cupped his lover's shocked cheek. Right now, the world was lost to them, all they could see was each other, even the toy couldn't bother Tobirama right now (actually, Madara turns it off, such moment shouldn't be ruined by that thing). Facing that question, beautiful red orbs gazed back into dark coral eyes and Tobirama found himself melting into those eyes. He has always known the Uchiha is a clan of love, it is due to this that they can easy become crazy... They love and care too much, thus, when everything was gone, they just... Broken. Closed his eyes to inhaled, Tobirama once again opened his eyes, the lovely shade of red (he has no idea why Madara loves it so much... Compare to the Senju, Tobirama is quite different, no doubt he will become the white sheep of the clan if it wasn't because of his status and his hardworking). Grabbed on Madara's hair, Tobirama sudden pulled him closer, whispered something next to ear, something that only the two of them could hear as they ignored the squeal from the audiences while it was Madara's turn to become surprise.

 "Even when the whole world turns its back to you, even when no one trust you and everyone betrayed your trust, I will still stand by your side and turn my back against the world just for you. It doesn't matter what happen to the rest of the world, as long as we are together then it is enough."

Tobirama never imagine he would one day said something like that because everyone known the Senju is willing to die for his Clan, for Konoha, but if Madara can throw away his pride and puts Tobirama before his Clan, then won't it be unfair if Tobirama can't do the same, yes? Without him, Konoha and the Senju still able to strong. Without Tobirama, the Will of Fire still burn so bright. But without him, Madara will surely break and went mad, then why should he hesitate? A human's life is short, especial shinobi like him, hunted by their enemies, no one know when will they fall, so why wasting time worry too much when they can grab their chance to be happy? The couple stared at each other, Madara's hand moved to caress Tobirama's cheek and Tobirama smiles softly at his lover, a smile that filled with love, it is Madara who taught it to him. The world just doesn't matter right now, but too bad for them, their moment ended there because Katsuya decided to clear her throat, made Tobirama snapped out of his daze before quickly separated from Madara, cheek heated up in embarrassed. How could he forgot they are doing a mission right now? Meanwhile, it was Madara's turn to glare at Katsuya, which in return, she stuck her tongue at him.Hmp! Such an unfair game since she can't hear what Tobirama said just now, but since she still values her life, she won't force him to say it, it didn't mean she can't have her revenge though.  

.

.

"Right... Next question" She pulled out the second letter, rolled her eyes, hoped it will be something interest. "Lets say you two have a date, and after an hour waiting, your partner still haven't shown up, what will you do?"

As the interview went on, the atmosphere return to normal, but both Madara and Tobirama sent each other a look, which meant they will continue this later, when they are alone. With this, Madara also decided it was to time to continue his teasing by turned on the vibrator again, successes making Tobirama's body to react against his body. Ah, he glad he used a Genjutsu on Tobirama with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Madara could never allow anyone else to see how sexy Tobirama can become, this is his Senju, Tobirama belongs to him and only him! (As for the eyes, well, he swapped eyes with Izuna, it has proven to be a good idea seeing both of them survive, even stronger than before). But, back to the show, Madara hummed softly as his hand secretly moved behind Tobirama, caressed his ass and Tobirama bit down on his lower lip, made it looked like a damn accident when he stomped on Madara's legs.  

 'Bastard! Keep your hands to you' Tobirama communicated with Madara through his eyes. 'Sorry dear, you're just sexy for me.' Narrowed his eyes at Madara, the white-hair male turned his gaze at Katsuya.

"He is always on time, but if one day he is late, I won't waste an hour waiting for nothing." Tobirama replied, they are shinobi, did the fact they are shinobi even ring any bells? Don't forget this Senju here is a sensor, he could always locate where Madara is and goes over there to ask what's wrong. But his lover has never late before so this question actually quite useless, if Katsuya can read mind, she will agree with him in a heart beat.

"Hm... I probably go search for him, knowing my lover, he probably locks himself in his library, his lab or his office, explain why he would forget to check the time." Madara shrugged, sometimes it happened and his lover just lost track of time, but like Tobirama, he wouldn't waste an hour to wait, he can always create Shadow Clones to search for him.

.

.

"Uh huh... Next one then." With a sigh, she continued "Which part of your partner's body you like the most?"

"Everything but his eyes and neck are the best." Madara answered right away without missing a beat and Tobirama just looked at him with this blank face to hide his embarrassed, which in return, the Uchiha shrugged, pulled Tobirama closer, kissed down on his neck. "It looks so sexy, you can't blame me, and your eyes... so wonderful, especial when you are crying or have this dazing looks as I drive you mad." Of course those words was barely a whisper, Madara didn't want to sleep on the couch, no thanks! As for Tobirama... Well, Tobirama just doesn't know what to do with this damn pervert. How can he talks so casually like that, he pushed Madara's face away, inhaled, tried to control himself but the moment he tried to move away, the toy inside him suddenly vibration stronger, it made he gasped, a small moan escaped his lips. Lucky for him, Katsuya didn't get what it was and looked at him in worry.

 "Are you alright, Tobirama?" She asked in concerned, now that she thinks about it, Tobirama's face seem rather red as well, is he having a fever? If so they may stop the show and continues it on the next day. But, the Senju shook his head, tried to act tough, it didn't ease her worry though.

 "I'm alright. Continues the show." He paused for a moment, tried to control his breath, ignored his hard length inside his pants, the tip already dripping precums and he knew if Madara continues teasing him like that, he probably will cums soon... He never able control himself when Madara is that close (well, if this is a serious mission, it will be different). He knew he really shouldn't spoil Madara this much, but it just, Tobirama has never in a relationship before, so he wanted to give Madara everything, wanted to make his Uchiha happy, to satisfy him even if it hurt him... Yes, Tobirama is a smart guy, but when it comes to feeling and relationship, he just a clueless idiot who tries his best to make his lover happy. He is hopeless, he knew, but it doesn't matter, Madara is his everything and he knows that to Madara, he is the same, Madara’s everything.

 "If you said so..." Katsuya said, still unsure but Tobirama is so stubborn, and she knows once he has decided, nothing can change his mind. Nodded at her word, Tobirama moved his hand behind Madara's back, suddenly gripped on his hair real hard to tug on it, show him his discomfort before answered.

 "His eyes. While the Sharingan is a dangerous tool, no one can't deny how breath-taking it looks." If Tobirama knew Madara will use this as an advantage, he would never answer it honestly, unfortunately, he didn't know... As for how Madara going to use this against Tobirama, that would be for the future story, right now, it is a secret. Upon receiving Tobirama's grip on his hair, Madara finally examined his lover and realized the way Tobirama's body is reacting, he could see his lover is trying so hard to hold back his moans, to control himself, it actually made Madara feels guilty, maybe he shouldn't push him so much like that? It was meant to be a small punishment for Tobirama, but really, Madara loves him too much to hurt him or force him. He understood that his Senju also missed him, longed to be closed to him, this probably torture to him. Yes, no one could deny Madara's intelligent but the man could be quite stupid sometimes as well, right now. No matter what, they are still on a mission and in front so many people, he should never do something like this. His arrogant made he does stupid things again, but even, that was no excuse. The Uchiha took a deep breath, no one is perfect, and he too, just another human so it is normal for him to make mistake. But he will never forget this mistake, Tobirama is to be loved, to be treasured, not treat in such way. Shook his head, Madara wasted no more time as he stopped the toy inside Tobirama and gently pulled Tobirama over, so his lover could lean against his shoulder to rest for a little after enduring all of that.

 "I'm sorry." He whispered to Tobirama, who sighed in relief as his torture finally end, he still wants to hit Madara for pulling something like that, he knew both of them have their wrongs here so it wasn't like he could get angry. "Is alright..." Tobirama mumbled, allowed the hands to link together as he relaxed beside him, his crotch still felt uncomfortable, he could handle it and the moment this mission end, they could finish what they start. He can wait...

.

.

Meanwhile,... Katsuya and the audiences were thrown to the side all confuse, they had no idea what is happening, they could only stared at the lovely dovely couple. Did they somehow fight then made up right in front of everyone? No one knew, in the end, Katsuya has to be the one who break the mood again by pulling the next question and asked them.

"Erhm... I have no idea what just happen, let's move on? Do you still want to meet and fall in love again in your next life?" She observed the couple in front of her, somehowhas the feeling she has missed something really important, but really, it wasn't her fault... They are being secretive. Pouted childishly, she waited for their answers as she wondered to herself, she hates unanswered questions, unfortunately for her, this probably will forever a mystery.

"Yes." Madara and Tobirama replied without any hesitation, really, after all those things, they could never dream of someone else. Sure they don't believe in the next life, but if it really exists, they still wish to meet, to fall in love again and again. The two sent their partner this understanding look and squeezed their hand harder. Yes, they would never ask for someone beside their lover, Madara/Tobirama is his whole world...

.

.

"Well, that was fast..." Katsuya scratched her cheek and held out the next question, this time she lifted her eyebrow in surprise before grinned at them like the Cheshire Cat in Wonderland, it made the two sudden have this urge to kick her face, but they didn't. "Fufufu... When and where did you two first have sex? What is on your mind at that time?"

None of them expected this kind of questions, and they just... flustered, well, mostly Tobirama as the Senju still not use to such straight forward question, this made him slightly unease, as for Madara, he merely glanced at Katsuya with his Sharingan actives, as if he is ready to burn down her right now for that questions. Noticed this, she quickly held her hand up, tried to defense herself. "Hey hey, it is not from me, beside, you can't skip any questions, it is the rule."

At this, the Uchiha male narrowed his eyes dangerous and looked to his lover, for a silent question to see if they should continued. They can just drop this damn mission then go back to Konoha, Hashirama can go to hell for this and Madara will make sure the elder Senju regret his action once they returned to Konoha, he knew Mito has a soft spot for Tobirama, he is going to use it against Hashirama! In the end, his lover nodded and Madara looked back at Katsuya, since this rather sensitive he decided to answer for both of them.

 "In my bedroom, after a month since we first going out. As for what is in my mind? Well, Tobirama is the only person worth my attention at that moment." The Uchiha replied in an unfriendly tone, his patient really going thin, unlike Tobirama, he barely cared about this mission, he only wished to make the world known Tobirama is his and if this damn mission somehow disturb his beloved Senju, he will drag Tobirama away right again. Hn! Damn right, Madara is protectively as fuck.

"Same answer, I only focus on Madara that whole time."

Tobirama answered truthfully, but he too, wanted to end this as fast as possible, it started to get out of control, which he doesn't like at all. Yes, he barely cared about this and he only accepted it because Hashirama wanted them to, but, since they have gotten this far, he supposed they can try to finish it as well.

.

.

"Next one... Another sexual question. Where is your partner's most sensitive spot?"

"... What?" Madara growled, Sharingan changed into Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. "Who send this? Do they have death wish?" Congratulation, a wild and mad Madara has appeared! Katsuya gulped in fear as she decided to break the rule to skip this question right away, the audience won't mind, right? They are facing two of the most dangerous shinobi here and they still value their life a lot... Beside him, Tobirama coughed into his knuckle before pulled Madara closer, stroked his wild black hair gentle as if trying to calm the man down. It wouldn't be good if they kill someone here, after all, this mission forbidden that action. His eyes glanced at Katsuya and the woman quickly understood his silent words.

 "Ah yes. Next one next one! Where do you want to try and have sex at?" She said quickly, still nervous after witness that dangerous doujutsu. Sobbed, she still wants to stay alive, alright? Whoever send that question better run away because if she ever found out, she will bury them alive.

"Hn!" Somewhat calm down but still jealous, Madara pulled Tobirama on his lap, ignored his lover's protest and the awed from those people. This Senju belonged to his, whoever wanted a Senju should go find some single one and leave his lover alone! "Anywhere is fine as long as we have our privacy." Still, Madara answered the damn question, nuzzled his face against Tobirama's neck, nipped on his skin, wanted to leave a few marks over there to prove that Tobirama is his. Shivered under Madara's action but said Senju didn't push him away, he only stroked his hair like treating a big cat, shook his head in amusement.

"I prefer to do it in our room more, so I don't wish to try it somewhere else."

.

.

"Um... What do you think about 'If you can't have their heart, at least make their body become yours'?"

"You know, Tobirama? I think who ever asked this deserve to visit our Intelligence Division. Such action is frowned upon." Madara stated, at the same time, Tobirama nodded his head in agreement, without the damn toy to bother him, Tobirama was back to his usual self, calm, collected and sternly, so he sent Katsuya this cold gaze, which made the woman sudden felt like damn prey. Shit. Did she enjoy herself too much and forget just who is sitting in front of her? Quickly clear her mind, she forced a smile on her face then glanced at the next paper in her hands. [Are you interest in BDSM?] It wrote, upon seeing this, she simply squeezed it into a small ball before threw it away. Yes, she is curious as well, but her life is more important, with that, she opened the next one and relaxed herself a little as it actually better than the previous.

.

.

"This one is a direct question to you, Madara. Have Tobirama ever try to seduce you? And if yes, how did you react?"

Lifted an eyebrow as he received such question, he shrugged, decided there was no harm in this one, except the face Tobirama is trying to warn him to keep it as little information as possible. "Yes he did, I enjoy it a lot and of course I won't pass such chance, only an idiot would do that, now next one."

Madara will never let them know how sexy Tobirama was, how straight forward his lover acted that time. Ah, he could never forget the way Tobirama moved on top of him, tried to please him by lifting his hips up and down, how Tobirama whimpers and mewls while riding his hard length. Fuck, just thought of it already enough to give him a turn on, but he needed to be patient, they will have all the time to themselves the moment this damn mission end. The fact Tobirama is sitting on his lap didn't help at all, but at least no one will notice his hard on at his crotch, although after a moment he changed his mind. It definitely didn't help because his lover once again tease him, probably for revenge due to the damn toy still inside Tobirama. To explain it, well, Tobirama is moving his hips on purpose and it rubbed against his crotch every damn second. One of his arm wrapped around said person to keep him stay still as he glanced at Katsuya. At the same time, Tobirama only smirked and gave Madara this damn smug looked. They loved to tease each other, but unlike Madara, Tobirama knows when to stop.

"I said, go on."

.

.

"Ah yes..." She jumped on her seat, she was so focus on those two and forgot her job just now.  "You're lucky, this is our last question!" At this, both Madara and Tobirama perked up, knew that they about to be free from this hell, which also mean t hey could go back to their hotel room for... Cough cough, lets continues, shall we? "Ahem, please tell your partner something that you have always wanted to say"

Of all things, they hardly expect this, but they still reacted in time then glanced at each other, something they wanted to tell their lover? At this, Madara decided to have the first go because yes, there is something he has always wanted to tell him. So he carried Tobirama up and seated him beside him, then got up just to knelt down with one leg, never look away from Tobirama. Madara's face was so serious and Tobirama couldn't look away, he knew Madara must have something to tell him so he held his breath as his lover parted his lips.

 "Listen, Tobirama. There was no one that have never committed a crime, no one completely pure, no one completely a good person both in and outside....

So, give me your most ugly side, show me your darkness, show me everything. On the moment you feel like dying, like everything inside you are breaking, like you are nothing but a pathetic person, all fucked up... Remember, I will always be there for you. Even if you die, I will still there for you and your soul should belong to me. From this moment and so on, no matter if it is fate, destiny or Death, nothing could separate us...

Trust me and... Will you married me?"

 Truth they planned to married soon, they even announced it during the interview, but Madara wanted to ask him again, so everyone could watch and see how serious he is, this will allow them to know this beautiful Senju already taken! As Madara finished his speech, Tobirama sat there, freeze up as those words sunk in, he just couldn't form any word. Just in one day, his lover managed to make him speechless twice, yet Tobirama couldn't even get angry at him. After a moment, as everyone watched them and unable to make any sound, Tobirama sudden held on Madara’s hand, gave him this breath-taking smile, something Madara wished no one would see except himself but too late now.

 "It is my turn, isn't it?" He gave a low chuckle before continued.

"With my soul, I swear to always stay by your side. With my heart, I swear to love you for eternal... Even death cannot apart us."

 A smile bloomed on the Uchiha's face as he listened to Tobirama's words, he knew the Senju was never one with romance words so this was enough for him. Leaned forward, he pressed his lips against Tobirama's lips, as if to seal their destiny and fate together, again and again, no matter who they are, no matter where they are, as long as they reincarnate, they will meet, will fall in love over again. This was their promised, forever and ever... With their arms wrapped around each other, before anyone could break out of their daze due to what was happening, the pair disappeared. After all, the mission already end, why should they continue to stay here when they could return to their hotel to finish their business?

 Only when they left that Katsuya and the audience realized what just happening and screaming as loud as they could, furious because they couldn't watch more than that but at the same time they are happy for their OTP...

As for Madara and Tobirama, what are they doing right now? Hush~ Until the very next time.

 End chapter 3.

[myaekingheart]

70. Sekkachi

So say goodbye to all your friends I fell in love with her again My baby 'Cause I'm not that kind of girl -Not That Kind of Girl, My Chemical Romance

               Sekkachi nearly spat her tea across the room when Guy told her the news. “I’m sorry, Rei did what?” she asked.

               Guy nodded dolefully. “Kakashi seems pretty upset about it” he said. It was clear he felt bad for his eternal rival—losing love was never easy. And deep down, a part of him felt a little guilty for having constantly asked him about the proposal plans, only for the relationship to fall apart.

               Meanwhile, Sekkachi was fuming. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her cup until her knuckles turned white, drumming the fingers of her opposite hand on the table. “After all those years” she growled, “All those fucking years of whining and complaining and senpai, notice me!”—here, she slipped into a mocking, high-pitched tone the likes of which she used on missions as Shitagi—“and she has the audacity to throw this shit away just because god forbid she’s a little depressed. I swear to god, if I ever run into her on the streets, I am going to pound her face into the dirt so hard!”

               Guy couldn’t help but laugh as he took a sip of his own drink. “So you do still care about her after all” he said matter-of-factly. He knew that at the end of the day, she could never bring herself to do such a thing.

               Sekkachi rolled her eyes and scoffed. “As if” she spat, taking another swig of her tea. “I couldn’t care less what that little carrot-haired runt does. I just hope she knows if I see her, I’m going to beat her up.”

               “Well, I wouldn’t get so hasty” Guy then said. “I almost forgot, there was one thing she wanted me to give you.” Sekkachi cocked a brow, eyeing Guy suspiciously. If Rei had something to give her, she didn’t want it. Guy reached into his back pocket and slid a small gold foil box across the table. She skeptically took it and opened it up, finding a single aquamarine earring inside. Immediately, Sekkachi covered her face and turned away. Guy reached across the table to rest a reassuring hand atop hers. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, and the hand covering her eyes quickly grew damp.

~o~

               It was a blistering summer day in Konoha. She had three more blocks to walk and Sekkachi was already sweating through her fancy clothes. Truthfully, she didn’t even understand why she needed to dress so nice in the first place. It was just a birthday party. She knew it wasn’t her place to demand these sorts of things, but dressed like this, she was wildly out of her element. But it was at Naru’s request, and she couldn’t possibly refuse.  

               It was her thirteenth birthday party and she insisted it be special. After all, she had said, you only become a teenager once. This is a rite of passage! I’m a fancy adult now and therefore we need to act as such. Sekkachi pressed a hand to her gurgling stomach as she remembered her own thirteenth birthday. She didn’t feel any more mature afterward than she had when she was twelve. Actually, if anything, she felt worse. Nowhere did she say she had wanted to commemorate teenagerhood with a needle through her belly button, the small ring now rubbing against her too-tight dress.

               Thirteen, however, suited Naru rather nicely. She opened the door, brimming, and tugged Sekkachi inside. On the surface, she looked no different than before but there was something in her attitude, perhaps a newfound albeit placeboed sense of confidence. Delicate flowers were weaved through a headband of braided hair and when she walked, her flouncy dress bounced and bubbled like she was some sort of fluffy cheesecake. “I thought turning thirteen meant becoming an adult” Sekkachi commented as she followed Naru back to the garden. A modestly wrapped gift was tucked under her arm. “Don’t you think that dress is a little childish?”

               “Oh, pfft!” Naru swatted the air dismissively. “You’re not getting the point! Being an adult doesn’t mean putting away childish stuff, it just means I can do whatever I want and no one can say anything about it!”

               Sekkachi had to admit, as precious and petite as the dress made her appear, it certainly suited Naru’s personality. The pastel blue complimented her bright eyes, the shape of it accentuated her bubbly personality, and the flowers printed on the fabric perfectly matched those weaved through her hair. For all intents and purposes, she looked like a princess. Sekkachi smoothed out her own dress, suddenly feeling significantly underdressed. Her only relief was when they reached the gardens where Rei awaited their return, also wearing something far less extravagant. It was then that Sekkachi realized just how much the whole thing seemed to make sense. After all, this was Naru’s birthday. She was the center of attention. It was natural that she look as such—though then again, when wasn’t she the center of attention?

        ��      The Fuzuki clan was rather well-off and, as such, lived comfortably near the center of the village. As history foretold, they were one of the first clans in Konoha and were instrumental in helping to establish the current standard of government alongside Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. They retained close ties with the village’s leadership and Naru’s father even served as a correspondent for Lord Third. Their financial status was clearly exhibited through their intricate, sweeping garden and fine china. She really is a princess, Sekkachi thought to herself as she surveyed the place.

               Naru squealed as her mother handed her her birthday present, wrapped in a small gold foil box. She removed the lid to find two dainty aquamarine studs inside, the perfect shade to match her dress and eyes. She thanked her parents profusely and asked their maid to fetch her a mirror so she could fix them to her ears in that very moment.

               Anything else her family gave her left Sekkachi feeling extremely self conscious about her own gift. She wanted to believe she knew Naru well enough, but she proved rather difficult to buy for. In a fit of panic, she had settled for a floral haori she found in an antique shop. It was simple and perhaps a little too subdued for Naru’s tastes, but Sekkachi had hoped it would at least be appreciated. Now, however, she wasn’t so sure.

               “Your turn!” the blonde then announced, grinning to Sekkachi. The blue-haired kunoichi’s eyes went wide and she tried to stammer out a protest, but Naru wouldn’t hear of it. When Sekkachi froze, Naru took it upon herself to take the package herself. As she watched her pull apart the twine knot and unfold the wrapping paper, Sekkachi felt as if she was silently exploding. This was a terrible mistake. She was going to hate it. She didn’t do a good enough job. She was going to hate her.

               Naru gasped loudly as she held up the haori and a strange look painted her face. Sekkachi wasn’t sure whether it was delight or disgust, and Naru was taking way too long to clarify. And then it hit her: it was too big. Oh god, it was too big for her. “Y-you know, I can return it if it doesn’t fit, or—” Sekkachi started but then Naru hugged it to her chest and grinned.

               “That won’t be necessary!” she announced. “Of course I’m going to keep it. I love it!”

               “Y-you do…?” Sekkachi asked in disbelief. “I-it’s not too big…?”

               Naru rolled her eyes. “You say that as if it’s a problem!” she laughed. “It’s a little big, but that just means I can keep it forever! I won’t have to worry about outgrowing it!” For once, Sekkachi was eternally grateful for Naru’s unending optimism. She sighed and sunk back in her seat, a relieved smile touching her lips, and she realized it was likely the first time she had relaxed since arriving.

               The last present opened was from Rei, which Naru insisted was the way it must be done as she was her best friend. From her, the blonde received a pair of shoes that Naru went wild over. They were chunky and pastel with little pink bows, the exact sort of thing you would expect for Naru. Sekkachi wondered how difficult a time Rei had picking them out, if her comrade had struggled the same way she had. But then again, likely not. Naru and Rei were much closer and had known each other much longer, at least in an amicable sense. They were sharing lunches and having sleepovers while Sekkachi berated them in the academy. It was a level of friendship Sekkachi knew she could never reach.

               “You should eat something!” Naru insisted later that afternoon, motioning toward the grand cake they had cut into. Just the mere sight of it in its sugary glory made Sekkachi’s stomach flip. She hated to deny her, though, and so feeling as if there was nothing else she could do, Sekkachi succumbed.

               "Just a small piece” she insisted, but it was too late. Naru had already cut her a large chunk of cake, strawberry jam oozing from the fluffy layers and thick white icing caked on the sides. She grabbed a fork and stared at her opponent questioningly, thinking to herself If I have to die today, it might as well be by birthday cake. And then, mustering all her strength, she took one large bite.

               As expected, the cake was absolutely delicious. The icing was light and sweet, the strawberry filling perfectly tangy, and the cake itself moist and spongy. Sekkachi fell into it for a moment, closing her eyes and letting herself enjoy the taste. She at least owed herself that much.

               One bite wasn’t so scary. It was the second, third, fourth, and so on that heightened her anxiety. One bite meant just a taste. It was safe, polite, demure. To eat the whole slice was to succumb to gluttony, to jump off the cliff knowing full well she was destined to crash straight into the raging waves below. She wasn’t prepared for the intestinal suicide. She wasn’t prepared to go home early, crawling on her hands and knees, suppressing the impending flare-up. As such, she forced herself to linger. She chewed the prongs of her fork as she pretended to be interested in the small talk about boys and fashion and who’s dating who. Her stomach began to churn.

               “What do you think, Sekkachi?” Naru then asked, snapping her from her daze.

               Sekkachi stammered, her fork falling out of her mouth, bouncing off the edge of the table, and jamming into the dirt. “W-what? About what?” she asked, blinking.

               A sly smile touched Naru’s lips as she rested her chin in her hand. Sekkachi grew weak, the color draining from her face. For a moment, she truly feared for her life. “Well, I was going to ask you if you thought Chikara-sensei was dating anyone, but now I’m curious about what you were thinking about!” she exclaimed. It was too late to try and save face. There was no way she could deny her absentmindedness.

               “I wasn’t thinking about anything…” Sekkachi lied. Panicked, she started shoveling cake into her face. Naru’s grin widened.

               “I guess I should’ve asked who you were thinking about, then! Although I’m pretty sure I already know!” she said. She could hardly suppress her girlish laughter.

               Sekkachi froze, mouth stuffed, and asked in a muffled tone, “Wait, what?” Her cheeks turned bright red. She hadn’t been thinking about anyone. Or at least not during this conversation.

               Rei cupped her hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter. This was too rich. Naru beamed as she replied, “We all know you and Guy are secretly an item!”

               Now Sekkachi was choking. The maid raced in to give her the Heimlich and once she had caught her breath, Sekkachi glared at the two of them and asked, “Where the hell did you get an idea like that from?!” The minute the curse word dropped from her lips, Naru’s parents shot her a stunned glare. The other thing about the Fuzuki clan was that they were borderline virginal. Curse words and anything else considered inappropriate within a formal setting was vilified to the extreme.

               Unlike her parents, however, Naru found a certain charm in Sekkachi’s unfiltered language. She had grown quickly accustomed to it, as well, and was therefore totally unphased. She took a sip of her tea, fully prepared to spill whatever she knew and excited to do so, at that. “We all know you meet up with him for weekly sparring matches. You two are so close, it’s only natural to assume you’re dating! Now I’ll admit, I had never pegged Might Guy of all people as your type but whatever you’re into, I guess!”

               “That’s a far-fetched idea” Sekkachi muttered, wiping the crumbs from her mouth. “I swear, Guy is just a friend and nothing more, okay? I don’t understand why you always have to go prying into other people’s business, anyway. People have a right to their privacy, you know.”

               Naru simply giggled and took another sip of her tea. She clearly struck a nerve, meaning that Sekkachi was, in fact, hiding something. It was only instinctual that she would want to figure out what. And truthfully, there was a myriad of things that Sekkachi kept hidden but the most pressing of which had nothing to do with romance. In a quick moment, Sekkachi’s stomach creaked and she could feel her insides rearranging. Fuck. Chewing her bottom lip, she sprang from her seat and hastily bid everyone goodbye, insisting that it was getting late and she had forgotten she had an errand to run for her mother. She booked it out of the Fuzuki household and raced as far down the street as she could manage. She was only halfway home when the pain overtook her and she had to duck into an alleyway to keel over and hyperventilate.

               Her mind raced as she clenched her eyes shut and tried to breathe through the pain. Deep down, she was cursing the old woman, the matriarch of her clan, about that damn belly button ring. The purpose, she had said, was to redirect her chakra and therefore cure her of her affliction. But here she was two years later and she was still just as sick as ever, if not moreso. She looked left then right, trying to get her bearings on where she was, what was nearby, and where she could find a bathroom she could die in. No luck. Groaning in frustration, she pounded her fist against the ground and curled up into a fetal position. This was it. This was the end. They would find her soiled corpse tomorrow morning when the cloud of flies became unbearable. As she huffed and cursed, however, a familiar voice then rang overhead and she suddenly was unsure whether she was saved or doomed.

               “Sekkachi!” he called, “You’re not looking so good. What’s going on?”

               I’m about to shit my brains out, that’s what’s going on, she thought unkindly. She opened her mouth to speak but could form no words. Fortunately, Guy caught on rather quickly. Without a second’s hesitation, he tossed her onto his back and raced through the streets of Konoha, dodging civilians left and right like a madman, before skidding to a halt in front of the Fumeiyo clan’s grounds. By the time they arrived, Sekkachi was certain she had left her intestines in the dust. It took a few minutes before they finally caught up with her, burying her face into Guy’s shoulder with a groan. He kicked the door open and waltzed inside as if it was his own home, then carried Sekkachi all the way to the bathroom. She slithered out of his grasp and crawled to the toilet, ripping her dress off frantically and shrinking in on herself.

               It was only a few months after they had met that Sekkachi was forced to admit to Might Guy that she was sick. Her thirteenth birthday had just passed and the piercing certainly did not do it’s intended job. She had no choice but to cancel her weekly match, employing the stomach flu as her excuse. At least that way, anyone who attempted to pry wouldn’t believe she was lying. Guy was not one to sit back and do nothing, however. If his dear friend was sick, he would ten to her and ensure that she was healing. He had gathered a colorful bouquet of get-well flowers and a basket of onigiri and set off, a part of him almost too excited to see the look on Sekkachi’s face. She was so coarse and blunt, the thought of doing something to make her happy exhilarated him.

               Her house was nothing like what he expected. Not that his expectations were very high, but this was certainly a shock to his system. The Fumeiyo clan had been historically tread upon for generations, almost as much as the Uchiha, thanks to a long-standing curse that their ninja were liabilities in battle. The working men of the village wanted nothing to do with these harbingers of disaster. As such, their tight-knit clan resided on the outer edge of the village where a stream trickled and weeds grew high. The house itself was in utter disrepair.

               A sour old woman turned Guy away at the front door, insisting he never bother them again. Defeated, he began trudging home but not before the wind carried soft-spoken gossip to his ears. He snuck beneath a window and listened closely as a man and woman discussed Sekkachi’s fate.

               “The outlook is bleak” the man said. “The ritual should have cured her. At this rate, I don’t think she’ll last another year.”

               “That’s not true” the woman replied. “She’s tough. I’m sure she’ll pull through.”

               “Even if she does” the man argued, “what about her quality of life? She’ll never be normal.”

               The woman sighed. “I’d hate to break the news to her. It would break her heart.”

               Guy didn’t stick around long enough to hear the rest. He raced home in a daze, unsure of what he had just heard but knowing full well that none of it was for his ears in the first place. His limbs felt disconnected from his body, and his mind wouldn’t shut up. So she was sick. That much was true. But there was no way this could be a simple stomach flu. If not that, then, with what? And would she ever be cured? He hoped so. She didn’t deserve to suffer. He had so many questions, and he desperately wanted answers, but now was not the right time.

               When she finally returned, Guy was overjoyed. She had pulled through after all. He surged forward and hugged her tight, exclaiming of how much he missed her. Sekkachi cocked a suspicious brow and shoved him off of her. She was sick. So what? It wasn’t that big of a deal. She could tell he was going easy on her as they sparred, however, which only pissed her off that much more.

               “Alright, what is your deal today?” she asked, voice forceful, during a lull in their training. “Why are you going easy on me? Do you think I’m weak or something? Huh? What is it?”

               “N-no!” Guy stammered. “I didn’t mean to, I just--! I didn’t want to push you too far if you were still getting over your sickness!” He knew that, for himself at least, he was willing to strain himself to the utmost limits whether he was feeling well or not. Those were his own self-rules, though—no one else’s. He could never subject those standards onto anyone but himself.

               Sekkachi narrowed her eyes and leaned down so as to get right up close in Guy’s face. “Going easy on me isn’t going to do me any favors” she growled. “I want you to pound me into the dirt, I want you to kick my ass. I want you fight me like a man, got it?”

               “Are you sure?” Guy asked. Sekkachi grimaced, forcing him to quickly add, “Listen, it’s not that I don’t want to! I just don’t want to hurt you.”

               “I’m not a fragile piece of glass, Guy” Sekkachi insisted. “Besides, it’s not like I haven’t been sick before. What makes this time any different?” Guy averted his eyes, stammering, and Sekkachi could feel her gut drop. “Oh my god, what do you know?” she asked quietly, angry and scared and confused. He was crossing a line she had firmly drawn in the dirt. No one was ever supposed to know about this.

               Back then, the whole thing was so weird. He explained everything quickly and anxiously, almost as if he expected Sekkachi to strike him. Instead, she sunk into the grass in disbelief. It would take her a minute to process all of this information, to process the fact that someone finally knew of her affliction. A charged silence surged between them for a long while before Guy pursed his lips and finally muttered, “I just want to make sure you’re okay. I care about you, Sekkachi.”

               Well shit. There was no way out of it now. Sighing, Sekkachi tightened her ponytail and braced herself for the explanation. “Guy, I’m sick” she started. “I’m never going to get better. I’ve got this chronic digestive disorder that makes normal shit a living nightmare. I can’t eat anything without being fucking terrified that it’s going to make me sick. Even if the food itself doesn’t fuck me up, the anxiety does. Sometimes it’s so bad, I pass out from the pain. My clan, they say that these piercings are supposed to help”—here, she motioned to the belly button ring in her stomach— “something about redirecting my chakra to help with the pain. It’s never done any good. My belly button, all the way up my ears, my nose, none of those have helped, and I’m sure anywhere else they try to stick holes in me isn’t going to make much of a difference either. I have to live the rest of my life knowing I will always be dysfunctional. That I’m always going to be sick no matter what. I’m going to have to suffer through every day of the rest of my life.” By now, she was starting to get choked up. This was exactly why she never wanted to say anything. She had already cried in front of Chikara-sensei about it, the night of their very first mission. Food was so culturally significant—existing not just for sustenance, but as a tradition and social ritual. It only emphasized her disability that much more. She hated food. She hated everything about it, the fact that it was so varied and delicious and that she couldn’t have any of it without feeling like she was going to die.

               Guy reached out and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry for what you’re going through, Sekkachi” he said. “I can’t even imagine how tough that must be to live with every single day…but I know you’re much more than what you’re going through. You may not be able to do ninjutsu or genjutsu, and you may be sick, but you are still one of the strongest ninja I’ve ever known!” Sekkachi rolled her teary eyes and scoffed, confident that that was a lie. Guy chuckled and smiled at her. “And if it means anything, I am going to stick by your side no matter what! Just let me know when you’re feeling sick and what I can do to help and I’ll come running.”

               Sekkachi wiped her nose with the back of her hand and smiled sadly. “You’re way too nice to me, you know” she commented. “You have no reason to be this nice.”

               “Of course I do” Guy replied. “After all, you’re my friend. You might even my best friend! And that’s just what best friends do.”

               From that point onward, Guy’s friendship proved to be indelible to Sekkachi over the years. Guy was certainly a man of his word, and on this blistering summer afternoon he had definitely kept his promise. He stayed in the hallway outside the bathroom the entire time, pacing back and forth on his hands so as to get training in while he was on standby. He refused to walk away and risk not being there if she needed him. During the entirety of her flare-up, however, all she could think about was what Naru had said at that party. Did she really believe her and Guy were a thing? And if she did, then who else had bought into it? A shiver ran down her spine. If only Naru knew how false an accusation that was.

               Guy grinned as the bathroom door creaked open and an exhausted Sekkachi trudged out into the hall. “You okay?” he asked, patting her on the back. There was something so weirdly casual about it, as if he was congratulating her on a good effort in a game of football or something.

               She gave a single, definitive nod as she crossed the hall to her bedroom and began changing into a pair of loose sweatpants. She had no reservations about doing this in front of Guy, and he certainly couldn’t care less. “Can I ask you something?” she asked, tying the drawstring loose around her bloated waist. Guy arched a bushy brow in intrigue. “Do you think people assume we’re dating?”

               “Dating?” Guy repeated. “Why? What gave you that idea?”

               Sekkachi shrugged and seated herself on the edge of the bed, hugging a pillow to her stomach. “Some things happened today, some words were said. I don’t want to get into the details. The important thing is that apparently people think we’re something of an item. I guess the minute a guy and a girl start hanging out together, they’re automatically treated like a couple or some shit.”

               Guy shook his head. “Well, this is the first time I’ve heard of this” he replied. Sekkachi wasn’t sure why, but that came as a relief. Maybe because that meant Naru’s rumor wasn’t as widespread as she had feared. If Naru was overcompensating, then perhaps their reputations were saved. “Are you trying to tell me something?” he then asked, cocking a brow in intrigued suspicion.

               Sekkachi didn’t think she could do this anymore. Her hands began to shake at her sides, both an after-effect of the flare-up and a result of her anxiety. She propped open the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, fixing one to her mouth and igniting the end. As she shoved the pack back in the drawer, she propped the window open so as to better dispel the smoke.

               “You really shoulnd’t do that, you know” Guy commented, shaking his head as he took a seat at her desk chair. “Isn’t that going to make you sicker?”

               Sekkachi scoffed. “Sometimes these days, it’s the only thing that makes me feel healthy” she replied. She took a long drag and let the smoke billow up from her lips slowly. Guy couldn’t really see the appeal, but whatever worked for her, he supposed.

               “You never answered my question” he then said. She knew. She wasn’t sure if she could now. “You know you can be honest with me, Sekkachi.”

               “Guy” she sighed, “you are the nicest person I have ever met. Did you know that?” Might Guy smiled back at her. She toyed with the tassels on the edge of the pillow, her cigarette in her opposite hand. She didn’t want to look at him. She was afraid of what he was about to say. “I just need to know…guys always have ulterior motives, you know? They always do things for the sake of getting something out of it for themselves. Usually because they like someone. And I just need to know, and be totally honest with me here, do you…I mean, you don’t—”

               “Sekkachi, I’m going to stop you right there” Guy interrupted, holding up a hand. Sekkachi froze, finally gazing back at him with wide, uncertain eyes. “You know I consider you a good friend of mine. I don’t want a rumor like this to ruin the friendship we have.”

               Relief washed over her, sighing out her cigarette smoke. “That’s good to know” she said. “Because I was so scared you were going to admit that you loved me or something.”

               Guy shook his head. “Sekkachi, I consider you family. I don’t think I could ever think of you like a lover.”

               “Honestly? I feel the same way” Sekkachi admitted. Her hands trembled as she could feel the words rising up in her throat, something she had never before said aloud threatening to spill. She leaned forward and locked eyes on the ground, suddenly very aware she had no control over whether or not she was about to say it. “I love you, but like a brother. You’re always there for me, you’re always pushing me to do better. I feel like I can be open and honest with you. And that’s why…Guy, there’s something I need to tell you.” Guy’s brows raised as he leaned closer, fearing the worst. He knew she was sick, but was it worse than they expected? Was she dying? He needed to know. She took a nervous drag of her cigarette, exhaled, chewed her bottom lip. This was it. Now or never. “Guy, I’m gay. I like girls. I’m a lesbian.”

               Might Guy leaned back a moment, processing the confession. This was a huge moment and he needed to tread carefully. Sekkachi’s leg bobbed up and down on its own accord as she awaited his response. This was killing her. Then suddenly, before she knew it, Guy’s arms were wrapping around her in a tight hug. She blinked a few times, not quite understanding, and then he said, “I’m proud of you, Sekkachi.” Her cigarette snuffed out and fell to the floor as she broke down. No one else knew.

~o~

               “You sure you’re going to be alright?” Guy asked as he walked Sekkachi home. She clung to that little gold foil box, terrified of losing it if it wasn’t in her grasp at all times. As they ascended the stairs, she nodded and then smiled softly at Guy.

               “Yeah, I’ll be alright” she said. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

               Deep down, she knew that was impossible for him, but he knew better than to press her. He bid her a brief goodbye and then they parted ways toward their respective apartments. As she reached her front door, however, there was a small basket on her doorstep covered by a gingham dish towel. A small note was folded and placed squarely on the top.

               This was highly unusual for a number of reasons, and for a moment Sekkachi was terrified this was some sort of planned terrorist attack. She wasn’t sure why, exactly, anyone would be targeting her of all people but her anxiety was getting the better of her. She inspected the basket closely only to find that whoever left it was, in fact, trying to kill her. There was nothing but food inside.

               Finding no other choice, Sekkachi kicked her door open with her foot and carried the basket inside, leaving it on her desk. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at it for a good long while before finally picking up the note attached. The message was short and simple yet shocking.

               Sorry for your loss. Here is some comfort food. Hope you enjoy. -Mikazuki

               Sekkachi had only met this girl a handful of times, one of Rei and Naru’s comrades in the ANBU, but this seemed wildly uncharacteristic considering her shy demeanor. It also didn’t make any damn sense. There was no reason whatsoever for this girl to be leaving food on a practical stranger’s doorstep. Sekkachi peeled back the dish towel (which she assumed Mikazuki would want back, if only she knew of a way to return it to her) to find a myriad of comfort food inside: onigiri, homemade senbei, manju filled with red bean paste.

               It was a nice gesture, of course, but felt so inappropriate. I hope she knows all of this is going to go to waste, Sekkachi thought to herself. She couldn’t eat any of it even if she wanted to. Or perhaps she was just being difficult. Deep down, she knew many of these foods were actually rather palatable for even her hypersensitive stomach. She supposed she feared that eating it would mean accepting whatever ulterior motive Mikazuki was after. There was no way she was doing this just to be kind.

               Sekkachi looked down to the little gold foil box in her hands and sighed. When did life become so damn complicated? If Naru was still alive, none of this would be happening. The memories of that birthday party were still so vivid in her mind. They were so young and stupid, so naïve. If only the three of them knew what was waiting around the corner. And then of course her mind leapt to Rei. A seething rage bubbled up inside of her chest at the thought of her. This was all her fault. Breaking up with Kakashi was almost deserved. A solid punishment for everything she had done. And yet…she couldn’t quite wrap her brain around why Rei would go to the trouble of relaying her this box. She popped open the lid and watched the single earring roll around inside. It almost made her nauseous. Perhaps so many years spent working together left Rei and Sekkachi far more telepathic than they had expected. Sekkachi rose from her seat, box in tow, and approached her desk, opening the top drawer and pulling out an identical aquamarine stud. How the two earrings got separated, Sekkachi would never know. Naru had a strange way of organizing her belongings, sometimes meticulously color coded and other times a complete mess. None of that mattered now, though. All that was important was that the pair was back together, and it was all because of Rei.

               Sekkachi clutched the earrings in her fist and sucked in a sharp breath. Nothing was ever going to repay what Rei had done, yet perhaps she had been too hasty. Naru was gone. All they had left now was each other. Her eyes shifted to the framed photograph on her desk of the three of them when they were just genin, so bright and happy and confident. She grazed the glass over Naru’s image, tightened her grip on the earrings, let the stones press into her the flesh of her palm, and then truly let herself break down.

Oof I'm gonna be totally honest with you guys, this was a REALLY difficult chapter to write. I really wanted to explore the origins of Guy and Sekkachi's friendship, but more importantly Sekkachi's illness. Her chronic illness is based on my own so all of her struggles with food and her digestive system hit really close to home, and it was EXTREMELY hard to try and find the line between being honest but tasteful and being gross and way too honest about the literally shitty experience of having a sickness like this. I just hope I did it justice.

[s-asuke]

Naruto FemSlash Week 2017 - Day 1 - Family - SakuKarin

I am a little late, I know, but both the SasuSaku month and this week? Can be a little taxing I apologize!! Enjoy!! I appreciate feedback very much!!

*

“Bye, bye, Sarada-chan!” ChoCho waved to her as they exited the Academy grounds. She was walking quietly under the light of the late sunset – school was over and that meant she could go back to her Mamas, the pinkette already warning her to pick up tomatoes and bananas. The black-haired Uzumaki changed her route to the bustling market of Konohagakure. From the stall she always bought her vegetables and neccessities on – she could see the stone faces of the seven Hokage – Hashirama Senju and his brother Tobirama, Sandaime, Boruto’s grandfather, Gran Tsunade, Uncle Kakashi and Nanadaime, Uzumaki Naruto. She was proud that they shared the same last name and clan – but she was also an Uchiha by blood, and Haruno by her other mother. The small beauty thanked the baa-chan at the stall, returning to her daydreaming.

As she was passing a small bridge to make a turn home, the another figure of her affection showed at the edge, black coat and even blacker eyes and tresses. The Shadow Hokage, Uchiha Sasuke was smiling softly to his favorite student, wistfully so. “Uncle Sasuke!” the rosy blush she always had intensifying as she ran to hug him. He spread his arms open – as if to stop her from entwining in his coat too much – returning the young girl’s affection.

She strutted a bit after breaking the hug, before returning to her original pace as they walked to the Uzumaki residence together. Their house wasn’t big nor small – just enough to hold the love of the three girls inhabiting it. Karin’s uncomfortably loud singing, and Sakura’s laughter full of endearment towards her bubbly wife could be heard from the doorstep, Sarada used to it long ago as Sasuke shook his head, thinking warmly, some things never change.

Sakura opened the door, the chakra she sensed coming off her daughter being comfortably cocooned into Sasuke’s larger, warmer one. The music stopped soon afterwards – Sakura smiling warmly as Karin poked her wife, clad in a comfortable shirt that came mid-thigh and loose sweatpants as soon as she arrived in front of Sasuke, smile full of snark but also unexplainable amount of warmth as she acknowledged Sasuke’s presence, reaching over to her daughter first thing.

“Yo! How was at school?” She immediatelly started the interrogation game as the two moved over to the living room, and Sakura started nosing around Sasuke’s mission – especially the present one.

“Karin, hun, if you’d get us a blankie. Sarada-chan and I have our reading time.” Sakura kissed Karin in passing, the redhead blushing like a tomato. Sasuke, a careful bystander was already used to their romance. “Oi, can you two chill?” He had a sour look on his face, jealous, Sakura mouthed to Karin as the redhead slapped her butt, blushing still, and sternly saying to the nin sitting on the couch with her daughter, “No, we can’t. Sorry, duckbutt.” With that, Sasuke scoffed, and Sarada giggled – having her Uncle’s hair was something she really liked, it was always messy but she tried to keep it as straight as she could.

When Sakura came, bringing Sasuke his favorite tomato salad and Karin making him scoot over so she could get under the blanket with her wife and daughter Sasuke felt like a younger brother again – Karin and Sakura displayed so much healthier relationship than the stoic one of Mikoto and Fugaku. Cuddling up under the blanket, Karin held her daughter close to her, as Sakura’s forehead was fluttered occassionally with a small peck, the pinkette’s voice full of love and affection as she began to read a story about the civillian who knew nothing about chakra, yet found a shinobi tool of great power and significance, once had belonged to the darkest shinobi of all of them. One Ring to rule them all, and as Sakura reached the end of chapter one, Karin, sensible as ever noticed Sasuke’s wistfulness, and outstretched the corner of the blanket to him. He glared powerfully, but she frowned the ‘not for me for Sakura and Sarada’ frown, one he just had to give in (certainly not because of the familial comfort the blanket and the motherly presence of the two women and the girl gave to him. He stared at the pictures in front of him – every single one gave him a strange sense of peace. Naruto and Sarada chasing Himawari and Boruto. Temari and Gaara picking up Sarada, whose hands were outstretched behind, facing away from the photo, probably to Karin. Two women on their wedding day. Sakura smiling, blissful expression caught forever as her Byakugou reflects the sun rays. His female best friend realized that they had nothing romantic the day she was kissed by the redhead, both body and soul. He impregnated Sakura solely because they had mutual good from it – Sasuke didn’t want his bloodline to cease to exist, and Sakura wanted to have a child to raise with Karin. Having a stranger’s seed grow inside her was albeit repulsive to Sakura, so Sasuke done that for her.

As Sarada blurted laughter from funny sentences or Karin’s occasional tickles Sasuke felt truly at peace – he will have to report to Dobe soon – and the two women he watched, Karin stroking Sakura’s cheek as she read and radiating pure love and affection, not even similar in any point to the obsession she showed while she was still in Taka.

Sarada giggled at all the attention she got from her mothers, Sakura held the book with one hand, while Karin listened intently to the words so she could flip the page. Each arm of the fiery haired women was busy with either clinging to each other, or their small baby girl, who wiggled towards the raven-haired man, in a mock attempt to get away from Mamas.

“Aaagh! I would spew Katon so much better than Smaug the dragon!” Karin laughed after Sarada, who passed behind Sasuke rather quick, clinging at his west. Karin mock formed some hand seals, and Sasuke couldn’t help his salty demeanor get the best of him in inaccuracy. “First – you don’t spit Katon, and seco-” but he is ignored by Karin chasing Sarada around the couch, the girl squealing and pulling Sasuke forward. “Sasuke! Protect me! Mama! Stop Mama from burning us!” Sarada was uncharacteristically strong for her age, so Sasuke just thought of Sakura, as he endured the endearing – but he said needless out loud, he swears – antics of his teammates and niece. Sakura actually formed a chakra string, forming it into an elastic extension of her finger, making the bananas from the fruit bowl float up, towards the girl who was enduring Karin’s extra-powerful hug attack combo. Sarada jumped up and grabbed two bananas, tapping her goofier mother’s shoulder with it, with a breathless murmur of – fruit time.

Sasuke felt like he was the one receiving all that love and affection, granted how much of it there actually was. As Karin fed Sakura half of the fruit – he didn’t feel like he was intruding in an intimate moment, because both women never felt like he was so neither did he feel the need to.

“Karin, Sakura. I should take my leave. I need to report to Naruto, and I have some things to wrap up. I will try to see you once more before I leave.”

“Do you really have to leave, Uncle Sasuke?” Sarada looked at him, eyes wide and expectant, and he swears there is no doujutsu more powerful than Sarada’s. “I have a few jobs to do. But I-”

“You can sleep over, Sasuke-kun. I can leave you dinner in the fridge, and you don’t have to go through the trouble of renting a room.” Sakura interjects, making a pretty valid point.

“Hn,” Sarada’s periodical tugs at his armless sleeve remind him to build up a snarky remark and fight back at least a little, before showing up at their house tonight, either way he won’t live it down from the dinamic duo. “Nonsense. And I don’t want to interrupt your… nightly activities.” Sakura snorts, and Karin weakly bumps his arm, “Ay, what I do with my wife at night is none of your business! She is beautiful and young and-”

“Karin!” Sakura rose up, face lit up by Karin’s blanant confession, “Shannaro!” her catchphrase passes through the pouting lips as she gestures towards Sarada with small jerks of her head.

“I mean – just get out Sasuke, we don’t need your troublesomeness!” the more awkward of the two remarks while fixing her glasses. “Mama, what did Uncle do? And can he stay? He can teach me Katon when he comes back from work!” Sarada asks softly, more softer and Sasuke would be a puddle.

“It’s all his decision baby. You can only ask, but Uncle Sasuke has to decide.” Sakura adds gently. Sasuke grabs his coat, winding away from the house with simple goodbyes.

Sarada knows – he left some of his things. Of course he’ll come back later.

Looking at Mama No.1, and Mama No.2, pure happiness arises in her chest as she runs in Sakura’s arms, asking her if she would braid her hair after she bathes so it would be all curly tomorrow. Karin’s deft fingers pass through her black locks, asking her if she wants something to snack on. As the calming cocoon of her mothers envelopes her – she only so much knows that this is true peace.

[itslulu42]

Vest Number Nine

I heard your pleas in your mind. I read your comments.  You didn’t ask for it, but here it is anyways.  Because Madakaka is everywhere

It had been a stressful day and Kakashi was relived to be home.

Kakashi had spent the majority of the afternoon with Hashirama at the Yamanaka compound.  The clan had been difficult ever since they had agreed to join the village, and now the head of the family was demanding an extra piece of land that was designated for the Nara clan.  Kakashi had rebutted every protest while watching out for a stray jutsu pointed in his direction.  The last thing he wanted was for a Yamanaka find out he came from the future.

Kakashi propped up his feet on a chair before reaching his pocket to pull out a book. The past was devoid of Jiraiya great literature, but Kakashi had managed to trade a scroll containing the directions for a minor C-ranked jutsu in favor of a series of popular romance novels.  He pulled out his current read, and flipped to the page where he left off.  He was just becoming engrossed with the story when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Do you have a moment? I have a pressing matter with some of your business."

Kakashi looked up from his book to find Tobirama standing in the doorway.  Sighing, Kakashi tucked the novel back into his pocket and stood up. Tobirama had little patience for some of Kakashi’s more esoteric habits.

"Are the Yamanaka are asking you to get involved as well?"

Tobirama ignored the question, choosing to leave the room, his footsteps audible as he walked away.

Wasn’t that interesting?

Kakashi had been in the past for two years, and in that span, he had learned to read Tobirama rather well.  He supposed that part of it had to do with the similar personalities.  Once the initial meeting had passed, Tobirama had been grateful for Kakashi taking his side during the occasional dispute.  Madara, Izuna, and Hashirama all tending be rather brash and emotional.  Kakashi never thought he would have found his place in the world in to past.  But Kakashi could admit that his life had changed for the better.

This led Kakashi back to contemplating Tobirama’s bizarre behavior.  Ninja of his caliber walked silently, unless if they were making noise intentionally.  Tobirama with audible footsteps was the equivalent of a giant “Fuck Off” sign. Intrigued, Kakashi followed after his brother.  He caught up with him in the forest, heading north to a field were Tobirama spent most of his time.

"Care to share what this is about?"  Kakashi did a flip in the air as he evaded an obstructing tree branch.  

"There was an unexpected incident this afternoon when I was working."  Tobirama's lips were pressed together unhappily.

Kakashi did another flip mid-air so he could see continuing watching the expression on Tobirama’s face. "That is a risk when working with experimental jutsu."

Tobirama huffed. "Not all of us are content pilfering on the hard work of others, Kakashi."

Ouch.  

Kakashi interest climbed higher with Tobirama’s snippy response.  His adoptive brother had been rather harsh on Kakashi's gifted Sharingan during their initial meeting.  It wasn't until Tobirama saw Kakashi's methods in battle that he changed his mind. Of course, the mental breakdown of an entire clan as Kakashi matched their jutsu sign for sign left a very good impression.  Tobirama never critiqued the method again.

Not until today.

They reached the field as the sun was beginning to set.  Hashirama had decreed the field as off-limits a few weeks ago for everyone’s safety.   Kakashi could see the small building where Tobirama worked on perfecting his jutsu in the distance.

It was in front of the door which Tobirama paused, resting his hand on the doorknob.

"Your… partner… is stubborn."

Kakashi felt a flush rise to his face.  Of course, this was about Madara.  

Tobirama was being unfair; Kakashi and Madara weren’t together together.  There was some connection there, but the same could be said for Kakashi’s relationship with the other three founders.  Kakashi merely enjoyed teasing Madara the most; he liked to watch the Uchiha’s mouth twist in a pout, and to watch his entire body puff up in indignation because of some imaginary slight.  Kakashi especially enjoyed rolling up his sleeves to show his forearms while Madara was speaking, only to hear Madara’s conversational skills deteriorate with the unexpected flash of skin.

Well, maybe there was a little more than a connection.  Kakashi tried not to think about it too much, knowing what he knew about the future.  

"What did Madara do?"

Tobirama snorted. "He completely ignored my request to vacate the area.  I told him to get off the land as there is still a lot of work to be done.  Instead of listening to me, he hid in a nearby tree. The jutsu backfired, and I was able to evade by using Hiraishin, a technique not available to Madara. " Tobirmama clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring.  "Arrogant Uchihas."

Kakashi stiffened. "What happened to him?" he asked slowly, afraid of Tobirama’s response.

"Madara is still alive, and I know how to reverse it.”  Tobirama placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. “He’s the most tolerable he’s ever been."

"He's in a coma?" Kakashi assumed, unable to think of another alternative which would make Tobirama so agreeable.  "Izuna won't let us hear the end of it."

Tobirama opened to door. "I think you'll find he's still very much to your tastes.”

The question on the tip of Kakashi’s tongue vanished when he saw Madara resting on the floor.  Kakashi’s heart leapt to his throat.

He was in love.

"Madara needs clothes," Kakashi blurted. "I'm going to make him clothes."

"I hardly feel as this is a priority right now."  Tobirama shut the door as they stepped into the room.

"It's very important."  Kakashi kept his eyes glued on the tiny black dog sleeping next to Madara's prized fan. "Dogs with clothing are adorable."  His hand gave a twitch as he resisted the urge run his fingers through the silky black fur.   

"Does Madara know he's a dog?  Does he talk? How much does he say?  Have you tried to get him to fetch?"  The words couldn’t leave Kakashi’s mouth fast enough. He only stopped talking when he saw the look of amusement in Tobirama’s eyes.

Tobirama cleared his throat. "Madara did not respond to his name when I called it.  I lured him in the cabin with a ration of jerky.  As far as I was able to sense, he is nothing more than a dog, although I am not certain what breed he is.”

"Madara's a Pomeranian," Kakashi replied, lowering his head parallel with the floor to look at the bottom of Madara's tiny paws.  "It's a toy dog bred, they have a double coat, so they are primarily found in colder regions.  They are popular as pets as they are easy to carry, but they aren’t very good as ninken, which is why the Inuzaka clan do not have any."  

Madara stirred awake, locking eyes with Kakashi.  The dog gave a growl; it was very similar to a noise Human-Madara made on a regular basis. Kakashi removed the glove from his left hand, aware that he was too excited considering one of the village founders was the size of a watermelon.

"You're a good boy," Kakashi murmured as he held out his hand for Madara to sniff.  Madara scrambled up to his four adorable paws, and pressed his nose against the palm of Kakashi's hand.  He gave a few high-pitched barks, then leapt into Kakashi's lap to lick at Kakashi's ear.  A smile burst on Kakashi’s face as he scratched behind Madara’s ears, causing the dog’s tail to wiggle furiously.

Kakashi was definitely in love.

Based on this picture.

[naruto-oc-critiques]

Do you have any ideas/advice on OC pairing with Tobirama? And what would be a certain personality traits or interests? What is Tobirama's sexual orientation? If I want them to be in the start of Naruto's timeline? Would reincarnation AU work for Tobirama? Or would a crossover with other fandom would be okay to pursue? Like a Naruto chara/other fandom chara for pairing? xD I do apologies my brain's all over the place? Anyways. Thank you, I really appreciate everyone's hard work!! >_

(Apologies with how late this is, life outside of the blog has been extremely busy for us Mods but hopefully we’ll get back into the rhythm soon!)

Thank you, even small gestures of gratitude is really heart warming and encouraging for us to receive c: We appreciate you followers that take the time to read and consider our advice, you guys are the best

A similar ask that might help - http://naruto-oc-critiques.tumblr.com/post/154118748544/1-it-kind-of-bothers-me-that-people-that-pair

Personally, I agree with Shir, I find it hard to imagine Tobirama in a relationship. Still, he’s not impossible to pair with. To make this a little simpler, I’ll make a short pairing guide for him. (WARNING: spoilers ahead!)

Tobirama Pairing guideSo lets start with what kind of person Tobirama is. His personality isn’t very easily pinned down, so a few of these elements may overlap. I’m basing some off the wikipedia and also the impression one generally gets from seeing him in action in the series.

Loyalty/DedicationOne of the most crucial elements to Tobirama is his loyalty and dedication to both the village and the ideals it stands for. The Hidden Leaf is just as important to him as it is to Hashirama who founded it, and he would risk his life for it in more ways than one. I do not believe that a romance with Tobirama is possible outside the village. When Tobirama is not Hokage, he is basically taking care of all the things Hashirama himself does not have the time, or perhaps morals, to do. Being Hokage would limit his time even more and it would be difficult to establish meaningful relationships with someone potentially from a hostile country as a leader of your village. Tobirama is practically married to his duty, which brings me to my next point;

WorkaholicI cannot stress this enough about Tobirama, the man is extremely serious about his work and had little time for much else. In a land where countries are filled with hostility for each other, Tobirama will find it hard to spare time for your OC. Your OC will have to accept that, their relationship might even be slightly strained because of it. But ultimately, your OC will most likely always come second to the village. 

PragmaticAnother core element to Tobirama is his pragmatic attitude. Almost to balance out Hashirama’s idealistic tendencies, Tobirama sees the world realistically and doesn’t let anything blur that. His attitude is very logical and purposeful. He kills Izuna because it was war, Izuna was the enemy, he had the opportunity and he knew he wasn’t going to be shown any mercy either. In Hashirama’s optimistic view of things, Tobirama’s actions were a crushing blow to the fight for peace. For Tobirama, there was one less adversary capable of killing more of his kin. This doesn’t mean Tobirama is emotionless and needs a soulless robot as a love interest to relate, but I think instead he needs someone more connected with their emotions but still mature so they can help him achieve more emotional depth himself.When he found his brother was friends with the enemy, he told his father because he knew the danger of the situation. He distrusted the Uchiha his whole life (with the exception of Kagami) because experience had taught him so.I also find it likely that Tobirama, if he did indeed marry, it may be out of duty. Such as needing to solidify a truce/alliance with another clan so agreeing to marry a member. Following this logic, I’d say its rather unlikely he’d marry a Uzumaki as their alliance/tie to the village has already been established with the union between Hashirama and Mito.

Sacrificing/protectiveIn the end, Tobirama sacrifices his life so that his team may escape and I feel this is very important reflection of his character. Similarly, so his brother can keep his optimism and hope for the world, Tobirama takes on the role of the more realistic sibling. He would die for his clan, his brother and his village, He will get his hands dirty if it would benefit the Leaf/Senju. I think an OC that is supportive of him and introduces him to the idea that she doesn’t need anything grand from him would be good. An OC that needs Tobirama not because they needs protection or constant reassurance, but someone who would be willing to stick their neck for him for once.

Intelligent/MatureIf you haven’t already realized, Tobirama is a very intelligent character. In the era of the warring states, where children already are forced to grow quickly, Tobirama grows even quicker. Someone needs to keep his older brother grounded and make sure no one takes advantage of his ability to see good in everyone. 

Overall, I think the best suggestions I can give you are these:-Your OC really should be from the Hidden Leaf and a supporter of the will of fire-Tobirama is a workaholic with no time, and your OC will have to learn to cope with this-Tread carefully if you choose to pair him with an Uchiha OC as obvious tensions would make the ground for the relationship difficult to sow.-Your OC doesn’t have to be a genius, but Tobirama wouldn’t likely to be interested in someone who was reckless or unintelligent.-Perhaps not an Uzumaki OC for reasons stated above and because its been done a lot-Seeing as Hashirama’s marriage was to the Uzumaki clan, maybe look into another clan (even an OC clan) that has something that would benefit the village.

This was my first pairing guide, I hope this made sense and helped! : ) If you need any further help, feel free to send in more questions specific to your OCs. (I love seeing OCs with Tobirama haha)

-Mod Sailor

[raendown]

Writer Asks

Got tagged in this whole ass meme by @a-kid-named-hiro so I did the whole ass meme for ya bud. Enjoy. 

ink: what do you do to “set the mood” when writing?

lol I don’t, I just open the Word document and start writing

pen and paper: do you prefer writing by hand or on a device? why?

Typing always. I type a lot faster than I write by hand and since I’ll have to type it up eventually I might as well do it the first time.

diary: how many pieces have you written that are just for you or will never see the light of day?

The only things that never see the light of day are the abandoned pieces.

journal: do you ever write just so you can enjoy something to read?

No, I write because I have stories to tell. If I just needed something to read I would go open up my AO3 bookmarks or grab a book from my library.

novella: do you prefer to write short stories, one-shots, or entire novels?

Depends? I find my strength is in the mid-length stories. Longer ones tend to lose their quality as I go along, at least in my eyes, and I can pump out short stories quicker to feel more productive. But lately I have been more proud of my longer stories as I get more practice with them. 

pulitzer: tell about/link a piece where you felt your writing was the best.

Some things I think I did particularly well on would be In Memory Of, Crowns of Blood and Bone, Protostellar, and Wounded lips and Salted Cheeks.

genre: what genre do you prefer to write in?

Romance and humor.

narrator: what pov do you like writing in best?

Third person past tense. Present tense can be fun too but it’s much harder.

backstory: how did you come to love writing?

In seventh grade we had a ‘writing café’ every Friday during class time where anyone who had written a poem or something could stand up and read it to the class. I was hooked the first time someone said they enjoyed something of mine and I realized that the stories and images in my head could be shared with other people.

time-lapse: how long have you been writing (as a hobby or for work)?

Poetry since seventh grade. Song lyrics since about ninth grade. Stories and fanfiction since ninth grade as well but only publishing them since around eleventh grade I think.

characterization: describe your favorite character(s) you’ve written.

Tobirama, Madara, and Kakashi are always my favorites to make the main character. Their emotions are always so fun to play with. Izuna is amazing to have as a side character because his personality is just super fun. I only have two OCs, both of whom really only appear in one piece each, but I love both Uchiha Susumu and Senju Rei.

carnegie: what authors and/or books/stories have inspired you to write or influenced your work?

David Eddings, favorite author.

faulkner: what tropes do you LOVE writing? which ones are your guilty pleasure?

Soulmates, OBVIOUSLY. Also characters who end up somehow being forced to sleep in the same bed as the person they are secretly in love with, I haven’t written tons of that but I have 85 ideas per day that revolve around it. Same situation for one person getting injured for another person and accidentally letting it slip that they’re in love as they fade to black (to of course wake up in a hospital very embarrassed). MUTUAL PINING. A/B/O is a fave, I need to write more for that. I legitimately have an entire list of tropes somewhere on here…

o’connor: what tropes/genres do you dislike writing?

I’m not great with mystery or anything political. I don’t particularly go wild for the whole “I saved you from a bad relationship and now you’re suddenly in love with me” thing. Cheating is not something I want to write about. Unhappy endings or just straight angst with no light at the end of the tunnel. Off the top of my head I can’t think of many tropes I don’t like but I know there are some.

dickinson: what insecurities do you have about your own writing? what do you think you should improve on?

Oh lots of things. I need to work on fleshing out more than just the relationship between the main love interests, to build the world around more than just them. I need to work on remembering the little subplots I hint at then never follow through with. Pacing. Foreshadowing, I always make things super obvious and I very rarely manage to surprise people with what happens next. Personally I see my story ideas as predictable so I’d like to come up with more daring plots or aus.

playlist: what kind of music/songs help you write? do you have a writing playlist?

I don’t listen to anything while I write, complete silence. If music helps me ever then it would be me hearing a song somewhere and thinking “this line or song would make a great fic”.

record: have you written things based off of songs? do you like to?

Dirty Work and Let’s Hurt Tonight were both written for specific songs and I wrote several songfics back when they were popular like a decade ago. Honestly I kind of miss them. They were super cheesy and often poorly executed but I’ve always been a fan of accidental confessions and using music to do that was always hilarious.

nobel: have you published anything you’ve written? online or irl?

Other than on fanfiction websites no.

notepad: can you write anywhere or do you have to be in a specific place and mood to write?

Anywhere there is enough quiet for me to concentrate, so long as I have something to type or write on.

parchment: how often do you or your personal life influence your writing?

Not particularly often.

dedication: if you were to publish a book or multiple, who would you dedicate the book(s) to?

My fiancé, the people who believed in me here first in fanfiction, and anyone who was a particular help while writing it.

trope: what’s a pet peeve you have about writing?

When I know exactly what I want to happen but the words just won’t come to me.

input: what’s something you hate that people say to you about writing/your writing?

I actually don’t like being compared to other writers. When someone tells me “this reminds me of a fic by so-and-so” it always makes me think “Okay but I’m not them. I’m me. So did you like this on its own merits or did you only like it because it made you think or someone else?” Also not a fan of when someone tells me that the characters would not have reacted a certain way or done a certain thing. Fanfiction is about each person’s interpretation of the characters. None of us are the actual author so none of us have the authority to be up in other people’s comments making them feel bad.

critic: what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about writing?

Stop worrying about whether people will like it. Make sure YOU like it. It will always flow more easily that way and there will always be a few people to enjoy the things you do.

mifflin: what do you feel is your strong suit in writing?

Writing emotions. I’m an emotional person, what can I say?

houghton: what’s something you love that people compliment your pieces on?

I love when they point out a specific turn of phrase they enjoyed or they pick out a specific small detail so I know the little things don’t go unnoticed. Really any compliment is incredible and very appreciated. Did you like the pacing? The characterization? The dialogue? Amazing, you have my whole heart for even mentioning one of those things.