#ayame the ramen man

[arambleaway]

Naruto the Ramen Man

This is an au idea that has been rattling around my brain long enough that I had to drop it here or risk swelling from it bouncing off my grey matter like a ping pong ball.

In another universe, Teuchi is actually the first good connection that Naruto has. In that universe, after leaving the orphanage, Teuchi takes Naruto in and begins teaching him the family trade, even offering him the his last name Rachi, which Naruto happily accepts becoming Naruto Uzumaki Rachi. Iruka comes into play earlier here as he sees Naurto behind the counter and goes through his little crisis over the nine-tails. Therefore, by the night of the Uchiha Massacre, Naruto has a makeshift little family. Afterward, Iruka and Teuchi are scared, and Iruka, having the ear of the Hokage, knows a very minimal bit about what this all means but homes in on the idea brought up that Naruto should begin his training as a Ninja earlier now that Konoha is missing a major power. Horrified, Iruka goes to Teuchi and with Ayame come to the decision to make Naruto disappear.

In the chaos the Massacre creates, Iruka is able to slip in and fudge the paperwork with no one the wiser, changing them to show that "Naruto" was staying with another family. Thus some other blue-eyed blond-haired kid "becomes" the Jinchuuriki. Even the name Naruto is easily forgotten as the only ones at this point that know his name outside the family are really just Kakashi and the Hokage. To the rest he is just he Jinchuuriki.

Anyway, the paperwork gives them time to sneak Naruto out, who is more than happy to comply as rather than a ninja, he dreams of being the greatest (ramen) chef. Teuchi leaves Ichiraku to Ayame and takes Naruto out of Konoha to the capitol of the Land of Fire. There he sets up another restaurant but focuses on trying to gain enough renown and following to make it into the Daimyo's favor and court.

At this point I'm not quite sure what happens. I think that maybe Teuchi gains favor but not enough to serve in the Daimyo's court and Naruto makes it his dream to someday serve food there as the favored chef. In Konoha, I think that Iruka is playing 3d shogi with the paperwork, and managing the human element best he can. He successfully 'frames' some other kid as the Jinchuuriki, which he feels bad about, but this kid already has a support system and Iruka looks after them as well. Ayame takes over Ichiraku and it continues to grow. Once a year or so, she hires Iruka for a C-rank to escort her to the Capitol to visit her 'aging father.'

I was thinking that maybe Asuma would have met Teuchi in the Capitol, but they would likely have just missed each other as he returned to Konoha following the massacre. To clarify, the paperwork shogi only works because Teuchi has kept Naurto away from the masses and only the old orphanage director would probably know the difference. I also think Teuchi stepped in before Naruto was given the apartment and the Hokage became more involved with his life. So the police have all these files on the Naruto Situation, but otherwise it isn't really public knowledge. So Iruka can easily slip in and alter the files to say another family took in Naruto and Teuchi is only noted as being a favorite vendor who occasionally feeds him for free. Iruka can also remove his name from the file completely.

I know that this whole situation is still percarious though, and that the minute Kakashi or the Hokage actually look at the kid they will know whats up. It would be interesting though, if the Hokage doesn't actually see 'Naruto' for years though and prefers to speak with the parents. He goes to them and explains the barest bit of the situation, gives them a stipend and leaves, feeling a bit sad that 'Naruto' agreed to change his name. On the flip side, the couple have a very concerning/confusing conversation with the Hokage followed by a more comforting conversation with one academy teacher who has been minding their son. The son is adopted so the name change isn't worth questioning. So some kid is just living a slightly outcast life but still thriving due to his loving family and teacher.

When Kakashi eventually leaves ANBU, that's when things really start going to shit. Once he finally manages to surface a bit from his depression (to an extent) he takes one look at the kid and goes "that's not Minato's kid what the fuck." Cue him absolutely tearing ROOT apart in his search for Naruto and coming out the other side going, "oh ok so the Hokage isn't stupid he just doesn't care. alright." He seriously considers assassination attempt #2 but doesn't know who else could take over. So after basically tearing Konoha a new asshole and leaving the Hokage to deal with the upset and Danzo, he 'requests' to visit Jiraiya in heavily implied language as he is sure the Hokage must have sent him there to be protected. (A solid plan worthy of a Kage and Kakashi isn't happy he wasn't in the know but whatever)

So Kakashi finds Jiraiya and basically has a minor panic attack when he realizes that Naruto isn't there either. I think this also might be the point where he starts to try connecting the dots on the idea that the Hokage isn't actually aware that the 'Jinchuuriki' isn't actually Naruto. So he bolts back to Konoha after a spectacularly awkward conversation with Jiraiya -- who is exceedingly confused about the whole encounter and just glad to be in one piece afterward -- and Kakashi starts digging into the paperwork. Iruka is immediately on his ass, traking what he knows and trying to figure out why Kakashi would be interested in Naruto. The two play a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game via paperwork until Iruka starts to realize all that Kakashi has done to try and find Naruto and realizes that it wasn't at the Hokage's behest.

So Iruka actually makes contact with with Kakashi, realizing that he could be an ally rather than the ruin of everything. Slowly Iruka learns the concerns Kakashi has about Naruto's safety and the valid political concerns of a Jinchuuriki-less hidden village. (I'm not saying they scheme to kidnap someone from another village but it'd be funny if Iruka got Gaara and the villages played musical Jinchuuriki, acutally managing to put most of them in better situations. And confusing the hell out of the Akutsuki.) Iruka melts like butter at the genuine care Kakashi seems to have for his sensei's son even if he hasn't been around until now. Kakashi gets close enough that Iruka tells Ayame to request Kakashi for her annual trip to the capitol. Ayame is a customer service master and can lie with the best of them and is able to play it off as a crush on the new ninja seen about town (since Kakashi was basically a non-entity before now). Kakashi takes the mission at Iruka's insistence, and brings Kakashi to meet Naruto. Though I'm 100% sure Iruka chakra seals/barrier seals the hell out of Kakashi before the big reveal.

If Iruka has played his cards right, then he is able to imply that this is all done on the Hokage's orders and Kakashi accepts it because that makes way more sense than a Chuunin and two Ramen Chefs being able to pull one over on the Hokage. Iruka also implies that Kakashi has been brought into the 'op' and thus Kakashi becomes Naruto's new big brother as he is apparently a 'ninja chef' that started working with Ayame at Ichiraku. Iruka might also imply that Naruto can know about his parents and Kakashi fucking clams up and flees. He does come back a year later though as a part fo the 'op' and actually tells Naruto about Minato and Kushina. He doesn't mention the 4th Hokage thing and never the nine-tails thing as they are village secrets (though Naruto has been aware of his 'passenger' for years by now).

Naruto obviously thinks a ninja chef is the coolest thing he's ever heard of and wants Kakashi to teach him. Kakashi 'understands' this to be his part of the 'op' and teaches him some basic chakra control exercises as well as leaving some basic fuuinjutsu scrolls. He is called to the Capitol again within a week because the Daimyo is convinced an enemy ninja has been terrorizing the town. Its really just Naruto attempting too much fuuninjutsu. Kakashi sits him down for a serious talk about limits and then tracks down an actual enemy agent to present to the Daimyo.

Throughout the following year, Kakashi takes a lot of missions in or passing though or by the capitol. This has the unexpected side effect of the Daimyo taking a shine to him and the Hokage more seriously working to develop him as the successor. I like to think the whole charade/comedy of errors (via iruka) ends with Kakashi watching the Hokage finally realize that the 'Jinchuuriki' in Konoha is a fake and internally panicking only for Kakashi to be like 'wait what about the op?' and casually explain Naruto's location and 'progress' with chakra and fuuinjutsu. And Hiruzen who has executed Danzo at this point and watched Kakashi single-handedly find the unknowingly lost Jinchuuriki and lay sweeping change to Konoha via the Daimyo's ear and ANBU contacts, just quits on the spot going "ah you have passed the test" and then fucking off leaving Kakashi with the hat. Like a week later I like to think that Tsunade fucking punts Jiraiya through the office door and demands to know what the hell is going on that Jiraiya is panicking over Naruto being missing/dead, only for Kakashi to go "oh thank goodness" frisbee the hat onto her head and dip.

500 miles to the Capitol and closing: a pissed and embarrassed Kakashi followed by a livid Tsunade, followed by a concerned Jiraiya, followed by an exhausted Tenzou seriously considering resignation

Iruka in the capitol, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk with ramen: why do i hear boss music?

[ohai-there]

Can you please write a fanfic where reader is kakashi's soulmate who isn't aware about it... She doesn't believe in soulmates so shika and kakashi and the gang and others help kaka by hiring the reader as personal chef in the hokage residence.. they slowly begin getting close and it's followed by fluff and smut please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please

errr I don't really write reader/SI stuff and smut is something i can only write when the stars align (horny, high motivation, high energy, lots of time) haha but I can give you a snippet :) "I really am so glad that you came to help," Ayame chirps gratefully as she dries off her hands, "I really don't know what i would do without you."

"Shoo, shoo," you say, nudging her towards back entrance, "go and visit Uncle Teuchi, I'll hold the fort until dinner. Tell Uncle I said I hope he's doing better, today."

Ayame leaves with an exhausted, graceful smile and jogs out, disappearing behind the door quickly. When you'd heard news of Uncle Teuchi collapsing from health issues, you'd dropped your job as a waitress of a tea shop in the quiet town of Oe and headed straight to Konoha to check in on your uncle and cousin.

Poor Ayame had been drowning at the workload of keeping Ramen Ichiraku as usual while fretting for her father's health, so you'd just told her I can help, and she'd run you through with the basics of keeping the store open.

Ayame wakes at three in the morning to get the broth going, and gets the shop warmed up until you begin at ten, before the lunch rush, then she gets a few hours break to visit Uncle Teuchi and catch a small nap, before she's back to help with the dinner rush, before clocking out when it quiets down and leaving you to close.

It's a good, stable system. You always were more of a night-owl than a morning bird, and the customers understand that you're new and learning, and are very much forgiving to your slower speed.

The only real downside to the job is - "Aw, Ayame-chan's already gone for the day?" Naruto Uzumaki, the supposed next Hokage asks as he saunters into the shop with a grin - the damn shinobi.

Not that you have any particular hatred for shinobi, but they're just... Well, they're murderers for hire, no matter how you try and dress it. It sure doesn't help that all the blood does something to their brain - as one of your colleagues from the teahouse had whispered to you after a fight had broken out - they're all odd.

Naruto's a good boy, though, he's not quite like the other shinobi who frequent Ichiraku, nor like the occasional ninja you'd seen at the teahouse on those rare days. The problem with Naruto is that where he goes, more shinobi follow - he just has something about him that invites others to join him.

Usually it's that shinobi with the scar over his nose, sometimes it's the youngsters with the freaky eyes and the one with the dog, but today it's a spiky haired, lazy faced man and the goddamned Hokage - again.

"Welcome," you says stiffly, as the air inside the shop gets stuffy with claustrophobia, it's the guards, Ayame had said casually, they're invisible - some shinobi magic - but they have to come in to make sure that Hokage-sama is safe, "Ayame-chan already left to visit Teuchi-oji."

"Ah, right. I'll make sure to visit him, too. He's doing okay?" Naruto beams at you, smile white and bright.

"I think so, what can I get for you today?"

You turn to start cooking up some pork, mouthing along silently as Naruto says, "miso ramen with pork! Extra pork!" and you say, "yes, yes, what about everyone else?"

"I'll have tonkotsu," the lazy one says, slumping into his seat, and the Hokage hums a bit, "I'll have whatever you recommend!"

Customers like that are the worst, how are you supposed to know what they're feeling like eating? You hold back your scowl as you turn back to the brother and make a second serving of Naruto's order to give the Hokage, miso is basic enough that everyone should like it, right?

It takes a while, you're definitely not as skillful as Ayame when it comes to making the ramen, you'd always preferred frying, but you're passable enough the eventually you get three decent bowls served to your customers, Naruto's and the lazy one's served first with twin calls of, "itadakimasu," before they eat and you turn and take the Hokage's bowl, reaching over the counter and placing it in front of him.

He watches you the entire time, his eyes glued to your hands, ignoring the bowl of ramen you'd just placed in front of him to stare at your fingers.

"I didn't poison it," you say dryly, "eat before it gets cold."

"Ahaha, of course I wasn't thinking that, that'd be cruel..." the Hokage says, his eyes flickering to your face as he slowly reaches up to hook a finger to pull his mask down.

You just watch him blankly as the fabric pulls down and reveals a straight nose, thin lips, pale skin and a single beauty mark.

Fuck, you think to yourself, willing the heat in your cheeks to dissipate, why is he always so pretty, because he is, his jaw sharp and bones delicate enough to teeter between classically handsome and unfairly beautiful.

The Hokage's lips pull tight over his white, straight teeth in a soft smile, "itadakimasu," he says smoothly and begins eating with a bright, "delicious!" even though you know that your ramen is mediocre in comparison to Teuchi-oji's and Ayame's skillful cooking - you always overcook the noodles just a bit - and the Hokage's light eyelashes casting a shadow on his cheeks as he lowers his head to slurp up some ramen what the fuck why are they longer than your own?

You're dragged from your staring by the lazy one's voice, "say, what do you think about soulmates?" he's already done eating, and has taken to watching you carefully.

You can't help the disdain from twitching across your face, "I suppose soulmates are an idealistic concept," "I'm asking what you think about them," you can't help but click your tongue, "the idea of having one person you're locked into by fate or whatever, it's a bit... I don't like it, the thought of being trapped from the beginning like that."

"Do you believe in it?"

"Not really," you shrug as Naruto finishes up his bowl, raising a hand saying one more, please! and you turn to get started on another bowl of miso with extra pork, "if soulmates were a thing, wouldn't there be more proof of it? Maybe it's more of a I'll believe it when I see it kind of thing for me, perhaps."

"What about the red string of fate tied around your pinky?"

"Sounds inconvenient," you say, frying the pork with a nice sear, "wouldn't it get caught on something?" and the lazy one just replies with, "hm," and you begin scooping the broth for Naruto, "shinobi-san, is there a reason for your interrogation? Did you find your soulmate? If it's me, I think you're out of luck. You're not quite my type."

"Not me," the shinobi says, his face blank as you turn to give NAruto his second serve, "I'll take a beer."

"Shikamaru-kun," the Hokage pipes up, pulling his mask up as he finishes eating, "you're still on the clock," and the lazy one, Shikamaru, scowls and says, "you owe me, Hokage-sama."

"Now, now, didn't I say to just call me Kakashi? No Hokage-sama going on here," then he looks directly at you, and winks, the bastard knows he's handsome, the fucker, "you don't need to formalities, too."

"Hokage-sama," you say, trying to keep professional, "are you the one paying today?"

"Oh what's that? I think I hear an emergency, I've got to go!" the Hokage chirps and in a flash, far too quick for you to see, disappears in a blur, leaving a single leaf floating onto his empty seat. You stare at it for a second, before you turn to Shikamaru, "you'd better pay for his share."

Shikamaru curses lowly under his breath and takes a gulp of his beer, "bastard," and gives you a curt nod, "by the way, what are you planning on doing after Teuchi-san has recovered?"

You think for a second - you'd essentially thrown away your life in Oe in your haste to come to Konoha to support your only remaining family, so there's nothing left for you in the little town you'd spent the past decade of your life in - so you just shrug and say, "Ayame-chan and Teuchi-oji are my only remaining family. This shop's a bit too small for three of us, though, so I might try to find a job somewhere else so I have enough to get my own place. I'm not too poor at waitressing nor cooking; just not ramen."

"An offer, then," Shikamaru says as Naruto calls out another bowl! Please! and you turn to make Naruto's third serving of ramen, "well paying, extremely safe, board included."

You hum, laying down the pork to sizzle satisfyingly in the oiled pan, "sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?" you add in an extra slice of pork, because Naruto is a good kid and perhaps your favourite customer.

"No catch," Shikamaru says, then, "okay, maybe one catch. You'll need to deal with shinobi, a lot," and that makes you pause, because you'd been trying to keep your general discomfort around shinobi as quiet as possible, damn, how unprofessional.

"What's the job?"

"A personal cook," Shikamaru says after a brief second of silence, "for the Hokage. You'd be offered to stay in the Hokage Residence - there are a lot of empty houses for hoursekeepers and servants available in the compound, you'd need to make three meals a day on all weekdays."

You whirl on your heel, spatula in hand and pointed at Shikamaru from flipping the pork, "I'm not a servant, I'm not going to do anyone's laundry or clean their house nor tuck them into bed, do you understand?"

There's a displeased pull to Shikamaru's face and he just sighs and mutters something like troublesome under his breath and says, "right. Just cooking."

You huff, putting Naruto's bowl down in front of him with a grim smile and he says, "thanks, nee-chan!" and begins scarfing down his ramen, and you turn to Shikamaru, "we can discuss this further after Teuchi-oji recovers. I want a written contract of all specifications by then, to review and decide."

"You should just say yes," Naruto says with his mouth stuffed full, "Kakashi-sensei wouldn't treat you bad."

You grimace and pinch his cheek, "you should just focus on eating. Besides, aren't you a shinobi? You shouldn't be so wishy-washy about things that affect your future."

"But it's Kakashi-sensei! And you're you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" You give his cheek a pull and Naruto spills out half-chewed noodles from his mouth with an ow, ow, ow, nothing, sorry!

Shikamaru, watching the entire interaction, grumbles he owes me so much, then says, "I'll get you the contract by the end of the week. Teuchi-san is already well on his way to recovery," and then he pushes up and saunters from the shop, throwing out a sloppy wave and a quick, "Naruto's paying for all of our meals," just as the door slides shut.

"Wait, Shika?! Everyone's ramen?!!" Naruto yelps, looking like he's about to run after his friend but you grasp him by the collar of his jumpsuit and just say, "Naruto-kun, you'd better not be thinking about running off without paying."

He gulps, "can't you put it on Kakashi-sensei?"

Damn shinobi.

[erimeows]

Stupid

“Staring at Kakashi again, huh?”

Anko damn-near jumps out of her seat as she sits at the dango stand, her good friend Shizune by her side. The two women are enjoying a calm and peaceful lunch together- at least, they were until none other than Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy showed up to enjoy a lunch of their own. As embarrassing as it is, Anko hasn’t been able to keep her eyes off of the Copycat Ninja since he entered the establishment.

Apparently, Shizune has noticed.

“Say that a little louder, why don’t you!” Anko sarcastically scolds and leans in to scold her friend, who offers nothing more than a guilty laugh. “Seriously, Shizune! I don’t want him to know, you know!?”

Anko glances over at Kakashi, who seems absorbed in whatever conversation he’s having with Guy. It seems like the two are talking about an A-Rank mission they have coming up soon. Anko doesn’t care enough to listen. No, she cares, she just wishes she didn’t. So, she looks down at her skewer of dangos and ignores the melodious voice and familiar laugh of the masked man she’s admired since they were young Chunin.

Kakashi Hatake is stupid. Anko Mitarashi doesn’t love people who are stupid. Yes, she wants Kakashi on a carnal level that she can’t quite explain, but it isn’t love- because when feelings are labeled as love, that’s when they become scary. 

When she’s sure that Kakashi isn’t looking their way, she peers over at him again. Puffy, silver hair, a soft charcoal eye, the rest of his face covered by that mask that Anko wants to rip off so badly. The way Kakashi moves is languid and soft just like he is, like he doesn’t have a care in the world despite carrying so much on his shoulders. He never buckles, never bends, never breaks. He just slouches and carries on as if nothing matters. He’s late to everything, he treats his friends like shit, and he’s arguably the worst Jonin teacher in Konoha, and yet…

He’s beautiful. He’s intelligent in battle, graceful, and caring in his own weird way, even if he is an absolute fucking idiot. It’s no wonder so many people love him.

Anko doesn’t know why she never fights it. She never shoves her way in between Kakashi and his admirers, never tries to top her competition. Maybe she doesn’t want to appear desperate. Maybe she fears rejection. Whatever it is, it’s enough to make her stop and look away every time she sees someone who looks at Kakashi the exact same way she does.

Tenzou, who so sweetly calls Kakashi ‘senpai’ after all these years and who follows him around like a lost puppy.

Might Guy, who challenges Kakashi to those stupid contests as an excuse to spend time with him, who is content to stay stuck in his unrequited love so long as he can still have Kakashi as a friend.

Hana Inuzuku, who offers Kakashi and his eight Ninken discounts at her veterinary clinic just so Kakashi will bring in his dogs (and himself) more often to see her.

Iruka Umino, who looks to point out the flaws in Kakashi’s mission reports and talk to him about his students just so he can stare at the Jonin with those big brown eyes for much longer than he really should be.

Ayame, who lumps extra food in Kakashi’s bowl free of charge- Ayame, who seems like she’s fallen in love all over again each time Kakashi takes his mask down to eat at Ichiraku Ramen.

There are so many people in the village who would give their lives for Kakashi, who would do anything for him to notice them. But Kakashi doesn’t appreciate them. He doesn’t even have a clue that they exist, because he’s stupid. Anko has always hated that about him.

Anko lingers at the stand far too long after finishing her food, and Shizune doesn’t question it. They both know her reasons. Maybe she’s not in love with Kakashi, maybe she doesn’t love him, but she can admit to herself and those that are close to her that she at least wants him. So they stay. Anko takes in Kakashi’s presence for a little longer and reminds herself of every little thing that keeps her from loving him.

~

On top of being stupid, Kakashi Hatake is also busy. Too busy. Unlike most of the Jonin in the village who take weeks off after going on a long mission, Kakashi insists on keeping himself busy. It’s odd to her that such a lackadaisical man can’t seem to sit still; to find someone to settle down with, to build a family, to live a normal life. Perhaps it’s from being on that strict Anbu regimen for so long, or perhaps he’s just trying to run from his problems like she does.

Anko doesn’t understand it. She has people who want her, sure. There are some crazy ninja in the village who stare at her with unmistakable lust in their eyes, who want to land her in bed for the sake of being able to say they fucked the crazy snake lady. But none of them love her. Anko doesn’t have any living family, or really any friends aside from Shizune and Ibiki, both of whom she keeps at a comfortable distance. Kakashi, on the other hand, has plenty of people who love him; his three students, Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya, and his many close friends and admirers. Kakashi has everything that Anko wants and he squanders it by risking his life more often than he needs to and refusing to spend enough time with those who love him.

Anko finds herself uneasy when Kakashi is out of town for A-Rank missions, which is all the time now that all of his students are being trained by the legendary Sannin. So, thanks to the friend-killing bastard, she’s uneasy all the time. Part of her wants the opportunity to beat the shit out of him for making her feel this way. The other part of her wants nothing more than to kiss away the problems he’s so obviously running from by overworking himself. 

A terrible habit that Anko has developed is sitting atop the tree branches just outside of the village gates to watch for the other Jonin when she hears he’s supposed to return soon. It’s five in the morning, far too early for her to be up. Neither of the Chunin at the gate have noticed her- a tad embarrassing and concerning considering that they’re the village’s first defense against anyone trying to come in. Then again, if she were them, she wouldn’t expect her to be up there waiting for Kakashi either. 

Eventually, she sees Kakashi start to come through. The older Jonin’s silver hair is crusted in blood that Anko isn’t sure whose it is, his uniform is all sorts of torn, and his empty backpack is almost completely shredded, barely hanging onto his back by a single strap. The way he walks is weird, too, and that’s when the realization hits her.

Kakashi has been poisoned. That explains the lethargic, stumbly way he puts one foot in front of the other along with the far-off look in his eye. He suddenly sits on the dirt ground and stares up at the trees.

“Waiting for me to come home again, hm, Anko?” At that, Anko jumps down from her hiding spot. It doesn’t surprise her that Kakashi already knew, though she does wonder why he hasn’t said anything until now. Anko rushes to sit next to Kakashi and inspect his body to see where the poison was forced in. They’re just far enough from the village gates that neither Kotetsu nor Izumo see them. “You know, it’s too early to be out. Why not sleep if you have the day off?”

“Idiot, you’re hurt!” Anko exclaims with a red face as she finds what she suspects to be the cut that Kakashi’s enemy dealt to poison him. It’s a gash on his palm that appears to be from blocking a kunai. “The hell were you thinking coming back to the village without contacting a medical nin first if you knew you were poisoned? Don’t tell me they actually sent you alone!”

“Heh, I knew you’d be here for me…” Kakashi, clearly out of it, laughs. Then, he offers Anko his hand. “You always are.”

Kakashi is a fool who doesn’t mind throwing his life away for the sake of the village. Anko is no better, but it’s something she hates about Kakashi, as she hates it about herself, too. Just another quality for the list of reasons she doesn’t love Kakashi Hatake.

“Tch,” Anko grunts and places Kakashi’s hand over her lap before placing both of her hands over the wound. She scrounges up what little medical ninjutsu she learned from Orochimaru to draw the poison out of Kakashi’s wound. Thankfully, it’s a small amount that hasn’t spread all the way through his body, so as long as Anko can get him to a hospital after giving basic first aid, he’ll be fine. “You’re lucky I know a bit of medical ninjutsu… It’ll be a botched job, but you’ll live. Now shut the fuck up and let me heal you, yeah?”

“Haha, with pleasure…”

~~

If the stupidity and the reckless mission-after-mission lifestyle aren’t enough, Kakashi Hatake is ugly. Or, Anko assumes he’s ugly, anyway. Why else would he keep his face covered so religiously? It’s embarrassing that Anko is still so attracted to him when the only parts of him she can see are his right eye and his hands.

After dragging him through the village gates and answering a barrage of questions from Kotetsu, Izumo, Lady Tsunade, and all of the medical staff at Konohagakure’s main hospital, Anko is exhausted. Multiple people told her that it was a good thing she’d been there waiting for Kakashi, otherwise he might not have made it to the hospital. The poison he’d been stabbed with was a fast-spreading one with lethal effects, even in small doses. If Anko hadn’t shown up and gotten it out when she did, Kakashi would have probably dropped dead before reaching the village gates and gone unnoticed until it was already too late.

That thought makes Anko angry. The mission was an A-Rank in Sunagakure. There aren’t nearly enough medical nin there, but to think that Kakashi didn’t bother trying to stop anywhere on the way back for help… God, if he weren’t already in the hospital, Anko thinks she’d fucking kill him for being so stupid.

She sits by his bedside, staring at the clock. She has to go help Ibiki with an interrogation in a little over an hour, but with the spare time she’s had, she’s been with Kakashi. He’s unconscious, but stable, fully cleared of the poison that previously afflicted him. Were the poison the only issue, he’d already be discharged, though. Kakashi is also dehydrated, malnourished, depleted of Chakra, and cut badly enough in three different places that he had to get stitches.

Anko could scream thinking about it. She’s mad at Lady Tsunade for sending him alone. She’s mad at him for not taking care of himself. She’s mad at herself for being so upset over it when she feels as if Kakashi doesn’t deserve her anger nor her concern. 

She stares down at him and sighs, unable to help how her face softens. Kakashi is sleeping peacefully, much to her relief. That stupid mask and his stupid headband still cover most of his face. Anko envies the medical staff who got to work on him, as she knows they’ve seen his face, washed his hair, cared for him in a way so intimate… Ew, no. Kakashi is terrible, and he was severely injured. What a stupid thing to be jealous of.

Frustrated, Anko stands to leave, only to feel a strong, cold hand wrap around her wrist. She turns to see Kakashi, who is barely awake and staring at her with a single charcoal eye.

“Anko,” He rasps. “I’m sorry, and… Thank you. Could we go for dinner after I get discharged? I’ll make it up to you.”

Anko almost says ‘yes’ until she remembers just how stupid Kakashi is and decides against it. She doesn’t want to say ‘no’ either, though.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you later, Kakashi.”

Then, she leaves, a pang of guilt swirling around oh-so-terribly in the pit of her stomach. 

She has to remind herself that this is not a regular, innocent man. This is Kakashi Hatake. He’s stupid, he’s far too busy, and he’s ugly. He’s ugly in the way he treats his friends, ugly in the way he hides his face, ugly in the way he hides his trauma, ugly in the way he has no regard for others. Kakashi is as fucked up if not more fucked up than Anko herself, and if she lets him know the truth, she’ll be doomed. That much is certain.

Then again… The feelings she possesses for him far exceed simple want. Maybe she loves him. The only issue is that she knows she shouldn’t. So, whatever love she feels for him, she shoves into the back of her mind and tries to ignore. Thankfully, Kakashi hasn’t figured it out.

~~~

Finally, the worst of all the reasons Anko won’t admit to loving Kakashi; Kakashi isn’t a very subservient man compared to the rest. Most of the people in the village who are crazy enough to want anything to do with Anko- men and women alike- trip and fall over themselves to please her. They bring her coffees at embarrassingly early hours of the morning, they insist on buying her dango at lunchtime, and they offer to take her to the fanciest of restaurants and the sweetest of sightseeing locations. Anko can’t love them because they are not Kakashi, and they only do these things for her because they expect something sexual in return.

However… Deep down…

Kakashi scares her. 

Kakashi has never made Anko coffee, bought her lunch, dragged her along to dinner, or anything of the sort. He’s saved her life a few times, and she’s saved his, but he’s never had that expectant, wanton look in his eye like the others. He would not do anything and everything for Anko to win her affections. Maybe he doesn’t want her affections at all. 

Kakashi, unlike the others, is subtle and confusing. Anko can’t see right through him and decipher his motives, and it’s a pill that’s hard to swallow because she refuses to be the one tripping over her feet to win Kakashi’s love.

Most of the time, Kakashi doesn’t bother sparing a single glance Anko’s way. At least, she doesn’t think he does until tonight.

She sits on the rooftop of her apartment complex, which is coincidentally Kakashi’s apartment complex as well. They live next door to each other and have since Kakashi’s sensei died fourteen years ago. Anko has always wanted to talk to him, but beyond work affairs, she hasn’t been successful. It’s best to just stay away. 

“Anko!” To her surprise, she hears a familiar voice and looks over her shoulder to see Kakashi himself coming to join her on the rooftop through the latch that leads into the apartment’s stairwell. “Funny seeing you here.”

“Kakashi,” Anko stiffly greets as Kakashi sits uncomfortably close to her. Her cheeks burn bright red with a heavy blush as she gets up and starts walking towards the roof’s exit, only for Kakashi to get up and follow her. “I was just leaving!”

“Were you really? Because I saw you come up here not less than five minutes ago.”

“I was just up here for a quick smoke,” Anko lies through her teeth- she hasn’t smoked in years.

“That stuff’s bad for you, y’know,” Kakashi sighs. Anko stupidly turns to face the Jonin, only to find that he’s standing far too close; their noses are almost touching and she can smell his stupidly floral shampoo from where she’s standing. “But you don’t need to lie to me. I’m half Inuzuka and I don’t smell a trace of cigarette smoke on you; just blood and dango.”

Anko shrugs and pretends not to care about Kakashi’s accurate observation. She has remnants of blood on her trench coat from cutting fingers off at an interrogation she did today, and she stopped for dango on the way home. She honestly forgot about the rumors that Kakashi’s mother was a member of the Inuzuka clan, as they’re so overshadowed by the more scandalous and murder-filled rumors that follow the older man around everywhere he goes. 

“Good nose! See ya later,” Anko turns to leave again, but to her surprise (and frustration), Kakashi grabs her by the wrist and stops her from doing so.

“Tell me something first.”

Anko swallows. She feels cornered.

He knows, doesn’t he?

“What?”

“Why are you so scared of me?” Kakashi murmurs.

“Scared of you?” Anko scoffs. Kakashi knows what he means, and Anko knows what he means, but she pretends not to. Maybe if she acts dense enough about this, Kakashi will lose the gall that made him approach her so brazenly in the first place and drop it. “Tch, you may be the Copy Ninja, Kakashi, but I’m not scared of you! I could take you down- just because your reputation precedes you doesn’t mean you’re any better than me!”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re a capable kunoichi, I’m sure you could kill me if you really put your mind to it.”

“Then why the hell would you ask something like that?” Anko retorts and snatches her wrist from Kakashi’s hand. She doesn’t really think she’s stronger than Kakashi; he has years of experience on her, he’s traveled a lot more, he knows more jutsu, and he has the Sharingan. She’d give him a run for his money, but she’s not sure she’d beat him in a fight. “If I’m as strong as you or even stronger than you, I have no reason to be scared, as you put it.”

“It’s not about strength or battle. It seems as if you fear me for more… Sentimental reasons,” Kakashi looks away with that one charcoal eye that seems to be boring into her soul. A light pink dusts the inch or two of his cheeks that are visible past his mask. “You don’t look at me when we see each other in public. You actively avoid me, actively refuse to do missions if there’s a risk of being assigned to a team that has me on it, but you watch me, too… And you keep your distance. You stand on the opposite side of the bar and watch me when I’m with my friends, you watch from the trees by the village gate when I’m supposed to return from missions, you watch Iruka and I ever so intensely when I’m at the mission desk. You even healed me the other day; you saved my life, and yet you’ve been ignoring me since then.”

“And? So what if I do all that shit, you got a problem with that?”

“Well, no, but… If anything, it seems like you’re the one with the problem,” Kakashi says with what sounds like a nervous chuckle. “So, circling back to what I said initially. What’s your problem with me, Anko? Why are you scared?”

Anko makes a break for the exit to the stairwell, but she’s unsuccessful. Kakashi beats her to it and blocks her path with that tall, toned body that Anko wishes she could put her hands all over.

“Let me go, you have no right to keep me here!”

“Tell me the truth and I’ll let you leave. This involves me, and it bothers me; I have the right to know what’s going on.”

“Why do you care? Why does it bother you so much? You don’t care about anything!”

Finally, Kakashi gets frustrated enough to raise his voice.

“I care about you, Anko! Is that so hard for you to believe?”

“What? We hardly even know each other! We don’t talk, Kakashi, don’t make us out to be more than we are! We’re nothing more than coworkers- we’re not friends, we’re not lovers, we’re barely even comrades, so just stop it before I throw you off this fucking rooftop!”

“Fine, I’ll drop it,” Kakashi steps out of the way of the door and crosses his arms over his chest. He looks sad, dejected. Anko thinks of bolting for the door so she can go lock herself in her apartment, but she can’t bring herself to do it. “I guess if you don’t want to explain why you’ve been treating me the way you have, you don’t have to. I can’t make you.”

“It’s stupid,” Anko whispers while twiddling her thumbs. She wonders what her coworkers would think if they saw her like this, what her students would think, what Orochimaru would think. They would laugh, and they would humiliate her for showing such vulnerability as a kunoichi, but… With Kakashi, she can’t help how she feels. That much is obvious. She’s tried pushing the feelings away and labeling them as so many things that they aren’t to avoid them, and they still won’t go away. “You’ll think it’s stupid and you’ll laugh me off the face of the earth.”

“I won’t.”

“How can you promise that without knowing what I’m going to say? What if I give you this leverage and I can’t take it back?”

“That’s your choice to make.”

“I… I want you,” Anko confesses, and in that moment, it hits her all at once. Kakashi Hatake is stupid, far too busy for his own good, and ugly in all the same ways that most shinobi tend to be. But she loves him anyway. “I’ve wanted you for a long time, you fucking bastard!”

“...So that’s what this has all been about.”

“I can’t believe you’ve gone and done this shit to me,” Anko huffs and roughly places her palms against Kakashi’s chest. “Gone and made me feel this way!”

“Why are you mad? It’s fine- you can’t help how you feel.”

“Why am I mad? You seriously have the audacity to ask that? You really are stupid, Kakashi! I’ve never felt this way for anyone. I can’t bring myself to trust anyone, let alone love them. Dozens of people in this village have been trying for years to get me to go on a date with them, and you somehow managed to waltz in and steal my heart without so much as trying! You’re stupid, you’re inconsiderate, you’re reckless, you’re ugly, you’re gone from the village most of the time, and to top it all off, you’ve barely acknowledged my existence up until now! And you expect me to be happy about falling in love with you!?”

“Gee, what a confession,” Kakashi laughs, something light and pleasant to Anko’s ears as he takes her into his arms. The comforting affection is so unfamiliar to her that she goes rigid. “Your sweet, loving words have wooed me into your arms.”

“Would you drop the sarcasm? If you don’t return the feelings, I’ll leave- mmph!”

Suddenly, Kakashi is pulling his mask down. Before Anko can take in his face, however, she feels a pair of soft lips against her own. She allows her eyes to flutter shut as her hands grasp at the soft material of Kakashi’s undershirt. 

“There,” Kakashi breathes against Anko’s cheek. Then, he pulls back and fixes his mask over his face so she can’t see it. Anko huffs in a mixture of frustration, relief, and excitement. Is this a dream? It must be. Kakashi has even lifted his village headband to look at her with his Sharingan… It confuses her at first, at least until she realizes that this probably means a lot to him if he returns the feelings; that he’s probably just using the scarlet red eye to cement this special moment between them in his memory. “Sarcasm dropped. I return your feelings, so there’s no need to leave.”

“Wh… What?” Anko asks. It’s too good to be true. Kakashi is implying that he wants her back, isn’t he? There’s no way it’s real. He’s fucked up, she’s fucked up, and it just isn’t meant to work. Why would he want her over all of the less damaged people that have been tripping over themselves to impress him for so many years? This has to be a joke.  “It’s not funny to mess around like that, I know you don’t want me! Why would you? I’m damaged, and I’m fucked up, and everyone thinks I’m crazy- and they’re right! I am crazy! So, if you’re fucking with me right now-”

“I’m a hundred percent serious,” Kakashi interrupts with a furrowed brow. “I know I can be mean sometimes, but do you really think I’d joke about that with someone I love?”

“You love me…?”

“Yes, do I need to write it on my forehead or will you accept my feelings without another argument?”

“Fine, fine, let’s say you love me, Kakashi Hatake!” Anko exclaims, elated. She has so many questions. How? Why? How long? Why hasn’t he said anything before tonight? How did he figure out that she felt something towards him so easily? But all she can ask is- “What now?”

“I was planning on having a relaxing evening to myself in my room, so if you want, you’re more than free to join me,” Kakashi offers. “Hot bath, lit candles, maybe a tub of vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling frisky… And we could sleep together. Literally, of course. Then, I suppose we can see where it goes from there.”

“...Yeah, okay, sure. I’m game,” Anko agrees with a nod and a smile. “Let’s do it!”

With that, the two go down the stairwell and to Kakashi’s apartment, hand in hand and stupidly in love.

[rayshippouuchiha]

Hi Ray!

I’ve been going through a lot of my old notes recently and I’m just trying to put some of these snippets/prompts out there for anyone who wants to expand on the ideas. I feel like they’re just being wasted in my abandoned notes 😭.

In another life, Naruto would devote his whole being into becoming someone who’s admired, spending his love on miles of land and an idea instead of on people. But in this life Naruto is tired and there are too many plots of land that he hasn’t seen and too many ideas he hasn’t had enough time to fathom.

He wants to travel. To leave.

The Old Man probably thought that his thirst for the outside world stemmed from being stuffed in a room for the first three and a half years of his life, the main visitor being someone who was plotting to kill him all that time. The Old Man definitely thought that his want could be quelled with day time trips around the village; going to the Hokage Tower, strolling the streets during lunch, letting him take a heavily guarded walk home during the evening. But that’s not enough, Naruto wants to see everything.

Introductions pass, Naruto learns absolutely nothing new about his teammates— or even his sensei for that matter, bar from the assumption that he probably has an affinity for being late to things. Still

“Naruto Uzumaki. I like being outside, plants, and ramen. I don’t like bullies, liars, or people who waste my time. My hobby?” He casts a glance to the sky, hands clasped in his lap as he ponders the thought before shrugging. “Gardening I guess, or maybe practicing seals, I like to do both. I’d like to travel in the future.”

Sakura huffs, “Idiot, where would you even travel?”

Naruto shrugs, not even bothering to look at her. “Any and everywhere. From big villages to small towns, everything in between. I want to see the world.”

For this snippet I always imagined Sasuke and Naruto leaving Konoha together, but instead of Sasuke going with Orochimaru it’s just him and Naruto traveling while trying to get stronger. Or maybe they do go with Orochimaru and then leave a couple of months later after they pull a “gotcha bitch move” and just takes a bunch of scrolls and half the population of Otogakure.

Ohh ohhh you're speaking my language here darling. And if you've got more prompts like this feel free to send them in!

Naruto tries to love Konoha, he does. And in a lot of ways he even succeeds. He loves the trees and the tall buildings and the faces on the mountain. He loves Iruka-sensei for the bits of kindness he's given him and Teuchi and Ayame for everything they are. He even loves the Old Man despite how sad he makes Naruto sometimes.

Naruto loves parts of Konoha but ...

(And that's the thing really, the fact that there's a but at the end of that sentence at all.

The fact that his love has conditions, that it's not consuming or eclipsing or any of the things the Old Man had always tried to press into him on their rare times together.)

But...

Konoha preaches the Will of Fire, teaches the preservation of the Great Tree.

It's what the Old Man has always talked about. It's what the Academy and Iruka-sensei have always taught.

It's never set completely right with Naruto.

But then Kakashi-sensei stands before them, something aching in his eye and something speaking of blood and pain and grief draped across the set of his shoulders, and talks about teams and abandonment and what it is to be beneath even whatever tenuous and shifting sort of honor shinobi might lay claim to.

Naruto hears what he does not actually say, picks up on the message between his words.

Better to die fighting at the side of those you love than to live in the shadow of the grief losing them will cast.

And that?

That settles just a bit easier within him.

Still, Naruto can't help but wonder if the other two can see the corpses Kakashi-sensei is so obviously carrying as clearly as he can.

He doesn't think Sakura can, not yet.

He's sure that Sasuke can.

Sakura takes to training poorly in the beginning but Naruto doesn't think it'll stay that way. She's rich steady earth down to her core. He's sure it's only a matter of time before she blooms.

Sasuke is roaring lightning and blazing flame. Consuming without even trying, ravenous by his very nature. Chafing at the bit and driven by a phantom only he can see.

Naruto's pretty sure he's the only person who looks at Naruto and actually sees him.

(That alone would be enough to make Naruto love him.)

And Naruto ...

Naruto has always been a creature of wind and water. Sea-sun gold in his hair and oceans in his eyes. Typhoons lurking in every breath, a maelstrom where his heart should be.

(Sasuke thinks that Naruto might be the only person in the entire village who looks at him and sees Sasuke instead of Itachi, instead of an Uchiha, instead of everything he's never been able to live up to.

He thinks that alone could make him love Naruto if the idea of loving anything again wasn't so terrifying.)

So, when the time comes, Naruto ignores the blood and the pain and wraps his hand around Sasuke's elbow.

Pulls him closer.

Presses their foreheads together.

Sasuke's eyes go wide, tears gathering at the corners.

For a long moment they stay there like that, Naruto's blood slick and burning on both their skin.

"Naruto," Sasuke finally rasps.

An apology. A plea.

"Sasuke," Naruto rasps back, blood thick and hot in his mouth.

Acceptance. Forgiveness.

"I have to kill him," Sasuke whispers, something young but wild lingering at the edges of his tone. "I have to."

"I know," Naruto tells him. "But that doesn't mean you have to do it alone."

"I can't stay here," Sasuke says but there's something fragile, something delicate and yearning unfurling in his eyes.

The tomoe in his eyes look different somehow but Naruto doesn't focus on that.

"I'm not asking you to," Naruto smiles as best he can. "I'm just asking you to take me with you. So we can do this together."

~~~

When Kakashi arrives neither Sasuke nor Naruto are anywhere to be found.

Just a ravaged battleground and a pair of discarded headbands laying overlapped on the shore.

[allthingskakashi]

• Bells and Balls •

[ Kakashi x Reader ]

Tags : NSFW, Smut

Words : 4.8k

A/n: I wrote over 4k words just to get some dick.

Okay sbsbajash idk I'd been working on this for like a whole week and i couldn't concentrate on anything unless i finished this lmao so here it is whatever, I can't drag this around anymore. Uhhh hope you like it I'm still not very good at writing smut im sorry. This takes place in the post Anbu and pre team 7 era and Kakashi’s a bit of an asshole but you know you still love him. This is also a little similar to my other fic ‘Yearning’ but here you get the s e x and i’m sorry if the characterization is bad, i put more focus on making it hot i guess ok ill shut up now i hope you like it

You give the sheet of paper in your hand one final glance, and look around the room. There’s a long line behind you and you’re surrounded by your fellow jounins, each here to submit their respective lists.

You were extremely happy with the performance of your team and didn’t have to think twice before passing them. You had no doubt that they would make wonderful shinobi. You looked forward to teaching and guiding them, and judging by the chatter around you, most other jounins had passed their teams too.

The trouble, however, remains with Kakashi Hatake.

A few weeks ago, you had all been named squad leaders and put in charge of a squad, and today was your very first day with your assigned teams. As instructed, each of you conducted a test for the genin and depending upon whether they passed or failed, the final list would be announced.

No one till date had ever passed Kakashi Hatake's infamous test, and everyone was sure that no one would this year either. Most genin trembled in fear of him, being aware of his strict methods.

And as it happens, at this moment, this infamous man is right in front you, standing with his back hunched forward as he hands his paper in to the woman behind the desk.

You wait for your turn, your eyes fixating on the red symbol on his vest as you wonder, ruefully, about the fate of the students he must have failed this time.

You take a step forward as he turns around, having submitted his paper, and the line moves up behind you.

Kakashi peeks briefly at your paper as he passes, letting out an audible scoff at the list in your hand before walking on ahead, hands tucked in his pockets.

You’re momentarily confused by this sudden act, but something is already starting to boil up inside you. You aren’t exactly known for being placid, nor for sitting by and allowing people to give you crap. Your eyebrows furrow as you hastily thrust your sheet onto the desk, before making your way to follow after him.

“Do you have a problem?” you call to his back as a few heads turn towards you.

He stops, taking his time turning back to look at you, half lidded eyes looking as indifferent as always.

His demeanour pushes you further to the edge and you take a few steps closer, craning your neck to meet his eyes, waiting for an answer.

“Well?”

He peers down at you unfazed, completely oblivious to the audience around you, as if they are not even there.

“You’re too soft”, he shrugs. “You don’t know how the shinobi world works” he says bluntly, piercing you with his unwavering gaze.

You glare back at him, your mouth twitching with the sled of retorts forming at the back of your tongue.

“Who gave you the right to—"

But he’s already turning away from you, your eyes meeting with the red symbol of his vest once again.

“Hey don’t you fucking walk away from me!” you yell, going forward to stop him, but he saunters on ahead without turning back; his scent lingering in the air as you stand there, watching his figure disappear slowly along the hallway, your fury seething inside you.

Who the fuck does he think he is?

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

 “Thank you! This is just what I needed.” you chime, digging into the hot bowl of ramen in front of you, your mouth salivating just at the look of it.

You take a big mouthful, revelling in the immediate burst of flavours on your tongue.

“Mmmm.” You moan, “You’ve outdone yourself, Ayame!”

The young girl smiles at you in delight, proceeding to serve you another helping.

You take another blissful bite, closing your eyes to relish the moment.

The streets are quiet around you except for the faint chirp of crickets, as is expected at this hour of the night. It must be past midnight by now, you’re not exactly sure.

You had been tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. For some reason, the encounter with Kakashi from earlier today had you feeling bitter and edgy. You hated that he was in your head, you didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like you to be this bothered by some mindless comments from someone. You’d had altercations before, worse ones, but they were never enough to steal away your night’s sleep.

And yet, this time…

You had to do something to take the edge off, ideally punch him in the face, but since that was not the plausible choice, you settled for the next best thing. Going for a run and treating yourself to your favourite comfort food later.  

So here you are now, out at night all by yourself. The Ichiraku shop was still open, bless the lords.

You slurp some of the soup from the bowl and let out a loud smack of your lips.

You can feel your spirits lifting, and you’re glad for it. He wasn’t in your head after all, you were just having a bad day, that’s all.

You shift your focus back to the bowl in front of you, moaning and slurping as you go.

“Whoa there, Get a room.”

The sudden interruption of the familiar voice makes you stop cold.

Are you fucking kidding me?

You look up from your bowl, turning your head around to see none other than Kakashi Hatake, standing smug in all his glory.

The strange pang of bitterness is back in the depths of your stomach and you resist the urge to punch that smug look off his face.

“Ah, if it isn’t Kakashi Hatake, the all-knowing wisenheimer.” you say, your tone snide. “Say, don’t you have somewhere else to be? Some genin to fail?”

He comes around to take a seat on the stool beside you, a smirk evident through his mask, almost as if he’s enjoying this.

“I’ve already failed them” he smiles sweetly at you. “Worked up quite an appetite too.” He says, looking away from you to place his order.

You notice as Ayame notes his order down, the distinct shade of pink that tinges her cheeks as does, before turning away and disappearing into the supplies room at the back of the shop.

Ugh. What is with this guy? Why is it so….

You don’t realise you’re staring at him until he looks back at you, raising a questioning eyebrow. You supress your startlement at being caught, pretending as if you’d meant to be glaring at him.

“What the hell are you even doing out here so late?” you spurt, trying to sound irritated but it comes out sounding almost…concerned?

Thankfully, he doesn’t notice. “I could ask you the same.”

You look away, unwilling to answer. You were out here to get him out of your head, and now here you are, sitting beside him in a ramen shop while the entire village sleeps.

It almost feels like you’re the only two people in the world. The feeling makes something churn inside your stomach.

You dab your mouth with your napkin, before swivelling on the stool to face him. You look at him intently, studying his features. He stares back at you, as if waiting for you to say something.

“Why?” you ask, catching him off guard with it.

“Why what?”

“Why does no one pass your test? What’s so difficult about it?” you ask, gaze fixated on him. You expect him to look uncomfortable but he just shrugs.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I’m curious” you reply truthfully, watching him smirk at your answer.  

You hate it when he smirks, how his face looks when he’s being cocky.

Ugh.

He swivels in his chair now, turning his body towards you. “Is that so?”, he says through the smirk, resting his elbow on the counter and leaning in.

You don’t know why, but something about his tone and the way he leans in makes it difficult for you to breathe all of a sudden.

But you’re not one to be fazed.

“Yes” you reply, refusing to let yourself crumple under his gaze. Your voice comes out sounding hoarse, and you clear your throat.

He smirks wider at your reply and stretches the next words out.

“If you’re so curious…Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

Your heart thuds like clapper clanging against a bell. You resist the urge to gulp.

Was it this hot when I left the house?

You clear your throat again. “I don’t have the time to take part in your stupid games”

The smirk is adamant on his lips, his gaze unnerving.

He breathes, “Do you not have the time…or do you not have the balls?”

His tone is challenging. Or inviting. Or both, you’re not really sure, you’re not thinking straight anymore.

Your jacket is too hot against your skin, you writhe beneath the thick material.

Sliding off the stool, you walk slowly towards him, erasing the space in between you bit by bit with each step, until your bodies are a few inches away from touching. Your eyes bore into each other’s as if in silent battle. It’s your turn to smirk now.

“Training Grounds in 20 mins” you whisper. Despite the hitch in your breath, your voice is clear. “Don’t be late.”

You walk past him without breaking your gaze, brushing your shoulder against his arm as you walk by, perhaps a little harder than necessary, leaving Kakashi to stare after you.

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

You sit on the damp grass with your back against a tree, waiting. Your jacket lies in a puddle beside you.

You count the weapons in your bag, you hadn’t exactly come out prepared for a fight tonight. Two kunai knives, that’s all.

Would that be enough to take down the copy ninja? You hope so. There’s no way you’re letting him win. It’s time someone taught him a lesson and you would love to be that someone. The nerve of him…to actually challenge you.

He really needs to get a life. But then, here you are too…

Why am I here? What am I even doing?

You close your eyes and tilt your head back against the hard bark, your eyebrows furrowing the way they always do when you’re deep in thought.

Back at the shop… the way he spoke…the look in his eyes— God, Stop. Stop it.

Who the fuck cares about the look in his eyes?

Not me.

It’s okay. I’m good.

We’re here to teach this asshole a lesson. An asshole, that’s what he is. Insufferable and stupid and smug and ridiculously ho— horrible. Ridiculously horrible.

You take a deep breath, opening your eyes and standing up so fast that it makes your head dizzy for a brief second. You start walking around, jerking your arms and legs, stretching your neck, even slapping yourself a few times on the face to make yourself focus.

Yes, I need to focus. The lack of sleep is getting to me.

You crouch down to tighten your shoelaces, before getting up and starting some stretching exercises. Gotta loosen the muscles, make sure you have full flexibility. After all, taking on Kakashi Hatake all by yourself is probably not going to be a piece of cake.

You look down to check your attire: running shorts and a tank top, not fully ideal but it’ll do.

You’re bent over, in the midst of doing rotating toe touches when your eyes fall upon a silhouette far ahead, nearing closer and closer. You pause, standing up straight with your hands on your hips as the figure walks slowly towards you, a faint jingling noise ringing through the air, as Kakashi finally comes near enough for you to make out his face in the dim light.

“Late as always” you say, crossing your arms over your chest.

Kakashi stands a few feet away from you, holding something in one hand, other hand inside his pocket. He’s not wearing his jacket anymore either, you observe.

“Sorry, had to go get this” he says, holding up what looks like two small bells with strings attached.

You squint at it, coming closer to get a better look. “What the hell is that?”

“Bells”, he smiles. “That’s the test. You have to get these bells from me. You can use any attack you want but… since you’re not a genin, I’ll raise the stakes a little higher for you. You cannot use ninjutsu or genjustu. It has to be purely physical attacks. You have till dawn.”

This little fucker. He knows taijutsu is not my strong point.

But fine. If that’s how he wants to play this, so be it. I’m taking him down one way or another.

“Dawn?” you chuckle, fixing him with your gaze. “I don’t need till dawn” you sneer, coming forward with a kick aimed to his head. He blocks it just as you’re about to make contact, grasping your ankle in his strong hold.

“I didn’t say start yet” he says through a smirk, letting go of your foot.

You take a few steps backwards, glowering at him as he ties the bells to a loop on his trousers. They hang over his thighs with a jingle, silver metal glimmering in the moonlight.

He looks back up at you, eyes twinkling with an unusual sparkle.

There’s that look again…

“Go” he commands, his body tensing up into a defensive stance immediately, ready for you.

You fix your gaze on the shiny metal of your goal and hurl yourself forward, your arms meeting each other’s in blows and defences. You throw a few kicks to his stomach, making him tumble but not enough to knock him out.

You shift your stance, before directing another punch to his face; he deflects it, sniggering.

Okay okay okay, I’m not focusing. I need to focus.

You take a deep breath.

Kakashi stands waiting, his features emanating pure amusement.

You feel a restlessness brewing within you, a strange energy buzzing through your veins. You’d been itching to punch him in the face and now’s your chance.

You watch him, mentally calculating all your options. His silver hair shines like moonbeams in the dark.

FOCUS.

Drawing a kunai from your bag, you lunge forward, distracting him with a kick to the head as your kunai slashes through the air, just about to cut across the strings when— your hand is caught in his grasp, a ‘slap!’ cutting through the air as his palm clasps around your wrist.

He bores into you, your wrist held firmly in his hand as he turns you around swiftly, gripping both your wrists at the back.

You feel the muscles of his chest against your body as he comes closer, the metal bells hanging over his leg brushing against your fingertips behind you.

You wriggle your hands, trying to break free but it’s in vain. His grip is firm, slender fingers digging into your skin as he leans into your ears, his warm breath tickling your skin.

“Not so fast” he whispers, his lips almost brushing the top of your ears.

The words send a shudder through your spine. You feel the black sky closing in on you, there’s a hum springing through your veins.

He loosens his grip as your hands fall, the kunai held limply in your hand. You turn around, your heart skipping a beat at how close he is to you. You feel your resolve weakening.

No.

No.

Stop.

Your hand flies to the collar of his shirt, the other hand holding the kunai to his throat as you push him backwards with your body, your eyes blazing into his.  

Keeping the kunai at his throat, you lower your other hand slowly, brushing it down his chest, his muscles taut under your hand. You trail your hand down along the line of his sternum, down the firmness of his stomach and further down, your fingers lightly caressing the bulge of his trousers before they almost make contact with the bells alongside, right there, just a flick away—

so close—

Before your wrist is caught in a sudden, fast clutch again.

His grip is much stronger this time, unyielding, hungry. Your bones ache beneath his hold.  

You watch something ignite in his eyes as his shoulders rise and fall in rhythm to your heaves. You suddenly realise how out of breath you are.

In the flash of a moment, Kakashi grips your kunai holding hand, holding it away from his throat as he pushes you, the weight of his body pressing onto yours as your feet scrape along the ground, stumbling backwards till your back slams against a tree, the force making your body jolt. The kunai slips from your hand.

His arms pin you defenceless against the tree, his gaze holding you hostage, burning through your skin.

The touch of his skin against yours feels alien. When was the last time you felt the warmth of someone’s skin? You cannot recall.

He’s so close to you, you cannot see anything beyond him.

In the dark, under the moonlight, the edges of his face look softened.

A wind passes by, the sound of rustling leaves filling through the silence. A volcano erupts within you.

Now.

You gulp. Up this close, you can make out the outline of his mouth.

Now.

Your lips press into Kakashi’s in a desperate lurch, your neck straining to meet him as far as his grip on you allows. Your heart explodes like firecrackers inside your chest as your tongue pushes against the cloth of his mask, demanding to be let in.

You feel his grip loosen around your wrists as the mask is off and he reciprocates, his lips on yours, his hand gripping your chin up as his tongue moves in fervent swirls inside your mouth.

A thousand questions swarm inside your head, buzzing but you’re not being controlled by your head anymore. You can feel the thud of his chest against your own.

He trails his hand down to your throat, holding you in place, other hand exploring every edge and curve of your body before it snakes down the waistband of your shorts, down the elastic of your underwear.

You gasp, arching your back as you feel the touch of his long fingers down there, moaning helplessly into his mouth as he rubs along your wet entrance in rapid strokes.

Your head is a dizzy mess of jumbled emotions as yearning overpowers your senses, your previous resolve weakening into a mushy puddle with every stroke and thrum of his fingers inside you.

He pulls away from your mouth to leave sloppy kisses down your neck, his tongue painting patterns along your skin as you catch a glimpse of his face and you see it— his face, glowing under the moonlight. And you realise.

He’s…beautiful.

An overwhelming ache breaks through your senses, creating a frenzied whirlwind of passion and agony in your mind. Your detestation for him crumbles into pieces underneath the weight of your desire, as you realise…

You don’t hate him.

You never did.

Not even close.

Not even a little bit.

Not even at all.

You pull his face up to meet your lips again, planting urgent kisses on his mouth as your hands tease the hem of his shirt. His fingers slip out of you and you can feel the wetness of your panties, soaked through with arousal.

“Kakashi…” you whisper in pleasure as he looms over you, your foreheads touching, out of breath and heaving with exhilaration. His eyes burn with the same passion that you feel inside.

“We can’t…shouldn’t…here…people...” you mutter in struggled breaths, as he plants another kiss to your lips, the sparks from it fogging your mind

“Since when do you care about people?” he whispers against your ear, his raspy voice enough to strip you off of all your remaining sense and judgement.

You pull his shirt over his head in one swift motion, throwing it to the ground beside as he follows, taking off your shirt and then unhooking your bra, tossing both away as his hands reach for you in hungry clutches.

His hands caress your breasts, pressing them and pulling on your hardened nipples, his mouth following soon after. His lips lock around them, sucking hard as you bury your face into his broad shoulders, biting lightly to keep yourself from screaming.

You sink your fingers into his hair, tugging softly as his mouth moves in a wet trail further down your body, strands of his hair tickling your stomach as he goes, his hands tugging your panties, sliding them down the curves of your hips.

Your heart thuds in your ears as Kakashi sits crouching in front of you, parting your legs. He looks up at you, as if asking for your permission, and you give it to him by pulling the back of his head closer between your legs.

He puts your right leg over his shoulder, spreading you for him, his other hand clutching the back of your left thigh as his mouth teases you down there.

The tip of his tongue flicks at your entrance, before it finds your weakest spot, and you feel your body shuddering, barely able to keep your balance.

You tug at his hair harder as his tongue moves skilfully inside you, fingers rubbing your swollen clit simultaneously. You feel every nerve ending in your body come alive as you moan out his name “K-Kakashi…” through trembling lips.

Your insides shudder and a deep moan forms at the back of your throat, threatening to escape as Kakashi puts his hand over your mouth, before pulling you down on top of him with a sudden tug.  

You come down with a thud on his thighs, your body jolting with the force as you watch him in front of you, the copy ninja… bare bodied and heaving in front of your eyes.

Who would have thought…

You straddle him, admiring his unclad torso, before pushing his shoulders down with your hands, making him lie back on the grass as you stoop over him. His eyes are fixated on you, pure pleasure making itself known on his face.

He really is beautiful.

You bend forward, your mouth exploring the smoothness of the skin on his chest, as a strange cold feeling down there distracts you.

You look down, squinting in the dark to find yourself sitting on two glimmering metal balls placed over his thigh.

The bells.

A thrill runs through your nerves as you smirk, glancing up at him.

He’s noticed it too.

His eyes return the same sparkle of mischief as yours as he lies still, waiting.

You press your hands down on his chest, locking your gaze with his as you position yourself over the bells, tilting your head back as you move back and forth over them.

The cold metal of the bells rubs against you, sending tremors through your entire body.

Your gaze at Kakashi again, watching him squirm at the sight of you, his hands twitching to feel your skin.

You keep your eyes on him as you slide down slightly on his thigh, tugging his trousers down as you go. Your hands find the base of his cock as you allow yourself to admire his throbbing length.

He leans his head back on the grass and you feel him getting harder in your hands.

Forming your hand into a fist around him, you move it up and down along his shaft in slow steady strokes, leaning down to bring your mouth closer to his tip, before swirling your tongue in circles around his skin.

His hips tremble as he clutches onto the grass, writhing.

Your lips clasp around his cock, mouth slurping up and down his length, taking your time sliding down to the base and back up, your hands following suit.

You tease him, switching between the tip of your tongue and your whole mouth, sending sparks of pleasure shooting through him.

He quivers and you sit back up, bending forward over his face and pressing your lips on his. A groan from his mouth erupts inside yours as he clutches your hips.

His hands guide your hips back and forth over his length, your lips trembling as he slips into you, his cock finally inside you, pushing into you, filling you as deep as you can be filled.

A new rush of pleasure burns through your senses, your insides stretching as you move your hips around him, back and forth and then in circles.

“A-a-ah...mm…yeah…”, your muffled moans cut through the depths of the forest in the silence of the night.

Kakashi breathes your name, the eruption of your name from his lips enough to send you to a frenzy, filling your heart with drunken fervour.

You moan his name back in reply, hopping up and down on him as his arm snakes behind your waist and he flips you over in a sudden, swift movement, the weight of his body falling over you now.

You arch your back, pushing your hips up to meet his, unwilling to break away even for a second.

You want him so, so bad.

The pointy peaks of grass underneath poke your skin, your nails digging into his back as he nibbles on your neck, thrusting deep, deep into you.

You feel the familiar shudder from earlier again, your mind getting clouded with waves of pleasure coursing through you. Kakashi’s grunts quaver in your ear as you feel his hips jerk in tune to yours.

There’s a tantalizing jolt of ecstasy through your body as you scream out, your quivering voice matching his grunts as you both put a hand over the other’s mouth, your muffled moans melting into each other’s skin. He quivers inside you for a final time before you feel him slipping out of you, as hot wet cum trickles along the insides of your thighs, dripping into the dewy grass beneath.

Droplets of sweat from his hair drips down on you, tasting salty in your mouth. You heave together in exhaustion as he plops down on you, before rolling to the side.

You lie on your back panting, your entire body damp with sweat.

Languor threatens to take over you as you struggle to keep your eyes open, looking up into the night sky.

You see a firefly glowing above your head. You lift a lazy hand to reach it, but it flies away far above, becoming one with the twinkling stars in the sky.

Soft sounds of Kakashi’s breath echo beside you, his foot still touching yours lightly as the both of you lie heaving under the stars.

He turns his head to look at you and you can feel his eyes on you as you try, with all the fibres in your body, to not look back at him.

You know you won’t be able to hold yourself together any longer if you do.

He extends a hand towards you. “That was…”

“Sshhh… Shut up” you say in a slumberous whisper, moving closer into his arm, putting your own around him, your head buried into chest as you feel your eyes getting heavy…not able to stay awake anymore. You feel Kakashi envelope you in his arms, the warmth from his skin against the cold air lulling you to sleep, your mind becoming foggy as you close your eyes, slowly drifting off somewhere far, far away…

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

Your eyes open to the chirping of birds perched on the branches above, rays of morning light casting a rosy glow in the horizon.

You watch the half light in the distance, rubbing your eyes, smiling to yourself.

The night had taken with it the black clouds of denial fogging your mind, your heart is as clear as day now.

You turn your head just in time to see Kakashi opening his eyes, his eyes puffy, imprints of grass marking his soft cheek.

You smile at him as he looks at you, lips curled into a sleepy smile. “Good morning” he yawns, tapping over his mouth with his palm.

“I won.”

“Hmm?” he asks groggily, eyes still adjusting to the light.

You hold up the two small bells in front of him, they jingle over his face.

He chuckles. “I don’t think so. It’s past dawn”

“I took them off before. I won.”

He laughs again, his face lighting up in a way you’d never seen before. He looks even more beautiful in the daylight.

“In all fairness y/n, there are no losers here.”

You laugh along with him now, reaching across and smoothening the imprints on his cheek, keeping your hand there, cupping his cheek.

“So, I passed?” you ask, looking at him, inching closer.

He looks back at you, with the same look from earlier in his eyes.

But you’re not turning yourself blind to it anymore.

“Top of the class” he laughs, pulling you closer, nuzzling your nose with his before pressing his lips into yours.

Notes :-

Did I quote 10 Things I Hate About You on a Kakashi Smut?

Yes, yes i did.

[ukaiknowsbest]

What other female characters from gintama you like/find interesting besides Otae?

Most of the women in Kabukichou tbh: Otose, Tetsuko, FIrefighter girl, Pirako, Kimiko, Saigo, Ramen shop owner wife, MItsuba (bless her soul). They are all very cool. They're the strong women of gintama which uphold the show's values. Their stories are so familiar, so real and the way the live life is inspirational. Kudos and I wanna be like them.

Sarutobi Ayame

broo she's a stalker, she sexually assaults gintoki in his sleep. Like I should hate her. I do hate that aspect. I really do. I hate what she does to Gintoki. I hate that she stalks Otae too. Their whole dynamic is fckd up. And the show doesn't sugarcoat how fckd up it is. I don't see merch romanticising/normalising her stalking of gintoki (not as much as gross ko/ntaea stuff, but ya'll can correct me on this no pressure).

Anyway. Sarutobi as a character, as a woman is hella fun. She wears her heart on her sleeve, she says what she thinks without filter, she calls people out, she's not afraid to show her true self no matter what. In Be Forever Yorozuya, her whole outburst to Otae on the latter's deathbed carried the emotional tone of the movie.

Sarutobi gives me the chills for all of that.

In a society where showing one's true face is downright unacceptable, Sarutobi is the heroine. Add the whole mesu-buta thing (whore pig): That is a slur real japanese people use for sexually active/liberated women (cant find the source on this anymore, sorry) you know? Most traditional japanese hate it when women are vocal about what they want in public. Add glasses to that. Did you know that some shtty companies in japan won't hire women if they wear glasses??? i forgot the reasoning but that exists irl. Gintama is so mean to characters with permanent glasses istg. Sarutobi got the jackpot for unpleasantness by japanese standards.

Sorachi redeems her by making her the absolute elite in her job as a ninja. I like how consistent her job role is. I like how selfish, how duplicitious, how very close to real shinobi/ninja the oniwabanshu, especially Sarutobi is. I would gush about it on and on. Because it's awesome, she's awesome.

Another thing about Sarutobi that is cool? Her life doesn't revolve around stalking GIntoki. He's more or less an important sidequest for her but when things really matter, her job comes first, Zenzou come first, Oniwabanshu come first. Sarutobi is a certain bonafide professional thru and thru.

okay okay okay another thing! Sarutobi has the most interactions with other men next to Otae (whom she consider as best friend and ultimate love rival). Bruh. She discusses information toe to toe with Katsura, got close and personal with Takasugi and Kaientai (she was stabbed), hangs out with Kondou, with Madao, with Okita (ffs man that was genius - dekobokko). Her character is so well fleshed out imho. SHe could've been done better i know. But I also think that she is hella fascinating the way that she is. BOKE RULE THE WORLD.

[happyocelot]

New Year

NH Month is over already! Wow. That was fast. I'll miss updating this every day. :)

Happy New Year! See you in 2022!

Naruto shivered, wrapping his traveling cloak tighter around himself. Training with the Pervy Sage had its moments – free popsicles, arguing with stupid overgrown frogs like Gamariki-san, and sometimes – often – he got head pats and bear hugs when training went well and even when it didn't. Traveling around the countryside of the Land of Fire, where he was just another stranger with a Konoha hitai-ate, and not that demon child...

Naruto never knew how refreshing anonymity could be until he stopped at an udon stall the other day, and the storeowner didn't throw him out or overcharge him or sprinkle salt everywhere, and didn't even give him any more than a sideways glance as he returned some spare change.

So he wasn't complaining! This was all valuable for him, to bring back Sasuke and become Hokage.

He wasn't complaining...

But still. There were some things that just weren't that great about traveling around the countryside for months and months. He'd gotten used to sleeping against tree bark and the lumpy futons of low-cost inns, but winter had set in and he was freezing his ass off here in the outskirts of some tiny village in December.

Against his will, his thoughts wandered back to Konoha. He counted the dates in his mind, and started in surprise as he realized that the new year was just around the corner.

His mind zoned in on Ichiraku Ramen with laser-like focus.

Ramen...

New Year...

He didn't really have too many people to celebrate New Year's Day with for a long time. But even though Old Man Teuchi didn't make any special soba, he always let Naruto stay at Ichiraku until midnight and gave him extra-extra-long ramen to eat as they listened to the shrines ring in the New Year. And Sandaime had always let him stamp away at the nengajo that he would customarily send to all the clans in the village.

To be honest, Old Man Teuchi and Big Sis Ayame and the Hokage were the only ones for a long time. But now he did have his teammates and sensei and his other friends. But he'd only known them for a few months, and now he wasn't even there on New Year's Eve. Instead, he was freezing his ass off while –

Jiraiya giggled next to him, furiously scratching away at a bundle of postcards.

"Pervy Sage," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Hmmm?" Jiraiya looked up, his fingers splotched with ink. "Oh...well, my publisher sends me fan mail, you see, and I've gotten the nicest messages for New Year's, and I just have to respond."

Naruto leaned over his shoulder. "Dear Kazumi-chan, Happy New Year! I'm so glad you liked the – " he began reading.

Jiraiya hid it with his hand, wearing an exaggerated scowl. Naruto knew he was just kidding, because his eyes were crinkled up. "You want to read this, but you refused to proofread my draft yesterday?"

"Hey, it was boring."

"It's a bestselling series of novels!" Jiraiya yelled, still fake-scowling, drawing a laugh from Naruto.

"Who knew there were so many boring old pervs in the world?" Naruto said nonchalantly, trying to mask the idea that had newly taken shape in his mind. Nengajo, friends...fan mail. "Anyway..."

He leaned over and snatched the bundle of nengajo out of Jiraiya's hands. "I'll...I'll proofread these, since you're so pushy, Pervy Sage. I wanna make sure that Kazumi-san knows that you're gonna kill off – "

"NO! No spoilers in the nengajo!" Jiraiya tried to grab Naruto in a playful headlock, but Naruto danced out of his reach.

"I'll spoil everything!"

And with that, Naruto rushed off far, far away with the nengajo in hand, leaving Jiraiya in the dust.

Jiraiya was just about to follow after him when he spotted the postcard to Kazumi dropped on the ground, completely untouched, along with all the other ones addressed to his many fans.

He turned to watch Naruto climb onto the highest branches of a tree with what he clearly believed to be stealth, careful not to crumple a single blank postcard (a good thing, in Jiraiya's opinion, because those were damn expensive, with the cutesy custom-made rabbit patterns all along the sides, paid for with Jiraiya's own cash and not poor, poor Gama-chan's stomach).

"Hopefully he won't give the wrong message to his friends." He sighed. "We really need to work on his subtlety skills."

***

Hinata wasn't expecting too many postcards for New Year's Day. Of course, her teammates and Kurenai-sensei would send her some, and maybe so would Sakura. Perhaps some of the kids in other noble clans would too, out of courtesy. She wasn't very popular or well-regarded.

She was wrong. She'd bagged quite a lot of nengajo, not just from her teammates and friends from the Rookie 9, but also, for some reason...Jiraiya-sama.

Well...Jiraiya-sama's name was on the envelope with a cute little custom frog logo along with a photo of a picturesque snowy village. Judging by the dark shadow of the mountains, it was a village somewhere in Fire, probably not too far from Konoha.

Hinata just had no idea why he of all people was sending her a New Year's greeting. They had never even spoken, and she still hadn't read any of his books. Apparently, she was too young, according to Kurenai-sensei and some older people in her clan.

She opened the envelope, confusion mounting steadily in the furrow of her eyebrows.

Cute little bunnies decorated the edges of the postcard, and she had to squint to understand what he had written. It was in messy brushstroke, like Jiraiya-sama had wanted to practice his calligraphy for the nengajo, but had rarely, if ever, practiced calligraphy in his life, had used too much ink, and messed up the stroke order.

In short, it was borderline incomprehensible.

Dear Hinata!(?)

I hope...

Here the ink was too smudged for her to make out was written.

New Year! Gamariki-san...lipstick marks...hate him...genjutsu.

Have been practicing...again the writing broke down into scribbles...spoiler warnings...

Hope you're doing okay! Looking...see you again...

She reached the end of the note, which was signed with an equally incomprehensible autograph along with a very elaborate, inky spiral that blotted out the rabbits on the bottom of the paper.

She supposed it was...nice to get a New Year's greeting from a Legendary Sannin. Even though she had never even spoken to him before. But he hoped she was doing okay! That much was legible among all the other gibberish on the postcard. It was the sentiment that counted, and now that she thought about it, it was probably Naruto who had made him send it. They were on a training trip together, after all. He must have asked him to send nengajo to all of their other friends, too.

Still, it would've been nice if Naruto himself had sent the message. Not that she was complaining. He'd obviously been thinking of her over the New Year, and while she wasn't very popular or well-known, the fact that he of all people asked a Legendary Sannin to write her a message...

Suddenly, her stomach turned very warm, and she was glad that Teuchi-san let her stay at Ichiraku until midnight to eat the extra-extra-long ramen (oddly, no one in her family complained at all).

Far away, Naruto sneezed.

[depressedhatakekakashi]

'Ryyyn I'm in paaaiiin I hate being on my period bc it's super painful even if I take lots of painkillers, can I ask some painful period hc for Kakashi? If I have to suffer I refuse to do it alone ♡

Period day means one thing. Pain killers. All of the painkillers. Dying via bodily suffering does not get one out of their regularly schedualed shinobi duties so Kakashi survives off of painkillers

they're not enough to get rid of the pain, but they help him go from 'curled up in bed dying' to 'able to walk around looking sort of sickly but still alive'

His friends know right away when it's that time of month. The far away stare in his eyes changes just a little and becomes more distant.

When they realize what's going on, they act fast. Chocolate isn't a go to for Kakashi because he doesn't like sweets, but Grilled fish and miso soup are absolutely necessary.

Naruto once made all of team seven go to Ichirachu for lunch after training during Kakashi's period, and Teuchi knew almost immediately to make Miso ramen for Kakashi. not just because it's what he usually orders, but because this man looked like death. Teuchi knows that look all too well because of Ayame and her mother.

If Kakahsi miraculously has the day off, he doesn't move out of bed. Sometimes because he's just in too much pain to even try (seriously how does it hurt more than being stabbed? Kakashi has so many questions) but because he doesn't have to. Training can wait one day and it WILL.

If one of his friends is available to give up a lap for the day and run their fingers through his hair, Kakashi will be eternally greatful. it doesn't make the pain go away, but it eases the suffering just a little having someone he trusts watching over him.

[em-neko]

FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM (KBTBB HEADCANON)

how i think mc would’ve met + fallen in love with the bidders if she hadn’t been put up for auction.

oh and i added a song to go along with each scenario, enjoy!

a/n: the auctions don’t exist in this universe, so the bidders don’t know each other (assuming soryu, eisuke and luke didn’t stay in contact after high school). however, shuichi and hikaru are friends.

EISUKE

when mc worked at the tres spade, they’d often run into each other

she’d always catch his eye, but he wasn’t sure why

she was just like any other maid, after all

but to him, she seemed different somehow

one day, his curiosity got the best of him and he promoted her to the penthouse

at first, she was really shy and wouldn’t even look him in the eye

he’d try chatting her up (in his own way)

but she wouldn’t open up (understandably)

so one day, he asked her to make him coffee

their first conversation was about how eisuke liked his coffee

somehow, he managed to make her laugh

and slowly, she began warming up to him

since then, whenever she’d go up to the penthouse to clean, they’d end up just talking the entire time

mc got in trouble for it (and by trouble i mean, erika and tweedledee and tweedledum bullied her about it) but eisuke always defended her

if eisuke was too busy in his office to talk to her, he’d leave her a small present on the coffee table for her to find

things like jewelry, clothes, beauty products and sweets

in exchange, mc left notes and doodles for eisuke to find

once she even left a short comic that she’d written and illustrated for him to read

he saved them all

soon, their relationship turned flirty

eisuke would tease her constantly

sometimes, he’d jokingly pin mc down on the couch

or he’d give her little surprise kisses while she’d be cleaning

mc would always blush and get super flustered

in typical eisuke fashion, he’d play it off as a joke

but it was obvious he really liked her

soon, eisuke offered her to move into the penthouse

he blamed it on boredom and pulled them “it’s for work” card, but mc saw right through it

and she agreed

SORYU

i genuinely don’t think they would’ve ever met if it weren’t for the auctions

however, i could see them potentially meeting in a bookstore

it was that cliche, looking over the shelf, eyes meeting type of thing

soryu didn’t pay any mind to her at first, but he’d remember her face

he found himself thinking about her a lot

she was scared of him at first, but she found him really attractive

so they’d both go to the bookstore every few days, hoping they run into one another

they wouldn’t speak to each other though

but that doesn’t mean the staff of the bookstore didn’t take notice of their occasional glances

they were kinda suspicious because mc and soryu would always be in the store at the same time

so one day, after closing, the staff reorganized the shelves so that the romance section (mc’s favorite section) would be right besides the crime novel section (soryu’s favorite section)

hoping they’d talk to each other

and it worked!

when mc and soryu returned to the bookstore the next day, they realized that things had been move around

and found themselves shoulder to shoulder

mc eventually gathered up the courage to ask him what he was reading

and he offered to buy her a book he liked

in exchange, she bought him a book she liked

every few days, they’d purchase books for each other, and talk about the last books

mc began to leave notes in soryu’s books

and he left notes in hers too

notes turned to letters

and soon, a phone number was left on the bottom of one of the letters

OTA

they met at a museum

ota was there to look for inspiration

while mc was just wardering around on her lunch break

ota caught mc’s eye immediately, he’s the angelic artist after all

but she didn’t want to bother him, nor did she have the courage to talk to him in the first place

so she just pretended like she didn’t see him

when the paparazzi and ota’s fangirls catch wind that he’s at the museum, they all swarmed the place

ota frantically tried to find a place for hide

and luckily for him, mc found a way to sneak into the security guard’s office

she ushered him in and told him to hide under the desk

while waiting for the chaos to cool down, they joked around and laughed together

ota told mc she looked like his old dog and called her koro as a joke

she rolled her eyes, before bursting out laughing

he started treating her like a dog (asking her to sit, give paw, jump etc.) and she played along

they both laughed together hysterically at the end

when the chaos cooled down, ota left his hiding spot

but, not before asking her if he can “take her on a walk sometime”

she’d bark happily

i made mc a whiling participant to ota’s shenanigans because a big reason why i didn’t like ota’s main story was because i felt so bad for mc

MITSUNARI

they met after baba had stolen a painting at an gallery, owned by a child predator

ayame was chasing him down the street

with no where to go, baba ran into a random building

(that happened to be mc’s apartment complexe)

he entered a random apartment on the second floor

(which also happened to be mc’s apartment)

and hid inside her bathtub

when mc got home and found him inside her bathtub, she freaked out (obviously)

she yelled at him and beat him with a broomstick

somehow baba managed to talk her out of calling the cops by explaining the situation to her

after she calmed down, they drank some tea together and chit chatted

mostly about their jobs

baba teased her a lot about being a maid, while she simply blushed, too shy to tease back

but she couldn’t hide the fact that she found good looking

minutes turned to hours

and the next morning, mc woke up in her own bed

turns out, baba had carried her to her bedroom after she’d fallen asleep while they were talking

and sat at the foot of her bed until the crack of dawn

just to make sure she didn’t have any nightmares after the scare he gave her

to thank her for “the unforgettable night” she gave him, he left her a note with his phone number on it

and at the bottom, it was written to call him if she ever needed help

and he’d be there

mc didn’t think she’d ever use it, after all she wasn’t stupid, she knew a womanizer when she saw one

but when she got invited to a party a few days later, she realized that she needed a date

and who better was to call than the flirty thief she’d just met?

MAMORU

they met on the bus

mc was on her way to meet a friend

while she was sitting on the bus, reading her book, mamoru came stumbling in

mc noted that he looked sleepy

when he came towards her, she made sure to move her back out of the way so he could sit down

mere seconds after the bus began moving again, mamoru fell asleep

on mc’s shoulder

mc didn’t want to wake him up and ask him to move because he seemed so exhausted

so she let him sleep on her

she didn’t mind too much, besides she was only getting off at the last stop

and she thought he was pretty cute, but she’d never admit that

but then, the last stop came

and mamoru was still sleeping on her shoulder

mc wondered if he’d missed his stop or if he was getting off on the last stop too

she gently nudged him, calling out to him to wake up

when he woke up, he realized he’d missed his stop and started freaking out

he blamed mc for not waking him up at his stop

mc retorted that she didn’t know which stop was his

and they walked off the bus bickering

they continued arguing on the street too

until mamoru realized how stupid he sounded and somewhat apologized

mc was understandably annoyed that this man had wasted her time and stomped away

but before she could get far enough away from him, he called out to her

he asked her if he could apologize to her with some dinner

he expected her to say no

but instead, she told him she’d only go if he took her to the best ramen place in town

and he agreed

LUKE

like soryu, i can’t imagine them ever meeting if it wasn’t for mc being sold at the auctions

however, there is a possibility that they’d run into each other at the hotel

mc had just gotten transferred to the tres spade dubai

and luke had a meeting there with potential patient

while luke waited for the patient in the lobby, all of the female staff members were checking him out

of course, he is very handsome after all

mc didn’t pay too much mind, she admitted he was good looking, but this was the tres spade

handsome men came through those doors every day

so she simply walked by and continued her work

and luke and his patient eventually went to his suite

a few hours later, mc was asked to bring some refreshments to room 145

turns out, it was luke’s patient’s suite

she smiled politely at luke and his patient and placed the bottles of whiskey on the table in front of them

eyes wide like he was in a trance, he reached his fingertips towards her chest

panicked, mc was about to push his hands away and apologize, thinking he was reaching for her breast

but he wasn’t

instead, he began caressing her collarbones, while praising their beauty

mc and the patient stared at each other with big eyes, confused as to what to do

“uh.. dr foster, are you okay?”

mc was beginning to get flustered at how close luke was

so she gently placed her hands on his and pushed them off of her

she apologized and told him she had to go, and to call the front desk if he needed anything else

but before she could leave, luke called out to her

he asked her if she’d come to his clinic sometimes

he wanted to get x-ray’s of her collarbones

and as weirded out as mc was, she agreed

SHUICHI

they met while shuichi was staying at the tres spade japan on a business trip

mc had just finished cleaning the third floor

so she stepped on the elevator to make her way to the twentieth floor, where she’d end her shift

shuichi was already inside

she bowed to him, greeting him politely

he simply nodded his head

after pressing her floor button, she stepped back and stood besides shuichi

they rode in silence

until the elevator suddenly came to a harsh stop

mc began freaking out

and shuichi got frustrated

he tried mc calming down in his own way

she got pissed at him

but hey, at least she wasn’t panicking anymore

shuichi clicked the help button and they waited

and waited

after a while, while they sat on the floor, mc apologized to shuichi for the inconvenience

he assured her that it wasn’t her fault

after a brief moment of silence, she asked him why he was staying at the tres spade

and they began talking about work

soon, the conversation turned political

mc was a unsure because of how stiff shuichi was

she thought he was annoyed at her

but he wasn’t

in fact, shuichi was impressed by how educated mc was on the subject

and he loved how casually she spoke about it too

once help finally arrived, he couldn’t help but feel sad that the conversation had to come to an end

he genuinely loved talking to her

she was laid back, but intelligent, a combination he found very attractive

so he asked her she’d be his date that night to his business dinner

and she said yes

HIKARU

they met at work, of course

hikaru was always super friendly towards mc

he’d always help her when he had free time

sometimes he’d buy her food at the cafeteria

or bring her coffee from the local coffee shop

soon, mc began developing a little crush on him

at least, that was until he lured her to into a secluded area at the hotel and threatened her with a knife

turns out, he was going after the wrong person

his target’s wife coincidentally had the same first and last name as mc

hence why hikaru confused them

he apologized

but now that she knew who he really was, he couldn’t just let her go

so he told the manager that they were dating and he wanted mc to move in with him

unfortunately for mc, the manager said yes

and they moved in together

at first, mc was (understandably) afraid of hikaru

but soon, she warmed up to him

in fact, she actually began liking his sassy attitude better than his good guy persona

and there was no denying he was into her too

they played house together

they cooked together, cleaned together, watched shows together, built ikea furniture together

hell, they even argued about which type of cheese to buy at the grocery store

when hikaru had nightmares, they’d cuddle and mc would listen to him talk about his demons all night

hikaru was terrified she’d leave him one day

but she never did

RHION

they met at an antique store

rhion was looking for a new unique trinket to add to his collection

while mc was simply aimlessly wandering around the shop

when their eyes suddenly met

it was love at first sight

however, they were both too shy to come up to each other

so they just creeped on each other until the store closed

when it was time to go home, rhion instantly regretted not talking to her

he was upset, there was his chance to not be alone anymore, yet he blew it

he felt like a coward

but the next day, rhion got a knock at the door

and it was mc!

turns out, he had dropped his id while paying for his things at the antique store

and mc was there to return it

he told her that he’d “found his alice”

and invited her in for some tea

they talked until the early hours of the morning

she spent the night

then the week

then the month

and that’s when rhion realized, she wasn’t leaving

and he didn’t complain one bit

[ohhipstaplease]

Eating For Two

After date night at Ichiraku results in a stomach ache for Naruto, he ponders how his wife can out-eat him every single time.

Blank Period | Canon-Complaint | T+ | 1K+ Words | Ao3

For @nhweek 2021 | April 15: Ramen / “I love the feeling of your hand on my back.”

Naruto woke up in the middle of the night, his stomach feeling a tad unsettled. He tried not to rouse Hinata as he turned on his side, scolding himself for trying to out-eat her yet again during their weekly date night at Ichiraku. He should have known better by now, honestly, but he couldn’t help himself.

Typically Naruto was able to at least keep up with her, but lately, he noticed she was eating a bit more than usual. This of course flew right over his head, and instead fueled his competitive streak.

“Another order of miso pork ramen, old man!” Naruto yelled as he attempted to keep up with his wife.

Hinata, though, completely unbothered, continued eating at her normal pace. Clearly, she was savoring every bite, whereas her husband was simply trying to catch up to the amount she had already eaten.

“You know, Naruto, they say slow and steady wins the race,” Teuchi said, nodding towards Hinata.

“Oh, dad. Let him be,” Ayame said as she prepared another bowl for Naruto, “If he hasn’t learned his lesson by now, I don’t think he ever will.”

Naruto furrowed his brow, “Can I just please get my food without the lecture?”

Hinata giggled, “Naruto-Kun, can’t we just have a nice dinner? It doesn’t have to be a competition every time.”

He bashfully smiled at her and nodded, “Yeah, I know...you’re right.”

Nonetheless, four bowls later, Naruto knew he had gone over his limit once again trying to match Hinata.

She simply shook her head as she wrapped an arm around his waist and led the way back to their cozy apartment. He watched her as she got ready for bed, unfazed by what she had eaten, and sighed. Somehow, he loved her even more for her healthy appetite.

He smiled as she kissed him and said her goodnights, but started tossing and turning the moment his stomach began bothering him. He couldn’t believe she was sleeping so soundly beside him, almost as if she hadn’t eaten her weight in pork miso ramen just hours earlier.

He had spent the better part of a year attempting to figure out where she was putting it all but thought it was better not to ask. Sakura would surely scold him if she ever heard of him asking such a thing.

He knew he was never known for his tact, but since he married Hinata, he’d truly been trying to be more aware of what he said and did. Still, though, it was in moments like this that he wished he still had no filter. He truly wanted to know how his petite wife was able to eat even more than Choji at the drop of a hat.

“Naruto?”

He turned his head slightly to find Hinata, awake, peering at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

“Go back to sleep, Hina. I’m okay.”

She shook her head, “You ate too much again, didn’t you?”

“I said I’m okay.”

Hinata reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a bottle of antacid. At this point, she knew her husband well enough that she kept it at their bedside for these inevitable moments.

Naruto chuckled as she handed him two and rubbed his back as he roughly chewed and swallowed the tablets.

“How could you beat me again?” He managed to mutter.

She stifled a laughed, “It’s not a competition”

“I didn’t even know you liked ramen that much until we started dating.”

“You never asked,” Hinata smiled, still gently caressing him.

His eyes fluttered closed, finally sleep appeared to be in reach. Of course, it was only once Hinata took care of him yet again. She was his comfort.

He curled into her touch, “I love the feeling of your hand on my back.”

“I know,” she murmured, pressing her lips to the back of his neck.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Naruto praying the antacid would kick in quickly so he could finally go to sleep.

Still, though, the question lingered in his mind. He didn’t care if Sakura would yell at him later on for asking it, but he just had to know, “Hinata?”

“Yes?”

He took a breath before asking, “How are you able to eat that many bowls without getting sick? It’s just not fair. Look at me, I ate two fewer bowls than you did and I feel like I’m dying.”

She looked at him blankly before she smiled serenely and responded, ”It’s a little easier when you’re eating for two.”

He turned on his side to meet her gaze and asked, “Y-you’re what?”

“I’m...I’m pregnant.”

It took him a second, but when he understood what she was telling him his stomach ache disappeared and the sleepiness subsided. He took her into his arms and couldn’t help but kiss her all over.

There was a rush of emotions that flooded him, utterly floored him. He lifted her pajama shirt and kissed her still flat stomach, placing a hand protectively over it.

“I can’t believe it,” He whispered as he felt tears gathering at the corner of his eyes.

“I have a feeling this baby is really going to like ramen, it’s all I’ve really been wanting to eat,” She said, brushing her husband's hair back as he laid his cheek on her abdomen.

He wanted to stay like this for as long as he could.

“You two eat all the ramen you want, okay, Hina? Just say the word and I’ll take you to Ichiraku any day of the week.”

Hinata laughed, “Okay, Naruto-Kun.”

“When did you find out?”

“This morning, I just...didn’t know how to tell you.”

He tightened his grasp around her and nodded, “I’m glad I asked.”

“What?”

Naruto smiled to himself and shook his head, “Nothing, Hina. Let’s go to sleep, you need your rest.”

Hinata let out a sigh, “Are you planning on falling asleep like this?” She asked, clearly referring to the fact that he was laying over her bottom half, embracing her stomach.

“Yes.”

“Naruto...” She pleaded.

“Nope, can’t move me. Not tonight, at least.”

She didn’t try to fight him any further, simply traced his back as they were both lulled back to sleep in each other’s arms. Undoubtedly having dreams of the future, and the little ramen eating champion that was about to take over their lives.

[plunnies-n-shit]

It Takes A Village

So. I think it happens something like this:

During the Second Shinobi War, Uzushiogakure falls.

Kiri and Iwa band together, and Danzo interferes so that by the time Konoha realizes that the Village Hidden in Whirlpools is under attack they have already fallen.

The Yondaime Uzukage is Uzumaki Arashi, a young man of eighteen, close cousin of Uzumaki Kushina. He gathers as many of his people he can grab, some hundred and fifty or so civilians, genin, chunin, and jonin, in the center of Uzushio and pours what remains of his chakra into the transportation seal uzumaki mito had carved for this very purpose.

but one man, even an uzumaki, isn't enough to send so many people such a long distance. Instead, the survivors of Uzushio end up in Rice Country. They walk for days to reach the borders of Fire Country, where they think they'll be safe--

--only for Danzo's men to turn them away.

Most of them scatter to the winds. only a handful try again to reach konoha, when the word finally reaches them that the Yondaime Hokage is looking for any survivors of uzushio. At that point, most of the survivors are disillusioned with their sister village. there was no help in their greatest time of need, why is there suddenly help now?

But a few remember Kushina with great fondness, and they know whoever she married must be a good man, and so they pack up their new lives and turn their feet towards konoha.

Years pass. People forget, when it's not brought to their attention all the time, that some of the people who live among them once belong to a different village. They are strange rituals, maybe. strange gods. strange habits. but when you live in a shinobi village, you kinda learn to take strange things in stride. maybe their hair is a strange color. Maybe they wear their spirals with a bit more pride. But they're Konoha nin now. Konoha civilians.

(Konoha Anbu. Konoha merchants. Konoha.... ramen stand owners.....)

And then Madara unleashes the Kyubi. Minato dies. Kushina dies. And Naruto, little, precious naruto, prince of leaves, prince of deep water--

goes to the orphanage.

because of politics. because of fear.

because the sandaime is a coward.

and the once-people of uzushio remember how no help came when Iwa and Kiri stood in their village. How they were turned away at the borders of Fire Country. How Konoha forgot what should have been their greatest shame.

Snake elbows and extorts her way onto Naruto's Anbu guard rotation. Anko doesn't even like kids, and she likes babies even less, but she knows that the leak came from Danzo in the hopes of pushing Naruto into his hands by building animosity among the civilians and she's not going to let that happen, even if she can do nothing for the way most civilians seem determined to treat naruto like a little monster instead of like a child.

(Konoha's orphanage goes through three overseers in as many months. The fourth may be harsh and withholding at times, but she does not raise a single hand to a single child, much less naruto.)

Teuchi and Ayame make the first bowl of ramen free for any child, coax Naruto in with promises of a hot shower and hot food and lessons on how to make noodles, how to make broth, how read and write and do math and manage money and balance books.

Growing up, Naruto's parents are fishermen and women who teach him how to shape suiton chakra to push and coax fish into baskets. They're farmers who use doton to turn the soil and encourage healthy roots, chefs who use katon to expertly heat ovens and stoves to perfect temperatures, blacksmiths who use futon to stoke their smelters and fires. They’re jonin who disguise training as fun games, and Anbu who appear only when no one else is around to teach Naruto how to form hand signs and control and contort his chakra into a needle-fine point.

His parents are dozens, civilians and shinobi and anbu, once-people of uzushio who remember that it takes a village to raise a single child.

And, somehow, out of a graduating class of civilians and clan heirs and Sasuke, naruto ends up being the most well-adjusted child of the bunch.

[myfanfic-urfantrash]

Warm Noodles

Summary: Nothing more nothing less, just an ear to hear their troubles and a nice bowl of Ramen to fill their stomachs.

Characters: Naruto, Teuchi, GN!Reader(as Teuchi's kid)

A/N: I'm just writing whatever honestly. A Naruto reincarnation story where the reader just lives an average life. Also as they are Teuchi's kid the reader takes Ayame's place.

Under read more because long.

-------

Of all things things I've expected to happen when I passed...this wasn't it.

I've read the stories multiple times. Ordinary people just like me dying tragically and being sent off and reincarnated into another world. Worlds that in our home world are just stories, games, movies that we either loved to bits or had vague knowledge of.

I've read these multiple times during my life to escape my reality, to feel like I could make a change or a difference in a world I know goes straight down hill. To give those characters I loved so much the endings or growth they deserved but couldn't have because their fate was already planned from the start.

But actually having it happen to myself is just wild. And suuuuper weird.

I didn't get hit by a truck, nor did I die violently, but I'm here. Maybe I passed in my sleep? Calmly and quietly.

I suppose I should be grateful for that, I don't like pain. But again I don't exactly like whatever world I've ended up either.

For me unlike other stories I've read, I didn't become fully conscious until I was around twenty years old. It was on a muggy summer day and we had just finished up the lunch rush.

Standing about prepping bowls for noodles to serve in the next hour, I looked up greeted the next customer, a boy clad in orange our regular.

Now it wasn't dramatic or shocking it was just like, 'Oh hey, it's Naruto!'

'...Oh.'

Just 'Oh.'

Nothing grand, no freaked out of my mind 'OH IT'S NARUTO-' just, 'Oh.' Like this was just an everyday thing. And when you think about it, it is.

He comes to Ichiraku's practically everyday, conscious or not I've been desensitized to his, as well as every other ninja that comes here, presence. So of course I'm not shocked.

He does look at me a little funny but it's more so because I take a little too long to take his order than instant suspicion of me. It's easy to brush it off and make a comment about the heat bothering me a bit which my Dad, Teuchi, hears loud and clear.

Like the absolutely wonderful man that he is, hands me a waterbottle and tells me to take my break early while he handles Naruto's order.

I don't resist and exit the small stand to sit behind it, grateful for the shade and water. Taking out my hand towel, something I vaguely remember my Dad telling me to always have just incase, I wipe my forehead and neck.

Guess the heat was really getting to me if I was sweating this much. Kinda gross honestly.

I take a few sips of the water before putting it up to my neck, the light chill is a blessing in this heat and I close my eyes content. My mind begins to wander, trying to remember what I know of this life as Teuchi's kid.

I remember that it's just the two of us since mother passed sometime before the Nine Tails attack and he's worked hard to give me a stable life. I took up helping him at the shop because I've grown up with noodles all my life even if he said I could do anything I wanted.

He's...out of all the fathers I could have ended up with, Teuchi's honestly one of the best based on my memory. Well besides Shibi at least.

Sure as a civilian, I don't exactly have much power or wealth to my name but with what I know about this world, about their lives... I lucked out.

I'm only slightly disappointed about my lack of ninja skills and cool jutsus and what not. I would have liked to try tree climbing or water walking honestly but I'll live.

And live I will.

It might be selfish, knowing what I know about this world and not changing a thing. But who said whatever change I make has to be drastic? I don't need to expose every dark secret the Village has, I don't need to join the Akatsuki and help Itachi, I don't need to become Hokage or whatever.

I can just live my life and just be a friend they can lean on. Nothing more nothing less, just an ear to hear their troubles and a nice bowl of Ramen to fill their stomachs.

I down the rest of my waterbottle and head back inside feeling much better. My Dad gives me a questioning look and a thumbs up which I nod and return making him smile in relief. Just a few more customers and we can take our full lunch break together.

I watch Naruto talk animated to my Dad about his dreams and I smile. While I may have some fear and anxieties about future events I know it'll turn out alright. So I'll stay here and lend an ear and a bowl of Ramen to fill them up.

[kashi-prompts]

Flowers For A Shinobi

Chapter 4: A Lead

Word Count: 2,803

Pairing: Kakashi Hatake x OC

Previous Chapter & Archive of Our Own Link

Outside the office windows, the once clear dusk sky had morphed into an inky canvas of grey clouds. Behind them, the ominous moon ached for a chance to glow beyond the veil of overcast. Beyond the opened glass pane, the leaves of the trees ruffled in the wind. In the distance, an owl hooted. How quickly night had fallen. 

Ayame stood behind the tall shinobi she had agreed to assist. His haste and determination to find as much information as he could had brought them before the Hokage. Despite the presence of the most powerful woman in the village, his shoulders were slumped to their default state of indifference; his slender hands shoved deep within the fabric of his pants.

She stared at the back of his neck as he explained to the Hokage his findings so far. Staring at the back of his head was the only thing that was keeping her heart rate at a reasonable pace. From this close, she could notice the different strands of color that made up his silver head of hair, light strands, and dark strands, all curling ever so slightly at the nape of his neck from the sweat of the day. His headband was tied tightly around the top of his head, supporting his unmanageable hair to lay in a state that practically defied gravity. 

Her ears tuned into the conversation, listening to the man everyone called Kakashi as he explained everything to the Hokage. He referred to her as a citizen. And she was a citizen, but that didn't mean she wasn't like them. She looked up at the two, watching them and wondering what it was like to serve your village by means of protecting it instead of just trying to make money for it.

Despite growing up in a clan that possessed chakra control, Ayame had admittedly never really been associated with shinobi until she uprooted herself and moved to Konoha. The first shinobi she met were the Yamanaka's, and even then, she only spoke to them concerning the floral shop. Of course, she had friends, but they were all regular citizens with everyday tasks. The butcher, the librarian, the ramen shop owner’s daughter who bore the same name as her. It wasn't as though Ayame purposely avoided shinobi, she just didn't have reason to associate with them. 

Now, she was surrounded by them. Capable, strong men and women that had taken an oath to defend Konoha with their lives. And here she was, an average, or a slightly above average, citizen. 

"I understand this sounds like an improbable solution, but so far, it is the only one we have if we are still resolved on a medicinal herb being the main ingredient for an antidote," Kakashi offered, his voice sounding troubled. 

Leaning over, the Hokage looked past the brooding shinobi to Ayame. Flustered by her intense gaze, Ayame stood up straight in confidence and untied her fingers from their web of anxiety. 

"This is Ayame Hana," Kakashi gestured to the young woman, her braid falling forward as she gave the Hokage a respectful bow. "She comes from the Rōtasuagekure, the Village Hidden in the Lotus in the Land of Grass. We discussed them recently, if I recall correctly." 

"Yes, I remember," the Hokage nodded, assessing the villager. "That village no longer exists under any governing rule, yes?"

"Yes, m'lady," Ayame responded, her fingers trifling with the fabric of her skirt.

"And you are a citizen of Konoha now, yes?"

 Ayame nodded, "I became a Konoha citizen two years ago."��

Despite the rumored age of the Hokage, her appearance did not give away any indication of such. Her amber eyes narrowed in suspicion, her lacquered lips a thin line.

"Why did you come here to become a citizen?" Tsunade questioned, threading her fingers at her chin. 

Ayame did not take offense to the question despite it coming from a place of distrust. Others had asked her this question daily the first few weeks she resided within the walls of Konoha. It didn't bother her anymore. 

"As you said, m'lady, my village - or my birth village - no longer exists as it did when I lived there," Ayame's eyes met the Hokage's, confident in her answers. She had nothing to hide. "But the reason I am here, as Kakashi-san said, is because I was once injured by what seems to be the same poison your infantry members are battling now. I feel I can help."

"You were poisoned and you're still alive, are you not?" Tsunade countered, "How did you survive? If you are a citizen, do you even hold the same nature of chakra we shinobi use?" 

"If you will let me explain," the words tumbled from her mouth before she realized what she was saying. Beside her, Kakashi's eye swiveled in her direction, impressed but slightly uncomfortable as he adjusted his weight to his other foot. 

"My clan was murdered as a result of this toxin," Ayame explained somberly. "I lost all of them. It is just me now. Which is why I came here, anew." 

"I understand why you would come here," Tsunade responded carefully, "but if you do not have the same variety of chakra us shinobi have, I do not see the benefit of continuing this conversation. We need an antidote that will work for our bodies and our amount of chakra." 

"My bloodline does have the same chakra that you do," Ayame's hands fell to her sides, determined to express her point. 

"You are not a shinobi," Tsunade replied defiantly.

"I am not a 'shinobi,' but I do possess chakra and I can control it," Ayame answered, her eyes flickering over to a plant that sat perched in the corner on a stool. The plant's leaves were browned around the edges from neglect, its soil thirsty for water. 

"I can show you," taking a deep breath, Ayame took a  few steps towards the stool that held the small plant. Judging by its state, she assumed it hadn't been watered in a few weeks. The sunlight from the windows was barely enough to keep it alive. 

Kakashi turned to her, his thin eyebrows knitted together as he watched her. Tsunade sat back in her chair, turning with another skewed eyebrow of skepticism. 

"Please, Hana-chan, if you -" 

Something dismissed the Hokage’s words as she trailed off. Ayame could feel them both watching her as she picked up the potted plant, focusing as she turned back around. Lifting it to eye level, she hung her hand over the leaves. A bead of sweat dripped from her brow as the brown foliage rustled in its pot, green epidermis overtaking the listless edges. Within a few moments, the plant stood straight, its soil moist and leaves bright. 

She looked up, her eyes meeting Kakashi's for a moment. His eyebrows were raised in bewilderment. He turned his head to look at Lady Tsunade, his expression smug.

"As I said, I am not a shinobi by your terms, but I can manipulate and grow plants with my chakra. In my clan, we were not taught to use our skills in offense or even defense as your village does. It was exclusively used as a tool for the village to prosper. My clan was the only one in our village to possess more chakra than the average citizen. Thus, we were able to grow plants at will." 

A few beats passed of silence. No one spoke as the owl hooted again in the distance. Feeling her body warmed by the exorbitant amount of energy she had just focused, she could feel sweat dripping down the back of her neck. 

"This changes things," Tsunade nodded, her demeanor shifting as she looked back at her desk. She shuffled a scroll in front of her as Ayame leaned down to replace the plant. 

The sweat that dripped from her brow moments before fell to the floor as she suddenly felt the ground shift beneath her. Tripping, she leaned a hand against the wood-paneled wall. The voices in the room began to resonate in her ears as merely a muffled set of noises. 

"Are you ok?" Ayame felt a firm grip on her upper arm, pulling her up as she felt knees give way beneath her. Looking up, her eyes crossed as her blurred vision focused on the white blotch of hair that moved in front of her. She heard him move the plant she had placed back on the stool and guided her to sit. 

"Sit her down- she looks like she is going to faint," she heard Lady Tsunade say, closer to her now. The sound of paper fanning her came before the cool air. "Her complexion is pale." 

"Ayame," Kakashi called, bending a knee to be eye level with her. 

Taking a deep breath, Ayame could feel herself coming to as Kakashi dipped his head to fix his gaze with hers. She lifted her head from the wall, shaking it to brush off the dizziness that enveloped her. As she looked up, she realized his hand was still gripping her upper arm, gentle yet firm enough to keep her in place. 

With reality piecing itself together around her, she felt a current shoot up her spine at the moment as their gaze intertwined. Warmth spread to every cavity in her body, her ears feeling hot. In her chest, her heart did a rhythmic dance against her ribcage. She was unsure if its pounding was from her heart trying to reroute the blood back to her brain or from the intensity of a single charcoal eye that bore back at her. A second passed, then two. His eyebrow fell, his gaze softened. If she wasn't mistaken, she thought she might have noticed a change in the color of the skin on his cheekbones.

“Are you alright?” Tsuande asked her from behind Kakashi, using a sheet of paper to fan her. She looked between the two, her eyebrow cocked. 

He blinked and the moment fled. 

"Yes," she said finally, nodding slightly. His hand fell from her upper arm, its warmth leaving her skin feeling cold. She felt silly for blushing like a child. 

"I'm fine. I'm sorry - I haven't -" she tried to explain, but Tsunade’s sharp tongue cut her off, bringing her back to the subject quickly. 

"You say your clan had more chakra than a normal citizen. This would make them exemplary candidates to be shinobi," she heard Tsunade say, her arms crossed across her heavy chest. "But if that is the case, why would bringing a simple plant back to life cause you to faint?"

Instinctively, her hand went to her side, where her healed wounds resided. His eye followed her hand, settling there as she looked over at Lady Tsunade. 

Trying to process her questions, Ayame looked over at the Hokage. "This is the aftereffects of being poisoned by the Tsukamu root.”

"Tsukamu root?" Tsunade lifted her head.

"Yes," Ayame took a deep breath. "The aftereffects of this poison permanently deplete your chakra levels. I was hit three times, so my levels are  severely deficient. As you can see, this is what happens when I try to use them." 

"The poison comes from this Tsukamu root?" Kakashi asked.

Ayame paused for a moment, thinking. She imagined the menacing, gray vine of thorns that twisted under the soil of her clan's small district in their village, pricking the unsuspecting victim's skin.

"The Tsukamu root is a vine of thorns that grows underground," Ayame explained, looking up at him. "It is meant to be stealthy and was a forbidden jutsu in my clan. I won't explain to you the history of how I was poisoned, but all you need to know is that it was intentional when it happened to me.”

"We believe this was an intentional attack on our village as well," Tsunade commented. "How could it happen to all nine men?" 

Ayame shook her head, "There was a group of individuals in our village who were hell-bent on destroying my clan. The person who was responsible for creating these poisonous thorns is dead now. You have nothing to worry about." 

Kakashi lifted his chin, surprised by her words, "dead? So you believe this wasn't deliberate?" 

Ayame nodded, "if I am right, and I truly believe I am, the only person who could create this type of jutsu was - was my brother. But as I said... he is dead." 

Her words hung in the air between them. In Kakashi's mind, he pieced together what she was saying. She had purposely been poisoned by her brother, as was her whole clan. She stared at him, feeling uncomfortable with the energy she had created in the small office. They needed to know that this wasn't the same as what had happened to her years ago. She was positive he was dead, unable to cause more harm. 

"This has to be the leftover remains of his thorn jutsu," she explained, standing up. She tidied her skirt, brushing off the dirt of the day's works at the Yamanaka flower shop. She tried to appear unbothered by everything. Kakashi took a step forward, surprised she could stand after nearly fainting only five minutes beforehand. 

"The only antidote I know is the Iyasu flower. It is what I used once I realized had been infected," Ayame looked between the two of them. "It is a secret scroll technique passed down generation to generation that is used only in my clan for medical instances such as this. It produces a field of these flowers that can be mashed up and prepared into a serum to drink. I would imagine that there still may be scrolls hidden on my clans compound if they weren't looted for money after --" 

She trailed off, watching as Tsunade quickly went behind her desk to look at some papers. 

"The Iyasu flower," Tsunade repeated, her finger trailing down a scroll that seemed to house a long list. "It isn’t on the list of plants Sakura has tried so far. I have never heard of it. That isn't to say you are fictionalizing it, but I don't think I can send one of my best shinobi and a villager on a wild goose chase for a scroll to a fallen village in the Land of Grass."

"M'lady," Kakashi interrupted, stepping forward. Tsunade looked up, and the two exchanged an intense gaze for a moment. Ayame could tell the tensions in the room were high. Time was quickly ticking away, and there was not much that could be done if this didn't work. 

"The wounds Ayame showed me seem almost identical to the ones present on Yamato and the other shinobi. I don't think we are incorrect in following this path." 

"We have three days, Kakashi," Tsunade reminded him, "three days, and those men will be dead. This - this Iyasu flower, even if we do get the scroll, Ayame is the only one who can use it. And if that is the case, we're doomed from the get-go. Look at her, she can barely bring a plant back to life." 

Ayame's ears began to burn, her stomach twisting in embarrassment and anger. The Hokage wasn't wrong, but her words stung. Even if the scroll were found, the amount of chakra needed to create the amount required would put her out for days, if not permanently. 

"I will do it," Ayame said quickly, "I don't care if it kills me. This is the first opportunity I have as a Konoha citizen to help, and I am more than willing to do so. Allow me this opportunity to serve, m'lady." 

Tsunade looked over at her, her amber eyes intertwining with two jade ones. Unsure of what else she could say, Ayame exhaled quietly and gave another bow. 

"I agree," Kakashi said suddenly behind her. "I think we should give this a chance. Herbal medicine was a lucky shot to begin with. Let's take what is being offered to us." 

Tsunade looked between the two, thinking deeply. Outside, the rain began to hit the window pane melodiously. One, two, three - almost sounding like the tempo of a song. The only noise in the room. 

"Fine," Tsunade sat down in her chair, the wheels creaking as she sighed heavily. Placing her head in her hands, Ayame could tell the Hokage was clearly overwhelmed. It seemed that this was the only lead they had to save these men and women. If not for Kakashi and Ayame's serendipitous encounter in the floral shop, the Hokage would still be searching for a lead. 

"Leave at dawn," she said finally, looking up at the two. "And return next day at dusk. No later. Now go get some rest." 

* * * * * * * * * * 

A/N: I’ve been thinking of the plot of this story in my head for years now. I hope it isn’t too complicated so far. I may know what’s going on, but I have to remember that everyone else may not lol That being said, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! <3 

[mixelation]

since i’m in a posting mood....... here’s the beginning of a fic where i was like “trope where kakashi enters a romance by saving a civilian woman from weird men following/threatening her” but also i’d just discovered kakashi/ayame (as in the ramen stand lady) is a thing

the file is titled “dog-based flirtations” 

Ayame woke at 2 AM to the sound of her dog, Udon, scratching at the door. That was Udon’s new thing– he had to pee at 2 AM every night. Ayame would make him an appointment with the vet in the morning. At least he was polite enough to not just pee on the kitchen floor.

For now, Ayame pulled on her glasses and stumbled out of bed, blindly grabbing for the housecoat she left over the back of her desk chair. 

Udon, who was ancient and mostly blind, turned his face slightly to Ayame’s left as she approached him with the leash. She squatted over him, and he licked at the vague whereabouts of her hands as she wrestled him into the harness.

She stepped into her shoes and out into the corridor of their apartment building, Udon plodding along behind her. She was going to go around the block, let him pee, and then crawl back into bed. 

Except, after a loop around the block, Udon hadn’t done anything but sniff at someone’s flower garden. 

“C’mon, boy,” Ayame whispered, her voice loud in the silent streets. 

She headed for a park, instead, pulling Udon along behind her. It was only a ten minute walk away, and maybe the familiar grassy area would inspire the dog to get his business done already. 

It didn’t. Ayame sighed loudly, the sound echoing through the empty park, and decided that maybe Udon wasn’t going to pee after all. 

She called Udon– rolling in the grass and getting as dirty as possible– back to her. As she was wrapping the leash around her hand, two men wandered out of the line of trees at the back of the park. They were both swaying, obviously drunk. 

Ayame was not immediately alarmed, although she moved faster as she ushered Udon out of the park. It was a bit stupid of her to come here alone at night– parks were pretty popular drinking spots– but Konoha was heavily patrolled by ninja and wasn’t necessarily a dangerous place for a civilian woman minding her own business. At least, not this neighborhood. 

She pulled Udon closer to her as she hurried back toward home. Udon was mostly blind, missing a lot of teeth, and moved like he was older than time, but he was a large bull terrier, and she felt safe with him by her side. 

At least, she did until she turned around and saw the two men following them. One of them waved at her and yelled something rude. 

Shitshitshit, Ayame thought, and then made a snap decision to turn the corner and head for a 24-hour convenience store down the block. It was closer than her apartment building, and she didn’t want two weird men following her home anyway. They were less likely to try something on her with a bored store clerk and a customer or two watching. 

She was two buildings away from the convenience store when one of the men slipped an arm around her shoulder. Udon did nothing to intervene, instead wagging his tail happily because he was a dumb traitor. 

“Hey, girlie,” the man said, “what are you running from?”

His friend snickered, sliding up in front of Ayame and Udon and blocking their path. 

Ayame’s heart was pounding. If she ran, could Udon keep up? If she screamed, would someone hear?

“This is a pretty stupid dog,” the man in front of her said. Udon was, in fact, staring up and him with a big doofy dog-smile, which was pretty stupid, but… how dare he insult her dog?!

The man crouched over Udon to pull meanly at his ears, while the other one squeezed Ayame closer to his body. Udon whined, and Ayame’s heart beat loudly in her ears. In front of them, the neon signs of the convenience store blazed. Ayame had to think fast, to figure out a way to close the gap between herself the store–

A customer wandered out of the store, a plastic bag clutched in his hand, and he looked awfully familiar. 

There, Ayame thought, and yanked herself away from the man with his arm around her. Udon whined as she dragged him forward, flinging herself toward the convenience store customer. 

“Hatake-san!” Ayame greeted, louder than necessary, and the man looked up. “There you are!”

The hand of her assailant brushed her lower back as she powered forward, but made no move to stop her. Hatake-san’s uniform was rumpled, but it was still obviously a jounin’s uniform.

Hatake-san looked up at her, then down at her dog, and then up at the two men lingering behind her as Ayame very awkwardly power-walked toward him. When Hatake made no move to greet her, Ayame rattled on, “You remember Udon, don’t you?”

There was a beat where Ayame thought Hatake might brush her off and leave her with the two men, but then his one visible eye crinkled into a smile. 

“Ah, Udon, nice to see you!” Hatake cried and then knelt down to scratch behind Udon’t ears. Udon barked happily and licked at his masked face. “What a good boy, Udon~!”

Whatever Ayame was expecting, it wasn’t for Hatake Kakashi to start baby-talking to her dog. Her two stalkers also found this weird, as they gawked for a few moments before turning and leaving. 

Udon was on his back getting the belly-rubs of his life, wiggling like a puppy, when Hatake-san finally turned to smile up at Ayame. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name,” Hatake-san said.

“Ayame,” Ayame supplied. Then, because she wasn’t wearing her contacts and hadn’t brushed her hair and wasn’t sure he recognized her at all, she clarified, “From Ichiraku Ramen. You are Hatake-san, right?”

Ayame recognized him, of course– she never forgot a customer’s face (or mask, in this case). He’d taken Naruto-kun and some other kids to her ramen stand a few times recently.

“Call me Kakashi,” he answered. He started to stand, then made a defeated noise in the back of his throat and squatted down again, scratching Udon behind the jaw. “What are you doing out so late, Ayame-san?”

“Udon was being a brat,” Ayame explained, giving Udon a pointed look. He did not have the dignity to stop furiously licking Kakashi’s hand. 

“Tsk, tsk, Udon,” Kakashi said, even as he moved to scratch the dog behind both ears.

[youcanreadit]

AT LAST- NARUTO X READER (MODERN AU)

I hope you enjoy this UwU

"Btw Naruto did you hear? The new student will be joining our school today."

Naruto simply nodded and continued to stuff ramen into his mouth. Shikamaru shrugged and went back to finish his own meal. Of course, nothing can make him happier than his ramen.

Later that day, you accidentally bumped right into him on the way to your class. He was opening his mouth about to apologize profusely but the words died down on his lips. A surge of inexplicable emotion surged within him, rendering him speechless. You were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, apart from his mother.

But he couldn't seem to recognize you. That's when it clicked. She is the new student that Shikamaru was talking about at lunch!

While he gazed at your face like an idiot with an obvious blush on his cheeks, you muttered a quick apology and hurried off, leaving him standing there staring at you, awed.

After the day he met you, he was more cheerful and giddy than he usually was. Ever since he lost his parents, he had felt like he lost a part of himself. It was as if you pulled him out of the darkness and brought him back to his old self.

He would always arrive at school earlier- astonishing all his friends and teachers- so that he could see you more.

He was always watching you when you were not looking. He liked that farway look in your eyes, the shyness that radiated from you, the warm smile playing on your lips.

It felt like adrenaline was injected directly into his veins when you both locked eyes. Your voice, your face, your smile were all his brain would dwell on.

At first, he repeatedly tried to deny his feelings for you.

"I am not in love with her! I like Sakura! I like Sakura!!"

And then he would see you enter the class, your cheeks tinted pink and offering him a smile as you pass by. "Man I am so in love with her.."

He finally decided to take Jiraiya's help. Which was of course a bad idea.

*after hearing the whole thing* "I understand.. It's the L word Naruto"

"W-what?"

"Lust"

Seeing him struggle with his emotions, Sasuke was the one who made him realize he was in love with you.

" Hey dobe, I think Y/n likes Kiba."

"WHATTTT!!!WHO TOLD YOU?"

"But you said you love Sakura, so why are you worried?"

"NO I DON'T!!I LOVE Y/N!!" *silence* (thanks Sasuke)

He would always notice if you didn't have the usual sparkle in your eyes. Whenever that happened, he made sure to put cute little notes in your locker and notebooks. He would hide somewhere and watch you read them, and smile like an idiot seeing your face light up at the cheesy lines he had written in his messy handwriting.

As for Valentine's day, he would spend hours in the kitchen making chocolate for you. Then along with Sasuke, he would arrive at school like an hour earlier to get rid of all the piles of gifts in your locker( he sure is competitive)

"Yeah! Mine would be the best chocolate she has ever tasted!!!" Sasuke simply face palms.

Little did he know that he had accidentally added salt instead of sugar. Yikes. Cooking ain't your thing Naruto

At first he was worried that you would go after Sasuke like all the other girls. It was a pleasant surprise when he found out you weren't a fan girl.*breathes out in relief*

Just in case, he decided to warn Sasuke. " you keep your bunch of fangirls, but remember, Y/n is OFF LIMITS" "whatever dobe"

He stopped at nothing to impress you. He pushed himself to get better at studies. Over time, his grades improved.

When he didn't understand a concept he would rush to you with his books. He was glad that you weren't impatient like the others, but explained to him in simple ways you could.

A total sweetheart he is, it was impossible to hate him. But he could be annoying at times too.

Like when he doesn't see you for too long, he would be a whining, blubbering mess.

"Sakura, I want to se-"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NARUTO SHUT UPPPP! I HAVE BEEN READING THE SAME SENTENCE FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES!"

"BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN HER IN TWO DAYS!!

Sasuke: *changes seat*

Not to mention that he is really protective over you. If anybody tries to hurt you, well let's say that would be the end for that person. "Fight me!!"

Naruto was known to be the loud, hyperactive, sunshine of the school. But he immediately transforms into a timid puppy when you are near him.

Like Naruto would be talking and laughing with his friends and then he turns around and sees you -

*you lean closer to his face* I need to ask you ab-Naruto?

*Naruto has stopped functioning*

It wasn't hard for his friends to figure out the reason behind his strange behaviour lately.

They teased him about how oblivious you were to his feelings and if he didn't hurry up, someone would steal you from him.

But he didn't want to rush. Some people are worth waiting for. And of course he was worried if someone like you would go for a person like him. Please tell the poor guy otherwise.

Many boys came forward seeking to be your boyfriend, but you turned them down politely. That left Naruto with a bittersweet hope. It could or couldn't be him. But he won't give up on you like that. His life motto itself was- Never give up,no matter what!

In the brief occasions that you spoke to him would be the best part of his day. The whole world would blur and he could see only you, and hear your velvet like voice.

You were the only one who laughed at his stupid jokes. Oh how much he loved that smile you gave him, he would later replay it over and over in his head.

He would imagine taking you to his favourite restaurant, Ichiraku as a date. From his stories about you, Teuchi and Ayame couldn't wait to meet you.

When you touched him casually, his whole body would light up with a warmth that only you could ignite. That made him wonder how it would feel like to run his fingers through your silky hair, kiss your soft lips and then his whole face would turn as red as a tomato.

On his weekly visits to his parent's grave, he eagerly tells them about the beautiful girl that he recently met. He would tearfully tell them about finally meeting a girl as fascinating as his mother.

As the years passed his feelings never dulled. He fell for you more, your smile, your alluring eyes, your easy going personality and everything else about you.

However, he started to worry when the graduation was getting closer. He couldn't bear to lose you.

The thought caused him such pain that he lay awake for nights, and then finally deciding that it was the right time to let you know of his feelings.

After the graduation ceremony, Sasuke held a party at his house for the new graduates. As much as Naruto enjoyed spending time with his friends, his eyes kept darting across the room from time to time, in hopes of seeing you.

When he finally spotted you amidst the chaos and the tightly packed people,his heart skipped a beat. You looked so beautiful in that blue dress you wore, the coloured lights dancing across your skin adding to the effect.

With his eyes on you, he excused himself from his group of friends and all but hurried over to you, ignoring the laughter and cheers that erupted from behind him.

After saying that he needed to speak something important with you,he dragged you through the mass of people- keeping a firm grip on your wrist to prevent you from getting lost in the crowd- to the backyard.

He finally dropped your wrist when you both reached a secluded spot near a cluster of trees. The loud music and noises from the house was now a distant, faint hum to your ears.

He took a step back and stood facing you. It was hard to believe how tall he had become over the past few years. You had to tilt your head back to look at him in the eyes.

"I am sorry I had to drag you away so abruptly." He hoped that you wouldn't notice the faint quiver in his voice. He clenched and unclenched his hands.

You laughed quietly and waved off his queries " It's alright Naruto. I was planning to get away from all that noise anyway" you grinned at him, flashing your teeth. "In fact, you helped me."

Naruto tried his best to smile back hoping you wouldn't notice anything amiss. But when your smile slowly melted away from your lips,he understood that he didn't fool you.

He was looking at you warily, like he was anticipating something bad would happened. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were full of worry and hope and some intense emotion that you couldn't quite pinpoint.

"What's wrong Naruto?" You asked quietly. You raised a hand as if to touch his arm, but then let it drop. "You can tell me"

He ran his trembling fingers through his spiky blond hair-which looked almost silvery in the moonlight-and nervously glanced at you with his blue eyes.

While you stared back at him in confusion, he was having a mental argument with himself.

I can do this! She is waiting for you to say something Naruto!do it!!

"I..." He faltered. He looked at the ground and then up again, at you.

Here it goes..

" Are you dating Kiba?" There was brief pause.

You looked utterly baffled "HUH??!"

Damn what the hell is wrong with me?! He awkwardly shifted his weight from one leg to the other, looking bashful " I mean- you both hang out with each other a lot.."

You laughed " He is a good friend of mine, that's all"

"So you both-"

"Nope" You sounded amused, but not at all annoyed, despite the fact that he basically dragged you away to ask you such stupid questions.

"Okay" he said with fake cheerfulness, turning his back to you. "Thanks for the information, I better get back"

You caught his sleeve, making him go still. He turned to look at you, eyes still wide and cheeks tinted red, but they slowly melted away when he saw you gazing back at him almost sadly.

"Naruto" you said his name so softly that his stomach fluttered in response " that's not what you were meaning to say. We both know that."

He blinked.

You were right. What was he doing?!

It felt as if your voice had brought him back to his senses.

He remembered Jiraiya's advice from the morning. It felt as if the old man sensed what Naruto was planning to do. Instead of giving his usual pervy tips, he had said : "Letting her know of your feelings is the way to get to her heart. If you want to know if she returns your love, tell her."

Determination and hope flared in his eyes. He took a deep breath and stepped closer until you could feel the heat radiating from him. You swallowed and felt your cheeks getting warm.

He reached out and took both your hands gingerly in his and stared intently at you.

" Y/n I love you..I always have..."

He watched your eyes widen and lips part with surprise. He continued before you could say anything.

"I know you probably consider me to be foolish and naive, but I mean it when I say that I love you more than I could love myself. I wish I could explain to you how wonderful you are, how beautiful your eyes or how your voice gives me butterflies every single time. I love who I am with you. I.." He swallowed visibly, but his gaze on you never wavered. " I don't know how to explain love..But when I see you, I imagine the two of us cooking together, fighting together..being together. And I can't imagine anything that would make me happier. I would like to do these things with you. That is'' he smiled shyly, his cheeks turning pink " if you feel the same."

Your vision blurred as you felt tears brimming your eyes. "Naruto ..."

Naruto's smile vanished quickly. Did he upset you?! Oh crap.

He immediately let go of your hands and started to panic. He raked through his brain,thinking back over the words he had just used on you, trying desperately to find where he went wrong. He had never been in a position before where he had to comfort a crying girl. Once he had borrowed Sai's book on human behavior. If only he could remember..

"Y/n I am sorry-"

He stopped abrubtly when he felt your finger on his lips, signaling him to stop. You slowly withdrew them to place your hands on either side of his cheeks, thumb tracing the whisker like markings on his cheeks lightly. His eyes widened.

"Naruto..that was beautiful.." You said wonderingly, as if you had just woken up from a dream. "No one has ever said such lovely things to me." For a long moment you stared into his eyes,those lovely blue eyes that has always reminded you of the blue waves crashing against the shore- a feeling of peace and warmth and comfort. You could feel yourself getting lost in them. Naruto was still dazed. It was as if the roles were suddenly reversed. He was staring at you open mouthed while you smiled back at him adoringly.

"You are such an idiot Naruto" you teased, but the affection in your voice took the sting out of it "my idiot"

Your fingers were still stroking his cheeks, making it difficult for him to concentrate. He swallowed "W-what?"

A giggle escaped your lips "you cannot seriously think that I didn't notice your feelings all these years" your smile spoke of mischief now "and it was not one sided. Why did you wait for so long to come to me?"

Naruto was shell shocked. His heart was pounding so loudly that he thought that it would jump out. Is this a dream?

You finally stopped laughing and gazed at his blue orbs seriously. "Naruto" you said " I have struggled to make friends all throughout my life. When my parents decided to move to Konoha I was absolutely against it. Starting a new life.." You shook your head slowly " I didn't want that. But then you came along, my personal sun. With your bright smile and cheerful personality..who always tried to cheer me up. Who was always by my side..Slowly I felt myself taking a liking to this place.. And I felt myself falling for you.."

You heard his sharp intake of breath and smiled again "Naruto, I can't find the right words to explain how much you mean to me, but I would like to spend the rest of my life with you showing them. "

He felt tears sting the back of his eyes. He wanted to laugh, cry, curse himself for having waited for so long. He was almost mad with joy. But when he looked at you, he knew that you could see the emotion plainly written on his face. Because love required no language.

His lips curled up into a smile that lit up his whole face. You had seen him smile before, plenty of times, and yet this was different from the others. This smile was the most beautiful one you had ever seen, one that spoke of love and happiness and gratitude, a gesture that was too deep to be explained in words.

The uncertainty in his eyes were long gone, replaced with hope and love. He cupped your face in his large hands so gingerly that you shivered sightly.

"It feels like a dream" he said huskily, brushing a strand of hair from your face "being here with you like this."

"Then let me prove it tlo you that it's not"

You pulled him down by the collar of his shirt until your foreheads almost touched. Leaning in, you kissed both his cheeks, his eyelids, the tip of his nose, over and over again. Your other hand was pressed on his chest allowing you to feel his rapid heartbeat.

When your gaze finally fell on his lips, resting on them for a second, made Naruto impatient. He craved for your touch,the warmth that you provided. He had waited to do this for so long, he couldn't bear to waste any second longer.

So he leaned in closer and his lips finally met yours, moving gently against your own.

Warmth and desire exploded within him, and the world slowly disappeared from around the two of you. It was slow and soft and perfectly natural, like breathing and yet so intimate.

His calloused hands were gentle as they caressed your cheeks, his warm breath mingling with yours. His hands went to the nape of your neck and drew you even closer, thus deepening the kiss. Sparks flew within you, and you wrapped your hands around his shoulder in response , to eliminate the space between the two of you as much as possible.

He loved the way your lips fit with his like puzzle pieces, moving in perfect sync with his. His lips tasted like ramen, making you smile into the kiss.

When you both finally broke apart for air, he rested his forehead against yours, his warm breath hitting your cheeks. He was breathing hard like you, but his whole face was lit with joy, a smile so beautiful playing on his lips that you couldn't help but return it.

Your slender hands went around his waist, cheek resting against his sculpted chest, and listened to his hammering heart. Physically, he had changed a lot since the first time you met him. The childish roundness was long gone from his face. You could feel the solid hard muscle as you held him,the sharpness of his cheekbones,the callousness of his hands. And yet he was still the same. The same luminous blue eyes that sparkled even in the darkness,the same exuberant personality and that infectious smile.

For a while you both stood in each other's embrace, basked in the silvery moonlight with a wide grin plastered on both your faces.

"Thank you Naruto " and in those syllables he heard everything. He closed his eyes in content and hummed in response.

This was the love he'd waited for, hoped for. And now finally, he was home.

At last.

Mom, dad are you watching?

[ajoy3fanfics]

Other Reasons to Stay Awake at Night

AO3   FF.NET

A/N: I wrote a short one shot based on this idea, but I really wanted to expand on it :) This will be a few chapters long (Less than 10).

Akitoki Hojo was a catch, and Kagome was sick and tired of hearing it.

Hojo was nice, and that’s really all she could say about him. He checked in after her for years when she was in the feudal era, concerned over the plethora of illnesses her grandfather had invented, often dropping off small gifts on her doorsteps to try and give her relief. She had thought it sweet at first, but when time dragged on and the inquiries and packages continued, she had to admit she was slightly put off. Hojo didn’t know her exceptionally well- even her friends didn’t ask after her as much as he did- and yet he still seemed as interested as the first day he asked her out.

Once Kagome had returned home and began to appear in public somewhat regularly, (her illnesses had mysteriously cleared up- a miracle, really) he was the first to knock on her door with a bouquet of flowers in hand and a date on his lips. She had postponed, but he was undeterred. He showed up time and again, each visit had her mother swooning like a schoolgirl herself.

‘He’s such a nice young man,’ she would say. ‘So well mannered and kind. If I were a few years younger-!’

Add in her grandfather's similar remarks, mixed with her friends approving appraisal of his physique and it all added up to a giant headache for her. They meant well, she really, really knew they did, but it was hard to imagine going out on a date with Hojo when she could hardly leave her bed. She saw ghosts at every corner, memories of a dog demon haunted her house and her dreams. She’d walk down the road and find herself falling back into the past, mirages of small huts instead of skyscrapers lining the street, a demon prowling around every corner; panic flooded her when a passing car would lay on their horn, jolting her back to the present. Every area of her life seemed to have Inuyasha and their history embedded, and she didn’t know what to do other than leave her bedroom window open at night for him.

It had been her mother’s doing, these dates with Hojo. Kagome had been in the yard, bow tightly gripped in her hand as she let loose arrow after arrow, her muscles tight and tense from months of neglect. Sure, she practiced, but aiming at a target and aiming at a foe were two totally different workouts. She shot until the sweat beaded down her skin, the sun burning hot as she collected her fallen arrows and drew back the string again. Her mother had approached, her small, gentle hand stilling on her shoulder, a look of concern in her eyes. Her mother wanted to help, but had no idea how. She was worried, but did not know why. She reasoned that it must be over Inuyasha, and she wasn't entirely wrong. The hanyou was only one of the reasons she couldn't sleep at night.

‘He’s a nice boy, Kagome. Inuyasha is gone. You might just find you enjoy Hojo’s company.’  She had given her a smile laced with concern, and Kagome felt she had no option but to nod her head and agree to go out.

So that’s how she found her Friday nights became a standing date with Akitoki Hojo. The first time he had taken her out, they had gone to a small noodle shop and Kagome cried. She had wanted Inuyasha to try this Ramen so badly; it was flavorful, but not too spicy. She had tried it with Ayame, and immediately wished she was sharing a bowl with him instead. She knew he would never be able to enter the shop, even with a hat covering his ears, so she had ordered take out for him. The moment she had it in her hands, she had rushed through the well with the steaming bowl, eager to impress him with a dish that wasn’t instant.

She had tried to put on a brave face; After all, Hojo had done nothing to deserve a date covered in tears. He had simply taken her to get a tasty meal and she cried so hard she hiccuped. He smiled fondly at her, pearly white perfect teeth beaming at her. She was so happy to go out she was moved to tears, he said. Of course she was! Who wouldn’t be thrilled to dine out when they had spent the last several years bedridden. As he handed her a cloth to dry her face he smiled, and Kagome couldn't notice his lack of fangs.

Without a doubt, the man was skilled at polite conversation, and Kagome wasn’t sure if she was thankful for it or not. He had an amazing ability to keep the dialogue going, never touching on anything deep or delicate, choosing to keep all topics well, topical. A lull in the conversation did not seem to bother him, easily finding a subject that they could discuss. It was tiresome to keep up with him, the constant chatter about trivial things made her head ache. It was better, she supposed, that he fill the silence as she stared at him, lost in a world of her own.

It didn’t seem to bother him that she was not the best companion, so she tried not to overthink it. Kagome doubted he had anything under the surface, no hidden layers of buried trauma, and she chastised herself, wondering why she needed a lover with complexities in the first place. Hojo was nice, and that’s the entire reason she was here in the first place.

“I’m so glad your illness cleared up, Higurashi.” He walked with his hands in his pockets, looking totally harmless. Not like others she knew, who walked with their shoulders squared, arms crossed over a broad chest, a nonverbal signal to fuck off.

“Thanks,” she murmured, not entirely happy herself.

“I’ve wanted to take you out for so long.” He admitted, a boyish blush rising on his cheeks. “I knew if I waited, you would get better. Did the herbs help?” He asked eagerly.

The sidewalks were littered with people, and Kagome had trouble concentrating. So many bodies pushing past. So much potential for danger. Not like back home, with its wide-open spaces, villagers keeping a distance. The only one who breathed down her back was Inuyasha, and that she didn’t mind. He was safety, protection. Sometimes he would walk past her, bumping her shoulder along the way, other times he would hover, his large frame engulfing hers as he wrapped his arms around her midsection. There were never people around then.

Not like now.

“The herbs?” She repeated dully, gazed locked on steps of the shrine ahead. How many times had she climbed them after school, two at a time, looking for a flash of red around the estate? “Yes, they helped.” Kagome tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

“I knew they would!” Ever the optimist. Hojo smiled with the ease of someone who had never had to worry much.

He walked her to the steps, offering to take her up all the way but she declined. Hojo kissed her chastely on cheeks, grinning as he pulled away. Nothing like the hungry and demanding kisses of a demon. There was no time then; They would sneak away from the group for a moment of privacy, one ear trained for danger, the other focused on her sighs. They could never be anything but quick; demons attacked from high and low, and they often only had time to steal a kiss before they were interrupted. Would he have been gentler, if they had time? Whispered the words her heart ached to hear if they could love each other right?

“I’ll see you next weekend… Kagome.” His brown eyes were so bright as he tasted her first name on his lips. She nodded, biting down on her tongue and turned to ascend the stairs. ~.~

Mama had been bursting with questions, in what quickly turned into a weekly dating debrief. She wanted to know how Hojo was, where they went, what he said. It wasn’t that she was nosy- Mama had never overstepped in her business before, even when she ought to- she was simply thrilled to see her daughter home and acting like a typical woman her age. She should be out dating, she claimed, not mooning over someone unreachable. So many fish in the sea, and she was such a pretty girl! Her mother seemed to have an endless supply of cliches, but Kagome suffered through them. If she could make it through this bit, then she could go upstairs.

The first thing she would do would be to turn on the bath. Steam would rise as the water filled the tub, too hot for comfort. She needed it that way; it kept her grounded in the present. She did not often have the luxury of daily washing, let alone a bath, and hot water was only found at an onsen. Yes, if she kept the water hot, it would remind her that she was in the present, and that is where she would stay.

Once clean, hair brushed body lotioned, she tugged on her pajamas and headed towards the window. Leave it open, and he might come in. She always left it unlocked for him, even in the blisteringly cold winter, just in case. Kagome tugged off the covers and climbed in, trying her best not to look against the wall. He would be sitting there, sword against his chest like there was anything to defeat.

It was a shame he couldn't slay the demons in her dreams.