#by the way Kakashi's soft hand on the girl's tiny face

[huskymaine]

A Girl and her Savior (Fanart of Kakashi Retsuden Novel 1)

Caption from the artist : Mister, are you a fairy? (in the girl's voice)

Those arts are based on the upcoming Kakashi Retsuden book. Yes, Kakashi used medical ninjutsu on that girl. Yes, the water is from his own chakra. Actually he fed the whole country in famine by water from his own chakra for days. Did I ever say that I love him? Because I really, really, love him.

That scene, the whole book, I really want it to be animated! Studio Pierrot, please!

Credits :

Artist : 唐多令 (on Lofter)

Link to the art source : https://flamenlynn.lofter.com/post/41c507_2b4854315

Reposted with permission :

Many thanks to @noppedoublep​ for helping me contact the artist and receive their permission! You guys can check their AO3 and reading their translation of many good angsty ObiKaka fics (My favorite are Light and Shadow series and Illusory Dreams. Truly makes me cry T_T).

Of course, thanks to the talented artist for allowing me reposting their beautiful art for free!

Below “keep reading” line is the segment of the novel that was portrayed beautifully by the art.

Warning! Kakashi Retsuden Spoiler!

“Mister..”

Hearing someone calling him, Kakashi looked down and saw a thin girl standing beside him. She was the same child that Kakashi met on the first day he came to Land of Redaku.

“Are you the kind mister who gave me water the other day?”

“....”

Kakashi gently pushed back strands of hair stuck to the girl’s face in silence. The was a purple-black bruise about the size of an adult fist on his right face. The bridge of the girl’s nose also appears to be broken, and blood overflowed from the nose has dried up to the chin.

Obviously, those are clear signs of being beaten by an adult before.

The girl held a wooden bowl in both hands and handed it to Kakashi.

“Please, can you give me some more water?”

Kakashi squatted down and poured water into the wooden bowl with his left hand, while gently touching the girl’s cheek with his right hand, pouring his chakra into it. Medical jutsu is not his strong suit, but at least it can help the girl salve the pain.

[chanfictions]

Chidori

18+ CONTENT! MINORS DNI!

Kakashi x Reader

Part 2

Playing with electricity, mind games, smut, smut, smut.

2.4k

It's all fun and games until your boyfriend acquires intel that you have some unfulfilled fantasies involving his chakra nature.

You and your big fucking mouth.

You knew getting drunk and shmoozing with that old pervert was a huge mistake, but inebriated you was just a treasure trove of curative ideas for the raunchy author's writer's block, and he was footing the tab. One cup of sake after another and your most titillating fantasies just rolled right off of your twisted tongue in a drunken game of Never-Have-I-Ever, Kink Edition. Little did you know that your traitorous mountain of a drinking buddy would slink off to your boyfriend later with all of the intel he had gathered from you.

You made a mental note to sic Tsunade on him later. Now, however, you had more important things to worry about, namely the chirping cracks of lightning surrounding Kakashi’s hand as you shifted nervously in your rope bindings. "Babe, shouldn't we talk about this?" You squeaked nervously as you twirled in place like a little marionette with your arms bound above your head.

"What's there to talk about, hm? Jiraiya told me just how exciting you thought it would be to play with electricity." The eerie calm in his voice as he circled you, wielding that handful of sparking doom sent lusty shivers up your spine. You were a thrill seeking fear slut, and Kakashi knew it. The danger held in his palm twisted your insides into the most delightful knots and left you dripping with excitement.

"I meant… oh, I don't know, a violet wand or something designed for use on the human body, not an assassination jutsu!" You stammered and your voice climbed in pitch. Your eyes widened the closer he got to you. The scent of ozone filled your nostrils, and all of the little hairs on your body stood on end from the static beginning to collect in the air.

"What's the matter, kitten? Don't think you can handle it?"

"Do I think I can handle a jutsu you use to literally pierce people's hearts as FOREPLAY?!" Your voice entered the soprano register as you gnawed your lip and spun around him again, tipping about on the balls of your bare feet.

A chuckle purred deep in Kakashi’s chest as he pulled his mask down with a light curl to the corner of his mouth. "That is what I asked you."

Words failed you, and all you could manage was a high pitched squeal as he ghosted the edge of that jutsu around your exposed stomach, just barely kissing your skin with static. Your breath caught in your throat as your heart leapt into your mouth.

"You haven't forgotten your safe word, have you?" He mused while continuing to circle you like a silver-haired lion.

Another squeaky yelp that sounded like a 'no' slipped from your lips as your bugged out eyes followed the sparks and you twitched away from his hand.

"What we should talk about is your racy little conversation with Master Jiraiya yesterday." Kakashi’s dark iris glinted with the reflection of those chirping bolts as he traced a less dangerous finger along your trembling jawline, tipping your chin upward. "Naughty girl, telling that old pervert about your little fantasies before even I had the privilege of hearing them." His voice was a mere gusty murmur blowing beneath the deafening crackle humming right next to your face.

"We were just talking about his unfinished book," you insisted in a shaky chitter as your eyes locked on the blue chakra leaping from his fingertips. Boy, did Kakashi know how to push your buttons. The ache between your legs had you twisting your thighs as that knot of excited fear tightened in your belly. He had barely laid a finger on you since hanging you up, and you were just fluttering for some kind of stimulation.

Another dark little laugh rolled in Kakashi’s chest. "You should really know better by now, kitten," he purred, bringing the jumping bolts ever closer to your skin, letting little shocks nip and draw goosebumps on your waist as he trailed his sparking hand ever closer to your very erect nipples, making you squirm anxiously. "Master Jiraiya and I are very good friends. He tells me everything."

You swallowed hard, breaking into a bit of a sweat. "So… um… what else did he tell you?" Your voice cracked under the strain of the pitch you were reaching while you bit your lip. Keeping your heaving chest away from his hand was growing more difficult with the little slack you had in your rope.

"Now, where's the fun in giving up my leverage?" A sly smile tilted his lips. "You might want to stop squirming before this arcs… electricity can be so unpredictable, can't it?"

A high whine hummed in your throat as your eyes flicked from that devious smile back to his hand again. He wouldn't, right? Another hard swallow had you nibbling on your lip in hopeful anticipation and wringing your bound hands. That chirping sound terrified you, as you knew it all too well from fighting alongside the silver-haired jonin. Your heart raced in the best possible way, that fear leaving you aching and wet.

"Oh, but you'd like that, wouldn't you? I can see it in your eyes," he murmured in your ear, sliding behind you and pulling your body tightly against his with his tamer hand, tracing a line from your navel up to the breast he firmly cupped. You felt that bulge of desire for you straining the fabric of his pants when you were pulled in and gave your ass a little teasing wiggle against it. He trailed his lips along your neck up to your jaw. Deft fingers rolled a hardened bud, sending tasty jolts through your body, making you arch into his touch. The chattering spark in his left hand hovered inches from your skin. "Say it."

"K-kakashi, I--" you stammered nervously. He could no doubt feel your racing pulse beneath his lips as he kissed his way along your neck.

"It's simple. Either you want it and you tell me as much, or you don't and tap out, but we both know what you're going to say." How that man managed to maintain such an aloof coolness while terrorizing you like this was just beyond you.

With your blood rushing in your ears, you bit your lip and dropped your head back against his shoulder. "Light me up," you breathed lustfully before you even realized what you were asking for.

With a knowing chuckle, Kakashi obliged. The pitch of the chirping shifted, and hot points of light licked your skin, leaving you gasping in surprise. The little lightning strikes were fiery and felt sharp like the edge of a knife being dragged over your flesh. You had expected it to really hurt, but as usual, Kakashi had twisted your head around in a delicious mind fuck, letting you think he just might fry you up until the very last moment. The sensation beautifully toed the line between pain and pleasure, sending literal shocks through your body. Arching your back, you bit your lip with an excited squeal as his hand hovered just above your nipple, peppering it with a storm of static. "Did you really think that I would touch you with an actual Chidori?" The tone of his voice sent shivers up your spine.

"It s--ah-aaah-oounded like the rreeeal one," you gasped in a breathy moan as those sparks danced around your torso. Tiny bolts pierced your skin like needles without leaving so much as a mark in their wake. The most shocking aspect of this newfound kink was the smell. It never occurred to you that electricity had any kind of defining odor, but this did, and you couldn't get enough of it.

More soft chuckles hummed behind you as Kakashi’s breath fanned your neck. His sparking hand ran circles around your breasts, sending shocks straight through your body to your throbbing clit. The sensation was amazing and left you arching into his body, swaying your hips against his own waiting lust. "Are you trying to tell me something, hm?" He punctuated the statement with a nip of your neck and began trailing his new favorite toy downward.

"W-w-aaaait a minute!!" You squeaked in surprise at a dog-whistle pitch, wiggling your hips again in an effort to avoid that hand as you had quickly realized what he was about to do with it.

"You know the word to use if you want me to stop," he murmured, more and more amused by this. "Otherwise, I'm going to find out if I can get you off without actually touching you." He slid his feet between yours, prying your legs apart and stepping lightly on the tops of your now inward turned feet to keep you rooted.

The next sound coming out of your mouth was a shrill, giggling shriek that rolled into a loud moan. Kakashi brought those sparking fingers down to your slick clit, hovering just above it and sending little lightning strikes grouped in pulsing waves directly at the most sensitive spot. The electric chakra jumped around your dripping pussy, sending all new sensations ripping through your body. The inhuman noise you were producing grew loud enough that Kakashi had to muffle your mouth with his other hand to prevent the neighbors from thinking he was murdering you.

Your eyes rolled back in your head as you let out another loud wail. Pins, needles, and precise strikes of heat from the electricity coursing through you sent your muscles contracting in waves in time with the pulses leaving his fingers. Your walls fluttered around nothing, absolutely starving to be filled. The intensity was unlike anything you had ever experienced. Your legs trembled as the pitch of your voice rolled chromatically skyward.

Kakashi hummed praises in your ear, kissing along your exposed neck as he kept that one hand clamped firmly over your mouth. With a sly smirk he whispered in your ear, "Let's turn things up a bit."

To say you saw stars as he did just that was an understatement. The heat and force applied by those biting strikes of sparking chakra increased, intensifying your involuntary muscle contractions. Your legs nearly gave way as the first heavy wave of the night crashed over you and stole the air from your screaming lungs. Your walls clenched desperately. The knot of heat in your belly finally burst.

"Mmm, so that does work. Good to know," he mused, turning up the power as you rode out that first release until you wailed again and bucked your hips into his hand. Cutting the chakra off for the moment, he pressed hard against your puffy clit, rubbing circles to keep you teetering on the edge of blissful insanity.

"Mmmfffff--K-kakashi, please," you begged desperately around his hand. You were throbbing, aching, pining to be filled. "N-need you, need you now--"

As swift as the bolts of lightning crackling about in his hand, Kakashi had you untied from the rope, stripped his own clothes, and pinned to the mattress just a few steps behind where you were hanging. With a bruising kiss and a hand tangled in your hair, he ground his hips against your throbbing pussy, eliciting a lewd moan from you into his mouth. Hungry, desperate, and needy for him, you snapped your legs around him, urging him to stuff you. There was no need for the usual prep with how wet that electricity had gotten you. You gasped with eyes rolling back into your head as he abruptly rutted his full length into your aching core, sending you right back into outer space, digging your nails into his shoulders and locking your legs around him.

A low growl rumbled in Kakashi’s throat as your walls attempted to crush his cock. He swallowed your moans and wails from his movements in equally ravenous kisses with one hand still tangled into your hair. As you rode out yet another blinding orgasm, he snatched one of your knees and pinned it to your chest to achieve more depth that left you teetering on the edge of blackout. It was so fucking good. You clenched around him again, finally with the satisfaction of being stuffed so full and babbled incoherently. "Fuck-- Kakashi, so fu-haaah-ah-big -- can't -- oh, gods-- I--"

Hearing you unable to string together a coherent sentence filled Kakashi with immense satisfaction as he ground deeply into your impossibly tight little hole. Picking up the pace, the force of his thrusts rocked the bed noisily into the wall, though it likely couldn't be heard over you. He smothered your rambling cries with his mouth, leaving trails of bites and hot breath down your neck before coming back for more. He groaned loudly as you bit his shoulder while fluttering around him yet again to stifle your own noise. Nail marks decorated his upper back from your desperate attempt to hold onto something as he railed you into oblivion. His breathing quickened before catching in his throat and erupting as a guttural growl when he delved into you to an impossible depth, painting your insides white.

You were nearly choking on your own saliva as you dropped your head back into the mattress beneath you, fighting to catch your breath. Kakashi buried his face into the curve of your neck, gripping you tightly and murmuring soft affections as you both slowly drifted down from that impressive high. You could hardly feel your legs from how hard your soul had been fucked out of your body. He remained there, buried in you with your leg still trapped, trailing his fingers along your cheek while you tried to remember your own name.

"That was… ridiculous," you breathed heavily, coiling your arms around his neck.

Kakashi just chuckled, trailing his lips up your neck to yours again. "Well, now that you can speak again, perhaps we can finish the conversation we started earlier," he mused, running his fingers along your side teasingly.

You were not running on full steam and just pressed yourself tightly against him. "Hmm?"

"Mmm, electricity wasn't the only thing you were talking about with Master Jiraiya…" Kakashi spoke in a husky tone and trailed off with a wicked twinkle in his eye.

You peered up at him, face beginning to flame with embarrassment and a slight hint of dread as you remembered the depth of your drunken chat with the sannin who was definitely going to get pummeled for this later.

Oh, shit.

"What's this I heard about shadow clones?"

[sup-hoes-its-me]

Golden (Kakashi x Reader)

A/N: you are in a relationship with kakaski, but after an accident, you have amnesia, and can’t remember him anymore. angst baby. Very feminine Civilian!reader (you own a bookstore, so cliche lmao) essentially, this series is mindless romantic indulgences i wrote mostly for myself, but if other people can enjoy them then i did my job as a fanfic writer.

A/N: im definitely not writing a fanfic for every song on fine line...haha

Word count: 5600

_____

He lay awake at night after the incident, imagining the moment he truly knew he was in love with her. Completely infatuated with this beautiful woman working at the bookstore. It was the only thing he could do now that his entire world had come crashing around him. With everything that happened in the hospital, this was the only way he knew how to cope.

He drifted off into the dream once again.

__

Kakashi stood by the front gates of the village, a paperback book he had just bought in his hand, folded over so he could read with one hand. One more time before he left for this mission, one he knew would last longer than anyone would like, he visited the old bookstore in town. He wanted to think he just stopped by to stock up on reading material, but that wasn’t it.

It was always about her.

When he saw Y/N running up to him, her apron nearly falling off and her hair in disarray, his eyes widened and he set the book down by his side. She was out of breath when she got to him, pressing her hands to her chest to get herself put together. Her brows furrowed deeply as she lifted her eyes to meet his.

“Kakashi,” she exclaimed.

“What’s wrong, Y/N?”

“I know you’re going on this long mission and you won’t be around for a few months, and I can’t stand the thought of you leaving without me telling you this,” she said, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t insanely curious what she had to say. She was a sweet village girl, and he frequented her store, quite a bit actually. On occasion, he would drop by a few times in a day just to say hello. He definitely wasn’t slick.

He waited for her to continue and she didn’t hesitate. “Every time you leave, I get this pain in my chest. I worry about you day and night because I know the life of a shinobi is never guaranteed. I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you this time, if I kept acting like the coward I am.”

“I see? Well, what’s on your mind?”

“I-I’ve never felt this way for anyone before, and I don’t know how to deal with it, so here goes,” she told him, taking a deep breath before her next words, “I think I’m in love with you, Kakashi Hatake. I think I’ve loved you since the first time you stepped foot in my parents store.”

“I…”

What was he supposed to say to that?

“You don’t have to say anything back. It doesn’t bother me, I know how closed off you ninja are. Just please, take my words and hold them close on your journeys.” She paused, clenching her soft fists by her sides. She wasn’t scared of rejection, not at all. She was only scared that Kakashi might not care about her words at all. “Please, don’t forget someone loves you.”

In that moment, he felt his heart stop beating, only for a second, but he felt it. Shifted awkwardly, not wanting to let off that he was getting even a little emotional at her declaration. He was tough as nails, the copy-nin. Not some lover boy, even if he wanted to be. Even if he wanted to swoop in right then and kiss her to pieces.

All he could say was, “I’ll keep that in my mind. Thank you, Y/N.”

“You’re welcome. Now, don’t fool around out there so you can come back to me in one piece!” she laughed, feeling tears bubbling up in the corners of her eyes.

He found himself smiling back at the young woman. “You got it.”

__________

Kakashi was never really one to express his feelings. Generally, he kept them inside to mourn alone. It was just in his nature, it was nothing personal with the people he knew and trusted. There was just something about Y/N that made him drop down some of those thick barriers.

His girlfriend was a normal woman, working long shifts in the village bookstore since she was a teenager. She never attended the academy, wasn't chakra sensitive, nothing in particular was so outstanding that she was noticed. Nothing on the surface, actually.

It was her smile and her laugh, the way she could make anyone feel like they were important and wanted, that attracted Kakashi to her in the first place. From the first time they met as teenagers in the bookstore aisles, he knew he was caught in some sort of trap. For a minute, he compared the feeling to that of a genjutsu, even though he knew that was far from a possibility.

To him, when she smiled, it felt as if everything was going to be okay. All the pain and suffering disappeared when she was around. He really couldn’t understand how that could be happening, with the world crumbling around him everyday.

That was a particularly rare attribute among ninja folk, whose lives led them to believe that happiness wasn’t achievable and death was common; pain was so normal for him. It was refreshing to have someone around who didn't think like that, that could change the tone of a room in a moment with just an ounce of positive energy. Y/N was innocent to the majority of these harsh realities that the ninja faced, for the most part.

As with most people in the village, her parents lost their lives during the invasion of the nine tails. She was alone for a long time, but despite that, she tried to find joys in reading, in stacking new books on shelves, in talking to unique individuals that would stop by. And as she aged, she realized her most favorite customer was one with a masked face, and a love of gushy, perverted novels.

She was even friends with some of his closest friends, Gai, Yamato, Sakura. She reached out to them, getting visits here and there while she worked during the day. After he informed his closest companions of his blossoming affair with the bookstore girl, they just had to get in an insider view. They kept visiting after the first meetings. Sakura bringing lunch, Yamato helping her with repairs, and Gai just bringing his brightest smile and a boatload of jokes and giggles to share at the front counter.

It was only a matter of time before they fell into some weird friendship, a civilian and one of the top shinobi of their village. He was gone half the time on missions, and sometimes, when he was ANBU, she wouldn’t see him for weeks at a time. Occasionally, when a mission was long and difficult, she would hear pawing at her window late into the night. When she pulled back the blinds, a small dog would be sitting there with a folded piece of paper in his mouth, waiting for her to take it.

She loved those letters, they became her prized possessions. There was nothing else she loved more in the world than seeing his kind words written out on paper, his declarations of love that he would never dare say aloud. To him, it was easier to say those things on paper, to not be around when she read about his feelings for her. He was still attentive and kind to her in person, but the letters spoke with a romanticism that he couldn’t.

Y/N practically glowed when she spoke to him, so in love with him she could barely keep it restrained. He knew this. He knew she was as deeply in love with him as he was entranced with her. It had been 5 years since they started dating, and he prolonged the inevitable path of marriage as long as he could. Having a girlfriend was one thing, but marrying someone felt like a burden he couldn’t shoulder. He wanted to, but it just seemed like too much work, too much risk.

After years, he realized the waiting just wasn’t worth it. They were only getting older as the time went by. She just warmed his empty heart, he knew that was something only she could do for him. He needed that.

And that's why he sat in the comfort of Ichiraku, Sakura by his side, sipping on some soup. She was the only one he truly trusted with this knowledge, the only one who could give him genuine advice. He just needed to tell someone what he was about to do. He sat there, his fingers hovering over his pants pocket, eyes trailed down at the table.

"What did you want to talk about, Sensei?" She had asked.

"You really like Y/N, right? Think she's good for me?"

She smiled with a small nod. "Of course. Y/N is so sweet. She makes you so happy I can tell. I think it's really good for you." It was true. Sakura didn’t know what her sensei was like before he met the woman. That was years ago before she was even born. What she did know is that someone with that much pain seeping from his heart could use some love in his life, a stable shoulder to lean onto. If anyone was stable, it was her. Without any cares in the world other than worrying for her boyfriend and keeping her business afloat. Her trauma was behind her, unlike some of the shinobi that carry those with them for the rest of their lives. Guilt, anger, resentment.

He pulled a tiny, drawstring bag from his pocket and fiddled with the strings between his fingers. "When I was in the Land of Fire last month, I picked this up from a merchant," he explained, pulling open the bag and pouring out the contents. A small ring clicked against the bar table. "Take a look, tell me what you think."

She dropped her spoon and reached over for the ring, holding it gently with the pads of her fingertips. It was beautiful. It sparkled like sunlight hitting clear blue waters. A stone rested in the center, flecks of lavender and blue floating in the sparkly gem. When she turned it in the sunlight, more colors appeared and changed, morphing into something spectacular in every sense of the word.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's gorgeous. Are you going to give this to Y/N?"

"After all this time, it seems inevitable really. Time flies."

"Oh my gosh. I'm so happy for you. She's going to be ecstatic, I just know it. She loves you more than life itself." He liked hearing that reaffirmed for him, even though Y/N frequently told him how she felt, daily ‘I love you’s. Unlike him, those words were not rare, but each time it filled his chest with warmth.

He smiled fondly, watching as she continued to turn to ring in her hands. He never thought this would happen to him: marrying someone. He didn't want to lose anyone else. He didn't want to put that risk on someone, especially Y/N. He had suppressed his feelings for her for a few years before he finally succumbed to the urge to tell her. Finally, after years of longing and avoiding the obvious, she became his, and he was undoubtedly hers.

It was a hard decision. He knew it was wrong to risk it, put her life on the line, but now he felt ridiculous sulking around waiting for something that was never going to happen. Nothing had happened to Y/N yet, and it had been years. She was gonna be fine. He was only being paranoid, he had convinced himself.

"Tonight. I'm going to help her close the store and do it then."

"You're a good man, Kakashi. She’s so lucky to have you protecting her and watching out for her, ya know? You two balance each other out perfectly,” the girl sighed. If only she could find a love like her sensei had with his significant other.

"Thanks, Sakura.”

They finished up their conversation, and he paid the bill for her, feeling so high that a bit of money from his wallet didn't even bother him. It was slightly later than he was supposed to go see her. The bookstore should have already closed by about 10 minutes.

All he could think about on the way there was how she would laugh about him being late, as usual. She would hug him to say hello, like she usually wound, and then give him a kiss on his masked cheek. He would help her quickly reorganize books before pulling out the ring. To him, it wasn't really about her saying yes at all so much as this moment, proposing to the love of his life, meant he could leave his curse behind and be happy for once with someone he cared about. She was his savior, an escape from a mindset so ingrained he couldn't fight it on his own.

But when he walked up to the front of the store. He noticed the lights still on even though she would have shut them off by now. The sign out front still flipped to open. He didn’t think it was too weird at all, he just thought maybe she was waiting for him to come along to finish up.

As he walked in though, he noticed the whole reams of paper strewn across the floor. Piles of books were aggressively thrown from the shelves, scattered around the floor like someone side swept them from the stands. Ink stained the checkout counter where she normally sat, inkwell tipped over the edge and dripped onto the carpet which she took care to keep clean. It was disastrous getting stains out of that carpet, she always said to him.

Most importantly, on some of the papers scattered around, he spotted blood splatter, drips of half dried blood present all the way from her desk to the back door. He felt panic rise up from his stomach all the way to his throat, and his heart raced. It was rare something made him truly terrified, and this was one of those moments.

He searched, god, he scoured that entire building over and over again for the woman. He checked every aisle and under every table. He ran upstairs to her apartment and checked in the few small rooms she had, scared she was cowering in her bathtub or hiding under the bed. He ran to the neighboring stores, asking if they'd heard from her, and received nothing but empty words. He just wanted her to be anywhere that he could find, anywhere but in the arms of someone evil.

His Y/N was gone, and he was hopelessly at the mercy of his curse once again.

______

He wasn't even allowed to go on the search mission for his girlfriend. Instead, Tsunade sent Yamato as well as a few chunin who knew Y/N enough to recognize her but not enough to fail at being objective. Apparently, the copy-nin wasn't in his right mind to go on a mission right now, especially one that was so personal to him. All his missions for the foreseeable future had been cancelled and another jounin was set to replace him. He could only sit back at home, guilt ridden and feeling useless, unable to help, unable to search. He did this to her. He knew that putting his heart into someone else's hands wasn't right, that it would only lead to her suffering but he couldn't listen to his own experience. He didn’t think it could happen to Y/N. he thought he could protect her.

But fate finds a way, it seems.

He trusted Yamato and the others to find her, but it was nothing like going himself. He wanted nothing more than to see the men who stole her away taught a lesson for what they had done. He wanted to cradle her in his arms and kiss her head, and promise something like this would never happen again. At least, that’s what he wanted to do. He didn’t know how he would react in the moment, despite developing quite good self-control over the years. How could he contain himself when the perpetrators caused his beautiful girl to bleed, and no doubt suffer?

Sakura felt the worst for Kakashi, knowing what she knew. She could imagine him heading to propose to his little girlfriend whom he loved more than anything in the entire world, and see only her blood splattered across the room and endless signs of a brutal struggle. Not to mention no one had a clue why they stole her or what was happening where no one else could see. The medical nin nearly shed a couple tears when Kakashi rushed into the Hokage's office without announcement, proclaiming that his girlfriend was gone, kidnapped from her own store where she worked alone all day.

Tsunade, despite barely knowing the girl, knew it was important; for anyone to be stolen from their village was serious enough. Although she felt for Kakashi, she had to keep him calm while she worked on finding the subject of his affection. She sent out teams immediately, and stressed that Kakashi was to remain in the village until everything was resolved one way or another. She didn't want any accidents because of a reckless, emotionally compromised shinobi faltering.

It only took the teams a single day to find their target.

Shikamaru and Choji were the ones to come back first, and in the larger boy's arms rested the limp, unconscious body of a missing woman. Ever so gently, he had her head tucked away against his chest the entire way home, trying his best not to hurt her anymore. Even if she was unconscious, he wanted to respect the body. From the moments they spoke before, she seemed like the nicest girl. He felt awful. She wasn’t the one putting her life on the line, she was the one that shinobi were supposed to protect. And they failed her.

When they walked through the gates of the village, Kakashi was already rushing up to the gates waiting for their arrival. He caught up to the boys and reached out to take her body from his arms, just to cradle her against him. It was the least that he could do was take her to the infirmary. To feel her faint heart beating against his chest. He was surprised when one of the chunin sadly shook his head.

"Kakashi, she's alive, but trust me, you don't want to see what they did to her," Shikamaru warned, and Choji flinched, just thinking about what her poor face looked like when they found her. Shikamaru knew for a fact that if his girlfriend was ever handed off to him looking so pitiful, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He didn’t want the same to befall on his sensei. "Just trust me, I cannot let you see it, for your sake. Let Choji bring her to Tsunade."

He felt a burning in his stomach, pain creeping up in his abdomen like he was going to throw up all over the dirt path they stood on, but he did his best to remain calm despite the mix of emotions running through his head. He watched as the Akimichi carried her quickly off to the hospital. Kakashi didn't miss though, the blood stains on his tunic surrounding the area where her head was resting, circling her face. She had bled a lot in her time away, he realized.

God, he felt sick. So fucking nauseous.

"What happened?" he breathed heavily, words slipping through.

"Apparently, the guy had a grudge against your clan for something your father did to his family. Killed a criminal brother or some shit. When he heard wind of your girlfriend he knew he would take his revenge. Didn't want ransom, fame, nothing, just to torment you and torture her. Disgusting bastard."

There was one thing he wanted to know on top of his worry about her condition. He’d been thinking about it for the entire day she was missing. Obsessing even.

"What did you do with the man?" He hoped that justice had been served, and he couldn't imagine the two boys doing anything less.

"A man that would do that to a woman doesn't deserve his life," he muttered, his eyes trailed off to the village, “I made it painful.”

Kakashi nodded to him, and together they stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity.

“Sensei?”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry.”

____________

When he got to the hospital, Choji was directly quickly to a special unit with particularly fancy machines around the room. Sakura was standing beside her own mentor awaiting the arrival of her friend. The moment she finally saw Y/N's exposed face, she cried. Tears fell from her eyes and she leant over the hospital bed to get a look at all her wounds. She looked alien, and the amount of blood that stained her hairline and cheeks was thick and heavy. Choji had tried to wipe it off, but he just couldn’t get it all.

"Y/N! Oh my God, what did they do to you?" She cried, running her hands shakily over the contusions and the cuts and the bulging areas near her temples. Her body was no better but her face is what hurt Sakura the most. It was hard to believe that all the life had been drained from her body after this one incident.

The light had left her body. Her familiar glow emanating from her soft skin was missing. She looked cold and dead. For the first time, Sakura saw her without her smile, without any bit of optimism. It felt like she was staring at an empty shell of the woman she knew.

"Sakura, get the IV ready. I need to get to work."

And so she did what she does best. Healers at work in their element fixing broken bones, burst capillaries in her head, torn skin. Everything they could. It took hours, and her face still wasn't completely healed in the end, just less swollen. She still had some bumps and bruises but those weren't going to be so bad. They could heal by themselves with a few days of rest and care.

She would be okay, they decided after a while of treatment, and moved her into a normal hospital room, under watch of nurses every so often, no visitors allowed either. Not for the first few days, much to Kakashi's displeasure. He was really getting irritated with the way everyone was keeping him from seeing her. Shouldn’t he be allowed? Essentially, the only family she had left? In reality though, he was scared.

But did he even want to see her again? He loved her, would do anything in the world for her. If only he had the guts to just give up on her and let her meet a normal man from the village, let her marry him and just forget all about their relationship. Then, nothing like this would ever happen again. She would be safer without having connections with him. He was so upset with himself for letting this happen.

He hated himself. It had been a long time since he genuinely thought those words. He hated himself more than anyone else. He let this happen, he was to blame for all this mess. A monster.

He headed back to his apartment that night and stared over at her tiny pile of belongings in the corner, ones she had left over his place as time went on. They still didn't live together so it wouldn't be the worst thing if he broke up with her. She would be hurt, probably cry for a few days, a week, maybe a month. He didn’t know. All he knew was that a little bit of crying was a lot better than getting fatally injured.

Just return her belongings in a box, and never go back to that fucking bookshop where he fell in love with her. He could get his novels directly from Jiraiya if he wanted them.

Tsunade already told him it would be days before he would be allowed to see her again, something about the healing process and that her chakra wasn't enough to fix everything. Based on what Shikamaru had told him, the way he acted- it must have been pretty bad. He couldn't even imagine her face beaten and broken.

All he knew was that in 2 days, he would be allowed to see her again, to possibly talk to her and apologize for what he had caused. It was the least he could do. At this point he couldn't imagine giving her that ring. How could she accept when he was the reason she was abducted and tortured?

He barely slept that night, but it didn't matter. He didn't have anything to do. He was given time off work until everything was resolved. He wondered if it would have been better to have a mission and forget all about the situation for even a couple fleeting moments.

He was just so tired of these feelings. He felt suffocated, and unlike himself. He was finding it hard to be cool, calm, and collected like usual. He just felt terrible. Too terrible to eat, too terrible to sleep, too terrible to do anything but stare up at the ceiling and wonder what could have been.

______

It was time to head to the hospital and see her. Yamato had come to his apartment so they could go and see Y/N. Tsunade gave him the green light first thing that morning when he reported to her. The wood style ninja wanted to see her as well, just to say he was happy she was recovering and even tell her that next time she needed help, if Kakashi wasn't around, to run to his apartment. He would always open his arms to help. So many shinobi of the village, after this incident, would be willing to drop everything and help. Her bookstore would probably always have eyes on it from now on.

Word travelled fast between the shinobi and soon enough almost everyone was giving Kakashi sympathetic looks, patting him on the back and apologizing to him for something they knew nothing about. He just wanted to get to her and say sorry for everything he had done. For not being there sooner, for his father and his clan causing this whole thing. He just needed to see her face. He couldn't get her out of his head.

Sakura was standing outside the room when he arrived. She was biting on her nails, which was oddly uncharacteristic of her. She rarely got nervous enough for habits like that to arise. She was normally so confident. That was the first of the red flags.

"Kakashi-sensei, Yamato. You're here to see Y/N, aren't you?" she asked, her voice quiet and hesitant.

She let him Yamato walk past her into the room but she raised her hand before Kakashi could walk in. She gave him one of the most sorry, pitiful looks he had ever seen, and her lip was quivering just a bit. It was barely noticeable but Kakashi was talented at noting the smallest things.

"Kakashi, I'm really sorry about everything. Lady Tsunade did everything she could. When you go in there, just please don't get upset. It's not as bad as you think. I'll explain everything later, but I want to see how she reacts to seeing you first," she bit out, her words mending together awkwardly.

He figured she was just nervous about her condition or maybe she was still bruised and bandaged up. If she was in a full body cast, he wouldn’t care. As long as he could see her. He couldn’t understand why Sakura was so worried. She would still be beautiful to him. She could never lose that shine that she carried regardless of her external features.

"Hmm. I'm sure it will be fine."

"I'm serious. Don't get upset and alarm her, it's very important you be careful."

"Gotcha."

She watched as he walked past her into the white room, sunlight leaking onto her bedside. The woman was fond of staring out the window since she woke, comforted by the familiarity of the village and the birds that flew by. That was the one thing she needed. Comfort.

Yamato sat at her bedside, and she seemed to be talking to him quietly. Her brows were furrowed deeply and she seemed strained, thoughts running through her brain.

"Kakashi-" the man began to say, desperate to say anything to his friend before the inevitable, but was interrupted.

"Y/N, I was so worried about you," he said, words tumbling out before he could even think. He just had so much to say. He continued, "I need to apologize for what happened. I know I should have been at the shop earlier to help you close, I just got caught up in something. It was my family's fault for your kidnapping. I cannot believe I dropped my guard and let this happen to you, baby-"

She looked at him, but without an ounce of the fondness he was so used to. Instead, his girlfriend just looked confused.

"I… I'm sorry but, Sir, do I know you?"

No.

Not this.

He pleaded in his head that this was not happening. That somehow he had misheard.

"It's me, Kakashi,” he replied softly, almost pleading for her to say something else.

She smiled sympathetically, peering up at him with a little glimmer of that kindness he knew in her eyes. He could tell she was confused, and he began to feel his heart break. "Uh, I'm so sorry but I don't remember you. We're we friends or something?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say something like that,” he muttered, his eyes turned to stare at the white tiles beneath his feet.He couldn’t look at her anymore.

"Yamato, you're friends with Kakashi-san, too?" She asked the brunette at her bedside, sitting in a chair wiping his sweaty palms on the thighs of his pants. He felt himself becoming nervous, especially when he felt Kakashi watching him. Why did she have to ask him that question? Why did she have to address him by his name so casually? He could feel Kakashi begin to bubble up emotions he hadn’t felt from him before.

"Yes. We are all very close friends, Y/N. You were closest with Kakashi actually."

"Then how come I can’t remember any of you?"

"I don't know." He felt fear creeping up his neck, Kakashi overwhelming his senses. The grey haired man just stood there, his eye flickering between the love of his life and his friend who apparently her brain thought was more important than him. Did he not look friendly enough to talk to? Was Yamato more inviting than he was, was that why she stopped talking to him? “I really wish I could help you there,” he mumbled.

She turned back to Kakashi and smiled, but it wasn't the one he knew from her. It was different. He hated it. He didn't even want to look at her anymore.

"I hope I remember you soon, or I'll just have to get to know you again, Kakashi-san," she chirped, reaching out to touch his hand which rested on the edge of her bed. The reaction he had was immediate and almost startling. The second her hand touched his, her warmth pressed to his cold fingers, he yanked his hand away and shoved it into his pocket.

He didn't want her to touch him. He didn't want anything other than to leave. Fuck getting to know him again. That wasn't an option.

"I need to go. I've got a mission I need to prepare for."

"Okay! Goodluck out there," she called to him as he turned on his heel to leave. He grit his teeth, feeling another wave of emotion overtake him. As he stepped outside the door, Sakura was still waiting there for him, her arms crossed over her chest sheepishly.

"Will she ever remember me again?" He asked simply.

"I don't know. She's got retrograde amnesia which can sometimes be permanent depending on the damage done to the brain. We couldn't fix it, no matter how much we tried. She doesn't remember me either. She doesn't remember Gai or Naruto or even Tsunade. She only remembers the village and a few bits and pieces that she can associate with it. Of course she remembers her name and her bookstore, but specific people and memories are essentially gone for now."

"So she's lost to us?"

"She can still get her memories back, but it will take time," she explained. "Sensei, I'm so sorry. None of us wished anything like this on you. I told Tsunade about the ring you were going to give her and the proposal, and we mourned for you. I'm so sorry." She felt so bad, and they did cry for him. They cried for the girl who got to keep her life but lost her soul.

"I have to get back to my apartment and clean up a few things," he dismissed, turning his head away from his student as well. He felt his heart clench in his chest as he walked away. The ring still sat deep in his pants pocket and he wanted nothing more than to throw it in the river.

He wished he was the one who forgot everything. Maybe this pain in his heart would subside. Maybe all the guilt would be washed away once and for all.

Part Two and Three are out.

[saudade-mayari]

💜 NaruHina Pregnancy fluff

Sunflowers

warnings: Suggestive content (pregnancy), domestic fluffs

Naruto silently entered the Uzumaki household while holding various paper bags in his hands. It was calm and peaceful. Even his optimistic attitude cannot disturb the warmth he had always felt in this house. After every tiring day of learning from Kakashi and Shikamaru, his favorite part of the day would be coming home to his wife and son.

As soon as he reached the living room, he found Hinata peacefully sleeping on the couch while their two-year-old Boruto is playing with Hinata's pressed flowers which are now scattered on the floor. Naruto let out a soft chuckle when Boruto started kicking his foot, his tiny hands raising in front of Naruto as an indication to carry him. The moment Naruto held him in his arms, Boruto let out a loud coo, causing Hinata to let out a soft groan that caused his wife to open her tired eyes.

Naruto kneeled, still holding Boruto in his arms while he softly yanked off the strands of hair that covered Hinata's appearance. He stared for a short while when her tired, but sophisticated face was evident to his Atlantic eyes already—remarkably gorgeous. He had thought.

"Boruto... I told you to be quiet ttebayo.. " He shushed his kid, which only caused Boruto to giggle louder, and instead of being mad at the little kid Naruto and Hinata watched Boruto subconsciously hug his father.

The way he leaned himself to his father's chest gave Naruto a warm feeling. He had thought that maybe Boruto's warm and chunky body caused the warmth, but he knows it's not. It was his heart of gold melting from happiness, appreciating the brief but adorable moment inside the Uzumaki household.

Naruto glanced at Hinata, silently watching Boruto snuggle himself to his father like he definitely knows how warm his father’s embraces are.

"I've bought your cravings. Red bean soup and cinnamon rolls from your favorite shop." Hinata gave out a happy nod and mouthed thank you to his husband.

He kissed her forehead, giving his classic wide smile to his beloved wife, who waited for him. "Why are you sleeping here? You and Boruto shouldn't have waited. He destroyed your pressed flowers."

"It feels like my feet are strained. I don't want to go upstairs." She softly answered.

Naruto placed his son on the sofa just beside his mother. His eyes that were almost similar to his grandfather stared at Naruto with a confusion of why he set him down the couch—bouncing his tiny body up and down to get both of his parent's attention to carry him again. But this time, Hinata guided those dainty hands in her belly.

"Boruto, this is your little sister. She's kicking."

Naruto, who was fixing the scattered flowers, got his wife's attention. He immediately went to caress her belly to feel his daughter's kick. Fully anticipating their daughter to see the world. The world they live in. The family she's going to grow up with.

"Not there," Hinata said, moving his hand more to the right side of her belly, just near Boruto's dainty fingers. "There it is, right there. Do you feel it?" She asked with a hint of excitement.

"I-I think so, ttebayo?" Naruto muttered, and soon enough, a slight flutter followed by what the three of them can only guess is a big kick.

"There it is! Dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, lifting his head to get a better view of Hinata's blushing face. At the same time, Boruto cooed as well, completely getting excited and wondering why his mother's belly felt like it was kicking.

"Yes, that's right, dear." She whispers in such a loving voice, presumably no longer talking to Naruto, "Do you know who that is?"

He watched his wife and son interact while chasing the tiny movements with his hands until it settles again with one more soft kick. He let out a small laugh at the movements of his little girl. She's mischievous. Playful and almost seems jolly.

"It's your little sister, Boruto."

Naruto finally stood up, took something by the shoe rack, and hid it behind his body. Hinata and Boruto followed his movements with curiosity. It was rare to see him this shy, especially if it's in front of their son. Both of his wife and son's eyes sparkled in awe and happiness when he showed three pieces of a large daisy-like bulbs, sunflowers.

"I-ugh passed by Ino's flower shop, and I figured to buy one." Naruto answered with a sheepish tone, his hands rubbing the back of his neck and his other hand handing the large daisy-like bulb to his wife. Hinata stood up while holding Boruto in her arm, her free hand took the flowers and placed a kiss on Naruto's lips.

Naruto took the advantage to kiss Hinata deeper this time, their son watching them in confusion as their kisses go deeper. It was then when Boruto started tugging Naruto's sleeves, desperately reaching his father's chin to get a kiss as well. They both smiled between the kisses. They needed to tone down the intensity of their kiss to shift their glance to Boruto.

"You want a kiss too?" Hinata gave him a peck, then onto his blonde hair and to her little kid's tiny lips. "There you go."

Naruto once again caressed her five-month-old belly as Hinata stared at the sunflowers he had given to her as a present. A bright thought had come to her mind. Sunlight. Their little sunshine.

It's a happy flower, known for making them the perfect gift to bring joy to someone's life.

Their life.

A gift for their growing family.

"Himawari, meet your dad and big brother."

Hinata looked at the ocean eyes of his husband and son, giving them a sophisticated smile as tiny droplets of tears fell in her cheeks.

"I can't wait to meet you, our sunshine. Himawari." 

Requests for 500 followers event status: CLOSED

Events Masterlist

[honeypirate]

little bird WYSNE pt 5

Masterlist

I had a few ideas on how to end it but I didn’t like any of them and this is what I settled on which isn’t too exciting but has the feelings conversation.

Kakashi x femreader

You woke alone and now you were discharged alone. The doctors say you were dropped off by Kakashi and then he left with Yukie, no note. No nothing.

You exit the hospital and take a deep breath of the cool air, summer was giving way to autumn and you could smell it. The village wasn’t that far away, a few days of a trip. You weren’t far from where you were attacked and as you look in the direction you scowl, acid rising to the back of your throat. You turned, threw your pack on your back, and began your journey home.

You weren’t mad he left. Just a little a lot tiny bit hurt. But you couldn’t really be hurt because it was the ninja way, don’t let feelings get in the way. You couldn’t continue the mission so he had to finish it. Especially because you had the girl.

Hopefully, you thought, it was just because of the mission. Not because of your eyes. But the way she asked why your eyes were red haunts your unconscious mind.

~~~awww here’s a nightmare sequence ~~~

“Y/n?” Kakashi cried, his mask gone and he was shirtless, cuffed to a chair. You look up and around you in a panic. The room was round and made of mirrors, all reflecting your red eyes back to you. You gasp and try to change them back but you can’t. Your eyes find your parents behind you in the reflection but they aren’t there when you turn around. You feel tears start to stream down your face and you look back down to Kakashi, your eyes activate the moment you make eye contact and he screams.

“Why are you doing this?” He cried out, blood running from his nose and ears, starting to run down the corners of his eyes.

“No no no Kakashi no I didn’t I wouldn’t” you’re babbling incoherently as you try to loosen his bands, your fingers frantically trying to untie or tear. You reach for your knives but your bag on your hip is filled with blood. You start to hyperventilate as you pull your fingers back. Kakashi starts to cough up blood “it’s your eyes. It’s all because of those eyes” he mutters as he chuckles, his head going limp against his chest and as he breathes heavily, you can hear liquid in his lungs.

You reach out and cup his cheeks, holding his head up so you can look at him “Kakashi” you whisper as you panic. There is nothing you can do to help him and he says you did this to him. You feel tears continue to pour from your eyes and when you look up into the mirror you see your tears are blood. You gasp and that’s when you wake up.

You jolt upright from your place in the treetops and take a shaky inhale. you look down at your hands which are shaking uncontrollably. You close them into fists and hold them between your thighs taking slow deep inhales to try and calm yourself down. big drops of water land on your hands and you look up to the sky before realizing it’s coming from you. Tears streaming down your cheeks.

“God it was just a stupid dream why” you whisper as you frantically wipe away the tears. You decide that you’ve had enough sleep, you can see the sky lightening on the horizon and that was good enough for you. You waited until your tears stopped, then until your hands stopped shaking and at that time your breathing evened out so packed up your things and walked down the tree.

The couple days pass quick and uneventful and soon you reach the gates.

“Y/n! You’re back!” Genma says when he sees you approach and you raise your hand “kakashi came back a couple weeks ago and said you had some trouble, leaving you in the hospital” he hops down from the watch and you laugh awkwardly “yeah I got a little hurt but I’m okay now. Clean bill of health” he smirks and shoves his hands in his pockets “maybe I could take you out sometime since you’re back” he says as he twists his senbon in his teeth. You laugh and smile with a nod “yeah maybe you could. I’ll let you know after I speak with the Hokage” he winks “you do that” he says making you chuckle and shake your head as you walk into the city “see you soon Genma!” You say as you throw your hand over your shoulder.

Genma was attractive and you would be lying if you said you didn’t have a little crush on him and his senbon. But you couldn’t go down that road unless you knew for sure Kakashi and you had come to a dead end. He flirted with you all the time though and it always made you feel a little better to have some harmless flirting instead of the heavy conversations of missions and conspiracies.

You knocked on the office door and her voice called out to come in. “Y/n good you’re back. Kakashi filled us in and debriefed. He said you did amazing protecting them and you just had to rest up and heal.” She puts out a stack of papers and you sign your name at the bottom next to Kakashi’s signature, formally ending the mission. “We don’t have anything for you right now, take a few days and then come back to me” she waves her hand signaling that she’s done. You bow “yes ma’am” you say before leaving her office.

Back at your apartment you sigh, putting all your dirty things in the hamper and preparing another bag to go when you get another mission. You bathe and then lay down in your bed sighing and stare at your overhead fan slowly turning. You don't know how long you’ve laid there but when you get up again it looks like it’s around noon.

You get a bowl of ramen from Ichiraku and sit in the corner eating, not really paying any attention to anyone else in the restaurant. Your body felt way too heavy and you hoped a little food would make it better…. it doesn’t.

You make your way to your tree, enjoying the sounds of the birds and the quiet peace of nature. You sigh and, but you’d put that off until tomorrow. You climb up the tree and once at the top you sigh as you watch the clouds, leaning against one of the limbs. The limb was the perfect height to rest your elbows against and you laid your head down against your arms, closing your eyes and feeling the the day's warmth.

You felt him before you saw him and you felt your lunch come back to your throat. You swallowed hard. “Kakashi” you say, knowing he’s behind you. “Little bird” he says and you turn around. “Oh god don’t bring that back it’s been years and I’m not in the ANBU anymore I thought it was left there” he laughs as he hops in front of you, pulling you to his chest, hard.

“My little bird” he whispers into your hair and you take a deep shaky breath before quickly wrapping your arms around him and burying your face in his chest. You felt your eyes burn but you refused to cry. “You should know, something as amazing and infamous as the bird fiasco, will never be dropped” he says with a chuckle but his hold on you never lets up.

“A girl can hope” you whisper into his chest and he notices how your voice cracks. He knows it’s not about the bird thing, knows it’s because he didn’t come back, so he keeps holding you and starts to run his fingers through your hair.

When he feels your tense shoulders relax is when his arms around you relaxed a little too. When you pull back you don’t meet his eye, you just turn back to the sunrise, the sun already gone but the sky is still light, turning many shades of pink and orange. “How’s Yukie?” You ask and he lets out a breath “she’s fine. Delivered safely. I caught your last conversation that night so I sent word about the assassins to her father and it’s all handled” you nod and lay your cheek back against your arm on the limb. “Good” you say softly “good”

He stands next to you for a while, watching the sunset. It feels like the hot spring was years ago and you tried desperately to put it from your mind in this moment. You place your palms against the limb you were resting on and used it to hold yourself as you dropped to your butt on the limb you were standing on, then you pushed off it and used the rest of the limbs of the tree to jump to before you land safely on the ground, Kakashi right beside you.

Before he has a chance to say anything or try to explain, maybe he thinks he has nothing to explain since it’s the ninja protocol, maybe he’s waiting for you to explain your eyes, but you don’t care. You don’t feel like being around him right now so you sigh “I don’t know what you have to do tonight” you clear your throat “but I have some things to take care of so I’ll see you around Kakashi” you say and then disappear, leaving him in the middle of the forest at dusk.

You lock your door behind you and then lean against it, sliding to your butt and leaning your head on your knees, sighing in the darkness of your living room.

“This doesn’t look like taking care of something” he teases from your window where he’s perched. You pick up your shoe and throw it at him, not even bothering to move your head from your knees. He catches it with a small smack and a tiny laugh.

You just look at him from your spot against the floor, not hiding your feelings from your face. He saw how hurt you felt, how exhausted you were, how stupid, vulnerable, and alone you feel. He moves from the window and sits beside you.

His voice was soft when he spoke “We need to talk, but I can see how much you don’t want to right now. So if it’s okay with you, I want to hold you” your breath hitches as you look over at him, his eye was soft and you felt your lip quiver as you turned and buried your face in your hands, the tears you fought off now spilling into your palms.

He pulls you into his arms and holds you against his chest, rubbing his hand across your back and running his fingers through your hair gently. “I’m sorry” you whisper as you pull away but he doesn’t let you look away from him, he cups your cheeks and wipes away your tears “I’m sorry. I promise you, i was going to go back for you.” His voice was sincere “Will you let me tell you the story of my week?” he whispers and you feel yourself begin to cry again but he’s holding your face so you can’t look away. His thumbs brush away the new tears as you nod.

You sit, curled up in his lap, as he tells you the sory of him going back to the village. His hands rubbing your back or running across your arms softly. “Since i heard your conversation, i knew about the assasins. After i left you at the hospital knowing youd be okay, I finished the mission. Pakun assisted me and Yukie was actually resourceful even though she was on my back the entire time. When I got to the house to deliver her, there was more waiting. Yukie was safe but I had to use my sharigan” you realize that would have left him bedridden for days. When he was able to travel you were already home.

“I’m sorry” you whisper “i .. i thought” he hums and nods “you thought i saw your eyes and abandoned you” you nod into his chest

“i would never do that to you. If you didnt tell me about your eyes i’m sure you had a good reason” you look up at him and and pull yourself away form him, crossing your legs as you sit in front of him. “My eyes are cursed. It’s not because I dont trust you Kakashi, i trust you more than anyone. More than myself. I just thought if i pretended i didnt have them, if i didn’t use them or tell anyone about them, then maybe i could, i dont know, semi atone for what my ancestors have done. I know it’s stupid but. These eyes have bad karma. I didnt ask for them and i dont want them” he reaches out an cups your cheeks, turning your face so he could look in your eyes.

“Your eyes aren’t cursed or bad karma. They are a tool you get to decide how to use. Your ancestors' sins aren’t on your head. It’s up to you whether to use them or not and I know you always make the right choice” you feel tears well up again but he wipes them as they fall. “Now that that’s all cleared up. Let’s lay down. We can talk about the rest later” before you respond, he’s easily scooping you into his arms and carrying you to your bedroom.

“I don’t want to sleep” you say as he walks into your bedroom and he laughs “but I want to hold you” he says and you feel your cheeks warm as you hide your face in his shoulder “o-okay then I guess I’d like that” he chuckles at your shy voice “you guess?” You laugh as he put you on your bed “yes. I guess” you say with a smirk and he takes off his vest and lays down beside you, pulling you to his chest.

“Your feelings aren’t just a little more solid than that?” He asks and sighs, finally having you in his arms again. You pull back and slide your headband off your head, placing it on your side table. “Isn’t this what we’re talking about later?” You whisper and reach behind his head, untying his headband and placing it beside yours. “Yeah” he says and another small sigh escapes his mouth when you run your fingers through his hair, gently running your nails over his scalp. You lay your head on his chest and cuddle into him, his hand running up at down your back softly “but yes, Kakashi, my feelings are a lot more solid than a ~guess~”

When you wake up you’re alone in your bed and you sigh, a sinking feeling in your stomach but it only lasts a moment. Soon the sounds of someone in your kitchen reaches your ears and you cover your face with your hands, a smile spreading on your face.

“Good morning” he says when you walk into the kitchen. His back was to you as he cooked breakfast. “Smells amazing” you say and he can hear the smile on your lips, it makes his heart race. “Sit. It’s almost done”

You sit at the table, the sunlight from the windows feeling a little too bright. He sets out breakfast but you can tell he’s ready to talk about everything else so you don’t go to eat.

“I-” he holds up a finger and you close your mouth and nod, playing with your fingers as you wait for him. he takes a deep breath “I have so much I want, I need, to say to you, but something happened in the beginning of the mission and I would like you to tell me what” neither of you move to eat yet.

He looks at you expectantly as you try to put your thoughts in order, trying to remember that day months ago “Yes, good to start at the beginning. Well” You take a breath and then it all comes out probably said a little too quickly but he kept up easily.

“I overheard a conversation that wasn’t for me to hear and hurt my own feelings, I got too into my own head, as you know I do a lot. I had to work something through and I treated you less than you deserve, I treated you like we were in the Anbu again.”

“My conversation with Sasuke” he states and you nod, looking down at the table, “yeah. It wasn’t a conversation that I was supposed to hear, it’s not my place and I know that. i went looking for you to see if you were alright and I should have told you sooner but as I said, I am stupid. I over-thought that you don't care about anyone like it was my business in the first place. If you don’t have anyone you care about then that’s fine. That’s your business. But I realized ..” you take a deep breath and meet his eye “I realized that I don't want to stop caring about you just because you don't care about me. That’s why I was such a rollercoaster ” you can see his lips twitching up into a smile under his mask “you care about me?” He asks and you chuckle a little sadly and look down at your breakfast “Kakashi i'm pretty sure i've loved you since that day we talked about Icha Icha over ramen” his eyes widened and you were pretty sure he was blushing under his mask by the way the tops of his ears went pink.

“I thought about telling you before, that time we had ramen before we took her back with us. But I didn’t want to have it be a heavy thing for the month of travel” he nods slowly, you keep your eyes on your food out of habit, you’ve seen under his mask but you still gave him his privacy. “But now. Things are different” you whisper as you finally take a bite.

“So you don’t love me anymore?” He says with a little hint of a joke in his voice and you roll his eyes “I didn’t say that, but you know it’s true, it is different.” he swallows “different how?” he asks and takes off his mask, beginning to eat breakfast and you gasp softly, like this is something you haven’t seen before. A small smile finds your lips as he looks completely at home and comfortable with you.

“I.. I don’t know. But shouldn’t it feel different?” He chuckles softly “I don’t feel any different. I still love you just the same” the bite you were going to take hangs frozen in the air as you look at him. He’s looking down at his food, stirring it a little to get it to cool down faster, a sparkle in his eye when it flicks up to meet yours.

“You…” you begin but stop when he speaks again “All I can think about is that first morning. holding you in my arms when we were together. The way your shampoo smells. The way you looked at me in the light from the sunrise. But if I’m being completely honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that first day at Ichiraku”

Your cheeks feel warm as ever, a shocked but sweet smile on your lips “that’s.. surprising” you say with a small chuckle “why’s that?” He asks and reaches up to take off his mask.

“I don’t know. I guess I just got it into my head that my feelings were one sided” you say softly, your cheeks blushing when you see his handsome face.

“Don’t sell yourself short y/n. You’re an amazing ninja, incredibly smart, funny, wise, soft, not to mention incredibly beautiful. I’d be a stupid man if I didn’t see that. If I didn’t return your feelings.

You feel your eyes sting for a moment but you blink away the tears “I… thank you Kakashi” you say with warm cheeks and a shy smile.

You don’t talk the rest of breakfast, just share little smiles and soft laughs. Your heart felt light and joyous as you shared breakfast and love with the man at your table.

You both felt it at the same time, the shift in the air and you both look to your door as someone knocks. Kakashi pulls his mask up as you answer the door, him staying at your table in the background. “The Hokage would like to see you both.” the ANBU said and then disappeared into the ground once you nodded.

“And here I thought I’d get a couple days off” you mumble with a sigh as you help him clean off your table “I’ll do the dishes later don’t worry about it” you say and he nods, pulling you into his arms. “So” he says with a lilt in his voice “so?” You ask and pull back to look up in his eye. He doesn’t say anything, just looks back at you with a spark in his eye and you know exactly what he’s saying. You love each other. You fixed the problems. There’s nothing holding you apart anymore.

You reach up and remove the mask, cupping his cheek “I love you Kakashi” you whisper and he smiles pressing his forehead to yours “I love you” he says and then finally presses his lips to yours.

[owlsbride]

Icha Icha and Prejudice: The Book Club

Chapter IV: That Inner Voice

Eleven o'clock in the morning and Sakura was already upset. It was her first official vacation day, and it didn't start it as she had hoped. She had planned to sleep late, wake up in the most glorious and easy possible way with the felling of a long needy rested body. After all, she had to realise that Shizune and the Hokage were right, she needed to rest for a while, she was reaching the limits of her strength, and like this, she wasn't going to last long. So even if she was still a bit mad about the resolution, she finally came to terms with it, and it was ok.

What she has not been able to imagine was that after her furious outburst in the Hokage Tower, yesterday night, she would find herself immersed in a crazy game that Kakashi planned in less than a minute just to annoy her, disturb her, and of course, tease her. Dammed, he was smart. God, she hated that man.

'Yeah, tell yourself that till you believe it.'

Suddenly, she repeated Kakashi's recent message in her mind with a highly pitchy tone. It was not her sensei's voice, though.

'Hello there, Sakura.'

So she was back. After years of silence, her bitchy inner Sakura's voice came back to torment her mind and life. She turned on the bed, sinking her head in the pillow ready to grumble, and silent a scream of fury trying to escape from her frustrating throat. Perfect timing for the remarkable comeback. Perfect timing.

After her teen years, Sakura, under the Godaime tutelage, decided that inner Sakura was no longer necessary. She was pretty capable of analysing all the facts in front of her as well as her feelings, thoughts and attitudes, she no longer needed her alter ego to push her to act in this or that way, nor to show her the right path when she was lost. Generally, the correct direction of the inner Sakura was always the wrong one, but that she had only been able to see it after her failed attempt of relationship with Sasuke or any other man in the village.

The inner Sakura was impulsive, arrogant, prejudiced, and without a doubt much more daring than Sakura herself, and that did not suit her.

So, one morning, and just like that, the work, stress and the effort to make her inner voice disappeared went straight to the trash been, cause she was loudly back.

'Don't tell me that you didn't miss me.' the voice in her head said almost sad.

"No, I didn't. Not even a tiny bit." Great, now Sakura was talking to herself out loud.

'You are harsh with both of us, Sakura'

"No, I'm not. I worked hard for you to shut up, so, please..." Sakura pleaded.

'And yet, here I am.'

"What do you want?"

'The question is, what Do You want' annoying or not, inner Sakura's question was accurate and sharp. What was what she wanted?

"Arghh... fine! If you are here to stay, I hope, at least, for you to be useful."

'I'm all yours. Now get up, girl, we have things to do.'

Sakura finally accepted that the voice was back and resolved to went through everything with her in her mind. She didn't have much of an option, cause apparently, inner Sakura was not going to disappear any time soon. It was better to have a good relationship with her mind at this moment. Three weeks off was too much to think on her own. Maybe she had called her back. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism to go through her own personal hell with Icha Icha. Inner Sakura could be much more helpful with her sharp, bold thoughts. She was a natural teaser and a skilful trickster at times. She was the not so innocent part of her mind that incited thoughts that Sakura preferred to suppress. The inner Sakura's silence was what had allowed her not to have sex in all this time, putting all her libido in her work, making her see each man who passed by the hospital as an object of study and not as a possible good laid. Except maybe for Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi, the Rokudaime, her Lord Sixth, her eternal sensei. The very same, that when he got sick or came back injured from a mission, he just wanted to be cared for by her. The one used to listen to her ramblings every day about new ideas, supporting all her projects. The one that one way or another was always by her side. Kakashi, the man with silver hair who aroused the entire village's curiosity and sighs even though no one, not even her, knew what was under the mask. The same man who could be severe enough to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, but who also read Icha Icha in public and even dared to flirt with her without shame or openness.

'You're so into him.' Inner Sakura spoke again suppressing a laugh.

"Oh please, It's not like that." Sakura dismissed her.

'How long are you going to live in denial, Sakura?'

"What do you mean?"

'Can't you see it for your own?'

"No..."

'Thank god I'm here then.'

Sakura stopped the conversation with her inner self because she really needed a cup o coffee first. She had spent the first hours of her morning texting with Kakashi and talking to herself, and it was already exhausting. How was she supposed to survive both of them? Passing by her living room to the kitchen, Sakura directed her view to the orange book on the table. Sooner or later, she would have to start reading. But first thing first: Breakfast.

After almost half an hour, Sakura finally was ready to face her destiny and her thoughts.

'Are you ready?' Inner Sakura was jumping all over her mind like a child in a kermesse.

"I guess..." Sakura answered nervously sitting in her couch, crouching her legs and taking the book in her hands.

'Imagine the things he had done with that book' Her mind was torturous libidinous.

"Let's just don't think about it, ok?"

'Oh, come on, don't act as if you were a virgin Sakura... Just imagine, the shower, the couch, the bed...'

"Please, don't be grossed" Sakura answered blushing deeply. Something burning was forming inside of her, and she was sure it wasn't just her chakra.

'You slut, you have already thought about that. You are so hot with him.' Inner Sakura was celebrating.

"Shut up."

Chapter I: The sunset. The light was slowly extinguishing on the cornfields making the shadows that were projected throughout the space even more orange. The summer rain's soft scent had left a persistent sweet aroma mixed with the lavenders that were only a few meters from where she was standing. The heat and humidity created a soft layer of sweat on her body, mixing her own body scent with that of her surroundings. She knew that she must have run away as soon as she saw him arriving at the village. Instead, she only could make it to the cornfield, a familiar place for both of them.

So cliche, Sakura thought with a grin on her face. She was sure that Kakashi was having it way harder than her. Though she had to recognise that even if Jiraiya didn't have Jane Austen's prose, it wasn't that bad. So far, it was an easy, perfectly innocent reading.

'Really Sakura? is that what you are thinking? A neat prose?' Inner Sakura jumped in her mind again a bit upset because up to now Sakura wasn't able to find nothing too thrilling in the first pages. Sakura didn't pay her any attention and kept reading, she was starting to relax about this whole thing of Kakashi's little obsession. It wasn't that bad.

He followed her without hesitation. He knew he would find her staring at the horizon, waiting for the night breeze to cool her feverish skin. She had always liked to feel the summer wind run across her ivory skin, bristling the hair on her arms, making her shiver. Her tousled hair floating freely, like her thoughts. He knew he would find her there, and right there, he would claim her just for himself.

Sakura sighed, the things were already starting to heat up but in a really smooth and slow path. The Sannin knew how to build tension and, what she heard Ino said once, a good slow-burn romance scenario. Inner Sakura was in silence, and she was immensely enjoying the reading. Actually, she was starting to think that she could spend the entire day at home reading. After all, it wasn't that hard.

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

Sakura looked for her cellphone. Inner Sakura was already starting to complain about the interruption, but she suddenly stopped.

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:30 H.Kakashi: Yo!

18:30 H.Kakashi: What are you doing, Sakura?

Sakura didn't know if to answer and play difficult, Inner Sakura was highly excited about those short, silly messages. Of course, Sakura answered, she had to follow the inner lead.

18:32: Hello, Sensei

18:32: Reading, you?

Sakura didn't come back to the book. She just fixed her stare in the device in her hand.

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:35: H.Kakashi: And?

Kakashi wasn't going to answer her, she was sure. She would have to give him something first. She knew her sensei like the palm of her hand.

18:36: It's ok so far

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:36 H.Kakashi: What?

18:36 H.Kakashi: Just ok?

18:37 H.Kakashi: Do you even know how to read, Sakura?

Sakura burst to laugh out loud in her home alone. He was such a spoiled child.

18:40: Yes Hokage Sama, it's ok, I haven't read much yet.

18:40: What about you? Working? Reading?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:41 H.Kakashi: Actually, both.

18:41: And?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:42 H.Kakashi: Work, awful, reading, quite interesting.

18:42 H.Kakashi: Tell me, Sakura, is it possible?

Sakura asked herself what was he talking about, Inner Sakura, invited to re questioned him.

18:45: What?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:46 H.Kakashi: To have five daughters and take care of all of them, in a simple civilian life, plus a wife and listen to them all the time talking without a stop

Sakura laughed again.

18:47: So... You are feeling bad for the poor Mr Benett, right?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:47 H.Kakashi: Who wouldn't...

18:48 H. Kakashi: Listen Sakura...

And for a moment he didn't say anything more.

18:55: What now?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:55 H.Kakashi: Would you like to have dinner? Unless you already have plans. We don't need to talk about the books, in fact, we don't have to talk at all

Sakura stood frozen. What was wrong with him. Even if it was just a simple text, she could read need in his words.

'Don't you dare to say no' Inner Sakura adverted, forming a fist with her imaginary hand.

19:00: Rough day?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

19:00 H. Kakashi: You can't imagine.

Sakura smiled.

19:01: Then you'll have to tell me.

[entity9silvergen]

Thought That Cupid Shot Me With Love But It Was Only An Aro (Naruto Fanfiction)

Summary: Soulmates were supposed to be the other half of your soul. Your one true love. Ino always dreamed of finding her soulmate. Sai never wanted one. Still, they cared for each other so they were going to make it work. Somehow.

Relationships: Sai & Ino, Sai/ Ino, Sai & Team Kakashi, Sai & Team Asuma, Sai & Shin, Referenced Naruto/ Hinata, Referenced Sasuke/ Sakura, Referenced Kakashi/ Guy, Referenced Shikamaru/ Temari, Referenced Choji/ Karui

Characters: Sai, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Shin, Kakashi

Warnings: Minor aphobia

Other: AroWriMo 2021, Soulmate AU, Aroace Sai, Aro/ Allo Relationship, Oneshot, Aromantic Writer, Queer Themes, QPRs

Word Count: 10K

Author’s Note: This story was written for Aromantic Writing Month 2021! I’ve been wanting to write an aromantic Soulmate AU for awhile and decided to finally write it when I realized Aro Writing Month was approaching. Prompt for week 1 was Romo/ Loveless & Future which kind of aligns with this fic. 

The title comes from the song Not In Love by Natalia Kills.

This is my first time writing a soulmate AU and also my first time writing an aromantic character. I’d just like to say I don’t really like the idea of aromantic/ alloromantic soulmates because it implies they both have to compromise in some way but I’ve always wanted to see how that kind of relationship would be navigated so here we are. 

Some characters are mildly aphobic but there’s nothing hateful or extreme. It’s mostly just people not understanding.

Also this fic skips around through time a bit and begins before Sai gets his name in canon but I am just going to call him Sai because it’s kind of awkward to avoid using it. A few minor deviations from canon are taken just for convenience. 

___________

As long as Ino could remember, she’d had a massive, stark white tiger with jet black stripes wrapped around her arm.

She didn’t really question it’s presence. Everyone had marks on their bodies as far as she knew. Once she was old enough to really recognize what it was, however, she did find it a bit odd. Compared to the bright red bush clover on her mother’s upper arm and the aquamarine instrument on her father’s leg, a black and white tiger seemed strange. She tried asking about it but no one seemed to understand her confusion. They just saw it was any other soulmark with nothing out of the ordinary.

It wasn’t until she was a couple years into her training at the Academy that she really understood what the tiger on her skin meant.

She’d been sitting on the grassy hill where her Kunoichi classes were held with her friend Sakura. It was early spring and tiny flowers were beginning to sprout out of the ground. Idly, Ino plucked them out of the earth and slowly began tying their stems into a chain. What for, she did not know. She just needed something to occupy herself until the teacher arrived. She was running a bit late and once she arrived, Ino understood why.

“Hello class!” the teacher called once she reached the top of the hill, dropping a bag of books at her feet. They hit the grass with a loud thump. The bag was a lot heavier than it looked, no wonder it had slowed her down. “Sorry for the delay!”

“What are those books for?” Sakura called out, voicing the rest of the girl’s thoughts.

“Oh these?” the teacher said, picking up one of the books. “We’re going to use these books to help with the lesson. Today we’re going to talk about soulmarks.”

Soulmark. The word struck a chord in Ino’s mind. It sounded familiar yet she didn’t have the slightest idea what it meant. She sensed it was important though. Intrigued, she rested her arms on her knees and leaned forward a bit. She didn’t say anything, positive Sakura and all her newly discovered chattiness would do it for her. “What’s a soulmark?”

The teacher’s eyes glowed in a way Ino had never seen before as she sat down and threw herself into her explanation. “You see those designs on your bodies?”

Ino looked down at the tiger on her arm and felt a flash of excitement. Was she finally going to learn the meaning behind it?

“Those are soulmarks. You see, the universe is very wise and knows who we are destined to fall in love with,” the teacher told them, smiling at the wondrous expressions appearing on the girls’ faces. Ino tried to wipe the look off her own features but she couldn’t help it. This was nothing like flower arranging at all. That was fun but this was important. “That’s why we’re born with these marks. They give us hints about what our soulmates are like and tell us how to find them.”

A few girls squealed and made soft noises expressing their delight but Ino remained quiet, eyes wide as she ran her fingertips over the tiger’s curved stripes. She’d done so countless times before but now it felt different. Almost humbling. This mark told her who she was meant to fall in love with? That was amazing. Almost unbelievable. 

“I read a story book about soulmates once,” declared a girl Ino couldn’t remember the name of. “It said soulmates are each other’s one true love and we’re all meant to find each other some day. Some people have to travel really far to find their soulmate!”

“That’s true,” the teacher said with a nod, “but usually our soulmates aren’t too far away. I knew my soulmate since we were kids but we didn’t realize until we were much older. Sometimes we need time to develop as people before our soulmarks make sense. We need time to grow into them.”

“I heard that Hyuga girl has a ramen bowl on her somewhere,” another girl spoke up. She made an over exaggerated face of disgust. “The only person who eats ramen enough for the universe is that dumb Uzumaki kid. I’d bet anything they’re soulmates.”

“Now, Yaka,” the teacher chided, “it’s not nice to make assumptions about other people’s soulmates, let alone talk about their soulmarks behind their backs. Soulmarks are a private thing.”

Ino noticed the teacher didn’t scold Yaka for the way she was talking about Naruto and Hinata. She didn’t know what that was about but she didn’t really like it. She didn’t have the faintest idea who her soulmate was but she hoped no one made fun of him for her soulmark, whatever it was. As troubling as her mark was, she loved it and knew she would one day love her soulmate as much as the tiger on her arm. And he was supposed to love her just as much, right? They were destined to be together after all. Each other’s true love.

“I hope mine is Sasuke,” Sakura sighed dreamily, clutching her hands together.

Ino snapped out of her romantic daydreams and blew air out through her mouth, making her blond bangs move out of her face, as she rolled her eyes. “We’re too young to really know, Sakura. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Color is the best indicator to go off of,” the teacher told them, eyes drifting to the mark on Sakura’s hand. “Red isn’t an uncommon color in the soulmarks of the Uchiha.”

Ino’s mouth twisted in annoyance. Their teacher was indulging her? Really? At least Sakura seemed happy about it. And Ino would be lying if she said she didn’t think Sakura’s mark may one day fit their classmate. The scarlet feather of a hawk covered the back of her hand, the middle bleeding into a pale purple that stretched the shaft into a long snake trailing up her arm. It was a pretty cool soulmark, Ino had to admit. Two animals in one mark? And so colorful. Maybe that meant Sakura’s soulmate had a lot of character to him. Or that he really liked animals. Did Sasuke like animals? But like the others, it made her uneasy about her own.

“What if your soulmark doesn’t have any colors?” Ino asked, raising her hand. When the teacher’s eyes flickered to her arm, Ino put her arm down and covered her mark with her hand. She tried her best not to look down in shame to no avail then immediately hated herself for it. Then she decided she hated her teacher for the look she was giving her. How dare she make Ino feel ashamed of her soulmark and, by extension, her soulmate? 

The teacher’s judgemental look vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a cheery facade, and she handed Ino the book she was holding. “That’s a good question! Everyone, take a book and try to find any characteristics that might match your soulmark. You might be able to learn something about your soulmate!”

Ino wasn’t oblivious to the fact her question was ignored but Sakura was tugging at the book in her hands, excited to see what it’s contents could tell her. Ino shook her negativity away and laughed, scolding her friend into settling down and sharing the book.

They spent the whole afternoon flipping through the pages, gazing at the beautiful soulmarks within, and Ino found nothing about colorless soulmarks. Like many things regarding her soulmate, she didn’t know what to think of that.

___________

Sai thought he was markless until he was eight.

He knew what soulmarks were, of course. They were impossible to miss, especially since he lived in such close quarters with everyone he trained with. He’d just never seen one on his own body so he just figured he didn’t have one. And he was pretty okay with that. 

This batch of ROOT recruits were being trained in a Hidden Mist style so they spent a fair amount of time on the water. The instructor had begun teaching the Water Natured recruits how to use Water Style: Liquid Bullets recently so today that part of the group was polishing their jutsu while the rest of the recruits practiced dodging on a moving surface of water. It was a good exercise for everyone.

The only problem was all the Water Style users kept nailing Sai with their jutsu.

Normally Sai wouldn’t mind. He was a fast ninja and he was pretty good at dodging. The only problem was that there were so many and a few were bound to hit now and again. It was just that it was more than a few. And he seemed to be the only one getting hit. It was enough that the instructor asked him to get off the water and practice his Earth Style on his own until they were done.

“Maybe we can ask the instructor if you can wear a shirt next time,” Shin said casually once the session was over and the group was heading back to base. “I mean, it’ll get all wet if you fall in but it’s better than getting hit with Liquid Bullets the whole time.”

“What?” Sai peered at his brother, confused. “Why would wearing a shirt change anything?”

“Um, because of your soulmark?”

“I have a soulmark?”

Shin’s hands dropped from their place folded behind his head as he came to a stop to gape at his brother. “You didn’t know you have a soulmark?”

“No. Should I have?”

“Yes!” Shin exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “Soulmarks are important! They tell you who you’re going to fall in love with and- wait. If you didn’t know you had a soulmark, why did you think everyone kept shooting you with their jutsu?”

“I thought maybe it was some kind of strategy to pick off a weak link.”

“You’re not a weak link!” Shin exclaimed, louder this time. Sai didn’t really understand what he was getting upset over but he hoped he’d get over it soon. The instructors didn’t really like it when the students got worked up like this. “Your soulmark just makes a giant target on your back. It’s easy to aim for so everyone goes for it.”

“Oh.” That made sense, he supposed. “What is it? My soulmark, I mean.”

“It’s a flower. I don’t know what kind.”

“What does it mean to have a flower soulmark?”

Shin shrugged. “I have no idea. I think I heard flowers are kind of rare since all girls like flowers. Hey, maybe that means your soulmate is a boy. The universe might think boys liking flowers is weird enough to make it soulmark-worthy.”

“I don’t think it’s weird for boys to like flowers.”

“So you think your soulmate is a boy?”

“I don’t know. I don’t really care.”

“Come on,” Shin whined. “You’ve got to care a little bit!”

“Not really. I’ve never wanted a soulmate.”

“Really?” Shin sounded surprised, far more surprised than Sai thought he would. “Well, maybe that’s just because you didn’t think you had one. Maybe now it’ll change.”

Sai didn’t think so but he didn’t tell Shin. He didn’t think he’d understand.

________

Ino was nine when she felt a blinding pain shooting up from her soulmark.

It wasn’t sudden. In fact, it was very slow. A gentle static that turned into overwhelming agony. Ino had felt emotions through the soulbond before, however rare, but never to this degree. The initial surprise was faint, easily mistakable for her own feelings, but the adrenaline and fear that followed most certainly were not.

Iruka seemed to notice something was wrong because by the time the first wave of crippling despair hit, he’d already yelled for a student to take charge of the class and had ushered her out into the hallway. She was dimly aware of what was happening around her through it all. If she’d been more clear headed, she would’ve worried more about keeping it together in the presence of her classmates but right now she could only think about the hurt, fear, and grief rippling through her. 

Her soulmark burned, sending bolts of emotion up her body, welling her throat shut and tightening her chest with raw, unfiltered emotion. It was like water boiling up in a kettle that exploded into a scalding ocean instead of steam. Like someone had injected lightning into her body and let it fry her heart. Like being surrounded by a heavy cloud of darkness that sucked any light out of her. 

Never before had she felt such a thing and she didn’t know how to handle it. She didn’t understand where it was coming from or why this was happening to her. But then it just… stopped. Like nothing had happened.

She regained control of her breath as the sharp grip around her receded. She felt the sobs die in her throat and clean oxygen fill her lungs once again. She hadn’t even noticed she’d been crying until now. Tears stained her face and Iruka’s shoulder but there were fewer than before. It was now that she realized she had collapsed on the ground in the hallway, body pressed against the rough wood floor. The realization didn’t make her want to get up any more though. She could lie here for the rest of her life for all she cared. She kind of wanted to. Lying here in this sleepy, numb fog that clouded her mind sounded like a good idea.

“Are you alright?” Iruka asked, her sensei’s worried tone drawing her back to reality.

“What happened?” Ino groaned, sitting up to meet his gaze. The concern was evident on his face but he looked relieved to see that she was okay. She felt a prickle of guilt knowing she was responsible for his worry. What was that anyway? It just came out of nowhere then left just as fast. Absently, her hand drifted to her soulmark. Any echo of its earlier noise was long gone. It was as silent as the dead of night. “I feel…”

“I think something happened to your soulmate,” Iruka told her softly, helping her sit up against the wall. He shifted a bit so he sat across from her. For that, Ino was grateful. She didn’t think she could handle getting up right now.

“My soulmate?”

“You’ve felt things through your soulbond before, right?” Iruka asked. Ino nodded as she wiped her face free of any stray tears. “Well, sometimes when our soulmates are in a lot of pain or distress, we can feel it through the soulbond.”

“How come?” Ino asked, genuinely curious. The pain she felt was probably nothing compared to what he was feeling so she could stomach a bit of it for her soulmate’s sake but she didn’t understand why the universe would place that upon her or anyone else. That just seemed cruel.

“Well…” Iruka trailed off for a moment, hesitating, before the words came to him. “Soulmates are a big part of our lives. They’re the other half of our soul. Our bond doesn’t begin when we meet. We usually love our partners a long time before we meet them.”

Ino nodded, following along so far. Sure, she didn’t know a thing about her soulmate, save what her soulmark told her, but he had a special place in her heart that only grew with each spark she felt through the bond. He was one of the most important things to her in the whole world. It felt kind of strange to call it love but any other word felt short of capturing what she felt. He was essentially a stranger yet, at the same time, he was the furthest thing from it.

“Soulmates support each other throughout their whole lives,” Iruka explained. “When our soulmates feel pain, we can comfort them through our soulbonds.”

“How?” Ino asked, leaning forward a bit. She desperately wanted to. The hopelessness and agony that had rooted itself in her chest had faded but if her soulmate was still feeling anything close to it…

“Just think about how much you love them,” Iruka told her with a lopsided smile, “and how much you want to be there for him. Try to focus those feelings through your soulbond.”

Ino nodded and tried her hardest to do as her sensei instructed her. But how could she express feelings for someone she’d never met? She could imagine her soulmate and the future they’d have together but that wasn’t real. It was all in her head and all she had to go off of inspiration-wise were stories and dreams. She was still young enough to indulge in the occasional fantasy or day dream but she was also a ninja. Ninja were realists and realistically, she knew nothing about what he was like and she didn’t have a real reason to love him the way she did.

But that didn’t mean the love she had wasn’t real. It was ingrained deep into her being, as deep as the bond tying her to her partner. It was a love that made warmth hum in her chest and the corners of her mouth twitch into a smile at the mere thought of it. Love so powerful she couldn’t put it into words. She just didn’t have the vocabulary and she didn’t think the right words even existed.

It didn’t make sense but it was real. The universe, spirits, god, sages, whatever was up there- It had made a decision and it was a good one. There was no reason to believe it but Ino knew it like a universal truth. He was destined for her and she was more than happy to be destined for him. Ino loved her other half however little sense it made. She’d always wanted him to know that and maybe now she could tell him through the soulbond if she tried hard enough.

She didn’t know what he was feeling. She didn’t know what he could possibly be experiencing that would make him feel this way. She just hoped that maybe she could help, even if it was just a little bit.

“How will I know if he can feel it?” Ino asked after a while. She felt a lot better. Her breath had regulated, the dampness in her eyes had dried, and her body felt a lot less heavy than it had when she sat down.

“There’s not really any way to tell immediately,” Iruka told her, getting to his knees before standing up. He offered Ino a hand to pull her up. She accepted it and began following him back to the classroom. “Your soulmate is probably going through a lot right now and he might not know how to respond or feel ready to. But, I’ve heard that soulmates sometimes send their thanks a few weeks after something big happens and feelings start passing through the bond a bit more easily. I’m sure he’ll be sending you some happiness in no time.”

Iruka’s words were a comfort and Ino momentarily forgot her worries and skipped back to class. But weeks later when Iruka asked her if she and her soulmate were doing better, Ino couldn’t answer. There wasn’t a hint of emotion coming through the bond anymore.

_________

It was over seven years since Shin died before Sai was shirtless around anyone again.

It wasn’t really something he’d thought about. Who thought about that kind of thing? He had plenty of other things to think about. His missions, crossing faces out of his bingo books, his art… Being shirtless was such an insignificant thing in his life that he never spared it a second thought. His training had ended with his brother’s death and there wasn’t really a need for him to change clothes or go swimming with someone. And without Shin or anyone else looking at his back, he’d almost forgotten his soulmark. There were a few flashes of feeling through the bond now and again but Sai was usually too dull to notice and he usually dismissed them without question. The existence of his soulmark didn’t affect his life in the slightest.

Imagine his confusion when Naruto wouldn’t stop staring at him after Captain Yamato dumped the two of them in a hot spring together. 

“Why do you keep looking at me, dickless?” Sai asked, smiling at how Naruto’s face soured at the nickname. He’d done well choosing it. “I was under the impression you were tired of being around me.”

“I am!” Naruto snapped indignantly. He crossed his arms and was silent for a moment. When Sai didn’t say anything, he caved and explained himself. “I… I was looking for your soulmark. Do you have one?”

Sai paused for a moment before nodding. “I do.”

Naruto’s gaze softened a bit and the hostility drained off his face. “It’s on your back, isn’t it? I didn’t see anything before you got in the water.”

“Why do you care?”

“I didn’t really think about it until you came in here and I didn’t see anything on you so I thought you might be markless. It’s… I dunno, it’s harder to stay mad at you knowing you’ve got a soulmate.”

“Why?

Naruto shrugged casually. “Knowing you love someone just makes you feel more human.”

If Sai were an expressive man, he would’ve made a face. One of anger or horror, he didn’t know. Angry Sai would’ve splashed Naruto in the face with a handful of water. Horrified Sai would’ve come up with a bad excuse and hurried out of the hot spring. But Sai wasn’t an expressive man so instead, he shut his mouth and sank into the water, trying not to think about the implication of his new teammate’s words. ___________

Ino met Sai at The Barbeque Place.

The Barbeque Place wasn’t actually called The Barbeque Place. They just called it that enough that it deserved to be called The Barbeque Place with the capitalization of the title and everything. It was actually called Yakiniku Q but no one cared. Team Asuma would convince everyone it was called The Barbeque Place until the owner changed the sign or they’d die trying.

Going to The Barbeque Place was the only way to properly celebrate anything Team Asuma style. Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru had only seen Naruto a couple of times since he returned to the village so when they saw him coming back from a mission, they knew they had to grab him then or they’d never get the chance to drag him to the restaurant and welcome their friend home.

The fact they had a new teammate with them was an added bonus.

Sai seemed nice. Kind of strange though. Ino didn’t know if it was just odd having someone new on Team 7 after so long or if it was just Sai’s general personality. She supposed she liked him but if it was anyone less good looking, Ino would definitely be upset Sasuke was getting replaced.

“So you’re ANBU, right?” Shikamaru asked the newcomer when the uncooked food had arrived and the early stages of conversation were over.

“How could you tell?”

“The uniform was a bit of a giveaway.”

“Noted.”

“ANBU?” Choji echoed, looking intrigued. His brief pause was long enough for Ino to take the opportunity to swipe a couple pieces of meat off the grill and shovel them onto Sai’s plate. Apparently pausing did not mean he was distracted though. “Ino!”

“Be nice! You don’t want to scare him off with your gross manners this early, do you?”

“I guess not…” Choji mumbled sullenly. His demeanor changed again in a heartbeat when a piece of perfectly cooked meat caught his eye. He plucked it up with his chopsticks and plopped it into his mouth, chewing the slices of beef happily, anger forgotten. 

Shikamaru, always the sharp one, picked up where Choji left off before his distraction. “So what’s that like? ANBU, I mean.”

Sai smiled passively. “I don’t think it’s too different from what shinobi teams do, just more isolated and the training is more rigorous.” 

“Really?” Sakura said, half distracted by trying to nab a piece of meat before Choji got his chopsticks on it. “I don’t know a lot about ANBU, even working so close with Lady Tsunade, but I’ve heard some bad rumors over the years.”

“Eh? Really? But Kakashi-sensei always seems happy wherever he talks about it,” Naruto replied. He swiped a piece of meat off Sai’s plate and popped it into his mouth before anyone could say anything. Ino would’ve scolded him but Sai didn’t seem to care. In fact, he seemed amused. It was hard believing someone as soft-spoken and gentle as Sai was a member of ANBU.

“Kakashi-sensei is Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura responded, brushing him off. “He doesn’t tell us anything and you never know if he’s actually happy or if he just hit a juicy part of those pervy books he’s always reading.”

“Eh, good point,” Naruto conceded through a full mouth, “but now we have Sai here to tell us stuff! I bet he’s a lot easier to talk to than Kakashi-sensei.”

Sai’s face remained passive but Choji and even Shikamaru seemed interested. Noticing, Sai sighed and gave in. “What do you want to know?”

“So you said ANBU was really lonely, right?” Shikamaru said, casually taking a piece of meat. Unsurprisingly, Choji let him and didn’t protest. “What about soulmates?”

“What about them?”

“I’ve heard they don’t let people search for their soulmates,” Sakura spoke up as she put a few vegetables on the grill. “They just have to live knowing their soulmate is out there wondering where they are and why they haven’t found them yet.”

“Well I heard they don’t let ANBU have soulmates at all,” Choji said, trying to wave Sakura’s chopsticks away from the grill. “Like they burn them off or make them stay covered all the time and that kind of thing.”

“I can confirm that isn’t true,” Sai said with a smile, sounding humored. “A lot of people have soulmates. Some of the best two-man teams and small units are made of soulmates, actually. We’re just not allowed to search outside of ANBU. My instructors always said it compromises our security.”

“That’s too bad,” Naruto commented and poked Sakura’s hand with his chopsticks. She yelped and pulled her hand away, allowing Choji to successfully steer the vegetables away from the grill and put down another couple pieces of beef. “But now that you’re out of ANBU, you can look for your soulmate, right?”

Sai said nothing and shrugged half-heartedly. 

“You do want to find your soulmate, right?” Ino asked, putting down her chopsticks to look at him instead of swooping in to aid Sakura. Choji really had to eat his greens. Naruto too but it wasn’t every day her friends got a new teammate. Right now he was a bit more interesting than a poking war.

This time, Sai had a clear answer to the question. “Not particularly.” 

“How?!” Ino’s plate clattered on the table slightly. She put a hand on it to stop it from falling but she could feel herself getting even more worked up. She sensed her friends giving her confused looks at her outburst. She tried her best to ignore them. “Your soulmate- Your soulmate is the other half of your soul! Without them, you’re incomplete. How could you not want to find them?”

Again, Sai shrugged.

“I’ve just never been interested in having a romantic relationship. Or any kind of relationship,” Sai said neutrally. He smiled and this time it was kind of infuriating instead of cute. “If it happens, it happens but I don’t particularly want to seek it out.”

“Isn’t it your destiny though?” Ino pressed. “To find your true love?”

“I thought you’d given up on that stuff,” Choji commented idly as he placed some new pieces of meat on the grill, “since you haven’t felt anything through your soulbond in years.”

Something inside Ino snapped. “Well, you’re just as far behind as me, fatso!”

In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best move but getting the restaurant destroyed by Choji’s Human Boulder was worth it to escape that conversation. _________

It was well after the war had ended by the time the village’s Intelligence Division summoned Sai to lock up the members of the Seven Swordsmen that he’d sealed. 

The village was recovering well but the months after the end of the war had been chaotic. There were far too many things more important to worry about than who’d sealed their enemies and where their bodies were so Fuguki Suikazan and Jinin Akebino’s scrolls just ended up sitting in Sai’s apartment. It was only when someone from the Third Division was retelling the war story that everyone remembered they hadn’t given the sealed bodies to the Intelligence Division. Sai hadn’t really thought it was important but apparently it was important enough for the Hokage to send Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji running to his apartment in the middle of the day to retrieve them.

“I can’t believe you had these things just lying around for a whole year. What a drag…” Shikamaru complained as the shinobi carried the two scrolls through the front doors of the Analysis Division’s building. Between the four of them, it was a bit awkward but they were managing. Sai was surprised he and Lee had been able to carry these things around on the battlefield. Right now, they seemed so heavy. “I wish I’d known Intel involved so much running around before I joined…”

“Aw, you like it,” Choji said cheerfully. It went unsaid that Ino and Shikamaru were working in the Intelligence Division because there was no one else to fill their fathers’ shoes but Sai heard it in his voice. “And all this running around gives us the chance to see our friends more often!”

“You don’t even work here. You can see our friends whenever you want!” Ino groaned as they began heading into the underground storage unit. “Slow down guys, I don’t really want to fall down the stairs in front of all these Jonin. But he’s right, Sai. It’s nice seeing you. It feels like it’s been forever.”

Sai hummed in agreement and tried his best to convey the joy he got from seeing his friends again. After seeing Shin again and mastering the Crouched Tiger Bullet, it came a lot easier to him but years of underusing his facial expressions made it less than natural. “Indeed. Where are we putting these?”

Everyone looked to Shikamaru. The boy didn’t seem fazed. “These guys are dead, right? We should transfer them to body scrolls. Easier for the Analysis Team to… analyze them or whatever whenever they decide to. You know how to use that kind of sealing, right Sai?”

Sai nodded as they reached the bottom of the stairwell. “I do.”

“Great,” Shikamaru grunted as the group reached the bottom of the stairs and dropped the heavy scrolls on the concrete floor. “Ugh, do they really need to be this big?”

“It’s a difficult sealing jutsu. It requires a lot of ink.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, let’s start unrolling this thing. Sai, there are some body scrolls over by the storage unit. Go grab whatever one you think will work best.”

Sai nodded and did as he was told, drifting off to the edges of the basement in search of the right tools. He wasn’t terribly experienced in any kind of sealing jutsu other than his own and he took his time finding a compatible scroll but after a couple minutes, he realized Team Asuma’s usual bickering had died down and the three had fallen into an unusual silence. Concerned, he stuck his head out of the storage area to check on them. “Are you alright?”

“Sai… Come here please,” Ino said in an unusual tone. Sai frowned. Her pale green eyes were fixed on something on the ground. Was something wrong with his seal? Had one of the Swordsmen somehow escaped? They were dead so it wouldn’t be the end of the world but it would be kind of a hassle to track down the body.

He stepped into the entry area and saw nothing out of the ordinary. One of the scrolls, Fuguki’s scroll, was unraveled, exposing the seal work and the swordsman's trapped form. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji were just… staring at it? Sai couldn’t fathom why. Maybe they thought this method of sealing was immoral? It really wasn’t different from any other kind of sealing. Was the sight of the body on the page unsettling them?

“Sai, what is this?” Choji said in an uncharacteristically empty voice. 

Sai took a few steps to join them beside the scroll. He peered at it, trying to see anything that was out of place or didn’t belong. Fuguki was still there, held in by his sealing tiger’s sharp claws. Was his sword in there? No, no it wasn’t. They’d returned the Seven Swords to the Hidden Cloud a while ago. He remembered because that was when Choji had realized he and that girl Karui were soulmates. It’d been a whole thing. “I don’t see anything wrong.”

Ino held up her marked arm and Sai suddenly realized what was happening here.

“...Oh.”

“Oh? Oh?! That’s all you have to say?” Shikamaru practically shouted, taking an angry step toward him. “Ino- she- You saw her soulmark the day you met us. Why didn’t you say anything? Do you know how long she- Are you really that heartless?”

Sai flinched at his words. He didn’t mean to but he couldn’t help it. Regaining some level of emotion also meant losing some of his composure. He hoped the others hadn’t noticed but he wasn’t the hopeful type. “I…”

Choji put a hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder. He looked just as upset as his friend but Choji was too gentle and kind-hearted to take out his anger on anyone. And for that, Sai was eternally grateful. “Shikamaru, maybe we should go. Shouldn’t this kind of thing be between soulmates?”

Shikamaru looked like he wanted to argue but he shook himself and took a deep breath to calm down. Sai knew Shikamaru could get scary when he wanted to and hurting his friend definitely put Sai in danger of becoming a victim of his intellect. Thank the sages for Choji or Sai was fairly certain he’d have a Shadow Stitch aimed at his head right now.

“Just… Just talk to her, man,” Shikamaru sighed tiredly, sounding several times his age, and turned to head back up the stairs, Choji trailing behind him. Sai half expected him to turn around to give him some kind of warning or threat not to mess this up and hurt his teammate but he didn’t. He just kept walking until it was just him and Ino. Alone. In a basement. With a dead rogue-ninja and a tiger staring at them. Not really the best setting for a heart to heart.

The two didn’t say anything for a few minutes, just pale green eyes boring into inky black. What was there to say? What was someone supposed to say when they found their soulmate? What if it should have been obvious they were soulmates from the start and one hadn’t said anything? What was someone who never wanted a soulmate supposed to do when his soulmate so clearly longed for one? Sai had so many questions and the answers to none.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Ino asked, breaking the silence.

“I didn’t know.”

“Don’t give me that.”

It was true, in a sense. He really didn’t know. Sai had recognized the tiger when he saw it for the first time but only in the back of his mind. He was far from a master of emotions and farther from a master of his jutsu. Was the jutsu really even his then? It didn’t feel like it so maybe he didn’t recognize the mark on Ino’s arm as his own. 

Still, it was his art style. He’d recognized it immediately and always would. His art was such a big part of him and he didn’t dream of denying it so that couldn’t have been it. And it couldn’t be his lack of emotions because he wasn’t really lacking them, they were just suppressed. As guilty as it made him feel, it was very possible the truth was just that he didn’t want a soulmate. That he didn’t want to know what the universe had planned for him when it came to love.

“It just never occurred to me.”

Sai wasn’t lying but Ino didn’t seem to believe him. No one ever believed him. Not when it came to soulmates. But he wanted Ino to understand so he tried again.

“Remember when we met? When I said I didn’t want to look for my soulmate?”

Ino snorted and put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t need to look. She was right in front of you.”

Okay, he walked right into that one. “I wasn’t thinking about that. I would’ve said that to anyone.”

“Why?” Ino asked, her voice cracking. Sai noticed for the first time that her eyes were glossy. He felt… something. He couldn’t quite identify what it was yet but he knew it was a bad feeling. He couldn’t bring himself to feel sorry though. “I’ve always wanted to meet my soulmate, even before I really understood what my mark meant. I can’t imagine not wanting to find the one person who’s meant to love you unconditionally.”

That made Sai hesitate. He’d never heard it phrased that way particularly. It was making him doubt himself. Why had she said that? She didn’t know how much Sai struggled when it came to maintaining friendships or how lonely he’d been all those years after Shin died. She had no idea how rocky his relationship with love was or how much he craved it. She couldn’t fathom how much it pained him knowing it was always out of reach. Or maybe she could, with the soulbond and all. He cleared his throat. “I’m glad I met you and if I have to have a soulmate, I’m glad it’s you.”

“If you have to have one? What, do you wish you didn’t have one?”

“Sometimes.” Ino’s face dropped but Sai recovered quickly. “I think soulmates are wonderful but I’ve just felt like they’re for me, I suppose.”

“Are you one of those people who believe we should shape our own destiny?”

“No. Yes. Maybe? I don’t know.”

Ino laughed a bit and it sounded fond rather than angry. It gave Sai a spike of confidence. He smiled bashfully. 

“My apologies. I’m not very… articulate when it comes to how I feel. I’ve really only reconnected with my emotions since the war ended,” Sai admitted. Ino opened her mouth but Sai stopped her before she could say what he knew she was going to say. “And my emotional struggles have nothing to do with how I feel about having a soulmate. I think. I remember talking about it with my brother before…”

Something flashed in Ino’s eyes. “Your brother died when you were ten?”

Sai nodded. “You felt it through the soulbond?”

“And nothing after it,” Ino replied with a nod, “until the war. Probably when you saw him again.”

Sai looked down. “...I cried. I hadn’t cried since he died the first time.”

Ino made a sympathetic noise. Sai wasn’t really sure if it made him feel comforted or patronized. Ino seemed to sense he didn’t want to talk about it and that was probably for the better. “So you’ve talked about it with him? How you feel about soulmates?”

“Having a soulmate,” Sai corrected. How he felt about soulmates versus how he felt about having a soulmate were very different. “And yes. I didn’t know I had a soulmark until he told me. But… He never really understood. He was a romantic. I don’t think he really knew that some people just weren’t like that.”

“Like what?”

Sai’s face furrowed with frustration as he tried to find words. “I… I know love. I love my brother. I love Naruto. And Sakura. And maybe Sasuke. I love Kakashi-senpai and Captain Yamato. I love my art and my books. And I love… you. And I know what I feel is real. I think I’ve always felt it, even when I thought I didn’t have emotions and before I knew you were my soulmate. I like being with you but I don’t love you like Shikamaru loves Temari or like Sakura loves Sasuke. Is that okay?”

Sai hadn’t realized he was looking down until Ino took his hands, startling him into looking up at her. She looked a bit sad but not disappointed or angry. She offered him a gentle smile. “Yeah, it’s definitely okay, Sai. I mean, this isn’t really what I expected meeting my soulmate to be like but I’m glad it’s you. I don’t think I’ll mind missing out on some romantic fantasy if it means I get to be with you. If that’s what you want.”

Slowly, Sai nodded and curled his fingers around hers. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give you a romantic fantasy but I hope I can still make you happy. I want to see where this goes.”

_______________

Two years passed and Ino knew she and Sai weren’t really in a relationship.

They did couples things sometimes. They went out together fairly regularly. They ate at nice restaurants and went on quiet walks through the village. Sai sometimes slept over at her house and she sometimes slept at his apartment. Sai went with her to Naruto and Hinata’s wedding. And Shikamaru and Temari’s wedding. And Sasuke and Sakura’s. And Choji and Karui’s... There was a shocking number of weddings recently.

It was never romantic though. Their “dates” often had a few tag-alongs or didn’t seem all that different from what friends normally did. Sleeping together was never anything more than sleeping. She could count the number of times they’d just shared the bed on one hand. And they never slow danced at the weddings. Their friends didn’t even acknowledge they were together. Maybe they didn’t know. Or maybe they did and just thought they were just having fun with each other until they met their real soulmates. That was a depressing thought.

Ino tried not to let it bother her. She really liked Sai, that never changed, and she enjoyed all the things they did together. It was fun. Maybe even more fun than it would be with someone else since there weren’t any expectations and there weren’t dozens of eyes watching everything they did. Still, part of her longed to have the future she’d always expected. She tried to ignore the part of her before it became too much to keep inside.

But as a clan head, she couldn’t ignore it forever.

She was in some Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi Clan meeting when it came up. Normally these meetings were uneventful, just a bunch of clan elders hooting about babies and food or whatever, so Ino had been zoning out while they bickered and shuffled papers around the table. But with Shikamaru and Choji both married, she should have expected it.

“...so that brings us to the issue of heirs,” an elder said, snapping Ino’s attention back to the meeting.

All eyes in the room immediately fell on her. She sat up a bit straighter. “What?”

“The Nara Clan head and Akimichi Clan heir have already found their partners and are close to securing their clans’ futures,” the elder went on. Her name was… Ino wanted to say Chizo? Wait, no. That was an Akimichi name. Chizo was that one over there with her hand deep in a plate of cookies. This was a Yamanaka. What was her name? Ino couldn’t remember for the life of her. “The Yamanaka Clan on the other hand…”

“You think I can’t lead the clan on my own?”

Another elder made a noncomitmental noise. This one’s name was Ezume, Ino was pretty sure. Or maybe Ezuko? Either way, he was a Nara. She knew that much. By the sages, she really should know her own clan elders’ names. She’d known them all her life. How was she this bad with names? It was like she’d gotten worse over the years. “We know your capabilities, Ino, but every clan head must have a husband or wife to help shoulder the responsibilities of leading the clan and bring life to the next generation.”

Ino could practically feel Shikamaru and Choji making faces behind her. The elders were trying to be nice about it but they were basically telling them their wives only mattered to bear children for them and keep some stress off their shoulders. If the clans’ stability didn’t rely on the elders so much, Ino would’ve dragged Temari and Karui in here to speak their minds and slap some sense into them years ago.

The Yamanaka elder was speaking again. Ino wanted to say her name was Fumiko but she was pretty sure she was just thinking about her cousin Fū. They looked kind of similar. What ever happened to him? She hadn’t seen him in years. “You’ve had plenty of time to search for your soulmate. If you haven’t found him, we will choose-”

“Ino’s found her soulmate,” Shikamaru interrupted. His voice dull and bored but his eyes were sharp and telling. Ino wanted to punch him but he was out of reach and she didn’t think the elders would appreciate it much.

“Oh?” the elder, Chizo this time, said, looking interested.

“I’ve heard nothing of this,” another Yamanaka spoke up, sounding annoyed. This one was named Haneen, or at least Ino was pretty sure. Close enough. Ino would consider that a win if she wasn’t struggling to think of a response.

“Uh…”

The elders looked displeased. “Why have we heard nothing of this?”

“Um…. 

Ino looked to Shikamaru and Choji for help but they were already making a break for the door, the traitorous bastards. She turned back to the elders’ angry faces, swallowed away her uneasiness, and steeled herself for the inevitable discomfort that was coming her way. ___________________

Sai was coming back from a mission with Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi and Yamato when he saw Shikamaru and Choji barreling towards him with panic on their faces.

“We didn’t do it!” Naruto yelped immediately, practically springing away from them. “Tell Granny Tsunade it was just part of the mission!”

The two skidded to a stop and Naruto was met with confusion. “What?” 

“...Are you not coming from the Hokage’s office?”

“...No? We were just at a clan meeting. What were you doing?”

“Nothing!”

Sasuke shook his head and sighed while Sakura pinched her brow in exasperation. Sai and Yamato glanced at Kakashi then shared a deadpan look. Naruto really was an idiot sometimes. The Sixth Hokage was standing right next to them. Tsunade was finding out no matter what Shikamaru and Choji heard from them.

Sakura, always the most polite of the bunch, offered Shikamaru and Choji a smile. “Ignore them. Did you need us for something? Do I need to be at the hospital? Or did Kakashi-sensei lose some important paperwork again?”

“If it was really important they wouldn’t let me lose it,” Kakashi piped up lazily.

“We actually came here for Sai,” Choji spoke up. For once, he didn’t have his trusty bag of potato chips in hand. And Ino wasn’t there. That was concerning.

“Is something wrong?”

“Kind of,” Shikamaru said, looking a bit guilty as he scratched the back of his head. “So… I may or may not have told our clan elders that you and Ino are soulmates and they may or may not start harassing you about marrying her.”

Shikamaru spoke quickly and quietly and it took Sai a moment to realize what he was saying. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, however, didn’t seem to have the same problem.

“You and Ino are soulmates?!” the three screeched in unison.

“I… Yes?” Sai’s head swiveled to look at them in surprise. “You didn’t know?”

“How would we know?” Sakura asked. “Neither of you ever told us!”

“You’ve seen both our soulmarks.”

“Soulmarks are confusing!” Naruto exclaimed and Sai realized he probably should’ve known better than to expect Naruto to connect the dots. He and Hinata practically had the same soulmark, just in different colors, and it’d still taken them years to figure it out.

“We went together to your weddings.”

“I thought you two were just going as friends,” Sasuke admitted and he wasn’t exactly wrong. 

That made Sai hesitate. Were they friends? Or were they dating? How was he supposed to remember where they’d been in the relationship all that time ago?

“I’ve spent so much time with just the two of you,” Sakura said. “Are you saying I was third-wheeling on your dates?”

“I mean… No?”

“Wait, Ino’s soulmark is on her arm. Did you know since you met her after our first mission? Have you been dating since then?”

“No.” That was a question Sai could answer confidently. Kind of. Oh by the sages, he really didn’t know what he and Ino were doing, was he?

Sasuke opened his mouth to continue pressing him but Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him before he could begin. “You five run along. I’d like to talk to Sai alone. Yamato, make sure they don’t destroy anything. Any more than it’s already been destroyed, at least.”

“No promises,” Yamato said drily and began ushering the younger ninja away from the former ANBU. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

“I want ramen!”

“I want barbecue!”

“Ramen!”

“Barbecue!” 

“That’s literally all we eat! Can’t you two pick something else?”

Sai watched the group walk away, bickering until they were out of sight, before turning his attention back to Kakashi. The man was watching him with a peculiar look in his eye that Sai didn’t understand. He waited for him to say something but Kakashi remained silent and the seconds soon stretched into minutes.

“Let’s take a walk,” Kakashi said eventually and Body Flickered onto the rooftops. Sai followed him without missing a beat.

“Why did you want to talk to me, senpai?” Sai said once it became clear Kakashi wasn’t going to say something first.

“You looked stressed when Shikamaru said the clan might suggest you and Ino getting married. It takes a lot to get a reaction out of you,” Kakashi said nonchalantly. “I just want you to know you can talk to me if you need someone.”

“I don’t know if there’s really anything to say.” That wasn’t really true but after explaining himself to Shin, and his teammates, and Ino, and Ino’s teammates, Sai had accepted he didn’t really have the vocabulary to express how he felt. But it never stopped him from trying. “I’ve never wanted romance. I like what I have with Ino but it isn’t romance. Everyone expects us to… be like every other soulmate. Be in love, get married, have kids. I’m not really opposed to marrying her but I don’t really want to. The only reason we would is for clan politics. Marriage is supposed to be this ceremony of love and I just don’t… I don’t really feel what everyone else is feeling.”

“Because of your time in ROOT?”

That question was expected but Sai tried not to let it bother him. He was not successful. “I don’t know. Maybe but I don’t think so.”

“Is it a lack of attraction?”

“What?” 

That was such a strange question but Kakashi didn’t really seem to understand Sai’s confusion. “Is it a lack of attraction?”

“I don’t… I suppose she’s attractive.” Sai never really thought about her that way but he knew other people thought she was. He’d been hearing it for so long that he believed it. But were those his own feelings or just the influence of others? He remembered wanting to call her ugly when they met but he thought everyone was ugly so he’d called her gorgeous because he thought she’d like it. And he just kept doing it. He’d done it so much that it’d just stuck with him and he’d forgotten the origin of the nickname. By the sages, was every compliment he’d given her the offspring of a lie?

Surprisingly, a look of understanding spread across Kakashi’s masked features. “So you aren’t attracted to her?”

“I just said she’s attractive.”

“That isn’t the same as being attracted to her.”

“What’s the difference?”

“A few years ago, Master Jiraiya gave me this book he’d written that was rejected by his publishers,” Kakashi began and Sai didn’t really know where he was going with this. “You know he writes romances, right? Well, he got this piece of criticism that said if you’re going to write about love and relationships, you need to understand that it’s not all romantic. Or sexual. You can imagine how confused Jiraiya was.”

Sai was kind of lost but he nodded along anyway.

“So he did some research. And not the kind of research he normally does. He actually talked to anthropologists and professors from different nations, I think. He wrote a character that didn’t experience romantic or sexual attraction. She still knew love and could appreciate a pretty face but she knew she wasn’t quite experiencing what everyone else was feeling.” Kakashi paused. “The word for not experiencing romantic attraction is aromantic. The word for not experiencing sexual attraction is asexual. They’re not really common words, it took Jiraiya a long time to come across them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you hadn’t heard them…”

Kakashi trailed off and Sai’s brain tried to catch up. Sexual attraction? Romantic attraction? They were different? Romantic feelings were supposed to be connected by some kind of desire? Desire to do what? That just sounded really weird. Sai had never heard someone phrase it that way yet it made sense in the most confusing way. “So… wanting to have a romantic relationship has to do with attraction?”

Kakashi shrugged. “Beats me. I’ve never felt that way. I didn’t actually know I’m asexual or aromantic until I read the book and I saw myself in that character.”

“You’re like me?” Sai said in surprise. Almost instantly, his world felt a bit brighter. Like everything was grey and he was seeing color for the first time.

Kakashi nodded. “You know Guy’s my soulmate?”

“Really?” That was actually really shocking but both men covered themselves at pretty much all times, leaving no room for a soulmark to peak out, so there was no way Sai ever would’ve seen either of their soulmarks. Maybe there was a reason for that. Probably not. “I thought you two were just friends.”

“We are, in a way, but we’re also more than that,” Kakashi said, slowing down a bit to try to find the right words. “Guy and I tried to have a relationship when we realized we’re soulmates but it didn’t really work. Guy prefers women and I’m not even sure if he likes men like that. We haven’t talked about it in awhile. And I never really liked anyone that way. But once I heard the words aromantic and asexual, I felt whole. Like I could explain my feelings and I wasn’t missing anything. I didn’t feel broken anymore. After I told him, it was like everything started making sense.”

“Are you two still together?”

Kakashi nodded. “Things got a lot easier when we gave up… The word Jiraiya used in his notes was amatonormativity. That’s kind of like, um, the belief that romantic and sexual relationships are the peak of human experience and everyone should prioritize those kinds of relationships over everything else. You and Ino don’t have to do what our society expects you to do. You can just do whatever feels right.”

Sai nodded slowly. Ino had mentioned once that it felt freeing to not necessarily follow the traditional route of dating but they’d still always felt that pressure to act like a couple. It felt like a huge weight being lifted off his chest to hear that it was okay to do just be. And the fact someone he knew and respected thought it was normal and even encouraged it was priceless.

He opened his mouth to thank the other man but his throat suddenly swelled shut and all that came out was a choking noise. It surprised him, he’d never felt enough emotion for him to be rendered unable to speak. Kakashi looked surprised as well but his eyes soon crinkled with fondness. 

“Go to her, Sai.”

Sai was already moving.

____________________

Ino wasn’t expecting to find Sai waiting at her front door when she got home from getting drilled by her elders at the clan meeting.

It looked like he’d been there for awhile. He’d taken out a piece of charcoal and began doodling on her doorstep. It was rather beautiful but she knew she’d have to hose it off sooner or later unless she wanted dusty footprints tracked through her house. He seems pretty focused on his drawing but not enough that he didn’t jump up in surprise at the sound of his soulmate approaching.

“We don’t have to get married!” he blurted out upon her arrival. The piece of charcoal fell out of his hand and cracked on the cement.

“Um, okay,” Ino said slowly. “Really weird thing to say at the beginning of a conversation, Sai, but okay…”

Sai at least had the decency to look a bit embarrassed and hurried to explain himself. “Shikamaru and Choji told you about your meeting.”

“Oh.” Ino felt the muscles in her shoulders tense up. By the sages, that meeting really had been hell. “And…?”

“Apparently my teammates didn’t know we were soulmates. Sakura might be coming here to yell at you soon, by the way,” Sai told her and it took Ino a moment to fully process what he was saying. Had they really not known? Sakura was her best friend. Ino talked to her about Sai all the time. And Naruto had seemed pretty happy when they told him they were going to his wedding together. And Sasuke had a Sharingan for crying out loud! He really should’ve noticed. Sai didn’t really seem concerned about it though. “But that’s not important. I talked with Kakashi and…”

Sai cut himself off, his excitement fading as doubt overtook him. Ino took his hands, ignoring all the charcoal dust on them, and offered an encouraging smile. “And?”

“I think… I think I’m aromantic. And asexual,” Sai told her and he smiled. It wasn’t his usual awkward smile though. He looked genuinely relieved and maybe even a little bit happy. “Apparently some people don’t have romantic feelings at all. There’s a word for it. Aromantic. I think- I think that’s me. I still care about you and I like being with you but Kakashi told me being aromantic is normal and it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with me or that the universe made a mistake making us soulmates. It just means we can- We can just be us. Sai and Ino. And Sai and Ino don’t have to listen to anything anyone tells us to do. And that means we don’t have to get married. Unless you want to…?”

Ino watched Sai’s face carefully as it flashed between excitement, awkwardness, nervousness, and joy. She’d never seen him express so many feelings, let alone all together in such a short period of time. It was cute. And endearing. Especially when he stumbled over his words like this. By the sages, she loved him. And now she knew he loved her, even if it wasn’t the way she loved him. She was okay with that though. She was definitely okay with that. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Screw tradition. Forget the clan,” Ino said, breaking into a smile as she put her arms around Sai’s shoulders so she could look up into his eyes. “I like what we have. I don’t care if it’s not what I thought I’d grow up to have or if it’s not what my family wants for me. I just want to be with you and it doesn’t matter if we’re friends, lovers, neither, or something between.”

Sai’s smile grew and he just looked so happy. “We’re soulmates.”

“Yeah. That’s what we are. We’re soulmates.”

More AroWriMo Fics By Me, Posted on Ao3, Posted on FFN

[tarithenurse]

Nightingale - 19

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Hatake Kakashi &/x Fem!OC Contents: Yeah...this gets darker with some violence, a torture-ish situation, angst, sadness. A/N: Gotten to 347 of Shippuuden, btw. What a ride! As usual, ASK or REBLOG for tag!

Ch. 19

Her restraints haven't been altered, so Uguisu sits straight in the chair – the only display of freedom being a leg daintily slung over the other, allowing a foot to tap along in the air to an unheard melody as if she's bored. There is no fear in her face, just mild curiosity as she regards the towering man who has turned to her now. Gloved fingers move nimbly to release the gag.

"How are you feeling, Minami-kun?"

If she's surprised at the question and the (relatively) kind voice, she doesn't show it. "Much better, thank you. I don't believe I've slept this well since I was a teen."

"I suppose not..." Ibiki concedes, "but how come you managed to tonight? I would expect someone with your claimed experiences would have nightmares."

"Normally, yes. I guess I was too exhausted even to dream." The interrogator has begun circling the chair where she sits so her gaze lands on Kakashi instead.

"It can be a relief to finally tell the truth."

She nods. "Might also have helped that establishing the seal burned through all my chakra."

"The seal...yes." Pausing, he lets a hand brush against her shoulder, and while Kakashi holds his breath in anticipation, the woman merely tenses. "Do you feel...different with the seal?"

Uguisu purses her lips slightly as if in deep thought. "Well, apart from the physical effect...I'm not sure. It might be psychological that I feel free...like a looming shadow has been chased away...it probably is...but it's the best metaphor."

"You mentioned a physical effect?"

"It throbs, hurts. Not the worst I've ever felt but enough to be annoying." It’s impossible to tell she’s experiencing any discomfort when looking at her.

"Last night, you told us how the Curse Mark would be triggered if you used too much of your chakra or kekkei genkai." She nods at his words. "Is that the same now?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Why not?"

The little bit Kakashi knows about the woman, he can easily imagine that she's biting a sarcastic comment back rather than the calm reply she gives: "It seemed unwise to do anything without proper approval first...and I'm afraid to try."

"Explain."

"...which part?"

"The latter," Ibiki prompts less patiently but adds, "if you'd be so kind."

"When the mark activates, it's as if Orochimaru takes over mind and body and I...don't...want that."

Kakashi fears for one short moment that the woman will be asked to continue explaining, to retell in gruelling details what exactly she has suffered through at the hands of Konoha's enemy, and maybe that was Ibiki's plan as he bends over her to scrutinize her eyes and face because to the careful observer there's a subtle change in his stance.

He signals Inoichi who brings out a backpack together with a bundle containing the gear she’d carried last night.

“Is this yours?” The man with the long ponytail lifts the backpack.

“It is.”

“What is in it?” He places it on the end of the table that’s free.

A shrug. “I suppose that depends if anything has been added or removed since last I packed it.” Undoubtedly, Uguisu doesn’t trust the men very much. “There should be some tools, weapons, and clothing of mine. You’d also find a book from the Academy’s Library, a necklace, an alarm clock, someone’s favourite cup...washed, I might add...ehm, an also-washed sock, a photograph, and a pretty stone.”

Every item mentioned is procured from the depths of the luggage and lined up on the table.

Morino takes over again: “You have stolen these things, true?”

“Is it still considered stealing if the intention from the beginning is to return them?”

“Then why take them at all?”

A grim smile dances across the woman’s face. “The note explained why I borrowed the book. The rest? Proof that I could’ve killed but chose not to. I’m not the enemy.”

A smile is tugging at Kakashi’s lips behind the black fabric of the collar as he sees the interrogator momentarily at a loss for words – the skills he has honed over the years are telling him the explanation is true or at least not detectable as a lie.

"Then tell me," he recovers, "what you can do with your skill. Why was it so important to Orochimaru?"

"Because it can force people to go against their very nature." Only silence answers her. "One order from me, worded carefully, and the person will have no choice but to follow it to their best of their abilities. They will want to. Like an obsession or addiction nagging their mind until they give in to it because it's the only thing that matters to them. Orochimaru sought to use it to gain access to restricted places or during interrogations if a prisoner refused to tell him what he wanted. At the time, it wasn't necessary for the sake of carrying out murders but I'm certain he considered that as an option too," she sighs, "and probably more."

"Show us."

The onlookers were already silent but the hush that falls in the room makes it feel as though all air has been sucked away – a feeling that's intensified when Uguisu stares at the man with open mouth.

"Show? Are you...you don't mean that," she gasps, "or are...you volunteering?"

"Hm," Kakashi knows something's brewing when the interrogator begins to smile, "not me, no. However I'd recommend you demonstrate your skill on someone who has stated their devotion to you." Yeah, that makes sense. "Kakashi."

Even before Ibiki has finished saying his name, the jōnin in question has pushed to his feet. If Asuma had been there, he’d probably look at the white-haired friend in a way which would mean something along the lines of "told you so". The only Sarutobi, the old Hokage, shifts in his seat but doesn't object, allowing the addition to the people in the arena.

"Order him to follow the first order I give him."

Just do it. Kakashi nods to the woman, hoping to banish the fear from the doe-like eyes as she shifts her attention between the two men. I got nothing to hide.

“I must be able to sign,” she protests.

Without hesitation, the tall man in charge cuts her bonds and even allows her time to rub some life into hands and fingers before he motions towards the test-bunny. Is she hesitating? Just as Kakashi begins to wonder, Uguisu’s hands flies through a series of signs.

"Kakashi..."

Everything changes. The surroundings seem to fade away along with the people in it – even the shadow that once was Ibiki is unable to take form or speak audibly as it leans closer to Uguisu. Uguisu. She's washed out too, but her voice rings clear, somehow guiding him as she speaks again and he just knows that anything she says is important. Follow the order Ibiki gives me. It's a strange thing to say, but if that's what she wants then he'll happily do it and as he nods, the man in question begins to stand out clearer in the blurred world.

"Strangle her until she passes out."

A part of Kakashi tries to object, but his body moves on its own accord until he's leaning over her because this is what she wanted. She told him to follow the order. So he does.

The skin is soft and smooth under his fingers, the little hairs in the neck obediently bend under the pressure and it tickles a memory of having touched the blue strands before but in a different way. Above his hands the usually pretty face is distorted: mouth open, eyes watering and huge. She's afraid? But she wanted me to do this. It doesn't make sense, really, but he clings on to the one thing he knows for sure. Do as told. Her eyes roll backwards and the whites contrast the flushed skin. Almost there. Almost done as you wanted. Something wet lands on her face. Drops of something unimportant. She's resisting a bit now, but it's easy to avoid the instinctual flailing. Almost. And then she stops. The haze of the world lifts as Kakashi's hands fall to his sides and he realizes what he has done.

It takes four seconds to lower her onto the floor.

It takes five before he can hear the heartbeat, sluggish and faint.

It feels like an infinity before she gasps and coughs, each intake of breath shuddering through her body. It nearly breaks his heart to feel Uguisu stiffen as he pulls her into his lap.

"Truth..." Ibiki’s standing with his arms crossed, glaring down at the woman and smiling lazily as he takes in how she reacts even in her ally's arms. "Gotta admit I'm impressed it actually worked...maybe you're not completely useless after all."

"You wanna...see...usefulness?" she wheezes, pushing off of Kakashi and onto her feet. She's shaking, whether from the underlying trauma or the near death experience itself is unclear.

The man who ordered the attack strolls around the arena. "You didn't even try to fight him."

"Why should I...an order cannot be annulled..." Slender fingers tentatively stroke the angry marks left behind on her throat, making Kakashi’s gut tighten.

"Aï...The only thing I've seen so far is a scared woman crying and snivelling."

Something ignites within Kakashi almost as if he had been the target of the insult. But if I butt in...no...He knows the senior well enough to understand that this is part of the tactic, one move of many in an elaborate game of chess between him and the blue-haired girl.

Maybe she knows it too, at least she doesn't hide a tiny smile. "Fight back." Now her smile has grown into a full grin. "Perhaps a duel? Unless it's beneath you to fight a snivelling, scared girl like me? Hmm?"

"No involvement of others."

"Hm," she agrees.

Getting the hint, her white-haired friend retreats to his seat from before, only now realizing that his mask is wet.

Below, Uguisu is equipping the gear she normally wears and meticulously checks the contents of each pouch and sheath. Her hands are shaking. The sound of her breathing still has a slight creaking to it. Maybe for that reason, the scarred man is allowing her to take her time. He wants to see how capable she is.

Ibiki squares off at one side of the sandy floor. "The opponent must yield."

Again, she hums in agreement, taking her own place opposite of him. "Before we start...you might want to have a look in the book," she sweetly offers, "first page."

"Hah! Such a low trick won't work."

[degrassi-fanatic]

A Slow Day at Work

Humming a little melody off-key, Ino flips lazily through a fashion magazine that she found somewhere in the back of the shop. It’s a slow day for Yamanaka Flowers, which means that she has the luxury of standing behind the front counter doing absolutely nothing but perusing through this year’s summer collection. The only people that have come into the shop today had been Kakashi-sensei, who was bashfully asking for a bouquet of purely yellow flowers for reasons he wouldn’t disclose, and Tsunade-sama, who was looking for anything that could be possibly described as pervy. 

At the front of the shop, Ino hears the tell-tale ringing of the door chime and looks up to find Sakura dressed in a white hospital smock. 

 It shouldn’t be any surprise considering that Sakura always comes into the shop on her lunch breaks but, still the sentiment never fails to make her smile. 

 Not that she’ll ever tell her that. 

 As Sakura makes her way over, Ino pushes aside the fashion magazine and whips out a pink-purple floral arrangement from behind the counter. 

 “Here,” Ino says as she hands her the bouquet, “These are for you.”

 Looking down at the flowers in her hand, Sakura shakes her head fondly as a blush spreads across her face. 

 “You’re so lazy, Ino-buta.” she teases before setting aside the floral arrangement.

 With her arms braced against the counter, Ino leans in closer to Sakura. In front of her, Sakura mirrors the action, and soon they’re only a hair-breadth apart, sharing the same air. Up this close, she can smell the faint scent of hospital disinfectant coming from her girlfriend through the overpowering scent of flowers. 

 It’s strange that one of the most comforting scents to Ino is that of sterilizer and decontaminants.

 Well, it’s better than wet-dog (Hinata) and sake (Jiraiya-san). 

 “Hmm, what did I do now?” Ino asks distractedly as she tucks a loose strand of hair back behind Sakura’s ear. 

 Before Ino can pull her hand away, Sakura talks a hold of it. She presses Ino’s palm to the side of her cheek as she mock-pouts at the woman in front of her. 

 “You can’t just order flowers for me from your own flower shop.”

 “Why not?” she questions. 

 “It ruins the appeal of getting flowers!” Sakura complains, even though there’s no real heat behind it.

 Using her free hand, Ino pulls out a small, styrofoam takeaway box from behind the counter. She pushes the still warm container in front of Sakura. 

 “Which is exactly why I also got you these.” Ino says

 Letting go of her hand, Sakura flips open the lid. Her eyes practically light up and her mouth falls open at the sight of what’s in front of her; her favourite food, syrup-coated anko dumplings.

 “Have I ever told you how much I love you!” Sakura squeals as she rushes to grab both sides of Ino’s face, reeling her in for a kiss. 

 Before Ino can meet her halfway, she hears the chimes above the front door jingle as someone enters the shop. 

 Reluctantly pulling away from the kiss, Ino spots Kiba walking into the shop with Mirai-chan sitting high on top of his shoulders, Akamaru trailing behind them. 

 Not realizing who it is, Sakura lets out an annoyed huff. 

 “Saku!” Mirai exclaims as she tugs on Kiba’s hair, making the man wince, “Ino!”

 At the sound of her voice, Sakura’s whole composure does a complete one-eighty. She twists around to see Mirai and immediately rushes over to her, ignoring the anko dumplings on the counter. 

 While Kiba bends down a bit, Sakura holds her hands out towards Mirai, who falls into her grasp right away. 

 “Mirai-chan!” she greets as she settles the child onto her hip, “How’s my favourite little kunoichi!”

 “I am right here.” Ino pipes up from the back.

 Her words go unnoticed as Sakura’s whole attention is towards the little girl in her arms, which is not an unusual occurrence when Mirai is involved. As the two of them giggle about something, Sakura begins to roam around the store with her, pointing at all of the flowers while asking for Mirai’s opinion. 

 Not too far behind them, Akamaru wanders around as well, politely sniffing at all the flowers. 

 Meanwhile, Kiba shakes his head at all of their antics as he saunters over to Ino. 

 “What do you need, Kiba?” Ino asks, “You forget yours and Hinata’s anniversary again?”

 He rolls his eyes at her as he hops onto the countertop, ignoring Ino’s swatting hand as he does so. 

 “Haha.” he says sardonically, “I’ll have you know, it only took me three reminders this year to remember.“

 “Dumbass.”

 “Anyways, I’m just here because Mirai wanted to be here.” Kiba explains, “And totally not because she said I wouldn’t be her best friend if I didn’t buy her a sunflower.”

 From where he’s perched, Kiba begins to lightly kick his legs up. Ino can practically see the glint in his eyes as he notices the takeaway box beside him. Before he can get his grubby little paws on the dumplings, Ino slides the box away from underneath his hands. 

 “Soft-hearted fool.” she comments as she closes the lid of the box before storing it safely behind the counter.

 “Don’t call me soft-hearted.” Kiba snorts, “You once cried while looking at a picture of Sakura because she was so pretty.”

 Her face heats up. 

 “I was drunk!” she hisses at him, “And if you don’t remember, you cried when Hinata said yes to going out with you.”

 Kiba’s own face heats up; his skin almost matching the colour of his markings. 

 “Those were manly tears of joy!” he argues. 

 “Still tears.” she points out.

 Before either of them can get another word out, Sakura and Mirai return to the front with a single sunflower in Mirai’s tiny fist. 

 Jumping down from the counter, Kiba reaches into his pockets to bring out his wallet but Ino stops him with a wave of her hand. 

 “On the house.” she says, “For your manly tears of joy.”

 Laughing a little, Kiba moves closer and lightly flicks Ino in the forehead, much to her disdain. 

 “Thanks, Ino-buta.”

 From beside him, Sakura smacks him upside the head causing Mirai to giggle at Kiba’s pain. 

 “Oi, only I’m allowed to call her that.”

[lazylazyhowl]

Hot-blooded (sasusaku oneshot)

Summary: Sasuke is a hot-blooded young man. He just forgot that.

Or,

Due to technical difficulties, the Sharingan's recording function is temporarily unavailable :(

In which,

Sakura is oblivious, Sasuke is too but then he isn’t, Sai spares no feeling, Naruto is confused, and Kakashi is having too much fun to intervene.

AO3 Link

 Ko-fi

Feedback is always appreciated. Please also consider buying me a cup of coffee if you like what I do.

It started with a tickle inside his nose as he felt something crawl down the cavern of his left nostril.

“Sa-Sasuke-kun!”

Sakura’s focused green eyes went wide before him. The tongue depressor she had inside his mouth scraped against his bottom teeth as her otherwise steady hand quivered momentarily.

Snot, then – he decided with a vague sense of shame, feeling the trail of the watery substance creep ever closer to the precipice of his upper lip. It had been chilly at night in the hospital lately, but he’d been too offish to bother requesting more blankets. Well, that and few nurses bothered to (or dared) come to his room if they didn’t have to.

He didn’t blame them.

Really.

Covered in invisible chakra suppressing seals as it was, a whole room at the quiet end of a corridor reserved just for him when the hospital was still bursting at the seams with casualties from the war? He could have kissed Tsunade.

If he could get within 10-feet of the Hokage without the entire Anbu pinning him to the ground, that was.

But back on the topic, Sakura looked frantic for some reason as she hurried to lower the tongue depressor from his mouth. “Wait- Sasuke, let me-” She made to stand from her seat, placing a gentle hand on the bandaged stub of his arm, but he shifted away from her on the hospital bed and wiped at the incendiary evidence of how lame he felt at that moment.

When he brought his hand down, he paused and examined the blood on his knuckles. His first thought was to wonder if some wound had reopened.

It was common occurrence for Sasuke. He’d become desensitized to the little nits and pricks of negligible injuries, and, in the throes of battle especially, he would often find the blood before recognizing the pain associated with it.

But then the ticklish feeling in his nose caught his attention again, and he glanced down to see more and more drops of blood landing on the front of his hospital gown.

Not snot, was his second thought as Sakura shoved a handful of tissue paper in his face to staunch the blood.

And when her other hand came around the back of his neck and her warmth drew near to his side, and she started lecturing him to keep his head tilted down, not up, he was still deciding whether a nosebleed was a better or worse thing to have in front of her.

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“Maybe this is one of the consequences of overtaxing your eyes,” Sakura said, and he couldn’t help noticing the way the deep green shards in her irises contracted as she stared back into his eyes.

He hn’ed distractedly, trying not to shift against her soft palms on both sides of his face. He was uncomfortable with the proximity of their positions as well as the fact that her breaths smelt of mint and something distinctly Sakura. His hands—well, hand…was clammy, and his stomach felt funny.

She’d been behaving differently—than he expected. Though he wasn’t sure exactly what he’d expected. He didn’t know her. Not anymore. And what he was learning of this new her bothered him.

He supposed what got him most was the anchored grace she carried as his primary physician when his prevalent impression of her was still the little girl that used to chase him around the village, that blushed and stammered, that wore her heart on her sleeves. Not to say he wanted her back – Sakura had grown, good for Sakura – but that girl had been familiar.

This one was not, and she was uprooting something deep inside him.

Then he felt it, the tickle in his nostril, and pulled away from Sakura’s hold.

“Sasuke-kun?” She blinked. He pressed the back of his hand to his nose to avoid staining his clothes again. “Again!?” He averted his gaze sheepishly and reached for the box of tissue at his bedside.

“This is the fourth time this week!”

Of course, she was counting.

“I swear, it could be a side-effect of all these seals for all we know! I can’t even heal you in this room.” She gestured in exasperation around the room, her choppy haircut almost bristling, and he found it amusing. She was getting angry.

.

On a second examination, he wasn’t sure what exactly was so amusing about her getting angry.

And yet it was.

“It’s just a nosebleed, Sakura. There’s no need for you to heal me,” he said, and she immediately deflated, hugging her arms to her chest.

“I know.” She smiled stiffly.

He frowned.

While he had spoken with the intention to calm her down, this outcome was not quite the one he’d hoped to achieve. It was unfair that she blamed him for resorting to monosyllabic answers when every time he formed a full sentence, she would find a way to take it negatively.

“It’s not the seals.” He checked the tissue paper and winced at how much blood there was. The blood hadn’t let up, so he pressed the tissue to his nose again. “They’ve always been used on prisoners.”

“But not to this degree!” She reached for his face. “You need to pinch the bridge…”

He avoided her hand and did as told himself. “Other prisoners don’t have a Rinnegan.”

Her hand dropped back to her side. She was silent for a moment, but he knew it was not for lack of a comeback as she kept her unwavering gaze on him.

“You’re not a prisoner, Sasuke-kun,” she said after a second. “You’re a patient. My patient. So just focus on recovering, and I promise you’ll be out of here before you know it.”

It was just an argument of semantics. But she smiled, such conviction in her eyes, and he decided he liked her way of putting it better.

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.

The weather was nice when he was finally allowed to leave his room for fresh air, and although Sakura never said anything, he just knew with a startling certainty that she’d played a big part in convincing whichever prejudiced councilperson that he hadn’t been lying in wait for an opportunity to burn down the entire village when people weren’t looking.

Beyond what the eyes could see, he sensed the prickle of surveillance from a team of Anbu. A gauging kind of stillness rippled across the hospital’s semi-crowded corridors that Sakura led him through.

He didn’t need to be told, either, to know Sakura was going to accompany his strolls every time. That he was her charge, she was accountable for his actions, and whatever stakes she’d put down to have him walking outside in the daylight, he would need to protect.

He decided to be on his best behavior, and perhaps he should start with keeping his eyes on the ground and not looking at anyone in the eye to make sure he couldn’t be framed for trying to put people under a genjutsu. He knew how much his Rinnegan frightened others, even those who had no idea what they were looking at.

It had been humbling, he decided, to realize Sakura had no qualms about looking into his eyes, at him, when he’d been so sure he’d crushed her beyond repair with those very eyes.

They arrived at an empty corner (or more accurately, a hastily evacuated corner) of the courtyard, and she plopped down on the nearest bench before tapping the space next to her. There was a childish sparkle to her gaze, reminiscent of an older time long gone, and the nostalgia inside him half expected her to allude to the prospects of a date.

But he knew she wouldn’t, and she didn’t. Still, his stomach trembled with what he’d come to acknowledge as gladness. He was glad that little girl wasn’t completely gone.

To what end, was yet to be determined.

He sat down beside her, a good few inches between them.

He closed his eyes and leant back, face to the sunlight. The wind picked up around him, tousling his hair and skimming across his skin, tugging at his empty shirt sleeve. It was still strange not to have that arm.

“You know, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei wanted to come with us today.” He looked from the black chakra seal on his wrist to meet with her eyes. His own narrowed, part in confusion as to why the sudden subject, part in a grimace at how close this peaceful stroll had been to being the exact opposite. He thought he saw Sakura flinch, but he couldn’t be sure. There was no reason for her to.

“They got held up in a meeting with Tsunade-shishō,” she added.

“Hn.”

“It would have been nice to have our team together again.”

“Aa,” he said, not necessarily agreeing.

Sasuke stared at her as the silence between them grew. Judging from Sakura’s increasingly uncomfortable demeanor, he supposed it was the awkward sort of silence that people disliked. Because he was who he was, awkward or not hardly mattered, but he decided to do her a favor and break it.

“There’s a leaf in your hair.”

He hadn’t wanted to point it out. He liked the sight of her with it. Something about it undid ever so slightly the kempt doctor look and let him think about young, dirt-lodged fingernails combing through pink locks to untangle sweaty knots after a particularly difficult C-ranked mission.

“W-where?” She went abruptly from breathing a sigh of relief to running her hand through her hair, frantic yet also careful so as not to muss it up. The result was that the leaf remained firmly in her hair. “Is it gone?”

He watched a few more of her unsuccessful attempts before intervening.

“Stay still.”

She obeyed and became very still. He wasn’t sure if she was even breathing as his fingers thread through her hair (finer and softer than he’d imagined) and slid the tiny leaf down its length. The corner of his mouth quirked, despite himself, in amusement as he observed her cheeks taking on the lively flush of a tomato.

The immediate next moment, all the colors drained from her face.

“Sasuke-kun!”

He blinked, confused, before registering the warm heat rolling down across his lips.

Fuck.

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It wasn’t like nosebleeds were foreign to Sasuke, but they usually accompanied the ringing numbness of being punched in the face, whether that was in training or actual combat.

And even then, they were few and far in-between. And never this often.

And for some reason always his left nostril. If there was even a reason. He could be eating or just sitting around doing nothing and the blood would start flowing.

Today, he was shaving and almost thought he’d cut himself.

The nosebleeds were annoying, even more than the bursts of phantom pain, (and not the same type of annoying as Sakura, he noted in a corner of his mind). He disliked them all the more because Sakura just happened to be there to catch every single instance of him bleeding out of his nose like some ailing wimp.

Sure, he was her patient. They were in a hospital, she in a white lab coat and he in a fucking gown, and the power imbalance between them couldn’t be anymore subverted. But this. This was pathetic.

Sasuke was never one for vanity. He didn’t try to impress anyone, but there was a certain degree of decorum his Uchiha pride demanded he maintained, and he had reasons to believe non-combat-related nosebleeds were rather high up on the list of things that sullied reputations. Directly behind Harem Jutsu-related ones, to be specific.

So, imagine his surprise, and great chagrin, when the coin was finally dropped by none other than Sai.

“You have strange tastes just like Dickless, Traitor-kun.”

It was hard to decide which part of that sentence was more offensive than the other.

Sasuke looked from Sakura, her back turned to speak with an Anbu member about his progress, to glare at his replacement on Team 7 and attempted to be as menacing as someone with tissue paper in their nose could be.

“Hah?”

Black irises stared back at Sasuke from behind the Lion mask. Sai shrugged. “I don’t get why you’d get excited over Ugly.”

Although Sasuke had sworn to himself he would punch Sai the next time the socially incompetent creep referred to Sakura as ugly, he simply found himself frozen in the spot.

“Well, seems they’re done. I’d best be going. Later, Traitor-kun.”

With a methodical wave of goodbye, Sai was gone with his Anbu teammate.

“Sasuke-kun, good news!” Sakura came back to his side, bright smile on her face, and his stomach did that damning flip again. He could feel the blood creeping up his throat even as he met eyes with her.

“Are you okay?” Her expression turned concerned, and she came up even closer to try and check his temperature, prompting him to take a step back, half-afraid of burning her with the heat on his face. “You look flushed.”

“Fine.” He avoided her gaze and pulled up the front of his baggy hospital shirt to shield as much of him from her as possible. “Just the nosebleed.” And his heart sank with great rue at the reminder of what these nosebleeds had meant this whole time.

“Oh, well they said I can bring you to the main wing for some tests. Let’s go tomorrow so I can finally take a look at it.”

“There’s no need for that.” He immediately regretted how quickly and harshly he’d said it.

“What? Why not?” She sounded affronted, but it just so happened that he cared very little right now.

“Just forget about it.” He turned sharply to head into the bathroom connected to his room.

“Sasuke-”

He slammed the door behind him and collapsed back against it.

Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, Sasuke could only sigh at the red-faced idiot staring back at him in the mirror.

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“Hoooh?” Kakashi, who’d dropped in to visit, drawled in a way that was deliberately sleazy. He was peeking over his orange Icha Icha book with a glint of shrewd amusement in his eyes that Sasuke had since his genin days decided he did not like. It had usually meant something he did not wish to discuss was going to be discussed, and Kakashi was going to enjoy that discussion at Sasuke’s expense.

True to his Anbu roots, the man had a penchant for noticing things that others usually would not, and it was only due to his blatant disinterest for anything not porn that many in Konoha could sleep at night.

Sasuke, unfortunately, would not have that luxury tonight.

“What?” He griped from his bed as he pressed tissue paper to his nose. Sakura had left the room due to an emergency in another wing, but the effect of her presence remained. He had wished this would not happen around Kakashi.

He knew acting irritated was only going to encourage Kakashi to pursue the topic with extra teasing efforts, but it was either he passed off the flush to his skin as ire or let it be seen as what it was: utter mortification.

Kakashi closed the book in one quick motion, slipped it into the pocket of his vest, and sat back in his chair, looking completely smug underneath his mask. “It appears you’ve come over to this side as well.”

“Excuse me?” Sasuke breathed in abject horror at the implication. He was most definitely not in league with Naruto or Kakashi. Or, god forbid, the Ero Sennin.

“I understand where you are, Sasuke.” Kakashi held up his hands in a placating manner. “Trust me, I was once like you as well. My nasal lining is thinner than average and I get nosebleeds easier than others.”

…Oh. Sasuke relaxed a little. He was about to respond with a noncommittal Hn when Kakashi continued.

“It mortified me as a child because I would bleed constantly just from seeing beautiful women around the village. I was such a serious kid.” Kakashi sighed fondly before a stunned Sasuke. At Sasuke’s expression, the man gestured to himself. “Why do you think I started wearing this mask?”

“Because it made you look cool?” Sasuke offered, almost beseeching. Anything else. Anything but that.

Kakashi shook his head with facetious gloom. “Even now I’m washing blood off of it at the end of the day.”

Sasuke’s mouth dropped open. Since coming back, he had been thinking about perhaps spending more effort to get to know his sensei to make up for lost time, but this wasn’t at all what he had in mind.

“I…don't think that’s the case for me, Kakashi,” he said carefully, lest he stepped on any of the man’s feelings; though a part of him wasn’t entirely sure those feelings should even be protected.

“I had a lot of denial at first, too. I was miserable. It got easier once I accepted what I felt.” Kakashi got up from his seat and approached Sasuke with a grim look in his eyes. Sasuke suddenly felt open and vulnerable, with his only arm occupied by the nosebleed and unable to defend(?) him. “You need to embrace who you are, Sasuke.” The man reached for him, and he nearly flinched from the head pat. “Kidding!”

Sasuke blinked up at his sensei.

“You should have seen your face, my boy.” Kakashi laughed heartily and stepped back, hands in his pockets. “Sakura told me about what’s been going on with you. It’s just the seals.”

Sasuke scowled, both angry and confused, which was never a good thing considering his track record. “What?”

“The seals. It’s rare, but I’ve seen it happened when people tried to use their chakra while under these seals, especially for dōjutsu.”

He held Kakashi’s gaze suspiciously, freshly sore at being made fun of. But the matter-of-fact tone was one his sensei reserved for teaching, and he knew this was worthwhile information. “But I’m not trying to use any,” he said.

“Oh, I can tell.” A teasing smirk crinkled Kakashi’s eyes. “How I just wonder what you’re unconsciously using around our lovely Sakura.” Sasuke’s jaw locked as the older man wiped away an imaginary tear from his eye. “I’m happy for you, Sasuke. I was afraid my cute students were going to grow old alone.”

“Kakashi,” he said warningly, and Kakashi laughed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul about this.” He winked. “It’ll be a secret between us closet perverts.”

The heat on Sasuke’s face intensified, and he was glaring at his sensei so hard, the man might have burst into Amaterasu-fire if it hadn’t been for the seals restricting his chakra.

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“This is not normal, Sasuke-kun,” she said as they were returning from another stroll.

Sasuke agreed, but not in the sense that she’d meant. “Hn.” He didn’t meet her eyes as he dabbed at the blood in his nose. At least it dried up quickly this time.

“You have got to let me check it out.”

“Haven’t I?” He paused. “And haven’t you?”

She gave him a pointed look, arms crossed. “I was practically wrestling you just to look inside your nose!”

Which was particularly unhelpful for his…condition.

He crumpled up the bloodied tissue paper and put on his annoyed face in hope to get her to drop the subject. But there was also a creeping sense of resignation that he was getting worse and worse at handling Sakura. (Then again, nothing he’d ever done had deterred her before, so it was a small mystery how he’d gained the otherwise confidence in the first place.)

“And you said nothing was amiss.”

“Which is why I need to give you an actual checkup!” She threw her hands up. “I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn about this!”

He stopped abruptly and turned to hold her glare for a moment. “Nothing’s hurting.” Except his pride.

“That doesn’t mean anything. Don’t you turn your back to me! We’re not done here!”

He continued down the hallway toward his room and didn’t look back.

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He could feel her eyes boring into his back and kept still just to maintain the theatre, even though he knew she knew he was awake. A part of him felt like the child she must think of him, that he was depending on mere layers of blankets to keep himself insulated from the things that he feared.

It was an interesting thought, fearing Sakura—when he could think of much more unpleasant company to be with. But her presence had always unsettled him in some abstract, primal way, and learning just why that was finally, brought not only insecurity but also guilt.

For having trampled on her feelings with every turn of his heel.

For still doing so even now, as it appeared.

He felt her lean against the bed and tensed, anticipating some kind of touch. It never came.

“I’m sorry if you think I was overstepping.” There was a sigh mixed in with her whispered tone. “I’ve just been…” Her sentence died down to silence, and there was another sigh. “Good night.”

When she pulled away, he had a sudden, inexplicable urge to grab and pull her back. One he had to stop himself from acting on.

“Hn.” He grunted when she neared the doorway. It was the only sound he trusted himself to make.

She was silent, but he had no doubt she’d heard him. “I have the shift tonight. Call me if you need me, Sasuke-kun.” And she left after switching the lights off and resealing the door as per protocol.

He had no idea what sort of expression she had made with his back turned, but he hoped, and imagined, it to be that small smile she always gave that meant he had been forgiven.

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No one shared walls with him. It was quite obvious when he lay awake at night and didn’t have to listen to the traumatized screams of the other patients.

He was glad, then, that neither could they hear him when he woke up shouting at the darkness.

He was in a pool of his own sweat, heart beating its way out of his ribcage and non-existent arm hurt as if skewered by a thousand senbons. He dug his fingers into his shoulder blade, and, at that moment, would gladly give up the rest of the arm if it meant the pain would stop.

A pitiful noise escaped his throat. He eyed the call button glowing a soft red in the night.

All he had to do was reach for the button and Sakura might just punch through walls if it meant getting to him even a little bit faster. His teeth bared in a poor-humored smirk. He let go of a shaky breath and turned resolutely away, banishing those thoughts back to the shadows where they belonged.

He didn’t need her.

But he supposed he did want her.

He wanted her. He wanted Sakura. Here. Now.

Still, he wouldn’t press that button. Night terrors were hardly emergencies, and this wasn’t even something Sakura could fix. Imagine the paperwork she would have to deal with afterwards just because he decided to act like a spoiled child.

He wouldn’t press the button. But, staring at the door, he found himself wishing she would come anyway.

That wasn’t how life worked, though. He wasn’t Naruto, but he too was an orphan. He knew how it was. You either ask for or take what you want, or you simply fall through the cracks.

But then he saw the seal over door start to recede silently, and his eyes went wide. He pushed himself up on the bed, taut with anticipation and disbelief, as the door opened with excruciating slowness. A part of him, the misanthropic, world-weary part, was just waiting for it to reveal someone else and crush any crumb of hope he might have had to fine dust.

It was a stupid thought and he knew it. The moment the seal burnt away, he could tell it was her chakra on the other side of the door, humming ever so gently as always, if not a little dulled and frazzled from the late night.

But it was easier than addressing the gratefulness that was welling up inside his lungs.

After what felt like an eternity later, Sakura’s familiar figure walked in and closed the door, the seal mending itself together behind her. Even without the aid of the Sharingan, he easily found green eyes in the dim moonlight.

“Sasuke-kun?”

It was only when he needed to respond that he realized he’d been holding his breath.

“…Sakura.”

He dropped back down on the bed, all strength vacating his muscles, and screwed his burning eyes shut. His hand still cradled his shoulder loosely, and he felt, rather than heard, her hurriedly approaching his bedside to bring her hand over his.

“Does it hurt?”

“Aa.” He didn’t mind the useless question like he usually would. Only congratulated himself on successfully keeping his voice from cracking.

She didn’t say anything as her fingers squeeze over his, gently but firmly.

“Do you…” He began after a while, opening his eyes to find hers. “—just come to my room for no reason at night?”

If she thought he sounded accusing, he was glad she didn’t apologize; because he wasn’t trying to be. She took some time deciding how to answer him, and he was oddly pleased she didn’t look away as she did so. “I overheard you screaming from nightmares last week and well—” Her gaze darted away for a fraction of a second, where she bit her lower lip, before settling back on him. “I just worry.”

He grunted breathily from the pain and a poignant frustration.

Of course, she had. And of course, she did.

He cracked his eyes open again and attempted to determine her expression in the darkness, fearing it was pity. It wasn’t. She just looked sad and hurt, and he didn’t entirely understand why.

He could feel that now familiar tingle in his nostril again, and the blood soon came spilling down across his mouth. He made no attempt to hide from her widening eyes. It was perhaps his fate, he decided, to have her always witnessing him at his most ugly, most shameful, like he wasn’t already enough of a miserable wreck in front of her.

“Sasuke-kun!”

Her hand flinched away from his to reach for the box of paper tissue, and an inexplicable feeling of emptiness gripped at him.

“No.” He held her back by the wrist and met her startled eyes. “Just…” He grimaced from another sharp lance of pain and might be squeezing her harder than he meant to. If it hurt her, she never protested and only remained quiet. Patient. As always.

And he reasoned. And argued and bargained. What was one more prideless moment before her?

“Just stay like this for a bit.”

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.

When he woke again, it was almost morning. The pain was gone, but not her, who sat dutifully at his bedside. She told him her shift was about to end, and he finally let go of her hand.

“Thank you,” he said just as she was about to leave. His scratchy voice was loud in the silence of the room, and he hoped she would hear the apology within. She said nothing and only smiled the way he’d hope she would the night before.

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There was a thundering march of footfalls barreling down toward Sasuke’s end of the hallway, and the stupid face that jumped to the front of his mind made him close his eyes in sufferance.

“Bastard!” He heard the muffled voice from the other side of the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose, already sensing an incoming wave of migraine.

“Oi, Sasuke bastard!” Naruto practically kicked his way into the room, the seal dissipating like embers around him, and right away was all up in Sasuke’s personal space, grabbing his shirt and dragging him to his bare feet. “What is this about you possibly dying and refusing treatment!?”

“What are you even-”

“Don’t you lie, Sakura-chan just told me! Do you know how worried she’d been, you incorrigible bastard!? Why can’t you just do as told for once in your life!? I didn’t bring you back just so you can go die to some perfectly curable disease!”

Beside being mildly surprised that the idiot even knew the word incorrigible, Sasuke was too speechless to even be properly annoyed. He hadn’t the slightest idea what the idiot was talking about.

“Answer me, bastard!” At his stunned silence, Naruto started shaking him. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“St-stop that, idi-” He winced, feeling the pressure on some of the smaller, more persistent cracks in his bones that Sakura had left to heal naturally. She had said it was healthier for the body, but he also suspected some outside pressure forcing her hand to keep him hospitalized and in suboptimal condition.

“Naruto!” Sakura’s voice got them both turning toward the door. In a split second, the blond was smacked audibly upside the head and promptly dropped Sasuke back against the bed. Sakura stepped in between him and Naruto, her back to him and hands on her hip.

“Ow! Sakura-chan! Why-”

“He’s a patient for god’s sake. Not everyone has monstrous healing like you. Manhandling him like that, are you crazy!?”

“Me!? You’re getting mad at me!? What about the bastard? He’s the one trying to die!” Naruto pointed an incriminating finger at him.

“If he really is then you’re not helping!” She turned to him, and immediately he felt every cell in his body respond to her hands on his chest, checking the bandages under his disheveled shirt. “Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?” No. No, he was not. Surely, being hyperaware of what her presence could do to him did not help his situation. “Did anything reopen?”

“I don’t th-”

When he glanced down, he stared at the dot of blood blooming on her white coat sleeve and decided then and there the entire universe conspired against him.

His hand shot up to cover his face, but it was too late.

“Bastard!” “Sasuke-kun!”

The speed at which the colors drained from his teammates face was as if they were the ones bleeding out, which would have been funny if Sasuke wasn’t busy regretting ever being born. Naruto sprung into action and started ushering Sasuke backward.

“L-lie down, bastard! Don’t you die on us!”

Sasuke let out an unintentional oof as he was heaved by the torso a few inches off the floor and deposited back onto the bed.

“Calm down, idiot!” Blood freely flowed from his nose during his feeble attempt at fighting Naruto’s seemingly herculean strength, the blond relentlessly trying to pin him on his back. It was frustrating because they were supposed to be equally handicapped. “I’m fi-”

“No! Naruto, he has to keep his head down.” Sakura joined the fray and extracted Naruto from him before she once again was too close. She guided him to sit on the edge of the bed and, in stark contrast to the firm fingers at the back of his neck, started to gingerly wipe at the blood on his face with tissue paper.

“I can do it myself, Saku-”

“Kakashi-sensei, get out of my way!” Naruto said, and Sasuke snapped his gaze to the door where Kakashi was trying to calm the blond down while remaining resolutely in Naruto’s way, causing him to become even more agitated and vocal. Sasuke would have slapped a hand to his face had his only one wasn’t busy trying to wrangle the tissue paper from Sakura’s hold.

Distracted from yelling at Naruto, Sakura’s hold slackened, and Sasuke took the chance to take over. She glanced back at him in a quick assessment before releasing him and returning her attention to Naruto and Kakashi.

Now, Sasuke had few ideas of the politics that went on outside of hospital walls.

Sakura only gave the good news, and Naruto spoke in future tense, borderline grandiose in the things he promised would happen once he got through to the ‘old fogeys,’ to quote his words. Kakashi just gave Sasuke porn (which he had leveled a disdainful scowl at, but eventually read anyway out of boredom).

What little Sasuke did know, he’d overheard from the doctors and nurses that wandered too far down his hallway, and he knew it wasn’t looking good for him.

All things considered, he really didn’t need—this. This whole situation. With both Sakura and Naruto screaming and arguing like children, Kakashi being too amused for someone who was supposed to be the mediating adult, and Sasuke trying to get them all off his case. And failing miserably.

“I have to go get help! Sasuke bastard’s dying!”

“Now, now, I think you’re overreacting a little, Naruto. Plus, isn’t his doctor already here?”

Naruto whipped around, a hint of sharp canines amongst his bared teeth, and pointed at Sasuke. “Bastard, tell us what’s wrong now.”

“Stop aggravating him, stupid Naruto!”

“Why are you on his side!? He’s the stubborn asshole here!”

“I’m on no one’s side! You need to—”

Sasuke chuckled, effectively silencing the entire room as all eyes gathered on him. On another day, he would have lamented being the center of attention, but right now, he just felt oddly light-hearted as he tried to contain his amusement, his entire frame shaking from his effort.

“Sa-Sasuke-kun?”

“Oh no.” Naruto’s voice was a breathless whisper. “Sasuke bastard broke.”

Kakashi just hummed contemplatively.

When he’d gotten a hold of himself, he lifted his gaze to each of the room’s occupant, from Naruto’s slack-jawed confusion, to Kakashi’s smiling eyes, and finally Sakura’s blushing awe. It was just like old times.

“You’re not really dying, are you? Was it because I punched you too hard?” Naruto appeared next to him as if he wasn’t just royally pissed a moment ago and pulled at his sleeve with an almost pleading look. “Is it chakra related? Would lending you some of Kurama’s help?”

Sasuke had a feeling that might just make the problem worse. “Hn.”

“What the heck does that mean!?”

“Naruto.” Sakura warned. Naruto coughed.

Kakashi came to stand before them. “Aw, isn’t this a lovely sight. Your old sensei’s heart is melting.”

“Kakashi.” Sasuke glared at the man, who grinned wider under his mask.

“Look, I’m sorry for yelling. Just, I don’t want you to die, bastard. We just got you back.”

“Aa.” He moved the tissue to check if the blood had stopped. It had. He crumpled up the bloodied tissue and tossed it into the bin. Noticing Sakura’s concerned gaze, he added. “I’ll be fine. They're just nosebleeds, Sakura.”

“Sasuke-kun, when they’re this often—” Sasuke tried to ignore the smirk Kakashi was giving him out the corners of his eyes. “—it could be something serious. I just want to run some blood tests to make sure.”

“Let her take a look at you, bastard!” Naruto prodded at his arm. “You’re not afraid of needles, are you? What kind of shinobi is afraid of needles?”

He spared the blond a brief glare before returning to Sakura. Her eyes were sad again, and he felt guilty that he’d neglected to realize this was bothering her so much.

“Fine.”

“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about, bastard!” Naruto slapped his shoulder painfully, earning another half-hearted glare from him.

“Really?”

“Hn. Nothing’s wrong with me. But if it’ll put you at ease, you can see for yourself.”

“Good news all around, then,” Kakashi said, but Sasuke hardly noticed.

Sakura gave him a wide grin as she thanked him profusely, and where he would have pointed out that her gratitude didn’t make sense, Sasuke simply found himself staring at the way her entire demeanor has brightened and how the light danced in the green of her eyes. Belatedly, he caught onto her alarmed look and resisted the urge to sigh, partly because it would spray blood everywhere.

“Sasuke-kun!” “What is it, Sakur—Bastard!?”

And there was shouting as Naruto worked himself into a frenzy, clattering as Sakura knocked over a tray getting the tissue paper to him, and unrestrained laughter as Kakashi stood back and watched it all unfold.

As his teammates fussed over him and chided their sensei for not helping, Sasuke kept his head down and cupped his palm over the nosebleed, a small smile hidden beneath his fingers.

[eleanor-devil]

Boruto: Sacrifices [Remade] | Chap.10 - Hardest Battle

Written by: Eleanor-Devil & @mirage-05​​

Prologue | Chap.1 | Chap.2 | Chap.3 | Chap.4 | Chap.5 | Chap.6 | Chap.7 | Chap.8 | Chap.9 | Chap. 10 - You’re here

Checking on her daughter to make sure she was tucked in safely, Hinata’s eyes drifted back to the clock on the wall. Naruto was running late… Of course, that wouldn’t be the first time. The woman had adjusted to the life as the Hokage’s wife smoothly and without a complaint, she knew Naruto’s dedication to his duties and that was one of the many qualities she admired in the man she loved. And with the village still on high alert after the recent attack, she knew it was Naruto’s top priority to see the village to safety and peace once again before being able to rest properly. But it wasn’t very usual for him to call Boruto to his office at such a late hour. It was already past midnight… and something nagging at the back of her mind gave the woman a chilled feeling. She sighed and leaned down to gently caress Hima’s hair as the little girl mumbled and shivered in her sleep. And just then, there was a soft knock on the door. As quietly but quickly as she could, Hinata went down the stairs. She opened the door and came face to face with her husband. Or well… a clone of his. For her Byakugan induced eyesight, even when the dojutsu wasn’t activated, it was a very clear distinction. “Naruto…” she whispered, concern and apprehension in her voice, especially because she noticed the grave look on his face. “Hinata-san…” Ironically, the clones would always address her with honorifics, although it was a little awkward for the young woman. “Naruto-san will not be able to come home tonight. There has been another attack.”

The woman’s heart skipped a beat. “Is it… bad…?” she managed to ask, her mind immediately snapping to her son. “No, it has already been thwarted, but…” Naruto’s voice faded away as he had to look away for a minute. “But… something unfortunate has happened.” “Naruto…” Hinata was almost hesitant to ask. “Boruto’s friend, Mitsuki… he was attacked by the assailants. He was taken to the hospital, and both Naruto-san and Boruto are with him now.” The woman’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes widening. Shock was still the dominant expression on her features when she was eventually able to lower her hands a minute later. “A-and how is Mitsuki-kun…?” Naruto sighed. “We don’t know all the details yet but… I’m afraid it doesn’t look very good. We will keep you updated.” Not able to say anything more, Hinata just nodded, and had to lean against the door sill as the clone disappeared in a puff. … The first thing Shikadai noticed as he was heading to the border for his patrol duty was that there was an abnormal activity in the village for this late hour. The jounins were rushing everywhere, apparently in a big hurry, and whispers… there was a great deal of whispering going around. And although he didn’t stop to listen to most of them because duty was awaiting, the young Nara caught some words… “new attack”... “genin”... Just what was going on…? Well… surely he would find out when he reached his post. He had always viewed these late-night patrols as a kind of a drag, but now he was feeling anxious, restless… At first, it didn’t seem like anyone was going to pay attention to him when he arrived at the border. It had been almost a solid minute before he finally came across a familiar face. “Mirai!” The young woman strode over to him, looking a bit distraught and… very confused. “Shikadai… what are you doing here?” “Uuugh… I have the next shift...” “Oh…” This fact, for some reason, seemed to be an inconvenience to the Sarutobi. “Look… the circumstances have changed. You are no longer on patrol duty.” “What? But…” Now he was more alert and anxious than ever. “Mirai, just… what’s going on? I heard something about a new attack…” A pensive look settled in Mirai’s red eyes. “Yes… there has been an attack not even an hour ago. It was thwarted, but…” She didn’t continue for a moment. Shikadai’s eyes widened. “The genin…” The woman sighed. “I don’t know all the details… Only that… apparently Konohamaru-nii-san’s team got involved and now they’re in the hospital. I don’t know which one of them got hurt.” She might not, but with a sinking feeling in his stomach, Shikadai realized he probably had a good idea who. After all, there was only one known hot-head in the team. Mirai clamped a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small but gentle smile. “There’s nothing for you to do here now. Just go home and rest.” As she turned and walked away from him, the Nara muttered to himself. “Sure… I’ll do just that.” ... He had a bad feeling about this. He had just barely seen Kurama bringing in two men before a call came from the hospital, stating that 0 blood type was needed immediately. So, curious as he was, and being also someone that happened to have that blood type, he had rushed to the hospital. To put it mildly, there was total chaos going on. It took Kakashi a while to finally stop a nurse. "I came for the blood donation..." "Oh, Lord Sixth," a relieved look came over the nurse's face. "You are type O, right? Please, follow me." She brought him to a small room. Kakashi was too wired up to sit still. "What is the situation?" he asked as the needle pierced his skin. "The Hokage will come here to inform you in a second." the nurse said simply. Indeed, as soon as the nurse finished and rushed out with the blood bag, Naruto walked in. "I'm so glad you could come, Kakashi-sensei..." "What's going on, Naruto? I came as quickly as I can..." "Just in time, too. The surgery has only begun a few minutes ago, we needed immediate-" Before Naruto could finish, there was a ruckus outside. “Yamanaka Inojin, I thought we taught you better manners than to come barging in a hospital!” “But we came for the blood donation too!” “You don’t have the correct blood type, young man.” “These are our friends we are talking about!” Perplexed, the Hokage turned to the door of the room as six agitated-looking genins indeed pretty much barged in, followed closely by a strict and exasperated looking Ino. “Lord Seventh, forgive me, I did try to stop them.” Naruto nodded wordlessly to her. The kids, on the other hand, seemed to have totally forgotten about hospital rules in their panic, they all started talking at once. “Lord Seventh - I heard it on the news-” “And I spoke to the border guards-” “Where are Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki?” “Are they okay?” As they paused for a minute to catch their breath, Kakashi leveled a gaze to his old student. “I’d say you owe an explanation to all of us.” Naruto sighed before conceding with a nod. “I will. Let’s just move out of here.” … “Boruto…” the young Uzumaki heard Sarada’s voice all of a sudden, which was the only thing that made him turn away from the doors that directed to the surgery room. He didn’t even have time to blink as two blurred green and purple shapes moved forward, and a second later he was being hugged tightly by Metal and Sumire. “You- you guys…” he managed to stammer as he felt a pang in his heart. “We heard about the attack…” Metal said sadly as they pulled back. “But I didn’t imagine it would be… damn…” Shikadai shook his head as he took in his best friend’s appearance, mainly… his blood-soaked shirt, that was something hard to miss… especially when said shirt used to be white and it was now massively tinted in dark red. “Lord Seventh told us what he could…” “Is Mitsuki-kun gonna be okay…?” Sumire asked in a tiny voice. “We… we don’t know…” Sarada stammered in a shaky voice, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. “Well, we didn’t come too long ago… All we know is… he left us a letter telling us he was leaving Konoha and-” “What?!” was the collective response they received from their friends, which resulted in a passing nurse shooting a disapproving look at the group and then hushing them. “What do you mean, leaving Konoha?” Inojin said at last, flabbergasted. “Yeah… that’s one thing he’s gonna have to answer to us for when he gets better…” Boruto’s voice faltered as he looked at the doors again, and his next word was almost inaudible. “If…” “Hey hey, what’s with the pessimistic attitude?” Chocho said, rubbing her best friend’s arm. “Mitsuki is strong, right?” “One of the best in our class,” Metal added with a kind smile. “There’s no way he will just give up like that, I won’t believe it!” Iwabe supported them firmly. They were finally able to bring a thin smile to the faces of the remaining members of Team Konohamaru. “Thanks guys…” Just then, Ino approached them. “I appreciate your concerns about your friends but you really can��t all stay in here, and there’s no point, we don’t know how long the surgery will take.” The kids definitely looked reluctant to leave, but there was nothing to it. One by one, they bid goodbye and started to leave but Shikadai didn’t move. “I will stay with you guys.” he said determinedly. ”I won’t be able to rest properly if I don’t know Mitsuki is okay.” … There was no news. Simple as that. It had been hours now and there was still nothing about Mitsuki's state and how the surgery was going. There had already been an exchange between the medics and they all looked exhausted, it was clear to the adults that the situation wasn't good... Naruto was trying to control himself from pacing around the halls, it would only put the kids nervous, and right now they were calm, smiling softly at something they were watching on Boruto's phone, they did not need to have a nervous crisis because of him. So instead of pacing, he sighed... again. He looked sideways at Orochimaru, who... hadn't changed his position much or at all since his son had been taken down the hall, standing at the very same spot, not having even moved an inch. His arms were crossed, his fingers tight. His eyes, hard and cold as steel, were glued to the surgery hall's doors. Minutes ticked away, slowly, agonizingly turning into another half an hour... 'Please...' Naruto thought, closing his eyes for a minute. 'Please help him... Please let this turn out alright...' The doors of the hall opened and everyone's eyes turned to it but no sight of Mitsuki in his bed. Instead who came out was one of the medics. He didn't look exhausted but he seemed close to it, so Naruto guessed it was yet another shift. But instead, the medic stopped close to him before bowing. "Lord Hokage..." he started. His heart skipped a beat and he tried his hardest to not think of every single thing that could have gone wrong inside that surgery room. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Ino and Kiba moving a little closer to the kids, while Sasuke, Konohamaru and Kakashi moved closer to him and the medic. The Hokage gulped once, and although keeping the calm tone to it, his whisper came out a little strained. "How is he holding up?" The medic sighed through the mask. "He lost a lot of blood but thanks to the donation he is stable. The surgery is still going but it's very complicated. His heart was damaged by the lightning, I'm afraid that will leave a scar but..." He stopped for a moment before he continued. "...but that will be the least of his problems if he... if he survives..." 'If...?' The hollow word echoed in the man's mind, leaving behind horror and a terrible sadness...  He slowly raised his hand to grab the front of his cloak, where his heart is. It felt like he couldn't hold it in place... "What... what do you mean, the least of his problems...?" The medic sighed again before looking back at the Hokage. "Lord Seventh... if the boy survives this... it will be a miracle if he doesn't get a heart condition after that lightning trauma he suffered to his chest... all in all I’m afraid to say that his heart might become very weak." The silence the medic's words left behind was... deafening. A lump had formed in his throat, and trying to gulp it down, Naruto felt a lone tear making its way down his cheek. "Excuse me... I need to go back." "Thank you..." he managed to whisper. Please... please bring the child back to us, safe and sound, he wanted to add... But words simply didn't form… “I just don’t get it…” Konohamaru muttered, his hands pushing hair out of his eyes, although the motion looked more like he was pulling his hair out. “Mitsuki wouldn’t just barge in battle without fully assessing his enemy, he knows better… And lightning is his second main chakra nature, he never once lost a battle that way…” "You said that he sent a distress message to you?" Kakashi intervened. "Yes..." Something then clicked on the Hokage's mind, and he turned to look at his former sensei. "You think he heard something he shouldn't and had to defend himself when he was attacked?" "Well, that would be my best guess. Or he tried to turn back and warn the guards, and that was when those ninjas found him." The older man's tone was disgusted. "It's something we will know once the interrogations are over." "Heartless cowards," Konohamaru growled, so mad that he was shaking. "So they thought it was easier to go all out against a child... Didn't even have the courage to face stronger ninjas..." Silence once again reigned over them as they returned to their torturous wait. Sasuke glanced over his friend for a brief second, then walked over to him. "Naruto..." he said silently, apparently only for him to hear. "Maybe it's not the time for this but... We should also consider the possibility that the boy could have some connection with those ninjas." The Hokage's head immediately snapped to him, a confused look on his expression. "What is that even supposed to mean?" "You know what I mean. Maybe this was not a coincidental attack." Naruto's eyes hardened, so much so that they looked like two dark storm clouds. "You are right. This is not the time, nor the place." "We can't just disregard this. For just one time, use your head. With Orochimaru here-" "That's enough." the blond cut in, and his tone was so sharp and unrelenting that Sasuke had to close his mouth, only with a slight frown on his face. "There is a child in there, the same age as our children, fighting for his life. Put your heart in it for once, and just pray." They didn't say anything more to each other after that. Naruto glanced once again at the Sannin, who had not moved, at all. Realizing that he had to tell him about what they had learned, the Hokage took a deep breath, gathering his courage, and approached the older man, Sasuke right behind him. "Do not waste your breath." the man practically spat out of his teeth. "I heard all of it." "Orochimaru..." Naruto tried to start, but he was cut into yet again. "So you all think that my son is somehow related to those ninjas?" the man continued, and the blond had to gulp, not knowing what to say. "Be glad... be glad that my son tried to protect your worthless lives even when he was barely clinging to life, because if I had not promised him... We would not be having this conversation right now." The Hokage closed his mouth in a tight line when those words left the Sannin's mouth. He didn't know what promise Orochimaru had made to his son but he was clearly holding on to it... "What... promise?" he dared to ask. "A promise to not crush this village. He seemed to think this was not your fault... Although I fail to see why." The Sannin's voice was almost emotionless until this point, but the hint of a dangerous threat etched its way to his tone as he spoke next. "Just know this... My promise is only ever valid if Mitsuki makes it out of there... So you better start praying that he keeps holding on." he finished in a low, venomous hiss, his eyes moving to Sasuke for a fraction of a second. Naruto felt another lump in his throat but didn't look away... Instead he looked into the Sannin's cold golden eyes. "That is not the only reason why I am praying." The Sannin just kept glaring at him with those icy eyes, unimpressed. After a moment of assessing the Hokage, he finally spoke again. "Tell me one thing. Why... did Mitsuki decide to leave Konoha in the first place?" Naruto didn't know what to say... the situation was already bad enough as it was, with Orochimaru threatening to end Konoha if Mitsuki didn't survive... What would he do when he found out about the harassments...? But... he couldn't hide it either... better tell the truth now. Sighing, he looked down. "Three days ago... there was an attack in Konoha's orphanage. Everything pointed that it had been you behind the attack and... Mitsuki suffered the consequences of that. Because he is your child..." And just like that, Orochimaru felt his careful control slipping, albeit only a little, and managed to control the shaking of his hands, of anger. "So that was your idea of peace...? I thought Konoha had become a better place... Yet my son had to suffer the aftermath of an attack - which I have not even heard of, mind you." He was silent for a moment, and then squinted. "What kind of consequences?" he demanded, a dangerous tone audible in his whisper. This caught Naruto's attention. He knew that the Sannin, from years of experience, would praise an attack if he had been the one behind it but... that wasn't the case now. "You mean you weren't behind the attack...?" "I guarantee you, if it was indeed me behind the attack, I would not go into hiding like some coward," he hissed through his teeth. "I always play my cards on the table, if you did not notice that just a moment ago. What motive would I have to attack your village?" A venomous glint came into his eyes as he asked once again. "What kind of consequences?" Naruto gulped... No... he couldn't just go and say that the clans were the ones behind the harassments against Mitsuki, not when he was dealing with Orochimaru. "Children... that's all... they played some... pranks against Mitsuki." "Do you think... even for a minute... that I believe my son was driven out of the village because of some childish pranks...?" His anger and hatred were brewing deeper down. He hated being lied to - especially when he was doing the exact opposite. "Tell me the truth." What could he do…? Orochimaru was clearly losing his patience. But he was the Hokage and although the clans were at fault, he couldn't expose them like that "I..." he started. "The clans did it. They ordered harassments to be held against your son." A new voice joined the conversation and although Orochimaru just moved his eyes, Naruto turned his head completely in Sasuke's direction. "And they were done, by children." "Sasuke...!" Naruto hissed, low. The Uchiha eyed his friend with his usual calm look. "Those people are grown-ups, Naruto. They knew clearly what they were doing. If they had courage to do that then they also should have the guts to deal with the consequences." He eyed his former sensei once again. "Children, however, can be very easily manipulated into the best soldiers, they don't question, they don't think if it's right and they don't think of consequences." "Oh, there will be consequences, you can be sure of that. If Mitsuki doesn't survive... the clans won't survive to see another day. I guarantee you will suffer for all eternity." He silently added, 'Like I am now...' in his head, his mouth a thin, straight line. "The matter is already being taken care of..." said Naruto. "The clans are not going unpunished for what they did, I assure you of that." The Hokage then sighed, the matter from before suddenly returned to his mind. "I still don't understand...why they would attack him... Kakashi-sensei theorizes that he might've heard something..." "He would not let rogue ninjas discover him...!" He had taught the child better than that... "But in any case, he should not have been there alone." His gaze once again drifted to the doors of the surgery hall. "Especially not tonight..." The last part did catch both Naruto's and Sasuke's attention. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes as he eyed the Sannin carefully. "What do you mean by 'especially not tonight'...?" "Ever since he was little... I noticed the moon has a powerful effect on Mitsuki." the older man began. "At nights with the full moon, he would always be full of energy, there were nights he would just stay up, training or doing other things that would normally wear people down. On new moons though... he would become so weak, sometimes even to the point of falling sick." He jerked his head to the window that was not too far from them. "What moon do you think tonight is?" Naruto's eyes widened as he recalled that in that night, before Mitsuki had come to say goodbye, he had casually looked up at the night sky and noticed there was no moon. "Crap..." he murmured. Sasuke was surprised for a moment but was quick to recover. "I see... does that influence his chances of survival as well...?" At Sasuke's question, the Sannin didn't bother to say anything, his only answer was the closing of his eyes and his fists tightening a little more. As the two stayed silent, it was clear that their talk was over. He had nothing more to say, anyway. He was already going through a plan to crush all those meddling clans... The deep silence was killing Naruto, pretty much all that could be heard in that hall right now was the sound coming from the video that Boruto and Sarada were watching on the cellphone. Sighing, the blond looked at Orochimaru before asking. "How...far does the moon affect Mitsuki...?" The Sannin sighed, nearly regretting having let this information at their disposal. "The child is affected by the full cycle of the moon, as per say. As I have said, when it is nearing the full moon, he is energetic, lively, he would be hard to handle. The waning moon has the opposite effect. He would mostly spend all the night in his room, sometimes not even coming out of the bed. I remember during one cycle he got really ill, Karin had to stay up all night..." Not a random choice for name at all, he thought, his mind was far away... If what Orochimaru was saying was the full truth then Mitsuki was extremely vulnerable and weak when the ninjas attacked... had he known that it was new moon night? Had he known he would be weak at that very moment? Naruto wanted answers... badly... "I have never heard of such a thing before... I wonder why it affects him." A humorless, cold smile came to his face. He glanced for a short while to the window again, before turning his gaze back to the door of the hall. "You are aware Mitsuki is not an ordinary human, are you not?" he said simply. Orochimaru was and always will be a full mystery that Naruto would never understand... even his current words had left him more confused than ever but... he did not dare to ask for the meaning of it because he was sure... that if Orochimaru wanted them to know, he would have let them know. … Shikadai looked up at the adults with a worried look on his face, he had caught up to a couple of words from the conversation, not the full length, but it was enough for him to get the scope of it… This was serious, Mitsuki’s condition was very serious… Thankfully, though, Boruto and Sarada didn’t seem to have heard it, they were focused on the videos and photos including Mitsuki on the blond’s phone, and Ino-san had been careful about diverting their attention too. Determined to keep things that way (because heaven only knew that they couldn’t handle a breakdown from the two right now), the Nara tried to force an uplifting tone in his voice. “Hey, Boruto, why don’t you show us the next photo?” Boruto smiled a bit at his friend before turning back to face his phone, he slid his finger across the screen to the next picture but actually found a video. At the beginning he couldn't remember well what that video was about but as the scenes started going, his smile widened, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Aren't there safer ways to go on ice?" came a voice, and by the closeness of it, it was clear that the speaking person was the one who was holding the camera. The voice was easily recognizable as Mitsuki's. "Oh come on, are you telling me that you're chickening out?" a figure suddenly skated into the frame, and they were all looking into the widely-grinning face of Boruto. "If you consider making sure I don't break a leg, an arm or even lose my teeth, chickening out then so be it." replied the voice to which the Boruto in the video rolled his eyes before moving a bit away from the camera. "Aw fine. At least make sure you get everything on record, because I'm planning to use my amazing skating skills to-" WHAM! Not exactly looking at where he was going while boosting, Boruto had skated, turned around in what was supposed to be a graceful twist... and had slammed right into a huge trunk of a tree. Needless to say, Mitsuki's chuckles soon echoed through the whole video sound and it was clear that he was trying to calm himself down as the camera moved closer to Boruto and he tried to speak in between laughs. "Are you okay?" "It's not funny," the pout Boruto pulled off was so... cute and funny that in a moment, more laughter could be heard, while those who were watching the video just smiled brokenly. "Delete this, will you?" "Oooh no," Mitsuki said with a chuckle. "This, I'm definitely keeping." "No, come on man!" All that the camera was filming right now was the greyish winter sky, meaning that Mitsuki must have raised it really high so Boruto couldn't reach it. "Give it back, Mitsuki! That's so uncool!" "Nuh-uh," that was all that he got for an answer. As the only sounds after that were heard, which were the two boys horsing around and finally falling back on the ice, the video came to an end. Boruto was now gazing at the screen with slightly teary eyes, a small, fond smile on his face. "I never thought I would be glad he kept this..." he mused, then gulped. He had forgotten about the video altogether... Ino didn’t know what more comforting words to offer, it didn’t seem like anything she could say reached these two right now, so… out of her motherly instinct, she just reached out and held the blond in her arms. ... It had felt like ages... When he finally heard the doors of the surgery hall open and a general shuffling as everyone gathered, Boruto practically jumped to his feet, and the phone slid from his fingers, hitting the ground with a thud. Slowly, the stretcher on which his best friend was lying was pushed out, followed by the nurses and medics and finally Sakura and Tsunade, all of them looked very tired. It wasn't like the blond could notice anyone but his best friend right then, though. Mitsuki looked... almost peaceful, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. He could've easily been just sleeping, if not for the fact that his skin was even paler than usual, and he was covered in bandages, everywhere... His friend never seemed younger to him then he did right now. "Please, give us some space." one of the nurses urged, and Boruto noticed pretty much everyone had gathered around the stretcher. The adults drew back slightly, but Boruto, Sarada and Shikadai remained by Mitsuki's side as he was brought to his room. The Nara, for once in his life, seemed to be at a loss of words. They watched in silence as the staff connected their friend to some machines, including an oxygen supply and the heart monitor, filling the room with steady rhythms in a second. Sarada brought her hands to her mouth, trying to hold back her sobs. As Sakura and Tsunade came out after the nurses, the three approached them. "Mama, can we... go inside?" Sarada asked in a tiny voice. Sakura sighed and thought about it. "Only for a little while," she said finally. "He needs his rest." The children quickly nodded as they immediately walked inside the room. In less than a second, they were by Mitsuki's side. Boruto and Sarada grabbed his hands and squeezed them a little, not too tight of course... “Dammit, Mitsuki…” Shikadai mumbled with a catch in his voice. “How did you even get into this…?” "He’s an idiot, that’s how..." Boruto said in a whisper as he looked at his friend, biting his lip. "...do you have any idea of how much you scared us...?" Sarada sighed, Boruto was right, but if Mitsuki was hearing them, as some people claimed that while sleeping people could still hear the others on the outside… that sure wouldn't cheer him up. "He is right but… don't listen to him now..." She smiled softly. "You're going to be okay now and that's what matters..." The adults had gathered in front of the room, silently gazing inside, relieved that the kid had made it through the surgery even with such serious injuries. Konohamaru felt pride filling his heart, trying to drown the sorrow inside, as he looked at his students. "He is going to be alright..." he mumbled, more to himself than anyone really. "He sure is..." said Naruto softly. It was apparent in his features... he was grateful to God for having listened to their prayers. The Sannin was trying his hardest to keep his emotions at bay as he watched his son fighting for his life. He had always been the fighter, the strongest... His warrior spirit had not failed this time, either. He realized that he was proud... and glad - really glad that the child still carried that stubbornness... It seemed like they had been there forever, with the adults carefully watching over them, and medics dropping in every now and then to check. The three kids remained at the boy's side, talking to him... in hopes that he would soon wake up and... do something to cheer them all up. After what felt like an eternity, Boruto noticed a movement out of the corner of his eyes. "Mitsuki...?" he whispered unbelievably, as the blue-haired boy's fingers twitched once again. Sarada raised her head and looked at Mitsuki in amazement as his eyelashes fluttered slowly, his eyes opening a crack. Both of the kids gasped then, and a tearful smile made its way on the girl's face. "Mitsuki..." she whispered happily. It took a while for the blue haired boy to understand his surroundings. Where was he...? What had happened? Why did his body feel so... weak and numb...? But slowly the images of what had happened flashed in his head... the attack, the rogue ninjas... his father's arms... Mitsuki closed his eyes back for a moment before opening them again. "Bo... ruto...?" he whispered. "Sar... Sarada...?" He still couldn't make out the figures in front of him, but the blonde and black hairs seemed unmistakable… and another one… was that Shikadai…? His throat suddenly feeling parched, Mitsuki tried to gulp, but everything seemed to hurt now... Boruto was so relieved that he actually laughed - it was a broken laugh if anything, but a laugh nonetheless. "That's right, we're right here," he said, hastily wiping at his eyes to prevent the few tears from falling. "You are where you truly belong," Sarada mused in a broken voice, giving a gentle squeeze to Mitsuki's hand. Mitsuki couldn't help but return the smile with an equally broken, weak one. “Just take it easy, you’re going to be alright…” It wasn’t usual to see the always well-composed Shikadai like this, but now he looked quite shaken indeed. Mitsuki moved his golden eyes slowly to where Boruto was but looked past him, to the people outside of the room staring at him. "He is awake," he heard one of them say, though he couldn't make out who. Konohamaru had moved closer to the glass panel, a huge weight lifted from his heart as he saw his youngest student's eyes turning towards them, and couldn't help but smile himself as the general mood around him lightened with the child's awakening. "Well done kiddo... I knew you would make it..." he whispered. The boy felt his eyes burn slightly. He felt content... everyone in here was safe and sound. He had done it right... He tried to say something but no words came out. He felt his heart tug. Something... didn't feel right about this. He felt his body growing numb and cold with each passing second, so much that he had begun shaking a little. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest, he could feel each pound... but they were getting slower... 'Was this how it was supposed to be...?' he wondered. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, this time slower. Somehow... he felt this was just right, and that he... was actually ready. He gently pulled his hand out of Boruto's, reaching for something that was covering his mouth and nose. He didn't know how much strength he had left... He needed his friends to hear him... Boruto panicked a bit when he saw his friend reach for the oxygen mask. He couldn't take it off yet! He still needed it! The blond was quick to put his hand over Mitsuki's again. "Hey, easy there man. You can't take it off yet..." Sarada felt something was off, the look in Mitsuki's pale golden eyes was strange... Something wasn't right, they were so... empty, nothing like the gaze she was used to from him. Mitsuki felt a tremor shaking his body as his heart tried to do its job against all odds, even if for a few prolonged seconds. He slowly tried to raise his other hand but pain shot through it immediately. Seeing that he crumpled his face because of it, Sarada held on to his hand more tightly. With the last bit of his strength, Mitsuki gave his friends' hands a weak squeeze. "Thank you..." he whispered, and his eyes moved to Shikadai as he heard something in that steady noise change. "...for being my friends..." "What... nonsense are you talking about?" said Boruto, a worried frown crossing his features. "Why are you thanking us?" Shikadai felt his heart starting to race as his eyes widened, something was definitely wrong about this! He had been to hospitals before, he was sure he never heard the machines going haywire like this! “I-I’m going to call the medics!” he stammered to no one in particular, his friends’ attention wasn't on him. "Mi... Mitsuki..." Sarada whispered, a mix of emotions replacing her relieved one slowly as she got up from where she sat, watching the boy's chest moving slower - this was definitely not right! Her head whipped to the heart monitor as the pace picked up. Boruto didn't really know what these all meant, but their reaction gave him chills. "Mitsuki!" he shouted, holding on to his friend's hand, but the blue haired boy had lost his grip. "No, no... stay with us!!" This was more like a scream, and the blond felt himself losing his grip. "Fight it, stay with us!!!" "Boruto..." Even through all the sounds of the machines and the ringing in his ear as a reminiscent of his yelling, Boruto heard his friend's voice, and his own heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry..." Mitsuki's hand slipped from his grasp and fell onto the mattress, just as the blond watched in horror his chest stopped moving altogether. An ear-piercing cry filled the room, breaking harshly into the deafening silence. … Shikadai froze, face-to-face with the adults as he heard the sound, their expressions a reflection of what he was suddenly feeling inside - a large, terrifying hollow, as if his stomach had dropped a couple of feet, leaving his body behind. Without even realizing what he was doing, the boy turned behind, his horrified gaze landing upon two of his best friends… trying to reach Mitsuki… He… was supposed to do something, he went out of this room for a reason, he was sure of it… but suddenly… he couldn’t remember what that was at all… ... Naruto had realized something was wrong the moment he had seen the kids start to panic, so he was ready to go get Sakura and Tsunade when Shikadai opened the door and came face-to-face with them. What he wasn’t at all prepared for was, though… His blood froze in his veins as his head quickly turned towards the boy in his bed, watching both his son and Sarada screaming for their friend. 'No, no, no...! You have to fight it!' This and many other frantic thoughts raced through the Hokage's mind as he stared in disbelief at what was happening... "Naruto!" Kakashi’s sharp voice woke him from his shock as he remembered what he had to do. He ran as fast as he could towards Sakura's office. He didn't even knock, he just abruptly pushed the door open. "Sakura-chan, Granny Tsunade! You have to come now!" Just the way he entered the room and the pure horror on Naruto's face left no need for further explanation as Sakura and Tsunade both practically ran out of the room, a few of the nurses also on their heels. Tsunade reached for her com to announce code blue and the room number, and Sakura, hearing the shrill cry of the heart machine, upped her pace. ... The little, blue-haired child was completely alone in the darkness... Well, that wasn't really accurate. There were people around. People he... remembered somehow. All with their backs to him. And he was scared... For some reason, he was scared beyond belief. He opened his mouth to call for them, tried to reach forward... But it seemed like they were too far away... 'You are no longer wanted here...' a voice came, and following that, one of the people surrounding him started walking away. There were many words, many hurtful phrases ringing around the darkness, and one by one people left, as the child only watched in fear and helplessness... Getting smaller and smaller with each step taken away from him... 'Why won't anyone come to your help...?' A tall brunette with a blue scarf walked away, and tears now started to fall from the child's eyes. 'Outsider!' rang a chorus of voices, as a blond and black haired duo walked away laughing, hand in hand, not taking a glance back. Broken, Mitsuki tried to run after them... but fell. He turned to the last person... A tall, black haired man. 'Dad...?' came a very feeble, childish voice. 'Why don't you hurry up and die already...?' with that, the man was gone, too. Now but a toddler, Mitsuki pulled his knees to him, hugging them with his small arms, and cried, cried... After what felt like an eternity, a shadow fell over him. The toddler raised his head, wondering, hoping if anyone had come back for him... His eyes widened in fear as he saw a gruff man with spiky blond hair looming over, looking down at him with a merciless leer. Without a heed to the child's crying and whimpering, the man grabbed a fistful of Mitsuki's hair and raised him in the air, laughing loud and cold... ... The girl, Sasuke's daughter, got up on the bed, trying to revive his boy, the Sannin could see how endless tears rolled down her cheeks one by one, unstoppable, as her whole frame shook. The boy had completely frozen... 'Mommy...?' a young voice inside his head asked, an almost hysteric tone to it, and for the briefest of seconds the room disappeared as the man saw two familiar bodies in front of him... A black haired man and a brown haired woman... Lying side by side, apparently dead... Then a small figure with long, black hair approached them. 'Daddy...?' ... Boruto had completely frozen in time the moment his friend's hand slipped out of his own and fell with a silent thud against the mattress. Blue eyes widened in horror, mouth hung open, he even found it difficult to breathe. Sarada was in shock too, but she was quick to snap out of it. She had to do something! Anything! Practically climbing on the bed, the Uchiha put both her hands, one on the top of the other, against Mitsuki's chest and pumped it. "No, no, no, you're not gonna die on us, you idiot!" Tears were starting to fall from her ebony eyes but the girl just kept on pushing the chest. But Mitsuki's eyes remained closed and the machine kept its chilled sound around the room... it wasn't working! "Mitsuki, come on!" Sarada cried out, and even more tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn’t going to give up on her friend, she couldn't! "Get your heart beating!" She tried to hold back her sobs, but it was no use. "Please don't leave us!..." Her frame shook with the harsh sobs that were almost tearing her lungs apart, but she kept on pumping. "Please..." she begged, trying to tune out that awful sound. ...At that moment, her mother and Tsunade came in running. "Get them out of here!" yelled Tsunade as she reached the bed and pushed Boruto out of the way as gently as she could. Sakura took her daughter in her arms and quickly set her back on the floor. The pink haired woman then moved swiftly to the dying boy and returned to do what her daughter had been doing all along. "Start keeping track of the time!" Boruto only came to his senses as he felt strong arms grabbing him. "No! NO!" he screamed, his eyes still on his friend. "LET ME GO, I NEED TO BE WITH HIM!!" he continued screaming, and actually tried to kick whoever was holding him as he was being taken out of the room. "MITSUKI!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, and started sobbing harshly. Then that someone scooped him up and he suddenly found himself snuggled into his father's chest. "Don't look..." Naruto whispered, his voice strained and grave. Boruto held onto his father's clothes as he started crying his heart out. He never realized Naruto was taking him out until he felt a cool wind ruffling his hair. Sarada tried to return to her friend's side but as soon as she did, a strong arm grabbed and scooped her up as well. She only realized she was being taken when she saw Mitsuki and her mother getting further and further away... But she didn't have any strength left... not even to scream the way Boruto had... … “Move away, boy,” Shikadai heard Lady Fifth’s urgent voice and felt her hands firmly moving him aside. Maybe he shouldn’t… but he just couldn’t help it as he immediately drifted back to the window of the room, watching the chaos inside, his friends getting forcefully taken away… He couldn’t move… All his muscles were locked in place as he looked on, shell-shocked… He had forgotten that they weren’t at all alone, at least not until he felt a familiar touch, a motherly but firm one… “Please don’t take me out too,” he whispered, his tone so listless that he wasn’t sure Ino heard him. Gently, Ino turned him away from the window and held him tightly to herself. “Don’t watch then…” “This… this can’t possibly be happening…” the boy kept murmuring numbly, not even realizing he was shaking like a leaf. “We… we are still children… there has to be some sort of rule setting kids apart from these situations, right…?” Ino didn’t say anything more, just held him closer. They would have to bring him back… right…? ... Not... all was lost, no he wouldn't believe that. Truthfully, he should have taken this in his own hands from the beginning instead of trusting Konoha. There was still Juugo... And even if that plan fails, he could always deliver his son's soul to another, healthy body, maybe even one of those children's bodies if it came to that point... 'I just want my parents back...!' the voice, his seven-year-old voice screamed in his head, tears in his voice... He was... crying...? 'Why did it have to be them?! Why do I have to be alone?! That's not fair!' ... "How many seconds?" Sakura asked, sweat dropping by the side of her cheek. "Fifteen," a nurse answered, quickly looking at her watch. 'Good Lord,’ Sakura thought, forcing her mind to stay clear. "Move your hands." she heard Tsunade call, and she used the time to focus her chakra in her hands. She watched as her mentor injected a small portion of adrenaline directly to the boy's heart. "Hekirekite no Jutsu!" She brought her hands back down on Mitsuki's chest, and the boy's body lifted slightly from the bed. ... The boy was crying, the pain was too much to bear... Why... why did he have to suffer so...? Shouldn't it be quicker if he just let go, and never looked back...? Suddenly, the man's cruel laughter stopped, and his hand released the toddler's hair. Before he could fall, though, he was caught, held gently and lovingly in a pair of warm arms. He dared to raise his head and look... The angel's light was pushing away all the darkness, all the hateful voices, trying to heal his heart... The pink haired angel smiled fondly at him, her arms tightening around him a little more, her expression so merciful and loving... 'It's okay, baby, it's going to be alright...' she mused, almost cooing. 'Don't be afraid... I'm here...' ... Sakura mentally cursed as the machine's sound didn't change. Seeing no changes with the first charge, Tsunade repeated the same move... She had to be careful, the boy’s heart was already so weak due to the burns... but they had to bring him back. "Come on..." Sakura whispered, not taking her eyes from the boy's face, counting as she continued with the compressions. "You can do it, Mitsuki, come on..." she let her chakra flow to his body once again, but the results were the same... ... Don’t be afraid...? How was he supposed to do that...? The little toddler could feel nothing but fear, even with the angel here... None of those people who he cared about was here... They... didn't... care about him... 'Why do you fight...?' a sinister voice rang in his ears, blocking the angel's. Squeezing his eyes shut, the toddler pushed away from her. He scrambled to his feet quickly and started running, deeper and deeper into the darkness... Then he stumbled onto something and fell forward, landing hard on the ground. Cruel laughter echoed all around the black void, and the toddler curled in on himself, sobbing. 'Outsider! Outsider! Outsider!' the chants echoed repeatedly while the boy kept crying, wishing this to all end... ... The minutes passed, excruciatingly slow but also painfully quick... and nothing. "...Sh... Shall I announce the time...?" The nurse couldn't finish the sentence, a sad look visible in her eyes. Sakura was distinctly aware that there was some sort of chaos going on inside or outside of the room, but her mind had automatically tuned out any sound other than the machine. "Wait... wait just a second..." she mumbled in response to the nurse. She still had her hands on the kid's chest, she couldn't give up... She had to act careful, but she knew just the tiniest amount of shock that might do the difference, and she would never forgive herself if she didn't give it all her best. "Sakura-san... It might be too much already..." The nurse warned her. "Let's just leave the child in peace..." another nurse said, her voice shaky. Tsunade snapped back to herself and hastily hushed the nurse, staring at Sakura. Sakura remained in silence as she kept looking at the heart machine, her chakra still flowing through Mitsuki's chest... 'Please… please come back...' Sakura thought... ... The toddler wasn't sure how long he stayed there, curled up in the fetus position, crying, hurting... He felt a warm presence approaching... felt someone putting their arms around him yet again, but he lacked the energy, the will to look up... He didn't know anymore... ... Outside, a leaf from a nearby tree fell from its place as the clouds dropped their first tears and wetted the ground, little by little...        

[vannahfanfics]

Rest For The Weary

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Naruto

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

What’s up, everyone? Here’s my third story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami for the prompt “Proud of You, Proud of Me.” Enjoy!

Shikamaru’s eyelashes fluttered as some distorted mumblings of his name began to pulse in his ears. Slowly, very slowly, they became clearer; it was his name, all right. Groaning away the sleep that was so insistently trying to tug him back into the realm of dreams, he shifted on the mattress. Wait, since when were mattresses this hard and uncomfortable? He involuntarily flung his arm out and hissed when he banged his wrist against another hard surface. The electric shockwave of pain that propagated up from the jarred joint shot him fully into consciousness, and as he rolled onto his side clutching his burning wrist, he fell right off the edge of the bench he had passed out on to crash roughly against the dirt ground about a foot below.

“Sonofa- owwwww!” he whined loudly, not sure whether to clutch his still-stinging wrist or his now-pounding head. He froze when he heard a girl giggling above him. Right, somebody had been calling his name. Who-?

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Sakura teased when he cracked his eye open to look up at her. He was a little dazed from being awoken plus his short tumble, so it took him a minute to actually register the pink-haired, green-eyed kunoichi. “You okay?” As he snorted in derision, a puff of dust clouded in his face, making him cough and clamp his eyes shut. He sat up slowly; his joints were already stiff from sleeping on the hard bench, and his drop to the ground had only jerked them about. He tucked his injured wrist against his chest and rubbed the back of his neck with the other hand, sighing deeply. Of course Sakura would have to be the one to find him drooling on a random bench and watch him fall right off it.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good…”

“What are you doing sleeping on a bench?” Now, that was an excellent question. He frowned deeply as he tried to drag his recent memory from his sluggish mind. He had worked all day with Kakashi until well after sunset, finally stumbling out of the Hokage’s office at about nine o’ clock to try and walk home… He had gotten up extra early that morning to train, at about five in the morning. At some point the exhaustion had caught up to him and he had just plopped down on a bench, and that was that. What an embarrassing thing to admit to a girl. He neglected to reply, only grumbling under his breath and looking away. “Lemme guess- you’ve been pushing yourself too hard again, huh?”

Damn woman was too smart for her own good.

“You’re one to talk. Lemme guess, you just now got out of the hospital even though your shift started at six this morning, right?” he countered grumpily. Sakura’s lips pursed into a dour pout; looks like he had hit the nail right on the head.

“Well, they were a little short-handed, that’s all,” she huffed, jutting out her hip to primly rest her hand on it in a clear display of protest. Shikamaru just snorted and tucked his legs underneath him to sit cross-legged on the dirt road. It was way too much of a drag to climb back up onto the bench; the ground wasn’t that uncomfortable, and he was always down there, anyway. He laced his fingers together behind his head and leaned back against the seat of the bench, lounging there like some kind of vagabond. He was going to give some snarky retort, but a yawned overpowered whatever snark was going to come out of his mouth. He squinted slightly at the power of it; it made a few tears well up in the corners of his eyes. With it came another thrall of drowsiness. He was more beat than he thought… “Shikamaru…”

His gaze flickered up to hers, eyes lidded. She didn’t continue whatever she was going to say. She only stared down at him with a complicated expression, green eyes swimming with concern. Shikamaru figured it would be annoying that she was worrying over him so much when she was clearly running herself ragged too, but somehow he found it… refreshing. He quirked an eyebrow when she suddenly turned around to squat down beside him, easing herself down onto the ground with her legs neatly tucked underneath her. She didn’t look at him, but craned her head back slightly to stare up at the clear night sky above. It was a nice night, after all, but why did she feel the need to stargaze right next to him? “It’s just funny,” she laughed airily all of a sudden.

“What?”

“Well, I just never would’ve dreamed we would’ve had a conversation about you overworking yourself!” He flinched at the unveiled barb, uncomfortably looking away with a scowl. She wasn’t wrong; Shikamaru was the undisputed king of laziness and distributor of the label of “drag,” but did she have to come out and say it like that? When he deigned to look back at her, she was giving him a sweet smile that made his heart somersault in his chest for some reason. “I’m proud of you.”

A blush blazed a red trail across his cheeks, hot and burning. Proud of him? It wasn’t like Shikamaru was doing any of this to get praised; he was just… doing what he wanted. Still, something about her praise made him feel happy, almost ridiculously so. He fidgeted awkwardly next to her, his arms slumping down to fidget with the hem of his green vest. He wasn’t really sure how to process the runaway train of his emotions at the moment.

“Thanks…” he managed with a tiny smirk that barely betrayed how stupidly giddy he was at such a simple statement. “You should give yourself some credit too, though. You’ve come a long way since we were all Genin.”

“Hehe, thanks,” she grinned radiantly up at him. She was leaning into him a little. Every time her shoulder lightly bumped into his, Shikamaru felt electric sparks jump across his nerves. His entire right arm felt like a sparking frayed wire. Her eyes drooped suddenly as she yawned slightly, and her body swayed a little back and forth. “I told myself during our first Chunin exams that I would work hard to catch up to those two,” she murmured, almost to herself. Her side was completely pressed against him now, and her head bobbed a little over his shoulder as her hazy eyes stared somewhere off into the distance. “Sometimes I feel like I’m still so far behind them, even still…”

Shikamaru felt bad for her, really. He couldn’t imagine the pressure of having two powerhouses like Sasuke and Naruto to compete with. It was almost like looking up at two gods, with the plane they were on. Still, she kept climbing, not giving up… Her tenacity and drive were what he admired most about her.

“Sakura?”

“Mmm?” she answered sleepily. She was still swaying back and forth like a skinny tree in the wind as she bobbed on the border of asleep and awake. He stared down at her for a minute, then gently grabbed the back of her head to push it into the crook of his neck and shoulder. He half-expected her to rebuke him and even punch him for that, but apparently she was too tired to care; with a contented hum, she nestled willingly into the junction of his body. He felt goosebumps rise over his skin as her breath puffed in little gasps over his neck, and her cherry blossom-pink threads of hairs tickled him as she adjusted to her makeshift pillow. One of her hands clutched endearingly, almost child-like, at the side of his stiff vest, fingers curling into the fabric. She was breathing softly and quietly. He didn’t know if she had fallen asleep as soon as her head met his shoulder.

But he said it none the less.

“I’m proud of you.” It was a whisper, nothing more. Her entire body weight was slumped against him now. Surely she was fast asleep. There was definitely no going home for him; he didn’t want to wake her. She looked so comfortable and content snuggled into his side, tip of her nose buried into that little pocket at the base of his neck. His hand still held the back of her head, and he absentmindedly began to weave his fingers into her soft hair that smelled faintly of strawberries and honeysuckle. His other hand rose to his mouth as he yawned again. At least the night was warm; it made sleeping on the street much less of a drag than it could have been. With a sleepy grunt, his pressed his cheek into the top of her head, hand falling around her waist to hold her close. She muttered something in her sleep. Was she dreaming already? She was mumbling something about staying… Well, there was no riddle as to who that could be about. Shikamaru felt more jealous than he care to admit.

“Shika… maru…” she sighed into his neck and pushed closer, fingers now clawing across the center of his vest. His eyes widened slightly as she unconsciously uttered his name, and then he smiled into her sweet-smelling hair, other arm enclosing her in a gentle embrace as sleep began to overtake him again.

He’d have to fall asleep on benches more often.  

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork @searchfortheonepiece @shikasaku-week

[myaekingheart]

The Hazards of Love

Part 4: The Confrontation

@naruto-fantasy-week Day 4: Japanese Folklore (The Crane Wife) [Kakashi Hatake x Rei Natsuki (OC)] Sometimes fate has a funny way of bringing people together. And sometimes Mother Nature has a funny way of ripping them apart. [Inspired by the Hazards of Love by The Decemberists] read on AO3  CW for mentions of character death. 

               Across the forest, a brooding figure stood lying in wait. She drummed her long fingernails against the stub of a tree trunk, freshly cut down by those in the village who did not respect her work. The village, a monument of industrial greed. Kaguya seethed.

               She watched from afar as Kakashi cradled his lover, the consequence of their sins blooming inside her womb. Their perceived privacy was only a ruse. There was no such thing as privacy in the woods. Not when Kaguya herself was the forest embodied. Every crack of a twig, every nesting bird, every trickle of the river, was as natural to her as the blood in a man’s veins or the caress of a woman’s hair. And now here he was, her chosen son, defying her by welcoming such a vicious intruder into her home, her body.

               Rei settled against Kakashi’s chest, thinking of everything he had told her of his life, his curse, and his mother. “Do you think I should meet her?” she asked abruptly.

               Kakashi paused, thought for a moment. “My mother?” he asked. Rei nodded. A nervous energy fell across Kakashi that he tried hard to mask, but to no avail.

               “I mean, I think it’s only right” Rei continued. “Don’t you think it’s a little weird that you and I are having a child together, and yet I haven’t even met your family?”

               “Well…” Kakashi began, deliberating. “Don’t forget she’s not really my mother” he finally replied. He would have much rather introduced Rei to his father’s grave, the tiny congregation of stones by the river where Kaguya claimed his body was found. That was his true family. With Kaguya, there was a certain level of caution required. Kakashi made great effort in concealing the true nature of their conflict from his pregnant lover, for better or for worse.

               Kaguya was not stupid. She knew full well what Kakashi was doing. His disrespect, his little white lies, only furthered her fury. She turned to a sigil of a sandhill crane kept within her living quarters and balled her hand into a fist. Had Kakashi not remembered? Had he forced himself to forget the village’s sins? The memory of his mother’s sacrifice burned at the back of her throat. And she, the forest itself, took such pity. Perhaps her debt was not worth the price.

               It had been twenty six years since Kaguya made the deal. It was Aijo who caused her inevitable downfall, whose own selfishness had rendered the forest queen as acting mother. Aijo, the otherwise docile and compliant crane. It was the men of that very village who had nearly killed her, an arrow to the wing keeping her grounded. Kaguya could still her hear pleading, the way she insisted that the man who healed her was not like the others. That when she appeared broken and bleeding on Sakumo’s doorstep, he was nothing but gentle and affirming. She was so annoyingly desperate, Kaguya had no other choice but to grant her wretched humanity.

               Sakumo was unaware that the woman at his front door was that injured crane, but he could feel the sense of familiarity in her presence. The charm of her smile, the tenderness of her touch. They wed almost immediately, and sooner still she fell pregnant. But raising a child was expensive and Sakumo had little money. The village was unforgiving to their situation, trapping them in the throes of its competitive finance. They had few options and so when Aijo offered to raise money by sewing fabulous silk clothes, Sakumo had no right to refuse. She only begged that he leave her alone completely as she worked, oftentimes locking the door behind her. Sakumo swallowed back his curiosity and concern.

               For a short while, they were successful. Aijo’s work became renowned within the village, and even outside of it, and she made quite a fine living because of it. As word of her work spread, however, the demand grew and the darkness of humanity began to emerge. Sakumo had grown wildly proud of his wife’s work but money made him blind. He encouraged her to work harder and faster, drunk on the possibility of comfortable living. His greed, however, left him unaware of his wife’s declining health. With each passing day, she grew thinner and weaker until a rigorous, premature labor eventually took her life. When she passed, all that was left behind was her screaming son and the corpse of a crane. They named their child Kakashi.

               When Kaguya heard of Aijo’s downfall, her heart shattered into a million sharp, dangerous fragments. She cursed herself for ever letting Aijo into the world of men, for ever giving humanity the benefit of the doubt. In her fury, she compelled Sakumo to enter the woods with the child. He did as she commanded, wandering through the forest guided by an inexplicable magnetism. As he went, the leaves rustled quiet cruelties, singing hypnotic hymns of self-hatred in hopes of diminishing his self-esteem. Come morning, his body was limp by the river. The baby screeched and squirmed, now property of the forest. It was the least Kaguya could do in reparation for Aijo’s death. She refused to let this child face the same violent fate. To see him so happy now, so intoxicated at the hands of that wayward girl made her sick. Something needed to be done and fast.

               Kakashi brushed the hair out of Rei’s face as she dozed off against his chest. In the distance, however, someone grew ever nearer. Mother.

               “I can hear you” Kakashi spoke into the ether. The figure paused behind him, a few feet back.

               Kaguya clenched her fists at her sides. “At least you can hear something” she snarled. “I was afraid my warnings had fallen on deaf ears, but it’s nice to know this is merely a case of selective hearing.”

               Kakashi gently slithered out from beneath Rei, resting her head on a downy patch of clover. He prayed he would not wake her. He looked to his mother as he knelt beside his beloved, repositioning her in the soft grass. “Is there a reason you’re here, or did you just come here to brood?” he asked.

               Kaguya squinted her pearly eyes at him, furious. “Don’t act so smug” she threatened. “I know what you’ve done, Kakashi.”

               “And what is that?” he asked. Now he was really testing her patience.

               With fists clenched, Kaguya floated nearer to loom over Rei. Kakashi instantly grew tense and protective. “It’s pitiful to think I wouldn’t notice” Kaguya said, motioning toward Rei’s belly. It took all of her strength not to gag at the sight. “I hoped I had taught you better than this.”

               “What crime have I committed by loving someone?” he said, glaring up at his mother. “She took care of me and in turn, I’m going to do the same for her. And this child.”

               “And what about what I’ve done for you?” Kaguya asked, her voice rising an octave in her anger. “Have you forgotten what these men did to your father?” she then asked. She refused to tell Kakashi the truth. Blaming Sakumo’s death on the villagers was far easier than explaining the tragedy of his mother, the Crane Wife. “Have you forgotten that you’re sleeping with the enemy?”

               “No” Kakashi insisted. “Because I know I have nothing to be afraid of. Rei is not like the others. She may have come from the village, but she’s not one of them.”

               “That’s what they all say” Kaguya seethed. “You’re committing suicide and you haven’t a single clue. She’s seduced you with this lie of hospitality and affection but is nothing more than a manipulative succubus!”

               “Mother” Kakashi snapped. He refused to stand here and listen to her slander his beloved. “I’m sorry you feel the way you do, but this changes nothing. I am committed to her.”

               Kakashi’s stubbornness left Kaguya swooning. She covered her face in her hands and sucked in a sharp breath. “I can’t believe you would do this to me” she cried. “After everything I have done for you, and this is how I am repaid?”

               It was clear to Kakashi that she was intentionally trying to make him feel guilty. It was not that he was ungrateful—of course he wasn’t. He owed so much to Kaguya, but now it was her turn to owe him. Kakashi deliberated for a moment before presenting his proposition. “Then give me just this one night” he requested.

               “Absolutely not” Kaguya immediately replied. “I will accept nothing less than her death.”

               “Her death?” Kakashi asked in mild disbelief.

               “It’s for the best” Kaguya replied flippantly.

               Furrowing his brows, Kakashi loomed over Rei with glorious purpose. “Then you’ll have to kill me, as well” he sneered. It was a loaded statement. He knew she could never bring herself to murder her precious son. Kaguya recoiled, offended. “But if you give me just this one night, I promise I’ll return to you in the morning” he added, his voice much softer now.

               Kaguya cocked a brow, considering his offer. “Do you swear?” she asked.

               Kakashi rested a hand upon Rei’s belly, never breaking eye contact with his mother. “On my life.”

               To swear so boldly, deep down Kaguya was somewhat impressed. Sighing, she gave a single, definitive nod. “Fine. I will allow it” she finally said. “Just one night, and nothing more. But know I am not happy about this.”

               Kakashi could hardly fight the smile on his face as he replied, “I wouldn’t expect you to be.” Truthfully, he was mildly skeptical of her allowance but at the same time, he did not want to tarnish the moment with doubt. If she was allowing him this night, then he would accept her gift without question.

               He watched her depart with a newfound sense of peace, settling in beside Rei as she began to stir. He brought her hand up to his lips to kiss her fingertips, press her palm against his cheek, feel the warmth of her touch. By the position of the stars overhead, he presumed they only had four more hours before sunrise. Four more hours before he would have to depart. He wanted to drink in every moment with her should seeing her again become difficult. All the while, he considered alternative plans. Once she woke up, he would need to outline the details of their escape. He intended to keep his promise to his mother but just because he would return to her at sunrise did not mean he was going to stay. No, he would give her a taste of his compliance but in the back of his mind, he was considering and calculating. Rei was the key with which he could unlock this cursed cage. She was his future, his hope. Together, they were on the cusp of something great and terrible: the beginning of the rest of their lives.

               But Kaguya was not stupid. She knew Kakashi had only given her hollow promises. He saw the way he loomed over Rei, that protective stance, and the overwhelming love in his eyes. She would give him just this one night but as she returned to her hollow, she was concocting a sinister plan of her own. Come morning, all hell shall break loose. Guaranteed.

[kureikakashikaiba]

Naruto Fanfiction - KakaxSaku - Chapter 2: Eight years

- sequel to The First Kiss.

- Disclaimer: I don't own any Naruto characters, they all belong to Kishimoto-sensei.

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

8 years…

"How well do you know me?"

"Because I know you, so I left"

…

Eight years later…

He had travelled around the whole world for the second time, broke into the most remote and inaccessible places, hunted down every trait that could lead to her, but she was no where to be found. She just disappeared from this earth like a sheer illusion on desert or a fragile seven-colored bubble. Sometimes, he just wished that he had never smelled her scent, never touched her silky smooth skin, never looked into her eyes, never received that kiss and most importantly, never met her so he would in no way have to suffer the insane restless yearning that he had to endure for the last eight years.

The journey was protracted and tiring, in all actuality, exhausted. Needless to say, many times he had wandered his thoughts over the two simple words "give up" but since the earliest moment he could mesmerize things, these two words had not been recorded in his own dictionary. This was the reason why if Kakashi wanted to do something he gave his whole mind to it. He devoted his life, his youth and even sacrificed his own happiness to protect Konoha and made it stronger. For some other ninjas, they still chose to get married and had children but for Kakashi, from the time when he decided to become a ninja, he had also decided that the bachelor's life was the only option for him. Part of his verdict was rooted from a rational and justified cause that as a child, he suffered too much from the suicide of his father and in spite of being a very tough man, Kakashi was never so sure whether he could be a good father, who would not run away for his own good and make eternal scars in his child's soul. On the other hand, the rest of his decision was just rooted from a very irrational source: he just loved to be alone, to stay freely and unbendingly. Love was too complicated and painful as he never had a model figure to guide him through it and how to deal with it. The happy couples he met in his opinion were just born lucky that way and he was not exactly made from the same happy mould as they were, thus there was no way he could handle the complexities of women and their emotional demands.

The Copy Nin, after all, was still a man and being a man meant having a lot of sexual urges, especially when he was always slightly perverted in the first place. So ever since losing his virginity at the age of 14, he had decided to satisfy his primal needs with unbinding relationships and with countless strange women for his whole life. Sometimes, those relationships turned out to be longer than he expected, they were one-week stand, one-month stand but at the end, they all ended up the same as he predicted, which meant no tears, no heartrending farewell and no regret. While he mastered the art of the bedroom, he was still very immature in understanding women.

Then she came. Fourteen years younger than him, so annoying at first, but gradually grown up, becoming mature, attractive, resolute but still so delicate and fascinatingly unfathomable which confounded him to no end, Sakura had stamped an unforgettable mark in his heart. For him, she was the representative of what was the most feminine of a woman and what was the strongest of a kunoichi.

She seemed to understand him more than he did. She easily let him tell her his troubles, which also took him by surprise. No one could ever do that before. She never forced him to do anything or commit anything. With her, he was just himself; just Kakashi who was a liberal wind - no shapes, no bounds- just freely lived in his own way.

"Because Kakashi is Kakashi, so I like you"

She said quietly and raised her hand to gently tug the wind-blowing hair strands behind her ear, performing a so charming act effortlessly before his contemplating eye. The cherry flower petals were dancing merrily in the cool and unruly wind. She sat still, totally at ease by him on the large tree-trunk of the full-bloomed Sakura-tree. A perfect spring's afternoon.

Just like that, they quietly strolled down long peaceful roads of Konoha village even in winter's nights or summer's afternoons, enjoyed the uttermost silent comfort with each other. If she needed his warmth, she would show up on a rainy day.

And here came what he tried to evade all the time. Whether her decision to leave him was so right since she understood him all too well, she saw things in him that he could not see himself? And her decision to leave was the best for them after all.

But why was the necessity to worry about it since he'd already on the path to prove whatever reasons she may give wrong?

…

Sometimes he was frightened that may be she died some where and her body was already buried under countless layers of wintry dirt. This fear obsessed his dreams. In some awful nights, he reared up from a nightmare and felt so relieved that it was just dream.

The scene kept playing back many nights in eight year, not once let his soul rest:

She stood there between the door frame and the slowly-closing door, said her goodbye and then he witnessed himself rush to the door, open it and a hoarse scream tore from his throat when he saw her corpse dipping in blood, wide-opened eyes looked at him reproachfully.

Yet, regardless of all those frightening obsessions, some where in his heart, he just knew that she was still alive. It came without any reasons. It was just growing stronger every day and became a fulcrum for him to move on. Steadily, tenable walls were built up around it and protect it effectively from any other attackers, namely, depression and disappointment. It was hope – a vehement hope confirmed that the only love in the Copy Ninja's life could not easily wither as such. As long as she was Sakura, she could continue to live somewhere in this huge world, with strength and confidence – the same enormous power that had broken the frosty ice-walls around his heart into pieces. She was still alive, hiding some where to get away from him. Only this could explain why he – the illustrious Konoha's ninja, the number one tracker in the ninja world could not find her after all those years.

In several times when he nearly caught up with a glimpse of a roseate woman on roads or streets in a faraway country or found out a place accommodating her by the help of kind neighbours, she just vanished without leaving any clues. If she could sense his existence as clear as he could sense hers, it elucidated everything.

After nearly two year vainly waiting for her in Konoha, he appeared at the Hokage's tower and questioned Tsunade about Sakura's mission. With hesitance, Tsunade at last admitted that Sakura had completed her mission haft a year ago and now she worked as a freelance medic nin traveling around the world without a fixed home to help people in need. She did not state when she would come back to Konoha and Tsunade progressively believed that she did not have any intentions to come back to her hometown. After all, she no longer had any relatives here (her parents died three years ago) and her friends were no longer that important to keep her here.

This day was when Kakashi made the most significant decision in his life. Packing his luggage, he left Konoha to find Sakura. During the last two year, the reason he stayed back in Konoha and waited for her was just because he thought he deserved the punishment she put him through. He thought that one day she would change her mind and come back to him and forgive him. Nonetheless, he was wrong. She really wanted to completely evaporate from his life like early downpours before scorching summer's days in Konoha.

Was it the reason why she always came in rainy days? Cool and hasty. Come and Go for good…

No matter how many years had passed by, her "coolness" impression still carved in his senses, burned in his memory like an undying spell.

When the woman turned away, she would never look back…

Hoped that it was not truth, hoped that she still loved him after all those years…

…

"Sakura, come back here"

"No, the flowers look fresher here"

The name jerked Kakashi out of his preoccupied mind. "Sakura" – why on earth…?

He turned back in time to meet a pair of familiar emerald eyes stared at him curiously…

from below…

A tiny adorable girl with cherry tress, wide jade eyes, large forehead and red ribbon was looking straight to him with pure interest for a stranger – an exact miniature replica of Sakura. After a moment of astonishment, Kakashi immediately realized that who the mother of this girl was. There was only one thing left to concern… He really wanted to force the girl to show him where her mother was but he contained himself back. He may scare the little girl – he could wait for eight years – it did not make any senses if now, he could not wait a little longer…

- "Uncle, why do you wear a mask, don't you find it hard to breathe?"

Kiddie…

Chuckling amusingly, Kakashi kneeled down before the little girl and gently pressed his thumb and his index finger on her soft chubby cheek to slightly pinch it:

"I have hay-fever and there are so many flowers here"

He looked around the endless daisy field extending to the horizon before returning to the cute face. The girl frowned in meditation rather than annoyance because of the pinch and continued doubtfully:

"Mom said: don't believe masked men saying that they have hay-fever, it's the lamest excuse."

Kakashi's surprise caused by the little girl was instantly balanced by the subsequent confirmation. Sakura once said the same thing when she questioned him the reason why he wore his mask. Giving the girl another warm smile, Kakashi rubbed her head:

"Your mother seems to hate masked men, doesn't she?"

Rolling her pupils to the right thoughtfully and slightly twisted her brows, the girl answered:

"Not really, I don't think Mon can hate anyone, she was so gentle and kind, every body loves her, I saw her treated masked men carefully several times, mom doesn't hate them, I just think she doesn't feel at ease around them like with others"

This girl was very sensitive at her age, and the way she could use exact words to describe people's feeling signalled a very similar trait of Sakura.

"I really want to give her a huge bunch of daisies, she loves flowers – the girl continued to chirp" – well, there was no better chance - thought Kakashi triumphantly

"And you want to have the most beautiful ones, don't you? Let me help you, okay?"

"Really?" – a delightful and grateful glint appeared in the little girl's eyes, making Kakashi's liking to her increased tenfold. He really had to keep himself from embracing the little Sakura dearly – "I'm really worried that I can't hold them all"

The girl was really….

"Sakura, don't talk to stranger"

An irritated voice shouting from behind little Sakura made her to look back in disturbance. There came a little boy who was slightly taller than the girl with a very bright but annoyed face, raven eyes and unruly black hair.

- "Ne, Oni-chan, he's not a bad person. He's going to help me pick up flowers for mom."

- "Every one seems good people to you"

The boy retorted before looking at the masked man suspiciously and standing between her sister and Kakashi:

"Who are you? What do you want to do in Kazeyama?"

Insolence was palpable in his voice, which reminded Kakashi of a certain boy back in Konoha. Unfazed by the boy's intimidating attitude, Kakashi smiled back calmly:

"Is it a little impolite to ask people without introducing yourself?"

If he was also Sakura's child, Kakashi was sure that she taught him some manners, and he was not wrong. Though looking really bothered by the retort, the little boy answered:

"I'm Akamiya Isshiki – her twin older brother, and you?"

A lump rose suddenly in his throat along with a throbbing pain panged through his ribcage. The appearance of the boy just confirmed the fear that dimly materialized when he first saw Little Sakura…

So, she got married…

Judging from the boy's appearance – his father must be a handsome man with black lock.

Yeah, it was already eight years. That he did not move on did not mean she stayed the same…

She ran away from you, remember? What do you expect for?

Looking at the two beautiful and healthy kids, Kakashi partially divined that she must have a happy life all those years. Was it a suitable time to show up out of nowhere and interrupt her cozy family by an inconclusive love…of eight years ago…

She had a happy life, after all, you should be cheerful for that…

Making a mental note in his mind but fruitlessly preventing himself from growing sadness, Kakashi smiled at the twin with gloom visibly in his lone eyes:

"I'm Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Ninja"

The sadness in his eyes seemed struck the little siblings deeply as the boy looked no longer threatening and the girl moved to the front of her brother and reached to his knee, she looked sympathetically:

"Are you Mom's acquaintance? She always said she was Konoha's ninja. You look so sad, are you hurt somewhere? Do you want to find her to treat your wound?"

Yeah, In a way it's true

"I'm your mom's old friend (actually old teacher and ex-lover). Tell me, Sakura-chan, does your mother live happily?"

"Yes, she does. She always smiles exc…"

"Sakura" – Isshiki cut his sister short before she tried to say more and he took her hand and warned her seriously:

"It's late Sakura, Mom will be worried, go home now."

"But I haven't picked any flowers for her "– the girl pouted sullenly, which really get to the little boy as he had to soften his voice:

"Flowers can wait for tomorrow, I'll help you to pick them, okay?"

The two kids really reminded Kakashi of younger Sakura and Naruto or Sasuke, the two boys and even he could not be really immune to her cute pout every time she wanted something.

Being a good girl, little Sakura did not want to disobey her brother and quickly nodded after a bright grin:

"Okay"

Then she turned to Kakashi:

"Do you want to meet Mom? She's finished her job at this time".

"Sakura, I think Mom is exhausted now, visitor may make her more fatigued, don't you think?"

The boy interrupted his little sister's offer to Kakashi curtly, expressing clearly that he did not like strangers approaching his mom. Kakashi quite get used to this type of possessiveness of younger boys towards his mom and his sister. He laughed quietly and rubbed both of the two's heads:

"I'm sure she's living happily as long as both of you around her. Okay, let her rest. I'm leaving now. Bye kids, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Uncle Hatake"

Little Sakura smiled gladly before being tugged along by Isshiki. Kakashi looked at the children moving towards the town's direction then made his move to follow them. He needed to confirm things before leaving forever – at least he had to make sure that Sakura's husband was a good man – a man truly deserved her.

To his amazement, the twin performed a really high-level of chakra control at such an early age to jump over trees and house roofs to reach their home located at a very far end of the large town. During their journey, the boy always made observance and left chakra signpost to detect any following, which made Kakashi have to mask his chakra carefully. "Such a keen sense for a ninja" – thought he.

The twin stopped at a small and tidy flat with wooden fence around it – a traditional type. Hiding cautiously behind a large tree-trunk, Kakashi palpitated when the girl called out cheerfully:

"Mom, we're home"

"Hi, mom"

The boy's voice followed with less eagerness but not less affection.

"Hi, honey, how's school today?"

Right at the moment the tender voice ringing through his ear like a Christmas's bell, Kakashi felt his heart thumping violently against his chest and a tsunami of affection flooding his mind…

Eight years…

It had been eight-year since he last heard her sweet tone – which at all times brought tingling sensations to his inner mind every time she whispered loving words to his ears when they were wrapping in each other's limbs.

Eight-year since she said her last farewell and her voice that day still haunted him now…

Then she appeared from the open gate – charming and still gorgeously young – his Sakura – his 27-year-old Sakura … Her face was glowing under the yellowish-reddish twilights, she looked so beautiful and happy, not a single tingle of trouble marred her perfect features.

Hugging her two angels in her arms, she paid attention lovingly to what the little birds were chirping about (actually little Sakura was talking most of the time and Isshiki just nodded and answered tersely).

True to the girl's saying, Sakura smiled all the time, real and sweet smile which melt his heart from inside. Myriads of emotions overflowed Kakashi's mind when he saw her again: bliss, delight, worry, anguish, infuriation, but most prominently, love.

Deep and mad love – unchanged after so many years…

He already knew that he was, indeed, a stoic man. He could be very changeable when it came to women, but once he fell in love, it was love for life.

"We met a very strange masked man today, Mom"

Kakashi held his breath and he could sense Sakura's face tensed a little as her daughter mentioned the strange man:

"He said he was your old friend"

"Yeah, he said he's a Konoha's ninja"

Isshiki added enthusiastically – the idea of meeting a ninja seemed to be really intriguing to the boy- at this point Kakashi had to admit that he did a very good job to conceal his true feeling. Still managing a smile but a bit forcefully, Sakura asked:

"How does he look like, dear?"

"He looked really weird" – Isshiki hurried

"Not really, I think he's kinda good, he intended to help me pick up flowers for you" – Sakura answered

"Yeah, plus his look is really suspicious "– Isshiki barged in – "he wears a head-band look like yours and pulls it over his left eye, he is tall and his hair was silvery"

"Yes" – Sakura nodded in agreement – "his hair looks just like Onii-chan's hair before you forced him to dye it."

The comment was a kill-strike to Kakashi. His shattering mind received the news as if a thunderstorm had struck his ears and reeling through his already chaotic head. His analytical mind was whirling with thousands of thoughts and he soon realized Sakura's façade was pale and sweaty. She was panicked from inside. It seemed to take her a moment to register the news when her son urged:

"Mom, can I have my silver hair back? I like it much better; black hair is so common, every one have it. Look at Sakura, she has your pink hair and she looks so special."

Sakura did not answer to that request from Isshiki, she instead told them with a hint of finality in her tone:

"Honey, go inside and take your bath, okay. I have a little business to do I will be back soon."

"Yes, Mom"

The twin chorused and docilely went inside the house probably because they both detected the sternness in their mother’s voice. Their mother carefully closed the gate behind them.

Then she did not have to wait long for her guest to appear. Kakashi gently hopped off the tree-trunk, landed on the ground before the gate then faced her after letting out a long sigh:

"Long time no see, Sakura"

"You, too, long time no see, Kakashi"

She said calmly but he knew it was just a pretence. Her tensed look gave her away. Eight years…she left him and just a few minutes earlier he knew that he was the father of her two children. Even though he desperately wanted to dash to where she stood and embrace her in his strong arms, his now infuriated mind contained him back.

He could never imagine his sweet Sakura could turn out to be this cruel and heartless. She went away when she was pregnant and totally bereft fatherhood of him. Was he so terrible that she could not entrust him with their children? Was he that irresponsible that she'd rather go away than let him know she was bearing his kids? Did she think that he would have copped out of his responsibilities with their children? He felt like being cheated and betrayed.

"You don't seem to surprise, seeing me again, after eight years?" – He said with deadly calmness

"Indeed, I've been surprised all those time, Kakashi" – she looked straight at him with a pair of strong-willed eyes – "I'd never thought that you would chase after me when I left, and you did not give up after eight years…"

She was cold, estranged and so faraway as if she was not there in front of him within only a-few-elbow-distance. Acrimoniously, he realized that eight years had created a huge gap between them. She was gone together with the innocent Sakura who once were in love with him, regardless of everything. Now, in those jade orbs, he could only see a woman who was much more reserved, unruffled and indifferent. He chuckled humorlessly:

- "I never thought I was this unreliable to you, Sakura, really, you went away without saying anything, yeah, I could understand that" – he breathed hard – "It was my fault. I was too stupid and persistent to realize my true feeling and I…had let you down. But…I don't get it, am I so terrible to you that you couldn't tell me you were pregnant?"

- "Because I know you Kakashi" – She replied curtly and gave him a sad smile that almost melted his anger, made him realize that he was never quite immune to her hurt face. She did not cry but her smile touched his heart more than any tears – "I know how you hate being tied down with someone else. I know how you want to live with no strings attached. I know how you're scare of being a married man and being a father. Even though I knew that characters of yours, I could never prevent myself from falling so hard for you. I just became more pathetic each day when I saw you and could not collect my courage to confess to you. I was so afraid of being turned down once again but still could not take my eyes off you. I knew that you would never love me if I was just the plain, boring Sakura who you never considered more than a former student. And day by day, my desire for you was just growing stronger; it exceeded my self-control until I decided to give myself a chance. I did not want to live in regret for once for not having the man I loved in my life. So I propositioned you to be my sex mate. I really thought I could have tricked you with the idea that I came to you purely for sex, so I never kissed you, I was afraid that your kiss would blow my cover. But then it's just got out of my control. I became greedier and hungrier. I wanted you to love me not just physically but emotionally. I wanted you to consider me as the only woman in this world, didn't see any one else rather than me. I knew I was selfish and ridiculous but I can't help it. I could never be that important to you since when I first came to you, it was just because I could intrigue you with the idea of amazing carnal relationship. And I found myself in a foolish dilemma. I loved the way you acted so carefree, and I hated if anyone tried to tie you down, but at the same time, I just wanted to keep you for myself only. Gradually, I just hated myself more when we were together, I felt so happy but at the same time I felt so depressing thinking that I could not have you all. I really did not know what to do at that time when that man died and you suddenly appeared at the hospital. I was so stunned but blissful more than ever. This was the first time you initiated to come to me, to console me on your own. I became more confused but in my soul, there was a light of hope. There was a tiny hope that my love may not be one-sized but mutual. Then I went on that mission to clarify my thoughts and decided to confess my feelings for you, at that time, I found out about my pregnancy."

With that Sakura tried to contain her heavy sigh and looked at him still with a pair of mirror-talking eyes, conveying too many unsaid emotions. Kakashi had said nothing during her revelation but he looked as if he was dead right there. A manifestation of amazement, self-reproaching and wistfulness was visible in his eyes. He was blaming himself for being so oblivious to her predicaments and insensitive to her feelings. At last he found his voice with a great deal of hesitation:

"I don't know, I… why could I be that stupid? I didn't even recognize what I had put you through all that time…But why don't give me a chance Sakura?"

"I gave you a chance, Kakashi"

She snorted out a deep, sad laugh, for once, the calm surface seemed to be erupted. She looked at him wearily:

- "I waited for you three weeks, if you remembered, I waited for you to come, at least explained to me what happened that night, even the reasons were fake, the excuses were lame, I could still tolerate it, at least you consider my feelings. – her eyes could no longer bore into him and she was biting her lower lip hard to restrain her on-the-verge emotions –" I thought finally, we could end our inconclusive affair and move to a new stage. After the day you came to solace me in the hospital, I really hoped that you actually had something for me rather than lusts. With that, I at least felt sure enough to tell you of our child since I knew that it may be hard for you at first to know that you were going to be a father. I knew you were totally clueless when it came to children and paternal responsibilities. But time could help us and you would get use to it like you at last recognized there was something more between us than just sex. But I was wrong. I waited, day after day. Only three weeks but for me it seemed to be eternity. And you didn't come, you didn't bother to come. You were too used to having me found you, come to you instead of doing likewise. Then they returned. All of my uncertainties, doubts, fears returned, flooded my mind, awash my rationality, I was facing my biggest suspicion : "that's I'm no good for you, I'm nothing more special than other women you took to your bed" and if I revealed my pregnancy, I felt like trying to force you to do things you did not want to. Then all that left to me at that time were "leaving". I thought it was for the best, I could forget you, I could bring up my child and you didn't have to be tied down with a woman and a child you did not expect. But I couldn't help being with you that one last time, giving you that kiss…

Tears threatened to fall on her lower lids, her slim shoulders were on strain to get hold of her emotion. To his surprise, she once again contained her tears.

It suddenly crossed his mind: "How long did I saw her last crying?"

Probably, too long ago…

Heaving a heavy sigh through his ribcage, closing his eyes tightly and slightly shook his head, Kakashi said quietly:

"I'm sorry"

Then he took a few steps to move forwards to Sakura before she threatened him:

"Don't come near Kakashi…"

He was stopped mid way when reality struck him hard that his Sakura was no longer Haruno Sakura, she was Akamiya Sakura - someone else's wife. Ignored the tight tug at his stomach, he continued:

“I've got it Sakura, but don't hold a grudge on me; I've already paid the prize, haven't I?”

He smiled sadly at her, the smile that for all time made her knee weak, eight year was long, but her emotion, it did not die as she had thought…

"Eight years, I think I understand all you had to endure now Sakura…"

He ended his talk with a sad smile, which seemed to upset and amaze Sakura to no end as she stared at him unblinkingly before pinching her brows together in an apparent expression of grief.

He's still the old Kakashi – the old cool Copy Ninja who could penetrate so deep into her heart with only a few or very few words…

Her first tear could no longer be held back

It reached the end of her cheek in a wink , completed its smooth sliding motion….

The first tear he saw in eight years….

"Why do you find me, Kakashi? – She questioned quietly but a pending outburst was bubbling under the ostensible composure features – Why do you do this to me? After all those years, you don't even let me rest – her voice was shaking – why don't you just give up and forget about me and let me live in a false delusion that I was your victim and I was right when I left you? Why do you come to prove that all I have done was wrong, and selfish and cruel? Why don't you keep on rubbing off every thing troublesome to you like me and move on with your phlegmatic way of living? I hate you Kakashi, I hate you so much because even it hurts to hate you, but it's still much better than realizing that I still love you after all…"

It came without warning.

After a few thunders echoing from a distance, the dusk sky was heavy with grey clouds and the downpour fell down. It rained fast and thick to beat monotonous sounds on the house’s roofs. It sent chilliness and brooding to the two ex-lovers. It rained like these old days…

They just stood there, gazed at each other and made no move. Their eyes were exchanging millions of stories and emotions they could not say in the last eight years until their vision was blurred, until both of them could not distinguish between rain water and tear anymore.

In a nick of time, the eight-year-distance between them suddenly vanished. Eight year was damned long but it was just as fugitive as a delusion in this very moment since every thing was just returning to its starting point with all those familiar but at the same time unfamiliar sentiments rousing in their hearts…She was just like these days, dripping wet in her see-through shirt; drops of water following her pink strands managed their way to her cheeks, her nose-bridge and her neck; her eyes were also unchanged – still burningly green with eccentric mix of a woman and a young girl. Be it a woman, those orbs showed the warm glint of lenience, tolerance and sophistication. Be it a girl, they expressed ingenuousness, delicate hope and pure longing for an unrequited love.

She was his Sakura…no doubt and forever be…

Kakashi did not remember exactly how they closed their gap, how he was once again wrapping his arms around her body in a so tight hug that his life would be doomed if he ever had to let her go again, how she was also using all her strength and her small arms to hold him close and how she pressed her face to his chests to subdue bitter choked cries…

He suddenly found the answer to the question he kept on asking countless of time on his head: "Why does she always come in rainy day?" It came with extremely clarity that he blamed his ignorance for not seeing it any sooner… Why could he not know it? It's all clear now…

"Rain is the best way to hide her tears.She just did not want him to know how hurt she was, how weak she was all these times, being with him but not actually having him"

There was no need for talking anymore…both of them totally apprehended that their love had been through the greatest challenge since it was perfectly right to be together like this…unless.....

"Sakura"

A trailed-off voice, turning up out of no where, broke into the two lover's private space. Undoing herself from Kakashi’s embrace, Sakura looked at the handsome man with black hair holding a large bamboo umbrella, she murmured in surprise:

- "Tatsuya, you come home early?"

- "Yeah"

The man moved his gaze to Kakashi with curiosity, even his face was calm, Kakashi still detected a small disillusionment in his eyes.

…

Kakashi had seen the ring on her hand right at the moment he saw her, but he ignored it…Now it was simmering under the well-lit room and looked so fitting with the one on the man's hand.

"Where are Sakura and Isshiki?" – the man named Tatsuya asked with concern

"They are in their room, playing board games – Sakura answered with a light smile – "wait a few minutes, I had prepared the dinner, just need to warm the dishes up now."

"No need to hurry, change your clothes Sakura, or you'll catch a cold" – Tatsuya said gently.

"Yeah, you're right" – Sakura replied and looked to Kakashi's direction hesitantly

Seeming to guess her intention, Tatsuya spoke:

"Just go changing, I will give him the towel and some clothes, I guess his clothes are all wet now."

Directing his look to Kakashi's package, Tatsuya smiled understandingly. "This man seemed to be a good guy". Nodding her head lightly, Sakura went upstairs to her room. The man disappeared in the bathroom for a few second and returned the dining room to hand a large towel over to Kakashi:

- "Here dry your hair first"

"Thanks"

"No need to, just thing to do, right?"

The man smiled and Kakashi nodded lightly "yeah" but "it's not right" after all, he was standing in his ex-lover's house and in front of her husband. The awkwardness seemed so tangible. The man continued:

"I'll go to get you some clothes"

"No, thanks, I can deal with that"

Quickly performing a jutsu, Kakashi dried all his clothes. The idea of wearing her husband's clothes was worse and odder. Tatsuya seemed not to be so impressed:

"Yeah, I forget, you're a ninja, right?"

Kakashi just smiled back at him and tugged down his mask. He used the towel to permeate rainwater on his face then put it over his disarrayed tress. The black-haired man looked stunned for a brief moment as he saw Kakashi's face:

"You are really Isshiki's father, aren't you? He's a spitting image of you, I mean, if he has his silver hair back."

Kakashi found it a little bit surprised when her husband could calmly mention this. "Does he feel any hostility towards his wife's ex-lover?" "Like what I'm feeling now".

"Daddy" – there came a twittering voice of none other than the little Sakura as she ran towards Tatsuya in glee

"Hi, princess"

The man opened his arm wide as Sakura hopped over to hug his neck tight in her tiny arms:

"I miss you so much, dad"

"I miss you too, princess" – Tatsuya pecked her forehead and her cheek as she pecked his cheek – "I bring some presents for you, princess, guess what?"

Looking thoughtfully for a moment, Sakura was thrilled to speak with excitement simmering in her eyes:

"Is it a cat, Dad?"

Tatsuya laughed merrily before rubbing her head and said:

"You're so smart, princess, I can never surprise you"

"Hi, Dad, how are you?"

Isshiki appeared at the foot of the stairs, followed by Sakura, he looked much nonchalant than little Sakura but his joy when seeing Tatsuya went unhidden. Compared to his guarded manner towards his real father, Kakashi felt somewhat lost. What is more, the way little Sakura cheeping merrily to Tatsuya roused what was so-called jealousy in his mind. Now, when he mulled over Isshiki's composed face and silently replaced his son's black hair with silver one, he took in the amazing likeness between him and the boy.

"Onii-chan, dad bought a kitty for me."

"And a sharp kunai for you, Isshiki" – Tatsuya added before handing over a box with mew mew sounds inside to Sakura and a small bag containing the kunai to Isshiki.

Sakura opened the box with care to reveal a tiny kitten with snow-white fur and wide blue eyes. The girl held the kitten with greatest gentleness and whispered in utter blissful amazement:

"Wow, look at her, she is so beautiful, thanks dad, I love you"

"You'll take well care of it, won't you honey" – Sakura reminded her daughter gently before looking at Tatsuya gratefully – "she wouldn't stop talking about it, thanks, you don't really need to…"

"No, I'm glad seeing her happy" – Tatsuya cut short gently before moving to Isshiki who had just finished unwrapping the paper around his kunai – a very sharp one with high quality – Kakashi was sure about it just by a glance at it.

"What do you think, Isshiki?"

"It's perfect" – the boy said sincerely and his confidence seemed to grow as he held it in his hand and stirred it skillfully around his fingers – "I really like it, thanks Dad."

Looking at the family scene, surrounded by cozy atmosphere, Kakashi felt so wide off the mark. He was just like an outsider – a stain on a perfect picture – in Sakura's life now. Even when she was still in love with him, it was too late now. She got married and had a good husband; the twin loved him like their real father. What was he doing here? Destroying their happiness or what?

He was late for three weeks that year

He was late for eight years now…

"Is he your friend … oh, no, he's the man on the field" – little Sakura looked at Kakashi surprisingly before putting a hand over her mouth to conceal the shock – "he isn't wearing his mask, he looks so handsome, why does he wear a mask anyway?"

"What are you doing here?" – Isshiki narrowed his eyes at Kakashi, causing Kakashi chortle inside, he resembled him so much, back when he was a boy, he was also not easy to trust anyone, unlike little Sakura, who was as gullible as her mother.

"Isshiki, it is a proper way to greet the senior?"

Still with gentle but firm tone, Sakura tipped her son off. Kakashi held up his hand smile tolerantly:

"It's ok, I'm used to being suspected by people, It's my appearance I guess , secretive"

"Well, why don't you all sit down to eat dinner? I'm sure you all hungry, right? Dinner will be in minutes"

Sakura suggested while the two men looking knowingly at her and moved to sit down by the kitchen's table.

…

"She's not my wife, indeed. Our marriage was fake. Sakura appeared at Kazeyama one and a half year ago with the two kids. At that time, she wanted to rent a house and I was so glad to hire her one. It was so conspicuous that I actually fell for her right at the moment I saw her. Shortly after that, we became close friends and I loved the twin. She was a talented, compassionate and gorgeous medic that her fame rapidly increased and people here all loved and respected her. Countless men wanted to marry her and they did not concern about the fact that she had two kids. Amongst them, there were some well-off lords but she turned down every one. However, those men just didn't give up easily and they even promised her of large edifices and prosperous life. When things got out of hand, I suggested that she should pretend to marry some one else to end all those complications. Sakura, at that time, was, certainly, worried that the twin's life will be affected so she agreed with my plan. I must admit I played a little dirty trick, apart from the fact that I indeed wanted to help her out, I wanted to gradually persuade her to fall in love with me. For a thirty-two year-old man, suddenly having a family was indescribably precious gift. I thought at least, my fortune really came but I was wrong. In her heart, there was some one else. Though I never asked her about it, I knew the man she loved must be the father of the twin because she never mentioned him, not once. If remembering him still hurt her so much, this meant she was still in love deeply."

Exhaling briefly, Tatsuya smiled sadly and turned to regard Kakashi who was leaning on the column supporting the house roof of the balcony with hand shoving deep in his pant's pocket. Half of his face was hidden in darkness and the other half was shone dimly by light of the crescent moon, making the unfathomable man seem to be more enigmatic. He kept silence the whole time Tatsuya went over the story.

"I always know that this day would come anyway, the man she truly loves will show up at the door and take her away"

"You made me feel real bad, Akamiya-san"

Kakashi at last voiced his thought after a gloomy smirk

"I could never be this selfless, you do everything you can for her, and I show up, take her away, kinda like a villain, hn?"

"You don't have to feel that bad, Hatake-san" – Tatsuya slightly shook his head and heaved a long sigh – "I'm not a gallant protagonist either, I had proposed to her twice, and each time she turned me down, I told myself that someday, I could chase your image away from her mind since I always thought that you must be a real stupid jerk when losing her, and some days she will realize that I'm a much better guy than you, patience is my nature and I'm confident with that, but today…" – he paused for a moment while throwing his vision to the faraway dark horizon – "I admit I was defeated, by you. I'm not sure whether I can go around the world to search for her in eight years. Whatever mistake you did in the past, you make it up now. You truly treasure her and I'm far more relieved when she at least fell in love with a decent guy who deserves her" – Tatsuya raised his chin to look at the sky and let out a hard breath.

"Yeah, you're right" – moving from his position and leisurely leaned his elbow on the bar of the balcony, Kakashi smiled to a seemingly curious façade then continued: "I'm a jerk for losing her once, and I'm spending every single day for the rest of my life paying for that. Akamiya-san…"

Offering his right hand to Tatsuya, which the raven-haired man took with no hesitance, Kakashi smiled amicably:

"Thank you for taking care of her and the twin all the time, you're a really a good guy, to tell the truth, you're the only one who could put me through one thing I never expected to experience – Jealousy – and if I find her later, you really launch a big threat"

"Really?" – Tatsuya responded incredulously and actually found it amusing – "This guy is really something" – "I should be glad about it, shouldn't I?"

Then the two men laughed out loud, as if something enormous had just been lifted off their chest.

"So you're coming back to Konoha with her and the twin soon?"

"We still don't discuss that, it's all up to her, I guess.”

Shoving his hands deep in his pocket, looking up the sky, Kakashi inhaled the cool night air then continued:

"It would take the kids a long time to accept me"

"Don't worry, blood is thicker than water, they'll understand"

…...

6 years later…

"Congratulation, princess, You become a jounin, the same rank as me and your mother now"

Kakashi lifted his daughter from the floor and winged her around proudly, the girl chortled merrily before hearing an exasperating comment:

"Don't do that pop, she's a jounin now, at least treat her like one"

Looking at his prissy son, Kakashi feigned hurt:

"I know, you're all grown up now and don't need this old man anymore, but I just want to congratulate you on such a significant event as this, can't you two grant my wish?"

"Onii-chan, stop bullying Dad, why do you always that strict to him"

13-year-old- Sakura pouted sulkily at her elder brother why soothing her father

"No, you should stop that, Kakashi; don't you feel it ridiculous to do so, giving our kids false impression of their father?"

Sakura appeared from the kitchen door with a 6-month-year-old baby on her hand and looked askew at her husband. Although she was scolding him, her amused facial expression told a different story:

"Congratulation both of you, Isshiki, why don't you cheer up a little? It's quite an achievement, you know, honey?"

"Uchiha Sakiko activated her second level of Sharingan at the last stage and she looked quite smug with that?" – Isshiki blurted out irritatingly, making Kakashi and Sakura exchanged a knowing look

"Rivalry, huh, it never stops"

[writer-and-artist27]

The Future

My take on how things went immediately after Obito’s confession as written by Lang. First times always come with some bumps in the road that truly determine whether a relationship lasts. At least, that’s my experience with them.

Think everyone’s 16-18, for the sake of my own sanity.

Song to listen to, right here.

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

Obito could have died and went to heaven in that very moment. 

“I-I do like you, Obi. I just don’t know how much I do compared to you. But, um, I’m willing to find out more with you by my side.” Tomo-chan was blushing that cute pink that made her Tomo-chan, barely able to meet his eyes, but she was smiling at him. Her hands were soft and warm and they were holding his hands. “If that’s okay?”

He could have kissed her. Damn it, he wanted to kiss her. “Definitely,” he said instead, because there’s no way he could kiss her in front of the entire café. Kei would never let him hear the end of it. Hell, Kakashi would have blackmail material for months. Not to mention Judai-jichan and Hikari-bachan, who had been silent the entire time Obito had fumbled with his confession.

Obito did not want to look behind him because he could already hear Wataru-san and Hayate cheering like goofballs.

It didn’t change how Tomo-chan was smiling at him and him alone. “Aye,” she said faintly, barely audible over the bouquet of roses nestled in her arms. “Thankie, Obi.”

“I should be the one thanking you, Tomo-chan,” he breathed, feeling dust in his eyes. “I-I thought you weren’t going to say yes.” Rin-chan was still cute, but she never noticed. Tomo-chan, though… 

Tomo-chan shook her head frantically, her braid — the one he recommended she start wearing — slapping her cheeks. “I-It’s you, Obi, I don’t think I would be able to reject you.”

Scratch out heaven. Put in Nirvana, because Tomo-chan was starting to look more and more like an angel Obito wanted to keep to himself. “T-Tomo-chan…”

“I-I guess that sums it up, huh?” said Tomo-chan, and she ducked her nose into the nearest rose blossom. “Th-There’s a lot of people staring right now, Obi, so, um.” Her cheeks turned a cuter red. “W-Wanna come with me to find a vase for these roses? M-Maybe for some privacy since I kinda don’t see one around the piano right now a-and I don’t think our friends will be helping anytime soon…”

Obito just had to glance around once. Just once, and already he could see the mess of faces consisting of his precious ones and café strangers. Most were smiling, Kei included. But there was that select few in a corner who were giving the loudest catcalls and wolf whistles, so he turned back to Tomo-chan to nod furiously. There was no way he wanted to explain what some of those bastards were saying. “I wasn’t going to say no!” 

“A-Aye,” Tomo-chan said softly, squeezing his hands. “Thankie.” She paused, blue eyes widening, then she raised her head past the roses and Obito’s shoulder. “Mama, Papa, is it okay for me to go?”

Oh shit. The sudden realization that Tomo-chan’s parents were still behind him did not help Obito’s dormant worries and a bead of sweat was already trailing down his cheek. He slowly turned in his seat to see Judai-jichan looking at him from the bar. 

Obito swallowed thickly.

Judai-jichan smiled. “Sure, hime,” he called out casually, but Obito could not shake off the feeling that there was more. Then Judai-jichan turned to him with that same smile. “Make sure not to do anything I wouldn’t do, Obito.” 

Obito exhaled. It was safe. “I-I swear, Judai-jichan!” he yelled still, because this was Judai-jichan. He didn’t know Judai-jichan as much as say, Kei and Kakashi, but he was still Tomo-chan’s dad. Obito didn’t know what a dad could be like until Judai-jichan, and he didn’t want to mess up anything else now. Not when everything was going so well. “I’ll make sure to protect Tomo-chan with my life!”

Tomo-chan jolted. “O-Obi!” 

Nearby, Hikari-bachan startled from serving a customer cake. Like mother, like daughter, he guessed. “Obito!” she echoed in shock.

Judai-jichan laughed heartily. “I’ll count on you for that, Obito!” Without skipping a beat, he lowered his voice. “She’s my only hime. Treasure her.” 

The grin was already on Obito’s face. “Roger that!”

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

“Muuuu, I’m sure there was a vase around here somewhere…”

Obito did his best. He really did. 

But it was seriously hard to look at everything but Tomo-chan when she was still wearing that adorable pink and white kimono dress. Sure, she wore it for work, but he couldn’t help it. The blue obi with ribbon accents just cemented her new status of “cutest girl in the whole world” in Obito’s eyes, but. That did not mean looking up her skirt while she was on a stepstool. 

Nope. Nope nope nope nope. 

She needed to get a vase. The least Obito could do was give her space. He didn’t have to be a sensor or a Hyuga to know she was still nervous. 

“U-Um, Obi?” There was more shuffling as Tomo-chan rocked back and forth on her feet in front of the kitchen cabinet. “C-Could I ask you something?”

He gulped before uncrossing his arms and facing her. At least, as much as he could since she was still focused on the cabinet and not meeting his eyes. “What is it, Tomo-chan?”

“Wh-Why did you have to get so many roses? I-I don’t mind, it’s just a lot…” Tomo-chan slowly stepped down from her stool with a large blue vase in her arms, her voice still pitched like a tiny mouse. “O-One rose would have been enough.”

The ten-billion ryō question. Obito took a deep breath before walking forward and taking one of Tomo-chan’s hands in his. He knew his palm was sweaty, but Tomo-chan was blushing as much as he was, so in the end, it didn’t matter. “I didn’t know what would get through to you, Tomo-chan.” Obito hesitated before squeezing her fingers. “Kei said you throw around ‘I love you’ hard enough to concuss people, so…” he trailed off. “But it worked, didn’t it?” 

The blush from before was back on Tomo-chan’s cheeks now. C-Cute. “O-Oh,” she mumbled, putting the vase down on the counter near the roses before raising her other hand to grip his. “O-Okay. That…explains a lot.” 

Obito laughed nervously. Shit, he was already so whipped for her and they hadn’t even gone on a date yet. “Though, uh, I guess that means we’re going out now, huh? Man, it feels weird!” He never believed in his faintest dreams that Tomo-chan would feel the same. She hugged literally everyone, so to accept his confession… 

Tomo-chan swiveled her head to look at him through her bangs, her jaw dropping. “I-Is that a bad thing?!” 

Obito took a step back before shaking his head. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, that’s not what he meant. “N-no, Tomo-chan, no! It’s not bad at all!” 

“Th-Then,” Tomo-chan shivered, her lips puckered anxiously, “wh-what is it?”

Ah, screw it. Obito pulled her in by the hand for a well-needed hug.

“O-Obi?!” she squeaked against his collar. Tomo-chan was shaking but she was soft. She was warm. She was here, in his arms just like he wanted at night. 

Obito exhaled slowly before resting his nose against her hair. Sweet. Tomo-chan smelled sweet. “It’s amazing,” he mumbled, feeling that urge again. He wanted to hold her hand, to hug her like this for so long—to do it now was just… “You have n-no idea how long I wanted this, Tomo-chan. How long I wanted to be with you.”

Fingers were clutching the front of his jacket and Tomo-chan shuddered. “O-Oh,” she said again, quieter. “I-I’m sorry for not noticing sooner, Obi.” She was—she was burying her face in his shoulder again, unintentionally filling Obito’s nose with more of her scent. More of her. “I’m sorry for not replying sooner.” She took a step closer to him, almost cuddling him with how she fit into the hug. “I-I’m still not sure since we just s-started this, but um.” There was a tiny, almost quiet hiccup. “I-I think I’m…um, starting to fall in love with you too…” 

That did it. Obito could die right here and now to ascend to Enlightenment. Or heaven. Or Nirvana. This was great. 

Then again, he couldn’t leave the girl now. 

So instead, he pulled back to look into her blue eyes, arms around her waist to keep her here. “Y-You mean that, Tomo-chan?”

Tomo-chan averted her gaze, raising a hand to cover her lips. Then she nodded. “Th-This is really embarrassing, Obi.” Her cheeks were still that adorable pink as her other hand clutched his jacket. Her grip was shaking. “I don’t know how much more I can take. I-I might melt in your arms at this rate.”

A surprised laugh left his lips. Obito already knew he didn’t want to let Tomo-chan go now, not ever. “Don’t worry. I’d catch you, Tomo-chan.”

Tomo-chan chose that moment to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed from anxiety. “E-Even if I’m falling?”

Obito blinked before nodding. “I promised Judai-jichan, didn’t I?”

For some reason, Tomo-chan’s gaze turned glassy. Wait. Shit. Was she close to— “Obi,” she mumbled through her fingers, snapping him out of any panic, “stars don’t live forever.”

Obito blinked again. Tomo-chan wasn’t Kei. So what was with the riddle—

Without warning, Tomo-chan ducked her head and hid her face against his chest. Obito felt his heart start to pound in time with the barely audible words. “Obi, don’t change.” Her voice was high-pitched but sad. Desperate, almost, like she was begging. “Please.” 

“I-I won’t,” he said instinctively, but the urge to kiss her was growing harder to ignore. He tightened the hug instead, because there was no missing how upset Tomo-chan sounded. If he didn’t know any better, it felt like he was taking the Chūnin Exams all over again, and how Tomo-chan asked everyone not to die. She was still scared. “I plan to be Hokage, Tomo-chan.” He raised a hand to her head and — oh shit, her hair was soft. “And that means not leaving you.”

A tiny gasp echoed in his jacket, enough to make his heart skip a beat. Tomo-chan shivered again, her hand pushing him back slightly while her other still covered her mouth. “O-Oh,” she said. There was a small giggle. “I-I just can’t win, huh…?”

Yep. He was fucked. 

Obito swallowed the sudden lump in his throat before prying his goggles from his eyes, putting them over his headband and allowing him to look at her head-on. Tomo-chan startled once his hands went up to grasp her shoulders, enough of a jolt to move away that hand covering her lips. He still tilted his head to try meeting her gaze. The least he could do was tell her properly. Sensei said he couldn’t do “subtle,” so… “Tomo-chan, I-I want to kiss you.”

“E-Eh?” She flushed a darker pink, her blue eyes darting everywhere but him. It would’ve been funny if not for how she was trying to avoid him. At least she got the message loud and clear this time. “Wh—eh?!” 

Obito gently moved one of his hands to her cheek, tilting her head up. “Tomo-chan.” 

Her squeaks fell silent. Then, she bit her lip. “Y-Yes?”

Obito leaned in, trying not to fumble. This was the perfect moment and he didn’t want to mess it up. She was still here. “Can I kiss you? I r-really really want to.”

Tomo-chan bit her lip a bit more, lowering her head and clutching his jacket tighter. Surprisingly, she looked more kissable with the action, not helped by the furious blush on her face. A funny noise caught between a squeal and a squeak echoed in the back of her throat before there was another hiccup. “O-okay. Just, um.” Tomo-chan raised her head, her lips wet from the biting. “Be gentle?”

Obito smiled. “Aye,” was all he could say. It seemed to be enough because Tomo-chan didn’t back away, merely closing her eyes.

Obito closed his eyes too, placing his other hand to the back of her head before leaning in. 

“O-Ow.”

Shit. He bumped her head. It was his goggles. Shit. Pull back, pull back. “S-Sorry, Tomo-chan. One more try.” And then he tilted his head and leaned in for real.

Tomo-chan’s lips were soft. Chapped from all the biting she did, but they were warm, smooth, and real. He could faintly taste something sweet and even if he couldn’t drink, it felt like he could get drunk off of this. Tomo-chan was melting against him too, relaxing enough for him to pull her closer and extend the contact until they couldn’t breathe. 

It was intoxicating, but it couldn’t last forever.

Once Obito pulled back from the lack of oxygen, there was a soft smack sound and Tomo-chan hiccupped again. Everything felt hot. “O-Obi,” her blue eyes fluttered open, her blush covering her nose and extending to her ears. “Th-That was…wow.” Her shoulders were slack even through her kimono dress. “D-Did you feel that…?”

Obito felt himself laugh again. “Sure did. You…You were amazing, Tomo-chan.” 

“M-Mm.” Tomo-chan’s blush could easily make her a tomato. Or a cherry. Cherries were probably better because they were sweet, just like her. “Obi…” she gulped, her high-pitched voice barely above a stage whisper. “Y-You were my first kiss.”

Well, fuck. He couldn’t stop smiling.

“I-I’m glad. But could…” Obito leaned in once more, inhaling as much as he could through his nose. “Could I do it again, Tomo-chan? I-I want to be your second too.”

Tomo-chan shut her eyes, a hand going up to her lips. Then she nodded, slowly moving her hand away. “I don’t think I want to k-kiss anyone else. Just, um. Y-You’re going to have to catch me when I do melt, Obi…”

“Hehe, that’s fine.” Obito kept his eyes open one second longer to burn Tomo-chan’s face into his mind before leaning in. “I’m the shinobi, so I’ll always catch you.” 

“D-Dork—nn…” 

Their lips met again and Obito could’ve sworn his cheeks were starting to hurt from how much he was grinning.

But just to be sure, he made sure to hug her closer once her hands started to shake. Kissing was apparently a shared weakness. Obito couldn’t be late for this. 

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

Kei gave him that knowing look again. Her foot was also really close to his leg under the kotatsu, so Obito made sure to pull back in case she was raring to kick him again. Knowing how much of a jerk she could be, though, better to be safe than sorry. 

“Congrats on the relationship upgrade,” she said bluntly with a grin, shoving a plate of dorayaki in his direction over the kotatsu table. “At least she got it.”

“Thanks, Kei,” he replied cheerily, already feeling a smile at the thought of his new girlfriend. “I’m gonna have to turn down the sweets today, though.”

“Oh?” Kei looked actually curious while leveling that same pointy spatula at him. “That’s rare for you. What’s the occasion?”

Obito reached into his backpack to pull out a bundle and thank god, it wasn’t messed up. He brandished it to her with both hands, and Kei blinked. “I brought lunch!”

Kei snorted through her nose. “Lemme guess. Tomo?”

“Tomo-chan!” Obito agreed, because goddammit, his girlfriend was an angel. “She stopped by earlier today to give it to me!”

“At least it’s just you.” Kei rolled her eyes, flipping another dorayaki onto the rejected plate. “Get a room, seriously.”

“Shut it.” Obito snapped, then untied the cloth around the bundle. The box was normal, but opening the lid—

His heart skipped a beat. “Shit.” 

Kei looked at it too and threw her head back to laugh. “You two are cute together!” 

“Shut it!” 

There was no denying the joy on his face at seeing the onigiri heart in his lunch. His hands shook when picking up the tiny note left at the side of the vegetables. The handwriting was hastily scrawled, but still legible. 

Come by and visit more often! You have a lot of taste-testing to do, Mister! >.<

— Tomo

P.S. Before you say anything. -.- 

...Love you too. <3

[magsdomino]

36 ShojiNoko

Kinoko stood before the oven, like a star athlete ready for the match of her life. She had helped her mom in the kitchen since childhood. She looked up recipes for squid ink pasta and Mushroom Risotto. 

She had even queued up several Studio Ghibli films for after wards. This was going to be the best New Year's celebration since she watched the ball drop with her friends last night. And now, on the first day of a new year, it was boyfriend time: just her and Mezo. It was going to be amazing.

Half an hour later…

"Ok, Komori. Do you want to tell me how you nearly burned down the 1-A kitchen? And why you were here in the first place. Was this Monoma's doing?" Tenya Iida questioned the short mushroom girl on the steps of the Heights Alliance dormitory.

"I was cooking for my boyfriend…" the naturally energetic girl was now meek and embarrassed, sitting on the steps as everyone had been evacuated.

"You know how to cook?" Tenya was skeptical but also pleasantly surprised. Perhaps he needed to get to know his sister class better, especially with several members of 2-A and 1-B dating.

"Yes! I mean… sort of." Kinoko looked at her feet bashfully.

"What do you mean "Sort of `` ?'' The skepticism and concern returned with gusto.

"I mean, I helped preheat the oven when my mom cooked dinner. And I have stirred soup before. I can cook."

"That's the limit of your culinary knowledge, isn't it?" Tenya questioned.

"No! I tried, ok?" The short brunette was getting flustered, mushrooms growing on her skin from duress, causing 1-A's president to lay off. A hand on his shoulder caused him to snap out of it.

"That's enough, Iida. I'll take it from here," a deep, soft voice rose up.

"Yes, of course, Shoji. She is all yours. I must depart at once to see my family. I will take my leave." And with typical overdramatic motions, the blue-haired boy left the young couple alone, their Heights and disparate body types standing in stark contrast to one another.

"Are you alright?" The beefy octopus boy looked at his tiny girlfriend, eyes full of patience and empathy.

"Sorry, Mezo. I tried. I really did. I thought Pasta? Easy. Mushrooms? My forte. I helped my mom in the kitchen plenty of times. Why is cooking so hard? I… I just wanted to do something fun for my strong Squid." She sounded deflated, a resigned shakiness to her voice.

"I see. Well, I really appreciate it. But perhaps we could cook together. I have taken some classes and maybe I can pass down what I know. This way we don't burn down my dorm building… or give Monoma any ideas."

"I would never, you cheap Kakashi knockoff!" A voice rang out from across the campus, only to be silenced by a chop to the neck.

Kinoko reached into her purse for a knife but was stopped by the firm yet gentle hand of her significant other.

"Come on. We can still marathon those movies. I'll order us some take out and we can cook together next time."

"Are you sure, Mezo." The brunette looked up, here eyes barely visible beneath her bangs.

"As sure as Shemeji, Kinoko." The taller boy wiped the hair away, smiling beneath his mask as their faces met.

The idol-hero-in-training lit up with love and excitement as she hugged the taller boy tightly. The fact that he had started using mushroom puns had only made her want to say what came next even more.

"I love you."

Mezo blushed, a luxury few had the pleasure of viewing. Kinoko counted herself lucky as she nuzzled her giant.

"I love you too. Come on, I'll order our food."

And with that, the boy picked up his girlfriend bridal style and carried her inside.