#ninja team as family

[goldenavenger02]

hope the skin heals where the pain enters

(Happy Dragons Rising season 2 part 2 release day! For those asking "how did you get this written SO fast", I watched the leaks when they came out but waited to post this UNTIL it was out officially. Friendly reminder to support the official release if you can! And now, on with the story!)

There were pieces of steel still in his hair.

As he gently pressed his hand against Lloyd’s body to help maneuver him onto the awaiting stretcher and blood seeped from his skin into his glove, all he could focus on were the stage lights catching on the flecks of shards tucked into his blonde hair.

There were pieces of steel still in his hair.

As he gently pressed his hand against Lloyd's body to help maneuver him onto the awaiting stretcher and blood seeped from his skin into his glove, all he could focus on were the stage lights catching on the flecks of shards tucked into his blonde hair.

Cole knew that it was because focusing on how ruthless and bold Zeatrix had been with her blow or the shallow breathing coming from the still bleeding chest of his teammate would result in tears that he didn't want anyone to see.

When the security bots lifted the stretcher and he heard a sharp inhale coming from Lloyd, he couldn't stop himself from reaching over and pulling one of the shards out of his loose, green headband, holding it tightly in his palm.

He couldn't bring himself to move until a familiar titanium hand rested on his shoulder, forcing him to look up into bright, artificial blue eyes that were full of the same worry he could feel wrapping around his chest.

"We should return to our quarters," Zane's suggestion was gentle as he prodded Cole's shoulder gently to move him away from the bloodied ground under their feet, "I am confident that the medical bots will alert us when they have an update on Lloyd's condition."

He wordlessly led the way to their sleeping quarters, unable to stop himself from walking over to the shrine Nya had made before she had left and looking up at the pictures of Kai and Jay as he knelt down, setting the shard on the table.

He knew that if Kai had been here, he would be the nervous wreck; he would be the one nearly ripping his hair out with worry, even if it was after he had gone to Zeatrix and delivered her a piece of his mind; with all of the trouble that they had gone to in order to stop Wyldfyre from fighting Cinder, Kai would have been unstoppable against Zeatrix.

But if Jay had been there, he would have lightened the air of dread with some sort of really bad joke or teasing at anyone's expense; it wouldn't even have to be that funny, but it would be something to break the tension.

The last thing he wanted was to put Lloyd's picture in between Kai's and Jay's, but that fear didn't stop him from pulling his lighter out of his pocket and gently pressing the flame to one of the sticks of incense until it caught, the warm smell of smoke slowly starting to fill the corner he was kneeling in.

"Cole?"

Cole turned his head, feeling his guard drop when Geo knelt down beside him and pressed a water bottle into his palm before letting his hand rest on his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Geo offered and as much as Cole wanted to, the angle of his turned head allowed him to see Wyldfyre, Sora, Arin and even Zane with the same looks of worry on their faces that told him that he wouldn't be able to break right now.

"I can't," he admitted as he took a sip of the water before looking away from the others and back into Geo's eyes, "I gotta take care of these kids."

With that, he started to pull himself to his feet, only to be stopped briefly by a gentle hand on his wrist, "take care of yourself too."

"I will." Cole insisted before fully standing up and walking towards Sora, keeping his voice low as he approached, "hey, Sora."

Her loud sniffle, followed by her wiping her face on her arm, before she made eye contact with him pulled at his heart painfully, "hey, I just…I'm trying to figure out tomorrow."

"Your next fight?"

"There aren't a lot of people left in the competition. Frack's powers are all correlated to his abilities and Nokt is incredibly powerful, not to mention the fact that they are both helping Ras; if Lloyd is able to continue competing and they put me against him…" Sora sighed as she looked down at her feet, "I don't even know how I got this far in the tournament."

"Besides the fact that you're a badass?" Cole offered, waiting until she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, "you doubt yourself a lot, Sora, but you have gotten further than all of us except Lloyd, which is saying something since we've been in a tournament like this before."

"Really?"

"Yeah, except this one has rules that the host actually follows," Cole elaborated, "my point is that if anyone is going to win this thing, it's you. If you have to go against Frack, I know how the workarounds to earth based powers and if it's Nokt, we'll come up with a strategy with Zane."

"And Lloyd?"

"I already had to watch two of my best friends fight on opposite sides, I really hope Roby doesn't pit you two against each other."

"I've been thinking about that since we returned to our quarters," Cole nearly jumped out of his skin by the sudden intrusion of Zane's voice as he sat between the two of them, "and I have run the possible scenarios through my database. There is a sixty seven point nine percent chance that Lloyd and Nokt will be pitted against each other, due to their very powerful skill sets at their base level that has only been amplified by the addition of elemental powers which will result in a twenty percent increase in audience entertainment levels."

"But what if they pit me against Lloyd?"

"The likelihood is much lower, it's a thirty two point one percent chance, but including the fact that Lloyd is your master and the engagement from the fight between Nya and Jay, the audience entertainment levels could increase up to eighty percent."

"So it could really go either way." Cole sighed in defeat that was only added to by Zane's nod followed by one word.

"Precisely."

"I hate this," Sora shuddered, tears falling down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away, "Nya and Riyu are gone, Arin won't talk to me, and now Lloyd is really, really hurt. I just want all of this to be over."

"Yeah, me too, kiddo."

"I know everyone says that ninja never quit…" she trailed off in order to pull a sniffly inhale, "but I really feel like quitting right now."

"I know that you feel hopeless but forfeiting the tournament now, especially if Lloyd is unable to fight tomorrow, would be catastrophic to our reasoning for coming here."

"Zane's right," Cole agreed, reaching over to gently squeeze Sora's shoulder, "we have to find out who is killing the matriarchs and what they are using their horns for."

"This isn't helping me feel bet-" Sora mumbled, but was effectively cut off by the sound of the door opening followed by two of the security bots making their way into the room.

"Can we be of assistance?" Zane offered as he stood with Cole and Sora doing the same and Cole's feeling of unease returned just as quickly as it had been momentarily forgotten.

"We have been given orders to ensure that Zane and Cole follow us to the medical wing in order to receive information about the injured member of their team."

"What about the rest of us?" Arin's question was the first time Cole had heard the teen speak in hours, briefly making him wonder if Sora wasn't the only one on the receiving end of his silent treatment.

"I apologize, but the only ones allowed inside of the medical wing are adult team members. You will have to wait here for the information to be relayed to you."

Cole waited for a protest from the three teens, but was instantly relieved when Geo spoke up instead, "let's get you three some dinner ordered. I don't know if you've had it yet, but the Merlopian spring rolls are to die for."

As the two security bots led Cole and Zane outside, he couldn't stop himself from looking back at his boyfriend and the three distracted teenagers, but the wink that Geo gave was enough for Cole to allow himself to focus on the task at hand.

Making sure Lloyd was okay.

…

In a way, he was thankful that Arin had pulled him away from the arena after Sora's fight.

Cole would be more than happy to go the rest of his life without seeing another person he loved deep within a coma and even though he was quickly swept up into yet another fight, it prevented him from going back to the room filled with tense silence and suffering.

In fact, it was that adrenaline that he found himself engulfed in, that kept him realizing that Lloyd was 'awake and alive and standing' until after he had pulled Bonzle into a very tight hug, unable to stop himself from muttering "thank the master you're okay" just loud enough that she could hear it.

Which made the calm he settled into after failing to find Arin all the more unsettling; in any other circumstance, he would have gladly taken the chance to just relax on the couch with Geo's head on one shoulder while he firmly wrapped the other one around Bonzle as Fritz and Spitz recounted everything they had been up to while they had been staying at the monastery with Frohickey.

He so desperately wanted to keep his focus on the elaborate but more than likely exaggerated story he was being told, but his mind kept going back to Lloyd.

The sword shattering on impact, knocking him off of the high platform from several feet onto the ground with a thud. The harsh coughing and his eyes fluttering open with a squint before they closed with a groan. Geo's hand resting softly on his shoulder as he watched over Lloyd and gently wiped away the blood and sweat with a sponge, his stomach twisting painfully as he listened to the sharp, painful breathing escaping from Lloyd's battered chest.

Standing over his teammate, the teammate he had known since they were sixteen and nine, and once again unable to do anything to help, feeling as though he was thirteen again and slowly watching his mom deteriorate until she too fell into a coma.

'Lloyd woke up,' he tried to reassure himself when he felt a squeeze on his left hand from Geo that brought him back to the two yawning storytellers, 'Lloyd's going to be okay.'

But when Bonzle got up with an "alright, you can talk our ears off tomorrow," as she ushered Fritz and Spitz to their room, Cole wasn't able to shake the unsettled feeling in his gut.

"When was the last time you checked on him?" Geo prodded, using the opportunity to sit up and brush some of the raven-black hair behind Cole's ear.

"Before Sora's fight. After that, everything got really chaotic; now Arin's gone," Cole stopped to rub a hand over his face before turning to Geo with a sigh, "and I don't know how I'm going to even approach that."

"In my personal experience, starting with a hug tends to work."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," Cole muttered as he stood, only stopping to turn around to hug Geo quickly along with a quick kiss on his cheek, "I'll be back, okay?"

"Just make sure he's okay."

And with Geo's insistence, he walked out of the living room and into the hallway of the monastery to start looking for Lloyd.

He should have known it wouldn't take long to find him; even in the short period since he had returned to the monastery, it wasn't lost on him just how much time Lloyd spent outside deep in meditation.

But when he got closer and noticed what Lloyd was holding, he couldn't help but swallow nervously: he knew when he went to check on him that his worry and regret for how that final battle went being at the forefront of his mind was a strong possibility, but being face-to-face with it still made him aware that how he approached the green ninja would have to be very careful.

"Hey, buddy," Cole settled on, trying his hardest to keep his demeanor calm and collected in order not to further set him off despite the instant jump and turn that his voice caused, "you doing okay?"

At first, he didn't get an answer as he looked down at the stone floor; but the look on Lloyd's face, which was twisted tightly with guilt and worry, spoke for itself.

And when he finally managed to speak, the crack in his voice made it very clear to Cole that he was using all of his remaining energy to stay composed, "he's gone. I don't know why he believed Ras, but he did. Now he's gone, all because I failed him."

"Lloyd-"

"And I don't know what to do. Sora, Riyu and Wyldfyre, they're all looking to me for answers that I don't even have. I don't even know where to begin looking for him or if I want to bring everyone into that or just go-"

"Lloyd, take a deep breath," Cole cut off his rambling, "it has been a really long couple of weeks and I know you want to find Arin so you can make things right, but all of us need a couple of days to breathe and to rest."

"Y-you're right," Lloyd stuttered as he looked down at the photo frame clutched tightly in his palm, "I know that, but at the same time…I want to find him before Ras has a chance to further manipulate him. We saw what he did to Jay."

Cole swallowed down the memory of Jay's glowing red eyes after he used Shatterspin, not wanting it to cloud his judgment, "you have to finish healing, Lloyd. That hit and the fall, it was a lot."

Sure enough, Lloyd's hand drifted upwards to his shoulder over the bandages that had been wrapped tightly around him in the aftermath of his fight against Zeatrix.

"Come on," Cole offered, holding his hand out for Lloyd to take, "let's get you checked over and in bed. It's been a long day."

"I thought I was the master of the monastery." Lloyd said with a light chuckle as he put down the picture frame before taking Cole's hand so he could get down the step before he gently wrapped his arm around him.

"You are, but even masters need someone to look after them," and for a brief moment, Cole was reminded of watching with worry at every unexpected movement that Wu would make after he had been found, "now let's get those bandages changed."

[localguy2]

I hate that this is genuinely something I'm writing rn, but nothing has more RATTLED my faith in the writing team's ability to write a Zane story then him calliNG ARIN CRINGE-

[luckyshinyhunter]

🤗🥰🤗The classic found family trope always be my favorite trope in media, whether live-action or animated, it's incredibly heartwarming and it gets me everytime!🤗🥰🤗

[turtleblogatlast]

I’ve gone on and on about how Leo wants to be who Splinter finds is the ideal person (which just so happens to be Splinter’s ideal version of himself) but I have yet to really touch upon how Donnie is the one who most directly parallels Splinter himself to an honestly shocking degree, Raph’s taking from Splinter’s teachings and parenting has resulted in an unhealthy mixup in the different dynamics of a family versus a team, and Mikey is the one who is simultaneously the most focused on family and the most intrinsically himself which both leads to his better grasp of mystics and honestly what just might be the healthiest dynamic with Splinter.

[disgracedghostprincess]

Part 1

This is how @extended-family-au ended up in the basketball court in @tmntaucompetition they’re so silly

Creators of the EF au:

@cookiekate @kaysdenofchaos @alexthenerdbird @gremlinzkeep @quirkycorgianimations @wh0rkestra

[mene-loves-naruto]

Genuinely insane about this they're so adorable I miss them...

[artsycooky13]

top 3 fave bbys in the burrito show (bonus SUPER LONG tags on how i feel bout the characters)

[kvohru]

never both/pragmatic - nejiten week '24

day 1 - saudade (portuguese) The feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia. A yearning for happiness that has passed, or perhaps never even existed.

Tenten was surprised when she got the dinner invitation in the mail. She supposed she shouldn’t have been, though. It was just about time for the Team Gai monthly dinners—the weekend of the 15th of every month. Every month, on the fifteenth (or the weekend that corresponded or was closest to it—for practicality purposes), Gai-han would meet up at a local diner and have a meal together. They’d catch up and discuss how their weeks were, complaining about mundanities such as an annoying grocery store run or the pipes being frozen again due to the harsh Konoha winters. They might even share the details of their last mission—with Neji being a newly appointed Jōnin, it delighted Gai to listen to his student, whom he’d nurtured from a cynical little twelve year old, constantly angry at the world and stuck in his ways, to a mature, level-headed young adult who had finally begun to have faith in life. Who had finally allowed himself to dream and hope and love and laugh and everything in between.

It delighted Gai even more so when he’d notice, through the little passing details in Neji’s stories, that the Hyūga had subconsciously adopted some of Gai’s ways when leading a team of his own. It got him thinking how it would be for Neji if he were to ever lead a squad of Genins, someday. How his own experiences as a Genin and how Gai’s tutelage might subconsciously pass on to that new squad. Out of the three of them—Lee, Neji and Tenten—Neji was the least likely to verbally express affection. He wasn’t particularly good with flowery words, and he often struggled to articulate such feelings, courtesy of his upbringing, so it was much easier for him to show affection through his actions. He was always willing to go out of his way to help, even in small, almost unnoticeable ways such as filling up an extra water bottle just in case someone forgot to fill up theirs (usually Gai, ironically enough). Buying candy for Tenten if he noticed (which he always did) that her mood was down. Making time to spar with Lee despite their packed schedules, if only to indulge in that nostalgia and spend time with his friend, in their own special way.

He was dependable. Kind.

Contrary to what some might think, Hyūga Neji was so very kind. He was undeniably good, and it showed in his actions. It bled through to his morals and how he conducted himself.

So for Gai to have his legacy passed on so tangibly, subconsciously no less, and to be able to see that with his own eyes… It was a feeling of accomplishment unlike any other. No amount of successful S-Rank missions or victories could trump the feeling of knowing you made a difference in someone’s life. Of knowing your influence on someone changed the course of their life for the better, even if only by a little bit.

This would be the first Team Gai dinner since Neji had died in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

This would be the first Team Gai dinner as a squad of three, not four.

Tenten looked at the invitation again. It was from Gai-sensei, inviting her to the local yakiniku place they’d been to so often in the past. Sometimes they’d go after missions, and Gai would treat them to reward their success, or even to uplift them after a failure; to remind them that there’s always a next time. Sometimes they’d go for celebrations—birthdays and rank promotions and such. And sometimes it was simply an excuse to see each other again, amidst all the responsibilities of being older, more dependable shinobi. Sometimes it was just an excuse to enjoy each other’s company and be together, if only for a night, like they’d grown so accustomed to in their earlier years.

It had been so long since Tenten had met up with Gai-sensei and Lee, outside of formal business of some sort. It was just too painful.

Over the past year or so after the war, Tenten and Lee alternated taking care of Gai. After the many months he spent bedridden in the hospital, during which they would alternate visiting him almost everyday, it was a given that one would see Gai strolling around the village in his wheelchair, accompanied by one of his former subordinates. It was like an unspoken agreement had been signed between Lee and Tenten: always one of them, and never both. It was easier that way.

When one of them was alone with Gai, it was easier to pretend that the two absent teammates were off doing their own thing. It was easier for Tenten to pretend, if only for a little bit, that Lee and Neji were off training at their usual spot, and it was easier for Lee to pretend that Tenten and Neji were taking a stroll around the village, or even hanging out at a tea shop, like they’d taken to doing at some point down the line. It was easier to ignore that gaping hole Neji’s death had left behind. That missing limb that overwhelmingly hindered the movement of the body as a whole. It was easier to ignore than to try and adjust to it—to the missteps and phantom pains and jerky movements.

Too soon after the war, shinobi were forced to take on new roles and responsibilities befitting the new needs of the village and the Allied Shinobi Forces as a whole, which put their grief on the back burner, and at some point, they eventually got too caught up with their own lives (which was, as much as Tenten hated admitting it, somewhat of a coping mechanism to deal with the loss of someone so significant) that they stopped seeing each other and meeting up. In the process of ‘dealing with’ (i.e. forgetting) and moving on from the loss of Neji, they ended up moving on from their bond as a team and all the memories they’d shared. It was easier to cut each other clean off and fully move on from team Gai as a whole than it was to try and pick the pieces back up and reconstruct it, this time wholly aware of the missing member.

That’s why, over the past year or so, Team Gai had let the distance get between them. They surrendered to it. Let it cause a chasm between them and then some. It was better for them to drift apart with love and goodness and grace and well-wishes in their hearts than to let the grief overwhelm them and drive a vicious wedge between them, like it had during those days immediately after the war. The way Tenten saw it—and she felt that Lee no doubt thought the same—it was better for Team Gai to dissolve naturally and amicably.

And for a while, that worked. Terrifyingly well.

The world had already begun to move on from the War, and the village was mostly rebuilt. People—shinobi and civilians alike— were rebuilding their lives and getting used to this era of peace. It was weird. It honestly still felt surreal most days. Tenten—any shinobi in general—was so used to being on edge all the time, and constantly preparing for the worst. Her fight or flight response was always either on edge or at the forefront, waiting like a dog poised to strike. But now, there was no war anymore, and though the effects of it could still be seen and felt everywhere, people were starting to acclimate. She didn’t need to conceal knives on her person anymore when going out. She didn’t need to sleep restlessly anymore.  She would be okay. She was okay.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

At the last second, Tenten reached for her mascara again, unscrewing it and giving her lashes one last coat. She knew it was probably unneeded, but she did it anyway, and she felt better. She was still getting used to that—doing things for the sake of doing them, knowing they served no real purpose.

Tenten was… pragmatic. Very much so. And don’t get me wrong, that is a wonderful quality for a shinobi to possess, but Tenten found she no longer needed that. Well, not as much anyway. Her pragmatism had helped her solve countless problems successfully in the past, and it was one of the reasons she and Neji worked so well together. They were both sensible, if not a little hard headed at times, and they understood each other. To their friends, it always seemed like those two were moving in a rhythm inaudible to everyone but themselves. They were best friends, in every sense of the term. They somehow always knew what the other was thinking, and what to do. And part of that was because they were similar in that way—stubborn, sure, but willing to compromise when the situation called for it.

Pragmatic.

Which is why Tenten says her pragmatism helped her in the past, but she would be the first to admit that it also held her back from many things.

‘It would be too difficult,’ or, ‘Our backgrounds are too different.’ Or perhaps even the worst one, ‘We’re probably better off as friends.’

All things Tenten had said to herself in the name of being realistic. Pragmatic.

All excuses Tenten used to hold herself back from doing what she wanted to do, just for the sake of it. Shinobi fell in love. It was nothing unheard of—I mean, they were human after all. It was expected, even. Everyone was harrowingly aware of the risks being a shinobi entailed, and for most, quitting was not an option, so it was up to them to decide whether or not they would pursue a romantic relationship. 

It was up to them to decide which they were going to sacrifice: a chance at love, or their career. Because, in their world, it unfortunately had to be one or the other.

The choice was obvious. The pragmatic choice was obvious.

And both Neji and Tenten were pragmatic.

So they chose their careers.

When faced with the choice of being best friends and continuing to toe that line like they’d been doing for so long, or being lovers, and discovering an entirely new part of themselves—tasting an entirely new flavour they hadn’t even known existed—they chose the former. Because it was always one, and never both. And that was fine, for a while.

In fact, if that had been the end of it, Tenten imagined, perhaps terribly and selfishly, then maybe the aftermath of his death wouldn’t have been as hard. And maybe that made her a terrible person. Maybe she was terrible for wishing he’d never confessed and they’d never kissed. Maybe she was terrible for wishing he hadn’t given her a taste of what she longed for for so long, only to cruelly take it away before either of them were ready. And she knew it wasn’t his fault, but part of her couldn’t help but blame him. And maybe that made her a terrible person; she didn’t know.

But for now, she was content with doing small, pointless, impractical things like putting on another coat of mascara, just for the sake of it. She’d swallow the lump in her throat and put on a brave face and walk out, and she’d do things just because she wanted to. Just because it made her feel better.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

They’d both shown up.

“Hey,” she greeted, once she’d spotted the two green-clad men waiting by the entrance of the restaurant. She’d gotten there a few minutes early, but here they were, arriving even earlier. 

“Tenten!” It was Lee.

While Lee had jumped at the opportunity of this dinner, craving the nostalgia like it were a physical thing, Tenten was a bit hesitant. Still, they had both shown up. She smiled. How very predictable of Team Gai.

Maybe things weren’t that different after all.

It was awkward at first. After exchanging pleasantries, they entered the restaurant and took their seats at the reserved booth. The thought of making small talk with people that were once so engraved in each other’s very being was unbearable. The view of the vacant seat at the table was also unbearable—it had been so long since they’d met up like this for dinner that, when Gai-sensei was making the reservation, he accidentally asked for a table for four instead of three. Force of habit.

But they managed.

“How have you been, Tenten?” Gai asked, voice mellow. Him and Lee had remained pretty close through it all, partly because of Lee’s self-imposed duty to care for Gai most of the time, and partly because those two had always had a special bond that not even Neji and Tenten could get between. Tenten shrugged noncommittally, replying with that customary reassurance that made it seem like she was very busy while simultaneously downplaying whatever it is she’d been busy with since she’d last seen them. He nodded kindly, and the three of them started chatting mindlessly about nothing in particular. It was obvious that they were ignoring the elephant in the room. Neji’s loss—his absence at this table—was so palpable it was almost taking up the space of the would-be conversation.

“I miss him,” Tenten sighed, almost bluntly. Flippantly. She didn’t know what reaction she was expecting, but the willing avoidance was getting suffocating. She knew everyone was thinking that, so why didn’t anyone say it?! Why couldn’t anyone give her that relief? Why was everyone—her included, she realised belatedly—so hell-bent on forgetting him, when he had been such a core part of who they were for so long? She missed him. She missed talking to him— about him. She didn’t like that no one brought him up anymore, as if he’d never even existed. He deserved to be celebrated and remembered, for God’s sake! That was the least they could do for him.

“Me, too,” Lee murmured, uncharacteristically resigned. “It’s unbearable, most days.”

Immediately, pressure built up behind Tenten’s eyes, and she vaguely regretted putting on more mascara. “Yeah,” she whispered, almost in wonder, “it is.”

And surprisingly, that was what broke the tension.

Or maybe it wasn’t surprising or weird or unexpected. Maybe that made perfect sense. Because Team Gai was never one for stuffy formalities or beating around the bush—they knew each other too well for that.

Gradually and ever so tentatively, the dinner took on an air of normalcy, and things were almost like the old times—almost. They were able to actually speak to each other again for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, without being snappy or short-tempered, or feeling like their words weren’t reaching through to the other person. They were finally able to acknowledge their loss together, and weirdly enough, it made them feel lighter than they had in ages.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

“It’s getting late,” Tenten yawned, stretching her arms over her head. “We should probably go before we get kicked out.”

With a frown, Lee responded, “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

They, reluctantly, said their goodbyes. She’d originally thought this would be awkward, but she realised with a pang as she was walking away that she didn’t want to go. 

“Tenten!” Lee called out from a distance away, and she turned around.

“What is it?” she called back.

“Don’t be a stranger.”

Her breath hitched, and the only thing she could do was nod vigorously and hope he saw it.

She would be okay. They would be okay.

[otakubimbo]

The Rabbit and the Wolf

Chapter 3

You’re just starting to get used to living back in the village. Spending time with your sister. Helping out all the teams. Even enjoying times with friends. All of your friends?

1 2 3 4

18+MDNI

You hadn’t even broken a sweat. Team 7 on the other hand laid out in front of you. Truthfully they did do a good job, they were just new to being ninjas and there’s always room for growth. They had decided to take you on one at a time and then all together. Kind of a stupid idea because it just tired them out but it was good to see what they had individually. Kakashi didn’t even intervene or give any suggestions, just sat under a tree reading his perv book. You squat down to Sakuras level.

“Also, just to let you know I’m only 25. I’m not old.” You state poking her in the forehead and she groans. Kakashi chuckles softly to himself. “But since y’all at least tried your best, I’ll treat y’all to ramen.” You grin and Naruto jumps up yelling his favorite catch phrase. You chuckle, he still had some energy left, looking back at Kakashi you stand.

“I’m not paying for you though, you didn’t do anything” you state helping Sakura up groaning. Once all the kids are up, you throw your arm over Sasukes shoulder leading them to ramen. Kakashi slowly drags behind y’all. You’re going on about what they all need to work on and if they actually pay attention and train hard they may be able to land a hit on you in about 20 years.

Your face is so bright as you speak, Kakashi can barley take his eyes off of you. He was already mesmerized watching you spare with his students. Spare is a strong word but the way you danced around them so gracefully, like a dance. The way you moved always impressed him, it told everything about your skill as a ninja. Strong. Gracefully. Deadly. With a sigh, he follows behind y’all until you pick a spot to eat. This situation was going to be complicated at best, a disaster for him at worst.

The next few weeks fly by as you sit into a routine. You go visit your sister, train with Team 7, home and repeat. The boys were showing great progress, Sakura was well….doing her best? EH she was still too busy trying to impress Sasuke in a way that he really didn’t care about but ya know that’s just how some girls were. You had met with all the other teams but the 5th really wanted you to stay with team 7 for whatever reason so you only helped with training with them on the occasion. Today was one of those occasions, you were with team 8. You and Kurenai were as close as one person could really be to you because one night y’all got too drunk and you told her all your business. You really need to work on your drinking habits.

You did enjoy her team though, you really liked Hinata. She was shy and self conscious but you saw the potential, you could see it in the way that she moved. A diamond in the ruff. You and Kurenai were casually talking as her team was trying to find the scroll that you hid somewhere in the village. You actually didn’t hide anything and were wondering how long it would take for them to figure out. The most important part about being a ninja is using your head.

“So have you and Kakashi actually talked about anything other than work yet?” Kurenai asks and you groan pulling a cigarette out of your pocket and light it.

“No, and I would actually like to keep it that way. There’s literally nothing to talk about. We definitely aren’t friends anymore, just coworkers.” You relent taking a drag.

“You don’t miss him?” She questioned with an eyebrow raised which makes you grown again and roll your eyes.

“Shit, probably but that was all ruined ages ago. I ruined it and he ruined it.” You plopped yourself down under a tree. She just sighs at you with her hand on her hip. For some reason, she thinks if y’all actually just talked to each other like normal people everything would just fix itself. Impossible. If it wasn’t for your sister and the joy you were getting from helping the teams out, you would have half the mind to bury yourself back into work and never speak to him again. Even though, y’all only talked about training it still felt like old times and you hated it. You did miss him. You missed him since the day you couldn’t find him after y’all’s night together. Not even in a sexual or romantic sense, you missed you friend.

“Y/N’ Kurenai states taking you out of your thoughts, you look up at her. “It’s literally been two years, just give it a chance. We are all having drinks tonight, come.”

You were about to speak when Shino approaches, obviously realizing your trick. After congratulating him for being the first one to figure it out, y’all wait for the other two. Of course it took Kiba the longest and you almost thought you would have to go find him.

At this point, you had hoped Kurenai would have dropped the situation but she didn’t. Once her team was dismissed she stopped you before you could leave.

“You’re coming.” She says, not a question but a statement. You sigh and relent.

“Fine” You say waving her off, you agreed on seeing her tonight. Of course you wanted to go out with her, she was your friend but you spending time with Kakashi outside of training wasn’t anything you truly wanted to do. It’s not like you’ve never had casual conversations with people you’ve slept with before but obviously this was different. You were inside your own head the whole way home even while trying to get ready for the night. It’s not like you were anxious, well you were a little anxious. You’ve been in near death situations and this is what you’re anxious about. You’ve killed people and this is what you’re anxious about?!?! Before you leave you grab a bottle of sake you had and took a swig.

Once you arrive at the bar the only ones who are there are Kurenai and Asuma. Good. You can have a few drinks and maybe even a smoke before having to deal with the absurd awkwardness that was to be this night. Kurenai was happy but surprised to see you. She just knew you weren’t actually going to show up, but if you were going to not only be in the village for a while but you work closely with him again so it’ll be in everyone’s best interest to just be friends again. That was your plan at least.

You were really enjoying yourself, you really needed this time. It was so nice to actually be able to relax for once without the looming thought of having to go on another mission soon. You did need a smoke though and as you go to light your cigarette, your lighter is dead.

“Asuma, help me out” You state leaning towards him with the cigarette in your mouth. As he goes to light it for you is when Kakashi and Guy show up. You slowly pull back with your now lit cig.

“Hmmn, didn’t know you smoked.” Kakashi states sitting across from you.

“Yeah, Asuma got me in the habit. He’s a terrible influence.” You say taking a long drag. Asuma chuckles and Guy slaps in on the back with a loud laugh. That cut the awkward tension a bit and then the drinks started flowing. Well the drinks were flowing for everyone but Kakashi, he wasn’t drinking that much, he wasn’t drinking at all actually.

“Kakashi! MY FRIEND! Why are you not joining us in the drinks!” Guy exclaims, loud as ever. You pound back a shot and look at him. He glanced at you but quickly looked away.

“Just here for the company.” He shrugs sitting back.

“But you were just saying how you needed a drink tonight!” Guy still yelling and you could feel the glare Kakashi was giving him which almost made you choke on your drink with laugher. Only you and Kurenai seemed amused.

After a few more drinks and some fun conversation, you knew you were done. Everything was kind of spinning and you probably had a few too many shots, tomorrow was going to be hell. Oh well, you had a good night and it wasn’t even too awkward with Kakashi. Yall laughed at the same jokes and you even gave him a smile or two. Mostly due to the liquor but it almost felt like hold times.

“Okay. Okay. It’s time for me to go.” You confess going to stand up and almost falling over yourself.

“Kakashi! Walk her home since you’re sober.” Asuma suggests and you shoot him a wide eyed look and then an immediate glare to Kurenai. Now why was she telling her man your business.

“Oh no, it’s fine. It’s fine. I got it. Yup.” You say even though you stumble a bit but get your feet perfectly planted under yourself. Kakashi stands up anyways.

“I got it, I know the way” He says placing his hand on your shoulder to guide you out and you just let him. There was no use in making a scene because that would just make the situation even more awkward.

He’s walking with his hands in his pockets, slightly in front of you as if he was guiding the way.

“Thanks for walking me home.” Your voice barely audible, if it wasn’t for it being silent there was no way he would have heard you.

“It’s not a new thing” He says casually. Yeah he said that but it surely felt like a new thing. It wasn’t like old times. Yall walk in silence until you get to your house. As always after drinking, you fumble with your eyes. Sighing, Kakashi takes them and opens the door for you and you mumble a thanks. Before going inside you turn back to him.

“Uhm Kashi.” You softly say, the nickname feeling so familiar to him. He looks at you questioning and takes a step forward.

“Can we go back to being friends again? I don’t want things to be awkward between us anymore and….” You say, taking a pause but feeling the liquid courage hitting you “ I do miss you.”

“Friends.” He says and the way he said it confused you. You take a step forward and look up at him.

“Yeah. Friends” you state even though it felt like you could barely breath. Your eyes a little hazy and watery from having too much to drink. He looked down at you for a moment and you couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Maybe he was just fine with being casual coworkers. But then he pulled his headband up and mask down. Now you were even more confused, you searched his face for any hint of what would be going on in his mind.

“Friends” He said again, a little different this time. Breathy. Slowly, you nod your head. You had no clue what was going on and it seemed as if he was also looking for answers. It was like he was waiting for something or contemplating something.

When it didn’t look like he found what he was looking for, he responded “ Friends, okay. We can be friends” and pulls his mask back up.

You just nod and he takes a step back. You blink a few times.

“Drink some water and go to bed. Goodnight” He plainly says turning away and leaving you in your door way.

This was good, yeah? Yeah. Friends. Good. Yeah.

[tending-the-hearth]

MORE TURTLE ANGST AU BECAUSE TURT ANGST

because i am very very obsessed with versions of the turtles meeting each other i couldn't stop thinking about the utter angst that would ensue but also the softness and slow found family vibes

specifically the 2012 turtles meeting versions of themselves where tang shen doesn't exist, where splinter's entire world is the turtles + april

the 2012 turtles meeting, say, the rise!tmnt, the bayverse!tmnt, or the mutant mayhem!tmnt?? versions of the turtles whose splinters never had a serious love interest prior to their creation, whose love and attention was always solely focused on them?

i'm thinking about bayverse!splinter, who sacrificed himself for his boys without a second thought, who finds out about another version of himself who has all but pushed the turtles away, the precious turtles who are the light of splinter's life

mm!splinter, who literally was desperate to keep his beloved sons protected from possible dangers, who faced his greatest fear in order to help his boys, seeing how broken, how tired they are.

rise!splinter, who, despite how it seems, can and will put his boys above everything else, who cannot even fathom the idea of not wanting his sons around, of falling back into his life before the boys, seeing these versions of his sons be so easily abandoned

just... the 2012!turtles meeting different versions of themselves, and meeting different versions of splinter, and being so fully prepared to recieve that same cold shoulder, only to be gathered into warm embraces, and have gentle, fatherly reassurances whispered to them.

and they're rightfully hesitant, they're unsure, because having your father immediately turn to his original family without a second thought leaves some lasting trauma and pain, but they can't resist falling into the different splinters' arms, pouring their hearts out as they cry and listen to advice that only splinter can give.

and somehow, idk maybe the donnies make dimensional transport watches bc that's definitely a thing that would happen, so visiting the different dimensions, and hanging out with the different versions of themselves + splinter becomes a weekly thing. and slowly, the 2012!tmnt bring the other versions to their own world, introduce them to xever, and chris, and april, and casey, and the mutanimals, and it slowly spirals into all of them getting together and hanging out.

and the 2012 boys slowly start to realize that they do have a family. it may not be the one they thought they had, but it's even better, and full of people who truly love them.

@queen-with-the-quill @madcatgurl

[doamarierose-honoka]

14 years ago today, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars was originally released on the Nintendo Wii in NA. It was developed by Eighting and published by Capcom.

[teamdosufans]

Zaku x Kin's Last Stand

Artist store: https://www.fiverr.com/kairikazu

The night went Dosu died. The Sound Village rushed to take Zaku and Kin for the Edo Tensei. They Survived a assault. But eventually their fatigue caught up to them. As the next wave out sound ninja rush in. They take the last moments to embrace.

This was inspired by a Spy Family art.

[found-family-tournament]

Found Family Tournament Round 1 Part 3 Group 14

Propaganda and further pictures under the cut

Hamato Clan/Mad Dogz: Splinter, Leonardo, Rapahael, Michelangelo, Donatello, April O'Neil, Casey Jones (Sr. & Jr.) (& Baron Draxum & Cassandra Jones)

Team Victor: Victor, Sidney, Dominic, Dol & Mitch

Submissions are still open!

Hamato Clan/Mad Dogz:

Because Splinter was going through something horrific as his body was altered against his will (whether man to rat or rat to man depends on continuity) and he found four random turtles going through the same thing and went out of his way to car for them too. And then he lived in fear of humans because of what he thought they might do to his family and still accepted Casey and April despite that.

Okay so some of them are related yes but that doesnt stop the found family okay???? Draxum got a redemption arc and reaccepted into the family, April has been with the turtles and has been their big sister for like, 8 years or something meaning like half their lives cuz theyre teenagers, Cassandra changed sides to the people that showed her true love and care and loyalty, and Casey Jr. might not be blood related to the turtles but they think of him as family and they raised him. Leo is his apocolypse dad!

Team Victor:

Sorry, I got no propaganda for them yet :(

Mods note: This is the version of tmnt I grew up with. And nobody ever talks about it. Someone please tell me I'm not the only one who watched this. (I also have a game of Monopoly themed around this version)

[destiny-in-the-universe]

Day 7

We’re still going! This one was a silly thought I had at a strange time - you could almost say it came to me in a dream. Truth is, I’d been on vacation and the idea just spontaneously reached me then figured “let’s give it more angst!”

The fandom this time is RC9GN, and well, I had a literal blast writing this! More so than the first day because uh- the first one barely even matched what I wanted and it just completely derailed. This one, however, was a little pet project of mine! So here we are!

Read below the cut for fic details!

Plot/Summary

Trouble is brewing when McFist successfully manages to capture the Ninja, but he doesn’t expect to be met with retaliation. Randy finds himself in a precarious situation though this time, he’ll have to rely on his friends to save him and maybe… just maybe, he’ll adopt a valuable lesson about friendship and the memories they make.

Prompts

No. 13: Team as a Family

No. 23: Forced Choice

Alt Prompt: [REDACTED]

Extras/Teasers

Neurodivergent Characters

Dark! McFist

Norrisville Quartet Friendship (Randy, Howard, Debbie, and Theresa)

BAMF Debbie

built these memories on a bed of ash

Part 7 of Whumptober

Part 1 of i’ll be the watcher (of the eternal flame)

[pageofheartdj]

Please talk to me about Leo having npd I feel so alone😭

[samkyle]

Found family

Click for better quality

I'm not dead ! Just had a few problems with my computer and tablet !

I wanted to draw my headcannon for the ninjas design, maybe I got a little carried away.....

Process (forgot the flat color sorry)