#not to mention sakura haruno is so cool of a name

[bananaman-mp3]

girl help the sasusaku fans found every-sakura

[anyon-else]

This Fire of Devotion (It Burns Me) (The Red Room pt.3) | You and Kakashi had let your guards down too soon after getting Sakura out of the Red Room. You should've known that this kind of peace and safety was too good to last very long. (Marvel AU) – spotify playlist | read on ao3

Pairings | Kakashi Hatake x Black Widow!Reader + Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Naturo Uzumaki, Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi

Warnings | mind control, mentions of torture, discussion of themes present in Black Widow

Word count | 5.2k

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"I was a girl gulping a woman's grief."

Melissa Febos, "Call My Name"

Kakashi had resigned himself to a sleepless night the moment he decided to allow you to stay in the compound. He was self-aware enough to admit that his relief after Sakura's rescue made it much easier for her to sway him in your favor, but that didn't stop him from creating hundreds of worst-case scenarios as the hours passed. Each was more anxiety-inducing than the last, and he kept ruminating on your presence until he was too restless to stay in his room any longer.

He knew that nothing would happen. He’d seen the look in your eyes when you realized that Sakura was safe, but he had enough experience with betrayal that his cynicism wouldn’t let him close his eyes for more than a minute at a time. Every time he did, thoughts of Sakura dead at your hands intruded into his mind against his will, and each one became harder to ignore than the last.

After hours of this self-inflicted torment, he found himself perched on the balcony that neighbored Sakura’s room while giving him a view of the entrance to the compound. He laid down on the cool, stone floor, head pillowed by his hands and legs spread out in front of him. Now, at the very least, he would be able to hear if Sakura was in trouble. 

He let his eyes fall shut, finally silencing the paranoid voice in the back of his mind. It seemed equally satisfied with this arrangement, though it stayed alert and focused on the sounds coming from the room to his right. 

“Sakura, stop!”

His eyes snapped open after his body had already started moving. Instinct took over at the shout of your voice, distressed and terrified. The sound was too faint to be coming from Sakura’s window, and his eyes drifted to the room he’d given you for the night. The curtain was open and flowing inside from the push of the wind, and he quickly recognized the sounds of a struggle.

By the time he perched himself on your windowsill, the struggle was over. Sakura was laying with her head pillowed in your lap, unconscious but breathing steadily. You weren't actively attacking her, and your hands were gently placed on either side of her head to keep it stable, but instinct still made him dart towards you and lift the girl from your arms. 

He stood back before you could lash out at him, but to his surprise, you just watched as he pulled Sakura away, a kind of numbness in your eyes. Kakashi didn’t have time to reflect on that expression, and he raced from the room after one final glance in your direction.

No matter how many times you went over it, the facts of what had happened remained true, and the conclusion you’d come too didn’t become any less likely.

You wanted to stand. You wanted to follow Kakashi out of the room the moment he took Sakura—to demand that he listen to you before he took her anywhere. But for the first time in a very long time, shock and fear kept you rooted in place. 

Things had been going so well. In the hours since you’d seen Sakura, you thought you could rest easy knowing that she was safe. She’d told you enough about Kakashi that putting a face to the name helped you become less wary of him, and you'd felt content to leave her in his care.

But this changed things. This changed everything. 

You felt a distant terror seeping into your skin. The closer it crept towards you, the smaller you felt, shrinking to nothing in the vast emptiness of the room. At least, that was what it felt like. Like you were small enough to step on. And really, you were. Compared with what was happening now, you felt indescribably unprepared. How were you supposed to protect Sakura if he was already inside her head?

Orochimaru, from what you could remember, had always been fascinated with mind control. It was an unhealthy obsession that often kept him away from a decent night’s sleep for weeks at a time. Those were the only days when you saw him truly disheveled. In hindsight, it was those moments that provided the perfect opportunity for an assassination and subsequent escape.

Had you been less of a coward, Sakura never would’ve seen the inside of the Red Room. But, just like now, terror made ice spread through your veins the moment you saw him, freezing you in place while you let him do whatever he needed to do to make you the perfect spy.

And you saw him. You saw his eyes in Sakura's, his words in her voice, his actions in her body.

You thought he'd given up on the mind control project, under orders from H.Y.D.R.A to focus his resources on something more productive. But he'd ignored them, and the project had been a success.

And Sakura was his guinea pig.

You stood on shaky legs as Kakashi reentered empty-handed, arms crossed in front of him and shoulders tense. You glanced towards him for a moment, but it really wasn’t worth expending what little energy you had left to try and gauge his hostility level. He had obviously never fully trusted you, and this certainly didn’t help your case, but you hoped that you looked shocked enough that he would give you the benefit of the doubt. 

“What’s wrong with her?”

Kakashi’s voice was cold, but you could hear his tense frustration. You could hear the fear that he was desperately trying to mask. He’d just gotten Sakura back, and things were already beginning to fall apart.

You couldn’t blame him for his unease, but it still frustrated you to no end. His energy was wildly misplaced on you, and if you could only force yourself to articulate that, maybe you could start getting somewhere. 

“Did you hear me?” Kakashi’s voice was closer now. You’d barely registered his approach, which hadn’t happened in a long time. When you looked up, he was standing right in front of you, staring you down with wide, furious eyes. “I said what is wrong with Sakura?”

Your mind was a haze, and with that haze came a reliance on your reflexive instincts. The moment Kakashi took hold of your shoulder to try and force you to look at him, you had his arm pinned behind his back, immobilized and useless using one of the first defensive techniques you’d been taught in the Red Room. You reached for his free hand, but he beat you in speed and pulled it from your range.

Your chest was rising and falling at a rapid rate, and your hip was on fire as your stitches pulled at the broken skin. You closed your eyes in an attempt to slow your racing heart. He is not the enemy. He is not a threat. Let him go.

“Calm down,” he muttered after a moment. You couldn’t seem to gain enough control over your body to release him, and he wasn’t forcing himself out of your grip. You just stood chest-to-chest as you tried to gain back some movement in your limbs, "I know you didn't do anything to her. Just tell me what happened."

He said it like you trusted one another.

“Sakura has been compromised.”

“Meaning?”

“The current head of the Red Room and the Black Widow project is obsessed with mind control. I think he was using her as a test subject before we got out. I don’t know any more than that.”

You waited for him to drag you back to your cell and demand more information, but he just stood, quiet and tense. 

“And you don’t know if it’s permanent?”

“No,” you choked, thinking about Sakura alone and at Orochimaru's mercy. You’d been in the same situation enough times that imagination wasn’t required for you to picture the scene. You could see her in the same room as you had been in, attached to the same machines and being given the same tests. Only for Sakura, it was different. Orochimaru had taken her free will.

“Is she okay?” you croaked, feeling any fight you had left draining away along with your excess adrenaline.

“She's still unconscious. A doctor is examining her.”

You had to force your gut reaction down, shutting off your immediate and subconscious instinct to find Sakura at any cost. It was an instinct you’d gained after you were first separated from her, and you knew that no amount of reassurance that you were out of the Red Room would erase it.

You realized after a moment that your grip on Kakashi’s arm had tightened, but he didn't move. You knew he wanted something more from you; for you to give him information that you didn't have. He was probably hoping that, in your vulnerable state and position, you'd let more slip.

“Why haven’t you interrogated me?” you asked suddenly. While you were appreciative that you'd been given a room instead of the cell, it all seemed far too easy. “You know I have information about the Red Room. Don’t you want it?” 

"That was going to be a morning problem,” Kakashi said, taking a step back when your grip slackened. When he had examined the distance between you and apparently deemed it appropriate, he met your eyes again. “I’ll admit that I’ve been more lenient towards you because I got Sakura back. It’s put me in a good mood, and so far, I believe that her trust in you is warranted.”

“You shouldn’t,” you whispered, “what happened to Sakura could happen to me at any moment. They could’ve done any number of things to me over the years, and I’d have no idea until they actually decided to use it.” 

Kakashi just watched you. His silence was starting to unnerve you, and if you weren’t so on edge, you probably would’ve told him to leave you alone.

“Maybe keeping me locked up would be safer,” you muttered.

Neither you nor Sakura had escaped the Red Room. You wondered if escape was even possible from something like this. You were a fool to forget the lesson that had been hammered into you time and again: you were not an agent over your will. You were nothing more than a tool, and whoever wielded you dictated your actions. You would never have control over your body, and now you realized that you might not have control over your mind anymore. This was what Orochimaru wanted: the perfect soldier, his to control wholly and completely.

“Maybe,” Kakashi shrugged. “By that logic, I should lock Sakura up too, but we both know that I’m not going to do that. And if I keep you in a cell, she’ll insist that I do the same to her.”

If she’s ever herself again.

“What do you want me to do, then?”

Kakashi wasn’t looking at you anymore. His attention had shifted to the door, eyes blank and somewhere far away.

"If you can help her, then you'll stay," he stated with a simplicity that made everything feel easier than it actually was. Like he had fooled himself into thinking that you had some magic cure that would bring Sakura back.

But the only person with that power was the one person you had never been able to face without bending to his every command.

When Sakura pried her eyes open, the first thing that flooded her vision was a blinding light. Muffled voices were scattered in the background, but all she could pay any attention to was attempting to focus her eyes on her surroundings and make sure she wasn't in the hands of the enemy.

She remembered being rescued, and she remembered Kakashi allowing you out of your cell. Her initial excitement as a result of your freedom hadn't allowed her much room to focus on sleeping, but after a few hours of laying awake wondering what her life would amount to now that she had so much say in her fate, everything had become blurry. She remembered voices, and she remembered there being some kind of struggle, but her mind was too hazy to pull any real information from the memory. Instead of trying to sort through any of it, she pushed the confused jumble into the back of her mind and refocused on confirming her location.

Restraints were digging into her wrists and ankles, though they weren't tight enough to be anything more than an inconvenience. As she continued to lay frozen on what she now recognized as a hospital bed, the voices came into focus, and her chest ached with relief when she recognized you and Kakashi among them.

She tried once again to open her eyes, this time accompanying her struggle with a groan of discomfort. Your conversation with Kakashi paused, and in the silence she was able to see past the light and finally get a glimpse of her surroundings. She recognized the compound's hospital before you and Kakashi entered her field of vision on either side of the bed.

"Sakura?" you asked quietly, voice wary. If Sakura didn't know any better, she'd even say that you sounded nervous.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly, blinking against the harsh fluorescent shining over her. Kakashi disappeared from view, and the light was off a few seconds later. A lamp on her bedside table provided a pleasant ambiance, and she sighed in as her eyes relaxed to the dim calmness of the room

"Do you remember what happened?" Kakashi asked when he returned to sit in a chair next to her bed.

"What do you mean?" she glanced between you and Kakashi slowly, "like, last night?"

"Sakura..." you began, opening your mouth to continue, but closing it quickly after. You looked away from her for a moment, eyes darting from her restraints to Kakashi. Kakashi gave you a nod, and you met Sakura's eyes with a heavy sigh. You looked exhausted. "Do you remember the mind control technology that was being tested in the Red Room?"

Oh.

Sakura remembered very clearly. How could she forget? She remembered watching girls disappear one after another to become Orochimaru's test subjects. She remembered some never coming back, and thinking that they were the lucky ones. The ones that did come back were...different. Orochimaru always called them failures, but positive steps towards perfecting his Widows.

"We think that you were a test subject. Two days ago, you attacked me in my room, but it wasn't you. And you obviously don't remember anything. You passed out before you could do any real damage," you added quickly when Sakura's eyes widened and darted over you to look for any injuries. When her gaze settled on the faint bruises around your throat, you lifted a hand to cover them. When she looked back at you, your eyes held nothing but understanding and pain. Pain for her.

"Was there any point while you were in the Red Room when you felt like you were missing hours or days, or felt anything like how you're feeling now?"

You and Kakashi were both looking at her so patiently. She knew by the looks in both of your eyes that any answer, even the most unhelpful one, would lead to nothing but this same kindness. It had been a long time since she'd been back at the compound, and that unconditional understanding was something that she would need to readjust to.

"No," she finally admitted, desperately wishing that she had anything helpful to give. Neither of you looked disappointed or even surprised by this answer. Instead, you just looked at one another, and Sakura wondered what had happened in the time that she'd been unconscious to make you this cooperative.

"That's okay," Kakashi smiled, his eyes crinkling closed above his mask as he began taking off her restraints. You gave her a nod, a small smile on your lips as you brushed some stray hair away from her eyes.

"I didn't..." she began, thinking carefully about her words, "I didn't hurt you badly, did I?"

You shook your head, taking one of her hands and folding it between yours.

"No, you didn't. Don't worry about that."

She was worried. If this had happened while she was still in the Red Room, it would've been different. Now she was with people that she promised herself she'd protect. If she didn't have control over her body anymore, then you, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke were at risk just by being in her proximity.

"And you guys are...working together now?"

It seemed too good to be true. She was almost giddy at the idea, but she tried not to get her hopes up. Last she remembered, you trusted Kakashi about as far as you could throw him, and he was still hesitant to leave you alone with her.

Both you and Kakashi just stared at Sakura blankly, as if just now remembering your grudge against one another.

"We have a common goal," Kakashi finally said, little emotion in his voice, "so yes, right now we're cooperating."

"Which means," Sakura turned towards you, a smile growing on her face, "you're staying?"

You looked like you wanted to say no so as to not give Sakura any false hope in preparation for the worst case scenario, but you deflated when you saw the excitement in her eyes. Despite your unease about the whole situation and your lingering distrust of Kakashi, Sakura deserved this bit of happiness. With Orochimaru inside her head, anything that could ground her to her life and memories would only do her good.

"Yes," you finally answered, glancing at Kakashi to make sure that was the answer he'd had in mind too. His expression hadn't changed, so you continued, "I'm staying."

Sakura's excited smile almost made the half-lie worth it.

The plan you and Kakashi had come up with during Sakura's three days of unconsciousness ended up being a bit more complicated than you'd hoped. You kept forgetting that, for the first time in your life, you were free. You couldn't just request information and resources from HYDRA; you had to infiltrate, and you were hundreds of miles from your target.

Before, freedom had been a relief. Now that Sakura was unsafe, it felt like a burden.

You and Kakashi were planning on executing the mission alone. Kakashi claimed that it was too dangerous for his students, but you wondered if he was still wary letting Sasuke and Naruto near you.

The plan initially seemed simple considering the circumstances; one of HYRDA's archives in connection with the Red Room was located in West Germany, about twenty miles from the country's border.

You knew the whereabouts of many of the Red Room's affiliate strongholds and bunkers mostly because a portion of your initial assignments had been low-level security missions. One of those missions focused on retrieval, and you'd been given temporary access to your current target.

However, the archives were kept underground so as to not become a landmark and to avoid being picked up by satellite imaging. You knew the general location, as well as landmarks in the vicinity, but you didn't know the exact coordinates anymore.

"To enter, we'll need a code. It changes every month, and the sequence is automatic and random."

Kakashi was sitting in one of the eight chairs set up in the small conference room that you'd spent the better part of the day in. He was tapping a pen against his covered lips, eyes narrowed at your map where a circle surrounded the general area in which the archive was located.

"Alright," he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, "who has access to the codes?"

"It's not a long list. Orochimaru, obviously, as well as his second in command. We called him the Headmaster, but his real name is Kabuto Yakushi. He was in charge of overseeing our training and stepping in when Orochimaru was absent."

"So he'd be our best bet to–"

It was a struggle not to charge towards the door when it slammed open against the wall. You tensed, knuckles turning white as you gripped the table and turned a sharp, calculated glare towards the door.

"Sensei!"

"Naruto," Kakashi sighed, turning his chair to gaze at where the boy stood with an embarrassed smile, "and Sasuke."

Sasuke was much calmer than his friend as he walked into the conference room, hands tucked in his pockets and expression cooly indifferent.

"We heard there's a mission!" Naruto grinned, pulling out the chair next to Kakashi. Neither boy had looked at you yet, and whether that was intentional or not, you still took the opportunity to sink into a dark corner of the room. There were certain things you weren't very eager to do, and meeting more people who probably saw you as an enemy was one of them. "It's to help Sakura, right? We don't really know what happened, but—"

"You're not going."

Kakashi's words were cold and definitive, but he barely glanced at the boys with that bored expression. You looked between the three of them carefully, and you felt your old habits taking over, forcing you to analyze their movements, their words, the way they interacted with one another. Anything to give you information on them. To give you leverage.

"W-what? Sensei, we have to go! You can't just go on a mission like this alone with..."

Naruto finally glanced in your direction, eyes low and filled with guilt as he cut himself off. Sasuke didn't add anything, but his scathing gaze in your direction told you enough.

"Naruto–"

"She's not one of us," Sasuke bit, glaring at you like you'd attack him and Naruto if he gave you a moment's rest from his cold gaze, "and we don't trust her to back you up. So we want to go instead of her."

You watched the three interact curiously, and you were mostly unfazed by their hostility towards you. Both were well within their rights to doubt your loyalties and intentions, and in all honesty, this was more your comfort zone. You'd started becoming wary of Kakashi's cooperation and willingness to go on this mission with you. While it made sense, and Sakura's safety presented a common goal, you still had a nagging feeling that things were going too smoothly.

This hostility somehow brought a bit of relief.

"That's enough," Kakashi sighed, voice tired and devoid of emotion, "I'll remind you that you're both still students, and this mission won't be short or easy."

Sasuke opened his mouth again, a protest on the tip of his tongue, but one glance from Kakashi had him pausing.

"If we're all gone, who's going to make sure Sakura's okay while she recovers? Who's going to make sure that HYDRA doesn't come here and take her back to the Red Room, hm?"

Naruto's eyes widened, gaze finally shifting from you to Kakashi. He looked horrified at this hypothetical.

"You'll both be staying here."

"And her?"

Sasuke was still glaring at you, arms crossed over his chest and voice full of venom. Kakashi rubbed a hand over his face. While you weren't sure how far you'd come in gaining the man's trust, you knew you likely hadn't gotten far enough for him to defend you to his students.

"You don't have to trust her," Kakashi finally said, "but you can trust me. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have."

"We know, but–"

"End of discussion."

Kakashi's tone left little room for argument, and both boys tensed at the force of his words. Naruto pouted, sulking as he trudged out the door, but Sasuke stood frozen in front of Kakashi. You could practically hear the silent conversation between the two. Sasuke looked furious, and from what you could tell, he had no intention of leaving the room willingly.

Kakashi glanced towards you, a tired brow raised in question. You shrugged, surprised he was even giving you a say in the decision. It made no difference to you whether or not Sasuke heard the brief of the mission. It only mattered if he came along and slowed you down.

"You can stay and listen. Maybe some assurance that there's an actual plan will keep you from being a nuisance."

Sasuke sat heavily in the chair behind Kakashi, glare shifting back to you as you stepped out of your dark corner.

"The first problem we'll have to deal with is getting to Kabuto. If he's going to be our target, then I'll be able to track him down, but getting close enough to get what we need is an entirely different story. His role as the Headmaster means that he's always either with Orochimaru or with the widows. Either way, he's constantly guarded."

You switched to a picture of Kabuto, glancing away from it quickly before images of matches to the death and reprimands for not killing other Widows could reappear in your head. You cleared your throat when you felt it starting to close up. You'd gotten soft in the short time since your escape, and your desensitization to routine violence was beginning to fade. If this was how you were reacting to a photo of Kabuto, you didn't want to think about what a confrontation with Orochimaru would look like.

Sasuke was studying you, watching your reactions with dull interest.

"The second problem will be finding the exact location of the bunker. And the third," you switched the screen to a general layout of the archives. It was massive, housing any non-digitized files from the time that the Red Room started to present day, "will be getting the information we need. Not only will we need to sort through years of files to find what we're looking for; in order to find it, we'll need to decode it."

Kakashi tapped a pen against the desk.

"What kind of code?"

"It's one of Orochimaru's inventions. All widows are taught how to decipher it during their training, and it's one of the more complex of HYDRA's ciphers. The fastest I could go when I learned it was three pages an hour, but that was a long time ago. Considering we don't know exactly what we're looking for, it might take weeks to sort through everything."

Sasuke's gaze shot to Kakashi, eyes narrowed in silent question. That was far too long for him to be away from his teacher, and far too long for you to be alone with him. There would be too many opportunities for you to kill him.

"I know what you're thinking, Sasuke–"

"This will take too long," Sasuke muttered, "and you won't have any backup. I know that Sakura trusts her, but..."

Guilt passed across the boy's face briefly, and his hesitation left behind a heavy silence.

"Sakura isn't in her right mind. Anything she said to vouch for this woman could've been HYDRA talking through her. And if that's the case, we're playing right into their hand. There is every possibility that she was sent here to kill you."

The assessment was fair. If you had been in Sasuke's position, with little information about the Red Room and Orochimaru's technology, you probably would've been presenting the same possibility. But you'd seen Sakura when she was under Orochimaru's influence. While the man was a genius, his technology couldn't imitate true humanity. The mind control technology that Orochimaru used was meant to create mindless obedience. It wasn't difficult to tell who was being controlled.

But coming from you, that opinion would likely have made little difference. If Sasuke had already convinced himself that you were a double agent, then nothing you said would convince him of your innocence.

Kakashi sighed, shoulders slumping from what looked to be exhaustion. Sasuke held his ground, staring at his teacher with a determination that impressed you. If he was more experienced, you probably would have encouraged Kakashi to let him come along.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take to help Sakura."

Sasuke's wince was barely noticeable, but the guilt that spread across his features was clear as day.

"I'm counting on you to take care of her and Naruto while I'm gone," Kakashi spoke softly, and Sasuke nodded, eyes downcast.

He left the room shortly after, head high once more as he shot one final, scathing glare in your direction. When the door clicked shut behind him, Kakashi turned to face you again.

"You know, it might be in your best interest to listen to him," you said carefully, knowing the thin line you were still walking. Kakashi remained a mystery to you, and every time you were with him, his decisions became more and more confusing. Sasuke's assessment of your loyalties did have some sense to it; if you were in Kakashi's position, you would have had plenty of doubts.

"Are you admitting to being a double agent?" Kakashi asked, though there was little accusation or hostility in his voice. He wasn't even looking at you.

"No. I'm just confused that you seem to trust me."

"Oh, don't get things confused," he spoke jovially, eyes crinkling shut as he smiled, "I don't trust you. But you're my best shot at freeing Sakura, so we're completing this mission together out of necessity. As much as it pains me to say, I can't save her without your help."

When his eyes opened, they had darkened considerably. You met his gaze carefully, confronting it with a blank expression.

"But make no mistake. If you are a double agent, and I find out you have any intention of hurting my students, I have no reservations about doing what I have to do to protect them."

When you left the conference room to speak with Sakura later that night, you weren't surprised to find Sasuke waiting for you at the door of her room. He glared at you as you approached, blocking the entrance while sitting in a deceptively relaxed position. He was resting his arm on a bent knee, his other leg extended in front of him.

"Why are you still here?" he asked, voice just as cold as before. He was strong-willed, you'd give him that, but stubbornness was almost a built-in quality of widows. If it was a battle of wills, you liked your odds.

Still, stubbornness and loyalty often went hand-in-hand when you were constantly under threat of capture and interrogation. Even now, giving up information about the Red Room set off alarm bells in your head, and you had to force yourself to ignore all of your instincts. Loyalty to the Red Room had been practically conditioned into you since childhood, and breaking free from those instincts was taking its toll on you. You were tired. You didn't want to deal with this.

"I just want to talk to Sakura," you tried. You knew you looked and sounded desperate, but you couldn't find it in you to care all that much about how Sasuke saw you. Once you and Kakashi were able to fix Sakura, he would never have to see you again.

"I don't believe you."

Sasuke stood, squaring his shoulders like he was getting ready to spar with you.

You were so, so tired.

"Fine," you muttered, feeling any fight you had left drain out of you. Like someone had punched a hole in your chest and let everything except pure exhaustion leak out, "just tell her that I'm leaving with Kakashi in twenty-four hours."

You turned when Sasuke just stared at you, eyes still narrowed like he thought this was a trap to get him to let his guard down.

As you turned and followed the path back to your room, you heard the door open and click shut gently behind you.

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Author's note | title is from "What Kind of Man" by Florence + the Machine

[chattegeorgiana]

I admit I didn't really like SasuKarin back then but I decided to give it a chance after reading On Sasuke Uchiha and his bonds with Itachi Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Karin Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno and your posts concerning them. I still don't ship them but my opinion has changed of it a lot and I actually think those two had a better chance at becoming a pair. But I think what raised my respect for it even more was their fan children. I have a soft spot for fan children so it's not really a surprise, but they are all so cute and beautiful! My personal favorites are Akari Uzumaki and the U-Twins! Speaking of the U-Twins, you and Pumiih did an awesome job on them! They look so cool and mysterious just like their parents and I love what they are meant to represent! They're hairstyles also remind me of Madara so that's funny to me lol. I also really like the idea of Sasuke growing his hair out into a ponytail to honor Itachi. The side shavings on his hair makes him even cooler in my opinion. I also noticed something. I don't know know how to properly explain it but I'll try. We see more male Uchiha clan members than female (despite there being some such as Naomi, Izumi, and Mikoto) and we see more female Uzumaki clan members than male (despite there being some such as Ashina, Nagato, and Naruto). It's almost as if those certain genders hold the more importance. So I think it's interesting that it's reversed with the U-Twins. Sorry if I didn't explain it well (couldn't really find the right words) but all in all, I'm excited to see what you'll do with them in the future, make sure you don't rush, take your time and rest, and again, awesome job! 💜❤️

Anon, I don't know who you are, but first of all THANK YOU for your kind and introspective message.

I want to say this is one of the messages that definitely won my heart because you SAW what I meant to do. You explained everything PERFECTLY! That's exactly what I wanted to do. A "gender roles swap" to show that change that is meant to bring in more ways than one.

Because while I do express these changes through my preferred ships, I never really forgot about the CORE elements of what made the Naruto story so beloved, and one of that is the clans & the shinobi system.

Their design have a thought about element from the very strand of hair to their overall design... I don't know if you know me for a long time or not, but one of the things I'm obsessed about is symbolism. So when I create something, there's a symbolic meaning behind almost everything!

When studying Literature, symbolism has been one of my favorite parts. I just love how one can transmit certain themes, ideas, beliefs etc in a symbolic way.

I feel as if this manages to stay with the reader/viewer better. It somehow enters your soul.

Being part of the Shinachiku Kosen team & doing Kaika myself, I can tell you that both Akari & the U twins have a great deal of symbolism behind them & were created with much love.

I know people don't taste SK that good, especially given how the great metas of the past about them has been lost. I only touched in that analysis you mentioned like a small, surface-level way.

If you would've been here in the past when Skania or Homusubi wrote their metas (both great known names in the SK fandom), you would've at least been able to understand where the SK fandom comes from. Or came. There aren't many left anyway.

You don't have to ship them, ofc.

I didn't particularily do it either in the beginning, but then when I saw the symbolism that was building up, Sasuke awakening such power to protect Karin and their similar backgrounds, I couldn't help but fall for the possibility of it. Plus, the comedic act of it. It was something different about them. But alas...

Once again thank you for your kind and introspective message! I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. And trust me, as a writer-wanna be, it lit my soul on fire to see someone properly getting the "underneath beneath the underneath" I was trying to show there. Gives me a lot of mood to keep pushing through this, even if I'm so late with how I planned for the project to go & all that. But hey, adulting will somehow do that with your plans lol. This year has been quite busy on a personal level for me. But now things start to look up, so I should be able to soon get back to it & bring about all this vision I had in my mind to life. So thank you once again for your message and your interest in Kaika! All the best,

Chatte.

[thefairyletters]

✨ Spooky Recs✨

I read a lot of fanfictions... More than I am proud of. I thought I should recommend as I go before I lose sight of their existence among the sea of my favorites.

Since past few days I have been craving for some creepy, unnerving fanfics that will keep me restless and awake at night. I remembered my favorites and wanted to read more of the kind so I looked up, patiently going through each story that sounded compelling. I also revisited old stories for nostalgia's sake.

Of course, rare as they are, in Naruto fandom no less, it's even harder to find a horror and mystery fic that is well written, not dropped under 2 chapters, and really keeps your attention.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Comedy

I've rated 4 aspects of the work -

Writing – I don't judge writing based solely on the grammar and vocabulary. I also consider how the author expands upon a subject, if they are consistent with the facts, if they are able to keep the attention of the readers regardless of their creative writing skills.

Characters – If the characters are well-developed, in their given character, if OCs have any real significance to the story.

Plot – How gripping is the storyline, if the story sticks to its original plot, the structure of the story, plot holes.

Flow – Mother-of-slow-burn, slow-but-steady, steady, fast, I-am-speed

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When the flowers cry : TCOOKIES777 || M || AO3/FFN || SasuSaku || Goth Horror || Post-Canon, set during Blank Period || Ongoing

When one of the greatest medical-nin in the world goes missing in what should have been a simple delivery to the Land of Spring’s Hidden Snow Village, the rest of Team 7 must reunite to find her. But even the most powerful team of shinobi will find themselves challenged in a battle against the supernatural. With Sasuke's return, vengeful ghosts of the past will test him and his love.

My thoughts : One of the best stories I've read in a while, and top tier SS stories. I read this in one sitting. I never listen to music while reading, preferring silence, but for this one, I suggest you do as the author says. Also, keep some tissues and food with you. This story is major in mystery and minor in horror but otherwise full of SS fluff.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 9/10

Flow: Steady, if a bit confusing (but that's why it's mystery)

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Kyuro : silver_shot || T || AO3 || SasuSaku || Mystery || Post-Canon || Complete

“Oh,” says Naruto, “well, its sort of like that. Except in this village, the story has a way more darker ending – it basically goes like this: the girl and the guy plan to run away together. The guy steals a bunch of treasure, and stashes it away. But then, when he goes to get the girl at her village, he kills her and decides to run away with all that money. But then he is killed by the guards of the girls village and now they're both dead and the treasure is hidden away somewhere”. Sasuke stares blankly at the blond, “that story makes no sense”.

My thoughts : I know you must be thinking the same thing as Sasuke – "makes no sense". I did too, but it's a pretty cool short story. It lies on the funny, creepy side that slowly starts to lose its funny touch. SS makes stupid mistakes later on but it could be because they are MCs. The ending is very ambiguous. It's not my favorite mystery but it is something. Enjoyable read but not something I will pick again.

Writing: 8/10

Characters: 8/10

Plot: 8/10

Flow: Fast

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Moon stuttering in the sky : xfrinz || T || AO3 || Gen || Mystery || Pre-Shippuden || One-shot

Kakashi is suspicious of many things about Haruno Sakura. Too many things about her don't make sense, with too many incongruous explanations.

My thoughts : Author of this story just summarised Pre-Shippuden in less than 4k words and made some tiny changes to it. Not much though. One of my favorite gen fics yet. Read it if you haven't yet. You'll feel more sad than thrilled tbh. But worth it.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: I-am-Speed

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Breath mints : silver_shot || T || AO3 || SasuSaku || Comedy-Mystery || Post-Canon || Ongoing (maybe)

Their home no longer exists with the life it once had – in fact no settlement thrives anymore; they exist only in a snapshot that contradicts time itself. Families within their own homes sleep in a slumber that they cannot wake from. Those that were chatting on the street prior to the event simply drop their heads and remain unresponsive.

My thoughts : I picked it up for Mystery but I stayed for Comedy. But of course that's not to say supernatural elements in this story is not it, but it sure pales in comparison to effortless humor in this story. Lee and Kiba pair is something you don't see often but they get along too well here. Charactisation is on point as well. SS angst! + NS angst (but it's downplayed)

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 9/10

Flow: Steady

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The Curse : sincerelyLen || T || FFN || SasuSaku || Horror || Post-Canon || Ongoing

Team 7 is unexpectedly assigned an S-Ranked Mission involving an unsolved mystery of 10 years. An eerie adventure that will test their teamwork, strengths, and greatest fears. Do you believe in Curses?

My thoughts : My all-time favourite horror Naruto fanfiction. To me, this sets the standard of how mystery and horror elements should be handled. I have never been able to get this story out of my mind even it's been years. Perfect charactisation of Team 7 with Smart-yet-Stupid!Sakura, I-can-fight-aliens-and-reanimated-corpses-but-keep-ghosts-away-from-me!Naruto and I-dont-get-paid-enough-for-this!Sasuke. I especially love OCs here. They kinda reminds me of Pillars from KnY. You must read this story, loosely based on Zombie apocalypse + curse concept.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Slow-but-Steady

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Silent High : Istoria || T || FFN || Gen || Mystery || Post-Canon || Complete

A bit of the Silent Hill series mixed in with Naruto. Trapped in an illusion whose rules are unknown, they struggle to find answers before darkness consumes them.

My thoughts : One of the best mystery fanfictions I've read. I especially loved how this story handled Genjutsu in the best possible way it could without it turning into some cliche, ghost story. Though really, this story has shown what my greatest fear actually is. I will never be able to leave my back open to a wheelchair. This story has simple writing yet it gives you creeps with the twists and turns. A must read one because it is unlike any other in this list.

Writing: 9/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Steady

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Silence of the Damned : Daystar Clarion || T || FFN || Gen || Psychological Horror, Mystery(?) || Pre-Shippuden || One-Shot

When Naruto wakes up to a dead body in his bathroom, he begins a quick spiral into madness.

My thoughts : Listen to Halsey's Control while reading this. Quite chilling, deals with mental issues and morbid but in a fascinating way. It gives a new meaning to Dark!Naruto, but one that actually makes sense. I never saw the ending coming... I had something else in mind and I was convinced it would be, but nope. Here's a sequel to this One-Shot (Uzumaki's War) which I never picked up.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 9/10

Flow: Slow-but-steady

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To the Victor : Letta || T || FFN || NaruSaku || Psychological Horror || Shippuden || One-Shot

Naruto loses the fight and Sakura is a trophy of war.

My thoughts : A very twisted NS, if you squint. It's not horror but it might as well be... it is still a disturbing story to see from the eyes of Sakura. Quite chilling to be in Sakura's shoes. But I love this because it is one shot and I loved the ending.

Writing: 9/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 8/10

Flow: Steady

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Under the Skin : BukkakeNoJutsu || T || FFN || Team 8 || Body Horror || Pre-Shippuden || One-Shot

Your actions don't make you a monster. Your reasons do.

My thoughts : There's a reason why Shino is my favourite team 8 member. In my opinion, Shino is also one of the strongest Shinobi of his generation. His clan techniques are just that horrifying. This story is testament to that. He is so terrible.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Slow-but-steady

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Instant Message : Keelah || T || FFN || SasuSaku || Murder mystery || Modern AU || Incomplete

She gave him names to kill, in order not to be killed herself. But having blood on her hands was turning out to be much worse than dying. "…There's still round 2…3…4…" When does this game end? She asked. "Don't you see, Sakura?" He said, "It never does."

My thoughts : I read this story a long time ago and have read this twice. Personally, it has the most interesting concept of all stories in the list. It reminds me of Vocaloid series, "Bookmark of the end". Kind of. To those who are thinking of picking this up, go ahead! It's a great book and has one of the best suspense I've read in Fandom. BUT, it has been stopped in mother-of-all-cliffhangers and Author is MIA for 4 years now. But, all things considered, it remains to be one of the best stories I've read.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Steady

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Monomoth : Ohtze || M || FFN/AO3 || SasuSaku || Horror || AU || Incomplete

Everything ends, eventually. Eight years after the war, Sakura's unhinged and Sasuke's obsessed. The fields are filled with corpses.

My thoughts : I read this story right after "The Curse", my favourite. From what I remember, Sakura and Sasuke are both mentally deranged, in different ways. Lots of death and gore to stomach, so not for weak readers. There's no speak of fluff in this one. Zero, Zilch, Nada. I wouldn't call it your classic 'Horror', but it is very disturbing, so psychological horror is more like it. Don't eat food while reading this one. Did I mention how Sakura is mentally disturbed beyond help in this one? And Sasuke is obsessed. If these suit your tastes, go ahead.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Slow

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I hope you enjoy this list. Let me know your opinion in comments.

[snickiebear]

Hello, snickiebear! Congratulations on your 200 followers! If you have the time, would you mind writing Shisui x Sakura in a nonmass au? I’m actually curious about your take on a time travel scenario with this pairing, but I also understand that a lot of works have been written on time travel already, so it’s still awesome if you don’t do the time travel part!

Congratulations again and thanks for taking the time to read this ask! Your works are really enjoyable to read. Thank you so much for writing and for doing this 200-follower event!

hello lovely anon!!! thank YOU for reading and requesting!!!! this one was so much fun to write! you ask for time travel + nonmass + shisaku? i am helpless to deliver!! this is a bit more angsty than i wanted but are we surprised? (nope, not at all lmao) this is also now on AO3 bc i really liked it!

also, apologies that this took a bit!! lifes been a real fuckin bitch and the wall of writer's block hit me like a train AHAHAHA but i hope you like this one!!! :)))

The sky is sunny and the spring beautiful when the sky splits itself in half with a brillant, blinding flash of light.

Shisui, masked and riding the after mission high, can only stare as a body plummets from that crack, limp and silent.

It is as if the heavens have spit out what they have deemed unworthy.

Or perhaps, the heavens are dropping a gift on their doorstep.

Either way, Shisui is moving before he knows what is happening, catching that body— a woman with shaven pink hair— and holding her close, head tucked under his chin.

She’s breathing, chest rising and lowering feebly.

Shisui catches his breath as the fracture within the sky closes and only then does he notice the mask.

Porcelain and painted. A combination of a snake and fox, a wolf and slug.

His ANBU team materializes next to him, Dog-taicho’s chakra going from lazy to alert at the sight of the woman. “That’s…”

“Yeah.” Shisui says hoarsely. “She- she needs medical attention. I think.” There is a lot of blood, she’s dripping in it. But he can’t see where she’s bleeding from… or if all that blood is even hers.

“Let’s go.” Dog-taicho cuts through his thoughts, voice hard and a bit panicked. Afterall, Kakashi owes his life to this woman, they all did.

Team Ro blurred out of existence in their race to Kohona, their Savior clutched within his arms.

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It's funny, really. When she looks back, as she so often does now, it's laughable. The fact that Haruno Sakura, the civilian born, the nobody, the weak one of Team 7 is the only one left.

Sakura was the only one left in the war against Kaguya and she had done what she has always done; what was needed.

So, Sakura was the only one left and she figured out what was left of Naruto’s seals and shot herself through time to fix everything, to save everyone. To take down Danzo, Hanzo, Madara, to save Sai, the Uchihas, Kakashi.

She was the one to heal Obito, to save Rin, to make sure that Itachi’s hands would never be stained with his family’s blood.

And now, now she sits in a T&I room and she laughs, laughs herself hoarse because she succeeded, she won. And now she is in the future, her intended destination, but it is not the same.

In this future, Haruno Sakura does not exist. She is nothing and no one.

Naruto and Sasuke are alive and well and happy. They get to live the lives they could have only dreamed about.

And Sakura. She doesn’t exist.

She laughs herself hoarse, the laughs turning into broken sobs and she drops her forehead to the table, hiccuping and clenching her hands into blood inducing fists.

Alone. As she always has been.

The door creaks open and Ibiki steps in, a folder in hand.

Sakura’s head snaps up, wiping her face as she almost sighs in relief. She loved (loves?) Ibiki, he once was one of her closest friends near the end. She knows Ibiki, trusts him. Or, at least, she had.

Sakura straightens in her chair, careful of the chakra suppressing handcuffs that really do nothing for her, just acting as a hindrance. But, she does not remove them because she is not a threat to Konoha, she never has been, never intends to be.

Ibiki sits down in front of her, eyeing her carefully and it almost feels like coming home. “You say your name is Haruno Sakura.”

“Yes.” She rasps, licking her cracked and bleeding lips. “That’s right.”

Her eyes flit to the glass window, ignoring her own reflection as she narrows her eyes at whoever is behind the wall. An unknown chakra signature, wild and worried. And— and—

Kakashi.

His cool and lazy chakra, almost like a current of electricity. She would know that chakra any where, as if it is engrained deep in her bones. And right now he’s interested, almost antsy.

Swallowing, Sakura looks back to Ibiki, who had been watching her keenly. “You already had Inoichi-san do a mind walk. You know everything I do.” Shoulders back, chin tilted, spine steeled.

The dead man that sits in front of her hums and opens a folder, “We believe you—”

“It is not a matter of believing.” Sakura snaps, eyes flashing. “You know it is a fact. He saw, he showed you, you saw. How could I ever make something like that up?”

“What we know,” Ibiki says too calmly, too pleasantly, “Is that you are severely traumatized.”

And Sakura well, she laughs again. Because. Because what else is she supposed to do? She gives and gives and gives and is given nothing back.

There are no fruits for her labor, no reward for her sacrifice.

Shoulders shaking as she cries and laughs, scrubbing at her face. “We were friends, you know.” She manages. “I made you laugh twice, once after I lost my middle finger,” Sakura holds up her hand to show him, unsure of why she is even talking. “The second when you were dying in my arms.”

Silence rings out as Sakura gathers herself, swallowing harshly. Ibiki is still looking at her, but the way is no longer cynical, no longer studying.

“Haruno—”

“Just Sakura,” She says wearily.

“Sakura-san,” He continues, “When you were brought in you had a mask on. A mask that has been seen countless times saving Konoha shinobi.”

Sakura does not dare mention the fact that she has also interfered with Suna, giving Gaara the childhood he deserves. And with Mist, cutting the head off the snake quickly enough that the caste system would never truly solidify.

So, she nods. “I am aware.”

“And you claim you are the person behind the mask on every occasion.”

Sighing, she runs a hand over what is left of her hair and makes direct eye contact with her once friend, giving a curt nod, “I am the person behind the mask.”

“One last question, Sakura-san.” Ibiki murmurs, jotting something down in his folder. Sakura forces herself not to read the familiar writing. Though, she is well equipped to read upside down. “How did you come to possess the rinnegan?”

The air drops from mildly uncomfortable to freezing and Sakura does not balk at the question. “You saw it for yourself, Ibiki. It was a gift.”

“Yes, but from who?”

Her heart aches, squeezes at the thought of Naruto, of Sasuke, phantom pains. It is as if she has lost a limb, a piece of her heart when they had turned to ash between her fingers. But Sakura does not waver as she says, “It was a parting gift from Uchiha Sasuke before he died.”

The unknown chakra behind the wall erupts into a mess of emotions while Kakashi’s is mildly surprised if not wary. There is tension between the both of them though.

Which is incredibly amusing considering it wasn’t until much, much later did Kakashi ever see anything to be wary about in her.

(It took her flicking the ground and allowing it to split open and swallow any of their pursuers to convince him that she could very well tear him in half without a second thought.

She wouldn’t though. Team 7 and its members will always be a soft and deeply bruised spot for her. A wound she could never quite heal. Sakura cannot remember a time when she has ever been bruiseless. She has come to terms with being wounded.)

Ibiki closes the folder and taps it on the steel table between them, he motions over his shoulder and the door opens swiftly, revealing Kakashi and another Uchiha with curly hair.

He’s just as she remembers him, except not. Her Kakashi had slouched, had a certain energy about him.

This one, he looks the same, has the scar, the slight slouch. But it is clear that ghosts no longer beat on his back, the world's weight no longer bends him to its will.

Pain races through her heart, echoing physically throughout her body. It hurts. It shouldn’t, seeing her old sensei, her once friend, happy. But it does.

Because while she cannot live without Team 7, it is clear Team 7 can live without her.

She straightens, eyes sharp and body tense as Ibiki stands, chair scraping harshly against the floor and then takes her hands into his, calluses and scars scraping against each other.

Sakura could only imagine what Tsunade-shishou would say if she were to see her, riddled with scars and missing fingers. She could have healed them without a second thought, but chakra had been precious then. Every single ounce had been poured into keeping her precious people safe and herself alive enough to keep fighting.

Her once friend produces a key and unlocks the handcuffs, letting them drop heavily into his awaiting hands before standing up, “Sakura-san, this is Hatake Kakashi,” Her former teacher gives her a hard once over. “And Uchiha Shisui.”

Her skin itches and crawls at Kakashi’s look, cold and unfond, nothing like how she remembers him. And of course, of course he wouldn’t be the man who she had come to adore. He is someone else in this carefully constructed future of her own doing.

The blame, as always, rests upon her weakening shoulders. Sakura is crumbling, her sanity chipping away ever so slowly. It is laughable, really. She wants to throw her head back and howl, she wants to bow and allow herself to scream.

But, if she were to begin to scream, she is not sure she would be able to stop.

So, she gives a curt nod, “Hatake-san. Uchiha-san.”

“Shisui, and therefore the Uchiha, have volunteered to bring you into their custody.” Ibiki goes on, taking a step back. Sakura stays where she is, rooted.

A chill runs up her spine and she looks to Ibiki almost pleadingly. “And you can’t simply dump me into ANBU instead?”

“Mah, Sakura-san.” Kakashi drawls and Sakura’s will cracks. (That bruise will never quite heal.) “I can promise that the Uchiha aren’t as bad as they seem.”

Shisui smiles and it is unlike any smile she has seen before.

She cannot remember the last time she had seen a smile.

“Don’t listen to the old man, Sakura-san.” Shisui says and she’s caught off guard at how friendly he sounds, deep and welcoming. Sakura swallows harshly. “We’re a bunch of assholes but no harm will come to you, we can promise that.”

Uchiha men, she thinks with distaste, will always hold a knife to her heart. And they will always know how to twist the wretched blade to get her to bend for them.

But. But perhaps Sakura could bend, bend and lay and rest. Just once. And this time she'll bend for herself. Perhaps.

She finds herself nodding, hands shaking despite the steel in her spine, her shoulders still straight. “You’re going to just let me go.”

Ibiki gives her a hard look and Sakura’s lips twitch. Ah, of course not. The Uchiha compound is just a glorified prison. Then again, it is much better than anything she thought would happen.

Then again, Saura never thought this would happen.

Too desperate, too blind with the possibility of a chance to see them again, to be whole again. She, for all her brains, all her genius, had not even stopped to think of the possibility that her future would no longer exist.

It is laughable, really.

So she laughs, she clutches her stomach and laughs because what else can she do?

Sakura has done what she has always done; what was needed. And once again, like every other time, there is nothing but black at the end of the tunnel. No light exists for her.

She is to blame for her own destruction, her own crumbling.

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“You can come out,” Sakura’s voice calls out and Shisui grins.

He steps from the shadows, two mugs in hand as he comes to sit next to her, offering her the drink. She takes it without hesitation but swirls it before sipping from it, Shisui watches as her eyes light up just a little bit.

Hot cocoa with peanut butter. He had noticed, the last time the clan had it, that she’d snuck four mugs worth.

If Sakura was surprised he noticed, she didn’t show it. She was like that, a one way mirror, giving nothing away even as she saw everything.

“Did you want something, Shisui-san?” She twitches as he scoots a little closer, the fireflies floating around the backyard. “Or did you just want some company?”

Shisui smiles boyishly, tilting his head back to look at her, “Heard that Minato-sama called you into the Hokage’s office again.”

“You mean you heard from Genma, who told Itachi while on their date, who then told you that the Hokage summoned me for the fourth time this week.” Sakura snorts, taking a long drink from her mug. There's a little foam on her upper lip that he fights to not wipe away. “He and his wife keep trying to convince me to let them look at the seals I used.”

Shisui pauses, eyes trained on Sakura as she looks to the sky, head leaning back. Her hair has grown out a little, more fuzz on her head than anything, she looks more alive, well fed. Deep bags under her one visible eye, three nasty scars dissect her face and the rest of her body isn’t any better.

She is the most beautiful, most terrifying, most devastating thing he has ever seen.

“The seals you used…”

“To go back and hop through time like a jack rabbit to save the entire world?” She asks, a wry smile on her face. “Yes, Shisui, those seals.”

He hums, leaning back on the heels on her hands, “Why don’t you just let them look?”

“They aren’t my seals to share.” Sakura half snaps, shoulders curling in, her body strung tight. “Naru— my friend was the one to draw them out, I just figured out the last bit of it. Plus, there is no reason why they need to see those seals.” Her tone sharp, unyielding almost pleading.

Shisui stays quiet until Sakura begins to slowly relax. She gets like this sometimes, tense and defensive. As if trying to convince herself rather than him of her deeds. He knew better than to push, he knew that she had gone through more than anyone would ever go through.

The way Ibiki and Inoichi look at her with the utmost respect can verify that. The way Kakashi and Rin and Obito have gone out of their way to greet her, to help her speaks volumes.

He takes a drink from his mug, studying the stars winking above them. “Hey Sakura,”

“Yes?” She sounds oh so weary. His very soul aches.

“Thank you, for everything.” He doesn’t dare look at her, barely hearing himself over the pounding of his heart. “You don’t talk much about what happened but I know, I can tell that it was horrible. And thank you for saving us, the world.”

She had lost everything, everyone. In that future that she had protected them from Sasuke died, Itachi died, he was dead. He could only imagine what the ruins of that world looked like. He could only imagine what Sakura had to do to survive.

Sakura’s fingers are cold, freezing as they brushes the back of his hand. Shisui fights a shiver, the trail of goosebumps, the thrill. “Oh, oh Shisui.” Her voice is heartbreaking and full of nothing but steel. “I would never allow anyone to endure that. You will never have to endure that, I made sure of it. Never. No one will. I promise.”

Her hand draws back as she brings her knees to her chest, eyes far away and breathes quick. And Shisui, he doesn’t know what comes over him as he scoots even closer and carefully wraps his arm around her strong shoulders, drawing her closer.

And. And Sakura, she allows it. She moves to his side, not quite leaning but touching.

“Are you happy here?” Shisui finds himself asking after long minutes of silence. Sakura’s breath evened out and she sits with her chin on her knees.

Her eye flits to him, weighing and heavy. She looks at him and Shisui cannot help but see the age, the ancientness that has taken root. He wants to pull out the misery within her, wants to hold her tight enough that she will never fall apart without somewhere there to catch the pieces.

He wants to love her, he wants her to let him love her.

“No.” Sakura whispers, as if her unhappiness in a world that does not know her, that has done nothing for her is such an awful, wretched thing. “I miss everyone.”

Shisui cannot say anything so he does what he does best; what he wants.

He stays with her, arm resting on her shoulders and slowly, Sakura allows herself to lean into his side.

Around them, the night settles and the crickets chirp. The heavens had nothing to do with Haruno Sakura, with their Savior, coming to them. No, Sakura is the catalyst of this, of this paradise they now all reside in.

If anything, she is the heavens themselves. And it is about time someone tells her that, shows her that.

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Sakura sees them for the first time in the five months she has landed in this new future. Itachi invited her to meet his genin team. Itachi, the man who had once been a mass murderer, is now a mednin and a jounin sensei.

Shisui joins her because of course he does, he has been the one constant throughout this entire ordeal. The Uchihas are nothing like she thought they would be. The Uchihas are everything she hoped they would.

They are loving, friendly, welcoming, and thankful. Mikoto is nothing but heaven sent sunshine and cloud soft embraces, Fukago is nothing but a deep rumbling laugh and fond looks.

No one is the same, nothing is the same.

Shisui is there though, at her side, at her back. She trusts him, gods, she trusts him. Despite her better judgement, despite everything. Sakura trusts Shisui.

So, Shisui joins her as she takes to the roofs and to training field 7. She’s finally been cleared for the mission roster and given her jounin blues. Though, Sakura has yet to decide if she even would enjoy going on missions.

Maybe with Shisui.

But she does not think she has a taste for violence anymore, for killing. Maybe she'll spend her days with Kakashi's dogs and holed up in the libraries. Maybe she'll visit Gaara or Chojuro.

She had yet to meet Tsunade, who had been hunting for her since Minato (the bastard) had let it slip that Sakura was in possession of the rinnegan and the byakugan seal. Shisui is exceptionally good at playing discractor as Sakura flees to rock in a corner until he finds her. He's good at that, holding her, letting her breathe, allowing her to find solace within his arms and his space.

They step onto the training fields and Sakura freezes mid step to watch as Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai (oh, oh Sai. Sweet Sai, oh.) attack in perfect sync.

They’re fourteen if her math is correct.

They move smooth and swift, nonverbal communication as if they had been working like this for years. It's beautiful, really.

Something ugly claws at her heart, catching on an already scabbing part to rip open a new wound. Simply another reminder that Sakura is not needed. She never was.

It's laughable, really.

Shisui’s fingers massages the sides of her neck with his fingers, the spot where her skull and neck meet. “You’re tense.”

“They have beautiful teamwork.” She chokes out.

He looks at her, long and open, “We can go home, if you want.”

Shisui’s good at that t00, the open ended question, the way of making her not feel trapped. He's too perceptive for his own good, she has yet to tell him anything except what is on record. But, but. He knows. He knows of Kakashi, of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai. It is both a relief and a terror. “No.” She manages, curling her hands. She is Haruno Sakura. She has faced the impossible her entire life. Ghosts are nothing compared to gods.

At least, that is what she tells herself.

“I’ll be fine.” Sakura glances up at him, licking her lips. He watches the movement before his eyes flit back up hers and he offers one of her favorite smiles. The one where his dimples are visible, where she can see the small chip of his front tooth and the way his top canin is a little crooked.

Itachi calls the spar minutes later, the boys slumping onto the ground and breathing heavily. Sakura offers a small smile as Itachi nears them, waving a hand in greeting.

“Ah, Sakura-chan.” He grins, then looks to Shisui, dry amusement clear in his tone, “Shisui.”

“You’ve trained them well,” Sakura praises, watching as Naruto (oh gods, Naruto with his big blue eyes and blonde, blonde hair) pulls a limp Sasuke (a Sasuke who laughs freely, who smiles, and is loved) onto his feet, Sai huffing a chuckle from the ground.

Itachi practically beams at the praise, “They are very talented. And you would like to meet them, yes?”

Shisui’s thumb traces the bumps of her spine and Sakura is reminded that she has forged herself from the ashes of her friends, that she is borne from war and steel. She can do this. Shisui is here and she can do this. “Yes, I would love to, Itachi.”

Shisui’s hand burns through her clothes as they follow Itachi, the boys immediately catching sight and freezing at the sight of them. Sakura will never admit it out loud that she has been avoiding any and all people from her past (present? future?).

One look at Ino, whole and happy and sassy, and Sakura had almost gone insane. And then Shikamaru and Chouji, all together, all smiling. Gods, Sakura had fallen to her knees at the sight. Such grief, such loneliness—

She’s better now. She is.

“Team 7.” Itachi says, “This Haruno Sakura, and you already know Shisui.”

Silence.

Sakura shifts under the wide eyed gazes of the boys, the men she loved (loves?) with her entire being. “It is a pleasure to meet you,”

Naruto recovers first because of course he does. And he smiles at her, he smiles at her and Sakura wants to claw at her skin and cry. Shisui intertwines their hands, as if sensing that urge.

“I’m Uzumaki Naruto!” He’s fourteen and he's alive and he’s happy. He isn’t out of the village, he’s here because he has a clan, he has a family. “Is it true that you’re the Savior?”

Sasuke smacks him in the back of the head with a scowl, “Be polite, dobe.” To Sakura he offers a bow, “It is pleasure to meet you, Haruno-san. I am Uchiha Sasuke.”

Sakura’s lips twitch despite herself. Never, not once, did Sasuke ever bow to anyone. He had always been arrogant, but here? Now? It's laughable, really.

She glances to Sai and he isn’t as pale as he once was, his cheeks are full of color, his eyes brimming with life. “I am Senju Sai, Haruno-san.”

And. Sakura pauses at that. Senju Sai, huh. Perhaps she'll have to face Tsunade sooner than later. The thought added to the dread filled pool in her stomach. But. But, she could do it. Maybe.

“It is very nice to meet you all,” She croaks and then offers a very brittle smile. “And Naruto-kun,” She fights a shiver at the honorific. “That information is S class, but find me when you make jounin, hm?” And for a moment she could pretend that everything was okay and she was teasing her Naruto. Just for a moment.

Much to her amusement, all three boys pout, looking to Itachi who shrugs, “You heard Sakura, now, let’s see formation Alpha but reverse.”

The boys groan and Sakura can’t help the smile, a smile with teeth.

She can feel Shisui’s eyes on her before she even turns to look at him. Her body is shaking, Sakura realizes blankly but Shisui still holds her sweating hands, squeezing ever so slightly. “Ready to go?”

Sakura swallows, staring up at him, studying him. And oh, she is so tempted to uncover her eye, to memorize his face. “Yes. Let’s… let's go home.”

.

.

.

He wakes to warmth pressed against his chest, warm breaths against his neck. Their legs are tangled, her arm thrown over his side and brushes against the bare skin of his back. Both of them are missing their clothes, Sakura preferred being able to feel the skin on him, the brush of flesh between them.

What they have, it is something deeper than any type of physical act. No, what they have… well, Shisui can not put it to words. There are no words. There will never be words.

It is rare for Sakura to sleep soundlessly and through the entire night. Shisui kisses her forehead, above her seal, on one of the many scars of her face. She doesn’t stir except to shift ever so slightly, hugging him closer.

And if Shisui’s heart melts, no one else is there to see the absolute brilliant smile on his lips.

“Sakura,” He murmurs because if she doesn’t get up soon, she’ll miss her lunch with Ibiki (who gets very grumpy when his time with Sakura is cut short), “Sakura.”

She grumbles, limbs tensing for a moment, a single breath before melting once more. “Shisui,” Her voice is rough with sleep, the sound swirls and dances around his bones. “G’mornin’.”

Shisui laughs, a soft push of air, as Sakura leans back to peer at him, both eyes uncovered as she studies him, the look like a physical caress. “Good morning.” He whispers, kissing her forehead once again.

“What time is it?” She murmurs, eyes drooping closed.

“You’ve got about an hour before Ibiki comes knocking.” Shisui chuckles.

Sakura snorts, pulling away to stretch her arms above her head, arching her back in the way that Shisui can admire every muscle, every scar, every part of her. “Then I better get up,”

“Or, you could always stay,” Shisui cajools, to which Sakura only laughs. The sound is beautiful and full and makes his heart beat a little faster.

“The last time I canceled on Ibiki was when I had to help Itachi with his and Genma’s wedding plans, and he sent little Terror Ino after me for a week.”

Shisui cracks an even wider grin, “Well, at least you got some nice clothes out of it.”

Laughing again, Sakura leans down to kiss him, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Go on,” Shisui shoos, making a little gesture with his hand. “Have fun, I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Promise?”

“Always.”

She cups his face, thumbing the sharp of his cheek bone before leaning forward to kiss him again, "I love you." Then. "I am glad that my suffering brought me to you, that I landed here."

"I love you." He returns, barely a whisper as he brushes hair behind her ears. His heart beats for her, cracks and aches and swells. All for her. "There will never be a time that I will not love you. There will never be a time where I do not see you and see everything you are, everything you have done."

The sky is sunny and the spring beautiful as Sakura, the very heavens themselves, mouth splits into a brilliant, blinding smile.

(Sakura has crumbled and broken, she has fallen apart over and over. She has always known how to put herself together, until she couldn’t.

But Shisui, oh Shisui, he has always been readily available with glue and tape. He will always be there to hold her together with his bare hands, ready to bleed for her, with her.

She has given and given and given. He is willing to give everything back to her tenfold.

It is the very least she deserves, the very least the world can gift her. Shisui will always be willing to give more.)

[depressedhatakekakashi]

High School Crushes

AU: High School Au

Words: 1576

Rating: General

Pairing: Sakura/Lee

Warnings: None

Summary: Sakura and Kakashi are setting up for the LGBTQ+ club when an unexpected guest shows up, and Kakashi’s forced to watch awkward high school flirting.

Completed with help from @cryptic-summons

Counting the chairs that Sakura had set out, Kakashi wondered to himself if it would be enough. Surely there would be more than five people showing up today. Even if he stood, that only left four open chairs for new arrivals.

“You’re thinking too hard about it, Sensei,” Sakura tossed a plastic cup at his head, giggling when he shot a glare towards her. “I triple-checked the signup sheet. The only people coming are Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, Choji, and Tenten. We don’t need any more chairs.”

Four people. Surely that couldn’t be it.

“I feel like I’m forgetting something,” his brain was telling him that there was someone else he should be expecting, but no matter how hard he tried to remember a name wouldn’t come to him. “Oh well, I guess if an extra shows up we can just pull out another chair.”

“An extra!?” Sakura gave him a scandalized look. “Sensei! I bought just enough snacks and drinks for the people who were scheduled to come!”

Oh, right. The snacks and drinks.

Glancing towards the table, Kakashi sighed. There were exactly Six cups, and enough pizza to feed about six people, so Sakura wasn’t lying about having just enough for the people she was expecting.

He certainly had gone and picked the most organized person in his class to lead the LGBTQ+ club. At least he knew for sure that she would always have things under control, even during those days he might not be able to be there to help her with.

Still, his brain refused to let him rest. Trying desperately to remind him of whatever it was he was forgetting.

A sharp knock on the door forced him to forget about his memory struggles and turn to greet whoever it was that had arrived first. As he raised a hand and opened his mouth to say ‘hello’, the answer to his question finally hit him.

There he was, standing at the door.

The person he had forgotten to add to the attendance list so that Sakura could account for his arrival.

Rock Lee.

“Shit.” He muttered under his breath, cringing when Sakura glared at him.

“Language, Sensei,” she scolded him before turning her attention back onto the new arrival. “Hello, Lee-kun. Are you looking for something?”

Lee-Kun? Since when did Sakura refer to any of the other kids with an honorific? Usually, she just called them by their name, or in Naruto’s case there was a fond ‘Baka’ attached to her sentence whenever she mentioned him.

“Well,” burying a hand into his short black hair, he beamed at Sakura. A small hint of a blush painting his cheeks. “I was hoping to take part in the LGBTQ+ club that you were having. I tried to write my name down on the list, but by the time I confirmed with Gai-sensei that Taijutsu practice was on Thursdays now, the sheet was gone.”

Right. Gai had mentioned changing the day of his Taijutsu lessons so that Lee and Tenten could attend the LGBTQ+ club that Kakashi had finally managed to get approval to organize. He even mentioned that Lee was afraid he wouldn’t be welcome to join after missing his chance to add his name to the list that Sakura had put up just outside of Kakashi’s classroom.

Sakura was going to be upset with him for forgetting. She had put so much effort into making sure that everything was perfect for the club so that they could all sit down, share stories, and have a fun relaxing time.

And here Kakashi was, forgetting to inform her that there was actually one more person to expect.

“Oh,” Sakura’s voice cracked, and Kakashi couldn’t help but notice that she had brought her right hand up and started drumming her fingers against her left arm. Almost as if she was embarrassed. “I didn’t realize...Kakashi-Sensei we have another chair, right?”

Usually, he’d complain about being asked such a dumb question, but he was already thinking about all of the ways he could tease the poor kid about this later. He was willing to cut her some slack.

For now.

“I’ll find a chair, you two keep chatting.” with a wave of his hand he turned his back to them and headed towards the closet for an extra chair. Though, if Sakura thought they were getting some sort of ‘alone’ time because he happened to be across the room she was wrong.

They weren’t even bothering to try to keep their voices down.

“I didn’t realize that you would be in charge of the club. Sakura-Chan,” Lee’s voice buzzed with excitement. “What made you want to volunteer?”

“Volunteer,” Sakura huffed, and Kakashi was pretty sure she was throwing a glare his way at that exact moment. Thankfully, he was focused on getting a chair out of the closet without dropping something on himself. How Sakura had done it so easily, he would never know. “Kakashi-Sensei told me that I had to do it. That there was no one else suited for the job as well as me.”

And he stuck by his words.

“Well, I think Kakashi-sensei made the right choice,” He could just imagine Lee doing the signature ‘Maito pose’ that Gai had taught him. It was cringy and horrible and he loved that Gai had passed it down to his student so that future generations would have to suffer seeing it. “You’re the most organized person in our school. Plus you’re easily the friendliest.”

Kakashi snorted.

“What was that, Sensei?”

“Nothing,” turning his head, he smiled at the pair innocently. “I was just clearing my throat. Lots of dust in this closet you know.”

There was no doubt in his mind that Sakura didn’t believe him for a second, but he considered it a small victory when she didn’t press him for a better explanation.

“Well, I hope that I’m able to contribute something to the group tonight,” Lee continued as if Kakashi hadn’t interrupted him. “I’ve never really been part of a group that doesn’t have to do with Taijutsu or Soccer.”

“You’ll be an amazing addition,” Sakura smiled. “Well we wait for everyone else why don’t you have some pizza or a drink? You’re always working so hard so I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Finally wrestling a chair free, Kakashi turned just in time to see Sakura leading Lee towards the table she had set out with snacks.

“I thought you said we didn’t have enough for any extra’s.” he teased, a playful smirk on his face until Sakura smiled back at him with such innocence that he knew only the worst of thoughts could be running through her mind at that moment.

` “You were saying you needed to start a diet anyway, right Sensei?” A diet? What a rude little shit. “I’m sure you’ll be fine if Lee-Kun eats your share of Pizza.”

Great. Now he had to rely on Gai having made something actually edible for dinner after he had told him he would eat Pizza during the club’s get-together. Hopefully, he hadn’t made his signature ‘curry of life’ or Kakashi was going to bed hungry.

“You really are the best, Sakura-Chan,” Lee complimented her again as he picked out his Pizza slices. “Thank you.”

“You know, you should try out a new outfit one of these days, Lee-Kun. I mean, if you want to of course.” Kakashi wished he could disappear when he saw Sakura poke Lee in the side and giggle. This was not the Haruno Sakura he was used to. The girl who always teased him over his relationship with Gai, or had to speak her mind about whatever was happening around her. This Sakura was...timid. It was concerning.

“A new outfit?” Lee blinked, clearly confused by her comment. “But why would I…”

“The green tracksuit is cute, don’t get me wrong,” She corrected herself quickly. “I just think, you know, you’re always wearing the same thing. Wouldn’t it be cool if you tried on a new outfit?”

“A new outfit…” Looking down at his green tracksuit, Lee smiled slowly. “I guess i could try. Then I could just wear this when I’m training in the morning.”

Well, at least Sakura was improving Lee’s sense of fashion.

“I think I have some clothes at home that I haven’t gotten rid of yet. If you want you could come over and try them on. See if there’s anything you want.”

Kakashi felt like he was witnessing the worst attempt at flirting ever. Was this how kids asked each other out these days? Was there really no romance left in the world?

“You do have the best fashion sense,” Lee whispered, a smile slowly appearing on his face. “I think I’d like to take you up on that offer, Sakura-Chan.”

Kakashi was desperate to scream. To demand an explanation for how that worked.

He held his tongue though.

Seeing Sakura smiling proudly and Lee already starting to discuss the type of clothes he liked was well worth having to witness whatever messed up version of flirting it was that the two of them were doing.

“Hey!” Glancing towards the door, he sighed when he saw Tenten walking into the room, followed closely behind by Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, and Choji. Finally, his suffering could end. “Sakura, Lee! I hope the old man hasn’t been bothering you too much.”

Right, never mind. Tenten was here.

The bullying had only just begun.

[pinkhairedlily]

Chapter 5 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

When Naruto let go of that pitch, Sakura knew their school had won. She hugged Hinata who was also overjoyed, and she turned to her side to give Sasuke a high five then she realized he was still not back.

As she moved along the bleachers, she rallied her schoolmates to give a resounding yell routine. Disappearing within the noise, she moved along the halls below the benches, and there she found the group.

When the fist made contact with her face, she almost blacked out. The pain came rushing in after a few seconds of numbness, her sight a complete blur, a slight disorientation, and her hearing muffled. The scuffle played out before her as her eyes refocused, Sasuke kicking and punching the goons on the stomach, but it seemed she got it wrong when Kakashi’s eyes drifted to her as a pair of glaring daggers.

His one foot was on the wrist of the guy who punched her. When the blood finally dripped from her broken nostrils, Kakashi broke the guy’s hand, thankfully echoed by the screams from the bleachers. “You’ll get expulsion and multiple restraining orders just for the hell of it.”

While Kakashi called the security, Sasuke went to Sakura’s side with a mix of an irritated but worried look on his face. Ah, he was wondering why.

“I’m okay,” she tried to say despite receiving no question, but the words came out wrong. Oh my gods, are my teeth broken? How embarrassing?

As if summoned by her thoughts, he stood before them right after the guards took away the passed-out bullies. “Let’s get you two to the clinic.”

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

“I can’t call Naruto. I left my bag with Hinata,” she tried to say again but the words were coming out jumbled like I con kor Nar-u-o…I re ma ba wi Hina-a…

Kakashi was trying not to laugh as she communicated with Sasuke who was on the other bed, being checked by a doctor with curtains drawn. The school clinic recommended them to go directly to the hospital.

“He would have to wait for our congratulations,” Sasuke replied.

“I see you wincing in pain, young man. That’s a broken rib right there,” the doctor noted from the other side. When the curtains were swept to the side, Sakura saw her raven-haired classmate clutching at his side. When his eyes opened to find hers, he glanced away and let go of his pained expression.

“Ms. Haruno, I will be referring you to our plastics. Would be a waste if your student council president loses her pretty face.” The doctor tapped Kakashi’s shoulder as she walked out of their ward.

“Thanks, Nohara,” he called out after her.

Sakura deduced he was friends with the doctor, but she could ask him that some other time. She looked a bit older than the Math teacher so they might not be together. Regardless, shouldn’t she be more engrossed of having a crooked nose in front of Kakashi than his personal love life? When he turned her attention to her finally, she instinctively covered her face with her hands.

“Sakura, you should tilt your head upwards, just a little bit. You had a nosebleed earlier, didn’t you?” She did what he said, but gods, this was so embarrassing. She tried to look at him through her fingers, and his beauty mark moved as he chuckled. Ugh, why is he so perfect?

His phone suddenly pinged, and he took a moment to read the message. “Hmm. I need to leave and go explain things to the board. Nohara might advise bed rest and school leave for at most three weeks so get well soon, all right?” Then, he turned to Sasuke. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

Sakura wondered if she should ask a favor from Kakashi. Asking him to stay was a tad too much, and asking him to contact the council would be too irresponsible. Maybe she could sneak out after his exit and find a way to contact the council. She should also call Naruto – second on the task list. He would be devastated without their congratulations.

A hand on her head stopped her thoughts. “Stop thinking at hundred miles per second, and rest. I will take care of the council and inform Uzumaki of your situation. I assume you three are friends?”

“No.” “Yes.” Sasuke and Sakura answered respectively.

Kakashi smiled, finding amusement in their dynamics. “See you soon.”

“Shi yo,” she muttered through her broken nose, unaware of her fingers already fidgeting the rubber band on her wrist.

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

She was back in the hospital the following week. While Sasuke was advised to be confined, she was sent for home care. The mandated rest did not even last a day because she needed to show up to her shifts in the café and showed up she did in some elaborate mask to cover her bandaged nose and a sketchpad for conversations. To appease the constant nag and flood of messages from her councilmates, she stopped showing up in school for three days and turned the tables on them by doing all the nagging and demanding daily updates.

On the fourth day, she was up and running through the school halls to reach the board inquisition in time. She gladly accepted an annoyed litany of precautions and reminders from Kakashi.

“I never thought you could be this stubborn, Sakura.” He was visibly exasperated. “I can’t tail you every time and remind you that you’re injured.”

But you could. “I’m sorry, Sensei. I promise to not push myself so hard for the next days.” Sakura gave him a peace sign which he jokingly waved away.

“Pull your energy back, like 60 percent of it.” He patted her head softly, like an adult would to an unreasonable kid, and never have she felt more insulted. “If only I could take care of you.”

Like a babysitter would? She immediately put distance between them, feeling angry for no reason, and she stormed off, leaving him clueless in the middle of the hallway about her sudden rigid behavior.

Now she was back in the hospital after a week of mild recuperation. When she went to check on Sasuke, she found him asleep, probably from the sedatives. It amused her that even in slumbers, his brows would furrow, yet a part of her worried that there must be something looping him in nightmares. She left her presence with a basket of fruits and a medium-sized carton of tomato juice which Naruto mentioned was his favorite. Several juice boxes of the same flavor were stacked on the other side of his bed and a plastic bag filled with instant ramen bowls. She would ask the maintenance staff later to take out the trash.

When she finally reached the door of Dr. Aki Nohara, her assistant gestured for her to wait for a while outside. She figured she can loiter in Sasuke’s room and have one of the nurses get her until she heard Kakashi’s voice inside the room.

“I know you literally accelerated throughout school, but you need to act more like your age.” Her doctor scolded her teacher like an old friend. She was aware of her eavesdropping, but she hoped to learn more of his life. “I’m saying you should visit Rin.”

“Does she miss me?” It was and wasn’t his voice. She didn’t hear his usual nonchalance when he blurted out those words. Ah, a weird ache was forming in her chest.

“Do you even need to ask that from me when the answer is already so obvious?”

“Hmm. I’m just not ready….yet.”

“Well get on with it and put a ring on her finger or others will!”

Ah, her sensei was apparently planning to get married? So he had someone after all, someone named Rin. Sakura felt the room crowd her in, almost suffocating her, and she accidentally bumped into a passing staff and a tray cart of medical supplies.

Her small disturbance brought the occupants outside the room. “Ah, Ms. Haruno, you may come in now. You look pale, dear.”

Kakashi waved at her, his teacher persona already up in arms, then he turned to Dr. Aki. “Your medical advice for my heart is noted, but not now, maybe in the far, far, far future.”

Dr. Aki tsked at him. “Off you go Hatake. I have a patient waiting. Oh thank heavens, the color is returning to your face.”

He’s not marrying her……yet. Would it be silly to think I have a chance?

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

A whole two weeks have gone in secluded rooms – a week alone in a hospital room because of Itachi’s connections and another week alone cooped up in his apartment. He got radio silence from his brother, and he almost wished he gave him an earful of insults instead – many of which should have called out his cowardice, especially when the clash had an avoidable casualty. He looked so stupid next to cool Kakashi, Kakashi who was only five years older than them, Kakashi who smoked and read with baseball playing on the background, Kakashi who took on all four people at once with no scratch on his body, Kakashi with his silver hair being friends with doctors and bigshots, Kakashi with his beauty mark laughing at Sakura.

If there was any further downside to this, that was also the angry flood of texts he got from Naruto the night of the game, and then nothing. He was too drugged with sedatives he didn’t have the right mind to reply and process them. He was too drugged to wake up with a clear mind even. He didn’t bother to text or call back. Whatever, whatever, whatever. He took a look again at his phone, checked the time, found no new messages, and put it back on his side table.

His past self would have enjoyed this momentary social isolation, but he couldn’t help the nagging feeling of missing company however, he can’t bring himself to admit this aloud.

The next time he opened his eyes, he scrambled out of bed in panic and cold sweat. Someone was incessantly ringing his doorbell. When his eyes tried to find the clock, he found that it was already eight in the evening. He was sure he wasn’t expecting any guests tonight.

He trudged on to his door and mustered some strength to look through the peephole. Blue irises looked back at him, moved away a few steps, and struck a pose with a pink-haired girl with bandages still on her nose. The door never opened so quickly during the length of his stay.

“Are you stalkers or something?” were the first words he spat.

“Dr. Aki Nohara said it’s okay to visit you now!” Naruto whined. “And Sakura brought food!”

Sakura presented several paper bags. “It was Naruto’s idea actually. He nagged me for a week.”

“Yeah and I couldn’t understand her in the first few days,” the blonde said, rather straightforwardly.

Sasuke held back the urge to slap his hand on his forehead, but he moved to the side as he allowed them to venture inside his apartment. On second thought, did he put his underwear on the laundry basket?

“We figured you didn’t have dinner yet,” Sakura told him as she laid out the food containers on the dining table. “Mind if we use your utensils?”

“I forgot to say please make yourself at home,” Sasuke snapped sarcastically.

“Eeew, you’re still in your pajamas.” Naruto made a face at him while he opened his fridge and scoured for water and fruit juices. “That makes the two of us who didn’t shower!”

“You idiot. I showered this morning.” Nevertheless, Sasuke sat on the seat beside Sakura, allowing her to give him a bowl of ramen and some serving of okonomiyaki. A large platter of takoyaki was placed in the center of the table, first to be consumed by impatient hands and hungry mouths. Sakura had one hell of an appetite and fast metabolism to boot.

“Anyway, congratulations idiot,” he said while munching on the last piece of takoyaki. “Aren’t you supposed to travel to Fukuoka for the semis?”

“Yeah, next week! It doesn’t start until next month, but Captain Haru said we need to train,” Naruto replied as he proceeded to open a bowl of instant ramen. “The board also granted us exemption from exams. My brains are saved.”

“Your training camp really coincided with the school field trip,” Sakura noted. “Maybe we could visit you in between?”

“That would be the best!” Naruto grinned sheepishly, but Sasuke swore there was a tinge of red in his cheeks.

Finally rid of all food and dishes, the three lounged around in his living room, browsing titles in Netflix – Sakura wanted gore, crime, and horror while Naruto wanted adventure and fantasy films.

“What genre do you want, Sasuke?” Sakura asked. She was in possession of the remote and was seated on the other end of the couch. Naruto was on the floor with an open packet of chips and soda.

“And if I said romance?” he chided, weirdly enough to catch them offguard, but Sakura landed on the Twilight series and pressed play without second thoughts. “I was joking.”

“And it’s now starting,” she said back.

“How long are you gonna stay here?” He lost track of time – not the first instance this happened but the first occurrence without the burden of something heavy. “It’s past midnight.”

“I thought I was slow but you’re actually slower,” Naruto teased. “We’re staying over, grumpy.”

“I would love for a vampire to bite me,” Sakura quipped out of context.

Sasuke figured he didn’t have the energy to refute their uninvited sleepover at his unit. By the time New Moon played on screen, Naruto was sleeping on the floor with his mouth hanging wide open, and Sakura was lying fully on the couch, her feet stretched out on his lap. He slid out of this awkward entanglement and strode quietly to his drawers where he took out spare blankets to cover them with. On his bedside table, his phone lit up with a message notification.

Happy birthday, Sasuke. – Itachi

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 6

[givemestories-givemelife]

Blueberries, Lavender & Hot Matcha Tea  (Part 2)

A SasuHina ficlet

PART 1| Part 2

AN: THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO COMMENTED, OR RE-BLOGGED, OR LIKED THE FIRST PART TO THIS FIC. It truly means more than I can say. Helped a lot with motivation and it’s super cool to know that people are reading the things I write. I hope the follow up chapter doesn’t disappoint <3

Summary: Hinata has a run in with a familiar face.

Warnings: Brief mentions of grief and anxiety (because Hinata’s a nervous butterfly) but nothing remotely heavy. Also there’s alcohol consumption.

Word count: 6167

                                   __________________________

Lavender

Hinata knows that she needs to start putting herself out there. She can’t stay holed up comfortably in her room while years of her life pass on by, listening to cigarettes after sex under the safe warmth of her white fluffy blanket that still smells like her late mothers perfume, and sniffing essential oils like they’re some kind of soft-core drug to distract her spiralling thoughts from every embarrassingly mortifying predicament she’s ever found herself in.

She’s been trying really hard not to think about spilling her extra hot matcha latte all over this potentially handsome stranger a few days ago. She thinks - potentially - because she did not have the courage to look at the man's face after maiming him and probably ruining his expensive suit!

Hinata’s sure she must have ruined his entire morning, which must have ruined his whole day, and now he probably hates her. Oh goodness, Hinata strongly dislikes the thought of people out there in this world walking around hating her.  

Wow, these thoughts are entirely useless, she really needs to stop her brain from going down these awful paths.  

Today Hinata has decided to try really hard not to wallow in the comfort of all her numbing guilty pleasures.  

So, when Sakura Haruno, the loud and outgoing girl with pretty pink hair, who always smells like strawberries and vanilla from her photography course asked if she wanted to hangout and work on their portfolio’s after class; Hinata was thankful for the distraction.

They had spent that afternoon drinking green tea at the kitchen table in Sakura’s little homey apartment, showing each other their favourite pieces and sharing feedback.

“You have to include this one, it’s so cute” Sakura gushes, pointing at a print of children finger painting; a mischievous little boy is smearing bold red paint all over the face of a girl whose expression is twisted in pure terror.

“You have a real talent for capturing the essence of people.” She continues in a dreamy tone, “it’s like you’re able to capture the moment they’re most alive, even if it’s just the little moments, y’know?”  

Hinata blushes at the complement, “th-thank you Sakura.”

“It's kind of ironic that people are your main muse considering how afraid of them you are.” She teases.

“I’m not sca-AhyH!”

Of course, that’s the moment a woman with a giant blond ponytail barges through the door brandishing a bouquet of peonies making Hinata squeal. “Sakura I swear to god if you ate the last of the ice-cream again, I’m gonna- Oh! hello there.” The crazy flower lady stops mid-threat noticing a stranger in her apartment.

“Ino this is Hinata from class, Hinata this is my roommate Ino.” Sakura introduces, failing to constrain her laughter.

Ino’s demeanor does a 180 as she gently rests the flowers on her lacquered kitchen counter and approaches Hinata in a trance like state. “Your hair is so long and gorgeous, it totally reminds me of the violets we have at the flower shop -- you have to let me braid it.” She breathes and Hinata’s eyes are as wide as the sky outside.

“Ino, tone it down you’re going to scare her.” Sakura chides, rolling her eyes, not at all surprised by her roommate's antics. “Do you always have to act like such a spazz?”

“I am but a simple girl who is a slave to all things beautiful.” Ino proudly counters running her fingers through blue strands and Hinata mentally notes that she smells like a garden.

Sakura’s phone vibrates on the kitchen table, “it’s Naruto,” she says glancing at the screen. “Wondering when we’ll be coming over.”

“I don’t know, an hour or two? Tell him we’re bringing Hinata!” Ino adds excitedly and starts to braid blue hair without permission. “You should come out tonight with Sakura and I, meet the rest of the gang.”

“Oh.” In high school Hinata was never able to make friends with girls, and spent most of her time in the photography club’s black room developing pictures. Her introverted nature made it difficult to connect with people, but in this moment, the prospect of meeting Sakura’s friends, and the inclusive enthusiasm from these girls is making Hinata a little emotional. “I-I don’t know.”  

“Hinata, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but I think it could be good for you,” Sakura encourages.

“Carpe diem bitch,” is Ino’s convincing addition.

Hinata giggles, absent mindedly sniffing her wrist searching for the comforting sweet scent of the fragrance she’s wearing today, “yeah, okay.”

Ino makes a pleased sound and saunters over to a kitchen drawer to snatch a pair of scissors and clips the head off of one the peonies, then ties it into the base of Hinata’s braid. “You really have no idea how cute you are Hinata,” she coos observing her work in admiration and Hinata feels warm all over.

Hinata likes the rapport between Ino and Sakura, there’s something about their friendship that she finds inspiring.  

When they split what’s left of the chocolate ice-cream and start getting ready for a night out, Hinata can’t help pulling out her camera and snapping shots of Ino with her shades of purple and Sakura’s vibes in red. Hinata feels outshined in her usual high waisted mom jean and oversized grey patterned sweater.  

But that’s okay, she still feels like one of the girls.

~~~

Ino had made a strong case for wanting to get her steps in for the day, (since her fitbit said she had only reached 8243 so far) convincing the girls to walk to Naruto’s apartment instead of taking the bus. On their stroll Sakura and Ino began giving Hinata character profiles of everyone she was going to meet and Hinata found them to be quite amusing.

Ino playfully starts with, “Shikamaru’s like, my best bro. I’ve known him forever, smartest guy I know but a total stoner and he doesn’t give a fuck about anything.

“Choji gives the best hugs and he loves giving them, so if he looks like he’s going in for one - just let it happen - you’ll hurt his feelings if you don’t.”

“Naruto and Kiba are basically the same person and are the biggest loudest dorks on the planet,” Sakura chimes in, “but they’re also super friendly and kinda funny if you can get over their lack of brain cells.”

“Then there’s Sasuke,” Ino says, and hearing that name strikes a familiar chord with Hinata, triggering flashes of fond memories. “He’s really hot, but kind of a dick,” Ino hugs herself smiling at a distant memory, “basically, we all know each other from going to the same high school -”

“Ino and I had the hugest rivalry back then because we both wanted him.”  

“What happened?” Hinata really wanted to ask if they were talking about Sasuke Uchiha, but didn’t want to interrupt the momentum of their story.

“We were so stupid causing all sorts of drama in our little social circle nearly tearing it apart, and Sasuke wasn’t having any of it, one day he told us to grow the fuck up and to leave him alone.” That did kind of sound like something Sasuke would say, but that would just be too big of a coincidence, wouldn’t it?

“We both cried.” Sakura snickers sheepishly.

“Eventually we finally realized that friendships should be forever-”

“And boyfriends are whatever.” Both girls enthusiastically finish the rehearsed line making silly faces at each other.

Hinata giggles at that, whishing she had taken a picture, “awe, that’s so cute.”

“And now he’s one of our good friends, but I just want to warn you that he can be cold and he can be mean and if he says something dickish, please don’t take it personally.”

Hinata hums, only half listening to Ino. Was it possible that when Hinata arrives at this apartment she was going to be face to face with the childhood friend she hasn’t seen in over a decade?  

Guess she’ll just have to wait and see.

~~~

When Hinata enters the apartment, her senses are immediately overstimulated; it smells salty like ramen and sour with beer which clashes with how clean and pristine the space actually is. It’s decorated with blacks, whites and a few splashes of colors, but overall has a very minimalist feel.

Hinata barely has time to kick her shoes off before she’s surrounded by strangers, and can’t stop the heat from suffusing her face from the disorienting barrage of unwanted attention.  

“Hey bitches!” Ino yells at the group, “we’re here! We know you missed us!”

“This is the beautiful Hinata,” Sakura adds, and Hinata really wants to hide under a rock somewhere. “Be nice okay, she’s really shy.”

“Hey I’m Naruto.” A blond man appears beaming at her, outstretching his hand. “I have never seen eyes that look like your eyes before!”

“Oh.” Hinata went to shake his hand but was interrupted by another hand grabbing hers and kissing it, which is so uncalled for.

“And I’m Kiba, don’t listen to that guy, he’s a complete moron.” He says with a wolfish grin and Hinata has no idea what’s going on anymore.

When she tries to turn away, she’s met with the kind face of a stout man in a green Zelda t-shirt with his arms wide open for an inviting hug. She decides to accept her fate by awkwardly stepping forward wearing a confused pout, and lets the arms of a stranger wrap around her in what is surprisingly one of the best hugs she has ever received. He smells nice, Hinata thinks. Savoury and warm like a thanksgiving dinner. For a moment she actually feels safe, like a veil has been thrown over the sudden wave of chaos, giving her a quiet moment for her heartbeat to settle, “I’m Choji, it’s really nice to meet you Hinata, try not to worry so much, everyone here is harmless, I promise.” He says, rubbing gentle circles on her back.

When Choji pulls away, he sends her one last reassuring smile before padding off towards the ponytailed man currently dying of laughter, and joining him on a leather couch. Choji grabs a handful of potato chips from a bowl on the marble coffee table and starts earnestly snacking.

Snacks! Snacks sound really nice right now! Tasting tasty things can sometimes be a good distraction when Hinata is overwhelmed. She self-consciously shuffles forward towards the provisions, drawn towards the colorful array of fresh fruits, grabbing a small handful of blueberries and popping one of them in her mouth. She tries to ignore the pair legs in her periphery... she needs a moment before making another introduction.

Hinata jumps feeling a presence directly behind her, she twirls around to see Naruto pulling back appearing extremely guilty.

What was he doing?  Was he pointing at her hair?

“Hehehe, sorry about that,” he says, smiling sheepishly, and scratches the back of his head, “I was just pointing out to my friend here, how beautiful your hair is, what a wonderful shade of blue,” he made a weird face directed at someone over her head, “are you enjoying those, blueberries?”

Okay.

Hinata hears more laughter coming from ponytail boy on the couch.

Weird.

Hinata turns to see who Naruto is looking at and-

Oh.

Sasuke?

Sasuke was here.  

It was her Sasuke!

She instantly looks away, eyes wide, staring down at the hardwood floors.

Well, not her Sasuke. But an older version of the one she knew as a child. The one she met that one summer years ago and spent nearly every day with him before her mother fell ill and her family moved away in the wake of tragedy.

And he was... Glaring at her? No, he was glaring at Naruto? He kind of looked like he recognized her, but why would he be glaring?

“This is fucking stupid,” Sasuke seethes and takes off towards the kitchen, where Kiba and Ino are talking and drinking.

Ouch.

Sakura approaches Hinata with a glass in hand, Hinata stares at the ice clinking as she offers it, “vodka soda, with lime?”

Well, one drink couldn’t hurt, Hinata thinks.

She glances over at a brooding Sasuke leaning on the kitchen island sipping his beer.

She might need it.

~~~

It’s nearly an hour later and Hinata feels the dread sinking deep into the pit of her stomach. She desperately wishes she could conjure up some courage, approach Sasuke, and see how he’s been after all these years, but he still hasn’t left from his spot in the kitchen.  

She’s starting to believe that maybe he doesn’t recognize her, which is a rather sad thought.

Hinata also appears to be at the butt end of some sort of mean inside joke that she doesn’t understand, ponytail bo- Shikamaru and Naruto joined Sasuke in the kitchen and kept making not-so-subtle glances her way -- but whatever -- she’s a big girl, she’s not going to cry about it even if she wants to.

Currently she’s sitting on the puffy leather couch between Choji and Sakura, Sakura is sharing the memes she’s saved onto her phone this month with Ino and Kiba while Hinata stares down at the melting ice in her drink and Choji attempts to calm her with platitudes.

Hinata doesn’t regret coming tonight despite feeling like the biggest fool in existence.

After all, tonight she actually has the opportunity to reconnect with someone she still thinks about, even after all these years.

She has always wondered what had happened to that bratty boy she met that one summer.

The sinking feeling grows deeper and Hinata feels her heart beating in the drums of her ears.

She takes one last tentative sip before downing the rest of her drink and summons every ounce of bravery she didn’t know she had to strengthen her resolve.

She stands from the couch with shaky determination ignoring Choji’s concerned inquiry, then forces one foot in front of the other strait towards the guiding bright lights of the kitchen.

The easy conversation awkwardly dies down when she arrives beside Naruto and Sasuke. She feels both their gazes land on her, and Hinata spots an ugly orange magnet on the stainless-steel fridge Sasuke is leaning on that has the phrase - believe it! - stamped on it and chooses to direct most of her focus on the positive affirmation.

“Uh, hey Hinata, you doing okay?” Naruto asks, slightly taken aback. Hinata nods still focusing on the magnet, face heating up as the beginning of a buzz tingles in the corners of her mind. “Can I get you another drink?”

She looks down at the empty glass she grips and nods again, muttering a quiet thank you, and handing it over. He takes it and moves further down the island to chat with Shikamaru and starts making her another.

“Hi Sasuke,” she forces passed her chapped lips.

“Hello Hinata.” Sasuke says, sounding about as uncomfortable as she feels and she looks up, hopeful, to meet his burning gaze and quickly looks back at that stupid orange magnet.

“So, you do remember me?” She asks, confused as to why he’s been ignoring her since her arrival.

“I remember how two days ago you ran into me quite rudely, burning me with tea.”

Hinata’s brain short-circuits.  

“Wait what!?-”

No! No no no no no. Impossible. No.

“-That- that was you? oh my god, oh no! I am so sorry about that, I really wasn’t looking where I was going, I-I can’t believe this, I swear you just came out of nowhere though, oh my goodness, I can’t believe that was-”  

“Please just stop before you give yourself an aneurysm.” Sasuke lifts his hands in a placating manner and Hinata snaps her mouth shut. “So that’s not how you seem to know me?” He asks, further rankling as the conversation drags on.

“So you don’t remember me.” She says mostly to herself, completely humiliated by this entire exchange, every time she opens her mouth it’s like falling down a flight of stairs -- Hinata seriously wishes she would reach the bottom already.

“Remember you from... where?”  

“I-I mean I guess it’s not that surprising, we were only nine or ten at the time and it-it was only one summer... over a decade ago... You-you never really did call me by my name either.” Hinata says focusing on her twiddling fingers, her voice barely above a whisper, a pensive smile framing her lips at the memory.

There’s a long drawn out silence before Sasuke slowly asks, “...Tomato face?”  

Hinata feels her face burn red at the old moniker, nodding. “Yeah...”

“Hyuuga, Hinata. Shit. Yeah. I do remember.”

The culminating tension finally releases from the moment and Hinata smiles at the black and white tiles breathing just a little bit easier.

He remembers.

“Wait... Did I hear you call her a tomato?” Naruto returns with a mildly amused Shikamaru in tow, handing Hinata her drink, and looks between the pair completely intrigued.

~~~

It didn’t take long for the word to spread that Hinata and Sasuke were childhood friends and everyone congregated into the small-ish kitchen asking curious questions.

It also didn’t take long for everyone to lose interest when Naruto nudged Hinata and started grilling her for embarrassing details of what a prepubescent Sasuke was like, earning him a surly glare. Hinata shyly shrugged saying, “I-I don’t really remember, it was a long time ago.”  

Safe to say -- Naruto didn’t buy it, but surprisingly didn’t press further, and the group dispersed, leaving them to reacquaint.

The conversation between them after that was unfortunately still quite awkward, thankfully, Hinata wasn’t entirely to blame.

They exchanged small talk, Hinata mentions that she actually works at Heaven’s Little Corner and was just coming off her shift early when she ran into him the other day, and Sasuke talks about going to school and getting a Bachelor's degree in Business and how he focused on E-commerce after graduation. Overall, their -- re-connecting -- consisted of the typical pleasantries involved in catching up, and Hinata couldn’t distinguish if she was disappointed or relieved when their conversation came to a lull and she couldn’t think of anymore pointless verbiage to drag it along.

What she really wanted was to reminisce over hot days on the beach, collecting tiny crabs to occupy the sandcastles they built, and how Hinata had found sand in her hair days after the event. She wanted to talk about ice-cream and food fights and sneaking out to gaze at the stars in the night sky way past their bedtime, and how they pondered if aliens exist.

“I think the universe is too big for there not to be something out there somewhere.”  

She remembers Sasuke saying, thoughtfully looking up.

“I-I think you’re an alien.”

She said back, earning her an indignant huff.  

“Whatever tomato face.”

She wanted to talk about how simple everything was when they were kids, how she misses that naivety and how scary the world had revealed itself to be over the years.

Hinata was never good at making friends, even as a child, but she could still look back and she knew that Sasuke was one. He had been the last mark on her childhood that had made it a good one, the last moments she had to truly be a kid before she lost her mother, the truest love she had ever felt, forcing her to grow up.

Instead silence overtakes the kitchen and they both stare at their drinks unsure of what to say.

Sasuke isn’t how she remembers him at all. Yeah, he has the same face, just matured, and the same haughtiness, but the spark for life that had once inspired her seemed to be gone.

Which is an unfair thought to have, she admits, but she can’t stop herself from thinking it.

“Well I think it’s time to go on an adventure,” Naruto awkwardly offers.  

“An adventure?”  Hinata repeats, eyes growing wide.

“Naruto’s idea of an adventure is leaving the house and walking around the block.” Sasuke says rolling his eyes.

“Hey anything can be an adventure if you let it!”

~~~

It smells like damp grass and Hinata nearly jumps out of her skin as Naruto’s roar of triumph echo's off the surrounding buildings, catching the glow in the dark frisbee Kiba threw him. Sakura and Ino had joined them in their late-night excursion and Hinata can’t suppress the giddy giggles from watching them stumble about attempting athleticism when they are clearly four or five drinks deep.

She snaps a few photos and decides that she likes Naruto’s philosophy of approaching even the mundane aspects of life as an adventure.

This whole day certainly has felt like one.

Hinata puts her camera away, feels the chill in the October air, and pulls her scarf tighter. She casts a glance over at the park bench where Shikamaru was smoking a joint to see that he’s now casually chatting about... string theory? -- to Choji, who continues to nod his head like he understands.  

Her trailing gaze then lands on Sasuke and-  

Hinata immediately looks back towards the glowing air bound frisbee.  

He was watching her - he looked suspicious - Hinata doesn’t know of what.

“Hey Sakura,” Hinata tries to call out, voice wavering, “it’s getting late, I think I-I should start heading home.”

That seems to put a halt on the physical activity for a moment, she’s then hugged by every frisbee player.

“It was nice meeting you Hinata.”

“Come back any time.”

“Yes please! We need more girls in our group, Sakura and I are severely outnumbered.”  

“Are you sure you don’t want us to walk you?” Sakura slurs slightly, pulling away from the tight embrace.

“I’ll be fine, thank you Sakura,” Hinata smiles at her newest friend and turns to leave but stops at the bench to wave goodbye at Choji and Shikamaru, earning her a warm smile and a lazy nod. She looks at Sasuke’s arms proudly crossed over his broad chest and says, “it was nice seeing you again Sasuke.” And makes her way down the busy street, casting one last glance behind her just in time to see Sakura jump on Ino piggyback style to catch the frisbee in an impressive display of drunken camaraderie.

She smiles wider to herself. Wow. Today was a good day. An Adventure! Even if seeing Sasuke again was really weird and awkward and not at all how she wished it could have gone, she still met a lot of new people – Sakura's friends are so nice! They made her feel right at home and didn’t make her feel too weird about being shy and -

“Hey, Hinata.”

Hinata startles, hearing the sound of her name accompanied by footsteps catching up and her breath hitches when she turns to see Sasuke slowing down next to her.

“S-Sasuke? What are you-”

“I’m going to walk you home,” he snorts like it’s obvious, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black jacket, “it’s late.”

“Oh,” Hinata hugs herself, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious and maybe even a little nauseous as they walk in silence, their steps in sync.  

She can feel the heat of his gaze on her and Hinata makes a point to stare at the crispy autumn leaves on the pavement – yeah – Hinata has no idea what to make of this.

“You know it finally makes sense now, why I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”  

Hinata trips over nothing, “you what?”  

Leaves. Look at the leaves. The beautiful burnt orange leaves. Just. Keep. Looking.

“At the coffee shop, there was something about you, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Guess I thought you were familiar somehow.” Sasuke shrugs, with an air of nonchalance as they cross the street.

“Oh,” Hinata’s starting to feel warm, she doesn’t know if it’s from their quickening pace, the two drinks she’s had or how Sasuke is close enough for their shoulders to brush.

“It’s kind of crazy that we’d run into each other like this, after all these years.”  

Hinata stops walking and Sasuke mirrors her. There’s something in his tone that catches Hinata off guard, something almost fond? Hinata looks back in the direction of his friends, they’re about five blocks away now.  

Sasuke seemed... different than how he’s been all night -- more open somehow. Maybe he feels weird about their earlier interactions too, but didn’t feel comfortable acting this way in front of his friends? Sasuke’s always been a very private person, even as a child.

“Yeah it is,” Hinata bites her lip and throws him a timid fleeting smile, silently wishing she knew what was going through his mind.

“So, why did you come back to Konoha.”  

“I-uh-” Hinata starts playing with the hem of her sweater and reminds herself it’s good to open up, “-wanted to figure out this life thing for myself – be independent - if my dad had his way, I’d never leave home or do anything that wasn’t part of his plan-” she tapers off, distracted by the approaching sound of music, a dumb smile spreads across her face when she sees an old skinny man on a sparkly bicycle riding past them on the road blaring ‘Dancing Queen’ from an oversized speaker he probably installed himself -- he seemed so – in the moment, like all that existed was him and the music filling the streets that he owned – Hinata silently mourns the missed opportunity of capturing that moment forever in a-

“You were saying,” Sasuke pokes her shoulder harder than necessary, bursting her from her reverie, and starts leading her down concrete stairs away from the bustling main road of the city, towards the waterfront.

“Right,” Hinata continues feeling energized from the random encounter and embarrassed from being caught drifting away in a daydream when they were in the middle of a conversation, “it was – uh - hard to leave my sister, but she encouraged me to go, that I should at least attempt to do the dream chasing thing.” Hinata pats her shoulder bag in reference to her camera. “I saved up some money and here I am, making it up as I go.”

“Hm, you always were snapping pictures everywhere you went.”  

Their steps slow to a stop once they reach the cold metal railing where tourists gather during the day overlooking the docks, but it’s mostly quiet at this time of night.

It smells cold from the breeze and salty from the ocean. The lampposts must need changing because the only light is from the half-moon in the cloudless sky, casting them in dark shades of blue.

Hinata takes a deep breath observing the skyline and the colorful lights reflecting in the undulating ocean waves, then asks the question that’s been bothering her since their seemingly kismet reunion. “What do you remember after all this time?”

“I remember...” He trails off, Hinata doesn’t miss the sly edge in his tone. “That I had told you I’d marry you one day,” his voice is deep, almost gravely when he takes a slow playful step closer and Hinata swears her heart skips several beats noticing their breaths mixing in the cold air between them. “And that... you were technically my first kiss.” He says with a sarcastic snort, stepping back, and gesticulates somewhere behind them. “You can’t tell them about it though. Especially Naruto, the idiot would never let me live it down.”

Hinata blushes at the memory and attempts to mask her frown with an indignant pout, trying not to take the jeer personally.

Sasuke always did like to mess with her.

“You were my only kiss.” Hinata then whispers without thinking and regrets it. She immediately hates the implications -- like she’s some inexperienced-love-sick-twenty-something, who’s never gotten over her childhood crush.

Hinata sighs, briefly drowning in her own self-deprecating thoughts, gripping at the railing, eyes a passing ship, and pretends she can’t feel him studying her, surprised by the admission.

“What do you remember?” He asks back, finally breaking the silence.

She bites her lip, thinking, a rush of memories flashing one by one, settling on their goodbye -- her sobbing because she had to move away to a new city thousands of miles away that had special doctors who could treat her mother, how Sasuke was speechless and could only squeeze her tight in the first and only hug they had ever shared.  

She remembers how he always told her she should stand up for herself, even against him, and she remembers how sometimes when she was around, he’d bite his tongue, holding back petulant sneers.

There’s a small quirk to her lips when she softly says, “Looking back, I-I always thought that we brought out the best in each other.”

There’s another long silence and Hinata once again feels the heavy weight of his gaze examining her, he reaches out and she stiffens when he gently grips the base of her braid touching the bright pink flower there.

“Did Ino do this?” He quietly asks, and there something hidden in his voice that shifts the mood of their conversation, and he’s close again, close enough for their visible breaths to once again mix, his fingers trail down towards the tail end of her braid.

“Uh huh.” Hinata breathes, watching his fingers play with the tip of her strands.

“Why can’t you…” he starts to ask, unsure, but curious, “never mind.” He let’s go of the braid, huffing lightly in frustration and leans on the railing, looking out towards the roaring waves.

Hinata’s stunned by his sudden apprehension. "Why can’t I what?”

“I said never mind.”

“But… I- I want to know.”

“Why can’t you look at me?”  

“Oh.”  

Sasuke sighs, “you don’t have to answer.”

Hinata bites her lip hard, internally wincing. “I-it’s not just you it’s most people really.” She starts, racking her brain for the right words “- It’s -it’s embarrassing… Well everything is embarrassing but, I get anxious about nothing all the time? And looking at people. I don’t know. I get paranoid that they can hear my thoughts or something? Not that I’m thinking about anything weird, well sometimes I am… it’s easier when they’re not looking back at me... Anyways... I guess it’s just become a bad habit now…” she sighs and smiles bitterly at the mess that just flew out of her mouth. “So, to summarize, looking at people kind of sometimes really freaks me out?”

“I see,” Sasuke says, Hinata glances at his mouth, he’s smiling a little, it’s almost warm in an amused sort of way, which completely disarms her.  

Hinata’s tongue feels dry, “uhm, do-do you ever feel anxious?”  

“Never. I get annoyed or frustrated with people very easily though, which can be problematic, not that I care”

“I guess some things never change then.” Hinata teases gently.

Sasuke smirks, he seems ready to retort with a quip but retreats and opts for something entirely different, “are there things that help you with your anxiety?”

There’s something about the question that makes Hinata feel warm all over, she never really gets to talk about these kinds of things without it feeling like it would dampen the mood, but there’s surprisingly no judgement in his tone, he seems genuinely curious, which encourages her to open up some more, "I find different scents to be calming, so I wear whatever my current favorite essential oil is on my wrist every day and whenever I feel too overwhelmed,” Hinata begins to explain in a rush pulling her sleeve up to demonstrate and presents Sasuke her wrist, “I close my eyes, count down from ten and-” Hinata’s breath catches in her throat and her eyes fly open when Sasuke gently pulls her forward by the wrist and she feels the softness of his lips brush over her pulse, then draws in a slow breath to scent the fragrance she chose to wear that day, “...and... sniff.”

Oh goodness, is it getting hot out here? Because Hinata’s face feels like it’s about to burst into flames. Hinata debates pulling her arm back but is currently enraptured by the softest look she’s seen on the Uchiha’s face this evening.  

This feels way too intimate, and Hinata thinks she likes it. Hinata thinks that maybe this is what’s been missing in her life. The feeling of being close to someone in more ways than just proximity. Is it possible she’s been physically and emotionally touch starved for years without realizing it?

That’s a thought that petrifies her. How sleeping on your basest human needs can become a habit, and you find yourself going through the trivial motions of existence, not bothering to search for more, for something that makes your heart sing, twist, and turn into itself the way that muscle pumping blood through her circulatory system at a quickening pace is doing right now.

“Lavender,” Sasuke murmurs against her wrist and his breath feels hot on her skin, Hinata struggles for breath when the sensation brings her back to the present moment and she realizes that she’s been staring directly into his darkened obsidian eyes, boring into hers and she finds herself unable to look away. A subtle look of achievement flashes through them when he softly asks, “you okay there?”

Is she dead? Is she imagining this? This whole situation with the soft touches coinciding with depressing epiphanies triggered by Sasuke smelling her suddenly seems completely absurd, and Hinata’s not sure she’ll be able to form a coherent sentence any time soon.

“I uh, uhm.” There’s definitely something wrong with Hinata’s voice when she attempts to speak.

“I think that...” Sasuke smoothly adjusts their hands to interlock their fingers and his hand feels so warm in hers, “you should go out with me.”

What is happening?

“No.”

Hinata kinda meant to say yes, but sure, no works too?

“What?”

“I mean, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Hinata winces slightly. Gosh what is she even saying? Is this some sort of weird defense mechanism because she’s afraid of getting hurt?  

Sasuke nods slowly, narrowing his eyes, “why not.”

Don’t you have to risk getting hurt to get anywhere in life that’s worth while?

“I-I don’t know.”

“Hn.” Sasuke breaks eye contact and lets their holding hands fall. Hinata reels at the loss of warmth. He turns away from her and crosses his arms over the railing and looks out towards the dark rhythmic waves of the ocean. Hinata worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she studies the man before her. The moonlight is hitting the sharp angles of his face just perfect, and Hinata’s in awe. He’s all grown up now, and by default that means Hinata is too. Yet, here they are, the oldest they’ve been, and still the youngest they will ever be.  

Nostalgia floods through Hinata’s system, deciding to grab the moment instead of letting it pass. She’s not sure when she pulled the camera out of her bag, but the flash went off before she understood that she was taking a picture.

Sasuke jumps slightly at the flash and is pulled from his brooding thoughts, shooting her a puzzled glare.

“Sorry, that was kind of weird of me. I just – I just thought you-you looked erm... nice in the moonlight?”  

A bewildered look flashes across Sasuke’s face before a small smile begins to form and he laughs! He actually, genuinely laughs while shaking his head in what appears to be disbelief.  

The only thing Hinata can do is smile sheepishly distracted by how handsome he looks when he lets go of his composure, the light in his eyes makes him look younger, like the Sasuke she knew all those years ago.  

Hinata wonders if any of his friends get to see him like this.

He looks down at the pavement, shoulders still shaking, smile still present and pinches the bridge of his nose while taking in a slow breath and on his exhale, he reaches into his pocket, pulls out his phone, unlocks it, hands it over and says, “give me your number.”

Hinata tentatively obliges, pulling open the add new contact page, filling in the blanks then handing it back. Sasuke starts typing something in his phone and asks. “Do you work Sunday?”  

“Uhm, yes?”  

Hinata’s phone buzzes, when retrieving it from her bag she sees a text from an unknown number.

>> I’m going to come by after your shift and I'm taking you out. Don’t even bother using your mouth to respond.

Hinata feels her fingers tingling and tries to open her mouth to speak, closes it, bites her lip to try and stifle her giggles and resists the urge to slap herself in the face for acting like a complete airhead.

She pushes her fears aside one more time tonight...

And takes the damn dive.

<< Okay <3

                __________________________

AN2:  Wow, okay. A month later and I have the second part to this little story. This is the first time that I’m posting something I didn’t just throw together in one sitting. I’ve also never posted anything that was longer than 1200 words and it’s unexpectedly a little nerve-wracking??? OKAY SO, I guess there’s going to be one last chapter and it’s going to be like 90% SasuHina interactions? And spoiler alert they’re finally going to make-out. I have this SasuHina headcannon where they’re both private people who generally keep to themselves -- so people think they’re a boring couple, but when they’re alone together it’s like they’re in their own little world, and that’s the dynamic I’m looking forward to exploring in the final part.  I’m not sure when it’s going to be up since I have a bunch of other stuff I need to work on so it depends on how the inspo hits me, but I do have plenty of fun ideas!

[gatheringstars]

LukeSaku drabble cause I hate myself

edit: refined this just a tad. got some dialogue between Luke, Wedge, and Hobbie.

　　　　Despite the fact that they were hiding, and everyday they all had to wonder when the Empire would come and wipe them out, people on the rebel base talked. Mostly about mundane things to help take their minds off things and ease the tension a bit. Some would mention high stakes games going on in the wider galaxy, others would talk about the funny thing a comrade did the other day that got him in trouble with a superior.

　　　　Today, a new recruit seemed to be the talk of the ship. Luke overheard Wedge and Hobbie talking about it in the barracks. Curiosity got the better of him as he joined in on their conversation.

　　　　“Hey, what’s going on?” Luke asked as he slid into a seat next to Wedge.

　　　　“We were just talking about the new recruit down in the med wing. The whole ship is talking about her.” Hobbie replied.

　　　　“Some say she’s one of those Chikyu terrorists cause she’s supposedly from that planet,” Wedge commented.

　　　　“Assuming that there really is more than one terrorist.”

　　　　”Chikyu?”

　　　　Wedge and Hobbie glanced at one another before Wedge told the story. “Apparently, a couple years before the Death Star was completed, an expedition found this unexplored system. The Empire named the system the Aztharian system, since that was the name of the captain who discovered it. Apparently, there were native humans on the planet, pretty low tech, they hadn’t even been to their own moon yet. Not much is known about them.”

　　　　“Now no one ever will,” Hobbie grunted. “Empire leveled it after the Emperor called it a threat to their order or some BS like that. Some natives escaped, but their world was left pretty desolated.”

　　　　“And you think she’s one of those natives that escaped?” Luke asked.

　　　　“With that hair? Gotta be. Not many humans have that color hair, naturally anyway.” Hobbie snorted.

　　　　“Why do they call her a terrorist?” Luke asked.

　　　　“Word is that someone’s been destroying Imperial outposts on the Outer Rim, and it isn’t us because they leave behind a calling card. A symbol related to the Chikyu natives,” Wedge explained. “The Empire is referring to them as multiple terrorists, but rumor has it that it’s only one person destroying these outposts.”

　　　　“If so, they’re stronger than even the Jedi, and if she really is the one, I’m glad she’s on our side.” Hobbie commented.

　　　　Luke nodded in agreement when his comm chimed indicating that his superior, Admiral Ackbar wanted to talk to him. Realizing he could swing by the med bay on the way there to check out this new recruit everyone was talking about, Luke bid his fellow pilots farewell before heading on out.

　　　　The med wing was mostly empty. They hadn’t seen action in awhile, and no one was sick enough to be there. He spotted her over by the bacta tanks, the bright pink hair was hard to miss. She was busying herself checking over the various equipment, making sure everything was working properly in case anything did happen.

　　　　Despite himself, Luke stepped inside the medical wing to get a better look at what she was doing. Within a couple steps, he brushed against some equipment, nearly knocking them over. He scrambled to keep it all from hitting the ground, wincing inwardly at the loud clanging of the metal which no doubt drew her attention.

　　　　He was just putting everything back to the way he thought it was when a voice spoke up behind him.

　　　　“Can I help you?” she asked.

　　　　Luke spun around to be met with the brightest pair of green eyes ever. He felt his cheeks heat up both over his own clumsiness and how unprepared he was to meet with such a pretty face. He felt down right foolish. If he could shrink, he’d be no bigger than the kyber crystal in his father’s lightsaber.

　　　　“Oh, I, uh... no, no, I was just... just passing by when I...” he gestured helplessly at the equipment now piled haphazardly on the counter.

　　　　She laughed softly, and Luke was sure his heart was close to bursting out of his chest out of sheer embarrassment. “It’s okay. Could have happened to anyone.”

　　　　Luke nodded in agreement, willing his embarrassment away. “I’m Luke, by the way. Luke Skywalker.” He said deciding to distract from his blunder by introducing himself. He held out his hand for her to take.

　　　　“Sakura Haruno,” she answered, taking his hand. He was surprised how small and dainty it was, but surprised even more so by the strength behind those small fingers. When she let go, he shoved his hand into his pocket.

　　　　“I uh... understand you’re new around here,” Luke went on awkwardly.

　　　　“Yeah, this is only my third day here.”

　　　　“Oh, cool, so... how do you like so far?” Luke inwardly cringed at his attempt at conversation.

　　　　“It’s comfortable enough. Kinda hoping I get an assignment soon though.”

　　　　“Oh? Why so soon?”

　　　　“I might be a medic, but you all already have medical droids, so there are other ways I can help I’m sure. I’m only here while the droids get maintenance done.”

　　　　“Right, right,” Luke continued awkwardly. “Well, I gotta go. I’m supposed to meet with Admiral Ackbar.”

　　　　“Okay, good luck, hope to see you again, Luke,” she said with a small smile. He felt his heart skip a beat.

　　　　“Yeah, um... same here, thanks,” he replied, watching as she turned around to get back to work. He waited a moment before finally turning to leave, a pair of pretty green eyes stuck in his mind’s eye.

[silverfootstepswrites]

Amaryllis | Chapter 5

< Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 >

+++ 

"She's very beautiful," one of the nobles commented. 

Eyes turned to the young general that Shisui pulled onto the dance floor. He was already married, but he was well-known for his dancing skills. The noblewomen lined up to have a chance to dance one song with him. 

The General’s dress was light teal that night, with strings of pearls draped around the skirt in shiny tiers. Swaths of transparent fabric flowed down the back of the skirt, trailing behind her like a tide that was always rushing to catch up to her. The back of her dress dipped low again, exposing the lines of her shoulders and the curve of her spine, rejoining fabric at her waist.

"I wonder how she managed to lead an entire army?" another of the men wondered out loud.

"My thoughts precisely. She seems so young. And I hear that she's quite flexible…" one of the older men remarked. A set of low guffaws filtered up from the group as they nodded and winked at one another. Only two faces remained stony in their midst. And no one seemed to notice this until one of the men who clearly found no humor in the conversation cleared his throat.

"My lords, I don't think you've been introduced to my friend. Admiral Haruno of the Forest Kingdom," Sasuke announced. He gestured to Sasori standing beside him, whose eyes glinted like polished blades as he smiled at them

There was a pause as everyone processed the name. A chill fell upon them as they gave stilted bows and nods to Sasori. When Sakura appeared a few minutes later, she interrupted the world’s most awkward conversation. Sasuke was just a few steps behind her. 

From this close, everyone could see that her hair was twisted up and strung with thin lines of pearls. And the large golden suns hanging from her ears glittered as she turned her head toward Sasori. Her hand rested on his shoulder as she read the atmosphere. The flush of embarrassment on the faces that met her told her enough.

"Am I interrupting something, gentlemen?" she questioned. The polished golden chain hanging from her neck sparkled. The shimmering disk engraved with tiny words and symbols swayed with her movements before coming to rest against her stomach.

"N-not at all, General. We were just discussing what a fine dancer you are," one of the men sputtered. Sakura's cool smile answered the man who had spoken.

"Clearly," was all she said.

"Come, love. Let's dance. I hear your flexibility is something to be tested," Sasori said, his hand moving to her waist. A fresh round of blushes passed around the group. And when Sasori explained the situation to Sakura, she laughed out loud. 

Sasori twirled her around before drawing her in close to his chest. Sakura pushed away from him, returning them back to a respectable distance apart.

"Perhaps I've dressed you too appealingly. I should have brought a burlap sack for you," sighed Sasori.

"My dear cousin, your flattery is bordering on lechery tonight," Sakura stated with an airy sort of carelessness. She put on a flat look of disapproval. Sasori pivoted and dipped her until the small of her back rested against his knee. She fixed him with the same stony look.

"Lechery? You're especially hurtful today, Sakura," he replied. Only then did Sakura's lips lift in a smirk. She reached up and pinched his cheek with a light touch. Then they were swirling across the dance floor again.

"Then again, you're only this terrible to the people you actually like so I suppose I should consider this an honor," sighed Sasori as an afterthought. This time, Sakura outright laughed at him.

"Speaking of which, that imbecile has been staring at you for quite some time now," murmured Sasori with a subtle nod in Naruto's direction. He spun her around to allow her to get a look. And indeed, Naruto was standing in a group of people who were all chattering merrily to one another. His eyes met Sakura's and he gave her a tentative smile. Sakura did not return the expression before Sasori spun her back around.

"What do you suppose that's about? Do you think someone ate the last slice of ham?" Sasori conjectured. Sakura pretended not to smile at that. Instead, she dragged their pace down as the song transitioned into a more sorrowful song. Sakura noticed Sasori's eyes were drifting elsewhere and so she followed his gaze. From the opposite side of the ballroom, Sakura spotted three men in the distinctive black and silver uniforms of the Mountain Kingdom's armies. Their mustaches twitched around as they spoke to each other. And their eyes never left Sasori. 

“Goodness,” sighed Sasori. And at the same time, Sakura sighed, “What now?”

When the song came to an end, they left the dance floor. Sasori didn’t bother to sweep a the usual fantastic bow. Instead, he slipped his arm around her waist. He barely hid his look of disgust as he mocked them. “Please, Admiral, a war story. We haven’t been on a battlefield in a thousand years.”

Sakura arched an eyebrow at him. 

“Neither have you,” she pointed out, “You’ve only ever been on the water.”

Sasori glowered at her. She struggled not to smile. 

“Ah, Admiral Haruno. We’ve been dying to speak to you all night.”

Sakura and Sasori turned at the same time. Sakura took one look at the medals gleaming on the black uniforms and promptly excused herself. Sasori, rather than releasing her, tightened the hold on her waist. He spoke without moving his lips.

"Are you abandoning me?" he accused her. Sakura gave a glib smile as she mentioned powdering her face. She bowed to the other men and made a quick retreat. But on her own, Sakura was caught by a trio of noblewomen gushing about the beauty of her gown. They marveled over the way the silk shimmered and the way that there seemed to be tiny sparkles embedded into the fabric. One of them reached out to admire Sakura's hair and Sakura sidestepped the touch with a terse smile. The message was clear. Sakura excused herself to go drink a glass of wine. She had two.

But as Sakura stood enjoying her second glass of wine, something made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle unpleasantly. Her eyes flitted around the vast room. Out of habit, she searched for Naruto and found him not so far from her, still stuck in that awkward conversation with people he didn't know. Her stare lingered over the men in that group in particular, searching for the telltale marks of a concealed weapon. Naruto seemed to notice the change in her expression. He said something, stepping away from the group. As she watched him approach, she felt, rather than saw, a flicker of movement somewhere behind him.

“Sasori!” Sakura shouted as she bolted forward. She elbowed people out of her way. Cries of outrage trailed behind her as people were jolted aside, sloshing their drinks. But Sakura had eyes for no one but the danger behind Naruto. 

She sprinted to him, hand outstretched. She heard Sasori say something, but she couldn’t understand him. Metal glinted too brightly from somewhere.

Sakura shoved Naruto aside with her forearm and spun to shield him with her body. Heat erupted across her back. She could feel the stickiness of blood between her shoulder blades. The blade sliced through the strings of pearl draped across her back. The iridescent shapes scattered, spilling across the floor and rolling in every direction. People were screaming. Her knees buckled from the blow, but there was no time to process the pain.

Her fingers shoved under her skirt. They found the hilt of her dagger strapped to her thigh. She whirled. Launched the blade. The weapon sang as it cleaved the air. With a thud, it connected with the assailant’s chest. His knife was still in his hand. Blood dribbled from his mouth. His eyes widened as he struggled to understand why he was falling. But by the time he hit the ground, he was dead, and wondered no more. 

She sucked in a deep breath and tried to stand up straight. But the pain began to catch up with her. Her knees wobbled. She felt herself tilt, and then Sasori’s arms were around her waist. 

“An assassination attempt?” a voice from the crowd gasps. Whispers hissed all around the room as the nobles stood there. Talking. As she felt her blood soaking into the front of Sasori’s fine clothes. 

“I’m sorry, darling. I’m going to need you to lean forward,” Sasori uttered. Sakura took a deep breath. She nodded. His hand curled around her shoulder. He pushed her bit by bit, until he could see the gash dripping blood down her back. 

A knight separated from the crowd. He stepped around them to help Naruto to his feet. And then he moved to pick up the fallen assassin’s weapon. 

“It didn’t hit bone, I think. It’s not so deep, either,” Sasori observed with a calmness she knew he didn’t feel. The grip of his fingers on her shoulder almost hurt her. But more than that, she could feel him shaking. She sharpness of his voice made everyone else flinch as he barked, “Can someone not incompetent get a doctor! And some linens. Towels. Anything!”

But then she heard Sasori click his tongue. He shed his jacket and ripped his shirt in his haste to remove it. His head whipped around until he found a woman holding wine. He held his hand out for it. And when she gave him a bewildered look, he cursed under his breath. 

The knight who had been speaking with Naruto stepped in. He wrenched the goblet from the noblewoman’s grasp. Sakura winced when he upended the cold contents all over her wound. And then gasped again as Sasori began typing his shirt around her. The wine and blood stained the fabric as he tightened the knot. 

Sasuke came running over, guards shadowing his footsteps. His face was flushed red and little beads of sweat were gathered on his upper lip. He had obviously run to get help at the first sign of a commotion. As Sasuke stood catching his breath, he looked from the body on the ground to Sakura. Sasori removed his hand from Sakura's back, looked down at the blood glistening on his palm. 

“It’s not stopping,” he muttered. And then his head whipped around so he could address Sasuke.

“Your Highness, where’s the infirmary?” Sasori demanded.

“I called for my personal physician. The staff is on their way to assist the General,” Queen Mikoto announced. The guests parted to allow her to walk through them. She looked quite pale, but otherwise calm as she surveyed the scene. 

“‘On the way’ means nothing. She’s bleeding to death and everyone is standing around like a useless flock of geese,” Sasori spat.

“Help me up,” Sakura whispered. Sasori hesitated. But then he complied. Supporting her as she got to her feet. More guards were running in now. 

Sakura began to move. People stumbled out of her way as she slowly moved. Sasori kept one arm around her, the other supporting her elbow. She shuffled until she stood behind the knight who had helped Naruto to his feet. 

“Sir Sai,” she called.

He turned to face her a moment later. Expression too bright. 

“Yes, General,” he replied.

The back of her hand connected with his jaw, sending him reeling. Something might have cracked. It was hard to hear over the gasp that rippled through the room. 

Sai didn’t straighten. He stood hunched, hands clenched on his thighs. 

“This happened because you failed to protect my cousin. You have failed your sole duty as his retainer,” Sakura accused. She faltered a little and Sasori shifted his grip on her to support more of her weight. Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, suddenly a little woozy. But when she opened them again, there was still steel in her gaze. 

“I will pass judgment on you once I’m no longer bleeding,” Sakura added. She then glanced over her shoulder at Sasori. She pulled out of his arms, wobbling, but still on her feet. 

“Love, be caref-”

Her hand connected with his cheek too. 

This time, the entire room was silent. No one even dared to gasp. 

“Watch your tone in front of Her Majesty. Even if you’re my cousin, I will not allow anyone from my country to show such disrespect,” Sakura ordered.

As two attendants in white arrived, Sakura spotted them in the doorway. 

“Ah, excellent timing. I would appreciate your assistance, ladies,” Sakura greeted them. 

Sasori stood rooted in place. Head at an awkward angle. Sakura stared at him for a moment before she ordered, “Stay.”

She waited until he raised his fist over his heart before she allowed herself to be escorted out of the ballroom. Blood dripping in a trail behind her. 

The two women half-guided and half-pulled Sakura up to the private areas of the eastern wing. 

Sakura tried to count the flights of stairs and thought maybe she was up on the fourth floor. She couldn't be sure. The blood loss was making things a little hazy. But then she was led into the infirmary. Sterile smells and light colors greeted her, as did a shock of bright red hair.

"Sit her down. Get water," the woman barked.

"Can you tell me your name?" she then asked in a more normal voice. She lifted Sakura's eyelid, unsmiling behind dark spectacles. She shined a bright light into her eye. Sakura barely flinched. She was used to this.

"I was slashed. I didn't hit my head," grumbled Sakura in response. There was a pause, and then the physician grinned.

“My name is Karin. I’m her Majesty the Queen’s physician. And I think you’ll be alright, General,” the physician continued on in a cheerful voice. Sakura mustered a smile, but she stopped when one of the nurses began to peel away the makeshift bandage on her back. Karin hissed, slapping the nurse’s hands away. She took over the painstaking process of separating the layers of fabric from the sticky gash across Sakura’s back. 

“Whoever did this was smart. It saved you a lot of blood,” Karin remarked. She stood observing the wound for a moment. And then she began barking orders at the nurses to gather supplies and to tend to the patient. Hands helped Sakura lie on her side. Her head began to feel like it was floating above her shoulders. 

“I’m going to disinfect this now. It’s going to hurt. Swear if you would like,” Karin warned her from what felt like very far away. It took Sakura a second, but she processed the words. And then snorted. 

“You get used to this kind of stuff. If you piss off the wrong people, you’re bound to get stabbed once or twice,” Sakura remarked. 

“Well…” That made Karin pause. She gripped Sakura’s shoulder. And then said, “I can think of one or two people I wouldn’t mind stabbing. So you must be right.”

Sakura let out a weak laugh. 

Karin was quick about tending to the injury. There was a reason why a woman like her had risen to such an esteemed position. She stitched the edges of the cut together, remarking how it was mostly surface level. Her needle pierced and pulled. A nurse dabbed with a clean cloth to soak up the blood every once in a while.

Sakura’s hands clenched into the sheets and pillow. Teeth clenching together, she refused to let a single whimper escape her mouth. The blood dribbled down her back, her sides, soaking into the white sheets. And she almost laughed at how familiar all this felt. At how one of the nurses remarked at her tolerance for pain.

And then Karin was out of her hair. All she said was, “There.”

She stepped away. The nurses moved in to begin washing her skin clean. The water tinging pink and then red as they rinsed the towels over and over. The agony in her back eased a little as they piled on some sort of cool balm. The bandages went over top. And the pressure of the gauze actually helped some of the pain as well.

The click of boots approached. Someone spoke to the guards that were posted outside. A few moments later, Sasori walked in as the nurses helped Sakura up. To move her to a clean bed, they explained. He hurried across the room. He wrapped his arms around Sakura. When he glanced at the nurses, they pointed to the right bed. 

Sakura glared as Sasori lowered her onto the sheets. The nurses fussed to arrange her on her side. ‘To keep pressure off the wound,’ they said. Like she hadn’t been injured before. But Sakura swatted her irritation away. They were accustomed to dealing with clueless nobles who had never lifted a finger before. They arranged her arms and legs. Adjusted her pillow.

Sasori waited for the nurses to finish their work. They gathered the blood-stained supplies. Pulled the blood-soaked sheets off the bed. And then they were gone. They didn’t even chatter as they hurried down the hall.

It was perfectly quiet in the infirmary. And then Sakura felt Sasori sit behind her on the thin mattress. The first thing he did was smooth her hair down. 

“I could kill you,” he sighed. His hand weighing heavy on top of her head. 

“You’ll have to wait your turn,” Sakura replied. 

Her back was to him. So all she could do was wait for the lecture. Instead, Sasori took a deep breath. Exhaled just as deeply. He rested his cheek on her shoulder. 

“Does it hurt a lot?” he asked. 

“Yes.”

“Me, too,” Sasori said. Which was such an odd thing to say. But Sakura understood him. They always understood each other like that. 

The lecture came later. When the sun was beginning to set. Light angling red and purple through the trees. One of the the nurses returned to light candles in the room. She paused when she saw Sasori still slumped against Sakura. One hand tangling in her hair. But then she moved like she hadn’t seen anything, trimming and lighting each of the wicks inside the lanterns. Sakura’s eyes followed the woman around the room. And when the nurse saw that she was awake, she paused to bow. Sakura nodded. 

Sasori opened his eyes as the nurse’s footsteps retreated down the hall.

“Can you please take care of yourself?” Sasori requested.

“It’ll heal. It always does,” Sakura dismissed his concern. 

“But this is my favorite back,” he sighed. “And it’s the most valuable back in the kingdom.” Something in his tone shifted. It would have been easier to tell what he was thinking if she could see his face. But she already had a good idea of where this conversation was headed.

“Sakura.”

“What.”

“When you were born, there were already factions forming. Since I was older. Since I was the male, I should be heir to the throne, some said. The nobles tried to rally around my mother to persuade her,” Sasori recounted. They both knew the story so well.

“And Aunt Kurenai threatened to have them all executed for treason,” Sakura supplied. And she heard Sasori chuckle.

“Yes. And then she brought me to kneel in front of your mother and you. To swear to always be your sword and shield. Your hands and feet. Because you are my dearest cousin, but also my queen,” he whispered. 

“You’re a fool, you know. A complete waste of potential,” she scolded him, not for the first time. And like always, he didn’t laugh at that. Like he knew it was true in some way. But she had never heard him utter a word of complaint. That he would never inherit his own lands. Or that even though their mothers had both been princesses, he would never be a prince. Simply ‘Lord Sasori’. She wondered sometimes why he didn’t hate her. For having what he could never have.

And like he could read her mind, he suddenly said, “I don’t need an inheritance. I just need you to take better care of yourself.”

“For the future of the kingdom?” she recited. It was what everyone said to her whenever they tried to persuade her.

“No. For me,” Sasori corrected. “But also the kingdom, I suppose,” he then added as an afterthought. 

They sat silent for a long time after that. Once the sun had almost entirely disappeared behind the trees, Sasori got to his feet. 

“I’ll bring some moon tea. To help you sleep,” he announced. He bent over to press a kiss to her cheek. His crisp footsteps echoed all the way down the hall. Bouncing around like there were five of him. 

The infirmary was pale and clean. White pillows on a white bed in a room with white walls. Sakura held her hand up. Wondering whether she would begin to turn transparent in such a place. She closed her eyes, let her hand drop down. 

Her eyes opened when she felt Sasori’s hand on hers. His signet ring hard and smooth against her knuckle. 

“Drink. I’ll stay here tonight,” he whispered. He held a cup of steaming tea in his hand. 

Sakura saw then that he still wore his ruined clothes from the ball. Her blood dried brown and crusty on his undershirt and pants. 

“You should change,” she remarked. 

“Really? I think it suits me,” he responded.

Sakura laughed despite the pain in her back.

+++

Naruto came to visit a few times. The first time, Sakura was still drowsy from the moon tea and she opened heavy lids to Naruto calling her name. He stood over her bed, face haggard.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry this happened. Are you okay?" he blurted out. His words were frantic, stumbling over one another. Sakura blinked slowly. Then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

The second time Naruto came to visit, Sasori was already in the room. And though Sakura's mind was still a little foggy, she understood just why Sasori suddenly stopped talking. Eyes flashing, Sasori whirled to face Naruto.

"What're you doing here?" Sasori growled. Naruto held up his hands in a pacifying gesture.

"I'm just here to see how Sakura's doing…" the blond said, his voice trailing off in the wake of Sasori's acid glare. Even when Sakura placed her hand on his arm, Sasori refused to back down.

"Get out of here," whispered Sasori, even as Naruto took a nervous step forward.

"Sakura, I'm really sorry you got hurt for me. Are you feeling okay?" Naruto insisted as he moved closer. Sasori's hand clenched into a fist.

"Get out. You have no right to be here right now," Sasori whispered again. There was a frosty note in Sasori's voice that made Naruto freeze. And eyes half-lidded, Sakura finally looked up to meet Naruto's wide eyes.

"You should go, Naruto," she added. Only then did Naruto take a step backwards. Nodding slowly, Naruto looked around the room in a nervous sort of way before he retreated. And Sasori, still shaking with subdued rage, leaned forward the pressed his forehead firmly to hers.

"He has no right to be here. I'll tear him apart," Sasori snarled.

"You'll do no such thing," retorted Sakura. Lacing their fingers together, Sakura pressed her cheek to Sasori's shoulder until his trembling stopped.

The third time Naruto came to visit, it was during a rare window of opportunity when Sasori was out of the infirmary. Because he needed to eat and bathe, too.

Sakura’s eyebrows rose as she spotted movement in the shadows of the doorway. It wasn’t like she had a choice but to wait for him to reveal himself. Naruto slunk across the floor to stand at the foot of her bed. He stood wringing his hand together behind his back as he tried to gather the right words. Then Naruto suddenly pulled out a bunch of flowers. The stems were a little droopy and the roots were untrimmed. But the sight of the brightly colored blooms softened Sakura's mood.

"Sit down," she sighed, gesturing to the chair next to the bed. She watched Naruto look around for somewhere to stick the flowers before he just sat, bouquet clenched in his hands until his knuckles turned white. His shoulders hunched in.

"…So…uh… how are you feeling?" Naruto queried after an awkward pause. He tugged at the collar of his burnt orange waistcoat. The golden chain looping from the first button down to the watch in his pocket rattled quietly. Sakura debated ignoring him before she decided to end his suffering.

"I've been better," she remarked after weighing her words. But then she revealed a faint smile to let him know that she was joking. Naruto didn't return the expression. His gaze darted nervously from her to the doorway.

"Does it hurt a lot?" questioned Naruto in something closer to a mumble. His cheeks burned dark red as he clenched his hands into tight fists.

His eyes were huge as he stared at her. The sight of that wide gaze stirred up old memories. The nostalgia clogged her chest until she felt like she couldn't breathe. Quickly turning her head away, Sakura cleared her throat.

“…Yes," she answered. “It always does.” Her fingers curled into the edges of the blanket.

But then Sasori came back with his tea and the rage in his eyes made it clear that it was time for Naruto to leave. In fact, Naruto jumped to his feet, color draining out of his face entirely. His stare jumped from Sasori, to the flowers, and then to Sakura.

"Uh. I'll just…" he stuttered out. Naruto thrust the flowers into Sakura's lap. Then he bolted from the room, followed all the way by Sasori's glower. Sasori stood in the doorway, teacup rattling noisily against the saucer until Sakura waved him in. He strode over and exchanged her flowers for the tea. Sakura arched an eyebrow at him as she took a sip of the hot beverage. It was bitter.

Without hesitation, Sasori glanced over the flowers, and then deposited them in the garbage.

"Sasori," she admonished half-heartedly.

"Some weeds will not repay what you have done for him," Sasori ground out.

Sasori then settled on the edge of her bed without saying anything else. Only when Sakura took his hand did Sasori lift his gaze.

“A bit testy, are we?” she teased just a bit. Sasori's hand closed around hers but he didn't respond. Instead, she could feel his gaze tracing her face. His clear gold eyes narrowed. Sasori reached out to push a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Please take care of yourself, love. I'll be leaving in a few days. Can you promise me that you'll at least pretend to have some sense of self-preservation?" As he spoke, Sasori stroked her face once with his thumb. He cupped her cheek in his palm. Sakura stared at him for a long moment before she reached up and placed her hand over his.

"I promise," she replied in a soft voice.

And it seemed that, at least for a little while, Sasori had set his rage aside.

At least, this held true until Sai strolled into the infirmary with his hands in his back pockets. 

Karin was hunched over Sakura, face screwed up as she looked over her own handiwork. The stitches were holding together well. The salve of various herbs that Karin had placed on top had also helped with the worst of the pain and inflammation. Though the wound was nowhere near healed after two days, Sakura was well aware of how much pain ineffective medical attention could cause. This doctor knew what she was doing. 

While Karin stood poking and prodding, Sasori stood like a disgruntled sentry by the window.

But Sai chose to enter then, shattering that fragile peace.

Out of habit, Sakura looked up to see who the visitor was. There had been a veritable parade of people prancing in and out of that door all day. The table beside the bed was crowded with bunches of flowers and brightly colored presents. Everyone from some lower nobles to the higher ups like Sasuke and Shisui had dropped by. So putting on her diplomat's smile, Sakura lifted her head.

Whatever snorting retort she was about to make in response to Karin's dry humor was lost in her throat as she saw Sai standing there. And Karin, noticing the gap in their conversation, looked up to see what was wrong. Sasori, of course, had whirled to face the visitor already. He crossed the room in quick steps.

Sasori's hand flew to the hilt of his sword. The zing of the metal screeching free of the scabbard echoed in the room so loudly that it hardly seemed possible. And then Sasori's blade was at Sai's throat, pressing so hard against the pale skin that a drop of bright red welled up against the edge. But Sai was fast as well. His dagger was out, hovering menacingly at Sasori's gut, prepared to rip him open and send his organs spilling.

One of the nurses let out a shriek. The other one took a step in front of Sakura, her arm held out. 

"How dare you set foot in here, you swine," hissed Sasori.

"Watch yourself, Admiral," Sai returned in a soft voice. There was even a hint of a smile pulling at Sai's lips.

"I watched my cousin get stabbed because of your incompetence," Sasori seethed.

"And I’m here to apologize for that," replied Sai with a smile. Sasori ground his molars together. But before his blade could move any further, Sakura's cold voice cut in.

"Sasori," she called out.

"Glad to see that you're awake, General,” Sai greeted her. He tipped his head in her direction as much as he could without decapitating himself. Sasori's gaze turned from angry to murderous.

"Sasori," Sakura said a second time. This time her voice held an icy bite to it. And Sasori flinched, as if she had cut him with his own name.

"Lower your weapons…the both of you. This is a hospital," ordered Sakura. And slowly, with visible reluctance from both sides, the blades dropped bit by bit. With a look from Sakura, the two nurses grabbed their things and moved closer to Sakura and away from the danger. Letting out a harsh exhale, Sasori took one step away from Sai.

“Like I said, I merely came to apologize, General. It is true that you were injured because I did not act quickly. I am Prince Naruto's personal retainer. I should have been there first," Sai said with a small bow. There was little sincerity in his dark eyes. Sasori scoffed. Sakura observed Sai for a long moment before she spoke.

“Your incompetence nearly cost two royal lives. A simply apology will not suffice for this,” she thought out loud. And though Sai’s eyes narrowed, he didn’t say anything to contradict her. 

“What do you think, Cousin?” Sakura then asked. 

“I’m always in favor of a public hanging,” suggested Sasori with a smile. 

“Hm… hanging. So… final,” Sakura mused. 

Sai’s face remained unreadable. Although the corner of his mouth did twitch a little. 

Sakura studied him for a moment. Then she shook her head. “No. No hanging,” she decided. “I shall speak it over with your dear prince. I wouldn’t want to discipline someone’s dog without their permission. Now leave. I tire of that sneer of yours.”

With that clear dismissal of the guest, Sasori gave Sai a smug look, folding his arms across his chest. And Sai gave the same bland smile before he bowed again and slowly backed out of the room.

“You should have let me behead him," Sasori grumbled as he sat at the foot of the bed. He busied himself sheathing his weapon and then adjusting his hair. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him.

“No. Someone would find some reason to accuse you of something ridiculous,” Sakura corrected him. 

And then the physician spoke up. “Don’t behead people here, please.”

Obviously, Sakura was unable to attend the rest of the parties during the festival. The glittering gowns Sasori had brought hung unused inside the armoire. Moegi sighed over this so often that even Haku began to roll his eyes at her. 

Once she received approval from the doctor, Sakura moved back to her apartment. Where it didn’t reek of antiseptic and herbs. She couldn’t really lie back without putting pressure on her wound. So Sakura sat up or lay on her side. Sasori was there to keep her company during the day. He claimed that it was infinitely more entertaining than having to make small talk with some powdered lord or lady. At night, however, he was forced to attend the parties on her behalf. 

“But Prince Naruto will be there,” Haku wondered as he brushed Sakura’s hair. 

Both she and Sasori burst into laughter. Haku froze.

“Oh, my dear, you’ve met him. Do you honestly trust him to represent anyone including himself?” Sasori mocked. 

Haku tilted his head as he considered that. “Um… no. I suppose not, Admiral,” he replied. Quite serious. Sasori laughed even harder.

Sasori took one of the strands of pearls that Sakura would have worn. Wrapped it around his wrist. 

“For good luck,” he insisted, leaning over her. 

Sighing, Sakura set her book down. “Such a coddled child,” she scolded, even as she reached for him. She kissed his right cheek. Then his left.

“Be good,” she instructed.

“You know me. I’m always good,” Sasori retorted before he headed out the double doors.

When she had returned to the room, Sakura had found a book of folklore of the Mountain Kingdom. Very old, she could tell from the softening binding. It sat on her nightstand, waiting for her.

Sakura had asked Moegi and Haku which of them had been so thoughtful. Intent on rewarding them. But they had exchanged a bewildered look. 

“We… found it here, General. We assumed you’d ordered someone to prepare it for you,” Haku confessed. 

Sakura still gave them each a shining coin. 

“For your honesty. Now go. I’d like some time to myself,” she said.

Speechless, the two attendants hurried out. Sakura saw Moegi bite down on the coin. Her eyes narrowed. It wasn’t something she often saw a castle maid do.

She wrote a letter. Stuck it inside the cover before she opened up to the first page. It was a quiet night with no one else around. Perfect for some light reading.

Sasori snuck back from the dance early. He smelled of some sort of noxious perfume. 

“Against my will, darling,” he assured her as she wrinkled her nose at him. “Some sad, old dowager begged me to dance with her. Said that I reminded her of her dead husband.” He yanked his tie loose. Sakura arched an eyebrow at him.

“Which part? The dead or the husband part?” she replied.

Sasori had had a few glasses of wine and his laughter sounded rich. 

“Alright, alright. I’ll wash up. Do you have cards? I’m in the mood for basra,” Sasori said, walking out of her bedroom.  

“Oh, you mean that you’re in the mood to lose,” she called after him, listening to him chuckle.

Hair still damp, Sasori sat at the foot of her bed. He wore gold bangles on his right wrist; they clinked together as he set a card down on the bed. Sakura clicked her tongue as he took a card and placed it face-down by his knee. He had brought along some dried fruit from home. Haku placed the dried figs in a small bowl. The sticky sweetness filled her mouth with old memories. Sakura peered at Sasori over her cards. After a moment, he looked up too, fiddling with the metal stud in his ear.

“What?” he asked.

“This feels… almost like home,” admitted Sakura, squeezing another fig between her molars.

Sakura thought back to her apartment in Plumeria. The striped pattern of sunlight through the slatted wooden blinds across the covers was always the first thing she saw in the morning. But the blinds were opened at night and they clattered together like wooden wind chimes in the sea breeze. Incense burned in paint clay bowls. Fat white candles sat nestled in more bowls placed on every windowsill and set by every doorway to light the way for any lonely spirits that wandered by at night. Or people. And that clean fragrance mingled with whatever flowers and ripe fruits were around at the time.

Some days, when she just needed to breathe, she would escape her duties for just a little while. She would climb into one of the dinghies used for moving between the private apartments of the palace. These little rowboats sat bobbing on the waves, always ready to transport someone. 

Sakura would take one, row it underneath the complex system of buildings on stilts. Let the boat drift until it slipped out of sight. And there, where the sunlight reflected off the water in iridescent, wavering shimmers of light onto the underside of the palace, she would stare up at the maze of walkways. She would tether the boat and lay on the floor until she really did disappear. 

Sometimes, she napped. But more often, the roar of the sea, along with the creaks of the boat soothed her into a stupor. Which was safer. Because then there were no dreams to fear. 

The nostalgia hit her so hard that her gut clenched. Sasori, who had been studying her face, moved toward her before she could even speak. His wrist had gone limp, bleeding his hand to her. He had terrible cards. There was no way he would have won. Not that she would have known from his expression earlier. 

“I want to go home, Sasori,” she dared whisper. Only because it was him. 

When Sasori hugged her, it all rushed back to her. It had been over a year since she had left for the mainland. Living in the capital, which was another kind of battlefield. She had struggled to cling to the feeling of the sun on her back and wet sand between her toes. When Sasori held her, the fragrance of sandalwood clung impossibly to him. Like it had followed him all the way here, just to meet her. His fingers trailed through her hair. 

“I know, love. Just a little while longer,” he promised her. And because Sasori didn’t break his promises, she knew that he was right. 

She lingered in his embrace just for another second. Then she pushed him away. Sasori pulled away, already beaming at her. 

“Her Majesty is so cold,” he remarked, his hand cupping her cheek for a moment. And then he tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. 

She was already composing her expression. Because just like Sasori, she had learned to wear the indifference on her face. Like it was part of her uniform. 

Sasori rested his hand on her ankle. He smiled, so warmly. 

“I miss you, too,” he assured her. 

Sakura returned the smile. And then she beat him soundly at their card game. As if she didn’t know what cards he had in his hand. Sasori pretended to be outraged, like he didn’t know why she had won. But that was how things always were between them. 

Sasori fell asleep tangled in the blankets, his arm draped over her lap. 

Moegi and Haku stared at him, disapproval written all over their faces. 

“I can call for someone to move him,” Haku offered, looking angrier than Moegi did. 

Sakura shook her head. “He’s always been like this,” she informed them. Before they could protest, she sent them off to bed. 

She curled up beside Sasori, her cheek pressed to the back of her hand. The ache in her back kept tempo with her heart, but the moon tea she had sipped during the card game had dulled it. And the knowledge that she was suffering, not Naruto, made it almost tolerable. She slept dreamlessly. When she opened her eyes in the morning, Sasori’s forehead was pressed to hers. His fingers curled around her wrist.

Sakura roused Sasori as the first rays of dawn pierced the curtains. She pulled the cord to summon her two attendants. She continued shaking his shoulder with her other hand. When Moegi arrived, she hauled Sasori to his feet and pushed him into the bathroom to wash up. Haku set up breakfast in the salon. A three-tiered stand filled with sandwiches and tarts. He steeped the tea leaves in hot water. As Sakura entered the salon, Haku finished setting out the silverware. 

By the time Sasori wandered in in a robe, Sakura sat enjoying her first cup of tea. The smell of peppermint tickled her nose as Haku set a plate in front of her. He placed a pastry on it, topped with whipped cream and plenty of raspberries. He had quickly picked up on her tastes. She admired his attention to detail. 

Two more days passed this way. Sasori was often hungover during breakfast. He divulged all the gossip of the previous night’s ball. His jokes always went too far and Sakura would slap him on the arm or chest. That only made them laugh harder. 

Sasuke usually stopped by for lunch. He had stopped bringing flowers when Sakura had pointed out how many baskets and vases cluttered the apartment. There were even roses in the bathroom because they had run out of places to display them. 

“I hear you paid a visit to the barracks. The guards were… motivated,” Sasuke brought up one day. 

The glint in his eye made Sakura sigh. “They were annoyed or terrified?” she guessed.

“Both. Your cousin had some advice for the captain of the squad,” answered Sasuke. 

Sasori looked unbothered. “I merely offered suggestions on how I’d like them to conduct themselves for the remainder of your stay, dear cousin. I don’t see any harm in that.”

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged another look. Sakura waved her hand. “It may be for the best. If he annoys everyone enough, perhaps the assassins will follow him out of the kingdom to kill him instead.”

Sasuke looked horrified at the prospect, but the cousins just laughed. 

On the morning of Sasori’s departure, his belonging were already packed and loaded on his horse and donkey. 

“Don’t see me off. You need to rest,” he insisted. He fluffed his hair in the mirror, fixing his part. And then he flashed a smile at Sakura’s reflection. He turned to face her. He stepped up to her. Gripping the headboard with one hand, Sasori bent his head to press his forehead against hers. 

“Be safe, love,” he pleaded. 

Sakura nodded.

“Write to me often. I’ll write to you as soon as I reach Whitewave,” Sasori promised her. 

Sakura nodded again. But this time, she assured him: “I imagine you’ll be annoyed if I get myself killed. So I’ll be careful.”

Sasori’s smile looked tight. He squeezed her in a hug, pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, and then he was gone. 

King Fugaku and Queen Mikoto sent a retinue of knights to accompany Sasori to the port city of Whitewave. It was unnecessary. The roads in this area were safe and Sasori was more than capable of taking care of himself. Still, it was a token of friendship from the Mountain Kingdom. They could only turn it down so many times without appearing rude. 

Haku and Moegi seemed unsure of how to do things now that Sakura was no longer going for her morning ride. She was on bed rest until the physician said so. Haku sent word to the stables to have someone take Kaze out for some exercise in the mornings, as per Sakura’s instructions. The stallion was used to moving over long distances. Sakura hated to imagine him pent up inside all day, much like she was. 

The two attendants panicked when Sakura closed her book and insisted on going for a walk in the morning instead. 

“You’ll hurt yourself!” Moegi insisted. Haku agreed. Yet as Sakura got to her feet, Haku let out a sigh. He ran to fetch her white jacket, the medals jangling against each other as he pulled it from the hanger. Sakura’s eyes widened when she felt him drape it over her shoulders. 

“We’re coming with you,” Haku stated. Which was a bold move. 

But Sakura didn’t exactly hate that. She nodded. “Very well,” she agreed as she eased her feet into slippers. 

They made their way down to the Queen’s garden. Which Sakura had been invited to enjoy at any time. It took a while for them to make it there. Sakura couldn’t move too quickly. But it was a pleasant morning, with a touch of cool lingering in the air. As Sakura took a seat on one of the stone benches, Haku disappeared. It took Sakura a moment to notice. 

“Where did Haku go?” she asked. 

Moegi was crouched at her feet, brushing dust off her shoes. She tilted her head to one side. “I think I heard her voice, General. She must be nearby,” she answered. 

Several minutes later, Haku did come running. Hands gripping his skirts so that he could move more quickly. 

“Where on earth have you been?” Sakura queried. Haku huffed and puffed, pink in the face. He gestured with a polite hand in the direction he had come from. 

“H-hi-h- Maj-” Haku broke off, coughing. 

“She came running to me. Saying that you insisted on leaving your bed. Begged me to come escort you,” Sasuke remarked as he turned the corner and emerged from the hedges. A few knights followed after him. Sasuke waved them off as he strolled over. Took a seat beside her on the bench.

A smile played at Sakura’s lips as she glanced Haku’s way. He didn’t meet her gaze. Hands fisting in his skirts. 

“Overstepping your bounds quite a bit today, aren’t we, Haku?” Sakura questioned. 

Haku blanched. Shoulders nearly touching his ears. “Please forgive me, General,” he whispered. 

But Sakura waved a hand at him. “No need. I like loyalty. And I like someone who’s perceptive enough to see a need before it’s announced,” she stated. When Haku’s eyes finally met hers, her smile widened. “Continue to meddle. I’m pleased.”

In the end, Sasuke ended up helping her back up to her room. They were both certain that someone would see them walking. Her hand on his arm. And the rumors would spread. Even with the attendants and knights trailing after them. The procession would have almost been comical if not for how Sakura winced as she turned her head too quickly.

“That’s actually a good thing for me. Maybe now the noble ladies will stop harassing me at every turn,” Sasuke conjectured. Perhaps in an effort to distract her from the pain. And it worked, because Sakura laughed. 

Sasuke saw her to the door of her apartment. 

“Rest and recover quickly. I still need you to teach me that disarming strike,” he encouraged her. Sakura scoffed. She feigned dealing a jab to his wrist. He flinched. 

“Injured or not, I could still teach you, Prince,” Sakura replied. 

The rest of the day passed without incident. She finished reading the book that had been sent to her. And then she sent Haku to put it back in the library. When he returned, he carried a new book. 

“There was no one, General. But your name was on this,” he reported, placing it on her nightstand. 

It didn’t take long for Itachi to catch on to her game. She knew when he had spotted the note she had left for him inside the book. The following evening, when Haku brought her book, Sakura leafed through it. She glimpsed a folded piece of paper waiting for her inside. 

Her first message had been simple:

Thank you for your consideration. This will keep me occupied during what is sure to be a tedious recovery period.

Itachi’s reply came on luxurious stationary.

I was unable to attend the disastrous ball that led to your injury. I’ve been confined to my bed for the last few days. But I’ve heard all the gossip from the maids. How are you feeling?

Sakura hesitated. That was always such a false question. How was she feeling? How often did people actually want to hear a real answer? After some thought, she opted for the safe answer. 

I am well, all things considered. I’m sorry to hear that you’re unwell too. Perhaps we should start a salon of our own. The Bedridden Nobles’ Society.

His response caught her off guard. She had expected him to comment on her wit or her sense of humor. Instead, she received a scolding.

I’ve never been stabbed before, General. But I have to imagine that it’s painful enough that ‘well’ isn’t the best word. I have to assume that soldiers are used to brushing off pain. But you were injured doing something quite laudable. I’d say that no one would look down on you for saying “ouch” every now and then.

He skipped a few lines. And then he added:

The Bedridden Nobles’ Society does sound like something that suits the both of us quite well. Although, I’d dare say that our activities seem limited at the moment. What could we do to make our gatherings all the rage of the summer season?

Sakura mashed her lips together as she read and then reread Itachi’s message. With the exception of perhaps Sasori, no one had ever come close to speaking to her that way before. And if the dukes and counts of her nation ever even approached something that sounded like a scolding, her Aunt Kurenai had always been quick to intervene. 

She remembered one such instance. When Marquess Shimura had made some sort of remark. It must not have been long after losing her parents, when everyone had seemed frightening. Sakura had very nearly apologized when Kurenai’s jeweled hand slammed down on the table. She remembered Kurenai’s profile, beautiful and pointy. The feel of her aunt’s arm wrapping around her shoulders, hand cupping her chin to pull it up. 

“You are speaking to the future queen of this nation. Watch your tone, Marquess,” Kurenai had spat. And there was a reason why, in her youth, Kurenai had once been known as the Thorn Princess. Even the stubborn Marquess had acquiesced. 

“My apologies, Princess Kurenai,” Danzo had ground out.

And then, later, once everyone had gone, Kurenai had taken Sakura’s hands in hers to whisper, “Remember, Sakura. You are better than them. Do not bow to anyone. Not even to me.”

As Sakura recalled this, she couldn’t help but smile. People often remarked that the Haruno women’s fangs sunk deep. Her Aunt Kurenai had made certain that held true for her niece. Sakura bowed as a General, but never as a Princess. She made amends as a soldier, but never as a noble. 

Being scolded like this was a novel experience. And she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

When one of Itachi’s attendants returned from the library the following morning, a book was waiting for him. He opened it up to find an envelope. Just as he had expected.

It was even shorter than his last message. He wondered whether he had offended the General. Until he actually read the contents.

I have no idea what you mean. Our gatherings are already quite occupied with writing letters and reading books. We’re off to a splendid start, I’d say. This treatise on the minor noble families of the Water Kingdom was an excellent recommendation, by the way. Thank you.

Oh. And ouch.

+++

It took a few weeks for Sakura’s back to heal. During that time, mostly confined indoors, Sakura wrote letters upon letters to everyone she had been neglecting. Messengers ran out with envelopes addressed to Lady Ino of the Forest Kingdom, who was currently spending the summer in her family’s fashionable mansion in the capital. Letters also went out to Lady Kurenai and Lord Gaara on the Southern Tea Isle. Friends scattered throughout the rest of the kingdom also received correspondence. 

Colonel Neji Hyuuga sat at his desk in the Military Academy after his morning inspection of the troops. It was a rare moment of peace and he fully intended to enjoy it. Things were always so busy in the General’s absence. 

Neji stirred sugar into his tea as a soldier delivered his mail. At first, he didn't notice the cream-colored envelope at the top of the stack. It was not the stationary of anyone he recognized. He took his time looking through correspondences from his uncle as well as some orders from Whiteriver Keep before he finally flipped the small envelope over. He saw the red seal of the desert rose and nearly choked on his tea. Not bothering with a letter opener, he tore the envelope open to reveal the contents inside.

Word may not reach the capital this quickly, but I have been compromised. Do some digging. Prince Naruto has been targeted again and it's clearly someone with the resources to meddle in the Mountain Kingdom as well as the Forest Kingdom. 

Tread lightly.

Burn this.

Neji did so. The paper had been doused with something because the flames in the fireplace burned deep red as soon as the letter ignited. He stood watching the unusual flames for a long time as he stewed over the General's terse message. Then, drawing in a deep breath, he turned on his heel and strode out of the office.

Colonel Hyuuga was the only nephew, and sole heir of the Duke Hyuuga. His family owned a large portion of the lands in the fertile triangle of land nestled between the White River, which separated the Mountain Kingdom and the Forest Kingdom, and Snowfall Run, which poured down from the mountains and emptied into the sea. The yearly floods washed in nutrients that produced golden fields of wheat each year.

The capital of the Forest Kingdom, which was built around Whiteriver Keep, lay in a precarious position. It technically lay on Hyuuga lands, but was not owned by the Hyuuga family. Duke Hyuuga used this tension to his advantage. And he had planted his nephew in The Academy as a way to keep an eye on the men who would become the military leaders of the country. 

Neji had entered The Academy as a young man. Used to being called a genius wherever he went, he had struggled to understand why a girl who was even smaller than him was ranked at the top of all the exams. Why she continued to rise- always one step ahead of him. Even when he had learned that she was the Princess, that hadn’t changed his resentment. If anything, it had made it worse. Of course the Princess would receive preferential treatment. Of course.

But then war had broken out. And with his rank as a Private, his uncle had sent him to war. He had been the pride of his family. One of the youngest ranking Privates in the history of the military academy. Only trumped by the Princess, who had gone to war as a Sergeant. 

His uncle had pulled strings to have him stationed in the north, which saw less combat. He had naturally risen through the ranks, quelling the little problems that arose along the border. All the while, hearing the stories of the woman who had grown to be called The Heartless. He had scoffed at the name. He had seen the girl in the flesh. She most certainly had a heart. And a powerful family backing her.

When the news had reached the northern border, everyone asked the messenger to repeat the news. And then to repeat it again. 

“All dead?” one of the men blurted out.

“All dead. It was an ambush,” the messenger had confirmed.

“So who is in charge now?” Neji heard himself ask. 

“The Princess. She was the highest ranking officer to survive the attack.”

A ripple of dissent rose through the gathered crowd. 

“She’s just a First Lieutenant. Does she even know what she’s doing?” 

“A woman in charge? That’s asking for trouble.” 

“She’s going to get us all killed.” 

“The war is lost.”

But the war raged on. And word of surrender never came. In fact, the stories began to trickle in. Of a demon who swept through battalions. Soaked in blood. Blade and teeth gleaming as she emerged victorious again and again. 

And then, once the war had ended, one of his superior officers had recommended Neji be elevated to the rank of First Lieutenant. The very same rank that woman had held when she had suddenly become General. The appropriate paperwork went to the capital. And then it must have reached the General’s hands. Because she summoned him to her home in Plumeria. 

Neji had made the journey, hating her more and more as each seasick day passed. 

Barely 19 and fresh from war, the Princess still wore her bandages and the title of General with a sort of ease that many mistook as carelessness. 

She met him directly in her palace. Not in the main throne room but in some sort of structure deeper in the palace. A servant had taken him in a small boat, humming as he paddled through the calm waters. The wooden walkway felt unsteady under his feet. But the servant who escorted him urged him to keep going. So with steps that only sounded confident, he strode down the path. Paused at the white curtains blocking the archway. 

“You're early. Most people stop to ask questions along the way," she simply uttered.

Neji pushed the curtains out of his face to see that he was in a sort of large floating gazebo. There were no solid walls. Instead, each side of the structure was an arch, giving a clear view of the seawater flowing around them. The floors were a mosaic of light blue and green tile. There were divans and piles of cushions arranged around the room. It looked like this room was used as a gathering place. Not for serious meetings. Neji bristled at the idea that his interview would take place in some sort of frivolous lounge.

Directly ahead of him, in the very center of the space, was a wooden bench covered in a teal blanket. Seated on the bench was a young woman, her hair in a sleek ponytail. Seated on either side of her were two men. Neji had a vague idea of who they were. And one look at their uniforms confirmed his suspicions. The one with brown hair and the smirk was the only son of Countess Inuzuka. The one wearing tinted glasses was the son of a low-ranking noble family. Barons were barely one step above commoners. 

There was another bench set up across from them. A clear invitation to sit. Neji bowed. And as he settled in his spot, he noticed that the General’s uniform was nowhere near up to code.

She wore the regulation white breeches with the high waist and brass buttons. But on top, she wore a bronze breastplate. Her shoulders and upper arms were bare but golden cuffs went from her wrists to her elbows. The sides were carved with intricate details and figures that Neji couldn't quite decipher from his distance. She hadn't bothered with boots either. She wore strappy leather sandals that laced up to her knees. The white linen of bandages underneath peeked through. A healing burn sat pink and shiny on her left forearm. Her jacket was tossed over the armrest, the gleaming medals clattering against each other whenever the fabric moved. She turned to look at him, and for a moment, he was startled by the intense viridian color of her eyes.

“Tea,” she said.

It wasn’t a question. Neji nodded. He started as a servant appeared to offer him a cup. He accepted it with both hands. The outside of the vessel was plain white, but the inside was painted a deep blue, almost the same color as the ocean. On the surface of the drink were a few yellow petals.

“You submitted a resume. Impressive. Most people just send a letter of reference from a powerful uncle. Or a bag of gold,” Sakura stated. Her eyes flickered over him. It was such a dismissive gesture. He almost felt like she was peering inside his skin, glancing over his skeleton.

“I can assure you that I have the skills to suit the position, General,” he replied. Back stiff. 

He rested the teacup and saucer on his knee. 

“As well as a powerful uncle,” she continued to jab. 

He hadn’t thought it was possible, but his hatred for her seemed to increase. 

“I will be frank with you, Sergeant. We all agree that you’re much too young and too inexperienced for this position. I hesitate to even call you blooded,” she suddenly declared. Her smile had completely disappeared. 

“We all know that your posting at the northern border was a way for your Uncle to keep you out of harm’s way. After all, the Hyuuga family can’t lose its only heir. All of Duke Hyuuga’s children are female, are they not?” And then she sneered as she added, “And of course, the proud Hyuuga family will only pass their title down to a male heir.”

Beside her, the Inuzuka snickered. 

“How much combat did you really see?” she challenged. 

Neji bristled. “As indicated in my reports, the northern forces were paramount in driving the Sound Kingdom’s forces west. Without my platoon’s maneuvers, they would have spilled into the country, directly into the capital,” he replied. He took a deep breath. Struggling to keep his tone even. 

She tilted her head. “No. They wouldn’t have,” she stated.

The Aburame, who had been silent up until now, suddenly spoke up. “The General was stationed not far from your platoon. With a division ready to set up an ambush. Had you failed, she would have stepped in. You just proved not to be incompetent.”

The Inuzuka hissed through his teeth, shaking his head. “Harsh as always, Lieutenant General,” he remarked, not sounding too upset. 

“Now, now. Let’s be fair. I do believe that Sergeant Hyuuga’s actions at the border deserve praise,” she objected. Only, her expression indicated otherwise. “So let me be clear with you, Sergeant. As a reward for your valiant efforts.”

Both of the Lieutenant Generals leaned back in their seats, falling silent. Like they didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire of her next words. 

“Your Uncle is pushing for you to rise in the military ranks. As a way to keep me in check. I’m no fool,” she spelled out for him. 

Neji tried not to let anything show in his face. But her smile made it clear that she wasn’t falling for it.

“I do suspect that your personal ambition has a part to play in all this, of course. But I will tell you this: I’m going to give you this position.”

“Pardon?”

Sakura clasped her hands together. Her signet ring glinted in the sunlight. 

“I suspect that you, like many others, believe me to have entered the military academy of my own volition. I was pushed. By lords like your uncle. Who would rather have me perish on a battlefield than by their hands. Much easier, you see. Cleaner, too,” she spelled out for him. And then something glinted in her eyes. “Imagine their vexation when I refused to die. When I continued to climb the ranks, like a weed growing in their precious garden.”

But then, she laughed. “They should have slit my throat when I was a child. When I didn’t have armies at my disposal.” When she opened her eyes again, they were burning. 

“So, knowing full well about your family’s intentions, I am prepared to welcome you to the fold. I will give you the position of power that you want. I will give you all the money, honors, and recognition that you desire.”

One word left Neji’s lips. Barely louder than a whisper: “Why?”

Sakura beamed. Like that was just the response she had hoped for. She gestured with a sweep of her hand. “I intend to use you, young Lord Hyuuga. I will use you to reclaim everything that has been stolen from me. If you honor me, if you serve me well, you will be rewarded many times over.”

“If I defy you?” he demanded. 

Her expression didn’t shift. “You won’t,” was all she said.

In that moment, Neji felt powerless to do anything but obey. This, he realized, was the power of the woman who would one day become Queen. 

In the months and years that he came to know her, Neji began to understand. He had assumed that, like him, the Princess had been pushed to succeed. In reality, she had been pushed in hopes that it would lead to her death. He had excelled to earn his Uncle’s praise. She had excelled to survive. And as time went on, his Uncle’s innocuous questions and requests began to make sense to him. He hated being able to read those intentions. Hated understanding that his Uncle would end the Princess’ life just to gain more power.

The future that his Uncle and the other nobles were looking towards were one where they ran the kingdom. Where their coffers continued to grow. And where the Regent continued to serve as their docile little puppet.

The future that the Princess envisioned was much more murky. And it was doubtful that it would ever come true at all. It was a blood-stained path that he did not envy. But when he looked into her eyes, when he listened to her speak, he began to realize that it was the future he wanted as well. 

True to her word, Sakura promoted him with each of his successes. From Sergeant to First Lieutenant. First Lieutenant to Captain. Captain to Major. And now, just three months ago, he had been elevated from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel. Finally in charge of his own regiment. 

Critics complained of favoritism. How he had only been treated so well because of his powerful family. And he agreed. It was because of the Hyuuga name. 

Neji left his office. Passing soldiers saluted as he marched past. He knocked on a set of double doors at the end of the hall. 

“Go away,” a voice answered. 

“Lieutenant General. Colonel Hyuuga,” Neji called through the door. 

There was a pause. And then a different voice answered. “Enter.”

“We need to talk, gentlemen,” said Neji as he slammed the doors behind him. 

“And a good afternoon to you, too, Colonel,” Kiba drawled from his spot on the couch. His feet were up on the coffee table. Shino sat beside him, his glasses glinting as he read through some reports. 

Shikamaru stood over his desk. A huge map dominated it. There were markers scattered all over it. He had traced out movements with pieces of colored thread. 

“Talk about what?” Shikamaru demanded, not looking up from his work. 

“Add a marker for assassins to your map, Lieutenant General Nara,” Neji instructed. 

The other men’s eyes slowly moved to Neji. Kiba leaned forward in his seat. 

Shikamaru reached into the drawer to pull out a black piece. “Where?” he queried.

“In the Mountain Kingdom,” Neji answered. 

The piece landed on the map with a soft click. 

+++

< Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 >

[a-damson-in-distress]

The Protégé 5

Pairing: MadaSaku

Plot: In search of a new cellist for his prestigious orchestra, an infamously feared maestro stumbles upon a young rising star.

The Protégé 1 | The Protégé 2 |  The Protégé 3 |  The Protégé 4

Note: I don't even know what to say at this point, I mean I'm such an unreliable fanfic writer that you guys have probably forgotten this here thing even exists but ANYWHORE the saga continues. As with every chapter so far, here's the song recommendation for the Beijing concert, the one with the jazz theme and Mei's vocals: Hooverphonic - 2 Wicky (Live at Koningin Elisabethzaal 2012) as well as Hooverphonic - Mad About You (also the live version). 

I suggest you listen to the entire concert and all the songs, because the band is just great, though not all of their songs have that slow, seductive James-Bond-like sound I was imagining for that particular concert. Some of them are more happy-go-lucky pop songs, so Madara wouldn't have picked them for the concert. But just imagine that the entire programme would have consisted of songs like 2 Wicky and Mad About You. I chose the songs based on the singer mentioned in this chapter, because I think that's the type of music that would best fit an alluring and seductive woman like Mei Terumi.

Anyway, have fun reading and please let me know what you think! I'm dying to get some feedback, because things are finally kicking off in this chapter and it was so much fun to write and I'm really looking forward to your opinion.

                                                        ---------- 

Sakura Haruno stunned Tokyo with her first solo performance in Maestro Uchiha’s ensemble with the grace and elegance of a musician far more experienced than what can usually be expected of a twenty-year old. Demonstrating her mastery of the cello with Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto number 1 in A minor, the young Ms Haruno proved once again that she was worthy of her nickname. Imperatrix Furiosa is what the press are calling her, though the talented cellist seems to be only channelling that alter ego on stage. At the afterparty, Ms Haruno was less a furious empress and more a down-to-earth, if not timid, girl-next-door type, prompting criticism by some that Maestro Uchiha signed her on at too young an age and that the shy cellist may have bitten off more than she can chew with her world-famous globetrotting new conductor (Madara Uchiha pictured here with Sakura Haruno during the afterparty at the Sky Lounge Stellar Garden Bar).

Sakura’s eyes travelled from the article to the photo right next to it, depicting her maestro and herself. While Mr Uchiha was his usual suave self in a black-lined burgundy-coloured velvet suit jacket and his signature barely-there-but-still-somehow-visible smirk, Sakura stuck out like a sore thumb. Not only because of her hair colour and her height – she was sure Mr Uchiha would dwarf her even if she wore Ino’s tallest high heels. It was this whole timid and immature little girl vibe she was giving off with her floral collar dress, her pastel pink ballet flats and her shy and unsure smile.

Having read the review of their Tokyo concert, Sakura was now worried whether or not the critics were right. Was she really too young to join such a prestigious orchestra? Was she too immature and inexperienced to have so much pressure and responsibility thrust upon her as a principal cellist? Despite feeling comfortable and self-assured during a concert, there were moments where she did feel somewhat out of place amidst her older and more experienced colleagues. Like during that afterparty two days ago, where everyone showed up all dressed up and fancy and confidently rubbing elbows with Tokyo’s music high society, while Sakura felt like a farm girl who wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between a Virgin Mary and a Bloody Mary if it bit her in the ass.

Gnawing on her bottom lip, the young cellist let her gaze wander through the airplane interior. They were currently on a flight to Seoul for their first international concert. Her worried gaze landed on her conductor sitting two rows in front of her to her right, currently busy with adding notes to the sheet music on his tablet.

How she wished she could confide in him now.

Sakura recalled the feeling of euphoria when he had called her his protégé in the dressing room while fixing her bow tie. She never felt so incredibly confident while playing a concert on stage as she did during those 30 minutes following his compliment. Sakura almost couldn’t believe that her maestro had said that to her in the first place, so she decided to ask him about it during the afterparty.

Sakura remembered how nervous she had been the entire evening. The pink-haired cellist thought about a hundred different ways how she could ask Mr Uchiha about his declaration without coming off as the attention-seeking and completely love-sick puppy that she really was. It took her more than an hour to build up the courage to approach him when he was alone at the bar.

“Um… I-I’m sorry, Mr Uchiha? Do you have a second?”

When her conductor turned around, he actually had to look down to meet her gaze. Her maestro really was ridiculously tall. He turned his body to face her, left hand casually in his pocket, right arm leaning on the bar with a drink in hand.

“Yes, Ms Haruno?”

“Um…,” she ran both hands down her dress to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles, “I-I wanted to ask you… something.”

When she dared to lift her gaze to look at him, she was met with a raised eyebrow and an expectant grin.

“Go on, Ms Haruno. I’m not going to bite,” her maestro added with a widening smirk.

Hoping the blush colouring her cheeks at his remark would cool down soon, the pink-haired cellist gathered her courage, cleared her throat and spoke, “Sir, it’s about what you said to me in the dressing room, when you- when you fixed my bow tie? Um, you see I was really nervous, and I wasn’t really thinking straight, I mean I’m never really thinking straight around you,” heat crept up her face again and her eyes widened as she realised what she had just said, “I mean- I didn’t mean… it’s just, you make me… a little nervous, is all. And anyway, I probably wasn’t even hearing right, but for some reason my muddled brain seems to think that I heard you say… that…,” at this point her courage started fading away. Sakura started playing with the hem of her dress while thinking of a way to continue without sounding desperate for his approval.

“Heard me say what, Ms Haruno?”

Her eyes snapped up to meet his intense gaze staring at her expectantly.

“I think I heard you say that- that I was your…,” she leaned a bit closer to him and whispered, “protégé.”

And now that the word was finally out in the open, Sakura couldn’t stop herself.

“And I just wanted to ask you if that really was what you said. Because even though every fibre of my being wants it to be true, there’s still a part of me who just wouldn’t believe that you- the Maestro Uchiha would have said that to me of all people. I mean you’ve never publicly acknowledged anyone as your protégé before, and I- I’m so young. You see, I just didn’t want to get my hopes up in case it was just a misunderstanding and I didn’t hear it right. So please just be honest with me. You can tell me if I was wrong, it’ll crush me for a day or two, but I can take it.”

She stared up at him with a look of what she hoped would even remotely resemble determination, though that look started to falter when she was met with her conductor’s amused grin.

“I heard wrong, didn’t I? Ok, well… Sorry for wasting your time, Sir.”

Sakura was just about to turn around, when she felt his warm hands circle around her biceps, holding her in place. She saw his mouth open to say something just as they were interrupted by a photographer asking for a picture of the two of them. After posing for a few seconds and waiting for the photographer to leave, her maestro turned around and finally spoke, “Ms Haruno, that day you were in my office, what did I tell you about the difference between you and all my other musicians?”

“That I was the only one who didn’t have to audition?”

“Correct. I didn’t want the other musicians, I simply needed them to fill my ensemble. But you – you, I wanted. There were hundreds of suitable musicians for every other role in my orchestra, and they all had to audition, but there was only one suitable musician for your particular position. You, Ms Haruno, were the exception from the start.”

“So… does that mean that you really did say what I think you said?”

“Would you like it to be true?”

“More than anything in the world.”

“Good,” Mr Uchiha said before taking a sip of his drink.

And then he said something that made Sakura’s insides tingle with excitement even two days later.

In that case, you’re mine now.

                                                           ----------

“We’re done for today. You’ve all got the rest of the evening off. Do not overdo it, though, I expect all of you to be in top shape for our next rehearsal tomorrow at 10 a.m.”

Madara watched his musicians hastily pack their things and stow away their instruments. He was aware that they were eager to get back to the hotel and relax for a few hours; after all, they landed in Seoul only this morning and already had to endure a four-hour rehearsal. They deserved a break.

Madara, however, wasn’t done yet. And neither was his protégé.

“Ms Haruno.”

He would never tire of the way she immediately sprung to attention whenever he called her name and how she would fix her huge doe-like eyes on him, like a puppy in training expectantly waiting for its master’s orders and determined to use every opportunity to impress him.

“Yes, Maestro?”

“I hope you haven’t got any plans for this evening.”

Madara didn’t want it to come out so suggestive but seeing that adorable blush spread across the young cellist’s cheeks was worth it.

“Um… No, Sir, I- I don’t, actually. W-Why are you asking?”

“I want you to go through your parts again, on your own.”

“Why, Sir? Was I not good enough? I’ll do better, I promise,” she said with a pleading look on her face.

Her dedication to her craft was inspiring. And her constant need to please him was an incredible turn-on.

“Let’s start with Bergersen’s Sun,” Madara ordered while watching the last of his ensemble leave the stage. When he heard a nervous sigh escape her lips, his gaze was immediately drawn back to her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. Madara allowed himself to be transfixed by the sight for a few seconds, fully aware that this indulgence would just lead to more wet dreams. Like the one he had last night about her kneeling in front of him and nervously chewing on her bottom lip as he gives her a step-by-step instruction on how to suck his cock.

“Am I doing it right?” she asks after having released him from her mouth with a loud plop. She stares up at him with her big, innocent eyes, desperately needing his approval and his praise.

“Just like that, keep going little one,” he orders while tugging a strand of hair behind her ear and watching her lips close around him again.

“That’s a good girl.”

Madara was torn from his short daydream when he realised the young cellist had stopped playing. His gaze focused on Sakura’s face and he felt his cock immediately stiffen when he saw the expression she was wearing. It was the same as in his dream, right when she asked him if she was doing it right – all innocent and hopeful eyes, silently begging him to praise her.

“Am I doing it right, Maestro?”

Gods damn it, of course she had to go ahead and say the same words, too.

Despite the inappropriate nature of his current train of thought, the reminder of his last wet dream gave the conductor an idea. The Sakura in his dreams would always light up like a Christmas tree and her eyes would sparkle with adoration whenever Madara called her a good girl. And now it was time for the conductor to test how close real-life Sakura was to her dream persona.

He came to a halt directly in front of her and looked into her wide, expectant eyes.

“Good girl.”

The megawatt smile she gave him as a response was enough to prove his theory. Madara would be damned if he didn’t use every opportunity to praise her like that from now on. Much like she seemed to crave his approval and appreciation, Madara, too, found himself enjoying the looks of pure and unadulterated worship and reverence he was met with whenever he deemed her worthy of his attention.

“That was well done, Ms Haruno. Now why couldn’t you deliver the same performance during rehearsal? I had the feeling you were distracted by something.”

He watched her shoulders slump and her face fall as she leaned back into her seat. “I know, Sir. But it’s nothing, really, just… just something silly. I won’t happen again, I promise.”

Madara would murder that something silly if the mere mention of it was enough to dim her smile.

“What’s going on?”

“You don’t need to worry about it, really. I’m sure you have much more important things to do than listen to me whine about my trivial issues.” Sakura tried her best to give him a reassuring smile but judging by the way she was nervously playing with the strings of her cello, that particular issue seemed to really eat away at her.

“Ms Haruno, part of being your mentor also involves making sure you feel confident and good about yourself on a personal level as well, not just on a professional one. If something is bothering you and you don’t deal with it properly, it might turn into a bigger issue someday, which could in turn affect your performance. Now, out with it.”

Sakura looked at him hesitantly, before sighing and opening her mouth, “It’s this review of our first concert that was published in The Japan Times. They said you made a mistake with me, that you signed me on too early and that I’m too young for you and too inexperienced and too shy and that I’m basically just not good enough for you.”

Madara had read the article himself, and he had already thought that his protégé would be bothered by the criticism. He grabbed one of the many chairs on stage and took a seat right in front of his principal cellist. “Is that why you’ve been distracted today? You think you’re not good enough?”

“It’s not just that. Or actually it’s not that at all, because I know I’m a damn good cellist, and I don’t think I’m lacking anything in the talent department. What bothered me most is that they kept mentioning my age and how young and inexperienced I am. They made me look like some naïve little farm girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing with all those big shot musicians who are just going to eat her up and spit her out.”

“Ms Haruno, I’ve been in this business for two decades now, and I was responsible for enough auditions to be able to tell which musician has got what it takes. Trust me when I tell you I would not have picked you if I didn’t have absolute faith in your ability to keep up with the rest of my orchestra. In fact, part of the reason I chose you was precisely because you were so young, so don’t ever let anybody make you feel like that is a disadvantage, because it’s not.”

Madara could see that his words had a calming effect on her. His reassurance resulted in a timid smile tugging at her lips as she tentatively asked, “Do you really mean that? That you picked me because I’m so young? Because you’ve never worked with anyone my age before. You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”

“The last thing anybody would accuse me of is sugarcoating my opinion and buttering someone up. Trust me, I never lie to my musicians, least of all to my protégé.”

“But why? Why was my age so decisive when you thought about signing me on?”

Well, I didn’t know it back then, but as it turns out I have a thing for little girls with a Daddy complex and a desperate need to please.

Naturally, Madara couldn’t give that particular explanation, so he went for the next best thing, “For the same reason an artist would never paint on an already used canvas. You’re easier to mould now. You’re my blank canvas.”

And he was going to paint her in all of his colours. Especially in all sorts of red hues, like the ones adorning her cheeks at the moment.

“You want to mould me?”

Among many other, much much naughtier things.

“I am your mentor, after all, and that’s what’s expected of me. We mould our protégés into their best possible selves.”

He gave her a tiny reassuring smile and stood up from his chair.

“Now let’s continue. Richter’s Infra 5. I want the mezzo-staccato more pronounced this time.”

                                                        ----------

Her maestro’s encouraging words should have been enough to dispel any worries she had about her age and the question of whether or not she was too young and inexperienced to be part of his orchestra. And yet, here she was, five days after their concert in Seoul, sitting on stage in the Beijing Concert Hall, feeling all kinds of inadequate and wishing she had half the cup size of their singer.

Mei Terumi. Half Chinese, half Japanese opera diva par excellence and a proud E cup. She had the voice of an angel, the curves of Aphrodite, and all the grace, elegance and finesse of a mature woman who – contrary to Sakura – can not only walk in high heels, but actually stand around in them and sing her heart out for four hours straight without breaking a sweat or ruining her perfect hairdo. She was Maestro Uchiha’s special guest for their Beijing concert tomorrow; they were the musical accompaniment while Ms Terumi would beguile the audience with seductive jazz songs.

While Sakura loved the pieces her maestro chose for the concert, she was glad that particular programme wasn’t planned for every performance and that the opera singer wouldn’t accompany them for the entire tour. Because their conductor chose different pieces for every other city they would perform in, the jazz theme with Mei Terumi’s vocals was only planned this once for Beijing.

And judging by that weird feeling of inadequateness Sakura got every time she even so much as looked at the singer, one performance with her is more than enough to dampen her spirits.

“Do you think the two of them are doing it?”

Her head whipped to her right where she was met with the sight of their principal percussionist twirling his drumsticks. They were currently on a short break during their rehearsal, so Naruto came to join them in the string section.

“What do you mean ‘doing it’?” Sakura asked while trying to avoid getting the pointy end of his drumsticks stuck in her eye.

“You know, it.” The blonde musician suggestively wiggled with his eyebrows, but his expectant look was met with only more confusion, and Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

“Give it up, Naruto. Forehead is way too innocent to even think about such things. Isn’t that right,” Ino asked with a teasing grin, leaning closer to Sakura before whispering, “little Miss virgin?”

Sakura didn’t even have time to cover her blushing face when she heard Naruto snicker right next to her. “Oh my God, you are so adorable. You seriously didn’t know that doing it means having sex? You are such a pure, innocent little flower, and I shall shield you from being corrupted by this evil, sex-obsessed witch.”

“This evil, sex-obsessed witch will visit your hotel room tonight and shove her clarinet up your ass if you don’t shut your cakehole soon. But seriously though, the two of them are totally doing it. I mean look at her, who wouldn’t wanna do her? Plus, she’s totally Mr Uchiha’s type, you know mature, sophisticated, can probably tell the difference between Scotch and Bourbon. Hell, I’d do her, and she is so far out of my league she might as well live on Proxima Centauri.”

Sakura followed Ino’s gaze and let her eyes rest on the singer standing next to their conductor, currently busy with discussing a particularly complex piece. There was nothing overtly flirtatious about her behaviour, not now and not during the previous handful of rehearsals they had over the past two days. Both her and Mr Uchiha were always extremely professional, never getting too close or touching each other inappropriately. Though Sakura had to agree with Ino: Mei Terumi was so incredibly attractive that it probably wouldn’t even take that much flirting to wrap any guy around her finger. But weirdly enough Sakura wasn’t bothered so much by the idea of her conductor and the singer being intimate with each other. Sure, Maestro Uchiha was a god to her and she revered him as such, but never in her wildest dreams would she dare to think of herself as an object of his romantic or sexual desires. She was used to competing with others for his professional attention, but the thought of competing with women like Mei Terumi for his romantic attention had never crossed her mind, because Sakura believed him to be very much out of her league. And since intimacy wasn’t something she aimed for or even associated with her relationship with Mr Uchiha, her feeling of unease didn’t stem from romantic jealousy.

Mei Terumi was more of a reminder of Sakura’s lack of experience. The singer was basically oozing confidence and maturity with her flirtatious smiles, the way she held herself around big shot conductors like Madara Uchiha, and the way she knew exactly what to wear to accentuate her killer curves. In comparison to her, the young cellist felt all kinds of inadequate with her frilly little dresses and the fact that she didn’t even know that doing it meant having sex.

Mei Terumi and everything she embodied made Sakura feel too young, too inexperienced, as if she could never be up to par with the grown-ups if she kept sticking to her little girl persona.  And she desperately wanted to prove to her maestro that there was more to her than floral dresses and Hello Kitty stuffed toys.

Having made up her mind, the young cellist turned to her blonde friend.

“Ino, do you think I could borrow one of your dresses tomorrow?”

                                                         ----------

Madara nearly spat out his drink when he saw the outfit his principal cellist chose for the afterparty.

He was always the last to arrive at such events, and as soon he entered the lounge his eyes automatically scanned the crowd for a mop of pink hair. Sure enough, he found her, but unlike most times when he set his eyes on her, he didn’t like what he was seeing.  

She was dressed in a little black neckholder dress that hugged her petite figure and exposed just the right amount of cleavage to be alluring without coming across as slutty. Madara watched her nervously run her fingers through her long silky hair which was pulled into a tight high ponytail, and when her lips closed around the straw in her drink he noticed they were painted a provocative burgundy. His eyes travelled down the shape of her slender legs and landed on the dark red stilettos she was very obviously wearing for the first time, judging by the way she kept awkwardly twirling her foot on the heel of her shoe.

There was absolutely nothing slutty or inappropriate about her outfit. In fact, this was the way most of his female musicians dressed for events like these, and usually he couldn’t care less.

But little Ms Haruno once again proved to be the exception to each and every one of his rules.

Because even though he wouldn’t bat an eye whenever he saw Yamanaka, Sabakuno or Hyuuga in such outfits, because they were all older, seeing his protégé pretend to be someone she’s not dressed up in something so wildly unlike her made his hand tingle with the need to spank some sense into her.

As if she could sense his glare, the pink-haired cellist turned her head and let her eyes rest on him. For a second, Madara could have sworn she looked like a child who got caught with her hands in the cookie jar. He raised his hand and beckoned her to him. Like the good little girl that she was, she immediately left everything and everyone behind and made her way to him.

“Mr Uchiha, I’m glad you could – “

“What are you wearing?”

Madara watched as her hands immediately flew to the hem of her dress in an attempt to pull it down and cover a bit more skin she was suddenly and very obviously self-conscious about.

“You don’t like it?” she asked nervously as she looked up at him with huge, doubtful eyes.

“I think you already knew that I wouldn’t like it when you asked Ms Sabakuno to lend it to you. Or was it Ms Yamanaka?”

“But Sir, my outfit doesn’t violate the dress code, I even asked Deidara. Plus, Ino said she wore that dress a hundred times and nobody ever said it was inappropriate.”

“Do you feel comfortable in it, Ms Haruno?”

She lowered her gaze in defeat and instead absent-mindedly let it rest on his tie as she shook her head.

“Then why are you wearing it?”

Madara watched his young protégé shrug her shoulders and turn her head as a blush crept up her face. With a tiny, shy voice she added, “I just wanted to show everybody that I’m not just some young inexperienced rookie. That I can hang with the big kids, you know?”

“Wearing clothes you’re clearly uncomfortable in isn’t going to help with that. If you want to show them that you’re someone worthy of respect, you need to do it with merit and not by pretending to be someone you’re not. Now I’m going to take you back to your hotel room and you’re going to change, is that clear?”

Madara’s hand found the small of her back as he guided her to the lounge’s exit.

“Sir, is that really necessary? I mean sure, the shoes hurt, but I was only going to stay for another hour or so anyway. I can make that without changing.”

When they exited the building, the brisk night air made the young cellist shiver, so Madara wordlessly took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders before hailing a taxi. As he opened the door for her and helped her get in, he fixed her with another glare and said, “The hotel is only a five minute ride away from here, so that should be enough time for you to think about why I’m disappointed in you. We’ll talk about this when we’re in your room, so I’ll expect an answer from you, young lady.”

He closed the door and got into the taxi on the other side. It was a tense five minutes, though probably more so for the pink-haired musician than for Madara. He could practically hear the wheels turning inside her head as he silently let her mull over his accusation. But he believed that giving her the time and opportunity to self-reflect was going to prove a valuable lesson for her. Not least because Madara knew she was always desperate to fix the mistakes he pointed out.

After arriving at their hotel, the conductor helped Sakura out of the car and told her to go ahead so he could pay the driver. Leaning closer to the man’s front seat window, he heard him say, “You have a lovely daughter, Sir. With a firm daddy such as yourself, I’m sure she’ll turn out just fine, so don’t be too harsh on her. I’m a father too, you know, and I’m very proud of my little princess.”

Great. The universe was clearly torturing him. Madara knew he had to keep his lewd fantasies regarding his pretty little protégé in check, and yet some greater force deemed it necessary to dangle them in front of him every chance it got.

But he couldn’t give in.

He really shouldn’t.

“What were you and the driver talking about?” Madara heard a shy voice next to him ask.

As they entered the hotel’s lobby, the maestro steeled his resolve to not overstep any lines while they were alone in her room. He reminded himself this was purely for the image of the orchestra. He was just going to make sure that his protégé wouldn’t embarrass herself and his ensemble by wearing clothes unfit for such a young woman. Right, there was nothing more to it.

Nothing inappropriate was going to happen.

Getting into the lift, he pressed the button that would lead them to her room as she asked again, “Sir, what did the driver have to say?”

“You’re a nosey little one, aren’t you? If you really must know, he didn’t say anything that would concern you.”

Madara turned his head to face her and was met with the same look of absolute reverence and adoration she always had reserved only for him. In that moment, he knew he just lost the most decisive battle of his life.

And he couldn’t care less.

With a devilish grin tugging on the corner of his lips, he leaned a bit closer to her and whispered, “At least it doesn’t concern you … yet.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

His grin widened at the sight of her adorably confused face before he exited the lift and headed for her room. The driver did say something that concerned Sakura, but Madara meant what he said – it didn’t concern her yet. Because she sure as hell was his little princess and he sure as hell would be the firm daddy doling out spankings left right and centre – she just didn’t know it yet. Now that he threw caution to the wind and decided to give into his desires, Madara couldn’t wait to implement some changes in their relationship: The maestro would slowly and subtly introduce her to some of the things he had been craving to do to her since the day he met the little cellist, and if she responded to them willingly Madara would make her his for good. Though judging by the way she was already staring up at him with hearts in her eyes and a look that said please love me, daddy, Madara was sure she would jump at the chance of being nurtured and disciplined by him in more ways than a professional one.

Closing the door to her hotel room, Madara had to force down his devious grin and instead pretend to be angry. He turned around and fixed her with a glare. “Go into the bathroom, remove all of that make-up and change into something more comfortable.”

“Yes, Sir,” she mumbled with a pout before turning on her heel and disappearing into the bathroom.

When she got out, Madara had to stifle a groan at the sight of her new outfit: She was wearing pastel pink flannel pyjama bottoms with unicorns on them and a snug white shirt with a picture of her instrument and the words Cello: Everyone Else Is Accompaniment below it. She couldn’t possibly be any cuter if she tried.

Madara motioned her to sit on the bed while he crossed his arms in front of his chest and positioned himself in front of her in his most authentic imitation of an angry dad posture.

“Now, Ms Haruno, can you tell me why I’m disappointed in you?”

Tucking her chin into her chest, Sakura mumbled something incoherent in that tiny unsure voice she always used whenever she thought she did something wrong.

“Speak up, little one, I can’t hear you.”

“Because I pretended to be someone I’m not?”

“And why do you think that upset me?”

She started chewing on her bottom lip which drove Madara absolutely mad for 5 hellishly long seconds before answering, “Because you told me once already that I shouldn’t worry about my age or how experienced I seem to others, and that you picked me because I’m so young, and that I should be proud of it and not try to hide it, but I did that anyway and now you’re mad at me.” The pinkette was now nervously tugging on the ends the blanket she was sitting on while looking up at him with a pleading look in her eyes, silently begging him to forgive her.

Madara knew he was being cold when he didn’t answer immediately, instead fixing his glare on her for a few more seconds and allowing himself to enjoy her display of absolute submissiveness.

“Please, Sir, I can’t stand the thought of you being disappointed in me. Please, just tell me what I can do to make it up to you. I’ll follow all of your rules. I’ll be good, Sir, I promise.”

Gods have mercy on him, she was the perfect little girl. All submissive, obedient, and desperate to please him. And the best thing was, she wasn’t even faking her little persona. She didn’t just wear frilly dresses or unicorn pyjama bottoms to impress someone, she didn’t just braid her hair into pigtails because she wanted to look younger, she didn’t just pretend to constantly crave his guidance and approval because she thought that’s what turned him on – she just really was genuinely little.

And also in desperate need of some punishment.

“It seems like you’re no longer able to decide which clothes are appropriate for your age. In order to prevent you from embarrassing yourself and our entire orchestra, I will decide what you wear to formal events. We start right now, I’ll find something more suitable for tonight’s party. You’re going to change and we’re going to go back, so you can prove to whomever you want to prove that neither your age nor your clothes define how good and how experienced a musician you are.”

Madara opened her closet where she had hung a couple of dresses, skirts, and blouses and started going through her clothes when he heard her protest behind him.

“But Sir, is that really necessary? It was a one-time thing, I promise it won’t happen again.”

He handed her a simple white blouse and a floral skirt he had often seen her wear and sternly added, “I’m giving you the opportunity to comply with my rules willingly. If you keep misbehaving and disobeying me, I can always just spank some sense into you.”

Judging by her scared wide eyes and the deep blush spreading across her cheeks, that threat was enough to get her moving. With a nervous little Yes, Sir, Sakura disappeared into the bathroom to change into her new outfit. When she got out, he beckoned her to get closer to where he was leaning against a desk.

“Now isn’t that more comfortable?”

Madara watched his pretty little protégé twirl in front of a mirror before she nodded her head in confirmation. “This is actually one of my favourite skirts. Though I rarely wear it to formal events.”

“Why is that?”

“Well … it’s silly, but … I rarely wear skirts and dresses without thigh high socks, because I just think it looks so cute.”

Oh, he noticed.

“And even though I admittedly don’t have the fanciest fashion sense, even I know you don’t wear thigh high socks to an after party. So I usually just choose an outfit where I wouldn’t have worn socks anyway. Even though I’ve got the prettiest and cutest socks ever that just go perfectly with this skirt.”

Madara noticed the way her eyes started to sparkle as soon as she got out of the bathroom. She obviously felt much more comfortable now, and she even seemed to enjoy playing dress-up for him. So he decided he would indulge her.

“Well if you really think that outfit is incomplete without your socks, why don’t you put them on and show me?”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, and she immediately dashed to her suitcase where she rummaged around in search of her socks. Taking a seat on the bed, she quickly rolled them over each leg, stepped in front of the mirror to Madara’s left and twirled around all happy and cute. Then she turned towards him and extended her left leg to show him her socks. “See, they’ve got cute little kitty faces on the upper part here, and they’ve even got cat ears sticking out of the hem, and I use them to pull up the socks.”

“That’s adorable, little one.”

She blushed and shyly bit her bottom lip before whispering a tiny Thank you, Sir.

“There’s only one problem. You got changed so quickly that you look all dishevelled now. Your blouse isn’t neatly tucked into your skirt and your socks aren’t pulled up to the same height. I can’t let you go to a fancy afterparty like this, now, can I? Come here, princess,” he spread his legs and gently pulled her closer to him, so she was now standing between them, “let me fix this for you.”

While Madara was busy fixing her outfit – smoothing out wrinkles, tucking in her blouse, neatly rolling up her sleeves, and taking his sweet time doing it – Sakura was busy trying to stand still and not sway back and forth from the constant pushing and pulling. “Little one, you’ll need to stop fidgeting if you want me to fix your outfit. Hold on to me, so you can keep still.”

Gingerly, his little protégé placed her tiny little hands on his shoulders and used them to push back against his pulling and prodding.

“Sir, is this an outfit you would deem appropriate for me to wear to formal events?”

“Absolutely. Why?”

“Good. Because in that case, I don’t think I have a problem with you choosing my outfits from now on. I’m glad you seem to know what I like.”

Madara was met with a shy sincere smile from the pink-haired girl standing between his legs, and he was once again reminded of the fact of how adorably innocent she was, because no other woman – or even girl for that matter – would say I’m glad you seem to know what I like without being aware of the sexual innuendo of such a statement. But Sakura was so incredibly pure and chaste that Madara would bet his left testicle that she could suck on a popsicle in a room full of men and still be surprised that every single one of them was sporting a giant hard-on.

He took in her appearance and noted that the only thing still in need of fixing were her socks, which he purposefully saved for last. Now was the time to see if she would stop him from really overstepping the mark. Though, granted, fixing one of his musician’s outfit in such an intimate manner was already inappropriate, Madara still would have found a way to somehow talk his way out of it and make it seem like a halfway reasonable thing to do for an image-conscious conductor. But putting his hands underneath her skirt and pretending to pull up her socks under the thinly veiled guise of fixing her outfit – that was a completely different kettle of fish altogether.

“Are you going to do my socks, too, Sir?”

When Madara looked into her face, he immediately had an answer to his question of whether or not she would allow him to go this far. Because there was no insecurity or hesitance in her eyes, there wasn’t even the tell-tale blush or the flirtatious smile of someone who understood the intimacy of a man about to put his hands on a woman’s bare upper thigh. She looked at him expectantly as if it were the most natural thing in the world for a conductor to pull up the thigh high socks of his musician beneath her skirt.  

And so that was exactly what he did.

“Of course, little one. We want your two little kitties to be at eye level with each other, don’t we?”

That remark got him the cutest little giggle as Madara hooked his fingers into the hem of her left sock and slowly pulled it up her slender thigh.  

“Sir, you can’t forget to put the faces in the middle. It will look weird if the two kitties don’t face the same direction.”

“You’re right, princess. We don’t want somebody thinking your two kittens aren’t getting along with each other, now, do we?”

He could hear another giggle as he enveloped her left thigh with both his hands and rotated the sock so that the kitten face was in the middle. He allowed his thumb to slowly brush the back of her thigh before he willed both his hands to let go of her. Madara gave the two cat ears another tug and turned his attention to her right leg.

Again, he hooked his fingers into the hem of her sock and very slowly pulled it up, until it was the same height as the left one. Then he put his hand on the back of her knee and let it wander upwards to smooth out any wrinkles until his hand almost touched her ass. Using both hands again, he enveloped her upper thigh and gave the sock a few twists until the kitten face was in the middle. While his right hand was busy fixing the cat ears, Madara’s left hand was stroking up and down her inner thigh and came dangerously close to her panty line. He allowed himself to enjoy the feel of her soft flesh beneath his fingers for a few more seconds before lowering his hands to the slightly more respectable area of her knee caps.

“All done now.”

A shaky breath escaped her lips before she shot him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Sir. But I can’t see anything. The skirt is too long, it’s covering the kitties.”

“Pull it up, then.”

“Oh… right, of course.” Sakura shot him a bashful look, bit her lip, and then grabbed the hem of her skirt to pull it up a bit.

“See how pretty your legs look?” Madara asked while stroking the back of her thighs beneath her skirt.

“Mhm. I love these socks, they make me feel so pretty. I’m glad you made me change, Sir, I feel so much more comfortable now.”

“I’m glad you didn’t make a fuss. See how easy everything can be when you’re a good girl who listens and does as she’s told.”

“Um, Sir … about that.” Madara watched the young cellist start nervously playing with the end of his tie. While she was lost in thought, he took the opportunity to slowly move his hands upwards until his fingers were barely brushing the underside of her cheeks.

“Were you, um … were you really going to – I mean, if I had put up a fight, would you really have … you know?”

When she raised her head to peek up at him, Madara was met with the usual combination of a bashful look, a tell-tale blush and her signature circuit-frying lip bite. But she wasn’t the only one capable of rattling the other, he thought. After all, his hands were still very much beneath her skirt all but groping her ass.

“Would I have done … what, Sakura?” he prompted teasingly while giving the back of her thighs a firm squeeze.

She closed her eyes for a second and sighed quietly, before looking at him again.

“You know, Sir. Would you … Would you have,” she leaned in closer and whispered, “sp-spanked me?”

“Of course, I would have.”

Her blush turned an even deeper shade of red, and Madara could hear her breath quickening. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she was intrigued by the thought of his hands leaving bright red imprints on her ass.

“Don’t worry, little one, I’m not going to spank you now for what you did tonight, because we didn’t set any rules for that and you didn’t know that punishment was even involved. But you do know now, so I suggest you try your best to be a really good little girl from now on.”

She eagerly nodded her head and added a nervous little Yes, Sir before she went back to playing with the end of his tie.

“But um, when you,” Madara watched her tongue dart out to wet her lips, “spank me … what does that feel like? Does it hurt?”

“Now why would you want to know that? As long as you don’t do anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about on that front.”

“I just don’t think that I can sleep tonight knowing that there’s a possibility of me getting punished and I don’t even know what that form of punishment looks or feels like.”

Oh, she was intrigued alright. Madara couldn’t shake the feeling that he just broke a dam. For both of them.

“Well, I wouldn’t want my protégé to lose sleep over anything.”

He grabbed the back side of her skirt, pulled it up above her ass and gave her right cheek a sound smack.

And Gods have mercy on him, in that exact moment he heard the most delicious moan he ever elicited from a woman. If Madara hadn’t already thought that this innocent young cellist was the perfect little girl for him to nurture and to discipline, hearing her moan after being spanked for the first time would have given him the last proof he needed to know that she craved his dominance as much as he craved her submissiveness.

“This is what a spanking feels like. A very, very nice spanking, mind you. It’s going to hurt a lot more when I’m angry with you.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.” She nodded her head in understanding while rubbing soothing circles on her backside.

Madara was enjoying this way too much, so he had to bring this to an end soon before he completely lost control of his senses. If he were to see her bite her lip one more time, Madara swore his dick would explode.

“Now that we’ve cleared up a few things, I suggest you return to the party. There are a lot of people there eager to meet you. And remember,” he grabbed her chin between his fingers and leaned closer, “be a good little girl for me.”

Madara watched her blush deepen as she stared into his eyes with a dreamy look and moaned a tiny little Yes, Sir.

After she had gathered her things and grabbed her purse, they both left her hotel room. Sakura headed towards the lift when she noticed Madara wasn’t following.

“Aren’t you coming, too?”

“You go ahead, I’ll join you in a bit. I just need to take care of something first.”

My rock hard dick.

The conductor watched his protégé step into the lift and wave goodbye. “Ok then, see you in a bit, Mr Uchiha. And um … thanks.” Sakura shot him a bashful smile before the doors closed.

Madara released a sigh of relief before focusing his gaze on his hard-on.

“You’re going to both hate me and love me for what I did tonight.”

[mymindsmadness]

Haunted

This is a KakaSaku fic I’m currently working on, and I’m in looooove with it. 

It’s a WIP so the summary/warnings might change, but I wanted to share an excerpt with you guys since you were so supportive with Scattered Petals. 

Unlike Scattered Petals, Haunted is a dark fic. It deals with a lot of heavy issues like PTSD, death, depression - so much. It’s basically the complete opposite. Just be warned before you read it! It’s 100% a love story at the end of the day, but it wont be all fluff.

Like SP, I wanted an ‘adult’ KakaSaku. It’s really important for me that they act their age and handle situations the way actual adults would. So, any tension won’t be in the realm of ‘does he like me’/’I’m not good enough for her’. I love a good trope, but my KakaSaku isn’t quite of that mindset. 

The full excerpt is under the cut, but be warned, it deals with issues of sexual assault, depression, and PTSD.

Summary: Joining ANBU had been the final act of a desperate woman after her marriage fell apart. She never expected it to be the thing that made her bonds stronger and her sense of self clearer. 

But Sakura Haruno had never been good when it came to talking about her problems. That was a dangerous thing when the ghosts of the actions you had to take in the name of duty haunted you. 

Enter Kakashi Hatake. He’d always been there when she needed him, and this time he comes baring libations.

Maybe together, they could find something worth living for.  

 Warnings: KakaSaku, ShikaIno, Anbu!Fic, Gore, Violence, Sexual assault, Mentions of rape, Depression, PTSD, Casual alcoholism, Hurt/comfort, Dark themes, Canon divergence (Boruto era), Friends to lovers (more might be added at a later time).

Excerpt 

She could feel the darkness pressing down on her even before she slipped in through his open window. The apartment was empty and dark, but that was okay. It was familiar. It was safe. That was one thing she could always count on Kakashi for. He had always stayed true to his word when it came to keeping her safe. And maybe it went against the strength she was trying to find in herself – to expect her sensei to protect her against the monsters that lived in her own head. But just for tonight, she didn’t want to be alone with them.

Sakura moved without seeing to the master bathroom, only turning on a light once she reached it. The door was left open, uncaring that it wasn’t her home. She ignored the dirt and dried blood that fell off of her clothes as she peeled them away. With each new layer, Sakura felt her resolve weaken. She sat in the empty tub before turning the hot water tap. By the time it reached her ankles, it was scalding. Hugging her knees to her chest, Sakura laid her forehead on top of them. She only moved from the position once to turn off the water when it grew cold.

That was exactly how he found her forty minutes later. Her head was still buried in her knees, but she could see the way he faltered at the door. She wanted to apologize. For being in his apartment, for being naked in his bathtub, for pushing all of this on him when he had no obligation to help her. By the time she lifted her head to look at him, he was stepping cautiously into the bathroom. She had been crying. Not delicate, beautiful tears like Ino had always managed, but big ugly sobs that left her face swollen and a patchy red. She was sure the tears had cut trails through the dried blood on her face. Even though she had been sitting in the cooling water for nearly an hour, and despite the fact that it had turned a pink so deep it was practically red, Sakura couldn’t bring herself to actually wash. She just wanted to sit in the scalding water until she didn’t feel like she had in that prison.

“I heard.” His voice was soft. He even tugged down his mask so she could see the full extent of his frown. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you…” A pause. “Sakura… Did they…” He licked his lips, seemingly unable to bring himself to say it. Maybe it had something to do with her current state of undress.

She had trouble speaking through the fresh set of sobs gathering in her throat, so she started with a soft shake of her head. “They came close.” She didn’t feel like explaining past that. “I’m sorry about your tub.”

Something akin to a smile. “You’re cute.” She tried to smile as he parroted her own words back at her, but when her eyes watered she buried her face back into the safety her arms. She understood what he was trying to convey. She had been there then, and he was going to be there now.

She felt the air shift as he kneeled beside the tub and heard it as he moved some things around. The water lapped around her slightly as he reached into the tub and pulled the stopper. She expected him to speak, but he didn’t. She didn’t try either for lack of words that conveyed the ache in her chest. When the tub was empty, she shivered slightly, but it didn’t last long. It was being filled again, the water’s temperature not quite as hot as she had made it.

Only when she felt the gentle brush of a washcloth over where her Anbu tattoo sat did Sakura lift her face again. His hand paused, apprehension in his eyes. He wanted to help her, but was as unsure as she was. “Is this okay?” He was whispering again.

She didn’t feel fear or repulsion from his touch. Just like she hadn’t felt it as Shika and Genma practically carried her through the gates. Because her boys were safe. Somewhere in the sane region of Sakura’s mind, she knew that helping her walk and being bathed were not in the same family. But she was okay. She was safe. Her head bobbed slightly in approval, but his movements were still careful.

She supposed it should have been awkward to have her old sensei and now friend wash her body. At the very least it should have felt intimate. As strange as it was, she found the act comforting. It was rare that anyone took care of her. With mask tugged around his neck and sleeves rolled to his elbows, Kakashi slowly washed away a week’s worth of dirt and blood. To his credit, his eyes and hands stayed focused on the task, never wandering or lingering. He was truly doing it for the sole purpose of taking care of her. The pile of used, bloody washcloths was nearly to the brim of the tub by the time he reached her face. Taking her chin gently between his fingers, Kakashi ran the warm washcloth over her sensitive skin. For lack of anywhere else to look, her eyes moved over the sharpness of his face.

He looked more his age with his features tightened and drawn; not that he was even that old. The years of heartache and loss weighed on him though. She could see it now. The way the snag between his brows left a little crease, even when he was perfectly relaxed. The way that the years of faking smiles had deepened the lines around his eyes. The way that even when his face was relaxed, his full lips tugged downward at the corner. It was all there, written on his features for the world to see. That was probably why he covered them with a mask.

His face was hidden from her as she closed her eyes, the warm cloth dabbing at her swollen lids. When she was sure he was done, she opened them again. She was lucky to have him in her life. Maybe that’s why she had thought of him in the darkness of that situation. Somehow, Kakashi Hatake had become her confidant and best friend over the years. Someone she could trust with her life. With anything, really. Their current state spoke to that.

“Kakashi.” His movements paused at the sound of her voice. Probably because it was the first thing either of them had spoken in over an hour. His eyes seemed to focus before finding hers. “Thank you.”

The smile he gave her was nothing more than a momentary twitch of the lips. Haunted. He was as haunted as she was. She could see it in his eyes. Hesitantly, he used the fingers that still held her chin to tilt her face upward a hair. Softly, his bare lips pressed to her forehead. He lingered there for a breath before pulling back and continuing on with his task.

It was a comforting gesture. One born out of care and friendship. It was something that Genma and Sai had done on occasion. Even Shikamaru had kissed her forehead once, after a particularly hard mission. That’s what made it all the more worrisome when Kakashi’s lips made her stomach drop in a way it hadn’t in years.      

[oceanquill]

‘Til Next Time (1/3?): Reset

Summary: Modern AU. In their next life, they meet again. (Part 1 of 3?)

Part 1: Reset Sasuke can’t quite remember.

For SasuSaku Month 2019 Day 12: Gravitation

–

He was five, and he saw her for the very first time.

He was at the grocery with his mom, and was in the middle of grabbing a tomato. First, there was just a sudden flash of pastel hues at the corner of his eye. When he turned, she was suddenly there, holding one of the fruits too. Pale pink hair. Brilliant green eyes. Sasuke pauses.

She doesn't notice him at all. Unlike him, whose attention she has solely captured without any effort. Her green eyes, in complete contrast with the red fruit, became even more striking. She spoke and it snapped him out of his reverie. "Is this okay?" She held one tomato in her small palm. An older woman appeared in his line of vision. Her mom?

The girl looked up, and their eyes meet. But only for a second. The next thing he knew, his own mom was leading him to the cashier. She said, "Now, Sasuke-kun, we have enough tomatoes already!" But it doesn't register in his head. He looked back at the fruit section. The girl was gone.

–

He didn't think of her again until seven years later when he was on a picnic with his family. For some reason, his mother wanted to celebrate hanami this year, so his father picked the most beautiful spot he has heard of and the very next day, they were in Kyoto, hundreds of miles from home, and surrounded by blooming Sakura trees and an endless field of grass.

He got a tomato from the picnic basket and all at once was sucked into the memory of red against green, and of soft soft pink much like the trees around him. Why was it so familiar? Yet strange? The colors gnawed at his mind, and he tried to pull up a memory, his brows knitting at the effort.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" his brother asked.

Then there was another voice. Smaller but more vivid in his ear. Is this okay?

"Sasuke?" His father now.

He didn't respond until he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He looked up. Kaa-san...

He nodded. "Sorry I thought I remembered something." 

The day passed as expectedly, but that night he dreamt of walking along endless rows of Sakura trees. Pink falling all around him, landing on his hair, his clothes, his cheek. He doesn't brush them off. The cool petals on his skin feels comforting and familiar.

He didn't know how long he walked but he felt so at peace he never wanted it to end, until he saw, on the horizon, an impossibly large Sakura tree right in the middle of the road, and in front of it, he could make out a figure of a woman in red, her back facing him. He felt the urge to run, to know who she was, so he ran and ran towards the giant tree, but no matter how far he got, he was nowhere closer to it. The mysterious woman in red remained fixed on the horizon, unmoving. 

When he woke up, he was breathing heavily, heart protesting against his chest.

–

He finally meets her, four years later. He is sixteen, and doesn't remember.

"Haruno Sakura." she extends a hand. He shakes it and he feels electricity jolting from the touch. She's a new student at their school.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He nods curtly. He's the president of the student council and was tasked to orient and teach her basic school regulations. It's a week before the new school year begins.

He then shows her around. The gardens. The library. The gym. The cafeteria. The locker room. The auditorium. Their classroom. A strange sense of déjà vu fills him, as if they've walked together like this at another time.

Suddenly, three hours had passed, and they were at the rooftop. The sun is setting. The sky is painted orange and gold.

"This is where the band club usually practices," Sasuke explains. "When they feel that the auditorium gets too stuffy."

She walks towards the railing and looks at the cityscape. "Are you part of any club?" He noted that it's the first personal question she asked that afternoon.

"Apart from the student council," he takes a step beside her. "No. But I do intern for the local newspaper."

"Oh!" she looks at him, impressed. "Planning to become a journalist?"

He shakes his head. "I want to study law."

"Why?"

He doesn't usually like strangers asking him personal questions but with her, he realizes he doesn't mind. "Justice. Laws regulate the system, and I want to help fix that."

She nods at this and returns to looking at the city below them.

He takes a peak at her from the corner of his eye. He begins, "What about... what about you?"

She smiles when she turns to him, and Sasuke feels an ache in his chest. Something gnaws in his mind. "Definitely, a doctor. Ever since I could speak and walk, all I wanted was to be called Dr. Haruno Sakura," she laughs. "You know, all my stuffed toys were my patients, and my parents would play pretend with me. I grew up volunteering at various medical missions. I was just packing first aid kits when I started. Doing menial work for senior medical staff, you know, just delivering things, and what not. But it was fun!"

Her eyes were beaming now, and Sasuke found it impossible to look away. "Do you still volunteer?" he asks.

"Of course!" she chirped. "The work is tiring but fulfilling, though it's just basic stuff." She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "I can't wait to work at a hospital though!"

Before he could stop himself he blurts out, "You'll be great at it." And he means it. He knows for an absolute fact that she will be an amazing doctor someday, despite knowing her for less than a day.

A smile blooms on her face, her cheeks tainted pink. Sasuke stares and stares and stares, his mouth partly open.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

–

He is drawn to her, he notices. They are in the same class, and though their seats are far apart, his eyes look for her often, his ears attuned to the sound of her voice. And oh, her laughter. He likes hearing it every day.

She's amazing at every subject, and quickly becomes all the teachers' favorite. She's nice and always quick to lend a hand, and so she instantly becomes popular at school too. Not to mention she's beautiful. Surprisingly, he doesn't see her often with people, nor does she hang out with any particular group. She mostly tends to herself, reading, and almost always at the library. Like him.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" Suddenly, Sakura is there in front of him. Sasuke closes his book.

"Yeah?" She has his complete attention.

"It's 7 p.m., the library is closing." He's surprised to learn this. Has he been here that long? "Are you going to check that out?" She asks, pointing at his book, Introduction to Moral Philosophy.

"Light reading, huh?" she grins and shows him her book, Exploring Human Anatomy. He can't help but feel amused. He looks at the window and sees that it's dark out. "Aa. Let's go."

He grabs his bag and checks out his book, Sakura falling into step beside him. They walk in silence towards the waiting shed. He takes out his phone and sends a text. He sees her do the same.

When they reached the shed, he is surprised to hear her say, "See you, Sasuke-kun!"  and she turns her heel towards the opposite direction, but before she could take a step he grabs her wrist. She turns around, startled, and looks at the hand keeping her in place.

"Sakura, where are you going?" he doesn't let go.

"Uh... Walking home?"

"You're not getting picked up?"

"I like to walk home every night. It's calming, and I like to think." she smiles reassuringly.

His eyes narrow at this. It's dangerous, he thinks. You never know...

"My brother will be here soon. We'll drive you home."

"W-wha..." she waves her free hand dismissively. "It's fine, really, Sasuke-kun!"

"I insist."

"B-but!"

He let's go of her wrist. "Sakura..." He gives her a look, and they both fall silent. Then he hears the sound of a car stop in front of them. A window rolls down and Sasuke hears the voice of his brother.

"Sasuke," Itachi says in greeting. "Let's go." He notices his little brother is not alone.

"Who's that? Is that Sasuke's friend?" Hearing the voice of his mother, he turns to the car and sees his mother already outside walking towards him. "Kaa-san, do you mind if we drive Sakura home?"

The girl in question smiles sheepishly at them. "Konbanwa, Uchiha-san." She bows in greeting. "There is really no need–"

"Nonsense!" Uchiha Mikoto pats her shoulder. "We insist! It's no trouble for us at all! Now what kind of mother would I be if I let a lovely girl like you walk all the way home and alone?" The next thing Sasuke knew, Sakura was being escorted–pushed, really–by his mother towards their car. He opens the door for Sakura and shuts it when she is seated inside. He goes to the other side of the car and does the same for his mother in the front seat before he finally gets in, seating beside Sakura at the back.

Sasuke introduces her to them. She gives her address and thanks them profusely.

"Oh Sakura, dear, it's quite alright!" He's glad that his mother is so warm, hopefully, it will make Sakura feel less of an intrusion. They really didn't mind after all, her house wasn't too far anyways.

"So..." his mother begins, and Sasuke can't help but feel slightly nervous. To steady himself, he looks out the window, resting his cheek on his palm, trying to look bored. "Have you thought of your future plans yet, Sakura-chan?"

He glances at Sakura at the corner of his eye. Seeing her perk up at his mother's question, Sasuke can't help but smile to himself. "I'm going to medical school for sure. It has been my dream since childhood."

For some reason, Sasuke's chest swells with pride. Then he feels someone's eyes on him. He looks towards the rearview mirror and meets his brother's eyes. Itachi gives him a look and smirks. Sasuke abruptly turns away, forcing himself to focus on something outside the car window. He feels a blush creeping on his cheeks.

"That's great!" Mikoto claps her hands together. "Did you know Sasuke-kun here wants to become a lawyer?"

Sasuke flinches at the sound of his name. But doesn't bother joining the discussion. But oh was he listening.

"Yeah, he told me when I first met him!"

"Ah when was that?"

"Just this school year, right before classes began. I'm a new student so Sasuke had to show me the ropes!"

"How nice of you, otouto." Sasuke feels a vein pop at his brother's teasing voice. Sakura tells them happily about her former school, and how she has been there since she started studying.

"If you don't mind my asking, why transfer here?"

"Oh umm..." Sasuke was still looking outside the window, but he could hear the shyness in her voice. "I got a full scholarship, and this school has the highest passing rate to my dream university."

"Wow, Sakura-chan! That's amazing. Oh Sasuke you didn't tell us you had such an brilliant friend!"

"Hn," is his only response. This car ride feels five times longer than it actually is.

"Well," he could feel her gaze on him now. "You should see Sasuke too! Student council president and still he finds time to study in the library every night." He turns his head towards her, and sure enough she is looking at him. Sakura sticks her tongue out. "I'm just trying to catch up to him."

He smirks at her, "Not every night."

"Ah of course! We all know how much effort Sasu-chan puts into his work..."

Sasuke turns red. "Mother..." Mikoto could only chuckle at this.

Sakura laughs at his nickname. Sasuke, turning even redder, returns to his window. Much to his relief, he feels the car slow into a halt.

"Well, here's my stop!" Sakura thanks everyone again and says goodbye. Sasuke refuses to look at her. He just can't at this state.

"Won't you join us for dinner next time, Sakura?" Itachi offers. 

"We'd love to have you, Sakura-chan!" Mikoto adds, deepening Sasuke's blush.

"Sure!" Sakura thanks his mother and brother once more, adding that it was great to meet them.

Sasuke then finds the courage to turn his head towards her. She was looking at him, smiling that annoying smile of hers. She beams. "Thanks again, Sasuke-kun, for the ride home. See you tomorrow!" She doesn't wait for him to respond and closes the door. But that's alright with him, because he doesn't think he could.

"Such a sweet girl..." Mikoto says wistfully as they drive away. He even sees his brother nod and smile to himself in agreement.

What's with these two? Sasuke thinks. His mother was so eager to get to know her, and even his brother showed a bit of interest, which was big coming from him. They've never acted that warmly to any friend of his before. They just spent no more than 10 minutes with her and yet she managed to worm her way into their hearts, earning her a rare dinner invitation.

Sasuke sighs heavily.

"Are you okay, dear?" He's startled out of his thoughts, turning his head to his mother looking back at him from the front seat.

Sasuke shrugs. "Just hungry, I guess..." But he doubts it's just that.

"What do you think of Sakura?" Itachi looks at him through the rearview mirror, a playful glint in his eye.

Sasuke scoffs, "What about her?"

His mother chuckles at his tone. "She feels familiar. Maybe we've met before."

"That's impossible, kaa-san." Itachi points out. "Surely we would've remembered her pink hair."

Sasuke tries to drown out their conversation. He looks at the city lights outside his window. All he wants now is to be alone in his room. The thought of Sakura eats him. Unaware, his fingers start drumming the edge of his seat. His brows knitting in frustration.

Something in the back of his mind is gnawing on him again.

"True." He hears his mother laugh. Sasuke glances at her then at his brother.

"You know, Sasuke-kun," his mother says after a while. "It's strange but..." she pauses, struggling to formulate words in her mind.

But then the car stops, and Itachi announces, "We're home."

Sasuke immediately opens his car door and makes his way inside their house. He doesn't even wait for either of them.

Mikoto stares and smiles at Sasuke's retreating back, then turns to her eldest. "Don't you feel it, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi raises a curious brow at her. "What is it, kaa-san?" Mikoto links her arms to her son's as they walk.

"It's Sakura." She stops in front of their still open door. "I feel like I was supposed to meet her at some other time." She smiles at the thought. "But for some reason I didn't get the chance to."

Itachi mulls her mother's words carefully. "If that's the case," he responds after a while, "we better make sure Sasuke does invite her for dinner one time."

Mikoto beams at this. "I'm sure your father would love that too."

–

note: Slow start but we’ll see where this goes... Thank you to everyone who has read my first SSM entry. The response has been overwhelming. :)

Part 2 here

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Fifty-Seven: Aquarium ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura Hyūga Hiashi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

The day after her surgery, Hinata is back in school as though nothing ever happened. In fact, the only notable difference is the now-defunct timer implanted into her left wrist. The one that, only hours after receiving it, went off when she came face to face with a boy named Sasuke Uchiha.

...it’s a bit of a long story.

Her father - furious despite the implant being his idea - immediately forbade Hinata from contacting her supposed soulmate until she turned eighteen. But blurting out her name and getting Sasuke’s in return, Hinata has found a bit of a workaround: social media.

Her father has never been big into it, so it’s safe to say that he likely hasn’t thought of the idea himself, and therefore hasn’t told Hinata she’s forbidden from doing so. Contacting the boy via Twitter that night, she got to talk to him for about an hour before they both had to call it a day.

And now, here she is, back at school and timer uncovered from its gauze.

As soon as she arrives, Ino and Sakura swarm her, trying to get a peek at the time.

“Come on, come on! Let us see!”

“There’s nothing to see…”

“What harm will it do, ‘nata?”

“No, I...I mean that literally. There’s nothing.” Holding out her arm, she reveals the clock run down to all zeros.

Both girls stare with wide eyes. “...wait..did it come that way? Did you already meet them?”

“No.”

“...so it already went off?!”

“Yesterday. At the hospital, before I even l-left.”

Sakura and Ino’s eyes go wiiide, mouths agape. “...no way…”

“Who was it?!”

“A boy named Sasuke Uchiha.” She then goes on to detail her father’s fury at the happenstance, and her sneaking behind his back to talk him.

“Wow...never thought you’d be the sort to disobey your dad,” Ino teases.

“I mean, this is her soulmate we’re talking about here!” Sakura insists. “Of course she’s gonna push on in the name of love!”

Hinata gives a small, sheepish laugh. “I-I mean...it isn’t really love yet. We barely know each other…”

“But it will be! Come on, Hinata - stop being a skeptic and accept the power of the timers!”

“...I’ll see how it goes.”

“So, any chance you’ll get to see him with your dad being such a jerk?” Ino then asks.

“Well...I was hoping I could ask you guys for a little h-help with that.”

They both immediately grin, exchanging a knowing glance. “Well, duh!”

“It won’t be for a while. I want to let things, um...die down a bit first, okay?” She doesn’t mention also wanting to get to know Sasuke better, knowing they’ll both just roll their eyes. “Once he’s not so grumpy, w-we’ll maybe have some kind of...outing! I’ll go alone with you guys, and message Sasuke...and he’ll just happen to be there…!”

“Ooh, I like where this is going,” Ino agrees with a smirk. “So very sneaky, Hinata! Well I never!”

“Just let us know, and we’ll figure it out,” Sakura agrees with a gesture. “Leave it to us!”

“Thanks, guys.”

With that plan ready to unfurl when it’s ready, Hinata just...keeps on as she always has, with the added aspect of talking to Sasuke. At first it’s all just your typical small talk: piecing together the more mundane aspects of each other to get a better feel for who they are. And slowly, things get a little deeper.

“He didn’t start acting sick until he was about eighteen. Not bad enough to really be noticed, anyway. Now he’s twenty-one, and doing all of his college courses online to stay home where he’s less likely to be exposed to something.”

“Oh my gosh…”

“It’s just kinda become the new normal, you know? He’s been doing really well. Just gotta hope that keeps up.”

“Tell him I’m...I’m rooting for him.”

“I will. Sorry for uh...kinda unloading there.”

“No, I was the one who asked. Um...want me to trade a story?”

“Sure.”

“My mom passed away due to complications with my little sister being born. I was only about five when we lost her. I can only remember bits and pieces of her…”

“Oh man...I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it was...a long time ago.”

Then, after three weeks of talking almost constantly...the pair agree that the time has come to try meeting face to face again. This time without the shock...or Hiashi.

“So...any ideas?”

“I know, I know! Look, I just saw this trending,” Ino offers, showing her phone’s screen. “There’s a new exhibit at the aquarium!”

“...does Sasuke like fish?” Sakura asks, clearly not sure if this is the best plan.

“I...I don’t know. But it’s something to do, and pretty p-plausible for me to go so Dad doesn’t get suspicious.” Hinata’s always loved water and the wildlife in it. “Okay...let me talk to Sasuke, and we’ll iron out a day!”

“An aquarium, huh? Sure. I haven’t been to one in ages. Fish are cool.”

Snorting a bit at his reply, Hinata asks for a date. “Would Saturday work?”

“Yeah. I’ve got nothing going on, and Mom will be home to keep an eye on Itachi. Don’t think I have too much homework, either. I’ll see you guys there.”

“Awesome!”

Saturday can’t come soon enough.

But first...she has to ask Hiashi.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Hm?” Reading the paper, he doesn’t bother to look up.

“Um...Ino was telling me about a new part of the aquarium opening this week. Would it be cool if I w-went with them this weekend? Saturday, maybe?”

“Do you have any projects due?”

“Uh...no.”

He glances to her over the top of the paper. “...very well. Don’t stay out too late.

“I won’t.”

Success!

Relaying the good news to everyone, now all she has to do...is wait.

Sakura’s mother agrees to drive them, all a bit too young to drive on their own. On the way, all three gossip about their real intentions.

“So, is he cute?”

“Um...I guess so?”

“You guess? Come on, Hinata.”

“Okay, um...yes, he’s...he’s cute.”

“Details, please!”

“Uh...dark hair, kinda...messy. Dark eyes. I haven’t really seen him much. I barely saw him when we met, and he doesn’t really...take selfies o-or anything.”

“Guess we’ll just have to see when we get there,” Ino grins.

As expected, the place is actually pretty crowded given the day and novelty. The girls thank Mebuki and head inside, managing to get their tickets and find a place to wait near the lobby.

“Any word from him yet?”

“No, not yet. But I told him I’d wait by the lobby. If you guys want, y-you can go ahead.”

“And miss the introduction? No way!” Ino replies.

At that, however, Sakura actually looks a little unsure. “...maybe we should give them some privacy first, huh Ino?”

“Whaaat?”

“Just for a bit! I mean...things didn’t exactly go well the first time, right? We should butt out.”

The blonde sighs, folding her arms. “Oh, all right. But text us when you head further in, okay? We’ll stop and wait for you.”

“Okay! Thanks, guys.”

Sakura gives a subtle thumbs up as she leads Ino further in, which Hinata acknowledges with a wave. Hanging around the lobby and picking up a pamphlet, she startles when someone says her name. “W-wha-?”

Standing behind her a few paces, Sasuke perks a brow as she spins around, hands in his pockets. “Sorry...kinda loud in here.”

“Y...yeah…”Suddenly unsure, she turns around fully to face him. “...um…”

“...well, since it was a bit interrupted before…” He holds out a hand. “I’m Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha.”

Blinking, Hinata then giggles, accepting the shake. “Hinata Hyūga. It’s nice to meet you, Sasuke. Um...again.”

He gives a small grin. “So...should we head in?”

“Sure. My friends went on ahead - I’ll let them know you’re here so we can catch up.”

“Cool.”

As she types, they head a bit further in. Most of the building is rather dark to help accentuate the tanks, which are all lit from within. Fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic critters all swim and scurry around in their habitats.

“So...you like fish and stuff?”

Hinata can’t help a small snort at the question. “I-I do! I’ve always loved water…”

“It’s pretty neat. I had a goldfish as a kid for like...a few months. I wasn’t the best fish dad.”

“Well...kids aren’t really, um...prepared for sensitive pets. It happens a lot. Maybe you could try again!”

“...yeah, maybe I could. You have any?”

“No...my father is strictly against pets. He says they’re a w-waste of money.”

Sasuke’s nose wrinkles. “...no offense, but like...your dad’s a bit of a jerk.”

Hinata gives a weary smile. “He...yeah. He c-can be. He’s just a very, um...closed off person.”

“My dad’s kinda that way too. Kinda tough on us. But Mom helps set him straight.”

“Yeah...I wonder if mine would, i-if she were here.” After a pause, she notices Sasukes’s awkwardness. “...o-oh, sorry! I...I don’t mean -?”

“It’s fine. Just...was worried I upset you there for a sec.”

“No, I...I’m fine. Really. I don’t have any trouble talking about her.”

“...all right.”

They keep meandering down the mostly-linear route through the aquarium, Hinata on the lookout for her friends. Sasuke points out interesting species every so often, most of which she’s able to comment on.

“So what’s your favorite?”

“Hm…” she mulls that over. “...I really like lionfish.”

“Lionfish? There’s a fish named after a lion?”

“Yeah! I’ll s-show you when one comes up. They’re very, um...frilly.”

That gets Sasuke to snort. “Frilly...gotcha.”

“Hey! Hinata!”

Jolting a bit, Hinata brightens as Sakura waves from down the hall. “Oh, t-there’s my friends! Um...they might be a bit...forward.”

“It’s fine.”

The other pair jog back to meet them, immediately plaguing Sasuke with questions. Though he looks a bit exacerbated, Hinata notices he handles their curiosities patiently.

...she wonders if that’s for her sake.

“Come on, we’re almost to the new exhibit!” Ino then gushes once the interrogation is complete...for now.

“Right behind you,” Sasuke replies, watching them trot forward. “Ready?”

“Yeah. Um...sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. I had a feeling your friends would be kinda...protective. Hard to avoid when we grow up sorta segregated, right? And I mean...our situation’s a bit unique.”

“Y...yeah…”

Considering her for a moment, Sasuke then lifts his arm a bit. “...can I...hold your hand?”

“...eh?”

“Y’know...since it’s sort of a date.”

Slowly, her cheeks go rosy. “S...sure…” Softly, she lets her hand mesh with his, finding the fit to be exceedingly pleasant.

His makes hers feel so small…

Giving a hint of a smile, Sasuke then leads them forward. But in all honesty, Hinata’s not too concerned about the exhibit. She’s not sure much can compare to this.

                                                          .oOo.

     (This is a sequel to days 355 and 356!)       More soulmate AU! With actual interaction between our two lovebirds, lol - seems Hinata's sneaky plan is working! Sakura and Ino are the best wingwomen - they know what's up xD      I guess not too much to say about this one. idk if I'll do more tomorrow or not - depends on what I can wrack my brain for with the prompt! Hopefully today's was enjoyable - I had a very, uh...rough evening, so my mind's a bit distracted. But I gave it my best shot :'D      On that note tho I gotta head to bed. Thanks for reading!

[pain-somnia]

Covenant [3/?]

Pairing: SasuSaku, ShiItaIzu (just not this chapter) Rating: M (for eventual mature content) Disclaimer Day’s Notes: hello everyone! It’s @naruto-magic-week and for Day 6 “Fantastic Beasts and Familiars” I’ve decided to updated my witch/tengu familiar AU. You guys win, this story will be a multichap. It has an actual plot now. Small trigger warning for this chapter for a small mention of CSA. Nothing graphic, just a line drop in regards to the trial mentioned in an earlier chapter. AO3 | FF | Wordpress ✴✴✴✴✴

Chapter Three: Dinner Should Be Charming

Mornings were always loud. And early.

Grumbling, Sasuke pulled his duvet over his head and turned so that he was curled inward and facing the wall. He was never a fan of mornings but the Haruno household was always lively before the sun rose into the sky.

He had barely settled again when he heard his door creak open. A few seconds later there was a pressure on his mattress near his back.

“Sasuke?” Sakura whispered. She shook his shoulder gently. “Sasuke?”

“Can I just stay here today?” He groaned. Sakura giggled and shook his arm again. Sighing, he sat up and stretched, rolling his shoulders. “No one makes Kakashi wake up this early.”

“He’s a cat, Sasuke,” Sakura deadpanned. “We’re lucky he shows up at all.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and yanked on his duvet. The force flipped her off of the bed but before he could lie back down and pull the blanket over his head it vanished into thin air. A moment later the bed was gone and he dropped on the floor, his backside slamming on the hardwood floor.

“You can have your bed back later. Lady Tsunade is arriving today so we have to make sure everything is prepared at the manor.”

“She’s finally coming back?” Sasuke scratched his head, ruffling his hair.

Sasuke had not seen the High Priestess of their coven since the day he was summoned. Sakura had told them there was an emergency and he had accepted that but after weeks had gone by and she had not returned he asked for the details of the emergency. At the time he was desperate to get back home and it was getting delayed due to the fact the most powerful witch couldn’t help him because she was absent.

Lady Tsunade had been summoned by her husband, the High Priest of the Elder Coven, to take part of a council. The newly named Akatsuki coven was under investigation due to the death of their High Priest, Jiraiya.

“What was the verdict?” Sasuke had been curious about witch laws and attempted to read up on it but grew bored going through the thick, dusty tomes.

“They still have their mana sealed at the moment, but the council was forced to find them not guilty of murder. They were punished for the execution because they didn’t call for the Elder Coven which they needed to do due to Jiraiya’s status. It’s within a coven’s right to hold a trial within their own house without interference, but usually it’s not a High Priest or Priestess that’s on trial. Akatsuki had run their own investigation and trial and found Jiraiya guilty of crimes against his own coven so they burned him at the stake.”

“What did he do?”

“He was molesting underage witches in the coven.”

“Disgusting.”

“Exactly.”

.

.

.

Preparations for Tsunade’s arrival mostly involved cleaning the manor and preparing her favorite dishes. Shizune went into a frenzy making sure every nook and cranny was free of dust. Kakashi had gone into hiding and had only been lured out by threat of castration which had Sasuke scurrying off to polish the floors before Shizune decided to carry out the threat to the others.

“The house is already clean, why are we doing all of this?” He was keeping an eye on Sakura as she levitated above him and dusted the chandelier in the foyer. If there was a chance of her falling Sasuke wanted to be ready to catch her.

“The Hebi Coven is coming for a visit.” Sakura cut off her concentration and plummeted into Sasuke’s waiting arms. She giggled as he scowled at her. “And High Priest Dan as well. It’s been a while since he’s been home.”

“I’ll let you fall next time,” he warned, setting her down. Sakura rolled her eyes and collected the cleaning supplies from the floor. He said that every time she decided to free fall and yet he always kept an eye on her whenever she began floating.

“There’s going to be members that are our age so that should be cool, right?”

“I don’t like strangers,” he grumbled, packing up his own cleaning supplies as well.

“They won’t be strangers after you meet them,” Sakura replied in a singsong, swinging her bucket around as she walked away.

“Don’t be a smartass.”

They were just finishing storing away all of the cleaning supplies and ready to call it a day when Kakashi rubbed his feline body against Sakura’s ankles for attention. Sasuke snatched him by the scruff of his neck and threatened to toss him out one of the windows for the second time that week for being inappropriate.

“I was sent by Shizune!”

“What does Shizune-san want?” Sasuke held onto him but didn’t pull him back inside. If Kakashi was lying he was ready to drop him.

“She needs you two to drop by the store and the bakery.” Kakashi remained calm, knowing one wrong move and Sasuke would let go. He would survive the fall but it took more energy out of him than he liked.

“But that’s so far away!” Sakura whined. “And then we would have to bring it all back?”

“She’ll compensate you for the metro fare.”

Sakura groaned but shuffled down the stairs. They could hear her grumbling all the way down.

“Are you going to let me back in?”

Sasuke looked back at him and cocked his head to the side. Sakura was really upset and she was right, it was a lot of traveling going back and forth.

“No.”

Kakashi yowled as he dropped to the ground and Sasuke locked up the window.

.

.

.

“We should just, teleport all of this junk to the manor.”

Sakura pulled the foldable shopping trolley behind her. Sasuke held the door open for her and followed her into the bakery.

“Papa!” Sakura called out to her father as she passed by the rows of shelves loaded with different types of breads. “I need to place an order for a cake. And dango.”

“Mundane or magical?” Kizashi asked from behind the counter.

“Mundane, please. I would rather not have to deal with a bunch of drunk witches and warlocks again.”

As Sakura gave her father Shizune’s order, Sasuke wandered around the shop. He knew the Haruno family owned a bakery, but with all of the time he spent at Senju Manor, he had never actually stepped foot inside.

Put a pep in your step! Try a ginger cookie today, Sasuke read one of the free sample cards in front of brown smiley face cookies. He walked slowly reading all of the descriptions. There was a cookie shaped like an o-mikuji with shō-kichi written on them. Need a little luck? Try one of our tasty small blessing cookies!

“I’m guessing something actually happens if these are eaten?” Sasuke asked Mebuki who was taking inventory.

“Yep! They’re quite popular among both mundane and otherworldly customers.” Mebuki grabbed the tray of smiley face cookie samples and urged him to try one.

“I don’t like sweets,” Sasuke reminded her. It was the downside of living with a family of bakers. There was always breads and sweets available to snack on but it wasn’t something he enjoyed and he felt ungrateful whenever he declined their offers.

“Oh, good.” Sakura appeared by his elbow and grabbed a sample. “I need one of these.”

She popped it in her mouth and chewed, humming delightfully after she swallowed it. She rolled her shoulders and popped her joints.

“Oh, that feels a lot better.” Sakura grabbed another cookie and handed it to him. “Trust me, you should have one.”

What was the influence that she had over him that her mother didn’t have only seconds before her? It was the same green eyes looking up at him, but Mebuki didn’t have the cheeky grin or the giggle that punctuated her words.

Maybe it was the fact he was her familiar, but as soon as she was offering him the cookie he took it and gingerly took a bite from it.

“Too sweet.” Sasuke wanted to gag but it would have been rude. It wasn’t a bad tasting cookie, it was just too much sugar in his opinion. As soon as he swallowed, all of his previous fatigue vanished. It was as if he hadn’t spent the entire day scrubbing floors and rearranging furniture.

“But it’s working, huh?” Sakura had her hands clasped behind her back and she looked up at him expectantly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Sasuke avoided answering and grabbed a basket. He filled it with treats that Shizune had requested and read all of the descriptions along the way. “Do humans really eat these? And they don’t question the effects?”

“A lot of them think it’s only because they believe in it enough,” Sakura explained, dumping more lavender “calming” cookies into the basket than had been requested. “Trust me, we’re going to need a lot of these this week.”

“I’m going to have to develop a sweet tooth in order to deal with all of you witches. aren’t I?” Sasuke looked down at the list Kakashi had handed them from Shizune and his brows furrowed in confusion. “What do maca cookies do and why is Kakashi asking us to get two dozen of them for Kato-san?”

Sakura snatched the list from his hand and crumpled it up, face flushing a vivid crimson. She grabbed the basket of cookies and had her mother ring her up.

“What do they━?”

“You don’t need to know!”

.

.

.

Sasuke pulled his arm through his haori and smoothed the front, his fingers lingering over the uchiwa kamon that decorated the black fabric and then settled on the round himo knot. It felt ridiculous packing his kimono when he had no reason to wear them but just as always, his mother had proven that she knew best.

There was a soft knock on his door that could have only belonged to one member of the Haruno family.

“Come in.”

Sakura opened the door a crack and slid in, exposing a pale leg with her movements. She was dressed in a black qipao dress with red and white feathers. Her hair was pulled into a low bun with a feather and rhinestone hairpin. The pattern paying homage to his winged form had him humming in appreciation.

“You look nice.” Sakura beamed up at him, patting down the front of his haori. “Very formal.”

“Do most events require formal attire?”

“No, we have meetings that require ceremonial robes but this is just a dinner party.”

Sakura used her cell phone to call for a lift━”We should get you a phone and put you on our plan, Sasuke.”━and they made their way to the manor. Kizashi gave them a package to deliver to High Priest Dan as an offering. Sasuke was going to have to learn about the politics of word weavers so he could properly understand the importance of Dan Kato.

“Strongest? No, it was kind of an elected position,” Sakura had explained before when she told him about the trial. “The strongest would be the Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru, and the late Lord Jiraiya. Because they are all equal in strength neither one of them could lead the Elder Coven, so the position was appointed to a warlock they believed would be best for the job.”

“So how are they getting here? A portal?” Sasuke asked Kakashi as they waited in the foyer for their guests.

“No. Uber.” Kakashi yawned and yanked at his collar. Shizune had him dressed in regular fit navy blue suit with a silver tie. It matched her high collar evening tea dress in the same shade of blue with silver buttons down the bust.

The two made a nice pair but Sasuke preferred the attention to detail that Sakura had in her attire. Even if it was only symbolic to those that knew his true nature, it pleased him a bit that she had represented him and an important trait of his instead of simply stuffing him in something similar to what she owned.

The doorbell rang at seven on the dot and Shizune welcomed their coven leader who entered on the arm of a man with long silver hair.

“Welcome home, Uncle Dan.” Shizune embraced the man and stepped aside that the people following them could enter as well.

The Hebi Coven was greater in numbers than their own little coven, Sasuke noticed immediately. A person with snake like features entered the foyer with an entourage of twelve. It was no wonder Shizune had been stressed the past few days.

“Karin!” Sakura squealed when a petite girl with vivid red hair in a lavender short sleeved chiffon dress walked through the doorway.

“Please remember that my upper body strength is non existent!” The red haired girl shrieked as Sakura practically pounced on her, wrapping her arms around her neck.

“She’s going to end up breaking you, Karin.” A white haired boy in a matching button down shirt snickered, brushing past the two girls. Sasuke caught his eye and the boy’s lips stretched out into a wide toothy smile. “Thank fuck, another guy.”

“You’re wearing my present.” Karin daintily sniffed the air around Sakura, ignoring the adults that were heading to the dining room. “I wish I was here on your birthday but Kabuto dragged me out for a job.”

Before Sasuke could ask, Karin whipped out a business card from thin air and handed it to him. In a curly font her name, Karin Uzumaki, was listed and underneath it read “Founder Of All Things Lost” along with an email address and alternate instructions to drop lavender essential oil on the card for emergencies.

“Karin is an extremely gifted scryer,” Sakura explained. Karin tossed her hair over her shoulder and beamed at the praise. “Most witches need a medium like crystals or a mirror, but Karin can use the back of her eyelids. And she doesn’t just get flashes but detailed images.”

“I’m better than most oracles,” Karin bragged, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose. The white haired boy stood at her elbow and coughed into his fist. “Oh, and this is Suigetsu. He’s talented at leaving puddles everywhere he sits.”

“We just met the guy and you’re already insulting me in front of him?”

“He’s my familiar.” Karin sighed and rolled her eyes. “We’ve been together almost a year now.”

“But not actually together, Sakura.” Suigetsu flashed her a flirty grin and waggled his eyebrows. The sight of his pointed teeth had Sasuke pulling Sakura back in case the teen decided he wanted to take a bite of her.

At least that’s what he told himself was the reason.

“And ‘cause he’s a male selkie he’s an incorrigible flirt.”

“Children,” a silky voice called out to them. “The adults are waiting.”

The owner of the voice was none other than the person with the slits for pupils and long black hair that matched the silkiness of their voice. The smile they gave Sasuke made the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

“Ah, a tengu. You don’t really see them in this realm anymore.” They looked Sasuke up and down before turning their attention to Sakura, their smile even more alarming than a second ago. “Very impressive, Miss Haruno. Who knew you had it in you to summon such a creature into your possession.”

“He’s not a thing, Lord Orochimaru,” Sakura muttered, averting her gaze. She tugged on Sasuke’s hand and lead him to a pair of seats as far away as possible from where Orochimaru’s place card sat.

It wasn’t until Karin gave him a strange probing look from his face to their joined hands that he reminded Sakura that he needed both hands for dinner.

“Sorry,” Sakura whispered as he gave thanks for the meal. He peered at her from the corner of his eye and noticed her gaze was directed at the head of the table where the elders sat.

The apology had nothing to do with the hand holding. There was no doubt that she was thinking about the weeks after she had summoned him and his feelings about the whole event.

“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered back, leaning over to whisper it in her ear so none of the guests could hear him.

Dinner was an odd affair. Sasuke was used to large gatherings—even larger ones with his clan—but these were strangers. There was no one he could talk with and he already made an enemy out of one of the Hebi witches by securing a stick of dango for Sakura before the witch absconded with the whole tray.

If it weren’t a formal dinner setting he was sure she would have hexed him. Unsettling smiles seemed to be a trademark of the Hebi coven.

“I’m glad we’re going back home and don’t have to deal with all of these people,” Sakura grumbled as she helped clear the dining room. She moved slowly without magic to stall having to meet everyone in the den for a nightcap. “I definitely don’t wanna be around when Anko gets a few drinks in her. Last time she holed up in Shizune‘s room the whole week and she and Kakashi butted heads for her attention.”

“I wouldn’t mind joining them. I’m eighteen now.” Suigetsu chuckled before Karin hit him with a closed fist to the back of his head. His head burst into a splash of water upon contact.

“No, orgies aren’t a witch thing,” Sakura answered Sasuke’s unasked question. She rolled her eyes at the look of disgust he had. “Anko and Kakashi are just like that.”

“How did you know what I was thinking?”

“Hm?” Sakura lifted her arms and waved her hands through some motions and the dishes started cleaning themselves. “Oh. I don’t know. I just thought that might be what you would ask.”

Sasuke crossed his arms and watched as she pointed at the dishes and they loaded themselves into the dishwasher and she grabbed glass containers to store what remained of dinner.

“I’m not reading your mind, Sasuke.” Sakura glared at him and placed the containers in the refrigerator. She flinched when she shut the door a little harder than she should have.

“Well that doesn’t help your case.”

“No, you’re just predictable.”

With a final wave of her hand the tea cups arranged themselves on two trays and she grabbed the teapot. Placing her hand on the pot, the spot she touched glowed red and the pot whistled.

“Help me with this, please? After we give them their tea we can go home. I don’t like how Lord Orochimaru was looking at you. They’re usually creepy but tonight’s definitely been the creepiest they’ve been.”

Sasuke was glad he wasn’t the only one that thought the High Priest had behaved strangely. It was already strange that they knew immediately what Sasuke was, even in his wingless form.

“You’re probably too young to know, but has Orochimaru ever had a tengu familiar?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. Their familiar has always been a basilisk named Manda. It’s why they call the coven he leads Hebi.” Sakura shivered and hugged herself. “I’ve only seen him once and just, never again.”

If what Sasuke had heard about basilisks was true, Sakura was very lucky she was still alive after an encounter with one. He could only assume that Orochimaru was a very powerful warlock to be able to contain a great snake and keep it from eating every human it came across.

That is if Orochimaru even bothered to keep his familiar from eating.

There was a chance the tengu Orochimaru had mentioned seeing in the mundane realm was Itachi. And if that was whom Orochimaru was referring to, it meant they knew who Itachi’s former warlock was.

And Sasuke was going to find out exactly who that warlock was.

[beans-shadow]

looking for the truth (pt 10)

Fandom: Naruto

Relationship: Kakasaku

Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura

read on ao3: here

part one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen

Kakashi and Sakura finally figure out about the Mountain Stream's plan.

---

When Kakashi woke, he felt a strange weight pressing down on his bare chest. He tried to remain calm, keep his eyes closed, and scan out for what his aggressor was trying to do.

But there was a distinct lack of movement around him, and no foreign chakra signatures. Still motionless, from habit Kakashi opened only his right eye. He stilled when he saw Sakura’s arm draped over his body, her face pointing towards his shoulder, causing little winds of breath to brush on him. Somehow, during the night, they had shifted. Kakashi was baffled, as he typically never moved when he slept.

First, he sleeps through the night; now, he moved around in bed?

He started to sweat slightly, worried his revelation last night was the cause of this behavior. He’d thought with admitting his feelings, he could get over his attraction to Sakura, but it seemed his body had different ideas. His mind as well; all night, he dreamt they led a calm life, simply caring for dogs and herbal medicines, without having to worry about the call of their Hokage. It was blissful, and Kakashi longed for that feeling again.

He supposed he could enjoy her arm around him as a momentary replacement.

Trying not to be too creepy, Kakashi gazed lazily and happily at the sleepy-headed ninja. A small smile on her face, she snored through some captivating dream of her own. All the worry of impressing Tsunade as a protégé, living up to Naruto’s heroics, and moving past Sasuke’s antics were gone from her face in her peaceful sleep. Kakashi could see passed her all walls now: and there she was, the strong, fearsome, amazing Sakura. A world-renowned medic-nin, intelligent beyond belief, and with a well of chakra reserve that Kakashi envied. Hard to those she first meets, always trying to prove herself, but soft and caring to those she trusted. Her insecurities from childhood had not left her, but now she adapted them to her own uses, and she only came out more confident because of them.

Her arm pushed on his chest, and she wriggled ever so slightly closer to him. In a state of vulnerability, Kakashi brought free hand up to his face. Slowly, he tugged a finger underneath his mask – he was back to wearing his black one for the night – and started to pull it down. The brush of air on his upper lip was refreshing, and he desperately found himself wanting to expose his face to this pink-haired woman.

Then she snorted, sending a gust of air in Kakashi’s face from the pure force of her nose muscles alone. She twitched in the motion of one waking up, and Kakashi hastily shoved his mask back up. In her half-sleep, Sakura removed her arm from his chest, instead using it to rub her face harshly.

“Grmmph,” she grumbled, removing the sleep from her eyes. While shaking out her hair like a dog’s, Kakashi laughed.

She jumped in the bed, clutching her chest. “Great Kami, Kakashi, don’t scare me like that!”

“Scare you?” He asked, amused. “We’ve been sleeping the same bed for a few days now. Why did I scare you?”

“Hmm... I don’t know,” she replied, confused now. “Guess I’ve just gotten too used to it.” She flipped around, which Kakashi was happy about because it meant she couldn’t see the crinkles by his eyes from his smile at her words.

“What time is it?”

“Dunno,” Kakashi said, folding his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

“You don’t know?” Sakura turned back to him. “You, Kakashi, the man stuck up about being on time whenever we have missions, don’t know the time?”

“What do you mean, I was always late,” Kakashi said, scrunching his forehead. But when he looked at Sakura, he saw the jesting light in her eyes, and rolled his own. “Oh. I see what’s happening here.”

“Not that sharp this morning, are you?” She continued to tease him, punching him on the shoulder. Damn. Kakashi tried not to show how much it hurt when she did that. She really didn’t hold back her strength around other ninja. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Not sure,” Kakashi said, worried now she might go down a line of inquiry too dangerous to navigate. “Guess I figured it didn’t matter what we did, since we can’t do anything without Pakkun’s next report.”

Sakura could not voice her agreement, as with the mention of his name, with a poof the pug appeared at the foot of their bed.  

“Boss!” Pakkun shouted, his body taut with urgency, startling Kakashi. “I snuck in underground. The place is crawling with dirt, scientists, and laboratories. It’s not pretty. There was some shouting, like people were in pain or sorrow. I could smell fear and death down there too, but I had to leave before I was spotted.”

Kakashi let out a growl. “Darn. We won’t be able to infiltrate during any distracting celebration, if there are people in pain. We can’t sit around and wait. We’ll have to make a plan and execute as soon as possible, hopefully tonight. Let’s get ready for the day and start preparations.”

“We should pack up too,” Sakura added, already standing by her side of the bed. There was a dark, grim look on her face. “I have a feeling we won’t be staying the night.”

---

The next few hours went by in a blur. As Kakashi made the bed and packed their clothes, Sakura made shinobi food packets: small food pills with enormous amounts of calories that would last them days if they needed to flee quickly. Kakashi prayed it would not come to that; the pills always took a deep toll on his body after years of ANBU.

During their preparations, Pakkun returned to their inn room. In his mouth was a scroll with the Yamanaka seal.

Dropping it on the table where Kakashi was finishing up on the last backpack, Pakkun said “Found a Konoha messenger bird hiding outside. Assumed it was for you two.”

Sakura dropped her work in the kitchen to sprint over, ripping he scroll from Kakashi’s hand. Unfurling it, her eyes scanned quickly as she deciphered the basic ninja code.

“Well?” Kakashi prompted.

“They did a chemical analysis on the soil,” Sakura said, still reading. “The same as before, since they’ve always been thorough and checked each package upon initial import into the village. But this time, they’ve found traces of hallucinogens in the bacteria, but small levels.” She squinted. “Wait, she said they also reanalyzed after those samples came back, and found the density of the compounds was increasing significantly. After the third analysis, the chemical volume had doubled again.”

“Dammit!” Sakura snarled, throwing the scroll to the side. She crossed her arms. “Something has been activated in the soil being imported, I have no doubt about it.”

“Is that possible?” Kakashi asked, head cocked. “To do a remote biological activation?”

Sakura shook her head. “That’s not what I mean.” Gesturing in the air, she tried to explain. “It’s simply a matter of time. I’m sure this special bacteria Futoshi and the Daimyo can’t stop mentioning has a lifespan. At some point of maturity, bacteria can start releasing different chemicals. These ones probably happen to release some toxic chemical where our bodies respond to it as if it were a psychedelic or psychotic drug.”

Kakashi’s body went cold. “What exactly would it do to us, our village?”

Sakura shook her head again, eyes sorrowful. “We can’t know for sure, without seeing empirical evidence. There are so many compounds out there, with different signs, symptoms, as well as effect manifestation.”

“Empirical evidence?”

Now a look of desperation tossed Kakashi’s way. “As in, waiting to see it affect one of our citizens.”

Kakashi had had enough. “That’s it,” he announced. “We’re not waiting for nightfall. We leave now.”

---

As they ran through the shadows and rooftops, Kakashi’s mind grew darker and darker. From the beginning, this town had seemed almost harmless. Tsunade had mentioned chemical warfare, but Futoshi seemed to dull to think of anything sinister. The Daimyo, while a bad father figure, did not seem to have the capabilities of a direct attack on the most powerful village in the region.

Then Kakashi glanced at Sakura, headband back proudly on her forehead. Her eyes were slits as she concentrated.

She did not seem to have the capabilities of a great shinobi, and she’d proven him wrong.

Goodness knows how many devastating events have occurred due to Kakashi being wrong.

Readying to find something monstrous, Kakashi tightened his fists behind him. Anything was possible, and from what Pakkun described, it sounded awful.

The pug led them through winding pathways until they reached a specific manhole on the outskirts of town. Kakashi tossed the cover to the side, allowing Pakkun and Sakura to dive in before he covered up their disappearance.

The sewer system was pristine in terms of upkeep. There was no source of light, but the walls and pipes were in such good condition, Kakashi wondered where all the workers must be if they had to maintain this constantly.

Sakura was occupied with a different train of thought. “This reminds me of that hidden base of Orochimaru,” she said, rubbing her chin. “People only go to these lengths if they have something they really do not want discovered. Below ground also limits the exposure to sunlight, and keeps temperatures cool. Perfect experimentation climates.”

Kakashi nodded along with her insights. That all made sense, if the Land of Mountain Streams was indeed cooking up some evil bacteria.

“They obviously keep this place extraordinarily clean too,” she mentioned, touching the shining tile work that functioned as the sewer walls. “They must be disinfecting to prevent contamination, given the fact that if these waters were exposed, it would reach every nook and cranny of their village.”

Hmm, Kakashi thought. There was his answer.

Pakkun also agreed. “That’s also why it took me so long to find this place. I kept losing track of the scent. Everything being so hygienic or mixed with cleaning supply fragrances made me go in circles, or find those other vaults. But I finally found the way to what we are looking for.”

After around half an hour more of sewer wandering, Pakkun’s body grew stiff. “We’re close. Time to keep it down.” They become one with the shadows once more, drawing ever nearer to the gray wall Pakkun had described before. It was seamless with its surroundings; airtight, just as Pakkun had said. There was no doorknob visible, or an interface for admission.

The threesome found an indentation that covered their view as they waited for someone to pass through. They waited in absolute silence, barely even breathing, for fifteen more minutes. Then finally a man in a white cloak came down from above, dropping from a sewer ladder. He unsheathed a knife and a berry from his pocket, and stabbed the fruit. With the flick of his wrist, he sprayed the wall with the juice.

With a rumble, the wall started moving. It opened in the middle, mechanisms pulling each door into the walls of the sewer. The doors moved slowly, a mistake the Land of the Mountain streams would soon pay for, Kakashi hoped.

Once the scientist walked through the gate, Pakkun wagged his tail thrice – the signal to move in the count of three seconds.

One, two… Kakashi tapped on Sakura’s shoulder. Three. He ran after Pakkun, trusting Sakura to catch on.

All three swiftly made it to the other side, trusting that the rumbling of the door would cover up any noise they made.

Kakashi took a quick awareness of the room. It was cold and musty, with crawling tubes winding about glassware in some sinister-looking experiments.

On the walls, cabinets overflowed with files and notebooks full of observations. On the other side, tables of sample soils lined the wall, each with different color codes. In the center, clear boards with different chemical equations and mechanisms illustrated the goals of this facility. The scientist from before walked straight across the room into a separate chamber that required a card to be swiped.

Pakkun continued, turning into a separate room, not taking the chance that someone would turn around and find three newcomers. This one smelled of manure and compost, and even Kakashi gagged from under his mask. Barrels of dirt crawled with worms and other composting insects, producing fresh natural products.

At the end of this room, there was a door with a keypad. “This is as far as I got last time, but I know the how to get in.” Kakashi picked up Pakkun, allowing him to push in the code he’d seen someone else enter prior. With a hiss, the doors opened with a creak. Shouts and screams filled Kakashi’s ears..

In a series of clicks, lights above them turned on, making their way down the hallway. It lit up a passageway, blinding Kakashi as he eyes adjusted to the brightness.

Forcing his body to advance, Kakashi made his way forward to inspect the objects in the room.

There were humans trapped in these cages, which Kakashi presumed were one-way glass, as they did not even indicate they saw Kakashi, Sakura, and Pakkun watching them. In the middle were classical metal bars separating the two subjects. One woman was curled in the corner, crying to the other.

The other, man, had a dead look in their eyes, his face completely relaxed. But he groped through the bars, reaching for the other. He tried to rip off the bars, trying his hardest to break through, but nothing was working. It was not the attempt to reunite with his lover, friend, whatever they were. It was something dark and dangerous.

The small woman cried to him. “Please, stop! Snap out of it!” But the man seemed to not hear her at all, and just kept reaching for her.

Sakura tapped Kakashi on the shoulder, and he turned to look farther down the hallway. He stopped breathing.

For as long as he could see, these cells lined the walls. Some were empty, but most were occupied. The one next to the woman and man had three people – two fighting back against one who kept punching, kicking, and biting. They screamed in pain, pushing off the man, but he kept approaching them no matter how much damage he took.

Slam!

Kakashi flinched as someone rammed themselves against the glass in the adjacent cell. Blood remained where their head had made contact, but they did not seem to care. They kept running themselves into the walls, not reacting in the slightest.

Sakura and Kakashi kept walking down, Pakkun in toe, disgusted and repelled by every sight. In some cages, Kakashi also saw recently deceased collapsed on one another, their bodies still bleeding.

“Pakkun, it’s time for you to go,” Kakashi whispered. The pug nodded, and unsummoned himself.

It seemed that the Daimyo was having people fight each other, despite their previous relationships and affiliations. Although it did not appear to be by force, some unnatural aspect was at hand here.

It did not click until Kakashi saw someone sobbing over a mutilated body, asking for forgiveness.

“Why? Why did this happening?” The woman cried, caressing the face of another woman. “Dear sister, who did this to you?”

“The bacteria…” Kakashi said. Sakura’s head turned. “You said it was a hallucinogen?”

Sakura nodded. “Of a sort.”

“What if… it’s making people’s senses change? As in, affecting what they perceive as loved ones?”

Sakura watched the sister arch her back over her sister, whom she must have killed in self-defense. “That’s entirely possible. But horrific.”

The door opened on the other side of the sister’s cell, and she looked up in a panic, running to the wall with Sakura and Kakashi. She plastered herself against the glass, to no avail.

In walked the Daimyo himself, clapping. Three scientists clad in coats followed him, taking quick notes on their clipboards. “Well, you survived her attack. Thank you, this was our most successful experiments, and most informative.”

“What’s wrong with you?” The woman spat, breathing heavily. “Please, just let me go. I just want to go home.”

The Daimyo shook his head. “Well, that’s just unfortunate. Because you’ve been exposed as well.”

The woman shook her head. “No, I saw what you did to her! I never got injected!”

The Daimyo rubbed his head. “Oh, boy, am I really wrong?” He looked at his scientists innocently, who remained impassive in their stares back. “I, the Lord of the Mountain Streams, am wrong?”

He started walking towards the woman. The fear was evident in the her, as she cowered even more, visible tremors shaking her body. He brushed her hair to the side.

“You see, we’ve been treating you alright, haven’t we? Keeping you fed down here, giving you a nice place to sleep? In exchange of seeing your sister?”

Finding an ounce of courage, the woman slapped his hand away. “Just to pin her down and give her a dose of some weird shit, you animal!”

The Daimyo stared at his hand, and then tutted. “Well, I kept my word, didn’t I? You still got to see her.” He walked to the dead body, kicking it. “She reacted fast to the drug, but you… you’ve proven that all of our planning has worked. That our time is near, and my revenge will be coming soon.”

The woman clenched her fists. “Excuse me?”

The Daimyo snapped his fingers, and a scientist quickly scampered up to him and pointed to some data on his clipboard. “Well, from our calculations, you should be reacting to the same chemical in your food in just a few minutes.”

Kakashi’s blood went cold.

“See you,” the Daimyo fluttered his fingertips, and let the stunned woman come to terms with his words. He exited, the doors closing taking the last ounce of hope from the woman, who collapsed on the ground in tears.

Not being able to bear watching this any longer, Kakashi ran.

“Kakashi!” Sakura shouted after him. But he did not care. This man had to pay. Torture, human experiments, manipulation? It was disgusting. The cages all around him turned into blurs, mixing into one another. They conglomerated together into one massive pile of unrestrained, unintentional betrayal.

He slowed down until he finally reached the end of the massive hall, where a door waited Kakashi to tear down. As he was preparing his hand motions, he glanced to his side.

A knife in his hand, a man wept as he stood near the wall of his cell. Another man with countless scratches, cuts, and bruises picked himself up from the floor by the opposite wall. As before, the first man was pleading as he cried, to no avail. It was obvious this infection took away any self-control or awareness in the specimen. Pain receptors appeared to be blocked as well, as even as blood dripped around him, the man stood up with no problem and began lurching to the other in puppeteer motions.

“I’m sorry!” The man yelled, and in one quick thrust, stabbed the other man in the stomach with such force the knife protruded out of the man’s back. The lifeless figure fell limp on his arm, any sense of soul seeping away. They fell to the ground together, and the man clutched his cellmate in anguish.

With that, Kakashi’s mind went black.

The holding cells around him disappeared, fading into darkness. He was just a body, suspended in by some unknown force. Then his hand, by its own volition, brought itself in to the air. Shaking violently, sparks flashed around his palm, drifting into the abyss and eventually fading away. Light flickered around his fingertips, soon joined by the sharp chirping of birds. Eyes widening, Kakashi wondered how this jutsu could be summoned; he did not feel any expenditure of chakra.

In a flash, his hand disappeared as well. His arm was stuck in a black wall, sticky and wet all around. Every movement of his arm, elicited a groan of pain and despair, and Kakashi froze.

Fearing the worst, Kakashi bent his neck upward. Brown eyes full of desperation looked above at the darkened sky, filling with tears. Kakashi’s Sharingan pulsed as he came to terms with what just happened.

“Rin, no!” He fully extracted his arm from her chest, causing Rin to fall backwards with no grace. Crumbling to his knees, Kakashi clutched his face in his hands. “I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean no! I’m so sorry! Rin!”

Shaking his head violently, Kakashi tried to remove the picture from his mind. But it persevered, and the more Kakashi fought it, the clearer it became. The Mist Ninja plot, the pain of losing Obito. It all came crashing down on Kakashi, magnified by his lingering guilt.

“I’m so sorry!” He cried. “Obito, Rin!”

“Kakashi!” A distant voice was yelling out for him, but Rin’s body still lay motionless in front of him, taunting his failure in keeping his promise to keep her safe. His body shook, the shock overtaking him. He couldn’t protect Obito, so and he couldn’t protect Rin when she’d needed him the most. Everyone close to him died eventually.

Minato, Obito, Jiraiya, Kushina, Asuma… the list went on and on. A legendary ninja, he wasn’t. He was a failure of a friend, a failure of a ninja, a failure of a person, a failure…

“Kakashi!”

Someone was shaking him, and relenting, Kakashi removed his hands from his eyes. A medic nin peered down at him, where he lay on the floor, curled up in a ball.

“Kakashi, what’s the matter with you? Who are Obito and Rin?” Hands attempted to uncurl him, but his muscles felt paralyzed and refused to move.

“Rin?” Kakashi asked. He reached out to the woman. “Is that you?”

“This isn’t good,” she muttered, looking around. Dragging Kakashi by the shirt behind her, she ripped open the door and stepped through the threshold. It was cold and damp in this room, and Kakashi leaned against the wall, still in anguish.

A soft, calming light glittered around his chest, his shoulders, his face. The person in front of him was still blurry, with the wall the only object in the room Kakashi could focus on. Under his breath, he kept whispering. “I’m sorry, I never meant to. I swear. I swear…”

Swearing to the side, the medic-nin turned off her healing chakra. Instead, she took his face in her hands, and tried to get him to look at her. His eyes felt heavy and lazy, jostling all around until he finally tied himself to her emerald beacons. Emerald. She wasn’t Rin. Rin didn’t have green eyes. These eyes were beautiful, some of the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. Only one person held these eyes.

“S…Sakura?”

Her eyes creased, tears clustering in the corners. “Kakashi,” she cried, and wrapped her arms around him. “I was so scared, I couldn’t find anything wrong with you, I thought you’d gotten infected too.”

Still semi-paralyzed against the wall, he simply nuzzled his nose into her shoulder. “No, no… I’m so sorry, that’s never happened to me before. I don’t even know what happened.”

She pulled away, and Kakashi missed her soft hair against his cheek. It was so calming.

“Kakashi, I think you just had a PTSD episode,” she said, turning on her medical-voice. “have you ever had one before?”

“PTSD?”

“Post-traumatic stress disorder. After a traumatic event, sometimes the body relives the memory after triggers, can also causes insomnia and nightmares. Has that ever happened to you?”

Silent, Kakashi moved his mouth. He did, but he figured it was just guilt plaguing him. “I–”

With a crash, a door on the opposite side of the room burst oopen. The Daimyo, full of glory and fury, stood there with his entourage.

A look of shock flashed on his face, but then he took in Kakashi’s Jonin uniform.

“Leaf ninja,” he spat.

Scrambling to her feet, Sakura placed herself in a fighting stance. Kakashi remained motionless on the ground, adrenaline from his episode draining away.

“Mr. Hate and Ms. Haru,” the Daimyo continued. “I should have known. There was always something off about you two.”

“Something off about us?” Sakura asked, dumbfounded. “We aren’t the ones conducting illegal experiments!”

The Daimyo smirked. “That you know about, poor girl. Every village has its secrets.”

Arm quaking in effort, Kakashi lifted himself up to a crouch. Grimacing, he shouted at the Daimyo. “What is the meaning of all of this? I thought your people were peaceful, simply caring for your land. You lied to us, lied to everyone.” He pointed all around him, his voice growing louder with each word.

“When did I lie?” The Daimyo shouted back. “Us Mountain Stream people are the caretakers of special bacteria that enhances the soil here. But we also developed a way to take that bacteria that cultivated the land and turn it sour, contaminating the food and disrupting people’s cognitive abilities, making them recognize their loved ones as enemies.” He laughed. “That’s how we really issued our ultimatum to make Fire and Earth leave us alone. They could either perish, or leave us be.”

“But what’s the point now?” Emotion broke through in Kakashi’s voice. “If you wanted to be let be, why all of this torture, this planning, this experimentation? It’s inhumane!”

The Daimyo stepped forward, pointing accusatory at Kakashi. “Inhumane? Inhumane? You want to talk about what’s inhumane?” His eyes were seeing red. “How about your own village! You leaf ninja murdered my wife in cold blood, without reason. There was no retribution, or apologies. You are all heathens, living without care for the rest of the world! You do not think about the impact of who else you affect outside of your own precious village.”

What? Kakashi traced his memories, and one faded, muddled in alcohol broke through. Sakura had found out as much after her arm wrestling session.

Kakashi shook his head. That incident, he remembered learning about it, a long time ago.

Sarutobi sensei had called it a tragic accident; the leaf ninja’s target had been some high-profile politician seeking asylum in this land. Mistaking the Daimyo’s wife as the target, they’d killed her. They’d been rebuked, but Sarutobi could not bring anyone back to life, and left the incident as just that – a mistake that meant nothing to the Leaf.

It was just like Nagato’s situation. A small mistake from the Leaf was about to cost them their entire home.

It was true; Leaf Village, as the Daimyo said, was not the straightest arrow. But right now, Kakashi’s home was in danger, and he would protect the village with his life, as was his duty.

Shaking his head, Kakashi focused on the evil man. “The moral of a story often depends on the temper of the man telling it. You do not have all of the facts,” he spat at the Daimyo.

“I have all the facts that I think are necessary!” The Daimyo yelled. “And now everything you love will perish, as mine did.”

Kakashi felt a tug on his arm. Sakura jutted her head to the exit. “There’s no point in staying here any longer,” Sakura said, teeth tight. “The longer we stay, the deeper the infestation gets back in the village. We have to go.”

Knowing she was correct, Kakashi let her pull him towards the door.

“Oh, no you don’t!” The Daimyo shouted. Gesturing at his scientists, he commanded, “get them!”

Utterly confused at what they could do, the scientists looked at each other, and back at the ninja.

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi stepped through the doorframe. Then something caught his eye. Boxes labeled ready for export lined the room from floor to ceiling. They were in a storage room.

While Kakashi knew they should leave, he could not leave without doing something. Recalling the proper jutsu, Kakashi made the hand signs for the Uchiha’s fireball, releasing it around him. The spoil ignited, the fertilizer exploding in horrid smells. The scientists behind him crawled back through their door, screaming, as they ran away in fright. As the bacteria perished around him, flames lighting up his face, the Lord shook his head as he backed away.

“Good effort, but the damage is already done. I will have my revenge, and—”

In a pink flash, Sakura ran up to the Daimyo and clipped him on the side with a high kick. He fell over, landing in a pile of burning fertilizer.

Kakashi, aghast, gaped at her.

Emerald eyes cold and serious, she beckoned Kakashi. “We have no more time left to lose. Come on.”

When Sakura became this serious, Kakashi knew there was nothing he could do but follow orders, or feel the wrath of the mini Tsunade. With a nod, he followed the pink-haired shinobi, and together the two of them vanished back into the sewers, and out of the village, into the forest.