#sasuke has one bed he really likes but its so funny listen.

[faerociousbeast]

anyways i got the sims4 yesterday and made a household with team seven minus the senseis (sakura, sai, naruto, sasuke) and naruto and sasuke KEPT ON FIGHTING and i only just realized they somehow have a romance bar.

[jrueships]

I’m aware that this was not the point of the kawhi and pg retiring together post but pg calling kawhi honey!!!!! Omg!!! I’m in love with nicknames so this was so cute 😭. And Luka having them for Dennis in the redacted post !! CUTE “honey” 🥲 “kitten” 😳 “SWEETHEART”!!!! Ahsjsksj- *explodes* anyway do any of your other ships have nicknames for each other 🤔

GOOOOD bruh this is SUCH a good ask literally like. im SO sorry it took me so long to finally answer it but I've been looking at this and trying to figure out how to do it justice FOREEEVER it was just That good 2 me. IM SO GLAD U THOUGHT THAT WAS CUTE!!! I LOVE ships where the couples give each other nicknames I DUNNO they hit DIFFERENT!! The way yall be reading my tags 😭 !! IS NICE 🤩🤩‼‼ BUT YEA!!!! LETS GET RIGHT 2 IT!!!

Marcus Smart+Giannis: OKAY so I think that they BOTH kinda like??? Secretly Pride themselves on being GREAT at nicknames lol. Giannis's "khash money and big money" (Khris STILL calls jrue big money its so funny. The bucks love giannis so much and honestly?? Who doesnt??? ((Harden))) I think giannis uses nicknames more tho?? Because marcus wants to be cool and not look so sappy for giannis but sometimes it slips 🥰 ANYWAYS THOOO i think giannis calls marcus like "SMARTIES!!!!" or "MY SWEET!!!" or something endearing old grandparents call each other And like. They run to each other and giannis sweeps him up in his long arms and they spin around laughing all cheesy like that!!! Or sometimes giannis will call him, the very loving, "mahkus shart" or "fart" and then try excusing it on having a relapse on the English language even tho they both know Damn well he's just being a little shit. But when giannis and Markus are cuddling in bed together during the sleepy hours of trying to drift into dreamland, giannis probably calls marcus like.. "stars", or somethin. Kisses his freckles and his acne scars. Marcus probably calls Giannis "gianny!!" On the downlow or "hey, deer" or "beanpole" LMAO. Sometimes "prancer" or "big man" But for the public he does his 'GRANT.' tone but with "GIANNIS." instead to get his attention

Trae + John collins: I think they stick to their usual stupid nicknames like. Trae is IceTrae and john is The Baptist. Trae probably makes jokes about wanting John to wash his feet when they're high together. Trae calls John his "girlfriend" his "wifey" his "bae" you know whatever typical fuckboys use to make their tiktok gfs feel special! John is probably like "dude, im a guy." but can't help but feel his heart beating at the nicknames anyways because he is WEEK and STOOPID!!!! BUT OF COURSE they use the typical bros and dudes and mans!! John probably has to call trae "big man" or "chief" LMFAO. Trae literally does Not have this kinda energy but despite that... he probably really Really wants to be called d*ddy IM SORRY IM JUST TELLIN THE FACTS OKAY. ANYWAYS

Draymond+Swaggy P: swaggy p will sometimes not acknowledge dray if he does not call him swaggy p*nis at least Once a month. Nick could be hanging off a cliff on the verge of falling and Draymond would extend his hand out saying "NICK!! GRAB MY HAND!!!" And nick would just cross his arms and be like "refer to me with my Full Name, Draymond." and then plummet to the void. Draymond does Not call swaggy p swaggy p*nis tho, and will be actually really glad that he gets a moment of silence from Nick's deranged fuckboyness. Nick never wins the silent games with dray. He probably ends up trying to tug on his hoodie or vandalize dray's things to try and get his attention again. ANYWAYS nick tries to get away with calling dray anything really cheesy that he THINKS is hot. Like "hello my gorgeous hobgoblin" or "hey butterfly bae 🥰🥰" and dray tells him to shut up but he secretly enjoys them LMAO. Dray probably just calls nick "swaggy" or "nick". Bitch in the bedroomlolANYWAYS

Pat bev+Lou will: yes, I snuck them in here SHUDDUP my game MY rules!!! I think pat would be like... committing a crime .. kicking a fire hydrant and turning over cars or whatever, but then he'll hear lou call him "Patti !" and he'll suddenly stop and snuggle into his lap or somethin LMAO. Idk... I love.. the grandpas 🥰🥰 crazy man who has soft spot for destruction, crime, and lou will

Jeff teague+LeBron: LISTENLISTENLUS- OKAY. LISTEN. I love their relationship in like a FUNNY sense like.... bron really sweeped teague SO many times it's FUNNY. I like to think about them as the like... D-classed villain, who can only rob small children, declaring the strongest hero Ever as his arch nemesis... and the superhero not seeing them as a threat at ALL. LIKE WHEN TEAGUE SHOVED BRON ONCE and bron just got back up without a care LMAO. I think Teague stays up all night dreaming about one day finally like BEATING beating LeBron.. and when they meet on court he's like "your castle will be MINE as will be your CROWN and your CAVS, 'kiNg bRoN' " and LeBron just laughs, pats him on the back, and says, "okay Jeff lol" and then blows his team out by 50 points . AnNYWAYS yea i think teague comes up with a Lot of not pg13 nicknames for bron and bron just calls him Jeff

Robin +Kris Dunn: kris probably calls Robin "old man" and "twiggy" and "birdnest brain" and a thousand other teasing words, and he smirks up at him expecting a reaction, but Robin just laughs and calls him "peanut" and kris goes home and claws off the wallpaper to his bathroom walls

Myles+ Victor oladipo: myles is a nerd so he loves when vic calls him "myles Morales" because IT'S CLEVER. and hes a geek. Victor gets called Viccy or just Oladipo ! Sometimes thingamajig !!!

Keldon+Anthony Edwards: I JUST THINK THEIR PERSONALITIES WOULD BE GOOD TOGETJER anyways I think keldon would call him "eddy!!!" While Ant prefers to call keldon like "my shawty boo Thang 🥰🥰" LMAO

Russ and kd are the classic "only call each other by the last names until something serious comes up". like maybe they pass each other in the hall. Russ with his classic head down and beady eyes to the floor stance. They don't look at each other as they exchange a cold "Westbrook." "DURANT . " but then when conversations get heated or they start talking things over... Durant finally calls Russell "Russ.." and westbrook calls him "kd." Again .....

Fultz/Fox: they go by fultz and fox!!! Sometimes "Feds" and "Fox"!! I think because Fox is a weeb he calls Markelle the "vegeta" to his goku. The sasuke to his naruto etcetc!! While fultz smiles and thinks about gay astrology/ poetic analogies like " de'aaron.. the sun to my moon. The flame to my hearth. The key to my heart". and feigns petting Fox's past goku hair LMAO

demar/kyle: deebo calls Kyle Fat Ass. it's very romantic

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Sixty-Three: Neighbors ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Mikoto, Hyūga Hiashi ] [ SasuHina, death, car accident ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

She doesn’t really remember their first house. Just...vague impressions. They’d only lived there for a little over five of her years, after all.

When her mother was gone...they left. It no longer felt like home without her.

They didn’t move far - the same city, but another residential district. A nicer one, if anything. At first Hiashi had insisted on living closer to work, which meant closer to the business part of town. But...once he became a single father, his priorities shifted. Just a bit. He still had the same job. Hired a nanny in the interim. But their neighborhood was...nicer. Cleaner. More spacious. They got a yard - more than the tiny patches of grass in front of and in back of the previous place.

And it’s here they stay.

Still adjusting to life without her mother, Hinata finds the additional change all the more confusing and unsettling. She tries to cling to the only other constant, but...her father is far too busy. Still working, and...closed off. At least before he’d been a bit warm whenever he was (rarely) around. But now he looks at her, and gets this...look on his face.

She doesn’t understand.

Their nanny is actually a cousin - not one Hinata knows, but someone Hiashi deems trustworthy. She feeds and cleans and cares for them both: Hinata, and the little baby. Hanabi, she’s called. For now, Hinata still doesn’t understand the connection and causation between the baby and her mother. It had taken a few weeks for the complications to take effect, after all.

All she knows is that now, she has a baby sister...but no mother.

The house next to theirs is perhaps a little bigger. Another family lives there: a mother, father, and two sons. One five years Hinata’s senior, and the other her age. The day they’d moved in, the mother had come by to offer help and a warm welcome. Her husband had been on a business trip, her boys trailing behind her curiously.

“Looks like we’re neighbors!” Mikoto had enthused. “Is it...just the three of you?”

“Yes,” had been Hiashi terse reply. “...we lost my wife this past month.”

A horrified hand lifted to hide her mouth. “I...I’m so sorry. If there’s anything you need, please! Let me know!”

“...thank you.”

They’ve been moved in a week now, and Hinata is to start school at her new kindergarten. There’s not much time left in this school year, but perhaps that’s for the best: give her a smaller introduction to the kids she’ll be in school with from now on, having entered a new district in their city.

One of them is the neighbor boy. Sasuke, as she learns he’s called. Next year, they’ll attend the same elementary Itachi is now - his elder brother.

With his face being the most familiar, it’s him she deigns to sit next to, silently tucking herself into a corner.

“...hey.”

“Hi…”

For a while, they form a wordless friendship. Nothing established: they just silently agree to do things together. Recess, lunch, activities for class.

Then Summer break arrives.

Hinata spends all her spare time at the Uchiha house. Eventually her nanny just gives up trying to keep her home, instead focusing on the baby. More often than not, Hinata eats dinner with the family, not missed by Hiashi as he works late nights. So long as she’s back before he gets home, tucked into bed, he doesn’t even seem to notice.

The new school the following Fall doesn’t see them change much. Itachi moves into junior high, but the younger pair still stick together like glue...much to the chagrin of other girls. But neither of them seem to mind.

...everything is fine until the following Summer. Hinata still makes herself at home on the other side of the fence. Both brothers seem to relish in having a pseudo-sister.

But the end of July sees tragedy strike.

Trying to go over one morning, Hinata finds the house...oddly empty. Funny, no one told her they would be away. Maybe something came up?

They’re still gone the next day.

...and then the next.

Sitting on the front step with her chin in her hands, Hinata looks up as a car pulls into the driveway. But...it’s neither of the vehicles she recognizes.

A kind of knowing - but not understanding - brews in her gut.

From the driver’s seat emerges a woman she’s never seen before. She looks...similar to Mikoto, and yet...different. Taller, a bit thinner in her build. But they have the same eyes, which look to her in surprise.

From the front seat comes a boy she’s only seen a handful of times: Itachi and Sasuke’s cousin, Shisui. Three years older than Itachi, he’s already a freshman in high school.

Then the rear doors open, and the brothers step out.

Expression still worried, Hinata ignores the adult and moves around to Sasuke’s side. “...Sasuke…?”

His face is...hollow. Dark circles rest under his eyes, and he doesn’t even look up at her.

Panic starts to bloom, but cuts off as Itachi comes to put a hand on her shoulder. His own face is wilted with sadness, and pain. “...come with me.”

Stumbling aside as she half-fights his guidance, Hinata sees Sasuke go inside with the rest of his family. “...where’s everyone else?”

The question only sees Itachi wither further. “...Hinata...a few days ago, our parents died in a car crash.”

Her heart stills.

“...our aunt Manami is here to stay with us. She’s going to move here, with Shisui. There’s...a lot more that has to happen. It’s a lot I don’t understand yet, but it’s important. Sasuke, he…” A pause. “...we’re all...having a hard time.”

“Is he okay?”

“...no. Maybe he will be later, but...he loved our parents very much. We all did, of course...but he’s taking this the hardest. I...I know this might not be something you want to hear, but...could you give him some space? Just for now? We need to be together as a family. And...you’re a very good friend, Hinata. But this is something we have to face ourselves. Do you understand?”

“...so...I have to leave?”

“Just for now. I’m sorry. You’re our very good friend, Hinata. Please don’t forget that.”

...she doesn’t understand, but...Hinata agrees. Heading back home, she herself feels numb. She’d been so young when her mother died...it hadn’t quite sunk in the way this seems to.

Her nanny asks what’s going on, and a few words explain. Hand at her mouth, she tries to express condolences, but Hinata doesn’t want to hear it. Up to her bedroom she flees, tossing atop her bed face-down.

...the Uchiha felt like family. Things had felt...normal there. Not like here. With no mother. A father who’s hardly ever home, and who seems to wish she would disappear.

And now...they’re gone too.

Why does everyone good have to leave…?!

She waits as long as she can stand it, but...trying to go over, no one answers the door. The next time, Shisui opens it, but says Sasuke doesn’t want to come play.

School starts.

...it’s like they’re strangers.

Her greeting goes ignored. He sits across the room from her. At recess, he lingers in corners with books, refusing to speak to her. To anyone.

And it only gets worse with time.

Sasuke retreats into himself. He takes to his studies almost obsessively, refusing to bond with anyone. Hinata can only watch from the sidelines as his attire darkens. There’s always music playing in his ears. Every so often, a new glint of silver peers out from his skin. Despite his good studies, fights start to break out as they get older.

All too soon, it feels like a movie. Quiet girl next door, and closed-off bad boy. And still, after all this time...he treats her like a ghost.

The Summer between their sophomore and junior years starts like any other. Hinata mostly stays home and tends to floral projects. Sasuke is gone at all hours of the night, and never emerges otherwise.

Window open to let in a breeze as she prunes a ficus she’s been tending, Hinata pauses as a sound makes its way into her room. It’s quiet, but...it sounds like music? Rising and moving to her sill, her head leans out, trying to find it. There’s no cars going by with their radios blaring, and it’s too consistent.

Instead, she looks up to see the window across from hers alight for once, despite the early evening hour.

It’s Sasuke’s room.

The pane is open, curtains pulled apart and giving a view into the space. It’s dimly lit, and she can see band posters along the walls. Sitting atop his bed, the youngest Uchiha stares down at something in his arms, fingers plucking at it.

...a...guitar?

Trying her best to be silent, she can hear the soft notes from the strings. It’s a quiet, somber tune. And something about it seems...familiar. A song she’s not heard for quite some time. For several long minutes she listens, not realizing her staring or expression.

Not until he stops and looks up.

Jolting back in surprise, she knocks her head against the window frame, earning a yelp of pain. Cradling the sore spot in her hands, she mumbles light profanities under her breath before looking up, one eye still pinched shut.

He’s staring at her, brow furrowed.

...she can’t tell if he looks angry, or concerned.

Setting aside the instrument, he moves to his own window, leaning out blank-faced. “...graceful,” he teases.

“You s-startled me!”

“That’s what you get for staring, Hyūga.”

A blink. Since when did he call her that…?

“So?”

“...so what?”

“What’d you think?”

Another blink. “...of...the song?”

“No, of the weather. Of course the song.”

A bit of flustered temper rises in her for a moment - he’s being such a jerk! “...it was v-very pretty. I...thought I recognized it, but -”

“It was my mom’s favorite song.”

Another jerk of surprise, but not enough to wallop herself again. As soon as he says it, it clicks. Mikoto used to listen to that song all the time when they were little. She’d even teach them how to dance to it…Hinata can remember standing on her feet as she laughed, spinning them around the kitchen. It had reminded her of -

“Her birthday was a few weeks ago. Got the urge to learn it. Think I’ve about got it down.”

Brought up out of the memory, she hesitates. It’s funny...she feels like she should be more excited he’s talking to her again. But...in a way, it almost feels like they never stopped. “...it sounded really good, Sasuke.���

“...wanna hear it again?”

She nods.

“Hold on.” Moving back in, he grabs the guitar before sticking a leg out the window!

“W-wait!”

“...what?”

“W-what are you doing?”

“...sitting on the sill? I do it all the time - I won’t fall.”

“...but…”

“You worry too much, Hyūga.” Adjusting himself, Sasuke tests the strings before starting the melody again.

All at once, more memories start to play in her mind. So many times spent in the house across the fence, with the family that felt more like hers than her own. Eyes closed to listen, she doesn’t notice a few tears eek out past her lids.

...and then...the visions go back further.

Just barely, she can see Hanako. Her smile. Her kind eyes. The pride in her face as she cradled her belly.

“Soon, Hinata...you’ll have a new little sister! I can’t wait to see you both grow up into beautiful young women…”

“...I’d rather still have you,” she admits in a whisper, feeling great guilt for the words, but...no regret. Even now the sisters are more like strangers. Hinata has known for a while now why Hiashi looks to her the way he does.

She looks just like her. The way Hanabi looks exactly like Hiashi. It’s why she gets all the attention. All their father’s spare time.

...and she gets nothing.

Sound fades into silence, and Hinata lets her eyes flutter open.

“...so?”

“...perfect.”

“Hn.”

“Sasuke…”

“What?”

“...can we...do this again?”

“...this?”

“Or...do we have to go back to pretending tomorrow? Will it be like this n-never happened? I don’t...I don’t know if I can go back to that.” Honest pale eyes look to him imploringly. “...I miss you, Sasuke. I miss...all of you. I miss them. I know...not as much as you do. Never that. But...I miss my family.” The sting of tears threatens to let them build. “...I want to come home.”

Surprise wipes Sasuke’s face clean in a way that makes him look ten years younger. For a moment, he’s the same wide-eyed boy that came to greet her that April day.

“...then come home.”

     OOF this one made me cry. That last line took my heart out, stomped on it, and then left me to drown in my own tears T^T      I love this trope - I was so excited to see it for today. I wanted to do a lot more (as is the case with a lot of these prompts), but...maybe it'll be one I revist when the challenge is all said and done. For now though, this is all I have time for.      And speaking of being out of time, that's all I've got for tonight! Hope you enjoyed - thanks for reading!

[nenastrology]

Uuuuh SasuNeji 2 or 11 👀

the people want sasuneji i will give them sasuneji but im not sure any of the people wanted it like this

they looked at each other from across the room bitchy goth boy to bitchy goth boy. with nothing else interesting going on at the party neji decided it was time. time to attempt the climb. the climb to the top of stupid bitchy goth boy mountain (sai’s coinage). the official list of all the boys in konoha broken down into categories the least likely to get with neji were those in the impenetrable unconquerable fortress of stupid bitchy goth boys. their hearts already set on the dumb hot jocks the natural order of things. neji had no time for rules or order confining him to stupid made up dating standards he was feeling reckless and like having a little fun so he locked eyes with the stupidest bitchiest goth(iest?) stupid bitchy goth boy. the holy grail of dudes not into neji firmly in the dumb hot jock seeker for life camp heart and brain and everything else tied to one crazy stupid orange idiot. but he can be curious too social conventions are meant to be broken lets not reinvent heterosexuality or anything here no need to make jock and goth the new genders of konohas dating pool. neji was going in.

he walked through the crowd of people to the very corner of the room where sasuke was standing. he looked aloof and out of it maybe he was just tired. the closer he got the more it seemed like sasuke really just could use a good nap or something obviously the drink in his hand wasn’t helping. neji got closer so close he could smell what was in the cup it was orange juice he was a man of taste.

“i see you like orange juice” neji opened with a winner no one could mention the sweet taste of orange juice and not have men falling all over them it was like an aphrodisiac. maybe thats what drew him to sasuke perhaps he was the one who fell for it all. the alluring hint of citrus the real reason for his shift in thoughts.

“yeah its fine” sasuke obviously didnt seem to care all that much that was unacceptable neji had to pull out the big guns he reached deep into his pocket and pulled out a choker. this would make him irresistible he knew that. he snapped the black choker into place and sasuke obviously noticed, he leaned down to whisper something in nejis ear.  

"you are a fake goth" sasuke hissed into nejis ear a shiver ran down his spine he was found out his whole plan a wild failure he could never dismantle konohas goth/jock binary from the inside no he was an outside infiltrator he was a prep. a prep who wears chokers and has weird freaky eyes but deep down he yearned to listen to pop music and get good grades he WOULD wear a sweater vest. and thats what made him so alluring thats what interested sasuke the pure and crazy most forbidden of forbidden loves the goth and the prep a tale as old as 2003.

“actually i have no idea how old the goth subculture is” and neji was telling the truth he really knew absolutely nothing about goths

“i think it started in like 2003 or something” could sasuke be a fake goth also this was intoxicating the lies the betrayals this could be a great upheaval of konohas strict binary dating laws.

“are you not actually goth?”

“tch sometimes people can wear all black and be sad but also have good taste in music neji”

“i have no idea what you are implying you tricky bastard” this was a game of minds now and neji had no chance of backing down he knew he had an edge he knew sasuke cheated on his iq tests he knew where to hit him where it hurt.

“goths like bad music”

“oh how dare you!”

“i just said you weren’t goth”

“oh right you did indeed dont think ill forget this is a game of the minds now sasuke i know you keep your report card framed by your bed i know that to feel any joy in your life you need to read ‘was a delight to have in class’ before you sleep but i also know you penciled it in three years ago because though you are smart no one has ever called you a delight”

they locked eyes once more neji was slightly out of breath he realized this was all a bit rude he got sidetracked from the ultimate goal. how could he ever get with sasuke now if he was this mean to him god he hoped this paid off neji was out of options.

“wanna leave this party is extremely lame”

oh finally an opening it seemed he hadnt completely nuked their chances he had some hope!

“sure”

“ok”

they walked right out the door and straight to a 24 hour convenience store for a jug of orange juice and fresh cool air to clear their heads. this could be fun this could be the start of something great. or they could break up in 2 weeks when sasuke sends a cryptic :( text and blocks nejis number. who knows the possibilities are endless and the night is still young. the faint scent of orange juice will linger on nejis clothes and in his mind. when the bottle they just purchased is dumped directly on his head in some kind of absurd courting gesture. it is appreciated.

i have absolutely no idea why i wrote all of this but now you all get to read this sorry im going a little crazy this is advanced jokes now and its funny only to me

[faintblueivy]

Is she beautiful? - A borusara story Chapter - 3

Hello everyone! I’m back with the next chapter of ‘Is she beautiful?’ Previously, some of you were a bit upset with the ending of the last chapter, but I have done my best to correct that here. Let’s just say that I have put my heart and soul in this chapter!

Hope you like it!

It was beta-read by @roopshasil.

The first two chapters can be read here:-

Chapter -1

Chapter-2

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters do not belong to me.

***

Chapter-3

Forgiving is hard

 "Sarada.“

Her mother’s soft voice floated through the closed door, sounding muffled.

“Go away, Mama!”

She buried her face deeper into the pillow trying to choke back her sobs.

“No honey. I’m coming in.”

The sound of the door opening and light footsteps approaching made her tense. But then, the loving pats on her head and the comforting presence and warmth of her mother calmed her down slightly. Sakura did not say anything. Knowing Sarada, trying to coax out a talk is not going to work. She knew that by now. Her daughter will not talk unless she is ready.

No words were exchanged before Sarada whispered in a broken voice, “Why did Papa say that? Does Papa think that bad of me?”

Sakura felt her heart crack at this.

No he doesn’t. If anything, he considers you to be the purest form of life in the entire messed up world he has lived in. It’s just that he’s too scared to imagine you making the same mistakes as him. He is scared to think the possibility of you getting so engrossed in your goals that you would voluntarily choose loneliness. But you, my child…you are not the one at fault here. He is. You’re not him. He’s just being paranoid.

There is so much Sakura wanted to tell her but she decided to refrain, because explaining the complications of Sasuke Uchiha’s life would require her daughter to be slightly older and a bit more mature, and not to mention, a bit more closer to her father. So, she tried to explain things as consisely as possible.

“Of course not silly. Papa would never think badly of you. It’s just that Sasuke-kun has never been a people’s person and has a hard time dealing with his feelings. And the other thing is that, I’ll be honest, he does not know you that well. He has been gone for far too long and is not sure how to behave around you and talk about your issues. He is awkward, I guess? And he is learning to how to be a father to you, so might make mistakes every now and then. I’m not asking you to forgive him, Sarada, I just need you to talk to him and tell him what you have in your heart. Will you do that, for Mama?”

Sarada nodded softly, her face still in the pillow, but after a while, got up, wiped her tears, removed her glasses, washed her face and put them back on. Sakura almost laughed at the look of pure determination on her daughter’s face.

It looks like you are heading out to face a battle, sweetie. Well, maybe it is, for you and your father. Don’t fail. Good luck, Sarada and Sasuke-kun.

Sakura watched her daughter’s back and wondered about the irony that despite wanting the best for their children, sometimes, parents do or say things that instead ends up in an opposite and disastrous way.

I’m sorry Sasuke-kun. You’re going to learn it the harder way.

….

He felt an overwhelming guilt gnawing at his conscience.

Maybe I was wrong? Maybe I should have phrased it differently? Maybe I should not have been that harsh?

There were so many maybes in Sasuke’s train of thoughts that regret almost swallowed him whole. He exhaled a deep breath and leant on the Sakura tree in the backyard of their house.

“Papa.”

His daughter’s voice startled him as he turned his head to look at her. Her red and puffy eyes behind the glasses reminded him again of his inappropriate and ruthless question.

“Sarada, look-”

He made an attempt to apologize and explain himself when she cut him off.

“Papa, we need to talk.”

She said this with so much assertiveness that he is simply able to nod, as she walked over to him and sat beside him and tucked her knees behind her arms. They sat there for a while in silence, not sure from where to start before Sasuke decided to speak out.

“I’m sorry, Sarada. I should not have said anything like that.”

His voice was sincere.

“No, Papa. I think that you might have been correct.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened at her words but she looked on straight ahead.

“After you said that, I found myself thinking about it, a-and I think you might have been correct. I mean, I do not want people to think that I supported Boruto’s unfair behaviour, but, then I also realised that this is just a small part of reason I am upset about this.”

Sasuke listened carefully, tilting his head to a side to let her know that she can continue.

“Papa, I-I am more upset about how people are behaving towards him now. They are talking about him behind his back, and yet loud enough for him to hear. They keep taunting him everywhere he goes. I understand that he has made some mistakes and should be punished appropriately, but he risked his life to make things right, too. Why can’t people see that?”

“I heard a few people saying that he must have cheated from the beginning to have such a good record. But I know that he didn’t. Yes, he is not exactly a hard worker and things come easy to him but they are now simply disregarding all his efforts and talents like they previously did just because he is the Hokage’s son. But now the only difference is that they call him a cheater.”

“He has courage and strength, he had stood up to protect me from those enemies even when he was as scared as well, he went to another dimension, putting his life on line to bring back his dad and even defeated a God to save everyone. Why can’t people see that?”

By the time she stopped talking, her fingers were digging into her arms making slight depressions. Sasuke had been watching his daughter intently for the entire span of time she was talking. Raising his only arm, he patted her head lovingly making her look up at him in surprise.

He said softly, “Sarada, people talk. The commoners, the ordinary citizens were not there to see him fighting Momoshiki. They were not there to see his courage or his adoration for his father. Actually, this world is a society of hypocrites. And there is no way out of it. He will have to learn to bear the consequences of his actions, and you and Mitsuki as well. And I’m so proud to have you, Sarada. I am proud of the fact that you are not going to abandon him.”

“Eh? Of course, I can’t. He is too much of an idiot to look after himself if I’m not around.” She said haughtily and Sasuke chuckled.

“But” the sadness in her voice made Sasuke look at her again, she continued, “I never imagined that he would actually do something like this. He did not even let me and Mitsuki know. It hurt. I am not sure why but I always thought that we were close enough for him to tell me everything. I guess, I was being overconfident with our friendship? He did not tell me, and I’m not even sure why and when we have drifted apart so much.” She smiled at him ruefully.

Sasuke found himself lamenting over about his own helplessness as a parent, knowing that the dilemma his daughter is struck in, that it is an argument between two friends, and a broken lifelong friendship is at stake. That this is an issue they have to solve by themselves without any outside interference.

He knew that Sarada has not been talking to Boruto. And this had been troubling him a lot. But the boy has pretty much apologized repeatedly but currently Sarada has refused to give him her forgiveness.

After all, forgiving is hard.

But fortunately, Sasuke also knew that if that kid is anything like his father, then he is not going to give up till his daughter accepts his apology and as much as he understands his daughter, then luckily for Boruto, he has got a soft spot in Sarada’s heart.

He smiled. A part of him was glad to have this conversation with Sarada. Now, he understood Sarada better, even if it was a fraction.

“Sasuke-kun, Sarada! Come inside! It’s dessert time!” Sakura’s melodious voice is loud enough from the inside of the house for them to hear and the young child beside him beamed as she jumped up and looked at him with barely contained glee.

“Come on, Papa! Let’s go!”

…

Sarada was in her pyjamas. She was so sleepy after the eventful day that she felt like she would crash into the bed and fall asleep within a minute. Her plans were ruined when there was a knock at her curtain covered balcony window.

“Sarada.”

A too familiar voice came, low enough that if she would have been sleeping, she would not have been disturbed.

Her feet moved before her mind could grasp at the situation. She slid the curtain away and came face to face with Boruto.

“What are you doing here, Boruto? It’s so late!” She whispered furiously.

He rubbed the back of his neck, a habit out of embarrassment.

“Yeah…you are right. It is late. I shouldn’t have come but I just wanted to say thank you for the candies. Hima was very happy. And um…well…”

“Well what?”

Sarada was not sure whether she was annoyed about his presence or at the fact that she was talking to him. Although, a part of her found it funny that he came here, in the middle of the night, just to thank her for some silly candies.

“Well…you know… I am really sorry about that…about everything that happened.” He whispered. His clear blue eyes were down cast, unable to look the girl, his childhood friend in the eyes - for breaking her trust on him, for deceiving her.

Sarada exhaled a deep sigh. If she did not have had that conversation with her Papa about this matter, she still would have ben mad at him or maybe…herself?

“Go home, Boruto. It’s getting really late. We will talk about it sometime later, okay?”

“Yeah, I probably should.” He smiled softly with melancholy. He turned towards the open balcony to leave.

“Hey!” She called out to him and smirked.

“What?” He looked back at her warily.

“Just because we had a conversation now doesn’t mean that I have forgiven you.”

He returned her smirk with a grin of his own.

“I know!” He yelled and jumped out of the balcony, leaving behind a smiling Sarada.

….

Cold wind whipped against his face and his golden bangs danced around as jumped from roof to roof. Although he would get into a lot of trouble if his mother found out that he had snuck out of the house so late. But he just wanted to have a talk with her.

And now that they had a talk, however as small as it was, it was still something. In fact, something is always better than nothing. Boruto grinned widely.

The victory grin was wiped off from his face when a familiar figure flickered in front of him. Boruto stopped hastily, almost crashing into the person. He looked up startled. The eyes, the same shade as his, stared down at him.

“Eh? D-dad? W-what are you doing here?” Boruto looked up at his father in panic.

“Should not I be the one asking you that? You’re lucky that this was one of the rare days when your mom was sleeping when I returned home or you would have gotten into a lot of trouble, boy.” Naruto stared at his son sternly.

Boruto gave his dad the best puppy eyes he could. It always used to work when he was a kid though he doubted its validity now.

“Don’t tell mom, please?”

Naruto smiled slightly, “Fine. But where were you?”

Boruto turned pink in embarrassment.

“I went to see Sarada, to say sorry, you know.”

Naruto turned pale immediately. He picked his son up and pokes and proded him fervently.

“H-hey! Dad what are you doing?!”

Boruto is hardly able to speak. He giggled, laughter threatening to burst out of his chest due to all the tickling. Naruto put Boruto down and grabbed him tightly.

“Sasuke did not hurt you, did he?”

“Eh? O-of course not! Why would he do that?”

“Thank god!” Naruto exclaimed.

“Dad! You didn’t answer my question.” The young kid pointed out again.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll like a little punk poking his head into my daughter’s room so late at night.” Naruto said nonchalantly.

Boruto turned pale. Naruto laughed and turned around with his back to his son and crouched down.

“Climb up!”

Boruto looked at his father in a nonplussed way.

“You’re giving me a piggy back ride? Don’t you think I am a bit old now for this?”

Despite saying this, Boruto was hardly able to control himself from grinning as he climbed up on his father’s back. Naruto returned his grin with a wide one of his own.

“Nope! Do you know I have seen Kakashi-sensei getting a piggy back ride, when he was, I think he was twenty nine back then?” Naruto told him.

“W-what?! Are you kidding me?! Old man Kakashi?!”

Boruto’s loud yell of astonishment made Naruto laugh harder as he remembered that scene.

And somewhere in Konoha, Kakashi sneezed.

“Looks like someone is talking about me.” He mused.

***

The balcony scene was a request from @roopshasil which I could not refuse. Actually, Sasuke being a hard parent is my personal headcanon. And sometimes things like this happen in real life too when parents make mistakes while handling their children. I felt that in accordance with Sasuke - Sarada situation since Sasuke does not know Sarada as well as Sakura does. That of course, does not mean that Sasuke loves her any less!

I am really excited to know your thoughts regarding this chapter! Please review!

Thank you!

See you again!

You can read my other stories here.

 my ffnet and ao3 accounts are here!

[celeryw]

naruto online hcs kinda

i just think abt these a lot (i got carried away):

- Scarlet Blaze, Breeze Dancer, Azure Fang, Midnight Blade, Crimson Fist are all titles the five have earned themselves through power and determination

- The konoha cool squad 8) spend a lot of time outside of missions, together they work seamlessly well and can end fights really quickly

- Scarlet Blaze is trans and from uchiha clan, he’s cool calm and collected at all times, except when sasuke is off doing something stupid (its those times when he wants to drill his head into a wall but there aren’t walls thick enough for sasuke’s stupidity) He likes to train while Azure and Crimson watch on, sometimes theyll join in but most times theyll just yell pointers to him. He eats with his friends more often than not, Tsunade warns him that it might be a little too dangerous to get too close to the others, she knows how he is with his feelings (intense and smothering like fire) and if his heart gets broken, well Tsundae realises what a risk it would be to have another loose cannon uchiha.

- Breeze Dancer is a nonbinary pansexual that likes to have fun, he is 100% confident in his power and often comes off as arrogant, he always wants to help his friends even if he’s in a bad mood. He’s super strong bc he carries around the fan he got from his parents in Suna. He’s from Suna and spent most of his childhood running around in the Kazekage’s Tower with Temari, both giggling and hiding from Baki, he moves to Konoha with his parents when he’s 15 and becomes friends with the rest of the konoha cool squad 8) in the year that follows.

- Azure Fang is pansexual with a preference towards girls, she likes to look after her appearance and strives for youth in organic ways, such as sitting in the onsen with the rest of her friends after a long day. She’s shy around boys, especially around Midnight when theyre hanging out in the hot springs. She spends some of her time in the hospital or sat with Crimson chatting away. She has a conservative fashion sense, which Breeze tries to discourage often telling her to “live a little Azure, show off your legs a little, you look really cute!” 

- Midnight Blade is the youngest of the konoha cool squad 8) he’s a year younger than the rest of them, he realised he was demisexual when Breeze tried to hook him up with Temari, claiming “she’s really cool and ive been friends with her for ages” “it’s not her, its me.” he says and gets really upset and Breeze works really hard to help him through it. Midnight really likes reading and Breeze often visits with some food in hand and a teasing smirk on his face. Midnight, contrary to popular belief sleeps really early, like 8pm early, he eats with the squad and then he’s pretty much off to bed after a few quick drills and a jog around the village 10 times (he’s fast like that) usually his friends will join him after theyve done their own little activities, but he’s always the first in bed. 

- Crimson Fist is the “coolest strong boi in all the nations” according to Breeze, its quite funny to him really. Crimson is tall, stubborn and loyal. He’s stable and dependable and that’s honestly such a typecast Breeze stop say that please. But he’s always there, ready for Scarlet’s meltdowns and Breeze’s inevitably heartbreaks and Midnight’s early morning stretches (that take way too much out of him he’s not old dammit!) and Azure’s soft laughter in the early hours of the morning when the sun hasn’t peeked over the sky. He’s always ready, a shoulder to cry on, a boulder to throw at the ones that hurt his precious people. 

- They really all start dating when Midnight hits 18 and Breeze kisses him on the lips and Azure has her hands wrapped around his torso and they’re all celebrating coming this far. There’s not really much of a difference Midnight thinks to himself, there’s just more handholding and lots more kisses on the cheek when theyre sat inside the ramen shop huddled together. Scarlet spends more time with the five of them instead of just training and there’s a lot more fun to be had. Midnight also realises that he sleeps a little later but that could just be that he’s becoming an adult and more vigilant (this is false and its just because he wants to spend more time with the others too) 

- They always fight over who pays for meals, even though they do have a system going Breeze likes to pay the most, so everyone lets him most times, but Azure likes to pull her weight and they often have a playful tiff while Teuchi smiles at them amused. 

- Midnight is an Aries, sometimes Ino jokes that Breeze should’ve been one too, something about how Breeze is the most arrogant non-Aries she’s ever met, Midnight agrees but then Breeze turns his puppy dog eyes to him and he’s left feeling a surge of affection and always reaches out for a quick peck on the lips. Midnight is headstrong and caring too, as much as Crimson is sometimes, just in a slightly different way, where Crimson is soft touches and lightened moods Midnight listens with his hands on theirs clutching tightly as he listens to the problems laid out in front of his. His way of helping is instant confrontation to the problem, he’d fought someone over something sillier he tells himself as he narrows his eyes and goes searing towards the threat to his favourites. 

 - Breeze is a Gemini, Ino calls him fake all the time, but Breeze just smiles wickedly and says a witty remarks about how Sasuke liked him more than her, and Ino always retaliates with something about how Sai has better skin than all the konoha cool squad 8) combined and it turns into a huge squabble. Breeze kinda gets it though, the two faced thing geminis have to deal with, it makes him conscious about his pronouns and his chest sometimes. The weird looks people give him when they’re told to use he/him instead of she/her, and when the gross lecherous ones get that grin on their face and when they try to touch... He grimaces to himself and Azure (bless her soul) always notices and is next to him in a second, possibly faster than the Yellow Flash himself, and has her hand on his cheek and is cooing the negativity away. 

- Azure is a Pisces, she’s fashionable and likes her privacy. Ino says that Azure is one of the nicest she’s had the pleasure of knowing, they hang out every second weekend if there isn’t a mission in the way. They call over Breeze and Sakura and shop for hours looking at different outfits and “does this make me look too shiny” “yeah you’re starting to look oily” “aw this sucks, it’s my colour too”. Azure also has her own feature wall in the Hokage Tower’s lobby, it’s got a big water feature in front of it and its painted with different hues of blue. Honestly being a pisces is just a stereotype, I swear!

- Crimson is a Taurus, and Ino always nods when he does something that “is exactly what a Taurus would do nice” and he rolls his eyes and chuckles heartily. Scarlet enjoys this thoroughly and often joins in with a cute nod of approval everytime Crimson picks up a boulder. Crimson is the one to go to for secrets that you want to get off your chest, he doesn’t tell and checks up on you so much, it brings Scarlet to tears whenever Crimson finds him sat at the kitchen table thinking about the Uchiha clan, and how he’s failed them (he hasn’t, Crimson knows that the clan is so proud of him) and he fixes him a cup of tea and tells him about a fight that’s gone down in a mission or how Breeze got caught in the laundry and tripped over in all his gracefulness and they have a quite giggle about it. 

- Scarlet is a Sagittarius, he’s adventurous in a way that all uchiha are, the way they dance like flames and warm the soul. He likes to travel and Ino always tells the rest of his partners “watch out he might leave you” and its the most unlikely thing he’s ever heard, Sagittarius’ love freedom and according to Ino a relationship is confines, gnawing at your feet and clipped wings (he’s never felt that way with his partners, he feels most free when he’s with them). Scarlet likes missions, when theyre running so fast there’s only green on both sides and the wood his feet touches, but there’s nothing like returning home. 

[rainbowcicada]

My SNS Imaginary Movie

Instead of a fanfic, I present to you, an entire movie that played in my head one night around 3am that had me laughing my ass off. This is my daydreaming in bed, shonen, SNS movie! Im not trying to write this as a proper fanfic, but only as how the fun happened. Synopsis: Our heroes are losing the fight against an Otsutsuki alien freak. Naruto loses Kurama! Sasuke is blinded! And they are trapped in another dimension. There, they are given the opportunity to embody Yin and Yang and turn the tides of the battle. But being Yin and Yang is more than they've ever imagined! My Imaginary SNS Movie: Sauce and Nardo are fighting a freak of an Otsusuki. The alien ass had ripped kurama out from Naruto. Sasukes in bad shape too. He's lost his right eye and only has his left eye with rinnegan. To make matters worse, their combined attacks weren't having any affect on this Otsutsuki. Hinata (whats she doing there?) used byakugan and sees that Narutos chakra is fading! He's dying! She's cries out to Sasuke that he's drawing his last breath! Sasuke instantly stops fighting the alien freak and runs to Narutos side. His only thought was to take Naruto to another dimension, even if it's a timeless unmoving dimension, anything to stop him from dying! His rinnegan activates, a portal opens, he leaps in with Naruto completely disregarding who ever else is on the battlefield! (sorry hinata) But as they are warping through, the Otsutsuki reaches through and rips out Sasukes left eye! The bastard adds the rinnegan to his personal collection on his arm as the boys disappear in the rinnegan warp. Our heroes are trapped in an unknown dimension. A blind, bleeding Sasuke confirms that Naruto is still breathing. His goal to enter a dimension with a different laws of physics seems to have worked. Somehow in this dimension a jinchiruuki doesn't die when it's separated from its bijuu. Something to do with time? For Sasuke, it feels like unknowable days pass by in the darkness. He's slumped over Naruto, just listening to him breathe. His blood, on Naruto's chest. Naruto finally wakes up. Sasuke snaps out of a daze and apologizes to Naruto. He says he's failed him. Sasuke- It doesn't matter that I've brought us to this timeless dimension, without my rinnegan, this is now our place of eternal rest. But Naruto doesn't seem to mind. He cries out how beautiful this place is. Sasuke had no idea there was even a PLACE to look at. A blue sky, a forest, and a temple. This dimension seemed to be a tiny planet, like in DBZ. Naruto is grateful that Sasuke saved him and he's confident they'll get back home somehow! But first things first, Sasuke needs a new pair of eyes!! It was sometime before Naruto notices the local wildlife. Cute, adorable, innocent harmless creatures......They kinda look like frogs. Hes horrified about what he's about to do!! But...for Sasuke...He kills a frog creature and rips out its eyes and screams as if it was his own eyes he was ripping out. Sasuke is hugged up against a wall and uncharistically freaking out because he has no idea why Naruto is screaming. Sasuke- Naruto? Naruto- Gamabunta forgive me!! Naruto offers him the bloody frog eyes to Sasuke, without telling him the source of the eyes. But neither boy has any idea how shinobis just magically transfer eyes anyways. But Narutos already committed and these frog eyes in his hands aren't any use to him. He assumes that maybe you just shove in the eyeballs while applying lots of chakra. He does so!! Both boys scream!! Sasuke bears through the pain and tries to connect his chakra to his new eyeballs. It works. Sasuke looks around him and notes that all the colors look different. He goes to a pool of water and sees his reflection...... Sasuke- Frog eyes..... He sighs and thanks Naruto anyways. But this doesn't solve their situation. They're still trapped in another dimension and without rinnegan. They explore the temple grounds. The temple door is sealed and flanked by two statues. The temple had a name, the temple of Indrashura and Ashindra. Naruto comments that name sounds familiar, but Sasuke already has a good hunch to what it means. He notes that one statue represents Yin and the other Yang. (dun dun dun!) The boys believe that maybe the old sage of six paths created this temple and if they can figure out how to enter it they can once again have Yin and Yang release. Naruto would be able to heal Sasukes eyes to their natural form. And Sasuke would be able to awaken rinnegan again. They stood by their respective statues, but no amount of poking and prodding the statues would make the temple door open. After trying everything they could think of, the boys exhuast themselves and take a mental break. But time is funny here. Hours feel like days, which feels like weeks, which feels like months. Sasuke spent most of his time meditating for the answer, obsessively!! His single goal was to activate rinnegan. He barely noticed what Naruto was up to. Naruto on the other hand was just trying to LIVE. I mean, he's not the one that needs to awaken rinnegan and what else can he do? He just wanted to enjoy his time here, with Sasuke. But Sasuke was being over there, meditating, far away and distant. It was frustrating! Why can't Sasuke just be here and now? And this tiny unchanging planet, the lack of stimulation was driving Naruto insane! Until one day, Naruto can't take it anymore! He curses the damn blue sky that's always blue, the glowing bright sun that's been in the same position since forever, and this green forest, it would be nice if it was another color for a change! Sasuke realizes Narutos really snapped and tries to calm him down. In doing so, he unknowingly steps on a yin yang seal that they simply hadn't noticed before. Suddenly the cheery sunny sky transforms to night. A full moon shines over a darkened autumn forest. And the fluffy innocent creatures transform into monsters!! The boys were stunned! The monsters come charging at them. Naruto and Sasuke give a each other a quick nod and can't help but smile. Beating up monsters that magically popped out of nowhere together? That sounds like fun! Monster after monster they slaughter! Releasing their pent up frustrations. The monsters just kept coming back, as if it was a game loop. Sasuke was both challenged and exciting to relearn how to fight without sharingan. After what felt like days, they grew tired of battling. Sasuke instructs Naruto to step on the YinYang seal. When he does, the world magically returns to its former sunny setting. At least they learned something about this world. But still the temple doors won't open, and still, Sasuke doesn't have rinnegan. They experience more time passing by and Sasuke became emotionally withdrawn. He felt it's his fault that they're in this strange dimension and could barely look Naruto in the eyes. Sasuke- I'm sorry you're stuck here with me, of all people. Was usually all Sasuke could manage to say. Naruto had enough of his obnoxious sulking! Naruto- Idiot! Don't you understand yet how I feel! I'm grateful you saved my life. I'm happy, that of all the people in this damn Universe to be stuck with, I get to be stuck with you! He slams his hand onto the Yang statue! Naruto- Sasuke..I..! The Yang statue starts to glow. Naruto jumps back startled, and the statue deactivates. Sasuke's eyes widen. Sasuke- Of course! I'm an idiot! He understands now what they need to do and stands by his Yin statue. But Naruto doesn't understand why the statue was activating when all he did was slam his hand on it, like he has done before. Sasuke explains. Previously, when they tried to activate the statues Naruto had his thoughts focused on Yang and Sasuke had his thoughts focused on Yin. Sasuke- Yin and Yang exist within eachother. At the heart of Yin is Yang and at the heart of Yang is Yin...Thats why...we need to think about the other... Naruto smiles widely and nods his head - YOSH. Sasuke tries to hide his smile but really can't. They place their hands on their respective statues. Naruto- For Sasuke... Sasuke- For Naruto... The temple doors open. (And now the movie playing in my head is about to get weird yo!) To be Continued

[misspandalily]

update! - Immortal Love (Ch8)

ANOTHER CHAPTER. FINALLY. 

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, and I am certainly not excellent with brain anatomy/functioning. 

AO3 | FFN

I take a tentative step forwards, praying that the shrieking will die away and the phantom figure from yesterday will dissipate.

Blink.

The piercing noise stops, to my relief. And then there's a blissful silence, save for the panting of late students running into school with their bags bobbing up and down behind them. I recognise Moegi streaming past and sending a brief wave before disappearing into another hallway.

Snap out of it, Tenten, you're just hearing things.

I swivel around for extra measure, skimming the immediate corridor for any signs of red paint or creepy messages. None. My breathing starts slowing down to a normal pace as I lean against the door of Umino's classroom, chest rising and falling with each intake and outtake of breath. The distinct smell of cleaning liquid and sweat flows into my nostrils the moment I calm down enough to start registering the other events transpiring around me, like the outline of Gai running to the beat of his exercise music in the school gym, and the disturbing notion that not one person passing by seems to have heard a thing. Which leads to two different, yet equally harrowing hypotheses:

One, my auditory cortex is acting up and everything unusual I've been hearing over the past two days is absolute bogus. (Rebuttal: But that doesn't explain why everything feels and sounds so real.)

Two, only I can hear the noises.

And, honestly, as bad as it sounds, I would take cranial dysfunction over the second option any day.

If training with Lee for three straight years has taught anyone anything, it's that exercise is the best aphrodisiac in the world. So, for the first time in days, and during first period no less (undoubtedly, Umino will be stamping a cold, hard detention next to my record), my feet carry themselves over to the dojo for some hearty frustration-venting, stress-relieving, one-sided violence.

Fun fact: it really doesn't hurt that no teacher ever ventures into the dojo unless they're immune to the scent of sweat, like Gai, who advocates for fitness and body positivity so fervently that he wouldn't kick me out even if he had to, "legal action be damned".

The pungent smell of perspiration diffuses throughout the centre with increasing rapidity when I start sinking my fists into the bag and round housing it into oblivion. Bend, twist, release. The bag swings up higher from the impact and creaks as it whooshes down like a pendulum. Breathe, Tennie. You're not going crazy. There's a perfectly logical explanation for everything - the weird noises, the raid, the paint, the threats.

It's just a stupid prank.

Please be a stupid prank.

"Fancy seeing you here," Temari angles a not-so-subtle glance at the flushed cheeks and sopping wet hair that is indicative of a post-exercise shower and frowns, "Where have you been?"

"In the dojo," I shrug, settling my tray onto the designated cafeteria table. "I didn't feel like going to class."

Which isn't exactly a lie, so to speak, as much as it is veiled truth.

She watches me carefully when I sit down and then turns away. "I heard something interesting from Hinata," she says with a tone of nonchalance.

"Oh?"

"She tells me that Neji told her that he's visiting your place tonight, at seven."

"So, does she also tell you that I told Neji that his visitation was pending approval, and from not-me?"

Temari lets the corners of her lips droop dramatically. "No. But I am glad that you two are on speaking terms again."

"Yeah, me too," I take a moment to breathe. "But, just curious. Did Neji happen to say anything else to Hinata...before she told you?"

"HA," Temari shouts, slamming her palms onto the hard plastic of the table as she stands up, chair legs scraping deafening against the floor. The sound echoes throughout the cafeteria and draws some startled glances from nearby patrons. "Not really," she shrugs, feigning disinterest and seating herself again. "Just that he wouldn't be home for dinner at Buckingham Palace again."

"I thought he lived with his mother?"

"Really?" She responds, genuinely incredulous.

"That's what he told me," I bite into a sandwich, letting its contents slide down my throat. Of course, right after that, he'd invited himself to my house for the night. And then my stalker decided to make themself known - at school. So clearly, they were a student, or someone who was skilled enough to disappear at a moment's notice. But seriously, that noise.

"Hm," she hums contemplatively, giving me a funny look.

"What?"

"I just had no idea he lived with her, is all. In fact, none of us did. Except you, now." Neji suddenly makes an appearance in the cafeteria with Naruto on one side and a grouchy Sasuke on the other. Temari eyes them thoughtfully. "Fascinating."

Fishy, is more like it. Hyuga heiress goes haywire over truffle advocacy, Hyuga poster boy pops in with a haircut - which, going by the rest of the Hyugas in their mansion, is uncommon to the point of unspeakable - and a determination to expose...something...tonight, Uchiha exchange student happens to move into the apartment next door, and right after making up with aforementioned Hyuga heiress, the apartment gets ransacked and creep-stamped, and said creep comes to school and disappears. Note to self: target Naruto to find out what happened at home; alternatively, ask Hinata herself. And avoid Sasuke.

Even if he has amazing cheekbones.

And the dreams. The first few are few enough to be dismissed as an overactive imagination. But, afterwards, it's coincidental. Almost real.

"-right, Tenten?"

"What?"

Temari looks over, mildly affronted that I didn't hear what she just said, and exchanges a Look with an apple-toting Ino, who responds with a suspicious glare.

"You were thinking about Neji, weren't you?"

"No," I say quickly, noticing said boy being pushed to the taekwondo team's table by Naruto. "Shut up. And I wasn't, for your information."

She folds her hands together and places her chin on top of her fingers. "Then what, pray tell, were you thinking about so deeply that prevented you from listening to the dulcet tones of my voice?"

"They weren't dulcet-"

"Yeah, that's great Temari," Ino waves her right hand dismissively, using the other to bring the apple to her mouth and bite it. "So, in all seriousness. Are you alright, Tenten?"

"Why? Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've just been a little...off. Lately. I mean, more so than usual."

"Wow. And I'm fine," I lie, but stress the last word anyway - because who in their right mind would believe my recounts of the past few days? Definitely not her, or Temari, or anyone except my grandparents. There simply isn't any point, at this moment in time, in venting about something that seems more likely to be happening in my mind as the days pass. "I'm tired, is all. From the dojo practice."

They see through the lie, clearly, and send each other another cryptic glance before resuming their meals.

"All I'm saying," Ino continues airily, "Is that if you're feeling bothered by anything at all, we're your friends and we're here to help."

"I'm fine," I respond sharply. Because, on top of everything that's been happening lately, there's still that big, gaping question of where my mother is. Where she had been, when Asuma Sarutobi died in a car crash. Why she hadn't been in that dinky little apartment next to Ichiraku's that she'd left behind right after his death. Why, when I'd been staying in it for months in the hopes that she'd come back and pull me into her arms and tell me that it's alright, you don't have to deal with this without me anymore, she hadn't shown up.

No calls, no texts, no emails. Not even a letter, or a word to her mother.

"I'm fine," I repeat in a softer tone. They spot the lie again, but choose to shrug it off. "Thank you."

You are no stranger to gilded finery. You live in a world where golden dragons line hallways, beads of jade crafted by the finest workers hang down the necks of court women, and food served on plates of gold are placed at your dinner table.

A delicate box of jewels delivered to your bedroom has no effect on you, in contrast to the letter accompanying it. Your husband, despite being a man of war, writes with elegant calligraphy.

He has been away for far longer than the expected time, but you are a patient woman. You spend your days preparing for your child's arrival, making small talk with the palace maids and busying yourself enough to collapse onto your bed in a state of fatigue every night.

And one day, the letters stop arriving. The ones you send out never find their home in the hands of a man with pale, white hands. You don't need to see the messenger arriving at the Palatial Court, scroll in hand and grim expression in place, to know what Fate has had in store for your husband. With great effort, you try to bar yourself from crying.

"Lord Hyuga has bestowed the greatest honour upon our country."

The Emperor - your father - sends him away with a flick of his wrist, eyes unwaveringly staring at the space where the messenger had been standing. There is a sudden kick from the inside of your belly. You lurch forwards, wincing at the pain but smiling sadly. Your mother looks to the side in concern.

"The child will be strong, like his father."

Another kick. The bottom of your robes begin to wet at a rapid pace. You lurch forward again, this time in unbearable pain.

The maids rush forward, hands frantically touching your shoulders, and then you hear your father roaring for the Royal Physician to arrive immediately.

It is time.

"A boy." The Physician beckons for the maids to wash the infant as soon as you feel them separate your baby from the cord. Some rush over with wet towels, while others hurriedly clean up the bloody mess on your bedsheets.

You feel weak, your throat sore and hoarse from the screaming. Suddenly, you realise why so many women dread childbirth.

But you are inexplicably, uncontrollably curious. "Let me see him," you order. Does he have his father's eyes? Or your brown hair? Will he speak like his father, write in fluid script and poetic verse? Or will he be more akin to you, with a sharp tongue and desire to escape? A desire to run away? The nurse carries your child over to you with a bright smile, announcing that the Emperor and Empress are pleased with the news.

At the very least, he will be loved by his grandparents. Still shaking and weak, you watch your baby being lowered into your arms, the blanket wrapped around him a brilliant blue. The moment he makes contact with your fingertips, however, results in another painful lurch. You gasp, eyes widening, desperately looking up at the Physician and nurses, who rush back to the end of your bed and lift up the blankets.

"There is another one!" One of them shouts, to your horror, "I can see the head!"

Your baby begins to cry, and you beg for him to be close to you. The nurses smile at you sympathetically. "After you are finished, you will be seeing both at the same time."

Your lower lip quivers, ready to outright demand to see your son, at the very least his face, but then your body jerks again and you scream.

You feel blood oozing down your legs, onto the mattress, and a sudden pain in your back. You breathe heavily, black spots flooding your vision, then look towards the baby in the adjacent cot and see his pale face and dark, dark hair. The nurses are patting a wet cloth over your forehead, begging you to keep pushing. Your body is screaming for you to rest, to stop, but it is your mind - fatigued from the simultaneous loss of a husband, elated from the birth of a son - that pushes you.

Hours later, the scream can be heard on the other end of the bed, a piercing shriek and the sensation of another mass leaving your body, is both relieving excruciatingly painful. 

"A girl," the nurses note, with a less enthused tone. You nod, feeling yourself losing consciousness. The speech in the background is becoming nothing more than a soft hum. Your vision fades in and out intermittently. When you look up, the Physician is congratulating you, and then your husband is there, smiling softly and reaching for your cheek.

And then you know.

"Wait for me." You say. He smiles gently.

"I'm coming."

[chikkachu]

I know a few people have tagged me to do this recently so I just updated the one I did ages ago. Thank you to those people, I left it too long so I don’t remember exactly 😅

Name: Jessica Nickname: Jess (if that counts?) Gender: Female Star Sign: Aquarius Birthday:12th February Relationship Status: Single Pets: I have a dog called Bailey and a cat called Bobby (also known as the Bobster because he’s a gangster cat lol) Height: 5′ 3 Favorite Color: Red Average Amount of Sleep: 7-8 hours Lucky #: 4 Last Thing I Googled: Something to do with an assignment  Number of Blankets I Sleep With: 1 Met a Celebrity: I haven’t met any, but I have seen some when I went to the London comic-con (e.g. the lead actor from Grimm) Favorite Fictional Character(s): Sasuke (naruto), Rin (Blue Exorcist), Natsu (Fairy Tail), Ren & Kyoko (Skip Beat!), Dean, Sam & Cas (Supernatural), Morgan (Criminal Minds)  Favorite Book(s): You expect me to choose?! :O I have hundreds on my kindle, I’m not kidding when I say I’m an avid reader lol If I had to though it would be The Deal by Elle Kennedy at the moment. Favorite Band(s): (Once again there are so many, I love music I listen to it all the time) The Offspring, The Lumineers,  Five Finger Death Punch, Parkway Drive, Skrillex, The Pretty Reckless, Rammstein, Mega Hertz, The Black eyed Peas, Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons…..I listen to everything (although I do have a preference for rock)  Song Stuck in my Head Right Now: I got you – Bebe Rexha Last Movie I Watched: The Legend of Tarzan (I’m not really a movie person) Last TV Show I Watched: Person of Interest Last Song I Listened To: Sonne – Rammstein   Dream Trip: Italy, Mexico (Anywhere that has a lot of history, amazing landscapes for me to explore) Dream Job: Something in Mental Health, I’ve always been drawn to health care professions.  What Am I Wearing Right Now: A jumper and harem pants – chill out clothes :P  Time Right Now: 00:10 When Did You Create Your Blog: September 2016 Current Amount of Followers: 1100+ atm What Do You Post About: Mainly Anime (Fairy Tail atm) or anything I find funny/interesting Do You Have Other Blogs: @chikacreations & @knowledgeisavirtue When Did Your Blog Reach Its Peak: I like to think there is no peak that it’ll keep growing… Do You Get Asks On a Daily Basis: no Why Did You Choose Your URL: It’s a username that was supposed to combine Chikorita and Pikachu >:D Lemonade or Iced Tea: Ice Tea Cats or Dogs: I love them both equally <3 Coke or Pepsi: No preference tbh Day or Night: I am a night owl (which is annoying because I always get inspiration when I should be going to bed)  Call or Text: Call Makeup or au naturel: au naturel (or the make-up I put is the natural look)  Light or Dark Hair: I have dark brown hair (I have Celtic looks, everyone asks if I’m Irish)  Shorter or Taller: I wish I wasn’t vertically challenged but that's life Intelligence or Attraction: Intelligence  City or Country: Both, I’m versatile 

I tag (sorry if you’ve already done it): @summylise @liku-bears @animoozies @gsut @summylise @mushi0131 @fresh-princess-is-here @celestialflamefairy @animoozies @lucielhyung @marumigamer @angelcelestialprincess anyone who wants to do it...

[isolavirtuosa]

Post-Post Traumatic: 10 Years Later, Happily Ever After 7-8

Post-Post Traumatic [fanfiction] NaruSasu (in progress)

A series of “drabbles” following the events of Post Traumatic.

Previous Parts

10 Years Later, Happily Ever After

Parts 1-2

Parts 3-4

Parts 5-6

Parts 7-8 under the cut

- 7 -

             We all stood around Getsuko’s unconscious body, waiting.

           “Do you think it’ll hold?” Sakura finally ventured.

           “If it doesn’t, we’re fucked,” Kurotsuchi commented.

           “Thank you for your invaluable input, Tsuchikage,” Q said.

           Everyone stared at him.  A had finally stepped down as the raikage, and Kumogakure had put a young unknown in his place.  It was like having your bratty kid brother tag along everywhere, or so Itachi would probably say.

           “When does she wake up?” Hanabi asked, crouching down beside Getsuko and smoothing her white hair from her eyes.

           “Probably days,” Sakura said.  “Or months. Or hours.”

           “You guys are really nailing it today,” Q said.

           I blew the smoke from my cigarette in his direction.

           He coughed and glared at me.

           I shrugged.

           Naruto elbowed me, but looked amused.  Then the look drained from his eyes as they refocused on Getsuko.

           “We’ll take her to a secure facility,” Kakashi said softly from where he was sitting at the edge of the crowd.

           I looked at him.  “You will not seal her eyes.”

           “As long as it’s not necessary.”

           “You will not seal her eyes,” I repeated, a growl rumbling up my throat.

           Naruto took my hand and cradled it to his chest.

           Kakashi gave me a sad smile.  “It’s interesting how you’ve changed.”

           “How the hell have I changed?” I asked petulantly.  Kakashi still made me feel like a child.

           “Let’s go, Hanabi,” he said.

           Hanabi moved to pick up Getsuko.

           “That girl is a citizen of the Land of Lightning and you’re not taking her anywhere,” Q said.

           The other kages had expressions with varying degrees of annoyance.

           Sakura groaned, dropping her head in her hands.  “We already decided-” she started.

           “No, you decided,” Q said.  “The Konoha alliance, always doing whatever Naruto says.”

           “I didn’t say anything,” Naruto said, his voice calm, but the red glow around his body giving away his anger.

           “Everything always has to revolve around Konoha like it’s the center of the world, and it’s not,” Q said.  “She’s ours, and you have no right to take her.”

           “Your country abused her,” Naruto spat out.

           I caught his arm and pulled him back.  “Let’s go.”

           He turned to me, confusion muddling his anger.

           “We’ve done everything we came here to do,” I said.  “Kaguya is sealed inside Getsuko, and there isn’t anything else for us to do.”

           “But-” he tried to protest.

           “Leave it to them,” I said, pulling his arm sharply.

           He could have resisted, but he let me pull him.  “Sasuke, we can’t just-”

           “Listen to your girlfriend, Naruto,” Q said.

           “I will eviscerate you,” I hissed, my hands already forming a jutsu.

           Naruto pulled me back this time, murmuring soothing nonsense.

           B, who had been silent the whole time, stepped beside Q.

           Hanabi cradled Getsuko protectively in her arms.

           “Leave it to them,” I said, embarrassed that I’d let that little upstart get to me.  Seriously fuck him, though.  Naruto’s girlfriend.  I was projecting an air of calm, but anger was thrumming through me.

           Naruto surprised me by suddenly doing the Advanced Flying Thunder God Technique, transporting us back home.

           “You listened to me,” I said, trying not to sound shocked.

           “I don’t know if it was the right thing to do,” Naruto said slowly. “Should I go back?”

           “No.”

           “Sasuke…”

           “The world needs to learn how to survive without you.  If it can’t, then oh well.”

           “Did you really just ‘oh well’ the end of the world?”

           “You’re going to die eventually, you know.”

           “Oh. My.  God.”

           “I just want you to stop inflating your self-importance.”

           “You are the worst husband in the world.  Like in the actual world.”

           “Good.”

           “What the hell do you mean, ‘good’?!”

           “You’re back,” Jugo said from the doorway.

           “We are,” I agreed.

           “Sasuke wants me to die!” Naruto exclaimed, gesturing wildly.

           “I didn’t say that I wanted it, I said that you were going to.”

           Jugo’s brow furrowed.  “Did something go wrong with the seal?”

           “Huh?” Naruto said.  “No, that was fine.  Probably. We left after it was done.”

           “So it’s over?”

           “As long as Kaguya doesn’t break out of the seal,” I said.  I sat down on the bed abruptly, feeling my leg buckle.

           “Hey,” Naruto said, sitting next to me and pulling my right leg up across his lap. “Does it still hurt?  And don’t say it’s fine.”

           “It’s not bad.”

           “That isn’t funny, jerk,” he complained, pushing my bloody pant leg up and rubbing over the ashy gash on my leg with his chakra.  “Why didn’t you tell me it was this deep?”

           “We had other things to worry about,” I said, trying not flinch as the bone started to reset itself.

           “Should I go slower?”

           “No.”

           Naruto went slower anyway, trying to make it hurt less.

           “Did you get a boo-boo?” Mikio asked, appearing out of nowhere and peering at my leg.

           “Yeah,” I said.

           “It must hurt a lot,” he said.  He climbed up onto the bed and hugged my waist.

           “Naruto’s making it better,” I said, resting my hand on the top of his head.

           “I’ll give you my hug power.”

           “Thank you.”  I wasn’t even being ironic when I said it.  I had become the kind of person who appreciated hug power.  It was awful.

           One kid quickly turned into two, and then the whole brood was crowded into our room.

           And then the night went on like we hadn’t just fought an epic battle to save the world.

           I smoked my after-dinner cigarette outside with Jugo, talking business.  The brats ran around like zoo animals, Naruto in the thick of it, disturbing the desert quiet.

           “Is everything really okay?” Jugo finally asked.

           “As okay as things will ever be,” I said.

           “How was Getsuko?”

           “Unconscious.”

           “But she’ll be okay?”

           “She should be,” I said.  “The seal that Hanabi created… she’s not bad.”

           “You could say that she’s good.”

           “I could.”

           Jugo shook his head.

           “She would make a suitable hokage,” I offered.

           “Is Getsuko staying with her?”

           “I think so.”

           “It would be nice if Getsuko came and visited once she’s recovered.”

           I shrugged.

           “I think the kids would like that.  And I would, too.  We all care about her.”

           “Yeah, I got it.”

           “You care about her, too.”

           “What’s your point?”

           “Sasuke, your act is getting a little tired.”

           “Fuck you.”

           Jugo shrugged.

           “I don’t have an act,” I muttered.

           He snorted.

           “Did you just snort at me?”

           Jugo smiled.

           I bumped shoulders with him.

           He surprised me by pulling my head to rest on his shoulder.  “Stop being so reckless.”

           I cast my eyes up at him.

           “You’re always coming home hurt…”

           “Because I’m the only one with the balls to fight a little girl.”

           “Only you would call the most powerful ninja in existence a little girl.”

           “What is going on here?!” Naruto demanded, glaring at us.

           “I’m stealing Sasuke from you,” Jugo deadpanned.

           I smirked.

           “How could you?!” Naruto mock-cried, throwing his arms around my waist.

           His nonsense was immediately ended by a pig-pile of children.

           I limped a little as I went up the stairs to bed.

           “Let me see,” Naruto said, pawing at my pajama pants.

           “This is the worst seduction you’ve ever tried.”

           He leveled me with a look.

           I lifted my hips and slid the pants down very slowly.

           Naruto looked away and swallowed.

           “Pervert,” I said.

           “You’re the one putting on a show!”

           I stretched my leg out to him.

           He rubbed it, pushing some healing chakra into it.  “I don’t have a lot left,” he said apologetically.

           “It doesn’t hurt much now,” I said.  “It’ll heal on its own fine.”

           “I don’t want you to hurt at all.”

           “You are so cheesy.”

           “How is that cheesy?!”

           “Hey, you’re using too much chakra,” I said, pushing his hand away.  “I’m okay.  I’m not just saying it, I am.”

           “Okay,” he said, leaning in to kiss me.  “I know you’re really strong and not fragile at all, but I just worry irrationally.”

           “You are certainly irrational,” I agreed.

           “You’ve been so feisty since you went off your meds,” he said, getting into bed.

           “And your masochistic ass loves it,” I said, deciding not to take offense at the word ‘feisty’.

           “God help me, it does,” he sighed into his pillow.  “You’re so smart and quick and clever.”

           “Yes,” I agreed.

           “And so easy to seduce with compliments.”

           “Like you ever even try to seduce me.”

           “Your cracks on our sex life are starting to hurt me.”

           “Everything I do hurts you,” I muttered, rolling over and spooning him. “You know how I feel about you.”

           “Yeah, it’d just be nice if you said it once in a while.”

           “Gross.”

           “You are so mean.”

           “I know.”

           “If you know the problem, then correct the behavior!”

           “Don’t wanna.”

           “You are too cute sometimes,” Naruto said, cradling my arm to his chest.

           “’M not cute,” I murmured, sleepily nipping at the back of his neck.

           Naruto turned over, pressing his forehead to mine.  “Whatever the word is then.  You make my insides go all fluttery.”

           “You are so gay.”

           “Uh, duh.”

           “I’m glad you’re gay,” I hummed.  “I thought you were straight for so long.”

           “I thought so, too,” he said with a little laugh.  “But who wouldn’t go gay for Uchiha Sasuke?”

           “I know I would,” I said, half asleep.

           Naruto’s laugh rumbled through his chest.

           In the morning, he promised me that he was retiring.

           “I can be a stay-at-home dad,” he said, and he looked happy about it, happier than he’d ever looked about being the hokage.

           “You don’t actually live with your children,” I pointed out.

           He looked at me aghast.  “Don’t let our kids hear you say that.”

           I rolled my eyes.

           “But hey, so Kurotsuchi was telling me about this boy from their village. He’s a chuunin, has a strong affinity with wind.  She said he’s looking for a teacher…”

           “You’re a good teacher,” I said, kissing his temple and leaving it at that.

           It took time.

           Naruto kept running back to Konoha to hover over Getsuko’s shoulder.  When he accepted that the seal was working and that she wanted him to stop stalking her, he decided to hover over Hanabi’s shoulder while she started preparing to take his place.  She pretty much chased him out of Konoha.

           “She told me that I’m meddlesome,” he complained.  “And a micromanager.  I don’t even know what that means!”

           “You’re stepping down next month,” I said.  “Maybe you should try, you know, stepping a little farther away.”

           “But they need me!”

           “I need you.  These kids need you.  Konoha doesn’t give a fuck about you.”

           “Why do you have to be so damn cynical?” he complained.

           I stared at him.

           Naruto sighed, running his fingers through my hair.  “If you’re gonna keep growing it, you should put it in a ponytail.”

           I raised an eyebrow.

           “It’d be hot.”

           I raised the other eyebrow.

           He grinned at me goofily.

           I rolled my eyes.

           “Hey,” he said, his grin getting wider.

           “What?”

           “Guess who’s coming to my retirement-slash-Hanabi’s-coronation?”

           “Should I care?” I asked dismissively.

           “It’s you, stupid,” he said, brows knotting in irritation.

           “Oh, okay then, let me just cross the border and watch all the ANBU try and subdue me.”

           He grabbed me by the hair, enough to feel it but not enough to really hurt.

           My breath sped up a little.

           “I am telling you that the Counsel is going to overturn your exile,” he said, face close to mine.

           “That’s not possible,” I said.  Kakashi had told me as much.

           “All things are possible when Naruto is the hokage.”

           “You’ve been the hokage for ten fucking years and you haven’t been able to get the Counsel to budge.”

           “Why are you being such a jerk today?”

           “I wasn’t aware that making honest statements made me a jerk.”

           “Sasuke,” he whined.

           I took a breath and let it out.  I could feel his fingers pressing into the back of my neck, and I wished he’d pull harder.

           “You’re having weird masochistic thoughts,” he said.

           “So?”

           He kissed my nose, letting go of my hair.  “You better start packing for Konoha.”

           “It’s not for a month,” I said.  “And who says I even want to go?”

           “Yurina and Tsubaki,” he said, walking away.

           Of course I went.

 - 8 -

             Our entire family was there to watch Naruto pass that fashion faux pas of a hat over to Hanabi.

           “And now Naruto-sensei will stay awake in the bath?” Mikio asked from my shoulders.

           “Probably,” I said, watching as Hanabi turned from the crowd to say something to Sakura, the words ‘Shadow Hokage’ emblazoned on her back with no number. She’d be leaving the village soon, protecting Konoha from the outside like Naruto had done.

           Like Itachi had done.

           “This is really boring,” Ao complained.  “How many more speeches are they going to do?”

           “Like a million,” Suigetsu groaned.  “Can we sneak out?”

           “I’m all for it,” I said.  Despite being allowed into the village, I hadn’t exactly receive a warm welcome. Same old Konoha, full of glares and hostility.  Ditching their most important ceremony seemed to send the right kind of ‘fuck you’ message that I wanted to send.

           “Won’t Naruto-sensei be mad?” Sanma asked, looking between us all nervously.

           “He probably made a clone so he wouldn’t have to stand through these dumb speeches either,” Ao said.

           As soon as she said it, I narrowed my eyes at the Naruto standing on stage. “No, it’s really him,” I confirmed.

           “But you thought it might not be,” Ao said with a laugh.

           “I can’t deny that,” I said, eyeing a way through the crowd.  “Come on.”

           Sanma seemed conflicted.

           “I’m staying,” Jugo said, resting a hand on Sanma’s shoulder.

           I gave him a nod, and led the rest of the group out of the crowd.

           Of course we were stared at the whole way, but it felt so nice to be out of there.

           “God, I hate this stupid village,” I muttered.

           “Then how come you wanted to come so badly?” Mari needled me.

           I thought of my poor, poor nieces, who were trapped on the stage with their moms and dad, forced to be the good hokage kids.  This whole ceremony was a waste of my time, and I wished it was over.

           “I need a cigarette,” I said.

           “Gross,” Mikio said, pinching my cheeks.

           I couldn’t even be mad at him.  I really and truly had gone soft.  If the me at sixteen could only see me now.

           We really knew nothing as kids.

           I decided to scare the people of Konoha instead.  Most were at the ceremony, but I stared down the few passersby that we saw as we moved into the town.  They stared at the ground nervously, walking as far away from me as the width of the street allowed.

           All the shops were closed.

           “I hafta pee,” Riki said.

           “I want cotton candy!” Kanon declared.

           “Cotton candy!” the twins agreed.

           This was almost as annoying as the ceremony.

           Then Suigetsu strangely came to the rescue, getting Riki an alley to pee in and distracting the others with a game of tag spread out across the empty town.

           “When did Suigetsu get good with kids?” I asked Karin.

           “I think he’s practicing,” she said, staring out into the town from the stoop we were sitting on.

           “For wha-” I started to say, then recoiled.  “Are you serious?”

           “I’m knocked up,” she said, touching her stomach.

           “Congratulations?”

           “Yeah, I don’t really know how I feel about it either.”

           “Aren’t you kind of old to have a bab-” I tried to say and got kicked in the head.  “Bitch.”

           “The only bitch I see here is you.”

           “Fuck,” I said.

           “Fuck,” she agreed.

           “Go away so I can smoke.”

           “Maybe I’ll just follow you everywhere you go.”

           “Did Naruto put you up to this?” I asked suspiciously.  “Did you get pregnant just to stop me from smoking?”

           “That seems more likely than the reality of the situation,” she said with a sigh.

           “You’re really keeping it?”

           She touched her stomach again, leaving her hand there as she looked down at it.  “It’s weird, but I feel kind of attached to the little mutant.”

           The ceremony ended, and Konoha slowly came back to life.

           Naruto was mad that we’d left, while also weirdly elated by his newfound freedom.

           “Sakura’s having a party,” he said, suddenly swooping me into a kind of waltz in the middle of the hotel lobby.  “Let’s go, okay?”

           “When did you learn how to dance?” I asked suspiciously.

           “I have lots of hidden talents.”

           I used my sharingan to follow him.  “No, I have lots of hidden talents.  You need a pat on the back and a sticker for every little thing that you accomplish.”

           “You make me sound really needy,” he complained, dipping me.

           I glared at him.

           He grinned, pulling me back up.  “Yurina’s taking a dance class and I was her practice partner this week.”

           That sounded adorable, and I needed to see it in person so I could take hundreds of photos and hoard them under my pillow.

           “You look like you just thought something horrible,” Naruto said, bringing our waltzing to an end and poking my nose.

           “I did,” I said, shaking my head.  “Why does my mind go to such horrific places?”

           “Did you really think something awful, or were you thinking about how cute Yurina and I must’ve been dancing together?”

           “Are we going to this stupid party or what?”

           “Yeah, where are our kids?”

           “Playing with Suigetsu,” I said, gesturing vaguely.

           Naruto gave me a confused look.

           “Yeah, he’s suddenly decided that he likes children.  Don’t ask, you don’t want to know.”

           Naruto made some clones and sent them off in different directions while we headed towards Sakura’s.

           We walked how we often walked around Suna, fingertips laced and shoulders brushing.

           Konoha wasn’t Suna.

           Of course, no one dared say anything.  Even if Naruto had just finished retiring an hour earlier, he was still their beloved hokage.

           But they didn’t need to say anything.  The obvious disgust, the averted eyes, the constant whispering while eyes darted towards us and quickly away.

           “Why am I here?” I muttered, taking my hand from Naruto’s.

           He snatched my hand back.

           I frowned at him.

           He frowned back.  “Come on,” he said, pulling me along forcefully.

           I glared death at the next idiot who made a face at us.

           He stopped walking and just stared at me like a terrified animal.

           I smiled, and that set him running off.

           “Don’t terrify my citizens,” Naruto said, pulling my hand up and kissing the knuckles.

           “Fuck them,” I replied.

           “Let’s just get to the party, okay?”

           I hated being in Konoha.  It made me feel weak and cornered.  It also brought up unwanted memories of my family.

           “We should go to your parents’ graves,” Naruto said, reading my mind like usual.

           “Yeah,” I said quietly.

           “We can go to mine, too,” he added.  “I think they’d like to see you.”

           “Dead people can’t see things, dumbass.”

           “Don’t be an asshole just because you’re stressed.”

           “Sorry.”

           He squeezed my hand, accepting my apology.

           “Sasuke-senseeeei!” Mikio cried, attaching himself to my leg.

           “What?” I asked, picking him up and sitting him on my shoulders again.  It made it easier to walk.

           “We had so much fun with Suigetsu,” he said happily.

           “With Suigetsu?” Naruto asked, confused.

           “Yeah!” Kanon said, holding her arms up to Naruto.

           He picked her up and put her on his shoulders.

           “Whatta ‘bout me?” Riki complained.

           “I’ve got ya, kid,” Suigetsu said, scooping him up.

           Riki cheered.

           “When did you become the child whisperer?” Naruto asked.

           “I’m great with kids,” Suigetsu said.

           We arrived at the hall, and the kids scampered off to play with the other kids at the party.

           “Is it okay if I drink?” Naruto requested, eyes lingering on the beer being passed around.

           “Yeah, as long as you stay away from Gaara,” I said, casting my eyes towards the kazekage.

           “Aw, come on, we’re not that bad,” he complained.

           “You and Gaara drinking together is the most annoying thing I have ever experienced in my life,” Temari said as she and Shikamaru came in with their son.

           “I feel like you’re exaggerating,” Naruto protested.

           I took a beer from the waiter and handed it to him.  “No shenanigans.”

           “Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

           Of course there were shenanigans.  Fortunately, Sakura put a stop to their plot to fill everyone’s drinks with exploding streamers.

           I sat as far away as possible and smoked my cigarettes, telling anyone who wanted to know that we were getting a divorce in the very near future.

           “Stop telling people that you’re going to divorce me!” Naruto yelled as Shikamaru dragged him over to me.

           “I gave you one task, Naruto.  One fucking task.”

           He went all penitent.  “I’m sorry, baby,” he said, climbing in my lap and throwing his arms around my neck.

           “I’m not taking responsibility for him,” I informed Shikamaru, who was trying to walk away.

           “He’s not my problem anymore,” he said with a shrug.

           “Dammit, Nara!” I growled as he disappeared back into the party.

           Karin snorted.  She and I had just formed a little alliance of non-drinkers in the corner, but apparently she was no longer to be trusted.

           “Go get him some water,” I said to her.

           “Get it yourself.”

           “With this 200 pound tumor?” I said, gesturing towards the man attached to my body.

           “You’re a big strong man, I’m sure you can handle it.”

           “I need a cigarette,” I muttered.

           Karin pointed to her stomach.

           Naruto looked between us, confused.

           “She got knocked up,” I said.

           Naruto detached himself from me to go over to Karin, wrapping her in a hug. “Can I touch it?” he pleaded.

           “It’s still the size of a peanut,” she said, but let him touch her stomach anyway.

           Naruto looked so happy.  “Hey, little cousin,” he said into her stomach.  He and Karin had been able to figure out that Naruto’s mom and Karin’s dad had been first cousins, making them second cousins.  Since neither of them had any actual family, it seemed to please both of them to finally have someone.  “Are you gonna get married?”

           “Heck no,” Karin said.

           “Why not?” Naruto asked.  “Marriage is great!”

           “What’s so great about it?”

           “Tax breaks!”

           Karin snorted.  “Is that why you married Sasuke?”

           “Uh, obviously.”

           I went to get Naruto some water and smoke a cigarette.

           “Sasuke.”

           I stared at the fifth hokage, eyebrow raised.

           “Come have a drink with us,” she said, gesturing towards where Kakashi, Shizune, and a masked ANBU were sitting.

           “You realize I’m a recovering alcoholic?”

           “Who isn’t?” she said, sitting back down and pouring herself more sake.

           I considered walking back to Naruto and Karin, but I wasn’t one to run away from something.

           Kakashi passed me some tea.

           I lit a cigarette, taking a drag before taking a sip.

           Kakashi was looking at me in sad, paternal kind of way.

           I’d once thought of him like a father, but that had been several lifetimes ago, and now we barely spoke.

           “I don’t want anything to happen to you while you’re in the village,” Tsunade finally said.

           I stared at her.

           “Kakashi told you that you still have enemies here.”

           I shrugged.  “I have enemies everywhere.”

           “They’re not happy that you’ve been allowed back,” she said.

           “And just who is this mysterious ‘they’?” I asked, tired of the games.

           “Several members of the elected council,” she said.  “Mostly people from old clans, bearing a grudge against the Uchiha.”

           “Did you have a detailed listing for me?” I asked.  This whole conversation was boring.

           “These are credible threats on your life, Sasuke,” Kakashi said.  “We’re afraid they’ll go after your family to get to you.”

           “I will slit the throat of anyone who tries.”

           Kakashi shook his head.  “You’re too cocky, sometimes.  You and Naruto haven’t had any peers for a long time, but now there’s Getsuko.  Who knows what other powers are going to start emerging? You’re not untouchable, and you need to realize the risk that puts everyone around you at.”

           “Thanks for your concern,” I said, finishing off my tea.  “If you don’t have anything useful to actually say…?”

           “There’s a faction forming against Naruto,” Tsunade said, eyes boring in me.

           “The Ninja Freedom Alliance,” I said.

           “They’ve been making overtures to the old families here in Konoha.”

           That I hadn’t known.  “Are we supposed to be afraid of them?” I asked, trying to play it off.

           “Yes,” the both of them said, faces serious.

           “We will always fight for the two of you,” Kakashi said.

           “Like how you fought so hard to take those damn seals off of my eyes?  Like you fought so hard to let me back into the village?” I asked, bitterness creeping into my voice.

           “Yes,” he said, his voice breaking.

           “Just like how he fought for those things every damn chance he had, just like how he stood up against everyone who spoke out against you,” Tsunade put in. “You don’t know a damn thing about how this village operates.  You have no clue how hard this man has fought for you and protected you.  The only reason you are alive today is because of him.”

           I looked away, watching my cigarette burn its way towards my finger.

           “Good evening, young Uchiha!” Gai said cheerfully as he rolled up to our table. He continued smiling, oblivious to the tension.

           “We’re done, right?” I said, standing up.

           Kakashi was giving me that look again.  “Be careful,” was all he said.

           I went back to Naruto and Karin, plunking a water between Naruto’s hands.

           “But I don’t wanna mess up my buzz,” he complained, putting the water down and pulling me onto his lap.

           I stared at him.

           “I miss drunk Sasuke.”

           I stared at him harder.

           “I do.”

           “You’re the one who made me go to rehab!” I snapped.

           “Well, yeah, ’cause you could never just stop, you know,” he said, rubbing one of his hands up and down my side. “But when you’d only had a coupla drinks, when the night was still young…  You were so damn cute. All open and vulnerable and honest.”

           “Good thing you put a stop to that shit.”

           “I regret it.”

           Karin was giving him an incredulous look.

           “Come on, you loved drunk Sasuke, too.”

           “Drink your water,” she said, pushing the glass towards him.

           Naruto sighed and took a drink.

           “Oh, hey, Ino!” Karin said, standing up as the other woman walked by.

           Ino turned and waited for Karin to join her, then the two walked off together.

           “We’re really unpopular,” Naruto said glumly.

           “Then maybe you shouldn’t try putting things that explode in people’s drinks.”

           “It seemed like a good idea at the time!  It woulda been hilarious!  Even Gaara thought so!”

           “So help me god if I see you two drinking together even once for the rest of this trip.”

           “I’m sorry,” Naruto murmured into my ear.  He let his hands slide down my back and settle in for a grope.  “Hey, so Sakura and Ino said that all the kids could stay at Hokage Tower for a little sleepover.”

           “Do they realize how many children we have?”

           “They even invited Shika’s kid, and Chouji’s, and Kiba’n’Hina’s.”

           “That doesn’t seem chaotic or insane at all.”

           “Mm,” Naruto said, giving me a spank.

           “What the hell?!” I said, pulling away and sitting on my own chair.

           “You are wearing something very naughty right now,” he said, his eyes squinted in a grin.

           I flushed.

           His grin widened.  “It’s getting late.  We should get back to the hotel,” he said, reaching out and rubbing my thigh.

           “You are so damn handsy when you’re drunk,” I muttered.

           “Yeah,” he agreed happily, pulling me to my feet.  “Let’s go.”

           So we went.

[thenerdytomboynewb96]

Samantha Allan Park Ch. #8

Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC’s.

Chapter #8

Sam hadn’t realized what time it was when she heard a knock on her window. She was in front of her desk where her t.v. sat when to her left at the window was a smiling Michelangelo. A smile also began to grow on her face as she gave him the O.K. symbol and he opened the window. He opened the window and climbed on through, leaning his skateboard against an open space along the wall. “Hey toots, you forget about me already?” She snickered. “Right, because an almost 6 foot turtle is so easy to forget.” “Well you’re the one who left the window closed.” “Not because I forgot about you, I just lost track of time.” “Mhm, right, I see how it is” he teased. “What are you listening to?” “Oh, the song playing right now? It’s called “Obsession” by G-Dragon.” “And that would be?” Sam gave him a wicked smile. “See, if I tell you, then that means you have to allow me to rant on and fangirl for a while, as in I can’t just simply say who he is, you’ll have to listen to the whole story.”   Mikey put his fingers on his chin, jokingly questioning the situation. “Hmmmm, I guess I have the time to listen to your rant.” Sam’s eyes went wide. “REALLY?!” “Really” he smiled. 

Sam then went on to tell Mikey everything she knew about G-Dragon and Big Bang, the music group he was a member[JG1] [JG2]  of. She told him all she knew and even showed him many of their music videos, which eventually lead to her showing him many of their funny moment videos. Within that same hour, Mikey had quickly become a fan of the group. He and his brothers loved listening to new groups and types of music and experimenting with what they did and didn’t like, and right now he definitely liked this group. “So, do you like older groups and songs? Since according to this Wikipedia page, the album with this song came out in 2009.” “Well, with this album specifically I just love a lot of the songs and the uniqueness to them, like it’s hard to believe that these songs came out in 09. But I’ll honestly admit that I’m all over the place when it comes to knowing songs, groups, and individual members and who and what belongs where. I’m a fan of some groups who have been around for a while, but I’m also a fan of some more ‘recent’ groups. Like I love Super Junior who debuted in 2005, but lately I’ve been focusing on BTS a lot more than anyone else.” “I guess you’ll introduce me to those groups another day then?” Sam smiled, if he held true to his comment, then that meant there would be more days where the two would be hanging out. “Yea haha, I don’t want my fangirling to scare you away so soon.” “Well, how about I introduce you to a group that I’m a fan of then?” “Alright, sounds fair. I’ve done my fangirling, now you show me who you fanboy over.” He laughed. “Since you’ve introduced me to an Asian group, I’ll continue that trend.” He currently was sitting on the bean bag chair which he had moved closer to the bed as the two had been watching and dancing to music videos that Sam was streaming on her television. Sam tossed her phone down to Mikey who began typing, and soon a music video popped up, one that ironically was familiar to Sam. “Oh, I know this song!” “NO WAY! You listen to One Ok Rock?!” “Not religiously, but I know some songs, this one being my favorite.” The two then sang along with and danced to “The Beginning” by One Ok Rock, followed by more partying to multiple other songs by the same group.

“This is awesome!” Sam then plugged her phone in as the battery was getting low. “No one EVER has the same music interests as me, and when I show them the music I like, they just brush it off like it’s horrible just because it’s in another language.” “Well not this guy!” he said with excitement. “I’ll give anything a shot!” He then looked over at the television and noticed that the DVD player had the words “PAUSE” across it. “Hey Sam, what were you doing before I got here?” She looked in the same direction he was. “I was going to start watching the beginning of a new movie that I’ve been dying to see.” “What movie?” “Naruto: The Last Movie.” Mikey gasped and clapped his hands to his cheeks. “You have it on DVD?! Is it subbed or dubbed?!” “Dubbed.” “HOW DID YOU GET IT?! I’ve wanted to watch it but I wanted to watch it on t.v. and not on a computer screen.” She laughed. “I put in a request at the library forever ago and finally it was my turn to take it home.” “Can…can we watch it now?” he asked timidly. “Oh my god yes! Like I would love to watch it with someone else. I was going to secretly watch it by myself and pretend I was watching it for the first time once I finally got to watch it with Jay, but this would be way more fun!” “Sweet!” he shouted as he ran over to the bed, halting right before he was about to leap onto it. Sam tilted her head in confusion. “What’s wrong? I just showered a few hours ago.” He rapidly shook his head. “No that’s not why I stopped you smell fine! Just, I didn’t want to just sit on your bed or assume that I’m allowed to or anything and I just don’t want to be rude and…yea.”

Sam gave him a blank face and then goofily scooted over while maintaining the same expression, leaving an open space on the other side of the bed. She then put her left arm out and raised her eyebrows at him. He stared at her in disbelief. “…Me?” She gave him a puzzled look with a smile. “Who else? Just take your shoes off.” “What’s wrong with my shoes?” “They touch the ground.” “So?” “I don’t want dirt on my bed!” she laughed. He shrugged. “Fair enough” he said as he kicked off his shoes and sat down next to her.

The two then watched the movie, every once in a while making comments about how much they shipped NaruHina, or cracking some type of joke about the film.

Mikey pointed towards the screen. “Hey look! Sasuke is in the film for a whole ten seconds!” Then later on it was her turn. “Look! He’s in the film for another ten seconds!” The two hadn’t realized how late it was until after the film had ended.

Sam frowned. “Dang, its 12a.m. already. I need to get to sleep so I can wake up at a decent time tomorrow for school.” “I guess that means I have to wait until the weekend to see you again, right? Because every night will be a school night?” “Um, actually, I usually don’t have a lot of homework each night, and it isn’t AP testing season just yet, so most nights I’ll be able to hangout. Sadly you’d have to come over kind of late most nights though, and you would have to leave kind of early as well.” Sam rubbed the back of her neck. “I doubt you want to make the trip up here just to have to leave so soon.” Playfully, he gave her a confused look. “Did you book me for events that I don’t know about?” “You would come all the way up here just to hangout for a couple of hours?” “Totally dude, you’re really chill and easy and fun to talk to. The only issue is if my brothers need me. Like if there’s a Foot clan attack somewhere, then I need to be there stopping them with my bros.” Sam was shocked. “You guys fight the Foot huh? That’s insane, in a good way of course. You have a phone of any kind?” Mikey reached into his right pocket and pulled out what looked like a hand-sized turtle shell. When he pressed a button on the flat side of the shell, a screen turned on. “Donnie made these for us, we call them shell cells. They pretty much work like regular cell phones.” Sam took the phone, impressed with its design. It would be cool to talk to the nerdy brother, but she knew that would never happen. Sam then began looking for a ‘contacts’ app to click on in order to prevent herself from thinking about how the other brothers had treated her a few nights previous. She entered her number into the phone and then used it to call her own phone. After a few seconds, her phone began to ring. “Alright, now we can communicate with each other. If the other doesn’t pick up when they’re sent a message, then we know that they’re busy.” Mikey’s face then displayed a mischievous smile. “Heh, now I have two girls phone numbers” he said, putting two thumbs up. Sam responded with pursed lips while slowly shaking her head. “Wow, such a player. Two whole girls.” “Hey! For a turtle who lives in the sewers, that’s pretty good!” She laughed. “Yea I guess so. Well, hopefully see you tomorrow?” He held up his phone. “I’ll be waiting for that text. Unless time gets away from you again.” “*sigh* you’re never going to let me live that down now, are you?” “Nope! Goodnight!” he said with a smile as he opened the window and climbed through, and that fast he was gone. As Sam turned off the lights in her room, she hoped that she would be able to see her friend again the next night, and she wondered if he thought of her as a friend as well.

The rest of that week, Sam and Mikey had continued to meet up with each other. Even on Wednesday and Thursday when there had been some gangs trying to rob a few banks and the turtles had stopped them late into the night, Mikey still stopped by for a few minutes to let his new friend know he was alright, and also just to say hi. It was now Friday night and Mikey was heading over to her house once again. At this point his brothers didn’t even ask him where he was off to, they just hoped that he wasn’t doing anything stupid.

For most of that first week their wishes had been answered since the new friends had just been hanging out at Sam’s apartment the whole time. Jay was rarely there, so the two were able to venture around the rest of the apartment and not just the one bedroom. On Monday the two had an intense nerf gun battle after Mikey had learned how to secretly add healthier ingredients to his pizza and then helped Sam bake a few batches of cookies. On Tuesday, Mikey helped Sam work on some projects she needed to complete for the many clubs she was a member of in the kitchen where they had more table space, and on Wednesday and Thursday the two played video games on the larger television in the living room with the little time they had. He assumed that tonight would be no different, but he was shocked when he climbed through the open window and saw that Sam was completely dressed with a small back pack on her back. He knocked on the side of the wall. Sam turned around and smiled. “Ayeee.” “Hey, you going somewhere?” “WE are going somewhere, yes. Thank you for asking.”

Sam was wearing a long sleeve dark red shirt and navy blue track sweatpants with a beanie on her head sporting the same colors. In her back pack was her basic necessities, her tonfa, a phone and tablet, her camera detector, and attached to the back was her skateboard. “Uhhhh” Mikey said in a confused high pitched tone “I can’t really go anywhere, ever.” Sam was confused. “Why not? You’re a ninja right?” “Yea, but I still look like this” he said as he held up his hand and wiggled his three fingers. “Well, blend in with the shadows like you usually do.” “Where are we going anyway? And why?” “We’ve been meeting up in the same apartment building all week. It’s been fun, but it’s Friday night! Who wants to stay locked up at home on a weekend night?” “Me, which is what I’ve been doing all my life.” “Well, you’re friends with me now, so you don’t have to do that any…more…” Sam was confused as to why the turtle in front of her was just staring blankly at her. She then realized for the first time since they had met that one of them had officially called the other a friend. She paused, afraid that he might want to run off now that she had given a title to their relationship, but to her amusement he just turned around and shouted “Alright lead the way!”

Sam fought to conceal her smile as she realized his reaction was one of amazement and joy. She was still getting used to the fact that this new friendship made him as happy as it had made her.

Theme: Marshmello-Ritual

Mikey climbed out the window and then jumped onto a ladder on the building across from where he was. He slid down the ladder and was waiting on the ground for Sam when he heard his phone go off. He read the message: Hey I’m up top. Where are you?”

“What?...” He looked up and saw Sam waving her hand over the side of the top of the building. He pulled his board from off his back and hopped on as he used it to glide up to the top of the building.

“What are you doing up here?” he asked once he reached the top of the building. “Waiting for you! What were you doing down there? Hmph, and you were the one worried about getting caught” she said as she shook her head. Michelangelo looked around, wondering how the heck they were going to move around when they were so high up. Wait…she couldn’t mean…

“Are we jumping buildings?” he asked with wide eyes. “Try to keep up!” she shouted as she ran forward. “Sam, wait!” But before he could say anything to her, she had already run and leaped over to the next building. She skid to a stop once she stuck her landing on the roof. She looked over and smiled towards her friend, waiting for him to come join her. Quickly he ran over and with ease he jumped onto the same roof, but he was furious rather than happy. “What the heck was that? Are you crazy?” Her smile faded. “No, maybe when I first started doing this yes, but it’s easy now. I mean not as easy as it is for you since you’re taller than me, and ripped, but it’s still a lot easier than it used to be haha.” “You…you’ve done this before? For how long?” “About four years. I’m on my own a lot now, so I have to go find fun things to do on my own, that and being alone has increased my adrenaline seeking tendencies. That’s pretty much the main reason I met you guys in the first place.” Mikey was shocked, both about the fact that there was still so much he didn’t know about this girl and also at how much she could do. He knew his brothers were right about her being able to do things that no normal person usually could. Was all that she had learned really taught to her in a self-defense class? Then again, maybe there was just a lot more to the story than he knew. Either way, he still wanted to be friends with this girl and he hoped that maybe one day he would know all the details as to how she was who she was, but for now he just wanted to help make sure she got to wherever their destination was safely.  

“Alright, lead the way. But I’m literally going to be right behind you! Okay?” She nodded. “Gotcha!” Sam was happy that he trusted her and wasn’t questioning her about her past while being protective of her at the same time. “Here, we’ll be heading in this direction for a while” and with that Sam ran ahead and leaped from roof top to roof top.

For about 20 minutes the two constantly moved along the rooves of many of the buildings throughout the city. A few times there were moments where the two had to climb up or down, but overall they kept moving at a constant quick paced rate. Finally they reached a shorter building that was in a more vacant location in the city. Mikey wasn’t sure what exactly this building was for or why they were there, but he was assuming that Sam’s huge smile meant that something fun was in store for them.

Sam walked over to a vent and pulled open the cover. She waved her friend over and then she slipped down inside the tunnel of the vent. She pushed her hands and feet against the sides of the vent and slowly began moving down the tunnel. She would slide her feet down some, then her hands, and she continued to alternate until she was at the bottom of the tunnel. She turned back to see if Mikey was following her. He looked confused, but he was still patiently trailing behind her. She then began crawling forward, and for a few minutes or so the two continued to follow this pattern. Eventually Sam stopped and then pulled her phone out of her back pack.

“Hey, why did we stop?” “We’re above the room that controls all the security cameras throughout this building. I need to set all the cameras back a couple of hours so that no one knows we were ever here. Don’t worry it will only take a few minutes and then we’ll be free to move around.” He laughed. “You literally sound like Donnie right now.” “Then that means your brother must be a genius.” “Oh he is! Like he would probably freak out if he was able to talk to someone about tech stuff like this.” Sam chuckled, but she knew that would never happen. As much as she would also love to talk to someone else about technology, she knew that Donnie wanted as little to do with her as possible, just like all the remaining brothers did. But she shook her head and ignored these thoughts and went back to focusing on hacking into the buildings security system and editing the camera footage. “Alright, time to move on. Just a bit further and then we can get out of this vent.” The two crawled forward a bit more and finally Sam opened up one of the covers in the vent. She crawled forward and turned around to face Mikey who was cautiously staying still. “What’s wrong?” she asked with concern. “Won’t there be people wondering around? I can’t be seen, I can’t risk exposing my brothers and putting my family in danger…” Sam crouched down so that she was at eye level with her friend who was still in the vent tunnel. “So I’ve been on my own for a long while now, and I’ve explored A LOT of different places, including this one. For four years I’ve snuck in here on weekend nights. One of the reasons being that I thought the prices for a membership here are ridiculous, and the other being that I’ve never had someone to bring with me. Within the four years that I’ve been sneaking in here I’ve learned that the owner closes this place early each night at about 7:00 because he doesn’t want teenagers wrecking the place, since apparently young people go crazy at nighttime according to him, which honestly isn’t an inaccurate thought. I mean some of the kids from school that come here are freaking insane. Anyway, the owner’s house is located further towards the center of the city and it would take him a long time to get out here. Plus, since we’re not in a huge crime ridden area and also since the owner doesn’t really keep any money here, there’s no security outside, only during work hours when this place is open. I’ve scoped this place out hung out here countless times and” as she knocked on the wall “I’ve yet to get caught. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t bring you here if there was a high chance of your identity being exposed.” Mikey looked up at her and smiled. He was grateful that she had put so much thought into their get together, and this also helped him in feeling more comfortable with her and in gaining his trust.

As he crawled out of the vent and stood up, his jaw dropped as he finally got to look around and see where they were. The building was much larger than just this room when looking at it from the outside which meant that there had to be many other rooms besides the one they were in, but at that moment the two friends were standing inside a huge indoor skate park. Mikey couldn’t believe his eyes. As much as he loved to skate board, he had never gotten a chance to go to an actual skate park. The only way he was ever able to practice was by skating along the rounded walls and along the pipes in the sewers underground, but this place was obviously a million times better. “Woooooow, this place is incredible!” “Heh, I had a feeling you’d like it.” “So, are you going to show me your awesome moves?” She gave him a blank stare. “Uhhh, I like to skate and stuff, but I’m no Tony Hawk or Rob Dydrek. Honestly I’ve always been more of a speed skater, I don’t really know how to do tricks or anything.” “Well guess who has two thumbs and is super freaking awesome at everything related to skateboarding…THIS GUY!” he shouted as he pointed his thumbs to himself. “Alright then Mr. Super freaking awesome, show me watcha got.” “Oh I accept that challenge ma’am!”

He then grabbed his board and began skating all throughout the various vert and mini ramps throughout the park. He quickly went around and started doing all types of tricks. Sam knew a few tricks, but honestly she had no idea what the heck any of them were called, she just practiced some stuff she saw online until she got more comfortable with it. As the two skated around, they would talk as they happened to pass each other or as they stalled on the ramps.

Sam rolled up to the top of one of the ramp and stayed still while balancing on the nose of the board. “Hey, what happened to not knowing any tricks?” Mikey asked as he rolled up and performed the same pose next to her, and then rolled off. Sam made a confused face. “This is a trick? All I did was stop at the top of the ramp” she stated as she followed behind him. “Yea, but stopping at the top of the ramp has a name, that one was called a nose stall.” “Oh, so this is a nose stall?” She did the same thing, but this time she stopped on the tail of the board. “No, that one’s a tail stall, see?” as he followed behind her and repeated the same move that she just had. “I honestly don’t see a difference.” “The first time you stopped on the nose of the board, this time you stopped on the tail. Does that make sense?” He demonstrated a few more times and eventually she finally understood. “Okay, then does this have a name?” She then skated to the top of the ramp and stopped with the middle part of the bottom of the board staying on the ramp. Mikey rolled up and did the same thing. “Axle stall.” The two rolled off. Sam watched as Mikey was able to hop and get his board off the ground. “Does hopping have a name to?” Mikey then repeated the move. “That one was an ollie, because I used the tail of the board to jump off the ground.” “Oh, oh! Okay watch this then.” Sam then hopped off the ground, but this time she did so using the nose of the board. “Let me guess, was that a nollie?” He gave her two thumbs up as he rolled by her. “There you go!” She then watched as he rolled up to the top of a ramp and then flip the board around before riding back down. “That was a pivot right?” He shook his head and smiled. “Nope! Kick-flip!” as he went up another ramp and did the same thing. “Nice try though.” “Hmmmm okay, let me guess the name of this one.” She then rolled up to a rail and glided across using the bottom of the board. “That was grinding, right?” Again Mikey smiled as he shook his head. “No, THIS-” as he rolled up to the adjacent rail and glided across using the axles of the board “-Is grinding. What you did was a rail slide.” She threw her hands up in confusion. “What’s the difference?” He stopped his board and faced her. “You glided across using the deck, I used the axles.” “…what’s the deck?” He laughed. “It’s just another term for the board itself. Try to grind again.” Sam then rolled up and used the back axle to glide across the rail. Mikey cheered for her. “There you go!” Sam looked over at him and smiled. “So, would that be a tail grind? Since I used the back axle?” “There’s no such thing as a tail grind!” he laughed “That was a 5-0 grind.” “Oh okay, so then this-” as she rolled up and used the underside of the tail of the board to glide across the rail “is called a 5-0 slide, right?” Mikey couldn’t keep himself from laughing as he shook his head. “Tail slide!” “Then what is a 5-0 slide?” “That doesn’t exist!” “OH MY GOD I’M DONE!” she yelled playfully as she threw her hands up in the air. “Dude, how do you know how to do all this stuff but you don’t know any of the terminology?” “I don’t know, I just go with the flow I guess. Like when people teach themselves how to play an instrument but they don’t actually know all the note names.” “Fair enough, but what happened to not knowing any tricks? You’ve already demonstrated a bunch of them!” “I didn’t really consider these tricks, I feel like tricks are way more complicated.” “Heh, I can’t wait to hear what you think the complicated moves are named.” “I REPEAT I’M DONE!” she playfully shouted, and just as she did so, her board slid out from under her. She stumbled and fell back, but they both were able to see her board go flying straight up into the air and then land perfectly right into a bag-less trash can. “Goalllllll!” she shouted! “Ayeee cowabunga!” he shouted as he sat down at the top of one of the mini ramps. She looked over at him as she quickly ran up the ramp to retrieve her board. “Cowabunga?” “Yea! Got a problem with it? And if you do, then you’re as bad as Raph!” She gave him a serious yet still playful look. “Okay listen up. 1. I don’t have a problem with it, it was just random as hell. 2. Gee, thanks for the compliment” she said in a sarcastic tone. “1. You’re welcome! 2. I take random as a compliment ma’am.” “Well then you’re also welcome for your compliment, sir. What is with guys and weird sayings anyway?” “What other weird sayings are you used to?” “Whenever my younger brother scored playing sports or if he got the new high score in a video game, he would always scream ‘booyakasha.’ What the hell is that?!” Mikey burst out laughing which lead him to fall and roll down into the center of the ramp. “Dude your younger brother sounds amazing!” Sam rolled her eyes and smiled as she pulled her board out of the bin it had landed in.

For the next two hours the two friends continued to skate around, occasionally teasing Sam on her lack of knowledge when it came to skateboarding terminology. Once their time was up, the two packed up their belongings and went back to the vent where they had entered the room. They climbed their way back to the vent opening on the roof, making sure to alter all the cameras again before they left. Since neither of the two were really in a rush, they decided to walk back to the apartment, talking the entire way back as they continued to get to know each other. “Hey Sam, when’s your birthday?” “April 4th.” “Oh! So you just recently turned 16 then?” “Yup! How about you? When’s your birthday?” “February 2nd.” “So you’re not that far behind me then. You were born in 99 though, right?” “Yea, how about you?” “98, so I’m not that much older than you guys, oh, assuming that you guys all have the same birthday.” “We do actually. Donnie looked into what he could find from the old files that April could find on us from the TCRI experiments and we all actually are blood related and were born the exact same day and in the order that we thought. When we were kids, there were times when we were curious about whether we all actually were related to each other or not since physically we have similarities, like how me and Leo have the exact same eye color and then Raph’s match Donnie’s spot on, but personality wise each of us are so different. There were also times when we weren’t sure who was actually the oldest. For example, Donnie can sometimes be wise and calm like Leo, plus he’s been the tallest of us four for a long time now, so we all wondered if he could actually be one of the oldest of us four. There were other times where we wondered if Raph was the oldest because he’s always been the strongest. But regardless of these curious thoughts, somehow our instincts helped us know who was really the oldest to youngest, but it was nice to officially know that we are all blood related and the order of our births though.”

Sam smiled as she looked over at him. She was walking along his left side, so she was able to see his left shoulder where his shell tattoo was. “I still can’t believe you have that.” “What?” he said tilting his head to the side. “A tattoo. Like, I just can’t believe you guys learned how to do all that, and they look really good to!” “Dawwww you’re to kind miss.” “Do your brothers have any? And who printed them?” “Oh yeah! Leo has another shell tattoo like this on his right arm, and he also has a tattoo on his left bicep of turtles in a row with lines above and below them. The one on his bicep is a design that he made when he was younger so the design means a lot to him. Raph has a shell tattoo on his shoulder to, but of course the design is a bit different because he had to go be soooo cool and be different, pfftt! Whatever” he said as he rolled his eyes. “Anyway, Raph printed ALL the shell tattoos, but Leo printed the one on his left bicep with a little help from Raph, and I printed the one on my wrist all by myself.” “I guess Donnie doesn’t have any?” “He does actually! He has a smaller shell tattoo like this one on the top of his left shoulder, he just has so much gear on all the time that you can never see it.” “Wow, just from what you’ve told me this past week, I thought he would be a total health freak and wouldn’t let a needle anywhere near his skin.” Mikey chuckled. “You’re spot on when you say that, that’s why he ONLY has the shell tattoo, and it’s the smallest of all four of our shell tattoos. But we’ve all seen the shell tat as a symbol that represents our family, that’s the sole reason he allowed it. The rest of us have at least one other, but he would only allow that one.” “So then what’s the meaning of this one?” I asked as I pointed to the cursive writing on his left wrist. “Honestly that was a mix of me being extremely proud of myself both for learning how to print my own tattoo AND for learning how to write in cursive. Our dad taught us…basically everything we’ve ever really learned, but I was always the last one to really understand anything, so this tattoo was pretty much me rewarding and praising myself for learning the two skills.” “That’s really cool” I said with a beaming smile. “I love hearing stories about meaningful tattoos. Again this is just my personal opinion, but I just don’t get the point in getting a ton of random tattoos, but I think meaningful tattoos are really nice. Ha, is there a reason for your brother branding kanji on his shoulder?” “Oh no that one’s is just him trying to look super cool. Like even Leo who’s all for tattoos thought he was crazy for that one.” We both had to cover our mouths so that we didn’t laugh too loud in the middle of the night. “Does the kanji have a relative meaning to his life or anything at least?” He nodded. “That I can luckily say yes to. It matches the kanji on the top of his bandana.” My eyebrows rose in surprise. “I never realized he had kanji on the top of his head.” “Really? I guess you didn’t notice mine then either.” “No! Where is it?” He stopped and held the end of the left strap of his bandana so that the cloth was flat so that the kanji was visible. “Whoa! I never noticed that until now! Do all four of you have this as well?” “Yup! Leo’s is on the right side near his eyes and it stands for ‘patience,’ Raph’s kanji on his shoulder and on the top of his bandana reads ‘anger’ and the kanji on his right strap reads ‘beast,’ Donnie’s kanji on his left strap stands for ‘bright’ and he also has a small turtle print above it, and then MINE stands for ‘heart’ which I have a lot of because I’m just incredibly amazing. I guess I should also point out that there’s kanji painted on the back of my shell as well.” “NO THERE’S NOT!” “SHHHH!” “Dude…I swear I’ve been living under a rock. How have I not noticed any of this?!” “Because you weren’t looking for it, but now you are!” “Wow, I was not expecting this Psychology 101 type of info today. I was un-prepared.” “Hehe, oh hey there’s a ladder coming up, if you put my board in your bag then I can carry you up.” I nodded as he handed me his board. It was as I was securing his board to the straps on the back of my bag that I noticed the writing on the back of his shell for the first time. I hopped up onto his back as I carefully swung my arms around his neck and held on as he climbed up the ladder to the roof of the building. “So what does it stand for then?” “Mine stands for ‘child,’ a perfect fit for me if I do say so myself” he chuckled. “Mine? So your brothers have spray paint on their shells as well?” “Leo and Raph do. Leo has ‘honor’ painted in blue on his shell, and Raph has ‘family’ in red on the back of his. Hehe, Leo can write in Japanese perfectly, but when it comes to paint he just can’t keep himself from making mistakes, so don’t tell anyone this, but because I had to paint the kanji on Raph’s shell I secretly wrote ‘Mikey’s the best’ in really small Japanese characters in brown on his shell in a really hard to see spot.” “Damn, and I thought branding kanji into your skin was badass, but this totally tops everything you’ve said about your brothers! But don’t worry your secret is safe with me.” As we reached the top of the building, he put me down and put his knuckles out for a fist bump. “Thanks bruh.” I returned the gesture. “Cowabunga!” “Booyakasha!”

It only took a few more minutes and the two had reached the apartment. It had gotten pretty late by the time they returned home, time passing by much quicker since they made the decision to walk home. The last few minutes continued to be filled with nothing but kind and humorous conversation between the two friends, both enjoying the others company. Mikey slowly began to notice that Sam asked a lot more questions and did a lot more listening than making comments about her own family and life, but he also assumed this was because he was a giant mutant turtle. Most people would probably want to talk more about that than everyday life. Once they reached the apartment the two said their goodbyes and decided to call it a night, but both couldn’t wait for the following night, hoping that they would get to hangout and have another great night goofing off together just like they had tonight. 

[failureoftheyear-blog]

I will go down with this ship: Chapter 7

"Can someone grab the damn thing?!" Naruto yelled, the entire crew trying to do as they were ordered, but failing. Said order was to catch the recent addition to the boat. A monkey. The animal was avoiding the crew and often making its way back to Naruto to blow a raspberry, Naruto was frustrated with the thing since it had stolen his hat. "Get back here you scurvy bastard!" Naruto yelled, the small monkey amused with his annoyance. Naruto drew his pistol and aimed for the active thief. "Get ready for Davy Jones's Locker…" Naruto muttered.

Sasuke had had it.

Sasuke huffed and stood up, he was trying to think and all he could hear was the loud commotion from upstairs. The last bit of patience had snapped when he heard the attack of a gun. He was angry rather than scared, so he stomped up the stairs and opened the door. He looked around to see the crew running like chickens with their heads cut off. Sasuke didn't know if it was because their captain was currently shooting like a madman or they couldn't figure their place. Sasuke targeted the shooting blonde and stomped over. Poking his chest aggressively.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?! You're giving me a blasted headache!" Sasuke exclaimed, Naruto's eyes darting around riotously.

"Sorry to bother you, love, but I've a little pain in the arse that needs dealing with" Naruto explained, cocking his pistol once more, though Sasuke was left unsatisfied.

"I don't care, stop preceding in such primitive ways" Sasuke complained, Naruto's eyes narrowed in on the monkey. During Naruto's concentration, Sasuke was able to fully see Naruto's wild spikes, no doubt reflecting Naruto's own self. Sasuke's gaze lingered on it before speaking once again, "Are you listening, dobe?" Sasuke questioned, hands on hip, though Naruto smirked.

"Aye, ye flea-ridden ache, prepare to be fish food" Naruto leered, Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's theatrical performance, Naruto shot but cursed, "Missed, damnit" Naruto grumbled, Sasuke sighed.

"Can you stop concentrating on the monkey for one second?" Sasuke stated, Naruto raised an eyebrow towards him.

"You know, no man would dare approach me when I hold my readied gun" Naruto spoke huskily, putting his firearm on display to the unimpressed audience, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"As intimidating as you are, I'll refrain from running scared" Sasuke retorted sarcastically, Naruto chuckled and reloaded his gun once more. Focusing on the target.

"Don't worry, love, I'll give you all the attention you deserve after I kill this thieving bastard" Naruto promised, Sasuke scoffed and walked off.

"Whatever" Sasuke responded, caught off guard as the monkey decided to reign on his shoulder, Sasuke looked at the brown, little thing. Unorthodoxly wearing a little white blouse, a red waist coat and fez. "Wha-get off of me!" Sasuke exclaimed, Sasuke raised his hand to swipe at the animal, but said animal offered Sasuke something that made him hold off on his attack. Naruto's hat. Sasuke blinked a few times and held the hat with his hand. The monkey jumped off of Sasuke's shoulder and disappeared.

"Ah! My hat! Love, pass it here!" Naruto requested from across the way, Sasuke stared at the hat before a devious expression came across his face.

"Hmm, no" Sasuke answered, Naruto's eyes widened.

"Wha…" Naruto trailed off before adjusting to a clearly nervous smile, "Heh, heh, funny gag, love, now give it back" Naruto asked, the whole crew now watching Sasuke. Sasuke tilted his head up to the sky with a mockingly thoughtful expression, placing a finger on his chin.

"Hmm, no" Sasuke answered, Naruto let out a small growl.

"Alright, love, just give the hat" Naruto repeated, Sasuke casually began to walk in a slow manner.

"Hmm, no" Sasuke answered, Naruto was starting to get a little agitated, "I mean, if you're oh so desperate then I suppose we can work something out" Sasuke stated, Naruto eyed Sasuke to wait for his demands. "I'm not foolish enough to try and bargain your hat for my freedom, but I will be making my stay here more comfortable" Sasuke explained, staring Naruto in the eye, "I want the room I've been given to have certain…necessities" Sasuke let out, Naruto watched him carefully.

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

"First, a bed, a proper one, then a lamp and candles because it is darker than Satan's soul down there" Sasuke complained, "Then I want some tasteful books, a mirror, a satchel, for what you don't need to know" Sasuke ordered, Naruto's eyes twitching at every command, "Pen, paper, an empty bottle, a hairbrush, lotions and oils, suitable food, and finally a calendar, so I can count how long I'm stuck here" Sasuke finished, Naruto scoffed.

"And I don't?" Naruto asked, Sasuke stopped walking and raised the hat to hover over the side of the boat, Naruto tensed since the hat meant something more to him than the entire ship.

"Then you can say goodbye to your precious hat" Sasuke spoke, Naruto placed his hand on his hip.

"And if I kill you, love?" Naruto asked casually, Sasuke remained unfazed.

"I do not fear death…Naruto" Sasuke replied, it was an intense stare-off from then, Sasuke refused to back down as did Naruto, the wind being the only commentary, Naruto huffed slightly.

"Fine…you'll get what you want" Naruto promised begrudgingly, "But pull a stunt like this again then I really will have to reprimand you, love" Naruto stated, Sasuke threw the hat and Naruto caught it, placing it back on his head, "Tenten, Kiba, Lee, go prepare Sasuke's room" Naruto ordered, they nodded and began their order. Sasuke felt the mixed expressions of everyone on the ship, "As you were" Naruto said to his crew, they slowly returned to manning the ship. Naruto gestured Sasuke over, the raven hesitantly approached him where Naruto leant in close, "If you wanted a few adjustments, you could have just asked" Naruto whispered, Sasuke looked surprised. Naruto smirked at him, "Unless you were trying to impress me, in that case it worked" Naruto chuckled huskily.

"What do you want with me?" Sasuke whispered back in a warning tone.

"Dangerous question, love"

"Stop that, I'm serious, I want to know what you really intend to do with me" Sasuke ordered, Naruto leant back and observed the determined boy before him. Naruto jerked his head to indicate 'Follow'. Sasuke did as they when to the side of the boat, Naruto comfortably leant on the side, calmly observing the sea.

"I've been thinking" Naruto started.

"Somehow I doubt that" Sasuke replied dryly, Naruto chuckling.

"Hn…" Naruto responded, silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts, "How about a proposal?" Naruto asked, Sasuke scoffed.

"No thanks, I'm taken"

"Not like that" Naruto spoke, Sasuke gave him a strange look, "I was thinking instead about not taking money from your brother" Naruto stated, Sasuke instantly intrigued by the suggestion, "I mean, if you help us find this treasure then that'll compensate the money we would've gotten for you" Naruto explained, "So I guess what I'm asking is, will you help us find the lost Treasure of White eye?" Naruto finally asked, Sasuke was staring shocked towards him, since confliction made itself apparent. One half screaming that it went against everything he was brought up to believe, but the other knowing the effect it would have on his brother. Sasuke remained diverged while Naruto examined his uncertainty, "If you help us, we'll return you safe and sound, and we'll never bother you or your brother again" Naruto added, Sasuke had to seriously consider what he was going to do next, since it was going to bring him to the point of no return. Though Sasuke could've bear the thought to be away from his brother any longer, but he didn't want to hurt him in any way.

"I…I don't know, just let me think about it" Sasuke requested, Naruto nodded.

"Got it" Naruto understood, it was quiet before the monkey from before hopped in front of them, Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Little shit, c'mere!" Naruto hissed, attempting to grab at the animal, but Sasuke smacked his hand away.

"Don't, you've caused enough headache with that thing, besides, he helped me negotiate" Sasuke added.

"More like blackmail…" Naruto mumbled, Sasuke ignored him and instead observed the little monkey, Naruto took an apple from a nearby barrel and was about to chomp down when Sasuke took it and offered it to the monkey, "Hey! I was gonna eat that!" Naruto complained.

"I was going to live a perfect life, then I got kidnapped" Sasuke retorted, Naruto shut his mouth and pouted as the monkey thoroughly enjoyed the apple, Sasuke gave an amused smile as he watched the monkey, "Funny little monkey…I think I'll name him" Sasuke stated.

"Her" Naruto corrected, Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?"

"No cock" Naruto answered, Sasuke grimacing.

"Oh for Pete's sake, you could have just said you know by their lower region" Sasuke hissed, Naruto shrugging.

"Fine, I know that the monkey doesn't have a cock in its lower region" Naruto teased, Sasuke sighed annoyed.

"Forget it" Sasuke snapped, though Sasuke was calmed by the monkey and observed it quietly for a while, "I like Kita" Sasuke said, smiling a bit, "It's what I was going to call my daughter someday…" Sasuke muttered, lost in his thoughts with a serene expression. Naruto stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Hn, you should save something as pretty as that for your kid…how about Nao?" Naruto suggested, Sasuke nodded.

"I like that, I'm surprised you came up with it" Sasuke remarked, Naruto chuckled.

"I named the ship pretty well" Naruto informed.

"What is your vessel called?" Sasuke enquired.

"Kyuubi" Naruto answered, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"After the demon fox? Why am I not surprised?" Sasuke shook his head, Naruto nodded his head however.

"Because legend has it that the demon fox was defeated by a fearsome warrior and was dust in his presence, however the spirit of the demon fox was not destroyed" Naruto spoke in a mysterious tone, "The spirit contained all of the demon's power and sought out hosts to expel his influence, so the spirit now reincarnates every hundred years to give a mortal the command of a god" Naruto trailed off, smirking as his lips suddenly were next to Sasuke's ear, making Sasuke gasp lightly and tense, "So that power goes into hands capable of unthinkable things…" Naruto whispered out, Sasuke shivered slightly, "Like being an unbelievably, sexy, blonde captain" Naruto smirked, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Dobe" Sasuke remarked, pushing Naruto away from him, Naruto laughed at the trick he played.

"Dobe? I heard you call me that earlier, why?" Naruto asked, titling his head.

"Because you are a dobe" Sasuke answered curtly, Naruto chuckled in response, "Aw, sweet, you have a pet name for me" Naruto cooed teasingly, Sasuke scoffed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself" Sasuke remarked, his eyes glanced to the side to see Sakura talking to what Sasuke assumed to be her friends, Sasuke stared for a moment before excusing himself, "I'll get back to you with my answer soon, I…need to take care of something first" Sasuke explained, Naruto nodded and let him go. Sasuke nervously walked over to Sakura, quietly getting her attention with a subtle cough, Sakura turned to face him with a surprised expression.

"Sasuke?"

"May...I speak to you for a moment?" Sasuke requested, Sakura nodded slowly and followed Sasuke to a more private part of the ship. Both of them facing the talkative sea, Sasuke let out a sigh, "I'm sorry" Sasuke apologised, Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sorr-? S-Sasuke, you have nothing to apologise for!" Sakura stuttered, Sasuke remained stubborn however.

"Yes, I do, I've…been judging you, not really listening to your side of the story, I sometimes forget that…you…you aren't the same girl from when we were young" Sasuke responded, Sakura gave a sympathetic expression.

"I'm not…but that doesn't mean we can't be friends, like when we were young" Sakura proposed, but Sasuke shook his head.

"You said that you belong here, now I won't begin to think about that, but I know that we're from two different worlds now, and I think that means that we can't be like we once were" Sasuke replied, Sakura felt tears sting her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"I…I can't lose you" Sakura whispered out, Sasuke didn't look at her, he merely lowered his eyes to the sea's churning.

"It's for the best, it'll only make it harder for when we have to part" Sasuke gulped down, Sakura shook her head and sighed.

"Two years…two years and we can't even look at each other" Sakura spoke shakily, gripping her arms. Sasuke painfully gave her a glance, her turmoil heart-breaking. It remained the excruciating silence for a moment before Sasuke opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. He lacked the necessary words to speak to her, it was a little hard to look at her. Sasuke shifted before glancing at her again. He retorted to what he would as a child.

"Do you remember that demented rhyme we came up with when we were young?" Sasuke stated, Sakura looked over at him, smiling faintly at the memory.

"Mm-hm…Mary had a little lamb…" Sakura started, Sasuke smirking slightly.

"With wool of red and white…" Sasuke sang.

"It crept into her room one night…" Sakura sang back.

"And set her body alight!" They both sang in unison, going into a fit of giggles. They calmed down.

"What demented children we were" Sakura tittered, Sasuke nodded his head.

"Mm…" Sasuke agreed, Sakura smiled once again.

"Do you remember how you helped me get over the dark at night?" Sakura asked, Sasuke nodded, recalling the sweet reminiscence.

FLASHBACK

The small, raven-haired boy of five was stirred awake by small whimpers and cries. Sasuke opened his sleepy eyes and looked over to his guest bed, he saw a shivering heap of terror and frowned.

"Sakura?" Sasuke voiced, Sakura squeaked and hid more under her covers, Sasuke frowned again at her fright and spoke, "Sakura, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked, Sakura peeked out of her covers with teary eyes.

"T-T-There's a m-m-monster under my b-bed" Sakura stuttered, Sasuke blinked a few times before realising why she was so scared. He hopped out of his own bed and walked over to hers.

"Sakura, you don't have to be scared, I'm right here to fight any stinky monsters!" Sasuke promised, on his tiptoes to place his head on the side of the bed. Sakura looked towards him.

"R-Really?" Sakura voiced, Sasuke nodded.

"Uh-huh, and, um, if anything tries to hurt me, you'll fight them too" Sasuke stated, Sakura seemed alarmed by her new protective role.

"I-I will?!" Sakura squeaked, still shaking. Sasuke nodded and pulled himself up on the bed.

"Uh-huh, because you and me are really strong warriors and we'll always have each other" Sasuke smiled, offering his tiny hand. Sakura slowly took it and was able to see Sasuke's face via moonlight. She smiled at the angel-like features of her friend.

A small gust of wind from outside scared Sakura and made her quickly retreat back in the covers. Sasuke frowned and thought of ways to try and help his friend, he settled for one thing that always made people happy.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey" Sasuke sang softly, Sakura peeking out of her covers once again, "You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away" He continued, his soft voice reassuring the girl, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey, you never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away…" Sasuke repeated, singing over and over again till Sakura eventually crawled out of the sheets. She smiled brightly.

"S-Sasuke, am I really your sunshine?" Sakura asked, Sasuke smiled and nodded, making Sakura giggle.

"Okay-dokey, then…you're my moonshine!" Sakura spoke happily, "And I'll take on all the monsters!" Sakura proclaimed excitedly, Sasuke smiled.

"We'll take on all the monsters" Sasuke promised, they held hands and giggled away. Eventually falling asleep together.

Sakura was never frightened by the dark again.

END OF FLASHBACK

Sakura was smiling at memory, as was Sasuke.

"Out of every guard and every single sentinel, you were the one I considered my knight, I know it's strange, but…it's just how I saw you" Sakura admitted, Sasuke wasn't that caught off guard by that, he knew that he had been her cavalier in a sense. Though he never really saw why. "Is it…so bad if we were friends as we were before? I mean…I know it's stupid, but…" Sakura trailed off. Sasuke stared at her and saw her expression. It was the same for when she was scared, the one that Sasuke made a solid oath to prevent. Sasuke brushed his fingers against hers, the way they used to before. Sakura looked towards him, he smiled.

"We were always friends" Sasuke stated, his expression kind, "Sunshine…" Sasuke finished, Sakura smiled and leaped up to hug Sasuke, something she had wanted to do since she had left. Sasuke hugged her back. Not realising more much he had missed her friendship. Naruto smiled as he approached them, he knew that Sakura had wanted this more than anything.

"So, I trust you've made your decision?" Naruto spoke, Sasuke pulled away from Sakura to look at him, he nodded.

"Yes…I will help you" Sasuke stated, Sakura was confused but too glad to care. Naruto smirked.

"Well then, welcome aboard the Kyuubi and its crew" Naruto greeted, a gleam in his eyes. His plan was now in motion, because now the more time he spent with Sasuke, the more chance he had of convincing him to stay. His plan was going smoothing, now it was just a matter of finishing it.

Though deception is the curse of the calmness.

The cringe is real people.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Eighty-Six: Listen to the Song ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Itachi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

“So, this is it, huh? Last collegiate performance.”

Walking beside his brother, Itachi glances over before nodding. “It is...I’m certain it will be bittersweet. But I already have a seat in the city’s local orchestra for the coming season. I won’t be without a place to play for long.”

Sasuke keeps hands tucked in his pockets, expression a bit unreadable.

“...surely you’ll still come to the performances? You’ve never missed a single one.”

“Yeah, of course...so long as I can afford it,” the younger brother replies, managing a small smile but still watching the sidewalk.

“I’m sure I can pull some strings if need be.”

Silence falls for a time before Sasuke speaks again. “...guess it’s just...gonna be weird. Knowing you’re not on campus anymore, or…” Shoulders shrug.

“I won’t be going far, Sasuke. At least, not for a good while. If opportunity calls elsewhere, I may leave...but for now, I have a place here. Besides, I still have two weeks before the semester ends.” Watching his brother thoughtfully, Itachi then offers, “Would you like to come to one of the rehearsals? A little backstage pass, so to speak?”

That earns a glance. “...would that be okay?”

“I highly doubt anyone will mind. Besides, there’s someone there you’ll likely want to see again.”

Sasuke frowns. “...are you doing another duet…?”

Before he can stop it, Itachi snorts. “Well, yes...but that’s not what I mean.” Brows lift. “Hinata will be there.”

“She’s performing again?”

“Sadly, no. But she’s been assisting with setups and arrangements. She’s attended every group practice so far and has been a great help. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

Ever so slightly, Sasuke’s shoulders hunch. “It’s not like we’re friends...we just talked for a few minutes after your last concert.”

“Oh? Well...I must have misread her asking about you then,” the elder brother replies blithely.

“...she asked about me?”

“Yes, every so often. Hinata seems rather curious about you. I indulge her when I can, but I’ve tried to leave some questions for you to answer.”

“...are you setting me up?”

“I might be. Is that so bad?”

“You’re turning into Mom.”

“Oh please, Sasuke,” Itachi replies, looking jokingly offended. “I suggest much better girls for you than Mother does.”

They both break into snickering, and Sasuke can’t help but feel his spirits lighten. As much as he might fear his brother entering a new era of his life, and what that might mean for time they can spend together...it’s good to know that, for now, things are still the same.

“Okay, yeah - I’ll come to your practice - I can just bring my work with me.”

“It will be Friday afternoon - you’ll have all weekend to work, won’t you?”

“Well, yeah...but -”

“Just consider it a small break,” Itachi insists.

Reading him like a book, Sasuke grins. “Okay, okay...I’ll spare more time for talking to her.”

“Brilliant.”

Whatever will make his brother happy.

By week’s end, Sasuke actually has a rather light homework load, anyway. He should be able to finish it all in the following day, then have Sunday to just...do whatever. Not that he tends to do much in his free time, anyway.

So, that’s less guilt about going to the music department Friday afternoon.

He’s only been in here a handful of times, and never for very long - usually just to meet his brother, or have a quick discussion better had in person than over text. Peering in a bit warily at first, he steps in and just...tries to look like he belongs there until finding the proper room.

It’s filled with a variety of instruments, and several are occupied as bits and pieces of warmup are had. Near the front of the room is Itachi, seated at his usual piano. And beside it, going over sheet music with him, is the same woman he dueted with in his last concert.

There’s a few moments where Sasuke watches them, unnoticed by the door. She’s standing while he sits, hip cocked toward him and leaning in, pointing at the paper. In turn, Itachi sits up, angled toward her and paying rapt attention.

“Cute, aren’t they?”

Almost jumping out of his skin, Sasuke turns to see Hinata beside him, looking gleeful at having caught him off-guard. “I...w-what?”

She nods toward the other pair. “Your brother! They were pretty friendly before the last performance...and I think it’s only getting worse.”

Before he can stop it, a glance back to them begets a bit of a pout.

“Not j-jealous, are you?”

“No…”

Only looking all the more convinced, Hinata changes the subject. “So, here to watch?”

“Yeah, Itachi thought I should. I was never...musically inclined, so most of this is all above and beyond me.”

“Aw, really? I’ve always loved music...I’ve practiced harp since I was very young. At first we tried piano, but...it wasn’t quite my style.”

Tearing his eyes from his brother, Sasuke realizes this is the part where he’s supposed to make conversation. “Itachi was always a natural. He was playing before I was even born.”

“He’s...five years older?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s funny, I’m five years older than my little sister! She’s going to be a freshman this coming year in high school.”

“She play anything?”

“Well...not instruments. She’s really into soccer and volleyball. I did a bit of the latter in high school, but...well, I w-wasn’t exactly varsity material,” Hinata laughs.

“Everyone’s got their own strengths.”

“So, what are yours?”

That earns a shrug. “Well...I’m planning on going into law, so...whatever that entails.”

“Oh, I see! My father’s a lawyer!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! If you ever need, like...an internship or something, I can ask him!”

Sasuke blinks. “...okay.”

“Hinata.”

The pair turn to Itachi. “Yeah?”

“You should have Sasuke listen to the song you’ve been working on,” the elder brother suggests. “We’re still warming up, so there’s time before we’ll need your help.”

“...o-oh! Um...okay.”

“Got something you’re practising?”

“S...sorta? There’s a songwriting contest this Summer, so...I’m working on a piece.”

“You wrote a song?”

“Yeah!” Emboldened by Sasuke’s wonder, Hinata perks up, smiling. “It’s not quite finished, but...I’ve been getting some tips from everyone, including your brother! You...wanna hear it?”

“Sure.”

Nodding, Hinata leads them toward the rear of the room where the harp she performed on stands. “Just, uh...don’t laugh if I mess up. I haven’t gone through it all very many times…”

“No way - I couldn’t even begin to play that thing. I’ve got no room to laugh.”

Taking her seat and adjusting some music on the stand, Hinata scans over it before giving a nervous glance. “Okay...um, here goes…”

Fingers lift, hovering over the strings for a long moment before beginning to pluck.

It starts slow, soft, and quiet. Staring out at nothing to better concentrate on what he hears, Sasuke listens as it builds in tempo, fluttering and dancing. He can almost see a scene play out in his mind, following the rises and falls of the music. It’s not like anything he’s ever heard before...though, granted, he tends to listen to anything but harp music. He’s more of a soft rock sort of guy.

Then it slows...and stops. And Sasuke finds himself blinking. Is that it…?

“That’s as far as I’ve gotten,” she admits sheepishly. “I haven’t figured out how to end it yet.”

“Well, what you’ve got is great. It’s very…” He doesn’t know good terms for describing music. “...lively. Like...it tells a story…?”

“That’s what I was going for! It sort of...narrates a little movie in my head,” is her next confession, hunching a bit in embarrassment.

“I think it’s awesome. I’ll have to hear the rest when it’s done.”

“...okay! I hope to have it done - at least the rough draft - by the end of the year. I want to have everyone’s opinions before they leave.”

“I’m sure my brother would still help you after.”

“He did say he would...he’s really nice.”

“Yeah...he’s pretty great.”

“Guess that means I might see you, too…?” There’s a hint of a hopeful lilt to her voice he’s not sure she intended to reveal.

“Yeah, sure. I dunno if I’d be much help…”

“Well, it’s still nice to have another opinion! Itachi tells me you’ve been to all his recitals. You might not make music, but you do know it. Even if you think you don’t. And...it’d be nice to see you over the Summer.” A light tinge of a blush blooms in her cheeks.

Sasuke can’t help but feel his own face warm. “...yeah.”

“All right Hinata, I think we’re ready!” Itachi calls, and both of them startle.

“Oh! I...better get over there. Gonna stay and watch?”

“Guess I might as well.” Itching his neck as Hinata dashes over, Sasuke does his best to ignore an ever-so-slight flight of butterflies in his stomach before following and sitting on a spare speaker. Watching as Hinata helps direct the pair through their piece, he forces himself not to stare.

...maybe it was a good idea to come, after all.

     Guh, another late night! Had a lot of trouble getting into the groove of this one, but...I think it turned out all right!      So this is a 'sequel' to a waaay earlier piece: day twelve, where Sasuke heard Hinata play her harp in a concert Itachi was also in. Give its musical focus, I figured it'd make sense to connect it to another entry with 'song' in the title, lol      Looks like someone's got a crush :3c And by someone, I mean both of them, haha - all the better for some mutual pining before they give in and date! Maybe another entry will give me a chance to write some additional sequels - time will tell!      But, for now, I need to get to bed. Thanks for reading!

[celeryw]

Word Count: 1.2k

Relationships: NaruSakuSasu, BD&AF&CF&MB&SB, hints to CF/BD and CF/t20

Summary: Hatake Kakashi is the leader of Team Kakashi, Team Seven and Team 20. He doesn’t want team 20 at first but because they didn’t have a jounin sensei and he was unlucky and there was five of them, he had to. 

Notes: I 100% made up the names that aren’t the titles lol also this is vaguely within the game’s canon but i bent a few things to make it work

ao3 link

He starts with four on a team, a complete exception to the three cell teams. Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Takashi Uchiha were not too great as a team, the younger three were somehow always at odds and Takashi had his own problems. Its the original team 20 that causes him the most trouble, technically this group of teenagers shouldve had a jounin sensei but (and there’s always a but) the designated teacher died in a confrontation with Kumo and they had no one. Unlucky for Kakashi he was picked out of a hat to take the team, he’s pretty sure the Third fuckn cheated. 

Uchiha Takashi is not close to the other three, he dotes on his cousin but otherwise he has 0 reasons to talk to Sakura or Naruto. He’s sixteen years old and controlling the Uchiha Compoud, constantly arguing with the council about what will happen to it. He’s tired and just wants his parents, he doesn’t want this responsibility. Kakashi often walks him home, Sasuke trailing behind angsting and Takashi wish a blank look on his face. Kakashi doesn’t know what to do with them.

Team twenty is, to put it bluntly, a mess. They’re haphazardly thrown together and while they are amiable they still don’t bond. It sometimes feels like they don’t know each other at all, every time they come to training Kakashi feels a little bit of his soul chip away. Shun Nakamura is blunt and rude and closes in on himself too much, same with Hiroko Oshiro but she sugarcoats her words until they no longer have her opinion and Rikuto Yamashita laughs loud but is often sideyeing the exit of the training field. They don’t work together, they don’t look at each other at all. Kakashi knows he should bell test them, but what for? Three teenaged civilians destined for the genin corps?

He bell tests them under the orders of the Third. They pass, somehow, and Kakashi starts to think up ways to make them actually take being a shinobi seriously. 

It’s really hard, he often has to combine the two teams he doesn’t have enough time to teach two teams at different times. He first teaches them the basics, how to sense their own chakra and use it. Tree climbing was interesting. Sakura has the best chakra control out of all seven of them. The older ones next, followed by Sasuke and then Naruto (after Hiroko gives him a few pointers). 

The older ones really hit off, he notices during a D-rank, Takashi fits right in with Hiroko and Rikuto. Kakashi is happy about this. Shun takes a few more missions to warm up but soon, there’s Team Seven and Team Twenty, Takashi in between. Teamwork starts to look good and he’s so relieved he shows them how to check for elemental nature.

It’s terrible, everything is terrible. Kakashi is in despair. There’s going to be an addition to one of his teams. He hasn’t heard much about it yet but he’s concerned because they only just started working well together and now they have to readjust around. Shun is the first to hear the news, he tells them over ramen. The registration ninja were talking about a Suna family migrating to Konoha, they’re living in the civilian sector but apparently the kid is genin to chuunin level. Kakashi feels more of his soul chip away. He has a really bad feeling.

Kazue Tachibana is tall blonde and sixteen. Kakashi hates it because as soon as Rikuto sees her he has a stellar blush on his face. This is going to suck, he thinks to himself as he gets ready for bed, but he can deal, he thinks as he closes his eyes and falls asleep.

Kazue is a wind ninja, her previous mentor had showed her and she knows how to use the fan on her back. She’s strong and completely out of team twenty’s league, he resents it a little so he shows the rest of team twenty a few ninjutsu that are in each of their elements. Hiroko learns the Water Release: Poison Fog really easily, he’s impressed. Shun takes a few tries to master Lightning Sealing Slash, using a blade his mother gifts him. Rikuto gets the Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu which he has yet to fully master, but at least there is a rock formed and it is big. Takashi has the standard Great Fireball Jutsu and learns Fire Style: Phoenix Fire which is just so much fire, triple the fire ball. 

Team twenty-seven goes on the first C-rank for the team, it feels like too much to send on a simple escort mission, so Kakashi deduces that something is up. Which, of course, he is right and because he is right, he is punished by the gods and has to fight Momochi Zabuza with all eight of his kids present and fearful. 

It turns out okay, and Naruto uses his clones to finish the bridge.The bridge is named the Great Naruto Bridge which is hilarious and Kazue, Shun and Sasuke snicker to themselves in the late hours of the night. Naruto is obviously flattered and the team feels like it fits together well. It’s a nice feeling and Kakashi likes the warm fondness settling in his chest. 

Team seven starts to come together, Sasuke listens to his teammates now and sometimes Kakashi can spot a bit of a blush whenever he’s talking to Hiroko or Kazue (Takashi finds it so funny and is always hiding a laugh behind his hands). Sakura’s gotten over her huge crush and it’s settled to a calmer affection that is gentle smiles and soft words shared between the three. Naruto is less loud, he knows that Sasuke will acknowledge him, and Sakura is a guiding hand through things he finds difficult (he still doesn’t want to tell any of them about his guest, he feels like they would hate him for a good reason, he wants these normal days to last forever)

Team twenty becomes an actual team then, Kazue feels like the final piece of team twenty and Takashi moves over to join his agemates. Hiroko is less shy and smiles a lot more, she’s more open about her interests and often drags Takashi and Kazue shopping (because Shun and Rikuto refuse, vehemently). Shun gets really fast, there’s a huge debate about the Fourth’s technique getting passed on to two people instead of one. Takashi does not sell the Uchiha Compound, mostly because Hiroko moves in and he opens the compound to the rest of the team, he rents out a few though. Rikuto is attached and he really cares, the crush he has on Kazue has grown and also incorporated more people (he’s a little concerned and isn’t sure that this is normal he wants to talk to someone about it but he doesn’t really know who).

 Team twenty has five cells and team seven has three, they share a jounin sensei. Kakashi wouldn’t have it any other way.