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bakubabes-tatakae · 5 years ago

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A Kunoichi’s Betrayal || Kakashi x Reader x Obito/Tobi

With the brilliant idea by @chidori-mint we bring you this (Kakashi x Reader x Obito/Tobi) collab! I hope you all like it. 🥰

Find Part Two Here!

Pairing: Kakashi x Reader x Obito/Tobi

Summary: Just when you decide to finally close a painful chapter in your life and to embrace a fresh start someone from your past will come to face you again.

A/N: Rin does not exist in the AU.

Warnings: angst, major character death in beginning, smut, unprotected sex, non-con, violence

Word Count: 4.8k

*Four Years Ago*

Ninja came back through the gates, your wandering eyes searched for one particular ninja, but the dark-haired weirdo was nowhere to be seen. You searched and searched, running frantically through the crowd of people that were flooding back in. No one would answer you as you begged for someone to tell you where he was. Obito had to be okay, you sat out one mission due to being ill before they left, there was no way that something happened to him.

Finally, you saw the blonde hair of a familiar man. You ran to your sensei, Minato, and when he turned to you you knew. His face read nothing but pain, not physical pain, but emotional. Your arms immediately felt heavy at your sides. Your body was completely numb. The silver-haired ninja next to him saw you dropping and ran to your side. You dropped to your knees on the ground, falling into the arms of Kakashi Hatake. The only words that he could muster were something you didn’t want to hear. It would never make the situation any better. “I’m sorry.”

Kakashi pulled you into his chest, muffling the sounds of your sobs as the people around you started to stare. This was all a joke, Obito would come running out soon to apologize for how bad of a joke it was. He had to. But when no one came you couldn’t stop yourself anymore. Your screams made Kakashi cringe, he had never wanted to see you like this. He had done everything in his power to keep this from happening. He held you tighter as you shook in his arms.

Minato walked up to you and knelt down beside you. “Y/n, I’m so sorry. We did everything that we could. I blame myself, if I had been there sooner, maybe I could have helped them.”

You never even looked up, the only reason he knew you heard him was that you stilled in Kakashi’s arms.

Kakashi placed a hand on your head while the other held you close. “I promised him I’d protect you Y/n.” His voice broke with every word. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do, even if it takes my life.”

*Present Day*

The butterflies that had made your stomach their home were new. And it was every damn time you saw that silver-haired Jonin. What was he doing to you? This wasn’t supposed to be possible. No, you had to just keep fighting through it. You were just nervous about the mission you were all about to embark on. Nervous about what might happen, you were heading for disaster any way you looked at it.

Kakashi had promised to protect you and he had always done just that. There was a knock on your front door, it startled you out of the funk you had been in. Reliving every moment of the day you found out about Obito’s death and then dealing with these weird feelings you were developing for Kakashi. You shook your head quickly, hoping it would shake away these thoughts. You stood from your couch and sauntered toward the door. You still hadn’t even accepted Obito’s death, even after four years, you still questioned every day if it was all a big joke.

The amount of time you had walked through the village and expected to see the black-haired goofball come around you and scoop you up from behind like he always did. As you reached for the door handle you let out a sigh, it was louder than you anticipated it to be as the copy ninja commented from the outside. “Y/n, it’s me. Are you alright in there?”

You slowly opened the door, wrapping the blanket that you had around you tighter. “I’m fine, just a lot on my mind.”

“Thinking about Obito again?” He slowly came inside as you stepped back and walked to the couch again. “I think about him a lot too.”

You pulled your legs underneath you as you sat and he took a seat beside you, sinking into the cushion underneath him. He placed a hand on your thigh hesitantly. The touch of his skin against yours made those same butterflies come back to their home. “I’ll be fine Kakashi.” You gave him a weak smile, but you could tell by his look that he wasn’t convinced. “It’s been four years. I have to let go sometime soon.”

Kakashi slowly stood back up, grabbing your bag that you had left behind the door. “Are you ready to go? The group is waiting at the gates.”

“Yea,” You dropped the blanket from your shoulder, feeling the cold air touch the skin that your vest didn’t cover. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

You closed your door, making sure to lock it behind you. The walk to the gates felt like an eternity. As you approached you saw the familiar faces of Kakashi’s team, you had almost forgotten that they were going to be joining you. Sakura and Naruto stood with Hinata and Kiba, patiently waiting for Kakashi and you to approach. When the two of you approached Yamato also made his presence known. Yamato waved to the two of you. “Are we ready to go?”

Kakashi nodded. “Let’s move out.”

* * * * * *

Night settled in quickly as the group spent the day walking toward the Land of Iron. As the day began to end and it began to grow dark you could see a group of ninja flying through the forest, our presence still unknown to them. Kakashi tensed and pushed himself closer to you. The group looked around, you knew they didn’t know anyone was below them and you needed to find out where they were headed. Naruto was the first to jump toward the branches of the trees. They didn’t call him the knucklehead ninja without a cause. This left the rest of you to follow him, you could see one of them getting ready to attack, and as Kakashi saw the blue lighting forming around the ninja’s hand he knew who it was. “Sasuke!”

Naruto jumped for him, a Rasengan forming in his palm, but as he was about to hit him Sasuke changed directions. He was completely ignoring the group. Naruto ran for him, gliding through the branches of the trees with ease, but he was stopped by a kick from another unidentified male. This man wore a mask, an orange mask with a spiral pattern on it. Kakashi threw an arm around you and pulled you behind him. “Stay back.” He noticed his robe. “Akatsuki.”

Naruto jumped for him again, Rasengan locked and loaded, but was once again thrown back by a hit. Every blow that you threw at this man was dodged. The group did no good, the more they attacked the farther up the tree he climbed. Kakashi kept you behind him, shielding you from anything that could come your way. As Kakashi watched him you saw his eyes grow wide.

As Kakashi was frozen in shock you took your opportunity, it was the first time you would be let off the leash. You grabbed a scroll from the pack on your hip and began opening it. As you came into the man’s view and started unrolling the scroll it was as if the man vanished into thin air. You looked around and grabbed a kunai from the pack, ready to cut your finger to get blood for the scroll.

You all did circles around the area. Everyone on the ground spread out and Yamato, Kiba, and Naruto sailed through the trees, ensuring that the man was actually gone. When he was nowhere to be found you all decided it was time to call it a night.

* * * * * *

As night settled in Yamato pointed out the Inn that became visible in the distance and ran ahead of everyone, booking rooms before we even got there. Kakashi made sure to walk you to yours, wanting to be sure you were settled in. After the chaos of the day he was nervous to leave your side. You could see the fear in his eyes as he talked about leaving you alone. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay without me?”

You gave him a weak smile as you took a seat on the bed. “I’ll be fine Kakashi, you don’t have to worry about me so much.”

“I promised him Y/n, I promised that I would never let any harm come to you. I promised that you would always be safe.” He was being wracked by guilt, more than he usually was.

“Are you okay Kakashi?” You hadn’t seen him like this since that day.

“I… I’m just having a hard time today, that’s all.” He walked to the bed and sat down next to you, placing his head in his hands. “There’s just something that I want to say to you and I’m not sure if I can.”

Your heart began to beat fast, nervous about what he was about to say to you. “Just say it Kakashi.”

“I can’t,” He looked up at you and his eyes showed nothing but lust in them. That’s when you knew. He had been doing all of this for Obito but had gotten caught into his own feelings as he did. You had never wanted that to happen, but this was going to make you have to face your own feelings.

“Then let me talk first,” He looked up, a puzzled look painted his face. “Just don’t speak, listen.”

He obliged rubbing his hand down his face before giving you his full attention.

“Kakashi, I loved Obito so much… that it made me blind. I know exactly what you’re thinking right now.” You sighed. “I’m so sorry that it took me this long to see this. My feelings for Obito never faded and it made it so that I wasn’t able to see you. And when I say you… I mean the real you. It’s clear to me now Kakashi. All these years that you never once left my side… It wasn’t just about your promise to Obito.”

You took a second, afraid that your words would get jumbled if not. “I’ve been in denial. I convinced myself that you were just fulfilling your promise. I know that I made you feel like I was oblivious to all of this.”

You stood from the bed, your anxiety overtaking you. “I was falling for you Kakashi Hatake. That’s my problem, that’s what I’ve been such a wreck about all day.” You could feel the tears coming, trying hard to hold them back. “I shouldn’t feel this way. How Kakashi? How can I be in love with you? You’re Obito’s best friend, it’s the ultimate betrayal.”

Kakashi was shocked by your revelation. He was so overwhelmed that he had no words, not because you had told him not to speak, but because he couldn’t believe that you had said the same things that he had wanted to. As he saw tears start to paint trails down your cheeks he felt nothing but guilt. He had never thought that the person that confessed feelings first would be you.

Kakashi had been ready to be rejected if he had gotten the courage to tell you this. He would just continue to love you in silence, keeping your best interests first.

But this had been the other way around. Just the fact that he had feelings for you had given him guilt every moment of every day. But finding out that you had the same feelings as he made it all worse. But even after everything, his love for you would never falter.

Kakashi stood from the bed and pulled his mask down his face. His hands planted themselves on your hips and pulled you toward him. The feeling of his hands on your waist made your heartbeat even faster. Afraid that he might reject you, afraid that he was about to leave the room. But he did the exact opposite. His lips met yours with nothing but passion. You followed his movements and placed your hands in his hair.

His lips were soft against your own, his tongue asking for entrance. As you allowed him your tongues danced together. Kakashi spun you around toward the bed and pinned you down upon it. He unzipped your vest and started to pull it off your arms. You had waited for this moment for so long. You wanted to do this, but the farther the two of you went the more guilt you were feeling. As your vest was finally off your arms you felt his lips plant kisses down your neck and shoulder. He looked up at you, you could see the guilt in his eyes as well. “Are you sure you want to do this Y/n?”

You placed a hand on each side of his face and spoke softly. “I’m more than sure Kakashi.” You rubbed his cheek. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

He pushed the tank top that you wore under your vest up, exposing your bra, his hands wandering your chest. His hands slid down your sides, his fingers hooking into the belt loops of your pants, using them to slowly slide your pants down your legs. He left a trail of soft nibbles down your stomach before pulling your pants off your legs and throwing them to the floor at the end of the bed. Kakashi hovered over you, his hand sliding down your stomach and onto your throbbing sex. His hand rubbed your folds before he found your clit, rubbing circles around it.

You lifted your hands and placed them in his hair, moans escaping your lips as he ruthlessly pleasured your cunt. Kakashi placed his hands on your thighs, digging his fingers into your soft skin as he squeezed them. You grabbed at his vest, helping him strip it along with his long sleeve, black shirt before he pushed your thighs apart. He took in the sight of you whimpering on the bed, ready for him to continue to make you feel on top of the world.

As his face neared your sex you placed your hand in his hair again, tugging him up toward you. “Kakashi, it’s been four years. Trust me, you don’t need to do that.”

Kakashi smiled at you, reaching for his zipper and pulling his pants down. The bulge that was pushing against his pants finally springing free. “Are you still sure about this?” He placed an arm on each side of you, holding himself over your figure.

You grabbed his face in your hands. “Stop talking.” You wrapped your legs around him and flipped him on his back. “I’m not waiting anymore.” You took his length in your hands and lined him up with your entrance, lowering yourself onto him slowly. Kakashi pushed his head back into the pillows as his length stretched your walls. You slowly moved up and down on him, pure pleasure washing over you, exciting every inch of your body. This was so much better than the toys you had been using at home for years.

Kakashi held your hips as you bounced, the callouses on them rough against your soft skin. “I’m not gonna last long Y/n.”

You ignored him, throwing your head back, moan after moan escaping you. You could feel the tightness in your abdomen growing, your climax approaching faster than it had in a long time. Kakashi’s fingers dug into your sides as he let a couple pleasured grunts escape him. He tried hard to stay silent, but your movements were too much. “God, Y/n, you’re so tight.”

The lust in his voice put you dangerously close to your high. “Oh god, Kashi. I’m-I’m so close.”

Kakashi grabbed your hips and helped guide you, matching your movements, and pounding himself into you. “Come for me, do it, baby.”

Your walls clamped around him as you felt yourself come undone, Kakashi following you, his seed filling you. You stayed on top of him, leaning down against his chest. He pushed your hair out of your face, the both of you catching your breath.

As you collapsed next to him you slid your way into his outstretched arm, placing yourself in the small space between his chest and his arm. Exhaustion took over for the both of you and within minutes you were asleep, the soundest sleep the two of you had achieved since Obito had left you.

* * * * * *

You were awoken by the sound of Yamato at your door, you had slept through the night, not waking up once. “Y/n, have you seen Kakashi? I went to his room and there was no answer.”

Your eyes grew wide at the sound. You shot up and grabbed a blanket off the bed, wrapping it around you. You cracked the door enough for him to see your face. “He’s in here with me. He came to wake me up earlier. We’ll meet you guys downstairs in a half-hour?”

Yamato looked confused, but as long as he knew where Kakashi was he seemed satisfied. You shut the door behind you and walked back over to the bed. Kakashi was still asleep, how in the hell had he slept through that?

You grabbed your clothes and headed for the shower, starting it and sitting on the toilet to wait for it to warm. A thousand thoughts ran through your head. Had you really slept with Kakashi last night? You thought about how Obito would feel about this if he was looking down on you. Would he hate you for sleeping with his best friend? Or would he just be happy that you had moved on? Even if it had been with Kakashi Hatake.

As the water warmed you hopped into the shower, the warmth of the water hitting your face, calming you some. You sat in silence, just letting the water run over you when you heard the bathroom door opening. Kakashi entered the shower with you, wrapping his strong arms around you, pulling you into him.

* * * * * *

It was about an hour’s walk to your next destination. Kakashi and you tried hard not to lead on that the two of you had spent the night together, but you knew that Yamato had probably figured it out.

As you walked you could feel a presence on you, a familiar presence. You were the first to notice it, “Do you feel that?”

Kakashi turned to you. “Huh?”

“Something's wrong, Kakashi. I feel like someone’s watching us." You could swear that something was wrong like something bad was about to happen. A cold rush of wind sent shivers down your skin.

"Hi!" A playful greeting came from behind and as you tried to turn around you felt the cold metal edge of kunai on your throat.

It was the masked man from the Akatsuki. Everyone froze where they stood. Kakashi’s eyes grew wide. Where did he come from? I didn't even sense him.

"Hey, psycho! Get your dirty hands off of Y/n! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" At least fifty Naruto clones appeared and encircled the team.

"Tobi's not a psycho. Tobi's a good boy!" Tobi's grip on your waist got tighter, you could feel the warmth of his body on your back as he pointed the Kunai closer to your skin. Any wrong move could kill you. "Please don't do anything stupid, Jinchuriki…” There was a sudden change in his voice. “After all, I don't want my princess here to get hurt." It became deep, chilling, and malicious.

With one wave of Tobi's hand, your bodies started to swirl and you both slowly vanished into the thin air. Your surroundings slowly changed. You felt dizzy and fell down on your knees, scraping them on the hard ground.

“What— where am I?” You started to panic and struggled to stand on your feet, barely keeping your balance. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Oh, I don’t remember my princess having a potty mouth.” Tobi took a step towards you but you stepped back. The deep voice still there.

“You better start answering my questions you sick fuck! What are you planning to do with me, huh?! Isn’t it enough that you took Sasuke from us?”

“Sasuke is merely a pawn. Well, let’s not talk about him. Let’s talk about us, princess.” He took a good look at you, scanning you from head to toe.

“Stop calling me princess. You make me sick!” You quickly grabbed a Kunai from your utility pouch but the man was quicker than you expected. The next thing you knew he was behind you again. He took hold of your left arm and twisted it, you groaned in pain. He grabbed you from behind restraining your movements.

You can feel him sniffing your hair, “Damn, you still smell so good. So... intoxicating.” He whispered in your ear. “No wonder you have Kakashi wrapped around your finger..” You felt goosebumps spread over your skin.

What does he mean? Who is this guy?

“I made him promise to protect you. Not to fuck you. Oh well, who could resist you, princess?” You froze. His words struck you so harshly that you forgot the pain in your left arm.

“Protect me?” You whispered in confusion.

“Allow me to refresh your memories…” His voice changed again. “Princess..” It sounded familiar. It sounded like —

Everything around you distorted again. He brought you to a strange place. It was a very old bedroom. But what caught your attention was the picture frame on the bedside table. It was dusty but you recognized it instantly. It was a photo from long ago. Your sensei, young Kakashi on the right, you in the middle and —

He slowly loosened his grip on your arms. You didn’t realize it but warm tears were slowly running down your cheeks. He moved closer to you, lifting your chin to face him. And for the first time, through the hole in his mask, you saw his right eye. Sharingan. You could hear your heartbeat...

He held his mask and took it off. No. It can’t be. "This will refresh your memories…" His hands were on both sides of your hips. And his lips were on yours. At first, he was slow. Passionate even. It felt surreal. He brushed his lips gently against yours. His hands were roaming around your body.

No. This is wrong.

You tried to pull away from him, breaking the kiss.

"What? You didn't miss me?"

"How come you're alive?!"

"Doesn't matter y/n. I came back for you. I came to get you back from that scum." Anger filled Obito's eyes. "You're mine. And I don't intend to share you with Kakashi." He saw the guilt in your face. "You think I didn't know?" he laughed maniacally. "So what? Do you think of me when he's touching you? Did you wish it was me kissing you last night?” A demented laugh left his lips. “Oh I bet you did, princess. I will never let that scum touch you again. I'm gonna show you who you belong to, y/n. And then I’ll make you an Uchiha."

You couldn't believe your eyes.

"No. This can't be happening. This is not real!"

"That's your guilt talking. I'm here. I'm real." He leaned in again, locking eyes with yours. "You and me princess, we'll make a world of our own."

Obito tried to kiss you, you attempted to push him, but he was stronger. "Fuck off!!!" You yelled at him.

"Ok that's it! I'm done playing nice with you y/n." He pushed you back against the wall. You were trapped between Obito and the cold, hard surface. His face was so close to yours. His hand ran across your throat holding you in place.

"I didn't plan my reunion with you to be like this y/n. I have different plans for us. You may not know this, but I was always watching you. I had to make sure you were always safe. I witnessed all the nights you cried. I saw how much you wished that everything hadn’t happened. But I guess last night was a different story. It's clear that Kakashi is nothing to you but a one night stand. Sorry if you have to settle for scum like Kakashi to satisfy you. But I'm here now. Let me take care of you." You tried compressing your legs together, hoping it would relieve the aching feeling coming from your core. How could this man cause you to feel this way?

He roughly ripped your vest, “You won’t be needing this, princess.” Once again his lips crashed into yours. It was needy and desperate, his tongue was roughly seeking for an opening. You know this was wrong but your body was moving on its own. You kissed him back like a hungry animal. Your hands pulled his face closer kissing him hard and he took this as a sign that you had given in to him. That you had finally accepted him. Maybe he was right all along. You needed him. You’d been waiting for this moment for what seemed like your whole life.

You broke the kiss and quickly undressed your shirt. You were hot and sweaty, your chest rose up and came down hard due to your panting. His lips met yours again and slowly traveled down your jaw. You tilted your head to the side, giving him more access to your exposed neck. And as a moan escaped your swollen lips he unclasped your bra and took it off. His hands reached to cup your ass lifting you from the ground. He walked you toward the bed and laid you down. As he pulled off your pants, you felt a little embarrassed.

Your face turned red as you tried to cover your breasts with your hands feeling too exposed.

"You don't have to hide, princess, your body is perfect." He curled his finger underneath your panties and slipped them down your thighs, lifting each of your ankles to help you get out of them before tossing them away.

Obito settled himself between your parted legs, sliding one finger into your soaking cunt. "You're cuter when you're all hot and bothered, princess." He then added another finger inside you making your moans grow louder.

"Damn it, Obito!" You gasped as his fingers went knuckle deep, scissoring and thrusting all at once. He hovered himself on top of you. You reached for him desperately, pulling him closer. He kissed you once more stifling your gasp as his fingers grazed a sensitive spot inside you.

"Obito please," you groaned, you couldn't take it anymore.

"What is it, princess?" He asked as he set his eyes on you. "I need your words, y/n"

"I need you. Please. I need you inside me." He smirked as he pulled out his fingers and licked them clean.

"I never knew you tasted so sweet, princess." He started to undo his pants letting his cock spring free. "I have to claim what's mine." He spat on his hand lubricating the swollen tip of his cock.

With one swift thrust, he buried himself inside you making you groan in pain as he stretched you giving you no time to adjust.

"Ah fuck, Obito!" You screamed his name, tugging on the bedsheet.

"Holy fuck, princess. You're so tight." You arched your back meeting his thrusts deeper. You felt so full, you squeezed him as your walls tightened over and over. "You feel so good y/n. So good for me."

His pace was fast, thrust after thrust sent you toward your climax. "Obito, I -- I‘m gonna cum!"

"You're mine y/n! You're mine!" He moaned into your mouth as you wrapped your legs around his waist pulling him further, fucking you harder.

"Come on y/n. Come now. Fucking come on my dick now!"

"O-Obito!!" You whimpered and your legs started to become jelly, your walls quivering.

Obito panted, his voice shaking, "That's it princess. Scream my name!" His hands grabbing your hips as he rewarded you with harsher thrusts. "I will fuck an Uchiha in you!" You felt hot spurts of his seeds coat your walls.

He pulled out his semi-hard cock, your pussy dripping with his cum. He kissed your forehead as he collapsed beside you. You both fought to catch your breath.

"Don't sleep yet, y/n." He gasped. "We're not even close. You’re not leaving this bed until I make sure you carry an Uchiha. Not that Hatake scum."

Naruto Content Taglist 💕 @chidori-mint @praisingkuroosbedhead @korianrdr @ari-hatake15

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depressedhatakekakashi · 3 years ago

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Out There Somewhere

Au: Soulmate AU

Words: 2271

Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Minato

Summary: After a terrible nightmare, Kakashi make's a discovery that could change everything.

One haunted angry eye glares at him, blood spilling from Obito's mouth as he speaks words that never reach his ears. Half of his face is covered by the boulder that crushed him, but Kakashi can still see all of the hatred and anger no problem.

Obito's wrath is clear as day, and even as he shrinks away begging for Obito to leave him alone he knows he deserves this.

That it's his fault Obito ended up like this.

His failure

So when a bloodied hand reaches out to him, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him directly into Obito, he doesn't fight.

The only thing that leaves his mouth is an apology as the anger and hatred swallow him whole.

Surging up in his spot, Kakashi's scream echoed in his tiny bedroom. Sweat dripped down his forehead and neck as he scanned the room for any sign of the face that haunted his nightmares.

Nothing.

Where the relief is supposed to wash over him, he instead feels a dull ache in his chest. A reminder of the emptiness that lingered in his heart since Obito's death.

'Soulmates are someone who we share a part of our soul with'

That's how his father had explained it to him when he noticed the first mark on his body. A small owl perched on top of his shoulder in bright blue colours.

The sign of a platonic soulmate according to his father.

Growing up, Kakashi had never put much weight into those little pictures that littered his body, but after Obito's death, he had come to understand just why his father looked so sad when he explained soulmates to Kakashi. It wasn’t just knowing that he’d look at his body and see the brilliant blue colours had faded to a black, but the empty feeling deep inside of his soul.

And the worst of all was that it was all because of his failures as a leader.

It was because of him that Obito was gone. A fact that he had to live with that was imprinted on his skin for the rest of his life. Which was why he had avoided looking at himself in the mirror since his return.

Avoided seeing that brilliant blue owl sitting there, now a dull black. Lifeless and empty.

“Obito…” placing a hand over his left eye, he stared into the emptiness of his bedroom and struggled to calm his nerves. To at least be able to relax his shoulders and get rid of that crushing feeling in his chest. The one that felt like his ribs were collapsing in on his lungs, crushing them under the intense weight and making it difficult for him to breathe. “I-”

His hand dropped to his side.

“Would you even hear me?” he asked, wishing that there was a ghost hovering somewhere in the air around him who could answer his questions. “Could you ever forgive me?”

Deep down a part of him tries to speak. To remind him of Obito’s words, and the promise he made to his friend before he was forced to leave him alone in that cave. Crushed under the weight of boulders that should have killed him instead.

He doesn’t hear it though. It’s too quiet in a sea of anger and hurt.

Giving his head a shake, he settled his free hand on top of his knee and pushed himself to his feet. With an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, he made his way towards the bathroom.

It might be too early for a shower for most people, but there was no doubt in his mind that he’d find it impossible to sleep again until he did something to calm his nerves.

After a long, warm shower, the tight feeling in his chest had eased just a little. Enough that he could finally breathe without feeling like he was being suffocated by his own body.

Though there was still a troubled feeling deep in his gut. As if he was missing something important that was right in front of his face.

Pushing aside those thoughts for the moment, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel off of the back of the washroom door.

Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed his towel off of the back of the bathroom door and quickly dried off his body. Once he was sure there were no stray droplets on his legs are arms, he turned his attention to his hair.

A far more daunting task. Since the thick silver strands loved to cling to water for hours, leaving him with few options at his disposal. The best choice was usually to let his hair air dry, which was easy to do when he had to run off to training early in the morning.

But with a glance at the clock to confirm that it was only three in the morning, he decided for the less enjoyable route of wrapping the towel around his hair and leaving it like that for the next hour or two.

Once the towel was in place, he turned to leave the room, except as his eyes glanced over the mirror he couldn't help but notice the soulmate mark on his shoulder.

The one he had been trying so hard to avoid for weeks since Obito's death. Refusing to allow himself to see the truth of the situation.

Scared of the blacked-out owl waiting for him to notice it.

Except, when he noticed the mark in that passing glance it wasn't black.

"Ignore it," he muttered to himself. "It was a mistake. It couldn't be…"

But what if it is?

The question tugged at his heart, demanding an answer no matter how much it might hurt.

What if…

His eyes scanned back towards the mirror, stopping just at the edge and sitting there. Refusing to move, no matter which direction Kakashi tried to look. Denying him the safety of refusing to seek out the answer and refusing to give him the satisfaction of an answer. No matter how heartbreaking that answer may be.

“You can do this, Kakashi,” giving himself a moment, he focused his attention on his breathing.

Out

Once it no longer felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest, he focused his attention on the mirror. The shape of his eyes were the first thing he noticed. That familiar sunken look that many people often mistook for a bored expression, rather than just the way his eyes were.

When he got sick of looking at his eyes, he moved downwards to the mole on the right side of his chin. A secret that few in Konoha knew about, and one of the few things he recalls being attributed to his mother growing up. While everyone loved to talk about how much he looked like his father, even after the white fangs fall from grace, the memories of that laughter in his father’s voice whenever he would poke his mole and talk about how he got that from his mother never faded. A sweet memory that his mind refused to give up, even when he had tried so hard to forget about his father.

Finally, he dragged his eyes down to his shoulder. To that spot that was always covered by his shirt, and that he had avoided looking at since Obito’s death.

The soulmate mark.

Still, the same brilliant blue that it was the last time he saw it. The owl’s eyes sparkling a little under the bathroom’s light. So caught up in the beauty of his soulmate mark, something he had tried for years to ignore, he almost forgot what those brilliant bright colours shining under the light meant.

And then it hit him. The realization smacking him in the face like one of Obito’s punches.

“He’s alive.”

The words burned in his throat. As if his body was trying to tell him that it was a lie. That his eyes were playing a trick on him. No matter how many times he looked at the mark though, it was always the same.

Brilliant blue shining up at him with such vibrant colours that it couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

Obito was alive. He had to be.

He was alive, and they had left him under all of that rubble. Alone and probably scared out of his mind with the crushing weight of all of those rocks on top of him.

“Someone must have saved him,” his mind raced, searching for any logical explanation to how this was possible. If Obito was alive, there was no way he would still be stuck under that rock. He wouldn’t have access to food or water there and would have withered away during the time Kakashi spent ignoring his soulmate mark.

Just the thought of it made him sick. When Obito needed his attention the most, he ignored him, failing to protect him all over again. It was as if the world wanted him to know just what a terrible friend he was. That he shouldn’t be put in charge of any missions in the future, because all that would come out of it is disaster and death.

“Minato-sensei,” picking himself up, he turned towards the bathroom door and made a swift exit. Determined to get dressed as quickly as possible and out the door. “He’ll know what to do. As soon as I tell him he’ll have a plan. I know it.”

He had to. If his Sensei didn’t know what to do, then Kakashi would be lost. Ever since he was five he had looked to the older man for guidance. He was one of Konoha’s best shinobi for a reason. That meant he had to have an answer when Kakashi didn’t.

Once Kakashi showed him the mark on his shoulder, he’d have a plan to find Obito and rescue him. Kakashi was sure of it.

Can’t just leave for a rescue mission.

We need more information.

It could be wrong. We don’t know everything about Soulmate marks.

Minato-Sensei’s words echoed in his ears, but no matter how hard he tried Kakashi couldn’t make any sense out of them.

“You...but, Obito…” his heart broke at the thought of leaving Obito out there, alone with no one watching out for him. “We have to find Obito, Sensei! He’s out there and we-”

Minato held up a hand to silence him, a look on his face that Kakashi had never seen before. Not of happiness or disappointment, but annoyance. “I’ve heard what you have to say Kakashi, but it’s not as easy as you seem to think. If Obito is alive he’s no longer in the same spot. Finding him will be difficult and-”

“I can use the hounds!” Kakashi insisted. “I’m sure there’s still some of Obito’s scent on his stuff. We packed it all away sure, but something must still smell like him. If we go back to Kanabi bridge we can just have the hounds track him from there.”

His idea was met with a sigh.

“Even if we could go back to the cave, which we can’t, it would have to wait,” his Sensei continued. “Lord Third has a mission for you. One that he needs you to lead.”

A mission? He was expected to lead a mission when Obito was out there alive, waiting for them to find him?

“I thought we weren’t supposed to leave our friends behind,” the words burned in his throat, his mind a war zone of emotions. The reminder of what happened to his father for holding and supporting those same beliefs boiled deep inside of him, but for the first time in years, those weren’t the thoughts that overwhelmed him the most.

For once, he was more concerned about the friend that he had lost.

The person he had spent so much time hating and scolding, that by the time he finally started to think of him as an actual friend he had lost him.

If there was even the smallest chance that he could save Obito, he had to take it.

“It’s not up for discussion, Kakashi,” Minato-sensei cut him off before he could even attempt to argue. “Lord Third is sending you out on your mission tomorrow. I know you’re worried about Obito, but he’s going to have to wait for now. Once the mission is done we can try and figure out a way to find him.”

“Yes, Sensei…”

It broke his heart to think that Obito had to wait. That he wasn’t allowed to grab Rin and search for their teammate, their friend, right away.

They were leaving him out there alone, in who knows what kind of condition, and there was no guarantee that they would even be allowed to go after him even after this mission. For some reason, even with that promise from his sensei’s mouth, it didn’t feel genuine.

There was no doubt in Kakashi’s mouth that if another mission came up, the search for Obito would be pushed back again.

The village always came first after all, even before one’s teammates.

He had learned that years ago, and even with Obito’s voice in his ear reminding him to put his teammates first, he didn’t always get the choice at the end of the day.

If the Hokage and his Sensei told him that he had to take care of the mission first, that’s what he did.

To save himself from ending up on the wrong end of his weapon, just like his father.

#Hatake Kakashi #Soulmate Au #Uchiha Obito #taryn's birthday fics #taryn's birthday celebration 2021 #Platonic Soulmates

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tora-the-cat · 4 years ago

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Ok so I saw your codependent Obito & Rin post and I absolutely loved it so I just had to ask, do you have any other headcanons about them? Or even Team Minato in general? Your post was some of the best Team Minato content I've ever seen and Tumblr truly needs more Team Minato content

aww, thanks! I agree, I honestly adore Team Minato an excessive amount, though it doesn’t always show lol. This is literally forever late, but, here, you can have their first kill angst that I cut from the original post 0w0

-They both refuse to kill anyone for as long as they can, and Minato lets them get away with it longer then he probably should have

-(it just makes him sick, the thought of kind Rin and cheerful Obito and even traumatized baby Kakashi with blood on their hands. There’s no way he and Kushina were ever that young.)

-Anyway, they both avoid killing all the way until their first B-rank. Then they get ambushed, and Obito gets yanked by the collar away from Rin in the middle of the battle, and her blood goes cold.

-She feels Obito out and goes fucking rabid, sparring no thought for the Iwa nin in her way or trying to attack her.

-In one breathe, she is feeling out where Obito is and standing still, never something a shinobi can afford.

-In the next, she snarls, and everyone around her stutters and stumbles and freezes as they’re over come with hysterical terror and tears as the purple seals on her cheeks start to fade.

-In the third she blurs, appears behind the Nin that tried to kidnap Obito, and grabs the back of his neck. Her fingers spark and she closes her eyes, another rare luxary in a fight, and short circits every nerve she can feel.

-In the forth, the would-be-kidnapper falls dead, Obito is on the floor sobbing, and Rin is standing over him with a single-minded protective rage.

-by the eighth, Minato has finished the rest of the Iwa shinobi off, taking full advantage of their frozen state, ignoring the pooling despair because he couldn’t protect them, from either the Iwa nin or the fact that Rin is a killer.

-By the eleventh, Rin is on the floor sobbing into Obito’s arms as he tries to calm her down because he knows that her seals fading is very bad, especially here, especially after what she’s done-

-”We need to leave.” Obito says, somehow the first to speak, voice completely blank for the first time ever as he picks Rin up. “We need to leave now.” he emphesises, and that’s all he says before he’s gone, leaving Minato and Kakashi to stew in confusion for once. He almost wants to be proud, but he’s too worried.

-his first kill is soon after that. Sorta.

-Rin gets extra protective of him and trying to save him from having to take a life, and starts doing it more so he doesn’t have to, and it makes Obito pissed.

-They fight over it. they fight over it. not in a playful or loving or ‘cain instinct’ way like Minato and Kakashi have seen before. They aren’t touching without the intent to hurt, aren’t looking at each other without a glare or a snarl, aren’t talking without the passive aggressiveness of a verbal spar.

-scratch that, Rin isn’t talking at all.

-Yet, paradoxically, their protective instincts only double down.They fight to knock each other out and take watch every night. Their eyes are sharp twin glares whenever anyone- anyone- else gets too close. They are more ruthless in battle together then ever before, and now Obito is trying to kill people just to spite Rin, and, of course, Rin won’t fucking let him.

-kakashi hasn’t seen a shamrock on either of them in weeks, hasn’t seen either of them smile in just as long, and he almost thinks he’s worried about them.

-Then, two months after Rin’s first kill, Obito finally makes his own, and he shatters just like Rin knew he would, and Rin is so angry and sad her seals burn off again, and everyone feels like they’re on fire as she seethes.

-She’s ready to scream, ready to explode, ready to burn the forest to the ground because Obito’s done something he can never undo and she can’t help him, and even Minato can’t overcome the sudden pain just yet-

-and then she looks at Obito, and he looks at her, and they’re fear in his eyes. fear of her.

-She gasps, and flinches, and collapses just as Minato was about ready to move again anyway. once again he takes them out, and by the time he gets to Rin Obito is already reapplying her seals- after last time, he brings the stuff for it on every mission just in case.

-Minato approaches them carefully while Kakashi awkwardly goes off to do some clean up, and obito glares at him hard enough that he’s more shocked then ever the boy hasn’t unlocked his Sharringan.

-The boy is shaking, and tears are still pricking his eyes, and he grips Rin so hard that his fingers go numb, and he tries his best but he just can’t stay awake. No matter how paranoid his brain is trying to be, he knows that Minato-sensei isn’t really a threat, and he can’t stop himself from passing out still craddling Rin and her sloppily applied seals.

-the next time they wake up they’re both in a hosiptal, beds right next to one another. Kakashi is stand watch over them, sitting in the sil of the only window in the room, and Rin can’t help but be touched, because it’s never been a secret how much kakahsi hates hospitals.

-Rin opens her mouth to thank him at the same time Obito opens his mouth to make fun of him, but Kakashi’s gone as soon as he realizes they’re awake, before either of them can say anything to him.

-Things are...awkward between the two of them then, in a way they hadn’t been probably ever. The terrible tension they’ve had for the past few months has snapped and disappeared, but it’s been replaced by the awful fact that they’ve both done something they’ll never be able to undo.

-Rin breaks out of it first, overcome by her worry over obito. She clammers into his bed and aggressively checks him over to make sure he was okay. She starts to heal whatever surface level wounds he has, but she’s barely got a drop of chakra in her, and Obito holds her hands firmly to stop her before she passes out from chakra exhaustion.

-”You were right.” Obito chokes out, because she was, she knew that he’d regret killing someone- hell, they both knew it! but she started babying him and he just got so so so mad that he wanted to do it just to prove that he could, but she was right and now he didn’t know what to do.

-Rin collapses onto him, shifting around just enough to make their position comfortable as they cuddle/clutch onto each other and desprately convince themselves that they’ll be okay.

-She wants to help him, but she doesn’t know how to. She never really let herself process her own kills- had pushed the terrible feelings of it to the back of her brain and focused on helping Obito, doing it for his good. But she failed, and now there they were, and without the distraction the force of her deeds hit her full force.

-So there they are, clutching at each other in a too-small hospital bed and sobbing and apologizing and trying to comfort each other. Thankfully, Kakashi returns with Minato and Kushina in tow.

-Between the two of them (Kakahsi goes back to awkwardly standing guard, lost as to how else he could help) and their years of Shinobi conditioning and sensei-mandated training on how to walk gennin through traumatizing milestones, they manage to sort the two of them.

-Mostly. THey only get more codependant after this, and they kinda loose their shit when kakashi gets his first kill and then just doesn’t tell them for a month to avoid this exact reaction, but hey. it’s team 7, and it’s as good as they’ll get, and they wouldn’t want it any other way.

#endings a little lame cause I ddin't know how to end it #naruto #obirin #team 7 #team crackhead #obito uchiha #rin nohara #first kills #head cannons #ink splatters #kakashi hatake #minato namikaze #kushina uzumaki #codependent obirin #eclipsed-by-the-stars

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kstewdeux · 4 years ago

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InuKag Week 2020: June 11th (Desire)

@inukag-week

Posting a day early is a thing I’m just doing now I guess.

Born to Run

Desire is the starting point of all achievement. It’s not a hope, not a wish but a driving force that overrides all obstacles. And one little girl desired one thing above all others.

“Where we going?” a tiny little girl in a bright green kimono asked a little too innocently as she trailed behind one of her favorite people in the world. The man in question sighed heavily as he stopped mid-stride and glanced over his shoulder with affection clear in his amber eyes. It was an expression few had witnessed and even fewer were the recipients of. Maybe, just maybe, the bitter half-demon had a favorite niece. Which was probably bad and which would probably bite him in the ass one day but it was what it was. Minato was bookish and quiet and while more than willing to go along with her sister’s rough housing would much prefer painting to play fighting. Kasumi, on the other hand, was all action and energy and go go go all the time. She had no fear and it was endlessly endearing. Terrible for her parents but fantastic for him. The little one was truly a girl after his own heart.

“What’s all this about ‘we’, huh?,” Inuyasha laughed as he arched a single brow. It was purely rhetorical, of course. The little one had accompanied him on his daily runs for the last three months at least. It started as an attempt to calm her down and give her parents a break but now it was routine. A much appreciated routine. It had been getting harder this past year. Almost three years had now passed and the well still wouldn’t let him go through. Which meant Kagome couldn’t get through either. And with his friends’ happiness only growing while he stood still, it was nice to know that out of that happiness came a little being who thought her uncle was the best thing ever.

And truth be told, Inuyasha hadn’t given up hope that he’d have his own happy ending quite yet and he considered his interactions with the twins as practice for...for when Kagome did come back and...and he had a little girl of his own. Or a boy but preferably a girl. Babies probably weren’t all that different when they were small but hell, they might and he would much rather stick with what he knew.

Grinning sheepishly at his question, Kasumi toddled up to him and extended her arms.

“Up.”

“Just a perimeter run, okay?” Inuyasha informed her as he plucked up the little girl, planted her firmly atop his shoulders and tilted his head slightly to loosen his hair, “You remember the drill?”

“Stay quiet. Stay still,” Kasumi whispered excitedly as she wiggled her butt and wrapped her tiny arms around his forehead, “No ears.”

“If there’s a bad guy?”

“Roly poly,” she swore softly as she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Go real fast.”

“Always do kid,” Inuyasha chuckled before launching forward at full speed. It’d probably make Sango and Miroku angry as hell but yeah, he’d fought and killed a few demons while in the custody of their child. But come on! It wasn’t like he went looking for fights and if they encountered a demon what else was he supposed to do? Run?

It had taken a few times to figure out the best way to protect a tiny wiggle worm. Thus the ‘roly poly’ technique was born. Let go. Curl up. Get tucked inside the shirt. Stay that way until it’s safe.

Wasn’t like it bothered the kid. She was probably the toughest two almost three year old he’d ever had the pleasure of encountering. Besides her mom killed demons. Her dad killed demons. Her uncles both killed demons. She was gunna kill demons and be damn good at it. She had to learn what that entailed at some point.

“Stop. Stop,” Kasumi whispered urgently and Inuyasha instantly came to a full halt as his ears twitched madly.

“Do you sense something?” he asked barely above a whisper as amber eyes scanned the foliage. It was usually around this age spiritual powers first started appearing so Miroku had told him. The monk’s eyes had been pretty much glued on Minato for months now because he had hedged his bets that the calmer twin would have spiritual powers but Inuyasha....

Inuyasha knew that calmness had nothing to do with spiritual powers. Kagome had been feisty and strong and fearless and one of the most powerful priestesses ever born. How quickly Miroku appeared to have forgotten...

Must be nice.

“No, I have a question,” Kasumi humphed as she unhooked one leg and began awkwardly sliding down his arm, “How did you get so fast?”

“I, uh, I’m just built that way I guess,” Inuyasha laughed softly, “You know demon blood?”

“No,” Kasumi challenged as her tiny feet landed on the wooden bark, “Because Shippo would be fast then.”

Barely repressing a snort, Inuyasha adjusted himself so he was partially reclining against the tree trunk - one knee bent and one leg outstretched as he pulled the tiny girl into his lap.

“Everyone’s different,” Inuyasha reassured the upset little girl, “That doesn’t mean they’re better or worse. There’s all sorts of things that you will be able to do that I can’t do.”

Her little brown eyes widened as she breathed like the world made sense again, “Like eat curry and not turn red.”

God dammit did she have to be so fucking cute?

“Exactly,” Inuyasha snickered, “You’ll be fast one day but not as fast as me and that’s okay. You’ll do all sorts of things that’ll make you special.”

“Well I’m gunna be fast,” Kasumi huffed as she gave him a suspicious glare, “What did you do to go faster?”

“I...I, uh, actually thought I just explained that? You know...half-demon...” Inuyasha replied uneasily as he mentally played back his little speech before making a small noise of understanding, “Do you mean how I train? Guess I just run a lot. Strech and stuff.”

This seemed to appease her.

For exactly five seconds.

“The tree thing,” she continued as she gave him an adorable once over, “How did you learned to climb trees?”

Inuyasha had to bite his lip to keep from grinning.

“That I can teach you,” he offered affectionately, “But you’ll have to start with little trees because you’re little.”

“No I mean jumping,” she huffed in cute baby exasperation, “You jump really high.”

“Well you’re human so you can’t jump like I can,” Inuyasha replied as his grin faded. He had a feeling answering this particular question wrong would have him answering later for a broken leg, “You, um....so demons are built to do that and humans aren’t.”

“So your babies would be able to jump,” Kasumi concluded bitterly and Inuyasha’s heart constricted. First of all, how had she made that connection and second, just because hope was there didn’t mean...didn’t make it as strong as it once had been. Sighing heavily, his eyes clouded over for a minute as he allowed himself to remember full force Kagome in all her glory before locking that image away where it couldn’t hurt him anymore.

“I’m not...” he tried shakily before he shook his head and forced a smile back onto his face, “Yeah, if I have babies one day, they might be able to run fast like me.”

A piece of his heart cracked at the realization that there would most likely be no babies. She hadn’t come back and she would have by now if it was possible. Inuyasha knew she would have. And it wasn’t like...like he wanted her to spend the rest of her life alone waiting for him. He wouldn’t hold it against her if she moved on to better things. He didn’t want Kagome to suffer like he was. If Kagome didn’t come back, it would take him forever to move on and...and well frankly, he would never really be able to let go of the woman who literally traveled through time. She’d been born to meet him and he’d been born to meet her and....and that had been accomplished. Early on, he’d thought she was born to be with him but...but the longer time passed the more he believed he’d been misreading the signs. They’d met for a purpose and that purpose had been fulfilled. Anything more than that was asking too much. The delusional concoction of a lonely mind.

“Could Kagome jump?” Kasumi asked skeptically and Inuyasha’s strained, vacant smile faltered. He had thought....they’d discussed not telling the little ones about Kagome until they were older. He told them not to tell the twins until they were old enough to understand but they apparently did it anyway. But they’d promised him...

“How do you know about her?” he asked wearily as his stomach churned.

“Shippo told me who the lady in the picture was,” Kasumi replied evasively and some of the uneasiness in her uncle’s stomach faded, “Could you...”

“What picture?” Inuyasha asked with a hint of desperation and Kasumi fidgeted nervously, “Kasumi, what picture?”

“I didn’t steal it. I found it,” she mumbled miserably - obviously thinking he was upset at her and assuming the worst, “I did. I was digging and...

“No, no I’m not mad,” he reassured her, “You said you found ‘it’. What is ‘it’?”

“A necklace,” she whispered as she looked down at her hands and began wringing them, “It had pictures of you and a lady so I asked Shippo and...”

Inuyasha’s nostrils flared as he realized. The locket. Way back when, he’d lost it pretty much immediately because he’d been careless and not paying attention and it’d been raining and...and he just assumed he’d lost it during a battle or something and only noticed later on. He’d written it off when he couldn’t track the scent despite a lot of sleepless nights and then Kagome seemed to forget about the damn thing so he just....never mentioned it again for fear of upsetting her.

“Can I have it?” he asked softly and Kasumi glanced at him with a small pout, “I lost it a long time ago. I’d really like it back.

He could see her mind trying to figure out a way to keep the pretty thing she’d found.

“Just the pictures. That’s all,” he amended, “You can keep the necklace part.”

“Just the pictures?” Kasumi breathed and he nodded. Giving her Uncle an appraising look, the little girl finally countered, “You can have the picture of her.”

Inuyasha wanted to laugh at how begrudgingly she said that. And his heart warmed a little that his niece wanted to keep the picture of him. Weird but cute.

“Deal,” he promised as he fluidly got to his feet and scooped her onto his hip, “Now let’s finish the run, okay?”

“You’ll see. I’m gunna be faster than you one day,” Kasumi informed him, “I’m gunna.”

“I bet you will,” Inuyasha snickered as he placed her back into his shoulders, “Hang tight.”

It was a few months of ridiculously adorable training sessions and one new brother later that Inuyasha was stuck babysitting while Sango and Miroku did laundry. Kasumi was normally excellent at following the no ear rule but her sister never seemed to get that memo and because of that Kasumi thought if Minato was touching the ears they were fair game.

“Can you do something about the twins?” Inuyasha hissed angrily before flinching slightly when they pulled a little too hard.

“Sorry Inuyasha. Girls leave him alone,” the slayer sighed like that would actually make a difference which it didn’t! Sango probably knew it didn’t too and just thought...

Inhaling sharply, Inuyasha’s heart pounded in his chest as he deposited the slay happy twins on Shippo and took off without another word.

“Do you think...”

“Couldn’t be...”

“He wouldn’t run like if...”

As her parents continued shuffling about and discussing what Inuyasha running off meant, Kasumi slowly got to her feet as she stared off into the distance with a very deep pout. So Uncle’s lady friend had come back, huh? Which meant she’d soon have cousins. Uncle loved this Kagome lady and Kasumi knew when you love someone babies happened. Or something. The details were a little unclear but however it happened Uncle’s babies meant trouble. Her little eyes narrowed as her pout deepened into a scowl.

“They better not be faster than me.”

Moments later, Kasumi found herself plucked up and heading to size up the model for her future competition. If this woman was strong and fast like Uncle, that would be a big problem.

“I hope she’s fat.”

“Kasumi!”

#inukag fanfic #inuyasha #inuyasha fanfiction #kagome #miroku #sango #inukag-week #kstewdeux #read more #inukag #fanfiction #fanfic

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houseisekai · 4 years ago

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House Isekai: Shadowbringers - Act 1 Finale: The Warrior of Darkness

House Isekai Shadowbringers AU Masterlist Here

—

Most of House Isekai have finally reunited, with the help of the Ashen Wolves, The former Blue Lions, and Black Eagles class. Leaving Claude and the Investigation Team unaccounted for.

However, as they are discussing the nature behind Sitri’s resurrection and the plans of Lahabrea, they notice something terribly wrong...

—

Outside the Monastery, Present Day...

Byleth walked towards the Monastery alone, the winds blowing back his white hair.

One hand held Sara’s pistol while the other held the Sword of the Creator.

It had been five long years since he saw any members of House Isekai.

He hadn’t even seen the Investigation Team with Claude, even though he knew they were alive.

So much has happened since that first battle at Garreg Mach. He wasn’t even sure what to say when he saw them again.

As he kept walking, he noted something was off.

The wind had just stopped blowing completely.

He looked up into the air and his eyes went wide.

The skies had just went almost completely white.

(Byleth) “Shit.”

He held his weapons tightly and began running towards the Monastery.

...

(Yuki) “U-Um, excuse me.”

Everyone turned to her.

(Megumi) “Yuki-chan? What is it?”

(Yuki) “What time is it?”

Ryuji pulled out his phone and checked.

(Ryuji) “Hm…According to the phone, time in Fodlan’s about 9 in the morning. You forget something to do, Takeya?”

(Yuki) “Should…it be THAT bright outside?”

Everyone paused for a moment before slowly turning to the door behind them.

The outside shone an eerily bright white on the grass, and the wind appeared to stop blowing against the trees.

And the sound of footsteps seemed to be approaching from the main hall.

Megumi got the School-Living Club and Sitri behind her as everyone slowly stood up and reached for their weapons…

The clothes of the Phantom Thieves suddenly switched from their school uniform into their metaverse forms.

(Bernadetta) “Um...D-Don’t your clothes only do that when-?”

(Akechi) “Oh SHIT.”

KABOOOOOM!

[Holminster Switch - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

The wall exploded into chunks of concrete, monstrous four legged creatures cloaked in white erupting from the main hall and reducing the entrance of the mess hall to rubble.

Albedo, Sebas, and Sara and Darkness jumped to the front, hitting back the debris that was about to hit them.

The monsters’ mouths separated into four jaws, looking something akin to a horribly mutilated dog.

Soldiers began to flood in behind the monsters, drawing their weapons.

(Edelgard) “Damn it, the Church found us!”

(Yuri) “Tch, brought the war right to us, didn’t ya?!”

(Dimitri) “It was going to reach you regardless, now quit complaining and help us kill the angels!”

Edelgard, Yuri, and Dimitri ran forward to meet the soldiers head on.

(Minato) “What’s the plan here?!”

(Kazuma) “WE GET THE HELL OUT, THAT’S WHAT!”

Kazuma motioned the others to himself before trying to head out the exit, before more soldiers started to flood in.

(Felix) “That’s just great!”

(Sitri) “What about the entrance near the lake?!-”

Right as they spun around, more angels blocked the doorway.

(Balthus) “Well, IF IT’S FIGHT THEY WANT!”

(Junpei) “Not sure fighting them head on is our best idea, man!”

(Millium) “Then we’ll make an exit out of here! LAMMY!”

Her golem materialized behind her and charged the soldiers, and with one swipe sent them into the air.

(Megumin) “Think our best bet is to move our butts to Abyss!”

(Sharon) “Very well! We will take point!”

Sharon jumped above everyone and towards the entrance along with Doomguy.

More soldiers were on their way from the direction of the classrooms, forcing Doomguy to pull out an assault rifle.

As he began to unload the gun’s ammo into the Church soldiers, everyone began to retreat.

Edelgard, Dimitri, and Yuri sheathed their weapons and quickly got behind the group running away.

(Church Captain) “DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!”

The Captain turned to the angels and nodded.

(Church Captain) “Cut them off at all entrances!"

The angels nodded and charged away, leaving the soldiers to pursue the others.

The Phantom Thieves, Machias, Crow, Towa, Aigis, and Doomguy covered everyone as they ran from area to area with their guns, dropping soldier after soldier.

(Machias) “This is absolutely insane! Just how much people did they send after us?!”

(Aigis) “According to my scans, there are currently over a hundred-”

(Towa) “I-I DON’T THINK I WANT TO KNOW THAT NUMBER, AIGIS!”

(Ann) “JUST GO AWAAAAAAAAY!”

(Megumin) “W-Wait a second!”

It was then everyone realized that the group was shooting to kill.

(Kazuma) “The hell?! I thought you guys didn’t ki-”

The fallen soldier’s bodies began to twitch violently as they exploded into pure white winged bats.

(Kazuma) “OKAY, WHAT IN THE FUCK?!”

(Constance) “Keep moving, Kazuma!”

Sharon and Doomguy turned the corner to the entrance of Abyss before Hapi realized something.

(Hapi) “Wait a second, we never saw their bodies do that when we were leaving. Crap, does that mean?-”

Hapi’s question was answered when several more of the white bats flew out of Abyss’s entrance.

An angel was there waiting for them, charging full speed.

(Albedo) “OUT OF THE WAY!”

(Darkness) “EXCUSE ME!”

Albedo in an instant transformed into her black armor and shoved the others out her way, Darkness standing beside her.

They both blocked the monster and shoved them both back into the ground.

Its jaws unhinged and was about to devour them before the two of them drew their weapons and cleaved the side jaws, making it recoil back in pain.

Mercedes, Annette, Linhardt, and Dorothea raised their hands and all cast a fire spell, flying straight into the creature’s mouth and setting it ablaze.

It made an almost ear piercing screech as it inelegantly flopped over, immediately lying dead.

(Linhardt) “Hm, these angels appear to die from our attacks than the one we encountered at Enbarr.-”

(Annette) “D-Don’t think now��s a good time to conduct research, Linhardt!”

(Linhardt) “I’d beg to differ but eh, you’re probably right. Gotta waste our energy escaping.”

Felix, Sylvain, and Ingrid slashed apart the bats following behind them.

(Sylvain) “LESS TALKING, MORE RUNNING!”

(Ingrid) “I don’t think we can get to the stables in time!”

(Felix) “Not gonna help anyway, there’s too many of us to escape on horseback!”

Petra and Ashe shot two out of the air with a bow as Dedue grabbed one and slammed it into the floot.

(Petra) “Then we are hard of pressed for decisions!”

(Ashe) “All the exits are covered by these things right? Then that means they got us surrounded!”

(Dedue) “And going into Abyss seems like a good way for us to get separated and picked off!”

(Bernadetta) “S-SO WE’RE JUST GOING TO BE TRAPPED HERE THEN?!”

(Caspar) “Calm down, Bernadetta! I’m sure we can punch our way outta here!”

(Ferdinand) “Then they will simply follow us! I am not sure we have the stamina to nor the manpower to stave off an entire army!”

(Miki) “Wait a second, what about Valimar?! He can teleport us out of here with that spirit portal thing!”

(Rean) “We’re going to need a huge area for all of us to get teleported!”

(Sitri) “I-If the Cathedral is still here, we could try that!”

(Aqua) “WHAT?! That’s like, the number one spot they would be in!”

(Hubert) “Then we will need to secure the area inside first.”

(Yuuri) “Besides, the Entrance Hall is too dangerous to push towards there, and if we’re out in the courtyard then we’ll be right in the open!”

(Futaba) “Enemies closing in behind us!”

(Fuuka) “More coming from Abyss’s entrance!”

(Pandora’s Actor) “MMMM, IF WE MAKE OUR CHOICE, WE BEST DO IT NOW!”

(Kazuma) “BRIDGE IT IS, MOVE YOUR ASSES PEOPLE!”

...

Byleth cut down the angel blocking the entrance to the Monastery, and shot down any soldier trying to approach him.

The angel began to fade into nothingness before its energy was absorbed into Byleth.

(Soldier) “I-IT’S THE WARRIOR OF DARKNESS!”

(Soldier 2) “GET THE CAPTAIN, WE’LL TRY TO-”

The soldier was interrupted when his head exploded and fell to the floor.

When the other soldier looked back at Byleth, the sword slashed across his chest, sending him flying back.

Their bodies started twitching as Byleth raised a hand towards them.

His hand shot out a wave of a black and purple aura, completely enveloping them.

The bodies had disintegrated completely, leaving no trace of them on the ground.

Byleth saw the path of destruction from the main hall, to the Mess Hall.

After running to the room, he looked at the debris and bodies left in the group’s wake and followed the trail towards the church.

...

(Narberal) “Lord Ainz, the main hall is secure for now!”

The Pleiades and Sharon killed the soldiers inside and collapsed the other entrances leading inside.

(Ainz) “Understood, DEMIURGE, COCYTUS!”

Demiurge opened his hands and flicked his wrists, summoning a massive flame wall in front of the bridge.

Everyone else made it inside, and Cocytus created a freezing mist cloud in front of their entrance, letting ice shoot up into the air forming another wall.

(Cocytus) “IT IS DONE, LORD AINZ.”

(Shalltear) “Get on with it, Schwarzer!”

(Rean) “Right. Heed my call...

VALIMAR, THE ASHEN KNIGHT!”

Valimar stood up from the forests nearby and flew into the air, towards the Monastery.

Byleth finally cut his way to the bridge when he saw several winged bats pick up a specially dressed Church soldier.

(Byleth) “Damn it!”

He aimed the pistol at it and squeezed the trigger.

More bats flew in to intervene and took the bullet, the bat dropping below the bridge. Byleth fired several more shots only to have the same result.

A massive shadow enveloped Byleth, and he spun around with his sword expecting another angel.

Instead, it was Valimar stopping its flying to float next to Byleth.

(Valimar) Instructor Byleth. Please get on.

Valimar held a hand out for Byleth to hop on, to which Byleth responded with a nod.

(Rean) “Valimar, where are you?!”

(Valimar) Awakener, the Instructor is here.

(Rean) “Instructor- Wait, Instructor Byleth?!”

(Minako) “HEY, INCOMING!”

Minato and Minako put their Evokers to their heads and summoned Thanatos, and it casted a massive sphere around them as the ice wall exploded.

From the mist, a massive angel stepped in, roaring and shaking the entire Cathedral.

It had four legs and jaws like the others, but the tail appeared to be some sort of snake-like creature.

(Yuri) “Tsk, must be that captain!”

(Aqua) “Come on, we’ll kick your ass!”

(Edelgard) “This is bad!”

(Albedo) “What do you mean, with all of us here it stands no chance!”

(Akira) “That’s what we thought at Enbarr too!”

(Rean) “We have no idea what the hell’s empowering them, but an ‘Inquisitor’ or whatever turned into one of these, not even Slayer laid a permanent scratch on it!”

(Megumi) “C-Come again?!”

(Bernadetta) “WHAT CHANCE DO WE HAVE THEN?!”

(Ingrid) “If I die today, I die for Faerghus!”

(Hubert) “And I for the Empire!”

(Kazuma) “REAN, WHERE THE FUCK IS YOUR GIANT ROBOT!?”

A massive figure dropped in from the ceiling and landed in front of the angel who was approaching the group.

(Angel) “WHO DARES-...!!! YOU.”

Valimar’s hand went loose as it flew back behind everyone.

(Valimar) Preparing Spirit Portal. Please secure time for me to allow us a safe transportation.

(Byleth’s Voice) “Sara, catch.”

A pistol flew out from the dust and Sara caught it, and a smile grew on her face.

(Sara) “You took your time, didn’t you?”

[Boss Theme #2 - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

(Sitri) “Byleth...!”

(Futaba) “Cheesy reunion dialogue later, enemies are starting to come from behind!”

(Angel) “I WILL NOT PERMIT THE WARRIOR OF DARKNESS TO INTERFERE ANY LONGER! YOU DIE NOW!”

(Byleth) “I’ll worry about the finishing blow, who’s helping me?”

(Cocytus) “I WILL ASSIST YOU, BYLETH.”

(Sharon) “I as well!”

Doomguy nodded as he threw a few of his smaller guns at the School-Living Club and unsheathed his sword.

(Sara) “Well, looks like this is a good way for the staff to reunite!”

(Angelica) “We’ll join in the fight another time, we’ll take care of our kids!”

(Towa) “Good luck, Instructors!”

Byleth couldn’t remember the last time he smiled. Hearing their voices again brought him a calmness he hadn’t experienced in five years.

He also noted Sitri’s presence with them, but those questions will come later. For now-

The angel roared again, readying its tail.

(Byleth) “With me!”

(Sharon) “Understood!”

(Sara) “Got your back!”

(Cocytus) “FOR THE GLORY OF NAZARICK!”

(Doomguy) “...”

The angel spun around and had its snake-like tail lunge at the five.

Cocytus was the only one not to jump out the way, grabbing it with three of his arms.

It spat poison on the floor, which quickly began to spread into a wide area.

Cocytus stabbed it through its head with the arm holding the halberd and moved aside before the poison could reach him.

(Cocytus) “THE TAIL IS DOWN.”

Doomguy didn’t bother to look at the area he was jumping to as his shoulder cannon fired a grenade behind him, setting the poison ablaze.

He jumped onto the angel, which begun to flail wildly, trying to get him off.

Doomguy jammed his wristblade into it, but couldn’t do anything else other than hold on.

Sara kept its attention by repeatedly shooting it in the face with her pistol, which didn’t seem to do much other than annoy the angel.

Byleth appeared to be doing something with his sword and made it glow a black and purple aura.

(Sharon) “Arcus, activate!”

Sharon smiled and used her wires to wrap around the angel’s legs, making it slower and almost trip.

She dashed from leg to leg at high speeds, using her knife to slice open the parts behind its legs, then pulled the wires closer to her, making them shift into the open wounds.

The angel screamed loudly, flailing even more violently and finally flinging Doomguy off.

The wires broke off which made Sharon frown. It was still moving far too much for her liking.

And just as she expected, the wounds began to heal.

(Sharon) “Master Byleth, I trust you have a solution to our problem?”

Byleth didn’t respond and instead held his hand out, shooting out a wave of dark energy at the creature, making it howl in pain as the wounds suddenly stopped regenerating and caused miniature explosions.

He activated the whip function of the sword as he jumped onto the angel, and swung at the head, dicing many parts into pieces.

(Sara) “Arcus, activate!”

Purple lightning shot back and forth around the angel, slicing off entire limbs with Sara finally appearing where the lightning ended, right in front of the beast.

Byleth jumped off as Doomguy took his place, putting his sword between its neck and slicing downwards, severing the head.

The head was still alive and was about to lunge at Sara with its jaws before Cocytus used the top part of his halberd and impaled it to the floor.

Byleth’s eyes glowed red for a moment before deactivating the whip and looking at the angel.

He raised his hand into the air and began to absorb the light from the angel.

It then was enveloped by a dark aura which covered the floor they were standing in, making everyone take a step back.

When the dark aura disappeared, the angel was completely gone. Even the head Cocytus had impaled left no trace of any gore.

(Cocytus) “HMPH. I CANNOT HELP BUT FEEL A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED AFTER WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT THE LAST ENCOUNTER WITH ONE OF THESE.”

Doomguy shrugged in response as Sharon dusted off her dress.

(Sara) “Well, this one didn’t seem to be an inquisitor. If it weren’t for Byleth, I’m not sure we could’ve killed it.”

She smiled and turned to face him.

(Sara) “Speaking of which-”

That smile went away when she realized Byleth was heavily panting and on one knee.

(Sara) “Crap, Byleth!”

The four ran over to him and helped him up.

(Sara) “Rean, status?”

Rean sliced apart the last bat with his tachi and took a quick look around.

(Rean) “Now’s a great time to go!”

(Valimar) Opening Spirit Portal. Destination required.

(Dimitri) “Take us to Derdriu!”

(Rean) “Right, what Dimitri said!”

(Valimar) Acknowledged. Beginning transport now.

Everyone in the room was quickly teleported away from Garreg Mach.

Soldiers flooded into the room alongside the lesser angels but saw no trace of anyone left.

(Soldier) “W-What happened? I thought the captain was here?”

(Soldier) “Goddess save us...!”

They saw several burn marks on the ground that wasn’t caused by fire. Some of the energy was still emanating off and that's when they came to the conclusion:

(Soldier) “The Warrior of Darkness is with House Isekai!”

Several Agarthans were watching from a distance as the soldiers began to move out of Garreg Mach. The men and women in black robes looked at each other.

(Agarthan) “This is going to be a problem...”

...

Zanado, the Red Canyon, Present Day...

[Sands of Amber - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers]

Hilda yawned as she exited the tent she was sleeping in.

(Hilda) “Ugh, we gotta wake up so early...”

The skies hadn’t even turned blue yet and was still a crimson red over the horizon. Hilda groaned as Marianne exited the same tent and stretched.

(Marianne) “Well, at least we’ll just be exploring today right?”

Hilda rolled her eyes as she picked up her axe.

(Hilda) “Psh, my butt. Claude always says that and it ALWAYS escalates into a skirmish.”

The two walked beside each other as they moved down the resting area and towards the rest of the group.

Naoto and Rise were already up, staring at the same thing.

(Rise) “My Persona still isn’t picking anything up.”

(Naoto) “That can’t be right. Perhaps we need to-...Oh, good morning.”

(Marianne) “Hello. Still nothing?”

(Rise) “Not a thing. I still can’t believe none of us ever noticed this beforehand during the academy!”

(Hilda) “Well, I don’t think it was there to begin with...”

Hilda put her hands on her hips as she examined it.

The Golden Deer and Investigation Team had set up camp to examine a massive tower that went up into the sky, something that definitely wasn’t there before.

Or, maybe it was. Every time they stared at the tower, their memory got a bit fuzzy.

The tower stood out from the rest of the area, looking half natural formation, and half man-made. It had glowing blue lines throughout the entire structure.

Records seemed to indicate it had been there prior, yet earlier in the year when the Houses were sent to this canyon, it wasn’t present. Nor was it present during the previous five years.

Or, at the very least no one was aware of its existence until just recently.

(Marianne) “Perhaps we should wait for everyone else to wake up?”

(Claude) “Wow, Hilda up early. Didn’t think that was possible.”

Claude tossed everyone a canteen of water as he looked up at the tower.

(Hilda) “Speak for yourself! You used to sleep in all the time back in Garreg Mach!”

(Claude) “Well, I like to think I’m a changed man. Though sometimes I wish I hadn’t. Growing up sucks.”

His smile faded as he continued to examine the tower.

(Claude) “...Ugh, looking at this is just giving me a headache.”

(Naoto) “Perhaps this tower is messing with our memories and causing us to perceive things differently?”

(Claude) “Too early to tell, Naoto. And uh, little too early to start conspiring when we haven’t even gone inside the thing yet.”

When he looked at Naoto and Rise, another thing was starting to give him a headache.

They had been here for at least 3 years, yet not a single one of the Investigation Team showed any signs of having aged.

A velvet door appeared next to them with Yu and that strange girl Marie stepping out.

(Yu) “Mornin’.”

(Marie) “...Hey.”

(Rise) “Any luck, senpai?”

(Yu) “No. Margaret, Theodore, Elizabeth, and Lavenza had no idea what it was either.”

Yu held out the sample from the tower and Naoto put it near the crates.

(Marie) “Most we’re really able to tell is it’s definitely from this world. Other than that, Iunno.”

(Claude) “Then we’re really left with the worst plan we got...”

He sighed as he turned to the others.

(Claude) “Let’s get everyone up and grab some grub. After that, we’re going inside.”

Everyone nodded and turned around back to camp. Claude was about to follow them when-

“I see. Right until the very end, I've read this whole thing terribly wrong... All my hopes have fallen to ash...”

Claude first checked his throat. He was positive that he hadn’t spoken, yet...

He then looked behind him, and there was nothing other than a few crates facing the tower.

That was definitely his voice he heard clear as day, but there was no one around him.

(Claude) “The hell...?”

Shaking his head, sure he hadn’t gotten enough sleep and went back with the others.

Town outside Derdriu territory...

[Return of the Night - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

The townspeople watched from their windows as the massive ball of light began pulsating and eventually flickered out, revealing a group of people they had never seen before materialize into existence.

(Valimar) Apologies Awakener. This is as close as I am able to get.

(Yuri) “Huh? Why can’t you get us into the city directly?”

(Valimar) I cannot teleport anywhere without the magical currents in the area being high enough.

(Kazuma) “So, you just happened to teleport us in the middle of some backwoods town and had us scare the shit out of everyone here?”

(Megumi) “W-What about Byleth? I think he’s injured!”

(Byleth) “N-No, I’m not...just...so...tired.”

Byleth gently shoved off Sara and Doomguy’s arm and stood on his own.

It was then everyone realized what was different about Byleth.

He looked more jaded than anything, but what stuck out most was his white hair.

It was some form of green the last time they saw him, but...

(Byleth) “It’s good to see all of you again.”

Byleth made a weak smile, and Megumi was the first to hug him.

(Megumi) “Thank goodness you’re safe!”

She began to cry as Byleth hugged her back.

(Byleth) “Words cannot describe how relieved I am to see everyone okay.”

(Sara) “Oh come on, don’t start crying too. You might make me tear up too.”

(Rean) “Welcome back, Instructor!”

(Yuuri) “It must have been a long wait, Byleth-sensei!”

(Minato) “It’s only been half a year and that’s already been too long.”

(Minako) “We almost got the whole gang together!”

(Akira) “Nice to see you again.”

Dimitri and Edelgard wanted to say something, but thought it best to keep quiet for now. The Black Eagles and Blue Lions watched the class all speak to each other again.

House Isekai was as close as one could be, and seeing almost everyone reunited was a sight for sore eyes.

It reminded them of a certain missing House that could really make this feel like a proper reunion...

Sitri wiped away some tears, finally getting to see her son all grown up.

Megumi let go and motioned towards Sitri, and the two finally met face to face.

(Sitri) “Hello, Byleth.”

(Byleth) “Si...Sitri?”

She slowly reached out her hands, and Byleth grabbed hers.

Both of them made the same response, their eyes going wide.

(Sitri) “Look at you, hah...You’re all grown up...!”

Some of the group began sniffing and wiping their eyes but the rest smiled as they watched.

(Hapi) “Kiiinda feels like we’re intruding here.”

(Yuri) “Shut up, you’ll ruin the moment.”

(Balthus) “Nah, she doesn’t mean on Byleth and Sitri, dumbass. I meant the fact we’re doing this in the middle of a town.”

(Ainz) “Wait a second, Valimar said that he can only teleport us to areas with high magical energies. What’s so special about this town?”

(???) “Oh nothing. I just made enough energy to where you’ll teleport here.”

[Bedlam’s Brink - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers]

Everyone turned around to see Lahabrea leaning against a nearby building.

Sitri put Byleth behind her as everyone had a hand over their weapons.

(Lahabrea) “Oh, spare me the dramatics, would you?”

He got off the wall and looked at the group standing.

(Lahabrea) “And take a look at this! At...!....A-At...”

Lahabrea was cut off as he reached for his head.

(Kazuma) “...The hell is he-AGH, FUCK!”

Kazuma and his group were the first to reach for their heads, wincing in pain.

The next was the Phantom Thieves, Class VII, the School-Living Club, S.E.E.S, then the denizens of Nazarick.

Byleth and the Blue Lions and Black Eagles quickly followed, leaving Sitri the only one unaffected.

After a few moments, Byleth collapsed to the ground while Lahabrea fell to one knee.

(Sitri) “BYLETH!”

Lahabrea shook it off and looked back up to see everyone slowly recovering.

(Rean) “What...What was that?!”

(Fie) “Ugh, nearly split my head open...”

(Elliot) “Um...W-Was I the only one who heard voices during that?”

(Mare) “You too?!”

(Albedo) “That voice was my own, it was-Ugh...!”

(Yukari) “I don’t remember saying those things at all, yet...”

(Ken) “C-Clear as day? Yeah, same here.”

(Ryuji) “Hey, asshole! What the ‘eff’s going on with...us?”

Lahabrea slowly got up look back at everyone.

(Morgana) “You better have a good explanation of what you did to us!”

(Lahabrea) “...”

(Kurumi) “Tch, what?! Nothing funny to say now? No sass in ya all of a sudden?!”

(Emma) “Guys, he’s not alone!”

Everyone looked at Emma then back at Lahabrea who was still standing there, staring at them.

(Kazuma) “Sold us out to the Agarthan’s didn’t you?! Made them put shit in our heads!”

(Darkness) “You will pay for that, fiend!”

She was the first to draw her weapon, and the rest followed suit.

(Ainz) “Hang on a moment.”

Ainz finally took the time to scan Lahabrea with a magic detection spell.

As he was doing so, Megumi stepped forth.

(Megumi) “You’re putting a lot of time into people you’re supposed to hate. No more dodging the question, who are you, and why are you so invested in us fighting the Church and the Those who Slither?!”

(Minato) “Give us another stupid answer, and you won’t like what happens!”

...

(Lahabrea) “...They deserve to know.”

(Everyone) ?

(Lahabrea) “...Yes, I know what might happen if we do.”

(Towa) “Why is he just talking to himse-”

It was then Towa noticed the faces on Emma and Aqua. Megumin was quick to notice what she was looking at and caught on.

(Megumin) “Eh? Aqua?”

Kazuma had the same face as well. Akira, Morgana, Minato, Minako, all of Nazarick, Doomguy, and Sitri included.

(Edelgard) “What’s happening to them?”

(Dimitri) “Can someone give an explanation or-”

(Kazuma) “What. The. Fuck.”

[More than Truth - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers]

(Sothis?) “...Hello, everyone.”

She awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.

(Sothis?) “I forgot that not everyone can see me.”

Sothis had appeared next to Lahabrea, though she was wearing slightly more ragged and darker clothes.

Compared to the normal Sothis, she had a dark red dress and looked slightly older and more tired, but it was still undoubtedly Sothis.

(Albedo) “What sort of trickery is this?!”

(Emma) “S-Sothis was infused into Byleth such a long time ago! How are you here?”

(Aqua) “No...No! You’re not Sothis! This is some sort of magic that-”

(Lahabrea) “Would the Agarthans really go through the lengths to make an exact copy of Sothis that only certain offworlders can see, Aqua?”

By the tone of his voice, he had dropped any pretense of disguising his voice.

He took a deep sigh and shook his head.

(Lahabrea) “No...You and all of House Isekai have every right to doubt our motives.”

(Yuki) “T-That voice...”

Everyone started listening closely and realized what Yuki was hearing.

(Lahabrea) “Good, I can end this charade. Felt annoying as hell to keep up.”

Lahabrea reached for his mask and slowly took it off, putting the hood down and revealing his full face.

Everyone lowered their weapons, some gasped while some held their breath.

Sharon’s smile had went away a while ago but this was the first time anyone had seen her shocked.

Doomguy took off his helmet for a brief moment to make sure his visor wasn’t acting up, and saw the look of utter confusion on his face as well.

(Lahabrea?) “Sothis, go ahead and make yourself visible to everyone.”

Sothis nodded and did as he asked, making most of everyone jump.

(Sitri) “You’re...also Byleth? How is that possible?!”

(Kazuma) “Hey, don’t fall for it! The Agarthans did some crazy shit with Monica and Thomas way back! This has got to be the same thing now!”

(Sothis?) “Kazuma, it’s-”

Sothis floated towards Kazuma, but everyone quickly went back on guard.

(Kazuma) “Back off, asshole! You aren’t Sothis! This is some really clever trick so you can stab us in the back!”

Lahabrea looked at the Sword of the Creator and grabbed it.

(Alisa) “S-SITRI! GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Megumi got in front of Sitri and stretched her arms wide.

Lahabrea motioned a hand upwards, motioning them to wait.

(Crow) “Nice try, that thing only responds to people with a crest of!-”

The sword glowed in response, activating in the exact same way as if Byleth held it.

(Crow) “...Flames...”

(Ainz) “Everyone...That is Byleth and Sothis.”

(Lahabrea?) “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at this reaction...”

He looked among the group, but all he felt were the eyes of complete strangers.

(Sothis?) “I told you this would’ve happened...”

(Lahabrea?) “I promise, I will answer any question you have. For now, let’s get to Derdriu and get your Byleth some rest.”

(Rean) “...Fine.”

Rean was the first to sheathe his Tachi, and Valimar stood up and began to walk with him.

Class VII eventually followed, then the rest of the group.

(Lahabrea?) “...”

(Sothis?) “I told you they wouldn’t remember us. They never do.”

(Lahabrea?) sigh “...I know, Sothis. I know.”

He put on his mask and hood again and followed behind everyone, Sothis floating behind.

(Lahabrea) “Hopefully in due time, they’ll remember us.”

PART 4: END

---

[Escape - Darling in the FranXX OST]

The forecasted rain wets us

What should I say to you, as you tremble? My soaked blazer is cold and heavy

I feel as helpless as a chick who’s left its cage. I felt that my dreams were on the other side of the heavy clouds

I digested only the sweet pain that spread in my chest

I wonder if it’d be better if I’d never met you

Hey, I can’t even see the stars

Hey, my tears won’t fall either

---

EPILOGUE:

The first thing anyone would notice stepping into the Hearing Chamber was that it was a blinding white.

The floors, the wall, and even the guards were dressed head to toe in white, with gold accents highlighting the armor and edges of the room.

Catherine never liked this room much, but whatever made Rhea happy. She guessed.

Catherine knelt down before Rhea, joined in by Alois, Shamir, Seteth, Flayn, and Cyril.

(Cyril) “Lady Seiros, the Warrior of Darkness has made a reappearance at Garreg Mach Monastery.”

(Rhea) “And?”

(Cyril) “...He has rejoined House Isekai. It would seem that this third party is making its move.”

Rhea frowned and looked back at her loyal subjects.

(Rhea) “Then we will make ours as well. Do not fail me, Inquisitors...”

...

Claude took a deep breath, opening the door to the tower.

The Golden Deer and the Investigation Team stood behind him, weapons at the ready.

(Yosuke) “Dude, you REALLY didn’t have any other plan than just walk through the front door?”

(Teddie) “This is a very terrible idea!”

(Leonie) “...No bear pun?”

(Teddie) “NO, CAUSE THIS IS A TERRIBLE PLAN!”

(Chie) “Daaamn, didn’t think I’d ever hear that!”

(Lorenz) “I, for once, agree with Teddie.”

(Lysithea) “And I didn’t think I’d hear THAT.”

(Yu) “Everyone keep quiet and...listen...?”

“You’re not me!” “The dreams of men don't amount to much. Sorry, but... it's up to you now.”

The voices flooding in gradually grew louder and louder, everyone being able to recognize their voice as they stood there.

(Claude) “What in the hell did we just find...?!”

...

Everyone continued walking towards Derdriu silently, unable to make words of any kind after what they just saw.

Lahabrea and Sothis continued to stay behind, unable to approach any of them.

(Sothis?) “So, what do you plan to tell them when they ask?”

(Lahabrea?) “The truth. They deserve to know everything...Even everything that I’ve done.”

He looked at his hand and clenched it into a fist.

(Lahabrea?) “...How many years have come and gone, since that day, Sothis?”

Looking back up, he saw House Isekai, the Black Eagles, and Blue Lions standing side by side.

(Lahabrea?) “How many years have we waited for this moment?”

Sitri was next to Byleth with the Pleiades carrying him.

(Lahabrea?) “For the House that stood alone against the storm?”

(Sothis?) “I suppose you’re not wrong. What about the Sothis of this time?”

(Lahabrea?) “I’m sure she’s watching us as we speak.”

Lahabrea’s attention turned to Sitri.

(Lahabrea?) “Even if they don’t know it.”

ACT 1: ENDED

[Shadowbringers - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

One brings shadow, one brings light Two-toned echoes tumbling through time

Threescore wasted, ten cast aside Four-fold knowing, no end in sight

One brings shadow, one brings light One dark future no one survives

On their shadows, away we fly

The road that we walk

Is lost in the flood

Here proud angels bathe in

Their wages of blood

At this, the world's end, do we cast off tomorrow

One brings shadow, one brings light To this riddle all souls are tied

Brief our moments, brazen and bright Forged in fury, tempered in ice

Hindmost devils, early to rise Sing come twilight, sleep when they die

Heaven's banquet leavened with lies Sating honor, envy, and pride

One brings shadow, one brings light

Run from the light

Authors of our fates

Orchestrate our fall from grace

Poorest players on the stage

Our defiance drives us straight to the edge

A reflection in the glass

Recollections of our past

Swift as darkness, cold as ash

Far beyond this dream of paradise lost

HOME

RIDING HOME

DYING HOPE HOLD ONTO HOPE

HOME

RIDING HOME

HOME, RIDING HOME HOPE, FINDING HOPE

One brings shadow, one brings light One more chapter we've yet to write

Want for nothing, nothing denied Wand'ring ended, futures aligned

One brings shadow, one brings light One brings shadow, one brings light

You are the light

We fall

We fall unto the end

ONE WORLD’S END (The end)

OUR WORLD’S END (The end)

WE (Our world)

END (We won’t end)

I am shadow, I am the light

#House Isekai #House Isekai Shadowbringers #fanfic #crossover #byleth eisner #fire emblem three houses imagines #sothis #akira kurusu #minato arisato #minako arisato #satou kazuma #aqua #ainz ooal gown #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #Edelgard von Hresvelg #Claude von Riegan #yu narukami #megumi sakura #yuri leclerc

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stargazer-balladeer · 4 years ago

Text

“I’ll never leave you” [Persona 3]

[Dead! Minato Arisato x Gender Neutral! Reader]

Note: Um... I saw a post about Minato and got inspired by it. I enjoyed writing this :) Hope ya’ll enjoy this!

Word Count: 1538

Warning: Angst.. and spoilers for the ending-

[Y/N] quietly weeps to themselves in the dark empty room that once belonged to their boyfriend, who was long gone. They stuffed their face in the pillow that was once smelled like his shampoo, but over the time, it lost its scent. The music ringing through the room only fell on deaf ears as the person continued to cry. The loneliness in their heart grew at the fact that Minato isn’t coming back. The longing for him only grew inside them which made their heart tighten itself.

It’s been 5 years since Minato passed away, but even after all these years, the hole that he left in [Y/N]’s heart never fade away. In fact, it only grew larger and larger. 5 years passed yet [Y/N] continued to hope for him to return to the land of the living. The SEES have already gone their separate ways, carrying their leader’s death in their hearts. But unlike the [H/C]-headed person, they continued to live.

The SEES already have tried to help [Y/N], but the said-person kept pushing them away. The others gave up but Mitsuru continued to help the poor (girl/boy) out, not wanting them to be left alone with those depressing thoughts. [Y/N] sniffed as they hug the pillow even tighter. “I... miss you so much, Minato.. come back please.” The person pleaded helplessly as they hiccup. They were having a hard time to breathe now, having to cry for so long.

“I miss you too, [Y/N].” [Y/N]’s eyes snapped open instantly at the familiarity of the voice. They felt the bed dip at the weight of the person. They could feel their heart beating loudly at their ears. Could it be..?

“Minato..?” They felt someone’s hand running their fingers through their hair, before settling at the back of their head. “Hm? Yes?” [Y/N] slowly turned their head to meet a familiar ghostly face with a small smile present on his face. They gasp at the sight as Minato chuckled and simultaneously moving his hand to their cheek. It was faint but the warmth [Y/N] knew and love was still there. “Surprised to see me?”

[Y/N] meekly nodded their head, their mind still in a hazy state. Minato sighed as he brings the frozen person into a hug. [Y/N] remained frozen but their hands slowly rose to hug their (dead) boyfriend back. “I-I don’t understand.. isn’t your soul in--?” “The seal? Yes, and still is. I’m what you call a figment of your imagination.” Minato explains while hugging [Y/N]. [Y/N]’s eyes widened but immediately went back to normal. So this is their imagination?

“Doesn’t that make me crazy though?” Minato laughs at [Y/N] question which made the latter pout. Minato pulls away from the hug, still laughing. [Y/N] took the time to analyze him, it was like he never aged. He still look like that 17-year old guy 5 years ago. “You haven’t aged, huh?” [Y/N] absentmindedly noted as Minato stopped laughing. He gives her a small smile on return as his eyes travel around her face. “And you have aged, my dear. Though you look more (beautiful/handsome) than ever.”

[Y/N] blushed at what he said before pouting. “And you still know your way around words.” Minato lets out a laugh at their statement. “Blame Junpei for that.” [Y/N] chuckles at what he said before returning to their depressed-self. Minato notices this as he sighs. “You know we can’t turn the clock of time back, right?” [Y/N] remained silent. Minato leans back and made himself comfortable in his previously-owned bed, looking at the dirty-white ceiling.

“Death is a natural cause for everyone. Even if we want for them to return, they don’t. So we can only learn how to move on. They aren’t afterall truly gone.. they remain in our hearts.” Minato went into one of his speeches. His eyes trailed to his partner to see them still being silent and depressed. Minato lets out a sigh once again. I guess it isn’t easy as I thought..

“You know that I’ll never leave your side right?” Minato sat back up and stare at [Y/N]’s [E/C] eyes that is filled with sadness. They slowly nodded their head, Minato lets out a smile. “That’s right. I’ll never leave you all by yourself. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.” Minato pulls them into a hug, cherishing how they fit in their embrace. Also being concerned about your health when he noticed how light-weighted you are.

[Y/N] lets out a small smile as a tear roll down their cheek and onto Minato’s shoulder. “I know that, Minato. Afterall, that’s already in the contract when I became your partner.” Minato brightened as he chuckles at their partner lighting up the room. He could feel [Y/N] opening their heart and slowly accepting his death. And he can also feel himself fading away.

After all these years, Minato can finally let [Y/N] go. The real reason why he stayed is because he saw how affected [Y/N] was from his death, worried about his partner’s health, he stayed by their side. Now, he has nothing to worry about. Minato knew that [Y/N] can manage on their own now, even if they can’t, the SEES will be there for them.

[Y/N] could also feel Minato fading away, giving him one last squeeze, they let him go. Both of them have a small smile present on their faces, as they lean forward and press their foreheads together. [Y/N] closing their eyes while Minato looking at them. “Move on and fill that hole inside you with love once again.” “I will.” Minato’s smile widened as he closes his eyes. “I’ll see you at the top then. We’ll be waiting.”

And with that Minato faded away. [Y/N]’s eyes remained closed as they chock in their sob. They took a deep breathe, calming themself down. Before opening their eyes, the once lost and broken eyes now brimming with determination and hope for the future. [Y/N] stood up with a smile present on their face.

“One more time..”

——

It’s been 10 years now since Minato’s death, 10 years since Shinjiro’s death, 10 years since they’ve defeated Tartarus. Now, in the car going to somewhere, the person smiled as they noticed sakura leaves falling from sakura trees. Spring has come once more to greet them. “Another spring without you, huh?” The [H/C]-haired person laughed, almost bitterly. They felt tears prickle in their eyes as they quickly wipe it away. “Don’t cry. You’ll be crying buckets later.” They mumbled to themself.

Once arrived at the destination, [Y/N] payed the driver and watch as the car drove away. [Y/N] slowly turned around to see a familiar-looking school that they once attended, Gekkoukan High School. Back where it all started..

The wind came blowing at them as they removed their hair from their face. “Hey! It’s [Y/N]-(chan/kun)!” [Y/N] heard a familiar-sounding voice. They smiled brightly as they noticed a group of people already inside the gates of Gekkoukan.

Mitsuru’s hair was already short, her lips in a smile. Akihiko was wearing a business suit and was wearing glasses. Yukari was in a comfortable clothing that is filled with pink. Junpei was the same as ever but with the cap long gone. Fuuka’s hair grows out as she waves at [Y/N]. Aigis wasn’t present, since she was still asleep. But now, they were gonna wake up Aigis after all these years passed.

“Hurry up! We still need to wake up Aigis!” Yukari cried while both her hands cupping her mouth. “Yeah! C’mon! Aigis might get grumpy if we wait too long!” Junpei agreed. “Its nice to see that everyone hasn’t change after all these years.” Mitsuru sighed while placing her hand on her head. Akihiko laughed. “It’s a reunion afterall! It’s all about letting loose!” Mitsuru shakes her head before letting out a smile-smirk. “I suppose so.” “B-Be careful, [Y/N]-(chan/kun)!” Fuuka cried.

[Y/N] nodded their head. “Yeah yeah! I’m coming!” [Y/N] started to run towards them, but they saw something in the corner of their eyes. They immediately stopped as they look at her left, looking at the sakura tree on the sideline. “[Y/N]!! HURRY UP!!” “Sorry!” [Y/N] cried, shaking their head and started to run towards the group once more. Shrugging it off as her imagination.

Minato, Ryoji and Shinjiro watch as [Y/N] tackle Yukari and Junpei in a hug, the latter shrieking in surprise while Junpei laughing. Minato smiles at [Y/N]’s smiles, glad that they weren’t anymore frowning. “Looks like you got worried for nothin’.” Shinjiro commented while crossing his hands in front of his chest. Ryoji laughs. “Well it’s nice to see them laughing again!” Minato nodded at Ryoji before returning his gaze to the group, who were now walking towards the dorm after waiting for the [E/C]-person. “I’m glad..”

[x] Main Page || [x] Persona 3 Page

#persona #persona x reader #persona 3 #persona 3 x reader #p3 #p3 x reader #minato arisato #minato arisato x reader #makoto yuki #makoto yuki x reader #sees #sees x reader #persona imagines #self req❣️

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justagirlwithapen32 · 4 years ago

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Wrong

The sight of her lying in a pool of her own blood was wrong.

“No!”

Two pairs of yellow eyes turned to look at her, one narrowing in confusion, the other in anger. “Kill her!” the angry one hissed.

Immediately white zetsu sprang at her, but Sakura easily took them down. In her grief and rage, she flung herself at the two black zetsu, hands forming a complex series of seals that imbued chakra into her hands, which she then funnelled into a katana. With one flash of the blade, the two were sliced in half, only to be drawn into the blade, which was actually a quietly famous sealing blade.

“No!”

It was the black zetsu’s turn to cry out in denial, and they both did, even as they were sealed away. Once it was done, the blade fell limp from Sakura’s hands, and she rushed over to the woman who lay upon the ground, bleeding out. Her life force was slowly ebbing away, and the pinkette realised that there was no way she could save her life, her chakra was too low, and her reserve was gone from all the fighting, thanks to the two black zetsus.

“No,” she denied a second time, this one as a whisper that could barely be heard. “Naruto… How can Naruto be born now? Wrong… Everything’s gone wrong!”

Sakura sobbed, clinging to Kushina’s hand. “I am sorry, Haruno Sakura,” a voice spoke, and she looked up to see the almost ghostly form of the Sage of Six Paths before her.

“You sent me back here,” she spoke as she wept. “You sent me here to stop zetsu from altering the past his way, and I have. But… Naruto…”

The Sage sighed, and she could detect a hint of sadness in his expression. “I truly am sorry,” he said. “I did not foresee this as a possibility. I knew that my son Ashura would reincarnate, but I was certain it would always be as Naruto.”

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Sakura begged. “There… there’s still a slight pulse, and…”

“Uzumaki Kushina’s spirit no longer resides within her,” the Sage said. “And any moment now, the last impulses of chakra in her system will disappear, and her body will expire. Then, Kurama will be released into the world’s natural chakra, to reform in a number of years.”

Sakura’s tears were renewed, and she wept once more for her sunshine friend and team mate who would now never exist. “Is there… really no way?” she asked in a grief stricken whisper.

“There is no way to bring her spirit back from the pure lands,” the Sage told her. “The only way to ensure Uzumaki Naruto’s conception now, would be if another soul was bonded to Kushina’s instead.”

Sakura looked up at him, tears halting their flow. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Haruno Sakura, your time here is limited, you know that,” the Sage said, and Sakura nodded in acknowledgement. “You cannot be in existence when you would be born in this time, I have already told you that. It was intended that I would send you back to where you came from, to restore balance with your spirit in the future. But instead, there is something else I can do. It will not prevent your existence in this time line, and will ensure Uzumaki Naruto’s own existence. Are you willing to do this?”

Sakura nodded immediately. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it,” she said decisively.

“I can bind your soul to Kushina,” the Sage said. “Essentially, you would become her. Her memories would become yours, her life would become your life. Your body would expire, would transition back into the chakra of the world, much as Kurama’s would, or any of my other children, were they to be released via death from their hosts. Kushina’s soul might be gone, but you would live on in her stead.”

Sakura was gaping at him, at the connotations of such a thing. But then she closed her mouth and thought quickly but seriously on it. Finally, she nodded and said, “What do I have to do?”

“Pour every last bit of your healing chakra into Kushina,” the Sage instructed. “It would not do to transfer your soul, only to have you die anyway from these injuries. Once you have exhausted your chakra, I will take it from there.”

Sakura nodded, then flared the remainder of her chakra, getting to work at healing the worst of Kushina’s injuries. Naruto, she kept thinking. For Naruto. She would do anything for him, for her team… Sasuke, Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai too. Her shishou, her friends… She poured everything she had into healing, knowing that even with what she had left, it would only be a patch until either a medic came along, or Kurama regained the strength to heal his host.

…Which would be her soon enough.

It didn’t take long, and soon, Sakura’s chakra was sluggish, stuttering in and out of life. Her vision swam, she felt herself fading out of existence, and the last thing she saw was the Sage above her, hand seals formed, then there was nothing.

OoOoO

He was desperate to find her.

While fighting those strange creatures, he’d lost track of Kushina. The last he’d seen of her, she’d chased after that kunoichi who’d been working with the Hokage for the last several months on some top secret mission, a mission he had the feeling had culminated in tonight’s battle. Minato couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Kushina knew what had been going on, but then dismissed that thought.

Taking a deep breath, he concentrated his senses. He couldn’t find the pink haired kunoichi, but he found Kushina. Her chakra… it was incredibly weak! Minato shunshined in her direction, unable to use hiraishin, as there were no markers where he could sense that Kushina was. When he arrived, his heart stopped at the sight before him.

“No no no no no!” he denied, rushing to her side. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt her pulse. “Kushina! Kushina, can you hear me? Please…”

She stirred lightly and her eyes fluttered open briefly. “Naruto?” she whispered questioningly, her voice wavering slightly.

Minato chuckled lightly. “Trust you to think of ramen at a time like this,” he said, relieved, trying to help her up.

Kushina looked up at him in confusion, wincing sharply at a pain that alerted him to the fact that she was still really, really hurt. She looked like she didn’t understand what he was saying, and Minato resisted biting his lip in worry. A moment later, the confusion cleared and she looked around, then down at her hands. Kushina pulled a strand of her her hair out into view, her eyes wide at the sight of it.

“It worked,” she whispered, then winced further, grasping at her side.

It was then Minato saw the blood.

“We have to get you to the hospital,” he said, gathering her into his arms. He held her tightly to him. “I thought I lost you for a moment there,” he whispered into her hair. “Please don’t do that again.”

Kushina nodded against his chest, but before he could get moving to the hospital, she cried suddenly, “Wait! The katana!”

She was wriggling in his grip, trying to get out of his grasp, no matter that it was causing her pain. “Stop!” he begged. “You’re going to hurt yourself further. What katana are you talking about?”

Kushina pointed down towards one that was on the ground. It looked vaguely familiar to him, but he didn’t know why. Minato opened his mouth to ask why she wanted it, but then the Hokage and two ANBU appeared.

“Minato, Kushina,” the Sandaime greeted them. “Have you seen Sakura?”

Sakura…? Right, the kunoichi. Minato shook his head, but Kushina said, “She’s gone. The katana… it’s there. It’s… it’s done, Hokage-sama, she asked me to tell you that.”

“Where did she go?” one of the ANBU asked.

Kushina shrugged. “Her body vanished into nothingness,” she said.

The Hokage looked troubled at this. He seemed about to ask Kushina more questions, but Minato spoke up then. “Hokage-sama, could this wait?” he asked. “Kushina needs a medic.”

“Of course, of course,” the Sandaime said. “Get her seen to. I will speak to you later on this, Kushina.”

Minato nodded and utilised his hiraishin to get them to the hospital.

OoOoO

Namikaze Kushina, nee Uzumaki, stood in front of an empty grave, one that had been set aside for ‘Sakura’. It had been a few years now since she’d woken in the vivacious red head’s body, but Sakura had adjusted. She was ‘Kushina’ now. After a few weeks, she’d caved and told the Hokage what had happened. He was shocked, but also touched by her willingness to make the sacrifice to ensure her best friend would exist.

They’d both agreed to never tell Minato, and maybe that was unfair, but…

Awkwardly leaning down, she placed a bouquet of flowers on the grave, the meaning behind the flowers deliberate. Consistency, sacrifice, love, friendship, and honour. She rubbed her belly where Naruto was already growing, and she smiled at the thought that her sunshine would be here soon, only two and a half months away.

Sakura closed her eyes, Kushina’s eyes, and offered up a silent promise to the woman whose life had been cut prematurely short, that she would look after her family. That Minato would be loved, Naruto would be loved, and that there would be no need for anything so drastic in the future as time travel to make sure that the world kept turning.

With a smile on her face, she turned and headed out of the cemetery to meet with Mikoto, who’d only recently come out of the hospital, and would have Itachi and newborn Sasuke with her.

#haruno sakura #uzumaki kushina #minato namikaze #MinaSaku #minakush #sage of six paths #zetsu #time travel

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chestnut-b · 5 years ago

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Himawari - Chapter 2

“Why are you here, Umino Iruka?”

Chapter 2 of a Kimetsu no Yaiba-verse AU

A blood-red moon hung ominously in the sky, and all around him, the screams of the dying.

In this chaos, all he could hear were his own panicked, ragged breaths, like thunder in his ears.

He looked up and saw his mother’s face. Relief, even through the curtain of red that streaked it. Pain stained her voice as she asked if he was alright. He had her in his arms, but the hands bracing her torn back were slippery with blood.

Just beyond, his father stood between them and the massive form tearing through everything in its reach. He too, was breathing heavily, blood pooling at his feet. The ground was littered with broken bodies and snapped blades, and the air smelled of iron and burning flesh.

“Father, Mother’s-!”

“Be quiet! Somebody get him out of here NOW!”

He’d witnessed this scene too many times. He knew by heart what would happen next.

Somebody ripped him from his mother’s arms. There was one last whisper of his name. Despite his desperate screams and struggles, their figures receded into the distance, eventually fading into the darkness.

He expected something here. Something that felt like release, but it didn’t come.

Instead, his body hit the floor hard. After a struggle he finally managed to pry his eyes open, only to find himself utterly alone in a misty forest clearing, illuminated an eerie red.

But he wasn’t alone for long.

The silence was broken by a soft hiss in the distance behind him, together with the sound of shifting branches and leaves. His body seized; he knew he has to run, but his body wouldn’t obey. Prone on his side, all he could do was wait for whatever was coming.

He was going to be consumed, he knew it. The sounds only got louder, and soon it was not the sound of breaking branches he heard, but the crunching of bones and the felling of trees.

It was death, fast approaching, but he would be damned if he didn’t meet it face on.

With every ounce of strength he could summon, he twisted his body around.

The first thing he saw; a set of fangs, dripping red with a wetness that reflected the moonlight.

The last thing he registered was the inside of a gaping maw, opening wide, preparing for its decent upon him.

This time, his own scream was the only thing that rang into the night.

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

Iruka’s eyes snapped open.

His chest burned with the need for air.

He would have cried out, but his training forbade him.

Just an arm away, a child sprawled out in a smaller futon finished a satisfied yawn.

Naruto.

It’s just Naruto.

It took more than a few deep breaths to suppress the burning in his throat.

There was a slight draft from a gap in the window, but it felt like a wave of bitter cold. He was drenched in sweat and found some relief in the sensation, but a new wave of warmth soon trickled down his cheek.

He reached out and brought the futon cover back up, just under Naruto’s chin. The child smiled contently and burrowed back into his bed. His breathing soon took on a relaxed, quiet rhythm.

The eyes that had been fixed on the child’s sleeping form shifted their focus to the door behind him, but only for a moment before he turned carefully to lie on his back.

He allowed his eyes to flutter shut, but didn’t let himself fall back to much-needed sleep. Concentrating on his own breathing, Iruka allowed the sounds of the surrounding wilderness to take over his senses.

Dawn would come soon enough.

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

It had been two weeks since the start of his post at the school, and Kakashi had been performing his duty as diligently as a person who was bored out of his mind could.

Sitting in his new favourite spot in the trees overlooking the grounds, he observed the going-ons below. The young inhabitants stood engrossed in the demonstration happening before them. Gripping a wooden sword, Iruka moved with a practiced grace, one form to the next. Concise and age appropriate, Kakashi thought, but Naruto and the boy named Lee (who reminded him disturbingly of Gai) were squirming excitedly and looking especially starry-eyed.

Naruto...Well, Jiraiya and Iruka were right about one thing at least. As the 7 year old boy that he was, Naruto had an exceedingly unsurprising disposition. He hadn’t shown any inkling of the demon that slept within, thanks in large part to his age and the fact that he’d been raised, like many of the peasant orphans here, without knowledge or endowment of a family name.

But unlike the Uzumaki clan members Kakashi were aware of, there were aspects of the boy that were undeniably unique. He remembered the handful of times he’d ever crossed paths with a clan member in the field. Her name was Kushina; her skin, pale from the lack of sun, and her hair, red like a river of fire, with a personality to match. Even as unexperienced as he was, he’d known Minato-sensei had been smitten the night he laid eyes on her.

But therein lied the crux of the matter. Kakashi had ever only seen her at night, as had Minato, in their subsequent rendezvous.

Yet here stood their flesh and blood, standing unperturbed in the heat of day as if he belonged no where else.

The implications of this were as concerning as they were intriguing.

He watched the students below him take their places and begin their practice. Unsurprisingly, Naruto started off by swinging his sword wildly, earning him a good knock to the head from an exasperated Iruka.

Well, he certainly wasn’t receiving any special treatment in this aspect of his upbringing at least, Kakashi thought, relieved.

The only exception he knew the boy had been granted was sharing Iruka’s private quarters at night, instead of sleeping in the larger common rooms together with the rest of the children. There was also the matter of the seal that he knew covered the boy’s belly. Kakashi had been briefed upon his arrival; both had explained away by the child having some kind of medical condition that needed monitoring.

Kakashi paused in his musings when he felt something akin to a gentle wave pass over him.

Well, this was a surprise.

He raised a hand and wriggled his fingers.

The young teacher below had his face at a slight angle, but his gaze was unmistakably directed straight at him.

He’d been careful too, Kakashi smiled, amused.

With a cheeky smirk that went almost unnoticed, Iruka returned to observing his class. Soon, he moved to correct the form of a pink-haired girl, Sakura, was it? Honestly, Kakashi couldn’t blame her. Anyone would have been distracted if they’d been placed behind Lee, who in his efforts to impress her, was practicing his swings with an unearthly enthusiasm that once again reminded him a bit too much of Gai. Another possible candidate for the Maito household, perhaps.

Kakashi let his thoughts to drift to the aforementioned sensei, and a night that had left him with more questions than answers.

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

He’d been offered a room just across the courtyard from Iruka and Naruto’s quarters.

Having finished his training outside the school, Kakashi was just about to pass their room when he’d felt it. The distinct atmosphere of distress. He stilled his breathing and reached out with his senses, scanning for danger or the trace of demons in the surrounding area and found nothing. But, there was a sliver of a gap in the doors just ahead, and soon his one good eye was peering into it.

There was just enough moonlight shining through the paper doors to make out the outlines of two.

Naruto was sprawled atop his futon without a care in the world, snoring softly. His yukata was a bit of a mess, and Kakashi spied the bandages that were wrapped around his waist. He had a goofy grin on his face that was occasionally broken by the occasional sniffle from his exposure to the cool summer air.

Kakashi’s gaze shifted to the larger figure beside him. It didn’t take long to figure out the source of the distress. He lay still under the covers of his futon, but the young guardian’s pale face was a picture of suffering; painted with sweat and pained lines. Any slayer who wanted to stay alive on the field at night learned to sleep quietly, and Iruka was obviously no exception, but his eyes shifted wildly under his eyelids and his expression was so strained, Kakashi had almost been tempted to wake him from whatever it was that tortured him.

“Father...Mother...”

It was really only the barest of whispers.

Kakashi’s gaze softened. Trauma lurked in the shadow of every slayer, and Iruka’s came in the form of a crazed fox, and by extension, the boy who slept just an arm away.

Why are you here, Umino Iruka?

Moments later, Iruka’s body seized, not unlike what he’d witnessed when they first had tea. Just after Kakashi had decided to intervene, Naruto had yawned, causing Iruka’s eyes to snap open. Kakashi stepped back and away from the gap in the door. In the following minutes he heard pained breaths, the sounds of shifting cloth, and then a satisfied sigh.

Peace had returned, if only for another night.

Satisfied there was nothing left to do, Kakashi silently stepped out into the courtyard and returned to his room.

Sleep did not come easy that night.

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

It was Naruto’s pained yelp that brought him back to the present. The boy had just received a fresh knock to the head. Iruka had been its deliverer, but even behind his admonishment was an obvious fondness. Considering everything he’d seen, Kakashi couldn’t help but feel slightly unnerved. His instincts told him he was missing something here; he just didn’t have a clue what it was.

He continued to observe the class a while more. A few promising candidates, he thought, but it was still too early to tell. Naruto, in particular, would need to be tested if he were to provide any helpful insights. He’d promised Iruka the boy would receive a fair chance, but Kakashi wasn’t sure if the teacher would appreciate what that would entail, nor did he know how long this evaluation would eventually take. As far as the slayers were concerned, this was unknown territory.

Eventually, the youth caught his eye once again, this time mouthing “Tea?”, before turning to debrief the gathered children. Kakashi sighed, but got up from his spot dutifully. It would be a while before the teacher could make it to the room. He may as well get the tea going.

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

It had become a bit of a ritual on the afternoons when time allowed for it.

Kakashi didn’t mind it at all. The tea was good, and Iruka never felt the need to force conversation. Their topics ranged from day to day, with neither giving away too much or too little of themselves. It was always comfortable, and usually, that was all well and good.

But that wouldn’t do at all today. If Kakashi wanted anything more than what polite conversation would reveal, he’d have to earn it. So he waited, patiently.

Iruka finally appeared at the doorway, obviously prepared for a quick apology, but upon seeing Kakashi, merely blinked.

The hearth was lit, and the iron kettle upon it was already emitting a steady trail of steam.

“Iruka-sensei, won’t you come in?”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Kakashi-san.”

“Not at all, sensei.”

Iruka stepped into the room and placed a seal on the door frames. There was a faint buzz, and the air settled into a familiar lull.

Placing his sword beside him, Iruka settled in his seat on the floor. Kakashi took his time filling two cups, one of which he offered to the younger man, who bowed with gratitude, before taking it into his own hands. They sat in silence for a moment, and when it had cooled enough, he took a sip.

The way Iruka’s eyes lit up in surprise produced a small laugh from Kakashi.

“Is it to your liking?”

Iruka smiled fondly before sighing.

“I suppose none of us have managed to escape this part of Sarutobi-sensei’s instruction.”

“I’ll admit, it was a pain. But it makes for good tea at least.” Kakashi admitted, sipping from his own cup. It’d taken him more time than he’d cared to share to pass this part of his sensei's test. It had apparently become a bit on an in-joke by the time Jiraiya had put Minato through the same ordeal.

They talked for a while, and settled into a relaxed pace. Iruka as usual, held his gaze to the flame, and when his cup was just about empty, Kakashi offered him another, which he accepted.

He’d been half way through that one when Kakashi spoke again.

“Iruka-sensei, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

The younger man nodded silently, but continued with his tea.

“Your parents were killed by the Fox, you said so the day we met.”

The youth nodded, but said nothing, and merely waited for him to continue.

“Yet you’ve never thought of killing Naruto? Of getting your revenge?”

To his credit, Iruka didn’t react in the slightest. He merely took another sip of tea.

Then, he broke his eye contact with the flame in the hearth, and looked at Kakashi squarely. There wasn’t a trace of humor in his eyes, nor his voice when he finally spoke.

“What makes you think I haven't?”

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

-End of Chapter 2-

Author’s Notes:

Welp, this is gonna be longer than I expected! Let’s see where this takes us. :D

#kakairu #iruka #kakashi #iruka umino #umino iruka #naruto

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flipomatic · 4 years ago

Text

A New World Chapter 12: Reconnect

Author Note: Yukina chapter? Yukina chapter! This chapter has been the hardest one in the fic to write. Thank you Bax for helping me with the dialogue.

First Chapter Previous Chapter

___________________________________________________________

From an outsider’s perspective, it would’ve been easy to say that Yukina’s first semester of university had been going well. She was at the top of her performance group, easily passing all of her classes, and was somehow juggling her insanely busy schedule.

Despite her successes, Yukina didn’t feel like it was going all that well. So much had changed in just two months; she didn’t like it at all.

Yukina had often thought of herself as a loner, but never as a person who easily became lonely. Since starting university she’d barely had time to rest, let alone see her friends from other bands. Her own band had almost no social time together, besides a few minutes before and after practice. Even then, one member was usually missing.

Yukina spent barely any time with Lisa.

They used to go to school together, to walk to and from practice together, to stay up late talking on their balconies, and to spend large portions of every day in each other’s company. Lisa had been a constant in Yukina’s life for as long as she could remember, her rhodonite in the sun and a bright presence by her side.

Now though, it felt like they were on different paths. Though they still played in Roselia together, Lisa had veered away. They didn’t see each other every day now, perhaps once every few. Practices were less often than they used to be, and late nights studying prevented conversation. Yukina could feel them growing apart.

Lisa’s light was moving away, fading into the distance, into a separate future.

Yukina missed her, more than she could put into words.

She had spent the last couple of months trying to cope with that, failing to cope with that.

Yukina had never been good at coping, or at dealing with her own emotions.

Instead, she tried to bridge the gap, to stop change and the passage of time. To continue the same way they always had, as best friends. That was the only way forward for them, especially after what Yukina learned yesterday. No matter how much it hurt.

Yukina didn’t have any illusions about Lisa’s feelings for her, but still she clung. In her heart, she still hoped and bled. She wondered how it went today.

Yukina sat in her bedroom, with Lisa’s light on across the way. Her curtain was open, but Lisa’s was drawn tightly shut. She glanced at her phone; the most recent text was a disappointed frowny emoji from Sayo the day before.

Yesterday Yukina had tried again.

It hadn’t been going very well.

_________________________________________________________

The first time Yukina tried to reconnect, to rebuild the bridge between them, things hadn’t gone as planned. This was close to the start of the semester.

They were taking a break during rehearsal, one that Sayo was unable to attend. Lisa was having a rough practice that day, having to stop multiple times to correct timing issues.

Yukina wanted to spend time with her that weekend, wanted to play just the two of them like they did as children. Despite Lisa’s current frustrations, Yukina wanted her to enjoy playing the bass, to remind her of the joys of playing music.

“We should spend some extra time practicing this weekend, just the two of us.”

She never could’ve anticipated the response she’d get. Lisa had frozen as Yukina spoke, her eyes widening. Multiple emotions flashed across her face in quick succession, expressions Yukina never wanted to see from Lisa. For just a heartbeat, she looked terrified.

The expression vanished as quickly as it had come, as Lisa’s mouth set into a firm tense line. Her voice cut through Yukina as she replied, bitter and dark.

“If I’m that bad, you should replace me.”

Yukina’s heart, which had been growing a festering wound for the last month, felt like it had been stabbed. She had never once thought about replacing Lisa, no one else could ever fill her role. Not in the band, or in Yukina’s life.

She never thought Lisa wasn’t good enough. Really, it was the opposite. Lisa was good, far too good for Yukina. The devil in her ear whispered those words to her every day, even as she selfishly tried to keep Lisa close.

The thought of Lisa leaving the band was enough to shatter her completely.

Yukina opened her mouth, lifting one hand towards Lisa as she searched for the right words to reply.

Lisa didn’t wait for a response. She turned away, hurrying towards the door. Yukina called Lisa’s name, desperation leaking into her voice, but that didn’t stop her. A moment later, she was gone.

Yukina’s hand, still outstretched, shook. She hoped this was all a bad dream, that she was somehow sleeping. But no, this was real. Yukina slowly returned her hand to her side, fighting to reign in her rampaging thoughts.

She couldn’t do it though, couldn’t stop the tears welling up in her eyes. She took a few shaky breaths.

When the studio door opened, Yukina briefly allowed herself to hope that Lisa had returned. When she saw that it was just Rinko, coming in with the tray of drinks she went to buy, Yukina turned away from the door. She wiped roughly at her eyes, refusing to allow tears to fall.

Rinko crossed the room to where there was a table, setting down the tray. She was alone. She picked up two of the cups from the tray, which had three on it in total, and approached Yukina.

Yukina had her eyes cast towards the ground, her teeth gritted together. She watched Rinko’s feet as she grew closer.

“Minato-san.” Rinko offered one of the cups, containing what smelled like hot tea.

Yukina tried to steady her hand as she accepted the drink. “Thank you.” She took a sip, the warmth of the tea calming her, if only for a moment.

“Ako went… to check on Lisa.” Rinko sounded far calmer than Yukina felt. She finally brought her gaze up to look properly at Rinko. “What happened?” Rinko’s eyes were clear, her tone soft.

That question was the problem; how could Yukina answer that question when she wasn’t even sure herself. She took another sip of her tea as she tried to come up with a response, to summarize what just occurred without collapsing.

After a moment Yukina said, “Lisa’s leaving the band.” Her voice almost cracked midway through, betraying her attempts to keep her emotions in. She had to shove those feelings down. If Lisa really wanted to leave the band, Yukina was going to have to deal with that. Right now, she needed to stay strong in front of her band member. “Roselia will be fine, but I’ll need some time to find a replacement.” She could feel how weak those words were, the horrid way they were forced out of her lips. She wanted to pull them back, to unsay and unthink them from existence.

As Yukina had learned the long and hard way, that couldn’t be done.

Rinko was frowning now, turning her cup slowly in her hands. “I-is that exactly… what she said?”

Yukina thought back, to just a few minutes before. “No, not exactly.” The words Lisa used had been different, but that was what she meant.

“What did she say?”

Yukina sighed, bringing her other hand up to hold the cup with both. “That she’s bad at the bass and the band should replace her.” Just repeating the words raised the tension in the room, threatening to bring the tears back to her eyes.

“I don’t think… that she’s quitting the band.” Rinko moved half a step closer, speaking with confidence despite her usual pausing.

That small ray of hope lifted Yukina’s heart slightly. “You don’t think so?” She asked.

Rinko shook her head. “She needs someone… to talk to.” She paused for a moment before considering. “She needs you… to listen.”

Yukina could do that, if Lisa was willing to talk with her. “I will.” She took one last sip of her tea, before depositing the cup on a table.

She stepped out into the hallway and headed towards the front. She hoped Lisa hadn’t left, since that would make it much harder to find her.

Out in the lobby, Ako stood by one of the front windows. She was looking out, with her back to the rest of the lobby.

“You should head back to the studio.” Yukina said as she approached her. Ako turned towards her quickly, with wide worried eyes.

The younger teen took a deep breath, blinking a few times, as if she was going to speak. She seemed to think better of it, and let the breath go. Ako merely frowned and nodded, then walked back towards the rented studio.

Yukina watched her go for a moment, then turned to the front exit.

She wasn’t prepared for this conversation, but that didn’t matter. No matter what Lisa needed, Yukina would be there for her.

Rinko was right, she needed to listen. Yukina had spent years asking Lisa to support her; she needed to do the same.

The automatic doors hissed as they opened and Yukina stepped out into the open air.

_____________________________________________________

The next time Yukina tried, after their successful practicing session, was when she invited Lisa to study together.

That had actually gone well, superbly well compared to the first attempt. When Lisa said she needed to miss practice to study, that had been the opportunity Yukina was looking for. They hadn’t studied together since last year, since they weren’t learning about the same topics.

This would be a great chance to reconnect and spend some quality time together. Yukina jumped on the opportunity, saying she would skip that practice as well.

Then, with bated breath, she texted Lisa and asked if she wanted to study together. She was relieved when Lisa said yes, and overall the night had been a success.

Attempt number three wouldn’t be so successful. It was about one month after the first.

Today’s band practice was going to be great, since the whole band could attend. It was on a weekday too, which usually meant at least one member was busy.

Yukina went early to practice, since they always booked extra time on the front of rehearsal. When they could, her band members liked to come early to warm up and get extra practice in. Often, Yukina used that time to talk with Lisa.

On her way into the studio, as Yukina walked past the front desk, she spotted a stack of flyers. Curious, she took one off the top. It was advertising for a concert tomorrow, one that would feature new bands. Yukina wasn’t sure if she was free at that time, but she would look later. For now, she stowed the flyer in her bag and continued to the studio.

When Yukina walked in fifteen minutes early, she was disappointed to find only Sayo waiting for her. The guitarist was already set up, practicing a riff from Determination Symphony. She greeted Yukina with a firm nod.

Yukina tried not to seem disappointed as she set her bag down and grabbed a mic stand. She could spend time working with Sayo; there were always sections that needed improvement. She would’ve just preferred if Lisa was there too.

Once Yukina had her mic set up, Sayo suggested that they run through Determination Symphony together. She said she wanted to work it at full tempo.

Yukina agreed, and the two began to play.

As she sang with the guitar, Yukina looked over where Lisa would stand, if she were here. In her mind, she could hear the accompanying bass line, the steady pluck of the notes. Yukina never got tired of that sound.

For a moment, she was lost in that thought. That was all it took to miss an entrance cue.

On her other side, Sayo stopped playing abruptly.

“Is something bothering you?” Sayo asked, hands still in place on her guitar.

“No, it’s nothing.” Yukina shook her head. “I’ll focus during rehearsal, as always.” There were still twelve minutes until the official rehearsal start time.

“But you’re distracted now.” Sayo replied dryly, clearly not believing what Yukina told her. “Why?”

Yukina frowned, crossing her arms. Sayo wasn’t wrong, she was distracted. She sighed. “The rest of the band isn’t here yet.” It wasn’t entirely the reason, but it did contain grains of the truth.

Sayo raised an eyebrow at that. “Shirokane-san and Udagawa-san are always right on time, and Imai-san told us she had a meeting right before practice.”

“Right...” Yukina fidgeted with adjusting her mic stand. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to admit. Sayo did give good advice, though it was often blunt. Yukina kind of needed that though. “Do you think the band isn’t as close as it used to be?” Lisa, the heart of the band, was drifting away. It was simpler to ask like this.

Sayo brought her right hand up to her chin, tilting her head in thought. “Perhaps, we hardly meet outside of practice anymore.” Lisa always used to organize those outings. Sayo and Yukina both used to protest going, though Yukina wouldn’t even consider that now.

“I agree.” Yukina nodded back at her. She didn’t add how much she missed Lisa, how badly she wanted to be close with her once again. “I’m worried about it.”

“Have you considered telling them how you feel? It can help to share.” Sayo didn’t seem to consider telling just her as enough for sharing her feelings.

To be honest, Yukina felt resistant to the idea. Articulating her feelings was extremely challenging. Yukina had tried and failed before, she didn’t want to be hurt again. She just wanted things to go back to how they used to be.

“No, I haven’t.” Yukina replied, her first completely honest response of the conversation.

“You should.”

Yukina would think about it, but she wasn’t sure. Sayo declared that she would practice alone until the others arrived, so Yukina should get her thoughts in order before they did.

Fine, Yukina needed to check something on her calendar anyway. She left her mic stand for a moment, getting her phone and the flyer from earlier. She opened the master calendar and checked tomorrow.

Luckily, she didn’t have anything planned in the timeslot. That meant she could attend, if she wanted. Three of her other band members had that slot filled. Lisa was the only other one not listed.

If Lisa was free, perhaps she would want to go. Yukina knew she liked seeing bands, and this would be a great chance to spend more time with her.

Perhaps, maybe if she practiced what she wanted to say ahead of time, Yukina would consider telling Lisa how she felt. Her feelings, which she’d been bottling for the last couple months, were bubbling under the surface.

Lisa arrived just on time for practice that day, walking in about a minute after Rinko and Ako.

After practice was over, Yukina gathered her courage to ask Lisa to attend the concert with her. She said it was for the band, but that was just a cover. A way to make it easier to ask.

When Lisa said she already had plans, Yukina offered to go with her on impulse. She didn’t really think about it, she just did.

As Lisa’s cheeks grew red, and she stumbled over her words, Yukina’s stomach sank.

“I’m actually meeting with someone.”

Lisa fidgeted like she was nervous, embarrassed to be telling her. There could’ve only been one reason.

Yukina wasn’t born yesterday, she knew it must’ve been a date. Her heart froze in that moment, unwilling to continue pumping blood through her veins.

The only word in her mind, the only word she could possibly say was, “Oh.” Lisa, her dear, precious, radiant Lisa, was dating.

Yukina would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about what it could mean to date Lisa, what it would be like to remain forever by her side. That hadn’t been the priority though, it wasn’t as important as their friendship. It always felt like something far off, a distant dream.

The thought that Lisa would start dating in college, as so many did, hadn’t even occurred to her. This element of drifting apart, of leaving Yukina behind in yet another way. She should’ve known; Yukina should’ve been prepared for this. She wasn’t.

Despite her desire to remain collected, Yukina’s heart burned. There was a pain in her chest, a sharp and searing tightness.

She turned away from Lisa, unable to keep her expression neutral.

“Let’s go.”

She didn’t wait for Lisa to respond before she left. As Yukina walked out of the studio, she could hear Lisa’s footsteps behind her.

Despite her recent successes, she realized as she walked, her heart had never stopped bleeding. She tried to bandage it by reaching out, by reconnecting, but it wasn’t enough.

The way Yukina had been feeling these last couple months, her desperation and her desire, went beyond just friendship.

Yukina yearned for more, but she couldn’t have it.

Lisa didn’t reciprocate; she had someone else in her life. She was dating other people, searching for her partner.

Yukina wasn’t going to get in her way. She would still try to reconnect, to cherish every precious minute together, but she would do that as friends. If Lisa knew how she felt, it would only burden her. It would strain and break the last parts of their relationship, which was the opposite of what Yukina wanted.

So, she would keep them to herself.

Hiding her feelings was what she did best.

Next Chapter

#yukilisa #lisayuki #bandori fanfiction #bang dream fanfiction #minato yukina #imai lisa #yukina you're hurting me why are you like this #this chapter was a whole new level #of difficult #it's angsty please enjoy #flip writes #edit: fuck there was a continuity error #i fixed it

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crackimagines · 5 years ago

Text

Old Wounds (FE: Three Houses Full Fic)

All AU’s involved listed here!

School-Live! Paralogue

----

Garreg Mach is notified of new arrivals just outside of its borders. House Isekai and the others are sent to investigate. Megumi realizes that the new arrivals are people that she is familiar with.

----

Prologue - Memories

KNOCK KNOCK!

This dream...

(???) “Let me go!”

(??? 2) Yuki-chan, stop it!”

(???) “Megu-nee’s still outside! We have to hurry!”

(??? 3) “It’s too late!”

KNOCK KNOCK!

Why...Why am I experiencing this again?

KNOCK KNOCK!

Everyone...

...

KNOCK KNOCK!

...

[Yasashii Megu-nee Arigatou - School-Live!]

Knock knock!

Opening her eyes, Megumi heard the sound of soft knocking.

Blinking as the sunlight softly filled the room, she realized that she was in Garreg Mach.

(Sara’s voice) “Hey, you up yet?”

...She was still in Garreg Mach. Not back in the school with her students.

This was her reality.

Moving her blanket, she reached for her head as she slowly got up.

Slowly Megumi headed for the door and opened it.

Sara, Towa, and Byleth were standing outside.

(Sara) “Morning, sleepyhead!”

(Towa) “Sorry, did we wake you?”

(Byleth) “...Megumi?”

(Megumi) “Hm? Oh, I’m fine.”

(Sara) “Hey, are you crying?”

Megumi felt her face and realized that tears were coming down.

(Megumi) “Ah, my apologies. I was having a bad dream I think. I’ll be fine.”

(Sara) “I see...Well, take your time in easing up then. We just wanted to make sure you were awake, classes are starting soon in about an hour and a half so make sure you’re ready.”

Sara patted Megumi’s shoulder softly and walked away. Towa bowed and followed Sara. Byleth stayed.

(Byleth) “If you don’t mind me asking, what was it about?”

(Megumi) “...You’re not doing anything are you?”

...

(Byleth) “So, your death is how you got here then. I remember you were covered in blood and some infection when me, Kazuma, Aqua and Alois found you.”

(Megumi) “I believe so. It’s...strange, to say the least.”

(Byleth) “How many people know about this?”

(Megumi) “Well...Kazuma and his group, Akira’s, Sara, and now you... Everyone else was teleported here, and they were all clearly alive beforehand. Why am I special? My students deserve to be here, not me-”

(Byleth) “Hey. Don’t say that. You’re one of us, Megumi. We’ll make sure you’re safe and sound so you can return to your students.”

(Megumi) “...Thank you, Byleth.”

(Byleth) “What are your students like?”

(Megumi) “Hah they’re mostly a bit calmer than yours and House Isekai’s. Oh, here!”

Megumi pulled out a photo that in her desk.

(Megumi) “The student to my left is Kurumi. Kurumi is overall an energetic, feisty, and cheerful girl. Chie reminds me a lot of her, actually! And to my right is Yuki. Yuki is a bit naive, but she is so easily excited! Despite that, she might be the most understanding of the group.”

(Byleth) “You mentioned one more student. Is she the one who took the photo?”

(Megumi) “That would be Yuuri. She is the most patient and caring of us. The two see her as a second mother.”

(Byleth) “Sounds like you have quite the group of misfits!”

(Megumi) “Hah, it doesn’t compare to the group we have!”

Megumi’s smile slowly started to fade.

(Megumi) “...I wonder how they’re doing without me.”

Byleth looked concerned for a moment at Megumi.

(Megumi) “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”

(Byleth) “I’d be surprised if you didn’t get sad at this, Megumi. Don’t worry about it.”

Megumi nodded and looked at her watch.

(Megumi) “Oh, I should probably get ready. Thank you for the talk, Byleth.”

(Byleth) “Sure thing.”

Byleth left the room and Megumi finally started to change from her sleeping clothes.

(Megumi) “Almost done...Ribbon, ribbon...ah!”

(Megumi) “Okay, time to start the day!”

Chapter 1 - Interruption

[Clear Sky - School-Live!]

Megumi sighed as the class descended into chaos. Doomguy crossed his arms and laid against a pillar.

This was going to take a while.

(Aqua) “WHAT?! HOW DID I FAIL?!”

(Emma) “P-Please settle down!”

(Ryuji) “Yeah, won’t lie, this was pretty damn hard!”

(Makoto) “Only because you didn’t study...”

(Chie) “So, I studied and still failed...”

(Junpei) “Same here! Jeez, what kinda war fanatics does this academy take us for?!”

(Elliot) “I mean, it IS a military academy...”

(Aqua) “BAH IT’S NO FAIR! You guys came from a world where fighting is second nature!”

(Darkness) “So do we.”

(Megumi) “Sara, p-please say something!”

(Sara) “Hey, if you fail, you fail! Not like it affects us any!”

Doomguy facepalmed and audibly sighed through his helmet.

(Ryuji) “Oh yeah, that’s right! We ain’t even part of this world! SWEET!”

(Junpei) “Kinda funny how I forgot about that, actually.”

(Yukari) “Are you stupid?”

(Yosuke) “I’d reprimand you guys buuuut, you got a good point! Hell yeah, no more studying for a while!”

(Minako) “Well, today’s going great.”

(Rean) “I feel like that’d make you worse once you do go back, right?”

(Machias) “Can we just get on with the class, Instructor?!”

(Fie) “Frankly, I’d be okay without studying history here.”

(Megumin) “Yeah, all I wanna do is cast some wicked explosions!”

(Naoto) “This is a disaster...”

(Megumi) “P-Please settle down everyone!”

Morgana popped his head out of Akira’s bag.

(Morgana) “Ugh, I can’t take all this yelling! I’m going outside.”

Morgana hopped and walked out of the class.

He sat outside and saw Teddie standing by the door in his bearsuit.

(Morgana) “Uh, what are you doing out here?”

(Teddie) “Well, I technically never was a student in either world, so I decided to just wait here till everyone’s done so we can play!”

(Morgana) “You have it lucky...”

The two began to chat until they saw Sothis phase through the doors.

(Sothis) “So...boring...”

(Teddie) “Oh, heya Sothy!”

(Morgana) “You too, huh?”

(Sothis) “We can all no longer be stuck to the confines of our wretched classes I see.”

(Teddie) “Something like that.”

The three laid against the wall, watching the birds chirp and wasting time together.

About half an hour passed before they saw a knight running towards the door of Byleth’s class.

(Knight) “Hey uh, you bear!”

(Teddie) “Huh?”

(Knight) “Tell your friends in House Isekai that we’re prepping for combat! Somethings been spotted outside of the Monastery!”

[A Dark Sign - Fire Emblem: Three Houses]

(Everyone) !!!

(Teddie) “U-Uh, right!”

(Morgana) “Go, Sothis and I will see what’s going on!”

Teddie nodded and ran into the room.

Morgana peeked around the corner as Sothis phased back inside.

(Knight) “Professor!”

(Byleth) “Hm? What is it?”

(Knight) “Sir, we have reports of an unknown force sneaking around the Monastery!”

(Byleth) ?! “Give me the full report on the way. Class, get the others alerted ASAP.”

Byleth and the Knight quickly walked out, with Sothis and Morgana trailing them.

Once the full report was over, Morgana and Sothis went to the house leaders of House Isekai and reported the situation.

After they were informed, they called the Blue Lions, Black Eagles, and Golden Deer.

(Edelgard) “Could it be bandits?”

(Dimitri) “Possibly, but the report said there were also demonic beasts present.”

(Minato) “The hell’s going on?”

(Claude) “Man, this is aiming to be a horrible day huh? Our lessons got interrupted by this of all things!”

(Kazuma) “Were you even paying attention?”

(Claude) “Not really, it just interrupted my naptime-”

(Rean) “Can we take this a bit more seriously, guys?”

(Yu) “There’s no telling what we’ll be up against.”

(Dimitri) “To be quite honest, I doubt with all of our combined forces, anything could be a challenge.”

(Akira) “Poor thinking. The moment we start getting cocky is when everything goes to hell.”

(Edelgard) “Akira is right, we should be on high alert like everyone else. Did they say anything else about what we’re up against?”

(Kazuma) “Nah, they just told us to get ready to deploy but that was about 20 minutes ago.”

(Minako) “Can’t say I’m not a little nervous.”

(Byleth) “I see everyone’s assembled.”

Byleth walked towards the group.

(Dimitri) “What is the word? Are we to march out?”

(Byleth) “No, first we’re taking a small reconnaissance group out. I need the quietest of your classes to accompany me. The Knights of Serios and you all will remain on guard here.”

Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude nodded, heading back to their classes.

(Yu) “What are we expecting to find out there?”

(Byleth) “I’m not sure. Just keep in contact with the Navigators.”

(Minato) “Speaking of, Fuuka, Rise, Futaba, you copy?”

(Fuuka) “Y-Yes professor!”

(Rise) “Loud and clear!”

(Futaba) “Oracle copies!”

(Byleth) “Try and figure out what exactly is near the monastery. Prepare to move everyone towards the fight if it comes to one! Everyone, let’s get going!”

Chapter 2 - The School-Live Club

Byleth, Fie, and Akechi snuck through the forests of Garreg Mach, trying to find any sign of activity.

Fie scout ahead on top of the tree branches, trying to closely listen for any footsteps other than theirs.

Akechi kept his silenced pistol out while the others held onto the hilts of their weapons.

(Akechi) “Anything your Persona can read, Oracle?”

(Futaba) “I’m not sensing anything other than you guys.”

(Byleth) “What’s near Group B’s?”

(Rise) “Hm...Nothing’s near Leonie. Hubert and Ashe doesn’t have anything either.”

(Fuuka) “It’s like we’re being jammed...I can’t tell what’s out there other than your immediate vicinity.”

Fie made a quiet whistle, catching everyone’s attention.

(Fie) “Hey, everyone shut up for a second.”

A moment of silence passed.

(Fie) “Several footsteps going near group B!”

!!!

(Byleth) “Everyone move quickly, but quietly!”

...

(Leonie) “Tch, this place is pretty huge. I doubt we’re going to be finding anything.”

(Hubert) “This is hardly the time to be complaining, Leonie.”

(Ashe) “It’s kinda creepy, I’ll admit. Would feel a lot comfortable if the professor were-”

The bushes behind them began to rustle.

They all silenced themselves and brought out their weapons.

Leonie and Ashe pulled back the strings of their bow as Hubert readied a dark spell.

BARK!

[Mezame no Waltz - School-Live!]

(Ashe) “...Huh?”

From the bushes emerged a small puppy. It ran up to Ashe and started wagging his tail.

(Ashe) “Awww!”

(Leonie) “WAIT, THAT COULD BE A TRAP!-”

(Hubert) “YOU IDI-....ot...”

(Ashe) “Come on, look at him! Isn’t he adorable?”

(Leonie) “I mean yeah but...Who’s is it? We’re pretty far away from town.”

(???) “Taromaruuuu!”

Everyone turned to the voice which emerged from the same bush.

(???) “Oh, there you are!-...Huh?”

The girl stopped smiling as soon as she saw the three.

(???) “A-Ah! I’m sorry, did Taromaru cause you any trouble?”

(Hubert) “...N-No. He didn’t.”

(???) “Whew, that’s a relief!”

Ashe slowly handed the girl Taromaru, and kept a close eye as she hugged him tight.

(???) “Don’t do that, got it?! You’re going to get all dirty!”

The first thing the three noticed was that while she was speaking in Fodlan’s language, her mouth was moving in a completely different manner, as if speaking an entirely different language.

The second thing they noticed was her outfit.

(Leonie) “Hey, doesn’t her outfit kinda remind you of-”

(Ashe) “House Isekai!”

(Hubert) “Yes, the students from Japan do have a similar style...”

(???) “Huh? Students from Japan? Are you students too?”

(Ashe) “In a sense, yes.”

(???) “Are we in Europe? Oh, I bet the others will be happy to be somewhere else! Can we see your school?!”

The girl was uncomfortably close to Hubert, and he gently shoved her back.

(Hubert) “Just a moment. Who are you?”

(???) “Oh, I’m sorry!”

“My name is Yuki Takeya! I hope we get along!”

(??? 2) “YUKI-CHAN?”

(??? 3) “H-Hey, there she is!”

(??? 4) “Yuki-senpai!”

When Yuki turned around, Hubert got into a battle stance, but Leonie and Ashe shook their heads.

Three girls ran in behind Yuki before noticing the others.

(??? 2) “Yuki-chan! Thank goodness you’re al...O-Other survivors?”

The long brown haired girl examined them for a minute before the short haired girl stepped in front, putting Yuki back.

(??? 4) “Yuuri-senpai, they don’t look friendly!”

(Yuki) “EEEH?! M-MII-KUN, YOU CAN’T SAY THAT ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE!”

The black haired girl with pigtails pulled out a shovel.

(??? 3) “Heh, I don’t think they can pull anything on US!”

(Yuuri) “KURUMI, WAIT!”

(Yuki) “AAAAAAAAH! NONONONO-”

The three watched in utter confusion as the girls tried to calm Kurumi down and put away the shovel.

(Leonie) “...I’m so confused right now.”

(Hubert) “Agreed.”

(Ashe) “Same.”

(Yuuri) “We’re SO sorry about that! We’re just...a bit on edge is all. One moment we were in school and...next thing we know, we woke up here.”

(Leonie) “Seems to be reoccurring these days...”

(Ashe) “Listen, it’s not safe out here-”

(Yuuri) “You’re right...They could be out here...”

(Hubert) “They?”

(Miki) “...Huh? Have you not...seen them wandering around?”

(Leonie) “You mean bandits, right?”

(Kurumi) “No we mean...”

Kurumi took a quick look at Yuki who was distracted by Taromaru. She had to lean in a bit closely and whisper it.

(Kurumi) “Infected.”

All of them raised their eyebrows at the word.

(Hubert) “Is there a plague where you’re from-”

(Yuuri) “Hold on a moment...could you speak again?”

(Hubert) ? “I said is there a plague where you’re from”

(Yuuri) “You’re...not speaking Japanese?”

(Leonie) “So, you noticed it too. You’re not speaking our language either, judging by how your mouth is moving.”

(Ashe) “Er, this might be hard to explain but...You just came from your original world to ours. A lot of people have been teleporting here a lot!”

(Hubert) “Yes. In fact, we have a few er...Japanese, is how you say it? Japanese people at the academy as well. Whatever was happening in your old world, it has not followed you here. You’re dealing with our world’s problems now.”

The girls had a mixture of confusion yet relief on their faces, except Yuki, her face was nothing but confusion.

(Yuuri) “I...I’m sorry, what?”

(Leonie) “Er, we’re not exactly the best people to describe this sorta thing.”

(Ashe) “There’s a bunch of people who’s in your situation! We should head back and report to-”

[Tonariawase no Shi - School-Live!]

(Fie) “HEY!”

Fie ran over to the group and reloaded her pistols.

(Fie) “Another group that fell in, I’m assuming?”

(Hubert) “Yes, but what’s going on?”

(Fie) “Bandits are attacking! Crow and Byleth are holding them off, but we gotta hold out for reinforcements! Can you guys protect them long enough?”

(Miki) “Bandits?!”

(Leonie) “Count on us!”

(Fie) “Good. Now get out of here! Rise!”

...

(Rise) “On it, Fie!”

Rise looked back to the others in the classroom.

(Rise) “Just as we suspected, a group of bandits are about to attack! Send in the first wave, the rest of us will join behind!”

(Akira) “Roger!”

(Rean) “Class VII, move out!”

(Edelgard) “Everyone else, guard the entrances!”

Doomguy reloaded his shotgun and started dashing out while Morgana transformed into a bus.

(Megumi) “Everyone, good luck!”

Rise’s Persona started catching the background audio.

(Fie’s voice) “Hey, who’s the leader of this little group?”

(Yuuri’s voice) “I-I am!”

Megumi froze in place, slowly turning back to Rise.

(Fie’s voice) “Keep your heads down, got it?”

(Yuuri’s voice) “I understand!”

(Kurumi’s voice) “Yuki-chan, come on!”

(Yuki’s voice) “W-What’s happening?!”

(Miki’s voice) “Yuki-senpai! We have to go, now!”

Megumi’s eyes widened upon hearing the voices again.

(Sara) “Hey, Megumi? MEGUMI!”

Megumi turned to Sara with a newfound sense of terror in her eyes.

(Sara) “What’s the matter?”

(Megumi) “I...I HAVE TO COME WITH YOU!”

(Rean) “What? Megumi, it’s too dange-”

(Megumi) “I-I have to! Please! I...I know them!”

(Everyone) !!!

(Sara) “I’ll protect her, come on, we’re wasting time!”

Akira nodded as those going into the frontline hopped into Morgana.

(Morgana) “PEDAL TO THE METAL, JOKER!”

Akira slammed his foot on the gas pedal, and they flew out of the Monastery’s entrance towards the fight.

(Megumi) Everyone...don’t worry, I’m coming!

FINALE: Reunion

----

[As Swift as Wind - Fire Emblem Three Houses]

UNIT SELECTION:

Begin the battle?

>[Yes] No

Victory Conditions: Rout the Enemy

Defeat Conditions: Any of your units or allied units fall.

----

[Tearing Through Heaven (Rain) - Fire Emblem: Three Houses]

Ashe, Leonie, and Hubert led the group out of the woods and saw the field overwhelmed with bandits attempting to raid Garreg Mach. Taromaru jumped out of Yuki’s hands and ran towards the Monastery.

(Yuki) “TAROMARU!”

(Ashe) “D-Don’t worry! It’s heading towards the Monastery, we’ll find it later!”

(Hubert) “Goddess, there’s so many bandits!”

(Leonie) “Was this the group that the knights were talking about?!”

(Fie) “Yeah, we heard them trying to sneak up on you guys, but we managed to kill them before they could get the drop on you all. I gotta help the others, good luck!”

(Yuuri) “Did...you just say kill?!”

(Hubert) “Tch, not the time! Come on!”

Akechi reloaded his pistol and ducked behind cover as Byleth continued to deflect incoming projectiles with the Sword of the Creator.

(Akechi) “What son of a bitch decided to send this many bandits at us?!”

(Byleth) “Questions for later! Just keep at a distance until reinforcements-”

A van honking alerted the battlefield as Morgana barreled in, sending several enemy squads flying into the air.

(Byleth) “-Come in.”

The van’s door was slammed open, letting the vanguard spill out.

(Akira) “Mona, cover group B’s escape!”

Morgana drove off as the others charged in.

(Dimitri) “PROFESSOR, OVER HERE!”

Byleth dashed over to them, right as the bandits advanced.

Morgana’s bus stopped near the group, and Sara pulled out her pistol and took out any bandit trying to run to them.

(Sara) “COME ON!”

Megumi stepped out the van and her heart nearly stopped when she saw Group B.

It was her students.

It was actually them.

But there was no time for celebration, they were still in danger.

(Megumi) “YUKI-CHAN! RII-SAN, EBISUZAWA-SAN! GET IN!”

(Yuki) “Look, Megu-nee’s here!”

(Yuuri) “Yuki-chan don’t separa-”

[Yasashii Megu-nee Arigatou - School-Live!]

Yuuri froze and her eyes went wide open when she looked over at the van.

Kurumi was confused what Yuuri was staring at until she saw it too.

Megu-nee.

The world froze for Yuuri and Kurumi.

Megu-nee was at the van, yelling for them.

She was there to protect them again, even in a completely different world.

Even though she was dead.

...

(Yuki) “Let me go!”

(Yuuri) Yuki-chan, stop it!”

(Yuki) “Megu-nee’s still outside! We have to hurry!”

(Kurumi) “It’s too late! WAIT!”

(Yuki) “Megu-nee! Open the door, Megu-nee!”

The last time they saw her, she locked herself out to protect them from a horde of infected that had gotten in.

She died protecting them.

...

Defying all the logic in the world, she was in front of them again.

Yuuri found it suddenly difficult to breathe.

Was what she was seeing real?

Looking over at Kurumi, she appeared to have the same reaction.

Both of them completely at a loss of words.

Kurumi could barely speak.

(Kurumi) “M-Me...Megu-nee?”

Yuuri struggled to even process what she was seeing, and the fact it wasn’t a hallucination.

Tears started to form in both their eyes. They wanted to run to her and crush her with a hug. Tell her they were sorry for everything. Sorry that they couldn’t save her.

Sorry that she had to die.

(Miki) “YUKI-SENPAIII!”

Everyone realized while Yuki was running, Group B was busy with other bandits to see another one coming right behind her.

Megumi rushed towards her without hesitation, and grabbed her, and shoved her to the side.

(Bandit) “HYAH!”

(Yuki) “MEGUNEE!”

CRACK!

...

Blood started to drip onto the ground, Yuki realizing what just happened.

(Yuki) “M...Megu-nee...?”

Megumi felt blood on her back, it was all over in fact.

Everyone in the general vicinity turned to Megumi, eyes going wide.

But...there was no wound.

Megumi slowly turned around, seeing the bandit with a blade coming out the back of his mouth, with a choking noise coming out of him.

The blade slid upwards, splitting his face in half, and was about to fall on Megumi before it was flung backwards.

[Tearing Through Heaven (Thunder) - Fire Emblem: Three Houses]

(Megumi) “Slayer!”

The other houses quickly rushed past everyone, accompanied by the Knights of Seiros.

Bandits cowered in fear behind Doomguy, who was standing in front of Megumi’s students.

An archer panic fired, accidentally aiming for the students instead of Doomguy.

Doomguy’s shoulder cannon fired a grenade, making the arrow explode on impact.

(Bandit) “A-AH!”

(Megumi) “EVERYONE, GET TO THE VAN NOW!”

CHIK-CHIK!

Doomguy immediately charged for the bandits, blasting them into pieces while ripping a few of their limbs off.

Megumi did her best to block Yuki’s eyes from his carnage, and the rest of Group B came to help them escape into the van.

(Leonie) “Get out of here!”

Running across the field, Ashe, Leonie and Hubert provided cover fire as Sara made sure that they got inside.

(Megumi) “Is everyone in?!”

(Yuuri) “Y-Yes!”

(Sara) “Book it!”

...

Rean shot a wind attack out of his sword, sending several bandits flying into the air while Akechi shot them all midair.

Dimitri and Edelgard were fighting a heavily armored knight, with Dimitri using brute strength to keep the knight back as she kept striking at weak points in the armor.

With a final strike, Dimitri impaled the bandit through the stomach, as Edelgard’s axe struck him in the face.

Akira used Arsene to fly away from a magic barrage that was sent for him.

(Akira) “Damn! I’m pulling back for a moment!”

(Fie) “Understood!”

Claude and Fie covered his escape by firing arrows and bullets towards the bandits and keeping them distracted.

When Akira landed on a tree, he noticed several flocks of birds flying away, with the trees moving.

(Akira) “What the...?”

(Futaba) “JOKER, SOMETHING’S COMING! IT’S HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE BATTLEFIELD!”

Akira looked at the direction the trees were falling, and it was going to come out right where the van was heading.

(Akira) “MONA, HIT THE BRAKES!”

Morgana stopped himself, which made everyone hit their seat with how hard it braked, only to see several trees fly out in front of them with a massive beast staring them down.

[Blooming Villain - Persona 5]

(Akechi) “You gotta be fucking kidding me!”

(Sara) “OUT, OUT, OUT!”

The doors flew open as everyone jumped out.

Morgana transformed in time and rolled sideways as the Demonic Beast flew forward, crushing several bandits in its path.

Dimitri, Edelgard, Claude, Byleth, Sara, and Rean ran to the beast, pointing their weapons at it.

Akira dropped next to them, joined by Akechi.

(Claude) “Bah, the one time we HAVE a giant beast for Slayer to rip and tear, he’s busy ripping someone else apart!”

(Edelgard) “Quit complaining! It’s going to attack soon!”

Kurumi clenched her shovel and ran up with them.

(Kurumi) “Megu-nee! Get everyone back, it’s my turn to protect you all!”

(Megumi) “EBISUZAWA-”

GRAAAAAAAH!

(Fie) “Hey. Cat-thing. Idea.”

(Morgana) “I’m not a-”

His frown quickly turned into a smile once he saw what Fie had in her hands.

Fie tossed Yuuri, Megumi, Miki, and Yuki several grenades.

(Fie) “Wanna make sure your friend doesn’t die, right? Then come with me.”

As the Demonic Beast tore apart the rest of the bandits, everyone waited to make their move.

(Claude) “H-Hang on, are you planning to fight a giant monster with a shovel?!”

(Rean) “I mean, we appreciate the thought but-”

(Sara) “You’re gonna need something more powerful than that!”

(Kurumi) “What, are you kidding me?! The shovel was the mightest weapon during the great war! In the trenches it got more than a thousand confirmed ki-”

(Akechi) “ARE YOU WANTING TO DIE, IDIOT?!”

(Byleth) “EVERYONE, HERE IT COMES!”

The Demonic Beast lashed its claws out, Dimitri blocking it with his brute strength.

With the attention on Dimitri, Claude rolled over to a good angle and let an arrow fly into its eye while Kurumi drove her shovel into its legs.

The arrow deflected off and the shovel barely left a dent.

(Claude) “Ah hell!”

(Kurumi) “OH CRAP!”

Edelgard and Rean swung their axe and katana into its other leg, but was deflected as well.

(Rean) “Damn, that hide’s tough!”

The demonic beast spun around and knocking Edelgard, Rean, and Kurumi back.

It grabbed Dimitri and threw him into a tree making it snap in half.

Dimitri barely stood back up, clenching his teeth with blood in rage.

(Dimitri) “IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?!”

The beast walked forward until it heard two voices.

(Akechi) “LOKI!”

(Akira) “ARSENE!”

Their Personas lowered its defense with a fire attack, making bits of its flesh drop off.

Byleth activated the whip function in his sword and swung it at the weak spots.

The sword sliced off several more chunks of flesh, making it roar violently.

It fired an explosive rock towards him, Byleth barely getting out of the way in time.

Akira used his grapple hook to get out of the way while Akechi dove for cover.

Sara shot it several times, catching his attention and faced towards her.

(Sara) “Jackpot!”

Using her Arcus, she activated what seemed to be a form of super speed, and flipped up onto its back.

Feeling her on its back, the demonic beast tried shaking her off, but to no avail.

Sticking her sword in deep where Byleth had previously hit it, making it scream out in pain. Her pistol shot the wound several times and then went on top of its head, shooting it in the eye.

After the fourth bullet, she had to reload but it had finally pierced the socket and blood started gushing out.

Jumping off, she saw Megumi and her students rush out.

(Fie) “Throw it now!”

Everyone tossed the grenades at its feet, which it stepped on when it was staggering from the attack.

The explosions made it reel back screeching at the top of its lungs.

Fie, Morgana, Akira, Sara, and Akechi all pulled out their guns and completely unloaded their ammo onto it, the bullets going deep into its flesh.

When it fell to the ground, Rean drove his katana straight into its head, where he was assuming the head was.

Edelgard cleaved it in the neck while Kurumi went for the other eye.

With a pathetic final roar, it went suddenly still.

[We Took Each Other’s Hand - School-Live!]

Everyone took a deep breath, before being startled by the sound of more gunshots.

Sara, Fie, Akira and Akechi double tapped it with another volley of gunfire.

(Claude) “Uh, I think you got it.”

(Fie) “Can’t be too sure.”

(Sara) “You alright, kid?”

(Kurumi) “Yeah, thanks.”

(Morgana) “Nice going, Claussell!”

(Fie) “Meh. I just saw my chance.”

(Yuki) “Did...that cat just talk?”

(Megumi) “You get used to it.”

Upon hearing her voice, the students looked at Megumi again.

(Yuuri) “Megu-nee...is...that really you?”

(Yuki) “Huh? She’s been with us the entire time, right?”

Everyone looked confused for a moment but Yuki.

(Yuki) “You managed to help us, just like you always do! Even when we got teleported here, it was you who kept us going!”

Megumi couldn’t help but feel a bit lost herself. She had no idea that they were even here until she heard the radio chatter from the Personas.

It was then Megumi noticed that Kurumi, Yuuri, and another student she’s never seen before had a dark expression over their face.

Deciding to pin that question for later, seeing Yuki’s smiling face started to overwhelm her with emotions.

Seeing her students alive and well was all she wanted.

And now, they were going to be able to live relatively peaceful lives in a world not crawling with infected.

It was too much for her to bear at once.

(Megumi) “Y-Yuki-chan!”

She started bawling as she wrapped Yuki in her arms, breaking down.

(Yuki) “Aww, Megu-nee, why are...you..c-crying?” sniff “...H-Huh?”

Yuki felt the tears coming down her face, though she didn’t understand why.

Megumi had always been with them...Back in the school, and even in this strange world when they first arrived.

...Right?

Yuki started to notice that she was crying as well.

The two were joined by Kurumi and Yuuri, who started to sob as well.

Everyone kept a respectful silence as they cried together.

Although Miki only knew about Megumi when she had to play along that she was here, she still felt a wave of relief washing over her.

Someone so dear to them was alive and well, albeit in a completely foreign world.

Her mind was starting to trail off into past memories, but Miki stopped herself. This was a time for joy.

Miki joined in the hug, but barely held back tears.

Even though Miki was a complete stranger, Megumi still hugged her as one of her own.

...

When Morgana transformed back into a van, he let them be the only ones inside beside Sara, who was driving.

Everyone else decided to walk back to the monastery.

...

Sara looked back at Megumi, who had the kids sleeping on her lap and shoulders.

It was clear they trusted her with their lives.

Sara chuckled to herself.

(Sara) “You lot couldn’t ask for a better teacher.”

...

(Dimitri) “Professor, you look a bit happier than normal.”

(Byleth) “Do I?”

(Sothis) “Yes, you have quite the stupid grin on, you know.”

(Akira) “No need to spoil the mood.”

(Sothis/Dimitri) “Sorry.”

(Edelgard) “Dimitri is right, it’s not that hard to see.”

(Byleth) “Well...Megumi told her about her students, and how those misfits will fit in with us.”

(Rean) “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

Byleth’s smile grew even wider.

Megumi finally got her wish.

Epilogue

4 Days Later...

KNOCK KNOCK!

...

This dream agai-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

...This dre-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

...What-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KN-

(Yuki’s Voice) “MEGU-NEEEEEE!”

(Megumi) incoherent mumbling

[Mezame no Waltz - School-Live!]

Opening her eyes and turning around, Megumi saw the ceiling of her room.

That was...Yuki’s voice. This must be the school.

Was...Was that all a dream?

(Towa) “A-Ah! Yuki, please calm down, you might wake up others!”

(Sara) “It sounds like you’re trying to break in, little lady!”

(Byleth) “I-It is a bit too early in the morning for something like that, Yuki.”

...She was still in Garreg Mach. Not back in the school.

This was her reality.

And she was so happy it was.

...Well, she would be if she could think. Seconds after being woken up this way, the only thing that was in her mind was “why”.

She reached out for her table to answer the door.

(Megumi) “Mn...a-ah-”

CLINK CLINK!

(Megumi) “...Can...”

Not bothering to change her clothes to answer the door, she opened it to see a bright eyed Yuki.

(Yuki) “Morning, Megu-nee!”

(Towa) “Hah, oh dear!”

(Sara) “Nice bedhead!”

(Byleth) “Go easy on her, she just woke up. Well, more like Yuki woke her up.”

(Yuki) “EH?! I-I’M SORRY, MEGU-NEE!”

Megumi softly chuckled and rubbed her eyes.

(Megumi) “No it’s okay. If you didn’t wake me up, Sara would have.”

(Sara) “Hey, I do not!”

(Towa) “That’s because you make ME do it, instructor!”

Byleth sighed and turned to Megumi.

(Byleth) “Yuki insisted we wake you up. Said you’d already be wide awake by now.”

Megumi invited everyone in and got changed and readied up in the bathroom. After having a nice little conversation, they all headed to the classrooms. Yuki rushed on ahead while Towa tried to chase her down.

(Sara) “Man, I thought I brought the life of the party with Class VII! She’s so enthusiastic about school!”

(Megumi) “Hah, she wasn’t always that way about it. She was a bit more reserved before I became her teacher.”

(Byleth) “Well, I’m glad she and the other students managed to find a good home here.”

Megumi smiled with Sara and Byleth.

Her students were finally safe, and at a place they could call home.

[Yasashisa ni Fureta Toki - School-Live!]

Kurumi got along well with Leonie, Chie, and the other tomboys of the classes.

Yuuri fit in with the more motherly students.

Miki, though a bit shy, is enjoying herself with the more mature and goofy students.

And Yuki was having an absolute blast with everyone she met, being fascinated by Garreg Mach.

It was literally everything Megumi wanted.

...

(Kurumi) “Man, we have to get up so early here!”

(Yuuri) “Hah, it’s not so different from our old school life then.”

(Miki) “Since when did we ever have to learn magic in our old school?!”

(Kurumi) “Beats math!”

(Towa’s Voice) “YUKI, PLEASE WAIT!”

(Yuki) “TAROMARUUU, THERE YOU ARE!”

The three girls watched Yuki pass by and run into the classroom after Taromaru, seeing a bright light inside.

(Yuuri) “What is going on in there?”

When they walked in, they saw all of the houses inside with a relatively large cake.

(Kazuma) “Oh good they’re in!”

(Akira) “Everyone, 3, 2, 1-”

(Everyone) “WELCOME TO GARREG MACH!”

The four were shocked, but even more so was Megumi who walked in.

(Megumi) “H-Huh?”

(Kazuma) “It kinda dawned on us that you never got your own little party for coming in here! Heck, even we did, and we were the first ones to be in this crazy sh....crap.”

(Dimitri) “We had Mercedes make it, seeing as she’s our expert baker.”

(Mercedes) “Everyone pitched in as well! Money for the ingredients, the flavor, ideas what to write!”

(Edelgard) “Though we did have too many cooks...”

(Claude) “A cake or two was ruined buuut, what matters is we came on top!”

(Sara) “Hah, well this is for you and your kids, Sakura.”

(Miki) “T-Thank you so much!”

(Kurumi) “That looks great, thanks!”

(Yuuri) “Ah, thank you!”

(Yuki) “THANK YOU!”

Yuki hugged Dimitri, Edelgard, and Claude.

Megumi smiled and looked over at the cake.

Doomguy’s shoulder cannon shot out a tiny flame, lighting the candles.

“Welcome to Garreg Mach

Yuuri

Miki

Kurumi

Yuki

Megu-nee!”

Megumi shook her head.

(Byleth) “Is something wrong with the cake?”

(Megumi) “I thought all the students should know by now...

Don’t call me Megu-nee, it’s Professor Sakura!”

[Friend Shitai! - School-Live!]

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ramenandchill · 4 years ago

Note

so i was thinking, what if obito hadn’t “died” at kannabi, and they all escaped when minato came back a bit earlier—essentially saving the three of them. (obito still has his eyes). but how do you think he’ll react when rin still dies the same way? only if you’re up to doing a drabble or some sort!! thank you!! 🥺💕

OMGG I’ve always wondered about this. Like I’ve always thought about how Obito would feel(but like if he was alive.) but I’m definitely down to write this!

_______________________________________________

Naruto Scenarios

Obitos still Alive, and he finds out that Rin died

Kakashis POV

After the whole situation at Kannabi, I never expected Minato sensei to save Rin, Obito, and I. We made it out Alive. After that whole move I pulled, I put the whole team in danger. I promise to never disregard teamwork ever again.

But Obitos still in the hospital, recovering. He saved me from that rock falling on me. It fell on him instead. It didn’t kill him, but it injured him pretty badly. I still feel bad about that, of course, though I may not show it. I lost an eye but that was ok. I was all recovered from that.

Still, Rin and I were going on missions together. We still had work to do, so I guess it was inevitable.

But now, she was my mission.

Now, I’m trying to find Rin at the moment. She was kidnapped by some Kiri Ninjas, and now I don’t know where she is. Good thing I have Pakkun, or else this would be so much harder.

Obito made me promise, no, I promised him that I would protect her while he was recovering. If something happened to her, how would I even tell him?

————————-——————————————————

Obito POV

I’m in the hospital. I barely remember what’s been going on. Oh right, Minato-sensei saved us from the Kiri-nin.

My whole side is bandaged up. I can’t seem to remember why? Oh, right again. The rock fell on me.

I wonder how Kakashi and Rin are doing? Their probably on a mission together or something. I told Kakashi to protect her for me. I hope he keeps his promise.

I can’t wait to see Rin again.

_______________________________________________

Kakashis POV

There Rin was. Tied up to a post. She looked almost, dead.

“Rin?” I called for her, but no answer. I shook her, no response.

“She’s under a genjutsu.” Pakkun informed me. I quickly released her from this genjutsu. Rin woke up, but we had to run because Kiri-Nin were coming.

“Hurry!” I commanded to my comrades. We escaped through the nearby tunnel.

2 kiri-nin were already on our tail. One of Pakkuns comrades roared, causing rocks to fall in front of the Kiri-nins path.

We sprinted out of the tunnel and were now outside.

“We’ll fend them off, Kakashi. Go.” Pakkun reassured me. I shook my head, and Rin and I began our way back to Konoha.

“Kakashi.”

“Yea?”

“I feel it.... I feel like there’s somethin, no someone else inside me!” What was she talking about? What did those Kiri-Nin do?

“What are you talking about, Rin?”

“You have to kill me now Kakashi!” She demanded. I was in shock. I wouldn’t and couldn’t kill her. I refuse to.

“What is the meaning of this, Rin?” I asked again, unsure about what she wanted me to do such a thing for.

“They’re using me, Kakashi! If I come back, Konoha might be attacked!” She shouted. I couldn’t believe my ears once again. They must be deceiving me. I made a promise.

——————————————————————————

Obitos POV

I have a bad feeling. Somethings going on. I wonder if Kakashi and Rin feel the same as me? They probably feel it too.

_______________________________________________

Kakashis POV

We’re in a standoff against a Kiri-Nin. I’m going to use my chidori. That should defeat the ninja.

Wait, what’s Rin doing? Why is she coming from the smoke? I have this all covered.

I charged at the Ninja with my chidori, ready to attack.

Rin, Rin, No!

My hand, my hand, went through Rins heart, piercing her body. She was bloody, I was, bloody. covered in Rins blood.

No. My promise...

“Kakashi-

Her last words.

All I could do was stand there.

Everything’s fading to black, again.

What will I tell Obito? I can’t tell him. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I won’t. Ever.

——————————————————————————

Obitos POV

I heard someone walk into my room.

Oh cool! It’s Kakashi. Where’s Rin?

She probably had some errands to run. She’ll probably see me Later on. It’s been days since I’ve last seen both Rin and Kakashi.

“Yo, Kakashi. Where’s Rin?”

I saw Kakashi look away from me, looking at the floor instead.

Oh no.

Did something happen?

——————————————————————————

Kakashis POV

I won’t tell him. I can’t tell him what happened. I won’t-

“Rin. Rin died.”

——————————————————————————

Narrator

Obitos heart Shattered into one million pieces. His eyes fiery. He was gonna kill Kakashi. What happened? He didn’t care.

Obito lunged out of his hospital bed, barely able to walk.

“You. Promised. You, Promised me. Kakashi.”

Obito grabbed Kakashis shirt. He tightly held onto it, not sure if he would need it to cry onto, or if he would wipe the floor with Kakashi in the same moment.

He looked up for a minute, into Kakashis one eye.

“You promised me! Kakashi, I won’t ever forgive you! How could you let that happen? How! You promised me you would protect her, but you didn’t!” Obitos eyes were flooding with tears. Kakashi was crying too, ready to curl into a ball. He did that when he was anxious a lot. It calmed him down.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Obito.” Kakashi sobbed. He hung his head down in shame. He couldn’t keep it.

The promise. His promise.

Obito let go of Kakashis shirt. He waddled out of the room, almost leaving Kakashi behind.

Kakashi sunk down to the floor, sobbing into his own arm. Obito never heard Kakashi sob before. Kakashi seemed mostly emotionless for everyday of their lives.

“Sorry. Sorry.”

Kakashi kept repeating the words, sobbing more intensely with each repetition. Obito couldn’t take it. Kakashi probably tried his best. It probably wasn’t even his fault.

Obito waddled back over to Kakashi, hovering over him. He bent down to Kakashis level. Kakashi was looking up at him, a tear falling out of his one eye, while Obitos 2 eyes were pouring tears.

He curled up on the ground next to Kakashi, holding his friend in his arms.

“Rin always said, she was always watching. I don’t think she wants to watch us fight, Kakashi.”

Kakashi felt Obitos hands around his chest and back. He settled down a bit at Obitos touch.

“I’m sorry, Kakashi.” Kakashi slowly wrapped his hands around Obito, reluctantly.

Kakashi was a stranger to affection, especially from someone like Obito. They never really got along so much, but here they were. Hugging eachother.

Even in death, Rin could bring them together. She tried so hard to make them stop fighting, to stop competing. She loved them both, and wanted them to get along.

“It probably wasn’t even your fault.” Obito snapped Kakashi out of deep thought. They were still wrapped around eachother.

Kakashi just stayed quiet, holding onto Obito for dear life. He somehow felt wrong and right at the same time.

Obito shouldn’t forgive him. But, he was hugging him. Holding him. Kakashi made a choice.

“Yea, we shouldn’t fight. Rin wouldn’t want us to.”

Obito held onto Kakashi tighter than ever, and Kakashi did the same.

They stayed there, hugging eachother, with Rin watching over them.

Her real Mission was complete, She brought Obito and Kakashi together.

(OMGGGG This probably SuCkeD booty lmao. But thanks for the request darling!!💖💖 I loved writing this so much lol. I could literally picture the animation inside of my head like- lmao. Luv yaa❤️❤️❤️)

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master-thief-gray-shadow · 5 years ago

Text

A Real Life Coffee Shop Romance

Chapter 5

First chapter | Previous chapter

Summary: Tsugumi was content to live with her mistake. But Afterglow would never settle for anything that would upset their beloved keyboardist.

Notes: And with that, we are done! I actually finished a multichap fic! Incredible! Thanks to everyone who read this, I really really appreciate the support!

She’d been awake for a couple hours now, probably. Not that it made a difference. Awake or not, she didn’t really want to leave her bed. Fortunately she had that luxury today. It was a Saturday, and since her mother had been the one to find her in the cafe storage room practically lying in a puddle of her own tears last night she’d been more or less excused from her responsibilities for now. This was fine. She was tired. She could do without seeing anyone today. Her eyelids were getting heavy again, so she figured she might as well go back to sleep.

“Tsugu!” A familiar loud voice, followed by an equally loud series of quick, violent knocks on her bedroom door, jolted her awake. “Tsugu! You awake?”

“She is now,” A quieter, sleepier voice drawled.

“Tomoe, no!” Pleaded a high-pitched, girlish voice. “You’re going to break her door down if you do that!”

A long, drawn out sigh could be heard.

Tsugumi sat up, rubbing her eyes as she turned toward the door. “Guys…?”

The door opened (remaining on its hinges, thankfully) and Himari immediately barreled into the room, followed closely by the rest of Afterglow. “Tsuguuuuu!” She threw her arms around Tsugumi’s shoulders, nearly knocking her over with a surprised yelp. As she steadied herself Tsugumi noticed that Himari’s eyes were swimming with tears. “Come on, Tsugu, please tell us what’s wrong!”

“You were acting strange last night,” Ran said, the worry in her voice subtle enough that the other four people in the room were probably the only ones in the world who could sense it. “You insisted you were fine, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.” She took a few steps forward, until she was hovering above Tsugumi. “Tsugumi, I can’t put into words how important you are to Afterglow. If something is wrong, then please let us know.”

Tsugumi looked up at Ran, even as Himari wrapped herself tighter around her, before her gaze fell downward again. “I’m sorry. It’s something silly, nothing you need to worry about.” Well, no, it was a little too heavy to be called “silly,” but it certainly wasn’t something to burden her friends with either.

“Yeah it is,” Tomoe said in the softest, tenderest voice she could muster. Which, given that this was Tomoe, still only barely qualified as an “indoor voice.” “Your problems are our problems, and we’re gonna do whatever we can to help.”

In spite of her lingering sadness, Tsugumi couldn’t help but let out a small, genuine laugh. Maybe she wasn’t very lucky when it came to love, but she was nothing short of blessed to have such wonderful and caring friends. “I’m grateful, but I don’t think there’s anything you could do anyway.”

“I mean, you don’t know that,” Moca said from where she leaned on the doorframe. “Who knows, maybe the key to your woes is somewhere in Himari’s bag.”

“What? Why my bag?”

As the situation escalated Tsugumi went silent. Obviously it was unlikely that any actual, physical key could resolve anything, and she questioned whether there was any kind of metaphorical key either, but...well…

Her attention turned back to the scene in front of her, where Tomoe had apparently lifted Moca up by her shoulders and was holding her aloft. Telling them would at least get some things off her chest, as well as put a stop to...whatever was going on here.

“Um! So…” She first made sure to get their attention. It worked. Tomoe slowly lowered Moca as everyone turned to look at her. Tsugumi took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. “So there’s...there’s this customer that’s been coming into the cafe in the afternoons, when everyone else is gone. And she’s a high schooler, she comes in after school. She’s been doing this for a few months now, a-and we’ve gotten really close. This has been like a thing for us, where we talk and hang out all the time, and I really like spending time with her, she’s really pretty and sweet, but…” She sniffed. Just thinking about how Sayo had come to the cafe expecting to see her, only to leave in disappointment...everything was all coming up again. “I missed her last night...and I think...I think she’s mad at me…” Tears once again burned her cheeks as they rolled down.

“Oh jeez...Sorry Tsugu,” Tomoe said as she sat down on the bed and pulled Tsugumi into a tight yet comforting hug. She found herself relaxing into Tomoe’s arms as she cried into her shoulder.

“I’m sure she’s not mad,” Himari gently cooed as she stroked Tsugumi’s hair. “Maybe if you just talk to her things will work out.”

“Wait,” Moca chimed in, “you said you didn’t get crushes on your patrons.”

There was a long, pregnant moment of silence as Moca’s words registered in everyone’s mind. Followed by Ran groaning and facepalming. Which was then followed by Himari squealing excitedly.

“OH MY GOSH YOU HAVE A CRUSH! ON A CUSTOMER!” Hearts were practically flying out of her eyes as she clutched at her chest, enraptured at having encountered something she previously only read about. Almost as soon as it had fallen over her the awestruck look faded, replaced by fiery determination. “Okay! Now you definitely have to talk to her!”

“Oh yeah, totally!” Tomoe had now pulled Tsugumi out of her embrace and was now beaming down at her. She didn’t seem to be bothered by the odd look that was a result of having both tear stains and a heavy blush on her face. “Who is it? We gotta know so we can find them!”

“Ah...um…” This morning had been such an emotional roller coaster that Tsugumi was having a little trouble trying to get her thoughts in line.

“Is it Kaoru-senpai?” Himari leaned in very close, looking as though she were ready to determine the answer by reading Tsugumi’s mind directly instead of just waiting for her to respond. “It’s not Kaoru-senpai, is it?”

“N-no, it’s not her,” She said, finally managing to put together a coherent sentence. Himari backed off a little, a small amount of her previous intensity evaporating away. But only a small amount, she still almost looked like she was ready for an interrogation. “It’s...um...it’s…” She took a few deep breaths, before making direct eye contact with Ran. “It’s...it’s Hikawa Sayo…”

“Whoa, wait, really?”

“What? You and Sayo-san? But she’s so...so…”

“Ooh, sounds like a scandal, huh Ran?”

Now that Moca had brought it up, everyone else’s eyes shifted to Ran as well. This was one thing Tsugumi had realized might be a problem, albeit perhaps irrationally. Ran had come a long way in her relationship with Yukina, and hostility had long since given way to the mutual respect of a healthy rivalry, but there was still an anxious knot tying itself in her stomach.

Ran closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. “You know how I feel about Minato-san and her band,” She said, before opening her eyes again and looking straight into Tsugumi’s. “But your happiness is important to me too. If being with Sayo-san is the thing that makes you happy, I won’t get in your way.”

“Ran-chan…” Jeez, now she even had Ran’s blessing. The tears in her eyes started welling up again. If only she’d realized her feelings sooner, then she would have been able to move forward with Sayo, but now…

“Tsugu!” The sudden volume of Himari’s voice forced Tsugumi to snap to attention. “Now you absolutely have to talk to her! You have her number, right?”

“Um…” And now, on top of the tears, there was nervous sweat forming on her face. “I...I never exchanged numbers with her, actually…”

“Whaaaaaat? What do you mean you didn’t exchange numbers?” Himari seemed oddly shocked for something that seemed to make perfect sense, at least to Tsugumi. “How are we going to get in touch with her now?”

“I don’t think it’s normal for baristas to swap numbers with their customers,” said Ran, who thankfully seemed to be on the same page.

“Tsugu may not have Sayo-san’s number,” Moca said, reaching into her pocket, “but I have Lisa-san’s.” She pulled out her phone and held it up, a text log between her and Lisa on the screen. “Playing matchmaker for you two shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” Tsugumi said, mildly panicking. She appreciated the gesture, of course, but this situation was much too delicate for Afterglow as a whole to handle. “I’ll figure things out on my own, it’ll be--”

“Too late,” Moca said with a smirk as she hit “send.” “Relax, Tsugu. I don’t have a plan, but I’m sure we can all come up with something.”

As the others chimed in with ideas, Tsugumi remained silent, thinking only about how Moca’s words were probably the least reassuring things she could have heard in this situation.

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

It had been a day since the rest of Afterglow had put into motion some kind of plan to set her up with Sayo, and so far nothing had come of it. Tsugumi had decided that this was fine, actually. She’d missed her chance, and she would live with it. Perhaps even take some lessons to heart. It was impossible that Sayo returned her feelings anyway. Sayo was beautiful and talented and commanded respect from others, and she was just some barista who happened to be in a band with her friends. There was no comparison between them. It would never work.

The warm, sweet scent of chocolate wafted through the kitchen as Tsugumi took a loaf of pound cake out of the oven and set it aside. It had been a little while since she’d made this recipe, and she wasn’t as confident that she made it as good as her mother did, but she’d been in the mood for it. Nothing mended a broken heart quite like chocolate could, and for this particular broken heart the addition of coffee into the cake made it all the more potent. She closed her eyes and inhaled, letting the scent fill her lungs. It was soothing her already.

The sound of the bell over the door reached her ears. That was odd, the cafe wasn’t supposed to officially open for another half hour or so. Maybe she’d forgotten to lock the door while things were being set up? She did sometimes forget to do that. But usually customers would see the “closed” sign and not even notice that the door was open, much less try to come in. Sighing, she reluctantly left the kitchen to deal with the early bird.

“I’m sorry, but we’re--” She stopped dead in her tracks the moment she saw who had walked in. “Sayo-san?”

In front of the door, looking just as nervous and confused as Tsugumi felt, was Hikawa Sayo.

“Um...Good morning, Tsugumi-san,” She said, her eyes aimed at the floor off to the side somewhere. “I really don’t mean to be a pest. I’m not actually here of my own volition.”

“Not of your own volition…” Tsugumi repeated. “What do you mean?” Oh no, was this the Plan that had been discussed earlier?

“Well, I was told you wanted to talk to me,” Sayo said, fidgeting with one of the buttons on her coat. “I was planning to wait until tomorrow at our usual time, but the others were…” She looked at the windows behind her, seeming even more confused, “...very...insistent…”

Tsugumi was about to ask why she was looking at the windows, and who, exactly, she meant by “the others” when Sayo’s words registered fully in her mind. “Wait,” She said softly, “Our usual time?”

“Of course,” Sayo said, finally stepping somewhat closer. “It’s especially important since I missed you on Friday.”

Tsugumi’s eyes widened as more tears started to fill them. This time, however, they were not tears of sorrow, but tears of relief. “You mean...you aren’t mad at me?”

Sayo smiled, that warm, gentle smile that left Tsugumi with a floaty feeling in her chest. “Why would I be mad?” She came even closer, close enough for Tsugumi to see the smile in those deep jade eyes as well. “I can’t assume you forgot to tell me Afterglow was playing that night out of malice. I’ll admit I was a little heartbroken at first, but it was inspiring to see you play. Although something was off about your performance, you seemed like you weren’t giving it your fullest.”

“Wait, what?” Tsugumi almost yelled from the shock. “You were at Galaxy?”

“I came as soon as I heard and managed to catch the last few minutes of your set,” Sayo said, still smiling. “I must admit your band is good, even though you were not at your best.” A light blush rose in her cheeks. “In truth I was simply satisfied just to see you.”

“S-Sayo-san…” Her heart was pounding, but it wasn’t the agonizing, painful pounding that she remembered from two nights ago. It was that vigorous, energetic feeling that made her feel like she could rise above the clouds. Sayo had come to see her...Sayo had come all the way from the cafe to the live house just to see her. “Sayo-san, I...there was a reason my playing was off.”

A worried look came over Sayo. “Tsugumi-san, if anything is ever wrong, don’t hesitate to share it with me.” Sayo was actually concerned for her well-being…

If she didn’t shoot her shot now, she was, in this moment, a fool. Perhaps she had been a fool in the past, and she had no doubt she would be a fool in the future, but right now, Hazawa Tsugumi would be anything but a fool.

“It’s because…” She took a series of long, deep breaths, hoping the oxygen intake would keep her from shaking too hard. “It’s because I was overwhelmed… because I had just realized that…” She closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head, not feeling quite brave enough to look Sayo in the eye when she would say her next words. “...that I like you! A lot! I like you a lot!”

Silence. Silence that could be cut with a knife. Tsugumi almost swore she could even hear Sayo’s rapid heartbeat, even over the roar of her own.

“Tsugumi-san…” Sayo’s voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “I...I never imagined I would be able to say this, but…” She nervously cleared her throat. Tsugumi slowly opened her eyes and raised her head, and immediately noticed the deep red blush on Sayo’s face, deeper than anything she had ever seen before. “I...return your feelings, Tsugumi-san.”

She had died, hadn’t she? This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real. There was no way that the flushed, demure expression on Sayo’s face was real, that the glittering joy in her eyes was real, that the blazing, swirling, uncontrollable wave of sheer elation travelling through every inch of her body was real.

“Sayo-san…” She could feel herself crying again. Tears of joy. “Sayo-san!” She threw herself forward, catching Sayo by surprise as she wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Her heart fluttered as she felt Sayo’s arms around her as well. “You’re so pretty and so amazing and so cool, and I’m just...I’m just some girl!” She mumbled into Sayo’s shoulder as she cried. “I can’t even believe you like me back!”

Sayo separated them slightly, but only just enough to allow her to caress Tsugumi’s cheek with her hand. “Why not?” She said, the warmth in her eyes going straight to Tsugumi’s heart. “You’re kind, you’re passionate, you’re knowledgeable...how could I not have feelings for you?”

“Sayo-san…”

For the second time today, Tsugumi opted to do something brave. Forcing down her feelings of nervousness, she closed her eyes and leaned forward, pausing the moment she felt Sayo’s lips against her own.

The second Sayo kissed her back Tsugumi’s mind went momentarily blank. Her lips were so soft, and she was being so gentle and cautious, and in this moment Tsugumi felt so happy that she was starting to worry she might pass out. The kiss was short, but the feeling on her lips lingered as they pulled apart.

“Sayo-san, that was--”

The sound of the bell over the door was heard. Followed by a pair of voices yelping in surprise, and then by the sound of a pair of bodies hitting the floor.

“Himari?” Tsugumi said, bewildered.

“Hina…” Sayo said through her teeth.

“Congrats on the girlfriend, Onee-chan!” Hina chirped from where she lay on the floor.

“Oh my gooooooooosh!” Himari, at least, had the sense to stand up. “That was a picture-perfect confession, straight out of a shoujo manga!” She rubbed at her eyes and sniffled. “I...I think I might cry…”

“Now, come on you two,” chided a voice that Tsugumi recognized even before she came into view. “Give the lovebirds some space.”

“Lisa-senpai?” She said as she watched Lisa pull Hina up off of the floor. “What are you doing here?”

Lisa beamed at them, practically glowing with pride. “When Moca told me Sayo needed a little push, how could I say no? Especially when she’s going for such a sweet girl like yourself.” The last comment made Tsugumi’s cheeks flush red once again.

“I knew it!” Hina pumped her fist, seemingly the only reason she hadn’t tackled the new couple in a congratulatory hug being that Lisa was still restraining her by one arm. “I knew this was why you were always going to the cafe!”

Still smiling, Lisa grabbed onto a sobbing Himari’s arm as well. “Sorry about the interruption, these girls just got too excited and ran off,” She said as she started to lead the other two out the door. “I’ll take them back over to Yamabuki, that’s where the rest of your band’s hanging out, Tsugumi.” Hina and Himari were out of the shop by now, and she was barely in the doorway, but she took a moment to look back, that bright, proud smile still on her face. “Oh, and again on the congrats! Best of luck, you two!”

And moments later, they were alone again. They both spent a long time silently staring at the door, trying to process what on Earth had just happened, until Tsugumi finally spoke up.

“So…” She said quietly, “do you want anything to drink?”

Sayo was quiet for a moment, before that gentle smile spread across her face. “That sounds nice. A mocha, perhaps?”

“Sure, of course.” Tsugumi smiled back. She was kind of in the mood for one herself. She would make two, she decided. “Oh, and I just took this cake out of the oven before you came in, so it should be cool now.” She found herself blushing, her heart still beating much too fast. “It’s a chocolate pound cake, and it has coffee grounds in it for extra flavor. Would you like to try it?”

Sayo’s smile seemed to glow, subtle yet radiant like the soft light of the moon, and it made Tsugumi wonder why she couldn’t have realized these feelings of love soon enough.

“Yes, I’d love to.”

#tsugumi hazawa #sayo hikawa #tsugusayo #bandori #arlcsr #gray writes

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silverfootstepswrites · 5 years ago

Text

Amaryllis | Chapter 12

+++

"Sister."

Kurenai held the fan up to hide her mouth. Her eyes darted nervously in the direction of the men on the other side of the room.

The corset around her waist felt too tight. The lovely gown mother had had made just for today was white lace and silk that trailed behind her looking like sea foam. She could smell the blood-red roses in her hair, twisted into the curls and pinned in place. All the pins and ties jabbed at her head and her body.

Huffing with frustration, Kurenai turned her head to look at her older sister. Tsunade's back was turned to her. Her long, wheat-colored hair spilled across her back, intertwined with strands of pearls.

She always looked so beautiful.

Kurenai placed her hand on Tsunade's shoulder, feeling the softness of the silk under her fingers. Tsunade was still engrossed in her conversation but she reached up to put her hand over her sister’s and squeezed. A little comforted, Kurenai waited. And after a moment, Tsunade excused herself and took Kurenai's arm. Turning to her, she smiled, her golden eyes sparkling more than the jewels in her hair and ears.

"What is it, my dear?" asked Tsunade in a low voice. She reached out and rubbed her thumb on the bottom corner of Kurenai's mouth where her red lipstick had smeared.

"There's a man over there who's staring at you," Kurenai whispered. Tsunade frowned.

"There are many men staring at me, little sister," Tsunade responded with a hint of a smile. But Kurenai shook her head. She turned her older sister in the direction of the man with piercing grey eyes standing on the other side of the room.

He had the swagger and the build of a military man. Despite his youth, he had a proud mane of silver hair. Broad shoulders and perfect posture told Tsunade all she needed to know before she even saw the medals on his uniform.

"That is the Count Namikaze’s eldest son, Lord Jiraiya. I hear that he's doing quite well in the army. Lieutenant General by 20 is no easy feat," murmured Tsunade.

Kurenai's eyes widened. How she wished she had her sister's perfect memory at times like these. Their mother always had them study the lists and portraits of their guests, but only Tsunade ever remembered all of them.

"Will you speak with him?" asked Kurenai, breathless with excitement.

This was her first royal ball where she was no longer being treated as a child. Now that she was 14, it was time for her to begin catching the eye of suitors. And though it was too early in the night for anyone to have asked her to dance, the very idea of her sister with such a handsome man was almost enough exhilaration for the night.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I'm 18 now. Mother says that it's time I sank my claws into one of these men. He doesn't seem like one that would be easy to control," said Tsunade with a shrug before she pulled her along to speak with the other guests.

Across the room, Jiraiya felt a tug on his elbow.

"Was that-?" Minato breathed.

"Yes, the two princesses. Lovely, aren’t they? It's rare to see the older one out of her research facility," replied Jiraiya.

"They were looking at us, brother!" Minato said with wonder in his voice. Minato looked down at his kid brother and laughed.

"No, Minato, they were both looking at me. I doubt they even noticed a short thing like you. Maybe next year," chortled Jiraiya as he rubbed a hand through Minato's golden hair. Minato pretended to scowl at the treatment before he beamed up at the brother who always towered over him.

+++

"Your Grace?"

Minato blinked. Chin propped up by his hand, he looked over to find his advisors staring at him.

"Your Grace, we'd like to begin the meeting now," Danzo said with a pointed look.

"Ah. Yes," he answered. He looked down at the gold ring on his thumb. It had once fit perfectly on his brother's middle finger. The chunky sapphire glinted in the candlelight. Minato rubbed at his face. He hadn't dreamt of his brother in years. But as of late, he saw scenes from their youth every night.

Jiraiya, the King Consort, General of the Armies of the Great Forest Kingdom. All of those titles had been used for him. No one ever seemed to use the one that mattered most.

Brother.

Minato always felt like a child again as he looked down on that ring. It had only been one of many things that his brother had left to him. As a young man, he had once believed that as he grew older, somehow he would grow to fit those rings.

Minato looked over to his right where his son sat sulking.

Sakura had left the capital city several days ago and Naruto was still upset. He didn't dare tell the boy that he was grateful that she had refused to take him along. The wilderness was no place for a prince. And though Marquess Shimura had insisted, it was one of the rare times that Minato was opposed the old man’s counsel.

"Our first order of business concerns taxes, Your Grace."

Naruto let out a huge sigh. Minato almost wanted to agree as he gestured for them to begin.

+++

Weeks of travel were taking their toll on Itachi. Everyone seemed to acknowledge the fact with glances out of the corners of their eyes and sympathetic grimaces. And at each inn they stopped at along the road, the party urged Itachi to stay and recuperate.

"We would only be a few weeks at most, Prince. And it would ease Sakura's worries to know that you were resting safely," Sasori quietly said one night as he took Itachi aside in the corridor. When Itachi politely declined, looking paler than usual as he went, Sasuke peered out from around the corner. Arms crossed over his chest, he glanced over at Sakura. Her stony expression gave away nothing. In fact, she calmly picked at a healing scab on the back of her hand without comment.

"Why don't you force him? You made Prince Naruto stay in Whiteriver for his own safety," Sasuke asked.

"A man's resolve is nothing to sneer at. Whatever decision he makes, I will respect it," replied Sakura before she pushed off the wall and headed downstairs. The stiffness of her gait stood out to him. And he knew after months with her that she was lying. But about what he wasn't sure.

"Sakura," Sasuke called after her as he began to take a step. A light tug on the back of his vest stopped him. The prince turned to see Haku peering up at him with nervous brown eyes.

"Please… I think some time alone would be good for the General, Your Highness," said the boy. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He had long ago realized that this was one of the servants from his home. Why he (or she) had come to join them was a mystery that he had never quite been able to solve. But now he began to think again.

"What do you know?" questioned Sasuke. But Haku quickly shook his head.

"There are things that this lowly servant knows that are not even for your ears, Your Highness," Haku replied. Sasuke stared at him for another long moment before his mouth curled up into a smirk.

"You're quite clever," Sasuke said as he walked off too.

Because not even Sasori knew the reason why the older prince was allowed to remain in their traveling party. Only Haku, who brushed Sakura's hair and tidied Sakura's room, could piece together the past that Sakura seemed so determined to leave behind her. And as the past became clear, Haku began to understand what moved this fierce woman.

And Haku hadn't survived for years in an unfamiliar palace by blundering about asking the wrong questions. His queries always came in bits and pieces, harmless fragments that created a whole picture.

One night, he asked, “Your- My Lady?”

"Hm?" responded Sakura in a light hum. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and the droop of her shoulders told the story of a long day. He always rubbed the calluses on her hands with special ointments before bed. She laughed that a soldier needn't have soft hands. He gently countered that a princess did. Her smile faded a bit but she didn't protest afterwards.

"Why did you really tell Prince Naruto not to come with us?" he questioned as he finished massaging the white cream into her palms.

There was a pause.

Then Sakura lifted her right hand. She pointed until Haku squinted and saw a thin line slanting diagonally from her pinky to the base of her thumb.

"When we were nine, Naruto climbed up a tree trying to catch a squirrel. I was nearly impaled by a branch while I was trying to save him," recounted Sakura. She then pointed to another scar on her forearm.

"Later that same year, he tried to play with one of the hunting hounds. This wound festered. I nearly lost this arm," she said. Haku's eyes widened with horror as he began to notice the tiny scars flecked over parts of her body. Her skin was rather fair and the scars were so light that they were invisible until she pointed them out.

"When I was 12, I came home for the holidays during my first year at the military academy. Someone tried to assassinate him at the winter festival. I grabbed the knife with my bare hand," Sakura said as she opened her palm to show Haku the thin line that almost could have been part of the natural lines on her hand.

That was the year she had stopped calling Whiteriver Keep her home.

"We'll be your parents from now on."

Those had been Kushina's first words to her. And yet each time her stupid son fell out of a tree or tumbled down a hill, Sakura was the one to break his fall. She had been the one to grab hold of him, shielding him tightly in her arms so that her back would be covered in scrapes and deep bruises that would turn the color of sour wine while Naruto would be a little shaken up but unharmed all the same.

She found him when he wandered into the forests and lost his way just before nightfall. Sniffling pitifully, Naruto held onto the back of her shirt as Sakura navigated them back through the darkened woods.

She was good to him.

And yet each time she saved her cousin, the good Count and Countess Namikaze only ever ran to Naruto first. It didn't matter that they then turned to her thanking her for being so brave. It didn't matter that they gasped over her wounds so lovingly that the servants marveled at such tenderness for weeks afterwards.

They ran to their son first. Even if she bled and gritted her teeth against the pain, they never saw her first.

Sakura quickly learned that people were liars. Those who pretended to care were the worst. As she watched the nobles sink their claws into these oblivious people, Sakura closed her heart to them.

Because their hearts had never been open to her in the first place.

"I didn't bring him because there is no room for mistakes out here, Haku," Sakura declared as she stared at the boy's reflection in the mirror.

Another time, Haku asked about what the King Regent and the Queen Regent were like. The bitterness in Sakura's smile began to piece together a story. It didn't take long for Haku to come to understand.

It wasn't hatred that made Sakura so cold to these people.

It was pain.

Sakura felt the change in Haku's hands as he brushed her hair during the weeks of travel as he learned more and more about her. She couldn't stand pity. And sympathy she liked even less.

But their gazes met in the mirror. There was pain in his expression too.

She supposed that it made sense. They were both orphans, though he had certainly suffered in a much different way from her. Their fear was different. Their hurts were different as well. And yet they had both lost the people who would run to them first.

"I've noticed that you call me ‘My Lady' now. Any particular reason for the change?" questioned Sakura one night as she rubbed her calloused hands together after she pulled off her leather gloves. Haku took the gloves from her and folded them to put them away. His dark eyes flitted to her briefly before he went to retrieve her nightgown. He set the white garment on the bed and then he folded his hands together across his stomach.

"Well," he began with one nervous look in her direction, "You once told me that being called ‘General’ is like armor for you. But for me, My Lady, you're the strongest person I know. So I feel that there’s no need for you to wear armor around me."

Haku then bowed.

"I beg your pardon if I've caused offense," he quickly added.

He jolted with surprise when Sakura threw her head back and laughed.

"You just might be smarter than half the nobles running the kingdoms," she chuckled. Giving her a small smile, Haku glowed with pride as he suddenly moved to organize her luggage and vigorously fluff the pillows.

In the tavern downstairs, Sasuke glared at his brother over his drink. Itachi looked into his mead with a look of curiosity before he took a sip. The rich, yeasty flavor was apparently to his liking because he lifted the tankard to his mouth again. Only when he had quenched some of his thirst did Itachi meet his young brother's accusing stare.

“Your health won’t improve if you push yourself like this," Sasuke said as soon as he saw that he had Itachi's attention. Itachi seemed rather at ease as he looked around the dim room. There was a group of men playing some sort of card game in the corner. A pair of burly men with scars and with animal pelts stacked on the empty stools beside them sat at the bar, trading stories with frequent laughter. The bartender was balding and stern-faced with a bristly beard, glowering out at anyone. As if daring anyone to cause a ruckus.

Itachi had never seen such people before the start of this long journey. Sasuke had seen similar characters on his visits into Ispolin and also when he followed their father on his visits to different parts of the kingdom. Itachi, confined to his bed, had rarely even seen the castle grounds outside before Sakura's arrival.

"Sasuke. Look at me. Do I look any worse than when we were home?" challenged Itachi.

Sasuke frowned.

"I suppose not. But you looked much livelier in Plumeria," Sasuke relented after a long moment.

Itachi smiled knowingly as he glanced down at his hands. He had even tanned a little in the warm island sun.

"I thought I was going to die in that castle, stuck in that awful room. I've read thousands of books, Sasuke. I've 'seen' hundreds of places and hundreds of people. But when will I ever have another chance to truly see the world?" he uttered softly.

"Is it so worth seeing if it lands you in an early grave?" growled Sasuke in response. Itachi chuckled.

“I won’t die from being a little tired. I’ve been told that moderate exercise will actually improve my condition,” Itachi assured him.

Before Sakura's arrival, he had seldom spoken to his younger brother. Now it amused Itachi to no end to see how determined Sasuke was to protect him. It seemed like just yesterday that Sasuke was a baby with stubby arms and legs that cried to be carried everywhere. Before his illness, he had frequently escaped form his tutors to take his little brother around the castle, showing him the secrets that came with his place as firstborn.

Sasuke was grown up now. He was taller and stronger and living in ways that Itachi never could.

"That's called envy," Sakura pointed out the next day as she leaned over to feed Kaze a lump of sugar during a short break. Sasuke was up ahead with Sasori letting their horses drink from the nearby stream. Itachi sat on a boulder, his hands clasped together as he looked up at her with exasperation. She was always too good at coming up with simple answers to his tangled web of concerns. He analyzed and reanalyzed without end, in circles that tangled together. She barged in with a rope to connect the two points without fuss.

At every stop, he dismounted and walked around to stretch his legs before nearly collapsing to sit wherever he could. No one had ever told him that riding a horse for such long periods of time could be so painful. After a few weeks, it was much easier to endure. And yet it amazed him that Sakura could travel, eat, and sleep on her stallion's back with no trouble.

Seeing Itachi grimace as he stretched his legs, Sakura smiled.

"I've been riding Kaze since he was big enough to support my weight. And I've been riding horses since before I could walk. That is also a form of envy, Itachi. And a foolish one at that," she added.

"How so? I thought you, of all people, would admire ambition," he challenged. He grimaced as he rotated his right ankle once before he turned his head away to cough into his fist.

"If we could do anything in this world, we would be gods. Our limitations only serve to highlight our strengths," Sakura responded so simply. It was a question she had asked herself many times before. Maybe it wasn’t the right answer. But it was the answer that helped her sleep at night.

Her forehead wrinkled as Itachi coughed again. He did it far less than he used to. But the sound bordered somewhat on a wheeze. It was a painful sound. But she composed her expression again as Itachi turned back to look at her.

"More grains of wisdom from your father?" Itachi guessed. Smiling, Sakura extended her hand to him.

"My mother," she corrected him.

"Sakura, shall we go?" Sasori called out to them. They both glanced at him and saw him waving from further down the path.

Itachi grasped her hand, letting her pull him up into the saddle. She slid up to make room for him. And though his weary body felt heavy and all he wanted to do was to make it to the next inn to be able to sleep, Sakura tilted her head back to look at him. He stared into her bright eyes, mesmerized for a brief moment by the intensity of the blue-green color. Then he leaned forward to kiss her and she laughed even as her lips parted against his.

Then their moment ended.

Sakura took up the reins in her hands. She barely clicked her tongue before Kaze moved forward to catch up to their companions further down the road.

"This will be the last meal we won't have to make for ourselves for a while," Sasori announced over dinner that night. They were gathered around one table in the corner in the tavern. Exhausted from the long day of travel, they slouched a little as they waited for their food to arrive.

"Why is that?" asked Sasuke.

"Because we will be approaching the southern border soon. And it is to our advantage that characters from Wave Country remain uninformed of our arrival for as long as possible,” replied Sakura.

Sasuke glanced over at his brother before he locked gazes with Sasori.

"No inns. No shelter?" Sasuke questioned.

“If possible,” Sasori declared. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"If I am not mistaken…and I rarely am about such matters," there was an edge to his voice, "your country currently has neither an alliance nor a quarrel with Wave Country."

"It's difficult to have a quarrel with a country that has no government, yes," retorted Sasori. “We do, in fact, have a quarrel. Which is only made worse by the idiots who have been making all the decisions up until now.”

Haku touched Sakura’s arm. She barely looked down as Haku pushed a drink into her hand. Sakura raised the drink to her lips. Paused.

“Governed or ungoverned, people are all the same…. awful,” she sighed. And then she downed her drink. Which happened to be a refreshing mead.

+++

"It's a dreary day."

Bored out of her mind, Ino peered up from her latest novel with a vaguely sympathetic grimace. But then she noticed that it was Naruto approaching her and she grudgingly folded her page over before closing the book. Her lady's maid scrambled out of her seat to curtsey to the prince. Ino took her time also rising and curtseying. But her head did not dip nearly as low and her eyes did not fall demurely to the floor. Instead, she stared brazenly into Naruto's face.

Not that he would know enough to be insulted.

"To what do I owe this high honor?" Ino drawled as she snapped her fan open. The gentle waving motion made her hair flutter around. The light perspiration that gathered around her hairline and on the back of her neck made the normally smooth strands frizz and curl.

Ladies did not sweat, Ino heard her mother scold in her head.

So Ino fanned herself harder.

It was another lazy summer day in the capital. Trees spread their lush branches proudly up toward the blazing sun. Bright clusters of flowers and berries dotted the forests. Any travelers descending into the valley where Leaves sat could see a vast carpet of dark green blanketing the earth before the stone walls of the city came into view. Despite all this beauty with the birds singing and the wind whistling through branches, summer, in Ino's opinion, was by far the worst season to be in the city. The air was sticky and heavy. Humid would be a gross understatement of the weather.

Ino sucked in grudging breaths between the pinches of her corset and wished merry hells upon her mother for making her even wear the monstrosity. Her skin felt sticky under the layers of her dress. Her arm stuck to the cover of her book and to the arms of her chair. She also wished hell upon the demon who had invented the corset. While she was at it, she wished hell on her father too for dragging her to the capital in the first place.

There wasn't much to do in the capital. Spring Port wasn't much better. In fact, Ino rarely even visited the city. She mostly stayed with her mother at the manor located further inland.

Admittedly, the capital had all the nice garden parties and social events. And yet Ino found herself longing for her secret adventures out on town in disguise with her lady's maid. It was impossible to get into any sort of mischief at Whiteriver Keep. Well, impossible without Sakura there, rolling her eyes as she dismissed the guards who had discovered her trying to climb a wall.

Naruto blinked. He clasped his hands behind him. Ino always smiled with too much tooth in front of him. She coated her venomous words in extra honey. It made the other nobles gasp and whisper. But whether he was really that foolishly kind or he honestly believed that she bore him no ill will, the young man was never less than polite to her.

Ino had to give him that. He was always polite.

"I'm not really that much higher than you. Our families were both once stewards to the king. I'm only a prince because my uncle married a queen," he pointed out with a light shrug.

There was dead silence.

It was Ino's turn to be at a loss for words. She only remembered to shut her gaping mouth when her lady's maid cleared her throat.

Ino fixed a scowl on her face.

"Then why allow yourself to be called a prince knowing that?" she demanded, not caring that she would be scolded later for sounding pushy.

The way Naruto shrugged made her upper lip twinge in an expression between a sneer and a grimace before she could compose herself again.

"Well, that's what they say I am…so I suppose I've never really questioned the real reason behind it," he flippantly responded.

Ino forced herself to take a deep breath. She stole a glance at her lady's maid out of the corner of her eye. And rather than look concerned with propriety as usual, the young woman's normally neutral expression also seemed somewhat brittle, as if she were struggling to hide the irritation. When she met Ino's eye for the briefest moment, she quickly pretended to be checking her needlework.

"Anyway, titles and all that- it doesn't matter so much between old acquaintances. Isn't that right, Lady Ino?" Naruto went on with an easy laugh.

"…Of course, My Lord," she ground out past clenched back teeth. She fanned herself harder, only staring until Naruto awkwardly cleared his throat and excused himself. Her icy scowl followed him until he disappeared down the garden path and back toward the castle. Ino continued fanning herself furiously until her lady's maid put her hand on her arm to stop her. Ino blinked a few times as she set the accessory down.

Blood still boiling, Ino waited for Naruto's steps to fade completely before she turned to her lady's maid. The other woman's eyes were big as she waited.

"Moegi, my stationary, please. I need to tell someone about this," Ino ground out.

She scribbled too quickly. Her letters slanting one way. Her mother would have a fit if she could see such slovenly handwriting. She sealed it with extra care before handing it over. As the other woman accepted it, Ino clasped both her hands between hers. Staring her directly in the eyes, Ino spoke in soft, measured words.

"I may lose my head if this falls into the wrong hands."

Moegi looked insulted as she pulled away.

"If your head rolls, so does mine. Worry not, My Lady.”

+++

On their fourth day of travel along the Forest Kingdom's southern border, there was a distant noise that made Sasori yank his reins in a sharp motion. His horse snorted in protest as it jolted to a halt. Sakura and Itachi's heads turned back toward the noise while Sasuke and Haku also pulled their reins. The party stopped on the packed dirt road. The only other sounds to greet them were the dry rustles of grass on the plains.

They hadn’t received any reports of strange activity of the scouting party up ahead,

Sasuke cocked his eyebrows. Sakura pressed her pointer finger to her parted lips as she strained to listen over the silence. She locked gazes with Sasori who frowned as he concentrated. After a long minute, he pulled his sword from the scabbard with the grating noise of metal on metal.

Itachi's hands tightened on Sakura's waist as he felt her shift. Her hand moved to rest on the hilt of her falchion.

"Who?" she whispered.

“Unshoed horses,” was all Sasori could make out. He adjusted his grip on his sword.

He tapped his ear. Slowly, the faint rumble of hooves pounding against the ground began to thrum through the ground. Over the distant horizon, a faint cloud of dust rose.

Several riders.

Sasuke stole a glance at him before turning his attention back to the men riding up toward them.

"What are we dealing with?" Sasuke demanded. He squinted toward the dust. The closer they came, the clearer their bared teeth and painted faces became.

Wave Country had collapsed a little under 10 years ago. The people had risen up against the corrupt king and beheaded him. Most of the king’s former vassals had broken up the land into territories. Any attempts at an alliance had shattered as negotiations had dissolved into violence. Now, warlords were the ones who ruled over the territories. And the most powerful warlords were the ones who had the money to employ the strongest warriors.

Itachi's shaking fingers grazed her stomach. When she grabbed his hand, she turned her head toward him. The color had drained completely from his face. And yet his dark eyes were clear as he stared at her, waiting.

“The warlords and their mercenaries aren’t very reasonable. You should close your eyes,” she warned him in a soft voice. She held his gaze until Itachi nodded a little. Turning her head back to the approaching threat, Sakura slipped out of Kaze’s saddle.

The first warrior who arrived gripped a head in his hand. Sakura recognized it as the captain of the forward group that she had sent ahead to scout. Blood still dripped from the stump of his severed neck.

Sasori swore under his breath.

The man grinned. He was clearly the leader. He tossed the head toward Sakura’s feet.

The rest of his men rode up to join them. Horses painted in swirls of white mud to look like skeletons thundering across the plains. The men themselves were wrapped in furs, necklaces of teeth and bones glittering across their collarbones and up their wrists. Itachi eyed one of the men's axes, an ugly thing crusted black with unspeakable remnants of past battles.

“Look at this. A little tea party from up north,” he leered at her. White mud caked his face in war stripes. His yellowing teeth were too sharp.

“I don’t suppose you’d be open to negotiation?” Sakura offered. Just to be polite.

She could already see their bloodshot eyes roving over their healthy horses and to the bags strapped to the backs of their saddles. They were looking at the shining buttons on their uniforms and at wide-eyed Haku clinging to his reins.

"How's about you give us your gold, lady, and then you show me your tits?" he leered.

As the man began to guffaw, Sasori lunged. He leapt from his saddle, drawing a dagger from somewhere up his sleeve. But before he could attack, Sakura had already raised her weapon. The point of her falchion dug into the leader’s throat. As she pulled her blade free, blood dribbled from the incision. He gurgled, hands clutching at his neck. Blood began to leak from his mouth too, spilling into his beard.

Sasori looked down at his dagger. And then he spotted one of the warriors lurching forward. He flung his knife with a snap of his wrist. The triangular blade soared, burying itself into the man’s eye socket. An agonized scream gurgled through the air.

As the rest of the foes attacked, Sakura shifted her weight. Her shoulders relaxed, her grip just loose enough on her falchion. Sparks flew as a sword connected with hers. She pushed back, sending the attacker stumbling.

“Oh, this won’t be fun at all,” she complained. At her back was Sasori, whose hooded gold eyes sparkled. His lips parted in a smile as he glanced all around.

A little ways away from them, Itachi sat on Kaze's back, dumbfounded as he watched Sakura's feet glide across the rough terrain. The toes of her black boots were dusted over and speckled with mud but they never stopped moving all the same. Her back straight and her mouth set in a line, Sakura blocked a spear jabbing toward her head before she twisted her wrist and gouged her opponent through the throat. Blood spurted from his mouth and spattered a few flecks on the side of her face.

There was clean elegance in the way she dispensed of each of her enemies. The tip of her sword made perfect cuts- geometric shapes and jabs that left tidy sprays of red across the packed mud and shriveled grass.

He could see now, what had inspired an entire army to move for her.

Sasuke moved in front of Itachi and Haku. He had received training, as any prince did, but he had never actually shed blood before. There had never been a reason to. While Sakura and Sasori had done an otherwise perfect job of keeping enemies at bay, one rogue had managed to come close to them. Sasuke raised his weapon, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

“Sasori!” Sakura yelled.

Sasuke blinked. And then the man who had been charging at him was falling. Twin daggers buried into his back. Sasori didn’t even have the time to look at Sasuke again as he threw himself back into the battle.

"How dreadful," Itachi heard Haku whisper in a hoarse voice. He watched Sakura plunge her sword into a man, gouging upward between his ribs. Her leather gloves strained as she twisted. Planting her foot against his leg, she wrenched the blade free and he collapsed in a writhing pile on the ground. Sakura flicked her wrist and blood spattered the grass in an arc.

It didn’t take long for the group traveling behind them to catch up. The addition of the soldiers shortened the battle considerably. They made quick work of the remaining attackers.

As the dust settled, one of the soldiers knelt before Sakura. Her eyes flickered around, searching until she saw Itachi and Haku still sitting atop their horses. Haku was a faint shade of green, but both seemed uninjured.

“We should have moved more quickly, General. Then you wouldn’t have suffered any injuries,” the soldier apologized.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You followed orders and guarded the rear,” she sighed. Pressing her fingers to her temple, she glanced over at Sasori, who shrugged.

“On your feet, soldier. Scout the area for any stragglers,” she ordered. She could read the look on his face. See how the guilt had settled into his eyes. But the pull of his instincts was stronger. What soldier didn’t move when his general commanded him?

“Yes, General. Right away,” he uttered. He rose to his feet and bowed deeply before he hurried off. Yelling orders to his subordinates as he moved.

Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow. Peeling her gloves off, she made her way over to the horses. But as she moved, Sasori took her by the wrist. He kept his voice low, moved his lips as little as possible.

“I say we search the bodies. They might have orders on them. This might not be a random encounter,” he warned her.

“Fine, fine,” she snapped, pulling away from him. Sasori gave her a dumbfounded look as he watched her stalk off. And when he realized where she was headed, he let out a sigh.

“You’re alright?” she asked Haku. Haku nodded. Sakura nodded in return.

And then Sakura reached up to take Itachi’s hand. It was trembling. But he smiled for her as he squeezed her hand back. She studied his expression for a moment, tried to peek beneath that brave front.

“Sasori,” Sakura called without tearing her eyes from Itachi.

“Yes?”

“I’ll leave this to you. Let me take our friends somewhere a little less… unsettling,” Sakura ordered.

There was a pause. Another sigh. And then: “Of course. I’ll join you shortly.” And then she could hear him directing some of the soldiers to accompany them to set up camp.

They found a rocky cliff that rose above the moist soil. The horses had little trouble navigating the terrain. Under the shelter of the cliff, they started a fire. Soldiers began digging up stones and smoothing over the dirt before they set up tents. Others went to secure firewood. Sakura almost went to help find kindling. But the look on Itachi’s face told her it was a better idea to stay. Although Sasuke looked less shaken, he was also a little too pale for her liking. Sakura sat with the brothers, chatting with them to keep their minds occupied.

Soon, the soldiers returned. They started a fire in no time, stoking it to life. The flames grew brighter and brighter as they fed it with bits of brittle bark and then broken branches.

By the time they had put together a stew for dinner, Sasori and the rest of the party joined them. They sat with them around the fire. Sakura’s gaze met Sasori’s through the flickering flames. He shook his head. Sakura let out a little sigh before she turned back to the conversation around her.

As the sun set, yawns began to pass back and forth between people. Haku sagged against Sakura’s shoulder. He jolted upright, murmuring an apology.

“You silly child. A growing boy needs rest,” she replied. And she applied gentle pressure to his arm until he leaned over to rest his head in her lap. Her hand stroked through his hair just a few times before he was asleep. Some of the soldiers eyed the interaction. Exchanged wary glances. Before they pretended not to have seen anything at all.

Soon, it was time for the first shift of guards to switch. Some of the men lingering by the fire excused themselves, bowing. Sakura nodded in return.

“You should get some rest,” Sakura then suggested, looking toward Itachi first, and then Sasuke.

“…You’re right, I suppose. Early to bed, early to rise, as they say,” Sasuke agreed. He paused. And then he gave his brother an awkward pat on the shoulder before he got to his feet. They watched his silhouette head in the direction of his tent. Silent. Sakura stroked Haku’s hair a few more times. Drawn by the movement, Itachi watched her hand.

“I… somehow imagined it would be worse,” he suddenly commented.

“What would be?”

“You. In combat.”

Itachi’s eyes held hers. For a long time. She liked how he didn’t look away.

“Not so heartless?” she teased. Itachi’s mouth curved up for the first time that night.

“Not at all,” he replied. “After all, you have to be scared of losing something to fight that hard. Right?”

Her free hand found his in the dark. She pressed her lips to his forehead, listening to his trembling sigh. When her lips found his, they were both smiling.

After Itachi had gone to bed, Sakura woke Haku. He slurred an apology. But Sakura simply sent him along to sleep, too. She watched to make sure that he made it inside the flap of his tent before she surveyed the rest of their makeshift campsite.

Sasori conversed with a few soldiers. She watched him angling his hands, miming a slicing motion. He was probably giving feedback on their sword techniques. There were occasional flickers of movement in the darkness as others patrolled in the darkness. She stood up.

Sasori stopped mid-sentence. He held her stare. And then he smiled, giving her a single nod before he resumed his conversation.

+++

Silence had two different faces.

There was a silence that settled over the night like a well-worn cloak. Familiar and comforting.

There was a silence that stifled. Too sharp in its stillness.

Sakura’s eyes flew open when the wrong kind of silence entered her ears.

She sat just in front of Itachi’s tent. Only her eyelids moved. The rest of her body frozen in the same light slouch she had fallen asleep in. As she searched the darkness, she met a pair of unfamiliar eyes.

“They said not to underestimate you,” a deep, gravelly voice crawled through the darkness. His massive, hulking body was faintly visible in the glow of the dying fire.

“Are my soldiers dead?” she demanded.

“A few. The rest are unconscious, I’d say,” he replied.

"How disappointing. We've been tracking these idiots for close to a week. Snatched the prey from right under our noses,” another man commented from far too close to her.

Sakura whirled on the voice, the tip of her bloodied sword unwavering. The pointed edge came to rest just on the throat of an unknown man. His hair obscured one of his eyes but the other sparkled with mirth. He held his hands up but somehow conveyed the sense that he was by no means surrendering.

"Easy there, lass. Wouldn't want to make any big mistakes," he sneered.

They waited, muscles tensed and weapons raised, for the other riders to reach them. Sakura stared the stranger in his pale eyes. He didn't seem to be an actual threat. But he had the air of a trained killer. And with Itachi fast asleep just behind her, there was no way she was relaxing.

“Now, we’re here to talk. No need for such hostility,” the first man said.

“You sneak up on me. Kill my men. And then instruct me to be less hostile?” spat Sakura.

Everyone started when they heard the whisk of blades leaving a sheath.

“How right you are, cousin. With these lack of manners, they’ll only ever be ill-bred mercenaries,” Sasori spoke up. She couldn’t see him, but he seemed to be standing closer to the first man.

There was a pause.

And then the first man chuckled. It was a booming sound, like it was moving through the earth and not the air. “Well. How stealthy,” he commented. And then he seemed to think before he suggested: “How about we stoke this fire and have a conversation? Like civilized folk.”

Sakura didn’t move. Her glare still trained on the man closest to her.

There was movement in the dark. Rustling and footsteps. She tried to separate the different noises. To count how many there were. She could hear someone’s puffing breaths as they blew on the embers to stoke them back to life.

Several minutes later, when tongues of flame began rising from the flame, Sakura began to count the heads.

Six altogether. The man who had spoken first sat on a stone by the fire. He was a massive creature with blue skin and pointed teeth that almost reminded her of the barracudas that swam the shallows near the island.

The other men were scattered around. Some were shirtless, others wore little more than an open jacket lined with fur over bare torsos. One had on some sort of mask that covered his mouth. He carried a bloodied knife in one hand. But all wielded swords, fierce blades glinting in the firelight.

Sasori took slow, measured steps to join Sakura. His eyes never leaving the men. His sword gripped tightly in his hand.

The man who stood closest to Sakura had silver hair. He grinned, hands still held up in a taunting way. He took a few steps away from her as Sasori approached. Sakura didn’t move her weapon.

The blue-skinned man, clearly at the head of the group, got to his feet. He towered over her, muscles bulging as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sakura could hear Sasori's feet shift against the ground. She held her hand out, freezing him in place. Instead she turned to this massive man and fixed him with her coldest look.

To her surprise, the man in front of her smiled.

"We are the Swordsmen of the Mist," the man announced with a bow. Sasori's lip curled.

"Mercenaries," he confirmed with a scoff. Sakura wasn't surprised by his reaction. For a man like Sasori, his blood moved for blood. It moved for beauty and sacrifice and love. Hired men's blood stirred only for coin. There could be no greater dishonor than that.

But they had not announced that they were mercenaries. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she stored away that information for later.

"General Haruno of the Forest Kingdom. What business do you have with me?" she demanded.

"We've got a deal for you, Princess Sakura," the silver-haired man chimed in.

Sakura clicked her tongue. Her hair had always been a dead giveaway.

“You want money,” she translated.

“Well, we don’t hate money. That’s sort of a given,” the blue man agreed. But then he took a seat again, leaning back with a sort of ease that irritated her. Like he was in charge of the situation. And he was.

“How much do you know about the situation here, General?” he queried.

“In this camp or in this territory?” she bit back.

He chuckled. His hand landed on his knee. “Apologies. Us uneducated brutes might not speak as clearly as you. The territory.” His smile wasn’t particularly threatening. Neither was it so friendly that she let her guard down.

Sakura cast a look Sasori’s way. He opened his mouth and cracked his jaw. Adjusting his grip on his weapon.

“No king. No unified government. And warlords are crossing over to ambush our caravans. It’s not some grand mystery,” retorted Sakura.

“They wouldn’t be crossing over if they were properly paid their tribute. It’s been months.”

At this, Sasori narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?” he demanded.

“Our employer waited several months for the tribute to arrive. Pleasant relations will resume once he is paid his tribute,” the blue man informed them with a polite smile.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. “Employer. Not lord. Interesting.”

“Of course. The only loyalty these sort have is to money,” spat Sasori.

There was a tense pause before one of the nearest men slowly raised his sword.

"You'd better watch your tone there," he slowly growled out. Sasori's eyes narrowed. Before he could draw blood, the leader sent a sharp look at the man who had spoken. The blade wavered before it slowly fell back.

The smile returned to the leader’s face. “Who, on this planet, has the luxury of disliking money?”

“Impossible,” Sasori retorted. “I was there at the meeting. Duke Hyuuga had it in his ledger. Tribute was paid. In fact, they agreed to increase the amount that was sent.”

The mercenary just went on smiling. He tapped his fingers against his knee. Looking from Sasori, then to Sakura.

“This warlord could be lying,” Sakura mused.

“Yes. I would advise against putting faith in such… people,” Sasori trailed off, his gaze flitting to the mercenaries. His upper lip curled.

“And even if they are telling the truth, this employer could be lying to them,” Sakura agreed.

“Oh. King Yagura may be bloody, but he does not lie,” the mercenary interrupted with a cheerful shake of his head.

“Yagura? That child? And what is he king of? Ashes?” answered Sasori with a dismissive wave of his hand. The corner of the mercenary’s mouth twitched. His stare bore into Sasori.

“Of course, plenty of men crowning themselves king these days. But just because there’s no nation doesn’t mean that the people don’t exist,” he corrected.

“Until I see evidence of Whiteriver Keep sending a carriage down this way, there is no proof that tribute was actually sent,” Sakura cut through the tense moment. She shot Sasori a look. He glared, like he might snap at her too. But then he closed his mouth, returning his gaze to the mercenaries, who were glaring back just as fiercely.

“And if this is true, then King Yagura has essentially hired you to throw a tantrum in his stead,” Sakura summarized. The mercenary gaped at her for a moment. And then he threw his head back and roared with laughter, his gut heaving. He put his fists on his hips as he chortled for a good moment. When he quieted, the way he studied Sakura changed, somehow. Unintimidated, she threw his calculating look right back at him.

“What is this King Yagura like?” she inquired.

“Bloody. But he has rules and he follows them,” he answered.

Sakura touched her chin with her free hand. She sheathed her sword. The sound startled Sasori.

“Hm. Not the worst neighbor to have,” she then said, mostly to herself. She looked down at herself now. Squinted down at her cloak. It had been a gift from her Aunt Kurenai. Handcrafted by the most skilled weavers. The clasps and the buckles accented by pearls and tourmaline. Sakura unbuckled it, letting it whisper off her shoulders. She then reached for the dagger strapped to the inside of her thigh. Shoulders tensed as she drew the weapon. But rather than draw it on any else, she brought it up to her throat.

“If I’m not mistaken, oaths are often sealed with part of the body in this land. Unfortunately, I happen to require all my fingers and toes. So this will have to do,” she explained.

Sakura grasped the end of her ponytail. She sliced through her hair, just above where a find band of gold and silk held it in place. She placed it in the center of the cloak and folded it into a small bundle.

“Inform King Yagura that the Haruno family will see that he is compensated for his troubles. In the meantime, a peace offering,” she instructed.

The mercenary stared at the bundle. He turned over some thought in his head, nodding to himself. Then he glanced at one of his men. The one wearing the mask. He jerked his chin. As he stepped closer, Sasori raised his sword a little higher. Sakura rolled her eyes, but chose to ignore him as she handed off her gift.

“And now,” Sakura went on. All eyes flew to her again. “I have an offer for you.”

And like he had been expecting that, the mercenary shook his head.

"We don't break contracts, General. It's no fun having an angry warlord's hoard chasing you down," the man countered. Sakura felt her expression relax slightly.

"Is that the weight of obligation I hear?" she commented with a hint of a smile. The man countered with a sharp-toothed grin. They stared at each other before the tall man extended his hand to her.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, handsome marauder and outlaw," he introduced himself. She grasped his cool palm in hers, giving it a firm shake.

“I’m not asking you to break it. I’m asking you to tell King Yagura that I will take you and your merry band. As a gesture of good will between the two of us,” Sakura suggested instead.

Kisame made a face. “Between your two countries?”

“Between him and I,” Sakura corrected.

She could tell when it clicked because Kisame snickered. “And what makes you think we’d be willing to transfer employment to you, General? Rumor is that you don’t even have a guarantee of a throne behind all that bragging.”

Sakura didn’t flinch. Although her smile cooled somewhat.

“So what? Are your words nonsense simply because you’re not a king?” she challenged. She saw several pairs of eyes hone in on her, greed shining bright. But Kisame remained pleasantly unreadable as he shrugged.

"Gold?" the silver-haired man suggested.

"Only gold? What a simple request," mocked Sakura. Rather than bristle at the jab, Kisame leveled her with a searching gaze.

"What are you offering here, General?"

"You'll end your contract here, cut ties with these warlords. Enter a more permanent contract with me and you will never need to take another job again. It will largely be security and intelligence work but with all the gold and the lands you could ever want," she said. She could hear the question in Sasori's stare on her back.

What the hell are you doing?

“And if we refuse?” Kisame questioned.

Sakura’s smile grew even colder. “Will you refuse?” she wondered in response. Eyes narrowed, she added, “Who, on this planet, has the luxury of disliking money?” She borrowed his words from earlier.

Kisame exhaled a huge breath through his nostrils.

“The little king won’t be easy to convince,” he grumbled.

“Then it’s a good thing that I only use the best. I’m sure that’s something you can handle,” Sakura replied. She got to her feet. And then she smirked at him.

“Be back by sundown tomorrow. If not, I’ll assume that you’re satisfied with living as a child’s messenger for the rest of your lives,” she added.

Her eyes locked with Kisame’s as he rose to his full height as well. He held her stare for a long time before he simply turned and stalked off. The rest of his band disappeared into the darkness after him.

Sasori spat into the dirt as they melded into the night.

Sakura nudged the flap of Haku’s tent. He lay curled up on his side, his back to the entrance.

“Haku,” she called.

He jolted. And then jerked up right. Face white and eyes too bright in the darkness as he turned to look at her.

“Are they gone?” he whispered.

“Yes, little one,” replied Sakura. She crouched in the entrance of the tent, forearms resting on her thighs. She offered him a reassuring smile.

“Go back to sleep. We’ll keep watch until morning,” she assured him. And then Haku’s eyes grew as huge as plates.

“Oh. My Lady. Your hair,” he gasped.

“In the morning, Haku. Rest,” Sakura said. She let the flap fall back into place. When she got to her feet, Sasuke stood speaking to Sasori.

“Are you alright? I woke up in the middle, but I didn’t want to cause alarm by barging in,” the prince apologized as he approached. Sakura shook her head.

“A wise decision,” she said. But it was a little distracted. Because while she was glad that her friend was unharmed, there was one last person she needed to check on.

Itachi sat up in his bedroll when she slipped into his tent.

She didn’t bother asking him if he was alright. Such a stupid question. Though he certainly looked pale and a bit worn out, he hardly looked to be on the edge of collapse. He tried to smile at her. She pretended not to see the worry etched into his expression as she took a seat beside him. The layers of blankets and furs still clung to the heat from his body.

As she looked straight ahead, she realized that she could see the shadows of Sasori and Sasuke’s legs as they stood by the fire. Realized that Itachi would have seen her silhouette, too. Blocking the entrance to his tent.

“That could have gone very poorly. I’m glad it didn’t come to blows,” she mused as she put her hand over Itachi’s. Even though it was shaking, he laced their fingers together. He did that often, she noticed. When she turned her head toward him, he regarded her with equal curiosity.

"Why do you always do that? With my hands, I mean," inquired Sakura. His thumb stroked the back of her hand. He tilted his head to one side, bringing their joined hands up.

"I suppose that I just…enjoy holding your hands? I like the way they feel," he wondered out loud. She scoffed.

Her hands were scarred and rough from years of training and labor. There were calluses on her palm that fit the handle of her sword. There were marks from blades and injuries that made knotted scars on her pale skin. Even the tips of her fingers weren't soft like a lady's hands. And she had never really paid much attention to that sort of thing. Not until Itachi started to hold her hand all the time.

He watched her expression. Thoughtful.

"Do you…not like your hands?" Itachi questioned.

She didn't say anything. And to her surprise, he didn't push the subject. He asked another question, instead. One that she disliked even more.

“Weren’t you scared?” Itachi murmured.

Sakura leaned against his side. He was warm.

“Of course not,” she lied. She squeezed his hand. Just for another moment, before she pulled away.

“No need to cause a scandal, I suppose. Try to get some rest,” she whispered as she got to her feet. She was careful not to meet his gaze as she left the tent.

+++

The mercenaries were back precisely at sundown. Sakura sat on a log, one leg crossed over the other as Kisame knelt and set down a boar at her feet. The flesh was still warm as black blood bubbled from the arrow wound in its throat

"A meager offering for you. Long live General Haruno, true heir to the Forest Kingdom," he declared. And with some visible grumbling, his underlings lowered to their knees and bent their heads.

Haku grabbed Sakura’s arm. And when one of the mercenaries’ eyes fell on him, he flinched, burying his face in the back of Sakura’s shirt.

Kisame's head jerked up when Sakura let out an audible snort.

“They won’t hurt you, Haku. There’s no need to be afraid,” she told the boy. And then Sakura looked at the warriors.

"I am not taking you in as knights. I do not expect chivalry and manners. I know precisely what I've hired," she said as she leaned forward and lifted Kisame's chin.

"Mercenaries. Rogue, coarse, money-seeking, whore-loving mercenaries," Sakura added. She thought for a moment before she smiled.

"I'll expect you to be bawdy and to ruffle some feathers. But when I require your swords, when I ask you to wag your tails and beg…" she trailed off for a moment as she saw the outrage burning in some of their eyes.

But then one of the men, younger with his rounder face and his grin raised his chin to stare defiantly at her. It was the one with the silver hair who could never seem to keep his mouth shut for long.

"Woof," he simply declared.

Everyone froze. Sasuke held his breath as he looked over at Sakura, who folded her arms across her chest. She regarded for a moment before her eyebrows rose.

"What is your name?" she finally questioned.

"Suigetsu, M'Lady. An honor," he said with a mocking bow.

Finally Sakura smirked.

"You're cheeky. I've decided that you'll slaughter the pig," she said. Suigetsu blinked before his mouth spread into a grin. He pulled his sword out of the harness on his back.

"With pleasure," he responded.

Tensions died down somewhat after this exchange. The remaining soldiers regarded the mercenaries with disgust, but none would dare go against their commanding officer. Some moved in to start preparing the boar for cooking.

As Sakura took a seat near the fire, Sasori ran his hand over her back.

“Still sore?” he wondered.

“They ache a little,” she admitted.

He sat beside her. Sakura patted his knee a couple times.

“What?” demanded Sasori. She offered him a little smile.

“I’m glad you’re here,” was all she said. Sasori didn’t reply to that. He just reached over and kneaded her shoulder a couple times before he let his hand fall into his lap. His eyes moved to Sasuke, who exited his brother’s tent with a grim expression.

“Sasuke,” Sakura called out. But the prince was already walking toward her.

"How is he?"

"Tired," Sasuke declared as he plopped onto the rock too. Sakura scooted over to one side to make room for him.

"You or your brother?" queried Sasori.

"Both," Sasuke grunted. He put his elbows on his knees to eye the men across the fire.

"Are you sure this is wise? Even I've heard stories of these men like these and their atrocities," he then said in a low voice.

"For the time being, they'll do more good than harm. But I wouldn't keep my wine unguarded around them," she answered just as quietly before she fixed an easy smile back on her face and got to her feet.

Their oddly assorted party traveled back up the borderlands, toward the Forest Kingdom. Kisame's easy banter with Sakura made it impossible for either sides of the group to really keep their weapons held at each other's throats. But at the same time, Sasori seemed to largely be occupying himself giving dirty looks and everyone seemed happy to reciprocate.

The swordsmen led their caravan, taking the place of the soldiers they had slain. The remaining soldiers, along with Sasuke and Sakura's horses brought up the rear. At night they set up camp. Sasori insisted upon sleeping outside with his sword gripped tightly in his hand. Sakura couldn't help but shake her head at him planted by the entrance of her tent like an angry guard dog.

As time went on, Sakura slowly began to learn some of the names of her newly hired swords. There was, of course, Kisame, who bore the most peculiar scars on his wrists that Sakura couldn't help but look at whenever he walked past with his sleeves rolled up. Sasori's eyes narrowed whenever he saw them too but he never seemed willing to tell Sakura why. There was hot-headed Suigetsu with his cheeky tongue. But then there was his older brother, Mangetsu. One of the swordsmen kept his mask on at all times. The man with the obscenely large sword strapped to his back was Zabuza, and he was by far one of the most interesting characters in the group.

One night after dinner, Sakura glanced at Zabuza through the flickering flames. His black eyes were fixated on Haku, who in turn was trying his best to look busy sewing up the tear in Sakura's jacket. But she saw the way his white fingers fumbled and she chuckled. It seemed that Zabuza had taken somewhat of an interest in her companion.

"He's intimidating," she said in a low voice.

"Very," agreed Haku with a nervous glance in the muscled man's direction. Though the lower half of his face was covered in linen bandages, Sakura examined what little she could discern. A strong jaw and cropped black hair- he wouldn't be an ugly man. And his muscles weren't lacking. Strong. Healthy. Sakura saw Haku's eyes also lingering on Zabuza's flexed biceps.

"Handsome, perhaps," added Sakura, carefully monitoring Haku's expression. The boy's cheeks exploded bright red as he whipped his head around to stare at her.

“My Lady!" he squeaked.

"Such relations are not uncommon back on the isle. Yashamaru kept company with a wonderful soldier for many years," continued Sakura with an expression of feigned disinterest. As Haku continued to grow more and more flushed, Sasori wandered over and crouched down beside them to knock his forehead into hers.

"Can I help you?" Sakura asked, fixing her mussed hair. Sasori then wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her to her feet.

"Take a walk with me, darling. Leave the poor child to his work," he said. There was a muffled sputter from across the fire.

"HIS? As in- a boy?" Suigetsu exclaimed, spilling out most of his drink. Beside him, his brother chortled behind his fist. Sasuke's face contorted with disgust at the ruckus before he glanced over at Haku to make sure that everything was alright. The boy's face was absolutely crimson as he bent over his work in furious concentration.

As the sounds of laughter muted, Sakura glanced over at her cousin. His glanced her way too before his eyes crinkled in a soft smile.

"I saw you tormenting Haku. Have you no shame?" Sasori pretended to scold her as he dropped his arm and instead let it swing freely at his side. Sakura put her hands in her back pockets. They headed into the trees, away from prying eyes.

The moon was bright that night. Silver light scattered in through the leaves, turning them odd shades of white and bleached blue. They were back in the Forest Kingdom's territories, back to the familiar cover of thick forests. It was a welcome relief from the endless, muddy plains.

"That isn't what you dragged me into the dark to talk about. What is it, Sasori?"

“Your hair looks lovely like that, you know.”

As Sakura rolled her eyes, Sasori chuckled. They both ducked to avoid a sagging branch. The moss softened their footfalls, muffling it until the symphony of bugs and nocturnal creatures drowned out the sounds of their movement. They stopped in a clearing dotted with fireflies.

After a long time, Sasori finally spoke again.

“I meant what I said. Your face looks wonderful no matter what length your hair is," he said.

Sakura gave him a look.

“Alright. Fine. I wanted to say that I think we need to consider the possibility that this was a setup,” he warned her.

“These mercenaries?”

“No, the earlier band of rogues. They found us rather soon after we entered the territory. Don’t you find that a little suspicious? Almost as if…” Sasori trailed off, as if was beneath him to spell it out so obviously.

“As if they knew we’d be there,” mused Sakura instead. And then she scrutinized his expression. “And they sent me down here to investigate. Not anyone else.”

“I suspect that someone might have been hoping that we’d run into a band of mercenaries much like this one. Only I suppose they didn’t anticipate you to have such a silver tongue,” he went on.

“This isn’t the first time sometimes tried to dispose of me. I can’t say your theory is unlikely,” she decided.

Sasori suddenly sounded exhausted as he whispered, “I’m so tired of this. I just want you to be happy. I wish all those awful people would just die.”

Sakura stared at Sasori for a long time. In the wavering moonlight, his eyes glimmered, almost as if they were filled with tears. Letting out a sigh, she placed her hand over his heart.

“Oh, Sasori,” was all she could think to say.

+++

#itasaku #writing #fanfiction #courtly intrigue! au #amaryllis

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