#A focus on Gai and Yamato's friendship for a change

[depressedhatakekakashi]

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Gai's Birthday Bingo 2023

Prompt: Mask

Words: 3,760

Character: Maito Gai, Yamato, Hatake Kakashi

Notes: Post- Chunin Exams

“A month?” Tenzo just about choked on his tea when he heard the timeline his Senpai had given him for Sasuke’s training. He’d known that Kakashi had plans to focus on his student’s training in preparation for his next chunin exam fight, but to be told that he’d be out of contact for a month seemed a little extreme. In all of the years they’d known each other he’d never known Kakashi to take even a day away from training, but now here he was telling him that he’d be taking an entire month. “What if there’s a mission? Or an attack?”

“I’ll be just outside the village,” Kakashi dismissed his questions with swift answers while stirring the minuscule remains of his tea. “If anyone needs to contact me they’ll be able to. Whether I answer or not will be determined by how important I think the issue is.”

“But-”

“There are no buts,” his Senpai continued over him. “Sasuke’s being pitted against that Gaara kid from Suna. Not only did that kid break Itachi’s record for finishing the forest of death, but he just about killed Lee in their battle. If Gai hadn’t stepped in…” his words drifted off, but the weight of what he refused to say still lingered over them.

If Gai hadn’t stepped in, Lee would have died.

Tenzo hadn’t been there to see the fights himself, but he’d heard all about them from Asuma when they met up for drinks shortly after. Every detail had been spilled over Sake, from Asuma’s disappointment over Choji and Ino’s loss’ to his surprise at Naruto’s win.

The fight that he’d talked about, though, was Rock Lee’s. Not a single detail had been spared and by the end of the night, Tenzo could feel the concern that radiated off of Asuma. He’d even expressed some fear about Shikamaru’s upcoming fight against the Suna girl, Temari, but it was nothing compared to his concern about his student facing off against Gaara.

That was the fear of a sensei who didn’t have his student going up against Gaara, though. For his Senpai, the reality was very different. Not only was Sasuke set up to face Gaara in his next match, but according to Kakashi, he was woefully unprepared.

“I have to make sure he does alright,” Kakashi whispered, his eyes focused on the swirling tea in his cup. “I put them into this exam. I need to help them survive, no matter what. Even if it means I ignore missions for a little while.”

Tenzo understood his Senpai’s concerns. Every shinobi in Konoha faced the chunin exams, but it seemed that the risks in these exams were far more than when Kakashi had anticipated. Not only was there the threat that the Gaara kid posed but there was also Orochimaru. 

A sannin seeking to steal Sasuke, one of Kakashi’s precious students, and use for their own gain.

The world was stacking the odds against Kakashi and all he could do was try his best to protect his students. 

“What about the others?” Tenzo asked, his mind wandering to the other two students Kakashi had taken on. Whenever he spoke of them Kakashi seemed to have nothing but praise. Although he’d been forced into the job, it seemed to Tenzo that he’d taken to it quite well. 

His students were his pride and joy and he made sure to remind Tenzo of that fact every time they saw each other.

“Naruto needs to work on his chakra control,” Kakashi answered with ease. “I’ve spoken to Ebisu about training him while I’m helping Sasuke. If he can improve in that area I’m sure he’ll do well in his next match. He is Konoha’s number one unpredictable ninja, after all. No one expected him to make it this far, but here he is.”

Tenzo couldn’t help but laugh at the terrible nickname his Senpai had given Naruto. “Isn’t he going against one of Gai-san’s students? Hyuga Neji, correct?” Kakashi nodded. “I’ve heard a bit about him. Seems like he could pose a bit of a problem to Naruto.”

“He can,” Kakashi confirmed. “But there’s not much I can do for Naruto until he improves his chakra control, and Ebisu’s a better teacher in that regard than I am. Besides, as dangerous as Neji is he’s not going to kill Naruto.”

“Are you sure about that?” Another story he’d heard from Asuma was about Neji’s fight against Hyuga Hinata, and that was a story that said the exact opposite of what his Senpai was telling him. 

“Neji is hard, but not that bad,” Kakashi confirmed. “He’s also Gai’s student. I trust that if things get out of hand, Gai will step in if I’m not there too.”

“True,” There was no one who knew Kakashi’s struggles better than Gai. Even Tenzo didn’t know the true extent of what his Senpai had suffered in his life, but he had learned enough over the years to know that he’d do everything in his power to protect Kakashi from more pain. There was no doubt in his mind that Gai felt the same way. “So Naruto will be trained by Ebisu and Sakura?”

“A month without training won’t kill her,” Kakashi sighed. “She’ll have to take care of her training for the time, but I’ll make it up to them all when the exams are done and everything has settled. Once I can breathe then I’ll kick into gear.”

Tenzo cringed at the saying. During his time in team Ro with Kakashi he’d come to understand that ‘Kick into gear’ really meant ‘drive them into the ground until they can’t move, and then do it again’.

Sakura was going to need the month-long break to prepare for what was coming her way.

“So a month,” he sighed, circling back to the beginning of the conversation. “That’s going to be a pretty boring month for me. Though, I guess I can focus a bit more on missions while you’re occupied.”

“Actually,” straightening up, Kakashi locked eyes with Tenzo. “I have a request.”

Gai’s apartment was easy to locate. Not only did Tenzo have the apartment number that his Senpai had written down on a small piece of paper for him, three-zero-five written in giant blocky letters so that he wouldn’t misread any of the numbers, but there was also a sign hanging on the front of the door that announced who was living there with pride.

A simple wooden sign that Tenzo recalled making himself just a few years ago for Gai’s birthday. He hadn’t known what to get for the overly energetic Jonin until his Senpai had shown him a picture of his tortoise summon that he’d snuck during one of his outings as ‘Sukea’. Now here it was, staring back at Tenzo after a year. Telling him exactly what he needed to know.

He was in the right place.

Now all he had to do was knock.

“Come on,” he lifted his right hand and took a deep breath, but nothing happened. His hand refused to move. “You can do it, Tenzo. It’s just a quick check-up. Poke your head in, make sure he’s alive and functioning, and go. That’s all. It’s easy.”

He took another deep, slow breath, but still nothing happened.

His hand just hovered there in front of the door, neither lowering nor reaching out to knock. Stuck in a limbo of inactivity that Tenzo couldn’t seem to force it out of. 

“Just one knock,” he whispered, cringing when his hand refused to move. “Come on. He’s not going to hurt you.”

Gai was a good man. Stranger and perhaps a little too much for Tenzo to handle most days, but a good man. Short of harming Kakashi, which he would never think of doing, or one of his students, there was nothing Tenzo could think of that he could do to upset Gai.

Even if there was, Checking up on him certainly wasn’t on the list. 

“Just go,” he insisted. “One knock and-”

Before he could finish that train of thought the door swung open and he found himself face to face with Maito Gai.

Smiley, energetic, always pleasant Maito Gai.

Except, none of those descriptors seemed to fit the man that he was staring at today. Not because Gai wasn’t trying to portray himself as the exact same person he always with, with a smile that spread across his entire face, but because that smile didn’t match at all with the tired, defeated look in his eyes. 

“You look…”

“Great?” Gai cheered, though his voice sounded a little flatter than usual. “Wonderful? Ready to jump out and greet the day with the full power of my youth?”

Tenzo shook his head. “Awful.”

As soon as the word left his mouth the smile dropped off of Gai’s face and his shoulders slumped. “You’re learning from Kakashi, aren’t you?” he sighed, all of his usual energy missing from his voice. “

“I am a trained Anbu operative,” Tenzo argued, just a little insulted by the implication that he would need his Senpai to tell him what to look out for when he approached Gai. His Senpai had, of course, given him a few hints of what to keep an eye out for, but that didn’t matter. He was trained to read people’s emotions and body language. To look deeper and see all of the subtle signals that they were trying to hide from him. 

“Ah,” waving off his protests, Gai leaned forward and peered down the hallway. “He’s not with you, is he?”

Tenzo could only sigh. “He’s out training Sasuke for his next match,” he assured the green-clad dork that his Senpai called ‘rival’. “That’s why I’m here.”

“To check up on me?” jutting his bottom lip out, Gai huffed. “I’m fine. I don’t need someone to pop in and make sure everything is alright. I’m not-”

He stopped himself, but Tenzo knew exactly what he wanted to say. 

I’m not Kakashi.

A low blow, but a rather deserved one. In the twenty years that he’d known his Senpai one undeniable fact that Tenzo had learned was that his Senpai didn’t handle loss or disaster well. He would always put on a front, masking his emotions behind an aloof attitude, but deep down he was spiraling.

Tenzo didn’t think Gai would have the same reaction. His experiences with pain, as far as Tenzo knew, were different than Kakashi’s and his personality was almost the complete opposite.

That didn’t stop him from worrying, though. Everyone had a breaking point and although he hadn’t met any of Gai’s students, he’d heard enough about them to know just how much Gai cared about Lee.

If there was someone out there in the world whose death would cause Gai to crumble, it was either Kakashi or Lee. Kakashi because of their long-standing friendship and rivalry, and Lee because of how much Gai had come to care about him in such a short amount of time.

Tenzo wasn’t keen to find out which one it was anytime soon. The energy that Gai brought to the village was strange but comforting. The world needed more of the bright, youthful energy and less destroyed, irreparable spirits. 

“I see,” shoving those thoughts to the side for the moment, he leaned to the right just enough to get a view into the room behind Gai. The layout was the same as every other Jonin apartment in the building but with a few weights laying out on the floor and a workout mat half haphazardly thrown into the corner beside Gai’s desk. On the desk, there was a bit more of a mess, with dishes piling up on the back near the wall and three books of various sizes spread open along the desk. “And what is it you’re reading about?”

“Uh, well,” glancing back over his shoulder, Gai cringed. “I was just looking up some information. It’s important to keep up to date with our knowledge.”

There it was again. That wide, toothy grin that Gai always wore on his face.

A grin that Tenzo had once viewed with caution, but which he’d come to enjoy over the years.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?” Gai blinked, the smile dropping away for just a split second, only to return as soon as Gai realized it was gone. “Stop reading?”

“Smiling.” Tenzo huffed, hating the words that were coming out of his mouth. As much as he liked to complain about Gai’s seemingly endless amounts of energy, he had genuinely come to love his smile. 

It was one of the brightest, most genuine smiles he had ever seen in his life, and whenever Gai turned it toward him he felt a strange warmth spreading in his chest. Kakashi had laughed at him the first time he talked about it and told him that everyone felt that way about Gai’s smile, but he hadn’t believed him.

Now, though, that warmth was missing. He couldn’t look at Gai’s smile and feel happy to see it because deep down he knew it was a lie. A mask that Gai was using to hide away the pain he was experiencing. 

“I don’t-”

Deciding to make a daring move, Tenzo pushed past Gai into his apartment and headed straight for the desk. His goal was the pile of dishes that sat at the back of the desk, but as he reached out for them he couldn’t help but gaze down at the books.

Medical books, all turned to pages with detailed pictures of leg muscles or leg bones. 

Kakashi had been right to ask him to check in on Gai. 

“You’re worried,” he noted, focusing his attention back on the dishes and slowly starting to move them from the desk into a small space between his left arm and chest.. “You’re overthinking Lee’s condition and trying to make up for your lack of knowledge on the subject by studying as much as you can.”

“What are you, an interrogator?” Gai huffed.

“No,’ That line of work had been a part of Tenzo’s job once, a long time ago, but it was rare for him to take on that role in Anbu. “I’m a friend,” placing the last dish on the pile that now teetered in his arm, he maneuvered his right arm around it for a bit more support and turned toward the kitchen. “A friend who has specifically been sent by another friend to check in on you.”

“Always straight to the point,” Gai sighed as he followed Tenzo toward the kitchen, dragging his feet along the floor. “And what are you doing with my dishes?”

“Cleaning them, obviously,” coming to a stop in front of the sink, he leaned down and carefully placed the dishes down so they didn’t topple over. The last thing he wanted to do today was go shopping for a new set of dishes after destroying all of the ones Gai had. “Since you’re too focused on improving your knowledge pool someone has to make sure you’re going to be eating off of clean plates.”

“I can-” turning his head, he glared straight at Gai. “N-never mind.”

“That’s what I thought,” with that argument sufficiently killed he focused back on the daunting task he’d taken on. “Well, I’m doing the dishes maybe you can make some tea?”

“Tea?”

“Yes,” Tezno confirmed. “You do still remember what tea is, right?”

Gai sputtered, tripping over his words a few times before finally taking a deep breath. “Green tea?” His voice came out strained, but the question was quickly followed by the sound of feet shuffling and cupboards being pulled open.

“Green tea is fine,” Tenzo confirmed. Turning on the tap he watched as water flowed into the sink. The pile he’d collected was taller than anything he’d ever tackled before, but he was certain that it was a task he could finish in under ten minutes. Just enough time for Gai to make them some tea. Once the dishes were clean and the two of them were seated with their drink, then he would start asking the questions that were already swirling around in his mind. 

How long has it been since you went outside?

When was the last time you got yourself some dango?

How is he doing?

Those were questions that would have to wait till later, though. Things he would ask when the two of them were sitting face to face with their hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea. 

Until then, they would continue swirling around in his mind demanding an answer to the nagging concerns that came with each one of them. 

“You don’t have to worry, you know,” Gai spoke as he stepped up to Tenzo’s side and held out his kettle to him. Taking the kettle, Tenzo popped it open and placed it under the tap. Once it was about halfway full he pulled it back and returned it to Gai. “I’m fine.”

“Fine,” he couldn’t help but laugh. Every moment he’d heard Kakashi say that exact line to him came rushing back to him. Bombarding him with memories of exhausted, haunted eyes staring through him as if he wasn’t even there. “Your student is in the hospital.”

“I know that.” Snatching the kettle back, Gai turned away with a huff. Instead of making his way toward the stove, though, he just stood there. His back facing Tenzo and his kettle clutched in his hand. “I know that…”

At that moment, Tenzo regretted agreeing to his Senpai’s request.

If he’d been smart he would have insisted Kakashi come instead. He would have pressured his Senpai to put off Sasuke’s training for just a few hours to check in on his friend. It was Kakashi, not Tenzo, who knew how best to support Gai.

He hadn’t, though.

Instead, he’d promised to take care of it. Assured his Senpai that he would make sure Gai was taken care of when he couldn’t be there for him. Now he was stuck with a pile of dishes higher than he’d ever seen, with no idea what to say next.

Well, there was one thing he could say. Something that he was certain he would never dare to utter in front of anyone else, even under threat of torture, but which seemed fitting in this moment.

“If it was Kakashi-Senpai, I’d be a mess.”

Gai spun round, an expression of utter horror on his face as he stared at Tenzo. “What?”

Grabbing the first dish from the pile he took a deep breath and started cleaning. “If it was Kakashi-Senpai in the hospital,” he continued. “I would be a mess. Or even Yugao, or you.”

It was difficult for him to admit, but all of his years of being trained to cut himself off from others and deny himself any emotional bonds had failed. Part of it was because of his Senpai’s insistence on friendship, which had rubbed off on him over the years, but there was also a piece of him that knew he never would have been able to succeed.

His friends were important to him. No matter how much he wanted to cut himself off from them, he couldn’t. It’s exactly the weakness that Kakashi had exploited when he found out about Tenzo’s mission to kill him, and what had led to him going against Danzo’s orders for the first time in his life. 

If any of his friends were stuck in the hospital with an injury that might never be healed, he would throw himself into his work much like Kakashi always did. There wouldn’t be a pile of dishes growing on his desk or open medical textbooks, but his mental health would take a turn for the worst.

And if or when that happened, he knew two things for certain.

Kakashi would show up at his door dragging him outside for some fresh air insisting that he can’t give up, and Gai would be right behind him with that brilliant smile and promises of dango and spars to cheer him up. 

“All I’m saying is…” finishing with the first bowl he placed it under the tap to wash away the leftover soap and placed it into the small drying rack beside the sink. “I get it. You don’t have to pretend to be alright for me, Gai.”

For a second the two of them just stood there. Gai holding onto his kettle full of water, and Tenzo washing dishes. The only sound that echoed in the small apartment was running water and the light clink of dishes as Tenzo added them to the drying rack.

Then, without any warning, Gai set the kettle down on the counter, threw his arms around Tenzo’s shoulders, and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. 

“Gai-” Tenzo croaked out as his bones cried out in pain. Immediately the Jonin loosened his hold, though he still kept Tenzo pinned against his body as he buried his face into his right shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into Tenzo’s shirt. “No apologies,” placing his hand on Gai’s arm, he ignored the water dripping from his fingers. There wasn’t much for him to say at the moment. Comforting other people wasn’t something he was good at, and he wasn’t about to pretend to be.

Comfort wasn’t what Gai needed, though. Kind words wouldn’t wash away the reality of the situation his student was in. They wouldn’t rid him of the memories of Lee’s battle, or the sight of his student laying in a hospital bed lucky that he had survived but with little hope for a continued life as a shinobi. 

Kind words would do nothing for Gai during this time, so Tenzo didn’t bother to try and come up with any. Instead, he simply stood there and let Gai hide his face in his shoulder while he hugged him. 

‘Just be there for him,’ Kakashi had told him when he’d asked why he wanted him to go check in on his best friend. ‘He needs someone right now. Usually, I would go, but I only have a month to prepare Sasuke for this next fight. So go in my place, please.’

So, that’s what Tenzo resolved to do.

Be there for Gai. 

Ask him questions, check in on his well-being, and just listen.

There was nothing he could say to make the situation better, but if Kakashi was right he wouldn’t need to. All Gai needed was company, and that was something Tenzo could provide in spades.

[koushirouizumi]

{DigiAdvs+02}/{Index} IzzyIzumi / KoushirouIzumi’s Fanfics for Koushiro, Taichi, & Koushiro x Taichi {KouTai}/{+Etc. (+Friendships)&Ship[s]}

I know there’s been a lot of DigiAdvs fan-events going on lately. I usually can’t participate in most events for varying reasons including personal ones, but I’m glad to share my past works in the form of this index.

ALL were created out of Positivity and respect for this series.

[I'm trying to keep this out of less commonly-used tags; but I do use some of {these} for organizing on my blog!] (Please note ALL tags/etc on fic[s] before reading / Interacting)

Title: REPEAT?_ Rating: Mature (one fade-to-black scenario) {Taichi & Koushiro are heavily implied as having a sexual relationship} (The dynamic is more like Queer-platonic with Aro-spec & A-spec leaning) Head-canon{s}: Demi-romantic Pan-sexual Koushiro; (+ Queer, uses various labels) Pan-romantic Demi-sexual Taichi (+ Queer; uses Gay & various label) Ship{s}: KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} (Main Focus) A-spec!YamaSora {Yamato x Sora} is implied for a few very fleeting, brief moments {along with a single ambiguous timeline one-shot} + Queer!Jou x Bi & Queer!Mimi is implied super briefly in spinoff one-shot. + YamaSora{Jou}/Mi as a Poly-ship can be read into spin-offs too where wanted. + 02 Chosen having minimal appearances in spin-offs (no ships yet.) (Daisuke is timeline-wise still crushing hard on Hikari and bouncing around potential relationship dynamics w/others & O.C.s but it’s not referenced here.) Summary:

Taichi wasn't sure what he was expecting. …He just knew it wasn't… this…

(Please see inside for ALL Notes!)

Title: The Past World Rating: PG-13 (will not go higher) Notes: Implications about self-loathing (both Taichi & Koushiro) & Koushiro's previous self-depreciation {Novels-implied} in general Royalty!A.U.; however things may not be as they appear… “"Dark”"!Chosen Children A.U. appears in some parts (mainly in flash-back form, until…). Characters: Taichi, Koushiro, Adventure Chosen team, 02 Chosen Ship{s}: (Same as "Infalliable" listed below can be read in) + KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} focus. Ken+Miya has a scene where they're both present, but not completely in a relationship yet; as friendly. YamaSora is implied for a few very fleeting, brief moments + Ken x Daisuke is implied for a total of one (flash-back) A.U. scene, but will come to have a heavy presence in future sequels to this A.U. Summary:

"-- About that, you'd be better off asking your new advisor," "H-huh?-" When suddenly -- -- as if out of nowhere -- -- from a short distance -- a shy gaze peers up at him

… pure black eyes.

Title: Possession Rating: PG-13 / R (Violence implied) Notes: early Epilogue era / Taichi and Koushiro are adults, 30-35+ - can be conidered a spin-off timeline / part of REPEAT?_ - partly based on general head-canons, partly based on my old as heck Digi-O.C. fic and the head-canons I / Young me had for its own future / epilogue era - Leans more post-02, {not really Tri} canon compliant overall (thus many things happen differently between these two things - I hadn’t seen Tri yet before initially developing this “time-line”) - (still) very vaguely based on a few new ideas / Thoughts gained from Tri - KouTai + Government Corruption A.U.??? + Ambassador!Taichi (Koushiro hasn't quite reached the "Digital World" Researcher position Yet) {who is trying to fight against said Corruption, but...} Summary: "We’re… being targeted," "but not just by---"

"One, a certain one, among them" "had the power to open the gate" "–and immediately close it again"

Title: Dress Rating: G Character{s}: brief references (in thought) to Sora; Mimi; Izumi family + Yoshie Izumi (Yes, I know others like “Kae” for her. She’s “Yoshie” here because I liked that name and it’s what I used in my old fic-stuff because that’s how I knew Mrs. Izumi as for years. No, I’m not changing it. {Its also how I differentiate between canon and spin-off timelines with Izumis}) Ship{s}: KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} (Implied briefly at end in Thought) Notes: Discussion of Koushiro and Gender Identity. Summary:

Koushiro remembers only feeling perturbed by such “clothes”.

Title: Candles Rating: r18 Implied ? (Pre?-Fade-to-Black) or Mature / technically Work-safe Notes: some very personal Specific Headcanons are heavily implied technically part of REPEAT?_Verse, ( ficverse version here ); - it can be read as a standalone fic - it can be read as an AU and/or spinoff of the main REPEATVerse; - or as its own standalone AU/spinoff Verses: Post-Advs (can also be post-Tri/Kizuna); pre-Epilogue [+pre-’having’ Kids]; Taichi has graduated a while ago by now. Taichi has been involved with his Ambassador career for a while, but it’s still getting off the ground too. (And it’s . Stressful) +Taichi and Koushiro are heavily implied to be living together already here. Summary:

Taichi is having … a hard time.

Featured Head-canon: Jew!Taichi (+Koushiro in the process of converting/joining) Implied (A.K.A : Taichi is both mixed J.P.N and Jew)

Title: Ten Rating: PG-13 (Psuedo not-really-character-death implied) Character{s}: Koushiro Izumi & Daisuke Motomiya {Friendship} Ship{s} KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} heavily Implied Summary:

“…Can you turn around and— - it’s April 2004. (..Or is it April 2003? Spring 2003?) - at the end of Spring 2003, something else astonishing occurred: Daisuke’s sister Jun, the Inoue sisters, & Shuu Kido all became Chosen at once. - an incident, (occured, and then) —

“I’ll help, so we, you, can get out of here !!—”

“They {Won’t come}”

…TAICHI-SENPAI’s GOGGLES ( … Are probably absolutely unfitting for Koushiro Izumi, but…. ) Trigger warning for above (avoid looking for Spoiler): (Psuedo not-really-character-death implied)

Featured Head-canon: Jew!Taichi (+Koushiro in the process of converting/joining) Implied (A.K.A : Taichi is both mixed J.P.N and Jew)

Title: Dreams Rating: r-18 Implied ? (Pre?-Fade-to-Black) (Also S.F.W segments from younger days referenced) {It's a bit Ambiguous. You Might Get An Idea TM} Summary:

Sometimes, Koushiro dreams. (Of Brown hair, Brown eyes.)

This can serve as a prequel spinoff to my other Koushiro-centric series, "REPEAT?"_-verse or be read as a standalone.

Title: (Dirty) Computer Summary:

"Do you like computers?" Tentomon had asked Koushiro, once.

“You just like working with machines more ‘THAN PEOPLE’, don’t you?!” … But why does it MATTER if Koushiro – DID —

A character study and analysis on Koushiro Izumi's Canon personality, (with a touch of heavily implied headcanons), with brief references to Koushiro's notable relationships, Family, and those Interests. "It's OK for you to be obsessed with computers!" - Mr. Masami Izumi, Adventure Episode #38 (There are some light references to the novel's given backstory details for Koushiro, including Koushiro's mindset there.)

Title: Koushiro Izumi Is Touched By Death Rating: PG Notes: Implications about Death & Grief (for passed loved ones), + the mourning/grieving process in general Characters: Koushiro & Daisuke {Friendship} Ship{s}: (Implied) KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} can be read into the background, but is not actively discussed / mentioned Summary:

In which Koushiro Izumi Is Traumatized, Has Always BEEN Traumatized, And Daisuke Motomiya {NOTICES}.

Takes place shortly before "the summer of" a somewhere between 2003~2005. (02 takes place in April~December 2002, Tri takes place in 2005 June~December.) {Tri knowledge is not required to read, but may be helpful to understand continuity.}

Title: Infalliable Rating: PG Notes: Implications about self-loathing & Koushiro’s previous self-depreciation {Novels-implied} in general Characters: Koushiro & Daisuke Ship{s}: (Implied) KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} can be read into the background, but is not actively discussed / mentioned; Daisuke x (Girl)!O.C. (“Hikaru”); in background; (My O.C. does not appear much within the context of the fic, but the dialogue refers to an event they were involved in immediately previously, with a Koushiro-focus and Daisuke-relevant aftermath.) Daisuke x O.C. aren’t “together” yet; it is developing relationship. Ken x Daisuke x O.C. may be Implied in spin-off fic{s}; KenxMiya may be implied in semi-canon-compliant 'verses, with former Ken x Daisuke heavily implied / mutually requited-yet-unrequited (as Daisuke is pursuing a direct relationship with someone else for a while, and Ken does not pursue a relationship with Daisuke yet) / hinted. Poly-ships may be included in any future spin-off, but none are referenced in this specific one (yet). Summary:

Daisuke stares moodily ahead. Koushiro does the same, except Daisuke genuinely doesn’t know - cannot even tell - if Koushiro’s doing it “moodily” or not, because Koushiro’s blank staring is that unreadable. They sit, Daisuke next to Koushiro, for a few long, long moments. And then – Koushiro… opens his mouth – “I’m not infalliable.” Daisuke’s eyebrows furrow, even if he can’t look at Koushiro in this exact moment –

“Unshakeable? Indestructible–” Daisuke’s head hurts. “I admit there was a time when I thought, …” “NO!! That’s not true!!”

“When you asked me, 'What about YOU, Daisuke-kun’ – the one who gave me that push – that was you.”

A “missing scene” of Daisuke & Koushiro friendship from my other Adventures & 02 Chosen fic; “The Past World” You do not have to read that one to appreciate this “missing” moment, as its mainly friendship. There is a slight hint of Daisuke/Original (“Girl”) Character OC, but its more lightly implied; (Epilogue semi-canon compliant) There are also background relationships like Taichi/Koushiro, the slightest hint of background Ken/Daisuke, others hinted.

Trigger warning: for above (avoid looking for Spoiler):

Koushiro is heavily implied as once having considered suicide (pre-series). (No longer actively)

Title: Words Rating: PG Notes: Implications about self-loathing & Koushiro’s previous self-depreciation {Novels-implied} in general; with a focus on self-acceptance + Koushiro’s heavy use of formal speech and communication in the J.P.N version is referenced frequently. Tri is referenced / implied-as-AUs or for semi-canon compliancy (light spoilers for Kokuhaku; but not majorly referenced; just a quote) {plus a gif of a small moment involving Taichi + Koushiro} [also one more small conversation moment between Taichi and Meiko] (a scene from the first episode of the 2020 Reboot is referenced) - it can be read as a standalone fic - it can be read as an AU and/or spinoff of the main REPEATVerse; - or as its own standalone AU/spinoff (i.e. this can be read on its own) Characters/Groups: Taichi & Koushiro; Koushiro Izumi & Tentomon; Koushiro Izumi & Mimi Tachikawa; Koushiro & Izumis Ship{s}: KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} focus Summary:

– To be honest,

Taichi and Koushiro don’t need words.

( They have a lot more than Just )

( words )

Title: Hands Rating: r-18 Implied (Fade-to-Black) Notes: nothing major is shown but they are sharing a bed; - it can be read as a standalone fic - it can be read as an AU and/or spinoff of the main REPEATVerse; - remember when Taichi implied Yamato was “sharing a room” with “Sora”? (see near end of Pt 5 of the fic) ( this may be that instance, or it may be something completely different; it can be post-fic or anything applicable! ) [ it does fit in nicely with that implied instance, though ] Character{s}: Yamato, Sora, Mimi Ship{s}: Yamato x Sora x Mimi {YamaSoMi} as equal-on-all-sides Poly-ship (Yamato has lesser of attraction to women / anyone aside from Sora & Mimi) Summary:

she’s – also – facing – past him. Towards – Mimi hums, reaching and entangling her hand into Sora’s.

( Somehow , ) “ Hey, can we … ” but then, again – “ Can we ? ”

Title: Donor Rating: PG-13 (Discussion of Fertility-relevant topics) Character{s}: Koushiro; + Koushiro’s past not-quite-partner O.C. implied; Taichi is referenced; the lead-up to Koushiro’s Child (from Epilogue)’s eventual birth is heavily implied Ship{s}: KouTai {Koushiro x Taichi} heavily implied in background {Koushiro has a dynamic with an adult woman / G.N.C O.C. involved} (Koushiro believes Koushiro’s feelings for Taichi are unrequited until adulthood; but are they really? Not quite...) Notes: bit of angst-y introspection over-the-years style but otherwise a good end Summary:

Koushiro is twenty years old. Does he even want a family ? Koushiro is in his early twenties. His parents are once again celebrating their anniversary. He smiles at them yes I WANT A FAMILY

[If you are a heavily Koushiro-negative, Taichi-negative, Hikari-negative, Meiko-negative, DigiGirls-negative (including their family members), Adventure {Our War Game}, 02 {+movies}, Tri {+Digi-Stage-play}, Kizuna, “The Beginning” potential, 2020, Tamers, Frontier, Xros Wars + Hunters, Ghost Game, or Wonderswan games negative any-of-the-above stan{s} to the point you can’t even be polite interacting with fan-works and fans of these series; PLEASE DO NOT Interact on my works or blog, I MAY Hard-BLOCK YOU IF I NOTICE.]

[Note: Tags/replies that are Positive/respectful are O.K.!]

[drowningindango]

Gen Swap AU (masterpost)

This is an overview for the AU as a whole. (Will be updated if there are changes or additions.)

Setting: It’s not a complete “swap”, but actually just takes the entire Founder generation and moves them into the present. (There is the fun implication that the village was built by a warring states version of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke instead, but shhhhh. That’s an entirely different story. We avoid all thoughts on who created Konoha here. Regardless of what happened in the past, Team 7 still exists as normal in their own time as well. Maybe they were reincarnated.)

The main focus is technically on Madara and Obito, but the world building is so fun to explore that everyone else gets to shine as well.

This is a happier timeline and most of the tragic events do not happen/happen differently.

Relationships:

Family:

In this AU, Mikoto is Tajima’s oldest daughter. That means, as Mikoto’s younger brothers, Madara and Izuna are directly related to Sasuke. They are his uncles and Tajima is Sasuke’s grandfather.

I might add Madara’s other siblings later, if I find the time to make the appropriate OCs. They are all alive.

Hashirama’s siblings are all alive too.

Genin teams:

Madara, Mito and Hashirama are in one team. Kushina is the jounin acting as their leader and teacher while they are genin.

Tobirama, Touka and Izuna are in one team.

Friendships:

Obviously the genin teams mentioned above grow into close friendships.

Butsuma and Tajima are cranky old men who meet up regularly to exchange gossip.

Madara and Gai are a duo of chaos that should not be left unsupervised. Equally enthusiastic to challenge each other.

Mikoto and Kushina are both alive and close friends.

Romantic relationships:

MadaObi: The whole AU was initially made for this ship. Obito and Madara have vaguely known each other since childhood. Obito starts a somewhat one sided rivalry that turns serious the more he grows in skill when he’s older and somewhere along the way they fall in love.

IzuTobi: They eventually become boyfriends and terrify everyone.

HashiMadaObiMito: The seeds for this polycule develop after Obito starts pursuing Madara. HashiMito is happily bullying their way into the relationship (and Obito’s pants).

HashiMito: High school sweethearts, if high school existed in this universe. Power couple with a strong libido. (Yes, this is relevant information because I say so.)

HashiMadaMito: Somewhat complicated. Madara was always kinda included in their relationship. Unofficial couple, but everyone just sees them and assumes they’re together from the way they act. In some versions of the AU they are a steady poly couple before Obito comes into the picture, in others they’re living in a limbo state where Madara himself is unsure if he is even a part of their relationship.

KakaRin: *holds them up like a potato* I just think they’re neat.

Other relationships:

Tajima used to be Uchiha clan head but eventually retired and gave up the role. Fugaku is his successor (and son-in-law), and Tajima never wastes a chance to throw snark at him. It’s his retirement hobby.

Obito eventually becomes Tajima’s son-in-law… and favourite son overall.

Touka and Izuna are rivals.

Mito will eventually teach Tenten in fūinjutsu.

Ages (at the time of Kakashi Gaiden*):

(*The AU covers multiple generations, I simply picked a point in time so you can compare the ages of relevant characters)

Tajima 43

Fugaku 30

Mikoto 25

Kushina 22

Minato 22

Madara 15

Obito 13

Kakashi 13

Rin 13

Yamato/Tenzou 9

Hashirama 15

Mito 15

Izuna 11

Tobirama 11

Touka 11

Itachi 3

(Sasuke will be born 2 years later)

[domesticsasuke]

Domestic Sasuke AU Headcanon List

Domestic!Sasuke is an AU where Sasuke retires from being an active shinobi after Sarada is born.

But in my version of the AU there's a lot little more to it than that! This basically details all of the important changes that come with this AU.

Putting under a read more because this got long as fuck.

In this AU, Sasuke is brought back to Konoha similar as the canon series. He is interrogated for information on things like Orochimaru's research, the movements of Oto while he was affiliated with them, and any other information that may deem worth Konoha knowing. All of which he gives up willingly.

He is sentenced to one year probation in which he cannot leave the village, unless his presence is otherwise specifically required. He can do whatever he wants, missions included, as long as it's within Konoha.

Less than a house arrest, the probation is supposed to be an adjustment period to allow Sasuke to settle back into village life, situate the Uchiha estate, adjust to his lack of an arm, and focus on stabilizing his physical and mental health.

Now in Sakura's Story, we know that Sakura works on establishing help centers dedicated to helping children with their mental health and trauma across the shinobi nations. I like to think that within the village she was already pushing for better focus on mental health for shinobi.

--

Part of this adjustment period is Sasuke receiving counseling, both for anything he experienced while he was away and for what he experienced as a child. When Anko heard they were trying to find the best choice for counselor for Sasuke upon his return, she very firmly volunteered. As someone who went through some fucked up shit as a kid, she’d been working on becoming trained to help other shinobi youth.

I think the potential student-mentor relationship between Sasuke and Anko, given their shared experiences with the curse mark and Orochimaru, is woefully underutilized and unexplored.

The first few months are bad. Despite having returned willingly to Konoha, Sasuke's mental health is a mess. After years of emotional and physical trauma and keeping his mental barriers locked tight, finally being in a position where he can potentially feel safe makes him pretty much shut down. (A common occurrence for people once they get out of unsafe environments into safe ones.) Anko starts helping him work through all the layers and layers of shit and baggage he has backed up in his brain.

--

Interestingly enough, Sasuke finds himself spending a lot of time with Lee. Lee's energy reminds him a lot of Naruto and it begrudgingly endears Lee to him, only there’s something much more calming about sparring with Lee than Naruto. (Their dynamic comes to resemble Gai and Kakashi somewhat, but Lee is just a little sweeter and Sasuke just a little more serious.)

Sasuke and Sai oddly hit it off in their own strange way? There's a moment of tension between them on their first amicable reintroduction, but Sasuke has a much easier time communicating with him than Naruto and Sakura did upon meeting Sai. Even if Sasuke is wildly thrown off by the explicit and straight forward thing Sai often says.

As for Naruto and Sakura? They’re his most important people, always have been, even if he had to deny it to himself and others for years. Reconnecting with them isn’t... hard, but it’s awkward. Navigating this once familiar space, a space he spent so long rejecting feels strange and sometimes he feels ashamed or embarrassingly unworthy.

This entire relationship is built on the idea that he never genuinely tried to kill either Naruto or Sakura. It was either him putting on a show or him trying to convince himself he could, but he never would have gone through with it.

Sasuke also has much more meaningful moments with both of them individually where he apologizes to them. The terrible things he’s done and said are addressed and he makes it a goal to repent.

Sasuke enjoys talking about medical things with Sakura. He heard and learned a lot about medical science - especially dubious practices - while aligned with Oto, so they bond over talking about how fucked up some of the stories Sasuke shares. Sasuke gets a kick out of her mutual disgust, indignation, and reluctant intrigue. He also takes special interest in things she has to share about eyes.

While Sasuke will never not be Sasuke, his rekindling friendship with Naruto is, for the first time, not based on a foundation of pride and resentment. Naruto is still loud and annoying at times, but there’s also a feeling of freedom when they’re together. There’s nothing hanging over their heads anymore.

Nearing the end of his year, Sasuke begins to get increasingly restless. He's made wonders in his progress, but a lot of demons still pull at his subconscious.

He begins taking missions out of the village again, he and Sakura grow closer romantically, and life settles into something resembling peaceful, but the nagging itch that he's not doing enough is a persistent one.

In this AU, everyone doesn't settle into married life and have kids so early. Everyone has a bit more time as adults, a bit more time to figure themselves out and to court each other, before some of them finally have families years down the line.

During this, Sasuke catches wind of more and more ugliness in the world. He organizes with Tsunade to allow him to spend more time on long term missions targeting and working to uproot systems of severe crimes like human trafficking and slavery, something we see him doing a bit of in canon.

These missions can sometimes yield child victims and he corresponds regularly with Sakura and her health centers to organize for them to be taken in.

He's back and forth between Konoha and his missions over the years. Gone no where near as often as in canon, but sometimes gone for months at a time for particularly deep missions, but still works as a regular Leaf ninja on call for missions when he's home.

He does still struggle with a feeling of obligation and guilt sometimes due to his actions in the past, and there was maybe one year where he tried to isolate himself from the village partly for these reasons, another being because he felt his Sharingan drew enemies, but Naruto and Sakura set him straight. There weren’t about to him spiral back down to that abyss.

He is often accompanied by Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Lee, Anko, and a number of other of his friends in numerous situations over the years. He also accompanies Sakura on her rounds to check on centers' progress from time to time.

Team Taka no longer works with Orochimaru (because fuck that noise, is Orochimaru even alive in this AU??), and maybe join Konoha or work in Konoha affiliated establishments? (What do they do?? What are their goals??? Who knows, haven’t thought that far ahaha) Karin probably connects with Naruto over their shared Uzumaki lineage. Juugo might work in one of Sakura’s centers.

By the time Sasuke and Sakura finally decide to get married they've had years to address their pasts and spend time together.

It's when Sakura gets pregnant that Sasuke begins to reevaluate just exactly where he wants to be in life. He's spent so many years fighting. He's been fighting for recognition, revenge, redemption since before he was eight years old and realizes he... he's tired.

He's never allowed himself to rest because he's always felt like there was something he was supposed to be doing. And he realizes he doesn't want to fight to feel allowed to exist anymore.

He wants... He wants to be there for Sakura. He wants to be there for his baby. And with a little help from the Sakura and Anko, he learns that that's *okay*. That despite all the ugliness still out there, he has a right to put his own desire to be with his family first, that he can trust the good people in his life to take on the responsibility of helping save the world while he takes time to be there for the ones who need him.

Bonus Headcanons that come with this AU:

Hinata is still a ninja

Neji is alive

Tsunade is Hokage for longer instead of stepping down to let Kakashi take over

Mom aged Hinata get a Better Haircut

Yamato isn’t Orochimaru’s keeper

Konoha doesn’t work with Orochimaru (Maybe he’s dead? Maybe Kabuto takes his place?)

[awintersrose]

Kri-Kee: Could I just ask you for every single letter from the Alphabet Ask you reblogged? ;p If not, A, B, C, D, E, G, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y. Or however many you want to answer. I'll even try to answer in reverse too, but I might have to submit a post for it.

Haha, gonna do my best! I did omit B, D, J, and M because I answered them in a previous post here.

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed. Sannin OT3 and every combination to be made between them. Madara/Tobirama, Kakashi/Yamato, Kakashi/Sakura, Itachi/Sakura, Suigetsu/Karin, Naruto/Sakura/Sasuke, Yahiko/Konan/Nagato, Kisame/Mei, Kisame/Itachi, Neji/Tenten, and many others. It changes with the wind or whatever good fanart/fanfic I am exposed to.

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will. Have to go outside Naruto for this one, because there is very little I don’t like. Buffy/Angel. There, I said it xD Spike was better. (I won’t argue about this with anyone, it just is what it is)

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what? Maybe my depiction of drunk!Orochimaru in Secret Ceremonials, I don’t know lol.

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom? I don’t know about actively contributing to fandom, but I have been following the Naruto series and fanfic/fanart since sometime in college, so…something like 14 years (oh goodness)

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it? My OTP is obviously Sannin OT3. I have been lingering outside established fandom since before the term OTP existed, but my old favorites were from Inuyasha -  Miroku/Sango, Sesshoumaru/Kagome

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)? Anime/manga. 

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why? No, not really, but I am pretty good at filtering out what I don’t like.

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc? Sakura. Can we just forget the ending happened and fill in some gaps, letting her be the awesome character she is and not reduced to a lonely housewife?

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.) Hmm…neutral feelings…what are those? Umm…Iruka perhaps. To me, he is in flat out neutral territory on his own and in canon. I like him in fic if he is characterized the right way. Dominant!Iruka is rare, but pretty great. 

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice). Only three? Female characters being awesome, and given as much development and recognition as male characters. AUs and fix-it fics that focus on righting wrongs in the shinobi world, Team 7 and re-established bonds. Fewer ship wars, and an end to ridiculous assertions that consensual relationships between adults are somehow immoral if there is a gap in age, though both parties are adults.

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of? “Never Enough” by Aesthetic Perfection, Orochimaru x Science/Ninjutsu. “I’m not satisfied / It’s all or nothing / there’s no peace of mind for me / And even though I try / My greedy heart is hungry / I’m not satisfied, you see.”

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas). Steampunk Circus AU! Could be fun :D

Q - A fandom you’ve abandoned and why. Fruits Basket, many moons ago. I fell out of step with the storyline after the Akito reveal (which really messed with fan response to a lot of fanfic written well beforehand, including an author I used to beta for) and I never caught up.

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom? Kakashi & Gai

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged) Uzushiogakure being completely matriarchal and matrilineal, and key Uzumaki abilities inherited primarily by the women of the clan.

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? I think it’s now technically canon, but genderfluid, no-fucks-given-about-gender-roles! Orochimaru is one that I will hold onto for all time.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites. I’m gonna branch out here: Hisoka Morow from Hunter x Hunter - so terrible, yet amazing, thus I hate him and love him at the same time. Ririchiyo Shirakiin from Inu Boku SS - I relate to her tsundere personality. Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - What’s not to love in a nerdy girl turned badass witch and general force to be reckoned with?

V - Which character do you relate to most? I really don’t know…too many :P

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom. Harems

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom. Arranged marriages, found family, the ‘only one bed’ trope done right :D

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)? Yuri On Ice…I love it but I can’t get too heavily involved in another fandom