#ALSO YEAH I SUPPOSE SAKURA JUST AGED ALL AT ONCE

[completeoveranalysis]

[1]

I believe this is the start of Chapitre 215 - The True Being

And since it finishes her sentence from the previous chapter I'm just including them both here for context. HERE WE GO: The one who started it are Fei Wang AND Clow!

CLEAN UP YOUR MESS CLOW. 

I mean I know you are quite famously dead and passed all your problems on to other people BUT STILL. HERE WE ARE. 

Meanwhile I have also realised that this is actually supposed to be a double page so let's do that again

I am good at this I promise

[meimi-haneoka]

Thanks for answering Cinzia! No, you are right 😂. I should not be using older art style as any standard of indication of timeline. That was an interesting exposition. I had never read the CCS manga (or doujinshis) as a kid, but the number of *ahem* works which feature junior high aged SS I came across over the past few months is pretty concerning. On a second note, I was also wondering about Akiho's ancestry. As you once suggested, Akiho's clan might be the Reed clan, the clan on Clow Reed's father's side. From what I understand, the Reeds would be (again I am not trying to be politically offensive but still trying to be direct to the point) white-skinned. Clow, from what I understand, was very much biracial. Then if Akiho indeed is from the Reed clan, how was it possible for her resemble Sakura that much, enough for pass off as her twin? Even if we are to assume that Lilie was the Reed (with perhaps white Germanic ancestry) and her husband (who perhaps can be assumed to the one who had Shinomoto name and was thus Japanese in all probability) married into the clan and they had Akiho who was biracial (with presumably German and Japanese ancestry), it is still very unusual. Until and unless of course, one assumes that Sakura herself is not of a fully Japanese ancestry, especially given that her father literally appeared when Clow died (gave up his body?) and Fujitaka (and Eriol) were created from some kind of magical cellular fission (?). So, Sakura (and Touya) are of part-white heritage, that too from the Reed clan, explaining the resemblance. I am just thinking too much, am I not? I should just let it be, at this point. 😰 Also, what ethnicity does Kaito belong to? I originally thought he was some kind of East Asian looking Russian but his real name is of French origin? What even is going on there?

P.S. Dear God, this went into a very different direction from what I originally wanted to write.

Ohohohho this is a topic that has crossed my mind more than once, especially during the "happy sisters" chapters after Kaito activated the forbidden magic!! 😂😂😂

Long story short, the final solution to the dilemma I came up with is: suspension of disbelief! 😂😂😂😂 Yeah, I think this is one of the most prominent cases where you're supposed to look at them literally for what they are "on paper" and not what kind of ethnicity they should represent in the story.

I'll elaborate further; first of all yes, I've always had the theory that "the clan of the most ancient magicians in Europe" might have been the Reed clan, which also Clow came from. I thought it was just the perfect fit for Akiho: it's based in England, and we know the Reeds were an English clan; this clan got rivalry with the Li's in Hong Kong and again it would make sense if they were the Reeds, because those two families have ONE illustrious relative in common: Clow Reed, the most powerful magician of his time! In fact, it's stated in the Clear Card story that the "Squids" do have lots of resentment towards Clow. The reasons are unknown, but if they were the Reeds, we can easily guess them: he ditched that side of the family and decided to get closer to the Chinese side, living in Hong Kong for a time and leaving some of his magical tools with the Li's. And also, it would've made PERFECT sense for Kaito to turn to the Kinomoto family to leave Akiho with them: if Akiho was a Reed, and we know for certain that Sakura in some way does have a little bit of Reed blood in her (she is explicitly indicated as having "Clow's blood" in the story, and that's so important that they made the characters point that out in the anime too, where TECHNICALLY she shouldn't have any blood relations with Clow, since Fujitaka was never confirmed as Eriol's 'other half' of Clow's reincarnation), that would've ALREADY made Akiho a distant relative of Sakura in some way. So it would've felt way less forced and much more reasonable. Everything fit so well that I was almost sure we would've had this confirmation before the end of the story; sadly, we never did.

There's a VERY terrible translation mistake in volume 6 of the English version by Kodansha USA, where they made the Squids say this:

Please be informed that in the JP original the Squids never said "For the blood of Clow Reed...to be bested by the Li Family....is an unbearable disgrace", because that basically made them refer to themselves as "blood of Clow Reed", hence indirectly confirming they are the Reed clan. That's absolute bullsh*t and what they actually said is "THEY are of Clow Reed's lineage. We can't allow to fall behind them" and that connects with what Kaito said in chapter 68: the Squids checked every movement from the Li family because of their resentment towards Clow (and the Li's were connected to him). I know my theory sounded legit, reasonable and could've made everything more interesting and well connected, but a theory remains a theory if canon doesn't confirm it. And translation mistakes should never be so bad that they end up portraying things in a way that makes you believe what it was actually NEVER confirmed in the story.

Up to this day, we don't have a "name" we can call this clan with: they're simply addressed as "that clan" or "the most ancient magicians in Europe" in THE WHOLE the story (trust me, I've monitored that detail very well, because of my theory). They're NOT the Shinomoto clan, as many people like to report in order to simplify things. I honestly not even believe that Akiho's father's last name was Shinomoto, as Akiho seems c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y foreign to Japanese culture throughout the story. He didn't marry into the clan from "outside", because Lilie specifically says that he's a "distant relative", so he's very much part of this European clan himself. And if we have to go by how awful they are in the story, I'm pretty sure these people would've done anything to keep their blood line as "pure" as possible, without "interventions" from outside, if you know what I mean. Additional to that, Akiho doesn't even remotely mention a possible "tie" she might have with Japan: I know her clan never really answered her questions about her parents, but I'm pretty sure that if she was half Japanese they would've told her and she would've sort of mentioned it along the story. She's portrayed by CLAMP as someone completely foreign to Japan. And with a last name like that, if she was really half Japanese, if would've come up at some point (Sakura doesn't even ask about it, "how come you have a Japanese last and first name if you don't have any connection with Japan?"). I mean, Akiho did "confess" at the end that her true name is Cosmos, and I think that is the only true part of her name that we were allowed to know about her. Just like the rest of her clan, and Kaito, her last name is none of our business, basically 😂 I mean, even Eriol adopted a Japanese last name to fit better, even though he shouldn't really have any tie with Japan (if he's a reincarnation of Clow and got Clow's blood just like Fujitaka, then he should have Caucasian and Chinese traits in himself). As you pointed out, that should be the same with Fujitaka.

As for Kaito, I definitely thought that he could be Chinese at some point: one of my craziest theories was that he was actually a "lost Li", because the shape of his eyes is exactly the same of Yelan. Yeah, check it out if you don't believe me! 😂

The moon power, the fact that he's often portrayed with chinese-style clothes.... Alas, this theory went down the drain too. Or, at least, we were never given concrete hints about it. And then the fact that in his backstory he's potrayed in a cold land with a typical Russian hat made me think that he could've been of Russian's origins too, but that one seems to be even less plausible at this point. His true name is French, so it is legit to infer that at least in part he must have some French genes in him, although it's anyone's guess where exactly he comes from. I do identify him as coming from France, at this point, and that would be reasonable because it would still be in the "area" of the Magic Association, if they operate in the entire Europe (man, CLAMP must think that there's lots of evil people in Europe, wtf 🤣). It wouldn't have been difficult for them to go fetch little Kaito in France, coming from the UK, is what I'm trying to say. But as we never got any other confirmation than his true name (and CLAMP must have chosen a French word instead of an English one for a reason), it's really anyone's guess.

So all of this makes me just conclude that we shouldn't really wonder too much about things like "how is it possible that Akiho and Sakura resemble eachother so much that they could pass as twin sisters, if they're supposedly from two different ethnicities?", because I'm pretty sure that CLAMP didn't go that far in planning all of these details to the situation. 😆 You should just rememember that it's a fictional story (with magic, at that), so we should apply a bit of "suspension of disbelief! 😅

[joltai-showa]

continuing naruto reread third edition chapter 2

my honest reaction to Kishi's bullshit post Konoha foundation flashback

continuing with Hiruzen bashing - why the fuck is the ninja mayor of your village is busy looking at the process of kids taking their graduation photos? Like, does he really have nothing better to do? You aren't worried about your ex-student overtaking a neighbouring country and starting his own hidden village? Nothing is going on in Land of Wind, right? Onoki is simply planning his retirement and chilling? Land of Lightning isn't busy rearming? There aren't hundreds of nukenins running around after the fall of Blood Mist? Your own student is finished with her alcoholic 20 something year long trip?

at this point it really does seem like Danzo was the only one doing any work in Konoha

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST HIRUZEN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE HEADBAND MARKS YOU AS THE ADULT SHINOBI OF THE VILLAGE? YOU MEAN THE HEADBAND THAT IS GIVEN TO EVERY GENIN? FUCKING GENIN????

oooof.

Okay, first of all: Hiruzen you suck so much. Second of all: mind you, he is telling this to Naruto who is like 13 and it's been like 14 years since Third Shinobi World War ended.

Now consider the same thing being told to kids who fought in the Third Shinobi World War aka Kakashi's generation, because holy shit Hiruzen was still on his first term at that point and just casually hit those guys with "yeah you just finished primary school, you're an adult shinobi now." Btw, the databooks have ages for when certain characters got their genin/chunin rank, so here's some fun info about how old <character_name> when they left the Academy😁😁😁😁:

Kakashi - 5 years old (yep, a literal preschooler is now an adult shinobi. nope, i don't give a shit that he's supposed to be a genius)

Gai - 7 years old (wow, a first grader🎉🎉🎉)

Asuma, Kurenai, Rin, Obito - 9 years old (and when they were 8 the Third War just started)

HELL YEAH ADULT KONOHA SHINOBI🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

(other generations/villages don't have a better train record for their genins)

people in reality love to joke that "kids yearn for mines", but in Naruto world it seems like "kids yearn to die on the frontlines" is more appropriate

and then everyone's surprised when people from Kakashi's generation are on like their third suicide attempt by the time they turn 15 or become outright delusional

anyway, those living in Konoha likely wake up every night from very loud rattling noises (it's Hashirama rolling in his grave)

also while on the topic of fun info available only via databooks, there is this fun thing called shinobi registration number!

Basically, shinobi villages are actually doing some work out there and register the academy graduates with their own unique number. now, after reading through the corresponding page on naruto wiki, it seems like registration system works a bit weird in a sense that every graduate gets their own number, but not all graduates even get to genin rank (this is seen by Naruto's class example where 27 people graduated but only 9 became genins, however those 9 people don't have their numbers follow one after another, so Sakura's is 012601, Ino's 012604, Sasuke's 012606, etc, etc). There is very little info on how it is in other villages (mostly because other villages have less than 10 characters with their registration numbers each lol), but I do have some concerns regarding entering kids' data into your NINJA registration system even if they never make it to the lowest ninja rank... like, are those people drafted after a war breaks out? otherwise why register them in the first place? btw those people were neven given proper training, no tree climbing, no water walking, just some basic justu. Once again imagine being some guy from Obito's graduation class, finishing the Academy as it is the only educational institute in the entire village, going to I dunno work at your family dining business and wash the dishes only to be hit with good old "yeah kid you're in our shinobi registration system, we're really low on people after 5 years of World War, we are sending you to fight some Kiri ninja, every single one of them is a mass murderer (that's what their graduation exam is about), good luck lol" after you've spent like 5 years of your life without touching any ninja weapons or training any ninjutsu.

Ah, yeah, obviously not all shinobi assosiated with certain villages have a registration number, because they were born long before such system was implemented, lmao, so a lot of the ancient shinobi don't have one (Konoha founders, first Kages for all villages, Kakuzu, Onoki, etc, etc)

Let's move on to another interesting thing and it's which villages actually have this system, because the answer is pretty surprising. Amongst the five Great Nations, only four have this system, and it's Konoha, Kumo, Iwa and Suna. Kiri shinobi consistently never had any registration numbers in their profiles in the databooks. My personal headcanon as to why it's the case is that they actually used to have such system in place, however due to internal political instability (read as Blood Mist and Fourth Mizukage literally being controlled by forces outside of the country) the records on Kiri shinobi were fully destroyed and by the time of Shippuden Mei and her gang simply didn't have the time to start the registration procedure anew. Amonsgt the smaller villages only Amegakure was known to use registration numbers, and it's another curious case, because the only Ame shinobi known to have registration numbers are genins sent to Konoha's chunin exam in OG Naruto, so neither Hanzo nor Ame orphans have those. My interpretation of this is that under Hanzo Ame never actually had such system, so it only started after Pain and Akatsuki took over the village, soooo... huh, I guess my headcanons that the terroristic gang did do some good for Amegakure are not that much of headcanons.

(also Uzushio aka where the Uzumaki clan comes from is a weird case because we have two people from there, one is too old to have the number being Mito and another being trained and registred in another village being Kushina)

Anyway, so here's another fact that I absolutely love about the registration systems (yes I am a bit insane about this tiny piece of lore because it's really really cool in my opinion): every single village has a unique way of assigning numbers to their shinobi! I already mentioned how Konoha's registration numbers look, but here's the template for each known village:

Konoha - a six digit number (XXXXXX), seems to be given out sequentially, so older graduates will have a smaller number than younger graduates (Hiruzen's is 000261, Tsunade's 002302, Minato's 006510, Kakashi's 009720, Naruto's 012607)

Iwa - two letter code for the village's name and a five digit number that seem to be given out sequentially (IW-XXXXX). Kitsuchi's (Kurotsuchi's dad) is IW-06112, Kakko's (the guy who dropped the boulders on team Minato :) is IW-06219, Deidara's is IW-08721

Kumo - same as Iwa, but instead of Japanese pronounciation they use English one for the village code, so theirs is CL (likely standing for Cloud), and a four digit number (CLXXXX). Killer B's is CL3288, Yugito's is CL5322, Karui's is CL6306.

Ame - similarly to Kumo, they seem to use the English pronounciation for the village code (R for Rain) which has a single digit number attached to it (I guess for graduation period? There are not enough Ame shinobi to do a better conjucture) and a three digit sequential number (RX-XXX). The guys there are literally NPCs, so I'm not even gonna bother with their names, but their registration numbers are R1-115, R1-127, R2-039, R4-059.

I left out Suna for last because I think their numbers contain by far the juiciest piece of info that a registration system can have: year of graduation according to internal chronology of Naruto world. Now we all know that Kishi is not great with numbers and chronology especially (heeeey history of Blood Mist that makes zero fucking sense and has at least a few time travellers if we take Kishi's writing as it is), but what we certainly know is that Kishi imagines that the hidden villages system was established approximately 60 years before the events of Shippuden. I say "imagines" because if that is the case, then the entire Senju clan needs to have the ability to time-travel to be able to do everything that Kishi says they did (I go into more detail about this in the timeline I made for my fics), so I believe that the villages were actually established 80 years ago, so the dates that I have and the dates Kishi uses would have about a 20 year long gap between each other. Now that we got that out of the way, let me present my case about my assumptions regarding Suna registration numbers. The easiest one to see is through the Sand's siblings numbers - Temari's is 53-004, Kankuro's is 54-002 and Gaara's is 56-001. According to the timeline of mine, Temari would graduate in year 73 since Konoha's foundation, Kankuro - year 74, Gaara - 76, all of which happens to perfectly line up with their registration numbers minus the twenty years that Kishi doesn't believe in lol. The theory does weaken significantly when we take older Suna shinobi in consideration, because their registration numbers are a... mess, to say the least. Sasori's does line up (year 52 and 33-001 respectively), but Baki's (Sand's siblings teacher) is completely off with year 54 and 38-212 (and in this case I am sure in my calculations because both Baki and Sasori have their ages and graduation ages for Shippuden). Yashamaru (Sand's siblings uncle) is even more bizarre, because my calcs suggest that the guy graduated at least a year after Baki, but his number (32-049) suggest that he is a whole year ahead of Sasori. Older shinobi are an even bigger mess, because Chiyo and her brother Ebizo both have theirs... which shouldn't be the case since both of them are way over 70 years old and in Kishi's perspective should have been born before Suna was even established, yet they do lmao. Welcome to trying to untangle Naruto's mess of a lore.

Anyway, I'm done ranting about the villages, just wanna add a few fun observations that can be seen in the registration numbers that aren't necessarily obvious in the plot. Considering that Naruto's class had 27 graduates, I think it's fair to assume that if people have less than 30 number difference between each other's numbers, then they likely graduated from the same class/during the same ceremony.

Konoha's elders numbers are spread out through 000256 to 000293

Sannin's numbers all follow each other (Orochimaru 002300, Jiraya 002301, Tsunade 002302)

Dan Kato (Tsunade's fiance) and Maito Dai (Gai's dad) might have been in the same graduation class (002973 and 003001)

Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi follow each other (005159 and 005160)

Mikoto (Itachi's and Sasuke's mother) was likely in the same class as Nawaki (Tsunade's younger brother) (005348 and 005350)

dads in Aburame, Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka clans were in the same class (005480, 005490, 005491, 005492)

Kurenai, Rin and Obito graduated during the same ceremony (010881, 010885 and 010886). Kakashi and Gai graduated a lot earlier than them, while Asuma was a bit earlier

Kabuto for some reason has a registration number even if his story suggest he shouldn't. It's actually pretty close to Itachi's (012140 and 012110)

Team Gai all graduated a bit earlier than Naruto's class

I already covered a lot about Sunagakure, but Chiyo might just be the second Suna shinobi to ever be registred (01-002)

Akatsuchi and Deidara were in the same class (IW-08718 and IW-08721). Kurotsuchi graduated later than them both (IW-09011)

Neither of Iwa's jinchuriki has a ninja registration number

Mabui and Samui likely were in the same class (CL5550 and CL5570). Darui possibly too (CL5596)

Omoi and Karui graduated at the same time (CL6305 and CL6306)

Hoooo. Okay, random Naruto trivia is over, back to the chapter

again with Kishi's later rewrite on what Naruto really is. fun fact: the term jinchuriki does not appear until the start of Shippuden :) I remember reading the old translation of Naruto which were released by fans as the manga was still running and it was really funny watching the fan translators try to figure out wtf is this new thing supposed to be (the term was also translated fully and imagine starting Shippuden and being hit with POWER OF HUMAN SACRIFICE in the face lmao)

also don't be fucking mean to a twelve year old, Ebisu

Hiruzen he's beating your grandson's ass maybe do something, oh right, you aren't doing shit even with your primary duties

buddy what are you yapping about the nepotistic line of hokage curves over you higher than a volleyball curved over me when me and my classmates played with it during PE classes

little bro that's exactly how hokage are chosen lmao

I like to imagine that Land of Earth and Iwagakure have hundreds of masters working on stone, precious metals, etc, there are thousands of beautiful statues and monumets literally hand-carved, so whenever an Iwa shinobi ends up in Konoha and sees the Hokage monument they burst into tears and start screaming "THAT SHIT IS SO ASS!"

like, why is the Hokage monument so ugly omgggg

NAAAAAAAAAH not the Kurama slander. tormented our people = was stuck inside Mito for like 40 years before being immediately shoved into Kushina for another like 15, being ripped out by Obito for like 15 minutes and shoved into Naruto for another 15 years. Like, every single mean thing that Kurama said about humans is absolutely valid

(retcons my beloved retcons)

i m in actual tears rn because omg everything in retrospect seems so much funnier, like, Hiruzen, wdym Minato selected Naruto, little bro is his own kid fresh out of his wife😭😭😭

literally who in the shinobi world EVER followed these principles???

"there are no shortcuts to Hokage title"

"you just have to get lucky and be born into a previous Hokage's family"

"and get a teacher who is a Hokage or studied under Hokage"

"see, you need to do a lot of work!"

jesus fucking--- why are you being so creepy hiruzen

[kakashifanrp]

Marks of the soulmates 1/2

Kakashi Hatake x reader

part 2 <- here

AN: Soulmate fics get to me. They are soo cute! Soo i decided to drabble down one. Most likely this is part 1.. 😅 most likely a oneshot or two shot. 

(a pic of the mark aswell, just because I liked this one mark)

Soulmates, it had been a thing for ages. Almost everyone had a soulmate, finding it was another story. When the ancient shinobies of the past were able to make the mark of the soulmates it made the search easier for many. A mark would appear on the left wrist, a mark that would only be identical to your soulmates mark. Girls normally made sure to keep a eye out on their chruses wrist between 16 to 18 years of age, it was then the mark would normally appear.

Yours however came around when you were 17 and a half.. Right after you had became a jonin, and your best friend since childhood turned his back on everyone. It was not that you hadn't tried to stop him... Or even try to make him stop ignoring everyone that cared for him.. But after he joined the Anbu it was back and forth, before the sudden conntinuesly ignoring everyone. After days of watching it all go down, you followed him.. Knowing it didn't only hurt you, but also the rest of your friends.

"Kakashi.. Stop for a secound" You had been running after him for 5 minutes allready, after seeing the sad look on Gui's face yet again after Kakashi ignored him, and only gave a cold stare. It had been the boiling point, watching this for years allready. You caught up with him and stepped in front of him, but in normal Kakashi style he just walked around you. This made you clench your jaw as you stepped in front of him again, placing your hands on his chest making him stop by force. "I have tried to stop you for 5 minutes now" You looked up at him, only to be greeted by the cold stare of his.

"Why are you doing this? Do you even see how hurt your friends are? We are worried about you baka!" frustration had been building up over the years, seeing him act like a cold hearted brat. "You really are annoying" Kakashi muttered unimpressed and pushed your hands off him. "didn't you just become a jonin? Isn't it time to act like it?" There it was.. The vemon in his voice again.. Like he hated your gut. "My rank has nothing to do with this, and you know it. I don't know what has happend to you lately, but damn Kakashi.. Saying hi once in a while would not kill you" It was a desperate attempt to make him soften up a bit, and stop throwing away everyone that cared for him..

"You are just pathetic.. Can't belive they let babies become jonin theese days" he scoffed as he started to walk away. "Soo thats what you think of me huh?" His words hurt, it always did when he was in a mood like that.. "Can you be annoying somewhere else, some of us has actual things to do" He spat, not even looking back at you as he walked away.

You remembered that day too well.. It was the day you knew you lost your best friend, and it crushed you.. Not only did he look down on your abilities as a jonin.. But he seemed to had a distaste for you as a person too. As if that wasen't hard enough, your soulmate mark appeared later that day. That was suppose to be one of the happiest day of your life.. To finally get the mark you had dreamed of and start the hunt for your very own soulmate.. But after the talk with Kakashi earlier in the day it only made you sad..

You looked down at your wrist as you walked. The flame like mark were still there, and you had yet to start looking for the matching mark. Had it only been as easy for you as it was for Asuma and Kurenai it would have been great, but you truly had started to doubt if that was even what you wanted in life. "NARUTO!!" you heard the scream from behind you making you lift your head to see the blonde boy running away from the pink haired one yet again. "Y/N sama! Help me!" Naruto ran up and hid behind you which did not stop Sakura one bit as she chased after him.

"hey, I am not a shield!" Being dragged into their fighting was never fun, at least when you knew how hard that girl punched. "Wait until I get my hands on you Naruto!" they run around you, Naruto trying to dogde, while Sakura tried to punch. "Ey ey ey, Didn't you two just pass on a team togheter, teammates don't hit eachother, or use people as shields!" You facepalmed yourself as you watched them. "He tried to call me his soulmate!" Sakura shouted, red in face from the anger boiling. "But what if you are Sakura Chan?" Naruto carefully stood behind you with a nervous smile on his face.

"Guys, why even worry about that stuff now.. It is like 4 to 6 years before any of you get a mark, that is if you even get one?" This caught Naruto's attention, giving Sakura a opening to punch him in the head. "Still, I know my soulmate will be Sasuke, not a Baka like Naruto" She crossed her arms, looking offeded as usual. "ow ow ow" Naruto rubbed his head where he was hit and looked at the two of you. "I almost feel bad for the sensei you guys got.. With this being how you act thowards eachother." you let out a soft sigh. "Kakashi sensei don't seem to care" with narrow brows you looked at Sakura. "Hatake, Kakashi? Is he your sensei?"

"Yeah, He made us to that stupid bell test..what a scarecrow" Naruto mumbled. You had heard he became a jonin leader a while back, but he had not passed a team soo far. "Scarecrow? That was a new one" You raised your brow, knowing Naruto found all kinds of nicknames for people. "Y/N sama, do you have a soulmate mark?" Sakura looked at you, and you nodded. She grabbed your arm, making you gasp in suprise as she lifted the glove a bit to look at it. "wow! Have you found your match yet? When did you get yours? Did it just appear? Was it magical like they say?" You looked at the girl with wide eyes as she studied your mark.

"breath Sakura.. It is just a mark" You shrugged, making her thighten her hold on your arm. You winced at the sudden strenght the girl had when she got annoyed. "It is not just any mark!" She glared at you. "ok, i got it when I was 17 and a half.. And no I haven't found my soulmate.. And yes it just appeared" You muttered and noticed Naruto looking at it too. "hmm.. Soo thats how it looks like." He tilted his head before his eyes light up. "Thank you Y/N sama" He smirked and dragged Sakura with him, taking her by suprise as she looked ready to hit again. You just stood and looked at them walking away in confusion, wondering what he even thanked you for..

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had gotten themself a mission, and they were not gonna stop until it was settled. The past week they had been looking at peoples wrist to see if they found you a match, Sakura had been soo happy to finally see a real soulmate mark that she had memorized it in detail and made a a drawing the three of them used to compare with. After a week they sat down defeated at Ichuraka's. "We have looked everywhere! No matches" Naruto whines. "Did you really think that was gonna be easy?" Sasuke looked annoyed.

"I was hoping yeah! It has to be someone in this town" Naruto took another bite of his ramen. "why do you guys look soo down" Kakashi sat next to them with a raised brow. Normally his students didn't hang with their heads while eating ramen. "Baka, Naruto! It can be from another village too! The mark is on people from all villages" Sasuke frowned and scoffed. "Mark? What mark?" Finally it seemed that the three students had noticed their sensei. "soulmate marks, what else sensei?" Sakura frowned. "aren't you three a bit too young to be worrying about theese marks?"

"We are just trying to help a friend" Naruto looked at him. "a friend?" Kakashi looked at them even more confused. He remember wanting a mark when he was younger too, but after he got it he never really cared. "Is it a meeting here today?" Iruka walked in, ready to get his lunch that he had ordered. "Iruka sensei! Show me your wrist!" Naruto demanded making Iruka go pale. "ehh, what?" Sakura grabbed his arm and looked. "nope.. Not Iruka sensei either" She mumbled, as he retracted his arm. "ok what is going on?" He looked at the genin in front of him.

"We have been trying for a week now to find Y/N samas match" Sasuke shrugged, making it sound like it was the most obious thing ever. "we have checked as many in kohona as possible, but it is too many marks and no one matches the one she has!" Naruto almost screamed as he explained, clearly frustrated. "Y/N sama?" Kakashi looked at the three genin, not sure if he heard the name correctly. That name he had not heard in years. "ohh, I see.." Iruka rubbed the back of his neck. "your old classmate, Kakashi.. She helped out at the school from time to time"

"That joke was not funny Iruka sensei" Naruto side eyed him. "what joke?" Naruto looked at Kakashi, almost making the ninja uncomfortable. "I don't belive Y/N sama is that old" This made Kakashi almost shrink in his chair. "I am not even that old" He muttered, making Iruka laugh. "well, You guys should have good luck then" Iruka got the food and left as the genin finnished theirs. "Kakashi sensei, can you help us out on this mission?" Sakura pleaded, started to loose the hope. "Isn't that your mission to do?" He noticed the look in their eyes and sighed. At least they seemed to be working in a team, which made them stop bickering for once. "Ok, I help for today"

Sakura gave him the paper. "We need to find this mark!" She pointed at it, not noticing the wide eye on her sensei. "You sure this is the mark?" He frowned as he looked at the kids. "Yes! She showed it to me. Just remember she must not know about this" The young girl said sternly. Kakashi just nodded as he looked at the drawing, ignoring Naruto's stare. "We have not checked your arm sensei" He said suddenly as he grabbed the arm to look, taking Kakashi by suprise. "hmm" The blonde said as he looked between the paper and Kakashi's wrist.

"what are you doing?" Kakashi tried to retract his arm, but all three of them grabbed it to look. "it is a match?" Sakura looked up at Kakashi, before they let go of his arm. "But you are too old sensei.." The three genin frowned as they watched him, making him uncomfortable. "How old do you three really think I am?" He placed the paper down, eyeing the three kids. "Older than Y/N sama" Naruto said with a obious tone. "But you two are soo different.." Sakura voiced her thoughts before she started to go pale. "oh no, what If I get linked with that baka" She started to freak out, thinking about it. If kakashi sensei could have the same mark as Y/N, with how different they were... What if the was cursed with Naruto!?

"Y/N sama! Over here!" Naruto yelled, making Kakashi pull down his sleeve. You looked over and noticed Sakura's face. "whats going on.. You three looks like you have seen a ghost?" you walked over before noticing Kakashi. "I am doomed!" Sakura ran off making you look shocked. "Naruto, what did you do this time?" The blond glared at you before looking between you and Kakashi. "Nope, still don't belive it" He muttered, eyeing his sensei. This whole thing made you look at them all confused. "Do I even wanna know..."

"Are you as old as Kakashi sensei?" Naruto blurred out, still looking between you two. "Well yeah.. What about it?" This made Kakashi smile under his mask. "I told you, I am not that old" Naruto just shaked his head and started to leave. "Still don't belive it" You giggled a bit, only imagine the shock he must be in. "It could have been worse Y/N sama" Sauske gave your arm a soft pat before walking away. "Theese kids never stops to suprise me" You sighed and looked over at Kakashi. "Now I see what he meant with scarecrow" You mumbled as the expression on his face and hair could remind you of one.

"a what now?" He stood up and looked at you. "Naruto think you look like a scarecrow, I can kind of see it now" You smiled a bit. "You should have good luck with them, they can be a handful." You mumbled, remembering the last time you spoke with Him. "You don't have to say that twice.. They are gonna be the death of me, I allready know it" He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "oh, you don't know anything yet" You smiled and started to walk away, knowing he was in for it. "Where are you going?"

"I have guard duty today, soo off to my shift" You turned and looked at him. You studies him carefully, not sure how to read him at all.. And still a bit shocked he could talk at all. "Which side of the village?" He asked. "East side, waiting for a scroll delivery" He nodded. "I tag along then" You narrowed your brows a bit. "You tag along? Never thought I would hear that from you again, Hatake" You smiled and started to walk, letting him catch up to you. "well, it is a first for everything isn't it?" He keept his gaze on your hand, knowing you used to talk with your hands before. Maybe he was able to see for himself.

"Soo what is the scroll about? Since they need guards to greet it?" He played it off as he opened his book to pretend to read. "Well, I am not sure, all I know it is a delivery to lord 3rd" you shrugged as you lifted your hands a bit. Kakashi noticed the mark on your wrist as he stopped a bit. "Are you ok?" You stopped and looked over at him. "I gotta go" With a poof of smoke he was gone, making you sigh. "some things never changes.."

[xsugarysweetsx]

Congrats on 2k mama sweet,,,!! :))

Since there is no sk8 requests yet how about option 2 - Kaoru x reader <3 Had this thought after reading ur arranged marriage fic... how about at the start of the marriage reader thinks that Kaoru is cheating on her when he sneaks out at night but after he tells her about S, reader feels kinda silly for thinking so.. next thing you know Kaoru is taking reader to all the beefs as his lucky charm. Reader even has a matching costume and the others start calling her "Lady Cherry" or smth,, teaches reader to skate (she's lowkey jealous of carla >.<) + some domestic fluff (what if reader finds out she's pregnant....) This doesn't have to be connected to the other fic & you can ignore the cheating part if u like... :-*

A/N: :0 Lady Cherry is a super smart name!

other fic here

Please enjoy~🍰

*******************************************************

There he went again...

The sliding door of your shared room altered you from your sleep. This was the 6th night in a row that he left without a word in the middle of the night. The first 2 nights you thought he was simply tending to business and was just busy. After the 4th day, you were suspicious and a bit hurt. He did tell you he didn’t want to hurt you and treat you right....so where was he going?

This was another night he had gotten up, so instead of staying in bed you followed him. 

“Carla, make sure to lock the doors when I leave“ he said to his AI

“Yes, master“ you scoffed. You had to admit the stupid computer got on your nerves. He practically loved talking to her and every time she answered him, he gets all giddy. You were really jealous but you wish he’d get that way with you.  

Just as he was going to leave you called for him

“Kaoru?“ he froze and turned around “It’s late...“ you said coming closer to him. That’s when you noticed what he was wearing, he was in a sleeveless yukata with a black mask over his face, and a...skateboard?

“Y/N I...um...“ being that he can’t speak about S he was contemplating whether to tell you or not. But you were his wife and he wanted to be open with you on everything. However what you said next caught him off guard

“...if there’s someone else please just tell me...“ and the way you looked when you said it just broke his heart. Did you really think he was cheating? Even though this was arranged, he couldn’t ask for someone better to be his wife. You were smart, shy but bright, not to mention beautiful.

“Y/N“ he walked to you and rests his hand on your shoulder “I would never cheat on you and I assure you there is no one else.”

“Then why do you leave at night?“ you ask

“*Sigh*....I go skating.“ he said bluntly. There was nothing to hide from you and it was all true

“...huh“ he lifted his board for you to see

“Some friends and I go skateboarding in a secret location for races and such. We only go at night so we go unnoticed.“ he held up a small pin “It’s called S..now that you know you can’t tell anyone. Now go throw something on, we’re heading out.“

Just as he said you were heading out in the dead of night. And of course you had to ride on Carla, every time he spoke to her it was like he was talking to his crush. As you approach a gate with two guards he gives you a larger sticker of the letter ‘S’. You show them to security and make it inside where people had started screaming. You knew he was popular among women but this was more than you thought

“Lord Cherry!!” one screamed 

“Kao-”

“Cherry” he interrupted 

“What?”

Getting his bike to a stop he helps you off and says “we don’t use our real names here for security reasons. Here I’m Cherry blossom.” 

So what he was telling you was true. You honestly felt a bit silly for jumping to conclusions so quickly. Before he was off to what he called a ‘beef’ he introduced you to JOE. You were surprised to see the popular chef here as well, although you knew they had been friends for years. The large screen in the area showed you just how goof he was at this. 

He was fast but graceful, sharp an precise on corners. The crowd only cheered louder than before. 

“So, you’re the one he’s been talking about huh?“ Joe asked 

“He’s been...talking about me?“ you asked

He nodded “He was gone for like 3 days in a row not to mention he was brushing off more women now. That’s when he told us there was someone he wanted to be loyal to.” okay, now you felt really silly. After the race was done and over with Cherry had made his way back to you. He comes and embarrass you and whispers in your ear

“You brought me good luck.“ you felt your heart skip a beat from the feeling of being close to him

“oooo, look at Lord Cherry with his lady~“

“Shut up you big oaf!!“

<>

During the next few months you had gone with him to almost every beef. You had even gained a name for yourself, ‘Lady Cherry’. You had become quite popular among some men there and even cherry’s female fans. He would usually bring you as his ‘lucky charm’, it was cheesy but sweet at the same time. They also had a habit of saying 

“The Cherries have arrived“ 

On his free time he would actually taught you how to skate, well he tried anyway. Balance wasn’t exactly easy and being from a traditional family, this was unusual for you. You’d be holding on to his shoulders while his hands held your waist

“Don’t let me fall“

“You’re doing just fine dear. Why don’t we try some tricks“ he offered  

“Are you sure you’re the man I married?“ you ask with a smirk

“The one and only dear“ he kissed your cheek 

It was honestly so cute to him. You’d have a scared but excited look on your face. Your cheeks would turn pink and it just made his heart fluttered. On top of all that you were willing to indulge in something he has loved from a young age. He always took you with him to each beef he attended. Both for showing you off an he is in love with the idea of winning every race for not just himself but for you as well.  

Although tonight you wouldn’t make it to the beef. He was going to race Joe but that was put on hold. You had been feeling sick all day and you just finished emptying your stomach. As much as you told him to go, he refused to leave.

“You’re my wife and you’re clearly not okay“ he said helping you up off the floor “you come before any beef or competition. Now come on, let’s get you to the hospital and get you checked out.“

A short drive to the general hospital was taken that night. No, he would not wait until tomorrow morning. He wanted to know that you were okay and didn’t have anything terminal. After speaking with the nurse and giving some blood and urine samples you both patiently waited. You leaned against him playing with the digits of his fingers. 

*Knock knock* “Ma’am we have your results” the doctor says holding up a couple of papers and even some medicine. “well, you’re clear for any terminal conditions or diseases. although you have some hormonal imbalances and some new ones kicking in.”

“Meaning?“ Kaoru urged him on

“Congratulations, you’re 4 weeks pregnant.“

“....“ you both sat in shock at the news. You were pregnant? Well, you two were active, and maybe Kaoru has his own little rituals. Either after or before a beef he’d get frisky and was set on pleasing you both. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that this would have happened, still it was shocking news

“These are some prenatal vitamins you’ll need to take for the month. Make sure to make an appointment to check on the baby alright?” giving you the vile of pills he takes his leave leaving you both in silence. What were you supposed to say? How were you going to deal with this? Were you even ready?

“-together.“ you didn’t catch his whole sentence 

“I’m sorry what was that?” you ask him

“We’ll this together alright?“ he took your hand in his “believe me I’m as shocked as you are but, we’ll figure this out together okay?“

“Alright“ you smile back 

“We should probably start with a bigger house for the three of us“

<>

“Kaoru, come on it’s just paint I can-“

“You are not moving a muscle“ he cut you off “I want you to rest all you can. You’re making a baby and that’s enough.“

To say he was strict during your pregnancy was an understatement. As soon as your belly started showing you were no longer going to beefs with him. You were currently 6 months along, and expecting a girl! Kaoru was over the moon to know it was a girl. he would have been happy with a boy too, but a little copy of you was like a dream. He couldn't wait to see the little girl that would look like you and act like him.

Today was nursery day, which meant painting, building and organizing. Kaoru had you only fold and organizing the clothes and things while he painted. Of course being your idea you had called the boys over to help. Joe was building some stuff along with Shadow. Langa and Reki were actually helping to paint the walls. 

“I appreciate you guys coming to help“ you smile 

“Hey it’s no problem, at least you told us about it“ Joe commented. Oh yeah, he also wanted to keep it a secret so that 

‘the idiot wouldn’t ruin your pregnancy‘ which made you laugh for a good 5 minutes. But they were very good help and made the process easier 

“Hey so what are you naming the baby?“ Reki asked 

“Well, Kaoru kind of wanted to associate it with his skate name so we agreed on Sakura.“

“AAWWHH“ everyone said out load slightly teasing him. Without turning from the wall he said

“....I just wanted a beautiful name for her was all.“ although he was cold at times they knew he meant well especially for his family.  A while late Joe made a small dinner for you all to enjoy. You thanked them for coming over and you were done for the night. You were putting on some lotion over your rounded middle when Kaoru came behind you. He wrapped his arms around and over your own hands and rested there for a moment

“Who would have thought we’d be here huh?” You whisper

“In all honesty I was hoping for it” he admired “before we married you were described as a caring and sweet woman. But you were so much more once we were married. You’re compassionate, intelligent, stubborn, beautiful, and absolutely perfect” he said kissing the side of your head “and now, you’ve given me the gift of being a father. Thank you”

Turning in his hold you wipe away small tears “oh Kaoru , thank you too. You’ve treated me like I’m the only person you need. On top of that you take care of me but still give me my freedom. I love you..”

“And I love you” he rests his forehead against yours as his fingers trace over your baby bump.

*******************************************************

I hope this was okay!❤️

[pi-cat000]

BNHA: Kakashi dimension hops crossover (6)

Summary: Kakashi gets dumbed into the My Hero Academia universe through random plot devise.

Characters:  Kakashi Hatake

Fandoms: My Hero Academia and Naruto

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence/injury

START  / PREV / NEXT 

As predicted, the day following the seal’s application is miserable. His chest is tight with almost anxiety, pins and needles run up and down his arms making his skin itch, and he is increasingly lethargic. All symptoms of a chakra imbalance and to be expected when one’s normal chakra replacement rate was thrown out. The sensations would pass once his body adjusted as they had with his sharingan.

He is eating three square meals a day, doing the bare minimum when it came to exercise routines and avoiding excess chakra use. It had been literal years since he had had this much bed rest. If he were ever going to slap a chakra collecting seal on himself, this was a perfect time. Okay, so maybe he should have steadily increased the chakra drain over the course of a few weeks for a smoother adjustment period. Hindsight and all that.

What mattered was that he would be fine, and he just had to wait it out. Bright side? No one had commented on the seal yet. Oh, he has definitely noticed serval people throwing the odd confused frown at his shoulder, but that was as far as anyone had gone in acknowledging it. His oh so clever strategy of acting like nothing was wrong worked so much better when he wasn’t surrounded by other shinobi and medic-nin.

“Your blood pressure is still too high. Are you sure you haven’t been experiencing any additional fatigue or other symptoms? Is something about the hospital causing additional stress? If there is something wrong, we should work on strategies to fix the problem.”

Well… it worked on everyone who wasn’t Wada. The man was irritatingly persistent in his doctoring. Apparently, the pressure of adjusting to an increased chakra drain wasn’t doing his body any favours.

“Maybe it’s a part of my quirk. High regeneration. High blood pressure.” Kakashi shrugs loosely not bothering to look up from HEROES and HEROINES May Issue. Unlike his previous reading material, people gave him odd looks when they saw him reading these magazines which immediately upped their entertainment value 100-fold.

Wada undoes the compression sleeve he had been using to measure Kakashi’s blood pressure, lecturing as he goes, “From what I can tell your cells produce more energy-rich molecules, ATP, NADH, then is typical, increasing cellular functions. Where your cells are getting the energy to produce these molecules, I have no idea seeing as you eat about the same amount as any baseline human. What I can safely say is that it should not influence your blood pressure. If anything, your blood pressure should be a bit lower than average. Now don’t dodge the question.”

He pauses, waiting for Kakashi to cave and suddenly confess. Kakashi, an old hat at dodging medical questions, continues reading unperturbed.

“I’ve been at this for over 30 years. An attack like the one you suffered is understandably traumatic, not to mention the stress of severe amnesia. I’m sure, whatever is bothering you, I’ve heard it before.”

Kakashi very much doubts that. “I feel fine.”

Wada huffs, unconvinced, “Young men. You all think that admitting you have a problem is a sign of weakness. High blood pressure can damage your heart and lead to problems  later in life so finding the cause is important.” Good thing a shinobi life spans tended to max out around 30. The odds of him making it to an age where he’d have to worry about the long-term effects of anything were pretty low. He doesn’t voice this opinion, continuing to read.

Wada continues talking with greater gusto, “No matter, I’ll prescribe you something for stress hopefully that’ll help with your blood pressure. However, this is no replacement for healthy habits both physical and mental. You should consider professional therapy.”

Kakashi snorts. Yeah, that sounds about right.

“Oh, you think that’s funny do you,” Wada makes to grab HEROES and HEROIENS and he lets the doctor pull the magazine free from his hand. It gives him a good view of the man’s irate expression.

“No, of course not.” Kakashi attempts to placate and gets a light smack over the head with said magazine for his troubles.

“There is no shame in pursuing a healthy mind!”

“Weren’t we going to test my quirk today?” He complains to derail the current line of questioning.

“I have half a mind to put it off and have you rest another week,” is threatened before Wada’s stern expression relaxes, “Lucky for you, I’ve booked you into serval tests that can’t be rescheduled.”

Kakashi breaths out dramatically. He thinks Wada might have made a good medic-nin if he had lived in Konoha. Sure, he is a little too trusting, but he was also not above pestering his patients into taking better care of themselves. Sakura would approve.

The doctor, with the assistance of an attending nurse he hadn’t bothered to learn the name of, helps Kakashi out of his bed and into a wheelchair, ignoring his protests about his leg being all but healed.

“You’re to avoid putting weight on it until you start physical therapy,” Wada snaps at his continued complaints, “You’ll need to be careful, extended bed rest and surgery can leave your muscles weakened. Also, leave that magazine behind. You’re doing eye tests when do you think you’ll have time to read!”

Kakashi doesn’t push the matter further, resigning himself to being wheeled down the hospital halls like the invalid he was pretending to be. It is not like Wada knew about his frequent excursions to the roof or the fact that he has been running through strengthening exercises on his own time for several weeks now.  Best he keeps that information to himself.

Partway down the hall, he pulls out HEROES and HEROIENS from where he had slipped it into his shirt, enjoying Wada’s exasperated expression. Of course, he stops reading when the doctor threatens to start lecturing again. The man could definitely talk when given the chance.

Wada and the nurse take wheel him to a set of double-door elevators which take them down several floors below the ground level. The hallway they exit of a mirror of every other hospital hallway. Grey and white walls, pale blue lino floor and bright fluorescent overhead lights. The only difference is that this hallway is lined with heavy-looking metal doors. From snooping through patient files, he knows that all quirk tests are carried out in specially designated underground ‘safety rooms.’ That doesn't make him any more thrilled about being several stories underground. It cut down on his escape roots.

“These are some of the more secure recovery wards in the hospital,” Wada explains as their little group stops at a small reception desk where the doctor taps away at a computer screen, “they’re mostly for treating patients with unstable quirks.” Kakashi maintains a neutral expression, accepting the explanation.

Wada wheels him up to a steel door, swiping his ID card which also doubled as a key to many areas of the hospital. The heavy door is automated and slides open. A lot of the doors in the hospital operate this way and always made sneaking around slightly more troublesome.

Inside walls and floor are plain white and there is an odd number of tables and chairs pushed to one side out of the way. Everything stinks of disinfectant. On the far wall is a single solitary painting of a tree in a field, the only splash of colour in an otherwise depressingly sparse room. A poor attempt at living up the space. The opposite wall sports a rectangular, reflective surface which was probably some sort of observation booth. Well, if being underground hadn’t put him on edge, this obvious confinement room definitely did the job. Kakashi eyes the space. Worse comes to worst, he could use the kamui and remove the adjoining hallway wall then climb his way out through the elevator shaft. There are only two other people in the room with him and one woman at the reception desk, all were most likely unenhanced with quirks unsuited to combat, easily removed.  He doesn’t let his body language reflect his unease. He is just a little on edge because the new seal is messing with his body’s natural homeostasis. If this is a trap there would have been other signs of deception before now.

“Yes, I know it might seem like a whole lot of fuss just to run through a few flashcards,” Wada comments, oblivious to Kakashi’s poor mood. He waves to his assisting nurse who wheels over and lowers one of the metallic tables so Kakashi doesn’t have to move from his wheelchair. “But it’s a standard safety procedure when an unknown quirk is involved. Trust me, this is a lot easier than travelling to an external testing range.”

Wada stops to give Kakashi a once over, frowning, “How much do you know about your quirk sub-type?”

Kakashi shrugs, “Nothing much.”

“Ah,” The doctor’s frown grows, and he grimaces, “Of course you don’t.” A sigh.

“Typically, ocular quirks will act to enhanced sight in some way or improve base level memorisation and recall ability. It is also common to have a replicating function, allowing the user to produce some sort of copy of things they see. In rarer cases, ocular quirks result in precognitive abilities.” Wada explanation falters, “They can also have a line-of-sight emitter effect, such as laser vision, optical blasts, a few instances of mind control and other mental effects. These can also be incredibly dangerous if the user isn’t in control. There have even been instances where whole buildings have been levelled.”

“I see.”  He supposes Wada's irritation at this private 'quirk' testing made a bit more sense. A doctor faced with an unknown and possibly dangerous ability would be annoyed if said patient went about experimenting without taking safety precautions.

“I should have checked whether you knew the dangers instead of just assuming. Apologies. That is my own error.”

He peers at Kakashi, almost guilty now, “and you don’t have a phone either so there would have been no way for you to research quirks yourself.”

“Ah,” Kakashi rubs the back of his head not likening how torn up the other man seems to be seeing as Kakashi had ever been in any real danger. “Don’t worry about it,” he reassures.  

His reassurances land flat, the doctor still frowning, “I’ll see if I can get you access to the internet somehow.”

Privately, Kakashi adds 'research' to the list of functions ‘phones’ apparently provided and 'internet' to his growing list of terms to investigate.

Wada sighs again. “Regardless, let’s get these tests done first.” He places a thick folder labelled National Standard for Registration: Kit Type 3 alongside one of those portable keyboard-less computers the doctors tended to carry around.  “Hold on, been a while since I’ve done one of these. Need to find the rights files. Ah, here we go. First, these rooms are monitored, and all tests are recorded. The data collected is confidential, accessible only to the patient and physician unless doing so causes the patent harm. Information regarding quirk function and use is shared with the Registry Office. You have a right to stop testing at any point. You got that?”

Kakashi grunts, his already poor mood souring further. He is not sure he wants the hospital - or anyone - keeping records of anything sharingan related.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Wada continues unperturbed, a testament to his serval weeks of trying to doctor Kakashi, “remember to let me know if you’re experiencing any discomfort. Don’t want you busting anymore blood vessels.

Kakashi lets out a tired breath, “Sure.” The sooner they left this room the better.

“We’ll test memory and vision first to compare to your baseline, then we’ll run through the replication and precognitive tests just in case.”

The nurse, who had been on the opposite side of the room waves, “All ready over here.” There is now a large poster with letters of varying sizes hung on the wall. He recognises the chart from his previous eye tests.

“Okay, let’s start with just uncovering it. Make sure you’re looking away from me as a precaution.”

Kakashi resists rolling his non- sharingan eye at the obvious instruction, shifting his attention to the poster on the wall. He flips his padded eyepatch up with his index finger so it partially rests on his forehead. All the letters, no matter the size, immediately snap into sharp focus. Nothing spontaneously combusts under his gaze. When he glances at the painting of the tree, he can now see a lack of brush texture, suggesting that it wasn’t a painting but a print of some sort. With that useless information now forever etched into his memory, he turns back to examine at Wada.

The sharingan picks out all the wrinkles and pores lining the older face. It focuses in on minuscule muscle movements as the man’s expression shifts from professional and accommodating to curious. The doctor’s fingers twitch ever so slightly over his computer. Most likely an unconscious habit. The man’s breath is slightly uneven like his chest can’t smoothly expand, suggesting some sort of lung problem. A past smoking habit perhaps? Nothing threatening is revealed.

“Doctor.” Kakashi prompts when Wada spends a little too long staring back at him. The sharingun did have a weak hypnotic effect, encouraging extended eye contact to help catch targets in genjutsu. Kakashi rarely uncovered his eye in the presence of civilians so he doesn’t know if the effect is more pronounced or if Wada is just curious.

Wada blinks, “Well…I certainly see where the ‘wheel’ description comes from.” He spends a second more staring then turns to start writing notes and tapping away at his computer screen. “I wonder if those spinning tomoe are purely cosmetic or if they have some other function because they are certainly fascinating to look at. There is also faint bioluminescence to the eye which is a common feature of ocular quirks…”

Honestly, the blatant eye contact is weird. Even his closest allies tended to avoid looking at his sharingan out of habit - expect for Naruto who was an outlier in almost everything - for understandable reasons. He thinks the people here would also exercise caution if an ocular abilities included mind control or exploding a person through eye contact. But no, Wada just goes right ahead and stares. A few seconds later and the unnamed nurse is also looking curiously at his eye. … …

Aside from redoing a standard eye exam, Kakashi runs through a marathon of flashcards to test both his memory and then precognitive abilities. The tests are done with lights on then in the dark and Kakashi is given a perfect 20/20 and an enhancement score of ‘15 grades above average’ for both. There are also several pages worth of words and numbers in progressively complex arrangements to test his information retention. Of course, everything is easily remembered with the sharingun active.

“Well, it seems to give general across the board vision enhancement alongside perfect recall and retention,” Wada finally concludes as he records all Kakashi’s results, “Of course, we’ll have to re-test retention in a few days so see if the information degrades over an extended period and we don’t know whether your quirk effects your long distance eyesight, but, for now, this appears to be all. The link between your quirked eye and the regenerative side-effect is still unknown. Odd that we couldn’t trigger any ‘copy’ function considering the quirks name though  ‘copy’ could also be a reference to memorisation.  If any other features do reveal themselves make sure you alert a medical professional.”

… …

Kakashi despises the process of getting an MRI with a heated passion. He hates having to lie prone in a loud confined space. It is the height of discomfort, making him tense up and clench his jaw. It is only the fact that Kakashi had researched and mentally prepared himself for the experience that stops him from accidentally snapping someone’s neck.

“We’ll have the results back in a few days,” Wada informs once the trying ordeal is over with, “From there we’ll update the Registry so you’re properly in the system. Speaking of which, have you made any progress on remembering a surname? I need something for the forms.”

“Hatake,” he grunts, too irritated to bother evading - he just wants to return to his room and wait out the side effects of his seal in peace- the question like he had every other time the man asked, “I think I prefer Kakashi though.”

It wasn’t like the name meant anything here and, who knows, maybe someone would come looking for him. This way they would have a trail to follow.

NEXT

[teacup-set]

Giants

Summary: 'Thank you for the recipe', her note says, but what she really means is 'thank you for raising me, thank you for making me who I am.' She knows mama will know what she means, she always does. [SSS family]

Read on: AO3, FFN

x

The sun is low on the horizon and the sky looks like it's on fire. The contrast of the world has shifted, and the aged rust-orange of the hokage tower looks burning red like its early days. The villagers often joke that the sun burns brighter these days because there is a flame-fanning uchiwa in the hokage office, that the will-of-fire that was once a flickering flame is now a ferocious katon. 

In her office chamber, Sarada feels much more muted, heaving under the weight of the faith people put in her. This had always been her dream and she harbored no disillusion about how difficult it is to be hokage. And yet, she is crumbling. The kage summit that she is organizing looms on the horizon, and every half hour there seems to be a new logistical difficulty without fail. Just the administrative nightmare that is hosting the world's most powerful dignitaries in an event that is without a doubt a beacon for those with ill-intent has eaten up all her time. She hasn't even gotten to thinking about the delicate issues and negotiations she has to raise at the summit. She is overwhelmed, but people depend on her so she can't let it show. Part of her wants to run to her parents home, because there she is still a child, free from the weight of the world on her shoulders. There is no time for that though. Her parents, along with the Uzumakis, moved out from Konoha some years ago, choosing to spend their retirement away from the shinobi world in a rural part of Fire country. It would take too long to make the trip, and there is still much to do for the summit. 

Sarada eyes the phone on her desk. 'I could call, I suppose.'

Without thinking about it too much, she dials the number. By the second ring, she remembers to cough and clear her throat lest her voice gives away her frustration. By the fourth, her mother picks up. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi, mama!" says Sarada, forcing cheer into her voice. 

"Sarada! How are you sweetie?" Sakura chimes. Already, Sarada feels lighter. 

"I am good, mama. How are you and papa?" asks Sarada, resting her chin on her palm. 

"We are both well sweetheart, though you and the others should drop by once in a while," her mother's voice becomes fainter as she speaks, like she is turning away from the mouthpiece, "Otherwise your father and uncle Naruto will keep trying to fill the void by acting like children themselves." and Sarada imagines her mother is eyeing some mess they have made in the background. She laughs. 

"Okay, okay, I will try to make a trip soon." she concedes. The line is silent for a second. 

"Sarada, is everything okay?" Sakura asks, and immediately Sarada wants to kick herself for thinking she could ever fool her mother. Both her and her papa agree, they could give the whole world the slip, but mama knows them by heart. 

"Yeah, of course." Sarada attempts, and from the silence from the other end she knows she has failed. "It's nothing, mama. Just stressed. The hokage summit is next week and Konoha is hosting." she admits in defeat. 

"Oh darling, that's a lot of work. Are you holding up okay?" 

Sarada wants to refrain from worrying her mother, but it is a chance to finally vent out all that she has been holding in and she is verging on desperate so she bites. 

"I...don't know mama. There is a lot to do." she starts, "I am still trying to take care of all the security measures. There is tension between Kumo and Hoshi, and they will not allow the Raikage delegation to cross into the land of fire." 

"Iwa and Oto have also been bickering. I really hope they will behave at the summit, otherwise I don't know how I'll handle them." she sighs and continues as Sakura patiently listens, "Even beyond the kage summit there is more to do. There have been a few bad harvests near the south east border, and sending provisions from the center's stock takes too long. Most of it rots by the time it gets there. The Fire Daimyo asked the Daimyo of Tea country to help since they are closer, but they refuse. Apparently we have 'a history of not interfering in each other's affairs' and that's how they want to keep it. Can you believe that?" she huffs angrily. 

"Sarada, is this line secure?" Sakura asks, her voice level. 

"Uh, yeah. I am calling from my office." Sarada replies, taken aback by her mother's sudden question. 

"Okay." Sakura begins, "The daimyo is wrong. Fire country and Tea country don't interact because of Tea country's reluctance to interact with nations that have shinobi villages. But during the time Lord Second was Hokage, Tea was experiencing tensions with Sea Country. Something to do with ships from Sea Country intercepting the cargo from Tea, I think? Anyway, they had requested help from Fire country then." 

Sarada sits up straighter, listening attentively. 

"They requested the Leaf to assassinate one of the people involved. They happened to be a higher-up in Sea country's government, and if the responsible party was discovered it would have caused a scandal." Sakura explained, "An ANBU unit was dispatched to take care of it, without any official mission report or paper transaction to make sure it would not be traced. But just in case they were discovered, to ensure that the Leaf would not be held responsible as the perpetrator, the Second kept a signed declaration from the Tea Daimyo sealed away. You should be able to find it in Lord Second's section of the records room. Not only is it proof that Fire and Tea have been involved in each other's affairs, this is information that Tea would very much like to avoid from entering the public domain. It might help you make your case, though I can't imagine how wicked someone would have to be to refuse to feed the hungry." Sakura finishes, sounding angered. 

Sarada is stunned. After quickly jotting down a note to check the records room, she pauses. Then slowly realization dawns. To her, mama is mama. Mama who braids her hair, always overcooks the fish, and doesn't believe in separating laundry by colours. But mama is also Uchiha Sakura. She was trained by two hokage, and was also on the same team as one (-and a half). For the longest time, she was also the director of the hospital and one of Konoha's most prestigious diplomats. There is perhaps no one in the village who has been in and out of the hokage building more than mama has. Of course she would know. Mama always has the answers, after all. 

"I...thank you, mama." Sarada stumbles, still basking in the awe of her belated realization. 

"Shh, sweetheart, don't thank me." from behind her, Sarada hears movement in the background, and then her papa's voice- 

"Who is it?" Sasuke inquires, asking Sakura. 

"It's Sarada, my love." Sarada blushes slightly, still embarrassed by her parents' affections towards each other, as she listens to her mother catch her father up on their conversation. In the next instant, her papa is on the phone. 

"Sarada. There is an alternate route from Kumo to Konoha through a set of islands near Whirlpool. I am sending you a map, await my hawk." her father's steady, reassuring voice carries through the phone. 

Once again, Sarada has to reckon with who her parents really are. Her memories of her father revolve around eating breakfast in the early mornings, packing lunches for mama, and throwing Kunai in the afternoons. But her father has traveled the whole world, and not just this one. He has inherited knowledge from the founder of the shinobi world itself. There is so much in this world that only he knows. 

"I will, papa, thank you." Sarada says, in a daze. 

"Hn." her father replies, satisfied, and then her parents have swapped the phone again. 

"Sweetie, is there anything else we can do?" worry rings in her mother's voice. 

The laundry list of tasks she has to complete is still infinite, but suddenly Sarada's heart is inflated again. She is ready. 

"No, mama, I can handle the rest." she says with confidence. 

She hears the smile in her mama's voice. "Of course you can, love." 

"You're doing a much better job than the idiot." Her father mutters in the background. 

Sarada gazes at her reflection in the window of her office. Staring back at her are her father's eyes, and the purple diamond on her forehead passed down from her mother. Her eyes trail to the hokage regalia hanging next to the door, but instead of feeling daunted, she is reminded of her earliest memory of them. The same cloak and hat, hanging on the back of a dining chair in her childhood home, first when Lord Sixth would come over for dinner, and then Lord Seventh. The same cloak that would hang between her father's dark one and her mother's lab coat, the same place it still belongs. It dawns on her simply. She was born to giants. She was raised by giants. And she is a giant too. 

Her reverie is broken by her mother's voice carrying through the phone. 

"Sarada, have you eaten dinner?" 

Suddenly Sarada wants to burst out laughing. Only her mother could go from delicate, high-risk politics to dinner without a pause. 

"No mama, not yet." she answers, smiling. 

"Sarada!" her mother exclaims, and her father clucks his tongue in disapproval. 

"You must eat, Sarada." her father's stern voice reminds her, and Sarada feels her heart soar. Some things are still simple, and for that she is grateful. 

"Oh, Sarada! Your father and I tried a new silken tofu recipe! You will like it, I am sure. I will send it with your father's hawk!" her mother gushes, then turns to her father, "Darling, do you think we could send some of the cucumbers we harvested, too? They will pair well." 

Her father grunts in approval and already Sarada can hear him walking away, no doubt to ready his bird. 

"We won't keep you anymore sweetie, you have work to do. Just make sure you eat!" her mother chides. 

Sarada wants to tell her, 'You aren't keeping me from anything. I will make time for you always. I love you with all my heart.' Instead she says- 

"Okay, mama. I will see you both soon." because she will, and then she will tell them. 

"Alright then. Bye sweetheart." Sarada savors the cadence of her mother's voice and then the phone disconnects, leaving her in the silence of her office. 

Outside the sun has set, but Sarada's heart is ablaze anew.

x

The hokage summit is completed, treaties are negotiated, the famine is tackled, and just as it always has been, new problems swiftly replace the old ones. Sarada is unflinching, she knows she will solve them, just as she always has. 

She finishes tying an envelope to the messenger hawk she is sending her parents’ way. Inside is a photograph of the silken tofu she made, and a note. 

'Thank you for the recipe', it says, but what she really means is 'thank you for raising me, thank you for making me who I am.' She knows mama will know what she means, she always does.

Fin.

AN: Inspired by the poem “My mother texts me instructions to cook silken tofu” by Sue Zhao, and my general dislike of being grown up. 

[moonlit-mizukage]

Chapter thirteen: The truth 

Summary: Y/l/n Y/n, a third year at Sakura High School, is just a girl with a bad attitude towards anyone outside her small circle. When y/n’s younger sister starts first year, she gains a lot of attention. Unfortunately for everyone in school, the Y/l/n household has one rule, No dating till y/n does. Some people become just desperate enough to pay the leader of the “Monsters”, the trouble making group on campus, to date y/n. What will happen when she finds out? (All characters aged up to third year unless otherwise stated)

Tw: Swearing, Oikawa being an enormous piece of shit, Mentions of trouble swimming, a panic about the water, Atsumu also  a piece of shit, Evil actions, slapping

AN: Sorry this is a little shorter then normal. I also really made oikawa so evil omfg?!?!?!?

Taglist Open! Please send an ask or dm to be added! 

_______________________________________________________________

Third person POV 

Listen Mei. I think it’s time for a sister to sister talk.” 

“About Oikawa?” 

“Yes, I never told you this but I think it’s time you knew.” Y/n said. 

“Um okay… It’s weird you want to share with me for once.” Mei said. 

“I just think it’s important you know Mei.” Mei sat up on the bed and placed her phone down on the table. For Mei to have given her full attention was a surprise to y/n. She sat down beside Mei. “When I was back in first year of Highschool I used to hang out with Oikawa, Iwaizumi and Atsumu for a bit.” 

“No way! You were popular!?!?” Mei yelled excitedly. 

“Yes now please don’t interrupt me.” 

“Sorry but I just thought that was crazzzzy!” Y/n rolled her eyes at Mei.

“As I was saying, I hung out with them for about 6 months. I used to attend parties with them and get drunk all the time. After about a month of starting school though, I developed mutual feelings with someone. That someone just happens to be Oikawa.” She turned to look over at Mei who was staring with disbelief. “Go ahead and say it Mei.” 

“OMG OIKAWA!! I can’t believe you were that popular oh my gosh! What even happened between you two?” 

“Remember how I met Shirabu at the volleyball tournament I took you too in my first year of middle school?” 

“Who could forget honestly. He was exactly the same as he is now.” Mei replied with an annoyed tone.  

“Yeah he really is... Anyways, he transferred to Sakura high halfway through the first semester in first year and because we were already best friends I wanted to include him. We all hung out for sometime but Shirabu said he was starting to feel left out. I spoke to Oikawa about it and said Shirabu was lying because he had a crush on me and was trying to take me from him. I just let things go figuring they just didn’t like each other for some reason I would never understand. It was Shirabu’s first party at our school. I was late but I told Oikawa I couldn’t sneak out-”

“Wait Sneak out?!?!” Mei interrupted. 

“Yes, I would climb out the window, walk over to your window and climb down the tree outside it.” 

“Just to party? Damn you were so COOL!” Mei shouted once again.

“No and if you didn't interrupt me you would already know why I wasn't.” 

“Sorrrrrry Y/n.” 

“At the party when I got there they were playing around by the pool. They always had a tradition that the person who got the winning point for Volleyball got to choose one guy from the team to toss into the pool. Now I am still unsure to this day if Oikawa knew or not, but Shirabu couldn’t swim. He chose him for the pool victum” Y/n looked down at her hands, “I was stupid to believe that Shirabu could forgive Oikawa for it and that there wasn’t some kind of evil intent behind the incident. I don’t remember much other than I was screaming and Iwaizumi jumped in the pool to help him out. I went home with Shirabu after that. That’s not where it ended though. Oikawa and I dated for about two more months. I didn’t call it quits actually till I heard the Oikawa and Atsumu talking shit about Shirabu. The sad part was I knew all along but I didn’t want to see it. At first like I said earlier I didn’t really believe it. So it was that time I finally jumped in and Oikawa and I got into a huge fight in front of him.” 

“Wow…” 

“Yeah but during the fight Oikawa told me he loved me and I slapped him across the face and left. It was at that moment it really opened my eyes to see how he treated the people that he thought was below him. By ignoring his actions and even starting to act like that myself, putting others down for our gain and what not. I also see myself as a villain back then.” 

“So what was I supposed to get out of this story? That you’re a bitch cause like I already knew that.” 

“You’re fucking with me right?” Y/n asked, as she felt herself get angry. 

“No…? You said you were a bitch so?” 

“And I also told you how Oikawa is kinda a psychopath when it came to Shirabu?!?!?!” 

“Well i wouldn’t go that far. I know Shirabu and he's kinda a huge dick. Oikawa probably dumped you and Shirabu just convinced you of all this other shit. I know him better than you think and I like Oikawa a lot so I don’t care what kind of crazy stories you make up.” With that Mei stood up and left Y/n sitting on her bed angry. 

In Mei’s bedroom Mei was not seated on her bed with her door closed. She put her phone up to her ear.  

“I can’t believe she would make up all those lies about you like that. Whatever though cause I still like you don’t worry Oikawa.” She said. 

________________________________________________________________

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Taglist: @belongtothewcrld​ @elianetsantana @its-the-aerieljeane @london-quynh @vhskenma @denkithunder @swagdaddycam @ems1des @tendouispretty @senpaisbadass @elephantloser @smolbbgorl @mikeys-thighs @kuroolilchibichan @softesyoongi​ @ouijaeater15​ @xxsilverwingxx @prettyinblack231 @kookie-doughs  @mikesdeath @bruh-kill-me @skeet-skeet-double-fckn-yeet @d0llpie @0-hysteria-0 @katsumi-sumi @rintarawr​ @ sirachano0dles @satan-ruler-of-hells 

If your name is bold I can’t tag you. 

[airis-paris14]

Starlight Chapter 13

Summary: Amani is an orphaned heiress who's spent most of her life raising her younger sister. T'Challa is a widowed King and Father. Neither of them is expecting much from their night at the Lotus. But the coming months have many milestones in store for these young adults. Will becoming a family be one of them?

Warnings: N/A

Masterlist

2 months later

“Amani, I’m about to head out,” Amare called, grabbing her house keys off of the hook. “Okay, hold on, I'll be right back Baby.” T’Challa nodded into the phone and muted himself to speak to someone off screen. Amani hurried down the stairs and smiled at her little sister. “Okay, passport, keys, tickets, wallet, and medicine in carryon?”

“Yes mother,” Amare smirked.

“I’m just trying to keep you safe kid,” the older Okeke smiled and pulled her in for a hug. “You’re 18, not 21, so please, no sneaking off without telling Shuri’s guards where you all are going. Limit your alcohol intake, I know it’s legal over there but the last thing I need is a call from a German hospital saying you have alcohol poisoning.”

“I promise I will limit the drinking, and the sneaking out.”

“Good. Have fun, be safe. I love you.” Amani smiled and pulled her sister in for another hug. “Love you too sis. I’ll only be gone for a week.”

“I know, but you know I hate saying goodbye. You’re all I have left kid. But I want to let you live, so go before you miss your flight. Hug Shuri for me.

“I’ll call you when I land.” Amare bounded down the front steps and into her already packed car. Amani sighed watching her wave one last time before pulling off down the street. She waved at the patrol car as it drove by on its hourly surveillance drive by, before locking her door and heading up the stairs into her office. “And I’m back,” she plopped into her seat, reopening her MacBook.

“Personally I don’t think it’s fair that our sisters see each other more than we do,” the king teased. Amani rolled her eyes, “This is their first time seeing each other since we came home, it’s only been two months,” Amani laughed. “Yes, and after having you here for three months, I’ve decided that 61 days is too long to be out of your presence.”

“Well you know I’m working to get the venue started up, I just can’t travel as much as usual. You know I would be there if I could,” Her voice began to tremble.

“I know my love,” T’Challa reassured, “I am just teasing,” he frowned, noticing her eyes tearing up. “I know but lately I’ve just been feeling like such a bad girlfriend,” she began to sob and the king panicked. “Hey no, you’re perfect. Nothing's wrong. It’s on both of us and I was gonna tell you that I was planning to surprise you with a visit.”

“Really?” Amani sniffled.

“Yes so please stop crying entle.” The heiress grabbed a tissue from the box she had begun to keep on her desk after noticing that even the little things made her tear up. “I’m sorry. I ruined the surprise again,” she chuckled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “It is fine, now you have something to look forward to. You hate them anyway,” the king teased.

“Are you sure you’re alright though my love? You have been extra-sensitive lately.”

“In more ways than one,” the heiress murmured. “Have you been to the new doctor, did she run the tests the doctor here ordered?” The king grabbed a stack of papers and began signing them. “Yep,” Amani read over and responded to an email her contractor sent before turning her attention back to T’Challa. “I have an appointment with her tomorrow. She and Dr. Zabulie both sounded very excited so I’m hoping it's a positive result.”

The king smiled at the news, “Well then I’ll be expecting a full report as soon as you know.”

“Of course. I’ll call your mother as well, I wouldn’t even be in this position if you all hadn’t encouraged me to go see another doctor.”

“We both just want what is best for you,” the king smiled, “but unfortunately I have a meeting to attend to my love. I will call you later tonight, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll see you later.” She blew a kiss through the phone before the king had to hang up. After responding to more emails, she scheduled some property manager interviews for later in the week and a building walk through. Her phone caught her attention as it began to ring, “Hello?” She answered. “Hey, Kura and I finished those designs for different set ups and interiors, are you free to go over them?”

“Yeah,” Amani smiled. While in Wakanda she and her friends decided to go into the event business together. They’d bought an old hotel downtown in Atlanta and decided to turn it into a sleepover venue. With suites and rooms designed for different party sizes and moveable features to make the room age appropriate. A spa, boutique, and restaurant, would be located on the grounds as well. There was also a separate grand ballroom and garden that allowed them to market the place as an all in one wedding venue. They’d started work while in Wakanda and now two months later they were weeks away from opening the ballroom, gardens, and other non overnight amenities for event bookings. They would use the money from the rentals to help recover the costs of renovating the hotel rooms.

“Bet. We’ll be over in 30. Sakura has to pick up the pizza first.”

“Cool, don’t forget extra garlic butter sauce. Imma hop in the shower. Y’all can just use your keys to let yourselves in.”

After hanging up the phone Amani hopped in the shower and let the water soothe her muscles. She’d been working so hard to make sure everything came together and it finally was. She was more in love with T’Challa each day, she was starting a business with her friends, and Darius had been spotted in New York living with some family he had there. She still had nightly surveillance, but knowing that he’d move out of the state definitely calmed her nerves.

“Madiyson?” The heiress called as the sound of the front door caught her attention. When she didn’t receive a response she shrugged and figured she had her beats on. She quickly motioned with her coconut oil,slipped into some sweatpants, and pulled a sports bra over her head before a voice sent a chill down her spine. “You’ve been holding out on me Amani.”

Darius got up from his seat behind her on the bed and revealed the kitchen knife he was holding. “If I had known you could look like that, I would’ve made you work out more.”

“How the hell did you get in my house?”

“No Thank you? Darius frowned.

“What do I have to thank you for?”

“Giving you a second chance,” Darius smirked before lunging at the Okeke heiress. Amani, dodged his lunge as he ran into the dresser she was standing in front of. “ A second chance for what you bastard!” The heiress resisted the urge to search for her phone, she knew Darius, he watched her eyes always to anticipate her next move. “You ruined my life. You were supposed to be my wife, look pretty, give me kids. Instead your ass got me locked up for damn near life. Now my dad is all on my ass because he had to call in a favor with the DA and the governor in one sitting-”

“Well maybe your ass should’ve just stayed in jail then!” Amani ducked, expecting the lamp on the nightstand to fly towards her head. She took the moment she dodged the light fixture to locate her phone. It was too far and she knew that she’d never be able to reach it before Darius finished his spiel. She’d have to leave her friends a clue that something had gone wrong.

“Now,” Darius eyed Amani as she backed up against the wall, “as I was saying. Everyone is counting on me to not fuck up! Which means I need to get my old life back, starting with you Ms. Okeke, now heiress of the Okeke Industries Tech Conglomerate.”

“No one will ever believe that we are a happy couple once again Darius, they found me, clinging to life, hypothermic, and bleeding because you literally beat our child out of me. It was on the five o'clock news for weeks straight.” Amani risked eyeing her keys once more, hoping that the plan she was hatching would work.

“What better way to show them that I am a changed man, than by having you forgive me. A redeemed love, a true love,” Darius stepped up to Amani and caressed her cheeks and lips. The woman felt like crawling out of her skin but she held it together. “Why don’t you just find another woman?” Not that Amani wished Darius on any other woman, she’d prefer he’d be locked up in a cell, but she needed to get him to back up. “Does it really matter? I want you, and I’ve already invested a lot in you Amani. You got a little break to have fun and spend time with other men, but you are mine. You always were and you always will be, it’s time I got a return on my investment. “ Darius took a seat on Amani’s bed and she silently rejoiced.

“Okay, then what’s your plan?”

“You don’t need to know all of that. Just know that I’m not leaving you behind Amani.” Darius pointed the knife and Amani nodded, “I’m just gonna grab my keys,” she gestured. “If I go missing, the police will look at all of your father’s and friend’s properties, no one will think I was stupid enought to take you to one of our vacation homes.” At least the waitress hoped this wasn’t the stupidest idea she’d ever had.

“Nah, cause I’m sure your friends and man know all about those places. Not to mention your little sister.”

“Amare is out of the country at a science conference, won’t be home for two weeks, you’ll have time to move me before she can get back. As for the others, they don’t even know we own vacation properties.” Amani scoured through her keys and grabbed the one she knew her sister would recognize as missing first. “Here, we can go to the chateau in the mountains in North Carolina. It’s secluded. No one for miles around.”

Darius stood up, “Nah, there’s a reason you’re helping me. What is it?”

“You’re never gonna leave me alone otherwise. I don’t wanna die, and this is most likely the last time I’ll ever get a decision about something that happens to me. Think of it as my final words.” As soon as the excuse left her mouth Amani felt her mouth go dry and heavy, for some reason, it did feel like she’d sealed her own fate.

“Amani!” Madiyson called as she entered the apartment. Sakura followed in hot on her heels to place the heavy pizzas in the kitchen. “I still don’t know why you ordered four pizzas for 3 people,” Madiyson laughed, dropping all of her interior design sketches and renderings on the table. “As much of a perfectionist each of us is… We're gonna be here all night and y’all are gonna be glad I bought enough pizza.”

“Well if AMANI would BRING. HER. ASS. DOWN. THE. STAIRS we could get started and be done at a godly hour.” Madison yelled up the stairs into the continued silence. “You told her we were coming, right?”Sakura joined her friend at the base of Amani’s stairs and frowned. “Yeah, she said just let ourselves in.”

“Maybe she’s taking a nap, she’s been doing that more often than usual.”

“Oh god, if she’s taking a nap then she’ll be dead to the world right now. You wanna wake her up while I set up?” Madiyson shook her head and walked back over to the couch in the living room. “Sure, just throw me into the lion’s den. You know she hates being woken up by anyone but Amare and Ada.” Sakura whined. “You’ll be fine, she would never hate you. Just make it seem like she woke herself up. Throw a pillow or something.” Madiyson shrugged and opened her laptop.

“Always the sacrifice, never the beneficiary,” Sakura mumbled as she jogged up the stairs into Amani’s room. “Mani,” the afro-asian woman sang as she burst into the room, only to be greeted by a perfectly made bed. “Amani?'' She tried to calm her heartbeat as she checked her friend’s closet and bathroom. “Okay focus, details details,” Sakura chanted to herself. “7:47, no phone in the room, nothing messed up, somebody sat on the bed,” the waitress took note of the room as she backed her way out, down the stairs, and towards the garage. “Hey, did you- what’s wrong,” Madiyson frowned as her best friend opened the garage door and looked out. “Did she say she was gonna leave?” Sakura ignored Madiyson’s original question, feeling her stomach drop at the presence of Amani’s car, and the empty house. “No, she said she was gonna take a shower-”

“Madiyson, She’s not here.”

“Look, I already told you what happened. Madiyson called Amani at 6:30, she picked me up, we picked up the pizzas, let ourselves in, but she wasn’t here when i went to check on her. I went into the room at 7:47. The shower had been turned on and the room was steamy, and someone had sat on her bed but Amani hates that unless she’s about to go to sleep. Except she isn’t in her room sleeping!”

“Why are you all not taking this seriously! Her abusive ex is a known kidnapping threat. For God’s sake she’s had a 24/7 patrol for months because there was fear he would try to retaliate! Now that she’s missing, y’all aren’t doing a damn thing.” Madiyson butted in frustrated at the officers staring at them like they were aliens from outer space.

“Ma’am, we are just trying to get all the facts first-”

I’ve given them to you three times, if you can’t comprehend then we’ve got a bigger problem!” Sakura fumed and the officers stood. “We’ll call headquarters and see what we can do. Technically it has to be 48 hours before we can report and adult as missing-”

“Just get out please,” Madiyson sighed. She held open the door for the officers who hesitated, their feathers obviously ruffled.

“I’ll try calling Amare again.” Sakura stood and walked out after the officers left. Madiyson locked the door and stared up at the clock, realizing she should probably call T’Challa.

“Hello?” Madiyson breathed deeply as the call finally connected to the king, “T, she’s gone,” the woman’s voice warbled but her words shook the king all the same. “What do you mean she is gone?” He stood, immediately stumbling to slip on some shoes and race through the halls to his mother’s room. “Sakura and I came for a meeting, and she wasn’t here. Her car is here but she isn't and she assured us she’d be here taking a shower. Someone else was here because someone was sitting on her bed, at the bottom. You know she hates people ruffling her sheets.”

“Have you talked to Amare? Are you sure she didn’t take her to the airport?”

“We’ve been trying to reach her but she's still on the plane. She would have been back by now if she just went to the airport. She knew we were coming.” Madiyson broke, sobbing into the phone.

T’Challa’s heart dropped, his mind racing back to how he’d begged his lover not to go back until the rumors that her abuser had officially moved were confirmed. Now she was gone and the king felt he had failed to protect her. “Madiyson, Madiyson, I need you to breathe and keep breathing. Did you call the police?”

“Yes, but-“ Madiyson stumbled trying to regain her composure, “they said since it hasn’t been 48 hours it’s not technically a missing persons case.”

The king felt anger rush through his veins, “So they aren’t doing anything?”

“Not really,” Madiyson moved to grab tissue from Amani’s bathroom. “Have her call the detectives over these two imbeciles. She was on 24 hour surveillance due to risk of revenge from her abuser. Them sitting around doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know, I know, I’m heading downstairs right now-” Madison paused as she noticed Amani’s keys on her vanity. “Wait, one of her keys-” Madison trailed off flipping through the keys. “One of her keys is what?” T’Challa knocked on his mother’s door. “It’s missing. When her parents died, she kept keys to all of their properties. With them all labeled with numbers but I don’t know which one is which. Just number three is missing,” Madison ran a hand over her braids and huffed. T’Challa banged on his mother’s door again before taking a step back and pacing the hall. “Okay, You and Sakura just stay there, keep trying to reach Amare. I’m on my way and I’ll try to reach Shuri. See if you can figure out what key is missing.”

“Okay, call us when you land.”

T’Challa hung up the phone, “Umama!” He banged on the door before Ramonda yanked it open. “T’Challa, what in Bast’s name-”

“It’s Amani, she’s missing. We have to go now, can you try to reach Shuri? Her friends think they have a lead but we need to reach Amare.”

“How long has she been missing?” The queen mother rushed back in her room and started to get dressed and pack a bag. “We don’t know, I just got off the phone with Madiyson. They went to the house and she was missing.”

“Did they call the police?”

“They say they can’t report her absence until 48 hours has passed,” T’Challa opened his beads and messaged Okoye. I need you, Ayo, a plane, and five of your best warriors. Meet me on the tarmac in 30.”

“When do we leave?”

“In 30 minutes, I have to pack a bag. Ayo and Okoye will meet us at the tarmac with some back up, can you please try to reach Shuri while I get ready?”

“Yes, I will try calling her.”

The king nodded and turned to rush back to his room. “T’Challa,” Ramonda called out,”We will find her. She will be alright.” He offered his mother a sad smile before continuing down the hall.

“It’s the North Carolina key?”

“Yes. Number 3 it's her favorite number for her favorite house.” Amare insisted as Sakura flipped through the keys again.

“Do you know the address?” Madison interrupted.upiui

“Uh, number 3 Lodge Street Asheville, North Carolina.”

“And you’re sure that is the key that is missing?” T’Challa interrupted Madiyson and Amare. The teen looked at the king through the camera, the lights of the quinjet humming behind her as Shuri watched on. “Yes, I’m positive. Amani is heading to the North Carolina house.”

The king hit the table and turned to his guard, “We are heading to North Carolina. Now.”

“We’ll meet you there-”

“No,” T’Challa and his mother answered at the same time.``You two stay exactly where you are,'' Ramonda demanded. “All due respect, I am not staying over here in Germany when my sister has been kidnapped by her abuser!” Amare rebutted. “Yes, but for all we know he has men looking for you too. As well as Madiyson and Sakura. So until then, at least we know where you are. We are sending Dora Milaje to your hotel.” T’Challa finalized.

“No, I am not standing back when my sister is in danger. I wasn’t there the first time she was saved and opened her eyes, I want to be there this time.” Amare demanded while she teared up and T’Challa sighed. He walked around the desk to look at Okoye and his mother. “You all can head back to Wakanda, once the extra Dora arrive. Once we have her, we’ll bring her back to Shuri’s lab, there you guys can see her.” The king looked at everyone in the room, “Besides, I don’t think it is safe for any of you to be in the US alone right now.”

“So what are you saying?” Sakura sat up from her place on the couch. T’Challa nodded at the general of the Dora Milaje. Okoye tapped her staff and escorted the rest of the warriors out of the home. Once the door had shut the room turned to face T’Challa again. “I have been thinking, especially in light of what has happened to Amani, that you all should move to Wakanda. Stay in the palace of course. I know you two would have to travel for business and Amare we’d have to figure out your schooling, but it is obvious that this government has no vestment in keeping you all safe. I can do something about it and I will, if you all will let me.”

“I don’t know T-” Madiyson started.

“I had been thinking about transferring to study with Shuri, but I don’t know how Amani would take it.” Amare added. “She’s not just gonna give up her independence. She just got it back from Darius,” Sakura added. “I know but it is not safe here, at least for now. As well connected as that fugitive is, who knows what will happen to you all if he goes back to jail. I let Amani convince me she would be safe, and now two months later we are searching for her praying to Bast that she isn’t dead.”

“T’Challa this is not your fault,” Sakura interjected. “I know, but if I can keep you all safe, I have a responsibility to do so. You will have free will and autonomy, but at least inside Wakanda’s borders, I can guarantee your safety.

“I think this is a lovely conversation, but might I remind you all that this is a time sensitive case. Let’s table this discussion until we all make it back to Wakanda” Shuri interrupted the discussion that seemed to be heading towards an endless round table. “Shuri is right, time is of the essence.” Ramonda spoke standing, “everyone comes back to wakanda for the time being. Once we rescue Amani, we send our war dogs to clear any suspicions and make sure it is safe for you all to return. Then we make a decision. Until then-“

“We focus on the task at hand.” Madiyson finished and Ramonda agreed. “Shuri and Amare head back home once the Dora arrive. When we have Amani we’ll let you know.”

“Keep my sister safe T’Challa,” Amare asserted before hanging up. “She’s just nervous,” Sakura reassured. “We are all glad we have someone here to help us this time. But we should get on the road. Darius works fast.” The Afro-Asian waitress added solemnly. The king nodded, “Phambile,” he called and the guards opened the doors escorting everyone to the cars waiting to race to the airport.”

Fourteen Hours Ago

“Amani.” The heiress fumbled to wrap the stick back it s package and hide it on the sink before running out of her bathroom. “Hey,” she offered her younger sister a smile but only received a confused face in return. “Hey, you’re up early, I thought you’d be sleep,” Amare took a seat in one of the overstuffed arm chairs in her sisters bedroom. “I wasn’t feeling well. I got up to take some medicine no biggie,”Amani shrugged. “You go to the doctor again soon right? You should have her check it out.”

“She’s an OBGYN, but I’ll see what she might be able to recommend.”

“Cool, well I’d been thinking-“

“Oh that’s never good,” the heiress laughed as her sister shot daggers her way. “As I was saying. I’ve been thinking about transferring to study in Wakanda with Shuri. It’d make it easier for you to come see Tchalla and I could get accustomed to the culture before we move there-“

“Hey hey, who said we we’re moving to Wakanda?”

“Amani. I’m not dumb or a little girl anymore. I know how marriages and relationships work. I know you live tchalla. I know he loves you. And I know how monarchies work. I also know that T’Challa has asked you to move in or visit more often and that I’m probably the reason you’re hesitant about doing either.”

“You’re right, but I didn’t say anything cause I don’t want you thinking you have to move because of me and T’Challa. I want you to follow your dreams, and dtudying at MIT was one of those dreams.”

“And dreams change, Amare reminded. I used to any to be a ballerina, astronaut, actress, and hear I am studying at MIT. And now, I know that the university of Wakanda can offer me so much more. Plus I’ll get to spend more time with my best friend and take advantage of her lab. It’s a win win!” The young genius insisted. Amani sighed and settled on the chair next to her.

“How about we finish out this fall semester and pick up the conversation over Christmas break. I just don’t want you to regret anything.” The older sister explained.

“That’s fair.” Amare nodded and stood. “Back to you though, are you sure you’re feeling well enough for me to leave?”

“Now you sound like the older sister. I’ll be fine kid, you go have fun at your conference thing in Germany. Have you finished packing?”

“Nope, I wanted to get and early start at the stores so I can pack before my flight.”

“Okay, I’m headed back to sleep. But don’t crash the car and fill up the tank before you come back please.”

“I always do,” Amare smiled before kissing her sister's cheek and slipping out of the room. Once Amani heard the front door shut. She locked herself in the bathroom and unwrapped the third and final test. She sat them all in a row before flopping down on the toilet.

“Shit.”

Taglist: @almostpurelysmut @blackbypurpose @tchoking @sisterwifeudaku @wikiwakanda @royallyprincesslilly @90sinspiredgirl @thedelightfulone @autumn242 @purple-apricots @kumkaniudaku @queertrex @kaciidubs @halfrican-heat @skysynclair19 @dramaqueenamby @leahnicole1219 @kreolemami @mzbritt @derangedcupcake @chaneajoyyy @lalapalooza718 @ororowrites @leahnicole1219 @sarcastic-sunshines @sarahboseman @faatassbitch @lady-love-and-glitter-roses @cxnismajcr @tchallasbabymama

[aprito]

hello <3 since i got these asks at the same time i decided to combine my thoughts on them in this post. yet another annoying sjw essay from yours truly on this blog 

before i get into these i think i need to preface why im like. i guess overly hyperfocused on a certain unproblematic base (same age au / platonic canon) for them and avoid the ped0philic content like the plague lol

tw for pedophilia ment, rape ment if that makes you squicky. ALSO THIS IS LONG AND RAMBLY

as i’ve mentioned a couple times already, ive been into the ship since i was 12, back when it was very very common to not only post untagged (nsfw) canonverse content of the two in writing and in drawing but also non con and the like, so you can imagine how bad my first impression online was. thinking back on it ...as a child i found it disturbing but didnt really register how problematic it really was?? (i know, but i also lived in the middle of nowhere and had no one explain this to me) 

skip to 2014 aka me coming back to naruto at 17ish and i had kinda become hyper aware of the fact that there was an increasing amount of people online who had come forward with explaining how fictional problematic content, mostly pedophilia, had been used to groom them into starting relationships with adullts. it was also a time where a lot of people didnt believe these victims, not registering how common it was for minors to be online friends with adults who had no boundaries and no qualms exposing them such content. not gonna get into my personal life here but i was lucky to not having gone through this myself. like... it kinda was my first time truly realising how fiction can EASILY be used to manipulate others irl (and yes i will not argue this, if you dont think fictional media can form and manipulate people’s opinions on attitudes, countries, cultures and virtues, pick up a book about the effects of propaganda media at least once please) 

i, being young, still liking the dynamic but not really the romance, would point this out here and there in the fandom and get into fights with grown adults in their mid 20s who assumed i automatically hated the ship(s) and tried to restrict their freedom of speech or whatever, heard everything from the “age of consent doesnt exist in naruto” to the “sasori looks like a child what does it matter” despite people clearly playing on him being older and experienced. it made me so upset that people were just consuming all this content uncritically and exposing children to it tbh?? not really just sos but a lot of minor/adult ships in naruto in general. and thats where i sat down and thought, i do not want to be a grown adult talking down to children that point out how unsafe the fandom is. theyre absolutely right in drawing these boundaries and calling out adults who defend the uncritical consumption and creation of this content. i do not want to consume or create content that predators could use to groom minors, and i absolutely do want to let younger people in fandom know that i am respecting their comfort zones and want them to have a safe and fun experience. after all, naruto is not an adult show and i think a lot of people forget that!!!! i am not perfect in that regard but its something that i, at the age of 23, am very passionate about and strive towards to.

and i guess thats where same age au was born for me and i have been sticking to it ever since. 

so finally we can move to the first question 

aside from the fact that we both dont like canon sos, i dont think it would work out even if i wasnt prejudiced to it anyways. in all honesty, 35 year old canon sasori is not a redeemable character to me, given the fact that he’s easily amongst the cruelest villains in naruto (torturing and killing and taxiderming people for his own fun personal gain, never for a goal that served anyone but himself. how do you redeem having over 300 corpses in your backpack that you felt absolutely no remorse for killing). sasori was legit one of the only cruel villains that didnt had someone else pull the strings, which sends a clear message on kishi’s part, who absolutely loves to redeem villains LOL.

being that old, he obviously had already been very manifested in what he believed in, even if it was shakey, to the point where the first crack in that world view (sakura and chiyo protecting each other) immediately had him give up on his life all together. that, in my opinion, is not a man who’s going to know what healthy relationships would look like, regardless of it being romantic or not. 35 year old sasori to me has the same appeal as an expired can of tuna and he’s probably very happy 6 feet under. he’s supposed to be a failed gaara in that sense that he had no one to look out for him and therefore was never going to experience anything but a bad ending in life. its fine that hes dead honestly, it wraps up his short character development the best IMO.

adding to that, seriously, sakura was obviously interested in knowing why he was that way, and called him out for being seriously fucked in the head, but it’s weird to me that people assume she had any interest in actively rehabilitating him, let alone starting a serious romantic relationship with him. sakura who’s not only very, uhm, immature and straight forward when it comes to her romantic viewpoints also, as a big bootlicker, wouldnt soil her standing in the village by starting anything with a disgraced and far too gone criminal like sasori. shipping that version of sasori with sakura intimately is still going to set her up for a huge power imbalance that would be difficult to handle imo, even if she was the one in the fight ultimately exerting her power over him. i would still look at it and think damn she deserves better than having to play therapist for man like that lol.

additionally, even if you ignored all of this, you cant really ignore that sasori had already known her as a child, and that had been his first and most impactful impression of her. i dont think that sasori would look at 35 year old sakura and see her as a grown woman and not the little green girl she was in the fight. plus, you easily fall into predatory comparison territory between the “childish” and “womanly” and i have seen way too often in fic just being boiled down to her now being fuckable. a lot of of ships do this and i would just like to remind yall thats it not normal for adults to want to start relationships with children they have seen grown up or known as a child when they themselves were fully grown adults. therefore, maybe if sakura hadnt met sasori before it would be less of a problem? but that also obviously defeats the point of the dynamic and the reason he died in the first place. so yeah, it sounds kind of doomed especially if you were to make it romantic. 

WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE SECOND QUESTION

let me preface this that im not fundamentally against age gaps, even if im not super interested in it. after all, colorblind had a 5 yr age gap (with sakura being 21), even if, say, i wrote similar fics today i probably would make it smaller lol. i think it can be handled well if both parties have enough life experience to deal with it, and the author is cautious of where the age gap starts, i think a 10+ year age gap would be fine in a scenario where the younger party (i guess sakura) was at least 25-27ish, meaning she has completed most of her most formative life stages and probably had been in relationships before, meaning she would be able to handle it without having to fear a huge power imbalance. the older the younger party is the less the age gap is going to matter tbh .TsukiHoshino and AngelOfDeath10 both handle age gaps in their fics really well imo, so i do not mind reading about them.

unfortunately, a lot of people in this fandom think making sakura barely "”””legal””””” (18, not even 20 which is hilarious to me because the source material is obviously japanese) because they both cannot stand her being past her “prime years” of being young fertile and fuckable to much older men as well as thinking a 20 year old is automatically old enough to handle that type of relationship. ive seen a lot of unironic takes that believe it will absolve them of callout posts if they throw around age of consent and “shes 18 now suckers!!!” enough lmfao. absolutely hilarious. aging a minor up without aging the adult down seriously reeks of predatory “cant wait until youre 18″ narratives and thats why i find it similarly disturbing as straight up pedo shipping.

ultimately, sasosaku is and will always be a inherently problematic ship in canon, which is why i think it should always be handled a little more responsibly in fandom spaces, ignoring or outright excusing the main problem factor, which is sasori, isnt going to convince anyone that the dynamic in itself is well written and interesting enough to explore in aus, like giving sasori the redemption most of us wanted him to have by aging him down to a point in time where he was still realistically going to allow being positively influenced, similar to gaara. 

so really, what i think is well handled age gap and how most people handle age gap in the naruto fandom are two different worlds at times lol 

tl;dr

canon shippers have never been anything but gross when i was younger and i didnt wanna be like that, even if youre ���smart”enough to differenate, actual creeps dont really care and might use your content to blur the lines, sasori isnt rly redeemable so romantic canonverse realistically wouldnt make much sense and is still iffy, age gaps are fine if they are handled well, but given that the dynamic doesnt really need the age gap to still work im not that invested on making that an essential part of my shipping experience.  

thank you for reading and hope this makes sense!

[raendown]

Pairing: KakashiSakuraGenma Word count: 3156 Soulmate au: The one where the first time your soulmate touches your skin it leaves a permanent mark

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header! 

Chapter 222

He met Kakashi first. Well, that was kind of obvious. Genma met the last of the once proud Hatake line when they were both in the academy, not technically age mates although they attended all of the same classes. Back then Kakashi hadn’t covered so much of his body at all times but he’d still carried with him the sort of air that made others stay away, the air of one who stood above the rest even if he was good enough not to rub that in any of their faces. Genma watched Kakashi from afar because he was talented and interesting but never made much of an effort to actually get to know him. They ran in different groups of friends and there only ever seemed to be two or three people Kakashi deigned to give his attention to. No point in trying to make friends with someone who didn’t want any. 

It wasn’t until they were both nearing the end of their teenage years and Kakashi had been broken in so many ways it hurt just to look at him that Genma realized they had never touched before. He realized only because, well, because they touched. For the very first time. And when he pulled his hand away from where he’d clapped it down on to Kakashi’s shoulder with a great deal of frustrated exasperation the imprint of his hand stayed behind. Some of it, at least.

“Just leave it be, Genma,” Kakashi was saying. “I’m paying my respects. The dead don’t care about rain so I don’t see why I should. Look, if you’re worried about me being late for the mission I’ll catch up, okay?”

“Kakashi…”

“Go on ahead without me.”

“No, shut up for a damn second!” Blinking several times in rapid succession did nothing to clear the mark from his view. Half a handprint. He’d never studied his own fingerprints very closely but he knew that mark hadn’t been there a second ago so it couldn’t really be anyone else’s. What he did know for sure was that he definitely had a whole hand on that arm the last time he’d checked. 

Kakashi only had one eyebrow visible at the best of times and when he turned away from the monument it was lifted in question, his uncovered eye dark with the shadows he’d been carrying with him since Obito’s death. 

“Alright, I’ll shut up then,” he said. Amazingly his words came out with just the slightest undertone of humor rather than insult. If Genma’s brain weren’t currently exploding he might have appreciated that a bit more. 

“Look at your shoulder. And don’t you dare try to run!”

So Kakashi looked. By some miracle he didn’t even try to flee, although that might have had something to do with the way his knees wavered and folded underneath him. When he lifted a hand to trace the shape of one on his shoulder his cheeks danced through several different colors that Genma wished he knew how to properly interpret. Trying to figure out what was going on in this guy’s brain had always been more guessing game than exact science. 

“Half?” Kakashi whispered eventually. “What...does that mean?” 

“Oh no you don’t, I know exactly where your head is going, don’t even try to say you must be broken or unwanted or any of that! We’re just...probably waiting on another, you know?” Genma licked his lips nervously, passing the senbon in his mouth from side to side. 

“Another!?” 

“Well yeah. You know, like how Raidou’s got two mums and a dad? Or how Shizune’s got two mums and two dads? We just got to find our other one probably.” 

Kakashi chewed that over for several minutes. While he thought Genma did his best to be subtle about inching closer. He’d been excited about finding his soulmate since he was old enough to know what they were but he knew there were less and less people like him every generation, shinobi more and more frequently taught from a young age not to look forward to something that could end up being used against them. Some people even hoped they never found their match to avoid the chance of testing their own loyalties. Privately Genma had always questioned any loyalty that didn’t leave room for questions. 

Slowly the minutes passed as his shuffling took him closer and closer. They really were supposed to be leaving on a mission, were supposed to have left almost a half hour ago, but it wasn’t like the man they were being sent after would die any different if they arrived at night rather than midafternoon. Well, their pay might be cut some if they didn’t make it look quite like the accident they were contracted for but that wasn’t the end of the world. This was more important. If he used his best puppy eyes the Sandaime might not even punish them. 

Eventually Kakashi lifted his head and took a deep breath, startling to see that Genma was so much closer but very tellingly not protesting. When he spoke every word carried the faintest tremble. 

“I get...two?” he murmured. “Two people who want me?”

“Oh is that- that’s what you were thinking about? God damn it, Hatake!” With a roll of his eyes Genma flopped down on to the ground and threw both arms around Kakashi’s shoulders, more than aware that he was risking a knife between the ribs but also more than willing to take that chance. “We’re your soulmates. We wouldn’t be matched if we weren’t what you needed, you know? I want you, let's be clear on that, and I’m sure they’ll want you too.” 

“Not dumb. I’m a genius.” 

When their eyes met Genma was cheered to see that spark of humor had returned. His first soulmate had a lot of issues but that was fine, they could work on those together. They’d be fine until the day they could finally be whole. 

It took a while. Quite a few years. More than a decade, actually, but Genma would be happy to tell anyone that neither of them had really minded the wait all that much. They had each other through it all and despite the idiot’s protests they spent most of them working Kakashi through the worst of his abandonment issues until he could be called something at least adjacent to mentally stable. In that time they both did their rounds in ANBU and left the organization to seek healthier ways to serve their village. Where Genma chose to fall back in to the regular mission roster Kakashi found himself roped in to taking on a team of genin, something neither of them thought was a really good idea but neither could see a way to get around. 

The kids were, collectively, almost as messed up as their sensei had been. Out of the three the most normal was a little pink bubblegum girl named Sakura who spent most of her time swooning over the last of the Uchiha line. Kakashi did what he could to avoid contact with them just as he did for most people, a habit that Genma found entirely exasperating. 

“How are we meant to fill out the rest of our marks if you won’t touch people?” he’d asked once. 

“Maa,” Kakashi had waved him off. “They can touch you.” 

Genma had rolled his eyes and very carefully not traced the colors filling half of his right palm. 

Leaving the village periodically had been a part of life since he first graduated the academy but knowing that he was leaving Kakashi behind, trapped inside those massive walls until he felt that his new team might be able to survive the world beyond them, that was new. Mostly it was a new amusement. Genma made sure to bring home as many tales of the outside world as he could, playing them up for all the amusement he could squeeze out of watching Kakashi rock between wistful and jealous. Neither of them had ever really known what to do with kids until three of them were unceremoniously dumped in Kakashi’s lap so Genma didn’t feel much guilt over not coming to see the little rugrats. He knew all he needed to know about them from the horror stories his partner told him. 

Or at least he thought he did until the years began to turn and slowly the rest of the village started talking about them. It figured that Kakashi would stumble his way in to accidentally raising some of the most important kids of their generation. If the last of the Uchiha wasn’t notable enough then he had the son of the Yondaime Hokage and if that still wasn’t notable there was always the bubblegum girl who picked herself up off the ground and apprenticed herself to the Godaime, smiling deceptively at anyone who pleased her only to punch straight through the sternum of the ones who didn’t. Genma, when he finally met her face to face, decided that they could definitely be friends after she gained a few more years. 

He didn’t realize exactly what such an errant and mindless thought would become. 

Keeping his distance from Kakashi’s kids became a lot harder once they stopped actually being kids, growing steadily in to adulthood until one day he met his partner at one of the dingy bars they both shamelessly adored only to find that Kakashi wasn’t alone, slightly harried looking where he sat in the middle of four other bodies all smiling and trading jokes about his new haircut. Genma was already laughing a little to see Naruto poking at the spikes now several inches shorter and neater than they had been earlier in the day. 

“It’s certainly an interesting look, senpai,” Cat was telling him - or Yamato, Genma remembered he was supposed to call him now. 

“Maa, it’s an accidental look,” Kakashi admitted. Genma slid in to the seat next to him with a little wave to everyone else, barely reacting when Kakashi swooned dramatically in to his shoulder. “One of the ninken knocked in to me when I was trimming and I took a massive chunk off the left side. It was either leave it like that or make everything match.”

“Well I think it looks nice,” Sakura offered. Oddly enough she even seemed to mean it. 

Kakashi nodded gratefully in her direction only to wilt when he spotted the notepad that Sai had whipped out, already doodling an outline of the new haircut. Apparently the reminder of his own reflection was not a welcome one. 

“So cruel,” he moaned. “All of my loved ones are so cruel to me!”

“I’m sure we’d all be a lot nicer with more alcohol in us.” Well aware that he wasn’t being at all subtle, Genma could only offer a beaming smile when his partner leaned away to glare at him. 

“Extra cruel.”

“Does that mean you’re not paying for my beer?” 

Kakashi harrumphed his way out of his seat and stomped away towards the bar, gumbling under his breath about joint accounts and shared finances. With most of the table laughing along with him it was only too easy for Genma to ignore Sakura’s narrowed eyes. They’d crossed paths several times during her apprenticeship to Lady Tsunade, a source of much amusement for him whenever he pulled guard duty, but he’d never really had a chance to get to know her more than that so he could probably be forgiven for not knowing what that particular look on her face meant. Or what doom it spelled for those that might ignore it. 

When Sakura got up to walk after her old sensei Genma figured she was only going for another drink. Maybe popping off to the bathroom. He would have thought she was going to powder her nose if he had ever seen her wearing more than mascara but even the village civilians knew that the Yamanaka girl was the one obsessed with painting her face. If he had to guess he’d probably say Sakura’s version of dressing up had a lot to do with picking an outfit that best showed off her admittedly impressive biceps. 

Not, of course, that he was disparaging such choices. He’d always been attracted to competence more so than a painted face. 

It took several minutes for Kakashi and Sakura to make their way back across the bar but when they did they were both wearing faces like they’d seen the meaning of life itself and lived to talk about it. Genma was out of his seat and reaching for Kakashi in an instant, baffled when the man only stood there and blinked at him.

“Genma-san can we talk to you outside?” Sakura asked in a strained voice.

“Sure. Yeah. Did you…break him?”

“I think I might have,” she breathed. Then she turned and walked towards the back entrance with jerky steps. 

Without bothering to answer any of the questions from those left behind Genma took his partner’s hand and dragged them both after the pink hair bobbing away from them. Sakura’s compact little body was built much better than either of theirs for weaving her way through the crowd, enough so that by the time they stumbled out in to the back alley Genma was a little worried she might have had time to disappear on them. Thankfully she hadn’t. He did, however, note that her eyes were just as wide as Kakashi’s and both of them looked rather like they would have loved to flee if only they could figure out which direction to go in. 

“Alright, who’s going to tell me what’s going on?” he said. Kakashi gurgled a little. 

“I, ah, okay so...please don’t be upset.” The leather of Sakura’s gloves creaked in protest as she wrung the poor things between her bare hands with perhaps a little too much violence. 

“No promises. Go on then.”

The look she gave him was utterly devoid of humor but luckily for his bones she chose not to punish him for trying to lighten the mood. After a few more times wringing her gloves she allowed them to drop to the ground, taking one very deep breath before turning both hands to reveal her palms. One of them was half colored in. 

“Look I know he’s your- I know that you two- I didn’t mean to! Genma-san I’ve never seen anything like this! I was just trying to get his attention so I put a hand on his shoulder and I guess I’ve just never touched him skin to skin before and-”

“Woah, calm down, calm down. Don’t start hyperventilating. It’s...you left a...a soulmark?”

All the breath in his lungs whooshed out of him with some indeterminate noise when both Sakura and Kakashi nodded in the affirmative. It felt like suddenly there was no more oxygen left. Distantly Genma could tell that his legs were trembling but he couldn’t be bothered to care about that at the moment, not when everything he’d been waiting so long for was coming true right in front of his eyes. 

He didn’t realize how long he stared for until Sakura cleared her throat and he peeked up to see that she looked even closer to flight. Only then did the rest of her words finally sink in and he understood why she didn’t look happier about such an auspicious discovery. 

“You idiot!” Kakashi flinched when Genma reached over to smack him on the back of the head. “How many years have you known this girl and you never told her we’ve got another soulmate!?” 

“A- a what?” Sakura breathed. 

“We- oh sweet chakra farts just give me your hand, here.”

Impatient to seal them all together, Genma didn’t wait for permission to reach over and clasp Sakura’s hand in the one of his own that looked very much like hers, colored in on one half where he’d first touched Kakashi in the same place she had. All it took was a brief press of skin and then he was pulling away to turn his hand over. They still matched, of course, only now they both sported palms entirely covered with the beautiful mix of colors that made up their soulmarks, each half ever so slightly unique to show that they were both bonded to a third. No doubt Kakashi’s mark looked identical and for the space of a single moment Genma thought to pity his first partner that he didn’t have the same ability to just sit and stare at his own mark. 

The moment passed quickly. Kakashi was a sappy guy under the front he put up for others but he wasn’t quite that sentimental. Which was good. Sometimes Genma needed a little help tossing out his old ripped clothing because those shirts had been with him through so many missions they almost felt like friends. 

“Oh.” The breathy whisper of Sakura’s voice brought him back from whatever tangents his brain had been trying to distract him with. “I...both of you!?” 

“Maa, sorry about that,” Kakashi offered sheepishly. 

“Don’t be- you- and you- and you think I need you to say sorry?” 

“I’ve been chipping away at those self esteem issues for years, trust me. Might be nice to have some help with that.” Genma chuckled to cover his nerves. “Seriously though, you don’t mind do you? We’re both maybe a bit old for you but we’ve been keeping a spot on the couch warm for whenever we found you. If you need some time to think about it that’s okay. Just, ah, just know that, um…”

He was cut off from having to finish that thought by deceptively slim arms throwing themselves around his neck. Genma closed his eyes and reveled in the instant familiarity until Kakashi very shyly pressed himself in from behind and then that was it. They were complete. It would have been impossible to find words to describe the difference but it was there and Genma was just as happy to feel it instead of talking about it. After all this time they had found her, the missing piece in the beautiful puzzle of their bond. 

“Who needs time?” Sakura mumbled against his neck. “I’ve got so much to catch up on.”

“Later,” Kakashi insisted very quietly.

It wasn’t hard to guess his meaning. Genma smiled when he felt one of Sakura’s arms tighten around him even as the other let go to reach for Kakashi, all three woven together exactly as they were always meant to be. This, he decided, was one of the better things the universe had created. He might give fate a hard time for all the shit it had thrown at them over the years but it had always been clear to him that this right here, the three of them together, this would always be worth it. 

[behindheremeraldeyes]

sasusaku month 2020

day 04- drink me under

title: Inebriating Love

summary: Modern AU - it’s a lonely, Sunday night and Sakura doesn’t want to spend it alone with her memories.

a/n: I suck at summaries hahaha okay, I LOVED writing this one! I had this idea a while ago when I was listening to an old song and I just had to use that feeling of two lovers in the night with SasuSaku. I’m not sure if it worked the way it was meant to, but I’m happy with the result! I hope you guys enjoy this one, and I also hope you forgive me for my mistakes. My beta is still busy, so all the typos and grammar mistakes are on me. Have fun!

Rated T

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Though Sakura has always considered herself to possesse a wild imagination, her 13-year-old self would’ve never pictured she would eventually grow up to become a regular costumer at the nearby pub. In fact, being the goody two-shoes she used to be, her younger self would’ve laughed at whoever said anything that stupid about the brilliant future that certainly awaited for her.

First, I will graduate high school with the best scores, then I will be a famous doctor. I’ll stay away from any addictions and I’ll marry a wonderful guy so we can have two, wonderful kids before I turn thirty!

She would answer that whenever someone asked her about what she wanted to be when she grew up, and there would be no doubt lingering in her voice regarding it. Sakura had everything planed for herself, and anything slightly different from that scenario would be unacceptable.

Poor, little girl, she thinks now, taking a sip of her double scotch. There’s a smirk decorating her lips as she places the glass back on the wooden counter, and she closes her eyes as the liquor slips down her throat.

It doesn’t burn anymore. Hasn’t burned in ages, in fact. The alcohol now is no stranger to her body, but unfortunately, it’s not as effective as it used to be when she first started coming to this place. She rarely gets drunk anymore, needing many doses to make her pass out, but she doesn’t know if that’s something that a small-town girl should be proud of.

Her life was supposed to have been different. Maybe not exactly like the one she had pictured, but she should’ve been able to do more after she actually managed to become a doctor and work at a prestigious hospital. She believes she has become a successful woman— a strong one, as some of her young patients usually call her— but that alone isn’t enough to protect her from a lonely night.

If it were, perhaps, she wouldn’t be all alone in a pub, drinking her problems away and talking to her only friend in the city, Uchiha Sasuke— the pub-owner.

Tonight, since most of his employees are off duty, he is the one serving his clients their drinks, and right now, he is giving another dose of whiskey to the old man sitting some benches away from her. Her green eyes carefully observe him from her seat as he slowly pours another dose while telling him that, maybe, he’s had enough for the night. There aren't many people drinking on this Sunday night— 4, including her, all of them men around their fifties— and she couldn’t help but feel a bit greedy.

Maybe it’s the alcohol or maybe it’s the night itself, but Sakura doesn’t want to share him tonight. She enjoys his company more than she cares to admit, and seeing him so far away makes her rosy lips turn into a pout. He’s the reason why she keeps coming back to this place, and he’s also the only person who makes her feel less shitty about herself— and that says a lot.

At first, the pinkette thought it was just the way he treated all the other costumers, but slowly, she realized that was not the case. He’s a cordial man to everyone, at most, but it’s become easy for her to tell that he actually likes her. He is always sincere whenever he asks her about her day, and more than once has he closed the pub earlier so they could have a drink or two while sharing a pizza. They talk about a lot of things, and she simply loves to hear the weird stories about some weird costumers and their weird stories.

Whenever she hears about these people, a part of her just hopes she’s not just another weird story in his repertoire.

Ever since she arrived in the city and destiny brought them together, he has been there for her, giving her tips on the urban life and even telling her which restaurants she should order food from whenever she didn’t feel like cooking. Eventually, they discovered that they have a lot of similar interests, such as mystery books, horror movies and old, American songs— the kind that would always start playing whenever she came by— and it’s undeniable that they feel comfortable enough around each other to share some personal memories, too.

In the same way he knows about her life before she ended up where she is, Sakura knows about his family. Knows that he has lost them in an accident over 10 years ago, and that he gave up on his layer carrier after that. She also knows about the fan tattoo he has on his right forearm and that he has a snake named Aoda in his small apartment.

He’s a very interesting guy, indeed. He holds an unique and mysterious charm behind his obsidian eyes and stoic features, and even after years of coming and going, the pinkette still feels herself being drawn to him.

How intriguing, she thinks, propping her elbow on the counter. Unconsciously, she rests her chin on the palm of her right hand, squinting her eyes a bit as she continues to stare at him. She notices that he slightly turns his head to spare her a side glance, and instead of looking away when their eyes meet, Sakura holds his stare for a couple of seconds too long until, eventually, he has to break contact in order to pay attention to his other costumer. There’s a sly smirk decorating her face now, and she also notices the way his lips twitch upward.

This is something they do on regular basis, now. She didn’t really notice it, at first, but eventually, Sakura realized that it’s not unusual for their eyes to meet whenever he’s serving another person. It used to be shy and unconscious, but after a while, she started doing it on purpose, just to see what his reaction would be.

It’s a bold move of hers— or, at least, she thinks it is. An unspoken challenge between their eyes, as they tease and expose each other with every exchanged glance. It’s an amusing and harmless flirt, and though they have no idea of how to beat this ruleless game, neither of them seem to be in a hurry to end it or anything like that.

However, losing this game doesn’t seem to be that bad.

Once he finally manages to walk away from the older guy, the Uchiha doesn’t waste his chance to come to her. His steps are slow, but soon, he’s standing across the counter from her. The warm lights that illuminate the bottles behind him highlight his handsome features, and she knows she could just stare at him for hours without stopping.

“Having fun with your other costumers, Sasuke-kun?” She asks, her eyes now holding a joyful gleam.

“You can say so.” He says, simply, organizing some of the glasses and bottles near his reach. “In fact, he’s curious about you.”

“Me?” She furrows her brows.

“Aah. He doesn’t understand what a pretty girl is doing all by herself in a place like this.”

“Well…” She starts, the tip of her tongue smoothing her lower lip. Sakura loves hearing that question whenever she comes by, especially since she doesn’t know the answer herself. Every time, she makes a new excuse and creates a different lie, just to see how people would react to her crazy stories. Tonight, though, she doesn’t really feel very creative. “Tell him it’s just a lonely night playing its tricks.”

“…I see.” He nods, knowing better not to press on her matters. Though he has heard her problems many times before, Sasuke has learned that, on some nights, nothing really can be done. He knows when she needs space and when she needs a shoulder to cry on, and right now, it’s clear that it’s the former. “He's been ordering the same as you, but I don’t think he will be able to stand for too long.”

“It takes years of practice to reach my level, right?”

“Years, right?” His lips curl up slightly at her words, probably remembering the girl she used to be when they first met. On that day, she had ordered a diet coke, and she made him swear at least three times there was no drop of alcohol in her glass before she took a sip. And even if nowadays there are times when she really just comes for her diet coke, she knows he’s a man worthy of her trust.

“Yeah.” She giggles, then, taking the last sip of her drink. “Tell him that befriending the pub-owner does that to you.”

“Oh, so now this is on me?”

“Of course. If you weren’t such a nice guy, perhaps, I wouldn’t be here tonight.”

“Hn.” He closed his eyes, pouring some more in her glass. Though she didn’t really use words to ask him, he already knows how to read her unspoken wishes. “I'm glad I’m a nice guy, then.”

“Very nice, indeed.”

She takes another sip of her new drink, and allows her mind to drift back to the moments they shared. Though she really believes him to be a nice guy, Sakura can’t help but feel a certain heat pooling in her stomach because of the times when he wasn't really that nice.

Her eyes land on his hands— so strong and firm— and she remembers how warm they feel against her bare skin. The way his muscles tense at her touch and the marks he leaves on her hips whenever he pins her against a wall are signs of his hidden roughness, and she bites her lower lip at the memory of his kisses trailing down her neck.

Though that black shirt might make him look composed and recollected, she knows better than to believe that professional facade of his. His intense stare and his dark locks hide more than anyone can tell, and she likes to believe this is their little secret.

It has happened a few times already and even if they say they can’t keep doing this forever, it’s a lot easier said than done. They share a deep connection neither of them really understand, and from time to time, their souls seek for a certain comfort that they can only find within each other.

It’s more than just physical need, they know. It’s more than raging hormones and alcohol, for there’s an intimacy neither of them had counted on when they first started their rendezvous. They’re already past that one-night-stand thing, but to say it’s something more—well, perhaps she’s still too sober to dwell into this.

“You're oddly quiet tonight.” He says, breaking her from her thoughts.

A soft smiles crosses her lips as her fingers start playing with the brim of her glass. She looks down, at first, then her eyes return to him. “I guess I don’t know what to talk about.”

“Anything is fine, I suppose.”

“Uhmm…” She hums, trying to think about what to say. “I guess it would be easier if I was like the others that come here with marriage problems or because they got fired.”

“But you’re not like them, Sakura.” He states, his dark eyes intensely staring at her. Her heart starts pounding faster in her chest, the air feeling too heavy inside her lungs. She feels defenseless under his stare, as if he is stripping her of her good senses, and although she really came by just for a couple of drinks and a nice talk, something inside her urges for more. His sincere concern is probably his most charming feature, and he knows exactly when to use it against her.

Damn it, she really hates him for that.

“Well...” She starts, a teasing smile on her lips. “You would probably know exactly what to tell me, right?"

“It depends a lot, to be honest.”

“How so?”

“If the problem had anything to do with your job, I would probably just tell you to try again since this is the main reason why you came to the city in the first place. Your job is important to you, and even if you complain about it every now and then, we both know you love what you do.”

“This is a very good advice, indeed. Very professional.” She giggles, tilting her head to the side. “And what if it was about marriage problems?”

“In that case, I don’t think I would be able to give you a real advice on that.” He starts, looking around, as if he is checking his surroundings. She can tell he’s mostly messing around, but by the time he leans towards her, she doesn’t miss the way his eyes grow a bit darker. Their faces are bare inches apart, and the smell of his cologne invades her nostrils as he whispers to her. “I don’t think I would be able to remain impartial.”

Her eyes drift to his lips for a second, and it’s as if she can feel his warmth irradiating towards her body. Sakura is very aware that he’s teasing her, and even if she would normally be a bit more cautious with her words around him, right now, she doesn’t really seem to care about extending their little game for the night. “I guess I would be talking to the problem himself, right?”

A smirk grows on his face at her words, and slowly, he returns to his previous position. He’s towering over her now, only the wooden counter standing between their bodies. They don’t move for a couple of seconds, their lustful eyes still too busy flirting with each other to even pay attention to the world around them. And if not for his other costumer calling his name, they would’ve remained like that for who knows how long.

Once their eye contact is broken, she looks down at her drink once more, her lips still holding the memory of a smirk. Seeing how bothered his face seems right now is incredibly amusing, and for that, she decides to forgive that man for interrupting them.

He just wanted his drink, after all.

“Someone’s calling you, mister barman.”

“Tch.” He scoffs. “Don't go anywhere. I’ll be right back”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be right here with my drink.” She starts, her eyes now sparing his other costumer a side-glance. “But I don’t think our pal over there is gonna last that much longer.”

Sighing defeatedly, the raven haired boy makes his way towards the other guy. He’s speaking louder now, his words coming out with no connection between them. For what she could understand, he was trying to say anything about being an excellent drinker, and that he could drink more than everyone in that pub. He seems completely sure about that, but to no one’s surprise, it doesn’t take long before his head falls face-first on the counter top. At first, both Sasuke and her worry that he might have stopped breathing, but as soon as the Uchiha confirms that the man is just asleep, she relaxes again. Apparently, instead of an ambulance, they believe calling a cab should be just fine.

Her eyes are still looking at Sasuke from afar as he ponders his next options with his sleeping costumer. Judging by his face, the Uchiha seems troubled, and this is enough to make her laugh. It’s an honest laugh, she knows, and she realizes she hasn’t laughed like that for a while now. She rests her head on her left hand this time, and allows herself to appreciate that rare moment of joy in such an awful night.

When she left home that evening, the pinkette could’ve never imagined she would actually be able to laugh at a drunk man, and she believes she has to thank Sasuke for that. Though she knows her problems are still lingering in her mind, haunting her for even daring to show signs of happiness, Sakura is not a woman who willingly chooses to remain unhappy. As long as she can identify a valid way out, she’s always fast to ignore whatever is bothering her, and even if that doesn’t solve anything, at least it works as a coping mechanism.

Sometimes, she thinks, overthinking is just a useless, human reaction. There are times when worrying about something won’t really do anyone no good, and tonight is one of those times.

Sure, she could have chosen to tell him about her childhood best friend who got married in her home town and even the fact that she wasn’t invited for it. She could tell him how those severed ties made her really homesick, and how missing her family makes her remember her grandmother’s harsh words when she first told them she was moving out because of her new job.

Sakura could’ve really told him all that, but what difference would it have made tonight?

Knowing him, Sasuke would probably try to tell her not to let those things get to her, but at least for tonight, it’s already too late. It’s already gotten her— a lot more than she thought it would— and now it’s just too late to fix anything.

Not that she even tried, to begin with.

At the same moment she decided to come by for a couple of drinks, the pinkette had an idea of how her evening would end. She never really planned on getting a different point of view on that matter and she certainly wasn’t looking for any advice on what to do next.

Sakura was just thirsty for a drink or four and some good company. His company, more specifically.

By the time she makes up her mind, the Uchiha has already called that man a cab and the other costumers are also taking their leave. They all pay him for the drinks and the service, and when they’re finally left alone, Sasuke decides that it should be fine if he closes earlier tonight. She’s still sitting on her bench when returns from the now locked door, her glass now almost empty, and her eyes follow him as he starts placing the bottles back on the shelves.

“Do you want some help with anything, Sasuke-kun?” She asks, sincerely.

“Thank you for the offer, but don’t worry. I’ll just organize a couple of things so Naruto can finish everything tomorrow morning.”

“I bet he’s gonna love the surprise.” She chuckles, her mind already imagining the blonde cursing his boss. “You should give him a raise.”

“Not happening.” He denies, firmly.

“Well, I’ve tried.” She shrugs, a smile on her face as she closes her eyes for an instant, her mind drifting back to his other costumer. “I guess that guy still has some training to do if he wants to beat me.”

“He really didn’t know what he was getting himself into.” He nods, wiping the counter top from peanut shells. “Barely he knew you would be drinking him under the table so early.”

“They never do.” She says, proudly, before finishing her drink.

There’s a smirk on his face at her words. Thinking that such a small girl would actually be able to handle so much alcohol without even losing balance really amazes him. “Do you want another drink?”

“Oh, no. I’ve had my share for tonight, thank you, Sasuke-kun.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to work tomorrow or anything and you didn’t even drink that much tonight.”

“I’m sure.” She says, and it’s as if she can feel her eyes turning a darker shade of green as she looks at his back. Her heart is beating faster now, and she knows she won’t be able to hold an innocent conversation for too long. When he turns to face her, then, she holds his stare for a bit too long, and unconsciously bats her eyelashes. She’s blushing now— just a dust of pink on her cheeks— and she takes a deep breath before her voice comes out almost as a whisper. “I might not be close to drinking myself under, but…as they say, another drink and I’ll be under the host.”

Her eyes are half-closed now as she looks at him, and slowly, she makes a bridge with her fingers that lingers just below her pouting lips. Sakura is very aware of what she’s doing right now, and judging by the way his eyes grow fonder, she can tell he knows it, too. They’re way past subtle advances now, but they know better than to just skip the steps.

A little romance never did anyone no harm, after all.

After they maintain eye-contact for a couple of seconds, the Uchiha is the first to break it, as he clears his throat, causing the smile on her face to widen a bit. Once he finishes what he was doing, he grabs a bottle he keeps under the counter and a clean glass before walking away so he can join her on the other side. He takes a seat next to her, and carefully, he pours them another dose and handles her the previously-empty glass. He’s also holding one, now, and her expression softens as he comes closer.

“Then let’s make it worth it."

Their faces are just inches apart when he says that, and she can’t find words to describe how good this feels. Though it’s far from the relationship she had pictured for herself a long time ago, Sakura believes this is much better than settling for what’s considered to be normal all over the world. Sasuke has brought an adventurous charm into her life, and he has showed her how beautiful the rain is even in the middle of a storm. He’s probably the most simple, yet most intriguing part of her life, and right now, she can’t really imagine herself without him anymore.

He has turned her small and monotonous world upside-down, and made her learn that, sometimes, people can grow thirsty for one another and there’s nothing wrong with that.

They clink their glasses before drinking the liquor, and they giggle a bit to that. His hand is now cupping her face, and his thumb softly brushes her cheek. They don’t need any words to express their feelings now, and when he finally kisses her— so roughly, yet gentle and passionate— it’s like all the alcohol she has consumed during the evening is making her throat burn. Her stomach is on fire, her heart is racing and she’s growing intoxicated by his touch.

Uchiha Sasuke is certainly the strongest and most inebriating thing in her life, and in this big and lonely city, he’s the only one who can quench her thirst.

fin.

[shanastoryteller]

Trick or Treat Shana!!!! Could you maybe do something Naruto related? I love how you spin the show

Naruto insists that theywere the best of friends from the beginning, inseparable from the moment thathe knocked her over while running from an irate shop keeper at the age of five.

Sakura rolls her eyes andinsists that it was only once they started the academy at the age of seven thatthey became real friends.

It doesn’t make much ofdifference about which one of them is right. The end result is the same.

~

Sakura doesn’t really have a crush on Sasuke. For one,she’s used to loud and bright and cheerful, and his stoic angst just gives hera headache. For another, Sasuke thinks Naruto is an idiot, which he kind of is,but he’s her idiot, so. That being said, competing for his attention with Inois usually a lot of fun, and there’s a thrill of triumph at her shrill cry ofdespair at Sakura being put on Sasuke’s team instead of her. Unfortunately,it’s pretty much immediately overwhelmed with the knowledge that she’s been puton a team with her best friend and a silent, stubborn jerk.

She meets Naruto’s gazeacross the room, and he shrugs in ‘what can you do’ gesture. Sakura sighs,because in her ideal world she’d have been put on a team with Ino and Naruto –even Kiba would have been okay – but training with Sasuke is going to be such apain.

“Troublesome,” shemutters. Shikamaru (who is well aware of her true feelings and always has been)laughs.

~

On top of the roof,staring at their new sensei and trying not to snort at the bit of chalk duststill in his hair, Naruto looks at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. Handsshoved in his pockets and shoulder’s hunched, he just looks kind of …. lonely. Naruto’s pressed up next to Sakura from shoulder to hip, but it’s kind of justoccurring to him that he’s never actually seen Sasuke touch anybody before,unless it was sparring.

He’s knocked out of histhought process by Sakura elbowing him in the ribs. “Hey!” he rubs his side,but doesn’t move away from her. “What was that for?”

“Sensei’s talking toyou,” she says, glaring, but he’s known her way too long not to notice thespark of amusement hidden in her eyes.

“Oh, right. What?” heblinks.

Kakashi’s eye is stillclosed and it looks like he’s grinning under the mask, but Naruto is verycertain he’s irritated. It’s what Naruto does best after all. “I said, you gofirst.”

“Go first for what?” he asks. Sakura coughs to hide a laugh. He knocks their shins together.

“Name, likes, dislikes,dreams …” Kakashi repeats.

Naruto thinks if helistened carefully he could hear the man gritting his teeth. “Oh. I’m NarutoUzumaki! I like Sakura, and training, and ramen, and Iruka-sensei! Idislike….uh,” he scratches his head, eyes squinting. He’s probably laying in ona little thick, but Sakura is nearly turning red to keep from laughing so it’sworth it. “I dislike the four minutes it takes ramen to cook, and the Councilbecause they give Jiji headaches. I’m going to be Hokage!” He ended thisdeclaration with throwing both hands up in victory signs.

Kakashi blinks. “…Right.Pinky, you next.”

“Okay!” Sakura chirps andflutters her eyes at him, and now it’s Naruto’s turn to keep from laughing.“I’m Sakura Haruno. I like Naruto, cooking, and reading.” Naruto shoots her awounded look, and she rolls her eyes. “Training is fun too, I guess. I dislikepeople who are mean to my friends. My dream is to be a top class kunoichi, andprove that ninjas from civilian backgrounds can be just as good!”

“Yatta!” Naruto andSakura high five.

Kakashi is blinkingprobably more than he needs to. If he’s thrown off by them now, Naruto isseriously looking forward to working with him, even if he’s late always. “Okay.Your turn,” he jerks his chin towards Sasuke. Both Naruto and Sakura turn tolook at the last Uchiha in interest, because as far as they’re aware Sasule’sonly hobbies are training and being a bastard.

The kid grunts andstraightens part way from his crouch, “Sasuke Uchiha. I like getting stronger.I dislike being weak. My dream is to rebuild my clan and avenge their deaths.”

Sakura slumps so most ofher weight is on Naruto. He pats her shoulder, and they don’t have to look ateach other to know they’re both having the same thought:

We’re doomed.

~

Kakashi is, if he’s beinghonest with himself, intrigued by this group of genin. They’d all hidden whenhe’s said the test was about to begin, but Sasuke’s off on his own while Narutoand Sakura have hidden themselves up the top of one of trees at the edgeof the clearing. With a little bit of chakra, it’s easy enough to pick up theirconversation.

“-Academy! This isinsane!” That’s Naruto, far too loud for someone supposedly hiding.

Sakura responds, tornbetween frustrated and whining, “I know! A genin against a jounin –“

“Oh not just any jounin.Copy-Nin Kakashi, he’s S-Ranked in the Bingo Book. He’s also Ex-Anbu.”

Kakashi blinks, becauseno one below Chunnin should have access to a Bingo Book, and anyways how the fuck does Naruto know he used to be anANBU?

“Naruto, how the hell do you know that?”

“Who used to babysit me?”Naruto returns. Kakashi isn’t even seeing the words in his book anymore,because Naruto wasn’t actually supposed to know he was being watched by Anbu.And if, as an organization, they’d been beat by a kid, he was turning in hisheadband.

“Huh,” Sakura says, “Anytips?”

“He smells like dogs and,unlike most of ANBU, almost never like blood,” Naruto offers, dry.

Sakura groans, whileKakashi mentally puts down training with the Inuzuka for Naruto whether theypass or not based on his sense of smell alone. “So he’s either really, reallyinsanely good, or watching you wasn’t healing time.”

“Watching me was alwayshealing time,” Naruto says immediately, and for being a supposed dead lastNaruto is proving himself to be an annoyingly perceptive little kid. “Why elsewould they waste Anbu on me? It was a mission, but a mission with like, zerorisk. And Kakashi-sensei is really,really insanely good, so there’s no way they’d waste him on me if he couldperform other missions. “

��Unless there’s apersonal tie between you,” Sakura says, and hoo boy, wow, what a smart littlekiunoichi in training she is. He’s going to destroy her.

“You know,” he sayscheerfully, shiriwaming to right next to them, “You two should be more quiet ifyou’re trying to hide your position.”

“AAAHHH!” Naruto screams,and then falls out of the tree. Sakura follows Naruto down, more controlledin her decent, but they both hit the ground softly, rolling to their feet andrunning across the field without breaking momentum. He throws a katon jutsoafter them, and the fireball goes wide, but Naruto still yelps and ducks.Kakashi leans against the branch, and hopes it will have the effect of drawingSasuke out as well.

Kakashi leaves a clonelazily reading Icha Icha in the tree, and goes to trail the genin. He findsthem in another clearing, this time with a low level notice-me-not jutsu aroundthem. Of course, it’s only effective if the person doesn’t know who they’relooking for, but it’s a nice try.

“We need a plan,” Sakurais saying, “We can’t just hide from him, we’ll never get the bells from himthis way.”

“We can’t get the bellsfrom him at all,” Naruto sighs, “He’s a jounin,”

“Theoretically, a fewgenin can take out a jounin.”

“Yeah, maybe, but certainly not alone. Andwe’re awesome Sakura, we’re great, but –“

“We’re no match forKakashi-sensei,” Sakura agrees, slumping.

Naruto huffs and thensquints, looking eerily close to where Kakashi is hiding. He crosses his arms,“I could just send a couple hundred shadow clones at him to wear him down?”Kakashi really hopes Naruto’s exaggerating, but he read Iruka Imuno’s report,so he knows he isn’t.

“You know, we could ask Sasuke for help,” Sakura says.

Kakashi blinks. This ispromising.

Naruto snorts, “Oh, yeah,like he’ll go for that. You heard him, he’s all avenging lone wolf.”

Sakura grumbles, “We’lljust beat him up until he agrees.”

“I don’t want to waste mychakra beating sense into Sasuke. That could exhaust even my reserves.”

“Naruto, you justsuggested making a few hundred shadow clones. I’ve literally seen you expelchakra from your hands for hoursbecause the shimmering was more amusing than Iruka-Sensei’s lecture. Yourchakra reserves are never a cause for concern. Your chakra control on the other hand –“

“Oh, shut up,” he shovesher, but they’re both smiling. A sudden scream of thwarted rage echoes acrossthe clearing, and Kakashi blinks as his clone is dispelled and he gets thememories of Sasuke leading him into a trap that he never would have fallen for, but his shadow clone apparently didso cheerfully and waved at Sasuke as he was expelled.

Both Naruto and Sakuraare looking towards the sound of the scream. “Well,” Naruto sighs, “at least we know where he is.” He stands, holding out a hand to pull Sakura to her feet.“If he tries to kill us on sight, I’m blaming you,” he says, already dartingaway.

“If he succeeds, I’mblaming you,” Sakura counters.

Kakashi silently followsthem. Even if Sasuke flat out rejects them, he still might pass them. Narutoand Sakura clearly understand the value of teamwork, and clearly not just witheach other. That’s valuable, especially in ninja so young.

[sketch-shepherd]

the changes to the GDW English fandub, and why we did them (episodes 1-9)

With episode 10 of the Ginga Densetsu Weed English fandub coming out soon, I decided to do a lookback on what we’ve got so far. 

It’s no surprise we’ve revamped a LOT of stuff in the script for our fandub, from fixing the awkward stilted English in the original ASD subtitles to rewriting entire plot elements. 

That said, I decided to go through episodes 1-9 again and go over the changes from the original anime we did for our dub. Some people caught them on, while other changes are a little less noticeable. I’ll update this again once we get more episodes past 10. 

So in a way this is more or less my own director’s commentary for the dub. 

IN GENERAL: - A change that’s prevalent in multiple episodes actually is that we use way more actual dog stock noises, such as barks, howls, and whimpers. Yeah... ironically the original GDW didn’t use very many dog sounds, save for episode 2 where Weed barks and where Smith and GB growl. The entire rest of the series is either just humans shouting/growling/grunting. Or VERY BADLY trying to emulate dog howling (episode 9 and 10 say hello). 

- Like most anime dubs, we don’t use the English subtitles word for word, especially when translations errors are involved. While the Anime Suuxe Den subtitles for GDW are definitely nowhere as bad as the one GNG subbed version with the blue text (which we’re definitely not going off for the GNG English dub we’re also working on), it’s... still not very good. There’s a lot of typos, name misspellings, and overall clunky grammar, so no surprise we actually rewrote the entire script so the characters’ dialogue sounds much more natural. 

- The original anime for some reason has a habit of just refusing to call Gin by his name, instead just calling him “the leader” or “your father” when talking to Weed. For fuck’s sake guys, just call him Gin, it’s not that hard. It’s even worse that characters who are supposed to be close to Gin such as Sakura, Smith, and John just call him “the leader” for some reason, which makes no sense. 

- There are far fewer lines constantly praising the shit out of Weed for no other reason than him being Gin’s son, and just fewer lines glorifying EVERYTHING Weed does. This crap is beyond overdone in the anime, and it was better for us to just make Weed not a straight up Gary Stu. It’s already bad enough that characters constantly enabling Weed is the reason his behavior is increasingly fucked up in the manga and several parts of the anime, so we allowed more room for characters to actually tell Weed he’s wrong. 

- Multiple male characters have been genderbent, one because Yoshihiro Takahashi is a sexist dick and two because it allows more opportunity for our largely female cast. Of the major characters, Rossi, Lector, all of Chutora’s kids, Kite, Bat, Buruge, Toube, and Heita so far have been made female. Even minor characters like the old dog and the random dog who tried to attack Weed in episode 7 are also girls now. 

EPISODE 1:  - the timeskip between GNG and GDW has been changed from 14 years (10 years in the manga) to only five years. 14 years is a ridiculously long time for a dog to live, and the dogs in Ginga canonically state their age in human years so dog years isn’t an argument here. Five years is a much more reasonable timeskip and doesn’t beg up the question as to how the GNG veterans are somehow still kicking ass in their 20′s - A minor one, but GB actually states in-universe that his name is short for Great Britain, whereas in the original he introduces himself as “GB the English Setter”.

- Another minor one, but the scenes of Nero ordering GB to bring him bird meat and the scenes of Sasuke meeting GB under the bridge had no music in the original anime. I decided to add music from the unreleased tracks just to add some more tension. 

- GB trying to console Weed after Saukura’s death was unbelievably mean-spirited in the original, where he flat out says (in a paraphrased version) “Stop crying already. You’re the leader’s son; be a little tougher”. We changed it to “I know how hard this is, but crying won’t bring your mother back. As the leader’s son, you have to stay strong”, which sounds more empathetic and in-character for GB.

EPISODE 2: - Not much in episode 2 was changed aside from the rewritten script and additional dog stock sounds. However, the scene where Blue pins Mel down has him incorrectly address Ned even though he’s clearly talking to Bell, which we fixed. 

- Whereas Mel originally says “I want to become strong like Weed” at the end, in our dub he says “I wanna become an Ohu soldier too!” for the reasons listed in the General section. Smith and GB deserved just as much credit for their work in the Blue arc as well. 

EPISODE 3:  - We changed the scene where Kagetora calls Weed a tora-ge because, well... Weed clearly isn’t one in the anime. In this version, Kagetora just calls Weed a strong-willed dog. 

- The original anime doesn’t have Weed saying “FUCK YOU KAIBUTSU! IT ENDS HERE” that alone speaks for itself 

- In the original, Smith detects Jerome and his squad by “feeling their powerful aura”... in this version we simply wrote it as the wind blowing Jerome’s scent in Smith’s direction. Yeah, the GDW anime had quite a few weird comments about aura especially in episodes 3 and 4. Maybe it’s a thing that makes more sense in the Japanese version, but doesn’t translate well to Western audiences so we dropped it altogether

EPISODE 4:  - A bit of a meta thing, but we had Hoiler call Weed a “little blue brat” as a play on how Weed and Gin are meant to be silver but it’s never addressed why they’re blue in-universe. 

- Once again, we changed the whole Mesiah Weed shit where Jerome and his crew only ever address Weed and no one else. In the original after Smith jumps across the ravine, Jerome only asks for Weed’s name, and Smith tells him that they have to respect Weed just for being Gin’s son. Here, Jerome asks for all of their names and tells all of them to come with him, not just Weed alone. Weed replies by stating his name, and Smith replies by stating his name and everyone else’s. Subsequently, the scene of Jerome’s squad making a big deal of Weed being Gin’s son was cut out. 

- The GDW anime also for some reason made out Gajou to be some holy location that needed to be protected, which also doesn’t make sense considering in GNG it was the site a war took place. Weed’s comment on Gajou was simply changed to “the place where Akakabuto was defeated” 

- Once again, the scene of Jerome explaining the plan to lure Kaibutsu out was done without Jerome being a Weed simp. In the original, Jerome tells only Weed to go in and lure Kaibutsu out. In our version, Jerome tells either Weed or Mel to go in. Weed is the one who volunteers. 

- The score used when Smith goes into Gajou to save Weed is completely different. In the original, the song “Way of the Monster, Way of the Soldier” from the GDW soundtrack was played during this scene. Here, we added the more appropriate track “Smith’s Theme”. Because frankly what better music to use for Smith’s final moments than his theme song? Ironically Smith’s theme is played one or two other times later in the anime, none of which are scenes that involved Smith. 

- This may have been a translation or continuity error, but Smith in the original says that he helped take Gajou back from Akakabuto, which is wrong since Smith DIDN’T participate in the final battle in GNG because he was wounded. Which is why instead Smith says in our dub “I might not have been there in the battle against Akakabuto, but this time I will help bring down another monster like you!” 

- Another music change. The score that plays when everyone is mourning Smith’s death is listed as “Farewell to John” in Hakurojaki’s rips of the unreleased tracks. It’s the score with that narmy high-pitched trumpet commonly associated with the shitty scream-howling during John’s death. Since none of the ZTB’s are particularly fond of that score, we used “Tears for the Fallen” instead. 

EPISODE 5: - Once again, we had to remove some toxic masculinity shit from the original where Kagetora straight-up tells Ken to stop crying when they’re mourning Smith. We changed it here to Kagetora wanting to go back and fight immediately after Smith’s death, causing Ken to tell him to slow down. 

- While Jerome and Kaibutsu’s backstory was done relatively well in the original anime, it still unfortunately wasn’t without its problems. Jerome was unbelievably one-sided in the original, constantly victim-blaming and guilt-tripping Kaibutsu, saying that fighting back against his abusers was wrong. Here we changed the subtext so that Jerome feels like he’s being forced to choose between Kaibutsu or the humans since he knows Kaibutsu isn’t willing to stop. Despite Jerome siding with the humans, also just out of instinct which he can’t control, killing Kaibutsu is still a very reluctant choice, which lines such as “You are my friend, but I also can’t let my other friends die under your fangs” and “It’s either one life lost or many” convey. 

- The shit with Weed telling Jerome’s friends “isn’t it better to stay alive with friends than needlessly dying?” was obnoxious and preachy. Here he just says that Jerome’s friends rushing to their deaths was a bad idea since they’re only giving Kaibutsu a bigger advantage

- Not a change, but Kaibutsu’s “quit embarassing yourselves!” was a reference to one of Jasper’s lines word for word from Steven Universe lol

- Hoiler’s last line before he died attacking Kaibutsu was actually not a line we wrote in the script, but added in by our voice actor. It actually fits really well considering Hoiler was the only one of Jerome’s subordinates in this episode that didn’t have some epic final words, so props to Nicole Burdick! 

EPISODE 6:  - Weed isn’t the one who flips Kaibutsu onto his back in the dub- the wind is. Apparently we were told that this isn’t totally impossible considering certain hydraulic physics, but it still looked weird and made Weed unnecessarily overpowered, so we changed it to Kaibutsu flipping over mid-fall and Weed still holding onto his tail just because he was too slow to let go. 

- After Ken pulls Kagetora out of the water in the original version, he begrudgingly tells Kagetora to get up literally after Kage thanks him. This is changed to Kagetora telling Ken he doesn’t want his help, and Ken being passive aggressive to Kagetora’s ungratefulness. (Seriously, wtf is up with characters in the subbed version being so needlessly mean to each other?)

- Our version has everyone calling out for both Weed and Jerome when searching for them in the river, whereas in the original everyone except Mel was only concerned with finding Weed. 

- Jerome’s speech when the humans come to retrieve them was reworded. While I can see where the original was trying to go, it just ended up making Jerome look hypocritical by saying he’s tired of the humans “using” him immediately after explaining why he was still loyal to the humans. In the dub, Jerome’s speech comes off more as a warning that trouble will start again if humans set foot in Ohu rather than just telling humans to fuck off. Again, I get that the original was trying to show Jerome’s character development by moving past his blind loyalty, but we tried to make it more gradual rather than sudden in our dub. 

- Our dub has Nero’s mooks recognize Gin by his forehead scars instead of his brindle stripes since once again, Gin doesn’t have them in this anime (nor did he after his puppy phase in GNG as well to be fair). Reika also recognizes Gin the same way even though I did unintentionally create a plothole where she somehow noticed his scars despite only the back of his head being visible to her

- Sakura’s original line in the flashback “I’ll have healthy pups to present to you” was creepy and sounded more like an obligation to Gin. Here we reworded it as “I promise we’ll raise our children together”, which sounds more wholesome and actually like something a wife and husband parting ways would say. 

- A minor one, but here Hougen directly calls Rocket and his brother by their title “the Borzoi Brothers” as they were called in the manga

- Not exactly a change, but John’s “I’ll shove that shit down your stupid long throat!” is a reference to the giraffe Hougen meme lol

EPISODE 7: - Carl’s (the Scottish terrier who ran off) name is directly stated in the dub. His name is only ever mentioned in the GDW manga. 

- Obviously we couldn’t translated Hiro’s mayfly/testicle joke since it was a pun on Japanese kanji characters. We still managed to keep a fly-related joke in which Hiro compares Hougen to an unwelcome fly in the summer. 

EPISODE 8: -  Once again, we made Jerome’s character less tethered to Weed 24/7 by having him say he’d die to protect Ohu, not just Weed, after he defeated Rocket

- A more subtle change, but in the original Weed instantly accepts Rocket into the pack after he asks. In the dub, Weed decides to only let Rocket in if he proves himself 

- For some weird-ass reason Studio Deen used cartoon punching sounds when Hougen’s dogs were mauling Missile and Jet to death. We used the more appropriate ripping/slashing sounds

EPISODE 9: - If I recall correctly, Matsu’s (one of Hougens soldiers) name was also never mentioned in the anime, which we also did. 

- Once again, we picked a different choice of soundtrack for John’s death. The original one was the unreleased track appropriately titled “Farewell To John”, but like we said unfortunately it just didn’t sound good with the weird trumpet and high notes. Instead we used a different GDW unreleased track “Father’s Dying Words”, which was played in episode 1 where GB is reflecting on his life and more memorably in episode 12 where Teru’s father dies. 

- The one that everyone was waiting for- we replaced Jerome and Rocket’s bad human screaming with actual stock sounds of dog howling

- Another easter egg that was easy for people to catch, but the sound of the shooting star seen immediately after John dies was taken from the shooting star in the GNG opening. 

__________________________________________-

And that’s all for what we got so far! How many of these changes did YOU catch? Were any of these surprising or obvious? 

We’ve still got a whole bunch of planned changes for the rest of the episode already seen in the script, as most of our voice actors may be aware of. I’ll be sure to point them out after we finish another batch of episodes.

In the meantime, stay tuned for episode 10! 

[straightfacedstrangeness]

Not that anyone asked (but seriously I’d LOVE for someone to talk to me about PokeSpe (just no spoilers past vol 13)) but since I made an offhand remark about my Top 5 favorite characters, it occurred to me that I actually DO have approximately 5 top favorite characters, and I’m procrastinating on work, so I’m gonna ramble

**just in case, note that a lot of this will revolve around my childhood experience with gender in a “I’m AFAB (and present-day me still identifies as a cis girl) but I don’t fit in with what media is telling me girls are like” way, a brief childhood feeling of homophobia, and probably general TMI about my opinions and emotions throughout my life, haha

1. Yellow

Okay, so, I was a little kid when Pokemon Adventures started coming out in English, back when manga was released as single-issue monthly comic books instead of complete volumes.  So I was rereading the same chapters over and over while anxiously awaiting the rest of the story (and wound up missing a bunch of issues anyway)

I enjoyed the RGB arc, I thought it was fun, but I didn’t LOVE the series until Yellow showed up.  At that age my ideal crush was “a cute boy my age who would be nice to me” and Yellow was presented to the reader as a cute boy my age who was sweet and kind and gentle, but also good in a fight, as all shounen protags must be.  Extra bonus points because they had just a few physically weak Pokémon and tried to fight battles in a way that minimized damage to their own and the opponent’s Pokémon, which meant they fought in a particularly smart and clever way.  And I was considered “smart” for being good at school, so being a SMART cute “boy” my age who would be nice to me, Yellow was PERFECT.  I mean, I loved the arc in general because of the clever battles, and the mystery of what had happened to Red, why these people were after Pikachu, why Yellow was so secretive about themself and their mission, etc was really engaging.  But also I adored Yellow as a character and partly in a “I wonder if ‘he’ would like me??” kind of way X’D  So to my tiny child self who didn’t even know it was possible to like-like someone of the same gender (because I hadn’t read Cardcaptor Sakura yet XD ), the reveal that Yellow was a “girl” was devastating—I had to cross out floating hearts on at least one drawing of us holding hands (scandalous!) and, while kind of stunned and shaken for a while, decided that what I’d felt all along was a deep, intense desire to be friends X’D (which probably wasn’t too far from the truth since I was pre-puberty and later turned out to be asexual)

(Also note that I never got the RGB issue that had the chapter where Red helps a little ‘girl’ capture a Rattata—later proven to be Yellow’s backstory—so the gender reveal really came out of nowhere for me.)

But anyways, I still love Yellow as a character for all the above reasons, without the crush aspects because I’m way older than them now.

Also when I reread the series ten years ago, I finally realized “wait, aside from surprising the reader, there’s no real plot reason for Yellow to pretend to be a ‘boy’ except that Green told ‘her’ to—so why did ‘she’ do it?”...and because at that time I didn’t even know that nonbinary genders existed, I decided it was cus they had low self-esteem and pretending to be a different person gave them courage (the same reading I had for Mulan at the time).  These days I’m more inclined to “yeah, I think Yellow’s nonbinary,” but that other interpretation was deeply relatable to me and only made me love Yellow even more.

2. Bill

Bill’s definitely a character I’ve grown to love more as an adult, since I’ve gone from seeing myself as “a protagonist doing cool things” to “a side character just living their life who hopefully gets to do something once in a while.”  But as a kid and now, I like him mostly for the slapstick and goofy expressions and the (early chapters Viz translations) outrageous accent  X’D  My brain desperately craves endorphins and the best way to get em is through a good laugh.

But also, I liked that he was introduced as a goofy character-of-the-week who got into ridiculous trouble and had to be rescued, but then kept being brought back, was slowly built up to be the “smart sidekick who explains things,” and eventually got to the point where he was participating in big battles (the Yellow finale on Cerise Island).  I rambled about this in the tags of another post, but I liked that he was a character who was “weak” without being “useless.”  As a kid who was good at school, I was obsessed with being good at things and had developed a black-and-white view of the world where either you were “strong/smart” or “weak/stupid” to the point that failing or just being not-so-good at anything was devastating (it still kind of is), because that meant I was actually “weak/stupid” when I was supposed to be “strong/smart.”  So it was kind of awesome that this guy who kept getting into trouble and having to be rescued—and didn’t even want to BE part of the final battle—managed to hold his own and get through it and help out instead of being a burden that dragged everyone down.  Seriously, he used a MAGIKARP effectively—the Pokémon everyone makes fun of for being “useless” and he used its one attack to save his life!

(Bonus points for all this happening in contrast to my devastating childhood experience of stanning The One Girl Character in every popular shounen series, waiting desperately for her to get to do something in battle, and then her one spotlight episode revolved around her struggling because she was so weak...not only was that actually happening to a boy for once, it was actually happening in a more satisfying/empowering way :’D )

3. Gold

I have extremely specific tastes when it comes to “the dumb shounen/action movie protag,” because as a kid I hated it when the main character was “dumb” because I was “smart” (re: good at school) and people who were “dumb” shouldn’t deserve to be the main character and have all the cool powers and save the world and stuff.  As an adult, I hate it when male characters are dumb and/or jerks but it’s treated as fine or even sexy(??) and the other characters fawn over them, and I generally still kind of hate it when characters who are dumb and/or jerks get the big important role when there’s a female character RIGHT THERE who’s more competent (and OF COURSE she has to wind up falling in love with him)

But anyway, I have extremely specific tastes, and Gold is it  X’D  He’s the perfect combination of “unshakably confident in his own stupid/egotistic views” and “treated as annoying and/or comic relief by the rest of the cast” with a bonus dash of actually being really clever in battle (so my inner child goes “Ah yes, technically, he is ’smart,’ and therefore...worthwhile“)  Making me laugh while also impressing me is like the key to my heart.

4. Crystal

I’m too lazy to look it up, but when Viz was publishing Pokemon Adventures as monthly comics, they must have switched to publishing it as trade paperbacks only and/or had a huge gap between the end of Yellow and the start of GSC, because for YEARS I’d thought Yellow was the end of the series and was shocked the first time I saw later volumes.  (My dad was buying us the monthly issues at the local comic store, and either they wouldn’t have ordered the trade paperbacks or he wouldn’t have thought to check those shelves.)

Anyway, that’s a long lead-in to the statement of “Crystal would automatically be my #1 or #2 if I’d read her arc as a kid.”  She’s a girl, she wears pants, she’s EXTREMELY smart (genius-level “book-smarts” about every Pokémon’s behaviors and weaknesses PLUS being clever in a battle), was tough as nails (she KICKED her Pokéballs!!), had no interest in romance or her appearance, AND had a short arc about losing her confidence and training herself back up to full power.  I would have KILLED for a character like that when I was a little girl being told that “girls don’t like action shows like Dragon Ball Z” (but I was a girl and I did???) and that girls were supposed to be pretty and obsessed with fashion and dating, and that girls were never the main character of action series, just side characters who either did nothing or got one chance to do something and were pathetically weak (see above, and/or Sakura’s fight against Ino (Naruto), those couple filler eps where Téa/Anzu played Duel Monsters (Yu-Gi-Oh), Videl getting pummeled by Spopovich (DBZ), etc).

So anyway, she’s awesome, she’s exactly the type of character I would’ve loved as a kid.  The only reason she’s behind Gold here is because at my age, “makes me laugh” > “the kind of main character I used to wish I could be”

5. Green (the girl trainer...I’m just too loyal to the Viz version to call her “Blue”...)

I’m trying not to rehash the same “I’m a girl but none of the girls in my shows/comics are like me!” childhood woes over and over, haha, but as much as I always enjoyed Green for being extremely clever and outsmarting the boys and being funny when she did so, she always lost points with me for being “pretty” and flirting to get her way, because that put her in the box of “girls are supposed to be pretty and desired by boys and obsessed with their appearance and romance” that was so foreign and disheartening to me as a kid.

But her staredown with Ho-oh at the end of the GSC arc TOTALLY got me.  As a sad adult with anxiety, watching characters who are absolutely terrified overcome their fear, watching characters who are completely beaten down struggle back to their feet and keep fighting, is like my ultimate power fantasy.  That sequence genuinely had me in tears.

Also her bond with Silver is super precious, especially since that’s like the first time in the series we’ve seen her be genuinely emotional and vulnerable with someone instead of teasing or manipulating them.

Honorable mention: Sapphire

I haven’t gotten up to R/S in my reread yet, and I only read that arc once over like a weekend ten years ago, but I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be a Top Fave cus again there’s that “I'm not like other girls!” childhood feel  (last time I’m saying it, I promise)

It’s a story arc where one protag wants to fight the gyms and the other protag wants to win the beauty contests, but the one who wants to fight the gyms is the girl!!  And she’s the typical “dumb but extremely good at fighting” shounen protag but she’s the girl!!  She’s feral and illiterate and a total tomboy and wins all her fights and she’s a GIRL!!!!

--

Anyway, those are my kids and my dude and my probably way-too-personal reasons why.  If you wanna reblog, reply, or send an ask about your own faves...please

[blue-likethebird]

Shimizu Kiyoko: A Meta

Recently, Haikyuu finished its last match and ended an 8-year run in Shonen Jump. I love Haikyuu. It has so many unique characters with complex motivations, a plot that had me invested for 4 years straight, good pacing and a fanbase full of talented creators. It had a big impact on my style as an author and even motivated me to try out for my school’s volleyball team back in middle school (but I ended up getting hit in the head with a serve and cut after the first tryouts ended rip.) But like every story, Haikyuu had a few flaws too.

Shimizu Kiyoko is without a doubt one of my favourite characters after Michimiya and Suga. But when I reread the series following the manga’s end, I had the uncomfortable realization that as much as I love Kiyoko, the way her character was handled fell into a few -kinda misogynistic- pitfalls. Well, this is me taking a closer look at that. Below the cut is the full meta, which contains spoilers for the final arc of Haikyuu!! You’re free to add your thoughts, argue that I’m wrong, or call me a bitch and block me at your own discretion!

In fairness, Haikyuu is a series about a boys’ volleyball team, and that premise doesn’t leave much room for girls outside of the supporting cast. At the very least, Furudate did a good job making the female characters in his series likeable individuals with distinct personalities who have lives of their own outside of the guys. Even characters like Michimiya, Kanoka and Mika -who are comparatively minor characters serving romantic roles in the story- have identities not revolving around their relationships with boys. I’m glad that the girls were allowed to express ugly emotions, have supportive relationships with one another, and weren’t solely defined by what guys they were in love with. On that level, Haikyuu is leaps and bounds better than a lot of other shonen mangas ie Boruto’s Dad.

Unfortunately, Kiyoko’s arc fell slightly short of the mark. In the grand scheme of things, she really didn’t have much to do and her identity as a character is comparatively murkier than others once you strip away her relationships with the men in Haikyuu. Given her potential, popularity, and the higher standards Haikyuu set for its ladies, it’s a bit disappointing.

“But blue!” Someone in the back row pipes up. “You said yourself that Kiyoko isn’t a main character! Authors don’t develop the supporting cast nearly as much as the protagonists!”

Well yeah. If authors expanded on every character to the extent they expand on the lead, then it would be impossible to get to the actual plot. But hey, Oikawa appears less frequently than Kiyoko does and his motivations and interests are given time to develop. Heck, Yachi only joined the cast in chapter 73 and the series explores her interest in art and relationship with her mother really well during her introduction. We don’t know Kiyoko’s family situation, or why she quit track, or what drives her to put so much of her own time into the volleyball club. And the scenes where she has an impact on the story, or the game going on, or Hinata’s quest to become a great volleyball player, or another character she interacts with are few and far between when stacked up against other members of Karasuno’s volleyball club. The only exception would be Kinoshita and Narita, who have the bad luck of being Haikyuu’s version of “those two guys” so that’s not exactly the best demonstration of what Kiyoko has to offer.

Then there’s my beef with the pedestal she’s dropped on: Both in canon and out, Kiyoko is presented as a perfect goddess who can do no wrong. This setup has so much room to expand on and deconstruct, which dozens of stories have done incredibly well. Even Haikyuu itself has done a similar thing through Kageyama’s relationship with the other Kitadaii alumni and the “king of the court” storyline. Yet Kiyoko never gets a chance to explain her feelings on being held to such a high standard, nor is it ever brought up as something that could be uncomfortable for her. It’s briefly implied that she’s somewhat out of her element when she’s the centre of attention in the “do your best” scene, but that’s not really touched on further. Given that haikyuu has acknowleged being held to unreachable standards is damaging, it would have made sense to acknowledge Kiyoko’s perspective too. Is she insecure about being considered flawless? Is it something that brings her confidence or boosts her ego? Idk, because it’s never explained clearly. It’s like a porcelain doll: Kiyoko is perfect, but by keeping her up on a high shelf to maintain that perfection, we miss the chance to get a closer look that could help further our appreciation of her.

It’s not that being one of the less dynamic characters is inherently a misogynistic pratfall, since there are plenty of male characters out there who could give a cardboard box a run for its money in terms of complexity. However, given that Kiyoko’s character is already floundering among all the unaddressed idealizations around her, to have so little opportunity to address that and how damaging it can be, well it’s not great to say the least. She’s also one of the only characters in the whole series to suffer from this particular burden. It’s kinda difficult to handwave that as just a weird coinky dink that Kiyoko’s not given more development while the arrival of Lev at Nekoma warranted a dissection of how this affects their dynamic. 

This all builds up to a defining moment. The one that made me realize how Shimizu Kiyoko had never quite escaped the trap so many other shonen manga ladies since Sakura and Orehime had fallen victim to.

The reveal that she and Tanaka got married between the end of nationals and the time skip. That was when I realized that for all I loved her and the series she was a part of, the writing surrounding her was misogynistic. 

I have a... variety of emotions about this particular relationship’s road to becoming canon, and they’re not especially positive emotions either. I could prattle on for ages about the execution or buildup, and a whole other post could be written about why I always interpreted her as a lesbian, but that’s best saved for another time. How was Kiyoko falling in love with Tanaka a weak point?

To put it bluntly, it’s because she didn’t.

We’re shown over and over again that Tanaka has feelings for Kiyoko. That was established in basically the first scene they appeared together in. What irks me is that she never gets the same: that the ‘hints’ that Kiyoko returns those feelings barely qualify as hints at all. Yet, with one scene where Tanaka carries her bag, we’re supposed to believe that the few scraps of interest she’s shown throughout the 300+ chapters of the manga they’ve both appeared in is a strong enough end point to lead to them getting hitched. Come to think of it, is there ever even a scene outside of the bag carrying where they spoke one-on-one about anything meaningful? Did Tanaka ever get to see her as more than her pedestal that we saw? The scene they ended off on is where most romance arcs start for heaven’s sake, and it ultimately disservices both characters. 

Once again, poor Kiyoko got screwed over by the series denying her a chance to express her feelings, and the marriage bomb came off as less of a satisfying conclusion to either of their arcs and more like a one-sided “wear the girl down” pullout where the girl in question is treated more like a prize than part of a healthy relationship. That kind of “romance” is more at home in a cliche action bland-com than Haikyuu, where the relationships are written with more complexity. This would have so easily been avoided with even one throwaway line. But since Kiyoko never got to express her own feelings, a crucial building block to a satisfying romantic arc was left out and the whole relationship toppled over like a jenga tower.

To wrap this up, lemme say that Haikyuu is one of my favourite series and one of the strongest shonen or sports manga I’ve read. I love both Kiyoko and Tanaka both a fuck ton, and I’m incredibly grateful that Furudate gave us such a powerful series these past eight years. None of this is me trying to bash the author, story, or any of the characters and I’m definitely not trying to argue that they’re in any way problematic. This is merely one interpretation of the series and an examination of a relatively minor part of the genuinely enjoyable whole. My goal in writing this longass meta wasn’t to condemn. But, in a manga whose biggest strength is having such well-rounded characters, it’s still somewhat of a shame that so much of Kiyoko’s potential stayed just that: potential. Haikyuu is a series that’s well-known for giving complex personal stories to all its cast from major player to one-chapter rivals. Why is it that Shimizu Kiyoko -who’s been a regular presence in the story since the very first chapter- couldn’t get the same?