#even naruto told him he could chill at the village for a bit

[ssailormoonn]

❛ Travel ❜ - 02

Thelast!Uchiha Sasuke X fem!Reader

WC; 2.6k+ | !MDNI! | TW/CW; fem!reader, she/her pronouns used, suggestiveness, so slightly smutty near the end, i switched up the POV from first to second!!!

⋆·˚ ༘ *𝑅𝐸𝒬𝒰𝐸𝒮𝒯 :: Hey! Can you make part 2 of travel with Sasuke? Like after she gets pregnant and when they have their baby, please make it mostly fluff but if you want to a bit of suggestiveness I don't mind 🤭- @enouche

part 1 | part 2

m.list | naruto/boruto m.list | uchiha m.list

during pregnancy

The sun was lowering and it poured its warm golden rays across the path in the forest. You walked silently down the path with Sasuke, holding hands. You were seven months pregnant and your belly really came out at the stage. Since you first broke the news of your pregnancy to him, Sasuke had been pretty attentive.

He'd said it would be safer for you in the village; therefore, it was to the village that the two of you were headed. He nodded quietly at something very unexpected that slipped from Sasuke's lips, and immediately the raven smiled in a kind and soft way as he looked straight at you. "Are you feeling okay now?" he said with kind voice.

You nodded, then in turn, you squeezed his hand too. "I am feeling good, Sasuke—just tired."

He led you to a nearby bench under the cherry blossom tree. The falling of the petals around you makes it really magical. He then sat beside you, placing one of his hands on your belly. "He seems to be pretty active today," he said, feeling a small kick.

You chuckled softly at how optimistic Sasuke was in this shared life of yours with a boy. "Yes, they've been moving around a lot. Maybe they're excited to meet their father."

He looked at you so lovingly as he leaned over to kiss your forehead. "I can't wait to meet them either."

You cuddled up to him, feeling quite at home. "You are going to be such a good father, Sasuke."

Because he looked down at you seriously yet full of love. "And you, you will be a good mother," he said, brushing some of the hair out of your face lightly.

The two of you just sat there for a quiet minute, easily together in the stillness of being, basking in each other's company and the peace of the evening. In the quiet peace of the evening, the colors of the sky had changed from gold to a deep twilight blue. Sasuke embraced and pulled you closer to him; his arm was around your shoulders as he murmured, "I'm so grateful for you, for our family.".

You could feel the surge of love and happiness well up inside you, no less assured that in fact you were going to start this new chapter in your life, with Sasuke right beside you. "I love you, Sasuke," she whispered.

"I love you," he said, grazing his lips lightly.

You both were sitting under the cherry blossom tree, the soft rustling of the petals in the breeze bringing another small kick. You smiled. "I've been thinking," you said, looking up at Sasuke, "do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

His eyes were calm, but that tint was there: thoughtfulness. "It's a boy," he said with quiet certainty.

The corner of your mouth quirked up, laughing slightly. "And to that, you're so certain, really? But why do you have an idea that it's a guy?"   He glanced up to you then, eyes flicking up quickly for a moment then shying away with the seriousness, yet he proved rather softly, with no hint of some vulnerability there. "Oh, I don't know. Just never had a mistake after being told. And his movements, even his kicking, he's such a strong boy." You chuckled, warm even though it was an evening chill. "Or maybe she's just eager to show how strong she is."

Sasuke smirked, a smile touching the corners of his lips; it was so gentle. "Maybe."

You intertwined your fingers with his, feeling a wave of love for him. "Do you have any names in mind?"

His gaze turned reflective, even dreamy. "If it's a boy, Itachi," he said quietly, the name full of meaning.

You nodded, very aware of what he meant to imply with the name. "That would be," you said softly. "And if it's a girl?"

His softened a little, eyes glazing over. "I don't know," he muttered, almost irritated.

Your heart warmed at the suggestion. "Izuna would be beautiful," you said, squeezing his hand gently.

Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds nice."

You leaned into him, placing your head against his shoulder. "Our child will be so loved," you whispered.

He slipped an arm around you, pulling it across. "They will," he said firmly, his voice filled with this hushed emotion of love.

Next to them was the sound of the stream, along with fresh air, refreshing. Sasuke had been listening, and his presence of mind made you volunteer to fill your water bottle from the stream, recognizing it as imperative that you drink a lot of water.

"Stay here," he said softly, the usual stoic expression on his face. "I'll get the water.".

You nodded, watching him stroll down to the riverbank. Grace incarnated, power in the swing of his arms, his legs. As he bent to fill the bottle you eyed a fallen log that looked like a little challenge you could have some fun with by walking across. You feel a little playful, and your balance seems pretty good, so you might as well give it a shot.

You carefully stepped onto the log, putting one foot in front of the other. You knew you were supposed to be taking it easy, but that playful urge was just too strong to resist. Under the weight of your body, the log started to wobble as you steadied with a giggle.

It was then that Sasuke turned behind him to see you. His eyes had gone wide by an inch, and he looked concerned. He capped the bottle with water hurriedly and stood up all at once.

The next instant, he was beside you; his face turned serious. Sliding one arm in under your arms, handling you gingerly but firmly, he heaved you off the log and set you back onto firm ground. "It's not safe," he said quietly, his warm breath against your ear.

You felt the strength, the tenderness in his touch; a wave of love washed over you. "I didn't mean to worry you," you said softly.

He looked into your eyes, though his expression was consumed by a rivulet of concern. "You need to be careful," he said, his voice steady. "For the baby."

You nodded a little sheepishly. "I know. I will."

He handed you the water bottle, his expression softening for one moment. "Here, drink this."

You took the bottle and smiled up at him. "Thanks, Sasuke."

Suddenly feeling rushed with love, you leaned over to kiss him. You tiptoed to press a kiss on his lips but due to the baby in you, it proved really hard. You swayed a little and suddenly felt Sasuke's hand, ever watchful, placed on your waist, steadying you.

You finally reached his lips and pressed a light, loving kiss to them. Sasuke returned the kiss, equally tender, warm against your mouth. When you pulled back, you could feel a faint smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

"You're quite the determined one," he said softly, his eyes dancing with a slight, subtle amusement.

You chuckled softly; it was soft in the quiet forest. "Well, I have a good reason to be," you said with your eyes glowing in love.

He squeezed you again, a little gentler, his face turning mellow. "Just be careful," he repeated, his voice filling with concern.

"I will," you promised.

After birth

The soft, golden light of early morning bathed the room as you sat at the edge of the bed, cradling your newborn son in your arms. At your side stood Sasuke, tender-eyed toward the small bundle. Just fed, now dozing peacefully, tiny fingers wrapped around your thumb.

As you looked down at your kid, you experienced the same wave of love and protectiveness. You muttered, "He's perfect," as you raised an eyebrow at Sasuke.

Sasuke gave a nod. His visage softened in the presence of his son, otherwise stern. "He is," he responded in a deep, passionate voice.

You inhaled deeply since the situation was quite heavy on you. You murmured, "We have to name him," as you once again cast your gaze down at the infant.

For a few moment, Sasuke remained silent, his gaze fixed on the infant's face. He said, "Itachi," in a steady, yet profoundly weighted voice..

"Itachi," you said again, softly, trying out the name on your lips. It felt right, a promise of strength and love. "Uchiha Itachi." You smiled at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded. Infrequently used, real smile. "It suits him." He reached out to stroke the baby's cheek with his fingertip.

As you witnessed the loving exchange, your heart became fonder of Sasuke and your son. Once more, you whispered "Itachi," bending to plant a gentle kiss on the infant's forehead.

The infant shifted slightly as he slept, biting his little lips into a happy smile. Raising your gaze, you met Sasuke's eyes. "Thank you, Sasuke," you said, expressing gratitude in a genuine tone. "For everything." "No, no," Sasuke leaned in and gave you a gentle peck on the lips. "We're all family," he stated plainly, his eyes reflecting depths beyond your vision, "but I should be giving you my gratitude."

Itachi interrupting you two

Itachi was finally tucked into bed after a long day through play, you and Sasuke left to your own devices. The fire in the hearth crackled warmly and danced shadows about the room.

You were standing in the kitchen, nearing the end of the dishes, when he approached from behind. Wrapping his arms around your waist, his gentle but firm touch made you lean into him. You could feel his breath on your neck.

"Sasuke," you whispered, a smile playing on your lips.

He turned you around to face him, his dark eyes intense and filled with that familiar desire. "Finally, a bit of alone time," he whispered, his voice low and husky.

Your heart was at a race as he began to lean in, and then he took your lips with a scorching kiss. His hand wrought on your back, drawing you near as the kiss deepened. You felt yourself responding, your fingers tangling in his hair. The world outside just faded, and it was only the two of you—lost in that moment.

You let your hands slide from Sasuke's hair, trailing down his chest, to find their prize at the tie holding Sasuke's nemaki together. You tugged at the tie, and the nemaki fell open. You seized the opportunity and placed your hands onto his bare chest.

In return, Sasuke pulled your body closer, yearning for the warmth radiating from your body.

Just as things were getting good, you heard the unmistakable sound of small footsteps padding down the hallway. You both froze, pulling away from each other just as a yawning Itachi appeared in the doorway, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Sasuke visibly slumped, his shoulders dropping as a sigh escaped his lips at he tied his nemaki. "Not now…" he muttered under his breath, the look on his face slightly frustrated.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Itachi's voice was small and drowsy.

Hurriedly, you and Sasuke separated to untangle each other and recollect yourselves. You cleared your throat and gave your son a warm smile. "Hey, sweetheart. What are you doing out of bed?"

Itachi blinked up at you, his expression confused. "I had a bad dream," he said softly, shuffling over to you; he is still holding his comfort blanket.

You draped your arms around him, and your bent-over body gave way into a comforting embrace. 'Oh, baby, I am so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?'

He shook his head, pressing his face to your shoulder. 'Can I sleep with you and Daddy?

He nodded next to you, his normal calm exterior returning, but the previous disappointment was obvious. "Sure thing," he murmured, but you could catch the hint of a waver in his lips.

You hoisted Itachi into your arms, then, his little arms about your neck, and moved into the bedroom. Sasuke followed, his hand trailing to the small of your back as a brief touch—a wordless thanks for your help.

And when you finally laid Itachi down between both of you in bed, he fell asleep fast and started making those adorably tiny snores that took up the whole room. You and Sasuke shared a look; the earlier moment of passion replaced by the simple joy of having your family close.

You lay there with Itachi nestled between you and the contentment was overwhelming. Sasuke reached out and gently squeezed your hand. There had been warmth to the moment, in spite of the interruption, and you knew the intimacy was something that could easily come again.

this is just an idea based on an Instagram reel i watched and i found it funny asf (crack warning 😭) PLS TELL ME YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT VID IM TALKING ABT PLS

Sasuke was sitting at the kitchen table, engrossed in reading a scroll, while you were preparing dinner. The sound of your two-year-old son, Itachi, playing with his toys filled the room with cheerful background noise.

Suddenly, you heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet as Itachi toddled over to Sasuke. He tugged on his father's pants, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“Daddy,” Itachi said in his sweet, childish voice, “I want gar-leck.”

Sasuke glanced down, a puzzled expression crossing his face. “Garlic?” he repeated, unsure if he had heard correctly.

Itachi nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, gar-leck! I want gar-leck.”

Sasuke looked over at you, a rare moment of uncertainty in his eyes. “Is it normal for him to eat minced garlic?” he asked, his voice low so as not to alarm Itachi.

You chuckled softly, wiping your hands on a towel as you walked over. “He’s been curious about the smell ever since he saw me using it in the kitchen. He might just want to try it.”

Sasuke still seemed hesitant. “But garlic?”

You smiled and crouched down beside Itachi, ruffling his hair gently. “How about this, sweetheart? We’ll let you try a tiny bit, okay?”

Itachi’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Okay, Mommy!”

You glanced up at Sasuke, who still looked a bit unsure but gave a small nod. You stood up and went to the kitchen counter, carefully mincing a small piece of garlic. You placed the tiniest bit on a spoon and handed it to Itachi.

“Here you go, Itachi. Just a little taste,” you said gently.

Itachi eagerly took the spoon and put the garlic in his mouth. To your surprise, his face lit up with delight instead of scrunching up. “Yummy!” he exclaimed, looking up at you with a bright smile. “More gar-leck, Mommy!”

You laughed, exchanging a look of surprise with Sasuke. “Are you sure, Itachi? It’s pretty strong.”

“More, more!” Itachi insisted, bouncing on his toes.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, clearly still baffled by his son’s unusual taste. “He likes it,” he murmured, more to himself than to you.

You shook your head with a smile. “Alright, but just a little more, okay?” You minced another small piece of garlic and handed it to Itachi.

He gobbled it up happily and immediately asked for more. “More gar-leck, please, Mommy!”

You chuckled and shook your head. “No more garlic, sweetheart. It’s not good to eat too much.”

Itachi pouted, looking up at you with big, pleading eyes. “Please?”

Sasuke knelt down beside him, gently ruffling his hair. “Listen to your mother, Itachi. Too much garlic isn’t good for you.”

Itachi sighed but nodded, accepting your decision. “Okay, Daddy.”

You leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Good boy. How about some apple slices instead while dinner cooks?"

Itachi’s face brightened again. “Yay! Okay, Mommy!"

Do not copy, steal, modify, etc. Relogs and like are appreciated.

m.list | naruto/boruto m.list | uchiha m.list

taglist :: @enouche @lovelyandproblematic

@sugu-love @why-are-you-still-awake

[hatakemrs]

When they realised they're in love with you:(!fem Reader)

Characters: Sano Shinichiro, Hatake Kakashi, Gojo Satoru.

Warnings: None

Sano Shinichiro:

We all know that he is a hopeless romantic.

And when you finally accepted his ass after the 20 rejections he faced. He was beyond happy.

First few weeks of dating he thought you were only dating him because of some stupid dare your friends gave you. And any moment you would shout "SIKE" to tell him it's all a joke.

Don't blame him though he's been through 20 rejections so he's a bit insecure.

Anyways his imagination never happened and he knew that you're with him cause you want to.

I think Shinichiro would fall in love rather quickly with you during your relationship.

Like it's only been 4 months you having been dating and you were chilling at his shop.

You were watching him work on bike. You loved watching him work. It made him hotter when he was concentrated on something.

You were interrupted by his 3 siblings entering his shop who were arguing among each other.

Both of your attention shifted to them and Shinichiro tried to calm them down but they we're paying heed to any of his words.

That's when you decided to step in and after a few moments all three of them were calm and were paying attention to you.

Shinichiro looked at you with his eyes full of love. He loved the way you interacted with his siblings. Sure you did interact with them previously but this time was different to him.

It amazed him how easily you sorted their argument which is something that Shinichiro fails at quite a decent amount of time.

That was when he knew he was in love with you. And that he will be damned if he ever let you go.

Hatake Kakashi

He has lost many people his his life. And that's why he's very hesitant to let people into his life.

But when you came into his life. He was ready to give life another chance. Another chance to prove itself wrong. Another chance to show him that love really exists.

You were paired with him for a long mission and in that time, he learned everything about you.

With you he felt that he could talk about anything, and he did. He told you about his father, Obito and Rin.

After the mission was over, both of you tried to meet up often instead of your busy schedule.

Then Akatsuki started to carry out their plan and you both became busy protecting your village.

When Pain attacked the village, you both were positioned at different locations to save people.

At some point you couldn't sense his chakra anymore, you wanted to cry, scream, tell him that you love him since the day you met and regretted not telling your true feelings to him.

After Naruto saved the village, you went to look for Kakashi and you saw him sprinting towards you.

"Kakashi-", he cut you off by giving hug.

" Y/n, I was scared, so scared, not because I was dying but because I couldn't tell you how much you mean to me. Before I died, I saw your smiling face and I realized I have loved you all this time."

You let out a sob, "I love you too, Kakashi. Please don't even leave me again."

Gojo Satoru:

Gojo has always liked you since your first year at Jujutsu tech.

You, Shoko, Gojo and Geto were best friends that was until Geto choose a different path.

All of you were devastated by his actions, especially Gojo. He started to spend more and more time alone.

With his best friend gone and Shoko busy with her medical practice, Gojo was left alone.

That's why you decided to step up, you started to spend more time with him, bringing him sweets from his favorite shops and helping him raise Megumi.

Gojo had gone on a long mission, so you went to his apartment to take care of Megumi.

As you were talking with the little boy, you didn't notice the six-eyed sorcerer was back at home.

"But why are you so worried about him? He always says, " I'm the strongest " ", Megumi impersonated Gojo's cocky voice.

You giggled and answered, " He might be the strongest but he's still a person with limits.", you paused for a second then continued, "And I care for him. He might not express it but I know he is all alone now and I want to help him."

"Anyways, why am I even saying this to a kid?", you said and Megumi pouted, " I'm not a kid".

Gojo's heart fluttered at your words, everyone always talked about how special he was how powerful he was but no one ever understood what he goes through everyday. No one but you.

Gojo thinks might be in love afterall.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　.・゜-: ✧ :-　　.・゜-: ✧ :.・゜-: ✧

A/n: Not Proofread!

Hope you liked it and Take care<3

[neko--anime-girl]

She unlocked her fucking sharingan because of fucking Sasuke

[theuncommoncorner]

Random Naruto Soulmate AU

(Naruto x Female Reader)

Note: I found this chilling out in an unknown corner of my Google Drive. No idea what this was for. If this was for someone I'm sorry! If it wasn't for someone, please enjoy!

I don't know if this was for a headcanon request or scenario and I can't even find a related message in my email.

Sidenote: You can connect asks to your email so you never lose anything. Luckily, I haven't had things disappear like others. 🤔🧐

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Soulmates can feel each other's emotions through a mental connection. Some can see and even converse with them via dreams but it is extremely rare.

》♡》♡》♡》

Naruto knew she was there. He could feel the small trill of her emotions. He wished he could know what she felt all the time but that only happened when someone found their soulmate.

He reflects on their interactioms during the Pein arc and afterward.

He was grateful he still had a grip on her in his dreams during that time. He couldn’t, and still can't, see her face but he’s just happy he had her presence there.

They’ve been able to communicate in broken sentences that come out as whispers. No matter how wide he can see her mouth open all he can hear are whispers. Her voice is quiet and soft like the small trill of emotions he feels everyday.

He cherished those conversations they had. He wished it would have been possible when he was younger but his anger and hate for the people in the Leaf Village consumed him as a child. He remembers when he first felt her emotions and that gave him hope. That someone cared for him. Someone that was meant for him. The nobody. The screw up. The goofball shinobi.

He looked forward to those conversations whenever he took a nap or laid to rest for the night, but then his training started. He had to get a handle on the Nine Tails and barely had time to rest. He missed her. He missed her voice. He could still hang on to the small trill of emotions though.

It was weird but he felt her while speaking with his mother. It was like a constant buzzing behind him. Like she was actually there with them somehow. His mother took note of his slight distraction and told him to hang on to that buzz. Having a soulmate while handling the Nine Tails made it much easier for him.

Talking to his mother about everything was a lot. Being able to talk to her about his soulmate gave him hope. She thinks they truly were meant to be together. She’s never heard of someone being able to contact their soulmate in dreams.

Naruto wanted to sit and reflect on what he was told. He wanted to at least have time to himself for even a minute but then they had to fight Kisame. He hoped there would be a short amount of time but then they had to head to the battlefield to fight a war.

For some reason the dreams stopped. He couldn’t reach her. The small trill was weaker. All Naruto could do was defeat their enemy and hope.

=-=-=-=

Naruto sighs while sitting in Kakashi-sensei’s office. He would come there to think in the corner when something was bugging him and Kakashi knew from the way his mood had turned after the war what was bugging him.

Kakashi gives Naruto a long side glance. He’d been there all day. Kakashi knows that having to watch all of his friends find their soulmates so easily made it worse.

Kakashi gives him a special mission to go and find his soulmate. He wrote it up as a search and rescue 'mission' to keep close ties with other villages. Make them see that the Leaf is still an ally post-war and that they want to spread good faith between the main villages.

Naruto knew it was a weird way to word the mission but he didn’t question it.

Kakashi told him, "Go find them and be happy. I hate to see one of my students look so heartbroken all the time."

Naruto sets out and it's a good 7-8 months of traveling, seeing old friends in other villages, and enjoying different ramen varieties. His hair is a bit longer and he looks handsome as hell! (SCREW THE BORUTO HAIRCUT. I SAID WHAT I SAID)

He starts to doubt the entire journey because he hasn't seen her in his dreams and hasn't felt that small trill of emotions. He thinks that maybe something happened to her during the war.

Naruto decides to go to the Sand Village next to see Gaara, they are the greatest BROtp after all. While walking through the entrance he feels it. He feels her emotions but it's like a strong gale. An invisible force that mentally rocks him.

After recovering he heads straight to the Kazekage's office like planned but he's going to ask Gaara and his partner about it.

We all know Gaara has Naruto's back so he helps him but then his s/o gets roped into it which causes his s/o to get Temari and Kankuro roped into it.

Naruto is rightfully fired-up about it all. Why couldn’t he feel her emotions until he got there? Was something wrong?

Unfortunately, for Naruto the feeling of her emotions doesn’t change. It stays strong and it's a constant feeling, like someone holding a taut rope.

This poor child, he can barely sleep. His soulmate is somewhere in the village and he can't even narrow it down or speak with them through dreams.

He gets AGITATED and the Sand Siblings can tell as the days go by. (Our poor sweet sunshine boy. 😭)

He's hanging out with Gaara after they ate dinner at a local restaurant. They'd been searching for two and a half weeks at this point and Temari suggested they take a little break for the night.

Naruto sighs, "maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow."

He breaks off from Gaara and heads to his temporary quarters, but he suddenly feels her emotions. The same strong force of emotions hits him hard. Right as Naruto reaches up to caress the side of his head he roughly rams into someone, and starts to fall forward on top of them.

Mid-fall Naruto places his hand behind their head to cushion their fall.

They both start to apologize until Naruto pushes himself up a bit and--

"It's you!"

[officerjennie]

Commission for the ever so lovely @bouncyirwin - who spreads joy, happiness, and support as freely and easily as some people breathe (this fandom wouldn’t be the same without you 💜💜💜💜💜)

---

How anyone could so much as breathe without adoration hitching their efforts around her, Shisui really didn’t know.

This wasn’t even the first time this week he’d found himself staring in awe without a word able to escape him. Sakura had a way of making him dumb to the quick wit and playful flirting that usually came as natural as most any other social interaction to him - he’d always been the social butterfly of his clan, berated for it at times and having his hair fondly tousled at others. And yet here he sat, in the corner of the little restaurant Sakura and her team and her team’s families had all crowded into, unable to absorb any of the chatter or whatever joke had Kakashi snickering behind his book or even what had Naruto and the brat arguing this time.

Sakura seemed content enough to sit back and soak it all in as well, pride in the soft smile that graced her lips, a cup of tea cradled in her hand near her chest in lieu of the spirit that many of her companions had chosen to partake in this evening. And who could blame them? Rare was the day any shinobi party could come back unscathed along with their success, and given the tentative peace between Konoha and Kiri could have been destroyed at the smallest misstep their celebration came with relief felt by the entire village.

It warmed him to no end to see her so content and sure, so proud, none of the hesitance that used to haunt her expressions and tense her body anywhere to be found - the kunoichi that had chased and chased after her teammates had long since caught up and surpassed them in so many ways, and even without being privy to the intimate details of her internal battles Shisui could feel emotion trying to choke him.

Gods, but he had it bad, didn’t he? He forced some of his own tea down, looking away from the woman who had no idea she held his heart so tightly in her grip, scrubbing his face with his free hand in an attempt to clear his head. Admiration was one thing - very understandable in this case, given Sakura set the precedent for strong and capable shinobi who could punch a ravine into existence - but they could hardly even be called friends if he was honest with himself. So openly staring at her with his heart in his eyes could definitely count as creepy.

Maybe he needed more hobbies.

“Not really like you to hang out on the sidelines.”

It was a bit embarrassing to be snuck up on like that. He hoped his surprise wasn’t too obvious as he peeked through his hands, finding the woman who’d been occupying his thoughts all night now occupying the seat next to him. Up so close he could see her cheeks were dusted pink, though he couldn’t really tell if it was the chill from the night air or just some blush she’d painted on.

Either way. It didn’t really matter which one it was. All Shisui could really do with the information is filing it under “she’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met” and keep the simple image of her tucking some pink hair behind her ear firmly in his mind’s eye for the rest of his days.

“Not a place I’d expect to find you either.” She blinked at his words as if confused, pursing her lips even, so despite how obvious it seemed to him Shisui clarified, “You more the frontline type, right?”

“Ah, yeah, I don’t really care for ‘supporting others’ to mean ‘being left behind.’ But today,” Sakura turned just enough to look over at her teammates, Shisui following her gaze to see Naruto gesturing wildly in horror at something that had Sasuke snickering unashamedly. “Today, I think I’m alright with not being in the middle of them. There are some conversations I’d rather they have without me.”

“What even has them going, anyway?”

“Relationships,” Sakura said, a little too quickly. But she didn’t let the awkwardness stay, her eyes flicking down to her tea which she held between her hands as if her fingers might be cold. Shisui wished he could warm them between his own. “Well, not exactly relationships. More like things people do in them. They seem to find it amusing to list all the people they’ve managed to kiss or make out with.”

With a snort, Shisui said, “I’m guessing they’re both at the top of each other’s lists then?”

He was very glad to see the tiny bit of tension relax right away from Sakura as she laughed, her eyes alight with mirth. “Somehow, they always seem to forget to mention that.”

“Bet you love to remind them.”

“Bet I do.” She flashed him a smile that had his ears heating up, and for the life of him Shisui could not say why it made him feel bold.

Despite how calm people saw him, despite his rather laid back nature, Shisui often found himself tongue tied where feelings were involved. But past his beating heart he somehow managed to not make a fool of himself, his nerves not overwhelming him - perhaps it was simply how welcomed he felt in her presence? How inviting and warm she was even as all she did was sip her tea, simply existing but existing there, next to him, when any number of seats were available next to those she was far closer to. And didn’t that make him feel lucky.

“Do you have a list?”

The gods only knew how he managed to make that sound casual. Even when Sakura’s eyes widened and blinked up at him (he swore his favorite color used to be blue but damn if that shade of green wasn’t going to change that) - and for a terrifying moment he remembered just how easily this woman could demolish any wall that stood in her way. With her fist.

Even if that wall was made with solid concrete, or was, say, a whole ass mountain. He was pretty sure he wasn’t anywhere near as solid as a mountain.

When she chose to not punch him, every single last bone in his body heaved a sigh of thankfully unbroken relief. “No, I...don’t have a list.”

No list? That was a little surprising. “A name, then?” Maybe not the best thing to ask someone, at least not before he was sure she would be comfortable with answering. Shisui was quick to add “Unless it’s a secret or something�� - the last thing he needed was to drive her away by pushing into her own personal life.

Though, then again - and something in Shisui rose up in slight saddened panic at the thought - what would he do if she did have a name? A significant other? Itachi was out on another of his long missions, who exactly was he supposed to lean on and eat comfort chocolate with if it turned out his growing crush was, well...crushed, before anything could come of it?

“No. No name.”

It took physical effort to not sag with some sort of relief at her words, but it wasn’t a relief that Shisui had much time to process. Because as much as he wanted a chance with the woman of his dreams, as much as he had wanted to hear that...

“Eh? Really? You?” Shisui found it beyond the realms of possibility that Sakura, of all the people in Konoha, had yet to have her first kiss, and that shock was perhaps a bit too loud in his tone.

Definitely not good for his health and wellbeing. The nerve on Sakura’s forehead was suddenly twitching, and the sharp look she sent his way had him gulping.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, no! No no, nothing- I didn’t mean like that!” He shook his head a little more than necessary, horror dawning on him as he realized his unintentional insinuation. “I just meant- you’re just, well, beautiful! Beautiful and an exceptional shinobi, a damn good medic, and from what Sasuke’s told me in confidence you make a mean blueberry tart. Not to mention you could punch through steel if it offended you.” By some grace of the gods he managed to bit off his rambling there, scratching nervously at the back of his head, almost mumbling as he ended his poor excuse of an explanation with, “I just expected, you know… You might have kissed at least one of the people who admired you.”

The moments of quiet after his words were probably the most terrifying seconds of his life, though by some mercy Sakura did not seem angry. Maybe his apology/explanation was acceptable after all and he wouldn’t have to-

Sakura said something under her breath, and Shisui blinked back out of his thoughts, frowning a little in confusion. “What?”

“It’s just that I…” Her bottom lip caught between her teeth for a moment, drawing Shisui’s eyes. “I’ve never really had an appealing offer. You know?”

Had she always been sitting that close to him? Their thighs were touching and Shisui couldn’t remember when that had happened, but his pulse picked up, the whole of him keenly aware of every inch of her.

And how bad would it be, really, to be buried in the ground by those deceptively slender fingers?

“Would I,” Shisui started, with a smooth tone that belied how his heart beat frantically in his chest, “qualify as an appealing offer?”

A breath. Two. Sakura’s gaze flickered down to his lips as hers parted the barest bit - and even before she nodded Shisui knew her answer - though he knew not how he'd been so lucky as to get a yes.

Her hair was soft under his fingers as he cupped the back of her head, her pupils wide as she tilted her chin to look up at him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was aware that they were not alone, their friends and coworkers laughing and drinking and chattering away not even half a small restaurant away from them, but all of him preferred to focus on Sakura’s hand now coming to rest on his arm, the way she shifted forward as he leaned closer, how intimate it felt to brush their noses together, her breath tickling his lips.

And then their lips met, and the rest of the world fell away.

[secret-engima]

Calling For Rain verse is intriguing to me. What do the Galahdians think of Minato sealing the Kyuubi in his own son? I mean like, Minato had told Sarutobi that he wanted Naruto to be treated as a hero and not a monster. But as we can see in the show, it played out differently. Also, sidenote The Other Side by Amarante has some Gremlin Team vibes to me. Maybe as a song they do during the circus?

Well, it takes the Galahdians a LONG time to learn that 1. Naruto is a Jinchuuriki and 2. he is the son of the guy who made him a Jinchuuriki. By that point they are already extremely salty about most of Konoha's everything, so they are likely salty about this too. They ... understand it a bit more? Once they learn or realize that Minato wanted and expected his child to be treated like a hero for this sacrifice and not thrown away as garbage, but they do think he's pretty naive for not having any failsafes other than Idiot Monke and Drunk Perv.

But on the flip side, they DO understand what it's like to sacrifice to save the village, to save a people. They do not approve of using a child, but apparently only a child could survive the process, so at least he didn't just snatch a random child out of the arms of unwilling parents?

Mostly they're salty at Konoha for their treatment of the kid and want to slap Minato for being naive, but otherwise they are chill with Minato and the Jinchuuriki thing.

Even if they personally think trying to enslave/capture giant living chakra beings is Stupid™, but at this point they figure it's probably either continue the system or let the monsters out to have revenge and neither options are good.

I had to look up the song and OH MY WORD I LOVE IT. YES. So many Team Gremlin vibes. Specifically Oscar vibes, his fae Ringmaster vibes. I can see them doing this as a performance, or just- dancing to the song in private if they hear it on the radio (or if Oscar dredges it up from old Oz memory, a song composed by a friend while on a great adventure back in the older days).

[feralcherry]

Naruto takes that might enrage you (girl addition)

Warning, some of these takes might enrage you- that’s fine.

Fillers don’t count as canon, don’t even bring them up if you talk about this post lol. Also it’s been a while since I’ve seen the whole series, so some of these might be disproven as I continue with my rewatch. The excuse that Shounen is for boys is also very weak and holds no weight, as tons of girls (and nonbinary folk) relate to the characters in this show, so that doesn’t excuse Kishimoto for his weak writing of women.

To preface, I love this show. Love it to pieces. It was part of my childhood and holds a very special place in my heart. But there are some things I personally don’t like or wish could have been done better. I love every character and will go blue in the face talking about how much I still love this show. That doesn’t free it from my criticism. I’m also only listing what I don’t like and what I would change, though I’d be more than happy making a post about what I loved.

Let’s start off with my girl Sakura Haruno. She is easily the most hated girl in the series, and all because of how ‘weak’ or ‘annoying’ she is. As if that’s not the fault of Kishimoto himself lol. She was shoved off to the side continuously and never given cool storylines, unlike the other members of her team.

What I took issue with about Sakura:

-What were this girls dreams?? The whole reason she became a ninja was never really talked about nor were they really developed as time went on. She was all about Sasuke, which would be fine if she grew out of it. But no. 

-Her crush on Sasuke was super stale. He was handsome and powerful, but what else was there to him? He was a jerk to her most of the time (there are some instances he’s somewhat kind to her, but if we go off canon, it’s not enough to make her deep love make sense). I think it would have been so much more interesting to see her grow out of her infatuation for him. If they had to have ended up together, watching them relearn each other and fall in love would have made them more compelling. She stayed loving a boy who thought very little of her. 

-She’s pitted against her best friend and doesn’t develop much of a relationship with other girls her age. It’s kind of sad, and I think they should have fought over something other than a boy. 

-We are told repeatedly that she’s super powerful by other characters, but she’s never given time to truly shine. She got like a single battle with Sasori and she deserved more cool moments like that!

-She was a healer, which makes perfect sense. But why is it mostly girls who are the healers? It’s a bit weird, when there’s also Neji with his perfect chakra control. She only has her healing abilities and her super strength; but even then someone like Kabuto has more offensive healing based techniques than her. Like his chakra scalpel. 

What I would fix:

-New dreams. Show her find a dream outside of her team and grow into it. Also give her more of a backstory. Sai has more of a backstory than she does and he’s way newer than she is.

-I would let her fuck up one of the Peins instead of Konohomaru- she’s a main character and passed over for that little brat?? She should have gotten to do more than scream out for Naruto and heal people :/ 

-She her intellect a bit more. She’s so smart, and yet we don’t really see it.

-She’s perfect for genjutsu, Kakashi himself said so. So why not give that to her? Or play more with ninjutsu. She has earth and water on her chart, so why not give her those abilities? Maybe even wood jutsu to even her out with her super OP teammates. Idk how, it could have happened, this is a show full of demons and god like abilities, it could have happened someway.

-She should have grown out of Sasuke and not married a man who doesn’t really appreciate her and isn’t there for her at all.

-I would totally have expanded on Inner Sakura more. Imagine if it made her mind impenetrable? Could have woven that in with her skills for genjutsu and made her unaffected by other’s illusions.

Next, let’s go with a more beloved character of the fandom. Hinata. Now personally I don’t care much for her- she could have been so cool but just like Sakura, they kind of messed her up.

What I didn’t like about Hinata:

-Her entire existence is revolves around Naruto. Naruto this, Naruto that- and yet she simply sat back and watched as his life was shit and did nothing despite her ‘love’ for him. And then fillers/movies are added to show that oh wait! she’s been there this entire time!! no lol. Build her up from the start as his love interest at the very least.

-She stayed super meek the entire time. Shy girls are okay, but I wanted to see her grow into herself more and not need as much reassurance. She’s a ninja and should stand on her own two feet more.

-She’s less skilled then Neji and I would have loved to see her outmatch him at some point, even once. Or gain abilities outside of her clan, or do something that made a name for herself outside of being the heiress of the Hyuga.

-She never fixed her clan which was one of her few spoken goals. That was a huge bummer.

-I think it would have been cool to see her mess up Pein a little more. She only stepped in because it was Naruto, which reinforces that she’s only about him. But at least let her land a hit if she’s as powerful as people say she is. 

-She makes the most sense to be a housewife or a healer with the way her attitude is but in Boruto, she’s kind of rewritten to be a ‘scary’ mother which just doesn’t fit her. Plus, she tells Boruto to go and take care of his dad?? Bro, that’s your child and your husband is the hokage. 

What I’d fix:

-Prove her dad wrong and show him that her compassion isn’t a weakness but a strength. 

-Fix the Hyuga clan bs.

-More character growth and showing more of her life away from Naruto. Her romance with him could also have been better. I hated her always watching him but never standing up for him, it kills me.

-Neij dying for her proved their clans hierarchy bs to be right and it just doesn’t make sense for him to die for her. It showed that he was right to feel caged and that he simply existed for the benefit of the Main family.

Now with the others, there’s much less I have to say about them because they aren’t main characters or the love interests.

Ino-

-Jealous of Sakura, no dreams of her own, stupidly loves Sasuke and for what? WHAT’S SO COOL ABOUT HIM?

-I like her growth for the most part, it was cool watching her fight in the War Arc with her team. 

-Why is she the medical ninja? I never got that.

-She got with Sai but they didn’t really show their development and how they fell in love with each other. It’s like she only likes him because he looks like Sasuke and called her pretty once.

Tenten-

-Should have gotten to train with Tsunade at some point, since she was the one who originally idolized her. 

-We know nothing about this girl at all. She doesn’t even have a last name.

-Her weapon usage was meant to be so cool and yet she missed so often- there’s a disconnect there. Her abilities could have been built up more. Imagine if no matter what she never ever missed. That would have been cool.

-Her weapon shop isn’t doing well. Just because it’s an era of peace doesn’t mean the need for weapons is totally over, not if there are still active ninja??

Karin-

-I actually like her, she’s kind of funny and I like that she’s mean even if she can get annoying.

-Again, another healer, though she’s also sensory which is more interesting. I’d like to see her with some jutsus though. That would have been neat.

-Her love for Sasuke makes sense since he saved her and smiled at her, making her think of him as her hero. And she’s the only one he apologizes to without Naruto strong arming him into it.

Temari-

-She’s pretty solid in my opinion. Though I would have loved to see her more without her brothers.

Konan-

-Her goals in life were to support Yahiko and Nagito’s dreams. It would irritate me so much if other girls in the series were more well rounded and din’t also have some sort of dream involving a boy.

-She was underused. I would have loved to see her fight more.

Tsunade-

-Only becomes hokage to support others dreams...All of them men. And then later passes the title onto Kakashi who doesn’t even want to be Hokage either. 

-No other justus used, she’s on par with Jiraya and Orochimaru and yet she’s only super strong and the best medic. She should theoretically be more well rounded than that, right? She also should be shown fighting more even if she’s a medic, she’s also s legendary sannin 

-Had to be saved by 12 year old Naruto. I know it’s a show about him, but she’s meant to be a literal badass but needs a kid to save her.

Kushina-

-Wanted to become the first woman hokage and then didn’t. Her husband did. and then she became a housewife?? What?? She should have become the first woman hokage with a badass husband or had another prominent role in the village like as a council member or something.

Kurenai-

-Always lost a fight? She’s some genjutsu using badass but always lost fights.

-No real personality, she’s just chilling there. Sexy as hell though. Has a kid and that’s about it.

-What I will give her is that I’m so glad she was allowed to age. So many anime mothers always look the same as their teenage self and she looks like she can be anybody's mama.

Over all, the girls could have been handled much better. I wouldn’t find issues with any of them being housewives or all about boys if that weren’t what seems to be the standard in the anime. I just wanted more of a variety and better character development, especially for Sakura and Hinata who are the mains 😩

Now to what might REALLY piss people off- ships! I’m not trying to start some war here, this is just my opinion and you can take it or leave it.

Sakura- Naruto, since they had the most development and showed more than two seconds of caring for each other. Even Sai in Shippuden has more of a connection to Sakura than Sasuke did.

Ino-Shikamaru, if she had to end up with a guy it makes sense it’d be him since they spend more time together than her and Sai did. (inosaku for the win tho)

Hinata-Shino or Kiba, again, because they spent more time with her. Naruto and her felt very rushed and I don’t quite understand the appeal.

The one that made the most sense and became canon was Shikatem, though their son’s design was lazy :D 

If I do a second part, it’ll be about the boys and the ships with them that made sense to me. For now, this is all I have. If you’ve made it this far, thank you lol

byeee

[cafeinthemoon]

The Founders with s/o who's a civilian and has talent to people maneuvering 🗨

This was requested by @kaiseaya​ (thanks for it, dear 💜) and I found it very interesting to try and imagine how it would be for the Founders to have a s/o who, as a civilian, doesn’t have blatant, impressive power as them (shinobi), but has their ways to convince people of their views and make them collaborate: they are versed on the laws, bureaucracy, diplomacy and takes the advantage of social conventions to achieve their goals.

Not all warriors are ninjas, right? 😉

Fandom: Naruto | Founders

Symbols: 💗 | ◻ | ▶

Hashirama

He met you at a diplomatic meeting

Tobirama said that they attended it alongside the most capable representatives available, and you were one of them

At first he thought that meeting was going to be as boring as the many others in which he participated since he became the Hokage, so he didn’t think much about the people chosen by his brother. You know, he hated to deal with this things so he trusted Tobirama as he wouldn’t trust himself

Things were like this until it came your time to speak. Once he saw you in action, he became interested in you

He spent the whole meeting observing and thinking about you and your talents. Your speech, your intelligence and your knowledge could only be compared to the ones of few people he knew, including his brother

However, you had something nor he or anyone else had: the sensibility you used to put in your work. He noticed you had a deep understanding of the human emotions and behavior, and used this as an advantage besides your argumentation

In other people this trait of yours could be considered some sort of manipulation, but you were not this kind of person, and that was exactly what gathered Hashirama’s attention. You were never pretentious or disrespectful, and when things started to get tense you promptly acted to calm everyone’s moods. You used your power as a way to connect people, to intermediate communication between them and thus to bring peace 💜

It was something that he himself always tried to do, but his preference to use his heart to guide his actions instead of logic and technical knowledge took the best of him and he always ended up depending on his brother’s rationality. You, on the other hand, combined the best of the two sides

Someone who achieved the perfect balance between their heart and their brain – that’s the type of person Hashirama wanted by his side. And he told you that when you met in the evening of that day

Today, he’s glad he has you with him 💕

Among the Founders, he is the one who’s less concerned about the fact that you are not a ninja. You do your work as no one else could, so why should he worry?

It’s true that when you and his brother are there to work with him, he might feel a bit intimidated by your competence, but he loves to have you all together. You three are like a team 🤝

Tobirama

Working besides Hashirama and being a master of maneuvering himself, it was only natural that sooner or later, Tobirama’s path would cross yours

He had a talent for organizing tasks and delegate them to the people with the right skills to accomplish them, whether they were shinobi or not. He simply knew everyone’s place in the schemes

And this is how he met you

Some of his partners talked to him about you when a complex mission was assigned to them, and he immediately demanded your presence

He explained what you had to do and gave you the proper tools for the work, or at least the tools he thought to be the right ones, because once you’ve read the papers and analyzed the situation, you pointed out some fragile spots that needed to be revised and asked for some time to do it

Your observations caught him off guard. How could he just miss important stuff like that? Was he becoming blind?! He asked the papers back and revised the whole pile lmao

In the end you were right, and he gave you the time you needed 😜

Time passed and episodes like this happened from time to time. Tobirama never brought them to the table, but he couldn’t deny that they bothered him a bit. You know, man is proud of his own capacities, so having someone who “challenges” him without even noticing had its impact

Besides, it didn’t go unnoticed by him that you didn’t depend solely on your intellectual and technical skills to achieve your goals: you had the ability of putting some “human” touch in everything you did, specially when your work involved direct communication with groups of people. You never imposed yourself or tried to force things out of them. You just knew where and how to press, and then you had everyone at your feet

One day, when you were talking about work and such, he made a comment on how you manage to have the idealism of his brother but not his empty head without letting it blind your judgment and always prioritize facts and logic when making your decisions. You, on your turn, said that this wasn’t a big deal and that you were actually learning so much working by his side that it was good to have his acknowledgment

This conversation basically stated the beginning of your relationship ❤

Today, Tobirama says that working with you is one of his fav things in life, but let's be honest, he can get a bit jealous of you sometimes lol

This leads him to be more stubborn than he naturally is, and he starts discussing about minor things and questioning your decisions without a good reason. You’ve already had some serious arguments bc of that (Tobi for god’s sake just chill)

However, as you use to do at work, you always solve your problems with patience and open communication

He even admits that such things are hard to accomplish specially for a shinobi, a kind of person who is used to conflict above all

In the end, he's more than happy to have someone like you by his side 🥰

Madara

In this gif he’s probably wondering if you’re really a civilian or if your talent is actually some sort of secret genjutsu

You met at an encounter with representatives of other nations. Tobirama couldn’t attend the meeting, so his brother chose you to go in his place, but you weren’t alone in this: as one of Konoha’s Founders, Madara Uchiha was included among the representatives of the village

Because of your work, you and Madara were familiar to each other, but you never had a proper conversation or anything of this kind. Still, you’ve heard things about him here and there, and decided it’d be better to keep him out of your way

That’s why you weren’t exactly pleased when Hashirama came to tell you that this man was joining the group. It was when you were introduced to each other

You were formal and polite in your greetings and everything was fine, but then Hashirama stated that you were going to mediate the negotiations, since you were replacing Tobirama

The look Madara gave to you was enough for you to see he was not satisfied with this arrangement

He didn’t say a word against the Hokage’s decision, that’s true, but he didn’t miss the chance to point out that you seemed too young for such role and because of this, there was a possibility of the other nations not treat Konoha’s group with the respect they deserved

Too young = an inexperienced girl who’s not a shinobi occupying a position as the leader of negotiations with international diplomats. And yes, he suggested it right in your face he has no shame lmao

Your first instinct was to give him a harsh reply, but once you looked at him, you saw it wasn’t worthy, so you just told him to wait until the meeting’s beginning

“Maybe it is better to give them the benefit of doubt, at least for now. We do not know them yet, but once we do, we will know the best way to deal with them. We know our goals here and we will work to reach them, whether they appreciate us or not” 👊

Hashirama, who was hearing all of this, blushed (as he always does in this kind of situation), but the Uchiha just smiled and said he didn’t want to offend you and that “if the Hokage trusts you for this task, I am with him”

As expected when you are involved, the meeting was a success. Your knowledge of bureaucratic matters and ability to observe combined with your understanding of human behavior were enough to grant your village one more victory. Hashirama wasn’t even worried that his brother was not there

But that didn’t mean the end of Madara’s mistrust of your talents: if he didn’t want to acknowledge your capacities during the meeting, now he purposely refused to give you the credit you deserved, stating that circumstances worked at your favor and etc.

Yep, unfair, irritating and immature, but you know, this man the personification of stubbornness. He has a hard time seeing other people's value, specially if they’re not shinobi, so it wouldn’t be different with you, right?

It was only when you made it clear that you didn’t crave for his approval that he stopped denying what it was obvious and recognized that you deserved respect for your hard work

Yeah it never crossed his mind that someone could simply ignore his opinion but thank goodness you were good at brat handling

But it was the first step for you both get close to each other 😏

[alicia-kingdom]

Outsider

Straight from my new obsession, the tv series  “Outlander” only weirder and with less sense.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The mission went wrong, extremely wrong. Great! Another thing her father would hold against her.

It was a pretty simple mission, just recognition and search if possible, an old temple where rumors said people have gone missing, both civils and shinobis alike. The latest was a Nara woman and a little Yamanaka girl. While not entirely serious, they were part of Konoha, which means the search was on the list even if the Hokage didn't explicitly say so.

So...how a simple mission turns this fucking deadly? Well, it seems Konoha citizens weren´t the only ones going missing. A few Mitsu ninjas were giving the same orders, and of course, there had to be a fucking fight. God forbids a simple and peaceful encounter.

What is wrong with men and their need to prove superior? Was it so hard to just ignore one and another?  

Oh! but that's not all! May the heaves fall upon them for wishing a little bit of normality. While Mitsu ninjas were dangerous, they weren't entirely hostile towards them...but then Iwa ninjas had to come, and...well...they couldn't miss the chance to kidnap the useless and weak Hyuuga ex-heiress, Hyuuga Hinata.

"I do hate that" thought bitterly Hinata. Her whole life those words follow her without mercy. Useless. Weak. Scared.

Well, know what?! FUCK THEM ALL! SORRY FOR BEEN HUMAN!!

She was tired, her chakra was almost nonexistent and her body arched like never before. Those Iwa-ninjas sure give honor to their village name. Hard as rocks. She had to hide NOW. She can't fight but she can't surrender either.  She was in her last wits and that annoying vibrating sound was just making her more annoyed. What the hell was that anyway? Somehow, that sound was annoying and disturbing...but it felt like it was calling her. Demanding her to reach for it.

Well, today she did not care for prudence or shyness. She is tired, hungry, sleep deprave, menstruating, and annoyed. That was a VERY bad combination for a Huuyga. Actually, that was a very dangerous combination for ANY women.

Sending her inner sweet voice straight to hell, she followed that annoying sound.

Why?

She may have many reasons as she may have none of them.

This may be a mistake just like the solution. After a few minutes of search, she found a strange circle of rocks. Huh? She has never seen those before. These rocks were located on top of a hill, tall enough to see all the land surrounding her, and yet have enough trees to keep her hidden from Iwa. If she ignores that sound, then this could be the perfect place to hide.

But again, her eyes keep her chain to her clan. If she was any other person, she personally would give her own eyes to this god-damn ninjas. Maybe this way she can find her so much desired freedom.

This place was truly beautiful, around the hill, purple flowers grow without restraint. They were free, giving the place a more peaceful aura. The perfect place indeed. She kneeled to touch those lovely and curious-looking fowers. They were so funny, looking like taken from a fairytale. Those told by her mother a long time ago, wherefrom a flower a small creature appeared to be your companion, your friend, your guide and, the face of your true soulmate. A soul center. Ah, such fairytales she still remembers, wishing so much she could find her own, to have someone loyal by her side, tide to her by her or his own wish and not by her father's orders. Have evidence that she was worth something to someone out there. That she was loved.

Of course, everything was just a fairy tale. Life was cruel and hard. Everything must be earned, nothing is for free.

Suddenly, she felt a strong grip on her arm, forcing her to turn around and her body slammed hard against one of the rocks. Damn, that hurt like hell. She was truly getting tired of been shoved off and slam against shit.

"So, this is where you were, little princess". said one ninja from Iwagakure. He had red hair, blue eyes, and a nasty scar that runs from his left ear all the way to his right eye. She could tell, a little more and he would have lost his eye. "So much trouble to find you...such a shame, such a beauty had to go to waste. If things were different, I would certainly...enjoyed you a little more." said creepily the man, his smile lewd and his blue eyes shining with raw lust.  

They had fought a fucking Ninja War side by side, and yet these greedy bastards can't get the fucking message of peace. His hand touched her cheek sweetly but his hands were hard, like all ninjas, including hers. That hand personally offended her.

Out of nowhere, a chilling and cold aura appeared, surrounding them, suffocating them. Sending shivers down her spine. This thing, this sensation...was killing intent, demand blood be spilled but not her blood. It sound funny, but it seems this...thing was angry at the man and not her.

Fight. Demand. Survive.

What?

Fight. Demand. Survive.

She doesn´t get it.

Fight. Demand. Survive.

Fight. Demand. Survive.

Fight. Demand. Survive.

FIGHT. DEMAND.SURVIVE.

In a second, her body felt so full of energy and adrenaline, her mind wild as a lion, hungry for freedom, for power, for recognition.

She was Hyuuga Hinata. From the Hyuuga Clan. Daughter from Hyuuga Hikari. Sister of Hyuuga Hanabi, the Hyuuga Heir. Byuakugan Princess. Descendant from Hamura, the Shinigami.

She fought and survive the Fourth Ninja War. She was acknowledged by Uchiha Madara himself (not important he acknowledge more Naruto's impressive usage of Kurama Chakra than her own power, but still counts).

She REFUSES to let a lowly iwa ninja hurt her, touche her. She DEMANDS respect. She WILL FIGHT.

From her hands, the huge amount of purple chakra surfaced, forming lion-shape fist. Her famous gentle step: Twin Lion Fists. She attacked without mercy, she will show no mercy.

So surprised by the killing intent on the air, the man did not stand a chance by the wild chakra Hinata had been knocked down by a simple hit. Once assured the man was unconscious, her body fell to the ground, on her knees. Suddenly, all her adrenaline and energy disappeared...it was as if she just borrowed it and now she had to give it back. Well, at least she was sure this man would not cause trouble for another 48 hours, enough time for her to recover a little enough to tide him up later. She allowed her body to rest in the stone wall, she was truly tired.

Sleep, my moon. I will watch for you.

That voice again. This time it was warm and soft, secured and kind. Well, she was going made by exhaustion. Another thing for her father to have against her. This time, she did as ordered, her stubbornness locked away again. She had more things to worry about. She felt her body relax, her breathing even out slowly and her eyes closing. She could swear she saw another figure coming towards her. Maybe it was her team to rescue her, or the man's team to kidnap her. At this point, she doesn´t care.

So tired, she could swear she felt a warm, soft hand touch her cheek with kindness, like if she was made out of glass.

Sleep my moon, soon we will meet again.  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

[chestnut-b]

Himawari Chapter 9

In which Iruka gets a bit of a winter cold.

Chapter 9 of a Demon Slayer AU

“All right. Class dismissed!”

There was a small chorus of happy cheers, and the children gathered for a respectful bow before running off for their morning break. Naruto wasted no time, grabbing Lee’s arm and pulling him towards the courtyard for sparring. The rest, having braved the chill long enough, retreated indoors.

Iruka watched them go with an exasperated, fond sigh. 

There was still some time before lunch, so he took the time to wander the school grounds, eventually coming to a stop outside the tea room. 

Sliding open one of the doors, the room was dark, and his shadow, cast on the floor, was a solitary one.

He smiled to himself wryly before sliding the door shut. He walked, turning the corner in the hallway, but his ears soon picked up the sounds of approaching footsteps behind him.

“Oiiii, Iruka.” Came a familiar drawl. 

Mizuki. He was dressed in his haori and outdoor sandals, his nichirin blade strapped proudly to his waist. He approached Iruka casually, his arms raised to brace the back of his head.

“It’s a sortie. We’ve just received orders to head out.”

That explained his attire, and certainly the smile that was plastered on his face. 

Iruka bowed his head.

“I see. May you and your squad see victory on the battlefield.” 

“Hmmm. Must be nice, getting to stay behind while we get sent out to die like rats.”

“Wha-,”

Iruka didn’t dodge the arm that shot out past his neck, pinning his body to the wooden post behind him. Mizuki’s gaze, seemingly nonchalant but laced with barely hidden disdain, bore into him. 

“I’ve been wondering for a while, you’ve been here for over two years now, and I still don’t know your rank, Iruka.” 

Iruka stood, still as stone. His fist closed into a ball.

“What does that have to do with anything?” 

“Just curious. They said you’d come as an apprentice of a former Hashira, but so far I haven’t seen anything to be impressed by.”

“Maybe there isn’t anything impressive about me to begin with?” Iruka raised his tone to match Mizuki’s.

“Heh. I heard when you came with that brat of yours, security got so much tighter. It’s still such a pain, to be honest.” Mizuki let down his arm, drawing back.

“The children here were all orphaned by demons. If we won’t protect them, who will?” 

“If they get killed, it’s because they weren’t strong or lucky enough, that’s all. If they’re going to be that pathetic, they’d be better off digging graves with the rest of the Kakushi. I’ve seen you go on and on about how we’re here for them, but in reality, some of us are just here for the paycheck.”

Iruka felt the heat rise up his neck. His nails were biting into his palm now, but he couldn’t refute the statement. Anyone could take the selections, it didn’t surprise him at all that more than a few entered the corp just to survive. 

“Maybe some of us are here for more than the paycheck then.”

Mizuki snorted, leaning back to rest his hand on the hilt of his blade. He was clearly bored of the conversation. 

“Well, have fun babysitting. I’m off to slay some demons. With a couple more under my belt, I’ll get promoted by the end of the year. That’s something to look forward to in this god-forsaken dump.”

Without another word, the slayer made himself scarce.

Alone, Iruka took a moment to dust off his uniform. He passed another set of corridors, and found himself outside the room he and Naruto shared. 

The tree that stood in the yard between him and the guest quarters was barren, its crown dotted by dry, empty nests against a grey, overcast sky. Months ago, when it was still green with life, he’d shared many conversations with a Hashira under its generous shade. 

The birds that flew by then had long since moved south.

A week later, on a quiet night under a full moon, he found himself standing beside Naruto before the compound’s prayer box. 

They prayed; for health, for each other, and for those they’d lost.

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

The winter that came was harsh and unforgiving. 

Iruka lay shivering in his futon, face flushed with fever. He’d never taken to the cold well, especially as a child. In his delirium, he thought he could feel his mother’s warm hand against his cheek, or his father’s rough, calloused palm resting on his forehead. 

Being clear-headed was never more painful.

He’d moved to the tea room to make use of the closeness of the hearth. Naruto was as attentive as he could be, considering he’d been shooed away with Lee when he wasn’t delivering food or medicine. Sakura would peer into the room too, when she thought he was asleep. He’d open his eyes to see a cup of hand brewed tea at his bedside, smelling of herbs and flowers. Izumo and Kotetsu had taken up his duties in his absence, and he was never more grateful for them, as much as he disliked being away from the children.

He thought he was in the middle of another fever-induced dream when he heard a familiar bark accompanied by the sounds of light footsteps, amplified by the silence of the surrounding snow.

“Iruka-nii!” Whispered a dear voice.

He couldn’t help but smile, even if it did hurt his burning cheeks.

“Naruto? Do we have a visitor?”

Another bark.

“It’s Guruko!” Came the hushed proclamation. 

Naruto’s small hands pulled open a space in the door just wide enough for the hound’s slim body to slip through, and was shut just as quickly to prevent the heat from escaping. 

With effort, Iruka rolled to his side, resting his head on his arm to see the familiar red hound come to stand just above him. She was looking at him emphatically, and lowered her head to nudge him with a cold, wet nose. Iruka chuckled softly, patting the side of her face.

“It’s good to see you. I hope Kakashi-san hasn’t been overworking you guys.” 

Guruko whined softly and gave his palm a few good licks before turning around. It took a bit of fumbling, but Iruka eventually managed to undo the buttons to her small satchel. His fingers found the slip of paper they were looking for, and Iruka focused his eyes on the inky characters on the page.

Iruka-sensei,

If this finds you in the right circumstances, it means we’ve both survived another year, maybe. Much like starting a new Icha-Icha novel, the provisions you sent were consumed with much reverence -

Iruka rolled his eyes, groaning. That didn’t stop him from continuing though.

And since you so kindly offered, I’ve sent Guruko to request for a little more than just your attention. 

Regarding your souvenir, since you didn’t ask for anything reasonable, I’ve taken it upon myself to find something that could be worthy of your amusement. As I write this, I find myself holed up in a small fishing village on the northern coast. It is as miserably cold as you might expect, but the fish is delicious. Guruko was skulking around on the beach one morning and picked up a fine specimen. I’ve often been told you can hear the sound of the ocean if you hold it to your ear. Alas, on my first attempt, I nearly had mine torn off by a very unhappy critter. I hope you will have better luck with it than I.

It was signed off in the Hashira’s usual fashion.

Iruka paused. He dipped his hand back in Guruko’s satchel, and as he expected, found something solid and smooth. 

Ah, no good. His eyes were already starting to sting.

A conch shell, white and spotted brown, fit warmly in the cup of his palm, like something he could have picked up outside his childhood home, when it was still an acceptable preoccupation for a four year old shinobi.

And though he certainly didn’t have to put it to his ear to remember the sound of the ocean, he thought he would amuse Kakashi’s efforts. 

He closed his eyes, and surely enough, he saw the crouching figure of his child self, on the familiar beach, doing the same. 

The sound rushing in his ears was no doubt, that of the rolling tide. 

Iruka was pulled back to the present by a tongue lapping at his cheek. 

“Sorry, Guruko. Your master’s a bit of an idiot.” He sighed.

There was a bark of agreement, and the hound curled itself on the floor within arm’s reach. Iruka tucked the letter under his pillow, but kept the shell in his palm. Exhausted, he closed his eyes.

If the letter was still there when he awoke, he’d go through it again then. 

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

Kakashi-san,

By the time this reaches you, the new year would have passed. As usual, the winters here are harsh, but Guruko’s presence was a welcome warmth. 

As you may know, Jiraiya-sama visits from time to time. He is, under the right influences, generous with his anecdotes of you. Had I not known your acquaintance, it would have been hard to believe that even the Hashira have their bouts of rebelliousness.

Your souvenir was well received, and worthy of much more than just my amusement. Among other things, I’m reminded of the fact that Naruto has never seen the ocean before. It would be nice if he could, some day.

Besides the usual provisions, you’ll find a small token of thanks. We do not have priests here, so it is lacking in the divine benefits, and is filled with nothing but sentiment. Nevertheless, know that my thoughts go with you, and the hounds, of course. 

Iruka

Under the warm, dim light of a paper lamp, Kakashi took a sip from a cup of tea. Guruko lay beside him, snoring softly. 

In his palm, a small, hand-stitched omamori. 

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

Before he knew it, summer had come round once again. 

He was making his way through a rice field when he’d received word from a crow;

The Lightning Hashira is to report to the outpost in the Forest of Death for yearly evaluations at his earliest convenience.

Watching the crow take off into the sky, he couldn’t help but recall a certain conversation. 

When was the last time a crow brought you good news then?

The teacher’s grin when he answered was hard to forget. 

Without meaning to, Kakashi had leaned on that memory, more than once. Covered in blood, in the wretched cold, on the darker nights.

Not that he’d ever admit to it, of course.

Yearly evaluations huh, that’s new.

He wondered if Iruka had already been informed. He wouldn’t know when he’d arrive exactly, and Kakashi found himself thinking that sneaking up on his friend might make for a fun challenge. Watching him turn red and bristle would be its own reward.

They’d exchanged letters only once more since Guruko had returned that winter. The long nights always meant an increase in demon attacks; he’d not been able to spare any of the hounds for more trips back. She’d returned that time noticeably more distressed than he remembered ever seeing her. Knowing Iruka, he could think of a few reasons why, but as long as he’d not been summoned on some emergency, there was little to be done. There were lives to be saved and demons to be defeated wherever he went. 

Jiraiya being around brought him some ease of mind, at least. 

The letter that came in spring, to Kakashi’s amusement, had the distinct smell of gunpowder on it. Someone was having fun. Iruka spoke of dabbling in the art of explosions, now that the air was warmer and drier, with an enthusiasm he’d not quite known the teacher capable of.

It was rather...cute.

Just as the thought entered his mind, the cry of yet another crow caught his attention. A bird soon landed on the scarecrow he had just walked past, and looked at Kakashi haughtily. It stuck out a leg without even bothering to speak. The man looked at the bird humorlessly, walked back towards it, and took the message.

Kakashi,

Oyakata-sama tells me you’re due to be sent back for another evaluation. I’d like you to come by the estate on your way there. You’d be doing me a big favour.

It was signed with the Sarutobi clan seal.

Jeez, now everybody wants a piece of me. Kakashi sighed.

He didn’t know what business the retired Hashira had with him, but in all likelihood it had something to do with his former disciple. Hiruzen was probably the only person alive who knew anything significant about the man, and that was enough to make him feel a little less unwilling to make the long detour.

“Tell Sarutobi I’ll be seeing him soon” he said. 

The bird flew off with a shrill cry.

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

End of Chapter 9

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

A bit of an unintended chapter, this one, but certainly not one I regret writing. :D Naruto and Guruko are such cutie-pies! We’ll be seeing Sarutobi in the next chapter! (Artwork for that one is already all done, look forward to it!) I apologise for not being able to have any kind of consistency in the artwork (from my own hand, for my own story at that), I always just end up drawing however I feel like at the moment. 

Just so you know, I consider the version of AO3 to be the ‘definitive’ version of the story because sometimes I’m a dumbdumb who has to go and re-write certain bits. 

Again, thank you always for reading! I love reading your comments whenever I get them. <3

[historicfailure]

Scenario request for jonin MC who loves kids and act like naruto's big sis who meet gaara at chuunin exam, not knowing who he is, and just treat him like a kid he is (like trying to pinch his cheek or rub his hair excitedly while saying 'so cute'). Or just like what kushina did when she met Rin xD. Wonder how gaara will react?

Thank you very much for sending in this request! It was a bit different than the others I wrote so far, but also a little challenging. I hope I meet your expectations, dear Anon! :D

For clarification, the scenario is set around the first chunin exams in Naruto and the days after the quite disastrous end.

~ X ~

This year’s children aren’t too bad.

Scratch that, they’re downright adorable!

You can’t contain yourself. A giggle broke out as you watch how Naruto made some new friends from the Sand. Sure, he screamed like always and the older teens seemed to be more annoyed than intrigued to be his friend, but there was still the smaller, younger redhead with the massive gourd on his back. He was just emotionless and that had to count for something, right?

Though, your intentions of just watching the situation changed all too quickly. Murderous intent suddenly erupted from the redhead, an icy chill creeping down your spine and shaking your guts to the very core. Deep, bottomless hatred. Not for Naruto, no. For the world in itself, for the sky and earth around, the trees and plants, the people and animals and all in between.

Automatically, you dropped out of the shadows and out of the tree you resided in. Even though he was cute as hell, this child was also dangerous as hell.

Thankfully, you didn’t have to interfere. Before you had a chance to appear, Sasuke, who also had chosen a tree to lounge in, just a tiny bit closer to the commotion than you, threw a small rock at one of the teens. You slowed down, just a few meters away and concealed your chakra to eavesdrop.

Mostly children’s squabble. Naruto tried to impress the younger children in his back by flouncing around, but his attics were ignored by both Sasuke and Gaara from the Sand (you learn his name when Sasuke asked for it), who were too busy trying to one up each other than to notice your concealed presence anyway.

Though, Gaara wasn’t finished yet. His hatred spiked once more and this time, you expected it. In a flare of leaves and smoke, you appeared in the middle of the group, smiling like not even butter would melt on your tongue.

“Hello there, children!” All of them reacted a few moments too late. However, the Sand children reacted faster than the Leaf. Not a good sign for the upcoming Chunin exams. “I see, making some first contact here. For the good relationships between the villages, I bet!”

“Who are you?” asked the sandy-haired girl with the giant fan on her back (wind-jutsu user, there was no way around it).

Before you could answer, Naruto already recovered from your sudden appearance. Thin but strong arms slung themselves around your waist and when his small body tackled into yours, you were only barely able to keep on standing.

“Nee-chan! You’re back!”

“Yeah, of course I’m back, you little rascal, you!” Automatically, a smile pulled at your lips as you spun around to haul the boy into a proper, drawn-out hug. This warm, always like Ramen smelling kid would always be your favorite, no questions asked. “How are you? Everything good?”

“Yeah, believe it! We travelled to the Land of the Waves and there was this guy with a gigantic sword and Haku and they were our enemies but I didn’t think they were truly our enemies, you know? And I managed to climb a tree without using my hands and then I saved Sasuke from this Ice Mirror thingy and Kakashi-sensei told me from the three of us I improved the most, believe it!”

 His flood of words washed over you in pleasant waves, but your concentration slipped yet again when you felt the murderous intent of Gaara rise. One look over your shoulder and your suspicions were confirmed. The glint in his eyes grew stronger, only overshadowed by the pain radiating from him and his ‘love’ tattoo on his forehead.

Time to knock him out of it.

Gently but so quickly Naruto didn’t notice at first, you pried his arms off of you. Another fast step over, and you reached out to touch and stroke through the shaggy, short red hair. Well, you wanted to, but a hard brush of sand blocked you from touching the angry boy in any way.

Your eyebrows drew together. Automatic defenses? He can’t have reacted that fast. He’s still a genin, after all.

“There, there.” Even though it was a shame you couldn’t stroke through his hair, you relented. The sand shell was a weak replacement, though it had to suffice, and speaking from Gaara’s surprised look, no one had ever done so before. “At some point, you have to drop these defenses of yours. Otherwise, no one will ever get close to you.”

 ~ X ~

 And then, everything happened in the span of a week. The Chunin exams started, dead shinobi piled up like browned leaves at the start of fall, Orochimaru returned, the fight on to between the Third Hokage and his student… And then, his death. The gigantic monster and Naruto being the one to fight and defeat it.

When you found out that gigantic sand monster indeed had been Gaare and that he was submitted to the hospital, you couldn’t sit still. That was how you found yourself sitting on the windowsill, hesitant to knock at the glass and still staring at the way too small and frail body underneath the blindingly white covers of the hospital bed.

Gaara was sleeping. Maybe, if you were sneaky enough…?

Of course, I’m sneaky enough. I’m a jonin for fuck’s sake, not some genin on my first day of academy!

And indeed, you were able to open the window, set your feet onto the squeaky linoleum floor and tip-toe over to the side of the bed without waking the child up. Because that was what Gaara was: a literal child, despite the horrors and torture of being subjected to a similar and even worse treatment than Naruto went through.

There he was, so small and frail. His eyes were closed, his features calm and relaxed and you even believed that the deep bags under his eyes from countless sleepless nights lessened already. Good. He needed some rest, some peace and quiet.

Again, you dared to reach out. You expected to be met with another wall of sand protecting Gaara from any contact from another human being, but no. No, there was no sand coming for you as you passed that invisible barrier and when your fingertips brushed over his forehead, edging over the hairline and the bloodred lines of the tattoo.

His skin was slightly clammy. A fever wrecked his body, but it was already receding. Carefully, you leaned further in, let your fingers slip into the surprisingly soft hair and watched how Gaara continued to sleep, dreaming hopefully of better things to come in his future.

Damn, and you couldn’t wait to see the future for him. It could only be better than what laid in his past.

A little smile flashed over your face. Yes, his future would definitely be better. Gaara had been bewitched by Naruto, and every person Naruto had touched in his own, special way would live better lives. It was just the way it was, and you were the last person to question that process.

Suddenly, you were met with a pair of green, hazy eyes. You froze up, met the gaze, only to be even more surprised by the slow, sleepy blinking and the little nuzzle upwards into your palm, before Gaara closed his eyes again. No other reaction to your unsolicited touch but the subconscious seeking for more comfort, for more warmth, for more contact.

Definitely a better future for him, you thought as you continued to stroke softly through Gaara’s red strands, while enjoying the knowledge that he liked the touch.

~ X ~

I hope you liked this request! Again, a nice change but also a bit challenging ^^

[eleanor-devil]

Boruto: Sacrifices [Remade] | Chap.10 - Hardest Battle

Written by: Eleanor-Devil & @mirage-05​​

Prologue | Chap.1 | Chap.2 | Chap.3 | Chap.4 | Chap.5 | Chap.6 | Chap.7 | Chap.8 | Chap.9 | Chap. 10 - You’re here

Checking on her daughter to make sure she was tucked in safely, Hinata’s eyes drifted back to the clock on the wall. Naruto was running late… Of course, that wouldn’t be the first time. The woman had adjusted to the life as the Hokage’s wife smoothly and without a complaint, she knew Naruto’s dedication to his duties and that was one of the many qualities she admired in the man she loved. And with the village still on high alert after the recent attack, she knew it was Naruto’s top priority to see the village to safety and peace once again before being able to rest properly. But it wasn’t very usual for him to call Boruto to his office at such a late hour. It was already past midnight… and something nagging at the back of her mind gave the woman a chilled feeling. She sighed and leaned down to gently caress Hima’s hair as the little girl mumbled and shivered in her sleep. And just then, there was a soft knock on the door. As quietly but quickly as she could, Hinata went down the stairs. She opened the door and came face to face with her husband. Or well… a clone of his. For her Byakugan induced eyesight, even when the dojutsu wasn’t activated, it was a very clear distinction. “Naruto…” she whispered, concern and apprehension in her voice, especially because she noticed the grave look on his face. “Hinata-san…” Ironically, the clones would always address her with honorifics, although it was a little awkward for the young woman. “Naruto-san will not be able to come home tonight. There has been another attack.”

The woman’s heart skipped a beat. “Is it… bad…?” she managed to ask, her mind immediately snapping to her son. “No, it has already been thwarted, but…” Naruto’s voice faded away as he had to look away for a minute. “But… something unfortunate has happened.” “Naruto…” Hinata was almost hesitant to ask. “Boruto’s friend, Mitsuki… he was attacked by the assailants. He was taken to the hospital, and both Naruto-san and Boruto are with him now.” The woman’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes widening. Shock was still the dominant expression on her features when she was eventually able to lower her hands a minute later. “A-and how is Mitsuki-kun…?” Naruto sighed. “We don’t know all the details yet but… I’m afraid it doesn’t look very good. We will keep you updated.” Not able to say anything more, Hinata just nodded, and had to lean against the door sill as the clone disappeared in a puff. … The first thing Shikadai noticed as he was heading to the border for his patrol duty was that there was an abnormal activity in the village for this late hour. The jounins were rushing everywhere, apparently in a big hurry, and whispers… there was a great deal of whispering going around. And although he didn’t stop to listen to most of them because duty was awaiting, the young Nara caught some words… “new attack”... “genin”... Just what was going on…? Well… surely he would find out when he reached his post. He had always viewed these late-night patrols as a kind of a drag, but now he was feeling anxious, restless… At first, it didn’t seem like anyone was going to pay attention to him when he arrived at the border. It had been almost a solid minute before he finally came across a familiar face. “Mirai!” The young woman strode over to him, looking a bit distraught and… very confused. “Shikadai… what are you doing here?” “Uuugh… I have the next shift...” “Oh…” This fact, for some reason, seemed to be an inconvenience to the Sarutobi. “Look… the circumstances have changed. You are no longer on patrol duty.” “What? But…” Now he was more alert and anxious than ever. “Mirai, just… what’s going on? I heard something about a new attack…” A pensive look settled in Mirai’s red eyes. “Yes… there has been an attack not even an hour ago. It was thwarted, but…” She didn’t continue for a moment. Shikadai’s eyes widened. “The genin…” The woman sighed. “I don’t know all the details… Only that… apparently Konohamaru-nii-san’s team got involved and now they’re in the hospital. I don’t know which one of them got hurt.” She might not, but with a sinking feeling in his stomach, Shikadai realized he probably had a good idea who. After all, there was only one known hot-head in the team. Mirai clamped a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small but gentle smile. “There’s nothing for you to do here now. Just go home and rest.” As she turned and walked away from him, the Nara muttered to himself. “Sure… I’ll do just that.” ... He had a bad feeling about this. He had just barely seen Kurama bringing in two men before a call came from the hospital, stating that 0 blood type was needed immediately. So, curious as he was, and being also someone that happened to have that blood type, he had rushed to the hospital. To put it mildly, there was total chaos going on. It took Kakashi a while to finally stop a nurse. "I came for the blood donation..." "Oh, Lord Sixth," a relieved look came over the nurse's face. "You are type O, right? Please, follow me." She brought him to a small room. Kakashi was too wired up to sit still. "What is the situation?" he asked as the needle pierced his skin. "The Hokage will come here to inform you in a second." the nurse said simply. Indeed, as soon as the nurse finished and rushed out with the blood bag, Naruto walked in. "I'm so glad you could come, Kakashi-sensei..." "What's going on, Naruto? I came as quickly as I can..." "Just in time, too. The surgery has only begun a few minutes ago, we needed immediate-" Before Naruto could finish, there was a ruckus outside. “Yamanaka Inojin, I thought we taught you better manners than to come barging in a hospital!” “But we came for the blood donation too!” “You don’t have the correct blood type, young man.” “These are our friends we are talking about!” Perplexed, the Hokage turned to the door of the room as six agitated-looking genins indeed pretty much barged in, followed closely by a strict and exasperated looking Ino. “Lord Seventh, forgive me, I did try to stop them.” Naruto nodded wordlessly to her. The kids, on the other hand, seemed to have totally forgotten about hospital rules in their panic, they all started talking at once. “Lord Seventh - I heard it on the news-” “And I spoke to the border guards-” “Where are Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki?” “Are they okay?” As they paused for a minute to catch their breath, Kakashi leveled a gaze to his old student. “I’d say you owe an explanation to all of us.” Naruto sighed before conceding with a nod. “I will. Let’s just move out of here.” … “Boruto…” the young Uzumaki heard Sarada’s voice all of a sudden, which was the only thing that made him turn away from the doors that directed to the surgery room. He didn’t even have time to blink as two blurred green and purple shapes moved forward, and a second later he was being hugged tightly by Metal and Sumire. “You- you guys…” he managed to stammer as he felt a pang in his heart. “We heard about the attack…” Metal said sadly as they pulled back. “But I didn’t imagine it would be… damn…” Shikadai shook his head as he took in his best friend’s appearance, mainly… his blood-soaked shirt, that was something hard to miss… especially when said shirt used to be white and it was now massively tinted in dark red. “Lord Seventh told us what he could…” “Is Mitsuki-kun gonna be okay…?” Sumire asked in a tiny voice. “We… we don’t know…” Sarada stammered in a shaky voice, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. “Well, we didn’t come too long ago… All we know is… he left us a letter telling us he was leaving Konoha and-” “What?!” was the collective response they received from their friends, which resulted in a passing nurse shooting a disapproving look at the group and then hushing them. “What do you mean, leaving Konoha?” Inojin said at last, flabbergasted. “Yeah… that’s one thing he’s gonna have to answer to us for when he gets better…” Boruto’s voice faltered as he looked at the doors again, and his next word was almost inaudible. “If…” “Hey hey, what’s with the pessimistic attitude?” Chocho said, rubbing her best friend’s arm. “Mitsuki is strong, right?” “One of the best in our class,” Metal added with a kind smile. “There’s no way he will just give up like that, I won’t believe it!” Iwabe supported them firmly. They were finally able to bring a thin smile to the faces of the remaining members of Team Konohamaru. “Thanks guys…” Just then, Ino approached them. “I appreciate your concerns about your friends but you really can’t all stay in here, and there’s no point, we don’t know how long the surgery will take.” The kids definitely looked reluctant to leave, but there was nothing to it. One by one, they bid goodbye and started to leave but Shikadai didn’t move. “I will stay with you guys.” he said determinedly. ”I won’t be able to rest properly if I don’t know Mitsuki is okay.” … There was no news. Simple as that. It had been hours now and there was still nothing about Mitsuki's state and how the surgery was going. There had already been an exchange between the medics and they all looked exhausted, it was clear to the adults that the situation wasn't good... Naruto was trying to control himself from pacing around the halls, it would only put the kids nervous, and right now they were calm, smiling softly at something they were watching on Boruto's phone, they did not need to have a nervous crisis because of him. So instead of pacing, he sighed... again. He looked sideways at Orochimaru, who... hadn't changed his position much or at all since his son had been taken down the hall, standing at the very same spot, not having even moved an inch. His arms were crossed, his fingers tight. His eyes, hard and cold as steel, were glued to the surgery hall's doors. Minutes ticked away, slowly, agonizingly turning into another half an hour... 'Please...' Naruto thought, closing his eyes for a minute. 'Please help him... Please let this turn out alright...' The doors of the hall opened and everyone's eyes turned to it but no sight of Mitsuki in his bed. Instead who came out was one of the medics. He didn't look exhausted but he seemed close to it, so Naruto guessed it was yet another shift. But instead, the medic stopped close to him before bowing. "Lord Hokage..." he started. His heart skipped a beat and he tried his hardest to not think of every single thing that could have gone wrong inside that surgery room. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Ino and Kiba moving a little closer to the kids, while Sasuke, Konohamaru and Kakashi moved closer to him and the medic. The Hokage gulped once, and although keeping the calm tone to it, his whisper came out a little strained. "How is he holding up?" The medic sighed through the mask. "He lost a lot of blood but thanks to the donation he is stable. The surgery is still going but it's very complicated. His heart was damaged by the lightning, I'm afraid that will leave a scar but..." He stopped for a moment before he continued. "...but that will be the least of his problems if he... if he survives..." 'If...?' The hollow word echoed in the man's mind, leaving behind horror and a terrible sadness...  He slowly raised his hand to grab the front of his cloak, where his heart is. It felt like he couldn't hold it in place... "What... what do you mean, the least of his problems...?" The medic sighed again before looking back at the Hokage. "Lord Seventh... if the boy survives this... it will be a miracle if he doesn't get a heart condition after that lightning trauma he suffered to his chest... all in all I’m afraid to say that his heart might become very weak." The silence the medic's words left behind was... deafening. A lump had formed in his throat, and trying to gulp it down, Naruto felt a lone tear making its way down his cheek. "Excuse me... I need to go back." "Thank you..." he managed to whisper. Please... please bring the child back to us, safe and sound, he wanted to add... But words simply didn't form… “I just don’t get it…” Konohamaru muttered, his hands pushing hair out of his eyes, although the motion looked more like he was pulling his hair out. “Mitsuki wouldn’t just barge in battle without fully assessing his enemy, he knows better… And lightning is his second main chakra nature, he never once lost a battle that way…” "You said that he sent a distress message to you?" Kakashi intervened. "Yes..." Something then clicked on the Hokage's mind, and he turned to look at his former sensei. "You think he heard something he shouldn't and had to defend himself when he was attacked?" "Well, that would be my best guess. Or he tried to turn back and warn the guards, and that was when those ninjas found him." The older man's tone was disgusted. "It's something we will know once the interrogations are over." "Heartless cowards," Konohamaru growled, so mad that he was shaking. "So they thought it was easier to go all out against a child... Didn't even have the courage to face stronger ninjas..." Silence once again reigned over them as they returned to their torturous wait. Sasuke glanced over his friend for a brief second, then walked over to him. "Naruto..." he said silently, apparently only for him to hear. "Maybe it's not the time for this but... We should also consider the possibility that the boy could have some connection with those ninjas." The Hokage's head immediately snapped to him, a confused look on his expression. "What is that even supposed to mean?" "You know what I mean. Maybe this was not a coincidental attack." Naruto's eyes hardened, so much so that they looked like two dark storm clouds. "You are right. This is not the time, nor the place." "We can't just disregard this. For just one time, use your head. With Orochimaru here-" "That's enough." the blond cut in, and his tone was so sharp and unrelenting that Sasuke had to close his mouth, only with a slight frown on his face. "There is a child in there, the same age as our children, fighting for his life. Put your heart in it for once, and just pray." They didn't say anything more to each other after that. Naruto glanced once again at the Sannin, who had not moved, at all. Realizing that he had to tell him about what they had learned, the Hokage took a deep breath, gathering his courage, and approached the older man, Sasuke right behind him. "Do not waste your breath." the man practically spat out of his teeth. "I heard all of it." "Orochimaru..." Naruto tried to start, but he was cut into yet again. "So you all think that my son is somehow related to those ninjas?" the man continued, and the blond had to gulp, not knowing what to say. "Be glad... be glad that my son tried to protect your worthless lives even when he was barely clinging to life, because if I had not promised him... We would not be having this conversation right now." The Hokage closed his mouth in a tight line when those words left the Sannin's mouth. He didn't know what promise Orochimaru had made to his son but he was clearly holding on to it... "What... promise?" he dared to ask. "A promise to not crush this village. He seemed to think this was not your fault... Although I fail to see why." The Sannin's voice was almost emotionless until this point, but the hint of a dangerous threat etched its way to his tone as he spoke next. "Just know this... My promise is only ever valid if Mitsuki makes it out of there... So you better start praying that he keeps holding on." he finished in a low, venomous hiss, his eyes moving to Sasuke for a fraction of a second. Naruto felt another lump in his throat but didn't look away... Instead he looked into the Sannin's cold golden eyes. "That is not the only reason why I am praying." The Sannin just kept glaring at him with those icy eyes, unimpressed. After a moment of assessing the Hokage, he finally spoke again. "Tell me one thing. Why... did Mitsuki decide to leave Konoha in the first place?" Naruto didn't know what to say... the situation was already bad enough as it was, with Orochimaru threatening to end Konoha if Mitsuki didn't survive... What would he do when he found out about the harassments...? But... he couldn't hide it either... better tell the truth now. Sighing, he looked down. "Three days ago... there was an attack in Konoha's orphanage. Everything pointed that it had been you behind the attack and... Mitsuki suffered the consequences of that. Because he is your child..." And just like that, Orochimaru felt his careful control slipping, albeit only a little, and managed to control the shaking of his hands, of anger. "So that was your idea of peace...? I thought Konoha had become a better place... Yet my son had to suffer the aftermath of an attack - which I have not even heard of, mind you." He was silent for a moment, and then squinted. "What kind of consequences?" he demanded, a dangerous tone audible in his whisper. This caught Naruto's attention. He knew that the Sannin, from years of experience, would praise an attack if he had been the one behind it but... that wasn't the case now. "You mean you weren't behind the attack...?" "I guarantee you, if it was indeed me behind the attack, I would not go into hiding like some coward," he hissed through his teeth. "I always play my cards on the table, if you did not notice that just a moment ago. What motive would I have to attack your village?" A venomous glint came into his eyes as he asked once again. "What kind of consequences?" Naruto gulped... No... he couldn't just go and say that the clans were the ones behind the harassments against Mitsuki, not when he was dealing with Orochimaru. "Children... that's all... they played some... pranks against Mitsuki." "Do you think... even for a minute... that I believe my son was driven out of the village because of some childish pranks...?" His anger and hatred were brewing deeper down. He hated being lied to - especially when he was doing the exact opposite. "Tell me the truth." What could he do…? Orochimaru was clearly losing his patience. But he was the Hokage and although the clans were at fault, he couldn't expose them like that "I..." he started. "The clans did it. They ordered harassments to be held against your son." A new voice joined the conversation and although Orochimaru just moved his eyes, Naruto turned his head completely in Sasuke's direction. "And they were done, by children." "Sasuke...!" Naruto hissed, low. The Uchiha eyed his friend with his usual calm look. "Those people are grown-ups, Naruto. They knew clearly what they were doing. If they had courage to do that then they also should have the guts to deal with the consequences." He eyed his former sensei once again. "Children, however, can be very easily manipulated into the best soldiers, they don't question, they don't think if it's right and they don't think of consequences." "Oh, there will be consequences, you can be sure of that. If Mitsuki doesn't survive... the clans won't survive to see another day. I guarantee you will suffer for all eternity." He silently added, 'Like I am now...' in his head, his mouth a thin, straight line. "The matter is already being taken care of..." said Naruto. "The clans are not going unpunished for what they did, I assure you of that." The Hokage then sighed, the matter from before suddenly returned to his mind. "I still don't understand...why they would attack him... Kakashi-sensei theorizes that he might've heard something..." "He would not let rogue ninjas discover him...!" He had taught the child better than that... "But in any case, he should not have been there alone." His gaze once again drifted to the doors of the surgery hall. "Especially not tonight..." The last part did catch both Naruto's and Sasuke's attention. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes as he eyed the Sannin carefully. "What do you mean by 'especially not tonight'...?" "Ever since he was little... I noticed the moon has a powerful effect on Mitsuki." the older man began. "At nights with the full moon, he would always be full of energy, there were nights he would just stay up, training or doing other things that would normally wear people down. On new moons though... he would become so weak, sometimes even to the point of falling sick." He jerked his head to the window that was not too far from them. "What moon do you think tonight is?" Naruto's eyes widened as he recalled that in that night, before Mitsuki had come to say goodbye, he had casually looked up at the night sky and noticed there was no moon. "Crap..." he murmured. Sasuke was surprised for a moment but was quick to recover. "I see... does that influence his chances of survival as well...?" At Sasuke's question, the Sannin didn't bother to say anything, his only answer was the closing of his eyes and his fists tightening a little more. As the two stayed silent, it was clear that their talk was over. He had nothing more to say, anyway. He was already going through a plan to crush all those meddling clans... The deep silence was killing Naruto, pretty much all that could be heard in that hall right now was the sound coming from the video that Boruto and Sarada were watching on the cellphone. Sighing, the blond looked at Orochimaru before asking. "How...far does the moon affect Mitsuki...?" The Sannin sighed, nearly regretting having let this information at their disposal. "The child is affected by the full cycle of the moon, as per say. As I have said, when it is nearing the full moon, he is energetic, lively, he would be hard to handle. The waning moon has the opposite effect. He would mostly spend all the night in his room, sometimes not even coming out of the bed. I remember during one cycle he got really ill, Karin had to stay up all night..." Not a random choice for name at all, he thought, his mind was far away... If what Orochimaru was saying was the full truth then Mitsuki was extremely vulnerable and weak when the ninjas attacked... had he known that it was new moon night? Had he known he would be weak at that very moment? Naruto wanted answers... badly... "I have never heard of such a thing before... I wonder why it affects him." A humorless, cold smile came to his face. He glanced for a short while to the window again, before turning his gaze back to the door of the hall. "You are aware Mitsuki is not an ordinary human, are you not?" he said simply. Orochimaru was and always will be a full mystery that Naruto would never understand... even his current words had left him more confused than ever but... he did not dare to ask for the meaning of it because he was sure... that if Orochimaru wanted them to know, he would have let them know. … Shikadai looked up at the adults with a worried look on his face, he had caught up to a couple of words from the conversation, not the full length, but it was enough for him to get the scope of it… This was serious, Mitsuki’s condition was very serious… Thankfully, though, Boruto and Sarada didn’t seem to have heard it, they were focused on the videos and photos including Mitsuki on the blond’s phone, and Ino-san had been careful about diverting their attention too. Determined to keep things that way (because heaven only knew that they couldn’t handle a breakdown from the two right now), the Nara tried to force an uplifting tone in his voice. “Hey, Boruto, why don’t you show us the next photo?” Boruto smiled a bit at his friend before turning back to face his phone, he slid his finger across the screen to the next picture but actually found a video. At the beginning he couldn't remember well what that video was about but as the scenes started going, his smile widened, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Aren't there safer ways to go on ice?" came a voice, and by the closeness of it, it was clear that the speaking person was the one who was holding the camera. The voice was easily recognizable as Mitsuki's. "Oh come on, are you telling me that you're chickening out?" a figure suddenly skated into the frame, and they were all looking into the widely-grinning face of Boruto. "If you consider making sure I don't break a leg, an arm or even lose my teeth, chickening out then so be it." replied the voice to which the Boruto in the video rolled his eyes before moving a bit away from the camera. "Aw fine. At least make sure you get everything on record, because I'm planning to use my amazing skating skills to-" WHAM! Not exactly looking at where he was going while boosting, Boruto had skated, turned around in what was supposed to be a graceful twist... and had slammed right into a huge trunk of a tree. Needless to say, Mitsuki's chuckles soon echoed through the whole video sound and it was clear that he was trying to calm himself down as the camera moved closer to Boruto and he tried to speak in between laughs. "Are you okay?" "It's not funny," the pout Boruto pulled off was so... cute and funny that in a moment, more laughter could be heard, while those who were watching the video just smiled brokenly. "Delete this, will you?" "Oooh no," Mitsuki said with a chuckle. "This, I'm definitely keeping." "No, come on man!" All that the camera was filming right now was the greyish winter sky, meaning that Mitsuki must have raised it really high so Boruto couldn't reach it. "Give it back, Mitsuki! That's so uncool!" "Nuh-uh," that was all that he got for an answer. As the only sounds after that were heard, which were the two boys horsing around and finally falling back on the ice, the video came to an end. Boruto was now gazing at the screen with slightly teary eyes, a small, fond smile on his face. "I never thought I would be glad he kept this..." he mused, then gulped. He had forgotten about the video altogether... Ino didn’t know what more comforting words to offer, it didn’t seem like anything she could say reached these two right now, so… out of her motherly instinct, she just reached out and held the blond in her arms. ... It had felt like ages... When he finally heard the doors of the surgery hall open and a general shuffling as everyone gathered, Boruto practically jumped to his feet, and the phone slid from his fingers, hitting the ground with a thud. Slowly, the stretcher on which his best friend was lying was pushed out, followed by the nurses and medics and finally Sakura and Tsunade, all of them looked very tired. It wasn't like the blond could notice anyone but his best friend right then, though. Mitsuki looked... almost peaceful, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. He could've easily been just sleeping, if not for the fact that his skin was even paler than usual, and he was covered in bandages, everywhere... His friend never seemed younger to him then he did right now. "Please, give us some space." one of the nurses urged, and Boruto noticed pretty much everyone had gathered around the stretcher. The adults drew back slightly, but Boruto, Sarada and Shikadai remained by Mitsuki's side as he was brought to his room. The Nara, for once in his life, seemed to be at a loss of words. They watched in silence as the staff connected their friend to some machines, including an oxygen supply and the heart monitor, filling the room with steady rhythms in a second. Sarada brought her hands to her mouth, trying to hold back her sobs. As Sakura and Tsunade came out after the nurses, the three approached them. "Mama, can we... go inside?" Sarada asked in a tiny voice. Sakura sighed and thought about it. "Only for a little while," she said finally. "He needs his rest." The children quickly nodded as they immediately walked inside the room. In less than a second, they were by Mitsuki's side. Boruto and Sarada grabbed his hands and squeezed them a little, not too tight of course... “Dammit, Mitsuki…” Shikadai mumbled with a catch in his voice. “How did you even get into this…?” "He’s an idiot, that’s how..." Boruto said in a whisper as he looked at his friend, biting his lip. "...do you have any idea of how much you scared us...?" Sarada sighed, Boruto was right, but if Mitsuki was hearing them, as some people claimed that while sleeping people could still hear the others on the outside… that sure wouldn't cheer him up. "He is right but… don't listen to him now..." She smiled softly. "You're going to be okay now and that's what matters..." The adults had gathered in front of the room, silently gazing inside, relieved that the kid had made it through the surgery even with such serious injuries. Konohamaru felt pride filling his heart, trying to drown the sorrow inside, as he looked at his students. "He is going to be alright..." he mumbled, more to himself than anyone really. "He sure is..." said Naruto softly. It was apparent in his features... he was grateful to God for having listened to their prayers. The Sannin was trying his hardest to keep his emotions at bay as he watched his son fighting for his life. He had always been the fighter, the strongest... His warrior spirit had not failed this time, either. He realized that he was proud... and glad - really glad that the child still carried that stubbornness... It seemed like they had been there forever, with the adults carefully watching over them, and medics dropping in every now and then to check. The three kids remained at the boy's side, talking to him... in hopes that he would soon wake up and... do something to cheer them all up. After what felt like an eternity, Boruto noticed a movement out of the corner of his eyes. "Mitsuki...?" he whispered unbelievably, as the blue-haired boy's fingers twitched once again. Sarada raised her head and looked at Mitsuki in amazement as his eyelashes fluttered slowly, his eyes opening a crack. Both of the kids gasped then, and a tearful smile made its way on the girl's face. "Mitsuki..." she whispered happily. It took a while for the blue haired boy to understand his surroundings. Where was he...? What had happened? Why did his body feel so... weak and numb...? But slowly the images of what had happened flashed in his head... the attack, the rogue ninjas... his father's arms... Mitsuki closed his eyes back for a moment before opening them again. "Bo... ruto...?" he whispered. "Sar... Sarada...?" He still couldn't make out the figures in front of him, but the blonde and black hairs seemed unmistakable… and another one… was that Shikadai…? His throat suddenly feeling parched, Mitsuki tried to gulp, but everything seemed to hurt now... Boruto was so relieved that he actually laughed - it was a broken laugh if anything, but a laugh nonetheless. "That's right, we're right here," he said, hastily wiping at his eyes to prevent the few tears from falling. "You are where you truly belong," Sarada mused in a broken voice, giving a gentle squeeze to Mitsuki's hand. Mitsuki couldn't help but return the smile with an equally broken, weak one. “Just take it easy, you’re going to be alright…” It wasn’t usual to see the always well-composed Shikadai like this, but now he looked quite shaken indeed. Mitsuki moved his golden eyes slowly to where Boruto was but looked past him, to the people outside of the room staring at him. "He is awake," he heard one of them say, though he couldn't make out who. Konohamaru had moved closer to the glass panel, a huge weight lifted from his heart as he saw his youngest student's eyes turning towards them, and couldn't help but smile himself as the general mood around him lightened with the child's awakening. "Well done kiddo... I knew you would make it..." he whispered. The boy felt his eyes burn slightly. He felt content... everyone in here was safe and sound. He had done it right... He tried to say something but no words came out. He felt his heart tug. Something... didn't feel right about this. He felt his body growing numb and cold with each passing second, so much that he had begun shaking a little. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest, he could feel each pound... but they were getting slower... 'Was this how it was supposed to be...?' he wondered. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, this time slower. Somehow... he felt this was just right, and that he... was actually ready. He gently pulled his hand out of Boruto's, reaching for something that was covering his mouth and nose. He didn't know how much strength he had left... He needed his friends to hear him... Boruto panicked a bit when he saw his friend reach for the oxygen mask. He couldn't take it off yet! He still needed it! The blond was quick to put his hand over Mitsuki's again. "Hey, easy there man. You can't take it off yet..." Sarada felt something was off, the look in Mitsuki's pale golden eyes was strange... Something wasn't right, they were so... empty, nothing like the gaze she was used to from him. Mitsuki felt a tremor shaking his body as his heart tried to do its job against all odds, even if for a few prolonged seconds. He slowly tried to raise his other hand but pain shot through it immediately. Seeing that he crumpled his face because of it, Sarada held on to his hand more tightly. With the last bit of his strength, Mitsuki gave his friends' hands a weak squeeze. "Thank you..." he whispered, and his eyes moved to Shikadai as he heard something in that steady noise change. "...for being my friends..." "What... nonsense are you talking about?" said Boruto, a worried frown crossing his features. "Why are you thanking us?" Shikadai felt his heart starting to race as his eyes widened, something was definitely wrong about this! He had been to hospitals before, he was sure he never heard the machines going haywire like this! “I-I’m going to call the medics!” he stammered to no one in particular, his friends’ attention wasn't on him. "Mi... Mitsuki..." Sarada whispered, a mix of emotions replacing her relieved one slowly as she got up from where she sat, watching the boy's chest moving slower - this was definitely not right! Her head whipped to the heart monitor as the pace picked up. Boruto didn't really know what these all meant, but their reaction gave him chills. "Mitsuki!" he shouted, holding on to his friend's hand, but the blue haired boy had lost his grip. "No, no... stay with us!!" This was more like a scream, and the blond felt himself losing his grip. "Fight it, stay with us!!!" "Boruto..." Even through all the sounds of the machines and the ringing in his ear as a reminiscent of his yelling, Boruto heard his friend's voice, and his own heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry..." Mitsuki's hand slipped from his grasp and fell onto the mattress, just as the blond watched in horror his chest stopped moving altogether. An ear-piercing cry filled the room, breaking harshly into the deafening silence. … Shikadai froze, face-to-face with the adults as he heard the sound, their expressions a reflection of what he was suddenly feeling inside - a large, terrifying hollow, as if his stomach had dropped a couple of feet, leaving his body behind. Without even realizing what he was doing, the boy turned behind, his horrified gaze landing upon two of his best friends… trying to reach Mitsuki… He… was supposed to do something, he went out of this room for a reason, he was sure of it… but suddenly… he couldn’t remember what that was at all… ... Naruto had realized something was wrong the moment he had seen the kids start to panic, so he was ready to go get Sakura and Tsunade when Shikadai opened the door and came face-to-face with them. What he wasn’t at all prepared for was, though… His blood froze in his veins as his head quickly turned towards the boy in his bed, watching both his son and Sarada screaming for their friend. 'No, no, no...! You have to fight it!' This and many other frantic thoughts raced through the Hokage's mind as he stared in disbelief at what was happening... "Naruto!" Kakashi’s sharp voice woke him from his shock as he remembered what he had to do. He ran as fast as he could towards Sakura's office. He didn't even knock, he just abruptly pushed the door open. "Sakura-chan, Granny Tsunade! You have to come now!" Just the way he entered the room and the pure horror on Naruto's face left no need for further explanation as Sakura and Tsunade both practically ran out of the room, a few of the nurses also on their heels. Tsunade reached for her com to announce code blue and the room number, and Sakura, hearing the shrill cry of the heart machine, upped her pace. ... The little, blue-haired child was completely alone in the darkness... Well, that wasn't really accurate. There were people around. People he... remembered somehow. All with their backs to him. And he was scared... For some reason, he was scared beyond belief. He opened his mouth to call for them, tried to reach forward... But it seemed like they were too far away... 'You are no longer wanted here...' a voice came, and following that, one of the people surrounding him started walking away. There were many words, many hurtful phrases ringing around the darkness, and one by one people left, as the child only watched in fear and helplessness... Getting smaller and smaller with each step taken away from him... 'Why won't anyone come to your help...?' A tall brunette with a blue scarf walked away, and tears now started to fall from the child's eyes. 'Outsider!' rang a chorus of voices, as a blond and black haired duo walked away laughing, hand in hand, not taking a glance back. Broken, Mitsuki tried to run after them... but fell. He turned to the last person... A tall, black haired man. 'Dad...?' came a very feeble, childish voice. 'Why don't you hurry up and die already...?' with that, the man was gone, too. Now but a toddler, Mitsuki pulled his knees to him, hugging them with his small arms, and cried, cried... After what felt like an eternity, a shadow fell over him. The toddler raised his head, wondering, hoping if anyone had come back for him... His eyes widened in fear as he saw a gruff man with spiky blond hair looming over, looking down at him with a merciless leer. Without a heed to the child's crying and whimpering, the man grabbed a fistful of Mitsuki's hair and raised him in the air, laughing loud and cold... ... The girl, Sasuke's daughter, got up on the bed, trying to revive his boy, the Sannin could see how endless tears rolled down her cheeks one by one, unstoppable, as her whole frame shook. The boy had completely frozen... 'Mommy...?' a young voice inside his head asked, an almost hysteric tone to it, and for the briefest of seconds the room disappeared as the man saw two familiar bodies in front of him... A black haired man and a brown haired woman... Lying side by side, apparently dead... Then a small figure with long, black hair approached them. 'Daddy...?' ... Boruto had completely frozen in time the moment his friend's hand slipped out of his own and fell with a silent thud against the mattress. Blue eyes widened in horror, mouth hung open, he even found it difficult to breathe. Sarada was in shock too, but she was quick to snap out of it. She had to do something! Anything! Practically climbing on the bed, the Uchiha put both her hands, one on the top of the other, against Mitsuki's chest and pumped it. "No, no, no, you're not gonna die on us, you idiot!" Tears were starting to fall from her ebony eyes but the girl just kept on pushing the chest. But Mitsuki's eyes remained closed and the machine kept its chilled sound around the room... it wasn't working! "Mitsuki, come on!" Sarada cried out, and even more tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn’t going to give up on her friend, she couldn't! "Get your heart beating!" She tried to hold back her sobs, but it was no use. "Please don't leave us!..." Her frame shook with the harsh sobs that were almost tearing her lungs apart, but she kept on pumping. "Please..." she begged, trying to tune out that awful sound. ...At that moment, her mother and Tsunade came in running. "Get them out of here!" yelled Tsunade as she reached the bed and pushed Boruto out of the way as gently as she could. Sakura took her daughter in her arms and quickly set her back on the floor. The pink haired woman then moved swiftly to the dying boy and returned to do what her daughter had been doing all along. "Start keeping track of the time!" Boruto only came to his senses as he felt strong arms grabbing him. "No! NO!" he screamed, his eyes still on his friend. "LET ME GO, I NEED TO BE WITH HIM!!" he continued screaming, and actually tried to kick whoever was holding him as he was being taken out of the room. "MITSUKI!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, and started sobbing harshly. Then that someone scooped him up and he suddenly found himself snuggled into his father's chest. "Don't look..." Naruto whispered, his voice strained and grave. Boruto held onto his father's clothes as he started crying his heart out. He never realized Naruto was taking him out until he felt a cool wind ruffling his hair. Sarada tried to return to her friend's side but as soon as she did, a strong arm grabbed and scooped her up as well. She only realized she was being taken when she saw Mitsuki and her mother getting further and further away... But she didn't have any strength left... not even to scream the way Boruto had... … “Move away, boy,” Shikadai heard Lady Fifth’s urgent voice and felt her hands firmly moving him aside. Maybe he shouldn’t… but he just couldn’t help it as he immediately drifted back to the window of the room, watching the chaos inside, his friends getting forcefully taken away… He couldn’t move… All his muscles were locked in place as he looked on, shell-shocked… He had forgotten that they weren’t at all alone, at least not until he felt a familiar touch, a motherly but firm one… “Please don’t take me out too,” he whispered, his tone so listless that he wasn’t sure Ino heard him. Gently, Ino turned him away from the window and held him tightly to herself. “Don’t watch then…” “This… this can’t possibly be happening…” the boy kept murmuring numbly, not even realizing he was shaking like a leaf. “We… we are still children… there has to be some sort of rule setting kids apart from these situations, right…?” Ino didn’t say anything more, just held him closer. They would have to bring him back… right…? ... Not... all was lost, no he wouldn't believe that. Truthfully, he should have taken this in his own hands from the beginning instead of trusting Konoha. There was still Juugo... And even if that plan fails, he could always deliver his son's soul to another, healthy body, maybe even one of those children's bodies if it came to that point... 'I just want my parents back...!' the voice, his seven-year-old voice screamed in his head, tears in his voice... He was... crying...? 'Why did it have to be them?! Why do I have to be alone?! That's not fair!' ... "How many seconds?" Sakura asked, sweat dropping by the side of her cheek. "Fifteen," a nurse answered, quickly looking at her watch. 'Good Lord,’ Sakura thought, forcing her mind to stay clear. "Move your hands." she heard Tsunade call, and she used the time to focus her chakra in her hands. She watched as her mentor injected a small portion of adrenaline directly to the boy's heart. "Hekirekite no Jutsu!" She brought her hands back down on Mitsuki's chest, and the boy's body lifted slightly from the bed. ... The boy was crying, the pain was too much to bear... Why... why did he have to suffer so...? Shouldn't it be quicker if he just let go, and never looked back...? Suddenly, the man's cruel laughter stopped, and his hand released the toddler's hair. Before he could fall, though, he was caught, held gently and lovingly in a pair of warm arms. He dared to raise his head and look... The angel's light was pushing away all the darkness, all the hateful voices, trying to heal his heart... The pink haired angel smiled fondly at him, her arms tightening around him a little more, her expression so merciful and loving... 'It's okay, baby, it's going to be alright...' she mused, almost cooing. 'Don't be afraid... I'm here...' ... Sakura mentally cursed as the machine's sound didn't change. Seeing no changes with the first charge, Tsunade repeated the same move... She had to be careful, the boy’s heart was already so weak due to the burns... but they had to bring him back. "Come on..." Sakura whispered, not taking her eyes from the boy's face, counting as she continued with the compressions. "You can do it, Mitsuki, come on..." she let her chakra flow to his body once again, but the results were the same... ... Don’t be afraid...? How was he supposed to do that...? The little toddler could feel nothing but fear, even with the angel here... None of those people who he cared about was here... They... didn't... care about him... 'Why do you fight...?' a sinister voice rang in his ears, blocking the angel's. Squeezing his eyes shut, the toddler pushed away from her. He scrambled to his feet quickly and started running, deeper and deeper into the darkness... Then he stumbled onto something and fell forward, landing hard on the ground. Cruel laughter echoed all around the black void, and the toddler curled in on himself, sobbing. 'Outsider! Outsider! Outsider!' the chants echoed repeatedly while the boy kept crying, wishing this to all end... ... The minutes passed, excruciatingly slow but also painfully quick... and nothing. "...Sh... Shall I announce the time...?" The nurse couldn't finish the sentence, a sad look visible in her eyes. Sakura was distinctly aware that there was some sort of chaos going on inside or outside of the room, but her mind had automatically tuned out any sound other than the machine. "Wait... wait just a second..." she mumbled in response to the nurse. She still had her hands on the kid's chest, she couldn't give up... She had to act careful, but she knew just the tiniest amount of shock that might do the difference, and she would never forgive herself if she didn't give it all her best. "Sakura-san... It might be too much already..." The nurse warned her. "Let's just leave the child in peace..." another nurse said, her voice shaky. Tsunade snapped back to herself and hastily hushed the nurse, staring at Sakura. Sakura remained in silence as she kept looking at the heart machine, her chakra still flowing through Mitsuki's chest... 'Please… please come back...' Sakura thought... ... The toddler wasn't sure how long he stayed there, curled up in the fetus position, crying, hurting... He felt a warm presence approaching... felt someone putting their arms around him yet again, but he lacked the energy, the will to look up... He didn't know anymore... ... Outside, a leaf from a nearby tree fell from its place as the clouds dropped their first tears and wetted the ground, little by little...        

[an-unusual-ac-adventure]

I decided to do another updated post on what my villagers are like on my island.

She is sometimes difficult to track down because she likes to Naruto run all over the island

Loves to party and is usually the first one let you know when there is a party going on

She still wants me to take her clothes shopping

She really loves flowers so much that she has sent me flower seed through the mail multiple times

She does get told by most of the other villagers that her cooking sucks

She is mostly chill and gets along with practically everyone

Very close friends with Flip, Rolf, Eunice, and Claudia

Not the brightest bulb in the box, but he’s very nice.

He’ll accidentally get into arguments with the other residents and immediately feels awful afterwards, hince usually having me deliver apology gifts to others

That being said, he’s surprisingly really good at picking out gifts

He still alerts me when there is a visitor on the island

He will still follow me around when I’m doing work to my island

Still has a friendly rivalry with Twiggy and Rolf

Very close friends with Deirdre, Twiggy, Papi, Eunice, Eugene, and Mac

She still loves to talk about video games and comic books

Loves to do yoga at the plaza a lot

She is always either giving gifts or selling me her stuff

Adopted by Rolf

Usually the first one to befriend new villagers

Still has a funny rivalry with Flip

Very close friends with Rolf, Papi, Flip, Eunice, and Eugene

She could try commit arson if given the chance

She is one of the sweetest villagers you will ever meet

She is also one of the most savage villagers you will ever meet: Eunice’s most iconic savage moment is when she gave Eugene a hula top that matched his fur color to make him look like he’s naked

She compliments me everyday and it’s very sweet

She’s always giving me gifts as well

She likes to do yoga at the plaza at night and she will let you join her

If she is not outside taking a stroll around the island then she’s at another villager’s house hanging out with them

Very close friends with everyone

The king of eavesdropping

He’s a bit of a smartass

He likes to read a lot

He likes to ask me to catch bugs or fish a lot for him

Usually the first villager to say hello to me in the morning

Likes to trade items with me a lot

He has given me clothes that he has worn and changed out litterally moments ago as a gift five times.

He still still loses his stuff a lot

Very close friends with Eugene, Claudia, Eunice, and Flip

The resident though, but sweet old man

Likes to give life advices a lot

He’s probably the strongest villager on the island

He has apparently adopted Twiggy and Papi

That said, he has a funny father-son relationship with Papi

He’ll stop and look at the flowers multiple times during his stroll on the island

He likes to check in on me quite a bit by writing letters

Still has a friendly rivalry with Flip

Very close friends with Papi, Twiggy, Claudia, Eunice, and Deirdre

The queen of singing

She is usually very calm, but can lash out at others when provoked

She loves it when I talk to her and she loves it even more when I come over to her house to hang out with her

She’s still my sitting buddy and my museum buddy

She’ll sing and dance at the plaza everyday

She will usually give me gifts that compliment my outfit

Very close friends with Deirdre, Eunice, Rolf, and Lopez

He is also one of the most sweetest villagers that you will ever meet

If I am sitting on a bench alone he will usually join me

He loves to constantly water the flowers, I’m surprised he hasn’t drowned any of them yet

If I’m doing something on the island he’s usually somewhere close by me

He is apparently adopted by Rolf and has a funny father-son relationship with Rolf as well

The other villagers likes to give Papi gifts because he is either a sweet boy or have accidentally made him sad

Very close friends with Rolf, Twiggy, Eunice, Flip, and Eugene

This poor lad had a rough first two months of living on the island because over half of the other villagers didn’t like him, but everybody is cool with him now

He had a major problem with stealing everyone’s catchphrases, he stole a grand total of 27 catchphrases: I’m not joking

He does get sick quite a bit

He love visiting the fish exhibit at the museum

He’s a pretty cool and chill guy

He had a strange rivalry with Lopez when he first started living on the island and now they are close buds

He loves to go all over the island and sing his heart out

Very close friends with Lopez, Twiggy, Eunice, Papi, Mac, and Flip.

The newest island resident

He’s pretty a nice guy

He can be shy at first, but can quickly warm up to others

He loves doing his exercises and lifting weights

If he’s not doing any of that, then either he’s chasing bugs or at the plaza socializing with the others

He’s surprisingly strong and is probably the second strongest villager next to Rolf

He’s made several of close friends so far and they are Flip, Eugene, and Eunice.

[ssa25]

Day 5: Red string of Fate (Sasuhina Month 2019) - Part 1

@sasuhinamonth

Join us for the wedding of Yuuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma on….

He was the groomsman she was partnered with to walk down the aisle as Kurenai's bridesmaid.

She had fervently hoped to be paired with the gorgeously tanned blonde by the name of Uzumaki Naruto, instead she got his best friend.

His name was Uchiha Sasuke. He was devastatingly handsome in his crisp well fitted suit and combed back hair. Tenten had overheard a group of girls gossiping about him. He was extremely popular among women, but his attitude left much to be desired. That was what she got from them.

He was polite to her when they were introduced. Then he was aloof while the bridesmaids and groomsmen were chatting in a group right before the walk.

So, Hinata was pleasantly surprised when Sasuke reached out to her at the reception. She was sitting alone at a round table with a quiet old couple, having refused several invitations from her friends and some single men to dance, because her heels were killing her. Also, Tenten had warned her that all the single men at weddings hoped to get into the panties of bridesmaids. And the last thing she wanted was to become someone's easy lay.

But Sasuke seemed gentlemanly. He offered her a flute of champagne, seeing the one she was holding was already empty. He told her that he was working in partnership with his brother running their family's security services firm in Tokyo. She told him about how it was her first year as a full fledged nurse at a hospital in Kyoto. After talking about their families, he suggested an exit to the lush gardens. She agreed easily, and he offered to pick up her heels while she walked barefoot out to the patio.

The found a bench just in time to see the sun set over the backdrop of the rural village Kurenai had picked as the wedding destination. He wasn't much of a talker, his questions were direct and his answers on point. But he heard every word she had to say, his gaze lingered on her when she spoke, his smirk made her blush and when his hands fell over hers on the wooden bench, she didn't pull away.

She looked at their clasped hands and then at him with her uniquely big gray eyes. His eyes seemed to drink all of her in, as he said, "I don't think I've mentioned this… But I think you are absolutely breathtaking."

Her heart hammered against her chest, when he slowly leaned forward with obvious intention, but also giving her plenty of time and opportunity to back away if she wanted to. But she didn't. She wanted this too.

Their kiss was soft at first, gently nipping and stroking. But gradually, the movements evolved to something much more sensual. He was the first one to hold her by her nape for leverage, and then it was her grabbing on to the lapels of his jacket.

When they parted for air, he asked her if she wanted to come up to his room at the hotel. She could only nod, since she felt tongue tied after that heated kiss.

Quickly dodging all the guests, they made their way to the elevator. Luckily, they found an empty one, and quickly got on. He couldn't keep his hands off of her all the way to the outside of his room, her curves moulded to the satin of her champagne coloured wrap dress feeling heavenly under his hands. He quickly swiped his card and opened the door to find the lights of his room on. He let her in and closed the door behind them.

But Hinata stilled to see the view the woman in front of her. Dressed in the skimpiest of lingerie, a tall skinny pink haired woman was standing in the middle of the room, mirroring the expression of horror that was on Hinata's face.

"What the fuck are you doing here Sakura??!!", Sasuke's voice behind her, was low but filled with rage.

It made the woman named Sakura snap into action as she swiftly picked up a matching robe and put it on.

"I… I thought of surprising you.. It's your birthday tomorrow… So I asked Naruto for help… But….Who is she?", there was obvious displeasure in her voice as she questioned Hinata's presence.

"Whoever she is, is none of your business. Nor is my personal life. We broke up more than four months back. And for the last time, I would like things to remain that way between us.", he gritted his teeth as he tried to stop himself from lashing out. "So get the fuck out of this room."

Hinata who stood frozen, digested everything that was said. Her mind replaying Tenten's advice earlier that day. She had acted foolishly, letting momentary pleasure blind her rational thinking. She got chills when she realised that she was about to jump into a stranger's bed. A stranger who had sweet talked her. A stranger who had an absolutely stunning woman as an ex-girlfriend, and was on the verge of kicking said woman out.

"No.", she spoke up for the first time since facing Sakura. "I'll leave."

She could not even look at Sasuke's face, as he muttered her name in shock. "Hinata… Wait…. Look… This is all a misunderstanding…. Sakura and I broke up a long time back…"

"Is four months a long time for you?", she whispered incredulously. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay anymore."

"Why? She should leave. Not you. Just stay. Please. We were having a good time."

"Well, that's because I was not thinking straight… But now that I am finally, I'd rather sleep out in the cold than get into your bed."

Sasuke seemed frustrated as he brushed his hair back with his fingers, before trying again. "Fuck..Okay… We don't have to sleep together… Let's just talk… Okay?"

But she had made up her mind. "I'm sorry Mr. Uchiha, but I have to go."

-

Sasuke decided to give her the night to cool off after throwing Sakura out of the room and giving Naruto an earful. Early next morning, he called the receptionist, not wanting to disturb the newlyweds, for Hinata's room number or contact details. But he was informed that Hyuuga Hinata had checked out almost more than an hour back.

---

Thirteen months later

You are cordially invited to the marriage of Sabaku Temari and Nara Shikamaru on Saturday, the….

It was weird being the girlfriend of the bride's younger brother. You weren't exactly part of the family, but you were still more important than some of the attendees. You had to help around with some of the preparations, but you did not really have a say in anything. You were just there.

Not that Hinata wanted any of that. She was happy to help as much as she could, but she did not want to step on any toes. She had dressed up fairly quickly in a knee length off shoulder red dress. Her hair was also in an updo leaving her fringe to frame her face.

She stood beside her boyfriend of five months Sabaku Gaara, and his brother Kankuro, also with Shikamaru's parents to welcome the guests. She did not have to do much except smile, only a handful of people she was actually friends with, had been invited. So when she heard a loud voice calling Gaara, she snapped her head up to see a group of young adults walk in - Naruto, she would never forget him and his sunny disposition. Behind him was an attractive platinum blonde she had met before at Kurenai's wedding. Thinking about that fateful day, a chill ran up her spine. And right on cue, he walked in. Sasuke. He was dressed in all black, and it reminded her of why she had been fooled by him.

His eyes found hers and he was taken by surprise. She glanced away at Naruto who was shaking hands and talking to Gaara. Seconds later, Gaara greeted Sasuke too and then introduced Hinata, unaware of their short shared history.

"This is Hyuuga Hinata, my girlfriend."

She gave a shaky smile and outstretched her hand to a shocked Naruto who seemed to recognize her a second later, shaking her hand while looking back at Sasuke.

When Naruto moved away, it was Sasuke who offered her his hand, which she took hesitantly. Immediately he grabbed it with a vice like grip, and all she could remember was the familiar grip when they were all over each other in the elevator two years back.

"Good to see you Hinata."

"T-Thank you. Please enjoy the wedding festivities.", she said flatly.

"I will."

All through the vows and the reception, she could feel his stare on her. She had no clue what he wanted. It had been two years. Surely someone like him had moved on, so why was he making her uncomfortable.

Few minutes later, she excused herself from Gaara' side to visit the washroom. On her way out of the washroom, she saw Sasuke waiting. She maintained her cool and tried walking past him, but he got in front of her making her pause.

"Won't you even acknowledge my presence?"

"I'm just rushing back to my table.."

"To your boyfriend, you mean."

"Is there something you needed Mr. Uchiha?", Hinata looked at him sharply.

"Yes, I want to know why you ran away that time… You never gave me a chance to explain, your forbid your friends and Kurenai from sharing your contact details.", he bit back.

"I don't like my personal information shared with strangers I have no business with."

"I recall us being too close to be called strangers."

She looked mortified as her mind recanted the moments that she had buried in the deepest pit of her memory.

"All I know is that it's been more than an year since then.. We have to move on…. Aren't all wedding hook ups like that?…. You sleep with someone and then you forget about it."

"I didn't see it as a hookup…. And also we didn't get to actually sleep with each other.", he reminded her.

"Ah… So that's what this is about. I'm sorry to say, but you have to look for a different conquest… As you are well aware, I already have someone.",she replied acidly.

She saw his jaws clench in silence. "You like him?"

"Obviously I do."

"You love him?"

"T-That's not something y-you get to ask."

"Why not?"

"Hinata?", Gaara's voice echoed through the hallway.

Hinata looked over Sasuke's shoulder to see him, as he stared at her and Sasuke, like two pieces of puzzle, wondering about their relation to each other.

"Is something the matter?", he asked her.

"No. No. I'll be right there. Sasuke and I were just talking about something."

"I wasn't aware you knew each other."

"Just barely.",she shrugged.

Gaara blinked his eyes before nodding his head in acceptance to whatever she was spouting. "Bouquet's about to be thrown."

With that, he turned around and left. Not waiting for a moment longer, Hinata followed his path

But Sasuke wasn't done yet.

"It's been two years… But I just can't stop thinking about you…", he declared to her back. It made her stop abruptly. So he continued with what he wanted to say.

"I haven't felt this way about another woman before. I like you,.. A lot.. And although we were going to sleep with each other that night, my intention was not for a hookup like you seem to think… What you saw that evening, in my room, was something that I had no control over… Still, I was ready to apologize, because of the way I felt about you… But you got away before I could do that… "

His confession sounded genuine and heartfelt. But she couldn't just go back in time to change their circumstances.

"I guess that's our fate Mr. Uchiha… Maybe we were never meant to get involved in a relationship."

She turned back to him with a polite smile. "Have a good rest of the evening, Mr. Uchiha."

---

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Forty-Three: Ice Cream] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

“Hyūga.”

Gaze caught in a shop window, Hinata nearly doubles over as a voice suddenly sounds behind her, heart rate climbing in surprise. A rather ungraceful turn reveals it to be none other than Sasuke! “S...Sasuke-kun…?”

The Uchiha has - since the end of the war - become a slightly unintended friend. With how many bridges he burned (and admittedly many of them with reason), he wasn’t left with many people to socialize with. Not...that he’s been in much of a mood to socialize. But for some reason, the pair of them have just...ended up running into each other more often than not.

Not that Hinata has been opposed, per se. She just...didn’t expect it. Sasuke had barely spoken ten words to her before he’d left to seek power outside Konoha. And yet...part of her wonders if that’s the point. She’s one of the few people he hasn’t directly affected in any negative way.

...nor she in any way to him, either.

Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that - common friendships, odd parallels in their pasts they’ve been discovering...and their meshing social circles have meant it almost being impossible to go without running into one another for long.

And so, for whatever his reason may be, Sasuke has been extending a rather awkward, formal olive branch. Hinata, in the meantime, has had no real reason to reject it. Hence their budding but...rather undefined friendship as of late.

He’s still...adjusting, after all. And in some ways, so is she. The war has left its scars upon all of them...but few, she knows, more so than Sasuke. The situation involving his clan and the village - still a work in progress to be solved - immediately earned her sympathy. As someone from a ‘royal’ clan who has its share of troubled years past...she, more than most, can relate...even if not in exactly the same way.

Still, that’s not the current issue on the table.

He’s dressed in warmer clothes as per the season, given that it’s nearly the new year. And to her delight, he’s sporting the knit gloves and scarf she made him a few weeks past. And as is most usual, he’s without anyone else she knows. He tends to just...wander about on his own, for the most part...save for when the rest of team seven drags him out.

“...a-ano...was there something you, um...something you wanted, Sasuke-kun?”

“Was on my way to pick up lunch and saw you. Thought I’d say hi.”

“...oh!” She allows a small smile. “Well...hello! C-chilly day, isn’t it? Keeping, um...warm?”

“Yeah. That knitting of yours must be good.” He doesn’t admit that he rarely gets cold, anyway - his father used to tell stories about an Uchiha’s inner fire keeping them warm against any degree of dropping temperatures. Of course...he doesn’t know if that’s true, but it takes a fairly bad day to chill him. “Knitted anything else recently?”

“Yes, lots! I just finished a set for Hanabi, actually. And Naruto-kun said he’d like some. Orange, o-of course,” she lightly giggles.

Barely perceptible, Sasuke’s expression sours at the mention of the blond. “...keeping busy, then.”

“Yes, quite so. It, um...it’s relaxing, though. I like how repetitive it is. Lets me just sort of...zone out and go, you know?”

“Never had a hobby like that, so I wouldn’t know.”

“...oh! Well...it’s nice to have a little, um...change of pace. It lets me take my mind off of...everything else. Clan politics, or...missions. Maybe you could...find a pastime, Sasuke-kun.”

“Maybe. Mostly I just train when I want something to do, honestly.”

“That’s good, too!”

...they then reach a small impasse.

“W-well, um...I don’t want to keep you from your lunch,” Hinata then offers, smiling again. “But it was n-nice talking to you!”

“Have you eaten yet?”

The rather blunt question makes her pause. “Well, um...no. No, I haven’t. I was going to just make something at home, um…”

His expression remains carefully blank. “I won’t interrupt, then.”

“Did...did you want some company?”

A few months ago, Hinata would never dare ask a question so bold, not even of her best friend. To presume to be wanted wasn’t something she could really...do. But she’s done a vast amount of growing as of late, and...well, she’s tired of hesitation taking opportunities from her. Her years wasted chasing Naruto only to lose out taught her that much.

Sasuke, too, seems a bit taken aback by her forward response, dark brows lifting a smidge. “...sure,” is his reply once it sinks in. “If you don’t have anything else…?”

“Nope! I delivered a mission report earlier, and was just...w-wandering around before heading home.”

“...all right, then.” Well, his plans were to order out some yakiniku and take it home, but...well, he can’t really do that with a guest. Or, so he tells himself. Seems he’ll be sitting down to eat.

Hinata doesn’t object to the place, and they find a table off to one side of the restaurant. As their meat grills, they mostly pass the time with idle conversation.

“So, what was your mission?”

“Just a simple track and retrieve mission. Solo. A fraudulent jewelry maker was caught selling fake pieces to some n-noblewomen during that conference last week. He fled with the money and was heading to Iwa, but I c-caught up with him and dragged him back. It really wasn’t anything difficult, he w-wasn’t even a shinobi...he’d hired a few missing nin to help guard him but they were chūnin level at best. Probably oversold themselves to get in, and then were going to r-rob him after. Brought them in, too.”

“Must have earned you a fair bit.”

“Not too bad. In truth I have a good amount of savings...I don’t like to spend money. Even before I lost my inheritance I was frugal.”

The familiar topic makes him pause nonetheless. Hinata’s recounted the events leading to her loss of title - though mostly vaguely - before. “...good habit to have.”

“It drives my sister crazy.” Hinata cracks a small smile. “She’s...not so careful. Overall sure, but...she has many little splurges. Tries to get me to do the same. And when I don’t she b-buys me things herself.”

Before he can stop it, a small smile pulls at Sasuke’s lips. Were Itachi alive...he’d likely do the same. “I guess siblings always have to have some traits that are opposites.”

“True…”

Once their bellies are full, Sasuke pays the tab (much to Hinata’s annoyance (“It was me who invited you.” “I i-invited myself!”)) and they head back outside where a light snow has begun to fall.

“Ah…!”

“Looks like we’ll get a decent dusting,” Sasuke muses, watching it fall for a moment.

“...ne, Sasuke-kun?”

“Mm?”

“Would you l-like to get some ice cream?”

Eyes still skyward, his brow sharply furrows before looking to her as if she’s grown a second head. “...what?”

“Ice cream!”

“I...why would you want ice cream when it’s snowing? Aren’t you already cold?”

That earns a giggle. “What, like you don’t ever eat h-hot food when it’s hot?”

He just stares at her.

“I a-always have ice cream after yakiniku - it helps calm my tongue from the spices!”

“...you’re so strange.”

“It’s not that weird -”

“Yeah, it is.”

“W-well you don’t have to get any!”

“...I’ll get some sherbert. I don’t like sweet things, remember?”

“I know, but I just thought…” She trails off with a small shrug, hands in her coat pockets. “...a-and this time I can buy. Because I asked.”

Ah, so that’s what this is really about. Snorting in amusement, he doesn’t object a second time, just following as she beelines to the nearest shop. To his surprise, a few other people are in line, all who get incredulous looks from him. “...I can’t believe people think this is normal.”

“Shush,” she gently chides, stepping up to the counter. Her own order is a simple chocolate milkshake, which she struggles to consume through a straw with how thick it turns out. “Your turn!”

“...lime sherbert,” he eventually relents, receiving a small bowl of the stuff.

Seeing his gloved hands holding a frozen treat just makes him feel all the more ridiculous.

But Hinata happily works at her milkshake, so...he doesn’t complain. At least she’s happy, and she got to get him something, cheap though it was. Spooning the stuff into his mouth a small bit at a time, he aimlessly follows as she seems to wander back outside.

“Like it?”

“Sure.”

“See? It’s not so bad!”

“Now I’ll be cold on the outside and the inside.”

Mouth on her straw, her cheeks puff before lifting to counter, “I t-thought you said you were w-warm?” Was he lying about her knitting?

Giving her a glance with his uncovered eye, Sasuke snorts and ruffles her hair with a free hand, much to her dismay. “I’m joking. I can do that, you know.”

Huffing and puffing as she tries to tame her hair, she gives him a second pout. “...I-I know that. I just...didn’t want you to actually dislike it.”

“It’s fine, Hyūga. Stop worrying so much over a bit of ice cream.”

“You didn’t even g-get ice cream…”

“I told you, it’s too sweet…”

The pair fade down the street with their treats, gentle snowfall trailing in their wake.

                                                              .oOo.

     Random fluff is random. Not necessarily a sequel to anything in particular, since I write so many odds and ends in ALAS, anyway xD But I remembered having a piece where she made him some knitted stuff, so...wherever that was, consider this a followup, lol      Slowly but surely getting through things! Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to reply to some comments. I'm now a whopping twenty days behind, BUT I'm feeling a bit better and less burnt out, so...here's hoping I'll plough through the rest and finish this baby up! Then it's fic vacation time for a while xD      Aaanyway, I'm gonna go get some sleep, since I finished a wee bit early for once lol -thanks for reading!

[raendown]

First chapter of a commission for @officerjennie!

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 4938 Rated: T+ Summary: When his brother disappears coming home from town Madara goes looking for him only for both to end up taken prisoner in a castle hidden by magic generations ago. The candelabras talk, the furniture sleeps, and a great white beast hides himself away in the eastern wing. As he uncovers the story behind this place and gets to know the last small group of 'survivors' Madara gradually makes a new home here in the least likely of places.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header! 

Chapter 1

Waking his little brother after a particularly rough night was never a pleasant task. Madara sat on the edge of Izuna’s mattress and dabbed at the young man’s sweaty forehead with a damp cloth, praying to whatever gods might listen to take this sickness once and for all. If they were nobility then maybe they could have afforded a better doctor than the witch healer one town over, maybe they could have figured out what was really wrong and found a cure, but they weren’t nobility. Of all the injustices in the world Madara hated most the ones that laid his brothers low.

Once their house had been a bustling and lively place full of love and family. Now there were three graves in the back field and his parents’ room stood waiting even now several years after the occupants had promised to return quickly from seeking new fortune. Madara could remember clearly the day he finally accepting that it was the two of them against the world, the day he had knelt in the shrine behind their home and cursed the gods for uncaring bastards, vowing to hold on to the last of his family with the same boneheaded stubbornness with which this illness clung to Izuna’s chest.

Running one hand through long dark hair, Madara hummed the same soft tune he had rocked his brother to sleep with as a babe.

“The sun is up,” he chided the younger man gently. “I already did your chores for you, you lazy lay about.”

“Gggggrrrmmmph.”

“An excellent argument. You still have to get up.”

Very slowly Izuna’s eyes opened and Madara was relieved to see there was no shine of fever in them. The night had been rough but it looked like the day may not be as bad as he’d thought, excellent luck for the journey his brother had ahead of him.

“I packed for you as well. And fed the horse. But you’ll need to feed yourself because I need to get to work, alright?” As he spoke his fingers continued moving, stroking the damp hair away from Izuna’s face. His brother shuffled around under the covers until his arms were free to reach up and hold Madara's hand in place. “Let go, you leech. I need to go and so do you.”

With a tremendous sigh Izuna let go and let both arms flop to the sides. “It’s a long journey.”

“Then you’d best get started. The sooner you set off the sooner you can be home again. If you get home fast enough I might be convinced to make you some rabbit stew for dinner, that usually makes you feel better.” With one more ruffle Madara stood up and rolled his shoulders to loosen them in preparation of a day’s work.

As he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him he could hear Izuna beginning to cough and he winced, glad that today his brother would be getting at least some relief. Their tiny, nameless village being too small to warrant a physician of their own, Izuna travelled every two or three months to see the witch doctor in the closest actual town. Madara would prefer to seek the help of someone a little more reputable but even that hack healer’s services had slowly been chipping away at whatever savings he tried to gather, emptying his purse again and again with every visit. Still, he couldn’t exactly bring himself to regret the money spent. An empty purse was better than one more grave in the back field.

Dawn sunlight spread her fingers across the sky as he stepped outside to head for the largest building in their village, an inn which also doubled as the tavern where old men gathered to jaw the day away and young man came to cool their parched throats after long hours working their fields. For all that Madara was bred and built for farm work their family had no land of their own and so he earned his money caring for the stables at the inn every day from dawn until well after dusk.

His work wasn’t nearly as hard as many others in their small little corner of the world and Madara did try to give his best to every task, caring for the horses that came in however he could, hoping that they enjoyed the rest after their own hours of labor. The only problem he had lay in the fact that most of the other villagers looked down on the last surviving Uchiha boys. Stablehand they called him, never his name, and to Izuna they made signs of the cross to ward off whatever evil had given him his sickness. If their father had ever given them one good gift in life it was the gift of pride enough for Madara to hold his head high no matter how many times one of the local farmers came riding in to the tavern courtyard and ordered him around like a lord with a servant, demanding more than Madara had any way of giving.

Today wasn’t so bad, to his relief. Days when Izuna left for town were always days full of distraction, his thoughts constantly wandering away from him down the road, but the village folk weren’t always as forgiving. Madara knew it was because the rain had encouraged many of them to stay home rather than ride in to the village square for a few drinks and he was glad of the chance to let his mind stray after his brother as it so often did during these visits.

Of the people that did come to the tavern very few arrived during what would have been daylight hours if not for the pall of the autumn storms arriving much later in the season than usual. Madara greeted their mounts before the men and spoke softly under his breath as he removed saddles, offered hay, or toweled down wet coats until they were dry enough for a quick brush. Since he knew that none of them would be leaving very soon he made sure to house each mount in stables close to each other so they could lean over the stable doors and nose at each other as they tended to do. The horses here knew each other’s faces as well as their humans’.

When evening fell several more arrived but still not nearly as many as usually showed up in better weather. On some days in winter when there were less crops to tend to it was common for Madara to be kept running back and forth between this stable and the barn out where he usually brought the mounts when there were no more stables left unoccupied, frantic to see to everyone’s needs while also dealing with farmers who thought themselves more important than the mayor. Today he found quite a bit of time to lounge inside one of the stalls, napping quickly and knowing he was safe from crashing hooves, dreaming unhappily of all the terrible things that never happened but he still insisted on worrying about. Just because he knew that Izuna was smart enough to avoid the spots where bandits commonly waited did not mean there would never be a bandit clever enough to hide somewhere new.

At the end of the day Madara was fairly chomping at the bit to go home and soothe his overactive imagination with proof that his brother was just fine. He barely managed to wait until the boy who watched the stables at night arrived before bolting out the door and hurrying along the dusty roads out of the town square. Never did the walk feel so long as when he needed it to be shorter.

If he had been hoping for good news, however, he was left unsatisfied. Horror filled him instead as he approached their home to find their old mare standing outside the pasture that had always been just a little too small for her, saddle and bridle still in place and very clearly growing uncomfortable. Madara broke out in to a run. The mare snorted at him when he took the reins and pet her nose, lipping gratefully at his hand when he offered a carrot out of sheer habit.

“Where is Izuna?” he asked even though he knew it was ridiculous. A horse could not answer.

One glance at the saddle told him that his worst nightmares had been realized at last. Izuna’s bags were still there, no effort made to remove them or the tack, and that was all he needed to know. Even during the worst of his fits Izuna had always insisted on at least attempting to make the horse comfortable before he found his own rest.

“I know you’re tired,” Madara whispered, fear choking his words. “Please work just a little longer. We have to find him.”

Glad that he was already dressed for the evening chill, uncaring of the rain wetting his hair, he swung up in to the saddle and gently guided his mare around back the way it seemed she had come all on her own, following the roads home as she had a hundred times before even without a rider to show her the way.

Outside the village where no lanterns were lit and no fire burned brightly through curtained windows it was hard to see more than few feet in front of his own mount. Even the moon was barely a help once they entered the forest not too far past the last of his neighbor’s houses. Madara cursed softly under his breath and gently patted the mare’s neck, mumbling apologies and hoping that she didn’t stumble. A broken knee was the opposite of what he needed at the moment.

It was the darkness that began him on the journey that would change his life. Madara had lived in this village since he was born, had travelled these roads and scampered through the forests since he learned to walk on his own two legs. He knew every path like he knew the callouses on his own hands. It should have been impossible for him to take the wrong way but in the dark it was easy to mistake one copse of trees for another and so he turned where, if daylight were filtering through the leaves, he would have known he should not have been able to turn. He rode with his eyes squinted tightly as he tried to make shapes out of the shadows and continued on unaware of what awaited him.

Finally there came something he could not ignore or explain away as one tree that might look similar to another. A light in the distance that should not be there drew his attention until the mare came to an abrupt halt and tossed her head. Madara brought his eyes back to the path and found that he had arrived at a massive gate half again taller than himself. His eyes widened. With one hand he calmed the mare and with the other he held tighter to the reins, almost afraid to discover what lay beyond. No gate should have been here in this forest. Indeed, nothing but beasts should live in these woods besides the witch that was said to haunt one of the lakes to the east and yet even her he had never seen any signs of in all his years of exploration. Madara swallowed thickly, considered the light in the distance once more, and came to a decision. Now was not the time to explore such mysteries.

At least, that was his thought until he shifted his weight with the intention of turning the mare only to freeze as his eyes found a new surprise that captured him entirely. He would know that jacket anywhere. Faded blue ribbon sewn along the collar, patched a dozen times and more, he had made that jacket with his own two hands for Izuna’s fifteenth birthday using the last of the funds their parents had left for them when they disappeared to never return.

Now it lay bloody and torn on the ground just inside the gate, visible by a shaft of moonlight breaking through the clouds just as his eyes passed in that direction.

With panic suffusing his being Madara all but threw himself bodily off of his mount and lunged around the open gates to pick up his brother’s jacket, holding it like a precious sheet of glass. His horror only increased to see that the tears appeared to be caused by what looked like teeth. Just thinking about what that could mean was so distracting he very nearly didn’t notice the footprints but when he did Madara folded his knees to squint at the ground, jacket still clutched tightly to his chest. Both human and animal tracks danced across each other following a path towards that distant light.

And so he must follow, obviously. Izuna had never been quite as hardy as him even before the sickness began wasting his body and Madara had never once resented his self-imposed duty of shouldering as many of the other’s burdens as possible. Protecting the last of his family was something he would have done even if he hadn’t loved Izuna as his entire world.

The mare nickered softly when he swung around to her and pulled at the oilskin bags still tied to her back so he could rummage through the contents. Having packed them himself he knew exactly where to look and gave a low cry of triumph when his fingers closed around the handle of a small torch. In another small pocket he found flint and a knife, all of which he pulled out and hurried just far enough away from his mount that he could light the torch without causing her to panic and bolt away when he needed her most. She was silent when he swung back up in to the saddle, moving forward easily when he nudged her to do so with his light held high and hissing angrily in the rain.

Yellow light spilled ahead of them as they walked, illuminating the never-ending trail of footprints always moving steadily towards what looked to be another torch in the distance. Paw prints almost seemed to walk right over top of the human tracks like the animals were stalking the prey they had allowed to get away. Or perhaps they were chasing, though by the pattern Madara would have guessed only Izuna to be running.

He was so caught up in watching the ground that he almost failed entirely to notice the massive shapes looming out of the darkness until one moment he was alone on a trail and the next he understood that it was, in fact, a driveway as he lifted his head to find himself staring up at a looming castle. It was impossible that there should be anything even a quarter of this size anywhere near these woods and yet here it was. Massive blocks of stone carved in to gruesome shapes guarded the entrance of an honest to god palace, towers and turrets reaching up out of sight to the rainclouds above. Even craning his neck backwards to look up Madara could not see the rooftops but he could see hundreds of windows in patterns of stained glass, their subjects hidden by the darkness around him.

And of course it was as he took in the incredible sights before him that his torch finally gave in to nature, too wet at last to go on. Madara grunted in surprise when he was plunged in to darkness. Then he grunted again as he tossed the now-useless stick of wood aside and gently slipped out of the saddle, leading his mare around to where he had spotted a small alcove with water and hay ready for visitors.

“I know it’s been a long day for you already,” he murmured a he tied the lead to a misshaped gargoyle. “Please bear it just a little longer until I make sure he’s okay. I’m sure they’ll let us rest for the night too if they’ve already taken him in. Gods but I hope they took him in…”

With his heart clenched as tightly as his fists, no weapon to keep close now that he’d stupidly thrown away the torch he could have used as a club, Madara approached the doors of the castle and hoped that someone might still be awake to answer his call. The sound his fists made against wood reverberated around him like a drum yet still somehow managed to sound too small for the space. He cringed even as he tried again after a few minutes had gone by with no response. If he needed to bloody his knuckles banging on the door or wake the whole castle screaming he was not leaving this place until he was certain of Izuna’s fate here at the end of the footprints.

On the fourth round of knocking he heard a click and the door swung open a few inches as though unlocked from the inside. Madara blinked, freezing in place. No face popped in to view and the door was not pulled further open. It was possible he had rattled the latch open with his banging, in which case he knew that it would be the height of poor manners to enter without an invitation.

He didn’t care.

Inside the foyer it was warm and dry compared to the weather outdoors and yet the massive space carried the same pervasive chill characteristic of all large buildings made from stone. Madara shivered just looking around and thinking of how awful it would be to live in a place like this.

“Hello?” he called out, hoping at least for someone to come light a fire while he asked his questions.

When he received no answer Madara stepped a bit further in, squinting around as best he could. Though the moon seemed to be coming out of hiding from behind the clouds her rays could only barely penetrate the thick layer of dust and grime coating the inside of each windowpane. From what he could make out Madara thought he could see marble tile at his feet and a barren expanse of emptiness where he would have thought any noble rich enough to have a castle would have flaunted their wealth with opulent furniture. The lack of wood or carpet to fill the room made every shift and step echo twice as loudly as it should have.

“Is anyone here?” he tried again, reluctantly raising his voice. “My brother- he was lost on the road. I have reason to believe he took shelter here. He’s very sick, I just want to know he’s alright.”

No answer came still, though for a moment he thought he heard someone scurrying behind him. When he turned there was nothing but a candelabra with three candlesticks waiting on a table like a gift from the gods. Madara wondered how he hadn’t noticed it before even as he hurried over and began rifling through the drawers of the table it was on looking for a match or flint or anything. He rumbled with satisfaction to finally come up with a long match that he struck and used to light all three candles. New shadows danced along the walls when he turned and cast about the room with better vision.

The place looked even more cold and empty in the light – but that was not what caught his eye. In a tall chair by a cold fireplace on the far side of the room where he hadn’t been able to see through the darkness there sat a pair of boots that were all too familiar. Raising the candelabra Madara looked down. More footprints. He needed no more proof to know that his brother was here, though by the single trail of prints it looked like he had been alone when he made his way to the chair. Madara followed the prints and knelt down to brush his fingers against the leather, unsurprised to find them barely damp. They had been abandoned here some time ago.

Standing again, Madara looked around and harrumphed. The servants here must be poorly trained for absolutely no one to have answered his call. Even at this time of night there should always be someone awake to welcome callers; he wasn’t even a member of the gentry and he knew that.

“If no one will invite me then I’ll just have to invite myself,” he grumbled under his breath.

Armed with his borrowed candelabra Madara strode out for the grand staircase he knew would have caught his eye if he were Izuna. No more footsteps had marked the dust in any direction after they reached the chair, extremely suspicious but not impossible if the dust had since been disturbed and then allowed to settle again. It would be an outlandish coincidence that it only happened on one side of that chair by the fireplace and not the other but not completely impossible.

On the second floor Madara took the left path mostly by whim – until he realized he could hear distant voices in that direction. Finally having signs of human life to pull him onward, he hurried his steps and called out, unsurprised but a little annoyed to get no answer again. For as long as he followed the voices they strangely never seemed to get any louder. No matter if he walked slower or faster the voices seemed always several halls away, muffled as though by the walls between or by hands being held in front of their mouths. By the time Madara realized he was no longer walking through richly decorated hallways but had entered some sort of barren stone tower he had passed annoyed and moved on to angry.

“Whatever the game is here,” he said to himself, “I do not appreciate it.” There was really no point in lowering his volume considering how no one ever seemed close enough to hear him in a place like this. Which meant, obviously, that this was the time someone did hear him.

“Madara?” That voice was familiar, beloved, and much too small.

“Izuna! Where are you?”

Just inside the light of his candelabra he could see a pale arm jutting out in to the hallway and waving about as he heard, “I’m here! Can you see me?”

Madara very nearly dropped his only source of light in the scramble to reach his brother. Then he almost dropped it again with shock as he reached the spot where he’d seen that desperately waving arm and he realized why Izuna hadn’t just come out in to the hallway entirely. He was caged! The tower he had found his way in to was a dungeon of sorts with one poor sickly prisoner locked inside of a cold and empty room, not even a blanket to keep him off the floor.

“What happened?” Madara demanded as he fell to his knees and haphazardly placed the candles aside so he could take the freezing cold hands reaching for him. “How the hell did you end up here?”

“You have to go!”

“Are you insane, Otouto? I’m not going anywhere without you! Where are the guards? I’m sure I can reason with them; or scream them down if I have to.”

“No you can’t! Please just go. You don’t understand, if you stay then he’ll find you!”

Madara snorted, reaching farther in to pull more of that shaking body towards the warmth he had to offer. “Don’t be daft. Whatever dumbass noble was stupid enough to lock you up – for what? Trespassing after you were clearly attacked by wolves? – I’m sure I could take him. One fist in the nose and he’ll be begging me to let him unlock this door.”

Pride, he’d been told a time or two in his life, was the reason he’d experienced so many troubles already so early in life. It had ever been his biggest downfall. Watching the horror fill his brother’s face as Izuna’s eyes slid away from his own and rose up, up, up with stark terror writ plainly in their depths, Madara wondered who his pride had led him to insult this time. He refused to show any sign of nerves as he twisted to look over his shoulder, braced, determined to stand his ground until this unlawful imprisonment was reversed.

He was met first with the sight of pale white fur, so much that he wondered if perhaps the wolves that attacked before had followed his brother here in to the castle. Then he noticed that the legs were much too long and bipedal. As he lifted his eyes he watched the fur fade away to white flesh, two arms hanging low with hands that were almost human but for the long claws sharp at the end of each finger. Burned across the creature’s clavicle was a symbol like a double ended pitchfork that almost called to something in the back of his memory where Madara could not spare a moment to reach for the connection. He tilted his head back and very carefully clamped his teeth down on the scream which rose up as terror filled him too.

Red eyes glowed even in the shadows they watched him from several feet above where his own height would reach if he were standing. The features were almost disturbingly human but twisted and hidden behind the unruly shag of a thick white mane, two horns as thick as his own wrists rising from the mess to twist back and then soar upwards again. Markings that had either been painted or burned or even scarred in to the skin drew lines across that terrifying face.

And then the mouth opened, lips parting to reveal sharp teeth, and a rumbling snarl spilled out so deep Madara felt it vibrating in his very bones.

“The prisoner remains,” the beast declared. “He was caught trespassing on my property much the same as you now do so yourself. If you do not wish to join him in the cell then I must insist you leave and forget that you were ever here.”

“How the hell could I forget you?” Madara demanded in his shock. Unsurprisingly, the beast bared even more teeth in response.

“You will forget. All who survive to leave this place forget.”

Since Madara had no idea what that meant he really had no idea of what to say. His mind was entirely empty of everything but the feral need to run as far and as fast as he could from this living nightmare that stood just waiting to consume him. And he remained that way, frozen and scared but too proud to scream, until a hand reached through the bars behind him to grasp his fingers and he remembered Izuna. Tired and ill Izuna who would die if he stayed here in a place like this, drafty and without access to his medicine.

“Let me take his place,” he bartered.

“Brother no!”

“Please,” he went on, ignoring his sibling’s outburst. “He is ill, he was only on the road to seek help for the sickness. If you have to punish anyone then let me stay and be your prisoner.”

At his back Izuna gave a sob that nearly shattered his heart in his chest but he held strong, lifting his chin and staring this beast in his glowing red eyes. For so many years he had tucked his brother in to bed and kissed him on the head with promises that he would always be ready to stand as a wall against whatever dangers befell them. Now was the time to be a man of his word. If giving himself over to whatever evil purpose this beast needed a human sacrifice for could save his brother he would do so more willingly than he drew his next breath.

Unfamiliar voices murmured in the shadows but Madara didn’t dare look away no matter how much he wanted to glare at the ones who had led him here to his fate.

“You swear that you will remain here and make no attempts to escape?” the beast growled. Madara swallowed against the lump in his throat and nodded.

“I swear.”

“So be it.” For one shining moment relief swept through his veins and he thought that he had won an easy victory. Then suddenly he found himself being lifted bodily from the ground with an almost casual swipe of one clawed hand, the door to Izuna’s cell torn open for him to be tossed inside like a rag doll. “Ancient magics hear your words, human. Now you are bound to this place and your brother to you. Enjoy your imprisonment.”

“What!?”

Madara let Izuna scramble to help him off the floor but the moment he had regained his feet he was rushing to the door that slammed shut in his face, fingers wrapping around the bars to watch his jailor storm down the hallway with ponderous steps.

“Please don’t,” Izuna tried but it was no use.

“You can’t do this! This is unlawful imprisonment! Why are you doing this you…you…-!”

Half faded in to shadows as he moved out of the light, the beast turned back to regard him with cold eyes and an expression that might almost be sad were it not for the inhumanity of his twisted body.

“Monster?” the thing finished for him in a low rumble and as he stared after the retreating form Madara couldn’t help but agree.