#every occasion is an opportunity for Kakashi

[violetvelourr]

Original post (I hope it’s alright that I repost this way but the original post has the comments turned off 😬)

Original post

Original post

☙ ❦ ❧

I had to look at this post twice with about a week’s gap to finally realize something…

I have mentioned this on several occasions: it’s a fact that Arina 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 Kakashi’s classic jonin vest 😁🤭 several times it almost kills the mood for her, so yeah, she strips Kakashi off of it at every opportunity 🤭

Back when I wrote this (all of these interactions are in the still unpublished part 2 of the first fanfic), I knew neither of Boruto nor this updated vest, and simply thought it was a funny joke to add to their relationship… and even after I saw the new design, it took me 2 years (thanks to the post above) to actually realize that it aligns really well with the fact that Kakashi’s hokage era specifically lead to a change of the vest’s design 🤣🤣🤣

It really makes perfect sense 🤣 I’m not sure whether to give full credit for the design to Kakashi or to enhance Arina with fashion designer skills but one thing I know for sure: he did it for her and because of her 😆

But there is also something that always bothered me: where do the scrolls go now? 😅 and also, how do you take the vest off? I hope Arina won’t regret the fact that along with becoming more closely fit (that was always her main complaint - that she couldn’t hug Kakashi properly), it’s also probably harder to get rid of too… 😅 I don’t think I saw an unzipped version, wherever the zip is? 🤔

[lemony-snickers]

chapter 17/epilogue >>> part 16 here. and, finally, the end.

Title: Helping Hands (part 17 of 17) (AO3 Link Here) Chapter Summary: And the future brings with it the fulfillment of all promises. Chapter Word Count: 1,411 Chapter Warnings: fem!MC, suggestive content, pregnancy .

Tenzo realized, of course, he should have known the Kakashi Hatake who invited him to visit his foreign Estate while in Konoha for Gai’s nuptials would not be the same one he found upon that distant shore by the time he arrived.

And were he a more sentimental man, he might actually have found the love sickness with which his friend was so obviously afflicted quite charming.  Rather, though, Tenzo found himself most usually exhausted by the exceptional affections so obviously on display for the duration of his visit to Hatake Manor.

Not because he did not like the charming woman with which his Senpai had become enamored, nor because he was not indeed extremely happy for his friend to have found some love and happiness in a world he had thought so recently devoid of it entirely.

No, of course not; for those were all good things.  All things which he could cherish in his own way as a friend of the Lord—and now, he liked to think, of the Caretaker, too.

It was the noise, honestly, that did him in.

By the time Tenzo had stayed his month and four days at the House, he could not recall the last occasion upon which he’d had the pleasure of sleeping soundly through the evening.  For it seemed no matter how great the Manor might be in scope and size, the voices of Lord Kakashi and his Caretaker carried well within every hall given the right opportunity—of which they had a seemingly endless supply.

That the pair had apparently deluded themselves for so long that they were not obviously and hopelessly in love appeared to him more than folly, and he said as much.

“Are you really so stupid?” he asked Lord Kakashi as they rode together over the vast grounds of the Estate one afternoon.  “Did you really think you could avoid her in such close proximity?”

He didn’t mention how he heard them each night, singing their love for one another long and loud from his bedchamber, but his ears turned red anyway, as he thought about it.  Even the snoring of Bull, who he had coerced into his room the night before by offering him a bit of meat leftover from his supper, had not been enough to drown out the riotous sounds of their lovemaking.

Lord Kakashi chuckled.  “I supposed from an outside perspective, it might seem very foolish, indeed, that I ever considered denying my true feelings.”

“And her,” Tenzo said, shaking his head, “she’s as bad as you are.”

The fond smile that flourished over Lord Kakashi’s face made it clear he agreed, though also that he thought no less of her for it.

Tenzo smiled broadly, shaking his head again as he kicked his horse to prompt him into a gallop.  “I’m happy for you!” he called over his shoulder, “Though I shall be glad to get a full night’s rest when I return home!”

Lord Kakashi had blushed mightily at the assertion before regaining his wits well enough to speed off after his friend.

The Caretaker attempted to maintain a proper distance as she bid Tenzo farewell upon the afternoon of his eventual departure, but in a last strange show of his true feelings, he pulled her into a rather crushing hug instead.

“Thank you,” he whispered earnestly against her ear, “for taking care of him.”

She giggled as she pulled away, smiling happily, “I assure you, he does quite the same for me.”

Tenzo hummed thoughtfully as he stepped back, crashing a hand onto Lord Kakashi’s shoulder so roughly the other man’s knees buckled.

“Don’t let him string you along forever,” Tenzo said teasingly, “be sure he makes an honest wife of you soon.”

Both Lord Kakashi and the Caretaker remained blushing and sputtering long after Tenzo made it into his carriage, still laughing heartily at having left the couple in such an embarrassed state.

His fun at their expense would last him the entire voyage home, and induce both Gai and Shizune into a similar fit of amusement upon his retelling of the exchange.

Neither Lord Kaksahi nor the Caretaker spoke of it for a long while after Tenzo left, preferring to regain their rhythm in the wake of his leaving.  Despite all that shared history, their love still felt too new; vulnerable as a sapling, and requiring just as much careful tending to ensure its roots might grow strongly into the earth.

The Caretaker finally moved the last of her belongings from her old bedroom, which was surrendered fully to the dogs in her absence as she joined Lord Kakashi officially in his own chambers.

That the happy—and quiet—little life they carved out together was enough for them would be an understatement of immense proportions.

For the two of them spent the next year in contented bliss, caring for the House and the grounds together, reading in the parlor every evening before retiring to their shared room to lavish one another with their private affections.

Truthfully, and upon more than one occasion, their desires took hold of them in the library or the kitchen, and Lord Kakashi groaned when he considered the way she sometimes looked at him smirkingly as they worked, knowing the influence such a thing had on him.

Still, it was not until some time that next summer that Lord Kakashi gathered the courage to broach the subject of marriage with her.

“I never considered whether I might marry again,” he explained softly as they stared at one another beneath the golden slip of the morning sun.

The Caretaker did not wake so early anymore, or at least, did not rise from her bed at such a young hour.  Rather, the couple took to waking early and then spending time in the quiet morning together, talking of their plans for the future or their dreams or that which required tending around the house before they finally rose for their breakfast and began tackling the tasks of the day together.

She smiled at him softly that particular morning, as she so often did; luxuriating in the way his hands roved her shoulders and back aimlessly—the faint caresses borne of comfort and intimacy over the months they had spent learning one another.

And the secret she had been keeping for several weeks, now, seemed at last to have been provided the proper opportunity for its disclosure.

“Though I have no need for titles or acknowledgements myself,” she said, letting her fingers trace along his jaw and then up to the scar over his eye before brushing his hair away from his face tenderly, “I do think your child has a right to be recognized as your true and rightful heir.”

It took a moment for Lord Kakashi to register her words, eyes searching her face instinctively for any hint of deception or ruse.

“You are with child?” he asked.

The wide smile which overtook her face was all the answer he required.  He pulled her to him, one hand resting already protectively over her belly while the other threaded into her hair, and dragged her face to meet his in a sloppy, delighted kiss; both of them far too busy grinning as they basked in the revelation to care for whether it was a good kiss at all.

Lord Kakashi married his second wife shortly thereafter and despite all the rumors which abounded about the provenance of his betrothed and the circumstances by which they became acquainted—the conditions of how and when they fell in love, as if such a thing could ever be quantified or accurately measured—neither of them cared in the slightest.

Lord and Lady Hatake had always chosen their own way.  And no sharp tongue or cutting glance could ever deter them from the happiness they so quietly sought, and eventually found, with one another.

For no two people had ever been better meant for each other than the pair who found genuine and deep affection in the house that would be known evermore, through many ensuing generations, as Hatake Manor.  Though the House itself often sat empty while its original occupants travelled, enjoying a life of ripe adventure and passion even as their family grew, it would remain forever their one and only true home, cared for always in equal measure by the hands of the handsome and eccentric Lord Hatake and his very dear, very clever Caretaker.

[depressedhatakekakashi]

A Little Bit of Both

Characters: Jiraiya and Hatake Kakashi

Words: 2537

Another day, another disastrous fail in securing some company for the night.

Nursing a wounded ego and a new bump atop his head, Jiraiya returned to his seat to find Kakashi still sitting in the exact spot he’d left him. For ten minutes Jiraiya had been gone trying to secure himself some company for the night, and Kakashi hadn’t moved an inch.

He barely even paid attention to the three women sitting behind him in a corner booth. All three of them were staring at him as if they hadn’t just berated Jiraiya two minutes ago for being ‘creepy’ and ‘gross’.

It was insulting.

“Hey.” he placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder, careful not to spook the kid. He might be a Sannin but he wasn’t about to underestimate Hatake Kakashi’s reflexes with a kunai when he was already aching from that beatdown the last two women delivered onto his head.

Dragging his eyes away from the drink he was currently nursing, Kakashi focused on his drinking companion and offered a drunken smile.

“I see you’ve had a few more since I left,” he couldn’t help but chuckle. Seeing Kakashi loosen up and drink was such a rare occasion that every second of it had to be enjoyed. “How many?”

“Only th-“ a hiccup interrupted Kakashi’s sentence. “Three.”

Three Sakes.

The kid was gone to the wind. No doubt he’d be waking up with a headache and no memory of the night.

“Well,” sliding back into his seat, he pointed towards the three girls still staring at Kakashi. “You have your choice for the night and are a lot luckier than me for it.”

Another blow to the ego. Here he was putting in all his effort to secure a bit of fun for the night, and Kakashi was just sitting here doing nothing. “Just like your old man,” he muttered, shaking his head as memories of a flustered Sakumo surrounded by infatuated women filled his mind. “Always the ladies' man without even trying.”

His words were meant as a compliment, but as soon as they left his mouth Jiraiya felt a sudden shift in the mood. Kakashi’s shoulders tensed up and the hands that had been holding his cup of Sake so tenderly just a moment ago were now curled around it. Gripping it so hard that Jiraiya would hardly be surprised if it shattered.

In a desperate attempt to avoid whatever was about to happen, Jiraiya threw an arm around Kakashi’s shoulders and pulled him in close. “Come on,” he grinned “Three beautiful ladies.”

Kakashi simply rolled his eye. “I’m not interested.”

“Not Interested!?” The words felt like a hot kunai piercing his heart. Not only was Kakashi able to catch the attention of beautiful women without even trying, but to add insult to injury he didn’t even want anything to do with them. All of that beauty was wasted an a man who couldn’t appreciate it. “How can you say that? Surely one of them is your type. Or maybe…” he narrowed his eyes. “You’re not about to run off to the land of Iron to find yourself a pretty wife, are you?”

Kakashi stopped suddenly, his eyes narrowing into a confused expression before focusing on Jiraiya once more. “I don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand?” Jiraiya threw his head back and laughed, almost knocking himself right out of his chair with the force of his laughter. “Kakashi, you really are something.”

He expected the younger man to join in on the laughter, but it never happened. After a few awkward moments of being staired at, a harsh realization struck Jiraiya.

Kakashi had only been one when Illness took his mother away from the world. Worst of all, Sakumo had never spoken of her after her death. Not to Tsunade who’d formed a strong friendship with her over the few short years they knew each other, or with Jiraiya who’d often spend time hanging out with her when he wasn’t on missions.

There was no one he could think of whom Sakumo had spoken to about his wife after her sudden death, and now he was faced with the fact that this included Kakashi. The boy who’d lost his mother before he even had the opportunity to know her.

“What a buzz kill,” he sighed, annoyed at himself for bringing up such an upsetting topic. “And here I was having a good time.”

“Oh, I-” Kakashi seemed to panic for a moment, his eyes scanning the area for a quick escape. “You know I think I have some work to do. Maybe I’ll leave you to-”

Recognizing this as an escape tactic Sakumo had used all too often to get out of awkward situations, Jiraiya reached out and placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder with enough pressure that the man knew he wasn’t going to be going anywhere.

“Now, where should I start?” he spoke more to himself than Kakashi, going over the memories he had of that beautiful fierce brunette that Sakumo had brought into their village. “Tell me, what do you know of her?”

“Her?” Kakashi stared at him as if he’d just said the stupidest thing in the world. “I don’t- Who are you talking about?”

“I see,” sighing, Jiraiya picked up the empty glass he’d left on the bar and held it up to signal the barkeeper for another round. “Sakumo didn’t really tell you anything.”

“About?”

“Your mother.”

Realization struck and in an instant Confusion washed away and settled into a sorrowful expression. One that Jiraiya was all too used to seeing on Kakashi’s face and which he’d hoped to chase away for a few short hours with alcohol.

“She was quite something, you know,” he continued, not wanting to linger in that sorrow for too long. “She had a great-”

Kakashi slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t,” he warned, his eyes narrowed into a glare that reminded Jiraiya too much of the woman he was trying to reminisce about. “I don’t want to hear your comments about her. I put up with it with Tsunade-sama and every other woman that you see, but-”

Realizing what the man was saying, Jiraiya wrapped a hand around his wrist and gently pulled his hand away from his mouth. “I was going to say she had a great personality,” he clarified, unable to hold his laughter when Kakashi leveled him with a rather unimpressed glare. “I mean it! I know I can be loose lipped about the women around me, and who can blame me? They are beautiful.”

“I’m pretty sure ninety-five percent of the things that leave your mouth could be counted as sexual harrassment,” Kakashi huffed. “Just keep whatever thoughts about my mother you may have in that regard, to yourself.”

“Oh of course,” his laughter simmered into a fond chuckle. “I have no doubt Yua would come back to the land of the living just to kick my ass if I ever spoke about her in a less than respectful manner.”

“Yua…” Kakashi speaks softly, a fondness in his voice. “Is that her name?”

“It is,” Jiraiya confirmed, wondering how much she had yelled at Sakumo when he joined her in the afterlife. No doubt she was insulted at the fact her son couldn’t even remember her name. “Did he tell you anything?”

Slumping forward, Kakashi scooped up his glass just as the bartender reached them and started pouring them another round. “He never had the chance,” he whispered. “I asked all sorts of questions, but it was like something was blocking him. No matter how hard he tried to tell me about her he just never could. I think the only thing I know is-” a hand came up to his face and hovered in front of the cloth mask that hide the lower part of his face from the world. “I’m not sure how, but I look like her. That’s the only reason I can think of for the sadness in his eyes whenever I smiled.”

That Jiraiya found hard to believe. If there was anyone in Konoha that could be labelled as the spitting image of their father, it was Hatake Kakashi. With the same spiky silver hair, those sunken bored looking eyes, and a height and body that matched Sakumo perfectly, there was no one else that Kakashi looked like.

He didn’t have Yua’s soft brunette hair, or the wavey style of hair that hung over her shoulder’s whenever she didn’t have it tied up in a pony tail. There was no fierce brown eyes staring at Jiraiya whenever they spoke, or firm features that molded his face into the look of a warrior.

When Jiraiya looked at the man in front of him, he saw Sakumo. There wasn’t a hint of Yua in her son, and it was a pity in his opinion. She’d been a beautiful woman.

“It’s hidden,” Kakashi spoke up, an apologetic look greeting Jiraiya when he snapped back to the present conversation and properly looked at him again. “I know I look like my father. Trust me, everyone makes sure I know that.”

“Well then,” waving a hand towards the mask, Jiraiya smiled. “What is it you think Sakumo saw?”

He didn’t expect Kakashi to remove his mask. If anything, he expected the conversation to be dropped almost immediately when he asked such a personal question. Hatake Kakashi was not a man who spoke about himself when it could be helped, a fact that Jiraiya relied on most days.

He hated such intimate conversations almost as much as Kakashi did.

“Well that’s…” he stared at Kakashi’s face, trying to find just what it was the man was trying to tell him with this dramatic reveal. “That’s a face.”

“You don’t see it?”

“I see your father, if that’s what you’re asking,” he added quickly, cringing when Kakashi sighed. “Just, one second,” fixing his position, he leaned in a bit closer to Kakashi and examined the face he always kept so well guarded from the rest of the world.

Sakumo’s jawline.

Sakumo’s chin.

Sakumo’s lips.

No matter where he looked he saw Sakumo. Every bit of Kakashi was Sakumo, except-

“There it is,” he smiled triumphantly as he poked the little mole just under Kakashi’s mouth. Situated to the left of his face it wouldn’t look like much to anyone else, but Jiraiya knew that mole.

He’d seen one just like it everytime he was graced with Yua’s beautiful face.

“I don’t understand.”

“Well,” straightening himself up, he crossed his arms over his chest. “You wanted to show me what your father saw, right? Everything about you is a picture perfect match for your father, kid. Everything except that little mole of yours.”

Kakashi reached up and laid his index finger over the mole.

“The mole?” Jiraiya rolled his eyes. After all of that effort he’d put in finding what it was that Sakumo saw on his son, the response he received was disbelief. As if he’d ever lie about something like that.

“The mole,” he confirmed. “Yua had one just like it, and it was even in the same spot.” He couldn’t help but wonder if that was a family thing. If all of her family had that one little mole under their lips, or if it was something she’d only shared with her son.

Kakashi shook his head. “No,” he sighed. “I don’t think that’s it.”

It wasn’t meant to be insulting, but Jiraiya couldn’t help but feel like his pride was being attacked again. So soon after he’d been regjected by some beautiful women he was being treated like a lier.

As if he could ever forget the face of a beautiful woman, even if he would never dare to flirt with her out of respect for his friend and a slight fear for his life.

“I’m telling you,” he insisted, lifting his cup off of the counter and swinging back the drink in one giant gulp. The sake burned on the way down his throat, but that didn’t stop him from continuing the conversation. “I know Hatake Yua. Her face is imprinted in my memory even now. She had that same mole.”

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, his face void of an emotion. A look that Jiraiya had gotten too used to over the years of interacting with the man. “I- oh, no,” his lips split into a smile suddenly, followed closely by his eyes sliding shut.

In that moment, Jiraiya felt like the world had come screeching to a halt.

Over the years he’d seen Kakashi smile many times. Sometimes with genuine joy, and sometimes in a poor attempt to cover up that sorrow that he buried deep inside of his heart. Everytime, though, it had been just his eyes that Jiraiya saw.

The way that they curved to accentuate his smile. Showing it off even when his mouth was hidden away.

At this moment, though, Kakashi’s whole face was visible and Jiraiya’s entire image of him shifted in an instant.

Where just seconds ago he had seen Sakumo staring back at him with a tiny hint of Yua in his features, Jiraiya now found himself staring into the face of that old Samurai friend of his. It seemed almost like she was actually sitting in front of him again laughing at one of his stupid jokes or telling him about the latest book she’d read.

With just a simple smile, Hatake Kakashi stopped being the spitting image of his father and instead became his mother’s son.

“I see…” he whispered, choking back the flood of emotions that bubbled inside of his chest.

Kakashi’s eyes snapped open, and just as quickly as she’d arrived Yua disappeared again. Replaced not by her husband, but by her son. The man who’d barely gotten to know his parents before having to bury them.

“Jiraiya-sama, I-”

“Don’t worry,” Jiraiya waved him off with a chuckle. “I can see why your old man struggled so much now.”

“You- you can?”

Kakashi stared at him, waiting for an answer, but Jiraiya chose not to provide one. It would do the man no good to know about the way he’d hurt his own father with just a smile. Knowing Kakashi as he did, it would only make him feel worse.

“I will say this,” he whispered as he held out his glass once more and waited for the bartender. “You’re the spitting image of your dad, but when it comes down to personality you are Yua’s son.”

The dry wit.

The aloof attitude.

Even Kakashi’s love of books.

All of it reminded him of Yua. She may have only given her son two attributes that people could see, but anyone who knew Hatake Yua could tell that Kakashi was her son through and through.

“Though,” he chuckled to himself. “You couldn’t escape that Sakumo dorkyness, could you.”

Kakashi grunted at that. “And what of it?” he asked, snatching the cup out of Jiraiya’s hand as soon as the bartender had filled it and tossing it back.

All Jiraiya could do was shake his head and laugh. “You owe me a sake.”

“We both know you weren’t paying for the drinks tonight anyways.”

[kiigan-archive]

@shinobinvku

Sometimes, ANBU missions were no more than blades taken to jugulars; the kind of short-lived, dreadful simplicity one either got used to or sold their sanity to. Both, on occasion. Other times, ANBU missions were hours upon hours of immobility whilst concealed behind bushes surrounding swamps, humans turned to breathing statues, awaiting the perfect timing and keeping every undesirable impulse in check. Today was one of those days.

A new manner of severely underrated torture, in Itachi's opinion. Once they were back, he might consider suggesting it to Ibiki. He doubted many shinobi would be willing to withstand the heat, the stench, the humidity that clung to the skin and the lungs like an unseen parasite, rather than to spill whatever secrets at first opportunity. It had gotten to the point of actually using basic genjutsu suggestions on insects to prevent them from coming any closer and transmit the gods knew what sort of disease. It might have been hilarious, if it wasn't so frustrating. And he doubted his captain was faring any better.

Reward for their patience and discipline came in the form of an approaching enemy party [finally!; sure took their sweet time and Itachi was unapologetically judging them for it] carrying the scroll the two members of Team Ro were to secure. A single look exchanged with Kakashi was enough to confirm their engagement and to put the rehearsed plan to action.

As the captain jumped out of covering to play bait, Itachi barely made a sound as he moved to his new position. He counted to the allocated interval of twenty-five seconds and then his shadow clone burst out of the murky waters, further distracting the already distressed opponents by means of a barrage of thrown shurikens; Itachi praying to all the gods known to the Uchiha that the swamp stink wouldn't transfer from his clone's clothing to his own. No way he would hug Sasuke again before showering at least five times. As said clone was targeted, hit, and popped back into smoke, he went for the final step of that deadly dance. Landing in the middle of the temporary battle field, one swift glance around sufficed to catch the gaze of every opposing shinobi - and, in a matter of seconds, they dropped in almost poetic synchrony, now trapped and agonizing in a perfectly crafted genjutsu world. Whether to leave them to drown or offer the mercy of a slit throat would be up to Kakashi.

Tomoes spinning in the crimson sea of his sharingan, Itachi spotted the leader and plucked the scroll out of the man's hip pouch, glad that he'd found it without fuss. There were no other active chakra signatures in a radius of miles, as far as his eyes could tell, so he allowed himself the small respite of tugging away the porcelain, weasel-shaped mask, leaving it to rest by the side of his face for the time being. Not that the air was much fresher, but it surely helped to not be constricted by a face cover. He then walked up to Kakashi, chakra pooled under his feet and touching only the surface of the waters, handing over the loot.

"Please tell me the next scroll is in a pleasant location, like a garden or a grassy field. I'll even take a vegetables farm at this point."

[berabeko]

For week 5 of the @kakairu-fest for the horror prompt.

[mokutone]

Wasnt gonna submit a kakashi cause i figured youd get a bunch already like ur tags said lol. So if someone else hasnt already suggested him then kakashi for that ask thing :^]

hehehehe!!!!

answers under the cut!

favorite thing about them —there's a lot to love abt kakashi if i'm gonna be honest, but the biggest thing for me is that he DOES care for these kids immensely. he drops by naruto's apartment to give him vegetables, he constantly puts himself in danger to protect the kids, on a couple of occasions he straight up ignores + disrespects the hokage just to listen to naruto ramble about ramen. similarly with yamato—even when sai joins the team, kakashi does make a point of telling sai he's a member of the team, not just Yamato's responsibility, but Kakashi's too...like. he's not great with kids at all. but my god does he try!

least favorite thing about them — 100% the convo with sasuke before sasuke booked it. he fucked that up so royally that i just know the rest of his life he's going to be laying awake in his bed thinking "why did i say that? why did i say any of that? why was my first instinct in that situation to belittle sasuke? Who let me be in charge of children. why did i let myself be put in charge of children." like. it makes sense for him, he really has no children skills, but also im not going to lie thinking about that scene makes me insane. i want to attack kakashi. good god dude, you could've called gai in!! or tenzō!!! why did you say there was nobody in your life who mattered to you. why did you say that to this kid, who like it or not, looks up to you both as a teacher and as the only person left with any attatchment to the uchiha clan + the sharingan, who isn't his murderous brother. i genuinely have to think that he forgot that kids want to be understood, and was just straight up dealing with sasuke as he might a rogue soldier. i'm so. ugh. kakashi... favorite line — "In the Ninja World, those who break the rules are scum, that's true...but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." its really good for not only understanding kakashi but also the central theme of naruto, but mostly i picked it as my favorite because i remind kate of this when we're playing fortnite + laugh like a hyena afterward. brOTP —okay so. Gai is canonically Kakashi's best friend and i love that so much and respect that and as far as Kakashi is concerned, that is the absolute brotp. If you like Kakashi I think you have to respect this immensely. Gai is without a doubt the most important relationship that Kakashi has!!! they better each other in all ways and they have an undying and complicated friendship built up over decades with trust and dedication.

but also.

this is transparently a Yamato-centric blog, and Kakashi is 100% Yamato's favorite person, so Yamato and Kakashi's friendship is the most important to me personally, even if Yamato is not Kakashi's best friend.

OTP —i'm not a huge ship person, but if i had to pick one it would be kakayamagai nOTP —ehhh?? i'm not a huge ship person. kakaobi puts me on edge a bit i guess? really not my thing. random headcanon — i think his grandmother on sakumo's side was an inuzuka. because of this, after sakumo died, a handful of the inuzuka clan were very adamant that kakashi, by right, should belong to the inuzuka clan as next of kin. kakashi, five years old and freshly traumatized, now the only surviving member of the hatake clan AND incredibly wary of bonds and friendships because he's seen whats happened to sakumo, contested this. they actually got in a legal dispute in front of the hokage. fucking five year old kakashi dully but determinedly saying he's Not going to be an inuzuka, and the inuzuka clan (represented by a headstrong teenage tsume) going "what's is wrong with this ungrateful kid! not every orphan gets this kind of opportunity!" eventually hiruzen sided with kakashi, because hiruzen is morally bankrupt and doesn't care if children raise themselves. once kakashi becomes the 6th hokage, he's subject to occasional visits from tsume where she comes to bully him about visiting the inuzuka compound (under threat of inuzuka clan rebellion without. Peace Talks. over dumplings that kiba's been trying to perfect), and telling him how nice it is to have an inuzuka beneath the hat, and he's just like. ma'am...please...have mercy...

unpopular opinion — i think he would look soooo bad in a suit. he would not look suave or sexy. he could make like the fanciest most well made three piece suit look like a tracksuit he pulled out of the laundry before it went thru the wash. and like. he would! he would delight in that! if you forced this man into a suit, he would purchase one at least two sizes too large for him and hed slump around in it.

he has the hair of a half dried paintbrush, the posture of a puppet with its strings cut, and the general vibe of a dog with a tail between its legs.

not to say that can't be attractive to u if ur into that. its just. u know. he's not going to be james bond if you put him in a suit, u feel me?

he's going to look like a temp who is going to get let go from his accounting firm for making all the cups of coffee from the same keurig pod not realizing that after the first one its just vaguely coffee flavored water, and also for not knowing how to save a file. He probably would know how to save a file but just pretended he didn't to get on somebody's nerves

song i associate with them — Why Can't This Be Easy by Red Vox

So tell me, tell me Why can't this be easy? I've heard it once I've heard it all before So settle down Relax yourself, completely You can't get down if you're always in control

Here out so far It's a long way Long way back I've never been so far before

favorite picture of them

this one legitimately makes me rlly happy bc like. the original context was funny enough, but since trans naruto tumblr has had fun with it in regard to passing, its SO funny to me!

you pass. 💛

[primnroses]

—  sakura haruno: her weaknesses, past mistakes and how she learnt from them

In this post I will present every time Sakura Haruno has acknowledged her weaknesses, said something wrong, done something wrong but learning her lesson afterwards in the canon manga of Naruto written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto (1999 - 2014). This post is not directed towards Sakura Haruno in a harmful or disrespectful way. This post is for information purposes only. I give my permission to use or share this list if you may consider it opportune. This post is very objective and not biased. The page I used to put this information together, as well as the screenshots, is this one. 

Let me advise you that this post is very, very, very, very long.

I will not count the anime in this list because I consider it over exaggerated and beyond biased. The fillers take advantage of certain characters, especially female, for profitable purposes and are, on occasions, rude. I also want to share that I do not support the anime or the work of Studio Pierrot in regards to Naruto. 

This post is part of my kunoichi stats masterpost. I dedicate a publication to every entry of the stats. 

Sakura covers 331 chapters of the manga, from chapter 1 through chapter 700, which makes up for 47.28% of the total. However, I will leave chapter 700 out of this list, simply because that particular chapter only shows what had happened to the main cast after 15 years. 

DISCLAIMER: I would like to share that Sakura is my favorite character. Therefore, this publication will contain more information than the other kunoichis, not only for that matter but also because she is in more chapters and her story covers more aspects of her life. In addition, she is the most hated character and I want to point out everything, bad or good, about her personality.

1. Chapter 3: Sakura's infamous line making fun of Naruto for being an orphan. 

The narrative leads us to believe that Sakura has no idea about the Uchiha massacre because of how she talks to Sasuke about the matter:

Don’t you envy him being alone, not having parents nag at you all the time?

Nevertheless, this does not excuse her from her disrespectful behavior. She clearly made a mistake but I do not think she had any ill intentions.

It is obvious that Sasuke’s response made her rethink about the whole situation. She quickly learns her lesson a few panels after that.

2. Chapter 7: After the difficult bell test, Sakura is surprised to learn that she passed Kakashi's (fake pass) exam. She recognizes that the way she fainted after Kakashi's genjutsu was a little pathetic.

However, I am not sure if the reader can blame Sakura for such an action. If one carefully reads the chapter, Kakashi’s illusion has very harsh and even he admits if he had, perhaps, crossed the line.

3. Chapter 19:  This chapter serves to explain and contextualize why Sakura created the Children’s Therapy Center during the events of Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze. She is approached by a hungry child victim of a country immersed in poverty. 

This situation also makes her think of Naruto and Sasuke, which stems from the lesson she learnt in chapter 3.

4. Chapter 31: Here Sakura does not exactly acknowledge any wrongdoing.

However, she is not afraid to show her emotions before a fallen comrade, even if it goes against the Shinobi rules.

During the story, Sakura tends to cry several times. This is not bad in the slightest, a person cries to show emotion.

5. Chapter 34: Sakura asks Sasuke to go on a date with her but he refuses. Instead, he tells her to spend her free time training because she is as bad as Naruto. 

Sakura does not even deny the fact that this is, indeed, true. Later on, she works to fix this problem.

It is very important to mention that the writer, Kishimoto, draws a black background panel instead of a white background. His intention is to highlight this aspect of Sakura. She knows for a fact that she is behind her teammates in the power department.

6. Chapter 36: This idea is reinforced here. Kakashi recommends Team 7 to take the Chūnnin Exams. Like Sasuke said, Sakura is ill-prepared to face this challenge and she feels discouraged. 

She doubts herself. Sasuke notices this.

He cheers her up after that, because where Sakura lacks in physical skills she covers in illusory and academic talent.

7. Chapter 38: After the first test with Izumo and Kotetsu, the team meets Kakashi. 

Kakashi mentions that, perhaps because of her insecurities, Sakura could have been easily manipulated by Sasuke's pressure to participate in the exams.

Kakashi is happy to know that she made the decision to take this exam on her own.

However, he did not mention that one of the requirements to take this test was a three-man-cell group. This point could be disputable.

8. Chapters 36, 37 & 57: Sakura meets Rock Lee, but he does not leave a good impression on Sakura. She thinks he is a weirdo. 

In short, she does not think too highly of him or respects him.

But throughout the Chūnnin Exams, Sakura gets to know more of Lee’s selfless personality and bravery, and grows to admire him. Later reinforced when he defended her from the Sound ninja.

In chapter 57 she goes as far as defending Lee from Naruto's disrespectful remarks.

9.  Chapter 53 & 54: We know that because of the bullying she suffered as a child (and to meet Sasuke's standards), Sakura has taken care of her appearance, like her hair. Kin points to her hair as a weakness. 

Once more, Sakura recognizes how useless she is compared to her teammates.

This is the push Sakura needed to change her attitude forever. 

A moment highly ignored by the fandom, chapter 54 is Sakura's moment of change. She reflects on her position in Team 7 as the weakest member and takes this moment to evolve as a kunoichi.

10. Chapter 64: Team 7 have passed the tedious test of the Forest of Death.

Iruka explains the contents of the wall scroll after the Forest of Death. 

Iruka was Sakura’s sensei during the academy. He knows first-hand Sakura's strengths and weaknesses. What he wants Team 7, especially Naruto and Sakura, to know is that sacrifice is the key to success. 

Sakura does not deny that her sensei is, indeed, very right. But in the future, stamina, strength and power are Sakura's best friends.

11. Chapter 67: Sakura tries to withdraw Sasuke from the preliminaries because of the effects of the Curse Mark. Sasuke is rather obstinate about this exam and does not want to accept that he is in no condition to fight. 

In the end, she is unable to reason with him. Sakura has no choice but to sit and watch.

12. Chapter 71: Ino and Sakura’s backstory. 

Ino gives Sakura all the courage she needed as a child and lays the basis of Sakura's strong will in the future. She transformed her into what she is today.

Ino is a confident girl full of power and self-worth and Sakura feels like nothing next to her. Nonetheless, this is not Ino’s fault. This is about how Sakura perceives herself.

Ino and Sakura are both related with flowers: the cherry blossom and the bush clover. Ino thinks that the blossoms shouldn’t be in competition. 

Which is a very symbolic line. They end up facing each other in the preliminaries.

However, in this chapter, Sakura edges Ino so she goes full strength with her because Ino still sees her as a weakling, not because she is a creep and wants Sasuke all to herself.

Kakashi points this out to the reader.

Sakura feels that needs to overcome her biggest obstacle: her rival.

13. Chapter 105: After Naruto's victory against Neji, Sakura feels self conscious about her lack of progress during her time in Team 7. 

Watching Naruto succeed spurs courage on Sakura. She has grown from despising Naruto to admiring him.

14. Chapter 118: During Gaara's prosecution, Shikamaru says Sakura is a kunoichi without any particular talent. The truth is, Shikamaru does not mention anything positive about the team.

Sakura does not deny it. 

But judging by her expression, I think she feels embarrassed by such comment. Just why would he admit that out loud she must think.

15. Chapter 181: During her first confession to Sasuke, Sakura recalls her big mistake about orphans. 

It's obvious she doesn't feel very proud of that. It clearly haunts her. 

I would say the whole confession was a moment of weakness for Sakura. She showed vulnerability to stop Sasuke from leaving.

16. Chapter 183:  Sakura is unsuccessful in her attempt to stop Sasuke from departing. 

A team gathered by Shikamaru prepares to go after him. Sakura tells Naruto to, please, bring Sasuke back. Naruto promises her that he will. 

This promise puts a big weight onto Naruto's shoulders that will later have consequences. 

Sakura's mistake from chapter 3 also hunts Sakura. Kishimoto cannot show and emphasize enough how ashamed Sakura feels about that mistake.

17. Chapter 236: Sakura feels miserable of not being able to help more, always having others do the job in her sake.

Ino tells Sakura that the team has come back. It is also here when Sakura discovers that the mission had failed.

Naruto apologizes to Sakura for the failure. However, Sakura masks her disappointment with a lie to lessen Naruto's burden. 

Naruto stands with his promise. Then we have a big panel of Sakura biting her lip. She knows that this situation has gone too far.

Sakura, again, feels self conscious about her part in this problem. She feels pathetic for just crying and relying on Naruto.   

Her weakness is an impediment. But she is determined to change and stand by Naruto's side the next time they go after Sasuke. 

18. Chapter 296: A renewed Team 7 fight against Kabuto and Orochimaru. Naruto enters the 4 tails stage and Sakura just knows that the root of the problem comes from Sasuke and: 

Her promise. 

However, this is not fully Sakura's fault. Naruto wants to rescue Sasuke out of his own resolve too.

In the next panel, Sakura risks her life to try to bring Naruto back to himself. A big mistake that ends in her being attacked by Four-Tails-Naruto.

In the future (Pain Arc), Sakura learns to fear this transformation.

19. Chapter 297: Sakura mentions how little she can help Naruto, even after 3 years of training. Yamato tells her that it is not important how small the act is, what matters is that she cares for him and does what she can to help him.

20. Chapter 308: Sakura stays motionless while Sasuke and Naruto fight. She recalls why she underwent years of training. 

Exactly, for this moment. So she attacks. 

However, other characters get in the way to save Sakura from a possible death.

21. Chapter 310: A moment of weakness from Sakura and Naruto, crying after proving unable to bring Sasuke back for good. This encounter does not stop any of them from keep trying. Now they have Sai's support and commitment.

22. Chapters 458 & 459: These chapters cover Sakura's resolve to kill Sasuke herself and serves as a base to explain the reason behind her fake confession.

Sakura recalls the promise she made Naruto do once again.

Sai and, a little bit, Shikamaru, press Sakura into a corner. 

23. Chapter 469 & 470: Sakura's fake confession is pretty self-explanatory and also a terrible mistake. I will not deny that she could have chosen another way.

Naruto thinks about Sakura's evolution. 

Sakura feels bad for what she did and what she's about to do.

However, there is a reason why she did it, further explained by Sai, Kakashi and Yamato. 

In this chapter, she lied not only to Naruto but to her classmates as well. To protect them and to take responsibility as Sasuke's teammate.

This situation does not turn out the way she wanted. 

For instance, her hesitation to kill Sasuke the first time almost led to her death, had Karin not warned her before. Not accepting her teammates help was a decisive factor too, because Kakashi and Naruto have to save her from Sasuke.

24. Chapter 484: Sakura hesitates to kill Sasuke again. She cannot take the life from somebody she holds dearly in her heart. 

Everything from the fake confession and until now turned out terrible.

25. Chapter 487: During Naruto and Sasuke's confrontation, she, again, feels useless and dependent of Naruto. 

But the truth is, she cannot actually do anything. This is a problem between Naruto and Sasuke.

26. Chapter 631: In the middle of the War, Sakura heals Naruto after his battle against Obito and Madara.

Naruto intends to leave Sakura behind to rest but she is having none of it. This could also be a call back from the past: Sasuke and Naruto doing all the job while Sakura screams and watches. 

She demonstrates that she is not the hopeless girl they knew years ago. 

She will show everybody that she has finally caught up with her teammates.

27. Chapter 632: While fighting Juubi miniclones, Sakura remembers her journey as a kunoichi. From a useless girl with no particular talent, to a chunin fighting in the battlefront. 

She has finally acknowledged her value, something people fail to understand. It does not matter how many big panels are solely dedicated to it, haters gonna hate.

One thing people need to understand from this chapter is that, YES, Sakura had caught up in level with Mangekyo Sharingan Sasuke and Biju Mode Naruto. She worked so hard to reach this level. She feels renewed and confident as a kunoichi now.

28. Chapter 676: After turning Obito into an ally, Sakura stands before Six Paths Madara. 

The problem about this is that, after a near death experience and a chat with an old man, her teammates have just been graced with the powers of a God. Well fuck, she is behind again. It’s tough being normal.

Not everybody can be a reincarnation I guess. 

Regardles of this, that does not stop her from counterattacking. 

Opinions tend to differ here. She put herself in danger. But she cannot die so no matter how little you think of her skills, this panel should not bother you in the least. 

She tried to help. 

Ultimately, after being unsuccessful, she is saved by Naruto and Sasuke.

29. Chapter 678: Sasuke, again since chapter 34, points out how powerless and useless Sakura is against Madara.

She cannot deny it. It is true. What can she and Kakashi do against 3 Gods? 

But at the end of the War, her blow permitted Kaguya to be sealed away. Do not forget that!

30. Chapter 683: Now Kaguya resurrected, Team 7 is taken to one of her dimensions and Sasuke is separated from them.

Knowing full well her presence might be pointless, Sakura does not want to feel useless anymore.

Turns out she was useful, because she aids Obito and saves Sasuke from the desert dimension in chapter 685.

31. Chapter 693:  After sealing Kaguya, Naruto and Sasuke prepare their last encounter.

Her second confession showed just how vulnerable Sakura feels. She knew how pathetic she was back then. And to cap it all, Kakashi explains very well why Sakura went through all those years of training and pain:

To save Sasuke from the darkness.

For people that have read Naruto from start to finish with a neutral point of view, this growth explains how human Sakura is. She is not perfect and none of the characters of Masashi Kishimoto are. 

But, if people want to be blinded by a character that stands in the way of a ship they will never see how they can see themselves in Sakura in some aspects. 

[raendown]

Another follower milestone gift fic, this one for someone who asked to be identified as anon. ^_^ The prompt word for this is woolage!

Pairing: KakashiSakura Word count: 2273 Rated: T+ Summary: Sakura could really use a taste of her own medicine. No, really, she needed some healing before this concussion made her do something that stopped Kakashi's heart entirely.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

A Rock and a Hard Place

Swaying gently on the rock that served as her stool, Sakura blinked up at him owlishly as though her dazed expression could in any way be half as terrifying as the full force of her usual ire. When he failed to look properly cowed she narrowed her eyes but doing so only seemed to rob her of what little balance was left. Kakashi didn’t bother trying not to laugh when she careened sideways off her perch. 

“Not supposed to laugh at me,” she grumbled. “So rude.” 

“Maa, and you weren’t supposed to leap straight in to the radius of my paper bomb. I think that makes us about even.”

Sakura gave an indelicate snort only to break out in a coughing fit when it sent up a small cloud of dust around her face, mashed in to the dirt as she was now. For a good handful of seconds Kakashi seriously considered being a good person and helping her sit upright. Then he discarded the idea. Watching her deal with the early effects of a concussion while her depleted chakra recovered enough for a bit of healing was so much more entertaining. It wasn’t like she had any other injuries from getting tossed back in to a tree, just a routine bump on the noggin, nothing that any shinobi who’d been on the field for longer than two missions hadn’t suffered through before. 

“It tastes really bad down here,” Sakura told him. 

“Probably because you’re practically eating dirt,” he pointed out helpfully. 

“Oh. Yeah. Hey what happened to my rock?” 

“You must have misplaced it.” Kakashi flopped down on to the rock himself and leaned over his mission partner with one eye turned up in a friendly smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you look for it.” 

The gratitude in her eyes when she thanked him for being so nice set him to laughing again. Amazingly, Sakura didn’t even seem to mind. Infamous for her temper as she was, it was a rare opportunity indeed that she let someone laugh at her misfortune without answering their mockery with a swift punch. Kakashi was pretty sure if she tried to throw a punch right now she would be just as likely to find her own face with it.

Shading his eye with a hand, Kakashi made a show of scouring the landscape around them in search of the rock he was currently sitting on. When his search yielded no results he relayed as much to his companion and chuckled as Sakura rolled over to stretch out on her back. 

“It’s not fair,” she grumbled. “Rocks don’t just get up and walk away!” 

“Well, not most of them.”

“Oh! Maybe it was a doton!” 

“Maybe,” Kakashi agreed. 

Did it make him a bad person to wish he got to see her in this kind of state more often? It probably did. He would never wish more harm on her, of course, it was just that seeing her with absolutely no walls around her heart and all inhibitions gone was a very rare treat. Even on the rare occasion she joined her friends for a night of indulging she wasn’t quite this open. Where most people seemed to loosen up with alcohol, Sakura only seemed to make a trade of good balance for more energy without falling victim to the loss of self that led Naruto to confess his love for several different trees in the park near his apartment. 

Really it was good that there was no one else around for Kakashi to justify his actions to. He was fairly sure any of their mutual friends would call him all sorts of unflattering things for enjoying this. 

But really, he would challenge anyone in the world not to be amused at the way Sakura, so famous for her competence and independence, struggled valiantly with the simple task of getting her body upright again. When they made it back to the village he was going to enjoy taking every opportunity possible to laugh about this - where she couldn’t hear him, of course. Kakashi enjoyed a good joke as much as the next man but he also enjoyed keeping his spine inside his body where it belonged and Sakura was more than capable of removing that for him if she was angry enough. 

“Hey, hey, come here.” Waving one hand, Sakura beckoned him with her eyes set somewhere vaguely over his left shoulder. It seemed not only her good sense had been affected by the concussion but her good vision as well. Not an unusual symptom. Kakashi moved to crouch down in front of her as bidden. 

“You called, my lady?”

She laughed a little before nodding. “I think the ground is trying to keep me.”

“Well I certainly can’t blame it for that.”

“Huh?”

“I would try to keep you too if I had you.” 

The way her eyes widened made him chuckle but it was a nervous sound, hopeful that she wouldn’t remember any of this once she was able to heal herself. Sakura hummed thoughtfully. 

“Help me up,” she demanded. 

“Someone’s feeling bossy.” Despite his words he was already holding out one hand even as he spoke. 

It very quickly became clear that more than one hand would be needed to keep her steady as Kakashi hauled her up on to her feet, quite happy but just as ashamed to stand there holding all of her fingers entwined with his own while she swayed dangerously back and forth. He could see the trajectory of her fall when it finally came but watching her face plant against the buckles on his vest was so much funnier than doing anything to catch her. With the careful distance that had always existed between them before he expected her to push away immediately. Maybe to giggle a little considering her almost inebriated state. He certainly didn’t expect her to just stay there and wriggle about until she had freed her face to look up at him with a smile. 

He should have known right there that something was about to happen but even if he’d tried to brace he never would have been able to prepare himself for two hands suddenly winding themselves about his neck as Sakura pulled her face right up close to his own. Kakashi was abruptly extra grateful to his mask for covering any traces of what was surely a very deep blush on his cheeks. 

“I am the boss,” Sakura declared. 

“Maa, if you want to be,” was all he could think to say. His agreement seemed to please her, which she showed by pulling even closer until she was up on her tippy toes. 

“What I say goes!”

Kakashi swallowed, imagining all the things she could say and how eagerly he would do them. “Right. And what are your orders, Sakura-sama?”

The tinkling giggle she made at being addressed so formally was like the ringing of little silver bells. 

“I order you”-her fingers were already moving even as she spoke, giving no quarter and no time for protest-“to let me play with your hair! I’ve always wanted to know!”

“A-ah. Kn- oh my. Know what, exactly?” 

Breathing, he discovered, was incredibly difficult with such a pretty face so close to his own. Add to that the warmth of Sakura’s body seeping through his clothing plus the heavy weight of guilt knowing that she was not in her right mind and Kakashi found that he simply didn’t know what to do. Obviously the right thing to do would be to push her away but it was possible he was over-interpreting this. In this state Sakura might not even realize the implications of their position.

Her actions certainly supported that theory. Despite the intimacy she had pressed herself in to she seemed interested only in the spiky rough hair she’d gotten her hands on. Another tinkling giggle escaped and while it was indeed a very pretty giggle Kakashi absently noted that he preferred her usual brash laugh. It suited her so much more. 

“I’ve always wanted to know what it felt like! And if you might like it when I pull on it.” With a beguilingly empty smile Sakura tugged ever so gently on the small fistful she was holding, her eyes very carefully watching the spot just next to his own. 

“Why...would you want to pull my hair?” Kakashi asked. 

“Duh, to see if you like it.”

Frowning, he was almost distracted as he asked, “Why would I like it?”

“Oh I dunno. Some people like it when you pull their hair in bed, y’know? I like it.” Sakura’s face morphed in to a heated expression as if she hadn’t just floored him with a couple of boldly spoken sentences. “Do you wanna pull my hair, Kakashi?”

“I found your rock! Let’s get you back on the rock, okay!?” 

“Mou, but I wasn’t done!”

Kakashi ignored her protests, slipping away from the grip on his hair and trying not to be too obvious about the panic attack he was currently having. As he settled his mission partner back on to the rock she’d fallen off before he made the mistake of looking away for a crucial few seconds. It was all the time she needed. Before he could even get his eyes back on her Sakura was lunging forward to bury her fingers in his hair again, trapping him in place, leaving him utterly helpless to do anything but listen as she murmured excitedly to herself.

Obviously it wasn’t the first time he’d been this close to a woman. It wasn’t even the first time he’d been this close to Sakura herself. The problem was that it was the first time that didn’t involve fighting for their lives together or sparring or even medical attention. Kakashi knew he should find an excuse to move away before his poor depraved mind could start feeding him images from the last time he’d dreamt of something disturbingly close to this. And he really would have, honest, if not for the fact that even concussed Sakura had a very strong grip and Kakashi wasn’t the most vain man in the world but he didn’t really want to walk around with several chunks of his hair missing.

“It’s always so messy,” Sakura breathed. “How...how does it stand up on it’s own!?”

“Natural talent,” was all Kakashi managed to wheeze in return.

“Does it smell nice?” 

With an oddly gentle pull she dragged him in close enough to bury her face in the very top of his head, breathing deeply while Kakashi did his best not to take advantage of the angle he suddenly found himself in. He might appreciate her chest in the privacy of his own fantasies but he liked to think he had more tact than to do so now. Despite his many other flaws he wasn’t a total creep. Just a little bit of a creep. A little wasn’t too bad.

“Maa…” he managed to choke out eventually after the silence began to stretch on. “Does it?” 

“Smells like dirt. And sweat. And just a little bit of citrus. Why do you have lemons in your hair?”

“That would be my shampoo,” Kakashi told her in a strained voice. 

“No, I’m pretty sure there’s lemons in here. Don’t worry, I’ll find them!” Sakura’s face lifted off the top of his head but there wasn’t much relief to be had when her fingers continued to poke and prod, shift and dig, all but massaging his scalp in a fuzzy-minded search for fruit that wasn’t there. Kakashi prayed for strength when she added in a mumble under her breath, “So much hair, so messy, gonna take a while to find those lemons…”

Feeling rather like his presence had somehow been forgotten, Kakashi very slowly shuffled around until he’d curled his body in to a position that wouldn’t start to ache before he was finally released. Who knew how long this wonderful torture would last? A part of him hoped that Sakura’s chakra levels would recover quickly so he could be free but another very shameful part was more than happy to remain exactly where he was and just let her do as she pleased. It was very possible he should have been thinking of some way to help that first part along. Instead he only settled both hands in his lap and closed his eyes when Sakura’s fingers dragged against the natural grain like she could somehow know how much he liked it. 

Maybe, he thought to himself with a hint of wry humor, he should finally man up and just ask her out. One dinner together wouldn’t hurt anyone, probably wouldn’t wouldn’t ruin their friendship if it didn’t go well. He would have to gather his courage - later. 

A quick peek up even at this angle told him that Sakura was still just as out of it as ever, no closer to returning her own good sense, which meant he would probably need to deal with this odd behavior for a while yet. When she did come back to herself Sakura was no doubt going to be mortified at her own actions and Kakashi very much wanted to be able to tell her with perfect honesty that he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation beyond getting in a few laughs. With any luck his honesty would earn her favor. 

Then with even greater luck he would take his shot and maybe, just maybe, he might have the honor of feeling those deceptively small fingers in his hair again for an entirely different reason. 

[ohayohimawari]

To be Myself

A drabble written for June’s event in @the-kakashi-lounge-blog; prompt: Pride.

Rated: T; no archive warnings apply

Pairings: None, gen

Summary: “A conversation between Kakashi and Kurenai in which he assures her of his happiness.”

WC: 645

Read: AO3 or below the cut:

To be Myself

 “Thank you for being my date to this, Kakashi,” Kurenai grinned, mirth not quite reaching her eyes, “and for being my date to every occasion before this since Asuma passed.” Her penetrating gaze drifted from Kakashi’s to the table at which they sat. She rested one hand, grown soft and elegant in the years since her early retirement upon it, and let her thumb caress the cloth that covered the table.

Kakashi recognized the gesture as a betrayal of a heavier thought and waited patiently for the ‘but’ that would begin her next sentence.

“But I don’t want to keep you from meeting someone special,” she tapped her fingers on the table and lifted her eyes to his again.

Kakashi covered her hand with his, warming her chilled fingers as he reassured, “You’re not.”

Kurenai’s smile softened, yet still lacked authenticity. She gestured to Yamato and Genma, who shared their first dance together as legal, wedded partners. “I want you to have their happiness, the kind of happiness that I had with Asuma too, Kakashi. You deserve it, and I worry that I’m preventing you from finding it.”

“If I’m a bad date, just say so,” Kakashi chuckled through his attempt to dodge the subject.

Kurenai sat silent; her striking eyes proved she knew him too well and for too long for him to dance around the topic.

Kakashi removed his hand from hers, let it fall to his lap where his other rested, and he clasped them together. “That’s not how I interpret happiness, Kurenai; that’s not what I want for myself.”

He felt rather than saw Kurenai’s scrutiny. “You’ve experienced a lot of losses in your life, Kakashi. It’s understandable if you have trouble becoming close to someone.”

“That’s not—well, I-I suppose that could be part of it,” Kakashi felt honesty and hesitation tumble from his mouth at the same time. He paused while he picked out the exact words he wanted to say. “It runs deeper than that, Kurenai, much deeper.”

Kakashi’s shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. “I don’t crave another person the way Yamato and Genma crave each other or the way you and Asuma did.”

Kurenai lingered in silence long enough for him to look up at her. “Haven’t you ever been with anyone?” She leaned in close to him so that she could speak in a hushed voice.

“I’m human, Kurenai,” Kakashi laughed at her question, “and I’ve read Master Jiraiya’s novels since before I was old enough to be allowed to. Of course, I was curious,” he lowered his voice, “but that’s not for me.

“I’m happy to be Gai’s rival. I’m happy to be Naruto’s, Sakura’s, and Sasuke’s teacher. I’m happy to guide Yamato and Sai. I’m happy to have as many friends as I do. And I am very happy to be your date and to see you safely to your home before I return to mine.”

Kakashi lifted his hand to cover Kurenai’s again. “I know it’s not your happiness or their happiness, but it’s my happiness, and I promise you that I am happy. And,” he licked his masked lips, “I’d like it if you accepted that about me even or especially if you don’t understand it.”

Kurenai shifted her hand beneath his, turned it over so she could wrap her fingers around Kakashi’s hand and squeezed it. “Of course, I can,” she assured through a genuine smile.

“Good,” Kakashi replied and let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d held.

“You make a great date by the way,” Kurenai’s lips remained curled in a grin, “and now I’m free to enjoy them fully.” She squeezed Kakashi’s hand even tighter. “Thank you for telling me.”

Kakashi felt his smile spread upward into his eyes, where Kurenai could see it. “Thank you for giving me these opportunities to be myself.”

 The End

[a-strange-inkling]

Arrangement p3

(I’m feeling there will be ten of these... maybe more 😬)

Sunlight bled through the drapes, reaching his sheltered eyes, making him stir. His stretched with a quiet moan, arms searching, every inch of his body aching pleasantly in protest. Relief washed over him when he felt her beside him still, her body warm against the morning chill. He raised his head only to be humbled by the sight of her.

She was surreal.

Unmoving, aside from the steady rise and fall of her chest, she rested peacefully in the morning haze, her abundant hair spilling over the pillow, her skin still glowing from their union.

For a long while, he simply watched over her, admiring her serenity.

Laying there, unclothed, her hair unbound and face unpainted, she was neither the poised daughter of fortune bound by duty nor the devoted lady of the house.

She was just a girl.

And never was she more beautiful.

Brushing the back of his fingers against the hollow of her cheek, he reached out, pulling her close. She inhaled softly at the contact before unconsciously tucking herself more snuggly against him, arms sliding under his own to find refuge from the cold. With a small kid to her temple, he rested his chin atop her head, feeling her swollen lips grazing against the rise of his collarbone.

“What time is it?” she asked, half awake.

“Early still.” he told her, his fingers gently running along the length of her back, marveling at the graceful curve of her spine.

He had no intention of rising anytime soon, his body was still bruised and strained from his long journey. Something that had been long forgotten in the ardent passion of the night, but well remembered now.

It was almost an hour later when he felt her move again, trying to slip away, but he held fast, making her gasp in surprise.

“Don’t go.” he murmured into her ear, his voice gravelly, his chapped lips grazing the tender skin of her lower lob.

“I have to,” she lamented with a remorseful smile as he buried his face into her neck, relishing in her warmth and smell. “I’ve already lingered too long. Kakashi and the others will be waiting for instruction.”

“Let them wait,” he told her, scowling, rolling to his back, and taking her with him.

She propped herself up against his chest, her hair wild and her large eyes soft with affection.

“Does anyone else know?” she asked.

“...Know what?”

“That you’re truly kind and gentle beneath all that?” she smiled, brushing her fingers along his infamous pout.

“No.” he replied, tucking a long strand of her rose-colored hair behind her ear. “I have a reputation to maintain.”

She nodded in understanding with a small hum, before leaning forward and kissing him softly.

“Stay.” he murmured against her lips.

Don’t leave me alone with my thoughts.

“...Only for a moment more.” she gave in with a sigh, resting her head against his chest.

He hummed in his small victory.

There was a time when all moments with her were stolen.

…

The banquet that was held in her honor carried on long into the night, a celebration to show the girl that her family had made the right decision in sending her to the Uchiha as well as to show off to the other clans that her inheritance was now theirs for the taking.

As the hours passed, she slowly relaxed on his brother’s arm as he guided her through the gauntlet of inebriated guests and relations.

It wasn’t surprising. His brother was good at making people feel at ease in his presence. He knew how to use his looks and charisma to charm and beguile others to his whims, something that Sasuke had no such talent in.

It wouldn’t be long before the girl was reduced to clay in his brother’s hands for him to mold into whatever he liked.

“She brings a lot of color to our lot… she’s very pretty.” Shisui noted from beside him, watching them weave and out of the crowds. “Itachi lucked out in that regard.”

Sasuke shrugged in reply, making his cousin turn to give him his full attention. “You’re quiet tonight… well, you know, quieter than usual.” he pointed out. “Are you alright?

Sasuke looked skyward in annoyance. “Just tired, I guess.”

Shisui hummed, not fully believing him, but not pressing the matter further.

“What do you make of your new sister, then?”

Something about that word settled so poorly in Sasuke that he had to hold back a grimace.

“What does it matter what I make of her?” he asked shortly, before turning suddenly to make his leave.

He didn’t know what was going on with him, he felt something like anger churning in his chest.

He felt the need to escape and carefully started to move toward the annex, hoping no one would notice if he were to slip away.

“Going somewhere?” he heard Itachi say, making him mentally curse. “Aren’t you going to make her acquaintance.”

He turned to find his brother and the young heiress behind him and felt his jaw lock tightly with her standing so near.

He had to get away.

“Sakura,” Itachi spoke, her name easy on his tongue. “This is my younger brother, Sasuke.”

Their eyes met and once again and it was even worse than before.

He couldn’t breathe.

“Sasuke, Haruno Sakura.”

She offered him a small smile, before bowing fully. “My lord.”

Sasuke managed a nod in return, but any coherent thought had abandoned him, leaving his mind vacant, rendering him speechless.

Itachi sighed. “You must forgive my brother, he’s not one for conversation, much less with women.”

Sasuke shot his brother a dark glare, feeling his neck burn, before turning his attention back to Sakura.

“I’ve heard you’re a healer?” he somehow managed.

She blinked in surprise. “...Yes, I trained under Lady Tsunade.”

“It’s a rare thing to be taught by a Sanin,” he remarked. “You must be quite gifted.”

Her smile grew, flattered by such a rare acknowledgment of her accomplishments.

He found himself warmed by the pride reflecting in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she replied. “But, I’m afraid I forced her into it.”

Itachi chuckled lightly at that. “None-the-less, it will do us all good to have you in these lands, our family is not known for great healing abilities.”

With that, they were just as quickly ushered away by some distant cousin, anxious to hear about the details of the wedding, giving Sasuke his opportunity to flea.

He left so quickly he did not see her stop to look back at him over her shoulder watching his back as he retreated.

…

It was nearly midday when he awoke again. Sakura has somehow managed to escape without waking him. He rose, wincing from the slight bruising along his abdomen and the ache of his empty stomach.

He bathed first, then made to dress himself, pausing at his reflection in the mirror, finding the bluish hue along his ribcage even darker than it had been a few nights prior.

“I want to see to that.” His wife told him airily as she passed through their chambers, washed and dressed, carrying a neat pile of clean linens to the washroom. “You should have said something last night.”

“It’s nothing.” he rubbed his eyes tiredly as she returned to his side, lifting his arm to further inspect it. “You undoubtedly strained it further.”

“Can’t say I’m sorry.” he told her, pleased by the pretty color that bloomed throughout her face.

She humphed softly, before standing before him, focusing her chakra into the palm of her hands, surrounding his side in an array of green light.

He watched her through heavy-lidded eyes as she worked, feeling the pain slowly ease to a dull throb.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I was foolish and gave my target an opening.”

“You’re lucky it wasn’t a blade.” she admonished, making quick work of it regardless. “Please be more careful.”

He hummed in agreement. She was the dutiful wife and mistress of the house once more.

He felt his heart miss a beat suddenly, afraid it would go back to the way it was before, with the night long faded away. With her remaining quiet and reserved, dedicating herself to keeping the house and seeing to healing the villagers, doing her best to stay out of his way. And he, when he was not sent away, barely able to look at her for fear of invoking his brother and remembering he now prospered in the life he had lost.

He leaned forward, his forehead coming to rest on her shoulder, as she continued to heal him, in silent prayer and reverence.

He could not go through that again. He did not care how long it would take, how difficult it would be, he would move on from his grief and guilt and build a life with her, beyond duty, beyond his clan.

He’d not fail her nor make her feel unwanted ever again.

“Thank you.” he murmured softly.

…

“May I join you?”

Sasuke lowered his bow and turned to see Itachi walking down the path in the glow of the setting sun, a quiver strapped to his back.

“You have time for that?” the younger Uchiha asked, repositioning himself, focusing his attention back on the target.

It had been many years since he had chased after his older brother’s companionship. He’d given up on that a long time ago. Itachi was always bound to obligation and his studies, leaving room for little else.

It was a rare occasion indeed for Itachi to seek him out.

“A moment,” he replied, coming to stand beside him. “I slipped away while Mother and Father were bickering.”

“What about now?”

“Father wishes the wedding to take place right away, Mother insists on a proper ceremony and claims she needs more time.”

“And what do you want?” Sasuke asked him. Releasing his arrow, watching it wobble in the red center. A clean enough shot, but he had been too quick in the release.

“Not that it matters,” he scoffed, taking aim. “On the one hand I suppose I’d like time to know her better, no one wishes to marry a stranger no matter how beautiful they are, but it’s a risk for us to linger too long.”

“...Do you like her?” Sasuke dared to ask, his tone passive, careful.

“I do,” Itachi answered diplomatically, releasing his arrow, hitting the center of the red field, straight, perfect, without any tremor. “She is intelligent, dedicated, strong… she’ll be a good wife, a good mother.”

Sasuke swallowed thickly, going to retrieve the arrows, his stomach turning at that. How he could forget what she was truly here for?

To give Itachi son.

“And you, Sasuke?” his brother asked. “What do you think of her?”

“I don’t.” he answered.

[thatpinkshinobi]

Easy Living

3.1 K words.

Reading time: 15 min.

Kakasaku Fic.

/ / / / /

Guys, I'm back with a new AU! Probably this has been written before, but not by my point of view and lovely ideas! I've decided that most of my fics will be fluff. I honestly can't picture these two having a hard time!

This AU takes place in  Konoha (late 30's) before WW2. Sakura's and Kakashi's age gap is just seven years. They will be slightly out of character because the story demands it, but I will stay loyal to their principal qualities.

I will rate this as M for the coming chapters.

Here's the first chapter, for the coming updates, you will find them here.

Music recommendation: Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra & Glenn Miller.

Enjoy!

/ / / / /

It was the beginning of the summer of 1939.

Deep in the forest, a ghostly figure wandered around the big white residence, the noise of crunching leaves against her feet was the only sound in the night.

The slender figure jumped into the improvised ladder that led to a balcony. The old wood trembled under her fingers, making her wonder how long she could do the same thing before it craked under her, sending her into the hard floor. 

Would someone bother to come and see if she was alive?

She really doubted it as she crossed a leg above the rail and landed in her room, leaning against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She looked up to the moon, the only witness of her failed runaway.

Stars shone brightly above the Haruno residence, each spot glowed with different colors, making the young woman that observed them wonder what it meant. She closed her eyes after her mind couldn't come with an answer. With a deep sigh, she let her lungs fill with the scent of wet dirt and recently trimmed grass.

Sakura leaned across the rail as she waited for the party to begin. She knew she should be changing her clothes soon before her mother noticed her dress with dirt and the little branches and dried leaves that had stuck in her hair. She closed her eyes, letting her surroundings flood her senses, trying to keep her thoughts away from her mind. The buzz from the cicadas helped Sakura to ignore the voices that started to gather down her feet.

Hard as she tried, the laughs and gibberish ended on gaining her attention. Sakura peeked between her lashes, watching how people kept arriving in luxurious cars to attend the first summer party.

Or as her mother liked it to call them, a great occasion to catch a husband. 

Sakura stayed in her room, seeing how hundreds of guests walked inside her house. Assistants in black tuxedos escorted people inside the house, women enjoying the brief attention of the young men that held their hands as they slid out of their cars. 

Sakura rolled her eyes as she observed from the balcony, how Ms. Senju flirted with the young Inuzuka, his boyish grin making the old woman blush. 

The giggle that left Sakura's lips made the old woman turn her gaze to her. A pair of golden eyes pierced her green orbs.

"Damn." Sakura gritted her teeth. Great first impression. Sakura thought.

"SAKURA!" the voice of her mother shouted from inside her room, the clack of her high heels echoed around the empty room."SAKURA!"

The young woman growled as she missed the opportunity to hide from her mother.

"I'm outside," Sakura sighed, enjoying her last seconds of loneliness.

"There you are, honey!" Her mother tapped her head softly. "Look at you! You are a mess! What happened to you?"

Sakura ignored her question.

"I'm dressed..." Sakura pointed her loose blue dress, trying to clean the spots of dirt with her hands.

"Come on..." Sakura let her mother drag her back to her room, the red fabric across her bed caught her attention.

"What is that?"

"A gift."

"From..." Sakura's stomach sank as she started to acknowledge where it came from. 

The look on her mother's eyes confirmed her suspicions.

"Mom..." Sakura shook her head, the feeling of betrayal from her parents started to creep up her chest. This really couldn't be happening.

"Sakura," her mother scolded her, using the same look when she was younger. The same look that made Sakura agree on whatever her mother wanted to.

But not this time.

"I'm not a child anymore," wearing that dress was accepting that horrible arrangement she used to think it was just a joke.

"Exactly," her mother pulled her closer. "You are twenty-one Sakura, and you are not married or engaged!"

"Mom!"

Like age had something to do with marriage! Sakura rolled her eyes, making her mother aware she wasn't in the mood to play that game.

"I don't want to know anything else!" Ms. Haruno dropped her arm, she walked to the door. "I hope to see you downstairs wearing that dress."

Sakura stood in silence. It would be a shame that suddenly it burned to ashes... Sakura thought bitterly.

"And fix your hair, it looks like a bird's nest!" 

Sakura watched her mother leave, not bothering in closing the door. She stayed in her place, thinking about how bad it would be to fake being sick and avoid that stupid party.

The young woman rubbed her chin with a finger, her eyes running up and down the dress, her mind running wild with her thoughts.

This time she had gone further, reaching the bus stop. The image of her father and what he might have done after she ran away, made her turn in her heels, back to the place she called home.

How much longer would she be able to pull the same facade?

"Knock, knock..." The voice of a man came from the entrance of her room. Kizashi Haruno peeked inside his daughter's room.

"Hey, dad..." Sakura sighed as she resigned on wearing the dress. 

"Uhm, it's a nice dress," Mr. Haruno said as he walked inside the room. Sakura rolled her eyes, making her father laugh.

"I know, pumpkin... that's why I got you this!" Sakura observed how her father moved his arms off his back and handed her a white box.

The young girl looked surprised at the name lettered on the box.

"Dad, you didn't have to!" Sakura squealed, taking the box from his hands.

"Try it on."

Sakura didn't need to be told twice, she ran into the bathroom, already unfastening the buttons of her blue dress. Sakura undressed, staying just in her underwear. With excited fingers, Sakura flipped the box open, the look of black fabric sent shivers down her spine.

"Oh, dad..." Sakura cried.

Sakura took the dress on her hands and slid it over her head, the soft fabric molding into her subtle curves. Sakura zipped the dress, finally ogling her figure in the mirror. 

The dress fitted like a glove, the bare shoulders shone with the dim light, the skirt helped her emphasize the missing curves of her body. 

Probably it wasn't a bad idea going to the party after all...

She would make the most of it, even if she hated it.

Sakura frowned when her eyes stopped on her face. Her mother was right. Her hair was a mess, the vain attempt on pulling it into a bun was horrible, and after her late-running had made it worse.

Sakura took with tender fingers the numerous pins, and dirt from her head, letting her pink hair fell in soft waves down her back. The color from her hair stood out in the dark fabric. 

Sakura wouldn't admit it. But she was quite a catch.

"Sakura?" her father knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Sakura took the few makeup products from her bathroom and applied a subtle look on her face.

When she finished and was happy with the result she came out, she found her father sitting on her bed, fixing his bowtie and cuffs.

Sakura smiled tenderly. Praising how much she looked like her father. Not only his silverish pink hair o his green eyes but also the kindness of his heart. Sakura knew his father hated her mother for forcing her into a relationship she hated. His father deserved more than a rebellious daughter and a quick runaway.

"Sakura!" Her father jumped into his feet, looking how beautiful his daughter looked.

"Thank you so much, dad!" Sakura held her breath, trying to keep the tears in her eyes. It was just a dress, but it meant so much considering the recent events in her life.

"KIZASHI!" Ms. Haruno shouted, making her and her father jump in surprise.

"I should go before your mother sees you," Mr. Haruno walked to his daughter and kissed her cheek. "My little princess, you became a wonderful woman, and I fear the day you finally find your prince..."

"Dad..."

"KIZASHI!" the voice sounded closer.

"Make sure your mother doesn't see you until the night is almost over..." Mr. Haruno winked at her daughter. "I'm sure you are good at sneaking out."

Sakura blushed. She was sure she was good at leaving her room every night.

Obviously, she was wrong.

"Ma Chéri!" Sakura heard her father shout when he found her mother. She rolled her eyes. She still wondered how her parents had fallen in love, it was a mystery that kept her awake many nights.

Sakura walked to the balcony, just to make sure if all of her parent's guests had arrived, but she just found a crowded entrance, the assistants escorting groups of people into the house.

Sakura shook her head. It was going to be one of those nights. She sighed, she had become used to it since she was just a little girl.

Her father's business was growing each day, making them one of the wealthiest families in town. Sakura had become used to be intended by numerous men. 

Every party, a new last name popped on the list. Nara, Uzumaki, Inuzuka, Hyūga, and the one she hated the most, Uchiha.

The thought of his last name made her stomach sick. She shook her head and counted to ten. No, she wouldn't let him take all the fun that night.

With a deep breath, she walked inside her room, avoiding to look at the infamous red dress. 

Her mother would hate her after that night, but Sakura knew she would despise herself more if she accepted on carrying it. It was like she signed her sentence with no other than the devil himself.

Sakura ran a hand nervously down her hair. Hard as she found admitting, it was getting more troublesome reject all men, many of them had grown next to her, and Sakura had witnessed how they had matured into attractive gentlemen. And she was just a woman with needs...

Sakura shook her head, banishing the thought of her mind. No. She wanted to be free, and when the time was right, she would found the right man, a man of her choice. 

The young woman walked down the stairs, taking a look at the crowd of people her parents had invited. Every night more and more people appeared on their home.

Fantastic.

Sakura danced between her parent’s guests, the music flooded around the hall, making people sway to the sound of the blues. She came across many people that greeted her like old friends, making Sakura blush when they had to remind their names to her.

She recognized many faces, some were her old classmates, other her father's business partners, and their families.

Sakura was becoming overwhelmed by the number of people when the voice of a man, made her turn her gaze.

“Miss Haruno, what a delight to see you this night!” The young woman turned to see the last person she wanted to see. 

Fugaku Uchiha.

“Mr. Uchiha,” Sakura bowed slightly. “I’m so happy you had the chance to visit us.”

The old man snorted.

“I wouldn’t miss one of your father big parties,” Fugaku let the smoke from his cigar sprayed around her face. “Have you seen any of my boys?”

Sakura crossed her arms on her back, her knuckles white as she closed her hands in two fists. Now she will be smelling like tobacco for the rest of the night.

“I saw Itachi with Mr. Namizake,” she pointed the crowded table at the back of the room. Men laughed around a certain redhead that enjoyed the attention.

“And Sasuke?” Mr. Uchiha inquired.

“I haven’t seen him yet,” Sakura thanked God.

"Oh, Sakura!" Mikoto Uchiha exclaimed at her back. "You look so gorgeous! But I'm sure you could have been a beauty in one of my designs! You didn't get my present?"

Sakura crossed her fingers.

"Mrs. Uchiha! I did, it was such a beautiful dress!" Sakura lied. "But my father got me this dress from Paris weeks ago, and he insisted that I wore it tonight."

"I see..." the woman eyed the designer dress Sakura was wearing.

"I should go and see if I can find Sasuke..." Sakura lied, turning on her heels and walking far as she could from that family.

Sakura moved between the guests, avoiding to be burned with a cigar or drenched with a drink. 

"He's that way..." a voice whispered behind her ear, while a hand on her wrist stopped her. A soft chuckle made her smile.

Her brain had taken a fraction of second to recognize that voice.

"I thought you were spending your vacations on the beach, sandboy." Sakura smiled as the young men swing her around to face her.

"Oh, let's say I..." the boy with black hair smiled widely.

"Begged your parents to come?" Sakura smiled back at Kankuro. The look on his eyes made her blush.

"Something like that..." Kankuro took her hand and guided her to the dance floor. "I'm happy I did, you look delightful tonight."

Sakura's blush moved up to her ears. He wasn't that bad either. His clothes were completely black except for his red handkerchief on his chest pocket.

"May I?" Kankuro bowed slightly, inviting her to the dancefloor.

"SAKURA!" A pair of arms pulled her by her neck, not letting her answer the question.

"Ino, get off me..." Sakura pushed her best friend away from the unwanted hug. Kankuro smiled kindly behind the blonde that just had appeared.

Sorry. Sakura mouthed. 

Kankuro shrugged, winking at her before he moved back to the crowd. Sakura sighed.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura pinched her friend on the arm. 

"Ouch!" The blondie complained. "What's the matter with you?"

"I was about to dance with Kankuro," Sakura pointed the back of the young man that was at the bar.

"Oh, forget about him..." Ino pulled her by her hand. "Your father wants to introduce you to someone new!"

"Ino..." Sakura rolled her eyes. "I thought you were on my side."

"Oh, I am..." Ino winked at her as both girls traveled around the house in search of Mr. Haruno. 

Men stopped in their place to let Ino walk past them, many of them making admiring exclamations that the blondie enjoyed.

What not to like? Sakura thought about her friend.

The deep purple dress she was wearing let nothing to the imagination as it wrapped her body like a second skin. Not to mention the low cut of her cleavage. 

Ino was a bombshell, and she knew it. Sakura wished she had a fraction of the confidence of her friend.

"There he is!" Ino shouted as she spotted the only other pink head on the crowd. Ino waved her hand above her head. "Mr. Haruno!"  

"Oh, Ino! You found her!" Mr. Haruno smiled kindly to her daughter.

Sakura observed him curious. It was always her mother, the one who did this kind of thing. Both women stopped next to the group of men. Sakura recognized Ino's father, Inoichi Yamanaka and his business partners, Shikaku Nara, and Choza Akimichi, Sakura bowed slightly to greet the group of men.

Sakura turned to the other side of her father, and she found two men she had never seen before, next to them was Fugaku.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek.

Damn it, dad.

"Sakura, let me introduce to you our new and not so new neighbors ." Kizashi raised both eyebrows, making Sakura frown. Unquestionably, her father was up to something.

"Sure," Sakura smiled kindly at her father.

What are you doing? Sakura thought as she gave a look to her father.

"Sakura..." Fugaku Uchiha caught her attention. "Let me introduce you to my new Lieutenant, Sakumo Hatake."

Sakura slid her eyes from the Uchiha and landed on a man that was several inches taller than Fugaku, his white hair caught her attention. She took a better look at it, it wasn't white because he was old, it was just like she had pink hair. His hair contrasted against his navy blue uniform, he held his hat under his arm, one of his hands was busy as he held what it looked like scotch.

The expression on his eyes made Sakura question if he hadn't seen him before. She surely remembered his face from somewhere else.

"Miss Haruno, probably you don't remember me," Sakumo Hatake extended his free hand to greet Sakura. "It's been years since the last time we were in Konoha."

Sakura took his hand and shook it slightly. So she did know him.

"Sorry, but I..." Sakura smiled embarrassedly.

"Ha, I would be surprised if you actually remembered me!" Sakumo laughed, her father joined him.

"She was just a kid, Sakumo!" Mr. Haruno shook his head.

"So it was my son, and he remembers her pretty well..." Sakumo poked the young man's ribs.

"He does?" Mr. Haruno asked incredulously.

"Yes, he remembers her pink hair," Sakumo placed a hand on the man,  making Sakura shift her attention to the second man.

He looked a lot like Sakumo, but years younger, far as she could see, due to the black coat of his uniform, that covered half of his face. His white hair pointed different directions, Sakura noticed he had tried to comb it, but it always returned to his messy state.  His eyes observed her curiously, a faint pink scar ran across one of his eyes. Sakura recognized that it was him who she remembered instead of his father.

"Sakura, this is my son..." Sakumo introduced her to the mysterious young man.

"Kakashi!" Sakura didn't let him finish as flashes of her early years popped in her mind. She could remember his face when he was a toddler. The images came one after another one.

They used to play and spend their afternoons together in her early years. Sakura remembered he was older than her, but now the age gap wasn't noticeable.

Kakashi looked at her surprised, he hadn't been expecting her to remember him.

Both men Sakumo and Kizashi looked at her startled.

"Do you remember my boy!" Sakumo ruffled his son's hair, making the young man growl in annoyance.

Sakura was about to speak when she felt the intense glare of Fugaku. She blushed. She had shown more enthusiasm for the unknown Kakashi, than for his son, Sasuke.

"I have some memories..." Sakura locked her eyes on Kakashi as both of them slightly blushed. 

The image of a cherry tree and an old promise made Sakura's heart beat faster.

Was it possible he still remembered it?

Kakashi winked at her before she could say a thing. 

He remembered it.

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Acts Of Service

For: @kyu-pine

Words: 2046

Note: So, this might feel like I just sort of cut it off. I did, and I apologize. I have really been struggling with writing this month and I just hit a wall, but I hope that what was written down is delightful to read <3

Material objects were fun. A person could decorate their house with things that they liked, or get clothing that complimented their figure. On certain occasions, people could even gift objects to others. A little surprise wrapped in some pretty paper and decorated with a nice bow.

Sage didn’t like material objects though. 

They were often left sitting in some corner of a room, forgotten until it was time to dust them off and move them somewhere else.

Instead, they preferred to give gifts that could be used. Treats that a person could savour on a nice sunny day or gift certificates for dinner with their favourite person.

Their favourite gift to give above all others was acts of service.

Little things that they could do to make their friend’s day a little easier, or a tad more enjoyable.

Whatever it was, with certain limitations, sage was happy to oblige. 

This is exactly how Sage had finally figured out the perfect gift for their boyfriend. After weeks of frantically searching through the stories and racking their brain for an idea, it finally came to them on the morning of Gai’s birthday. While they were laying in bed wrapped up in each other's arms.

“Breakfast,” Gai had declared with a proud smile. “We should have breakfast.”

Sage was hungry, and they were due to start their day soon. Kakashi had already left the comfort of their bed to begin his duties in the Hokage’s office while the two of them lounged around for just a bit longer.

“What would you like?” They asked as they gently brushed Gai’s hair back behind his ear. “Rice?”

“No,” Gai leaned into their touch. “Something with more flavour.”

“Grilled fish?”

Gai stuck out his tongue. “That’s for when Kakashi is with us,” he protested, “something a bit easier on the taste buds than that.”

Thinking through their options, Sage grinned. “Kakashi made you tamagoyaki last year.”

“He makes me tamagoyaki every year that he’s home for my birthday,” Gai chuckled. “It’s perfect.”

A brilliant start to a wonderful day.

Sage couldn’t wait to see what else they could do to make Gai’s birthday wonderful.

After a nice breakfast of Tamagoyaki and some warm sencha tea, Sage and Gai finally made their way out of the house into the streets of Konoha. There was no destination in mind, just a desire to take a walk.

Still, sage shouldn’t have been surprised when they saw the Dango shop appearing in the distance. It was Gai’s birthday after all and he had certain traditions that he followed. The most important tradition was to get a few sticks of dango.

A sweet treat that he would enjoy throughout the rest of the day and a perfect opportunity for Sage to spoil his boyfriend a little.

“Why don’t you go get us a seat?” They suggested. “We can relax for a bit before we continue our walk.”

Gai didn’t slow down for even a second. “I always go to the counter,” he stated as if sage could forget all of the years they had seen him patiently waiting at the front of a very long line, prepared to greet Emi-san as soon as she opened up shop. “If I don’t go to the counter then who knows what could happen. The world might end.”

Sage snorted at Gai’s dramatics. “I think the world will be fine,” they argued. “Besides, Emi-san always goes to your table after the line-up is gone.”

“If I’m in the shop,” Gai corrected them. “Sometime’s I get my dango and go elsewhere.”

“Well, today you’ll be in the shop,” they declared, pointing towards the section of the shop that was already open waiting for customers. “And I’ll be the first in line to greet Emi-san. Or do you not trust me to greet her?”

Gai averted his eyes. A move that immediately struck sage right through the heart.

“You don’t trust me.” they gasped. 

“Greeting Emi-san is my thing,” Gai argued. “I’ve been at the front of that lineup since I was eleven years old, and every year I’ve made sure that I’m the first person she sees when she opens up shop on my birthday. It’s tradition.”

A tradition that was important to Gai. Everyone in Konoha knew how much he looked forward to standing at the front of the line every January first. Even if someone had gotten there before Gai they would always let him into the line ahead of them.

 “Alright,” Sage held up their hands in surrender. “But I’m paying.”

“Sage…”

“That’s not up for negotiation,” they grinned. “Today’s your birthday and I want to spoil you. You wouldn’t deny me the opportunity to do that, would you?”

Considering his options for a moment, Gai chuckled. “I guess it would be rather rude of me to try and pay for my own birthday gift.”

“That it would be,” Sage agreed. “Very rude, in fact. You wouldn’t want to be rude to your partner now would you?”

Throwing his head back, Gai howled with laughter.  A burst of laughter so bright and joyful that Sage couldn’t help but join in, their head falling forward as a hand came up to cover their mouth in a rather poor attempt to hide their laughter.

“I would never even think of being rude to you,” Gai confirmed with a shake of his head. “Kakashi, maybe. He often deserves it.”

Now that was something Sage would love to see. Although Kakashi wasn’t often trying to be rude, his blunt nature could easily be misunderstood by people as impolite, snarky or even downright disrespectful. A fact that Sage had come to understand with Gai’s help after a few arguments that arose because of that blunt nature. 

For Gai to match that energy was downright impossible in their opinion. Gai was a man that found it difficult to be rude to his enemies, there was nothing in the world that would ever cause him to say a single rude word to their boyfriend.

Even if Kakashi did sometimes deserve it.

“So you’ll let me pay for the dango?” They asked. 

“I will,” Gai nodded his head. “Just don’t try to pay for the extras the Emi-san throws in or she might ban you from buying me dango ever again.”

“I’ll just give her the money for whatever you order.” Finally, the two of them arrived at the dango shop, the doors still tightly closed but no sight of a line-up anywhere. “It seems we arrived before everyone else.”

“No,” Gai chuckled, pointing behind sage when they looked his way. Turning around they gasped when they saw a large group of people across the path. Most of them were people that they recognized, like Gemma, Ebisu, and Iruka. Even Kurenai was in the group holding little Mirai in her arms. “They always wait for me to arrive now.”

“I see,” waving towards the group, Sage chuckled when they all lifted a hand to wave back at them. “Well, in that case, we should get in line so they can join us.”

“A grand plan,” Gai declared as he wheeled himself to the front of the little dango shop. “Oh, and we should get some dango for Kakashi as well. We can take it to him after we relax for a bit.”

A birthday treat for Gai and a little gift for Kakashi to enjoy while he was stuck behind the Hokage’s desk working until dinner time. Sage couldn’t think of any better way to spend their money.

Two hours later, with a bundle of dango wrap up and ready for delivery to the Hokage’s office, Sage and Gai found themselves back on the path through Konoha.

“I never realized just how close you are with Emi-san,” they commented as the two of them turned the corner. Hokage’s Residence stood in the distance, looking over the rest of the village as it always had. “Is that why you get extra dango every year?”

“I’m certain it’s because of my stunning personality,” Gai protested. “I could be wrong, but I like to think that it’s my stunning personality.

The wind blew through sage's hair, sending short red locks flying into their face. “Your personality certainly does help.”

After waiting for a second to see if their hair would fix itself Sage admitted defeat and reached up to fix it themselves. Parting it down the left side so that it lay nicely against his head once again.

“My personality and good charm.” 

Sage snorted. “Is that what you call it?” 

With a bit more drama than sage thought was necessary, Gai spun himself in place and threw an arm over his forehead. As if Sage’s words had mortally wounded him.

“Such cruel words,” he proclaimed loud enough for all of Konoha to hear him. “How could I forget that I am in a relationship with not one, but two people who find pleasure in insulting me.”

Sage watched the show that Gai put on and even clapped at the end of it, offering his support for all the showmanship. “Now that we’re done with that,” they chuckled when Gai shot them a glare. “Shall we continue to the Hokage’s residence? Kakashi’s dango won’t eat itself.”

The facade dropped at the mere mention of Kakashi.

“Perhaps I’ll ask him for a competition,” Gai mused, acting as if nothing had happened as he turned his chair back to the path they were following. “We had a few yesterdays, as is tradition, but there’s no harm in asking for another.”

Sage couldn’t help but chuckle. There was little chance that Kakashi would say no to Gai’s request unless he was busy at the moment, even if the two of them had participated in four competitions while they were spending their time together. 

“Are you sure you can handle another competition?” they asked. “From what I heard you didn’t do so well yesterday.” The final score according to Kakashi had been three wins for Kakashi and one win for Gai. Terrible results for the man who was supposed to be celebrating his birthday early.” 

“Today is a brand new day,” Gai beamed up at them. “And it’s my birthday. I’m sure that I will fair better in whatever competition we decide on.”

 Sorting through a few options in their mind, Sage smiled when the perfect idea came to them. “How about an eating competition?” Gai’s eyes went wide with excitement. “You lost the last one I believe, so perhaps you can make up for that and claim a victory this time.”

“An eating competition,” Gai nodded. “But what kind of food shall we have? Last time it was Sushi…”

“It is your birthday,” Sage reminded him. “I’m sure whatever you choose Kakashi would be happy to go along with.”

“You’re right,” There was a mischievous sparkle in Gai’s eyes that worried Sage. A look that the Taijutsu master only ever seemed to get when he was thinking up the worst possible way to annoy Kakashi. “I think we’ll have Curry.”

Curry.

A devious way to secure an easy win. 

There were a lot of foods that Kakashi couldn’t tolerate because of their texture and curry was at the top of the list. When Sage had asked him about it he admitted that the food tasted good as long as it was one of the milder curries, but that the texture activated all of the worst sensations in him.

To see the man get through half a bowl was impressive, but an eating competition?

Kakashi didn’t stand a chance.

“I’ll pay,” Sage declared, determined to spoil Gai as much as possible today. “It will be the cheapest dinner out we’ve ever had.”

“Don’t count on that,” Gai laughed as the two of them continued down the path. “I’ll have to eat double the curry for Kakashi if you’re paying.”

Sage couldn’t wait to see the look on Kakashi’s face. The haunting realization of what his night was going to be like, and how much he loved both of his partners to be putting up with such blatant favouritism on Gai’s birthday. 

It was the best birthday present that could have ever gotten for Gai, and all they had to do was pay for dinner.

[sloshi]

Sasusaku Fanfic - Prologue

Title: Captain!

Pairing: Sasusaku

Summary: Passing lewd notes in class is all fun and games—that is, until it smacks a certain baseball captain upside the head. Japan!highschool AU [will be Slow burn / eventual smut]

Read Chapter 1 preview here

Prologue

“—recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the creation and extinction of species. Living organisms—“

Sakura blinks heavily, tuning out her teacher’s lecture with shameful ease. With her chin resting sleepily in her hand, she glances at the clock above the chalkboard, nearly rolling her eyes in dread when she sees that the minute hand hasn’t moved nearly an inch since the last she checked. Which was like an hour ago.

(Okay, so maybe it was like a minute ago, but seriously, come on.)

She drums her fingernails impatiently against the wooden desktop, blatantly ignoring the glare from the guy next to her, who’s shooting laser beams with his eyes at her tapping fingers, annoyed.

Green eyes trail lazily back to Kakashi-Sensei, a teacher she’s almost positive has a porn-addiction if the orange book that is always sticking out of his back pocket is any indication. Sakura scrunches her nose in disgust—It’s no wonder he’s teaching Biology. A shudder runs down her spine.

She debates whether or not she should sneak a nap. There’s still twenty minutes left of class, and honestly? She knows this stuff already. She’s read the textbook—all three-hundred and twenty pages of it, and Sakura is more than ready for the test this Friday. Maybe she’s an overachiever (an over-doer, if you will), but if she’s going to be a doctor one day, she has to be. There’s no half-saving someone’s life.

At least she doesn’t have to worry about falling behind, unlike her best friend who wouldn’t be a senior right now without her. She snickers to herself, remembering all the notes she had slapped onto Ino’s minty-blue bedspread two nights before the final exams last year.

‘You mean, I have to read all of these?!’ She had screeched, her face nearly purple with terror.

Sakura clapped a simple hand on her shoulder, smiling, unabashedly relishing in her misery. Maybe next time, Ino will actually study instead of poking fun at Sakura’s notes all the time now that she sees how much work she puts into them. You live and you learn, Ino-pig. ‘Yup!’

(Speaking of notes.)

Glancing down at her spiral notebook, her bubbly scrawl of handwriting takes up only half the page since she had abandoned writing about fifteen minutes ago. Pursing her lips, she stops drumming her fingers (she swears the guy next to her moans in relief.) and picks up her pen, drawing nonchalantly in the empty space. Mindlessly scribbling little spirals along the faint blue lines, she pauses when she suddenly finds herself doodling a familiar name.

Sasuke.

Baseball captain. Brilliant. Top-of-the-class. Perfect lean body. Tall, dark and handsome—you know, everything that shouldn’t be possible for one man be all at once. (It’s so unfair because nobody should be that perfect. Seriously.)

Despite his obnoxiously shining qualities, he’s quiet for the most part. Keeps to himself like he’s a secret. Or maybe he killed someone—it’s not like she’d ever know, since she the only stuff she knows about Sasuke is purely by rumor. They just happen to float her way, and honestly, it’s a little hard to ignore gossip that involves the baseball captain of KHS. Everyone knows him. Loves him, actually.

Okay, so maybe only the female population loves him. The males, however, are a different story—but they’re just jealous sore losers if you ask her. It’s not like Sasuke asked to be born that freaking attractive.

She’s also heard on several occasions that he’s actually antisocial—withdrawn to a point. He doesn’t attend activities outside of school, other than baseball, and he’s never seen at mixers or parties. In fact, the only person he’s really ever seen with outside of school is the catcher of the baseball team; Naruto Uzumaki. A blonde knucklehead of a guy she’s seen, heard of, but never spoken to.

(And even though Sasuke and Naruto were rumored to be gay, Sakura secretly hoped Sasuke was at least Bi.)

You’d think a guy like him would embrace his genes and take advantage of every opportunity he gets, considering the way he can literally make a whole room swoon just by entering.

But as far as she knows—or anyone knows—he’s never had a girlfriend. (Or boyfriend.)

Too bad it only serves to make him more interesting, if half the crooning girls of the school are anything to go by. Sakura likes him too, but she’s not screaming across the baseball field, clinging to the chain-link fence like a wild animal, asking to have his babies in the middle of his pitch. (True story. She was there. The girl was escorted off campus.)

After punctuating the last letter of his name with a little heart, she sighs wistfully and looks up, green eyes following the incline of desk rows downward where the very man himself sits at the edge of his row, diagonal from her perspective, whose quick hands are working away at his notebook diligently.

He’s as handsome as ever, she sighs to herself, as she studies the side profile of his perfectly unblemished face (he probably doesn’t even try!) His sharp raven bangs fall sinfully over equally dark eyes that are slightly narrowed in concentration as he writes languidly, following Kakashi-sensei’s lecture with ease. Sasuke pauses every once in a while to look up at their teacher, nodding curtly in understanding at whatever the silver-haired man is saying, as if he’s genuinely intrigued by the lecture, before returning back to his notes.

Sakura blinks in surprise, however, when Ino—who somehow managed an assigned seat next to the Uchiha, the conniving pig—turns her platinum blond head in her direction. Baby blue eyes squint mischievously, accompanied by a smirk that Sakura has learned to detest over the many years of their friendship, when her eyes flicker to Sasuke and back to Sakura. A smirk like that from Ino is nothing short of dangerous.

What, Sakura mouths impatiently.

Slender blonde eyebrows waggle suggestively and Sakura glares pointedly as if to say: Whatever you’re thinking about doing, Pig, don’t even try it.

Ino’s smirk only grows more wicked, eyes twinkling impishly when she swiftly turns back around and begins to scribble something in her notebook. Eyes narrowing in suspicion, she studies the back of her best friend’s head with a frown.

Slowly, reluctantly, Sakura returns to her own notebook, picking up where she left off, but she’s only added a few more little hearts around Sasuke’s name before something light and airy smacks her forehead and bounces off to land directly upon her notebook.

What the—

She snaps her head up, eyes immediately finding Ino’s platinum ponytail. Despite not being able to see it, Sakura sends her a dark scowl and inwardly curses. Passing notes in class is a huge no-no; it’s an instant detention and maybe Ino doesn’t care about her perfect, unblemished  school record but Sakura does ThankYouVeryMuch.

If she gets in trouble, Ino is so dead.

With a petulant huff, she finally looks down at the offending object. A crumpled ball of paper sits innocently upon Sasuke’s scribbled name. Kakashi-Sensei has long since turned his back to the class, his ever-boring monotone voice a mere drawl in the background as he jots something on the chalkboard, completely oblivious to the paper note that has soared half way across the classroom.

Sakura makes a face at Ino’s back one last time before she gingerly opens the wad of paper before her, almost afraid of what she’ll see. Maybe it’s a picture, she thinks. The paper crinkles a little loudly, and naturally, she flinches, but somehow luck is on her side—Kakashi-Sensei’s back is still turned. Sighing in relief, she quickly reads Ino’s sloppy note.

Don’t think I don’t see you eyeing Sasuke-kun, forehead girl. If you want his dick that bad, you could always just ask... too bad you’re such a prude. And you might wanna wipe that drool off your chin, although I suppose Sasuke-kun could lick it off for you. How bout it, Sakura?

A cute little smiley face punctuates the end of the sentence and it takes every ounce of control in Sakura’s body not to openly gape. Turning seven shades of red, she jerks her head to send the deadliest glare she can manage at her best friend, only for her simmering anger to amplify when she finds Ino smiling back at her, a hand over her mouth stifling laughter. (That witch!) Flustered, Sakura grinds her teeth together and snatches her pen, eager to put the pig in her place.

You’re disgusting. Sakura scribbles angrily, but then stops abruptly as an idea sprouts in her head. Two can play at this game, she whispers sourly to herself. Sakura will be damned if Ino thinks she can embarrass and tease her without getting a taste of her own medicine.

Oh, I’ll show her ‘prude’.

Smirking and feeling quite proud of herself, she promptly erases her first two words and begins to rewrite.

Lick it off? Oh, pig. I’d let Sasuke-kun do more than just that. I bet you think you did something there, huh? You’re a real comedian. And speaking of prude, I’ve never seen you with a guy either. Why don’t you ask him out yourself? Hypocrite.

P.S. if Kakashi-Sensei catches this note, I’ll personally kill you.

Satisfied, Sakura draws a tiny passive-aggressive heart, crumbles the paper back into a wad and waits until Kakashi-Sensei turns around again. The second his back is turned, she hurls it through the air where it bounces against Ino’s shoulder and onto the floor. She hastily bends over to pick it up, skims it over, and throws Sakura an offended look over her shoulder.

Cha! Take that, Ino-pig!

Sakura childishly sticks out her tongue, inwardly pumping a fist in triumph. Ino can make fun of her all she wants, but at the end of the day, she’s really not one to talk. She’s never seen her best friend advance on a guy, and the fact that she’s hounding her for not busting a move on Sasuke Uchiha—the freaking baseball captain, of all people—is laughably ridiculous. Sure, she’s liked him for three years. But who hasn’t. It was a harmless, silly crush; something she’s never expected to grow into anything other than just that. He’s so far out of her league it’s almost embarrassing. They’ve never even spoken before, least of all looked at each other. She’s pretty sure he doesn’t even know she exists—at least, he pretends not to.

Sakura remembers all too clearly the day she once tried (with all the courage her hopeful heart could muster) to say hi to him. They had been the first ones to arrive in the classroom one morning, leaving them completely alone with each other. He had already been seated at his desk, writing something in his notes, clearly absorbed—oblivious to her entrance. Her palms had been so sweaty it was a wonder how she even held onto her notebooks.

“Good morning, S-Sasuke-kun.” She had greeted cheerfully (nervously), a one-thousand-watt smile lighting her face like a Christmas tree. Heart thundering, she clenched her notebooks to her chest, face blossoming as pink as her hair as she waited for him to acknowledge her as she casually passed him by.

He hadn’t even looked up. (That jerk!) But when she had settled into her desk, deflated and deeply humiliated that she had been disregarded so easily, so rudely, it was only then that she had noticed the earbuds in his ears. Her chest flooded with relief. He probably hadn’t even heard her.

Maybe next time, he’ll notice me.

But there had never been a next time. Sighing heavily at the memory, she is ripped from her thoughts when a crinkled ball of paper plops onto her notebook again. Sakura takes in a deep breath, not even bothering to look over at Ino—who, Sakura would bet a million dollars, was smirking with glee. She unfurls the note as quietly as she can manage.

Yeah, I bet you would love for him to do more than that, wouldn’t you. And I may not have ever been with a guy, but at least I’ve been kissed. What’s it like, daydreaming about Sasuke-kun’s wet, sloppy kisses? You’ve liked him for like, three years now, Sakura. Get a fucking move on, already. The suspense is killing me. Wrap your cute little ass in a bow and slip him your virginity.

P.S. Kakashi-Sensei can suck my dick.

Eyes nearly popping out of her skull at that last sentence, Sakura hunches forward protectively when the guy next to her scowls in disgust, as if he read the note himself over her shoulder. Arms still shielding the crinkled paper from unwanted eyes, Sakura chances a look at Kakashi-Sensei before she furiously writes back.

For gods’ sake! What if Kakashi-Sensei catches this note by accident! Also I definitely do not daydream about his kisses. Okay, maybe just a little . . . But don’t you dare bring up my virginity, pig. I bet Sasuke-kun doesn’t even know my name—

“—Sakura?”

She nearly jumps out of her seat, startled like a child caught with an arm halfway in the cookie jar.

“M-Mitosis!” She blurts without thinking, only to shrink in mortification when the rest of the class explodes in  peals of laughter.

Kakashi-sensei quirks a single visible eyebrow in what she assumes is surprise (nobody can really tell what kind of expressions he makes under that weird medical mask and eyepatch anyway.)

Sakura feels forty pairs of eyes on her back, and every head in the front two rows have turned, craning their necks to see the face of the unlucky person who has just embarrassed themselves.

Including Sasuke.

Over his shoulder, he looks right at her; expression as blank as a sheet of paper. She stares right back at him, blinking in astonishment, because it’s the first time they’ve ever made eye contact. And it’s so intense—piercing, even. Like two black holes sucking her in and crushing the oxygen from her lungs with their devastating gravity. Butterflies flap wildly against the walls of her stomach; she thinks she might hurl her breakfast across the room.

When his dark brows furrow marginally (she needs a magnifying glass to be sure) in confusion, her breath hitches violently, and suddenly she feels as naked as a mole rat. Heart stuttering, chest heaving, face flooding with heat, Sakura quickly tries to calm down.

Well if he didn’t notice me before, he definitely notices me now!

“Sakura?” Kakashi-sensei’s usual monotone voice is now laced with concern. She snaps her gaze back to the teacher, mumbling a quick apology before lowering her eyes in shame. The silver-haired man studies her for another moment, as if he’s hesitating whether to ask if she’s alright (as if he’s questioning her sanity), but resumes his lecture after a quiet murmur of ‘Pay attention next time.’

It occurs to her immediately what Sasuke’s first impression of her must be now. She’s just made a complete idiot out of herself in front of the whole class. All because of . . .

Sakura narrows her eyes into dangerous slits, shifting to glare at a certain blonde pig. But she’s not facing Sakura. No. She’s staring straight ahead at the chalkboard, a little too casually to be genuine, twirling a strand of her blonde ponytail nonchalantly. ‘Don’t look at me, I didn’t do anything.’ Ino’s body language says.

Sakura’s fists clench on the table top. She’s positive a deadly miasma is radiating off her at this point, because the guy next to her scoots a few inches away.

“S-Scary . . . “ she thinks she hears him whisper.

Snatching her pen, she scowls down at the crinkled note as if her very eyes could set the paper on fire, before erasing the last sentence she wrote and picking up where she left off.

—are you happy now, pig? Are you? Because you’ve just totally ruined everything with this stupid note. Sasuke-kun probably thinks I’m a dumbass, now. No thanks to you. There goes my chance.

P.S. don’t talk to me for the rest of my life. I hate you.

With that, she balls up the wad of paper with more force than necessary and, as Kakashi-sensei turns back to the chalkboard, she chucks it with all her might across the room, watching with pure satisfaction as it soars downward like a projectile missile—

—only for it to violently smack the head of a very raven-haired baseball captain.

Sakura claps a palm over her gaping mouth to stifle her petrified shriek of terror.

(Oh gods! Oh fuck! No way—!)

She sinks down into her seat immediately, as low as she can physically go, eyes wider than the moon in absolute horror. (Oh gods. Holy shit. No, no, no, no! God, please don’t pick it up—please, please, please—)

Sasuke whips his head behind him, obsidian eyes slit with anger, searching murderously for the culprit as he rubs the side of his head where he was just unforgivably assaulted. Sakura keeps her eyes trained on the notebook before her, nostrils flaring and swallowing roughly against the lump in her throat. Trying to remember everything that was written in the note, she cringes fiercely, her whole body shaking with trepidation. She thinks she might be sick.

‘And you might wanna wipe that drool off your chin, although I suppose Sasuke-kun could lick it off for you.’

‘Lick it off? Oh, pig. I’d let Sasuke-kun do more than just that.’

‘What’s it like, daydreaming about Sasuke-kun’s wet, sloppy kisses? You’ve liked him for like, three years now, Sakura. . . Wrap your cute little ass in a bow and slip him your virginity.’

‘And I definitely do not daydream about his kisses. Okay, maybe just a little . . . ‘

Attempting to swallow again, she gathers the courage to sneak a peek at her impending doom, only for her heart to plummet into her stomach when she sees him finally bend over and pick up the offending wad of paper on the floor by his feet.

Sakura squeezes her eyes shut, bringing a hand to her face in utter mortification, but not before catching the terrified look on Ino’s face as she realizes what has just happened.

Her teeth sink into her bottom lip painfully. There’s no coming back from this. Nope. She can’t even open her eyes. Oh, gods. The sound of light crinkling paper has her sinking even further in her seat. If only the floor could swallow her up.

A few tense seconds tick by, but she’s still too afraid to open her eyes. She knows (she knows) he is reading it. He’s reading it right now.

Goodbye, cruel world. It was fun while it was lasted.

Cracking an eye open, a new tidal wave of humiliation washes over her when she physically sees the note unfurled in his hands. Nope. Mm-mm. This is so not happening. She crosses her arms over the desk and buries her head in the nook of her forearms, wishing and praying and hoping to all the gods that are listening that Sasuke doesn’t hate her. Because, surely, after reading a note like that, he will be so disgusted by her that just looking at her pink head will make him hurl. She probably sounded like such a creep!

Tears prickle her eyes. She never should have entertained Ino’s stupid antics. She should have known.

(You live and you learn.)

Exhaling a shuddering breath, Sakura finally lifts her head up, only to startle forcibly when bottomless black eyes lock with hers.

He’s staring at her shamelessly over his broad shoulder, eyes peeking through his dark fringe, the incriminating note still open in his hands in all its wanton glory. Her lips tremble and she’s positive she looks like a deer caught in headlights.

The bell rings suddenly, ripping through the air and shattering the moment instantaneously. (Oh thank god!) Sakura jumps out of her seat faster than lightning, scraping her notebook into her book bag and slinging it over her shoulder so quickly she almost smacks the guy next to her across the face with it. Kakashi-sensei is announcing something as everyone is gathering their things, but right now she really doesn’t care. Galloping down the stairs between the rows of desks, bumping shoulders with people she doesn’t bother apologizing to, she books it—runs like hell to the door and into the hallway (sweet, sweet freedom) before even Ino can catch up with her. She doesn’t look back.

And she doesn’t see the pair of onyx eyes that follow her out the door.

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Thoughts? I have around 10k words into this story right now, and I am curious if it peaks anyone’s interest :P ciao!

[kakashisavakening]

Chapter 9 - Love Triangle

Dark clouds were gathering above Konoha, and Tsunade sent Kakashi on a mission with some Jonins. Sakura was once more alone, since Naruto went off with Jiraiya to gain some intel on the Akatsuki. Most of them were still in the wind.

"But master Tsunade, don't you think sending Naruto after his pursuers would be a bold and - quite frankly - a dumb move?" - Sakura asked as she gathered some papers the hokage has already reviewed. 

"Don't question my decisions, Sakura." - She growled after taking a deep drink from a cup of tea. Lately she has been seen drinking way more tea than sake. But Sakura was smart enough to know what she kept in the lower drawers of her desk. There were eyes on her constantly, waiting for her to slip up, so it was understandable that she kept her alcohol consumption literally under the table. The pink haired kunoichi sighed at the unnecessarily angry response from the sannin. - "I think you need to practice some more, I haven't given you a proper beating in a while."

Tsunade's voice indicated that she was kidding, but her eyes said she was dead serious. And to a certain extent she was serious. There was still the matter of Kakashi and her - it was never discussed between Tsunade and Sakura. Heck, it was never even discussed between Kakashi and Sakura... after they were released from the hospital, Kakashi left to complete mission after mission, never letting the hokage assign him anything shorter than a 3 week job. Tunade never wanted to pry, but she felt responsible for pushing her into the arms of the copy-ninja. Sakura waited patiently, for she let herself believe at every single occasion that after the current mission he would come and talk to her. 

But it has been literal hell for her. She would wake up in agony sometimes, feeling a kunai cut into her sides, or flames burn her skin... but eventually realise that it was not her experiencing these injuries, but her other half - Kakashi. 

On the other side, she has stopped telling the details to Ino after a couple months, since all she said was that she should tell Tsunade about these side effects and that she should talk to Kakashi about it as well.... which was pretty obvious, and she knew it was logical, but she still couldn't bring herself to do that. Why? 

Because Tsunade had warned her before all this began that going in for Kakashi came with great risks and that the jutsu, which she planned to use was not fully ready. She had also told them to let it burn out. Maybe that is what Kakashi was doing. Waiting for all this to disappear.  However she felt as if the bond was getting stronger. She would sometimes feel more than the extreme pain of being injured. She would sometimes feel hungry after just finishing a meal or feel sadness out of the blue.  The other reason was that she had walked by Kakashi's place on purpose so many times in hopes of running into the sensei that now she could not even bring herself to go near the neighbourhood anymore. The locals started to notice her, a lady in the small convenience store knew her by name and since she always pretended she was there to help someone, most people knew her for helping out wherever there was work to be done. It gained her a very positive reputation, but she was sure if the sensei wanted to notice her, he would have had plenty of opportunities. He never did, and because of that, she started going less and less until she gave up hope entirely. 

I wish I would know why men tend to avoid me like this... even the sensei... Her thought trailed back to their one night stand - if it can be called as such. Physically, they only almost kissed. Mentally, they knew every inch of each other. She looked at the corner where she would take a left turn to walk to Kakashi's neighbourhood... and instead, she took the right. Going into a small bar, she ordered a bottle of sake with the clear intention of drinking away her sorrow and moving on from all and every heartbreak she has ever had to experience. But as soon as she poured her first cup, a figure slipped into the booth with her.

"I wouldn't advise you to do that." - Shikamaru said as he lit a cigarette. Ever since Asuma's death, he'd been smoking nonstop. Understandably so. 

"I won't lecture you on the health risks of smoking, and you won't bug me for day-drinking... How does that sound, Nara?" - She said after throwing her first drink back. 

"Like a deal, Haruno... Like a deal." - Shikamaru sighed and waved at the waitress to bring him a cup too. He poured them both the next round and drank his before Sakura could object. 

"So what is the deal with you, why are you here?" - She inquired. Her pony tailed friend just shrugged his shoulders.

"You could say, life's being a drag." - He said, quickly drinking another round, catching up to her. 

"Oh, I can relate." - She sighed.

After four bottles of sake, they were both extremely intoxicated. She had told Shikamaru everything about how she was connected with Kakashi and how they had a moment but months had since passed them by. He told her about how Ino got weird after he told her about his relationship with Temari.

“She was super supportive at first, always helping me figure out what that damned woman wated or meant... then when I asked for advice on what is the right time to suggest some more... intimate relations, she just dropped me like I was just some annoying dude she had to put up with.” - Shikamaru sighed - “She even said that she was only hanging out with me because the history of our families... because it was mandatory. A day or so after that she started sleeping with Genma. She seems happy, so I am sure he treats her right, but it’s... it’s GENMA for fuck’s sake. That man is a pain in the butt when it comes to women. Leaving the rest of the team the pick up the pieces when he is done with her.”

Sakura chuckled a bit. - “Ino can be harsh when she feels vulnerable.. and she does stupid things to hide her pain.” - she waved at the waitress and ordered a glass of water. She was sure this topic required a bit more attention than her drunk brain could manage.

“Pain?” - Shikamaru scoffed - “What about the pain she inflicts on the rest of us?”

“Nara, you are the smartest man in Konoha. Hell, maybe the smartest ninja alive right now... yet you still manage to be dumb when it comes to women.” - Sakura chugged her water and poured another glass from the pitcher the waitress (very considerately) brought instead of one single glass.

Shikamaru looked confused for a second then burried his face in his hands - “Please don’t tell me Ino...” - he started massaging his temples - “No, that cannot be. You are just messing with me.”

“I am her best friend. I know Ino like the back of my hand..” - she said and reached across the table to put her hand on his shoulders - “She might have acted like she never cared for you like that, because she felt like she had to go for the coolest man possible.. but it is not news.” - Sakura shrugged her shoulders. Ino has never told her she liked Shikamaru per se, but she did told her things that made it clear as day. The blonde admired his wit and strenght openly, looked up to him and complained about Temari to Sakura nonstop. She had even went as far as to say that the sand ninja is not worthy of her teammate’s attention - let alone his love. Obviously, ‘I love Shikamaru Nara’ never left her lips... it was possible even she didn’t know how obvious it was.

“It is news.” - Shikamaru growled. He was trying to make sense of it all. They have known each other since they were born. Their families were so intertwined they might as well be in the same clan. He has been around Ino through thick and thin, saw her at her lowest and they helped each other through more than one difficult situation. It would be a lie to say he has never once looked at her and thought about her in a different way than a friend or a comrade. She was extremely beautiful - that was undeniable, but he found her hunger for attention and twisted image of beauty repulsive. He had brought Ino home after countless times after she had a couple more drinks than she should have and he recalled that each and every time Ino tried to get him to bring her to his apartment rather than hers, but he thought it was because of her father being a drag when she was drunk. She did flirt with him openly when she wanted something, but again, she WANTED something. It was her way of GETTING what she wanted from every member of the opposite sex.

Sakura watched with amusement as a storm of emotions stormed across the poor man’s face. Sure enough, Ino was a piece of work, and Shikamaru has always voiced his frustration with complicated women.

“But, if she wanted to get with me, what is the deal with her and Genma?” - He asked and poured himself another glass of sake. He was not going to stop just because his drinking buddy has. - “She should have known I won’t ever go for her like that. Genma is not just my elder and my superior. He is a friend.”

“Rebound.” - she said without looking up. He has realized that she has been playing with her fingers. The topic made her uncomfortable for some reason. Even she couldn’t explain why. - “Look, Ino is my best friend. I shouldn’t even tell any of this to you. She would squash me like a bug if she knew we talked about this. But I want her to be happy, and I guess I wanted you to see the whole picture. I’m sure you love Temari. You two have had chemistry since day one. But I would much rather see her with you than anyone else.”

“That’s not fair.” - Shikamaru said and lit another cigarette. - “Temari and I have had some sort of connection, sure. And dating her has been not awful either. But you know I would give anything up for my team.” - he blew out the smoke. That was true, he would have given up his life to protect Ino and Choji. But this was different. He was not obligated to chose. He could just go on and be with Temari, Ino would find a man easily. She would still live happily ever after. But blaming Sakura was easier. What he really blamed her for was giving him ideas rather than telling him the truth.

“Life’s not fair, Nara.” - She finished her drink, but despite her words, she did feel a bit guilty. It was not fair steering Shikamaru towards Ino when she was occupied with Genma. But her friend chose the biggest playboy in the village for a reason.

“So what about Kakashi?” - Shikamaru tried to turn the topic around.

“What about Kakashi?” - echoed a man standing by their table. He appeared there without them noticing. Kakashi. In the flesh. He wore baggy dark blue cargo pants and military boots and a sleeveless slik top that was in one with his mask. The top was thin and figure fitting. Every muscle visible underneath. Sakura felt her throat tighten as her eyes met his. She waited for so long. She longed for him to come to talk to her since he left. Now he was here, and she just wanted to run.

[silverfootstepswrites]

Equinox: Spring [1]

Chapter 1 (here) | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

The snow began to melt towards the end of February. The nights were still bitterly cold and the trees were still barren. Icicles hung from the edges of the roof. Sakura could hear Kiba knocking them down outside as she stirred the soup in a lazy figure eight. There was a knock on the window. Sakura looked up in time to see Kiba waving at her before he went back to work. 

She rubbed her ankle with her foot. Leaned her hip against the counter. When the soup began to bubble, she turned the heat down. 

A few minutes later, she heard Kiba stamping on the steps out back. He huffed and puffed as he stamped over the threshold. 

“Alright. I checked the gutters too. Unless you decide to blow up your house, you should be good for a while,” Kiba declared. He stepped out of his boots before he walked over to her. He had been on the receiving end of more than one scolding for tracking mud into the house. Leaning over her shoulder, he took a few sniffs of the soup simmering on the burner. 

“Smells good,” he commented. 

“If you can sit still for like… ten minutes, you’re welcome to have some,” Sakura offered. 

Kiba turned his head and nuzzled against the top of her head. She let him. For about three seconds. Before she whacked his arm with the ladle.

“Hey. Wolf brain,” she reminded him.

“The deal was no licking. I’m being good,” Kiba replied, his voice bordering on a whine. He rubbed his cheek against her for another moment before he pulled away. He reached past her to snatch a stray piece of chicken breast off the cutting board. He grinned as he gobbled it down. 

“Besides, I can’t stay. Gotta hit the road before it gets too dark,” Kiba reminded her. 

Sakura turned around to look over the poster next to the refrigerator. It had been Kiba’s yuletide gift to her. It laid out all the lunar cycles of the new year, along with the flowers that came into season during each month. It was nice that she didn’t have to pull out her phone every time she tried to figure out when the weres would be busy. 

“So, basically, this is like some kind of werewolf playdate?” Sakura asked.

Kiba wrinkled his nose as he thought. He had explained to her that he was driving his nephews out to meet up with some of the other packs in the area. It was good opportunity for the pups to learn how to socialize with their kind. And it was nice to rub elbows with the other weres. There was less fighting if the different packs already knew each other.

“…. kinda. I guess,” Kiba relented. He rubbed the back of his neck. And he stood there, shuffling his feet and avoiding her gaze. It couldn’t have been more obvious that he wanted something.

“What?” 

Kiba stretched his arms out to the sides. “Can I get a hug for good luck?” 

Sakura stared at him. 

“Please?”

She set the ladle down. “Alright, you goof.” 

Kiba swept her up into his arms, hugging her against his chest. Her feet left the floor, which she had grown to accept as sort of inevitable. He nuzzled her cheeks and temples, snuffling so hard that he sounded a little like Pakkun. Sakura tolerated this for a few seconds. When her patience ran out, she bit the tip of his nose. Kiba laughed.

“Alright. You’ve got all the luck you need. Put me down,” she told him. 

Kiba did. Because he had learned that after biting was one of her pinches. And those were surprisingly painful. 

“We’ll be back in a week,” he said.

“Be good,” she responded.

She stood in the doorway, watching him as he got into his truck. His shoulders rose to his ears as he gave an exaggerated shiver. And then he rubbed his hands up and down his arms before pointing at the house. Sakura leaned against the doorway. Stuck her tongue out at him in defiance. Kiba made a face at her. He hurried to shift the truck into gear to back out of the driveway. He raised his hand in greeting before he headed down the street. 

Sakura drove up to Empire City about once a week. Kakuzu always remarked on how much money she was spending on gas and tolls. 

“You offering to pay?” Sakura demanded, holding out her hand. Kakuzu looked from her hand to her face. And then responded by slowly giving her the middle finger. They snorted together.

“You can’t be this cranky. Not when I’ve got this for you,” Sakura then said, hitting the spacebar. A syncopated synth began beeping out of the speakers. Followed by an electric piano. And then came her signature sound: D-J Bunny in an echoing voice. 

Despite his glare, Kakuzu began bobbing his head along to the beat. 

The door opened. Temari’s head popped in, also bouncing up and down in time to the music. She flashed Sakura a thumb’s up. Sakura blew her a kiss in response.

When she visited Madara to play the track, his head remained quite still. He sat in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded across his chest. But when the second verse hit, the bass thrummed low. Madara gave a couple nods. He made an ‘ok’ sign with his right hand before recrossing his arms. 

“I like this. Can I have it?” Madara asked once the song ended. 

“Give me 6%,” Sakura requested.

“4.”

“6.”

“….5% and your usual up front,” Madara negotiated. He held his hand out. Sakura clucked her tongue, pointing at his gloves. Heaving a sigh, Madara peeled his right glove off to reveal his clawed fingers. His skin darkened toward the tips, almost like he had dipped them into ink. 

Sakura reached across the desk to shake his hand. His palm was hot. Madara flashed a smile, eyes glowing bright red for a second before they faded back to black. 

“For a demon, you’re pretty shitty at making deals, boss,” Sakura teased as their hands pulled apart. Madara ignored the jab as he hit the spacebar to replay the song. His foot tapped along to the beat. Polished Italian leather against polished tile. He pulled his glove back on. 

Sakura tilted her head as she looked him over. Madara was handsome. Anyone with eyes could see that. It baffled her why he wasn’t modeling or acting. A face like that would get him far. So she asked him. Madara was always an open book.

“Why am I doing this? Think carefully, darling,” answered Madara. He pointed above him, at the lines of gold and platinum records that hung in black frames. 

“Think of how many songs we’ve released. Think of all the concerts. Think of all the desire that generates. I’m feasting every day,” he pointed out. And then he patted his flat stomach. 

“Yeah, but people go crazy over movie stars too,” Sakura protested. Madara wagged his gloved finger. 

“Something about music drives people insane. The lust it generates…. well… you don’t look this good after 1000 without a healthy supply of sexual energy. I’m bathing in it every day, Bunny,” Madara spelled out. And he patted his smooth cheek as he spoke. 

“Swimming in that good, good incubus botox?” 

“If you want to be inelegant about it, yes,” replied Madara, head still bobbing. 

“Plus, you’ve got a bunch of half-sirens making all those songs for you,” Sakura mused, mostly to herself. Madara winked at her. His tail curled over his shoulder, smooth and pointed at the tip. 

“6%,” Sakura tried again. 

Madara laughed, throwing his head back. “You little devil, you."

Her new track had put Madara in a particularly generous mood. He had bought dinner for her and the other producers. Kakuzu, of course, ordered the filet mignon and lobster combo, shameless as ever. They chatted and laughed in the fancy restaurant. When they parted ways, Sakura drove Temari back to her apartment in the west end of the city. Temari fumbled for her keys in her purse as Sakura parked out front. 

“Thanks, Bunny,” Temari said. 

“Yeah. Of course, Tem.”

Temari opened up the car door, planted one foot on the sidewalk. And then she paused. Turning her head back to Sakura, she glanced around. In a low voice, Temari asked, “Any word from…. you know?”

“Who, Voldemort?” Sakura retorted. Temari squinted at her.

“No, Tem. No word. He’ll show when he shows,” sighed Sakura. 

Temari grimaced. “I don’t envy you, girl. He’s a mess. A hot mess…. but a mess,” Temari declared. And then she got out of the car. As Temari shut the door, Sakura lowered the window. She leaned over to peek out at her friend. It amazed Sakura how Temari managed to stand in those ridiculous heels sober, much less drunk. 

“Seriously…. hot mess,” added Temari.

“Good night, Tem,” was all Sakura said.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Sakura lingered to watch Temari scan her keycard to get into the building before she drove off.

The only alcohol she’d had all night was a sip of Madara’s sangria. Her head felt clear as she pulled onto the highway. She turned the radio up a little louder before she switched lanes. The heater thrummed at full blast against the cold night. The bright green signs that announced each exit rushed past. The numbers grew lower and lower as she drifted farther from the city. 

By now, her body knew exactly when to get off the highway. She knew how to navigate those dark, winding roads. And it almost didn’t surprise her when she glimpsed a shadow in her side view mirror as she drove into town. It followed her as she made a left turn. It paced back and forth on the sidewalk as she pulled into the driveway. Her tires crackled over the gravel. 

“Hey, Sheriff,” Sakura greeted him as she got out of her car. She locked it before she crunched up the path to her front porch. Keys jangled together as she unlocked the screen door. Kakashi only stayed long enough to watch her lock the patio door behind her. He had nagged her about doing so on more than one occasion. It still didn’t make much sense to her, since she always locked the inner door. But he seemed to think it was important. 

Sakura glimpsed the grim running down the road, deeper into the woods near her house. She knew that he would do a loop of the whole town. It was the last thing he did before heading home each night. 

It was barely past 10. But for some reason, she felt exhausted. She sat on top of the closed toilet lid as she scrubbed eyeliner and foundation off her face. She rubbed lavender lotion onto her arms as she waited for water to boil for her chamomile tea. And she fell asleep before she managed to finish her drink. 

When she woke, there was a brief moment of panic that she had slept the entire day away. Because it was dark outside. But, as she squinted through the blinds, she realized that it was just very overcast. Rain began to pour down on Old Pines about an hour later. She listened to the water drip off the roof, dribbling out of the gutter and onto the street. She climbed up to the loft, just to hear better. And then she set her metronome to match the tempo of the rain, lying on the rug as she soaked in the sounds. 

When noon rolled around, her stomach began to growl. There was food in the fridge, but none of it seemed particularly appealing at the moment. Sakura threw her raincoat on before running to her car. Ino’s cafe glowed in the dreary rain. Gerbera daisies had begun to bloom all around the front of the shop. A startling pop of color against the still-brown grass. 

The wind chimes clanged together as Sakura hurried into the cafe. She nearly ran into someone carrying a plastic cup. 

“Whoa!”

“Sorry!” Sakura yelped, her boots squeaking to a stop. 

Itachi held his strawberry smoothie high above his head. In his right hand was a light blue box with the logo of Ino’s cafe. He was all dressed up in a black suit and a camel coat. 

“Hi,” Sakura greeted him. 

“Hi.” He copied her tone. And then he smiled at her. Eyes lighting up.

“Haven’t seen you around lately. I guess you’ve been busy,” Itachi then said. He moved to the side as another customer made her way out of the cafe. 

“Yeah. You know. Writing songs. Although, you’re not getting anywhere near my new notebook,” Sakura joked. His smile faded.

“Seriously, I’m so-”

Sakura put her hand on his arm. “Hey. Relax. I’m kidding.” 

For a moment, she worried. Because his eyes unfocused a little. As she watched, he blinked a few times, shaking his head a little. When his eyes opened again, they were clear and bright. She felt a little proud of him. 

“Oh, I meant to text you. Do you like cheese and wine?” Itachi inquired. 

“I don’t know. Do fish like to swim?” she replied. Itachi didn’t answer right away. His forehead wrinkled a little as he seriously considered her answer.

“Well…. they kind of have to… to not die, right?” he responded after some thought. 

Laughing, Sakura nudged his arm. “Good point. I like wine and cheese, okay?”

“Big tech company is throwing a cheese and wine fundraiser. Do you want to be my plus one?” Itachi asked. Sakura could feel Ino’s stare sizzling into the back of her head as the fairy, undoubtedly, strained to hear her answer. 

“Hm… I don’t know. That sounds…. boring,” Sakura hedged. A fundraiser was just a bunch of stuffy rich people in expensive jewelry pretending to care about whatever charity they were donating to. Madara had made her go to precisely two with him before she had threatened to revolt. 

To her surprise, Itachi nodded. “Oh yeah. It’s super boring.”

Sakura stared at him. 

“Well, if you’re there, that’ll be at least one person with a real personality that I can talk to. It’s really to keep me sane. And free wine and cheese for you. My company’s paying,” Itachi explained. He took a sip of his smoothie.

“It’s a heated rooftop bar. If the wine sucks, there’s an open bar,” he added, reading the hesitation in her face. 

“I’m in,” she said right away. Itachi chuckled. 

Sakura mimed typing with her thumbs. “Text me details or I’ll forget,” she told him. Itachi nodded. And then glanced down at his watch. The apology was already in his eyes as he looked back up at her. 

“You look busy. Go,” she urged. Itachi nodded. She gave a light push to his chest before she moved past him. To where Ino stood at the counter. Ino’s eyes glittered as they darted from Itachi to Sakura. She held an iced coffee out to Sakura.

“Hel-loooo, Miss Popular,” Ino teased. Sakura shrugged. She took a long slurp of her drink.

Itachi held the door for someone on his way out. Ino and Sakura’s eyes were drawn to the noise. Just in time to see Kakashi walk into the cafe. Two dogs trailed after him, each wearing a tiny red poncho. A squeal rose up Sakura’s throat. The dogs noticed her before Kakashi did. Biscuit’s tail began wagging back and forth, slapping Kakashi’s thigh with fury. Bull’s butt just sort of vibrated as his stubby tail moved too.

“Got you, Sheriff,” Ino called out as she went to make his coffee. 

“Thanks, Ino,” Kakashi said in response. 

And then he smiled at Sakura. “Hey.” He held an arm out to her. Her greeting hug was light because there was still water dripping off his jacket. And then she bent to give the appropriate pets and baby talk to Bull and Biscuit. 

“Hey. Keep your muddy feet off her,” Kakashi scolded when Biscuit tried to paw at her legs. 

“Kakashi, why don’t you just buy them little rain boots? I think you can get them for like… 10 bucks,” Sakura suggested. And Kakashi gaped at her for a long moment before he shut his mouth. Then, in a low, conspiring voice, he asked, “They make those?”

Ino nearly sloshed hot coffee all over herself as she burst into laughter.

Life was peaceful. Almost mundane as March crept in. The cold seemed reluctant to go, like a houseguest that lingered too long after a party had clearly ended. The pine trees shed the white coat of snow they had worn for most of the season. And the last bits of snow pushed to the sides of the roads finally melted into dirty puddles.

Sakura leaned against the window in Ino’s cafe. She gnawed on a straw as she stared at her laptop screen. Ino dropped off another ice coffee that she hadn’t ordered. And then Ino’s weight leaned against her shoulder.

“You look annoyed,” commented Ino. 

“I hate writing lyrics,” Sakura grumbled. 

“Not your strong suit, huh?” Ino guessed.

“Mm.”

Ino rested the tray against her hip. “Well… good luck, I guess.”

“Mm,” Sakura said again.

After making little progress, Sakura shut her laptop. Sighing loudly, she got to her feet. She had hoped that moving to somewhere new would shake things up. Kickstart her brain. All she had managed to do was drain her computer battery. 

“Nothing?” asked Ino as Sakura approached the counter. Sakura stuffed some bills into the tip jar, ignoring Ino’s glare.

“Go take a nap. You’re exhausted,” Ino urged her. And then she pushed off the counter. A few seconds later, the cafe door opened. A customer walked inside. 

“Thanks, Ino,” Sakura called. Ino’s hand rose from behind the espresso machine. Then there was a loud whir as the machine began foaming milk. 

Sakura walked outside. Her laptop secured inside her backpack. The ground was still busy soaking up the melted snow in many parts of town. Her boots did a good job of navigating through the muddiest patches. Hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, Sakura began the short walk home. Even the thin sunlight that poked out through the clouds was welcome after months of grey, snowy days. 

She had walked a lot when she lived in Empire City too. More out of necessity than anything. Because parking was expensive and almost impossible to find during certain times of the day. But Sakura liked walking. It gave her time to think in a way that driving didn’t. Plus the wind helped clear her mind, even as her cheeks began to turn cold. 

As Sakura turned the corner onto her street, she squinted. There was a black car parked across the street from her house. She had seen it too many times not to recognize it. Her heart began to race, even as her steps slowed. 

Hidan always joked that Tobirama almost looked like he was a CG character. Like he was a little too good-looking to fit in anywhere. This was a pretty accurate overall description of Tobirama, though. 

'Sharp nose, sharper jaw, and sharpest eyes’, Madara always listed in that order.

Tobirama sat on the hood of his car. She recognized his broad shoulders, even from the end of the block. He ran his hand through his hair before he looked around. It was silver, tinged just a little blue. He glanced down at his phone’s glowing screen. 

Sakura was almost tip-toeing as she neared her house. He still hadn’t spotted her. His legs were stretched out in front of him, just the heels of his boots resting on the asphalt. His feet moved back and forth, the tops moving apart and then clicking together. She had the feeling that he had been waiting out there for a while. 

She sucked in a deep breath, eyes drifting down as she tried to come up with a plan. It had been such a long time since she had seen him. And even though he had said in his email that he wasn’t mad, she couldn’t stop herself from worrying. She had sort of stolen his futon. And blocked his number. And not responded to any of his emails.

“Sakura.”

Her eyes flew up from the sidewalk. To his face. Her stomach lurched. 

He was looking over his shoulder at her. A smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Sakura.” He said her name again. 

His mouth stretched into a grin, revealing his top teeth. Eyes squinting into half-moons. Sakura took a few steps closer. There was a bouquet of lilies sitting on the hood of his car too. Dark pink with the edges of each petal fading to white. Her throat felt clogged.

He got to his feet. 

“Tobirama.” His name came out as a croak.

He hurried the rest of the way to her. 

The inside of her head got a little fuzzy as he wrapped his arms around her. His cologne smelled so good. She took a deep breath, pressing her face to the front of his gray sweater. His leather jacket creaked a little. His hands linked against her lower back. He felt cold.

“I’m sorry. Whatever I said or did. I’m sorry,” he said. Rocking them back and forth.

She shook her head. She didn’t trust her voice to come out right at all. 

“I should’ve come back faster. I’m sorry,” Tobirama added. She loved the way his voice vibrated out through his chest. Into her cheek and ear. Like his voice was flowing through her veins. 

Sakura let out a shaky sigh. Hands slipping into his jacket to rest against his chest. 

“Are you still mad at me?” he then asked.

Sakura nodded. And Tobirama laughed. His hands rubbed up and down her back. 

“I thought so,” he chuckled. 

[fortitude-sakura]

Noir [2/?]

Oh hey. They finally meet.

Rating: M

Tags: Corporate AU

AO3

previous | next

She had hoped to see the dark haired stranger again. However among all her coffee runs, she never saw him again.

A few weeks later and 2 months into her first intern rotation, her Team Leader approaches her desk.

“Hey Sakura, there’s a meeting with all the other team leads for the Hyperia 2 project. I’m supposed to take you with me.” he says, rather bluntly, as if it were a huge inconvenience to him. “As part of the intern program.”

“Sure. Is there anything I need to prepare for it?” she asks, grabbing her notebook and pen.

“Nah, you’re just there to observe or something.”

With that, he shuffles back into his office (probably to play Solitaire on his computer or look up motorcycles as Sakura had caught him doing on multiple occasions).

He didn’t even tell me when the meeting is. Sakura realised. Rolling her eyes, she finds the calendar item on the team calendar.

This afternoon? Way to give me a heads up.

She still hadn’t finished the scope work for one of the tickets she was working on and she also had a dozen tickets in her triage queue. Technically sorting through the triage was the duty of the Team Leader but she noticed that he had a propensity to ‘delegate’ those duties to her. In fact, if there was anything he could delegate, he would.

At first she was happy to accept more responsibility, but in doing so she had opened a floodgate of other delegated duties on top of those coffee runs every few hours. However she wouldn’t back down from the challenge. It would make for a compelling case for Uchiha Enterprises to keep her on as a full time employee.

She’s called to do one last coffee run before the meeting and walks with her Team Leader towards the meeting room. By the time they arrive at the meeting room, she could see all the other interns there already and she knows they were the last ones there. The Head of Talent Acquisition, Hatake Kakashi is also there, standing in the corner reading something.

She received some side eye glances from her fellow interns (however only Toshiro maintained a smug, self assured smirk on his face) and joins them quietly at the back of the room while her Team Lead took a seat at the table.

“Now that we’re all here. Let’s start.” a baritone voice says from the head of the table.

Sakura looks up from her notebook and her eyes widen with recognition.

The guy from Milk Grind!

“Before we begin - interns, this is Uchiha Sasuke, Director of Uchiha Enterprises and his executive assistant, Toshiba Keiko.” said Kakashi. Keiko gives them a quick wave without looking up from her laptop.

Sakura felt her face grow hot with the realisation that she had been checking out her boss’ boss. She thanked her lucky stars that he hadn’t spared her a glance that day, with all that ogling she was doing. That would have made for something awkward if he had called her out.

Uchiha Sasuke was so much more than the handsome stranger from Milk Grind. He was calm and collected, listening intently to all the Team Leads and making his own comments and observations. There was no pussyfooting around - his comments were sharp and could almost be considered rude with the tone of voice he was using but they were all valid points to make.

He never seemed to smile, even if the ideas presented were good, he would simply acknowledge it with a nod and a curt “Okay.”.  

After all the ideas were pitched, Director Uchiha leans back in his seat, arms folded across his broad chest, a frown maring his handsome face.

“All of these ideas are good, but they don’t solve the problem of our clients leaving us while the development of Hyperia 2 is underway.”

Tension hung thick in the air. The Team Leads were at a loss. The meeting was to propose solutions in order to prevent clients from not renewing their licence to Hyperia. They had been working on Hyperia 2, it’s successor but troubles in development meant that deadlines had to be pushed back. Hyperia was outdated by current standards and a few clients had opted not to renew their licence as there were other software solutions that were more modern. At least, that’s what Sakura had gathered from the reports she had read.

“Anyone?”

She looks over at her fellow interns, who were all staring at each other blankly.

Sakura did have an idea but it was more like the application of theory they fed you in university than an actual workable solution. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t hurt right? It made sense in theory.

“Um,” she says, her voice catching in her dry throat. “User involvement.”

No one moves.

Director Uchiha raises an eyebrow.

Oh god oh god oh god. That’s it. I’m totally done. I’m going to get the ‘know your place’ lecture. I’m toast  Burnt toast.

“Go on.” he says quietly, inviting her to explain further.

“Well in the interim we could dedicate a team to provide ongoing support for our users as well as develop some new features for Hyperia.”

“You mean Hyperia 2?” asks one Team Lead.

“No. For the original Hyperia. We conduct user tests to gauge what our users like and dislike about Hyperia and what features they’d think would be valuable. We can conduct user acceptance testing and those new features can then be incorporated into Hyperia 2 which might make the transition easier.” she says slowly. “We buy ourselves time and also appeal to our users directly. They get perceived value because we’re listening to what they want which gives them an incentive to stay with us. We could also offer them opportunities to beta test Hyperia 2 because they would have the best idea of how a user wants to utilise the software.”

“You sound like you’re reciting a textbook.” Director Uchiha says.

The interns and Team Leads at the table snicker. She felt her face go red and her eyes burn.

“But.”

Silence fell over the room in an instant. Even Keiko stopped typing (or from what Sakura could tell from the reflection of the window she’s sitting in front of, browsing for shoes).

“It was a good idea.”

She looks up to see him smirk. Her heart feels like it wants to leap out of her chest with pride.

“What’s your name?”

“Haruno Sakura.”

“Who’s your Team Lead?”

“That’d be me.” her Team Lead says gruffly.

The Director narrows his eyes and if she isn’t mistaken, there’s a hint of contempt. “Keiko, did you write that down?”

“Huh? That part with user acceptance testing and Hyperia? Yeah.” she says. Keiko had gotten so bored during the meeting that she was slouching in her chair.

Director Uchiha shoots her a look before giving a subtle eye roll. “Alright, that should be it for now.”

They all file out of the room, separating as they head back to their own offices. Her Team Lead is really taking his own sweet time getting his papers in order. She decides to wait around for him outside the meeting room - it was the polite thing to do, right?

When he finally comes out of the meeting room, his hand finds her elbow.

“Come here.” her Team Lead growls at her as his grip tightens rather painfully. Sakura is marched over around the corner into the lobby. .

“I know what you’re trying to do you, you conniving little bitch.” he snaps.

“What?” Sakura asks, feeling both perplexed and angry by the sudden insult.

“You should have shared that  little idea of yours with me before the meeting. What did you expect to achieve by humiliating me?”

“Nothing! It was just something I thought of in the moment. I didn’t even know what the meeting was about until it started.” Sakura says, trying to keep her voice as even as she possibly can. It’s hard considering her Team Lead’s grip on her elbow is painfully hard now. She tries pulling away but it only makes him hold on tighter.

“Don’t forget, I’m the one who writes your intern review.” he snarls, finally letting go. “Now go get me some coffee.”

“Keiko, go write up the minutes of that meeting and find out which organizations that use Hyperia would be best for user testing.” Sasuke says as the Team Leads and interns head out of the meeting room. Keiko nods and leaves.

“Hmm, and to think we almost didn’t hire her.” Kakashi muses quietly.

“That intern?” Sasuke asks, immediately interested. “With the pink hair?”

She had been quite an interesting intern indeed. Not once in a meeting did an intern ever speak up - they were all either too scared to contribute or their heads were filled with cotton candy and not much else. He also doesn’t remember any other intern with such shockingly pink hair either. The dress code was business professional and having hair that colour was certainly not part of the dress code.

“Yes, and before you ask, yes apparently her hair is naturally pink. She even sent us baby pictures to prove it.” Kakashi says chuckling as they turned the corner towards the elevator lobby. “They’re quite adorable.”

Suddenly, Sasuke’s arm flies out and hits him in the chest.

Sasuke hears hushed, harsh whispers from the elevator lobby. It’s undeniably the intern and her useless Team Lead.

“You should have shared that  little idea of yours with me before the meeting. What did you expect to achieve my humiliating me?”

“Nothing! It was just something I thought of in the moment. I didn’t even know what the meeting was about until it started.”

“Don’t forget, I’m the one who writes your intern review. Now go get me some coffee.”

They listen for the tell tale elevator ‘Ding!’, the shuffle of feet and the closing of the elevator door.

“Get me a file on her.”

“Sure, I can get Takaya to email you her personnel file.”

“No, I want you to compile a dossier.”

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. Never once in his time at Uchiha Enterprises has Sasuke ever asked him to compile a dossier. Sure, he had once worked as a private investigator (searching for cheating spouses and the like) and it’s what compelled Uchiha Itachi to hire him (aside from his friendship with Namikaze Minato who was familiar with the Uchihas), however Sasuke had never once asked him to utilize this set of skills.

A few days later, Kakashi puts a manila folder on his desk.

“There’s not a lot to her.” Kakashi says, pulling out a book - Icha Icha Paradise.

“Seriously?” Sasuke gives him a withering look. Kakashi was fairly shameless about his love affair with the Icha Icha erotic novel series and would openly read everywhere - in restaurants, in meetings, right in front of his employer. According to Kakashi, Jiraiya is a genius writer.

“I want to finish the good part before I have to check up on Ponyu.” Kakashi shrugs.

Sasuke wants to point out that he had read that particular Icha Icha novel already (Kakashi also likes to re-read). Annoyingly enough as well, Kakashi also made a special agreement with Itachi that he could take off early to care for his rescue dogs and work from home instead. Kakashi has been taking more time off than usual because his newest rescue, a goofy dalmatian called Ponzu, was a bit of a handful.

His intercom buzzes and he hears Keiko clear her throat.

“Uzumaki Naruto wants to know if you’re still on for lunch.”

“Why on earth did you hire Keiko?” Sasuke snaps at Kakashi.

“A lesson in patience, my dear Sasuke.” Kakashi’s eyes twinkle in amusement and Sasuke knows that he’s smiling underneath that facemask he likes to wear so much.

Sasuke glances at his watch -  “Yeah, tell the dobe I’ll be at the usual place at 12:30pm.”

Foolishly, he brings the file out to lunch with him with the intention of looking through it after.

He sees his best friend outside the ramen bar, his loosed orange tie standing out.

“Oi, teme!” Naruto calls out as he spots him on the street. “Whatcha got there?”

Sasuke decides to sidestep the topic - not that he’s trying to hide anything from Naruto but he’d rather not have to endure Naruto’s idiotic looks.

It’s not a very kind thing to say about your best friend but it’s because Naruto is his best friend that he feels at liberty to think these things. (Although you’d never hear Sasuke admit that without Naruto, his life would be rather dull and sometimes the dobe’s idiot tendencies can be endearing).

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Their usual haunt is a ramen bar - Ichiraku’s. It’s a hidden gem of a place in one of the side alleys of the city. There’s barely any room to swing a cat but it serves the best ramen and Naruto is one of Ichiraku’s best customers. They even named a menu item after him - tonkotsu ramen with all the toppings and an extra serving of meat, otherwise known as the Naruto special.

“So, are you going home for Itachi’s birthday?” Naruto asks between large slurps.

“Yeah, I’d never hear the end of it from Izumi or Shisui if I didn’t.” he replies, taking another big mouthful of ramen. While he didn’t share the same kind of intense affection for ramen that Naruto does, he could certainly appreciate how good Ichiraku makes it.

“Oooooh. Who’s this? She’s kinda cute.” Naruto said. Sasuke had been so busy savouring his lunch that he hadn’t noticed Naruto reach for the manila folder he brought out.

“What the fuck? Hey!” Sasuke snatches the folder out of Naruto’s hands. “Need I remind you that you’re engaged?”

Naruto laughs. “Oh yeah I forgot to ask you but you’ll be my best man at the wedding right? I just assumed but Hina-chan told me to make sure.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes at Naruto. “I’d be offended if I wasn’t, usuratonkachi.”  

“Alright good.”

He heads to Milk Grind before returning to the office. He comes down when he can because of Keiko’s inability to remember is damn coffee order (which is weird considering Keiko wasn’t stupid by any means. He suspects she does it on purpose just to piss him off).

He finds an armchair in the corner and finally goes through the dossier Kakashi had compiled for him.

There are some baby pictures - indeed proving that Haruno Sakura was born with this abnormal strawberry milk coloured hair. He learns that she had graduated from Konoha University and attended with a scholarship. Clever girl. The only other employment she had before the internship was at Lucky Sevens - a small diner near the university. Independent girl. She lived in an apartment in a rather shady area of Konoha with a roommate - Tenten Wu. Most likely due to the lack of finances and how cheap the rent is. Aside from the academic transcripts, there really wasn’t a whole lot more to Haruno Sakura.

There were also some notes from when Sakura was being interviewed for the internship. She had answered the questions reasonably well and she was a well qualified candidate. Scribbled at the bottom on the notes there was the word ‘Hair?!’.

“Hey Sakura! What is this, your third run today?”

His ears perk up at the sound of her name being mentioned. Sure enough, at the counter was the pink-haired intern.

“Yeah, I have to go drop off his dry cleaning too.” she complains, “I still haven’t finished all the work he gave me yet either.”

“Man, he’s running you like a slave.”

“Tell me about it. I just hope whoever I have to work under next is better. Anyway, see you later!”

He frowns. Why the hell are interns running around like personal assistants?

He pulls out his phone and sends a text to Kakashi.

I want you find Keiko another position.

Where?

Anywhere. Wherever she wants. Put Haruno Sakura on as my EA when the interns change teams.

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