#in which I use like five different fics to assemble the next like ten chapters

[uchihasakurawrites]

Manifest (1)

Rating: T for language & depictions of violence

Summary: Their soulmate bond is borne of blood. With war on the horizon and tensions rising in Konoha, Itachi and Sakura try to navigate their newfound connection while balancing the growing demands of their own worlds. [Non-Massacre AU; Soulmate AU; ItaSaku]

Word Count: 3,394

Warning: This chapter contains somewhat graphic depictions of violence, so please wait until chapter 2 if that's difficult for you to read.

Note: Itachi doesn’t actually appear in this chapter. Chapter 2 will focus more on Itachi’s POV while the events of this chapter are happening - if you’re looking for ItaSaku interactions right away, please wait until I post the next part before you start reading!

(Also, heads up that I’m studying for graduate school & changing positions at work right now, so my updates on any multi-chapter fics will be slow this spring/summer. Thanks to everyone who’s still sticking with me!)

Cross-posted on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net

_____________________________________________________________

Two careless hand signals from her captain telling the team to scatter and engage  bring Sakura’s pristine ANBU record crashing down in blood-soaked shards.

Every logical fiber of her being had screamed at the silent command, her near-decade of experience with Team 7 having seared the importance of teamwork into her mind. If not for the rogue nin on their heels, Sakura would have pressed the issue, arguing for a tactical retreat with the information they had gathered on the budding Iwa-Ame alliance.

Not that her rookie captain - a Hyūga with a superiority complex that could have easily topped Sasuke’s during his genin days - would have listened.

Staying together was the only way they stood a chance. Their mismatched ANBU squad was as well-balanced as Tsunade could manage with the current strain on Konoha’s ANBU forces. Impending war stretched ANBU thin, and those who weren’t assigned to diplomatic security details were saddled with near back-to-back missions; in the past six months alone, Sakura had almost doubled the number of missions she had completed in her entire first year with ANBU.

Intel of a meeting between Ame and Iwa leadership reached Tsunade’s desk when most of her veteran ANBU had already been dispatched. Amegakure, which had never fully recovered from the previous war, had remained neutral despite increasing tensions between the five great nations, and it was imperative that they remain so.

Losing neutral territory that bordered both Suna and Konoha would provide the enemy a staging area far too close to home, so Tsunade scraped together the best reconnaissance team she could with the resources she had left. Sakura knew from the grim look in her mentor’s eyes as she explained the parameters of the mission that she was assigned to this team for the sole purpose of dragging them all back home alive, as was usually the case any time she was assigned outside of her unit.

Sakura counted herself lucky that there happened to be a Hyūga and an Aburame available for the mission to make infiltrating the meeting undetected easier.

Out of her four-man cell, Sakura had the most field experience with just over ninety successful ANBU missions under her belt. The Hyūga had only recently been promoted to captain, and she could read his need to prove his worth in the way he carried himself: nose held a touch too high in the air, a smirk twisting his lips, and an arrogant sway to his hips as he strutted into the Hokage’s office.

A small part of her mind, the one that kept her entertained on particularly mind-numbing missions, absently wondered if punting him halfway to Suna would fix both his ego and his stride.

Pride had no place in ANBU.

The Aburame and the boy who looked as though he had been promoted three years to young were tolerable enough. She’d seen finer control of the Aburame Clan techniques during her occasional work with Shino, but Tetsuya still managed to get the job done and relayed enough information back for Sakura to record in a sealed scroll that she would deliver to Tsunade upon their return.

Kaito, who she discovered had joined ANBU less than a month prior, had surprised her with his fine-tuned tweaks to the strategy she had laid out once she’d managed to get their captain to shut the hell up  for two seconds and listen to input from his team. Sakura became rather fond of the younger boy during their two-week mission, perhaps because his personality reminded her of a teenage Naruto.

When she witnessed Kaito’s chakra control firsthand, she’d proposed the idea of recruiting him into the ANBU medical program. She could hear the grin behind his mask through the string of eager questions he endlessly chattered about as they sprinted home. With a laugh, she promised to file the request with Tsunade as soon as they got back to Konoha.

What she didn’t expect was for him to be slaughtered as they crossed the border into Grass.

With the odds stacked against her team 3:1, Sakura decides retreat is the cleanest option for their team and turns towards her captain, expecting him to reach the same conclusion and give the order.

His two hand signals and the team’s immediate obedience lock her muscles in disbelief; sure, taking a prisoner from this situation could provide another well of information, but that was only if her team somehow managed to win the fight.

Reporting back that their team had been pursued by Grass nin would have been enough information for Tsunade to work with. A different team could have been assembled to follow up, and Konoha would have at least been warned.

Her team is at a severe disadvantage fighting on unfamiliar terrain after a full day of running at top-speed to clear Earth’s border. Torrential rain means that they will have to fight almost blind, and the Hyūga seems to have forgotten that the rest of his team doesn’t have the same benefit of a dōjutsu.

Sakura won’t even be able to provide adequate medical support for her team if they scatter, as summoning Katsuyu would both expose her identity and require more chakra than she should expend with how much further they have left to go to reach home.

Well aware that her actions could give her captain adequate grounds to write her up for insubordination on the off chance they survive, Sakura takes off in the same direction as Kaito. He’s the most likely to accept her assistance, and the faster Sakura can drag him back to regroup with their teammates, the faster they can leave.

The third rule for all medical nin rings clearly in her mind: No medic shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon.

Sakura has yet to lose a teammate on a mission, and she’ll be damned if the Hyūga’s reckless call changes that.

She catches up to Kaito quickly, calling out a quick Doton: Doryu Heki to throw up a fifteen foot mud wall between him and an enemy lunging at his back. She adjusts the flow of chakra to her feet to use the slickness of the ground to her advantage, releasing some of her traction on the mud to slide underneath the swing of a sword and slash chakra scalpels across the assailant’s heels. In a single fluid motion, Sakura thrusts herself up from her crouched position and follows through with a fist into the man’s back.

The sensation of muscle and bone snapping underneath her knuckles is so familiar that she doesn’t falter when the ANBU’s spine snapps clean in half. At some point, she’d lost count of the number of shinobi she’d broken with her hands alone.

Sakura doesn’t have time to check their surroundings further, opting instead to shunshin to Kaito’s right and weave her chakra into a Doton: Iwa no Doomu jutsu. It’s a strategic move to conserve chakra, building on her last jutsu as she wrenches additional walls from the ground to enclose them in a rock-solid dome.

She grabs Kaito’s wrist before the chokutō he jabs in her direction can make contact.

Kaito’s emotions are again an open book, even with his cloak and mask still intact. She can read the fear in the trembling left hand that clutches his shoulder, where a katon has seared his uniform into his skin.

His hoarse “S-Sakura-senpai!” instead of her codename broadcasts his inexperience; it’s pure luck that none of the Grass ANBU have gotten close enough to guess her identity. They don’t need the bounty on her head further complicating the situation.

Sakura makes a mental note to personally track down whoever gave this kid the green light for ANBU. He’s talented but clearly needs more field experience before he’s ready for ANBU-caliber missions and the heightened risks that come with them.

They have just under thirty seconds before she needs to release her hold on the dome. The Grass nins’ lightning jutsu grate at the threads of her earth-natured chakra, and there are already too many negative strategic implications for staying in one place as long as they have.

“Monkey,” Sakura speaks in code in hopes that hearing it will snap Kaito back to his senses. “I’m going to cast a genjutsu over the surrounding ten square meters. Escape underground, and get to Ant. Regroup with taichou and retreat. Move!”

She punctuates the command with a chakra laden smack to Kaito’s uninjured shoulder, just forceful enough to startle him out of the daze he had slipped into. With a shaky nod, Kaito snaps through the signs for the Earth jutsu and vanishes into the ground. Sakura drapes her genjutsu over the area just outside the dome and follows right behind.

Tetsuya is spread across the ground in pieces when they arrive at his position.

Choking down the bile that rises in her throat at the gruesome display - most field kills are more clean-cut, partly for efficiency and partly out of respect, even for an enemy shinobi - Sakura forces herself to focus on nothing but strategy and the enemies fully prepared to kill her next.

The rate she’s been burning through jutsu isn’t sustainable, but there are too many enemies left for her to engage in close-combat, and the ground is too wet to shatter. She’s already having to direct additional chakra to both her eyes for visibility and her cardiovascular system to maintain body heat.

She and Kaito are going to have to make a stand here, at least until they can thin the enemy’s numbers enough to create an opening to their team leader. With what little she’s seen of his abilities, their captain should be able to hold on for another few minutes.

Sakura is painfully reminded of why she prefers to work with her regular team when Kaito dives toward the nearest ANBU, the faint glow of lightning-natured chakra humming down his blade.

Team 7’s battle formations were second nature; they discussed mission-specific strategy setting out, but their battles were almost wordless. In this situation, Sasuke and Naruto would have taken on the long-range fighters as Kakashi drove the mid-range fighters into close-range combat with Sakura. Sai would have provided aerial support focused on mid-range fighters if Sakura had her hands full at close-range.

She resolves to never complain about her teammates’ penchant for turning every fight into a damn competition again - even with their dramatics, she’s never once doubted that her team will be there at the exact moment she needs them.

She’s yet to feel that level of synchrony with any other team, and she certainly doesn’t feel it now.

Sakura keeps Kaito in her peripheral vision as she catches a blade with her kunai and tries to fit his style into one of ANBU’s standard formations. New ANBU squads typically operate on variations of a standardized set of battle formations, as the sets allow for more flexibility between teams.

Kaito’s style, however, is erratic, driven by fear as his eyes stray towards every piece of his teammate he manages to spot on the ground. His stilted movements are more focused on keeping the enemies closest to him back than coordinating an attack with her.

Sakura adds yet another resolution to her increasingly long list, but she’s viciously stubborn that she’ll get back to Konoha and check every one of them off. She’ll need to speak to Tsunade about integrating more teamwork scenarios into ANBU’s training regimen.

Lashing out alone is the fastest way to die in the field.

Sakura sweeps her thumb along the seals on the underside of her left wrist-guard and launches a set of poisoned senbon at the three ANBU closest to her. She doesn’t actually expect the senbon to hit, and they don’t as the ANBU either dodge or deflect. Instead, Sakura takes advantage of the split second distraction to shunt chakra into her feet and drive close enough to an ANBU to trace a chakra scalpel neatly across their jugular.

The body hasn’t hit the ground before Sakura has the ANBU’s katana out of its scabbard and moves towards the next target.

She manages to hold her own for several more minutes, exchanging blows and countering a handful of A- and B-rank elemental jutsu with her own, until a scream cuts through the air. It’s the desperation in the scream - a wet, terrified noise almost ripped from Kaito’s throat - that draws Sakura’s attention from her own fight.

Time seems to slow as she realizes she’s not fast enough to stop what’s about to happen. She can almost hear Sasuke’s constant harping for her to work on her speed over the rushing sound in her ears.

Kaito stands frozen, mask shattered to pieces on the ground, as he locks gazes with one of the Grass shinobi. Before Kaito even has the chance to realize he’s ensnared in a genjutsu, the Grass nin’s companion brings his sword down on the boy’s neck.

Desperation immediately overshadows any grief Sakura might have felt over Kaito’s death as she finds herself surrounded by seven of the original twelve ANBU. Her natural chakra reserves are just over a third full, enough to push out a few elemental jutsu with her level of chakra control, and most of the wounds she’s sustained are minor sans the two-inch deep gash in her thigh. Her eyes burn from the strain of the chakra she continues to circulate through them, and she can feel the rain leeching warmth from her body.

She’s not hopeless, not yet. Not until long after she’s tapped out her byakugō and the scrolls at her waist. She’s got plenty of hell left to give.

That same desperation begins to give way to mounting anger at the brutal way her teammates have been killed, but she shoves it back in hopes of finding her captain in this mess and getting out. If they can lose the Grass ANBU even for a few seconds, she can use one of her personal genjutsu to hide their presence until they can work out a safe route to Konoha.

Her strategy is promptly dropped when the same man who captured Kaito in a genjutsu motions to one of his own teammates. Hyūga Ryota’s body drops unceremoniously to the muddy ground, at the best angle for Sakura to see that his eyes have been taken.

She’s only slightly relieved to notice the weak rise and fall of his chest.

As the pieces click into place, Sakura realizes that the attack with this large of an ANBU force was too well-timed to be a coincidence. If Grass had known there would be a Hyūga on their squad, this was an inside job.

A Leaf traitor had cost her two teammates.

It’s all Sakura can do to keep her breathing under control and steel herself against the steady voice in her mind that calls for blood. She gives Ryota a quick once over and decides that he may not survive long enough for her to retrieve the Byakugan and get them somewhere she can provide proper medical treatment.

Kakashi’s first lesson to her team - that those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum - runs through her head to damn the decision she comes to, but this is war, and she’s confident she can accomplish both objectives if she plays this smart enough. Her mind is already running through every possible scenario in which she can find the eyes in time to get Ryota out of there.

Sakura shifts into a defensive stance and surveys the ANBU who form a staggered circle around her, but curiously have yet to move against her. She promptly discards that observation, as she’ll gladly take the first move. She doesn’t even try to pretend she has a chance against all of them at once, so she prioritizes.

She’ll start with the ANBU who had been carrying Ryota and work her way through the masks she doesn’t recognize from her and Kaito’s earlier fights if that one doesn’t have the eyes.

A low laugh catches her just as she makes her way into the signs of a suiton jutsu she’d intended to use to capitalize on the relentless rain. Again, the voice is there, edging closer to the forefront of Sakura’s mind and clamoring for her to make the man who finds this amusing bleed.

She’s not sure how much energy she cares to spend continuing to stifle that voice.

“Haruno Sakura - the Tsuchikage requests your presence back in Iwagakure. Come quietly, and I’ll have the Hyūga boy dropped safely back in the Land of Fire near a well-traveled trail so he’ll be picked up soon.”

Sakura slowly drops her hands back to her sides, one with an active chakra scalpel and the other resting on top of her kunai pouch, as she unpacks that one statement. It’s evidence that Grass has joined the long list of smaller countries aligning with the enemy and that the contact in Konoha is privy to sensitive information beyond ANBU, who don’t use those regular trails.

She also notes the implications of how the Grass shinobi, who she pegs as the leader, phrased his statement - the Tsuchikage seemed to want her alive, most likely to lure the rest of Team 7 into enemy territory. It gives her a bit more leeway, since she’ll be the only one fighting to kill.

Baring her teeth, Sakura bites out a tart response:

“You can tell the Tsuchikage to go to fucking hell. Keep each other company once I take you out, asshole.”

Another laugh. The circle of ANBU take a step closer. Red tinges Sakura’s vision as the leader twists his sword into Ryota’s palm, earning a broken whimper she can still hear clearly through the rain.

Sakura’s moving with a speed even Sasuke would have been proud of in the next moment, her kunai bearing down on the man’s throat. She meets his gaze head-on, wanting to see the life drain out of them, and instead sees the world melt into an inverted grey-scale before she can even nick his skin.

The lead Grass nin is a fucking Uchiha. A shinobi from one of the Leaf’s most powerful clans turned rogue.

“You traitorous bastard.”

Sakura’s low growl is met with a louder, clearer version of the laugh she’d just heard seconds before that echoes in the empty space around her.

“Just say the word when you’re ready to come willingly, Sa-ku-ra-chan. Or don’t.”

The world around her goes dark. It’s an empty, infinite blackness without the sharply defined edges that come with shadows in reality. This is a formless, all-encompassing sort of darkness that threatens to steal the air from her lungs and breathes a chill of terror down the back of her neck.

It’s a genjutsu. Focus, Sakura.

Over the course of what feels like days stretched into weeks stretched into years, Sakura watches as her friends, family, and comrades are taken apart piece by piece. She feels the phantom pain as Sasuke’s Sharingan bright eyes are torn from their sockets, all while he rages at her for being the same annoying, useless, pathetic girl she was as a child.

Escape, Sakura. Focus.

She feels the slicing and tearing of a hundred swords piercing every inch of her body as she watches the same happen to Kakashi until he bleeds out, all while he spits venom about having ever been assigned to teach such a useless little girl who has no business playing kunoichi. Dead weight, he calls her.

She screams through the torture of having her skin flayed from her bones as Naruto is stripped of his. The image of his bright smile faltering into a silent scream follows her even as she tries to close her eyes.

Lee. Neji. Shikamaru. Kankuro. Hinata. Chouji. Tenten. Shizune. Sai. Ino. Tsunade. Okaa-san. Otou-san. On and on and on.

Sakura snaps. Black lines twist out from her seal, etching themselves down her cheeks and arms. She doesn’t even notice as the force of her chakra and rage shatters the genjutsu around her, the mantra of kill kill kill ringing through her mind as she lunges to the first sign of movement.

Soaked to the bone in blood, Sakura doesn’t notice the red string that knots itself around her wrist as her hand plunges through the chest of her enemy.

_____________________________________________________________

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I was a little hesitant to post this since another one of my works starts with a fight scene as well, but hopefully I was able to convey the emotional difference between the two. A Lesson in Practicality will be a Time Travel AU (eventually), while this one is obviously a Soulmate AU! I've also never written ItaSaku, so fingers crossed.

Please let me know your thoughts if you have the time. Your feedback means the world to me. ^_^

[celtics534]

Natural Chapter 17

And we have reached the end! Thank you guys so much for being so amazing during this story! I had way too much fun writing it! @thedistantdusk, @gryffindormischief, and Arnel were amazing throughout the entirety of this fic and I appreciate everything they have done for me! 

Also read on: FF.net or AO3

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry flexed his fingers the minute Ginny released his hand. They had been in the private hospital room for over three hours and there was still another centimeter of dilation to go. The last contraction had nearly made Ginny break his hand.

 “You’re doing so well, Ginny.” Padma beamed, as she looked up at Ginny from her position at the end of the bed. “I think we’ll be ready to push in the next hour.”

 “Thank, Merlin,” Ginny groaned as she fell back into the pillow.

 Molly came over and wiped her daughter's brow with a wet flannel. “You're doing great, dear.”

 “I don't know how you did this six times.” Ginny reached a hand out to Harry, who took the offering. “I know I should feel sorry about your hand, but this is all your fault.”

 “I'm more than happy to take the blame.” Harry leaned over and kissed her soaked forehead. “Do need anything?”

 “Other than your spawn out of my body? No, nothing --” Ginny cut herself off with a grunt as another wave nauseating pain plowed through her body. She squeezed Harry's hand in a vice-like grip, making him wince.

  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 “And we're at ten centimeters!” Padma called. She waved her wand and a Moses basket appeared from thin air. “You ready to meet your baby?”

It was then that it all became real to Harry. He was about to become a father. Sure, he had thought about it over the course of the last seven months. But daydreaming about something and being presented with it before your very eyes were two very different things.

 He looked over at Ginny. Her hair was matted and her face flushed, but Merlin she was so beautiful. Words became lost to Harry. He nodded at Padma, who was smiling at him.

 When Ginny nodded her agreement too, her breath steadying, and Harry wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders as he kissed her temple.

 When she looked up at him, Harry could see her own excitement through the pain.

 “Alright, Ginny, on the next contraction I need you to push. Can you do that?” Padma’s calm voice seemed to bolster Ginny’s confidence.

 Again, Ginny nodded.

 “Okay, then, here we go.”

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 “How long does it take to have a baby?” Sirius asked, his body slumped in the chair as a moody teenager might after being told they couldn’t go to a party.

 Both families had assembled at St Mungo's. George had sent patronuses out to everyone he could think of. Harry, his mother, Harry’s mother, all his brothers, the staff at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Yeah, the last one didn’t make sense, but he had been in a panic, alright?

 George had been sitting in the same chair since Harry had arrived. Harry had rushed past him, straight into the room his wife had been checked into. Next to arrive had been Harry’s parents (which included Sirius), then George’s parents came into the reception room not a minute later. That had been five hours ago. Since then, more people had arrived, including both the Harpies and Puddlemere teams, but they had been told to leave as to not overcrowd the relatives room or the new parents.

 Lily scoffed at Sirius. “I was in labor with Harry for twenty hours, Sirius. It can take a while.”

 Sirius straightened. “I remember that. That seemed so much quicker.”

 James laughed. “That’s because you and Remus decided to show up pissed off your arses and slept for most of the birthing process.”

 “We had been honoring the future marauder!”

 “Not to mention,” Remus spoke from his corner seat. “You forgot to message us until Lily had already been in labor for fourteen hours. We would have been sober if you’d called us sooner.”

 Sirius beamed at his friend. “That’s right! Moony’s got a point. You didn’t send us that patronus until well after midnight. We’d already been in the pub since eight and we had to give cheers to the impending Potter, didn’t we?”

 Lily quirked a brow at the defensive men. “Wait, if James sent you the message at midnight, why didn’t you show up until two in the morning?”

 “Yeah.” James frowned, looking between his two oldest friends. “I never thought about that…”

 Remus’ face darkened with a deep flush that spread down his neck. “Well… you see. Sirius may have shouted something along the lines of, ‘we’re having a baby!’. So everyone wanted to buy us drinks.”

 “And we may or may not have let them think we received a message telling us our adoption application went through.” Sirius shrugged. “To be fair, we’d make an adorable couple, wouldn’t we Remus?”

 If possible, Remus’ blush became more prominent. Everyone in the room was silent until Arthur snorted with laughter. Fred, George, and James followed closely behind. Soon the entire reception room was full of laughter. Everyone was too distracted to notice a disheveled but happy Harry walk into the room with a small bundle encased in his arms.

 “I must have missed the punchline.” Harry’s voice made all heads swivel in his direction in sync, like demon dolls in a muggle horror film.

 James stood from his chair as Lily’s hands came up to cover her mouth at the sight of her son with a baby in arms. “Oh, Harry!”

 “I’d like you all to meet my daughter, Euphemia Potter. But you can call her Mia.”

 Right as Lily started moving in closer to see her granddaughter, Molly walked out of Ginny’s room with another baby, this one wrapped in a blue blanket.

 “Oh and this is my son, Lancelot Potter.” Harry nodded his head towards Molly. “But we’re calling him Lance.”

 “Twins?” James’ jaw dropped, his hand grasping for a chair to hold him up. “Why didn’t you tell us you were having twins?”

 Harry kissed his daughter on the top of her little red head as he passed her to Lily. “We didn’t know. Apparently, Lance is quite a prankster already.” He took Lance from Molly and rubbed his son’s back, whose hair was jet black just like his own. “He thought it would be funny for Mummy and Daddy to think they were only having one baby, so he hid behind his sister.”

 Sirius laughed. “A future hide and seek champ.”

 “He and his sister are gonna be a handful,” Molly mused as she moved over to her husband, who had just been passed Mia.

 “Don’t I know it.” Harry let out a small laugh as James cradled his grandson for the first time.

 “How’s Ginny?” Lily asked, placing a kiss on Harry’s cheek.

 “Incredible.” Harry beamed. “She did so well.”

 “How did she take the news about a second baby?” James pressed a kiss to Lance’s nose before handing him off to Fred.

 “Let’s just say I learned some new curse words.”

 Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. “That’s my girl.”

 “That’s my woman.” Harry’s smile filled his face. “It’s…” He took in a deep breath, his eyes following Mia as she cooed up at Bill. “I still can’t believe we had twins.”

 Lily pulled her son into a tight hug. “Your father and I will head out and get some more supplies for when you and Ginny return home. Another cot, swing, a lot more nappies.”

 Harry pressed a kiss to Lily’s cheek. “That would be amazing, Mum. I hadn’t even thought about our home stock.”

 “You’ve had more pressing matters. Speaking of.” Lily released him and gave him a little push towards Ginny’s room. “Go check on your wife.”

 “I’ll bring the little ones back, dear.” Molly smiled at her son-in-law. “You go spend some time with Ginny.”

 Harry hesitated, looking between his children (who were being held by Bill and Sirius) before nodding. When he entered the private hospital room, Ginny was still laying on the bed, freshly showered (Molly having helped her before bringing out Lance), her eyes closed. When she heard Harry’s footsteps, she opened her bleary eyes.

 “Hey. How did everyone take our little surprise?” Ginny voice sounded raw, so Harry grabbed a cup of water from the bedside table and helped her sit up so she could take a drink.

 He waited until she had finished before answering softly, “I’d say they were just as shocked as we were. I thought my dad might pass out.” Ginny let out a little chuckle. Harry leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Do you need anything, love?”

 Ginny shook her head, sliding to one side of the bed. “No, I’m fine, but I wouldn’t mind if you joined me.”

 Harry toed off his shoes before lying beside his wife. They rested in comfortable silence, Harry’s arms draped over Ginny’s hip, their hands intertwined.

 That was how Molly and Lily found them, each grandparent holding a grandbaby. The new parents had fallen asleep in the lull.

 “Oh dear.” Molly smiled at the sight of her daughter. “I still can’t believe my baby has babies of her own now.”

 “I know what you mean.” Lily pressed a kiss to the top of Lance’s head. “It feels like just yesterday that Harry was telling me girls had cooties and he would never get married.”

 “Ginny always claimed boys ruined everything, so the minute she moved out, she would never talk to another boy again.”

 Lily laughed quietly. “How old was she?”

 “Oh, must have been six, maybe seven. Ron had just knocked out her front tooth so I could see how she concluded all boys, as she put it, stunk.”

 They settled the twins in their respective cots, with no fuss. Deciding to let the tired young couple sleep, Molly set a charm around the bed and put the babies in cots so she and Lily could talk.  

 “Bastille came back,”’ Lily told her. “I saw him as we left the reception room. I’m sure that means the rest of the team isn’t far behind.”

 “I’m sure Harry will be glad to see his friends,” Molly mused as she pulled out a ball of wool she’d been working with from her bottomless bag.

 “I’m guessing the Harpies won’t be far behind. You know.” Lily nodded her head at her son and daughter-in-law. “They’re gonna ask who won.”

 Molly sighed, her eyes rolling, but a small smile quirked at the corner of her lips. “I’d expect nothing less of my daughter. We’ll leave it to teams to inform them.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a skein of green wool. “I got this in case the baby got Harry’s eyes. I think little Lance will be the spitting image of his daddy.”

 Lily smiled and accepted the offered wool and hook and started crafting a jumper for her grandson. “And Mia looks just like Ginny. She already has her wide eyes and fiery hair.”

 The two women fell into silence, ever watchful over the brood of Weasley and Potter children.

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 Harry kissed the top of his four-month-old daughter’s head. Little Mia was currently bouncing on his chest while Lance rested on his back, as Harry watched his Puddlemere team fly drills. The muggle chest carrier was perfect for when he and the twins were watching practices.

 “What do you think, Mia?” Harry looked into his daughter's soulful brown eyes. “Do you think Coleman’s cutting it?”

 Mia blew a bubble out of her nose, a wide grin on her chubby cheeks.

 Harry laughed and kissed her once again.

 “Harry?” Devlin spoke from behind him. Harry turned to smile at his captain. His captain. He was still amazed by the fact that he was the coach of Puddlemere United Quidditch Club. It was like a dream. Mix that with his fun-but-chaotic home life and Harry was on cloud nine.

 “Yeah, Leo?”

 “I have some new plays I want the beaters to work on. Wanna take a look?”

 Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled at his cooing son, before leading the way towards his office. “Do you have a diorama? You know I’m a sucker for a good presentation.”     

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 “Ginny, do you know where Lance’s stuffed snitch is?” Harry yelled from the floor of the twins’ nursery. He couldn’t for the life of him find where his son had lost the toy Harry’s father had bought. When does a seven-month-old find the time to hide a toy?

 “Check by the nook in the sitting room,” Ginny said, Mia perched on her hip as she stopped in the nursery doorway.

 Harry rolled onto his back to look at his amused wife. “I did check there. And before you ask, I checked under the sofa too.”

 Ginny snorted. “It seems we’ve been through this a few times if you know all my questions. Is there no mystery left between us?”

 “I still don’t know how I got you to marry me, that’s still a mystery.”

 Ginny rolled her eyes affectionately as she walked out into the sitting room. Harry smiled as he followed her. Ginny had placed Mia in the swing that was identical to the one her brother was using. Lance had drifted off within a few minutes of being placed in the rocker. Harry had been looking for the stuffed snitch since that moment because he knew his son would want to snuggle with it once he woke up, doing his best impression of a fog horn until his demands were met.

 Harry admired his children for a moment. Even months later he was still amazed by them. Mia with her red hair that matched her mother perfectly. And Lance sucking his little thumb as he slept. Nothing was more precious to him: His children and his wife.

 “Found it.” Ginny kept her voice low when she spoke across the room. “I think our son will be going to Hogwarts, dear.”

 Harry watched Ginny summon the toy from the top of the bookcase. “He must have made it fly up there.” Ginny walked to her still snoozing son and placed the snitch next to him. “Come on, let's go have a cup of tea.”

 Ginny led the way into the kitchen and placed the already full kettle onto the burner. Harry started pulling mugs from the cupboard. “I can’t believe they’re both already showing signs of magic.”

 “I know! I asked Mum if it was common for a baby to show powers this early on, and she told me that Fred and George were changing each other’s hair at around nine months.” Ginny moved in close to her husband and wound her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his chest, enjoying the silence that had become a rare commodity in their house over the last seven months.

 Harry pressed a kiss to the crown of her head before breaking the quiet. “What time do you have practice today?”

 “Noon.” Her voice was muffled by his chest.

 “Okay, I need to go in and fill out some forms for the new seeker training Devlin came up with. It shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

 The kettle began whistling strains of what would rapidly become a screech, signaling its readiness. Ginny pulled away from Harry’s chest reluctantly in order to serve them tea, hopefully before the twins woke from the sound. “So how about after you drink your tea you head out and sign the papers. You’ll be back by...” She looked at the clock ticking on the wall. “Eleven o’clock, the latest?”

 Harry nodded as he took both mugs of freshly poured tea and carried them to the little kitchen table. They sat across from each other, their normal spots, before Harry handed her one of the mugs.

 Some people couldn’t stand silence. It made them feel awkward, like there had to be some sort of conversation, no matter if the topic was interesting for both parties. Ginny loved the fact that neither she nor Harry was like that. They had always appreciated each other’s company whether words were spoken or not.

 It was odd to think about how natural everything felt with Harry, even after many years of being together. Yes, you can learn the quirks of someone and learn to adjust, but if you haven’t found the right person, it may never feel legitimate. With Harry, it had always been like this. Harry: her best friend, lover, and everything in between.  

 “What?” Harry quirked a brow at her.

 “Huh?”

 “You were giving me with that look.” Harry’s lip curled upwards in a lopsided grin. The grin that she found way too sexy. “What were you thinking about?”

 Ginny refused to blush;she would not give him the satisfaction. “Bananas.”

 Harry’s grin fell into a grimace of confusion. “Bananas?”

 “Yeah.” Ginny drained the rest of her tea in a large gulp while getting out of her chair. On her way to the sink, she paused by Harry, her lips moving close to his ear. “I was thinking about the versatility of a banana in the hands of a well-trained chef."

 Harry cleared his throat nervously."Ah, very…culinary."

 Ginny ran her nose down his stubbled chin as her free hand moved down to his thigh. "It just so happens you're in the presence of a culinary artist with such a specialty in mind.” She smiled when Harry audibly gulped. “I think bananas will be involved in dessert tonight.”

“Can we skip dinner?” Harry’s sultry tone made Ginny want to skip lunch and dinner.

 She tilted her neck so their lips connected for the briefest of moments, then stood straight. “Nope, you’re just gonna have to wait.”

 Before Ginny could even fully place her mug into the sink, Harry had her wrapped in his arms. Her back pulled tightly to his chest. His mouth trailing down her neck.“You know, bananas can go really well with breakfast.”

 Ginny snorted, but placed her mug carefully down in the metal basin before turning to face her husband. “And even when you have to finish quick, bananas are still extremely satisfying.”    

 “The twins have another twenty minutes left on their swing cycle...”

 “I’m due for some potassium. Care to lead the way, darling?”

 Harry lifted her up into the air, making Ginny wrap her legs around his waist to steady herself. “It would be my pleasure.”

 “Actually, I think it will be both of ours.”

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 Harry closed his eyes, listening to Lance’s breathing even out. He had lifted the finicky baby out of his crib to comfort him. It had taken the better part of an hour, but eventually Harry had laid down on the sofa with Lance on his chest where he had cried for a few more minutes before settling his face into his father’s neck.

 Harry heard the muffled crash of a camera lens closing. He opened his eyes to see his wife, still in her practice uniform, holding a camera. She smiled unapologetically at him. “I couldn’t resist.”

 “It’s fine.” Harry kept his voice low, palm warm and broad across Lance’s slowly rising and falling back. “How was practice?”

 Ginny knelt by the edge of the sofa and kissed Lance’s head before giving Harry a chaste kiss to the lips. “Good. Coach Guro thought we did such a good job she let us leave fifteen minutes late, instead of the usual thirty.”

 “Impressive.” Harry shifted slightly to test his son’s consciousness. Lance didn’t even notice the shuffle. “Alright, I think he’s ready to go back to bed.”

 “I’ll take him.” Ginny smoothly scooped Lance into her arms, not even disturbing the tyke. Harry waited a few minutes after Ginny left the room before sitting up. He stretched his stiff arms over his head while letting out a large yawn.

 “Now isn’t that a lovely sight?” Harry twisted slightly, letting his arms fall. He quirked an eyebrow at his wife who watched him from the doorjamb. She moved into the room, stopping right in front of Harry. “Have I ever told you how much I love your stomach?”

 Harry thought back over the years... the way her hands gravitated towards the hair that spread down his navel. “I’m pretty good at reading between the lines, love.”

 Ginny smirked. “Another thing you’re natural at, huh?”

 “Another?” Harry moved his hands to rest on her hips while she straddled his lap.

 “Oh yeah.” Ginny nuzzled her nose across his unshaven jaw (between feeding the twins and shaving, Harry had made a choice, alright). “There are many things you’re very good at.”

 “Name one.”

 Ginny trailed her lips across his skin, setting each spot where her lips touched on fire. “Comforting our children for starters. Your seeker skills are next to none. And..” Her tantalizing lips hovered over his, “Don’t even get me started on your finesse last night.”

 Harry smiled at the mere thought of the previous night. “Well, I can’t argue that.”

 “Good.” Ginny connected her smile with his. “You should know by now I’m always right.” She stood, her hand stretching out for him to take. “How about we give last night a run for its money, huh?”

 Harry let his wife lead him to their room, unable to stop thinking about how perfect his life was. He never thought he would live a life like this, with two incredible children, a flawless wife, a job he loved. Everything had turned out better than he’d ever imagined. So pure and natural. He’d never trade it for anything.   

[artificialqueens]

Cupid’s Blind Arrow (Group fic) Chapter 1 - Ginger Nut

AN: I hope yous enjoy first official chapter, and I’d like to welcome Mistress as the beta for this fic. Already she’s helped so much to improve the writing, thank you!

As the class started to file in for English they noticed all of their chairs were assembled differently. On either side of the room the chairs were set up facing each other. “Are we in a fucking courtroom or something?” asked Adore. “That’s not what a courtroom looks like dumbass, I’m surprised you haven’t seen one before,” Bianca came up behind the girl and settled a hand on her shoulder. “This looks more like…” she searched for the name. “The house of commons in London, where they debate about laws and stuff.” “Party” signed off Adore Bianca watched her eyes; she was sure they had a twinkle she’d never ever seen before. Bianca shook her head. What the hell am I thinking? Since when do I care about a twinkle in some slacker’s eye? “B, you ok?” Adore noticed Bianca almost having a conversation with herself. She worried for a minute that Bianca had actually been talking to her, and that Adore had been ignoring her. Bianca blinked a couple times and forced a half smile to her face, nodding.

“Take your seats, quit acting like you’ve never seen a debate room before. Actually, no don’t take your seats I need to tell you what seat to take” Miss Raja appeared from the corridor, shooing all remaining students into the classroom. “Ok uh, actually just take any seat right now I can’t think with you all standing there.” The students obeyed and slumped in the closest empty seat. “So today we are going to be doing something a little different. Everyone who has read Romeo and Juliet believe that the plot was one of the two following-” A knock on the door came, interrupting Miss Raja, who stomped to the locked door to let in an almost lifeless Pearl.She had a bag slumped over one shoulder and their eyes were more closed than open, so nothing was new. “Sorry I’m late” came out of her with minimal effort and volume. Raja sighed as she went to change the register to inform the office of Pearl’s now late attendance. “It’s fine just take any seat Pearl.” Pearl scanned the room for a second, surveying her options. There was a spare seat next to Laganja, yeah no. Nothing against the girl but Pearl had no energy to keep up with her; there was also one next to Max, could she really be bothered being told to sit with her legs crossed so she doesn’t “sit like a man”? fuck that. Ultimately, she left one option and took a spare seat between Violet and Vivienne. Vivienne hardly ever spoke, and Pearl had never really spoken to Violet, whatever she thought. “Stoner pit stop before class?” mumbled Violet, loud enough for only Pearl to hear. Pearl scoffed and looked up to find Violets eyes on her. The girl’s gaze had a weird effect on Pearl; It was like she could see into her soul. “No” Pearl replied, dragging out the syllable longer than she probably should have been. “I missed the bus and had to get my mom to drive me.” Violet returned a smirk, accepting Pearl’s answer, then refocused her attention to Miss Raja, about to start over. “Back to the play; people either think it is about the stupidity of youth and their lust, or they think it’s a beautiful tragedy about how love can conquer hate. One of the requirements for the honours course is that students must participate in a discussion, ensuring that they become informed of both opinions and can make their own decision. So, without any talking, if you believe that Romeo and Juliet is a play that demonstrates how children can be naïve and mistake love for obsession, sit on the left side and if you think it’s a tragic tale of two star crossed lovers sit on the right.” A second passed before Raja had to exclaim “Move!” accompanied by a hand gesture to get the teenagers to reluctantly get up. “Where are you going then?” Pearl asked Violet, who was still a bit offended by the previous stoner nickname she’d been given. Violet remained silent but stood up to cross over sides. “Love is love, you don’t have to be thirty to realise that.” With that she flipped her jet-black hair to one side and took the seat directly across from Pearl.

Katya moved up from her seat, shimmying past Ivy and Jinkx, and made her way over to the left side of the room. she liked Romeo and Juliet but she couldn’t get past the time span of the play – seriously you don’t marry a guy you met less than 4 days ago. She sat in an empty seat next to Pearl. Katya never had the chance to get to know Pearl, but she felt bad for her. The poor girl had moved from New York, and that’s like forever away, as far as Katya was concerned. Katya had known everyone else in the class since at least middle school. Pearl was cute though - not Katya’s type - but cute. She spied the others that had come to the dark side. Del Rio; that was no surprise, Phi Phi; Katya was starting to think Phi Phi had maybe given up on love considering she caught her ex cheating on her a couple of weeks back. There was also Gia, Max, Alyssa and- what? Alaska? Alaska Thunderfuck? The girl was all cheerleader and sing-songy, why was she on this side, did she get confused? She sure as hell didn’t look confused; she sat with her arms crossed, bottom eyeliner smudged and an emotionless bitch face as Alyssa talked nonsense to her. Wow. Shocker of the week. On the other side sat Alaska’s friend Trixie, a blonde bombshell by Katya’s standards. This was Katya’s first class with the girl but the minute she’d walked in on the first day, Katya hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away. She’d seen Trixie before in the corridors and at football games, but for some reason when Trixie stood in the doorway Katya’s whole world stopped, my god she’s beautiful. Suddenly her attention was averted to the girl behind Trixie; Sharon Needles. “Well I never” breathed Katya without thinking. “Hm?” Pearl looked up. Katya mouthed Sharon and motioned over to the other side. Pearl made a face giving herself an extra two chins, “Sharon? Young Love? Nah I don’t see it.” Katya narrowed her eyes to focus, her mind drew a blank. “Looks like she might not just be Sharon Needles but Sharon the love” Katya toppled over in wheezing laughter at the mediocre pun she’d just made. Pearl face palmed and settled back into her seat.

“Okay class- wait Willam you need to choose a side.” Willam folded her arms across her chest. “What if I think the play is both?” Miss Raja put a hand to her head. “Willam I don’t have time-“ Willam spread her hands and shrugged. “Listen, the play is stupid. No one would ever marry someone they just met, but teenagers also aren’t as dumb as you baby boomers think.” Raja was offended at the age comment but didn’t hold Willam to it. Instead she ushered a challenge. “Willam, you’ve just proven your strength in ability for discussions. How about you choose one side right now, but you can change your mind later. This is something you can really excel in, do lots of research …” Willam rolled her eyes and strolled over to the side with the rest of the anti-love crowd, tuning the teacher out as soon as she’d said the word ‘research’. “Willam?” prodded Miss Raja. Willam raised her head, realizing she’d been asked a question. “What? I stopped listening.” Raja sighed. “I said when was the last time you found something you could really sink your teeth into?” “Courtney Act” Willam responded. Adore sniggered from her seat – she was the only other person who really knew about Willam and Courtney. Beyond the rumor mill, Adore had caught them together on a break day last term. After promising not to tell, Adore had given Willam a high five and picked another place to smoke. around ten minutes later Willam came over and sat down next to Adore at one of the back walls of the school. Adore could only remember Willam gushing over the blonde, how she made Willam look forward to learning just to see Courtney. Willam’s lovesick smile was so infectious it could’ve made the blind man smile thought Adore. When the Aussie returned home, Adore had offered her company to Willam. Willam had tried to blow it off, “not like it was a break up or anything, a fling. That’s all it was.” The bohemian rocker saw straight through her, Willam missed her. Hearing Willam talk about Courtney – even in a comedic way – sparked a warmth in Adore, knowing Willam still thought about her. Miss Raja clapped her hands, a sound so loud the class fell immediately silent. “Okay, we’re gonna start. The way we’re going to do this is I’ll pull someone’s name from this jar and they’re gonna share their views on the play, why they think that and anyone from the opposing side can challenge that view, OK?” everyone nodded in agreement and raja went to pull out the first name. “Phi Phi” The whole class sighed in anticipation as Phi Phi prepared herself, now that Alaska looked at her, she didn’t feel that bad. Not compared to Phi Phi’s stained races of mascara, raccoon nest hair and glassy eyes. The girl used to be so sharp, everyone thought she was perfect. Alaska actually felt bad for Phi Phi, that’s saying something. Anything to distract attention from Alaska right now. “Well… I don’t really believe in love. Like it’s silly.” The teacher nodded for her to go on, “People can’t fully love someone, like that’s just not how life happens. I feel like the play represented an infatuation, which is completely different from love. When you love someone, it’s what’s on the inside. Infatuation is mainly on the outside. But like I said, love is silly. It just… never works out” The last part subsided to a mumble as Phi Phi hung her head. Everyone had heard about her breakup and she hadn’t come to school for 4 days after it happened. It didn’t matter how annoying Phi Phi was, no one wanted to catch their partner cheating. Discussions started to break out to fill the awkward silence Phi Phi had left. No one really listened to each other until Needles broke out: “Love is real.” At that everyone turned their head and found an emotional Sharon, not crying but emotional. Sharon was being stared at like a statue. What the fuck is she doing? Alaska screamed in her mind. Sharon went on, “The first time you look at someone you can tell if there’s something there, I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I believe in that connection. I can’t explain it, but I can feel it. You look at someone and you mind starts to run laps of a track but you don’t get tired, you feel… rejuvenated.” “Wow Sharon,” commented Willam. “Rejuvenated. That’s a big word for you.” Max gave Willam a discreet but firm kick in the shin to get her to shut up. Willam let out a screech “Get your sasquatch feet away from my Loub’s.” “Love is a precious feeling, anyone who’s lucky enough to feel it knows that, and they can clearly see that Romeo and Juliet loved each other. So much so that they went to extremes for one another.” The class was silent, no one could really comprehend what just happened. Sharon Needles, a person who never showed any emotion, a person who never talked about emotion, for the first time opened up her heart to reveal a warm affectionate soul. Who knew? Silence filled the room for a minute, each person taking in Sharon’s heart-felt speech. Until Alaska, who had been sitting quietly spoke up through a groggy voice and a guarded façade. “Love? You really believe that Romeo loved Juliet? He didn’t care enough to wait with her! She wasn’t dead, she was asleep, but he didn’t wait around long enough to realise that, did he?” The girls on her side of the class all tried not to notice Alaska’s hands balled into fists. “Romeo was stupid, Juliet was left with no choice, she loved him so much, I’ll say that. She was willing to leave everything for Romeo, her name, her family, but the minute Romeo saw that Juliet wasn’t awake he went down to the Apothecary to get drugs. Those drugs didn’t help with anything and Romeo died, their love along with it.” Sharon and Alaska’s eyes were locked on each other. It was like no one else was in the room. Sharon took a shallow breath through her teeth, her eyes squeezing shut. “Did you ever consider that Romeo didn’t get the drugs because of Juliet? God, not everything is about effin Juliet, Juliet likes to play the victim. Like none of this is her fault and she’s some precious gift to the world. Fuck Juliet- sorry miss- fuck her. Romeo had a life, y’know, at the start of the play he was very obviously depressed, Juliet wasn’t there for him, was she?” Violet and Pearl caught each other’s eye and Violet mouthed burn to Pearl mimicking dubbing a fire on her finger. Pearl gave a shy laugh, she kinda liked Violet. Sharon was panting. “Maybe, just maybe Alaska, Romeo wanted to die. And Juliet set him over the edge. Juliet doesn’t rule his life, and she shouldn’t dictate what he can do and when. Romeo did love Juliet but he really shouldn’t’ve. It messed up his life more than you can imagine.” Everyone flipped their eyes back to a boiling Alaska from Sharon who was sitting on the edge of her seat, face red with passion. “What the literal fuck is going on?” muttered Violet, Adore met her comment with a wide-eyed glance implying she was just as lost as Violet. “Their relationship was toxic and you know it,” Alaska stumbled, not losing eye contact with Sharon as tears began to clog her vision. Alaska don’t break she told herself, not here not now. “It was destined for failure the minute Romeo snuck into the ball. He still wasn’t over Rosaline and he threw himself at the first girl he saw. That, to me. Is. Not. Love.” “I agree with Alaska.”. Sharon rolled her eyes. “Oh, you would Phi Phi” Suddenly, the ball was back in Sharon’s court and she was frozen for a second, her usual laid-back slouch in a chair had been replaced by a vulnerable huddle at the edge. Her lip quivered for a millisecond, something no one but Alaska would be able to notice. “Did Juliet even want a relationship?” asked Sharon, a hint of hurt in her voice. “Seriously what the fuck is this? Jerry Springer?” Trixie elbowed the girl. “Violet shut up. I want all the details,” Sharon swallowed before continuing. “Like, her mother had even asked her about marrying Paris, and she told her she hadn’t thought of being in a relationship. Was her plan to just lead Romeo on, drive him crazy?!” the word “crazy” had been delivered through gritted teeth. Throughout all of this Miss Raja had bought a ticket to attend the tennis match and she let out the occasional gasp and she was given disapproving glare by Willam. “Face it Sharon, Romeo was stupid. If he really loved Juliet he wouldn’t have ran away. Who really was the one afraid of commitment.” “Bull- “ At that the bell rang for the next class but no one moved. Even Raja stood still for a moment, before realising the situation and opening the door to allow students out. Sharon darted out of the door. “Go ahead, run away from the problem like you always do!” Alaska yelled out after her. The blonde composed herself, attempting to fix the smudged eyeliner and hair that had been messed with for the whole period. Willam came up behind her and showed what little compassion Courtney had taught her “Hey, let’s not break down at school and be known as the girl who cried and had to be taken out of class - stop, let me do it, we can make it smoked instead of smudged.” Pearl sensed someone standing in front of her as she packed up her things, God I wish Miss Raja would’ve told us we didn’t need our folders and- “Hey Pearl” It was Violet, closer than she probably should’ve been. “You busy on Friday night?” Pearl, somewhat perplexed, managed to give a shake of her head. “Uh, no.” “Why don’t you come to my party? Everyone’s gonna be there, it’ll give you a chance to get to know people better.” Just when pearl didn’t think she could get any more confused, did Violet Chachki just wink at me? “uh yeah, sure sounds great?” “Cool, just ask Adore for the details and stuff but there’s one rule.” Violet paused for dramatic effect. “It’s a costume party, be creative like I know you are.” an awkward silence filled the gap between them as Violet realized what she just said. “Sorry that sounded weird I know. Uh, I meant that you’re like artsy, y’know with your sketch pad and hipster clothes.” Pearl quirked an eyebrow. “Hipster?! Seriously?” Both girls broke out into laughter at Violet’s word choice. “See ya, pearl” Pearl watched Violet go, she glided in her heel, her hair not moving an inch. Pearl smiled to herself, feeling happy for once.