#ino yamanaka oneshot

[13as07]

Spitting Image #2

(Ino Yamanaka)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to shiino_9]

Requested by: Myself

Word Count: 3,738

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Okay I want your thoughts. I’m thinking part three is all Gaara being zaddy and trying to reconnect with his baby mama. Then part four is moving to the Sand Village. Yay? Nay? Idk :)

———————————————————————

     "Just breathe, it's all going to be okay," Ino whispers in my ear, gently squeezing my shoulders as she leads me down the road.

     I repeat her words in my head, eyes set on Yoshiki who's curled up in my arms. His chubby hands are raised, trying to get a grip on one of the strands of my hair. He giggles to himself, the ends of my hair tickling his chubby cheeks. Lord, he's so chubby and round and adorable.

     "You are adorable, my love," I coo, peppering his cheeks in kisses.

     "You're hogging him," Inojin complains, his hands wrapping around my arm to tug on it.

     "Inojin," Sai says, his tone calm as he smiles softly at his son. "Maybe let Ne-San carry Yoshiki for a while."

     "She has been carrying Yoshiki though. I want to hold him!"

     "Inojin!" Ino snaps, gripping her son's ear as she lectures him.

     "Ino," I call, shifting Yoshiki to my hip before I tap her shoulder. "It's okay, if he wants to hold him it’s fine. It'll probably be good, give me a chance to wiggle my nerves out of my system." I bend down, handing my son over to Inojin. He's quite responsible for his age, and always careful while holding Yoshiki.

     My son's eyes light up when he realizes who's holding him. I swear, he's just as attached to Inojin as Inojin is to him. Yoshiki takes hold of his hair, gripping it and using it to move the older boy's head around. Ino's son gushes over my baby, cooing at him as he takes slow careful steps down the road.

     The sight is nice, even if we are heading to my doom. It's been about a week since I ran into Shikamaru's brother-in-law. Gaara's older brother. Yoshiki's Uncle.

     After Ino managed to talk me out of the bathroom, she showed me pictures of Temari's and Shikamaru's wedding; more specifically pictures of Gaara, who turns out was the man from the one-night stand. It took about a week, but Sai and her managed to talk me into letting Gaara meet Yoshiki and me. Meet me again, in a sober mindset, with the lights on, and my legs closed this time.

     "You look pale, Ne-San. Are you nervous Gaara is going to want rights to Yoshiki?" Sai asks, getting a smack upside his head from his wife.

     "What the hell, Sai? You can't say stuff like that!" Ino hisses, gripping his ear like she was doing to her son a minute ago. My eyes stay trailed on the boys as Ino rips into her husband, the noise of their fighting filling the background.

     My mind spins with a million different possibilities and 'what if's about this meeting, about things going forward, about how Gaara is going to react.

     "Okay, I want Yoshiki back," I mutter when the restaurant we're meeting at falls into view.

     "Ne-San!" He whines, clinging to my son more.

     "Please don't fight with me about this Inojin. I'll let you feed him at lunch," I try to bribe him, sliding my hands between his arms to wrap Yoshiki in my hold.

     "Really?! You mean it?"

     "I mean it," I echo, resting my son on my hip. Inojin tucks himself into my side, the one my kid is resting on as he continues to coo at him. My grip tightens as Yoshiki tries to throw himself at Inojin, calming my nervousness a bit again. The sight clams me a bit. It's adorable how much the boys love each other.

     "Shoo, go run ahead and say hi to Shinki or something," Ino complains, trying to wave her son ahead. Reluctantly he does as he's told, racing ahead and disappearing into the restaurant. "Alright Mamas, how are we feeling?" She asks me, gripping my shoulder again.

     "She's probably not doing too well. We're about two steps away from her life changing forever, hopefully for the better," Sai mumbles, doing his weird 'I'm trying to be comforting but I actually look creepy as hell' smile.

     "Sai!" Ino screeches again, ramping up her lecture.

     After a couple of minutes filled with their heated back and forth, I decided waiting in the restaurant would be better than listening to the Yamanaka screaming match. The restaurant atmosphere is quite calming, with dark soft reds, and gentle music playing in the background.

     Yoshiki's head swerves around, taking in all the soft lights and the colorful coverings of the lights. "You like the colors?" I ask him, shifting him up further so I can whisper in his ear. Giggles erupt from him, his small hands squishing my cheeks as he enjoys the lights.

     "Oh, you like that one, don't you?" I ask another unanswered question, walking towards the soft red-colored covering that has caught his eyes. I settle us underneath it. Watching Yosh watching the coloring. "Do you know what color that is? It's red, just like your hair," I tell him, twirling one of his strands around my fingertip. "Your hair is red, chief Akimich has red hair, and... and..."

     "And his dad's hair is red," a voice from behind me butts in. My nerves are on edge as I turn around. My grip tightens on my son as the man from the flower shop - Yoshiki's Uncle stands a couple of paces behind me. "Gaara has red hair," he reiterates as if it's something I don't know.

     "Ya, I know. It's why I was attracted to him," I mutter, scanning the entrance for Ino and then the restaurant for Inojin.

     Ino might not fall into my view but her son does. He's sat at one of the large tables in the restaurant, a group of about six people or so with him, making my heart flutter faster with anxiety. My eyes stay locked on the boy, hoping he'll notice me and bring some familiarity to this uncomfortable moment.

     "You got a thing for redheads, little lady?"

     "Don't call me that," I mutter, anger bubbled in my words. My nerves are rubbing off on Yoshiki who's starting to stir, his pre-cry whines falling from him.

     "Oh hush, love," I coddle him, covering his forehead in kisses. "You don't need to go and get upset just because mommy is. You're fine," I continue to coo, moving him around like a bird as I walk us around the restaurant, leaving his Uncle and some of my anxiety behind.

     Yosh giggles because of it, 'flying' like a bird being pretty high up in his list of favorite things. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," I hum to him, continuing our laps around the room as I wait for Ino to join us. "You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear how much I love you," I continue to sing to him, resting him against me again. "Please don't take my sunshine away," I finish off, littering his chubby cheeks in kisses.

     "Ne-San!" Inojin calls, leaning over the table he's at as he waves at me. "Come here! It's almost six o'clock, Yoshiki needs his bottle."

     I sigh softly at the boy's knowledge of my son's schedule. It's useful when I'm busy, but not useful at this moment. "You might not know how much I love you but you sure as heck will know how much big brother Inojin loves you," I tell my son, holding him in front of me so he can dangle. He doesn't do his newborn scrunch anymore, which makes me a bit sad.

     "What do you say we go over to Inojin? You want to see Inojin?" I ask him, getting happy babbles as a response.

     I cuddle him against me again, my heart slamming against my chest as I head towards the table. Yoshiki's Uncle has rejoined the table, his wife - presumably - is sitting next to him, in similar purple makeup as her husband. Shikamaru and Shikadai are sitting next to them, looking more like twins the longer I look at them. There's a blonde lady next to them, Yoshiki's opal-colored eyes staring at me from the lady's face. That must be Temari.

     The spitting image of my son is sitting next to the blonde girl, repeatedly blinking as he stares at me and my son, our son. A boy about Inojin's and Shikadai's age sitting silently next to him.

     Yoshiki is unfazed, his attention on trying to grip my hair again. Soon his hands fall from my hair to my mouth, trying to shove his hands into it. This is his new thing, like two days ago new thing. "Yosh," I coo, moving his hands away from my mouth. "We don't do that. No, we don't," I tell him, pressing kisses to his small hands.

     "You're hogging him! Ne-San! You promised I could feed him. Give me, give me, give me," Inojin whines, turning around in his seat and trying to take grip of my son.

     "Ya, ya, ya," I mumble, carefully placing Yoshiki into his arms. My eyes stay locked on my son, worried about this Gaara guy or anyone else at the table jumping at him while I dig for his bottle.

     "There you are, mamas!" Ino calls, jumping on me as she wraps her arms around my shoulders. "And look at that, Yosh is already back in Inojin's arms. I swear at this rate Ino is going to have a permanent imprint of Yoshiki on his arms," she teases, sending me a soft smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. Ino's eyes are soft, a silent 'are you okay?' being sent by them.

     "Yoshiki? As in fortunate?" Gaara asks, his face scrunched up as he looks between me and my - our son. 

     "No, Yoshiki as in blessed. Like a blessing, since he's my blessing," I mutter the last half, tugging his bottle out of the diaper bag. Despite the fears and anxieties I've felt today, I managed to hold it together enough to prep for dinner. Pre-measured formula in his bottle so all I need is warm water.

     "Aw, that's cute!" Temari beams, sending a not-so-secret glare towards her brothers.

     "Oh, ya. Adorable," Purple-man echoes, getting kicked by his wife under the table.

     "Yes and no. It was my father's name," I mutter, setting Yosh's bottle on the table as I scan for a waitress.

     "Don't worry Ne-San! I already ordered some warm water for you, it should be out soon," Ino's son says, focusing still on making faces to entertain Yosh.

     "Thank you, Inojin," I praise, resting my hands on his shoulders before pecking his forehead. I lean down a bit further, kissing my son's head too before I slide into the seat next to the boys.

     Ino quickly sits down on the other side of the boys. Sai goes to sit next to me in the only spare chair, getting a pointed look from his wife.

     "How about we play musical chairs!" Temari cheers, locking eyes with Ino. Shikadai sends his mom a weird look, his father mimicking it as they stare at her together. "You stay right there... um... ma'am? You boys stay there too," Temari struggles out, ordering Inojin to stay still.

     "Temari - " The oldest brother starts, quickly getting cut off by his sister.

     "Get up Kankuro," she hisses, quickly standing to her feet, husband and son in tow.

     Everyone shuffles around, raising my anxiety even more. When everyone settles back down, seats have been changed completely. Inojin is still holding Yoshiki, then me, followed by Gaara, the kid who sat next to him earlier, Shikadai, his parents, the Kankuro man and his wife, with Ino, and Sai sat by their son to start the circle again.

     "So..." Shikamaru mumbles, breaking the silence and getting a warning glare from his wife. It's almost funny how much Temari and Ino seem to be. "Gaara and you have two kids, that's cool."

     "Two?" I ask, snapping my head towards the Nara chief.

     "Shikamaru!" Temari and Ino both yell, startling Yoshiki enough for wails and tears to spill from him. "Shut up," Temari hissed at her husband, pairing it with a smack to the back of his head. Well, that solved the mystery on the silent kid with red face paint. I assumed it was Kankuro's kid, I guess not.

     "We're going to step out for a moment," I murmur, snatching Yoshiki from Inojin's arms. "Do you mind making his bottle?" I ask the older boy, patting his head before quickly heading back out of the restaurant, crying baby in tow. By the time I get out the door, into the chilled air, tears are spilling from me too, mine being from stress instead of fear.

                        ———————————

     The door to the restaurant creaks open, upsetting Yoshiki more. The more upset he gets, the more upset I get, continuing the cycle of unchecked emotions. "Please calm down, love," I coo, rocking him in my arms again.

     "Would you like some help?" Ino asks, her tone gentle as an attempt to help calm me down.

     "No, I have it under control," I hiss out, causing Yosh to shriek again.

     "You've been out here for twenty minutes. That isn't 'having it under control'," Ino points out, shifting to stand in front of me.

     I have to turn my head up to look at her, courtesy of being sat on the ground, back to the wall. "Okay, maybe I don't have it under control. I'm freaking out. Gaara has a kid. A different kid! And our dinner went from the six of us to a party of twelve of us. What... what the hell? What the hell, Ino? I'm actually meeting Gaara, like for real, and his brother, and his sister-in-law, and his sister, and her family, and I can't calm down long enough to get Yoshiki to calm down, and what the hell?"

     "I know, I know. It's a lot to handle right now. There's a lot of people and it's a lot of new and a lot of stress, but this will be good, right?" She asks, falling to kneel on the ground in front of me. "Yoshiki will get to have a relationship with his dad, with his older brother, with his family. He'll get more family to love him, you'll get more family to love you."

     I lean forward, resting my head on Ino's shoulder. "I don't know. What if it doesn't work out? What if Gaara wants to take Yoshiki? What if he wants nothing to do with Yosh? Then what? 'Sorry kid, your dad was too established in the sand village to give a shit about us, but hey your mom tried her best'? What kind of life is that for my son?"

     Ino lets out a sigh, rubbing my shoulders to soothe me. "I don't think that's going to happen, and even if it does then fuck Gaara. If worst comes to worst, you two will still have us. You'll still have Sai, and Inojin, and me. We can be our own little family of five."

     I let out a sigh of my own, my stress still high and only climbing higher the more Yoshiki cries. "Alright mamas, you need to calm down. The more you freak out, the more he's going to freak out."

     "I know, I know. It doesn't help that he's hungry either," I mutter into her shoulder, my angry tears soaking into her shirt. "I just... I can't go back in yet."

"Okay, okay. I have an idea - that you can totally say no to. Remember, you're the mamas, your baby, your rules," Ino starts, rubbing my shoulders faster as she rests her cheek against my head. "I'll take Yoshiki inside and get him calmed down and fed. You can hang out here and get yourself put together before you join the table again, okay? Worse case you decide this isn't the right time or space to do this and we replan, okay mamas?"

"Ya... ya that's... probably for the better," I mutter, reluctantly letting her take Yoshiki from my arms. I don't like the thought of him being around Gaara without me, but I know if I don't take some space to calm down, I'm just going to keep winding Yosh up. Besides, my poor love is probably starving since his feeding time was about twenty-five minutes ago.

Ino takes him from me, pressing a kiss to my head before she leaves me alone outside the restaurant, giving me the time I need to calm myself down.

                        ———————————

     I brush my hands over my pants, dusting off the dust from the sidewalk. As I'm cleaning myself, the restaurant door creaks open. "I'm sorry," I mutter, shifting out of the way.

     "You are not in the way... -San," the young voice struggles with the last word, not sure what to call me.

     My eyes settle on the boy, the same one that I left sitting next to Gaara at the table. His eyes are a green color, not the same as his father’s or Yoshiki’s, a darker green. It reminds me of the forest. His face paint is red unlike his Uncle, and cups his eyes in a way that makes them stand out. It's weird how much my - our - son looks like Gaara and how little his older son looks like him.

     "Your kid screams a lot," the boy mutters, shifting around. His black cloak moves with him weirdly, like it's not made of cloth. "He's okay now though. Inojin is feeding him and that seemed to quiet him down."

     "Yoshiki is a little stressed and he's too young to be able to understand what he's feeling."

     "He can't even talk, what could he be stressed about?"

     "He's stressed because I'm stressed."

     The kid looks at me for a moment, head tilted and face scrunched as he sizes me up. "He looks a lot like my Papa."

     "Yes, he does."

     Silence falls between us, the boy slowly blinking as he stares at me. My eyes jump around the road, looking for something other than the child to look at. "Papa doesn't cry."

     "No?" I ask, internally screaming. What have I gotten myself into? What kind of man did I accidentally choose as the father of my child? What the hell is up with his kid?

     "No... he cried when Aunt Temari told him you agreed to meet him again, to let him meet..."

     "Yoshiki."

     "When you agreed to let us meet Yoshiki."

     "I'm sorry I made your dad cry," I murmur, glancing around the empty street again.

     "Uncle Kankuro calls you 'The Leaf Village Margarita Lady'."

"Ya?" I ask, shifting my weight around. The conversation is very uncomfortable and the need to check on Yoshiki is building with every passing second. I see my out when the restaurant door creams open again.

"Shinki?" The soothing voice that whispered sweet nothings into my ear sixteen months ago calls, making the kid's head turn. Shinki and Yoshiki, it has a nice ring to it. So much for my out though. "Hello," Gaara says, tone a bit panicked when his eyes settle on me.

His panic only grows as his eyes flicker between his son and myself. "My greatest apologies for anything Shinki might have said," Gaara rushes out, leaning forward and grabbing his son by the collar of his shirt tucked under the not normal cloak. "His social skills are a bit - "

"- like his father's?" I ask, cutting Gaara's sentence off.

"Yes," he mumbles, just a hint of pink dusting his cheeks. The sight makes my mind flicker to... the creation of Yoshiki. Gaara was all kinds of pink that night, it was a sight I enjoyed quite a bit. It was hot, a big shot Shinobi stumbling over his words and blushing because I was flirting with him, because I was doing a hell of a lot more than flirting. "I hope he didn't say anything insensitive."

"No, your kid has a good set of manners. Though, he did tell me your older brother calls me the margarita lady."

Gaara's flusteredness deeps, the color of his cheeks proving that and tugging a small smile to my face. "I am sorry for Kankuro too. I know your first meeting with him wasn't... up to par. I am sorry for the nickname as well."

"It's fine," I mutter, my eyes switching between Shinki and Gaara. Whoever his child's mother is must have some pretty strong genes to outweigh Gaara's. Stronger than mine, that's for sure.

     "Mamas!" Ino's voice rings out, the door slamming open as she pushes her way out. "Gosh at this rate we're all going to be out here."

     Ino and I both nervously laugh, only making Gaara pinker and his son even more unamused. "Might as well tell everyone we're eating out here now," I murmur, focus set on my friend. Her attention is set on me, eyes asking if I'm okay again. The answer is a big fat no but I don't voice it. "I should go check on Yoshiki," I announce, skirting past Gaara and squeezing through the door.

     I can sense Ino behind me even before she wraps her arms around my shoulders for the millionth time tonight. "Dear Lord, Mamas. Gaara looked like he wanted to eat you whole."

     "He did not!"

     "He did too," she giggles, using her hold on me to shake me around. "Look at you, having the Sand Hokage all flustered and blushing. Not to mention your kid is the spitting image of him. Not to put it out in the world and ruin it or anything, but I think Gaara is going to take care of you two."

     I know she means it in good light, but the thought terrifies me. All the 'what if's circling my head, the main one being 'what if Yoshiki and me end up trapped'? I don't know anything about this man, about his family, about his expectations, about his wants for himself, for Yoshiki, for me. He was supposed to be a one-night stand, a high and fly, not the father of my son.

     "Stop worrying, mamas. Everything will be alright," Ino whispers in my ear, gently squeezing my shoulders. When the sight of Yoshiki giggling in joy because his uncle is blowing raspberries into his cheeks falls into view, a small piece of me wants to believe her.

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

[erimeows]

Snowfall

Winter in Konoha is seldom noticeable, as the village tends to stay warm year-round. This year, however, they’ve been hit with a cold front from the south that has a bitter chill and steady snowfall blowing past Sai. He sits on the railing just outside of his apartment, carefully balanced and staring out at the city so he can replicate the visual of the snow falling onto the villagers on the sketchpad in front of him.

The village is different today. People have hearts and banners with different colors strung all about their homes and businesses, their spirits seem better, and the cafes and restaurants are filled to the brim. Sai isn’t sure what’s going on- a holiday? A festival?

Before he can think about it much more, Sai hears footsteps running up the steps of his apartment complex. He turns to see Sakura and Naruto fast approaching, Sakura with a big gift bag in her hands. 

“Sai!” Naruto greets. “Hey, Sai!”

“Naruto, Sakura, what is it?” Sai asks, closing his sketchbook and jumping off of the railing so he can stand in front of his building on his feet.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Sakura grins and holds the gift bag out.

Sai takes the bag, then looks between his two friends, confused. 

Valentine’s Day? 

“...What?” He mutters.

“What, are you surprised we got you something? Don’t take it the wrong way, y’know,” Naruto huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. “We’re just doing it in a friendly way! It’s nothing, y’know, weird.”

“No, it’s not that I’m baffled by. I assumed it was normal to get your friends gifts,” Sai explains. “It’s just… Valentine’s Day? I’m not familiar with it.”

“Wait,” Sakura pauses, her seafoam eyes going wide. “You don’t know what Valentine’s Day is?”

“No. I’m still learning about holidays- we were never allowed to celebrate them in Root,” Sai hums, then sits on the ground and looks through the gift bag. It’s a new sketchbook, which he has tons of, and colored pencils that are far too cheap for him to do any good work with. Still, he knows that there was a lot of thought put into them, so he tries his best not to say anything rude. “I’m not even sure of when my own birthday is. Danzo refused to tell me, as he didn’t want me to celebrate it… They created their best soldiers by ripping away any traces of individuality, so we were all just considered a year older on the first of the calendar year, and were never celebrated.”

“That’s sad,” Naruto frowns. “Why don’t we choose you a birthday date sometime soon?”

“I think I’d like that, but first, educate me about Valentine’s Day.”

“Right,” Sakura nods. “Basically, Valentine’s Day is the day of love! You get gifts for your close friends and family sometimes, but the main point is to get gifts and spend time with your romantic partner- or confess to someone! So, to sum it up, you just express your love for someone.”

“Your love for someone, hm?” Sai hums. He thinks of his captain, Yamato, of Sakura and Naruto, and of the girl he’s developed a ‘crush’ on since meeting her; Ino. Ino seems like the type who would enjoy something like Valentine’s Day… Maybe he could get her something. “Would you two be interested in helping me pick out a romantic gift for someone?”

“Oh, hell yeah, Sai! Put it there,” Naruto exclaims and holds his hand out. Sai simply blinks at the blond, unsure of what to do until he gets an explanation. “I meant, like, for a high five! C’mon.”

“Oh,” Sai reaches forward with his hand and slaps Naruto’s, albeit a bit awkwardly. 

When he pulls back, he looks to Sakura.

“I’ll help you pick out something for Ino, but we came and got you so we could go get stuff for Captain Yamato! So, come help us first.”

With that, Naruto and Sakura are dragging Sai by his hands, and though he had planned to spend the day alone, he can’t help but smile at his two friends.

~

February isn’t a good month for Yamato in the slightest. His joints are worn and painful from the years of strenuous work in Root and Anbu, and the cold weather certainly doesn’t help. On top of that, his jutsu is much easier to use and control during spring and summer- and even fall- so training and going on missions has been more difficult for him. 

Thankfully, for the first time in a long time, Yamato has a day off. He sleeps in, lounges around the house, stays in his pajamas, and makes himself a nice cup of hot tea. As he sits on the couch, sipping away to warm his achy body and staring at the falling snow out his window with his cat, Scarecrow, laying across his lap. 

Just as he gets comfortable and leans back into the couch, there’s a knock on his door. Scarecrow stands up and runs to the door, letting out a scratchy meow. Yamato goes to open the door. Much to his surprise, the kids of Team Kakashi are there.

“Captain Yamato!” Naruto greets as Scarecrow purrs and rubs up against his legs. 

“Oh, Sakura, Naruto, Sai, good morning. Come on in,” Yamato steps aside to allow the three teenagers in before shutting the door behind them. Naruto makes himself comfortable by plopping down on his living room couch, Sai stands stiffly by the window, and Sakura approaches him to push a gift basket into his hands. Yamato holds the basket and looks down at it with a baffled stare. It’s pretty, hand woven and filled with green wrapping paper. “A gift basket? What for?”

“Valentine’s Day! Don’t tell me you don’t know what it is either,” Naruto groans. At that, Yamato glances towards Sai, who seems unbothered. Scarecrow hops onto the windowsill by Sai and rubs up against his hand. “Do we need to explain it to you, too?”

“No, no, I’m fully aware of the concept,” Yamato laughs and sits down next to Naruto on the couch. He awkwardly scratches the back of his neck and tries to avoid the three sets of prying eyes that are trained on him. “I just forgot it was today. I mean, I don’t usually have anyone to celebrate it with…”

“Really? That’s hard to believe, Captain,” Sakura says with a furrowed brow.

At that, Yamato blinks, surprised.

“You think so?”

“You’re a good guy-” Sakura starts, only for Naruto to interrupt with-

“Even if you are scary-”

“Shut up, Naruto!” Sakura yells, then turns to Yamato as he looks through the big gift basket. It has a bonsai plant, a watering can, some candied walnuts, a big bottle of wine, and what appears to be a handmade scarf. “Anyway… We all just wanted to show you how much we appreciate everything you’ve been doing for us since you’ve been appointed our team captain. We love you a lot.”

“Well… Thank you, guys. I really do appreciate it, and I love you all, too.”

“Yes, of course,” Sakura smiles. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“So? Is there anyone you’d like to celebrate with?” Naruto asks, totally unprompted. “Today may be the day to make your move!”

“Naruto, I don’t really think…” Yamato pauses. There is someone- there’s been someone- and Yamato has loved him for a very long time, but he’s so scared of ruining what they have and getting rejected that he hasn’t dared to fess up. For all he knows, Kakashi could have a date of his own today. “Well, that’s a complicated question with a complicated answer.”

“What!? I was joking!” Naruto exclaims with a red face. Sai watches them all, seemingly amused. “No way, you actually like someone?”

“That is so not your business, you idiot,” Sakura scolds, though she does a poor job of hiding the fact that she wants to know as well when she gives Yamato a questioning sort of glance just seconds later.

“Actually, I’m sort of curious too,” Sai pauses, furrowing his brow as if he’s in deep thought. “If you like this woman, why not get a gift for her? Isn’t that the custom?”

“Well, for one, it’s not a woman,” Yamato clarifies, to which Naruto’s jaw drops. The other two don’t look even remotely surprised, and he isn’t sure how he feels about that. “And honestly, a Valentine’s Day gift could easily be interpreted as a love confession.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Sakura asks. “It’s not healthy to bottle up your feelings.”

“I’m not ‘bottling up my feelings’. I just know better,” Yamato sighs. “Anyway, you kids should go enjoy the rest of your holiday. I’m sure you guys at least have dates. I’ll enjoy today just fine on my own.”

Yamato quickly shoos the group out of his home, but finds himself fully dressed and at Yamanaka Flowers just half an hour later, staring at the bouquets through the glass window. He sees so many flowers that he could easily imagine sitting in a vase in Kakashi’s window, but… He just can’t bring himself to go in and get them.

Meanwhile, Ino Yamanaka stands at the cash register, a big smile on her face as she sees all of the happy couples walking through her shop. She notices Yamato standing outside and longingly peering in, so she rushes to the entrance to catch him before he can psych himself out of coming in (which she’s seen him do a lot of times since he’s been discharged from Anbu). 

“Hey, Captain,” Ino grins as she pokes her head out the door of the shop. The brunette looks towards her, his cheeks burning bright red as if he’s embarrassed to have been caught here. “You looking to buy something?

“Er, yes,” The captain answers rather awkwardly, which is nothing new if Sakura’s many stories about him are anything to go by. 

“Of course, Captain Yamato, what do you need?” Ino grabs Yamato by the arm and drags him into the shop. “Are you looking for something for your special someone?”

“Precisely. What kind of flowers are appropriate for a, uh… Love confession?”

“Well, let’s see,” With Yamato following close behind, Ino goes to the massive wall of flowers and starts arranging a bouquet in white wrapping paper. “You’re a very direct, straight-forward person, so… I think a simple bouquet of red tulips and pink dahlias will do! The tulips symbolize a declaration of love and the dahlias symbolize gratitude.”

“Gratitude?” Yamato mutters. Though the rest of Kakashi’s team is too dense to figure it out, Ino has seen Kakashi and Yamato around the village many times now. Better yet, she’s seen the way that Yamato looks at Kakashi when they’re together; the blush on his cheeks, the spacey and loving sparkle in his dark eyes, the way he glances away when Kakashi tries to meet his gaze. His crush on Kakashi couldn’t be more obvious, yet the man thinks that no one else knows. It’s a miracle that he’s finally deciding to confess. “Well, I guess that is fitting. Thank you, Ino, I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. It’s on me today, alright? So don’t worry about paying for it,” Ino says with a wink and clasps Yamato’s hands around the stems of the flowers, then follows up with- “Just be sure to tell Kakashi-Sensei that I said hello!”

“Yes… Thank you.”

Yamato leaves in a hurry, seemingly humiliated at Ino’s little callout. Ino makes a mental note to tell Sakura about this later and scurries back to the register. The rest of the day is busy, but pleasant, with almost all of the flowers getting sold out. The clock hits eight and she gets ready to close, but right as she heads to the door to lock it, Sai swings it wide open and enters the shop with red cheeks.

“Ino?”

“O-Oh, Sai! Hello!” Ino offers a smile, but she can’t help how nervous she becomes. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t have a huge crush on Sai- he’s attractive with a unique sense of humor, and unlike Sasuke or any of the others she’s shown interest in before, he’s been nothing but nice to her. So, when he shows up at the flower shop at the last minute with ruffled ebony locks and red cheeks, Ino’s heart starts to race. Briefly, she considers the upsetting possibility that he could be here to get a Valentine’s Day gift for someone else; another girl, even. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, actually,” Sai answers with a nod.

“What are you looking for?”

“I’m not here to buy anything,” Sai responds, shaking his head. He reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out a jewelry box, which he holds out to Ino. “I’m here to give this to you, beautiful.”

Ino pauses, a nervous laugh falling from in between her lips.

This might be the best Valentine’s Day she’s had yet.

“Aw, really?” Ino questions. She glances up at Sai’s face, and then back down at the box. She opens it to see a beautiful silver necklace with a teardrop-shaped sapphire in the center; her birthstone. Whether Sai knew that or whether it was a lucky guess, Ino isn’t sure. She briefly thinks to ask if Sakura helped Sai pick the piece out before thinking better of it. “You’re so sweet! Let’s go on a date!”

“Wait, what?” Sai blinks.

“Dad,” Ino calls out, turning to where she knows her father is working on cultivating plants in the very back of the shop. She yells at the man over the back counter as she hurriedly clasps her new necklace around her neck. “I’ve gotta go, can you come take over and close?”

“I’ll be there in a second, honey, go on ahead!”

With her work day over, Ino grabs Sai by the hand and drags him out of the shop into the cool evening air.

~

Kakashi Hatake doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Or, he hasn’t in a long, long time.

He remembers when he was little, he would wake up to a big teddy bear and chocolates on the table beside his tiny bed, left by his father. When he got older and his father passed away, Kushina and Minato were kind enough to let him tag along on their Valentine’s dates- and Rin would shower him with gifts. Now, since all of them have passed, he’s spent every Valentine’s Day alone.

This year, however, he’s ready to move on. Maybe it’s stupid, but he’s developed feelings for Yamato since the younger man was discharged from Anbu. He’s convinced himself for months that it would go terribly if he acted on them, and that it’s not a good time, but when have times ever been good for either of them?

He returns from a mission just past eight and rushes to Yamanaka Flowers right as they’re closing. He sees Inoichi starting to lock the door when he arrives, and thankfully, the man is kind enough to open the door and sell him the last bouquet in the store; some sad, wilting white roses that are in such poor condition that there’s a discount on them.

As pitiful as the poor things are, he figures they’re better than nothing- that and Yamato is so good at caring for plants that he hopes the man will be able to bring them back from the brink.

He takes himself and the bouquet to Yamato’s apartment and stands on the balcony just outside of the man’s sliding glass door. He peers into the kitchen to see Yamato sat at the kitchen table with a bouquet of red tulips and pink dahlias in a glass vase and a pen in his hand. There’s probably five crumpled up pieces of paper on the floor and ten more on the table as Yamato sits there trying to write whatever it is he’s working on. Based on the flowers and the pretty pink envelope, Kakashi can only guess that it’s a love letter. Then, his gaze softens when he notices a ribbon tied around the vase of flowers with a note attached; to Kakashi, it reads.

“God, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Yamato groans, crumpling up the paper in front of him and tossing it to the floor again. When he glances over to the sliding door, he notices Kakashi through the glass and jumps. “O-Oh, Senpai!”

“Tenzo,” Kakashi greets, quickly sliding the door open. He considers scolding Yamato for leaving it unlocked before thinking better of it. “Good to see you, as always.”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Fine, then, Yamato,” Kakashi waltzes in and slides the door closed behind him with the bouquet of white roses still in hand. Immediately, a large black cat with one eye comes and rubs itself against Kakashi’s legs. He bends down just far enough to pet the animal and smiles when they arch their back into Kakashi’s touch. “I didn’t know you had a cat. What’s its name?”

“Uh,” Yamato struggles to get any words out as he rushes to throw all the abandoned letters in his kitchen trash can. The cat leaves Kakashi’s side and paws at a paper ball, which they then proceed to chase and slap around the kitchen floor. “His name’s Scarecrow. He sort of kept breaking in through my window, and he didn’t have a microchip or collar, so I just let him in and kept him.”

“Scarecrow, huh? That’s cute,” Kakashi grins, then, in a moment of bravery, holds the bouquet out to his friend- hopefully future lover. “Happy Valentine’s Day. Sorry it’s not the nicest- by the time I got there, they were closing and Inoichi didn’t have much left except for these.”

“Senpai… You really shouldn’t gift people bouquets like this unless you want them to get the wrong idea,” Yamato says with a sheepish smile as he unwraps the bouquet from the paper and gently places it with the flowers he seems to have bought for Kakashi in the glass vase on the table.

“And what would ‘the wrong idea’ mean?” Kakashi asks, leaning against the kitchen counter. 

“Well, you know-” Yamato, seemingly flustered, covers his face with his hands- but Kakashi can see that the tips of his ears are bright red. “If you give people things like this… They might assume that you have feelings for them.”

Kakashi walks up to Yamato and pulls the man’s hands away from his face.

“Well, that would be the right idea.”

“You-” Yamato pauses, his big brown eyes going wide. “Are you messing with me?”

“Not at all,” Kakashi answers, then gestures to the paper-filled trash can, the flowers, and the empty envelope on the kitchen table. “And if this whole mess is anything to go by, I’m assuming you have feelings for me, too?”

“I, uh, yeah. You’d be correct.”

“I’m glad, then.”

Yamato allows his eyes to fall shut and lets out what appears to be a sigh of relief.

“I stopped by the flower shop, too, I just… Was having trouble bringing them to you,” Yamato frowns as he looks at the flowers on the table. “At first, I thought they weren’t enough, so I spent the rest of the day looking for a good gift to go with them, but I couldn’t find anything- and then, I thought I could make something, or write you something, and well… That didn’t work out.”

“Don’t worry about it. The flowers by themselves are perfect. I’m just sad we didn’t do this earlier if we both felt this way,” Kakashi laughs and moves the vase from the table to the window sill so the flowers can sit in sunlight. “I fully expected to come here and for you to Mokuton me out your window in a fit of blinding rage.”

“...Seriously?”

“Yeah. Why else do you think I waited so long? I’m usually not one to beat around the bush, I just… Hated to think about you spending today alone, and I was waiting for the right time, but the right time never came, so why not tell you tonight?”

“Well,” Yamato smiles and walks up to Kakashi. Much to Kakash’s surprise, Yamato wraps his arms around his waist, pulls him into a hug, and rests his forehead on his shoulder. Kakashi isn’t used to being touched like this, so his heart is pounding hard and slow against his chest as he slowly reaches forward to return the hug and hold Yamato close to his body. “Thank you… For saying something. I’m not sure I would’ve ever gathered the courage to. If you hadn’t come, these beautiful flowers would’ve probably stayed on my kitchen table and wilted…”

“I’m just glad you accepted my feelings,” Kakashi pulls back and rests a gloved hand on one of Yamato’s cheeks. “Why don’t we go on a date? Valentine’s Day isn’t over yet.”

“But it’s past nine,” Yamato argues. “As sweet as that is, Senpai, everywhere is going to be closed by now!”

“Ichiraku’s still open.”

“Then, sure. It’ll be my treat.”

“Oh, no,” Kakashi shakes his head and takes Yamato by the hand. “It’ll be mine. Now, let’s go.”

[majesty-madness]

Hi! Can I request a Naruto Shippuden x Fem!reader where the reader met them all and was this cheerful little girl who loved flowers but as they got older she left or to them she just more likely disappeared but when she came back she was this whole different person now.

Now she's a pretty quiet and calm girl with a powerful aura around her, and if you find a black rose then that means that she was in that place, so what I mean is since she sued to like flowers but not a black rose is kinda her sign now, so the black rose represents her.

Lets say for example she fights with someone and disappears, then there's a black rose on the ground, which means that she was there in that place.

Also she's known as the ~Black Rose~ Since she always leaves a black rose as a sign

Note: She was childhood friends with, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura also knew her along with Ino but then when she came back they told the others about her (or you can do it in your way, I'll leave the rest to you)

Feel free to ignore this for whatever reason if you want <3

"Black Rose" - Naruto Shippuden x reader (sfw)

Word Count: 8000+

Warnings: angst, battles, violence, blood, injuries, hospital, mentions of serious injuries, flashbacks, worried friends, light arguing, crying, good ending, references to the Hidden Waterfall Village (don’t know if anyone knows about that episode)

a/n: I want to say that this is the first request I have ever done, and I usually don’t take requests; I just write whatever I want to. However, I thought that this could be a chance to experience something new and depending on how this goes, I might do more requests in the future. But I need some time to figure out if this is a good thing to start or if I should keep doing what I’ve been doing. So for anyone it may concern, I’m trying to figure this whole “request” thing because it’s new to me. Thank you for understanding! Hope you enjoy!

Also not proofread.

Main Masterlist

“Do you know which flower this one is, Sakura?” The little girl asked her pink and blonde haired friends.

The pink haired girl shook her head but the blonde nodded.

“That is a Gladiolus!”

“That’s right, Ino! They come in red, pink, white, yellow and orange. But the most important thing is that they have medical properties, so the medic ninja use them all the time for healing.”

Sakura expressed her astonishment. “Wow, that’s so cool! You and Y/N sure know a lot about flowers.”

“Well what do you expect? My family does run a flower shop.” Ino grinned at Sakura with a little giggle following.

Then Y/N chirped in, “And I’ve been studying at the library. If you want Sakura, I’d be happy to teach you about flowers.”

Sakura gasped. “Would you really? Oh that sounds like so much fun!”

Y/N laughed happily, clapping her hands together at the same time. “Yeah! We’re gonna have lots of fun!”

With no effort, her eyes sprang open; staring tiredly at the wooden ceiling above.

She laid there a few more seconds before she forced her head to turn over to the right. On just the other wall, there was a small window with the light of the sun shining through; it was time to get up.

______

At the same time, many people of the village were getting up and ready, especially the Leaf ninja, prepared to be sent on missions.

Ino, after slipping into her uniform, walked out into the street to head straight to the Hokage’s office.

Despite the early hour, the village was already bustling with life. Many people were out shopping, organizing food stalls, and the like.

By this point in her life, Ino was really all that surprised anymore by the efficiency of the Leaf village. Everyone was always quick to start the day, even the regular citizens. It made being a ninja all the more worth it in her opinion; she could protect the prosperity of her home while doing what she’d always wanted to do.

As Ino was making her way down the dirt road, a familiar voice called out to her.

“Hey, Ino!”

Her violet eyes darted off the right, several feet in front of her there stood Sakura.

Ino smiled and waved at her. “Hey Sakura!”

The pink haired ninja suddenly came running over to her side, and then they both continued to walk together down the road. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. What are you doing up so early? I thought you had the day off today.” Ino asked curiously.

“I did, but Lady Tsunade suddenly summoned me. She said she had an important mission for me.” Sakura answered politely.

Ino made a noise, like a hum at the news. “Does it have anything to do with the hidden Waterfall village?”

“Yeah actually, it does.”

Ino looked over at her friend as they walked side by side. “It could be a serious mission then. Do you think she’ll combine our teams?”

“I’m not sure, it’s entirely possible.” Sakura said, moving her gaze back to the dirt path in front of her. “Guess we won’t know until we get there.”

“Yeah, guess so.” Ino agreed, not saying anything else for a couple of minutes. They continued down the path in silence for several more minutes when something just popped into Ino’s head.

“You know, it’s been three years.”

Sakura, knowing exactly what she was talking about, nodded (more to herself). “Since Y/N disappeared.”

Ino hummed again. “I can’t believe how much time has passed. So much has happened.”

“I know. The hardest part is not knowing if she’s okay or not, or if she’s even alive. It reminds me too much of when…” Sakura began to say, but paused as she felt her throat tighten up. “When Sasuke left.” Ino stopped in her tracks, resting her hand on Sakura’s shoulder and forcing her to stop as well. Her green eyes whipped up to meet Ino’s, seeing a look of sympathy on her face.

If anyone understood that feeling of hopelessness (besides Naruto), it would be Ino.

“Don’t worry too much about it, okay? Y/N is nothing like Sasuke; she’ll come back one day. I have faith.” The blonde ninja ressaured.

This made Sakura smile, and her body language indicated that she felt a bit better. “Thank you, Ino.”

Ino patted her shoulder a few times. “No problem. Now let’s hurry to Lady Tsunade’s office, or kill us for being late.”

Sakura laughed in response before heading towards the Hokage building, near the back of the village.

It took only a little while, but eventually Ino and Sakura made their way to the Hokage mansion, and stepped inside Tsunade’s office. Once they did, they saw Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto, and Sai already inside.

“Oh I’m sorry, M’Lady. Are we late?” Sakura apologized, a tad bit nervous that they’d get chewed out.

“No, in fact, I was just about to explain the mission.” Tsunade assured, then leading into the details. “As you may already be aware you all are going to be heading to the Hidden Waterfall village.”

Naruto perked up. “The Hidden Waterfall village?”

Tsunade nodded. “That’s right. I know that three years ago you escorted Lord Shibuki to his homeland safely, and now I’m asking you to return.”

“Please tell me that this doesn’t have anything to do with escorting his son to become the next leader, who’s just as cowardly as he was.” Naruto sighed, clearly annoyed.

“No, there have been reports of the Akatsuki sighted patrolling the village.”

Shikamaru chirped in. “So that’s why you’re assembling such a big team.”

“That’s correct. I don’t want to be taken by surprise, so that’s why I’m assigning all six of you to go and see if there is any truth to these reports. And with that, I’m also assigning you as squad leader, Shikamaru.” Tsunade explained, hands propped up on the desk, fingers intertwined. “You have half an hour to get ready and head to the Hidden Waterfall village, understood?”

“Understood!” Everyone in the room agreed at once and quickly headed out of the office.

Meanwhile, Y/N stalked a rogue shinobi from up in the massive forest, surrounding the Land of Fire.

He had no idea she was there, no inkling at all which made her one of the most efficient ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village.

And the fact that he was distracted with a meeting in the middle of the woods kept him occupied. He was speaking with five other people, exchanging stolen information about the Leaf with them. Though the other individuals were handing him back scrolls of what she assumed was information on other villages as well.

At least after she took down these ninja, she could find out what information was being sold off.

After about ten minutes, the five other shinobi shook hands with the rogue ninja and quickly scattered.

She watched the rogue one sit down onto the ground, taking out a water canister and unscrewing the top.

Being confident that he wasn’t going, Y/N made a hand sign and produced five clones. All of them (including the real Y/N)looked at each other and nodded.

The clones disappeared while Y/N remained inside the thick foliage of the tree leaves.

Her eyes centered on the rogue ninja, relaxing against the tree she was currently hiding in and then abruptly jumped down, colliding elegantly with the solid ground.

The man jumped back clearly startled by her appearance. “What the hell?!”

From her crouching position, Y/N’s sharp eyes, black masked face whip up to make direct, face to face contact with him. She hears the man gasp and try to reach into his bag for a weapon.

Before his hand can even make contact with the pouch, Y/N throws long, precision needles into the man’s arm; pinning him to the dirt.

The man lets out a shout of pain and his arm is pinned at a 90o angle, and stuck behind his back. “What do you want?!” Y/N approaches the man, completely unphased by his screams. Her domineering stance and quiet nature makes the man visibly sweat, and he finds it hard to make any kind of rational thought.

This woman, this woman right here was unlike anything he’d ever seen.

Completely silent in her approach, beautiful figure, graceful in the way she moved with deadly precision, dark eyes locked on him, and an aura that reeked power; unadulterated power.

Never in his life had he ever met a woman that was able to combine beauty with danger; it was a combination he believed didn’t exist and yet here it was.

Should he be scared or impressed? He wasn’t sure.

He tried to reach for another weapon with his other hand, but another, foreign hand had wrapped around his wrist and pinned it there.

When he turned his head to look, he saw that it was a clone of Y/N, a flurry of black rose petals appearing as quickly as the clone had. It piqued his curiosity.

“Don’t try that again.” Y/N finally said, voice low and smooth.

“I asked you what you wanted.” The man grunted out, trying now not to move around too much.

Y/N walked forward, slipped her hand into the side pocket of his uniform and pulled out a seal scroll with the information he traded for earlier. “I want this.”

He watched Y/N neatly put away the scroll into her back pouch before speaking. “You looking for information on other villages too?”

“Actually, I’m looking for those documents you stole from the Leaf, but if I happen to gain a bit of an advantage over another village then so be it,” She softly explains, tone never fluctuating.

Without warning, the man burst out laughing. “Oh, I’m sorry! I’m afraid that those pretty little documents are already on their way out of the Land of Fire.”

Finally, Y/N’s voice changed when she hummed in amusement. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

As soon as she finished, four clones then appeared at Y/N’s side. She raised her hand up just a bit and snapped her fingers; like that each of them, including the clone pinning the man’s arm, revealed the stolen documents he had just sold off to other rogue ninja.

More black petals floated down from the air as each one of her clones suddenly appeared before them.

His eyes widened in complete shock, air getting stuck in his throat almost preventing him from taking a proper breath.

They kept the documents out only for a couple of seconds then slid them back into their packs.

“Looks like this is the end of the line for you.”

“Wait!” The man screamed out, making Y/N pause for a moment to see what he wanted. When a couple of seconds passed, the man spoke again.

“There were rumors, started a couple of years ago. They were about a rogue assassin, killing other ninja left and right.” The man explained, the cold sweat rolling down his temples.

Y/N said nothing, it made him swallow nervously. “No one could find their bodies; all that was left were pools of blood and a single black rose.”

Then Y/N squinted at him, eyes narrow and fierce. “They called this assassin: Black Rose. I thought it was just rumors but…”

“You’ve changed your mind?” Y/N asked condescendingly.

“Well I’ve never seen anyone leave black petals lying around when they use clones or teleport said clones.”

There was a pregnant pause as both parties stared at each other, one’s heart racing and the other’s heart steady as drum.

Y/N clicked her tongue. “You should’ve believed the rumors, maybe you could’ve lived longer. Your complacency is what led you here.”

She saw the man tense up. “I believe them now so maybe we could make a deal.”

He tried to sound tough or unaffected by the aura surrounding this woman, but inside the terror was speeding over her nerves, up his spine, nearing choking him.

“I don’t make deals with rogues. I’m afraid that this is the end for you.”

“No!” The man screamed out, the panic now controlling him.

No please, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ve got resources, information; just tell me what you want.” The man pleaded.

Y/N took a step back, raising both hands to form a single hand sign. “I want you to disappear.” Then in a barrage of hand signs, too fast to keep, Y/N weaved her fingers together before landing on the final sign. “Ninja art: Black Flower Decay.”

A whirlwind of black flower petals swirled around them as if the wind was guiding their movements, eching their way closer and closer.

The man watched the petals coming his way and one single petal landed on his cheek; it was hot, burned even. But it was one petal, and for a split second he thought maybe he could take it, however that thought quickly left his mind when more petals started to collect on his skin.

Now the burning sensation grows in intensity until eventually the pain became overwhelming. The man again screamed out but this time it was more gutural; more real.

In a final blow, the wind directs the flower petals on every square inch of the man’s body. Then the petals began to completely break down the man’s body til nothing was left.

The man’s body was gone, the clones disappeared, the petals vanished, and the only thing left was a single black rose placed on the ground.

In seconds, Y/N was already miles away from the location of the rogue she’d just eliminated. Not to mention the other shinobi that she also killed when they took off with information that could’ve easily led to the destruction of the Leaf.

And no matter what she was not going to let that happen, not when she loved ones waiting for her.

Three years had passed since she was assigned on this mission, and not a single day went by that she didn’t think about her friends back home.

She wondered if any of them had made Chunin or Jounin, or if Lee had made a complete recovery from his surgery, or even wondered if Hinata had confessed her feelings for Naruto.

These were the types of things that wandered through her head, the things that kept her sane. Though after all this time, she wondered if they thought about her.

Maybe the first couple of months, sure since it was only a couple of months after Sasuke abandoned them all that she was sent away, but they were ninja; they had to focus on training, completing missions, trying not to die.

Truth be told, they most likely didn’t have the time to even wonder about her well being. Who would after three years? For someone who didn’t even say goodbye?

Oh well…

She was assigned a mission and had to complete it no matter what. That’s why Lady Tsunade entrusted this mission to her and only her.

Y/N was ripped out of her thoughts by a sudden and powerful burst of lightning right for her.

In a split second, she managed to dodge the attack in mid air and jumped to the nearest tree branch. From behind the sound of the lighting making contact with another tree causing the wood to splitter and blow apart.

The attack kicked up a bunch of dust to which nothing was visible for a couple of minutes.

Y/N waved her hand through the air to try to clear the area, watching as the dust only moved away from her general vicinity but nowhere else.

Her eyes darted around trying to fight the source of the attack, but before she could come to a conclusion she heard a voice from a somewhat short distance.

“I’m surprised you were able to dodge that so easily.”

That voice, that voice sounded familiar.

No, it couldn’t be.

As quickly as it appeared, a gust of wind swept away the debris, wiping the area completely clean of any signs of attack.

Her eyes widened, staring directly at the figure that stood on the solid ground twenty feet away. It was-

“Sasuke?”

“Most people would have been killed by an attack like that.” The Uchiha stated coldly.

Shaking the surprise, Y/N pulled herself back into espionage mode. “What are you doing here, Sasuke? Finally have a guilty conscience and decide to get over your superiority complex?”

Sasuke didn’t react. He didn’t smirk, or laugh sarcastically, he simply stood there with a cool expression. “You’ve caused Orochimaru some trouble; eliminating his line of resources and so he’s asked me to deal with you.”

“He’s still alive then. I’m surprised, I figured by now you would have killed him and taken control over his lackeys.” Y/N continued to retort back while on the inside she was getting nervous.

He hadn’t demonstrated his full power, however she’s always known he was strong. He was a Uchiha afterall.

“That will come eventually. Unfortunately, there is still something I need from him so until then I will do what I have to do.”

Y/N didn’t have anything else to say instead she stood there quietly, her right hand subtly reaching behind her into her tool bag.

Just as she had the kunai out of the pouch, she watched Sasuke vanish and his overwhelming presence was suddenly behind her.

She whipped her head around, eyes meeting a pair of crimson ones.

________

“This is so stupid!” Naruto complained very loudly for all to hear.

“Oh shut up, Naruto! You haven't stopped complaining since we left the Hidden Waterfall Village.” Sakura yelled back at him.

All Naruto did was huff as the entire team dashed across the treetops.

“It’s just if there are going to be rumors about the Akatsuki hanging around, they could at least do me the favor of actually being there.” Naruto added with a pout.

“Are you serious?” Choji chirped in from the back of the formation.

Then Shikamaru cut in. “Think about it; if the Akatsuki were actually there, we would’ve had our hands full even with the six of us.”

“Besides, you should know by now that rumors are not always true. So stop pouting.” Ino interjected as well, her own annoyance palpable in her tone.

Naruto grumbled in response, whatever words he was spouting to himself not audible to anyone else.

He remained mumbling for a while, even sprinting ahead of everyone without thinking about it.

“Stupid Akatsuki, stupid mission, stupid Shikamaru, stupid…” His vision caught an unusual color in the corner of his eye.

It wasn’t far so he immediately went to go take a closer look, oblivious to his team members flying right by only to stop once they noticed he was going in a different direction.

“Where do you think he’s going?” Sai asked, not expecting anyone to know that answer.

“Naruto! What are you doing?” Sakura from up on a tree branch as she saw Naruto jump down to the dirt floor.

He did not turn around to reply, but kept walking through the grass and bushes of the forest. “There’s something weird over here.”

Sai, Sakura, Ino, Shikamru, and Choji all exchanged looks of confusion before Sakura followed after him first and hopped down off the tree.

Naruto had a few feet on them as he stepped into a small clearing, seeing blood painting the ground.

He gawked at the sight for a second then focused on the next unusual thing, more unusual than blood in the middle of the woods.

In the middle of the pools of blood sat a single black rose.

Throwing caution to the wind, Naruto reached forward to grab ahold of the rose. His fingers had barely skimmed the surface of the dark petals when Sakura’s voice called out to him.

“What are you doing?! It could set off a trap.”

Naruto was too wrapped up in his own thoughts that his brain didn’t register anything his teammate was saying as he turned around to face them with the rose in the palm of his hand.

“Guys, what’s a rose doing out in the middle of nowhere like this and around all this blood?”

Once the gang’s eyes rested on the rose in Naruto’s hand most of them remained confused, but Shikamaru’s expression changed to one of knowing anxiety.

“Black Rose.” Was all Shikamaru uttered and everyone looked over at him now.

“What?” Choji questioned first.

“There’s been a lot of disappearances within the Land of Fire lately, all kinds of ninja gone in the blink of an eye with only their blood and a single black rose left behind.” Shikamaru explained, taking a moment to observe the battle field they were standinding before continuing.

“While there’s not a lot of tangible proof, the ninja that’s been doing this has been credited with over a hundred assassinations over the last three years factoring in they are even assassinations; but given the amount of blood I would say so.”

Ino couldn’t help but perk up at the mention of three years. She subconsciously mouthed them to herself, and her mind immediately jumped to the realization that her best friend had been gone that exact amount of time.

Is it possible-

There was a thud and a rustling within a tree off to the team’s right, about six feet away.

It took only a moment for each member to get into a defensive formation as they eyed the direction in which the rustling came from.

The tree leaves moved around a bit some more and then a figure fell out from the tree landing at the team’s feet causing all of them to jump back.

Even Sakura and Ino had gasped when this mysterious fell out of thin air.

From what they could see, it was a female; about their age, probably about average height with what looked to be a long scarf hanging around her neck and covering part of her face.

It was easy to tell that she was very unconscious even with her face covered. And she was injured.

“She’s bleeding!” Naruto pointed out as soon as he realized that fact.

He rushed over to her side while assessing her wounds, then reached to pull her mask off. His back blocked the others' view of the female and they waited for any kind of signal from Naruto.

“Uh guys?” He said, voice laced with shock and a slight tremble of anxiousness.

“What is it, Naruto?” Shikamaru calmly asked.

Without another word, Naruto took a couple of steps to the side revealing the woman to them.

There was lull in all sound, even the breeze that rushed against their ears suddenly went quiet. Everything that had once made sound now only sounded like the white noise coming from a tv, growing louder by each passing second.

It was almost too much.

“Y/N?” Ino’s voice broke them out of their trance right before she took a hesitant step forward.

Her mind seemed to catch up as she lunged forward, her best friend’s name leaving her mouth one more time. “Y/N!”

She bent down next to Naruto, violet eyes darting across Y/N’s body to see if they were more serious injuries. In her search, she saw a large laceration across Y/N’s back. The blood from the wound had soaked into the fabric of her uniform causing a clot to form there.

“She has a severe wound on her back, it’s big; probably eight inches in length.” Ino started to describe, weaving a quick hand sign then holding her hand over Y/N’s back, her hands glowing green as she began to heal the opening.

Sakura rushed over, appearing on the other side of Y/N. “Has it begun to clot?”

“A bit.” Ino answered curtly. “It looks like the tissue itself wasn’t. The blood soaked into the shirt, it’s acting as a sort of gauze.”

The others stepped closer to nervously observe Ino and Sakura’s movements.

Sakura then reached into her back pouch to pull out a black-brownish jar with a rigid lid. “Sai! Come over here.”

Sai reacted swiftly, making it to Sakura’s side in no time as she opened the jar in her hands.

“Now Sai, I want you to very slowly and very carefully peel back the fabric of her shirt; as you do I’m going to apply this paste to keep the wound from bleeding. It’ll act as a temporary bandage. You got it?”

“Got it!”

And just as Sakura had said Sai followed her instructions to the letter and as she mentioned as well, every inch of skin that was revealed under the uniform shirt, she applied a nearly transparent gel onto the surface of the wound to keep it from free flowing.

The moment that was finished, Sakura put the jar away and directed her gaze to Ino. “We have to go, it’s another couple of hours to the village at least. If she’s gonna make it, we have to go now.”

Ino nodded, stopping her healing and taking a hold of one of Y/N’s arms; the one closest to her. “Let’s get her up.” Sai then assisted with the other arm, and they both wrapped each arm around their shoulders.

“If we really push it, we can make it back to the village in less time.” Shikamaru suggested, his expression now back to normal with a subtle hint of concern.

“Well let's hurry then.” Choji added.

Naruto quickly stood up from his position, bringing a fist slamming into his other palm with a look of determination on his face. “Yeah the only chance Y/N’s got is if we stop talking and get on with it.”

All six ninja exchanged brief glances at each other then took off in the direction of the village with Y/N coming in and out of consciousness.

It felt like a lifetime but eventually they made it and as Shikamaru had said, they really pushed it and got there in only thirty minutes.

It was definitely a rough half hour, although it was a small price to pay for getting their friend the treatment that she desperately needed.

They all barged into the hospital, shouting several things all at once that it was hard for the front desk nurse to understand what they were saying. The point got across after Lady Tsunade showed up.

She’d heard that Y/N had returned to the village or rather had been dragged back because she had a serious injury to the back.

Sakura requested that she assist Tsunade in the surgery, but she denied it saying that Shizune would assist which left Sakura feeling helpless.

Tsunade understood that she wanted to help her teammate and friend, someone who had disappeared much like her love Sasuke, but even from a glance she could easily discern that Y/N’s injuries were serious.

Even though Sakura was a skilled medic ninja, she lacked the experience of delicate surgeries and Y/N’s condition required delicacy.

Sakura, Naruto, Sai, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choi waited with what could barely be considered patience, out in the waiting room.

Everyone sat down in an uncomfortable chair except for Naruto; he opted to pace.

Of course it set everyone on edge, but he has always been a fidgety person so add a bit of stress to that and he couldn’t sit still.

Though, Sakura did yell at him for not sitting like a normal person (her words). Normally Naruto wouldn’t have argued with the matter because she would’ve beaten him to a pulp for not heeding her word, but not this time.

He exclaimed that there was no way he could sit down since one of his friends was in surgery. Sakura remained quiet after that.

The silence permeated the very air they were breathing as they kept waiting for some sort of news on Y/N’s condition.

Until finally, Tsunade came out to meet them.

“She’s going to be just fine.” That was the first thing she said to them with a confident smile.

All the young shinobi had sighed in relief, the stress dripping off their shoulders to disappear forever.

“However,” Tsunade prefaced, “She’s in a medically induced coma so she won’t wake up for a while. The best thing she needs right now is sleep; this is also to keep her from moving around with that back injury so it’ll heal.”

Once more the young ninja exchanged looks of relief, happy to know that their friend was going to make it.

________

Nearly a week passed before Y/N woke up from her coma.

Her eyes felt the glare from the sunlight seeping in from the outside, and a warm sensation encasing her wrist.

When her gaze shifted to the presence of the warmth, she saw Lady Tsunade standing at her bedside while checking her pulse.

Honestly, at first, she didn’t recognize Tsunade for a few seconds until she spoke up.

“Well hello there, sleepy head. Finally decided to wake up.”

Y/N blinked a few times. “Lady Tsunade?”

The Hokage gently set Y/N’s hand back down to her side before crossing her arms and smiling down at the young woman. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“How-” She looked around the hospital room confused. “How did I get here?”

“I had sent several of your friends out on a mission to investigate rumors of the Akatsuki near the Hidden Waterfall village and on they’re way back, they found you lying in the middle of the forest.” Tsunade wasted no time explaining, her smile falling to a more casual expression.

Y/N’s eyes darted away to the hospital ceiling again, mouth gaped open subconsciously as her mind flashed back to that last thing she remembered.

“I vaguely remember somebody picking me up from the ground, but it’s all kind of hazy after that.” Y/N admitted.

Tsunade took a deep breath before speaking. “That’s not shocking, you were critically injured. It’s a miracle you were still alive when they brought you in.”

Both paused to gather their thoughts, the room becoming silent.

“What happened to you out there?” Tsunade asked with a startling seriousness.

She took some time to think through it, going back to every second stuck in her struggle against an old classmate. A classmate she actually used to know fairly well, and now he was nothing more than a stranger that she crossed unfortunate paths with.

“It was Sasuke.”

Tsunade didn’t even look surprised or shocked, it seemed as though she was already aware of who had almost killed her. After a minute or two, Tsunade nodded (more to herself).

“I see.”

“You don’t look surprised.” Y/N mentioned quickly.

The older blonde woman shook her head. “When I was performing your surgery, it was easy to make out the lightning pattern on your back. And not only that, upon taking a closer look I could see that the lightning had managed to barely sear the bone of your spine.”

She watched Y/N’s eyes widened at the revelation. Tsunade continued, “The attack was so precise that it scarred the bone, there’s one person I can think of that could use lightning like that.”

Y/N listened in horror, while trying to keep her mind from exploding with all the information coming in at once. “I am going to be okay?”

“Yes, luckily the scarring on your spine was superficial and there was no permanent damage that will affect your ability to walk or anything of the sort. The real problem was trying to close off the laceration, but that’s been taken care of too.”

“Oh thank goodness…” Y/N breathed a sigh of relief, holding her hand up to her chest.

Tsunade stepped forward, arms resting back at her sides. “However, you will need to rest as much as you can and you’ll need to start physical therapy.”

Y/N grumbled something under her breath; she would’ve rolled her eyes but her head hurt too much.

“Don’t get an attitude with me. It’s important to get your body back up to speed, that surgery took a lot out of you.” Tsunade scolded, her own brows pinching together in a frown.

“Yeah, yeah I know.” The younger ninja waved her off, choosing to now stare at the wall ahead of her as she sat up against her pillows.

She tried to suppress a deep rooted groan, unfortunately it proved useless, as the shock of pain in her back caught her off guard.

Her mouth let out a gasp before her teeth came clamping down on each other to soften any other noises that would try to escape. 

“Try to move around slowly. Even if you were asleep for a week, you need to give yourself some time to heal.”

Y/N’s nearly popped out of her skull when those words processed in her brain. “A week? I’ve been here a whole week?”

Lady Tsunade opened her mouth to say something only to be interrupted when the hospital room door came slamming open.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

A familiar bright blonde haired male came bursting into the room with no regard for what anyone else was saying (Tsunade). He ran over to Y/N’s bedside, a now bright grin on his face.

“Hey Y/N, how ya doing?” He asked casually. It soon earned him a hard whack to the back of the head, a pink haired girl moving in.

“Naruto, you idiot! I told you to WAIT!” Sakura shouted quite angrily. Then she yanked Naruto back by the collar of his orange and black jacket.

Slowly, but surely several other people began to filter into the room, each other with their own unique uniform design.

And she knew every single one of them! Her face didn’t show it but she was glad to see them, it had been too long since the last time she saw them and now here they were.

Every one of them was taller than she remembered; particularly Shikamaru. Back then, she used to think that Shikamaru was kind of small but not so much now; he was fuller, broader.

He had grown up quite a bit.

Sakura had still been yelling at Naruto when Y/N shook herself out of her head, and focused on what was happening right now.

“Come on, Sakura…Cut me some slack okay? It’s been forever since I saw her last.”

“Ugh…” Sakura sighed as she placed a couple of fingers to her temple to dampen the oncoming headache. She switched gears in a few seconds as she faced Y/N, a small replacing the scowl.

“It’s been too long though, what have you been up to?” She nicely asked.

Y/N paused for a second as she thought of what to say; suddenly her throat felt unusable and her mind blanked. All the time she spent thinking of her friends, she never thought about what she’d say once she saw them again.

“O-oh…you know, finishing up a mission” She plainly answered, trying to sound like she used to.

What did she used to sound like?

There echoed a collective noise of surprise coming from her friends, their faces matching that.

“A mission? You mean the past three years, you’ve been on a mission?” Ino cut in, stepping forward to now be standing close by Y/N’s left side.

Y/N’s eyes danced over the faces of the people she once knew, to realize that they were different. It made her throat feel snapped shut.

She swallowed, noticing the soreness of it. “Yeah…”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Choji asked, his voice taking on obvious sadness.

Y/N went to answer but Tsunade cut her off. “It was a stealth mission of the highest order. It needed to be kept secret. No one was allowed to even be aware of why or when she was leaving the village.”

“So that’s why you left without saying goodbye.” Ino voiced as she held her hand against her chest as if she were trying to keep herself focused on the now instead of thinking on what happened back then. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but when she learned that Y/N was gone and no one knew why, she feared that she had succumbed to the same darkness that corrupted Sasuke.

Y/N was her best friend, they told each other everything especially the dumbest of stuff. They always said “Hi” or Good morning, always trading a goodbye before departing on a mission. In some weird way, they felt secure in that. To them it felt like a guarantee that even though they said goodbye it would never be the last.

So when Y/N suddenly wasn’t there anymore, it left Ino afraid that she had been unable to stop her from following a path with no way to return.

Y/N hung her head in shame, now having a difficult time looking them in the eyes. All she saw was the lingering disappointment swimming in their eyes.

“You’re different than before.” Naruto added in the middle of the silence.

She knew all too well.

“Back then, whenever you were around us you were always smiling, always laughing with us. And even when we’d end up in the hospital after a mission, you were always there to cheer us up.” Naruto continued, his usual boisterous personality on the back burner as he spoke softly and sincerely.

“But now, you’ve got this blank look on your face like you don’t know what smiling is.”

He wasn’t wrong. Not at all.

Three years spent on a mission tucking away her feelings, forgetting how much she missed being home and being with friends, and forgetting what made her who she is would make anyone feel as if they didn’t belong in the very place they called home.

It wasn’t a revelation she was prepared for.

The moment she tied that headband to her head she thought the it would be in the middle of the battlefield that she’d feel the most on edge, never did she think that moment would fall on her when she was surrounded by those she loved.

“Don’t be so insensitive, Naruto.” Sakura scolded him again, though this time she spoke less angrily and more concerned for Y/N’s reaction.

“Look, what I’m saying is that you’re not the same as before. What happened out there?”

Finally, Y/N looked up. “A lot of things happened out there. And-”

“Okay, that’s enough for one day.” Shikamaru advised after several minutes of not speaking.

“But Shikamaru-” Naruto began but Shikamaru spoke over him.

“Remember she’s suffered a critical injury; she still needs time to heal and us bringing up details of a delicate mission isn’t helping.”

At that, Naruto’s blue eyes drifted to the tiled floor in a silent agreement.

“Shikamaru is right, the best thing you all can do for her is to let her rest. Her bandages need replaced anyway, so clear out.” Tsunade ordered gently while crossing her arms over her chest.

Silently, each member made their way out of the room, glancing back to Y/N a few times (collectively) before they were out the door. Y/N and Tsunade waited until they could no longer hear their footsteps to say anything else.

“He’s right.” Y/N uttered, staring down at her palms.

“That’s his other gift…” Tsunade said thoughtfully, walking around Y/N’s bed to face the window. “He senses changes in people, no matter how subtle. It’s easy to forget when he acts like a moron.”

Y/N felt her mouth quirk up into a sentimental smile. “It's because of that ability that makes him such a force to be reckoned with.”

“I agree.” Tsunade stood by the window for a few more moments then looked over her shoulder at Y/N. “Alright, how about we get those bandages changed?”

________

Time passed, at what felt like, a blink. 

Another week passed before Y/N was cleared to go home, but it felt like time rushed by her. Even when her friends would visit her, the hours they’d spend trying to fill Y/N on what she missed, seemed like mere minutes; gone without a chance to turn around. 

Maybe that was better. 

Since that first visit, Y/N hadn’t been able to shake the feeling of guilt hanging over her. Every time any one of her old friends came to see her, she saw the sadness in their eyes. 

She attempted to act like how she used to, happily-go-lucky, but it was all forced and definitely difficult to keep that up so she quickly decided to let it naturally come back to her. 

Whenever that would happen. 

It was hard; knowing that her friends expected her to revert back to the old days, and be who she was. And she wanted to be that for them, she truly did, it’s just being on a mission that negated any sort of humanly interaction or connection made it seem like it was all a dream to begin with. 

And when she couldn’t deliver, the disappointment always returned. 

Now she was a walking blank canvas; splashed with a coat of white to hide any unique colors and patterns.

It almost scared her how much she didn’t react or feel.

Would she ever be the same? 

The thought lingered at the forefront of her mind while Y/N sat criss cross on her own bed. 

Her back was slouching a bit which caused her to grunt in pain when she straightened herself out again. 

Lady Tsunade ordered her to sit as straight as she possibly could to help the healing process, but she was a creature of habit so she’d start out with correct posture then slip back into a slouch then would quickly correct herself again. 

It was causing a lot of unnecessary pain. 

Y/N huffed as she forced her shoulders to lie straight and back up, being as perpendicular as she could. While she did so, she kept her eyes on the blue sky filled with an abundance of white, fluffy clouds. 

Cloud watching was a hobby of her’s, particularly when there wasn’t a lot going on during her mission. 

Any time she felt nervous or anxious or bored, she’d tilt her head back and watch them float. 

There was something very relaxing about that process. 

But she didn’t enjoy it for long when a knock came at her door. Y/N perked up, head whipping to the other side of her room. 

“Who is it?” She asked aloud. 

“It’s me, Ino.” The muffled voice said on the other side of the door. 

Bracing herself, Y/N carefully lifted her aching body up from the bed to make her way to the front door. 

She opened the door to find an anxious Ino, twiddling her thumbs. “Hi.”

“Hey, can you come with me somewhere?” Ino abruptly asked. 

Y/N raised a brow at her. “I guess, but where are we going?”

Her answer visibly made Ino relax. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “It’s a surprise.” 

Then she turned on her heel, making her way down the apartment building hallway and in no time, Y/N followed close behind her. 

For some reason, Ino chose not to make conversation on the way to wherever it was they were going. 

Instead she quietly led the way, leaving the village houses behind with each passing step and ventured through some trees. 

Something about the path they were taking looked familiar, so much so that it caused a warmth to center in Y/N’s gut spreading over her nerves like a warm blanket.

When it came to forests, three years isn’t enough time for it to change, and it looked exactly as it did back then. 

Ino eventually stepped through the set of trees, and made it into a sunbathed clearing, completely lavished with a mass of flowers. 

Y/N eyes grew wide at the sight; she couldn’t remember the last time she had been here even before she left. 

Once she graduated from the academy there was never time to come back here, to relax and enjoy the simple colors of the flowers and their comforting smells wafting through the air.

It still looked like the small piece of heaven she loved so dearly. 

“I can tell you remember this place.” Ino finally said, turning around to fully face Y/N; a soft smile on her face. “I know how much you used to love it here.”

“Why are we here?” Y/N asked, her own gaze observing every flower grazing her legs. 

Ino stepped up to Y/N, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Because we loved this place when we were kids, so let’s enjoy it.”

Then Ino lightly nudged Y/N to follow her again and this time they didn’t walk that much further when they met a slight slope slanting downwards from where they were. 

Ino took a spot on the small slope, then again nudged for Y/N to sit down with her. She did. 

As soon as Y/N seated herself onto a patch of grass, Ino reached out and pulled out a white flower with a yellow center. “Do you remember what kind of flower this is?”

Y/N let out a quick airy laugh, caught slightly off guard by the question. “Uh..a jasmine.”

Ino nodded with a smile. Still holding the jasmine, she plucked out another one. This flower was drenched in a bright pink, petals resembling lace. “This one?”

“A carnation.” 

She picked another one; it had a long green stem with a bushel of tiny purple petals at the top. “This one?”

Y/N nodded. “Lavender.” 

Reaching for one more, Ino pulled up a flower with a somewhat stringy inside, center white and the petals gradually from that bright white to a light pink. 

“How about this one?” 

To Y/N’s shock, she didn’t recognize it. It definitely looked familiar, but there were several other flowers popping in her head that matched the look of it. 

Staring at the flower, Y/N cautiously shook her head as if she were afraid she would disappoint Ino. 

Ino held the flower up to her nose to smell the fragrance, closing her eyes a second to relish it before opening them again. “It’s a gladiolus.” 

Y/N sadly decided not to respond to that. 

“It was your favorite one back then. When we were still in the academy, you told Sakura and I  that they could be all sorts of colors like pink..” she gestured to the pink one in her hand. “Or yellow or white. And you also said that they had healing properties used by our medic ninja. It was easy to tell how excited you were to tell us about it; how much you knew about flowers.” 

“What’s going on, Ino? Why are we out here?” Y/N finally confronted the strange behavior of her friend. 

Ino rested her hands in her lap, the flowers she’d plucked nearly falling from her limp hands. “I thought that if I could remind you of what you used to do, what we used to do together when we were kids, maybe it’d bring back the part of you that’s been hiding.” 

“And you were the only one who wasn’t disappointed in me to try, huh?” Y/N laughed humorlessly. 

Quickly, Ino faced her friend. “None of us were disappointed in you. We were all worried because you weren’t yourself anymore, and we could see how upset that made you.”

“Then why are you the only one who’s said anything? Why are you the only one out here?” Y/N began to feel the hopelessness grow in her chest like an infection. 

Somewhere in the past week, she had rationalized that she had lost her friends because she couldn’t be there the same way as she could three years ago. 

“I’m the only one out here because I asked everyone if I could be the first to help you remember. After this, Sakura and Naruto got their own thing planned for you.” 

“What do you mean?” Y/N questioned, utterly confused by that statement. 

“Well…” Ino began then recounted what happened only a few hours ago. 

It was the middle of the afternoon when Sakura, Ino, and Naruto strolled down the street. Originally, Sakura and Ino were walking together but then Naruto saw them and caught up to them to talk as well. 

There was some simple chatter going on between them when Naruto began to complain. “Don’t you guys think it’s weird that Y/N isn’t acting like herself anymore?”

Sakura and Ino stopped in their tracks, standing beside each other as Naruto took a few steps ahead before stopping himself, arms coming down to his sides after being held up in a casual posture. 

“It’s not weird.” Ino answered somberly. 

Sakura frowned. “It isn’t unusual for people to change when they’ve been alone on a mission for that long, especially if it was high priority.” 

Naruto gritted his teeth. “I know, but it’s still weird to me. She used to be so happy back then, it was never boring when she was around, she had so much energy and now it’s like that person is gone. Like someone is impersonating her.”

“She’s not gone.” Ino was quick to add. “I can still see the cheerful girl we used to know, I think she’s just got lost along the way.” 

Sakura nodded. “I think you’re right.”

There was a brief inter pause when Ino gasped, startling both Sakura and Naruto. “I have an idea!” 

The other two ninja waited patiently for Ino to tell them what her idea was. 

“We’ve been trying to fill her in on all that she’s missed the past three years right? Well if we instead we show her things of our past together, from when we were kids?”

Sakura’s eyes lit up. “Like when we played in the river together?”

“Or when we read comic books and played games together?!” Naurot chided, his voice grew louder than it was seconds ago. 

Ino snapped her fingers and grinned. “Exactly! If we re-experience places we went, things we liked to do then maybe we could remind her of who she is.”

“It’s worth a shot at least.” Sakura smiled, looking between Ino and Naruto. 

Naruto threw his fist up in the air. “Are you kidding me? That idea is awesome!” 

“Alright, then from now on, each of us will try to remind Y/N of our precious memories together. Ready?” Ino closed her hand, and stuck a fist out to her friends. 

Sakura and Naruto both bumped Ino’s fist, earning an excited cheer from all three at the same time. 

“You see? That’s all we want, is for you to remember not who you used to be but who you are.” Ino explained, leaning over to a bundle of gladiolus flowers and extending them toward Y/N.

Her violet gaze could see the beginnings of tears gathering in Y/N’s eyes. “Like these gladiolus, maybe we could begin to heal you. If that’s okay?”

They fell, the tears that had been clouding her vision rolled down her cheeks, leaving a warm sensation in their wake. 

For the first time in a long time, Y/N let out a relieved sob, taking the bundle of flowers from Ino’s grasp. Her head dipped down to stare at the colorful bouquet, watching her tears fall onto the petals and pool there. 

The shame and guilt that hung off her injured back, finally disappeared, giving her the chance to breathe again, to actually breathe. Each inhale of air felt cold going down her throat but left her refreshed. 

It was overwhelming.

Ino gave her space, letting her friend cry, to push out everything that she’d kept buried under a lock and key. 

It wasn’t until Y/N had pulled her head back up and extended her arms out, that she hugged Y/N tightly to her and she reciprocated. Ino could feel her own tears begin to build. 

Y/N cried a little while longer, then allowed herself to speak through the sobs. “Thank you; for not giving up on me.” 

Ino pulled back, hands then resting softly on Y/N’s shoulders again. “That’s what friends are for.” 

That caused Y/N to let out a tearful laugh and Ino mimicked that. 

It was good to be home.

a/n: this was a long one, and I probably wrote more than I really needed to but honestly I do that more than people think. Regardless, if you're reading this thank you for making it all the way through this; it was a lot.

[a-ghost-that-writes]

Uncharted

Ship: Naruto x Ino

Inspiration: One Word Writing Prompts [pt. 4]

AU: Canon divergent

For:@ino-supremacy​

Never in his wildest dreams did Naruto think he was ever going to get married. The fact that not only ended a war, but married a beautiful woman like Ino was amazing and shocking at the same time. Even now sitting on top of the hokage statues with her, he still was in shock about being married. 

“It’s crazy huh?” Ino spoke up. “Being married, we’re together til the end.” 

Naruto nodded and grinned at his new wife. “Heh, crazy ain’t even the half of it! Who would have thought I’d get married!”

“Hey now, don’t put yourself down like that.” Ino pouted. “You’re a great guy Naruto, any girl would be more than happy to marry you!” She told him.

Naruto smiled, hearing Ino speak so highly of him always made him smile. “You’re always so kind to me Ino, any guy would be more than lucky to be with you. I dunno how you got with a knucklehead like me, but I’m thankful and blessed you chose to stay with me.”

“Well it just so happens that I actually like knuckleheads like you~” She said with a playful.

“Heh... So what do you think’ll happen next?” He asked her?

“Honestly? I don’t know, this all brand new to me too.” Ino answered. “But I think that’s the best part of marriage in my opinion.” 

“You think so?”

Ino nodded. “Yeah! If we knew what marriage was going to be like, then it’d be dull and predictable. I think it’s better not knowing because we can decide what it’s going to be like.” She explained. “It’s going to be strange for a while, but I think we can handle it together!” 

Naruto grinned. “Hell yeah! Together there’s nothing we can’t do Ino! It is gonna be weird for sure, but that isn’t gonna stop me from being the best husband you deserve!”

[tobiramamonmari29]

ino yamanaka, has been in a relationship for a few months with Hinata Hyuga. The platinum blonde fell in love with the brunette. She had never seen such a beautiful woman, but a few things about Hinata had always bothered her. she seemed not to be very well fed, in her opinion the Hyuga was too skinny. Ino has always had an obsession with her weight and that of others, and she eventually realizes that it was a fetish on her part. she liked round women, their plump shapes, wide thighs that she could slap with love. Their plump buttocks that couldn't even fit in the palms of his hands. And Hinata had both thighs, hips and ass. But what she loved the most was that huge chest. her soft center, smooth under her hands, so comfortable, my god she loved Hinata well nourished by her care.

She now had to feed her, she grimaced and pouted when her girlfriend didn't take a refill at dinner. food was part of her daily life, at first Hinata was embarrassed by her weight. But when she saw that the platinum blonde was a fan, No, she was obsessed with it. She became borderline processed and wild in bed. since she had gained weight, they both felt that their sex life had been better. And Hinata will never admit it but she liked having her face stuffed with food. She just wants to wait for their Friday night. ino made him many dishes, these all prepared with love.

The platinum blonde, took care to help Hinata when she was too drunk. She made soothing circles on his stomach, slipping him some praise and encouragement. what the Huyga liked the most was the look of the blonde, so much desire, all watching her eaten to an end.

Ino: will you take another plate? I'll be sad if you don't.

Hinata: I'm drunk ino...

ino: baby i would take such good care of you and your body after this.

Hinata: I would like that.

Ino: So finish that pudding, baby. My god she couldn't wait to take care of her beautiful Hinata again.

END.

[lizzy06]

Naruto Fic Recs!! (AO3)

Fandom Masterlist

Hey guys these are my favorite Naruto fics!! Hope u enjoy them too <3!!

No Paring

becoming the memory✨💖 by iinsomniatic(Time travel fix it, Jiraiya raises naruto) Out of options and about to die, Jiraiya writes a seal he’s sure isn’t going to work anyway. Then he wakes up, and damn it all, it’s October 10th. [ONGOING] From me to you: Unsent letters ✨✨by Lady_Ye(oneshot, suicide note)This made me cry so hard!! [COMPLETED]

Naruto Uzumaki x Sakura Haruno

Artistic purpose ✨by StormyInk (one shot, fluff) sai gets his new inspiration of drawing from his friends with which he also sets something off!! [COMPLETED] Just like me by bendingwing (oneshot, fluff)The beginnings of narusaku [COMPLETED] The Children of Omelas byFangirlJo (oneshot, Utopia, Dystopia, inspired by the one who walks away from omelas)She was 8 when she noticed the blonde boy in ragged clothing with bruises, sores and cuts all over him. She doesn't think the adults ever noticed him despite his bizarre looks, but she did.[COMPLETED] Date Night by TwinEnigma(oneshot Wingman sasuke, funny)In which Sasuke tries to do something nice for Naruto and Sakura's first anniversary. Hilarity ensues. [COMPLETED] Of pink and orange by FairyLetters (oneshot, reader is a spectator, fluff and angst)You watch as Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki come to an understanding that Sasuke Uchiha has left again.[COMPLETED] What now? by Kameodash(oneshot, after war)Naruto and Sakura try to cope with the trauma of the war together.[COMPLETED] Leaving You by THE_MAN42(oneshot, Love confession ,Sad ending)Naruto dies in her arms.[COMPLETED] Shinachiku and the Multiverse of...Wait There's a Multiverse?! by DuchessofChaos (time travel,falling in love) shinachiku travels to a world where his parents don't exist[ONGOING] Open Hearts by gabriella0807(post war,fluff)After the war there is a lot of work left to be done and many problems to be solved in the Shinobi world, while our heroes need to heal and move forward with their lives. [COMPLETED] Baby its you ✨by Behla(fake dating, friends to lovers, crush's wedding, single bed) Haruno Sakura finds herself in desperate need of a date for the wedding of a man she's been pining after for over eight years, in order to convince him and his bride that she's getting over him.[ONGOING]

Nara shikamaru x Ino Yamanaka

Red Ribbon by amuk(one shot,humour, friendship)They made a promise and Ino spent three years searching for Shikamaru to keep that promise. Time changes everyone, though, and Shikamaru looks cozy with his coworker, Temari. Some promises can't be kept. [COMPLETED]

In the forest 💖💖💖✨by SenkaHitomi(LadyTegan) - (post war, mission gone wrong, slow burn) shikamaru returns in catatonic state from a mission and ino must go into the labyrinth of his mind to bring shikamru back! [COMPLETED]

Its her again... ✨✨by atmymercy (Highschool au, pinning) Ino gets jealous of the girl who sits beside shika on his train and this leads to a whirlwind confrontation of her feelings..[COMPLETED]

Uchiha sasuke x sakura Haruno

Before the storm ✨by crissy_writes_garbage(Time travel to past, pregnant sakura)Sakura is pregnant and lost, a combination that leads to more trouble than necessary. Specially when you're lost in the past. [COMPLETED]

Gaara x Sakura Haruno

words that tie, ties that bind by Binxxx(soulmates, angst,SHUKAKU THE THERAPIST)During the chaos of the Chunin Exams, Sakura discovers who her soulmate is. [ONGOING] The four heavenly treasures by IRinna(arranged marriage, politics, friends-to-lovers)Princess Sakura of the Land of Fire is offered in a political alliance to the Land of Wind to help survive the incoming war. There she meets Gaara, leader of Wind and one of the champions of the Four Heavenly Treasures. [COMPLETED]

Uchiha Madara x Sakura Haruno

The Black bull by Vesperchan (oneshot, beauty and the beast elements)Based on the classic Scottish fairytale The Black Bull of Norroway.[COMPLETED]

Itachi Uchia(xf!reader)

Ikigai ✨by MissWriter97(arranged marriage, senju reader, alternate au) Uchiha Itachi gets married to the women he does not love to prevent the massacre! This is a lovely fic...[ONGOING]

Senju Tobirama(xf!reader)

A Step in Time by MizzGinger (senju tobirama x Princess! reader ,arrange marriage, time travel, second chances) This is and alternate au story with a lot of war time drama going on!! It has a brilliant set up!![ONGOING]

The Home I crave✨✨ by cafeinthemoon93( arranged marriage, angst, slowburn, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers )I really loved this fics, the detailing and pacing were chef's kiss!![HIATUS]

Some other pairing stories

Iruka x reader

Growing along the line✨✨💖 by FreakyPseudWriter(fake dating, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers, fluff)After a really bad day at your workplace you meet Umino Iruka, who quickly makes you open up to him. But you certainly didn't expect him to suddenly claim you two were romantically involved! [COMPLETED]

Sasori x Sakura Haruno

Bait and Hitch✨✨ by Aelynthi (fake dating, coworkers, crush's wedding)When Haruno Sakura finds out Sasuke is engaged, she does the only thing she knows to do in order to save her pride—she lies.[ONGOING]

[devilish-blue]

~Devilish Smoke Shoppe~

Hi you smokin' pervs, i'm Devilish or Blue, and i am here to fulfill whatever horny, angsty, or fluffy needs you have. Everything you guys are about to see is everything i will do, so eat your guys' gross little hearts out <33

Fandoms/Things i will write:

Anime's:

Naruto:

Naruto Uzumaki

Sasuke Uchiha

Shikamaru Nara

Kiba Inuzuka

Kakashi Hatake

Gaara

Neji Hyuga

Rock Lee

Sai

Asuma Sarutobi

Tsunade Senju

Sakura Haruno

Ino Yamanaka

Hinata Hyuga

Temari

TenTen

Haikyuu:

Karasuno:

Hinata Shoyo

Kageyama Tobio

Tsukishima Kei

Yamaguchi Tadashi

Tanaka Ryūnosuke

Nishinoya Yu

Koshi Sugawara

Daichi Sawamura

Asahi Azumane

Kiyoko Shimizu

Aoba Johsai:

Oikawa Tooru

Iwazumi Hajime

Akira Kunimi

Kentarō Kyōtani (Mad Dog)

Nekoma:

Lev Haiba

Sō Inuoka

Kenma Kozume

Taketora Yamamoto

Morisuke Yaku

Tetsuro Kuroo

Shiratorizawa:

Kenjirō Shirabu

Tsutomu Goshiki

Satori Tendō

Eita Semi

Wakatoshi Ushijima

Fukurodani:

Haruki Komi

Akinori Konoha

Keiji Akashi

Kōtarō Bokuto

Inarizaki:

Osamu Miya

Atsumu Miya

Suna Rintaro

Aran Ojiro

Shinsuke Kita

Misc.:

Keishin Ukai

Ittetsu Takeda

Kiyoomi Sakusa

TV Shows:

Wednesday:

Wednesday Addams

Enid Sinclair

Xavier Thorpe

Tyler Galpin

Ajax Petropolus

Cobra Kai:

Miguel Diaz

Robby Keene

Hawk/Eli Moskowitz

Demetri Alexpoulos

Tory Nichols

Samantha LaRusso

Riverdale:

Jughead Jones

FP Jones

Archie Andrews

Sweetpea

Reggie Mantle

Betty Cooper

Veronica Lodge

Toni Topaz

Cheryl Blossom

South Park (Aged up (COLLEGE) and/or Post Covid!):

Stan Marsh

Kyle Broflovski

Kenny McCormick

Eric Cartman

Tolkien Black

Craig Tucker

Tweek Tweak

Clyde Donovan

Big Mouth:

Judd Birch

Human Resources:

Maury Beverley

Connie LaCienega

Emmy Fairfax

Rochelle Hillhurst

Mona

Pete Doheny

Youtubers/Streamers:

Youtubers:

Sam and Colby

Markiplier

CoryXKenshin

EddieVR

JuicyFruitSnacks

JoshDub

Mully

YourNarrator

Streamers:

Quackity

Jschlatt

Sapnap

KarlJacobs

Slimecicle

Foolishgamers

Horror Characters:

Slashers:

Ghostface (Billy Loomis and Stu Macher)

Michael Myers

Jason Vorhees

Brahms Heelshire

Creepypastas:

Ticci Toby

Masky

Hoodie

Eyeless Jack

Homicidal Liu

Jeff The Killer

Ben Drowned

Laughing Jack

My Do's And Don'ts:

Do's:

Kinks

Smut

Fluff

Angst

Headcanons

Oneshots

Don'ts:

Spam me

Piss, Scat, Throw up, Vore.

Do NOT request any pedophilia or r@pe.

OKAY so now that you guys know everything, basically, you can request it because i honestly can't think of anything on my own. ALSO i am looking to do commissions, if you are interested then please let me know <33 Smoke your pervy little hearts out <33

[redsnowdrop]

ShikaIno Fan Fiction! A one shot love story!

To my -> Fan Fiction Masterlist <-

On AO3:

On Wattpad:

[hykar]

💫🌷Hi-kar here!•°

Hi, This is Hykar and welcome to my blog where I mainly talk, write, and post about my favorite characters and sometimes the game/fiction where they are from. Welcome to my little world! You may ask me about myself but please make sure its not too personal :)!

I read Manhwas, Manhuas, Fanfictions, and Novels—I also like to watch Donghuas, Animes/Animated series, and Films. I also like to play a wide range of games (mainly adventure and building ones) such as Pokemon (Emerald), Genshin Impact, Obey Me!, Dark Corridors, Honkai Starrail, Path to nowhere, Project Sekai!, and so much more.

Overall just a person who's really into books and fiction. I also write my own novels and comics with my own characters!

🌷What I write and accept:

I write Character x Reader/OC/another character Fanfictions (Including: scenarios/imagines, oneshots, and AU's) (that will be definitely divided into parts because they will most likely going to be long) with an ACCEPTABLE trope and/or dynamic. (E.g. Rivals to Lovers, Picky-eater character x Eats everything character).

Requests are accepted! (Characters that differ from the ones I will write about may take some time because I want to understand their character first before writing).

I specialize in ANGST.

🌷What I DO NOT write and accept:

Character x Reader/OC/another character Fanfictions (Including: scenarios/imagines, oneshots, and AUs) that DO NOT have an acceptable trope and/or dynamic. (E.g. Character x Reader/OC that are siblings or have a... Jaw-dropping age gap.)

🌷What will take some time to be considered:

NSFW.

Dark Romance (It depends on what kind of Dark Romance is being implied.)

🌷SOME of my favorite characters and the game/fiction where they are from that I will post about:

Honestly, I have A LOT of favorite characters and most of them are either the side character that doesn't get a lot of screen time, dies or underrated. Sometimes all of the above. Henceforth I will be writing about them so that people that enjoy the same character I do get some more content about about them. Here are my top 3 favorites!

1. Sucheon Kang of Eleceed

2. Amajiki Tamaki of MHA/BNHA

3. Rosaria, La Signora, Arlechinno/Knave and Kaedehara Kazuha of Genshin Impact (My main too!)

4. Oliver Wood of the Harry Potter series

5. Neji Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka of Naruto

6. Sanzu Haruchiyo of Tokyo Revengers

7. Toge Inumaki of Jujutsu Kaisen

8. Tokito Muichiro of Kimetsu no Yaiba/Demon Slayer

9. Kyousuke Tsurugi of Inazuma Eleven GO!

10. Simeon of Obey Me!

11. Boothill of Honkai Starrail

-Too many of them to count so I'll stop here. You may ask me who else!

🌷I have a lot of favorite Character x Character/ships but I won't list them anymore cause this post will be too long to read ㅠ ㅠ.

🌷HEADS-UP:

1. I may or may not write too often because of: Schoolwork, Writers block, Burn-out, My forgetfulness

2. Please be patient and respectful with your requests :(

3. My writing is pretty sh-t, Im sorry.

4. I edit my work sometimes which is often. (Perfectionist struggles... Jk. Maybe.)

5. I might post my opinions/thoughts in here and it might bury my works so I will keep it to a minimum, Including the reblogs.

6. I will generally refer to the reader/describe them via They/Them/Their pronouns for the reasoning that: me, as a writer does not know the reader personally, and so that my work is also accessible to everyone. This however, may or may not be applicable when it comes to a request since there are specifications.

🌷Thank you! This is Hykar. Pleasure to be of acquaintance!💫

[philixx]

— 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐂/𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍

✮ Naruto Uzumaki

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Sasuke Uchiha

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Sakura Haruno

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Hinata Hyuga

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Rock Lee

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Neji Hyuga

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Gaara

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Temari Nara

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

✮ Ino Yamanaka

— [Oneshots]

… coming soon!

— [Drabbles]

… coming soon!

— [Multi-Parts]

… coming soon!

— [Headcanons]

… coming soon!

— [Multi Char.]

… coming soon!

— [Yandere]

… coming soon!

[13as07]

Spitting Image #1

(Ino Yamanaka)

[Art work is not mine! Credit to creamway]

Requested by: Myself

Word Count: 4,211

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

None romantic one-shot; more friendly one-shot vibes; also sorry it’s not as Ino centered as I planned it to be

Child out of wedlock (how sinful; says the smut writer) (Yoshiki is the name I chose for said child)

Kouhai means underclassmen for those that don't know

Part Two?

———————————————————————

"Shit, shit, shit," I mumble under my breath, rushing through the front door of the Yamanaka flower shop. I'm ten minutes late for the third time this week, a promised blowup from Ino waiting for me at the counter.

"Where is that dumb kouhai at?" Ino's voice rings out over the sound of the bell on the front door.

"Right here! I'm here! I'm sorry!" I rush out, struggling to tie the strings of my apron. "I'm sorry I'm late again, Yamanaka-San!" I mutter, bowing my head down, eyes set on our shoes as I wait for my verbal lashing.

"Kouhai," Ino hisses out, tone cold and eyes hot as she glares down at me. "I pay you to work from eight-thirty to four, not eight-forty to four."

"I know, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"You said that yesterday, and the day before that. How is it any different this time?"

"I'm really sorry, Yamanaka-San," I repeat, my tone a whisper this time.

"I will deal with you later. Your lateness won't be the reason for my lateness," Ino mutters, walking away from me, taking her anger bubble with her.

I stay in my bow until I hear the bell ring again and the shop door slam closed. "Damn it," I mumble, rubbing my eyes as I stand up straight again.

"Why have you been late so much this week?" A voice calls out, startling me.

A yap slips from me because of the sound, making me jump back and spill over a tub of flowers. "You have to be kidding me," I whisper to myself, blinking the angry tears from my eyes as the sound of the bucket crashing to the ground rings in my ears.

"I asked you a question, it's impolite not to answer," The monotone voice calls again.

I shift toward the sound, Yamanaka-san's husband falling into my sight. He reminds me of a tuxedo cat; ghostly pale, always in black, and seemingly hating everyone that's not Ino or their son. "I am sorry Yamanaka-San. I didn't mean to ignore your question. What was it again?"

My boss's husband - my other boss, I suppose - tilts his head a bit as he looks at me, a micro-scrunch of his nose appearing too. "Why have you been late so much this week?" He repeats, making my cheeks warm up in embarrassment.

"Family issues," I mumble, dropping to the floor to pick up the flowers I tipped over.

"What might those issues be?" Sai asks, kneeling on the ground as well, helping me plop the flowers back into their bucket.

"I don't think it's appropriate for you to pry into my personal life, Yamanaka-San. I am sorry for being late, it won't happen again. Now, please leave me alone," I husk out, anger coating my words and my eyes again. I tug the bucket away from him, turning my full attention to the mess I've made.

"Have I upset you?"

"No. Just... go away Yamanaka-San," I grumble, rotating the bucket away from the water still covering the floor.

"As you wish, Kouhai," Sai responds, smiling softly at me before he follows his wife's previous path.

The anger of my morning continues to brew as I clean up the spilled water. It's been six months since I gave birth to my son, Yoshiki. It's been difficult trying to find balance in my life since having him. I love him more than anything in this world, but without a support system, it leaves me feeling like I'm drowning.

Between his needs, my needs, bills, daycare, and work I feel like any moment one of the plates I'm holding is going to fall and break. The plate being my job at the moment. I'm lucky to have three thousand yen left at the end of the month, courtesy of the outrageous daycare bills. I need to find a cheaper daycare or one that opens earlier so I can make it to work on time. I can't afford to lose my job.

How the hell am I going to get and maintain another job if Yoshiki isn't in daycare? How am I going to afford daycare if I don't have a job? How am I going to afford our bills? Our rent? Yoshiki's formula and diapers and the million other things he needs? Why couldn't I just get out of the house on time this morning? Or yesterday morning? Or the morning before that?

My stress tears mix with the flower water I'm cleaning off the floor, only upsetting my spiral thinking even more. Maybe I'll get lucky and Ino will only tear into me again when she gets back instead of firing me. I can't afford to lose this job.

————————————

My heart feels like it's pounding against my rib cage as I listen to the nursery worker on the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry ma'am but he has a fever. There's no way we can keep him at the nursery."

"I'll come get him soon but I can't just leave work. You guys can't keep him a couple more hours?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

I twirl the phone cord around my finger, heated tears threatening to spill again today as I listen to the nursery worker explain once again why they can't keep him. "I can give you an hour to pick him up, but that's all we can offer. We can't risk any of the other children getting sick. I'm really sorry, ma'am."

"Alright, okay. I'll be there soon. Thank you," I mutter into the phone, the angry tears spilling down my cheeks. I slam the phone down, picking it up to repeat the action a few times.

Why can't one thing go right? Why can't I catch one break? What am I going to do? I can't ask to leave early after being late most of the week. That'll definitely get me fired. Ino is going to tear into me if I ask to leave early, she's going to fire me. I can't afford to lose my job, but I can't leave my baby at the nursery. I can't leave Yoshiki feeling ill and yearning for me.

"Do you mind not breaking the phone?" Ino's voice rings out, filling my chest with dread.

"I'm sorry, Yamanaka-San," I mutter, softly setting the phone down before using my fingertips to brush the tears off my cheeks.

"It seems that you're saying that a lot today."

"I know," I murmur, turning toward her, eyes cast to the ground as I work myself up to ask my question. "Yamanaka-San?" She hums in acknowledgment, arms crossed and foot tapping the ground. "I'm really sorry but I have to leave early today."

"Oh? Oh ya? You show up late all week, yell at my husband, take a personal call at work, and then attempt to destroy the store phone, but you need to leave early today."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm dealing with some things at home and I'm sorry it's melting into work but - "

"You want to leave early? Fine, leave early, but if you leave don't bother coming back. You're unreliable," Ino husks out, glare pointed my way.

"Yamanaka-San, please. I really need this job - "

"Not enough to work your full shift, apparently. I already told you, you're done, fired, unemployed. I can't have an employee that constantly shows up late and dares to ask to leave early."

I open my mouth to fight back but I have nothing to say. I get where Ino is coming from, after all, she's running a business and that can't happen with an unreliable employee, with me coming and going unpredictably.

I let out a defeated sigh, untying my apron and laying it on the counter before I walk out of the shop. The ringing of the bell dances around my brain, forcing fresh tears to brew. A million things, mostly bills and money issues, run through my head as I start my path toward Yoshiki's nursery.

I don't have time to worry about money or bills or a job. My baby is sick and needs me. Yoshiki needs to be my main focus right now. I can worry about finding a new job once my baby is at home and his fever is gone. My son needs to be okay and healthy before I have time to worry about anything else.

————————————

I let out a sigh as I watch my Kouhai walk out the door. Maybe I was a little harsh, we all have bad weeks, and I just made hers worse by firing her. But, on the other hand, I can't keep paying someone who can't keep their life together well enough to get to work on time.

     The front door jingles again. I snap my mouth open, preparing to deny the Kouhai's pleas for her job back.

     "Oh, hey Ino!" Kohan's - one of the members of the Konoha Barrier Team and a civilian of my clan - voice rings out, making my mouth snap closed. "Where's your Kouhai at?"

"Why do you care?" I snap out, glaring at him as the scent of infidelity waves my way, only solidifying my decision to fire her. I don't need drama filtering into my flower shop. "Don't you have a pregnant wife at home?"

Kohan chuckles at my questioning, only pissing me off more. "Yes, I do. Your Kouhai's son sat up by himself for the first time. She said she'd show me pictures next time I stopped in, so I was just curious if she was working today. I swear your cashier has the cutest kid in the world."

"What?" I ask, the word 'son' standing out in the explanation I just got.

"Your Kouhai has a cute kid?" Kohan repeats slower this time, his face scrunching up as he looks at me. "I think she said he's five months old, maybe six. She's got this picture of him in a duck onesie in her wallet, and it's the cutest thing in the world. She said the wife and I could have the outfit if we want since her son grew out of it already."

"My cashier doesn't have a kid," I say, a laugh following my words. What kind of sick joke does Kouhai and Kohan have going on? "She... she doesn't have a baby at home. I would have known that."

"I promise you she does. I don't know much about her home life aside from her son, but it sounds like the dad is MIA."

"What about her parents? Her mom is around to help with the baby right? Or her dad? A sibling or something?"

Kohan shakes his head no, sucking his cheek in to nibble on it for a second. "No, it's just the baby and her. She was raised by a single parent but from what I've picked up, they were one of the casualties of the war."

I let out another laugh, this one a panicked laugh. I just fired a young single mother for being late to a couple of shifts, and for needing to leave early without even asking why she needed to leave. I am a terrible person.

"Anyway, I'll stop in some other time. Let your Kouhai know I stopped by."

"Will do," I mumble, watching Kohan walk back out of the shop. Once the bell rings closed, I dash towards the phone, scrolling through the phone log. In big letters 'Konoha Nursery' is written on the call log. I fired a single mother because for some reason she had to pick her kid up early from daycare.

I. Am. A. Terrible. Person.

"Sai!" I yell, rushing around the store in search of my husband. "Sai, I'm going out, can you watch the store?! Oh, and please remember to pick Inojin from school!"

"Where are you going?" My husband asks, poking out from a random hidey-hole he's been in.

"I need to talk to Sakura about something."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you later, Dear."

————————————

It's been two days since I had to pull Yoshiki out of daycare early. His fever has gone down a bit, but he's still warmer than he should be. My sweet boy is curled up on my chest. He's in nothing but his diaper and I've decided to lay with him on my chest, nothing but my bra covering my torso. Hopes that skin-to-skin will help his fever race through my head as I cuddle with him.

     If it doesn't I'm out of options. I'll have to take him to the hospital, not that I can afford it, but I don't know how else to help Yoshiki feel better. The only saving grace right now is that he fell asleep far enough up my chest that I can hear his breathing without having to press my ear to his chest. "I swear, God," I mutter, focusing on the ceiling. "If you take my baby, I'll never forgive you."

     I know it's an overreaction, I know it's just a fever and will probably go down soon, but I can't help but worry that it might be more. Reading all those baby books during my pregnancy has left me with the fear that any and everything will kill my Yoshiki.

It took draining all my savings to finally convince myself to go back to work. It terrifies me to leave him with strangers for so long every day. What if something happens and I'm not there to protect him?

A knock at the door cuts off my spiral thoughts before they have a chance to start, both making me grateful and sorrowful. The sound wakes Yoshiki, sending him into a meltdown from his still-present fever and from being woken up.

I gently hush him, patting him back as I crawl out of my bed. "You're okay, love. I know, I know," I coo, softly rocking us back and forth as I weave my way through our destroyed apartment. I haven't had time to clean up so stuff has been thrown around on any surface available.

"You're okay, I promise. It's okay, Yoshiki," I continue to coddle, rocking us as I stop patting his back. My hand is gone from him long enough to open the door before it's back in place, softly rubbing his boiling skin. "Hello, how can I help you?" I ask, aiming my voice toward the open door without fully paying attention to who it is.

My focus is set on Yoshiki, trying to calm him as I start my mental checklist for the hospital. I've decided I'm going to take him once the telemarketer is dealt with.

"I thought Kohan was kidding," the person says, tugging my attention to them. Standing in the doorway is my old boss. Ino's mouth is hanging open a bit, her exposed eye wide and jumping between Yoshiki and me. "That is a baby. You have a baby. How do you have a baby?"

I blink at the lady in front of me, not a hundred percent sure what to think at the moment. "Ino, you have an eleven-year-old at home. I'm pretty confident you know how a baby is made."

"Yes, I know how a baby is made. I'm asking how you have a baby."

"Two hundred yen margaritas and a moody Sand Shinobi in the village on a business trip."

Yoshiki is the spitting image of his father. A fluff of deep red hair and his father's pale opal-colored eyes. I swear the only thing my son got from me was eyebrows and the shape of his nose.

A bundle of blue stripes covers a part of my son's forehead too, almost like stretch marks, another trait he got from his father. I've asked his doctors about it and they've told me not to worry, that it's just a mark of a jinchuriki parent, nothing different than the Hokage's and his kids' whisker marks.

That's another thing that has me stressing. What's a jinchuriki? How's it going to affect Yoshiki's life? It can't be that bad of a thing if our Hokage is one... right?

Ino busts out laughter, sending Yoshiki into another crying fit. "I'm sorry, it's really not funny," She says as I try to calm my son down again. "It's really... it’s not funny, just how you said it... it's not funny, I'm sorry," She says between bundles of giggles.

"It's kind of funny," I mumble, walking away from the door, leaving it open for Ino to decide what to do. I can hear her shuffle into my apartment, closing the door behind her as I pull an ice pack out of the freezer. "Is there a reason you're here?" I ask, trying to shuffle Yoshiki enough to wrap the ice pack in a cloth.

"I wanted to talk to you about... earlier this week," Ino mumbles, making her way through the maze of random toys and clothes covering the floor. "Here, let me hold him while you do that," She adds, reaching her arms out for my son.

I'm reluctant for a moment, hesitant to let anyone besides myself and Yoshiki's daycare nurse hold him. After a beat I give in, carefully shifting him into Ino's arms. I'll take him the moment I'm done wrapping his ice pack.

"Dear lord," She mumbles, nestling Yoshiki into her arms. He screams, reminding me his lungs are working. "Your baby is the spitting image of Gaara. How'd you manage to get that man in bed?"

"Gaara?" I ask, my hands stalling for a second.

"Gaara is the dad... right? I mean... your son looks exactly like him."

"I don't know the name of Yoshiki's dad," I whisper, finishing the task at hand before testing the pack against my skin. "Like I said, it was a one-night stand," I mutter, quickly taking my son back. I situate him back into place, holding him against my chest as I rest the wrapped ice pack on his back.

Ino stares at me, blinking a couple of times as she struggles with her words. "I would be able to recognize him, obviously," I mumble, shifting Yoshiki a bit. "After all, my son got all his traits from his father. I spent nine months making him and he has the audacity to look exactly like his father," I tease a bit, trying to lighten the mood.

     She laughs again, a calmer giggle this time. "I feel that. I swear Inojin looks like his father more than he looks like me." I hum in agreement, constantly moving the pack across Yoshiki to hopefully help bring his temperature down. "Anyway, I'm pretty confident Gaara is the father of your kid. Even if he's not, your son has junchuriki marks, it wouldn't be that hard to find his dad."

     "It wouldn't?" I mumble, focusing on switching Yoshiki around to cover his chest and stomach with the cooling device.

     "No, there's only a handful of them. It's not a common thing."

     "Great," I mutter, letting out a sigh as new worries filter through my head.

“It’s not… all bad,” Ino mumbles, glancing around the room before she settles on me again. “Gaara is… he’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s a great uncle to Shikadai. That and he has - ”

“There’s a big difference between being an uncle and being a dad.”

“Ya, I know,” she mumbles softly before she smiles at me. “For now let’s talk about you coming back to work and figuring out a way to make things easier for you. We can worry about the Gaara thing later.”

————————————

It’s been a couple of weeks since my conversation with Ino. I feel silly for not talking to her sooner. A new normal has settled over us, Yoshiki staying with me at the flower shop when the daycare is closed so I can work more hours, a later starting time so I don’t have to worry about being late, and the Yamanakas helping me with my son.

Ino watched him yesterday afternoon so I could go out for the first time in seven months. Do you know how nice that was? Getting some me time for the first time in half a year? I even get to sit down and eat now without having to worry about jumping up at Yoshiki’s every cry. Inojin is trying to talk me into letting him keep Yoshiki overnight one of these weeks. He’s grown attached to my little guy.

He also insists that my son ‘looks just like Uncle Gaara’ and that he ‘has the same eyes as Aunt Temari and Shikadai’. All this talk about the Gaara guy has my nerves a bit on edge. It scares me, thinking that someone so close yet so far away can demand to see my child, to have a say in my child’s life. I didn’t purposely leave my son’s father in the dark, I just figured I’d never find him again so why waste my time looking?

I will say, despite all the fear that comes with the possibilities of this Gaara person, Ino’s friend - Shika-something - Shikadai’s dad, had some tricks on getting Yoshiki’s fever down. He also said it’s normal for children of Sand Village descent to have fevers because of the usually hot temperatures in the Hidden Sand and their DNA morphing over time to counteract it. It is normal, it is just Yoshiki’s body adjusting, and soon enough he’ll be able to regulate his body temperature on his own.

Besides, there’s no guarantee that this Gaara guy is my baby’s father, and even if he is, who says he wants anything to do with us? That thought both feels good and hurts. I’ve done it all on my own, all nine months of the pregnancy, the childbirth, all seven months of Yoshiki’s life. If Gaara wants nothing to do with us, it won’t be that big of a deal. However, my son having his father while growing up is a nice thought to have too.

The bell at the front of the shop rings, a “Hello! Welcome in!” tugs from me as my eyes stay set on Inojin and Yoshiki.

“Hey, Ino,” a squeaky preteen voice calls out, instantly making Inojin chirp up.

“Sup, Shik,” he calls back, carefully standing up with Yoshiki in tow. The boys share some kind of new-gen handshake, my mind clicking the new boy into place as Shikadai. He’s the spitting image of his father too.

The two boys talk for a couple of minutes, Shikadai’s eyes constantly flipping between Yoshiki and me. Inojin was right, he does have the same eyes as my son. That doesn’t help my panicked thoughts. “What are you doing here anyway? You hate the flower shop,” Inojin asks, perking my interest a bit.

“My uncles are in town and Uncle Kuro already managed to piss off his wife, so he’s dragging Shinki and me along to help pick out flowers.”

“No shit? Shinki came this time too?”

“Inojin!” I snap out, giving him a warning glare. “No pouty mouth around Yoshiki.”

“Oh, right! My bad Kuohai!”

Shikadai’s eyes jump between my son and me again, a weird look on his face for a split second. “What’s with the baby?” He tries to whisper, eyes still running a mile a minute.

“Oh, Yoshiki? He’s the son of the girl that’s been working for my mom. He’s a chill dude, for being a baby and all. He looks a lot like your uncle.”

“Who looks a lot like me?” A deep voice calls out, overpowering the sound of the bell ringing. Standing in the door frame is a man with a black hood pulled over his head and dark purple markings across his face and neck. “Dear lord, who did Gaara knock up?” He asks, making panic spark in my chest.

“Okay, that’s enough Inojin,” I rush out, making quick steps around the counter and towards the group forming by the door. “I would like my baby back now,” I continue to panic, carefully swiping Yoshiki from Inojin’s arms.

“Hey! You said I could hang out with him during your shift!” Ino’s son complains, trying to swipe Yoshiki back from me.

“You can hang out with him later,” I mumble, slipping into the bathroom, quickly closing and locking the door behind me. So much for the new normal.

I sink to the tiled floor of the bathroom. Yoshiki is having the time of his life, smiling and babbling to himself as he looks up at me. “What are we going to do, Love?” I ask him, lifting him to press his tiny forehead against my own. “Why do you have to look so much like your daddy, huh? Do you think this Gaara guy is Dad? You think so?” I coo, pressing kisses to his cheeks, which only encourages his giggles.

A soft knock is pressed on the door, making Yoshiki smile even more. For whatever reason, his new interest is the sound of knocking. He seems to enjoy it quite a bit. “Hey, Kouhai?” Ino calls out, her voice followed by another knock. “We should probably talk.”

Probably.

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

[ao3feed-jjk]

Anime Various Oneshots/Discussions

by BlizzyWritesStuffs Various oneshots/discussions of your favorite anime and characters! Words: 439, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga), SPY x FAMILY (Anime), Chainsaw Man (Manga), Naruto (Anime & Manga), Boruto (Anime & Manga), かぐや様は告らせたい | Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai | Kaguya Wants to be Confessed To (Manga), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 葬送のフリーレン | Sousou no Frieren | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Anime), 約束のネバーランド | Yakusoku no Neverland | The Promised Neverland (Manga), 賭ケグルイ | Kakegurui (Anime & Manga), Tokyo Ghoul Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Kamado Nezuko, Hashibira Inosuke, Tomioka Giyuu, Kochou Shinobu, Uzui Tengen, Kanroji Mitsuri, Rengoku Kyoujurou, Tokitou Muichirou, Iguro Obanai, Shinazugawa Sanemi, Himejima Gyoumei, Kibutsuji Muzan, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, Rui (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Power (Chainsaw Man), Hayakawa Aki, Reze (Chainsaw Man), Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata, Tsunade (Naruto), Inuzuka Kiba, Kankurou (Naruto), Nagato | Pain, Hoshigaki Kisame, Yushiro (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Yumemite Yumemi, Yomozuki Runa, Jabami Yumeko, Saotome Mary, Frieren (Frieren), Fern (Frieren), Flamme (Frieren), Shinomiya Kaguya, Shirogane Miyuki, Iino Miko, Hayasaka Ai, Fujiwara Chika, Fushiguro Megumi, Kugisaki Nobara, Gojo Satoru, Nanami Kento, Getou Suguru, Ieiri Shoko, Zenin Maki, Inumaki Toge, Okkotsu Yuuta, Iori Utahime, Chousou (Jujutsu Kaisen), Uraume (Jujutsu Kaisen), Eida (Boruto) Additional Tags: Romance, Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Tropes, Crack, Talking, Fun via https://ift.tt/MWbAPZK

[ffxvficrec]

by Susanowo Hot womens get involved with lucky boys in this collection where words bubble like soda.... just like hormones! A collection of short oneshot shotacons. Words: 1383, Chapters: 1/25, Language: English Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) , Boruto (Anime & Manga) , Naruto (Anime & Manga) , Dragon Ball , Marvel , DCU (Comics) , 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime) , ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure , Final Fantasy XV , Incredibles (Pixar Movies) , The Powerpuff Girls (Cartoon 1998-2005) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Underage Categories: F/M Characters: Uzumaki Boruto , Nara Shikadai , Haruno Sakura , Tsunade (Naruto) , Konohamaru , Uchiha Sasuke , Yamanaka Ino , Midoriya Izuku , Bakugou Mitsuki , Utsushimi Camie , Kayama Nemuri | Midnight , Cathleen Bate | Star and Stripe , Yaoyorozu Momo , Sousaki Shino | Mandalay , Son Gohan , Android 18 (Dragon Ball) , Trunks Briefs , Maron (Dragon Ball) , Son Goten , Caulifla (Dragon Ball) , Kamado Tanjirou , Tamayo (Kimetsu no Yaiba) , Daki | Ume (Kimetsu no Yaiba) , Dash Parr , Violet Parr , Emporio Alniño , Kujo Jolyne , Damian Wayne , Lois Lane , Sedusa (PPG) Relationships: Boruto - Relationship Additional Tags: Shotacon , Dead Dove: Do Not Eat , Older Woman/Younger Man , Interracial Relationship , Size Difference , MILFs , Blow Jobs , Age Difference , excessive cum , Impregnation , Doggy Style , Maledom/Femsub , Cheating , Large Cock , Cock Worship , NSFW Art , Bad English , Cowgirl Position , Sex , Anal Sex , Oral Sex , Rough Sex , Vaginal Sex , Penis In Vagina Sex , Cunnilingus , Straight Shota , Large Breasts , Creampie , Paizuri , Dirty Talk , Teasing , Sibling Incest , Mother-Son Relationship

[majesty-madness]

This Saturday

December 3, 2022

Uploading: First Request / "Black Rose" - Naruto Shippuden x reader (sfw)

NARUTO ONE-SHOT

a/n: I have never done a request before so this will be a first for me, so just keep that in mind. And regarding requests, make sure to read the author's note on the story I'm going to be posting. It'll share a little information about my thoughts on requests in the future.

[sasuino-week]

SasuIno Week 2022 Rules

Welcome to SasuIno Week 2022! Here are the rules for the event:

There is no hurry or requirement to join, all are welcomed in this event

Anon hate is getting deleted on sight.

Mind yourself, don’t harass or bully others while this is going on this is no place for hate of any kind.

Prompts and Mods

Participation rules:

Fanarts, fanfics, moodboards, playlists, videos, aesthetics, are all welcomed here.

Please be sure to @ this blog and use the tags: #SasuInoWeek2022 or #SIW2022

NSFW is allowed just use the appropriate trigger warning tags as well.

Late submissions are also accepted!

Anything I may have missed, please see the FAQs page or feel free to just ask!

[m00nchildwrites]

Shifts - Naruto Fanfiction Onshot

Canon Divergent AU

Summary: Shifts happen throughout life. Sometimes, they shock you. Sometimes, they just seem right. The first time she had called them friends he had felt as though an anvil hit him full on in the chest.

Pairings: KakaSaku (all character are and have been adults at the start of the fics events). SaiIno. & Hints of YamaIru and NaruSasu if you connect dots well.

___________________________

Sakura was beautiful, full of life, and so very strong. She had blossomed into an amazing kunoichi. She was a medic on par with Tsunade, and fully expected to surpass even her master before she turned 25. She never ceased to amaze him. 

Her ability to forgive was truly her greatest gift. After the war, after everything, she had forgiven the last Uchiha, had been understanding when he took off again, had helped him adjust to village life once he finally returned. Yet, when Sasuke had tried to control her and the course of their relationship; Sakura surprised everyone by walking away. 

Her inner strength matched her outer super strength.

She had grown up. All of Team 7 had. And, Kakashi couldn't figure out when it had happened.

But, suddenly she was 24. Fiercely independent. Strong arming -literally- all of Team 7 and Team Kakashi into taking better care of themselves and each other. 

Naruto was starting to study the more bureaucratic side of his dream Hokage position, because Sakura had finally gotten him to realize that he couldn’t just go off and chase down every issue, and beat and talk it into submission, like he always had. Sai was dating Ino, and apparently doing it well. Yamato had been seen giving flowers to a certain teacher at the Academy, as well as, pushing for reform in ANBU policies. Kakashi had personally seen Sasuke thank a merchant for helping him to wrap some especially juicy tomatoes at the market the other day, and according to Sakura, was close to working up his nerve to ask out a certain someone he had apparently been repressing feelings for forever. She even kept Kakashi from a death via boredom by bringing him updates and coffees most days of the week, if she could help it, which- he had to admit- had made all the difference in his horribly long days behind the Hokage desk.

They met up for dinners at least once a week. They met up to train at least twice a week, even though they all had long since gone on past their respective teams. So, really- She had somehow wrangled her hodge-podge gaggle of hopelessly damaged orphan teammates into a tight knit family and functioning members of society. And had them all entirely wrapped around her pinky finger. 

She was miraculous, he thought as he watched her.

There she was standing in the middle of training ground 3, wind in her pink hair, directing the movements of her very own Genin team. Now she would be teaching a new generation of hopeless, helpless twerps. 

All grown up. He thought again in amazement.

Yet, really- he knew exactly when it had happened. 

It happened after Sasuke left, and Naruto went traveling, and then Kakashi had disappeared into back-to-back solo S rank missions assigned by Tsunade. They had left her all alone. He had left her all alone to deal with her team breaking apart. And the guilt had never faded for it.

After she left Sasuke, Kakashi was pleasantly surprised that it was him she had reached out to. Why she felt him qualified when he had failed to force the issue to stay in the village when Tsunade assigned all of those solo missions he would never understand, but he took this olive branch for what it was. 

It was his most important mission, and he treated it as such. He would not – could not fail her twice. So, he made certain he was there for her. He brushed away her tears when her veneer cracked as she brought him coffee and he asked how she was doing. He made her laugh when she was bogged down with work by sending her little notes via ninken. He let her land hits during their regular training sessions when she needed to feel her fists connecting with something, so she wouldn't break down. Until she was finally really and truly ok again.

Even still, she sought him out. When she spotted him watching her curiously, she had smiled and said, "Friends are there through the good times and the bad." Her smile had broken through his shell that day.

Friends.

The first time she had called them friends he had felt as though an anvil hit him full on in the chest.

The word felt so foreign to him. And yet, it warmed him in the oddest way. It was then that he felt the change, a subtle shift. 

He stopped feeling as though it was a mission to not fail her. Instead, he found that he wanted to seek her out. He looked forward to their time together. Missed her when they were apart for any length of time. He would shown up at her work with her favorite tempura in time for her lunch. He grabbed her chocolate and handed her tissues as they watched one of their favorite sappy love stories when her monthly hormones made her a mass of emotions; he had refused to shy away from her during that time and assured her that there was no way he would miss one of their rom-com movie nights because of some tears and a bit of snot (she had been convinced he wouldn’t want to be around her like that, which was ridiculous). He had combed through every strand of her hair when she had caught lice from treating the kids at the Academy when Konoha had that bad outbreak.

Their time spent together over the past year had been some of the best days he had had. He had laughed more, smiled more, looked forward to the next day more than he had ever done.

When the next shift happened, he wasn't as surprised. 

One day he simply noticed that he let his hand linger each time he handed her something, held on to her a little longer when they said their goodbyes. But, he didn't question it, because it felt right. Everything felt right. 

When her gaze would catch him watching her, as he often liked to do, his heart would skip as she gave him a secret smile he had only ever seen directed at him. It was his and no one else's. He didn't feel like he deserved it, but he accepted it fully – treasured it even. As he did with all things Sakura lately.

He smiled as he watched her team waving happily as she brought their session to a close, only to smile wider as she flashed him his secret smile. He watched her walking over, skin glistening from a sheen of sweat, hair fluttering about her cheeks with the gentle breeze. She was breathtaking.

As she sat beside him to watch the sunset over the trees, he wasn't even surprised when the next shift happened and she placed her hand over his. He didn't question it. Because as he laced his fingers with hers, it felt right. Everything felt right.