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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - In Love and War ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @uchiha-madara ] [ Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, Terumi Mei, Senju Tobirama ] [ Verse: To Rule Them All ] [ Trope: Arranged Marriage ]

Standing along the edge of her chamber balcony, a lone woman rests marless hands along its railing. From the lofty perch, she gazes down into the valley that twists and winds between snow-capped peaks. Moonlight paints the scene in soft greys and shadows.

She should be sleeping...but she can’t begin to find rest.

A soft sigh plumes in the chilled night air. Like the fog that often blankets her homeland, it drifts slowly, unhurriedly out from the cliffside castle. Carved from the very mountain face, it watches over the vale unblinkingly, waterfalls cascading out past its windows to join the river below.

The rumbling of the water is usually enough to lull her to sleep. But tonight, too much weighs on her mind.

Far, far too much.

Her eyes don’t see what lies before them, flickering in thought in their sockets. The eddying news and arising conflicts won’t stop flowing, keeping her conscious.

What should she do…?

It’s now more than ever she wishes for her mother’s guidance. Someone older, wiser, to help steer her in the right direction.

But she’s alone...and with war on the horizon, her kingdom surrounded on all sides.

Since the first recordings of history, they’ve remained detached from the other nations and their squabbles. With their world’s holy sites all contained within her borders, that influence of faith has allowed them to stand alone, untouched, for centuries. A careful balance maintained between the other lands to avoid overstepping and claiming too much influence over a place that - in truth - belongs to them all.

But now…? War once again threatens to rise. And the balance is crumbling. Rather than seeking to protect her lands, the others now seek to conquer it.

And without an army, a neutral place of peace...Ryū fears they will fall like wheat to a scythe. Unless the gods themselves intervene...they have no defense beyond the walls of the mountains. The chosen people of the valley do not fight. They’ve never had to.

To spill blood on the sacred land was to invite the wrath of the gods.

But that fear seems to be waning in the other nations. And their lack of restraint may be the end of the valley people chosen by the pantheon.

And she fears there is nothing she can do but pray.

Fingers curl against the railing, nails trying to dig into the stone and threatening to snap. Her people look to her for guidance: both a priestess and a queen. But now…? She feels utterly unprepared to lead them. Protect them. Without the perilous balance outside their borders...how can she keep war at bay?

Her head bows, heavy with every life depending on her. There has to be something she can do...something to stave off their slaughter.

...wait…

Like a beetle boring into wood, a thought worms its way into her mind. One that goes against centuries of tradition. At first, she flinches from it by reflex. And yet it lingers, tempting and luring.

...what if she were to tame one of the warhounds? Offer it what it wants...and in return, turn its teeth against the others? Marry a warlord...and position his army at their gates?

Never has her line tied itself to another. Never have they broken the careful neutrality maintained to ensure equality for the others in the eyes of the gods. If she does this...if she shows a bias to one land over the others...will it be enough to save them?

Or will it bring only ruin?

...what choice does she have?

To give another influence over her lands...is that the price she’s willing to pay to protect it? Are shackles preferable to gravestones?

In silence she weighs her odds...before turning to retreat inside.

She has letters to pen.

"My king!”

Gloved palms braced against the table that bears his maps, Madara turns at the voice of a messenger. “This best be important.”

“A message, my liege.”

“...from?”

“The priestess of the mountain valley.”

Immediately, dark brows furrow. What could she want with him? An expectant hand raises to accept the parchment, unfurling it and proceeding to read.

The further he goes, the more his face slackens.

Around him, everyone stills, awaiting his reaction.

“...prepare my horse.”

“Sire…?”

“I have a meeting to attend. Izuna!”

Stepping up beside his brother, the younger man replies, “Shall I hold the fort?”

“Yes. Await my orders. Until then...consider us at ease. But be ready at a moment’s notice.”

“Of course.” He eyes his brother thoughtfully. “...that must have been some letter.”

As he straps on his armor, a mischievous smirk curls Madara’s lips. “I may have just been handed victory on a silver platter.”

Izuna’s brows lift. “...that simply?”

“Oh, there will be obstacles. But none I cannot handle. Especially if it means avoiding this war altogether.”

“You? Eager to avoid bloodshed?”

“...as much as I enjoy the fire in my veins at a proper battle...I’m not so easily consumed as not to realize it costs the lives of my men. Besides...victory is what tastes sweetest. And one I can take single handedly will be ambrosia itself.”

“...then I wish you luck.”

“Luck will have nothing to do with it, brother. It’s all a matter of will.”

Watching Madara leave the chamber, Izuna folds his arms with a sigh. Curiosity burns at the letter’s contents, but he knows he’ll be made aware in due time. A meeting, and skipping a war…?

...that alone gives him some idea.

“...spread the word that our armies are to remain on alert. Until the king returns or sends word, we remain here at the ready.”

“Aye!”

Astride his Friesian, Madara wastes no time, digging heels to the beast’s sides and heading inland. Nor does he bother himself with escorts. They’ll only slow him down, and he wants to be prompt. The sooner he arrives, the sooner he’ll settle this matter himself.

So, the queen’s decided to take things into her own hands, has she? Allay war by holding a council that will serve in its stead. Let the kings, queens, and generals do the fighting themselves for once rather than hide behind their armies. Let one emerge a victor, claim the spoils...and put to rest this silly balancing act.

And Madara knows, in a contest of will and limits, none will stand in his way. The only thorn he can foresee is that bastard Tobirama now that Hashirama is gone. But he’ll handle that too when he must.

To lay claim to the holy lands of their continent will be to grip every heart that follows the gods. In his goals to make all equal and loyal to one ideal...such a position is paramount. No more wars. No more squabbling. He’ll make sure the lines drawn between men will finally fade into one unity.

No matter how far he must go.

Like any gods-fearing man, he’s made the pilgrimage himself more than once. The way is already familiar. But there’s still a moment taken upon cresting the lip of the valley to appreciate its majesty.

...it really is a beautiful place. No wonder the gods call it their cradle. In all his travels, he’s never seen a place more fitting for them to consider setting foot upon the soil. The thought of bringing war here is indeed distasteful.

No wonder she’s willing to bow her head to protect it.

Easily marked an outsider, he ignores the stares as he makes his way up to the castle. He understands and respects their suspicions. Besides, it won’t be long before he can put to rest their fears and earn their admiration. If he’s to be the first king of this reclusive land, he’ll do it the right way.

Presenting his letter, he allows his mount to be stabled as he’s led inside. The palace carved from the white stone of the cliff face has always impressed him, looking birthed from the mountain itself. With the forested lip crowning it and the waterfalls that curtain its face, it looks much like a fairy queen’s domain.

Speaking of which...he’s never individually spoken to the priestess queen of the valley. She who both rules and shepherds. Her sermons have always been impassioned, and he won’t deny her ethereal beauty: the ghostly-white countenance that’s said to be a mark of the gods’ blessings to her lineage. But until now, he’s had no reason to approach her directly. Almost like an idol herself, kept behind a wall no outsider could pass.

...but that’s all set to change.

To his annoyance, several of the other monarchs have already arrived. Though it can’t be helped, given proximities. The land of his people lies mostly along a coast compared to the valley at the heart of their landmass, pushed to the edges over time. They all give him the same sour, upturned-nose glances, clearly displeased at the presence of the warlord.

His reputation is no secret: willing to carve through anything to get what he wants. Spilling blood like others pour wine. Claimed to be a monster masquerading as human, more likely to kill a man than embrace him.

While his bloodlust is indeed true, born from a line used to fending for itself...he still remembers the talks of old with another princeling. Another soul that, in truth, wished for peace. While their methods were always different...Madara did - and still does - desire a stop to be brought to wars.

He’s just more willing to be...absolute.

But this might be just the break he’s looking for. A new angle to bring all men into line. Surely between the lady of faith and the lord of power, there will be little standing in their way of finally putting the marches of wars to rest.

...but first, he’ll have to take care of the competition.

“And here I thought this was to be a peace council. Yet here prowls the dog of war.”

Dark eyes sliding to their corners, Madara aloofly considers one of the other land’s queens: a woman of flaming hair and even more flaming temper. “Dog or not, I was beckoned just as you were. Any other judgments, I’m sure, will be made by our hostess. Until then, I’ve little need or want of yours.”

Arms tucked into voluminous sleeves, Mei considers him with equal parts disdain and intrigue. “And are the rest of us supposed to accept your presence without hesitation, pretending you’ve not wounded us in the past?”

“Any I’ve wounded have done so to me in turn. Perhaps not as successfully,” he adds with a smirk, earning a glower, “but don’t paint yourselves as guiltless martyrs. Any who spill blood are equally guilty. Lost life is lost life, no matter what banner or slogan you hide behind. I protect my people as you do yours.”

“And yet none will deny your barbarity. Not even you.”

“I’ll not bother to call a rose by any other name in an attempt to hide its thorns. But my brutality is necessary. Nothing more or less. It is only with teeth I can bite back choking fingers.”

“They’d not choke if you didn’t bite first.”

Immediately, a flare of temper seems to climb Madara’s spine like a flame along a trail of tinder. But he doesn’t reveal his hatred, only turning to Tobirama with a mock air of surprise. “I think by now there’s little point in which came first...only that it continues. And must end.”

“A continuation in which you are just as guilty,” the Senju retorts without pause.

“Well, perhaps a second opinion is just what we need, then. Let the true neutral decide what will become of us warmongering heathens. Don’t act as if you’ve never wielded a blade out of spite, Tobirama. In the eyes of the gods, we are all guilty.”

“And yet, some more than others. I look forward to them striking you down at last.”

“...we’ll see about that.”

“Your majesties…?”

At the timid cut-in, the regals turn to an attendant who wastes no time in bowing under their gazes. “The last of the expected parties have arrived, and...her holiness will see you now. Please, follow me.”

After no small number of distrustful glances, the gathered royals follow in the young woman’s wake. While the display of weakness irks Madara slightly, he also can’t blame her. Surely there’s been no assembly like this in their land before, nor for such a purpose. Being exposed to so much power at once must be quite the shock for any below their rank. Anyone in her shoes would be hard-pressed not to panic.

But in this land, all who serve their lady are absolute. Fear is nothing in the face of their devotion. While the priestess queen may serve the gods, it’s the people who in turn serve her. Long have rumors circulated of the valley people being so blindly loyal as to throw themselves on pikes for their monarch. She is the vessel through which the gods speak. To allow her to come to harm is to commit the ultimate blasphemy.

Already, he thinks of how this will be useful.

A short walk later, the lot of them are led into an expansive sitting room. “Her ladyship wishes for you all to remain here, and to attend an audience with her individually. Her impressions are to be unbiased by the others and their opinions, so...while any of you are within her chamber, the rest are kindly asked to wait patiently here.”

“Is this simply to be a contest of our most tactical liars, then?” Tobirama dares to ask, teeth gritting. “Are we not allowed to vet one another?”

“Within each of you is inherent bias depending on friends or foes,” the little servant in turn refutes, and Madara can’t help a lift of his brow as she stares the king down. “Her ladyship, in line with our lands, wishes to remain neutral. The gods will guide her. Mortal opinions can never be pure.”

The Senju’s lip lifts in a snarl, but before he can refute, Mei steps in. “Please tell your ladyship we will be patient and obliging. We all wish to avoid war. If this is what it takes, so be it. The rest of us won’t let temper lead us astray.”

For that, she’s given a venomous look...but other leaders murmur in agreement, and Tobirama begrudgingly concedes.

Wordlessly, the woman nods, and turns into another room.

“...best make yourselves comfortable,” Mei then sniffs, finding herself a perch as others do the same.

Always pleased to see the Senju put in his place, Madara offers a hint of an appreciative smirk in her direction, lounging in a plush chair tucked in a corner. An elbow rests on its arm, chin braced along his knuckles.

A few minutes later, one of the monarchs is asked inside.

And so it begins.

“Have you need of anything, my lady?”

Pouring herself a goblet of water, Ryū gives the attendant a glance, and then a smile. “For now, no - thank you, dear. Twice over for bringing the others here. I trust they were obliging…?”

The tick of hesitation is telling. “M...mostly, my lady.”

“Tell me no more. We’ll see how their conduct fares. You may go.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Left to her own devices for a moment, the priestess draws a long, calming breath. Time to see if her plan will bear fruit...and not the sort to poison the starving masses. Another handmaid tends to the door, calling in each of the other monarchs to stand their trials.

Her interviews are simple, yet extensive. All manner of aspects of their rule - their platoons, their policies, their positions and their people - are peered into with the highest scrutiny. And all throughout, Ryū places her trust in a sense that has never failed her. One she remains convinced comes from the insight of the gods.

Never has she been lied to and the falsehood gone unnoticed.

It’s a feeling that follows her always. And with varying intensity, it reveals to her just who is willing to be truthful...and who thinks it wise to lie to the mouthpiece of the gods. None of the remarks are challenged until each conversation is over, the priestess calmly laying out her accusations. All rebuke and fluster and give flashes of temper, but she cannot be convinced otherwise.

As each monarch reemerges with varying degrees of disgruntlement, the rest clearly become wary.

And she saves the best for last.

“King Madara, of the Uchiha.”

Realizing his position and having done his best to remain patient, the Uchiha takes to his feet and makes his way toward the side chamber. He’d suspected he’d be reserved for the tail end given his reputation, but it was worth seeing Tobirama come out with a clenched jaw and scarlet neck of temper.

Well worth it.

Approaching the door, he gives yet another mousey serf a glance. Does she employ no one but nervous handmaids? Putting the thought aside (it’s hardly of any use), he steps inside and gives the room a curious once-over.

It’s a simple study, lined with shelves of scrolls and tomes. At the rear is a stained glass window, out which he can see one of the falls. Behind a desk of solid wood sits his hostess, and another moment is taken to observe her.

Her dress, unlike that worn for her sermons, is simple: plain white fabric with light hints of gold embroidery. Prim and modest, she looks far more the role of a priestess than a queen. Likely intentional.

“Would you care for some water?”

“...I would,” he replies shortly, accepting a goblet she pours him. Once quenched, he offers, “I must admit, it’s been too long since I’ve visited the valley. I hope that bears no weight on my qualifications?”

“Your lands are far, and your people often troubled. I cannot fault you for remaining where you are needed most by those that follow you. Though they may reside here, the gods can hear us no matter how distant our call.”

“Hm…” He considers her thoughtfully. “...may I also be frank in my surprise at this...decision. But in the same breath, I’ll put forth I think it wise.”

A hint of surprise lifts her brows. “...do you?”

“Relying on the wills of others for your safety puts your fate in their hands. While the other nations were willing, for a time, to be considerate of you...it seems the time has come where they put their own interests over the gods.”

“...do you do the same?”

“I concern myself foremost with my people. Whatever I can do for them to better their lives, I will do. No questions asked. I am their sword, and their shield. For them I will weather any storm, and I will cut down any threat.” His chin declines. “...I know this land’s distaste for violence. But I won’t attempt to hide what I have done. The gods may choose to smite me for it, but I will not stand idle and allow my people to come to harm rather than take any measure to protect them. Until I come to my judgment day, it is my people I answer to. Not gods.”

To his honest surprise, her lips curl into a coy smile. “...I commend you for your honesty and your dedication,” she murmurs. “Many have attempted to conceal their actions, seeking to tilt my favor. But there’s no hiding truth from the gods.” A knee lifts to crest the other, the long skirt of her gown rustling quietly. “Do you recognize the weight of the lives you take to protect another?”

“Of course. Any other man breathes and dreams as those under my banner do. Any life lost - no matter what side of a line - is one that should be mourned. If I could snap my fingers and draw all under one crest so that such lines could not be crossed, no reason given to kill what could in fact be a brother because of one loyalty over another, then I would do so. But until then...I protect what is entrusted to me. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“And if those within the valley were to be taken under that banner?”

“Then they would receive every ounce of my dedication as those born beneath it. An alliance is a promise. And I keep my promises. So long as I drew breath, it would be drawn for them all.”

A long moment passes of her silent consideration before continuing with her interview. Further and further she needles him, digging into the psychology and methodology of his leadership. And at each inquiry, he answers honestly, bearing all and refusing to feel shame for it.

Not once does she feel him lie.

By now, the day has begun to slip into evening, and a small respite is taken to light the sconces in the study. “We’re nearly finished. A supper is being prepared for you all.”

“How long are we expected to remain? I have a standing army to return to.”

“A few days at best, if my expectations are met. While my impressions are mostly made and there’s likely little else to glean...I am not one to rush important decisions. But so too do I respect the time and obligations of you and the others. I beg your patience.”

“And you’ll have it. I’m simply curious. My brother maintains the ranks in my stead, and I trust his judgment.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“...I once had four,” Madara eventually replies after a small pause. “But life is brutal, and war the paramount. Now...we are the two left of five. He is my right hand. I rely on him heavily.”

“I see…” Ryū lets her chin rest in a hand. “I’m without siblings. My father is unknown to me, my mother long dead. While I consider every person within my lands to be my family, my flock...I realize it is not the same. I envy you, in a way.”

“I’m sure he would be delighted to have a sister.”

The rather obvious nudge snaps her eyes to him, expression unreadable. “...I have one last question for you.”

“And I will do my best to answer.”

Silvers stare at him, unblinking. “...my intentions, I’m sure, are plain. To resist destruction by a flood of new war, I intend to ally myself with one of the other nations. That alliance will grant me an army, and hopefully give pause to the others before they consider bringing battles here. However...I know that, beyond my lands, the webs of friends and foes are complicated, and ever-changing. Depending on my choice, prior brothers in arms may be forced to become enemies. So my question is this: have you any reason - any at all - to possibly falter should this position become yours? Would you ever hesitate in raising your swords and your shields to defend this valley, and the people in it?”

“No.”

The blunt reply earns a blink, especially as no hint of a lie bleeds through his tone. “...just that easily?”

“Just that easily.” Shifting his posture, Madara leans inward, expression completely unwavering. “My people have been betrayed more times than I could count. We’ve not held an alliance since I was a boy...perhaps even longer. For generations we have been marked as nothing more than war-hungry dogs. And while we will never back down from a fight...it is not what we want. We fight for one reason only: necessity. Survival. The world has turned its back on us, declared us untrustworthy and forever drunk on blood. So perhaps that is something you should consider, priestess.”

Watching him warily, Ryū nonetheless holds her ground as he approaches, shrinking the gap between them to a breath.

“...is this what you want to anchor in your harbor? A man called a monster, a killer? Someone willing to go to any length, no matter what ire it will earn him?”

“...that’s precisely what I want.”

...it’s his turn to be taken aback.

She stares up at him, just as calm. “...I am all out of options, Madara,” she murmurs, dropping all other pretense. “My people face annihilation. We are sheep circled on all sides by wolves. Which is why I don’t want just a wolf. I want someone with nothing to lose. Because that is exactly what I have become. I want someone who, when the inevitable comes, will fight with no holds barred. Someone the other wolves fear. Because that fear will be what keeps us safe until the swords swing.”

Eyes flickering over her face, he lingers a long moment before conceding back to his seat. “...I see. Surely you already knew, then, what you were really looking for. These interviews weren’t to find who you wanted...but to gauge the standings of what will be left.”

She gives a grave nod. “To know who will be possible allies, who can be swayed...and who will see my declaration as one of war.”

“I’ve already a fair idea of those,” he assures her.

“I did not...but now I do. Which leaves only one last formality.” Reclining in her seat, Ryū crosses a knee, hands folding atop her lap. “...will you accept my proposal of an arranged marriage, Madara of the Uchiha? And with it, accept the position of army general, and the duty of protecting my people, my lands, and the cradle of the gods?”

“Is ‘king’ not one of my titles?”

“You are the king of your people. I am the queen of mine. I am unsure how either will view the other. And we have never had a king before.” Her lips flicker into a smile. “...both sides will surely need to do their own...adjusting. You will have every right and privilege that comes with a marriage to my line. Just, I’m sure, as I will inherit those of one to yours.”

...she’s avoiding the answer directly, he muses, considering her carefully. She doesn’t want foreign influence over her people...I can understand. Especially given the vast cultural differences. Surely such details will be determinable later. For now...best we settle the basics. I can whittle at the rest as we go. Leaning back with a sigh, he replies, “...then yes. I accept.”

“...good. We can discuss the rest tomorrow. For now...we have a dinner to attend.”

“Nothing works up an appetite like politics.”

All righty, day three! And I'm officially out of buffered posts :'D BUT I'm determined to do more, so hopefully I'll have some time between now and...tomorrow to get something else done. But for now, THIS post! So this is for Phoenix, the mun behind @uchiha-madara, and is our ship between her Madara and my OC Ryū. We've had a verse with her in the founders era and a concept...somewhat similar to this? But this setting is a bit different, and with far different context, so...hopefully it was still interesting to read xD I haven't gotten to write this verse much yet so a lot of it was experimental. But overall I really like how it turned out, and hopefully Phoenix does too! I love the dynamic between these two...there's almost always drama and tension and hhhhh I live for it xD Anyway, I've got irl things to handle now, so I best skedaddle. But I'll do my best to be back tomorrow with another piece for another ship! Until then, thanks for reading!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #uchihamadara #suigin ryū #uchiha madara #uchiha izuna #terumi mei #senju tobirama #to rule them all [ au ]#arranged marriage

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celxstialclanarchive · 5 years

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OC x Canon Week

Day 1: Pirates (Itama Senju x Kagura)

@naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week

The smell of sea spray was refreshing and invigorating to a young woman as she hurried towards the docks, much to the dismay of several servants. She stretched, giving the sun a wide smile then returning to her quick pace.

“Lady Kagura, you must slow down,” One maidservant lucky enough to keep up with the teen called out as she weaved through various dock hands and cargo. She didn’t want the servants carrying most of the Kamiya leaving the Land of Iron’s belongings to lose sight of them.

“The faster we get there, the faster we can load!” And the faster I can leave this awful place... “Come on, we’re burning daylight!”

After the cargo was loaded, passengers boarded, the ship left, heading for the Land of Fire- or as Kagura would have insisted- back home. While land travel was an option, most of her relatives were only well-versed in samurai style combat, not shinobi style combat. On water, it was harder to encounter conflict.

After a week and a half of sailing, navigating rough winds, the ship had left the ports of the Land of Tea and was heading for the capital in the Land of Fire. Only three more days...

On the second day, sometime during the late morning, Kagura was jolted out of her meditation when crew members were shouting about pirates. Stepping out of her, her sister Naomi and an aunt’s shared quarters, she was met with a blade pointed at her and a boy no older than her with black and white hair and a hard look on his face.

As all the passengers were made to stand in a horizontal line and the crew restrained with minor injuries, the boy with strange hair was joined by other members with slightly tanned skin. Kagura found their clothes a tasteless ensemble of clothes from various lands, then she finally saw the ship they were boarding from. Pirates. These must be the infamous Senju pirates. Yep, definitely home waters.

“Captain, they all look the same,” one called out, much to the two-toned haired boy’s annoyance. The captain in question was a tall, gangly boy who looked around the same age as Naomi, no younger than Kagura. He was joined with a white haired, red eyed boy, and a boy with brass colored hair. Brothers, maybe?

“No they don’t,” he grumbled, looking pointedly at one of Kagura’s uncles. “You, with the freckles. Why are you here?” Since Naomi and Kagura were the only ones with freckles, they looked at each other and back at him, unsure of his intended person. The captain snickered, quickly regaining his composure when the one with white hair glared at him. “I-I meant the cute one with brown hair.”

“You must be joking,” Kagura looked at him as if unimpressed as she and several other relatives answered, much to his surprise. He was silent for a minute, processing her response. He wasn’t used to that kind of response. Usually it was fear or defiance in the form of silence.

“Itama, don’t let it get to you.” Itama nodded, giving her his earlier look, then stepped up to her.

“Why are you all here, miss?” She stares at him.

“We’re going home. Why are you here?”

“There is a new tax for newcomers to our waters. And I don’t think you and your folks can pay.” What he didn’t expect besides the flush in his cheeks as she walked towards him, is her looking up at him with a challenging smile.

“Name your price.”

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #senju itama #muse: kagura #📜 The Holy Scrolls; my writing

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kusunokihime · 4 years

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[ Okay, so for posterity’s sake while I get myself back in order, here’s what all I have draft-wise:

historias-multorum: five short drafts i-minato-chan: five short drafts frogprinceus: three short drafts oc-lootcrate: three short drafts shikkotsunin: two long drafts

For now I’m gonna put EVERYTHING draft-wise in the queue with some memes and some piccy posts, two of each per day. That should let me get through the rest of the ship week while having some activity here! Once that’s done I’ll hopefully be able to be more active outside a queue. Any asks I end up with I’ll sprinkle in outside of the queue for drabble breaks xD

But yes, that’s what I’ll prolly stick to for at least the rest of the week while I have noxcsw stuff to do. After that? Who knows, I have many WIP fics but those aren’t on a deadline like an event drabble :’D Buuut on that note, I’m gonna chip at some drafts to queue-stuff! <3 ]

#sylvie speaketh [ ooc ]#i can't say how nice it feels to be back on this blog omg #just #the nightmare week last week took SO much out of me OTL #so easing back into fics and rp is so nice ;w;

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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - Face to Face ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @abyssaldespair ] [ Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Obito ] [ Alcohol ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ Trope: Online Dating ]

Nibbling her lip, Ryū stares at the slight reflection in her mobile screen. Thumbs flicker over the keys, not quite touching in indecision.

This is the closest she’s gotten.

The concept, admittedly, is just...not one she ever saw herself using. Online dating seems so, so...weird! Lining up your face, your name, a handful of facts, and calling it good. Is that really all it takes anymore? Sure, she...doesn’t exactly have mountains of experience beyond that. Maybe she’s just old-fashioned. But putting up something akin to a mugshot to try and find love seems very...strange.

“Whatcha doin’?”

Eeping in surprise, she claws the phone to her chest, face going pink and heart pounding. “N-nothing!”

Behind her, a coworker she knows mostly only in passing perks a brow. “Whoa, sorry! You looked kinda, uh...distressed.”

Ryū heaves a small breath. “...sorry, I didn’t mean to jump so bad. I just, uh...I’m trying one of those silly dating websites, and…”

The other woman quickly perks up. “Oh! Yeah they’re kinda scary at first but I met my boyfriend on one! I bet you’ll do just fine. Just be smart about it, and it usually all works out fine.”

“Smart…?”

“Y’know...meet in public places, tell someone where you’re going. About the same as a normal date for those like us, huh?”

At that, Ryū can’t help but deflate. “...yeah, good point.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. People gotta have their pictures on there. I take a pic of any license plates and send them to someone I trust just in case.”

Brow wilting, Ryū admits, “You’re...not exactly giving me votes of confidence here.”

“Hey, gotta be prepared for the worst, but the worst hardly ever happens. Besides, a bit of chatting online usually gives a pretty good indication of if something will even work. And you can always ask friends to go on doubles, too.”

At that, Ryū doesn’t answer. She...doesn’t really have many friends to ask, let alone any with dates she’d feel like asking along. “Yeah, good point. I’ll, uh...I’ll see how it goes.”

“Cool! Good luck!” Giving a wave as she passes by, her coworker heads around a corner and out of sight.

“...what am I doing…” Ryū mumbles to herself, looking back to her nearly-completed account. “I know this isn’t gonna work…” And now the less appealing sides are at the forefront of her mind. Maybe she should just keep her nose to the grindstone and pretend she never brought this up.

...but then again…

As much as she hates to admit it, she’s lonely. Being a pharmacist might be similar to her wish to be a doctor, but it’s not quite what she wanted. It just feels like something is...missing. And while Ryū isn’t the sort to assume all her problems can be solved by a guy (or gal), she’s still pretty able to realize that her social life isn’t the best. No real close friends, passing grades with her coworkers...not even any pets. Up until now, she’s lived life in a series of grinds. School, then work, and now...it feels lacking.

Hence the idea to try the app.

“...no harm in looking,” she eventually mumbles to herself, slowly going through the rest of her profile and hitting the confirm button. “You don’t have to go on with it, but...just look. See how it works. Maybe just...chat with someone. One step at a time, okay?”

Of course, by then her break is nearly over, so she mutes her phone and heads back to work. She...only ate half her lunch, but she’s not really all that hungry anyway. Only once her shift is over does she head back to her little apartment and...give this thing a real try.

At first, it throws nothing but male profiles at her. Which is all well and good, but...it’s not all she’s interested in. Looking over a few names and faces, she eventually bucks up the courage to pick one. He’s a few years older, lives a town over, and works as a physical therapist. Not bad, right?

...ugh, wrong.

As soon as they start chatting, she knows this...isn’t going to work. He’s all Mister Nice Guy, subtly bragging about himself and leaving only certain questions open for her in turn: the only things he wants to hear about, and...things she can easily see through as shallow. Eventually she manages to get him to shut up and quickly deletes him.

Okay...not a great first impression, but it’s not gonna be perfect the first time she tries. This isn’t a fairytale, after all. So, she tries another. And another.

After over two weeks of duds that don’t even get past initial chats, she’s about ready to give up.

Laying on her bed spread-eagle with a sigh, she stares up at the ceiling. What started as a vague inking is turning into nothing but a source of frustration. Not exactly what she signed up for. Weighing her options, Ryū eventually stirs when her phone gives an all-too-familiar notification sound.

Another match...wonderful.

Sitting up with a grunt, she opens the message and looks over yet another profile. At first glance, it’s just another guy. Ugh. The amount of lady-seeking ladies has been depressingly low, but...apparently those are usually on their own kind of sites. So, for now, she entertains herself with this one.

Obito Uchiha...huh. Vaguely sounds like her own Japanese roots. There’s a small spark of curiosity, adjusting her stance slightly. Short dark hair, dark eyes, and...well, his pics aren’t the clearest (he clearly knows his good side (or what he’s assuming is his good side since...it’s all she sees)). But she spies a cat. That’s a win. She likes cats. A glance at his actual profile shows a like of sweets, cats (aha!), and a dislike of...aubergines? Googling that, there’s a hum of understanding. It’s eggplant! She...didn’t know that...whoops. The rest of the summary (stuff about ‘being extreme’ and ‘having abs’) gets her to giggle.

Well...might as well give it a try.

Giving the okay, she opens up the chat window, nibbling her lip in thought. What should she say…?

Hello!

A bit surprised, Ryū jolts slightly, not expecting the quick response! ...hi!

I didn’t think you’d accept it so fast!

And I didn’t think you’d say hello so quickly either!

Oh, sorry...was that too fast?

The apology begets a subconscious smile. No, not at all! My phone is usually pretty quiet is all. Sorry if I’m awkward, I’m...still kinda new at this.

Ha, me too. I haven’t had too many matches yet, so I’m still practicing.

Guess we can practice together! Though I have to ask you…

...eh?

What’s your kitty’s name?

Oh! Her name is Tenebris.

Aww, I love that name!

She’s my lady, haha! Helps me reel in the girls ;D

Ryū can’t help a snort. Well it seems to be working. I don’t have any pets, sadly…

What? None at all?

No...I work a lot so I haven’t gotten around to it. And I don’t want them to be lonely!

Bah, cats are good at being alone. Feed them and clean their box and you’re fine.

I’ll have to think about it, haha~

After a few minutes, Ryū realizes...this is the longest she’s talked to someone on here yet. Sure, it was a little stiff to start, but by some grace they just sort of...fell into conversation. No posturing or anything. It’s rather...refreshing! Encouraged, she keeps texting as she starts working on her dinner.

So what kind of work do you do?

I’m a pharmacist! Not quite the doctor I planned on, but it works.

Ohhh, wow!

What about you?

There’s quiet for a few minutes, and Ryū can’t help but wonder if that was a bad question. But then Obito replies, Sorry, my cat got stuck behind the couch...I uh...am currently working on a garbage truck part time…

She blinks. That’s...very random. Nothing wrong with that. It’s an important job, after all!

Eh, yeah...not very charming though, is it?

Oh, pffft. I stand behind a counter all day and give people medicine over and over. It’s not exactly exciting most days. We all make our ends meet somehow.

I guess that’s true.

Smiling at her phone, Ryū keeps cooking and chatting, giving play-by-plays as he asks what she’s making.

Do you like cooking?

Mhm! Food’s one of those things that’s both a necessity, and yet can be fancy when you want it to be, so...I thought it would be good to learn. And it’s a lot of fun!

I’m...okay at it.

Maybe I can give you some lessons down the road, hm?

You would?

Sure! It’d be something fun to do.

Like a first date?

At that, Ryū pauses. Right...dating. That’s what this is all for. She almost forgot… Sure! If that’s something you’d like to do. I guess dinner and a movie is pretty common for that. We’ll just make our own!

I’d really like that!

Cheeks warming, Ryū beams at the screen. I guess...it’s a date! Eventually. Whenever we can make something work, and maybe talk a little more…?

Sure! I take a lot of random side jobs so I can be a little flaky…

That’s okay - we’ll just keep chatting until then. You’re actually the first person that’s been fun to talk to…

He sends a big smile emoji. Success!

You’ll have to think about what we should make! I have to warn you, I like making dessert, too…

Oh no...my biggest weakness…

And no eggplant, right?

Eugh, no.

Haha, noted!

The conversation runs well into the evening until Ryū admits she’d best get to bed. Guess I’ll talk to you some more later, okay?

Mhm!

Say hi to Tenebris for me!

Haha, I will! Goodnight Ryū.

Night, Obito.

Checking her other messages, Ryū plugs in her mobile to charge before mulling over the evening. As she does, a smile slowly pulls at her lips.

Well, she can’t make any assumptions yet, but...this is a good start.

Chatting with Obito quickly becomes a routine. Though not much of a texter before, she checks in and quips with him throughout the day. He tells her about his latest jobs, and she notes anything out of the ordinary at work. Days blend into a week, and then two.

“So…”

“Hm?”

Leaning against the counter, Ryū’s coworker smirks. “Seems to me you hooked one, huh?”

Her cheeks flush pink. “Um...maybe…”

“You haven’t put your phone down for more than fives minutes all day!”

The pink gets darker as the other woman laughs.

“I’m glad! So, you gonna see him?”

“Yeah, eventually...I think we’re both a little nervous.”

“That’s adorable. You’ll have to let me know how it goes! Been nice seeing you look so bright lately.”

Ryū blinks. “...really?”

“Yeah. No offense, but...ever since I’ve worked here, you’ve been so quiet and to yourself. But lately you’ve just seemed more upbeat and...I dunno, out there.”

The observation admittedly takes her a bit off-guard. “...oh…”

“It’s just nice to see you look happy, that’s all. I know a job like this one’s kinda drudgy. Glad you’ve got something to keep your chin up.” With a smile, the other pharmacist straightens and heads back to work.

Still a bit struck, Ryū mulls all that over. True, she’s always been one to keep her nose to the grindstone. Maybe having a bit of a social outlet just...got her going to opening up some more.

...huh.

So...any openings in your schedule coming up?

Uh...I haven’t really checked lately. One sec!

Waiting for Obito’s reply, Ryū nibbles her thumbnail. She’s going to do it. She’s going to ask him over. By now she’s gotten to know him pretty well. She’s always been able to trust her gut, and...she believes she can trust him.

Though just in case, she’ll be letting her neighbor know when he comes to visit.

Just to be safe.

So I think I actually have Sunday clear. Does that work with you?

Yeah! I’m always on a Monday through Friday schedule, so weekends are almost always good with me!

Okay...cool!

Any idea what you wanna make?

Make?

Yeah! Remember, we talked about cooking…?

Ohhh, yeah! Uh...honestly I don’t have any preference.

You sure?

Yeah, just no aubergines.

I remember, haha.

Should I bring anything?

Nah, I’ll handle it. Though I guess if you have a movie you’d like to watch?

Ooh, okay! Uh...any you don’t like?

Maybe nothing too gory…?

Aw, that’s no fun!

I saw enough in medical school, believe me...it’s not fun.

Okay, okay. I’ll pick something.

And with a few other details hashed out...they have a date scheduled.

Ryū’s stomach can’t stop fluttering: both in excitement, and in nerves. She hasn’t really dated since college...what if she does something stupid? Offends him somehow? Or something just goes...wrong?

Okay, no, stop it. It’s gonna be fine. You’ve talked a lot, so...no need to be nervous. Just do it!

By the time Sunday rolls around, she’s as ready as she’ll ever be.

Fiddling with her hair in the bathroom mirror (can she EVER get it to do what she wants?), she jumps as someone knocks on the door. Trying to manage her nerves, she peers through the little peephole, spying what indeed looks to be Obito.

Taking a moment to steady her breath, she pulls open the door and looks up just as he looks over.

...oh.

She always thought his photo gallery on his profile was a bit...empty. At first she hadn’t really noticed that all of Obito’s photos had been taken showing one side of his face.

So only now, with him looking straight at her, does she see what he’s been hiding.

The apprehension in his face clearly shows he’s awaiting her reaction, and at first she can only blink. Eyes naturally slide to the right side where a plethora of scars mar the skin from his brow to his chin. One even reaches up into his lip.

But though it’s a surprise by novelty, it otherwise does nothing to hinder the blush in her face.

...gosh he’s handsome.

Her gaze lingers on the scars for only a moment before lifting back to his eyes, cheeks rosy and giving a demure smile. “...hi.”

“...hey.”

There’s a few beats of awkward silence, the pair of them stuck staring at each other. “...s-sorry! Um...come on in!” Ryū steps aside, going hotter in the face. A nice button-up shirt and clean jeans make him look quite snazzy. Seems her blouse and skirt wasn’t too much or too little. They hadn’t really breached any ideas about how formal to be…

Stepping in, Obito glances around before clearing his throat. From behind his back he draws a little bouquet of flowers. “Er...for you.”

Ryū’s greys alight with delight. “Oh!” It’s cliché as all hell, but she loves them. Delicately accepting the blooms, she gives them a sniff before beaming at him. “Thank you! I, er...I don’t have anything for you…”

“That’s okay! I mean, food’s good with me, heh.”

Giving a giggle, Ryū retreats to the kitchen to put them in some water, setting the vase on her little table. “There…!”

“You...have a really nice apartment!”

“Thank you...I’m always either working or tired, so I don’t manage to mess it up much,” she laughs. “I tried to make it kinda...cute. I’m not exactly an interior designer.”

“No, it’s nice. It suits you.”

That makes her go pink all over again. “...s-so! Um...are you hungry…?”

Obito gives a grin. “Always!”

“Okay! Um...I thought we’d do something a bit...basic? Just in case? Do you like spaghetti…?”

“Yeah!”

“...okay! Cool. Um…” Awkwardness creeping back up, she claps her hands and giggles nervously. “Then, I...guess we’ll give it a try!”

The pair move back into the kitchen, where Ryū already has everything sorted out and ready to go. “Wow...looks professional.”

“Oh gosh, it’s just…” She gestures vaguely. “...I wanted to be ready so we wouldn’t waste any time…” Turning on the heat under the water, she thinks to ask, “...no food allergies, right?”

“No. At least...none I’ve found…? And I’ve had spaghetti before, it should be fine, hm?”

“Okay!”

A bit stuttery at first, she starts guiding him through her process, letting him take most of the reins and acting more as a guide. Obito listens attentively, looking exceedingly focused.

...it’s adorable.

“Okay, so with the grease drained off, we can add our sauce...and once it’s all combined, that’ll be that!” She, in the meantime, worked on a salad mix. “And the garlic bread should be about done, too!”

“You make this all seem so easy.”

She flushes pink. “It...just takes practice! And you did really well!”

“I had a good teacher.”

Once it’s all finished, the pair of them ferry things to the table. “Okay...you try it first.”

“Me?”

“Mhm! You made it, right?”

Glancing to his plate, Obito twirls some noodles onto his fork, lightly pink at Ryū’s watching as he takes the bite and chews. “...it’s good!”

Beaming again, she follows suit. And it’s perfect! Mouth still full, she gives a thumbs-up, making him laugh. Between spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and a little wine, they get through dinner with hearty conversation and increasing laughter.

“I dunno why I was so nervous,” she admits once they’re done, a cheek leaning against a fist as she twirls the last few sips of her wine. “I mean...we’ve been talking so much already. Guess I just felt kinda...out of practice. Y’know?”

“Yeah, me too. Though I try to bravado my way through things.”

“Well, we got through it. Should we play the movie…?”

“Sure!” He holds up a thumbdrive, grinning. “From my collection.”

“Oho!”

With a refill of wine, they move into the little living room of the apartment, Obito hooking up the TV and starting the film.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see!”

“Not gory, right?”

“Nooo. But...maybe a little scary.”

“Scary is okay. I like spooks. Just not lotsa blood and flesh and…” Her nose wrinkles. “...y’know.”

“Ha, yeah.”

They settle on the one couch she has, and at first sit...a little ways apart. They’d had opposite sides of the table before, and...well, this is new. But like a couple of dumb teenagers, they slowly meander their way closer, testing the other’s boundaries as they go until Ryū finds herself snuggled up against Obito’s side, head on his shoulder.

Obito, just out of her line of sight, is clearly ecstatic.

The movie starts out tame, but true to his word, it quickly takes on a rather creepy tone. Transfixed, Ryū stares at the screen, slowly worming her way further and further into the dip of Obito’s side.

...if she weren’t so focused on the movie, she’d realize that was likely his plan.

Obito, on the other hand, has technically already seen this one, and instead mostly watches for her reactions. The closer they get to a big scare, the more often he looks, biting back a grin until it finally happens -!

Shrieking in terror, Ryū scrambles for someplace to hide, and...ends up burrowing into his chest with a string of garbled, frightened nonsense as Obito does his best not to laugh.

“You okay?”

“I -! That -!” Her head shakes with a whimper, still hiding. “Nope. Nope nope nope.”

“Want me to stop it?”

“...nooo…” One grey peeks out, finding the screen a bit more bearable now. “...that was fricken’ terrifying! Ohhh my gosh!”

He just snickers, ignoring her continuing whines of discomfort. “It’s almost over, don’t worry.”

To his delight, she remains half-perched on his lap for the rest of the film. Once the credits start to creep up the screen, she loses her tension and goes limp. “...I almost had a heart attack…”

“Aw…”

“I mean it was good! But cripes, I wasn’t ready...eugh…”

Obito rubs a hand along her back, still clearly amused. “Gonna be able to sleep tonight?”

“...I better, I have work in the morning…”

He apologizes, watching as she tears herself from the couch and disappears into the kitchen. “...Ryū?”

No answer.

Brow furrowing, he makes to follow just in time to see her pull a pan out of the refrigerator. “What’s that?”

“Peach cobbler,” she sniffs, setting it on the counter and then fetching vanilla ice cream. “This is my reward for surviving your movie.”

“You’re gonna eat the whole pan?”

She shoots him a pout. “...maybe.”

He mirrors the look. “...I want some…”

“You have to promise never to scare me like that again.”

“Okay, okay. But wasn’t it at least a little fun…?”

Scooping the food into bowls, she thinks back over how nice and warm it was in his arms...and she could smell his cologne… “...maybe a little.”

They stay standing in the kitchen, leaned against the counter as they eat their dessert. Though not as lively as before, they chat in the quiet.

“So...on a scale of one to ten, how was our date?”

Ryū sucks on her spoon with a thoughtful hum. “...a nine.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Why not a ten?”

“Because you scared the bejesus out of me!” After a moment to pout, she asks, “...you?”

“A ten.”

“...really?”

“Good food, good movie...good company. What’s not to love?”

She...isn’t sure how to respond to that, so she takes another bite to excuse her silence.

“We’ll have to try cooking something else next time. Something spicy!”

“Not too spicy, it’ll make me sick!”

“Whaaat?”

“I have a delicate stomach...nothing too greasy, either.”

“That’s all the good food!” he laughs.

“It’s not my fault!”

“Fine, fine...we’ll figure something out. I’ll have to find some of my grandmother’s recipes. From Quebec.”

That earns a blink. She thought she heard traces of an accent in his voice, but didn’t want to assume. “...sure! I’d really like that.”

But eventually, the bowls and the wine glasses are empty. The movie is over. The hour is growing late.

It’s time to call it a night.

...but it’s clear neither of them really want to.

Obito offers to help tidy up, and that helps take a little more time. But once that’s done, there’s really no more excuses.

“...well…” Ryū fidgets a bit. “Guess I’ll...say goodnight?”

“Yeah, I better go. Don’t want to keep you up to late. And I’ve got my route in the morning.”

“Mm…”

She walks him to the front door, the pair of them lingering in the opening for a long moment. “...be safe on your way home. Text me to let me know you made it okay, all right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“And to say goodnight.”

“...again.”

“...yeah, again.”

Another pause.

Indecision seeming to make her bones vibrate, Ryū eventually makes up her mind. Stepping up a bit closer, she lays a hand against Obito’s chest and - with a bit of posturing up on her toes - she gives him a feather-light press of her lips to his.

Flashing pink, he nonetheless reciprocates, both of them easing slowly back apart.

“...goodnight, Obito.”

“...night, Ryū. I’ll...talk to you later.”

Nodding with a shy smile, she watches him head down the hall before forcing herself to shut the door. For a moment, she stands and holds the knob...then turns and leans against it with a sigh.

...it seems so quiet in here now…

Eyes lift to her little dining room table, where the flowers he brought her are still sitting in their vase. The sight brings her a small smile. As much as she’s sad to see him go...well, that just means she’ll get to look forward to seeing him again next time.

Next time...what a lovely concept.

Heaving a more contented breath, she makes her way back into the apartment. Time to get ready for bed, and wait to hear he got home okay. Then she’ll sleep, and start all over again.

...but at least now there’s something to look forward to.

All righty, another day, this one with Ryū’s ship with @abyssaldespair‘s Obito, set in a modern verse! I had...several ideas for these two, and picking one was difficult and ended up costing me time BUT, it’s done xD Hopefully I can get MORE done :’D But yes! This was actually an idea Meg submitted to me, with the premise based largely on Obito hiding his appearance on his profile until the big reveal! Ryū, of course, doesn’t mind his scars no matter the verse. She still thinks he’s one cute cookie x3 Anywho, I guess that’s...really all there is to say for this one! Hope ya like it Meg, and I better get to work on more drabbles xD

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #abyssaldespair #suigin ryū #uchiha obito #best years of your life [ au ]#online dating

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abyssaldespair · 4 years

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Another of my art for the Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week!

With @kusunokihime ‘s OC Suigin Ryu x Uchiha Obito The ship trope: Coffee Shop! ♥

@naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #ObiRyu #uwu #It took me like 4 hours fduhgyug I wish I was faster!#I'm posting it now and it will probably be my last piece for the event #because I work all week #kusunokihime #LOOK AT THEM THEY ARE SO CUTE #don't look at the table and chairs tho those are disgusting #my art #Obito

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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - Reunion ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @i-minato-chan ] [ Namikaze Minato, Suigin Ryū, Jiraiya ] [ Verse: A Tear in Time ] [ Trope: Childhood Friends ]

“So...you’re really going, huh?”

Standing under the arch of Konoha’s main gate, Ryū stares back at Minato with a somber, yet determined expression. She offers a muted nod. “Mhm.”

The blond’s hands are stuffed in his pockets, trying to appear nonchalant. But they both know he doesn’t feel nearly as cool as he looks. “It’s...gonna be really weird having you be the one absent, huh?”

In spite of herself, her lips flicker into a momentary smile. “Yeah...just when you’re back, it’s my turn to leave.”

“...any idea how long you’ll be gone?”

“I...really don’t know.” Her gaze lowers slightly. “I guess it just depends how long it takes me to master everything. It could be a year, it could be...many years. I can’t really be sure.”

After a pause, Minato sighs, posture hunching for a moment. “...I’m happy you found it. I know that’s been eating at you for a long time. Just...wasn’t expecting it to take you out of the village that long.”

“Neither did I…” Ryū’s greys look to the north despite the obstacles between her and her target. “When the war ended...I wanted to get some closure. Just...see it with my own eyes. Affirm it was over, that...there was nothing to go back to. I never expected to find anything there alive...let alone a sage.” She then turns back to Minato, and there’s a light in her eyes he hasn’t seen for far too long. “She knows everything…! About the village, and my family...all the way back to their roots. I have so much to learn from her about where I came from...and my clan’s techniques. I’ll finally know who I am...and be able to get even stronger.”

Finally, a sad smile lifts Minato’s lips. “Yeah...m’happy for you, Ryū. It’s just gonna be awfully quiet around here without you. And I’m gonna miss my medic lessons.”

“I’ll have so much more to teach you when I’m done training! And I bet you’ll still be learning loads, otherwise. We’ll both be shocked how different we are when I...get back…”

The pair fade into silence.

“...well, you be careful. Just because the war is over doesn’t mean it’s totally safe out there. You sure you’re all right going by yourself…?”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. I’m actually going most of the way with a trading caravan headed north when they leave Konoha. By the time we’ll part ways, it’ll be up into the mountains. I doubt anyone will bother me there.” She offers a more steady smile. “Maybe you can write to me, ne? That’ll make time go a little faster. And we can keep up with how we’re doing!”

“I’d like that.”

Another long pause, neither sure what else to say.

“...I’m gonna miss you, Ryū.”

Like a crack in a dam, her expression falters, chin trembling and eyes going glossy with tears. “...y-yeah...I’ll miss you, too…” Biting her lip, she then throws aside inhibitions and closes the gap between them, latching onto Minato tightly.

Barely catching her, his eyes go wide before embracing her back, feeling her shaking. He’s not going to cry...he can’t…

“Take...take care of yourself, o-okay?” she murmurs. “I won’t be around to patch you up.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“I mean it! The war’s over, so no unnecessary risks. You better be just as I left you when I get back!”

That earns a soft snicker. “I promise. Though...I might be a little taller.”

“...I’ll allow it,” she sniffs.

They stand there a long moment before parting, Ryū’s face rosy from her little outburst.

“You better be careful too, Ryū.”

“I will. I’m sure shishō will keep a close eye on me.”

“Suppose you can’t get much safer than with a sage, huh?”

“...mhm…”

“Oi, Minato!”

Startling, both youths turn to see the blond’s sensei approaching. “Jiraiya!”

“So, I hear someone’s starting off on a journey!” the toad sage offers, hands on his hips. “Being left behind, are you Minato?”

He stiffens slightly. “Ryū’s off to get more medical training, sensei. I already told you.”

“Yes, yes...which reminds me…” His arms move to cross over his barrel chest, teeth gleaming with a grin. “I thought I’d ask if you’d like to go on a little adventure of your own!”

“...what do you mean?”

“Well, we can’t have you outmatched by your friend now, can we? She’ll be a sage next time you see her! So, what if you got a little sage training of your own…?”

Minato blinks...and then pales. “...you mean...with you? W-with the toads?”

“Of course! Don’t tell your teammates, but uh…” He leans in, a hand at his mouth conspiratorially. “You’ve got a mountain of promise, Minato. And I want to see that molded into something great! You’ve got the makings of a Hokage in you, I’m sure of it!”

The boy’s expression goes slack with shock. “...me…?”

“Yes, you! So, how about it? It can be a little...race between the two of you! See who reaches sagehood first, hm? Nothing like a little rivalry between childhood friends now, is there? It’ll help spur you forward!”

Both youths blink before glancing at each other. “I...I guess so,” Ryū replies, tone and expression a bit demure. “It would be really neat…! If we both became sages?”

Clearly still surprised, Minato gives a slow nod. “...yeah…”

“Then it’s settled! We can leave for Myōbokuzan whenever you feel like setting out. I imagine you’ve got a little preparation to do, after all. You just holler, and we can go!”

“O...okay…!”

It’s then that a chorus of wooden wheels sound against the street, and the trio turn to see the scheduled caravan making its way toward the gate. “Oh! That’s my ride!” Ryū exclaims.

Not expecting it so soon, Minato feels his chest tighten, watching as she goes to speak with one of the traders.

“...so…”

“Eh?”

Glancing down to his pupil thoughtfully, Jiraiya asks, “Say everything you wanted to say before she leaves…?”

Minato balks. “Huh?”

“You know, sage training takes most people a few years, if they succeed at all. Odds are...you’re not going to see her for quite some time. So if there’s anything you want to tell her...you might want to do it now.”

Slowly, a hint of pink grows in Minato’s cheeks. Something he...wants to tell her?

“Minato!”

Startled yet again, he staggers back as Ryū gives him one last tight embrace. “R-Ryū?”

“Good luck on your journey…!” She pulls back, giving him a warm smile. Oddly enough, she’s still rosy-cheeked.

“You, uh...you too.”

For a moment, the pair stand in their pseudo-hug, and Minato finds himself oddly...frozen. It feels like there’s something he should be doing, and yet...all he can get himself to do is blink.

“Well...safe travels little lady!” Jiraiya then offers, breaking whatever spell the pair were under.

“Y...you too, Jiraiya-sama, Minato!” Giving her friend one last glance, Ryū then turns and hops astride one of the wagons. With their papers cleared, the caravan then begins to pass beneath the archway.

“You were awfully quiet.”

Watching the carts go, Minato is silent for a long moment. “...not yet.”

“Hm?”

“I...I can’t tell her yet. When we meet again - when I’m stronger - then I’ll do it.”

Looking in surprise to his student, Jiraiya blinks before chuckling, a hand patting Minato on the back. “...I understand. I’ll go speak to the Sandaime about our leaving. Once we’ve got everything in order, we can head out ourselves.”

Nodding, Minato sees his sensei head toward the Administrative building. There’s an odd kind of...weight in his chest. Without intending them, a handful of memories drift through his mind. From their first introduction in her office to the day she returned from her home’s ruins with news of what she found, various scenes with Ryū’s face - some happy, some sad, some...indescribable - bring a soft smile to his face.

When he sees her again, he’ll be ready. For now...he’s got planning to do.

“Fall back!”

Flickering behind a tree trunk, Minato waits patiently as a blast of hot air gushes past both sides of his cover. Cinders and ash streak by him, senses honed and waiting for an opening. There are still three dozen or so foreign signatures between him and his goal. Alongside him, there are only four of his allies remaining.

Whoever scouted the intel for this mission better hope they never cross paths. Lightly guarded his ass.

“Namikaze-taichō! What should we do?”

Mind going over what he knows and attempting to come up with a plan, the seventeen year old glances to the remaining jōnin beside him. All are wounded, uncertainty clear in their eyes.

“...stay here. I’m going to try and get past their line. Once I do, we can hit them from both sides. Wait until they’ve turned their backs to face me, then strike. Until then, anyone with doton should try to make some kind of barricade to fall back to if necessary, and maybe lay some traps if you can. Wait for my signal.”

“Hai!”

Peering around the scorched remains of his hiding place, Minato takes a moment to concentrate, suppressing his chakra signature as tightly as he can. Then bursts of speed take him from trunk to trunk, working his way toward a gap in their front line. If he can just -

Flickering one last time, his body tenses as it’s brought to a painful halt. Frozen in place mid-stride, Minato’s heart leaps as he realizes he’s passed a locking tripwire seal. How did he not -?!

“Over there!”

Doing his best to overload the technique and free himself, Minato gives a cry as a heavy fist nails him right in the gut. Flying backward and still partially paralyzed, he crashes against a stone that cracks on impact. Air wheezes from his lungs, vision flickering as his brain rattles.

...shit.

Doing his best to haul himself to his feet despite his protesting muscles, Minato’s eyes go wide as another enemy nin streaks forward, hand signs indicating an incoming suiton barrage.

“Senpō: Bōei no kabe!”

With a flash of energy, a dome of translucent white chakra erects over him, earning a startle as he falls back on his rear. Beyond the barrier, water gushes and parts over the half sphere.

What -?!

From the canopy above him, slipping through the shield like a spectre, a figure lands in a silent crouch a few paces in front of Minato. Staring, it takes him a moment to process both what he sees, and what he feels.

“...Ryū…?”

Standing upright, a young woman turns to behold him. She’s taller, with longer white waves held back in a tail. But the same doe-like greys look him over before giving a grin.

“Not exactly how I planned to see you again, but I guess this will have to do.” Glancing back toward the enemy, she then kneels beside him. “Hold still, ne?”

“Wha-?”

Tugging up his shirt, she nips a thumb before painting a seal on his skin with crimson. Then her palm plants against it, a burst of chakra bleeding through his body and earning a gasp. “Hold still for a minute - let that do its work. Once you’re back on your feet, you can lend me a hand.”

“But -!” Body heavy, Minato watches her approach the wall of the barrier. Senses still piqued, he can feel her reserve suddenly opening up and overflowing.

...a sage state.

Like phantoms, large limbs of chakra form over her arms: the same ghostly-white chakra as the shield. Tipped with claws, the huge hands slip with her through the barrier.

“Ryū, wait!” Managing to shift to his knees, Minato coughs. He can still feel her chakra hot against his skin, seeping down and singeing its way through to his injuries. Slowly, the ache in his back, the ringing in his head, and the bruise along his torso begin to fade. While not a full healing, it negates enough of the wounds to leave him feeling back on his feet.

...well I’ll be damned.

Taking a deep breath and feeling no pain, Minato glances up and grins. Outside, Ryū’s chakra-formed limbs rake and tear at foes beyond the shield, blocking jutsu and strikes alike. While he can’t know just by looking, he has to wonder if it’s the same energy as the bubble currently protecting him.

Just what all did she learn while she was gone?

Approaching the white wall of chakra, Minato lifts a hand, finding himself able to phase through.

“Namikaze-taichō, who -?”

“No time to explain - she’s an ally! You all stay here. We’ll handle this.” Taking out a handful of tri-bladed kunai, Minato tosses each to strategic parts of their makeshift battlefield. And with bursts of chakra, he begins hopping to each enemy, dodging their blows and exchanging some of his own.

In what feels like both hours and minutes...it’s over.

Slowing to a stop, Minato sweeps the clearing with his senses. While all he fought are dead, those Ryū finished off are still alive, bodies completely slack and unable to move.

“Does Konoha take prisoners?”

“...I don’t see why not,” he replies, turning to her in surprise. “Not the killing sort?”

She gives a shake of her head. “It goes against my master’s teachings. I’m supposed to save lives, not take them.”

“...guess I can’t fault you for that.” Glancing to his remaining teammates, Minato asks, “Got enough energy left to do some patch work?”

“Of course. You work on the enemy nin, and I’ll see to your teammates.”

Watching her go, Minato can’t help but feel...off. There was no tearful reunion, no...well, anything he’s planned out in his mind all this time. He can’t but feel a bit cheated, but...maybe they’ll have time for that later. For now, there’s other things to worry about.

By the time he’s tied up the nin she left alive, Ryū is just finishing the basics with his squadmates. All four watch her a bit warily, torn between relief and doubt.

“Everyone, this is Suigin Ryū. She’s a medic, and an ally of Konoha’s. Nothing to worry about. Now, we still need to fetch the intel, and then get these prisoners back to Konoha for questioning. We just might get something extra with them left alive.”

“I can help with the legwork.” With another nip of her thumb, Ryū executes a summoning contract. As the vapor clears, a sooty-spotted white owl stands in the clearing.

Minato’s head barely comes up to its chest.

“Monban, I need you to take this lot to Konoha’s intelligence department. Tell them they’re from Namikaze Minato’s current assignment, and he’ll be following along shortly.”

“Of course, Ryū-sama.” Ducking to let the prisoners be strapped to his back, the avian then takes to the skies.

“So...got yourself a summon?”

“One or two,” she replies vaguely. “I’ll introduce you once things...quiet down, ne?”

“...right.”

Once the location is cleared and everyone fit to travel, Ryū does so alongside them, the trek back to Konoha done mostly in silence. In spite of himself, Minato can’t help the occasional glance her way. Questions burn the back of his tongue, but...she’s right. This is neither the time nor the place for it.

The gate sees them checked back in, Ryū providing her papers and given a pass to return. While she escorts his teammates to the hospital, Minato makes his way to the administration building.

“Minato,” Hiruzen greets as he enters the Hokage’s office, looking a bit surprised. “You’ve returned so soon?”

“I...got a little help. Did our delivery make it here in one piece?”

The old man blinks just as an ANBU flickers to his side. Whispered words are exchanged before the officer vanishes. “...it seems it has,” the third replies, chewing thoughtfully on the stem of his pipe. “This mission saw you cleared for lethal action.”

“And we took it, in part. A few were left alive, and we thought they might give some additional insight.”

“I see...and the files?”

Holding out a sealing scroll, Minato hands it over wordlessly.

“Perfect. I’ll have our decoding team begin deciphering these immediately. Thank you, Minato. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.” Giving a curt bow, Minato wastes no time in flickering his way to the hospital.

“Yes, thank you.” Turning from the mouth of the main hallway, Ryū comes up short as he stands just behind her. “Oh! When did you -?”

“Are they all right?”

She blinks, and then nods. “Yes. A few major injuries, but nothing life-threatening. I patched up what I could. A few days and they should be fine.” There’s a small pause. “...how many -?”

“Three. Two four-man cells. Our intelligence was...incomplete, it would seem. We weren’t prepared for the defenses we met.”

“I see...I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner.”

“I’m just glad you showed up when you did. Been a while since I was hit that hard…” Fading to silence, he leans back a bit as Ryū in turn leans forward. Greys squinting, she gives him a once-over. “...uh -?”

“You did indeed get taller. And I suppose you’re still technically in one piece. Guess that means I can let you off the hook.”

Blinking, he stares at her for a moment before relaxing with a nervous chuckle. “Thought I was in for it there for a second.”

“Very nearly,” she replies, arms crossing. “But I think you’ve had a rough enough day as it is, ne…?”

“Yeah...can’t argue there.”

Looking to him thoughtfully, Ryū then softens. “...it’s so good to see you, Minato...been a long couple of years without your sunshine to brighten my days.”

Balking just a hair, Minato struggles against a creeping warmth in his cheeks. “It, uh...it’s good to see you too. Been waiting to come back to you lurking in my apartment.”

In spite of herself, she laughs. “Believe me, I thought about it. But it seems our paths were intended to cross before then. Otherwise, I might’ve.” Her expression turns a bit coy. “Guess you got quite the introduction to some new skills of mine, ne?”

“Sure did. You’ll have to show them all off.”

“Maybe later. For now, I’m glad to just wind down for the day. Wasn’t expecting to run into a fight on my way back. Walk with me, maybe…?”

“...sure.”

Leaving the hospital behind, the pair head out not toward the village center, but into the more residential sections. Fewer crowds, less noise.

“...so…”

Minato scoffs at the break in the silence. “Kinda hard to know where to start, huh?”

“Yeah...in a way everything feels the same. Like I just saw you yesterday. But at the same time, like it’s been forever.” Coming to a stop, Ryū hops atop a half-wall along their path. “Konoha hasn’t changed.”

“Did you expect it to?”

“No, not really. I guess it’s just odd because I’ve changed. Feels a bit...weird being back here now.”

Sitting beside her, Minato glances over. “Good weird, or…?”

“...just weird. I haven’t seen many people since I left. The crowds are a little...much after so much solitude.”

“Ha, I get that. There’s a lot of toads on Myōbokuzan, but...they’re rather different from people.”

That earns a laugh. “I can imagine. Suigin-sama is…” She heaves a thoughtful breath. “...very stoic. Very quiet. As much as I adore her, it did get lonely every so often. But I think it will take a little adjusting after all this time.”

“I’d imagine.”

“How long were you gone?”

“I’ve been back a few months.”

To his surprise, her lips purse in a childish pout. “So, you did beat me…”

“W-well, I mean...they were two totally different branches of sage training, right? I doubt we’d ever have finished at the same time. Even two students of the same teacher learn at different paces.”

“True...guess I’d just hoped it wouldn’t take me too long…”

He considers her a moment. “...the only part that was too long was not being able to see you.”

That gets her to jolt slightly. “...y-yeah, you’re right. If I’m being honest, I...wasn’t exactly sure what I was gonna say, or...how to say it.” She shrinks in on herself, and suddenly her bravado from the day is gone...and she’s just like how he remembers her. So shy and withdrawn. “...is it weird I practiced it in my head?”

“Heh, no...I was doing the same thing. But I guess that all got kinda jumbled, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it really did. Not exactly the reunion either of us pictured, I’m sure.”

“Not quite. Wasn’t exactly expecting you to swoop in and save my ass.”

Ryū can’t help a rather unladylike snort. “Neither was I!”

“Weren’t showing off, were you?”

“No!” At his perked brow, she goes pink. “...okay, well...maybe a little. But mostly I just wanted to make sure you were okay! I saw you take that hit, and I…”

At her trailing silence, he sobers slightly. “...well, you got me patched up. Speaking of...what did you do?”

“It’s a chakra transfer and direction seal. Depending on the details of the symbols, it redistributes the chakra I gave you to the worst of your injuries. Rather than me directing it to heal manually, it sort of acts like...a speed up agent. Your body takes the extra energy and heals itself as it would naturally, just...faster with the excess. It helps my chakra’s attuned for it anyway. That’s all thanks to Suigin-sama.”

“...huh. You’ll have to show me later.”

“Mhm!”

With that, the conversations idles. When Ryū’s eyes cast out over the village, clearly taking in the long-missed image, Minato watches her from the corner of his own. Her face isn’t as rounded as it used to be, but is still rather heart-shaped. Unlike their wartime months growing as friends, there isn’t a heavy shadow to her gaze - no unending worry pinching her brows. Even the subtle hints of her posture are different: more relaxed, and less reserved. She seems a lot more confident, even if she still has her moments.

Clearly she didn’t just grow as a medic, but as a person, too. Though he’s still taller, she’s also gained some height.

And, er...other things.

Flushing slightly and removing his gaze for the moment, Minato asks, “So...are you going to stay in Konoha?”

“For now, yes. I’d still like to make trips back, but...I think overall, Konoha will be where I spend most of my time. My line used to be nomadic - the women would travel all over the continent and tend to anyone. But that’s...not really possible now, and having a steady home and a steady place to work is good for me, I think. I’ll still head home sometimes to brush up on training, or just...have some time to myself. It’s strange...as quiet and somber and haunted as home feels...I still feel more at ease there.”

That earns a pause. “...because there aren’t any shinobi?”

For a moment, she doesn’t answer. “...maybe. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It might just be the ties my family has to it. Something in my blood that can’t ever let go. We lived there for centuries, almost back to the time of the rikudō sennin. Suigin-sama brought us there, gave us her name, and her power. It’s like a bird that always has to return to the same nest where its egg was laid. I’ll always feel drawn there.”

“...I see.”

A moment longer she stares out over the village, and then Ryū turns to face Minato. Clearly steeped in her thoughts, her usually-expressive face is an odd neutral he can’t read as she flickers eyes over his face. “...but…”

“...but?”

She seems to hesitate. “...but there are things that draw me here, too.”

In spite of himself, Minato feels a flutter in his chest. “Oh...oh yeah?”

“...mhm.”

When she doesn’t elaborate, he feels himself grow nervous. “Well, I’m...I’m glad. I know this isn’t where you were born, but...it’s good to have you here. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

She blinks, and then gives a soft smile. “...I’m happy that, to someone, I matter that much.”

“Of course you do!”

Balking a bit at his hurried reply, Ryū then can’t help a giggle. “And you matter to me, too. You’re still my best friend, Minato. Doesn’t matter how much time has passed.”

For just a moment, he hesitates.

Ah...friend.

...why does that word feel like a sinking stone in his chest?

Noticing his lagging, Ryū also pauses. “...is something wrong?”

“...no, it’s nothing.”

“Minato…”

“Huh?”

Leaning around to his front, she studies him closely, seeing him stiffen at the proximity. “...you know you can’t hide things from me, right? I’m a much better sensor than I was before. Maybe not as good as you, but…”

Trying to get a hold on his heartbeat, Minato blinks, trying to keep his expression blank.

“...I can still tell when you’re nervous, as stoic as you try to be sometimes.” A spark of mischief alights in her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting. “...is there something you want to tell me?”

“...tell you? Like...what?”

She heaves a soft sigh, gaze averting. “Nothing at all…? Even after all our time apart…?”

“...er…”

“Because...there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

There’s no holding back the organ in his chest now. He swears she can probably hear it right through the skin. As hardened as a shinobi as he’s trained himself to be, Minato supposes there’s no denying one thing: he’s still a teenage boy. And even teenage boys with wars under their belts get frazzled in...situations like this. “W...what is it?”

“...ever since I left, even when I got lost in my training, and was exhausted from long days, or was buried in all I was learning about my past...I don’t think there was a single day I didn’t think about you. That I didn’t miss you. You were my first real friend in Konoha. As much as I admired my teachers, and as much as they supported me...it wasn’t the same as what I found with you. Whether it was the good days, or the...not so good days, I always felt better when you were around. But sometimes, it sort of...confused me. There’d be times where I’d feel warm for no reason, or nervous even though I had nothing to be nervous about. I thought...maybe there was something wrong with me.”

As she pauses, Minato just...stares, not wanting to interrupt. Oh gods...is this really happening?

“...but then I realized it wasn’t anything wrong. It was just something...new. Something different. You were my friend. My best friend. But you’d also come to mean more to me than that. You were my most important person. Even if, heh...I didn’t have many other people to compare you to…”

“...Ryū…”

“...you learn a lot about yourself when you’re alone. Truly alone. Up in the mountains, with nothing but the wind and the rain to listen to. It makes your own thoughts so much louder. So much clearer. And they were telling me something very important. Something I already knew, but wasn’t ready to admit.” Finally, she lifts her eyes back to his own. “...that I love you, Minato.”

As though caught in a vacuum, everything seems to go completely still. Staring back at her with wide blues, Minato vaguely feels heat in his cheeks. Did...did she really just say…?

“...I wondered if maybe...that wouldn’t be something you wanted to hear,” she then adds softly. “But we both know one thing: life can be tragically short. There’s no war right now, but...there will likely be another eventually. We might not make it through it. So I just...wanted you to know that.”

Struggling to speak, Minato feels his throat close up. Say something, damn it! She’s getting the wrong idea!

“...so, if you’d rather have some time to...to think, and -”

“N-no!”

She startles, not expecting the outburst. “...no…?”

Breaking free of his fog, Minato carefully takes her arms in his hands, looking to her fervently. “...no, I...I don’t need time to think. When you went to go train...Jiraiya-sensei asked me if I had anything to say before you left. And...and I did. But I didn’t feel ready. I wanted to be stronger. To be...more than I was. Older, maybe a little wiser, a little more...sure. Because there’s a lot that I know, and...a lot that I don’t know. But even after these years apart, one thing hasn’t changed. And that’s...how much you mean to me. We met when we were pretty young. When things were so unsettled, and dangerous. I think maybe I was afraid. Afraid that...somehow, war would tear us apart, however that might have happened. That if I got any closer, and I lost you...I wouldn’t recover. I couldn’t take that leap. Maybe that makes me a coward.”

“Minato, no -!”

“But if today proved anything, it’s that maybe I’m not as strong or as clever as I might think I am. And that maybe you’re not as fragile and at-risk as I thought you were. That maybe I don’t have to be afraid anymore. Maybe being afraid in the first place was stupid, because even if I didn’t admit it...I was still as close as I feared getting. That I loved you too...as much as someone my age could love someone, at least. I’m all out of excuses.” His lips flicker upward. “...so maybe you did grow faster than I did. Because you were brave enough to say it first, huh?”

After a shocked pause, greys almost glowing with elation, Ryū slowly breaks into a smile...which is soon joined by happy tears. Without a word, she loops arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly.

With the words out and unable to be taken back, Minato gently returns the hold. “...so I guess that’s it then, huh?”

“I was so n-nervous…”

“Really? Didn’t seem that way to me at all. If anything, I was the one bumbling things. That...wasn’t exactly my area of expertise.”

“Me neither…” Shyly, Ryū withdraws enough to meet his eyes. “...you really…?”

“Yeah, I do,” he replies, not needing her to finish the question. “That, uh...that might’ve been part of what I was always practicing in my head. To say to you, when you got back.”

“Really? Me too!”

The pair of them devolve into a mess of laughter.

“We’re both pretty pathetic aren’t we?” Ryū manages to ask between giggles, wiping at her eyes.

“Guess that’s why we get along so well.”

Flushed pink and beaming, Ryū gently leans against his shoulder. This has been a far cry from her daydreaming the last few years, but...she’ll take it.

“So...now that that’s out of the way...now what?”

She snorts. “I...have no idea. Though I think for the most part, nothing all that much needs to change, ne? We’ll just...figure out the rest as we go.”

“I suppose.”

“...though I guess I should talk to Sarutobi-sama about an apartment. And rejoining the hospital staff. I wonder if I’ll have to do my exams again…”

It takes Minato a moment to process all of that. “...wait...you don’t have your apartment?”

“No. I figured it would be silly to keep it since I’d be gone so long. Besides, it was...really tiny,” Ryū admits sheepishly. “I’d like to have something a little bigger. Though I don’t really have much of anything to put in one…”

“...do you need a couch to crash on?”

Glancing up, she blinks. “...I-I don’t want to impose -?”

“I’d hardly call that imposing.”

“W...well, I’ll see what the Hokage says. I guess if I need to, then...then I can.” Her cheeks flash pink again. “But it shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“Just let me know.”

“I will.”

The pair sit in a peaceful silence for a time, watching the parts of the village they can see go about their day. Neither of them seem all that motivated to move.

But as the afternoon ages, Ryū heaves a sigh. “...well...maybe I should do that sooner rather than later…”

“Yeah, probably a good idea. Want me to go with you?”

“No, that’s all right. You should get some rest, anyway - I might’ve given you a boost, but you still need to recuperate after that fight today, ne?”

He sighs. “...guess so.”

“I’ll let you know how things go. I’ll stop by if I need to, but...I guess otherwise, I’ll send you a message in the morning?”

“Sure! We’ll try and have a more proper first day back for you then, huh?”

She giggles. “That would be nice, yeah.” Hopping from the wall, she turns back to face him. “Go rest, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

There’s a brief look at his retort before she starts heading back the way they came.

Watching her go, Minato then heaves a long, slow sigh. Bits and pieces of the day run back through his mind. It’s funny, he expected to feel, well...more. Like he could float to the moon. And while he’s undoubtedly ecstatic, it’s in a more calm sort of way. Like...an extension of what he already had. A natural progression. From childhood friends to...well, whatever this is. He supposes he can call her his girlfriend now, it just...feels a little odd, yet.

...oh well. There’ll be plenty of time to get used to that. For now, he better do as the doctor’s ordered. Last thing he wants is a scolding.

He has a feeling her threats might hold a bit more weight to them now.

All righty folks, Sylvie's back at it again with the Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week! This year's theme is ship tropes, with no particular daily prompts. And for my first entry, I went with the childhood friends trope, and the (potential) ship between my main OC Suigin Ryū, and @i-minato-chan's Namikaze Minato! We've been writing these two smols for about a year and a half now. And in RP at least, there hasn't been any kind of confession, though it's...rather obvious that Ryū has a wee crush x3 Sooo I thought I'd use them for one of the ship week drabbles and do a little 'what-if' with them! Obviously this...isn't canon since it's a drabble rather than RP, but just a possible outcome for maybe something down the road x3 Sorry Ryū, this doesn't count lol - you'll have to actually work up the courage to do so in a thread someday! Hopefully I did Minato justice - I’m always nervous writing someone else’s muse ahaha~ I can’t really assume how he’d act overall either, so...hence this very much being a what-if lol But yes! I'll be posting the rest of the drabbles throughout the week (assuming I get them done kjfgjg), so that'll be what's in your feed for this first part of June! Hopefully after that I can wrap up some other WIPs. Life has been buuusy and stressful so I haven't had as much time to fic (or even RP) as I've wanted, sadly. But we'll see how things go after this! Anywho, that's all for now! Thanks for reading~

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #iminatochan #namikaze minato #suigin ryū #jiraiya #a tear in time [ canon verse ]#childhood friends

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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - No Ordinary Hero ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @frogprinceus ] [ Suigin Reika, Jiraiya, Senju Tsunade ]| [ Alcohol, blood ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ Trope: Bodyguard Romance ]

“I warned you that being so public with this new research was going to be dangerous…”

“Oh please, Tsunade. I thought you were the last person to worry about danger. That’s the thing about science: it all has its risks. But this study is already bringing us so much closer to better health for mankind. If someone wants to scream in my face or throw paint on my clothes or what have you, let them. I’m not going to be intimidated into silence when I have important work to do!”

“That’s not my point!” A fist slams down on the desk between them, and Reika looks at it with raised brows. “You’re receiving death threats, Reika! People want you dead!”

“I’m not about to let that stop me.”

“Death is the one thing that will stop anyone. You need to be more careful -”

“I need to do my work!”

Nostrils flaring with an angry breath, Tsunade growls, “I’ve already made some calls for additional security.”

“What -?!”

“And you’re going to have a bodyguard. No ifs, ands, or buts. People want to hurt you. They want to kill you. And I’ll be damned if I let them get their way. You’re my friend, Reika. And you’re a brilliant mind in our field. I don’t want to lose either of those things!”

Stiffened as she prepares to rebuke, the younger doctor can’t help but deflate at the confession. “...I don’t like the idea of bowing to people who want to stop our progress. What we do is so important…”

“I know that. But you can keep doing your work more safely with a little help. A friend of mine is going to step in as your personal guard. He and I and another friend went through a stint in the military together.”

“...when you were a combat medic?”

“Yes. He stuck with it longer, and he knows what he’s doing. He’ll keep you safe, I know he will. Then once the work is done and things quiet down...you can go back to doing things on your own. But until the threats stop, I want you kept safe.”

“...all right. Do I at least get to meet him first?”

“He’ll be here in two days. He’s…” Tsunade pauses for a moment. “...well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.”

A white eyebrow perks. “...you’re not exactly instilling confidence in me, Tsunade.”

“He just has his quirks. We all do. Nothing harmful, just...potentially annoying.”

That earns a snort. “Annoying, huh? I’ve dealt with my share of annoying over the years. I’ll be fine.”

“Good. I’ll call you when he gets here, and we’ll get the specifics set in place. Until then, please keep your head down?”

“I will, I will.”

“You better.”

When their days are over, Reika heads straight home as per her promise to Tsunade. She’s only known Tsunade for as long as they’ve worked together in the hospital here in the city. The older woman has told stories of her time before, when she served as a medic in the army. But she hasn’t talked much about two close friends that are mostly just names and vague descriptions to Reika as of yet. One, apparently, went rogue and hasn’t been seen in years. The other stuck with the job when Tsunade’s own losses prompted her to retire from the force and take a civilian position instead with the hospital.

Reika has to admit she’s curious about this one.

Military people can often be gruff or short-tempered. She has to hope he won’t be: she’s stubborn enough on her own. The last thing she’ll need is to be butting heads with someone meant to keep her safe from the protesters.

Fixing herself dinner and indulging in a glass of wine, she mulls the situation over. Part of her still thinks Tsunade is going overboard with her worrying, but...well, she’s a woman who’s lost a lot of people in her life. In that regard...she can’t really blame her. For now, she’ll just have to play along, see how things go. At worst, she has someone bothering her for a few weeks while this all blows over. At best...well, she’s not sure what the best outcome is. She...makes a new friend?

...sure.

For now, however...no point in worrying. So she tidies up, indulges in a book...and then turns in for the night to do it all over again tomorrow.

Two days later, she braces herself for impact.

Heading into work with her typical thermos of coffee, she rests her free hand in a coat pocket, sipping the caffeine and glancing around in curiosity. So far, nothing seems different. But as she rounds a corner to head into the lab, she spots Tsunade.

And standing opposite her is a man.

...he’s so tall!

Blinking, Reika gets a few seconds to examine him unnoticed. The mane of long white hair - held back mostly in a tail - honestly surprises her. Aren’t military types usually well-kempt and all that? Otherwise, however, he mostly fits the bill. Barrel-chested, confident in his posture, and speaking to Tsunade in what looks like a serious, hushed tone.

But as they both turn and spot her, the ‘serious’ part is quick to change.

“There you are,” Tsunade offers, arms crossed. “Come on, then.”

Closing the gap between them, Reika glances to her new ‘guard’ with a perked brow.

“This is Jiraiya. Jiraiya, this is Reika Suigin, the doctor I told you about.”

“Pleasure,” the man offers, giving a wide grin. “I’ve heard a lot about you! I’m intrigued to finally meet you myself.”

Deadpanning, Tsunade growls, “Don’t you start.”

“Start? Start what?”

“Reika isn’t one of your bar harlots or anything of the sort, so don’t bother with your charm. You’re here on a job, not a hunt.”

Jiraiya’s face turns to one of mock offense. “I would never! I have nothing but the highest respect for your fellow doctors, Tsunade. You wound me…”

Poking his chest sternly, she nonetheless warns, “Just because I trust you doesn’t mean I won’t fire you if you screw up. Reika’s my friend. She needs someone to keep her safe, not bother her.”

“All right, all right. I get it. I’ll be an expressionless, boring pillar of muscle for ten hours a day,” he rebukes, giving what might be a pout. “Jeez, Tsunade...cut me some slack.”

“I won’t give you any more than you need,” she sniffs. “Reika, you have my full permission to tell him to piss off if he pushes your boundaries too much.”

Glancing between the two suspiciously, Reika just replies, “...duly noted.”

Together, they watch her stomp back down the hallway before glancing to one another.

“Well...now that that’s out of the way,” Jiraiya mutters, a hand rubbing at his neck. “It really is nice to meet you. Tsunade’s told me a lot about you.”

“Funny, she really only mentions you in passing.”

“Yeah, well...it’s a bit complicated.”

“Scorned lovers kind of complicated?”

That makes him jolt in surprise. “...is it that obvious?”

“Uh, yeah,” Reika replies with a snort. “Let me guess: she rejected you.”

“...uh…”

“She seems the type to reject just about anybody.”

In spite of himself, Jiraiya laughs. “You’re not wrong. But I’ve got my share of faults. Namely that I’m too charming to keep tied down in one place too long.”

Crossing her arms, Reika perks a brow. “I take it that’s why she mentioned bar harlots…?”

“Well...that was a bit of an exaggeration. I’m a flirt, I’ll admit. But I don’t exactly have a hit list.”

That makes her roll her eyes. “Just keep any of that to a minimum while I’m working, all right? It’s difficult enough without having to filter out pick-up lines and innuendos.”

At that, Jiraiya gives a booming laugh. “Sure, sure! I’ll be quiet as a mouse. But you know…” He flashes another grin, eyebrows wiggling. “You didn’t specify for when you’re not working.”

There’s a momentary pause where she’s indeed caught in her slip up before Reika retorts, “Am I really stuck with you when I’m not at work?”

“Well, if you count escorts to and from the hospital, as well as check-ins at your house to make sure no one gives you any trouble there...at least partly, yes.”

That earns a bit of a scowl. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Tsunade…”

“Hey, she’s taking this seriously.”

“Too seriously,” she mutters. “...well, I guess that’s just how it is, then. Come on - I need to get to work.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“...don’t call me ma’am.”

“...yes sir?”

“Just...an ‘okay’ is fine.”

“Right. Got it.”

Rolling her eyes, Reika leads the way to the lab. She’s already fifteen minutes behind schedule thanks to all this nonsense this morning. Making her way in and getting to work, she can’t help but spare her new friend the occasional glance. True to his word, he mostly just...sits quietly, observing the lab with curiosity. Every so often he gets up, checks the windows, fiddles with his phone, and even leaves the room...presumably to patrol more of the hospital.

...as much as she hates to admit it, it’s...nice to have him there.

In truth, the protests have made her rather nervous. While she’s not afraid to get back in someone’s face and defend her position...she knows not everyone plays fair. She’s had some rocks thrown at her, one of which gave her quite the bruise along her upper arm.

Of course, she didn’t tell Tsunade that.

“Yeah, all clear so far. But we’ve got word of a possible demonstration this afternoon. Yeah. I know.”

Hearing his voice through the door, Reika pauses to listen. Seems he’s on the phone with someone. Probably Tsunade.

“I’ll disperse them. Don’t worry about it, I’ve seen a lot worse. Besides, you know there’ll be hospital security there if anything gets rowdy. Uh huh. I’ll let you know.”

The call then ends, and Reika busies herself with work again, feeling guilty at eavesdropping. But then again, this all concerns her.

“So, we got word some people are planning a little march today,” he explains once back inside. “Tsunade wants you to head home if it gets nasty.”

“But my shift goes until -?”

“I know. I’ll try to break things up, but if people start being stupid, she wants you somewhere safe.”

For a moment she considers arguing, but...in all reality she knows Jiraiya could very well just pack her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “...fine.”

With that news weighing on her, the rest of the day passes by with no small amount of tension. And it only gets worse when Jiraiya looks at his phone, frowns...and leaves.

...that doesn’t seem good.

Deciding to pause her work, she follows him, traveling through to the entrance of the hospital. True to their warning, there is indeed a small crowd outside bearing signs arguing against her research.

And Jiraiya approaches them calmly.

She can’t hear what he’s saying from here, watching warily from a window. At first, the crowd seems calm, like maybe they’ll disperse at his word.

But then someone spots her behind the glass, and things immediately begin to turn ugly.

Shouts ring out, fingers pointing, the people surging forward despite Jiraiya’s attempt to hold them back. Reika, in turn, retreats from the window cautiously.

...she’s got a bad feeling about -

CRASH

With a shatter, the window gives way as a rock is thrown, followed by several others.

“Those idiots…!”

Flinching at Tsunade’s harsh tone, Reika makes to speak, but is cut off.

“Get out of here! I’ll handle this.”

“But -?”

Making his way back in, Jiraiya’s mouth is set in a firm line. “We’ve got security pulling up.”

“Good. Take her home. And patch up your brow, you’re bleeding.”

He looks up at a split in his forehead. Probably from another rock. “I’ll live. Come on, Reika. We better -”

The three of them stumble back as something else comes hurtling through the window. But this isn’t a rock. Flames scatter from a Molotov cocktail, and screaming starts getting louder in the lobby.

Tsunade’s teeth grit, making for a fire extinguisher. “Now, Jiraiya! I’m not paying you to dawdle!”

“Working on it!” Wasting no time, he just scoops Reika behind her knees and her back and makes for the rear exit and parking garage.

“I can walk -!” she insists, trying not to let fear or shock overcome her.

“I’m aware. But this is faster and less risky.” Jamming an elevator button with his elbow, he takes them inside to descend to the parking lot. Once the doors open, he takes them to a rather sizable vehicle, setting Reika in the front seat as he takes the driver’s.

With a revving of the engine, they make their way out and into the streets.

Tense and breathing heavily, Reika mutters, “...this is all my fault.”

“It’s no one’s fault but the people who’re acting out. Don’t take blame for willful ignorance of others. Let alone being violent.”

...she has no retort for that.

The rest of the ride is silent until they reach her house. “All right...get in, lock the doors, and stay away from the windows.”

“And you?”

“I’ll be keeping watch out here.”

“Not before I take care of that split.”

“I -”

“Don’t bother arguing. If you think Tsunade is stubborn, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Sighing, Jiraiya weighs his options before relenting. “All right, fine.”

The pair of them scurry into the house, Reika fetching her well-stocked first aid kit while Jiraiya stands idly in the entryway. “Come sit down.”

Obliging, he turns his head toward a light as she cleans the split and the bloodtrail down his face. Flinching a bit as it stings, he asks, “How’s it look, doc?”

“Well, I think you’ll still have your dashing good looks,” she replies, smoothing antibacterial gel along the wound before getting it covered with gauze.

“Is that you calling me dashing?”

She pauses, giving him a glance. “...am I not allowed to?”

“...I don’t see why not.”

“I’m not at work,” Reika then adds, making sure her handiwork will stay in place. “So I suppose that means all other bets are off. Besides, you quite literally scooped me out of danger. I think paying you a compliment is the least I can do in return.”

That earns a grin. “If that’s the least, then what’s the most?”

She snorts, giving him a look and starting to put her supplies away. “The most is still a bit out of your league, I’m afraid. But keep trying. You might get there.”

“Is that permission?”

Her eyes roll. “It’s mostly banter, but...take it however you’d like.”

Once she returns from putting the box away, she’s surprised to find him heading toward the door. “What are you doing?”

“Best place to keep an eye on things is from a parking spot across the street. Anyone rolls up looking for trouble, I’ll see it. You just stay in here and wait for the all-clear, all right?”

Worry stirs in her stomach. “...you’ll be all right out there?”

“...here, let me…” Taking out a notepad from a pocket, he scribbles and then hands her a set of digits. “My cell. If you need anything, just text me. That way we can keep in touch.”

“...all right.” Looking it over, she then lifts her eyes back to him. “How long will you be out there?”

“No idea. I’ll have to hear back about the hospital, see if things quiet down.”

“...will you need dinner?”

He gives her a glance. “Is this the time to be asking me on a date?”

For a moment, Reika deadpans. “You’re going to be sitting in a car in front of my house making sure no one does anything stupid. Pretty sure it’s polite for me to make you something to eat if you’re here all night.”

“...I wouldn’t say no. But for now, we’ll just see how things go.”

“All right. Be careful.”

“You too. Remember: no windows.”

Remembering the rocks and the fire, she can’t help but grimace. “...right.”

Nodding, Jiraiya then heads back out, sitting in his car and settling in for the afternoon. Reika makes sure he’s in before shutting her curtains and sitting at her table with a sigh, brow resting in a palm.

While there’s a lingering anxiety, it seems to calm with the realization that she isn’t facing this alone. That someone is here to help. And while it’s only been a few hours, Reika already feels she can trust him. Between Tsunade’s reassurance and her own ability to read people well...she knows Jiraiya isn’t going to let anything happen to her.

So, after a short time to sit and think, she moves into her kitchen and starts cooking dinner.

For two.

More for the ship week! I'm...very behind due to Life but I'm trying to get at least a few more pieces done. Some might end up late, as this is the last official day, but...I'll be darned if I let delays get in the way of my ships xD Anywho, this is some Jiraiya x Reika goodness courtesy of the ship I have with @frogprinceus! A bit of a twist on their usual dynamic. In reality I'd like this to be longer and more fleshed out, but...I'm running out of time, so this might seem a bit rushed. Maybe I'll do more with it another time, but for now I have no idea when I'll have the time. Reika is usually rather no-nonsense, but Jiraiya brings out the banter in her and I love it xD Why did I have to kill her in canon? Whoops But yes, that's all for this piece! Hoping to get one, maybe two more done. Depends on how much time I end up having today :'D Either way, thanks for reading!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #frogprinceus #suigin reika #jiraiya #senju tsunade #alcohol //#blood //#best years of your life [ au ]#bodyguard romance

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kusunogatari · 5 years

Text

[ @historias-multorum ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

Three weeks. Three weeks since the attack of the demon boar on his village. Three weeks since its evil took hold of his arm, infecting his flesh with poisonous hatred. Three weeks since Uchiha Itachi was given a choice: stay with the remnants of his clan, and let the mark slowly devour him...or rise to meet the fate he’d been given. Journey west to seek what had turned a god into a demon.

As fixated as he has tried to remain on his goal, thoughts of home still cross his mind. The kind smile of his mother, the stern instruction of his father, and the adoring looks of his little brother. All left behind, never to be seen again: his hair is cut. He can never go home.

Besides...there’s no hope for him there. All he can do now is keep moving forward. Pray that, somewhere along this road, salvation may wait for him. And if not that...maybe a kind of peace before the end.

Taking the road at a walk atop his elk, Itachi stops as they round a bend, catching sight of a village. Smoke rises from thatched roofs, people running and screaming. Some kind of battle…? No...only one side seems to be armed.

Chest clenching, he watches in torn horror. He’s only one man - he can hardly save a village from an onslaught. But as he stares, more samurai approach from behind with a shout. Arrows whisking past his ears, he urges his mount to a run, drawing an arrow as he prepares to cut through the crowd.

But as the string pulls taut, the muscles of his afflicted arm quiver, trembling and writhing before releasing the draw. With a whistle, the bolt finds its mark...cleaving a man’s head from his shoulders.

Teeth grit as he grips his limb, panic begins to set in. What’s happening to me…?!

Shocked at his power, the remaining warriors let him pass, staring in fearful awe.

Not letting up his gallop for over a mile, the pair eventually slow. By now, the throbbing in his arm has settled to a dull buzz. Stopping at a stream, Itachi bathes the mark in the cool running water, noting the change in the blemish.

“...it’s growing.”

Their travel pace stays slow until reaching another village. This one, peaceful, bustles with people and business. Straw hat drawn over his head and kerchief over his face, Itachi ignores the strange looks he gets. It didn’t take him long to realize that he sticks out like a sore thumb. Pushed to the fringes of the empire, the last dredges of the Uchiha have been isolated - unchanged. His old-style attire and unusual mount have kept more eyes on him than he’d like.

Leading his elk as they traverse the streets, he stops at a stand to pick up a sack of rice - his provisions are running far lower than he’d like, and he still has miles left to go, destination not yet wholly known.

Lost in thought as the woman fetches his rice, he looks up as she hands it over, in turn giving her a small nugget from his pouch. “Will this suffice?”

Taking the gold, she squints before giving him a glower. “Does this look like money to you? Hand back that rice - unless you can pay, you’ll get nothing from me.”

“Now now, wait a moment.”

Both of them glance over, as well as the growing crowd. Stepping up on tall geta, a priest flashes a charming smile. “Mind if I look at that shiny pebble, ma’am?”

She scoffs. “Be my guest.”

Accepting the piece, he looks it over carefully. “...well, by the gods - this isn’t just a rock, it’s a gold nugget! Now, I’m no expert, but…” He seems to try to weigh it in his palm. “I’d say this would be worth not just one bag of rice, but three! Maybe even more!”

Eyeing the crowds as they gawk at the gold, Itachi’s instincts tell him to move. Rice in hand, he turns and makes to leave before a riot breaks out.

“Hey, hey! Wait -!”

Grabbing the priest’s wrist, the woman insists, “Don’t wander off with my gold!”

Remounting his elk, Itachi hears the priest run up behind him. “Where are you running off to, huh? We haven’t even introduced ourselves! Jiraiya, traveling priest. And don’t sweat the gold debacle - I was happy to help. Y’see, you helped stave off those samurai, and I happened to be caught in the middle of it. As I see it, it’s the least I could do to repay you.”

Glancing over, Itachi doesn’t reciprocate. Behind them, he can hear more footsteps.

“Yeah, we’re being followed,” Jiraiya murmurs. “Guess all that ruckus over the gold caught the wrong attention. They’ll try to kill and rob us in the night. How about we make them work for their catch, eh?” With surprising agility, the priest takes off at a dead run.

Not sure what to make of this, Itachi weighs his options before urging his mount to a gallop.

Behind, the small group of thugs slow to a stop.

The pair keep their pace for a good while, stopping in what look to be ruins. Tucking into a crevice, they set up a temporary camp. While he doesn’t trust this man...Itachi figures he might be useful company. So as Jiraiya works on a stew, he explains some - but not all - of his story. His name and exact location are left out...he reveals only his purpose for traveling. Maybe this rather...strange priest can help him narrow down his search.

“Well, you made it this far, and then lost the trail...it happens. Say you’re cursed, are you? Many people feel that way now. Violence is everywhere.” Jiraiya nods to their surroundings. “See these ruins? When I last came through here, it was a village. Then something wiped it out...plague, landslide, fire, flood...and now, it’s a ghost town. What I mean to say is, everyone dies. And there are angry ghosts everywhere you walk. They starved, they’re killed, they’re sick...and no one gives a damn. Here, give me your bowl - the stew’s done.”

Lost in thought, Itachi does as asked, only half listening as the priest rambles on. It’s not until he notes the bowl’s make that dark eyes flicker up, expression stoney.

“...ever heard of the Uchiha?” Jiraiya asks, a knowing look in his eyes. “It’s strange, but...you remind me of them, with your stone-headed arrows, and that elk you ride.”

Staying silent, Itachi simply eats his meal, wariness ringing like a bell in his chest.

“...of course, they were all killed five hundred years ago,” Jiraiya then adds, taking a bite of his own. Grinning as he goes for more, the priest assures him, “I won’t tell anyone who you are, kid. I’ve got much bigger problems on my plate.”

After a thoughtful pause, Itachi reaches into his pocket before withdrawing the iron ball that had been found in the demon’s body. “...have you ever seen anything like this in your travels, priest?”

Accepting it, Jiraiya gives it a once-over. “Hm...can’t say I have.”

“That was inside the boar. I’m convinced it’s what ultimately killed him...and what drove him to fall from kami to demon.”

The pair fall into silence, Jiraiya’s gaze far away as he thinks. “...you know, some say that far to the west from here, in the mountains...dwells an ancient god. The spirit of the forest. They claim that, in his woods, beasts are all giant, as they were when man was young. But it’s a dangerous place for humans - no one enters and leaves alive.”

Maintaining a blank facade, Itachi’s heart leaps. Giant animals…? Like the boar? Then...that must have been where he came from! If he can make it there...perhaps he’ll find what he’s looking for. It doesn’t matter if the woods are dangerous - he’s a dead man walking, anyway. If he fails...perhaps an obliging beast will be his end.

...that settles it, then.

Sleeping lightly, he rises before the priest, quietly packing up camp. From here...he needs to go on his own.

No one else is going to get hurt.

Leading his elk from their camp, he gives one last bow to his companion before mounting and heading west.

Days blur together as he follows the trails and roads further and further from home. As the terrain starts to steepen, and the forests grow ever-thicker, a kind of knowing fills his chest.

He’s close.

Riding alongside a river, Itachi has to do a double-take. Dark eyes go wide, watching as bodies of oxen and people are washed downstream. Did the rain the previous night cause a landslide somewhere?! But then -!

Perking up, he dismounts, making his way to the bank where a body is caught. Holding a palm over the man’s mouth, he can feel breath. Carefully, he hauls the stranger from the water, placing him further up the bank before finding another. Checking the men’s wounds, he notices his elk’s cautious gaze across the river.

...is there someone else…?

Carefully treading over rocky outcroppings, Itachi keeps his face covered, peering through washed up debris along the river’s edge.

What he sees shocks him to stillness.

Laid along the opposite bank is a glittering silver creature. And from the trees emerge two more, far smaller and looking to the first with concern as it rises.

...those...those are dragons…! Then surely he must be near the forest spirit’s dwelling if kami like this are here!

Too lost in thought, he almost misses one final detail.

They aren’t alone.

Along one of the younger beast’s back is a woman. Dismounting, she runs to the elder dragon, gentle hands looking to a wound in her chest. Without hesitation, she begins sucking and spitting blood, attempting to clear it.

Staring, Itachi tenses as the god turns to face him, lips lifting in a snarl.

Attention brought, the woman does the same.

Blood is smeared across the pale skin of her face, silver eyes flashing like mirrors. Wild waves of white hair flow down her back, a strange mask and furred cape beneath them. Her outfit is exceedingly primitive.

The pair lock eyes, and Itachi finds himself frozen. What should he…?

Turning to face him fully, she spits the last of the blood from her mouth, watching him warily with furrowed brows.

Making up his mind, Itachi climbs to the height of the debris, pulling the cloth from his face. “O-kami-sama! I am Uchiha Itachi, from lands far to the east! Are you gods of the forest ruled by the forest spirit?”

The trio of kami stare alongside their human companion, the younger pair tensed as though ready to fight. Silence rings as each side seems to size one another up.

But then the mother turns, lifting herself to her feet and beginning to limp back into the treeline. Making to follow, her children keep wary eyes at their corners to watch him as the woman leaps astride one.

“...you should go back from whence you came,” is all she offers, letting her mount carry her into the trees where they disappear into the shadows.

Heart in his throat, Itachi watches them go before turning as a voice cries out.

Back where he left the two men, one attempts to scramble back, panicked and wide-eyed. Beside him sits a kodama, head tilted curiously at him.

Sighing lightly, Itachi approaches, offering, “You should keep still - your injuries are grave. There’s no need to be afraid - this little one is a tree spirit. They reside in healthy forests.”

“But...but they’ll bring their master to us!”

“Master…?” Itachi’s brows furrow. “...the dragons?”

“No, there’s a strange beast in these woods! It’s a deer, but some say it has a face of a man! And it - ah! Look! More of them!”

All around them, several more kodama reveal themselves, watching the humans.

“...if my mount isn’t afraid, we have nothing to fear. These spirits are harmless...so long as you treat them with respect.” Moving to approach one of the kodama, Itachi softly asks, “Please spirits, we mean you no harm - may we be granted passage through your woods?”

Clearly shy, the spirit slowly vanishes.

Hauling the conscious man atop his elk and doing his best to splint his injuries, Itachi takes the other on his back and just...starts to walk. A trail cuts through the trees, and several of the kodama seem to lead them down it. All around them in the treetops and branches, more of the tiny kami rattle and wriggle.

Clearly unnerved, the stranger offers, “You know, rumor has it that no human has ever come out of these woods alive, young man! Really, we should go back - there’s a road along the other side of the river!”

“The rains have made the current too strong...we’ll never make it across. And if we don’t get this man back soon, he won’t make it. A direct route is wiser. We’ll be fine.”

All the while, the parade of kodama keep their pace, all ending up at the biggest tree Itachi has ever seen. That must be the root of the forest...no wonder they gather here. It must be their birthplace.

Making their way past the thick trunk, the troupe emerges into a marsh. Clear water lies unmoving among the moss-covered trees, the air quiet and still. Sunlight dapples through the leaves to the plush undergrowth below.

Immediately Itachi has a feeling of knowing: this is a place beyond the mortal.

Watching warily, he eventually notices other tracks. Most are like those of a large bird or reptile...and among them, some like his own, only smaller.

The dragons and the woman came through here...it might even be where they live.

“Are...are we lost, young man? This place feels unwelcoming to humans…!”

“No, I think we’re safe...we’ll rest here a bit. You both need water…” Easing the man from his back onto one of the soft islands, Itachi fetches his bowl, rinsing it in the waters before going to drink.

...but then he sees it.

Another track, this one covered in shimmering butterflies. A strange, three-toed imprint, the likes of which he’s never seen before.

Dark brows furrow just a hair. What could have made these? And given their depth...it must have been recent. Scanning over the marsh, he stills as a herd of deer pass between two trunks, far in the distance. And among them...is a buck with antlers so branched and twisted, Itachi can hardly recognize them.

And yet, a feeling creeps into his bones. That...is it the -?

Before he can think, a painful spasm rocks through his cursed arm. The muscles quiver and writhe under his skin, as though reacting to the creature’s presence…!

Behind him, the injured man tenses. “S-sir? What’s going on? Are you all right?!”

Struggling to control his limb, Itachi holds it tight to his chest before plunging it into the water. The shock of cold slowly urges the reaction to a dull pulse, gooseflesh rising under his sleeve as sweat coats his brow.

Staring all the while...the creature then disappears. And with it, the last trace of reaction.

Releasing a breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding, Itachi sits back on his haunches, struggling to breathe. Once his lungs calm, he takes water back to the strangers.

“...are...are you well, sir? You went pale as a ghost for a moment there!”

“I’m fine…” Sitting up the second man, Itachi guides the bowl to his lips before looking to the one atop his elk. “...tell me, did you notice anything there, in the distance?”

“Er...what?”

“...nevermind.” Easing his companion back down, Itachi assures him, “Hold on - we’re nearly through.”

Clearly deranged with exhaustion and pain, he can only mumble, “M’lady...I...failed you…”

Brow furrowing, Itachi lets him rest before turning to look back out over the marsh.

Whatever it was...it’s gone.

For now.

As they pack back up, Itachi can’t help but notice...he feels stronger…? Suddenly the man on his back feels light as a feather. Behind him, the stranger wonders at the lessening of his pain. ...perhaps those waters were blessed. Hopefully it will be enough to see us back to...wherever it is we’re going.

A scant hour later, light begins filtering thicker through the trees, until the troupe makes its way out into open air. “Oh...we made it! Sir, look - you were right! Home is just on the horizon!”

Eyes wide, Itachi gapes.

It’s like...a fortress…!

Along the edge of a lake, a bank is stripped of trees, their trunks instead sharpened and buried to form an imposing field of spikes. And from more of the trees is a thick, tall wall around a smokey, barren village. At the very center is a strange, pyramid-like structure, from which great plumes of black smoke belch.

And at one end, walking through a gate, is the rest of the men’s caravan: battered humans and oxen finally making it back to safety after their trek through the peaks.

Itachi can’t help a mixed feeling of both horror and awe.

The empty land stretches up from the lake, men working the soil with water and tools. Like a great ugly scar, the turned and stripped soil is a strip of muddy brown and red along the edge of the green yet untouched. It’s a formidable sight...but also one that brings a somber melancholy to his chest.

“What...is this place…?”

“It’s Tsunade-sama’s Iron Town! We work the land here to harvest and shape iron!”

Leading the way down to the bank, Itachi warily watches a few men with shored boats as his companion calls a greeting. They go pale at the sight of them.

Seems the stranger was right. No one’s made it through the woods...and the fact that they’ve done so is quite the shock.

After a brief explanation, they’re allowed onto one of the boats to ferry them across to the island. As his elk swims alongside, Itachi gazes up at Iron Town warily. So...they craft iron here.

He wonders if they were the ones who made the ball that weighs heavy in his pocket.

Word spreads of their arrival like buzz through a bees’ nest. By the time they land, a great crowd rushes to meet them, everyone clamoring in excitement at the two lives spared, and asking about others.

“I’m sorry,” one of the men murmurs, “But...we were the only ones to make it.”

As the townsmen make to carry the injured, Itachi abandons the boat, moving to stand beside his mount. Yelling his praises, the other howls in pain as he’s lifted from the bow.

Then, from near the gate, a man calls out for them to stop. Marching down with a small band of soldiers behind him, he squints at Itachi suspiciously.

Itachi simple stares back, cloth drawn across his face.

“...as happy as I am to see my men brought back to me...something doesn’t feel right about all of this,” he growls, brow furrowed and lip curled. “You’re telling me that you - with two injured men - made it back here almost as quickly as the rest of our caravan? And not only that, but through the woods where the gods dwell? You really expect me to to believe that -!”

He’s cut off as a woman flies down the slope, coming to stop beside one of the injured. Puffing up, she begins lecturing him about losing his job now that he’s hurt, his stuttered rebukes ignored. When she rallies on the head of the guard, even he seems to back down to her temper.

Turning to Itachi, she then finally softens. “...listen, stranger...my husband may be an idiot, but I’m relieved he’s alive, and home where he belongs.”

Smiling beneath his mask, Itachi gives a soft chuckle. “I’m heartened to hear it. For a moment, I thought he would have been better off left by that river.”

Eyes widening, she then gives a hearty laugh.

Above them, another voice then sounds.

Everyone looks up to see a woman of blonde hair and amber eyes staring down at them. “...bring the stranger to me later. I wish to thank him personally.” Looking to her men, she then apologizes, listening as his wife insists it’s not necessary. “...I was the one leading the caravan, and tasked with defending it. This was all my fault.”

“Well, if it hadn’t been for you, everyone would have been snapped up by those dragons, and we’d all have to find new husbands!”

The gaggle of women behind their apparent leader laugh, and her lips quirk. “...rest for now, stranger. We will speak again this evening.”

Addressed specifically, Itachi respectfully bares his face before bowing.

Let inside, he is given a brief tour of the village they go through. There’s no true homes to speak of - just barracks where the men and women sleep. Ration tents and feeding halls line the streets, oxen housed and fed within the safety of the fortress’ walls. As full of people it may be, Itachi can’t help but feel this place isn’t truly one to live...just to stay as they work. He’s sure most must be trying to save up their fortunes in order to eventually find a way to leave, and start lives of their own.

...he wonders if such a thing is even possible.

Led to one of the men’s bunkhouses, he’s fed alongside them, his elk given cattle feed in one of the barns. To his embarrassment, women gather at the windows and door to stare and whisper, wondering at his appearance.

“Is this any way to act when we lost so many of our men so recently?” one man calls out.

“No harm in looking!”

“Or appreciating!”

“Stranger, you should come to our quarters,” another woman offers, grinning slyly. “You shouldn’t have to stay here in the barn -”

“All right, that’s enough! How dare you be so disrespectful! We risked our lives, and many were lost, to bring you that rice you’re eating!” another man cuts in.

“And who made the iron that paid for that rice?” a woman counters.

So, the women forge the iron…? Curiosity peaked, Itachi smiles. “If it’s no trouble, I’d be happy to see where you work, ladies.”

At once, they’re all atwitter again, wishing him well and not to forget.

Opposite him, one of the men scoffs. “Tch, spoiled-rotten women...Tsunade treats them far too kindly…”

“Well, doesn’t the saying go, ‘happy women make a happy village’?”

Immediately, several men laugh. “Oh, please - these women are all prior whores. Tsunade buys up the contract of as many brothel women as she can find to work her bellows!”

“She’s just kind, that’s all,” one man pipes up, quickly talked down.

“I’ll tell you what, she sure changed things around here when she showed up...not even afraid of the gods! She even managed to slay Nago!”

“Nago…?” Itachi questions, gut fluttering with knowing.

“Yeah! He was a huge boar god, but Tsunade-sama took care of him with her rifles!”

The other men nod. “We want to expand our hunt for iron, but the forest creatures wouldn’t let us! They hated that we had to cut down the trees to get to the ore. The boars, especially. We were stuck with no work until she showed up and cleared them out!”

Listening as the story is told, Itachi feels a creeping pain along his arm, hand grasping the limb as it aches. Glaring at the fire, his lack of reaction slowly lessens the men’s enthusiasm.

“...are you all right?”

He grits his teeth, not wanting to be impolite. “...I just wonder what became of the boar...if he died in great pain, seething with rage…”

Once finished eating, he’s escorted to see Tsunade, still working to finish a delivery of iron. Looking to him with a mix of curiosity and wariness, she admits, “Some of the people here are convinced you’re a spy for the gods, given your path through the forest. Others think you work for the samurai lord looking to conquer my town. You’d be amazed how many people want to take this iron…but let me ask you directly: why are you here?”

Rather than words, Itachi simply slips off his top, baring his arm and the swelling mark. In his hand, he offers the iron ball. “...something tells me you’ll know what this is. It was buried in the body of a boar god...and when I fought him to protect my people, I was cursed. This mark is its seal. Soon enough...it will kill me.”

“...and where do you hail from?”

“...somewhere far from here. I can tell you nothing else.”

Puffing up angrily, her guard demands an answer, but she lifts a hand. “...but what are you looking for?”

“...to see with eyes unclouded by hate.”

“Eyes unclouded…?” Mirthful laughter bubbles up her throat. “I believe I understand...come, I have something to show you.”

“...my lady?” her guard asks, only to be tasked to remain behind and work in her stead.

Through the village she leads him, to a walled-off corner. “This is my garden...no one else dares enter.” Within, she shows him a crowd of people, most covered in white bandages. One offers her some contraption, the lot of them discussing it until Tsunade shows it to him. “...these people design and build my rifles. With them, we’ll eliminate the forest monsters, and any samurai who dare attack my walls.”

Itachi’s face slackens…then hardens in temper. “...first you slay the boar god...now you look to build deadlier weapons? You’re only going to make things worse!”

“I’m sorry about your fate, Itachi...really, I am. That stupid beast...it was me he should have cursed, not you…”

At her words, the twisting in his muscles returns, and before he can blink, Itachi finds himself half-drawing his weapon, only barely managing to keep it sheathed. The lepers all panic, but Tsunade remains.

“...does that arm of yours wish to kill me, Itachi?”

“...if it would break the curse, I’d let it tear you apart...but even that wouldn’t be the end, would it?”

“No...it would need a great many more lives to feel at peace.”

Outside, she demonstrates the rifle, shooting at apes looking to plant new trees. Lamenting their efforts, she asks Itachi to join her in killing the forest spirit.

“Are you mad…?”

“Without the god, the animals here would become mindless beasts...with the forest cleared, this land would be the richest in the world. And mononoke-hime will become human once more…”

The name, though unheard until now, brightens him. “...mononoke-hime…?” Is that -?

“A girl claimed by the forest gods, stolen away by the dragons. She gave up her humanity and now she lives to kill me.” After a pause, she gives him a sidelong glance. “...they say the blood of the forest spirit can cure anything...maybe even my poor lepers...maybe even you, Itachi.”

Temper flared...he just takes his leave. He promised to see the bellows, after all...and he needs something else to clear his mind. “...mind if I join you, ladies?”

They all stiffen in shock, but let him in. Giving it a few deep pushes of his foot, he earns a laugh from the women.

“You’ll never keep that pace!”

“Hard work, isn’t it…?”

“Mhm...and we takes shifts of four days.”

“A hard life…”

“Mm, maybe...but better than working the city brothels.”

“Yeah! Here we can eat as much as we want, and men leave us alone!”

“Unless we want them to bother us,” they laugh.

Staying and chatting a while longer, Itachi then excuses himself, admitting of his plans to leave the following morning. The ladies protest, but he only offers, “There’s someone I have to find in those woods.”

Then, like a shock to his spine, a knowing straightens his back, looking toward the wall.

“...she’s here…”

A moment later, alarms begin to sound, shots firing from the wall. Trying to weave his way toward the ruckus, Itachi stiffens as he spots her running along a rooftop, mask drawn over her face and dropping as a shot crashes just behind her heels. Lightning fast, she whips a crude stone blade at him, forcing him to block with his own weapon.

“Wait - I’m not your enemy! Just -!”

Leaping back, she gives a last warning slash before dodging more men and taking back to the rooftops.

Teeth grit, he follows as the people warn of her target: Tsunade.

Up the forge she climbs, using the height to scan over the entire village. Below, Tsunade arms some of her women, calling out taunts to try to bring her down.

Struggling to catch up, Itachi tries to intervene. All around, more rifles are pointed from the rooftops and wall. Realizing it’s a trap, he tries to call out a warning. “Don’t do this, mononoke-hime! Go back to your forest! Leave this place!”

Ignoring him, she perches a moment longer. In the distance, a roar sounds over the valley. With that, she tenses before sprinting down the forge, blade drawn.

Shots then ring out, several tearing into the forge roof. One lands at her feet, throwing her askew as she rolls down the tiles to the street below.

Equally bombarded, Itachi watches as the women aim their rifles. The girl stands, and then a shot ricochets off her mask, which shatters as she crumples, unconscious.

The villagers cheer, making to storm her body.

Temper flares in Itachi’s veins. Reaching to a loosened beam from the barrage, he tears it off before throwing it between the so-called princess and the rest of the village. It lands dead-center in a sconce, sending fire and coals scattering to give him time to reach her. “Wake up…!”

Jostled for a moment, white-fringed silvers then snap open, slicing at him with a feral cry. Cheek nicked, he stumbles back as she charges past, making a beeline for Tsunade. Leaping over her guards, she reaches the town leader and begins to duel as the villagers encircle them.

Watching, Itachi’s anger is stoked once more, this time accompanied by a writhing of his arm and an ethereal wind. Knocking aside anyone in his path, he grabs the princess with his cursed arm, his other blocking Tsunade’s blade with his own.

“What are you doing…?”

“Lay down your arm - the girl is now mine.”

She grins, ambers shining with adrenaline. “I’m sure she’ll make a fine wife for you…!”

Turning to the crowd as the shadows over his arm flare, Itachi cries, “Look, everyone! This is what hatred looks like…! Soon, this curse will kill me...we have to stop the killing and anger now!”

“You know, you’re so worried about that arm of yours...let me just...remove it!” Swinging a second blade, Tsunade’s dodged and then stunned with an elbow to the gut. Next he does the same to the princess.

The villagers gasp.

“Someone come help her…!” he demands.

Once Tsunade is taken, he packs up the girl. “Now...I’m leaving, and she’s coming with me.”

“Oh no you don’t!” one woman cries, lifting her rifle. “No one treats m’lady so cruelly!”

Turning, Itachi simply stares.

“...if you take one step, I’ll...I’ll shoot!”

After a pause, he ignores her warning, turning and making for the gate.

Hold trembling, the woman hesitates before jumping at a cry behind her. Pulling the trigger, she fires.

The bullet runs him clean through the chest...but Itachi keeps walking.

The crowds quiet in shock.

Approaching the gate, Itachi demands it open, the guards resisting.

“Please,” one murmurs. “You have our thanks for saving our men...we don’t want to kill you.”

“I entered through this gate of my own free will...and now I will leave the same way.” Stepping up, he presses a hand to the shaved, shaped trees.

“Are you insane? It takes ten men to open that gate!”

Tensing, Itachi keeps up his pace. Shadows again flare over his arm, and with a creak, ever so slowly...it raises at his touch.

Blood pools beneath him, cries for his health ignored.

Beyond the gate, the twin dragons hiss, crouched as Itachi calls for their calm. “Your princess is safe! Wait there, and I will bring her!” Nodding to his elk, who passes first, Itachi turns to the villagers, giving a somber smile. “...thank you.” With that, he passes beneath the gate, letting it fall with an echoing thud.

Shocked silence follows in his wake.

Mounting his elk, Itachi keeps the unconscious girl at his front, struggling to stay awake himself. Blood...so much lost blood...a trail of it slithers down the elk’s rump before he slips from the saddle. Pain flares as he lands atop the road, the kami wasting no time in turning back to attack.

“No!”

At her word, they freeze. Struggling to dismount as the elk bucks, she eventually alights to the ground. “Leave him...he’s mine.”

Stepping up beside the pair of gods, she furrows her brow at the hole in his back. “...shot by his own kind...what a waste…” Seeing him twitch, she takes a knee at his side, mirror-like silvers flashing. “Why did you stop me…? Tell me while you live.”

Struggling to breathe, Itachi murmurs, “I didn’t...want them to kill you.”

“I’m not afraid of death...not if it gave me a chance to kill that devil-woman who kills the forest! You humans need to leave…!”

“I knew...when I saw you…”

Her brow hardens. “And I don’t fear you, either! I should kill you for getting in my way…!” Rolling him over, she takes his blade, holding the point to his throat. “...that woman is evil...and nothing will stop me from trying again to be rid of her! So long as she lives, these mountains aren’t safe…!”

“No...you must...live…”

“Silence!”

Dark eyes peel open to look at her. Anger colors her expression, fierce and untamed. So...this is how it ends, is it? He can make peace with that. “...beautiful…”

In a blink, her fury crumbles, staggering back in shock.

“What ails you, Ryū?” a dragon asks, curing around behind her with bared teeth. “Should I kill him…?”

Staring as he seems to blink in and out of consciousness, Ryū seems to battle with herself before nodding to her companions. “...go home. I’ll take care of the human.”

“And the elk…?”

“Yes...may we eat him?”

“No, I need him. Now go!”

The pair grumble before slinking away back up the mountainside.

Managing to calm the elk, Ryū brings him back alongside his rider, now fully lax. “...come. I need your help.

“We may save him yet.”

.oOO.

THE LAST DAY. I am both sad...and yet very relieved xD Technically I’ve been working on all these for like two weeks to stay ahead, and even now the last day is a lot later than the rest. BUT IT IS DONE. Thiiis is Ryū and @historias-multorum‘s Itachi crossed over into Studio Ghibli’s Mononoke-hime! Which I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF EARLIER cuz this is actually a crossover I’ve wanted to do for AGES, but I was so burnt out I just...completely spaced it. I attempted two others before finally getting this to work. To be fair, it IS still rushed. Partly because this is the last day, and I’m....VERY burnt out, but also because writing out this whole movie would take DAYS. So we have just a small section of it, and even then a bit trimmed because...guh @~@ BUT, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, Ghost. You’re one of the closest friends I’ve made during my almost 4 years on this hellsite, and I love ALL of the bonds between our muses. Thanks for putting up with my shenanigans, lol <3 Anyway...I guess that’s it! As much as I wanna take a four hour nap, I’ve got several irl things to do now, so uh...woo xD

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #historiasmultorum #uchiha itachi #suigin ryū #blood //#gun //#gore //#death //

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kusunogatari · 5 years

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[ @uchiha-madara ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

It had been his fate, really, to fall in love with the sea.

It wasn’t enough that he was born and raised in the coastal city, home to their land’s busiest port. Or that his father, and his father’s father, had all sailed in the royal navy. Some claimed the Uchiha had saltwater in their veins rather than blood, so tied were they to the ocean. Since the founding of the country they sailed for, and the crowning of the Senju line, the Uchiha have been right beside them: their closest friends and allies. The military might to the divine right to rule.

Madara Uchiha was born a scant two months after the next crown prince, Hashirama...during the night of a battering winter squall. The sea had been boiling in the ports, thunder rumbling and lightning reaching across the pitch-black sky. His father Tajima liked to say that the sea knew its next king was born that night: the eldest of the five Uchiha sons. He who would conquer the waves and tame the winds.

For while the Senju were rulers of the land...it was the Uchiha who held dominion over the waters.

Madara grew fast, and every minute spared was spent learning his place. Be it playing on the beaches with his brothers, or accompanying his father on short sailing routes when only a boy, he was never far from the sea. He could climb rigging soon after he could walk. Talking was mastered only to learn to bark orders. Everywhere he turned, he was called, “lil cap’n”, as he felt was only right. He became the youngest ever to enroll in the naval academy...and the youngest to graduate with full honors. When he was scarcely sixteen, he was appointed to his first ship.

By twenty, he’d take his late father’s place as admiral of the entire royal navy. Over six hundred ships, and over forty thousand men were at the command of a genius - and admittedly ruthless - mind. For five brilliant and bloody years, Madara led the charge to expand not only the Senju-ruled kingdom’s trade routes, but its territories, colonies, and influence over the continent and beyond. Wars were waged and won. In his half decade at the helm, he claimed more victories and spoils than his father in the entirety of his career.

And his accomplishments did not go unnoticed.

...but nor did his methods.

There was no denying that the heir of the Uchiha was an unmatched tactician: not only armed, supplied, and populated beyond his enemies, but managing to plan and outwit as to minimize his own losses.

But the losses of the other sides were, as time went on, found to be too steep. Too cruel. Hashirama spoke to him on many an occasion, begging he rein in his bloodlust.

“What’s the purpose in conquering a people if there are no people left?!”

“We’ve people of our own. Send them out, make new colonies! You tasked me with expanding our borders, and I have done so. Better than any man before me!”

“You salt these new lands with hatred and disdain for our flag! If you continue to take beyond what is necessary, you’ll only incite uprisings.”

“Uprisings I will have little trouble crushing.”

“We cannot rule by fear and force alone, Madara.”

“That’s your lot, Hashirama. Not mine. Mine is to fight, and to win. By whatever means necessary.”

“That is my point - you go above and beyond what is necessary! From critical to cruel! If you cannot make these judgments more fairly, then I must -”

“Must what?” He turned to his childhood friend - the boy and man he’d grown alongside, planning their futures to be won together. Dark eyes seemed to burn with challenge. “You think you can remove me…? I have earned my place, with blood and with sweat. I’ll not be upended so easily, Hashirama. Those men are my men.”

“No, Madara…” Hashirama’s gaze was somber with realization...but also steely with resolve. “...they are mine.”

If there was one fault within him...it was Madara’s temper. When it burned, it blazed, and rational thought would fall to cinders in its wake. So, Hashirama thought he could take all he’d built? Been born and bred for? No...this navy, this armada, was his and his alone.

...or so he thought.

That night, he gathered his highest ranking officers. Spun a tale of spurn and betrayal. Invited them to rise up against the Senju who dared try to yoke them.

But for many...his rousing speech fell on deaf ears.

Most - even Uchiha among them - turned their backs on him in favor of their king.

They say it was then he finally snapped.

Embittered, he’d taken what few remained - enough for a crew - and boarded his helmship: a beautiful frigate of lacquered granadillo wood. A stunning red in color with dark hickory accents, it was peerless. Strong but swift, loaded with thirty cannons, a heavy battering ram, and midnight sails, it had been a symbol of death and bloodshed at the fore of his armada since his ascension to admiral.

And now...it would be so on its own.

In the dead of night, with a favorable wind Madara claimed was divine, they left the ports behind, knowing full well their treachery would earn them a new name.

Pirates.

It was with a heavy heart Hashirama watched the ship abandon the harbor from his castle windows. “...I’ll give you this night,” he murmured to no one. “But come daylight, Madara...all you’ve left behind will be reclaimed. Your ties are cut. Cling to your ocean...for the lands you’ve forsaken will no longer house you.

“Step again on my shores...and you’ll be brought to make amends for your crimes. Your barbarity...and your betrayal.”

And so, Madara migrated from the most renowned commander of the royal navy...to the most feared and ruthless pirate on the seas. The trade routes he’d fought to clean of those now his kin were retaken: plundered at every opportunity. Should a ship bear his country’s banner, he’d pursue it to the horizon until it was looted and sunk. Some might call such actions petty...but for Madara, they were simple repayment for all Hashirama had robbed him of. If the ships of the Senju port were no longer his to command...they were his to take.

He’d make Hashirama regret his decision...and there would be no recompense. No amends. The Senju king had made his bed, and now he could lie in it.

One did not cross Madara Uchiha without begetting a grudge that could - and would - outlast empires.

And that was exactly what he planned to do.

...but the fates have other ideas.

Standing at the wheel, feeling a warm breeze at his back, Madara looks out over the decks. His crew - nearly two hundred and fifty men - are all in sound shape. They’ve only just left a pirate-held port, fresh from a two week reprieve from the sea. Their supplies are restocked, their spirits high, and their goals on the horizon.

He’s gotten word of a large convoy of Hashirama’s ships heading through...but taking what they believe will be a less noticeable route.

Hashirama, however, underestimates Madara’s mastery of the area. There’s not a cove or a beach he doesn’t know. If they think they can outsmart him...they’re very much mistaken.

And now, it will cost his old friend dearly.

...there’s only one thing standing in his way.

As they approach the series of islands the Senju ships are rumored to try hiding amongst, dark clouds gather at the fore. His plan - to lie low in an inlet before streaking in from behind - might get a bit...wet.

“Cap’n,” his first mate murmurs, stepping up with a bowed head of respect. “Perhaps t’ain’t my place t’say, but...I’ve no love for those clouds. They bring a rattlin’ in me bones that warns a’trouble.”

“This ship’s handled its fair number of squalls,” is Madara’s rumbling rebuke, hold steady on the wheel. “I’d gladly stand a bit of rain and wind for whatever lies in the hulls of those ships.”

“A-and I agree, cap’n! T’ain’t no better vessel than yers,” his companion admits, bobbing in apologetic bows. “But the achin’ in me joints tells me this storm’s a leap above t’rest. Perhaps we can...chart a course t’intercept the Senju convoy further down the line…? Out a’ the path o’the storm?”

Dark eyes give a cool glance, earning a flinch. “These islands serve as good cover, and the tide is favorable. Those fat ships won’t have our maneuverability, loaded with their cargo. We’ll dance circles around them until they run themselves aground. Then, they’ll be ripe for the taking. We’ll barely have to lift a finger.”

“...aye, cap’n.”

Looking back to his route, a haughty grin curls the former admiral’s lips. Oh, he’s going to enjoy this...and what’s a plundering without a bit of boiling in the ocean? Surely she’ll be glad to be fed all the fools he’ll throw overboard. Then she’ll calm.

She always does.

On they sail, weaving their way between the group of islands until finding the cove Madara’s had in mind. Dropping anchor, they face out toward the route their informant described. Here they’ll bide their time.

Not long after they tuck away, the wind begins to pick up, fat drops of rain shattering atop the decks and soaking the sails.

Ever patient when he needs to be...Madara waits.

It’s just dusk when a ship’s prow passes their hiding place. By now, the wind’s are whipping, swirling and knocking the rain any direction it feels.

“Steady,” Madara commands to those awaiting to lift the anchor. “Steady…”

A dozen ships pass by, utterly unaware. Half are the galleons carrying the cargo, two small gunships, and four brigs.

Child’s play.

Only once he’s sure they’re all past does Madara signal for the anchor to be raised. The tide’s lowering, leaving the narrow strips of sea between the isles shallow. One wrong move, and those swollen ships will be run ashore until it raises again.

Plenty of time to board and loot them. And with so little space to maneuver, their protection won’t have a chance to turn around to defend.

“NOW!”

With the anchor aweigh, the winds swiftly carry them from the cove, sails taut as they quickly build momentum. Below on the gun deck, canons await to be fired. Streaking out past the rear gunboat, they cut in front, dropping lit barrels of powder. As soon as the hull connects, the barrels explode, wreaking havoc and letting seawater through a gaping hole in the hull.

Alarms then sound as the convoy becomes aware, but there’s little to be done. Trapped between the isles, there’s nowhere to go but forward.

Gaining on one of the brigs, Madara commands they fire, cannonballs tearing through the broadside. The return fire is delayed, the enemy ship unprepared for combat. As his own crew reloads, Madara makes to cut to the other brig. A few of its cannons, loaded quickly, fire prematurely, skirting before the bow. Disorder in the chaos only works to his advantage. Cutting cleanly between the ships, another round is shot, this time from both sides, nailing both rear defense vessels.

The former begins to lag, heavily damaged. The latter, however, is hit with a shot to their powder room. A huge portion of the ship blows out, and water quickly begins to claim the ship. That’s two of the brigs down, and the rest are out in front. That leaves the large cargo ships exposed between Madara and any hope of defense. While they might have a few canons, most will have been spared to allow more weight in their holds.

A feral grin overtakes Madara’s face. This...this is what he lives for!

Out beyond, one brig attempts to turn between two islands, clearly trying to circle back around to come up behind them. But they misjudge the tide, running atop a sandbar and beaching as the high winds carry them far along the shelf.

They won’t be going anywhere for a good while.

In the same breath, two of the cargo vessels simply give in, beaching themselves against a left hand isle. The other four keep going, but it’s clear that with their limited canons, and only one remaining brig to defend them beyond the tiny gunboat at the helm, there’s little chance of outwitting or outgunning a ship like Madara’s.

“Hold on, lads!”

Streaking up to the galleons, Madara orders high fire. Masts crumple as cannonballs shatter the wood, leaving the huge ships stagnant in the water without a way to propel. Three of them he cripples before moving to the last brig. The final cargo vessel attempts to get ahead, and he leaves it for now.

Fire exchanges between them, Madara’s larger cannon volleys making quick work of his enemy. The gunboat, realizing it’s outmatched, simply beaches to the right.

But the last cargo ship is determined.

Leaving the rest of its armada behind, it attempts to make it out into open sea.

“Oh no you don’t -!” the Uchiha growls.

“Cap’n! Should we not return and loot what we’ve got? It’s a clear cut now!” the first mate calls over the squalls.

“I’ll be damned before I let one of Hashirama’s ships get away from me!” is the shouted reply. There’s a red glint of fervid revenge in Madara’s eyes. It’s all or nothing...anything less, and he might as well have attained no victory at all.

His pride won’t stand for it.

Forward they plunge through the growing waves, the storm nearly fully upon them. The wheel fights his grip every moment, the tides tearing at the rudder. Rain so thick he can hardly see the ship before him is mopped from his face, drenched into his hair and clothes until he feels he’s gained his weight over.

“Cap’n! The storm, it’s too much!”

“To Hell with the storm!” He’ll not come this far and give up. He’d rather die…!

They make it out of the cluster of islands, and then the weather truly hits them full force. Waves several stories tall, no longer inhibited by the land masses, toss them about like a leaf. Again and again they crest over the deck, sweeping anything not hammered down about and overboard.

He can hear the cries of his men, but they go unacknowledged. The hunt is on, he’s in too deep - there’s nothing beyond death stopping him now -!

Buffeted by a wave, the ship suddenly janks to one side. Thrown from the wheel, Madara lands with a heavy thump against the railing. Both gravity and water pin him down, the whole ship tilting as it’s swept up another wave. He can’t quite regain his feet…!

Reaching the apex, the crest crashes down atop the decks. Pinned to the railing, his body screams in protest at the weight of the water, unable to breathe, and then -

The wood gives out, and he plummets off the side, smashing into the sea with a clap. The weight of his garments drags him all the further, limbs fighting to break the surface. As he does, he sees the ship streaking forward, still propelled by its sails through the gusts.

In a matter of moments, it’s left him far behind.

Around him, debris from the deck either floats or sinks, and he manages to cling to a bobbing barrel. By now, they’re miles from the islands, and he hardly has a hope to swim back...especially not with the storm dogging him.

For the first time in his life...Madara fears the sea.

The waves batter and bruise him, throwing him about before parting him from his float. Struggling to find something, anything to hold on to, he finds a slat of wood. It dips under his weight, but once maneuvered, manages to hold him. Fingers make a white-knuckle grip along its edges, and Madara tucks his face against it from the pounding rain.

Eventually, the exertion is too much...and everything goes black.

When next he wakes, Madara feels a groggy confusion, but...why?

...then it hits him. He’s no longer swaying and sweeping atop water. He’s still.

Cracking open his eyes, he stares up into...leaves? What…?

Beneath him is something soft. Movement earns a rustle, and he sits up with great effort and a grunt. He’s in...some kind of strange hut. Perhaps ten paces across, circular, and with a sandy floor, it’s simply open along one side, giving a view out toward a beach.

Where...where is he?

It’s then he notices he’s been...redressed? His own garments hang nearby, drying, and he’s instead in simple trousers and a shirt, both dry. Likely the only reason he hasn’t caught his death. Feet bare, he swings them over the edge of his cot and looks around. A myriad of chests litter the hut, all overstuffed with seemingly random belongings.

His legs wobble as he stands, but he fights through it, stepping to the doorless doorway. Out beyond is a large fire pit, rigged for cooking. The whole thing sits back in a small inlet of trees and large rocks, protected from the wind. Surely the only way such a structure survived the storm.

The storm…!

All over again, Madara’s knees go weak. His ship...did the crew survive? Did they regain control? Or was all lost? And where the devil is he? Can he even begin to return?

...is there anything for him to return to…?

Without a ship, he’s a captain no more. Sure, he has his stash of gold and trinkets, but no way to retrieve them. And he can’t know if any of his crew - the only people he trusts - have survived.

A hand drags down his face, taking a deep breath. No...he can’t panic. He’s alive. Start there.

And someone clearly rescued him. He hardly hauled himself out of the depths and into a bed. Even if he washed up on shore, he has no memory of making his way here.

Someone else is here...but where?

The beach is too muddled to look for tracks, and he’s unfamiliar with the place - he hardly wants to get lost. Stepping out a few paces, he gives the view a once-over before he just so happens to find what he’s looking for.

Someone’s walking back down the beach toward him. A woman in a flowing skirt and strange, twisted top that encircles her chest, midriff bare. Against her hip is a wide basket. Like him, she wears no shoes.

But most shocking is the wild white waves of her hair - like a tangle of seafoam along her scalp, carried askew by the breeze.

Noticing him, there’s a pause in her strides before closing the cap. “...you’re awake,” is her soft offering, barely above a whisper.

“...aye,” he replies. “Are you...did I…?”

“Come, sit. I will explain.”

In her woven basket is a plethora of fruits, several fish, and greens. As Madara sits atop a stone near the firepit, she goes about sorting and preparing it.

“I found you in the waters just offshore,” she begins, skewering the fish with practiced ease. “Dragged you here...you’re quite heavy.”

The comment earns an amused snort, but no reply.

“You were soaked through, so I stripped you. You’d have gotten ill otherwise...I’m surprised you didn’t. A bit of a fever was all - you slept three days.”

Three days…? No wonder he feels so...off.

“And now...here you are.” Flint sparks dry vegetation, gradually fed wood. Finally glancing up to him, she shows mirror-like silvers, framed by white brows and lashes. He’s never seen anyone with such an appearance.

“Was...was there anyone else?”

“No...only you. You were in the storm…?”

“Yes.” He doesn’t elaborate - Madara’s not in the mood to tell such a story.

“...I see.”

“Where are we?”

“A small isle with no name...it is among the cluster here in the south sea. No one comes here...there’s nothing to be gained.”

“You live here…?”

“...when I must.”

Dark brows furrow. What does that mean…?

“Hungry?”

“...starved,” he admits. Already the smells of the fruits she’s cutting are making his stomach do eager circles. ��...may I have your name?”

“Ryū,” she replies without hesitation. He’ll take that as a truth, then. “You?”

“...Madara. Madara Uchiha.”

Despite his notoriety, there’s no recognition at his offer. She just keeps going, handing him a crude bowl with the fruit. Then back to peeling and whittling she goes with a strange-looking knife, hands quick and clean.

As starving as he is, Madara makes himself take his time. “...do you have a...boat, or a ship?”

“No.”

The blunt reply earns a blink. “Does...someone come ‘round?”

“No.”

“...then how do you ever leave? You said you only live here when you must. How do you…?”

“I swim.”

“You swim…?”

Checking the fish, Ryū turns them before looking to him again, studying his face. “...you want to leave?”

“Of course. I’ve a life to return to. I have to see if my ship…” He fades out, not wanting to address the possibility of it being lost.

“...you rest first. Then I’ll take you.”

“You just said you have no ship.”

“I don’t need a ship. I told you...I swim.”

“That’s not -” He’s silenced as she holds out a skewer, snatching it and looking to her suspiciously. “...what are you…?”

At his question, she stops mid-bite, considering him before giving him a smile.

Her teeth are...are…!

“You never know what you’ll find lurking in the ocean,” she replies airily before finally taking her bite of fish.

Staring, Madara completely forgets his own. No...that can’t be...but…?

“...mermaid…?” he dares to whisper.

“Mm,” she hums in affirmative reply. “Hence only being here when I have to be. You’d be surprised how many humans end up lost in these waters. So...I haul them out. Bring them here. Then let them go.” Another bite. “I stay until they’re strong again. Then I head back out into the waters.”

“How...how has no one -?”

“Found me? Told of me? Anyone who’s been washed up is already believed to be mad from the sea. No one believes a washed-up man’s tales about a mermaid saving his life.”

“...why do you do it?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

A pause, considering his food. A few bites pass before he asks, “Are there others?”

“Yes. But I stay alone. Most of my kind are not...fond of your kind. But I find you curious. None have tried to hurt me yet.” A pause. “...though I don’t fully trust you.”

“Probably wise,” Madara replies dryly. Lost in his thoughts, he finishes his food in silence.

“Here.”

Looking up, he sees her offer a waterskin. It’s then he realized how long it’s been since he’s had fresh water. “...so, how long before I can leave?”

“A few days. You were quite weak - you’ll have to build up some strength, first. Then I’ll take you to the next island. There’s a town there - you can find your way from the port.”

“Ah...that might not be wise.”

“Why not?”

“Do you know who holds this port?”

The mermaid blinks. “...no. Why?”

“Well...I’m rather notorious among humans. I might not be welcomed.”

Something lights her eyes for a moment - understanding, perhaps? “Then...where do you wish to go?”

“Do you know the port of Isla Verde? I’d be safe there.”

She thinks. “...that...is a great many miles from here. It would take many, many days to get there.”

“But...you could take me?”

“Mm...maybe. But what would you give me in return?”

“I have gold. Lots of it. Just need a way back to it.”

A hand waves. “I care not for gold. All I need, I have in the sea. Besides, I collect many things from it you humans lose. Where do you think I got your garments?”

“Then what could you want, if you have all you need?”

A thoughtful hum. “...I shall choose when we arrive. For now, I must think.”

“All right, fair enough.”

“And you must rest. Regain your strength. Here we’ll stay a few days more. Now...I must go hunt.”

“We just ate.”

“And hunting takes time. Stay, rest, eat. I’ll be back.”

Watching her go, Madara sees her step into the tide. Up to her waist she walks, stopping at an outcropping of stone. She pulls aside her garment, tying the fabric in place before sinking.

She disappears.

But then, with a leap, she breaches the surface, hopping out before diving into deeper waters. Rather than like a fish, from her hips extends a tail more like a dolphin’s: white, like her locks.

He just stares, still wondering if he’s actually dead, and this is all just some strange purgatory dream.

After a time, he grows restless, walking along the beach in one direction. The island is, indeed, rather small - it takes him all of an hour to come back around. Sand encircles the entire perimeter, a large rocky outcropping jutting from the center. Palms and other fruit-bearing trees pepper the isle, grasses and ferns growing more densely the further in you wander. A spring bubbles from a clearing, running clear and smooth. Taking a break to drink, Madara reclines under a palm tree, staring up through the leaves.

It’s like a tiny little paradise.

Were he a simpler man, he might entertain the idea of just...staying. There’s water, shelter, food...and the island itself is rather gorgeous.

Though it also hosts rather...strange company.

He’s not sure what to make of his savior. She seems pleasant enough. But to think that such a creature is truly real. Not just some fable of the sea.

It makes him wonder what else is possibly lurking in the dark depths of the waters he loves so ardently.

But, either way, he can’t stay. Not with the stirring that still pulls at his soul. That which longs for conquest and adventure, excitement and experiences! If he knows anything about himself, it’s that he’ll quickly grow bored of this place. Beautiful it may be, but...stagnant. Unchanging.

Too...peaceful. Peace is to be idle.

And to be idle is to go mad.

Returning to the inlet of the hut, he realizes that his companion has returned. Still transformed, she lies on her belly atop the rock, propped atop her elbows and staring out into the horizon. Idly the fin of her tail flicks up water over the smooth skin, sun reflecting off the pale white flesh.

Stepping up into the water to his ankles, Madara makes to call to her, but...stops as he hears something.

...singing…?

In a haunting minor key, without words, the mermaid croons into the breeze. Parts are reminiscent of shanties he knows, but...sadder. More mournful than cheery as meant to keep up the spirits of the crew.

It sounds...incredibly lonely.

“I stay alone. Most of my kind are not...fond of your kind. But I find you curious.”

Is that the whole truth? Or is there something she’s not told him?

Wading out a bit deeper, the sea lapping at the hems of his trousers, he waits for a lull in the song. “Serenading the gulls?”

Over her shoulder she glances to him. Her tie-on skirt is still hanging along the rocks, her strange top drying around her chest. Beside her, a net of crustaceans and fish is tied in the tide. “I like to sing. A pleasant way to pass the time.”

“Why don’t you just go home?”

“...home?”

“Back to...wherever you came from?”

Something shifts in her expression. “...I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I am...not welcome.”

That earns a frown. “Whyever not?”

“I’m a danger.”

Madara can’t help a scoff. “You? Dangerous?”

“...my color is a threat. Wherever I go, I’m easily spotted. If I stay with the others...I bring them attention. Put them in danger. So...no, I can’t go back where I came from.” Her gaze returns to the sea. “...I was cast out. For the good of the others.”

He’s...not sure what to say to that. It makes sense. Something so brightly-colored - so different than the tones of the ocean - would stand out. “...is that why you approach humans? Because you’re alone?”

For a moment, she doesn’t answer. “...you always leave, in the end.”

“You could come with me.”

Again she turns to him, expression sharp, as though both troubled - and yet intrigued - by his offer. “...why?”

“If you’re tired of people leaving, find people you can stay with. True, this isle is amazing. A little utopia among the waves. But few are so content to remain in one place too long. Keep a man someplace he cannot leave of his own will, and no matter how you cater it to him...it will be a prison all the same.”

Something in her expression falls. “I...did not see it that way. I have the freedom of the sea...I never thought…”

“So, come with me.”

“I cannot stay with humans. The sea always calls to me. I cannot stay away forever.”

“You don’t have to. I sail! I’m rarely far from the water. We stop and explore isles, conquer other ships, visit harbors...”

“But you don’t know if your ship still sails. If your crew still lives.”

“I told you, I’ve gold. I just need to get to it. Another ship can be bought. Another crew can be found.”

“...why do you insist I go with you?”

“You saved my life. Perhaps I could change yours.” His arms open in a gesture of offering. “...maybe that could be my payment to you.”

The mermaid considers him, expression unreadable. “...I will...consider it.”

“That’s all I can ask. Besides...you may be right. I need more time to rest. Then...we can hit the open waters. Make up our minds.”

Her lips lift just a hair. “...you travel far? On your...ship?”

“Wherever I please. There’s much of the ocean to explore, and I’ve seen a great many places already. I answer to no man but myself. We could go anywhere you wanted.”

A wistful look colors her eyes. “...perhaps that would be...pleasant.”

“There’s nothing like it.”

A more genuine smile curls her mouth before looking to the horizon. “...we’ll see what we feel in a few days. You may yet change your mind.”

“And so may you.”

The conversation trails to silence, so Madara retreats up the beach and back to the hut. In truth, he’s still exhausted. His limbs feel heavy, and his mind slow. Nearly drowning, as it so happens, leaves one a bit tuckered. So, for now, he heaves himself back upon the cot, plans and what-ifs soon melding into dreams.

.oOo.

AHHH IT’S FINALLY HERE! I’ve been prepping for this event for weeks xD Really hoping it does well! Anywho, I’ve written a pirate!verse MadaRyū before...but that was with a human!Ryū. Madara’s pretty much the same in both stories, as is the verse background, but I decided to make Ryū a mermaid for this one, cuz...why not? Especially since I technically wrote it in May...Mermay, right? lol For anyone unfamiliar, I’ve written this ship (mostly in canon and modern verses) with Phoenix for a good long while now! I love their dynamic no matter what universe we write them in. And given I had that random fic of this verse before, I thought they’d fit best in it again! Phoenix, if you see this (which golly I hope you do lol), thank you for writing all your beans with me, and letting bonds grow between our muses. It’s always a pleasure writing with you, and I hope to again soon, no matter what verse we end up in! <3 Anyway, I don’t want to carry on for too long - happy OC x Canon ship week, everybody!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #uchihamadara #uchiha madara #suigin ryū #blue waves and black flags [ au ]

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kusunogatari · 5 years

Text

[ @abyssaldespair ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

When she wakes to the rooster crowing this morning, Ryū blinks bleary greys before they snap wide, remembering what day it is today.

Sale day.

Throwing blankets off her form, she sits up in bed and rushes to dress, pulling white waves up in a ribbon behind her head. Hands smooth at the blue of her skirts, feet tucking neatly into her boots before leaving her bedroom behind.

Curling a fist, she knocks it against her father’s door. “Pa! You up?”

There’s vague mutterings and groans that tell her yes, Jiraiya is awake. As for how quickly he’ll actually be up and going, well...that’s anyone’s guess. So, for now, she lets him be and goes about her morning routine.

As soon as she opens the front door of their two story ranch house, the sounds of the move already fill the air...along with the dust. This year’s stock, ready to be sold, are rounded up and made to be driven to the train yard in the nearest town to be shipped to the stockyard. Nearly five hundred steers and heifers to be loaded into train cars and hauled north. Sale day is always a bit chaotic. But for now, she’s got chores to do.

Amongst the whooping and driving from the ranch hands, she jogs across the yard to the chicken coop, doling out feed and picking up any eggs laid overnight. Those she keeps bundled in an apron over her dress while letting the hens out and feeding the dogs. The cats that hang around to catch the mice get some too, as well as scritches behind the ears as she drops off the eggs. Next the pigs are fed, and then the dairy cow is milked, some hauled into the house for their breakfast.

Thankfully by then, Jiraiya is awake, rubbing at his face with a yawn.

“If you’d’ve slept any later, we’d have missed the whole drive!” Ryū can’t help but tease, giving her father a coy smile as she sorts through the morning’s spoils.

“Some of us were up late getting ready for all the paperwork today,” he retorts, taking a seat at the table with a sigh. “There’s a lot of business behind this, after all.”

“Oh I know,” she assures him, flitting around the kitchen and preparing breakfast. Eggs, bacon, flapjacks, coffee. “You’ve told me time and time again, Pa.”

Accepting the coffee she hands him, Jiraiya nods in thanks before offering, “You ready to go?”

“I will be once I’ve got a full belly! It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to go to town...I can’t wait!”

“I’ll get you some of those taffies you like so well to celebrate.”

“Oh, really?!”

“Last I heard, beef stock is high now. We’re going to make more than enough to cover a few sweets for you.”

Of course, they’re one of - if not the - largest cattle operations in the state. Jiraiya may be a jovial man, but he takes his business seriously. After all, he’s wanted to give his daughter a life of ease.

Well...daughter and wife, but...there’s only one left to enjoy it.

Either way, however, his family is hardly hurting for money. Their country is growing, with plenty of hungry mouths to feed as the people work hard to turn the empty lands into something liveable. Hence his line of working being in high demand. He pays his ranch hands handsomely, and their bunkhouses are near as nice as his own. A few even have their own homes on his land. They keep fine horses, and even finer cattle. Nearly a thousand pairs, fat and happy stock fed on rich, rolling grasslands. Most are sold every year, but of course they keep their own share to feed themselves and their staff. All in all, there’s little the family and their hands can want for.

And while Jiraiya is ever indulgent for his daughter - she’s all he has, his pride and joy - she remains a level-headed young woman. Like her mother, she takes to doting tasks: watches over their animals, patches up any wounded ranch hands, helps keep eyes on their children and aids their wives with any tasks that need doing. She works hard in her own way, and he’s sure she’s going to make a fine wife for a lucky man.

...of course, he’s also rather picky in that regard. Ryū may be an adult now, and she gets plenty of how-do-you-dos whenever they head into town. But none have really caught either of their eyes for someone to potentially be a proper suitor, let alone take the mantle Jiraiya will leave behind.

So, for now, here she stays, tending to all things domestic while Jiraiya handles the family business.

All this he muses over before she hands him a plate piled high with food. Another one of her many talents: the girl can cook up a storm.

“Thank you.”

“Mhm!”

The pair eat rather quickly. It’s about seven miles to town, and while it will take the hands most of the day to get the stock there, Jiraiya needs to precede them and handle all the arrangements first. They won’t be allowed to start boarding and counting the heads until everything else is taken care of.

So as soon as they’re finished, their coach is hitched to their pair of draft horses, Jiraiya taking the reins and driving toward town.

While no big city, it’s still the most sizeable plot of civilization in the area. A rural hub for the ranches, it houses all their most immediate needs. Stores of all kinds, several bars and taverns, liveries, blacksmiths, a lumber yard...you name it, it’s probably here. Anything else gets shipped in via the railway that cuts just alongside the town. It’s there they’ll load the cattle, and from there they’ll be shipped.

As they cross into city limits, Ryū sits up, taking in the sights. It’s always an exciting treat to come into town. Already she starts thinking up ways to spend the money she’s built up from her chores and errands. It’s been ages since she got a new dress...and Jiraiya already said he’d let her get some sweets. An adult she may be, but she never did grow out of her sweet tooth.

The temporary holding stockyard is where they head first, pulling up to hitch their wagon while Jiraiya handles the business end. Having heard all the same arrangements year after year, Ryū doesn’t bother accompanying him. Instead, she lingers outside, giving praising pats to their draft team...and slipping them a few sugar cubes she snatched from the breakfast table.

“Good boys,” she praises quietly. “Just a few hours, then we’ll head home.”

The train is already parked along the tracks, the engine gleaming in the sunlight. Ryū’s only ever ridden on one a few times - there’s nothing quite like flying over the tracks, covering the countryside in a fraction of the time it would take a horse. The machines are amazing! Smoke still billows from the smokestack, only freshly stopped as they await the arrival of the drive.

“Five hundred, you say?”

Glancing over as the conversation reaches her ears, Ryū watches the business exchange.

“Thereabouts. Give or take a few.”

“I see...well, with those new mines started and railways extended to the west, the call for rations is at an all-time high,” the stockyard master reports. “We’re seeing prices nearly double what they were last year!”

Double?! Ryū’s eyes go wide.

Jiraiya, too, is equally shocked. “Well...we’re always happy to keep the hard workers fed!”

“Indeed. Now, why don’t we head inside and get the majority of the paperwork out of the way? Of course, I can’t pay you until all heads are loaded and accounted for…”

“Yes, yes - we’ve got time. The rest we’ll sort out in the interim.”

Standing idly in a gentle breeze, Ryū mulls that over. With that money, they can finally build that new barn her father’s been considering. And of course the hands will get a bonus - which will in turn let their homestead grow. It’s going to be a good year.

Brightening at the thought, Ryū smiles warmly to herself, leaning against a wooden railing. To pass the time, she watches the other patrons of the railway station. It’s always a busy place as a bit of a hub, and it’s a treat to see all the different people.

Little does she know, she’s not the only one doing the watching.

Further down the platform, propped against the station building, a seemingly-innocuous cowboy idles. Ankles and arms crossed, a dark hat is tipped low over his face, almost making him appear to be dozing.

But he’s wide awake.

From the corner of his good eye, he watches the young woman carefully. As it just so happens, he overheard the cattle baron’s conversation with the stockyard master. Double pay for nearly five hundred head of cattle...quite the small fortune he’ll be amassing today.

It would be a shame if something were to happen to it…

A tidy little plot begins to form in his mind. While he can’t ever stick in one place too long, he has been scouting out this town during his stay. Jiraiya is a name he’s looked into: the largest producer of beef cattle in the county. A widower, left only with a daughter, unwed. According to anyone he’s overheard, the man’s a staple. A good, honorable rancher who brings prosperity to their county and the people he employs. Beloved by just about everyone. And while his daughter’s quite the prospect, no one’s dared to try and seek her out with a father as prominent as Jiraiya. She’s his pride and joy, after all. He’d do anything for her.

...anything.

One side of the man’s mouth curls in a smirk. The other, stiff with scars, only lifts half the distance. Looks like this will finally be the town he gets what he’s looking for.

But before he can starting putting plot into action, Ryū abandons her perch and heads inside. Head bowing further to avoid being seen, he watches her go, having chosen a spot right by the main entrance to wait. So when she asks her father to head further into town while they wait, he hears the entire conversation.

“I’m almost done here - why don’t you just wait for me, and we’ll go together?”

“Really? I don’t remember it ever being this quick before.”

“Well…”

“I’ll just be going to the general store. I can pick out my taffies until you get there!”

There’s a pause, Jiraiya clearly hesitating. “...are you sure you’ll be all right by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine, Pa.”

“Well...all right then. But you stay there until I’m done.”

There’s no verbal answer, but a few moments later she reemerges onto the platform and heads back toward town.

After a short pause, the cowboy follows.

True to her word, she makes a straight path to the town’s main market. A pause to look in the window, then in she goes to peruse the goods inside.

Her pursuer...hesitates. How to handle it from here...follow her in? It’s close quarters...depending on how she behaves, it could go either way. Possibly less witnesses, but he can’t know that until heading in. And if someone sees him...well, he has seen a wanted poster or two of himself here in town.

Or, of his alias. Known only as Tobi, with the scars of his right side drawn in his mugshot. Half-blind in his left eye. All in all...one of the more interesting faces pinned up around town.

So far no one’s looked too closely to see the resemblance. But if he attracts too much attention, gets too close to someone who’s just a little too nosey, he might blow his cover. And then he’ll have to run, like he has from every town up until this one.

And he’d really rather avoid that.

Not wanting to look too idle, he does as she did, pretending to look over the goods in the shop’s window. He can’t see her from here...but at least he can also see it’s not too crowded inside. He should be able to slip in and out fairly easily.

Heading in, the door gives a chime as the bell over it rings, but no one looks toward him. He moseys through, trying to look nonchalant as he looks over random items.

Then he spots her. In a back corner, where the various candies sit in all glass jars. Now...how to lure her outside…

“Excuse me, miss…”

She turns, expression curious as he steps forward. Carefully showing as little of his face as he can manage, Tobi takes a few steps forward, spurs rattling. “...yes?”

“I’m afraid I’ve lamed my horse...do you happen to know where the livery is?”

“Oh…” Glancing aside to the window, she thinks for a moment. “Well...there’s one a few blocks from here, but it’s a little...understocked. If you want a better chance of finding a decent horseshoer or veterinarian, you’d probably best head to the one across town.”

“Where is it, exactly…?”

“Um...here, I’ll show you…” Leading him to the door, she heads outside and points. “See that tall building over yonder?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s just north from there. Is the lameness very bad…?”

Ah, so she’s curious. Perfect. “Well, she’s just over here…” Across the street her leads her, to where his mare really is tethered. “Admittedly, we’ve been doing a lot of traveling as of late. Might have a rock up in her hoof.”

Patting the beast’s neck, Ryū looks to her sympathetically. “I’m sure they’ll get you sorted out…”

Well...it’s now or never. “...actually -”

“Ryū?”

The pair turn, and he swears in his mind. Jiraiya’s coming up the street, brow furrowed. Seems he’s rather suspicious.

As he should be.

“Pa! I was just -”

With a flick of his wrist, Obito draws his pistol from the holster at his hip, the other arm bringing Ryū to his front. “I’d stay right there if I were you,” he calls out, voice hoarse.

Immediately, both Ryū and Jiraiya stiffen, the latter slowly lifting his arms. “...please...don’t hurt my daughter.”

“Oh, I have no intention to. So long as you do exactly as I say.” Barrel still pointed to her temple, Obito shifts his grip, hearing the woman heave a shaking breath. “...now, if you want to see your daughter back home where she belongs, safe and sound...I’m going to need you to bring me five thousand dollars.”

“What -?!”

“Ah ah - no arguing. You’ll bring the money to Rattler Canyon in one week. You’ll come alone, and unarmed...and I’ll have no reason to hurt her.”

A mixture of emotions flicker over the baron’s face. Anger, fear, worry, and begrudging acceptance. “...fine,” he growls.

“Good. Now...stay right where -”

“Stop!”

Glancing to the other corner, Obito tightens his grip. Bearing a rifle, the town sheriff points it directly at them.

...you’ve got to be kidding. He knows that man. Kakashi Hatake...and with him, a woman: must be his deputy. She too holds a firearm aloft, glancing to Kakashi warily.

“Don’t shoot!” Jiraiya begs. “You might hit my daughter!”

“I’d listen to the old man,” Obito insists, the brim of his hat still low over his face. “...wouldn’t want an innocent getting hurt due to you being rash, now would we, Kakashi…?”

Hearing his name makes the man hesitate, and he slowly lowers his weapon, the deputy doing the same. As he does, Obito forces Ryū atop the back of the horse before swinging himself into the saddle.

“One week!” Obito calls out as he spurs his mount into a gallop, cutting through town to the nearest road out.

Behind him, several citizens run to stand with the sheriff, including Jiraiya. And in a burst of frustration, Kakashi lifts his rifle and fires.

The bullet grazes Obito’s side, earning a cry as Ryū squeals in surprise.

“Don’t!” Jiraiya bellows, knocking the gun down. “If you shoot my daughter, I’ll…!”

“Kakashi,” his partner counsels, a hand on his shoulder.

Expression bitter, he shrugs out from her hold and heads back toward his office.

Time to plan.

Not letting up his pace, Obito clings a hand to his wound, blood dribbling through his fingers and trailing to the ground. Thankfully it’s not far to his hiding place.

By early evening they reach it: a shack just outside an abandoned mine. Taking the mare around back, Obito dismounts with a pained grunt, hauling Ryū down and tethering his mount. “C’mon.” He drags her by a hand inside, barring the door and going to start a fire in the hearth.

Unsure what else to do, Ryū just...stands near the back door.

“Don’t even think about running,” Obito then demands, pointing to her and earning a flinch. “You won’t get far. And I’d hate to have to shoot you.”

She just gives a shaking nod, watching as he shuffles around the shack. “...um…”

“What?”

“Your...your wound -?”

“What about it?”

“Would you like me to...dress it for you?”

That earns a pause. She wants to patch him up? Why? Eyeing her suspiciously, he debates for a long minute before grunting in agreement. He collapses onto a stool, wincing as the injury jostles.

“Here...you should remove your shirt -”

“No.”

The blunt interruption startles her. “...but, I need to -?”

Cutting her off with a curt sigh, Obito glances around before doing as asked. Taking off his hat, he then carefully shrugs out of his garment, baring his torso.

As he expected, her eyes go wide.

All along his right side are scars: twisted, ugly things that disappear under the hem of his trousers. As she stares, he in turn glowers at the floor, watching her from the corner of his eye.

Once the shock passes, she slowly wilts. Sympathy colors her gaze. “...are those…?”

“Burns.”

“...how -?”

“None of your business. Are you gonna dress the wound, or not?”

“I’ll, um...I’ll need some water -?”

“There’s some there, in the pitcher.”

After another hesitation, Ryū fetches it, pouring some in an old pot that she hangs over the fire. Once it boils, she hauls it back over, dipping a rag that looks halfway clean into the steaming liquid. “...this’ll sting.”

He just grunts in reply...and then tenses with another as she carefully mops at the wound.

She pauses, looking to him worriedly before going on. “...it’s not too deep.”

No reply.

Once she’s gotten the bleeding stopped, she digs around and finds more cloth, washing and wringing it out. Only once it’s dry does she hold it to the graze, binding it in place with longer strips. “...try not to move too much. You’ll open it up again.”

He gives no indication he’s going to obey, instead moving to put his shirt back on.

“...I should wash that before the blood stains.”

“I don’t care if it -”

“Well either way, you shouldn’t put it back on until it’s clean.”

Obito gives her an incredulous look. Is she really arguing with him? Being in the position she’s in?

“Do you have something else to wear?”

“...yeah.”

“Then put that on. I’ll wash this.”

Still taken aback, Obito’s too surprised by her gall to argue. He just watches her take the garment and sit to start working at the mess in the water she’s already boiled. Only after a long pause does he stand up and fetch another shirt.

What a strange woman.

“Have you got a needle and thread?”

“...do I look like the type to keep needle and thread?”

“There’s a hole from the bullet - I just thought I’d -”

“All right, look.” Obito holds up a hand. “...you need to just sit and be quiet until your father brings me the money. The only reason you’re here is for ransom. Not to…” He gestures vaguely. “...do any of that.”

“Well if I’m going to be stuck here, I might as well have something to do,” she counters, one knee other the other as arms fold.

“Well I ain’t got any needle and thread. So leave it alone.”

She gives him a pout that he ignores, instead going to kneel by the fire for something to tend to.

This is going to be a long week…

They have a basic stew that night, the pair of them eating silently as rain starts to pour outside. All the while, Obito watches her suspiciously, not trusting her not to do something stupid. But Ryū just keeps her eyes trained on her bowl.

Or so he thinks. Looking down to take a bite of his own, she asks, “...are you blind?”

“What?”

“Your eye. The...left.” Her head tilts curiously at him.

“...what makes you think that?”

“You turn your head to the left to look more with your right.”

Obito scowls. “...partly. But that doesn’t mean I can’t aim.”

“...I didn’t say you couldn’t.”

“Just don’t want you getting any ideas.”

She heaves a curt breath. “Look, mister…?”

“Call me Tobi.”

“...Tobi. I’m not stupid. I get it. I stay here a week, you get your money, and I get to go home. We’re miles from town, I’d never make it anywhere before you caught me. I’m willing to stay put, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try to pass the time somehow.”

“Well I ain’t here to make friends with you,” he insists.

“People can talk. Doesn’t make them friends. You’re still a person, right? It’s just conversation.”

He doesn’t reply, just going back to his stew. Once it’s done and cleaned up, he points to a bedroll. “Sleep.”

“...what about -?”

“Just...sleep, girl.”

“I have a name, you know. And I’m hardly a girl.”

Obito just gives a look, staring until she acquiesces and lies down. Taking his pistol and donning his hat, he heads out into the rain to do a short patrol.

Last thing he wants is to get snuck up on.

Once that’s done, he sits in a rickety chair in front of the door, letting himself doze. The next morning sees him jolting awake. Ryū sits atop the bedroll, looking his way at the movement.

A hand drags down his face with a sigh. Six more days.

“I should change your bandages.”

“Why?”

“Do you want that wound to get septic? You have to keep it clean, and the bandages fresh.”

“What, you a doctor?” Obito asks as he stands with a grunt.

“No...but my mother was learned in medicine. I picked up a few things before she was killed. I know what I’m doing.”

“I’ve survived worse.”

“Which means you’ve been lucky.”

“Girl, you -”

“Stop calling me girl! My name is Ryū!”

“I couldn’t care less what your name is -”

“Well I care that you know.”

He scowls. “You sure got a mouth on your for a woman.”

“Pa says I got that from my ma. She didn’t take anything lying down, either. Look...if you die out here because of a bad wound, I’m stuck here alone. So let me change the bandages.”

Lord almighty he’s never met such a woman until now. “Fine!”

More boiled water later, she peels off the previous day’s wrappings. “...well, it’s a bit swollen, but not inflamed. Seems you’re doing well so far.” She then goes about cleaning out any built up blood and wiping down the edges where it leaked.

“...so how come your ma knew medicine?”

“...what?”

Obito gives a glance. “...you said she knew medicine.”

“...she was a midwife,” Ryū explains slowly, seemingly surprised he’s bothering to ask. “But since doctors are rare out this far, she taught herself anything else she could pick up. A lot of ranch hands get gored, or shot, or trampled. She had plenty of practice. It’s how she met my father.” Done cleaning, she presses on a new cloth and starts to wrap. “He got gored something awful in the chest by a longhorn. Folks swore he’d die, but she patched him up. Took ages, and he’s got a scar to prove it, but...he healed up. Once he did, he asked her to marry him. Then along came me.”

He watches her work, then glances up as she goes quiet. “...how’d she get killed?”

“...bandits. A group were trying to make off with part of the herd. Pa was in town with some of the hands, so Ma took the rifle and tried to scare them off. They shot her, right in the gut. She...was dead by the time they got back. I was off playing in the creek down in a gulch, never heard a thing…”

“...hn…”

“...so, it’s just been me and Pa. But we get on all right.”

Breakfast is half-stale bread, no butter to be had. He’ll admit...he wasn’t expecting to stay here this long, let alone with company. He’s going to need more supplies…

“Stay here.”

“Not like I have much choice.”

This time he takes a rifle, mounting his mare and heading off past the mine. Hopefully he can shoot something enough to cook up. They’re far enough from town he should have decent luck. After a patient few hours, he happens upon a small sounder of wild boars. A good shot wounds a fat female, which doesn’t get far before dropping. Thrown over his mount, he brings it back to the shack to gut and skin.

By midday he’s got a second stew going.

“...can I ask you something?”

“If you have to.”

“...those burns...how did you get them?”

“I thought I told you they were none of your business?”

“Er, yeah. I just thought -”

“What, because you told me your mother sob story I’d tell you one of mine? I told you, we’re not friends.”

“Well what else do you have to talk about?”

Sighing, Obito scowls at the pot he’s stirring. “...I was caught in a fire when I was young.”

“...oh…”

“Church-run orphanage I was in caught fire during a storm. Lightning strike. A few other kids died. I was burnt so bad they assumed I’d not last.” Chewing his cheek, his jaw then sets. “...so they buried me.”

“What?! Alive?!”

“Shallow grave. I was unconscious, woke up...panicked, and clawed my way out. In pain, confused, had no idea where I was...startled the hell out of a couple’a graverobbers. They thought I was some devil, but...then realized what happened. Took me back to their camp, washed me off...and tried to keep me alive.”

Ryū stares, awestruck.

For a long moment he’s silent, still stirring. “...somehow I pulled through. Had nowhere else to go, so...I stayed with the gang. Eventually rose up through it over the years until I was at the head. Then...things started going to hell. We were dropping like flies, until it was just me. I had nothing else to do, nowhere to go, and a bounty on my head. So...I started looking for an easy job. One last heist to get enough to pay it off, and then...try to start over.”

Understanding lights her eyes. “...that’s why you want Pa’s money...to pay your bounty?”

A nod.

She goes quiet, lost in thought.

“Here, it’s done.”

She accepts the bowl wordlessly. Only after a long silence does she softly muse, “So...those outlaws and thieves had more faith and effort in their hearts than the church.”

“...not everything’s as you’d expect it to be.”

“No...no it’s not.”

From there, things proceed in a fashion Obito almost dares to call normal. Every morning he gets his bandages changed, they eat, they chat...it’s not like there’s much else to do as they wait for the week to run out.

He’s not sure if she’s just losing any initial tension she had, but Ryū no longer snaps at him. Since he shot the boar, she’s been quieter, softer...part of him assumes it’s just pity for his story. But...she doesn’t tread on eggshells like he expected her to. Surely if that was her motivation, she’d be all weepy and doting. But she just treats him...normally.

“Ow!”

“Sorry! The wound’s binding a bit to the cloth…” Carefully peeling off the bandages a few days later, she looks it over. “...I think we should leave it uncovered for a while. Let it breathe and start to form a scab. Just be careful to keep it clean.”

“Not exactly planning to go roll around in the mud.”

“I’d have very stern words for you if you did.”

Watching her gather up the cloths to wash them yet again, Obito then looks down to the wound. True to her word, it still looks good - it’s been healing nicely. It should be stable enough to go to Rattler Canyon to meet Jiraiya. Then it’s just a short ride to the capital to pay off his bounty, and he’ll be a free man.

...he almost can’t picture what that will be like. It’s been so long...

Carefully feeling around the edge of the graze, he then looks back to Ryū, head turned to better see her with his good eye. Her hair’s tied up in a messy bun with spare ribbon, sleeves rolled back as she does her best to get the blood out of the fabric. Her posture’s lax, a forearm lifting to take sweat from her brow.

It looks so...oddly domestic. Normal. For a moment, he almost forgets their circumstances. The reason why they’re holed up in this little shack together to begin with.

...but he can’t evade reality for long.

Soon the clean cloths are hung to dry, the bloodstained water dumped out the rear door. Doing what little tidying she can do to keep busy, Ryū then idles, looking around thoughtfully.

“...pretty sure I saw blackberries just to the south of here.”

That catches her attention. “...really?”

“It’d make a nice change of pace. If you feel like grabbing some.”

Silvers blink before she glances around, taking up a spare pot. “...I’ll be back.”

“Hn.”

In the meantime, Obito takes to sitting by the window, keeping watch back toward town. No one’s discovered them...yet. He knows waiting this long is pushing his luck, but he already designated a time. And there’s no cover in Rattler Canyon.

Nor does he want to run into a trap.

An hour passes, then two...and he starts to feel...agitated. She should have been back by now. Why isn’t she back? She didn’t try to run off, did she? Maybe someone spotted her, or something jumped her. Humans aren’t aren’t the only beings that love blackberries, after all.

The longer he sits and stews, the more convinced he is that something’s wrong, and the more...jittery he gets. Not worried, he just...needs to keep his leverage.

“...damn it!”

Getting to his feet, he takes up his rifle, moving to the door and pulling it open -

- to reveal a very startled Ryū just moving to head back inside. “Whoa!”

Just as taken aback, he looks at her, then to the pot full of berries, then to her. “...where the hell have you been?”

“I...went to get the -?”

“You were out there for ages!”

“Sorry! It’s hard to keep track of time out here!”

Breathing curtly through his nose, he about-faces and replaces the rifle. “...we should eat.”

“...okay.” Stepping in and shutting the door, she pauses before offering, “...I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

For a moment she considers countering him, but...in the end, lets the subject rest.

He’s unusually quiet for the rest of the night, turning in early after Ryū wraps his wound to keep it clean overnight. Just...get through tomorrow. The last day. After that, they’ll go complete the deal, and he can pay off the bounty.

She’ll be out of his hair...and he out of hers.

Sleep is fitful...not that he ever really sleeps that well. Early in the morning, he jerks awake first with a sharp breath, taking a moment to regain his balance before forcing himself to relax.

Ryū’s still sleeping, curled on her side, breath slow and even. He can’t help but envy that. With nothing else to do without waking her, he just...watches her breathe. Slowly, the tension from his blunt awakening eases out. Something about seeing someone else so calm makes...him feel calm.

But it doesn’t last for long, the baron’s daughter stirring as he glances aside, not wanting to be caught staring. “Phew...short night.”

“...yeah.”

As always, they start with the unwrapping of his bandages. Doing so slowly as she knees by his chair, Ryū peers under before gently peeling away the last layer. “Wow...it looks so much better! I think the air did it some good. We should let it breathe again today.”

“Mm.”

Wadding up the cloths, Ryū sets them aside before giving the wound one last look, expression focused as she examines the healing tissue.

Obito, all the while, watches her.

Seemingly satisfied, she glances up...then does a double-take as she catches his staring. “...Tobi?”

...shit.

Like some bizarre trap, he can’t seem to look away. She also holds his gaze, her own eyes flickering between his with unreadable expressions. Leaning toward her, he waits for her to back away, look aside...something to stop his advance!

But she doesn’t. Instead, curiosity turns to a demure hesitation, slipping and giving his lips a glance.

His own look isn’t so subtle.

Lids flutter closed, the distance between them nearly vanished. Then -

- with a crash, the door flies inward, top hinge giving out as it flops haphazardly. The pair break apart, both looking up in shock. In through the entry come both the sheriff and his deputy, each with weapons drawn. Behind them, a pack of dogs bark loudly, only adding to the chaos.

Obito’s heart leaps to his throat - Kakashi risked shooting her once, he can’t -!

“No!”

Struggling to her feet, Ryū puts herself between them, arms spread and stance firm.

“Miss, I need you to step aside!”

“And I said no! Lower your weapon, sir!”

“Kakashi!” the deputy warns, giving him a harsh glance.

Barrel still aimed at her chest, Kakashi shouts over his shoulder, “Leave it, Kumiko - I said, step aside!”

“Not until you put your firearm down! He’s unarmed, and injured! You hardly need to shove a gun in his face!” There’s a defiant edge to her expression, greys steely as she stares the sheriff down. “...besides,” she then goes on, tone stuttering as she improvises. “There...there’s been no crime!”

“...what?”

“I - I went willingly! He didn’t kidnap me, I went of my own free will! There’s nothing to arrest him for!”

“Young lady, there’s an outstanding warrant for his arrest,” Kumiko explains calmly. “Even if you did go willingly...we still have to arrest him.”

“I...I’m going to pay off his bounty!”

“Oh for crying out loud - get out of the way!”

“Put the gun down, Kakashi.”

Standing, Obito puts a hand on Ryū’s shoulder, drawing her gaze. Glancing somberly to her, Obito then looks calmly to Kakashi.

Dark eyes go round in shock. Slowly, the rifle lowers, the sheriff looking his quarry over thoroughly, hardly daring to believe what he sees. “...Obito…?”

On each side, both women glance about uncertainly. They...know each other…?

“How…? But, I thought -?”

“Thought I was dead? You and everyone else. Turns out I’m harder to kill than most people think.”

“Wait...was Kakashi there…?” Ryū asks, connecting the dots.

“Yeah...he was another orphan in the same building. One of the lucky ones. And my best friend.”

“I can’t believe...your body was…!”

“I know how it was. Funny what a little effort and care will do. I was given more of a second chance by a couple of graverobbers than those bastards who ran that orphanage. I didn’t matter to them. Disposable. The law might hate the people who break it...but they can be a hell of a lot better people than most give ‘em credit for.”

“Please, sheriff…” Ryū’s hands clasp at her front. “To- ...Obito’s not a bad person. Least...I don’t think so.”

“A few days of treating someone well doesn’t make up for years of lawbreaking,” Kakashi reminds her. “He still has debts to pay to society.”

“But -!”

“Miss,” the deputy, Kumiko, cuts in gently. “...we need to get him back to town. The warrant still stands. From there...well, we’ll see. But right now we need to do our jobs. And we need to get you back to your father. He’s worried sick.”

“It’s all right, Ryū.” Obito’s hand atop her shoulder squeezes slightly. “...maybe I was stupid to think this would work.”

“I don’t -!”

“Let’s get going. Kumiko, you take miss Ryū. I’ll handle Obito.”

Pleas falling on deaf ears, Ryū’s put atop Kumiko’s horse, Obito’s hands bound as he rides his own, watched closely by Kakashi.

“So, how’d you find me, anyway?” Obito can’t help but ask.

The sheriff nods to his pack. “Followed your blood trail. Lost it a few times after the rain, but eventually we made it to the end.”

“...well I’ll be damned.”

Midday sees them back in town, crowds stopping to watch the procession. And out of the sheriff’s building comes Jiraiya, wasting no time in simply lifting his daughter from the saddle. “Oh thank God,” he murmurs, bringing her close.

“I’m fine, Pa. Really. He didn’t hurt me. He just -”

“Take him in and start filing his papers,” Kakashi orders, Kumiko making to lead Obito in to the jail adjoined to the station.

Frantic, Ryū tugs on the front of her father’s shirt. “Pa, listen to me - he’s not a bad man!”

“What?”

As quickly as she can, Ryū summarizes all Obito told her during their stint in the mining shack. “He wants to change! He just can’t with that bounty hanging over his head! It’s the only reason he took me. He was desperate! If he paid it off, if he could make his own way -!”

Mouth set in a grim line, Jiraiya considers her for a long moment, looking up as Obito’s led up the stairs to the jailhouse. “...wait a minute.”

The remaining trio pause.

“...how much is that man’s bounty?”

Kakashi’s face goes slack. “...sir, I wouldn’t -”

“How...much?”

After a pause, the sheriff sighs. “...two hundred and fifty dollars, sir.”

Thinking, Jiraiya glances back to his daughter. “...are you sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. This isn’t a life that should be thrown away, Pa...he deserves a second chance.”

Sighing heavily, Jiraiya takes out his billfold. “...mind if we handle this inside?”

Wilted, Kakashi replies, “...yes sir.”

“Should I…?” Kumiko gestures to Obito, hands still bound and awaiting her to guide him into jail.

Kakashi just waves a hand, following the cattle baron into the station.

Kumiko and Obito eye each other warily...and then the deputy cuts his ropes. “Don’t. Move.”

Rubbing at his wrists, Obito glances aside as Ryū steps up beside him. “...what are you doing?”

“What I think is right.”

Looking her over with an unreadable expression, they then both look as Jiraiya and Kakashi reemerge. “...bounty’s paid,” the sheriff offers awkwardly. After a pause, staring at the board with wanted posters, he reaches up and tears down Obito’s.

As though it finally sinks in, the prior outlaw slowly brightens.

Joining them, Jiraiya glances to his daughter before eyeing Obito warily. “...well son, seems you owe me two hundred and fifty dollars.”

“I...I don’t have any -”

“Which means you need a job.” Arms fold over the baron’s barrel chest, expression shifting to one of consideration. “...got any experience working cattle?”

“...er...well, no...but -”

“I’m sure the other hands can teach you. At least I know you can ride. For now, you’ve got two working arms and two working legs. That means you can do a bit of basic labor until you know what you’re doing.”

Obito blinks. “...are...are you giving me a job?”

“I’m ensuring your debt gets paid,” Jiraiya clarifies, a hint of a smile cutting through his stern look. “And of course you’ll add to it, what with boarding, meals, supplies...so you’ll have to work pretty hard to make up the difference.”

Beside him, Ryū beams. “...think that’s fair?”

After a pause, Obito gives a single huff of a laugh. “...I suppose it is.”

“Then we’d best get home. You’ve got work to do.”

.oOo.

Alllll righty, day five is done! And is the longest one so far xD Featuring Ryū, @abyssaldespair‘s Obito, and even a wee cameo of KakaKumi with @yukaikokoro‘s OC Kumiko ;3 Cuz I promised her I would! I’ve had this verse / plot in my head for like...months, just been too busy to write it! And uh...it might be partial inspiration for the ship week as a whole >w> Never really written a Western AU before, but HEE it was fun! Helps I know a fair bit about it, given I kinda sorta live it x3 Anywhooo, Meg I don’t think I have to gush about our ship too much - I do that enough, lmao. But uh...here’s another very random AU for them to exist in! And Kakashi and his deputy, huehue~ But uh...yeah! Day five down, and now to go work on day six while I can!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #abyssaldespair #suigin ryū #uchiha obito #blood //#gun //#alcohol //#vulgarity //#stockades and stagecoaches [ au ]

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kusunogatari · 5 years

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[ @wanderingmelodies ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

Soft leather boots are soundless against the cobbled street...and even if they’d not been, her footsteps would still be drowned in the hustle and bustle of the busy little village.

Well…‘little’ is a relative term. Rin has certainly been to places smaller, but it’s still not quite the same as the large cities closer to the center of the continent. But this one suits her well enough. A place with a sizeable port of comings and goings. Perfect to receive shipments of her goods without being breathed down upon by large city inspectors and tax collectors.

For Rin, you see, is a witch. One most typically working with plants, herbs, and the concoctions one can make with them. And while she grows a great many things herself, every so often she’ll come across a spell or potion requiring something a bit...out of the ordinary. And that means finding it elsewhere. And while she’s gone galavanting across the countryside before, she’s not eager to leave her little hideaway too often.

Magic, after all, can be a bit of a dirty word, depending on the tongue it sits upon.

Rin’s own is used primarily for good! Poultices for wounds, brews for illnesses, charms that help ward against pain or evil. But...every so often, she won’t deny having crafted something a bit...devious. A poison for a deserving throat, or an acid to melt through hard-crafted locks over treasuries. Not her favorite things to do, but...one must eat. And to eat, one must have coin.

While the forests she calls home are plentiful, and her house built herself in a place few can find it (let alone scaredy cat statesmen who won’t dare venture so far to collect her dues), Rin still has expenses. She can hardly do everything for charity, though her large heart indulges when it feels it must. Hers is oft a cruel world, after all. She does what she can to lighten it.

Hood of her cloak drawn over her head, she weaves her way through the rumbling masses. The markets are in full swing, people yelling and bartering for this, that, and the other thing. The sounds of animals brought to be sold join the cacophony, and all in all, it’s a block of chaos.

Exactly what she wants.

Guards, after all, have to keep close eyes on the daily gathering to ensure nothing is stolen, illegal, or being traded without proper taxes atop them. Which means they aren’t as watchful elsewhere.

Slipping into an alley, Rin keeps her face hidden as she meets with another shady figure. Ruddy eyes and flyaway black hair peek out from beneath the hem of another hood.

“You have it?” Rin ask quietly, trying to look nonchalant.

“So long as you have my coin.”

“Of course.” From a belt at her waist she draws the pouch, which jingles pleasantly with gold.

The other woman’s eyes alight, accepting before handing over a parcel. “Do be careful with it. Getting you another won’t be so easy...and I’d have to charge you double.”

“Double?”

“I’ll bore you with the tale later, but you’ll not get me to run such an errand again on so light a payment. There’s a concealment charm you’ll have to break: thought it wise in case you’re checked. Until then, it’ll just look like some spare fabric.”

“I’ve been meaning to make myself a new blouse,” Rin replies blasely.

Giving a subtle nod, the other witch exits the way Rin came, and Rin in turn takes the other mouth out. Package tucked under her arm, she winds her way back around to the eastern gate of the village.

Home again, home again.

The cobble gives way to dirt, thankfully dry after a week of no rain. That doesn’t rid it of the deep wells from uncounted wagons, but Rin keeps to the center, shifting her path only when encountering another traveler. A few miles pass, and then she takes a trail off to the north. This she follows a ways before cutting west again to a path barely discernible to the naked eye.

Just as she likes it.

Here the trees of the forest seem to grow ever thicker, dense foliage blotting out all but the most determined light. Ivy hangs in thick sheets from sturdy branches, and after a long, silent trek, Rin waves a hand.

Heeding her call, the flora shifts to reveal a small, yet cozy cabin. Plants of all shapes, shades, and sizes grow in what looks to be chaos around it, but Rin knows every stalk and stem. A ways behind her dwelling, the chuckling of a brook can be heard.

And what a curious dwelling it is.

Formed from wood, rather than cut...it’s been grown. Several trunks meld together to form walls, the roof a conglomerate of branches and leaves thick enough to waylay any rain. The floor is flattened roots, walk to a shining after so many years of her pacing and passing. Even a hearth crackles warmly, the wood of its belly and chimney simply made so dense with magic, it can’t begin to burn.

And even inside there’s a plethora of plants. Every shelf and surface is home to bottles, planters, crystals, vials. Several of the stones glow brightly to illuminate her space, colored by the gemstone that houses the werelights.

It’s a strange, almost alien place. But for Rin, it suits her perfectly.

Clearing a space on her table, she sets her package, unraveling the string around it and finding - as Kurenai warned - a simple folded stack of velvety fabric.

To most, the charm would be completely undetectable. But Rin is both aware...and talented in magics herself. Taking a moment to feel out the particular incantation, she breaks it with a few murmured words.

The fabric is no more. In its place is a pelt.

A rather particular pelt.

Grinning widely, Rin runs fingers over the scaly hide. As she does, the pigments change to match her skin, blending perfectly.

Exactly what she’s been looking for: a chameleocan skin. A rather peculiar beast with a marvelous adaptation: it can blend into any environment and become practically invisible. While not perfect, it’s far more stable than a cloaking spell, and has no mana cost.

All she has to do with it now is tan and shape it into a cloak, and she’ll finally be able to prowl about unseen. At least, to most eyes.

Giddy with excitement, she takes it outside, giving it one last wash in the river before stretching it on a tanning rack to dry and finish curing. Admiring her handiwork, her smile vanishes as a sound reaches her ears.

A voice.

Spinning around, she tries to place it. Still a ways off, it’s nonetheless far closer than Rin would like anyone to be. She’s not expecting any guests...which means this person isn’t welcome.

Subtly, she begins tightening the ivy around her little homestead, doing her best to further hide it. Creeping quietly, she listens.

Another cry. Still too far too make out words, but...she can hear the tone. It sounds desperate, like...a call for help.

Though there’s a reflexive want to go investigate - someone might be in trouble! - her worry is tempered by experience. Often times, such a plea is a charade. A lie to draw in unaware travelers before your throat and coin purse are slit.

Weighing her options, Rin pulls her lip between her teeth before parting the ivy. Either way...she needs to make sure her home isn’t discovered. Easier to do the further away she keeps this person. A woman, judging by the pitch of the cries. For a ways she steps carefully, pausing every so often to listen for the voice. Once she’s close enough, she peers around trunks before finally catching sight of them.

Whoever they are, they’ve donned a silvery-white cloak. That immediately draws Rin’s brow. Something of that make looks costly...what would someone able to afford finery like that be doing this far out in the woods? Their gate shuffles, occasionally stumbling as they call out for help. Spinning in a slow circle, taking in the endless swaths of the same trees and undergrowth, they eventually turn to face Rin in her hiding place.

They certainly appear feminine, from what she can see. The cloak covers a gown of downy grey that sweeps the forest floor. It, too, seems fine in make. Along their front spill waves of white hair...curious. And the expression on their pale face - seemingly even paler with fright - looks far too deeply etched to be rehearsed.

Something more is going on here.

Magic humming at the ready along her fingertips, Rin cautiously steps out of hiding. “...lost?”

Sharpening their focus on her, the stranger stumbles back a few steps, gait still quite warped. Staring a long moment, they dare to ask, “...you...you’re the woman who was in the village this morning, are you not? You’re a witch!”

The words, by reflex, earn a small flinch. Typically they’re thrown with disdain...but this one utters them with a desperate hope. How did they spot her, let alone figure what she was? “...I’m learned in magic, yes.”

“Please...you have to help me. I…” Looking stricken for words, they ask, “...may we speak somewhere...private?”

“Why?”

“I...I’ve need of help regarding a curse. I…” They turn to glance around. Surely the woods are empty, but they seem fearful to risk being seen. “...I can’t let anyone know.”

Still wary, Rin considers the request a moment before murmuring, “...follow me.”

They trudge back toward the cabin, and Rin - taking the lead - continues to listen. Her companion’s gait is still...off. Not quite a limp, but not even steps, either. Almost like…

Parting the ivy, she lets them in, seeing the wonder on their face. “...try not to touch anything. Some of these are toxic,” she warns, gesturing to the plants.

Once inside, she sets a kettle to boil water, glancing up to see her guest lingering uncertainly in the doorway. “...you can come in.”

“...thank you.” Taking a few cautious steps, they offer, “...my name is Ryū.”

“...Rin.”

“I...I know this may be rather forward, given that it’s me asking for your help, but...may I ask for your silence? If anyone else were to know what I’m to tell you…”

“I don’t vomit up secrets,” Rin assures her. “So long as you’re not going to harm anyone else -”

“Oh, no no! Never that! You see, I…” A weary sigh. “...I’m of a royal line. Of a land north of here. I’m...their princess.”

Brow furrowing, Rin tries to think. She mostly keeps her dealings to this land - she knows little of any others. She barely knows her own royal family, given how low she tries to keep her profile. “...you said you’ve a question about a curse?”

“I...yes. A few weeks ago, a curse was laid upon me. I’ve been searching for help ever since. While magic is not viewed so...poorly in my homeland as it is here to the south, I couldn’t let anyone see me like...like this.”

A brown brow perks. “...like…?”

Hesitating, Ryū wilts with a sigh. “...I...I hope it doesn’t cause you alarm.”

“I’ve seen a great many things. I assure you, little can shock me.”

One last pause, and then Ryū begins to remove her traveling gear. Gloved hands lift the hood from her head, laying the cloak atop a chair. Rin’s eyes slowly widen the more she removes, until she’s left in little more than her skivvies.

From her temples grow short horns of a moonstone color. In patches along her limbs are silver and white scales. In fact, her entire left leg is distorted, looking more like a beast’s in its proportions than a human’s.

...that explains her gait.

And from her spine as she turns, posture clearly ashamed, is the beginnings of a scaly tail topped with white hair. Strange lumps stretch the skin over her shoulder blades, as though something lurks beneath the surface, ready to burst.

“...by the gods…”

“It...i-it’s been slowly taking me over. At first it was just a few scales...t-then my back started aching, and my leg shifted in shape…! I...I’m turning into a -!”

“A dragon.” Moving, Rin walks in slow circles around her, expression both horrified...and yet fathomlessly curious. “...do you know who cursed you?”

“I...I do - he’s a member of my mother’s court. I’ve always had my suspicions about him, but his influence is too great to simply be ousted. He…” Her face turns aside, expression pained. “...he’s nearly thrice my age, but has been...attempting to court me. I know he only wants to sneak his roots into my kingdom. I rejected him again and again, as softly as I could. It seems...he realized I’d never have him, and has decided to remove me instead.”

“Did you speak to your mother?”

“I couldn’t…! Before I could find her, I’d already started changing. I was scared, and unsure what to do, so...I-I fled.”

“...you should pen her a letter. Tell her what has happened, and why you left. She needs to know, and your absence may be having drastic consequences, m’lady.”

Ryū gives a sorrowful nod. “Can...can you help me…?”

The witch heaves a heavy sigh. “...transformations aren’t my forte,” she admits. “Nor are curses. Magic has many branches...and mine lie mostly in flora. It’s rare they can attain such results...or counteract them.”

“Do...do you know of anyone else who might be able to aid me…?”

A pause to think. Kurenai is skilled in illusionary magics...Anko in poisons and beast taming. But this isn’t one that needs to be calmed. “Not personally, no...and I fear by the time I find one, it may be too late. How long has it been?”

“Um…” She thinks. “...three weeks, perhaps? I...I’ve not tracked the time since I fled.”

“Why come here where magic is harder to find?”

“I didn’t want to be recognized. If my people knew their next queen might become a beast, surely they would panic…!”

“And they’ll not panic with you simply up and disappearing?”

“...I…”

Rin sighs. “...fear can rob anyone of their sense. I understand. But we really should alert your mother. This man that cursed you may very well have other schemes waiting in his sleeves...if he’s not implemented them already.”

“Yes...you’re right.”

“Here...let’s get you redressed, and then we’ll find some parchment and ink.”

Once a warning letter is written, Rin calls upon a feathered friend to bear it. “They’ll be swift.”

Seated at Rin’s table (which grows right up out of the floor), Ryū braces her brow in a hand, eyes weary. “I don’t know where else to go, what else to do…”

“Does your mother not employ a court mage?”

“Several...and he’s one of them. I feared they may reject my claims and protect him as one of their own. I could never have asked…”

“Mm...a fair point.” Sitting opposite the princess, Rin rubs at her chin, racking her brain. While she’s heard of curses like these before...she’s never seen them for herself. Nor does she know anything about them. Their casting, their effects...or their cures. Nor do any of her own types of magic immediately come to mind when it comes to a possible remedy. Transformation magics are their own branch, one she’s never really breached.

Standing, she goes to her bookshelf, looking over her collection of tomes. A finger trails over their spines, trying to find a title that might at least hint at a possible solution. She looks among her collections of flora, stretching her imagination to possible uses among theirs that might help.

...and then an idea starts to bloom.

A risky, terrible idea.

Biting her lip, Rin goes back to her shelf and pulls out a glossary of plants and herbs. Flipping through the weathered pages, she finds the proper entry, finger tracing along the text. As she thought she remembered, there’s no mention of human ingestion...just uses on blades to aid in battles…

“...have you thought of something…?”

“I…” A pause. “...I don’t know...in all honesty, it’s not a thought I’ve ever entertained before…” Sitting once more, she lays the tome atop the table, turning it round so Ryū can read. “...this is dragonsbane. Typically used to concoct an oil you coat a blade with to better your chances at slaying a dragon. In short, it reacts very...negatively to a dragon’s biology.”

She then flips a great chunk through the book to another page near the end. “And this...is wolfsbane. It has similar effects, but on werewolves. However…” A digit points to a small paragraph near the bottom. “It’s also used, in a far more diluted form, to help control werewolf transformations. Werewolves, of course, only take that form during full moons...and yours is instead happening slowly, until - I’m willing to assume - you take a fully dragonic form...or perhaps one like the old draconids, but they’re long extinct…”

At Ryū’s curious look, she expounds, “A specie of dragon that walked upright, and could speak. They were hunted after a war broke out, and it’s assumed there’s no more of them left. That might be more like what you’re facing, given that your anatomy has only changed slightly, like your leg.”

Back up she gets, on a whirlwind of thought now. “I’ve made wolfsbane potions for a very long time, for a dear friend of mine afflicted with the bite of a werewolf. I’m intimately familiar with it. But...I have no idea if the same principle could be applied to dragonsbane. I’ve never heard of it done. Then again...I’ve never heard of someone being cursed exactly as you have: to become a dragon, I mean. Werewolves aren’t cursed, per se...”

Hands trace up to the wolfsbane plant, and then over to dragonsbane. “...I’ll have to do some tests. Because if I’m wrong...that potion might kill you. If I make it too strong, and it affects you too potently…”

Ryū pales, looking quite frightened for a moment. Head bowing, eyes flicker over the table before closing with a soft sigh, resolute. “...well...I’ve nowhere else to turn. No other leads to follow. Whatever you need me to do in order to see this through, I’ll do. It’s either we take this chance...or I certainly turn into a monster.”

“Well, it depends on your view of dragons...or possibly draconids, if that’s more what you’re headed toward.” Rin then fetches her kettle, finally boiling, and begins to make tea. “In some cultures - mostly those more...remote and perhaps a bit...outdated - dragons are seen as sacred beings. Almost akin to gods. Then in other places, they’re simply nuisances. Monster, then, is a relative term. If it does fail, maybe you could go find a land where you’d be welcome. Possibly even worshipped.”

At that, the princess blanches. “I’d...rather we simply find the cure.”

“Well, of course. But that’s a better alternative than death, isn’t it?”

“...to never again see my home, or my mother? Being held aloft by strangers? I don’t know…”

Well, Rin can hardly change this young lady’s priorities. “...I’ll write to my friend. Ask him to come. Maybe he’ll have some insight into how you can best handle this. I don’t know if your...conditions have similar enough roots, but it can’t hurt.”

Another bird is sent with the invitation, and the pair get to work. Rin begins asking all sorts of questions: her routine, her diet, her birth sigils. Anything and everything that might have an impact on how her body handles the curse, and its progression.

“Curses do tend to act most slowly in those who are larger,” Rin notes, taking measurements. Ryū is returned to her undergarments, a bit pink as the witch gets all manner of personal with her person. “You’re rather tall, so that might be helping slow the transformation some. It obviously can’t stop it entirely, but it helps.”

Looking to some of the princess’ scales under a magnifying glass, Rin compares them to a few dragon scales she has on hand for potions and charms. Ryū’s are considerably smoother, and quite a bit smaller, but appear to be made of the same material. “Hm...well, given all your measurements, compared to the apparent progression of the curse...I do think it’s safe to say you’re not going to change into a full-fledged dragon. If you were, your anatomy would be changing far faster, given the rest of your symptoms.”

“Is...is that a good thing?”

“...I’m not sure.” Rin taps her glass against her chin, thinking. “...it does make you more similar to a werewolf. They too are anthropomorphic creatures, just...another breed. And also directly correlating to a celestial body. You, however, seem to be taking a permanent form.”

The word ‘permanent’ clearly doesn’t sit well, and Ryū can’t help a small whine of worry.

“But, if the dragonsbane potion does work in a similar way, then...it would simply be a matter of ingesting it more regularly. Rather than just on the worst nights of the moon cycle, you’d likely have to take it once a day, depending on how safe the maximum dosage is, and how potent it can be without harming you. All things we’ll need to test. Very carefully, of course.”

The princess gives a slow nod, brow knitted.

“Don’t worry, m’lady. I’ll do all I can.”

“...I know.”

That evening, there’s a call from beyond the ivy. “Oi!”

“Oh, that’s Kakashi.” Abandoning her work, Rin moves to let him in. “Thanks for coming.”

“Sure. Though I’m not sure what use I’ll be.”

“Neither do I, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt.” Taking him inside, Rin gestures. “Ryū, this is Kakashi. Kakashi, Ryū. She’s a princess.”

Grey brows lift in surprise. One dark eye looks her over, the other clouded with blindness, an angry scar cutting through the lid. “Wasn’t aware I’d be meeting royalty.”

“I’m hardly a proper princess at the moment,” Ryū offers somberly. At Rin’s request, she shows the scales on an arm, and then blushingly lifts her skirt to show her leg.

Squatted to a lower level, Kakashi rubs his chin thoughtfully as he observes the limb. “It’s definitely the same structure as what I change to. Just, uh...scaly rather than furry.”

“As I thought…have you ever come across this while traveling?” At Ryū’s curious look, Rin expounds, “Kakashi is a monster hunter. Rather ironic, eh Kakashi?”

He just grunts in response, still thinking. “...can’t say I have. I’ve only ever had to face one dragon...and thankfully not for very long. Never seen one shaped like this.”

“Nor have I. I’ve read about the draconids, but...that’s ancient history by now.”

“Interesting that someone would choose it as a curse, isn’t it?”

“There are dragons in my homeland,” Ryū offers, “but...none like you say. We are...neutral towards them. They can be quite wise, and have aided us in the past. But we mostly try to stay out of one another’s way.”

“Out of a dragon’s way is the best way to be,” Kakashi agrees dryly.

“Well...it’s getting late now,” Rin offers. “You should get some rest. You can take my bunk.” A hand points up to a small loft.

“Oh no, I couldn’t -”

“I insist. I’ve slept in worse places for worse reasons,” Rin offers with a wry smile.

Looking sheepish, Ryū accepts, climbing the ladder up and disappearing.

The pair below watch her go before looking to each other. With a nod of her head, Rin gestures them both outside. Out they walk to stand on the riverbank.

“...so?”

“...I don’t know,” Rin muses softly. “I’ve never heard of using the plant this way, but...it has the same basic properties as wolfsbane. There has to be a way to mirror its effects, but…”

“Testing will be dangerous.”

“...yes. And if she has to consume it every day, she’ll need a steady supply. I wish there was a way to just...rid her of it completely. But I don’t know how. Or if it’s even possible without the proper countercurse. And I have no way of knowing how to do that, given I don’t know the curse that started it.”

“...I could always go nab the guy.”

Rin gives him a pointed look. “I’d like to keep this from turning into an international incident, if you just go up there and kidnap a court mage.”

“I could explain.”

“We’ve sent a letter to her mother...perhaps we’ll hear word back. For now, though...time is my biggest enemy. If she finishes changing, there might be no going back. There’s so much unknown…”

“You’ll figure it out,” Kakashi assures her. “You always do.”

Rin doesn’t reply, not so sure.

The pair sleep downstairs, Rin waking with the dawn. Letting the princess sleep, she goes about prep work to begin making the first attempts at the potion. Thankfully she has a decent supply of dragonsbane, but...she might want to start propagating more. Out in her garden, she starts encouraging new seedlings to sprout.

By the time she returns, Ryū is back on the ground floor. “Sleep well?”

The small grimace she gives in return speaks well enough.

“Well...we’d best get started.”

Using her data of Ryū’s physiology against the wolfsbane potion, Rin starts calculating conversions. Even then, she begins with a fraction of potency. The brew takes nearly three weeks to properly simmer, so in the meantime...there’s little else to do but talk. They exchange stories of their pasts, their families, their friends. Strolls are taken within the woods and along the riverbanks, gaps slowly filled in their knowledge of each other. Little by little, Rin gets to know more about the mysterious princess and the lands she comes from. In turn, she reveals things long-buried about herself...things she hasn’t dared to think of in years.

Like a vine-covered window slowly pried open, light starts to shine through into her solitude. The air starts to clear form the years of idle dust. And things start to seem...different.

Rin starts to realize how...alone she’s felt all this time. And how much company her guest has proven to be.

...she’ll be sad to see her go.

“My name actually means dragon in the old tongue,” Ryū muses one afternoon as Rin puts the finishing touches on the first batch. “I wonder if that’s where he got his inspiration from…”

“It’s possible,” the witch muses, carefully tending to her cauldron. While wolfsbane is always a deep green, this concoction is a noxious purple. “...all right, I think we’re ready. Now, I can test it on your skin, first. See if you have any reaction before we go pouring it down your gullet.”

Ryū nods, baring an arm as Rin carefully takes a small spoonful, letting it cool before a drop is spared to a patch of scales.

It hisses, smoking and bubbling for a fraction of a second. Then, after a pause...a scale pops off onto the floor with a clatter.

Both women stare at it before looking up. “...um…”

“...it might be a bit strong,” Rin offers nervously. “I’ll...try diluting it a bit.”

“Maybe...maybe it’s something we should apply topically…? Rather than, um...internally?”

Rin nibbles her lip in thought. “...let me try one more thing.”

Baring Ryūs back, Rin takes another drop and lets it dribble onto one of the protrusions on her shoulder blade: something she can only assume will later tear and reveal wings, as the base of her spine has done for her new tail.

Immediately, the skin begins to burn.

“Ah...ah!” Curling up in pain, Ryū’s hands scramble back to try and reach the sensation. “I-it’s like...acid! R-Rin!”

Panicking, Rin summons water from a nearby bucket and tries to wash the residue away. It steams upon contact, and she can’t help but blanch at the hole left behind. Ryū’s muscles twitch and flutter in lingering pain, and Rin just...stares at the infant fifth limb now uncovered, like a lanced boil.

“That...t-that didn’t work,” she notes, tone a bit weak in residual shock.

Shaking and biting back tears, Ryū looks over. “...is...is it bad?”

“...I’ll tend to it.”

Mixing up a poultice for burns, Rin carefully applies it to the melted flesh, covering it with clean cloth. “...I’m so sorry…”

“You didn’t know.”

“But the scale, I -!”

“It’s okay, Rin.” Ryū gives her a shaking smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “You...you tried. Maybe floral magic just...isn’t the way to go.”

“But…!” The witch deflates, frustrated tears in her eyes. “...I don’t know any other methods…! And I don’t know any witches who specialize in curses, we’re - we’re running out of time!”

“It’s okay. I think...I think I knew this wouldn’t work.” Ryū’s expression shifts to a somber acceptance. “Surely there’s no stronger curse than one born out of scorned love...even if he never really loved me. All he wanted was what he could take from me… and now he’s taken everything. My mother has no other daughters. She’s too old to bear another. The crown will have to find another path, and...maybe he’ll find a way to take it with me removed. Maybe this was his plan all along...”

Her own face defeated, Rin mulls all that over. Part of her is so angry, she has half a mind to drag Kakashi back here, march up to the north, and duel that bastard herself with him as her second. He couldn’t have her...so he’s turned her into a beast no one could love. He ended her line, and...he…

...wait.

Perking up, Rin scarcely dares to breathe. No...that can’t...but could it…? Looking to Ryū, whose face is turned aside with shame, she looks over the princess’ form. There’s been more changes since her arrival. Her horns are longer, ears taking a more bestial shape: long and hollow (and currently drooped in sorrow). Scales coat more than half her arms and abdomen, both legs now inhumanly distorted. Even her tail is longer, thicker. To anyone in their right mind, she’s a horror to look at. Something to be feared.

...but…?

It’s a rather cliche solution to curses. One often used simply because it’s so glaringly specific. It has to be pure, unmatched, and without any pretense or force. And given all of the lined up circumstances - she’s ugly, now removed from a royal line with no other branches, given up on by the man who sought to use her - it only makes sense.

“Ryū.”

Turning to face her, the princess stiffens with widened eyes as Rin takes the front of her gown in her curled fingers. For a moment they search one another’s gazes before Rin closes the gap, and locks their lips.

As she does, she recalls all the hours of talking, laughing, secret sharing they’ve done since Ryū has arrived. How Rin’s inherent loneliness has been lifted. How much warmer and brighter her little cabin has felt with two people within it, bound by a common goal.

It’s then Rin admits to herself that she’s grown quite fond of this cursed princess.

It’s then she admits that she loves her.

...but it can’t be one-sided if this is going to work.

Still tense with surprise, Ryū stares as Rin kisses her with closed eyes. Heat blooms in her face. She...but...what…? Her heart flutters in her chest, a warmth spreading from her mouth to every end of her nerves. Then slowly she relaxes, lids sliding closed, returning the kiss softly.

With a clatter like a box of marbles spilled upon the floor, scales shed in a torrent. Magic flares and ruffles at their clothes and locks. Horns drop from her head, flesh rippling as time seems to reverse, anatomy shifting back into human until a flawless princess slowly opens her eyes.

Rin looks up, her own gaze softened with the fog of affection, before they both turn to look at the mess. Lifting her slip, Ryū stares at her legs. Pale, fleshy, human legs. She wiggles her toes, and then breaks into a torrent of giggles.

“You...you did it! You really did it!” Eyes starry with unabashed joy, she launches forward and embraces Rin, who squeaks and topples over. Laughing and crying, Ryū then spares a moment to kiss her again, butting their brows as she looks to the witch adoringly. “...you saved me,” she murmurs, tone soft with gratitude and affection.

Face flushed and eyes wide, Rin lingers in shock for a moment before giving a curt, nervous laugh. “I...I guess I did...didn’t I?”

Still beaming, Ryū giggles a bit more, sitting up and looking around at the mess of scales. “...well, I guess you won’t have to buy any more dragon scales for a while, will you?”

Rin then does the same, and snorts. “...I guess not.”

They sweep up the silver and white shards, Ryū carefully picking up the pair of horns. “Wow...these are actually really pretty.”

“I agree. I’ll have to make them into something.”

Setting them atop the table, Ryū looks to Rin thoughtfully. “...so...now what do we do…?”

“Well...I guess you get to go home now, m’lady. Hopefully your mother has taken care of the bastard who cursed you...though we may want to be cautious until we hear back.”

To the witch’s surprise, something falls in Ryū’s expression.

“...you...do want to go home, don’t you?”

“I...I do. And I must. But…” Somber, demure eyes glance up. “...I wonder if...you would come with me…”

“Me?”

“It was love, wasn’t it? That broke the curse?”

Rin suddenly turns sheepish. “I...well, yes - but -”

“I don’t want to leave that behind.”

At a loss for words, Rin...isn’t sure what to say.

“I know you love this place, and...if you want to stay, I cannot fault you. But...if you were to come with me, you wouldn’t have to hide…! You could practice your craft without fear!”

“But...you’re a princess! Surely you need to marry a prince, bear an heir -!”

At that, Ryū laughs. “I can bear an heir without marrying a prince. My line, as I’ve told you, is matriarchal. We don’t need a king. I could very well make a witch my queen if it’s what I want,” she adds coyly. “...and...if that is what the witch wants.”

Rin flounders. “...I...I-I don’t know...I’ve lived here so long, and -”

“I don’t expect an answer now,” Ryū assures her, holding up a placating hand. “...but I should go soon. My mother is surely eager to see me...as I am to see her.”

“...I’ll send Kakashi with you. He’ll keep you safe, especially if things are still...unsettled there. And...I’ll take time to think.”

Ryū smiles softly. “...very well.”

The next day, set with supplies and with the werewolf at her side, Ryū stands outside the ivy. Silvers lock with umbers, unnamed emotions flitting through both.

“...be careful,” Rin murmurs.

“I will be. I’ll write soon.”

“Okay…”

Drawing her hood, Ryū then leans in, giving the little witch a gentle kiss. “...I will see you again.”

Flushed pink (and ignoring Kakashi’s snickering), Rin manages a jerking nod. “...until then.” Watching them go, she feels something in her chest sink with every step. The impulsive part of her - a very large part, at present - almost goes running after her.

...but for now...she has thinking to do.

It’s not every day you fall in love with a princess, after all.

.oOo.

Day three! This time RyūRin with @wanderingmelodies‘ Rin! Which is...technically a ship we never really fleshed out, more just...hinted at, and usually in crack xD But I’ve always liked the concept, so...here it is in a fantasy verse! Woo! So far this is the longest one by far up til now - had to do a lot more worldbuilding to set things up here, sooo I got a lil carried away lol - what can I say, I’m a worldbuilding nerd =w= But uh, yeah! I dunno why, but I’ve always gotten like...flora mage vibes from Rin. Which is also how I write her in Divine Light! Hence her being a wee plant witchy here. And ofc Ryū’s got dragony things going on! Was tempted to let her keep the ability to transform, but this is long enough as-is xD Mey, I know you don’t write on that blog anymore, but I miss yer beans and I hope you enjoy this...very random story, lol And with that, I’m gonna sign off! We’re about halfway through the week, woo! Ngl I’ma be sad when this is over...but it’s fun while it lasts!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #wanderingmelodies #nohara rin #suigin ryū #like magic [ au ]#gore //

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kusunogatari · 5 years

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[ @redlineoffate ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

“Remember everyone: this assignment will be due at the beginning of class Monday. I know it’s only been the first week, but there will be a quiz to follow.”

A quiet groan seems to come from most of the class, and the teacher perks a brow.

“It can always be worse - just get the sheet done, brush up a bit, and I’m sure you’ll all do just fine. Other than that, have a good weekend.”

“Yeah, good weekend with that hanging over our heads,” a boy behind Itachi mutters as the bell rings, releasing them from their final class of the day. “Like every other teacher hasn’t done the same thing ‘til we’re overloaded…”

Not having any comment, Itachi simply gathers up his supplies and heads out with the rest of the students. In truth, he’s been waiting for Friday just like the rest of them, but for another reason.

The club he’s been in for all of high school only meets on Friday, and he can finally get back to it: the chess club. Putting away his books into his locker, he makes his way down the hall to the classroom they’ve always used.

But, when he gets there...it’s locked. That’s odd. Carefully testing the knob and looking through the narrow window, he sees the lights off, blinds drawn.

“Ah, Itachi…”

Looking aside, he spies the teacher typically in charge of the club, Asuma Sarutobi, coming down the hall toward him, hands in his pockets. “Mr. Sarutobi...is there no club meeting today?”

“I’m afraid not.” A hint of a scowl colors his features. “I was hoping I’d get here before to explain, but...the club’s been shut down.”

“What?!” Though normally quiet and reserved, Itachi can’t help the outburst. “But...why?”

“There’s a few reasons. The way clubs are set up has changed with some new school rules, and there’s been a...redistribution of funds for after school activities. Sadly, the chess club was at the bottom of the list.”

“But...we don’t need any funding.” What could they be spending money on?

“Well, there’s the driver’s time and gas for any competitions we go to. And the supervisor has to be paid. I told them I’d go without, but it’s a requirement legally, apparently. Add in the ‘used power’ to keep the lights on -” Asuma practically growls at that “- and I guess we’re just not worth the cost.”

Itachi’s heart sinks. He’s been in this club all through high school, and was even in his junior high branch. “...can we raise the funds ourselves?”

“I asked, they didn’t really give me a straight answer. I talked to most of the students in the club previously at lunch, but...most didn’t seem that dedicated. They seemed fine just letting the club go.” Asuma claps a hand on Itachi’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Itachi. That’s just how it goes. It’s honestly a shame...given that most of the funding was rerouted into more legit clubs...in other words, all the sports teams for this season. They bring in more revenue for the school than a chess club.”

The Uchiha bows his head, expression somber. “...thank you for your dedication to the club, Mr. Sarutobi. I’m...sad to see it go, but some things we can’t change.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something else to do and enjoy after class, Itachi. Most should still be accepting members for another week or so, so you’ve got time to find something new.” Smiling grimly, Asuma then offers, “I’d best get going...see you around.”

“Goodbye.” Left standing in the hall, Itachi mulls the situation over for a time before sighing in resignation. About-facing, he instead heads to the large bulletin board near the main school entrance.

There, posters and sign up sheets abound for all of the other clubs still in operation. Most are sports, which Itachi has little interest in. While part of him thinks to simply go without a club activity this year, he knows it looks good on his college applications - the more activities, the better.

“...oh!”

Glancing over at a familiar voice, Itachi can’t help a slight perk in his expression. “Ryū,” he greets, seeing her approach, a poster in her hands. “...here to put something up?”

“Yes, actually.” She gives him a smile, and he can’t help a small flutter of butterflies in his stomach. Excusing herself past him, she fetches a few tacks and puts up her flyer.

It’s for...the theater club?

“Looking for more members?”

“Mhm. Ms. Yūhi was absent for the beginning of the week, so a poster didn’t get done until now. I worked on it during my art class, and thought I might as well put it up! No one will see it until Monday, but…” Her shoulders shrug. “I thought it couldn’t hurt.” It’s then she thinks to look to him curiously. “...doesn’t the chess club meet on Friday?”

Expression falling, Itachi hesitates a moment before explaining.

Looking surprised, Ryū then gives him a sympathetic look. “Oh...I’m sorry. I know you really liked that club.”

“I did, but...well, I can still play chess on my own time. It’s a shame, but -” he gestures to the board “- I’m glad there are still so many clubs up and going.”

“Were you...thinking of joining something else?”

“I was.”

“Well...you could always join the theater club!” Ryū brightens a bit, and her smile begets one of his own. “Even if you don’t want to perform, we could always use help in other ways! People help build sets, manage the lights and sound...it takes a lot more than just the actors to make a show!”

He...hadn’t really considered it that way before. “...I...suppose I could…?”

“Well, I don’t want to pressure you.” Her smile turns sheepish. “I mean...I’ve been in the club all through high school, so...I’m a little biased. But if you do decide to join, we’d love to have you!”

Itachi gives her a smile in turn. “I will think about it. There’s a number of options, after all.”

“That’s fine! We haven’t begun any rehearsals yet, so there’s plenty of time to mull it over.”

“How often do you meet?”

“Well, now that Ms. Yūhi is back, every Monday and Friday! Usually for an hour or two, it depends on everyone’s schedules. Most of the members are underclassmen, so they’re not as busy as us seniors.”

Two nights a week...surely he could handle that. Chess club took less time, and Itachi does typically have a mountain of homework from his upper level classes, but… “I believe I could handle that.”

“Okay! Well, you think it over, and I’ll check back with you on Monday. I guess, either way, I’ll see you then!”

Itachi nods, watching her go before directing his attention back to the bulletin board. The poster she made is quite nice. He doesn’t recognize any of the plays listed that they’ll be doing, but...then again, he’s not overly familiar with plays, anyway.

Already he’s fairly certain he’ll join. Working backstage doesn’t sound so bad, and it’s not too often, or for too long. He should be able to handle his class workload alongside it just fine.

And...there’s another reason.

Itachi has known Ryū since they were fairly young. Her father Jiraiya teaches the literature class in their high school, and Itachi’s father Fugaku - chief of their city’s police - has known him for quite some time. And it helps that their little brothers - Sasuke and Naruto (whom Jiraiya raises as his godson) - are so close.

And, well...over the years, Itachi’s become rather...fond of her. Maybe...more than fond. So, getting to spend a little extra time with her - especially given that so few of their classes overlap - would be...nice.

...that’s all.

With that settled, he retreats to his locker to retrieve his things, mind already buzzing with his weekend schedule...and looking forward to Monday.

Arriving home, he calls out a greeting into the house, prompting his mother to stick her head out of the living room curiously. “Shouldn’t you be in chess club?”

“No...it was cancelled.”

“...the meeting today? Or…?”

Itachi sighs. “The entire club.”

“Oh no...I’m sorry, dear.”

“It’s fine...I think I’ll join something else come Monday.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. The theater group.”

Mikoto blinks, clearly a bit surprised. “...oh! I...wasn’t expecting that,” she admits with a laugh. “What made you decide on that?”

“...there’s backstage work to be done. It would be a change of pace.”

As though sensing her son is leaving something out, Mikoto eyes him curiously. “...I see. Any friends in that club?”

“Just one. At least, that I know of.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” A pause, but he can tell she’s awaiting a name. Sighing a bit (and going ever so slightly pink around the ears), Itachi admits, “Ryū Suigin has been part of it all through high school.”

At the girl’s name, Mikoto perks up, clearly elated. “Oh, I see!” She gives him a wry smile. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have fun! We’ll have to come watch the plays!”

“I won’t be in them…”

“But you’ll still be part of them! If we can go to your chess competitions, we can go to your plays,” she insists.

Amused, Itachi just gives her a smile before heading upstairs to his room, dodging Sasuke as he runs down the stairs. “Careful!”

“Sorry!” the younger brother calls.

“Be back before dinner!” Mikoto instructs, earning a ‘yes Mom’ in return as Sasuke flies out the front door.

“Heading to Naruto’s?” Itachi asks from the stairwell.

“Of course,” his mother replies. “Something about a new game? I’m not sure.”

Nodding, Itachi heads to his room, shutting his door and preparing for an evening of homework.

For once, the weekend seems to go slowly. Itachi decides to blame it on his eagerness for Monday to arrive. Not something most students do, admittedly. But when the day finally comes, the first thing he does this morning is seek out Ryū.

She’s easy enough to find, chatting with another student before looking over and spotting him. Excusing herself, she walks over to meet him, smiling. “So, going to join us?”

“I am,” he replies, unable to stop a smile in return.

“Oh, perfect!” Hands clap together excitedly. “I really hope you enjoy it! We always end up like a big family, working together so much on each play!”

“Even us in the background?”

“Of course! Every role in the production is important, not just the people who act.”

Before Ryū can explain more, the warning bell sounds before first class. “Well...I guess we can talk about it more after school - see you then!”

“Where do I go?”

“Oh, just up on the stage! We practice there with the curtain closed. We haven’t really started yet given our first meeting was Friday, so you haven’t missed much, don’t worry.”

Nodding, Itachi heads in one direction as Ryū takes another for their first classes of the day.

It’s rare that someone as eager to learn as Itachi looks forward to the school day ending, but...well, this is an exception. Once the final hour block is done, he navigates the hall to the door that leads to the stage. He’s never been up here before. Never had a reason to be. He’s never even gone to see any of the school plays. Something he feels a little bad about, given that Ryū has been in pretty much all of them. It’s just...never really occurred to him before.

The lights are on, which he takes as a good sign. The far wing is filled with old props and backdrops, but the actual stage is clear save for a gathering of folding chairs, and a piano. On this side, out of sight of the open curtain, looks to be all of the sound and lighting equipment. These he looks at curiously, as they’ll probably be what he works with the most.

Itachi’s also not the first to arrive.

Around a dozen other students - mostly underclassmen, from what he can tell - mingle around, talking quietly. His entrance draws a few glances, but they otherwise ignore him.

“Itachi!” Looking up from a stack of boxes, Ryū approaches.

“Hello.”

“Not everyone’s here yet, so we’ll wait a bit. You’ve probably never had Ms. Yūhi as a teacher, right…?”

“I have not.” As the art teacher, she’s not one Itachi’s ever had a class with.

“I’ll introduce you!”

Leafing through a play’s score, Kurenai looks up as the pair approach. “So, this is the young man you wrangled into joining us?” she asks, smiling wryly.

“I didn’t force him! I just...suggested it,” Ryū insists.

“Of course…” Holding out a hand, she lets him shake it. “Kurenai Yūhi.”

“Itachi Uchiha.”

“Miss Suigin’s been telling me all about you.”

Itachi gives her a curious glance, and Ryū’s cheeks go pink. “...has she, now?”

“She’s been very excited to have you join. Ryū is actually the only senior who’s returned this year...which makes you senior number two. I’m willing to bet she’ll end up being voted club president and make sure everything runs smoothly - she’s been very dedicated to the club since she joined. Maybe she’ll even get a lead role, hm?”

“Ms. Yūhi!” Ryū cuts in, looking embarrassed.

“I’m just glad we have someone who’s still passionate about the club,” the teacher replies with a smile. “We were in danger of being one of the after school activities shut down this year, but she fought against it with me.”

“...really?” Itachi asks. “She didn’t mention that.”

Ryū glances aside. “I...didn’t want to make you feel bad about the chess club…”

“Ah, yes...Asu-” Kurenai cuts off, coughs, and then amends, “...Mr. Sarutobi told me about that. A shame...but I guess that’s why you’re here instead, Itachi?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, it’s not chess, but I’m sure you’ll have fun. Ryū suggested you’d likely prefer a more behind-the-scenes role than one on the stage, correct?”

“Er, yes.” Itachi itches at his neck sheepishly. “...I’m not sure I’m acting material.”

“That’s just fine - we can always use more hands behind the curtain to make things run smoothly. Today we’re going to do introductions, and see who wants to do what. And there will be time to move people around as they try things out, and maybe change their minds.”

Nodding, Itachi follows Ryū to a few of the chairs, arranged in a ring. “We’ll all sit here and talk about roles! Friday was more of an introduction and explaining about the club, so...we’ll get into actual work today.”

“...should I introduce myself?”

“Sure! Once everyone’s here, we’ll let them know you joined!”

Ten more minutes pass before Kurenai calls the students together. “Welcome back, everyone. First, you may notice we’ve gained one more troupemate since Friday.”

Realizing that’s his cue, Itachi stands, offering, “I’m Itachi Uchiha, a senior. I...hope we’ll get along.”

Kurenai smiles at him, and a few people wave in greeting. “Now, today we’re going to start going over roles for the troupe. We, of course, have our acting cast...but also those who play more supportive roles. The people who handle the lights, the sound, build props and sets...and even handle the camera during the days we film for copies of the play to sell. Usually we figure out those roles first, and then move into who can play who in the play itself. First off, a show of hands of who would like to be part of the support cast?”

A few hands raise, including Itachi’s. Kurenai counts and jots them down. “All right...now, the most important roles there are the lights and sound, since those will be more permanent roles. We’ll need people fully dedicated to those positions. Our actors can also help with prop and sets when we’re not practicing scenes!”

The other students state their preferences, and Kurenai labels them all. “Itachi, any preference?”

A moment to think “...sound, I guess?” He’s worked with equipment like that briefly for presentations and the like. Lights...not so much. “I could also do the camera, if you’d like.”

“Perfect. Once we get all the other parts settled, I’ll walk you and the others through how to use all the equipment, which we’ll need to move back into the overhead room! We store some of it during the summer elsewhere, since it can get pretty hot up there.”

Then begins the casting. Explaining the necessary cast numbers, the group all read through the script before she offers, “Everyone ready for their auditions?”

Itachi blinks in surprise. They have to audition? Aren’t they already in the club? He and the other backstage members move to sit in some of the theater hall seats, watching as the students all give little recitals. Some sing, some dance, some give monologues.

And toward the end is Ryū.

Sitting up a bit as she goes on stage, Itachi listens as Ryū first gives an opening scene, clearly from another play. Then she sings a short song, moving along the stage as she does. It’s clear she’s done this before, a happy, excited expression on her face.

In the back of his mind, he feels a little worse for never having come watched one of her plays before.

A few more students then audition, and Kurenai declares the day almost over. “I’ll work on assigning the cast for this production over the week, and announce it Friday! For now, those of you going to work behind the scenes, follow me - we’ll move and go over the tech you’ll be using.”

They carry up some of the more sensitive equipment, and Kurenai is right - it is hot in the room that overlooks the theater. Heat rises, after all. Once everything is set back up, she walks them through what each device does, letting them test everything. A few students down on the stage try out the microphones, letting Itachi fiddle with sound levels, effects, and managing all of the channels. Lights are shone down on the floor, sliders at their front letting them change color, and both narrow and expand.

“So, think you guys can handle it?”

Everyone nods, and she excuses them for the day. Heading back down to the floor of the auditorium, Itachi finds Ryū still there, waiting for him. “I thought you would have gone home?”

“I wanted to make sure you got through everything okay! Think you’ll enjoy it?”

“I believe so. It will be...interesting to see how this all fits together.”

“It’ll be great!” Hands folding behind her back, Ryū muses, “I hope I get a decent part...especially since this is my last year.”

“Your audition was wonderful.”

“You think so?”

Itachi nods. “I’ve...never heard you sing before.”

At that, Ryū goes a light shade of pink, glancing aside. “...I love to do it. Though I wasn’t brave enough at first. The first two years, I only played little roles with hardly any talking. Then last year, I had a part where I sang with a group. This time, I want to have a solo!”

“I could never do that.”

“But you already do! When you do stuff like a presentation for a class, that’s something in front of a group, by yourself!”

“Yes, but I don’t have to sing it,” Itachi chuckles.

“Maybe they’d be more fun that way!”

They leave the theater hall behind, picking up their things from their lockers. “Do you have a ride home?”

“Oh, I took my bike!”

“Isn’t it a bit far?”

“Well, to be fair, I could use the exercise,” Ryū laughs. “Besides, I need to stop and pick up a few things before I head home.”

“I could take you - I drove.”

“But...my bike -?”

“I’m sure it would fit in the back.” Knowing he’d need to get himself home after the busses had left, Itachi brought his mother’s SUV, which is plenty big.

“...are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

Loading up her bike, Itachi then drives them both to the store she was planning to stop at. A glance shows her looking a bit sheepish in her seat. “...are you all right?”

“Y-yes! I just...feel bad -”

“Ryū, I offered,” Itachi cuts in gently with a smile. “It’s fine.” After a pause, he asks, “Why don’t I just take you home after practice every day?”

“But -?”

“I’ll have to take the car anyway. And I’d feel better knowing you don’t have to go home alone at this hour.”

Having no retort for that, Ryū seems to relax a bit, only moving when she hops out to fetch her few groceries. “I’ll be right back!”

“Want me to come with you?”

“Nope! I’ll just be a minute!”

True to her word, Ryū is in and out, back into the car in hardly any time. From there, Itachi takes her the rest of the way to her house. Once her bike and backpack are out, they stand awkwardly in the driveway for a moment.

“...thank you for taking me home,” Ryū eventually manages to offer, flashing a shy smile.

“Of course. I’ll take you again on Friday.” Another pause, and then, “...I hope you get the part you want.”

“Me too! And...I hope you enjoy being part of the crew. It’ll be...nice to see you a bit more often.”

“Yes...you too.”

The front door then opens, and both teens turn to see Jiraiya in the doorway. Spotting them, he gives a wry grin, leaning against the frame with folded arms.

Flushing even darker pink, Ryū stutters, “I-I better get in and, um...fix dinner! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Er, right - goodnight.”

“Night!” Scampering up the steps, she ducks sheepishly past her father with her things and heads into the house.

Glancing to Jiraiya, Itachi can’t help but feel a bit...awkward. He has an advanced literature class with him, after all…and he doesn’t want him to get the wrong impression. “I...didn’t want her riding home alone.”

The man just nods in thanks, watching Itachi get back into his mother’s car and head toward home. Once he gets there, he parks in the garage, heading in and leaning against the door with a sigh.

“So? How was your first practice?” Mikoto calls from the kitchen.

“We didn’t really do much yet. Things are still being...arranged.”

“Ohhh, I see...well, it’s time for dinner now! Call your brother down, will you? He never listens to me anymore.”

Laughing softly, Itachi puts away this things before fetching his brother.

Come Friday, Itachi finds himself nervous. Not for himself, but for his friend. Given Kurenai’s hinting, and how well Ryū did (at least, he thinks she did well), he has high hopes she’ll get a good part...but still can’t help but worry.

The troupe all sit in their chairs like last time, and Kurenai passes out copies of the playbooks. This time, however, they have names and roles written on the front, their lines highlighted. Sitting beside Itachi, he can see as Ryū’s hands curl and uncurl atop her lap in anxiousness.

Pausing as she reaches the seniors, Kurenai waits a moment before handing Ryū her book. “Congrats,” is all she offers.

Glancing over eagerly, Itachi sees her name, and under it, the character she’ll be playing.

The lead!

In spite of herself, Ryū lets out a squeal, and several of the underclassmen from the previous year whoop in celebration.

“Now, for today, we’re going to do another read through of the play, all with our proper lines. You can all work on things like voices and gestures as we go to get a feel for your new character! To those in the backstage crew...I guess you get seats to an early rendition.”

Itachi doesn’t mind at all he has nothing to read, simply watching the other students as they go through their lines. Already, Ryū starts setting up her character, working on a voice to suit her. Even if she’s just sitting and reading, he finds himself rather enraptured.

From there...practice really begins.

Night by night, they work on scenes, everyone memorizing their lines in their spare time. Itachi lends hands with making props and building the sets for the stage, as well as working on the soundtracks and sound effects he’ll be playing at the proper time for each scene. The actors speak, sing, dance, and pantomime as the weeks pass, the show date looming ever closer.

Then, before they know it, it’s the Friday before the shows: twice a day, on both Saturday and Sunday. Itachi and another student will be trading turns to work the sound, and on his turn off, Itachi will be managing the camera to film the last show for all of the parents and students to buy. That and the ticket sales should help cover all they spent on costumes and supplies.

“All right, everyone...tomorrow’s the big day,” Kurenai announces, a sparkle in her eye. “You’ve all been doing fantastic - I’m sure this show is going to be a huge success!”

Everyone claps, and with their two hours of practice over, begin to disperse. Going to his locker to grab his things, Itachi then realizes he forgot to grab his thumb drive with his copy of the music and sounds!

Taking the stairs back up to the overhead room, he pauses as the piano on the stage starts to play. Odd...he thought everyone left? Looking out the front, he spots Kurenai at the keys.

And in the middle of the stage is Ryū. Seems she wants to practice one more thing before they go.

Hands clasped, she waits for the proper bar before looking up, a forlorn expression on her face. It’s one of the pivotal songs of the show: where the main character tries to make a big decision before the climax.

Funny...he’s heard her sing this many times before now, but...this time, it seems...different. Maybe because she doesn’t know anyone is watching...or because, with him being the only one, it’s like she’s singing just for him.

Either way, it brings a strange calm over him, unable to look away.

On and on she croons, gesturing as she interacts with the set. And all the while, Itachi watches closely, feeling the echo of his heart in his chest slowly get louder.

It’s so beautiful…

Then, the last note lingers out over the auditorium...before silence rings. Down below, Ryū relaxes as she drops out of character, talking with Kurenai. From here, without mics, he can’t hear what they’re saying. But then he remembers, he has to drive her home! She’ll be looking for him once she finishes.

Racing back down the stairs, he jogs up to the door where she emerges, coming up short at his hurried pace. “Oh!”

“Sorry, I had to run and grab some things. Ready to go?”

“Yeah, I think so. Just...wanted to get one last round of practice in. I’ll probably be up all night singing...”

“Do be careful not to wear out your voice.”

“I won’t!”

To Ryū’s house they go first, Itachi dropping her off with a wish of good luck.

“No no! In acting, you say, ‘break a leg’!”

That takes him aback. “...why?”

“Because of an old superstition that saying ‘good luck’ for a performer is actually bad luck,” she explains with a smile. “So instead, you wish them the opposite, which...I guess is usually break a leg!”

“...this is why I’m not an actor,” Itachi replies, earning a loud laugh and having to fight a smile.

“Well...see you tomorrow,” Ryū manages once her mirth calms.

Itachi nods. “Get some rest.”

“You too.”

When he arrives home, Itachi has to stave off questions about the last practice from his mother. “It was just...practice.”

“Think you’re ready?”

“As best I can be.”

“What about everyone else?”

“Well, the final run-through went very well.”

“Anyone stand out…?”

Itachi gives his mother a pleading, deadpanned look.

“What? It’s an honest question!”

Rolling his eyes and fighting back a smile, he counters, “I guess you’ll just have to see tomorrow. Is Sasuke coming?”

“I believe so. Naruto said he was going to go to support his sister, so I’d be willing to bet he’ll tag along to do the same!”

Itachi almost retorts - he’s not in the play, after all - but by now he just lets their enthusiasm go unfettered. At least they’ll be there to watch the show.

Saturday morning, he heads into the school early for one last check of his equipment for the sound. All over backstage are the acting students. Most are already in their costumes for the opening scene, going over lines and singing vocal warm-ups. It takes him a few minutes, but eventually he finds Ryū. She’s oddly still and quiet, looking a bit zoned out as she slowly curls a paper playbill in her hands.

“...Ryū?”

“...oh!” Smiling sheepishly, she gives a hello. “I’m...a little nervous.”

“It’s going to be great. And you’ll be great.”

Her head ducks shyly, smiling with a hint of a blush. “...I’ll try my best.”

As the time draws near, Itachi has to retreat to the overhead room, doing his final adjustments as people begin to find their seats. Playing soft music in the meantime, he watches, spotting both his family and Ryū’s as they sit.

Then Kurenai steps on stage, Itachi fading the music as she introduces the play...and they begin.

With his lamp, Itachi carefully watches both the play and his copy of the script, playing all the right songs and effects at the correct times. And every time Ryū comes on stage, he pays extra close attention.

Then, it’s time for her solo.

Alone on the stage, the spotlight is put on her, taking the same pose as the day before in her practice with Kurenai. Itachi starts the music, watching.

Come on…

Then...she sings.

Just like yesterday, he can’t tear his eyes away. And neither can the audience, watching in hushed anticipation as she goes. By the time the song ends, the silence rings out for several seconds before people start to clap.

Pride fills Itachi’s chest. She did so well!

The rest of the play seems to coast downhill with the big song over, and soon enough...it’s done. The theater hall fills with applause, Itachi setting the last music to play before heading down as Kurenai told him to. He and the other backstage help are meant to join in the last bow. Waiting in one of the stage wings, he and the others behind the scenes take their bow before the whole cast steps up to give the last.

Everyone waves, the curtain slowly lowering until the audience is out of sight. Most people quickly scatter to begin getting ready to mingle afterward. Taking a steadying breath, Itachi glances over to look for Ryū...only for her to find him first.

Clearly still excited, she latches onto him in a tight hug, laughing. “We did it!” Once she lets go, she looks at him with a look so full of pride and happiness, he just...can’t help himself.

Before he stops to think, Itachi just...kisses her.

For a moment she goes stock still, stiff with surprise. But once that fades, she softens, shyly kissing him in return. Slowly they part, looking to each other cautiously.

“...I...I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have -”

“I-it’s fine,” Ryū cuts in, flushing pink. “I...I’ve been waiting for you to do that.”

After a pause, they both give nervous smiles and sheepish laughs.

“...so, should we...go out and see everyone?”

“Yeah...I guess we should.” Beaming again, Ryū takes his hand, and they leave the stage behind.

.oOo.

Woo, day four! Today we’ve got @redlineoffate‘s Itachi, and of course Ryū, in a modern high school setting! I’m not the best at writing modern universes - I tend to prefer fantasy or mythological ones. But I gave it my best try xD Hopefully it’s still fun to read! Mitsuki, I love our ship so much! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and just know that I love writing with you n_n Thank you for putting up with my shenanigans and building such awesome bonds between our muses~ <3 Anyway, that’s the entry for today! Time to go work on tomorrow’s, lol

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #redlineoffate #uchiha itachi #suigin ryū #best years of your life [ au ]

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kusunogatari · 5 years

Text

[ @kyuuzuchiha ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

“Yo, teme! Teme!”

Lurching forward as an arm wraps around his shoulders, Sasuke just sighs. “What, dobe?”

Grinning like a fox, Naruto flashes two small pieces of paper in his other hand. “Lookie what I got!”

“...tickets? For what?”

“Some fancy shmancy new restaurant!”

Dark brows furrow, looking to Naruto skeptically. “Tickets for a restaurant?”

“Well, it’s not just a restaurant...apparently they do, like...shows and stuff!”

Shoving his friend aside to unburden his pace, Sasuke gives another glance. “...why did you get tickets to something like that? Doesn’t seem your style.”

“I won ‘em!”

“...how?”

“Oh, just a little bet I made,” the blond replies evasively, tucking the tickets back in his jacket.

“...meaning?”

“Nothin’!”

“Naruto, you weren’t swindling humans again, were you?”

“No, no! It wasn’t anything like that!” Hands wave in defense. “They weren’t human!”

“So, less likely to get you arrested, and more likely to get your ass beat.”

Lips pout. “Hey, I won that game fair and square.”

“All right, fine. Still doesn’t explain why you’d put your ass on the line for something that...random.”

“Welllll, at first I was gonna sell ‘em! See, this place is Nightwalker…! So they’re super expensive! Apparently it’s, like...really hard to even get tickets. But then I thought...y’know who I know who appreciates nice things?”

Sasuke deadpans.

“My good pal Sasuke!”

“Why would I care about some high-end eatery?”

“Aw, c’mon! It’ll be fun, ‘ttebayo - we can get all dressed up, rub some elbows…!”

The Uchiha’s nose wrinkles. “What makes you think something like that would be fun…?” He has distant family in high places, which means elbow-rubbing is something he does at times. And it’s never fun. Just boring, stressful, and time-consuming.

Naruto’s lips purse again. “Well just cuz you get to do it all the time doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it!”

“Then go by yourself.”

“But I’ve got two tickets…!”

“So? Sell one, if you want the money.”

“But Sasukeee…!” Naruto gives his best combo of puppy eyes and whiny tone.

Head craning back, Sasuke sighs. “All right, fine.”

“YAY!”

“When is this supposed to happen?”

“Friday! Uh…” Whipping the tickets back out, Naruto studies them. “At...two am!”

“A little late, isn’t it?”

“Aw, c’mon - sunrise isn’t until after five this time of year! It’ll be fine! Plenty of time for you to skulk off to bed, huh?”

“...address?”

Handing over the ticket, Naruto lets his friend type it down into his phone. “We should probably get there a little early, huh? Find good seats?”

“Naruto, the seats are assigned. Look, it says right here.”

“Oh…” Smiling sheepishly, he tucks them away one last time. “Guess I’ll see ya there, teme!”

“Guess so.” Watching the werefox take off, Sasuke sighs lightly to himself. Surely one morning won’t be a huge loss...and it’ll make the blond happy. Maybe he’ll get off his back for a while. Hands stuffing into his pockets, he starts to mosey for home.

His little apartment is quiet and dark when he arrives, sunrise just tinting the horizon. Flicking on a light, he indulges in a snack before calling it a day, hiding down under blankets in his blacked-out room until nightfall.

The rest of his week passes fairly quickly. To his own annoyance, part of him actually starts to feel...curious about this little outing. Not excited, but...he’s intrigued. While he’s been to a few Nightwalker-only places, they’re hard to maintain given how populous humans are.

Even harder to keep safe.

Digging through his closet Thursday evening, he picks out something nice, but...not too nice. Slacks, black shoes, matching socks, and a dress shirt. A little perusing of the place online gives the impression his outfit should be fine.

Gods know what Naruto’s going to show up wearing…

He doesn’t don it until he’s ready to go, deciding to walk. It’s not too far, and he can always use a little speed to get there quickly if he has to. Otherwise, he strolls casually, taking in the city by night, as per usual. To his honest surprise, a small crowd is gathered outside when he arrives.

A faint feeling of unease stirs in his gut.

“Sasuke! Oi, Sasuke!”

A bit surprised to see the blond there before him, Sasuke closes the distance. Somehow, Naruto’s actually dressed about as he is...except that his shirt is a bright, obnoxious orange compared to Sasuke’s deep purple. “You weren’t kidding about it being hard to get in.”

“Told ya! C’mon, I’ve got the tickets!”

“Any idea what the show actually is…?” Sasuke then asks, glancing around and taking in the building.

“Apparently it changes every so often so it doesn’t get boring. Guess we’ll see when we get up there!”

The line moves rather slowly, tickets checked at the door alongside identification to ensure no humans manage to find their way in. Eventually the pair make it to the front, presenting both.

“All right, so you two are on the main floor, left-hand side,” a woman tells them, the stub of the tickets removed. “Next show starts in ten, so you’d better get seated.”

“Thanks!” Naruto calls as Sasuke steers him in. “So I guess they do the show more than once?”

“Makes sense - otherwise people would miss it, given how many hours they’re open.” Also must be why there was a time on the tickets.

The tables are numbered, most seating groups of two or four. Their own is one of the former, and Sasuke finds himself glad they won’t be joined by any strangers. In the general murmur before the next showing begins, a band plays slow, soft jazz music.

“Cripes, look at these prices!” Naruto whispers harshly, followed by a grunt as Sasuke elbows him. “What?!”

“You’re being rude,” Sasuke hisses back.

“But -!”

“What did you expect, dobe?”

“I dunno! Guess I’ll just...put it on my card…”

Scowling, Sasuke picks up his own menu, and...wow, Naruto isn’t joking. Maybe he’ll just get an appetizer and call it good…

“Sasuke?”

Looking up, the vampire startles at a familiar face. “Wha-? Aniki? What are you doing here?”

Itachi stands beside their table, looking just as surprised to see them. “Madara-sama is attending tonight. How did you…?”

“I won some tickets!” Naruto chirps, earning a look that makes him shrink.

“He swears up and down it wasn’t anything illegal,” Sasuke cuts in. As an enforcer, Itachi’s got every right to look into it and arrest the blond...if his dealings are shadier than he claims.

“...well, I’ve got more important matters to tend to, anyway,” Itachi assures them, giving Naruto a pointed look, a hint of a smile showing through.

“So the old bastard’s really here, huh?”

“I’d be careful how loud you say that,” Itachi cautions flatly.

“I’m not scared of him.”

“You really should be. He’s a senator, Sasuke -”

“And he’s got way bigger things to worry about than me calling him names,” the younger brother cuts in. “You better get back to your guard duty, lapdog.”

That earns a flat scowl from Itachi, but Sasuke’s right - the music is fading, and the show’s likely about to start. “...maybe I’ll see you again before we leave.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Naruto watches him go, then turns to Sasuke. “That was...awkward.”

“Aniki takes his job too seriously, that’s all. As if someone like Madara gives a shit about what I say.” Still, the fact that the senator is here brings back that worried feeling in Sasuke’s gut. It could be an invitation for trouble…

His musings are interrupted, however, as spotlights illuminate the stage at the end of the building. Their table is fairly close, and Sasuke watches as slower, more somber music kicks up from the band. The red fabric begins to rise, and finally reveals the subject of the show.

Sitting on her knees atop the stage floor is a woman. Clad in a silvery gown, waves of snow white tumble down her back, which is mostly exposed in the backless dress. Head bowed, she seems to wait for a certain moment in the music. Then a mic grasped in a hand lifts to her lips...and she starts to sing.

The tune is melancholy, crooning about loneliness and solitude. Staring almost as if dazed, Sasuke listens as the lyrics tell a tale of someone both eager to be loved, and yet shying from the risk of heartbreak. Slowly she lifts to her feet, almost as though floating, a mic stand held as she continues on. This close (and with eyes this strong), Sasuke can see her own are a rain cloud grey, framed by lashes as white as her hair. Curiosity burns as to what kind of Nightwalker she is.

And then she tells him.

Her gown pools at the floor, hiding her legs. But as she abandons her hold on the microphone, moving to shield her face from her fears, her arms shift in a smooth motion to white feathers smudged with sooty black.

Sasuke can’t help a jump. So...a harpy. Snowy owl, maybe…? He’s not exactly an expert when it comes to birds. While there’s plenty of common-breed harpies in the cities - crows, pigeons, and the like - something like an owl seems...out of place. And even then, they tend to dislike how crowded the cities are. No room to fly. Too many wires over the streets. Spell broken for a moment, he glances over to see Naruto staring, jaw agape.

And he’s not the only one.

The whole hall is enraptured, staring at the avian as she sings her song. Wings slowly shift down to peer out, silvers tinged with both curious longing, and yet a fearful hesitation. They roam over the audience from one side to another.

And Sasuke swears they stop when they meet his.

Something seems to pull at his spine - like an urge to get to his feet he barely manages to suppress. And as soon as she moves her eyes, the feeling seems to pass.

What the hell was that?!

After a few more bars, her voice holds out a long, last note before fading out with the music. There’s a stunned silence, and then the audience breaks out into applause as the lights fade back in. Limbs arms once more, she smiles bashfully, head ducking and face flushing a pretty pink. A hand then gestures in praise to the band.

Once things quiet a bit, she looks up and addresses her crowd. “Thank you...it’s an honor to be invited here to perform. And an even greater honor to do so in front of one of Japan’s most prolific senators!”

Up she gestures, and Sasuke follows her hand to the second floor balcony above and behind them. There he sits: Uchiha Madara, giving a small, acquiescing wave. Beside him, both Itachi and Shisui eye the crowds warily. Even more Uchiha, Sasuke’s sure, are positioned around the room to help guard against any threats. Not that Madara needs them, but...what’s the use in his enforcers if they don’t double as a kind of secret service?

Still smiling, the harpy then introduces her next song, the band striking up into something a bit lighter in mood.

Wait staff then begin fanning out to take orders, and Naruto turns to his friend. “Holy crap, that was awesome!”

“She’s good.”

“Good? Good?! Dude, it was like...like...mesmerizing! I couldn’t look away!”

“You and everyone else,” Sasuke assures him, leaning back with folded arms.

“She’s so pretty...think she’ll sign autographs after? Man, if I could get a picture -”

“I think she’s a little out of your league.”

“What?!”

Sasuke snorts, grinning as he teases his friend. “She’s a professional singer, and you run back alley deals and smuggle stuff. Not sure she’d find your employment charming, Naruto.”

“And what about you?!”

“What about me?”

“Y’think she’d be all goo-goo eyed over an enforcer dropout who lives in a teeny tiny apartment and works odd jobs?”

“I never said I wanted her to like me. You’re the one all smitten, fox boy.”

“Whaaat? You mean you don’t think she’s pretty?”

“She’s...fine,” Sasuke replies evasively.

“You’re insane!”

“And you’re taking this little daydream a little too far.”

They’re cut off as their orders are taken, and both wordlessly go back to watching the show. She’s singing a jazzy little number, swaying with the tempo and smiling coyly.

Sasuke’s eyes squint. She’s clearly harpy, but...looking around the room, he finds any eyes on her totally glued. It’s almost like she’s -

With a loud report, the front doors blast apart, debris and smoke billowing into the dining hall. Screams quickly break out, and Sasuke reflexively spins to face the threat. All around him, panicked Nightwalkers make for the stage: the direct path away from the explosion. Atop it, the harpy calls for them to come this way, to make for the back door.

A glance up shows Madara being directed the same way, enforcers dropping to ground level to stand between him and whatever’s happened at the entrance.

Through the smoke step a group of people. Many are clad with modern armor, riot shields at the front and bearing weapons no doubt loaded with silver bullets. But at their fore is a woman: black hair cut in a sharp bob to her chin, violet eyes seeming to glow as they’re illuminated from behind. Armored vehicle headlamps burn into the now-gaping entry. All she seems to hold in terms of weapons are clawed gloves.

Sasuke sees them drip.

Poison.

...is she -?

As one, the group moves. Bullets start streaking through the hall, blasting into the woodwork and shattering stone. Cries of pain join those of panic as the enforcers all take cover.

Ducking behind a half-wall, Sasuke’s joined by Naruto. “What the fuck?!” the blond shrieks.

“Hunters!” Sasuke calls back over the sounds of gunfire and impacts. “They must be here for Madara - they’d never be so open otherwise!”

“Sasuke!”

Itachi’s voice cuts to them, and they lock eyes.

“Take the harpy out through the back!”

“But -?”

“Just do it!”

Looking to Naruto, Sasuke sees him grin, teeth already sharp. “Not quite the show I expected,” the blond offers, “but I guess this’ll do!” With a blur of orange and black he shifts, streaking forward with the enforcers to begin combatting the Hunters.

Swearing under his breath, Sasuke looks up. Half-shifted herself, the harpy takes to half-carrying, half-dragging wounded Nightwalkers back behind the stage with her taloned feet. Blood coats her dress, and judging by her limp, she’s been hit.

Sasuke knows well how silver stings. That she’s still walking at all is impressive.

Aniki, you’re gonna owe me big time for this, Sasuke growls in his mind, flickering over to her as she makes one last pass behind the wings of the stage. “Hey!”

Screeching, she makes to strike at him with her claws, but he swiftly pins her.

“I’m not the enemy! I’m here to get you out!”

“No! There’s still people in there!”

“And you’re wounded! The enforcers are taking care of the hunters - you need to get out of here and get some medical attention!”

“No!” Defiantly, she kicks a foot at his chest, knocking him aside long enough to slip back out.

“Damn it!” Sasuke shouts, taking off after her.

She’s made her way to the second floor, landing beside a couple pinned down. With feathered limbs she guides them to a rear staircase that leads down behind the stage. Making the leap amidst the bullets, Sasuke takes her shoulder. “I am not leaving you in here!”

She makes to snap at him, but they fly apart as more rounds cut through the air. Coming up the stairs at the front, hunters begin closing the distance.

“Is there an exit up here?” Sasuke calls.

“There’s another flight at the back that goes up to the roof!”

“Then let’s get going!”

Sprinting, they cut into the stairwell and start ascending. Finding the door locked, Sasuke simply kicks it from its hinges, flying out across the roof. Around them, buildings tower several stories over them. Out in the open air, they hear the whirling blades of a helicopter, a spotlight snapping to the movement of the door.

Well, shit.

“Run to the edge!”

“What?!”

“Run to the edge, and jump - just trust me!”

Looking to her like she’s lost her mind, Sasuke ducks as a bullet slams into the top frame of the door from behind them.

No time to argue.

Using vampiric speed, he bolts across the rooftop, leaping out toward an alleyway between the buildings. Landing a three storey fall is nothing for him, but -

The helicopter fires a volley of bullets, and just as he crests the edge, he feels one tear straight through his left side. Arms and legs still pumping as he screams, he feels something grip his biceps. Talons lock around his limbs, and rather than fall, he glides upward as the harpy carries him out between two taller buildings that frame the restaurant.

With the backdrop of human structures, the helicopter doesn’t dare fire again, and they slip into the alley unscathed.

For several blocks she glides, managing to find a one-storey roof nearby. Dropping him to his feet, she doesn’t land so smoothly, crumpling and rolling as she shifts back to a human guise.

Gasping for breath as the silver eats at his flesh, Sasuke collapses to his hands and knees. It’s mostly just a graze - he’s sure no vitals were hit, but he’s bleeding like a stuck pig. Add in the intense pain of the metal, and he trembles with the struggle to keep from slipping into a frenzied state.

Several paces away, groaning in pain, the harpy drags herself up. Turning to him, her eyes widen. “Hey -!” Limping back, she kneels beside him only to fall to her backside as Sasuke bats her away.

“D-don’t!”

“But -?”

“I...I’m not s-stable…”

“You’re wounded!”

“I-I might -”

Eyes flickering over him, her jaw then sets. Bloodied hands pull locks from one side of her neck. “You’re a vampire, aren’t you? Blood helps you heal, right?”

“I can’t, I - I might infect you. I can’t...trust myself not to frenzy.”

“You can’t infect me.”

“...but -?”

“Just trust me!”

Shaking, Sasuke’s eyes drift from her face to her neck. His mouth burns in instinct. If he’s going to survive a wound like this...he does need help…

Uncurling himself, he heavily grips her upper arms. For a moment, dagger teeth hover over her skin before plunging in.

He feels her stiffen for a moment, but then force herself to relax.

A minute passes as he takes long draws. Already, the fresh blood eases the sting...but he knows it’ll take more than that to tend to a silver wound. But before he can go too far, Sasuke forces himself back onto his haunches, chin stained red.

As soon as he moves, one of her hands lifts to hold at the wounds. “...do you have a lighter?”

“What -?”

“A lighter. If we’re going to help that silver wound close, we have to get rid of the flesh that’s been touched. Otherwise it will stay open.”

His brows draw...but he shakes his head. “No, I...I don’t smoke -”

She heaves a curt breath through her nose. “...well, at least the bleeding’s stopped. Here -” With a tug, she rips a wide section from the hem of her dress. Part she spares to her leg, where Sasuke sees not a bullet wound, but peppered punctures from shrapnel. The rest she binds around his middle, ignoring his protests. “We still need to clean them, but...at least this will keep anything else out for now.”

“...you a nurse or something?”

“I wanted to be at one point. Never panned out. Can you walk?”

“...can you?”

“If I have to.”

After a pause, Sasuke then thinks to pull out his phone.

“...who are you calling?”

“My mother.”

A white brow perks.

“She’ll send someone from my coven. Get us cleaned up. Hopefully she’s heard if things back there are over yet…”

Looking him over more closely, she observes, “...you’re an Uchiha too, aren’t you? Are you related -?”

“Distantly. My brother is Madara’s top enforcer.”

“...and you?”

“...I’m not.”

As though sensing the sensitive topic, she doesn’t push it as Sasuke finally connects. “Kāchan? Can you -? Yeah, I’m fine. I was. Is anyone -? ...okay. We’re -” A glance around. “...probably three blocks south? On a roof - I think it’s a conbini. Yeah, but - ...no, I’m not dying. Not anymore, anyway. Is aniki -? Okay, good. Yeah, we’ll be fine. Can’t really leave, we’re covered in blood. Five minutes, got it.” A pause, then, “...I love you, too. See you soon.” Hanging up and leaving a bloody thumbprint on his screen, Sasuke looks up. “The hunters were pushed back...no idea how many were killed, yet. My cousin’s going to come find us.”

“...do they...know if it was bad…?”

Sasuke eyes her for a moment. “...not sure. But you got quite a few people out, seems like.”

Her own gaze averts. “...I had a bad feeling. As soon as they told me the senator would be there…”

“Yeah, me too. But it could have been worse.”

“It never should have happened at all,” she cuts in, hugging her knees with a bitter expression.

“...I know.”

Silence falls, and then she glances to him. “...what’s your name?”

“Sasuke. You?”

“Suigin Ryū.”

“...I’d say nice to meet you, but the circumstances are a little…” A pause. “...fucky.”

To his surprise, she snorts softly. “...to put it lightly.”

Another question burns at him, and he decides he might as well ask. “...you’re not just a harpy...are you?”

Greys glance to him warily. “...no. I’m not.”

That explains her lack of worry over being infected with vampirism. If she already has humanoid Nightwalker blood in her, she can’t become anything else. “...never met a hybrid before. What...else are you?”

“Succubus. From my father’s side. Not that I know him, but...well, I knew my mother was a harpy like me.”

“...was?”

“...was.”

An awkward silence falls. “...guess that’s why Naruto was so gaga over you,” Sasuke then offers, trying to lighten the mood.

“Naruto…?”

“Friend of mine. The werefox that was sitting with me.”

“Oh…” A hint of a smile lifts her lips. “It helps with shows. At least...on anyone who’s attracted. Otherwise I have to rely on actual merit.”

“Sounded pretty good to me.”

“Thanks…”

Well, now he knows why he felt that strange pull.

Another silence, but this one more...relaxed. “...thank you…”

“For?”

“Saving my life.”

“Yeah, well...guess I can say the same. Call us even. It’s my brother who’s going to owe me, pulling me into this mess. And Naruto for getting the tickets.”

“For what it’s worth...I’m glad you were there.”

“...least I made it out alive.”

“Oi!”

Both heads turn to see another Uchiha climbing up a ladder along the side of the building. “About time you got here, Shisui,” Sasuke chides.

“Pretty sure none of our evenings went as planned, Sasuke,” the enforcer rebukes. “C’mon, I’ll get you back so you can get cleaned up.” Helping them both down, Shisui introduces himself. “Sorry about all the ruckus, miss.”

“It’s not me you should apologize to,” is her soft reply, wincing as he guides her into a seat.

Thankfully it’s not far to one of Madara’s many safehouses. Already the wounded enforcers are gathered, as well as the dead. A few civis are taken in to be seen to, and Madara himself speaks sternly to his captain. Itachi’s expression is strained.

There’s gonna be hell to pay for this.

Once inside, the pair are made to be separated - Sasuke’s wounds are far more severe. “Guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah…” Letting Shisui guide her to another room to be patched up, Ryū glances up as he questions her about the bite on her throat.

Her answer is cut off as Sasuke’s led to different room, dressed down to have his injury purged of the silver influence. Spare blood to help him recover further is quickly brought in. Muscles tense and nerves scream as the afflicted flesh is removed, eagerly gulping down the red viscous liquid. Almost immediately, the wound begins to close, no longer impacted by silver.

“How’s the harpy?”

“Fine, sir. Just some shrapnel in her left calf. No silver.”

Given leave to shower, he does so and redresses in spare clothes. By the time he emerges, she’s already done, hair still wet from her own cleansing. “...you okay?”

“I’ve been better,” she admits, clinging to a large coat someone’s thrown over her shoulders, a basic gown over her frame to her knees. “But...I’ll be all right.” Peeking out from under her hem is white gauze encasing her calf. “...I’m sorry you were shot. It was my fault -”

“The only reason I got off that roof with just one hole rather than looking like Swiss cheese is because you carried me out. Don’t apologize.”

“But -?”

“It’s fine. I’m already on the mend.” As proof, he lifts his shirt, showing the knotty scar.

Her brow furrows at the sight of it, but she doesn’t comment.

“Sasuke.”

Turning, Sasuke brightens at the sight of his brother. “Aniki…”

“You were shot?”

“I’m fine. Already healed over. You?”

“Somehow avoided it...I heard what happened.” He turns to Ryū. “...thank you. You saved my brother’s life.”

“I also helped put it in danger.”

“Well...your actions helped get most of the civilians out. We lost far fewer than if you hadn’t taken the initiative. Thank you.”

She just ducks her head.

“Now...we should get you home. I still have much to attend to...there hasn’t been this much open conflict in quite some time, and the implications are still growing. This is going to be a nightmare to cover up...”

“I can take her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Sasuke assures his brother. “You just keep your nose to the grindstone. We’ll be fine.”

“Very well. Thank you.”

Nodding, Sasuke takes her back through the building...only to come up short as Madara himself steps in their path.

The senator glances to him coolly, but his focus quickly shifts to the harpy. “My apologies, miss. It would seem you were caught in our little drama.”

Stiff with nerves, Ryū manages to stutter, “I-I…”

“I assure you, you and the guests will be compensated. This attack won’t stand…” A hand reaches, taking a lock of her hair even as she flinches back. “...we will speak again. Another time, when we are not so...otherwise indisposed.”

“Y...yes, sir.”

Lingering a moment longer, Madara then takes his leave, asking for Itachi as he walks past them.

Ryū then remembers to breathe.

“...yeah, he’s a little intimidating,” Sasuke mutters.

She doesn’t answer.

Taking one of the Uchiha’s many fleet cars, he drives back into the city, getting quiet, short directions from his companion. A high rise apartment building takes them into its underground garage, and he offers to accompany her to her door. Outside it, they pause.

“...thank you again,” Ryū murmurs, fiddling her keys.

“Back at you.”

For a moment she looks ready to protest, but then sighs in defeated acceptance. “I...guess I’ll say goodnight. Take care of yourself, Uchiha-san.”

Snorting at her sudden formality, Sasuke doesn’t rebuke it. Clearly she’s still shaken up, and a tragedy hasn’t exactly made them best friends. “...you too.”

Letting her eyes lift, there’s a moment’s hesitation before she steps up, planting a kiss on his cheek.

The skin seems to tingle pleasantly, and he can’t help a small jump of surprise.

“...goodbye.” Opening her door, she steps in and gives a polite nod before it shuts.

For a long moment he lingers outside it, a few fingers reaching to itch at the sensation on his cheek, which starts to fade.

Something tells him he’ll be seeing her again.

.oOo.

Woo, day two! This time featuring my Nightwalkers verse, and the lovely @kyuuzuchiha‘s boyos, as well as a few of my own from @hyuuchiha in addition to Ryū :3 And Ayame’s technically in there if you squint, heh heh. Technically we don’t have a ship in this verse yet, so...I made it more subtle. I don’t write action or violence too often, so...hopefully that part wasn’t a total flop - I tried ^^; Nightwalkers is of course my original monster verse with lots of politics and drama and stuff! I LOVE getting to write in it cuz...I’m a nerd when it comes to my worldbuilding =w= So this was actually rather self indulgent, eh heh (kinda like the whole event is so I can write all the lovely ships with the lovely people who humor me, ahaha~) ANYWAY, Boo darling, I hope you enjoyed this dramafest, lol - and I hope I did both your boys justice. I love how you write them and I hope I managed to stay true to your interpretations ;w; And of course thank you for writing with me, no matter the verse or the bonds with our muses. I love it <3 (and I hope you’re doing all right, dear) Buuut that’s enough rambling outta me! I still need to work on more days to try and stay a bit ahead since I’m busier than I’d like, ahaha~ Hope everyone is enjoying the event n_n

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #kyuuzuchiha #uchiha sasuke #suigin ryū #of monsters and men [ au ]#vulgarity //#gun //#blood //#gore //

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