#she's literally the only person with a chance of convincing Sasuke to take her with him to Orochimaru because he's SASUKE of course she

[tora-the-cat]

An interesting little fun thing with team 7 is that you assume that Sakura's gonna, like, woobify and simplify Sasuke by putting him on a pedastal,cause her goal is centered around him and shes a 12 y/o fangirl so like of course her understanding of him is skewed cause she doesnt see him as a person, just an object of affection, right? She's can't get Sasuke, can't imprint on and/or traumabond with him like Naruto and Kakashi do. They don't see him with rose tinted glasses, because they've lived through their own Horrors and empathize with Sasuke's experience.

......right?

WRONG lmao!! They have too many ghosts!! Naruto's single-minded codependent ass won't get out of his own way long enough to see Sasuke for who he actually is, only able to empathize with the parts of his trauma Naruto relates to and not really capable of understanding him outside of the context of himself (because Sasuke is. His other half). And Kakashi is far too jaded to be fair to him!! He can't decide if Sasuke is gonna end up as a mini-him or a mini-Obito or maybe a mini-Itachi, but either way he ALSO is too traumatized to see Sasuke AS SASUKE.

meanehile SAKURA'S autistic ass may have dogshit empathy, but you know what she does have? A special interest in sasuke. Nothing better to do then give herself a degree in Uchihaisms. She can write character studies about him. she can read his soul. Whenever she says something about him she is right. Every fucking time! She is RIGHT!!!!

'sasuke would NOT compliment me this directly or explicitly express worry unprompted, especially if it gets in the way of his goals' correct.

'Sasuke shouldn't hide that curse on his neck its not healthy BUT if I tell anyone about it he'll never trust me again, which might be even more dangerous for him then the curse mark. Like he can probably handle the curse mark but no one else can stop him from ripping peoples arms off.' correct.

Speaking of! 'Sasuke would not hurt me even when he seems to be...possessed? whatever the only way to knock him out of it is to present myself as Alive and thus something to be protected rather then something to be avenged, because he gets really stuck in his own head about revenge' CORRECT

'hey so um. like. Sasuke's gonna leave Konoha. I'm not sure anything can stop him at this point and honestly I'm kinda starting to doubt anything should, so the only thing I could possibly do to help him at this point is ALSO defect.' CORRECT!!!!

[kendochick-moor]

May 2015 - Naruto - SasuSaku

I think I had literally tagged this one as “Invasion of the hormonal kind” at one point in my docs, though it never had an official title, IIRC. I may be wrong. Did I post this in the past?

***********

Ino observed Team 7 sparring together on the training grounds, her sculpted brows knitting tighter and tighter together.

There were Sai and Naruto, antagonizing and insulting each other. Pretty standard.

There were Kakashi and YamaTenzo-whatever, Kakashi sitting down against a tree, book in hand as Yamato stood near Kakashi and watched the other teams training, arms folded in front of him. Typical.

Her brow arched as she caught sight of the dashing pink and black streaks of Sakura and Sasuke, occasionally making impact, and often darting and dancing and flowing around each other, almost too fast for her to see. Sakura’s movements had become more natural and graceful, over time, with sparring against Sasuke. He’d been giving her pointers for some time, now, and Sakura had been calling him out on his chakra control (to help him prevent burnout), she knew. But their spars were still fierce enough to take the breath away of lesser shinobi.

… Especially considering how intently Sasuke would stare at Sakura. And hover near her, between spars, or at Ichiraku, or while she grocery shopped. Or how he would correct her form during practice, if he thought she wasn’t meeting her potential.

Oh, he was always perfectly professional, if a bit blunt in his delivery. And he had come to accept her criticisms constructively, too, about how and why to care for his eyes and health better. In fact, Sakura was the only person Sasuke really listened to when it came to how he cared about himself.

And really, thought Ino, everyone could see he cared about Sakura, too. He wouldn’t spend so much time trying to make her flipping invincible, otherwise. 

In a way, it was adorable.

Her brows knit again. 

If not incredibly frustrating.

Because in spite of everyone’s intentions, support, hints, and outright pranks, the Uchiha didn’t seem capable of making a move on Sakura.

Ino’s eyes flickered back to Kakashi, who was peeking over the cover of his book, his lone eye trailing after his female (former) student with pride and… hmmm. That was definitely frotting up against a dangerous border, that look of Kakashi’s towards Sakura. 

Sasuke was about to lose his chance, if Ino didn’t miss her mark.

Hmm. First things first, she decided: it was time to determine if Sasuke actually had hormones.

(BR)

“Sakura.”

“Ino.”

Sakura turned warily to look at her best friend… who stood far too casually nearby.

“Girls night?” Ino grinned and bounced on her toes, initiating Phase One.

“I was going to stay home and relax tonight. It’s been a busy week,” admitted Sakura. “Raincheck?”

“Movie night in?” Ino moved straight into Negotiator-mode.

“Maybe,” said Sakura, until Ino’s blue eyes gleamed. Sakura’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What are you up to?”

“Can I not just miss hanging out together?”

“Not when you bounce on your toes like that and try to feign innocence like a crooked used car salesman,” said Sakura. “What gives?”

“You’ve been too busy lately. I need girl-time.”

“Not buying it.”

“If you don’t trust me, you can invite your team, too!”

“I may do that anyway, but still, not convinced.”

“I maybe want to take a look at your shoes… since I have a date night coming…” Ino let her voice trail off as she shrugged.

Sakura’s shoulders relaxed. “Then why didn’t you just say so,” she said, smiling. “Come on over tonight.”

Ino laughed and hugged Sakura. “You can totally still invite your boys over. I’ll bring snacks,” she promised.

“Ugh, they eat me out of house and home,” Sakura sighed, returning Ino’s hug. “See you around suppertime?”

“You bet!” Ino waved and jogged off, back towards town.

Phase One: Initiated. (BR)

Sasuke knocked on Sakura’s apartment door that evening, shifting his satchel on his hip. Hn. Perhaps he had overpacked a bit, this time? No, he would need everything. Better to be properly prepared.

As the door opened and he was greeted with shining green eyes and a wide smile, a tension in his chest squeezed tight and released, relaxing.

“You made it!”

“Hn.”

Sakura stepped back to invite him in, and he followed her, arranging his sandals neatly by the door.

“Do you want me to take your bag?”

“Hn,” he said, to the negative.

“Come grab a seat by the couch. I’m making popcorn.”

He nodded and settled in at the coffee table… after taking a look around and collecting all the weapons he found stored away, bundled up, or hung in cases.

Unwrapping the leather oil-wrap of tools from his satchel, he set it down on her coffee table and began methodically sharpening and tending each of her kunai, one by one.

Sakura shook her head at him as she sat down beside him. “You don’t need to do this.”

“Hn.”

A small sigh and a grin later, she picked up a kunai and joined him in the weekly maintenance routine. “You keep my weapons in better shape than your own, I think, sometimes. Oh, Ino’s here. She’s borrowing stuff. She’ll join us later, maybe, once she finishes raiding my closet,” she said, her voice dry.

“Ah. She is not to borrow your weapons,” he said after a moment.

“How come?”

“They are for you,” he said, as if that made everything obvious.

Shaking her head, Sakura let out a soft sigh. “Sure, Sasuke.”

He looked up from his polishing stones a moment and watched her as she stretched her back and shoulders with a small yawn. Her chest popped forward and she moaned at how good it felt. Swallowing, Sasuke’s brows rose as Sakura unexpectedly turned her eyes back to his. 

“You okay?” she asked, noting his hands had faltered in their polishing.

“Fine,” he replied, and doubled his attentions on the kunai. And shuriken, and senbon. He took particular pride in how immaculately he tended the blade of her ax. Finally, the tension inside him eased and he dared look up again, automatically searching out Sakura’s familiar, calming presence. Well, maybe ‘calming’ wasn’t always the exact word. Sometimes he felt even more tense when she was around. Or, if they were sparring, he found himself alternately ultra-focused and yet still feeling distracted, almost searching. Or even sometimes furious if she was distracted by one of their other teammates when she was supposed to be focused on him, giving him her attention, her efforts, her…

“You’re still polishing?”

Sasuke scowled up at Ino as she leaned over the back of the couch to observe his work… all his work… carefully organized over half the living room.

“Seriously. You visit one of the hottest, most talented kunoichi in Konoha… and you spend the entire night polishing her weapons,” said Ino, incredulous.

Sasuke looked away from her, searching out Sakura’s chakra once more. Kitchen. Making tea, perhaps. 

“So,” broke in Ino gamely, taking a seat just beside Sasuke. “Does she ever polish your weapons in return? Or… anything else?”

“I maintain my own weapons.”

“How about dinner. Do you two get dinner together?”

“Of course, we are teammates.”

“No,” grumbled Ino, her teeth clenching. “I mean, the two of you only. You and Sakura. Without the rest of your team. A nice dinner.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Ino. “What are you getting at?”

Pulling at her hair, Ino threw her head back before flinging forward again to glare at Sasuke. “Rebuilding your clan, Sasuke. Who, as in, what female, is going to help you rebuild your clan?”

“Not you,” he said.

She gave him a feral smile. “Trust me, I already knew that. And thanked the gods for it. But, who do you plan to have reverse-cowgirl-ing on your lap so you can get some babies?”

He blinked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Sex, Sasuke. Marriage, and lots of sex, and then babies.”

“Marriage,” he said, brows furrowed. “This is neither your concern, nor your business.”

“It is, if you intend to try to get Sakura’s help,” said Ino. “Because, in case you haven’t noticed, others are noticing her. And since you’re not making a move or staking a claim, they’re moving in.”

“No one lives with Sakura.”

Ino glared at him, before screwing up her face and rubbing her temple. “You know, I shouldn’t be the one having this conversation with you, but it struck me the other day that you… lost your parents at a very delicate age for a young man. And perhaps, no one had filled in the blanks for you as to how you came about. Or how babies in general come about. Am I right?”

“You’re ridiculous,” he deadpanned, then added, “From their parents.”

“Explain physically what happens.”

His brow furrowed.

Ino’s heart sank. “That’s what I was worried about.” She let out a long sigh. “Oh Uchiha, we need to have a talk. You’re worse off than Sai was. He at least had the physical component of the methodology understood.”

“Ino, are you done in my room? I have tea!”

They glanced up at Sakura as she carried the tea tray to the table. “Oh, here you are. Could you make a little room?”

Ino was not surprised to see Sasuke immediately accommodating Sakura, moving everything out of the way before picking half of it up and starting to put it back exactly where it was supposed to go. He knew every corner of Sakura’s place, by the looks of things.

It kind of broke Ino’s heart a little.

The man had no clue how to put a bun in the oven.

(BR)

“So, Sakura, how goes the dating world?”

Sakura’s head snapped up at Ino’s question. “Not talking about this right now, Ino.” Her eyes glanced sideways at Sasuke.

“Oh, Sasuke doesn’t mind. He’s working on your blades. Come onnnnn, talk to me!” Ino shook Sakura’s arm dramatically. “We’ve had no girl-time together recently. You’re with your team all the time. I know they’re hot and all, but sisters before misters.”

Shooting Sasuke an apologetic look, Sakura sighed and settled in more comfortably. “You know I don’t date, Ino. So, how’s your dating life going? I heard you and Iruka-sensei were seeing a bit of each other lately, at the café by the Academy.”

“Oh, that wasn’t a date…” Ino flashed a look at Sasuke before shrugging and going forward. “He was actually asking about you.”

A sharp metal shsssng! noise erupted from the blade Sasuke was sharpening, and Sakura cut a glance his way. 

“You okay?”

“Fine,” he said.

Shaking her head, Sakura turned back to Ino. “Iruka-sensei was asking about me? That’s sweet. How’s he doing?”

Ino’s smile never wavered. “Oh, he was wondering what you were up to these days, if you were seeing anyone, if you were open to the idea of dating older men, that kind of thing.”

Sakura’s brows knit together as she looked at Sasuke again; he’d nicked his finger on the blade he was sharpening. “Do you need a bandage? You’re bleeding.”

“Hn.”

“Okay. Be more careful, I guess. You aren’t normally clumsy,” she said with a smile, turning back to Ino again. The moment Sakura’s back was to him, Sasuke glared at Ino.

Ino took it all in stride. “I said I’d ask you.”

“I’m flattered, but I don’t really see Iruka-sensei and I working out long-term, Ino. Please let him know I’m flattered, but think he’d work out better with someone who doesn’t have my anger issues,” she said, laughing a bit. She shook her head, grinning. “I have no intention of running roughshod over someone, or dealing with someone who will only try to appease me out of concern for their own wellbeing. I need someone who’ll stand up to me. I know I intimidate others; I don’t intend to change or cow part of my personality. I worked too hard.”

“That makes sense. You’d need someone at least equal, if not greater, than you in rank and skill, so they wouldn’t feel threatened. Someone with more experience,” agreed Ino. “Oh, but Iruka wasn’t asking after you about himself; one of his friends is interested in you.” “Exactly. Someone who thinks for themselves, has their own mind, and has convictions. See, now that’s something, too—I couldn’t put up with someone who lets themselves be used like that,” said Sakura. “Wait, what was that?”

“Hm? Oh, it wasn’t for Iruka himself,” said Ino blithely. “So, strong, older, highly ranked, experienced, a mind of his own—”

“Ino,” started Sakura, caution strong in her tone.

“—dedicated, in good physical condition, at least egalitarian if not feminist, so he respects you—”

“Ino.”

“—and who perhaps shares some history with you, so they understand you. Preferably not a total pervert, though some creativity would no doubt be a good investment. I can think of… oh… I d’know… at least a few shinobi who’d fit that profile. And who are friends with Iruka.”

“Smiling like that on a battlefield or in a cafeteria clears a place of all sentient lifeforms. You know that. Stop doing it in my home.”

Ino kept smiling. “No.” She glanced behind Sakura and met Sasuke’s toxic stare. “Everything okay over there? Anything you’d like to contribute?”

[animeyanderelover]

Could I have headcanons for Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke sharing a darling?

This was actually part of a post I made a while ago. It was about sharing a darling pairs in which I was personally interested. Also, since I did already a Sakura and Naruto post and a modern reader post, I tried to summon the backstory shorter up and layed my focus on the dynamic of the relationship.

Tw: Yandere themes, possessiveness, obsessiveness, delusions, unhealthy relationship, unhealthy mindset, vicious behavior, harsh behavior, killing, manipulating, kidnapping

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura sharing a darling

🍜💙🌸I can see you as a fellow classmate back in the academy days with Naruto having already a huge crush on you back then and going on small little dates with you. When the teams were made, he was definitely upset that he wasn’t part of your team, jealous of the classmates who were. With Sakura you developed a good friendship during these days since Naruto brought you over as often as possible since he wanted to introduce you to his new friends. She was just thankful that Naruto had someone, he could always count on. Sasuke was most likely annoyed by you at first because that blonde over there never stopped talking about you. I feel like that if you would excel in a special area, ninjutsu for example or would be a good strategist, he might be impressed. But he would definitely need to spend a lot of time with you. You might have helped him with new techniques for which he acknowledged you.

🍜💙🌸You could say that this was somewhat the start of it all, Naruto and Sasuke both being in love with you. It made the relationship a bit more complicated to say the least, both often arguing when it came to you. A lot of snarky and mean comments from Sasuke, poking fun at Naruto and saying he wouldn’t be strong enough and Naruto throwing childish tantrums. Sakura, knowing that both of them liked you, was of course saddened due to her crush on Sasuke back then. But she also knew that you couldn’t do anything about it and felt almost sorry for you, these two were much to take after all.

🍜💙🌸It came to the final showdown between Sasuke and Naruto after he had decided to leave the village, wanting to get stronger and feeling hatred for Naruto because that guy had gotten so strong and monopolized your time. It led to a much more intense fight between those two, Sasuke more aggressive because of all the anger inside of him which led him to yelling at Naruto that one day he would get you and then you would be his. Naruto on the other hand got terrified when hearing this, not willing to let you anywhere near Orochimaru and Sasuke, who was clearly not thinking, which also led him to pushing harder.

🍜💙🌸He was scared when he had to leave you alone, but also knew that this was a necessary step to get stronger. He made Tsunade, Sakura, Kakashi and everyone of his friends promise that they would protect you. He knew Sasuke was lurking somewhere outside there, waiting for his chance.

🍜💙🌸It was during this time that Sakura fell for you, spending everyday with you that at one point Tsunade just decided to train both of you together since you were always there. She just realized that you had been there for her all the time, always supported her and acted as the shoulder to cry on when she had needed one. She felt conflicted about this, knowing that Naruto and you were an unofficial couple which led her to some mood swings. She was either on cloud nine or somewhere deep underground.

🍜💙🌸When Naruto came back, she informed him about what had happened. He was at first a bit more iffy about how to feel, but him and Sakura shared a great trust after all, leading to both of them agreeing to share whilst also wanting to safe their teammate. Sasuke on the other hand had spent years training with Orochimaru and that guy had somehow found out about his pupil’s little obsession with you, daring to sometimes ask him about you which led to Sasuke aggressively reacting. Even the thought of Orochimaru anywhere near you was disgusting.

🍜💙🌸After he went rogue, he had originally planned to take you after defeating Itachi. You could have been in the search troupe together with Naruto, Sakura and all the others. Tsunade and Kakashi were aware that Sasuke was after you, so they most likely either made you pair up with Naruto or Sakura at that time. If Sasuke found out or not depends on whether he sensed you or not. If he did, there’s a chance he really went after you, only to be interrupted by all the other people searching for him which was quite frustrating. You were so close and he still couldn’t grab you.

🍜💙🌸He didn’t know about Sakura yet, Tobi probably told him about it, using it as a manipulation to make him distrust the village even more and bring him to joining the Akatsuki. And that made Sasuke snap. As if it wouldn’t have been enough that this blonde moron had fallen for you, Sakura too?! Was that guy kidding him! And when he found out that those two were even sharing, he honestly was irritated. The concept of sharing the person you love wasn’t exactly well known to him.

🍜💙🌸It was most likely after the war that those three finally came to the terms of sharing with each other. Of course Sasuke needed a lot of time to get convinced. It was most likely Sakura and maybe even the darling who suggested it. Naruto wasn’t exactly all that happy with it. He was a jealous boy after all and he knew that Sasuke wasn’t exactly...the nicest person. He was dubious about this whole thing and the only reason why he was willing to give it a shot in the first place was because Sasuke was his friend. And as a worshipper he refused to let you get yelled at. And Sasuke was conflicted about this. Sharing really isn’t his strength and whilst he did saw them as his teammates again, he was still pretty selfish about you. He shouldn’t have to share you with someone else. But he knew too well that Sakura and Naruto wouldn’t let you go. Neither would he. He needed most likely help and comfort from the darling during this time so he would come to the terms of sharing.

🍜💙🌸It is truly a thing to witness in here. Because whilst Sakura and Naruto worked together so well because they share a lot of Yandere types and has the same point of view about how to treat and share you, not to mention the same trust, Sasuke isn’t like those two. He’s more of a bastard who can lash out easily when the wrong buttons are pushed and also yell at his darling for it.

🍜💙🌸It’s also worth mentioning that whilst Naruto and Sakura do see Sasuke as their friend and teammate and trust him, they always hoped for him to come back, when it comes to their darling, both of them are a bit more distrusting and more on edge. They know Sasuke’s mood swings and whilst he definitely is a bit more nicer to you, he can just as well spit out some hurtful words. And that’s definitely anything, but fine with Naruto and Sakura.

🍜💙🌸The dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke could be described as shaky. They are literally back to how they used to act to each other when they were younger. That means Sasuke mocking his friend whilst Naruto throws childish tantrums. But both of them changed after all so it can go from just acting like children and teasing and yelling at each other quickly to actually throwing hands over you. And in this case Sakura and the s/o will have to step in so they don’t try to kill each other again. And whilst Sakura definitely always tries to solve this peacefully, the moment she loses her temper too or notices that both of them scare you with their behavior, she definitely isn’t above punching them and yelling at them to stop their stupid behavior since they scare you with it.

🍜💙🌸The dynamic between Sakura and Sasuke might be a bit more awkward given the fact that Sakura used to have a crush on Sasuke and he knows that too. But at least those two are a bit more polite with each other, most likely because most of the times she knows not to push his buttons and tries in general to always talk with them if they have a problem with each other. If we go from cannon logic and assume that both of them should still develop romantic feelings for each other later on, this would of course change a few things. Sasuke would just have an easier time sharing with someone if he loved that person as well. It would still be pretty turbulent though.

🍜💙🌸Time has to be developed carefully because once again, the dynamic with Sakura and Naruto might be great, but Sasuke doesn’t add up to it. Sakura and Naruto are used to sharing their darling and definitely spend a lot of time with them together. Whilst Naruto does need a bit more time alone with their darling than Sakura does, they managed to schedule the time. But with Sasuke in the picture things changed quite a bit. Sasuke is more of a loner and since he’s possessive, he needs a lot more time with his darling in comparison to many others. Another thing is that he needs the calmness and Naruto and Sakura tend to be a bit too loud for his taste. Not only that, but all three of them together with their darling can lead to a quick argument between Naruto and Sasuke and that’s when it really gets noisy.

🍜Naruto would grow most likely more clingy due to constantly being teased and poked fun at by Sasuke. From the three he is definitely the one who would smother you more than Sasuke. He isn’t exactly happy with having to share with the black-haired boy since Sasuke goes sometimes a bit too harsh on you. There is also this old competition from his younger days between him and Sasuke which still influences the way those two act with each other. He’s also a bit more protective over you than he usually would be, not wanting you to endure any of Sasuke’s mood swings alone. If he should find out that you always get scared when him and Sasuke are in another shouting session which is about to reach it’s climax, he would feel totally horrible afterwards, apologizing whilst suffocating you in even more affection. He would try afterwards to prevent himself from getting angered too much by Sasuke for your sake which isn’t very easy.

💙Sasuke is somewhat the more unpleasant counterpart of Sakura and Naruto. He isn’t the nicest person and he knows that too. He tends to often get all pent-up due to constantly throwing fits with Naruto. It makes him a bit more trigger-happy and so it definitely happens once in a while that he has to let his frustrations out, sometimes even on you. He does feel bad afterwards since he understands that this isn’t completely your fault. It’s just hard for him to endure Sakura and Naruto, who are very overbearing to say the least. He needs time alone with you to connect properly and that is hard with the other two constantly around. He isn’t exactly all that willing to make things up with Naruto since he possesses a huge amount of Uchiha pride. Sakura would honestly have to drag him by the collar to apologize to you and to make both of them apologize to each other.

🌸Sakura is the voice of reasoning between those two. She’s honestly the only reason they didn’t lose their other arm as well. She’s more reasonable with everything and acts somewhat as a messenger between those two since their pride often keeps them from talking to each other like a grownup does. She often talks with both of them as polite as she can, figures out the problems and talks to the other one, listening to his problems and trying to make him help to understand the point of view from the other guy a bit better. She’ll also there to comfort you when you had to witness yet another fight between those two. Whilst she is someone who tries to solve things in a non-violent way, she tends to lose her temper too, grabbing both of them by their collars and shaking them whilst shouting at them to stop acting like complete idiots. Does anyone of those want to make you feel scared of them? Good grief.

🍜💙🌸This will never be a picture-perfect relationship, not with Sasuke in here. It will get overtime better though since Naruto and Sasuke will somewhat learn to co-exist next to each other and share with each other which will have you and Sakura let a sigh of relief out. The only thing they have to work on now is somehow helping Naruto and Sasuke to not get a bit too messy. Sakura is due to being a medic not that willing to kill unless something serious happened. Naruto possesses a few boundaries, but it is still too easy to set him off. And Sasuke definitely earns the first place. He’s paranoid, even more since he has to share his darling already and doesn’t want any other trailing after them.

🍜💙🌸It also makes him want to isolate his darling a bit more which is not okay with the other two. Sasuke isn’t really comfortable with with going outside with his darling, he is more on edge, especially when in public. He doesn’t have anything against a short walk outside in nature, but when he has to go under humans he tends to keep his darling closer to him. This isn’t that terrible of a case with Naruto and Sakura. They are just on the jealous side, but not that paranoid like Sasuke is. In short, there will always be things that will require long discussions and fights until for the time being a solution is found.

[madara-fate]

I also wasn't insinuating that MinaKushi or DanTsu are the only good examples of good romantic relationships (I don't even care about these pairing for the record, or any other pairing in Naruto). I'm just pointing out that people do not doubt that Minato loves Kushina or that Dan loves Tsunade. If Sasuke genuinely loved Sakura and Kishimoto did a good job at showing it, then there would not be a huge debate on whether he does love her or not, because it would be obvious to pretty much everyone that he does, whether they like the ship or not. The fact that it's not and that so many people still debate on this to this day either shows that Kishimoto did a poor job at showing Sasuke as a loving husband either that Sasuke does not love her, despite that "love is the real deal" line or his reply to Sarada's question. It's show vs tell if you know what I mean. On one hand he tells us that "love is the real deal" but on the other hand he does not really show it all too well, which makes many people think whether he truly meant those words or he was being sarcastic and simply mocked the fans. It's either a case of bad writing either Sasuke simply does not love Sakura. I personally don't know what to think. I tend to lean towards the first option, it may just be bad writing after all. He admitted he's not great at writing romance and to be honest? It shows. It is even implied they haven't kissed in Gaiden by Sakura looking sad when Sarada asked her if they ever kissed. And I know you like to refute that by saying that it's preposterous to think they haven't kissed when they obviously had sex in order to concieve Sarada, but the thing is, it is entirely possible to have sex with someone but not kiss. It really is. When you're having sex but you're not really enjoying it or when you have simply been pressured and pestered into having sex with a person. Sakura Hiden confirmed the fact that Sakura was determined to confess her feelings to Sasuke over and over again until he would've eventually reciprocated. She compared that with punching a villain over and over until they're defeated. Now please tell me, would it be so far fetched to consider that harassment? If someone tells you no once, you have to respect their rejection and stop pursuing them, not take it as a challenge to persist in reaffirming your feelings over and over again until they eventually get tired or take pity in you and accept to give you a chance. And even in Gaiden it was confirmed that Sakura had to chase after Sasuke. It's really easy to see this ship as... problematic, to say the least. I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt tho and blame it on bad writing rather than on Kishimoto simply implying SS is not really a loving relationship, but if other people are not convinced or deny that Sasuke loves Sakura, you have to let your bias aside and admit that they have reasons to believe that. The writing makes it really easy to interpret it either way, depending on your preferences.

I already answered a lot of the points you made here in my response to your previous ask, but it's important for people to remember the type of person Sasuke is, and understand that the manner in which he shows affection isn't the same as Dan or Minato. It's a lot more subtle. Are people doubting that Vegeta loves Bulma and Trunks? No, so then people need to ask themselves - in which ways has Vegeta demonstrated that he loves his family in ways that Sasuke hasn't? Both of them aren't outwardly affectionate, both of them aren't romantic, but both of them have undoubtedly demonstrated that they love their family. Yet, only one of them is questioned. It really is just a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" situation. If Sasuke acts all affectionate like Dan and Minato, people will claim that he's OOC (like they did for Sasuke Retsuden), but if he stays reserved and demonstrates affection in his own way, people will just turn a blind eye and say he doesn't care. It really just shows how little they actually know Sasuke's character. To think that Sasuke, who hails from the clan which values love above all else, would marry and start a family with someone he doesn't love.

On one hand he tells us that "love is the real deal" but on the other hand he does not really show it all too well, which makes many people think whether he truly meant those words or he was being sarcastic and simply mocked the fans.

People actually think that Kishi may have been "sarcastic" when he described their love as the real deal. Oh my goodness. Why would Kishi purposely give wrong information to the readers (and never reveal what's actually going on)? Why would he intentionally want the readers to misunderstand his story and characters? Why would he want to portray his 2nd biggest character as someone who would enter a loveless marriage when that literally goes against the ways of his clan and his entire character? Do people not listen to themselves?

It's like how so many people claim that Sasuke saying "because you exist" means that the only reason he and Sakura are still together is because of Sarada, and people really don't realise how stupid that sounds. They don't stop and ask themselves why Sarada would be brought to happy tears, why Chouchou would describe her as lucky, and why Naruto would give her a knowing smile, if Sasuke had really just insinuated that she was the only thing that was keeping her parents together:

They just don't think. They apparently believe that Chouchou was happily thinking to herself "aww, lucky Sarada, you're the only thing keeping your parents together!", and that makes sense to them apparently, Chouchou being so happy for Sarada after hearing such awful news. It's unbelievable.

And I know you like to refute that by saying that it's preposterous to think they haven't kissed when they obviously had sex in order to conceive Sarada, but the thing is, it is entirely possible to have sex with someone but not kiss. It really is. When you're having sex but you're not really enjoying it or when you have simply been pressured and pestered into having sex with a person.

This is just like the people who believe that Sasuke is gay, justifying their ridiculous claims by pointing out how "you can be gay and still marry a woman", and to that I always say - Why would Sasuke do that? Just like to you I'll say - Why would Sasuke do that? To have sex and not kiss? Why would Sasuke of all people be "pressured and pestered" into entering a relationship with someone? He obviously has no problem whatsoever with bluntly turning people down. If he doesn't want to do something, he's not gonna do it. Heck, if you're using Sakura Hiden to try and prove your points then I'll also use a novel to prove this one - The lipstick stain scene during Sasuke Shinden: The Teacher's Star Pupil, explicitly indicates that Sakura and Sasuke had kissed earlier that day. The motorbike scene during Naruto Retsuden has Sakura kiss Sasuke. Sasuke and Sakura having kissed, is not (and has never been) a topic that's open to discussion.

Sakura Hiden confirmed the fact that Sakura was determined to confess her feelings to Sasuke over and over again until he would've eventually reciprocated. She compared that with punching a villain over and over until they're defeated. Now please tell me, would it be so far fetched to consider that harassment? If someone tells you no once, you have to respect their rejection and stop pursuing them, not take it as a challenge to persist in reaffirming your feelings over and over again until they eventually get tired or take pity in you and accept to give you a chance. And even in Gaiden it was confirmed that Sakura had to chase after Sasuke.

I've already talked at length about that scene from Sakura Hiden so I won't do so again here, but I'll link the relevant post where I explained how that scene obviously was not meant to be taken as a negative comment, but people will of course just twist things in order to suit their own anti Sakura/SS agenda.

But if other people are not convinced or deny that Sasuke loves Sakura, you have to let your bias aside and admit that they have reasons to believe that. The writing makes it really easy to interpret it either way, depending on your preferences.

No, here's what people need to understand. If people think that Sasuke's love towards Sakura was not adequately shown, then that's a reason to criticise the writing. It is not however, a reason to deny what is canon. They are stating that Sasuke does not love Sakura, despite the fact that this has explicitly been stated. Sasuke loving Sakura is a canon fact, whether they like it or not. Criticise the execution all you want, I know I have plenty of times, but don't deny the truth. Hell, since you wanted to use the novels...

During Sakura Hiden, Sasuke rushed back for Sakura's sake, despite having ignored the village's prior pleas for help. What does that say about his feelings for her?

During Akatsuki Hiden, Sasuke described Sakura as "The Spring Sunshine" which illuminated his dark life. What does that say about his feelings for her?

What does basically the entirety of Sasuke Retsuden say about his feelings for her?

Many anti SS fans are always so quick to use the novels when it suits them. And then when a novel like Sasuke Retsuden comes along and completely shits over all their theories, they're just as quick to dismiss the novel as an OOC fan fic by a sub par author, figures. As far as I'm concerned, the manga is more than enough to show that Sasuke loves his family (seriously this really isn't up for debate), but I'll also definitely say that anyone who criticises SS and uses the novels as a point of reference, is in way over their heads.

[behindheremeraldeyes]

title: the next step is love

summary: Modern AU - It’s Sakura’s birthday, and after the party, she’s left to take care of the mess of dirty plates and glasses. Luckily, she’s not alone, but he can’t really stay forever, right?

a/n: Okay, this story was supposed to have come out way earlier, but I changed the plot so many times that I just couldn’t finish it for her birthday... The original idea was so different, and perhaps, I end up writing it another time when the inspiration strikes again (seriously, it was a nice one). Anyway, I hope you can still enjoy this one! As always, my fluff side took over me and I just had to make something simple and domestic for the Queen’s bday! Hope you enjoy it, and please, let me know what you think! (also, this is un-betta’d. I wanted to post this asap because I’m working on a different project, so... bear with me)

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“Thank you for coming! ‘Careful on your way home!”

The sound of the door clicking shut reverberates across her entire apartment, and it only takes one second for that smiley expression to fade from her face. Her right hand is still placed over the door-knob, and for a brief moment, she closes her eyes, letting out a deep sigh in pure contentment. The last guests are finally on their merry way home now, and at last, she can stop worrying about things such as making sure no one’s feeling left out or re-filling toilet paper. Even if they’re all good friends, her perfectionist mind can’t simply allow her to enjoy the night without worrying about those details.

After turning the key, her hand moves to massage the back of her neck, and finally, she sets her toes free from her black heels. A mix of relief and calmness spreads all over her body, as a soft smile takes over her cherry-colored lips. This, perhaps, might be her favorite part of her birthday parties— or any party, for the matter— because, right now, she can finally savor all the things she's prepared for the night. The food, the decoration, the soothing music...

Oh, what a dream, she thinks, at first, before looking around with her lazy eyes and frowning at the scene. If only all of that mess could magically disappear by the time she wakes up tomorrow morning.

A sigh escapes her lungs as she makes her way back to the center of the hurricane that is her living room. Just like last year, she starts wondering why on earth she let Ino convince her to host her own birthday party instead of going out for a couple of drinks like most people do. Though the pinkette really enjoys having her friends over for a couple of hours, she can’t deny that the day after March 28th is probably the most tiring of the year. Sakura knows she's barely gonna get any sleep tonight, and by the time her alarm goes off around 5:30, she will certainly need at least 1 liter of coffee in order to go through her shift without falling asleep.

In theory, she could leave all that mess for tomorrow, sure, but thanks to her cleaning compulsion, that’s not really an option for her.

If only she could be a little more like Naruto...

Still, as she shakes her pink head, Sakura decides there’s no use in thinking about it tonight. That’s a problem for her future-self, and even if she’s probably going to regret that decision in the morning, right now, this is her moment. She can drink a full glass of champagne while eating another piece of her strawberry cake, and the best part is that she can do it all while enjoying the company of the only one whose presence will never be a bother to her.

Once she finally reaches her kitchen, the pinkette is fast to register the dirty dishes laying around the counter. There are way more glasses than the number of people she invited for the party, but for a brief moment, she forgets that she’s the owner of that mess. Her emerald eyes automatically drift towards the sink, and her heart skips a beat at the scene playing in front of her.

Not even in her wildest, teenage-ish dreams would she have ever pictured Uchiha Sasuke doing her dishes after her birthday party. Though she knows she’s the one who’s technically responsible for all of that, it’s inevitable for her to be entertained by how focused he seems to be while attempting to remove that lipstick stain from the cup.

How lovely, she ponders, bitting her lower lip in order to suppress a chuckle.

Too bad she can’t just keep watching him for the rest of the night.

“You know, even if I appreciate both your help and the view, you don’t have to do this, Sasuke-kun.” Sakura says, picking up some of the plates laying around and walking towards the sink. She’s standing by his side now, his tall body towering over hers, almost a head taller. The expression decorating his features remains unaltered, and she notices how he slowly moves to give her some space next to him. “You can go rest, if you want.”

“Do you want me to go leave?” He asks, unaltered, while scrubbing another knife.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She answers, grabbing a piece of cloth to dry the cutlery he has already washed. “I just don’t want you to do something you don’t want just because it’s my birthday or anything like that. It’s fine, really. I can do it alone.”

“Hn, It’s faster if we do it together.” He stops, a sly smirk taking over the corner of his lips as he closes the tap. His eyes are on hers, now, and she can feel her chest warming up in response. “Unless you wanna do it all by yourself.”

“Nope.” She says, promptly, handing him another dirty spoon and he’s quick to resume what he was doing. Her eyes watch the way the water runs through his fingers, and oddly, she can’t help but find that amusing. “If you’re willing to help, who am I to say no, right?”

A giggle escapes her lips when she hears the ‘tch’ that escaped from his lips, and eventually, they fall in a comfortable silence that is only disturbed by the clanking of the dishes touching each other. Every now and then, their fingers brush when he hands her the plates, and though she can still feel the sparks, those simple touches are no longer enough to make her blush in embarrassment as they used to.

His touch is no longer a stranger to her skin. His presence and his warmth have long been registered by her subconscious, marking every cell of her body with his constant presence. It’s been over 5 springs since their childish love finally bloomed into a serious relationship, and by now, both Sasuke and Sakura have grown used to one another. It goes beyond carnal desires or any poor excuse for a casual company, for their hearts share a connection deeper than words could ever describe.

Blame it on the fact that they used to be good friends before or even fate itself, but it’s impossible to deny the fact that they’ve reached the apex of their young love-life, to the point where doing the dishes together feels wholesome in ways neither of them can explain. There’s a sense of domesticity and mutual understanding shared in between unspoken words, and perhaps, that’s why it works so well for them as a couple. Even if they’re very different people, with different routines and personalities, they make it work.

They have enough trust, love and companionship to last for a life-time.

And though that should be enough—hell, that should be more than enough— Sakura can’t help but feel that there’s still something missing.

Something she can’t quite pin-point, but something that makes perfect moments lose their magic, for she knows they just won’t last. Even now, as they’re doing the dishes and making small conversation about how the party went, deep inside, her heart is heavy because she knows that once those dishes are clean, it will all be over and she will be left alone in her apartment before midnight strikes.

No matter how hard she tries, their moments together have their life-spawn shortened by the common laws of the universe, for every time there’s that stupid parting moment in which they both have to go separate ways. It’s painful for her to watch him disappear in the distance, and even if he doesn’t really express it with words, she can see the light in his eyes fading whenever they have to say goodbye. It’s always a new ‘good night’ and never a constant ‘good morning’ for them, and after so long, she’s sick and tired of this.

Perhaps, it’s just her tired-self speaking too loud in her head or even the few drinks she had during the party, but tonight, she doesn’t want the world to stand between them. Tonight, Sakura will break the natural laws, not caring about the consequences of finally taking the next step.

It’s still her birthday, after all. That has to count for something.

Her heart is beating faster now that she has made up her mind, and she realizes that she’s shaking when she picks another fork from his hands. She’s swallowing dry, and if not for the make up in her face, she knows he would be able to see a crimson blush decorating her cheeks. It’s now or never, she thinks. And before she has the chance to talk herself out of it, Haruno Sakura decides to act.

“Uhm... Sasuke-kun.” She starts, her voice shaky as his name slips from her tongue. Clearly, she forgot to think about the proper way of actually saying what she wanted, choosing instead to improvise— something she’s never really been good at. “I was thinking... Why don’t you spend the night here? You don’t have to go home after this.”

“Don’t even think about going to sleep, Sakura. You’re not leaving all of this mess to me.”

“Oi, that’s not what I meant!” She scolded him, a pout taking over her expression. “Shannarou, I just don’t want you to go home all alone at such late hours. Besides, is it wrong for a girl to want to stay with her boyfriend for the night?”

“You pervert.” He smirks, earning an elbow to his ribs in response. For someone so small, it’s undeniable that his girlfriend has some sort of abnormal strength people like her shouldn’t possess.

“Shut up. That’s not what I meant either! I just... I just don’t want you to leave, that’s all.”

Her words come out a little too low, but high enough so that he can hear them. Her voice sounded an octave too-melancholic, and perhaps, that was what made him actually take her offer seriously. “Hn, I guess I could. I don’t have to work tomorrow, so I can go home once when you leave for the hospital.”

“Really?” Sakura starts, a smile now threatening to take over her features. Though she still had to convey her real plan, that was already a win. A small one, but a win, nonetheless. “Well, you don’t have to leave that early if you don’t want to. You can just...stay. Maybe even wait for me to get home from the hospital and then we could eat dinner together.”

“What?” His eyes widen at her idea, and right now, she can’t really tell if his surprised expression is good or bad. “Aren’t you going to stay there until late tomorrow?”

“Well, probably, but you can stay here... is that a problem?”

”It’s not really a problem, but... I just don’t want to abuse your hospitality. It’s still your apartment, Sakura.” He scratches the back of his neck, and she could see that he was truly concerned about his manners. His mother has taught him how to be a gentleman, and even if she loves that about him, right now, she wishes he could let loose and just take her offer.

She bites her lower lip at his words, a puff of annoyance inflating her cheeks at his answer. Her boyfriend’s has never been good at reading her signs, and now, when not even she’s understanding them, the pinkette is starting to freak out.

Things are not going as planned— not that she actually planned anything to begin with. Her head is spiraling as she watches the snow-ball being created by her messy words, and slowly, she can feel her chance slipping through her fingers. If she doesn’t say it now, Sakura’s going to miss her opportunity, and who knows what’s going to happen to them. Will they break up? Will he think she’s not interested in a long-term commitment? Will they never do the dishes again?

No, she’s overthinking again. They have a solid relationship that has been built over the years and she’s not going to ruin it all in one night because she’s acting like a coward. She’s a modern, independent woman. A doctor, damn it. She has done a lot of things that were harder than asking her boyfriend to move in with her.

She can do it. She will do it.

“Sasuke-kun!” Her voice is determined now, her eyes filled with a different fire in them. This is it. No backing out now. “I need to ask you something important. It’s about our future together.”

“Okay... I’m listening.” He states, a little taken aback by her sudden burst. He stops what he’s doing, his dark irises now looking into her emerald ones. They’re holding a certain hope in them, and if anything, she was not expecting him to be paying that much attention to her. She’s feeling pressured by them, intimidated even. Her knees are shaking, her lips are trembling and her mind is suddenly blank.

She can’t do it. Nope. Not with those eyes staring into her soul.

“I-I... I...” Her heart is beating faster, and she feels like it will burst out of her chest any minute now. She’s going to faint, she can tell it.

“What is it, Sakura?”

“I-I...” She swallows, then, sighing as courage escapes her body. The pinkette has chickened out, finally opting for her ever-reliable plan B. “Naruto is an idiot, right?”

“... Yes.” He starts, his brows furrowing in confusion. “But what does that have to do with our future?”

“E-Everything! I mean, did you see how drunk he was tonight? Thank god Sai offered himself to take him home tonight, but we can rely on that forever. As his best friends, we have to do something about it. He lives far from both of us and we need a plan whenever we have a drinking night together.”

A moment of palpable tension grows between them, and right now, she’s sure he can hear her heart beating like crazy inside her chest. I’m an idiot, she thinks, holding back the urge to lower her head and cry. Sakura has just ruined everything, and right now, she’s going to have to pretend to actually care about where Naruto crashes when he’s drunk just so her boyfriend doesn’t think she’s completely crazy.

Ugh, those damn eyes of his. Why do they have to be so *freaking beautiful?

Thankfully, they can also read her like an open book.

“Hn, you’re right.” He says, finally breaking the silence that surrounded them. His voice is calm and understanding, as always, and she can feel her heart settling down at that. If anything, at least, his reaction isn’t bad or anything. “I guess we will have to have a spare room for him when we move in together.”

“Yeah, sure. A spare room when we—“ Her mind stops. Her hands freeze while holding the cloth and her green eyes widen. Her lips part slightly, but no word dares coming out of them.

Did he... Did he just say what she thinks he said?

She doesn’t know what kind of face she’s making right now, but if anything, she’s completely dumbfounded by his words. Sure, it’s not like he’s making a move tonight or anything, but he did say the words, right? Move in together. The three words she was trying so hard to get out of her chest, simply rolled out of his tongue as if it is the most logical thing in the world— and perhaps, it is. He says them in a way as if that decision won’t change their lives forever. As if it won’t affect their routine and the amount of food they have to buy at the grocery store.

It’s a decision that goes beyond a drawer filled with socks or an extra tooth-brush. And even if he sounds as calm as ever, she knows he’s aware of all that, because, if anything, Uchiha Sasuke doesn’t do anything based on impulse. He’s the kind of man who thinks things through and studies every possibility before making a decision.

So that means...

“Sasuke-kun... Are you suggesting that we move in together?”

“Aa.” He nods, no hesitation in his voice. “Weren’t you trying to say the same?”

“I-I... I was?” She says, sounding more like a question, to which he simply quirks an eyebrow in inquiry. If anything, that was not the moment for doubts anymore. “I mean, yes! That was exactly what I was trying to say.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

“Is it? Really?” She asks, hope now running through her veins and lighting up her entire system.

“Yes. It’s only natural for people like us, right?”

“Yeah...” He cheeks grow warmer, and her chest suddenly feels lighter. At last, he took the words out of her. “It’s settled, then.”

At last, their days of saying goodbye are counted and now they can enjoy each other from dawn to dusk.

A smile slowly makes its way to her eyes, and she can’t help but switch her attention to him. Sasuke is now looking at her, a soft expression taking over his face. She’s bewildered right now as she looks at the man who will be living with her. Totally and completely marveled, and more in love with him than she has ever been before in her life.

He understands her unsaid words and they share similar ideas regarding their past, present and future.

They are in love, and now, they’re ready to share the same roof above their pretty, little heads.

“You’re still staying with me tonight, right?”

“Tch.You really are a pervert, Sakura.”

He splashes her face with some water from the sink and her giggles fill her kitchen with joy. They’re young and in love, and for now, that’s all they need to take the next step towards their future together.

the end

[atopearth]

Ikemen Sengoku Part 11 - Kennyo Route

Honestly, Kennyo isn't my cup of tea but I am interested in how their romance will develop since it seems like such an unlikely match hahhaha. Anyway, it's pretty unfair of the heroine to feel distaste and dread against Nobunaga when he told Ranmaru that if he ever turned on him, he would kill him. Like um, I'm sure that's pretty normal, not to mention that Ranmaru literally ditched his master to save himself which is pretty ridiculous as one of the closest people to him. He's pretty lucky Nobunaga forgave him. Anyway, it's funny for the heroine to think Nobunaga as awful but not blink an eye at how "awful" Kennyo is for killing random retainers or whatever of Nobunaga. But I guess she has to think of Nobunaga as awful to pique Kennyo's interest lol. Anyway, imagining a bunch of warlords cleaning a storage room together is hilarious. But it was nice of them all to participate, and kind of Ranmaru to plan it to cheer her up after encountering Kennyo. Anyway, I wanted to mention that Kicho is hot and probably second to Kenshin for me, I need his route now😭 It was honestly saddening to see Kennyo pray for forgiveness for his future actions and stuff, his story has always been a sad one that hurts my heart to think about since he's someone that can never move on from the past and can only seek out revenge as his reason for living. He hurts and kills others but feels immense pain over it, and I feel like if he got his revenge, he'd probably kill himself in atonement for it all, but anyway, it's nice of the heroine to want to know more about him (even though she doesn't show any of that leniency towards Nobunaga lol).

Although it's kinda funny how much the heroine and Kennyo coincidentally bump into each other, I do like how every time they do, the heroine shows more and more of her kindness and humanity to remind him of the "better" part of people. I think it really helps Kennyo to put into perspective that she is a sort of light to illuminate his darkness that he can't let go of, although technically a nuisance to remind him of his old self and everything haha. Anyway, it's kinda funny how it was "funny" that Hideyoshi was so worried about the heroine delivering stuff herself and he even told her to bring a weapon with her just in case, and it turns out that maybe she really should have listened to him lol! I think it's actually quite sweet that ringing Kennyo's bell led to his pet weasel stealing it from her and essentially leading her to him lol. It's sweet to see them bond, especially when they saved a little kitten stuck up on a tree together, it just felt like Kennyo really was as normal as he should be and as kind as he still is. It would be nice if the heroine can bring out more and more of his true kindness. Aww young Kennyo looks pretty hot! Although the current mature one is much better I guess. However, Kennyo probably would disagree considering everything he has experienced since then lol. It's nice to see a bit of background for Ranmaru as well as Kennyo though, it can't be helped that Ranmaru would be so attached to Kennyo if he's been by his side since he was saved by Kennyo as a child. It's so sweet to know how happy Ranmaru is over Kennyo and the heroine liking each other and Kennyo becoming more soft and compassionate like he once was because of her, but also sad to see that Ranmaru also really likes her. You'll have your route one day!!

I guess it's nice to see how Shingen wants to try his best to convince Kennyo to give up on his revenge on Nobunaga before it's too late. It’s always nice to have a “friend” like that. Alike the heroine, I wanted to cry for Kennyo too when he told her the story behind the bell. I think it's really painful to have to constantly remember how he and his reinforcements were too late to save his comrades, and because there were traps, they had to flee before they could even get to bury their bodies, having only the bell as remembrance of that day. It's sad though, the bell is kinda like a shackle for Kennyo, a shackle constantly reminding him of revenge and all his comrades' pain. Young Nobunaga is cute lol. Anyway, Kennyo being hurt over the heroine's "betrayal" was actually painful enough that I felt like I could feel it, I felt so bad for him. But I'm glad Ranmaru and her both decided that they couldn't let Kennyo dwell in such darkness again and want to save him, it was pretty heartbreaking but the heroine is filled with such hope and desire to save Kennyo, it makes me feel so touched.

I wanna call the heroine stupid for telling Hideyoshi she really did go out to meet Kennyo when he already established it was a misreport, but really it's never stupid to be truthful about your feelings and to be honest with your heart. I guess this really is the romantic ending huh! I think what I love the most is that everyone knows what kind of person Kennyo is, and that's why they believe they can resolve this war peacefully without bloodshed, and the heroine appearing is like the best gift in hopes of making that truly happen. Anyway, I liked how Kennyo felt like he really could at least put things behind for now, and that it was allowed, and that what most people cared about was him rather than revenge itself. It's sad that Ranmaru won't be with them along their journey to all the temples and see how his people are doing, but I think it's his chance to live for himself rather than following Kennyo so I think the parting is important. I liked the ending. Reading Kennyo's PoV and seeing that in the beginning of the route, he moved those dead bodies so that the heroine wouldn't have to feel scared and see them again when she woke up was really thoughtful of him. I think what I enjoy seeing a lot from Kennyo's perspective is how much his people love and revere him. You can really see more of how much they follow him because they love and respect him more than anything else.

It was obvious that either Kennyo or the heroine were going to get hurt and force them to go to the future (in the dramatic route), which is honestly why I don't really like the dramatic ending sometimes, it's just so..dramatic lmao, it is what it is at least hahaha. Anyway, what I'm really enjoying about the dramatic route is the exploration of Kicho as this "evil" guy that has actually actively killed people and tries to stir up trouble for revenge on Nobunaga apparently. He's hot so it's good, but I think what I like about his character is the potential exploration of how being transported to the future and back to the past doesn't always mean you could survive happily like Sasuke, and you're not necessarily fortunate enough like the heroine to save someone like Nobunaga and gain the adoration of all the warlords. Lmao, the idea of Kennyo watching dramas with the heroine in the modern world sounded so cute. It was nice that the heroine got to meet her family and spend three months there before going back though. It was also nice that Kennyo was able to see Hongan-ji and it's teachings still alive to that day, I think that would be very heartwarming and motivational. I also thought it was really nice to see Kennyo and everyone rebuilding their temples and stuff, having Ranmaru there really made it feel like family. Honestly, I think I liked both the dramatic route and the romantic route. For the dramatic route, I liked how...more things happened I guess, so we got to see stuff like Kennyo enjoying dramas with the heroine in the modern world, but on the other hand, I personally preferred the bittersweet ending in the romantic route where Kennyo and the heroine go on a journey visiting the temples and helping the people who believe in him etc. I also liked how Ranmaru decided to find something for himself in that route. Tbh, I don't have a preference for what Ranmaru chooses because I feel like he's someone who would benefit from both? Like, him staying with Kennyo is truly what he desires, so being able to share his everyday life with the kind Kennyo is what he would love to do, but at the same time I also like the idea of him going out on his own to kinda explore this world now that he's stronger and can take care of himself, especially since I think it would benefit him to learn more things that he wouldn't be able to if he stayed so yeah I really liked both perspectives of how Ranmaru's life could change too.

Overall, I really liked Kennyo's route. He's probably one of my favourites actually, because I just love how they portrayed his pain over the loss of his companions and how much he cherished them? I've always liked that part of him so it was nice to see that expanded on, and I think it was really cute how the heroine and him got to bond over just little chats and spending time getting to know each other. Seeing Kennyo so soft towards the heroine and his people made me really like him. Ranmaru was also such a highlight in this route because seeing him respect Kennyo and want to help him made you understand how worth it Kennyo was haha. I guess I just really liked how gentle Kennyo was balanced with how he was burdened with so much responsibility over so many deaths, it just made his story really heartbreaking, but all the more satisfying when he finally got to share in some happiness with the heroine. Both endings were also pretty great. I think if you like the mature, responsible grieving guy that's really kind, you would probably like Kennyo🤣 Looking back at what I first said when I started this route...not my cup of tea my ass LOL, he’s totally my type hahahaha! Definitely a good surprise I guess haha!

[justabrazilianwriter]

The Party (SHIKATEMAWEEK 2020 - Day 4).

Another day, another chance to write shikatema fics, another oneshot to contribute to the week of the best Naruto couple! This is also published on Ao3. Hope you guys enjoy it!

DAY 4: Roomates.  SUMMARY:  It was common knowledge that Shikamaru Nara was not a party person. Because of that, it's obvious that he is in a bad mood when he is forced to attend one made by a new friend of Kiba. He doesn't want to be there. Everything sucks. But when the host's older sister shows up, maybe going to that party wasn't such a bad idea. CONTENT NOTICE: use of alcoholic drinks and drugs. They are all adults.  (3987 WORDS). 

English is not my first language, so I translated this story through the google translator. If you find any grammatical or concordance errors, please let me know!

It was well known that Shikamaru Nara was not a party person.

Not that he hated parties with all his might, but he just didn't understand why everyone adored it. Shikamaru liked to drink here and there, but getting completely drunk only gave him the worst hangovers the next day. Weed left him dying from sleep and he was not a person who needed help with that. When the clock passed midnight he was ready to leave and sleep, but none of his friends allowed it and he had to stay, listening to Ino's terrible musical taste exploding on the speaker for long three hours.

Not to mention that parties usually never had a measly place to sit and Shikamaru had to spend hours leaning against the walls. What did people have against chairs or sofas? Some people needed a moment to rest for God's sake!

So, when Kiba invited him to a small party at the home of a new friend of his (some foreign kid who recently moved in to town and ended up saving him from an assault), Shikamaru's first thought is to deny. He does not want to go. Making new friends is a lot of work and he doesn't understand why he would need it. He already has enough friends, thank you very much.

But Naruto knows the younger brother of Kiba’s friend and Naruto, much to Shikamaru's despair, never gives up. He wants everyone to know each other, which means he doesn't leave Shikamaru alone. He sends messages, addresses him whenever he can, knocks on his damn door until he answers and, in the end, Shikamaru give up only so Naruto can leave him in peace.

Which brings him to that moment, when he stumbles down the sidewalk with Chouji by his side, sighing and moaning sadly.

"Why do we need to go?" he asked sadly to the heavens. Chouji laughed beside him, enjoying his mood.

"Look on the bright side," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The sooner we arrive, the sooner you can leave."

Shikamaru laughed, wrapping his arm around Chouji's shoulders.

"That's why," he said, giving him a smile. "You are my best friend".

Chouji laughed with pleasure.

"Don't let Ino hear that," he joked. "She hasn't gotten over the last time she heard you say that and it's been years."

"Ino has no morals to say anything" replied Shikamaru as he put his arms behind his head. "Since she started dating Sai, she hardly spends time with us."

Chouji shrugged and smiled warmly.

“Who can blame her? She's in love". He looked at Shikamaru and raised an eyebrow. "Not that you know much about it."

An indignant exclamation came from his lips.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "I dated Shiho for almost a year!".

"And look what happened".

Shikamaru didn't have an answer to that because he knew that Chouji was right. Shiho was a nice girl he met in an eccentric code-cracking class in college. She was cute, smart, kind and liked him, so Shikamaru asked her out. They dated for months and never fought, never fell out, never had any problems.

It was very boring.

There was no stimulus, there was no sparks, there were no emotions at all.

And when he realized he was absolutely bored in that relationship, he ended it all. And it should have hurt a lot more than it hurt, he should have suffered a lot more than he suffered. But in spite of everything, what hurt him most was seeing Shiho cry because she was a very nice girl and a good friend. Just it.

"You never fell in love either," he murmured to Chouji, seeing him roll his eyes. "You are not in the position of pointing fingers."

"I'm an incurable romantic, you know that" defended Chouji looking good-natured. “And I will find love someday. It's just that, unlike you, I don't go around denying the sadness of my love life and being all resentful about it”.

Shikamaru pouted and crossed his arms, listening to him laugh beside him. Feeling the words of his best friend entering his chest, he tried to change the subject.

"What's the name of this new Kiba friend, anyway?".

"Kankuro" said Chouji looking at his cell phone and checking the address. “And his younger brother, who knows Naruto, is called Gaara. I think they have an older sister, but nobody seems to know her ”.

The two finally arrived at the house, ringing the bell. From the inside, Shikamaru could already hear Lee's joyful screams and Ino's music bursting through the speakers. It would be a long night.

The door opened and a tall boy with brown hair and lots of makeup on his face appeared. He smiled at them, raising his eyebrows.

"Hello," he said. "And who are you guys?".

"I am Chouji" he said before pointing to Shikamaru. “And this is Shikamaru. We are friends with Kiba ”.

"Oh yeah! He commented that you would come. Friends of the blonde who speaks loudly and took over my sound, right? ” joked the boy. "I am Kankuro".

"It's a pleasure," muttered Shikamaru as he entered the house. "And I'm sorry for Ino."

Kankuro laughed and shrugged.

"Don’t be. I'm used to blonde women who like to yell at me. My sister got  me used well ”.

The rest of the group, who were scattered around the room, looked at Chouji and Shikamaru and shouted in celebration. Naruto left where he was sitting and pulled Shikamaru into a bear hug.

"I knew you would come," he said with a huge smile on his lips. "You say you don't like it, but I know you can't resist a party."

"What I can't resist is how insistent you can be" replied Shikamaru while rolling his eyes. "You literally started showing up in my nightmares."

Naruto laughed heartily and Chouji rolled his eyes fondly. Kankuro appeared behind them, pointing around.

“Beers can be left in the kitchen, over there. There's a bathroom up the stairs and please, cigarettes just near the windows or outside. Gaara hates the smell ”. He then pointed to a red-haired boy with eye makeup who was listening to something Lee was saying. “That's him, my little brother. I don't think you need me to introduce anyone else ”.

"I didn't want to be the person to warn you about this, but calling this group of people into your home was probably the biggest mistake of your life," muttered Shikamaru. Kankuro laughed before taking a sip of his beer.

“Kiba's friend, that quiet guy with the sunglasses, said the same thing, but we moved out a little while ago and haven't met anyone yet. Kiba said that we would get along with his friends, so why not? As long as no one pukes on the carpet, I think we'll be fine. Temari would make me clean the dirt with my own tongue”.

The party continued for the next hour. Shikamaru found a comfortable place to lean against the wall and drank a beer while watching his friends around. Ino and Sakura talked to each other non-stop, while Sai and Sasuke listened to them in silence as usual. Naruto tried his best to convince Neji to compete with him on ‘who could drink the most’, but Shikamaru knew it was a lost cause. Hinata watched them with a resigned look and Tenten laughed so hard that she looked like she was about to cry. Lee was talking non-stop, his cheeks slightly red, sitting on the sofa very close to Gaara, who was listening to him with all his attention. Shino, Kiba and Kankuro talked and laughed about something. Shikamaru also noticed that Kiba and Kankuro seemed to be leaning a little to close to each other.

Chouji tried to start conversations with him, but while he was drinking, Shikamaru couldn't help repeating the conversation they had in his mind.

He wasn't that bad when it came to love. He had his share of relationships here and there since puberty and he considered himself a handsome and intelligent guy, thank you very much. Okay, Ino was his first kiss and it was so absurdly weird that they just looked at each other afterwards and burst out laughing, agreeing never to do that again. He and Sakura also tried to date when they were younger, but Shikamaru was not in the mood to be with someone who was clearly in love with other guy.

They grew up, he had his dates, he lost his virginity, he dated Shiho. So, yes, maybe he never fell in love so deeply that he lost his mind and became as stupid as Naruto with Hinata, but that didn't mean he didn't understand anything about love or was hopeless.

Right?

And it was with these thoughts in mind that he heard her voice for the first time.

Key noises could be heard, but no one seemed to pay attention. The front door opened, someone entered, at the same moment that the music faded and, before anyone could do anything, a voice came up saying:

"Why is there a bunch of strangers in my house?".

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed and he turned his head, the beer can still on his lips, while he drank. His eyes sought the owner of that voice, going to his right, until he fell into...

Holy fucking shit.

The personification of his wet dreams was standing there, at the entrance to the room, looking at everyone with a raised eyebrow. Shikamaru almost let the beer can slip from his fingers, too impacted by the sight of her to be able to put strength in his own hand. His mouth was slightly open and he sure looked like an idiot, but at that moment, who cares?

His eyes followed beautiful tanned legs, covered with fishnet tights, to the smallest skirt in the universe. Then they head up, where he tried not to focus because he was educated to be a gentleman, but Shikamaru's brain melted. A  stomach line, tight T-shirt, a long and elegant neck that led him to a beautiful and dangerous face. Sand-blond hair tied in two ponytails, expressive eyebrows, delicious lips contorted in a grimace. Her eyes swept the room and fell on him for just a second. The world caught on fire.

He has never seen a woman like her in his life. He had never felt such an overwhelming urge to be trampled by someone like in that moment. He would let her step on him like a rug and then he would say thank you.

The music was paused. Everyone looked in her direction. And Shikamaru realized that she was clearly older than them, because all her energy screamed maturity. She seemed to dominate the entire room with just a look and he was certainly included in it, like an insect hypnotized by a light trap.

"Temari!" exclaimed Kankuro, looking slightly paler. "Shit. What are you doing here?".

She looked at him for long seconds without an expression on her face.

"I live here" replied simply and Shikamaru controlled himself not to laugh. She seemed to be a smartass like him.

"I know" replied Kankuro, looking indignant. "But I thought you were going to spend the night at your boyfriend's house."

"Oh, yes, me and Daimaru broke up" Temari replied, not looking shaken by it. Something in Shikamaru's chest hummed, happy that she was single.

"Are you alright?" asked Gaara, looking slightly concerned and speaking for the first time since Shikamaru arrived. She shrugged.

"Yes. He cried, but meh, it's okay” she replied. Then she put her hands on her waist and Shikamaru had a flashback from his own mother when his father was in trouble. "Now, can you tell me why there are a bunch of strangers in my house?".

"Well, you always say that we should make more friends, so I met some people and thought about making a social with them".

"In our house?".

"Yes".

"In the middle of the week?".

"Yes?".

"Without telling anyone?".

"I told Gaara!" exclaimed Kankuro, trying to defend himself. Temari's eyebrow went up even more and she looked so dangerous and powerful that Shikamaru lost his breath.

"Gaara is not the one who pays the bills" she countered and the silence followed for a few seconds. Everyone's eyes passed between them, as if watching a game of ping-pong. Shikamaru's chin was still slightly dropped.

"Kankuro...?" Temari started saying.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You are the worst roomate I have ever had in my life."

"I'm the only roomate you've ever had," he countered. Temari crossed her arms, indicating the sofa with her head.

"This is not true. I have Gaara”.

"Gaara is so quiet that sometimes I spend days without seeing him".

"And he couldn't be more perfect" she returned and a little smile appeared on her beautiful lips, because she knew she was winning the argument. The sight of that smile sent a delicious shiver down Shikamaru's spine. Suddenly, he was no longer tired. On the other way, he was full of energy.

In a quick movement, Temari took the beer can out of Kankuro's hands and drank.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "That's mine!".

"Yours?" she asked.

"Yes, I paid with my money".

"Oh, so do you have money now?" Temari murmured, smiling in an almost feline way. Shikamaru's heart exploded in his chest at the thought of what it would be like to have that smile directed at him. "So how about you start helping with the rent then?".

She and Kankuro faced each other in a silent battle. He was the first to look away and she smiled victoriously.

"That's what I thought," she said, before taking a second sip. Then she pursed her lips, pretending to think and sighed. "Okay, I'm not going to ruin your party."

"Oh God, thank you" sighed Kankuro. "Tem, you are the best big sister in the world-".

"But I have some conditions."

Kankuro groaned. Gaara laughed, clearly enjoying the situation. He was not the only one. All the women present looked at Temari as if she were a powerful example to be followed. Shikamaru also couldn't take his eyes off her, but for other reasons.

“First, don’t break anything. Any mess or dirt has to be clean tomorrow morning”.

"Deal," said Kankuro automatically.

“Second,” continued Temari, looking amused by her brother's bad mood. She moved closer to him, with her long bare legs moving slowly and Shikamaru's hands were sweating so hard that he thought he would pass out from dehydration. “No weed in the back area. The neighbor will complain and I hate to deal with her”.

"There's no weed," lied Kankuro, making both Shikamaru and Temari roll their eyes. The smell was literally everywhere.

"Tell that to your friend who's eating mustard with pickles and peanuts," she argued, pointing at Chouji a few feet away, with his eyes a little red. Everyone turned to him and he flinched, his mouth still full of that culinary crime.

A loud laugh escaped Shikamaru's lips before he could stop himself. Temari turned, looking at him and her eyebrows rose slightly. Her eyes slowly studied him from top to bottom and the temperature in the room seemed to be so hot that everything would start to melt. Her lips lifted in a smile, still staring at Shikamaru and he can't stop himself from smiling back.

"You are not funny, Tem" groaned Kankuro.

"The cute one over there thinks I'm funny," she countered, indicating Shikamaru with her head and making him almost choke on his own saliva. “Well, rule number three: no loud music for the same reason as before. The neighbor is a bitch and she'll probably call the police. I am the eldest, everything will fall on my back and I swear to God, Kankuro, if I get arrested because of you, I will kill you”.

"Nobody's going to be arrested," he said in a groan. "Anything else?".

Temari took a long drink of beer, her eyes on her brother, just to torture him a little. Then she sighed and smiled.

"No” she said. “You can continue."

And the party continued.

Shikamaru's eyes seemed to be drawn to her figure like magnets. He tried not to look, but it seemed like a completely impossible task. He saw how Ino and Sakura approached Temari right after, monopolizing their attention for a long time. He saw her drink more, saw her smile, saw her laugh, saw her cross those damn legs together, thick thighs showing and making him shiver.

Worse, he saw her look at him. With her beautiful and mysterious eyes, Temari turned to him once in a while, sometimes without expression, sometimes evaluating him again, sometimes with that feline smile appearing on her lips and Shikamaru drank so much without realizing it, completely distracted by her, that his mind was completely blurred.

When she moved again, laughing at something Ino had said and her skirt went up a few more inches, Shikamaru stood up, desperate for a cigarette.

He went to the kitchen, opening a door to the back and stayed there, smoking, trying to distract his own head and ease his heartbeat.

Completely useless, because a few minutes later he heard footsteps and her voice haunted him again.

"Cigarettes are very bad for you, you know."

Shikamaru turned, seeing her leaning against the doorframe with her shoulder. His hands started to sweat again, but a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"Your brother is smoking weed less than ten meters away," he argued. Temari's eyebrow rose and she walked closer to him, looking amused.

"Kankuro is a hopeless case since I dropped his head on the ground when we were kids," she said. She leaned her elbows on the center counter of the kitchen, projecting her back slightly forward and making his mind go blank. "Are you a hopeless case?".

"I like to think not," he replied, taking a drag on his cigarette. "Some would say that I am very smart."

"Oh, so I heard" replied Temari with a raised eyebrow. “Your friends were telling me everything. A genius, huh? ”.

Shikamaru's cheeks burned.

"The title can be a bit over the top," he said, scratching the back of the neck. Temari laughed, raising her hand.

“Temari” introduced herself. He squeezed her hand and her skin was warm under his fingers.

"Shikamaru" replied.

"Well, it's a pleasure, Shikamaru," Temari said, letting go and leaning back against the counter. His name on her lips was music to his ears. "So, which one of my idiot little brothers brought you here today?".

Shikamaru laughed, finishing his cigarette.

"None" replied, throwing it in the trash and taking a few steps towards her. “I am friends with Kiba, the make-up boy who is not your brother. But I came because Naruto insisted”.

"The blond who doesn't know how to speak softly?" asked Temari and Shikamaru laughed.

"The one nd only" replied. Both she and he looked through the kitchen door, watching Naruto and Lee talking animatedly with Gaara, on the living room sofa.

"He and Gaara seem to get along," she murmured. Shikamaru smiled, finally standing next to her and realizing that he was taller by long centimeters. It was surprising, because her energy screamed that she would be able to put him on the floor in a few seconds.

"Naruto likes him," he said. "He convinced everyone to come so we could get to know him."

A loving smile broke out on her lips.

"I'm happy" she said and the tone of her voice was so gentle and soft that Shikamaru's heart beat again. He didn't know which Temari he liked best: the seductive and mysterious or the gentle and smooth. In the end, it didn't really matter. He would accept whatever she wanted to show. “Gaara is very shy. It is difficult for him to make friends. I'm glad that the blonde and the boy with the strange haircut adopted him “.

Shikamaru laughed again and she looked at him. The silence followed for a few seconds, before he tried to break it, not wanting their interaction to end there.

"So, difficult day?" He asked. Temari looked confused.

"No, why?". Shikamaru's cheeks burned and he was slightly lost.

"Well, you told about your breakup and these things are usually complicated ..."

"Oh, yes," said Temari before giving a dry chuckle and shrugging her shoulders. “I wouldn't say it was that difficult. My relationship was about to end for a long time, but it seems that only I saw it. I think I should be sadder than I really am, but I can't explain it”.

"Actually, I completely understand" Shikamaru said and she looked at him with surprised eyes. "I just broke up and was more sad to make her sad than the break up itself."

"Yes, exactly," muttered Temari and they continued to stare at each other with surprise. “It is difficult to explain, but it is as if Daimaru and I were just great friends. There was no...”.

“Spark” completed Shikamaru. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Yes! Chemistry, ” she said. "Everything was so normal, so monotonous, so ...".

"Boring".

And they looked at each other in even more surprise, with a strange and delicious energy pulsing between them. Temari's eyes assessed him again and a smile appeared on her lips. Suddenly, she looked like a predator ready to take a victim. And Shikamaru couldn't be happier to be her prey.

"... Yes" she murmured. "That's exactly it."

Shikamaru found himself completely lost in the deadly beauty of her face. He had, in five minutes of conversation, more chemistry with Temari than in his entire relationship with Shiho. She was beautiful and sharp, smart as hell, ready to give back in equal measure everything that anyone threw at her. Temari dominated the environment only with her presence, everyone around seemed to be under her command. She seemed to be someone who didn't bow her head at all. She looked like someone who would eat Shikamaru alive if he had the honor of being involved with her.

She looked like the most troublesome woman he had ever met.

And it was absolutely addictive.

The sound of an alarm broke their trance. Temari closed her eyes, cursing under her breath and took her cell phone out of her skirt pocket.

"I have to go" she said and Shikamaru's shoulders fell in disappointment.

"I thought you lived here," he said and she raised an eyebrow like he was an idiot.

"I meant to leave the party, genius" she countered with a smile in the corner of her mouth. "Some people work early in the morning."

She walked away from him, walking on her back, her eyes still on him. He saw her beautiful thighs move away, her beautiful silhouette move away, the idea that maybe he would never be able to see her again appear and Shikamaru tried to think of something to say, to prevent her from leaving, but his brilliant brain, for the first time time, didn't have a plan.

"Wait! Temari ”exclaimed on instinct. She stopped, looking expectantly at the doorframe.

Shikamaru swallowed, praying that he wouldn't ruin it.

"Why don't you give me your phone number?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "You know, so I can let you know if your brother wants to throw a party behind your back again."

She looked at him for what seemed like hours, probably loving to see him sweat like she did with Kankuro earlier. In the end, her eyes sparkled and her smile became excitingly feline. Shikamaru felt an impulse to run and thank Naruto for being a stubborn idiot.

"I thought you would never ask."

[ssa25]

Not for You - Sasuhina

Rated: T (for curse words and other implicit details) 

 Hinata pulled the lapels of her borrowed faux leather jacket closer together to keep out the evening breeze. And, under that pretense, cover up her decolletage that seemed to strain against the black tube top Ino had also lent (read:forced) her to wear. The girl had some crazy convincing skills.

“C’mon Hinata… We can’t have Naruto waiting too long… Lord knows he can’t keep it together for too long without letting his inner fuckboy out…”

The telltale blush on Hyuuga Hinata was creeping up slowly. But she tried to calm her nerves. She could do this, she definitely could. Flirt with Naruto. 

It had only been a week since she was introduced to him at the apartment she moved into. Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura were next door neighbours, and good friends with Tenten, her flatmate. 

The girls had been welcoming, much to her relief. It was hard to transfer universities in the middle of sophomore year, but desperate times called for desperate measures. After her father’s car accident and Hanabi being a teenager, her Uncle Hizashi had them move to Konoha to live with his family. Hyuuga Hiashi who was wheelchair bound for the next few months, now was under the care of his twin brother and his family. Hanabi could focus on school and Hinata didn't have to consider dropping out of university to care for him. Their Uncle's home wasn't lavish by any stretch and Hinata didn’t want to impede anymore than she had to, so she opted to rent out near university. 

It was there that she first met Uzumaki Naruto. Tall, blonde, fit and tanned, she was practically moony eyed for the first few seconds when Tenten introduced him to her. He had been kind enough to help Ino and Sakura assemble their new dining table, after their old rickety one collapsed, unable to bear Ino and her weird but sweet boyfriend Sai’s weight, as per Sakura’s accusations. All in all, moving to Konoha had been a weirdly pleasant experience, and meeting Naruto was just turning out to be the highlight of it all. 

Tenten was quick on the uptake and got Hinata to attend the Friday night party at a Nara Shikamaru’s mansion. She had never met him, but that wasn’t going to be a big deal. Everyone was invited. 

“Uh-oh, Sakura just messaged, she is too busy looking for Sasuke to keep a tab on Naruto.”, Tenten looked up from her phone at her blond and the blue haired companion. “The house is right around the corner. Let’s get going.”

They could even hear the low hum of music that was probably blasting over at their destination. Hinata took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She looked to the side and found dark tinted window of an black SUV, reflecting her flushed nervous appearance. Turning fully to it, she pushed her fingers through her hair touch up the sexy messy hair Ino had helped her with. Smacking her lips together to keep her lip gloss even, her eyes drifted downwards to birth of her cleavage and her face contorted into a nervous frown. Parting the sides of the jacket, she saw how the top was literally like second skin on her body. Never did she think that her body could look sexy and alluring. She traced the hem of the neckline wondering if others would deem it as slutty. 

She had always dressed modestly, her dresses always below knee length, her jeans always baggy and her tops always three sizes bigger. Her father had severely restricted her since she was very young and forbid them to wear anything remotely suggestive. Now that she was on her own, she had the chance to change her style, but this outfit was clearly an exaggeration.

She pulled up the neckline to cover what she could and pulled the jacket close. And tried to look more determined than shy. 

"I can do this… I can talk to Naruto…. Yeah..", she muttered words of courage to herself. 

“Hinata..??", Ino called her. Tenten and her were already a few yards away.

“Yeah, I-I’ll be there…”

Just as she cast a final glance at her reflection, she heard the whirring sound of the tinted window lowering. She gasped and took a step back, horrified to see a dark haired stranger looking back at her from the inside of the SUV. 

It was so embarrassing, she wanted to smack her head somewhere. Unsure of what she should do in such an awkward situation, she muttered a ‘sorry’ and started walking away, mentally cursing her rotten luck. Ino and Tenten were nowhere in sight, they had probably just turned around the corner. 

She decided it would be better to join them. But on hearing a short whistle from behind her, she halted and turned slowly to see the guy in the car, open his door and get out. He had a slight smirk on his face as he looked at her and shut the door. 

"You might want to take off your jacket. Naruto would come talk to you himself." 

If she thought she couldn't get any redder than she usually did, she was proven wrong.

--

“Sasuke’s back!!! ”, Sakura’s voice boomed over the loud music. 

Hinata choked on the cheap wine she had been sipping on, while talking to Naruto, when she saw the man Sakura had pulled towards them. It was the same creep of a guy she had seen minutes back. 

Trying to cough it out, Naruto helped pat her back.

“Hey, hey, you alright?”

She nodded her head and thought about ducking away under some excuse. 

“Hinata, I want you to meet Uchiha Sasuke… Sasuke, this is Hinata, she just moved in with Tenten.”

“Hi. ”, Sasuke greeted her nonchalantly, but his eyes hovered over her. She shifted on her legs, clearly uncomfortable. Now that she remembered, she had heard his name in quite a few conversations between the girls. 

She felt mortified to even think that this Sasuke guy might tell on her to Naruto. And then Naruto might think she was a weirdo. Amd avoid her. Oh, how she hated her luck.

Lost in her thoughts, she realised a little late at the few pairs of eyes staring at her, waiting for her response. She realised her mistake and quickly muttered a garbled ‘Hello’ back at him. 

“Bastard, where did you disappear to? Sakura was going crazy looking for you…”, Naruto complained to him. 

“I needed some fresh air.”, he replied leaning on the wall beside him. 

“I told her you would lurking somewhere nearby, but she wouldn't listen…Anyway, I was just telling Hinata here about our upcoming basketball game against Suna .. Right before she choked on her drink…”

“Clothes too tight maybe…”, Sasuke muttered. 

“What?”, Naruto and Sakura asked together. 

“T-T-Tell me more about the game Naruto… ”, Hinata distracted Naruto from the evil acquaintance who was tattling on her. She had zipped up her jacket to make sure no one got an eyeful of what he had already seen. If that was the reaction, it was going to garner, she wasn’t too sure she could handle the attention. 

"Sure.", her blonde haired crush grinned at her. "So, Sasuke and I are like….the star players of our team… Though, Shikamaru is the captain…. He is a lazy ass, but is the best strategist… And Suna Uni has an amazing team too… My friend Gaara plays in that team… Super guy, I'll introduce you to him at the afterparty. "

Hinata was only half listening to what he had to say, because it was starting to feel like a hot furnace inside the jacket. It was too crowded, the music was too loud, it was all just too much for her senses. She lifted her long locks over her shoulders just to ventilate herself. 

"F*ck, why is it so hot in here..", Ino commented as she joined the group with her boyfriend Sai. She was fanning herself with a magazine. And had already taken off her denim jacket. 

Just then, a brown haired guy with triangle shaped tattoos on his cheeks snickered and butted in between Sasuke and Naruto. "Yo yo yo…. Guess what I did… It's genius…" 

Tenten looked at him suspiciously and replied. "What Kiba?" 

"Turned up the heaters to the max in all the rooms…. In no time, chicks will be shedding their clothes.. It's gonna be epic.. ", Kiba laughed and patted the guys' backs and walked away in the direction of the dancing crowd. 

The girls gasped at his revelation and Hinata could only frown worriedly. She was definitely not taking off her jacket, but the only other option was to either get out of there or pass out from the intense heat. 

Before she could inform any of the girls about her problem, Ino and Sai volunteered to find Shikamaru and get him to fix this mess, while Tenten left to refill her cup. The only other person left was Sakura, but she had pressed herself to Sasuke's side with no intention of letting go. 

"Narutooooooooo" 

A shrill voice screeched over the music. . 

"F*cking hell…. Shion is here..", Naruto said as he nervously glanced around. "Who the f*ck invited her?" 

"No one you idiot. It's an open invitation.", Sasuke replied with a straight face. 

"Sh*t!", he scratched the back of his head and took a few steps back. "Well, it was nice chatting to you guys… See ya later."

With that, he rushed away from them to a different part of the mansion. 

Hinata looked at his back in confusion. "What happened to him?", she asked Sakura. 

The pretty pink haired woman wearing a tight red tube top and dark skinny jeans laughed in response. "He is avoiding Shion… He slept with her few months back… And now he can't get her off his back. Trust me, don't ever tell her that you like Naruto… That woman is crazy possessive about him…" 

Hinata looked wide-eyed at Sakura, who didn't seem perturbed about spilling out about her crush on Naruto. She glanced at Sasuke who gave her a knowing smirk while drinking from his cup. It made her break out in a fresh round of sweat. As if, her jacket already wasn't feeling sticky on her skin. 

"I… I need some fresh air.", she announced and walked away from the duo. 

It took her a bit to navigate through the half drunk crowd of young adults, before she located the door to the back garden. 

From the little, she had seen the mansion seemed even bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. She had not met Shikamaru yet, but it seemed like his parents were loaded.

The back gardens seemed even more ostentatious than the front. There was a small gazebo on one side of it, which seemed unoccupied. She quickly occupied one of the wooden benches inside the gazebo, with her back leaning on the inside wall. 

After a quick glance around, she unzipped the jacket and breathed out a sigh of relief. She should have stuck to wearing her own clothes, she surmised. This whole daring outfit was a bad bad idea. She slung the jacket down from her shoulders to her elbows to air out her back. 

“You should take off that jacket.”, her heart lurched as she heard someone speak into her ears. 

She spun around in her seat to find Sasuke, his eyes filled with mirth.

"What are you doing here?", she asked him suspiciously.

But he just walked around and got into the gazebo, sitting on a bench opposite to her. This time he had a bottle of beer in his hand. 

She slipped the jacket back up her shoulders and looked away from him. Was he following her? She didn’t even have the courage to ask him blatantly. 

She decided to ignore him, hoping he would go back to wherever he came from and she could continue cooling herself. If not, she would have to look for another place for some solitary cooling off. 

"So, Naruto, huh?", he spoke again. 

"E-excuse me??" 

"Quite curious I think, he hardly had anyone pinning after him when he was younger. Noe he's got a handful. Is it the hair? Or the tan?", he mulled over loud enough for her to hear. 

Hinata crossed her arms across her abdomen and looked down on the weather-worn wooden planks to hide her blush. "I don't believe that's any of your busi-" 

"Aa, both then." 

Hinata huffed in frustration and glared at the man, but he seemed unruffled. She really wanted to speak up for herself. 

“Y-you know, it isn’t polite to look at a woman in her vulnerable state without her knowledge.”

“Hardly my fault. You did all of that yourself.”, Sasuke replied as folded one leg over the other. 

“But you could have let me know of your presence behind the tinted windows.”

“Why would I do that? In fact, as I had mentioned before, you are quite appropriately dressed for Naruto…. He is looking for a good lay tonight… Like most guys here… ”

She looked aghast at what he was insinuating. He was clearly an obnoxious person.

“Most guys like…. you?...”

“Hn… Depends… Are you suggesting something?”

She narrowed her eyes at him and grimaced. “You… You are really obnoxious."

The man chuckled at her. 

“Aren’t you overreacting?”, he asked as she folded her arms and looked away from him.

Hinata was a very patient person on a good day. But today, she was not in the mood to put up with any judgement from a guy who, up until a few hours back, had not even been aware of her existence. Or maybe it was just the wine talking. 

“Maybe I am, I’m not so sure myself. But I’m positively certain that I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

That was when they heard some giggles behind the some thick bushes few yards away. 

Sasuke didn't say anything after she made her reluctance to chat, verbally clear to him. An awkward silence followed for the next minute or so, and Hinata considered going back home. Naruto was hiding, and she was uncomfortable with her clothes.

When she stood up, the quiet of the evening was disrupted by lewd feminine moans. 

"Umm...Ah...Yes...Yes…. F*ck…. yes…..yes…. Sai…. F*ck… you're so big…" 

Hinata was horrified beyond words, while her face looked like a ripe tomato. When she heard Sasuke snicker at her, she floundered internally to snap back at him. 

"Yes, Ino… Now we know that Sai is big.", Sasuke announced loud enough for the whole garden to have heard. 

They heard Ino shriek before hearing a loud thump. Seconds later, they had Ino straightening her skirt as she stood in front of them, glaring at the Uchiha, with Sai right behind her. When she saw Hinata with him, she was surprised, to say the least. 

"Oh… Hinata… What are you doing here? With Sasuke?" 

With Sasuke? Hinata was shocked at the mild implication in her words. "N-Nothing… I… I-It was too hot inside, so I came here to cool off." 

"Ino said the same thing.", Sai said with a passive expression. "So she wanted to f*ck outside." 

Ino elbowed him lightly to shut him up. "My apologies. Sai doesn't have a filter. I tried to get Shikamaru to turn off the heaters, but he doesn't seem to want to come out of his room. Apparently, he had a fight with Temari earlier. So he is sulking by himself."

"Tch."

Ino put her hands on her hips as she looked at Sasuke, before turning to Hinata again. "Stay away from him Hinata." 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde woman. "What the f*ck is that about?" 

"Nothing.", she replied with a shrug. "Just that Sakura has serious dibs on you. Hinata was probably not aware of it." 

Sasuke sneered, "Ah, dibs. Sure. Because you are still pre-schoolers who don't understand when someone says that they are not interested."

"Well, you are never interested in anyone." 

"Not true.", he snapped back at her. 

Ino seemed a little surprised. So she leaned forward with a mocking smile. "Oh, really…. Tell me one person who has your interest." 

Hinata moved her eyes back and forth between the two, preferring to be the passive witness of the exchange, like Sai. But when she saw Sasuke stare at her purposefully with an upward tilt of one corner of his lips, she got a strange sense of foreboding.

[milfsmackdown]

Why do narusasu fans always bring up how Sasuke tried to kill Sakura but never about how Sasuke has tried to kill Naruto. Cherry picking I guess

ok first of all sasuke only tried to kill sakura bc she was planning to kill him first and it wasnt anything like the scenarios nor did it have any of the same reasons or meaning as when sasuke tried to kill naruto

and sasuke was stopped by kakashi here

at this point in the manga sasuke is extremely fragile having just killed danzo and only recently learned the truth about itachi after killing him. hes basically reliving his trauma (karin says his chakra has become much colder; he is not in a good state rn)

and sakura lied to sasuke, and sasuke has been lied to and manipulated a lot over the past 400 chapters, so he probably didnt take that well either. sakura has always been an annoyance, sasuke never liked it when she flirted or tried to get him to notice her, and yes she currently is in the way of him completing his goal of destroying konaha but tbh sasuke doesnt even view sakura as a threat and only attacked her bc she tried to off him first

the second time sasuke tries to kill sakura is in the next chapter when sakura tries to kill him again

at this point sasukes sight is going bc hes overused the sharingan and hes purely reacting on instinct. again sasuke doesnt particularly care whether sakura lives or dies bc she just doesnt register as important enough to him

tbh sasukes feelings for sakura can be summed up in these panels

sasuke literally just sees her as a hindrance

naruto on the other hand is someone sasuke sees as someone he has to kill in order to 1) get strong enough to defeat his brother, then 2) to destroy konoha and then 3) to revolutionise the shinobi system

naruto is literally the most important person in sasukes life and he tries to kill him because he believes there is no other way bc his fucking brother traumatised him so much this terrible need for power is ingrained in his fucking skull. itachi literally said sasuke would need to kill his closest friend in order to defeat him. sasuke believed that and he did try to kill naruto at vote 1, and he even had the chance to do so, yet he SPARED narutos life; sasuke made the choice not to kill naruto when he had the chance (he literally knelt over narutos unconscious body and just watched him) unlike when he tried to kill sakura as he only failed bc someone else stopped him.

and then the reunion at the beginning of part 2, sasuke literally says he spared narutos life on a whim (whim literally means a sudden decision and sasuke spent an awful long time staring at naruto in the rain when he could have been killing him - it was not a whim, it was a conscious decision) and then theres that whole gay staring at each other for ages thing where again sasuke has ample opportunity to kill naruto and again he lets him live. sasuke even fucking gets in narutos head, he could have killed him with a genjutsu or whatever in seconds but he doesnt

at the samurai bridge when naruto and sasuke fight again sasuke isnt trying to kill naruto as it was supposed to be kakashi that was going to try and kill sasuke but naruto stopped him at the last second. its in this fight that we see that naruto and sasuke are so connected that they can see each others hearts as they clash and although sasuke says he will kill naruto he doesnt and he only believes that bc he sees no other option. sasuke has been traumatised and manipulated and deceived for years, its no wonder he cant see any other option. for years itachi was the focus of sasukes hatred and sasuke believed that naruto was the only obstacle in sasukes way that was preventing him from having the power to kill itachi and still sasuke doesnt kill naruto. and then sasuke kills his brother and finds out that the massacre was state mandated. sasuke is grieving, he convinced himself he hated his brother for what hed done even though he had very loving memories of them together, sasuke is confused and has no where to direct these complicated feelings of hurt, betrayal and anger except at konoha. again it is naruto standing in his way of what he believes he needs to do. again naruto walks away alive.

and then during the kaguya fight sasuke repeatedly protects naruto and even says the only reason kakashi and sakura didnt end up in the infinite tsukuyomi is because they happened to be standing near naruto when sasuke protected him

literally if sasuke wanted naruto dead so much he had so many opportunities to do so and finally at the end of vote 2 sasuke is happy he lost, hes happy he failed to kill naruto bc he finally understands that he doesnt have to do this alone and he now knows the extent of narutos devotion and love for him; sasuke is no longer alone

[little-ki]

50 Day Challenge: Uchiha Madara (Sleepless)

Read the Full Challenge on AO3

Prompt: Use this in a scene: All I heard was “I swear it will be funny…” and then we were in jail. 

Song Inspiration: Sleepless – J.zen

Warning: This is... a little bit steamier than my usual pieces.  I blame Madara... The female character here is between ages of 26-28. 

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

Madara walked into the police station and was greeted by the few policemen on the night shift with awe and respect, until they realized who he came for. While they remained polite, Madara could see the strain in their haunted eyes. Once they escorted him to the area with the cells, he understood why.

Even from the entrance he could hear Naruto’s horrible singing. Normally, his nephew or Sakura would’ve shut him up by now, but he wasn’t here for them.

As he got closer to the cell his ears pricked at the sound of hysterical giggles that sounded very familiar. He quickened his pace and when he reached his destination, he gripped the bars rigidly at the sight in front of him.

His nephew was completely flushed and lying on one of the beds with an arm covering his face, muttering about something he couldn’t care less about. Sakura was holding Naruto in a half-nelson on the floor, which explained why the singing had stopped. But his gaze was solely focused on his little bunny, sitting on a different bed giggling her head off. He’d never seen her like this. She turned her head and fuck, the way her entire face lit up at the sight of him was adorable.

“Madara~” She reached out both of her arms, expecting him to pick her up. Both of his eyebrows shot up in surprise, but once the cell door was opened, he indulged and pulled her into a hug. As she snuggled sweetly into his chest, he looked her over for any injuries (if he found anything out of place, his nephew and friends would pay). Aside from some smudged lipstick she seemed fine.

He sat down in a chair provided for him and kept his bunny in his lap, letting her play with the lapels of his trench coat, and turned towards the trio of troublemakers. “Well?”

Naruto pushed Sakura in front of him, trying to shrink his bulky form behind her, while his nephew feigned sleep facing the cell wall, his twitching giving him away. Madara kept his gaze even, waiting for them to surrender.

Eventually, Sakura was the one to break the silence, after elbowing Naruto in the face for constantly pushing her. “Er, it’s like this Uncle. It was for a good cause, really.”

Madara was an intimidating man. As the leader of the Uchiha clan and their prominence in the nation’s security, combined with his own personal achievements on the field and in the business world; very few dared to cross him. With his immaculate suit, wild hair, and cold eyes, it’s no wonder that men and women alike were willing to give anything to be with him. But to see him sitting in a jail cell, with their bubbly best friend in his lap, burrowing her head in his neck, would cause his allies and enemies alike to foam at the mouth. Was this really the same man that ruled with an iron fist (and rumored to have a hand in the underworld)?

“A Lawyer, a surgeon, and an activist; and yet you bunch couldn’t stay out of trouble?” Sakura didn’t know how to retort, her fury at the boys continued bubbling up inside.

Hikari yawned and stretched her arms in the air, “Madara, I’m tired. Can we go home yet?”

Madara stood up at once, effortlessly holding her in a princess carry, and walked out of the cell without a second glance. Sakura shook herself out of her stupor and called out, “W-wait Uncle! What about us?”

The policeman that escorted him to the cell piped in, “He paid for your bail, but we were instructed to keep you overnight, “as punishment”, he emphasized the air quotes with his hands.

Sakura turned towards the boys and cracked her knuckles threateningly, “You idiots! This is all your fault! When he finds out what happened, don’t expect me to come save your sorry asses!”

Naruto paled and began begging Sakura with teary eyes not to leave him alone to face that monster, and while Sasuke never moved from his position facing the wall, his form shook as he cried silent tears.

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

Meanwhile, Madara was trying to deal with a very clingy and touchy bunny. She had been good until they got into the car, where she started playing with the buttons on his shirt. When he tried to stop her, she looked up with big watery eyes that asked why he didn’t love her.

He leaned down to press soft kisses against her mouth in apologies (and assurances), and she responded enthusiastically, her tongue running along the seam of his mouth and nipping his bottom lip lightly. Madara took the chance to dive into an intense kiss, releasing the pent-up frustration he’d accumulated when she had been toying with his jacket and shirt in the cell. She brought her arms around his neck, trying to pull him even closer as her tongue happily entangled with his. When he finally pulled away, she whined, trying to chase his mouth. He continued pressed chaste kisses all over her face, struggling to calm down; he would never let anyone else be privy to his bunny.

He pressed his face into her hair, taking deep breaths; when he finally looked down again, she was pouting. Pressing a sweet kiss to her temple in apology he asked, “What happened bunny? Didn’t we have plans to meet tonight?”

Her eyes widened in shock before she moved her legs to straddle his body, and complained cloyingly sweet, “I was waiting for you at home, when they came and kidnapped me,” she pouted and tilted her head down, “We were sitting in the car and all I heard was “I swear it’ll be funny”, then I don’t remember much. I’m sorry, Madara.” He internally combusted, literally feeling himself burst into flames, realizing that his earlier thought had been accurate. His sweet bunny was drunk.

The alcohol had been very faint in her kiss (she probably only had a sip), but evidently his bunny had a very low tolerance. It seemed she was a clingy and affectionate drunk. Thinking back to how Sasuke and Naruto had tried to hide from him in the cell… Well, he didn’t like where this was going.

He was pulled out of his thoughts (he’d been crafting very vivid images of the indescribable pain they would undergo), as he felt alternating light kisses and nips, slowly climbing his neck towards his face. “Madara~ Don’t be mad~ I’m sorry~” Fuck.

He squeezed her thighs, “Hm, you’ve been a bad girl, bunny.”

She blinked her eyes innocently, leaning in to pander to him, “It’s not my fault though. They made me,” she pouted again, making her swollen lips even more prominent. Madara tried to burn the image into his brain (wondering if he could convince her to let him take a picture), to see her looking up at him through her lashes with teary eyes, flushed cheeks, and just-kissed lips; fuck, was the drive home always this long?

He moved one arm around her waist, pinning her to completely lay against his chest and used his other hand to lift her chin up, “I don’t know, bunny. You caused a lot of trouble today.” Stroking her cheek with the same hand, he continued, “I was in a meeting when the station called (actually he’d pushed that off on Izuna, wanting to be home early, only to find that his bunny wasn’t waiting at home like she promised).”

His finger slid down her neck and his thumb stroked her pulse point, “The bail was expensive… and, traffic was terrible.” The car stopped. He leaned in and lightly blew on her ear, and she whimpered.

His eyes darkened until they were almost pitch black and murmured, “And bad girls need to be punished, bunny.”

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

The next day, Sakura was allowed out of the cell, but the policeman stopped Naruto and Sasuke from leaving. “Hey! What’s going on!” Naruto cried as he shook the bars.

The detective looked up and snorted, “Miss Haruno is clear to leave, but you two should get comfortable. You’ll be here for a while.” He left the area with Sakura, who sneered at the boys before following him out.

Sasuke smacked his head against the bars and growled, “This is all your fault, dobe!”

“Me?!” Naruto protested, “You were the one who brought the booze!”

“You were the one who gave it to her!” The two started fighting and rolling on the ground, throwing punches. The guard on duty ignored the duo, continuing to watch the news discuss the break last night at Sea World.

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

At the same time, Madara had propped himself up on one arm, enjoying the view. He took in her form, filling in the parts covered by the blanket with his memories. Last night had been amazing. His bunny would never stop surprising him.

He leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, having trouble pulling back at the soft sigh she let out, snuggling closer to his warmth. He secured her to his frame, pressing another kiss on one of the darker marks on her back.

He’d never asked why his bunny didn’t drink, but now he might see if he could convince her otherwise in the future. Only with him, of course.

They said that alcohol revealed one’s truest desires, and he liked it very much. But he would obliterate anyone else if they ever saw this side of her.

As for the two idiots that thought they could hide from him, he would deal with them later. Right now, he wanted to thoroughly explore this side of his bunny.

[psychonarutoenthusiast-blog]

SASUSAKU ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT (PART 1\?)

Sasusaku is probably one of the most discussed topics in the Naruto fanbase and I think it’s common to find posts like this one on Tumblr. My blog will mainly focus on writing stuff, but still … I’d like to give you all my opinion about this ship trying to analyze the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura from the very beginning. Lots of people tend to say that it’s abusive and underdeveloped. That’s actually one of the things that come to mind first just observing the interactions they share throughout the whole plot. But I personally think that this bond is quite more complicated than that, both in negative and in positive ways. 

This is probably going to be really long so … brace yourselves!

So … the first thing we get the chance to see when introduced to both manga and anime is this annoying little girl with pink hair who’s literally obsessed with the coolest guy around. Basic, isn’t it? Actually … Sakura’s first impression is not positive at all, mostly according to the male audience. She looks arrogant, she’s mean and cocky towards Naruto and everyone who’s not “Sasuke-kun”. But why? Is it just a personality issue? Nope, it’s actually way more complicated than that.

Sakura was indeed bullied from a very young age and she grew up being really insecure about her physical appearance and her abilities in general. Developing a bond with Ino … who was - on the opposite - really confident, intelligent and pretty … didn’t necessarily make things better, in my opinion. Hoping to overcome the inferiority complex she felt towards her and basically everyone, Sakura started to imitate her and slowly decided to leave her true self behind in hopes to become cool. It was the only thing she wanted as a kid. Being recognized as a pretty girl and talking with the popular guys may look like a pretty stupid wish, but that’s not what a naive and bullied kid would think. The only reason why Sakura chose to develop an interest towards Sasuke resided in the fact that - by getting with the coolest guy arund, the guy everyone (mostly Ino) wanted to be with and look like - would have proven to others and to herself that she was cool too, and that she deserved to be praised and desired like he was. 

“Would being mean to Naruto make me cool? Everybody treats him wrong, so that must be reasonable”, “would my long hair make me more beautiful and draw Sasuke’s attention on me? Probably!”. Such thoughts led Sakura to completely repress her true self, reducing her identity to an angry and despised ghost that used to appear quite often in the show, so that we could know what she was really thinking about: Inner Sakura. And those same thoughts justify her terrible behaviour in the first part of the anime and the manga.

When I first saw the flashback about Ino and Sakura’s friendship I was completely shocked by the way she acted towards Ino. She returned a precious gift and she basically threw away the confidence and the affection Ino had given her for a boy who acted like a total jerk. I was like “she’s a bitch, to be honest”. Ino herself looked so hurt by her words it made me hurt too. But … analyzing the scene and the panels knowing more about Sakura’s character development, I understood why she did that. Returning the ribbon meant returning the shy and insecure part of herself who needed Ino as an example and as a shield from others. Fighting for Sasuke was not meant as a real “love rivalry”. None of them really cared about his true personality. They considered him as a prize for the coolest one around. They didn’t know shit about him and this is soon proved ... in Sakura’s case.

The panels pretty much speak for themselves. How could she possibly love someone as damaged as Sasuke without knowing a thing about his past or the extreme sadness he was experiencing at such a young age? Obviously she didn’t. The only thing Sakura cared about was his handsomeness. This is one of the first canon interactions Sakura and Sasuke share (both in the anime and manga) and not a soul on the planet would think that a romance could actually blossom between them, given the assumptions.

This is what Sasuke reasonably tells her after hearing Sakura’s inappropriate words about Naruto and parents in general. And most importantly … this is what Sasuke really thinks about her during the first stages of this relationship. He barely knows her and she doesn’t possess particular abilities that could waken his interest either. She’s just an annoying little girl with a weird hair color who keeps drooling after him with no apparent reason. His expression in the panel says it all. Romances are the last things Sasuke could think about and he seriously couldn’t care less about someone who doesn’t have a clue about what suffering looks like. Sakura’s reaction to his harsh words actually surprised me a lot when I first watched the scene. I was convinced she would burst out crying, but she didn’t. She immediately started to process what Sasuke had told her about loneliness and she decided that she would try to empathise with Naruto and his situation. Being the naive fangirl she was, I really didn’t expect her to act with such maturity. This detail is actually more important than it looks like, because it tells us that the real Sakura is still there.

Shortly after that conversation, Team 7 is formed. The creation of this group is unique and the bonds each one of the members develops with the other three (Kakashi is included) are almost curative in their own way. The team brings out the best part of its components, it gives them love and it gives them a purpose. I actually don’t know how much it passes between the group’s formation and the mission in the Land of Waves, but I suppose it’s a couple of months. During these months, Sasuke … Sakura and Naruto come to learn what teamwork is about and - most importantly - they start to consider each other as friends. Spending so much time with the boy she was physically attracted to, Sakura begins to know more about him as a person. She becomes familiar to his cold behaviour and she lets her interest deepen into something a little more important than fangirling. She trusts him deeply. Sasuke - on the other hand - starts to see Sakura as a real comrade. He now finds Sakura and Naruto’s presence in his life really comforting. Thanks to Naruto’s enthusiasm and Sakura’s sweet attentions he can try to overcome the sadness that embraces him. Yet it’s still too early for things to change in Sasuke’s point of view, probably because he knows that if he opened up to these weird people he could call “friends” … he would distract himself from his true aims. 

The Land of Waves Arc is actually more important than it seems, talking about Sasusaku. Especially for Sakura! The reason is simple. During this Arc, not only we can openly see that she never overcame the inferiority complex she had, but it becomes clear as the sky (to us and to her) that what she felt towards Sasuke was not just a crush, and surely it was not all about his cool appearance. 

A lot of Sasusaku shippers insist on the fact that Sasuke saving Sakura from one of the Mist ninjas has to be considered as an important moment for the ship, but I don’t really agree on that. He would have done the same for Naruto, and he was basically just proving his abilities against an opponent he knew was way stronger than him. That’s the reason why he acted all mighty and cocky with the poor Naruto afterwards. 

THIS is the most important moment, obviously. Sasuke risks his life to protect Naruto and basically everyone thinks he’s dead. Sakura’s reaction is just priceless. I cried like I was dying myself as I read it. The speech she gives us - between tears - about the rule according to which a ninja should never express his true feelings was so beautifully written it made my heart ache. I personally find it amazing how Kishimoto succeeded in putting those deep words on the lips of such a young girl making them sound like the realest thing she could have said in that situation. This is the moment in which Sakura realizes just how much Sasuke really meant to her and how terryifing the perspective of living without him really was. She doesn’t have the maturity to interpret the deep nature of her feelings yet and to react as a consequence, so she just lets them out. She is going to let them out openly for a long time … but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Talking about Sasuke’s reaction instead … I’m forced to admit that the anime did not the best job it could have done to show us how he really felt in that moment. He really didn’t know what to say or how to act for this girl who was screaming because she wasn’t prepared to face a future without him. He probably didn’t even expect it. He didn’t think he really was that important to her. Just look at his expression in the panel. He’s almost relieved she’s there.

We then get to the Chūnin Exams Arc, which is the most important arc for both their characters’ development and their relationship’s one. It is now clear that Sasuke considers Sakura as a real friend. She’s not just a companion anymore, she’s someone he’s willing to protect. A lot of people tend to deny this, just because Sasuke doesn’ say so explicitly. Aren’t they forgetting about the fact that Sasuke rarely expresses his feelings openly? Probably.

Before they sign up for the exams, Sakura is feeling extremely insecure about her abilities, and she’s convinced she shouldn’t even take part to the test. Both Naruto and Sasuke proved to be incredible during the Land of Waves Arc. They managed to defeat Zabuza and Haku without Kakashi’s help, unleashing great powers and supporting each other just as it should happen in every team. But … what had she done? She couldn’t even prevent Sasuke from risking his life, fearing for her comrades’ state. Clearly she’s afraid to mess up during the exams and she’s worrying about the fact that she could drag both Naruto and Sasuke in her distress. As I was saying earlier, Sakura never overcame her inferiority complex. As she brings herself to the Academy, Sasuke is the only one who notices her anxiety. He describes her attitude as “weird”, whereas Naruto - who likes  her so much - doesn’t even notice. Sasuke later cheers her up - as we see in the panels - and reminds her about the qualities she’s so insecure about. He actually smiles to her, and he appreciates the fact that his words let her regain confidence in herself. If that’s not what a friend would do ...                                

[animeyanderelover]

Hi!💖Could you do Sasuke with prompt 119?

Sure thing.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, jealousy, threatening

Prompt 119: “Eyes on only me.”

You shuffled awkwardly around, trying to struggle free from the grip Suigetsu currently had on your hip. The flirty white-haired boy on the other hand gave you an amused grin, his pointy teeth shimmering dangerously in the sunlight. It made you swallow a growing lump in the back of your throat. You were a bit scared right now. Less of him, more of how Sasuke would react to all of this. You for sure knew that he wouldn't be pleased with this at all.

The quiet male had been these past few weeks busy enough with keeping the whole team away from you. Karin had obviously issues with you since Sasuke was in love, if you could call it that, with you, constantly nagging and complaining about you and that the team would be better without you. Jugo was, in your opinion at least, the most nice guy in here. He was more polite which made you like him the most, you also liked his ability to understand the language of animals. But you had witnessed that he was definitely not harmless, him having you nearly attacked once when losing control. If it wouldn't have been for Sasuke, you might have been hurt really badly.

And Suigetsu, well he was a huge flirt. It was hurt to tell which one of those guys Sasuke disliked the most, all of them were naturally threats for you. But Suigetsu was just a case for his own because he approached you for the reason to piss Sasuke off. He had been the first one who had met you from the members of the team and had quickly discovered who exactly you were. You weren't exactly unknown. In fact many people knew you simply because Sasuke had gone through a lot just to reassure to have you in his arms. And he had left quite the number of bodies behind, people who had wanted to protect you. Innocent people. It wasn't like he had cared about them nor when you had put up a fight in order to not be stripped off your freedom. But it hadn't helped you at all in the end.

You resented him a lot for everything he had done, but were too much of a coward to admit it to him. You were scared of him and his rage because you knew what he was capable of. Daring to defy him never ended well, a rule which you had been taught the first time you had tried. The same thing counted for his teammates on which he didn't have a problem to lash out as well. He did it more often these days anyways due to having to keep an eye on you. You just seemed to catch too much attention from the wrong people, Karin constantly trying to steal Sasuke's attention and Suigetsu constantly trying to flirt with you. You were truly impressed that Sasuke hadn't exploded yet. But you guessed if he planned on killing them, he would do it most likely after they had fulfilled their purpose.

Maybe that was the reason why he had demanded lately so much attention from you, always dragging you somewhere near him. He didn't like it when you spent time with the swordman who cracked one flirt after another, stepping into your private space, touching you in ways that he wasn't allowed to. Sasuke hated it in a completely other way than him getting annoyed with Karin for her clingyness and constant tries to talk you useless. But she at least never had this grin on her face when she was near you or let his hands linger near places they shouldn't be. The worst was still that Suigetsu was clearly showing that it was his intention to make Sasuke jealous, if you remembered right, he had told you once that he found it amusing to see the boy all agitated and boiling because he was jealous. But what he found amusing, terrified you and you couldn't help, but ask yourself if Suigetsu was either stupid or into pain because you were convinced that Sasuke wouldn't let this slide without giving that guy another harsh lesson.

But was he really ready to get into so much troubles just to tease Sasuke? Judging from the way he kept pulling you back whenever you tried to wriggle free, he was. And you had this feeling that your feelings wouldn't convince him either, he was only focused on his own fun. And if you were the toy that would allow him to have this fun, he wasn't really affected if you should get punished with him. Gosh, how you hated him.

"Come on. Stiffen up a bit. Sasuke isn't even here. You have no reason to be so nervous." You shot him quickly a short glare, trying to rip his arms off you. "That is why I try to get out of here! Because then there is the minimal chance that both of us won't get in troubles because of this! Sasuke can't get mad at something he didn't even know happened in the first place!", you snarled at him, digging your fingernails in the sjkin of his arms. Suigetsu seemed enragingly unbothered, sighing annoyed before tightening his grip a bit more. "You really are no fun, you know? You're boringly obedient."

"I'm not obedient! But different from you I'm sane enough to know and car that we might be be in huge troubles if Sasuke finds out! Are you just dumb or crazy to not realize just how bad this can end?!" It was really a bad joke of fate now that you were thinking about it. This was actually a time where you would have been thankful for Sasuke to be with you, but just now he had to finish something which was why he had left you alone in the first place. He couldn't be your babysitter all the time. Not like you wanted him to be in the first place.

"Oh, I see. So you're scared of getting hurt. What a coward you are.I don't really get why Sasuke likes you so much in the first place. But you know", he leaned closer to you, his face directly next to yours and lips only a few inches away from your ear,"that makes you all the more interesting for me. I just want to find out what Sasuke sees in you. And besides, you might not feel that way at all, but I find it so entertaining to see him getting all bothered up just because someone from us spends time with you or is even anywhere near you. It's refreshing to witness someone like him, who always tries to play the cool and collected guy, getting so worked up only because of one person. I thought he had no place in that dark heart of his, but here you are, being forced to be part of this team just because Sasuke here couldn't leave you. Isn't that just romantic?"

"Suigetsu! Let go! This is not the time for this! I don't care if you don't care what happens to you! But I do care what might happen to me!" You angrily tried to push him away, but your elbow was not met with his stomach, instead you felt your fabric getting soaked. Damn it! His ability was bothersome, to be able to transform his whole body into water. But what was currently pissing you off the most that he took none of this serious. He was seeing it as a game. "Someone is getting mad.", he chirped, petting your head in a way that was clearly meant to piss you off even more. "But what do you plan on doing against it, hmm?" He poked your cheek, making you twitch your eyebrow angered. "We both know that you won't be able to beat me."

"I will fight you if you don't get your hands off them. And we both know that you can't beat me." The sudden additional voice, an awfully familiar one, caught yours and Suigetsu's attention, both of you turning surprised and you a bit frightened around. There he was, standing only a few feet away from you two. That was crazy, neither you nor Suigetsu had sensed him. "Hey there Sasuke. I thought you would be gone for a bit longer. Why are you already back?" If he was right now nervous, scared or in any other way emotionally unbalanced, he was certainly good in hiding it. Because for you he appeared to be his usual caredree and easy-going self.

"I finished it quicker than expected.", Sasuke answered, eyes glued to Suigetsu's hands which were still around you. "Suigetsu..." He closed his eyes for a short moment before opening them again, you noticing with increasing heart speed that he had activated his Sharingan. "Let them go." There was hidden anger in his voice and the intense glare be was giving Suigetsu made you fear that the boy might just literally drop dead the next second. But he still didn't look like he cared or was afraid. Much more on the opposite. There was a small smirk plastered on his face, taking obvious pleasure in seeing Sasuke being so territorial over something. He wouldn't provoke him, would he?

"You're so mean Sasuke. I never get to spend much time with (y/n) because you constantly shoo me away from her.", he started whining. Wow, he really did just start provoking him. You didn't know if you should be amazed or worried about this amount of carelessness. It was a double-edged sword, you supposed. "I mean, I totally get why you don't allow Karin anywhere near them. She's just bitchy. But what did I do so wrong to lead you to not trusting me near them? I only want to get to know the little thing here a bit more. We're a team after all, aren't-"

He finally seemed to get back to bnormal senses the moment he had a lightning-channeled sword held right against his head. "I don't like repeating myself Suigetsu." his voice was still as cold as ever, but you and Suigetsu both picked up the wavering in it, the cold rage in it. "Let. Them. Go." You didn't even have to look at him, you could feel the furious and sinister aura surrounding him. You were worried what Suigetsu would do next.

He had gone quiet, looking like he was trying to judge whether he should continue pushing Sasuke a bit more for fun or retreat. For a few seconds it became quiet before you noticed Sasuke lifting his arm, realizing that he was about to swing. And Suigetsu was quick to notice it too, letting instantly go of you and raising his arms in defeat. "Fine, fine. I'll stop so please don't get mad. I wanted to only joke with them a bit. You should work on your sense of humor. Well, I guess I see you later then." With these words he started walking away, giving you a flirty wink before finally disappearing from your and Sasuke's view, the latter one watching him leaving with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw.

You were dumbfounded, staring speechless in the direction Suigetsu had headed. You didn't like him one bit, he was way too mischievious and self-centered, but he never ceased to stun you with his disrespectful and mocking way of acting around Sasuke. It was a miracle he wasn't dead yet Somewhere deep down you felt even a bit jealous, wishing you could be a little bit more carefree and not worringly like he was.

Sasuke glanced at you, noticing the way you stared impressed after Suigetsu, making a feeling bubbling up inside his stomach which he didn't like at all. "(y/n)." You turned a bit startled around to him, shrinking when you noticed his burning look, Sharingan still activated. "Eyes on only me." You tried to hide your surprised face, not having him expected to say something that sounded so obviously like he was jealous. You just gave him a short nod, feeling not couragous enough to speak up. "The next time I'll have to take care of something, you'll come with me. Understood?" You nodded again, knowing that saying 'no' wasn't an option.

"You shouldn't waste too much thoughts on him or someone else on this team anyways." He had stepped closer, bending a bit down to look you in your eyes since you had stated to make yourself closer. "After I don't need them anymore, I'll make sure that they will never bother me or you again." The look on his face told you he wasn't kidding.

[oh-my-otome]

Amalthea, I want to hear your thoughts! Similarly with slbp Kenshin, do you think ikesen Kenshin's relationship with the mc is going to work? Like, realistically?

Hello, Precious!

Leaving aside the blood lust, both Kenshins have some big stuff to work through, and trying to have a brand new relationship before– or even in the middle of – unpacking a bunch of trauma and drama is an enterprise that is likely to fail.

Each Kenshin shares The Invisible Woman trope, and until they can work through that, that person is there in their relationship with MC, whether MC knows it or not, and whether either Kenshin realizes it or not.

However, the relationship can work, providing that each Kenshin gets the help that he requires.

Fortunately, IkeSen’s MC has the benefit of a modern perspective, and modern knowledge, because superstitions were thought of as facts for thousands of years, across many cultures, and still persist, today.

That’s not to say that the people of Kenshin’s time were dumb. Knowing what we know now, we can look back and wonder why people of an era thought the way they did, but it is only because of the progression of knowledge that any of us know what we know today.

Kenshin doesn’t have that, because Kenshin’s schooling and MC’s schooling are so vastly different.

Check this out:

That’s not luck– it’s probability. Gun accuracy at the time wasn’t as precise as it is today, and for all he knows, every last arrow that was fired at him was loosed from the bow of a novice. 

But Kenshin doesn’t know that.

He might not even be able to tell you the difference between accuracy and precision.

His MC, on the other hand, knows that Kenshin is already dead in her time, so it’s not luck. 

However, superstitions, like phobias, can be overcome. 

It would be a matter of how willing MC is to teach him and be patient with him, which she doesn’t have to do, because he would be going against a long-held belief that he genuinely thinks is true. It would also depend on how open he is to learning something new and different that challenges his world view.

There are different degrees of yandere, but I get the feeling that Kenshin’s is almost completely tied up in his superstitions. 

While a superstition is not a phobia, Kenshin acts out of fear. He believes what he does because he is afraid and because he has no other way to account for his experiences.

Fortunately, Kenshin shows adaptability when he has the right motivation, which MC happens to stumble upon, because story.

Since he is even a little bit willing to keep an open mind, however gradual his progress, there is a potential for his education and healing to increase.

Once his narrow mindset is challenged, Kenshin would have a better chance at rehabilitation.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that one of them is smarter than the other, because there are many different types of intelligence. Rather, they can each learn something from the other.

We see that Kenshin can be transformed without much trouble, if his interest is piqued, seen here when it’s not even his own MC– it’s Ieyasu’s!:

MC says this one thing to him and it blows his mind. 

If the battlefield is the first place that he ever truly felt “alive,” then he must be tamping down on something internally, to dull something emotional.

Kenshin often experiences ennui: a sensation of dissatisfaction, weariness, or listlessness caused by a lack of excitement or interest.

For battles to be the only thing that takes him out of this mood, there is something under the surface that he is not addressing, or addressing poorly– intentionally or unintentionally –and that could be anything from The Invisible Woman, to struggles within his clan, to problems with other clans, or just literally nothing at all.

MC alone is not equipped to fully help him with this, but she can steer him toward things that may help, by offering suggestions that he is likely to try.

Going back to the screenies above, he starts out very slow, by trying to improve the material things inside the cage– equating “stuff” with favor, and attempting to show both his worth and his thanks –but not actually letting MC out. 

When he sees her next, free, the words he uses show that he’s changed his mindset a little, but not a whole lot (it hasn’t been that long), as he still wants to keep her captive– only this time in his arms.

That is too fast for Kenshin to have long-lasting improvement in a realistic relationship.

His progress would need to be slow, as it should be for what he’s gone through and how he is, and it would be completely up to his MC as to whether or not she wants to deal with that or if she is even capable of dealing with that.

Neither she, nor you, are under any obligation to patiently wait for an adult’s mental, or emotional progress. This is why there are trained professionals.

Let’s face it, Kenshin has a lot on his plate: 

the entire Hojo clan is riding his ass

Shingen, his on-again-off-again frenemy

some old dude comes out of nowhere and convinces Kenshin to fight his own brother for power

some bumpkin no one’s ever heard of, named Nobunaga, doesn’t like the cut of his jib, etc.

Not that it’s right– because it isn’t –we can see why Kenshin drinks so much. That would have to be addressed in order to have a healthy relationship.

Kenshin also powers through his ennui with drinking. Maybe his MC knows some, or all, of the 12 Steps, maybe she doesn’t. It shouldn’t be on her to solve his drinking problem, but she may be able to offer words of encouragement if, she chooses to.

An outside point of view, like his MC’s, would be important for him to have, because him trying to work through it all on his own is not helping– he already thinks that he’s immortal, and that the only way to keep someone safe is captivity.

But for Kenshin, the one who has the highest education would be his MC and Sasuke, and even then, we don’t know enough to say that either one of them is truly capable of helping Kenshin.

If Kenshin’s progress is steady, he can overcome his superstitions through re-education, get his drinking under control– or quit –and gain acceptance and forgiveness in allowing himself to grieve properly.

Just because he starts off as a yandere, that doesn’t mean that he will remain one. Given the proper help, he can be eased off of his obsessions like almost anyone else.

Kenshin has the potential to do all of these things, but his MC can’t do anything to help him if he does not want any help.

However, she is probably a safer person for him to be around than Sasuke, who thinks nothing of chloroforming him, when he probably could have done anything else instead.

Kenshin is portrayed here, as in SLBP, as an individual whose inner and outer circle let him get away with whatever he pleases, and it’s not until MC shows up that he starts to think about his own way of thinking.

[behindheremeraldeyes]

SasuSaku Festival 2017 . Days 8 and 14- Protective of Us/ Domestic Disagreement . Title: It’s Late . Summary: She just found out that he’s leaving again, and this time, she really is tired of being left behind. With their daughter asleep, the Uchiha couple will have to fix things one way or another. . A/N: Prepare yourself for some angst, everyone! You know, this one showed itself to be quite a challenge because I couldn’t really convince myself of a good reason for him to leave again… I personally hate the fact that he had to leave again, so don’t expect any logical explanation for it in this story XD Still, hope you all enjoy it, and please, tell me what you think! . . . The atmosphere around them was heavy and the silence that was left ever since Sarada went to sleep was simply torturous. They had barely exchanged any words since the kage meeting earlier that day, and now, every time a plate made contact with the sink, they could feel as if they were being stabbed straight to their hearts.

Even if the cold water was running through her delicate fingers, she could feel his burning stare on her back, memorizing her curves, the length of her hair and how she wore the Uchiha crest on her back, as if that was the last time his eyes would be seeing his wife. He was waiting for her to turn so he could see her face and her eyes one last time that night, and most of all, he was waiting for her to say something. To say anything, so he could listen to her voice one, last time before he left.

As always, Sasuke was waiting for her to do something. However, Sakura was not going to do anything. Not this time.

Just as she had foreseen, doing the dishes was not helping her distract her mind from the bomb that had fallen over her head earlier that day. Ever since he had said those words during that official meeting, Sakura hasn’t really been able to focus on anything else. He caught her and everyone else by surprise as soon as he announced his new plans, and even if he tried to sound as professional and as logical as he could, for her, his words only meant one thing:

He was leaving. Again.

Sasuke was leaving the village for the third time in his life, and this time, he was not leaving an empty room behind, no. He was leaving his friends. He was leaving his family. He was leaving his child to save the world and be the hero no one will ever acknowledge. Anger started boiling inside her veins and her muscles would contract at the thought of seeing him give up on everything again for the sake of the ninja world, and for one, damn time she just wanted to pass down that responsibility to someone else. Anyone would do, if she were to be honest.

Even if he was probably the only one who could do that, Sakura couldn’t care less about that. She wanted him to stay, as selfishly as that could sound. She wanted him to enjoy his time around the home he neglected for so long and around the family he had longed for since he was child. Her husband had finally conquered everything he had aimed for, and now it was all been taken away from him again. How could people simply accept that without doing anything?

How could he accept that without doing anything to stay?

Sakura just couldn’t understand. For the first time in her life, she just couldn’t accept the fact that he was leaving for his own sake, too, as he had told her before. It didn’t make sense. It was an absurdity! It was illogical and definitely the biggest bullshit she has ever heard from him.

It was not fucking fair.

And when she finally screamed in the depths of her soul, the Uchiha matriarch finally lost it.

Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, her fists tightened so hard her nails were digging into her palms, forming crescent-moon-shaped marks on her skin. It didn’t take long for a plate to break in her hands, wounding her flesh and causing her own blood to stream down along with the water from the sink. She was losing blood, but judging by how hard she had closed her eyes, Sasuke could tell she had paid that no mind.

“ Sakura… Your hand.” He approached the sink, standing next to her. His eyes widened at the bloody view, and instinctively, he grabbed the cloth she was previously using to dry the plates and offered it to her. “ Use it.”

“ Tch, I’m fine…” She took a step away from him, rejecting his offer. “ I don’t need this…”

“ Stop being stubborn and stop the bleeding already.”

“ I said I’m fine, Sasuke. I can take care of this by myself.”

“ I know you can, but-“

“ I don’t need you to do this for me!” Her eyes finally clashed against his, and even if he already knew there was something troubling her, the male Uchiha found out exactly what just by the way her emerald orbs were intensely glaring at him.

His wife was an open book for him. She’s always been.

And more than ever, he could tell how hurt she was at that moment.

The moment that preceded another departure.

Even if her eyes were burning in pure rage, he didn’t need his sharingan to see that tinge of sadness that was building up inside her. Sakura, more than anyone, knew the consequences of his wanderings for she was the one who would always stay behind, waiting and worrying about him. Of course, Naruto and Kakashi would also wonder about his whereabouts, but they had their own lives to take care of.

But what about her? What about their daughter? Sasuke was a much more relevant part of her life now than when he left all those years before. Their lives were now connected not only by love but also by the physical proof of this feeling.

They have a young daughter together, damn it! How could she simply put his safety in the second place and focus on her life without him?

In a blink of an eye, Sakura found herself holding back stubborn, angry tears that would destroy all her arguments. She bit her lower lip until it lost its coloration, shutting her eyes close and gripping the edge of the sink. Her head was turned away from him, and the only thing he could see was how heavy her breathing was at that moment. Her hand was still bleeding, and her shoulders were tenser than ever.

Once again, he was the one leaving and she was the one who got hurt. She was literally bleeding for him, and she was just tired of that.

That was it, she thought. Sakura couldn’t take it anymore.

“ This…” Her voice started, coming out as a whisper that was, at the same time, relieved and filled with pain. She took one, deep breath and finally turned her emeralds to face him. “ This is not fair, Sasuke.”

At the scene of his wife completely broken, the male Uchiha felt his chest being stabbed by her piercing agony. He knew the reason behind her misery, and yet, there was nothing he could do about that. Nothing but take on all her feelings and bear anything she could throw at him. He would take the blame upon himself, even if they both knew he hated that situation just as much as she did.

“ This is not a matter of being fair or not, Sakura. It’s our duty as shinobi.”

“ Duty? Is this all you can say, Sasuke?”

“ Aah.”

“ You bastard… How dare you?” Her chest grew heavier, but still, her tears were nowhere to be seen. “ Can’t you see what’s happening?! You’re going away again, Sasuke! And who knows for how long! You’re going away from your daughter, your home and your friends! How-“

“ And do you think I want to leave you?” His voice rose unexpectedly, causing her emeralds to widen, and before he knew it, he could feel her words and her feelings reaching out for him. Sasuke was feeling unsettled all of sudden, and for a reason he did not know, he was not liking that. “ I… I don’t want to go, Sakura.”

“ Then stay!” She finally approached him, standing mere inches away from him. He could feel the heat coming from her body, and looking at her eyes from such short distance only hurt more. “ Do something selfish for once in your life and let someone else do this.”

“ You know I’m the only one who can track that down. No one else can do this.”

“ … Not even me?”

“ What are you talking about?”

“ Can’t I go instead? You could tell me what you know and I’ll go search for these bastards. And then… You can stay. You can stay, Sasuke…”

At that moment, her heart shattered into millions of pieces, and tears started to stream down her cheeks. Her hands were now resting over his chest, and by the look in her eyes, Sasuke could tell she understood very well what she was proposing to him.

She was offering him a chance to stay with Sarada at home. She was giving up her own chance to stay with her little girl so she could keep father and daughter together.

Sakura was sacrificing herself for him, once again, as she begged him to be selfish and accept her offer.

And even if his love for her only got stronger, he simply couldn’t accept that offer.

“Hn.” He placed his hand on her cheek, caressing her skin with his thumb. He offered her a soft expression, and at that moment, Sakura already knew what he was going to say. “ Thank you, Sakura… But I can’t do this to you.”

“ But you can do this to yourself, right?”

“ You have to understand.”

His words hit her hard, and suddenly, the pinkette started to feel a bitter taste in her tongue. She couldn’t really believe he was asking her such thing. After all those years of understanding, he couldn’t really be asking her such thing so bluntly, as if she had never understood his reasons for doing everything he did.

Sakura has always seen through his actions and more than anyone— more than even Naruto— she understood him.

But not anymore. Not after his request.

“ Understand…?” She bit her tongue, looking away from him. Her hands slid from his chest, and instinctively, she slapped his hand away from her face. The expression on her face was filled with anger now, and at that moment, Sasuke knew he would have to choose his next words carefully if he wanted to help her. If he wanted to save them. “ I’m so tired of understanding, Sasuke… Just do what you have to do.”

“ Sakura… You know what I meant.”

“ No, I don’t, Sasuke… I don’t understand anything anymore. Maybe you should ask me that, too.” Her voice carried a sarcastic tone now, and seeing her so hurt and broken allowed him to feel his own anger boiling inside his veins. “ I have an even better idea, actually. Why don’t you ask me to wait for you? That would be one hell of an advice!”

“ I never wanted you to wait for me and you know that.”

“ Oh, come on. That is not the point here!”

“ Then what is, Sakura?!”

“ The point is that this stupid cycle just won’t break! This come and go thing in which both of us are trapped just don’t seem to have an end and I’m tired of this!”

“ And what do you expect me to do? Say no to the Hokage? Let others handle my job? Damn it, you’re a ninja, too!”

“ Yes, I am, but that’s not the only thing, Sasuke! I’m also a woman! I’m a wife, and I’m a mother! And I’m tired of always being left behind! Tired of adjusting my life to periods when you’re here and when you’re not!” She roughly wiped her tears, leaving a bloody mark on her cheek. “ I-I’m tired, Sasuke…”

“… And what do you want to do, then, Sakura? Do you want to leave?”

“ What?”

“ You don’t need me. You never did, actually, and maybe this is the perfect opportunity for you to leave me and break this cursed cycle, don’t you think? ”

“ Are you seriously saying you want me to leave you, Sasuke?”

“ If that will make you happier.”

The pinkette was left completely shocked by his words, indignant that he was even suggesting such stupid thing. He was taking a shortcut, and more than ever, she wanted to hit him for that. She wanted to grab him by the collar, tackled him to the ground and say that they were going to make it through, like they always do.

She wanted to tell him that their love was enough.

But it was late and Uchiha Sakura was tired. Really tired.

“ Fine. You’re right… I don’t need you around. I can take care of Sarada alone until you get back, and then we can think of what to do about her.” She wiped one last tear from her eyes, nodding and looking away from him. “ Yes. T-That’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

“ …”

“ And don’t worry. I’ll leave the key with Naruto while you’re gone. I’ll start packing tomorrow.”

“ Sakura.” He reached out to touch her, already regretting everything he had said. Of course he didn’t want her to leave. That was their house and their family, and for the first time, he was actually being selfish. Sasuke, more than anyone, knew she’d be much better off without him. Still, he couldn’t afford losing her. Not her. " you don’t have to be so-“

“ Don’t touch me!”

Her scream was unexpected, surprising both of them. Emerald eyes were stinging thanks to the tears that were coming back, and they both kept staring at each other, waiting for someone to fix them before it was already too late.

They looked at each other, completely broken and shocked, not really understanding what was going on or how they had suddenly reached what seemed to be the end of everything. Her lips were trembling, his hand was balled in a fist and nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

They’re Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Sakura. They’ve gone through a lot worse situations than that, and their history is the proof that they can face anything as long as they’re together.

They love each other, so that couldn’t be the end of everything, right?

Not really.

But it was already past bed time, and even if they didn’t know it, they needed to rest as much as she did.

“ Mama? Papa?”

A small, innocent and sleepy voice broke that silence, and immediately, both parents turned to see a cute, little girl, with short, black hair and hugging a stuffed bear. She tried to scratch the sleepiness away from her small, black eyes, as she stood still, leaning against her bedroom’s doorframe. Sarada was tired, and all that screaming had probably woken her up.

Great parents, they thought.

“ Sarada. What are you doing up so late?” Sasuke asked, trying to recompose himself in front of the girl.

“ I heard you two screaming and I woke up.”

“ Oh, sweetie…” Sakura started, getting rid of the tears that were falling from her eyes and kneeling down so she could match her daughter’s level. “ Come here.”

The little one, even with her small steps, abandoned her stuffed friend and made it to her mother’s embrace, throwing her short arms around Sakura’s neck. At first, there was a small smile on Sarada’s face, but it didn’t take long before her sleepy face turned into a sad, chubby one.

“ We’re sorry, honey.”

“ Were you two fighting?”

“What? No, we were just…” She looked back at Sasuke, looking for any kind of help. He offered her a comforting shrug, approaching both of the girls. “ Papa and I were just discussing an important thing.”

“ And why are you crying, mama? And… And there’s blood on your hands!”

“ Shh Shh… It’s nothing, sweetheart.” The pinkette forced a smile, holding back more tears that were threatening to fall at the sight of their worried daughter. If Sarada started to cry, Sakura was sure she was going to lose it. “ I was… I was just doing the dishes and I broke my favorite plate, that’s all. It’s no big deal.”

“ Does it hurt?”

“…” Her emeralds turned to her husband, depleted from any strength left in her soul. “ Yes… It hurts a lot.”

“ But mama will be okay, Sarada.” Sasuke said, kneeling next to them.

“ Am I?”

“ Yeah…” He placed his arm around Sakura’s shoulder, bringing her closer and offering her all the support he could. “ We’ll all be okay."

At that moment, neither of them had it within themselves to push each other away or continue that fight any longer. They were both too tired to do anything, but as their little girl was there, looking for comfort, they knew — as parents— that they had to do something to help her. They had to do something to make her smile again.

“ You see, Sarada.” Sakura started, with a soft smile on her lips. “ Papa here was the one who made me break that plate. He was bugging me and I ended up making a mess… But it’s all good now.”

“ Papa! You're mean!”

“ I know… But I’ll take care of your mother until she gets better.”

“No! I will take care of mama!” She hugged Sakura closer, hiding her small head in her mother’s chest. Sakura could feel her breathing against her clothes, and somehow, her daughter’s feelings managed to calm down her heart. It showed her that even if things were going to get tough again, she could not allow herself to be defeated.

Unlike all the other times, she’s a mother now. She has to take care of her family, just like she had to take care of her boys back when they were still kids.

It was going to be hard and it was probably going to be a lot worse than before.

But as she looked down at her little girl and as she looked at the man next to her, she knew it would all be worth it.

For her family. For the love of her life, it would all be worth it.

“ We will take care of each other, honey…” Sakura smiled, hugging her daughter closer. “ Right, darling?”

“ Aah. We will make it through.”

And in that indirect and incomplete conciliation, the atmosphere around got a lot lighter. Soon, they heard the sleepy sound of an asleep Sarada, and they knew that the storm had gone away. Their little girl had just saved their family, and more than ever, they could see that they were not trapped in any kind of cursed cycle, no.

They have Sarada now. They have a physical proof of their love, and unlike all the other times, he will leave knowing there’s a family waiting for him at home, and they will wait knowing he’s doing it to protect them.

They will be separated once more, but this time, their love and their family will connect their hearts.

“ We better take her to bed, right, Sasuke?”

“ Yeah…”

“ Can you do this?”

“ Sure.” He said, holding Sarada as they stood up. Sakura took one, deep breath, and even if she wasn’t really fine, he knew that, eventually, she would be. His wife is a strong woman, and for that, he’s thankful.

“ Good night, Sarada…” She kissed her daughter good night, watching as a small smile appeared on her small lips. Her cheek was pressed against Sasuke’s shoulder, and she could see as the girl’s chubby hands were holding onto her papa as he took her to bed. Their girl really is perfect.

Their family is.

“ Sakura…”

“ What?” She looked at him, finally deciding to heal her wound.

“ Thank you…”

“ For what?”

“ For letting me be selfish… with you.”

She looked deep into his dark eyes, understanding the meaning behind his words. It made a sad smile crop onto her lips, as she walked up to him to place a chaste kiss on his lips. He let out a relieved sigh, turning away so he could finally take Sarada to bed. Just by that kiss, he could tell things were still not over. There was still a lot for them to talk about, and at that moment, he couldn’t ask for anything other than that.

Things were not over between them, and they will never be.

And for the moment, that was the only thing they needed before they all could, finally, rest.

[cooliogirl101]

I am honestly curious if it was just hisana who was in the narutoverse and itachi got over the whole. 'Reproduction' bit and if he falls for hisana how would he go about trying to woo her, because honestly i can see him being such an awkward potato once he tries to woo her. Honestly though i can see him accepting his feelings with relative ease like 'huh, so thats new' and just go on his way but then when he's near her he's like 'damn, was she always this beautiful?' or 1/2

‘i am in love with a stiletto wearing nutjob and that is ok’. As well as him just being like ‘its only natural we are betrothed’ Hisana’s just amused by this awkward nugget as he tries to woo her ½

Trying to woo Uchiha Hisana is 100% the hardest thing Itachi’s ever done because there is like a 2% chance of success and also there are like stages, okay:

First of all, there is the ‘Hisana thinks he secretly has a crush on someone else and is just using her to practice’ stage. To be fair, this is mostly due to the fact that Itachi accidentally got her flowers she was allergic to, and so naturally she assumed he’d had someone else in mind when he bought them.

Second, once he finally gets her to accept that he’d just made a mistake and the flowers actually were intended for her, he has to pass the ‘Hisana thinks he’s just doing this to please his parents’ stage. This ends badly because Hisana actually gets really pissed at Fugaku and Mikoto for “pressuring poor Itachi-kun into doing something he doesn’t want” before he manages to convince her otherwise. 

The third stage is the one where Hisana thinks this is just a temporary crush resulting from the fact that she’s the only female his age that he’s close to, and that he’ll grow out of it (spoiler alert, he doesn’t). 

After several years have passed and she’s finally accepted that he’s not going anywhere, he has to pass the ‘Hisana still thinks of him as a child’ stage. This is made more difficult by the fact that she literally has photographic memories of him still in diapers. Anko, Kakashi, and Shisui all offer tips on how to get Hisana to ‘see him as a man.’ Absolutely none of it works (in a fit of desperation, he actually tried Anko’s advice to “show some skin.” Not only did the partial nudity completely fail to faze her, he also caught a cold). In terms of sheer embarrassment involved, this stage was by far the worst for Itachi (there’s something deeply humiliating about being twenty years old and still having your crush-since-age-twelve coo over you and declare how adorable you are). 

Stage five is the one where he has to convince Hisana to actually give him a chance (alternatively, the one where Itachi unknowingly competes against the memories of a dead man) and it is unquestionably the hardest stage. To the shock of the entire village, Uchiha Itachi–quiet, serious, and dedicated prodigy of the Uchiha clan– decides to follow Maito Gai’s example and declares Uchiha Hisana his ‘eternal rival.’ 

“If I beat you in a race, you have to go on a date with me,” he informs her solemnly. 

“Uh sure, whatever you say,” Hisana says, eyeing him oddly, and promptly leaves him behind in the dust. 126 challenges later he finally wins and Hisana agrees to go out with him, to the excitement of Konoha (and the other hidden villages because gossip in the ninja world travels at light speed). It’s…anti-climatic.

“This is literally like every other dinner we’ve had together. Except there’s candles,” Hisana says flatly. 

“For romantic effect,” Itachi agrees. “But it’s nice, yes?” 

Hisana doesn’t say anything for a long moment but when she looks back at him, there’s a small, tentative smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

“Yes,” she says quietly, and her eyes are warm. “It’s nice.” 

(I just want to make it clear that during this whole process, Hisana never actually flat-out rejected him. If she’d been seriously against the idea of getting romantically involved, Itachi would’ve backed off, parents’ wishes be damned. Luckily for Itachi though, she didn’t take him seriously enough to give him a concrete ‘no’ during stages 1-4–it’s like if a 6 year old said they wanted to marry you, you’re not going to tell them ‘haha sorry kid but you’re not my type.’)

So yeah. Basically the answer to the question ‘how does Uchiha Itachi go about wooing Hisana’ is ‘by being very, very, very persistent.’ Unfortunately, the result of this is that half the upcoming generation of ninja (Sasuke included) decides that ‘declaring your crush as your eternal rival’ is an acceptable wooing method, which causes a lot of headaches (particularly for Kakashi. If he has to tell one more person no, he and Maito Gai are not romantically or sexually involved, he’s going to raikiri someone). It’s particularly confusing for any visiting foreign ninja.