#well. mostly kankuro. he's just like that

[edai-crplpnk]

i wanna know your thoughts on the kankuro rarepairs you don't really write for or even talk about much, so any prompt(s) of choice for kankusai, kanklee, and/or nejikank?

Ooh those are hard.

Nejikank:

I never write Neji because, I don't know, I dont have him figure out and I haven't found the angle through which he would interest me. (I'm not saying he isn't interesting! But we haven't clicked yet.)

I do really like Kankurou and Tenten as a friendship, so I'm thinking maybe when Kankurou is in Konoha they spar every so often? Neji lives AU. Kankurou doesn't know Neji much, just to the extend that he's part of the Konoha 13 so they are vaguely appointed. But maybe he sees him around at times and I mean, he's a little pretty. He could ask Tenten if he's free. She might be excited about the gossip potential of seeing all of this unfold so she encourages it.

Or maybe Neji's having a rough time because of som clan shit or idk and Kankurou asks Tenten "Is you're teammate okay? He's been looking stressed out lately." and she explains a bit and Kankurou goes for a chat and offer a spar to Neji to distract him for a bit. After all Kankurou's not foreign to councils and heirs bullshit haha.

KankuLee:

I had never thought about them and it's a bit hard to imagine I think because I ship GaaLee too much haha. (But then again I do ship KankuShika extensively, so that shouldn't stop me.)

I imagine Lee being over in Suna and sparring with Kankurou, and he's very enthusiastic about it because he is who he is, giving advices and praising Kankurou for good moves while they spar. And it's pissing Kankurou off that Lee is so much better than him that he has the time to do that while fighting 😂 Lee would be like "That was a great parade Kankurou-san!" while counterattacking with no struggle and Kankurou feels a little taken pity on. Lee is genuine, of course, but well, it's not rubbing Kankurou's ego the right way. He needs to come back to Lee for something he can win this time and flatter his self esteem with a bit. Maybe that thing is flirting, who knows?

KankuSai:

I have an AU I have never written for yet that among others includes KankuSai. It's mostly a BDSM smut AU with Kankurou as a Dom. Sai's non-binary and not super experienced. They're the one of Kankurou's partners that he is the most gentle with. It's mostly a work of proving them that they are very much desirable and that there is no need to overpass their boundaries and do things that they're not comfortable with or that make them dysphoric to find ways to 1 feel good themselves 2 make a partner feel good.

For a more canonverse thing, I can actually also see it with Sai being the most proactive one in them getting together! Trying to hit on on Kankurou and his technique is probably... You know. Sai. At times too blunt, at times convoluted in an obscure way because he's read that in a book. And at first Kankurou is wondering if he's just making fun of him and is pretty confused by the whole thing, but eventually he decides to give it a try. After all he does have that much to loose. At worse it'll be weird between them but it's already weird, so. And it goes well! Sai is actually a bit funny and nice an interest, even if his communication is not always easy to understand. So they do it again and eventually I suppose become a thing.

Thanks for the question! Two Kankurou ship I haven't posted about but would like to are also KankuHina and KankuSaku 🤔 I should also write more KankuChou.

[sage--mode]

Boys of Naruto with their s/o (my headcanons)

Included: Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Sai, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Lee, Gaara, Kankuro

*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ ⑅ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ ⑅ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ ⑅ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥

Naruto: a bit naive and insecure in his relationship, at least at first. He's pretty dirt poor, and despite being a hero and savior of the world he doesn't have the highest self-esteem, so it takes a little bit of time to get him to really relax around you because you just make him.. nervous. Once he does, the gloves are off. Super playful and sweet, a huge tease, and wants to do everything and anything with you. Has a super romantic/sweet side that you mostly see when you're alone. Loves pda but also gets shy about it. you can be in a room with 50 empty chairs, and if you ask him to sit on his lap, he'll agree every time. ♥️ nicknames: Likes to call you beautiful ("hey beautiful!") and will call you a nickname based off your name (ex: if your name was anita, he might call you nini) ♥️ the ring: if he is picking your ring, he'd probably get something very simple at first- again, like 14kt gold band with some simple design engraved into it to give it more of a unique look- he's pretty poor and super nervous/terrified of proposing with it.. but that's the best he can do. He'd upgrade you as soon as he became hokage and began earning more, sneakily having a center stone added to it to surprise you with.

Sasuke: very much secure in his relationship even from the beginning- mostly because he'd never start dating someone he didn't feel 100% with. He's very frank and straightforward, and would want someone like that- honest and simple. secretly likes to be praised by you, and it will basically make him borderline overconfident for the rest of the day, even if you said something simple like complimenting his hair. He's so used to girls chasing him, so its different when you do it- he knows you're being honest and not just sucking up. Not a pda guy but very protective and caring of you. Notices very small things about you, like if you start shaping your fingernails a different way. ♥️ nicknames: he's not usually a pet name kind of guy, but sometimes when you're alone and he's feeling especially sweet, he may call you "my dear", and when you're being bossy he'll respond with "yes madam / no madam) to tease you. ♥️ the ring: we know this. he'd make it for you himself. in canon, the ring is apparently made of a ruby. I like to imagine it's infused with his chakra and his blood (the ruby was a more magenta color before he did so)

Itachi: very protective. very caring. nothing comes before you do. lowkey wants to murder anyone who dares trying to talk badly about you in front of him ("you insulted my wife. you don't deserve the air in your lungs.") Very serious and unabashed with people, but suddenly becomes this gentle, sweet man when its you in front of him. Not a big pda guy but always holds your hand in public or will walk with you with a hand on your back or an arm around you. If you're sitting somewhere, a lock of your hair may be casually held in his fingers as he is lost in thought. Can be a bit of a tease, again mostly to you. ♥️ nicknames: most commonly calls you sweetheart and my love. also will call you princess occasionally, but its usually teasing. ♥️ the ring: goes for something he thinks will be practical for you while also being something you'll like. I imagine he'd pick a marquise or oval cut stone.

Sai: he. doesn't. know. whats. happening. first of all, he can't believe that you- you!- want to date him. it's inconceivable. and he has no idea what to do with you at first. when he approaches you for a first date and you agree, he pauses in surprise that you actually said yes, then thinks for a moment. "Well.. how about training area 3-A? there's a really cool tree there to see." he doesn't get what a date is typically supposed to entail at all- he never got that far in his research. So you have to take the lead on many things, but its okay- you love experiencing everything with him. ♥️ nicknames: notoriously bad with them. he will call you everything from pumpkin seed to cottontail trying to figure out what you'll love the most. ♥️ the ring: he would do the most research on what girls usually like in an engagement ring, and ends up with the very simple, very popular white-gold band with a solitaire, one carat white diamond.

Shikamaru: an insane amount of rizz for someone who would spend 50% of his day staring at clouds if he could. And thats definitely the first official date you go on, though its masterfully disguised and dressed up with a sunset picnic. In public, he's very casual with you and won't try to hold your hand unless you allow it. Lowkey has a bit of a fear of rejection from you, and it takes a bit of time for him to figure out that you're not going to turn him down like that. You play a lot of games together at home and he secretly lets you win sometimes. ♥️ nicknames: so, shikamaru is smart. like reallyyyy smart. we know this. I like to imagine in his spare time, he's slowly learned different languages, and he'll call you nicknames in different languages to watch you get flustered. He thinks its hilarious. Other then that, he'll sometimes call you baby, literally purring the word at you. Its part of his method of seduction and it works every time. ♥️ the ring: carved from a piece of petrified wood in the Nara clan forest. It took him 4 days to to choose it. Makes 2 simple bands from it, one being yours and the other, his.

Chouji: very much in love with you from the beginning, and he's the one who says it first. His method of greeting you is scooping you up in his arms and swinging you around like you weight 6 raspberries. Lovessss cooking for you, and always makes it a multi course meal with multiple dessert choices. Extremely proud that you're his girl and gets teary eyed when he hears you plan to take his last name when you marry ♥️ nicknames: calls you honey, all the time. he doesn't even call you by your name anymore. you're honey now. sometimes he'll make up names to make you laugh, like "my delectable daisy" ♥️ the ring: the ring he gives you is a vintage one thats been passed down in his family for multiple generations; it has the Akimichi clan's emblem engraved in it.

Kiba: the biggest menace!!! if you thought he could be a bit wild before, wait until he gets a girl. The confidence is over 9000. Any time he has money left over, its going to be spent on you, wether its a gift, or on a date, or something else related to you. Pretty lax on pda, he doesn't care who's looking, if he wants to hold your hand or kiss you or be a shameless flirt in public, he'll do just that. ♥️ nicknames: babe, princess, doll face, sugar, gorgeous- he uses them all. Be warned if he sees you out like running an errand or something, he's going to grin and shout "HEY, SEXY!!!" from across the street just to see you blush and trip over yourself. ♥️ ring: he overthinks it big time, going to every jewelry store in Konoha to learn about different stones, metals, settings, etc. It takes so long you end up asking him about it, in which he confesses that he's struggling to choose the perfect one for you and was even considering visiting other villages to tour their jewelry stores.

Shino: Mysterious and collected on the outside. Struck by cupid's arrow on the inside. Very much a gentleman- will hold your hand even to cross the street or navigate through a crowd. Surprisingly he's more into pda then it might first seem. Always greets you with a ~chaste~ kiss. He lovessss when you remove his glasses from his face before you kiss him. ♥️ nicknames: calls you sweetheart sometimes, but often refers to you as "my dear". Similar to Chouji, he doesn't really call you by your actual name much, usually its sweetheart. ♥️ the ring: is the smart one and sneakily asks your friends/family about what kind of ring you might like. He gets it pretty spot on.

Neji: approaches you a bit formally to ask you out. He tells you he would like to date you… by stating, "I would like to date you". Its hilarious and he says it without batting an eye, and you appreciate how straightforward and unembarrassed he is. Always greets you with a kiss on the hand. Always goes along with your plans even when its something he'd usually never be caught dead doing. ♥️ nicknames: typically he refers to you by your actual name, but in private sometimes he'll call you my love, or dearest. Often its whispered. ♥️ the ring: Neji's mother died when he was a baby and his father died when he was very small, and sadly whatever valuables they had were either "returned" to the main branch aside from household items. However, Hiashi wasn't a ~total~ pos and Neji was able to keep some of his mother's jewelry. Most of it is costume, but there are 3-4 pieces that have value, including the plain, simple platinum band that was once her wedding ring. He gets it cleaned and has a setting added to it so a stone can be mounted of your choice.

Rock Lee: two words- princess treatment. you're a princess and he'll be damned if anyone tries to convince him otherwise! always a gentleman, always rooting for you, always willing to drop what he's doing if you ever need him. He has unassuming looks, and it has happened once or twice that someone wouldn't leave you alone in front of him despite you rejecting them. That didn't end well. That guy didn't just learn a valuable lesson that day- all of Konoha did. You don't mess with Rock Lee's girl, and you don't harass girls in front of Rock Lee and get away with it. ♥️ nicknames: calls you princess, and not in a teasing ironic way. he means that 100%. Also sometimes uses angel or my lotus ♥️ the ring: he accidentally pulls a michael scott and saves 2 years worth of salary for the ring, when the saying is typically "2 months". so the ring is going to be quite a sparkler depending on what stone he picks.

Gaara: a little awkward, but more so for you than for him. He actually feels pretty comfortable with you from the get-go- he likes you and he is pretty transparent about it. For you, it is intimidating- not because its Gaara, but because he's the kazekage and dating the village's kage publicly puts eyes on you both. So the first few times you go out, it is done quietly and within small groups (his siblings and a few friends) to make it look less like 2 people on a date. A bit like Itachi in that he is pretty mature and serious with people, but a lot softer and sweet with you. When Gaara is in love, the protection of his sand starts to extend to you, too. ♥️ nicknames: for the most part, he calls you by your own name. However in some moments where he's particularly soft, he'll call you "my heart". it gives a new meaning to the marking on his forehead. ♥️ the ring: has a private jeweler bring a bunch of stones for you to pick from. If you don't like any of them, he'll simply send requests to the other kages to send their brightest stones for you to see.

Kankuro: he's confident in every part of his life except romance. When he walks over to ask you out, the question comes out in a stutter and his cheeks are red. Fortunately you get what he's saying and happy to agree. Always has an arm casually slung around your shoulders if you're walking around. Can be a little jealous but he tries very hard to not let you see it. Loves you dearly and often worries he won't be able to keep you happy. ♥️ nicknames: calls you doll all the time. Like Chouji, its basically your name now- he only really calls you by your actual name in serious situations, like if you got hurt. Otherwise, you're doll. "Doll, have you seen my war paint?" "what do you want for dinner, doll?" "Doll, I'm heading to a meeting," like this. ♥️ the ring: he's a creative and has experience with materials for his puppets, so he makes the ring himself.

*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ ⑅ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ ⑅ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ ⑅ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥*̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥ ୨୧ *̩̩̥♡*̩̩̥

[herehavesomeheadcanons]

On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… 9 Family Photos!

Some of these are a little shorter than others... Sorry, I got stressed by the deadline and didn't have a whole lot of inspiration.

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa

🖤‼️Port Mafia family photos? Chaos. This (probably awful) idea was proposed by none other than the head of the PM himself, Mori.

🖤‼️Challenge number one: getting Aku into festive clothing for the picture. He is ridiculously stubborn when it comes to his outfit, and no amount of pleading can get him into anything other than his black coat. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that this is not a challenge you will win.

🖤‼️Challenge number two: getting everyone in the damn picture. The poor photographer is almost in tears by the end with how uncooperative everyone is, also he can’t say anything cause this is the MAFIA and he could be murdered.

🖤‼️Challenge number three: Aku refuses to smile. You also will not win this one, he’s just gonna look like the grumpy emo teenager that every family has.

🖤‼️It's… an interesting photo. And it's definitely going up on your refrigerator!

Mikuni

💛🤠He’s definitely the one that suggested family photos. Misono fought him on it for so long before Lily convinced the angry runt it was a great idea to have Christmas pictures with all the servamps and eves.

💛🤠It's chaos. It's just a whole mess. Kruo doesn't want to be there, Licht is kicking Lawless around Mahiru is TRYING and failing to keep the peace. Mikuni himself is trying to set up the camera, which isn't going well.

💛🤠It takes like, 15 tries to finally get a decent picture because Lily keeps trying to strip for the camera.

💛🤠In hindsight, he really should have just settled for a picture with you and Jeje.

Macbeth

🤍🖤We’re gonna do this with Crime Sorciere because I sincerely doubt that Brain wanted to organize Christmas pictures for the Oracion Seis. Anyway, Jellal wanted Christmas cards to send to Fairy Tail (mostly Erza, let’s be honest). As such, he is slightly obsessive about making this Christmas pictures perfect.

🤍🖤Macbeth is sick and tired of Christmas pictures within five minutes. It’s so boring! He’s gonna fall asleep! Richard and Meredy are honestly the only ones that are ok with this. The others are sick of Jellal’s obsessiveness.

🤍🖤By the time Jellal has gotten everyone where he wants them, Macbeth has indeed fallen asleep on your shoulder. You can gently shake him awake or wait for Jellal to notice and watch the world burn (he won't notice until after the picture is taken).

🤍🖤Jellal ends up with a nice card regardless, and Macbeth gets a nap out of it so it's all good.

Freed Justine

❤️🎄Thunder Legion Christmas photos are a riot, honestly. We’re gonna say this is during Laxus’s banishment because I don’t want to include him.

❤️🎄Freed organizes the entire procedure, and Bickslow makes it his personal mission to mess it up as much as he can. You probably side with Freed on this issue because it’s Christmas and you don’t want to stress him out too much, the Christmas tree incident was already enough stress.

❤️🎄Bickslow insists that Freed wear Christmas lights and ornaments in his hair. He pesters the poor green bean until he relents. Bickslow himself rocks a full Santa costume! Ever is decked out in a fancy Christmas dress, and she probably got one for you as well!

❤️🎄The photo ends up looking great!

Touta Matsuda

🖤👮Normal family photos with him! Nothing crazy, just a nice picture of the two of you for his parents.

🖤👮He looks so adorable all dressed up in his nice suit! He says you look great, as well.

🖤👮Nothing really crazy happens, honestly. It's just a cute outing for the two of you.

🖤👮He'll probably let you wander around the mall and get some Christmas shopping done afterwards. Maybe you could also go get some dinner while you're out!

Gaara

❤️🏜️Obviously family photos with Kankuro and Temari. Standard family pictures.

❤️🏜️There's a little bit of trouble getting Gaara to smile. He did spend several years of his life with only a sour grimace on his face (which was very justified, actually).

❤️🏜️Kankuro keeps trying to get away with making funny faces. Eventually you guys just decide to take one serious picture and one silly picture.

❤️🏜️Both pictures turn out great!

Rogue Cheney

🖤🐉It's you, Rogue, and Frosch. It was probably your idea, but Rogue agreed pretty easily.

🖤🐉You have some serious trouble trying to get Frosch to look at the camera. He just keeps getting distracted!

🖤🐉Once you finally get Frosch to look at the camera, it's an adorable picture!

Alphonse Elric

💛🐱It was Winry and Al's idea to do Christmas photos. Ed was dragged along by his braid.

💛🐱Nothing too exciting happens, other than the usual Winry hitting Ed with a wrench.

💛🐱It's a super cute picture!

Mahiru Shirota

🤎🙂You two were invited to take Christmas pictures with all the other servamps and eves. Mahiru thought it was a great idea at first…

🤎🙂…Until you actually got there. It was utter chaos. Mahiru tried his best to calm things, but to no avail.

🤎🙂You both are exhausted by the time you finally get a good picture. Next year, you definitely won't try to attempt wrangling all 7 servamps and their eves into a family photo.

[vote-gaara]

The Sands of Time: Gaara's Story

Read on AO3

Summary: Gaara, Temari and Kankuro have made it back to Sunagature after having retreated from their country's defeated invasion on the Hidden Leaf Village. Now the siblings must stand before the Suna Council, fully preparing to be reprimanded for their failure, but instead there's a surprise in store...

Join Gaara as he learns to navigate his world, desperately clinging to the same ideals as Uzumaki Naruto, so that he can become someone special to others. The road to a better future isn't an easy one, and the path is surely treacherous with danger and betrayal looming, but for poor Gaara there is just no other choice...

Words: 2600

Warnings: Death Mention, Murder Mention, Sad Gaara :(

Author's Notes: This is actually the beginning of a two “book” series following the growing friendship (and eventual romance) between Gaara and my OC. However the first few chapters offer pretty solid, stand-alone explanations for how Temari, Kankuro and Gaara were promoted so fast, and how Gaara was eventually made Kazekage years after Rasa died….I hope you enjoy this either as a stand alone piece, or as part of the series it belongs to. THERE ARE NO ORIGINAL CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER.

Chapter One: Mission Failed!

“Perhaps even I some day…”

***

Three figures sat hiding within the forest’s edge, sheltering from the dry wind that swept across the flat grassland beyond. Soon the three of them would be home to their desert village, where they could discard their filthy clothes, tend to their wounds and rest easy knowing that they were finally safe. 

It had been an arduous and painful two and a half days as they traveled through enemy territory, tensing up at the slightest rustle of foliage in fear that they had been tracked down by an Anbu squad, or even just a more rejuvenated surveying squad.

Though there was always suspense journeying through unfamiliar territory, the tension between the three shinobi, who were just barely teenagers, was immensely greater than that. They were injured, exhausted, and in no condition to fight, and they knew very well that a retaliation mission could have been launched at any moment to take vengeance on them for what their country had done.

Worse, still, was the bitter misery of distrust between them, for although they were fellow Suna shinobi and siblings, they felt alienated from one another; as if they were their own stars separated by a thick, dark, void of emptiness where they could see each other’s light, but it was so far away and felt so cold, so sterile, so miserable.

Gaara sat apart from his brother and sister, slumped up against a tree trunk where he was nursing a stiff injured shoulder and a throbbing pain in his head. A sensation he once found enthralling now has become a burden as he wished that the ache would subside and allow him to think clearly.  

“Uzumaki Naruto…” He thought, squinting in pain as the breeze made the light between the leaves dance on the dark forest floor. “Could I be like that one day, too?”

He stole a glance at his siblings who were sitting close together. They were silent mostly, but every so often they would murmur to each other, words that Gaara couldn’t hear. They never bothered to glance his way, anyway. Just two days prior, he couldn’t have cared less about what they were saying, but now he found he was experiencing a sense of yearning that was strong and unceasing, like an urgent itch. He wanted to know, to connect, but he didn't know how.  

“Why don’t they talk to me?”

The voice was so small, so meek and yet it passed through his mind with such speed that Gaara wondered if he had ever thought it at all. Perhaps it was just the pain. He had never had thoughts like that before…No, that wasn't true. He had, but so very long ago that he could barely remember what it was like to crave the company of others. All that he could remember now was the pain; the pain and the…

He closed his eyes, his head throbbing all the more. 

***

“It’s time,” Baki stated in his deep, gruff voice from where he stood in the doorway.  

Gaara glanced at him. It had been a week since he and his siblings had returned to Suna, but it was clear that being home didn’t mean their work was over - it was far from it.

When they had returned home, they were whisked away to the Suna hospital where they were put into separate rooms and treated. Gaara had watched from his examination room as medical-nin peered in to glance at him, only to become startled and recoil in horror when his eyes met theirs. He could hear their hushed, urgent murmurs as he continued to wait, painfully aware of how unwelcome his very presence was in a facility that swore to heal the sick and injured, regardless of prejudice. 

Yet it had taken almost an hour and a half before a young medical ninja slinked into the room. He began treating Gaara’s wounds quickly and without speaking, dabbing at the wounds with hands that trembled so visibly that Gaara excused him almost immediately.

Gaara was aware of his effect on people, but seeing their responses before his eyes always made his stomach churn. He watched silently, a smoldering anger like a mourning burning up in his insides, as the young medical-nin bowed quickly - clumsily - before swiftly departing, leaving Gaara alone to assess his half bandaged injuries, the room cold, quiet and empty.

Now, a week later, Gaara was in his bedroom, waiting for Baki to arrive to inform him that the head of Suna was ready for him. 

“The elders have reviewed your mission report,” Baki said to Gaara, getting straight to business. It may have been odd, but in the last few days Gaara had grown to appreciate Baki’s ability to look at him directly, to speak to him without being terrified. What once felt annoying to Gaara now felt like salvation, for even though Baki's tone was strictly professional, it made Gaara feel human. “We have lost a great deal during this invasion, so I wouldn’t expect any praise.”

Gaara nodded, remaining silent and somber as he followed his sensei through the corridors of the estate. He allowed his mind to wander.

Back when Gaara had left the treatment room at the hospital, he had quickly glanced around for Temari and Kankuro only to realize that they had left him. Gaara had departed then, expecting to go home to his room to rest, but was quickly ushered into the meeting chamber where his brother and sister were waiting for him. 

“The fourth Kazekage is dead.” 

Gaara didn’t know how to feel about his father’s death at that moment. He wasn’t even certain he saw Rasa as a father at all, and yet as the days passed an odd form of anguish began tearing at his stomach, and Gaara found himself angry all over again. He wanted to lash out at others, to inflict hurt, to kill, but he knew he couldn’t do those things anymore - No, he didn't want to do those things anymore. Yet he didn't trust himself and so he holed himself up in his room, only leaving for physical necessities and for his duties as a shinobi. 

Now sensei and student walked into the meeting chamber to a row of elders who bore into him with scrutinizing eyes. Gaara looked past them, his eyes resting on the statue that was erected in his father’s honor, but his heart felt nothing.

“Ah, and here’s Lord Gaara,” One of them quipped as if the elders had been talking about him - and perhaps they had been. “Lady Temari and Lord Kankuro will be joining us shortly, I assume.”

Baki nodded, “I hear them coming now.”

Temari and Kankuro stepped into the room, lining up next to Gaara without looking at him. They both greeted the elders, who did so in kind.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” The oldest of the counsel, Jōseki, called everyone's attention. "As you all know, your father, the fourth Kazekage, has been murdered. Our investigation points to Orochimaru as the culprit, and our evidence suggests he had assassinated and used Lord Fourth's identity in order to better manipulate the politics of Suna. We don’t have to explain that this has dire consequences for Sunagature."

"Not only is it a matter that we have to be vigilant against any spies that have been implanted during this betrayal, but without our Kazekage, we are vulnerable to other villages who may have been informed of our political status." Another counselor, Gōza, cut in. 

"We also have to be prepared for a retaliation invasion by The Land of Fire at any moment." Joseki continued, "And the status between our village and the daimyō is still to be determined." 

"No matter how you look at it, the fate of our village is balancing on a lot of very dangerous factors." Another one of them said as he cleared his throat, the only tell indicating that the calm union of faces who were addressing Temari, Kankuro and Gaara held tension among them. 

Shinobi weren't just physical tools used to sacrifice flesh and bone to the grinders that were their missions; they were mental and emotional assets that gave nothing away as they endured countless instances of immense fear, sorrow, anger and sacrifice. They were thus burdened to not only offer up their very health, and even their lives, to their nation, but the mental and emotional energy that was tethered to their refined and well trained physical forms. 

Just as a person whose body was injured to the point of collapse lost their consciousness, Shinobi who experienced emotional and mental fatigue were physically vulnerable; not just in how another may conquer them, but in how they could lose to their own impulses and act out poorly. 

Which wasn't that how Gaara had acted during his time in Konoha?

The tension that the elders held was an indication that there was something of great emotional weight to be discussed, and Gaara already knew precisely what it was.

“You all acted with disgrace during your time in The Land of Fire.” Jōseki cut in, not allowing the counselor’s hesitancy to continue so long that it would give it away. “Not only did your actions reflect poorly on the dignity of Sunagature during the Chunin Exams, but your very actions had caused the mission to fail and thus the security of the village rests on your consciences.”  

More of the counselor’s spoke up, addressing their disapproval and admonishing all of the siblings equally, despite the mission's failure having rested solely on Gaara's own bloodlust in his desire to stop at no length to kill Uchiha Sasuke. Temari and Kankuro had no choice but to retreat with him under orders given to them by Baki. Neither of them had done anything wrong, they were simply responding to their changing circumstances under immense pressure from both Gaara and the plan; however the council couldn’t address it like that.

The elders, despite having been hardened Shinobi with great skill and power, were still afraid of Gaara's power; perhaps not for their own safety, but for that of the village. It was simply a matter of tact that they skirt around reprimanding him directly, including Temari and Kankuro into the blame to soften the blow. There were already so many imminent dangers threatening those who called the desert home, they didn't need Gaara to be the final strike that would kill the already withering village of Sunagature.

Gaara found himself wondering what it would be like to have the elders solely single him out for his insubordination. What would it feel like to watch his siblings be praised for their own efforts and for him to be ripped into with tongue lashings and scrutiny? Was that type of acknowledgement not possible for him? 

He was no longer the Kazekage's delicate son, as there was no Kazekage any longer. The elders couldn’t hide behind status as a reason to not criticize him. Instead, Gaara was acutely aware that the elders were afraid of him, just as everyone else was, and so they continued to handle him like a weapon that could unleash demolition and death at the blink of an eye. 

Temari and Kankuro both bowed their apologies, accepting their share of the blame because they knew, along with everyone else in the room, that they were not the ones being rebuked. Gaara still felt strained by this, however, as even though the scolding was empty for his older brother and sister, he wondered if the injustice of taking the blame made them hate him even more.

Not that a Shinobi would ever dare admit to being upset by unfairness. 

"But enough of the wallowing," Gōza piped up, taking a stand at the round table. "We have other, more constructive, matters to discuss." 

Gaara was mildly surprised by the sudden change of course, but the feeling quickly passed. "They can't discipline us too harshly. Suna has risked and lost too much to the invasion, they need us for their next mission." Gaara reasoned. Yet as sound as Gaara’s logic may have been, he was incorrect.

Gōza continued, "As you know, the Chunin Exams are a cooperative event between villages, whose high ranking officials name those who they see worthy of promotion to go on to be Chunin. However, due to our recently severed ties to The Leaf Village, it is our prerogative to promote those who we deem fit." 

Gaara could sense his brother and sister stiffen in surprise. "Are you saying you're promoting us to Chunin?" Kankuro blurted out, unable to help himself. His shock was warranted, as Kankuro had forfeited in the semi-finals and wouldn't have even been discussed as a candidate had the Chunin Exams concluded normally.  

"You are all excellent Shinobi," Gōza said, "You all could have passed as Chunin long ago. It was merely a procedural and tactical matter that you compete, but due to our circumstances having changed, we have all come to an agreement that you three will move on to being Chunin of The Hidden Sand."

The siblings didn’t know how to react, as they weren’t expecting this. However, all three of them bowed and thanked the counselors, Gaara’s own thanks just barely audible in the big, open chamber. 

“Ever since The Third Kazekage disappeared many years ago, the tribes forming Sunagature have agreed the Kazekage title be passed down to heirs,” Joseki explained. There was a certain acidity in his voice as he appraised the three young siblings. “With your father being dead, that means that the Kazekage title could be claimed by any of you three. However, you are all much too young and not skilled enough - as skilled as you may be.” 

Gaara could see now the disdain Joseki had as his hard glare found Gaara. It cut into him like whips, and Gaara returned the sentiment. “Though Sunagature is in dire need of a strong and shrewd leader during our current circumstances, we have suspended our decision to elect a shinobi of no blood relation to Lord Fourth. This is due to our current agreement between tribes, nothing more. And so we will wait for one of you three to improve enough to be deemed worthy of the respect and admiration of the Kazekage name. That is the sole reason for your promotion, nothing more.”

Gaara watched as the rest of the counselors’ eyes shifted towards Joseki, their quick glances containing surprise but also a mild disapproval; even Baki had allowed the smallest line of tension to come between his brow. Perhaps what Joseki was saying carried a great deal of truth to it, but his own abrasiveness towards the three siblings was palpable and thus undesirable by the rest of the council.

Still, the elders were in agreement enough that they excused the careless delivery of the information. Rather they looked back towards Temari, Kankuro and Gaara and asked if they had any questions, to which none of them did. 

“Then this meeting is concluded,” Joseki said as he stood from his place at the table. Before anyone had any opportunity to move, he stalked out of the room, shooting Gaara one more look of abhorrence as he passed, leaving everyone else to listen as his footsteps faded in the long, echoey halls of the Kazekage estate.

[synergysilhouette]

Been on a Naruto streak lately, and I wanted to list some changes I'd have made to Sakura Haruno's character, mostly based on personal preferences, but partially from "what ifs" I've seen online with people speculating aspects of her growth. Namely:

Tone down her aggressiveness towards Naruto. I don't mind if she occasionally blew up at him for not taking things seriously or being disrespectful, but keep the physical abuse to a minimum.

Flesh out her relationship with Sasuke. While I was happy for her, the ship felt forced on Sasuke's part, as they have random intimate moments in the series that feel like they come from almost nowhere. I could imagine her crush starts out shallow at first, and then she becomes a good friend who just listens if he ever has to verbally state his feelings--serving as a counterpart to Naruto, who he uses to physically express his feelings. Eventually the crush turns to friendship which turns to love. During the interim, you can see her feelings shift and change, possibly considering returning Lee and Naruto's affections at different points before she realizes Sasuke is more than a crush (this would be especially apparent after she cuts her hair, symbolically untethering herself from her obsession since she heard a rumor that Sasuke likes girls with long hair). Make Sasuke see her as someone just as important as Naruto because of her love and empathy for him. And honestly, I'd be fine if she offered to join him at the end of the rescue mission, playing the lovesick girl, and Orochimaru lets her stay to distract Sasuke, sending Kabuto to kill her, but she incapacitates him as Sasuke absorbs Orochimaru, and they form Hebe together, with Sasuke planning to use Sakura as an aid if he needs help with dispelling Itachi's genjutsu. She's the only one he trusts to prevent him from being re-traumatized.

Make her a stronger fighter and give her more opportunities to do more. Her fight with Ino, the sound ninja, Gaara, and approaching Sasuke were some of the times when we really could've seen her let loose. It'd be cool to see her train with Kurenai to make use of her genjutsu potential, which would also make her go well with Sasuke, both as a team member and a rival/enemy. She could've tried to stop him before he went to join Orochimaru (either at the gate or joining Naruto in battle). I'd also be fine with a draw between her and Ino at the Chunin Exams, but if she won, maybe we could've seen her face Dosu (who would fight her before he died), or possibly Shino or Shikamaru (seeing as Kankuro forfeited anyway, he could've been the one slated to fight Dosu; Temari could've gone a similar route).

Give us more details into her family/background. Her parents (only seen in an anime movie) thinking she can't make it as a ninja is PERFECT. They'd show up during the Chunin Exam arc and essentially try to make Sakura reconsider because they think she's not strong enough, making her push herself to be stronger. Plus it'd be cool if she had a family jutsu similar to Ino-Shika-Cho and the Uchiha clan. Maybe her power could involve an Inner Sakura genjutsu, making her and Ino's fight even better. Her family having no expectations of her makes her a good foil to other prodigy characters who come from renowned families. In fact, she'd be a great contrast to her team, being the only one to grow up with both of her parents up to this age. This could be used to make her represent the family that Team 7 makes while the other members represent what she stands to lose if she became a kunoichi.

[actuallysaiyan]

congrats on your 2k 💕🥳 hope i’m not too late i got busy

Name: Lisa

Pronoun: she/her

Personality: shy, soft spoken, big hearted, caring

Star sign: leo

Favorite thing to do: reading, listening to heavy metal

fandom: naruto

who i love most: baki

who i hate: danzo

man or woman: man

smut: y e s

anyone i don’t want to be matched with: danzo, uh pretty much anyone who’s not suna nin lol

ideal date: eating sushi at a nice, private area

My Life In...

Naruto

After some extensive research, we've concluded that you are best matched with...BAKI! Congrats!

In this universe, you and Baki work together and you've helped the Sand Siblings grow up to be who they are today. Nowadays, you and Baki have a travel blog together and lots of love. Here's your love story...

Matched with: Baki Skills/career: Baki’s assistant. You help teach the Sand Siblings. You are very proficient with all kinds of jutsus, but you mostly focus on air jutsu. Song: Forever by KISS Best Friends: Rasa, Gaara, Kankuro, TemariLove at first sight: Totally.

How you met: Rasa had asked you to become Baki’s assistant. You were to help him with teaching the Sand Siblings how to fight and become stronger shinobi. But you became a mother figure to them in a way. They clung to you like you were the best thing in the world, and Baki found you so sweet and so caring. From the get go, he couldn’t stop himself from being so attracted to you. You really showed him softness he hadn’t seen in so long. You two worked hard together, and it wasn’t long before you realized how good of a team you made.

How you fell in love:  It didn’t take long at all. Baki was a little shy about it, despite his gruff exterior. He would often find himself longing for you. In the cold nights in his bedroom, he would imagine you here warming up his bed. Eventually, he decided to just try and get closer to you. He would find ways to accidentally brush up against you. Then it was soft whispers whenever you needed him to repeat himself. You were starting to fall for him hard. You could see his true nature under that tough exterior. And one night, before you left for home, he kissed you softly on the cheek. Your heart skipped a beat and you knew he was the one for you.

Your first date: Baki had it all nice and planned. He was taking you out on this romantic weekend alone with you. The two of you had planned to take this little trip outside of the Sand Village. Rasa had approved and you were really excited to leave the village. It was in this beautiful inn near the water. You don’t even really remember what village it was, but it was so breathtaking. The whole weekend, Baki took you to all kinds of places. Little gift shops, sightseeing, eating your favorite foods. It was honestly one of the best weekends of your entire life and you always look back on it fondly.

Your first time being intimate: He took it slow with you. It was during that little getaway weekend, but he was still so romantic about it. He ran you a bath, filling the water with sweet rose petals. Baki took his time washing you and massaging you. Then he brought you to the bed, where the two of you shared a bottle of wine. You were so full of love and warmth. Baki took his time with you, but it became so frantic so quick as well. You enjoyed every single moment of it. He loved to kiss you all over.

“Such a beautiful girl,” Baki mutters against your skin. He’s pressed against you as close as he can. His cock brushes up against your sweet spot again, making you moan softly.

You cling to him, your body shaking as you sit right there on the edge. Baki has been edging you for so long, you can’t even remember what time it is. You can barely keep up with everything he’s been doing to you. Your body is lined with a small amount of sweat, and the smell of you is driving him crazy.

He ruts his hips quickly, and you begin whining his name. You’ve never had a lover before. Baki was your first, and he enjoys it so much. You’re all his now. This whole weekend was going better than he had anticipated. Another soft whine, and he’s capturing your lips with his. A few more thrusts, and you feel the coil in your stomach snap. White hot pleasure possesses your body and you can barely catch your breath.

“Good girl, cumming so hard for daddy.”

Those words push you even further, and your juices run down your ass and thighs as you soak Baki in your essence. He fucks you through every little wave of pleasure, and your nails dig into the sinewy muscle of his arms. This is truly heaven.

Where are you now: You and Baki still help Gaara with his Kazekage affairs and you still try to visit Kankuro and Temari as much as possible. You and Baki have decided to start traveling the world and you actually do a travel blog. Baki wants to marry you, but he hasn’t been able to pluck up the courage to ask you. What you both don’t know just yet is that you are pregnant with Baki’s baby!

General headcanons:

When it gets cold in the desert nights, Baki loves to bundle the two of you up in blankets and cuddle up. It’s so cozy with you in the linens and watching a show together.

You love to make him lunch and homemade lemonade and you bring this to him often whenever he’s in the office with Gaara. And of course, you make Gaara lunch as well.

Baki likes to take long baths after long days. His favorite thing is to have you in the bath with you and you’re both soothing your sore muscles.

He loves traveling the world with you. He always tries to find a sweet little souvenir to buy so that you’ll have something to use as a decoration when the two of you get home.

He will still spar with you and he will probably want you both to continue your training. Baki enjoys that you’re both shinobi and that you both can fight very well.

Baki will take you somewhere to stargaze whenever he gets the chance. To see your eyes shine in the moonlight, it’s something he’ll never forget. He likes to see you like this often.

Sexy headcanons:

Baki enjoys that he’s quite a bit taller than you. He likes that he can pin you to the wall and have his way with you. Sometimes he’s frustrated and he needs you now.

Baki also enjoys being sweet with you. He’ll be good for aftercare, cuddling you and pillow talk. He enjoys bathing you and massaging you a lot. He just loves doting on you, but even more so after sex.

He’ll have you squirting like a fountain. Baki knows how to make you feel good, he’s mapped out all the spots you enjoy being stimulated in the most.

He’s very vocal and loud during sex. He loves to mutter all these sexy little things in your ear. Anything to rile you up even more. He just wants you to know how good you feel.

From time to time, Baki enjoys you taking charge. Tie him up, strap a vibrator to his cock, edge him until he’s just begging to cum, slap him around a little. Baki can take it and he enjoys it.

If you were to wear any kind of special lingerie or cute little kimonos that leave not much to the imagination, he will lose his mind. Baki adores seeing you all dolled up for him.

[faerociousbeast]

Oh I sent reply as soon as u moved back but. Ya leaf is cool ofc but also mint n sand r rlly tempting. Espec sand I love puppetrhings.

YEAH YEAH THEYRE SUPER COOL AS WELL leaf is always the popular option WHICH IS FAIR as that's where most things happen but the other villages are soo. however i have to let you know on the negatives too !! okay so !!!

sand had a large period of poverty as well as like.. REALLY weak military forces, leading to the creation of a certain jinchuuriki- jinchuuriki are basically the people who serve as vessels to tailed beasts yeah, such as naruto. this jinchuuriki went through.. some tough times we'll just say that, had a habit of kinda..... slaughtering random citizens? haha? so watch out for that KGHKGJHDF

THEIR PUPPET THING IS HOWEVER VERY INTERESTING their best known one is "sasori of the red sand", a renowned puppet master who went missing when he was around 16. most of the current puppet designs were actually credited to him!! some other users include lady chiyo, an elder who's been a puppet master for many, many years- she's actually the leader of the "puppet brigade", which iirc is what the puppet unit was known as :) finally we have kankuro, he's in the main generation, middle child extraordinaire. he's fun though. love him

the other thing with puppets is that they often are created with poison- so all of the above are very skilled poison experts. depending on the puppet style, they have senbon with poison that shoot at you, trap their users inside of them, are just laced in general, etc. very cool

HIDDEN MIST so they were most likely the starting place the akatsuki, the criminal organization formed mostly of rogue ninja/missing nin (ninjas who abandoned their villages and went rogue or went missing. obviously), and theyre also where the seven swordsmen come from- technically.. there are a lot more than seven, bc of all the inheriting etc etc, but GENERALLY they all have really unique swords and a crazy high reputation :)

negative things. Yeah it was known as the "bloody mist" as if you'd like to advance in your ninja career, you must kill every last one of your other classmates for your exam! the other kids who you spent so many years with. so it's a bit... much. high expectations. there was also a lot of drama going on with one of the former mizukages, rumours of him being.. controlled....? oh my. cant say much though :)

[dailysuna]

Kankuro Headcanons

Oops I had this all prepared and then forgot to post it yesterday. Well... A bit late, but to celebrate this wonderful boy's birthday, we're going to share some happy headcanons for him!

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: Pansexual

He always showed interest in building things, because the toy he played with the most as a child was a gift of building blocks his mother got for him.

His interest in puppetry first started after attending a puppet play at a Sunartistry festival.

He cared deeply for his baby brother when they were young, but after Gaara's attitude changed he grew scared of him. When Gaara got better, he decided to make up for the years he hadn't given his brother affection by going over the top and being obnoxious about his love for him

He and Temari always got along well, although their rough relationship with Gaara had strained their relationship as well. They show their affection for one another mostly through teasing and comments that would sound harsh to anyone who didn't know about their relationship.

When Temari first showed signs of liking Shikamaru, Kankuro began endlessly teasing her about it. When they get older, he still teases her about their relationship. He also interrogated Shikamaru to make sure he was good enough for Temari.

If Gaara showed interest in dating anyone, he also would have interrogated them.

He doesn't share his siblings affinity for plants, but he can still be seen taking care of the plants in Gaara's office whenever his little brother is too busy working to take care of them. Sometimes a new plant even mysteriously finds its way into Gaara's or Temari's collections.

Kankuro is happy how far his family (his siblings and yes, baki too) has come. He just wishes their duties allowed them all to spend time together more frequently. He also doesn't see his nephew enough.

[therantingfangirl]

Because I also want to know everything about Kurono. Pride 2, Lust 3, Gluttony 4, Envy 6, Wrath 3, sloth 5, greed 2

I really had to think through some of these, like a lot.

Pride 2: Does your oc trust the judgment of others?

Completely depends on who the person is. She trusts the judgment of those who have proven themselves trustworthy, but her default is to not trust their judgment initially. She does NOT trust the judgment of the twins, Deidara, Pain, Orochimaru, or most of the Konoha 12 (since she doesn’t know them well.) She’s hesitant to trust Kankurō’s but only because she knows his judgment is often times rooted in his emotions and feelings (towards his siblings, her daughter, and herself.)

She absolutely trusts the judgment of Itachi, Konan, Kisame, Shikamaru, Gaara, Temari, Kakashi, Shino, and Baki.

Lust 3: Would you say your oc is bashful about intimate conversations, or are they the blunt one that makes everyone else uncomfortable?

Haha no. She actually finds a bit of joy in making others uncomfortable with the inappropriate things she says. Unless, of course, she has feelings for that person but doesn’t know how the other person feels yet. She was very hesitant in making comments in front of Itachi or having actual conversations about intimacy, until she felt secure in their relationship. She was fine with flirting with Kankurō and having conversations with him with intimate topics, all until she had her moment of realizing she was actually in love with him, and then she became much less blunt about it.

Gluttony 4: Do they eat healthy, or tend to eat a lot of junk food?

She grew up an orphan during war time in Amegakure, so there wasn’t much care of what type of food she was eating. Food is food. Now that she’s older and her little family isn’t scrounging for sustenance, she tends to indulge herself whenever she can.

Envy 6: Does your oc want to be envied? Why or why not?

Not necessarily. She has a mindset of “you wish you were as good as me” when she’s a teenager, but that mostly comes from a standpoint of knowing that she’s a bit overpowered, especially compared to the other genin. Once she’s older, and most of the people she cares about dies (the Akatsuki, the twins, Itachi), she literally cannot think of why anyone would envy her.

But then when she’s with Kankuro, she would not be upset if she found out that people were jealous of their relationship. She knows her man is hot, and she always feels very conflicted on whether or not she wants other to know that as well. On one hand she wants everyone to acknowledge it because people should appreciate him in the way she does, but she also doesn’t want anyone getting any ideas about him.

Wrath 3: Is your oc easy to disappoint? How so?

Mostly, she is easily disappointed in herself. She grew up hearing how terrible the world is and how no one knows the pain that her family has gone through, so she tends to expect the worst out of people. She’s done some pretty terrible things herself, so she just expects others to be just as cruel/violent. It’s very surprising to her when she meets someone who doesn’t think the same way, and she finds herself extremely confused/drawn to these people. Even when she’s at the chunin exams and her target is Naruto, she keeps thinking to herself that she hates that he has to die for the cause.

Sloth 5: How does your oc help calm others down? Are they good at it?

When she’s younger, she tends to be an instigator. If it’s someone she cares about, she’ll ask who hurt them and immediately try to go fight them. If it’s an enemy/someone she doesn’t like (looking at you, Hidan) she doesn’t even try to neutralize the problem, she just jumps in to fight. But if it’s her closest friends and it isn’t because of someone else that they’re upset/mad, she’ll try to diffuse the tension by making jokes. When she’s older and has kids, she tends to make food for whoever is upset, but also will tell jokes while cooking.

Greed 2: Do they have a prized possession? What is it?

She actually has two. One is a picture of her, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato that was taken on her fourth birthday, which happened to also be the day before Yahiko died and Nagato was paralyzed. The other one is a bouquet of paper roses. The roses are made up of the first roses that Konan helped her make and the first rose she ever made on her own.

[berrymeter]

Thoughts on the sand sibs

gaara was my..... third! favourite character as a kid. as in not third in a ranking but third character who i looked at & went "YEAAAAAAAAAAAH" (& temari was fourth) (first two were hinata (i still have a diary from childhood with an entry that says i had a bad day but seeing hinata on the tv made me happier) & kiba (i just know this)). nowadays i'd say he's still the top favourite, i still adore temari as well &. well. i have not yet mentioned kankuro but it's bc it took me a surprisingly long while for me to warm up to kankuro?? & i can pinpoint Exactly the thing (or two) that got me to begin fully appreciating him. so one, there was this um. kankiba artist i found once ... who i remember nothing about BUT their art of kankuro & posts about him made me realise that actually he's cool & i like him. & then like. within the next few days of finding their blog i had a dream where kankuro saved my life?? hard to not like the guy after that LMAO

so anyway aside from all this i think it's really cool that they exist & have each other. gaara starting out as an angry lonely child with siblings who probably don't really know how to approach him due to how he acts & everything surrounding him & they're Also kids who don't really know better, then growing into a much more gentle & wise guy with a functional relationship with his siblings & such a... positive? outlook on things might honestly be one of the best things kishimoto did even if it seems a little bit silly sometimes that he's so nice now but. i think it mostly seems silly bc the one instance of this being made obvious that i can think of is him being faced w sasuke & trying to reason with him. & sasuke is just so blatantly edgy to hell at that point in time it makes what gaara has to say look a bit ridiculous. but he was right! i think he was right

[youngblood-182]

Hi! My name is Esther, and I guess I'm here for the matchup thing?

I am 16 years old, and am an INTJ or ISTJ (It switches every time I take the test). I am 5'7" (I think? It's been awhile since I got measured), and I am straight (so looking for male). I have long dark-brown mostly straight hair (a few waves in the front pieces), that frames my face, and brown eyes. I am on the curvy side, but I wear very loose clothes (mainly empire-waist dresses) to hide that. I enjoy running and do it every day. My favorite color is light pink. I love non fiction books and am very fact-oriented and unbiased through that. I don't really have a perfect date in mind, but really I just like spending time doing anything with other people and having conversations (so maybe a semi-formal restaurant or something), but I would also love to watch movies on the couch, since that's also right up my alley. I'm not very outgoing or adventurous, so I would either want someone who would drag me along with them or just chill with me, and would be an equal contributor to the relationship (and reach out first, cause I definitely can't do that). I keep everything super organized and clean as well, and really enjoy cleaning, cooking, and gardening in general. Someone who can introduce me to different things, but also shares some of my interests. I would either want someone who has a very similar personality to myself, or someone more loud and outgoing in a flirtatious, smirking kind of way. I really only listen to classical music and Weird Al (I'm so weird), I'm only creative in writing and that's about it. I love animals and would definitely want pets with them.

Haha that was probably really weird to read...

Hi Esther! 💓

I ship you with Kankuro! 💘

-Kankuro in my opinion seems like an adventurous boy and a very funny guy 😂 (I hope someone gets that reference)

-I feel like he would 100% drag you along on everything and in a modern world I feel like he’d be a part of a royal family of some sorts and then becomes an ambassador or something because of his brother being the king, like that ya know? (new fanfic idea just popped into my brain) so whenever he’d be sent on some diplomatic mission he’d have you tag along so he could take you out to see all these beautiful places 🥹

-he’s also totally the type to want to have days in where you binge watch tv and watch movies all day long, he’s so sweet too 🥹 like imagine him being royalty and just having an in house movie theater and private chefs (uGH to be rich)

-he’d work on his puppets while you write, both of you just enjoying each other’s company until he inevitably freaks out over something that went wrong on his puppet 😂 (he’s a bit chaotic but he’s got a good head on his shoulders ya know?)

-I can see him listening to weird al, I think he’d enjoy listening to him with you!

SONGS

Party in the CIA - Weird Al

Swan Lake (I also happen to like classical music) - Tchaikovsky

Sleeping Lotus - Joep Beving

[soliavenne]

what would having a family with gaara would be like?

Having a family with Gaara/Gaara as a Dad

*cue dorky dad gaara*

A life with Gaara would be mostly domestic and comfortable. He's not a very outgoing parent with the initiative for camping outdoors, but at least once or twice a year, he would bring you and the kids alongside him on diplomatic visits on a good note (but if he has to focus on his job or it's a serious matter, he would not- but would always make sure he has something for you and the kid/s when he gets home. Kankuro is the only one he can rely on when it comes to the gifts, so chances are those gifts can be a little too unique, weird or advanced for the kids to understand and he knows this tendency, so there's always a compensatory backup through food.

Gaara is quite the worried dad at first, especially during the infancy to toddler stage. You could tell how nervous he is by just how gentle he is when he is carrying the baby. Gaara almost whispers when he tries to communicate with the baby, and would immediately look for you when they cry. As time passes by, he would at least be comfortable enough to lull them back to sleep by his own. He hums a lot while he gently rocks the baby, and rest assured that the night shift of taking care of the kid is something you can entrust to him wholeheartedly. You would see a new kind of softness in his personality, and surprisingly enough he bonds very well with them in their own humming communicative way.

During toddler years, he grows a little firm in order to instil discipline. He believes that the independence of the child should be fostered, but with safety and logic- so knee pads and kid-proofed corners is a must. He has a picture in his phone focused on your kid's tiny little hand wrapped around his index finger while they were practicing to walk. Gaara enjoys the company of his family inside his office, and he has been guilty of reading his financial documents to his kids to lull them back to napping to kill two birds in one stone in that one time he was running out of time in finishing his paper works while still having to take care of the baby.

Now in the pre-teens/teenager stage, he would be a little lost again- and might seem a little distant. He is just so worried, honestly- and is overthinking a lot of things. He wants to do everything for his kid- like encourage independence, but keep them safe, but not too safe(?) that his children might think he's underestimating them, but not too dangerous that his children might think he doesn't care. Goodness, he is getting a little old, there's a lot of changes that his kids are into that he's getting a little too old to understand. But he will always try. He wants to be there for them so much, but he's also afraid of being an overbearing parent. He is surprisingly supportive as long as the kids back up their decisions with conviction. It's so confusing for him, and there will be a lot of communication problems at some point- but overall, he would always be there as much as he can for his family.

[verdantmoontruther]

thought i should do one of these to welcome you to my naruto hell

Favorite male character: gai

Favorite female character: tsunade

Second and third favorite male character: shino and sai

Second and third favorite female character: tenten and kurenai

Favorite and second favorite clan: aburame and uzumaki

Favorite kage: gaara

Favorite Hokage: tobirama

Least favorite Hokage: sarutobi hiruzen (kys old fart <3)

Favorite tailed beast: matatabi

Favorite canon couple(s): inosai and naruhina

Favorite almost canon couple(s): sasukarin and leeten

Worst canon couple: sasusaku

Least favorite fanon couple(s): narusaku, sns, sakuino, sasodei, kakuhidan

Favorite yaoi couple(s): kakairu or yamairu

Favorite yuri couple(s): i once saw kurenai x mei and haven’t slept soundly since

Couple(s) that you ship romantically and as friends: kakagai, naruino, sasusai (now hear me out on this one)

Favorite protagonist: tsunade

Favorite antagonist: haku and zabuza

Favorite Akatsuki member: kisame

Favorite Akatsuki couple: sasori and deidara (not romantically, i just like when they argue)

Which character do you think deserves more appreciation: shino, kankuro, fuu, and tenten out of the younger generation (i don’t watch or read boruto). anko, kurenai, and genma from the middle generation. maito dai from the older generation

Which character do you think deserves less appreciation: sakura (annoying and i don’t like her but im too tired to go into that rn), itachi (idc who told him to, mans still killed his entire clan and tortured his younger brother several times), and sasuke (you all appreciate him for the wrong reasons!!!! love him for being a revolutionary, not for rejecting his ideology in the end)

Which character(s) didn’t deserve to die: neji, haku, and zabuza (he should’ve lived to see his country be given stability under mei, he deserved it, argue with the wall)

Who do you ship Naruto with: hinata mostly but a small part of my brain screams ino

Which character do you think looks good with everybody: sasuke

Which character out of Teams 7(don’t forget Sai),8,10, Gai would join the Akatsuki: depends what akatsuki we’re talking about! original akatsuki whose goal was world peace through diplomacy? choji, lee, naruto, kakashi, gai, hinata. the akatsuki the characters actually interact with? neji, asuma, tenten.

Hottest female character: tenten or kurenai

Hottest male character: DON’T FLAME ME FOR THIS BUT KAKUZU LMAOOOO

Would you eat Ramen: yeah

Pro-ending or anti-ending: pro

How would your version of Naruto ending and Boruto play out (don’t be shy, make it VERY LONG, out touch the smallest details):

1. neji would live because hiashi sacrificed himself in place of his children. i dont really have anything further planned for him in my head but rest assured that he is alive.

2. konoha involves itself in inter-clan business and makes it a criminal offense for hyuuga main branch members to torture the side branch members. no new seals are placed.

3. boruto is not named boruto because what a weird fucking name, no thanks!

4. the truth about both the uchiha massacre and the destruction of uzushiogakure and konoha’s roles in them are revealed to the public.

5. the villagers and ordinary shinobi play a more active role in the running of the village and it moves away from bureaucracy and to tobirama’s original vision of a democracy. the hokage is actually elected, rather than proposed by officials to the daimyo and that’s that.

6. academy starts at age 8 or 10 and finishes at a soft 16 - if a student is particularly gifted, the lowest age they can graduate at is 14.

7. we actually get a scene between naruto and karin where they acknowledge and talk about their shared roots.

8. no sasusaku i’m sorry i just really hate it. sorry sarada. i think sasuke should be allowed to stay single.

9. more children!!! more babies!!!!!!! naruto and hinata have about 4, ino and sai have 2, karui and choji have 3. stop the population from dwindling

10. i actually like the fact that hinata and choji are like retired from the shinobi industry, i dont think they actually ever really wanted to be parts of it. but hinata plays an active role in the improvement of hyuuga intra-clan rapports, even if she’s not clan head.

11. i’d have killed off iruka and kiba but that’s just me. not because i hate them (i love iruka to the moon and back) but i think their deaths would’ve been realistic and meaningful (and also hurt a lot - can you imagine naruto’s reaction to iruka’s death, or kiba dying and leaving akamaru? pain)

12. naruto doesn’t become hokage. he’s a jounin-sensei :D

13. the older generation pairs off as well!! my heart goes soft for gai and anko, i think maybe they have a kid together

14. none of the electronic advancement you see in boruto. i want my bitches to continue suffering

15. orochimaru is either in prison or executed. in either case anko, yamato, and the other people they hurt get justice.

16. choza dies alongside shikaku and inoichi (again, not because i don’t like him), even if he isn’t at hq

17. no fucking rabbit goddess jesus fuck that storyline just about took me out lmao

[sunmoonandsandsoundtracks]

it's not christmas without you

i'm late. i had an off day, so this is technically a day behind. oh well.

there was a lot i kept thinking i needed to include in this note, but i forgot at least half of it. i'm pretty sure it wasn't all that important.

anyway, this is a special one. i normally use this generic character name for all my reader characters, and i don't include any specifics beyond that. this time, i decided to try something else. it's second person pov with one of my characters. she's still mostly undescribed with her features, but i did include one or two things that hint at her appearance. i had fun with it, but i was being extra careful to not include too much about her, and while i think everything is relevant, i still might have left a line or two that could have been cut.

i won't be surprised if this is my least liked story, but i'm pretty happy with it.

disclaimer: the plot and chii only are mine to own, so if you feel inclined to sue me, fuck off and leave me alone.

song

word count: 2978- i really need help with cutting shit down. i tried so hard, but this idea just kept hopping around, so i was just trying to make sure i didn't leave any gaps. character explanation, as limited as i tried to keep it, didn't help either. there's just a lot more to be said about a character i've had for over ten years than a generic one i made up specifically to suit a single story.

enjoy!

The Christmas music called to you from inside Naruto and Hinata’s home, and the picture from outside made you smile softly. Bright light spilled through the front windows onto glittering snow covered bushes, and you couldn’t deny that it warmed your heart quite a bit.

“It’s not a party!” Naruto had told you when you had initially been resistant to the idea of the gathering. “It’s just a few friends!” That was a lie if you ever heard one. Naruto didn’t do anything small. However, it wasn’t as big as you thought it would be. Kiba and Shino were busy with their families that evening, as were Sasuke, his wife Usagi, and their one child (and a half). Sakura was working a double shift at the hospital. It was sad that not everyone could make it, but you were relieved. Kiba and Naruto were the rowdiest of the group, and Usagi could blend with them very well, very easily when she wanted to. Taking two of those people out of the equation meant a chance at a few hours of relative peace. Some others were arriving late, so it was the best time to be there.

“Yeah!” Naruto cheered when he opened the door to see you. “I knew you’d come!”

“I told you I would,” you laughed, stepping in and removing your long overcoat. He took it, tossed it on the pile of the others, and led you to the den where about a dozen others were. “Am I the last one?”

“Nah. Kankuro is still lagging behind. He’ll be here soon.”

You nodded with a slight ache in your heart when the name caused you to remember one of the reasons that you were there. It was so you wouldn’t stay home sulking.

“Chii!” You looked over just in time to get plowed into by Ino, your older sister by adoption.

“Hi, sis,” you groaned as you tried to stay standing. “How much have you had to drink?”

“I’ve hardly had any!”

“Uh-huh,” you said, not believing her. She had an average alcohol tolerance, so you knew she needed a few cups to get so bubbly, depending on the drink. She had been in an exceptionally good mood that day, though, so maybe she hadn’t had all that much.

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Okay, okay, but I still smell schnapps on your breath, so back up, please.”

“All right,” she said and took a step back. “Think you’ll be able to stay the whole time?”

Your eyes darted to the three children of Naruto and Hinata- crawling around at his mother’s feet with some of his toys in reach- Shikamaru and Temari- in his father’s arms, looking around with mild interest- and Choji and Karui- finishing off a bottle in her father’s arms as well. “Until the babies go down, at least.”

“Right. That’s something, at least. It’s been forever since you’ve been around this many of us at once.”

“A year. Last Christmas and New Year’s was the last time.”

“Now that you mention it, I don’t think that half this many of us have gotten together since then. Naruto’s gotten handfuls of us out for dinner a few times, I think, but nothing near this.”

You nodded. “As much as we may want to, it’s pretty much impossible to get us all, now that some are parents, half of the group is married, and we all have careers.”

“Yeah, but that’s boring!”

“You say that because you’re not married or a parent, so you just have your career while your friends have their families to tend to. That’s okay. You’re a good psychiatrist, and you’ve got Kankuro whipped over those blue eyes.”

“And then there’s you, who would turn down half the invites if we did get together as often as we want to. Admit it, the extent of your socialization outside the family circle is pretty much your students and their parents and-”

She cut off, looking a little guilty.

“Gaara. Yeah, I know. Does that really count in your book? All we’ve done is text since last year, and not talking about it doesn’t change the fact that he’s not coming this year.”

“You don’t know that. Didn’t he say that he might make it on New Year’s Eve?”

“Might, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope.”

“Chii, come on. I know how you feel about him, but don’t let this ruin your holiday,” she sighed.

“It’s not just that he’s not here,” you muttered. “I… I was planning on making a move. I wasn’t going to do it over text, but I’ve been thinking about it for months.”

She gaped in astonishment. You confided almost everything in her, but this was the first time you’d spoken it aloud. It was the first time you actually said anything aloud that confirmed that you felt that way. There had been teasing the previous year when couples had paired off, leaving you and him as the spares, and the two of you looked as comfortable with each other as any of the couples did. It didn’t help when your gloves got soaked when someone’s water glass was knocked over while you all were out to dinner before seeing the lights in town. Your hands were freezing, dry, and cracking. The jacket you’d been wearing had pockets so tiny, you couldn’t fit your hands in them. He had a solution, and if you hadn’t actually known him from well before then, you would have jumped out of your skin when he gave you his left glove and told you to put it on, then taken your right hand and stuck it in his much roomier pocket along with his left hand. No, he wasn’t holding your hand.

Ino glanced back to check on you when you weren’t looking and almost had a fit. Kankuro was with her, and when he saw what she was freaking out about he was only a little calmer. If they hadn’t seen how bad your hands were, and knew that your gloves were useless, they wouldn’t have left you alone. They definitely wouldn’t have waited until the four of you had separated from the group to call you out on it.

Ino fussed over you enough- not nearly as bad as she did before you left for school- while Kankuro gave Gaara just enough trouble to consider himself a good big brother, but they both took the protectiveness up a notch, even though you had just turned twenty only a couple weeks prior to that incident, and Gaara was a month away from turning twenty-three.

“Does that mean you were actually going to drink tonight to work up the courage?” She couldn’t help teasing, eliciting a roll of your eyes.

“Very funny. I’m going to go say hi to the others and kidnap the kids,” you said, turning away from her. After making it around to everyone else, you got on the ground and played with Boruto, who recognized you after a minute or two. Conversation flew over your head until Boruto decided to lay down on the comfy blanket he was on and doze off, which was when you decided to stand up and re-join the adults.

“Hey, Chii, you haven’t performed since you graduated, right?” Naruto spoke up when the talking had ebbed.

You nodded, a sinking feeling in your gut. You’d gotten your bachelor of arts in performance with emphasis on voice and dance over six months beforehand, and since you’d returned home following graduation, all you’d been able to do with the education from your years at the University of Ame was teach those lessons, along with piano. You were good, and you knew it, but you weren’t one of the self-assured performers that could be put on the spot.

“Why don’t you sing something for us? We could use some live music!”

“Naruto, it’s not nice to ask someone so suddenly,” Hinata said, picking up their son.

“But we’re all friends, and we’ve all heard her before.”

“It was the national anthem at a school assembly in senior year. That was five years ago. Besides Ino, Shikamaru, Choji and the babies, no one else here has heard me since then,” you pointed out.

“Don’t you have to be ready to perform at a moment’s notice or something when you do musicals? What’s the word for those people?”

“Understudies or swings, and they prepare for months. They know exactly what they’re doing when they’re called on. Big difference.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll back off, but if you do it, we’ll take you out for sushi.”

You weakly glared at him as everyone laughed or at least smiled in amusement. The local sushi restaurant was a huge weakness of yours, and they were all close enough to you to know it. “What do you want me to sing?”

“Anything! It can be Jingle Bells if you jazz it up a bit.”

“Please, anything but that,” Temari groaned.

“Do that pretty one you’ve been listening to a lot,” Ino suggested. “It sounds sad, but ends with a good feeling!”

“It’s Not Christmas Without You?” You confirmed, daring her to push it.

“Yeah!”

“Oh, I like that one,” Hinata said.

You sighed, figuring you might as well vent your feelings with a song that hit the nail on the head. You found a karaoke track of it and plugged it into the stereo. Despite knowing that it would be better form to stand, you weren’t going to. You were confident in your abilities, but you weren’t about to stick out further when everyone else was sitting.

“The year’s almost over. It sure looks like December, with snow and ice on the ground,” you sang softly when you knew to come in.

You really hoped Ino was the only one there who knew that it wasn’t just a song to you. You weren’t sure, but you knew that when your emotions ran high- a too frequent occurrence- you were an open book. If you got too emotional during the song, it would be obvious that it was personal, and the others would wonder. Only Naruto would openly ask, if he didn’t decide it was better left alone, but those people had all shown that they cared about you enough to be curious. If that was it, you’d be okay, but you knew some of them might not have to think too much to reach the accurate conclusion. It would be embarrassing enough for them to know you had a general someone in mind, but Shikamaru and especially Temari… That would just be awkward for them to find out that you felt that way about her brother while you were belting out the chorus.

When you were finishing the first chorus, Boruto stirred, recognizing your voice from when you’d sung him lullabies. He reached for you, surprising you a bit. It was rare that he chose to part from his mother when he was sleepy. You weren’t even sure that you’d seen it happen before. You glanced at Hinata as you started the second verse, and she smiled. You nervously took him from her and stood, knowing he’d be happiest being rocked.

It turned out to be a blessing in a few ways. For one, your focus was on him as you carried on. For another, you couldn’t go all in on the bridge and final chorus the way it was called for when he was that close if you wanted to spare his hearing, so you had to control your emotional output along with your volume. You altered the intensity to stay as true as you could while keeping your voice just loud enough for everyone to hear you. It kept you from choking up like you feared.

“It’s Christmas, all I wanted this year, on this Christmas, was for you to be near,” you sang as you watched the infant fall back asleep before lifting your head to deliver the joyful last lines. You almost choked on them when you saw that at some point while you were distracted, Naruto had slipped away to let two more people in. “I won’t wonder if you’re thinking of me, ‘cause you’re here. My one wish has come true, it’s no longer Christmas without you…”

You were trying not to shake as your eyes met Gaara’s while he smiled warmly right at you. Swallowing everything you were feeling that you couldn’t begin to process as you were. Looking for an escape, you turned to Hinata.

“Would y-you like me to put him in his crib?” You tried begging her with your eyes. Luckily, she understood you and gave you the okay. You were in the nursery before you registered anything after that first step out. Trying to rationalize, you told yourself that it wasn’t a big deal. You just felt that way because you caved and gave that impromptu performance, which already had you anxious, but then you weren’t prepared for the sudden addition of two people, whoever they were. Finally, you admitted to yourself, it didn’t help that you had feelings for him, and you’d already made peace with the fact that he wasn’t coming.

You went straight back to Ino and asked her to get you a drink, knowing very little about alcohol. She was surprised, but complied, catching on quickly. You followed through with what you told Ino, but as soon as you saw that Shikadai and Chocho were both out, you were heading for your car. You were so glad you’d driven separately from your sister just so you’d be able to take off if you got too overwhelmed. However, when you stopped by the door to find your keys in your bag, you were cornered.

“Your voice is beautiful,” he said.

“Thank you,” you said, too softly at first, so you felt the need to repeat it after clearing your throat. “I-I guess you were able to get away from work after all.”

“I was. I would have messaged you if I had known it would be such a shock to you.”

You concentrated on rifling through your bag. “Please, I doubt you had any time to think about contacting me.”

“More time than you’d think.”

You finally sighed and stopped, feeling too frantic. “Shock or not, you didn’t owe me anything.”

“Maybe, but I’m sorry I caught you off guard like that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was already feeling like a deer in the headlights.”

“Naruto mentioned that he bribed you to do it. Let me guess, that sushi restaurant you told me about over the summer?”

You blushed. “Am I that predictable?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he chuckled. “I just think I’ve gotten to know you well.”

“It would seem so.”

“Would you be opposed to going with me?” His meaning flew over your head at first.

“Of course not. I’m sure Naruto would love for you to come with us when he-”

“I meant just me.”

For the first time, you willingly looked at him instead of doing it by accident, not totally confident that he was asking what you had intended to ask at one point.

“Oh, um… No, I-I wouldn’t be. I’m free whenever you’d like to go, for the most part. Just give me as much warning as you can, in case I have a lesson. I don’t have many to work around.”

He nodded. “I don’t want to keep you, if you have somewhere else you need to be.”

“I don’t… I just know more people should be here soon, and I’m kind of at my limit.” “I understand.” You noted the flash of a frown and furrowed brow, indicating that he was unhappy. “Would tomorrow evening work?”

You were pretty sure you had no prior commitments, and you were happy to deliver a positive answer.

“Yes, it would. I can come get you at six, or do you have a car you’d prefer to drive?”

“That works. Just be ready for any future teasing at my expense. It’s technically the first time I’ve ever asked anyone on a date.”

Everything came to a screeching halt as you realized it was more than you told yourself it was to spare yourself the disappointment if he meant it platonically.

“It’s technically the first time I’ve ever said yes to one,” you faintly laughed.

He smiled again, and you returned it. It was the perfect time to tell him, but you were afraid you’d stumble over yourself too much. Maybe it should wait until the next day.

Car doors shutting signaled the arrival of more people, but you found you weren’t quite as eager to go. He nodded in understanding when you looked back at him, figuring you were itching to get out of there. You had an idea that was so impulsive, you didn’t even register that you’d acted on it until it was over and you were up on the balls of your feet to reach him.

“Sorry,” you quickly said as he set you with a wide eyed gaze. “Let’s just say I’ve been waiting to do that for a year, and I guess I couldn’t wait any longer. I surprised myself too.”

Without warning, he returned the favor, giving both of you a chance to enjoy it.

“I guess I couldn’t wait any longer either,” he said when you broke apart, both of you sporting smiles.

Those smiles only lasted until there was a knock on the door, and someone cleared their throat, attracting your attention. Naruto stood there with a smile that he wore well, one that conveyed the promise of mischief.

“I’ll treat you to sushi for singing, Chii, but unless you want me to run back in there and announce that we just gained another couple, my next ramen bill is on you.”

[wing-ed-thing]

Group Project (Shino x Reader x Kisame x Temari)

Request: 

Word Count: 2,282

Tags/Warnings: Language, Alcohol Mention, Gender Neutral Reader @brokennerdalert​ @narahanabi​

Notes: I have never written for Temari before. I think I got her spot on tho. This was actually too fun to write. Enjoy, y’all.

The only time that worked for everyone was 10 o’clock. Which, by the way, sucked ass. At least, that was what Kisame said in the groupchat just ten minutes before you dragged yourself out of your dorm and into the rain. You trudged through the puddles, holding your jacket closed over your body to protect your backpack-encased laptop. Shino had a night lab. The earlier he finished his work the earlier he could leave. Temari had been insistent about that. She had some sort of circle and you remembered Kisame asking her why she couldn’t just skip for the week only to be met with a passive aggressive response. And Kisame himself had hockey practice. Even the sports houses were off campus, only impeding your scheduling efforts.

When you got to the longue, Temari had already set up all of her belongings. She sat herself in a cluster of four shallow armchairs and spread out a flurry of papers on the long coffee table. With the packed schedule that she threw into the chat, you wondered how she got there so quickly. Temari looked up at you with one long, slender brow raised.

“Oh good, at least you’re here.” Unsure, really, of what to make of her backhanded compliment, you sat down in the chair across from her and wordlessly unpacked your laptop.

You never liked general classes. At the end of the day, you worked on a few big, group projects, ultimately learned nothing, and your grade depended on the work ethic of others. You glanced over at Temari. She likely didn’t even have the same major as you. Granted, that was probably the point of the class, but nonetheless, it weighed on your already drooping eyes knowing that you’d have to pour so many late night hours into a project that would amount to nothing.

You pulled up your school account and sifted through your notifications.

“I signed us up for a research question. I thought that censorship in the classroom was an easy and relevant one. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to get into the intricacies of drones at this time of day.” You couldn’t help but nod. Temari sure pounced on top of things quickly and for that, you were thankful to have received an easy prompt.

“Sounds great,” you mused and the heavy door from the outside to the longue slammed shut. You glanced over your shoulder to find Kisame, still in athletic clothes grinning as he approached.

“Well this is bullshit, isn’t it?” Those were the first words to come out of his mouth and you could practically hear Temari groan in exasperation. Kisame plopped down in the armchair beside you, offering you a wink as he did. “What kinda professor assigns a project on Tuesday only for it to be due Thursday? Ain’t that right, sweetheart?”

You averted your eyes back to your screen, pretending to sort through your notifications. You hummed in response, too easily flustered and too tired to process. Temari’s fingers flexed over her own keyboard.

“It’s the beginning of the semester. It’s to test out organizational skills and teamwork,” she managed through half-gritted teeth. You looked between your two teammates, wondering what exactly happened between them that made them so hostile to each other. You made a mental note to not get in the way of whatever that was. Kisame scoffed, sitting back in the arm chair and reaching for his own computer.

“I don’t really care what it is and why it is. What I care about is that I’m wasting my Wednesday night…”

“Ah, yes, Wednesday night,” Temari repeated mockingly, “Because I know that I like getting plastered in the middle of the week.” Kisame leaned towards you on his left arm cushion.

“Soy Sauce over there is just sore that her brother picked a fight with one of my boys and lost. Sasori’s a short guy too, you should link with us sometime.” You heard Temari scoff.

“Yeah, like Kankuro would lose to any of the thugs you hang around—”

“Who are you calling a thug?” Temari met Kisame’s pointed glare. Even so, he sank farther into his seat, lifting one ankle to rest on his knee. “Though, I think it says something that you knew exactly what I was talking about—” He punctuated every word with a smug swing of his head before Shino walked in.

“Nice to see that things are lively in here.” He made his way across the lounge before plopping down next to Temari. A white piece of cloth hung out from his backpack, something that Temari didn’t miss as Shino prepared his materials.

“That’s a hazard.” She bit the inside of her lip.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s been grumpy since before you came here,” Kisame quickly explained, much to Temari’s disdain.

Looking across from you, you almost wished that you had just been paired up with Shino. You didn’t know him that well, but he seemed smart, capable and overall, quiet. Temari had drive, but her approach felt intense. Meanwhile, Kisame seemed like he couldn’t care less about the project. Or perhaps, it was more that he couldn’t care less about Temari.

“So the paper,” you began out of sheer nervousness. “And the presentation…” The three sets of eyes turned to you. You glanced at the clock. You had already wasted more than a half hour.

“Let’s be real here, a five page research paper is nothing,” Temari said, also crossing her legs. “It’s the presentation that we should worry about.” Kisame let out a breath.

“Well, here I was about to say the opposite.” He turned his neck to the side and you heard a few audible cracks. “What about we split it up if the paper is so easy for you?”

“I’m not just doing the paper by myself. Besides, I’d need to find sources and by the time I’ve found sources and written everything up, I’ll have done most of the work.” Temari wrinkled her nose at your partner next to you. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what you were banking on.”

“Here.” Shino’s low voice broke through the room. With one exaggerated click on his keyboard he looked up at the three of you. “I just put a list of sources in the shared doc. There’s ten of them which should be more than enough. I pulled a few articles and a few academic papers which should meet the criteria from the rubric.”

Temari blinked down at her computer, furiously switching tabs. Her lips formed a round ‘o’ shape.

“Nice work, Shino,” you praised only to receive a shy nod. “I think if we take an anti-censorship stance, it’ll make out work easier given the time that we have to finish. Maybe Temari, you can start the paper and I can start the slides.”

“I can help you with that,” Kisame offered and you typed his email into the share box.

“I’ll help Temari with the paper,” Shino said with another nod.

“Start with the counterarguments. I’ll work from the top, you work from the bottom.” Temari gestured widely to Shino’s screen and you let out a relieved sigh. Maybe you’ll be able to get all of this done after all.

Time flew during the late hours of the night. You didn’t know what it was about the nighttime that made time feel quicker than usual. Soon enough, the clock struck one. Temari plucked ferociously at her laptop and it surprised you that Kisame hadn’t asked her what she was punishing her keyboard for. Shino, on the other hand, liked to stand. About an hour ago, he had stood up from his seat, and with one foot on the low level of the coffee table, kept at writing his part of the paper. Temari and Shino didn’t speak much. Rather, their side of the table mostly sounded of clicking.

Meanwhile, you and Kisame were having a great time. He made you laugh much to Temari’s annoyance, but knowing that you were getting your parts done, she didn’t comment. Despite his outward physique, Kisame had a sense of style when it came to design and organization. You flew through fonts and images quickly and by the time you had cleared the first few slides, even you were impressed by how professional it looked. The clock read two o’clock.

“This was your conclusion, right?” You turned your screen in your hands to face Temari. She squinted over and her eyes lit up.

“Actually, that’s a way better wording. Imma just steal that…” She clicked some more. “That’s some great work.”

“It was actually all Kisame.” And to your surprise, he didn’t gloat. Instead, he remained eerily focused. Temari glanced at him before glancing away.

“Like I said, great work…” she muttered.

“We’re almost done with the slides,” you announced, “Do you guys need help with the paper?” Shino shook his head. You found that he preferred non-verbal answers.

“We’re wrapping up over here, too,” Temari answered.

“Good, because I’m fuckin’ starving.”

And with the one mention of food, you all looked up at each other.

***

There was only one place open this late at night and it was one block away from campus. Fast Food, of course, but no one in your group complained. The dining halls were closed and most of you didn’t keep your rolling pantries stocked with anything worth eating at two in the morning, so you packed up your things.

It felt odd walking down the road with this group of people. You chattered amongst yourselves about anything other than your assignment.

“Me? I’m a biology major. I want to study beetles but I have to get my undergrad before I can do anything really specific.” By far, Shino had to be the most interesting of you all. You made your way off of campus, the restaurant in your sight. And as the walk continued, so did your conversation.

“I’ve wanted to try the new place that they opened up by admissions but they’re always closed when I try to go.” Temari pouted and you crossed the street together. You wondered if spending four straight hours having to communicate with any three people could make talking to them this easy.

“Marine biology?” You stared up at Kisame. “I don’t think I would have guessed.” He let out a hearty laugh that sent a few birds flying.

“Oh yeah, they have us go out of labs for the whole day. And when I say the whole day, I mean the whole day. I’ve always loved the ocean, but I think I’d have to transfer if I had to wake up at seven and come back at eight for more than one day a week.” Kisame reached for the handle, only for it not to budge in his grip. He tried again.

“Are they closed?” you asked, getting slightly agitated at the prospect.

“No.” Shino cupped his hands around his eyes as he stared through the window. “Wet floor signs are out. This must be the time that they clean the dining room.” Shino hardly had to finish his sentence before Kisame was already on his way to the drive thru.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Temari yelled after him as she jogged to catch up. “You can’t just walk through the drive thru.”

“Sure you can.” Kisame stood directly in front of the speaker with his hands in his pockets. “There are no cars around and even if there were, they��d have to take our order to get us out of the way… Hello?” The speaker crackled and Kisame shot a pointed look at the rest of you before moting for you to come closer to order.

“What can I get you?” the apathetic worker droned.

“Can I get a number nine?” Kisame started.

“Oh me too,” you whispered to him, not entirely sure why you spoke with such a hushed tone. He crossed his arms with a smirk.

“Make that two number nines? One large—” He stepped back to let Temari come up to the speaker.

“May I please get a number six with extra sauce, please? And, uh, a number seven too, please.” Like Kisame before her, Temari stepped to allow Shino to talk.

“Two number forty-fives, one with cheese and a large soda.”

With nowhere else to sit, you claimed a spot in the empty parking lot. Temari ended up paying. You put up a fight, but she insisted. You were secretly convinced that she was loaded anyway.

“You two got a lot of food.” Kisame handed you your fillet burger. Temari hummed, taking one of her backs and folded it behind her.

“One’s for my boyfriend,” she said, and before Kisame could get out a snarky comment about how Temari could ever land a boyfriend, Shino answered,

“I just usually eat all at once. Can’t usually grab dinner while doing night labs.” You all grimaced to yourselves. You knew the feeling of skipping meals because of your schedules.

You looked out at the city. Your school sat on a hill just outside of the twinkling lights. You found comfort in the blinking that came from below and your surroundings made the atmosphere feel completely still.

“You know, if we have a choice, we should just stick together for the rest of the semester.” Shino’s monotone voice cut through the air. You turned to the rest of them. Temari shrugged.

“It’s less of a gamble since we know each other, I suppose. I know that most of you won’t mess up our assignments…” You and Kisame nodded along, both stuffing your faces with french fries.

The decision was unanimous.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed and otherwise supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: 

Shino’s lab coat was in with his regular supplies which is technically a hazard when working in chem and bio labs since lab coats should be sealed. 

Not all fast-food places well take your order without a car, but if you block the line they’ll give in (that’s what I did). Don’t blame me if you get arrested for doing that though. 

"I'll have two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda."– Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris

[fallen-in-dreams]

Rumours

Also on AO3. Pairing: Gaara/Sakura. Summary: Sakura overhears a spicy rumour about her relationship with Gaara and their friendship will never be the same again. GaaSaku. Canonish. Prompt: Week 1: Dating. Rated: T. Words: 4,433. Status: Complete.

Author note: My first of the weekly prompts for the tumblr GaaSaku Events. *Cross your fingers that I can do all of the ones I'm trying to finish.* Enjoy. ^_^

Warnings/tags: Just some mild angst and mentions of ShikaTema.

This is for the 2021 GaaSaku Event @gaasaku-fanfests​. I seem to be posting for events late or barely on time this year. Sorry. :)

.

  .:.

“Sometimes your heart sees what your eyes can’t.”

.

  It was supposed to be just another harmless outing. Sakura often took Gaara with her when she went shopping for presents. He was so hopeless at remembering birthdays and holidays like Christmas that she was doing him a favour by dragging him around with her.

And picking out gifts from both of them.

She hadn’t really thought there was anything wrong with that. Or that anyone would read more into it than it really was. Of course, the Kazekage spending time with a foreign kunoichi would get everyone’s attention, but like all exciting new things it would get old, and they’d soon move onto other things.

This was why, all these months on from their first public shopping outing, Sakura was still brushing off the curious glances as she pulled Gaara along, by the sleeve of his work robes. Twelve months she’d been in Suna. Six were spent aiding in a joint training of medical personnel as a part of a healing exchange program to further relations, and then eight weeks as the head of the hospital because Gaara was adamant nobody was doing it better. The last four months had been her lazy months, which consisted of her usual physical training regimen but also acting like a tourist and dragging Gaara along for the ride. So just what she’d been doing before, minus the teaching and hospital visits. Sakura had already achieved what she’d set out to do in this mission, but it hadn’t even crossed her mind to cut her time here short.

And she was finally used to being a constant source of scrutiny for the people of Wind. So here she was, for the second time this week, dragging Gaara out of his office on the rare occasion that he didn’t have either a shit load of paperwork or overdue training of his own to do.

The retailer looked up at them as they stepped into her shop, then smiled and bowed lightly.

“Welcome, Lord Kazekage. Haruno-san.”

“Kitana-san,” Sakura addressed her quickly before tugging on Gaara. He obediently followed and as usual, she did not notice the knowing smile of the elderly woman as she led the redhead around. Her eyes perused the rows of trinkets instead. They were supposed to be getting an engagement present for Temari and Shikamaru. It had been three weeks since the date for their party had been announced and nothing seemed to be good enough.

“Maybe we should get them each a present,” she thought out loud. “What do you think, Gaara?”

His eyes widened slightly. “One from each of us?”

“No, I mean one each from both of us.” He still looked confused. “A total of two presents,” she added, and he nodded. She didn’t remark on how he had stiffened and then relaxed at her words. Gaara was just weird like that.

“Ino got them a weird sex toy,” she said, rubbing her cheek with her finger as Gaara’s face turned pink. “Uh, and I think Hinata said she wanted to get her some wind scrolls.” Her friends’ letters had been all over the place. Everyone was excited that Temari and Shikamaru had finally gotten official and were moving their relationship forward.

“I…uh.” He crossed his arms over his chest, which was actually more of a nervous habit for him these days. “Well… we can do better.”

She giggled and locked arms with him. “Of course. I was thinking,” she said as they moved through the shop slowly. “Temari’s always gotta pretend to be this tough, warrior woman. But I’ve smelled the candles coming from her room. I was thinking of bath salts, but it isn’t a good gift for Shikamaru. But that was before this whole individual gift idea.”

Gaara thought that Shikamaru could use a decent salt bath. They could use it together. The idea of it made him blush and he pointedly avoided eye contact with Sakura as she babbled on about clothes accessories. Apparently, Shikamaru had once confessed to her that he thought belts were interesting.

“Maybe bath salts and candles.” Gaara said, interrupted her gushing about the embroidery on a handmade belt. “His & Hers style.”

Sakura squeezed his arm affectionately. “Brilliant idea.”

She pulled him along gently, not needing to tug too hard because he was fine with following her lead. This shop was mostly popular among young women and older couples. Their wares ranged from scented candles to antique dolls and handmade clothes.

“What do you think about this one?” Sakura asked, taking a strange bust off a shelf. Maybe his mind just went to stationery too quickly, but it just looked like an oversized paper weight to him.

“No good?” She asked when Gaara didn’t respond. He sighed and she tossed it aside. “Okay, next odd little smelly thing.”

He let out a light chuckle at that. Gaara pointed out a few more ideas and they half-heartedly argued over them. They picked up a few bath salts anyway, since Sakura was interested in some for herself, before leaving the story without a present for his sister and future brother-in-law.

“We’ll just have to keep looking,” Sakura said, nodding to herself as they made their way through the crowds of the downtown market. She was oblivious to the interested stares and giggling children.

Truth be told, Gaara was fine with letting Sakura make the decision for him. He hadn’t had to worry about choosing gifts for almost a year and he was happy with that. Growing up with no childhood had ensured he had little experience in the matter, but she was a good teacher when it came to social situations.

They agreed their last chance for a good gift would be the ninja resource store on the edge of the market. Such a place would normally not be in the civilian district, but the proprietors were very good at preventing civilians from buying shinobi utensils. Gaara bought an ornate spear from them two years ago that had been imported from the Land of Iron. He’d started collecting special weapons and suggested to Sakura that they have something ordered in.

It would solve the problem and save time. Not that he wasn’t enjoying himself. Gaara looked forward to these outings more than he was willing to admit out loud.

“Geez.” She hip-butted him. “You’re full of great suggestions today.”

Sakura watched as he blushed and mumbled about looking for something for himself in the shop and as he wandered away, this gave her the perfect time to sneak away. She knew full well he was collecting unique weapons and had one in mind for him. It wasn’t a gift for any special occasion, and she didn’t bother guying things for his siblings unless it was for something in particular, but Sakura couldn’t help herself with Gaara. Her friendship with him was on another level compared with Kankuro and Temari.

When it came to birthdays, Christmas, or just her wanting him to have something special, she’d long ago stopped agonising over the “what does one even buy a kage who doesn’t seem to want anything?” question. Personal gifts that showed she knew him were always well-received. He still had the katana shaped candlestick ornament that she’d bought him for his birthday, sitting in his study. Temari said he never lit it up, which to anyone who knew him, meant he loved it. It would never get used and therefore last.

Sakura kept one eye on where Gaara was in the shop at all times, and the other on the aisle of antique weapons as she perused. That was how she ended up standing in an aisle listening to two gossiping kunoichi. She’d just been minding her own business, looking over a row of ornamental kunai, when the voices carried over to her from the other side of the shelf she was leaning toward.

When she heard her own name being uttered, Sakura peered through the gaps in the shelf. They were a couple of chunin and either had below average sensory skills and didn’t notice her or didn’t care that she was eavesdropping. Sakura didn’t recognise them, so they definitely weren’t a part of the medical units she’d trained, nor did they frequent the hospital. They were also both staring off in the direction that Sakura knew Gaara to be.

The blonde giggled. "Lord Kazekage dotes on Sakura-san, it’s so cute! They just have to be dating!"

The brunette nodded. “Of course. But why haven’t they announced it?”

“Because they’re shy, silly.”

“Yeah right.”

“I’m serious. Minamo said everyone’s talking about it.”

“He’s probably still innocent I bet.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. It was so weird to hear people claiming she had a romantic relationship with Gaara while discussing whether or not he had sexual experience. But it was just a couple of awe struck chunin (and the claim of some random friend of theirs). She decided to turn away but stilled at the next line out of the blonde’s mouth.

“Maybe Sakura-san took his v-card,” the girl snickered, much to the appreciation of the other chunin. “Can you just imagine?”

Sakura flushed from head to toe, struggling to hold her composure. She didn’t want to imagine that. Her heart might just explode. Sure, Gaara was… attractive. But would she have sex with him? He was her friend. They’d never been anything other than friends.

Not that I would want more, she told herself, holding a hand to her chest.

“I bet he’d be a tender lover,” the other girl said, sighing deeply. “Haruno-san is so lucky.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the blonde said, a devious look on her face. “I think Lord Gaara’s hit the jackpot too. Sakura-san has all that medical knowledge about the body. Imagine what she could do with it.”

“Like what?”

“Get his blood pumping. Warm him up. You know,” the blonde waggled her eyebrows and they both giggled. “She’d have him hard in no time!”

They giggled again and the brunette snorted before covering her mouth, mortified at herself.

Sakura stood there like a stunned mullet as they turned away from watching Gaara and started giggling and whispering among themselves. What the hell had she just heard?

“Sakura.”

She spun on the spot, startled. She hadn’t noticed his approaching chakra, engrossed in the conversation she was overhearing. Sakura turned beet red. He looked concerned when she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. When he made to move toward her, Sakura went into panic mode, charging at him and grabbing his arm. She ushered Gaara away, hoping he hadn’t heard any of that conversation. Knowing him, he wouldn’t even realise what they were talking about.

Gaara leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I found something special for you” and Sakura let out an involuntary sound she’d never heard before.

“Are you okay?”

Am I okay?

Two random chunin had just inserted mental images of her having sex with Gaara into her head. She was not okay. But she nodded anyway, not wanting to explain why her heart was now thumping. Blood rushing to her head. His hand fell to the small of her back. The warmth of his touch had never been more prominent than it was right now as he added a slight pressure to steer her toward the front counter. He wasn’t pushing her. Gaara never pushed her. He was always kind to her. It was so stimulating when he did that.

Feelings she’d kept buried for almost twelve months started bubbling to the surface and Sakura wasn’t prepared for the onslaught. How could she have forgotten this? Suddenly, she remembered the first time his touch had affected her. They’d known each other for years and two weeks into her long-term mission to Suna, she’d been lonely and exhausted when quite suddenly, Sakura realised those warm and fuzzies she’d been feeling were directed at a certain Kazekage. Her twenty-first birthday had come and gone, and she didn’t have any life goals other than revolutionising the medical world. It was a great goal. Professionally.

But after an innocent comment from Hinata about her love life, her birthday had gone from celebrations of “I have my whole life ahead of me” to morose “I’m going to die alone” thoughts, which were reflected in her spending the rest of the night drunk and being shadowed by Ino who was worried she might bring down a building or two, in her destructive angst.

Gaara continued to watch her as she worked through her mental problems but said nothing. He didn’t need to tell her he was concerned. It was written all over his face. It was just another thing she loved about him.

“Let me take you home,” he said. That deep voice of his made her shiver. Sakura felt her body flush again when she heard giggling behind her. (Were those girls following them now?) There was no way they hadn’t heard that.

After a few moments, he started rubbing her back in what he obviously thought was a soothing manner and she blinked heavily at him. Right. She needed to get out of here.

She cleared her throat. “Sure,” she said, her voice a little strained. Out of habit, she wrapped her arm around his. He was a lifeline as she tried to sort out her dysfunctional thoughts. The chunin girls’ conversation had opened a can of worms and she didn’t know how to put them back in.

Sakura glanced backwards in time to catch the women whispering behind their hands and staring at her and Gaara unabashedly. When had her outings with Gaara started such salacious rumours?

And more importantly: why did these people think they were dating?

  .:.

  “Gimme a screaming orgasm!”

Kankuro took the seat next to Sakura as she made her order to the bartender and chuckled.

“You might want to tone that drink down a little,” Kankuro said with a wink. “Gaara might get jealous.”

“Ugh!” Sakura groaned. “Not you too!”

“Whatever do you mean?”

She pointed a finger at him. “You all are talking about me behind my back. Starting rumours and talking about my sex.”

Kankuro snorted. “Your what?”

“I’m a joke, Kankuro-chan.”

“Please don’t call me that.” He grimaced.

She sighed. “What are you doing here?”

Kankuro waved a hand at the bartender. “Another screaming orgasm, please.”

Sakura snorted. “You’re getting more than I am, then.”

He chuckled. “Never delved into the local cuisine since you got here?”

Well, there was this one guy she danced and flirted with the first weekend after she started this mission, but her burgeoning feelings for the Kazekage wouldn’t let her do anything more. She wasn’t a slut and she appreciated that Gaara wasn’t one of those guys that slept around and used their testosterone to excuse it, either. So, she’d been able to settle into routine with him. Friends who gravitated toward each other. Friends who had dinner with each other (alone) quite often. Friends who decided important decisions together instead of alone. Friends who rarely had eyes for anyone else. Friends who didn’t have lives outside of each other...

She groaned and dropped her head on the bar. The awareness of her situation was painful. She wished she could go back to being oblivious. Because it was clear now that Sakura had been accidentally dating Gaara for almost twelve months. Did he know? Or was he as oblivious as her? Everyone had noticed apparently, according to two chunin and their friend. Did Kankuro and Temari know.

“I’m secretly but not secretly dating Gaara,” she mumbled. “And I didn’t know.”

Apparently, even though her face was pressed into the bar, Kankuro had heard her.

“I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.”

Sakura groaned again. “We’re not dating!”

“Uh-huh.” He clearly didn’t believe her. “Going back and forth then. You’re in denial.”

“Why are you here?” He didn’t respond and Sakura lifted her head up slowly. “Kankuro?”

“He’s lonely,” he said, staring into his drink thoughtfully. “I know everyone thinks Gaara’s put together and doesn’t need anything more in life than family and friends. But I know that under that oblivious and calm exterior that he’s a romantic at heart. He wants what you two have. But he just doesn’t know how to go about getting it.”

She frowned at him. His seriousness was giving her a bad feeling. Everything had come together so quickly, and she wasn’t even sure what to do with her feelings yet, let alone whatever Gaara might be feeling.

“He’s a bit clueless.”

That was an understatement. Sakura used to think he wasn’t clueless, since he often said things with such confidence that she believed he was more aware than he let on. But then moments like that day in the shop with the chunin girls and Gaara seemed completely oblivious to what was going on. She had no idea what to think of him anymore.

It was why she’d been ignoring him. She couldn’t handle the idea that he might actually return her feelings. She was a coward.

Kankuro put his drink down and patted her on the back. “Just… don’t hurt him, okay?”

Right. Easier said than done.

  .:.

  There were many things Gaara was good at. And so many things he sucked at.

He was proficient with multiple types of weapons and political nuances. But in matters of the heart, he found that he still hadn’t learned anything. He had no idea why Sakura was avoiding him and why his siblings were being more careful about how they talk to him. It felt like it had been back when he housed Shukaku and went on rampages.

The knock on his door startled him and Gaara debated ignoring that chakra signature out of spite but gave in and called her in.

“Gaara?”

He looked up and the slight drop in her smile told him that she’d seen the hurt in his eyes. She’d been avoiding him, and they both knew it.

“I need to tell you something.”

Gaara swallowed heavily and braced himself. Her contract in Suna had only a few weeks left but since the particulars of the mission had already been fulfilled, she was free to leave at any time, if she wanted to. This made his hear race. More than anything he didn’t want her to go. He enjoyed her company and valued her friendship. What he truly wanted from her was more than that and it had taken him months of going along with her intrusion into his life for him to realise what that “more than that” meant for him.

Gaara wanted to date her. He wanted to be doing all the things with her that Temari did with Shikamaru and that Kankuro was currently trying to do with Matsuri. And for that to happen, she had to stay in Suna.

Temari and Shikamaru are dating and he’s still living in Konoha, he begrudgingly reminded himself.

But he didn’t care.

Gaara sat back in his office chair as Sakura closed the door behind herself and shuffled her feet, twiddling her thumbs. She was nervous. And worried about his reaction. He attempted to smile and shift his body language to put her at ease. It seemed to work and before he knew it, she was approaching him with a sad smile and sitting down across the table from him.

“Gaara…”

“Does this have something to do with why you’ve been avoiding me?”

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. “I, uh… found out something. And kind of overreacted to it, got drunk, and took it out on Kankuro.”

Gaara couldn’t help the snort that accompanied a chuckle. “Story of my life.”

She smiled a little wider now. “It does seem easy to do that.”

“Did you hit him?”

“A little. In the training grounds,” she added quickly. “He’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

She went back to twiddling her thumbs.

“You wanted to tell me something.”

Sakura nodded. “There’s no easy way to say this so I’ll just come right out and say it. The whole village thinks we’re dating.” She paused to see his reaction, but he just stared, stone faced at her. “And uh… we kind of have been.”

“All the outings and joint gift giving.” Not to mention how he treated her so preciously in public.

Sakura frowned. There was no question in his voice, just his usual factual tone. He wasn’t surprised. “You knew?”

Slowly, he nodded.

“Why… why didn’t you say anything?”

He blinked heavily and lowered his gaze to the table. Parchments were lined neatly across it as he rarely let them fall out of place. The only matter in his life that Gaara let get messy were his relationships. They were inherently messy, so he had no problem dealing with them as such. Which was why he was so anal about everything else.

“Gaara?”

Gaara didn't seem to want to explain himself.

He didn’t want to deny or confirm that he may or may not be dating the Fifth Hokage's protégé, to the public. He let the rumours spread and did nothing to quell them. Gaara had even played up to them which he’d known was wrong but couldn’t help himself. There was no way that admitting this to Sakura would go well for him. Perhaps he could inform her over time, but right now the realisation of what had been going on was too raw for her.

And she could see his hesitation for what it was. Avoidance of setting the record straight. Sakura frowned. Was it because of appearances? Or something more personal? It could be embarrassment. She knew he’d grown up with little human contact, none of which would’ve prepared him for adult relationships. It left him in the lurch for so many important social interactions.

But why wouldn’t he want to fix this? It would look bad for the village if the Kazekage was pretending to date someone. Especially since she was going home in a few weeks. Her heart clenched at that, and she had to close her eyes to stop herself from losing control. Sakura had only just allowed herself to remember and acknowledge that she’d developed feelings for Gaara months ago, she didn’t want to break down in front of him now.

Why didn’t he tell me?

What was he playing at?

Maybe it was because he liked her? Sakura felt her skin flush at that. No. It was probably pride or indolence. Likely, he didn’t fully understand the ramifications.

“He’s a bit clueless.”

Had Kankuro meant that romantically? Or sexually? Or perhaps socially? She bit her bottom lip as Gaara turned his head away. The skin along his neck was tinged pink and his face looked slightly flushed.

All of the above, then.

Maybe he really was too embarrassed to push back at the rumours. Gossip was a poison though. In order to successfully rebuke it, you had to do so fast. And with the truth, not silence or denial on their own. Sakura knew this from experience back when she was still listening to Ino’s ramblings about Sasuke. This rumour had run its full course and nothing short of a very public breakup would get them out of it.

“Is it…” he started slowly, breaking her out of her thoughts. Gaara looked up to catch her gaze. “Is it really so bad?”

Is the idea of us really so horrible?

She heard that unsaid question loud and clear.

Sakura stood up and circled the table to stand in front of him as he swivelled on his chair to face her. “No.”

Gaara smiled. But it didn’t reach his eyes.

“You want this?” She asked.

This was the moment of truth. He could lie and revert their relationship to the way it was before, except with them being more conscious about not appearing to be a couple. Or he could take a hold of her and ask for the one thing that had been plaguing him for months. He swallowed heavily and she watched the way his Adam’s apple bobbed. Was it weird to be turned on by that?

“Yes,” he said huskily.

Desperately, yes.

She didn’t react for a moment, just scanning his face. He held his breath, waiting. Then Sakura leant forward, closing her eyes as his widened. But he didn’t pull away as she pressed her lips to his gently. His hands went to her hips as she rested hers on the arms of his chair, caging him in.

Gaara deepened the kiss, making her gasp and then plundered her mouth. He’d never done this before, that much was obvious to her. So, she took control, slowing their pace and sucking on his lips gently when he tried to hasten her. Sakura fell into his lap, her hands tugging at his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist. As she straddled him, she lost herself to the feel of his body beneath hers and Sakura moaned.

The sound broke their reverie and the Kazekage bit her lip. Without pulling out of their kiss, he sent his sand out to lock the door and knocked everything from his desk with no concern for their wellbeing. Fuck caring about that right now.

Sakura grinned into their kiss as he pushed her back onto the table. This had been the right choice after all.

  .:.

  Sometime later, Sakura emerged from the Kazekage's office to find his siblings nearby, like they’d been waiting to find out the result of her talk with Gaara. She knew she needed to reprimand them, but she was too happy right now to care.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow at her. She looked dishevelled. Like someone had snogged the crap out of her. He fought to keep himself from grinning like an idiot.

“Sakura?”

She cleared her throat and stared down at him. “You’ll be interested to know that Gaara is no longer clueless.”

Temari groaned as the Leaf kunoichi sauntered out of hallway. Kankuro waited until Sakura was out of earshot and gave his sister a shit eating grin then stuck his hand out expectantly.

“I won,” he said.

She scoffed. “No, you didn’t.”

“Hey! I said they’d end up dating!”

Temari shook her head and took a sip of her drink to hide her smirk, then said, “you said they’d sleep together within an hour of resolving this. They clearly just made out.”

“Temari!” Kankuro pouted.

“Not paying up,” she sung, before following Sakura’s lead and sauntering off.

He huffed. Siblings were evil.

  .:.