#yamato-taichou

[lyriumdragon]

[umossu]

Taichou

Sai

[sleepyeena]

hello

[bababouille2023]

december 26th, Frog Prince!

I had such a hard time finding what to do for this prompt, next time i'll go easy... But still, I'm really happy of how this turned out!

Btw, this is part of @tenzoscabin 's anniversary celebration week event.

[jsixfth]

Yamato sketch

Bleach day 1

[goingbuggy]

i’m pretty certain that’s not shanks’ own wedding. from what i’ve seen in the japanese fandom the general consensus is that it’s not his wedding and he’s a guest. (a popular theory is that it’s uta’s wedding but idk about that…) i’d bet it’s something to do with the giants (which oda didn’t want to reveal yet) just from the way it’s drawn is meant to deliberately hide the size of the church and the other guests. there’s a guy in the background who’s cheering at the church while facing away from shanks at the same time the doves are being released. it’s a crucial moment and shanks is just off to the side reading the newspaper.

i’m so certain shanks doesn’t have another kid, that would fuck up his character. oda loves shanks, and he loves his father-daughter relationships. he’d never make shanks into the kind of guy who’d willingly start a new happy family while uta’s back in Elegia suffering. it also just goes against the whole theme of bonds being stronger than blood? shanks leaves his adopted daughter miserable and suicidal, but takes care to ensure his biological child he hasn’t met is safe and loved? i just can’t imagine that being the ending.

i also see japanese fans saying they’d think shanks was a scummy guy towards uta if he went and had a kid, so i’ve seen people leaning towards beck instead. apparently oda emphasizing that beck loves women is a big indicator. 

another reason some fans say it’s not shanks is because makino calls him ‘taichou-san’ which is a very formal address. how people refer to each other is very important. so there’s a hint in how it’s distant and like a stranger’s behavior.

my personal opinion is that the dad is just a regular villager or a marine. there’s a lot of men who are way closer distance wise so that would be the simplest answer. there’s a good chance oda just doesn’t know or care when only one parent matters. we don’t even know yamato or luffy’s mom.

hi, anon!! sorry for making you wait. it's actually funny that i forgot to reply to this for so long, because in that time, my feelings have slightly... changed? somewhat??? i'll explain.

i was reading the extra "road to laughtale" volumes for fun recently when i stumbled across shanks' section, and there are some interesting implications which actually contradict my previous thoughts, if true.

the language used here -- that shanks is "attending a wedding ceremony," and "performing a benediction" -- sounds less like a man getting married, and more like a man who officiated someone else's wedding. (of course, there's the matter of translation accuracy and how canon this information actually is, but...)

"benediction" in particular is very interesting. not only is shanks attending a wedding, but he is essentially giving his blessing. how literal this is, i can't be sure, but either way, it implies a sense of familiarity/closeness to a party other than himself. perhaps shanks is giving his figurative "blessing" as an emperor to one of his allies, or maybe as a captain to one of his own crewmates. or maybe, in the most literal interpretation, he was responsible for wedding two individuals in some way.

i'd love to get my hands on the raw scans and see alternative translations, but "benediction" is so specific a term, and the repetition of "attending" reads as intentional. again, we still don't know for sure, but i feel a lot less certain about it being shanks' wedding, now!!

[xovera-toz]

Konohamaru: Is that your new sensei?

Naruto: Nah, that's just Yamato-taichou.

Konohamaru: What is he doing in your team??

Naruto: Damage controll.

Yamato: Damn right. Now, where's the bottle of liqour I was promised?

Kakashi: Last time I've seen Sakura had it.

Naruto: Ohhhhh... you better forget about that, than.

Yamato: You don't mean to say she drinks?

Naruto: She has to stay sane in this team somehow.

[sachikokuroichi]

“We're not friends. We've never been friends.”

Naruto stood there, unable to move a single muscle, not a single sound was able to find the way over his lips. How could Gaara say something cruel like that to him? Without a single sign of an emotion. Had he been an idiot for thinking there was a connection between them? Did all those adventures they’ve gone on together mean nothing to him? Why had he come to his rescue then? Over and over again. Even helped him in his quest to get Sasuke back.

Had it been only in his imagination?

Now, that he’d fought to save the world, gave everything and more for the safety of his loved ones, was there nothing for him? Yes, he had some friends within the Rookie 9, his teammates, Kakashi- and Iruka-sensei, even Yamato-taichou and maybe Sasuke too…

But somehow it was not enough. It was not what his heart longed for. He wanted to befriend Gaara. Wanted to have a bond with him. Stronger and more important than those he’d formed with all the others. Just for Gaara to deny him even the simplest form of friendship right from the start.

“We could never be friends.”

“Okay, I got it! You don’t need to-“

“Because what we share goes way deeper than any friendship could cover.”

“Huh?”

Gaara stepped closer, his sand was surrounding them, shielding them from any bystanders. Naruto had nowhere to go, wasn’t able to flee, not that he wanted to.

“You’re the only one understanding my past’s struggles, my pain, my nightmares. We share a bond that nobody could ever understand. You never saw Shukaku in me, just the lost and hurt boy that I was. You changed me. Made me a better man. You tolerated me in my past, extended a hand towards me, showed me the light. How could anyone ever compare to that? If it’s not you, then nobody it ever will be.”

“What-?”

“You liked me at my worst, befriended me at my lowest and trusted me with the vulnerability of your heart at my current best. I couldn’t kill you in the past, saw you as a fellow jinchuuriki at first, as a friend next and as a saviour I called a friend last. But now I know better. So let me ask you one thing:

Will you allow me to call you my partner in the present and maybe even my husband in the future? Because I for sure know that I see you as the most precious person in my life already.”

Naruto’s heart was beating hard in his chest, too fast, tuning out everything except for the noise of it pumping blood through his veins. He was thankful that Gaara had stopped talking for now. He didn’t think he could take more. He’d asked for friendship, for a bond. But he got so much more. It was overwhelming to say the least.

“Naruto?”

And just like that, everything made sense. Everything was clear as day to him.

He flung himself at his now-boyfriend/ future-husband, letting out a cheerful sound.

“Yes! Of course, yes! I wanna be with you! Now and in the future. You’re also the most important person to me. I always knew you were special.”

“Then how could you think that we could be friends?”

“I thought it’s the most I could get from you, I would’ve never thought that…”

“How could I not fall in love with the most perfect person in this cruel world? Gentle, caring, understanding, with the most cheerful attitude imaginable, with the most-“

Naruto cut the praises short, blushing furiously, by putting his hand over his mouth.

“I need you to stop. My heart will explode if you continue. I can’t handle falling even harder for you. You are right. *We've never been friends.* We were always meant to be more. And now’s finally our time.”

“Yes. After all the battles we fought, we can start our relationship in an era of peace.”

“So you think we deserve it?”

“We more than deserve it.”

To prove his point, Gaara pulled Naruto into a gentle kiss.

~*~

You can also read it on AO3 (maybe even leave a kudo?) if you wanna:

<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/47507956">

[butter--peanut]

Some KakaYama recs

I’ve been getting into KakaYama recently (thanks mainly to @wind-becomes-lightning), so here’s a few of the stories I read and really liked! Definitely not comprehensive, there’s still many many I haven’t read. Send me your favourites and I will nom them like a sweet cookie.

One shots

Break My Baby by Lutelyre (E; 3967 words) — Gorgeous. Nothing more needs to be said.

Good With You by RenGoneMad (E, 3323 words) — There’s so much sexual tension here just alskdjaflkdj delicious.

Amity by RenGoneMad (M, 8107 words) — Bodyswap trope my beloved.

And all mine by earlier_sunsets (E; 1898 words) — Kakashi is a jealous guy. This is dark and mean-dom Kakashi, very hot.

There is a Person at Your Front Door by @itsemilyofc (T, 5451 words) — Modern AU. Tenzo needs his weird neighbour to help with his technology problems. Cute!

Once a Mistake, Twice a Decision by ricochet (E, 11859 words) — the summary puts it perfectly: Idiots in Love do Friends with Benefits. Badly.

Age of Coming Reason by keepyourpantsongohan (G, 4033 words) — really sweet.

Say it With Flowers by keepyourpantsongohan (G, 4088 words) — Tenzo is sprouting around Kakashi. So cute!

+ Bonus Yamato/Obito b/c the ship is so small it wouldn’t have it’s own rec list but I love them so:

Mutual Destruction (Through Compliments) by Kikuneesama (@wind-becomes-lightning) (M, 5562 words) — this was written for me and I love it. Jonin!Obito AU, Obito and Tenzo train together on Kakashi’s suggestion. Praise be for praise kink! 

Multichapters

Taichou by @itsemilyofc (E, 31675 words) — Kakashi’s copes by following orders. Tenzo provides — and guiltily realises that he likes it. This fic has so much of my catnip (praise kink), it’s glorious.

What Binds Us (M, 34745 words) by RenGoneMad — Kakashi’s shaky mental health + bondage-as-coping, but it’s Tenzo’s PoV so Kakashi’s intentions are somewhat mysterious throughout. He’s like a detective trying to figure it out. Very cool (and hot, b/c Mokuton bondage trope!)

a long time, maybe the wrong time by emlof (T, 13382 words) — Soulmate AU + idiots in love <3 

[yangyangchuu]

im back with my bullshit (after crying about the fact that our exam for today got moved to friday hallelujah)

and this time,

i want you to know that team 7 (with sai and yamato-taichou definitely!!) is a ride or die team and you cannot change my mind 👁️👁️✨

[lyriumdragon]

If you don't laugh...I'll control you with fear 0-0

[hestiashand]

Super curious about your top five Naruto side characters from like, various arcs, not necessarily just sidelined konoha teams- either design wise or character wise!

oooh okay okay— i will do this without including like konoha 12 characters (however i’m going to just state that i love and adore shino…. so dearly. just wanted to put that out there ahshsjsj) or the konoha sensei (once again putting it out there that yamato is my absolute favourite character tho. ik they don’t call him sensei he’s taichou but i’m still counting him in those jsjs)

EDIT: I LIED I’M SWITCHING 1 AND TWO. i adore suigetsu and his design is better to me but i cant put him below yahiko srry i love him too much…

1. yahiko 😭😭 i’ve really come to adore him he’s one of my faves in general….. i love his relationship with nagato + konan….. ugh they are so special to me……… yahiko is just so sweet and lovely to me he makes me soft… i want to gently hold him he deserves so much. that scene when obito steals nagatos body and leaves yahikos alone in the grave konan made for them 😟😟 broke my heart omg. but yea yea i love yahiko he’s such a sweet boy…. he loves his friends…… he had so much love in his heart sksjskkss he means everything to me okok

2. suigetsuuuu :D altho it was rlly hard to decide if he would be first or second……… he’s so funny to me. as a character i think he’s silly funny goofy but i also rlly adore his designnnn. i love his little snaggle tooth…. also i love his powers…. he’s so fun to watch in battle/when karin hits him lmfao.

3. again kinda hard to decide for 3 & 4 they can kinda go either way but… i think i’ll say kushina atm for 3….. i rlly love her a lot and when naruto meets her ??ssksjsjskusj means everything to me…… literally in the middle of fighting kurama but they just sit and chat 😭😭 GAH she loves naruto so much……. when she was dying her little speech to baby naruto was everything (and ik naruto said this to his dad but when minato was disappearing and he told him to tell his mom all those things in response to her speech when he was a baby and to not worry about him 😭😭😭😭 GOD they love eachother so much ajshskskks i love them 😭😭) i love how nice but also snarky she is she’s literally so naruto…… a hater and a lover all together <3 perfect mix

4. JUGOO omg…. he’s so real so everything…… idk the way he wants to protect ppl from himself is just so ☹️☹️…. he would do anything for sasuke and that’s so real and true he’s one of us….. and that scene where he tucks sasuke into bed is actually everything to me. it’s burned into my brain i look at those frames literally all the time. he’s a sweetie who loves animals but gets rlly mean and brutal sometimes even tho he doesn’t want to ?? so me core

5. i think zetsu !!!! omg i adore his design i did from the second i saw him…. also love whenever he just has conversations with the other zetsu when they’re combined ajsjsksj i rlly like him sooo much………. idk he’s so everything to me… anytime he was there i was excited but specially when black + white zetsu were combined hehe. i think white zetsus powers are so neattttt

[sleepyeena]

some things,,,,,

[uchihashisuii]

as the ocean kisses the shoreline. | Sai/Itachi

Summary: A canon-adjacent AU in which only some bad things happened. Sai and Itachi bonding through shared love and dedication on the seaside. Pre-relationship flirting ensues.

Pairing: Sai/Uchiha Itachi

Rating: Gen

Word Count: 2926

Author’s note: this fic is the result of a discord server gift exchange for my dear friend @painttoolyamanaka​ . i hope you enjoy this bit of nonsense i threw out into the world just for you x

the timeline of this is somewhere between "uhhh" and "hmm" territory. early blank period is my best guess listen I never know what I'm doing just enjoy some boys bein sweet on each other

Ao3

-----

The first thing Sai notices about Itachi is the way he looks when he loves. The sunlight adds colour to his black hair, roots shining a warm and dark brown. The tear troughs that run down his cheeks seem less severe, the wind fanning his hair out behind him and the smallest tease of a smile curving the corner of his mouth.

He'd mention something about sun and ocean air doing wonders for a person's countenance, if he weren't so utterly tongue-tied around him. They'd met a scant few times, by virtue of Itachi being childhood friends with Akari and she having pulled Sai beneath her wing just a few short years previous. Aware of one another, in each other's orbit, but never close enough to know. They're both quiet and private by nature, Sai supposes, and surrounded themselves with others who would do the talking for them. And now they're the left-behinds at the first taste of sand and sea, the members of Sai's squad running off immediately to challenge one another to a game of volleyball, with Yamato acting as unenthused scorekeeper. Shisui and Akari made a beeline for the water, and when he looks he can see her clinging to his back and probably yelling something about not taking her in too deep. It leaves Sai and Itachi sitting next to one another on the overlarge blanket, close enough he can hear Itachi breathing over the squall of waves.

Not unkindly ignored, nothing to be insulted over. Sai can see the way Naruto waves his smooth tanned arms over his head, calling him to join. It serves as distraction and it earns Naruto a volleyball to the face. He's also spotted Shisui moving to jog back to Itachi and drag him by the hair, only to be stopped by Akari's arms about his waist to drag him into the water once more. Laughter echoes on all directions, Sai digging his bare feet further into the sand when he adjusts his weight and looks from mother to friend to taichou, leaning back on the blanket until his elbows are weighted against the soft fabric.

It isn't uncomfortable. He doesn't feel othered. Not right now, at least. He sits in the shade beside a man who seems to understand Sai without even knowing him; more content to sit and watch and bask, in the dynamics and the bonds they'd formed. Happy, to see freedom of joy and love in lives such as theirs. An outsider looking in, not quite sure how to join even after years of forced family but comfortable in the knowledge that they would be welcome, always. They're kindred spirits in that manner, Sai surmises.

Itachi in relaxation is the same Itachi in all other circumstance; composed, rigid. A quiet intensity bellying the edge of a knife. He sits with legs folded and spine straight, gaze sweeping over the sand between his brother and his friends. Even with the added humor of the great and whispered-about Uchiha Itachi sans shirt and wearing shorts decorated with small birds, revealing pale legs and with thin blue veins weaving over his bare forearms that Sai cannot force himself to look away from, still he's nothing short of utterly serious.

But his smile - barely there, just a small twitch of the mouth. Eyes softened and shoulders relaxing beneath the weight of expectation and worry, just a little. Just enough.

His face in partial profile, revealing the strong line of his nose and the way his bangs hang just past his cheekbone, brushing back over his ear from the soft breeze. It makes Sai's fingers itch towards his sketch pad, staring as he is at the older man with unrepentant wonder. He's already counting off the tools in his mind, the exact brushes and tones he'd use to capture this moment of quiet peace. His chosen medium is black ink, and whilst it would be appropriate for Itachi's graceful lines and his black hair, black eyes, black shadows dogging his strained shoulders; it wouldn't feel right. Something more abstract, colorful. He's full of fire in equal measure to any darkness, and whilst flames cast shadows so too do they bathe in light.

Sai blinks, realizing he's been staring for who knows how many minutes when Itachi turns his attention away from his nearest and dearest and towards him. Sai's mouth parts immediately, apologies dancing on the tip of his tongue -he's practiced enough at this, the shy stuttering over his words when he'd been unintentionally making someone uncomfortable- alongside explanations that he's still on the edge of understanding boundaries and proper decorum. But Itachi had waved away his words, and mentioned that being a shinobi prodigy did not equate being a social butterfly. Kindred spirits, indeed.

Sai had flushed deeply, because of course he had. Doubly so when he'd noticed that Itachi didn't lose that smile, when he looked at Sai. Still he looked like a man at peace, surrounded by those he cared for. It warmed Sai's heart as much as it did his face.

-----

He does, indeed, end up drawing Itachi. Before the heat had dug in its claws in full, when they still lazed beneath the shade of the umbrella. Itachi had spotted his hesitation, and asked in that unerringly polite tone of his if Sai would enjoy drawing the view. It's rare that they get to see it, after all. Not unkindly, though Sai had agonized for half a moment if this was nothing more that a nudge to get him to leave him alone. But Itachi had still smiled, and Sai had pulled out his sketchpad and pencils and paints with sure hands.

He'd spent time trying to perfect the precise shades of blue and white on the water lapping at shore by mixing paints, spent even less time whipping up a view of Naruto with his face red and Kakashi face-down in the sand; their game had become more volatile when he hadn't been paying attention, it would seem.

He'd spent the most time on a small portrait of Itachi. Chin cradled in his palm, that small, secret smile curving his mouth. Outlined in a light gray, filled in the black with reds and golds. Abstract, and quite lovely. It was the better view of the day, at any rate.

-----

The heat was getting the better of him, he was certain, when the sun reached its highest peak. Sai had moved to fanning himself with a scrapped page of his sketchpad, laid flat on his back in the shade that refused to further coddle him. He knew the conducive course of action would be to follow Akari's lead -and her aggressive shouting that the water was perfect- and cool off in the water, but that would require leaving his small haven beneath the umbrella. The cause of said sanctuary was currently rested on his side and facing Sai, head cushioned on his palm whilst lazily flicking through a novel.

The words danced on his tongue as they had before. An invitation to join him -surely needed, if the lone drip of sweat falling from his dark hair and down the elegant curve of his neck was anything to go by Sai wasn't staring- in walking the water. Perhaps diving in, as Shisui had done the moment they'd arrived after barely taking enough time to kick off his shoes and pull the shirt over his head, running headlong into the ocean as Akari yelled for him to be careful. Itachi might be a bit more composed than Shisui, at any rate.

The worst he can say is no, Sai reminds himself. The crush of rejection feels heavier than anything else, and he fidgets in his anxiety with brows drawn.

His movement catches Itachi's attention. The book is closed gently as he looks up at Sai from beneath thick lashes, glancing from his wide eyes to the water and back again. And, as Sai had come to expect by now, Itachi swoops in to save him any speck of confusion.

"Would you like to go in?" Itachi asks, raising a hand and gesturing towards the shore with a lazy flick of his wrist.

"Would you come with me?" The words are out in the open before Sai can think them through. He cringes, internally; the tone is light but the words, themselves, sound as though they come from a nervous child seeking bravery and assistance from someone older. And though his mind is a bit of a mess when it comes to Itachi, the very last thing he wants right now is for him to see Sai as a child. It's entirely possible he's overthinking again.

Itachi's brows furrow as though in thought, nodding once to himself before dusting any invisible sand from the smooth fabric of his shorts. "Of course. You cant leave me to be the singular hermit alone, after all."

The wry remark startles a small laugh from Sai, ducking his head to hide his smile. The warmth in Itachi's tone curls around like a blanket, and he pushes himself to standing before he can put too much stock in the other man's words, instead stretching his arms above his head and trying not to wince in the direct heat the sun provides.

He's halfway to turning to look at Itachi when a hand circles his wrist, tugging gently. They're face-to-face, Itachi standing far closer than Sai anticipated; it serves to make him blink owlishly, swallowing around the sudden tightening of his throat.

"You'll burn," Itachi says in a tone that brokers no argument, a small yellow bottle held in his free hand. Ah, so there's that mother hen that Shisui grouses about loudly and often; another insistent tug on his wrist has Sai stepping even closer, and his mind fizzles out immediately when Itachi puts his hands on him.

He flinches, unaccustomed to a touch that translates into tenderness. Not from anyone other than a scant few he can count on one hand, that is. Itachi murmurs a low apology, cracks wise about sunscreen somehow always being too cold even when applied in scorching heat. Sai barely hears it, mind utterly focused on Itachi's palms -rough from years wielding weapons and molding chakra, but touching him light enough to make him shiver- spreading the substance over his arms and shoulders, a look of concentration painted across his lovely features.

He turns when he's bid, eyes fluttering shut as Itachi works the lotion into his back. His fingertips hesitate on his hips, before digging in just a touch too hard to be considered effective for the task at hand. Sai wills his body not to react in the obvious way, making calculations in his head and imagining all sorts of terrible things that have nothing to do with strong, sure hands tracing his curves and angles.

One finger curls upon the monkey's paw when Itachi moves a step away, holding out the bottle in offering. Sai could weep for the loss of contact, but takes it with a hushed thank you and begins covering his face, neck, and chest. Focused utterly on the task and not the way Itachi's head is tilted on an angle, eyes dragging up and down his body; nor on the way he rubs the leftover lotion staining his hands on the sides of his neck.

He has elegant hands, Sai thinks. Suited to a musician as his are suited to a different variety of artistry. He nearly fumbles the fucking bottle as he loses himself to a momentary fantasy. A pretty boy smiles at him and he's a wreck. Maybe Sakura was on to something when she'd mentioned Sai might become a bit of a late bloomer due to his upbringing. He certainly feels like one of those school-aged teenagers with a crush, at any rate.

"Will you get my back?" Itachi pulls him from his rambling thoughts, tone somehow impish and teasing as readily as it is completely innocent and ordinary. Sai blinks once, and then twice, heads bobbing as he eagerly nods his assent in silence; opening his mouth at inopportune moments had ruined many a moment, and he reverts back to accustomed silence as to not make a bigger idiot of himself.

Itachi turns his back, sweeps his long hair over his shoulder, and waits. If Sai's hands tremble when he digs his palm in against the curve of his shoulder-blade and spine, Itachi doesn't say a word.

-----

Thorough humiliation further breeds opportunities for indignity, it seems. Once Sai had finished up, all but dropping the bottle onto the blanket, he'd looked anywhere but at Itachi. Arm across his chest and fingers curling around the opposite elbow, he'd been going for a picture of careful nonchalance as he'd waiting for Itachi to pull up his hair - into a messy bun at the back of his head with wisps dangling against the back of his neck, because he was a cruel and terrible sort of man. Itachi had turned, head tilted once more to the side, and offered that same small smile before stepping away and towards the water, Sai watching him go with a renewed flush. He'd done it on purpose, he was certain; to what end, he couldn't be sure.

They meander together in the shallows, Itachi with hands in his pockets and smiling down at the clear water coming up to his knees. Sai kneels down with abject fascination, glancing from flora to fauna with wide eyes. He'd never seen any of it in person, and felt a giddy smile unfurl as he reached a hand beneath the water to run the tip of a finger over the dancing seaweed.

Itachi had remarked something about being careful; Sai had only been half paying attention, despite all earlier implications to the contrary. His dark eyes flicked from the water to the sight of Itachi's legs standing far too close and back again, finding it difficult to focus on anything aside from the light gleaming off the water's surface. He watched his reflection and willed himself to think of something halfway clever to say, when he'd felt a hand curl around his bicep and yank him backwards.

What was that earlier assessment of indignity? Sai's eyes had gone wide and he'd instinctively reached for a weapon slung across his back that he knew wasn't there, on alert despite the momentary loss of balance from standing in the waves. Itachi pressed close to his side, Sai's head whipped to where he'd last seen Akari and Shisui -sitting in the shallows some yards down, kicking water and talking with heads pressed close- and found them utterly lost to their own little world. His mouth opened in warning, when the surface of the water where he'd just been kneeling surged away and rushed back together, hard enough he'd felt droplets splatter across his naked chest.

Sai blinked. Blinked again. Considered the now-soaked volleyball and the shouted apologies from somewhere on the beach. The burn of embarrassment was an old and trusted friend by now, and he's turned his face towards Itachi with a closed-eye smile and the barest hope that he wouldn't notice the red on his face wasn't from exposure to the sun.

Someone -probably Sakura, most assuredly accidentally- had slammed a ball too hard and he'd assumed Itachi had sensed mortal danger. If the ocean could rise and swallow him, any time would be delightful. (Although, he admitted to himself to save any scrap of pride, if it had been a blow from Sakura, even a small rock spelled mortal danger.)

"Thank you," Sai murmured, mouth still stuck in that self-deprecating smile.

A warm chuckle was his reward, in that dripping dulcet tone that did some odd things to the integrity of his knees. Itachi still hadn't removed the hand from his arm, a fact Sai wouldn't have been able to ignore had he tried; awareness sparked where skin met skin, and he swallowed down his embarrassment without moving a scant inch, too fearful Itachi would pull away.

"I'm more observant, usually," Sai explained with a shrug, clearing his throat to hide his chagrin.

"Distracted?" Itachi shot back, gesturing towards the water lapping at their legs. But his eyes spoke of a different meaning, punctuated with a squeeze of his fingers. He knew, he knew Sai knew, and for one brief and terrible moment Sai thought the ocean really would swallow him entirely because Itachi still hadn't stopped touching him, nor had he lost that soft and tender smile, reserved only for those he cared for.

"Well," Itachi continued after earning himself a strangled hum from beneath Sai's breath, "we cant be too careful." And with that, his hand slid down the smooth skin of Sai's arm to tangle their fingers together, tugging him gently towards deeper water with nary a backward glance.

Sai's knees did not dip, thank you very much. He was entirely composed and collected, mature, even. He wasn't distracted by the pound of his pulse nor the feeling of anothers hand in his, nor was he already mapping out more portraits to parse out to fill his sketchpad with likenesses of Uchiha Itachi.

When he looked up from their twined hands, he could see Akari watching them with an unrepentant stare, mouth curled into a far too satisfied and knowing grin as Shisui talked animatedly beside her, unawares of the loss of her attention. Sai blinked, turned his head away far too swiftly, and didn't pull his hand free.

[shoyowo]

team 7 this team 7 that what about team 7 yamato taichou version??????????

[kunoichiblossoms]

→ @tenzx​​ sent:  “You haven’t laughed in a long time, and I guess I was staring ‘cause I forgot how that looked like.”

“Oi, Taichou, what are you staring at?” The question came between giggles, the conversation quite animated among the group. 

A celebration that Sakura had reluctantly agreed to only after Ino forced her to, a commemoration of Sakura’s promotion to hospital director. The word spread quickly among their friends and, by nightfall, those who were free and not on mission had gathered for a drink and a toast. Even Sakura’s usually tense shoulders began to relax -  mostly once the topic of conversation started moving away from herself after the initial commendations. 

Friendly teasing and jokes carried out through the night, the pleasant sound of laughter drowning out Sakura’s worries and allowing her brain to shut down for a moment and enjoy herself. She felt YOUNG in that moment and realized then that, for some time now, she had carried an age on her shoulders that went far beyond her years. Maybe just for tonight she could allow herself to enjoy life rather than regret death. 

Among the ruckus, Captain Yamato’s answer was unheard by anyone other than Sakura herself. Her cheeks were warm with glee and her eyes were glittering, and despite her expression softening when she heard his words, the happiness of the night was not dampened. Even though Sakura got a funny feeling in her chest when she mulled over that sentence, which made her realize she couldn’t remember the last time she laughed wholeheartedly. Even knowing that, by morning, she might go back to feeling that unwarranted age on her shoulders multiplied by her new responsibilities and what they entailed. Even if she didn’t think anyone else had noticed how long it had been since Sakura laughed. 

“Ah, sorry.” It seemed like something she should apologize for, but Sakura wasn’t entirely sure why. She wasn’t sure at all how to respond to that statement, if she was honest, what with all the happiness and fondness and melancholy settling in all at once, keeping that funny feeling tied up in her chest. “Will you stop if I promise to try to do it more?”

She was rather fond of him, even more in this moment but, at the end of the day...

Yamato had a really spooky stare.