#I KNOW AT LEAST ONE OF THEM IS FROM A GAME CALLED SHINOBI!

[eway]

#I KNOW AT LEAST ONE OF THEM IS FROM A GAME CALLED SHINOBI! #Shinobi #Hiryu #Hotsuma #Ace Attorney #Maya Fey #Project X Zone 2

[mortyvongola2-0]

HEY THERE!!! May I request something? <3

How about Madara slowly realizing his feelings for reader after denying it for so long! How would he realize? How would he approach the reader?

NSFW would also be welcome 😏

😏😏

I'm sorry these took so long, I would've had them finished yesterday BUT I LOST ALL MY WRITING WHEN I WAS AT THE END and that took all my motivation honestly haha. Sorry if these aren't quite what you were looking for, thank you for asking though

This is both the angstiest, softest, and shortest smut I've ever written.

(These are headcanons but honestly they're more than long enough to make a fic so uh...oops)

Madara Uchiha, though he’d deny it, is the type that would fall first. But he’d equate his feelings to only lust in the beginning. He’d see her first, notice her first, and approach first but all with intention.

The era he comes from is heavy with political marriage. His marriage would most likely already be prearranged. But he'd still approach you, a fling between a man and a woman has nothing to do with someone he hasn't met.

He'd call out to you, "Oi," his gruff voice and rude way of speaking would immediately put you off. You would have no idea who he is, not really up to date on all the ins and outs of shinobi. With an annoyed look on your face, you'd ignore him.

But he wouldn't give up, a ninja is one who endures after all. He'd take every opportunity he could find to approach you again, more interested in the challenge you presented then what he had originally intended. Madara would begin to follow you, without him realizing at first, he'd do it in the name of seeking opportunity but eventually it'd just become a habit.

By that point, you'd know who he is, but the game you started was a bit too fun so you'd purposefully ignore him, a sly smile on your face. You liked infuriating a powerful man like him. His attentions would inflate your ego, if only a little. After all, who else could say they were being pursued by the Madara Uchiha?

The more he'd watch you, the more he'd learn about you. He'd smirk when you'd smile, roll his eyes at the lame jokes you'd tell your village's children. Watching your simple life became a bit of a comfort without his knowledge. Going from the bloody battlefield where any one of his comrades, or even himself, could lose their lives at any moment to watching you and your sleepy village made his heart ache.

But when a rogue shinobi clan invaded your home, he admired not only yours but the bravery of your people. Despite being weak, untrained, and lacking in experience he watched as you all faced your enemy head on. You especially, refused to back down. You'd spit in the face of your would be attacker, anger and spite swirling in your eyes like a storm.

Of course, he saw it as the perfect opportunity. At least, that's what he told himself, but his rage at your potential violation was clear as day as he easily tore into the man who had attempted to harm his property. The rest of that clan were like flies, buzzing around and destroying what was his. He took care of them all.

His anger only mounted when he saw the red irritation marks on your wrists and neck, like proof of his inability to protect you. He'd take your wrist in his own, the sheer difference in size and strength furthering his wrath. What kind of shinobi preyed on such weaklings? Where was their pride? Their sense of honor?

"Thank you," your quiet voice gave him pause. "For saving me."

His grip on your wrist would tighten, his chest uncomfortable. One look from your eyes was enough to placate him and he hated it. How could some helpless girl hold so much sway over him? He was getting too close, he had to fix it. Place some distance before he did something he'd regret.

You flinched, his grip too tight. Madara let go immediately, put on his normal mask of bravado and say, "Why don't you show me just how thankful you are?" He intended to hurt you, he felt his heart squeeze as the words left his lips.

He thought he'd succeeded as he watched you look away from him. There, it's finished, he'd think. No more weakness. But you'd surprise him, your trembling hand reaching out and grabbing his wrist with all your might. It was pathetic. You'd look him straight in the eyes and nod. The Uchiha was dumbstruck.

You'd led him to your home without saying a word, closed and locked the doors before looking back at him with determination. With a nervous approach, you'd get on your tiptoes and place a chaste kiss on his lips. He'd be stock still, you'd be nervous from head to toe. Just this once, he'd think. I'll take advantage of your naivete. Madara would embrace you, envelope you in his large frame, and force his way into your mouth.

Eventually, he'd have you on your back on your futon, clothes off and thrown about the home; your breasts moving with your rapid breaths, your legs spread open with shining arousal coating your inner thighs. You look beautiful, he'd think but while his mouth moved without thought. "How low must your value be for you to give yourself to me."

"If its you," you'd start, your body flushed with pleasure. "I know you've been watching me. I have no qualms giving myself to you." There it was again, that heavy uncomfortable tightness in his chest. He hated it. "You'll regret that," he'd respond, unable to look you in the eye.

Your arms reached out and wrapped around his neck and you pulled him in for a kiss full of all your unspoken feelings. His arms trembled. He didn't need this, the last thing Madara needed was someone else to lose; for more loved ones to be placed in an unmarked grave. But his lips moved instinctively, reciprocating all of your emotions, unspoken word for unspoken word. His hips pushing forward, his member splitting you slowly.

The two of you moved together, breathed together. He had never felt such ecstasy in his life. Grunting in exertion, he spilled his release inside of you and the warmth of his spend caused you to tumble off your own cliff.

He stayed with you until you fell asleep, his mind swirling with thoughts and suppressed feelings. If he stayed with you, he'd never want to leave, his weakness would increase, but if he left he'd never be able to feel your warmth or see your smile again. His clan needed its leader, Izuna an older brother to protect him. Your presence made him wish he could have that dream that Hashirama had spoken of long ago.

Madara made his choice, as hard as it was. He left without a word. Back to the battlefield, back to his clan, back to his brother. He wondered if you cried, if you looked for him, or if this was the outcome you had expected all along.

A few years later found him on his back, giving Hashirama the ultimatum that'd begin the formation of the Uchiha-Senju alliance. As Konoha grew he wondered if this would have happened if he'd stayed. He supposed it was for the better, the village being as important as it was, but the emptiness in his heart continued to remind him of the love he chose to leave.

"Madara," Hashirama called, his usual cheer obvious by his smile. "A new clan arrived today, a civilian one! Isn't it exciting?" The Uchiha's heart skipped a beat but he knew better. Even if it was your people, would you even be with them? Maybe you had married some other man from some other clan. But then Hashirama continued and he said the name of your village and Madara couldn't help but run off toward the new settlement area.

And there you were, the same smile on your face as you told a disgruntled Tobirama one of your lame jokes. There were flowers in your hair, poorly placed and half falling out; a little girl, about three or four years old, with black hair and onyx eyes, gripping your skirts nervously. The resemblance was undeniable, the little girl the picture perfect Uchiha. He felt like he might stop breathing.

Your squinted for a moment and you looked up at the roof he was watching from. Your smile fell, and his heart dropped to his stomach. Of course you were unhappy to see him, he'd saddled you with a child and left. How had he expected anything different? But before he could leave in shame and wallow in his pity, you smiled again and ushered the child forward. You bent at the waist and pointed in his direction saying, "Ito, do you see that man up there?" The girl nodded slowly. "That's your father, and he helped make this village."

A/N: Ito means thread, so RC named their daughter that as she is the red thread connecting her to Madara, which I think is very sweet.

#madara uchiha smut #madara uchiha #naruto series #madara uchiha x reader #madara x y/n #madara x you #madara smut #madara angst #mortyvongola 2 0 fanfic #mortyvongola2 0 requests #madara uchiha headcanons #naruto fanfiction #mortyvongola2 anon

[etaindelaserna]

Thanks for answering my ask before. If you don't mind me asking (again), can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......

Welcome back!😊 Don’t worry: I‘ll answer anyway 🙌

(Side note: top 7 OR✨ 10?😂 Oddly specific^^)

1. Star Wars

Aside from the obvious things like lightsabers and force powers, I think what pulled me into the SW universe is the simplicity of it, espeically in the OT: good vs. evil, a hero‘s call to adventure and his responsibility to save the galaxy from the evil clutches of the Empire, the power of friendship, the whole concept of the force, the strength to not succumb to the dark side, to stay true to yourself even if it costs you your life, the idea that the good things in our life are things we have to work hard for while the bad things are easy and faster to obtain and oh so manipulative and tempting. It seems to address a truth we can all relate to or are at least aware of. Luke Skywalker is someone I can look up to. And sometimes I can't ask for more.

2. Harry Potter

Always. To this day the Harry Potter books and movies feel like you're coming home after a long time abroad. The world building has always made me feel like it could be true: there could be a wizard society existing right next to our own. Just the sheer richness of characters, places, magical items and wizard life were enough to draw me in as a kid. It’s childhood preserved in book form. It’s fun in the first school years and tragical in the last ones. It’s a world that feels lived in. It’s a tale about the power of friendship and about facing things you actually don’t want to face. It taught me to be brave and kind and that striving for power is a path towards loneliness and a hollow, ego centric existence.

3. Naruto

I fell in love with the premise pretty early on when I started watching Naruto: the question of what makes a shinobi a shinobi, how can you be a good shinobi and a good person, are you only allowed to be loyal to your village? What about your friends and family? Why do we have to kill each other? Why is it human nature to be cruel and violent? Naruto asked so many existential and moral questions which I find interesting to explore. Then we have the idea of chakra and how its used, different jutsus and fighting styles, shinobi villages, the struggle between being a human being, the hardships of the shinobi life and how to overcome them and what happens to those who dispair and choose a life of darkness. The messages about friendship, family, loyalty, unconditional love and to work hard for your goal no matter what everybody else says, hit me hard. I will always come back to read or watch Naruto.

4. One Piece

Apart from the world building, which is one of the best in modern literature, I think what made me fall in love with this manga/anime are its characters, the humour and Oda's storytelling ability, which has been consistently brilliant for all those years. The world of One Piece with all its crazy characters and rules shouldn't work but it does, because it's not all fun and games and silliness but it means something. It means something to the characters. There are themes in it I will never get tired of: following your dreams, working hard, loyalty, friendship, we don't abandon our friends or dreams, we stick together no matter what. Oda knows how to balance comedy, tragedy and adventure perfectly. He knows also how to do setups and how to cash in the payoffs at just right moment. You as a reader are allowed to follow the bread crumbs and think and I appreciate it that he doesn't spell the things out for us.

5. The Lord of the Rings

I read the books and I've seen the movies more than I can count. It's my ultimate love. It's something I can pop in at anytime, under any circumstances and be completely emersed in it within seconds. It feels like home. It is home. The world building is rich and complex. The characters are loveable and more nuanced than they might let on. The story has timeless themes that transcend cultures, age, gender: chaos and darkness are tempting and destructive, but you not only have the responsibility to stand against it but also you have the ability to do so. It's a story about sacrifices, will power, love, friendship and hope. It seems to touch something within us. It leaves you with the comfort of this one single thought that there are higher powers or a grand plan involved.

6. True Blood/ The Southern Vampire Mysteries

This book series hit me once my girlish enthusiasm for the Vampire Diaries and its repetiveness slowly started to fade away but my hunger for vampire stories was still as big as ever. I thought I gave it a shot and boy, did it hit me. I think I read the first 4 books within a week. I absolutely liked that Sookie wasn't a teenager anymore but in her mid twenties when the first book picks up her story. The way she sees the world was exactly my kind of humour but mature and that was a welcome suprise after all the teenage drama in TVD. Her problems were how to pay for the gas for her car or for a new driveway. And of course that she can read minds. Charlaine Harris also made her vampires different enough but also used common tropes. It was a blend of the old and the new. She imagined how vampires and humans would live together in the modern world and she slayed on that part. I loved Sookie and I loved Eric. They were the main reasons why I kept reading.

7. A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones

The richness of the world building and the characters is what made me fall for the TV series and later the books. I think I started to watch it once the third seasons was rolling around. Like most, I did like the approach of "let's make it high fantasy but with an overdose of reality and history to it". That was brilliant. George knows how to write interesting characters, who aren't entirely bad or good but just brutally human. He also understands setup and consequences but above all he understands people. You know somebody is writing bloody good characters and plotlines if your are not mad at the author but at the characters for the choices they are making. You always understood why characters did the things they did, even though it didn't make it any less heartbraking at times. I don't think that George is ever going to be able to bring the series to a satisfying conclusion. The fantasy genre follows specific rules and George broke them to create something new. But he will come to realize that he now can't use these rules to finish the series. It's not going to work.

8. The Mummy (1999)

The cinema and movie nerds among my friends are always making fun of me for liking this movie as much as I do but I can't help it. It's the only successful Indiana Jones movie without Indiana Jones in it. Just the perfect mixture between adventure, horror, romance and comedy. How many times I'm quoting lines of this movie on a daily basis is insane. It's another unconditional love of mine. I'm going to keep watching it till the end of my days. We know that O'Connell and the gang are going to defeat the mummy but how they are doing it is so much fun. Brendan Fraser is a national treasure and just perfect for playing a brave, good looking, slightly ruggish adventurer, with the right amount of humour sprinkled in, who falls hard for the bookish girl. Like, come on. That's enough to sell me on any movie. Him and Rachel Weisz are just hitting it of. This film just feels like a warm cup of cocoa with a lot of cream. It makes me laugh, it makes me gush over Rick, it makes me want to learn acient Egyptian and run off into an adventure.

9. Once Upon a Time

Ten years ago I was so addicted to this show. I liked this idea that because of a spell from the Evil Queen all the fairytale characters have been forced to live a normal life in modern day America and they don't even remember who they are, apart from the Evil Queen. It's a classical the "Chosen One"/Heroes story with a little twist, that the relationship between most of the fairytale characters shifts during the story or was even told differently from how the audience remembers it from their fairytale books. It's basically a criminal investigation about who did this to these characters and how the protagonist can reverse the spell. Besides it's a story about fate, about love, friendship, about how villains and heroes are made and that things aren't just black and white. The characters are complex and because of this setup you can throw them in various scenarios, which made for some surprising teamups (Rumpelstilzchen/Belle). I was never bored with this show. Although it had complex themes at times the show handled them familyfriendly and that just fitted the overall fairytale vibe and wholesomeness of the show perfectly.

10. Band of Brothers

This HBO mini series about the story of E Company of the 101st Airborne during WWII stole my heart. I like war movies and if I had to explain why then I'd say because it reminds me of what was and what could easily happen again. The horrors of war, the sacrifices, the tragedy, the generational trauma, the loss, the heroes, the defeated, how quickly we forget our humanity once the bullets start flying, but also the little moments of friendship and will power that keep us alive. Band of Brothers has all that. It's based on real events and real people and although some things are dramatized for the sake of film making, they managed to stay quite accurate. You get to know these men and you get to see them struggle, in pain, laughing, joking, crying, die or survive. It makes you smile and breaks your heart in the next second. It's a series that captured me from start till finish.

#naruto #one piece #band of brothers #once upon a time #GoT #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire #the mummy 1999 #true blood #the southern vampire mysteries #the lord of the rings #lotr #harry potter #star wars

[spellcasterlight]

I am super curious about ShikaHina Godparents!

Hi there @shinobimagpie! 😁

Warnings: None - under the cut simply for length!

We all have at least one grand story idea that we will never ever finish, this is one of mine! Just over 8K words currently that will sit there forever 😂

Sooooo we all know Asuma and Kurenai get pregnant with Mirai during Shippuden, this story was an alternative timeline where they get pregnant just after Naruto leaves the village. Shikamaru being picked as godfather and Hinata as godmother and their journey as being pushed together sooner and having that period to grow.

I’ll put some extremely rough extracts under the cut!

Thanks for the ask! ✨

WIP Titles Game! 📓

Ao3 ✨ | WIP Game Always Open ✒️| Ko-Fi ☕

Kurenai telling her team she’s pregnant:

“Pre-Pregnant?!” Hinata Hyuga gasped at her Sensei’s news.

“That’s so great Sensei! Congratulations!” Kiba cheered and Akamaru yipped at his side running over to jump up into the genjutsu users arms making her laugh. “A new pup for our already awesome pack!”

“Yes congratulations Sensei” The last member of their group, Shino, added as well.

“Well you guys are taking this well!” Kurenai smiled still patting Akamarus head.

Hinata pushed her forefingers together trying to will away the embarrassment from the question she was about to ask. “W-Who is the father?”

A silence snapped into place that was broken by Kurenai’s laugh.

“Seriously guys! That should have been your first question!”

“Hey-hey yea!” Kiba yelled raising his fists and smirking. “Who is it Sensei?! Do I need to rough him up good?”

Kurenai snorted at Kibas threat but then had the good manners to look embarrassed when she saw Kiba was serious.

“I doubt you could Kiba, It’s-” The older woman broke off to blush lightly. “It’s Asuma.”

“Asuma-Sensei?!” Both Kiba and Hinata exclaimed.

“Hinata?”

The Hyuga blinked a few times when her Sensei took a gentle hold of both her hands.

“Y-Yes?”

“It would mean the world to me and Asuma if you were the baby’s Godmother.”

“Oh Sensei;-” Hinata had to sniff to hold back the rush of happy tears; she smiled sweetly. “-n-nothing would make m-me ha-happier!”

The Hyuga Heir engulfed her Sensei in a hug while Kiba and Akamaru cheered in the background.

Shikamaru coming back from a mission to find Hinata dancing with baby Mirai in the living room:

He had been away with Lee and Kiba on a mission for the past three days and they had only just got back to the Leaf Village. He had, very quickly, told them to go home and he would call in at the Hokages office to tell them the mission was all clear and to deliver the scroll they were sent to get in the first place.

Lee and Kiba were great friends and amazing shinobi but did they have to be so loud? A moments peace with the two of them trying to train and one up each other for three days straight was in no way possible and all he wanted was to leave off the scroll, go home and just go to sleep.

“Here’s the scroll from the Land of Lightning.” He muttered handing over the scroll to Shizune.

“Thank you, I trust all went well?” The medical ninja asked with a small knowing smile.

“I want nothing more than to sit in silence for the next week.” He sighed tiredly. “Goodnight Shizune.”

Shizune laughed. “Sleep well Shikamaru.”

As he leisurely roof hopped home, not sprinting as if the hounds of hell were on their tail like he had done for the last three days thanks to Lee and Kibas ‘training’, he noticed a light on in Asuma and Kurenais house and, groaning lightly, knew it was his Godfather duty to make sure everything was alright.

He opened the back door quietly and poked his head into the Living room; and found the loveliest sight.

Hinata, in a modest nightdress of purple and pink, holding baby Mirai, dancing slowly in the centre of the room and singing lightly with most breath-taking smile.

He opened the door more and leaned against the frame drinking in the sight, his want to go home and sleep evaporating.

‘I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need. I'll love you more with every breath, truly madly deeply do’

Her voice was light and airy and practically a whisper but it was the most beautiful sound. He closed his eyes to appreciate her voice fully.

‘I want to stand with you on a mountain I want to bathe with you in the seaShikamaru!

He opened his eyes at his name. She had spotted him at the door and was smiling brightly at him, bouncing the still sleeping Mirai in her arms.

“Hi Hinata.” He smiled lightly at the Hyuga Heir.

“Kurenais sleeping.” Hinata told the male Chunnin, whispering.

“And Asuma?” He found himself mimicking her whisper.

“He’s on a mission.” She paused to push a lock of hair behind her ear. She blushed and looked down at the baby in her arms. “I missed you.”

“I was only gone three days.” His lips twitched up in a grin as he made his way into the house.

“Felt like longer.” She confessed her eyes softening still gazing at the infant.

He walked so he was in front of her and the baby and wrapped his arms lightly around them both; his hands held her upper arms in the lightest hold he could muster.

Her blush came back and he saw her gulp in nervousness.

He leant his forehead against hers and breathed deeply. “I missed you too.”

When he pulled back he smirked and used the position of his hands to get her to start swaying lightly with him again. She giggled when she caught on to what he was doing and for a beautiful, silent moment, the Godparents danced in the Living room with their Goddaughter; it was the kind of thing songs were based on.

“I like your singing.”

She gave an embarrassed smile. “Thank you.”

“You not going to finish it for us?” He raised an eyebrow at her and she pulled her pretend annoyed face making him grin.

It was another moment before she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes again.

‘I want to lay like this forever. Until the sky falls down on me’

He had the fleeting thought that he was a coward.

A braver man would have kissed her.

After the second Chunnin exams Hinata is mad at Shikamaru for not telling her what was happening:

“Shika? Can I talk to you about something?”

“Yea course.” He looked up to her and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

She dropped down beside him and wrapped her arms around her knees, she seemed to search the flowers across the way for the words she wanted to use.

“What if-what if I’m not good enough to become a Chunnin? What if everyone else passes and I’m still stuck as a Genin? The only Genin of our friends; how would I be able to look at any of them?”

Her arms gripped tighter around her knees. “What would my father say?”

Her face fell into her knees. “How can I look after Mirai as only a Genin?”

“Is that what’s troubling you?”

“Hinata look at me. You will get nothing thrown at you that you can’t handle. You should believe in yourself more.”

“Do-do you believe in me Shika?”

“How can you ask me that? You should know that. I’m your biggest fan Hinata.”

===============================================

She arrived at the her teams training grounds half an hour early due to her nerves not letting her sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. Kiba and Shino appeared soon after so the three had more than enough time to join the queue to register when they arrived at the exam hall.

“Shikamaru!” Kiba yelled upon seeing the Nara. “What are you doing here?” The dog owner grinned. “Did no one tell you you’re already a Chunnin?”

The Nara rolled his eyes. “Funny. I’m a proctor for this round of exams.”

“A proctor?” Kiba scoffed. “You kept that quiet! You could have been hitting us up with insider knowledge! We could have aced this test!”

“I could have yes.” The shadow user raised an eyebrow. “But then you wouldn’t learn anything, besides-” Shikamaru shrugged carelessly. “-I have full faith you’ll all pass.”

Shikamaru took the last few steps to be beside Hinata before pulling her into a light hug. “Good luck Hinata, remember, I’m rooting for you.”

He pulled back and smiled at her. “You’ll do amazing.” He started walking backwards away from them. “I’ll see you all when you’re done.”

When the Nara had turned around and was out of earshot Kiba snorted again. “Asshole; did he tell you he was a proctor?” The dog owner turned to the girl of their team and frowned at her hard expression.

“No.” She said coldly, her eyes narrowed at the shadow users retreating back. “No he didn’t.”

===============================================

Three cheers to us all! Chunnin one and all!

And one of us a Jounin. Tenten added nudging Neji who took a small sip of his drink.

I would not have accomplished such a task without you and Lee. He told her honestly.

Yes my friend! Lee yelled; he raised his glass. To teamwork and friendship!

Everyone raised their glasses and several shouts of Lees words shouted back.

I’m glad we all made Chunnin. Shino spoke lowly but everyone heard. I am proud of us all.

So true! Kiba replied taking a large amount of cooked chicken off the grill in the centre of their table. The Inuzuka chuckled before practically shouting. No thanks to mister proctor here!

Yea that was such a shitty thing to do Shikamaru! Ino piped up pointing her chopsticks at the man in question. Not telling us you were a proctor and all.

You didn’t need to know. Shikamaru said simply, watching Choji load up the grill with more food than was strictly needed.

Hinata met Shikamaru’s eyes across the table and a small, strange wave of anger flushed through her and she snapped her gaze to the table stabbing her food with her chopsticks.

Hinata are you ok? She looked up to Sakura who was sitting beside her.

Yea you’ve been kinda out of it since we left the Hokages office earlier. Ino flipped her blonde locks over her shoulder lightly. Is anything wrong?

Oh n-no no I swear I’m- She took a deep breath to try to calm herself down. -I’m ok. She made herself smile brightly. Can we order more of this s-sauce? She held up the dish of the tartare sauce. It’s really nice with the sa-salmon.

Sakura turned to wave down a waitress. Excuse me! Can we have more tartare sauce please!

Ino leaned on the pink haired girls shoulder and shouted. And more salmon slices to go with it please!

Hinata gained a real smile before frowning again as her eyes drifted over to the Nara again. She gasped slightly and started eating with gusto when she saw he was staring at her.

Goodnight everyone! Lee yelled, walking backwards as he held up both thumbs in a ‘thumbs up’ motion. Well done friends on our promotions!

Hinata can I borrow you for a second?

N-no you may not borrow me Nara, I am not a pencil.

Both Neji and Shikamaru looked at her like she had gone insane.

Hinata internally sighed. How did Ino making being angry at someone so elegant looking? One small glare and a flick of her ponytail and whoever it was knew they were in trouble, she just sounded ridiculous.

Would you like me to escort you home Hinata? It is rather late in the evening. Neji asked with an even gaze.

Hinata sighed to herself again. Her cousin was asking if she wanted to talk to Shikamaru or if she wanted an out.

I can see myself home. She tried smiling at her cousin but it felt more like a grimace. Thank you Neji, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Neji didn’t ask any questions; he simply bid the two good night and walked on.

The purple haired girl stared at the ground willing herself to stay mad.

‘He lied to me’ She told herself again. ‘He could have helped me but he didn’t.’

Do you wanna walk? He indicated the opposite direction her and Neji had previously been walking.

Fine. She said bluntly and started walking, not waiting for him.

He caught up with her easy enough, but she could see a small downturn to the corner of his lips.

Congratulations on making Chunnin. He started smiling lightly at her. I never got to tell you earlier with everyone around.

‘With you avoiding me you mean to say.’ Hinata bit her lip. ‘And yes, I did become a Chunnin; no thanks to you.’

I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were a proctor for the exams. She finally said, not managing to sound as angry as she wanted.

She found her anger again when he chuckled shrugging slightly. Well it was-

Hinata cut him off before she lost it again.

After I told you how scared I was at the thought of not passing and letting everyone down.

She rounded on him with her fists clenched.

Shikamaru’s small smile fell. Hinata what-?

When you could have helped me right from the beginning. Hinata uncharacteristically glared at the shadow user. Did you want me to fail?

Want you to-? Shikamaru’s face contorted with disbelief -Hinata you’re kidding.

You think this is funny? It- She turned away so he didn’t see her expression change from angry to upset in a flash. It makes me wonder what else you’re hiding from me.

Hiding from you? The Nara took a few hurried steps to be in front of her again. What would I even want to hide from you? Where is this all coming from? He was starting to sound slightly frantic. You’re blowing this way out of proportion.

Yea-well-I-I’m leaving! She took a deep breath through her mouth. Why don’t you go-go-! She said the first thing that came to mind. –go; make out with Temari! With that said she turned to stomp her way home.

What? Hinata! He called after her when she had taken a few hurried steps back up the path.

She continued to stomp away like she had seen Sakura do to Naruto when he annoyed her.

Hinata!

He grabbed her wrist to stop her walking away, she didn’t turn to face him but she heard him sigh.

“Troublesome” He muttered under his breath. Hinata will you just listen to me? She made herself take another step but his grip held firm. Please Hinata?

Fine. She spun out of his grip and crossed her arms over her chest and forced her chin up like she had seen Tsunade do when Kiba was messing around during a mission debriefing. Talk.

Hinata. He said beginning to sound distraught. I didn’t tell you I was a proctor because you would ask me about the exams.

So I was right! She managed to yell. She had to place her hand over her eyes to hide the treacherous tears that had started to prickle at the corners of her eyes. She wiped at them almost violently before glaring full force at the man in front of her. You wanted me to fail!

Stop saying that! He yelled back, throwing his arms in the air. It stunned Hinata slightly; she had never heard him yell before. Wherever you got that stupid idea from knock it off! It’s insulting!

He sighed deeply scrunching up his eyes. I didn’t tell you I was a proctor so when you passed, because I knew you would- he quickly added –you would know you earned it yourself.

Don’t you think if I had just told you how to pass the first round you would forever be asking yourself if you earned it? Asking yourself if you truly deserved your promotion? He tilted his head in an enquiring way. You earned your advancement to Chunnin, no if’s or but’s this way, it’s yours, fair and square. His shoulders dropped. Hinata I didn’t want you to fail; I’m proud of you. I have always been proud of you.

That...made so much sense. That thought pattern was Shikamaru to a T, and it was true; she would constantly be second guessing herself if she was just given the answers.

Hinata winced; she must have sounded like such a child.

She gulped, really feeling the tears in her eyes now. Shika I- She stopped to shake her head. No words could possibly convey how stupid she felt.

She was shocked when she felt his arms around her.

Please don’t ever think I would ever want to see you fail Hinata. She felt him squeeze her lightly. I’m your biggest fan remember?

That was what pushed her over the edge; she started to cry silently.

How could she ever think bad of Shikamaru? She couldn’t remember a time since their meeting on Kurenais doorstep, from the moment they first met as official Godparents, when he had not done everything in his power to build her up.

I’m sorry Shika. She hugged him back, snuggling into his chest. I thought- She sniffed. –I thought you didn’t tell me because you didn’t want to help me. Her eyes slide shut as a shaky breath left her. I was so stu-stupid.

He didn’t reply and she didn’t have the nerve to break the silence.

His grip loosened and she slid out of his hold, staring at the ground in shame.

What did you say about Temari?

It took her a second to remember but when she did her face lit up like a tomato.

I-umm-I

‘Go make out with Temari’ He quoted. He raised an eyebrow at her. Now why would I want to do that.

I-umm She stuttered again.

You’re enough of a handful it seems. Her head snapped up to find his eyes closed, like he was afraid of her reaction to his words. Couldn’t handle another troublesome woman even if I wanted to.

‘Was he saying...?’

She found herself smiling. I’ll try being less tro-troublesome in the future.

When he opened his eyes he smiled.

I can’t-She could feel her heart beating a mile a minute-I don’t want you to have to deal with any other troublesome woman instead of m-me.

They slipped into another silence she, again, didn’t have the confidence to break.

Seeing you angry was weird. He said matter-of-factly.

I’m exhausted. She confessed with a heavy sigh. Being angry is a lot of work, how do Ino and Sakura do it so often?

Shikamaru laughed lightly at that placing a hand on her back, she knew this meant she could slip into a one arm hug which she did.

They have more practice, it’s practically second nature to them by now.

I don’t like it. Hinata stated with a frown. I had- She looked up at the Nara. –I had to keep reminding myself to be angry at you because I didn’t want to be.

He stopped walking and she almost spun in slow motion on the spot to face him.

I didn’t want to be mad at you at all. She watched his eyebrows pull together in thought. But the thought of you wanting me to fail, it was almost like; like it clung to the edges of my mind and it wouldn’t let go and I just- Her head bowed and her hands came up to clasp against her chest. –I-I needed you to know how upset and hurt that thought made me.

When she looked up again he was looking off into the distance.

I have to tell you. He still didn’t look at her but his gaze lowered slightly. It hurt you thought that at all.

I know; I’m sorry.

He sighed openly. Troublesome. His signature slogan somehow felt like a slap.

Hinata crawled into bed and, due to the rollercoaster of emotions she had been through that day, found sleep easily.

The Hyuga council talking about marrying Hinata off now that she is a Chunnin, Hinata defending Shikamaru and seeking refuge in the Nara home:

Several days later Hinata was informed about a dinner with the entire Hyyuga council that night.

When you are called to dinner with the whole Hyyuga council Hinata knew it couldn’t be good.

“Now that you a Chunnin we should start thinking of a good match for you Hinata.”

Hinata froze in shock.

“What if she doesn’t want to marry anyone?”

“Hanabi; this doesn’t concern you.” Hanabi followed the orders in her fathers harsh tone and became silent.

“A powerful shinobi, a clan heir of course. No-one less for the Hyyuga clan.” One of the clan elders began.

‘The Hyyuga clan.’ She thought. Not her; they didn’t care about her.

The elders hmm’d their agreement.

“The Uchiha would have been a good match if he had not left the village.”

“The Sabaku clan in Suna have two sons, sons that might be Kazekage one day. One of them would be good for the Hyyuga.”

‘Good for the Hyyuga’ Hinata heard for the second time.

“What about-“

“N-Nara”

The silence that followed Hinatas input was deafening.

“The N-Nara clan have a s-son.” Hinata stammered out slightly louder. “What about Sh-Shika?”

“Shika? Are you already on such personal terms with the Nara clans heir?” Hinata flinched. She knew what the elder was implying. That her and Shikamaru were already intimate.

“Uhh I just mean’t-”

“Doesn’t matter.” Hiashi interrupted. “The Naras would be a poor choice.”

The elders again hmm’d in agreement.

“Their clans jutsus are primitive and their clan members are too unruly. Not a good choice at all.”

“Bu-but”

Hinata stalled.

“Yes girl? Do you have something more you’d like to add?” The same elder sneered.

“The N-nara clan are one of Konohagakure’s ol-oldest clans and their medical contributions to the village are unmatched. I-I think it would be unwise to-”

“They do not hold the powerful position we would want to obtain with your marriage.” Hiashi stated.

“Besides-” The clan head continued. “I have heard many things about this Nara heir. He is not a strong enough shinobi to join forces with the Hyyugas”

“Wh-what?” Hinata asked absolutely gobsmacked. Where they even talking about the same person? “H-he’s the smartest shinobi in the village a-and he has mastered m-many-”

“I will not tolerate anymore interruptions Hinata.”

Insulting Shikamaru was the last straw. Something inside Hinata snapped as she slammed down her bowl on the table. “And what if I don’t want to marry for power?” She asked practically spitting fire at her father and all indications of her stutter gone in her anger. “What if I want to marry someone I love?”

“A foolish thought for someone in your position.” Hiashi replied without skipping a beat.

“And Shikamaru is a thousand times better than you could ever know!”

“Be quite you stupid girl” One of the elders yelled.

“You would throw away your whole future on some boy from an inferior clan” Another elder added.

Hinata didn’t look away from her father “Shikamaru loves me father”

“Hinata” Hiashi warned; his voice laced with venom.

“And you or the Hyyuga don’t give a damn about me as a person” Hinata stood from the table; shoving it for good measure making the cutlery and bowls shake in protest. “Why would I choose you?”

“Hinata enough”

“No father” She let out a sad hollow laugh. “I can’t believe it took me so long to see how worthless you really are.”

“Bite your tongue girl!” An elderly woman on the council proclaimed.

“Shikamaru has never yelled at me, or thrown me away to die like you did.” She glared outright at her father.

“Shika has been nothing but supportive of me; he has cheered with me at my greatest and he has held me and let me cry at my worst.”

“I have seen him look after children, adults and shinobi alike and he is beyond amazing.”

“And the Naras are talented, smart, and caring people with more medical knowledge then the rest of the world could ever dream of having and you think they are worthless?” She demanded; the disbelief surrounding her voice couldn’t be hidden.

“So I choose Shikamaru AND the Naras! I don’t want to be the Heiress to a clan that won’t even treat its members like people or respect other clans as their equals!”

And with that she stormed out to the meeting room leaving everyone in a stunned silence that spoke volumes.

=================================================

Shikamaru didn’t think much when he heard someone knock on their front door, even this late at night.

“How troublesome” He muttered to himself; yawning as he walked towards the door.

He opened the door to find-

“Hinata?”

The Hyyuga stood on the Naras doorstep with one bag on each shoulder and another with the straps bunched up in her hands. Her eyes had a red tint to them; she had obviously been crying.

“Hinata what’s wrong?” Shikamaru asked lightly placing his hands on her arms.

Hinata sniffed before answering.

“Can-Can I come in?”

He kicked himself for not doing that first.

“Here give me those” He took the bags from her shoulders with a little help from the byakugan user.

“Th-thank you” She replied timidly before entering his house.

“Is it a mission Shikamaru?” His mother called from upstairs.

“No it’s Hinata” He called back, setting her bags down beside their sofa and guiding her to sit down in the single chair at the side of the sofa. She still had an iron tight grip on her third bags strap, so much so that Shikamaru was half worried she was going to rip it, and blinking rapidly trying to fight back more tears.

“Hinata? At this hour?” His mother was downstairs in a flash.

“Hinata what’s wrong? What happened? SHIKAKU!” Yoshino suddenly yelled, making her son flinch. “Get down here now!”

“What, what is it?” The man in question asked also coming down the stairs. His lazy attitude disappeared when he saw the Hyyuga girl in his living room.

“Hinata what happened?” Shikamaru asked kneeling down beside her seat, placing a hand on her leg.

The purple haired girl opened and closed her mouth several times, still blinking back tears, before answering.

“I-I gave up my clan t-title and my ho-home”

Yoshino outright gasped.

“Why?” Shikamaru asked leaning in slightly to the Hyyuga. “Why would you do that? You worked so hard, you were so close.”

“He disrespected your clan-” She stated looking at the elder male. “He disrespected Shika-“ She looked at Shikamaru this time, placing her hand on his cheek, which he instantly covered with his own hand. She gave a sad smile before withdrawing her hand back to her lap, bringing Shikamaru’s hand with hers. She ran her two thumbs over his knuckles for a few seconds before continuing. “- and I just-just couldn’t; sit there and listen to his lies”

#shikahina #shikamaru nara #hinata hyuga #WIP #wip game #writers tag game #thanks for the ask! #asks are open! #❤️❤️❤️

[kankuroplease]

Could you tell us a bit more about kawaramas and Okamis background like before they became a thing? Ik that one of them kinda found the other and took care of them when they were children during the war but how did that happen and did they stay friends after that or did they meet again after some years?

I’m not a fanfic writer sejhdns so I can’t write things with a lot of uh, clarity? Or cohesively lmao. But the way I see it happening;

Okami couldn’t just sit around and allow people to die, so anytime her parents dozed off in their hiding place, she was sneaking out with supplies and ninken to try and aid wounded Shinobi.

On one such night, she happened to see a boy in a fight that he was losing. There would be no saving him if she didn’t intervene and for the first time, she got the courage to ride into a fight.

Everything happened in a flash. Her ninken took a life and the gravity of the situation sunk in as she looked down on the boy who was gravely wounded, struggling to breathe.

She removed his bloody armor to allow him to breathe more comfortably and locate where he was bleeding from so she could heal him, only taking notice that he was a Senju at that moment.

It dawned on her that she couldn’t simply bring him home and ask for her parents assistance. If they knew she not only took a life and brought a SENJU home, they would definitely let him die to balance the scales.

So she took him to her secret hidden den to remove his armor and began properly taking care of the unconscious boy.

She made sure he had a comfortable place to lay and monitored him the best she could and made sure to listen to breathing and giving him medicine for his fever

By the time Kawarama wakes up, there’s this grey haired girl(?) is passed out next to him and a massive white ninken that looked more like a wolf than a dog snoozing behind them.

His first instinct tells him to defend himself but he’s still hurting and can’t move much and all his armor and weapons are missing

His groans awaken Okami and they have a mini stare down. His foggy mind remembers seeing a grey haired kid riding a big ninken towards him in battle and the same fluffy gray hair with blood dripping from it hovering over him as tears fell from those same honey brown eyes he was looking into now

She murmured asking if he was feeling as she sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes

He was safe? Or at least he didn’t feel threatened looking at her

She never gave him her name or talked about clans, she just changed his bandages, made the same bland broth, hummed him songs to fall asleep to, and once he was feeling well enough to sit up, they played games together.

After about a week of this, he was able to leave the den, with some assistance. That’s when Okami tells him it’s time for to go back to his clan. She had packed him a bag of rations knowing and assured him her ninken can find his home following his directions.

Kawarama told her his name and asks her for hers but she told him to just call her his friend.

After that, They didn’t see each other for years. Kawarama tried going back to that den a few times, but it was long abandoned. So he gave up hope of finding her again.

It wasn’t until there was yet another battle a few more years later, that Kawarama caught a glimpse of grey fluffy hair dashing threw the forest on the back of a white ninken being pursued by several men.

That’s when Kawarama saved and greeted her with a “didn’t think I’d see you again, friend”

To which Okami nervously laughs and tells him that was sort of the plan, but she thanks him by name and tries to be on her way

However Kawarama stops her ninken (and Okami feels betrayed by her furry companion. Since when did she start listening to menfolk??) and tells her she owes her old friend a name for saving her butt this time

And that’s how I HC they met, met again, and started an actual friendship

#ask #okami x kawarama #kpz distance between ⛩️ #knfau ℹ️ #kpz naruto founder au

[cursedvibes]

naruto for the ask game!

thanks for the ask! hmm...

favourite "male" character: Orochimaru (just putting him here to leave space for Tsunade) One of the first favourite characters I ever had. And the first of many gnc Mad Scientists I've been exposed to. He was actually a positive influence on me regarding queerness when I was young. Even if he is bad representation. Aside from that, I just like that he is a straight up psychopath. As much as Boruto likes to pretend otherwise, there is no way to palliate what he did. He is frightening and cruel but still entertaining. Also one of the most intelligent characters in-universe. I wish we got to see more of his vast knowledge of jutsu. Missed potential.

favourite female character: Tsunade When I say I like the sannin, I'm mostly talking about her and Orochimaru. She has been fucked over by the shinobi system so hard, lost so much, hit rock bottom but in the end she did manage to at least improve a little bit for the future generation. More than many other hokage did. I also like that she straight up left the village and turned her back on being a ninja. It's not weak, after fighting in 2 ww it's her right. Konoha doesn't deserve her.

least favourite character: Hiruzen and Itachi Can't decide on one, so they're both here. Itachi is mostly just shitty writing because Kishimoto couldn't make up his mind if he's supposed to be a misunderstood genius and hero, or an abused child, or a cold ruthless killer. His arrogant attitude just pisses me off. I especially hate his fight against Kabuto. It solidifies that unless you were born into a powerful clan, you can't amount to anything and any struggle is useless. Kabuto basically got brainwashed into accepting that and keeping his head down. Hiruzen has no backbone and is responsible for most bad things that happen in the story. He didn't do anything to stop them. 9-tails? Naruto? Danzo? Shinobi WW 3? And then the narrative turns around and wants me to believe he's just a jlly old man. Nope.

prettiest character: uuh don't know, Orochimaru's hair? There are a bunch of good-looking characters but I wouldn't call them "pretty"

funniest character: Sai. great dick jokes

favourite season: Kakashi Hiden (in the anime, haven't read the light novel). It just shows all the problems with Konoha and the shinobi system so well. Now if only someone had done smth about it...

favourite episode: When Kakashi and Kinoe enter Orochimaru's old hideout. The tension there is really good. And you get a hint at the horrible things that have happened there, but you are left to fill in the blanks of how it got to that point. My favourite kind of horror.

favourite romantic ship: A lot of the stuff I ship doesn't involve romantic feelings but I like Tsunade and Oro as fwb. Like, in the least cishet way possible

favourite family ship: Not sure what this means but the Otogakure hideout in Boruto is horribly dysfunctional while still being endeering in a fucked up way. I want to see more of Mitsuki & Log and the other clones.

favourite friend ship: Orochimaru & Tsunade again? I want to see them work together in the medical field, either before they defected or during Boruto times. They could achieve so much together or have already. I'm sure they'd also really get on each others nerves while working.

worst ship: Any child/adult stuff. I'm not passionate enough about Naruto ships to hate a specific one.

#asks #orochimaru #tsunade

[chanfictions]

Hi! <3

I read ‘until dawn’ a few weeks ago and I really liked it!

I’ve been thinking about what to request. I find that it’s harder to find fluff fics🤔 Can I request a fluff fic about reader and Kakashi on a first or second date?😊 Like how did they meet/agree to go out and how would they interact? (Could be a bookstore date perhaps, picnic/restaurant, dancing date…🤗)

Fluff can be kinda hard to come by. This was a fun one. Enjoy!

Fireworks

Kakashi x Reader

2.5k

It's barely even a real date… why am I so damn nervous?

Staring yourself in the mirror as you indecisively modeled one seemingly inadequate outfit after another, that question played on repeat in your head. Your fellow instructor and close friend, Iruka Umino, had casually orchestrated this little date after a discussion that revealed your curiously numerous overlapping interests with the village's own Copy Ninja.

That fateful conversation echoed in your mind as a shy heat flooded your cheeks. Of course, you were excited about this little date with Kakashi Hatake, who wouldn't be? He was undeniably handsome under that mask, surprisingly kind, and not to mention a fellow dog person. He checked all of your boxes, but you just didn't know if you checked any of his. Sometimes seeming a bit distant and unreadably aloof, Kakashi wasn't exactly one to loudly exclaim his alignments or feelings about other people, unlike one of his unabashedly boisterous students. Surely, though, he wouldn't have agreed to go on this date if he wasn't at least a little bit interested in you, right?

Shaking your head to dispel your doubts and fix your hair, you straightened your shirt with one last glance in the mirror before grabbing your purse from its resting place on a table near the entrance of your apartment.

"Be good," you paused at the door to crouch down to give your faithful pooch's massive, greying head a loving smooch and a playful scratch before handing him a biscuit. "No eating the couch while I'm gone. I'll be back in a few hours."

Mochi answered with a muffled, "Bwoof," around his treat with a happy wag of his tail before trotting off to hopefully munch on his snack and not your furniture.

"I mean it, mister," you called over your shoulder with a giggle, watching him waddle off to go chow his prize in another room before closing the door behind you.

As you walked into the gleaming rays of the setting sun that kissed the surrounding rooftops with a soft, amber glow, you smiled and inhaled deeply. The scents of fried food and sweet candies wafted toward your apartment from the direction of the festival, drawing in the residents of the village one by one, yourself included. It was an annual celebration that marked the founding of the village, bringing with it themed games, snacks, and fireworks for all those in attendance. In particular, the children and their unfettered excitement over comical puppet shows attended in enthusiastic droves.

You loved this yearly tradition and had since you were a child. The memories of family and fun it evoked were dear to your heart, despite the twinge of sadness they brought with them. Like so many shinobi in the village, your parents perished on a mission when you were younger, leaving you with only dog-eared photographs and the foggy snapshots of precious events preserved in your mind. Your annual celebration with the village was a silent homage to those you so missed.

Putting those bittersweet thoughts aside, you made your way through the thickening crowd, slowing to bask in the joy of the squealing little monsters around you as they blitzed between the legs of adults at a speed that could only be attained by consuming absurd amounts of sugar. You couldn't help but to giggle at their sheer, unbridled excitement that the next puppet show was about to start. Had you not been slated to meet up with your date in the next fifteen minutes, you probably would have joined them. Instead, you perched yourself on the bench designated as your meeting spot with the illusive Copy Ninja, twirling your fingers through the strap of your purse to steady your nerves as you waited. Despite knowing Kakashi's reputation for tardiness, your chest twisted into knots as the long hand of your watch slowly ticked its way across the number that marked the start of your date. As the minutes slowly crept by, that aching sensation tangled around your heart began morphing into a self-deprecating internal monologue.

Maybe he never really wanted to meet up with me in the first place, you sighed, digging the toe of your shoe into the soft, gravelly dirt. He's everyone's type. I'm just probably just not his. What was I thinking?

After what felt like an eternity passed, and the puppet show ended, you had all but resigned yourself to believing that you had been stood up. Chewing your cheek, you scanned the crowd one last time, looking for the bright tuft of silver hair that you knew you probably wouldn't find. You nearly fell off of your bench in surprise when you felt a light tap on your shoulder and suddenly felt the presence of someone standing beside you.

"Sorry, I'm late…"

The rest of his excuse buzzed into the background, as you were so distracted by the completely uncovered face smiling apologetically at you that your brain ejected the rest of the words that left his exposed lips. Sure, you had seen Kakashi without his mask on a few rare occasions, but never in this context. Never in such an effortlessly attractive, casual manner. You were left dumbstruck and needing a moment to swallow the out of control train of nonsense that was tangled up in your throat.

"No worries. I was so caught up in the puppet show, I didn't even realize what time it was," you finally managed to choke out with a nervous laugh. That was a lie. A terribly delivered one, at that, but you didn't want to make him feel bad about it.

"Can I make it up to you with some dinner? One of my favorite restaurants set up a stand just down the road," he said, both offering the words and his jutted out elbow for you to take to walk there, should you agree.

"Dinner sounds great." The tension wrapped around your chest dissipated with surprising ease as you smiled and took his arm. You made your way through the crowd together, making small talk about the lights and games, laughing as one of his students barreled through the throngs of people, completely oblivious that his sensei was arm in arm with a date amongst the other faces in the crowd.

The line for Kakashi's favorite restaurant was surprisingly short, leaving you with little time to idly chat before your orders were taken. Despite your protests, Kakashi insisted on paying for your meal, citing his tardiness as something that needed to be atoned for before steering the conversation back to an earlier topic.

"Like herding kittens," Kakashi mused, explaining what it was like to work with the graduated students of the academy as you each took your carryout boxes and found an unoccupied seat on the stony ledge of a fountain. "Drunk kittens, at that."

You nearly snorted, stifling a laugh as you covered your mouth to avoid losing the bite of food you had just taken. "And I thought working with the little ones was rough," you said with your mouth still half covered and a smile pulling at your lips. "Though I never had Naruto in my class. Iruka got him that year."

"He's a handful, but the kid has a good heart," Kakashi hummed, still seeming on the lookout for the aforementioned bucket of trouble.

"I have one of those at home," you said offhandedly. As soon as those ill-considered words left your lips, you realized you'd made a bit of an error.

Kakashi paused, blinking at you. "You have...?"

"No, no, not a kid, I meant my dog," you hid your face behind your hands as you shook with embarrassed laughter and continued to babble an explanation. "Mochi, he's a handful and eats my couch when I'm gone for too long."

"Oh, what kind of dog?" Kakashi seemed to have dismissed your earlier misstep and was now keenly curious.

"Some kind of mastiff mix, I think. His paws are the size of dinner plates and he eats half of my paycheck every month, but I wouldn't trade him for the world," you smiled genuinely.

As Kakashi listened to you fawn about your canine companion's shenanigans, he couldn't help but to feel a strange sensation slowly warming his soul. The way you talked about your dog reminded him of how he felt about his own hounds. It was a unique bond that not everyone understood, but you seemed to with ease, even without your dog being ninken like his. "Do you have any pictures?"

Heat washed over your head as you sheepishly pulled out a little photo album from your purse. "I have… many," you admitted with a laugh.

Kakashi leaned over to peer at the images as you paged through them, lightly touching shoulders with you as you told the stories that led up to each moment being captured. He couldn't help but notice how you grew quiet and quickly flipped past an old, faded scene of a cute little family, including a girl no older than nine or ten, all standing together at what looked like the very fountain at which you sat. It was a painful reminder that the shinobi world was cruel, and so many in the village lost loved ones thanks to the seemingly endless wars waged between lands.

"He looks like he could be Bull's brother." Kakashi's cool, easy tone pulled your attention back to the present as he casually produced his wallet, flipping past a picture of his team of genin to display a group photo of his hounds and pointing to the large facsimile of your own drool monster at the center of the shot.

"Ahh, look at his squishy face!" you gushed with a girlish squeal.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled into the smiling crescents you were so used to seeing as he tucked his wallet back into his pocket. A chilly breeze swirled about your bodies, reminding you both that the sun had set and that the long-awaited fireworks display would begin soon. "Looks like the big show is about to start."

"Want to watch from the roof?"

Kakashi hummed in thought as he scanned the surrounding buildings before pointing at a particular spot. "Right about… there should have a good view."

In typical shinobi fashion, the two of you vanished in a blink, leaping skyward and landing lightly upon the tiled roof of a nearby business. A teenage giddiness swelled in your chest as you settled down on the pitched surface beside your date, gazing up into the starry sky expectantly as you waited for the show to start. The crowd below buzzed in unison and heads began to turn as the first streak of sparkling light cut through the night with a shrill whistle. The thunderous boom that struck your body with bassy reverb still startled you, despite all of your training, leaving you laughing at yourself while the bright colors bloomed in the dark. "Gets me every time."

Kakashi chuckled softly, looking fondly at you for a moment before returning his sights to the splashes of light painting the skies. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." While he found the chromatic display to be beautiful, he was more keenly focused on the warmth radiating from the person beside him that wrapped comfortably around his being despite the chill that lingered in the air. This was going better than he expected, even after his tardiness nearly ended the date before it began. Despite your nervous need to be early, you waited for him. And being with you was just so easy. Conversation was effortless. You seemed just as content to enjoy the moment without needing to fill the silence with chatter, though he did like listening to you talk. A quiet smile pulled at his lips, thinking about how you reacted to his drooliest hound's picture with the same amount of enthusiasm and love you exuded for your own pooch. Pakkun would surely have something to say about that.

As the loud display left a final series of bold, flashing colors cutting through the inky night, you exhaled happily, glancing over at Kakashi, who seemed almost lost in thought. "That was really spectacular." Your eyes sparkled as the last glittering embers slowly fell from the heavens and the crowd below erupted in cheers and clapping.

"I would have to agree," he replied in that smooth hum that just sent your heart aflutter. "I take it you need to get back home soon to rescue your couch from the jaws of Mochi?"

Glancing at your watch, you laughed quietly, rubbing the back of your neck. "Between the fireworks and me leaving looking different than he's used to, I'm afraid my couch is probably a lost cause."

Kakashi rose to his feet first and offered you a hand with that content expression still smoothed over his alarmingly handsome features. "I'd be happy to walk you home, if you'd like the company."

Taking his hand filled you with a schoolgirlish glow as you stood there together for a moment, faces illuminated by the moon and the sparkles of starlight hanging in the sky. It was nothing short of magical. Those warm, smiling eyes consumed you as you gazed past the long scar and mismatched irises into the guarded soul of the man before you. Your heart all but skipped a beat. "I would very much like the company."

Experiencing this kind of closeness to another person again left such a pleasant feeling wrapping Kakashi's heart that he just didn't want it to end. He was downright smitten, and judging by your behavior toward him, the feeling was mutual. You hopped down from the rooftop together, letting Kakashi offer more support in the landing than you actually needed, simply savoring the moment as he curled an arm around your back while you began the slow walk back to your apartment.

The comfortable chat quieted when you reached your door all too soon, making you wish time would just hold still long enough for you to soak in every last bit of Kakashi's pleasant company. Reality had other plans, however, as the sound of scratching paws and deep, investigative sniffing rattled your locked door. As you turned to your date, a soft smile played on your lips. "Thank you, Kakashi. I had such a great time tonight."

"So did I. It's been a few years since I really enjoyed going to one of these festivals." The warm expression you had been basking in all night was still perched on his face as he spoke to you. "Maybe next time we can take all of the hounds out somewhere together."

Next time… he wants...Your heart buzzed and fluttered, leaving you almost speechless. "I'd really like that. And so would Mochi," you added with a widening smile.

"Same time, next week?" He offered.

"That sounds perfect." You were nearly stunned when Kakashi leaned in and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to your cheek, leaving the heat of a blooming crush in its wake.

"Until then, goodnight," he smiled softly, reluctantly releasing your hand.

Readying a bid of farewell to the notoriously late, seemingly aloof Copy Ninja who had just completely stolen your heart, you unlocked your apartment, pausing in the doorway to smile at him one last time before your wonderful evening came to an end. "Goodnight."

#naruto x reader #kakashi x reader #kakashi hatake #kakashi fluff #naruto fluff #naruto imagines #kakashi #kakashi x you #kakashi imagines #chanfictions #naruto fanfiction #kakashi fanfiction

[animeomegas]

Sorry, but now I'm imagining little Sasuke trying to sneak into Itachi and his alpha's shared bed and sleeping between them in order to "protect" his big bro from his alpha. And when either of them(most likely Itachi) kindly refuses him, he pulls 'but I had a nightmare' card 😂

(This is phenomenal, anon, thank you so much for sharing. I honestly am so pleased for an excuse to write more of little!Sasuke’s shenanigans with his older brother’s mate.)

Sasuke concocts many plans to try and separate his beloved brother and the evil alpha who is taking advantage of him.

And sure, none of them have worked so far, but this one is going to work for sure!

He’s going to stop that alpha from taking his brother’s innocence! Because Iruka told them all about gross stuff that couples do, and Sasuke didn’t totally get it, but he certainly isn’t going to let someone do that to his brother, no way! (You’re too late Sasuke, I’m sorry to have to tell you this…)

Hence his plan:

He’s going to get in the middle of them at night! There’s no way that won’t work!

So, he goes to talk to Itachi!

…

“Big brother,” Sasuke draws out, trying to be as cute as possible so Itachi can’t say no. “C-Can I sleep in your room tonight?”

Itachi raises a single eyebrow but turns to give Sasuke his full attention.

“Why?”

“Because… er… because Kakashi sensei says we’re going on a mission soon and I’ll miss you,” Sasuke let the pride of coming up with a plausible response smooth over the embarrassment of asking such a thing.

Itachi startles slightly, but smiles.

“We will have plenty of time to see each other in the daytime, little brother, and I will walk you to the village gate to say goodbye. Kakashi senpai is a very capable shinobi, so you shouldn’t worry too much.”

Itachi then pokes Sasuke on the forehead and leaves him scowling at the ruined fragments of his plan.

Oh well, on to plan two.

…

Sasuke’s second plan is a lot more embarrassing, so it was his second plan for a reason, but desperate times call for desperate measure.

He can handle some embarrassment if it means protecting his big brother, he’s a shinobi after all!

And so, plan two commences!

…

Steeling himself, Sasuke knocks on his brother’s bedroom door where he and his alpha are currently staying. Sasuke had gone upstairs a few hours ago and pretended to sleep, but Itachi and his alpha had only gone to bed about twenty minutes ago, so it was the perfect time!!

*knock knock*

Sasuke hears some shuffling and muffled swearing from behind the door before a vaguely irritated Itachi’s voice calls him in. Sasuke must have been just in time! Itachi sounds irritated, that stupid alpha must have upset him!

Creaking open the door, Sasuke steps in.

“Big brother,” Sasuke calls, trying to pretend to be sleepy. “Can I sleep in here tonight? I had a nightmare.”

Sasuke rubs his eyes for a moment for effect before looking up to his brother to see his reaction.

Itachi narrows his eyes at him like he knows something is going on, but Sasuke just smiles sweetly in return.

Itachi’s evil alpha clears their throat awkwardly.

“I’ll just be in the bathroom,” they say, before hobbling to the bathroom, and they’re holding a pillow in front of them for some reason. Oh well, it doesn’t matter, he managed to scare them away for now at least.

“What game are you playing, Sasuke?” Itachi’s firm voice brings Sasuke out of his musings.

“I’m not doing anything, I just had a nightmare,” Sasuke starts before noticing something was different with Itachi. “Hey, your hair is all messed up, what happened?”

Itachi’s face takes on an uncharacteristic blush.

“Nothing, it’s just… messed up from laying down, that’s all.”

“And… is that a bruise on your neck!? Did that awful person hurt you? Tell me and I’ll get cousin Shisui to help me deal with them!”

Itachi blushes even more and covers his neck with his shirt.

“No, it was just an accident, Sasuke,” he says, but Sasuke can tell he’s lying, that awful alpha probably did it to him! “What are you doing in here anyway, and tell the truth this time?”

“What?” Sasuke gasps in fake offence. “I already told you, I had a nightmare.”

“Uh huh,” Itachi says in a way that makes it obvious he doesn’t believe Sasuke and has run out of patience. “Go back to bed, Sasuke.”

At that moment, the alpha comes out of the bathroom, pillow gone now, and kneels down beside Sasuke.

“You had a nightmare, little one?”

Sasuke bristles at the tone and the condescending name.

“Yeah,” he deadpans. “You died.”

“Aww,” you coo. “That’s what made you upset?”

“No, dream me laughed so hard I hurt myself.”

“Sasuke!” Itachi reprimands from his position sitting up in bed. “That is not a kind thing to say to people. It’s past your bedtime, go to bed.”

Sasuke huffs.

“Fine, but you have to tuck me in!”

“Sasuke,” Itachi starts, exasperated.

“Yeah, Itachi,” the alpha laughs. “Go and tuck him in.”

Itachi glares at his alpha, nervously fiddling with the blankets pooled around his waist.

“Go and get into bed, Sasuke, I’ll be through in a minute.”

“No,” Sasuke objects, not wanting to leave his brother alone with that alpha anymore than necessary. “Come now.”

Itachi purses his lips, the flush returning, while his alpha giggles in the corner.

“Yeah, Itachi,” they grin. “Why not stand up and go now?”

“You’re not helping,” Itachi hisses.

The alpha laughs one more time before putting a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder and leading him out of the room, despite Sasuke’s protests.

“Go to bed and Itachi will be through in a minute.”

Just before the door closes, Sasuke sees the alpha throw a pair of pyjama trousers at Itachi. Why on earth would Itachi need two pairs of pyjama trousers? This alpha is weird and obviously bad news.

Sasuke would just have to make his case when Itachi came to tuck him in.

#sasuke #omega itachi #itachi x reader #naruto #a/b/o #omegaverse #alpha!reader #alpha reader #reader insert #gn reader #sasuke and itachi #alpha x omega #little!sasuke #little sasuke #young!sasuke

[silentexplorer18]

Pen & Ink Soulmates: A Kakashi Hatake Fic

Summary: A partner, they said. Someone compatible with you, they said. Lies. Or the story in which you sneakily convince Kakashi that soulmates aren't all that bad.

Pairing: Kakashi Hatake x Female Reader

Warnings: Soulmate AU, Writing on skin, Minor Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, Abduction, Minor Injuries, Serious Injuries, Hospitals, Angst with a Happy Ending.

Word Count: 12,100+

Note: For clarity, this fic occurs over a relatively large chunk of time, but it might make more sense to pretend Kakashi joins the ANBU in later teenage years (though we could pretend two high-level Jonin could talk with such maturity at age 13 if we wanted to!). Basically, I didn’t stress a timeline too much, but I hope you still enjoy it as much as I do! :)

Read on AO3 ▪ Masterlist

Hi, soulmate!

Soulmate?

Are you getting my messages?

Let me know if you want to talk.

Can you see the moon where you are?

I found the prettiest flowers today at the market. I wish I could draw you a picture of them.

Do you like flowers? I have a hard time picking a favorite.

You’d been trying. The whole connecting with your soulmate thing was supposed to be exciting and invigorating, but so far it had only left you with the bitter taste of defeat.

A partner, they said. Someone compatible with you, they said.

Lies.

Apparently whoever was supposed to be on the other end of your soul connection didn’t care about the messages you sent. They weren’t as eager to speak with you as you were to speak with them. At least, that’s what you told yourself. The alternative was much, much worse; a fate you weren’t willing to consider.

You had a soulmate. They just weren’t ready to talk yet.

So, you threw yourself into training. Every swift movement and taunt muscle, every hit target and victorious sparring session, all the work left you feeling strong and powerful. When your soulmate met you, maybe they’d regret taking so long when they saw how hard you’d been working, how skilled you’d become.

Thankfully, you had a sparring partner that liked to keep you on your toes. Kakashi had been training with you for about as long as you could remember; he was your closest friend and greatest ally as you worked to become a talented shinobi. Of all the people in the village, he facilitated and supported your growth more than anyone. You could rely on him for almost anything (except for being on time).

But there was one problem.

Kakashi didn’t like talking about soulmates. You couldn’t blame him. Deep emotional connections wasn’t a topic he wanted to dwell on, not after everything that had happened throughout his still-young lifetime. So you kept the conversation civil, even as your heart desperately yearned to talk to someone about your sudden fear of being alone, your deep, unrestrained terror that there was no partner to your soul, no body to receive the messages you delicately penned on the skin under your wrapped arms.

But apparently there was.

You learned that roughly a year later, after many failed attempts and more destroyed pens than you cared to admit.

The amount of times you’d tried to contact your soulmate had dwindled, both due to the lack of response and the influx in your shinobi duties. Regardless, you still took the time to try every once in a while.

Usually, your messages were sweet or silly. A few times, you’d merely asked if anyone was receiving your carefully written words, begging to know there was someone out there for you.

But every sensible person reaches their breaking point. And evidently both you and your soulmate broke in very different ways on the same day.

Good evening, soulmate. I didn’t do much today, but I can give you a run-down if you’d like.

It was a game you’d started a few months into your attempts at contact. Pretending someone was there was much, much easier than thinking about any alternative. So you tried your best to leave messages despite how much it hurt.

Staring at your wrist, you considered the scribble of the letters, the handwriting you only tried to make semi-nice now. That was your soulmate’s fault; you were past the point of a perfect first impression. But what to write today? What could entertain your soulmate, maybe even draw them out? You weren’t sure.

When the first inky letter swirled across your skin, your heart leapt into your throat, and your pen dropped from your hand. Your thoughts of what to write were quickly forgotten. There was someone. There was someone! There was someone waiting for you!

You leaned forward, hand clamped around your wrist to keep it steady as the words appeared on your skin.

You’re putting us both in danger. Stop writing to me.

Well, that certainly wasn’t what you expected.

After all the waiting, after all the time, that’s what your soulmate was willing to give you? Your jaw clenched, hand releasing your wrist so you wouldn’t inadvertently snap it. What a jerk.

How dare your soulmate assume you were incapable! How dare your soulmate treat you like nothing more than a hindrance! How dare your soulmate act like you were some worthless flower that would be trampled over by a single breeze!

You clicked your pen, hand pressing just a skosh too hard into your skin as you carved a message back to whoever that jerk was.

I can take care of myself.

The reply came a few minutes later.

Good. I don’t want you in my life. Leave me alone.

Oh.

Years of waiting for a soulmate, and the one to finally show up didn’t want anything to do with you? Great, just great.

You closed your eyes, hands shaking as you drew your knees closer to your body. Alone. You were alone. No matter who was destined to be by your side, nobody would be there. The tears burned in your eyes, but you tried to keep from shedding them. You were a shinobi. You were strong. You were… alone.

No, no you weren’t. You still had Kakashi and Kurenai. You had Asuma when he bothered to chat with you. You weren’t totally alone. You had people in your life to keep you company. Hell, you were even supposed to meet Kakashi for breakfast tomorrow!

You went over your list of friends in your head, desperately trying to drown out the nagging voice in the back of your mind whispering that the person who mattered most would never want you.

~

Kakashi was late to breakfast the next morning. Even later than usual. You idly wondered if he’d been called on an emergency mission while trying to keep your thin soup down.

The events of the night before rested at the forefront of your mind, making your stomach queasy with the memory of the harsh words.

Your soulmate had washed them off your arm by morning, but the message had already been branded in your mind. There would be no forgetting.

When Kakashi finally deigned to arrive, he looked much worse than usual. It was hardly perceptible to the untrained eye, but you knew something was wrong after so many years of friendship with Kakashi. He was even quieter than he usually was, picking at the cold soup you’d ordered for him.

It had been spur of the moment to order for the both of you, a decision brought on by being too wrapped up in your own thoughts. However, Kakashi didn’t comment on your unusual gesture.

For once, something went your way.

After your relatively brief and quiet meal, you offered to walk with Kakashi to the Hokage Tower, desperately craving the fresh air. He accepted your offer with a half-hearted nod, and you fell into step alongside him, trying to keep up with his impossibly lanky figure.

“You’ve been going to the Hokage Tower a lot lately. Is everything alright?”

Hummed, the sound still gravely from failing to use his voice all morning. “They’re pushing me up to the ANBU.”

You froze. The ANBU? One of the most elite and dangerous positions that a Leaf shinobi could accept? Your best friend—the talent, the protector, the lost child inside willing to throw his life away for the sake of his home, for the people who had left without him—an ANBU?

Kakashi stopped a few paces in front of you, casting a distasteful look over his shoulder at your expression.

“I can handle it. Stop fussing.”

With quick steps, you joined his side again, clenching your fist in embarrassment. “I’m not fussing. I just wasn’t expecting it so soon.”

“We die young as shinobi,” he murmured, continuing his walk toward the tower in the distance. Suddenly, the structure appeared to be looming rather than protecting, and a chill crawled along your spine.

Of course shinobi died young. All bodies gave out eventually, and shinobi would fight until that occurred, regardless of whether or not it was to their detriment (it almost always was). But Kakashi was the most talented shinobi you’d ever encountered. He wouldn’t die young, you hoped. He had so much left to live for, even if he couldn’t see it through the haze of his own pain and guilt.

The remaining walk to the Hokage tower was silent. And afterwards, you took flowers to the memorial stone. You prayed for the dead. And just this once, you begged them to look out for the living, too.

~

The day Kakashi joined the ANBU, you knew. The matching tattoo colored your bicep in sweeping increments, a sharp red rattling your heart within your chest. The reality of your situation washed over you like the worst kind of genjutsu.

Your best friend was your soulmate. And he didn’t want you.

The realization left you shell shocked for a few days, unable to even speak or look at Kakashi. Even without the contact, your mind couldn’t escape from him. However, you eventually managed to safeguard your heart as best as you could. You wouldn’t tell him yet; something within you couldn’t handle that risk of rejection, especially when it would come from Kakashi. But you weren’t willing to throw away the lifetime of friendship the two of you shared. So you put on a smile and met Kakashi at his favorite restaurant, just like usual.

“You haven’t been here for a few days,” he noted as you sat down, watching you intently. “Everything alright?”

You shrugged, fingers trailing down the side of your glass. “Yeah, just wasn’t feeling up to anything.”

It was a partial lie, one Kakashi could easily prod into if he wanted to. But he didn’t. He let you be. And you relished in the way the conversation eventually grew normal between the two of you, right up until he rose from the table, leaving you to pay the bill.

Everything was normal. But you cried again that night anyway.

~

Life fell back into the usual pattern after that. There were times that you could almost pretend the weight on your shoulders wasn’t there. Kakashi was away on more missions with the ANBU, so you were able to bury your head in your training and missions and pretend nothing was wrong. At least, you could pretend until a pen caught your eye.

The words on your skin had been so brutal, and you hoped they were just because of the pain Kakashi had endured. You hoped it came from a place of love rather than hatred; perhaps Kakashi’s intention was protection rather than cold-hearted rejection.

At least, that’s what you thought until you found Kakashi sparring with Gai.

You tried your hardest not to invade their privacy, not to listen to words that weren’t meant for your ears, like the good friend you were, but Kakashi’s voice was too sharp, too defensive, to not draw your attention.

“—but it’s a waste of time, Gai. Soulmates are unnecessary. Especially for people like us.”

“You’re hiding from your future, Kakashi. Wasting all your youthful days that you could be spending with the one who will love you as much as life itself!”

Another failed attack. The clang of clashing kunai.

“A soulmate could only be a liability to me. You know what kind of missions I’m being sent on.”

“They’re your soulmate, Kakashi. Soulmates are built to work together. They fill the cracks like the best kind of glue!”

Kakashi scoffed. There was another clang, the gentle zip of shuriken on the breeze.

“I’d never love them anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.”

“You’d say something so cruel—”

You turned away, unable to listen anymore. The pain pooled heavy in your gut. The message he’d written hadn’t been a reflexive, angry reaction. His beliefs were set in stone. He didn’t want you.

So, you held your chin up, resigned yourself to eternal loneliness, and pretended the whole soulmate dilemma didn’t exist.

If being Kakashi’s friend was the closest you could get, then you’d ignore the sting in your chest when you looked at him. You’d be his friend. Nothing more.

~

Your resolve lasted a few weeks.

There was whispering. There had always been whispering, but this day was much worse than usual. He’d been mocked, insulted, shamed. Openly. And aside from Gai, nobody had said a word otherwise. You couldn’t stand it, watching him mask the pain as much as he masked his own features. His feigned nonchalance couldn’t fool your perceptive eyes. You’d been watching too closely; you knew him too well.

Curled at your desk that night, you wrote a message on your wrist, scared of talking to him again but unable to leave him alone.

You’re a good person.

Hours passed before you received a response. It was curt, defensive, everything Kakashi carried to protect himself. You don’t know me.

But you did.

Although it was difficult to sleep, you tried your best not to toss and turn too much as you brooded over your feelings. Was it worth saying more? Was it worth risking the hurt, the rejection?

In the morning, you’d made your decision, especially after noticing his words had already been rinsed off your wrist.

Cleaning your own wrist, you wrote the message in your head a thousand times over, only hoping the words wouldn’t hurt you so much when they reached his skin.

You're a good person, Kakashi Hatake. I won't let you tell me otherwise.

~

Kakashi met you for lunch just like usual. You wouldn’t have found anything odd about the meeting, but he showed up on time. Apparently your message had rattled him enough to throw him completely off his rhythm.

Rather than comment on his early appearance, you just smiled as he sat down, choosing to dig into your meal. Kakashi followed suit, pulling out a book while he waited for his bowl.

Silence settled between you, and you let it. After all, you were trying to make the situation appear normal. The last thing you wanted was for him to figure out you were in on the secret that was bothering him. So, the two of you ate. You sipped your tea, glancing out at the people passing on the street until Kakashi finally broke the silence.

“My soulmate knows who I am,” he murmured, setting down his raman bowl.

You plastered on a smile, knowing you had to fake congratulations, had to fake knowing that he had, in fact, zero intentions of finding his soulmate.

“That’s so exciting, Kakashi! I’m glad you’ve finally found yours!”

He laughed dryly, scratching his neck. “It’s not quite like that.”

You tried to neutralize the way your expression dropped. Either Kakashi didn’t notice, nose stuck in his copy of Make Out Paradise, or he didn’t care. You bit your lip, brows furrowing before you could stop them. “How so?”

But you already knew the answer to that.

“I’m not talking to my soulmate,” he said curtly. “It’s not something that interests me.”

You shook your head, sighing softly. He’d never let anyone in, never let anyone close. Kakashi was too reserved for that, and you resigned yourself to the knowledge that he’d never care to change the fate he’d chosen for himself. For such a hopeless romantic, he had a terrible tendency to reject love.

“You’re so foolish, Kakashi,” you whispered, balancing the chopsticks on the rim of your bowl.

His eye snapped to your face. Though he appeared nonchalant, you could tell that he slightly bristled at your words. “You’re one to talk.”

“Mine won’t talk to me,” you pointed out sharply, eyes dropping to refold your napkin.

His expression softened minutely, but his tone stayed firm. “That isn’t what I meant. We’re shinobi, (Y/n). Love in our line of duty is fatal.”

Pursing your lips, you caught his eye again before dropping his stare. “Perhaps,” you murmured, knuckles straining in your lap. “But you can’t say it’s pleasant to live without love.”

He was silent for a moment as you both stared at anywhere but one another. Kakashi was ruminating under your words while you wallowed in the silent pain of listening to your soulmate openly deny your importance. It hurt, but you wouldn’t admit that, least of all not to his face.

Before he could speak again, Gai had clapped Kakashi on the shoulder, greeting him as warmly as ever.

You slipped out of the shop, enough money to cover both your meals pressed into the owner’s hand before either of the shinobi could realize you’d disappeared.

~

Although your conversation with Kakashi had stung deep within your chest, you appreciated the insights it gave you.

Kakashi Hatake was aware his soulmate knew his name. And he was terrified.

The fact that he’d brought it up at all was enough to tell you how jarring the event had been for him. That, and the way he responded at the mere notion of knowing his soulmate. He was like a cornered cat lashing his claws out in terror. He didn’t mean to hurt anyone, not his soulmate, not you. But in his desperation to protect himself, reinforce the walls he’d so meticulously crafted to fortify his aching heart, Kakashi Hatake was willing to scratch.

However, you weren’t willing to let it go that easily.

He was scared of having someone care for him. You were willing to start small in the hopes of changing that.

Along the curve of your inner wrist, you swirled the letters that would become the first of many.

Stay safe on your mission.

It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

~

Today is supposed to be cold. Wear an extra mask.

He didn’t. Worse yet, he chose to do the opposite. Although it was hard to tell, you knew his mask and undershirt were the spring/summer fabrics rather than the fall/winter ones.

The bastard was spiting you. Well, spiting his soulmate. So, unwittingly spiting you.

It was still irksome.

As the two of you wandered around the village, helped the farmers, and even took a leisurely stroll around the village perimeter “just in case,” you relished in the way Kakashi moved. It was obvious he was cold, regretting his unnecessary fashion stance.

But you couldn’t stand to see him cold.

He looked close to dropping to the ground for a rapid succession of push-ups just to rekindle some warmth. As smug as you were about watching him suffer, you weren't willing to let him perform a Gai for a small semblance of relief.

Swiftly, you unlooped your scarf, draping it around his neck unceremoniously. It wasn’t much, but the fabric was warm, and it would certainly help a little.

If only you knew how happy the gesture made him.

As the two of you walked back to the heart of the village, Kakashi walked a little closer to you than normal. And, for some reason, you didn’t really mind.

~

When Kakashi didn’t show up to lunch the following week, you weren’t surprised. You’d only just returned from a mission, and word of Kakashi’s travels had already graced your ears. He was heading to the Village Hidden in the Sand. For what, you weren’t sure. Some missions were still classified even for you.

Despite knowing how skilled Kakashi was, you still worried about him traveling alone through the desert.

The click of your pen hurt a little less when you clicked it now. It helped to know who your soulmate was. It helped to feel like he cared about you still, even when he so clearly loathed his soulmate.

Remember to drink some water today.

A few hours later, you were surprised to see a response scribbled across your inner wrist.

Yes.

Just one word but finally a positive one.

~

Rest when you can.

Kakashi stared at the words delicately placed on his wrist. His mission had taken longer than expected, and he was beginning to think his soulmate knew that.

Whoever they were, they must have been a shinobi like him. A high-ranking one, too, for them to determine the length of time he was supposed to be away for.

He’d been receiving one message per day. At first, it irritated him to no end. But now, he didn’t hate it quite so much, even if he often didn’t bother to reply. The messages were always harmless. Sometimes they were funny. Sometimes they were giving him advice, a little reminder meant—he assumed—to help him through the day.

While the sender certainly had the best intentions when sending the note, the message still left him irked. He was alone for this mission, and the sleeplessness and general strains of traveling had started to take a toll on him.

Only a day’s journey left until he could return home and try to shake the sand out of every nook and cranny of his backpack. Only a day’s journey left until he could sleep in a bed. Only a day’s journey left until he could go to dinner with the others. Just. One. More. Day.

He could make it. He had to.

~

Kakashi had been injured again.

The news swept through the village like a wildfire, and you showed up with two Make Out novels and a bowl of raman, nearly being knocked over by Gai’s comically large bouquet in the process.

Kakashi accepted Gai’s flowers with moderate amounts of grumbling and a few lackluster attempts to get him to leave. Eventually, he did, and it was just the two of you.

You filled the vase at his bedside with water, delicately stuffing as many of the stems as you possibly could inside the glass.

Kakashi watched you move around him, cherishing the silence. At his bedside, you unclasped your bag, pulling out the blindingly colorful books and the container of Ichiraku raman. After making sure the utensils were settled and there was a napkin, you turned back to Kakashi, just missing the warm expression on his face.

“You should rest,” you encouraged gently, “and eat up.”

His eye squinted playfully. “You fuss too much.”

You smiled, smoothing a shuriken printed blanket over the starchy hospital ones. It was yours, but it still smelled faintly of dogs and Kakashi and spice. Hopefully it would stave off some of his nightmares, having something that smelled vaguely like home.

“I fuss just enough. Now, don’t stay up too late reading. Some rest will go a long way.”

“You fuss too—” He yelped as you pinched his toe through the blanket, slinging your bag back over your shoulder.

“You’re lucky you have me as a friend.”

Kakashi’s expression softened, mind racing toward how close he’d come to death yet again. “Yeah, I am.”

He relished in the way that simple statement delighted you, watching the way your expression lit up.

“Get some rest,” you encouraged again, turning to leave him in the bright, quiet room.

As per your request, he did.

~

Although he listened to your advice, it was only marginally. In true Kakashi fashion, he’d talked his way out of the hospital after a measly two days of treatment.

His body needed more time, but Kakashi was always one to push himself.

Since the Hokage stalled sending him on another mission, something he both hated and appreciated, he occupied the following days in his normal rhythm. He trained privately, visited the memorial stone, and wandered the village nose-deep in supposedly trashy romance.

You’d caught him wandering around a few times, and even saw him lightly competing in a challenge against Gai.

The sight made your blood boil even though you knew it was Kakashi being Kakashi.

He had no sense of self-preservation, which wasn’t particularly helpful when you—his soulmate—were watching from the sidelines.

Did he even care that he could leave you all alone? No, probably not, your mind taunted. Kakashi didn’t care about soulmates; you knew that.

If only you could convince your heart not to care.

That afternoon, you let the letters curl across your wrist as you watched him do another training exercise with Gai, looking faintly more fatigued than normal.

Give yourself time to recover.

If he found your message, he didn’t care to respond.

~

Kakashi would visit the memorial stone in the morning; you knew how his routine worked.

He felt it fitting to visit them as often as he could, an apology for living the life they all should have lived.

You couldn’t blame him. You visited the stone often, too.

But you couldn’t today, not while you were traveling to the Village Hidden in the Sand with a scroll. So, you asked for a favor, scribbling on your wrist: Pray for mine, too, please.

He was starting to grow accustomed to your messages. A small part of you wondered if he kept an eye out for them. But that was silly. You were thinking about Kakashi. He probably was just reading his book when the words appeared, his wrist already in his line of sight.

At least, that’s what you told yourself.

But it still didn’t dispel your excitement when the answer scribbled across your skin a few minutes later.

Sure.

~

He’d been taking on so many missions lately, wearing himself to the bone just to be a good shinobi. A part of you wondered if he was trying to avoid thinking about anything other than his shinobi world. That hunch didn’t stop you from worrying.

Soulmate or not, Kakashi’s actions would have worried you. He looked exhausted as he shuffled through his laundry. You’d brought him takeout from his favorite restaurant to hopefully get something other than rations in his stomach before he left on his next mission.

Who knew how long it would be before he drug himself in, requested another trip, and raced off to somewhere new. You would’ve thought he was avoiding you if it weren’t for the obvious delight in his eyes when you caught up with him outside Hokage Tower.

But there was a reason he was working himself to exhaustion. Possibly long-dead memories brought back to life that he couldn’t stand thinking about. You didn’t even want to know; you just wanted him to be okay.

A week later, you saw him walking through the village gates yet again. Back again. Planning to leave again. It was always the same, just relentlessly overkill at present. He was taking on too much, and one day he would slip up and regret it. You didn’t want that.

So you stayed behind the kiosk you’d been perusing, fingers untangling the wraps around your hand. It was a simple message, but you hoped it would help snap his mind out of whatever hole he’d buried it in.

Please don’t overwork yourself.

He didn’t respond. Not a word graced your hopeful skin.

But Kakashi caught you outside one of the stores in town and asked if you wanted to meet up for dinner that night. He would be around for a while, he said, but he was too tired to cook.

Despite trying to hold on to your resolve, a small part of you couldn’t help but hope he was staying because you asked him to. It was probably wishful thinking, but you were grateful for whatever force made him stay nonetheless.

~

I believe in you.

Kakashi scoffed at the message on his arm, printed in the spot where his glove met his sleeve.

He found it after a competition with Gai. Hardly anything worth fussing over, but his soulmate had still sent him encouraging words.

Had they been watching? Had they seen the fun (though he’d never admit it) that he and Gai had been having? Had they wanted to join in?

For a long time, he’d been able to avoid thinking about his soulmate altogether. Now, though, they’d found a way to weasel into his mind with the words swirling over his skin.

He wasn’t willing to consider whether or not he enjoyed it.

~

I worry when you’re reckless.

The message shouldn’t have stung Kakashi’s heart, but somehow it did. His soulmate was watching and worrying, hearing the stories about his travels. Whoever they were, they must have been a shinobi, too.

Were they okay with forsaking love in the name of war? Could they abandon emotions for the sake of duty? Maybe. His soulmate had never directly asked to be anything more than penpals, though even that notion was quite one-sided.

But the message on his wrist betrayed his soulmate’s strength. They worried about him. They listened for the stories and understood when something went wrong.

Kakashi couldn’t help but wonder if they were reckless, too.

If he never took the chance to know them, would he care if they threw their life away as often as he’d tried to? He wasn’t sure.

~

The next Make Out novel comes out today. I reserved you a copy at the Northern bookstore. It’s less crowded.

Kakashi didn’t understand why his soulmate was being so nice to him. Not after his harsh words at the beginning, not after his sparse replies and general lack of interest. But whoever they were, they were trying, and he had to admire that.

At first, he was surprised his soulmate was not only fine with him reading erotic novels in public but also encouraging it. But, then again, his soulmate was meant to be compatible with him, right?

There would be butting heads, of course. All soulmates lost the honeymoon stage eventually. But this seemed deeper, warmer. His favorite book in a quiet shop on his day off. It was kindness. And it felt both strange and wonderful.

He vaguely regretted not doing anything for his soulmate. Though, maybe they were okay with that. Maybe they enjoyed being alone, just like he did.

Maybe if he kept lying to himself, he’d continue to enjoy it.

But crouched in a tree a few hours later, he couldn’t shake the gratitude deep in his chest. The novel was amazing. And he wouldn’t have been able to get his hands on it if it weren’t for his soulmate’s generosity.

Two words.

Thank you.

~

Kakashi had arrived home from another long mission. Although unscathed, his clothes were a mess. Dirt and mud clung to his legs, dried blood was smattered across his upper body, and a few rogue twigs and leaves stuck to him in strange places. He needed a shower. Desperately.

But something within Kakashi was restless, and he chose to wander around the village absently.

Something must have happened for him to look so dazed and unattached, but you tried to avoid asking anything direct in public.

Instead, you hopped beside him, catching his arm with the tips of your fingertips. He hummed in response.

“You just got back, right, Kakashi?”

He hummed again. “Yep.”

“Have you bought groceries?”

“No... Why?”

“A bunch of us are going to dinner tonight. You should come. It’s been a while since we’ve all been together.”

He inspected you for a long moment, and you could tell what he was thinking. The laugh bubbled in your throat before you could help yourself. “It’s Iruka’s turn to take Gai home, don’t worry.”

He stared for a moment longer before nodding slowly. “Okay.” Another small, dazed nod. “I’ll come.”

You couldn’t hide your smile as you told him the establishment and the time. That alone made Kakashi’s mood improve, though he’d never admit that aloud.

An hour later, though, he was still wandering around the city absentmindedly. So you figured his soulmate could take matters into their own hands.

Blood in your hair? Isn’t that a bit macabre?

He replied an hour later.

No.

But the next time you saw him, he was dressed in a new uniform. Not a single pristinely white hair was out of place.

If it hadn’t been for Anko talking your ear off about her last mission, you almost could’ve imagined that you and Kakashi were on a date.

It was the closest you would get, a clean vest and all.

But when Asuma blew a puff of smoke and Kakashi glared disdainfully from across the table, any hopes of romance slipped through your fingers.

You were friends. Close friends.

And you refocused on Anko’s story in the hopes of forgetting the state of your friendship with Kakashi for the span of a few minutes.

Every little glance he sent your way certainly didn’t help.

Nor did the way he offered you the last bite of his cake as a thanks for paying for his meal yet again.

Damn, you were in deep.

~

Be safe on your mission.

His reply came a few minutes later.

Yep.

Although it wasn’t much, the gesture made you smile. It seemed almost like he was waiting for your message, like he’d been checking as he and his companions wandered down the road.

You told yourself it was wishful thinking, but the word scribbled on your wrist in his handwriting warmed your heart all the same.

~

You’d forgotten. The mission had been too complex, your mind too preoccupied. You’d forgotten to write to Kakashi.

A part of you distantly wondered if he cared, if he even thought about your messages.

He’d started to reply on occasion. It was never more than a quickly scrawled, single word response, but it was still better than the total isolation he’d given you before.

You couldn’t say it was great, or that the two of you talked as soulmates. But it was relatively amicable. And that was a much better foot to get off on than the first time he’d responded to the words you’d scribbled words across your arms.

Things were okay.

And although you had a few scrapes and scratches from your mission, that had gone okay, too.

When your team settled in a clearing for the night, tent built and fire glowing, you drifted off, too exhausted to think of sending a scrabbled love message to Kakashi.

But he hadn’t forgotten about you.

Although you assumed he wasn’t paying attention, Kakashi was one of the best ninja in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He paid attention to everything, despite his usual nonchalance.

He noticed immediately that his soulmate hadn’t written to him.

After weeks of at least one little message per day.

And he wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was terrified. Had something happened to you? Were you injured? Could it be worse?

The idea of soulmates may have left him feeling disgruntled, but your messages had burrowed a home in his heart.

He wasn’t ready to give you or your messages up yet.

So for the first time in a long time, he wrote a real message.

You’re late. Doing okay?

As you watched over the dying flames several hours later, an early morning guard for your teammates, you stared at his words, tracing a finger over the scraggly characters.

Late.

You knew he wasn’t talking about your mission because the four of you weren’t due back for another two days. He didn’t know your identity. That only left the messages…

Was he treating this as a check-in?

You rolled your eyes, chuckling. Leave it to Kakashi to care more than he let on.

Got lost on the path of life. You?

Kakashi stared at your message. He’d been perusing his favorite bookstore for spare copies of the Make Out series’ novels, sleeve suspiciously cuffed and waiting for a reply, when the words had swirled across his skin.

And he laughed. Warmly and purely. Because you’d stolen his line.

You knew him. And maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing if you would continue to make him laugh so openly.

Surprised with himself, he clicked his pen, words scribbling across his skin before he had the chance to doubt himself.

Glad you’re alive.

It wasn’t much, but it was a start. An admission that he wasn’t as dismayed by the soulmate thing as he let on. And you arrived home from your mission absolutely beaming.

~

You were able to catch Kakashi for lunch before heading off on your next mission with Kurenai. The food was filling, and the conversation was nice. Funnily enough, he was supposed to leave for a mission with Gai the next day. No rest for the shinobi apparently.

Kakashi waved at you as you walked away, and you smiled to yourself. Even if you didn’t have your soulmate by your side, at least you still had some connection to Kakashi. Being by his side was worth the dull ache it left in your heart.

But you would be without it for the next few days. Although you and Kurenai were leaving for no more than two days, Kakashi and Gai would probably be gone most of the week. Part of you hated when Kakashi was away, but part of you enjoyed getting to write to him more often. When he was away, you could be a little less secretive as you scribbled down messages throughout your day in the village.

But, for the time being, you’d focus on the mission at hand.

It was a standard case of bandits in the woods. At least, that was what the scroll had described the mission as. However, as you and Kurenai crept through the dense forest, something felt off.

No matter how far the two of you traveled, the quiet whisper of wind in the leaves greeted you. Despite your speed and silence, you couldn’t sense any animals or hear anything suspicious. Bandits would have left campsites or trash or, hell, even footsteps. But nothing greeted your senses, not even traces of animals. These weren’t ordinary bandits.

Your suspicions were confirmed when eight people jumped from the brush, attacking with a swiftness you hadn’t anticipated. Their presences had been completely concealed.

Kurenai lept to your left, and you lept to the right, sending three shuriken through the air to hit the nearest attacker. While your attack worked slightly, you immediately had to jump again, barely catching Kurenai rushing off through the trees.

This was the failsafe plan; if you got caught, you’d separate far enough that you couldn’t catch one another in the crossfire of your attacks.

But you were outmatched. Whoever these “bandits” were, they were extremely skilled in capturing and securing enemies. One moment, you were wielding a fire jutsu. The next moment, your vision had gone dark.

~

Capture wasn’t the only thing the bandits appeared to be skilled in. Upon waking, you’d been tied to a chair with restraints stronger than you could break. The room was dark, probably somewhere underground, and you realized you had no idea how long you’d been unconscious. Was Kurenai okay? Had she been captured, too? What did these people want with you?

None of that mattered, not when the first blow had landed across your exposed side. Whatever these people wanted, you wouldn’t give it. So, you took a deep breath, clenched your teeth, and shut out the world. Your village was valuable to you. The people there mattered to you. And you’d follow your training to the letter, or you’d die trying.

~

Whether it had been hours or days of torture, you weren’t sure. All you knew was that everything hurt, and your vision was starting to go blurry. Despite that, you hadn’t relented. No matter what they threw at your body, no matter what manipulation they tried to play with your mind, you wouldn’t budge.

At the end, at least you’d make the Village Hidden in the Leaves proud.

But there was something that was missing, something you wanted to do before you died, even if it was just selfish, even if it was just a foolish whispering of your heart. You wanted to be buried somewhere your friends could visit. You wanted everyone to know about your end, to know what had happened, to never worry that you were out there somewhere.

You wanted Kakashi to find peace in your death, not guilt.

So there was a secret you had to spill.

You slid the pen from your pocket, clicking it open as you stared at your arm. Slowly, you undid the bandages, greeted once again by blank skin. Swirling the pen across your forearm, you wrote the rough coordinates of your capture on your arm. It wasn’t exact, but hopefully it would be good enough. Then, you wrote the words “urgent note” on your fingertips and wrist, hoping that would encourage him to look. Below the coordinates, you wrote: Abducted by enemies. Not relenting to torture. Getting weak. Send help if possible. Or someone to collect my body. Look at leg later. —(Y/n).

Carefully, you rewrapped your arm, moving to roll your pant leg up. Your hands were shaking, and it was hard to hold the pen, but you had to write to him.

They said the end is coming, and I'm starting to believe them. It hurts a lot. So I'm writing to you. I know you didn't want to deal with the whole soulmate thing, but I couldn't stay away. You were just too wonderful to not stand beside. I'm sorry I didn't leave you be, didn't respect your wishes. But I wanted to be a part of your life. I'm being selfish by writing to you now, but you're the one person I've always been selfish with, so I'm not going to stop at the very end. Please don’t be upset with yourself if I don’t make it.

Your eyes were watering now, vision slightly blurry. Had they drugged you, too? Or was it just the injuries?

I just want you to remember that you’re loved. That I love you. That you deserve to be loved. Please don’t forget that when I’m gone.

Whatever else you wanted to write would not be written. Quietly, the pen clattered out of your hand, and your head slumped forward.

Time was up.

~

Your vision was blurry when your eyes finally blinked open. You were cold, but the ache in your muscles was a reassurance that you were very much alive. Alive and in a hospital, it seemed.

There was a crinkle beside your bed, and you looked up to see Kakashi thumbing through his book.

What had… You blinked, trying to recall exactly what had happened.

There was a mission… you’d been on a mission with Kurenai… right. Then… and then... you were abducted. Yes, you could remember that now. And Kakashi… you remember thinking about Kakashi. Gosh, everything was so damn hazy. You shifted, wincing as you tried to sit up.

“Hey!” His voice was cheerful, and you blinked up at him in surprise at the warmness in his tone. “Good to see you waking up!”

How had he known you were at the hospital? Had Kurenai… Wait, no. No. Hazily, you could recall writing coordinates on your wrist. They weren’t precise, so someone must have looked for you. You couldn’t remember being found. Everything after the last interrogation was too hazy… too confusing. But Kakashi had known… maybe Kakashi had looked for you.

“You made it in time?”

He hummed, closing his book with a thump. “Pakkun found you. Once I knew what to look for, I could rely on his nose.”

You nodded groggily, reaching up to rub your eyes. The ink was still on your wrist, visible due to your unwrapped arms. You’d forgotten about—

“Kakashi, I’m so sorry about the message.” You turned to look at him, eyes wide and embarrassed. “If I knew everything would’ve been fine, then I wouldn’t have—”

His hand rose, and you stopped, heart hammering in your throat. This was it. This would be the rejection.

“I’m glad I had the opportunity to save you.”

Of course. Because he wouldn’t leave a comrade behind; that wasn’t like him.

But that wasn’t the message you were referring to.

If he wasn’t going to bring up the love message, then you wouldn’t, either. “I’m grateful,” you murmured, looking down to finally see the treatment your body had undergone. There were marks everywhere, which meant Kakashi was marked everywhere, too. Marks on the soulmate that didn’t want you…

“I appreciate you waiting,” you forced yourself to say. Maybe he’d get the message and leave you alone.

Instead, he met your awkward sidestep with bluntness. “I figured we should talk.”

Your head felt like it was spinning, and you had the slightest sensation that you were going to be in the hospital for quite a while. It would be embarrassing to be rejected here; it would be embarrassing to cry in front of the nurses.

“Not now,” you croaked, hand scrabbling to grab the invisible cup of water at the bedside. Water, sake, medicine, heck, even the flower water beside you. Anything to push the lump out of your throat. Anything to avoid thinking about Kakashi’s rejection.

You were eyeing up the vase next to you as Kakashi stood, long legs moving to fill a glass by the sink. He handed it to you, assuring your fingers were pressed around the cup before he moved away.

You sent him a grateful half-smile before you swallowed the water like a shot, desperate to drown yourself in something other than your own awkwardness.

“Feel better?”

No, you really didn’t. Your head was still spinning, stomach still queasy. Whether it was from your injuries or Kakashi’s pointed stare, you weren’t sure. “I don’t want to talk about it today. Everything—” you coughed, trying to release the tightness in your throat. “Everything hurts.”

He nodded, humming low in his throat. “I’ll go get a nurse, then.”

You nodded shakily, debating whether or not you could escape from the hospital before he came back. The ache in your side told you moving probably wasn’t the best idea.

“But before I do, I have one question.”

Your head snapped to where he stood by the door, wincing as you did so. “Yes?”

“How did you find out it was me?”

You stared at him for a minute, searching his impassive face. He was one of the best shinobi this village had ever seen, and he was still impossibly clueless sometimes. Slowly, you rolled up your sleeve, revealing a roll of gauze. It was blue, unlike the starchy white medical gauze on your sides. You could fiddle with it; the fabric belonged to you. With nimble fingers, you untied it, letting it pool below your elbow on the bed.

Kakashi stared openly at the ANBU tattoo, and you watched the pieces click into place. He hadn’t even considered what a tattoo would be like for his soulmate.

“I see,” he whispered, fingers unconsciously twitching toward his covered arm. After a moment, he shook himself from his thoughts, gaze again becoming impassive. “I’ll go get the nurses.”

“Kakashi?” you called, shocked as the words left your lips. You hadn’t meant to call out for him, not yet, anyway. But he was standing there staring like you’d held up a practice dummy, focus radiating from him in waves. You had to say something. “Thank you. For saving me… and waiting. And thank Pakkun, too?”

Kakashi’s expression softened. “I will. Now, get some rest. You look exhausted.”

Though, rest was the last thing you would come close to receiving as the doctors gave you a full evaluation. Poking, prodding, and asking questions took up most of the afternoon. Although you tried your best to focus and take in all the information you were given about your physical state, your mind continually strayed to Kakashi. Did he hate you now? Did he want you out of his life? Was he waiting for you or just waiting to ask about the whole soulmates thing? You wished you could quiet the questions swirling through your mind.

That evening, you found a message scribbled across the back of your hand. Although his handwriting was still messy, it was obvious he took his time. He wanted it to be legible.

Get well soon, (Y/n).

It was the first time your soulmate had written your name on his skin. He knew you now. There was no going back to the secretive messages and hidden assurances. Everything was out in the open; Kakashi knew exactly who you were. He knew everything.

That night, you wept.

You wept for the injuries that would bar you from upcoming missions. You wept for the bitter sense of death that had grazed your fingertips. You wept for the compassionate message on your hand. You wept for the fear of being alone again.

You wept for Kakashi and all that he meant to you.

~

Between the crying and the medical evaluations the day prior, you slept well past the time you’d typically rise. Consequently, it was well past the opening of visiting hours, too.

Kakashi arrived before you woke up and tucked himself into a corner with a book. However, he read very little. Instead, he watched the gradual rise and fall of your chest, comforted by the knowledge that you were still breathing.

When “urgent note” had appeared on his fingers, his heart had nearly stopped in his chest. When he read the message printed on his wrist, the sinking sensation had only grown. Fear consumed him more than it had ever consumed him before.

His head had spun with the realization that you were in danger, that you were his soulmate. Summoning his ninkin had happened in a blur. If he was being honest with himself, everything was a blur up until the moment he found you. That moment would live on in crystal clarity in his memory forever.

There are some moments in life too horrific to forget. Finding you unconscious on the floor of a dingy bunker, pen by your side, chest barely moving, would be one of those moments for Kakashi.

The only thing more reassuring than watching you breathe was watching your eyes blink open slowly and focus in on him. He could tell you were nervous about talking to him, and he knew why. The message still hastily scribbled on both of your thighs was more than an acknowledgement of the soulmate bond. It was an admission that you loved him, an admission that you believed in him, that you wanted to stay by his side.

It was also an admission that you believed he didn’t want to stay by your side.

He really needed to talk to you.

“Good morning,” he hummed, tucking his book back in his vest. Smiling, he moved to sit on the chair beside you, feeling it was appropriate now that you were awake. This close, he could smell the antiseptic on your skin, the overbearing flowery scent of the hospital lotion, and the faintest whiff of your shampoo still clinging to your hair despite the days it had been since your last shower.

“G’morning,” you mumbled, stretching lazily. Kakashi watched your movements, chuckling at the way you arched like a happy rabbit after a nap. It was cute and endearing, a movement Kakashi had gotten used to witnessing over the years.

Shifting the other direction, you winced, body instinctively jerking back into a ball. “Ow,” you grumbled, hand moving to put a little pressure on your side. With some effort, you managed to shift into a sitting position, still moving gingerly to somewhat satiate your aching limbs. “I thought I’d feel better today, but I guess not.”

Kakashi snorted dryly. “That’s a bit ambitious, don’t you think?”

You stopped rubbing your shoulder to stare at him. “What do you mean?”

What did he mean? Hadn’t the doctors told you? Surely they would have mentioned… Were you playing dumb or did you really not know? Kakashi stared at you for a moment, scrutinizing your confused expression, before his eyes dropped. He let out a breath, then another, trying to hide the pain blossoming in his chest.

He’d almost lost you.

“You were dying,” he said lowly, gaze fixated on his gloves. “By the time we got you back, we really thought you weren’t…” he shook his head, expression dark. “The medics thought you were already gone.”

It took a moment for you to respond. The doctors said your recovery was astronomical, that you’d been close to death, but the way Kakashi described it, so somber and broken, made the reality of the situation hit home.

You’d almost died. You’d almost lost everything you held dear.

You’d almost lost him.

Glancing back to Kakashi, you found him still lost deep within his thoughts. His expression was dark, fist clenched over his thigh, over what was intended to be your last message to him.

Carefully, you reached out and bushed a hand over his clenched fist. The action drew his attention back to you. “It wasn’t your fault,” you gently offered, stroking the back of his hand once more before pulling away. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that, but it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.”

He huffed, scooting backward in his chair. “I should have got to you sooner! Protected you! If I’d asked, you could have sent me updates. I could have prevented you from getting hurt—”

“Will you stop with the narcissism!” you chided, wincing as you swung your feet over the edge of the bed.

He met your gaze, lone eye blinking once in surprise.

“I took the mission. I accepted the consequences of it. I knew what an infiltration would be like. I knew the chances of getting ambushed. You didn’t endanger me, Kakashi. You weren’t even supposed to be on that mission.” Your voice faded, soft and overwhelmed. “But you saved me anyway.” You ran your thumb under your eyes, catching the tears before they had a chance to fall. “So claim that. Stop… I need you to stop only claiming your failures.”

He clenched his fist, unclenched it, and nodded once. For the first time in a long time, you couldn’t read Kakashi’s body language at all. What was he feeling?

Part of you wanted to reach out and comfort him, but you didn’t. He’d made space between you for a reason. And as upsetting as it was, you were willing to honor that.

After a few minutes of silence, you plucked one of the flowers from the vase beside your bed. “Did Kurenai bring me the flowers?” You smiled, brushing a finger against the petals. “She accidentally picked my favorites.”

When you looked back up, Kakashi was staring at you again, cheek barely pinking over the edge of his mask.

He could read erotic novels in public, but you made him blush.

“Actually, I brought them.”

Freezing, you stared at him in surprise. “You did? How did you—?”

He flushed again, eyes fixing on the flowers rather than your face. “You buy pots of those every spring, but they always die because you’re out on missions. And you take daisies to the memorial stone a few times a month. You leave iris for your parents, and you bring peonies and cookies for the ANBU guards when you have meetings with the Hokage. And on the second Sunday of every month you’re both in town, you hide 100 tulips around the village for Gai to find.” When his eyes snapped back to yours, your shocked expression made him grow self conscious, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’ve, uh, been paying attention.”

“Why?”

He gestured to the room, pretending to misinterpret your question. “It’s so dull in here. I thought a little decorating wouldn’t hurt.”

You snorted at that, impossibly undignified but oh so delightful.

Of course Kakashi would stall now that he was here.

But… no. He was usually blunt when it came to bad news. So why was he stumbling through the conversation like he’d never spoken to you a day in his life?

Your face shot back to him at the realization, and he arched a brow under your scrutiny. Could he like you? Could you have a chance?

“Everything okay?” he asked gently, tone much more serious than before.

You’d worried him.

Before you could respond, Gai burst into the room with the second largest bouquet you’d ever seen in your life.

“(Y/n)! I heard Kakashi was with you, so I figured I’d bring you some flowers on my way to challenge Kakashi to a shuriken throwing challenge!” He set the flowers—which balanced precariously due to their immense size—on your bedside table, giving you a dazzling smile and a thumbs up.

Kakashi sighed, “Well, Gai, I was just here talking to her—”

What if you had been interpreting Kakashi’s expressions all wrong? What if he didn’t like you? What if this was all his way of trying to stay friends? Although you hoped for something else, the fear of rejection clawed at your throat like a Shadow Strangle Jutsu. This was your chance. The chance to get out of Kakashi’s rejection. Gai was the perfect opportunity.

“You should go!” You chirped, smiling at them both.

“I… what?”

“That’s the spirit, (Y/n)! It would be a shame for Kakashi to waste his precious youth not enhancing his physical prowess!” Gai dropped to his hands, beginning to do push-ups on the floor of your room.

Ignoring the incredulous look Kakashi sent your way, you wriggled your fingers at his bag. “What volume are you on? I need something to entertain me while you lavish in your youth.”

Kakashi scoffed at your statement before fishing the Make Out Violence novel from his pouch. He dangled it in front of your face. “Is this what you’re after?”

You grinned, snatching the book from his hands. “This just so happens to be the volume I’ve been waiting for.”

Kakashi blinked in surprise, feeling his face grow warm again. “You read Make Out Paradise?”

You smiled sheepishly under his gaze, fingers tracing over the edge of the cover. “Really, it’s all your fault. It was so boring waiting in line to reserve that new edition for you. I needed something to do.”

Because that gift from his soulmate, that gift had been from you.

“And now you’re moving on to book two?”

Embarrassed but pleased, you grinned up at him. “I may have figured out why you’re so hooked on them.”

Kakashi laughed. Just a short huff, but still. Could you get any more perfect?

He was about to respond again when Gai grabbed his shoulder, already taking his ear off as he dragged Kakashi out the door.

You settled in with your—Kakashi’s— book, pleased for the reprieve but missing him all the same.

~

Delving into Make Out Violence was both a blessing and a curse. You lost track of time as you devoured the pages, and the story was so riveting that you barely thought about Kakashi. Though, every time you took a break, love—that sickening concept you didn’t even want to consider in reality—was at the forefront of your mind. So you dove into the novel again with renewed fervor, completely unaware that Kakashi had hopped through the open window. That is, until a warm voice interrupted your reading.

“Having fun?”

In surprise, you snapped the book shut, embarrassment washing over your expression. “A bit. How was the competition with Gai?”

Kakashi shrugged, dragging the chair he’d occupied that morning so he could sit directly beside your bed. “It was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary for Gai.”

“Thanks for the book,” you murmured, passing it back to him. “Maybe I can borrow another one of your copies again sometime.”

He took the novel, setting it down on the bed beside you, only to take your hand in his.

His hands were warm even through the gloves, and his fingertips traced over your skin delicately, as though afraid his touch would somehow hinder your healing.

“(Y/n), we need to talk.”

Despite only holding your hand, he could sense the way your entire body went rigid. “Kakashi, please—”

“(Y/n). I almost lost my soulmate this week.”

You bit your lip, trying to ignore the faint stinging in your eyes. He was right, you were being selfish. It wasn’t like you were the only one who had a terrible, terrifying week.

You just didn’t want to lose whatever you had with him.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you didn’t bother to mask the strain in your voice. He already knew how you felt about him. “We can be friends. Anything you want. I just… I don’t want to lose this. You. I don’t want to lose you. Even though I was being so selfish—”

“I read your message,” he said softly, gaze fixated on the bend of your wrist as your hand flexed in his own. “I’ve read it so many times,” he laughed, strained from holding onto unshed tears. “I’d get it branded on my body if I could. Parts of it, anyway.”

He shook his head, looking back to your face. He didn’t miss the shocked expression, nor did he miss the tears still frozen within your eyes. He shook his head again. “I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been, that it was you and you were here all along. And then you almost died and I…” He paused, gaze still tracing along the bend of your wrist.

“You..?” With bated breath, you watched his eyes, the pull of his lips through the mask, anything to give away what he was thinking.

“I can’t stand the thought of losing you. Not after how much you’ve grown to mean to me.”

Your heart thundered in your chest. Was he accepting you or rejecting you? Your breath shuddered over your lips, hand trying not to clench his too tightly. “What does that mean? For us?”

Kakashi leaned forward, pressing a masked kiss to your temple. “It means I want to take you for dinner when you get out of here. And—” he stood, letting go of your hand to walk toward the door. The sun was setting. Visiting hours were coming to a close. “Keep the book. I’d hate for you to be bored while I’m gone.”

With that, he vanished from your room, leaving you to wonder exactly what he wanted from you.

Tossing and turning that night, you couldn’t sleep, not with Kakashi’s words ricocheting through your mind. He cared about you, but he was putting distance between you. He was being aloof, just like the cautious jonin he was, but he was exposing vulnerable aspects of his soul to you.

Everything was so damn complicated, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep until you’d gotten an answer to the questions burning a hole in your tongue.

It took a few minutes to sit up, but clicking the pen against your wrist had become second nature to you after so many years. You just wanted to know what he was thinking.

Do you love me?

He scribbled a reply a few minutes later, and you wondered if maybe he was just as terrified as you were, if maybe he couldn’t sleep because he was thinking of you, too.

Not like you want me to, but I could. Someday soon.

The thought sent hope skittering through your chest, but you tamped it down. He hadn’t wanted you. He still probably didn’t want you. You were a liability. You were a danger to his way of life. You were—

Ink stained your hand, trickling down your arm, as you realized the pen had snapped under the strength of your palm.

Without a way to stand on your own, you stared at the drying ink, trying to think of anything other than the fear in your chest, the longing in your heart, the nervousness bubbling under the surface.

Kakashi was stuck to the wall beside your window a few minutes later, staring worriedly through the glass.

An ink stain. Of course, he’d worried something was wrong.

He’d been awake waiting for your reply.

He’d been awake because of you. For you. The thought made you dizzy.

Silently, he slipped through the window, crouching worriedly beside your bed. Whatever pretense of nonchalance he kept up during the day, he dropped it now, just for you. “Are you alright?”

You nodded once, stiffly, mind still racing with the situation. Your friendly banter from the morning disappeared, words dried up as your emotions increased tenfold.

A million thoughts rattled through your mind, but you finally settled on one. “You told Gai you couldn’t love me.”

He cocked his head, confusion furrowing his lone brow.

“You were… it was a training day. You were talking about soulmates. And you told Gai that you couldn’t love a soulmate, so it didn’t matter if you didn’t find them…”

Your eyes were watering, and you looked away until you felt the warmth of Kakashi’s fingers circling your own. His hand clung to yours with renewed fervor, though the interaction still held the same touch of softness that it always held when you were injured. Comfort. It has always been an attempt to comfort you, a silent word of compassion. But now that he knew you were his soulmate, would his gestures hold the same meaning?

His voice, coupled with a gentle tug on your hand, had you vanishing into his gaze yet again.

“Soulmates are supposed to be your other half, right?” he asked softly. “If you’re mine, then maybe the whole soulmate thing can work out.”

Even in the moonlight, you could see the blush peeking over the edge of his mask.

You’d stood beside him through thick and thin. You fussed. You took care of him. You let him take care of you. You bought books for him, and he watched your favorite movies with you. He took you out to your favorite restaurants, and you always paid for him. You trained with the strength of a hurricane, and you always kept him mentally and physically on his toes. But no matter what, you’d both been able to rely on one another. It wasn’t romantic love, not yet, but it was the closest thing Kakashi had ever experienced to romantic love. He was close to being in love with you, and the revelation of the soulmate bond had changed those feelings very little.

He’d always been on the precipice of falling in love with you. Now that he knew you and he were destined for one another, the proposition of falling didn’t seem all that terrible anymore.

“If it’s me, you think it’ll work?”

This time, he flushed fully, pinking to the edge of his hairline. “Yeah. You’re… you’re perfect for me.”

Then, it was your turn to grow bashful under his praise. Perfect. He thought this could work because you were perfect. Not perfect in general. Not perfect to him. But perfect for him, with all of your many imperfections.

He wasn’t in love with you. He wouldn’t say it yet. But he was falling, and that was impossible to ignore.

His words left you lost in another world. All this time, he was rejecting his soulmate for fear they wouldn’t truly be his other half. But you were his other half, and he could see that now. He could love you. He could see a future with you. He could—

Kakashi’s warm voice brought you back to the present, hand still gently squeezing your fingertips. “Did you hurt your hand?”

He cares.

“No,” you whispered, shaking your head. “No, just a little ink.”

Kakashi stood, striding toward the other side of the room. He washed his hands under the sink before returning a moment later, damp rag in hand. This time, he sat on the edge of your bed, hand enveloping your own.

With slow, delicate movements, he swirled the rag across your skin, stealing the ink from your skin almost as effortlessly as he’d stolen your heart. If only you knew how easily you’d done the same.

“I was so scared you’d hate me when you found out,” you whispered. His hand tensed under your own, but he didn’t stop his ministrations. You continued, “Since I kept talking to you, both as your soulmate and myself, I was so worried you would feel betrayed.”

“I did,” he murmured quietly. “At first.” He flipped your hand, wiping away the stray trails of ink that had escaped from your palm. “When I got the message, I couldn’t believe that you’d… after all this time, it was you. And when we found you almost dead, I thought the world was punishing me again, just like everyone else…” Looking away, he began wiping the remaining ink spots off his hand, leaving your fingers to fiddle with the fabric on his knee. “But on the way back, all I could think about was the things I’d said to you. How could you trust me after I so blatantly pushed you away? How could you look me in the eye and put your faith in me when I hurt you so deeply? The fact that you’d tried to stay by my side after everything, the fact that you put your faith in me to keep you safe, after all the things I’d said to you… you never betrayed me. You’ve been by my side all this time, and I want to be by yours. Completely.”

You squeezed his knee, searching his face for any sign of illusion. “Is this real?” you whispered. “I want this to be real.”

Kakashi smiled, eyes crinkling as he took your hand. You looked dazed and happy as you stared at him; he’d never encountered anyone else so stunning.

Before he could stop himself, he leaned forward, brushing a masked kiss over your forehead, then your eyebrow, and finally your cheek. The pressure sent sparks across your skin, and you squeezed his hand a little bit tighter.

He hovered over your lips, breath ghosting across your skin through the durable material of his mask. You leaned forward, nudging his nose with your own. It was a silent message that you wanted his affection as much as he craved yours.

His breath puffed against your lips once again, and his voice, barely audible, filled the minuscule space between you. “Would you mind closing your eyes?”

Instantly, you complied, proving to him yet again how lucky he was to have met you. You put your faith in him time and time again, and he promised himself in that moment under the moonlight that he would do everything he could to be as compassionate a partner as you had been for him.

One of Kakashi’s hands released from yours, and you faintly heard the brush of fabric against skin. Your stomach fluttered as you felt his breath on your face again, warmer and closer than before.

And then his lips caught against yours, a gentle press against your tingling skin. His hand cupped your cheek, and you melted against him. The scratchy blankets and the faint hoot of owls faded into the background. Everything seemed to disappear except for you and Kakashi and the oh so delicate kiss between you. From the brush of his lips, so soft and tentative against your own, you sighed, leaning into him even more than before.

He groaned when the two of you pulled away. “I can’t believe I waited so long for that. Make Out Paradise really doesn’t do it justice.”

Make Out Paradise also hadn’t prepared him for the way his heart would race at the sound of your laughter.

“Are you sure?” you asked, reaching toward your bedside table. “Surely there’s a good passage in here somewhere.”

If it meant more time by your side, Kakashi was willing to spend an eternity searching the pages with you, stealing kisses for every paragraph you skimmed through.

~

In the morning, the nurses were alarmed and horrified to find Kakashi Hatake laying in your bed, one arm wrapped gently around your side, masked nose nuzzled into your neck. On the other side of you, his fingers brushed the cover of a well-worn Make Out Violence novel.

It was indecent, a break of protocol, and, most of all, a shameful mockery of their hospital security. But when you woke to find Kakashi’s nose tucking a little closer into your neck, a mumbled “good morning” slipping into your skin, neither of you could think of a more fitting way to wake up. For the two of you—soulmates, real soulmates—the scenario was somehow perfect.

He wasn’t one to care about looking indecent. You could certainly get behind that.

You welcomed sappy, romantic gestures. Kakashi was willing to privately oblige.

Yeah, you both thought, the soulmate thing could definitely work out.

Masterlist

A/N: Don't mind me casually fandom hopping again. This fic has taken ages to finish, but I'm so excited with the result! I have several more Kakashi fics currently underway, so I hope to get a few of them finished sometime soon! Have a nice day! :)

#kakashi hatake #kakashi x y/n #kakashi x you #kakashi x reader #kakashi hatake x reader #hatake kakashi #hatake kakashi x reader #hatake kakashi x you #hatake kakashi imagine #kakashi hatake fanfiction #anbu kakashi #silent writes

[coza-main]

A Step in the Right Direction

Fandom: Naruto/Boruto

Warnings: None :)

Word Count: 1060

Gaara’s eyes shifted up from the paperwork on his desk to the small figure standing in his doorway. “Ah, Shinki.” He smiled politely at the boy and began shuffling the papers to the side of his desk. “I’m glad you came.”

“You asked to see me?” Shinki was as polite and distant as usual, his eyes averted to avoid direct eye contact. Shinki’s hands fidgeted with nervous energy, but that was to be expected. It had only been six months since Gaara had found him just outside the village.

While the boy was incredibly powerful, it was moments like these that Gaara was reminded that Shinki was still just a child who had suffered immense loss and trauma.

It was clear to Gaara that the child didn’t have anyone he could trust, least of all adults. Shinki had only just stopped constantly masking his presence as he walked around their home, even when it was only Gaara and Kankuro in the house with him. Gaara tried his hardest to make the boy comfortable; he never repressed his chakra, and always announced when he was coming and going. Progress had been slow, but it was apparent. Shinki rarely flinched at loud sounds now, and had become significantly more comfortable training with the Kazekage without fear of retribution regardless of his performance during it.

“Please, follow me. I’d like to teach you a new game.” Gaara rose from his seat and walked to the door to meet the boy. “If you’re interested in learning.”

Shinki didn’t confirm or deny his interest, he merely followed Gaara out of his office and down the hallway. Gaara didn’t mind walking in silence, so he tried his hardest to not be shocked when Shinki spoke up.

“How was work today?” Shinki asked shyly, his eyes still downcast. Kankuro asked him that question every day at dinner, so Shinki thought it would be a good conversation starter. A step in the right direction.

Gaara smiled to himself and slowed down his pace so Shinki was beside him when he spoke. “It was good. I managed to finish up a few of those shinobi reports that I’ve been waiting on. I did have a council meeting though,” he chuckled softly to himself. “They always do know how to make my day...interesting.”

Shinki glanced up at Gaara curiously, waiting for him to elaborate. But Gaara shook his head and cast the thoughts of the meeting aside. “And how was your day, Shinki?”

Shinki bit his lip, trying to decide how to respond. “Fine,” he said simply. He waited a beat, and then decided to give more information. A step in the right direction. “I watched the students at the ninja academy spar for a while.”

“Did you enjoy watching them? You are more than welcome to attend the ninja academy, if you desire.” Gaara spoke as he slid open the door to a room Shinki didn’t recognize. Inside the room was nothing except for a board game.

“They were weak,” Shinki stated, ignoring the question.

Shinki’s bluntness made Gaara laugh, causing the Kazekage to lose his composure for a moment. The similarities between himself and the boy were so stark it was starting to become ironic. Gaara walked to the board in the center of the room and sat down on one side, gesturing for Shinki to sit across from him.

“If you do desire to attend the ninja academy,” Gaara reiterated, “please let me know. It would be no trouble to anyone. And I believe you would make a fine shinobi, if that is the path you choose.”

Shinki nodded in acknowledgment, but did not speak any further on the matter. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted these days. He didn't have time to plan for the future. He simply took each day as it came, never getting too comfortable in any routine. Things always changed when he least expected them to, and he refused to be caught off guard again.

“This is a game called shogi.” Gaara’s voice brought Shinki back to the present and out of his thoughts. “It is a game of strategy. I think you will take a liking to it once you learn the rules and practice a bit.”

Gaara explained the goal of the game and how each piece moved across the board. He gave pointers and explained basic move maneuvers to the boy, who was listening intently. Gaara could already see the wheels turning inside of Shinki’s head, developing and redeveloping strategies as he began to grasp the concept of the game more and more.

“I’m ready.” Shinki’s voice cut through the silence that had been in the air for the last several minutes while he studied the board and possible moves to be made.

“Go ahead and make your first move, then.”

They played in silence, both only speaking through movement on the board. Gaara played casually, allowing Shinki as much time as needed for each turn. Gaara allowed pieces to be sacrificed and game-winning moves to pass by to extend the game.

“I don't need special treatment,” Shinki snapped after Gaara had made his turn. “You could have ended the game in 3 more turns if you had moved the knight. Why didn’t you?”

“Ah, you noticed that.” Gaara’s voice was soft as moved his hand over to the knight and tapped it gently. He could feel Shinki’s eyes glaring at him. “Winning isn’t always the most important outcome. I have found that learning is the thing that truly helps a person grow.”

Shinki scowled at the board in confusion, but continued to advance toward the King. A step in the right direction. “But if you can win and teach, why not do both?”

Gaara thought for a moment, using his turn as a reason to delay his answer. “If I were to win over and over again, the game would not be fun for either of us.” He captured one of Shinki’s rooks. “I’m sacrificing a quick win now so that we will have a more challenging match in the future. Call it a good investment; one where both parties are able to gain something in both the short and long term.”

Shinki’s eyes snapped up from the board to meet the Kazekage’s directly for the first time that day. “What are you gaining in the short term, if not a quick victory?”

“Well, I get to spend time with you.”

#shinki #gaara #naruto #boruto #boruto naruto next generations #been thinking about this for a bit so decided to make a one shot #:) #matchamago original

[tarithenurse]

In the eyes

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Uchiha Itachi x fem!reader Content: Feels. Angst. Loss. Love. Reference to killing (war and murder). Captivity. Sorrow. Hope. Anger. You name it, it’s there. A/N: I just want to say in my defence that this story isn’t my fault. Blame @maladaptive-ninja-returns​...it’s her birthday present (yes, I’m late)!

In the eyes

The steam is long gone together with your interest in the drink when you drain the cup of tea as the black-haired man gets up to leave. The cape hides what he’s missing – if only it was his leg instead – that way you wouldn’t have to keep the distance to the bare minimum, constantly risking him discovering that you’re following him. It doesn’t help to complain, though: he’s alive and mobile...and you have to watch your every move.

Volunteering for the assignment has probably been one of the more masochistic choices you’ve made, but you just couldn’t let the last Uchiha go yet.

For years, watching the kid grow older had kept a wound alive that no one knew about. It festered, saturating you with a sickening, rotten, sadness that never washed off but wasn’t detected by your peers. You should have let it heal. Should have moved on. But there had always been something keeping you from accepting what everyone else had decided must be true.

You weren’t the only one dealing with grief, of course. The life of a Leaf ninja was to say goodbye too soon and then to live with the numbing ache, renewed each time memories stirred.

Before the fourth war, the newfangled gossip of the dead returning was treated as ghost stories by most people until the climax of it all, when too many stood face to face with loved ones. Lost ones. And you were too weak to prevent the hope from being rekindled, so once peace was a reality and all the shinobis prepared to celebrate in the chaotic haze of the aftermath, you made a decision.

That is why, three seconds after the door closes behind Uchiha Sasuke, you get up...

...and sit right down again to avoid pressing against the sharp blade of the person suddenly appearing beside you.

The newcomer’s face is hidden partially under the wide-rimmed hat and the rest behind a dark and tattered cloak. Glancing down, a hand with purple-painted nails slips the kunai into the darkness of the cloak, leaving you with the knowledge that it’s there.

There’s no doubt in your mind that this is a shinobi. Where did you come from? Admittedly, there are others frequenting the little tea house because it’s a popular stop at a major crossroads...even if it mainly services those without national affiliations. None of the rest of the clientele reacts to the scene unfolding discreetly and you have no wish to catch their attention before you know what and who you’re dealing with.

“What do you want?”

It takes a second before you realize the question isn’t asked by you. Another one to recover from the smooth dusk that is the stranger’s voice. A voice with a hint of familiarity in the timbre which you decide must be your mind playing games.

“Nothing. I’m no enemy of yours,” you try to placate them, silently counting the seconds worth of head start separating you from Sasuke, “and I hold nothing of value...you should let me go.”

The tickle of a laugh surprises you. “If I’d wanted your possessions, they’d already be mine. I want answers, Konoha-girl.”

The headband you carry is hidden under your clothes, well out of sight from any prying eyes. Finally giving up on stalking your initial target, you turn your undivided attention to the person who has seated them-self before you.

The little skin you can see is pale, and a few black strands have escaped the slack ponytail and fallen in front of the face where only chin and jawline is visible. As if knowing your annoyance, the head is tipped slightly, allowing you to glimpse soft, gently smiling lips. Kissable. The thought jars you.

“I recommend you give up that wish.” No one should be able to hear the nervousness in your voice...but the stranger smirks. “My business is my own.”

“Not when it involves him,” they says, inclining the hat towards the door where Uchiha left.

You’re out to get him? You almost feel sorry for this fool who clearly doesn’t have a clue about the one-armed ninja’s identity.

“Don’t be mistaken,” the person smiles as if reading your thoughts, “I know who he is and what he’s capable of, after all...he’s my brother.”

Calmly meeting your gaze, the eyes meeting you flash red.

...

“Don’t look an Uchiha in the eyes”. It was the warning that was whispered into your ears as soon as you were big enough to run errands on your own. Naturally, you had to do it, and what met you was not as demonic as the warning stories had made you think – rather, they were kind, and wiser than the smooth face hinted at – although you never looked another Uchiha in the eyes just to be on the safe side.

It was impossible to discern the colour. Some days, they seemed leaden as if the rain clouds were gathered inside the boy too. A few times, in the morning when he watched where his fists struck the wood, the sparks from the cozy fire of the evening before still lingered in the warmest of black. What you loved the most, though, was when the gaze was locked onto infinity and they were soft like liquid.

...

Everything is different: the stuffy tea room with its noisy patrons has been replaced by somewhere deserted that seems to be carved out of grey stone.

How did I get here? Careful to move as little as possible, you take in the new surroundings only to find the place empty and with only one way in and out. A dull cold has already seeped into your feet as you stand there, lost as your bearings have nothing to latch on to – the only light is a torch in a wall sconce to your left.

Feet. They are bare, and a quick pat-down reveals that all of your weapons, your belt, and your headband have been stripped from you too. The sensation is uncanny, akin to nakedness. The logic behind it is obvious as it reduces the chances of a successful escape even if you were to make it out and establish a route.

On the other hand: you’re unharmed and unbound.

Turning, you have no doubt that the wooden door is locked but of course you go over to try, heart frozen near your throat when you push against it with your shoulder. Surprisingly, it does open and the screaming hinges sets the tiniest hairs on your body on end.

“Not wasting any time, Konoha-girl.”

You recognize the voice and the decorated nails on the hand that appears to pull open the door completely, and not just from the rest stop but from years of aching recollections that have been warped by watching Sasuke grow up with this man’s shadow lingering over his life. Over your life.

No. There’s no way. He died. Now your heart jackhammers a frenzied rhythm.

It’s a fool’s hope that powers the jab towards his neck. An idiot’s dream urging you to sprint past him. At least I tried, a bitter thought comments the moment both attempts are thwarted as a rib-crushing kick sends your tumbling backwards and you land sprawled in the middle of the room.

The ceiling is still spinning, it seems, when you sense the man’s presence loom over you. The fingers are cool (and surprisingly gentle) as the curl around the back of your skull, fingers digging into your hair to grant a tight grip to pull you closer by. Very close. A hand’s length separates the tips of your noses and you want to be oblivious to the way his mouth curves softly.

“You’re not leaving,” he whispers, “until I say so.”

Feeling and strength are beginning to return to your arms, including a sharp ache in your chest that grows with every shallow breath which you try to ignore. Should have restrained me, fool...and the thought dies there as everything shifts and the ground swallows your limbs.

“N-no...how...? No!”

He watches your struggles lazily before releasing his grip and sitting down next to you on the hard floor. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

But you did. Wait...no! You haven’t...it wasn’t you...it can’t have been...

“You lie about your identity,” you scoff, regretting the outburst immediately as pain stabs coldly into your side, “so excuse me for not trusting you on this either.” There is a little smile there on his lips, full of sadness and regret that makes your insides cringe momentarily until you have the breath to explain to him (or yourself) why it can’t be true: “Uchiha Itachi has been killed!”

“Yes...and then I was brought back.” He’s impossibly calm as though he’s simply discussing the weather. “Twice.”

Double reanimated? As if! The war had been a horror to live through and would have been without people facing their deceased comrades and family members on the battlefield. However, once destroyed or sealed, none of the animated dead had walked again and all of them had been dealt with properly in the end.

Looking at the ninja, none of the signs of reanimation are prominent. On the other hand...even if they had been, you might not even notice it now that you meet the man’s gaze and the liquid infinity there.

“I could show you...but I’m afraid your mind can’t take the strain in your current state,” the so-called Itachi explains.

Mind, your aching heart still reels from fear of being broken once more, this is all in my mind.

Zoning out everything else, you focus on the flow of chakra within. Calming it, soothing it, until abruptly forcing the flow to revert. It feels as if your very soul drops for a second but the moment it returns to its place, the world is no longer made up of lies and imaginary sensations...and you’re still lying on the ground in a room made of stone, your ribs feeling as if they’re speared by frost. The only improvement is that at least your limbs are free.

And Itachi? Yes, you have to call him that because deep within you can’t deny it any longer.

The official reports hadn’t been released by the time you left Konoha and you’re not high enough up in the ranks as a shinobi to get the juicy information unless it’s necessary for a mission – and since your missions tend to be B or simpler A rank...well, I guess my current mission’s a bust but this is an important discovery!

A silky chuckle refocuses your attention. “Very good...I suppose I must strengthen my genjutsu against you.”

He’s so close, you could touch him. Shifting to lean against the wall, he rests his arms casually on the knees and begins to pick at the chapping nail polish.

“No need to,” you bite back a groan as you roll over to sit up, “I take it that’s how you got me here?” Pretty eyes are watching your every move as he nods in agreement. “Hm. It’ll probably be useless to ask where we are, so...why? Why show yourself now?”

Sitting cross legged, you find the pain lessens if you pull your clothes and arms tightly around your torso, restricting the depth of your breathing. Broken or bent ribs? Not that it really matters. First of all, he would be able to beat you in a fight anyways; secondly, even if you got out of here you wouldn’t know where “here” is; and third (but not least), you don’t really want to run from him.

Rather than answer, Itachi stands up and holds out his left hand for you. Puzzled, you take it. Soft fingers curl around yours and he pulls you to your feet, studying your movements and the twisting facial expressions.

He doesn’t let go.

Not when he guides you out the door and into a hallway shaped of the same kind of stone as the room was made of. Carved from.

Not when he slows down at the sound of the squeaky breathing the pace forces from you.

There doesn’t seem to be many rooms along the winding path. Here and there a door bars the way or you catch a glimpse of a dead-end that looks as though the excavation was abandoned or even disrupted by cave-ins.

You do your best to memorize the path, but frankly, your mind is getting fuzzy from pain and exhaustion. You have no sense of time, just hunger and tiredness weighing you down to indicate the loss of many hours.

“Just a bit longer, [Y/N],” Itachi soothes.

When did I tell him my name? You want to ask or at least protest, but it would be a choice between talking or getting to wherever he’s leading you...and you doubt he’ll let you pause.

A few dozen steps later and a short flight of stairs up, he ushers you through a door into a room that looks like a mix between a kitchen and work station. A fire is the only light and heat source (the smoke venting up through a chimney too narrow to be an escape route), casting a warm glow over the solid wooden table and chairs. Everything else is hewn from whatever mountain you’re inside.

“Sit,” your captor finally releases the grip and points at a chair near the fire and you obediently do as you’re told.

There are shelves and niches almost hidden in the dancing shadows at first holding with boxes, bundles, and various utensils. He knows where everything is, grabbing a few items before returning and laying it out in the light. Bandages. His movements are fluid and elegant, just like you remembered.

He motions towards your upper body, then turns to tend to the fire. “Strip.”

“That’s really not -”

“Some of your ribs are broken. Restraining them will minimize the pain.”

He’s right. Of course he is.

With clipped movements, you pull off the layers until you hesitate at the poor excuse of a bra. Despite the now roaring fire, the cold from the stone still seeps into your body and raises waves of goosebumps and tightens your nipples. It would be easier to apply the bandages correctly without the last bit of clothing in the way, but right now it feels like the only shield left at your disposal as Itachi turns back to you.

“We’ll work around that,” the man offers softly.

He works quietly at first. Hands winding the linen bandages around you adeptly, pausing each time the ministration intensifies the pain and causes the discomfort to escape as stubborn hisses. The purple nail polish is mesmerizing – simultaneously a contrast to the horrific stories of a killer and perfectly fitting the pretty, nearly feminine, traits you see. Especially the eyes. Sure, they’re filled with a bottomless sadness that you don’t feel comfortable acknowledging, but they’re beautiful. Haunting.

“You’re staring,” he hums without looking up.

Shit. “No. I just -...let’s say you’re who you claim to be,” you try to recover, “why’re you back?”

“To be his watcher.”

“Says who?”

This time, he stops and looks you dead in the eyes. “Otsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths.” There are very few proper comebacks to that, so your captor continues without giving you a chance to think of something, “Otsutsuki told me about the bonds of families and that it can transcend blood. He knows hatred can cause – and has caused – too much harm...but something rekindled his hope that it can be overcome.“

I don’t have an eye on Uchiha constantly, but... “Does Sasuke know?” Returning to his work, Itachi avoids your gaze. “He doesn’t...”

“He’s finally found peace and is on the right path...I can’t risk undoing it.”

Bullshit! “Or you’re a coward who doesn’t have the guts to fa-” the rest is cut off as soft fingers tighten around your throat.

Blood-red eyes pierce your mind, numbing you for an eternity or a millisecond.

...

They were a means to reach the goal but their words still hurt as you followed meekly in their footsteps. Snobbery. Disdain. Considering how proud your two team members clearly felt, they had very little to show for their reputation as Uchihas and frankly, it was your skills rather than theirs that ensured successful missions and still, you never once looked them in their face. Instead, you kept an eye out for two other of the clan.

Where one was, so would the other be. Thick as thieves, the boys had found a companionship that complemented their differences in the same manner as the sun and the moon. But as opposed to your teammates who swooned at the brightness of the sun, you were drawn to the night and the calmness it brought whenever that boy was near – each time he met your eyes, time became meaningless.

...

The two of you sit in silence as the steam from the soup caresses your face. Your mind is blank, slowly starting to pick up on the absence of stone walls – wood has replaced the cold surfaces, making it almost unbearably warm with the bandages underneath your layers of clothes – and a plethora of questions begin to press against your conscious only to be held back as most of your thoughts get derailed whenever you look at the man before you.

Without the hat and cloak to conceal him, it’s impossible to ignore all the details you’ve nurtured in your memory for ages, such as the slight pull of his lips as he thinks or the elegance of his movements now that he gets up and refills his bowl from the pot hanging over the fire.

“Why are you following Sasuke?”

You should be diplomatic. “I could ask you the same.” You’re not.

“I already told you,” Itachi shrugs.

“Well I...I don’t believe you.”

But you do. There’s no denying anymore that this man is who he claims to be and so, why would he lie about his purpose? The sad smile. The quiet mannerisms. The idea that Itachi would somehow transcend death to watch over his little brother? That’s a mysterious intricacy that fits with your memories of him from before that night.

“You do...but something else is bothering you.” It’s a statement, not a question. “Am I not what you expected?”

No, you’re not. However, he’s what you remember with a layer of sorrow added on top. He doesn’t get to be sad. The little spark of anger is what you need. You nurse it, feed it until it flares up hot and bright and consumes your regrets and self-pity.

“Expected? I don’t know what I expected from someone like you!” Your voice is rising, shaking with years of frustration. “Clan killer. Murderer. I never told anyone but I was in love with an Uchiha! That night, I’d gone to bed, finally sure that I was gonna tell him but when I woke up...” Something inside you had broken that day and it still hurts now. “They told me how you’d left Sasuke alive...but the boy I loved was gone and no one knew I was mourning. Each time I saw him -” you can’t hold back a strangled sound and you realize, you’re crying -”I saw the ghost of...” The bowl of floating vegetables looks blurry until you blink angrily. “Ugh! But what does a teenager know of love, right? They’ll grow up. Get over it. Except I knew you were out there still and that you had all the answers. Why? The Itachi I remember wasn’t a mindless monster! I was told a story, but it doesn’t make any sense. If all the monster wanted was power then why spare Sasuke? Why did everyone else have to die?”

The inhalations are shallow and rapid, making you dizzy as you cling to the table and the spoon. It burns in your lungs and cheeks.

“I am sorry for the pain, I’ve caused you.”

Your gaze snaps to his face and you know he’s speaking the truth but it doesn’t matter right now.

“Sorry? Sorry?! You don’t get to be sorry! I missed y-...the boy, I loved was gone and it took ages before I could let go and stop mourning, finally accepting the truth had died with you and now...now you’re here? And it’s all back and I don’t understand! How could you?” Itachi doesn’t flinch as you launch the bowl towards him – he doesn’t have to because your aim is off and it clatters to the floor in a shower of shards and wasted food after hitting the wall behind him. “How? The boy I loved was not a monster! He wouldn’t do what they s-”

The echoes of your wheezing shouts ring through the room after the abrupt stop. Holding your breath, you wait for the ground to swallow you whole or for the man at the other end of the table to react and the fear is colder than the burning in your chest.

“Things aren’t always what they seem,” Itachi eventually whispers, “they were just people who had been wronged and misguided until their arrogance made them blind.”

What? That’s not exactly what you had expected. Without explaining further, your captor gets up, handing you his bowl of food before beginning to clean the mess you’ve made.

“Don’t...I’ll get tha-” you begin.

He only has to look at you.

...

The dew had soaked your toes, cooling and soothing them after each kick that you landed on the wood stump. Pine. The new splinters refreshed the scent as they fell to the ground and you knew that birds would rummage through them in the hope of finding a morning snack once the training grounds were free of people again – they were already gathering at the edge of the clearing except for where Itachi stood.

The realization made you stop mid-kick, gaze locked with his and heart fluttering in your chest. How long had he stood there?

“They’re wrong.” You could barely believe he was talking to you. “Your teammates...don’t listen to what they say.”

Before you could ask what he meant, Itachi was gone and maybe it had all been your imagination running free.

...

Sitting up abruptly, it takes a few seconds for your eyes to get used to the low light of the dying embers. Where am I?

Salt and drying seaweed is heavy in the air, somehow worming its way into what appears to be yet another room of stone. No...it’s a cave. You’re sitting on a bedroll splayed out onto the sand filling the place and you have no memory of arriving.

The dark form on the other side of the fire pit makes no move as you slip a hand underneath your shirt to confirm what you already know: the bandages are gone and there’s only a muted tenderness as you prod at the ribs. How long has it been?

“You’re safe,” Itachi’s gentle voice assures, and you feel your pulse slow despite the ominous situation, “go back to sleep.”

Yes. Sleep...hang on! Shaking your head, you fight the urge to succumb to the fuzziness that weighs your thoughts. “Why’re you doing this?” you mumble.

It doesn’t make sense why the man wouldn’t simply get the answers he want and then dispose of you or at the very least leave you locked up somewhere while he keeps following Sasuke from the shadows. Instead, your captor has put an effort into keeping you comfortable. Feeding you.

“I remember you.” His eyes reflect the red coals as they burn into your soul all over again. “Memories don’t do your justice, though.”

...

There is no world beyond the walls of the garden but a red sheet of sky dotted with storm clouds. The sliding doors have been pushed aside, opening the hallway to the view, and you know the wood beneath your bare feet should be silky from decades of use. You can’t feel it. There are no scents either, no breeze to toy with the soft fabric of your yukata, nor insects clicking from the rhododendron.

“This isn’t real.”

“No,” Itachi confirms from behind you, “but here I can create what you need. Who you need.”

Turning at last, there’s no reason to shy away from meeting his gaze even if it matches the fake sky. He looks real – as opposed to the familiarity of the home of your childhood that surrounds the two of you – and the ghost of a smile kindly tries to hide the sadness.

“...need. For what?”

The black strands falling into his face are strangely dull in the nightmarish light. “Closure.”

“That’s not possible.”

Wanting to leave, to run away and avoid what Itachi intends, you find yourself rooted in place by an invisible force. Even turning your face away is impossible and you pray that he doesn’t understand the well of emotions he must be able to see in your eyes.

“This is a chance for you to say goodbye to the one I killed. The one you...love,” he pauses to scrutinize your expression and you try to remain neutral, “because you do. You still love him.”

“You have no right...” swallowing hard, you fight to keep the words back, “no right t-to claim to know what I need!” Finally, you manage to close your eyes but they snap open again at the touch of his fingertips on your forehead. “This isn’t something you get to fix like -”

...

The world has shifted again and you’re back in the ocean side cave. You can feel how uneven the sand is under your knees and shins even with the bedroll to soften the press and some some the grains have found their way in between your toes...but none of that matters because Itachi is still right before you, his fingers gently resting on your brow.

A pop-and-crackle from the fire pit is the only sound other than your shallow breathing. You know, he knows. Eyes widened in nigh-comedic understanding, it’s as if he sees you for the first time.

“I’m sorry, [Y/N].”

You barely manage to whisper, “for what?”

His fingertips send shivers along your spine as they trace a path, allowing him to cradle the back of your neck in his palm.

“Everything” Itachi’s lips brush your cheek, “for breaking your heart in so many ways and for making you think your love was unrequited.”

#Itachi #Uchiha Itachi #Uchiha Itachi x fem!reader #In the eyes #Itachi x fem!reader #Itachi x you #Itachi x y/n #Itachi Uchiha #post naruto shippuuden #naruto fandom #itachi fanfiction #itachi fanfic #writing #fanfiction #fanfic #naruto #anime #x reader #x fem!reader

[lexpressobean]

Thoughts on Kikaichu as actual Parasites.

Knowing how skin and the body generally works on a medical level, the "hive" aspect of the Aburame clan really drives me crazy. 'Cause parasites are real, obviously, but the size of Kikaichu beetles makes absolutely no sense in comparison to irl skin parasites. At least not in a bee hive sort of way lol

rambling because my mind craves logic and I'm specializing as a wound care nurse but it's literally anime so what do I expect lol

No, wounds don't freak me out, I'm more terrified of generally handling vomit and babies than I am a dehiscence of a 15cm long surgical site lol. The human body can literally take so much abuse before it really starts to give and try to alert you that you need help! And once you give it help, it really can come full circle to the wound 100% looking like it was never there. The body is an amazing thing <3

However the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word "parasite" is always going to be "tapeworm". That's not gonna change. However, kikaichu are not worms and CERTAINLY don't grow that fucking huge or live that long. (A tape worm can live long enough to graduate with a fucking PhD. Can you believe?) I haven't been exposed to any urgent situations involving parasites yet, however, the one I would compare a Kikaichu to that is (unfortunately) also common is the scabies mite.

Very briefly, scabies mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) are technically a type of arachnid that grow no bigger than a bout 0.5mm in size, but CAN be seen with the naked eye if you're looking for them. They crawl around the skin and burrow specifically in the top layer of skin, called the epidermis. The epidermis is that protective layer of skin and can be between 0.5mm to 1.5mm thick depending on which part of the body you're looking at. After the epidermis, you have the dermal layer, which is where sweat glands, nerves, and capillaries are found. Scabie mites will not burrow that deep because they only burrow to lay their eggs and such. As they do this they can cause visible tunnels and other marks that can be mistaken for acne or other skin conditions if not properly identified. You'll most likely know because the itch is VERY BAD.

They're very easily spread by close contact and a scabies infestation needs to be treated with a prescribed pharmacological means.

However, kikaichu are definitely a lot bigger than 0.5mm. In the case of size, I would compare them at minimum to fruitflies/medflies, which grow up to 3-5mm and maximum to ladybugs 4-7mm.

3-7mm > 0.5-1.5mm... obviously. And the holes which Kikaichu swarm out of that the audience has seen before are about a size comparable Shino's nostrils, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!!

You're telling me those things were in his mouth?????????? S H I N O N O

That would mean, in realistic terms, the Kikaichu are fucking around in Shino's body to the bone and muscles and THAT'S A REALLY SCARY THOUGHT. Even just passing the epidermis to the dermis is alarming! Compared to the dry, protective epidermis that can and does take damage, the dermis can be 1-4mm thick depending on where you're looking and is where skin does it's business. All together that becomes 0.5-5.5mm of space BARELY big enough for a fruit fly do mess around in. It makes just enough sense in terms of THAT size, but last time I checked, having the skin penetrated to the dermal layer is just asking for infection to happen. You're first natural line of defense has been breeched, there's a pretty good chance you're gonna be bleeding (blood vessels) and general body fluids are going to be draining, which is bad for a multitude of reasons, and there's damage that gonna affect the nerves, and realistically this shit is going to be ABSOLUTELY painful if they're constantly manipulating those areas near nerves. These kinda of things CAN make new connections and things like that, sometimes damage is forever. (Case by case basis).

So my first thought to more or less "magically" solve the problem with anime logic, is that first of all, it's an anime and logic doesn't have to apply haha.

On a more sci-fi level, in which kikaichu are smaller than we've seen them shown, maybe they have been purposefully been allowed to burrow into the dermal layer of the skin at least because the blood vessels seem to be in direct contact with the chakra system. Kikaichu's prefered food is chakra, but they WILL mutiny and eat their respective Aburame from the inside out if they don't balance their chakra smartly. So it's safe to say Kikaichu are at least carnivorous as well, and so I only imagine these absolute nightmares would swarm their prey in the wild, and actively bite through and burrow into the body of the prey until they found the chakra system and went to town on that poor unfortunate soul. Eaten alive, how the hell did they "tame" them in the first friggin' place??

I like to think two things:

1) Kikaichu are passed down from parent to child, and the parent has control over the Kikaichu until they have been RIGOROUSLY trained for generations to comprehend that this baby/child isn't food, it's a new hive. If bees can comprehend time, Kikaichu can comprehend what an Aburame is. If they insist on trying to drain the babe or the babe just can't tolerate them, the parent takes the Kikaichu back and the babe is assigned another insect or position in general. Like hell they're gonna try to force a relationship like that.

2) As part of the successful symbiotic relationship, Kikaichu regularly debride the tunnels and borrows that they carve into their respective Aburame, and are naturally intuitive in avoiding as many nerves and blood vessels as possible. The chance of infection is never 0%, however, kikaichu are pretty good about taking care of their tunnels, and so it gives the Aburame more time to focus on their things, like increasing the amount if chakra in their system. To ensure that they stay healthy, Aburame are encouraged to eat as much protein and Vit C possible every day, whether it be meat, beans, lentils, eggs, oranges, tomatoes, or even supplements as times modernize. The dermis is living tissue and as long as debridement/tunneling is going on, it needs to be nourished as much as possible.

I don't know how the hell Aburame deal with the obvious drainage that would be coming from their bodies, assuming the dermal layer really is free game for the Kikaichu. But the magical solution is that... they don't? Because... drainage is minimal. The Kikaichu just do such a good job lol. Maybe they purposefully... carve entrances to be flappy, or they purposefully create pocket spaces underneath seemingly healed areas of skin to easily burst open when necessary. That's the biggest thing for me, leaking body fluids. There's no way around that shit besides straight up denial lol Maybe they wear a special kind of dressing underneath their clothes, or that's directly applied with their clothes. Maybe that's what that cute little backpack is filled with, who knows!!

Idk man. I'm sure the Aburame authority forces encourages many of their non-hive members to pursue medical nin training in order to give the clan more privacy in general too. All medics that claim the Aburame name are exclusively used by the Aburame Clan. A non-Aburame medic may end up healing tunnels and burrows that were meant to stay open because "oops" and now you have an X amount of insects possibly suffocating within a completely sealed pocket of the skin, and also now there's a very good chance that after those insects die, that whole area is gonna frickin' abscess and cause infection induced tunnels the longer it's left alone and GROSS THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! THERE IS A DELICATE, ORGANIZED, SELF-SUFFICENT PROCESS TO ALL THIS!! A PROCESS!!!

Like... the other ninja in the NartVerse can make as many jokes, jabs, and comments about the Aburame as they please (INO? BITCH??? but to be honest I still love her lol). But these MFers are constantly playing Russian Roulette with these high maintenance demon spawn from hell, and there are VERY little defences against Kikaichu, virtually none. Like the only thing I've ever seen actively thwart Kikaichu across all media is killing them with mass fire, countering them with large amounts of poison gas (both very exterminator like) or literally just feeding them chakra until they're so stupid full, they can't move, the little gluttons. As far as genjutsu, it's been stated that it's both effective and ineffective, so idk about that. But the Aburame are just SO set up to be the living breathing embodiment of Shinobi as defined by the NartVerse. They're whole clan culture relies on the threat of enemies. If they have no enemies, the whole relationship is an exhausting endeavor for literally no reason. It's not worth it if there's no one to fight or protect! But when there is a threat, you want them on YOUR side.

I suppose the best bet is to incapacitate the Aburame individual asap and the Kikaichu will tend the individual, making escape easier. But, if you DID manage to kill that Aburame right away, that particular Aburame's swarm is now suddenly without its food source and without restraint.

What do you THINK is gonna happen, bro?? The second an Aburame loses their grip on their consciousness due to external influences, the bugs go bonkers because I'm pretty sure Kikaichu are simply persuaded to be in this relationship and have NO tolerance for bullshit like alcohol and overheating temps. If their Aburame dies, they probably cause just as much chaos as they would as a wild, unattended swarm. Then YOU BETTER HAVE fire or poison gas or SOMETHING handy. The only way to calm them down is to offer them chakra and a new host with equal or even more chakra reserves. Otherwise the mutineers must be eradicated.

And for serious... Like, any deeper and the kikaichu would be in the hypodermal/subcutaneous layer of the skin and that's where a lot of connective tissue is located. Let's NOT mess with that shit, shall we? NOT a good idea. It's called connective tissue for a reason first and foremost...

#tis i #anime: naruto #shino aburame #aburame shino #if you need me to tag something lemme know #i wouldn't know exactly what to tag #i bet medics DREAD having to work on Aburame because their situations are so complex haha. #the best medic for an aburame would be a hyuuga clansman. #otherwise it's just gonna have to resolve itself cuz if they're unconscious #they can't help you help them

[mortyvongola2-0]

I posted 3,767 times in 2022

That's 3,385 more posts than 2021!

141 posts created (4%)

3,626 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@nightingaleflow

@justmyownreality

@dam1e

@archiveofourpwn

@wind-becomes-lightning

I tagged 385 of my posts in 2022

#mortyvongola2 moots - 99 posts

#mortyvongola2 answers - 48 posts

#masa’s friends - 37 posts

#naruto - 32 posts

#naruto series - 32 posts

#mortyvongola2 anon - 26 posts

#masa uchiha - 24 posts

#mortyvongola2 askgame - 20 posts

#mortyvongola2 0 sacrificed series - 20 posts

#mortyvongola2 oc - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 114 characters

#love the hours right after a new announcement when high quality memes and art suddenly materialize out of thin air

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

HEY THERE!!! May I request something? <3

How about Madara slowly realizing his feelings for reader after denying it for so long! How would he realize? How would he approach the reader?

NSFW would also be welcome 😏

😏😏

I'm sorry these took so long, I would've had them finished yesterday BUT I LOST ALL MY WRITING WHEN I WAS AT THE END and that took all my motivation honestly haha. Sorry if these aren't quite what you were looking for, thank you for asking though

This is both the angstiest, softest, and shortest smut I've ever written.

(These are headcanons but honestly they're more than long enough to make a fic so uh...oops)

Madara Uchiha, though he’d deny it, is the type that would fall first. But he’d equate his feelings to only lust in the beginning. He’d see her first, notice her first, and approach first but all with intention.

The era he comes from is heavy with political marriage. His marriage would most likely already be prearranged. But he'd still approach you, a fling between a man and a woman has nothing to do with someone he hasn't met.

He'd call out to you, "Oi," his gruff voice and rude way of speaking would immediately put you off. You would have no idea who he is, not really up to date on all the ins and outs of shinobi. With an annoyed look on your face, you'd ignore him.

But he wouldn't give up, a ninja is one who endures after all. He'd take every opportunity he could find to approach you again, more interested in the challenge you presented then what he had originally intended. Madara would begin to follow you, without him realizing at first, he'd do it in the name of seeking opportunity but eventually it'd just become a habit.

By that point, you'd know who he is, but the game you started was a bit too fun so you'd purposefully ignore him, a sly smile on your face. You liked infuriating a powerful man like him. His attentions would inflate your ego, if only a little. After all, who else could say they were being pursued by the Madara Uchiha?

The more he'd watch you, the more he'd learn about you. He'd smirk when you'd smile, roll his eyes at the lame jokes you'd tell your village's children. Watching your simple life became a bit of a comfort without his knowledge. Going from the bloody battlefield where any one of his comrades, or even himself, could lose their lives at any moment to watching you and your sleepy village made his heart ache.

But when a rogue shinobi clan invaded your home, he admired not only yours but the bravery of your people. Despite being weak, untrained, and lacking in experience he watched as you all faced your enemy head on. You especially, refused to back down. You'd spit in the face of your would be attacker, anger and spite swirling in your eyes like a storm.

Of course, he saw it as the perfect opportunity. At least, that's what he told himself, but his rage at your potential violation was clear as day as he easily tore into the man who had attempted to harm his property. The rest of that clan were like flies, buzzing around and destroying what was his. He took care of them all.

His anger only mounted when he saw the red irritation marks on your wrists and neck, like proof of his inability to protect you. He'd take your wrist in his own, the sheer difference in size and strength furthering his wrath. What kind of shinobi preyed on such weaklings? Where was their pride? Their sense of honor?

"Thank you," your quiet voice gave him pause. "For saving me."

His grip on your wrist would tighten, his chest uncomfortable. One look from your eyes was enough to placate him and he hated it. How could some helpless girl hold so much sway over him? He was getting too close, he had to fix it. Place some distance before he did something he'd regret.

See the full post

401 notes - Posted June 6, 2022

#4

Sacrificed

Pairing: God!Hasirama Senju x Reader

Genre: Oneshot, dirty smut

Word Count: 7.8k

Warnings: afab!reader, rough sex, vaginal sex, dirty talk, oral sex female receiving, creampie, unprotected sex, aphrodisiacs, praise kink, hung Hashirama, overstimulation, cum marking, kind of tentacles, no refractory period, Yandere Hashirama, strong language

A/N: This one took a bit longer than intended, for multiple reasons but I'm glad to finally have it out. I definitely wasn't expecting it to be this much longer than Madara's version but this did have a bit more plot going for it. Not that the plot is really all that important. As far as their personalities go I feel like god Madara would fuck anyone who moves and Hashirama would be too nice to be that way so there had to be a bit more build up.

Another HUGE thank you to the incredible, wonderful, amazing, genius @therantingfangirl for helping me edit and refine this one and for being the bestest of best friends. I really love her, she's an incredible writer, and if you guys liked my Madara Sacrificed then you should check out her Madara mirror fic. Its awesome.

And a huge thank you to all of you for showing Sacrificed so much love! I only hope this one pleases you all just as much!

Without further ado, please enjoy Sacrificed (Forest)

Read it on AO3

See the full post

504 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

#3

Sacrificed

Pairing: God!Tobirama Senju x Reader

Genre: Oneshot, smutty smut

Word Count: 13k

Warnings: oh so many, afab!reader, rough sex, dirty talk, cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, way too much overstimulation, copious amounts of cum, oral sex male receiving, copious amounts of fluids, temperature play, virginity kink, breeding kink, praise kink, power kink, aphrodisiacs, stomach bulge, use of inanimate objects for stimulation, Tobi-rail-me, Tobirama's schlong is too big, womb bullying, no refractory period, strong language

A/N: Holy shit this is so long and I’m so sorry it took forever to get out but it’s finally here and I’m so relieved. Again, sorry it took so long but honestly this thing is monstrous. Twice the size of Madara's and almost twice the size of Hashirama's. There's a lot of lore and references in here to the previous Sacrifices and to future ones but you don't have to read either to fully enjoy this.

Thanks so much again to my amazing editing bestie @therantingfangirl and my artistic troll @skydaddy01 for all your hard work helping me make this so great~ You guys are the best. As well as all my tumblr friends who have been patiently waiting and encouraging me. And thank you so much to all of you who waited and enjoyed the previous ones.

Now, without further ado, please enjoy the final fic for the first season of Sacrificed. Sacrificed (Water)

Read it on AO3

See the full post

523 notes - Posted August 29, 2022

#2

Quickie

Pairing: Gaara of the Sand x Reader

Genre: Oneshot, Smut

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: afab!reader, dirty talk, vaginal sex, multiple orgasms, exhibitionism, unprotected sex, creampie, panty stealing, quickie in a closet, big boi Gaara, strong language (Gaara gets to curse~ yay~)

A/N: Its about damn time I wrote something for my man. Also have I ever mentioned how much I love @therantingfangirl? Because I do, she even makes time to proofread little pieces like this for me~

Read it on AO3

See the full post

559 notes - Posted June 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Sacrificed

Pairing: God!Madara Uchiha x Reader

Genre: Oneshot, filthy filthy smut

Word Count: 6.6k

Warnings: too many to count, afab!reader, rough sex, vaginal fingering, dirty talk, the Uchiha breeding kink, creampie, unprotected sex, aphrodisiacs, Madara has a big dick Uchiha, blindfolds, hands are tied, stomach bulge, mating press, overstimulation, some temperature play, strong language

A/N: This monstrosity has way too many tags, forgive me if I didn't tag every kink. Honestly this was only supposed to have like, two kinks or so, but uh obviously that did not happen and I'm not sorry about it. If this one does well enough I plan on writing a Sacrificed for each of the founders trio, and if I feel the inspiration after that I could add other Naruto characters as well so, let me know if that's something you'd be interested in.

A HUGE thank you to @therantingfangirl for helping me edit this oversized self indulgence! She's the best you guys, I love her and you should send some love her way! This wouldn't have been out as quickly, and would've had many more typos lol, if not for her. So tell her thank you for me~

edit 7/30/22: WE NOW HAVE ART!! A biiiig huge thank you to the amazing @skydaddy01 for their incredible art. They did a fanfuckingtastic job creating god!Madara's appearance, especially with so little to go off of because I'm bad at asking for things. Seriously, go check them out, especially if you like the art~

Without further ado, enjoy Sacrificed (Sun)

Read it on AO3

See the full post

1,278 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[mokutone]

yo i would love to hear some of ur trans yam headcanons :) (also ps ur art is breathtaking and whenever i see it reblogged on my dash i always come here anyway to read ur tags bc they r so! good!)

thank u 🥺🥺🥺 god im sorry this has been sitting in my inbox for a couple days ksdjghsdkjgh not only have i got a LOT of thoughts to put here (this is only a selection of the bigger thoughts skdjghsdkjhg) i was also super busy the past few days!!!! ty for ur patience, ur compliments, and for inviting me to ramble abt my favorite guy!

maybe the one constant in all trans people is just like. our decision to intentionally and purposefully create ourselves, to forced into an identity by outside forces and to turn away from it in search of something else, and that’s ultimately what makes captain yamato read as a trans character to me! He goes through so many identities, and they are meaningful to him, but you can also clearly tell that he’s searching for something that really fits him.

I don’t really have a lot of firm thoughts on what his specific identity would be, I’ve seen some great nonbinary yams, some lovely genderfluid yams, trans guy yams, there’s a great variety and i delight in them all! 

I tend to imagine him as transmasculine and nonbinary but male aligned (which means he’d feel at least a partial connection to or comfort with masculinity) and while there are a bunch of labels for this experience of gender (demiboy, bigender, etc etc) i don’t see him as somebody who would use any specific labels, I feel like he’d keep his own experience of his gender fairly private! He’d prefer and be fine with masculine-coded terms of address, and happy enough passing as a guy.

AHH and on names...

I think Kinoe is the only name that I really see as like. a genuine deadname. It’s a name that means “The First” to my understanding, and so like, probably refers to him having the genetics of the first. Therefore, it’s kind of. literally a name referring to him as his biology...boy thats as deadname as it gets, huh? kill that shit and also danzō

Tenzō is also a name thats given to him, but to my understanding (all I know about the anbu arc is picked up thru osmosis lol) it’s a name that’s given to him twice, with affection. Once from Yukimi, who sees him as her brother (not a vessel for the first hokage’s powers, probably for the first time ever—even if it’s still another person’s name) He takes the name, gladly! Unfortunately danzō. anyway,

Later, when he starts to introduce himself to the non-root Anbu as Kinoe, Kakashi cuts him off and names him to the anbu as Tenzō. To my understanding: it’s a name at rest, not a name for one singular mission, but a name for his entire time in Anbu. It’s the name he keeps the longest. Again, it’s a name that’s given to him to him by somebody else, but it’s one that is given with the intention to free him of Kinoe, and all that Kinoe had to be. 

(A note on him getting annoyed with Kakashi for calling him Tenzō in main-plot:

Most of this is of course based off of personal experience, but I find it hard to believe that he would actively dislike Tenzō as a name since it was given with such sweet intentions—most of my names have been gifts, and the only one I’ve actively taken out of rotation has been bc i cannot stand the person who used it, and the way it was used, and while Anbu was certainly bad for Yamato...I don’t think it was quite that bad. I think him telling Kakashi to stop calling him Tenzō has more to do with the use of it where it doesn’t belong—for example, while it’s not exactly a name, I am happy to be called “mokutone” here, and you may notice my friends calling me by another name, but if any of those friends called me mokutone in DMs, I would be bothered by that.)

Yamato starts off as an empty codename, given to him for the purposes of his team 7 mission by the Hokage, but I think it gets such a loving and warm association from just...using out in the sunlight, with these kids that he comes to think so fondly of (he’s such a dad. god. he’s such a fucking dad) and with the friends he makes going out drinking and actually having time to socialize—and that means a lot! I think Yamato is probably the name which becomes most meaningful and like a home to him by the end of the series. This is the active name, the name where he is most himself. It’s vital for him to have that space to grow into! 

But that said, I personally feel like, if he were to continue beyond the edges of the story, this would not be the final name he bears. He’s probably well aware that a single name cannot contain who he is, or who he wants to be, and while being Given a name can be a beautiful thing (like i said, most of my names are gifts! i treasure them.) I think that, for his character arc, I would like him to name himself at some point. Even if it’s a name that only exists for private spaces, I want him to complete that self determination, to at least try it out, even if ultimately Yamato is the name everyone else will know him by.

Physical Transition Stuff

i will confess i hurt to imagine these shinobi binding 😭😭 even if an individual is binding safely (well made binder, no more than 8 hours, AND No Physically Intense Activity) they stand to risk hurting themself! In real life we gotta balance out the physical pain and the pain of dysphoria, but this is naruto and I’m Gonna Play Some Headcanon Games!

If chakra is both a kind of spiritual energy as well as directly connected to the body (as we learned in the hyūga fight) then it stands to reason that by manipulating ones own chakra, they can manipulate the body, or at least the way the body changes (such as naruto’s healing factor) 

This probably is not the safest thing to do unless you’re a mednin or following the directions of one, LMAO

The second the hell of puberty started up for Tenzō he tried to hold it back by sheer force of willpower + chakra manipulation alone 

but, manually controlling one’s chakra is like trying to prevent a stream from flowing with your hands alone, which is to say: an exhausting uphill battle.

 He’d probably only be doing it on his down time and not on a mission, but even still the most I bet he could make it doing that without getting figured out is two months.

Luckily blockers are readily available, Tenzō just had no idea and, gender being a private experience for him, was trying to handle the whole thing entirely on his own. Soon after attempting to self-regulate hormones him-fucking-self like a very valid but desperate fool, he gets an appointment, gets a prescription, and can chill out and not have to be as hellishly aware of his body constantly.

 Konoha mednin will say trans rights even if the village itself is garbage, this series is so god damn weird already, nobody can tell me a ninja taking hormones is somehow weirder than a ninja taking his dead best friends genetic superpower eye.

TWO WEEKS, THREE SPARS, AND ONE VERY EMOTIONALLY DRAINING CONVERSATION LATER:

u might think kakashi is passing him a water bottle and they both look so exhausted bc its post spar but no. physically theyre fine, but the emotional toll of having to talk about something either of them care at all about? miracle they survived.

#lesbians4tenten #Tenzō #yamato #headcanons #kakashi says that so heavily bc both of them hate going to the hospital but blood tests are necessary for HRT usually #also kakashi is definitely trans as well. i have less headcanons about that bc i see him as like. Even More Private than yamato #(he hides 3/4 of his face. trans icon. also personal privacy icon.) #so like skdjghdskjhg him getting involved is not a moment of Concerned Cis Meddling but like. 'ghghhg this is bad. i gotta step in' #i hc that like he was one of those kids that by the time he was four he was like hey dad im a boy and sakumo was like. fuck ok! #i guess i got a son now! #yamato just did not think about it much #also while i see him having long hair as inherently him repressing his identity it has nothing to do with long hair being 'feminine' #esp bc most of the older men in naruto have long hair. sakumo j*raiya orochimaru madara the whole hyūga clan of men #but instead much more to do with. him repressing being tenzō in order to be kinoe for danzō #and if hashirama had long hair. and all he is is a weapon for hashiramas power to be used through. he too will have long hair. #its also why i wont draw yamato with long hair. while he is handsome with long hair...and an argument COULD be made for him reclaiming it #i feel like aesthetically it represents a return to a relationship he had with his body and with the idea of hashirama #that i am not interested in exploring #perhaps in sage mode it goes very long. and then he has a friend cut it off for him every time #that i could draw #ANYWAY I think everyone should have as many names as they want. you want to be called something? that's your name now congratulations #trans? cis? not sure? doesn't matter the world is your oyster and you can be called anything you want #if people dont respect that theyre jealous and being rude af lmao #image desc in alt text #for all thats worth

[hitodama3]

Juubi Tobirama & Soul bond AU

Soul Bond Au Concept:

Everyone has strings coming from their hearts that connect to other people. They are connections of love. Though it can be any kind of love; romantic, platonic, familial, etc.

The more you love someone/thing the thicker and more visible the bond is.

In the past people thought these bonds proved you had a soul, because how could someone have a soul if they didn't love a single person?

They snap due to the death of one of the individuals with the bond, if one side betrayal the other in a way that hurts them so deeply for at least one moment they can not feel a single ounce of love for the other, or it will gradually split apart and snap if the feelings fading away over time.

A snapped bond hangs like a cut thread from the chest for as long as the owner thinks about the other. If they move on the thread will eventually fade away from visibility.

The broken bond does leave a mark on your soul even if it has faded from view. The bonds branch our from the soul like strings from a yarn ball. So when they are cut they unravel a bit of the soul and leave a hole.

This hole cannot heal naturally even if the person moves on it can only be replaced, or over time the opening will be carefully patched over (if the owner truly moves on), but the hole on the inside will remain.

Broken bonds cause physical pain to the owner, so society places high importance on the bonds. Parents warn their children to be careful who they bond with because they have to be wary of broken bonds and the pain they cause, because eventually if you get to many holes your soul will unravel, and it kills you.

The cause of death due to having too many holes in a person's soul is called unraveling.

People don't care if you have less bonds but only if the ones you have are thicker to account for the lack of multiple bonds. It's uncommon for anyone to have less than three bonds. At least one really strong and two weaker ones. So people with less than three are judged heavily by society.

Those with many thick bonds are considered very loving and are looked on well by society.

Those with no bonds or broken bonds are considered soulless and are pariah, while those who only have broken bonds are looked at in pity or disgust because only those who have lost everything or are criminals should only have broken bonds.

Below is finally the Tobirama part of this post. ⬇️

Okay so now that I've spent an age explaining the bond concept here's the Tobirama part of the concept.

Tobirama as a child started off with the familial bonds like most children. He has six bonds: Butsuma, his Mom, Hashirama, Kawarama, Itama, and Touka.

He did not have thick bonds from the beginning with his father. It thinned, frayed, and snapped the first time he hit Kawarama or Itama.

He had a thick bond with his mother.

He had thick bonds with Kawarama and Itama. He would never admit to having a favorite but Itama's was slightly thicker.

He used to have a thick bond with Hashirama but since the river it started to fray over time before finally snapping the first time Hashirama told him he was nothing but a tool to end an argument.

Touka's grew thicker over time and by the time the clan war's are ending is his only remaining bond.

Tobirama never gained any platonic or friend based bonds because due to his coloring and attitude was isolated by his clan. Tobirama lost two agemate playmates this way. Parents driving them away from with frowns, grimaces, and whispers of demon. Leaving him with two holes in his soul.

Clansmen made a game of seeing if young Tobi would bond with them to break it on purpose. It started as an order from Butsuma to make him a better weapon then became a game. This occurred three times before he noticed the pattern and closed himself off because he now had another three holes in his soul.

Tobirama had gained five holes in his soul by the time Itama died at the hands of his clansmen and no longer trust them to make bonds. The breaking of his familial bonds except Touka leave him with ten holes in his heart.

For this AU ten is an extreme number and most people would have unraveled at this point, but Tobirama is stubborn and keeps going.

Tobirama gets two more from people he's gotten close to on missions he was unable to protect or save. With twelve holes in his soul Touka is heavily concerned for her 'brother', but he's sent out on another mission where he gets close to a child and develops a bond with them only for them to die, enemy-nin or illness you decide.

Tobirama knows after that last snap at unlucky number thirteen that he's going to unravel. He informs the elder council who give him one last suicide mission for him to die on and benefit the Senju one last time.

On that mission he encounters Kurama and impresses him. Kurama seeing the damage decides that finders keepers and if they can't take care of the pale kit then the kit is his now.

Tobirama gains a bond filling in the place of his father's bond.

Matatabi gets enlisted to go check on Kurama by the other bijuu since he hasn't been seen in ages, and is impressed by the kitten Kurama has adopted and decides to stay and help nurse the kitten back to help, because she doesn't trust Kurama to not kill the human kitten.

Tobirama gains a bond filling in the place of his mother's bond.

Overtime Tobirma befriends each of the bijuu and they fill in his bonds. Then the gods check on their children to see why they've congregated and see the human packed to the brim with thick familial bonds with their children. And decide what can they do but except his as family as well.

Here are the bond relations I imagine.

Grandmentor: Susanoo (Water god)

Grandmother: Ameratsu (Fire goddess)

Grandfather: Tsukuyomi (The *Actual* moon god)

Godfather: The Shinigami

Annoying Aunt/Uncle: Shukaku

Mentor: Isobu

Friend: Son Goku

Brothers x 3 to replace Hashirama, Kawarama, and Itama: Kokuo, Saiken, Gyuki

Excitable cousin: Chomei (wind chakra)

After getting bonds with all of the chakra beasts Tobirama becomes a pseudo Juubi. Closer to the wolf form we all headcannoned before learning about the god tree shenanigans.

While Tobirama is getting a new family, back in Senju and Uchiha land. When Tobirama was sent out on a suicide mission the council sent Touka out on a year long mission because they knew she'd become rabid if she found out what they did. Hashirama unable to run the compound as efficiently without Touka and Tobirama loses ground against the Uchiha. Supplies, contracts, and shinobi start dropping without the two their to manage it. Hashirama asks the council about their whereabouts and is told they are both on long term critical missions.

The good thing about the Senju loosing ground and numbers is the Uchiha gain it. So that the two clans are more on equal terms and relaxes the Uchiha into agreeing to a cease fire. The Uchiha have spies in court that have seen Touka so they know where she's been for a year, but no one has seen Tobirama so they assume he's dead.

Once they start planning the village Madara offers his condolences for the death of Hashirama's last brother, and oblivious sub!optimal Hashirama states Tobi's not dead and goes to grab his soul bond and notices it gone, pats around his chest frantically and doesn't find a snapped soul bond, only for Mito to tell him confused he doesn't know that his bond with Tobirama snapped over a year ago.

Hashirama is horrified, and finds out about the suicide mention and Tobirama's unraveling from the elders, and frantically goes searching for him.

Only to find a healthy, happy, choke full of soul bonds Tobirama surrounded by gods and monsters that are pissed about his prior treatment.

And this could all be shortened backstory for a very lovely Tobirama x (someone but we all know I prefer Madara or Indra).

#madatobi #naruto #warring clans era #madara x tobirama #indratobi #indra x Tobirama #ill sail that ship myself if i have too #madara #madara uchiha #itama senju #kawarama senju #hashirama senju #tobirama senju #bijuu #chakra beasts #Ameratsu #susanoo #tsukuyomi #kurama #matatabi #soulbonds #unraveling #tobirama

[kankuroplease]

Could u bless us with some fluff hcs for tobirama and aori

Here’s a few I can see 😁

Tobirama was very relieved that Aori doesn’t find his sternness off putting, it was a not so small concern of his when they first started talking.

Tobirama’s her first boyfriend so he’s going to get all her blushy-dorky moments

Including but not limited to her shaky voice asking if he wants to come to her place, not knowing how to kiss, ears blushing when they hold hands, etc..

But after Tobirama makes it clear he’s not judging her for that other things? Sometimes. He can’t help that part of him She relaxes quite a bit and starts showering him with love

Aori is going to hug him at least once a day just because. He just looks like he needs a good hug

He can be prickly all he wants. He’s still getting hugged and notes wishing him a good and successful day.

He is glad she can keep up with most of his ideologies and cares about his well being when it comes to work.

He’s not going to simply stop being a workaholic, but it’s touching that she cares so much. And he will try to get home early when he can.

Also enjoys when she joins him while doing paperwork. Most times she’s bring some sort of snack or lunch/dinner for them to share

They often spar with one another, to Aori it’s all fun and games, she doesn’t know he’s actually seriously assessing her skills each time

He’s so serious about her continuing to improve because he’s worried she might get a mission she won’t be able to come back from if she doesn’t. So he’s willing to push her to her limits.

Luckily for him, Aori doesn’t mind bumps, cuts, scrapes, and bruises. She just smiles and tells him she’ll get him next time

They have fishing dates (Aori’s idea) to catch fish for dinner

Aori will try to get him to join her for a swim too while they’re there

Aori has a habit of biting her bottom lip whenever she’s looking deep into his eyes he notices

Both of them enjoy talking about their students. They can do that all day and probably have.

Probably also got in a mini “debate” on teaching methods more than once too 😅

First time she introduced him to her cat, he was alarmed with how hefty and fluffy this creature truly was. Not a ninja tool in the least.

Sasa did take an immediate liking to Tobirama, which cemented her belief that Tobirama is a good guy ☺️

Tobirama lets Sasa join him on the couch where he will aimlessly pet him and play with his paws

If Tobirama is particularly “cranky” Aori knows to give him space, but she will make him so tea in hopes it will relax him a bit.

If he seems stressed Aori will have him lay his head in her lap while she massages his scalp, shoulders, and chest.

Probably will have him flip over so she can get his back too.

Unlike her sister, she can’t bake to save her life because she eyes her ingredients verses measuring them. BUT she’s a really good cook do you years of playing mom for Katsura and her brutal honesty

It’s the only thing outside of being a shinobi that she’s good at so she doesn’t mind cooking most of the meals they share.

Gets super bashful at the slightest compliment from him about her cooking.

Dinner dates with Hashirama are definitely a thing

Aori enjoys seeing the brothers chat and she double enjoys Mito’s divine company

First time Tobirama called her his woman in front of guest, Aori spent the rest of the night fighting a goofy smile

Tobirama isn’t the most romantic guy all the time but if he knows there’s something she wants, he’ll make sure to get it.

He can tell when Aori isn’t feeling well by how quiet she is. Not humming a little song, not striking up conversation?? He’s worried

Won’t say anything unless she’s feverish but he will be the one to make tea or try his best to get home early to check on her.

She also falls asleep on the floor quite a bit when she’s studying and Sasa usually sleeps right next to her face, practically on her head. It’s the most ridiculous and sort of endearing thing he’s seen.

Aori likes to fall asleep cuddling. Lowkey will pout if he doesn’t pull her into an embrace.

Tobirama likes the closeness too. Let’s him know she’s not mad at him and he can drift off to the soft scent of her.

They have hair maintenance days because they both are picky about their hair lengths. So they will trim the others hair at home.

#ask #tobirama x aori #oc: aori #kpz distance between ⛩️ #kpz naruto founder au #knfau ℹ️