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ayyyeisa · 3 years

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Pairing: Eren Jaeger x Mikasa Ackerman

Word Count: 9.7k

Content: Modern! AU, fluff, angst, best-friends-to-lovers trope

Content Warnings: PTSD, alludes to alcohol

Summary: Childhood best friends Eren and Mikasa go through a series of ups and downs throughout their life, struggling to realize what exactly their relationship is

Notes: Thank you to everyone who helped edit this piece! I really appreciated all the feedback you gave me <3

Prologue

They’ve always been told that they’ve been friends since the moment they were born, and it was difficult to argue against it because it really did feel like it’s been a lifetime of friendship. There has never been a moment where one isn’t with the other. It had never been just Eren, and it had never been just Mikasa. No matter where they were and when it was, it was always (and always will be) Eren and Mikasa. The girl, Mikasa, even claimed to have known her friend Eren in her life before, and although he'd never admit it in front of anyone but Mikasa (in fear that his older brother would make fun of it), he did too. At 28, their friendship definitely had quite a few ups and downs, but if they learned one thing during their years of being best friends it was that they both wanted one thing more than anything in the world: to be with each other. That was it. It didn’t matter, when, where, with who, or for what reason. Just to be in the presence of one another was enough to make them happy.

27 Years Ago (4 months old)

Eren and Mikasa were born just barely two months apart, so it was no surprise that they wouldn’t even remember meeting as babies. As their parents were good friends, the couples jokingly tried to make their children be friends too, by making sure they saw each other frequently. Mikasa and Eren’s moms held their babies across from one another so they could see each other again. It was the first time they officially met, excluding the time the Ackerman family came to visit Carla when she gave birth to Eren. The moment baby Eren had set his big, forest green eyes onto Mikasa’s brown ones, he had tried to reach out to her, going as far as untangling himself from the red scarf (a gift given at his baby shower, though because of his size, could not be used as an actual scarf yet) that his mom used to swaddle him. Unfortunately, from his lack of motor skills, the little girl was awoken by Eren's hand. Mikasa shrieked, upset that she was pulled from her sleep. Zeke, Eren's senior by ten years, freaked, immediately apologizing to Mikasa's mom about Eren. "I'm so sorry Auntie! I'm sure Eren didn't mean it. Please don't be mad."

The woman just let out a light-hearted laugh. "It's alright Zeke. Look, Mikasa is fine now. Besides, her and Eren seem to be getting along pretty well," she said as she watched the two babies looking at each other, arms flailing like an octopus's legs in an attempt to reach each other. Mikasa had gotten a hold of an end of Eren’s swaddle scarf and was lightly tugging at it, while Eren continued to reach forward until his small hand lightly touched Mikasa’s forehead. They were giggling, almost as if they were keeping a secret.

23 Years Ago (5 years old)

It was their first day of first grade. They had been smart enough to go to school a year early. Yes, they. Mikasa refused to start school without Eren, and he refused to go without Mikasa. They were a team, never leaving each other’s side. The teachers were a bit surprised at first when they refused to sit with different people, but they soon got the message. Many actually found it quite cute. Eren had many girls crushing on him (yes, he was a very cute boy, and eventually grew up to be a handsome man). Although the girls didn’t completely understand their emotions at that age, they refused to believe that the cute boy prefered Mikasa over all of them. This of course was bad for Mikasa since it led her to having enemies from a young age. Even if she didn’t need total protection from them, she still had Eren to help. He was, however, useless when his own fangirls chased him around the playground. Though he always proudly claimed "As if I would even think of hitting a girl,” Mikasa was there to help him out when they chased him.

Not even a week in, Eren had met a boy named Armin-- a short and shy young blonde, who always seemed to be in the little library corner of the classroom. He was as smart as Misaka and Eren, if not smarter, therefore he also started a year early. The older boys were constantly making fun of Armin for his short stature, yet what caught Eren’s eyes the most was how no matter the power difference, Armin did not seem to back down. Even as the bullies picked and teased at him, he held his head high.

When Eren approached one day to ask why, Armin would simply state “I haven’t lost yet if I refuse to back down.” And it was that bravery, even in the most dire of situations, that had Eren grinning.

Hands on his hips, he announced, “my name is Eren, but you probably already knew that. And that girl over there,” Eren paused to point at Mikasa, who was watching from across the room to make sure Eren wasn’t getting himself into trouble, “is Mikasa. Let’s all be friends. Mikasa! C’mere! This is Armin and he’s super cool and smart.” After gesturing her over, he turns back to Armin with a grin on his face. “Mikasa is super cool too. She’s smart like you, and really strong. She’s my best friend, and I’ve known her my entire life. I just know we’ll all get along,” he said happily while readjusting his scarf.

And right he was, for that was the beginning of the trio’s epic friendship.

21 Years Ago (7 years old)

He took her hand, and led her to his horse. Just like how the leaves were swept away by the wind, so were they. If you watched, you’d see the horse getting smaller and smaller as they rode farther away. But maybe, if you listened, you would hear the princess’s and prince’s joyful laughter- a truly happy ever after ending for them.

“No, no, no, no!” That’s not what happened in my dream! If I remember correctly, we lived in a castle!” Eren exclaimed. He didn’t know where Mikasa got that dream before.

“Well, I’m just telling you what I saw in my dream. Maybe you’re the one with bad memory,” she snapped back, a frown on her face as she lightly tugged on the red scarf he always kept around his neck.

For the past couple months, they had been dreaming of being together in a number of lives. They often fought about them in front of Armin, constantly asking him which one of the two dreamt the right dream. Poor Armin. Luckily, the boy had a knack for reading any and every book he could find, and he decided to do something about it before the fight could escalate again.

“Maybe you two remembered different parts of your old life, and maybe even different lives. You never know, you could have been a prince or princess more than once,” he proposed.

Mikasa’s brows quirk in confusion. “You think so?” she asked.

Eren, on the other hand, fully trusted the other boy, knowing just how smart he was from all the reading he’s done. Grinning, he proudly stated,“Don’t doubt Armin, Mikasa. He’s super smart. I bet he’s right with just about everything.”

“Really?” the girl excitedly asked. “Wait, so Armin, do you know how babies are made?”

Omake:

Eren: “Of course he does! He read it in a book and told me. A stork plucks a baby from a pond and delivers it at night.”

19 Years Ago (9 years old)

“We were super cool ninjas with powers! Like Naruto!” Eren exclaimed, jumping, kicking, and punching the air as if he was fighting an imaginary person. His red scarf danced and swayed along with him as he energetically moved around. He briefly paused to glance at Mikasa, excited to see her reaction, when he saw her expression. It had his previously bright, green eyes dulling into a light grey color. Furrowing his eyebrows, he asked, “You okay Mikasa?”

She sat there, a worried look on her face. “Eren, will my mom be okay?” Even though she was young, she knew something went wrong when her mom had her. Her mom was always happy, yet sad when talking about Misaka's birth. She overheard one night from her parents that having Mikasa was very difficult for them, let alone having another child.

This question always broke his heart- no matter how many times he’s heard it. He stared at her for a moment before slowly walking to her, unwrapping his scarf off his neck. He stopped right in front of her-- her head right below his chin-- before taking his scarf in two hands and wrapping it around her neck instead. Finishing up the last loop, he messily placed the last few inches on top of her head before taking a seat next to her on the couch.

“I don’t know Mikasa. I don’t know. But you’re going to be okay, I promise.”

Eren had said “you’re” not “it’s,” and she couldn't be more thankful. The little boy could not promise that everything would be okay, but he could promise that she would. Why? Because she still had a home. Because he was there. And he always would be.

“I’m right here. And if you ever need more comfort, whenever and wherever we are, I’ll just wrap that scarf around you again,” he stated confidently. He hugged Mikasa, who in turn hugged him back before they laid down facing each other.

“You’ll really do it? You’ll wrap the scarf around me just like you did in the dream I told you I had last night? That one’s my favorite dream-- but I like all of our other dreams too. Promise me we’ll always talk about them. No matter how old we are, we’ll still tell them to each other, okay? Promise me,” Mikasa prompted as she rested her hand in between them.

It was no surprise when Eren gave her a small smile while stating “Promise,” before reaching out with his hand to interlock his fingers with Mikasa’s.

18 Years Ago (10 years old)

At ten years old, Eren was starting to believe what the other boys in his grade were saying about girls. At first, he tried to fight back and ignore their stupid antics, but he hated the fact that people thought Mikasa was stronger than him. He didn’t want her protection; he wanted to protect her.

“Why does she always speak for you, anyway?” one of them would ask.

“She’s a girl; shouldn’t you be stronger?” another would add.

“Don’t forget that girls have cooties.”

“She’s just plain scary too.”

Eren could feel his cheeks heat up at the comments, and if the boys were paying close attention, they would’ve seen his eyes turn a stormy grey. Whether it was from embarrassment of being below Mikasa, or anger of someone daring to badmouth her, he didn’t know.

“Don’t say that about Mikasa. Girls should be strong, and there’s nothing wrong with not being quiet and dainty,” he loudly proclaimed. But while his heart was burning to continue defending Mikasa, a part of him couldn’t help but hate the situation he was in. Why was Mikasa always the one to protect him, and why did it bother him so much?

Weeks had passed, and Mikasa noticed how Eren seemed to be avoiding her. Was it what everyone was saying about them? Or was it something else? The only other thing she could think of was when she gave him a nice punch (a well-deserved punch at that) for being an idiot and getting into trouble again. Because of him, they both had to stay in the classroom writing apology letters during recess-- it’s not like she was going to let him fight those bullies alone. But he couldn’t be THAT mad at her, could he? The jerk sort of deserved it. It broke her. But, Mikasa being Mikasa, she decided to confront him today.

“Eren, why are you ignoring me? Are you okay? Did something happen?” she asked.

“I’m not ignoring you, okay? Why can’t you just let me be and do my own thing. You’re not my mom, and I'm not your kid brother. I don’t need you around all the time, and I definitely don’t always need your help.” Eren spat, irritated.

Just as he was about to leave, Mikasa spoke again. “So you’re saying that I’m not important.”

Eren, caught off guard, froze. “No! I never--”

“You’re saying that those other boys, your other friends, are more important than me and that what they think matters more than me.” Mikasa clarified, tears starting to swell up in her eyes.

...1 second...

...2 seconds…

Gears were turning in Eren’s head, realizing what he’d almost done to their friendship-- what he’d almost done to Mikasa, his Mikasa, his best friend. He could feel his anger subside, and Mikasa saw his grey eyes slowly brighten to green. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. Why don’t you come over today? We can play tag and hide and seek… Or I could even play with the dolls you made. You made one of me, right? Just the two of us. I promise this won’t happen again.”

“Good. I like Auntie Carla’s cooking. We’re walking home from school together, okay? Like old times,” she simply stated before walking away. She was not going to take any chances of Eren saying no. Of course, Mikasa expected his previous response. As much as Eren had been avoiding her, she truly trusted him to always come back. He always did. She could bet her life (and heart) on it.

17 Years Ago (11 years old)

Lunch was going well for the first day of 6th grade. It was an odd transition from eating with classmates in their grade level to being able to eat with just about anyone that attended their school. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were finishing up their lunch when they heard a voice.

“Your long black hair is… really beautiful, by the way,” a boy with ash-brown hair shyly says to Mikasa. His blush was evident on his light skin and he could barely look at the girl. His name was Jean Kirstein, a new classmate of the trio’s; and he annoyed Eren to no end. Who did this guy think he was? It was their first year at South Paradis Junior High-- there were so many other elementary schools that fed into here that it was unlikely that they’d know all their classmates. And yet, this boy was already coming straight up to Mikasa and complimenting her hair. Mikasa was a rare beauty and Eren’s best friend; she deserved the best and only the very best. He wasn’t going to let some horse face of a boy take a chance with her.

Armin noticed Eren’s frown and how his eyes were a dark grey. He honestly considered teasing him: “Of course you’d be the petty, jealous type.” That’s all he had to say. It was fairly easy, and Armin was quite sure that voicing that thought would have Eren in a stuttering mess trying to deny it all. He’d probably be so busy denying it that he would’ve spent more time arguing with Armin than acting on his jealousy. Though against his better judgement, Armin kept his mouth shut, allowing Eren to speak up.

“Mikasa,” Eren said softly as he grabbed a piece of her hair, “aren’t you trying out for the martial arts team? You should cut your hair. You could get into an accident.” Eren didn’t even bother glancing at Jean; he opted for keeping his gaze on Mikasa as he waited for an answer.

“Yeah… you’re right. I should probably cut it,” she stated as she absentmindedly grabs the same strand Eren was holding, their fingers grazing one another in the process. Eren would never admit it, but his fingers burned right where his and Mikasa’s briefly touched. The physical contact didn’t last long, but he could still feel the warmth she emulated when he went to bed that night. He didn’t know why, though.

13 Years Ago (15 years old)

It wasn’t until sophomore year of high school that Eren realized just why he felt that way-- why he always had the urge to protect Mikasa to the point that her being stronger than him made him angry, why he was always hit with an overwhelming feeling of jealousy whenever Jean was anywhere near her, why his skin started burning at her slightest touch. It wasn’t until sophomore year of high school that Eren realized just why he started to look at his best friend a little differently, why she always lingered in his thoughts a bit longer and a bit more than everyone else.

He was, unfortunately, stupid enough to make homecoming plans without Mikasa. Last year, the two of them and Armin had all gone together, but Armin was finally going with Annie this year. It was of the utmost obviousness that those two had something going ever since she transferred to their school in 7th grade. Annie was a quiet girl who usually kept to herself, maybe occasionally speaking with Bertholdt and Reiner since they transferred from the same school. But otherwise, it seemed as if only Armin was able to break through her shell. It was honestly quite ironic how Eren and Mikasa often teased Armin for his incapability to express his feelings, when he could’ve easily pointed out theirs. The ache in his heart when Annie was away --the way he constantly missed her and wished she was around-- was no different from what Eren and Mikasa secretly told Armin when they were apart. How could Eren and Mikasa not know?

“Historia asked me to homecoming,” Eren had told Mikasa one night after they both respectively finished martial arts and baseball practice. He could see the small glare she gave him, as she stared at him for what felt like hours without saying a word.

“Okay, then just ask her out.” Mikasa didn’t even try to hide her annoyance.

“It’s not like that. I don’t-- There’s nothing-- We’re not like that. I think she’s just pretty bummed that Ymir moved and needs a friend. You know she doesn’t have that many ‘cause her dad’s been sheltering her. You can come with. I told her that I was planning on going with you,” Eren replied. It’s not like he wanted Mikasa to feel left out or unimportant. One of his friends needed his help, and he would never-- could never-- turn his back on a friend. They were the most important people in the world to him, almost on the same level as his parents, Armin, and Mikasa. Of course he would be there if one of them ever needed a hand.

And it was because Mikasa knew him so well that she tried to control herself. Mikasa wanted to argue-- wanted to tell Eren that there were plenty of other people Historia could’ve asked. She had Sasha, Connie, and Jean too. She could’ve even asked her. Why did it have to be specifically Eren? She was jealous, she acknowledged that, because all she ever wanted was to be near Eren. The thought of him belonging to some other girl hurt so badly. For him to have another home besides her, for her to not be able to call him her home-- she didn’t know if she wanted to even be alive if that were to happen. Eren was everything to her. But another part of her just wanted to let it be. If Eren was happy, and as his best friend, shouldn’t she be happy for him too? All she ever wanted was to be near him. Romantic relationship or not, she already had that. Eren cared about her and Armin more than anyone in the world; she has everything she’s asked for. Shouldn’t that be enough?

“No, it’s ok. You don’t need to explain. She needs a friend, and I think you should go. Jean and I were talking in class today. He actually offered for us to join their group because Sasha and Connie wanted to do a whole extravagant group meetup, with pictures and food and everything. I’ll just tag along with them,” her lips drew into a straight line in an attempt to smile. She knew Eren well enough to know that he knew --that she knew-- that he knew that it was most definitely not okay. But to her dismay, neither acknowledged the elephant in the room nor the growing tension between them.

Eren didn’t want to. He was too busy feeling the blood rushing through his ears at the mention of Jean asking Mikasa out. There was only one other time he remembered feeling this jealous-- it had been all that time ago, when they first met Jean back in 6th grade. The horse face had told Mikasa her long, black hair was beautiful, and while Eren agreed, it pissed him off to no end that someone other than him was looking at Mikasa. Of course, it was no surprise that many boys and girls were looking at her-- she was beautiful and strong and everything that a woman should be. But having random people look at her didn’t compare to the jealousy he felt when it came to Jean. Eren wanted Mikasa all to himself. But what right did he have to whine and complain when he was the one to bring up taking Historia to the dance? Jealousy was an ugly feeling, and he hated how accustomed he had gotten to feeling it. Stupid Jean, stupid world, stupid homecoming, stupid him. Oh how he hated himself more than ever for putting himself in that situation. All he ever wanted was to be with Mikasa, and here he was doing the opposite-- here he was starting a small rift between them. One stupid statement, and he already felt far, far away from home.

12 Years Ago (16 years old)

It was concerning, really, how months later, Eren and Mikasa still couldn’t address the divide between them. While the two often got into small arguments before, they were usually solved within a week, if not immediately. This was the first time that it ever lasted more than a few days, if this could even be considered an argument. They were talking, but something felt off-- both of them could feel it. Mikasa didn’t want to push boundaries. Eren was still her friend; he was safe and nearby, so could she really complain? As for Eren, he could feel the ache of Mikasa’s absence run deeper than his heart. It made him sick in a way he couldn’t completely describe— like he was homesick or something.

While he saw her everyday at school, she often paired up with Armin or Jean instead. While he ate lunch with her at the same table as their friend group, she usually spent her time listening to Sasha ramble on and on about meat and food and the so-called cute senior in her culinary class named Niccolo. Even when he was sitting right next to her in the driver’s seat as he dropped her home after practice, their conversations ran shallow. He missed their inside jokes and their talks about their dreams. For months, he’d been wanting to tell her his recurring dream of one of their past lives. How every night, his sleep would send him to the peaceful mountains of Switzerland, where he lived in a tiny cottage with her. They were alone-- isolated from society-- and they often needed to fish, hunt, and gather their own food, but they were together. They were together and they were happy, and God help him, that’s all he ever wanted.

He wondered that of the many other dreams she’s had of what they presumed to be their past lives, if she saw that same dream too. He hoped so. He hoped that when he was away, she felt that same ache too. He hoped that in the same way no one could ever replace her in his heart, no one would ever replace him in hers. Call him selfish, but he wanted Mikasa all to himself-- wanted to be the only person that would ever claim her heart. He didn’t want anyone-- not Jean, not even Armin-- to have Mikasa. So why was he letting her slip through his fingers?

It wasn’t until months later, near the end of summer, that the two finally resolved whatever issue was going on. With school out, Historia rarely saw anybody outside her friends, and even then, she was only really comfortable around Eren-- only he knew the pain of missing someone. Historia knew he was suffering. He never told her-- never really told anyone except Armin-- how he felt about Mikasa, but Historia could see the longing in his eyes whenever he gazed at Mikasa and the sadness they held whenever he talked about her. And it was for this reason that she refused to leave Eren alone. He needed a friend, and so did she. There was no way she’d abandon him-- no way she would abandon anyone in need.

Over summer, the two started volunteering at homeless shelters and orphanages. They’d occasionally invite the whole group over: Sasha, Connie, Jean, Mikasa, Armin… There were days that the seven of them would volunteer during the day and go out for dinner in the evening to catch up. But the amount of time that the group met up was nothing in comparison to the amount of time Historia and Eren spent together. It was evident in the way they talked at their group outings, and it didn’t help with the growing tension between Eren and Mikasa either.

Seeing them together, seeing them so happy-- seeing Eren so happy without her-- had Mikasa feeling things. Was she missing something-- a component or aspect that maybe was pushing Eren away from her? Or was she too overbearing? What did Historia have that she didn’t? There must be a reason why Eren seemed to be wanting to spend more time with the other girl as opposed to her. She missed seeing Eren’s smile and his happy, green eyes. She was both angry and hurt, and while she knew she had no right to speak, for she was Eren’s best friend, not his lover, she could only take so much before snapping.

She hadn’t meant to say it; at least, not out loud and most definitely not in front of Eren, but her jealousy got the better of her. Historia and Eren were once again telling the group about some project they went on the other week to help orphans in a different country. They were laughing and reminiscing about the troubles they went through during their time there when Mikasa spoke.

“We get it. You guys had a great time,” her voice dripping with disdain as she glared at Historia. It wasn’t until Mikasa noticed everyone staring at her that she realized the rudeness of what she had said. Hesitantly, she said “Sorry. I’ve, uhh, I’ve had a rough few… months. I’m just gonna go,” before hastily leaving the table.

“Wait!” Historia called after her.

“We haven’t even ordered anything yet, aren’t you hungry?” Jean added.

She ignored them both, though, and opted to continue walking out of the restaurant, even as the others tried to call out after her.

Armin used that distraction to nudge Eren’s side. “Eren,” he whispered sternly, grinding his teeth together. “It’s now or never. Don’t let it get worse. Are you really going to let her go?”

And it was because Armin knew both Mikasa AND Eren so well that he didn’t doubt that it was all he needed to say to get the guy moving. Not even a second later, Eren was scrambling off his chair and past his friends as he hurriedly followed Mikasa.

“Mikasa! Mikasa, wait. What was that? What’s wrong?” he asked. One of his hands was gripping her arm and holding her in place. He had tugged at it lightly so that Mikasa was slightly facing him, and his eyes desperately searched hers for an answer.

“Nothing,” she stated, trying (but failing) to keep her composure. It’s not like she could come out and say “Oh, I’m jealous of Historia. I hate how she spends a lot of time with you because I secretly love you, Eren.” She could barely admit that fact herself, let alone confess it to someone else.

Eren stared at her in wait, desperately wanting to know what they had and where they stood. Anyone watching could’ve easily seen it in his eyes. “Please,” he begged when she remained stubbornly quiet. “Please tell me what’s wrong. Don’t you miss the way things used to be? What’s happened between us?”

“Historia--”

“Historia and I are just friends! I already told you that, back during homecoming. Why did we drift apart just because of that? Why did it seem like you weren’t interested in talking to me anymore? Why did we stop hanging out everyday?” Eren urged Mikasa to answer. He was already fighting back tears, when one question that had been nagging at him the past few months made its way out his mouth. “Why did we stop talking about our dreams?! Didn’t we always promise to talk about them? Have you given up on a useless idiot like me?”

Seeing Eren cry stopped Mikasa in her tracks. She stopped trying to get her arm out of Eren’s grip and settled for looking at him straight in the eyes, near tears herself. “Eren,” she says with soft urgency. It was only then, when he felt her sad gaze on him and lack of resistance against his grip, did Eren completely let go of Mikasa. She grabbed both his shoulders, giving him the slightest shake. “Don’t say that about yourself. Please. You’re not a useless idiot. It’s just-- I… really missed you. I’m sorry. I know you told me that you and Historia were just friends, but I didn’t like how jealous I felt. I wanted you only by my side, because it’s always been Mikasa and Eren, and Eren and Mikasa, and seeing you with someone else-- I… I don’t know. I guess, I’m not used to having to be apart from you. More than anything in the world, all I want is to be near you. When you kept visiting Historia and spending the summer with her, it just felt like you didn’t need me around anymore, or that you maybe didn’t want me around,” Mikasa confessed, her blush evident.

If Eren heard her correctly, then maybe she was feeling the same ache that he’d been feeling. Maybe, just maybe, she did love him the way that he loved her-- not as a sibling nor a best friend, but something more. He raised both his hands to grab her face, never breaking eye contact.

She could see how his previously gray eyes had started shifting over to green. Mikasa lifted her hands to hold onto his wrists needing to stabilize herself, as she felt like she would faint at any moment with the way Eren was holding her. Since when did his touch start making her knees so weak? And since when did his gaze start making her self-conscious and nervous?

“Mikasa,” Eren whispered, closing his eyes. He didn’t think he’d have the courage to look at her when their faces were close-- so close that their foreheads were nearly touching and he could feel the warmth of her shaky breaths on his face. “I’ll always want you with me,” he whispered softly as he tried to lean in. He wanted to kiss her-- wanted to know what it’d feel like to have her lips on his-- but what if he was wrong about his assumptions? What if Mikasa didn’t feel the same ache in her heart as he did? What if he was just like family to her and nothing more? If he kissed her and he was wrong, it’d for sure ruin their friendship, and the rift between them that they were currently trying to heal would be damaged for good.

He was too busy worrying about all that to realize that Mikasa, too, wanted to kiss him. He didn’t even realize the slight tilt up of her head nor the way her fingers lightly squeezed his wrists before she stopped in realization that he wasn’t actually going to kiss her. Neither of them wanted to make the first move in fear of ruining what they had-- whatever it was. And so instead, Eren went limp and rested his forehead against hers, eyes still closed, and Mikasa did the same. They didn’t move until Mikasa’s stomach growled.

“I knew you were hungry. It’s 7 o’clock and you usually eat an early brunch,” Eren laughed.

“Eren, your eating habits are worse than mine. You’re probably hungrier than me. Let’s go back inside,” Mikasa snapped back with a smile.

Things felt normal again and both were the happiest they’ve been in months. Their friendship was okay. Romantic relationship or not, they were still Eren and Mikasa, and Mikasa and Eren-- they were still each other's best friend. They were together, and to them, that’s all that ever mattered in the world. They were home.

10 Years Ago (18 years old)

Many moments from the next few years were filled with awkward silence or slight tension, ones caused by the fight they had at 16. It was like the rift never fully healed, and that made it much easier to get into small fights. Maybe it was because much of the problem itself never went away. The arguments grew from insecurities and miscommunication; they were two teenagers stupidly in love, yet too scared to say anything. Regardless, it was Eren and Mikasa, and so the fights never lasted too long.

It was the last weeks of summer before the two had to go off to college, and unlike two summers ago, Eren made sure that they were making every last moment count. From getting ice cream to hiking at nearby state parks, Eren came up with plans to hangout every single day. He had to, especially because they’d be spending the next four years apart. Both were originally going to Purdue University, along with quite a few of their friends. Eren was going for aviation, Mikasa for elementary education, Armin for political science with a minor in oceanography, and Jean for business.

Unfortunately, times were cruel and news channels were filled with stories of a possible onslaught of World War III. It seemed surreal, but the growing tensions across many countries of the world had many people worrying if it was actually possible. Eren, in particular, found it interesting enough to change his mind about college. He still wanted to fly-- wanted to know the feeling of freedom-- but first and foremost, he felt a strong duty to protect his country because it’s where the people he loved lived. If the possibility of an oncoming World War III was true, Eren wanted to be prepared. He still hadn’t brought it up to Mikasa or Armin, his decision being so last minute.

He had spent countless nights contemplating on whether he should go or not. If he entered the military, he’d be signing his life away for four years. That’s four years of not being able to always see Mikasa, assuming he’d be able to hide it from her. He just had to keep his decision a secret long enough for Mikasa to not be able to follow him in. Eren knew that she wouldn’t hesitate to drop everything if it meant being able to be with and protect him, but if Eren cared about her the way he claims he does, shouldn’t he be protecting her too? They should be equals, not whatever this was. Just this once, he wanted to be the one protecting, even if it meant being apart from her.

And so, that’s how he came to the decision the night before Decision Day to enter the military as opposed to Purdue. It broke his heart and worried him to no end that for the next four years, he’d be far away from Mikasa-- far away from home. What if something happened while he was gone? Something bad, and he wasn’t there to help her through it? Sure, Jean and Armin would be there, and Mikasa would surely meet other people too. But would they be able to be there for her in the way she deserved? He knew Mikasa better than anyone else, even Armin, so could anyone really live up to his expectations of what he wanted for Mikasa? All these questions ran through his head as he drove Mikasa back home from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, another one of the trips he planned.

Mikasa, not one to not notice Eren’s changes in behavior, glanced over at the driver’s seat, wondering why Eren suddenly got quiet. “Eren?”

At the sound of her voice, Eren was immediately pulled out of his thoughts. But one look at her, and he was filled with sorrow again. Soon, he’d have to leave her and it’d be another four years or so before they would be able to return to the old days, if going back to the old days was even possible. For all he knew, this could be the very last time they’d talk to each other like this again. These last few days could be the very last time that Eren and Mikasa, and Mikasa and Eren are a thing. He wanted to make the most out of it-- whatever time he had left. “Mikasa,” he stated before pulling over to the side of the road. He wanted to be sure he could clearly see her face, without any distractions. “Let's get out of here,” he continued, looking her in the eye.

She stared at him, observed his movements, the color of his eyes. They were a mix of green and gray, much lighter than his usual forest green eyes that signaled his happiness, but not exactly the stormy grey eyes he had when he was angry or sad either. It confused her, because in the rare times that she didn’t know what he was feeling, his eye color usually gave it away. But this time, it’s like he was both happy and sad. “What do you mean?”

Eren was practically quivering in fear that she’d be angry or reject what he was about to offer. But he kept reminding himself that these last few days would be the last time he’d see her in a long while. They’d be apart for the first time since they were born, and he wasn’t sure how either of them would be able to handle it. He looked away to gather his nerves before turning back around and taking a deep breath.

“Don’t be mad with what I’m about to say. Please.” Eren waited for her nod before continuing. “The night before decision day, I actually decided I was going to be joining the military-- the army. And before you even think of telling me you’ll join too, don’t. You needed to decide by decision day, so there’s no point in joining now if we’re going to be in different regiments. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just wanted to do this to protect everyone, while not influencing any of your decisions to pursue your dreams…” he paused again, waiting for Mikasa’s reaction.

The girl wanted to scold him for making such a hasty and dangerous decision. She didn’t know where to begin. The military was a four-year commitment, which meant that they’d be apart for four years. Would she be able to handle that? They had never been apart for anywhere near that long. And what if the military changes him? Even if he didn’t get deployed, he’d still have to go through basic training and the like. She had heard stories of how the military, even just camp, changed people. What if some part of him never comes back from that? Would he still be her Eren-- the same Eren?

“Mikasa, stop thinking about it. Let’s just… enjoy what time we have left of summer break, okay? I told you this because I was hoping you’d say yes to what I’m about to ask you. For the last few days of summer, let’s go to Switzerland, in Crans-Montana-- in between the mountains where we went on that band trip junior year. Remember how Armin and I climbed the balcony on the third story of the building, just so we could spend the night talking about the most random things? We stayed up till sunrise and nearly got caught staying together in the same bedroom,” he chuckled. “Let’s go there again. Just the two of us. Mikasa, come with me. It wouldn’t be home with you.”

Mikasa, who was shocked and deep in thought, could only manage to give him a small smile before taking the opportunity to reach over the console and grab one of Eren’s hands. “One condition: you wrap this scarf around me one last time, okay?”

6 Years Ago (22 years old)

“Hey Mikasa, have you heard from Eren? I don’t think I’ve received any letters from him in a while,” Armin said.

Their usual group was having a meet-up at their favorite restaurant, a celebration for finishing finals; they’d be graduating in less than a month’s time. And yet, there was a sort of sad or empty feeling to the group, as Eren wouldn’t be home for another 6 months or so. He had to finish his military contract, and there was no way for him to visit at the moment due to his most recent deployment.

“No, I haven’t; the last letter was from a few weeks ago. I think he’s busy. Last I heard, he was deployed somewhere in the Middle East,” Mikasa replied softly.

“Have you told him already?” asked Jean. He gently placed his arms across her shoulders from his seat next to her.

Even from across the table, Armin could see the ring glistening on his finger. He had read somewhere that only about 7% of men actually wore engagement rings; he wasn’t surprised that Jean was of that percentage. It matched the diamond on Mikasa’s hands that were resting on the table. Armin didn’t know how to feel about the entire thing. Mikasa did genuinely look happy, and she deserved every bit of it. So did Jean, especially after all that he’d done for Mikasa when Eren wasn’t able to be there for her. It wasn’t really in his place to judge— what did he know about love? It had taken him years to spend time with Annie, and even then, it took many more awkward conversations and longing glances for them to establish the bond between them. So maybe it did make sense for Mikasa to accept Jean’s proposal. While everyone felt Eren’s absence, he was sure that he and Mikasa felt it the most.

Jean was always there to comfort Mikasa, even when Armin couldn’t. He never overstepped his boundaries, knowing that it was improper to make a move on someone whose heart belonged to someone else, but as the time between Eren’s letters lengthened, the more Jean found himself attending events with Mikasa, or being left alone to study for classes together since Armin wanted surprise Annie, until one day she started smiling at him almost the same way as she did to Eren. A part of him initially wondered if Mikasa really did love him, or if she just appreciated his presence. But those doubts didn’t last long because it just wasn’t like Mikasa to do something like that.

Mikasa was glad that he did believe her when she said she loved him, because she did. Jean was kind and funny; he was hardworking, empathetic, and an amazing leader. She saw how he treated his peers and subordinates with respect and often put himself in their place to make sure they received the best treatment. He also smiled at her in this certain way. She couldn’t describe it, but it made her heart flutter. She loved having him around because he was one of the only people that filled the void of Eren’s absence. She loved when he would pull out a chair for her on lunch and dinner dates, when he brought her breakfast at her dorm in the mornings, and when he helped her put on her jacket even when she didn’t need help. She loved him-- Jean; she really did. But she also knew a part of her would never really let go of Eren, not completely.

“No, I haven’t,” Mikasa stated hesitantly. “I thought he should find out in person, especially since it’d be awkward for me to ask him to be my maid of honor when he’s not even a girl,” earning snickers from Sasha and Connie, who were also seated with them.

“Wait, so you guys have been engaged for months now, and Eren still doesn’t know?” Annie asked, her voice blunt.

Armin lightly kicked Annie’s foot under the table. “Annie,” he softly warned. The two stared at each other as Jean attempted to break the awkward atmosphere.

“No, it’s all good. We wrote to him saying that we started dating, but I guess we’re waiting to tell him about the engagement. He’s on Mikasa’s side after all. He deserves to hear it from her, whenever she’s ready.”

. . . . .

It wasn’t until Annie and Armin were on their way home from lunch did Annie dare to speak again. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” she started. “But Jean’s just in denial that Mikasa is prolonging the engagement because a part of her will never stop loving Eren,” she tells Armin

“I don’t think he’s in denial… Just that, a part of him-- well, a part of all of us-- know that Eren will always have a place in Mikasa’s heart. It doesn’t mean she won’t move on with her life. Though, I will admit that I think Jean deserves someone who will love him completely.” Armin said. And though Annie remained silent, he knew her well enough to see the slight hesitation in her actions, as if she was contemplating on whether or not she should say something. “Eren’s always been adventurous, wanting to explore the world rather than stay here; he’s always been a small distance from Mikasa and me, no matter how close we try to be to him. I think--” he paused, trying to process his thoughts into words. “I think that he just needs time to understand what she means to him. They both do.”

1 Year Ago (27 years old)

The wait for Eren’s return came by slowly, and the way he took the news of Mikasa and Jean’s engagement was quite anti-climactic. Everyone in their friend group expected more, but he was just blank and glaze-eyed for what seemed like months after he returned home. Even years later, not much of his behavior changed. The military had not been what he expected. He went in excited to serve his country-- determined to protect his people and loved ones, no matter the sacrifices he had to make. But the horrors that awaited him were beyond anything he could imagine.

Everytime he closed his eyes, he could hear bombs, screaming, and gunshots, along with the sights of blood and blurred vision. He’d somewhat grown accustomed to it, at least on the outside. He no longer jolted at the slightest touch or immediately stood alert at loud noises. Unfortunately, he still felt far, far away. There were times when he didn’t feel like he was safe or at home, but in fear of worrying Mikasa and the others, he opted for staring blankly at his surroundings.

He could practically hear his mom nagging in his ear “How many times did I tell you to NOT join? Did I not tell you that the army isn’t worth it?”

Eren almost agreed. Almost. Because while a selfish part of him wished he stayed with Mikasa, he couldn’t exactly regret leaving. Yes, more than anything in the world, he wanted to be with her; It had been his dream when he was younger, and still was his dream now. But how could he compare his happiness to the lives of millions, or more importantly, his friends?

He hoped his unhappiness didn’t show too much-- hoped that his friends wouldn’t see how his jaw clenched in anger at the thought of not being able to be with Mikasa the way he was in his dreams.

But they did, at least, Armin and Mikasa did. They noticed because this new Eren, so emotionless and easily irritated, wasn’t him. It broke their hearts to see him so different. It broke Mikasa’s heart to see the caring and determined boy she grew up with-- the one that would do anything for his family and friends-- was just… gone. Her heart ached because she had waited so long, waited 4 years to see him again, only for it to seem like he never even came back. She wanted nothing more than to be able to hug him, ask him what the matter was, and tell him everything was going to be okay because she was there-- the same way he always did when she was out of it. She wanted to tell him she lov--. No, she couldn’t do that, because it wouldn’t be fair to Jean. It wouldn’t be fair to Jean who always cared about her well-being when Eren was gone, who never overstepped when he sensed something going on between her and Eren. It just wasn’t right for her to be saying any of that last part to Eren.

Not that it would change anything. It was like he was always angry. And whenever someone asked, he’d just rudely brush them off. Which is how Eren and Mikasa got into this position: as if the past few years have not already been filled with awkward glances and underlying tension, Eren and Mikasa were, once again, fighting.

Eren could only bite his cheek while shaking his head, “That’s just the thing, Mikasa. You don’t understand. You would never be able to, and you’ve just really been pissing me off lately. God, I hate you.”

“No, no you don’t. I know you, Eren,” she insisted softly.

He hated how it didn’t phase Mikasa, as if she was expecting him to say that or that his opinion didn’t matter to her. But while this was so, he hated even more her unwillingness to give up on him. Why wouldn’t she just let go. He doesn’t deserve any type of kidness-- not after abandoning her for some stupid dream in the military, not after letting some other man claim her, not after all the awful things he had to do while he was in the Middle East. He didn’t deserve any kindness from Mikasa-- he didn’t deserve her.

And yet, he was angry that Jean was with her, because even after everything Eren had done, he still wanted Mikasa to be his. He wasn’t mad at her-- God no, he could never be mad at her-- but he was mad at the entire situation and all his conflicting emotions.

His anger got the better of him, of course, and he continued speaking. “Don’t you think your life is so pitiful? I might be fucked up in the head, but at least I’m not stuck in a long engagement, working a regular 9-5 schedule like some robot who’s following orders. I actually have some interesting things going on in my life,” Eren sneered. He internally cringed at the harshness of his words when he saw Miaksa recoil. He hit her where it hurt, he was sure. Good. Maybe if she hated him, it’d be easier for him to move on with his life without her beside him.

It took Mikasa a second to recollect herself. She honestly wanted to cry, but with the way Eren had just treated her, she did not want to give him the satisfaction of it. “Okay,” she tried to calmly say. “You clearly don’t want me around, so I’m just going to go,” she stood up from the table they sat at before walking away. Maybe Eren was too far gone-- too far changed after his military service-- too bitter at how life turned out for him. She deserved better, right? It was okay to walk away after what just happened. Slowly taking off her red scarf --the scarf he had given her so many years ago when they were just 9 years old-- she didn’t dare to look back. It was too bad she didn’t-- if she did, she might’ve caught Eren shedding a tear before quickly wiping it away.

Present Day (28 years old)

“Mikasa, we need to talk,” Jean stated firmly. It had been months since Eren and Mikasa’s big fight, and while everyone in their friend group knew something happened, no one was actually sure what exactly went down. Years of being Eren and Mikasa’s friends taught them to stay out of it. They’d solve it eventually-- they loved each other too much to stay apart forever. Which is the thought that solidified Jean’s decision to do what he was about to do. “I think we should break our engagement,” Jean announced slowly and quietly, as if it pained him to say it-- it probably did.

Mikasa reached out to grab his hand, “Jean--” she started before pausing.

Jean outstretched his hand in a gesture to let him continue.

“I’ve thought about it a lot. There is no doubt in my mind that you do love me. I know that. But I also know that you’ll never love me in the same way you love Eren. Even after everything, you still have his scarf. Mikasa, love like what you guys have-- it doesn’t happen often. Don’t let him go,” Jean’s voice cracked at his own advice.

Mikasa couldn’t deny it-- she could only stare at him sadly while apologizing. What for? She didn’t know. Maybe for leading him on? Or not loving him as much as Jean deserved?

“Hey, it’s okay. I love you. I want you to be happy, and if that means letting you go, then I will learn to live with it,” Jean gave her a small smile.

It made Mikasa want to cry. She probably hurt him a lot, with him always knowing he wouldn’t live up to Eren, and yet here he was, being understanding, a gentleman. He was letting her go. “Thank you,” she whispered before she gently kissed his cheek.

And before Jean knew it, she was gone. Just like that. Everything seemed to run by in a blur that he hadn’t even realized how much time had gone. One second, he was watching Miaksa leave, and the next, he was sandwiched between Connie and Sasha at a bar. He had a drink in his hand that he didn’t even remember buying. Had he been drinking?

“Yo, you seem out of it, man,” Connie stated while hooking his arm around Jean. It earned him a nudge from Sasha, who muttered something about letting Jean wallow in his despair a little longer. He had just let Mikasa go after all-- someone who he’d loved for over a decade. “Uhh what I meant to say was, I hope you know that you deserve someone who will love you with all their heart, and all of their mind, body, and soul. Someday, you will find someone who makes you happy, then you’ll forget just how much this hurts,” Connie says, him and Sasha rubbing Jean’s back in comfort.

. . . . .

Mikasa was never one to back down from confrontation, so even she found it surprising when a week later, she still hadn’t talked to Eren. It’s not that she didn’t want to, but rather, didn’t know how. Luckily, Eren was impulsive as ever, and so everything seemed to fall back into place when he showed up at her doorstep one day.

“Hey,” he says with a short breath, as if he was trying to hide his exhaustion from running or whatever extraneous activity he was doing beforehand.

“Hi,” Mikasa replies, looking at his disheveled hair and the sweat-stained neckline of his shirt. Did he rush over here?

“I heard from Jean… about umm… about what happened,” he pauses, seeming to take a moment to gather his thoughts. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you-- what I’ve been causing you. But I just wanted to tell you this before I lose my courage: I’ve uhh I’ve been having this dream for a while, practically forever. Of all our dreams, our past lives-- presumably, at least-- this one is my favorite. We were together in Switzerland, in this small cabin. There were trees everywhere and mountains in sight. Nothing ever really happened, except… normal everyday things. We hunted, fished, gathered wood… it was simple, but I was really, really really happy. I was happy because I was home with you. Those nights and my memories of that dream kept me going, even during my hardest times.” He notices how she was slowly registering what he said, so he gives it one last push. “What I’m trying to say is--”

“I know, sorry it took me a second,” Mikasa lightly laughs. “Why did you come back?” she dares to ask. It was a little awkward, like they haven’t been friends for the past 28 years.

Eren could only smile before grabbing her hands in between them, slightly hesitating. He grips them a little more tightly as if to stabilize himself. “Because we’re Eren and Mikasa, and Mikasa and Eren. Because you’re my best friend. Because I love you. Because you are my home, and I’ll always find my way home back to you.”

#eremika #eremika fanfic #eremika fanfiction #eren yeager #mikasa ackerman #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #aot fanfiction #eren x mikasa

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candyopala · 3 years

Text

Stuck in his ways, Chapter 5

Chapter Summary: Y/N’s training begins, but not before she discovers one of Obito’s secrets.

Words: 1.7k

AO3

Please reblog or like if you enjoy, comments are always welcome <3

5:30 in the morning. It is the sixth time Y/N has woken up. This whole concussion thing has messed up her whole sleeping schedule, she tried her best to get some rest, but to no avail. She ended up sleeping for about fourteen or fifteen hours between small intervals, but she feels worse than before.

Y/N drags herself out of bed, makes some coffee, and brushes her teeth, the whole deal. Having a constant roof above her head is nice, she has to admit that. Not having to worry about wild animals and the climate is cool, but the warmth of a bed is the best part of it. Tying her brand new bandana on her forehead, she leaves the small apartment and heads to the training grounds on the outskirts of the village.

She makes her way through the village’s main market, trying to avoid stumbling onto the hundreds of busy people bustling around her. Watching people attend to their duties and following their routines has always been a hobby of hers, she always found interest in seeing people who can afford to do the same thing every day, have some sort of routine. Can she consider herself one of them now? No, maybe not. Ninjas are always doing different missions and whatnot; their routines are as fucked up as a merc’s. Maybe she can become a baker in another life, who knows?

Around the corner, a hand blocking her way surprises her. At the end of it is a medium height man with his hair tucked into some sort of fabric, with bits of brown hair coming out of the sides. The man holds a toothpick between his lips, accompanied by a smug smile and an attitude that instantly annoys Y/N.

“’Sup babygirl, how come I’ve never seen you around?”

“I’ve been busy for the last 26 years”

“Busy living in my dreams, I bet”

“Busy fucking you mom, actually”

The sleazy type is the worst in Y/N’s opinion. Nothing disgusts her more than someone who thinks they’re hot shit just because they’re attractive. She pushes him away and keeps on walking.

“Ouch! Feisty, I like that. I’ll remember ya!” he states as he leaves the scene with a wink and a flick of his toothpick.

This has to be a joke, what a douchebag.

Going back on her way and observing the people, she closes into a mass of messy short black hair. The man has his back turned to her, but by the jonin vest and height, she assumes it could be… no, wait… it could not be! This man is helping an old lady carry a shitload of groceries, he would never be nice enough to do that.

Could it be him!?

From afar, she changes angle to try and catch a glimpse of his face. After much difficulty dodging busy locals, she is able to see clearly and… it’s Obito! Obito Uchiha helping a poor old lady carry her stuff, I wish I had a camera on me. She thinks of approaching him, but she decides against it in favor of watching from a distance to see where this goes.

Turns out the frail woman lives on the other side of town. Obito sure enough has carried all that stuff through the worst climbs Y/N has ever seen on a city. But that was not all: he was being extra nice. He laughed at all her jokes and even smiled back at her. This is grade A entertainment.

When they finally reach her destination, the old lady pulls out a lollypop and gives it to him. Y/N immediately loses her shit, almost falling from the ceiling she is in because of her fit of laughter. Before she can compose herself, she notices a presence behind her. She was discovered, but who cares? She has seen enough. Obito towers above her, trying to look intimidating, but failing to do so since he has a lollipop on his mouth.

“First you invade my house, now you’re following me. Are you sure I’m the one who should be called a creep?”

“Well, you’re right. Maybe I’ll start calling you… Granny Simp Uchiha©, how about that?”

“I hate you”

“Ow, I’m so hurt, oh my god, how could you? But seriously, I didn’t mean to intrude, but when I saw that… I needed to see more to believe it” She states as she breaks into another fit of laughter

“Let’s go, we’re late for training”

“Have you ever been on time a day of your life, though?”

“Never, I’ll probably be late for my own funeral”

“Fair enough. Wait, did you just make a joke that’s not on my expense?”

“Oh no, your dumbassery is influencing me!” He raises his gloved hands ironically

“Shut up”

~”~

They both reach the training grounds at around 7:30, late but not a whole lot, thanks to Obito’s kamui. Obito will have to make some slight modifications on the mission report to avoid Minato’s wrath. After a quick warmup, Obito goes straight to the point:

“How much do you even know about jutsu?”

“Well… I can do that chakra punch, maybe walk on water and trees or release genjutsu, but that’s all.”

“Not even a clone or some substitution jutsu?”

“Nope”

“So you’re basically an academy student with enough brute force to take down S rank criminals… That’s… odd”

Y/N scratches the back of her head, clearly embarrassed by her lack of training. Obito did not expect to have to teach such basic things. I mean, if he wanted to teach people stuff he would have signed up for a job at the academy. He still cannot believe Minato sensei is putting him up to this babysitting job.

He needs to do well on this mission if he wants to get back onto the Hokage’s good side and guarantee his position as the next one. This is his second day with Y/N and things have been insane and… fun? No, he should not be thinking like that. Perhaps he should also go talk with Kushina and ask her to convince sensei to let him go from this one; he was always her favorite after all.

“Granny simp? You ok? Did I disappoint you that much?”

Obito fixes his bandana’s position over his left eye, trying to get himself out of his head. He is here now, so he had better get to work. If he can control himself enough not to put her under a nasty genjutsu for calling him that again, that is.

“Call me that again and I’ll tell everyone that you saw me naked”

“You were not naked, dickhead. And what’s wrong with that?”

“Uhm…?”

“…?”

“Anyway… we’ll start with some cloning jutsu. Have you ever done any seals?”

“Only one or two”

“Try to copy what I’m doing”

“Hey! Stop doing it so fast!”

She honestly seems to be giving her best, but her hand signs are not quite right and the chakra distribution on her network must be all wrong, judging by her failure in producing something that seems to be remotely human. This takes Obito’s memory back to his old academy days, back when he could not do a single clone properly. He would spend whole nights awake training to achieve something passable. Rin helped him a lot back then. The only thing he has ever taught someone was that sexy jutsu to Naruto. To say Kushina was mad was an understatement.

“Concentrate your chakra all along your body, not only on your hands”

“Hum… right, can I get a lollipop after this?”

Four hours later and Y/N has finally mastered two basic jutsu: substitution and cloning. She almost passed out several times due to exhaustion, but thanks to some food pills, she is enduring todays training much better.

Obito has been analyzing her every movement with his sharingan. Looking closely her techniques lack grace, truly a sign of someone who learned everything they know by experience. He needs to fix that too.

Her endurance is also remarkably low. If she were to fight right now, she could do maybe two or three jutsu before passing out, making her rely solely onto her speed and blade habilities. The girl is more of a samurai than a ninja at this point. Examining her file earlier, he noticed that her chakra reserves are not that low as she has stated before, according to the medical department she has an average quantity of it. She just lacks the ability to use it properly.

Some very hard work is in order; it could take some months to get her into decent shape. That would be too much time and effort for Obito, there has to be another way of dealing with this mission quicker.

He did not want to do this, but he will have to talk to Kakashi for some teaching tips. Hell, if he was able to teach anything useful to Naruto he will be able to come up with a routine to help Y/N’s training.

I just hope he doesn’t decide to bother me about this situation…

After dropping Y/N on her house, with much protest from her part, Obito heads to the village’s café to meet with Kakashi Hatake. He knows that the ninja likes to spend his late afternoons reading his porn books accompanied by some coffee, disgusting stuff if you ask Obito. The coffee, that is. He has no formed opinion on porn books.

Approaching the store, he spots his friend’s mass of upward pointing grey hair. Something is different about him, though. Kakashi is usually… a very apathetic person. The look he gave Obito had chills running the Uchiha’s spine, he looked, well, excited.

“Obito! I finally found you! Sit down”

Aliens killed him and this is a body double. Or this is one of Gai’s practical jokes. Obito is honestly stumped.

“Are you ok bakashi?”

“Great! So… who’s the girl?”

Great, just awesome.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Of course you know, everyone is talking about how you were seen walking up and down with some mysterious gal. I’m so happy for you! Finally you’re going to stop being a sad grumpy bachelor! I’ll call dibs on the position of best-man” and suddenly Kakashi jumps up from his seat, coming closer to Obito’s face “Have you guys done it yet? Did she run away from you and now you need my advice? You could use some techniques from Icha I-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Those books are rotting your brain, seriously what the hell?”

“So is it true?”

#Obito #Jonin Obito #obito x reader #obito x you #obito uchiha #uchiha obito #uchiha #naruto fanfiction

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pinkhairedlily · 3 years

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Chapter 11 - Student Council President Sakura / Graduation Chapter

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Youtube playlist for your reading accompaniment

They held a run-through of the graduation ceremony on the last day of class and technically the last day of the trio’s high school life. Unlike their first general assembly, Uchiha Sasuke was to deliver the graduation speech but not without great sulking from Haruno Sakura who landed a close second despite ranking first in their final exams.

And obviously, not without Sasuke trying to give up his speech privileges by campaigning instead for Sakura.

In the end, all three of them were granted speech slots – one for Sasuke as valedictorian, Sakura as student representative, and Naruto as the school’s first national MVP. It was this debacle that led the three of them to brainstorm in an empty AVR after the dry run.

“Done!” Sakura yelled like the diligent student she was. “Let me look at yours!”

Sasuke presented her a blank paper while saying, “It’s all prepared in my head”, and Naruto showed her his baseball doodles.

“Oh God, you’re all so hopeless.”

Then the electricity suddenly got cut off in the AVR. Sakura expected the boys to screech in surprise and cling to each other, but she only heard silence in the dark. She jumped in her seat when the doors opened with a loud bang, a confetti splash, and the lights coming back to life.

Sasuke and Naruto were still in front of her, holding two bouquets of irises and yellow roses. Behind them were the old and new student council members with other students holding a large banner saying Thank you, Student Council President Sakura!

She started to leave her seat to come to them, but they gestured for her to stay on her seat. In front of the room, the large monitor beeped and showed a compilation of videos.

Sukehiro Aoi, an alumni and currently an intern in an animation studio. “Hello, Ms. Pres. You once asked the body to submit a publication material for an event of the student council, and I sent mine through a dummy email with no expectations of winning. I wasn’t comfortable with the public seeing my art. I was afraid of the unsolicited remarks so sending it anonymously gave me some relief. You chose it however, and you knew how big a credit was to an artist. I was really scared when you were able to hunt me down just by my watermark, but my name in the info blast caught the attention of a school board member and referred me to this animation studio. It was the littlest thing, but you handed me my dream.”

Watanabe Kota was a year below them. He has a small frame, round thick glasses, and battled with face acne. “Ms. Pres! People never had much confidence in my physical appearance, so I don’t know what you saw in me when you asked me to take over the school radio. But here we are – we’re airing daily and we even produce documentaries and radio programs. Thank you for seeing what I didn’t.”

Ito Amanaya, a typical jock in the football team, muscular and came across as intimidating, but he had the gentlest cadence. “I was bullied by the same group that bullied your dynamic duo. When you ran them off, you also saved my life. Thank you, Haruno.”

Kimura Shinze, a classmate in third year, beautiful, popular, and the captain of the cheering squad. “Hope you’re having a great day, Ms. Pres. Remember that time when the class was guessing who were our crushes and I blurted out that it was a girl, you told me thank you for telling us. That was…a big deal to me. Thank you for that gesture.”

Himurata Aoi, president of the koto club. “Sakura, I know you had many people come up and confessed to you so when I did try, I was glad that you didn’t give me a bullshit reason like you’re not into girls. You turned me down because you have someone you already love. I am thankful for your honesty.”

The biology teacher, Takahashi Kande. “Student council, thank you for your mental health program. As a single father to twins, I don’t have the luxury of time to sit in a couch and sort out my issues. To be able to do that in my workplace during breaks is a heaven-sent gift. You saved me and my family. Thank you.”

Many more messages came on, from a classmate she lent spare change to, from a staff she helped clean, from countless students who she wasn’t aware she gave kindness to.

“Why….” She asked breathlessly.

“You’ve been beating yourself lately. We thought you needed some reminding,” Sasuke muttered, under his breath, the bouquet still in his hands. “You left some pretty big footprints, Ms. Pres.

“You might not have noticed,” Naruto jested. “But this is always innate and natural to you, isn’t it?”

“Why did you bother so much?” She was reduced to tears.

“It was Naruto’s idea.”

“Huh? You did all the compiling though!”

“Shut up, it was me,” yelled the current president.

“Thank you, everyone.”

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

It was a weekend, but Sasuke requested Sakura and Naruto to meet him at the school gates. He only gave the time and place, and he knew well enough that they would be there – no questions asked.

They stood there, minutes earlier than planned, a first but nothing more unusual than homebody Sasuke asking them to go out on a weekend. Sakura wore an oversized rust shirt over a pair of muted cotton blue trousers tied with a brown leather belt and tan fisherman sandals, her long hair kept in one single braid at the back. Naruto probably expected a fancy lunch with his outfit – black silky long sleeves over gray pants and black loafers.

Sasuke, high on impulsive decisions, wore bright colors, a complete departure from his usual neutrals; mustard vest over a deep violet polo, baggy pants, off white converse, and a white fanny pack. “Well, we’re mostly dressed for comfort, except for that idiot beside you.”

“What do you mean dressed for comfort? I borrowed these loafers from my vice-captain and my feet aren’t used to them,” Naruto whined. “Besides, aren’t you taking us out to a five-star meal, Mr. Valedictorian?”

“Wow, what a way to show off.” Sakura pursed her lips in annoyance. “Don’t worry Naruto, I got your next café order.”

“Ah no. It was just something we heard from the grape vine.” Naruto scratched his head and carefully glanced at Sasuke. “Grumpy got his trust fund today.”

In bated breaths, they waited for him to respond with a scowl or a retort, but he just nodded. “Come on, we’ll miss the train.”

They traveled for three stations and disembarked on the fourth, Sasuke sandwiched in between the two, his shoulders pillows again to their heads and yet such burdens were light as cotton. The surfacing emotions since last week were taking hold of him, but he needed to pull through somehow because breaking down while commuting was one thing he did not really see doing.

“Word just got in. The house was turned over this morning,” Itachi told him over the phone.

“Impeccable timing when I’m also moving abroad next week.” Sasuke pulled out his Bleachers vinyl and anticipated another lonesome lull for the night.

“Do you miss the cream puffs?”

“Nothing comes close.”

“Hmm. I’ll pay for the rental fee of your car.”

In Itachi’s defense, while he was an afficionado of escapism, he also knew how to read between the lines. “Watch me get a Mercedes-Benz.”

“I have a good driving playlist.” This only meant math rock, and Sasuke wanted something to scream his lungs too.

“Don’t need one.”

“Treat your friends to dinner, okay? Gotta go.”

“We’re walking?!” Naruto almost limped out of the train. Sasuke took one look at his heels and saw that they were bruised red. He took off his converse and socks and gave them to him.

Sakura whipped out a small first-aid kit and covered the rash on Naruto’s heels. “Hey don’t look at me like that. Brought it just in case we’re going on a day survival tour. A camping would be nice too.”

“Did you scrub your feet, idiot?”

“You think so low of me grumpy. Of course – last week!”

With Naruto now comfortable, the three resumed walking on the unfamiliar residential area. Sasuke gestured for them to enter a bamboo forest on the far side of the main road. Hidden in the shadows of the clumped stalks were a small opening, the growth hampered and ground rid of grasses and weeds; many people have also chosen this shortcut, walked through the forest, did a little nature bathing, and emerged behind the bakery, still there, still standing, still operating.

Sasuke tapped on the large glass window cum counter on the front and bought three sets of cream puffs.

“Oh, it’s you,” the old baker greeted. “You brought your friends over? You always buy one set.”

Sasuke offered her a smile, briefly glancing to his periphery where Sakura was fussing with Naruto’s feet, and nodded as he accepted the paper bag. “It’s on the house, kid.”

“You brought us to stalk someone’s house?” Sakura dug in one paper bag, bit the puff in one bite, and with full mouth, she sighed. “This is heaven.”

“It’s our old family house, before the accident that is.” Sasuke also took out one puff and munched on it, ruminating on the sight before him, a two-story house with an imposing façade, his mom’s climbing hydrangea gone and cut by the new owners, beds of roses and daisies already withered, but the wisteria tree on the vacant lot beside continued to grow and shade what he supposed were the children’s rooms. It was in his third bite that he saw the tomato fruits he planted, alive and full with harvest. “Do you think my parents know?”

Naruto slid an arm across his shoulder and grinned sheepishly. “Then they would be happy ghosts or maybe they would voluntarily move away to give the new owners the opportunity to make it a happy a home like yours.

“What part are you gonna miss?” Sakura asked, halfway through her set of puffs.

“The sight of the wisteria before I sleep and after I wake up, and the sunlight in my parents’ room. My dad liked to make these suncatchers for my mom. The play of light was a good morning greeting, she said.”

“What’s your funniest memory?” Naruto sat on the grass, uncaring for the stains that would taint his good pair of pants.

“It was probably Christmas when I was seven, and Itachi had this big idea to bake a cake, but he swapped the sugar for the salt and we were wondering why it wouldn’t make a custard. Our parents still ate it, saying it was a very salty version of dark chocolate cake.”

“It was a good home,” Sakura patted the space between her and Naruto and Sasuke sat down cross-legged too, dipping his hand on the paper bag with the last cream puff.

“It was a good home,” Sasuke agreed as he bit into the last vestige of his family memory. He was suckling the powdered sugar off his fingers when he realized he was already crying, and the two were downright sobbing on his either side.

Such an embarrassing sight to see; he wondered what would the new owners feel if they looked out their windows this instant and saw three teenagers breaking down on the road across. It was honestly stupid and laughable to a point, considering how funny it was for grief to become lighter when someone else cried with him.

Naruto was sniffling so much that he had to offer his handkerchief to him. “I forgot to tell you guys. Hinata confessed to me during the cultural festival.”

“Oh my god. What did you say?” Sakura took a tissue out of her bag and dabbed her eyes. She flashed an apologetic look to Sasuke who already offered his hanky to Naruto’s fluids.

“Ah, what else? I had to reject her.” Naruto sneezed on Sasuke’s handkerchief again. “I told her I was in love with someone else.” He slyly glanced at his raven-haired friend and pursed his lips which Sakura quickly caught.

“Who is it?”

“Sasuke also likes someone.”

“Shut your mouth, blondie. Point is already moot. Besides, we’ve already been rejected.”

“Who are these people and why don’t I know them?” Sakura genuinely looked offended. “I could have vetted them!”

“Exactly why it was fortunate you didn’t meet them,” Sasuke said as an excuse though he pegged Sakura for not being that naïve. She, thankfully, let it go and gathered their trash. She dropped the bomb as she was brushing the grass blades from her trousers. “My parents are divorcing. Such a travesty not to have them show up on graduation day, and I thought I did a great job.”

The two, ever so sure, held onto her hands in case she was trembling again.

“Let’s get that five-star dinner,” Sasuke suggested, “and we need to rent a Mercedes-Benz.”

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

Graduation Day

“Let’s welcome to the stage, class valedictorian, Uchiha Sasuke.” Kakashi was the officiating faculty today so she expected difficulty going through the event, but for some reason, he slipped into her mental back burner, no longer taking up room in her active consciousness. That was a good step, she smiled to herself. Her smile became wider as Sasuke got up the stage.

His fans club’s cheers were heard outside the auditorium, and the graduating class chuckled at the quick interruption. He cleared his throat and started his piece.

“Please get it on record that I was coerced to do this speech. Then again, I also had a hand on the turn of events that led me here today, in front of you. And it’s a little too on the nose, but I came to high school with a clear set of goals – have high grades and lead an uninteresting life. I accomplished the first one rather easily, and it’s a good metric for the future that’s upon us right now. Good grades land us good colleges. Good colleges land us good jobs. Good jobs land us good life.

But it’s not the sole benchmark as I have learned lately. You see, my second goal really missed the mark. Good life can also mean good friends, fun experiences, a caring environment, a complete family. If you ticked off each one, then that’s very notable. You have the four-leaf clover, and it’s a rare blessing. I only ticked off three, but that goes without any regret. If you only have one silver lining in your high school memory, then that makes us all the more human. And if there’s none, there is still is still a whole stretch of possibilities we can discover to find one. Thank you for your kind attention.”

Sakura was pretty sure she heard several sniffles across the student body. “The bastard delivered a good speech,” she muttered to herself.

“We would like to welcome our first national MVP, Uzumaki Naruto.”

Outside, the school band played the cheering anthem for his last national games. The cheerleaders also did a routine in tribute to him. That made him well up when he got to the podium.

“Wait oh my god, I’m tearing up so much.”

Sasuke grunted loudly and went back the stage to hand him a handkerchief which Naruto quickly used to wipe his snot.

“Thanks Sasuke. How can Kakashi-sensei let me follow after that rousing speech, and before Sakura too. It’s kinda evil.”

Laughter broke out.

“Well, this one’s a bare minimum. I didn’t have any goals or expectations, unlike genius grumpy over there. I just wanted to live my life like an ordinary boy. Someone said that how you spend your day is how you live your life so I did just that – ate ramen, slept in class because I am a growing kid, and played each arcade game until I won them. I also believe in serendipitous – thanks Sakura for this word, for the spelling and meaning – serendipitous coincidences. I just pitched and batted for former captain Haru one afternoon and now we landed in the national finals. I had loneliness for a friend, but now I’ve got all of you. And you know what else, the magic of working together. We wouldn’t have stepped foot in the nationals if it weren’t for your collective help. When we work towards a common goal, that also gives us common happiness, right? It’s infectious, a bouncing energy that gets thrown around and still makes it one piece. So wherever you will be after this, believe it!”

When Kakashi called her name next, she thought she was deaf, the noise around her collapsed in muted decibels. It took a minute before her fellow classmates shook her and motioned for her to quickly come up the stairs. Her silver-haired teacher looked so concerned in the shadows, but for what it was worth, she was civil and calm enough (at least in the matters concerning him) to nod at him in quiet exchange of assurance.

It was because she saw both of her parents at the side with a bouquet of roses. She struggled with the paper she brought with her although she had it memorized in her head; she even went through it flawlessly for three times last night. Tears blurred the words and the mere shock of the sight of their togetherness disabled her mental function to string coherent thoughts. She also started hyperventilating, her breaths coming faster than what her lungs could pump.

Then she felt Kakashi’s hand on her shoulder, a steady presence, and it reeled her back to reality. He tapped the mic and the feedback echoed. “Ah, Ms. Haruno had some technical issues. Again, let’s welcome former student council president, Sakura.”

Sasuke and Naruto in the front were almost standing, but she flashed them a smile as if to say she was okay now. “Hello, good day to our honorable guests and graduates. I think it’s safe to say that Sasuke and Naruto provided really good words of advice. So I have nothing more to offer, but to share my gratitude. Everyone was saying the student council did a good job in its programs, but it was actually the lot of you who made this possible – from your activity suggestions to participation and feedback. After all, you were the makers of your memories.

Earlier last week, my councilmates and friends reminded me how small actions go a long way – a smile, a wave across the hallway, a short exchange of good morning and see you soon, and I thought, aren’t we all just an accumulation of these small, little things? As such, it was what you think your insignificant moments were that pushed us to deliver you the best. It was the passing comment, the top-of-your-head tips, the interlude stories we hear during lunch breaks that allowed us to give you grand gestures and memories we hoped were worth keeping. And if we could start to use that perspective as well in our lives then maybe the uncertainties of a future wouldn’t be so heavy on us. We will face tomorrow with a lightness in being.

In behalf of the student council, thank you for allowing us to serve you.”

She bowed at a level where her torso was almost aligned at her hips, and she was confused with the lack of reaction. Sakura sighed, mulling over the deficiencies in her speech, but she straightened her back to a sight of a standing ovation and a thundering applause.

Then, she let her tears fall.

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

“Why would you let Kakashi-sensei take the pic?” Sakura hissed at them.

“Just this one time, Sakura!” Naruto grinned.

“Sakura, you’re out of the frame,” Kakashi remarked. “Okay good. Say cheese.”

In spite of her recent heartbreak with him, she permitted herself to bask in fleeting cordiality. “Cheese.”

“Grumpyyyyyy.”

“Idiot blondie.”

Kakashi took three more shots and handed the camera to the trio. He almost turned away when Sakura caught his sleeve.

“Just one more,” she said. “With you.”

Sakura shifted to the front, almost kneeling with the camera angled for a selfie, her two friends beside her looking equally annoyed as the other, and Kakashi behind them, his hands on either head, smiling with his deceptively charming beauty mark.

It was the last picture of their high school life.

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

The three were rushing through the airport crowd fifteen minutes before the immigration closes gates.

“Here!” Sakura slid a folder on the large pocket on Sasuke’s bag. “It includes your passport, your flight details, your valid IDs, your itinerary, and letters from us! Don’t forget our Friday video calls!”

“I can’t see. These tears are bullies,” Naruto said through tears. He was continuously wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

“And If I don’t get on my flight because you made us eat ramen for one last time and the orders took too long, I’m gonna have you cursed by a witch and a shaman!” Sasuke growled. The guards were starting to close the gates when a sobbing Naruto sprinted and basically tackled the guards on the floor.

“Sasuke come on, hurry up!”

“Drink your vitamins! And if you miss cream puffs, I’ll teach you how to make them.” Sakura was trying hard to keep pace with Sasuke’s brisk walking, but she ended up breathless anyway.

The three of them finally reached the immigration entrance, and Naruto was profusely apologizing to the guards for the interruption. Sasuke showed his documents, wheezing as they looked at it. They gave him a thumbs up and opened the gates.

The two were already slumped at the floor, waving without words, and exhausted from the clock race. Sasuke was almost through when he remembered something he forgot. He muttered a quick sorry, ran through the opening, and hugged his two friends.

“I’ll miss you.”

#SCPS #student council president sakura #haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke #uzumaki naruto #hatake kakashi #team 7 #sasusaku #kakasaku #narusaku #fic!pseudolily #fic!pinkhairedlily

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recentanimenews · 3 years

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Crunchyroll All-Stars: Larry Ogunjobi on Going to Conventions from Anime Expo to Japan

Anime fans come from all walks of life and in all shapes and sizes. Some are students, some are scientists, some are doctors, some are artists, and some are even well-known athletes! Crunchyroll All-Stars is a series of interviews highlighting elite professionals who harbor a passion both for their art and for anime.

Today’s profile is on Larry Ogunjobi, a defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. Growing up during the Toonami era, Ogunjobi would go on to take his passion for anime all the way from Anime Expo in Los Angeles to even conventions in Japan. We spoke with Ogunjobi about how Naruto’s lessons have helped him his entire life, why so many athletes relate to anime characters, and more!

When did you become an anime fan? Was there a specific moment that affected you or changed the way you felt about something?

It started when I was younger when I was in 5th grade or so in elementary school. I used to always play video games and the first game I ever got was Zelda. After gaming a little bit I’d go to school and talk about the games. Then I remember on Cartoon Network there was Toonami at 9 pm, and then on Saturdays, you’d get all the good anime — Dragon Ball Z, Trigun, Wolf’s Rain, Case Closed, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho — those were my introductions to anime. I always enjoyed it. 

Then came Naruto...I feel like I grew up with Naruto! Watching him as a kid and growing up to get married in the last episode of the last season of Shippuden. 

I also remember getting a Dragon Ball Z video game for Playstation. I saved up to buy a PS2 and got really into that game. 

Anime always told a story. You got your main character and sometimes he’s maybe a knucklehead kid or has some problems. There’s always that origin story that grabs you and you figure out more of what the show’s going to be about. For me, it was always about the character development -- you have a character and things don’t go their way...do they quit or do they push through it? I always took those kinds of life lessons and nuggets that anime have in them, and my appreciation just grew and grew into a real love for anime. Now it’s just a part of what I do. 

Are there any ways you engage with your favorite anime series or characters aside from watching them?

I ended up visiting Japan. It was really cool going to see a convention out there. The excitement the people there had for anime was amazing. It was like their Super Bowl!  

When I was young, people would knock anime sometimes so it was awesome to see people enjoying themselves, being happy, getting all dressed up. I remember seeing this reenactment of the Naruto fight with Pain. These were just people walking by each other and they really did it! It was just very cool to experience. 

Have you ever bonded with someone else over anime?

One of my mentors in the NFL is Geno Atkins (Defensive Tackle on the Bengals), and I was with him in LA and there was an Anime Expo out there at that time. So I was talking to Geno about anime and he started rattling off a list and I could tell he was for real so I told him about the Anime Expo and we decided to head over to the convention. 

Overall, I’m slowly starting to see more people, more pro athletes show their fandom. We’re able to put ourselves in the same shoes as some of these characters. There have been times in a game where I have put myself in the mindset of a main character from one of my favorite anime. When you find someone who watches anime too, who does that same kind of thing, who’s balling, it creates that bond. 

What’s your favorite anime series of all time?

Naruto. I know it’s a mainstream anime and an introductory anime for a lot of people but I REALLY watched it, with subtitles, and I’d wait week after week to watch it. From elementary school into middle school and then going all the way through it to college till it finished. And I felt like “Damn, this is really over?...” I had really invested in it and it really followed the development of my life. I was an overweight kid (obese), a troubled kid. I really started football because my mom took away my Xbox, and then after that, I went through my first real season of football. I remember we had an awards banquet after that year, and when the award for most improved JV player came up, they called my name. I thought my best friend at the time was going to get it but I got it...and it really got me feeling like I earned it and my hard work paid off. 

I was biking and running at the YMCA every day and went from 350 lbs. To 247 lbs., bulked back up to 267 lbs., and ended up getting five scholarship offers. Ended up going to Charlotte for college. Now I’m in college and with Naruto, the anime is going on throughout all of this for me (probably like the Pain arc or somewhere around that). It felt like we were going through our trials and tribulations together; it was actually really cool. Now I’m working hard, I’m grinding in college, and the only thing I could compare my process to was these storylines in anime — I knew I was special and that I was the main character of my story — and I ended up being the first player ever drafted to the NFL out of my college. 

Then as I'm finishing college, Naruto finished...it was just so cool and such a special experience. I have a lot of favorites but that has to be #1. 

Who’s your favorite anime character of all time?

Have to stick with Naruto for all the reasons mentioned above. He’s so relatable to me. He was different from everybody. I remember my grandpa telling me I was special and that I was different. At the time, I was an obese kid...I didn’t know what he was talking about. But I just knew that me being different and working hard would pay off. God always finds a way to make things work out for you. Are there going to be trials? Yes. Are there going to be tragedies? Yes. But the triumphs are going to outweigh everything. 

Who would you rank as the top anime hero ever?

One of the best characters I’ve seen develop into a hero is Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul. I’m big on mental health, and you see all the phases he went through. He has to deal with that headache of being on two different sides of the world. He was a human just a little while ago, and now he has to survive on eating flesh...it was a crazy segue. Being a ghoul, soft-spoken...he really develops into this boss! 

There’s so many anime though: Naruto, Goku...his demeanor is fire. He always wants to get better. He’s very relatable. Whenever there’s a super-strong opponent, Goku’s always ready to try them out and give it a go. Even if the person he fights is stronger than him before the fight, Goku evolves during the fight to become better than his opponent. Facing and going through obstacles you become better on the other side. Like the Goku who fought Nappa and Raditz isn’t the same Goku who fought Jiren. He always elevated his game to meet who he was fighting. 

Who would you rank as the top anime villain ever?

Dio from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. MAN!..I’ve never seen a villain so dedicated to messing with a family! He REALLY had it out for the Joestars. It was a generational show: you had the first Joseph and Jotaro, and Dio still found a way to be that ultra villain who stays in the mix. There’s not a lot of villains who have been able to stay so relevant. Dio was kicking ass for a minute before he got beat up. I enjoyed him as a villain for sure. 

Have you ever taken any elements or learnings from anime and implemented them into your daily life?

Yes, with Naruto his motto was never going back on his word and never giving up. In life, you’re always going to go through ups and downs but Naruto always found a way. He also had a great support system, which is really important. You need to have the right people around you. And with rivalries, I’d apply the ways Naruto and Sasuke or Goku and Vegeta approached rivalries. Having someone next to you that you look to as a brother, but who pushes you to new heights and great places. 

It feels like more and more athletes are showcasing their love for anime — what’s anime fandom like in NFL culture? And what do you think it is about anime that attracts athletes?

Anime is definitely becoming more and more prevalent. A lot of guys will gravitate towards each other with gaming and things like Call of Duty and Fortnite. I’m a D-Lineman and I feel like there’s so many D-Linemen around the league who are fans of anime. You see anime characters go through intense training and we do everything we can to be great at what we do, to improve our technique, and it’s very relatable for guys. 

It also helps us decompress. We have a hard job. We’re in the offseason right now. You get up, you grind, and you work. Sometimes it's just fun to watch someone else's story. 

Like I said, I’ve always felt like I’m the main character of my story, and when you believe that you start to move in a different way and start to workout that way. The concept is so relatable to real life. And in general, guys just like it too. 

Social media has also made anime way more known. Before people didn’t talk about it much and now guys in the league are posting about it and you learn all these guys like it. Then you start talking about anime with them, now we’re sending each other anime to watch, like “Yo this one is about to come on, you got to check it out”. A whole bunch of guys on my team like it, and you start giving people anime to watch and they come back to you like, “This is fire!” 

Also, I’m big into anime but I didn’t realize how big anime was till I saw my baby sister and how into it she is. She draws the characters. Man, she’s caught up on One Piece!

What would your message be to someone who recently discovered anime and was thinking about getting into it?

My message would be to figure out what you personally like. Anime has a little of everything: sci-fi, action, sports anime. Find one that’s similar to something you already enjoy watching and then go from there. 

If you’re new I’d also watch an anime that doesn’t have a whole bunch of episodes in each season so you can fully get into it, like a Mob Psycho 100 or Attack on Titan. 

I remember watching the first half of the first episode of Attack on Titan and I wasn’t feeling it right away, and I remember being in college and working out and visiting the Student Union and I remember falling asleep after working out, and right next to me was where people were hanging out and watching anime. Then I woke up to hearing people cheering. I had seen some of the first episode but they were watching the 2nd episode and Eren had just gotten eaten by the Titan, and I was talking junk like, “How can the main character get killed like that?!”...Then the next scene he turned into a Titan and I was like, “Oh man this is HARD!” 

You have to give each anime a chance. Most anime develop really well throughout. I remember with God of High School I started it and was like “ehh, it’s alright”, but I ended up watching the rest of the season and was like “Wow, this is really nicely done!” 

Also, be open to watching subbed and dubbed anime. Give yourself an opportunity to like it.

By: Guest Author

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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twinkletoes-rp · 4 years

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Naruto AU “Surface Breaker” Ch. 6 - Flower Language

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It’s over an hour later, nearly two, before Kakashi finally stops crying. Naruto only stopped just before he did.

Kakashi feels…lighter, like he can breathe easier, than he has in years, he’s sure. So many. Maybe since…since he lost them. His heart no longer sends excruciating pain through him every time it beats, reminding him that theirs no longer can. He feels…free. Not entirely, of course—he expects the survivor’s guilt to always be there, at least in some way or form—but…it’s still so much better than he’s felt in…forever. He thinks the last time he felt this unburdened was…back when he was a child with his father alive and well.

It only dawns on him then that he’s still holding Naruto and vice versa. Both of them are much more relaxed now, but their holds on each other are still strong, tight and gentle at once, reluctant to let go and just wanting to be there. It’s nice, honestly. Really nice. They know they can’t stay like that forever, though, no matter how much they might want to, so they finally pull away after a few more seconds, though Naruto, as usual, doesn’t hide his feelings at all on why he does so so slowly. “Your hugs are really nice, sensei…”

Kakashi blinks, heart stuttering while light pink dusts his cheeks. He’s…never been told that before. Then again, the last time he hugged anyone was Kushina and Minato-sensei, and technically, they initiated it. A shy smile comes. “T-thank you, Naruto. And yours…” He softens in remembrance, voice following. He can’t help it. “Yours remind me of your parents’, protective and strong, yet warm and comforting at the same time. Of course, that’s not to say they’re not your own, too.” His smile grows, and the adoration and respect in his voice are practically palpable. “That’s where your love comes in. You have even more love in you than your father. I’d even go as far as to say you overflow with it.” He chuckles. “Not that I’m surprised. You…” He melts, more than he thinks he has in front of anyone in forever, and it surprises him more than a little. He attributes it to how much better he feels. “You are the most loving person I’ve ever met in my life, Naruto. Temari was right when she said you have the power to change people with your open heart and love alone.” Hell, look at how Naruto’s gotten him to open up. No one else has ever been able to do that. Well, no one still alive, anyway. His voice lowers further still, soft and warm and reverent as hell, expression with it. “It’s amazing… It really is.”

Touched tears crowd the corners of a stunned Naruto’s eyes. Shikamaru pressing a tissue into his hand snaps him out of it enough to wipe them away, and then he smiles widely, if shyly, at his sensei, rubbing the back of his head. “I-I don’t know about all that, Kakashi-sensei. I think I just…get lucky, that’s all. But thank you so much.” His grin grows, and he blushes pink. “I’m really happy you think that!”

Shikamaru, watching him with his chin nestled between his knuckles, can’t help but scoff lightly, so fond, he’s actually surprised he held it back this long. “He’s right, ya know,” he chimes in. Naruto looks at him, blinking wide blue eyes while his blush deepens. Shikamaru takes the opportunity to keep going before his friend can deny it again. “You know what it’s like to be without love, without friends or anyone to care for you,” just saying that makes his throat constrict in fury and guilt, “and you don’t want anyone else to ever feel like you did. That’s why you make friends with almost everyone you meet as easily as breathing. It just comes naturally to you to touch people, to change them for the better, even our enemies.” Hell, look at how he’s changed Shikamaru himself over the years. He smiles at Naruto, startlingly fond and admiring as anything. Naruto doesn’t miss it, swallows as his heart pounds in his chest. Shikamaru reaches forward to rap his knuckles there, at his heart, brown eyes never leaving Naruto’s. “You’re one of a kind, Naruto Uzumaki. Don’t forget it.”

Naruto is struck speechless, particularly at those last words, echoes of what he used to say to the villagers as a kid so they wouldn’t forget he existed. Now Shikamaru’s using it on him… He doesn’t miss the significance, doesn’t know how he could. When he finally finds his voice again, thick with emotion, he softens with that same shy smile still playing. “I-I still think you’re giving me way too much credit here,” Shikamaru huffs a laugh and cocks an eyebrow in that way of his that Naruto knows means he can stuff it, “but…” he bumps their fists together, smile growing, “…I’m really happy to hear that, too. Thank you, Shikamaru.” He gives Kakashi a fist bump, too, making him chuckle. “You guys…!” He looks between them, beam and happy flush coming back in full force. “You really are the best!”

Only because you are to us first, they think as one.

On that note, Kakashi takes a breath. “If you’re ready to hear it, now that you know about my old team, I have some final parts to my explanation.” Naruto’s confused, trading a glance with Shikamaru, but he nods and pays rapt attention regardless. “After I lost everything, I felt like I was wandering in darkness for years. If it weren’t for Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and eventually, you kids, who knows what would have happened to me?” He breathes a wry laugh. “I held on to those bonds like a man drowning, but when I saw Sasuke wanted no part of any new bonds here, he reminded me so much of myself back then that I wanted to be there for him, to try to steer him back toward you and Sakura and the rest…” He sighs a bit, shoulders slumping. “But we all know how that turned out...” He does his best not to blame himself like Naruto asked, but he suspects he’ll always feel at least partially responsible.

Taking another breath and clearing his throat, he keeps going. “On the other side of that, you were so much like Minato-sensei and Obito in so many ways, and the reminders…” he looks away guiltily, “…were too much for me a lot of the time. It’s…it’s why I…wasn’t around while you were growing up, too, never mind that my mental state at the time was…fragile, at best.” These explanations don’t stop him from clenching a fist, angry at himself. “I turned away from you in an effort to escape my own feelings… I was a coward…” he bows his head low, “…and I’m so sorry.”

There’s a long moment of silence, and then, “You’re not a coward, sensei.” Kakashi’s ears perk at that, at Naruto’s soft, sort of confused, yet matter-of-fact tone, and he looks up. “Anyone would feel uneasy and scared around someone who reminds them of people they’ve lost. That makes total sense!” He rubs the back of his head sheepishly and laughs. “It’s why Sakura and I weren’t the nicest to Sai when he first showed up, remember? ‘Cause he reminded us too much of Sasuke, and we weren’t ready for him to be replaced yet.”

He shrugs. “To be honest, I don’t really see how you could have been there for me growing up. You were probably terrified of being reminded of my Dad and Obito, and the idea of getting attached to me and possibly losing me like everyone else you ever loved?” He’s doing his best to be sensitive about this, he really is, but he can’t help the point he’s making. He huffs a small, incredulous laugh. “Forget it. There was no way.” He locks firm, empathetic eyes on his beloved teacher. “If you ask me, there was nothing cowardly about any of it, Kakashi-sensei. It’s natural, just being human. No one can fault you for that.” He grins, toothy and bright. “Besides, you’re here now, right? So you’re already making up for it!” He chuckles. “Not that there’s actually anything to make up, in my book.”

Kakashi can’t help but stare at Naruto for a few moments, the little tension left in his shoulders easing as a helpless, hopeful smile lights his face. He hopes Kushina and Minato-sensei are watching. Their son… He really is something else. Something incredible. “Thank you, Naruto.”

Naruto just nods. “Of course!” Then, remembering something that’s been bothering him, he perks up a bit. “Oh, and by the way?” He crosses his arms as best he can, his good arm over his chest, at least, cocking his head. “After going through all that, Old Man Third was a jerk for putting a team like ours on your shoulders.” Shikamaru and Kakashi blink wide eyes, the former unable to help sputtering a laugh at his bluntness. Naruto flashes him a tiny smile before going on. “I mean, come on! He knew I was your sensei’s kid and my mom was like your mom, he knew I was a lot like Obito, and he must have known that Sakura had medical ninja potential. Plus, he knew Sasuke was an Uchiha, so he’d also remind you of Obito, and he had to have known how you’d feel about Sasuke’s trauma and the darkness surrounding him. There’s no way he didn’t know all that. And even if he didn’t put together all those things, he knew enough to realize how unfair it would be to you. Hell, he’s lucky it didn’t traumatize you even more.”

He curls his good fist in his hospital gown till his knuckles crack, grinding his teeth. If Lord Third were still around right now, he’d give him a piece of his damn mind. “He could have given our team to anyone, but he gave it to you. I mean, I’m grateful, and I know Sakura is, too, because like I said, you’re the only sensei I’d ever want, but still…” His eyes burn low with righteous fire. “Honestly, Kakashi-sensei, given the circumstances? I think you did the absolute best you could with what you were given. And I think the rest of us turned out great! Sai, too!” He softens. “You’re really amazing, sensei. I know it was hard for you, and I wish it wasn’t, but…” he bows as low as he can, “…thank you so much. For everything.”

Kakashi is surprised to have to swallow a lump in his throat and feel tears burn the back of his eyes. He wonders if he’s a little more emotional than usual because of the circumstances or because of the closure he’s received. Maybe it’s a combination of both. Either way, he reaches out to touch Naruto’s shoulder so he looks up and straightens some, then leans forward slowly to rest his forehead on Naruto’s.

The boy’s eyes widen and he forgets to breathe for a moment, the cool metal of his teacher’s headband making this all the more poignant for him, but then he just smiles and relaxes, following Kakashi in closing his eyes. They stay like that for a moment or two before Kakashi finally whispers, “You’re pretty amazing yourself, Naruto. Thank you, too…so much.”

Naruto’s dinner comes a short time later, and even though he doesn’t really feel like eating, mostly because he knows after that he’ll have to take Granny Tsunade’s sleeping medicine and he still wants to wait for Sakura, he remembers Shikamaru’s advice from yesterday and does what he can. After a few minutes, he goes quiet and eats a little slower as something else that’s been bothering him, something he’s not sure he should talk about, weighs on his mind. His friends notice the change in him, of course, but they don’t say anything. He’ll talk when he’s ready.

About ten minutes later, barely halfway through his meal, Naruto can’t take the uneasy anticipation churning his stomach anymore. He doesn’t want to bring this up, hates that he even has to think about it, but he also feels like he’s going to jump out of his skin if he doesn’t. Slowly setting down his chopsticks and wiping his mouth, he gathers his resolve. He’s…not really sure how to approach this, but…he feels like he has to. For them.

“What happened with Rin…and my mom…” he starts at last, coming to rest a hand over his stomach, the Seal drawn there. The thought of something happening to his village, his friends, because of him…it’s always been one of his biggest fears, the stuff of most of his nightmares, and having even more proof that that fear isn’t unfounded…it terrifies him. “It could—happen to me someday, too. It…i-if I weren’t here in the village, and even then, it…it might have already.” His hand shakes, clenches a bit in his hospital gown. “Itachi and that—other Akatsuki guy already came to the village looking for me once, after all.”

Neither Kakashi nor Shikamaru knows where this is going, but they’re listening like their lives depend on it. They know this isn’t the sort of thing Naruto would bring up if it weren’t of utmost importance.

“Shikamaru told me the Nine Tails helped save me after what Sasuke did to me. I—I remember, when it happened, it told me not to give up.” A sardonic laugh leaves him. “Can you believe it? Specifically, it said, ‘Don’t give up, brat!’, but still… It…it still saved me. I know it might have only done it because it had to, because I’m its host, but…I don’t know how to explain it. I…I felt something more there, almost like it…it cared, even just a tiny bit, about what happened to me, I swear…” His gaze drifts to his bandaged hand. “Knowing it killed my parents and remembering how I was treated growing up because of it don’t exactly paint it in the best light, but…” his face scrunches, “…I’m…confused about how to feel about the Nine Tails…”

Kakashi nods, wishing he was at less of a loss here. “With all that, I think anyone would be.”

Shikamaru scratches the back of his head. “That’s an understatement.” He eyes his friend pointedly. “So, what are you thinking, Naruto?”

Naruto purses his lips, then bites the lower one. “I’m…I wanna try talking to the Nine Tails. I’ve done it before, a few times.” A chill goes down his spine at the memories, which makes Shikamaru’s hairs stand on end. He isn’t sure he likes this idea. “I…I want to thank it for helping me, but…mostly, it’s because there are some things about it saving me that don’t make sense. I’m hoping…maybe…we can work something out. It could…take a while, maybe a long time. Months or years. Hell, it might not work at all. But if it does, maybe we could even become…allies or something. Close to it, anyway. I don’t know…”

The two at his side blink. He wants…to make friends with—with the Nine-Tailed Fox…? They’re not…quite sure what to say to that… After a few more shocked seconds, Shikamaru recovers first. “Okay… I admit, I have questions and concerns, but they can wait.” His eyes narrow. “You haven’t told us why yet.”

Blue eyes fall at his scrutinizing gaze. “I…well…” He curls his hospital gown tighter in his fist, skin crawling and stomach sloshing again at the idea of telling them. He knew he’d have to, it just…still feels so sudden… He doesn’t feel ready. His voice follows his eyes. “You won’t…like it…”

The two geniuses trade a look instantly. “Tell us anyway,” they say in unison, doing their best to mentally prepare themselves for, well, what could be just about anything.

Of course, nothing could have prepared them for what he actually says.

Naruto takes a deep breath, then looks up at them both, eyes fierce and bright and bold. They don’t think they’ve ever seen him this serious. “I’ve lost control of the Nine Tails a few times already. Not completely, but close enough that I lost my sense of self and things got bad. You and Pervy Sage managed to intervene those times, sensei. I know he’s the one who warned you about it and gave you the sealing tag that helped stop me on our mission to rescue Gaara.” Kakashi nods. Shikamaru doesn’t know what they’re talking about, but he can ask Kakashi to fill him in later.

Naruto has to visibly steel himself before he says this next part, taking another deep, shaky breath. The room seems to drop several degrees at once while his eyes are set ablaze. “If it happens again and I lose control completely…if there really is no way for you to get me back…” his lips tremble, but he forces his way through, “…I need you to take me out.”

“Absolutely not.”

Shikamaru’s response is an immediate snarl, teeth bared, brown eyes alight with white-hot fire. Naruto blinks. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen him so pissed off and defiant. Not since Asuma’s death, anyway. He doesn’t know, maybe this outclasses that, considering Naruto’s still alive and Shikamaru’s fighting to keep him that way.

“Shikamaru’s right, Naruto,” Kakashi says, much more calmly, glancing at Shikamaru, but there’s some steel backing his words, too. He refuses to lose another loved one to a Tailed Beast. “We’ll find another way. It doesn’t mean you have to die.”

“You can’t honestly think we’d just let you go that easily! Do you really think so little of us, of yourself, that you’d rather die than let us try?” Shikamaru presses, grinding his teeth at the very thought, mostly in an effort to keep back the bile threatening at the base of his throat. He can’t even think beyond the fact that Naruto is a complete idiot to ask this of them or he really might be sick. He can’t. There’s no way in hell.

Naruto’s eyes widen, and he reels back as if struck, hurt blooming in his chest as he blinks in confusion. “W-what? N-no! No, I—I just—if you can’t get me back, if there is no other way, you might not have a choice! I’m—I’m trying to prepare you for that!”

Shikamaru opens his mouth to fire back, hackles effectively raised at the very notion of losing Naruto for good, especially to something that’s not his fault, has never been his choice, of having to do so by his own hands—but Kakashi holds up a hand, black eye stern. Grudgingly, the younger man swallows his words and defers to his superior, though he defiantly takes tight hold of Naruto’s hand, threading their fingers together and squeezing.

“I understand where you’re coming from, Naruto. More than anyone else ever could, I do,” Kakashi reassures. He doesn’t want him to think he’s alone in this. After all, Rin asked the same thing of him when he was much younger. The last thing he wants is for this to become a repeat of that. “But I need you to tell us exactly what you’re thinking. Maybe there’s something you haven’t thought of yet.”

Naruto raises a skeptical eyebrow, but Shikamaru squeezes his hand again, silently begging, and he sighs. “Back when…Pervy Sage and I were training, at one point, he wanted to try to help me control the Nine Tails’ chakra. It…” his eyes fall to his bandages, face crumples, and he holds Shikamaru’s hand a little tighter for purchase, “…it went bad, and…I leveled an entire building, the yard around it, a huge part of the forest. I…I hurt him…” He swallows. “When I woke up, we were both really badly hurt and recovering in the hospital…”

He knows he probably shouldn’t, knows Pervy Sage held no fear or ill will toward him at all afterward, but he still feels really guilty for that. He glares at his sheets before peering up at his friends again.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone ever again. I never want to kill anyone. If I ever did, even while like that, even if it wasn’t technically my fault…” He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment and shakes his head vehemently. “Hurting Pervy Sage once was bad enough. If he wasn’t him, I probably would have killed him. That’s how bad it was.” He needs them to understand. This isn’t just something he’s come up with out of the blue. “If it ever happened again, if my Seal broke completely, and there was no one around to stop me like he did, if you or Captain Yamato weren’t here, Kakashi-sensei…” he feels sick at the truth to his words, remembering how much it hurt Pervy Sage just to laugh after that time, “…I-I couldn’t take it.”

He fixes hard, absolutely unyielding eyes on them. It’s scary and hurts like hell to talk about this, but it’s necessary, damn it. He needs to know he’s not going to be a danger to the people he loves. He couldn’t live with himself. “You know me. You know that’s the truth. This isn’t something that’s just come up suddenly either. I’ve—I’ve been thinking about it for years.” Kakashi and Shikamaru’s hearts pang something fierce, devastation clawing at their insides. The younger man barely bites back a curse. Naruto’s eyes smolder, even while his words start to tremble and break. “Please… I’m not kidding around here. I’m—I’m begging you…”

Shikamaru unconsciously squeezes Naruto’s hand tighter, as tightly as he can, not even realizing it might be painful until his friend squeezes back. When he does, he immediately loosens his grip and locks eyes with Naruto, silently apologizing and just trying to communicate how…wrong this feels. He’s the guy who always goes over all the angles, every possibility, but right now, that can all go to hell. Why are they even discussing this? Like hell they’ll ever let that happen. Shikamaru will die first, and he already knows Kakashi feels the exact same way. The others, too, any of them.

Naruto’s way out… It’s not an option.

Not one he’ll accept, anyway.

Shikamaru looks to Kakashi next, taking a deep, if shaky, breath. He knows he’s usually not as emotional a thinker as all this, and yeah, okay, realistically, he knows why they’re having this conversation. Naruto’s not an idiot, after all. The only way he’d ever propose something like this is if he were dead serious, if he really had been thinking about it for years, maybe since Master Jiraiya was hurt.

To be honest, he’s not really sure what has him so worked up about this. Yes, Naruto’s his friend, he loves him, he would fight and die any second of any day from now till the end of time to protect him, and he’s had an idea forming in his head about staying by his side for a good half-year now, maybe longer…but still… Maybe it’s the thought of losing someone so close to him again. He doesn’t know if he can take another Asuma. That’s why he’s…he needs Kakashi-sensei to temper his upset and ground him right now. His hold on Naruto’s hand tightens again, consciously gentler this time.

Kakashi, for his part, is quiet. He’s disturbed by this information, too, deeply so. Not the part about the incident where Master Jiraiya was hurt, that he already knew, but…the fact that Naruto’s been grappling with the reality that his last day could come at any moment, that he’s had something like this weighing on him for years… He wonders if Master Jiraiya knew. Given how close and alike he and Naruto were, he’s guessing so. He wonders if he ever talked to Naruto about it. Hell, maybe…maybe that was one of the things he’d wanted to discuss with Lady Tsunade after he was meant to return from his mission to the Hidden Rain village. It’s a morbid thought, but…it makes sense. Plus, given how similar Naruto and Rin are, how much they love their village and their friends, it also makes sense that Naruto would be willing to make the same sacrifice Rin did, even if he didn’t necessarily want to. Because he knows Naruto doesn’t want to die. He has far too much he wants – needs – to live for…

But like Shikamaru said…that almost makes it worse…

And yet, despite any reservations or misgivings he and Shikamaru may have…this isn’t about them. At the end of the day, this is about Naruto. He comes first.

That’s why he finally takes a breath and says, “Let me talk to Captain Yamato and Lady Tsunade about this first. Then, we can think up a game plan. Between the three of us—and Shikamaru, too, if you’re up for it—” the boy immediately nods, zero hesitation, “—I’m sure we can come up with something that will make you feel safe without giving us early heart attacks.” He reaches out to ruffle his student’s hair gently, though there’s a weight to his hand that Naruto doesn’t miss. He leans into it all the same, actually presses up into it a little insistently, almost like a cat would. A tender smile and chuckle escape as Kakashi obliges, though he turns protective and serious again a moment later. “But no matter what we decide, please know this: your friends and I, your family, will not let you go without the fight of our lives. That’s a promise.”

Naruto’s eyes widen, heart skipping in his chest. Tears sting, but he just sniffs, chokes back a happy sob, and nods, grinning toothily. “R-right…!”

After their talk, Naruto’s appetite is a little better than before, so he eats what he can, and that’s all Shikamaru can ask. He refuses his sleeping medicine afterward, though, wanting to wait for Sakura, just in case, and Shikamaru agrees on the condition that he take it once visiting hours are over at the latest. Naruto’s more grateful than he can say, though he’s pretty sure Shikamaru understands with how bright and fond his smile is. He’ll take it.

By the time Sakura’s presence actually registers in the tree outside Naruto’s room and then the girl herself appears at the foot of Naruto’s bed, it’s well after dark. She’s breathing hard and sweating. She must have run the whole way in her rush to make it in time. The flowers in her arms don’t escape Shikamaru’s notice. So that’s where she’s been.

“You know it’s after visiting hours, don’t you?”

Sakura jumps at the sudden voice, though she’s not surprised when she turns toward it to see Shikamaru still sitting vigil by a sleeping Naruto’s side, glaring with arms crossed over his chest. Kakashi’s still here, too, leaning against the wall across from them, just silently observing for now.

“Technically, Hokage’s student or not, if I were to sound the alarm, you’d be thrown out.” There’s flaying ice in his tone, not that she can blame him. Honestly, he’s being nicer than she expected, than she thinks she deserves. She’s sure he’d agree. “I’m sure you’re also well aware that there are shadows all around you. So tread carefully.” She knows what that means: I won’t hesitate.

Effectively chagrined, she winces, gaze slipping to the side. “I know…” she acknowledges softly. “But I couldn’t go home without making this right. Or at least…” she lifts the flowers in her hands for emphasis, “…apologizing, if he lets me. I’m…” her grip on the flowers tightens some, doubt dragging down her expression, “…not sure he’ll actually want to see me, though…”

Sighing roughly, Shikamaru lets one of his arms fall between his knees as he leans on them. This girl’s just lucky she’s Ino’s best friend and one of Naruto’s, and that whether she deserves to be the latter isn’t for him to decide. “Oh, he wants to see you, all right. He made me wait until visiting hours were over to take his sleeping meds, and even then, he was really bummed when you didn’t show up. He wanted to wait a little longer, but I reminded him he promised, and, well,” he shrugs, something in it and the way he looks at her unrepentantly sharp and jagged, “you know how he is about promises.”

Sakura flinches at that, but…he’s not wrong. She deserves that. Much worse, actually. Frankly, she’s surprised he’s letting her anywhere near Naruto at all. He’s probably only going along with it because he wants to put Naruto’s feelings before his own. Ino was right. A guarding shadow-lion, indeed. Swallowing, she holds the flowers for Naruto a little tighter and nods. “You don’t…have to worry about me anymore. I…I get it now. I’ve been horrible to him…and I know it shouldn’t have taken something like this to understand just how badly I screwed up, but...” she bows as low as she can, “…I really am sorry.” Her green eyes are full of fire when they climb back up. “And I’m ready now, I swear. I’m ready to let Sasuke go and do whatever it takes to make it up to Naruto. All of it, no matter how long it takes. I don’t care.”

Shikamaru regards her quietly for a few good, long seconds. He freely admits he’s partly doing it to make her squirm. It’s the least she deserves after what she pulled. He’ll have to thank Ino for talking (and, knowing her, smacking) some sense into her later. He can feel Kakashi’s calm, steady gaze on him, waiting to see what’ll happen from here. In the end, he sighs again, gentler this time, and levels with her. “Naruto’s done his part to make this as easy for you as he can, Sakura. Now you have to do yours.”

Giving that a moment or two to sink in, he slowly sits back in his chair and crosses his arms again, nodding toward Naruto. “He’ll probably be a little groggy, but we just gave him his meds about ten minutes ago, so he shouldn’t be too hard to wake up. Don’t know if he’ll be able to stay awake, though, unless you can temporarily slow the effects or something. Of course, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that, being a medical ninja and all.” He shrugs.

She nods, taking that as the permission to come closer she knows it is. “I can. Slow his medication, I mean.” Making sure she has his okay to do this, too, she hesitates before reaching over to let her hand glow green over Naruto’s chest for a few seconds. She stays standing after pulling back, though, and she’s worried about shaking him awake after earlier, even carefully, so Shikamaru does it for her.

“Hey, Naruto.” The younger boy whines a bit, and Shikamaru can’t help but snicker. “Wake up, sleepyhead. Sakura’s here.”

Sakura’s name makes it through his formerly-medicated haze, and Naruto’s eyelids flutter open just seconds later. “Wha…? S-Sakura…?” he asks, raspy and slow and dragged out by a yawn as he rubs at his eyes.

A tiny smile tries to sneak onto her face, but she’s not sure she should let it. She can barely make herself look at him right now. “R-right here, Naruto…” she announces softly.

Shikamaru helps him sit up, and when Naruto sees it really is her, he seems surprised to see her for a few ticks before he grins brightly, sweetly, like he never lost faith in her for a second. “I told ‘em you’d be back!”

Sakura, forgetting to breathe for a moment, can’t help it when she laughs and touched tears sting her eyes. Wiping at them with the back of her hand, she shakes her head, the smile on her face growing. “I-I really don’t deserve you, you know that?”

She has a feeling that if Naruto weren’t here or at least awake, Shikamaru and maybe even Kakashi-sensei would have something to say in agreement with that, but as it is, they hold their tongues. She appreciates it. Naruto, for his part, blinks wide eyes and flushes, waving his hand in front of him in embarrassment. “W-whoa, wait, what? W-where’d that come from, Sakura? That’s not true at all!”

Her smile turning small and sad, she steps forward to set the flowers Ino picked out for them both on his bedside table. “Yes, it is.” Whether he’s in denial or, more likely, genuinely doesn’t see it that way, she knows she’s right, no matter how much she wishes she wasn’t. Her gaze comes back to his. “You’ve always been there for me, no matter what. You’ve never raised a hand against me, even when you could and should have. You always do everything in your power to protect me. You cheer me up any way you can, and you always keep your promises, even ones that only ever get you hurt—”

Her voice breaks off in a sob here, and a few tears fall. She supposes she shouldn’t be surprised. She is something of a crybaby, after all. “Y-you’ve never left my side, all this time, and I—I realized I’ve been taking you for—for granted…e-ever since we were kids…” She sniffs and swallows back the rest of her tears. She doesn’t want to cry through this. “You shouldn't even be letting me see you after what I did, let alone talk to you. You definitely shouldn't forgive me. I don’t deserve it, so I wouldn’t blame you at all.”

She wants to smack some sense into her younger self, feels nauseous at just how ignorant and plain awful she’s been. Realistically, despite Ino and now Shikamaru’s reassurances…she doesn’t know for sure if she and Naruto can fix this. She wants to, and she meant it when she said she was willing to put in the work, but…their relationship was pretty broken right from the start, all because of her. Like she said, she wouldn’t blame Naruto if he came to that conclusion himself and wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

She bows as low as she can—hell, she gets down on her knees and lets her forehead touch the floor. Ino did say she had to grovel, after all. Whether she meant it literally or not doesn’t matter to her right now, and that’s not why she’s doing this anyway. She’s doing this because it’s what Naruto deserves. He deserves way more than anything she’s given thus far, and from now on, she’s going to make sure he gets it. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. For tonight and everything else. I know this doesn’t make up for any of it, but…I swear, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying!”

Naruto, for his part, is left reeling, eyes wide and heart pounding in his chest. He wants to say something, anything, at least get her off the damn floor because it’s killing him to see her like this. He wishes his legs were in better shape so he could get down there with her. There’s no way he can reach her from here either. Frowning in distress, he instantly turns to his friend. “S-Shikamaru, help me out here!”

Already figuring what he wants, Shikamaru easily slides off his chair to a crouch in front of Sakura without protest. “Sheesh…” He gently takes her small hand and deposits it in Naruto’s waiting one, the blond immediately encasing it in his strong grip. Sakura finally lifts her head, surprised, and Shikamaru pokes her forehead. She blinks, and he finally smiles at her, tilting his head. “Don’t be so dramatic.” Her eyes follow him as he moves back to his seat. “You know, Asuma used to tell us that the closer you get to something, the tougher it is to see it,” he eyes her pointedly here, “so never take it for granted.”

It takes Sakura a second to understand his meaning, but when it hits her, she doesn't know how she didn't see it before. She took Naruto for granted, and she and Naruto were so close to Sasuke that they couldn’t see how unhealthy their relationships with him were. She gets it now. This is Shikamaru’s way of saying their slate’s clean as long as she really does make it up to Naruto from here on out. Swallowing, she nods imperceptibly to show she understands. Shikamaru smirks, satisfied. Good. She’s learning.

Getting to her feet, she wipes her eyes and face with her free hand before turning back to Naruto. She points at him with a stern expression. “I’m serious about letting me make it up to you, okay? I won't accept any other way of fixing this!”

Naruto blinks, but seeing he doesn't have anything to counter that with, he smiles shyly, wondering what she might have cooking up in that big brain of hers. “W-well, okay...but you don't have to go all out or anything, all right? It's just me.” His grin turns toothy as he chuckles. “It's not like I'm exactly hard to please.”

Despite himself, Shikamaru can't help snorting and chiming in, “Yeah! You could probably just stuff his apartment full of instant ramen, and he'd call it even!”

Naruto’s joining laugh is raucous and bright. “Hey, you're not wrong!” Looking back at Sakura, he softens and squeezes her hand, sad and happy at once. “Look… This whole thing – letting Sasuke go, and looking at our relationships with him and each other and realizing things weren’t what we thought – has been a long time coming. I think we both know that now. It was bound to be emotional and scary, and I’m sorry if I went about telling you what I decided the wrong way.” He chuckles. “‘Course, I’m not really sure there’s a good way to bring up something like that, you know?” Sakura breathes a tiny, relieved sob of a laugh despite herself and nods. That’s very true. Kakashi marvels at how much he sounds like Kushina.

Naruto strokes the back of her hand with a gentle thumb and melts. “I accept your apology, and even if you say I shouldn’t, I do forgive you. I understand why you hit me,” he rubs a finger along the bridge of his nose, only to hiss and pull back when it hurts; right, right, broken, “even if that doesn’t make it okay or right.” She winces and nods, and he squeezes her hand again, then threads his fingers securely through hers. “We’re good, okay? I’ll let you make it up to me whatever way you want, but nothing’s changed between us. You’re still one of my best friends. Nothing’s been done that can’t be fixed. Okay?”

Sakura beams, squeezing his hand as tears sting her eyes. She feels almost lightheaded with relief. “Thank you, Naruto!” Leaning forward slowly, making sure he’s okay with her being this close to him after before, she hugs him carefully and presses a kiss to his cheek. A bright blush paints his face instantly, and her smile only grows. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I promise I’ll be worthy of that someday.”

She can tell he wants to protest that last part, but he stops when she makes to reach toward his face. Remembering how he flinched away from her before, she stops, too. Swallowing, mint eyes find sky. Sensing the gravitas in her, Naruto just waits for her to say what she needs.

"Would you...could...my first step be...healing your nose?"

Beside them, Shikamaru stiffens the tiniest bit despite himself. Her tone is soft and low, nervous and guilty, but full of conviction, body language the same. There’s no trace of the rage or blame from before. He thinks Naruto will be safe this time, but he also remembers how Naruto freaked earlier. All the same, he glances over at Naruto. In the end, it's his decision.

The blond meets his eyes, and after seeing that Shikamaru’s feelings match his own, he slowly nods. He knows this isn’t like before, and this is his way of showing her that he still trusts her. He meant it when he said that that wasn’t going to change over something like this. Not for him, at least. He hopes this will also help her trust herself again. He smiles. “Yes, please.”

Sakura is thankful as all hell, shoulders giving way beneath her relief as she sighs and beams like the sun. "Thank you!"

His nose is fixed in record time, not that he expected any less. He takes a deep breath through it and laughs out loud in delight, throwing his good arm in the air. “All right! Good as new!” He grins widely. “Thanks, Sakura!”

She scoffs and waves a hand dismissively, meaning it for once. “D-don’t thank me! It’s the least I could do!” Honestly, she wishes she could do more. Perking up when she remembers something, she snaps her fingers. “Oh! That reminds me!” Grabbing his vase from the bedside table, she hands it to him. “These are for you!”

“Wow…!” Naruto gasps, lighting up like a kid on Christmas at the sight of the pretty bouquet. “They’re for me? Really?” He takes the vase with careful fingers. “I’ve never gotten flowers before, especially not Ino’s!” He chuckles delightedly. “They’re beautiful! Thank you, Sakura!”

He pats the bed beside him, and she slowly sits down, a warm, grateful thrill going through her. This is another way he’s showing he still trusts her. There’s no way she’s going to waste it. “Ino sent them with me after spending forever picking them out and making them look perfect. She was so happy and relieved to hear you were finally awake and doing well. I’m sure she’ll be by to see you as soon as she can.”

Naruto admires all the different flowers, smile growing. “That was so nice of her! If you see her before I do, tell her thanks so much for me! I don’t know much about flowers, but these are so pretty!” He bounces a bit in his seat, like he’s been given the most special gift in the world. “She’s the best!”

Sakura softens. He’s not wrong about that. She really is. “I will, don’t worry.”

Beside them, Shikamaru can’t help but laugh. He finds Naruto’s reaction sweet, honestly. Expected, knowing him. “Ino didn’t tell you what the flowers meant, though, did she?” Sakura shakes her head. He smirks. “Figures.” Sitting back in his chair, he points them out one by one. “The Blue Salvia means she’s thinking of you, the Pink Rose means joy, the Dwarf Sunflower’s adoration, the Morning Glory’s affection, the Amaryllis’ pride, the Yellow Tulip means there’s sunshine in your smile, the Bluebell’s loyalty, the Geranium means true friendship, the Edelweiss is courage and devotion, the Lotus means enlightenment and rebirth, the Chamomile means patience in adversity, the Larkspur means remember to have fun, the White Hyacinth means she’s praying for your recovery, the White Carnation’s good luck, the Valerian means she’s ready and waiting if you need her, the Honeysuckle means bonds of love, and the Peony means she’s wishing you a happy life.”

“Wow…! How’d ya know all that, Shikamaru?” Naruto asks, amazed and impressed.

He shrugs. “When you have the daughter of florists for a teammate, you tend to pick things up between the girl talk, you know?”

Naruto laughs. “Oh, right. Yeah, that makes sense.”

Looking back at the flowers, something catches the brunet’s eye. “Hey, look. There’s a tag, too.”

Sakura tilts her head. “There is? Huh. I never noticed her writing one.”

Shikamaru reaches in to pull it out. “It says, ‘Get well really soon, you ramen-loving knucklehead! Love, The Konoha 11.’” He chuckles, shaking his head. “Typicao Ino.”

Naruto rubs the back of his head and chuckles, impressed as hell. “No wonder it took Ino so long to get those flowers ready. That’s a lot of different meanings, and she even included a nice card, too!” He beams, feeling giddy and important. “I feel so special!”

Sakura, Shikamaru, and Kakashi soften. Because you are, Naruto.

Unable to help noticing the other flowers on his bedside table, Naruto can’t help but ask, intrigued now, “Whose flowers are those, Sakura? Are you visiting someone else, too?”

Looking over to see what he’s talking about, Sakura remembers and flushes a bit. Grabbing them, she explains, “O-oh, no! Ino handed me these right before I left. She said they’re for me.”

Taking a look himself, Shikamaru does a double-take before he just barely smothers a wheezing laugh. The others look at him, confused, and he waves a hand. “S-sorry, sorry,” he says. He is so going to laugh his head off once he’s alone! This is too good! Ino is the best, he swears! “I-I’m guessing Ino didn’t tell you what those meant either, huh?” His smirk only grows when she shakes her head again. “W-well, sorry to disappoint, but I’d rather not repeat those particular insults in current pleasant company. Man, you must have really pissed her off.”

Sakura is shocked for a moment or two, Naruto, too, but then she laughs sheepishly and deflates. “That’s fair… I deserve that…”

Naruto opens his mouth to protest, but Shikamaru holds up a hand to stop him. A gentle smile comes to his face, and he points out three flowers in the very middle of the bunch. He knows for a fact Ino put them there on purpose. “This White Tulip means forgiveness, this Daffodil means new beginnings, and this Bell Peony means good luck and best wishes.”

Sakura brightens back up with a joyful, relieved smile, like a flower blooming after it’s rained. Her teacher and friends are glad to see it. “Then I won’t let her message go to waste!”

They talk for a while longer before Sakura starts nodding off. Her first instinct is to fight it like she has every other time in the last few weeks, but...she stops. Naruto’s awake and here with her, Kakashi-sensei and Shikamaru, too. They’re close and warm and safe. Something tells her she won’t have to worry about nightmares while they’re around. Making sure to undo the impediment she put on his sleeping medicine first, though it won’t take effect for a few minutes, no one is really surprised when she does fall asleep, head resting on the bed at Naruto’s side. Naruto just softens, tender fingers stroking her hair. “We should let her sleep,” he whispers, “since she hasn’t been getting much lately.”

Kakashi nods in agreement. He’s still so proud and thankful everything turned out so well with his kids. Thank goodness. “That’s probably a good idea. She seems a lot more at ease sleeping here than at home, at least from what her parents told me. I know you’ve probably been wondering what Pakkun and I were talking about earlier, after he brought her in.” Naruto nods, and Kakashi sighs a bit. “Mostly, it was just an update on what I already told you, but this time, it seems she hasn’t slept in at least three days. The nightmares got too bad, so she fought her body’s need to sleep like it was the only thing keeping her going.” He watches her closely, voice lowering. “No sleep was preferable to what she faced when she closed her eyes.”

Naruto eyes her anxiously. Did she not tell him how bad the nightmares were because she didn’t want him to worry? Was it a pride thing? Did she just not think about it—not want to think about it?

“But,” Naruto looks back up at the smile in his sensei’s voice, and he doesn’t miss the way he’s watching their resident medic with hope in his eye, “now that she’s got her head and heart sorted on Sasuke and she knows you’re okay, Naruto, it seems her fear of sleep has faded. For the moment, at least. Let’s hope it lasts.”

Naruto smiles. There’s a thoughtful beat of silence, and then,

“She’s already totally out. If we try to take her home, she’ll just wake up again,” Shikamaru cautions.

Kakashi pushes off the wall to come closer. “That was my thought, too. So…” Crouching down, he ever so carefully picks Sakura up and lays her on the bed beside Naruto.

Said boy jerks away instantly, as far away as he can, face going bright red. The pain from the sharp movement doesn’t even register. “K-K-K-Kakashi-sensei! What the hell are you doing?!” he hisses, scandalized. He shakes his head vehemently and points at his teacher. “Y-you can’t just put a—a girl in my bed! Especially not S-Sakura!” His voice turns to a whine. “She’ll totally kill me when she wakes up, and it’s not even my fault!”

Kakashi chuckles, and Shikamaru can’t help but do the same. They always figured Naruto was a gentleman, at least for the most part (any student of Master Jiraiya would have to be a bit of a philanderer, at least; it was practically part of the job description), but seeing it is honestly adorable. Kakashi waves calming hands. “Now, now, just listen for a second. Like Shikamaru said, if we move her, she’ll wake up, and she might not sleep well once she’s home, if at all. But if she stays here with you, I’ll bet she’ll sleep like a baby.” Naruto, uncurling a bit as his teacher’s explanation sinks in, doesn’t even realize that he’s getting close to Sakura again. Kakashi, though, does, and he also sees something else that makes his smile grow. “Case in point.”

Following his gaze, Naruto’s eyes widen as he sucks in a breath and turns even redder. Sakura, curling into his side, rests her head on his chest, right over his racing heart. He gulps and doesn’t dare breathe. His warmth and heartbeat in her ear just seem to comfort her, though, even send her into a deeper, more restful sleep, and Naruto releases his breath painfully slowly. “All—all right, but…” he points warningly at his sensei, “…if she wants to kill me when she wakes up, I’m siccing her on you.”

Kakashi, for one, prays that doesn’t happen. Her strength is genuinely terrifying… “F-fair enough…”

That settled, Naruto can feel his sleeping meds kicking back in, so he pulls the blanket up around Sakura and wraps an arm feather-lightly around her shoulders. She curls into him a little more at that, and he can’t help smiling shyly through his blush this time. Her warmth is comforting to him, too. He yawns then, and his eyes move between his friends, lids drooping. “Night, Shikamaru… Night, Kakashi-sensei…” He yawns again, eyes finally closing while his fingers play with the ends of Sakura’s hair. “Love you…”

He’s out like a light.

The two left awake look at each other and can’t help but laugh again. Their number one knuckleheaded ninja really is cute as hell. Not wanting to wake them, they stand silent vigil in case of any nightmares.

Once half an hour’s passed, Kakashi walks over to Naruto’s other side to card his fingers through his hair. Just like Minato’s… He wanted to wait to make sure his kids would be all right before heading home, and now that he is, he thinks he’ll take his leave. Today’s been exhausting for a good many reasons, and honestly, it’s been a long few weeks for him, too.

But before that…

He glances up to see Shikamaru watching Naruto thoughtfully, and the older man can’t help but finally say something that’s been on his mind for years, even more the last six months, and especially the past thirteen days.

“You’re good for him. The way he looks at you… You’re good at grounding him – keeping him on his toes, but not slapping him in the face with harsh reality either. It’s a good balance, not unlike your cloud-watching habits.”

Shikamaru regards him quietly, eyebrow raised, for a good few moments. “That might be the weirdest connection I’ve ever heard,” he finally returns, chuckling, his gaze falling back to Naruto as his smile turns warm and grateful, “but I’m glad, too. I want to be there for this knucklehead…” his voice lowers, “…no matter what it takes.” There’s undeniable conviction in every note, and Kakashi knows he means every one. “I’m glad you approve,” he tells him, coming back for a moment; he keeps his stare clean and certain, “not that it would make any difference if you didn’t, for the record. I’m here for him. That’s all.”

Kakashi laughs. “That’s about what I expected from you.” He softens. “I know you’ll be good to him, and that’s all I want. So, thank you.”

Shikamaru smiles helplessly and shakes his head. “Don’t thank me.” The fondness he fixes Naruto with here is something Kakashi thinks will stay with him forever. He prays Minato and Kushina are watching. They’ll want to see just how loved their boy really is. “He’s the sun, after all. The shadows were bound to be drawn in at some point.”

Kakashi blinks. Quietly poetic when he wants to be, isn’t he? He just grins, melting when his own gaze drifts back to Naruto. Shadows, indeed…

“Truer words, Shikamaru. Truer words.”

#Naruto #Naruto AU #Naruto fanfiction #Naruto Uzumaki #Sakura Haruno #Any feedback is much appreciated #Feel free to reblog #(For the record Obito STAYS DEAD in this AU. He died that day on the Kannabi Bridge mission. If you wanna know why I detailed it in #my bottom FFN/AO3 Notes!)#(Sorry so tired don't feel like writing it all out LMAO)

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sun-summoning · 7 years

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part i | part ii | part iii | part iv

part v: in which there is a name

“Maybe I can come with you.”

“No.”

“Why not? Your mom loves me!”

“No.”

“But—“

“No!” Sasuke grumbled under his breath, already regretting having brought Naruto with him to KU Cafe to wait out for Tinder Girl. And also to work. Looking down at his course syllabus and how much of his textbook he actually skimmed, Sasuke was about three weeks behind on his readings. He broke out his highlighter and pencil, ready to mark some stuff on the pages to make himself feel like he was studying. “Fuck my life.”

“Are you already behind?” Naruto asked. He had his laptop open in front of him as he typed up his essay. Or, you know, browsed Imgur. “Didn’t class just start?”

“Didn’t you just shut up?”

“Didn’t you just let me come to lunch with your mom?”

Sasuke kicked him under the able and Naruto proceeded to kick him back. He wasn’t sure how much time they spent being idiots before something as loud and as blond as Naruto came up to their table and sat down.

Ugh. It was Ino.

“Hey losers!” she yelled. Shikamaru followed behind her and sat down as well, grunting his greeting.

“Ugh,” Sasuke said none too subtly as Naruto said a proper hello.

Sasuke actually managed to focus because now Shikamaru was playing Candy Crush and Naruto and Ino were doing that thing where they chat and flirt and think no one else can tell how badly they want to bang. Soon after, one said something and the other giggled and then Sasuke was visibly cringing at them while Shikamaru stared at them blankly, just done.

Ino proceeded to talk and talk, completely oblivious to the way Sasuke was looking at her like he wanted to kick her.

She was talking about a friend that she wanted to set Shikamaru up with, describing her as really smart and really sweet. She might’ve said a name because then Shikamaru said he actually already knew her and so Ino said a fuck you for ruining her plan (as, you know, this was somehow Shikamaru’s problem).

Ino was so fucking annoying. And not in an endearing way that Sasuke might admit Naruto was (but only under the threat of having his junk dissolved by acid or some other equally horrifying scenario). No, Ino was the kind of person he stared at and wondered how they could talk without realizing how offensive their voice was to other people.

Her voice actually hurt his head. He didn’t hear her often because he wasn’t really the social type unless Naruto made him go somewhere, but she always had a way of making him want to wear headphones or jab q-tips into his ears none too gently. Back in high school, Naruto used to call her The Banshee. That was probably before he developed his weird crush on her.

“--well what about you, Naruto? Want to date my friend?”

Sasuke looked up and saw the brief flash of hurt on Naruto’s face. It was quickly covered up by a smile though. “Can’t,” Naruto replied. “I have a date tonight.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but smirk because that was a petty move he never expected from Naruto and while his best friend certainly didn’t have a date tonight, judging by the way Ino was finally rendered silent, she seemed to think he did.

Then she looked at him. Sasuke glared back at her and Ino glared at him too. “What about you?” she drawled, more so talking to herself. Then she smiled and she laughed and Sasuke thought his ears were bleeding. “Actually, nevermind. You’re not good enough.”

“Your face isn’t good enough,” Sasuke muttered.

Ino looked ready to sass him back but he caught a glimpse of the clock hanging on the wall behind her and realized he had to go.

It was time to meet with mother dearest, after all.

After leaving Naruto to the loud one and the lazy one, Sasuke cut across campus to get to the Senju Building where the Biology Department was located. He had his first-year bio class here and all the associated practicals in the building’s labs. Cutting around all the students waiting for the current classes to end so they could attend their own, Sasuke searched around for his mother but found someone else instead.

Tinder Girl.

There she was. Sasuke recognized that obnoxious pink hair, soft and shiny and the colour of cotton candy. It was pulled up into a bun with a few fallen strands framing her heart-shaped face. Her green eyes were slightly hidden behind a pair of glasses, but Sasuke remembered them from her photos and their near encounter at Karin’s. They reminded him of the shade of green Xerox paper. Or something. He shook his head, realized his comparisons were awful, and decided that it was time to stop being a creep lurking yards away from her and be...a creep that approached her?

Sasuke took a step forward and froze. Shit. Was he being creepy? Shit. He totally was. Shit.

It took Sasuke a moment to realize that Tinder Girl was talking to his mother. His mother. He watched as his mother handed her a pile of exam booklets and proceeded to say things that Tinder Girl was typing into her phone with one hand. Tinder Girl was a TA, but apparently she was one working for his mother. His mother!

Cursing, Sasuke pressed himself against the wall to make sure she wouldn’t be able to see him. It didn’t occur to him that the people who could see him probably thought he was crazy, but they were also irrelevant so whatever.

“Sasuke?”

His lips thinned as he turned and saw--

“Juugo?” Sasuke raised an eyebrow, surprised to see him there. He’d actually taken first-year biology with Juugo years before and from what he’d heard from Karin, this was their friend’s third time taking the course. Ideally he’d pass this time.

“Hey!” Juugo said, punching Sasuke’s shoulder in a way that he probably considered light. He grinned. “What are you doing here?” He gestured to the lab behind Sasuke. “Are you in my practical too?”

Sasuke frowned and wondered how that was a question. “I. No, Juugo, I am not in your practical.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. We could’ve been partners! Maybe next week.”

“Huh?” Sasuke tried not to openly gape at Juugo because back in their first-year at KU, they were lab partners. “Right,” Sasuke replied. Figuring it would be best to hide in the crowd of students while waiting for his mother, Sasuke made an effort to catch up with Juugo. “How’s...your third time in this class going?”

Juugo actually grinned. “A lot better than the other times! Last year Karin was helping me but she got frustrated and bailed halfway through.” No one really blamed her. “But this time I got a tutor--oh, she’s right there!”

He pointed to where Sasuke had been looking earlier, and because fate had a love/hate relationship with him, he found Juugo pointing at Tinder Girl.

“She...” Sasuke swallowed thickly, tearing his eyes away from the girl waving goodbye to his mother and then turning to Juugo. “You know her?”

Juugo nodded. “Yep, she’s really helpful. She really knows her shit.”

“Does she.”

“You bet--”

“Juugo,” Sasuke interrupted. He spoke gravely while gripping Juugo’s arms. “I...I need a bio tutor. Can you give me her number? Or something?”

“Sure!”

“Fuck. Great. Thanks--”

“Sasuke!”

Turning around, Sasuke saw his mother waving at him. Behind him, Juugo was busy scrolling through his phone for contact info.

Sasuke meant to rush him, but then his mother called his name once again. Feeling every bit like a little boy being yelled at by his mother, Sasuke sighed heavily and told Juugo he’d see him later.

His mother took him to a place that would serve him something overpriced, tiny, and definitely lacking in carbs. Still, being with his mother meant she would be paying so Sasuke convinced her that they needed an appetizer and while he was eating his entree, he began planning for dessert.

“How’s father?” he asked, beginning at the top of their list of small talk questions for meals together. After all, this certainly wasn’t his first lunch alone with his nosy, nagging mother.

She scoffed and all but finished her glass of wine. “He’s fine,” she grumbled, signalling the waiter for a refill.

“Stubborn as always?”

“Did you expect anything different?” Mikoto rolled her eyes. “How’s your brother?”

“Fine,” Sasuke echoed. “Don’t you, like, talk to him all the time? Doesn’t he work in your department?”

“Yes, but we don’t work together. Moreover, he doesn’t tell me anything.”

Sasuke wondered why she thought he would tell her anything. “Right. Well. He’s fine.”

The waiter arrived with her third (or was it fourth) glass and she was quick to sip it. “Honestly, the only updates he ever gives me are regarding his health concerns and that’s only because I’m his emergency contact.”

“What?” Sasuke wondered why his brother wouldn’t use him or Shisui. “Wait, what? Health concerns?”

Seeing his worry, Mikoto waved a well manicured hand. “Your brother’s fine -- well, mostly.” Her face contorts with utter disgust. “Just whatever venereal disease he deigned to pick up in this quarter. Honestly, as a mother I’m disgusted, but as a scientist I can’t help but be impressed that my own son managed to contract -- nay, maybe even create -- a brand new disease.”

“He...what?”

“Honestly,” his mother continued, not even remotely fazed by Sasuke’s concern or confusion. “ A new STD before a grandchild! Has he no shame? No sense?” She glowered into her glass and before Sasuke knew it, it was empty. “Your brother...” She trailed off into a long string of curses and when she was finally satisfied with her grumbling, she looked up at Sasuke with a perfectly painted smile. “And how are your studies, darling?”

“Really?”

“Hm?”

“Seriously? You’re going to completely ignore the fact that you told me Itachi is dirtier than I thought and try to talk about school?”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Fine. School is fine.”

“Fine?” she echoed. “The last time your studies were fine, you went on academic probation.”

“My studies are fine,” Sasuke insisted. He sighed heavily. “I got some grades back and I’m doing great!”

“Define ‘great,’ Sasuke.”

“Bs.”

Mikoto pursed her lips but didn’t say anything further. “Honestly, darling, you should thank the gods for nepotism and privilege. Not everyone gets to be born into old money like you--”

“What the shit, mother.”

“--and if you don’t clean up your act, I’ll--” Mikoto cut herself off and broke into a doting smile. “Oh, I can never stay mad at you! Please just finish your degree already so we can get you to work with your father and we can leave your academic failures in the past.”

He was mildly offended by her words, but it wasn’t like he could fight back.

Sasuke was smart. He was clever and he knew what he needed to and he was naturally talented at any task thrown at him and honestly if he tried, like really, truly tried, he could ace everything. He was just, like, lazy. Not always, of course. If he put his mind to it, he could do it. But if Sasuke didn’t care and if Sasuke didn’t have a goal in mind, he could literally watch cat videos all day until he withered away.

“Are you, perhaps, seeing anyone?” his mother asked, changing the topic.

“I...what?”

Mentally skimming the list of standard small talk questions generally exchanged at lunch with his mother, Sasuke began to panic because this was not one of them. For all her frustrations with Itachi’s social life and how frequently she complained about it, not once did she ever ask about Sasuke’s. Maybe it was because she knew he was too awkward to bother with a love life. And he was kind of an asshole. Mostly he was an asshole.

“Naruto, maybe?”

Sasuke gagged. “I’d sooner cut off my own...” He paused, trying to think of a proper exaggeration, “internet access.”

Mikoto rolled her eyes but smiled. Teasing Sasuke about his relationship with Naruto would never get old.

“You can’t blame a mother for asking, dear. You’re not getting any younger, and I would prefer to know I’m leaving you in capable hands.”

“My hands are perfectly capable of taking care of...myself.” He grimaced, thinking about his phrasing. But then he saw an opportunity. “Except, mother, I too think it is important that I am left in capable hands because you also are not getting any younger.”

She levelled him with a glare but Sasuke smirked because he had an idea.

“Yes. Say, mother, do you maybe know anyone that might be interested in...me?”

His question visibly caught her off guard and judging by the sudden fear in her eyes, she was probably thinking of people within her friend group of older women.

“If you think,” she began in a low voice, “for even a moment that I let you pull the same stunt your brother did with that...woman--” She had to pause to take a deep, calming breath. “You are wrong, mister!”

“What, no!”

Sasuke sighed because of course his older brother’s exploits with that art dealer his parents were fond of had to ruin his current search for Tinder Girl. If Sasuke recalled correctly, Itachi had an affair with some cougar. An older, married woman named Konan, and his parents were furious when they found out. Although, Sasuke thought with a snicker, not as furious as her cuckolded husband must have been.

He considered just telling his mother the truth. Something along the lines of “Hey, I was coming to see you earlier and saw you talking to this girl with green eyes. You know, not with pink hair. But I mean I wasn’t even looking at her hair so maybe her hair is pink, I don’t know, whatever. Anyway. She was, uh, cute. Do you know her?” Saying that in his head actually sounded fairly normal after the babbling was edited out. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but his awkwardness and the reality that he would be getting an introduction from his mother occurred to him and he bit his tongue.

Okay. Okay so maybe he needed a different plan.

After lunch, Sasuke went straight to the house where he knew Juugo lived with Suigetsu and some other guys. He knocked, and after receiving no answer, tentatively opened the door and, fortunately, it was unlocked. Sure, that was entirely inappropriate, but the whole reason Sasuke was here was inappropriate anyway. Besides, he knew everyone who lived here so at least no one would think he was a serial killer in the event that they came across him. But then again, knowing him didn’t mean he wasn’t a serial killer. Sasuke paused to remind himself he wasn’t a serial killer and then considered the possibility that Juugo or one of the others living here might be a serial killer instead.

Suddenly a little bit nervous, Sasuke decided to call out, “Juugo?”

No one replied, so Sasuke headed down to the basement where he knew Juugo’s bedroom -- and not a serial killer’s torture chamber -- was. This was so dumb. God, this was so dumb. But Juugo knew Tinder Girl and so Sasuke had to do this.

Unsurprisingly, Juugo wasn’t too far from his bong and was busy munching away on some cookies.

“Yo,” Sasuke greeted, getting his attention.

“Sasuke!” Juugo held out the bag of cookies but Sasuke shook his head. “What are you doing here?”

In a surprising show of hyperactivity that made Sasuke question what Juugo had taken, he proceeded to run around his room, opening doors and drawers in search of something.

“So,” Sasuke began, “earlier you mentioned your biology tutor...”

Juugo nodded and made a vague noise of acknowledgement, but his head, left arm, and shoulder were also under his bed, so it was possible he just sniffed something unfortunate.

“Juugo?”

“Yeah?”

Juugo continued whatever search he was conducting under his bed and Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fuck my life. Juugo. Dude. Okay, what are you doing?”

Finally, Juugo made a noise of triumph and stood up with a wide grin on his face. “I’ve been looking everywhere for this!”

‘This’ happened to be a big purple backpack with as many patches sewn onto it as there were holes in places that probably saw a lot of wear and tear, which annoyed Sasuke because logically the patches should have gone over the holes, but they weren’t, so that meant they were only there for aesthetic and Juugo didn’t know what their actual purpose was. “Like for fuck’s sake,” Sasuke grumbled, eyeing the patches disdainfully. “Are you packing?”

“Yeah,” Juugo said, holding the bag with one hand while using the other to pull things out of his closet and stuff them inside the pack. “I decided I’m going backpacking in Sound.”

“Why?”

“Because, you know… yolo.”

“What?”

“Yolo.”

“That isn’t a valid response to everything.”

“It’s an acronym.”

Briefly, Sasuke wondered if Juugo even knew what an acronym was.

“And I only live once. I mean why shouldn’t I go, Sasuke?”

“Um, because I know for a fact that you spend a fair chunk of your student loans on weed so it’s kind of just irresponsible to say fuck it and backpack for shits. It’s not a bad thing to consider your credit score before making decisions.”

“Oh, Sasuke.” Juugo shook his head. He smiled a smile that infuriated Sasuke even further because of how damn chill he looked. “You can’t always be so responsible.”

“I’d hardly say I’m responsible.” He just wasn’t irresponsible. Sasuke shrugged. “Whatever, man. Can you just answer my question from earlier?”

“You had a question?”

Sasuke was about to tear out some of his hair in frustration when Juugo lit up and grabbed his phone.

“Right. My tutor. You wanted her contact info, right?”

“I...yes.”

Juugo ripped a sheet out of his notebook and proceeded to write some stuff on it.

Sasuke blinked when Juugo handed it to him. He didn’t even look at what Juugo had written just, too busy scanning the contents of the page that were probably things Juugo would need to study later on. “Um. Don’t you need this?”

“Huh?” Juugo shook his head. “Nah, I have her number in my phone.”

“No, I mean the other stuff.”

Juugo actually looked perplexed. “What...” He stared at Sasuke like he was an idiot. God, maybe he fucking was, coming to Juugo of all fucking people. “No, I already have her email address too.”

“No, I--you know what. Sure. Fuck it. Okay.” Sasuke figured he should make some sort of physical gesture of gratefulness so he patted Juugo’s shoulder, narrating his actions with, “Pat, pat.” Satisfied, Sasuke nodded to himself. “Right. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

Sakura Haruno.

Her name was Sakura Haruno.

Like any logical person, the first thing Sasuke did was Google her. He searched her up and, given that her name was probably listed on pages by KU’s Biology Department, the first page was littered with info regarding her research projects, her awards, and, of course, her office hours. She was young and brilliant apparently. And when Sasuke made the transition to Images, he even found a photo of her standing beside his mother and some other people. That made him uncomfortable, so he wasted no time skipping to the next few photos. He came across one of the selfies he had seen on her Tinder page and barely fought back his grin.

“Are you looking at porn?” Naruto asked.

“No, dumbass,” Sasuke replied, aiming for polite considering he was, after all, hanging out at Naruto’s apartment right now. He needed wifi since he’d already used up all his data for the month, and he wasn’t particularly inclined to go home yet since he knew Itachi was around.

Sasuke just couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe he actually made progress without scaring the shit out of Hinata Hyuuga or having to suck up to Karin. He did it. He did it.

Naruto laid his head on Sasuke’s shoulder and took a glimpse at the current image on his phone. He paid no heed to the way Sasuke tensed up, clearly uncomfortable with the contact. “That’s her?” Naruto asked, already knowing the answer. The pink hair was a giveaway. “That’s Tinder Girl?”

“Yeah.” Sasuke frowned. “Her name is Sakura Haruno.”

“But like...can we just call her Tinder Girl?” Sasuke didn’t protest and Naruto looked overly excited to keep the nickname. “Hey, don’t you feel a bit creepy?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Doesn’t it kind of suck to miss out on the spontaneity though?” Naruto drew back, probably sensing that he used up Sasuke’s daily quota for physical interaction. “Don’t you just want to like...just meet someone and then get to know them?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s...that’s really dumb.”

“No it’s not. Fuck you.”

Sasuke snorted, considering the idea of making requisite small talk. “I hate surprises. This is just, like, basic recon before I have to go into a social situation.”

“That’s sad.”

“You’re sad.”

“No, honestly, you’re sad.”

Unfazed, Sasuke shrugged. Naruto called it sad but Sasuke called it smart, and, honestly, pragmatic. It was a way of gauging whether or not the search for Tinder Girl was worth it. And of course it was worth it because--

“I just found her Instagram!”

Apparently no longer opposed to the Tinder Girl search, Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s wrist to look at his phone as it went from the selfie he found on images to her actual profile on his browser. He opened her profile on the actual app and they sat there, stunned with the progress.

“I found her fucking Instagram,” Sasuke whispered. He scrolled through her pictures, careful not to press anything he shouldn’t, finding a variety of pictures of food, of nature, of herself, of her friends, of--

“Wait,” Naruto said beside him. “Is that...”

Sasuke knew what Naruto was looking at because he too was praying it wasn’t.

It was her. The Banshee.

Sasuke had to groan because he didn’t just see her once on Tinder Girl’s Instagram account. Nay. Ino Yamanaka was in just about every other selfie Sakura Haruno had, making the same silly faces, doing the same activities. Even pictures of food that Sakura Haruno posted had Ino Yamamaka tagged in them. This, Sasuke realized, meant that they were, most likely, really good friends. Best friends, even. This didn’t have to be a bad thing, but, Sasuke recalled their interactions earlier this morning and knew she would never be of help.

Beyond considering Sasuke a prissy little fucker, a sentiment Sasuke shared regarding her, The Banshee had a complex relationship with Sasuke’s own best friend, which meant getting her to help him would probably come with a price.

Actually, now that he thought about it, it wasn’t that complex. They were fuck buddies that thought they were subtle about it in front of others but who flirted so painfully obviously that they were kind of infuriating to watch.

Dammit. Sasuke took a deep breath. Ino was friends with Tinder Girl.

Fucking hell.

It occurred to Sasuke that he might have to whore out Naruto to Ino for information. Turning to look at his best friend, Sasuke genuinely considered the option before realizing that that would be inappropriate.

“Although...”

Sasuke smirked. He had a plan.

“I found her fucking Instagram!” Sasuke yelled when he came home that night. He saw a pair of high heels at the door that were too small to indicate that Itachi had picked up crossdressing, so he figured his flavour of the week was probably over. Without a care for their privacy, Sasuke pushed his brother’s bedroom door open and held his phone out. “Look!”

As expected, Itachi was with someone blonde and blue-eyed and half-dressed. She made a noise of indignation and Sasuke made a noise of not giving a fuck.

Itachi frowned at him, but humoured him nevertheless. “What is it?”

“Sakura Haruno,” Sasuke said smugly. He began scrolling through the photos. Seeing a familiar one — the one that had caught his attention when he first found her on Tinder — Sasuke pressed it to open it and turned his phone to his brother.

His brother seemed to wince at the sight of it, so Sasuke drew the phone back, confused. It wasn’t until he saw the red heart beneath the selfie that Sasuke realized—

“You just liked her photo.”

tbc

note: i’m sorry this took nearly two years and i’m sorry if like i’m not funny anymore. i tried. also i was sick and watching archer for the past few days so i apologize if the lunch scene felt off.

#fic #tinder au #sasusaku

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unpredictable-easty · 6 years

Text

Unwinding Destiny Chapter 2

I forgot to tell you that this thing is my NaNoWriMo project. Coincidentally I had realized on 1 Nov that it was The month. Though I had no inclination to start this story anytime soon yet time and chance brought me to this. I am posting as I am writing. Updates would be weekly, I hope. Now that I gave out this random, utterly useless information to you, you can start the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: None of the characters yet belong to me. They are property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimato.

Naruto felt adrift in his surroundings. As he unpacked his bags at last, he thought about what his life was going to be now.

He was out of Half-Blood Camp at last. He was now on his own, making his own life. It felt surreal to not think about next year camp, or looking for next quest. Walking through the campus and knowing that for a few years, this was his life, not the camp where he had learnt how to survive. Truthfully, he missed it a lot. Everyday adventure of Half-Blood Camp was now ingrained in his nerves and living a life of a college student was probably going to seem dull infront of that. Even then he knew it was time to move forward, he couldn't always live in the camp, he had to move to college, find a job and live a life. It wasn't like monsters would suddenly stop attacking him but there wouldn't be a camp to return to after fighting with a monster or Chiron to ask for advice when he wanted.

He remembered his first day at the camp. He had known all his life that he was a demigod. His mother, Kushina had met his father, Apollo while she had been performing the mouthorgan to her friends. She had told her that it stayed with her all the time because there was nothing she loved more but to play out different tunes. Apollo had heard her and paid a personal visit to her. He didn't know what ensued after that but he was conceived. His father had told him that he loved his mother but he never got to know their love story. Apollo had told her what he was and she had accepted that she would have to be a single mother in the end.

Apollo hardly visited after that, or as much as he knew from what his mother told him. He understood now that all Gods were like that in the end. His mother had given a good life to him. Though the first two years of his life, his mother had difficult time balancing her life but a chance meeting with Tsunade had changed that.

"Naruto?" He blinked at the call.

He looked at the person who has just exited the bathroom.

"Are you already missing your parents?" Sasuke asked while smirking.

"Not like you miss your big brother, wittle Sasuke." Naruto shot back.

Sasuke scowled but before he could reply, Sasuke's mobile buzzed and he picked it up.

"Itachi" He said.

Naruto laughed as Sasuke flipped him off. Sasuke was an alright guy, he had a bit of cheek to him. He showed his assholish side now and then but otherwise they had exchanged just a few sentences and he seemed like being his roommate wouldn't be that bad.

Deciding that he would finish his unpacking later, he checked his key, wallet, and mobile to be in his pocket and walked out of the room while Sasuke conversed with his big brother. There were a few students lingering in the hallway looking like they were going out to party. He walked past them and wrinkled his nose at the strong perfume emanating from them. As a fresher he probably should have also gone to some kind of party or for socializing but for his first day, he just wanted to adjust to this new life.

As he was turning to go down another flight of stairs a guy knocked into him. He stumbled but got his balance back. As he glanced back, he saw the guy giving him an evil eye like it was Naruto's fault that they had collided. Naruto assessed him; he had silver long hairs bound with a rubber band and as he watched him walking away, he felt he should be wary of this guy. Being a survivor of all the years of camp, he had learnt long ago to trust his instinct and he was definitely going trust them now too.

It was part of his last year training. Chiron had drilled in all of them how important it was to keep their eyes open for dangers. Living all the time in outside world while you were a Demigod resulted in a lot of attacks. They had also been told to look for children like them. Everyone knew that children like them tended to run away from their homes and make it on their own. There had been some examples of that in their camp; famous of all was the example of Thalia, Annabeth and Luke. An older demigod finding other children was rare but it was good luck because it was easier for them then to be protected.

Naruto remembered his own good luck at that. A monster was going to eat him when Tsunade had killed it. She was also a daughter of Apollo and was master of medicine. Kushina and she had hit it off from the starts. Tsunade as like other demigods was bitter toward the Gods and had been adamant about protecting him. Considering he was kind of a younger brother to her, she felt a duty toward him. It helped that they lived rather close to each other. By the time he had been five, he was already sitting with Tsunade, picking herbs and making medicine. It helped he was a son of Apollo so it came naturally to him. He had been told about his lineage when he was 10 years old and was fit to go to camp.

Naruto tried to shake away the memories of his first year, he wanted to live in the present now, not dwell in the past. On the other hand, he wanted to go back to the camp, sit with his friends and eat his dinner. Offering some of his food to his dad, singing songs later and going to sleep with his brothers and sisters.

He walked through the pavement build on the ground, looking at the people around him. He was not the only one checking out the campus apparently. Couples roamed almost everywhere, group of friends were their mostly heading to some direction or the other. At least it looked like they had some kind of plans going on for them. It felt weird being so mellow considering he was the one who was always happy and cheerful. He knew that it would pass as he make friends and go out with them but for today, it looked he would only remember his camp.

Having a habit of watching the stars at night in the camp, he was happy to repeat the ritual again. He walked around the buildings, went through the small space between buildings and jumped some fences looking for a place where he could be alone in his contemplation about the stars. He finally found it around the third building in the campus. He had to skip over some rocks and jump over a fence before he found a clearing full of greenery. It was mostly grass, trimmed and a few spots of trees. He inhaled the air around him, taking in the smell of nature. His lips twitched into a small smile and walking toward a tree, he lay down near it. He pillowed his arms behind his head and just looked at the scene above him. The sky was open before him, stars and moon shone brightly enough. Because of the magic of camp, he had been able to see the sky fully, here because of pollution it was a bit unclear but still better than what he had in the city.

He missed Shikamaru, son of Athena and Tenten, daughter of Hephaestus. Though he had a good bond going with his brothers and sisters in his camp yet they were really his best friends. He had gone to 4-5 quests with them. The first time he had met Hades was on one of those mission. He remembered the mission like it had happened yesterday. There had been a monster that had escaped Hades realm and they were chosen to take him back. Shikamaru, the brilliant tactician had come up with a rather stupid plan, at least that's what he thought so. They had decided to steal the pomegranate seeds from Hell and make the monster eat it. That way the monster wouldn't have been able to come back to the surface ever.

Of course, Hades being a prick, he didn't like it that there were Demigods roaming around in his place. He smiled remembering the stupid fight that they had gotten into. Thus, the time when he had tried to drown Naruto into the sea of souls. He remembered screaming at Hades about how he had thought Hades was the coolest of the lot but how he was disappointed by his behavior. That had given Hades a pause at least.

He closed his eyes remembering the conversation between them.

"What do you mean by that?" Hades had asked after his declaration.

This had led to a pause in every fight around him. Tenten had been managing three guys at a time, fighting with her sword and moving like a blizzard while Shikamaru had been using a spear, long distance weapon, better suited for his style.

"Well, I don't know. Anytime someone bullied me in school or anyone did anything to my mom, I got angry. There was this old lady that worked in a store. She once told me that they all would answer for their sins. I asked her how and she told me that death was a fair judge. Everyone gets punishment according to their crimes and rewards according to their good deeds. When I got into the camp and knew that Gods were real, I thought 'Wow, Hades would be such a cool God.' I mean you know people think that being king of underworld makes you evil but if you punish those who get away with their crime then you can't be that bad." Naruto had said all that in a breath which resulted him in doubling over, catching his breath.

Hades had stood straight at hearing all Naruto had said. There had been an inner glee on his face.

Naruto remembered how flattered Hades had been hearing all that. He had given them seeds without any problem. After their quest had been over Nico, son of Hades had come round his tent to talk to him. Apparently Hades had asked him about the blonde, snotty kid. There had been a weird relationship building between them since then. He never said it out loud but he had started wishing that Hades was his dad. His father Apollo would blow him to smithereens if he found out what he was thinking.

He remembered his sadness over going alone to college. His mother had died of cancer four years ago, an ironic twist. He wished that his dad would save her; he was God of healing so he would have been able to do it but she had died. His chest panged at the remembrance. Tsunade had been there to console him then. Though his last crutch has left him a year ago. For all the way a demigod could die, Tsunade had come infront of a car. He had spent a lot of time in Nico's tent in those days after her death. His tent held some kind of comfort in those days. He knew her to be probably in the place for heroes but at that time he wanted her to be at his side.

Hades had come to him at that time. Though he had told him that he had come to warn him against living in some other God's tent for such a long time yet he had a feeling that it was to comfort him. Though his talks felt like sermons at that time but now he felt comforted remembering them.

He hadn't known that Hades was coming along with him to college. He had been sadly ready to go to college alone but he had come in a car with two of his zombies in tow. He was embarrassed at the tears that had escaped him. He was a demigod, he had gone through many trials but at that time he had felt so fragile. Hades had told him that he already had a conversation with his father about the arrangement. Though Apollo didn't like it himself that another was filling in for his guardian yet he had agreed. Naruto didn't know how but he felt like it was better he didn't knew. It was the matter between Gods and it was not like Apollo and Hades were enemies or something. Considering soon they'd probably hear the bells for their kids wedding helped a lot.

Naruto smiled a little at remembering Will and Nico. He felt good knowing that Nico, a person who hadn't fostered any hope for his happy ending had gotten it. It said something about Aphrodite perhaps. Considering there would always be a kid of love goddess shrieking at the sheer cuteness of both of them. Though it had been a few years since he had witnessed that, Will getting into a medical school two years ago.

Naruto sighed; he should get back to his room. It felt so good to just lie there but he would have classes tomorrow and he still had to finish unpacking. Indulging himself to five minutes of idleness, he got up. He dusted himself of the blades of grass that stuck to his jacket and grimaced at the moisture he felt on his clothes. He retraced his steps back and got into the main campus. It was a surprise but there were more people out now. He shrugged thinking it to be normal for college students. He had another glimpse of the silver haired guy but this time he was far away from him, talking to another guy.

He climbed stairs still in contemplation and was surprised enough when he got to his floor. He hoped he was in better mood tomorrow.

When he entered his room, he found it empty. He supposed Sasuke would have also gone out to look at the campus, probably to a party though that didn't suit his personality much. He looked at his luggage and groaned. He didn't feel like unpacking now that he was in his room. He decided to forgo being responsible and went into the bathroom. He had already put his stuff in there so in a short time he showered and fell on the bed.

He closed his eyes, feeling for the familiar weight of his mouthorgan on the bed. He clasped it in his hand and brought it to his mouth. An image of his mother leaning over him as he put his head in her lap came to him. There was a piece of music she always played before putting him to bed. He felt the pang again, remembering her soft smile. She had been force to reckon with but in those private moments, she had been like an angel, a presence that gave you peace and contentment. He let himself feel the sadness. Sometimes it was better to remember rather than trying to forget. Sometimes memory kept the precious people alive and he wanted her to live in his memory as long as she could.

He breathed in the mouthorgan and started giving life to a piece of metal and wood. The tune flowed around him, filling him with remembrance. His eyes pricked though he didn't know if it was the sadness or remembrance of her. Tears escaped his eyelids and traveled through his cheek, making a slow descent toward his ears. He focused on the music and let himself feel every emotion that came during the darkness of night only.

He didn't knew when but he did fell asleep with another dream waiting for him.

Leave your review if you liked it. They are a way of encouragement and I would like some of that to be able to finish this.

Thank you for reading!

#narusasu #WIP #Heroes of Olympics #Crossover

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