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Boruto and Naruto OneShots Collection by Karinrumi

Anime » Naruto Rated: M, English, Romance & Friendship, [Boruto U., Sarada U.] [Temari, Shikamaru N.], Words: 11k+, Favs: 20, Follows: 14, Published: Feb 14, 2019 Updated: May 15, 2019

2Chapter 1: Sometimes Love is Crazy (BoruSara)

AN: Hello, dear/everyone! I really had a lot of fun writing this request and hope that it will meet yours expectations. ;) And no, it wasn't too much to ask. I like to have a good challenge. Hope you will enjoy reading just like I enjoyed writing this request!

Yours Clumsy Author - Karinrumi ;)

Title: Sometimes Love is Crazy. [BoruSara, ft. Sumire, AU]

Status: Complete, Request.

Beta Reader: anakrlsn/grammaly.

Wordcount: 2, 124.

Love can be crazy sometimes.

That was the conclusion Sarada arrived at while waiting for Sumire to show up. Sumire Kakei as class rep probably wanted to meet with her, since she was absent from school due to her nasty cold.

"Uwahahah, sorry I'm late!" Sumire said trying to catch her breath. Sarada just shrugged it off as something normal and decided to wait for her friend to talk about 'something important' she mentioned to her before.

"So, what did you want to tell me? You seem really nervous for some reason." Sarada wanted just go straight to the point and watch her favourite drama series this afternoon.

"I love Boruto, not as a friend, but a guy I'm c-crushing on!" Sumire shouted and all the children having fun at the playground looked in her direction, probably startled by her sudden loud outburst.

Love can be crazy sometimes.

Sarada heart ached to know that one of her closest friends developed feelings for her childhood friend. The worst part of it was that she had a crush on this so-called childhood friend too.

The only way Sarada knew how to respond to Sumire was silence. Awkward silence to be precise.

"It's Sarada and Sumire, ya know! I knew that I could see them standing in the middle of the playground, Shikadai. " Boruto said pointing in their direction and Sarada response to Sumire words didn't come out at all.

Spending the whole day with Shikadai, Boruto and Sumire afterwards made Sarada unable to say anything.

Love is crazy and the whole situation started to be too much complicated for Sarada's liking. Being a teenager in love was complicated as well, especially when your friend loves the same guy you love.

Sarada sighed. She knew it was a selfish thing to do, but she planned to confess her feelings to Boruto. In that way, if he rejects her she will support Sumire love with everything she got to offer.

Monday:

11:00 AM, School Rooftop:

Boruto was taking a nap at the school rooftop without Shikadai today. It was a really relaxing feeling to be alone sometimes. Especially when you could feel a nice gentle breeze being here.

"So you were hiding here, Boruto?" He opened his eyes after hearing a familiar voice.

"Sarada," Boruto said like it was the most normal thing in the world. After all, he spends with her half of his life and knew her better than what was in the pockets of his jacket.

"Taking a nap? You shouldn't sleep during the school hours." Sarada started to nag him, but it made Boruto just smile in response. He was used to her nagging.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's rare to see you climbing up here, ya know?" Boruto looked in her direction and noticed she was wearing more fancy clothes today. It was visible since the uniforms weren't mandatory in the school they attended.

"Hey, it's not that rare to see me here. I'm dragging you out from here quite often." Sarada responded, but averted her gaze from him.

"What's up, Sarada? Spill it out." He confronted her seeing that something was strange in her behaviour. Sarada wasn't usually wearing a fancy pink dress and putting the white flowers in her black hair. Did she have a date with someone? Boruto felt a pang of jealousy in his heart.

"I… You see…" Sarada couldn't gather her thoughts to say something to Boruto properly. Boruto's blue eyes were distracting her from making a smooth love confession, which she planned out yesterday. Truth to be told it was unfair of for her to do it knowing Sumire loved Boruto too.

Sometimes love is crazy.

"Spill it out now, ya know? School break will finish soon." Boruto told her to hurry up with whatever Sarada wanted to tell him.

"I love you," Sarada whispered and felt like she lost the ability to breathe. Boruto widened his blue eyes in the disbelief.

Sarada was joking, right? It was probably a dare given to her by Mitsuki or something like that. If it was a dare from Mitsuki, Boruto planned to punch him in the face for it.

"Are you joking? Or is it a dare from Mitsuki, Sarada?" Boruto asked her seriously.

"No, I'm not joking or doing a dare from Mitsuki! I love you and I mean it, you moron!" Sarada shouted and on her cheeks appeared a cute blush.

"You love me?" It was all he could say in his dumbfounded state.

"I-I do, but you don't need to answer me now! S-see you later!" After those words, Sarada rushed out to the door and disappeared before Boruto had the chance to give her his answer.

Sarada Uchiha confessed that she loved him. Boruto felt shocked about this discovery since he didn't exactly think Sarada would confess her love to a guy first. But she did and the guy she confessed to was him.

Monday:

17:00 PM, Amusement park:

He looked for Sarada all day after he heard her confession. Boruto got the tickets to an amusement park from Shikadai and wanted to respond to Sarada's confession there.

"What are you doing? Your expression is so gloomy, B-o-r-u-t-o!" Sumire appeared behind him like a real ninja. That part of her was scary as hell, she was a good actress too from what he knew.

"I was looking for Sarada, ya know. I need to do something with the additional ticket I have to an amusement park." Boruto tried to hide a reason why he really searched for Sarada.

"If you can't find her and need someone to go with you I'm up for it!" Sumire sang those words cheerfully. Boruto couldn't refuse her after she used on him a puppy-dog-eyes, he would feel bad for not taking Sumire to the amusement park with him.

That's how Boruto ended up alone with Sumire in the amusement park. Initially, he planned to invite Sarada, but he couldn't find her anywhere after her confession.

To get his mind off from things Boruto followed Sumire on the rides she picked while admiring her purple dress that maybe wasn't fancy, but nicely contrasted with her porcelain skin.

Love confessions are awkward, but this situation was awkward as well.

"Boruto, can we go on the Ferris Wheel?" Sumire asked and Boruto nodded in response, still lost in his thoughts. They both showed their tickets and enjoyed the views of the city sitting in the Ferris wheel.

Being alone with Sumire was awkward for the blond, especially after Sarada's love confession a while ago. Boruto had a bad feeling about staying with Sumire alone and it turned out he was right

"Boruto, I love you," Sumire confessed to him and her pretty purple eyes were shining. This time Boruto decided not to mess it up and ask if it was a joke that Sumire is pulling on him.

"You do?" Boruto gulped asking this question again during this day. Why was he so suddenly involved in a messy love triangle?!

"I do, but don't worry I'm willing to give you time for a response! The ride ended, so see you around tomorrow!" Sumire waved to him and walked away, while Boruto hold in the urge to scream in how his love life turned out to be so complicated.

"Why the hell both Sarada and Sumire walked away before I responded to their respective confessions?!" Boruto shouted throughout entire amusement park feeling frustration dawning upon him.

He just hoped that a third girl doesn't confess his love for him today. Otherwise, he will go crazy.

But matters of love are crazy.

Thursday:

15:00 PM, After School:

"I confessed to Boruto." Sarada and Sumire both said in unison.

"EHHH?!" Sumire hearing that couldn't contain her surprise. Sarada looked away.

"I'm sorry, Sumire. I didn't have a chance to tell you, but I love Boruto as well." Sarada felt really bad about the whole situation.

"I knew from the start you did, you know?" Sumire answered.

"You did?!" Sarada couldn't help but ask. Was it that obvious she loved Boruto?! If it was why Sumire told her she loved him too? And if it was that clear, so why did Boruto think her confession was a joke?

"Yup, but I never got any chance to confirm your feelings for Boruto and I felt bad about it after my love confession. The only thing I didn't expect was that you would confess to him as well." Sumire explained with a smile on her face.

"Did you get an answer from him?" Sarada bit her lips feelings nervous about initiating this subject.

"No. I assume you didn't get the answer as well?" Sumire asked and Sarada shook her head in the disappointment.

"Should we chase Boruto in order for him to give us the answer?" Sarada proposed while the other girl gave her a small nod.

They both started to search for Boruto to clear up the whole messy situation once and for all.

Boruto panicked seeing both Sumire and Sarada searching for him. He would be killed by them! They plan to take an act of revenge on him for not responding to their respective love confessions.

Boruto Uzumaki was officially doomed. From now on he would die and turn into a ghost. It was over! He would be a victim of a messy love triangle. They found him.

Okay, maybe he was a little melodramatic. Sarada wouldn't kill him and Sumire was one of the nicest girls he had a chance to meet.

"Here you are, Boruto!" Sarada sighed and Sumire warmly smiled.

"Yo!" Boruto muttered still being in a state of panic.

"I talked with Sarada and it turned out you didn't answer either her or me. It's simple really. If you love one of us… You should give the answer here." Sumire expressed her determination. In other words, it was a roundabout way to tell him he must choose between them. Boruto felt real discomfort knowing this fact. He didn't want to hurt their feelings since they were both his close friends.

"S-SSS," Boruto couldn't choose between them at all! Maybe it was the reason why he could say just the first letter of their names.

"We can't know, which one of us do you refer to if the only thing you say is the letter 'S'!" Sarada started to be impatient, however, Boruto only wanted to get away from both her and Sumire at this moment.

Why they ganged up together instead of having a catfight over him between each other?! Life would be much easier if that would be the case.

"But if I choose the one the other will end up hurt, right?!" Boruto couldn't help, but say this words in his panic.

"Uwawawah! Don't worry we don't stop being friends just because you reject the other one. If that would happen my friendship with Sarada isn't the real friendship." Sumire tried to calm him down and encourage Bortuo to give them the answer.

It didn't help him to calm down at all. They were crazy in expecting him to give them an answer right off the bat.

"Boruto if you don't love either Sumire or me you should just tell us. We don't be angry at you. After all, we can't choose how you feel." Sarada looked down on the floor feeling guilty.

However, Boruto knew how he would answer from the start. Ha, he knew how to answer after Sarada confessed her love to him. The choice was obvious, but he was afraid of hurting Sumire's feelings.

He took a few breaths in and out to calm down.

"I'm so sorry, Sumire! You're an amazing girl, but I always loved Sarada, ya know?"

Sarada was shocked hearing his words, unlike Sumire that probably predicted how he would answer.

Sumire directed to him just a sad smile when Sarada started crying from overwhelming her happiness.

"I feel so happy!" Sarada said through her tears.

"Congratulations, Boruto! You rejected me, but I can always snatch Sarada from you when you aren't looking." Sumire words scared Boruto who hugged Sarada in an overprotective manner.

"That won't happen, Sumire! Stay away from my new girlfriend, kay." Boruto stated heavily blushing. Sumire laughed at him saying to Sarada she got a really cute boyfriend.

"By the way, Boruto. Should we introduce Mitsuki to Sumire?" Sarada asked feeling happy from the bottom of her heart.

"Yeah, we totally should! I think they would get along with each other really well." Boruto winked to Sumire in a mysterious way, while Sumire remained confused about the person they mentioned.

Love can be sometimes crazy, but a crazy love isn't that bad from time to time.

2: Bitersweet Feelings (BoruSara)

Title: Bittersweet Feelings. [BoruSara, OneShot, Future AU]

Status: Complete.

Rating: M

WordCount: Unknown for now.

Sarada couldn't help, but feeling bitter about her job. Four years ago joining the Konoha's Military Police Force was the last thing she wanted to do. She even took the precautionary measure to avoid Mr. Kōtarō that always invited her to become a police officer during her genin days. Life sure liked the irony.

Aiming to be Hokage wasn't easy, eh? Especially now when everything seemed bitter. But who can blame her?

Boruto? Boruto Uzumaki betrayed theirs village together with Kawaki and destroyed all the trust she had in him. You could say that he promised to protect her, but that promise was directed at the person that would be the future Hokage and not specifcally her. Of course it didn't changed the fact she still wanted to fulfill her dream, even without her childhood friend protection.

Parents? Both died on a high ranked mission a while ago.

The only person she completely trusted was Mitsuki. Mitsuki that blindly followed Boruto, but chose to not betray the village and took Sarada's side.

Bitter.

That was the only feeling staying with her throughout entire life. Patrolling the village just lef Sarada in a more sour mood. However there was a multiple reasons why she ended up in the police force.

Like catching Boruto and bringing him to the jail, or proving to the villagers she will not go in her father footseps for example.

How she can be Hokage if she's unable to judge objectively Boruto's actions?

"I swear on the Uchiha name that I will catch you, Boruto." Sarada whispered to herself and focused completely on her work, believing that she will meet him soon.

Sarada feeling came true and now she was facing Boruto in a fight. Her childhood friend changed a lot. And to her distaste turned out to be more handsome, even with the scar on his face. He was annoying, after all she should focus on the fight instead admiring his facial features.

She didn't intend to let her guard down.

Hand-to-hand combat between them lasted three days and Sarada felt exhausted, but fighting was nothing in comparision to the bitter feeling she kept inside of her during the past four years.

"I'm impressed, Sarada. You're much stronger than I thought you would be, ya know." Boruto decided to say and that were first words coming from his mouth after three days of fighting.

"Is it all you have to say to me or do you try to imply I always was weaker than you? Answer me!" Sarada felt boiling anger inside of her.

"No, it was a compliment on my part, but I expected a lot more from you considering you wanted to be a Hokage." Boruto looked at her and she could notice in his blue eyes a flicker of an amusement, even if his expression was still serious.

"You're right, but why do you have to say it like that?!" Sarada asked that question feeling mentally hurt, but still prepared to launch her next attack.

"Say it like what?" Boruto raised his left eyebrow, but it was obvious he was annoyed by her reaction to his words.

"Like you're the one to judge how strong Hokage should be after betraying me and the village!" Sarada snapped and throwed her shurikens in his direction, but Boruto smoothly avoided them.

"It's true that I betrayed the village, but I never thought about betraying you!" Boruto let out a shout after staying composed for so long.

"Lies." Sarada hissed and decided not to listen to him anymore and win this fight. Boruto was saying something more to her, but that wasn't important. What took priority was catching him and fulfilling her duty of a police oficer.

"Ya know... Why can't you listen to me for once?!" Boruto was now standing in front of her being extremely close. Too close for her liking, since her resolve to catch him was now weaker. After all she always loved Boruto.

"Listen to you? That's funny coming from you when you never listened to me during our childhood." Sarada couldn't stand it any longer. She should hurry up and put on him already the handcuffs.

"You're wrong, ya know. I always listened what you had to say, Sarada. If you would hear me out a minute ago instead going into the battle mode you would know why. " Boruto words were probably the test from the devil himself, because she almost gave up on this fight.

"Why?" Her voice cracked and she blamed Boruto for playing with her feelings so easily.

"I never thought about betraying you, beacause I love you, Sarada." Boruto smile left her in state of shock. In the moment she let her guard down Boruto's lips pressed onto her own and she returned it passionatly. She wanted to print that moment forever in her memory.

Theirs kiss was short, but intense and Sarada catched herself in thinking that Boruto's lips tasted bitter. She was still a police officer and was supposed to catch him and don't be affected by her own personal feeelings. Without any hestitation she handcuffed her childhood friend.

"Boruto Uzumaki you're officialy under the arrest." Sarada concluded theirs fight with those words.

Everything felt bitter, but to that bitter feelings was now added a one spoon of a sugar making her current feelings bittersweet.

Bittersweet just like the relationship her and Boruto currently share.

FIN

: I wouldn't mind being(ShikaTema)

AN: Here ya go!

Title: I wouldn't mind being with you forever. [ShikaTema, AU]

Rating: M

Wordcount: 1, 350.

"I hate geniuses!" Temari started complaining to the bartender while gulping down her throat a whole bottle of whiskey. That poor old man standing behind the bar and serving drinks to other clients had to listen to her when she was in a bad mood.

"M'am, can I ask why you hate geniuses?" The bartender asked her this question since Temari was coming to this pub regularly. It was his damn job to treat a person responsible for his source of income in the best way possible.

"Isn't this clear as the clouds in the sky? Geniuses act like they know everything about you, like they better than you, but in reality, suck with understanding the feelings of the common people!" Temari expressed her annoyance. It wasn't even that she had something against geniuses. Temari just tried to roast her boss, Shikamaru Nara.

When she moved to live in the Konoha, Temari aimed towards her big ambitions. Being the high-ranked estate agent was like a dream coming true. However, Shikamaru Nara made her dream more suffocating than enjoyable.

Falling in love with your work colleagues or boss was unquestionably forbidden thing to do for Temari. And yet she landed here in this pub, drinking whiskey like a professional drinking champion.

"M'am, I have a feeling there is more to this story." Bartender sighed seeing this woman terrible state.

"There is, hick! But I don't necessarily want to talk about it. I'm not so drunk to ruin my dignity and reputation." Temari shouted while the other pub regular costumers looked in her direction.

Regulars at 'Cigarretes&Whiskey Pub' belonged to the category of either poor people, a bunch of drunks or had anger issues. It was rare to see here a pretty woman that was wearing an expensive black suit. Temari just ignored them, since those people couldn't influence her life in any way, or so she thought.

"Troublesome woman." Well-built men with black hair tied into the ponytail sighed. Temari knew this voice almost too well. What the hell her boss was doing in this low-class pub? On the lucky side of things, he didn't notice she was here, yet. It was just a matter of time before he will. Shikamaru Nara is a genius she hated after all.

Temari watched how her boss got slapped in the face for his words. Ha, he deserved it for making his girlfriend angry. However now was not the time to feel happy that her boss got punched. Now she should get out from this stinky place before he notice she's here.

"Here a little bonus for listening to my rambling." Temari shoved the money into the bartender's hands and quickly put her purse in the bag. She stood up and had an intention to go to the exit, but couldn't stop feeling angry when someone stopped her.

"Hey, hey, pretty girlie wanna come on a ride with me?" Temari wanted to punch that moron right now more than her boss.

"Hey, hey, ugly average joe wanna get punched for wasting my time?" She tried to spit on him to seem more like a real threat than a damsel in distress. Temari didn't have time for teaching this idiot that he shouldn't make her his enemy.

"Ulalalala, the kitty has claws?" Temari rolled her eyes since she wasn't sober enough to not to punch this man straight in the face.

"What a drag! The lady said she didn't want to spend her time with you, so leave her alone." Shikamaru Nara suddenly appeared and like a goddamn hero rescued her, or the man she intended to punch. Who knows? The real problem was that she was in such a hurry because she didn't want to run into him at all.

"Tch. Fine, I can't ruin my pretty face just for flirting." The man walked away.

"Troublesome." It was probably the most favourite word used by her boss. This situation was strange enough, even without running into him. Temari usually was left alone in this pub, since the incident in which she massacred the poor guy that tried to start a fight with her.

"Who's troublesome? Me or that guy?" Temari gave up on avoiding Shikamaru and asked. He looked amused seeing she decided to initiate a conversation with him.

"I guess both. Though, I didn't think that I would run into my co-worker, here." Shit. He recognised her, but Temari No Sabaku never backed down from the challenge.

"Correction, a former co-worker. I plan to give my resignation letter tomorrow." Temari tried to keep up with the conversation, although feeling dizzy. She drank too much of whiskey today.

"What a drag, but to be honest I saw it coming." Shikamaru shook his head still finding interaction with her amusing. Damn, Temari hated how smug he looked.

"I thought so." That was all she could tell. She just wanted to get out from here, but some invisible force stopped her from doing it.

"It's a drag, but can you keep me company for a while?" Temari green eyes widened. Never in her dreams, she thought her boss would invite her to keep him company.

"Why not? It's not like I fear to be fired from my job anyway." And that's how she ended up staying in a pub.

"Hahaha, so that's how you ended up breaking up with your girlfriend?! She slapped you because you used a pick-up line from the TV? That's brilliant!" Temari couldn't help but laugh at his story. Who would've thought that this genius is terrible if it comes to romance?

"I'm reminding you that I'm still your boss, but I guess you too drunk to care about that. Ehh, what a drag." Shikamaru sighed at her antics.

"I know you are, but right now we aren't at work. Besides, I tend to separate work from private life." Temari announced proudly.

"You're strangely making sense, even if you're drunk." Damn, his voice was sexy.

"I always make sense, even if I don't. So what was the pick-up line you used on your ex-girlfriend?" Temari emerald eyes started to lit-up with interest.

"I wouldn't mind being with you forever. Just saying." Shikamaru had a feeling he should regret telling her about this pick-up line he told to his ex.

"You're weird." Temari laughed while drinking her next glass of whiskey.

"Hey, it's troublesome to use the cheesy, romantic pick-up lines. I went through all the trouble to watch the TV programme that would give me decent ideas and you're saying I'm weird?" He looked like a devastated puppy.

"But you're weird. Why bother with the pick-up lines when you're handsome to the point that even I would smash you." Temari expressed her too honest opinion, while Shikamaru started to cough.

"Excuse me?" He lifted his eyebrow when he noticed the bartender giving him a thumbs-up with the look of approval.

"Objectively speaking if you wouldn't be my boss I would smash you without holding back!" Temari admitted.

"Really?" Shikamaru used his question as an excuse to check her out.

"Yes," Temari knew that tomorrow she probably freak out remembering this entire conversation. But now she was too drunk to care about the consequences of her actions.

"I didn't think you were the honest type." She could see his irritating smile.

"You're handsome, no point in denying that. I wouldn't mind being with you forever. Just saying." Temari mimicked his pick-up line jokingly. She didn't believe that her boss got slapped by saying something like that. Those cheesy words weren't offensive at all. Temari liked those words quite a lot to be honest.

"Hmm… You're beautiful too, no point in denying that. I wouldn't mind being with you forever. Just saying." Shikamaru repeated, but this time his words were meant for her.

"You're weird." Temari blushed and after that decided to go home. She had a gut feeling that during the next day she will meet Shikamaru Nara in her favourite pub soon.

She wouldn't mind being with him forever. Just saying.

4: Threaths on V-Day (ShikaTema)

AN: Hope you don't mind I used this request for V-Day OneShot. x'DD

Title: Threats on V-Day [ShikaTema, AU, OneShot, Valentines 2019, Request.]

Rating: M.

Wordcount: 1, 170.

"Ino, are you implying that I love that lazy bastard?!" Temari scowled like the suggestion Ino Yamanaka presented was outrageous. Visiting Yamanaka Flower Shop seemed now like a stupid idea for her.

"Calm down, Temari. Being in love with Shikamaru wouldn't be that terrible as you think it would be. He's a good catch if I say so myself!" Ino rolled her blue eyes. Temari didn't understand why her friend hung up on the idea of pairing her together with Shikamaru. Temari hated his guts from the moment he refused to have a card rematch with her.

"Did you hit your pretty head? I hate cowards and Shikamaru is a one. On top of that, he's lazy, unmotivated bastard refusing to have a card match with me!" Her frustrations were probably amusing for Ino that was known as the queen of gossips in Konoha. However, there exists a possibility she won't hear any rumours if the subject involved Shikamaru. He was Ino close friend, after all.

"Yeah, yeah, Shikamaru is a coward. A coward that escaped alive from your deadly card matches and survived a blind date that I set up for you two, Tem. I admit he's a quite awkward person when he deals with romantic stuff, but he's a good guy." Ino defended Shikamaru in the middle of arranging flowers inside the old looking vase.

"You're just defending his laziness since you're his friend, Ino! If he's such a good guy, why don't you hook up with him yourself? Temari proposed, while Ino just laughed like she heard the best joke in her life.

"I tried to hook up with him in the past, to be honest. Our first date was terrible because it felt like I was dating my older brother. It's like you would be dating Gaara or Kankuro, Tem." Temari hands started to shake at the thought of dating Gaara or Kankuro. Both of them were immature brats. As their older sister, it was hard to imagine them as her dating options. Ino had frightful imagination.

"Are you kidding me?! I'm not into incest. Even if I was, I'm not into the doll make-up maniacs or lacking-sleep men!" Temari shouted to make herself clear.

"I never said you are, Tem. On the other hand, I think both Gaara and Kankuro are hot." Ino tried to tease her to extract juicy info on her younger brothers.

"I'm starting not to know what are your criteria in calling certain people hot, Ino." Still, with her trembling hands, Temari took a sip of her tea.

"Tem, don't get me wrong. I can call someone handsome and acknowledge they are good romance options, but it doesn't mean I'm romantically interested in them." Ino brows furrowed sensing a hidden meaning behind Temari reaction.

"I get it, okay? I was just horrified to imagine me dating with my brothers." Perhaps it was lucky that any customer didn't walk in yet. The last thing Temari wanted was for strangers to know everything about her love life.

"Good. I don't want you misunderstanding me. I have no interest in pursuing either Gaara or Kankuro." Temari nod made Ino smile widely.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Now back to the main subject of our girly-talk. How was your blind date with Shikamaru on Valentine Day? Is that the reason why you're in a bad mood, Tem?" Temari sighed knowing Ino was just worried about them in her own way.

"It was a nightmare. " Temari summarised pretty much everything that happened. Still, she forgot she was dealing with Ino. Ino that liked to know everything picking her curiosity.

"Tell me everything." And after those destined words, Temari started to describe her most terrible V-day blind date ever.

Temari never celebrated Valentines, but after Ino made an effort to set up for her a blind date, she was forced to buy a bar of V-day chocolate. She didn't know why Ino insisted this bar should be given to the unknown guy.

Arriving at the place of meeting, Temari started to get really impatient. Why the guy was so late?! However, everything was explained when she noticed Ino set up her up with Shikamaru.

"Y-yo, Temari." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing here?", she asked having a bad feeling about this situation.

"I have a blind date today." It seems he caught on the Ino setting them up.

"I see. Whatever. Here is your V-Day gift from Ino." Temari shoved the gift into Shikamaru hands feeling extremely upset. She didn't accept his last refusal for a card rematch.

"What a drag", he couldn't help himself from making that comment and Temari send to him one of her "I kill you" glare.

"Choose one option. Card rematch or I'm hitting you with my fan!" Temari knew she overreacted, but she always had problems with controlling her temper.

"Is that how older women confess to the guys younger than them? In that case, I prefer being hit by your fan. It looks like a less troublesome solution." Shikamaru had the nerve to point out she's older than him after getting from her chocolate bar! Yup, it's official she hated his guts.

"Excuse me that I was born before you Mr Troublesome Lazy Ass!" Temari literally exploded with anger. She didn't know why Shikamaru could bring out her worst side of personality.

"You know, you're adorable when you're mad." Shikamaru words surprised her, but only for a moment.

"I can literally kill you." Temari clenched her fist. Ha! She was even prepared to engage in a battle with Shikamaru right now.

"That will be trouble, but at least I know I will die because of love," Shikamaru muttered and hearing what he said Temari escaped from their blind date before it even began.

"Kyaa! It was so sweet of him to confess his love when you were an angry bird, Tem. Shikamaru, I'm so proud of you, I raised you as my friend well." Temari rolled her eyes at Ino fangirling about her story. It wasn't cute, it was a disaster! Shikamaru made her insecure about her age.

"I'm never telling you about my personal problems ever again." Temari pouted.

"You say that, but deep down you know I'm the only person who listens to your problems anyway, so I'm sure you come back to me." Ino response was almost too happy.

"I guess. I just don't understand what made you squealing about my terrible relationship with Shikamaru." Ino looked at her in disbelief.

"The part he called you adorable of course! Plus, I discovered that Shikamaru is a masochist as well, he didn't look like a type that enjoys pain, though." Temari sighed and left Yamanaka Flower Shop after hearing out the latest gossip circling around Konoha.

Maybe Ino is right, maybe Shikamaru calling her adorable on V-Day meant something more. Temari couldn't hide her small smile forming the thought that Shikamaru can give her something in return during the White Day.

5: Threaths on White Day (ShikaTema, pt 2)

Title: Threats on White Day. [ShikaTema, OneShot, AU pt.2]

Status: Complete.

Wordcount: 964.

Dedicated to ShikaTema/Shikamaru Discord members that have a birthday in April! Happy Birthday!

"Calm down Temari. Nobody said Shikamaru forgot about the White Day. Besides, don't you remember what reaction you had when you saw him during the Valentine Day?" Ino tried to calm the angry Temari in her flower shop having a deja vu feeling.

"Did you hear me clearly?! I want for Shikamaru to forget about the White Day after the disaster that happened on V-Day!" Temari complained knowing a similar scene happened not too long ago. After V-Day, she swore that she never will come back to the Yamanaka Flower shop to tell Ino about her problems. And yet she visited this place again.

"Good luck with that. Unfortunately for you, Shikamaru has a good memory. I'm pretty sure he memorised your entire reaction when he called you 'adorable'." Ino said with a smug expression.

"Who the hell would want to memorise my behaviour pattern?!" If Shikamaru memorised her reaction... Doesn't that mean he remembers her threatening to kill him on Valentine Day?! Temari still was frustrated that Shikamaru pointed out she's older than him.

"The genius in love!" Ino answered her question a little too quickly. Temari started to think this woman cheerfulness is irritating in its own way.

"Wha-what?! If he loves me why he refuses to have a card rematch with me?" Ino sighed hearing this question coming from Temari. The answer to that was obvious, after all.

"Because you're too prideful and besides this card matches are deadly for people surrounding you." Temari felt a little bad Ino was pointing right now her shortcomings.

"Maybe you're right with me overreacting to Shikamaru being my blind date on V-Day." Ino covered her mouth with one hand pretending to be surprised at Temari's words.

"OH MY! Someone started to dig Shikamaru a little too deeply. Want my help?" Temari stopped herself from punching Ino for teasing her like that.

"Yes, please." Accepting help from Ino felt strange. It's like her pride was thrown and shattered at this precise moment.

"And who said they'll never come back to tell me their problems ever again?" Ino asked a rhetorical question. Temari never had a problem with remembering stuff she said in the past.

"Me. Don't make me regret my decision now, okay!" Temari rolled her eyes at Ino unstoppable fit of laughter.

"In my opinion both you and Shikamaru overthink things. Shikamaru is awkward with words, but he confessed in the most terrible way he loves you, right? You should just tell him you love him too." Ino stated as if Temari complicated feelings were so simple to solve.

"You know being honest isn't my thing..." Temari felt it was the right time to acknowledge her feelings for Shikamaru. It didn't change that she had a problem with telling him she loves him.

"I know, Tem. But you love him, don't you?" Ino blue eyes seemed to see through Temari feelings too fast. Temari started to think Ino is scary in her own way.

"Yes, I do love him." Blushing Temari made Ino clap her hands in an overly happy manner. Ino Yamanaka managed to get to know Temari true feelings towards Shikamaru. It looked that her efforts of months in matchmaking them suddenly was worth something.

"See? So next time you see him just tell him you love him too." Ino decided to finish her advice with the finishing punchline.

"I will try to do it on the White Day then." Temari declared and decided to exit the Yamanaka flower shop with a new resolve in her heart.

"Oh, wait a moment! Before you go, can you tell me which flowers do you like the most?" Ino honestly was curious about flowers Temari would like.

"Delphiniums. I like purple and blue delphiniums the most." Temari answered being caught off guard about this question and after that left Yamanaka Flower shop.

"Did you hear that clearly, Shikamaru? Temari likes delphiniums flowers the most. You can stop hiding in the storage room right now!" Ino wanted just scream how they should just stop making things too complicated and be together already. Shikamaru wanting surprise Temari on a White Day was the only thing that stopped her.

"Yeah, I heard! I thought that asking you for help would be a drag, but it turned out to be a great idea." Shikamaru muttered sitting on the chair Temari was sitting before.

"Of course it was a great idea! You're the genius, but if something involves how someone else feels I'm the genius, not you." Ino mocking him was something he excepted.

"Yeah, yeah... So she loves me, huh? I think if everything goes as planned what awaits me is a troublesome life ahead." Shikamaru started complaining to Ino this time around instead of Temari.

"Does it matter? It's the life you want after all my dear friend!" Ino chirped in cheerfully. She started preparing a bouquet of delphiniums.

"You're right about that, even if dealing with what you want in exchange for your help is a total pain," Shikamaru admitted that listening to Temari complaints about him in secret was entertaining.

"Yes, after all, I must film the most romantic moment of my favourite couple for them to prevail through eternity!" Ino started to laugh at Shikamaru shocked expression.

"I feel if Temari will somehow get to know about this, instead of a love confession I will receive White Day threats just like on the Valentine Day." Shikamaru sighed feeling the upcoming White Day will be troublesome in many ways.

"Ino, I need your help! My date with Sasuke lasted just two minutes!" Sakura stormed inside of the Yamanaka Flower Shop destroying the door with one punch.

Ino started to think she should change her job to a matchmaker and stop being the flower shop owner. Shikamaru couldn't help but comment on how troublesome life is. However, secretly he wanted to see if Temari will send him threats, or confess to him on the White day.

6: She's his mechanic (KawaSumi)

AN: Because First Villian x Another Villian ship could have an interesting dynamic is my official excuse for writing this OneShot. [But the truth is benteja mentioned KawaSumi could have a similar dynamic to EdWin on discord and at this point, nobody could stop me from writing it.] Enjoy puns and hidden Naruto references!

Both Kawaki and Sumire are older when the events of the OneShot are happening since it's an AU. And the interaction between Sumire and Kawaki can be little OCC because as of now they didn't interact with each other in canon.

Happy Mother's Day for all moms around the globe and Happy Birthday for all people born in May.

Anyway, I hope it'll be an enjoyable read.

MY MASTERLIST

Your clumsy author - Karinrumi ;)

Title: She's His Mechanic. [KawaSumi, KawakixSumire, OneShot, AU]

Rating: M.

Wordcount: 3, 842.

Sumire cleaned the lab working under her senior colleague, Akita. She respected this woman a lot and always listened to her instructions. After all, it was thanks to Mr Katasuke that she had a chance of figuring out how to synergize with Nue.

Working with the machines and new inventions was far more enjoyable for Sumire as of lately. At first, she thought about joining the Ninja Science Department only because of Nue and when she doubted her decision Boruto's words were the final push she needed to do so.

However, when she wanted to be a ninja didn't her decision was influenced by Boruto too? But a lot of days passed without Sumire even seeing him, not to mention she found new people that were the source of her inspiration, so her enjoyment right now originated from something else than Boruto's words, right?

It was quite a while when Sumire really enjoyed something for real. Brainstorming with the team about new inventions that can basically change the entire fate of a fight, helping civilians with new tech, even simple tasks like cleaning was more enjoyable than Sumire thought it would be before.

"Sumire, could you please move this package over there?" Akita asked pointing out her finger towards the table with a label 'Prototype-Mecha-Hands'.

"Prototypes of mechanical hands? I thought we already finished making them, Akita." Sumire said in her confusion but still walked over to pick up the box and put it on the assigned table.

"Well, kind of. Finished mecha-hands are just for specific people. The main reason for it is that our finished ones use the basic chakra system." Akita's explanation was reasonable. It's not surprising the package content went under the label of the prototype products in this case.

"Eh? Wouldn't that mean our mecha-hands are mainly suitable just for the ninja? What about the citizens which chakra is hard to identify?" Well, technically the science department Sumire worked for, focused on ninja tools, but improving technology for Konoha citizens was equally important. If you took into consideration how many times Konoha was attacked in the past… Creation of mechanical hands and legs for people with hard to identify chakra could pay off in the future.

"Our tools are created specifically for the ninja, but sir Katasuke wanted to improve our mecha-hands anyway. Our intended goal is to make our product available without the need for using or depending on the other person chakra." And that's how Akita Inuzuka started to talk about the details of their new experiments with prototype products.

Immersed in their discussion like always they forgot about cleaning and after snapping out of it finished to clean everything losing half of their life span. On the lucky side of things, Seventh Hokage was late to his earlier announced visit.

Taking into consideration that Sumire planned to attack the village hurting innocent people in the process and Mr Katasuke's actions under genjutsu influence, Hokage regular visits to supervise them weren't surprising.

"Now when I think about it is there a reason why we suddenly work again on mecha-hands prototypes? We were focusing on our other project just yesterday." Sumire decided to ask Akita while waiting for Naruto Uzumaki arrival.

"You're pretty sharp. The project we were working was postponed this morning." Akita sigh meant it was a really stressful situation for their staff.

"Why?!" From what Sumire gathered project that started just yesterday came to a halt this morning. It was unusual because when Mr Katasuke discarded projects staff was informed one week before it could happen.

"We received a special request from Lord Seventh," Akita whispered to her.

If the project was scrapped because Hokage had a special request, it's no wonder Mr Katasuke accepted it. Both her and Mr Katasuke should be happy to receive the second chance that Naruto Uzumaki was willing to give them.

"Oh… Isn't it rare occurrence?" Sumire curiosity about what Naruto Uzumaki requested just grew more when Akita asked her to make tea for the guest that was supposed to arrive one hour ago.

"Yeah, it's rare. Would you like to lead the project requested by Hokage? You've worked with us long enough, so I don't think Katasuke would be against you taking the lead." Akita tried to start the topic in the most casual, possible way.

"Could I really work on it?" Sumire question hid excitement and enjoyment that she now felt.

"Yes. Why won't you talk with Lord Seventh personally? It seems he already came." What?! Hearing Akita's words Sumire looked in the direction of the front door and saw Naruto Uzumaki smiling and waving in her direction.

"It would be great if you want to work on my request Sumire, ya know?" Naruto spoke and Sumire at that moment wanted to disappear from embarrassment she couldn't sense Hokage presence at all.

"Really, Lord Seventh? Can I?" Sumire couldn't believe her luck. It was the truth she enjoyed tinkering with machines, so working on mecha-hands was the big opportunity to work on the project she's passionate about.

"You can, ya know! I can include it to your rehabilitation record. I'll explain to you everything in detail personally." Lord Seventh ruffled her hair gently. Sumire was grateful that Naruto Uzumaki didn't treat her coldly.

"Thank you!" Sumire bowed and followed Lord Seventh to the main lab room. After all, she needs to know why Hokage requested them to work on prototypes of mecha-hands.

Naruto Uzumaki sat on one of the chairs in the main lab room and gestured for Sumire to sit next to Mr Katasuke that was surprised seeing her here.

"I took under my protection the boy named Kawaki. Some of you know it already, but he lost his arm protecting my daughter, Himawari. For now, he's using my own personal mecha-hand as a temporary solution, but it has its limits." Sumire had a hunch The Lord Seventh explanation was mainly for her and not Mr Katasuke that looked rather bored hearing this story.

Sumire was glad Himawari was safe and nodded prompting for Lord Seventh to finish explaining his request. She could tell that he had fun in being overdramatic with his explanations, now she knew where Boruto got from his storytelling skills.

"For various reasons, I want to appoint Sumire as Kawaki's personal mechanic. I honestly believe that this boy should interact more with children around his age without trying to insult them." Naruto Uzumaki sighed.

"So not only will I be checking how Kawaki adjust to the Lord Seventh mecha-hand, but try to create a more suitable replacement for Kawaki needs?" Sumire asked. Lord Seventh gave her the report with all the information she needed. After a while of bragging how he's more popular with children in comparison to Sarada's father, Lord Seventh shadow clone disappeared from the lab.

"He could just hand us the report and save all those theatrics for later. Anyway, I appoint you as the leader for our mecha-body-parts project, Sumire. Don't disappoint me." Mr Katasuke was really serious right now so Sumire couldn't mess up things up. It was her chance to work on something she really is passionate about.

And she planned to use this chance in the best way possible.

A week passed after Sumire started to work on Lord Seventh request. She was preparing every needed thing for the first meeting with Kawaki that was supposed to come today.

In the precise moment, she wanted to question her subordinate competence a handsome, tall boy with the appearance of a delinquent entered the room without knocking.

"Yo, I came for the check-up and to meet my mechanic." From his seemingly uncaring mannerism in his body language, Sumire had a hunch it was the person Lord Seventh described in his report.

"Oh, you've arrived earlier than I anticipated. I'm your appointed mechanic, Sumire Kakei." Sumire introduced herself with the best smile she could manage. Some even could say she was sparkling during this introduction. The first impressions are important after all. It doesn't matter if they just an act or not.

"Ain't you fucking sunshine and rainbow," Kawaki glared in her direction not hiding his suspicions towards her. Sumire seeing his reaction could sense he just like she had a difficult life. Now she could understand why Lord Seventh told her being Kawaki's mechanic can be included as part of her rehabilitation.

"Ain't you an example of a real gentleman?" Sumire raised her eyebrow accepting the challenge of showing him she wasn't either sunshine or a rainbow. If he ever develops balls to really get to learn anything about her at all.

"You scientists are always up to something shadier than my appearance," he growled. It seems despite his short temper and rude attitude Kawaki had really high intelligence and decided to accept her challenge. Sumire couldn't help but respect him for that. It's the first time when a person could see through her acting.

"I can assure you that not all scientist are shady. Some of them really want to help people using just the ethical methods. I don't know what happened between you and scientists in the past, but I intend to gain your trust and in exchange, I want for you to trust me too," she boldly proclaimed. If acting doesn't work then being honest will.

"…fine," he sighed probably thinking she was too bold and refusing her meant disrespecting Lord Seventh care for him.

After the check-up and listening to all Kawaki problems with the hand he got from Lord Seventh, Sumire noted everything down for further research purposes and subtly told him he can leave. After that, she scolded her co-worker for failing his task but giving him a second chance to fix the mess he made.

Her relationship with Kawaki is rather hard to describe, but Sumire had a hope she'll gain his trust. Especially, since they're supposed to work together from now on. At least now she had a glimpse of what to do in future. And it was her own decision, the decision she made without depending on anyone.

Buying research materials wasn't something girls around her age did. Most of them visited Konoha shopping district to buy a cute accessory, ninja tools, or fashionable clothes.

It wasn't the only reason Sumire made a long-trip to Konoha. She wanted to see both Boruto and Sarada. Double-check if the decision she made to give up on her feelings for Boruto is the correct one. Spotting them a minute later and seeing their happy banter, Sumire was sure the decision she plans to make is the right one.

It was time to stop idolise Boruto and depend on him for everything she wants to do in her life.

"Ain't you that mechanic little girl?" Sumire could swear the voice she heard was familiar.

Turning around she noticed Kawaki holding a Lord Seventh card from the Shinobi Extreme Scrolls. He looked at her with bored expression ignoring girls that swarmed around him like a flies due to his so-called 'mature charm.'

"Who you're calling a little girl? I'm the only present mature girl here," she shrugged it off completely ignoring murderous stares of other girls.

"Such pettiness. If it ain't proving you're little girl, so your other traits do." Kawaki stood up and walked over to her in an attempt to perhaps run away from unnecessary attention.

"Just because I'll let that comment slide doesn't mean I'm a little girl," she clarified.

"Yeah, yeah. Where are you going?" From what Sumire knew from the rumours it was strange Kawaki was that calm while interacting with her. Maybe the main reason for it was that Hokage gave him an instruction to respect her? It didn't mean she personally gained Kawaki's respect and trust. At least not yet.

"To the tool shop. I need some things for my research and your next check-up." Sumire felt she could be honest in Kawaki's presence. Even when she was spending time with her friends from academy days, she was acting to some degree. But Kawaki wasn't her friend from the academy, so she didn't see why she should bother with all theatrics. That guy could see through her acting anyway.

"I'll go with you," Kawaki stated with confidence. Sumire suspected it was because he wanted to make sure she's telling the truth. The more time she spends with him, she's more convinced he holds some grudge against science, or to be precise experiments.

"Suit yourself." It was the only thing she could tell. Rest of the day was filled with complete silence between her and Kawaki.

Their second encounter was more casual, they even made a small conversation. Kawaki didn't trust or respect her, but she made progress.

Sumire was aware that getting to know Kawaki will require having a lot of patience and time. Because she had a hard past as well, she probably understood it more than anyone else. Perhaps. She wasn't a mind reader, so maybe Kawaki is right in calling her a little girl.

Sumire made the first step in stopping being dependent on Boruto. Instead of her usual two-braids, she changed her hairstyle into braided-bun. She still didn't want to cut her hair to respect the memory of her mother.

"Your bun looks nice", commented Akita while they were working together yesterday. Sumire liked that change herself. It was the first change she made to strive towards her goal of being more independent.

From now on she wanted to live her own life not being dependent or completely influenced by others. She'll grow to be a beautiful, independent, confident woman that can hold her own ground. Hey, maybe she could be a famous scientist in the future?! That would be nice.

"What do you think, Nue?" she asked her first friend and companion. Sumire decided to summon this still little monkey and was happily explaining everything that happened when he wasn't summoned. Nue just nodded approving decision Sumire made. Spending time with her long-time friend really helped her to feel refreshed.

Recently her days were filled with leading some projects, doing routine check-ups on Kawaki mecha-hand and going out to Konoha shopping district to have all needed materials. She saw and initiated the conversation with her old friends but had the best contact with Denki, Iwabe, Metal Lee, Wasabi and Namida. It's strange how time can change the structure of your relationships.

"Yo, little mechanic girl," Kawaki entered the lab and Sumire sighed. Because of him 'little mechanic girl' started to be a nickname used by her co-workers.

"I'm not the little mechanic girl. I'm growing up, you know?" Well, her words weren't taken seriously by Kawaki at all. At least he didn't show his usual short-temper. He once called Sarada an 'asshole' during one of his bad days.

"You're still far from being mature. Changing the way you tie your hair up ain't changing that." This sort of conversation started to be a welcoming ritual between them. Kawaki always called her a 'little mechanic girl', she denied it by saying she's mature just for him to refute by stating she's still immature.

Sumire started to work by doing the usual check-up. It will consume some time to make it, but she created the formula for mecha-hands designed for people with hard to identify chakra.

"Ain't you too much serious today?" Kawaki chose the wrong moment to talk.

"How do you manage to talk when I try to focus and be silent when I want to talk?" she decided to ask. It was rare for Kawaki to be in a talkative mood. Sumire was usually the one that was doing all the talking.

"Don't you remember? You challenged me subtly during our first meeting. Ain't it normal I'm testing if you're really trustworthy?" Kawaki looked at her like it was the first time he's genuinely interested in how she responds.

"I suppose it is. Trust after all is something you build up just with people you want to put faith in." Yes, it was the answer Sumire reached after thinking through her past actions. She regretted them, was grateful for a receiving second chance, but the feeling of guilt welling up inside her mind never left her side.

"That doesn't mean they're good people," he scowled. Considering this conversation triggered her bad memories, Sumire was assuming it could trigger some bad memories for Kawaki too.

"In that case perhaps we're more similar than we initially thought," Sumire concluded the subject. Rest of the check-up they spend in their usual silence.

Sumire knew that she was far from gaining Kawaki trust and respect. However, now she could understand him a little bit better as a person.

Her hard work to change paid off. Not only her hairstyle was fitting for her new image of a future scientist but her clothes too. Maybe she'll manage to really be acknowledged as mature by Kawaki. She honestly doubted it, but she could always hope.

"And mecha-hand suitable for that stubborn donkey that can't admit I'm mature is finished!" Sumire happily admired the polished result.

"Ain't this sort of comments proving you're still a little mechanic girl?" Kawaki raised his eyebrow. Sumire wasn't even surprised he entered the lab without knocking. She was more worried she couldn't even notice he was here until he spoke to her.

"Oh, you're here. Good, I need to make few final adjustments." Sumire ignoring his comment meant they were going into silence mode. There was a lot she had to work on today. For example, swapping Lord Seventh mecha-hand with mecha-hand created for Kawaki needs.

After the final adjustments, Sumire was satisfied it was over. Six-months of hard work and regular check-up meetings with Kawaki to create mecha-hands designed for civilians were worth it.

"How do you feel with using your new mecha-hand? It's adjusted to your body size, so it should make your movement easier. " Sumire needed to jot down Kawaki input just in case she needed to make more adjustments.

"It feels strange using another artificial hand, but I think I'll manage." Kawaki opinion was helpful, even if he was lost in thought looking at the ceiling of the lab.

"In that case, we can limit our check-ups to two meetings every month." Sumire decided and got his approval.

"I think you'll remain a little mechanic girl, but among all scientists, I know I respect you the most," Kawaki whispered, which didn't escape Sumire's attention that this time had on her real smile.

Sumire still couldn't describe her relationship with Kawaki, but his respect towards her meant a lot. During these past six months, she started to respect him too. Though, she wasn't sure where their mutual respect for each other will lead to.

Sumire mainly worked staying the entire day inside the lab, so taking a day off felt like a strange phenomenon for her. Just like they agreed on Kawaki regularly visited the lab for check-ups two times every month. That helped them to start to be on more friendly terms.

Sort of friends. Neither she or Kawaki openly called their relationship a friendship. Even after they managed to open up a little about the past family problems they had in common.

Having shitty fathers was the things that they both shared. It's no wonder Sumire felt the need to gain Kawaki's trust. She sensed some sort of solidarity with someone who went through a hard life in relatively peaceful times.

"I didn't see you in Konoha shopping district in a while little mechanic girl." Kawaki whistled some strange tune saying his greetings.

"It wouldn't hurt you to say sometimes my name. I always am open to small changes." Sumire stretched out trying to relax.

"Ain't you usually busy?" Kawaki had his usual bored expression.

"I have a day off today. Want to go with me admire the beautiful lake near the village?" Sumire question was answered by his grumbling that she interpreted as 'yes'.

The view just like she heard was really breathtaking. Clear azure lake, trees surrounding the landscape, chirping birds and presence of not many people made this place ideal for making her more relaxed.

"Sumire." That's why Kawaki sudden use of her name startled her. The moment he did it was the moment she was caught off guard.

"Yes?" It was her automatic response.

"You're still a little mechanic girl. Calling you by name or not ain't changing that." She thought he wanted to talk about something serious, but it turned out to be his attempt to mislead her!

"I'm more mature than you think!" She went into her memorised response.

They closed the distance between each other at the same time. Sumire spaced out for a moment but before she noticed she and Kawaki was sharing a passionate kiss. She didn't have any idea who kissed who first, but at this point, she just enjoyed the thrill of it.

Both of them were wrestling with each other for a while before landing into more intimate position. Taking short breaks to catch a breath between kissing didn't stop their fight for dominance over the other.

When Sumire thought the winner of her internal fight with Kawaki will be decided by moving a few steps further, she heard familiar footsteps.

"I can't believe Sasuke won popularity contest for the coolest looking dad of the year!" Lord Seventh shouted accidentally walking into them and seeing quite an intimate position the youngsters were in.

Sumire distanced herself from Kawaki that send an angry glare towards Lord Seventh.

"Did I interrupt something?" Naruto Uzumaki let out a nervous chuckle. He wanted to appear as cool guy in front of his adopted son.

"N-No, not at all! I-I was just checking if Kawaki's mecha-hand is working without any problems." Sumire lied in her panic.

"She's my mechanic, after all, ain't she?" Kawaki lied to Lord Seventh appearing to be calm, but Sumire could tell he was equally confused by the whole situation.

"Is that so? I suppose every person feels the spring of youth just like says Rock Lee, even if it's overwhelming sometimes, ya know?" Naruto concluded scratching the back of his head.

This certainly was awkward. After a short explanation from Lord Seventh that killed the mood Sumire was in, she decided to head back home saying some sort of excuse she already forgot.

Now she couldn't define the relationship she shared with Kawaki at all. Friends weren't kissing each other in the way they did. They weren't dating either. Love wasn't out of the question, but with the type of person, Kawaki is expecting any sort of confession when they were both confused about their feelings wasn't the best course of action.

It'll take a lot of patience to define the relationship she has with Kawaki, but Sumire was alright with that. Some people need more time than others to sort out their emotions. Kawaki acknowledged her as his mechanic in front of Lord Seventh.

For now, it's enough she's his mechanic.

#boruto fanfiction

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stuck-in-the-ghost-zone · 3 years

Note

REJOICE big ol leaf & another pretty view be upon you!!!

AW HELL YEA !!!!!! BIG LEAF!!!!!! I am rejoicing ty :]

And ur views!!!! ur scenery!!!!! bro!!!! It's so pretty and oramge..... thank u for sharing this is great I feel like I went on a field trip today hehe

#places r so cool....... u have activated my love for travelling #that one w the arch!!!! guh!!! photography!!!#i am a lil distracted cause im watchin naruto n folding laundry rn but. hell yea im glad u got 2 see som cool places #i can offer u.... story of dog i saw today in return #he was in a car that was parked next to me n he looked like a great pyranese i think #he had the saddest big ol brown eyes u ever did see #i wanted to pet him so bad cause he was watchin me get into my car but i figured reaching thru another persons window to pet their dog #wouldnt b the best look for me #he looked so sad and soft and #made me 🥺🥺#i waited a couple minutes in my car n his owner came back a couple seconds later so like !!! He was ok #i loved him sm #dogs r so good........ they r the best #asks #numberstati0n #!!!!!

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dinosaurtsukki · 4 years

Text

haikyuu!! buzzfeed unsolved AU

OK THIS IS THE LAST BUZZFEED UNSOLVED RELATED HEADCANON SET I PROMISE

[edit: check out the link at the bottom of the post for more buzzfeed unsolved au content :)]

hinata and kageyama:

90% of the show is them yelling and nobody watches it with earphones on

both of them believe in ghosts but that doesn't mean they want to see one

hinata will literally go to the bathroom five times before going to the spooky house and kageyama gets mad at him for it but there is Fear in his eyes

producer: 'were you scared?'

kageyama: 'pfft, no'

cameraman: *points camera down to show that kageyama's legs are shaking*

they also bring a shit ton of food with them when they stay the night at a place and they'll deadass be eating while talking about the history of the place

‘this house *crunch crunch* was built in *crunch crunch* 1972'

the producers tell them to stop bringing snacks but fans of the show love it

sometimes they'll shoot a mini mukbang video

SPICY, BARBECUE POTATO FRIES | Mukbang at the Waverly Hills Asylum'

hinata: *looking up how to do a seance on wikihow* it says we gotta offer some food for the spirit

kageyama: *spills the doritos he was eating on the table

*after 20 minutes*

kageyama: fuck this

hinata: *starts eating the doritos*

producer: ...

the ghosts: ..................the, audacity

tsukishima and yamaguchi

pretty much a ryan and shane duo right here

yamaguchi: we'll be visiting this place as part of our ongoing investigation on the question, are ghosts real?

tsukishima: *shakes head*

yamaguchi just wants to see the look of fear in tsukishima’s eyes at least once

yamaguchi: *hears a random thump sound* fUCk tSuKkI a gHoSt!!!

tsukishima: *sees a chair being tossed across the room* huh, the wind is pretty strong today

he likes to stick his head into attics to scare yamaguchi

yamaguchi always carries a water gun full of holy water

yamaguchi: i have holy water with me and i'm not afraid to use it! but i'm also sorry you had to die such a horrible death i hope you find peace soon

tsukishima: *walks into a basement that is supposedly a portal to hell* fuckin’ take me already

so many 'yamaguchi being an angel and tsukishima being a demon for 10 mins' video compilations

daichi and sugawara

a very chaotic buzzfeed unsolved duo

suga, who is satan’s child himself, and daichi, who needs a raise

daichi: hello everyone! this is daichi,

sugawara: and suga

daichi: and you’re watching...

sugawara: jackass!!

daichi:...buzz...buzzfeed unsolved??

daichi started out being afraid of almost every place he had to walk into but after having to deal with the chaotic mess that is suga for an entire season, he no longer Feels Fear

this is because suga will deadass film a tiktok dance video no matter where he is

daichi: suga, someone was literally axe-murdered there

suga: *dancing along to ‘I’m a Savage’ or whatever that tiktok song is called*

daichi: *at cameraman* do you see what i have to deal with every day?’

suga is only genuinely scared by ghosts when his followers point out that a ghost was caught on camera in one of his tiktok videos

suga: *watching the video*

that was the end of suga’s tiktok career

tanaka and nishinoya:

another bunch of loud bois but they are much louder than kageyama and hinata

they’re very much into proving the existence of cryptids and are most known for that episode they spent hunting bigfoot by dressing up to look like bigfoot

tanaka: ‘you know that thing they do in cartoons where they stack on top of each other under a coat so they look like just one big guy?’

nishinoya: ‘ryuu i love you so fucking much’

other guy there who is also trying to catch bigfoot: oMg ItS bIgFooT *takes picture with the blurriest camera he could find*

both of them are very committed in their investigation of the supernatural and they’re very unconventional approaches

nishinoya: *lying on the ground in a creepy basement* EAT MY HEART DEMONS! WE’LL PUT THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE!

tanaka: *takes out a spirit board* *spells out O-M-A-E W-A M-O S-H-I-N-D-E-I-R-U*

ghost: *spells out N-A-N-I*

tanaka and nishinoya: *screaming*

kuroo and kenma:

kuroo deadass flirts with any ghost or demon they encounter and kenma would sleep over in a haunted asylum for ten bucks

kuroo: *sidles up to the infamous annabelle doll* hey there little lady, what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a locked, glass case with a ‘don’t touch’ sign like this?

kenma: kuroo, there’s a demon inside her

kuroo: well, i’m a bit of a demon myself

kenma: she attempted to choke a guy in his sleep

kuroo: oooh, choking. i can get behind that...

kenma: *looks at camera*

the demon in annabelle: d-daddy??

“kuroo flirting with demons and kenma looking at the camera for 5 minutes”

kuroo’s actually a huge fucking scaredy cat and kenma secretly tries to push him over the edge

kenma: *plays computer-generated screams of the damned on his phone*

kuroo: WHAT WAS THAT?

kenma: ...I didn’t hear anything *looks at the camera as if he was on the office and plays the sound again*

kuroo: i was too scared to close my eyes last night

kenma: i was actually able to catch a bunch of pokemon last night. who knew the winchester mansion is such a hotspot

producer: did you catch any evidence of ghosts?

kenma: ...i caught a gastly

bokuto and akaashi:

bokuto is a die-hard mothman fan and akaashi is emotionally involved in proving that ghosts exist he will stop at nothing

akaashi: all of the evidence on the shadow figures and orbs spotted in this place can only suggest one thing...

bokuto: mothman did it

akaashi: no

bokuto: yes

akaashi: mothman is literally five states away

bokuto: he has wings

during their individual investigations, akaashi has already foreseen how bokuto is going to react

producer: it’s been quiet for a while. do you think bokuto’s no longer scared?

akaashi: oh no. he should be screaming right about now...

bokuto, inside the haunted house: *screams and waves his flashlight around*

akaashi: and then he’s gonna call for help

bokuto: AKAAAAAASHIIIIIIIIII

*few hours later*

bokuto: i saw my life flash before my eyes in there

akaashi: *muttering incoherently near his ‘evidence wall’ full of blurry pictures and red string*

bokuto: i must’ve stared into the abyss at one point

akaashi: this place is fucking haunted. can i go back? it’s for sale right?

ushijima and tendou:

ushijima’s knowledge of ghosts is based on hollywood movies and tendou has exorcised places just by vibing

ushijima: *brings out a pottery wheel* if there are any ghosts in here, you know what to do

he’s actually never watched Ghost he just knows That One Scene

tendou: *naruto-running through the goatman bridge with a go-pro strapped to his head* IT’S MY BRIDGE GOATMAN, IT’S MY BRIDGE!!!

the Goatman Himself: i’ve never felt so fucking scared in my entire fucking life

ushijima believes that chanting in latin will Summon the Ghosts and tendou takes full advantage of that

tendou: *handing ushijima a slip of paper* here, apparently this will summon a full-bodied apparition

ushijima: thanks *begins chanting*

producer, interviewing tendou to the side: okay, what did you make him read this time?

tendou: i typed out ‘let me eat your ass’ in latin on google translate and went from there

cameraman: *zooms in on ushijima chanting*

the ghost haunting the castle: *is confused in French*

in the end neither of them get evidence on ghosts

ushijima: well, we'll have better luck next time

tendou: maybe even revisit this place ?

the ghosts: i know i'm dead but this is the first time i've been scared for my life

[EDIT: for more buzzfeed unsolved au content written by me, check out The Search for the Mysterious Mothman, a headcanon set feat. bokuaka]

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blackvelvetwriteson · 4 years

Text

𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓

( ~ Kakashi Hatake x Gender Neutral Reader Insert ~ )

GENRE: Smut and Fluffy Fluff!

FANDOM: Naruto: Shippuden

TRIGGER WARNINGS: There’s smut towards the end! (Thigh riding and overstim, etc.) Nothing too hardcore, but it’s worth noting.

SUMMARY: I really hope this is sort of what you were leaning towards! I haven’t watched Naruto in years so I had to refresh my memory a little and do HELLA research, but I hope I didn’t disappoint! This is Kakashi with a bratty reader! There’ll be a small oneshot (probably posted later today) to follow this because music inspired me lmao.

WORD COUNT: This is just a headcanon/imagine so N/A REQUESTED BY: @impromptuxprompts

(Headers are mine, but the art inside of them are not! Please don’t steal or repost without credit!)

We all know that Kakashi is a pretty stoic man, right?

Like literally NOTHING pisses this man off.

Or like.. At least until he gets you, Reader-Chan.

But here’s the thing, you decide to try and make him break at least a little bit.

Despite what people may think, he’s generally pretty vanilla.

He also has really bad nightmares; being too hardcore could send him into a bad state.

But not everything needs to be rough all the time. You like how cuddly he is.

But he’s ONLY cuddly towards you. And when you both are alone.

He’s DEFINITELY the type to always try and teach you something.

Like, “Kashi! I’m gonna put my hand on the stove!”

And you’d think he’d be like, “No… You shouldn’t do that.” Right?

Wrong.

He just shoots you THE most unimpressed look, crosses his arms, and leans against the wall and nods his head a little like.

“…. Hm… Go ahead.”

You just STARE like homeboy you’re REALLY gonna just let me… Put my hand on the stove like that?

And then he’d watch you wimp out and whine and he’d reward you with a forehead kiss.

You get happy for a second, but goddamn what is this man thinking about? Like you can NEVER tell with him.

But you can’t get mad at him; he knows ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about romance.

This dude REALLY tried to call you “his favorite kunai” before he settled on Blossom. And you had to tell him why you being “his favorite kunai” was an issue because he honestly thought he’d gotten the hang of it.

He’s watching TV and you’re reading a book and decide to dress in one of his sweaters with nothing on underneath.

I mean NOTHING. Like, no underwear, no shirt- nothing.

And I mean the only reaction you get out of him is a small “Hm…” And his eyes widen a little and that seems like that’s all it is.

As you’re pouting, you don’t notice his eyes slowly raking over your body, he just doesn’t blush or anything because this man could keep a poker face if someone had a gun to his head.

And you just stomp your foot a little like. “Am I not beautiful enough for you or something?”

This time you get a bit of a reaction but he just blows his hair out of in front of his eye.

You both have a set of rules that you follow, and in exchange, he lets you eat sweets before dinner and before bed, and he also has to keep his mask off the entire time he’s at home.

“What do you mean? You’re just fine,” he says in that soft, cold tone of his. His eyes linger a little on the hoodie misforming your body.

He loves it actually. He loves how all of the little folds hug you and he knows it smells like him.

He also knows that it’s your comfort blanket of sorts, so of course he knows that something’s wrong with you.

“Come here, Blossoml,” he says softly and he pats his lap.

“No.”

He looks a bit taken back.

Surprised? No. Disappointed? Absolutely.

He notices that you don’t have the little bear he gave you with him and he raises an eyebrow.

“Where’s your toy?”

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

He just sighs quietly and you smirk thinking that you won.

“I’m guessing you don’t want any sweets after dinner tonight then?”

“Mm-mm. Nope.”

You a whole damn lie. And he knows it.

He tries to go through and think about why you’re acting like such a brat today and he remembers that you get like this when you guys haven’t had sex in awhile.

It’s been almost a month.

He does this thing where he tries to deprive himself of things that makes him feel good or makes him happy, but he does it in such a way that you don’t ever recognize it.

“Why should I get to live free and feel good and be happy and my comrades can’t even feel anymore?” That’s what he always said to try and make an excuse for it.

He’s WAY more laid back now than he was years ago though, but he still has some of his same habits.

But it’s too late. You’ve already pushed the brat act and noticed he’s slightly started to get agitated.

He sat back and leaned forward, his elbows rested on his knees, his eyebrows furrowed just a little, his lips just a little pursed.

You were standing right in front of him and you shifted uncomfortably under his intense blanketed gaze.

“K-Kashi-“

“I’m going to ask you one last time, Blossom. Where’s. Your toy?”

“U-Uhm…”

He knows how difficult you are when you get like this, so instead of counting down from 10 or some shit, he spells out his name, and with each letter, his gaze gets more intense.

“K….A….K…..A…..S……”

You start to whine and his eyebrows only furrow more and he stands up, your resolve now nonexistent. “H….”

“I-It’s under the bed and I can’t reach it! I’m sorry!”

He shakes his head and clicks his tongue. “What’s gotten into you today, Blossom?

“NOTHING!”

“Inside voices.”

He taps the side of his head and you nod. That was the signal for him sort of telling you to tone it down a little and you abide to avoid aggravating him.

He walks into the room and kneels down, gently collecting the bear from under the bed.

You thank him and hug him as you chitter quietly and he still has no idea what to do with his hands so he just pats your head.

“If you wanted me to grab your bear for you then why didn’t you just ask?”

You pout and bury your head in his chest. He never really understood the point of people being a great but with YOU he seemed to tolerate WAY more than he would with anybody else.

“I-I… I d-don’t know,” you say quietly.

He sits on the edge of the bed, leaning back, his eyes guiding you to one of his thighs.

“This is what you wanted right? Sincerest apologies for not being able to give more… But this is all I can offer at the moment,” he speaks quietly as you walk closer.

He gently takes you by the waist and positions his legs right in between yours, slowly lowering you how he knows you like it.

Before you move- or before he lets you move- you just stop as you notice his eyes locked on yours.

He gently takes your chin in his hand and makes you look at him.

“The next time you need something, just ask. Why do you insist on being a brat?”

You whine more but immediately shut up when you see his sleepy expression.

“B-Being a brat is the only way to get your attention on me! I don’t like it when you’re sad! I want you to be… MINE. Not your mind’s…”

He allows you to fully sit on his thigh, slowly guiding your hips to ride it as he spoke to you.

“Blossom… No. You’re all mine, for sure, you’re just not observant.”

You open your mouth to protest but he puts one of his soft fingers into your mouth so you can’t and you just suck on it contently while listening to him talk to you.

“I notice when and why you act like a brat. Hm? I know that you want this,” he gestures to you. “And so much more. However, I need you to recognize that I’m not like… Most men out here… I’m not normal… I’m so sorry if I seem so distant, truly. I’m *not,* I promise. I just… Don’t equate sex with attention… And I don’t really have a drive for it, yknow? Like…. Just… I don’t know what it is… But I know for sure that it’s not on you.”

You liked it when you both had your heart to hearts. Especially like this.

He wasn’t an especially hard Dom, he always found out what it was you wanted, questioned you on why you thought you deserved what you were claiming you did and made sure you’d been taking care of yourself before he gave it to you. He didn’t like being too rough so he made sure that every action he made was soft and gentle.

You didn’t like gentle all the time, so you’d let him know and then guide him into what you were craving in the moment.

When he choked you for the first time, he was a bit scared but he was also confused. — “U-Uh… People like this s-sort of thing…? Why?”

He also gives REALLY great spankings, but he’s also confused as to why people like being hit too. (Aren’t we all.)

You listen to him and realize that the two of you have had this talk before. You don’t like that he felt forced to tell you this again especially when you knew that it made him uncomfortable.

“Blossom… I’ll do my best for you, okay? I’ll be normal and just like everyone else… At least in terms of expressing my feelings to you… But for now, work the brat out of your system by riding on my thigh.”

You did as instructed, sucking hard on his fingers, your eyes glazed over as you rest your hand on his chest for support as he started to slowly bob his leg for you.

He was okay with one of many things, however, and that was praising you. He always took the chance to praise you, especially whenever you did well, but he took extra care when you were in your moods.

He also knew you liked it when he moaned or when he made noise for you so that you knew you were doing good, so he did just that too.

Whenever you rode his thigh, he always took special care of you, holding your waist and guiding your sex into the hardest part of his thigh.

Bonus points if you’re wearing his shirt, or anything of his really.

He always likes to graze his nails over your skin too because of the goosebumps it gives you.

He watches you make a mess of his thigh, feeling your legs tremble around his and this gives him a smile. It’s VERY subtle, but it’s a smile nonetheless.

“That’s right Blossom, just keep grinding into me just like that… You’re being so good for me baby, don’t stop until you’re satisfied,” is what he often reminds when you’re close.

Occasionally when your leg brushes past or presses into his bulge, he returns the favor and he grinds against your leg subtly, but it’s still there.

And the best part?

He always lets those moans and whimpers out in your ear for you to soak up.

He doesn’t like it when you call him daddy; he just doesn’t. However, he does allow you to call him “Mister” or “Sir” to make up for it.

By this point you’re about ready to cum right there and you know, he’s never held you back from an orgasm, so this should be easy, right?

Wrong…. Kinda.

He tells you to slow down and you just stare up at him in disbelief.

Tf did he mean “sLoW dOwN”

So you whine a little, but then he slaps your ass and you’re just like :O

And a VERY fleeting smirk shows up on his face.

You abide and he pulls your hips down against his lap harder and then you jolt and dig your nails into his chest.

“W-What a-are you doing S-Sir?”

He pushes his fingers deeper in your mouth to shut you up and while you’re riding his thigh, his hips are grinding into your leg and he brings you closer.

Of course, as if he hadn’t already, he broke your very fragile bratty demeanor and he knew he did too.

He nibbled at your ear while all of his sweet little groans flooded into your ear.

He also hiked his leg up hard and that caused to to bite down on his fingers a little as you arched your back.

He lets out a hollow laugh in your ear because he knows that you’re holding back an orgasm.

“Didn’t I tell you to go until you were satisfied? So why are you holding back?” His eyebrows furrow a little and you try not to cum but that doesn’t really last long.

He starts to nibble on your neck with a soft growl and he forces your hips faster against his leg, but you know you’re in trouble now because he starts to spell his name after every single nibble.

“You have until I finish spelling my name,” he said quietly in your ear as if you both were in public.

“H…. A…. T…”

You’re trying again to hold on, and his fingers latch on to your tongue a little not making any of this easier.

Naturally, you start to drool; so you’re a mess on his lap trying to keep from bursting over his leg right then and there. I mean come on, he just started spelling.

“A…K…E… K…A…K…”

You can’t really hold on anymore and he smirks, pleased with himself as you tremble on his thigh, your nails digging into his skin, your toes curling as you try to push yourself onto his thigh more but also try to pull away because you’re so overtimed you could barely take it.

“A.. S…” He laughed quietly as his nips became a little harder, your orgasm only intensifying.

“H… I…” He mumbled quietly as he finished spelling his name into you.

You didn’t know what kind of hold he had on you but you loved it, and you were such a mess on his lap, trembling with labored breathing, you try to stay upright but find it hard to as you’re about to pass out.

“Have you finally got that brat out of your system or should I…” He jolted his leg up into your sex and you whimper loudly looking like you’re about to cry, your eyes widening a little.

“N-No sir! No more! I-I c-can’t take anymore,” you murmur out quietly. “P-Please let’s just cuddle…. I w-want you w-with me,” you whimper. It was apparent to him that you were slipping into subspace and he knew just how to take care of you.

“Don’t worry, you’ve been a good baby for me,” he said softly, gently kissing the side of your head as he picked you up.

He allowed you to lean into him before he laid you on the bed. You were still extremely sensitive and trembling, letting go of him as you let the bed hug you instead.

You knew what time it was so you didn’t complain when he left.

He came back a moments later with a few things; a bag of chocolates he reserved for this occasion, a few candles with a lighter, his cologne, and your favorite lotion.

He lights the candles first and then he places them around the room. The sweet warm scents now filling the area around your room.

He then walks over to you on the bed and he slides into the bed, turning on the TV to some cartoons, warming up a dollop of lotion in his hands.

“Is this what you want to watch, Blossom?”

You, of course, nod sleepily and whine quietly as you feel the warm lotion over your body, his slender hands gently kneading into your back. It felt so good that you couldn’t help but to let out soft mewls and moans trying to press closer to him.

He smiled and moved you onto your stomach so that you were facing the tv and he moved to straddle your lower back as he gently massaged the warm lotion into your back causing you to whimper and whine softly, your body still sensitive from your orgasm.

“Am I going too rough?” He asks in that sweet almost melancholy voice of his that you loved. It somehow always managed to lull you into subspace.

You only respond with small grunts and mumbles.

He took a break to open up a couple of the small chocolates and he gently pushed one into your mouth with a soft kiss against your ear as he left the other in a sort of pile right next to you so you could help yourself.

You couldn’t help but to whimper quietly and you nibble at your little bear’s ear as you watch your cartoons, sucking on the chocolate as he went back to massaging your skin with the warm relaxing lotion.

He also loved to worship your body, especially since you tell him that you don’t know if you mean anything to him.

He works the lotion into your whole body; your back, your sides, your arms and hands.

He lotions up your hands by keeping his hips pressed into yours from behind while his hands gently caress yours. He loves playing with the muscles and bones in your hands, primarily your knuckles.

When he was finished with the rest of your body, leaving your neck left treated too with soft kisses as well, he repositioned so that he could cuddle with you from behind.

He ALWAYS cuddled you until you were asleep so he could clean himself up and go make dinner for whenever you chose to wake up, the brat ALWAYS worked out of your system after he was done with you.

“What do you say, Blossom,” he always chided in that sweet almost monotonous voice of his with his soft closed eye smile.

“Thank you, Sir. I’ll be good from now on.”

#requested #naruto shippuden #Kakashi hatake #kakashi sensei #kakashi x reader #kakashi smut #kakashi hatake lemon #naruto shippuden x reader #kakashi headcanons #kakashi x you #kakashi x y/n

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gaarasgirlfriend · 4 years

Text

rainy days and wet shirts - naruto x reader (modern au)

in which you and naruto go back to his house after being drenched in the rain

“hurry up y/n-chan! we gotta get to the arcade, kiba told me they got a new game!” your boyfriend of 6 months, naruto, urged you as you were packing up your school supplies and papers. the last class of the day had finally ended and you and naruto were planning on spending this friday together at the arcade. you weren’t that good at the games, but you liked to see naruto stick his tongue out from the corner of his mouth in concentration whenever he was gaming, it was adorable. also he often did this cute happy dance whenever he won a game that was especially hard. honestly, you just tagged along for moral support, and also because you wanted to be with your boyfriend.

“okay, okay! i’m ready to go!” you said as you slipped on your backpack and grabbed your thin jacket in one of your arms as naruto grabbed the other, leading you out of the classroom door. his hand was much bigger than yours, a bit rough due to all of the sports he did. his favorite sport was soccer, he loved playing it with his best friend sasuke uchiha. you made sure to come to all of their games, cheering naruto on. whenever he won the game he would break away from his team and run to you with a big grin on his face, picking you up and twirling you around while he kissed you.

“i won because you were here~” he would always say playfully before pecking you on the cheek, watching you smile as you rolled your pretty e/c eyes.

“what’s this new game?” you asked while looking up at the blonde boy.

“it’s called ‘darkness’, kiba said that it was super good though! i can’t wait to play it! i bet i’ll get high score!” he looked down at you, a playful grin on his lips.

“i know you will! all you do is play videogames after all~” you chuckled as you saw naruto’s pout.

“y/n-channn! don’t make fun of me! i’m your boyfriend!” he said, puffing his chest out a bit.

“huh? when did you ever become my boyfriend? naruto, are you okay?”

“you’re too cruel y/n-chan, too cruel.” he shook his head while you laughed at his antics.

you guys finally made it outside and walked outside the school gates, taking a left towards the arcade. it wasn’t a long walk, maybe about fifteen minutes away from naruto’s house? you guys often went over to the arcade to hang out, sometimes meeting up with sasuke and sakura. sakura wasn’t too much into gaming either, so you two just talked and ate pizza while sasuke and naruto played the arcade games.

“naruto?” you called out to your boyfriend while looking up at the sky.

“yes?” he replied, looking at you.

“did you check the weather app today? it looks like it’s going to rain and we don’t have umbrellas.”

his cerulean eyes glanced up towards the grey sky to see you were correct, the sky was a dark grey and it looked like there was going to be some heavy rain. he groaned, “maybe if we walk faster we could still make it!”

his long legs picked up the pace, yours following his steps as you both speed walked to the arcade that naruto so desperately wanted to go to.

unfortunately, mother nature had other plans and decided to greet you a light drizzle of water, wetting your hair and clothes.

“eek! naruto, it’s raining!” you said, as you put your jacket above your head.

that poor cotton jacket had no chance against the rain that was coming down harder with every step you and naruto took towards your destination. your clothes were drenched at this point, clinging onto your cold body. your white shirt was no doubt see-through, and your skirt was clinging onto your thighs. you glanced over at naruto to see his white uniform shirt becoming more and more transparent, exposing the tan skin hiding underneath the shirt. his hair was wet as well, with some bits clinging onto his forehead. you watched as a dribble of rainwater fell onto his soft cheek, making its way down his neck to seek haven underneath his shirt.

“y/n-chan, looks like we’re going to have to put a pause on our arcade date! my house is right there, we can stay there until the rain stops!” naruto said while tugging your hand, jogging towards the direction of his house.

he pulled out his house key and aligned it with the door knob, opening the door while his teeth were chattering. you weren’t fairing any better, you were freezing cold and wet from the rain. you both stepped inside the house, taking off your shoes and leaving them beside the door. you decided to leave your socks in your shoes; the feeling of walking in wet socks was one you did not want to experience any time soon.

“i’m sorry y/n-chan! i should’ve checked the weather before school but i guess i was too excited!” naruto said while offering a sheepish grin, hand scratching the back of his neck.

you gave a smile, “it’s okay naruto! as long as i’m spending time with you, i don’t really mind!”

oh boy did that make naruto’s heart flutter. the effect you had on this boy was unreal really. any small compliment made him short circuit, his face would get hot as well. he couldn’t help it! you were just so pretty and sweet! everyday naruto felt like he won the lottery whenever he saw your pretty face. his heart would skip a beat whenever you smiled that gorgeous smile at him. sasuke would always snort at naruto whenever the blonde boy was watching you with a love struck expression.

“oi, naruto! heh, you sure are whipped, aren’t you?”

he really was. which is why the minute he made eye contact with your see-through shirt his face exploded in a blush. your thin white shirt did little to hide the bra underneath. naruto felt his throat go dry as he gulped, was that lace? oh god, this was too much for him to handle! you two have gotten frisky before, but never have you two actually done the deed. it was just an unspoken conversation that naruto suddenly decided he wanted to have.

his eyes trailed down to see the skirt cling to your thighs, accentuating your figure. there were still droplets of water on the smooth skin of your thighs, falling down your legs until they met the floor of his house. goodness, the rain was really doing wonders today. he was suddenly thankful he didn’t get to go to the arcade.

he cleared his throat, “u-um, are you cold?”

you nodded, wrapping your arms around yourself as you shivered. naruto frowned at this.

“here, i’ll give you some of my clothes to wear, okay? we can cuddle and watch a move afterwards or something, sound good?” he smiled at you.

you only nodded, following him as he walked to his room. his room was slightly messy, with a few shirts and magazines decorating the floor. but overall it wasn’t that bad. naruto opened his closet and picked out an old graphic t-shirt of some old band he used to listen to and a pair of basketball shorts that would fit you.

“hopefully this fits you, you can go change in the bathroom. i’ll be waiting for you on the couch!” he handed the small pile of clothing to the girl, going back to the closet to pick out some clothes for himself.

as you were walking toward the bathroom you couldn’t help but smell naruto’s clothes; it smelled of his usual laundry detergent. opening the door to the bathroom, you stepped inside, careful to stand on the mat so you didn’t wet the floor of the bathroom much. laying the clothes down on the counter of the bathroom sink, you peeled your wet clothes from your body. left in only your undergarments, you decided to take your bra off as well, the white shirt you were wearing did little to nothing at protecting your bra so it was soaked as well.

keeping your mostly dry underwear on, you pulled on the basketball shorts that naruto sometimes donned during practice. they were a bit big on you, but luckily they didn’t fall from your waist. you then put on the shirt that fell to your mid-thigh. looking at yourself in the mirror, you felt a bit nervous. his clothes were a bit big on you; you looked so dumb.

but after deciding that these clothes were better than the wet uniform you were in, you put your clothes in the hamper. walking outside of the bathroom, you made your way to the living room.

“hey y/n-chan i got us some snacks-” naruto started to say as he heard your footsteps coming towards him. he was cut off when his eyes made contact with you. naruto felt his breath hitch in his throat as you took you in, you who was all clad in his clothing. his clothes were a bit big on you, which only made you look ten times more adorable. he could feel his face get hotter by the second and his heart beating faster against his ribcage as he saw that you were lacking a bra; you were still cold from the rain it seemed.

‘t-they’re touching m-my shirt-’ was the only thought going through his mind as he gazed at you shamelessly. he didn’t realize how good you would look in his clothes.

your hair was still wet and you seemed to have a small blush on your face. you looked too damn cute for him to handle. oh god, naruto did not think he would be able to contain himself for the rest of the night.

“i um- your clothes are kinda big on me, huh? i look pretty dumb hehe…” you said, looking away to avoid his gaze.

naruto blinked at this, ‘dumb…?’ who were you talking about? you? looking dumb? in his clothes?

“N-NO-! i mean- you look the total opposite! you look so cute in my clothes! the fact that they’re big on you just makes you look even cuter! i...i really like you wearing my clothes y/n-chan…” he said earnestly, holding your hands in his own hands.

your face flushed as you gazed up at him, “thanks naruto-!” you meekly said, embarrassed by his staring.

a moment of silence passed before naruto spoke up, “um, i had a movie ready for us to watch if you’re still interested.”

you grinned at him and naruto felt his heart burst, “of course i am! whatcha playing?” you asked as you sat down on the couch beside him.

“guardians of the galaxy volume 1 of course!” he grinned as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

you rolled your eyes, “geez naruto...you’ve seen this movie like twelve times already!”

“can you blame me? this movie is way too good!” he laughed.

ten minutes into the movie and naruto was beginning to lose his focus. how could he pay any attention to the screen when you were sitting so close to him, wearing his clothes? he could smell your shampoo and the familiar scent of his laundry detergent lingering on your clothes-- or rather, his clothes.

“naruto, this is like your favorite movie, yet you’re not paying attention to it.” you said as you looked up at him with your head on his shoulder.

“yeah… i’m fine… it’s just uh-” he coughed into his hand.

you knitted your eyebrows in confusion, “huh? naruto, are you okay?”

he gulped and nodded, “yeah it’s just…. seeing you wearing my clothes makes me really happy. you look really good.”

you raised your eyebrows in surprise. you had earlier though that you looked silly, but here naruto was, not being able to focus on his favorite movie because he thought you looked so good in his clothes.

“oh- uh- thanks naruto.” you said, a bit embarrassed because of how intensely he was staring at you.

“naruto are you oka-” you were interrupted by naruto suddenly tackling you into a hug, effectively pinning you to the couch.

“naruto!” you said with a hot face, as the said boy snuggled into your neck. he couldn’t help it, you were just too irresistible to him at the moment.

“i’m sorry y/n-chan… you just look too good in my clothes… i don’t think you realize the effect you have on me… especially when....” he trailed off, mumbling something too quietly towards the end.

“especially when what?”

“er… especially when you’re not… wearing um… a bra…” his hot breath hit your ear as he mumbled into it.

“h-huh?” you were traumatized; you hadn’t realized that your hardened buds were so visible under your shirt! naruto suddenly shifted his body so he was hovering over you, his eyes briefly meeting your chest once more.

“i just… i don’t think i can hold back any longer y/n-chan, with you looking this cute underneath me… is it okay if we take it to the next level?” the blue-eyed boy said, his face inching closer to yours.

“y-yeah. i want to take it to the next level as well naruto.” you whispered, looking into his beautiful eyes. his face broke out in a huge smile as he heard your answer, leaning down to capture your lips in a passionate kiss.

his soft lips met your own, moving in a passionate dance as his hands travelled down your body, finding your hips. the space between your lips was nonexistent as naruto kissed you with a fierce fervor. naruto bit your bottom lip, relishing in the small moan you let out before he suddenly pulled away with half-lidded eyes, a small smile on his face, “let me show you how irresistible i find you.”

and then met your lips one again, the movie in the background left unwatched as the young lovers explored each other’s bodies.

#naruto x reader #naruto uzumaki x reader #naruto imagine #naruto uzumaki imagine #naruto fluff #naruto imagine fluff

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dayseternal-blog · 4 years

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Summary: She knit a red scarf for him. She never gave it to him. Days turned into months, months turned into too late.

Naruto starts dating. Hinata decides to move on.

A sickness takes root in the heart.

Inspired by SasuSaku fanfic “Medicine” by @grimmjowkurosakidrake

Rating: Mature

Read Chapter 1: Smoke on her tongue

Read Chapter 2: He’s not a ghost

Read Chapter 3: Weeds

Read Chapter 4: Leave himself behind

Read Chapter 5: She’s always (still here)

Chapter 6: Much more than friends

The bustling activity of the hospital fades away as soon as they step outside. The silence between them magnifies in the bright sunlight.

She feels anxious, a small excitement fluttering about, as she follows him toward the road. Naruto has always done the unexpected, and with today, she thinks he’s really lived up to that reputation…

She has no idea what’s coming next for them.

It leaves her hopeful, so, so hopeful, that she doesn’t dare speak. Out of fear of disturbing this dream, any wrong word could turn all of it into a terrible joke.

Naruto stops.

She freezes behind him.

He turns around, looks directly at her, and feels his stomach drop straight to his feet. The question he wanted to ask forgotten.

She’s blushing so much, and it’s adorable.

He stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets, a reactive heat rising to his own face. The sudden onslaught of nerves makes him feel warm, as if someone just complimented him, and at the same time, he feels incredibly scatterbrained.

He feels like he can do anything or nothing.

Two steps away from remarkable or lost...

“Soo,” he regrettably starts, immediately and unfortunately finding himself weakly at her will, but he manages to continue, “...what are you doing now?”

“Oh, I, I guess I should meet up with my family...at the...cemetery. It should be about that time.” She sounds so soft, even to her own ears, she’s not sure if he could hear her.

But he nods. “Right...right.” Since the moment Hinata entered his room, he pretty much forgot what today was. So much happened just this morning, it’s a surprise that it’s still afternoon.

She peers up at him, trying to gauge his expression...muted, thoughtful. She decides against telling him that she went without him earlier. She knows the reason now why he didn’t show up, and she doesn’t want to make him feel bad about something that wasn’t in his control.

His disease, his explanation for it, it’s all something she still can’t quite wrap her mind around. And she’ll dedicate time to mull over it later, but for now… “Would you like to come with me?”

“With your family?” he asks, a hand swinging up to work the uncertainty from his neck.

“Mhm,” she quietly affirms. “They won’t mind. I’m sure they’d love to see you.”

He didn’t get a chance to go earlier, and he really does need to pay a visit. Maybe without the flowers, he’s seen enough flowers for awhile...Neji would understand...Neji probably doesn’t actually care about the flowers, right? And if Hinata’s family won’t be bothered by him... “Sure, yeah, thanks.”

She hums a disagreement at his appreciation. He doesn’t owe her that, it should be a matter of course that he would be invited.

He smiles at her.

And with the way his gaze lingers on her as they start walking once more, fluffed cotton fills her legs, her stomach, her head, and she feels she may be nothing more than a cloud in the sky. Any slight breeze from him would send her clear in any direction he pleases.

It’s headying.

It’s frightening.

Though no one gives them much of a passing glance, she wonders, what others must think of them together? How much distance between them is appropriate? How much distance was there before today?...Are they now more than friends?

So whenever thrust into an unexpected, socially nerve-wracking situation, her hands find each other, clasping together tightly.

His fingers interlace behind his neck, cradling his head, walking as if lying back in the grass. It’s always been a tried-and-true way to appear as relaxed as possible, even if he feels far from it. “You…” He frowns at the sky. “...didn’t go this morning, did you?” he finishes quietly.

“Ah...I did.”

She went. Of course she did. It’s Hinata, and she’s always been reliable like that. And he...he didn’t go. His guilt darkens even the blue sky above. “Sorry...I wasn’t there.”

“Oh no. You were in the hospital after all.”

“Yeah but still. Sorry, Hinata.”

She hums another disagreement quietly, trusting that the nearing view of the cemetery will lighten the air between them with shared purpose.

Murmurings from somber crowds carry over the field. Families pray around headstones. Little gifts and flowers decorate every grave across the field.

But despite the numerous people, Naruto sees that no one pays him any mind. It’s a welcome surprise.

And their presence seems to be a welcome surprise, too, for the rest of her family.

Hanabi’s eyes widen. “Oh, Nee-sama, we would have waited for you, but none of us knew where you went!”

“I’m sorry, I was helping Sakura-chan at the hospital. Naruto-kun was there, too, and I invited him with us.”

He takes this as his cue, slightly dipping his head in a bow, awkwardly, to her stoic family.

In the following beat of silence, his eyes draw directly to the only reaction...Hanabi’s expression: brows arched high, a quick glance at her older sister, mouthing a silent ohh. A look that sends self-conscious warmth to his cheeks.

“Thank you for coming today.” Hiashi is as serious as usual, but the words sound genuine.

He nods, for lack of anything else to say. In front of all of her family, some he knows by name, some strangers, all of them in quiet appreciation of the moment, he can’t help feeling a little out of place, like their collective pressure on him just forces him to shut up. Unlike other families, noisier in their prayers and conversation, the Hyuuga are quiet. Silently cleaning and visiting graves of others besides Neji who were lost in the war.

Hinata has always been quiet.

And as he expected, this is the quiet family she’s grown up in.

The people who raised her into the person she is today.

Like Neji.

Hinata mentioned to him in passing the things Neji had done for her. Helping her perfect a move, build stamina, assist her when she strained her eyes. When he asked why she calls Neji “Nii-san,” she explained that he was more of a brother to her than a cousin. She said she understands why it might sound silly to others, since during the chuunin exams, in front of everyone, he so vocally demeaned her. How maybe to others, it might sound silly that even through that difficult part of their relationship, she still saw him as her brother.

He quickly reassured her that “No, it’s not silly. I get it, believe me.” He understood. Perhaps better than anyone else ever could.

She looked at him, eyes, usually so pale, shining warm. She smiled. Her head tilted, her bangs sweeping over, the white skin of her forehead peeking through. “Sasuke-san?”

He smiled, too. “Yeah.” That asshole of a brother.

She nodded, her gaze drifting back to Neji’s grave, her smile muting to something lonely.

He remembers he wanted to hug her, words failing him when he could imagine what such a loss would feel like. He can still remember back on that time when he was afraid that he really did lose Sasuke. He turned his fear into determination to get him back...but Hinata can’t do the same. And in that moment, he wanted to hold her tight.

But he didn’t hug her, didn’t touch her. The very ache in his limbs to feel her weight solidly against his body, to squeeze her and never let go, made him freeze up. He couldn’t gather the courage to do it and he didn’t know why that would be so, when he’s touched her before.

He knows why, now. Aware of the heaviness in his heart, of how her loss felt like his own loss, of why standing next to her now makes him feel obscure, fuzzy, eclipsed by her.

The immediate thought that follows, each time, and he thinks he’ll never get over it, that it could have been her. It could have been her, and he always sensed that that loss would have left him utterly, terribly helpless, a million times worse than losing Neji.

“Thank you” will never be enough.

But he prays it over and over. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Neji.

It’s endless, a prayer never meant to find closure or be restricted by time.

Yet the sun begins to burn low, and Hiashi approaches their quiet vigil. “Naruto. If you are available, please join us for dinner. We would be honored to have you.”

Her father’s kind offer is surprising, and it brings her so much happiness to know that his attitude toward Naruto has changed with the rest of the village. “Yes, Naruto-kun, please join us,” she quietly adds, hoping he can hear her sincerity.

He gapes at their invitation. No one’s parents ever invited him over. None of the adults liked him, maybe except Iruka-sensei, but his old teacher claimed once that he’s not much good at cooking, so they always just ate out.

Hinata watches his hesitation, wondering.

Naruto studies the man’s stoic expression. Does her father really want him for dinner? He’s probably just asking out of courtesy... “That’s really kind of you, Hiashi-san, but I need to head to the Tower before it gets too late.”

She tries not to let her disappointment show. He had been saying since earlier that he wanted to get back to work.

“Sorry, Hinata.”

“Oh, no...” She supposes she was never any good at hiding her feelings from him.

Hiashi nods. “You must be busy. Thank you for joining us today.”

“No, thank you for allowing me to join your family today, Hiashi-san.”

Her family starts heading off down the street, away from the cemetery gates, but she lingers behind.

Everything that Naruto said to her at the hospital was clearly direct, leaving no room for confusion. So why does she feel unfinished?

“Your family is leaving-” he starts.

“I know.” She looks up at him, as if his face will clarify her incomplete thoughts.

He takes in her soft gaze and soaks her attention in. He doesn’t really want to go. He doesn’t want her to walk away, either. “Hinata…”

“Naruto-kun?”

He reaches out uncertainly, his hand folding with hers, his grip light. He held her hand in the hospital. But suddenly, out here, it’s just...different. As if the soft connection is a thin thread, gently tugging at his heart, pulling it toward their entwined fingers.

It’s a familiar warmth. She never got used to holding Susumu’s hand, probably because she was always comparing it to this. Naruto’s warmth almost feels natural against her. She dares to think that it’s meant to be. It’s where she always wanted to be, after all.

“...Let’s meet up again.”

She nods, her gaze leaving their hands to look into his eyes.

Her earnest expression makes his heart squeeze, his grip on her smaller hand tighten. “I don’t know when, though.”

She nods again. That's just how mission schedules are. “Then, I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah.”

She lets go of him reluctantly, backing away to rejoin her family, when she remembers. “Um, Naruto-kun?”

He perks up. “Yeah?”

“Happy birthday."

He shyly grins. “Thanks.” He’s not exactly sure if “happy” is the most accurate way to describe today, but it’s certainly been an unforgettable one.

She smiles a little more, taking in his warm expression, before reluctantly starting to turn around. She holds his gaze for one last second, then steps away to catch up to her family.

Naruto slowly turns toward the Tower. Some steps forward, though, has him glancing back, catching her looking back at him, too. Warmth rises to his face, as pink visibly tinges her cheeks. He smiles through it, widely, and turns around fully to wave at her.

She reddens even more. She waves a little, too, shyly, before turning around for good, dashing away.

She’s so cute.

And he’s so happy.

Kakashi puts him right to work.

He’s thankful for it. It’s such a relief to stretch out his muscles, to move, to get his chakra circulating and working in a healthy, normal way, to finally feel like his body is his own and not a victim to a force larger than himself.

That force being...death.

Missions remind him that he’s young and...not dying. Work makes him feel like he’s a functioning adult, doing what he’s supposed to do.

He remembers how he felt before. That month of confusion that led to anger, that spiraled into depression. A month of...kind of just...getting worse and worse and worse, and it was so completely unlike him. No energy. No direction. No sense of self-worth. He didn’t recognize himself.

He doesn’t even really know how to reflect on the whole thing.

Thing. He really doesn’t know what else to make of it.

The descent seemed to happen so slowly, and suddenly he was in the thick of his disease before he realized it.

Then as quick as a snap, he was fine.

...That, too, his cure…

He never gets too far in his reflection on everything he’s been through because he always pictures her soft, pink smile when they parted ways at the cemetery. She has the softest smile he’s ever seen, and he can’t wait to see her again, he just, can’t, wait.

He needs to verify her feelings again with his own two eyes and ears. With his hands, too. He’ll hold her hand again and maybe he can hug her. Maybe he can hold her.

He wants to hug her.

The thought always leave a vacancy he can feel against his body, like she should already be there in his arms but isn’t.

On a mission like this, even with a fun teammate like Shikamaru, he finds himself thinking about her in a moment of downtime. Thinking about when they’ll meet again and what it will be like.

It’s real.

His feelings for her are an excitement and distraction quite apart from anything he ever felt for his past girlfriends.

...He pretty much never thought about Rumi while on a mission.

...Rumi…

He tries not to think about her at all. The memory of her makes him feel like a piece of shit.

He really sucked. He couldn’t even be a decent person, he really…

Anyway, he should just focus on his mission.

He’s been really busy, and she knows she needs to be patient.

But she can’t help but wonder if she’s just his next girl. She knows that just a week ago, when he told her that he loves her, she thought that he didn’t need to prove anything to her. She knows that she’s supposed to trust him, after all, Sakura told her so, too.

She knows that she needs to not make any assumptions and just put her faith in him.

But...wasn’t it fast? Between his breakup with Rumi and his confession to her, wasn’t it...just...fast? She’s not sure exactly when he broke up with her, but Sakura would have told her something, probably, or the rumors would have traveled before Naruto would have gotten a chance to tell her. She thinks at the most, maybe a week passed since they broke up?

And, and! Between Kanae and Rumi! A little over one month. She thought that was fast, too…

She thought a lot of things.

She wondered if Rumi, a girl he seemed to hardly know, might be a quick relationship, like Kanae was. But Naruto and Rumi went out all the time. They seemed effortlessly happy together, going out on so many dates. They were seen all over town, eating meals at trendy restaurants, looking...cute...as everyone said.

And Naruto tells her now that dating Rumi was a mistake?

What exactly did he mean by that?

Is it because he was...jealous…...that she was with Susumu? And he got sick because of that? He...got...sick?

She even asked Sakura on a day-off what Naruto’s illness was really all about.

Sakura said almost the same things Naruto had said, just with more technical language.

That should be “proof” enough for her, right?

Somehow, it’s not enough.

...She needs to be patient.

She’s heading out on a mission with Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino when she notices Naruto with Shikamaru, making their way toward the Hokage Tower.

She doesn’t have time to wonder how to react when he completely stops in his tracks, obviously assesses that she’s leaving the village, and then runs right up to her. “Hinata! How long?”

She can sense Kiba’s and Shino’s curiosity. She wonders, too, at how obvious Naruto is making himself. But it’s also incredibly reassuring to know that he was hoping to meet up with her. “It’s just a one-way escort mission, estimated at nearly a week long.”

He nods, frowning, disappointment clutching his gut. “Alright.” He looks up to finally acknowledge her teammates. “Be safe, guys.”

Kiba smirks. “‘Course, man.”

Shino nods his appreciation.

“I’ll see you guys around when you get back.” Naruto’s gaze pauses on her, and she senses that he wants her to do more than just nod in agreement.

She tentatively smiles, hoping that he’ll smile back.

He does, a gentle one that she’s seen before from him on rare occasions.

It’s always made her heart flutter. She bites her lips, then responds, “We’ll be back soon, Naruto-kun.”

“‘Kay.” He takes a step back, knowing that he’s holding her team up from leaving.

She reluctantly turns around, waving goodbye as he waves a bit, too.

Kiba and Shino have the strangest look on their faces, like they’re thinking about a lot of things.

They don’t divulge their thoughts to her, but she knows their worry.

It’s her own concern, too, after all.

Be careful. But I can trust myself, too. And I can trust him...and be careful.

She wants to hurry back home, but as soon as they were ready to leave the Land of Water, a typhoon hit. All ships are docked until the typhoon passes and clears the surrounding waters.

So as rain lashes at the windows, they stay holed up in their accommodations, drinking tea and waiting out the storm.

Shino’s been unusually quiet.

She herself has had her own troubles, but both her teammates seem to already know that it’s regarding a certain old classmate of theirs (nothing new). However with Shino, who so rarely seems to have a problem he doesn’t already know how to deal with, she’s been wondering what could possibly be bothering him. So she asks directly, “What’s on your mind, Shino-kun?”

“Yeah, buddy, what’s on your mind?” Kiba and Akamaru jump onto a bed to listen in.

Shino adjusts his sunglasses. He takes a breath. “I have a decision to make.” He looks at them and sees that they’re listening. “I’m thinking of applying for the education program.”

Kiba’s eyes widen. “To teach at the Academy? That’s awesome!”

“...The application deadline is in two months.”

In two months?... “Good luck, Shino-kun. I know you’ll make a great teacher!”

“You’ll make a fantastic teacher! They’ll call you ‘Shino-sensei!’ like that,” Kiba cheers.

Shino looks between them, a tiny, amused smile on. “But I am hesitant. The reason is it would mean that I would not be able to go on regular missions with both of you anymore.”

Hinata and Kiba exchange looks, knowing that they both had already thought of that.

Kiba moves beside him, swinging an arm around Shino. “Listen, you’ll make the greatest teacher, even better than Iruka-sensei! Of course I’ll miss working with you, but, this is a great opportunity. And Hinata and I would never want to hold you back.”

Hinata is thankful for Kiba’s encouraging tones. It’s putting her in the right mindset, too. “Kiba-kun is right. We would never want to keep you from reaching for your goals. Do your best! We’ll be cheering for you all the way!”

“Thank you. I’ll miss both of you,” Shino says.

She shakes her head. “We’ll never be far away.”

“We’ll come and be guest instructors!” Kiba offers.

“Yes!” Hinata agrees. “We’ll always be your team.”

“Thank you.” His voice is heavy, emotional.

They smile together, and she feels tears coming on, but she doesn’t let them fall. She supposes they all knew this would eventually happen. The possibility of disbandment as they entered adulthood only increases with new responsibilities, new windows of opportunity, and challenges presented.

She just didn’t know it would happen so soon.

Sometimes she feels like it was only yesterday when she was selected for Kurenai’s Team 8. Sometimes it feels like a forever ago when the four of them were tasked with finding Madam Shijimi’s cat.

For the entire way home, they reminisce on their trainings and missions together and make promises to continue meeting up whenever they can.

It’s bittersweet.

To realize, not for the first time, how wonderful her team is. To hold so much excitement for Shino’s next stage in life. To hear Kiba’s plans for the future. To wonder about her own.

Maybe become a jounin sensei?

Maybe eventually work at the Academy, too?

To see that…

So much time has passed. She really has grown.

And she still has so much of life ahead of her. There’s no rush at all.

It’s a stroke of luck to see her coming out of the Hokage Tower. She’s smiling, looking well. She bends over to pet Akamaru.

She straightens and looks toward him, despite the distance.

So she knew that I was-- He bites down on that memory and runs forward to meet them. “You’re finally back!”

“We got held up in the Land of Water due to a typhoon,” Kiba answers.

“Good thing you guys didn’t get caught in it.” He nods at Kiba briefly before turning his attention back to Hinata. “How was the mission?”

She almost wants to shrink away from his obvious, directed attention. It’s almost too strong. But no, she wants this. She really wants this. “It went well. There was one scuffle along the way, but they weren’t a problem for us.”

“Yeah, I bet you beat them up easily.”

She blushes at his confidence in her. It’s almost like from before...It reminds her of those times before he started dating.

Shino clears his throat. “Are you hungry, Naruto? The reason is, we’re going out to get lunch together.”

“Oh yeah?” He was planning on trying to get Hinata alone, but this is almost just as good. “Can I join?”

“No! No, no.” Kiba leans forward, his voice cutting Shino off. “We’re doing Team bonding, and if you come along, you’ll just ignore us and try to hog all of Hinata’s attention!”

Naruto frowns. Yeah, he probably would’ve but… “The three of you were together for the past week! More than a week! Isn’t that enough bonding time?” he protests. “Plus, Shino was about to invite me!” He looks at the quiet guy for affirmation.

But Shino suddenly looks as silent as a rock.

Naruto’s jaw drops in disbelief and betrayal. “Shino!”

“The reason is that Kiba is right.”

He rolls his eyes and looks at Hinata. “Hinata? You’re just going to let these guys treat me like this?”

She’s still absolutely red from Kiba’s sudden and shameless words. It’s the first time he’s verbally acknowledged Naruto’s attentions toward her in almost a year, out of consideration for her feelings. “Oh, I would like to, Naruto-kun, but…” She looks at Shino. “We’re not going to be Team 8, officially, for much longer. Shino-kun is going into education.”

Naruto looks at the usually stoic bug boy. This guy? With kids? A sensei? “What?! No way! Shino?!”

“He’s going to be a wonderful teacher,” Hinata states solidly, not leaving any room for him to not believe her any further.

He nods, getting used to the idea. Certainly unexpected, but has Shino ever been anything other than surprising? “That’s really awesome.” And he means it.

“Thank you, Naruto.” Shino looks like maybe he’s smiling.

And so he takes a step back from them, now completely understanding what’s going on. What wouldn’t he do to have just one more meal with his team, as if time never happened? “Hinata.”

“Yes?”

“Tonight? Dinner?”

She tries not to feel Kiba and Shino’s stares boring into her as she gives a quiet hum of affirmation.

“I’ll see you at your place around 6, then.”

“Okay.” She tries not to look as shy as she feels because Naruto doesn’t seem shy at all. And she needs to do her best to keep up with him.

“Great! Have a good lunch then, guys.” He waves his goodbye and heads off.

And then it strikes her.

She’s having a date with Naruto.

She’s really having an actual date with her longtime love.

He simply asked her out like no big deal, like this was the idea all along, and that the two of them are really, actually--

“So the two of you are a thing?” Kiba bluntly asks.

She turns to look at him, blinking out her disbelief. “I think so.”

Kiba seems to hold back a frown. “What do you mean, you ‘think so’?”

“I mean, he…” Self-consciousness floods her, but Kiba and Shino are both waiting expectantly for her explanation. So she quietly continues, “...said he loves me.”

Kiba and Shino exchange looks, nodding.

“Well, that’s what we’ve thought for a long time,” Kiba states before leading them away from the Tower.

Hinata stares at them, finding their simple acceptance incredible. She really wasn’t the only one who felt there was something between them. But she can’t help needing that affirmation even more. It’s still something she can’t wrap her mind around. “You both thought that?”

“Yes, the reason is that Naruto has always paid more attention to you than any of us.”

She looks away, shyness warming her face. So it wasn’t her imagination? “...but…” Self-doubt rears up, making her feel suddenly slightly nauseous. “He dated others.”

“Oh yeah, Hinata,” Kiba starts, the roll of his eyes practically audible, “You could’ve…” His hands turn up in a shrug. “I dunno...tried to save his life a couple of times. Hold his hand in front of the enemy and the entire Shinobi Alliance. Eat out with him all by yourselves.” He gives her a pointed look. “And he wouldn’t have the faintest idea that any of it was romantic. Hm. I wonder why...maybe because he’s an idiot?”

She stares at him, processing his sarcasm, and Shino lets out the quietest cough of a laugh. She pouts at both of them for making fun of Naruto, but Shino clears his throat, obviously ready to launch into a long explanation.

And she really does want to hear it. Because, if anything, she has always interpreted Kiba’s list to mean that Naruto simply never returned her feelings.

“The reason is Naruto does what feels right, and if the outcome is fine, he will continue to move forward without reflection. Unless you force him to stop by questioning his actions, he will articulate neither his reasoning nor his purpose outside of the obvious goals, and he will not consider or care about how others might perceive him, so long as he was able to manipulate the situation to meet his ends. The reason is--”

“Naruto’s a gigantic idiot,” Kiba interrupts.

“--because Naruto thinks he has nothing to lose,” Shino continues, unfazed. “Therefore he acts accordingly, always behaving as rashly as possible, not realizing that anyone might value him as much as he values others.”

“Or that,” Kiba tags on in agreement.

“The reason for that is,” Shino says with a sense of finality, “not very many people have stopped him to ask for his opinion.”

“What? He’s always airing his opinions.”

Hinata shakes her head at Kiba’s denial. “No, I...I think I understand.”

“Did you ever ask him why he held your hand in the war?”

Her eyes widen at Shino’s question. Of course she hadn’t! How could she ever ask a question like that?!

“Did you ever ask him what he thought of your self-sacrifice?”

“No!” she defends. “That’s embarrassing, I couldn’t have asked something like that! And...and I didn’t do any of that expecting anything from him.”

Even with his dark sunglasses on, she can see Shino’s measured look.

Kiba lets out a big sigh. “Hinata...those exes were pushier than you. And, I don’t mean this in a bad way or anything, but, well, it’s not like, uhh, well, I mean, Naruto’s an idiot, so, anyway, I get what Shino’s saying, y’know, Shino’s right, like, Naruto didn’t know you value him.”

She blinks at him, feeling inexplicably hurt, recognizing that they’re putting some amount, however small, of blame on her. “But...I didn’t know he values...me…”

They pause outside of Yakiniku Q.

“And that’s why we didn’t say anything about this when you were dating Susumu! He’s ‘pushier’ than Naruto! You knew for sure that he at least valued you, it was obvious to you, and we thought it was good for you! Both you and Naruto are the same!” Kiba’s voice had risen enough that other pedestrians glance their way.

But she doesn’t take much notice of them. Their words are putting all of her decisions, all of her choices to back away, to give Naruto space, to listen instead of probe, to watch instead of interrupt, into a different perspective. She did that because she respected his decisions. So are they saying it was wrong of her? “I...didn’t know…”

“Yeah. We know. ‘S not your fault, Hinata, Naruto’s an idiot after all.” Kiba leads them into the restaurant, and the hostess takes them to their table.

When they’re seated, Kiba continues, “And anyway, the two of you are together now, so it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

She tilts her head, wondering if it’s true that it doesn’t “really matter”...

“I’m happy for you, Hinata.” Shino smiles at her.

She gratefully returns his smile.

“Yeah, we’ve all been waiting for this,” Kiba jokes. “Hinata, you have no idea, but this has been a long time coming between the two of you. Good luck with him.”

“Thank you,” she murmurs. Maybe Kiba’s right. Maybe it doesn’t really matter what happened before, who they dated, and what they thought the other was thinking. Because the truth is that...they love each other?

It’s a truth she’ll be able to experience later, and she’s left breathless in anticipation of the unknown. Logically, she shouldn’t feel nervous because she knows him so much better than she ever knew Susumu...but still…

Kiba snaps his fingers in her face. “Hey, focus on us.”

Her expression pulls down in an embarrassed frown. “I’m sorry. I’m just…” She shakes her head.

Shino nods. “You’re just happy.”

She ponders that for a second. She was thinking, more nervous or worried, but… She agrees. “I am. But not just because of Naruto-kun. I’m so happy that I have you two as my teammates.”

Hinata knows that they feel the same way as her by their surprised yet pleased smiles. They were and are lucky to have each other. She couldn’t have asked for a better team.

Kiba huffs out a breath. “Before I start crying, let’s order some food.”

“Agreed,” Shino states, unfolding the menu.

She laughs, so, so, so appreciative.

No matter what happens to them in their futures, she’ll always have Team 8.

He restlessly waits outside, arriving much earlier than acceptable.

He’s been waiting for this for almost exactly two weeks. And he’s readier than he’s ever been for a date.

Because he knows exactly what to do to make her happy. He has a lot of money in his wallet. He’ll compliment her when she comes out. He’ll hold the door to let her in first, he’ll pay, and he’ll walk her home. And at the end of it all, maybe he’ll get to hug her, hold her, like he’s been yearning for, but only if she seems open to it.

Only if she wants to.

He won’t rush this.

He’ll make sure she understands how serious he is.

Because despite the break-ups, he’s learned. And he’s not going to mess this up with Hinata. He completely understands what he’s doing with her and what this means for them, and, he’s not just doing this for fun, or because she asked him to, or to have a girl flatter his ego.

He’s doing this because...

He hears quiet footsteps coming from beyond the wall.

The gate pulls open.

And she steps out with a tentative expression that lights up into the shyest, cutest smile he’s only ever seen on her.

He takes a deep breath, grinning, unable to contain his excitement.

“I’m sorry to make you wait.”

“Oh no,” he dismisses. “I got here too early. I hope I didn’t rush you.”

She shakes her head. The truth is, she had gotten ready really early, too. It was a surprise to see him outside when she thought she was just being too impatient.

He feels giddy, like they have so much to do, but he knows now that dates need to be taken at the girl’s pace. That, in general, his ideas aren’t the most reliable, and that he should just let the girl pick. He tries his best to calm all of the adrenaline dancing in his veins. “Anywhere you want to go?”

She blinks at him. “Oh. Um…” She hadn’t thought about it at all. She had assumed that since Naruto asked her to dinner, he had someplace in mind? Like Ichiraku?... “I don’t really know...”

“Anywhere is fine, Hinata!” he encourages. “Don’t worry about me, I’m up for anything.”

She bites her lips, still surprised, not ready to think of a good place for their first date. “Um…”

He watches her smile slip into a look of discomfort. And he realizes just as quickly...he fucking forgot. In his excitement, he forgot to compliment her. Kanae always wanted to see if he noticed her efforts. Is it too late to say something?... He looks her over to see if he needs to comment on her fashion choice. She’s wearing her comfy-looking jacket, appropriate for a chilly night. He remembers what she wore with her old boyfriend...how she looked...different...yet tonight, she looks like she normally does. Jealousy pinches his gut, but he forces that down. It doesn’t matter. It’s not like he dressed any differently.

Just in case, he should say something, especially if that’s why she’s being so hesitant. And, anyway, it’s not a lie, either. No matter what she’s wearing, no matter if she’s clean or dirty from a mission, no matter if her hair is up or down, it makes no difference to him. “Hinata, you’re beautiful.”

She pulls out of her worries at the compliment.

His gaze is focused on her so intently.

Warmth seizes her face faster than anything else. How could he say something like that to her so casually without warning? Isn’t that too much? She wasn’t even paying attention! Embarrassment has her shaking her head, shrinking back a step, refusing to look him in the eyes again.

Her reaction isn’t what he expected. Instead of a coy, pleased expression, she looks like she honestly doesn’t believe him! “You are beautiful, Hinata.” Maybe she doesn’t believe him because she didn’t dress up? “You’re always beautiful.”

She gapes at him. Naruto has never lied to her. She has no reason to not believe that he actually feels that way. She squeezes herself together, trying to gather her wits about her. It’s hardly two minutes into their first date, and she’s already falling apart like she can’t handle him. Naruto deserves better from her.

She takes a deep breath and forces herself to really face him. Kiba told her that Naruto never knew how much she values him. And right now seems to be the time to start making amends. She steadies her gaze on his openly warm expression and finds the sparkling blue of his eyes. “Naruto-kun, you’re the one who’s beautiful.”

He squints at her. “What?” he can’t help bluntly asking, a weird grimace cracking open.

“I mean it,” she quietly asserts, trying desperately to keep her blush at bay.

He shakes his head and lets out an awkward laugh. “Don’t joke like that with me, Hinata, that’s not nice...so anyway, is there anywhere you want to go?”

She blinks, jarred by how quickly he dismissed her heartfelt confession. “I...I guess...Ramen Ichiraku would be nice.”

His brows furrow. Why would she want to go there? Is she just saying that because she knows it’s his favorite? Why won’t she tell him where she wants to go?

She doesn’t trust him enough?

She didn’t like that he called her beautiful, and then she turned it into a joke, too… Excitement begins to fade into worry. Why… “Hinata...we eat there all the time, it’s not special to you. You don’t have to choose that for me,” he awkwardly mumbles out.

She tilts her head and frowns, realizing the way she worded her request. “I do want to go to Ramen Ichiraku,” she repeats, simply and clearly. She knows for certain that they’ll both like it.

“Uh, okay,” he relents. And then unwilling to risk making more mistakes, he starts leading them away from the compound.

They walk together, and he tries to find words for conversation, but suddenly, he doesn’t know what to say. He’s already somehow messed up because of course he would mess up. So he shoves his hands in his pockets and keeps his focus on the road.

After a few streets of unusually discomforting silence from him, she can only conclude that he’s bothered. She gathers her confidence together. “Naruto-kun? Do you not want to go to Ichiraku?” Maybe he actually wanted someplace fancier? Maybe his tastes have changed?

He shrugs. “You know I always want to go there,” he admits. “I just don’t want us to be going there if you don’t actually want to go.”

She...she was clear wasn’t she? She stated very clearly that she wants to go, didn’t she? “I want to go, Naruto-kun. I like their ramen a lot-” She recalls his earlier hesitation. “-And I think Ramen Ichiraku is special.” She smiles at him. “It’s your favorite. That makes it a special place to me, too.”

He processes her explanation, the reasoning almost too simple to accept. “So...I’m not, like, forcing you or anything, right?”

She smiles wider, unsure of where he’s getting the silly idea that he might be forcing her. “Of course not. If I didn’t want to go, I wouldn’t have chosen them.”

She’s saying that like it should’ve been obvious to him… It should’ve been. He forgot that Hinata’s always been easily uncomplicated with him.

“We’ve eaten there together before, like you said, Naruto-kun. And we’ve always had a good time there, right?”

He nods, recalling the same memories that she’s referring to. It’s sudden, a soothing balm over his nerves. Those times back then...she enjoyed them, too.

“It’s a good place,” she summarizes happily. “It’s a special place for me.”

Not that he wasn’t certain before, but he’s even more, completely, totally sure.

He really wants this to go well. Not just nicely, either. He wants Hinata to have the perfect date with him.

But he has no idea now how he’s supposed to make that happen. The date didn’t start off the way he thought it would. It’s not going the way he thought it would.

Hinata’s not acting the way he thought she would…

Instead, she’s acting the way she’s always been.

Has it been so long since he hung out with her? That he forgot how easy it is to just be with her...no need for plans or strategies...that whatever he thought, well, Hinata makes it so much better than that? “You’re really amazing,” he sighs out.

She shakes her head, believing him to be exaggerating over nothing. “Everyone knows how much you love their ramen, Naruto-kun.” She peeks up at his gaze, glad to see that he seems slightly more relaxed than earlier.

The storefront comes into view.

“I really did expect that we would be going here tonight,” she continues. “My heart’s been prepared, I was thinking about this all afternoon,” she laughs, breezing over the fact that it wasn’t really Ichiraku, but spending time with Naruto, that was on her mind.

He perks up at her giggle. “My heart never even needs to get prepared, I could walk here in my sleep!”

She nods, knowing full well that he probably already has. “Have you come in the middle of the night before?”

He raises his brows, grinning a What do you think?, and she laughs as they take seats at the counter of the familiar establishment. “Hinata, I’ve come here at every single hour, if not every single minute, on the clock.”

She considers that his obsession sounds a little worrisome, but it’s also just so him. “That’s impressive!”

“Yeah, it is,” he brags, proud of being a round-the-clock customer.

Ayame comes over to them, cheerily smiling. “Naruto, Hinata, welcome!”

“Ayame-neechan, long time no see!”

“It has been a long time, hasn’t it? Now, what shall I get for you two?”

“I’ll get the large miso ramen with extra char siu.”

“I would like the same thing, please.”

His eyes widen, and he turns to stare at her.

“Got it! Please wait for just a moment,” Ayame promises before hurrying off.

Hinata notices his shock, understands that it probably has to do with her order, but she still asks, “Ah, yes?”

He clutches his jacket over his heart, incredibly thankful to be here with her. “You’re really amazing,” he reiterates, not knowing how else to articulate himself.

She hesitantly explains, “I had all afternoon to think about what I’d want.”

He nods, recalling the last time they ate here together, just the two of them. “I almost forgot how much you can eat.”

She blushes, knowing it’s not exactly the most ladylike thing, but to the utmost of effort, they came all this way here, she might as well take the opportunity to eat. “I-I thought it would be better if I just get the large serving this time instead of smaller servings.”

“Yeah, Hinata, I love it,” he bluntly states. Then repeats as realization hits him, “I love it.”

Shyness freezes over her, and she timidly looks up at him. She can remember the last time they came...

He expressed enthusiasm about her order for another serving, saying, “Wow, you’re eating a lot, Hinata!”

And she fumbled out in excuse, “I guess I’m just hungry…” She actually just wanted to extend their time together.

He smiled widely, bright-eyed, excited, and eagerly ordered more for himself, too.

But this time, he carries that serious expression from earlier and leans down, ducking his head to be eye-level with her. “Hinata, I love you.”

She can see vulnerability there, a precious, precious balance of uncertainty and trust. Bare and unaffected. He really means it. Even at such a sudden moment as this, or maybe because it’s in such an inconsequential, unplanned moment, she knows he means it. He really wants her to know it. Emotion wells up, leaving no room for air, she can’t breathe, she can’t speak.

He straightens, starting to wonder at her silence, beginning to notice that he was expecting a response.

What he was expecting...the lack of anything empties him. “So uh Shino wants to become a teacher?”

She blinks at the sudden topic. She can’t let this happen again. Kiba was right. She hesitantly pulls on the sleeve of his jacket and draws herself closer.

Otherwise he won’t be able to hear her over the hammering in her heart.

She averts her eyes, feels the blush spreading over her face, and whispers, “I love you.” She squeezes her eyes shut for a second and lets an easing breath out.

This somehow felt so much harder than her confession two weeks ago at his bedside, but the accompanying fluttering warmth here is much, much nicer.

She settles back in her seat. Her gaze flicks up to his.

He smiles shyly, his pulse resetting double the pace as color floods his being.

He didn’t quite realize it, he had no idea how wonderful it would feel to hear those words returned to him.

He just carelessly tossed a part of himself out to her, expecting something, not knowing he expected those words, that exact piece of her given in exchange.

And it glows in him.

She can see it, just as much as she can feel the same blossoming within her. She thinks that if only he could see himself, he would see how beautiful he really is. She realizes she can’t let him get away without knowing she was being honest. If she needs to work on letting him know how much she values him, she’s the one who needs to prove herself to him, not the other way around... “Naruto-kun,” she whispers. She can feel herself growing even warmer. “I really do think you’re beautiful.”

Sudden self-consciousness grips him, and he focuses on her.

But she doesn’t let his puzzled expression deter her, not this time. “Your smile is beautiful. Your determination is beautiful.” She looks away, down at the counter, as her bashfulness fights against boldness. “Your laugh, and your bravery, and how you treat everyone...I think everything about you is beautiful.”

She timidly looks up to see his reaction, but he’s looking away now. A hand works obvious discomfort from the back of his neck.

It reminds him of Rumi’s blind admiration. Hinata doesn’t set him up on a pedestal, too, does she? She’s always been kind to him, built him up in ways that others haven’t, but still...

“You are,” she whispers again, wondering now if she was too forward.

Certainly she thinks so...she actually wasn’t joking earlier...but he knows better about himself. He shines a quick smile at her. “Thanks.”

She can tell he’s deflecting. After all the times she’s done that with Susumu, of course she would know. She tries to think of a way to respond when a cry of “Oh, isn’t that Naruto-senpai!” and hushed murmurings behind them catch her attention.

“I haven’t seen him in so long!”

“Should we go over and talk to him?”

“It looks like he’s with someone, though?”

“That’s not Rumi.”

“Didn’t they break up?”

“I think so--”

She shuts them out, second-guessing how “hushed” they’re actually trying to be. They want him to notice, don’t they...

He hears them, and Hinata’s uncertain look doesn’t quell his worries. Bringing up Rumi? Here? Now? The last person he wants Hinata to think about? “Sorry,” he mumbles out.

“Oh, no,” she denies. She should’ve expected this. Like they said, she’s not Rumi…someone who successfully made her status very public in a short amount of time...approved by the general crowd for her cute and bubbly demeanor...

The girls continue talking, his anxiety climbing as their voices get louder with their approach. He makes to stand. “Maybe I should...” deal with them?

Hinata’s eyes dart to him, silently wishing that he wouldn’t pay them any attention.

It strikes him through. “I’m not leaving! Hinata, I just don’t want them to bother us!”

She nods, biting her lips, surprised that he overreacted. “I understand.”

He hesitates, looking closely at her. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Once he catches the renewed faith in her eyes, he smiles, sealing his word. He hurries out past the curtain, to the group of girls’ great excitement, and he recognizes them...

“Good evening, Naruto-senpai~” Ahh, he should know her name.

“Are you busy?” That girl..he’s supposed to know her name, too.

The four gather around him, and he can’t quite establish any personal space. “Yeah, I’m busy right now.” They frown and sigh, then try to invite him out with them anyway.

In the past, he’s given in, having nowhere better to go necessarily. That’s not close to the case now. “I’m sorry, I’m on an important date.” He angles his body back toward Hinata.

They immediately quiet as their eyes dart to the girl, amongst each other, back up to him with much less giddiness in their gazes.

“I see, so sorry to interrupt!” one apologizes, and he thinks that’s pretty nice of her.

“We just wanted to say hi,” another says.

He smiles and nods, tries to steadily back away from them. “Good seeing you guys!” He gives a wave, hopefully finalizing the end of this exchange.

As soon as he sees them nod, hears them mumble out goodbyes and next times?, he blasts an appreciative grin and completely turns around.

Slipping into the seat next to Hinata has the same sense of completing a mission. He did it, and hopefully that didn’t take too long. He studies her...she’s not looking at him.

“I’m sorry...” she murmurs apologetically.

Sorry?

“Maybe you would’ve liked to-”

“No!” he interrupts, catching on almost too late. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry for all of that, for making you wait.”

She shakes her head firmly. “No, you were really fast, but you could’ve talked to them for longer if you liked.”

It seems he also forgot how stubborn she is. “...I didn’t want to talk to them. I just want to talk to you.”

Her cheeks pinken. She frowns, brows furrowing.

“This, our date, it’s really important to me, okay?”

She turns even redder and nods. “This is important to me, too.”

He smiles, satisfied. “So tell me about Shino! He really wants to be a teacher? What made him start thinking about that?”

She sees how much he’s trying to reassure her, and how easily he does it, too, never holding back, even in a moment like this. He leaves no room for her to doubt herself.

So she’ll stop thinking about other girls. She’ll focus only on him. “Have you seen Shino-kun with Mirai-chan?”

“Your sensei’s baby? Mmm...no, I don’t think so...”

“He’s really, really good with her, and he’s found that he likes kids a lot. Shino-kun's always been very empathetic, very understanding, so I think he relates to them easily.” She goes on to tell him about Shino’s expectations for the education course, and Naruto tells her about the times he’s visited Iruka’s class to assist or demonstrate. The kids he’s met and their terrible antics.

The conversation is easy, interesting, and Hinata marvels at how none of it feels forced.

She doesn’t have to count his good points.

She doesn’t have to add up everything she admires about him.

It’s so easy to talk with him, it’s so, so cute to see him joyfully eat his ramen, and it’s just so incredible to smile at him and receive his smiles in return.

His soft gaze is indescribably warm. Happy. The way she’s looked at him for so long…

To feel that from him, directed at her, it’s almost too much…

But she wants this. She wants all of it. To feel so free to look at him. To let her affection for him show in her gaze. To not have to put a cap on her love, bottle it up inside and hope none of it spills.

“Be careful,” she had told herself. But how? How can she possibly be careful? How can she possibly withhold all the love she’s been hurting to give him for so long?

She doesn’t want the night to end.

But eventually, they’re walking side-by-side back to her place, slowly, slowly, until there’s no more distance left to keep.

She faces him and smiles with as much appreciation as she can show. “Thank you for walking me home.”

“Yeah, no problem.” He has no idea how the night ended so quickly when all they did was eat. Usually at this time, rather than only just finishing dinner, he’d be seeing Rumi off after all of the fooling around at his place-- Simply spending time with Hinata is even better than any of that perverted stuff. “Did you have fun tonight?”

She nods and hums her affirmation. “I did. Thank you for everything.”

His hands ache in his jacket pockets to hold her, but he’s going to be considerate even if it kills him.

“Did you have fun, Naruto-kun?”

He nods. “Yeah, I can’t believe how fast the time passed. It already got so late.”

“Mhm.” The fluttering feeling she’s felt all night continues unrelenting. “I didn’t notice how late it got, either.” Only now does the dark silence of the late night seem to close around them. Only the chilling wind creates a stir, but she failed to notice that, too.

He studies her cute, shy smile, can hardly believe that she enjoyed herself as much as he did. “Can we meet up again soon?”

“I’d really like that.”

“I don’t have a mission tomorrow.”

“Me, neither.”

“Then, tomorrow? I can come by around 11?”

“Okay.”

They both realize that the night is over. The only thing she has left to do is turn around and head inside.

But she wonders if that’s not good enough.

She knows this was never good enough for Susumu. And is this good enough, perfect enough, for herself?

She casts her eyes down, unwilling to let him see the wavering of her nerves.

She takes two steps, closing the space between them, and mercifully, he doesn’t back away. Carefully, she leans into him a bit, his body warmth flushing her entire system hot.

He only just gets his hands out of his pockets to touch when she backs up, his hands left mid-air.

She’s staring at him with the funniest, shyest expression he’s ever seen. “Good night, Naruto-kun. Thank you for tonight.”

But he’s still trying to process the one-second hug. “That’s not fair,” he accuses before his brain can catch up with his mouth.

“Hm?”

“You-” He bites his lip, remembering that he wasn’t supposed to rush her. But what’s he supposed to do with this? How could she do something so cute and innocent?

...How innocent is she?

And with that wondering burning a small pit of jealousy in his gut, he turns his hands, showing her how she left him hanging. “...Will you let me?”

She fidgets but nods, not making eye contact. She takes one step forward, and that warmth surrounds her, his hands at her back, gentle. She thinks she’s never felt anything nicer, warmer, so intimate.

To be so close to the one she loves, it’s different.

To touch the person she’s longed to touch, it’s unreal, a waking dream. The slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathes--isn’t that alarmingly amazing? She’s too happy. This is what she’s wanted for so long, what she didn’t want to share with anyone else. How could she have dared to force herself to touch another man?... Well, she didn’t know this would ever happen. “Naruto-kun…”

“Hinata?”

“I love you.”

He squeezes her a little closer, the intimacy of her words and body turning his face hot. Three times now, "I love you", and each time feels sweeter than the last. “I love you, too, really.”

“Mm.” It’s impossible for her to distrust his word. She tightens her grip, savoring him for one more second, breathing in his warmth, before letting go and stepping back.

She can barely look at him for how happy she is, but he’s smiling with a softness that’s as smushed up as her feelings.

He’s so beautiful.

“Good night, Naruto-kun,” she manages to breathe out.

“Good night, Hinata.” He watches her step away, give him a final, gorgeous smile, and then disappear behind the gate.

And suddenly, he’s left alone with only his heartbeat thudding out the slipping memory of her form.

It was too perfect.

He somehow messed up at the beginning, and then those girls interrupted the start of their dinner, but everything after, everything, just being with her, and then holding her, it was all perfect.

She was perfect.

When he was with Rumi, every moment was new and strange, and so he thought that’s how it must be.

Yet with Hinata? Familiar. Warm. Easy.

So comforting.

The whole night was dazzlingly wonderful. He could sprint the rest of the way home with how great he feels, give outlet to the elation jumping beneath his skin, and exclaim his delight to the stars in rushing breaths.

But he walks, choosing instead to wallow in his happiness and count his blessings quietly. The last thing he wants to do is tempt fate to twist up his fortunes and slide him backwards like he so rightly deserves.

One wrong move, and the universe might find him unworthy of its favor.

So he makes sure to arrive on-time again the next day.

When she steps out to meet him, she looks completely different, something about her demeanor, something about her smile. It’s not the clothing or her hair. Something softer? She’s not quite the daring warrior who stood at his side in the war, who protected him in battle, who’s sealed his tenketsu in spars or had dirt streaking her arms and legs after a mission. She’s not guarded at all.

She’s just...

This Hinata is somehow...

Still, warm familiarity flutters and warms him all over. It’s still Hinata, but this Hinata is only for him. He just wants to protect this. Rather than selfish, this feeling is purer than a kiss from the sun on a breezy day.

He used to feel a kind of self-gratification, a proud slickness that settled in his gut, when he walked around with Rumi. Each date felt like an accomplishment, each step closer to her an affirmation of his growth.

The comparison is a sickening damper on his mood, and he doesn’t dwell on his ex as they head onto the shopping arcade. “Have you tried that new game center people have been talking about?” he asks.

She shakes her head. She doesn’t mention that she assumed it was entertainment for kids, but they are not too old, yet, right? She can see some young teenagers crowding around machines inside the center. “Have you?”

“No…”

“It looks fun,” she observes aloud, noting machines filled with plush toys, screens with small dancing visuals, and the obvious tension stringing groups of friends to stay glued to their games.

He grins. “Shall we go in?”

And she nods, pleased that she read his hidden curiosity correctly.

They investigate one of the machines that advertises its mission simulation in neon lettering. A pixelated little man jumps around the screen, dodging what they imagine must be flying kunai and leaping across trees. Naruto tentatively hits a round button and the screen changes, names of people scrolling upwards. He taps a different round button and the screen shifts to instructions.

“How do we play this thing?” He jabs at a few more buttons randomly, and the words Insert Coins flash at the top.

“Um…” Hinata looks down at the rest of the machine. “Over there.”

They peer at the slot.

“Okay…” Naruto opens his wallet and slips coins in until the machine makes a startling amount of music. He stands up straight, suddenly realizing he has no idea how the game works. He hits a button, and the man jumps.

“Maybe these buttons make you move forward,” Hinata guesses.

He presses it and the man starts running.

“Oh, jump!” Hinata exclaims as a gap in the trees appears.

He hits the button to jump, and the man leaps up…

And falls in the hole.

Game Over flashes obnoxiously red on the screen.

They stare at it for a second, dumbfounded.

“What?!” Naruto argues. “Why did he jump in the hole?! Let’s try again.”

“Yes, try again,” Hinata encourages.

On a second try, he gets the timing of the trees, but only makes it to the flying kunai. “Whaaat!” he groans. He fishes out more coins and feeds them into the machine. “You wanna try this? Maybe you’ll be better than me,” he laughs.

“I think I know what to do.” She takes over and manages to get past the obstacles.

Naruto cheers her on throughout her play, then goes silent when she comes up against another little figure. He watches her throw shuriken at it, and eventually, the figure disappears. In its place poofs out a scroll, which her character seems to collect.

The game alerts them that she made it to level 2, where she promptly gets knocked out by a swinging log.

“Ah.” She watches the screen mock her in giant lettering and hears the intense music fizzle out. “Oh well,” she sighs.

“You made it to the next level!” he congratulates her. “Do you want to try again?��

She considers it for a second. She gets the feeling that she could be really good at this game if she kept playing, but then Naruto might get bored. “Maybe let’s look at the other games?”

“Hmmm.” He scans around the room and sees one that two people seem to be playing. “Maybe we can try something like that?”

“Oh, we can play together!” she happily observes.

“Yeah, looks like it.”

They settle on one that’s much simpler and less realistic, playing as two mice trying to collect as many blocks of cheese as possible without getting eaten by cats in a maze-like setting. It’s surprisingly harrowing, living the life of mice, and they both cry out in horror, then laugh, when a cat finally corners them.

He watches the smile bunching her cheeks and honestly feels relieved to see that she’s enjoying herself as they try out the different games. The new game center was a spur of the moment idea, and he didn’t actually think she would be interested. He’s pretty certain that Kanae and Rumi would not have been too keen on playing games that seem to be marketed for children.

When they finally decide to stop and get lunch at Ichiraku, they discuss the new experience, marveling at the technology.

“It’s like a television, but you can interact with it!” Hinata considers aloud. “I wonder how they did that?”

Naruto nods with equal fascination. “They had all kinds of games, too. Technology’s really changed in the past couple of years, hasn’t it, like people can have their own video recorders now. Makes you wonder what they’ll come up with next, you know.”

She blinks in surprise. Because actually, she hadn’t wondered about what will happen next. “Hmm…”

“Like that video game we played with the ninja character. Maybe they’ll make technology for shinobi.”

She tries to imagine what they could possibly need, but comes up empty. “...Like what?”

He shrugs. “Maybe different tools or medic-related things? I have no idea,” he laughs.

“Hmm… Technology that could make our work safer somehow would be nice.”

“Yeah. Or make communication faster when we’re on the job. There’s a lot of things we can do to ensure more safety for shinobi. Technology might be the key to that.”

She hums in thoughtful agreement. “You’ll be a great Hokage, Naruto-kun.”

He draws out of his musings and looks at her. His lifelong dream is more believable to the general public than it ever was before, but it’s still surprising to hear that kind of simple confidence in him.

She just took a mouthful of ramen, so she can’t do much to address his look. She tries to give him a closed-lipped smile and swallow as quickly as she can. “You’re always thinking about the future for us.”

“Oh,” he murmurs, inexplicably shy when usually he'd be peacocking at the recognition. Dazed, he slurps up more of his ramen to fill the silence.

She watches him eat through his blush, and she’s glad that at least this time, he’s taking her compliment without argument or deflection.

She sees that slowly but surely, they’ll grow more comfortable in each other’s presence. She looks forward to the day when he’ll acknowledge all that she sees in him. When that day will be exactly, she doesn’t know. Around 10 years worth of admiration and love would be a lot for anyone to take on, but she’ll do her best to convey all of it to him. In words and action.

So she lets herself enjoy his careful hug at the end of their date. It’s still daytime, and anyone could see them, but it’s still just as amazing as the night before. “Today was fun, Naruto-kun. Thank you.” She readies her heart for the separation, committing his warmth to memory, and steps back.

“Thank you, Hinata. I had a lot of fun, too.” He already misses her. He can’t wait for the next time, but… “I’ll see you when I come back from my border patrol.”

She nods. “Be safe.”

His heart grows heavy, the knowledge of a perfect date coming to an end disappointing. “You, too, if you get called for a mission in the meantime.”

“Of course.” She smiles to make her promise with confidence, and she can see his promise to return safely in his eyes, too.

In any downtime, he finds himself musing on Hinata. He’s eager to see her smile, hear her laugh, and hold her again. And supposedly she’s returning from a mission today after another week apart.

So he weaves through the busy throngs of people as he heads to the Hokage’s Office. He’ll be helping with some administration duties, and if he’s lucky, he’ll get to see her while he’s there.

He enters the spacious lobby, and instead, his hopeful look around lands on a small brunette.

Rumi with her team.

He hasn’t seen her since that awful night. Eyes averted, he walks past them with as normal a rushed gait as possible to the stairs.

“Naruto.”

And he stops, her voice, once so intimate to him, freezing him in anxious guilt. He turns back to see her.

Her gaze is steely, slightly pinched with a look akin to anger, but he’s not sure. Distrust? Hatred? Any of those is what he deserves.

But he doesn’t have any idea as to why she would call out to him. “Rumi,” he murmurs.

And she grimaces. She strides forward, leaving her teammates sides, who are both in unfriendly stances toward him. She takes an obvious breath as she looks up. Her brows furrow, and he realizes, he’s the enemy. “I want to hear it from you.”

He waits for clarification.

She takes another breath. “You’re dating...Hinata-san.”

He watches how she doesn’t cry, she doesn’t look at all broken like that night. She’s hard, defenses up, prepared for his blow. It’s relieving, while simultaneously condemning him even more on his folly. He misjudged her strength. “...Yeah,” he quietly affirms.

He hears the doors open, and he looks up.

It’s Team 8.

He sees Hinata’s bewilderment at the situation, how her eyes widen, her pace slows.

“You’re the worst.” Rumi’s voice, scathing.

He looks back to her, alarmed by such an unfamiliar tone from her.

Her eyes squint with obvious scorn. She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you. I really-” She takes a step back. “You disgust me,” she gasps out. She turns around, rejoins her team, and walks out without hesitation.

He stands there stunned. He can’t bring himself to acknowledge Team 8’s uneasy presence, he can’t look at Hinata.

“We’ll go turn in our report,” Kiba murmurs.

Kiba and Shino leave.

He wishes she didn’t see that. Then he could at least try to pretend this never happened, suppress this memory like everything else he does when it comes to Rumi. He just wants to do better, be better. Move on. He doesn’t want Hinata to see what a disaster he’s been in the past.

She draws closer, though unsure of what to say. She can make a good guess as to why Rumi said those things to him. From what little Naruto told her at the hospital and what Sakura told her after, it seems like he broke up with Rumi so that he could be with her. If she didn't know that, then of course Rumi would be hurt to find out… “Naruto-kun?” she whispers.

He finally glances at her, surprised to see only concern in her eyes. “Sorry…” He doesn’t know what he’s apologizing for, he just feels like he should.

“No…” She tries to dig for words to set him at ease. It’s obvious his break-up was bad, much messier than her own. And as far as she knows, he broke up with Rumi only about a month ago, or even less, for about the time that they’ve been together. Was their relationship just too soon? What can she say?

“...I’ll talk to you later, Hinata…”

“Oh, okay.” She watches him run up the steps and disappear. Is it her place to follow? Or is this where she needs to give him space?

She decides to do what she must do. First, she goes to report in with the Hokage and help her team. Then after she’ll go looking for him, at least to tell him that she’s available.

He hurries to the Analytics Office to log data with Shikamaru. He can bury himself in work, be productive at the same time, and hide from humiliation.

He was such a fool to date Rumi. If he had never dated her, he would have never made such stupid mistakes, hurt her, wasted her time, wasted his own time, made Hinata wait, made Hinata date that guy, made himself sick and jealous. If he had just figured out Hinata’s feelings sooner, or if he had figured out his own feelings sooner.

If he had been smarter or more mature.

If he hadn’t been so foolish...

She hovers in the doorway, hesitant to bother him, when he seems to be ignoring her. But she finally steps in, making her presence obvious.

He looks up, surprised. “Hinata...Sorry, I can talk to you later…I need to help Shikamaru with all of this.”

She nods, wondering if she should have given him more space. He already promised to talk to her later after all, and so maybe she didn’t need to go looking for him.

“How annoying,” Shikamaru groans, looking up from his journal. “I don’t need help.” He looks pointedly at Naruto. “No need to put on a professional front, you missed her, right? You can thank me later.”

Naruto gapes at his friend. His excuse from confronting his stupid life taken away, just like that. “There’s still a lot left.”

“Just go.”

“But I’ve only helped for less than a hour.”

“You can just come back after.”

“I-it’s okay, Shikamaru-san.” Each of Naruto’s protests tears at her a little. If he needs more time away from her, then she should give that to him. She didn’t realize that she’s been getting spoiled by the last two dates. “I didn’t mean to bother, I just wanted to tell Naruto-kun that I’m free this afternoon.”

He can feel the emotional distance he’s putting between them, but it just feels like the right thing to do for now. His mind is so scattered with regret. He wishes he never dated Rumi. He wishes he never got so full of himself. He wishes he wasn’t so stupid, so disgusting, the worst. “...Sorry, Hinata, I don’t want to leave Shikamaru with all of this.”

“I understand.” She smiles to show that she really does. “Both of you are working really hard. I’ll be checking in at home, then, okay?”

Her smile cuts him. He’s obviously not doing the right thing, but what is the right thing in this case? “Alright, I’ll see you later, Hinata.” He watches her turn away, disappear from view. But for now, just for now, he can’t talk to her. She said she understands, right? Can she tell that he doesn’t know what to do or say?

“What a drag. If you’re going to look so forlorn, then why the hell are you staying here?”

His gaze darts to his friend. “I’m not ‘forlorn’!”

Shikamaru presses his hand to his forehead, like he might have a headache. “I don’t want to ask. I’m asking anyway. What happened? You missed her all week, didn’t you?”

“...Yeah.” He frowns at the desk, not wanting to talk about this at all.

“...And?!”

“...And I saw Rumi downstairs.”

“...So?”

“Hinata saw us.”

“........So?! Isn’t that more reason to make sure that Hinata didn’t get the wrong idea?”

Naruto sits up, confused.

“Or are you thinking of breaking up already and going back to Rumi. Is that what happened?”

“No!” He stands, indignant at the suggestion. “Of course not!”

“Then why didn’t you want to talk to Hinata? She just came back from her mission.”

All of the fight drains out of him. “...I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s not like you,” Shikamaru intones. “Out of all of the times to choose to think first and act later, you’re choosing now to hesitate?”

“What do you mean? I just don’t know how to act! Rumi said some stuff in front of everyone, and it was really bad, embarrassing. I’m not hesitating!”

“What did Rumi- No, it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to say or act anything special, Naruto. You should at least just greet Hinata properly.”

“...You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. Get out of here already,” he sighs.

“Yeah. Sorry, Shikamaru.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he says carelessly and waves him off.

He runs out of the building, and it doesn’t take long at all to catch up. “Hinata!”

She turns at his voice, surprised, but glad. “Naruto-kun!”

He walks in pace with her, energy falling just as quickly. “I’m sorry.”

She frowns. “No? There’s nothing to apologize for. I-I’m sorry for bothering you, I didn’t mean to be impatient.”

“No, I’m sorry for...earlier, and just now...”

The sight of Naruto and Rumi’s confrontation bothered her, but she doesn’t think she should push him about it. She’s not sure it’s her place to ask what happened. But she does want to know if… “Are you okay?”

He shrugs. “Yeah.” He still feels shitty about all of it, but it’s not like Rumi said anything untruthful. He already knows he’s the worst. And at least there’s some reprieve in knowing that...that he disgusts her…

She tries to assess his serious expression. Should she ask? Should she give him space? Do people talk about their exes with their new partner? In the past, he just talked about Kanae without any curiosity on her part, so she’s never had to ask before. “...Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

She nods silently.

“Ah!!” he shouts in realization. “I didn’t go up to her myself or anything like that, Hinata! She asked me if I was dating you, and I said yes, and then..yeah.”

She stares for a second, surprised by his sudden outburst, but she nods even harder. “I...I kind of thought so.”

He lets out a quiet sigh of relief. He realizes that Hinata could have interpreted everything differently. Like Shikamaru said, she could have suspected he approached Rumi first. But she didn’t. She trusted him. Out of her forgiveness, he somehow didn’t ruin the faith she’s putting into their new relationship. He can't take her patience for granted. He needs to try harder. He needs to do better for Hinata.

He stops in his tracks.

Noticing that he’s not keeping up, she turns around. “Naruto-kun?”

“You know that I’d never cheat on you, right?”

The thought hadn’t occurred to her at all.

“You know that my...previous relationships...don’t compare to this, how I feel for you?”

She feels a blush rise. “...Naruto-kun...you said something similar before…” Of course she didn’t forget!

“I’m sorry I dated them, I wish I never dated them. I wish I realized my feelings for you earlier, and I wish I only had had you this whole time.” The regrets that clamored about his mind rush out, and in his vulnerability, he watches, afraid that he’s only reminding her of his mistakes. Where does she draw the line in her patience? In her forgiveness?

“N-Naruto-kun,” she stutters out, flustered, “I didn’t think you were cheating on me.” It’s true that at the start of their relationship, she told herself to be careful, but he’s since given her the same concentrated attention that he would to a mission. She hasn’t once felt like his affection is a lie.

“Hinata…”

She nods. She swallows down the butterflies. “I get to be with you now, and I’m very happy. I’ve never been happier. So, don’t worry about me.”

Her warm smile sets him at ease. How fortunate is he to have someone like Hinata willing to deal with him? And on top of that, be happy about it? “I hope I can keep you happy. I’ll make sure you’re happy all the time.”

Her expression scrunches up. She doesn’t know whether to smile or reprimand him for such silly yet earnest promises. She can’t handle it. She shakes her head, and looks down. “Naruto-kun, that’s too much.”

Too much? “No, it’s not. It’s my job as your boyfriend.” If she’s not happy with him all the time, then she’ll leave. It’s the very least of his duties!

She meets his gaze again, slightly perplexed. “This isn’t your job, please don’t think of this as your job. When it’s us, it’s just us. Of course, I want to make you happy, too, Naruto-kun, but happiness is something we do together, right? We’re a team?”

“A team…”

“If we have bad days, or if we ever disagree on something, we work through it together, and we come out happier together.”

“Bad days? I’ll never let you have a bad day, Hinata!”

“W-what!” she laughs.

“I’ll protect you from everything bad, and we’ll never fight or argue or anything like that!”

“Naruto-kun!” she protests.

He knows it sounds silly, but he means it. “I never want to make you sad or mad.” ...It strikes him that he’s made this promise before, truly believing he would hold his end up. And he didn't, his words far lighter and more easily broken than he could have ever realized of himself. Now, a heavy shame he doesn't even know how to hold.

“I never want to make you sad or mad, either." She wonders at his sudden downcast expression, if he's still thinking about Rumi, and if he always puts so much pressure on himself for his relationships. She doesn't want to be another weight on his shoulders. She just wants to see his smile. "If you’re happy, then I’m happy.” She gazes up at him, hoping he sees that she needs nothing else.

Before her, his past guilt is forced back so easily. Everything with Hinata is so easy. He would have never known. He hurt Rumi for a reason, he broke that promise because they both have better things to move on to. Each moment with Hinata affirms his decision. No matter how selfish it was, if Hinata's happy, then it was worth it. She makes everything worth it. “I’m happy if you’re happy, too.”

Pink fills her cheeks as her smile brightens.

“Thank you for being my teammate, Hinata.”

She can’t help fidgeting from his sweetness. “Thank you for being my teammate, Naruto-kun.”

He lets her returned affection settle in, calm the vestiges of his anxiety. He’s constantly afraid that he’s going to mess up, but Hinata makes it seem as if he’s been doing fine this whole time.

It makes him hopeful that they will last. Past one month, today, tomorrow, next month, next year. This is only the start, but he’s already made so many promises to make up for everything he's lacking.

At the very least, he needs to prove his word is worth her faith.

That he has love, the real thing, behind each of his pitiful apologies.

He wants to start giving, not always receiving. Even if she says she's already happy, he knows he can do so much more. But how?

#white lilies #naruhina fanfic #naruhina angst #romance #canon divergent au #hanahaki #no the last #naruhina fanfiction #finally #only one more chapter of this fic and i'm done #thank you for reading!!

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vannahfanfics · 4 years

Text

Rainshowers

Category: Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Naruto

Characters: Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara

Good day, everyone! Here’s my story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami’s Day Six prompt, “Like Air in My Lungs (I Need You).” Enjoy!

“Ino. Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts?”

Sakura’s eyes were lidded as she gazed forlornly out of the café window. Her hand was curled around a cup of black tea that was long since cold, over half full of the dark brew. The rain was pounding against the glass beside her; the glass looked as if it were frosted with the pumping streams that were cascading down the smooth, clear surface like a steady waterfall. For the thousandth time that morning, she sighed deeply and looked out the corners of her eyes at her friend, lips pursed in a self-pitiful pout.

“Sakura.” The click in her tongue indicated that she was in for a chiding. She closed her blue eyes as she set down her cup of green tea with a shake of her head. “Shikamaru has been broken up with Temari for three weeks now! Why are you here moping to me when you could be making your move?” Sakura groaned loudly and slammed her forehead down onto the table, making the cups rattle and silverware jump.

“It’s too soon! Shouldn’t I wait at least a month?”

“Girl! You waited six months before he even started dating her! It’s not like they were together for a super long time; they went on three dates,” the blonde scolded her critically. Sakura groaned into the finished wood of the small café table. “Hey. Look at me, will ya?” Obediently, Sakura lifted her head to peer at her with big green eyes; Ino was leaning her cheek in her hand and smiling sympathetically. “I know how hard it is for you to reconcile with your feelings after the whole Sasuke thing petered out, but if you never take any risks, Sakura, you’re gonna live your life full of regret.” Ugh. I hate it when she’s right, the kunoichi thought with a dour pout as she sat herself up and ran a hand over her wearied face.

“I know,” she grumbled in agreement. She turned to glance out of the window once more. The wind whisked up the rain to all but throw it against the glass in furious pitter-patters. The perfect parallel to her tumultuous mood. I just… Don’t want to ruin the status quo, she continued silently as her eyes drifted halfway shut. The rain continued to pour.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura had bid Ino a good evening and begun the wet, rainy trek home. The rain pounding continuously on the rubbery layer of the red umbrella she was holding over her head like a shower of bullets. The dirt street was flooded with numerous, deep puddles of dirty rainwater that splashed up the sides of her bare calves with every squelching step. Sakura tilted the edge of the umbrella up for a moment to peek up at the sky; it was choked with ashy gray clouds that rolled with quiet thunder and flashes of bright white lightning deep within their bellies. No doubt, it would be a long time before the rain let up. With a small sigh, she dropped her head back down, chin striking her chest. In such dismal weather, it was nearly impossible not to brood. Her hand curled up around her heart as it clenched tightly in her chest. She had asked Ino if she had ever loved someone so deeply that it hurt, because all Sakura felt these days was a dull aching beneath her sternum- the low, throbbing pulse of insurmountable longing. It was a painfully familiar feeling, one she had lived with for several years, and sometimes she wondered if her love for Sasuke had diminished at all, if maybe she were confusing her little crush on Shikamaru with these deep feelings of hers.

Then she would see him- just like right then, as he trotted out of the door of a small convenience store with one hand in his pants pocket and the other tossing a small plastic bag of canned coffees over his shoulder. Sakura stopped in her tracks, green eyes wide as they beheld him grimacing up at the stormy heavens.

“Man, what a drag… I should’ve checked the weather forecast today. This is getting old,” he muttered. His legs were splashed up the side with mud and Sakura could clearly see dark spots littering his clothes, evident of still-drying rain spatters. Had he walked there in the pouring rain? He apparently didn’t notice her, as he hopped down the store’s steps to land with a light splash in the muddied street below and start walking in the opposite direction. Sakura flushed and dipped her umbrella down to cover her face. She didn’t want him to notice her, and yet her heart was screaming in agony, wishing dearly to be greeted. She clenched her teeth as it constricted angrily within her chest; her ears rang with the rush of blood and Shikamaru’s soft, splashing footsteps. Her eyes flickered as the toes of his boots appeared just under the rim of the umbrella, passing her left side. She could go unnoticed. She could.

But did she want to?

“Sh-shikamaru!” she cried before her mind could stop her. Water jumped around her feet in a wide, curving arc as she whirled on her heel, and she accidentally threw the umbrella up too high, cause a sudden burst of raindrops to crash down into her face. Startled, she wiped at it quickly with her sleeve before blinking the water away to see Shikamaru staring at her with widened eyes. A mortified blush blazed across her cheeks, but she had already called out to him, so she had no choice but to stand her ground. “D-do you want me to walk you home? It’s pouring… You could catch cold.” She wished more than anything that her voice came out more confident. Hinata could run circles around her.

“You live in the opposite direction, though,” he frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. The coffee cans jingled with the movement. Sakura stared slack-jawed at him for a second. How stupid she must look! Of course it would be weird offering to walk him home when they lived on completely different sides of time.

“U-um, I’m just out for a walk. I’m not going anywhere in particular, so, it doesn’t matter to me,” she recovered lamely. His black eyes met hers for a moment, calculating. She wondered if he could see the nervousness blooming in her spring green depths.

“Well, you gonna bring the umbrella over here or you gonna just let me stand out in the rain?” With a squeak, she scampered over to him, hoisting the umbrella up to accommodate his tall frame. He slipped his hand back in his pocket as he turned to begin walking in step with her. Her legs were significantly shorter, so she had to set her pace almost twice as much as his to keep up. The umbrella bobbed up and down over their heads as she scuttled along beside him. “So what brings you out for a walk in this ugly weather?”

“O-oh, um, I met Ino for lunch at a café earlier, but I just wasn’t in the mood to go home yet.” At least it wasn’t a total lie.

“What, do you two get together once a week to exchange gossip or something?” he sniffed teasingly. Sakura’s face turned the color of her hair; yeah, basically, that was what they were doing. Shikamaru blinked at her stunned silence, then began chuckling. “Sounds about right. Lemme guess- Ino just had to spill that me ‘n Temari aren’t a thing anymore, right? Can’t tell her anything.” She couldn’t tell by the tone of his voice if he was actually angry that the blonde was spreading his business around or if he was just mildly amused; it was blank, void of much emotion at all, and when Sakura peeked up at him she saw that his face was pretty much the same. He stared straight onward with slightly lidded eyes. He looked deep in contemplation.

“… Did you really like her?” she asked quietly. If he was sad, she wanted to be there to comfort him, as his friend. However, part of her was terrified for him to answer that he had possessed strong feelings for the girl. That would just drive the nail into the coffin that contained her own feelings.

“No,” he answered, almost a little too easily. Sakura’s heart skipped with hope. She then flushed with shame. Why should she be happy that his relationship with Temari hadn’t worked out? That was a terrible thing! His eyes shifted to bore into hers again, making her wince slightly. Was she supposed to say something? What should she say? Sakura was just brutally honest; it was especially hard with Shikamaru to act all unperturbed.

“S-so… You’re the one who called it off?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” The question burned like fire on her tongue. Temari was smart and capable; honestly, Shikamaru would be lucky to have her. Of course, the answer could be as simple as he wasn’t feeling it. That was a perfectly reasonable answer, but doubt poked at the back of Sakura’s mind. The two had always had great chemistry, even to the point that people had assumed they were dating. It was almost certain that they would hit it off. So why…?

Shikamaru suddenly stopped, and she followed suit, looking at him in bewilderment. His hand slowly came up to wrap around hers that was holding the handle of the umbrella; blush shot up her arm to creep up her neck and face, and had Shikamaru not been gripping the handle tightly, the umbrella would be shaking from the quiver that had gripped her body. His dark eyes glittered with something that Sakura couldn’t place- amusement? Glee? Maybe a faint bit of derision? It was an intense stare that had a pleasurable shiver propagating from her head to her toes and back. She felt it, again, that suffocating constriction in her chest that made her lungs burn. The love that hurt. Electrified, she could only gawk up at him and wait for him to speak.

“Because I was just trying to kid myself out of the fact that I was already in love with somebody else.” His words were but ghosts, drifting over Sakura’s blush-stained face in feather-light wisps. She was so enraptured by them that she didn’t even react when the bag of coffee cans clattered loudly to the ground, nor when both his hands rose to gently cup her face. For some reason, only one thing and one thing only was on her mind.

“Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurt?”

“Every damn day.”

The seconds between his answer and what happened next were forever a blank period in her memory. Like a record skipping, she was suddenly just there, umbrella discarded and arms around his neck and lips furiously smashing against his in a desperate, heated kiss. The cool rain cascading down her skin foiled the burning sensation of lust flourishing through her insides like fire; everywhere his hands landed- her neck, her hips, her back- there bloomed fiery pleasure as her nerves short-circuited. Sakura hadn’t realized up until then how short of breath she was. As soon as his lips met hers, it felt like pure oxygen flooded her lungs, swelling them to maximum capacity. It was like he breathed life into her; she couldn’t breathe without him, she loved and needed him that much, and so she refused to part her mouth from his even as her head began to dizzy with lack of breath. When his tongue dipped into her mouth to eagerly tangle with her own, her knees buckled and she slumped against him, mind foggy as she began to slowly spin into suffocation. It felt so good. It felt like a part of her was made whole again.

She was panting hard when he forced himself away from her. Despite her gasping breaths, her face still chased his as it left, her mouth lamenting the loss of the taste of him, like bitter coffee and green tea and spices. He supported her limp frame with his sturdy arms as she slowly came down from the impossible high. She blinked as her mind came back to her. The rain had picked up considerably and they were both now dripping wet, beaded raindrops falling from their chins and elbows and seeping into their clothes to darken the fabric. Sakura laughed lightly as she swept a few of the pink strands that had plastered to her face.

“I let go of the umbrella,” she mused bashfully and looked down the street to see it rolling like a tumbleweed far down the street. She turned back to see that they had been standing in front of his house the entire time. Now I have to walk all the way home in the rain… Sakura didn’t mind it, really. With the gentle, bubbling heat pulsing through her body at the moment, she doubted the chill of the rain would be able to reach her at all. Shikamaru seemed to have other ideas, though.

“What a pity. Guess you’re not going anywhere until the rain lets up.” Her face turned beet-red at the sultry growl in his voice. She squealed in surprise as he suddenly hoisted her up, and her legs snapped closed around his hips on instinct.

“Shi-! Shika-!” she stammered uselessly. Her brain was far too fried to form coherent words. He gave her a twisted, mischievous smirk as he whirled on his heel to march up the path leading to his residence, while Sakura’s nails dug down into his shoulder in a white-knuckled grip. “Have you lost your mind?!”

“I’m quite lucid, thank you,” he purred as he kicked the garden gate latch up and opened it with a foot. He kicked it shut behind him, not seeming to care at all that it only bounced back open to begin flapping back and forth in the wind. “What, do you really wanna go on your ‘walk’ that bad?” Her face continued to flush at his teasing words. Of course she didn’t want to go on a damn walk! Mortified and shamefully excited, she leaned forward to bury her face into his shoulder as he carried her into the empty house.

It was certainly not how she expected to spend the rainy day, but boy, did she have some gossip for Ino for their next café meet-up…

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork @searchfortheonepiece @shikasaku-week

#shikasaku week #shikasaku week hanami #shikasaku #shikasaku week 2020 #shikamaruxsakura #shikamaru x sakura #sakuraxshikamaru #sakura x shikamaru #sakura haruno #haruno sakura #shikamaru nara #nara shikamaru #naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto fanfic #naruto fanfiction

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phantomrose96 · 7 years

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Yall know the drill. 5 miles, BNHA episode recap

Every single one of my Group Project With Terrible Group Members anxieties was on fire within 30 seconds of this episode

Me, quietly, under my breath: Clearly Deku is trying to do the work it’s his partner who’s not helping tell the teacher Deku deserves an A its not his fault hes in a shitty group.

For real this is almost a tongue-in-cheek commentary on schools handling bullying. Turns to the person clearly only being victimized who’s done nothing wrong. “Now I think you BOTH need to work on your get-along skills hmmm?”

They sure like to name episodes as “[Character name]: Origin”

I really like how Shonen Logic:tm: works where characters can be smashed through buildings and be fine, but Bakugou whapping Deku in the nose with his stupid gauntlet leaves Deku wincing on the ground.

and by “really like” i mean “im really fucking hurt. Deku looked so hurt he didnt deserve that”

Look at him. Look at him he didnt deserve that. Someone please kick Bakugou’s ass.

Status update: the rest of the episode is All Might kicking Bakugou’s ass. Nice. Prick.

Bakugou: [yells] Deku: [yelling] stop yelling!

All Might proceeds to shut Bakugou up. Nice All Might good job listening.

I’m so happy for All Might. He’s having the best time being a villain. You know he’s giggling like a five year old on the inside you know it. He gets to just break shit and be evil. I love it.

[Obligatory Sans Undertale joke]

OKAY SO ALL MIGHT’S NOT FUCKING AROUND ALRIGHTY THIS IS FINE.

HI WELCOME TO U.A. THE TOP SCHOOL IN THE WORLD OUR CURRICULUM IS BEATING THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING PULP OUT OF YOUR CHILDREN ANY QUESTIONS?

That’s not even hyperbole Bakugou got his breakfast beaten right out of him RIP Bakugou yikes

NGL the changing angle made it look for a moment like All Might impaled Deku with that fence and like....little dark, All Might.

“You will be my successor Midoriya when I pass the torch on oh shit fuck right you needed those internal organs. Ive lived without mine so long I forgot they were there. My bad. ......Should I move the fence?”

Bakugou: “I’m going to beat All Might with my own two fists!” All Might: -punches Bakugou’s breakfast right out of him- Bakugou: “Never mind!!!! Turns out I suck!!! Test canceled!!! I quit!!!”

Deku: -slugs Bakugou- listen u shit I’m not throwing away my A for this.

“We still have to fight All Might!!” Okay Vomit-Mouth.

Poor Deku, for the whole alley scene. Bakugou’s just fucking screaming at him 2.5 inches away and Bakugou won’t wipe his damn mouth like damn at least pop a breath mint or something if youre gonna harrass Deku point-blank like that it’s gross.

I LOVE ALL MIGHT’S RUN HE LOOKS LIKE A DOOFY VIDEO GAME CHARACTER

Deku: “Finally, with Bakugou’s gauntlet I can use a quirk without breaking my own arm.” Deku: -breaks his arm from the recoil- Deku: “Oh fucking come on”

I love Bakugou just blast-zooming through the air while he and Deku talk it’s like those long-ass Naruto scenes where they hop 2945 feet between branches. Except poor Deku’s gotta like, actually run. Offer him a ride Bakugou you animal.

Deku: “That gate’s fucking kawaii and I’m kinda insulted considering how I’ve been nearly killed to death like four times in this thing but okay whatever.”

DORK

ALL MIGHT THEYRE CHILDREN GODDAMN

I BEAT A MOTHER FUCKER WITH ANOTHER MOTHER FUCKER

Bakugou: -uses his quirk to fucking launch Deku toward the goal like a sack of potatoes- me, thinking back to the physical tests of season 1: Haha call back.

ALL MIGHT THEY ARE C H I L D R EN

Bakugou: “what!!?? YOU THOUGHT DEKU WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD BREAK ALL HIS ARMS AND SCREAM!!? I CAN BREAK MY ARMS EVEN FUCKING BETTER THAN HE CAN”

ALL MIGHT THIS IS NOT HOW MERCY WORKS

this is physically painful to watch im like upset

theyre kids theyre just kids leave them a l o n e

also Bakugou trying to bite All Might’s hand as a last ditch effort is just....real sad? It hurts? This all hurts?

Im glad Deku punched All Might he was being a real jackass today.

Recovery Girl, for the 19375th time: “The absolute fucking shit I put up with because of you people”

#boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha #mha #bnha spoilers #emetophobia //

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sagara-megumi · 7 years

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SasuSaku Month - Day 15: The Slug and the Snake || [Fanfic] Till Death Do Us Part

Title: Till Death Do Us Part

Rating: T/PG-13

Notes: Sorry to keep you waiting, but at last, the final chapter is here ^^ It’s sad but at the same time accomplishing because it’s the first time that I finish a multi-chaptered story and that I write so much in such amount of time.

The notes are a bit long this time, but I’d like you to read them, since they can be useful.

This time, the prompt is symbolic. Looking for information for my next story (that hopefully will use some of the prompts I still haven’t done) I found on a book about Japanese Mythology that the snake, among other things, symbolises lust. Imagine the possibilities that opened in my mind at that moment *grin* Regarding the slug, the only thing I could find was the healing power, so Sakura gets stuck in the medical field once again.

I decided that both their names are written in kanji, since both of them belong to old families (I haven’t seen any examples of this written in hiragana/katakana, like in the manga). For those who feel curious… 団扇佐助 // 春野桜 (I know that in Sasuke’s case those are the kanji for “uchiwa“, but… ^^U)

The events described in the fanfic are my impressions after watching several videos and reading about the topic. There will be mistakes, of course, so I apologise in advance.

Be aware that the rating has gone up. There’s nothing really explicit but you’ll know what’s happening. If I labelled it incorrectly, please don’t hesitate to tell me. Since a few years, the rating system has been a mess. I’ve found really strong things under the M/R and even the T/PG-13 tags and really innocent ones under T/PG-13 so, I’m more or less following my instinct.

Thanks to the lovely @isa-chi who put up with my ramblings and my frustration, and advised me on a couple of topics especially related to OOC. And also to all the people who read it, sent messages, liked, reblogged and followed me, waiting patiently for updates. You don’t know how happy each of those single things made me. And thank you to @sasusakumonths for organising it. It’s been really fun ♡

As always, if there’s something wrong (spaces, brackets…), please, tell me. I hope you enjoy this final instalment :)

Glossary: I’ve tried to keep the Japanese terms to a minimum, though some things are not accurately translated

-uchikake: the bridal kimono. It can be white (the most common used for the ceremony) or with colours (normally used for the celebration). it’s much more heavier than a normal kimono, and it’s tied differently too. -onigiri: riceball -nori: the seaweed that is wrapped around the onigiri

Words: 7339

TILL DEATH DO US PART

Drinking a sip of her coffee, Sakura observed as Sasuke started to complete their marriage form, the pen in his right hand tracing the kanji of his full name slowly, as if he feared to make a mistake. They had decided to fill it and take it to the Ward Office together so, early in the morning, Sakura had gone to his apartment carrying the documents she would need.

Finally, the day had come. After their engagement, as soon as Sasuke had recovered, they had visited each family to announce that they were getting married. She still remembered the satisfaction in her grandmother’s eyes as Sasuke bowed to ask permission to her and her parents to marry her. At the beginning, she had felt a bit offended. It was as if Chiyo was telling her that she had caught the prized candidate when that had been the last thing on her mind practically from the beginning. However, later that night as she made her way to the kitchen for a snack before going to bed, she found her kneeling in front of the altar dedicated to her late grandfather, talking lovingly to him about the happiness she felt because her granddaughter had found a wonderful man, that she had seen in his eyes how much he loved her; reminiscing the time when they had met and how love had grown between them in the same way as in the young couple; that now she understood why they had taken their time to made their decision. And her heart had gone to the old lady who still mourned the death of his dear husband.

In the Uchiha clan’s house, things had not been very different. As Sasuke did, she had tried to ignore the whispers she heard about how pleased the elders were that the second son of the main branch had attained to such a wonderful heiress. Though, she had to say that his closest family had been truly happy for him as they wished them happiness.

“Sakura,” Sasuke’s voice, a bit disgruntled, reached her. “Are you listening to me?”

With a jolt, she looked at her fiancée, who was watching her with a delicate crease in his brows. He sighed.

“Obviously, not.”

“Sorry, Sasuke-kun… I had something on my mind…”

“I saw…” he smirked lightly. “Last minute jitters?”

She pouted, her eyes flashing defiantly.

“Of course not!”

He moved his head to the sides, a gesture that Sakura interpreted as mocking resignation, and then, he handed her the ball point.

“I’m finished.”

For a moment, she seemed to find fascination even in the action of him giving her that pen and she exhaled, exasperated at herself. She was too absent-minded that morning. She took it and with precise strokes, she wrote the information needed and took her family stamp to seal the document.

“Alright” Sasuke said standing up and putting the form inside the folder with his documents. “Let’s go. Today we have a very busy day ahead.”

Sakura looked at his retreating form for a moment before rising from her seat. It was the first time since they had met that she saw him in such informal clothes. It was summer, so he was wearing a dark blue polo shirt and white jeans. She could not help swoon a little. That man, who she had seen attract the attention of women without doing anything special wherever he went, was going to be hers from that day on.

“What’s with you today?” he was already in the hall, with his deck shoes on and one hand on his waist, looking at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. “Are you feeling well?”

“Yes!” she walked quickly to his side and put her cream-coloured sandals on, “I’m just a bit distracted.”

“Why?” he asked, checking that he had the keys for the house and the car in his pockets.

“Well” she put her hands behind her back and looked at the flat somewhat wistfully. “Today is a very important day… And, this will be my house from now on…” he looked at her with slightly widened eyes. “I suppose I’m feeling a bit melancholic apart from the usual nervousness…”

Sasuke’s features became warmer and he put a hand on her head, stroking it affectionally.

“Come on…”

They arrived at the Ward Office a few minutes after it had opened and finished with the last procedures quickly.

“The certificate will be available in two days” the friendly clerk at the desk told them. “Congratulations on your marriage.”

They thanked him and went back, Sasuke looking at his watch. Fortunately, it had taken less time than they had thought, so there would not be any delays in the tight schedule that they had that day. After his collapse, they had become very busy with their works and the wedding arrangements, but he had been careful not to cross the line again, especially with Sakura, Ino, Itachi and Naruto checking on him every day. The last few weeks, however, he had tried to do as much as possible to be able to clear those three days, from that one to the end of the week, for the wedding and an extremely short honeymoon that they had decided to spend mainly at home after the stressful preparations. They would have time for a proper wedding trip later on.

As they came out, they stopped and looked at each other, smiling. Even if they called off the shrine ceremony and all the events that were taking place in a few hours, they were now officially husband and wife.

Sasuke grabbed her hand with a satisfied expression on his face and started walking toward the car, she following him swiftly. But she could not help looking over her shoulder towards the entrance of the Office, swallowing hard and feeling a sudden rush of emotion. She had entered there being Haruno Sakura, and though nothing special had happened, a different person had come out. From that moment on, she was Uchiha Sakura.

“… Going forward, we’ll love each other, trust one another, share the good times and the bad and swear that this will stay unchanged throughout our lifetime.”

Sakura’s hands trembled slightly listening to Sasuke take their wedding vow before the gods in the shrine that his clan belonged to, as they held the paper where it was written. His voice, clear and steady was a reflection of his resolution to honour that promise.

“Husband, Uchiha Sasuke”

Despite her agitation, she breathed deeply, wanting to answer with the same conviction as him.

“Wife: Sakura”

Sasuke folded the paper again and left it carefully on the reclining set before them, stealing a glance at his bride. She had her head tilted down and he could only see her lips, painted in a rich shade of red, under the cotton hat she wore for the ceremony. To say that she was beautiful in her wedding kimono was not enough compliment. He had literally stopped breathing when he had seen her clad in the beautiful white uchikake embroidered with cranes and flowers that, as she had told him before while planning the wedding, had belonged to her family for years as her grandmother and her mother had worn it before her.

The Shinto priest, then, brought a tray with a box and offered it to Sasuke. He took the wedding ring with great care and offered her his other hand. She lifted hers, her heart beating wildly in her chest, and he took it as he put the ring on her finger. Sakura realised that he was trembling a bit and she lifted her face to him. What she saw stole her breath away. Maybe it was not the most beautiful smile of the world, but the one that graced Sasuke’s lips at that moment was radiant with content and tenderness. Sakura’s eyes filled with tears and she would have ended up crying if the priest had not put the tray in front of her. Swallowing hard and clenching her teeth to control herself, feeling relieved that with the hat she wore no one could notice her moment of weakness, she picked up the other ring. He extended his hand and slowly, feeling as if her heart could burst from all the happiness she was feeling, she put it on his finger.

“Ready?” one of the women dressed formally who were at the door of the reception hall looked at Sasuke and Sakura, and they nodded.

The double door opened and they entered the room, their guests clapping enthusiastically. Sakura had changed some of her clothes. She had taken off the hat and now wore her hair in a modest bun adorned with traditional hairpins, and had changed her white uchikake for another colourful one which belonged to Sasuke’s family.

They arrived at their table and bowed to the guests. Just then, the waiters and waitresses came out of a door and started filling their glasses while the host told the people they were going to toast to the groom and the bride.

Soon after, the food was served and the speeches began. One by one, their kindergarten teacher, Kakashi, their professors at university, Tsunade, as her mentor, and Itachi, as Sasuke’s superior, told anecdotes about the years spent with them.

Then, Naruto went up the platform and Sasuke felt himself cringe. They had gone through a lot together, good things and bad ones and their bond was practically unbreakable, but also, his best friend was aware of all his failures and most embarrassing moments, and though he was completely sure that he could trust him with his life, he also knew that sometimes, he talked too much. He could not help having a bad feeling about it.

“They make a fine couple, don’t you think, Madara-san?”

The man, with his arm crossed on his chest, nodded as he watched Sasuke and Sakura listen to his best friend, Naruto, give a speech which made people laugh and clap, as he talked about some of the moments they had lived together.

“I have to confess that, at the beginning, I was quite sceptical about your suggestion of arranging for them to meet, Chiyo-san” he said with a small smile, very similar to Sasuke’s. “I thought that you desired someone in the medical field for the future heiress of your legacy. Someone who doesn’t have any knowledge, like my grandson, is not going to be of great help.”

“I understood soon enough that my granddaughter didn’t need a husband like that. She’s extraordinarily intelligent and a brilliant doctor; after all, she’s trained under the famous physician Senju Tsunade” she said sparing a fleeting glance towards the renowned doctor, sitting at a table not far from theirs. “Any man in the same field of expertise would feel intimidated by her, even resentful. And, despite being burdened by responsibility and tradition, I love my granddaughter and I was not going to get her into a marriage where she would end up suffering. However, Sasuke-san can lend his support in other ways. Financially, of course, but also he can offer her advice based on his experience. A hospital chairman is a doctor and a business person at the same time.”

“You had your plans well laid” he smirked. “I’m impressed.”

“Well, not all of them” she folded her hands on her lap. “I hoped that, being young, they would grow some affection for each other with time. However, my wish became true much earlier. It is obvious that Sasuke-san cares deeply for my granddaughter, and sincerely, I could not ask for more.”

“Honestly I even thought once that he would never marry” Naruto continued his speech. “He’s got a weird personality and he sometimes doesn’t talk, probably thinking he’s so cool. Also, he can be really arrogant and a bit twisted, but he’s the best man I’ve ever met in my life. Sakura-chan, I know he’s a hassle and a pig head, as you probably noticed a few months ago when he fell ill, but, please, take care of him. I’m sure you two are going to be the happiest couple in the world” he made a victory sign. “After Hinata-chan and me, of course.”

People laughed as they clapped and Naruto went back to his seat. Then, as the host announced the next speech, Sasuke took a sip of his drink, relieved. Apart from some comments, like the last ones, about his character, and that he had talked about the first time he had got drunk, things had not gone so bad.

The hall became darker as Ino took her place behind the microphone.

“Good afternoon. I’m Yamanaka Ino and I have the fortune of knowing this two people for years. But today, I’m not going to talk as Uchiha Sasuke’s secretary, but as Sakura’s friend” she paused for a moment to look at her notes. “Sakura and I met in the first year of elementary school, when we ended up in the same classroom, sitting one behind the other. As you see, we have a long story together…”

A soft music started playing and they all turned to a screen located over the main door, where a video started to show. It displayed photographs of the two girls since their childhood: school events, festivals, graduations, parties… Ino had a memory for each of those moments, which people laughed about or had to dab at their eyes with handkerchiefs. Finally, the video ended with the two of them laughing at the entrance of the Todai University, the day of Sakura’s graduation.

“When she told me that her omiai partner was the President I work for, I was a bit wary because I discovered then that I was linked to both, and it was going to be uncomfortable if one of them felt hurt in case that there was a rejection. But when she said they were getting married, I was really glad.” she turned to the couple. “President, the only thing I’m going to ask of you in this life is to make her happy. Despite our arguments and differences in many things, she’s one of the people I love the most and, forgive me for my impertinence, I’d hate you if you made her suffer her. Congratulations…” she inhaled, trying to hold back her tears. “And stop crying, Forehead!

She bowed and Sakura felt the strong urge to run to her best friend and hug her. However, she had to repress it, since it was not the moment and with her clothes she would probably make a fool of herself, so she restricted herself to watch Ino coming down the platform and going straight to her seat, trying to hold her tears. She had to remember to hold her tight the next time she saw her.

“Are you fine?” Sai whispered putting an arm around Ino’s shoulders so she could lean her head on his shoulder, not caring about maintaining the appearances or the curious looks they were receiving.

She nodded and he dropped a soft kiss on her head.

“Good…” he paused for a moment. “Did you finally graduate from him?”

She nodded again and he could not help the smile that drew across his lips, relief washing over him. His heart filled with content at knowing that Ino was now completely and truly his, as he realised that a very small part of him that had been well hidden deep inside, had been really unhappy and jealous. Maybe, it was time for them to start thinking about tying the knot too.

Sasuke stood up, after a few moments. It was time for the groom speech. However, he did not move, he just looked at Sakura that smiled, carefully rising from her chair too. They were going to break the rules a bit. There was a soft surprised humming as the guests saw that both of them moved to the microphone, the expectation hanging in the air heavily.

He took a small slip of paper from the folds of his kimono and opened it, drawing in a soft breath. He was used to speaking in public, to weave his way and opinions without any doubts to business partners, directors and associates. However, he had never been good at expressing his emotions, at telling the people he cared for his feelings. His heart had been closed for many years after he had understood his position in his family and what they expected of him. His life no longer belonged to him, but to the clan. But that did not mean that he had become cold or had stopped loving them. That speech had taken him a lot of time to write, carefully choosing his words, rewriting once and again what he wanted to say. He only hoped he had been able to convey his thoughts in his words.

“Thank you to all of you for coming today and share with us this joyous event despite your busy schedules…” after the standard greeting, he breathed again. “When I was five, my life changed completely. From being a carefree child, I became someone who would have an important role in the future of his clan, and though, as a boy, could not see farther than my own selfishness, getting angry because things were not the same anymore, my family’s guidance and affection helped me to take the correct choices in life. I am what I am thanks to my father, who taught me the value of working hard, having perseverance and taking pride in my origins, my mother, warm and caring, but also stern when she had to be, and my brother who protected and comforted me as a child, and is someone I look up to every day” he glanced at Sakura. “Today, my wife and I are starting a new life. We are inexperienced in many things and we will probably stumble from time to time. I hope that you can continue watching over us the same as you have done for me up to now” he turned to Sakura. “Our beginning was difficult and we were unsure and full of doubts, and we have been through difficult moments. However, despite not being married, not even engaged, you were beside me during that time, strong and steadfast. Thank you, Sakura-san. I hope that in the years to come, I can be your support as you have been, and are, mine.”

He bowed, and Sakura had to bite her lower lip hard to contain her tears. When he lifted his head and saw her efforts, he took his handkerchief from his kimono and gave it to her with a tender smile that made those who saw it stare in awe. Sakura took a deep breath and straightened. Turning to their guests, she nodded.

“I’m sorry…”

Then, Sasuke took a step back to let her take his place. She took a paper from her obi and unfolded it. Breathing once more, she started reading.

“Thank you for being with us on such an important day in our lives” she inhaled again, calming herself, her voice becoming more confident. “I have always been aware of my role in life, and I embraced it enthusiastically since I was a little girl. I come from a family of doctors and I saw like a natural thing that I would become one in the future. I am one now. However, it’s not my merit alone. I had, along the way up to now, three wonderful people, my grandmother, my father and my mother, who were an example and my inspiration for all I wanted to achieve and I have been fortunate to count on their support and their advice in the steps I have taken along the way.” she paused for a moment. “Even though an omiai can be a very difficult event nowadays, when life offers us so many possibilities and ideas, I’m very glad to have followed my grandmother’s counsel and gone through it, because I met someone who has become very important for me” she tilted her head and looked at him. “Sasuke-san, let’s walk together this path that we have started today and build a household of our own following the example of the people who had surrounded and cherished us until this moment. I am sure that they will continue offering us their encouragement and love. As for us, as in all journeys, we will probably have good times and also encounter difficulties in our marriage. I want to be able to enjoy the first ones and solve little by little the second ones together with you, till death do us part.”

She gave a step backwards and together with her husband, she bowed to the guests, who were clapping and some of them crying openly. They could even hear one or two cheers from their louder friends. Then, two assistants gave them bouquets of flowers, and they made their way to the back, where their families were awaiting them. They bowed respectfully and then, gave the flowers to their mothers. Mikoto had a hard time controlling her tears, deeply moved because her younger child had never said what he truly felt since he was small and Fugaku put his hand on his back, smiling proudly at the respectable man that his son had become.

“Thank you…”

A tear fell down Sakura’s mother as she took the flowers from her daughter, who held her hand affectionately.

When they stepped aside instead of posing for a photograph, all the people in the hall held their breath again, expectant. Both of them approached the table nearest the place where their parents were, and the assistant gave her a second bouquet that she gave to her grandmother.

“Grandmother…” the old lady took it a bit disconcerted. “I know that you’re not in favour of breaking traditions and protocol, but it’s thanks to you that we’re here today. Sasuke-kun and I wanted to give you this.”

Chiyo blushed a bit.

“But it was Madara-san’s idea too…”

“But we can’t give him flowers, can we?” she said with a smile.

Then, she straightened and turned to his grandfather, bowing again.

“Thank you.”

Sasuke sighed as he adjusted his grey tie watching his reflection in the full-length mirror before letting one of the assistants help him with the frock coat. Despite liking kimonos quite a lot, he was definitely much more comfortable with those clothes, so similar to his everyday ones. He took the gloves and, nodding to the assistants, came out of the changing room. He walked along the corridor to where Sakura’s door was, ready to wait.

After the photographs with their family, they had gone out of the hall for a change of clothes. As they were planning the wedding, he had asked Sakura if she did not want to wear one of those big white Western wedding dresses that Japanese women dreamt of. Though her answer had been somewhat vague saying that it had been a little girl’s fantasy, he had realised that she still (tenía la ilusión). And he had finally managed to convince her to do it. Though they belonged to old families and they were going to follow tradition to the end, the wedding was theirs, and they could allow themselves a whim. Like the one with their grandparents. He had been surprised when he had learnt that his grandfather had played an important role in their omiai, despite being all Sakura’s grandmother idea. And when she had asked him if he minded that she paid a little homage to her, he had thought it would be nice to thank the patriarch of the clan too.

He was looking out of one of the windows on the wall opposite her room when he heard the door behind him open, and he turned. The sight left him breathless. Sakura was at the door, being helped by her assistants, and she was looking at him with a mixture of excitement and hope. She was wearing a beautiful empire style wedding dress with sleeves that only covered her shoulders, a bodice decorated with small pearls and a flowing skirt with two layers embroidered with lace. Her hair was tied in a side bun on the left side of her head framed by some organza lotus flowers.

“Oh, the groom” one of the assistants said with a smile. “We hope you are pleased with the bride’s look.”

He felt a knot in his throat. He wanted to say something and make her happy, it was obvious that she was expecting him to do it, but he just could not do it; not with those strangers listening and the people near the reception hall door waiting. If one day he complimented her, he wanted it to be for her alone.

Sakura smiled softly, as if she could sense his inner conflict and, turning to her helpers, she thanked them. Then, she approached her handsome husband, who was still looking at her with admiration, and took him by the arm. He did not need words to say what she wanted to know.

“Come on, Sasuke-kun” Sakura started walking towards the hall, changing the topic. “We still have a cake to cut and many greetings to give” he groaned a bit and she smiled widely. “And the after-party, let’s not forget about that!”

He chuckled lightly, letting her drag him away from the women who had put him in a predicament, calming down with her chatting. And he decided to follow her cue teasing her a bit.

“So, your intention from the beginning was to kill your groom of exhaustion and become a widow on your first day of marriage…?”

“What a day, um?” Sakura said with a sigh as she looked at Sasuke’s back, who was busy in the kitchen.

They had arrived at their flat a few minutes before, completely spent after the after-party with their friends and younger members of their families, where they had been drinking and playing games. However, neither in the reception nor that gathering they had been able to eat much so they had just been finishing taking off their shoes when Sasuke’s stomach had made a rumbling sound that had made her start laughing. He had shown her an irritated expression and had called her annoying but it was difficult to take his soreness seriously seeing the blush that adorned his cheeks.

After he had taken revenge tapping her on the head lightly and she had calmed down, he had suggested an early dinner and they had entered the kitchen. However, as she was asking him for an apron, he had taken her by the shoulders and sat her down on a stool, alleging that she had to be more tired than him, since her efforts during the wedding had been greater.

He made a sound of assertion as his hands took another scoop of rice and moulded it like an onigiri that he put on a plate.

“Are you going to wear that for the rest of the day?” he asked looking over his shoulder, clearly referring to her wedding dress.

“Of course!” she said with a childish smile, lifting her legs and wriggling her toes. “I really love it and it was very expensive, so the least I can do is enjoy it as much as possible” he chuckled lightly as he bent, opening a cabinet on his right and picking up a wooden board to cut the nori for the onigiri. “I’m thinking I could have it altered and have a new dress for any event that we have to attend.”

“It’s a good idea” he spared a brief glance at his grey frock coat, neatly folded on a chair near her. “Maybe I could do the s- Ouch!”

Instinctively, Sakura stood and rushed to his slightly crouched figure. He had his finger in his mouth, a mixture of pain and annoyance marring his face.

“Let me see” she commanded him with a professional tone, taking his hand and inspecting the cut.

Fortunately, it was not very deep but some thick drops of blood were running down his finger.

“Where’s the first-aid kit?”

“In that cupboard”

She put his finger under water from the sink tap and went to retrieve it. Looking for some bandages, she took his finger and inspected it again before pressing firmly to cut the bleeding. She guided him to the stool where she had been sitting and smiled softly to him as she lifted the gauze to take a better look at the little wound. After a few more minutes of pressure, she picked up another piece of cloth and dabbed at the cut delicately with some antibiotics cream she had found. Finally, she put a plaster on it.

“There, almost healed. Keep it covered for two day-” she brought her hand to her mouth. “Sorry… It’s the habit…”

“Thank you” he shook his head once, not really minding her doctor side showing.

She smiled as she put everything back in the kit and put it in the same cupboard.

“And now, let me finish dinner, okay? It’s better if you don’t get that cut dirty” she looked at the drawers on her left pensively. “And, it’s better if I get used to things here soon.”

He smiled, feeling inwardly happy.

“Second drawer.”

An hour later, Sakura heard Sasuke’s footsteps behind her and she turned in time for him to offer her a cup of tea. She smiled thankfully and he sat down next to her, giving a sip to his drink. They were sitting on the sofa in the living room watching the landscape, after enjoying dinner. As that night many months ago, they had turned it so it faced the large window, hearing the muffled sounds that came from the street and watching the sun sink slowly behind the buildings in a comfortable silence. Little by little the living room became darker.

“Give me your cup” Sasuke said standing up and going to the kitchen to leave them on the sink.

When he came back, he sat beside her again, looking at the rays of the sun reflected on the glass of the buildings near theirs and the light of the cars that went up the street opposite them, travelling in precise order. Absentmindedly, he took her hand in his, caressing the back with his thumb for a few minutes, and she answered to his touch squeezing it lightly. When he felt the roughness of the stones, he looked down and watched for a moment the two rings on her finger, playing with them lightly with his index. Then, he brought it to his lips and kissed it reverently, closing his eyes briefly.

When he opened his lids, slowly, he found her gaze on him, full of tenderness, and a soft smile on her lips. He leant forward and she met him halfway. It was a simple, lingering brushing of their mouths but it made them giddy with emotion and filled their hearts with happiness.

The first kiss of their married life.

They parted after a few moments and looked at each other, smiling softly. Then, Sasuke touched her forehead with his, and she laughed a bit.

“Are you happy?”

“Yes…” his smile widened a bit and she looked at him. “And you…?”

As a reply, he cupped her cheek with one hand, brushing her skin with his thumb. Sometimes, he felt so useless for not being able to express what was truly in his heart openly, to tell her all she wanted and needed to hear. She deserved so much to listen to them… However, his reserved character, his stern upbringing had made him like that. Maybe, someday, he would be able to tell her all the things he kept inside. As he looked into her eyes, shining with delight he found himself fortunate for having found a woman who understood him.

He kissed her again, this time deeper, wishing to express what he could not put into words, giving his all each time their mouths separated for a brief intake of breath just to join again more passionately. The soft moan that escaped her throat filled his veins with desire, and this time, he did not bother to tame it. She did not have to go back home, she was not a partner, she was not his fiancée… He did not have to contain himself anymore.

He left her lips and hid his head in her neck, leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses. She sighed his name and he went back to her lips, satisfied at her equally intense response.

When they parted, completely out of breath and quivering, Sasuke stood up and put an arm around her waist and another under her knees, lifting her from the sofa, her arms circling his shoulders, and he crossed the living room and entered the corridor, towards the bedroom.

“It’s still daylight…” she murmured, hiding her face in his shoulder.

“And, do you have any complaints? Do you want me to stop…?”

Her only reply was to move her head negatively, a deep blush covering her pretty face.

The room was still bathed in a soft orange glow. Closing the door after them with his foot, he advanced a few steps, kissing her again, before letting her stand again. He did not let her go, though. After releasing her lips, he brushed his mouth on her neck, just below her jaw.

“Do you want me to help you with that” he murmured softly, touching the flowers that decorated her hair.

“Do you mind…?”

He shook his head and turned her, facing the full-length mirror on the corner nearer the bed and they looked at their reflection for a moment before she lifted her arms and started taking pins from the headdress. He did the same with her bun, feeling it with his fingertips and removing them carefully not to pull her hair. Occasionally he gazed at the mirror. She was trying really hard not to look at it and he could not help a little smile at his wife’s sudden shyness.When he had gathered a bunch of them in his hand, he looked around and finally decided to leave them on the bedside table. He switched on the lamp to see better.

“You should think about what you want to change or buy for the flat…” he commented as he touched one inside her bun. “I suppose it’s not very comfortable for a woman…”

“Your house is fine, Sasuke-kun!” she said turning, and with the sudden movement, the pin he had just discovered and picked escaped from between his fingertips. “Just two or three things will be enough, and we can bring them from my former bedroom.”

“Our house” he said, and she looked at him a bit confused. “It’s not just mine, it’s ours.”

“Ah” her fingers flew to her mouth, realising her mistake. “Sorry…”

“You’ll get used to it…” he replied, touching her head lightly to give her the clue of where to tilt it, looking at the place where the pin he had missed was and retrieving it, his breath falling on her nape, making her blush again.

They continued their task for a few more minutes until all her hair was free from the hairstyle, and Sasuke started combing the tresses down her back, but it was really difficult with all the spray the assistants who had helped her with her change of look had applied. Then, he bent a little and he kissed the curve between her neck and shoulder.

“Sasuke-kun…” she said gasping softly when he grazed the tender skin just above her collarbone. “Ca-Can you cover the mirror…?”

He smirked against her neck and, leaving her, he grabbed the bedspread and threw it over the mirror.

“Is that better?”

She nodded and he extended his hand, touching her red cheeks. With her dishevelled hair falling on her shoulders and back, her darkened green eyes that shone like emeralds in the dim light and her red lips, swollen from being kissed, she offered the most tempting and lovely sight he had ever had in front of him.

“Sakura…”

As if falling under a spell, it was her who approached him this time, kissing him as her hands cupped his face, and he held her close, tangling his fingers in her hair. The others went to his shirt, suddenly bothered by it. They parted and she looked at him, one of her hands brushing his, as if asking if she could continue. He dropped it to his side, his gaze not leaving her for a second as she took the button with trembling fingers.

As each one came undone, his skin was exposed to her sight and she felt the temptation to kiss it, Sasuke noticed the change in her breath and the indecisive spark of her eyes.

“You can do as you wish” he murmured in her ear, his voice lowering down an octave, and she shivered. “I’m your husband…”

She let out a quivering exhale and crossed the step that still separated them, hiding her head and kissing him in the curve between his shoulder and neck. He took a sharp intake of breath as her arms made their way around his waist, pressing her body to his. And Sasuke’s fingers flew to her hips. As her mouth left timid kisses along his collarbone, his hands made their way upwards slowly until they found the zipper of her dress. It was then that she noticed the slight trembling of his fingertips.

The wedding dress fell on the floor in a pool of chiffon and embroidered organza, leaving her dressed in only her tights, undergarments and a short satin and lace white slip which covered her body.

“You’re so beautiful…” he whispered, and her heart missed a beat, thundering loudly just a moment later, as she felt her eyes damp.

He smiled tenderly as he cleaned her unshed tears with his sleeve and brushed her lips softly, his hands taking off his shirt, dropping it near her dress. Then, he held her tight by the waist, lifting her up and laying her on the bed delicately, kissing her and burying one of his hands in her hair as he joined her, and the other started a path filled with soft curves and the movement of her agitated breath. For what seemed hours, he worshipped her body with kisses and caresses as her hands slid across his shoulders and back as far as she could reach, whimpering when he found a sensitive spot. Slowly, the last clothes that still separated them fell on the floor and she could not help a shiver feeling each centimetre of her skin covered by his, their bodies getting warmer and warmer as passion slowly erased from their mind any thoughts that were not related to the other, or what they were feeling.

She called his name, gasping at the honorific, and he kissed it from her lips, not wanting to hear something that put a barrier between them. There, in the privacy of the bedroom that now belonged to the two of them, they were simply two human beings that loved each other in body, soul and mind: Sasuke and Sakura.

Fingers lacing and breaths mingling in their kisses, the tension between them increased with each passing moment until it suddenly broke. Her heart overflowed with feelings for him, and his followed a few moments later with only one certainty: She belonged to him as he to her.

Still regaining their breaths, Sasuke embraced Sakura protectively and rolled over on the bed, resting on his back. He was tired, the traces of passion slowly dissolving in his blood replaced by a feeling of completion that he had never experienced before. He closed his eyes, savouring it, smiling as she nuzzled his chest softly. He brushed her hair from her damp body.

“Maybe I should have it cut…” she said in a slightly raspy voice, lifting a hand and removing some strands that gone unnoticed to his fingers.

“I like your hair…” he stated in a gentle voice. “Maybe we should have left it in that hairstyle if you felt uncomfortable…”

She mused his words for a moment.

“I’d probably had all the pins piercing my scalp” she paused and hid her face a little in his chest. “Maybe next time I can tie it up before…”

Sasuke chuckled and kissed the top of her head. His hand brushed the space between her shoulder blades and she shivered a bit.

“Are you cold?”

She shook her head briefly, but stayed quiet, not moving except for her slow breathing. He would have thought she was falling asleep if it was not for the barely noticeable agitation of her fingers on his skin

“Are you alright?” he whispered, deeply concerned about having done something to upset her.

Did I pay attention to your needs? Was I too brusque, too anxious? Did you feel the same pleasure? That simple question was filled with so many others, with insecurity and a hint of regret, that Sakura felt guilty, and moved. She was just feeling overwhelmed by the powerful sensations that still coursed through her body and mind, She had never thought she could feel something like that. But how to tell him? How to make him understand the strength of her emotions at that moment? She only knew one way. She lifted her head and smiled tenderly, making him relax. She took his hand in hers and brushed a kiss on his palm, and then on his ring finger, the thin band of gold warm to her lips.

“Yes…” .

It was already well entered the morning when Sasuke opened his eyes with a soft intake of breath, and immediately, his features softened when the first thing he saw was Sakura’s face, still deeply asleep. Her expression was completely relaxed and content, her cheeks still slightly flushed and her lips a bit swollen from his kisses. They had loved each other once and again between short slumbers and sweet moments of titillation until just a few hours ago, and though he felt exhausted and tempted to curl up with her and go back to his dreams, a part of him fought back, wanting nothing more than to watch her until the moment when she woke up. Blinking a few times, he propped up on one elbow, resting his head on his hand, lifting his free arm to brush back a loose strand which had slid down across her cheek delicately, revelling in each single detail and engraving them all in his mind.

An hour later, Sakura opened her eyes, slowly, and her clouded gaze fell on his face. He was watching her with a tender smile.

“Good morning…” he whispered, cupping her neck and kissing her forehead softly.

“Good morning…”

THE END

Extra notes:

-Japanese people don’t kiss in traditional weddings (sometimes, they do in Western-style ones, like the ones we see in manga), neither do they in the reception.

-For Sasuke and Sakura’s wedding, I wrote the same vow as in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJQMvydpzQ All the credit goes to its maker.

-There’s a change in the honorifics, I know ^^ I did it on purpose, since reading examples of speeches, I realised that the language is very formal, so I decided to make them talk formally too. That is why there aren’t contractions in it either

#naruto #fanfic #ssm17 #ssm17d15 #sasusakumonth #uchiha sasuke #haruno sakura #sasusaku #otp

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sleepykichii · 7 years

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11 Questions Tag

i was tagged by @pinkheichou @tiny-heichou and @salbelni so that's uh...that's 33 questions holy shit this is gonna be forever long lmaoo

Rules: 1. Always post the rules 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. Tag 11 people

idk if it’ll tag you guys if i put them under the cut so! i tag: @tokyo-ghouls-eat-rawmen @kingtatsunari @bertoltssweat @sluttttysurveycorps @piningmarco @lesliebruhleria @iviarka @softymir @dallyingdivergent @levi-nyanchou @noodlesforlyfe don’t feel obligated to do this!!

1. Is there a book/movie that you’ve read/watched many times? Which one? i usually dont like rewatching/rereading things but my guilty pleasure is snk, i love to watch the dubbed episodes and compare it to the subbed episodes, i love going back and noticing details i couldnt bc i was reading subtitles, comparing manga panels to anime scenes, yknow, lil things like that 2. What do you love most about your friends? they try their best to cheer me up when they know i'm feeling down~ 3. Ever been a witness to someone doing something hella embarrassing? (You don’t have to tell anything about it) uh yeah, my best friend irl fell and literally slid down her stairs when she was drunk after prom last year and wanted to do it again 4. A fandom you didn’t think you would ever be a part of? tbh danganronpa. on my old blog, before i got back into watching anime, i thought their hair was rly...unique, to say the least, and didn't think i would ever give it the time of day 5. Do you have a “trash character” you like? komaeda :') and ouma, i know a lot of ppl rly don't like him lmao 6. Pastel or Black? black, i love pastels but i look rly good in black lmao 7. Pet peeves? when ppl ignore/interrupt me, unneccesary loud noises, lack of privacy, AND WHEN PPL CHEW WITH THEIR MOUTH OPEN OH MY GOD 8. If you had one free wish what would it be? (Wishing for xx/endless wishes is not allowed) i would wish to bring immense joy to myself and every person i crossed paths with! 9. What are your favourite tropes/AUs for your ships? holy SHIT im a slut for AUs. i lovelovelove actor AUs, zombie/post apocalyptic AUs, high school/boarding school AUs, college AUs, summercamp AUs, band AUs, coffee shop AUs, apartment AUs...i could rly go on but i'll stop lmaooo 10. Are you an emotional person? VERY 11. Are you more attracted to popular ships or rare pairs? i dont rly have a preference, if i see a ship i like, it's popularity doesn't concern me c:

1. Whats your favorite book? i rly don't know, i haven't read a book in forever fml i've already read all the books on my shelf and they're like...8th grade reading level :-// my most recent read was more than this by patrick ness and it was pretty good! 2. Do you collect anything? stickers!! i love stickers so much lmao what else...cute pins, and i'm slowly building a collection i call 'roadside paintings' where -- you guessed it -- i pick up deserted paintings on the side on the road. i currently have two hanging up in my room! 3. The last Song you listened to? sir sly - high 4. Do you like Tea? If yes whats your favorite kind of tea? fuck yeah!! tea > coffee, all day every day. i rly love blueberry acai green tea and papaya passionfruit black tea!! 5. Whats the first Anime/Manga you ever watched/read? if u wanna get technical, sailor moon was the first ever, but naruto is the first one i went out of my way to watch. the first manga was shugo chara! i would probably still read it bc the characters are adorable and the plot is interesting! 6. Whats your favorite childhood movie? pokemon 2000!! 7. Your favorite poem? the universe took its time on you crafted you precisely so you could offer the world something distinct from everyone else so when you doubt how you were created you doubt an energy greater than us both -rupi kaur 8. Your favorite Painting? i don't rly have one!! 9. Whats the most amazing thing that happened to you? still somehow being alive right this very second 10. Whats the Title of the last Fanfiction you have read? i wanna say it was something simple like 'roommates' or along those lines, i honestly haven't read fanfiction in a couple weeks;; 11. Write 3 Book, Fanfic and Manga Title that you totally recommend! i have the comprehension skills of a potato so idk if you mean three of each or three total so i'm just gonna do three total book: more than this - patrick ness (rly good, rly weird. makes you think about our reality a little more. worth a reread when you're finished so you can piece all the information together) fanfic: blue bear - afishoutofwater (snk/eremin - i was in tears by the end of this, it's so sad but very well written. major character death & angst, just a heads up!) manga: killing stalking (hoo boy. this isnt for the faint of heart, lots of dark themes along the lines of torture and murder. not everyone's cup of tea, and that's okay!! <3)

① What are you most proud of? this is probably stupid to be proud of but it's the first thing that came to mind even though i wasnt that good, i made it into my eighth grade talent show playing the keyboard i got up there in front of the entire middle school and fucked up tremendously BUT I DIDNT CHICKEN OUT! so!! +1 point for tay woohoo ② Have you ever been so impressed you were left speechless? if you mean impressed by someone's level of stupidity, yeah lmaooo, otherwise not rly ③ What’s your favorite time of day? 10AM - 2-3PM, i'm the only one awake during these hours (unless my mom has work) and the house is completely silent for once ④ Is there a certain song that gives you goosebumps everytime you hear it? history maker from yoi gave me goosebumps for a while but no song has consistently given me goosebumps lmao ⑤ Is there something, let it be a hobby/food/movie/book/song/etc., from your childhood that you still love today? i still collect stickers and i still rly love beanie babies...i also don't mind watching the berenstein bears/dragon tales with my niece bc those were my faves when i was a kid ⑥ What never fails to make you happy? my morning solitude and fluffy art/fanfics of my otps!! ⑦ Do you dream? If so, which one was most memorable? i dream sometimes, but my fave reccurring dream is where everything is neon, like the saturation has been yanked up 100%, and i'm just walking down a sidewalk minding my own business, and then it starts raining acid and everything starts melting away until i'm just kinda floating in the void lmao i usually wake up right after everything disappears ⑧ Who’s your favorite tumblr artist/writer/editor/etc.? Feel free to name/tag more than one! the first one that came to mind was @glassesgirl0401, rarepair mom for life ; v ; ⑨ What’s your favorite fanart? Could you please link to its source? omg i love every piece of fanart tht i reblog i cant pick just one!! i rly love how everyone has their own art style and ways of drawing certain things differently, the individuality is what makes art so amazing! ⑩ What’s your headcanoned sexuality/gender identity/romantic orientation of your favorite SNK character? omg there's so many tht i like aaaaa if i had to pick just one, it would be armin and he's hella gay :3 ⑪ ^May I draw them with their pride flag’s colors for you? AAAAAA PLEASE?? that would be so great?! thank you!!! <3

here are my questions, i tried to make them interesting! 1.) If you had one, what was your 'stereotype' in school? (jock, nerd, goth, etc) 2.) What are your favorite and least favorite foods? 3.) Who is your favorite character from your current fandom and why? 4.) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? 5.) What are your favorite hobbies? 6.) Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter? 7.) What's one obstacle you've overcome recently? 8.) Yes or no: Pineapple on pizza? Fries dipped in mayonnaise? Ketchup on eggs? 9.) What is your most resourceful skill? 10.) If you could pick three fictional characters to bring to life, who would they be and why? 11.) What is the end-goal for you; What do you want to do with your life?

thanks for reading this far lmao sorry that took a lot longer than i thought it would

#about me #levi.txt

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choisgirls · 7 years

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Valentine’s: Jaehee

A/N: I should mention I’m very into proposals so all of u should slide ur way into our asks with some cute proposals pls pLS ~ 626

- you and jaehee are a lowkey couple - so valentine’s day isn’t a big deal for y’all - but this time around you were going to go all out - She’s been having a rough few months and you wanted to cheer her up as much as you can - Jaehee deserves to be treated like a princess <3 - You enlisted help from everyone in the RFA except for saeyoung because he’s terrible with romance and also saeran because he’d tell you to give one of your ears to jaehee - “No Saeyoung, I will not dress like Naruto and naruto run for her” - thankfully some of RFA members unless those twin hoes had some semblance of an idea for valentine’s day - Yoosung told you to cook dinner! - Zen told you to decorate the house with flowers and candles! - Jumin told you to send a ton of chocolate to her while she’s working - And ofc you did all of that <3 - Jaehee wasn’t expecting the chocolate! Nor the millions of bouquets which Jumin helped you with bc you offered to be his secretary for a month since you’re the only person who can put up with his cat ideas - But when she got home, she definitely wasn’t expecting the path of rose petals and candles to the dinner table??? - She tears up and when she sees that the dinner you made is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, she dies laughing - Only you would do something like this, and god she loves it - You actually ordered takeout because cooking was a disaster so you were just waiting for that but Jaehee got home first - Very smooth of u - You come out in some very cute clothes that you knew Jaehee would love and a cup of coffee for her <3 - Jaehee totally isn’t thinking about ripping those clothes off u, nope, not happening - She blushes when she sees the words “Happy Valentines Day, beautiful” written on the inside of cup - You’re so sweet omg, you did all of this for her and she has nothing for you??? - You reassure her that it’s okay, you wanted to treat her like a princess today! You even tried to learn the basics of massaging for her <3 - You two go on and talk about normal things but you’re so impatient when will she finish the drink - What is that hoe waiting for, she usually drinks 6 cups as soon she gets home and now dis hoe wont finish this drink - I should just accidentally bump into her and it’ll spill all over her - And then she’ll have to take her clothes off wink wonk - When Jaehee finally takes the last sip of her drink or what you hope the last sip is otherwise your timing is going to be very bad - You get down on one knee <3 - Bruh when Jaehee reads “Will you marry me?” at the bottom of the cup she almost drops it - You want to marry her??? - Holy crap, you’re so amazing for wanting to marry someone like her - A few tears escape and now you’re worried because it’s been a few minutes and she hasn’t answered - aND THEN JAEHEE SOMEHOW TACKLES U TO THE GROUND AND SAYS YES - she’s sobbing, you’re sobbing - you two pretty much spend the rest of the night cuddling and being a gross romantic couple together <3

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shinaina · 7 years

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Your Troubles Match My Luxuries Part 3 | NaruHina

Heyo guys! So this little thing here is “Me and my buddies vandalized your backyard trampling your mini garden in the process. Now I feel really shitty cause you’re really upset about this. Look I’ll help fix it okay just stop with the sad faces.” but with a slight twist to it. Also I believe this will be my last one of the good kid/troublemaker AU as I plan to make this an actual story! A story of Naruto and Hinata’s high school years together and if it gets a good reaction I’ll write a short sequel of them in college.

Previous Chapter | Here

Next Chapter | N/A

Couple | NaruHina

Rating | M for language and other mature themes.

It was odd.

No it wasn’t quite that, odd was an understatement when it came to those two. They were totally the opposite from one another and not in the “opposites attract” sort of way.

They certainly grabbed the attention of those around school, while the two didn’t have classes together during passing periods Naruto could be seen trying his best to get Hinata to crack a smile and laugh which was followed by a rather cheeky smile of his own. Hinata on the other hand was usually gentle with Naruto which put him at ease most times, when they were out in the patio Naruto would usually fall asleep on Hinata’s laps while she read a book.

The two seemed to be an item but whenever the subject was brought up they became bashful and denied it immediately with a slight curiosity in their minds. The question lingering on their tongue but never leaving it.

“Why? Do they think about me that way?”

Today was one of their usual days, as Naruto resting his head on Hinata’s laps and stared up at her. She was reading a book as usual and her eyes didn’t even drift to meet his. A part of him was slightly annoyed by that, granted Naruto was the type of person that always wanted acknowledgment and became rather restless without it; probably the reasoning for his antics. A part of the blonde wanted to take the book from her hands and push it down so she would pay attention to him but there were two issues there.

One, he really didn’t know what he would say or even what he would use as an excuse to pull the book away, he just wanted her to look at him but that wasn’t a good enough excuse and it would be an awkward sort of request. Two, she looked so interested in it too, and in the end her satisfaction and happiness was more important than his need for attention.

So he instead opted to lie there and ponder about their friendship.

Ever since the incident in which he had defended Hinata’s honor (which he still hadn’t told her about) and the bit of it that took the form of knocking her out, they had become close friends. Rather close actually. He knew he didn’t need to knock her out to want to become closer to her but he was slightly grateful for it. It handed him a reason to want to be closer to her and that reason came with fretting over her and wanting to make it up to her. Her response as to how he could make it up make made his heart stop.

She had stood there slightly rigid and almost reluctant, he had cursed himself for it all as he stared at the eye-patch she had over her face in which she was obviously insecure about. She probably wants nothing to do with you anymore, those things she said earlier was because she wasn’t thinking straight from that punch. The male was about to excuse himself and explain how sorry he was one last time before he regrettable walked out of her life despite the fact she would somehow always be apart of his as a thought. He didn’t know what it was about her but he couldn’t shake it, and he was gradually becoming okay with it. “You can make it up to m-me by u-us spending more t-time t-together.” Her voice was a shy stutter and he wanted to hug her but refused to overstep his boundaries, only promising her his time.

Naruto’s time was almost all the time, he was seen hanging out with her often ever since everything happened and it made those who knew of what happened mouths’ gap open in shock.

Whenever they were alone Naruto hesitantly asked to see her black eye, when she asked why he explained that he didn’t want her to hide it from him and he also wanted to remember how reckless he had been as well as wanting to care for her and make it up to her. Hinata seemed unwilling for quite some time so Naruto dropped it happily. It wasn’t until a few days after the request she had answered it by removing the eye patch. Her pale skin was horribly disturbed by an ugly brownish, purple spot taking over her right eye. The boy gently reached for it only to have her wince back at his touch which made him feel all the more guilty. It had been the afternoon that day and he held her for so long upon seeing it the girl was as red as a ripe tomato as she remained still; afraid that if she moved their embrace would end.

So here he was staring up at her as she read recalling their time of growing closer to one another. Hinata was honestly one of his best friends at this point. She still had a bruised eye only it was more so at the bottom of her eye and simply made her look like she hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

“Hey, Hinata.”

She ‘hmm’ed at this without raising her eyes to look at him which only gave birth to the reaction of him pulling at the bottom of her blouse like a toddler who was begging their mother for a toy. She finally looked down at that and held a small smile upon her face.

“Yes, Naruto-kun?”

“I was thinking…”

“Anything in particular or simply in general?”

“Well I was thinking that maybe I could invite you over sometime and we could watch a movie, we could invite friends too! Like a movie night! It’ll be fun.”

The smile in which graced the young woman’s features made Naruto pause in awe for a moment before lightly gulping. Damn what was that feeling. She seemed to ponder this for a moment as she put a bookmark to hold her place in the book she closed. “Perhaps.” Murmured the brunette which made Naruto pout. “It’s not because I don’t want to,” she quickly reassured him, “it’s because there’s something I want to show you first. Just us.”

This new discovery inside the mind of Hinata Hyuga made him curious and his eyes brightened like a toddler whose mother finally gave in to letting him have the toy. “Really?” The question made the girl nod with an amused smile. “Am i the only one who’s seen it yet?” He asked curiously. “Of course, it’s my secret place.” That statement was all the blonde needed to jump up and then offer his hand to the brunette. “Then come on! What are we waiting for?” Laughing at his response to the whole ordeal, Hinata grabbed the boy’s hand and allowed him to help her up as she began to lead the way to their destination.

With passing time they came to the forest on the outskirts of town and while they entered it they only seemed to be going deeper and deeper as if following an invisible path that only Hinata knew of. “You’re not bringing me here to murder me right? Actually now that I think of it it’ll be the perfect murder. Don’t have any family, slightly shady friends, no one would really miss me.” Naruto teased as he crossed his arms behind his head while following the small girl. Blue eyes curiously taking in the scenery. Hinata stopped dead and Naruto panicked for a moment as the girl whirled around. “Naruto-kun, if anything happened to you I would miss you. I would miss you very much.” She stated it with such certainty that young man blinked a few times at that statement in shock before slowly nodding. With that she turned and continued.

It didn’t take them long until they finally came upon a field, a field of flowers more specifically except they were organized in such a way nature itself couldn’t have done it. The flowers with complimentary colors were grown close together and strategically thought out combinations of flowers were kept close together as well. It was simply beautiful.

“Wow.”

At his lack of words Hinata turned to him and happily smiled. “Do you like it? You know when I was little, you see my family doesn’t care much for things of beauty or color. We’re a very private and dull family per say. I wanted color in my life so whenever I was given the chance I’d ask Ino for seeds since her family runs a flower shop and I found this empty field in the forest and I thought it was the perfect place for a garden. I come here in my spare time to care for it, I’ve wanted to show it to you for a while now.” Turning to the other beside her expectantly she blinked a few times as all he could do was step forward and observe every section of this makeshift garden with intent interest.

“Do I like it?” He repeated, as if he was asking himself that question. “Hinata, I love it, it’s so beautiful.” Turning around and giving her a cheeky smile she blushed and walked over to him, telling him about the flowers and why she arranged them the way she had. Little did the two know that a few pairs of eyes were watching them with contempt mixed with a mischievous glint.

Kiba walked with his hands in his hoodie pocket and an obvious scowl on his face. Him and the gang having followed Naruto and Hinata upon Kiba’s forceful request; the sight before him made him want to scream and the four left before the brunette could actually do anything. “You know he hasn’t even given us a second glance since that Hyuga girl came into his life. Also who becomes best friends with the person who decked them in the face?! It’s stupid if you ask me, maybe she’s just using him, I don’t know how but I think she is, and then he’s gonna come back to us sulking and depressed and it’s going to be a pain in the ass.” Kiba growled in obvious contempt for the dark haired girl.

“I just think she’s using him, stringing him along until his string wears so thin she has no use for him anymore. I mean he’s buying her shit. Last time I even talked to him he was in a rush because he said she wanted cinnamon rolls.” Shikamaru paused for a minute at that, he had been there that day. “To be more specific his words were that he knew she wanted them and insisted, she didn’t command him to.” Rebutting in defense of Naruto’s newfound crush, that he idly wondered if the blonde was aware of, he earned another growl from Kiba.

Shino finally spoke up in the madness of their arguments of whether or not to leave this be. “I believe this will end in disaster. Why? Naruto is an orphan with not much going for him and the Hyuga comes from a rich family and is used to a life of luxury. Currently such a thing doesn’t bother them for they’re young and worrying about such things is useless now. As time goes on Hinata will realize Naruto can’t give her the luxury in which she wants and will move on to, perhaps, eventually be married into another aristocratic family.” Kiba perked up at this and looked to Shikamaru with a wide smirk and a gleam in his eyes that said ‘told you so.’

Shikamaru sighed putting his hands behind his head, he wasn’t gonna win this now. While he could have fended off Kiba, Shino joining the argument and taking Kiba’s side was a different story. Shino used logic and it was hard to argue with that, Shikamaru believing all would end well was out of hope for his friend, not rationality. Looking to Choji for back up who seemed to be pondering things himself, Shikamaru got nothing, Choji seemed more intent on what Kiba and Shino were saying and with a sigh Shikamaru knew it was over for him.

“Fine.” The lazy male reluctantly stated in a snappish tone. “If you want to help him and avoid his heartbreak you’ll have to formulate a plan.” It was almost in an instant that he regretted saying that as Kiba’s hand came to his jaw to scratch it while a devious glint caught in his eyes. “Already got one.” The boy with the pineapple styled ponytail visibly tensed but brought himself to ask the question either way. “What is it?”

There was a long silence as Kiba crossed his arms with a smug smile while everyone stared at him with pairs of eyes that were a mixture of curiosity and horror.

“We’re gonna frame Naruto.”

Naruto was out with his friends at his favorite ramen shop, taking a long sip of his drink after finishing his fifth bowl of ramen, usually he would keep himself to two and rarely three due to trying to save money but this was Kiba’s personal treat. The brown haired boy had approached Naruto a while ago and persuading him to come along despite Naruto’s protests that there ‘had to be a catch’ which Kiba assured him there wasn’t.

Kiba was gradually coming to regret his decision as Naruto finished his fifth bowl while Choji was on his second and the other guys were barely finishing their first. With a face of discontent he wondered how in the hell Naruto ate that much and stayed as fit as he was. Maybe a hell of a metabolism ran in the family.

Naruto was wearing his signature hoodie as the cold weather came around. It was a light one in which was a bright orange that would have been an eyesore on anyone but Naruto, somehow he made it work. Kiba knew he had another one, which made him feel less bad for what he was about to do. Reaching over abruptly to try and grab his glass of soda that was on the side of him in which Naruto sat he hit the glass roughly with the back of his hand. Hearing a gasp from Naruto and a rough shove on his shoulder he smirked.

“Shit Naruto, I’m sorry man!” Kiba stood up trying to help his friend handing him napkins as Shikamaru stared on with a disapproving look. Naruto took off his hoodie before the soda could soak through to his plain black shirt which matched his black sweats that had an orange stripe going down them quite nicely. “Hey maybe this is payback for eating five bowls.” Shikamaru muttered obviously wanting to put Kiba in some deep shit as Naruto looked at him with angry realization in his blue eyes. Kiba had to act fast.

“Listen man, at least let me take it home and go through the trouble of washing it for you.” Offered the brunette as Naruto relaxed and handed it over to Kiba. “I’m gonna go home and take a shower, my arms feel sticky.” Muttered the blonde before gently slapping an arm on Kiba’s shoulder and thanking him for the meal before waving a goodbye to the others. Kiba watched him go with a look of accomplishment in his eyes before looking back at his friends and smirking. “See? Told you all this would work itself out.” Shikamaru stood up and began to ready himself to leave. “I'm not gonna be apart of this.” Standing up he walked to stand in front of his messy haired brunette friend with an almost challenging posture. “When this shit hits the fan and he's moping around about it I'm gonna be the one to clean it up, I'm not gonna tell him what you did though oh no, he's dense but he's not stupid and he'll know you're the one who had that hoodie and when he comes to kick your ass I'm gonna have the pleasure of knowing I had nothing to do with this because fucking up a friend’s chances with a girl you know he likes even if he himself doesn't realize it isn't just a drag; it's a dick move Kiba.”

With that Shikamaru grabbed his coat and left shortly after Kiba. “Huh, he left money for the meal.” Choji mumbled clearly trying to lighten the mood as Kiba seemed to be steaming. So now he thinks he’s too good to eat food I payed for. Sitting down he gripped Naruto’s hoodie in his hand with a certain contempt that Shino was vaguely aware of but didn't mention when they left and Kiba went to carry out the plan he had created; not being bothered by the fact that Choji and Shino seemed to want nothing to do with it after Shikamaru’s uncharacteristically passionate speech.

Hinata was devastated, there hadn't been a single flower or blooming bud left untouched and the area in which she had cultivated a small community of flora had been reduced to smashed flowers and scattered petals. That wasn't the worst part of it though, the worst part was finding his hoodie. For whatever reason Hinata had taken it home with her and now laid on her bed curled into a fetal position holding the hoodie whose scent was so comforting but reminded her painfully that betrayal came from those who had once been comforting.

It had laid among a couple of logs and dirt clung to it, obvious footprints as if they had fled and forgotten about the discarded item in a rush. She had vaguely wondered why that was before telling herself that no, it couldn’t have been his. Perhaps it was the darkening day that made it look orange from afar and it was actually some other warm shade or color; definitely not his signature orange though. Though coming closer to it and picking it up with an index finger and thumb she began to sniffle and choke on a sob. For whatever reason she washed it as delicately as she would wash her own clothes, wanting to make some scene of giving it back to him and telling him she hoped he was happy. A scene that would undoubtedly make Ino and Sakura proud but when she took it out of the dryer and it still smelled like him her resolve wavered and crashed.

Neji came into her room with a tray of two cups of tea, setting one beside Hinata’s dresser by her bed for her to reach before pulling out the chair at her desk while he made that his personal resting area for the time being. Opening his mouth to speak Hinata stopped him. “Please don't say I told you so.” Her hair shaped her face gracefully and loose strands clung to her tear stained cheeks desperately. If it wasn't for the situation before him, Neji would have thought her an angel. “I simply never had faith in him, that's all.” Neji muttered lowly recalling having known of the boy due to his reputation at the school but didn't think him this low. Not allowing Hinata to know of that he stood up after a long silence only disturbed by the sound of him swallowing his tea and movement as he made his way over to his cousin. Wiping her hair from her face, slightly revolted by its dampness. Leaving her tea with her he left the room and allowed her to be with herself.

Eventually he called a good friend of his who had also been one of his childhood friends, TenTen, and asked her to come over for moral support. While he hadn’t talked to the girl that wore buns in her hair for quite some time due to the fact that her and his other friend Rock Lee were more so jocks than nerds, it had been some time since their last meet up. Their pool of friends had changed but they made sure to reassure each other that no matter what they would always be there whenever either one needed them. Perhaps that was why she was the one he called for the emotional support his cousin needed but he couldn’t provide. Perhaps part of it was also a selfish part of him that just wanted to see TenTen.

She was here for about an hour cooing and humming tunes for Hinata like she was a child to comfort her before calmly telling Neji it would simply be better to leave Hinata be for now. Her coco brown eyes had given him a knowing and sympathetic look before kissing his cheek in a friendly manner and leaving. Despite her bold and at times brash personality Neji had to admit TenTen along with Hinata were two of the kindest people he knew and while Hinata was always kind TenTen was kind when it mattered which seemed to add a certain degree of importance to it. Raising his palm to his cheek he held it there, thinking as if TenTen and Hinata represented the whole population of females with their caring personalities and for a moment believed that’s how all females were; innocent. He knew at that moment that betraying the trust of of any girl with an inch of kindness in her heart was a one way ticket to hell and he wondered how Naruto Uzumaki had done it without a seemingly care in the world.

Naruto wasn't surprised when Neji seemed like a guard when Hinata walked into the school for the first time after the weekend, he wasn't surprised when Neji practically shoved him back and told him not to speak to him or his cousin; to say he was surprised was a huge understatement. Naruto was in a state of shock.

What broke his heart was when he was pleading with Hinata for some explanation and she didn't even look at him, simply walked forward to Sakura and Ino who were looking at him as if looks could kill along with the mildly interested pair of eyes that belonged to Sasuke and Sai. With hardened blue eyes he looked into the equally hardened grey eyes of Neji Hyuga and the two initiated a stare off. “Are you hard of hearing? I’ve told you to get out of here over three times already! Hinata should have never associated herself with your kind.” At that the blonde immediately flinched, so that’s what this was about. Naruto wasn’t good enough for Hinata, and from the looks of it apparently Hinata agreed. Sighing heavily Naruto brushed off his shoulders as if dusting off dirt, it felt appropriate since in their eyes he was dirt. “I heard you the first time I just thought,” his trail of thought hesitated before looking to Hinata one last time, “I thought wrong.” Turning around he began walking off with as much dignity as he could with an uncaring posture and hands in his pockets.

Upon walking up to his gang of friends Shikamaru almost had an understanding look appear on his usually indifferent face. “Turns out I’m not good enough to be seen with the school’s princess anymore. I should have figured it’d happen sooner than later.” The blonde’s shoulders dropped before Kiba came around and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Meh, who needs a spoiled princess anyway, honestly dude she was just using you as some little personal guard or charity case.” His statement received a couple of glares but Naruto’s shoulders only slumped knowing his friend had a loud and blunt mouth. “Whatever, I think I’m going home for the rest of the day, I’m not in the mood for school.” It was with that statement Kiba looked like he finally realized what he did as his friend walked to the exit of the school.

It was about two weeks of not seeing Naruto that Shikamaru decided to text him.

Shikamaru: Hey dude, you missing so much school is troublesome.

Naruto: like I care

Shikamaru: I wouldn’t be texting you if someone didn’t care :/

The blonde didn’t reply after that which only caused the dark haired boy to run a few fingers through his hair in utter annoyance before the bell rang and he walked out of class to greet Kiba by grabbing him by his collar. “Fix it.” Kiba’s eyes took a moment to process what Shikamaru said due to the dark haired boy’s suddenly blunt behavior but when they did there was immediate recognition before it vanished. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Stated Kiba before turning his face, Shikamaru simply pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not in the mood to make this more of a drag than it is, listen just fix this and make it better before I tell Naruto about your little stunt and let him come to school to kick your ass himself.” At that Kiba seemed to stiffen a little before chuckling. “He’ll hate you too if you tell him. You could have stopped it and told him at the beginning.” Shikamaru shrugged. “I can live with that, he’ll probably forgive me eventually though because if you won’t fix it I’ll speak up in his case to Hinata, not you though.” Check mate, Kiba made a move to remove the other’s hand from his collar before heading in the direction of that patio, where the preps had lunch. “Fine.” The brunette called over his shoulder when Shikamaru looked at him dumbfounded.

Kiba stopped a good distance away from them, sighing heavily as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. He watched them for a long moment though, dark eyes watching them with something akin to interest. Sasuke was reading a book while Sakura leaned against him, seemingly ranting about something that annoyed him evidently. He wondered is he was annoyed because the pink haired girl wouldn’t shut her mouth or because of what she was saying; when the ebony eyed pretty boy stated something loudly about having a talk with a certain someone in a protective tone he figured the latter. Sai was sketching the leaves of the trees that gave them shade while Ino looked on in awe, complimenting him every time his pencil made some sort of stroke against paper, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it; almost appreciative. Hinata sat with her cousin and seemed to be utterly tired as her cousin cased a few worried glances her way as he ate his sandwich. There were two new faces with them, a girl with two buns on her head and an odd looking male with a bowl cut, they sat closest to Neji and Hinata as the bun haired girl rubbed her back and the bowl cut guy seemed to try to be saying something inspirational. As Kiba got closer he began to make out words.

“Hinata-chan, every devastated flower comes back ever the more stronger and beautiful, just as you will. The flames of youth will once again burn in you! Only brighter and hotter this time!!” Kiba cringed as Neji seemed to throw him a look before asking the boy, who he learned was named Rock Lee, if such words were really appropriate. Lee went on to say that’s how he got the girl, TenTen, to brighten up. TenTen seemed appalled by this and merely snapped at him that pretending she felt better was the only way to get him off her back. Before their bickering got worse Hinata looked up at the male that approached them and all of them simultaneously looked up to stare at him. Silence was the only thing heard for a moment before Neji spoke. “Can we help you?” Kiba gulped. “I was wondering if I could speak to Hinata? It’s kind of important see we have a class together and were paired up for a project, just wanna run some ideas by her.” As he made up the story he looked pleadingly to Hinata before she seemed to understand what he was getting out. “Now really isn’t a good ti-” “It’s fine Neji-niisan, I promise this won’t take long.” Getting up Hinata followed the boy a good distance away from them.

“Listen I’m not gonna waste your time I’m just gonna tell you what happened. Naruto is a friend of mine and when you two started hanging out more I got pissed and I admit a little jealous so I purposely came up with a plan to sabotage him and that meant making it look like he did something to purposely hurt you. So I sort of borrowed his hoodie and messed up your forest garden on purpose and left his hoodie there to make it look like he did it and then I just watched it all come falling apart just, give him a chance because he’s a mess right now. I honestly tried to mess up your friendship with each other and I take the blame and Naruto doesn’t know what he did wrong just, honestly I don’t know where this is going anymore but I guess what I should say is I’m sorry.”

Most of his words came out frantically and quickly trying to get it all out before she turned and walked away after knowing his purpose talking to her but she simply stood there politely listening to him rant before nodding once she was sure he finished. “Okay.” He looked astonished. “Okay? That’s it?” The dark haired girl nodded once again. “It’s a lot to process but once I do I’ll talk to him. I won’t say anything about you either just pass it off as a misunderstanding.” Hell she wasn’t even mad which made Kiba ever the more shocked, he would have expected her to yell or be angry and immediately threaten to tell Naruto but all she did was say okay and let it go. Even promised to keep this between them and make something up. The guilt of it all made him look down and lower his head. “I get where you’re coming from.” He looked up at that. “Everyone thinks I’m some spoiled and stuck up princess, I’m not, I wasn’t using Naruto or anything. I understand if you thought us to forget of our union better than attempting to keep it, even my cousin thinks him out of my life makes it better that way but,” she trailed off and her next statement came out as a whisper that forced him to lean towards her, “I don’t want to forget about keeping him in my life, as a friend or anything else he makes me happy and I think that’s good enough.” She smiled up at him before turning around and retreating back to her friends leaving Kiba to stand there like an idiot for a few moments. Hell I am an idiot to think they were bad for each other. Shaking his head at himself he turned around and began to make his way back to where his next class would be held.

Naruto lied in his bedroom late into the night simply staring at his ceiling. Had he done something wrong? Something that proved he wasn’t worth Hinata’s time, that had to be it he couldn’t think of anything else. Maybe it was the way he held himself or the fact sometimes his uniform had wrinkles in it. Probably the lousy and clumsy way he ate or the chicken scratch that was his handwriting that made her realize how low on the food-chain he was. He should have known he’d screw up eventually, as his thoughts began to become more self-deprecating the familiar ring of his phone and the light coming from his dresser made him turn around to look it over. His eyes widened at the name that appeared on the screen, given the fact it was about to be 2 in the morning on a school night and also that he had texted this exact person numerous times trying to apologize for whatever he had dne only to be left on read so many times until he came to the conclusion they blocked him.

Hinata: Naruto-kun, are you awake?

Naruto: Yeah of course, why are u still up?

Hinata: Couldn’t sleep.

Naruto: Oh…

Naruto: …

Naruto: Listen, I’m really sorry about whatever I did to upset u.

Hinata: You didn’t do anything, it was a misunderstanding. I’m sorry for not coming to you about it.

Naruto: I’m just glad ur talking to me again.

Hinata: I’m glad you’re not mad at me.

Naruto: I never could be.

After an awkward silence as he watched the bubble to indicate that Hinata was typing reappear and disappear again he smiled gently and figured she simply couldn’t think of anything to say. He didn’t blame her, he surprised himself with that last statement. After a few minute he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Naruto: Wanna ditch school and get some lunch tomorrow?

Hinata: I’d like that.

Hinata: Maybe after that we can buy some seeds find a place where we can make our own personal garden? Mine got ruined from a storm a while back.

His blue eyes were saucers at that point as he reread the text, not only was he upset that Hinata’s garden which he knew she put so much time into was ruined but simply by the fact that she wanted to make a new one with him of all people. It was an odd metaphor to their recent relationship almost, how things could be ruined but as long as both parties were willing there was a chance to fix it or make something entirely new out of it.

Naruto: I’m sorry about ur garden, but i can’t help but be happy I get to make a new one with u, it sound’s like a plan :P

Hinata: I’m glad, I’ll see you tomorrow then, goodnight Naruto-kun.

Naruto: Night, sweet dreams.

#NaruHina #Naruto Uzumaki #Hinata Hyuga/Uzumaki #Fanfic #AU

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