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theonethatslowlyfade · 1 month

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Not a take on a character. Just a reflection on a personal insight, that maybe will help someone, someway, somewhere. Bit of a long, personal rambling with a good twist at the end.

Warning: possible triggering for death, sex, anxiety, cancer, suicide temes.

I lived in fear for the most of my life, from when I was very young. Literally seen a wave of shit from 6-something to a 33 years old (now).

Punch, slaps, kicks and bruises from an highly manipulative dad. My mom loved him and I was very fond of him. Anyway, he died for a jump accident with the wrong paraglider.

Then mom. We were alone and without any parental support, She was *so* young herself, we had so little. She grew me alone, through hundred of problems, working the hell out of Her while I was studying. I was a terrible emotional and physical mess of a teen, always riding and gravitating along troubles. Not Major ones - a bit of everything, the usual kind for a teen. Sexual Discovery, piercing, tattoo, alcool abuse, cigarettes, angst, maybe a Little of substance abuse. She had seen me through the "every two to six month someone new" phase. She died early from lunger cancer when I was 23.

In that same years (19-23 roughly) I went through a lot. A not-very-stable mass of girlfriends, one of which I truly cherished a lot until I felt It was a lost cause between out messed lives. A fling with a boy, that same final month - I went from a 2y relationship to an horrible one night stand and being a crying mess for falling in love and being ghosted. When She fell ill I was entangled in an (abusive?) relationship with an older man on the verge of marrying with another lady.

He Never told me he was into a 8y relationship until I found After a bit. We were both ttrpg lovers and (mostly) live roleplayer like Her, he started to push Her into every live-event while keeping our relationship secret. What an hellhole, I was madly in love again. Thanks to a common "friend" (another manipulative *ss that I rejected and tried to put leverage on jealousy with being with another partner at the same time) I eventually bursted out and called him out.

But then I was in shambles. 23 with a lot of sudden pressure to sell out home by dad grandma&dad, no income, nearly no friends, forced out from art studies into a secretary work that proclaimed they were my "new family" and tried to push my mother's death under the rug. I dumped so much trauma on my only bbf shoulders She literally escaped in another country. I burnt all I had 360 around me. Dwelled in pain and sorrow and self loath and several attempt at suicide, and didnt even knew what was going on anymore. I used sex to deflect, threw myself in to anyone I could without regards - nor for my safety, nor for my well being. No questions asked. The only One that Always kept me safe and fed was my mom boyfriend and I hated him so much at First - his patience be blessed.

Months and months of being fucked, booze, rinse and repeat, throwing up food, eating something to keep me alive here and there, always around pubs and people, fighting with insonnia and not be able to sleep enough or at all, but having to work early, never wanting to be at home either, nor being alone with myself.

There was a bit of time in which I lived practically in my car going around endlessly driving like a crazy at 4-5 am or slept in the worker's bathroom until I had to be in the office at 8. I was utterly, completely *broken*.

Then I found a bunch of people I *did* like being around, during a lucky evening at a birthday of a common friend. The partner I am with now from 2015, making a joke on my Mass Effect shirt and Halo's shared interest.

When I started to feel better, I started not working my ass off in the office. I requested a part-time, invested a bit in healt and my boss didnt like It.

I left my job, my partner lost his due to a leg operation - less money, depression, anxiety started to kick in on my mind. I jumped from One job to another for a long period of time, then started to study again. Videogame design, alongside movie's screenplay. Then again stopped from the raging stress and from the expectance of my grands that were absolutely convinced I had to stop being a mess of an adult and start being a serious well behaved parent to a bunch of childs for them to pamper (fun fact: no.).

Eventually in december 2023 something clicked in the right way. Through an awful lot of meds, therapy and after a jump right in to the void with a few, great people, far from home. Sure the trip helped a bit. I wasnt even remotely able to see whatever value I held. All my strenghts were devoted to being able to walk again on my own once. I just throwed myself in a direction and hoped for the better.

After, for months again, I was being able to think only about the *wrongs* - how I probably ridiculed myself in front of others, how weak and wrong I felt, how much fear overall - gosh, so much fear of everything, even the basic talk, even the slightest tiny bit of conversation outside from glances and the occasional "ok, how are you?".

In the latest weeks I'm finally starting being able to sew the pieces together. Or better, to see the stiches under. To remember the smiles here and there from the people I encountered. To feel the *good*. I'm so grateful to the friends that helped here, and to the strangers that were simply nice on the way. The flight attendant that threatened the whole flight with the nicest "if we find you using e-cig on board, the ariplane will burn, but we'll burn you first for sure". The nice lady at the reception. The kind workers that helped me navigate without asking a question, probably exhausted and bothered for whatever their personal reasons along the teachers and the students - trubled, worried, freaking scared, freaking corageous. The friends that went out straight home to fed my partner, kept the house, make sure it didn't blow up while I was away and called me, pushed me all the way through. Art, a bit more sleep, a bit less alchool - not feeling great, not gonna lie, but not scraping it all feeling uneasy. Start talking a bit about how I feel/see my body with honesty. Start talking at all, at times. Keeping being foolishly romantic about life.

Being able to excert again a bit of control, an ounce of well being, makes you damn hungry for life. Sure I didn't see the worst, didn't had the worst. Neither the best. Maybe I'll never be "alright", but I'm starting to feel "alright" means nothing. Or very much in perspective. I see so much people in pain, so much people hurting for so many reasons. Please don't let it go. Don't leave. Don't stop being hungry for life. Don't stop wanting it all (yeah, good take on that, pale elf)! It IS so hard. But you're good, you're heard, you're seen, you're doing a DAMN GOOD JOB. You heard me? A DAMN GOOD JOB. *Pat*.

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eggtoasties · 3 years

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Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke/Haruno Sakura

Rating + Notes: M for mentions/implied references of sexual assault

Word Count: 4.6k

Summary: Selfishly, he thinks that if he could shoulder the burden of her suffering and sync his heart with hers, he would.

“Tch. You’re a shinobi, why are you so soft? Sasuke scoffed.

Sakura whipped her head up towards him from her hunched position.

“You have no idea what I have been through,” she seethed. Clenching her fists tightly, she said, “Despite everything. I have chosen to stay soft,” she spat. She closed her eyes, trying to even out her breathing while fine tremors wracked her body. Light tendrils of electricity seemed to dance across the surface of her skin, her hair rising with static shock. Her chakra was volatile and seeping from every pore—she radiated with energy and tightly controlled killing intent.

“Woah, woah, Sakura-chan,” Naruto said placatingly, raising two hands up. “Teme didn’t mean anything by it—"

“You don’t even know what I’m talking about,” she glared.

Kakashi leaned forward on his haunches. He knew tensions were bound to rise at some point; he was just surprised that it was Sakura. He glanced at her. She was hunched over, knees drawn up to her chin, arms cradling her body towards the warmth of the fire. Kakashi watched as the flames drew shadows across her tanned skin, watched as the reflection danced in her eyes.

Sasuke was standing over her to her left, hand cocked on his hip glaring at a dirt patch next to Sakura and Naruto was sitting in front of her across the fire. They had been reinstated as a team for the past two months and while she was always professional, they didn’t fit together like they once did.

After the Great Shinobi War, there was a renaissance period during the unprecedented peace time. Art, music, technology, and trade flourished with the lull in military activity. Earth country in particular grew wealthy with the advancements in technology. Already prosperous due to its multitude of gold and silver mines, with the electronic boom, copper, lithium, and palladium’s demand exponentially skyrocketed as technology for everyday use—not just military use—became the norm.

“Your mission is to assassinate a lord in a remote estate in the Land of Earth,” Tsunade explained to Team 7.

Team 7 stood in front of their Hokage’s heavy wood desk. Kakashi was hunched over as usual, lackadaisically taking in the mission details while absentmindedly watching the rest of his team. Naruto was, as always, excited to be sent on a mission although his optimism had tempered a bit after the war. To Naruto’s left stood Sasuke. Standing stiffly, he scowled lightly at his blonde teammate’s excited chatter and puffed a sigh as his and Tsunade’s glares did nothing to silence his ramblings. Off to the side stood Sakura. She held her left elbow with her right hand and stared ahead at Tsunade, ignoring her two teammate’s bickering. She watched her mentor valiantly try and explain the rest of the mission and hardly cracked a smile when Tsunade sent a paperweight hurtling Naruto’s way.

Once regaining everyone’s attention, Tsunade continued with the mission details.

“Using the natural resources on his estate, the lord used the profits to create his own tech company. With the raw materials at his disposal, he bought machinery and vertically integrated his company—” she narrowed her eyes at Naruto who started to stare out the window.

"Oi, brat! You better take notes!” she shouted, breaking him out of his daydreams. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as Tsunade continued.

“Basically,” she said, rolling her eyes, “he owns the natural resources, the machinery, and the man power for every step of the manufacturing process and has a bunch of legal whatever to his product so he’s become richer than ever,” the Hokage waved her hands absentmindedly.

Although the post war boom was financially beneficial for the Five Great Nations, smaller nations had not seen much of a difference in their standards of living. The major nations focused on establishing open trade routes and flows of information between themselves and failed to include smaller countries at the discussion table. Thus, a great migration took place. While civilians and shinobi alike travelled the elemental nations more freely due to the decrease in tensions with the airs of truce and allyship, many single women from smaller villages migrated to the great nations for work and better opportunities.

Many of whom ended up on the Earth lord’s estate, working along the assembly line. The position seemed generous enough: lodging was provided in dormitory like-housing and food was also provided in a mess hall. The hours were long, but they worked five days a week.

Tsunade unfurled a detailed map on her desk and Team 7 gathered around, committing the details to memory. The estate was strategically built with a mountain as a protective shield at the rear while a wide expanse of rolling green fields surrounding the estate ensured that potential enemies had no place to hide. It was as expansive as it was beautiful.

Boasting acres of greenery, Sakura imagined the smell of wild grass and flowers mingling with fertile soil. The fertility of the region would mean the grounds were likely lush with hearty wildflowers and medicinal herbs. The meadows at the base of the mountain would be plentiful and the mountain breeze would circulate cool, crisp air. Especially for those seeking a quiet life away from busy cityscapes, Sakura could imagine that the lord’s estate seemed to provide a quiet haven with an idyllic backdrop.

Continuing on with the report, Tsunade relayed that the Tsuchikage had received several reports from the workers’ family and friends that something was amiss. Listening to witness accounts and poring over letters, Earth’s intelligence confirmed suspicions although the letters never disclosed specifics.

The Tsuchikage had sent a discreet reconnaissance force to infiltrate and observe the ongoings of the estate. Despite the beautiful scenery, life at the estate was anything but. The mission report detailed that the lord took advantage of many of the women and held them hostage by threatening to blacklist them and their families. Guards patrolled the area constantly, on high alert for any worker who might slip out into the night to disclose company secrets. The report noted only women from outside Earth were permitted as workers to decrease the likelihood of suspicious family or friends coming to the estate and to lower the success of an unlikely escape.

Imploring the Hokage, the Tsuchikage asked that the assassination of the lord be kept discreet. Making his death appear as an accident was of the utmost importance—and Sakura’s primary duty. Following the lord’s death, the estate and its holdings would be turned over to the state as the lord had no next of kin. The mission would be lucrative for the Tsuchikage, and the women would be free to go if they wished.

What went unsaid was that the mission would ensure that the state would not be held accountable for providing mental or physical aid to the victims of the lord. When Earth shinobi arrive and explain that the guards and workers will be reevaluated, some women, the Tsuchikage reasoned, would expose the lord and guards who abused their powers. The state would clean up the guards, instate new ones and gain the thanks and appreciation of the women workers.

It made Sakura sick.

A year after the war and the new increase in trade, information, and people were normal aspects of daily life. Shinobi immediately began rehabilitation post-war and the program, headed by Sakura, reported positive effects. Post-war life was hard for shinobi who had become accustomed to a state of hyper-awareness during combat—settling into the monotony of peacetime, especially for strictly combative shinobi, had been difficult. For the past year Naruto and Sasuke had found their rhythm again, falling into easy friendship that was built on a foundation of begrudging respect although it was masked with bickering, sparring, and petty annoyances. Kakashi easily meshed back into their dynamic.

Immediately following the war, Sakura was extremely busy with the administrative and legal overhaul of the shinobi system. Reviewing outdated protocols, researching alternatives, and creating new proposals, she had not rekindled her bonds with Team 7 as the others did. What little free time she had, she spent it quietly with Sai and the rest of her graduating class.

Team 7 had been reinstated a few months prior to the one year war anniversary. They were designated as a specialty unit—their collective powers largely unneeded due to the peacetime and the necessity of Sakura’s medical and legal acumen in village proceedings—but Naruto and Kakashi insisted. While suspicions around Sasuke’s loyalty lingered, the rest of Team 7 acted as a power and emotional safeguard.

During missions, Naruto seemed to fall back to their genin days. He would purposefully annoy Sasuke and Sasuke would pretend to be irritated back. They would bicker and banter with Kakashi feigning tiredness, but the crinkle in his eyes said otherwise. Sakura would be quiet. Naruto would try and rope her in with banter and shenanigans, but remained aloof, side stepping his attempts.

For her, it wasn’t like being placed on a temporary assignment with an established team where their deep trust reflected in the easiness of their movements. With Team 7, she felt perpetually on edge. She trusted their power and their commitment to each other, but she felt weary of Sasuke. She felt a lingering bitterness towards Kakashi. Naruto hurt to look at sometimes.

Sasuke noticed. For someone who was constantly observing, hyper aware of every flinch and averted eye he had inspired throughout the years, it was hard not to. Providing her comfort the only way he knew how, he gave her space. From the years as a missing-nin, the crimes he had committed, and the genjutsu he had put her under at the end of the war left her understandably weary.

As the team was reinstated, he tried talking. As much as he was able to. He would nod to her when she healed him, smirk at her when she pulverized an enemy, and raise an eyebrow when she flirted information out of a target. He’d order tempura at restaurants so she could have it as a side and he’d give her the last dango off his skewer saying he didn’t like sweets.

She had changed a lot from the memory he had of her before leaving the village. The war, he figured, changed a lot of people. She was always so loud and earnest in her feelings for him—for anyone really. And while she still had fire within her—from the way she’d chastise Naruto for still utilizing his sexy-no-jutsu or slap the back of their heads when they got unnecessarily injured and tried to hide it from her, she was guarded.

Perhaps, Sasuke thought, this was just her adult self. War veteran, war hero, director of the hospital, best medic in all the nations, one of the most in demand shinobi, her accolades as Konoha’s golden girl went on forever.

But, he thought back to when he uncharacteristically joined Naruto for a night out with the rest of their graduating class. He had seen her across the bar. She was laughing. Her face exuded mirth, shoulders and head thrown back, hair wild and loose. She had her hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder and then giggled into his neck as he shot her a grin. He watched as Tenten said something and Sakura slapped the table in boisterous laughter. She had never shown this side of herself to him—to Team 7. So he turned back and left for home.

Team 7 arrived at night.

Sakura could have completed it as a solo mission, but Tsunade wanted Team 7 to be able to seamlessly work together during missions. Even if the team was grossly over powered for the task at hand, the task itself was hardly the primary objective.

Sasuke would enter the lord’s bedroom with Sakura, cloaking them both in a genjutsu. Kakashi would watch from afar and notify them of any irregular guard movements through the comms device, and Naruto would serve as a distraction if things went awry.

Sakura and Sasuke entered the lord’s estate easily. They cast no shadow against the black and white marble tiles, and the quiet patter of their footsteps was masked under the genjutsu. As they entered the lord’s bedroom, they ignored the ostentatious displays of wealth—fur rugs covering the expanse of the room, ornate candelabras and chandeliers gilded with gold and encrusted with jewels—and went straight to the bed. Next to the sleeping lord, was a young woman holding herself in a fetal position, twitching in her sleep. Sakura quickly and untraceably killed the lord with a precise rush of chakra before tending to the young woman. Standing idly while Sakura completed the mission, Sasuke noticed the hardness of her eyes and the rigidity of her shoulders. Sakura’s glove clad hands were steady as they glowed green and she was done as quickly as she started. Locking eyes with Sasuke and curtly nodding, they left out the window.

They made camp once they breached Konoha’s borders. Several kilometers inwards, they settled for the night. Sakura was silent—not unusual for her, but her movements were stiff and mechanical as she put down her pack and built the fire.

Naruto and Kakashi came back with food they had caught. She ate her portion with glazed eyes, staring into the fire. She bit into the gamey meat without tasting it.

Her hands felt cold even as she held them to the camp fire and felt a heavy emptiness at her chest that permeated throughout her body. She thought of the Tsuchikage and Hokage’s actions robbing a form of justice away from the victims of the lord. Closing her eyes, she circled her arms around her shins and bowed her head to relieve some of the tension in her neck. Cradling herself, she opened her eyes to soften her gaze downwards.

Her toes were painted a light blue—Ino had insisted that it was the it color of the spring season and it would make her tan pop. Forehead, she had said seriously. For all the shit you did with shinobi and mental health you need to take care of yourself too. Sakura counted the pebbles in the dirt—one to ten, just as Ino had done for her while she painted her nails—and tracked the steady march of beetles over twigs and stones.

She saw splotches of dirt turn dark with moisture and absentmindedly realized she was crying.

She felt Sasuke’s disapproval as much as she heard it—straight to the chest, electricity and fire—and seethed at Naruto’s immediate defense. Trapped in the orbit of two celestial bodies—two gods—she wanted nothing more to break their trajectory towards her and suspend their collision.

“Have you ever felt like your body wasn’t your own,” she said. “That someone had ripped your soul from its shell and you could do nothing but watch.” Sakura’s eyes were blank and unseeing as her tears made trails down her cheeks.

Kakashi went rigid and Sasuke and Naruto mirrored faces of confusion. Sakura exhaled and continued, voice steady and clear. “Konoha and Iwagakure know about—have known about the lord for months and the only thing they care about is the financial windfall,” she said angrily. “Iwa won’t consider those women citizens and will just push them to go back to their original villages. Even if some of them disclose what the lord did to them—what is anyone going to do?” she questioned angrily. Voice rising she snarled, “What the fuck is Iwagakure going to do? Konoha?”

Surprised at the uncharacteristic outburst, her three teammates listened to her quietly. Cataloguing her rage and thinking over the implications their interference, the men of Team 7 considered her words.

Silence hanging over the air, Sakura began again. “How are those women supposed to reconcile the fact that they were just a thing to that fucking lord?” she spit out. “That he can act upon them and that’s where their value or depth ends?” No one had an answer for her. “Sometimes I feel like I’m being torn apart and my cells feel like they separate and I can feel my pulse in my fingertips,” she choked out, shoulders heaving. “What the fuck am I supposed to do then?”

Sasuke’s mouth opened slightly then clenched it shut. He saw red.

Kakashi stared blankly at Sakura. Feeling exhausted by the information, his shoulders drooped. The heavy burden of survival. He felt the prickly heat of guilt at the back of his neck and his eyes fell to Sakura’s pack on the ground next to her, unable to look her in the face. The dawning realization that he had never noticed anything different with her made him feel every year of his age.

He started to apologize. To say he wish he had been there for her more, that he should have tried to get her to spend more time with the three of them, that he should have said something about her pulling away from the team—that he should have known better.

“Sakura, I—”

“Don’t make this about you.”

Misplaced and unfounded guilt didn’t matter. To her, she was the student he had discarded and continued to ignore for years.

He hunched impossibly more.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Naruto said softly.

“Because I didn’t want to then.”

“I thought we were family?”

She scoffed, “Why?”

“We’re together again! Sasuke’s come back to us!”

“He came back to you. You never asked if I even wanted him here.” Sasuke jerked back as if she had hit him. His face remained stonily still despite the searing pain in his chest.

Looking at Sasuke she said, “I don’t care that you’re back. I’m glad you feel safe or that you have a home again, or whatever you feel. But you did shit to me that I will never forgive.”

“Tch, so we aren’t friends anymore?”

“Since when were we ever.”

It was fair, he reasoned. Although he was friendlier with Sakura than anyone else besides Naruto or Kakashi, his outward actions or words didn’t denote that he felt any particular fondness for her. Not enough to make up for all the things he had done to her. His throat closed and his eyes stung and not from overuse of his Sharingan.

“Why didn’t you fight back?” he blurted out and immediately regretted it.

“Who was it Sakura-chan? I’ll beat ‘em up—I-I’ll kill them!” Naruto raged.

“You think I couldn’t if I wanted to?” Sakura said wearily.

A cold breeze rustled through the forest, bringing with it the scent of moss and pine. For what seemed like a millennia, Team 7 was suspended in stillness. Gray eyes locked onto a well-worn pack, cerulean grounded himself in the limitless indigo sky, and red irises drowned in pink.

“I’m sorry,” Sasuke interrupted the silence. “I didn’t mean it that way. Or that you're weak," he glanced at her hunched form. "I’m sorry.”

Their journey back to Konoha was quiet. For once, Naruto was at a loss for words. Sasuke watched from the rear of their diamond position as Naruto snuck glances at Sakura to his left, but she never wavered. After the previous night, her face had been an impenetrable porcelain mask.

She had told them then, “We cry and we cope and we continue.” Her eyes had found Kakashi’s and he held them for a long minute before shifting his gaze uncomfortably towards the ground.

After the mission debrief, Sakura hung back to go over documents with Tsunade as the rest of Team 7 parted ways. Kakashi had immediately dispersed which left Naruto and Sasuke idly walking the packed dirt roads of the village.

Sea glass on twinkling wind chimes glinted green and blue as Sasuke and Naruto walked past vendor stalls. The warm breeze carried scents of fried food and sweets and the duo ignored the glances of awe and apprehension thrown their way.

Still mulling over the events of the previous night, Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. Across the street, sitting underneath the shade of a tree, Sai was painting the landscape around him. Pointing towards their other teammate, Naruto nudged Sasuke towards his direction.

Walking up the grassy hill towards Sai, Naruto sent him a halfhearted wave and tried to figure out how to ask Sai if he knew. If he knew what Sakura had been going through and how they could reel her back into Team 7. He rubbed the back of his head in frustration and fisted at the roots of his hair. Opening and closing his mouth several times while growing agitated, his eyes darted towards Sasuke then back to Sai as he struggled.

“Did Ugly finally tell you?” Sai asked, intently studying his painting. “And could you two move—you’re blocking my view.”

Finally finding his voice, Naruto exclaimed “We’ve been her teammates for years.”

“And yet she chose not to tell you,” Sai replied evenly.

“But w-why?” Naruto spluttered disbelievingly. “Why would she keep this a secret from us?”

“Because she did not think you could offer her any emotional comfort.”

Quietly, Naruto murmured, “Has she at least told Ino?”

Sasuke stared down at Sai. He thought he was aloof and detached with brief moments of social understanding, unfalteringly deadpan but unwaveringly steadfast. Sasuke and Sai had shared only a handful of greetings and exchanges, mostly nonverbal despite Naruto and Sai’s efforts and provocations. Sasuke had found his replacement irritating in his quiet observations and noted the way he and Sakura tended to gravitate towards each other during missions with thinly veiled contempt.

“The rest of your graduating class is aware.”

“How did I not know about this!?”

“She had you sent away on a mission when Tsunade informed them of her temporary release of duties.”

“Well, what about me?” Sasuke finally asked, feigning nonchalance despite his racing heartbeat.

“You were never a consideration.”

Sasuke jerked his head to the side and clenched his jaw, face settling into a scowl. He had wondered if with time, Sakura would look at him the way she used to when they were younger. Actually, he amended, he didn’t need for her to look at him with bright eyed adoration, cheeks flushing at any attention. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t need furtive glances thrown his way or delicately packed bento boxes. He wanted her acceptance—acknowledgement even, would have sufficed.

“What will you do now, Dickless?” Sai questioned.

“I’m gonna go to Tsunade baa-chan and force her to do something about this!”

“But did you ask Sakura what she wanted?”

“Huh?”

“Tch, dobe. You don’t even know what Sakura wants. She didn’t tell you because it’s just like you to do whatever your first thought is.”

“Precisely.” Packing away his supplies and shutting his sketchbook, Sai rose from his seated position. “Well,” he said with a fake smile, “this was fun.”

He watched as Naruto scrunched his face deep in thought and noted the quiet anger rolling off of Sasuke in waves. “I know this may be hard for you two,” Sai said cheerily, beginning to walk away, “but try not to impose yourselves further on the hag.” With one last wave, Sai walked leisurely back to the main road.

He had come to her apartment in the middle of the night. He had seen her open balcony, cream curtains billowing in the breeze, and hopped onto the ledge. Before he could wonder if he should have knocked on the front door, Sakura was in front of him.

“What.” She asked

He swallowed. His hands felt clammy.

“I’m sorry. For everything. I know it doesn’t mean much. But I mean it.”

She nodded. She went back into her apartment and left the glass door open, inviting him in. Shutting the door behind him and taking off his sandals, he looked around her living room. It was relatively spacious for just herself, light wood floors and neutral décor. Her side tables and bookshelves were crammed and overflowing with medical tomes and scrolls. Kunai and various weapons were littered on top of her coffee table along with notes and ink wells. Her living room opened up to a modest kitchen, where she currently stood towards the kettle.

“Do you want tea?” she asked, lifting two boxes to choose from.

Her hair was pulled into a braid down her back and she was wearing pajamas—clearly intending to sleep soon. He nodded at the box at her right and she took out two packets. Unsure of what to do, he hovered next to her coffee table until she came to sit at one end of the couch, sweeping a hand towards the armchair to the side and the other end of the couch.

He tentatively sat at the opposite end and clasped his hands in his lap. He nodded at the mug she handed him and stared into its contents. He felt a fever rush to his brain and felt a heavy cold settle in his bones as he attempted to parse through his emotions—sorrow, rage, guilt, shame, yearning. He could hardly name them for what they were, each overwhelming him like a tsunami wave, unrelenting and overlapping until all he felt was hurt ricocheting off his ribs and reverberating against his lungs.

“I’m sorry,” he bit out awkwardly. He intently analyzed her face and wondered why for all the things he felt, for all the things he wish he could articulate, all he could ever do was apologize. She sighed into her mug, the tendrils of steam making the fine hairs framing her face stick to her skin.

"I’ve forgiven you even when I don’t fucking want to—when my brain screams not to." With another deep exhale she rests her head on the cushions behind her and stares up at her ceiling.

“I’m sorry it happened,” he says quietly, fingers playing with the string of the teabag.

It’s something, Sasuke thinks to himself. They’re talking. For the first time, maybe ever. And he lets that little flicker of hope consume him. That maybe they can continue to talk. He’ll let her in, he’ll be vulnerable, he’ll apologize if she’ll just keep talking to him.

Sasuke and Naruto stood next to each other in the early morning quiet and unsure, facing the village gates. Kakashi was behind them, hands deep in his pockets, hunched over as if trying to make himself smaller. Looking at Naruto, the village to his back, Sakura watched as he fidgeted in uncharacteristic silence.

Surprisingly, it was Kakashi who began to speak. Raising his eyes towards Sakura, he began to apologize.

It had been weeks since Sasuke had shared tea with Sakura, talking through the years he had missed, actually learning who she was as a person. During that night, he was able to indulge in the fantasies he had been harboring for months—the desire to talk to someone like family—to someone who is family. To divulge in past memories and future hopes. The start of sealing the cracks he had left and wedged open.

But now, he watches as she grips Naruto in a tight hug, whispering fiercely into his ear as he shakes in her arms. She shares sweet goodbyes with her friends who look at her with pride and tell her to bend the world to her will because they’ll always be waiting. A curt nod and a squeeze of the forearm and Sasuke watches her back and wonders if her heart shattered the same way when he had left her all those years ago.

At the time, she had told him that she would go with him—that she would shoulder his pain if she could. But now? He supposes this is payment for all the times he ripped her heart from her chest. It would have been merciful, he thinks, if she could have knocked him out unconscious so he didn’t have to be the one to watch her back as she became a distant pinprick in the horizon.

#sasusaku #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto fanfiction #sasusaku fanfiction #sasuke x sakura #sakura fanfiction

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lilachaeyo · 3 years

Text

Staying in the Shadows (A Naruto Fanfic) Chapter 4 - Dropping Out.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 (Part I) Chapter 3 (Part II)

"Two Ichiraku Special, please," Jinko ordered as both her and Mitsuki sat at a table.

"Ichiraku ramen is the best ramen in the world!" Jinko looked at Mitsuki. The room smelled of spices and filled with customers chatting amongst themselves. The place had been redecorated. It was much larger than Jinko remembered. Jinko couldn't recognise it.

"Here you go!" A waiter placed their food. Both of them said their prayers and dug in. Mitsuki was gulping the noodles. His eyes were wide, amazed at the taste. Jinko chuckled at him. Mitsuki finished his bowl when Jinko's bowl was half. "Do you want some more?" she asked. Mitsuki shook his head. Mitsuki wanted to ask her about her past but was not sure how to bring up the subject. Jinko knew something was on Mitsuki's mind but she let it slide. He will tell her when he wants to.

"Uh, Jinko," Mitsuki interrupted in between her bite.

"Hm?" she asked.

"How come you never told me that you're from Konoha?"

She swallowed her morsel before replying, "Never came up. Didn't think it was important." It wasn't just that. She didn't want to bring up the subject as she didn't want to remember those days. Only few people knew of it, most of them were dead. Orochimaru knew some of it, but not everything.

"Well I'm bringing it up. Could please tell me?"

Jinko sighed. "I'm from Tao clan, which is a small but a proud clan of the Konoha. I grew up here, went to the academy and became a genin."

"What happened after that?" Mitsuki asked. He was curious about her past life. She was from Konoha meaning she might know some of the people here. What if she knew Naruto Uzumaki? The thought wasn't very far from his mind.

"Something came up and I had to dropout from the programme," she answered looking down. Mitsuki couldn't believe his ears. Dropping out of the programme? How can she quit? What was so important to give up being a shinobi?

"Why!" he exclaimed.

"It's a story for some other time. Nothing special. I don't want you to dwell on these trivial details," Jinko shook him off. "Now if you are done, we should leave and find ourselves a hotel to rest. I don't know about you but I'm pretty beat."

Jinko paid the bill before standing up and leaving the hotel with Mitsuki on toll.

After an hour of searching, Jinko and Mitsuki finally settled in a two room suite, which wasn't too hard on their budget. After making sure that Mitsuki was asleep, Jinko slid into her own bed. The streets seemed silent. It must be around midnight, she thought. Although she was tired Jinko couldn't make herself to go to sleep. Her mind kept going back to her past.

It had been months since formation of the Team 7. The missions assigned to them where only D-ranked. Naruto was becoming a nag, always complaining how bored he was with these mission and how he was ready for some serious ones. Tch, baka.

Ever since the bell test Jinko knew she was the weakest amongst them and she had to train extra hard for her to be of any use. She got up every morning and practiced her punches and shuriken throwing skills. She meditated before going to bed to increase her chakra control. She even asked Isao, her older brother to spar with her but he was too busy. Teme, if he ever comes to me asking for help, she thought grudgingly. These D-rank missions were easy as it didn't require any Ninjutsu or any other skills for that matter but she knew the day wasn't far away that she might have to go on a C-rank or B-rank missions.

Team 7 was in the Hokage's office for their new mission. "I don't want any of these baby missions. I want some real mission," Naruto yelled.

"How dare you! You're only freshly graduated genin and you are going to do missions D-ranked only, just like everybody else!" Iruka sensei yelled back.

"Naruto, listen to me," the Third said calmly. "Different people come to our village for missions and then we analyse them and categorize them into A, B..." Lord Hokage was explaining how the village works but Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, Jinko and Sakura all zoned out and started listening to Naruto who was talking about ramen. "So I had this Tatsu ramen yesterday and I think I need Miso ramen today—"

"Silence!" Hokage silenced him. They directed their attention to him now.

"Ah! You always lecture me as if you're my grandfather or something! But I'm not the brat who pulled pranks all the time. I'm a ninja now and I want some ninja mission!" Naruto puffed his cheeks out and turned his back to lord Hokage.

Both Iruka and the Third laughed at his antics. "Alright. Since Naruto wants us to know that he is a former brat and want some ninja mission. So be it. I will assign you all one since you are so determined." This piqued Naruto's interest and he turned to the Hokage again.

"I'm giving you a C- rank mission. You are going to be the body guards of our client."

"Really? Who? Is it some feudal lord? Or a princess?" Naruto began rambling. Everyone was excited for the higher level mission but Jinko was sweating bullets. She knew this day was coming but never thought this early. Damn you, Naruto! she thought. She wasn't ready yet. D- rank missions were easy and nobody really understood each other's capabilities. But C- rank mission will be different. They would need to use their skills and talent. What if they laugh at Jinko for being so weak?

The door of the office was opened and in stepped a drunk old man. "What? A bunch of snot nosed kids," he slurred. "And you, the little one with an idiotic look on your face."

"Who's with the idiotic look on the face?" Naruto laughed. Everyone stepped closer to Naruto and he understood that it was him. "I'll demolish you!" He started flailing his punches around in the air.

Kakashi hold him back, "You can't demolish the client Naruto!"

"Now if you leave the room, I have some important matter to discuss with Jinko," the Third voiced over all the ruckus. Jinko looked at the Hokage, "Huh, me?"

"Yes." Everyone left the room and Jinko was now facing Iruka sensei and the Hokage. He put his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers. He looked gravely at Jinko, almost like he knew whatever he wanted say wouldn't settle with her. He pitied her. Jinko was scared. Her mind overworking her imagination. Was someone dead? Is it Isao? No that can't be I saw him leave today. Who then? I'm I in trouble? Is it because of my performance? Jinko kept searching the ground as if it had answers.

"Jinko, your parents and I had a meeting this morning about your future. They had a peculiar request," he said, finally breaking the silence.

"A request?" Jinko's eyebrows creased.

"They came here for your unenrolment from the programme."

Unenrolment? "What do you mean?" Jinko asked incredulously.

The Hokage sighed. "They don't want you to continue being a shinobi. They want you to drop out," he said grievously.

"But why?" Jinko exclaimed. Outside the door, her team and Tazuna was interrupted in their argument by her loud, distressed voice.

"That you are going to have to discuss it with your family, my dear," the old man replied. His voice laced with sorrow for the girl. Jinko's eyes filled with tears, looking pleadingly at him to help her out. Her face flushed and a knot was forming in her stomach. Why would they do this? She thought many reasons as to what made her parents to take this step. Never in her wildest imagination she would have guessed the actual reason which would be released to her later that day.

"That's all, my child. There's nothing I can do here. If your parents change their mind then you can rejoin your team but till then I must strictly ask you to not participate in any kind of missions with your comrades."

Jinko couldn't hold it any longer. As soon as the Hokage was finished, she slammed opened the door and darted past her fellow comrades. She had her arm around her eyes to hide her tears but she couldn't help the sob that left her lips. Everyone outside were surprised by the sudden loud sound of the door slamming against the wall. Their faces were of confusion and concern for their teammate who passed by them sobbing. Even Sasuke was taken aback. "Hey Jinko! What's the matter? Where you going?" Naruto tried to stop her but his voice didn't reach her ears. He was about to run after her but Kakashi stopped him. "We have a mission to worry about," he told him, knowing full well of the conversation that was held inside. The Hokage broke the news to him just after Jinko's parents left. Naruto couldn't argue with him. Kakashi was right. I would ask her on our way to the Land of Waves, he thought.

"Mother!" Jinko yelled as she barged inside her house. "Mother! Father!"

"What is it Jinko? Should a lady be yelling this loud?" her mother chastised her as she came out into the living room.

"Mother what is this nonsense about you asking me to drop out?" Jinko asked wiping away her tears and fixing her attire.

"Yes. Your father and I need to talk with you," her mother replied calmly. "But before that, go and clean yourself. I will not have you in my house looking this filthy!"

Jinko went to her room and changed into her yukata. After tidying herself, she went downstairs in the living room. Jinko sat in front of her parent in a seiza, with her head bowed down. Her father, the head of the Tao clan, cleared his throat. "Jinko, my dear, you know how the Tao clan works, correct? We may be small but we are a proud clan. We are not powerful like the Uchihas, or have renowned kekkei genkai like the Hyugas, but we have connections. Connections which make us stronger, perhaps even more than the Uchihas. We maintain these connections by having good relations.

"And these good relations are because of mutual respect and a little give and take. Some times they make requests and we have to abide them, if we don't there will be consequences. Consequences which harm our clan's reputation. The same goes for them, dear—"

"But what does that have to do with me dropping out?" Jinko cut him off. "Quiet! Shouldn't you know better than to interrupt your father!" Jinko's mother shushed her. Jinko looked down at her hands clutching her yukata.

"As I was saying, a request has been made by the Eguchi clan from the Land of Silk. A request which involves you. The son of the feudal lord, heir of the Eguchi clan and you are arranged to be married." Jinko's father finished. There was silence in the room. Jinko sat transfixed, clutching her yukata. Her eyes flickered with shock. Married? He is not serious. He can't be!

"But why?" Jinko wailed. "Why me? I don't want to marry!"

"The Eguchi clan and Tao clan are bounded together by our common perspectives and our respect to our ancient principles and our traditions. They wanted a daughter in-law from a family with such beliefs. No better than the daughter of the Tao clan, don't you think?" her father explained. His face showed no emotion. He was unfazed by his daughters tears, which were now running down her cheeks.

"Now," her mother started this time. She looked almost bursting with joy to tell her further news. "They wanted a lady, one who could bear them their heirs and not a shinobi. That is why you will be dropping out of the programme and stay at home. I will teach you all the things that an ideal and perfect housewife needs to know. You'll be a real lady in no time." She smiled at her proud. Her mother got up and walked around the table. She bent down and hugged Jinko with her thin arms. She then proceeded to kiss Jinko's wet cheeks, all the while Jinko was motionless. Her mother then got up from her position and left with her father, both talking about being fortunate to receive such a proposal. Neither of them paying heed to Jinko.

A tear slipped from Jinko's eye as she remembered the day which turned her world upside down. She quickly wiped it away and shut her eyes to get some sleep, but orange light shimmered through her windows and fell upon her bed. The birds started chirping and the swishing of the brooms sweeping the road was heard. Well, might as well arrange breakfast before Mitsuki wakes up, she thought. Jinko stretched as she stepped out of her bed and started her day.

#naruto #naruto shippuden #kakashi hatake #ninja #kunoichi #mitsuki #new generation #ichiraku #hokage #sasuke #sakura #fanfic #fanfiction #chapter 4

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marshmallowgoop · 7 years

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Okay, this is the last post I’ll make on the matter for now, but something Senketsu says in his death scene is, 「楽しかったぞお前に会えて」(tanoshi katta zo omae ni aete). 楽しい can be translated as “fun,” お前 as “you,” and 会う as “to meet,” and when you also consider the particles, you could translate the entire line as, “Meeting you was fun,” “I had fun, meeting you,” etc.

The official English translation opted for, “I had a wonderful time, meeting you” (and the dub went with, “I had a wonderful time knowing you”), and yeah, that’s an accurate translation from what I know.

But “fun” just has a bit of a different connotation than “wonderful time,” I feel like. “Fun” is really a lighthearted sort of word, while “wonderful time” sounds a lot heavier and more serious. “Wonderful time” also strikes me as something you’d say when you really didn’t have a “wonderful time” at all but you don’t want to be rude.

So, I mean, “fun” just makes the whole line a lot more upsetting. I hear Senketsu talking about “fun” and I think, Senketsu, you poor child, I’m pretty sure you only laughed once in the whole series (and that was during one of your narrations so I’m pretty sure that didn’t even really happen) and that means you’ve probably hardly laughed at all in your entire life and you deserved to have more laughing and joking and fun than you got, darn it!!

#shut up goop #ramblings #kill la kill #fansubs used 'fun' iirc #but tldr senketsu telling ryuko he had a fun life with her is so much sadder to me than saying that he had a 'wonderful time'#it's like he's telling ryuko not to be guilty or to feel bad because he really truly enjoyed his time with her #anyway another small thing about the death scene is that senketsu rarely says ryuko's name #which i believe is a bit odd in regards to japanese?#like it's a super indirect language and considered a pro-drop language so pronouns like 'you' aren't used much #usually use the person's name or just nothing at all #but senketsu says 'omae' -a lot- in the end #(which is maybe also interesting in itself because he used 'kimi' to refer to ryuko before he knew her name)#(but switched to 'omae' pretty early on)#(which is what she uses for him)#(unless she's mad at him lol then she uses 'temee' which is basically like 'bitch' because it's so rude)#(so like maybe senketsu switching to 'omae' is a sign of their closeness? idk.)#(i mean senketsu refers to the mankanshokus and aikuro as 'anatatachi' in the fourth drama cd)#(which is much more polite than 'omae' so i mean it might be a sign that he's really comfortable with ryuko)#(that he uses 'omae' for her)#(these kinds of things interest me more than they should but my japanese is not good enough to talk that much about it lol)#ANYWAY maybe senketsu was really trying to distance himself from ryuko by not using her name much in the end...#so it wouldn't hurt as much...

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bdamanlover4ever · 5 years

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For the story request- narusasu where sasuke is trying his darndest to confess his feelings to naruto but is having trouble being straightforward and naruto is an airhead who just does not understand that sasuke is trying to proclaim his love for him like at all

Word count: 1,437

Coal colored eyes stared harshly into sky blue. The two contrasting tones seemed to represent the two very different personalities, withholding them.

The teen with coal colored eyes, was more serious. His lips planted in a firm line, until he spoke. “It’s not that simple to explain, Nar-” He cut off the formalities, slowly growing annoyed. “Dobe.”

The teen with bright blue eyes threw up his hands. “Hey!” His blonde hair bounced, as he rose to his feet. Naruto constantly, had problems well… ‘sitting still’ it was like he had to have some burst of activity or he lost focus.

For example, right now he was losing focus. Naruto’s eyes were wandering all over the little ramen shop. He was pacing back and forth, like an idiot.

“Sit down, before you embarrass yourself.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Teme.”

“Call me that again, and I’ll whoop your ass.”

Naruto slammed his hands down on the table. His face scrunching up in an almost cute fox like way. The word rolled off his tongue, like a knife slicing through bread. “Te-” He cocked his head to the side, “Sasuke.” A satisfied smile crawled on his lips, as if he found an even better way to annoy the boy. “Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!”

The onyx-haired boy, stole a sharp breath of air. All he had to do was resist every urge in his body to not go off. It was bad enough his nerves were betraying him as it is, but this was unnecessary stress.

Sasuke rubbed his temples, “Do you need me to shut you up?” He bit his own tongue withholding, “with a hard slap on the lips from my own.”

The blonde seemed endeared by the challenge, but took a seat anyway. He sat across from his friend, rocking in his seat. “I just like saying your name is all. You have a such a pre-”

A single finger was pressed to Naruto’s lips. Sasuke uttering dangerously, “Don’t say anything, that might ruin this moment anymore.”

“Ruin? Moment?” Naruto uttered cluelessly. He cut his eyes at the older boy pondering over the sincerity of his statement. “You can’t let me have a good time, right now?”

“Naruto, you could be getting jumped in the middle of the street, and I swear you’re the only person who I know would complain– ‘Hey, I’m so not having a good time right now!’ then demand they stop.”

“Yep, but I’m NOT getting jumped.”

Harboring hatred had been a factor driving, Sasuke for so long. But time had delivered facts that were undeniable and reality revealed a future maybe even more hopeless than his past. That tormented him.

It drove him to brim of insanity.

His head pounded, and despite all the challenges, Sasuke had crushed. His head never hurt this much. His heart never ached this much.

Snapping his fingers, a bright idea popped in Sasuke’s brain. He placed his hand over his heart. A bit of softness entering his tone as he said, “But you make my heart, jump.”

Soon as he said it, he longed to take the words back. Naruto just averted his heartfelt gaze and his words. The disastrous blond, making funny faces in the reflection of himself in the bowl of ramen placed before him.

Sasuke grit his teeth, “You make my heart jump.” He repeated, loud enough to ensure Naruto picked up on some words.

Naruto did hear one word, perhaps the most important word. “Heart?” He dropped the facade of silliness, “Who’s heart?”

Sasuke clenched the fabric of his shirt tightly. It was impossible not to see him making it clear, ‘his heart.’ If he could come out and say it regularly, he would. But for some reason he got tongue tied around this….his idiot.

“Hearts can be dangerous ya know,” Naruto began to ramble, “Those cards can ruin friendships in a game.” He screwed up an eyebrow, “Why? Did you drag me out here to challenge me in Blackjack?”

Sasuke swore if he managed to live through this and get Naruto to date him, he’d never get another lover again. “Do you even know how to play Blackjack?”

“Well…”

“Do you know the point of Blackjack?”

“Not r-”

“If you cannot answer correctly to any of these questions, then you have to shut up for at least a minute.”

“Sas-”

“Shhhh…”

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, ready to get up once more. Sasuke’s touch ran on his hand, the cold feel almost gentle and comforting. It coaxed him to remain seated. The blonde’s eyes zoning off to admire the teen in front of him. There was something enchanting with how dark orbs scanned him up and down. They were searching for answers or a sign of some sort.

All Naruto could muster up was a numb smile.

Sasuke began to elaborate, “Blackjack is a rare card game that depends on strategy instead of pure luck.” His fingers snaked to lace around Naruto’s. “It takes time and effort, to beat the dealer.” Skillfully, he brought their hands together near his lips. The heat of his breath brushing against them as he spoke. “It’s a two way streak, of dedication.”

Sasuke had always been attracted to Naruto. He knew that. He just never knew to what extent he cared for his dobe, needed his dobe, wanted his dobe. There was never a day where he didn’t desire to see those blue eyes or see or feel or touch Naruto…He never realized that the extent of what he’d do for Naruto, went beyond anything he ever felt before. Well at least until he got the a fluttering sensation in his chest.

“Offering to play me in, Blackjack.” Sasuke drummed his free hand on the table, “And by bring up only heart cards, just proves how naive you are. In Blackjack that doesn’t matter, each numbered card has a value.” Working his charm, he brought the conversation back to focus on the task at hand. “It’s sorta like past memories.” Blissfully, his lips met Naruto’s knuckles. “Each and every action has a value, even if they’re not heartfelt.”

For so long, Sasuke felt if he didn’t recognize his feelings for Naruto…. Naruto would always be there for him, with him, forever, every day. Sasuke knew not physically in the flesh, but mentally. Mentally, Naruto held his own little place in Sasuke’s brain. It was a special place, that had expanded so much he could no longer fancy the idea of not having him by his side.

Naruto’s face flustered red, as he cleared his throat. It was as if he was struggling to find his voice again, like the sudden shock and realization had stole it away from him. Uncertainly, his glittering blue orbs wandered around the restaurant. Incoherent sentences fell from his lips, “I..well.. Oh.. I guess. Soooooo?”

“Hmp, Naruto.” Sasuke had a new delightful teasing ring in his voice. He lowered knuckles from being ambushed in more kisses. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were surprised.” He allowed a cunning smirk to cross his lips. “But, not my dobe. He’s not surprised by anything. He’s a man of action, and takes the cards as they’re played.”

“Umm. I… y-eeh..yeah?” Naruto was sputtering out nonsense, as his brain spun with with enthusiasm. He felt like he’d been waiting for this, for the longest. To hear these words pass through Sasuke’s lips, because he felt the same way.

Every emotion Naruto felt with Sasuke was stronger than any other. These feelings from the memories…. The attachments… the heart cards. It shaped him, his deck. Outgoing, shy, chatty, tongue-tied, quick-witted, dim-witted, transfixed, unfocused, ecstasy, boredom, just every feeling was amplified. There was not an emotion in Naruto that Sasuke couldn’t evoke.

“Heh, there is a thrill that comes in playing Blackjack, it comes in playing all games really.” Sasuke withdrew his touch from other teen. His eyes watching carefully to see the confounding way Naruto reacted. He chuckled a bit, “The thrill makes your heart jump and flutter. It’s almost like you’re in love.”Naruto felt the flutter in his heart. He really did.Naruto quickly discovered, he really, really, really liked the flutter.

“I think, I’m in love.” Naruto confessed bluntly, there was a stupid cute look on his face. A bright smile on his lips, as his blue eyes marveled at black. He leaned forward, pressing his face in the palm of his hand. “In love with a hot guy.”

“Oh yeah?” Sasuke gave a nod of approval. “And it’s not so simple to explain is it?”

#narusasu #sns #fanfic request

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ariannjs · 5 years

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He & She | A SasuSaku FanFic (One Shot)

Here’s one of my first few fics since I returned to writing last September so characters might have been OOC, hehez. :D

For my other works, check out this page. Enjoy!

------

"Thanks, Sasuke. Your reliable updates are always helpful to the village, ‘ttebayo!" Naruto acknowledged before he began rambling to his best friend about the happenings in Konohagakure, thinking that it's just appropriate to let him know about the things he had missed since that time he left for his journey of redemption especially because he had just returned now.

Time flew by so fast that the soon-to-be Hokage was so hyped up to keep the wandering ninja up to date with the latest news.

Sasuke didn't seem to be mindful about Naruto's stories though. He was away for a good two years or so, and as much as he would want to check up on the status of everything and everyone, his mind was wandering somewhere else, or rather, his mind was pondering about someone else – the main reason that made him want to come home.

"N-naruto..." Sasuke suddenly uttered, cutting off his blond friend from babbling about how their Kakashi-sensei was the most relaxed Hokage ever.

Naruto gave him a puzzled look afterwards. He knew full well that Sasuke's not one who stutters when he speaks, but for some reason, there was suddenly no confidence on his childhood rival's voice now. "Yeah?"

"Uh, Naruto..." Sasuke avoided his gaze and looked at the vast forest ahead of them. "Is...is Sakura..."

That’s when Naruto remembered the only time that Sasuke became tongue tied in front of him. He could recall how stunned he was at the subtle but visible dust of red on his cheeks at the mention of their female teammate's name. Smirking, Naruto didn’t even let him finish. "Sakura-chan, huh."

Sasuke scowled at him when he realized what he was doing.

"Well, to answer your questio–-"

"I haven't even mentioned the question." Naruto received a glare from him but he just brushed him off.

"Sakura is fine. Sakura is working in a children's clinic that she and Ino had put up. And..." Dragging the sound of his last word, Naruto smirked once again at the guy whose attention, unlike earlier, was now fixed intently on him. "...Sakura is not dating anyone. Now tell me if I didn't get to answer your question."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's smugness. Heaving a deep sigh, he contemplated on his best friend's words. It still bugged him to the core whenever he thought about Sakura, their past, and their future – if they would even have one.

He now fully understood and admitted that there was nothing noteworthy with how he treated their kunoichi teammate in the past despite all the manifestations of her kindness and affection towards him. Just thinking about that fact blocked his brain with any positive outlook on having a bright future with her. However, without her, he was sure he wouldn't even have a good future on his own.

"Oi, Teme! This uncertain boy in front of me is not the Uchiha man I know." Naruto chuckled. "What's holding you back?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Holding me back?"

"Duh! From telling her your feelings!"

Sasuke froze at Naruto's remark. He wasn't even mentioning anything yet. Was he that obvious yet so denial to himself?

Another sigh escaped his lips as he turned to face his best friend who once had feelings for Sakura as well. There was no point hiding things, he could read him and share with his pain anyway. "I don't know how. And I don't know if...I could love her enough." He looked down at his left side, not forgetting the fact that the arm that used to be there was the same arm that almost hit the most important woman in his life with a vengeful Chidori. He flinched at the memory, until he received a sudden whack at the back of his head. "What the hell is your problem?!"

"Hey! That's my line!" Naruto stood up from the tree branch where they were both comfortably seated and wagged a finger at him. "Why would you say something like that? Isn't Sakura-chan worth fighting for?"

Sasuke clenched his fist for a moment and then unclenched it again. "That's the point. We both know that she deserves better. And even though I...love her, I can't help but think that I wouldn't be able to give her all the love that she deserves."

Sighing, Naruto sat beside his best friend again. He could see the pain through those onyx eyes that he used to hate. And for him, it was a very rare sight to see the Uchiha drop his walls like this. "You know what? You're stupid."

As much as Sasuke wanted to grimace at that statement, he could only agree that Naruto was speaking matter-of-factly.

"Remember that time we were fighting with Gaara and Shukaku during the Chunin Exams?" Naruto suddenly smiled at the memory as he continued to talk some sense to his best friend.

Sasuke turned to him with a confused expression.

"You were so willing to offer your life to stall Shukaku and Gaara in order for me to save Sakura-chan. That was the first time I've ever seen you admit your weakness that it could be your end of the game, and it was for Sakura-chan's sake." Naruto placed a reassuring hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "When you told me to carry her, run, and do everything to save her because you don't want anyone dear to you to die in front of your eyes again, that's when I knew that even though you're pretty much an ice cube back then, and a big block of ice now, you've had and you still have a space in your heart for Sakura-chan." He sighed, staring at Sasuke's pondering eyes. "You didn't want to lose her before. Would it actually be alright for you to lose her now?"

That last statement was like a splash of cold water to Sasuke – oh, right, scratch that – it was like a splash of boiling water to his freezing heart. Of course he already knew the answer to that.

During the many times he went out of his way to protect Sakura, his vengeful, stoic brain used to reason that it was just out of duty because she was his teammate. But at the back of his head, he knew, and Naruto apparently knew as well, that she's the last person he would ever want to see being hurt. And she's the last person he would ever want to lose.

Dang, it would be hell if he'd lose her! Just thinking about it automatically gives him a searing pang in his chest.

"But..." As much as it was already apparent on the scoreboard that Naruto had won this argument, there went the last straw of Sasuke's stubbornness. "I almost...killed her..." His voice trailed off as his eyes darted to the space where his left arm used to be again.

Once more, Naruto sighed. "Yes, you almost did. But you didn't want to, did you?" If there's one thing obvious that Naruto strongly believed in, it was the goodness in his best friend's heart. If he didn't believe in that, he wouldn't even dare to go through all those mess a few years ago just to bring him back to the village. "I, Sakura-chan, and Kakashi-sensei all knew that that Sasuke back then wasn't the real you. You were blinded by your willingness to avenge your clan alright, but we knew you and believed in you, teme! We still do. Plus, you've come a long way since then!" He gave a reassuring smile at Sasuke, and when Sasuke slowly smiled back at him with a now relaxed composure, he knew his best friend's worries were now swept away, unless he chooses to dwell on his guilt again.

With a smirk, he mentioned afterwards, "Seems like I've gained another point and won this one, don't you think?"

And then the expressionless Sasuke he knew was back. "Hn. Fine, I'll give you this one."

Naruto guffawed as he punched Sasuke's arm before turning his back to leave, but he paused when his best friend called him back.

"Dobe, thanks."

"Sure. I know you'll do the right thing, teme! Before it's too late!" And then he took off to send Sasuke's report to the Hokage's office.

The right thing, huh? Alright.

"Wha—? Hang on." Sakura was sure that she left her door locked. Realizing that she left all her shuriken and kunai inside her apartment, she courageously opened her front door while gathering chakra on her other fist, only to be left astounded with what she had seen...

"S-sasuke-kun?!" She blinked a few times in disbelief while staring at the guy seated on her couch.

"I'm home, Sakura."

"W-welcome...back." She's one who's able to discern if she was in a genjustu or not, but this one's quite surreal. Still trying to take in the sight in front of her, she mindlessly asked, "Is that really you?"

Sasuke released what seemed like a nervous chuckle before he nodded. "I don't have any idea on what time you usually go home. So I just decided to wait here."

Okay, so, Sasuke's back in the village, sure. But why is he in my apartment? "W-what are...wait, do you have any injuries that you want to be treated?" Yes. That was probably it. He wouldn't have the need to go to me if there's anything else other than that, right? "W-wait a sec." Distracted, the medical ninja darted across the living room thinking about getting her medical kit until a cold hand grabbed her arm to stop her midway.

Few seconds in the scenario and it already felt quite long for her. Slowly, she turned to him and met those obsidian eyes that she hasn't seen for far too long. "Why are you here, Sasuke-kun?" And then she just couldn't help it anymore. The prisoners in her eyes that she was trying to hide for so long started to fall down her cheeks.

Of course she missed him, but somehow, a mixture of surprise, joy, anguish, expectance, and frustration filled her chest. It’s been more than two years, after all. She's been wanting to see him again, but now that he's here, for some reason, it was too overwhelming for her to bear.

"Please...don't cry." Sasuke's hand cupped her cheek as his thumb wiped away her tears.

She realized there was nothing familiar with his touch as her gaze landed on his hand. She placed hers above it, and then brought his hand down, not wanting to be vulnerable under his touch. She didn't even want to be vulnerable at all after all this time of struggling to be strong while convincing herself that it's gonna be worth the wait, that he's gonna be worth the wait.

Seeing her tears crippled Sasuke on the inside that he had to look away. He had seen her cry many times before, and sadly, it was usually because of or for him. What he told Naruto was true, she deserves better. She really does. That's why if this courageous act on his part would end up with a negative result, he was already mentally preparing himself to accept and respect whatever her decision would be as long as she's happy.

Even if it would break him.

Sakura's eyes turned to his face, and for a moment, she was surprised with the soft expression of the man in front of her. She realized she barely knew the man he has become. "Tell me, why are you here?"

He was at a loss for words. He was never good with words anyway. But in the shortest and simplest way he could, he uttered, "I'm here because of you."

Walking past him, Sakura started heading back to the living room to be out of his sight again. She was a bit offended as she remembered her younger self for everyone seemed to see her as the same young, impulsive, and annoying fangirl that she used to be. And if Sasuke still saw her in the same way, it would certainly break her heart. "Please don't fool me, Sasuke-kun. I have no time for this. If you need anything, just say it and I would be willing to hel-"

"I'm in love with you, Sakura," Sasuke then blurted out, making her stop on her tracks. There was a gap of silence before he gently added, "I guess I've always been, but I never fully realized it until I left again."

Exasperated, Sakura took a seat on the sofa with her hands on her tear-filled face. She didn't want to have false hopes anymore. Maybe that's what waiting does, it tempts you to lose your faith but you know full well that you shouldn't.

"I admit, if this was the younger me I would've fallen for this immediately the moment you walked at my door. But..." Her breathing then escalated as she continued to speak in between her sobs. "S-sasuke, you...you don't know how much it pained me all the time thinking about all the possible what if's. What if you get hurt? What if you get lost? What if you realize it wasn't worth it protecting this village after all? What if that forehead poke and promise were nothing to you and you decide to not ever come back here...to me? And w-what if...what if you get...kil–"

"Ssshh." Sasuke rushed towards her and regardless of what she might say, his arm wrapped around her and he pulled her to his chest. "Believe me, I've had my fair share of what if's too. Just like how I know it would kill me if I came back and saw you with someone else."

For once, he admitted, he had been a coward after all. He didn't know how to face Konoha, to face her, to face the future, once he came back. That's why his return got delayed time and time again. If not because of Naruto, he wouldn't even think that confessing to her was the right thing to do, before it's too late.

"It's been so long, Sasuke-kun. It's been so long." It was true. But he will always be grateful that she continued to stay and hold on for far too long, even without the assurance of things coming her way.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I needed that time to be away, to start over, to grow. Because Sakura, I don't want to be a pain to you once again when I come back to you." He pulled her closer. "I told myself I don't want to be a burden anymore, but here I am, failing immediately and making you cry the first time we meet again." He sighed and searched for her eyes. "Forgive me, Sakura."

Sakura lifted her gaze and met his. "I've already forgiven you a while back, Sasuke-kun. B-but...I've been so worried about you. I didn't even know if you'll come back. I didn't...I didn't even know if you'll ever feel the same way."

I will never understand how this woman could care for someone like me, but I'm glad she still does, the thought made his heart skip a beat. "I'm sorry also that I made you worry about me." Sasuke genuinely smiled at the woman he loves, something he never thought he'd find so comfortable to do. "But now, everything seems to be falling into place. I'm safely back, I'm in love with you – so damn much, by the way – and...you're single...right?" He let out a chortle, earning a smack from her on his chest.

Sakura's lips formed a lopsided grin after that. She was still quite astounded with the Sasuke in front of her, no walls or whatsoever. It was him wearing his heart on his sleeve for the first time. And witnessing this rekindled the fire of her love for him.

For since the beginning, she was the fire that complemented the ice that he was.

When Sasuke realized that she's not going to utter anything, he lifted her chin so his mismatched eyes could connect with her emerald ones again. "Sakura, tell me, am I too late? Have you been tired of waiting?" He just had to make sure, but joy filled his entire system when she shook her head and smiled at him. "I know we've been through a lot. But, I love you, Sakura. And I'm hoping that we could start again. What do you say about that?" He stared at her expectantly.

"I'm not sure if I'll get used to this side of you." Sakura chuckled. "But I love it. And I love you, too. Still.” Her smile never left her face as she stared back at the man she's always loved and cared for. “So yes, it would be great if we start again."

For a while, she almost thought that this day would never come. But then, she realized that waiting is not entirely about the thing or the person that you're waiting for, it's about who you become in the process – the process that you have to embrace and endure no matter how long and painstaking it could be. If Sasuke didn't leave Konoha in the first place, she wouldn't have the urge to train even harder and eventually become the greatest medical ninja and one of the strongest kunoichis in the world. And if she didn't go through all those brokenness since that time she fell for him, she wouldn't be the woman that she has become today.

Sasuke couldn't help but pull her in a tight hug. He was stupid alright, and he never thought that someone with such a horrendous past like him could still have a hopeful future. While Sasuke was lost in a dark abyss, Sakura was the light that led him back home.

When he pulled away from their embrace, Sakura was yet again in tears, but this time, they were joyful tears because of him. All their previous apprehensions slowly went down the drain when Sasuke closed the gap between them before finally capturing Sakura's lips with his.

They've had their fair share of uncertainties, but at the end of the day, Sakura knew that all the waiting was not in vain. And Sasuke didn't regret going home and claiming what's his.

He'd probably even thank a certain whiskered guy again the next day.

———

Hey guys! Don't forget to comment your thoughts on this fic below. :) I'd love to know what you think about my stories featuring our faves Sasuke & Sakura. It could be about the plot, my way of writing, the emotions of the characters, the lines, etc. :D

This one-shot has a quite predictable flow but I intentionally did that while focusing on the inner Sasuke and inner Sakura. I kind of enjoy exploring their thoughts on most of my works, hehe.

Meanwhile, I'd like to share with you all that I have now launched my pages on Patreon & Ko-fi! I launched them to be a haven for me and the people who believe in me and my art - both Music & Literature. I also have a special gift for my first 50 patrons once I reach the goal of having that number in my support team! They'll get a *special digital (PDF) compilation of some of my works which includes:

• 3 SasuSaku FanFiction One Shots (Mornings, Clingy, Coffee Shop)

• 2 Original Short Stories (Scrapbook, Photoshoot)

• 1 Scanned handwritten lyrics & chords of one of my original songs (Embrace the Sun)

(* = subject to change if you want this set or another set with scanned handwritten lyrics & chords of three original songs, no fics included)

If you desire to support but only for a one-time giving, you could head on to my Ko-fi page and give any amount you could bless me with! It would surely be encouraging as I continue to create both Music and Fiction content!

Thanks & God bless!

– A

#sasusaku #ss fanfics #ss fics #sasusaku fanfiction #ariannjfics #patreon #support patreon #sasusaku one shot

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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years

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[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Forty: Very Subtle ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto ] [ SasuHina, vulgarity ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows] [ AO3 Link ]

If there’s one thing Sasuke struggles with in regards to his actions, it’s...subtlety. Whether it’s bold pronunciations of revenge against a certain someone...or a declaration of becoming Hokage upon a battlefield in the midst of a war, he’s not the sort to mince words, or actions.

A habit he’s...tried to work on the past few years, what with his return to Konoha. At first he’d cared little about his reputation or how people perceived him and his manners. But times changed, as did his circumstances. And he’s made honest progress into thinking before speaking.

Just...not always.

A huge influence into his gentled behavior has been, of course, his relationship with Hinata. At first acquaintances, then allies, then coworkers, and lastly spouses...they’ve each rubbed off on each other over the years. Whether it be Hinata’s tempering of his, well...temper, or his insistence she garner a little attitude herself. So she’s taken a bit more seriously, that’s all. He quickly grew tired of her letting everyone walk all over her. Even her teammates seemed to indulge in her compassion and generosity a bit too often for his liking.

Something he himself tries to be conscious of.

For the most part, Sasuke’s managed to rein in his blunt approach. He’ll still give deadpanned looks and resort to sarcasm, but - in all fairness - it takes a bit more, nowadays, to rile him that far.

...except...for certain circumstances.

“All right, I’m heading back.”

“Whaaat? Already? But - but we just got here!” Naruto throws up exasperated hands, half-clothed in shorts, sandals, and wrapped limbs. “You’ve been putting off sparring with me for ages - it hasn’t even been an hour, teme!”

“You have your Hokage lessons, and I have my police work,” Sasuke replies flatly. “We’re both busy more often than not. I also have a wife, just like you do. Consider me overloaded with responsibilities...which means less time for sparring, yeah.”

“Sasukeee…!”

“Don’t Sasukeee me.”

Lips purse in a pout. “All right, fine - but you owe me another round before next week to make up for it!”

“Whatever makes you happy.” He actually has a rendezvous with said aforementioned wife for a date night. They’ve both been so swamped with cases lately, there’s been little time to spend together. And if he’s going to do that, he needs to get home and shower before the day slips away completely.

So, they both regather their gear (which...is mostly just clothes) before leaving the training grounds behind. All the while, Naruto decides to ramble about his Hokage preparatory training. Apparently Kakashi’s been hounding him extra hard this week. Which is also why he’s extra disappointed they’re calling it quits so early.

“One a’ these days, I’m gonna drag him out for a spar!” Naruto enthuses, throwing mock punches as they walk. “See how he likes it, huh?” Noticing Sasuke’s no longer beside him, Naruto looks back. “Uh...Sasuke…?”

He’s not listening. Instead, a single dark eye stares steadily ahead about a block.

Trying to lean into his line of vision, Naruto perks a brow before doing his best to follow it. And...then he sees what the Uchiha sees.

Hinata’s standing outside a shop, a bag of...something in her arms against her chest. Opposite her, body language all too forward, is some man neither of them have seen before. A jōnin, by the looks of it. And though Hinata looks all too done with his advances...it’s clear he’s not heeding her.

Having come to a full stop, Sasuke then begins marching determinedly forward.

“Whoa whoa, wait - hold up!” Naruto grabs his friend by the arm, earning a venomous glare that loosens his grip and stumbles the blond back. Hands lift defensively. “I’m just sayin’, uh...y’look a little intense there, buddy.”

“No shit.”

“Aaand maybe you should, uh...see if she can handle it herself? Hinata-chan’s a big girl, Sasuke! She can take care of herself, right?”

Indecision flickers over Sasuke’s face. On one hand...Naruto has a point. Hinata is also a jōnin level shinobi, and on top of that one of the best wielders of the Byakugan in her clan. If she really wanted to, she could probably lay this guy flat on his ass the moment she decides to. And he doesn’t want to fight all her battles. She can handle herself. She’s not a maiden in need of defending.

But on the other hand, the longer this goes on without her acting, the hotter Sasuke’s blood boils in his veins, until he can hear little more than his furious heartbeat in his ears.

“...uh…?”

No more waiting.

Leaving his old teammate behind, Sasuke crosses the block with an unmoving eye, everyone around him skittering out of his path and looking at him incredulously. At least they know he means business.

“I told you, I’m married.”

“What, so we can’t have a friendly chat?”

“Friendly, sure - but this is getting a bit beyond friendly, and I -!”

Hinata’s cut off as Sasuke steps between them. With one hand, he grabs the offender’s shirt front, lifting him up with hardly an ounce of effort. Immediately he squirms with a yelp. “H-hey! Put me down, asshole!”

“Are you deaf?” Sasuke hisses. “She’s married. To me. That is my wife you’re chatting up. And if you don’t clear off and leave her alone, I’ll take your tongue. See how easy it is for you to bother married women after that, asshole.”

By now, Sasuke’s Sharingan flares to life, and the offender goes ghostly pale as he realizes just who’s talking to him. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to -”

“I don’t give a damn what your intentions were. I’m putting them to a stop. Now. The only thing left you should be doing is scampering down the road with your tail between your legs.” Sasuke drags his face an inch from his own. “...I see you near her again, I’ll take more than just your tongue.”

Shaking so hard it’s difficult to tell he’s nodding, the man lands with an oomph as Sasuke drops him, scuttling backward before finding his feet to run.

“Hn…”

By now, Naruto’s closed the distance between them, standing beside Hinata completely deadpanned with hands shoved in his pockets. “Well that was very subtle,” he praises sarcastically. “You handled that like a pro.”

“As far as I’m concerned, I did. He knows not to bother Hinata, and I didn’t have to maim him.”

Hinata, in the subsequent silence, simply blinks large eyes in the aftermath. “...um…”

“Next time some idiot bothers you, just knock him on his ass, Hinata,” Sasuke insists, turning to her coolly.

“That’s...not exactly good manners…”

“And neither is someone ignoring a wedding band and continuing to hit on someone already married. Tell them off, and if that doesn’t work, go a step further and send him flying. Talking only gets so far with people like that.”

She just heaves a small, exasperated sigh.

“Well, I better skedaddle,” Naruto then announces, stretching. “See ya later, teme. Try not to assault anyone else on the way home, huh? Cops might arrest ya!”

The Uchiha just scoffs, moving on and waiting for Hinata to fall into step with him.

“...I really could have handled that.”

“Yeah, you could have. But would you have? Even now, you’re too soft on people like that, Hinata,” Sasuke rebukes with a sigh. “You’re allowed to speak up if someone’s making you uncomfortable. And sometimes, you have to talk with your fists if their ears aren’t working. If you don’t, then I’ll do it for you.”

It’s her turn to look coolly to him. “You don’t have to protect me.”

“I only will if you won’t.” He comes to a stop. “...Hinata, you’re important to me. The closest outside my blood. I don’t...like seeing people treat you like that. But what’s worse is that you don’t stand up to it! It’s already clear that being around me - around us - is going to make your life harder. So you’d better get used to being hard back, or something’s going to happen to you.” There’s a momentary softening, butting his brow to hers. “...and then I’ll have to do a lot worse than roughing someone up a little.”

Looking up at him with doe eyes, Hinata wilts ever so slightly. “...I’ll try to be more...vigilant about it.”

“...good. Now, let’s go home, and get ready for that date.”

“...oh! I thought you’d forgotten!”

“Of course not. I told Naruto I couldn't spar for long. But I need a shower before we go anywhere else.”

“Yes. Yes, you do.”

...y'know what? I think I'm late often enough by now, there's not much point in my apologies. So...we'll skip that from now on, ahaha~ Annnyway, I got inspired as soon as I read this prompt. Because let's face it: Sasuke is...NOT, in any way, a subtle person. So of course I read it as sarcastic. Or rather, Naruto did. But can you blame Sasuke? Hinata's just too soft on jerks like that. She needs to be more like Sasuke! In...some regards, anyway. But with that, we're all caught up for tonight. Thanks for reading!

#uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #uzumaki naruto #sasuhina #vulgarity //#a light amongst shadows [ canon verse ]#365daysofsasuhina

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somedayhokage · 5 years

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:|{ LEMME RAMBLE ABOUT A THING }|:

:|{ Naruto, in both the English and Japanese dubs speaks with a heavy dialect. When I write dialog I combine elements of both.

Back when I first started watching this show weeaboo-ism was in its realative infancy and I was one of the earlier infected. I learned A LOT of things about Japan because of this show... and some of these things I plan about sharing here. There's not much to this one.... but I do think it's interesting.

So let's talk dialect and why I might not sound the same as other Narutos...

I use "dattebayo" sparingly since it just means the same as "y'know?" Or closer yet, it's like how they say "eh?" (ay?") at the end of things in Canada. It's like ending a sentence with a "right?"

"This music is just the absolute best, right?"

This is how they translate it in the Japanese to English subs (not the English to English subs, I don't know what that says since I don't think I've ever encountered them.)

When I do use "dattebayo" I use it when my muse is being a tad melodramatic. I'll usually include visual clues in the narrative. I want people to feel the energy from one of those exaggerated reaction gifs.

And for those of you who DIDN'T know... because dattebayo is just an exclamation it can be split up to "ttebayo" and even "tteba" since "yo" is essentially adding a question mark.

SPEAKING OF DATTEBAYO. The "da" comes from a short form of desu (meaning something like am?) And Naruto uses da, not desu. So I short form a lot of his words. "Y' " or "ya" for "you" when it flows right, " 'a" for "of," stuff like that. If my sentences aren't apostrophe hell then I'm probably holding back for readability.

"Teme" is a very comedically rude way of saying "you," usually translated to "you jerk" "you asshole" or "you bastard" but none really fitting. I write it as "YOU"

"Oi-Oi-Oi!" is just a fun little exclamation, like "hey-hey," that I can squeeze in to my stuff naturally.

"Believe it," something from the English dubs will only be used as a joke in narration or when I'm being a little meme-y shit.

I've had muse use "chan" on a Haku instead of "san".... yeah I hope that one makes sense. If you don't know honorifics at this point google is literally got your back.

As for usage, I only plan on using honorifics if there's a level of obvious social distance between him and the other character, while still having a level of respect. Excessive honorifics are hard to maintain. Even if they're canon. The only exception would be me playing an honor driven character, such as Neji.

I'll probably reference a bunch of random Japanese food and geography reference. This isn't because of my "weeberry." I watch a LOT of the travel channel at work. It's pretty much all we get. I don't expect my RP partners to know all that but if you do that's super. I'll try not to put my RP partner in a position where they'd have to know a thing to reply. I'll keep it to sparse references.

There's tons of stuff I'm not listing but this is stuff I tend to use a lot. It often has me wondering if other RPers get it. Naruto as a character isn't the "prettiest" speaker in either country but the way I show it might not instantly register as accurate to some. I'm not pulling this out of nowhere...

#ooc #writing rants #sorry I'm such a weeb

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rarestereocats · 5 years

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We're all back home now and looking a little worse for wear, which is understandable considering we just got back from literal Hell. We all part ways for the day as come tomorrow, we'll have to set out and put an end to Virhea. Industria and Lucky head back to the manor to discuss plans with the Order. She sends some of her people out to keep an eye on the cultist hideout and lets them know they should try and rehabilitate as many as them can, but if any of them put up a fight, kill them. Elathera heads home and comes back to an incredibly worried and panicked Elliot. He assumed she died and let her family know. They're due to arrive in Florence a week from now to plan her funeral. So without letting her poor boyfriend know, Elathera goes to her room and teleports to her family's home to let them know she's still alive and make sure they're alright.

Her parents are very concerned about the life she's living now and don't really like the fact that she has to head out again so soon, so she stays over to have lunch with them to try and ease their minds. I head to the farm with Rikius to see our family and Sanna isn't even surprised that I disappeared for weeks on end, considering I've done that before. My dad, on the other hand, has been worried sick this entire time and we get to break down in tears together as I tell him what's up and reassure him that we're all okay. We then get to spend some time with our daughter too and decide to stay over for lunch before we head to the monastery to check on Xaren and Sirqi. And Jordeira? He bought a one-way ticket to the express train of Man Pain. He probably goes and finds the first tree he thinks represents his crushing loneliness and cries for hours on end.

At the monastery, Xaren's beyond relieved to see me and Rikius as Elliot had told him that he hadn't heard from any of us in weeks. We fill him on everything that's happened these past few months; everything from dealing with regular cultists, toppling a lich cult pyramid scheme, and all the latest drama with Virhea. With Lucky being brought up, Xaren's displeasure is more than obvious and while he knows I love and care about my ancestor, he has no problem telling me he's pissed off with them. Turns out in killing Remy as a part of the lich ritual way back when, Lucky has cursed their soul to forever reincarnate. If the curse isn't broken, Xaren will never have a chance to be with his brothers in Elysium some day. He talked to them about this and they said they'd help him find a way to break the curse, but they decided to run from their problems instead and Xaren hasn't seen them in months. I offer to talk to them about it, though I'd also love to continue running from any and all problems lately.

After catching up with him and Sirqi, we leave and go meet up with everybody else at Elathera's tower. Elliot's already throwing the door open, thinking Elathera was back, but when he sees all of us; it's back to panic mode for him as he told her not to randomly disappear on him ever again and what did she do? We hit her up over the mindlink to get home ASAP before her boyfriend has a heart attack and once everybody's back for sure, we sit down and enjoy some dinner together. Once everyone goes to get settled for the night, I pull Lucky aside to talk about what Xaren told me, so they agree that it's time to figure something out about that issue. They ask me to go along to make sure Xaren doesn't throttle them and I reluctantly agree, partially because if Xaren goes ham on them, I'm the one who has to suffer.

Next morning is one big uncomfortable moment as Elathera and Elliot have a private, telepathic conversation over the origins of Jordeira. They both assume he's a slave, crafted by Lucky's hand to be their eternal husbando because hey, why bother finding the perfect man when you could literally build a boyfriend, right? Thing is, Jordeira can also read minds and butts into that to let them know that he's not a slave at all and Lucky had nothing to do with his undead fate. After the awkward tensions die down, Elathera, Lucky, and Jordeira stay behind so she can scry on Virhea. The rest of us have to head into town to get our loved ones safe in case Virhea decides to hunt them all down and also because Rikius needs to have a talk with Thaddeus over this entire situation. Upon getting to his office, Rudy's stressed as fuck and has been waiting for this conversation for w e e k s.

Teme-Rasadar's breathing down his neck for Virhea's capture, so if she escapes, the union between them and our nation may fall apart and Rudy will absolutely lose his job. So we assure him that Virhea will be dealt with by tonight and while he doubts we can do it, there's not much he can do on his end. Rikius wants to resign, but can't right now until this is dealt with as he was legally in charge of Virhea and as such, has legal obligations to see this all through before they can let him go. So with our loved ones taken care of and looked after by the Order, we all reconvene at Elathera's place to finish scrying on Virhea. She's ordering some people around as she's caught on to our bullshit and knows we're on her trail. One of her mages cuts off our scrying attempt and it's now or never. We teleport right to her, getting in position as Industria and Elathera distract her with conversation. It's clear Virhea is in no frame of mind to listen to the truth and isn't willing to back down, so we have no choice but to cut down her forces and take her out.

The battle isn't easy by any means as Virhea, even without her artifact, is powerful as fuck. She nearly slays Industria straight out of the gate and at the sight of a particularly brutal efreeti and fire seemingly everywhere, I'm sent fleeing in terror until Rikius casts a spell to calm me down. Elathera throws a magic tsunami through the forest in an attempt to get rid of Virhea's forces, but only one man gets swept away as the others fight on. Eventually, all her lackeys are killed, and with Virhea invisible; we have no clue where she's at. Industria casts a miracle, telling Sabella that she'll hand over the artifact I stole away from Virhea weeks ago if the goddess will let her know where her sister's at. Sabella agrees to these terms and Industria points Virhea out so Elathera takes her chance, stops time, and casts several prismatic walls around her to cage her in like a goddamn animal.

Two finger of death spells and a couple of arrows still aren't enough to finish her off as she's still standing and rambling as she's unwilling to hear the truth. Elathera gives her a speech about how things don't have to go this way, but Virhea is still convinced she's some champion of Faas and everything she's done is justified. With no other way around this, Elathera smites her, killing her instantly. Industria traps her sister's soul within one of the empty heartstones, collects her body, and tells the rest of us that she'll catch up with us later. While we teleport back to Florence, she teleports to Virhea's original grave to rebury her there. After, she heads up to Heaven to deliver the news to Tacitus, who already knows as he was expecting Virhea's soul.

He's surprised and pleased Industria has it as he thinks she's taking up the mantle of being an angel like him, but as she explains that she's going to use her soul as a power source for a golem, he's not pleased at all as people who do that sort of thing are hags or devils. But she assures him it'll be a golem of protection and then hands the bow over so he can return it to Sabella. With that, she heads back to the manor to begin planning Virhea's funeral over one too many drinks. The rest of us head back to Thaddeus to let him know it's done, but he needs the proof. He needs Virhea's body. But as we ask Industria where it's at over the mindlink, she refuses to tell us and doesn't want to hand it over; saying that everyone should take her word for it and that should be enough. Elathera offers to magically share her memories of Virhea's death with the military later and for now, that'll have to do.

Two days later, the funeral is underway. While a lot of us were hesitant to go, we showed up for Industria's sake as she needs us more than ever. With this chapter closed on our adventure, Industria pulls us aside after the funeral to let us know that she doesn't think she'll be leaving Florence for awhile, and it turns out the rest of us don't have any plans to leave anytime soon either. We promise to keep in touch and the next time we pick up adventuring, it'll be a year later.

#adventures of the volunteer fire department #oc: zakina kociak #oc: jordeira ferus #game: pathfinder crusades

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darquedeath4444 · 6 years

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Of Tales Now and Long Ago

Chapter THREE

The roads of the village were mostly smooth but Itachi worried about the bits of rubbish, maybe something like broken glass, and continued to carry Sakura. However, as he had expected, the presence of a pink haired girl on his back attracted more attention than when he usually walked the streets by himself and he took to the roofs not soon after. Sakura did not complain as the views of the markets and the villagers changed to that of rooftops and the sky.

"It is so...big," she said, eyes wide. "My compound had always appeared big to me, and the caves felt almost endless. I did not expect so much more beyond the rocks."

"There is even more beyond these walls," he told her quietly.

"I can only imagine." Sakura's eyes landed on the Hokage Mountain. "What is that?" She asked. "The face at the end is the Hokage."

"Those are the past Hokage of Konoha," he explained. "The Hokage is the leader of the village, the head of a huge clan, if you will, and that role is passed down by one Hokage to the next. Namikaze Minato is the Fourth."

Sakura, who had been frowning at the beginning, nodded as he related the terms to roles within a clan. "I see."

He traveled on at a slower pace than usual to allow the girl to take in the village. "My village was Kirigakure. I know that much," she said after a while. "I have never been outside to see this village, though, so I have nothing to reference from." She glanced down at him. "My compound was located underground. The Moon empowers us. Children not of age are to be kept pure from the lures of the lunar light. Yet, all I can see from here are rooftops and buildings; is this the common case, or is Konoha different?"

"I believe underground compounds are unique to your clan," Itachi said thoughtfully.

Sakura hummed and turned back to the sights.

It did not take them long to arrive at the Uchiha compound. Itachi landed before the gates and nodded curtly at the guards stationed there before he swept past them. Sakura tightened her grip around his neck as the guards eyed her for a brief second but she did not duck her head to hide like she had before.

Itachi entered his house and gently lowered Sakura onto the wooden floors before he closed the doors. "Kaa-sama, I have returned."

There was a shuffle of clothes and Uchiha Mikoto appeared at the end of the corridor. "Welcome home, Itachi-kun." Her eyes then landed on Sakura, who had stiffened at the new arrival. "Hello, you must be Sakura-chan. Minato-kun has sent us word about you. You are welcome to stay for as long as you need."

The girl glanced over at Itachi before she nodded in response. "Yes. I am grateful for your hospitality." She bowed.

Itachi noted that isolated or not, Sakura had her fair share of clan upbringing within her.

"Itachi-kun, will you go pick up Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto asked. "He's at the playground with Naruto-chan."

Sakura perked at the new words and Itachi hid a smile as he nodded. "Of course."

The pinkette whipped around to look at him and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she slumped a little and glanced down at her hands.

"I will return in a bit," Itachi said gently.

Mikoto nodded. "Come, Sakura-chan, let me fix you something to eat. How does dorayaki sound?"

Sakura took a deep breath and when she looked up again, there was a polite smile plastered onto her face and her previous nervousness at being left alone was no longer visible. "Food does sound nice. What is dorayaki?"

Itachi remembered how Sakura had only ever eaten rice, another rare clan tradition, and he recalled thinking how that could not have been very good for a young child. Her question was innocent enough, but Itachi felt his mother's distraught frown even as he turned back towards the door as her motherly instincts acted up. "Dorayaki is a snack," she told her gently. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

Sakura nodded politely and, after waving shyly at him, allowed the Uchiha matriarch lead her deeper into the compound.

"Nii-san!"

Itachi found himself smiling at the familiar and welcoming call of his younger brother. Uchiha Sasuke stopped whatever he had been doing and darted over towards him. Namikaze Naruto was quick to follow and the two stopped in front of him. "You're back!"

"Hi, Itachi-teme." Naruto grinned up at him.

"How was your mission, nii-san?" Sasuke asked. "You're not hurt? Did you go to the hospital?"

"Hello, Otouto, Naruto-kun." Itachi crouched down in front of them and reached out to rub a smudge of dirt from his brother's cheek. "My mission was fine and no, I am not hurt, and therefore have no reason to go to the hospital." He smiled. Mother wants you home now," he said. "Naruto-kun, you should head home as well; it will get dark very soon."

Naruto pouted at this but nodded. He and Sasuke scowled at each other before quietly saying their goodbyes. Naruto darted off and the moment the blond was out of sight, Sasuke reached up towards him. Itachi turned around and allowed his brother to clamber onto his back, just as he had with Sakura earlier that day. He jumped onto the first roof he came across and Sasuke let out a soft cheer.

"Otouto," he called, then continued when he was sure he had Sasuke's attention. "We have a guest today at the compound," he said. "She is a girl, a victim of my most recent mission. I want you to be kind to her, okay? Can you promise me that?"

Sasuke's face scrunched up as he thought about it for a while before he nodded. "Okay, I promise."

Sasuke was quick to run to the door and throw it open the moment Itachi set him down outside their house. "I'm home!" He kicked off his shoes and grinned when Mikoto once again appeared at the doorway.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-chan, did you have fun?"

Sasuke nodded enthusiastically. "The Dobe and I had a sandcastle building competition. Of course, mine was better-"

Itachi smiled softly and straightened his brother's shoes before he took off his own and slowly followed. He heard Sasuke's voice abruptly cut off and entered the room just in time to see Sakura looking up from a book she had been holding upside down and Sasuke eyeing her curiously.

Mikoto patted Sasuke's head. "Sasuke-chan, this is Sakura-chan. She'll be with us for a while. Sakura-chan, this is Sasuke-chan."

Sakura blinked before her face melted into a smile. "Hello, I am Sakura, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Itachi saw Sasuke frown at the words suddenly thrown at him but his brother managed to nod stiffly. "I'm Sasuke."

Mikoto smiled gently and nudged her son towards the girl. "Why don't you wait here," she suggested. "I'll get you some snacks too. You too, Itachi-kun." The woman walked off towards the kitchen and Sakura stared at Sasuke for a second longer before she turned back to her book.

Itachi opened his mouth to tell her just that, realizing with a pang that this must be the first time the girl had ever touched a book. Was she kept from literature as well? Did that mean she could not read?

However, his brother beat him to it. "You're holding that upside down," Sasuke said, frowning.

Sakura glanced up again and lifted her book a little more before she stiffly flipped it around. "I see." She scowled at the pages again. "What is this supposed to be?" She asked.

"You don't know how to read?" Sasuke asked, tone a little indignant.

"Sasuke," Itachi said in a warning tone.

Sasuke blinked as though he had remembered what he had promised to do earlier and glanced down guiltily. "Even the Dobe can read," he muttered. "We look the same age. How can she not read?"

Itachi furrowed his brows just a little as he noted how he could not fully fault his brother from reacting the way he had. Sakura's situation was very unusual, after all.

Sakura watched the two of them and for a while before she patted the spot beside her on the couch. "I take you know how to read, Sasuke-san?" She asked. "Could you teach me?"

Itachi turned to the girl in surprise even as Sasuke's expression brightened and he marched over to sit beside the girl. It wasn't every day he met little girls who could read the atmosphere and improve the mood of upset little boys.

Not that he'd know, really.

Sitting beside his brother and patiently listening as the boy rambled on, wanting to show off everything he knew, Itachi saw another side of the girl, a side unlike the frightened girl cowering behind the altar or the innocent politeness shows to the Hokage and his mother. Here was a girl who was playing Sasuke's boyish feelings and emotions to her advantage.

She was still young, probably the same age as his brother or even younger, but she was good. Not good enough that he did not notice, but too good for a normal girl her age.

It was a little adorable, though, as he watched Sasuke blush uncontrollably as Sakura chattered on to match his rambling as they went through the book, so he did not say anything.

The Haruno were an unknown clan, but if the Uchiha were their fire, genjutsu and Sharingan and the Hyuuga were their unique taijutsu and the Byakugan that allowed them this fighting style, the Haruno were their mind. Itachi recalled stories from the war presenting them as a clan of shinobi that fought not for their village, but for their own kind.

They were renown to be a clan of fighters with glowing white hair that seemed to absorb the blood their enemies spilled and eyes as blank as the abyss of death they pushed their opponents into, willing to continue fighting until their last breath, as though they could not feel pain. He had heard stories of how white-haired shinobi donning the Kirigakure symbol over their foreheads as nothing more than accessories continued to fight even if their limbs had been torn off, or if a chunk of their arm was missing, or a huge piece of broken bone was sticking right out of their chest.

A clan of monsters, some had said, voices hidden behind others also drowning their losses in alcohol, too gone for the night to even remember this admittance the next morning.

There were rumors, of course, of what may be the kekkei genkai of the Haruno clan. Perhaps they really could not feel pain, perhaps they could simply ignore it. All in all, they were, or had been, a clan of shinobi who did not die until they were dead, who lived in a system of their own.

It was a mystery, how apparently, a single teen had killed off an entire clan seemingly born to fight.

Itachi watched over them until Mikoto wandered over to call them for dinner.

Itachi sensed how Uchiha Fugaku returned home and immediately sat down at the dining table. It was not much longer until Itachi and Sasuke entered the room with Sakura trailing behind them.

Sakura froze as her eyes landed on Fugaku, before she stepped away from him and Sasuke. Her left hand was fisted and held up sideways against her chest. Her right arm then came up and she wrapped her hand around her closed fist. It was a gesture she had made before, and Itachi was coming to understand that this was some sort of Kirigakure, or perhaps clan, related greeting.

"Uchiha Fugaku-san," she said. "I am Haruno Sakura. I am grateful for you accepting my stay over at your compound." Gone from her eyes are the bright glow that she had showered Sasuke with in order to improve his mood. Instead, there was an unreadable mask of blankness now in place.

Fugaku returned the girl's gaze and he nodded once, firmly. "Haruno-san."

"Please, call me Sakura."

Fugaku nodded once again but the request was not returned as he gestured towards the chairs. Still, Sakura did not seem to mind. Instead, she briefly dipped her head, not a full bow of respect but one of acknowledgment, and she sat at the table.

This was the housing of the head of the Haruno clan by the Uchiha, Itachi realized. The Hokage was attempting to tie down the girl, for regardless of isolation, the Haruo had been a huge fighting force for the Hidden Mist during the War. If her alive status spread, Kiri would no doubt attempt to take her back, even if she were the only one of her clan left. Still, Sakura was already outside their clutches and she was now the clan head. In a clan that appeared so tightly bound and secretive, the clan head probably had huge power over its members. If Sakura chose to make Konoha her new settling spot, nothing much could stop her, especially because her clan was no more and Kiri could not go to war for a single girl.

However, Itachi also knew that Sakura, even at her young age, seemed fully aware of the play of politics. A child like her did not much of a choice in this matter, and it might have been foolish to give a girl his brother's age so much credit, but Itachi had a funny feeling that she was letting it happen.

The next day, Sakura was escorted to the Hokage's office by a messenger sent to fetch her. Itachi accompanied her and once they had arrived, Sakura was asked to sit and wait in a room set up for this occasion.

Itachi went to the Hokage's office to report the girl's actions in his home to him. The Hokage took this all in and just as he was finishing off, there was a knock at the door.

Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi entered the room. "Hokage-sama."

Minato smiled. "Thank you for coming."

"Morino-san, Yamanaka-san." Itachi greeted, hiding his confusion.

"Good morning Itachi-kun." Inoichi smiled at him while Ibiki nodded in his direction.

"The girl?" Ibiki asked.

"She is in the guest meeting room," Minato said, then turned to Itachi. "This is a precaution, Itachi-kun," he said reassuringly. "The Haruno were a mysterious clan and we need to see if Sakura-chan knows anything at all about what led to its massacre. She's a little girl, so maybe the T&I building would be a little too much."

Ibiki sighed and closed his eyes while Inoichi seemed to agree with Minato. Itachi internally did too; she might be a little strange, but Sakura did not seem like a bad person.

He was allowed to follow the adults into the meeting room. Inoichi and Ibiki sat down opposite Sakura, who had been patiently waiting. Minato sat a little further away and Itachi was gestured to join him. He took a seat and turned towards the interrogation. He watched as Inoichi casually flipped through papers.

The questions always started easy.

"What is your name?" Ibiki asked. Beside him, Inoichi had a pen in hand, ready to scribble down information onto the board in front of him.

Sakura leaned forward. "Currently, Haruno Sakura."

"Currently?" Ibiki asked.

Sakura nodded. "The clan heir receives a new name as a sign of rebirth as they cast aside their previous identity. However, due to the massacre, my clan head, who should have bestowed upon me a new identity, died before he could and thus, I am still Sakura."

Ibiki nodded in understanding. "I see. Age?"

"Thirty-six moons dormant and from what I've gathered, twenty-four moons awakened, and that makes a total of sixty moons of age."

Ibiki paused to look at her. "What?"

Sakura frowned. "I spent thirty-six moons living with the clan and then the next twenty-four with the man in the cave, that makes a total of-"

"That's not what I'm asking," Ibiki said. "Can you talk in years?"

"Years?" Sakura repeated.

"How long is a moon, Sakura-chan?" Inoichi asked. He shot Ibiki a subtle glare.

"A moon is a single lunar rotation," she explained. "That is how age is calculated in my clan."

"So twelve moons will be a year. She's five," Inoichi murmured, scribbling away.

"What about birthday?" Ibiki asked.

"Birthday?" Sakura asked. "Date of birth?"

Ibiki's eye twitched in annoyance."Yes."

"We are not given such labels in my clan. Everyone born in the same moon is one moon old when the next lunar rotation starts."

"I'll just put down March," Inoichi said, probably having done the math.

Then the questions begin to shift.

"Do you remember anything about the night of the massacre?"

Itachi winced at the blunt question but Sakura did not seem to mind. "No, I cannot say I do," she said slowly. "It was the night of a sacred ceremony within my clan. I was not aware of the attack until it was over."

"Ceremony?"

Sakura nodded. "My clan holds a Ceremony of Choosing in order to decide the next heir to the clan," she said. "This is a special ceremony where only children are accepted entry while the adults are to wait outside. When I stepped outside the site of the ceremony, everyone was already dead."

"And you saw the white-haired teen there?"

Sakura nodded again. "He reached out for me. He knew my name. He...he called me..." she trailed off, growing. "He reached out for me and said something," she finally said. "I cannot remember everything exactly.

"Do you know his name? Did this teen do anything to you in the cave?"

"I do not think I know his name," Sakura replied. "He held me in a cave with sacrifice altar. There was something that kept me from walking off the platform. He had puppets under his command and he left for hours every day, either outside or deeper into the caves. He never told me what he wanted, or what he was doing."

Ibiki glanced over at Inoichi, then at Minato. So far, they had learned virtually nothing. Minato nodded.

"Sakura-chan, I'm from a clan that specializes in mind reading," Inoichi said gently. "Is it okay for me to look into your mind for your memories of the teen?"

Sakura eyed the man and slowly nodded her head. "Okay."

"Welcome to our stronghold and our prison, to our heaven and our hell. Welcome to our mind, shinobi."

Chapter FOUR>

<Chapter TWO

#Of Tales Now and Long Ago #naruto fanfiction #sakura #itachi #sasuke #interrogation stuff #da voice man

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rambeautan · 6 years

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Miss You Like Crazy

Something I wrote in 2016, and resurrected today for my readers at FF net and A03. A fellow follower pmed me asking if I'm still alive as there's no updates on any of my fanfictions. Well that's because I haven't time to write for weeks/months now. Since I went back to Uni I'm always on breaks from writing. Hope this will suffice moir readers until January 2018 at least.

Summary: SasfemNar. Sasuke's furthering his studies at University, leaving his bestie back in his hometown. Itachi questions his brother's relationship with his best friend and whether they were really, just best friends.

Sasuke folded his handkerchiefs and tucked them into the small spaces between his shirts and pants inside his luggage. He made a mental note to swipe another pair of Itachi's unused leather gloves, patting himself for saving another 3000 yen. He had so far swiped 3 shirts and 2 shorts from his brother, all unworn. His brother model and entrepreneur receives a lot of sponsorship clothings which Sasuke always took advantage of.

Initially he planned to swipe one of Itachi's unused designer jeans, however the fact that his brother was so much taller than him at 180 cm feet compared to his 172 cm deterred him from doing so. He didn't want to alter them himself. Plus his brother's jeans were mostly blue or some other colour variant compared to Sasuke's choice, that would always be and forever be, black jeans.

Over the summer Sasuke had grown about seven centimetres, and since he started following the older Uchiha to the gymnasium his body was more toned and he felt fitter. It was important for him to start a healthy lifestyle before he entered the life of a university student. Sasuke snickered when he realized that his best friend Naruto had only hit puberty a little later than him. He only realized it upon their reunion at New Year's eve. It was the first time he saw his bethorst friend after the summer break. It did not matter to him that they were essentially different physically anyway.

Sasuke spent enough years around Naruto to realize that the dobe's father, Mayor Namikaze Minato and Mrs Konoha 2012, Kushina Uzumaki made a very handsome couple. They were both tall and lanky. Still, Naruto at seventeen had not caught up to either of her parent's height. Naruto was only 168 cm, four cms shorter than him. She was disappointed that she was shortest amongst her peers.

Her peers. Naruto had always thought of herself as one of the boys. She was often teased by their classmate, Sai for that. The insensitive prick also teased her for looking as flat as a plane and was so often unjustly compared with Sakura, who was quite chesty and and Hinata who is, well endowed. Sasuke never needed any of Sai's teasing of his best friend, often dismissing Sai when Sai was being over the top. But Naruto, she sometimes ended trying to flatten the socially inept Sai's nosy nose. In fact any comment from Sai never failed to make the blonde's blood boil.

Naruto who was once an annoyance, but now his best friend forever. Sasuke smiled at how Naruto had wiggled into his life and cemented herself there as his ultimate shadow, silly and crazy Naruto. He glanced at a framed picture of him and Naruto at a school party. He checked out his height contrast as he stood beside the 6 cms shorter tomboy. He chuckled at the thought of him winning over a non existent height competition, between him and Naruto.

"I should give this to you before I forgot… again," Mikoto's voice interjected his son's thoughts. She peered into his room, only half her body showing behind a laundry basket she's holding.

Sasuke got up from the floor where he was packing his things and approached his mother. In the basket on top folded of clothes in the laundry basket were two gray rectangular boxes.

"One is for you and another is for Naruto. Keep it close ok as they've got your names engraved. There's plenty of refillable ink in there until you come home again," he took both boxes and kissed his mom on her temple. Mikoto smiled and then disappeared to her room.

Sasuke glanced at Itachi's room just opposite his room and saw that the door was still closed. He knew his brother had worked the late shift yesterday following his company's fourth outlet midnight sale so he realised that his brother would only be awake sometime around noon.

Sasuke sat back on the floor and opened the box and took out a black stylish pen adorned with silver accents. It had the name Sasuke Uchiha engraved on the body. Sasuke thought he would get his mother something too before he flew out for university tomorrow night. He peered at the other box which held an orange pen adorned with golden accents with his best friend's name engraved on it.

The Uchiha was a close-knit family, but not the kind to say thank you all the time or apologize to each other. They conveyed their thank yous by actions and gestures, and words were only used in very delicate situations. In the rare times that Sasuke used the words, Thank You and Sorry with his family, he freely used those words with Naruto. He did not know why he was more open with Naruto, but it was easier being expressive with his bestie than his family. Maybe because Naruto wore her heart on her sleeve which made things easier for Sasuke. She was the most honest and loyal friend he ever had, though she also had her annoying tendencies.

The house was quiet with Itachi still asleep, and his mom in her room. The Uchiha patriarch had gone to a golf tournament since early morning. Sasuke finding the quietness overwhelming especially with his anticipated travel, took his earphones and tuned to his favourite tunes. Music blasted into his ears as he sorted his remaining clothes to be brought to uni.

_____________________________________

Sasuke finally finished packing, so he zipped up his trolley bag and parked it next to his bed. Next to it was a stack of boxes. Each box labelled: for donation, the address to his campus and also to Naruto. He and Itachi had compiled their old but good clothes to give to Naruto to sell at the Flea market. Naruto liked opening up stalls for extra money, which she spent mostly on ramen and Sasuke.

Sasuke's was about to press skip for the next song in his music playing app when a call came in. He saw the ID and immediately answered.

"Teme," the husky voice blared from his earphones. Sasuke had accepted the call, even before the ring tone had begun. He smirked when he realized how Naruto's voice made his heart all tingly.

"Dobe." Sasuke smiled at his teasing nickname which belonged to their early friendship days.

"You free this evening? Dad wants to give you a studying gift and he wants to meet before you depart…"

"...Ok. What time? I have something for you too, from Mom."

"Be here after lunch."

"Ok."

Sasuke plucked his earphones out and stuffed it into his backpack. He grabbed his towel and headed to the shower as he got a meeting to go to.

After showering at the shared bathroom at the end of the hall, he peered into his brother's opened room door. The elder guy's bed was unmade but his brother was nowhere, so he headed back to his room. He entered and saw that Itachi was picking his face using Sasuke's full length mirror. His brother had always been a bit vain, a kind hearted but certainly vain man.

"How's the preparation going? Do you need to run to the mall for anything, or has raiding my room solved your packing pribles.?" Itachi asked knowingly.

"85 percent solved but I need jeans. Black ones."

Itachi glanced at Sasuke's reflection as the younger sibling started dressing up for lunch. Sasuke wore an indigo shirt paired with dark jeans.

Itachi already knew who his brother was meeting, but he still asked. "Meeting Naruto?"

Sasuke nodded while picking socks from his drawer to match his white sneakers.

"Minato wants to meet me before I depart."

"How's the bestie reacting to you moving away?" Itachi asked as he sat on his brother's bed. Itachi had always known that the two best friends would be separated. He was just curious about how Sasuke was handling it.

Sasuke side eyed his brother. It's a regular question which he cared to answer though it was something Itachi should've known about. "We'll keep in touch. There's a tonne of apps for that."

"What would happen if you found a girlfriend at campus?"

Sasuke paused in his movements, he was raking his hair on the back of his head trying to enhance the spiky locks making it look more gravity challenged. He had his hand hovering in his hair. Noticing that he was almost done with his hair grooming and that he needed to respond to Itachi he dropped his hand for awhile before decided to just ignore the unspoken question in Itachi's words. Not that he needed to confirm with his brother about us love life.

"That's not my main focus being in university," Sasuke answered as he continued to rake his hair upward after the awkward pause. He hated when Itachi was being in a happy relationship, because Itachi was suddenly all sage like in the matters of love. Sasuke could understand the unspoken question about his and Naruto's status as best friends, their close friends wanted them to be more than best friends Sasuke suspected. The problem was that there was no way that the dobe would feel for something like that for him. Naruto was never inclined to like him romantically, Sasuke thought.

"I've got to go. Bring me to the mall tomorrow so I can max out your credit card on things I need." He said as he picked on his white sneakers and exited his room, while also changing the subject.

Itachi laughed and laid back on his brother's bed. He rummaged for his brother's diary which was placed under the mattress and began reading on the boy's daily rants about life, aspirations and anecdotes. Sasuke knew about his brother's intrusive habit, but he didn't care. Itachi wasn't one too share his daily ramblings about how raising his brother's wardrobe was better than shopping on his own anyday.

Sasuke smirked as he saw from the corner of his eye, that Itachi did not bother to leave his room even without him being there. He had ranted enough in the diary about his brother to rile his brother a bit, and also an appreciation note for his only sibling. It was his way of making his brother know about his unspoken feelings.

As he swiped his mom's car keys and wallet. He thought about his unspoken feelings for his best friend. Words that he was not brave enough to confess, and not even write about. He may have written about hints of his fondness towards Naruto for Itachi to read, which eased his thoughts a bit. Something which sat uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach, which made his heart bloom but his mind in turmoil. His mixed feelings about what he wanted from Naruto, maybe not now, but maybe in the future.

#my fic #naruto fanfiction #sasunaru #sasufemnaru #naruto gendebend #naruto uzumaki #naruko uzumaki #sasuke uchiha #itachi uchiha

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joygaroz · 7 years

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Team Seven’s New Outfits

“What do you mean we have to wear these?” Naruto inquired, not completely okay with the outfits that were displayed in front of his and every other member of the original team seven’s eyes.

“The people seem to wish for us to parade in front of them so they can thank us” Kakashi informed, once again; his own face dejectedly continuing to express what he was told recently through an official letter.

“Parade you say?” this time, it was Sakura that talked, also as shocked to see the little outfit in which she was expected to ‘parade’. A two piece outfit conformed by a low cut skirt and a crop top. She gulped. Even for a confident girl like her, it seemed too much.

“It’s a formal event though, we just have to greet the audience with these costumes along with the rest of the kages while a show is performed” it seemed as, Kakashi had run out of ways to explain the situation properly, his own distaste for the idea not allowing him to convince them or articulate a credible reason to why they had to wear costumes.

“Well, alright! I actually like mine, so I’m in!” Naruto exclaimed, taking his vest, armor and gear to combine and make his whole look.

That was so easy for him to say, he had always wanted to be on the spot. Although that was not the only reason he was so easily convinced, the thought of meeting the people he had helped and fought so hard to keep alive was a reason with more weight though.

Sakura twisted her lips, still considering. The hammer was quite nice though…

To her right, Sasuke only scoffed. His hand reaching to stretch the blue and purple that was meant for him.

“Did they really have to add ropes?”

“Why are you sulking teme? You seemed to wrap yourself around those all the time, didn’t you?” Naruto retorted back, already loosening his usual clothes to change.

At his comment, Sakura really had to bit her lip. He had a point though; robes and belts didn’t seem to be an issue for Sasuke-kun until recently. Maybe his taste had changed along his resolve?

“Well, I’ll leave you to change, see ya” their sensei commented, making all three heads turn to catch a glimpse of him before he puffed out of the room.

Kakashi was already dressed in his own costume before disappearing. Huh. He wasn’t as displeased with the idea, it seemed.

A second later, Sasuke returned to Naruto so he could start a heated comeback fight. Sakura sighed. So that left them to three to go…

With the boys still bickering behind her back, Sakura started to change in her outfit; the room already counting with curtains so she could change. The loud remarks between her two beloved boys acted as background music as she fixed her outfit’s last elements. There were some pointy things she did not know where to lay on, so she ended up tugging her hair in two short tails and placing the last accessories on her hair.

So maybe the outfit wasn’t as bad as she thought, it reminded her of her former uniform for her missions at Sand Village. Satisfied with the result, she took her hammer and stepped out of the curtain, the boys already pulling and pushing.

Feeling in character already, she let the base of her hammer hit the floor, causing a deep sound as it echoed in the room.

“Hurry up. The Kages were going to be here soon, remember?” as she spoke, she suppressed her desire to smile.

They really had shut up and now were gaping at her.

“You’re so not going out in that, Sakura-chan!” the loud blond of course was the first to break the short silence. Sakura rolled her eyes but blinked when he saw Sasuke glaring at her with a faint blush on his cheeks. “It’s too short! You can’t possibly be okay with wearing that, here have my robe, I’ll trade with you” with his continuous ramble, Sakura’s attention was brought back to their loud friend.

“Are you saying I look bad?” she asked with a tricky question that made the boys flinch.

“N-n-no! J-just that-” Naruto tried to fix, but in reality, not knowing what to say, so Sakura interrupted him again with her new hammer —yes, she had grown fond of it, pointing at his pulsing neck.

“Then just shut up and get dressed” she finished, her tone a little under her usual voice; Threatening.

“Yes, Sakura-chan” the blond mumbled and bowed before taking the rest of his costume and head to change as ordered.

“I’ll see you outside” she informed at them, already making her way out of the room when a hand stopped her. Looking back she saw Sasuke hiding his gaze behind his grown bangs, before he cleared his throat and extended his former cloak.

“Wear this, you’ll get cold” was all he said before he too, grabbed his costume and changed behind one of the curtains in the room.

Sakura stared at the dark material resting on one of her shoulders, still lying where Sasuke had placed it. A little blush started to appear on her cheeks.

It was still summer in Konoha.

#team seven #team kakashi #sasusaku #sasusakunaru #joy writes #all the fanarts of saku's new outfit ahhh #i justh had tah

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ombreecha · 7 years

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Opposites Attract

Series: Lifetimes Fandom: Naruto Pairing: SasuSaku Rated: T Prompt: We started racing up the three flights of stairs to class for some reason and we can't stop.

All overbearing, and all blonde—that was how you could describe his best friend.

He shifts his eyes to the boy beside him. No. Scratch that. Blonde did not begin to cover the air-headed stupidity of his best friend. It was his fault they were running late to school to start. Naruto sat beside him giving way to idle chatter he held no interest in. It was his fault they were even in this mess to start, and here he was as animated and goofy as ever.

It truly made no sense how they became friends. Opposites attract they said, and it's that thought that gives way to a snort.

"Oi! Are you even listening to me, teme!?" Naruto leans into him with his scowl reaching his blues.

"Dobe." he couldn't help but snort again shoving his friend off him to create the much desired personal space he liked.

Sticking his hands within the black dress pants he slouches within his seat watching out the window of the underground rail system. If there was one thing he could give himself credit for it was being able to drown out the rambunctious ramblings Naruto fell prone too so often.

There is annoyance as they hear the call for their stop and the subway train began to decelerate. They're bringing themselves up holding onto the pole closest to them holding their footing and ground as others join to raise and make way for the opening of doors.

Out they are going with a powerful stride dodging through people. They're not late yet, but his best friend's whining at his speed isn't exactly helpful. He had perfect attendance and he'd be damned if he let this moron of his ruin that. Who cares about perfect attendance their Senior year? He does, and he definitely intended to keep it.

The scowl decorating his face gives way at the ridiculousness his friend is spouting toward him. He's still not answering back, but that's nothing new, and Naruto always did talk enough for the both of them. The stragglers who either were either barely on time or late are coming into view and it only makes him want to increase the speed in his stride more. Sliding his phone out of his pocket he gazes at the time upon his lock screen—God it was gonna be close.

Naruto has other plans for him though, and it's at his laughter and a swift pat to his ass that makes him give way to a chuckle at the blondes antics. Sliding his phone back within his pocket lets him race after him with a grin on his face as they pass multiple of their classmates. He hops towards the wall of the school gate kicking off it pulling his fist back just long enough to see the surprise written within the blonde's blue eyes. He can't stop his smirk as his fist collides with it's intended targets face.

He gives way to the smallest of chuckles at his friend holding his head within his arms as he adjusts his white button up, and bag upon his shoulder, "Such a dumbass."

"Fuck you, you ass!" his friend is hissing from the ground but there's a grin regardless of the harsh words uttered.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto! You're gonna be late!" the feminine laugh that hit his ears has him removing the grin from his lips.

All pale pink, and sea-foam green—that's what Sakura Haruno was made of—she's the intelligent, and softhearted girl within his established 'close friends' circle. Never count her out, and never question any form of mischievousness that makes itself known in those sea-foam green. Those sea-foam green have never left him questioning, and it's as she runs up to them with the brown leather school bag upon her shoulder they bought her for her birthday—who is he kidding Naruto just slapped his name together with his when he gave it to her—that he knows she's up to something.

Her fingers run through his ebony strands in a messy manner as more laughs find their way out of her mouth and she has taken off. He's quick in following the beat she's running with as Naruto's yells to wait fall upon deaf ears. All he's focused on is catching up to her. She practically slams into her locker as she rushes to slip into the correct shoes, and he's doing his best to keep up almost hitting his own locker just a few away from her.

They are exchanging looks between his ebony, and her sea-foam as they rush, and there's the brightest of smiles giving way to her teeth that only makes his smirk upon his own features deepen. One second of hesitation is all she gives him before they are off again and she's weaving and dodging between those that would dare to block her path. The hollers the bystanders shout out are gruff demanding they watch, but just as with Naruto they have fallen completely on deaf ears. There's no ruining this game of chase. He's right on her heel, and he cannot contain the laugh deep within his throat, and as if his laugh was contagious she's giving out the highest of squeaks, and giggles at feeling him so close behind her. It's on the second flight of stairs they pass their History teacher, Anko, and she's screaming for them to stop running.

"Uchiha! Haruno!"

There's no stopping this game of theirs though. He has no intention of letting the girl of pale pink, and sea-foam green out of his reach. He's just about the grab her shoulder when she swings around to the next set of stairs, and he uses his long legs to his advantage to start skipping steps. She's giving way to high pitched squeals—god it's thrilling.

Class is the furthest thing from his mind at this point. What perfect attendance? He's a senior does it even matter in your last year? Hell if he knows, or cares at this point.

There's no clear finish line at first and yet that doesn't stop them from deciding the rooftop is the goal unspoken between their laughing and taunting. There's not much distance between them while their legs carry them down the hall with continued yells to slow down come from all who witness this childish little game of cat and mouse. He's considering letting her have her way until their feet hit the fourth set of stairs. Oh, no, no, no—Uchiha's down lose regardless of how dumb the game—he has no intention of letting her win. Her squeals have turned into calls of cheating as he moves passed her, and he can barely slide to a momentary stop as his fingers slide the door open. The warmth of the sun that hits his scalp feels amazing running to the caged fencing around the roof giving way to broken laughter as his lungs burn for oxygen. His fingers have curled into the metal fence and she's following not far behind him letting herself running into him with desperate attempts to gain air and sooth her own burning lungs.

"Cheater! Such a cheater." she calls between breathes her fingers have found their ways into his sleeve as she bends over with her hand upon her knee catching her breath.

It's gazing upon her disheveled cream cardigan, navy skirt that sits just a few inches above her knees twisted out of place, and her bag at her feet that he can't help but let out more deep laughs. This girl of pale pink, and sea-foam green can only look up to him with those ever mischievous eyes. She's the closest female to him, and he knows deep down she has feelings for him. Thoughts of them have circulated his mind more than he'd like to admit. This right here though is what he fears will change. He doesn't want to lose moments like this between them—and that's not even touching the subject of his best friend's crush.

The bell signaling the start of class rings around them echoing in the air. Her wide doe-eyes are staring up at him as she groans at being late. The gentle tugs she gives to fix her disheveled form makes his fingers uncurl from the fence to help her. She stands still as he shifts the cardigan to sit properly onto small frame and smooth out the sections that have chosen to bunch up around her arms. The smallest of touches between them makes this moment feel way more intimate than it should. Those fingers of hers are now shifting his half untucked white button up shirt and fixing his collar that has popped up within their little game. Her fingers are unbelievably careful with their attempts to fix his own appearance.

There's the smallest guilt bubbling within his stomach. They're not doing anything wrong, and yet he feels like he's doing his best friend since childhood wrong within these moment.

"I'm almost done so don't make such a displeased face." she's murmuring as her fingers find their way into his hair to bring it back to some form of a tamed state.

She never lingers longer than she should and she knows he likes his personal space, unlike certain other people. . .with blonde hair. It's as she runs those fingers once again this morning within his hair and touching his warmed scalp that he notes the dusting of pale pink upon her cheeks before retracting them to fix her own tangled long locks. Grabbing the straps of the leather bag he bought her for her birthday whilst adjusting his own properly upon his shoulder gives him time to question for the smallest of seconds if he needs to rein in his ego.

She is giving way to a thank you but he doesn't hand it to her. He walks passed her telling her to follow which she does with no hesitation in sight. They are scolded for their late attendance and childish antics through the halls. Anko is merciless in her public shame as she scolds them for their bad manners this morning making sure to remind them that they are seniors. His best friend is already within his seat—he evidently had been on time, that asshole—with his face holding a grin even the Cheshire cat would be envious of. It's after they take their seats and he's twirling his pencil within his fingers that he feels Naruto seeking to get his attention.

"Hey teme, where did you and Sakura run off?" the blonde is doing what he physically cannot. He hasn't mastered how to whisper even now.

Sasuke can only give the slightest tilts of his head as he rests his chin upon the back of his hand still holding his pencil. Naruto could never seem to get that you had to actually lower your voice more than two levels to succeed in producing a whisper, and like clockwork Anko is quick to scold him as she had done to him, and Sakura in their tardiness. The class follows through with their muffled laughs, and he can pick hers out instantly.

Ebony shift to the window to keep himself from letting his eyes find her seated just three seats diagonally from him. Why his blonde best friend wouldn't just get his confession over with was beyond him. He needed to be more diligent before someone swept in and took her from him. Never mind. There's a scoff at that idea.

It's not till lunch when they've taken their spot up on the roof awaiting her that he pops the question, "Why haven't you asked her out?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" the blondes brows have pinched together at the question seemingly caught off guard by his best friend.

"You like her. Why haven't you asked her?" he responds between bites of the six inch Italian sub he had acquired from the school store.

"Why bother? She's got a thing for you." this what makes him pause mid bite to watch the blonde give a shrug, "It might not be a verbal rejection, but it's enough of a rejection as any." he chews for a second and pauses once more—since when did Naruto of all people think things out like that?

"Ah." he hums out before continuing on with his food settling for the silence Naruto so rarely gives. Ebony fall upon the blonde thoroughly engulfed within his own lunch. He didn't seem to ever give Naruto enough credit in the maturity section. His friend always baffled him when he would give way to such statements that showed his slowly gained maturity. He lets out another hum, "Be careful. Someone will steal her from you."

"Sasuke-teme, stop acting like you don't like her already—it's annoying as hell." it is the snort that follows that makes him choke on his food giving way to harsh coughs and the pounding of his fist to his chest in hopes to dislodge the food from his esophagus. The blonde thinks it's funny.

"Oh god, Naruto, what did you do to Sasuke-kun now?" there's a raised pale pink eyebrow to go with that side of sass she's throwing towards his best friend with crossed arms and weight upon her right hip. Clearing his throat eases his coughing fit as Naruto lets out a whine.

Her eyes are fleeting upon the blonde before making their way to his ebony. Those sea-foam green of hers never leave him questioning.

She's all warmth within those eyes of hers as she looks at him. He didn't need the blonde to tell him such things. He knew with every look, and every action she took towards him how she felt. He found himself dabbling in the idea of him and her again.

The animated chatter between his two closest friends is what fills his lunch period. He does not know if he feels love towards this girl of pale pink, and sea-foam green. He did know, though, that Naruto might be on to something as strange as that might be. He would wait it out. He would see where they ended up. She will confess at some point before the end of the year, and maybe, hopefully, by then he would have a clearer idea as to what he felt towards her instead of tossing the what-ifs around his mind.

For now though he didn't want to miss out on any opportunities that came with their label of friendship. He could only hope there would be more moments like them racing up the stairs. Ebony fall upon his female friend as he chews another bite of his Italian sub.

She's all pale pink, and sea-foam green. He's all deep ebony, and more of the same. Opposites attract they said, and it's that thought that gives way to the smallest of smirks touching the corners of his mouth.

#ssfanfic #ssfanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku #ombree:fics #ombree:lifetimes

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