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#Did Shino have a crush on Kakashi
general--winter · 1 year
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How Genin Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Rock Lee react to accidentally kissing the reader
author's note: I am loving doing the genin headcanons, lol poor children. Enjoy!
rating: general
fandom: naruto
pairing: uchiha sasuke x gn!reader, uzumaki naruto x gn!reader, hyuga hinata x gn!reader, rock lee x gn!reader
word count: 817
warnings: none
summary: The genin accidentally kiss their crush. Chaos ensues.
Uchiha Sasuke
Oh, he’s gonna have a fit. Bonafide. He was super pissed and embarrassed when he accidentally kissed Naruto, so imagine if it was with a person that he actually liked. Yeesh, I’m so sorry. I think he would at first react in a quite nasty way, not out of malice but out of self-defense and insecurity. Remember, throughout his entire Academy education, all of the girls in his class were on him about their crushes. Pretty blatantly. I think this would definitely have some negative impact on how Sasuke views crushes at the age of a genin.
He would realize his colossal accident, though, when you were very upset. He really didn’t mean to do that, he’s really just lashing out. You would run away, and I don’t think he would chase after right away, instead trying to run into you at a later point. He would apologize after having sense beaten into him by Kakashi, and you can really tell it's hard for him to be open about this kind of stuff, so you accept it, acknowledging that neither of you are truly at fault. Sasuke’s relieved that you two can continue to be friends and get to know each other more, even if he’s gonna keep bottling up his feelings somewhat. I think you would definitely notice that his apology was still out of character, perhaps putting two and two together?
Uzumaki Naruto
Now, I think he would react the opposite of how he did when he accidentally kissed Sasuke. Instead of being grossed out that he ended up kissing someone he had no romantic feelings for, I think the poor boy would be flustered beyond all belief. Like, he would be the one to run away. After the sheer panic wore off, I think he would cackle like a mad man and immediately go brag to his team that he kissed the person he has a crush on. None of them would believe it and would grill him on what happened, leading them into discovering it was an accident.
The entire team is going to lambast Naruto for what happened and force him to go tell you that he’s sorry, but they’re quite shocked to see you come up to him to apologize before he got the chance. With a hand behind his head and a grin on his face, Naruto would accept, perhaps saying something really idiotic like how maybe it was fate or something like that, or how he doesn’t regret that it happened, especially with a close friend of his.
Hyuga Hinata
Oh look, you’ve killed her. Actually, though, she would probably flush so fast that the rush of blood to her head would make her dizzy. Immediately you would stammer out an apology, watching her stutter and try to process what just actually happened. If you were to try to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder or anything like that, please don’t. It will make it worse. Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai, her personal protection detail, would be on you in seconds, however. Shino and Kurenai would be working on getting out of her what happened while Kiba would yell at you about what happened.
I think after a couple of seconds, Hinata would be able to recover and explain the situation through her stammer. Earnestly, you would apologize to the entirety of Team 8, especially to Hinata. You would bow to her, anything to make sure that she knows that you didn’t mean to hurt her in any way. She is barely able to tell you that it was just an accident and that everything is alright before running away, her team on her heels and you left completely stunned.
Rock Lee
Rock Lee is way too polite to do anything other than pull away immediately and start apologizing. Don’t get me wrong if you didn’t express any discomfort at the situation, I think Lee would be ecstatic. But Might Guy one hundred percent had him on respect women juice from infancy. So he’ll be as chivalrous about it as possible. Expect Tenten and Neji to drag Lee away as he’s crying, having thrown himself on the ground for your forgiveness. The other two will also profusely apologize for Lee as they end the situation.
The next time you see Lee, he has a bouquet of flowers as an apology that he got from Ino. And his face is all scraped and bandaged up. You can’t help but feel a little bad about his injuries, and you genuinely weren’t upset about the accident, so you forgave Lee. His face would break out into a blush, and I see him shooting his shot with you for real, turning the giving of the bouquet from an apology into a declaration of love. Might Guy would definitely be rooting for him in the background, hidden away, crying over youthful love. 
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puzzleemerald · 3 months
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Because Amaterasu and Sesshōmaru don't have much further art at the moment, I decided to share another couple who are most dear to my heart. YCH by the lovely Antodonatella on Instagram & DeviantArt.
Please don't reblog!
Keep in mind I will be talking about the FanFiction version of Ayumu in this post! The version of Ayumu I roleplay is her own separate deal! When her bio is done and put up on my Master Post, I won't only RP Ayumu interacting with exclusively Neji writers, lol.
Neji Hyūga is already a very recognizable character, being one of my very first crushes when I started really getting into anime as a thirteen to fourteen-year-old. In fact, he's the reason I later bought and read the manga... all hundred-heccin'-something volumes of it. Much like Sesshōmaru, it was his long hair, elegance, intellect, and stoic demeanor that won me over at first. It also amused me to watch him just be cool; he always felt like the definitive head of his team. Even if Lee wasn't to be sneezed at as a fighter, I saw more leadership qualities in Neji that Lee lacked. I also felt that he had the most interesting plight among the Konoha thirteen as someone from a branch in his clan where he was basically expected to serve and protect the head family deemed "above" him on the social-political totem pole the Hyūga were built on. Despite his innate talent rivaling the daughters of the clan's head at the time, he'd always be considered lesser because of his birth. In ways, he felt like more of an underdog to me than Naruto did—though that also has a lot to do with Naruto's characterization as the "optimistic headstrong protagonist" Kishimoto had going. (I kinda wish Kishi had leaned more into Naruto having some resentment towards the Leaf, but that's a post for another day)
So what'd teenage me do? Tailor an OC to be another half for him because GDI this man deserves happiness, not getting skewered like a redshirt on an overgrown splinter. If they had to have someone, ANYONE, sacrifice themself for Hinata... tbh, I wish it'd been someone on her team like Kiba or Shino, so we didn't have to basically do the thing he was "born to do" according to Clan tradition asfdhjrhyud—
Deep breaths. I'm calm. Suppress the fangirl rage.
So, as a result, I created Ayumu! Who was, by every definition, a Mary Sue at first!! (It was bad... oh god, was it bad...) But after I ditched her for a few years when I lost interest in Naruto, I returned to her when I turned seventeen and completely rehauled her. Leading to the designs she has now.
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This is Ayumu's Part 1/Naruto Design. The Settei was done by a friend of mine on IG called Sento.OC, whom I commissioned.
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Then, we have Ayumu's Part 2/Shippuden Design, also by Sento.
When designing an OC for Neji, I wanted to go more complimentary than contrary. It just didn't feel like it'd make sense for Neji to ever be romantically interested in someone with bombastic energy like Naruto or Lee—mans doesn't have the patience to live with that on a daily basis, LOL! So I thought, "Hey, Neji's a pretty traditional guy; why not give him a traditional woman?" and Ayumu ended up as a very grounded, calm, and analytical person. A bit more on the conservative side, similar to Neji. All the while having occasional bursts of warm, thoughtful moments where she lights up but doesn't explode. She's very, for lack of a better term off the top of my head, "normal" compared to Naruto's big personality, Sasuke's broodiness, Shikamaru's laziness, or Temari's ferocity. It's why I imagine her getting along very well with people like Tenten or Kakashi, too, who tend to be the metaphorical straight man to the more comedic characters around them. Characters like Gai and Lee and Naruto can only be funny, after all, if they're offset by some typically.
Ayumu is also a close-range fire-style specialist with a Kekkei Genkai related to it, so her style compliments Neji's pretty well imo. They can be in a shoulder-to-shoulder or back-to-back situation and cover one another while knowing the other is nearby and safely under their wing. Both characters have some insecurity and neglect issues but for very different reasons. However, this means they relate to one another over their feelings and traumas, and neither really feels a need to "fix" the other. It's what makes them last, in my opinion. They just quietly comfort each other (also slap whoever tries to put the other down, lol), and that's it. ...They did kinda try to scratch each other's eyes out at first, but that'll be its own post! Once they get over their big hurdle and understand each other, they end up just being a pair of supportive friends to lovers 90% of the time. The other 10% is them getting fucked with by the plot around them because Neji barely gets any screen time in Shippudennnnnnn! ;-;
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dark-elf-writes · 11 months
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And its works so damn well because that sexy bitch already has grey hair.
Concept: Kakashi pushing one of those multi-seat baby strollers with a bunch of squealing little ninja babies in it.
Little Naruto is cackling like mad as he and baby Sasuke slap each other. Shikamaru is glaring at Sasuke and slaps him back for touching Naruto (baby crush!). Baby Shino is trying to catch a butterfly that keeps landing on his nose. Little hinata keeps giggling at Naruto. Ino and Sakura are sharing a seat and playing with flowers that Ino pulled (they’re actually weeds but no one needs to tell them that). Baby kiba is trying to bark like Kakashi’s ninken and Choji is eating bone shaped cookies.
AKKSJSJSB SHINOBI BABYSITTERS CLUB
After Kakashi is told (loudly and often while the Hokage has his wrinkled head in his hands in something that looks a lot like defeat) that he can’t actually kidnap peoples children because they smell sad of all things a solution is reached where in the aftermath of the war where there’s still so much to be done and far too many kids were promoted far too soon and are all on some level broken, that the older Jonin with children can leave their kids with ANBU trained babysitters when they need to be sent out of the village. It starts with just Kakashi and Naruto (who he outright refused to take back to the orphanage and tried to bite the ANBU that tried to take Naruto from the sling on Hounds chest. How he did that through two masks no one is quite sure but the poor ANBU has never been the same) Occasionally with the newest Ino-Shika-Cho generation. Shikamaru adores little Naruto. The other two are less enthusiastic but they Al get along rather well.
Then Itachi gets assigned to the Babysitter Corps with a little Sasuke perched on one hip, all wide dark eyes as he gnaws on a plastic kunai.
Guy, for all that he’s not ANBU, gets lumped in with them more often than not because he also refused to give his particular orphan back.
Hinata and Neji become more permanent members of their little pack (Neji first. handed off to Kakashi with shaking hands and a pained smile. Hinata later also handed off by Hizashi with agony on his face and hands shaking so bad Itachi has to lunge to grab the little girl before he can drop her.) Neji, older than the others, is a bit unsure of what to make of all the babies — for all that he is just barely not a baby himself — but Naruto bounces a plastic block off of his head and shrieks something incomprehensible around his baby fangs and he becomes just as attached as Shikamaru and Lee.
(Sasuke lurks around the edges like a ghost. More content clinging to his brother or screaming whenever Naruto looks at him. Kakashi has a feeling it will only get more annoying as they grow up.)
Little Kiba comes next, all milk teeth and growls where the others cry. Naruto clings to Kim instantly too used to Kakashi’s own fangs and the grumbling dog the pack to even think of being scared. Kiba surprisingly attaches to Hinata sharing his toys with her and snarling whenever one of the others is too rough with her. He and Neji have left with bruises and baby teeth marks more than once.
Shino tumbles into the odd little pair that is Kiba and Hinata with a butterfly on his hand and some muffled mumbling that might have been words and the three become inseparable from then on. (Itachi actually had to go to the hospital after he tried to hand Kiba back to his sister before Hinata went home. Kakashi laughs at him for days for being so slow that the pup managed to get his teeth in him. He gets his karma a week later when Shino sets a wasp on him when he accidentally knocked over hinata’s block tower. Itachi’s red eyes told him he would absolutely never live that down.)
No one is sure how Sakura got added to the mix. Kakashi is pretty sure Ino kidnapped her on an outing but as he has no proof of that and her parents seem to find the girls’ bond more cute than concerning she just slots into the chaos perfectly.
Tenten comes last with more mock weapons than even Sasuke that she delights in hurling at Neji and watching him smack them out of the air. Kakashi has a feeling they are going to be a terror when they’re older.
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skalecsz · 1 year
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If you could how would you fix ino's development
i love you and also im sorry.
ino is such an interesting character, kishimoto took your average pretty mean girl and made her actually super sweet and caring, adaptable, and intelligent
i actually like her personality a lot, she values her looks and can be a bit crabby but compared to sakura, ino is a lot more willing to work with her teammates. she actively takes charge to the point that shikamaru and choji look to her for what to do
id keep her "crush" on sasuke but id instead make it something that sakura misinterpreted and ino went along with bc she thought sakura just didnt want to be friends anymore. she still flirts with sasuke but in a joking way.
id keep her rivalry with sakura but makes it explicit that she wasnt the one that instigated it, id also make her less "mean" in a stereotypical bully way since she was the one that defended sakura from bullies in the first place. she should still be sassy and a bit of a hot head but not overtly rude to others.
also id have her win her fight with sakura, just bc i think it contributes better to sakura's development, but also opens up an extra fight in the chunin exams. not sure who id pit her against but im just saying it would give her more stuff to do (maybe shino? they were both top students at the academy)
she goes on the sasuke retrieval mission and stays behind to help choji fight. theres no reason that she shouldnt go, choji can still almost die and ino can use the time he bought her to finish off orochimaru's lackey but ino has PROVEN to be a good ninja, even if her fighting isnt that great shes fantastic crowd control…come the fuck on.
development wise…no healing abilities…it just felt so tacked on and she didn't nearly have as much passion for it as sakura did. id focus 100% on her clan's reconnaissance bc their abilities are super interesting. would def give her an upgrade regarding her body switching jutsu so shes not left unconcious on the ground with every technique. when shes a genin thats fine but ur telling me sasuke can summon God and ino still can't control people without falling asleep?
okay the puppet scene with the "Mind Puppet Switch Cursed Seal Technique" literally has not left my mind its SO cool and I wish ino learned to use it. is it "ethical"? no. might even be a war crime. but thats fine i think. let ino be a little scary.
AND!!! SUNA LITERALLY HAS A PUPPET MASTER!!! Ino can train with kankuro or at least ASK for assistance
ALSO. OH MY GOD. GIVE HER MORE TO DO IN THE HIDAN AND KAKUZU ARC HOLY SHIT. that arc literally just ended up being about shikamaru (based) and naruto (???) why weren't ino and choji more present!! naruto literally appeared to save the day with his new jutsu when this mission shouldve been team 10 and team 10 ONLY (kakashi is on thin ice)
i like the confrontation between shikamaru and hidan in the forest, thats fine, but ino and choji should be absolutely duking it out with kakazu and his family of puppets! you know who else uses puppets/external tools? INO. Have her try to control kakuzu's external guys while choji beats him up, naruto arriving on the scene feels cheap :/ have kakuzu remark that "oh the strategist is gone" and then ino just immediately takes over as the leader and thinks of a plan because shes teammates with shikamaru's lazy ass and also BEING SMART IS LITERALLY SO IMPORTANT TO HER CHARACTER
AND GIVE HER (AND CHOJI) A SCENE WHERE SHE MOURNS ASUMA. OH MY GOD. HER FUCKING TEACHER JUST DIED. Ino is sidelined sooo much in team 10 its insane. maybe she and her dad (while not super close) talk about what its like to lose people you love, her dad has been a ninja for decades, he would comfort her. have her arrange a bouquet and place it on asuma's grave, have her break down crying over her teacher! this would also be interesting since we dont spend as much time with team 10, but would be able to see that the side characters have their own lives and feelings outside of naruto.
regarding romance ive personally always seen her as a lesbian but her relationship with sai is fine i guess. if she and sai are endgame id like more of a buildup to it. but if i can get my way she and sakura end up together <3
i think shes fine in the war arc, but the war arc itself is something i just wouldnt include if i were to rewrite naruto
also her blank period outfit is UGLY throw that shit OUT girl
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spellcasterlight · 8 months
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Thank you, @nightingaleflow and the lovely Anon, that also sent me one of these! You are both so sweet! 😭❤️
Gonna put a few under the cut just for length! Smut entries and story warnings are labelled!
Thank you for the lovely ask! ✨
Ao3 ✨ |Story Request Bingo Cards 📖 | WIP Game Always Open ✒️| Ko-Fi ☕ | Reblog Blog 🟢
Duty Beyond Everything - [Shino x Tenten] [Kakashi x Gai]
I loved writing some soul-crushing [Shino x Tenten] [Kakashi x Gai]. Putting Tenten and Gai through the wringer made me sad, but I did enjoy the outcome 😭
(Story Warnings: Major Character Injury. Minor Character Death. Mild Violence. Major Character Death.)
Buzz Buzz - [Shino x Tenten] - [Smut]
Probably the best smut I've ever written, and it's my most popular [Shino x Tenten] only story - most likely for that reason! 😂
(Story Warnings: Graphic Sexual Scene. Mild Swearing. Semi-Public Sex. Oral Sex.)
Should Have Been Me - [Shino x Tenten]
Another sad one (why are all these crying ones? 😂), but I enjoyed writing some wrenching Shibi and Tenten grief-filled father-in-law to daughter-in-law interactions.
(Story Warnings: Major Character Injury. Mentions of Poison. Major Character Death. Grieving.)
Mirror Mirror On The Wall - [Shikamaru x Temari] - [Smut]
This was my first time writing this pairing, and I really like the tone that came out of it!
(Story Warnings: Graphic Sexual Scene. Mild Swearing. Mirror Sex. Feelings of Embarrassment.)
Endings and Beginnings - [Shibi x OC]
I don't think this is my best story, but it was the first time I challenged myself to write an OC and I kind of fell in love with her (even if the first thing I ever did was make her suffer 😂) and I just really like how it turned out!
(Story Warnings: Major Character Death.)
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milkshake-fairy · 2 years
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Sasuke sets down his cup of sake on the table in front of him and gets up from his chair, nodding to Iruka and Kakashi, who are both too busy falling asleep on each other to really notice Sasuke leaving their table, to walk towards his fiance, who is engaged in a rather boisterous conversation with Kiba, Shikamaru, and Ino. They had all gathered in a local izakaya, a rare instance in which most of his colleagues were all in town instead of on their various missions.
He pulls up a chair and sits down beside Naruto, throwing as arm over the back of the blond’s chair. Naruto leans into him.
“Hey, thought you were talking with Iruka sensei and Kakashi sensei.”
“They’re too busy cuddling right now to pay attention anymore.”
Kiba laughs. “They’re almost as gross as you two.”
“Kiba’s just bitter because he’s alone,” Ino snaps.
“Hey! I’m honestly perfectly fine being single. Relationships are a bunch of unnecessary stress.”
“Agreed,” Shikamaru chimes in, lighting a cigarette.
“Oh? Did having a crush on Naruto burn you that badly, Kiba?”
“Wha--I--no! shut up, Ino!” Kiba splutters, choking on his sake.
“Actually,” Ino grins, looking around the table, “Everyone at this table, sans Sakura, Shino, and I, have had a crush on Naruto at point or another huh?”
Sasuke raises an eyebrow and surveys their rectangular table. Sakura and Shino are sitting at the other end, conversing with Lee, Gaara, and Neji’s cousin. What was her name? Hanami?  
Naruto frowns, trying to process the conversation through, hindered by his drunken state. “Wait what? What do you mean almost everyone at this table? When di--”
“Naruto,” Shikamaru cuts him off, looking a few shades pinker than had before, “ Don’t worry about it. Ino’s just messing around like usual.”
Ino takes another sip of sake and smiles. “Yup, not like it matters anyway since Sasuke-kun already won.”
“Not like he ever really had any competition,” Kiba mumbles.
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waffliesinyoface · 2 months
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sticking this under a readmore because its literally just notes & me talking to myself about character relationships. all of it is subject to change
Hasami's initial opinions on other genin, and their opinions on her:
Naruto - avoids because he's The Main Character and she doesnt want to fuck that up, but also. he's actually really annoying. yes she has sympathy for him but also oh my god dude. / naruto is somewhat friendly with kiba but if you pressed him he could not tell you her name. dog girl??
Sakura - okay look she wants to like her, because she is cool. but also. they really dont click that well as kids. its no ones fault. maybe tries to push her to be a little rowdier in the academy, because sakura SHOULD punch out a guy for being annoying. doesnt really interact with much until chuunin exams where she promptly sticks her foot in her mouth because apparently when sakura graduated the academy she started buying scentless shampoo, on kakashi's recommendation. she did not know that it was specifically dog shampoo until hasami pointed that out THANKS. sakura warms up to her a little more during the exams because teammate bond and also because hasami is one of the few people whose reaction to sakura being able to punch down a tree is "that fucking RULES holy shit". eventual friends
Sasuke - listen. she knows he is a dick, and also will defect and also doesnt care about anyone other than naruto. unfortunately he DOES have uchiha pretty privilege. even if she didn't have adult memories crammed into her brain she wouldn't be a fangirl, but like. she understands where they're coming from. / Sasuke does not give a single solitary shit about her, obviously.
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Ino - ino is very likeable and charismatic, not in a "Shes my friend" way but in a "everyone in class can talk with her easily". shes the queen bee of the class. also from an adult perspective dear god her crush on sakura is obvious. immediately after the academy she runs down ino and asks for her help in choosing an actually good shampoo because apparently her entire family is insane. Ino laughs at her the entire time but also does point out a good brand. Post chuunin exams theyre friendlier on account of Hasami being on good terms with Sakura, but they're not super close. friendly colleagues, sorta.
Chouji - good natured and easy to get along with. I figure the reason chouji being called fat is a berserk button is because it was probably a routine insult in the academy, and hasami therefore gets friend points for A: being one of the only girls who doesnt care about his weight at all, and B: trades snacks. she will go halfsies on some homemade jerky if you share your bbq chiiiippss~
Shikamaru - as a character he's cool, especially in shippuden. as a person, he is. grating. can you be normal about women, please. / she's a girl, therefore, probably a pain.
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Kiba - cousin! not exactly sibling but inuzuka clan is familial enough that sleepovers are a semi routine thing. they noogie each other. (kiba noogies her more when he gets his growth spurt) lots of playfighting as kids, ESPECIALLY when puppies get involved. becomes more involved after [spoilers]
Hinata - they just dont have much in common, frankly! tsume and kurenai have the teams be sparring partners occasionally, buuut thats it
Shino - bug phobia is slightly lessened and ninja training helps her to quash it but also jesus fucking christ dude there is a beetle crawling out of your eyesocket bWUUGHhghhg. she doesnt have anything against him personally its instinctive im sorry. / she hates bugs, therefore he does not like her. he will take it personally, thank you.
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Tenten - no interaction in academy due to year difference. she might show up on a random C-rank…? it takes very little time for hasami to go "oh shes got like slight autism and a special interest in all things stabby. good for her." (this is based on her reaction to legendary weapons in the war arc and how she acts in the mirai short.) tenten uses SUPER BASIC fuuinjutsu that begins and ends with storage scrolls. despite this, hasami asks her about it once and the explanation still makes zero fucking sense. what math are you talking about that is all kanji. what the fuck?? / tenten likes hasami's knives and how their shape makes them stronger for close combat but ill suited to throwing, can she borrow them
Lee - bro you gotta rein it in a little bit / lee finds her training regimen (tsume setting dogs on her) inspiring!! when they return to konoha, he will fasten himself a harness made of sausages and do the same!!!!!!!
Neji - literally only meets him AFTER naruto has knocked some sense into him. he's still abrasive but he's not EXCEPTIONALLY rude unless he has a reason to dislike you. they might get partnered up on a mission that involves tracking, because they can cover weaknesses. (ie: he has precision up close, she can track things that are no longer THERE)
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agoddamn · 2 years
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Completely agree with your Sakura was done dirty posts, such wasted potential. Hope you don't mind me asking, but is there any other things you wish you could have seen with the other main girls? Either in story development or in a 'jiujitsu Sakura' way?
Springboarding off Sakura (because I have been thinking about this for nearly twenty years), I think that after her Ino fight in the chuunin exams she could have really used a Konohamaru-type kid apprentice to help her character continue growing.
With Sakura's self-consciousness, it seems pretty legit to me that she'd have a much easier time telling someone else "you don't have to hide yourself!" rather than telling herself "I don't have to hide myself!" It would also jive well with some of her other narrative issues by rounding out her miniature supporting cast and giving her compassion a way to be expressed other than the Sasuke obsession.
I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with making a female character a nurturing, kind person, but you need to actually do that and not just go "well she's in love with a man, which is what women are supposed to do." In Naruto as it is, it feels more like it was written as "she's kind in service to her role of loving Sasuke."
I'd also like Tenten to do fucking anything. In a fistfighting manga, being a weapon specialist actually nerfs you...
Hell, you could even kill two birds with one stone and have Tenten suffer some major personal upheaval and have her be the person Sakura counsels/bonds with. You lose the mentoring angle, but the cast stays trim and the whole younger-guiding-older inversion is cute. As much as I don't want to relegate her to being Sakura's pet project, "cool girl loses faith in herself and then gets her groove back" is a fine plot and most importantly it would actually give her something to do.
Hinata...ah, I've been in the Women in Refrigerators trenches from the beginning but she probably should have died. I've heard a rumor that she was planned to die and Kishimoto changed the casualty to Neji when he decided to make NaruHina endgame. Not sure how true it is, but the story does feel like it was setting up for that. Neji narratively and materially had more shit to do; Hinata's debut as "shy girl with a crush who gains self-confidence" was just a softer version of Sakura's arc in the first place.
Killing Hinata would also give you more potential angles with Team Kurenai; Gai already has a fair few character hooks with Kakashi's rivalry, his self-sacrifice complex, his bond with Lee, and his taijutsu/hard work focus. Kurenai is...Asuma's waifu and then Asuma's mourner/baby momma lol genjutsu is criminally underused in Naruto in the first place thanks to the Sharingan existing; Kurenai needs something to fucking do.
Killing Hinata seems harsh, but tearing Team 8 apart rather than Team Gai lets you put Kurenai in the coveted "everyone I love dies" angst spotlight. You could even shake things up and have her seek out a connection with Neji as she mourns Hinata; what did Kurenai think about the whole Hyuuga family thing, anyway? Would Neji feel like a cheap replacement? Or would he recognize an honest connection? (And he's not a girl, but Shino is probably the most ignored male Konoha genin. He'd benefit from more chances for characterization, too. Always liked him.)
Ino should have been the default InoShikaCho leader over Shikamaru. She just seems a lot better with people, you know? I also always wanted to see more about her family's involvement with the Torture & Interrogation department--how the hell does that get glazed over? Her mindwalk art has some insanely dark potential. Maybe her relationship with Sakura in Shippuden gains some tension back after they reconciled at the chuunin exams because Sakura starts seeing more darkness in her as she's trained to follow in her father's footsteps?
If anyone in the main cast is gonna buy into Danzo's authoritarian rule to any degree, it's gonna be the fucking Torture & Interrogation department. I don't know that she should fully side with him (though if Sasuke gets to declare war on the village and still get welcomed back the girls should also get to do war crimes a little, as a treat), but I feel like with a father in T&I she'd be most likely to agree with "the end justifies the means."
Also she should kiss Sakura.
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justmyownreality · 2 years
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The Strongest Kunoichi and Her Greatest Opponent! Cooking up a crush!
Part 2 to The Strongest Kunoichi and Her Greatest Opponent! Rukia Burns Dinner!
A/N: I told you guys I have no self- control when it comes to Rukia. Also maybe once I get some of the OC stories out of my mind I can write for Y/N and readers again hahaha.
WC: 2.4k
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“TELL ME EVERYTHING!” Ino came barreling down the street as Rukia sipped her iced coffee. Iced anything was needed in this spring heatwave but coffee was a necessity today. Rukia hasn’t slept at all since leaving Shino’s apartment earlier this morning.
“You’re the most beautiful girl in the world!” Rukia laughed watching the blonde take the compliment, hoping that it would distract her. 
“Well I know that.” Ino laughed, “But a little birdie told me you left Shino’s apartment at like 3 a.m.!” 
“What bird?”
“Is it true?!”
“Depends on which bird told you.” Rukia laughed as she continued to walk down the street. She did know who was on the schedule for night watch this month. “Was it Sai?”
Ino and Sai met up earlier this morning for some torture training, mainly Sai explaining to her how to suppress emotions. “It’s not like he meant to. He just asked if you and Shino were together.”
“Was he on night watch?” Just keep Ino distracted and talking about Sai and then she’ll forget all about it.
“I’m not sure, maybe.” Ino blushed thinking about Sai. “It’s kind of nice working with him.”
“Yeah, he’s a good one Ino.” Rukia nudged, “Some would say an upgrade from Sasuke, ya know.” she laughed, giving her another nudge. 
The two of them walked down the street, Rukia guiding both of them to the Hokage’s tower. She was always lured to the Hokage’s tower, sometimes that tower felt more like home than her actual apartment. Sometimes she would sneak into the Sarutobi complex just to be a little closer to Konohamaru. She could still live there if she wanted, but she did like the independence of having her own place. But that tower, even if she had nothing to do, she just liked being in it.
“I mean power wise no way, but everything else…” Ino blushed once again. “Isn’t it funny how in love with Sasuke I used to be?”
“Yeah, it was a blast having to get in between you and Sakura all the time.” Rukia teased, shaking her head.
“You never had a crush on him right?”
“Nope.”
“But you did like Kiba for a bit.” 
“Yeah I think so… and then Akamaru peed on me and he laughed so then I punched him and I don’t know the crush just kinda fizzled out and he became a bro.” Rukia laughed, her and Kiba would be an absolute nightmare. 
“And then Shikamaru, you were always just friends right? Your families were close because of Asuma?”
Hmm, looks like I did end up distracting her, Rukia smirked. “Yeah, if anything Shikamaru is the annoying protective older brother.”
“And Naruto is…”
“Naruto.” Rukia laughed, there wasn’t a good explanation for her friendship with Naruto. They weren’t closer than her and Shikamaru, but she never saw him as a brother more like that really dumb dog that you can’t help but love and you’ve spent thousands of dollars in vet bills because they keep getting into things they shouldn’t.
“And you and Choji just use each other for barbecue couple dates.”
“So stupid they won’t give the couple discount to just one person.” Rukia pouted, kicking a pebble out of her way. Wait, where is she going with this?
“Lee was always too in love with Sakura when we were younger, and I don’t think you saw much in Lee anyways besides the two of you adopting Gai and Kakashi’s rivalry.” Ino continued to ramble.
Rukia laughed, her and Lee were obviously the one’s to take up the mantle especially since Gai can’t do the things he used to. She had to admit though, she didn’t know how her dad kept up with Gai because she can barely keep up with Lee sometimes.
“I used to think maybe you and Gaara would get together, with you being an advisor and going to the Sand a lot. You and Kankuro would be kinda hot together, maybe you had little hookups at summits?”
“Inooo..” Rukia warned. There is only one guy she hasn’t mentioned yet.
“But then, that hug you gave Shino after the war…”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“...it was always Shino wasn’t it?” Ino smiled looking down at her friend. “It’s cute RuRu.”
Rukia groaned, she was going to kill Sai, or at least torture him by changing the tone of her voice and the expressions in her face so he had no idea what emotion she was feeling. “He just made me dinner because my dad wasn’t home.”
Ino laughed, raising her eyes at Rukia, how do you beat Shikamaru in shogi but you can’t see what's right in front of you?
“We’re just friends.” Rukia gave Ino a weak smile, she would love to be more than friends with Shino, it’s all she thought about whenever the two of them were around each other.
“Would any of them make you dinner at 2am?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“RuRu…” Ino stopped, hearing the pat of four paws and two feet rounding the corner.
“Don’t say a word, he’s worse than you are.” Rukia glared up at Ino, her eyes and voice stern.
“Oh hey you two!” Kiba smirked, his eyes looking down at Rukia who clearly hadn't slept at all. Maybe her and Naruto were such good friends because they were both oblivious to the pining his two teammates had for them. “Ruks, how was dinner?”
“Better than the dog food you tried to offer me!” Rukia laughed, making her way to Akamaru. “I’m sure you love it but it’s not for me, ya know? No hard feelings?” she laughed as she scratched the top of Akamaru's head.
“You know I wasn’t really asking about the food.” Kiba smirked, Ino snickered behind him, Rukia was right, Kiba was worse than her. 
“Good luck trying to pull anything out of her.” Ino laughed.
Oh I got this, Kiba smirked, “Did you kiss?”
Rukia’s mouth dropped, her face turning a bright red. “Kiba!”
“Well did you?!”
Rukia groaned, I wish. “No, Shino is more of a gentleman than you are Kibes.”
“Yeah, maybe but still..” Kiba stopped himself, thankful that the three of them were at the Hokage’s tower before he accidentally spilled Shino’s feelings onto Rukia.
“Still what?”
“Nothing.”
“Kiba…”
“Nothing, it’s just I don’t know." Kiba shrugged, "You two would be good together.” he smiled before jogging down the street off to the training field where he was meeting up with his team, Akamaru following closely behind him. “See ya later.”
“He’s right you know.”
“I know.” Rukia laughed giving Ino a small wave as she walked into the Hokage tower, Believe me Ino, I know. 
Rukia walked down the halls, talking to the photos that lined the hallway, mainly talking to Tobirama and Hiruzen. Rukia hated the war, she was still grieving over Neji, over the countless shinobi the villages lost.  She blamed herself for a lot of the death, being the one who ultimately ended up agreeing that the Leaf would partake in it during the Kage summit when Danzo left.
The war did allow her to get closure with her grandfather, it allowed her to meet her great ancestor and her mother. A memory filled with darkness, she had to find at least one silver lining to it, it’s the only way she doesn’t crumble at the thought of it. 
She casually opened the door to the office, normally she would knock but Kakashi isn’t here so she didn’t feel like she had to. What the fuck? “When did you get back?!”
Kakashi looked up from his conversation with Shibi Aburame, a puzzled look on his face as he stared at his daughter. “Rukia.”
Rukia swallowed, realizing she just interrupted a conversation, her eyes finally seeing that Shibi was standing next to the desk. “Oh, my apologies.” she bowed. You idiot, you just barged in like that and oh of fucking course Shibi is here when you look like a brat. Why do the Aburame’s always see me at my worst?!
Shibi chuckled, it was always a pleasure to see the young Hatake, though to him he knew her more as the Sarutobi granddaughter. The little kid who would sit on her grandfather's lap during important meetings with the heads of the clans. The one who would fall asleep to the most boring meetings. The little girl who would bow her head to each passing clan member, the speed at which would give someone whiplash. “It’s alright, nothing you haven’t heard before I’m sure. Though I'm not sure you paid attention during those meetings."
Rukia laughed, remembering how Shibi used to send out a bug to her to keep her entertained. “Very true. But seriously, when did you get back!?” Rukia yelled, turning her attention back to her father. 
“Last night.”
“What time?”
“Maybe midnight?”
“SO YOU WERE HOME!?!”
“Yes, but I passed out the second I finished dinner.”
“YOU MADE DINNER!?!”
Fish and rice.”
YOU MADE FISH AND RICE!?!? “You’re evil.” Rukia sulked.
“And your knocking was excessive," Kakashi chuckled, “but by the time I got to the door, you were already gone.”
“I was hungry.” Rukia whined as she sat up on one of the bookcases she added to the Hokage’s office to help keep it more organized. 
“Did you end up finding food?” Kakashi asked, a little concerned because he knew his daughter couldn’t cook, and if she did try cooking last night, that would explain the slight burnt smell when he passed her apartment.
“It’s not good to sleep on an empty stomach.” Shibi added into the conversation.
Your son is a godsend and I’m in love with him. “I did, I uh,” Rukia smiled, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, “I actually ran into Shino actually and he actually offered to make me dinner.”
Did he now? Kakashi and Shibi both thought in their heads.
“He's quite the cook, I taught him myself.” Shibi boasted, happy for his son to show off his skills.
“Well, you actually taught him very well.” Rukia blushed even deeper, the color on her cheeks matching her vibrant red eyes.
That’s a lot of blushing and a lot of actually’s she’s using. Kakashi stared at his daughter, remembering how during the Three Tailed Sealing Mission, she immediately offered to stay behind with Shino so he wouldn’t be alone. Remembered how her eyes opened just a bit after her head fell on his shoulder, the smile she made as she snuggled deeper into his shoulder as she fell back asleep. Does she have feelings for him?
“Well, thank you for allowing him to show you.” Shibi smiled, he knew very well of his son's feelings about Rukia. It wasn’t easy for the Aburame’s to lose their insects, it feels like a part of them dies and for Shino to sacrifice so many, without any hestiance, Shibi knew very well.
“Well, thank you because that steak was delicious, and his rice was so fluffy! I don’t know how he does it.” Rukia laughed, sliding off of the bookcase, “Dad, do you need anything from me today?” 
How did you grow up so fast? Boys are making you dinner? Kakashi was lost in thought, “um, just sorting a few of these mission reports but not too much to do today.”
“Right.” Rukia nodded her head, picking up a few of the papers on his desk, and climbing out his window so she could work on the roof, “I’ll let you two get back to discussing things.”
Shibi and Kakashi laughed as Rukia climbed over the window and shut the screen. "She's a good kid." Shibi smiled before continuing his discussion with Kakashi.
Kakashi took a deep breath, watching the sun shine off of her white hair. "That she is. So is yours and apparently a good cook."
"That he is, he came to us one day back when they were younger, asking to learn how to cook steak and rice."
Kakashi laughed, leaning back in his chair, "Ah, I see Rukia's palette hasn't changed in years." Steak and rice, her favorite. Of course my version of fish and rice might beat it sometimes. Am I being replaced?
"Apparently not." Shibi laughed before they continued their conversation.
---
Rukia liked working on the roof, it was nice, besides Kakashi does this little clicky thing with the pen often and it drives her insane so working on the roof is the better option.
She closed her eyes as her body graciously accepted the Konoha breeze combating this spring heat, she could feel the tickle of her hair across her shoulders as it blew in the wind. Blew in the wind. Oh no. 
She opened her eyes to a mission report flying off the roof, immediately getting up she opened her fathers window, throwing the rest of the reports in before she scurried to grab the other one.
Her feet ran off the roof trying to catch the report before she plummeted to the ground, hearing a soft grunt, feeling large hands grip her hips as she winced at her knees hitting the ground.
“Damn Ruks, out of all the people to fall from the sky, I thought you figured out how not to by now.” Kiba laughed, immediately picturing how red these two faces were about to be.
Rukia grunted, she hated falling out of the sky. Wait, did I just land on… “Shino! Oh my god!” Rukia pushed herself off of him, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry I just..” Of all the people, all the people in the world, I land on Shino?
Shino swallowed, trying to keep his cool but ultimately failing. His insects were in a frenzy inside of him. Rukia was just on top of him. Her head was under his, her hips on top of his, her hand rested on his chest. She smelled amazing, smelled fresh. No distinctive scent, just fresh. Almost as if she bottled up the smell of the Konoha rain and used it as her own personal perfume.
“Were you trying to catch this?” Hinata smiled, waving the mission report in her hand.
Rukia blushed, her eyes still on Shino who lay frozen on the ground, she turned her head to Hinata as she held out her hand for Shino, “Yeah, thank you.” Her head turned back to Shino, flexing her fingers out for him to grab them. Stay calm, stay calm, you just straddled him, helping him up is no big deal.
She just straddled me and now she expects me to be able to grab her hand? I can’t do that. Reason being, I can’t move my body. 
“Alright big guy,” Kiba laughed, grunting as he helped Shino up, knowing his friend had to be flustered right now. 
“Thank you.” Shino smiled towards Rukia.
Why is he thanking her? I’m the one who helped him up. Kiba pouted. Yeah no honestly if Rukia fell on top of anyone like that they’d be thanking her and the gods and every deity you could name.
"Thank you again," Rukia blushed, "for last night and then I guess you know, cushioning my fall."
"Anytime for uh," Shino stammered instantly regretting his decision to get rid of the high collar. A decision he made shortly after Rukia mentioned she liked seeing his smile. "For both."
"So you're saying there'll be a next time?" Rukia smiled.
"If you," Shino lost his words, did she want there to be a next time? "If you ever want steak and rice you know where to find me."
"That I do." Rukia smiled taking in a deep breath, she wanted to hug him, feel his arms around her. She wondered what it would be like to give him just a casual hug and not a "my two teammates just tried to kill each other after we saved the world but I honestly kept thinking about you and I'm so glad you're okay," hug.
Almost as if Akamaru hated watching this scene of two lovestruck teenagers he slowly made his way around Rukia, slowly backing into her causing her to stumble into Shino.
"Oh!' Rukia let out a quiet squeal as her hands hit Shino's chest, she shot out a quick death glare to Kiba who just happened to be turned around, his arm guiding Hinata to turn around as he started whistling a tune.
Fleas. Fleas would be good payback for this. Shino swallowed, his hands gripped onto Rukia's arms as he held her up. "I'm sorry." he blushed, helping her stand up straight.
Rukia smiled, taking a deep breath. Shino smelled good. A little woodsy which was always her favorite smell. He was soft, his hands were gentle on her arms. His hands that were still on her arms as she looked up at him, his tall frame looking down at her.
Do not kiss him, do not kiss him, Rukia I swear to god you can not kiss him right now in front of them. “I uh, I should um, actually get back to work.” she gave Shino a smile.
"Right. Of course." Shino smiled, retracting his hands from her arms as he stuffed them in his pockets.
Rukia smiled before walking over to Hinata, “Thanks for grabbing this.”
“No worries.” Hinata gave her a small smile, a little upset her and Kiba's plan didn't work.
Rukia flew back up to her perch next to Kakashi’s window, pulling her hair up in a ponytail as she shook her head, trying to rid herself of her nerves and embarrassment.
Shino looked up at her in pure admiration, the sun shining, casting a glow on her as she grabbed the mission reports from her father. He wondered if Kakashi was making fun of her for losing one of them. Ah, there's her smile. Her laugh echoing through the village as she sat back down lifting her head up to continue talking to Kakashi.
Shino could stand here and watch her all day, time both sped up and stopped when he was around her. Every second felt like hours but yet it never felt long enough. She's so busy all the time, barely in the village for more than a week at a time, Shino would take any second he could get with her.
“Damn we could’ve just given her the mission report.” Kiba laughed as the four of them walked towards the front doors of the Hokage’s Tower.
“But now we get to see her again.” Shino accidentally said his thoughts out loud.
“That we do my man, that we do.” Kiba smirked, patting Shino’s back as his face turned permanently red.
Rukia tagged list: @mal-the-konohoe @therantingfangirl @mortyvongola2-0 @nightingaleflow
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Please don’t copy Rukia and please credit if you use. I have an AO3 and a Tumblr and that is it, if you find my work or Rukia Hatake/Sarutobi on any other site or any other blog please let me know. Thank you - Jmor.
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Can I get a Rukia celebrating Shino's birthday? I know it doesn't have to be birthday themed but i like the theme haha..
hiiii!! you are last but not least! <3 I tried my best, though I wasn't sure if I had the right voice on your girl. I hope this is fine and not too out of character and if it is, please forgive me. with some cameo of some @nightingaleflow babies.
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Aburame Shino x OC
2185 words.
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Finding a birthday present for a boy you have a crush on is harder than one would suspect, Rukia finds that out the hard way.
Who would have thought that the biggest problem Rukia would ever have would be to choose a birthday present? She had faced formidable foes, fought and defeated her famous teammates not only physically but with her sharp tongue alone, had mastered the cornerstones of each jutsu that was presented to her, learned her worth and learned how to use and abuse it. In all matters, Rukia had gone through hell in the back, dealt with problems in front and behind her, she had done it all and solved it all with a wink and a throw of her hair.
But this? This was impossible! An absolute high wall of a task, so mundane that it annoyed her how bad she was doing at it. This couldn’t be, could it? It couldn’t be so hard for a normal human being to just pick a present- any present - to buy for someone’s birthday, especially if it was someone they knew so well, someone they’ d always grown up alongside of, right? This couldn’t be.
Still, nothing Rukia looked at seemed good enough for Shino, nothing, no matter how much money it costs. What was even worse was how nervous she was about it, as if Shino would cast her away, force her to leave his celebration, if she brought him something that was less than perfect. As if Shino would ever do anything like that, but she could not stop her thoughts from circeling. What could she possibly get him that he didn’t already have? That he wouldn’T hate? That wouldn’t give away that she was way too nervous around him to act like the functioning human being she was so proud of being?
Worse, the deadline slowly crept in. There were only three days left and so far she had nothing but a bad drawing of a sting beetle and a book about beetles in sunagakure, which she was pretty sure was the lamest present one could ever buy for someone like shino. He knew everything about insects anyway, why was she trying to please him that way, no wouldn’t laugh at her for it. Her head was way too full, her heart way too nervous, so one afternoon she pushed the book off her table and got up, like a robot, to find someone to help her out of this situation.
Not far from her own apartment she ran into her father, who was walking around, as always shoulders slouched forward as if he was carrying something heavy. Rukia’s eyes widened a little in surprise when she saw him and she almost asked him why he wasn’t at work, but he was faster than her. “Why is your face so red?” he asked and sounded genuinely concerned. 
Rukia spun around to look at herself in a mirrored surface and noticed that she did in fact have red cheeks. She’d just been imagining Shino’s reaction to the present she didn’t have, a handshake, maybe he would take off his glasses and smile at her, maybe… The image had clearly gotten away from her.
“Present”, she said quickly and once she realised that this wasn’t what a normal person would call a normal sentence, she added: “I need a present for someone and I am out here looking for it.”
Her father was no idiot, even though he was not that old yet, he’d made many experiences in life. He looked over her again up and down and up again and then concluded correctly: “For a boy?”
For a boy? She almost mocked him back, which didn’t mean he was wrong of course, but he didn’t have to say it that way. “Just Shino.” She almost swallowed her tongue saying his name out loud. In her mind she thought over and over again “Don't ask, don’t ask, don't ask don’t ask.” 
Kakashi didn’t ask. “Well, I think he likes stuff related to beetles, so maybe something like that?” Copy- Nin, sixth Hokage, genius of his time indeed, but in the end he had no idea of anything. Rukia pushed him to the side and walked past him: “Thanks, I did not think of that.” 
While she walked away she could hear him get out his book and mumble: “Teenage rebellion so late?” but she ignored him.
Instead, she made her way to where Nezumi lived, up in an apartment complex that was now going to be a new town. There was no way anyone else could help her, Rukia thought. Natsumi after all had a boyfriend, or something that at least was some sort of relationship, and so she clearly would know what to buy a boy like that. Not that Rukia had a boyfriend, Shino was just somebody, somebody who wasn’t just anybody. It wasn’t easy to explain and even harder to feel correctly.
She stopped in front of Nezumi’s apartment, listening intently to find out if her friend was at home. There were no voices inside so Lee wasn’t around, Rukia thought. Lee was loud and excited at all times and could be heard through every door and concrete walls. Which was nice, Lee was nice, there was nothing wrong with his excitement, just that today Rukia felt like she wanted to rather be alone with Nezumi.
When the door opened, Rukia could see (and hear) immediately that she had been wrong. Lee was there, sitting on the floor, legs crossed, arms crossed, eyes closed as if he was sleeping, but a face frowned as if he was concentrating. When Rukia blinked in confusion at her friend Nezumi whispered: “Meditation.”
“Uh-Oh,” Rukia made and watched her friend step outside the apartment and close the door behind her. The two girls now looked at each other, with Nezumi’s face bearing a wide smile. “I didn’t know you’d be coming over”, she said and put her head to the side. “Did something happen?”
Rukia almost let out an enthusiastic “yes!” but held herself back just enough. She didn’t want to scare Nezumi about something that was essentially just her panicking about a guy. Instead, she shook her head and then shrugged her shoulders: “I needed your advice, so I came here.”
“I see.” Nezumi seemed surprised. Rukia just wasn’t the person to need advice, especially not with that red face and her now fidgeting hands.
“Have you bought Lee-kun presents before?” The question fell out of her before she could think of a better way to phrase it. Better go kick in the door right away. 
The other girl blinked, once, twice, then she said: “A few. Nothing too special. Why? Do you want to buy him something?”
“Who? Oh- Lee! No!” Rukia shook her head. She put her hand in her hair and sighed deeply, then she began to fill Nezumi in, about the birthday party she’d been invited to, about the fruitless quest to buy a present for Shino, that nothing seemed good enough, that her father had been a total disaster when she’d seen him and that she’d come here, in desperation, to ask her friend for help.
Nezumi listened closely, nodding along with every new word spoken. She looked a little like she was taking in the details of a very important mission she had to go on, as if every detail coming out of Rukia’s mouth was vital for their survival. Brows furrowed and hand on her chin, Rukia wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d pulled out a board to write it all down next.
“So?” Rukia said once she was done, the nerves made her pull on her shirt over and over again. “This shouldn’t be so complicated, right? Why is it so complicated?” She hated how childish and desperate she sounded.
“I think that is completely normal with the way you are feeling.” Nezumi smiled knowingly to herself . “You just want it to be special.” 
That was when the door burst open in a loud noise which had both girls jump to the side and assume attack mode. Lee had apparently given up meditation and had decided to go right into training mode. He put the door back: “Oh no, I didn’t mean to scare you, I was just so excited about  love being discussed that I wanted to be part of this, please don’t be worried I will make sure your door is alright.” He winked at Nezumi, who blushed like a signal.
“You know, Rukia,” Lee said as he tested if the door still opened and closed normally, “I understand your feelings. You want him to have something of you that he can remember you by, maybe miss you buy, that maybe makes him consider recirculating your feelings.” Rukia considered just jumping. She could run down the side of the building easily. It was just 8 stories high, no big deal. “And so nothing seems good enough for you, because your feelings are bigger than just one present. But in reality all you need to give him is any present, because Shino-kun would be happy with anything you would give him.”
Lee gave Ruka a thumbs up and she gave a weak one back. “Thanks Lee,” she said and then to Nezumi: “I don’t think that is it, though. I just haven’t seen the perfect thing yet.”
“Actually I think he is right.” Nezumi gave Lee a smile that let him blush on signal now. “I think Shino likes you plenty already, it is very clear once you are near each other, and so whatever you bring him will make him happy.” 
Rukia sighed. Why was everybody so averted to giving her actual advice? “Alright,” she said and  nodded to Lee and then to Nezumi to say that she was leaving. “Thanks for your help.” She couldn’t help that her words sounded like sarcasm. 
Two more sleepless nights passed and she still didn’t have a present. The book and the beetle were still laying on the floor behind her desk, she hadn’t even made an effort to pick them up. But no matter how many times Rukia had gone through the vendors that Konoha had to offer, she could not find a present, nothing but the stuff she had already picked out and so, when the day came, she eventually did wrap the beetle and the book, as much as she hated that.
With a heavy heart she went over to the Aburame area of the village, the present wrapped in her bag. Rukia’s heart hammered against her chest and her head hurt a little, probably from the lack of sleep in the last few nights. In the end she had decided to listen to Lee, as weird as that sounded, and just brought the present she had thought of first. She wasn’t entirely convinced that this was the best choice, but she didn’t really many options, mostly because she had not thought of anything better.
Shino was there, at the door, when she knocked and she tried not to run away at the spot when his face lit up seeing her. “Happy Birthday”, she said and handed the bag over to him, hands shaking so much that she worried she might drop it. Shino took it, bowed a little, always the gentleman and said: “Thank you very much.” Rukia thought maybe she would pass out right there.
Nobody else was there yet, it was just Rukia and him, which just heightened her nervosity to a before unknown level. “Can I open it already?”, he asked friendly and thought she felt like she would rather hide behind the door that she had come in through, she nodded. Of course he could open it, it was her present after all. A bad present, but it was the only one she got.
First, he opened the book. Rukia was so embarrassed that she couldn’t look directly at him as he unpacked it. She only looked once he made a loud “Oh”-sound and saw that he was genuinely smiling. “I always wanted this. Did you know that the new edition even mentioned those sorts of beetles that were only recently discovered? There is some new species that they found in the furthest deserts that’s incredibly interesting.” 
“I- I did not, no”, she replied and made a mental note to talk to Aki about it next time they ran into each other. Not that that happened regularly, but anything that could help Rukia make small talk with Shino was very much appreciated. She grabbed the fabric of her pants again. 
He now opened the second gift, getting the picture of the stag beetle out of its cover. “Oh, did you make this?” She nodded. “It looks really good! This will be great in my office at the school.” He wanted to take it into his office, she thought and there it was again, that feeling of almost passing out.
Shino put both things down, smiling so wide that it made Rukia dizzy, then he said: “Thank you so much, those are wonderful. I’ll always think of you when I see them.”
My god, she thought, Lee was right. Who’d have thought.
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E, L and Z for the first game ask and from the Fandom ask game 2, 3, 7 and 18.. sorry I'm a bit greedy XD
E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?
Trashbin Sensei
Ok you're going to hate me for this, but I have this headcannon that because Kakashi's such a lil shit sometimes, and because Obito told him to 'crawl back into his trashbin' and I think Gai should have lost his shit on Obito for that
But Kakashi agrees and is also grade A dork/troll man
So I had a headcannon that someone said that to Kakashi once and Gai got mad at them, but Kakashi just...did it. He crawled into an empty (clean) trash bin and stared at Gai from it
and it became a running gag where whenever they saw each other Kakashi would point at a trashbin and before Gai could stop him he'd jump in
he made the mistake of doing this in front of Gai's genin once and Tenten referred to him forever more as 'Trashbin-Sensei'
L- Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves.
Shikamaru is genuinely smart and very dedicated to his friends and I can respect TF out of him for that.
Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)
Sakura is a fun character (to me) because she's imperfect. Like there's things I would love to have seen differently (Like her crush on Sasuke either going away or actually evolving into being genuine feelings instead of what seems like a shallow crush that continues forward and never gets properly addressed by her)
I don't like 'Perfect Bamp Sakura' because that makes a character boring to me. I don't want her to be stronger than everyone or the best friend/lover who never makes mistakes
like every other character I want her to be flawed and the fact she is flawed is what makes me love her as a character.
(it's not fan-related but i couldn't think of anything and delegated a whole rant about something else before coming up with this)
2. Favorite episode/ chapter/ etc from Naruto
Honestly the Chunin exams arc because you actually get to see the background characters in action while also having this big problem that they all have to deal with.
You have Neji exposing the Hyuga clan's BS which is beautiful.
You get Ino and Sakura coming to a head and knocking each other out (which shows just how much Sakura grew tbh. Ino should have had that win in the bag but Sakura's stubbornness and new skills pulled her through in the end)
Shino being RUTHLESS which was delightful to see. Like, the character he destroyed was just as ruthless and would have killed Shino had he gotten the opportunity, so Shino getting to show his talent while taking out a genuine threat to himself and his classmates (this dude would have also killed sakura, naruto and sasuke if other's hadn't intervened) was just delightful.
Plus it's the arc that introduces Gai and gives me that beautiful energetic man who seems the complete opposite of Kakashi but compliments him so damn well. that automatically win's top spot for that lol.
3. If you had to pick a character to date from Naruto who would it be
Hmmmm Gai? Sweet, Popular, would let me spoil him. I could date Gai. Plus he has all the energy to match me and perk me up when I'm feeling down.
7. Least favourite character from Naruto
Orochimaru.
18. Brotp from Naruto
Naruto and Sakura, but also Lee and Naruto and Gai and Yamato. Oh and Shizune and Kakashi I love how they work together and how Shizune teases him in the simplest way by always referring to him as 'Lord sixth' even after he asks her to drop the 'Lord'
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captnjacksparrow · 2 years
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Just asking, why do you hate Hinata but tolerate Rin? For me those two are essentially the same, meek girls who have crush to boys but are still nice to their friends. And let's face it, just like Rin's character revolves to be Obito's manpain (and Kakashi, but he seemed to not think too much for Rin and Obito is more Kakashi's manpain than Rin), Hinata's character revolves around Naruto to admire him and give him some shock/resolve like in Pain arc and War arc
Meekness is not a bad trait, you know. Not every women can be bold & strong in voicing out their opinions all the times. Some women are really quiet and docile by Nature. We come in all flavours and that’s totally okay. 
Of Course, I've used this word ‘Meek’ in many of my posts in a Negative way to refer Sakura and Hinata's characteristics... The reason being, that trait became extremely annoying if that's the only positive trait in a 'said' character while all her other traits are thoroughly 'repulsive'... Meaning, Hiding all of their shitty traits under Meekness and passing her off as someone ‘Innocent’ and ‘Pleasant’..... When she is clearly not. That’s when this ‘Meekness’ becomes an hateable trait.
This is where Hinata and Rin clearly differs.
Hinata was very ready to ditch her own teammates in order to appease Naruto (a boy from another team) during Chunin Exams. And She gave Ointment to Kiba only after she gave one for Naruto, even though Kiba was the one who was badly hurt. So, Clearly Hinata is not a Good Friend. She appears to be nice to her friends but she is definitely not. She just don’t care about anyone other than her precious ‘Naruto-Kun’. This shows she is totally a Self-Centered person... Well, Not everyone has to be Self-less, you know.... Let’s assume Hinata is good after all...
But even though Rin had a crush on Kakashi, you won’t be seeing her ditch Obito like some trash or seeing him as some second fiddle just like Hinata saw Kiba... Rin clearly puts both of her teammates as equal... 
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Can you imagine Hinata going out of her way to be saying something like this to Kiba & Shino or Sakura to Naruto & Ino??? I’ll let you decide...
And then, Hinata jumped in front of Pain “supposedly” to protect Naruto... She knew that she was no match with Pain... She knew that Naruto asked everyone to stay away from the fight.... Another Hyuga Guy also said that if she went there, she would only get in their way.... 
Knowing all these, she jumped in and tried to do some ‘Clown Show’ because of her ‘Selfish Reason’..... 
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She did this because she wanted to confess him.... But still, could she able to accomplish atleast one thing she spouted during that confession??? She didn’t become Strong.... She couldn’t pull out a Chakra Rod... She couldn’t save Naruto... But she could speak a lengthy dialogue about how she loved him... 
All of these shows she is Selfish, Weak and a Liar....
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Whereas Rin could able to think out of herself and was ready to die because she didn’t want to destroy the Village... But Hinata ended up releasing Kyuubi (unintentionally) out of Naruto & her clown act would have destroyed the Village and SHE NEVER FELT ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT... All she said after waking up was, “I am Glad (that Naruto-kun was fine)”.... 
What kind of an Ass-Hat she is???
Not to mention, Rin was a Decent Medical Ninja who could able to transfer Obito’s Eyes into Kakashi in a matter of minutes whereas Hinata was seen tripping on Rocks.... 
And the Final nail in the coffin.... “NARUTO KUN’S HANDS ARE BIG AND STRONG”
I must agree that Rin is not a greatly developed character.... She is Meek... Yes.. But she has other personalities too... Like being Kind, Selfless, Useful to people around her....
Whereas Hinata is just Meek.... But rest of her personalities are just downright repulsive. She is Insensitive, Selfish, Useless, A Liar and Horny (at inappropriate time)..... 
Being Useless is not a Bad thing.... After all not everyone is born with overflowing Talents...
Being Horny is not a Bad thing.... Everyone feels this... Nothing wrong with it.. 
Being Selfish is not a Bad thing.... Not everyone can be Selfless all the time...
Being a Liar is not a Bad thing.... Everyone lies... 
Being Insensitive.... It depends contextually.... Some people undergoes lots of Tragedy and stop being sensitive...
But it’s definitely a Bad Thing when all of the above said Character Traits were put together in one person with no other redeeming traits.... 
And that’s precisely why I hate Hinata but not Rin.
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limv3000 · 3 years
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I don’t know about y’all but I don’t exactly get Naruto and Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura’s relationship.
Naruto realized his feelings for Hinata in one movie. Literally after a whole goddamn show was about him chasing his ‘best friend’ and being willing to die for him. Yeah, Naruto cares about hinata and would risk his life for her too, but then again he would do that for anyone. If Hinata had left in OG Naruto, he would probably chase after her but for the sakes of Kiba and Shino. If y’all remember that time when he had to make Kurenai come back and be their Sensei, that’s the type of thing he would do with Hinata (in my opinion).
Even though Naruto had made a promise to get back Sasuke for Sakura, when she had called it off and told him to stop chasing, he still went for it, because he loves him. ALSO, let’s not forget when he literally had a mf heart attack because everyone was giving up on Sasuke. Naruto literally ignored and pushed away everyone just so he can get sasuke. He calls Sasuke his bestie and then forgets about Shikamaru, Choji like, even that annoys me. Shikamaru has literally never judged Naruto, ever. For Sasuke though it’s a different story.
I don’t think Naruto is gay for Sasuke, but Sasuke is gay for Naruto. Obviously I think Naruto loves Sasuke more that just a best friend though. Sasuke calls Naruto his first real friend, and I get that. After Itachi killed his clan, Sasuke was alone and Naruto was the only one who noticed it. In OG Naruto, Sakura had a crush on Sasuke because he was cool, smart, and handsome. She never actually knew who Sasuke was, or what happened. She literally was talking shit about an orphan in front of an orphan. No one does that. Sasuke has never even acknowledged any girls, only Naruto. He’s risked his life and goal for Naruto, he could’ve died knowing that he never got revenge, all for Naruto’s dumbass
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I also don’t think Naruto ever had any true feelings for Sakura and was only jealous of Sasuke for getting so much attention. He was also yearning for attention and for someone to acknowledge him, and yeah after Sasuke had left Naruto still was asking Sakura in dates but I just think he simply got used to it. He sacrificed a lot for Sakura, and all for her to ignore and turn him down. Don’t get me wrong Sakura is an ok character, just not some of her choices and behaviors through out the show. Mf literally, accidentally called her ugly.
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Now I’ve heard people say “Sasuke tried killing Naruto so many times though”…… it’s like they forgot that he’s tried killing Sakura, Kakashi, Karin, and the whole mf village. He tried killing Naruto because his bro Itachi said that it was necessary for him to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan, and apparently that was the only way to beat Itachi and kill him. He tried killing Sakura because she was in the way, and that she was ‘annoying’. He tried killing the Village because he wanted to avenge Itachi and yeah at that moment, Naruto was in the way and he was blinded by the fact he needed to avenge his clan and brother
People act like Sakura was the one who brought him back and knocked some mf sense into him, no she didn’t. Literally when Naruto and Sasuke had fought he seen Naruto, his memories, and everything about him. Sasuke had seen that Naruto has always had Sasuke in his heart, and he felt bad. He realized why Naruto did everything he did and why Sasuke meant so much to him, he cried when he realized that Naruto was actually a good friend and who were the only people to make Sasuke cry? Itachi and Naruto. Who was the most important person to Sasuke? Itachi. Who reminded Sasuke of Itachi? Naruto.
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There’s is just so much things that don’t makes sense. Like, I honestly think they should’ve been together in the end. I think that they didn’t make Naruto like that is because
1) they wanted Boruto
2) fans would be angry and Naruto wouldn’t have been as popular
3) hate.
I honestly think that Hinata and Kiba would have been a great couple. They’ve had more chemistry, moments, and time together than Hinata and Naruto. I honestly don’t know what’s to say about Sasuke and Sakura, like what? He just came back and decided to love Sakura and have a kid? I think the only reason that SasSaku is cannon is because Sasuke wanted to revive the Uchiha clan. What other reason to love Sakura? I fr think that she should’ve at least have Rock-lee a chance. He was a gentleman and is always willing to protect Sakura. Also Neji shouldn’t have died, but that conversations for another time.
I think you all should share your opinions on this, and tell me what you think.
THIS IS NOT A NaruHina AND SasuSaku HATE POST
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animeomegas · 3 years
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who has the easiest or the most difficult time giving birth fr the naruto boys?
I didn’t include the boys who only adopted like Neji, or the childfree people like Kakashi and Kankuro. I did include non-massacre Itachi and Iruka, who could be persuaded to have biological children, even if he wanted to adopt.
Easiest
1.     Naruto – He had the easiest time getting pregnant, being pregnant, and being in labour. For ALL his pregnancies. Other omegas kind of hate him for that. Not to mention he heals immediately after because of the Kyuubi. He only suffers from the post-birth effects for a few hours and then he’s immediately back to running around with no worries. He is very positive through the whole labour, countering pain with impassioned speeches to himself about how worth it his baby was going to be. You wouldn’t think his talk-no-jutsu works on himself, but apparently it does. Basically, he had the easiest birth ever™.
2.     Kiba – My headcanon is that part of the Inuzuka clan’s bloodline means that labour is easier, much like how a dog’s labour is way less intense than a human’s. Inuzuka’s have wider hips generally, but also move flexible hips meaning that contractions aren’t as painful, and they are less likely to have complications during birth. So, for him, contractions aren’t a big deal, it’s just the actual birthing part. I didn’t write for his future family, but I actually headcanon him giving birth to triplets, so that makes it a little more difficult. He still needs a lot of postnatal care, just like a regular omega though.  
3.     Iruka – Here is where we move on to the normal labours. Naruto and Kiba are very much outliers. Iruka’s labour is very average. Nothing dramatic, but it’s not exactly easy. It’s not easy for Iruka’s alpha either, because Iruka is definitely both the ‘you did this to me’ omega and the ‘crushes alpha’s hand during painful contractions’ omega. He shouts a lot during his labour but mellows very quickly once the pup is out. He doesn’t have any complications and he recovers pretty quick, but it’s not exactly fun for any party involved.
4.     Gaara – Him and Iruka are almost interchangeable, as they both experienced very similar labours, aka extremely average labours. Gaara didn’t shout nearly as much though. The reason Gaara is slightly lower down is because he went into labour on the hottest day of the year in the desert. Even for someone used to the heat, that’s a lot. Gaara had decided to give birth in his nest for his first pup, but actually organised a water birth for his second, just because the heat was so unbearable the first time.
5.     Sasuke – Labour is actually the easiest part for Sasuke (before and after are much, much harder for him), but of course, it’s still Sasuke, so can anything truly be easy for him? Not quite. His labour lasts for 12 hours to start with, which isn’t fun, but also his pup ends up getting tangled in her umbilical cord. Ultimately, everything else if mostly fine. His labour is probably still somewhere in the normal range. When Sasuke decides to stick with only one child, the labour is the least important factor in his decision, so he doesn’t end up that bothered by it.
6.     Shikamaru – Oh, poor Shikamaru. When he told his parents that he was pregnant, his mother delighted in sharing horror stories from his birth, in particular stories about how difficult it was giving birth to a baby so big. Shikamaru was a huge and overdue baby after all. Shikamaru brushes them off at first. But then his stomach gets bigger and bigger and bigger. His stomach grows very fast, and everyone is convinced that he must be having twins or triplets, but no, he only has one pup. They’re just huge. After that, Shikamaru starts to get a little nervous, not that he admits to that. His labour is just as bad as his mother made it out to be. He tears a lot which makes it quite difficult for him to stand once he’s released from the hospital. He also goes through a painful, but not dangerous issue with his pelvis post-birth. He’s mostly okay, but his whole downstairs is pretty messed up for a while. His mednin bans penetrative sex for eight months minimum, which makes Shikamaru very grumpy haha.
7.     Shino – The hardest part of labour for Shino is the mental stress rather than the physical one. He gives birth at home with a couple of Aburame medics and his alpha by his side. The fact that the mednin that he hardly knows are with him at his most vulnerable really freaks him out. He almost refuses to let them measure how wide he’s dilated, having to be convinced by his alpha to let the mednin do their jobs. For Shino, laying down, hardly dressed with his legs pushed up and open in the presence of almost strangers is his worst nightmare. The fact that they put their hands all up on and in him makes him feel sick. His kikaichu go wild because of his panic and pain which only serves to stress him out even more. The actual labour part is pretty standard except for the fact that it lasts for 18 hours. There are no complications despite the long time, but Shino cites those hours as the worst of his life, no competition.
8.     Itachi (non-massacre AU) – His is easily the worst given the fact that he almost dies. Itachi also gives birth at home with clan medics, but he has more than just a couple because of his status as high risk. Itachi’s poor health means that he struggles to handle the stress of pregnancy, and the stress of labour is way too much. Itachi loses a lot of blood and haemorrhages very badly. He almost ends up bleeding to death in his alpha’s arms, but thankfully the mednins manage to save him. The actual labour is only about six hours, but Itachi ends up needing intensive care for another day, followed by months of aided recovery. Itachi is too weak to stand up unassisted for a fortnight following him labour. It’s a very difficult time for him, and he claims the spot of most difficult labour by a long shot.
Most difficult
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danikatze · 2 years
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I got a bunch of new followers (hello 💖) bc of Inktober, and I came across this tag game today (on @vacationgerry 's blog!) so I figured I'd answer these questions as a sort of introduction :))
1. Why did you choose your url?
My name is Danika and a 4 year old English girl once, 15+ years ago, called me Danicat. I loved that so much that it's been my username most places since. It used to be danicat91 bc it wasn't available without numbers, but I hated the numbers so I changed it to the German version Danikatze a few years ago. (it's daanikatze on twitter and ig)
2. Any side blogs?
@danifanatic where I rb stuff is the only active one. I have another where I collect art refs/advice and only to never look at it anymore. And another one where I posted original art but that one's dead too (I don't make enough original art and I prefer posting it here anyway)
3. How long have you been on tumblr?
Since 2012 I think
4. Do you have a queue tag?
for my sideblog yeah. It's "q"
5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?
.. bc I wanted to post nsfw stuff and I heard this is where I could do it hehe. I deleted most of it since then. I had a nsfw sideblog for a bit, but I deleted that too a few years ago bc it was dying anyway and then the porn ban happened and I got sick of it.
6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?
I love (and in some ways relate to) Shino and he's wearing one of my favourite hoodies in that one. Just really pleased with that drawing overall!
7. Why did you choose your header?
I thought it was cute and Wai just makes me happy :) (She's kinda my air bison oc? My best friend gave me an Appa plushie and it looked nothing like him, and so Wai was born ^^)
8. What’s your post with the most notes?
My dog dad Kakashi comic.. Almost 30k notes now
9. How many mutuals do you have?
Around 15 I think? I've talked to maybe 5 or 6 of them hahah
10. How many followers do you have?
A few thousand, but I accumulated them so slowly that I feel like half of them must've left tumblr by now hahah.
11. How many people do you follow?
78
12. Have you ever made a shitpost?
In hindsight I guess the dog dad Kakashi comic is pretty much a shitpost ^^;
13. How often do you use Tumblr each day?
Err about 15-30 min every morning and then compulsively checking the rest of the day
14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?
Once, wwwaay in the beginning.. I followed someone who kept bullying one of their friends. I told them said friend didn't seem to think it was funny at all, and they told me to mind my own business, after which I unfollowed them. I've learned to just unfollow people when their blog makes me anxious in whatever way (if I can't blacklist the stuff that makes me uncomfortable)
15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?
I skip those very quickly, or maybe see if I can rb another version.
16. Do you like tag games?
Yes, but tagging other people is bad for my anxiety :P
17. Do you like ask games?
Yeah! It's been a while since I've done one
18. Which of your mutuals do you think is Tumblr famous?
idk?
19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?
Oh for an aro person I crush so much.. Art crushes mostly, like a mutual will post something and I'll go 🥰 ohh 🥰 amazing 🥰 how skilled 🥰 how cute 🥰
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dimigex · 3 years
Text
I Won’t Lie - Kakasaku
It’s finally done!! I started this piece years ago but never finished it. It’s the follow on to my story Distraction, but you don’t have to read that to understand it at all. 
Distraction, I Won’t Lie, Part One, Part Two, Epilogue 
Here’s the first part, the rest is linked above and also available on FF.
"So, have you put the moves on the Hokage yet," Ino questioned, applying black eyeliner with a practiced flip of her hand. Her aqua blue eyes stood out in sharp contrast, seeming larger than they had any right to.
Sakura groaned from the bed, falling back to cover her face. "I never intended to put the moves on him," she mumbled, hoping that Ino wouldn't be able to see the crimson flush of her cheeks. "And, it didn't work anyway. Kakashi doesn't know that I exist."
Ino jerked the pillow away and leveled her best friend with a stare. "He definitely knows that you exist, but you need to remind him that you're a woman now, not a little girl." Her gaze swept over Sakura from head to toe. "Why don't you put on something a little more interesting tonight?"
"What's wrong with what I have on?" Sakura frowned at her outfit. Okay, the leggings that she wore were more comfortable than provocative, and her mother would have approved of her shirt, but that didn't mean there was anything wrong with it. She always dressed like this when they went out. It wasn't her fault that Ino had more outfits than any other girl that Sakura knew, and an uncanny way of making everything look sexy.
"Nothing," Ino answered, with a smile curving her cherry-red lips. "As long as you want to die old and alone."
Sakura threw the remaining pillow at Ino's face, narrowly missing. "Shut up, Ino-pig," she grumbled, reverting to the insult that had become a friendly nickname over the past few years. Sakura tugged at her shirt for a moment, chewing her lip "If I agree, can you make it look like I'm not trying too hard?"
A grin split Ino's face. "Of course. We have to find just the right outfit to show off that body you worked so hard for."
Before Sakura could protest, the blond pulled her off of the bed and toward the closet. Nearly an hour later, Sakura examined her expression in the mirror, shocked at the illusion that Ino had created. Long lashes framed her green eyes, making them stand out against her pale skin. The faint dusting of freckles that Sakura usually hated had taken on a soft glow from the highlighter Ino used. Glossy lips completed the expression, in a shade lighter than Sakura ever thought she could pull off. Ino hadn't stopped there. She'd transformed Sakura's hair as well. The pale tresses piled on top of her head, falling in artful curls around her face.
Ino pulled Sakura from musing about how she looked like an entirely different person by tugging on the dress. The blond dragged the black fabric to the side, baring one shoulder. It draped Sakura's body, accentuating enough to suggest that she had more curves than she really did. Chuckling, Sakura pulled the fabric toward her knees. Ino slapped her hands away. "Stop that, it's supposed to be short."
"I can't wear this," Sakura complained even as she turned to admire herself from the side. It hugged her body in a way that none of her other outfits had.
Shaking her head, Ino walked over to the closet and tossed a pair of heels to Sakura. "You can, and you will. No one will be able to keep their eyes off you, especially not Kakashi."
Color flamed in Sakura's cheek, hidden somewhat by the makeup. "What if he isn't there?"
Ino's devious grin made Sakura nervous. "Then you'll go home with someone else. You look too damn good to go home alone tonight"
-------------------------------
When Ino and Sakura swept into the pub nearly half an hour late, dozens of heads swiveled in their direction. Ino linked an arm through Sakura's and pulled her into the room before she could back away in a fit of self-consciousness. Her gaze swept over the people gathered for Naruto's birthday, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Kakashi wasn't there yet or not coming at all, everything they'd done had been a waste of time.
Forcing the hopelessness down, Sakura caught sight of an overbearing ball of sunshine cutting through the room. Naruto's grin probably had more to do with the atmosphere than alcohol, but she couldn't be sure. He threw an arm around Sakura's shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. "I was beginning to think nobody from my team was going to show up tonight."
When Naruto released Sakura, his blue eyes slipped lower than her neck. The blush on his whiskered cheeks was obvious even in the dim lighting. "You look nice tonight. I mean, not that you don't always look nice-" Sakura's laughter cut off the awkward exchange, and Naruto managed a nervous smile before rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think Sasuke is going to make it tonight."
"Unfortunately, Sasuke's mission has him delayed outside the village." The proximity of Kakashi's voice made Sakura jump. When she turned, she realized that he stood just inside the doorway behind them. Their gazes locked, and Kakashi's eyes widened, perhaps only just now realizing that she'd been the one standing with Naruto. While pink hair was unusual in the village, a few girls had started imitating Sakura after the war. She hated it, but the element of surprise was nice.
Ino unwound her arm from Sakura's and moved away to speak to someone that Sakura didn't recognize. Completely oblivious of the tension of the moment, Naruto caught Kakashi with his other arm and pulled them both into a hug. Sakura felt the warmth of Kakashi's chest against her side. "I'm glad you two made it, at least."
Kakashi pulled away, chuckling in the back of his throat. "Of course I came, I have to keep an eye on you kids to make sure you don't get into any trouble."
"We aren't kids," Sakura grumbled, challenging Kakashi with a glare through her mascara lengthened lashes. "We're adults now."
"That's right, sensei. We don't have to listen to you anymore." Naruto laughed, giving Kakashi a cheeky grin.
Kakashi frowned, the barest movements of his mask. "I'm still Hokage, though."
"For now." Naruto's banter eased the conversation into playful jabs that allowed Sakura to stay silent. Kakashi hadn't even responded to her comment about being an adult now. Her heart sank lower in her chest.
As the men exchanged barbs, Ino reappeared from wherever she'd been. Grabbing Sakura's hand, she led them to the bar. "It's pointless," Sakura complained, leaning close so that the words would only be loud enough for Ino. "He'll always view me as a kid. I'd be better off chasing Sasuke."
"Absolutely not," Ino hissed, vehemence dripping from her voice as she raised a hand to order drinks. "Sasuke isn't even on the radar for you. Do not put yourself through that again."
Sakura nodded and toyed with the silver teardrop earring that Ino had loaned her. She knew that Sasuke was a bad idea. The boy had never acknowledged her, not really. And now, it was the same with Kakashi. At best Kakashi saw her as the child that he'd mentored years ago. At worst, the annoying girl that she'd been during those early days. She'd never change that.
"Let me tell you my secret, Forehead." Ino shoved a shot glass into Sakura's hand. "It just takes five seconds of insane courage to get whatever you want. That's it. Just five seconds of bravery, then the hard part is over. You either have the thing you want or you don't, but at least you'll know."
"Is that how you landed Sai?" Sakura asked, closing her grip around the glass of liquid courage without questioning what was inside it. The idea that Ino actually liked Sai and wanted to be with him when there were so many men that she could have had was something that Sakura had trouble wrapping her mind around.
Ino laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. "Yes, Sai. And, all the others."
Gossip suggested that Ino had worked her way through half of the eligible shinobi in the village. There was a great deal of truth to it. Ino had dated Shikamaru for a couple of weeks before the pair decided that friendship was less troublesome than a relationship. She and Kiba had been fireworks from the beginning, fighting almost constantly. Choji was too gentle, Lee too exhausting, Shino too quiet, and the list went on and on. Somehow, Ino landed on Sai and found that the man matched her surprisingly well. Sakura had already noticed the girl looking for him in the crowd.
"Drink," Ino commanded, nodding toward the alcohol. Sakura steeled her nerves and tipped the glass up. The liquid burned the entire way down, making her gasp for a breath. Ino clapped her on the back. "Good, now let's go and find someone to make him jealous over."
"Ino, no." Sakura pulled away from her best friend with a firm shake of her head. "It doesn't matter. It's just a silly crush."
The look on the blonde's face suggested that she didn't believe Sakura's excuse, but she didn't force it. Sakura let her gaze wander over the people brought together to celebrate Naruto's birthday. He had touched so many lives, and since the war, most people recognized that. Naruto had wanted to do something at Ichiraku, but the stand was too small for all their friends. They'd made arrangements for the celebration to be held here, but white bowls of ramen dotted most of the tables.
Kakashi drew Sakura's eyes like a beacon. He stood in the shadows beside Captain Yamato, heads close together as they spoke. It had surprised Sakura to learn that the men were old friends, especially since Kakashi held so many people at a distance. Sakura and Naruto had grown closer to him, of course, but there didn't seem to be many others. Tsunade and the other jonin perhaps, but the ease between Kakashi and Yamato spoke of actual friendship. Sakura felt a twinge of jealousy. Why couldn't it be that easy for her?
Ino leaned close, the scent of alcohol drifting from her lips. "You know, Yamato isn't bad looking either."
Sakura considered the words. While Yamato didn't hold the aura of mystery that Kakashi did, his easy smile and kind eyes made him attractive in his own way. Even so, no matter how much Sakura watched the pair, her eyes strayed to Kakashi. As she'd expected, he'd worn his uniform to the party. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up against the heat of the room, while his hands were tucked into the pockets of matching pants. Kakashi's mask remained in place, of course, but the headband that used to slant across half of his face was missing. Two charcoal eyes stared out at the room, silver hair falling into them.
"Oh, it's definitely just a little crush," Ino teased, pulling Sakura from her longing gaze. "Why don't you just go and talk to him? Ask him to dance or ask him back to your place. Just do something besides staring at him."
When Sakura started to protest, Ino rolled her eyes. "Come on, I've seen you kick ass so many times, but you're scared to talk to a boy? The worst thing he can do is turn you down. And, if that happens, it's his loss."
It isn't that easy, Sakura started to argue. Only, she knew that it was. She'd been pining after Kakashi for months, treasuring stupid, little moments that probably meant nothing: the way that his arms had curled around her on the training field, how his eyes lit up when he laughed at her joke about Tsunade trying to kill them both with reports, or the startle when her fingers had brushed his wrist. Those things made her wonder if there might be something more, but Kakashi was impossible to read. The sudden intake of breath when Sakura touched him could just have easily been discomfort as desire.
"I think I need another drink," Sakura declared, putting away the miserable thoughts for another day.
It didn't take long for the pleasant warmth of alcohol to loosen the tension that seemed permanently attached to Sakura's shoulders. She relaxed enough to dance a couple of turns with Naruto. He was far more awkward on the dance floor than any shinobi had the right to be. After two dances, Sakura begged off and pushed him toward Hinata. A few months ago, the girl had finally gotten brave enough to let Naruto know that she liked him. The pair was slowly turning into a couple, but the transition was painful to watch. They were both too shy for their own good.
Sakura stumbled back toward the bar, surprised to admit that she was having more fun than she'd thought she would, even if Kakashi ignored her. As she reached for her glass, Ino flashed a pleasant grin that warned Sakura that the girl was coming up with a plan that Sakura wasn't going to like. Without explaining anything, Ino linked their arms and dragged Sakura back into the crowd. Three steps into the walk, once she realized where they were going, Sakura tried to stop the inevitable. But, it was too late. Ino stopped beside Kakashi and Yamato.
The men looked up in surprise, their conversation stopping abruptly. Sakura felt Kakashi's gaze on her face for several heartbeats before it slid toward Ino's. With another signature grin, the blond moved into Yamato's personal space. "You sent my boyfriend on a mission just before the party, and now I have nobody to dance with. It seems only fair that you take his place." Ino held out a hand expectantly.
"Um-I-uh-it was unavoidable," Yamato stammered, a delicate pink blush tinting his cheeks. Sakura almost rolled her eyes. It was pathetic to watch how easily Ino turned him, or any man for that matter, into a stuttering mess simply by batting her eyelashes. She'd thought Yamato was better than that.
To Sakura's surprise, it was Kakashi who spoke next. "I think she has a solid case." Yamato gaped at the man, but Kakashi continued as if he hadn't seen it. "You deprived her of enjoying the evening; you should make up for it. Within reason, of course."
As the implication hit home, the pink on Yamato's cheeks deepened to crimson. Sakura struggled not to laugh at his expression. Ino cleared her throat, moving her hand closer. For a moment, Sakura wondered if Kakashi was going to have to push the man forward. Finally, Yamato dipped his head and took Ino's hand. Sakura couldn't stop her mirth as the pair disappeared onto the dance floor. "He's going to be furious with you later, you know that right?"
"It's good for him. Yamato is too shy." Kakashi leaned his shoulders against the wall, and for a moment Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the smooth stretch of his body and the way his armor shifted with the movement. Half a second later, she realized that he'd said something. Deciding that it probably wasn't important, she nodded and he continued. "Of course, she doesn't mean anything by it, does she?"
Sakura shook her head, watching as Ino attempted to guide Yamato's hands toward her hips as she moved to the music. He kept moving them back to her waist, embarrassment obvious. Sakura chuckled under her breath. "No, she's quite taken with Sai actually."
"Our Sai?" Kakashi asked, eyebrows rising in surprise.
Sakura nodded, watching as Yamato finally relaxed into the dance and loosened up a bit. "She and Sai balance each other well, like Naruto and Hinata."
Kakashi followed Sakura's gaze toward the bar where Naruto and Hinata were talking. The blond leaned against the edge, telling some kind of story while the girl gazed up adoringly. Two years ago, she'd been too frightened and embarrassed to speak with him, and Naruto too stupid to realize why. With a little gentle prodding, they'd finally caught on.
Kakashi made a sound that might have been agreement in the back of his throat. "You're all pairing off these days, falling in love and getting married."
"Not all of us," Sakura grumbled. Frustration bled into her voice as she continued. "Some of us accepted the weight of duty instead."
A silver eyebrow arched skyward as Kakashi turned to face Sakura. A look of understanding crossed his features, but Sakura doubted that he realized she was talking about him as well. Undeniably handsome, Kakashi could have his pick of women in the village, but he remained alone. He had thrown himself into the role of hokage, even though he hated it. Sakura had done the same at the hospital, though she enjoyed her work for the most part. The two of them weren't as different as he seemed to think.
A stir went through the room. Naruto pushed away from the bar, his voice cutting through the din of music and conversation. "You made it!'
As much as Sakura wanted to continue admiring Kakashi, her attention drifted toward Naruto. He stood in the doorway, arms thrown around-Sakura's mind temporarily shorted out, taking several seconds to catch up with her eyes. Sasuke stood in the spill of light, Naruto's arms wrapped around his shoulders. Raven dark hair and equally black eyes swept through the crowd, taking in everyone and everything. His gaze slid over Sakura, then returned and lingered.
Despite everything, Sakura blushed under Sasuke's gaze. Beside her, Kakashi shifted away from the wall. A hand pressed almost imperceptibly against Sakura's lower back as Naruto approached, Sasuke trailing behind like a shadow. Sakura half turned toward Kakashi.
Naruto interrupted the pair before Sakura could get her thoughts in order. "Look guys, Sasuke made it back in time."
"So, he did," Kakashi answered for both of them, voice cool but not quite unfriendly. "Welcome back."
Sasuke turned, oozing arrogance as he inclined his head toward Kakashi. Dark eyes roved over Sakura a second time, an almost smile curling his lips. Even so, Sakura read the tension in his shoulders. Despite the years that had passed, Sasuke remained something of a pariah in the village. There were some groups who would never forgive or forget the time that he had spent trying to destroy the Leaf, despite Naruto's efforts to change their opinions. Sakura knew that Kakashi had helped save Sasuke from execution or life in prison, but the Hokage's intervention had ended there.
"Sasuke!" Ino appeared from nowhere, throwing her arms around Sasuke in a hug that the man shrunk away from. "Welcome back."
Sakura flashed her friend a thankful smile at the interruption. "You're looking well," Ino continued, pulling all of Sasuke's attention to herself by keeping her hands on his upper arms. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Maybe later," Sasuke answered, voice sounding strained as he shrugged away from Ino's touch. When she released him, the man turned and smiled. "Hello, Sakura."
Sakura couldn't remember how to draw a breath. A thick strand of black fell across Sasuke's eye, adding an air of mystery to his already captivating appearance. Warmth suffused her face when he moved closer, near enough to reach out and brush her cheek if he'd wanted. "Hi," she answered, toying with a silver bracelet circling one wrist.
Sasuke slid between Sakura and Kakashi, angling his body to face hers. "How have you been?"
"I've been doing well." Sakura's answer barely scratched the surface of everything that had happened in her life since the last time she saw Sasuke. She couldn't seem to remember a single event that she wanted to talk about. Yamato approached the small group and squeezed in beside Kakashi while running an appraising eye over Sasuke. He didn't acknowledge the Uchiha's presence. Instead, he leaned closer to Kakashi and whispered something in his ear.
Pulling her attention away from the exchange, Sakura realized that she'd been asked something. It would be rude not to keep talking to Sasuke, so she smiled. "How about you? How have you been?"
"I stay busy following up on leads," Sasuke answered, revealing nothing about his time outside of the village. Maybe he thought that Sakura wouldn't accept his reasons for leaving her behind, or maybe, he didn't care if she did.
After all, how could Sakura expect Sasuke to understand the hours of work that she poured into the hospital, sometimes losing a patient despite her best efforts? Would he care that she pushed herself in training as hard as she's ever done in case they went back to war? Sakura imagined Sasuke teasing her efforts to create orphanages in Konoha. Would he understand Sakura's version of sacrifice when it didn't align with his?
Sakura's eyes drifted back to her group of friends. Naruto stood beside Ino with a silly grin on his face, undoubtedly because Sakura and Sasuke were talking together. He still believed the two of them could make it work somehow. Yamato and Kakashi watched them both without seeming to do so. Sakura couldn't help but wonder if they deemed Sasuke as a security risk, even after all this time. Her gaze settled on the tension in Kakashi's jaw, wondering why he seemed on edge.
Kakashi understood the passion that drove Sakura to fight for those causes. Or, if not, he humored her. Sakura and Kakashi had worked hand in hand to train additional medical shinobi, create orphanages, and work through various issues at the hospital. She'd assumed that Kakashi wanted to see the same outcome that she did. Would Sasuke want that? Did it matter? He wouldn't be in the village long enough for it to make any difference.
Despite the way that things between them had changed, Sasuke still reduced Sakura to a lovesick teenager. It wasn't that her feelings had stayed the same, but Sakura had spent half of her life chasing after Sasuke. She couldn't shake the memory of nipping at his heels, of being willing to throw everything away if he'd only acknowledge her. As Sasuke spoke, Sakura's mind responded on autopilot, answering with soft laughs and smiles.
After several minutes, Ino caught Sakura's attention and half nodded toward Kakashi. He and Yamato had fallen silent, allowing the conversation to flow around them without interruption. Sakura raised her shoulders in a helpless shrug, silently asking what she was supposed to do about the situation. Ino frowned, then leaned in to speak. "So, Sasuke, did you know that Naruto and Hinata are dating?"
The question cut off the conversation. Surprise flitted across Sasuke's face as he looked over at Naruto. The blond's cheeks flamed crimson and he sputtered over his words "Well, Ino is dating Sai," he managed, red from his hairline to his chin.
Ino grinned, tossing her long hair over one shoulder with an air of dismissal. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Sai happens to be far more interesting than you'd anticipate. Not to mention adventurous."
The suggestive nature of Ino's comment made Naruto choke on his breath. His eyes bulged and Sakura couldn't help but laugh; he was still so innocent. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm. "Come on, it's definitely time for a drink."
Without waiting for an answer, Naruto pulled the Uchiha toward the barkeeper and further away from Ino's insinuations. Laughing, the girl watched them go. Then, she turned back to Yamato. "I thought you were going to dance with me? And, you," Ino studied Kakashi, "should dance with Sakura so she isn't left alone over here."
For all the nudging that Kakashi had done when Ino asked Yamato to dance, the man seemed less than enthused about taking his own advice. "It isn't befitting of the Hokage to indulge in-"
"Oh no you don't, senpai," Yamato interrupted, already pulling Kakashi away from the wall. "I did my duty, and now it's time for you to do yours. Off you go."
Yamato's brown eyes shone with an inordinate amount of amusement, and Sakura didn't know whether to be thankful that he was pushing Kakashi toward the dance floor, or embarrassed at being some type of twisted payback. Either way, the indecision lasted only a moment. Ino grabbed Yamato's hand and guided him toward the dancers, leaving Sakura alone with Kakashi on the edge of the room.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to face Sakura. Embarrassment raised the temperature of the room several degrees until it felt impossible to draw a breath. "You don't have to dance with me," she murmured, trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt.
"Ino and Yamato would never let me hear the end of it if we didn't." Kakashi held out one hand, and Sakura slid hers into it. Her pulse pounded in her ears when he leaned closer. "Besides, we only have to dance long enough to get them off our backs."
Sakura didn't trust her voice to speak without breaking, so she nodded and followed Kakashi onto the dance floor. Music blared over the speakers, bass line making her heart pound in tempo. She drew a deep breath and looked into the eyes that had been hidden for so long. Even now, months later, Sakura hadn't gotten used to seeing more of Kakashi's face. She remembered the intensity of his gaze on the training field and the way that she'd wanted to pull him close and lose themselves in the storm.
Just five seconds of insane courage, Ino's voice whispered in the back of Sakura's mind. She could press her body against Kakashi's under the guise of dancing and admit that she wanted more than that. Butterflies the size of elephants trampled over Sakura's chest. If Kakashi rejected her, it would hurt, but she could mask the pain long enough to make it home. Then, she'd be free to deal with fallout. She had done the same thing over Sasuke nearly a year ago. But, if Sakura never took a chance and told Kakashi, she'd never know if there could have been anything between them.
Kakashi spoke, interrupting Sakura's momentum. "You look different tonight."
"Ino begged me to let her try something special for Naruto's party." Sakura chewed her lip, wondering if the words were technically a lie. She wanted to look more enticing as well, more like Ino and less like herself, in hopes that she'd capture Kakashi's attention.
The tempo of the music increased; Sakura allowed her body to follow. She felt the hem of her dress riding up her thigh and tugged it down with one hand. Kakashi followed the movement then snapped his eyes back to her face. He asked something, but the words were lost in the din of the crowd. When Sakura scrunched up her face in confusion, he leaned closer. "For Sasuke?"
For you, Sakura thought, holding the words tight between her lips. The accusation in Kakashi's tone surprised her. "I didn't know he'd be here."
Kakashi inclined his head at the words, expression unreadable. He rested his hands at Sakura's waist without a hint of familiarity or desire. Kakashi moved to the music, half a foot between their bodies. Sakura flashed back to the way his arms had wrapped around her like a glove on the training field. He moved on protective instinct, not to get close to me. The realization left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Sakura surrendered to the rhythm of the music, turning to present her back to Kakashi's chest so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze. She closed her eyes, willing the ache in her heart to stop. This entire situation was so stupid. Ino was right about everything; Sakura needed to tell Kakashi how she felt so that she could pick up the pieces and move on. She had done it before, and she could do it again.
Fingers curled against Sakura's hips, the thin fabric of her dress hardly masking the feel of Kakashi's touch. Sakura wasn't sure if he pulled her back, or if she moved of her own accord, but she felt the warmth of his breath against her neck. She focused on the sensation, electricity rushing through her body. His damn flak vest separated Sakura from the heat of his chest, but she imagined that she could feel it anyway.
The song ended and the weight of Kakashi's hands fell away as if it had never been. Light pulsed around them as another song started. Sakura turned back to face Kakashi, drawing a shaky breath. "Do you think that dance met their requirements, or should we do another, just to be sure?"
Sakura's name left Kakashi's lips in a strangled sound. Whatever he'd been planning to say was lost when someone bumped hard into his back. He stumbled through the almost nonexistent space between them. Sakura heard an apology, but she couldn't match the voice to a face before her arms were full of Kakashi. She stumbled backward under his weight, tripped over her heels, and then they were falling. Vaguely, some panicked part of Sakura's mind wondered if she was about to give everyone in the room a free peep show.
Kakashi twisted in the air so that Sakura wouldn't be crushed beneath him. His left shoulder absorbed most of the impact half a second before she hit his chest. The air whooshed out of Kakashi's lungs in a soft hiss as their bodies pressed together. Exposure forgotten, Sakura felt his hands grip her, one near her shoulder and the other dangerously low on her back. They were close enough for their noses to brush, Kakashi's eyes wide. The charcoal tone wasn't as dark as Sakura had anticipated, but shot with silver through the iris. She noticed the outline of Kakashi's lips beneath his mask. Kami, it would be so simple to—
"Hokage-sama?" Genma's familiar voice cut across Sakura's thoughts. The man pushed through the crowd to reach Kakashi's side, undoubtedly on guard duty for the night. Sakura raised her head to glare at his poorly conceived timing.
Kakashi released Sakura like he'd been burned, hands coming to the floor instead as he pushed into a sitting position. She half fell into his lap from the sudden change of position. "I'm fine," he answered the unasked question. "I'm hardly old enough to get injured from falling down."
"Especially beneath a beautiful woman," Genma quipped, flashing his senbon-studded grin. Then, his leer slid toward the woman in question and his expression changed to something contemplative as he offered a hand. "Oh, hey, Sakura."
Sakura had no choice but to accept Genma's offered hand. Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she let the tokujo pull her away from Kakashi. Belatedly, she remembered to adjust the slinky dress lower on her thighs and higher over her chest. Hopefully everything had happened so quickly that she didn't have any reason to be embarrassed. A small crowd gathered around them. Kakashi pushed through them as the music started back up; Sakura followed him to the edge of the room.
"You aren't hurt are you, Hokage-sama," Ino gushed as she hurried to the pair's side. Her brow creased with worry when Kakashi tried to wave her off. Sakura barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her best friend. The ploy was obvious.
"I'm fine," Kakashi grumbled, looking distinctively embarrassed by the attention. "I'm not made of glass."
"Still," Ino pressed, reaching out like she might touch Kakashi's arm. "You hit your shoulder hard when you fell. I saw it."
Sakura could see the wheels turning in Ino's mind. No, please, Ino, don't do this. Sakura's silent plea fell on deaf ears. Kakashi raised his arm to prove that he could, but Ino didn't drop the subject. "You should let Sakura take a look at it, just to make sure. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
And, there it is, Sakura grumbled internally. Annoyance bled through Kakashi's embarrassment as he tried to wave the blonde's concerns away. Sakura interrupted the exchange before it could get out of hand. "Doesn't anyone care about me? I fell too."
"I could take a look at you," Genma offered with a cheeky grin from his position at Kakashi's shoulder. "In fact, it'd be my pleasure."
"No," Sakura and Kakashi answered in the same breath, dragging a knowing laugh from Genma. Kakashi looked almost as surprised as Sakura felt. Cheeks warming at the insinuation, she continued. "I don't need anyone to look at me, I am fine. But, shouldn't you be more worried about me?"
Genma chuckled in the back of his throat. "Because you're such a delicate little flower? I saw the damage you did to the training grounds the other night. I think I'd rather take my chances with Kakashi, to be honest."
"Probably for the best; she's stronger than you think." Sakura's stomach clenched at the unexpected praise from Sasuke. She hadn't noticed that he and Naruto had rejoined them in the chaos.
"Damn right she is," Ino answered, fighting to keep the attention on anything but Sasuke. Her eyes met Sakura's with silent pleading. While Sakura knew what Ino wanted, some things were easier said than done. Sasuke watched them with a smug satisfaction on his face that Sakura couldn't begin to understand as Ino continued. "What will Tsunade say if you leave Hokage-sama injured until tomorrow?"
Kakashi shook his head as Sakura groaned under her breath. She loved Ino, but sometimes the woman went a little overboard with her matchmaking. "Tsunade would say that it's nothing, and no more than I deserve if I can't keep my feet under me. But, if it'll put your mind at ease, I'll get it checked out."
"It would," Ino breathed out, her concern almost palpable. Sakura wondered why the woman didn't become an actress; she certainly had a knack for it. Ino pulled her forward. "There's no time like the present."
Kakashi cast a withering glance at Ino, then faced Sakura. For a moment, the rest of the room disappeared. Even the overwhelming presence of Sasuke shrank to insignificance. The sheepishness that Sakura had noticed earlier had evaporated, replaced by something darker in Kakashi's gaze. Though Sakura couldn't put her finger on it, the expression made chill bumps erupt on her arms. "Would you mind?"
It wasn't the first time that Sakura had healed Kakashi, not by a long shot. But, it was the first time that he'd asked. Sakura's heart did somersaults in her chest. "I don't mind," she breathed, forcing strength into her words. "But, not here. I need somewhere quieter, with better light."
Kakashi inclined his head as if the words made perfect sense. Naruto groaned, his voice turning whiny. "You're going to miss my party? This is the first time we've all been together in years."
"We won't be gone long," Kakashi assured the boy. "Just long enough to satisfy Sakura."
Ino choked on her laugh, eyes shining. Sakura's cheeks flamed crimson at the insinuation. Kakashi either didn't notice or didn't want to draw attention to it. He nodded toward the door. "Come on, let's get this over with, shall we?"
--------------------------
As she and Kakashi emerged from the pub, Sakura drew a breath of the chilly air. Naruto had been the only one to raise an objection to them leaving the party together, but Sakura felt the heat from a dozen gazes as they crossed the room. When they stepped into the street, Sakura's hand slipped out of Kakashi's, and neither made a move to retake it. He stared at the darkness, the stars above, and the benches by the door as they stood under the hazy light of the neon sign.
"I'm sorry that this took you away from the party," Kakashi began with a sigh. When his gaze turned to Sakura, it swept over her body in a way that suggested that he hadn't missed the tiniest facet of Ino's hard work. "You clearly wanted to be there."
"I can always go back later," Sakura answered, knowing that she wouldn't. She didn't want to face Sasuke or Ino after leaving with Kakashi, regardless of what happened next. Kakashi's shoulders seemed to tense at the response, but Sakura wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not. Undeniable nervousness settled in her gut.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "You don't really need to look at my shoulder. It's fine, but I needed an excuse to get out of there."
"I know," Sakura agreed. She would have realized if Kakashi was hurt, probably before he did. "But, I gave my word, so we should at least check it."
"Do you want to go to the hospital?" Kakashi moved down the street as he asked the question, forcing Sakura to follow on his heels. He didn't turn back when he continued. "Or, would my apartment be okay? It's closer."
Sakura's breath caught in her throat. She knew where Kakashi's apartment was, of course, but she'd never set foot inside of it. That he'd allow her into his world, even for a moment, stunned her. He continued walking, shoulders tight and hands stuffed into his pockets as he waited for an answer. "Your apartment is fine."
The silence gave Sakura unwanted time to think back over the night's events. She had seen appreciation in more than a few eyes when they noticed the changes that Ino had made, but she couldn't be sure that any of it had registered with Kakashi. He'd said she looked different, not better, not beautiful, just different. That word could mean a million things, or nothing at all. Ino was right though, if Sakura couldn't have Kakashi, she could always go home with someone else. Hell, even Sasuke had noticed and appreciated the extra effort in her appearance. There was only one problem, Sakura didn't want to go home with anyone else.
Sakura nearly walked into Kakashi's back when he stopped in front of her and nodded toward the steps leading up to his apartment. Though she knew it was entirely platonic, Sakura's heart pounded in her throat as she followed him higher. Kakashi unlocked the door, flicked the lights on, and pushed it wider. Sakura slid under his arm and into the room, taking in a million details at once.
Kakashi closed the door behind them and bent to remove his sandals. Sakura admired the smooth stretch of his body for a heartbeat longer than she should have. Tearing her eyes away, she rested one hand on the wall and bent down to unbuckle her heels. It felt good to be out of them, if it was only going to be for a few minutes.
"Does your shoulder hurt at all? They're notoriously fragile as far as joints go." When Kakashi didn't speak, Sakura opened her mouth to repeat the question, then had another idea. Five seconds of insane courage. She took two steps forward and reached for Kakashi's arm, the healing glow surrounding her hands.
When Sakura touched his shoulder, Kakashi startled and jerked away. 'I'm fine," he ground out. "You don't have to—"
"Your heart is pounding," Sakura responded in awe, letting her fingers fall away from his arm. The touch had been brief, but the spike in Kakashi's pulse was obvious.
Kakashi forced a harsh breath through his nose. "You're supposed to be checking my shoulder, not my heart."
Five seconds of insane courage. "Your shoulder," Sakura repeated, trying to think over the blood roaring in her ears. Just five seconds. She reached for the straps of Kakashi's flak vest.
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