#and this feels out of left field idk there have probably been other fourth wall breaking lines before and i don't usually mind when

[kumo-headcanons]

Ok so Idk if this is going over board but since Darui and C are a ship, do you think that when they were younger, they mightve been able to have a thing or wanted to but couldn't for what reason? And as adults they shoved it into the back of their heads?

Why would that be going over board? Are you referring to the remark I made about shipping asks taking more effort than others? Because there's really no need to worry about that, if that's what you mean. The only reason that came up at all was because that ask had been sitting in my inbox for nearly a week already and I hadn’t had the time to sit down and properly concentrate. I like working on questions, it’s just that some take more time to answer than others.

Hm... Yes, but also no? I actually tend to think of it as happening the other way around with the thought of a romantic relationship never even occurring to them until the events of Shippuuden, possibly even as late as after the war. Here's how I see their relationship developing:

C, Darui, Mabui and Samui's ninja registration numbers lie within the range of CL5517 and CL5596 (funnily enough, C's is actually the lowest out of the four of them despite his being the youngest, while Darui's registration number is the highest). For comparison, Omoi and Karui's registration numbers are CL6305 and CL6306 respectively, which is why I assume C, Darui, Mabui and Samui graduated from the academy at roughly the same time, meaning Darui and C most likely graduated early since they are a good three years younger than Mabui and Samui.

A while ago, I actually posted a headcanon about what Darui and C's relationship might have been like during their academy years and totally intended to follow up on that with more posts about their teenage years and early twenties but never got around to it because there were some details I hadn't (still haven't) worked out yet but that's a story for another day.

Anyway, what I've noticed is that, while they're A's bodyguards, they have a distinct (and probably unconscious) habit of gravitating towards each other, regardless of A's position, which is probably the most inconsequential detail ever but also kinda sweet?

What I'm getting at is, I don't think Darui and C ever made the conscious decision to get to hang out, get to know each other, become friends and so on and so forth; it just kind of happened and by the time they realised where things were headed their lives were already entangled to the point where it just naturally seemed like the next logical step to take.

For no reason in particular, I think C and Darui, actually didn't see all that much of each other for a couple of years after graduating. The higher ups of Kumo might have been busy spreading rumours about Darui's skills and sending him on missions left and right because ever village wants to flaunt its geniuses as much as secrecy allows and Darui is the closest Kumo had to its own Hatake Kakashi, while C, after deciding to go into the medical field, was kept busy by hospital duty but for some reason they still ended up running into each other every couple of months, always slipping back into that same easy, effortless companionship. Like, C might spot Darui taking a nap somewhere between missions, flop down next to him and spend the next two hours going over his anatomy notes while Darui grunts his acknowledgment and goes back to sleep until work catches up with them and they see nothing of each other for a couple of weeks or months again until that early morning on that one faithful day where they run into each other on the way to the Raikage's office, chat for a bit, say their goodbyes because they'd be late for work otherwise, and then spend the next five minutes awkwardly walking next to each other because they're both headed for the Raikage's office.

Starting at the time they entered the academy their relationship might have gone from something like "You're the least annoying. I'll gonna sit next to you" to "So you're gonna graduate early too, huh?" to "Didn't expect to run into you again so soon, last I heard you were on a mission in Water Country. Wanna catch up?" to "Wait. When did you get promoted?" to "Wanna grab a bite to eat once the shift's over?" to "Mind if I crash here tonight? Mission got me beat and I really don't feel like walking home." to "I got you a toothbrush, you know, since you're staying over so much." to "I heard your lease was running out. Wanna move in together? Might save us both some money." to "Karui, Omoi, not that we don't appreciate it but... the cards, the flowers, a gift basket? Isn't that a bit much for an appartment?" which is about the point where I think their relationship is at when they're first introduced in Shippuuden.

They're used to each other's company and, more importantly, they're comfortable in it and then canon happens makes their lives a whole lot more complicated. Specifically ep. 202/3 comes along and makes Darui's life a whole lot more complicated.

I kinda think the fight against Team Taka was a bit of a "Holy shit! Close call! I actually thought I might lose you" kind of wake up point to Darui. When comparing Darui's attitude at the beginning of the fight to his attitude at the point after Suigetsu attempts to attack C and later when C is caught in Sasuke's genjutsu the shift in the way he fights is remarkable – for that same reason, it's also great fun to compare this fight with his fight against Ginkaku and Kinkaku; it's like looking at two completely different characters.

Darui is not taking things seriously at first, or at least he's feeling calm and casual enough to keep snarking back and fourth with C despite being in the middle fight. But there's this tiny moment:

Jūgo's talking about C specifically and depending on context, the Japanese line can either be translated as "take him down" or "kill him" and I love that the camera switches to Darui's reaction first, before showing C's. Darui literally just told him that there was no need for him to stay in the fight and that he and A would handle the situation, while C basically paints a giant target on himself by remaining stationary as he's looking for Karin and I think this is the moment Darui realises the responsibility he's taking on and the amount of trust he's (unwittingly) asked of C and I'll be damned if the "The change in his personality"-line isn't more Darui trying to appear casual rather than him actually making light of the situation. By the time Suigetsu attempts to go after C, Darui is dead serious.

Which is why when C actually does go down after Sasuke's genjutsu effects, something snaps and logic gets thrown out the window. C falls over and Darui is distracted to the point of taking his eyes off of Suigetsu for several seconds, long enough for Suigetsu to initiate a jumping attack and actually push Darui on the defensive while he's still off balance. Which you can't really fault him for since a huge explosion just went off and the next thing he sees is C keeling over for some unknown reason.

Conversely, this was his reaction right after Atsui got sealed within Benihisago:

It's not that he isn't serious during the fight with Ginkaku and Kinkaku, or doesn't care; it's just on a completely different level. Anyway at this point at the fight against Team Taka is where things get really fun. The KinGin siblings make a huge deal about words being tools with which to trick people and here Darui does just that. In an effort to quickly finish off Suigetsu, he makes use of the fact that Suigetsu is already somewhat distracted out of concern for Sasuke and gets him to actually look away and in the direction of A and Sasuke with one short quip about how Sasuke's done for (which is not Darui's usual style, he snarks a lot and might even get carried away with a small speech just before or after a fight, but with opponents he's really blunt. Quite the opposite, against Ginkaku and Kinkaku he's almost excessively polite.) Anyway, so he intends to finish the fight quickly and he does..

And I love using those screen caps at every chance I get because of the cold, cold fury on Darui's face and the fact that this is an expression you rarely get to see on him. Seriously, that's Darui going after Ginkaku and Kinkaku:

Against the KinGin siblings, that's war; but the thing against Suigetsu? That's personal.

And I love how, rather than joining up with A, he jumps straight to C, plasters himself to his side in the most impractical way possible, casually talks shit about Sasuke as if he hadn't just pinned a guy to a wall with his sword, and doesn't even consider letting go until prompted because Raikage's orders.

Also, holy fuck, Darui, that's your boss you're glaring at. xD

Anyway, what I meant to say is, getting C back on his feet is all well and good, but right now Karin is still around (theoretically capable of attacking them) and Darui has successfully prevented himself and C from forming handseals or taking any kind of quick measure to defend themselves. And they remain in that position for several minutes, all the while the fighting continues without them but, you know, priorities. By the way, notice how by the time Darui let's go, C's chakra control is able to control his chakra well enough to perform Mystical Palm, despite Darui having to hold him up until seconds prior? I'm not say they were both stalling because that feels like a bit of a stretch but I'm heavily implying it nonetheless.

Well, point I was trying to make before I got carried away is, the fight against Team Taka is a bit of a turning point for the two of them (Darui maybe more so than C). Maybe it was actually one of the closest calls they'd had in a while and Darui is confronted with the thought of "Shit. That could've ended badly." and "For a moment there I really thought you might've died." and this is where one realisation in particular sets in. He can do well on his own. But he can do so much better with C by his side.

And that's the realisation that eventually leads to this line:

And I've talked about this line before. At length. Darui's fine shinobi, fully capable of taking over the role of the Raikage's right-hand man; and he knows that. But he's not above admitting to himself or the Raikage that he's just that much better when working together with C. Not even necessarily in a romantic context yet, but definitely as a partner of equal standing.

Hell, in ep. 363 during the Allied Shinobi Jutsu, it's not just future Raikage Darui who's leading the charge of the Kumonin. Again, C's right there by his side.

And you know how there's this theme of some Kage having a second in command to share the duties with? Chronologically, you have Hashirama and Tobirama, Hiruzen and Danzo, (I'd even go so far as to include) Tsunade and Shizune, A and Darui, Kakashi and Gai, and Naruto and Shikamaru. And I don't know how much of that actually was a conscious decision on the writers' part, but C is framed in a way that makes him the character most likely to take over the position of Darui's second in command.

Now what would be the last push necessary to push their relationship into the realms of romance? I'm afraid this is gonna be the most anti-climactic answer ever.

I blame the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Give them knowledge of a reality that's so very, very much like their own except for that teeny-tiny difference. Give them a taste of else they could have in addition to the bond they already have and have them notice that, while unexpected, it feels right. Remind them that, while it's all well and good to be willing to give your life for someone, it's better to share it with them.

It might leave them reeling for a while but once they're back in Kumo things will work themselves out sooner or later because of that pesky habit they have of always kind of gravitating towards each other.

#ask #anonymous #char: Darui #char: C #headcanon #meta #t: Shippuuden #t: pre series #ship tag