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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - In Love and War ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @uchiha-madara ] [ Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, Terumi Mei, Senju Tobirama ] [ Verse: To Rule Them All ] [ Trope: Arranged Marriage ]

Standing along the edge of her chamber balcony, a lone woman rests marless hands along its railing. From the lofty perch, she gazes down into the valley that twists and winds between snow-capped peaks. Moonlight paints the scene in soft greys and shadows.

She should be sleeping...but she can’t begin to find rest.

A soft sigh plumes in the chilled night air. Like the fog that often blankets her homeland, it drifts slowly, unhurriedly out from the cliffside castle. Carved from the very mountain face, it watches over the vale unblinkingly, waterfalls cascading out past its windows to join the river below.

The rumbling of the water is usually enough to lull her to sleep. But tonight, too much weighs on her mind.

Far, far too much.

Her eyes don’t see what lies before them, flickering in thought in their sockets. The eddying news and arising conflicts won’t stop flowing, keeping her conscious.

What should she do…?

It’s now more than ever she wishes for her mother’s guidance. Someone older, wiser, to help steer her in the right direction.

But she’s alone...and with war on the horizon, her kingdom surrounded on all sides.

Since the first recordings of history, they’ve remained detached from the other nations and their squabbles. With their world’s holy sites all contained within her borders, that influence of faith has allowed them to stand alone, untouched, for centuries. A careful balance maintained between the other lands to avoid overstepping and claiming too much influence over a place that - in truth - belongs to them all.

But now…? War once again threatens to rise. And the balance is crumbling. Rather than seeking to protect her lands, the others now seek to conquer it.

And without an army, a neutral place of peace...Ryū fears they will fall like wheat to a scythe. Unless the gods themselves intervene...they have no defense beyond the walls of the mountains. The chosen people of the valley do not fight. They’ve never had to.

To spill blood on the sacred land was to invite the wrath of the gods.

But that fear seems to be waning in the other nations. And their lack of restraint may be the end of the valley people chosen by the pantheon.

And she fears there is nothing she can do but pray.

Fingers curl against the railing, nails trying to dig into the stone and threatening to snap. Her people look to her for guidance: both a priestess and a queen. But now…? She feels utterly unprepared to lead them. Protect them. Without the perilous balance outside their borders...how can she keep war at bay?

Her head bows, heavy with every life depending on her. There has to be something she can do...something to stave off their slaughter.

...wait…

Like a beetle boring into wood, a thought worms its way into her mind. One that goes against centuries of tradition. At first, she flinches from it by reflex. And yet it lingers, tempting and luring.

...what if she were to tame one of the warhounds? Offer it what it wants...and in return, turn its teeth against the others? Marry a warlord...and position his army at their gates?

Never has her line tied itself to another. Never have they broken the careful neutrality maintained to ensure equality for the others in the eyes of the gods. If she does this...if she shows a bias to one land over the others...will it be enough to save them?

Or will it bring only ruin?

...what choice does she have?

To give another influence over her lands...is that the price she’s willing to pay to protect it? Are shackles preferable to gravestones?

In silence she weighs her odds...before turning to retreat inside.

She has letters to pen.

"My king!”

Gloved palms braced against the table that bears his maps, Madara turns at the voice of a messenger. “This best be important.”

“A message, my liege.”

“...from?”

“The priestess of the mountain valley.”

Immediately, dark brows furrow. What could she want with him? An expectant hand raises to accept the parchment, unfurling it and proceeding to read.

The further he goes, the more his face slackens.

Around him, everyone stills, awaiting his reaction.

“...prepare my horse.”

“Sire…?”

“I have a meeting to attend. Izuna!”

Stepping up beside his brother, the younger man replies, “Shall I hold the fort?”

“Yes. Await my orders. Until then...consider us at ease. But be ready at a moment’s notice.”

“Of course.” He eyes his brother thoughtfully. “...that must have been some letter.”

As he straps on his armor, a mischievous smirk curls Madara’s lips. “I may have just been handed victory on a silver platter.”

Izuna’s brows lift. “...that simply?”

“Oh, there will be obstacles. But none I cannot handle. Especially if it means avoiding this war altogether.”

“You? Eager to avoid bloodshed?”

“...as much as I enjoy the fire in my veins at a proper battle...I’m not so easily consumed as not to realize it costs the lives of my men. Besides...victory is what tastes sweetest. And one I can take single handedly will be ambrosia itself.”

“...then I wish you luck.”

“Luck will have nothing to do with it, brother. It’s all a matter of will.”

Watching Madara leave the chamber, Izuna folds his arms with a sigh. Curiosity burns at the letter’s contents, but he knows he’ll be made aware in due time. A meeting, and skipping a war…?

...that alone gives him some idea.

“...spread the word that our armies are to remain on alert. Until the king returns or sends word, we remain here at the ready.”

“Aye!”

Astride his Friesian, Madara wastes no time, digging heels to the beast’s sides and heading inland. Nor does he bother himself with escorts. They’ll only slow him down, and he wants to be prompt. The sooner he arrives, the sooner he’ll settle this matter himself.

So, the queen’s decided to take things into her own hands, has she? Allay war by holding a council that will serve in its stead. Let the kings, queens, and generals do the fighting themselves for once rather than hide behind their armies. Let one emerge a victor, claim the spoils...and put to rest this silly balancing act.

And Madara knows, in a contest of will and limits, none will stand in his way. The only thorn he can foresee is that bastard Tobirama now that Hashirama is gone. But he’ll handle that too when he must.

To lay claim to the holy lands of their continent will be to grip every heart that follows the gods. In his goals to make all equal and loyal to one ideal...such a position is paramount. No more wars. No more squabbling. He’ll make sure the lines drawn between men will finally fade into one unity.

No matter how far he must go.

Like any gods-fearing man, he’s made the pilgrimage himself more than once. The way is already familiar. But there’s still a moment taken upon cresting the lip of the valley to appreciate its majesty.

...it really is a beautiful place. No wonder the gods call it their cradle. In all his travels, he’s never seen a place more fitting for them to consider setting foot upon the soil. The thought of bringing war here is indeed distasteful.

No wonder she’s willing to bow her head to protect it.

Easily marked an outsider, he ignores the stares as he makes his way up to the castle. He understands and respects their suspicions. Besides, it won’t be long before he can put to rest their fears and earn their admiration. If he’s to be the first king of this reclusive land, he’ll do it the right way.

Presenting his letter, he allows his mount to be stabled as he’s led inside. The palace carved from the white stone of the cliff face has always impressed him, looking birthed from the mountain itself. With the forested lip crowning it and the waterfalls that curtain its face, it looks much like a fairy queen’s domain.

Speaking of which...he’s never individually spoken to the priestess queen of the valley. She who both rules and shepherds. Her sermons have always been impassioned, and he won’t deny her ethereal beauty: the ghostly-white countenance that’s said to be a mark of the gods’ blessings to her lineage. But until now, he’s had no reason to approach her directly. Almost like an idol herself, kept behind a wall no outsider could pass.

...but that’s all set to change.

To his annoyance, several of the other monarchs have already arrived. Though it can’t be helped, given proximities. The land of his people lies mostly along a coast compared to the valley at the heart of their landmass, pushed to the edges over time. They all give him the same sour, upturned-nose glances, clearly displeased at the presence of the warlord.

His reputation is no secret: willing to carve through anything to get what he wants. Spilling blood like others pour wine. Claimed to be a monster masquerading as human, more likely to kill a man than embrace him.

While his bloodlust is indeed true, born from a line used to fending for itself...he still remembers the talks of old with another princeling. Another soul that, in truth, wished for peace. While their methods were always different...Madara did - and still does - desire a stop to be brought to wars.

He’s just more willing to be...absolute.

But this might be just the break he’s looking for. A new angle to bring all men into line. Surely between the lady of faith and the lord of power, there will be little standing in their way of finally putting the marches of wars to rest.

...but first, he’ll have to take care of the competition.

“And here I thought this was to be a peace council. Yet here prowls the dog of war.”

Dark eyes sliding to their corners, Madara aloofly considers one of the other land’s queens: a woman of flaming hair and even more flaming temper. “Dog or not, I was beckoned just as you were. Any other judgments, I’m sure, will be made by our hostess. Until then, I’ve little need or want of yours.”

Arms tucked into voluminous sleeves, Mei considers him with equal parts disdain and intrigue. “And are the rest of us supposed to accept your presence without hesitation, pretending you’ve not wounded us in the past?”

“Any I’ve wounded have done so to me in turn. Perhaps not as successfully,” he adds with a smirk, earning a glower, “but don’t paint yourselves as guiltless martyrs. Any who spill blood are equally guilty. Lost life is lost life, no matter what banner or slogan you hide behind. I protect my people as you do yours.”

“And yet none will deny your barbarity. Not even you.”

“I’ll not bother to call a rose by any other name in an attempt to hide its thorns. But my brutality is necessary. Nothing more or less. It is only with teeth I can bite back choking fingers.”

“They’d not choke if you didn’t bite first.”

Immediately, a flare of temper seems to climb Madara’s spine like a flame along a trail of tinder. But he doesn’t reveal his hatred, only turning to Tobirama with a mock air of surprise. “I think by now there’s little point in which came first...only that it continues. And must end.”

“A continuation in which you are just as guilty,” the Senju retorts without pause.

“Well, perhaps a second opinion is just what we need, then. Let the true neutral decide what will become of us warmongering heathens. Don’t act as if you’ve never wielded a blade out of spite, Tobirama. In the eyes of the gods, we are all guilty.”

“And yet, some more than others. I look forward to them striking you down at last.”

“...we’ll see about that.”

“Your majesties…?”

At the timid cut-in, the regals turn to an attendant who wastes no time in bowing under their gazes. “The last of the expected parties have arrived, and...her holiness will see you now. Please, follow me.”

After no small number of distrustful glances, the gathered royals follow in the young woman’s wake. While the display of weakness irks Madara slightly, he also can’t blame her. Surely there’s been no assembly like this in their land before, nor for such a purpose. Being exposed to so much power at once must be quite the shock for any below their rank. Anyone in her shoes would be hard-pressed not to panic.

But in this land, all who serve their lady are absolute. Fear is nothing in the face of their devotion. While the priestess queen may serve the gods, it’s the people who in turn serve her. Long have rumors circulated of the valley people being so blindly loyal as to throw themselves on pikes for their monarch. She is the vessel through which the gods speak. To allow her to come to harm is to commit the ultimate blasphemy.

Already, he thinks of how this will be useful.

A short walk later, the lot of them are led into an expansive sitting room. “Her ladyship wishes for you all to remain here, and to attend an audience with her individually. Her impressions are to be unbiased by the others and their opinions, so...while any of you are within her chamber, the rest are kindly asked to wait patiently here.”

“Is this simply to be a contest of our most tactical liars, then?” Tobirama dares to ask, teeth gritting. “Are we not allowed to vet one another?”

“Within each of you is inherent bias depending on friends or foes,” the little servant in turn refutes, and Madara can’t help a lift of his brow as she stares the king down. “Her ladyship, in line with our lands, wishes to remain neutral. The gods will guide her. Mortal opinions can never be pure.”

The Senju’s lip lifts in a snarl, but before he can refute, Mei steps in. “Please tell your ladyship we will be patient and obliging. We all wish to avoid war. If this is what it takes, so be it. The rest of us won’t let temper lead us astray.”

For that, she’s given a venomous look...but other leaders murmur in agreement, and Tobirama begrudgingly concedes.

Wordlessly, the woman nods, and turns into another room.

“...best make yourselves comfortable,” Mei then sniffs, finding herself a perch as others do the same.

Always pleased to see the Senju put in his place, Madara offers a hint of an appreciative smirk in her direction, lounging in a plush chair tucked in a corner. An elbow rests on its arm, chin braced along his knuckles.

A few minutes later, one of the monarchs is asked inside.

And so it begins.

“Have you need of anything, my lady?”

Pouring herself a goblet of water, Ryū gives the attendant a glance, and then a smile. “For now, no - thank you, dear. Twice over for bringing the others here. I trust they were obliging…?”

The tick of hesitation is telling. “M...mostly, my lady.”

“Tell me no more. We’ll see how their conduct fares. You may go.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Left to her own devices for a moment, the priestess draws a long, calming breath. Time to see if her plan will bear fruit...and not the sort to poison the starving masses. Another handmaid tends to the door, calling in each of the other monarchs to stand their trials.

Her interviews are simple, yet extensive. All manner of aspects of their rule - their platoons, their policies, their positions and their people - are peered into with the highest scrutiny. And all throughout, Ryū places her trust in a sense that has never failed her. One she remains convinced comes from the insight of the gods.

Never has she been lied to and the falsehood gone unnoticed.

It’s a feeling that follows her always. And with varying intensity, it reveals to her just who is willing to be truthful...and who thinks it wise to lie to the mouthpiece of the gods. None of the remarks are challenged until each conversation is over, the priestess calmly laying out her accusations. All rebuke and fluster and give flashes of temper, but she cannot be convinced otherwise.

As each monarch reemerges with varying degrees of disgruntlement, the rest clearly become wary.

And she saves the best for last.

“King Madara, of the Uchiha.”

Realizing his position and having done his best to remain patient, the Uchiha takes to his feet and makes his way toward the side chamber. He’d suspected he’d be reserved for the tail end given his reputation, but it was worth seeing Tobirama come out with a clenched jaw and scarlet neck of temper.

Well worth it.

Approaching the door, he gives yet another mousey serf a glance. Does she employ no one but nervous handmaids? Putting the thought aside (it’s hardly of any use), he steps inside and gives the room a curious once-over.

It’s a simple study, lined with shelves of scrolls and tomes. At the rear is a stained glass window, out which he can see one of the falls. Behind a desk of solid wood sits his hostess, and another moment is taken to observe her.

Her dress, unlike that worn for her sermons, is simple: plain white fabric with light hints of gold embroidery. Prim and modest, she looks far more the role of a priestess than a queen. Likely intentional.

“Would you care for some water?”

“...I would,” he replies shortly, accepting a goblet she pours him. Once quenched, he offers, “I must admit, it’s been too long since I’ve visited the valley. I hope that bears no weight on my qualifications?”

“Your lands are far, and your people often troubled. I cannot fault you for remaining where you are needed most by those that follow you. Though they may reside here, the gods can hear us no matter how distant our call.”

“Hm…” He considers her thoughtfully. “...may I also be frank in my surprise at this...decision. But in the same breath, I’ll put forth I think it wise.”

A hint of surprise lifts her brows. “...do you?”

“Relying on the wills of others for your safety puts your fate in their hands. While the other nations were willing, for a time, to be considerate of you...it seems the time has come where they put their own interests over the gods.”

“...do you do the same?”

“I concern myself foremost with my people. Whatever I can do for them to better their lives, I will do. No questions asked. I am their sword, and their shield. For them I will weather any storm, and I will cut down any threat.” His chin declines. “...I know this land’s distaste for violence. But I won’t attempt to hide what I have done. The gods may choose to smite me for it, but I will not stand idle and allow my people to come to harm rather than take any measure to protect them. Until I come to my judgment day, it is my people I answer to. Not gods.”

To his honest surprise, her lips curl into a coy smile. “...I commend you for your honesty and your dedication,” she murmurs. “Many have attempted to conceal their actions, seeking to tilt my favor. But there’s no hiding truth from the gods.” A knee lifts to crest the other, the long skirt of her gown rustling quietly. “Do you recognize the weight of the lives you take to protect another?”

“Of course. Any other man breathes and dreams as those under my banner do. Any life lost - no matter what side of a line - is one that should be mourned. If I could snap my fingers and draw all under one crest so that such lines could not be crossed, no reason given to kill what could in fact be a brother because of one loyalty over another, then I would do so. But until then...I protect what is entrusted to me. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“And if those within the valley were to be taken under that banner?”

“Then they would receive every ounce of my dedication as those born beneath it. An alliance is a promise. And I keep my promises. So long as I drew breath, it would be drawn for them all.”

A long moment passes of her silent consideration before continuing with her interview. Further and further she needles him, digging into the psychology and methodology of his leadership. And at each inquiry, he answers honestly, bearing all and refusing to feel shame for it.

Not once does she feel him lie.

By now, the day has begun to slip into evening, and a small respite is taken to light the sconces in the study. “We’re nearly finished. A supper is being prepared for you all.”

“How long are we expected to remain? I have a standing army to return to.”

“A few days at best, if my expectations are met. While my impressions are mostly made and there’s likely little else to glean...I am not one to rush important decisions. But so too do I respect the time and obligations of you and the others. I beg your patience.”

“And you’ll have it. I’m simply curious. My brother maintains the ranks in my stead, and I trust his judgment.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“...I once had four,” Madara eventually replies after a small pause. “But life is brutal, and war the paramount. Now...we are the two left of five. He is my right hand. I rely on him heavily.”

“I see…” Ryū lets her chin rest in a hand. “I’m without siblings. My father is unknown to me, my mother long dead. While I consider every person within my lands to be my family, my flock...I realize it is not the same. I envy you, in a way.”

“I’m sure he would be delighted to have a sister.”

The rather obvious nudge snaps her eyes to him, expression unreadable. “...I have one last question for you.”

“And I will do my best to answer.”

Silvers stare at him, unblinking. “...my intentions, I’m sure, are plain. To resist destruction by a flood of new war, I intend to ally myself with one of the other nations. That alliance will grant me an army, and hopefully give pause to the others before they consider bringing battles here. However...I know that, beyond my lands, the webs of friends and foes are complicated, and ever-changing. Depending on my choice, prior brothers in arms may be forced to become enemies. So my question is this: have you any reason - any at all - to possibly falter should this position become yours? Would you ever hesitate in raising your swords and your shields to defend this valley, and the people in it?”

“No.”

The blunt reply earns a blink, especially as no hint of a lie bleeds through his tone. “...just that easily?”

“Just that easily.” Shifting his posture, Madara leans inward, expression completely unwavering. “My people have been betrayed more times than I could count. We’ve not held an alliance since I was a boy...perhaps even longer. For generations we have been marked as nothing more than war-hungry dogs. And while we will never back down from a fight...it is not what we want. We fight for one reason only: necessity. Survival. The world has turned its back on us, declared us untrustworthy and forever drunk on blood. So perhaps that is something you should consider, priestess.”

Watching him warily, Ryū nonetheless holds her ground as he approaches, shrinking the gap between them to a breath.

“...is this what you want to anchor in your harbor? A man called a monster, a killer? Someone willing to go to any length, no matter what ire it will earn him?”

“...that’s precisely what I want.”

...it’s his turn to be taken aback.

She stares up at him, just as calm. “...I am all out of options, Madara,” she murmurs, dropping all other pretense. “My people face annihilation. We are sheep circled on all sides by wolves. Which is why I don’t want just a wolf. I want someone with nothing to lose. Because that is exactly what I have become. I want someone who, when the inevitable comes, will fight with no holds barred. Someone the other wolves fear. Because that fear will be what keeps us safe until the swords swing.”

Eyes flickering over her face, he lingers a long moment before conceding back to his seat. “...I see. Surely you already knew, then, what you were really looking for. These interviews weren’t to find who you wanted...but to gauge the standings of what will be left.”

She gives a grave nod. “To know who will be possible allies, who can be swayed...and who will see my declaration as one of war.”

“I’ve already a fair idea of those,” he assures her.

“I did not...but now I do. Which leaves only one last formality.” Reclining in her seat, Ryū crosses a knee, hands folding atop her lap. “...will you accept my proposal of an arranged marriage, Madara of the Uchiha? And with it, accept the position of army general, and the duty of protecting my people, my lands, and the cradle of the gods?”

“Is ‘king’ not one of my titles?”

“You are the king of your people. I am the queen of mine. I am unsure how either will view the other. And we have never had a king before.” Her lips flicker into a smile. “...both sides will surely need to do their own...adjusting. You will have every right and privilege that comes with a marriage to my line. Just, I’m sure, as I will inherit those of one to yours.”

...she’s avoiding the answer directly, he muses, considering her carefully. She doesn’t want foreign influence over her people...I can understand. Especially given the vast cultural differences. Surely such details will be determinable later. For now...best we settle the basics. I can whittle at the rest as we go. Leaning back with a sigh, he replies, “...then yes. I accept.”

“...good. We can discuss the rest tomorrow. For now...we have a dinner to attend.”

“Nothing works up an appetite like politics.”

All righty, day three! And I'm officially out of buffered posts :'D BUT I'm determined to do more, so hopefully I'll have some time between now and...tomorrow to get something else done. But for now, THIS post! So this is for Phoenix, the mun behind @uchiha-madara, and is our ship between her Madara and my OC Ryū. We've had a verse with her in the founders era and a concept...somewhat similar to this? But this setting is a bit different, and with far different context, so...hopefully it was still interesting to read xD I haven't gotten to write this verse much yet so a lot of it was experimental. But overall I really like how it turned out, and hopefully Phoenix does too! I love the dynamic between these two...there's almost always drama and tension and hhhhh I live for it xD Anyway, I've got irl things to handle now, so I best skedaddle. But I'll do my best to be back tomorrow with another piece for another ship! Until then, thanks for reading!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #uchihamadara #suigin ryū #uchiha madara #uchiha izuna #terumi mei #senju tobirama #to rule them all [ au ]#arranged marriage

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cognitivecapricorn · 4 years

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June 4th:

It was supposed to be just for fun right? They were close as friends could be, never saw one without the other. So then, where was the harm in messing around?

Uchiha Izuna and @dobujutsu‘s OC Kurōkami Tazz

@naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #OC x Canon #Trope: Friends with Benifits #Naruto OC #Uchiha Izuna #Moodboard challenge

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i-minato-chan · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - Seal and Strawberries, or, Ostentatious and Impractical Uses for Shinobi Techniques] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @kusunokihime ] [ Suigin Ryū , Namikaze Minato ] [ Trope: just... genius kids being geniuses, idk. ]

Minato’s kitchen table sometimes doubled as a desk.

Quite often, however, it was insufficient. When Ryu let herself in – one of the first times she’d used the key Minato had given her – she was treated to a view of paper covering the table, the kitchen counter, the floor, and beginning to climb the walls.

“Ryu! Come in, come in.”

Minato looked up with a smile. He was sat in the middle of the floor in the one clear circle of space, with just enough room for Ryu to comfortably sit opposite him. She had to step carefully between sheets of intricate sealwork; she knew from Minato’s tutelage what most of them meant.

“Sorry I’m late!” Ryu apologised. It was a scorching hot day – she’d slept badly because of the heat and decided that a shower was far more important than not being fifteen minutes late to see Minato.

“I… hadn’t noticed.” Minato admitted. He was normally good at keeping time in his head, but when he got sufficiently focussed on a subject, he could get distracted. “Anyway, come sit. I, uh, got started already.”

“So I see.” Ryu smiled, finally reaching the last clear space on the floor and settling down. She’d brought a folio of her own seal work, which was just as intricate but rather les expansive.

“Here, let me clear you a space.” Minato shuffled some papers aside to give Ryu the space she needed to work. “Did you want to keep working on that passive chakra absorption seal? I’m sure we’re nearly there.” Previous attempts at the seal had failed to absorb Ryu’s ambient energy, and in one worrying case had started leeching her energy. Thankfully, it had filled up in about a minute and they’d disabled it easily.

“Yeah, I had an idea I’d like to run past you.” Ryu pulled a sheet of paper from the folio and handed it to Minato.

Four hours of work yielded a few minor adjustments to Ryu’s new design. Though Minato had been guiding her a lot of the way, this was mostly her work – he might have shown her how to write, but this was a sentence she’d constructed.

“That should work. Shall we try it?” Minato handed the paper back to Ryu. He said ‘we’, but it would be Ryu’s seal, and her attempt to scribe it. He was just going to watch.

“Sure. Should we clear some more space?” The gusting of chakra might disturb some of the papers, and Ryu was too hot to be bothered with sorting them back into order. Minato complied, clearing her a space maybe a meter in diameter.

“Okay, that should be fine.” He said, standing back at the edge of the circle. Ryu gave him a nervous nod, then held out her left hand in front of her. With a finger, she traced a pattern on the back of her hand, just barely not making contact. To Minato’s sharp senses, it looked like the space between her finger and hand was filled with a thousand tiny lines of green and white light.

A tense minute passed. Sealwork was not an easy thing to do, though it could be done much faster after practice. Ryu continued to work, sweat beading on her brow from the concentration required as well as the heat of the day. Eventually, she finished.

“Well?” Minato asked, leaning closer to inspect the seal. “It looks good. Is it working?”

“I… I think so.” The expenditure of chakra in a seal like this would take a few moments of recovery. Ryu took a deep, calming, breath. The depletion in her reserves was barely noticeable, and she had to focus on it as it refilled. After a moment, she felt it restore to her natural limit.

“There! Look look look-“ Minato pointed excitedly at Ryu’s left hand, which was still upraised. The edges of the seal, which looked like an intricate tattoo in black ink, started to change colour, going a pale green.

“It worked!” Ryu yelped in delight. It had taken months to get to this point. Minato shouted as well, grinning from ear to ear. They both reached out for a hug at the same time, almost clashing heads in their rush, laughing with relief and cheer at their success.

“Okay, okay.” Minato calmed down after a minute or so and let Ryu go. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How big did you make the reserve?”

“It should be full in a minute.” Ryu answered, brushing a loose hair out of her eyes. “I… can feel it working, actually. Tingly.”

“Wow.” Minato smiled widely. “Okay, this calls for a celebration.”

“It does?” Ryu asked. She’d have thought he’d want to see if the seal filled up properly first, and if she could use the chakra she’d stored.

“Absolutely. Milkshake?” Minato hopped to his feet and danced between the sheets of paper that were between him and the kitchen area. He started taking things out of the fridge as well as glasses from the cupboard.

Milkshake? “Sure, I guess.” Ryu followed over to the kitchen area, which was at least free of the paper carpet. “I spy a punnet of strawberries over there?”

“Freshly picked this morning from the fields south of the city.” Minato smiled. He’d picked them himself for this exact purpose.

“Sounds good to me.” Ryu leaned against the counter as Minato worked. He quickly assembled two glassfuls of milk and some plain ice cream out of his meagre freezer then started unpacking the fruit. Ryu watched with interest as he rubbed each strawberry with his thumb – and the stalk just fell out, as if he’d cut it out with a knife.

Ryu squinted. Minato was using the chakra scalpel she’d shown him months ago, but in an almost ostentatiously complicated way. She focussed and watched as Minato manipulated a wave of pale blue energy smaller than her fingernail to cut out another stalk. He was manipulating the shape of the scalpel as he worked, which was ridiculous – you’d never do that in real surgery, since it took too much focus.

Minato glanced up at Ryu and made a face, embarrassed. “What?”

“Why… is that really the best way to take stalks out of strawberries?” Ryu took one of the strawberries Minato had performed his surgery on. The cut was perfect, and she could see the stalks had absolutely no excess flesh on them.

“Probably not.” Minato admitted. There was a little flush to his cheeks that Ryu couldn’t put down to the heat. “Jiraiya-sensei told me to practice with using chakra as much as I can, since that’s the best next step in my training. Hence…” He waved a hand at the strawberries.

“And you’re doing that… with the most complicated possible version of the technique I showed you?” Ryu asked, eating the strawberry in her hand. It was deliciously fresh.

“… Yeah.” Minato admitted after a second. He glanced at the pile of strawberries, then brightened up. “Speaking of ostentatious uses of shinobi techniques for trivial and possibly demeaning uses – do you wanna see a trick?”

“A trick?” Ryu raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you making milkshakes? They don’t look very shaken to me.”

“Ahha, but watch this.” Minato dumped half the strawberries into one of the glasses and put his hand on top of it. He put his other hand around the side of the glass so Ryu could see his palm, behind the milk, ice cream, and strawberries.

Then the whole concoction started to swirl.

In a matter of seconds, the glass was filled with a tumultuous mess of red and white that, to Ryu’s chakra senses, glowed blue with a powerful, concentrated light.

After maybe thirty seconds, Minato released the glass. It settled down almost immediately, and Minato handed the glass to Ryu. The hand on top of the glass, she noticed, was completely dry.

“One milkshake, as requested.”

Ryu took the milkshake, almost dumbfounded. She looked up as Minato kept talking.

“It’s… a new technique I’m working on. I don’t have a name for it yet. Basically, since I’ve got really good chakra control, I wanted to make a way for me to use that rather than overwhelming force, and that seemed like a good way of doing it.” He paused. “Would… would you like me to make it normally?”

“No! No, it’s fine.” Ryu realised she’d been staring at the top of the milkshake. It looked perfectly smooth and was still chilled in her hand. “Just… that’s more ostentatious than I was expecting.”

“Yeah.” Minato agreed, smiling again. “But hey, it’s celebratory milkshake. Might as well go all-out, right?”

“Right!” Ryu giggled, and took a sip.

It tasted of strawberries and ice cream.

“Is it good?” Minato asked, finishing up his own drink.

“Delicious. Thank you, Mina-chan.” Ryu smiled at him.

“You’re welcome. Congratulation, Ryu-chan.”

~~~

Writing has been hard for a long time, so I’m super happy to have managed to write this. Sylvie (@kusunokihime) did me the great honour of being included in her first entry to the Naruto OCxCanon Ship Week (her incredible work can be found here) so I had to offer this in return.

Ryu and Minato have been dancing around each other for about eighteen months now, I believe, and they’re so god-damned adorable I squeal in delight every time I get to write them together. Sylvie is a fantastic RP partner, and always a delight to work with.

If you made it all this way, then thank you for reading! Until next time~

#oc: Suigin Ryu #Canon: Namikaze Minato #fanfic #narutoocxcanonshipweek #kusunokihime

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duckbuttsurvivor · 5 years

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Naruto OC x Canon Ship week

June 3rd Witchcraft

{ When you’re trying to make potions and your shapeshifting familiar wants to choose now of all times to be clingy...

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #naruto #sasuke uchiha #oc #canon x oc #sasumiwa

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celxstialclanarchive · 5 years

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OC x Canon Week

Day 1: Pirates (Itama Senju x Kagura)

@naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week

The smell of sea spray was refreshing and invigorating to a young woman as she hurried towards the docks, much to the dismay of several servants. She stretched, giving the sun a wide smile then returning to her quick pace.

“Lady Kagura, you must slow down,” One maidservant lucky enough to keep up with the teen called out as she weaved through various dock hands and cargo. She didn’t want the servants carrying most of the Kamiya leaving the Land of Iron’s belongings to lose sight of them.

“The faster we get there, the faster we can load!” And the faster I can leave this awful place... “Come on, we’re burning daylight!”

After the cargo was loaded, passengers boarded, the ship left, heading for the Land of Fire- or as Kagura would have insisted- back home. While land travel was an option, most of her relatives were only well-versed in samurai style combat, not shinobi style combat. On water, it was harder to encounter conflict.

After a week and a half of sailing, navigating rough winds, the ship had left the ports of the Land of Tea and was heading for the capital in the Land of Fire. Only three more days...

On the second day, sometime during the late morning, Kagura was jolted out of her meditation when crew members were shouting about pirates. Stepping out of her, her sister Naomi and an aunt’s shared quarters, she was met with a blade pointed at her and a boy no older than her with black and white hair and a hard look on his face.

As all the passengers were made to stand in a horizontal line and the crew restrained with minor injuries, the boy with strange hair was joined by other members with slightly tanned skin. Kagura found their clothes a tasteless ensemble of clothes from various lands, then she finally saw the ship they were boarding from. Pirates. These must be the infamous Senju pirates. Yep, definitely home waters.

“Captain, they all look the same,” one called out, much to the two-toned haired boy’s annoyance. The captain in question was a tall, gangly boy who looked around the same age as Naomi, no younger than Kagura. He was joined with a white haired, red eyed boy, and a boy with brass colored hair. Brothers, maybe?

“No they don’t,” he grumbled, looking pointedly at one of Kagura’s uncles. “You, with the freckles. Why are you here?” Since Naomi and Kagura were the only ones with freckles, they looked at each other and back at him, unsure of his intended person. The captain snickered, quickly regaining his composure when the one with white hair glared at him. “I-I meant the cute one with brown hair.”

“You must be joking,” Kagura looked at him as if unimpressed as she and several other relatives answered, much to his surprise. He was silent for a minute, processing her response. He wasn’t used to that kind of response. Usually it was fear or defiance in the form of silence.

“Itama, don’t let it get to you.” Itama nodded, giving her his earlier look, then stepped up to her.

“Why are you all here, miss?” She stares at him.

“We’re going home. Why are you here?”

“There is a new tax for newcomers to our waters. And I don’t think you and your folks can pay.” What he didn’t expect besides the flush in his cheeks as she walked towards him, is her looking up at him with a challenging smile.

“Name your price.”

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #senju itama #muse: kagura #📜 The Holy Scrolls; my writing

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cognitivecapricorn · 4 years

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June 2nd:

To think, a man like Uchiha Madara would be so worried about a woman like her. Yet, every action and every thing he did- it was all for her. Did she know that? One has to wonder really. How could such a man be in his predicament? What was making him feel as though his heart was screaming at the sun?

The answer was simple, he was in love with her.

This is Madara Uchiha x @super-kame-love‘s OC Aina

@naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #Uchiha Madara #Trope: Doomed Lovers #Naruto OC #Canon x OC #Moodboard challenge

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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - Face to Face ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @abyssaldespair ] [ Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Obito ] [ Alcohol ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ Trope: Online Dating ]

Nibbling her lip, Ryū stares at the slight reflection in her mobile screen. Thumbs flicker over the keys, not quite touching in indecision.

This is the closest she’s gotten.

The concept, admittedly, is just...not one she ever saw herself using. Online dating seems so, so...weird! Lining up your face, your name, a handful of facts, and calling it good. Is that really all it takes anymore? Sure, she...doesn’t exactly have mountains of experience beyond that. Maybe she’s just old-fashioned. But putting up something akin to a mugshot to try and find love seems very...strange.

“Whatcha doin’?”

Eeping in surprise, she claws the phone to her chest, face going pink and heart pounding. “N-nothing!”

Behind her, a coworker she knows mostly only in passing perks a brow. “Whoa, sorry! You looked kinda, uh...distressed.”

Ryū heaves a small breath. “...sorry, I didn’t mean to jump so bad. I just, uh...I’m trying one of those silly dating websites, and…”

The other woman quickly perks up. “Oh! Yeah they’re kinda scary at first but I met my boyfriend on one! I bet you’ll do just fine. Just be smart about it, and it usually all works out fine.”

“Smart…?”

“Y’know...meet in public places, tell someone where you’re going. About the same as a normal date for those like us, huh?”

At that, Ryū can’t help but deflate. “...yeah, good point.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. People gotta have their pictures on there. I take a pic of any license plates and send them to someone I trust just in case.”

Brow wilting, Ryū admits, “You’re...not exactly giving me votes of confidence here.”

“Hey, gotta be prepared for the worst, but the worst hardly ever happens. Besides, a bit of chatting online usually gives a pretty good indication of if something will even work. And you can always ask friends to go on doubles, too.”

At that, Ryū doesn’t answer. She...doesn’t really have many friends to ask, let alone any with dates she’d feel like asking along. “Yeah, good point. I’ll, uh...I’ll see how it goes.”

“Cool! Good luck!” Giving a wave as she passes by, her coworker heads around a corner and out of sight.

“...what am I doing…” Ryū mumbles to herself, looking back to her nearly-completed account. “I know this isn’t gonna work…” And now the less appealing sides are at the forefront of her mind. Maybe she should just keep her nose to the grindstone and pretend she never brought this up.

...but then again…

As much as she hates to admit it, she’s lonely. Being a pharmacist might be similar to her wish to be a doctor, but it’s not quite what she wanted. It just feels like something is...missing. And while Ryū isn’t the sort to assume all her problems can be solved by a guy (or gal), she’s still pretty able to realize that her social life isn’t the best. No real close friends, passing grades with her coworkers...not even any pets. Up until now, she’s lived life in a series of grinds. School, then work, and now...it feels lacking.

Hence the idea to try the app.

“...no harm in looking,” she eventually mumbles to herself, slowly going through the rest of her profile and hitting the confirm button. “You don’t have to go on with it, but...just look. See how it works. Maybe just...chat with someone. One step at a time, okay?”

Of course, by then her break is nearly over, so she mutes her phone and heads back to work. She...only ate half her lunch, but she’s not really all that hungry anyway. Only once her shift is over does she head back to her little apartment and...give this thing a real try.

At first, it throws nothing but male profiles at her. Which is all well and good, but...it’s not all she’s interested in. Looking over a few names and faces, she eventually bucks up the courage to pick one. He’s a few years older, lives a town over, and works as a physical therapist. Not bad, right?

...ugh, wrong.

As soon as they start chatting, she knows this...isn’t going to work. He’s all Mister Nice Guy, subtly bragging about himself and leaving only certain questions open for her in turn: the only things he wants to hear about, and...things she can easily see through as shallow. Eventually she manages to get him to shut up and quickly deletes him.

Okay...not a great first impression, but it’s not gonna be perfect the first time she tries. This isn’t a fairytale, after all. So, she tries another. And another.

After over two weeks of duds that don’t even get past initial chats, she’s about ready to give up.

Laying on her bed spread-eagle with a sigh, she stares up at the ceiling. What started as a vague inking is turning into nothing but a source of frustration. Not exactly what she signed up for. Weighing her options, Ryū eventually stirs when her phone gives an all-too-familiar notification sound.

Another match...wonderful.

Sitting up with a grunt, she opens the message and looks over yet another profile. At first glance, it’s just another guy. Ugh. The amount of lady-seeking ladies has been depressingly low, but...apparently those are usually on their own kind of sites. So, for now, she entertains herself with this one.

Obito Uchiha...huh. Vaguely sounds like her own Japanese roots. There’s a small spark of curiosity, adjusting her stance slightly. Short dark hair, dark eyes, and...well, his pics aren’t the clearest (he clearly knows his good side (or what he’s assuming is his good side since...it’s all she sees)). But she spies a cat. That’s a win. She likes cats. A glance at his actual profile shows a like of sweets, cats (aha!), and a dislike of...aubergines? Googling that, there’s a hum of understanding. It’s eggplant! She...didn’t know that...whoops. The rest of the summary (stuff about ‘being extreme’ and ‘having abs’) gets her to giggle.

Well...might as well give it a try.

Giving the okay, she opens up the chat window, nibbling her lip in thought. What should she say…?

Hello!

A bit surprised, Ryū jolts slightly, not expecting the quick response! ...hi!

I didn’t think you’d accept it so fast!

And I didn’t think you’d say hello so quickly either!

Oh, sorry...was that too fast?

The apology begets a subconscious smile. No, not at all! My phone is usually pretty quiet is all. Sorry if I’m awkward, I’m...still kinda new at this.

Ha, me too. I haven’t had too many matches yet, so I’m still practicing.

Guess we can practice together! Though I have to ask you…

...eh?

What’s your kitty’s name?

Oh! Her name is Tenebris.

Aww, I love that name!

She’s my lady, haha! Helps me reel in the girls ;D

Ryū can’t help a snort. Well it seems to be working. I don’t have any pets, sadly…

What? None at all?

No...I work a lot so I haven’t gotten around to it. And I don’t want them to be lonely!

Bah, cats are good at being alone. Feed them and clean their box and you’re fine.

I’ll have to think about it, haha~

After a few minutes, Ryū realizes...this is the longest she’s talked to someone on here yet. Sure, it was a little stiff to start, but by some grace they just sort of...fell into conversation. No posturing or anything. It’s rather...refreshing! Encouraged, she keeps texting as she starts working on her dinner.

So what kind of work do you do?

I’m a pharmacist! Not quite the doctor I planned on, but it works.

Ohhh, wow!

What about you?

There’s quiet for a few minutes, and Ryū can’t help but wonder if that was a bad question. But then Obito replies, Sorry, my cat got stuck behind the couch...I uh...am currently working on a garbage truck part time…

She blinks. That’s...very random. Nothing wrong with that. It’s an important job, after all!

Eh, yeah...not very charming though, is it?

Oh, pffft. I stand behind a counter all day and give people medicine over and over. It’s not exactly exciting most days. We all make our ends meet somehow.

I guess that’s true.

Smiling at her phone, Ryū keeps cooking and chatting, giving play-by-plays as he asks what she’s making.

Do you like cooking?

Mhm! Food’s one of those things that’s both a necessity, and yet can be fancy when you want it to be, so...I thought it would be good to learn. And it’s a lot of fun!

I’m...okay at it.

Maybe I can give you some lessons down the road, hm?

You would?

Sure! It’d be something fun to do.

Like a first date?

At that, Ryū pauses. Right...dating. That’s what this is all for. She almost forgot… Sure! If that’s something you’d like to do. I guess dinner and a movie is pretty common for that. We’ll just make our own!

I’d really like that!

Cheeks warming, Ryū beams at the screen. I guess...it’s a date! Eventually. Whenever we can make something work, and maybe talk a little more…?

Sure! I take a lot of random side jobs so I can be a little flaky…

That’s okay - we’ll just keep chatting until then. You’re actually the first person that’s been fun to talk to…

He sends a big smile emoji. Success!

You’ll have to think about what we should make! I have to warn you, I like making dessert, too…

Oh no...my biggest weakness…

And no eggplant, right?

Eugh, no.

Haha, noted!

The conversation runs well into the evening until Ryū admits she’d best get to bed. Guess I’ll talk to you some more later, okay?

Mhm!

Say hi to Tenebris for me!

Haha, I will! Goodnight Ryū.

Night, Obito.

Checking her other messages, Ryū plugs in her mobile to charge before mulling over the evening. As she does, a smile slowly pulls at her lips.

Well, she can’t make any assumptions yet, but...this is a good start.

Chatting with Obito quickly becomes a routine. Though not much of a texter before, she checks in and quips with him throughout the day. He tells her about his latest jobs, and she notes anything out of the ordinary at work. Days blend into a week, and then two.

“So…”

“Hm?”

Leaning against the counter, Ryū’s coworker smirks. “Seems to me you hooked one, huh?”

Her cheeks flush pink. “Um...maybe…”

“You haven’t put your phone down for more than fives minutes all day!”

The pink gets darker as the other woman laughs.

“I’m glad! So, you gonna see him?”

“Yeah, eventually...I think we’re both a little nervous.”

“That’s adorable. You’ll have to let me know how it goes! Been nice seeing you look so bright lately.”

Ryū blinks. “...really?”

“Yeah. No offense, but...ever since I’ve worked here, you’ve been so quiet and to yourself. But lately you’ve just seemed more upbeat and...I dunno, out there.”

The observation admittedly takes her a bit off-guard. “...oh…”

“It’s just nice to see you look happy, that’s all. I know a job like this one’s kinda drudgy. Glad you’ve got something to keep your chin up.” With a smile, the other pharmacist straightens and heads back to work.

Still a bit struck, Ryū mulls all that over. True, she’s always been one to keep her nose to the grindstone. Maybe having a bit of a social outlet just...got her going to opening up some more.

...huh.

So...any openings in your schedule coming up?

Uh...I haven’t really checked lately. One sec!

Waiting for Obito’s reply, Ryū nibbles her thumbnail. She’s going to do it. She’s going to ask him over. By now she’s gotten to know him pretty well. She’s always been able to trust her gut, and...she believes she can trust him.

Though just in case, she’ll be letting her neighbor know when he comes to visit.

Just to be safe.

So I think I actually have Sunday clear. Does that work with you?

Yeah! I’m always on a Monday through Friday schedule, so weekends are almost always good with me!

Okay...cool!

Any idea what you wanna make?

Make?

Yeah! Remember, we talked about cooking…?

Ohhh, yeah! Uh...honestly I don’t have any preference.

You sure?

Yeah, just no aubergines.

I remember, haha.

Should I bring anything?

Nah, I’ll handle it. Though I guess if you have a movie you’d like to watch?

Ooh, okay! Uh...any you don’t like?

Maybe nothing too gory…?

Aw, that’s no fun!

I saw enough in medical school, believe me...it’s not fun.

Okay, okay. I’ll pick something.

And with a few other details hashed out...they have a date scheduled.

Ryū’s stomach can’t stop fluttering: both in excitement, and in nerves. She hasn’t really dated since college...what if she does something stupid? Offends him somehow? Or something just goes...wrong?

Okay, no, stop it. It’s gonna be fine. You’ve talked a lot, so...no need to be nervous. Just do it!

By the time Sunday rolls around, she’s as ready as she’ll ever be.

Fiddling with her hair in the bathroom mirror (can she EVER get it to do what she wants?), she jumps as someone knocks on the door. Trying to manage her nerves, she peers through the little peephole, spying what indeed looks to be Obito.

Taking a moment to steady her breath, she pulls open the door and looks up just as he looks over.

...oh.

She always thought his photo gallery on his profile was a bit...empty. At first she hadn’t really noticed that all of Obito’s photos had been taken showing one side of his face.

So only now, with him looking straight at her, does she see what he’s been hiding.

The apprehension in his face clearly shows he’s awaiting her reaction, and at first she can only blink. Eyes naturally slide to the right side where a plethora of scars mar the skin from his brow to his chin. One even reaches up into his lip.

But though it’s a surprise by novelty, it otherwise does nothing to hinder the blush in her face.

...gosh he’s handsome.

Her gaze lingers on the scars for only a moment before lifting back to his eyes, cheeks rosy and giving a demure smile. “...hi.”

“...hey.”

There’s a few beats of awkward silence, the pair of them stuck staring at each other. “...s-sorry! Um...come on in!” Ryū steps aside, going hotter in the face. A nice button-up shirt and clean jeans make him look quite snazzy. Seems her blouse and skirt wasn’t too much or too little. They hadn’t really breached any ideas about how formal to be…

Stepping in, Obito glances around before clearing his throat. From behind his back he draws a little bouquet of flowers. “Er...for you.”

Ryū’s greys alight with delight. “Oh!” It’s cliché as all hell, but she loves them. Delicately accepting the blooms, she gives them a sniff before beaming at him. “Thank you! I, er...I don’t have anything for you…”

“That’s okay! I mean, food’s good with me, heh.”

Giving a giggle, Ryū retreats to the kitchen to put them in some water, setting the vase on her little table. “There…!”

“You...have a really nice apartment!”

“Thank you...I’m always either working or tired, so I don’t manage to mess it up much,” she laughs. “I tried to make it kinda...cute. I’m not exactly an interior designer.”

“No, it’s nice. It suits you.”

That makes her go pink all over again. “...s-so! Um...are you hungry…?”

Obito gives a grin. “Always!”

“Okay! Um...I thought we’d do something a bit...basic? Just in case? Do you like spaghetti…?”

“Yeah!”

“...okay! Cool. Um…” Awkwardness creeping back up, she claps her hands and giggles nervously. “Then, I...guess we’ll give it a try!”

The pair move back into the kitchen, where Ryū already has everything sorted out and ready to go. “Wow...looks professional.”

“Oh gosh, it’s just…” She gestures vaguely. “...I wanted to be ready so we wouldn’t waste any time…” Turning on the heat under the water, she thinks to ask, “...no food allergies, right?”

“No. At least...none I’ve found…? And I’ve had spaghetti before, it should be fine, hm?”

“Okay!”

A bit stuttery at first, she starts guiding him through her process, letting him take most of the reins and acting more as a guide. Obito listens attentively, looking exceedingly focused.

...it’s adorable.

“Okay, so with the grease drained off, we can add our sauce...and once it’s all combined, that’ll be that!” She, in the meantime, worked on a salad mix. “And the garlic bread should be about done, too!”

“You make this all seem so easy.”

She flushes pink. “It...just takes practice! And you did really well!”

“I had a good teacher.”

Once it’s all finished, the pair of them ferry things to the table. “Okay...you try it first.”

“Me?”

“Mhm! You made it, right?”

Glancing to his plate, Obito twirls some noodles onto his fork, lightly pink at Ryū’s watching as he takes the bite and chews. “...it’s good!”

Beaming again, she follows suit. And it’s perfect! Mouth still full, she gives a thumbs-up, making him laugh. Between spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and a little wine, they get through dinner with hearty conversation and increasing laughter.

“I dunno why I was so nervous,” she admits once they’re done, a cheek leaning against a fist as she twirls the last few sips of her wine. “I mean...we’ve been talking so much already. Guess I just felt kinda...out of practice. Y’know?”

“Yeah, me too. Though I try to bravado my way through things.”

“Well, we got through it. Should we play the movie…?”

“Sure!” He holds up a thumbdrive, grinning. “From my collection.”

“Oho!”

With a refill of wine, they move into the little living room of the apartment, Obito hooking up the TV and starting the film.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see!”

“Not gory, right?”

“Nooo. But...maybe a little scary.”

“Scary is okay. I like spooks. Just not lotsa blood and flesh and…” Her nose wrinkles. “...y’know.”

“Ha, yeah.”

They settle on the one couch she has, and at first sit...a little ways apart. They’d had opposite sides of the table before, and...well, this is new. But like a couple of dumb teenagers, they slowly meander their way closer, testing the other’s boundaries as they go until Ryū finds herself snuggled up against Obito’s side, head on his shoulder.

Obito, just out of her line of sight, is clearly ecstatic.

The movie starts out tame, but true to his word, it quickly takes on a rather creepy tone. Transfixed, Ryū stares at the screen, slowly worming her way further and further into the dip of Obito’s side.

...if she weren’t so focused on the movie, she’d realize that was likely his plan.

Obito, on the other hand, has technically already seen this one, and instead mostly watches for her reactions. The closer they get to a big scare, the more often he looks, biting back a grin until it finally happens -!

Shrieking in terror, Ryū scrambles for someplace to hide, and...ends up burrowing into his chest with a string of garbled, frightened nonsense as Obito does his best not to laugh.

“You okay?”

“I -! That -!” Her head shakes with a whimper, still hiding. “Nope. Nope nope nope.”

“Want me to stop it?”

“...nooo…” One grey peeks out, finding the screen a bit more bearable now. “...that was fricken’ terrifying! Ohhh my gosh!”

He just snickers, ignoring her continuing whines of discomfort. “It’s almost over, don’t worry.”

To his delight, she remains half-perched on his lap for the rest of the film. Once the credits start to creep up the screen, she loses her tension and goes limp. “...I almost had a heart attack…”

“Aw…”

“I mean it was good! But cripes, I wasn’t ready...eugh…”

Obito rubs a hand along her back, still clearly amused. “Gonna be able to sleep tonight?”

“...I better, I have work in the morning…”

He apologizes, watching as she tears herself from the couch and disappears into the kitchen. “...Ryū?”

No answer.

Brow furrowing, he makes to follow just in time to see her pull a pan out of the refrigerator. “What’s that?”

“Peach cobbler,” she sniffs, setting it on the counter and then fetching vanilla ice cream. “This is my reward for surviving your movie.”

“You’re gonna eat the whole pan?”

She shoots him a pout. “...maybe.”

He mirrors the look. “...I want some…”

“You have to promise never to scare me like that again.”

“Okay, okay. But wasn’t it at least a little fun…?”

Scooping the food into bowls, she thinks back over how nice and warm it was in his arms...and she could smell his cologne… “...maybe a little.”

They stay standing in the kitchen, leaned against the counter as they eat their dessert. Though not as lively as before, they chat in the quiet.

“So...on a scale of one to ten, how was our date?”

Ryū sucks on her spoon with a thoughtful hum. “...a nine.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Why not a ten?”

“Because you scared the bejesus out of me!” After a moment to pout, she asks, “...you?”

“A ten.”

“...really?”

“Good food, good movie...good company. What’s not to love?”

She...isn’t sure how to respond to that, so she takes another bite to excuse her silence.

“We’ll have to try cooking something else next time. Something spicy!”

“Not too spicy, it’ll make me sick!”

“Whaaat?”

“I have a delicate stomach...nothing too greasy, either.”

“That’s all the good food!” he laughs.

“It’s not my fault!”

“Fine, fine...we’ll figure something out. I’ll have to find some of my grandmother’s recipes. From Quebec.”

That earns a blink. She thought she heard traces of an accent in his voice, but didn’t want to assume. “...sure! I’d really like that.”

But eventually, the bowls and the wine glasses are empty. The movie is over. The hour is growing late.

It’s time to call it a night.

...but it’s clear neither of them really want to.

Obito offers to help tidy up, and that helps take a little more time. But once that’s done, there’s really no more excuses.

“...well…” Ryū fidgets a bit. “Guess I’ll...say goodnight?”

“Yeah, I better go. Don’t want to keep you up to late. And I’ve got my route in the morning.”

“Mm…”

She walks him to the front door, the pair of them lingering in the opening for a long moment. “...be safe on your way home. Text me to let me know you made it okay, all right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“And to say goodnight.”

“...again.”

“...yeah, again.”

Another pause.

Indecision seeming to make her bones vibrate, Ryū eventually makes up her mind. Stepping up a bit closer, she lays a hand against Obito’s chest and - with a bit of posturing up on her toes - she gives him a feather-light press of her lips to his.

Flashing pink, he nonetheless reciprocates, both of them easing slowly back apart.

“...goodnight, Obito.”

“...night, Ryū. I’ll...talk to you later.”

Nodding with a shy smile, she watches him head down the hall before forcing herself to shut the door. For a moment, she stands and holds the knob...then turns and leans against it with a sigh.

...it seems so quiet in here now…

Eyes lift to her little dining room table, where the flowers he brought her are still sitting in their vase. The sight brings her a small smile. As much as she’s sad to see him go...well, that just means she’ll get to look forward to seeing him again next time.

Next time...what a lovely concept.

Heaving a more contented breath, she makes her way back into the apartment. Time to get ready for bed, and wait to hear he got home okay. Then she’ll sleep, and start all over again.

...but at least now there’s something to look forward to.

All righty, another day, this one with Ryū’s ship with @abyssaldespair‘s Obito, set in a modern verse! I had...several ideas for these two, and picking one was difficult and ended up costing me time BUT, it’s done xD Hopefully I can get MORE done :’D But yes! This was actually an idea Meg submitted to me, with the premise based largely on Obito hiding his appearance on his profile until the big reveal! Ryū, of course, doesn’t mind his scars no matter the verse. She still thinks he’s one cute cookie x3 Anywho, I guess that’s...really all there is to say for this one! Hope ya like it Meg, and I better get to work on more drabbles xD

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #abyssaldespair #suigin ryū #uchiha obito #best years of your life [ au ]#online dating

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abyssaldespair · 4 years

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Another of my art for the Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week!

With @kusunokihime ‘s OC Suigin Ryu x Uchiha Obito The ship trope: Coffee Shop! ♥

@naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #ObiRyu #uwu #It took me like 4 hours fduhgyug I wish I was faster!#I'm posting it now and it will probably be my last piece for the event #because I work all week #kusunokihime #LOOK AT THEM THEY ARE SO CUTE #don't look at the table and chairs tho those are disgusting #my art #Obito

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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - Reunion ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @i-minato-chan ] [ Namikaze Minato, Suigin Ryū, Jiraiya ] [ Verse: A Tear in Time ] [ Trope: Childhood Friends ]

“So...you’re really going, huh?”

Standing under the arch of Konoha’s main gate, Ryū stares back at Minato with a somber, yet determined expression. She offers a muted nod. “Mhm.”

The blond’s hands are stuffed in his pockets, trying to appear nonchalant. But they both know he doesn’t feel nearly as cool as he looks. “It’s...gonna be really weird having you be the one absent, huh?”

In spite of herself, her lips flicker into a momentary smile. “Yeah...just when you’re back, it’s my turn to leave.”

“...any idea how long you’ll be gone?”

“I...really don’t know.” Her gaze lowers slightly. “I guess it just depends how long it takes me to master everything. It could be a year, it could be...many years. I can’t really be sure.”

After a pause, Minato sighs, posture hunching for a moment. “...I’m happy you found it. I know that’s been eating at you for a long time. Just...wasn’t expecting it to take you out of the village that long.”

“Neither did I…” Ryū’s greys look to the north despite the obstacles between her and her target. “When the war ended...I wanted to get some closure. Just...see it with my own eyes. Affirm it was over, that...there was nothing to go back to. I never expected to find anything there alive...let alone a sage.” She then turns back to Minato, and there’s a light in her eyes he hasn’t seen for far too long. “She knows everything…! About the village, and my family...all the way back to their roots. I have so much to learn from her about where I came from...and my clan’s techniques. I’ll finally know who I am...and be able to get even stronger.”

Finally, a sad smile lifts Minato’s lips. “Yeah...m’happy for you, Ryū. It’s just gonna be awfully quiet around here without you. And I’m gonna miss my medic lessons.”

“I’ll have so much more to teach you when I’m done training! And I bet you’ll still be learning loads, otherwise. We’ll both be shocked how different we are when I...get back…”

The pair fade into silence.

“...well, you be careful. Just because the war is over doesn’t mean it’s totally safe out there. You sure you’re all right going by yourself…?”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. I’m actually going most of the way with a trading caravan headed north when they leave Konoha. By the time we’ll part ways, it’ll be up into the mountains. I doubt anyone will bother me there.” She offers a more steady smile. “Maybe you can write to me, ne? That’ll make time go a little faster. And we can keep up with how we’re doing!”

“I’d like that.”

Another long pause, neither sure what else to say.

“...I’m gonna miss you, Ryū.”

Like a crack in a dam, her expression falters, chin trembling and eyes going glossy with tears. “...y-yeah...I’ll miss you, too…” Biting her lip, she then throws aside inhibitions and closes the gap between them, latching onto Minato tightly.

Barely catching her, his eyes go wide before embracing her back, feeling her shaking. He’s not going to cry...he can’t…

“Take...take care of yourself, o-okay?” she murmurs. “I won’t be around to patch you up.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“I mean it! The war’s over, so no unnecessary risks. You better be just as I left you when I get back!”

That earns a soft snicker. “I promise. Though...I might be a little taller.”

“...I’ll allow it,” she sniffs.

They stand there a long moment before parting, Ryū’s face rosy from her little outburst.

“You better be careful too, Ryū.”

“I will. I’m sure shishō will keep a close eye on me.”

“Suppose you can’t get much safer than with a sage, huh?”

“...mhm…”

“Oi, Minato!”

Startling, both youths turn to see the blond’s sensei approaching. “Jiraiya!”

“So, I hear someone’s starting off on a journey!” the toad sage offers, hands on his hips. “Being left behind, are you Minato?”

He stiffens slightly. “Ryū’s off to get more medical training, sensei. I already told you.”

“Yes, yes...which reminds me…” His arms move to cross over his barrel chest, teeth gleaming with a grin. “I thought I’d ask if you’d like to go on a little adventure of your own!”

“...what do you mean?”

“Well, we can’t have you outmatched by your friend now, can we? She’ll be a sage next time you see her! So, what if you got a little sage training of your own…?”

Minato blinks...and then pales. “...you mean...with you? W-with the toads?”

“Of course! Don’t tell your teammates, but uh…” He leans in, a hand at his mouth conspiratorially. “You’ve got a mountain of promise, Minato. And I want to see that molded into something great! You’ve got the makings of a Hokage in you, I’m sure of it!”

The boy’s expression goes slack with shock. “...me…?”

“Yes, you! So, how about it? It can be a little...race between the two of you! See who reaches sagehood first, hm? Nothing like a little rivalry between childhood friends now, is there? It’ll help spur you forward!”

Both youths blink before glancing at each other. “I...I guess so,” Ryū replies, tone and expression a bit demure. “It would be really neat…! If we both became sages?”

Clearly still surprised, Minato gives a slow nod. “...yeah…”

“Then it’s settled! We can leave for Myōbokuzan whenever you feel like setting out. I imagine you’ve got a little preparation to do, after all. You just holler, and we can go!”

“O...okay…!”

It’s then that a chorus of wooden wheels sound against the street, and the trio turn to see the scheduled caravan making its way toward the gate. “Oh! That’s my ride!” Ryū exclaims.

Not expecting it so soon, Minato feels his chest tighten, watching as she goes to speak with one of the traders.

“...so…”

“Eh?”

Glancing down to his pupil thoughtfully, Jiraiya asks, “Say everything you wanted to say before she leaves…?”

Minato balks. “Huh?”

“You know, sage training takes most people a few years, if they succeed at all. Odds are...you’re not going to see her for quite some time. So if there’s anything you want to tell her...you might want to do it now.”

Slowly, a hint of pink grows in Minato’s cheeks. Something he...wants to tell her?

“Minato!”

Startled yet again, he staggers back as Ryū gives him one last tight embrace. “R-Ryū?”

“Good luck on your journey…!” She pulls back, giving him a warm smile. Oddly enough, she’s still rosy-cheeked.

“You, uh...you too.”

For a moment, the pair stand in their pseudo-hug, and Minato finds himself oddly...frozen. It feels like there’s something he should be doing, and yet...all he can get himself to do is blink.

“Well...safe travels little lady!” Jiraiya then offers, breaking whatever spell the pair were under.

“Y...you too, Jiraiya-sama, Minato!” Giving her friend one last glance, Ryū then turns and hops astride one of the wagons. With their papers cleared, the caravan then begins to pass beneath the archway.

“You were awfully quiet.”

Watching the carts go, Minato is silent for a long moment. “...not yet.”

“Hm?”

“I...I can’t tell her yet. When we meet again - when I’m stronger - then I’ll do it.”

Looking in surprise to his student, Jiraiya blinks before chuckling, a hand patting Minato on the back. “...I understand. I’ll go speak to the Sandaime about our leaving. Once we’ve got everything in order, we can head out ourselves.”

Nodding, Minato sees his sensei head toward the Administrative building. There’s an odd kind of...weight in his chest. Without intending them, a handful of memories drift through his mind. From their first introduction in her office to the day she returned from her home’s ruins with news of what she found, various scenes with Ryū’s face - some happy, some sad, some...indescribable - bring a soft smile to his face.

When he sees her again, he’ll be ready. For now...he’s got planning to do.

“Fall back!”

Flickering behind a tree trunk, Minato waits patiently as a blast of hot air gushes past both sides of his cover. Cinders and ash streak by him, senses honed and waiting for an opening. There are still three dozen or so foreign signatures between him and his goal. Alongside him, there are only four of his allies remaining.

Whoever scouted the intel for this mission better hope they never cross paths. Lightly guarded his ass.

“Namikaze-taichō! What should we do?”

Mind going over what he knows and attempting to come up with a plan, the seventeen year old glances to the remaining jōnin beside him. All are wounded, uncertainty clear in their eyes.

“...stay here. I’m going to try and get past their line. Once I do, we can hit them from both sides. Wait until they’ve turned their backs to face me, then strike. Until then, anyone with doton should try to make some kind of barricade to fall back to if necessary, and maybe lay some traps if you can. Wait for my signal.”

“Hai!”

Peering around the scorched remains of his hiding place, Minato takes a moment to concentrate, suppressing his chakra signature as tightly as he can. Then bursts of speed take him from trunk to trunk, working his way toward a gap in their front line. If he can just -

Flickering one last time, his body tenses as it’s brought to a painful halt. Frozen in place mid-stride, Minato’s heart leaps as he realizes he’s passed a locking tripwire seal. How did he not -?!

“Over there!”

Doing his best to overload the technique and free himself, Minato gives a cry as a heavy fist nails him right in the gut. Flying backward and still partially paralyzed, he crashes against a stone that cracks on impact. Air wheezes from his lungs, vision flickering as his brain rattles.

...shit.

Doing his best to haul himself to his feet despite his protesting muscles, Minato’s eyes go wide as another enemy nin streaks forward, hand signs indicating an incoming suiton barrage.

“Senpō: Bōei no kabe!”

With a flash of energy, a dome of translucent white chakra erects over him, earning a startle as he falls back on his rear. Beyond the barrier, water gushes and parts over the half sphere.

What -?!

From the canopy above him, slipping through the shield like a spectre, a figure lands in a silent crouch a few paces in front of Minato. Staring, it takes him a moment to process both what he sees, and what he feels.

“...Ryū…?”

Standing upright, a young woman turns to behold him. She’s taller, with longer white waves held back in a tail. But the same doe-like greys look him over before giving a grin.

“Not exactly how I planned to see you again, but I guess this will have to do.” Glancing back toward the enemy, she then kneels beside him. “Hold still, ne?”

“Wha-?”

Tugging up his shirt, she nips a thumb before painting a seal on his skin with crimson. Then her palm plants against it, a burst of chakra bleeding through his body and earning a gasp. “Hold still for a minute - let that do its work. Once you’re back on your feet, you can lend me a hand.”

“But -!” Body heavy, Minato watches her approach the wall of the barrier. Senses still piqued, he can feel her reserve suddenly opening up and overflowing.

...a sage state.

Like phantoms, large limbs of chakra form over her arms: the same ghostly-white chakra as the shield. Tipped with claws, the huge hands slip with her through the barrier.

“Ryū, wait!” Managing to shift to his knees, Minato coughs. He can still feel her chakra hot against his skin, seeping down and singeing its way through to his injuries. Slowly, the ache in his back, the ringing in his head, and the bruise along his torso begin to fade. While not a full healing, it negates enough of the wounds to leave him feeling back on his feet.

...well I’ll be damned.

Taking a deep breath and feeling no pain, Minato glances up and grins. Outside, Ryū’s chakra-formed limbs rake and tear at foes beyond the shield, blocking jutsu and strikes alike. While he can’t know just by looking, he has to wonder if it’s the same energy as the bubble currently protecting him.

Just what all did she learn while she was gone?

Approaching the white wall of chakra, Minato lifts a hand, finding himself able to phase through.

“Namikaze-taichō, who -?”

“No time to explain - she’s an ally! You all stay here. We’ll handle this.” Taking out a handful of tri-bladed kunai, Minato tosses each to strategic parts of their makeshift battlefield. And with bursts of chakra, he begins hopping to each enemy, dodging their blows and exchanging some of his own.

In what feels like both hours and minutes...it’s over.

Slowing to a stop, Minato sweeps the clearing with his senses. While all he fought are dead, those Ryū finished off are still alive, bodies completely slack and unable to move.

“Does Konoha take prisoners?”

“...I don’t see why not,” he replies, turning to her in surprise. “Not the killing sort?”

She gives a shake of her head. “It goes against my master’s teachings. I’m supposed to save lives, not take them.”

“...guess I can’t fault you for that.” Glancing to his remaining teammates, Minato asks, “Got enough energy left to do some patch work?”

“Of course. You work on the enemy nin, and I’ll see to your teammates.”

Watching her go, Minato can’t help but feel...off. There was no tearful reunion, no...well, anything he’s planned out in his mind all this time. He can’t but feel a bit cheated, but...maybe they’ll have time for that later. For now, there’s other things to worry about.

By the time he’s tied up the nin she left alive, Ryū is just finishing the basics with his squadmates. All four watch her a bit warily, torn between relief and doubt.

“Everyone, this is Suigin Ryū. She’s a medic, and an ally of Konoha’s. Nothing to worry about. Now, we still need to fetch the intel, and then get these prisoners back to Konoha for questioning. We just might get something extra with them left alive.”

“I can help with the legwork.” With another nip of her thumb, Ryū executes a summoning contract. As the vapor clears, a sooty-spotted white owl stands in the clearing.

Minato’s head barely comes up to its chest.

“Monban, I need you to take this lot to Konoha’s intelligence department. Tell them they’re from Namikaze Minato’s current assignment, and he’ll be following along shortly.”

“Of course, Ryū-sama.” Ducking to let the prisoners be strapped to his back, the avian then takes to the skies.

“So...got yourself a summon?”

“One or two,” she replies vaguely. “I’ll introduce you once things...quiet down, ne?”

“...right.”

Once the location is cleared and everyone fit to travel, Ryū does so alongside them, the trek back to Konoha done mostly in silence. In spite of himself, Minato can’t help the occasional glance her way. Questions burn the back of his tongue, but...she’s right. This is neither the time nor the place for it.

The gate sees them checked back in, Ryū providing her papers and given a pass to return. While she escorts his teammates to the hospital, Minato makes his way to the administration building.

“Minato,” Hiruzen greets as he enters the Hokage’s office, looking a bit surprised. “You’ve returned so soon?”

“I...got a little help. Did our delivery make it here in one piece?”

The old man blinks just as an ANBU flickers to his side. Whispered words are exchanged before the officer vanishes. “...it seems it has,” the third replies, chewing thoughtfully on the stem of his pipe. “This mission saw you cleared for lethal action.”

“And we took it, in part. A few were left alive, and we thought they might give some additional insight.”

“I see...and the files?”

Holding out a sealing scroll, Minato hands it over wordlessly.

“Perfect. I’ll have our decoding team begin deciphering these immediately. Thank you, Minato. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.” Giving a curt bow, Minato wastes no time in flickering his way to the hospital.

“Yes, thank you.” Turning from the mouth of the main hallway, Ryū comes up short as he stands just behind her. “Oh! When did you -?”

“Are they all right?”

She blinks, and then nods. “Yes. A few major injuries, but nothing life-threatening. I patched up what I could. A few days and they should be fine.” There’s a small pause. “...how many -?”

“Three. Two four-man cells. Our intelligence was...incomplete, it would seem. We weren’t prepared for the defenses we met.”

“I see...I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner.”

“I’m just glad you showed up when you did. Been a while since I was hit that hard…” Fading to silence, he leans back a bit as Ryū in turn leans forward. Greys squinting, she gives him a once-over. “...uh -?”

“You did indeed get taller. And I suppose you’re still technically in one piece. Guess that means I can let you off the hook.”

Blinking, he stares at her for a moment before relaxing with a nervous chuckle. “Thought I was in for it there for a second.”

“Very nearly,” she replies, arms crossing. “But I think you’ve had a rough enough day as it is, ne…?”

“Yeah...can’t argue there.”

Looking to him thoughtfully, Ryū then softens. “...it’s so good to see you, Minato...been a long couple of years without your sunshine to brighten my days.”

Balking just a hair, Minato struggles against a creeping warmth in his cheeks. “It, uh...it’s good to see you too. Been waiting to come back to you lurking in my apartment.”

In spite of herself, she laughs. “Believe me, I thought about it. But it seems our paths were intended to cross before then. Otherwise, I might’ve.” Her expression turns a bit coy. “Guess you got quite the introduction to some new skills of mine, ne?”

“Sure did. You’ll have to show them all off.”

“Maybe later. For now, I’m glad to just wind down for the day. Wasn’t expecting to run into a fight on my way back. Walk with me, maybe…?”

“...sure.”

Leaving the hospital behind, the pair head out not toward the village center, but into the more residential sections. Fewer crowds, less noise.

“...so…”

Minato scoffs at the break in the silence. “Kinda hard to know where to start, huh?”

“Yeah...in a way everything feels the same. Like I just saw you yesterday. But at the same time, like it’s been forever.” Coming to a stop, Ryū hops atop a half-wall along their path. “Konoha hasn’t changed.”

“Did you expect it to?”

“No, not really. I guess it’s just odd because I’ve changed. Feels a bit...weird being back here now.”

Sitting beside her, Minato glances over. “Good weird, or…?”

“...just weird. I haven’t seen many people since I left. The crowds are a little...much after so much solitude.”

“Ha, I get that. There’s a lot of toads on Myōbokuzan, but...they’re rather different from people.”

That earns a laugh. “I can imagine. Suigin-sama is…” She heaves a thoughtful breath. “...very stoic. Very quiet. As much as I adore her, it did get lonely every so often. But I think it will take a little adjusting after all this time.”

“I’d imagine.”

“How long were you gone?”

“I’ve been back a few months.”

To his surprise, her lips purse in a childish pout. “So, you did beat me…”

“W-well, I mean...they were two totally different branches of sage training, right? I doubt we’d ever have finished at the same time. Even two students of the same teacher learn at different paces.”

“True...guess I’d just hoped it wouldn’t take me too long…”

He considers her a moment. “...the only part that was too long was not being able to see you.”

That gets her to jolt slightly. “...y-yeah, you’re right. If I’m being honest, I...wasn’t exactly sure what I was gonna say, or...how to say it.” She shrinks in on herself, and suddenly her bravado from the day is gone...and she’s just like how he remembers her. So shy and withdrawn. “...is it weird I practiced it in my head?”

“Heh, no...I was doing the same thing. But I guess that all got kinda jumbled, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it really did. Not exactly the reunion either of us pictured, I’m sure.”

“Not quite. Wasn’t exactly expecting you to swoop in and save my ass.”

Ryū can’t help a rather unladylike snort. “Neither was I!”

“Weren’t showing off, were you?”

“No!” At his perked brow, she goes pink. “...okay, well...maybe a little. But mostly I just wanted to make sure you were okay! I saw you take that hit, and I…”

At her trailing silence, he sobers slightly. “...well, you got me patched up. Speaking of...what did you do?”

“It’s a chakra transfer and direction seal. Depending on the details of the symbols, it redistributes the chakra I gave you to the worst of your injuries. Rather than me directing it to heal manually, it sort of acts like...a speed up agent. Your body takes the extra energy and heals itself as it would naturally, just...faster with the excess. It helps my chakra’s attuned for it anyway. That’s all thanks to Suigin-sama.”

“...huh. You’ll have to show me later.”

“Mhm!”

With that, the conversations idles. When Ryū’s eyes cast out over the village, clearly taking in the long-missed image, Minato watches her from the corner of his own. Her face isn’t as rounded as it used to be, but is still rather heart-shaped. Unlike their wartime months growing as friends, there isn’t a heavy shadow to her gaze - no unending worry pinching her brows. Even the subtle hints of her posture are different: more relaxed, and less reserved. She seems a lot more confident, even if she still has her moments.

Clearly she didn’t just grow as a medic, but as a person, too. Though he’s still taller, she’s also gained some height.

And, er...other things.

Flushing slightly and removing his gaze for the moment, Minato asks, “So...are you going to stay in Konoha?”

“For now, yes. I’d still like to make trips back, but...I think overall, Konoha will be where I spend most of my time. My line used to be nomadic - the women would travel all over the continent and tend to anyone. But that’s...not really possible now, and having a steady home and a steady place to work is good for me, I think. I’ll still head home sometimes to brush up on training, or just...have some time to myself. It’s strange...as quiet and somber and haunted as home feels...I still feel more at ease there.”

That earns a pause. “...because there aren’t any shinobi?”

For a moment, she doesn’t answer. “...maybe. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It might just be the ties my family has to it. Something in my blood that can’t ever let go. We lived there for centuries, almost back to the time of the rikudō sennin. Suigin-sama brought us there, gave us her name, and her power. It’s like a bird that always has to return to the same nest where its egg was laid. I’ll always feel drawn there.”

“...I see.”

A moment longer she stares out over the village, and then Ryū turns to face Minato. Clearly steeped in her thoughts, her usually-expressive face is an odd neutral he can’t read as she flickers eyes over his face. “...but…”

“...but?”

She seems to hesitate. “...but there are things that draw me here, too.”

In spite of himself, Minato feels a flutter in his chest. “Oh...oh yeah?”

“...mhm.”

When she doesn’t elaborate, he feels himself grow nervous. “Well, I’m...I’m glad. I know this isn’t where you were born, but...it’s good to have you here. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

She blinks, and then gives a soft smile. “...I’m happy that, to someone, I matter that much.”

“Of course you do!”

Balking a bit at his hurried reply, Ryū then can’t help a giggle. “And you matter to me, too. You’re still my best friend, Minato. Doesn’t matter how much time has passed.”

For just a moment, he hesitates.

Ah...friend.

...why does that word feel like a sinking stone in his chest?

Noticing his lagging, Ryū also pauses. “...is something wrong?”

“...no, it’s nothing.”

“Minato…”

“Huh?”

Leaning around to his front, she studies him closely, seeing him stiffen at the proximity. “...you know you can’t hide things from me, right? I’m a much better sensor than I was before. Maybe not as good as you, but…”

Trying to get a hold on his heartbeat, Minato blinks, trying to keep his expression blank.

“...I can still tell when you’re nervous, as stoic as you try to be sometimes.” A spark of mischief alights in her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting. “...is there something you want to tell me?”

“...tell you? Like...what?”

She heaves a soft sigh, gaze averting. “Nothing at all…? Even after all our time apart…?”

“...er…”

“Because...there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

There’s no holding back the organ in his chest now. He swears she can probably hear it right through the skin. As hardened as a shinobi as he’s trained himself to be, Minato supposes there’s no denying one thing: he’s still a teenage boy. And even teenage boys with wars under their belts get frazzled in...situations like this. “W...what is it?”

“...ever since I left, even when I got lost in my training, and was exhausted from long days, or was buried in all I was learning about my past...I don’t think there was a single day I didn’t think about you. That I didn’t miss you. You were my first real friend in Konoha. As much as I admired my teachers, and as much as they supported me...it wasn’t the same as what I found with you. Whether it was the good days, or the...not so good days, I always felt better when you were around. But sometimes, it sort of...confused me. There’d be times where I’d feel warm for no reason, or nervous even though I had nothing to be nervous about. I thought...maybe there was something wrong with me.”

As she pauses, Minato just...stares, not wanting to interrupt. Oh gods...is this really happening?

“...but then I realized it wasn’t anything wrong. It was just something...new. Something different. You were my friend. My best friend. But you’d also come to mean more to me than that. You were my most important person. Even if, heh...I didn’t have many other people to compare you to…”

“...Ryū…”

“...you learn a lot about yourself when you’re alone. Truly alone. Up in the mountains, with nothing but the wind and the rain to listen to. It makes your own thoughts so much louder. So much clearer. And they were telling me something very important. Something I already knew, but wasn’t ready to admit.” Finally, she lifts her eyes back to his own. “...that I love you, Minato.”

As though caught in a vacuum, everything seems to go completely still. Staring back at her with wide blues, Minato vaguely feels heat in his cheeks. Did...did she really just say…?

“...I wondered if maybe...that wouldn’t be something you wanted to hear,” she then adds softly. “But we both know one thing: life can be tragically short. There’s no war right now, but...there will likely be another eventually. We might not make it through it. So I just...wanted you to know that.”

Struggling to speak, Minato feels his throat close up. Say something, damn it! She’s getting the wrong idea!

“...so, if you’d rather have some time to...to think, and -”

“N-no!”

She startles, not expecting the outburst. “...no…?”

Breaking free of his fog, Minato carefully takes her arms in his hands, looking to her fervently. “...no, I...I don’t need time to think. When you went to go train...Jiraiya-sensei asked me if I had anything to say before you left. And...and I did. But I didn’t feel ready. I wanted to be stronger. To be...more than I was. Older, maybe a little wiser, a little more...sure. Because there’s a lot that I know, and...a lot that I don’t know. But even after these years apart, one thing hasn’t changed. And that’s...how much you mean to me. We met when we were pretty young. When things were so unsettled, and dangerous. I think maybe I was afraid. Afraid that...somehow, war would tear us apart, however that might have happened. That if I got any closer, and I lost you...I wouldn’t recover. I couldn’t take that leap. Maybe that makes me a coward.”

“Minato, no -!”

“But if today proved anything, it’s that maybe I’m not as strong or as clever as I might think I am. And that maybe you’re not as fragile and at-risk as I thought you were. That maybe I don’t have to be afraid anymore. Maybe being afraid in the first place was stupid, because even if I didn’t admit it...I was still as close as I feared getting. That I loved you too...as much as someone my age could love someone, at least. I’m all out of excuses.” His lips flicker upward. “...so maybe you did grow faster than I did. Because you were brave enough to say it first, huh?”

After a shocked pause, greys almost glowing with elation, Ryū slowly breaks into a smile...which is soon joined by happy tears. Without a word, she loops arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly.

With the words out and unable to be taken back, Minato gently returns the hold. “...so I guess that’s it then, huh?”

“I was so n-nervous…”

“Really? Didn’t seem that way to me at all. If anything, I was the one bumbling things. That...wasn’t exactly my area of expertise.”

“Me neither…” Shyly, Ryū withdraws enough to meet his eyes. “...you really…?”

“Yeah, I do,” he replies, not needing her to finish the question. “That, uh...that might’ve been part of what I was always practicing in my head. To say to you, when you got back.”

“Really? Me too!”

The pair of them devolve into a mess of laughter.

“We’re both pretty pathetic aren’t we?” Ryū manages to ask between giggles, wiping at her eyes.

“Guess that’s why we get along so well.”

Flushed pink and beaming, Ryū gently leans against his shoulder. This has been a far cry from her daydreaming the last few years, but...she’ll take it.

“So...now that that’s out of the way...now what?”

She snorts. “I...have no idea. Though I think for the most part, nothing all that much needs to change, ne? We’ll just...figure out the rest as we go.”

“I suppose.”

“...though I guess I should talk to Sarutobi-sama about an apartment. And rejoining the hospital staff. I wonder if I’ll have to do my exams again…”

It takes Minato a moment to process all of that. “...wait...you don’t have your apartment?”

“No. I figured it would be silly to keep it since I’d be gone so long. Besides, it was...really tiny,” Ryū admits sheepishly. “I’d like to have something a little bigger. Though I don’t really have much of anything to put in one…”

“...do you need a couch to crash on?”

Glancing up, she blinks. “...I-I don’t want to impose -?”

“I’d hardly call that imposing.”

“W...well, I’ll see what the Hokage says. I guess if I need to, then...then I can.” Her cheeks flash pink again. “But it shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“Just let me know.”

“I will.”

The pair sit in a peaceful silence for a time, watching the parts of the village they can see go about their day. Neither of them seem all that motivated to move.

But as the afternoon ages, Ryū heaves a sigh. “...well...maybe I should do that sooner rather than later…”

“Yeah, probably a good idea. Want me to go with you?”

“No, that’s all right. You should get some rest, anyway - I might’ve given you a boost, but you still need to recuperate after that fight today, ne?”

He sighs. “...guess so.”

“I’ll let you know how things go. I’ll stop by if I need to, but...I guess otherwise, I’ll send you a message in the morning?”

“Sure! We’ll try and have a more proper first day back for you then, huh?”

She giggles. “That would be nice, yeah.” Hopping from the wall, she turns back to face him. “Go rest, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

There’s a brief look at his retort before she starts heading back the way they came.

Watching her go, Minato then heaves a long, slow sigh. Bits and pieces of the day run back through his mind. It’s funny, he expected to feel, well...more. Like he could float to the moon. And while he’s undoubtedly ecstatic, it’s in a more calm sort of way. Like...an extension of what he already had. A natural progression. From childhood friends to...well, whatever this is. He supposes he can call her his girlfriend now, it just...feels a little odd, yet.

...oh well. There’ll be plenty of time to get used to that. For now, he better do as the doctor’s ordered. Last thing he wants is a scolding.

He has a feeling her threats might hold a bit more weight to them now.

All righty folks, Sylvie's back at it again with the Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week! This year's theme is ship tropes, with no particular daily prompts. And for my first entry, I went with the childhood friends trope, and the (potential) ship between my main OC Suigin Ryū, and @i-minato-chan's Namikaze Minato! We've been writing these two smols for about a year and a half now. And in RP at least, there hasn't been any kind of confession, though it's...rather obvious that Ryū has a wee crush x3 Sooo I thought I'd use them for one of the ship week drabbles and do a little 'what-if' with them! Obviously this...isn't canon since it's a drabble rather than RP, but just a possible outcome for maybe something down the road x3 Sorry Ryū, this doesn't count lol - you'll have to actually work up the courage to do so in a thread someday! Hopefully I did Minato justice - I’m always nervous writing someone else’s muse ahaha~ I can’t really assume how he’d act overall either, so...hence this very much being a what-if lol But yes! I'll be posting the rest of the drabbles throughout the week (assuming I get them done kjfgjg), so that'll be what's in your feed for this first part of June! Hopefully after that I can wrap up some other WIPs. Life has been buuusy and stressful so I haven't had as much time to fic (or even RP) as I've wanted, sadly. But we'll see how things go after this! Anywho, that's all for now! Thanks for reading~

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #iminatochan #namikaze minato #suigin ryū #jiraiya #a tear in time [ canon verse ]#childhood friends

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kusunogatari · 4 years

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[ Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2020 - No Ordinary Hero ] [ @naruto-ocxcanon-ship-week || @frogprinceus ] [ Suigin Reika, Jiraiya, Senju Tsunade ]| [ Alcohol, blood ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ Trope: Bodyguard Romance ]

“I warned you that being so public with this new research was going to be dangerous…”

“Oh please, Tsunade. I thought you were the last person to worry about danger. That’s the thing about science: it all has its risks. But this study is already bringing us so much closer to better health for mankind. If someone wants to scream in my face or throw paint on my clothes or what have you, let them. I’m not going to be intimidated into silence when I have important work to do!”

“That’s not my point!” A fist slams down on the desk between them, and Reika looks at it with raised brows. “You’re receiving death threats, Reika! People want you dead!”

“I’m not about to let that stop me.”

“Death is the one thing that will stop anyone. You need to be more careful -”

“I need to do my work!”

Nostrils flaring with an angry breath, Tsunade growls, “I’ve already made some calls for additional security.”

“What -?!”

“And you’re going to have a bodyguard. No ifs, ands, or buts. People want to hurt you. They want to kill you. And I’ll be damned if I let them get their way. You’re my friend, Reika. And you’re a brilliant mind in our field. I don’t want to lose either of those things!”

Stiffened as she prepares to rebuke, the younger doctor can’t help but deflate at the confession. “...I don’t like the idea of bowing to people who want to stop our progress. What we do is so important…”

“I know that. But you can keep doing your work more safely with a little help. A friend of mine is going to step in as your personal guard. He and I and another friend went through a stint in the military together.”

“...when you were a combat medic?”

“Yes. He stuck with it longer, and he knows what he’s doing. He’ll keep you safe, I know he will. Then once the work is done and things quiet down...you can go back to doing things on your own. But until the threats stop, I want you kept safe.”

“...all right. Do I at least get to meet him first?”

“He’ll be here in two days. He’s…” Tsunade pauses for a moment. “...well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.”

A white eyebrow perks. “...you’re not exactly instilling confidence in me, Tsunade.”

“He just has his quirks. We all do. Nothing harmful, just...potentially annoying.”

That earns a snort. “Annoying, huh? I’ve dealt with my share of annoying over the years. I’ll be fine.”

“Good. I’ll call you when he gets here, and we’ll get the specifics set in place. Until then, please keep your head down?”

“I will, I will.”

“You better.”

When their days are over, Reika heads straight home as per her promise to Tsunade. She’s only known Tsunade for as long as they’ve worked together in the hospital here in the city. The older woman has told stories of her time before, when she served as a medic in the army. But she hasn’t talked much about two close friends that are mostly just names and vague descriptions to Reika as of yet. One, apparently, went rogue and hasn’t been seen in years. The other stuck with the job when Tsunade’s own losses prompted her to retire from the force and take a civilian position instead with the hospital.

Reika has to admit she’s curious about this one.

Military people can often be gruff or short-tempered. She has to hope he won’t be: she’s stubborn enough on her own. The last thing she’ll need is to be butting heads with someone meant to keep her safe from the protesters.

Fixing herself dinner and indulging in a glass of wine, she mulls the situation over. Part of her still thinks Tsunade is going overboard with her worrying, but...well, she’s a woman who’s lost a lot of people in her life. In that regard...she can’t really blame her. For now, she’ll just have to play along, see how things go. At worst, she has someone bothering her for a few weeks while this all blows over. At best...well, she’s not sure what the best outcome is. She...makes a new friend?

...sure.

For now, however...no point in worrying. So she tidies up, indulges in a book...and then turns in for the night to do it all over again tomorrow.

Two days later, she braces herself for impact.

Heading into work with her typical thermos of coffee, she rests her free hand in a coat pocket, sipping the caffeine and glancing around in curiosity. So far, nothing seems different. But as she rounds a corner to head into the lab, she spots Tsunade.

And standing opposite her is a man.

...he’s so tall!

Blinking, Reika gets a few seconds to examine him unnoticed. The mane of long white hair - held back mostly in a tail - honestly surprises her. Aren’t military types usually well-kempt and all that? Otherwise, however, he mostly fits the bill. Barrel-chested, confident in his posture, and speaking to Tsunade in what looks like a serious, hushed tone.

But as they both turn and spot her, the ‘serious’ part is quick to change.

“There you are,” Tsunade offers, arms crossed. “Come on, then.”

Closing the gap between them, Reika glances to her new ‘guard’ with a perked brow.

“This is Jiraiya. Jiraiya, this is Reika Suigin, the doctor I told you about.”

“Pleasure,” the man offers, giving a wide grin. “I’ve heard a lot about you! I’m intrigued to finally meet you myself.”

Deadpanning, Tsunade growls, “Don’t you start.”

“Start? Start what?”

“Reika isn’t one of your bar harlots or anything of the sort, so don’t bother with your charm. You’re here on a job, not a hunt.”

Jiraiya’s face turns to one of mock offense. “I would never! I have nothing but the highest respect for your fellow doctors, Tsunade. You wound me…”

Poking his chest sternly, she nonetheless warns, “Just because I trust you doesn’t mean I won’t fire you if you screw up. Reika’s my friend. She needs someone to keep her safe, not bother her.”

“All right, all right. I get it. I’ll be an expressionless, boring pillar of muscle for ten hours a day,” he rebukes, giving what might be a pout. “Jeez, Tsunade...cut me some slack.”

“I won’t give you any more than you need,” she sniffs. “Reika, you have my full permission to tell him to piss off if he pushes your boundaries too much.”

Glancing between the two suspiciously, Reika just replies, “...duly noted.”

Together, they watch her stomp back down the hallway before glancing to one another.

“Well...now that that’s out of the way,” Jiraiya mutters, a hand rubbing at his neck. “It really is nice to meet you. Tsunade’s told me a lot about you.”

“Funny, she really only mentions you in passing.”

“Yeah, well...it’s a bit complicated.”

“Scorned lovers kind of complicated?”

That makes him jolt in surprise. “...is it that obvious?”

“Uh, yeah,” Reika replies with a snort. “Let me guess: she rejected you.”

“...uh…”

“She seems the type to reject just about anybody.”

In spite of himself, Jiraiya laughs. “You’re not wrong. But I’ve got my share of faults. Namely that I’m too charming to keep tied down in one place too long.”

Crossing her arms, Reika perks a brow. “I take it that’s why she mentioned bar harlots…?”

“Well...that was a bit of an exaggeration. I’m a flirt, I’ll admit. But I don’t exactly have a hit list.”

That makes her roll her eyes. “Just keep any of that to a minimum while I’m working, all right? It’s difficult enough without having to filter out pick-up lines and innuendos.”

At that, Jiraiya gives a booming laugh. “Sure, sure! I’ll be quiet as a mouse. But you know…” He flashes another grin, eyebrows wiggling. “You didn’t specify for when you’re not working.”

There’s a momentary pause where she’s indeed caught in her slip up before Reika retorts, “Am I really stuck with you when I’m not at work?”

“Well, if you count escorts to and from the hospital, as well as check-ins at your house to make sure no one gives you any trouble there...at least partly, yes.”

That earns a bit of a scowl. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Tsunade…”

“Hey, she’s taking this seriously.”

“Too seriously,” she mutters. “...well, I guess that’s just how it is, then. Come on - I need to get to work.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“...don’t call me ma’am.”

“...yes sir?”

“Just...an ‘okay’ is fine.”

“Right. Got it.”

Rolling her eyes, Reika leads the way to the lab. She’s already fifteen minutes behind schedule thanks to all this nonsense this morning. Making her way in and getting to work, she can’t help but spare her new friend the occasional glance. True to his word, he mostly just...sits quietly, observing the lab with curiosity. Every so often he gets up, checks the windows, fiddles with his phone, and even leaves the room...presumably to patrol more of the hospital.

...as much as she hates to admit it, it’s...nice to have him there.

In truth, the protests have made her rather nervous. While she’s not afraid to get back in someone’s face and defend her position...she knows not everyone plays fair. She’s had some rocks thrown at her, one of which gave her quite the bruise along her upper arm.

Of course, she didn’t tell Tsunade that.

“Yeah, all clear so far. But we’ve got word of a possible demonstration this afternoon. Yeah. I know.”

Hearing his voice through the door, Reika pauses to listen. Seems he’s on the phone with someone. Probably Tsunade.

“I’ll disperse them. Don’t worry about it, I’ve seen a lot worse. Besides, you know there’ll be hospital security there if anything gets rowdy. Uh huh. I’ll let you know.”

The call then ends, and Reika busies herself with work again, feeling guilty at eavesdropping. But then again, this all concerns her.

“So, we got word some people are planning a little march today,” he explains once back inside. “Tsunade wants you to head home if it gets nasty.”

“But my shift goes until -?”

“I know. I’ll try to break things up, but if people start being stupid, she wants you somewhere safe.”

For a moment she considers arguing, but...in all reality she knows Jiraiya could very well just pack her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “...fine.”

With that news weighing on her, the rest of the day passes by with no small amount of tension. And it only gets worse when Jiraiya looks at his phone, frowns...and leaves.

...that doesn’t seem good.

Deciding to pause her work, she follows him, traveling through to the entrance of the hospital. True to their warning, there is indeed a small crowd outside bearing signs arguing against her research.

And Jiraiya approaches them calmly.

She can’t hear what he’s saying from here, watching warily from a window. At first, the crowd seems calm, like maybe they’ll disperse at his word.

But then someone spots her behind the glass, and things immediately begin to turn ugly.

Shouts ring out, fingers pointing, the people surging forward despite Jiraiya’s attempt to hold them back. Reika, in turn, retreats from the window cautiously.

...she’s got a bad feeling about -

CRASH

With a shatter, the window gives way as a rock is thrown, followed by several others.

“Those idiots…!”

Flinching at Tsunade’s harsh tone, Reika makes to speak, but is cut off.

“Get out of here! I’ll handle this.”

“But -?”

Making his way back in, Jiraiya’s mouth is set in a firm line. “We’ve got security pulling up.”

“Good. Take her home. And patch up your brow, you’re bleeding.”

He looks up at a split in his forehead. Probably from another rock. “I’ll live. Come on, Reika. We better -”

The three of them stumble back as something else comes hurtling through the window. But this isn’t a rock. Flames scatter from a Molotov cocktail, and screaming starts getting louder in the lobby.

Tsunade’s teeth grit, making for a fire extinguisher. “Now, Jiraiya! I’m not paying you to dawdle!”

“Working on it!” Wasting no time, he just scoops Reika behind her knees and her back and makes for the rear exit and parking garage.

“I can walk -!” she insists, trying not to let fear or shock overcome her.

“I’m aware. But this is faster and less risky.” Jamming an elevator button with his elbow, he takes them inside to descend to the parking lot. Once the doors open, he takes them to a rather sizable vehicle, setting Reika in the front seat as he takes the driver’s.

With a revving of the engine, they make their way out and into the streets.

Tense and breathing heavily, Reika mutters, “...this is all my fault.”

“It’s no one’s fault but the people who’re acting out. Don’t take blame for willful ignorance of others. Let alone being violent.”

...she has no retort for that.

The rest of the ride is silent until they reach her house. “All right...get in, lock the doors, and stay away from the windows.”

“And you?”

“I’ll be keeping watch out here.”

“Not before I take care of that split.”

“I -”

“Don’t bother arguing. If you think Tsunade is stubborn, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Sighing, Jiraiya weighs his options before relenting. “All right, fine.”

The pair of them scurry into the house, Reika fetching her well-stocked first aid kit while Jiraiya stands idly in the entryway. “Come sit down.”

Obliging, he turns his head toward a light as she cleans the split and the bloodtrail down his face. Flinching a bit as it stings, he asks, “How’s it look, doc?”

“Well, I think you’ll still have your dashing good looks,” she replies, smoothing antibacterial gel along the wound before getting it covered with gauze.

“Is that you calling me dashing?”

She pauses, giving him a glance. “...am I not allowed to?”

“...I don’t see why not.”

“I’m not at work,” Reika then adds, making sure her handiwork will stay in place. “So I suppose that means all other bets are off. Besides, you quite literally scooped me out of danger. I think paying you a compliment is the least I can do in return.”

That earns a grin. “If that’s the least, then what’s the most?”

She snorts, giving him a look and starting to put her supplies away. “The most is still a bit out of your league, I’m afraid. But keep trying. You might get there.”

“Is that permission?”

Her eyes roll. “It’s mostly banter, but...take it however you’d like.”

Once she returns from putting the box away, she’s surprised to find him heading toward the door. “What are you doing?”

“Best place to keep an eye on things is from a parking spot across the street. Anyone rolls up looking for trouble, I’ll see it. You just stay in here and wait for the all-clear, all right?”

Worry stirs in her stomach. “...you’ll be all right out there?”

“...here, let me…” Taking out a notepad from a pocket, he scribbles and then hands her a set of digits. “My cell. If you need anything, just text me. That way we can keep in touch.”

“...all right.” Looking it over, she then lifts her eyes back to him. “How long will you be out there?”

“No idea. I’ll have to hear back about the hospital, see if things quiet down.”

“...will you need dinner?”

He gives her a glance. “Is this the time to be asking me on a date?”

For a moment, Reika deadpans. “You’re going to be sitting in a car in front of my house making sure no one does anything stupid. Pretty sure it’s polite for me to make you something to eat if you’re here all night.”

“...I wouldn’t say no. But for now, we’ll just see how things go.”

“All right. Be careful.”

“You too. Remember: no windows.”

Remembering the rocks and the fire, she can’t help but grimace. “...right.”

Nodding, Jiraiya then heads back out, sitting in his car and settling in for the afternoon. Reika makes sure he’s in before shutting her curtains and sitting at her table with a sigh, brow resting in a palm.

While there’s a lingering anxiety, it seems to calm with the realization that she isn’t facing this alone. That someone is here to help. And while it’s only been a few hours, Reika already feels she can trust him. Between Tsunade’s reassurance and her own ability to read people well...she knows Jiraiya isn’t going to let anything happen to her.

So, after a short time to sit and think, she moves into her kitchen and starts cooking dinner.

For two.

More for the ship week! I'm...very behind due to Life but I'm trying to get at least a few more pieces done. Some might end up late, as this is the last official day, but...I'll be darned if I let delays get in the way of my ships xD Anywho, this is some Jiraiya x Reika goodness courtesy of the ship I have with @frogprinceus! A bit of a twist on their usual dynamic. In reality I'd like this to be longer and more fleshed out, but...I'm running out of time, so this might seem a bit rushed. Maybe I'll do more with it another time, but for now I have no idea when I'll have the time. Reika is usually rather no-nonsense, but Jiraiya brings out the banter in her and I love it xD Why did I have to kill her in canon? Whoops But yes, that's all for this piece! Hoping to get one, maybe two more done. Depends on how much time I end up having today :'D Either way, thanks for reading!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #frogprinceus #suigin reika #jiraiya #senju tsunade #alcohol //#blood //#best years of your life [ au ]#bodyguard romance

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duckbuttsurvivor · 5 years

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Naruto OC x Canon Ship week

June 5th Cowboys

{ It’s about time a handsome young cowboy wondered into the saloon, Miwaku was growing tired of all the ruffians

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #naruto #sasuke uchiha #oc #canon x oc #sasumiwa

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kusunogatari · 5 years

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[ @historias-multorum ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

Three weeks. Three weeks since the attack of the demon boar on his village. Three weeks since its evil took hold of his arm, infecting his flesh with poisonous hatred. Three weeks since Uchiha Itachi was given a choice: stay with the remnants of his clan, and let the mark slowly devour him...or rise to meet the fate he’d been given. Journey west to seek what had turned a god into a demon.

As fixated as he has tried to remain on his goal, thoughts of home still cross his mind. The kind smile of his mother, the stern instruction of his father, and the adoring looks of his little brother. All left behind, never to be seen again: his hair is cut. He can never go home.

Besides...there’s no hope for him there. All he can do now is keep moving forward. Pray that, somewhere along this road, salvation may wait for him. And if not that...maybe a kind of peace before the end.

Taking the road at a walk atop his elk, Itachi stops as they round a bend, catching sight of a village. Smoke rises from thatched roofs, people running and screaming. Some kind of battle…? No...only one side seems to be armed.

Chest clenching, he watches in torn horror. He’s only one man - he can hardly save a village from an onslaught. But as he stares, more samurai approach from behind with a shout. Arrows whisking past his ears, he urges his mount to a run, drawing an arrow as he prepares to cut through the crowd.

But as the string pulls taut, the muscles of his afflicted arm quiver, trembling and writhing before releasing the draw. With a whistle, the bolt finds its mark...cleaving a man’s head from his shoulders.

Teeth grit as he grips his limb, panic begins to set in. What’s happening to me…?!

Shocked at his power, the remaining warriors let him pass, staring in fearful awe.

Not letting up his gallop for over a mile, the pair eventually slow. By now, the throbbing in his arm has settled to a dull buzz. Stopping at a stream, Itachi bathes the mark in the cool running water, noting the change in the blemish.

“...it’s growing.”

Their travel pace stays slow until reaching another village. This one, peaceful, bustles with people and business. Straw hat drawn over his head and kerchief over his face, Itachi ignores the strange looks he gets. It didn’t take him long to realize that he sticks out like a sore thumb. Pushed to the fringes of the empire, the last dredges of the Uchiha have been isolated - unchanged. His old-style attire and unusual mount have kept more eyes on him than he’d like.

Leading his elk as they traverse the streets, he stops at a stand to pick up a sack of rice - his provisions are running far lower than he’d like, and he still has miles left to go, destination not yet wholly known.

Lost in thought as the woman fetches his rice, he looks up as she hands it over, in turn giving her a small nugget from his pouch. “Will this suffice?”

Taking the gold, she squints before giving him a glower. “Does this look like money to you? Hand back that rice - unless you can pay, you’ll get nothing from me.”

“Now now, wait a moment.”

Both of them glance over, as well as the growing crowd. Stepping up on tall geta, a priest flashes a charming smile. “Mind if I look at that shiny pebble, ma’am?”

She scoffs. “Be my guest.”

Accepting the piece, he looks it over carefully. “...well, by the gods - this isn’t just a rock, it’s a gold nugget! Now, I’m no expert, but…” He seems to try to weigh it in his palm. “I’d say this would be worth not just one bag of rice, but three! Maybe even more!”

Eyeing the crowds as they gawk at the gold, Itachi’s instincts tell him to move. Rice in hand, he turns and makes to leave before a riot breaks out.

“Hey, hey! Wait -!”

Grabbing the priest’s wrist, the woman insists, “Don’t wander off with my gold!”

Remounting his elk, Itachi hears the priest run up behind him. “Where are you running off to, huh? We haven’t even introduced ourselves! Jiraiya, traveling priest. And don’t sweat the gold debacle - I was happy to help. Y’see, you helped stave off those samurai, and I happened to be caught in the middle of it. As I see it, it’s the least I could do to repay you.”

Glancing over, Itachi doesn’t reciprocate. Behind them, he can hear more footsteps.

“Yeah, we’re being followed,” Jiraiya murmurs. “Guess all that ruckus over the gold caught the wrong attention. They’ll try to kill and rob us in the night. How about we make them work for their catch, eh?” With surprising agility, the priest takes off at a dead run.

Not sure what to make of this, Itachi weighs his options before urging his mount to a gallop.

Behind, the small group of thugs slow to a stop.

The pair keep their pace for a good while, stopping in what look to be ruins. Tucking into a crevice, they set up a temporary camp. While he doesn’t trust this man...Itachi figures he might be useful company. So as Jiraiya works on a stew, he explains some - but not all - of his story. His name and exact location are left out...he reveals only his purpose for traveling. Maybe this rather...strange priest can help him narrow down his search.

“Well, you made it this far, and then lost the trail...it happens. Say you’re cursed, are you? Many people feel that way now. Violence is everywhere.” Jiraiya nods to their surroundings. “See these ruins? When I last came through here, it was a village. Then something wiped it out...plague, landslide, fire, flood...and now, it’s a ghost town. What I mean to say is, everyone dies. And there are angry ghosts everywhere you walk. They starved, they’re killed, they’re sick...and no one gives a damn. Here, give me your bowl - the stew’s done.”

Lost in thought, Itachi does as asked, only half listening as the priest rambles on. It’s not until he notes the bowl’s make that dark eyes flicker up, expression stoney.

“...ever heard of the Uchiha?” Jiraiya asks, a knowing look in his eyes. “It’s strange, but...you remind me of them, with your stone-headed arrows, and that elk you ride.”

Staying silent, Itachi simply eats his meal, wariness ringing like a bell in his chest.

“...of course, they were all killed five hundred years ago,” Jiraiya then adds, taking a bite of his own. Grinning as he goes for more, the priest assures him, “I won’t tell anyone who you are, kid. I’ve got much bigger problems on my plate.”

After a thoughtful pause, Itachi reaches into his pocket before withdrawing the iron ball that had been found in the demon’s body. “...have you ever seen anything like this in your travels, priest?”

Accepting it, Jiraiya gives it a once-over. “Hm...can’t say I have.”

“That was inside the boar. I’m convinced it’s what ultimately killed him...and what drove him to fall from kami to demon.”

The pair fall into silence, Jiraiya’s gaze far away as he thinks. “...you know, some say that far to the west from here, in the mountains...dwells an ancient god. The spirit of the forest. They claim that, in his woods, beasts are all giant, as they were when man was young. But it’s a dangerous place for humans - no one enters and leaves alive.”

Maintaining a blank facade, Itachi’s heart leaps. Giant animals…? Like the boar? Then...that must have been where he came from! If he can make it there...perhaps he’ll find what he’s looking for. It doesn’t matter if the woods are dangerous - he’s a dead man walking, anyway. If he fails...perhaps an obliging beast will be his end.

...that settles it, then.

Sleeping lightly, he rises before the priest, quietly packing up camp. From here...he needs to go on his own.

No one else is going to get hurt.

Leading his elk from their camp, he gives one last bow to his companion before mounting and heading west.

Days blur together as he follows the trails and roads further and further from home. As the terrain starts to steepen, and the forests grow ever-thicker, a kind of knowing fills his chest.

He’s close.

Riding alongside a river, Itachi has to do a double-take. Dark eyes go wide, watching as bodies of oxen and people are washed downstream. Did the rain the previous night cause a landslide somewhere?! But then -!

Perking up, he dismounts, making his way to the bank where a body is caught. Holding a palm over the man’s mouth, he can feel breath. Carefully, he hauls the stranger from the water, placing him further up the bank before finding another. Checking the men’s wounds, he notices his elk’s cautious gaze across the river.

...is there someone else…?

Carefully treading over rocky outcroppings, Itachi keeps his face covered, peering through washed up debris along the river’s edge.

What he sees shocks him to stillness.

Laid along the opposite bank is a glittering silver creature. And from the trees emerge two more, far smaller and looking to the first with concern as it rises.

...those...those are dragons…! Then surely he must be near the forest spirit’s dwelling if kami like this are here!

Too lost in thought, he almost misses one final detail.

They aren’t alone.

Along one of the younger beast’s back is a woman. Dismounting, she runs to the elder dragon, gentle hands looking to a wound in her chest. Without hesitation, she begins sucking and spitting blood, attempting to clear it.

Staring, Itachi tenses as the god turns to face him, lips lifting in a snarl.

Attention brought, the woman does the same.

Blood is smeared across the pale skin of her face, silver eyes flashing like mirrors. Wild waves of white hair flow down her back, a strange mask and furred cape beneath them. Her outfit is exceedingly primitive.

The pair lock eyes, and Itachi finds himself frozen. What should he…?

Turning to face him fully, she spits the last of the blood from her mouth, watching him warily with furrowed brows.

Making up his mind, Itachi climbs to the height of the debris, pulling the cloth from his face. “O-kami-sama! I am Uchiha Itachi, from lands far to the east! Are you gods of the forest ruled by the forest spirit?”

The trio of kami stare alongside their human companion, the younger pair tensed as though ready to fight. Silence rings as each side seems to size one another up.

But then the mother turns, lifting herself to her feet and beginning to limp back into the treeline. Making to follow, her children keep wary eyes at their corners to watch him as the woman leaps astride one.

“...you should go back from whence you came,” is all she offers, letting her mount carry her into the trees where they disappear into the shadows.

Heart in his throat, Itachi watches them go before turning as a voice cries out.

Back where he left the two men, one attempts to scramble back, panicked and wide-eyed. Beside him sits a kodama, head tilted curiously at him.

Sighing lightly, Itachi approaches, offering, “You should keep still - your injuries are grave. There’s no need to be afraid - this little one is a tree spirit. They reside in healthy forests.”

“But...but they’ll bring their master to us!”

“Master…?” Itachi’s brows furrow. “...the dragons?”

“No, there’s a strange beast in these woods! It’s a deer, but some say it has a face of a man! And it - ah! Look! More of them!”

All around them, several more kodama reveal themselves, watching the humans.

“...if my mount isn’t afraid, we have nothing to fear. These spirits are harmless...so long as you treat them with respect.” Moving to approach one of the kodama, Itachi softly asks, “Please spirits, we mean you no harm - may we be granted passage through your woods?”

Clearly shy, the spirit slowly vanishes.

Hauling the conscious man atop his elk and doing his best to splint his injuries, Itachi takes the other on his back and just...starts to walk. A trail cuts through the trees, and several of the kodama seem to lead them down it. All around them in the treetops and branches, more of the tiny kami rattle and wriggle.

Clearly unnerved, the stranger offers, “You know, rumor has it that no human has ever come out of these woods alive, young man! Really, we should go back - there’s a road along the other side of the river!”

“The rains have made the current too strong...we’ll never make it across. And if we don’t get this man back soon, he won’t make it. A direct route is wiser. We’ll be fine.”

All the while, the parade of kodama keep their pace, all ending up at the biggest tree Itachi has ever seen. That must be the root of the forest...no wonder they gather here. It must be their birthplace.

Making their way past the thick trunk, the troupe emerges into a marsh. Clear water lies unmoving among the moss-covered trees, the air quiet and still. Sunlight dapples through the leaves to the plush undergrowth below.

Immediately Itachi has a feeling of knowing: this is a place beyond the mortal.

Watching warily, he eventually notices other tracks. Most are like those of a large bird or reptile...and among them, some like his own, only smaller.

The dragons and the woman came through here...it might even be where they live.

“Are...are we lost, young man? This place feels unwelcoming to humans…!”

“No, I think we’re safe...we’ll rest here a bit. You both need water…” Easing the man from his back onto one of the soft islands, Itachi fetches his bowl, rinsing it in the waters before going to drink.

...but then he sees it.

Another track, this one covered in shimmering butterflies. A strange, three-toed imprint, the likes of which he’s never seen before.

Dark brows furrow just a hair. What could have made these? And given their depth...it must have been recent. Scanning over the marsh, he stills as a herd of deer pass between two trunks, far in the distance. And among them...is a buck with antlers so branched and twisted, Itachi can hardly recognize them.

And yet, a feeling creeps into his bones. That...is it the -?

Before he can think, a painful spasm rocks through his cursed arm. The muscles quiver and writhe under his skin, as though reacting to the creature’s presence…!

Behind him, the injured man tenses. “S-sir? What’s going on? Are you all right?!”

Struggling to control his limb, Itachi holds it tight to his chest before plunging it into the water. The shock of cold slowly urges the reaction to a dull pulse, gooseflesh rising under his sleeve as sweat coats his brow.

Staring all the while...the creature then disappears. And with it, the last trace of reaction.

Releasing a breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding, Itachi sits back on his haunches, struggling to breathe. Once his lungs calm, he takes water back to the strangers.

“...are...are you well, sir? You went pale as a ghost for a moment there!”

“I’m fine…” Sitting up the second man, Itachi guides the bowl to his lips before looking to the one atop his elk. “...tell me, did you notice anything there, in the distance?”

“Er...what?”

“...nevermind.” Easing his companion back down, Itachi assures him, “Hold on - we’re nearly through.”

Clearly deranged with exhaustion and pain, he can only mumble, “M’lady...I...failed you…”

Brow furrowing, Itachi lets him rest before turning to look back out over the marsh.

Whatever it was...it’s gone.

For now.

As they pack back up, Itachi can’t help but notice...he feels stronger…? Suddenly the man on his back feels light as a feather. Behind him, the stranger wonders at the lessening of his pain. ...perhaps those waters were blessed. Hopefully it will be enough to see us back to...wherever it is we’re going.

A scant hour later, light begins filtering thicker through the trees, until the troupe makes its way out into open air. “Oh...we made it! Sir, look - you were right! Home is just on the horizon!”

Eyes wide, Itachi gapes.

It’s like...a fortress…!

Along the edge of a lake, a bank is stripped of trees, their trunks instead sharpened and buried to form an imposing field of spikes. And from more of the trees is a thick, tall wall around a smokey, barren village. At the very center is a strange, pyramid-like structure, from which great plumes of black smoke belch.

And at one end, walking through a gate, is the rest of the men’s caravan: battered humans and oxen finally making it back to safety after their trek through the peaks.

Itachi can’t help a mixed feeling of both horror and awe.

The empty land stretches up from the lake, men working the soil with water and tools. Like a great ugly scar, the turned and stripped soil is a strip of muddy brown and red along the edge of the green yet untouched. It’s a formidable sight...but also one that brings a somber melancholy to his chest.

“What...is this place…?”

“It’s Tsunade-sama’s Iron Town! We work the land here to harvest and shape iron!”

Leading the way down to the bank, Itachi warily watches a few men with shored boats as his companion calls a greeting. They go pale at the sight of them.

Seems the stranger was right. No one’s made it through the woods...and the fact that they’ve done so is quite the shock.

After a brief explanation, they’re allowed onto one of the boats to ferry them across to the island. As his elk swims alongside, Itachi gazes up at Iron Town warily. So...they craft iron here.

He wonders if they were the ones who made the ball that weighs heavy in his pocket.

Word spreads of their arrival like buzz through a bees’ nest. By the time they land, a great crowd rushes to meet them, everyone clamoring in excitement at the two lives spared, and asking about others.

“I’m sorry,” one of the men murmurs, “But...we were the only ones to make it.”

As the townsmen make to carry the injured, Itachi abandons the boat, moving to stand beside his mount. Yelling his praises, the other howls in pain as he’s lifted from the bow.

Then, from near the gate, a man calls out for them to stop. Marching down with a small band of soldiers behind him, he squints at Itachi suspiciously.

Itachi simple stares back, cloth drawn across his face.

“...as happy as I am to see my men brought back to me...something doesn’t feel right about all of this,” he growls, brow furrowed and lip curled. “You’re telling me that you - with two injured men - made it back here almost as quickly as the rest of our caravan? And not only that, but through the woods where the gods dwell? You really expect me to to believe that -!”

He’s cut off as a woman flies down the slope, coming to stop beside one of the injured. Puffing up, she begins lecturing him about losing his job now that he’s hurt, his stuttered rebukes ignored. When she rallies on the head of the guard, even he seems to back down to her temper.

Turning to Itachi, she then finally softens. “...listen, stranger...my husband may be an idiot, but I’m relieved he’s alive, and home where he belongs.”

Smiling beneath his mask, Itachi gives a soft chuckle. “I’m heartened to hear it. For a moment, I thought he would have been better off left by that river.”

Eyes widening, she then gives a hearty laugh.

Above them, another voice then sounds.

Everyone looks up to see a woman of blonde hair and amber eyes staring down at them. “...bring the stranger to me later. I wish to thank him personally.” Looking to her men, she then apologizes, listening as his wife insists it’s not necessary. “...I was the one leading the caravan, and tasked with defending it. This was all my fault.”

“Well, if it hadn’t been for you, everyone would have been snapped up by those dragons, and we’d all have to find new husbands!”

The gaggle of women behind their apparent leader laugh, and her lips quirk. “...rest for now, stranger. We will speak again this evening.”

Addressed specifically, Itachi respectfully bares his face before bowing.

Let inside, he is given a brief tour of the village they go through. There’s no true homes to speak of - just barracks where the men and women sleep. Ration tents and feeding halls line the streets, oxen housed and fed within the safety of the fortress’ walls. As full of people it may be, Itachi can’t help but feel this place isn’t truly one to live...just to stay as they work. He’s sure most must be trying to save up their fortunes in order to eventually find a way to leave, and start lives of their own.

...he wonders if such a thing is even possible.

Led to one of the men’s bunkhouses, he’s fed alongside them, his elk given cattle feed in one of the barns. To his embarrassment, women gather at the windows and door to stare and whisper, wondering at his appearance.

“Is this any way to act when we lost so many of our men so recently?” one man calls out.

“No harm in looking!”

“Or appreciating!”

“Stranger, you should come to our quarters,” another woman offers, grinning slyly. “You shouldn’t have to stay here in the barn -”

“All right, that’s enough! How dare you be so disrespectful! We risked our lives, and many were lost, to bring you that rice you’re eating!” another man cuts in.

“And who made the iron that paid for that rice?” a woman counters.

So, the women forge the iron…? Curiosity peaked, Itachi smiles. “If it’s no trouble, I’d be happy to see where you work, ladies.”

At once, they’re all atwitter again, wishing him well and not to forget.

Opposite him, one of the men scoffs. “Tch, spoiled-rotten women...Tsunade treats them far too kindly…”

“Well, doesn’t the saying go, ‘happy women make a happy village’?”

Immediately, several men laugh. “Oh, please - these women are all prior whores. Tsunade buys up the contract of as many brothel women as she can find to work her bellows!”

“She’s just kind, that’s all,” one man pipes up, quickly talked down.

“I’ll tell you what, she sure changed things around here when she showed up...not even afraid of the gods! She even managed to slay Nago!”

“Nago…?” Itachi questions, gut fluttering with knowing.

“Yeah! He was a huge boar god, but Tsunade-sama took care of him with her rifles!”

The other men nod. “We want to expand our hunt for iron, but the forest creatures wouldn’t let us! They hated that we had to cut down the trees to get to the ore. The boars, especially. We were stuck with no work until she showed up and cleared them out!”

Listening as the story is told, Itachi feels a creeping pain along his arm, hand grasping the limb as it aches. Glaring at the fire, his lack of reaction slowly lessens the men’s enthusiasm.

“...are you all right?”

He grits his teeth, not wanting to be impolite. “...I just wonder what became of the boar...if he died in great pain, seething with rage…”

Once finished eating, he’s escorted to see Tsunade, still working to finish a delivery of iron. Looking to him with a mix of curiosity and wariness, she admits, “Some of the people here are convinced you’re a spy for the gods, given your path through the forest. Others think you work for the samurai lord looking to conquer my town. You’d be amazed how many people want to take this iron…but let me ask you directly: why are you here?”

Rather than words, Itachi simply slips off his top, baring his arm and the swelling mark. In his hand, he offers the iron ball. “...something tells me you’ll know what this is. It was buried in the body of a boar god...and when I fought him to protect my people, I was cursed. This mark is its seal. Soon enough...it will kill me.”

“...and where do you hail from?”

“...somewhere far from here. I can tell you nothing else.”

Puffing up angrily, her guard demands an answer, but she lifts a hand. “...but what are you looking for?”

“...to see with eyes unclouded by hate.”

“Eyes unclouded…?” Mirthful laughter bubbles up her throat. “I believe I understand...come, I have something to show you.”

“...my lady?” her guard asks, only to be tasked to remain behind and work in her stead.

Through the village she leads him, to a walled-off corner. “This is my garden...no one else dares enter.” Within, she shows him a crowd of people, most covered in white bandages. One offers her some contraption, the lot of them discussing it until Tsunade shows it to him. “...these people design and build my rifles. With them, we’ll eliminate the forest monsters, and any samurai who dare attack my walls.”

Itachi’s face slackens…then hardens in temper. “...first you slay the boar god...now you look to build deadlier weapons? You’re only going to make things worse!”

“I’m sorry about your fate, Itachi...really, I am. That stupid beast...it was me he should have cursed, not you…”

At her words, the twisting in his muscles returns, and before he can blink, Itachi finds himself half-drawing his weapon, only barely managing to keep it sheathed. The lepers all panic, but Tsunade remains.

“...does that arm of yours wish to kill me, Itachi?”

“...if it would break the curse, I’d let it tear you apart...but even that wouldn’t be the end, would it?”

“No...it would need a great many more lives to feel at peace.”

Outside, she demonstrates the rifle, shooting at apes looking to plant new trees. Lamenting their efforts, she asks Itachi to join her in killing the forest spirit.

“Are you mad…?”

“Without the god, the animals here would become mindless beasts...with the forest cleared, this land would be the richest in the world. And mononoke-hime will become human once more…”

The name, though unheard until now, brightens him. “...mononoke-hime…?” Is that -?

“A girl claimed by the forest gods, stolen away by the dragons. She gave up her humanity and now she lives to kill me.” After a pause, she gives him a sidelong glance. “...they say the blood of the forest spirit can cure anything...maybe even my poor lepers...maybe even you, Itachi.”

Temper flared...he just takes his leave. He promised to see the bellows, after all...and he needs something else to clear his mind. “...mind if I join you, ladies?”

They all stiffen in shock, but let him in. Giving it a few deep pushes of his foot, he earns a laugh from the women.

“You’ll never keep that pace!”

“Hard work, isn’t it…?”

“Mhm...and we takes shifts of four days.”

“A hard life…”

“Mm, maybe...but better than working the city brothels.”

“Yeah! Here we can eat as much as we want, and men leave us alone!”

“Unless we want them to bother us,” they laugh.

Staying and chatting a while longer, Itachi then excuses himself, admitting of his plans to leave the following morning. The ladies protest, but he only offers, “There’s someone I have to find in those woods.”

Then, like a shock to his spine, a knowing straightens his back, looking toward the wall.

“...she’s here…”

A moment later, alarms begin to sound, shots firing from the wall. Trying to weave his way toward the ruckus, Itachi stiffens as he spots her running along a rooftop, mask drawn over her face and dropping as a shot crashes just behind her heels. Lightning fast, she whips a crude stone blade at him, forcing him to block with his own weapon.

“Wait - I’m not your enemy! Just -!”

Leaping back, she gives a last warning slash before dodging more men and taking back to the rooftops.

Teeth grit, he follows as the people warn of her target: Tsunade.

Up the forge she climbs, using the height to scan over the entire village. Below, Tsunade arms some of her women, calling out taunts to try to bring her down.

Struggling to catch up, Itachi tries to intervene. All around, more rifles are pointed from the rooftops and wall. Realizing it’s a trap, he tries to call out a warning. “Don’t do this, mononoke-hime! Go back to your forest! Leave this place!”

Ignoring him, she perches a moment longer. In the distance, a roar sounds over the valley. With that, she tenses before sprinting down the forge, blade drawn.

Shots then ring out, several tearing into the forge roof. One lands at her feet, throwing her askew as she rolls down the tiles to the street below.

Equally bombarded, Itachi watches as the women aim their rifles. The girl stands, and then a shot ricochets off her mask, which shatters as she crumples, unconscious.

The villagers cheer, making to storm her body.

Temper flares in Itachi’s veins. Reaching to a loosened beam from the barrage, he tears it off before throwing it between the so-called princess and the rest of the village. It lands dead-center in a sconce, sending fire and coals scattering to give him time to reach her. “Wake up…!”

Jostled for a moment, white-fringed silvers then snap open, slicing at him with a feral cry. Cheek nicked, he stumbles back as she charges past, making a beeline for Tsunade. Leaping over her guards, she reaches the town leader and begins to duel as the villagers encircle them.

Watching, Itachi’s anger is stoked once more, this time accompanied by a writhing of his arm and an ethereal wind. Knocking aside anyone in his path, he grabs the princess with his cursed arm, his other blocking Tsunade’s blade with his own.

“What are you doing…?”

“Lay down your arm - the girl is now mine.”

She grins, ambers shining with adrenaline. “I’m sure she’ll make a fine wife for you…!”

Turning to the crowd as the shadows over his arm flare, Itachi cries, “Look, everyone! This is what hatred looks like…! Soon, this curse will kill me...we have to stop the killing and anger now!”

“You know, you’re so worried about that arm of yours...let me just...remove it!” Swinging a second blade, Tsunade’s dodged and then stunned with an elbow to the gut. Next he does the same to the princess.

The villagers gasp.

“Someone come help her…!” he demands.

Once Tsunade is taken, he packs up the girl. “Now...I’m leaving, and she’s coming with me.”

“Oh no you don’t!” one woman cries, lifting her rifle. “No one treats m’lady so cruelly!”

Turning, Itachi simply stares.

“...if you take one step, I’ll...I’ll shoot!”

After a pause, he ignores her warning, turning and making for the gate.

Hold trembling, the woman hesitates before jumping at a cry behind her. Pulling the trigger, she fires.

The bullet runs him clean through the chest...but Itachi keeps walking.

The crowds quiet in shock.

Approaching the gate, Itachi demands it open, the guards resisting.

“Please,” one murmurs. “You have our thanks for saving our men...we don’t want to kill you.”

“I entered through this gate of my own free will...and now I will leave the same way.” Stepping up, he presses a hand to the shaved, shaped trees.

“Are you insane? It takes ten men to open that gate!”

Tensing, Itachi keeps up his pace. Shadows again flare over his arm, and with a creak, ever so slowly...it raises at his touch.

Blood pools beneath him, cries for his health ignored.

Beyond the gate, the twin dragons hiss, crouched as Itachi calls for their calm. “Your princess is safe! Wait there, and I will bring her!” Nodding to his elk, who passes first, Itachi turns to the villagers, giving a somber smile. “...thank you.” With that, he passes beneath the gate, letting it fall with an echoing thud.

Shocked silence follows in his wake.

Mounting his elk, Itachi keeps the unconscious girl at his front, struggling to stay awake himself. Blood...so much lost blood...a trail of it slithers down the elk’s rump before he slips from the saddle. Pain flares as he lands atop the road, the kami wasting no time in turning back to attack.

“No!”

At her word, they freeze. Struggling to dismount as the elk bucks, she eventually alights to the ground. “Leave him...he’s mine.”

Stepping up beside the pair of gods, she furrows her brow at the hole in his back. “...shot by his own kind...what a waste…” Seeing him twitch, she takes a knee at his side, mirror-like silvers flashing. “Why did you stop me…? Tell me while you live.”

Struggling to breathe, Itachi murmurs, “I didn’t...want them to kill you.”

“I’m not afraid of death...not if it gave me a chance to kill that devil-woman who kills the forest! You humans need to leave…!”

“I knew...when I saw you…”

Her brow hardens. “And I don’t fear you, either! I should kill you for getting in my way…!” Rolling him over, she takes his blade, holding the point to his throat. “...that woman is evil...and nothing will stop me from trying again to be rid of her! So long as she lives, these mountains aren’t safe…!”

“No...you must...live…”

“Silence!”

Dark eyes peel open to look at her. Anger colors her expression, fierce and untamed. So...this is how it ends, is it? He can make peace with that. “...beautiful…”

In a blink, her fury crumbles, staggering back in shock.

“What ails you, Ryū?” a dragon asks, curing around behind her with bared teeth. “Should I kill him…?”

Staring as he seems to blink in and out of consciousness, Ryū seems to battle with herself before nodding to her companions. “...go home. I’ll take care of the human.”

“And the elk…?”

“Yes...may we eat him?”

“No, I need him. Now go!”

The pair grumble before slinking away back up the mountainside.

Managing to calm the elk, Ryū brings him back alongside his rider, now fully lax. “...come. I need your help.

“We may save him yet.”

.oOO.

THE LAST DAY. I am both sad...and yet very relieved xD Technically I’ve been working on all these for like two weeks to stay ahead, and even now the last day is a lot later than the rest. BUT IT IS DONE. Thiiis is Ryū and @historias-multorum‘s Itachi crossed over into Studio Ghibli’s Mononoke-hime! Which I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF EARLIER cuz this is actually a crossover I’ve wanted to do for AGES, but I was so burnt out I just...completely spaced it. I attempted two others before finally getting this to work. To be fair, it IS still rushed. Partly because this is the last day, and I’m....VERY burnt out, but also because writing out this whole movie would take DAYS. So we have just a small section of it, and even then a bit trimmed because...guh @~@ BUT, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, Ghost. You’re one of the closest friends I’ve made during my almost 4 years on this hellsite, and I love ALL of the bonds between our muses. Thanks for putting up with my shenanigans, lol <3 Anyway...I guess that’s it! As much as I wanna take a four hour nap, I’ve got several irl things to do now, so uh...woo xD

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #historiasmultorum #uchiha itachi #suigin ryū #blood //#gun //#gore //#death //

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kusunogatari · 5 years

Text

[ @uchiha-madara ] 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩 𝕩

It had been his fate, really, to fall in love with the sea.

It wasn’t enough that he was born and raised in the coastal city, home to their land’s busiest port. Or that his father, and his father’s father, had all sailed in the royal navy. Some claimed the Uchiha had saltwater in their veins rather than blood, so tied were they to the ocean. Since the founding of the country they sailed for, and the crowning of the Senju line, the Uchiha have been right beside them: their closest friends and allies. The military might to the divine right to rule.

Madara Uchiha was born a scant two months after the next crown prince, Hashirama...during the night of a battering winter squall. The sea had been boiling in the ports, thunder rumbling and lightning reaching across the pitch-black sky. His father Tajima liked to say that the sea knew its next king was born that night: the eldest of the five Uchiha sons. He who would conquer the waves and tame the winds.

For while the Senju were rulers of the land...it was the Uchiha who held dominion over the waters.

Madara grew fast, and every minute spared was spent learning his place. Be it playing on the beaches with his brothers, or accompanying his father on short sailing routes when only a boy, he was never far from the sea. He could climb rigging soon after he could walk. Talking was mastered only to learn to bark orders. Everywhere he turned, he was called, “lil cap’n”, as he felt was only right. He became the youngest ever to enroll in the naval academy...and the youngest to graduate with full honors. When he was scarcely sixteen, he was appointed to his first ship.

By twenty, he’d take his late father’s place as admiral of the entire royal navy. Over six hundred ships, and over forty thousand men were at the command of a genius - and admittedly ruthless - mind. For five brilliant and bloody years, Madara led the charge to expand not only the Senju-ruled kingdom’s trade routes, but its territories, colonies, and influence over the continent and beyond. Wars were waged and won. In his half decade at the helm, he claimed more victories and spoils than his father in the entirety of his career.

And his accomplishments did not go unnoticed.

...but nor did his methods.

There was no denying that the heir of the Uchiha was an unmatched tactician: not only armed, supplied, and populated beyond his enemies, but managing to plan and outwit as to minimize his own losses.

But the losses of the other sides were, as time went on, found to be too steep. Too cruel. Hashirama spoke to him on many an occasion, begging he rein in his bloodlust.

“What’s the purpose in conquering a people if there are no people left?!”

“We’ve people of our own. Send them out, make new colonies! You tasked me with expanding our borders, and I have done so. Better than any man before me!”

“You salt these new lands with hatred and disdain for our flag! If you continue to take beyond what is necessary, you’ll only incite uprisings.”

“Uprisings I will have little trouble crushing.”

“We cannot rule by fear and force alone, Madara.”

“That’s your lot, Hashirama. Not mine. Mine is to fight, and to win. By whatever means necessary.”

“That is my point - you go above and beyond what is necessary! From critical to cruel! If you cannot make these judgments more fairly, then I must -”

“Must what?” He turned to his childhood friend - the boy and man he’d grown alongside, planning their futures to be won together. Dark eyes seemed to burn with challenge. “You think you can remove me…? I have earned my place, with blood and with sweat. I’ll not be upended so easily, Hashirama. Those men are my men.”

“No, Madara…” Hashirama’s gaze was somber with realization...but also steely with resolve. “...they are mine.”

If there was one fault within him...it was Madara’s temper. When it burned, it blazed, and rational thought would fall to cinders in its wake. So, Hashirama thought he could take all he’d built? Been born and bred for? No...this navy, this armada, was his and his alone.

...or so he thought.

That night, he gathered his highest ranking officers. Spun a tale of spurn and betrayal. Invited them to rise up against the Senju who dared try to yoke them.

But for many...his rousing speech fell on deaf ears.

Most - even Uchiha among them - turned their backs on him in favor of their king.

They say it was then he finally snapped.

Embittered, he’d taken what few remained - enough for a crew - and boarded his helmship: a beautiful frigate of lacquered granadillo wood. A stunning red in color with dark hickory accents, it was peerless. Strong but swift, loaded with thirty cannons, a heavy battering ram, and midnight sails, it had been a symbol of death and bloodshed at the fore of his armada since his ascension to admiral.

And now...it would be so on its own.

In the dead of night, with a favorable wind Madara claimed was divine, they left the ports behind, knowing full well their treachery would earn them a new name.

Pirates.

It was with a heavy heart Hashirama watched the ship abandon the harbor from his castle windows. “...I’ll give you this night,” he murmured to no one. “But come daylight, Madara...all you’ve left behind will be reclaimed. Your ties are cut. Cling to your ocean...for the lands you’ve forsaken will no longer house you.

“Step again on my shores...and you’ll be brought to make amends for your crimes. Your barbarity...and your betrayal.”

And so, Madara migrated from the most renowned commander of the royal navy...to the most feared and ruthless pirate on the seas. The trade routes he’d fought to clean of those now his kin were retaken: plundered at every opportunity. Should a ship bear his country’s banner, he’d pursue it to the horizon until it was looted and sunk. Some might call such actions petty...but for Madara, they were simple repayment for all Hashirama had robbed him of. If the ships of the Senju port were no longer his to command...they were his to take.

He’d make Hashirama regret his decision...and there would be no recompense. No amends. The Senju king had made his bed, and now he could lie in it.

One did not cross Madara Uchiha without begetting a grudge that could - and would - outlast empires.

And that was exactly what he planned to do.

...but the fates have other ideas.

Standing at the wheel, feeling a warm breeze at his back, Madara looks out over the decks. His crew - nearly two hundred and fifty men - are all in sound shape. They’ve only just left a pirate-held port, fresh from a two week reprieve from the sea. Their supplies are restocked, their spirits high, and their goals on the horizon.

He’s gotten word of a large convoy of Hashirama’s ships heading through...but taking what they believe will be a less noticeable route.

Hashirama, however, underestimates Madara’s mastery of the area. There’s not a cove or a beach he doesn’t know. If they think they can outsmart him...they’re very much mistaken.

And now, it will cost his old friend dearly.

...there’s only one thing standing in his way.

As they approach the series of islands the Senju ships are rumored to try hiding amongst, dark clouds gather at the fore. His plan - to lie low in an inlet before streaking in from behind - might get a bit...wet.

“Cap’n,” his first mate murmurs, stepping up with a bowed head of respect. “Perhaps t’ain’t my place t’say, but...I’ve no love for those clouds. They bring a rattlin’ in me bones that warns a’trouble.”

“This ship’s handled its fair number of squalls,” is Madara’s rumbling rebuke, hold steady on the wheel. “I’d gladly stand a bit of rain and wind for whatever lies in the hulls of those ships.”

“A-and I agree, cap’n! T’ain’t no better vessel than yers,” his companion admits, bobbing in apologetic bows. “But the achin’ in me joints tells me this storm’s a leap above t’rest. Perhaps we can...chart a course t’intercept the Senju convoy further down the line…? Out a’ the path o’the storm?”

Dark eyes give a cool glance, earning a flinch. “These islands serve as good cover, and the tide is favorable. Those fat ships won’t have our maneuverability, loaded with their cargo. We’ll dance circles around them until they run themselves aground. Then, they’ll be ripe for the taking. We’ll barely have to lift a finger.”

“...aye, cap’n.”

Looking back to his route, a haughty grin curls the former admiral’s lips. Oh, he’s going to enjoy this...and what’s a plundering without a bit of boiling in the ocean? Surely she’ll be glad to be fed all the fools he’ll throw overboard. Then she’ll calm.

She always does.

On they sail, weaving their way between the group of islands until finding the cove Madara’s had in mind. Dropping anchor, they face out toward the route their informant described. Here they’ll bide their time.

Not long after they tuck away, the wind begins to pick up, fat drops of rain shattering atop the decks and soaking the sails.

Ever patient when he needs to be...Madara waits.

It’s just dusk when a ship’s prow passes their hiding place. By now, the wind’s are whipping, swirling and knocking the rain any direction it feels.

“Steady,” Madara commands to those awaiting to lift the anchor. “Steady…”

A dozen ships pass by, utterly unaware. Half are the galleons carrying the cargo, two small gunships, and four brigs.

Child’s play.

Only once he’s sure they’re all past does Madara signal for the anchor to be raised. The tide’s lowering, leaving the narrow strips of sea between the isles shallow. One wrong move, and those swollen ships will be run ashore until it raises again.

Plenty of time to board and loot them. And with so little space to maneuver, their protection won’t have a chance to turn around to defend.

“NOW!”

With the anchor aweigh, the winds swiftly carry them from the cove, sails taut as they quickly build momentum. Below on the gun deck, canons await to be fired. Streaking out past the rear gunboat, they cut in front, dropping lit barrels of powder. As soon as the hull connects, the barrels explode, wreaking havoc and letting seawater through a gaping hole in the hull.

Alarms then sound as the convoy becomes aware, but there’s little to be done. Trapped between the isles, there’s nowhere to go but forward.

Gaining on one of the brigs, Madara commands they fire, cannonballs tearing through the broadside. The return fire is delayed, the enemy ship unprepared for combat. As his own crew reloads, Madara makes to cut to the other brig. A few of its cannons, loaded quickly, fire prematurely, skirting before the bow. Disorder in the chaos only works to his advantage. Cutting cleanly between the ships, another round is shot, this time from both sides, nailing both rear defense vessels.

The former begins to lag, heavily damaged. The latter, however, is hit with a shot to their powder room. A huge portion of the ship blows out, and water quickly begins to claim the ship. That’s two of the brigs down, and the rest are out in front. That leaves the large cargo ships exposed between Madara and any hope of defense. While they might have a few canons, most will have been spared to allow more weight in their holds.

A feral grin overtakes Madara’s face. This...this is what he lives for!

Out beyond, one brig attempts to turn between two islands, clearly trying to circle back around to come up behind them. But they misjudge the tide, running atop a sandbar and beaching as the high winds carry them far along the shelf.

They won’t be going anywhere for a good while.

In the same breath, two of the cargo vessels simply give in, beaching themselves against a left hand isle. The other four keep going, but it’s clear that with their limited canons, and only one remaining brig to defend them beyond the tiny gunboat at the helm, there’s little chance of outwitting or outgunning a ship like Madara’s.

“Hold on, lads!”

Streaking up to the galleons, Madara orders high fire. Masts crumple as cannonballs shatter the wood, leaving the huge ships stagnant in the water without a way to propel. Three of them he cripples before moving to the last brig. The final cargo vessel attempts to get ahead, and he leaves it for now.

Fire exchanges between them, Madara’s larger cannon volleys making quick work of his enemy. The gunboat, realizing it’s outmatched, simply beaches to the right.

But the last cargo ship is determined.

Leaving the rest of its armada behind, it attempts to make it out into open sea.

“Oh no you don’t -!” the Uchiha growls.

“Cap’n! Should we not return and loot what we’ve got? It’s a clear cut now!” the first mate calls over the squalls.

“I’ll be damned before I let one of Hashirama’s ships get away from me!” is the shouted reply. There’s a red glint of fervid revenge in Madara’s eyes. It’s all or nothing...anything less, and he might as well have attained no victory at all.

His pride won’t stand for it.

Forward they plunge through the growing waves, the storm nearly fully upon them. The wheel fights his grip every moment, the tides tearing at the rudder. Rain so thick he can hardly see the ship before him is mopped from his face, drenched into his hair and clothes until he feels he’s gained his weight over.

“Cap’n! The storm, it’s too much!”

“To Hell with the storm!” He’ll not come this far and give up. He’d rather die…!

They make it out of the cluster of islands, and then the weather truly hits them full force. Waves several stories tall, no longer inhibited by the land masses, toss them about like a leaf. Again and again they crest over the deck, sweeping anything not hammered down about and overboard.

He can hear the cries of his men, but they go unacknowledged. The hunt is on, he’s in too deep - there’s nothing beyond death stopping him now -!

Buffeted by a wave, the ship suddenly janks to one side. Thrown from the wheel, Madara lands with a heavy thump against the railing. Both gravity and water pin him down, the whole ship tilting as it’s swept up another wave. He can’t quite regain his feet…!

Reaching the apex, the crest crashes down atop the decks. Pinned to the railing, his body screams in protest at the weight of the water, unable to breathe, and then -

The wood gives out, and he plummets off the side, smashing into the sea with a clap. The weight of his garments drags him all the further, limbs fighting to break the surface. As he does, he sees the ship streaking forward, still propelled by its sails through the gusts.

In a matter of moments, it’s left him far behind.

Around him, debris from the deck either floats or sinks, and he manages to cling to a bobbing barrel. By now, they’re miles from the islands, and he hardly has a hope to swim back...especially not with the storm dogging him.

For the first time in his life...Madara fears the sea.

The waves batter and bruise him, throwing him about before parting him from his float. Struggling to find something, anything to hold on to, he finds a slat of wood. It dips under his weight, but once maneuvered, manages to hold him. Fingers make a white-knuckle grip along its edges, and Madara tucks his face against it from the pounding rain.

Eventually, the exertion is too much...and everything goes black.

When next he wakes, Madara feels a groggy confusion, but...why?

...then it hits him. He’s no longer swaying and sweeping atop water. He’s still.

Cracking open his eyes, he stares up into...leaves? What…?

Beneath him is something soft. Movement earns a rustle, and he sits up with great effort and a grunt. He’s in...some kind of strange hut. Perhaps ten paces across, circular, and with a sandy floor, it’s simply open along one side, giving a view out toward a beach.

Where...where is he?

It’s then he notices he’s been...redressed? His own garments hang nearby, drying, and he’s instead in simple trousers and a shirt, both dry. Likely the only reason he hasn’t caught his death. Feet bare, he swings them over the edge of his cot and looks around. A myriad of chests litter the hut, all overstuffed with seemingly random belongings.

His legs wobble as he stands, but he fights through it, stepping to the doorless doorway. Out beyond is a large fire pit, rigged for cooking. The whole thing sits back in a small inlet of trees and large rocks, protected from the wind. Surely the only way such a structure survived the storm.

The storm…!

All over again, Madara’s knees go weak. His ship...did the crew survive? Did they regain control? Or was all lost? And where the devil is he? Can he even begin to return?

...is there anything for him to return to…?

Without a ship, he’s a captain no more. Sure, he has his stash of gold and trinkets, but no way to retrieve them. And he can’t know if any of his crew - the only people he trusts - have survived.

A hand drags down his face, taking a deep breath. No...he can’t panic. He’s alive. Start there.

And someone clearly rescued him. He hardly hauled himself out of the depths and into a bed. Even if he washed up on shore, he has no memory of making his way here.

Someone else is here...but where?

The beach is too muddled to look for tracks, and he’s unfamiliar with the place - he hardly wants to get lost. Stepping out a few paces, he gives the view a once-over before he just so happens to find what he’s looking for.

Someone’s walking back down the beach toward him. A woman in a flowing skirt and strange, twisted top that encircles her chest, midriff bare. Against her hip is a wide basket. Like him, she wears no shoes.

But most shocking is the wild white waves of her hair - like a tangle of seafoam along her scalp, carried askew by the breeze.

Noticing him, there’s a pause in her strides before closing the cap. “...you’re awake,” is her soft offering, barely above a whisper.

“...aye,” he replies. “Are you...did I…?”

“Come, sit. I will explain.”

In her woven basket is a plethora of fruits, several fish, and greens. As Madara sits atop a stone near the firepit, she goes about sorting and preparing it.

“I found you in the waters just offshore,” she begins, skewering the fish with practiced ease. “Dragged you here...you’re quite heavy.”

The comment earns an amused snort, but no reply.

“You were soaked through, so I stripped you. You’d have gotten ill otherwise...I’m surprised you didn’t. A bit of a fever was all - you slept three days.”

Three days…? No wonder he feels so...off.

“And now...here you are.” Flint sparks dry vegetation, gradually fed wood. Finally glancing up to him, she shows mirror-like silvers, framed by white brows and lashes. He’s never seen anyone with such an appearance.

“Was...was there anyone else?”

“No...only you. You were in the storm…?”

“Yes.” He doesn’t elaborate - Madara’s not in the mood to tell such a story.

“...I see.”

“Where are we?”

“A small isle with no name...it is among the cluster here in the south sea. No one comes here...there’s nothing to be gained.”

“You live here…?”

“...when I must.”

Dark brows furrow. What does that mean…?

“Hungry?”

“...starved,” he admits. Already the smells of the fruits she’s cutting are making his stomach do eager circles. “...may I have your name?”

“Ryū,” she replies without hesitation. He’ll take that as a truth, then. “You?”

“...Madara. Madara Uchiha.”

Despite his notoriety, there’s no recognition at his offer. She just keeps going, handing him a crude bowl with the fruit. Then back to peeling and whittling she goes with a strange-looking knife, hands quick and clean.

As starving as he is, Madara makes himself take his time. “...do you have a...boat, or a ship?”

“No.”

The blunt reply earns a blink. “Does...someone come ‘round?”

“No.”

“...then how do you ever leave? You said you only live here when you must. How do you…?”

“I swim.”

“You swim…?”

Checking the fish, Ryū turns them before looking to him again, studying his face. “...you want to leave?”

“Of course. I’ve a life to return to. I have to see if my ship…” He fades out, not wanting to address the possibility of it being lost.

“...you rest first. Then I’ll take you.”

“You just said you have no ship.”

“I don’t need a ship. I told you...I swim.”

“That’s not -” He’s silenced as she holds out a skewer, snatching it and looking to her suspiciously. “...what are you…?”

At his question, she stops mid-bite, considering him before giving him a smile.

Her teeth are...are…!

“You never know what you’ll find lurking in the ocean,” she replies airily before finally taking her bite of fish.

Staring, Madara completely forgets his own. No...that can’t be...but…?

“...mermaid…?” he dares to whisper.

“Mm,” she hums in affirmative reply. “Hence only being here when I have to be. You’d be surprised how many humans end up lost in these waters. So...I haul them out. Bring them here. Then let them go.” Another bite. “I stay until they’re strong again. Then I head back out into the waters.”

“How...how has no one -?”

“Found me? Told of me? Anyone who’s been washed up is already believed to be mad from the sea. No one believes a washed-up man’s tales about a mermaid saving his life.”

“...why do you do it?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

A pause, considering his food. A few bites pass before he asks, “Are there others?”

“Yes. But I stay alone. Most of my kind are not...fond of your kind. But I find you curious. None have tried to hurt me yet.” A pause. “...though I don’t fully trust you.”

“Probably wise,” Madara replies dryly. Lost in his thoughts, he finishes his food in silence.

“Here.”

Looking up, he sees her offer a waterskin. It’s then he realized how long it’s been since he’s had fresh water. “...so, how long before I can leave?”

“A few days. You were quite weak - you’ll have to build up some strength, first. Then I’ll take you to the next island. There’s a town there - you can find your way from the port.”

“Ah...that might not be wise.”

“Why not?”

“Do you know who holds this port?”

The mermaid blinks. “...no. Why?”

“Well...I’m rather notorious among humans. I might not be welcomed.”

Something lights her eyes for a moment - understanding, perhaps? “Then...where do you wish to go?”

“Do you know the port of Isla Verde? I’d be safe there.”

She thinks. “...that...is a great many miles from here. It would take many, many days to get there.”

“But...you could take me?”

“Mm...maybe. But what would you give me in return?”

“I have gold. Lots of it. Just need a way back to it.”

A hand waves. “I care not for gold. All I need, I have in the sea. Besides, I collect many things from it you humans lose. Where do you think I got your garments?”

“Then what could you want, if you have all you need?”

A thoughtful hum. “...I shall choose when we arrive. For now, I must think.”

“All right, fair enough.”

“And you must rest. Regain your strength. Here we’ll stay a few days more. Now...I must go hunt.”

“We just ate.”

“And hunting takes time. Stay, rest, eat. I’ll be back.”

Watching her go, Madara sees her step into the tide. Up to her waist she walks, stopping at an outcropping of stone. She pulls aside her garment, tying the fabric in place before sinking.

She disappears.

But then, with a leap, she breaches the surface, hopping out before diving into deeper waters. Rather than like a fish, from her hips extends a tail more like a dolphin’s: white, like her locks.

He just stares, still wondering if he’s actually dead, and this is all just some strange purgatory dream.

After a time, he grows restless, walking along the beach in one direction. The island is, indeed, rather small - it takes him all of an hour to come back around. Sand encircles the entire perimeter, a large rocky outcropping jutting from the center. Palms and other fruit-bearing trees pepper the isle, grasses and ferns growing more densely the further in you wander. A spring bubbles from a clearing, running clear and smooth. Taking a break to drink, Madara reclines under a palm tree, staring up through the leaves.

It’s like a tiny little paradise.

Were he a simpler man, he might entertain the idea of just...staying. There’s water, shelter, food...and the island itself is rather gorgeous.

Though it also hosts rather...strange company.

He’s not sure what to make of his savior. She seems pleasant enough. But to think that such a creature is truly real. Not just some fable of the sea.

It makes him wonder what else is possibly lurking in the dark depths of the waters he loves so ardently.

But, either way, he can’t stay. Not with the stirring that still pulls at his soul. That which longs for conquest and adventure, excitement and experiences! If he knows anything about himself, it’s that he’ll quickly grow bored of this place. Beautiful it may be, but...stagnant. Unchanging.

Too...peaceful. Peace is to be idle.

And to be idle is to go mad.

Returning to the inlet of the hut, he realizes that his companion has returned. Still transformed, she lies on her belly atop the rock, propped atop her elbows and staring out into the horizon. Idly the fin of her tail flicks up water over the smooth skin, sun reflecting off the pale white flesh.

Stepping up into the water to his ankles, Madara makes to call to her, but...stops as he hears something.

...singing…?

In a haunting minor key, without words, the mermaid croons into the breeze. Parts are reminiscent of shanties he knows, but...sadder. More mournful than cheery as meant to keep up the spirits of the crew.

It sounds...incredibly lonely.

“I stay alone. Most of my kind are not...fond of your kind. But I find you curious.”

Is that the whole truth? Or is there something she’s not told him?

Wading out a bit deeper, the sea lapping at the hems of his trousers, he waits for a lull in the song. “Serenading the gulls?”

Over her shoulder she glances to him. Her tie-on skirt is still hanging along the rocks, her strange top drying around her chest. Beside her, a net of crustaceans and fish is tied in the tide. “I like to sing. A pleasant way to pass the time.”

“Why don’t you just go home?”

“...home?”

“Back to...wherever you came from?”

Something shifts in her expression. “...I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I am...not welcome.”

That earns a frown. “Whyever not?”

“I’m a danger.”

Madara can’t help a scoff. “You? Dangerous?”

“...my color is a threat. Wherever I go, I’m easily spotted. If I stay with the others...I bring them attention. Put them in danger. So...no, I can’t go back where I came from.” Her gaze returns to the sea. “...I was cast out. For the good of the others.”

He’s...not sure what to say to that. It makes sense. Something so brightly-colored - so different than the tones of the ocean - would stand out. “...is that why you approach humans? Because you’re alone?”

For a moment, she doesn’t answer. “...you always leave, in the end.”

“You could come with me.”

Again she turns to him, expression sharp, as though both troubled - and yet intrigued - by his offer. “...why?”

“If you’re tired of people leaving, find people you can stay with. True, this isle is amazing. A little utopia among the waves. But few are so content to remain in one place too long. Keep a man someplace he cannot leave of his own will, and no matter how you cater it to him...it will be a prison all the same.”

Something in her expression falls. “I...did not see it that way. I have the freedom of the sea...I never thought…”

“So, come with me.”

“I cannot stay with humans. The sea always calls to me. I cannot stay away forever.”

“You don’t have to. I sail! I’m rarely far from the water. We stop and explore isles, conquer other ships, visit harbors...”

“But you don’t know if your ship still sails. If your crew still lives.”

“I told you, I’ve gold. I just need to get to it. Another ship can be bought. Another crew can be found.”

“...why do you insist I go with you?”

“You saved my life. Perhaps I could change yours.” His arms open in a gesture of offering. “...maybe that could be my payment to you.”

The mermaid considers him, expression unreadable. “...I will...consider it.”

“That’s all I can ask. Besides...you may be right. I need more time to rest. Then...we can hit the open waters. Make up our minds.”

Her lips lift just a hair. “...you travel far? On your...ship?”

“Wherever I please. There’s much of the ocean to explore, and I’ve seen a great many places already. I answer to no man but myself. We could go anywhere you wanted.”

A wistful look colors her eyes. “...perhaps that would be...pleasant.”

“There’s nothing like it.”

A more genuine smile curls her mouth before looking to the horizon. “...we’ll see what we feel in a few days. You may yet change your mind.”

“And so may you.”

The conversation trails to silence, so Madara retreats up the beach and back to the hut. In truth, he’s still exhausted. His limbs feel heavy, and his mind slow. Nearly drowning, as it so happens, leaves one a bit tuckered. So, for now, he heaves himself back upon the cot, plans and what-ifs soon melding into dreams.

.oOo.

AHHH IT’S FINALLY HERE! I’ve been prepping for this event for weeks xD Really hoping it does well! Anywho, I’ve written a pirate!verse MadaRyū before...but that was with a human!Ryū. Madara’s pretty much the same in both stories, as is the verse background, but I decided to make Ryū a mermaid for this one, cuz...why not? Especially since I technically wrote it in May...Mermay, right? lol For anyone unfamiliar, I’ve written this ship (mostly in canon and modern verses) with Phoenix for a good long while now! I love their dynamic no matter what universe we write them in. And given I had that random fic of this verse before, I thought they’d fit best in it again! Phoenix, if you see this (which golly I hope you do lol), thank you for writing all your beans with me, and letting bonds grow between our muses. It’s always a pleasure writing with you, and I hope to again soon, no matter what verse we end up in! <3 Anyway, I don’t want to carry on for too long - happy OC x Canon ship week, everybody!

#narutoocxcanonshipweek #noxcsw #uchihamadara #uchiha madara #suigin ryū #blue waves and black flags [ au ]

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