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greatideas-badwriter · 3 months

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SasuSaku: Sacrificed To The Banished Prince Ch. 8

"Your Highness, you're making our guest uncomfortable," Itachi calmly said.

Akuma was doing all he could not to yank his fiance from the prince's uncle's embrace because he was entirely sure he wouldn't be able to hold himself back from attempting murder. Then, he'd lose control of this body, and his consciousness would disappear forever.

Madara Uchiha was forced to retire when Fugaku Uchiha ascended to the throne. After his and Mikoto's death, he was reinstalled as king and made it clear that he wouldn't give the position up a second time. The older Uchiha man released Sakura, who stumbled away to Akuma's side, obviously shaken by the informal behavior.

'She looks terrified,' he shared a glance with the pink-haired woman, and she covertly nodded to communicate that all was well. He turned his glare onto the prince's older brother and uncle, 'I'll cut off their hands once I've rid this body of that coward prince's soul.' How dare they lay hands so casually on her!

"Fear not, Lady Haruka. We'll be family shortly," Madara said with a charming smile, "Please call me Uncle, and don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything."

Sakura surprised Akuma by politely bowing with all the grace of a well-educated lady of high status. Her usually soft voice was firm and devoid of emotion, "Of course, Uncle. I fear there has been a misunderstanding, as my name is Sakura. I still thank you for your warm greeting. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She then directed her bow to the first prince, "Yours as well, Your Highness."

Akuma's eyes locked onto the prince's brother's, and he recognized the subtle look of confusion. Baron Haruno was a well-known man even in the royal palace. As a result, his children were prime candidates for political marriages, though until recently, only the eldest, a son named Hihara, was of age.

The Haruno name used to be affiliated with hard work and self-made wealth. Sakura's grandfather, Mitsuhide Haruno, built and maintained a small fortune with the invention of healing potions. After his death roughly ten years ago, though, Kizashi Haruno, his only son, took over and slowly began to run the family name into the ground.

The need for healing potions had only increased, yet the flow of products had slowed substantially to the point that rumors were beginning to spread that they were no longer being crafted and would disappear from markets once their surplus ran dry.

"Curse, you're being surprisingly well-behaved. Have you finally surrendered to the second prince?" The king asked almost sarcastically while leading everyone into the palace and through the halls.

Akuma scoffed, "We've a temporary agreement to co-exist. I'll earn my freedom soon." 'If I tell them it's because we both desire this female's affection, they'll try to separate us, and I'll be forced to murder everyone.'

"I see. How unexpected," The king stopped at a tall door on the second floor of the massive castle, opening it and gesturing inside, "So long as you remain docile, I won't enforce nightly subduction." He smiled at Sakura, "Are you confident this demon will bring you no harm? I can prepare a separate room if you so desire, Niece."

'Don't mistake my behavior for weakness, Sacrifice,' Akuma threatened inwardly, shooting a glare at the petite woman in question.

She noticed without even meeting his gaze and nodded, "Of course, Uncle. Thank you again for your hospitality."

The king and prince said their goodnights, and then the pair was alone in the large, extravagant bedroom. Sakura's composure faltered the moment the door closed behind the royals. She brought a trembling hand to her chest and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to apparently calm her shaken nerves.

"The mouse has a talent for keeping up appearances." 'I didn't deem her capable of fooling those idiot royals into seeing her as the average lady.' It impressed Akuma as much as it angered him because he suddenly wondered if anything she'd said or done in his presence had also been fabricated.

He sat on the edge of the bed and began taking off his shoes, red eyes in a glare. Sakura did the same on the opposite side. She didn't comment on his statement.

"Akuma, may I rest?"

She still had her back turned when he sat up and looked her way. He admired her slim figure and tilted his head, "Has traveling exhausted you?"

Sakura angled her body so she could look at the pillow, brushing her long hair behind her ear with low, tired eyes of emerald, "Yes."

He watched the petite woman sluggishly climb under the covers, turn onto her side with her back turned his way, and become still as she appeared to fall asleep. In the short time that they'd been acquainted, it was already noticeable how much easier it was for Sakura to fall asleep or relax in his presence. He found it odd that she could trust a demon because no other human he'd encountered had.

'I want to see the terror in her eyes that I see from everyone else. I want to taste the salt of her tears as she begs me to spare her.'

"...Thank you for not hurting anyone, Akuma. I appreciate you not breaking your promise."

Akuma's eyes widened on her turned back, 'Did she just...thank me? Surely she's aware that I have little choice in the matter.'

An unfamiliar warmth met his chest. His body moved on its own. With a furrowed brow, Akuma climbed under the covers behind her, loosely holding thick strands of her hair in his hand. "Don't misunderstand. I may be your master, but I'm not doing any of this for your sake." No response came.

At some point in the early morning, Sasuke's eyes crept open to land on Sakura's back. Soft pink hair remained loosely between his fingers. Akuma had fallen asleep shortly after lying down, which was rare. The prince studied his fiance's hair, shoulders, and back without moving a muscle.

'This woman is unlike any other I've encountered. I want to know everything she's experienced to become this way.'

One of the main reasons that Sasuke avoided meeting his fiances, other than preventing The Curse from memorizing their faces, was so they wouldn't approach him casually. He was more than traditionally handsome and wasn't ignorant of that fact. The few women he did properly court during their engagements were smitten with him and often tried to tempt him into their beds. This sleeping young lady, however, had done no such thing.

No, Sakura had only asked questions about his curse and himself as though they were to become friends rather than lovers. She offered no information about herself unless first asked and seemed to hang onto his every word as though it was knowledge to be treasured. Somehow she did all of this without coming off as obsessive or uncomfortably eager. Instead, Sasuke almost felt flattered that she deemed him worthy of studying.

Most women see him as either a murderer or a pretty face with money to be taken advantage of. Sakura seemed to see him as a human being, something he'd rarely encountered since the age of twelve.

The prince found himself bringing his handful of her hair to his lips and closed his eyes as he took in the sweet scent.

For the past few days, he'd distanced himself from her because he felt himself growing too attached too quickly to Sakura. Not only that, but he was able to listen to her conversation with The Curse when he forced her to assist him in bathing. The young woman was either playing ignorant about sexual things or truly wasn't taught of them.

It scared Sasuke because The Curse was undoubtedly aware of it, too. Other than murdering the poor girl, there was one thing that the monster could do to harm her from which she'd likely never recover. What was worse was that there was little Sasuke could do to prevent it. All he could think of was to offer to make Sakura's first time a positive experience, but he felt they weren't nearly close enough for such a thing.

So, he was stuck between gathering the courage to talk to his fiance about it or trusting that The Curse wouldn't break their deal and rape her. It'd rid of the demon once all was said and done, but leaving a young lady so broken may be a fate worse than death. He had no idea what to do, and he was hesitant to ask anyone for advice because there was no one he completely trusted with something so sensitive.

"Little brother, I'm relieved to see you in such a state." Sasuke's eyes shot open, and he carefully pulled away from Sakura to sit up and see Itachi sitting at the tea table nearby with a sad smile, a teacup in hand.

The second prince glanced at the still-sleeping woman before climbing out of bed and whispering as his elder brother had to not rouse her, "Don't misunderstand, Brother. The nature of our relationship is not what you assume."

Itachi's smile spread into a soft, mildly amused one, "What is the nature of the relationship with your fiance if not affectionate?"

Sasuke's glare hardened as he crossed the room to open the wardrobe and fetch out clothing for the day, "I believe this is a conversation to be held with Lady Sakura and Uncle, not just us."

Itachi chuckled quietly while getting to his feet, "Be sure to wake Lady Sakura soon so she may prepare for breakfast, little brother."

Once the first prince was out of the room, Sasuke glared at the closed door that he'd disappeared through, 'We haven't seen one another in person in years, yet he only came here to tease me about Sakura. There wasn't anything else he wished to speak about?'

He'd never admit it aloud, but he'd missed Itachi greatly. They'd been attached at the hip as children. Itachi had been the best brother anyone could hope for and treated Sasuke as an equal despite their six-year age difference. He even visited the banished Sasuke a few times during his exile to the winter lands, but that all stopped when the first engagement notification arrived via post. It'd been almost five years since their last face-to-face encounter. There was no reason given, not even a letter responding to the few that a confused Sasuke had sent after being completely abandoned.

After freshening up and dressing, Sasuke hesitantly approached his sleeping fiance. He knelt beside the bed and lifted a hand to her shoulder, only to pause before it could touch. His head tilted unconsciously as he studied her vulnerable face, 'If only I could allow her to rest longer. She looks so peaceful.'

Sighing, Sasuke's fingers curled into a fist, and he returned his hand to his side, speaking to wake Sakura rather than touch her, "Lady Sakura, it's time to get dressed."

Her emerald-colored gaze opened slowly, not seeing anything. Her voice came quietly, "...that man had yellow eyes...."

The prince's mouth clamped shut in shock, 'Yellow eyes?' His own dark ones widened as he recalled the one time in his life that he'd witnessed such a color. Then, he temporarily forgot his caution and touched her shoulder, "Sakura, who is it?"

She seemed to snap out of her tired stupor and sat up, looking around before resting her gaze on him with a reddening face, "L-Lord Sasuke, good morning!"

"What man are you talking about, Sakura? The one with yellow eyes."

Sakura's face paled, "How do you know about that?"

Sasuke shook his head, rising to his feet as she climbed out of bed and soothed her clothing and hair, "You spoke in your sleep just now. You said there's a man with yellow eyes. I need you to tell me who he is."

"Hello. My name is Konan. I'll be tending to Lady Haruno during your stay," the door to the room opened to reveal a tall, straight-faced woman with bluish-purple hair and bright orange eyes.

'I can't talk to her about this with others around.' The prince bowed quickly to the maid and then to his fiance, mumbling so only she could hear, "We'll speak later."

He left the room so she could get dressed for the day, leaning against the wall near the dining room downstairs to take a calming breath and gather his thoughts, 'Is there a chance she met the wizard Orochimaru before he died? If so, maybe she knows of his colleagues. They might be able to offer insight about different options of ridding my body of The Curse.'

#haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke #sasuke #sakura #sasusaku fic #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku #naruto #narutofanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto shippuden #narutofanfiction #sakura uchiha #sakura haruno

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rorimoon9597 · 6 months

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Ch1 Ch2

He tried to sleep. He really, really did, but he was unable to.

The feeling of the blood on his body, the deep red of it as it was washed off of his body, as it dried on the floors and how slick it'd been.

It haunted him.

He'd never wanted to kill another soul, but all of them had a body count, didn't they? His was higher than the others though.

Don't think about it. Don't think, don't think, don't. Think. You will only spiral if you think.

He shifted a bit more before he sighed and got up. He walked through the entirety of the ship, making sure everyone was asleep. He found Pidge in Green's hangar, and had to carry her back to her room.

Her weight on his back grounded him. It kept the dark thoughts at bay, even if just a little.

He had to navigate through the piles of things in Pidge's room in order to set her on her bed, but he managed. He took off her glasses and covered her with a blanket. She snuggled into it.

Shiro left her, walking through the rest of the castle and coming across no one else. He went back around to the bedrooms and found himself going into Sakura's room.

She'd been with them for a couple days, but she was already a part of the family they'd built. Shiro spent a lot of time with her.

In part, it was because he was the one that Sakura favoured. Coran had suggested that it was because he'd been the one to get her out of there, to somewhere safe where people wanted her to live so that she could experience the wonders of the universe.

The other part of it was because he was always focused on her when he was taking care of her. There was no war, no possibility of dying at any moment. It was just them, two people who were lost and needed family.

Shiro felt lost. He was in space, with no love of his life that he wanted to marry. He had PTSD and definitely had depression too. He was tired. He just wanted to go back to Earth, talk to Adam, and maybe, just maybe, lie in his arms again. He wanted to feel safe.

Yet he couldn't do that. He wouldn't even if he had the chance. There were kids on the ship. Most of Voltron was made up of children. He wished that they hadn't been caught up in a war.

But they would have been dragged into this mess if the Galra came to Earth.

Adam would have been dragged into it.

Shiro knew that Adam had family. A large one at that. He'd never met them though. It was because Adam's parents had disowned him when he came out, and he hadn't been in contact with the rest of his family. He did have some family that he was in contact with though. They’d known that they were engaged, just not who Adam was going to marry. Shiro had heard about them.

He'd heard of Adam's favourite aunt, who had bought him a pride flag when he came out. The one who had given him a roof over his head despite having multiple children of her own.

He'd heard of his favourite cousin, who looked up to Shiro, who wanted to be a pilot and had eagerly joined the Garrison when he was given the opportunity. Of that cousin's sister, who was a lesbian and not afraid to show it.

He'd heard of the cousin who was married with two kids. He'd been shown pictures of those two kids. Adam had gone to the hospital when both kids were born.

Shiro had no family on Earth. His grandparents had raised him when he was younger, because his parents had died. They were dead too, taken by cancer when he was still a cadet (he would forever be thankful to Commander Holt for helping him during that time, and for Adam, who stuck by him on the worst days) and his relationship with Adam… well, it was non-existent now.

Yet the main reason for him to fight was for Adam and his large family, the aunt who took him in, the cousin with his own family, the one who looked up to Shiro, the lesbian one, and their futures.

And his fellow Paladins.

He was fighting alongside Pidge to find the other two members of the Kerberos mission, and fighting with Hunk and Lance to keep their families safe.

Now, as he looked down at Sakura, he knew that he was fighting for her, too.

He could wait a bit longer to take a break.

“I'll fight for your future. I promise you that,” he whispered, his human hand gently resting on her stomach. “You won't have to fight in the future.”

Sakura slept on, his promise unheard by her tiny ears.

_______________________________________

Shiro bounced Sakura as he stared out at the endlessness of space, worrying about Pidge.

She'd gone off to get her father and brother after she'd found out where to get the information needed. She'd been gone for a couple of hours, and Shiro was really, really worried. Did he mention that part already?

“We'll be landing on Olkarion soon,” Keith said, interrupting his thoughts.

Shiro nodded in response.

“Shiro?”

“I'm fine,” he said. Sakura looked up at him.

“You're not, and I think that she could sense that you were lying too,” Keith replied. Shiro sighed.

“I don't want to worry you.”

“You're doing a terrible job at that.”

“I guess…”

“You can tell me. You know that right?”

“Even though you can’t comfort people?”

“Even though I can’t comfort people,” Keith agreed. Shiro smiled at him.

“I’m worried about Pidge. She’s gone off by herself, and she hasn’t reported back yet. It’s… concerning, to say the least. She’s still a child. None of you should have to fight in a war…”

“But we were chosen, and we’ve taken on the roles we’ve been given. It’s all to keep Earth safe, for our families… for Adam.” Shiro shook his head.

“I know but… the only reason why I’m fighting is so that you guys can have a brighter future, so that Adam and his family are safe. I have no more family, Keith. You and Adam… you guys are all I have left. And now it’s just you.”

“You have Sakura now,” Keith reminded him, taking the baby from Shiro.

“Awa,” she said.

“Coran said that Altean babies are more likely to attach themselves to someone who they know is kind, and he thinks that Sakura’s done that with you. She basically thinks that you’re her dad.” Shiro looked at Keith, slightly surprised.

He… hadn’t known that.

“So that’s why she’s attached herself to me?” He asked.

“Yep. Now, let’s go, we’re nearly there.” Keith walked out of the observation deck. Shiro spared one more look out the window before he turned around and followed Keith.

They walked to the bridge, Keith bouncing Sakura from time to time. She giggled when he did, a wide smile on her face. Shiro smiled seeing it. He knew that Keith would be a good father himself someday.

“Keith, Shiro, you’re both here,” Allura greeted, a smile on her face. Shiro watched out of the corner of his eye and Lance gravitated towards Keith. Sakura was a good cover, because Lance went straight to cooing over the baby.

“We’re not that far from Olkarion?” Shiro asked.

“Indeed. Number five has just contacted us, saying that she has found a lead on her brother. She will be meeting us there,” Coran confirmed.

“That’s good. I’m relieved,” Shiro said. He could feel the tension leave his shoulders.

“Space Dad,” Lance commented. Shiro rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips regardless.

“Stop calling me that,” he said.

“We’ll stop calling you that when you stop acting like a dad,” Lance retorted. Shiro laughed at that.

“Alright, you got me there.”

“Ryner has agreed to let Sakura meet some of the younger Olkari. She has given us her word that no one will hear of her existence,” Allura informed them.

“That’s good to hear.”

They landed on Olkarion, and Shiro grabbed a bag of things for Sakura. He went to join the others.

Lance was holding Sakura, letting her stare at the area around her in awe. Allura was talking to Ryner about something, but they were both making their way over to them.

“This must be the child you were talking about,” she said.

“Yep! Her name’s Sakura,” Lance replied.

“Sakura. That is a pretty name. Is it from Earth?”

“It is. It’s a Japanese name,” Shiro replied.

“Shiro gave it to her,” Hunk offered. Ryner smiled.

“I suppose that you are one of these Japanese?”

“I am.”

Lance and Hunk went with Ryner to introduce Sakura to some of the Olkari babies. She looked over Lance’s shoulder at him with her wide eyes, clearly confused as to why he wasn’t coming, but she’d grown used to him not always being around. The bag of things for her was slung over Hunk’s shoulder.

Shiro, Allura, Keith and Coran went around to some of the refugees, talking to them and making sure that they were all doing good and helping to hand out supplies. He was constantly busy, so he didn’t have time to think about anything like Pidge potentially dying. He just focused on his tasks, smiling at aliens and answering questions kids had about Voltron. Tired parents smiled at him thankfully when he told the kids stories of Voltron.

Green entered the atmosphere. Shiro and Allura went to the castle, where Pidge was landing. Keith, Lance and Hunk followed. Sakura was in Hunk’s arms this time.

“SHIRO! I FOUND MATT!” Pidge shouted. He could hear the grin in her voice.

Sure enough, right behind her and staring around at everything, was Matt Holt. His hair had grown a bit, and Shiro thought that he looked better than when his hair was the same length as Pidge’s. It made him look so much more mature.

“Shiro! You’re here!” Matt said. He was grinning. Shiro found himself grinning.

“It’s good to see you again, Matt,” he replied. They hugged. Shiro could only feel relief that Matt was alive and healthy – he could only imagine how Pidge felt.

“Matt, this is Lance, Hunk, you probably know Keith, that’s Coran, and that’s Princess Allura.” Everyone waved or said hello as Pidge said their names.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Matt said. He saw Sakura. “Who’s this little cutie?”

“That’s Sakura. She’s basically Shiro’s daughter,” Keith supplied.

“Congratulations, Shiro,” Matt said. He cooed at Sakura.

“I- thank you..?”

“Just accept your fate, Shiro,” Hunk advised. Shiro rolled his eyes.

“I already have,” he replied. Hunk just shrugged his shoulders.

Matt was now holding Sakura, lifting her up into the air and making her giggle.

“She’s so adorable,” he said, practically crying.

“She is. Listen, Matt, no one off of this planet can know of her existence. We can’t let anyone know of her existence,” Pidge urged.

“I won’t tell a soul,” Matt promised. Shiro smiled.

Matt was good at keeping his promises.

_______________________________________

Pidge didn’t have the instinct to stay up late that night. Instead she fell asleep on top of Matt, who carried her to her room. Shiro let him, knowing that he’d been missing her. Besides, Shiro was only taking care of the other Paladins because they were in space, far away from home. They needed someone to take care of them.

It was another one of those nights for him, where he couldn’t sleep at all. His joy from seeing Matt again had quickly dissipated once he was left with his thoughts, so he resorted to wandering through the halls.

He ended up in the kitchen, where Matt was sitting hunched over on one of the barstools.

“Can’t sleep?” He asked.

“Mm. Nightmare,” Matt replied. Shiro just nodded. He went and grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and sat down next to Matt.

They sat there together, silent. Nothing really needed to be said. They’d both experienced something traumatic.

“Thank you for saving me back then,” Matt spoke. Shiro didn’t need to ask anything.

“Of course. You had no experience fighting back then, and I knew that you had family. I couldn’t let you go in there. You… you would have died,” Shiro replied.

“Yeah… they transferred me. I don’t… they didn’t do anything to me, really. Just healed me from when you broke my wrist and then declared me too weak to do anything. I mostly just… sat in a cell, doing nothing all day. I always wanted to go home. I still do. But… there might not be a home to return to…” Matt trailed off. Shiro stared down at his cup. “Why’re you up?”

“I’ve not been able to sleep properly since before I left Earth,” he reminded Matt.

“Right. That whole thing with Adam.”

“Yeah…”

“We’ll get home, Shiro. We’ll get home, even if we need to fight off the Galra. And when we get home, we’ll be able to see our families.”

“You’re right, we will,” Shiro agreed. They went silent for a while longer before Matt got up and left. Shiro followed him, pouring his water down the sink and setting the cup in it. He walked to his room and laid down on the bed.

He closed his eyes, but couldn’t sleep.

He acted as if he got at least a couple minutes of sleep the next day, but it clearly didn’t fool Keith or Matt. Luckily neither of them said anything.

Like he’d said, Matt was good at keeping his promises.

#vld #voltron #keith kogane #lance mcclain #princess allura #coran #alternate universe #hunk garrett #pidge holt #matt holt #shiro is dad #shiro is not okay #angsty #original charcter #sakura is so fucking cute wtf

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the-letter-horror-lover · 2 years

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THE LOVE IN MY HEART by WritingRead

Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: K, English, Romance & Hurt/Comfort, Naruto U., Sakura U., 9-Tails/Kurama, Words: 1k+, Favs: 9, Follows: 5, Published: Sep 15, 2021

A women, in her thirties was sitting in the hokage office of konoha. The village hidden in the leaf, now much more peaceful than anytime. The people were happy, the children were happy, the clans were happy. Why?

A single reason, it was her, UCHIHA SAKURA'S friend UZUMAKI NARUTO. The hero of konoha, the war frenzy of fourth shinobi war. The strongest shinobi in shinobi history, and everyone's hero.

It was his doing. He had made konoha a place everyone envied. The other villages envied konoha for their hokage. The hokage that everyone loved. He was the bright sun of konoha.

Yet he slept infront of her, drooling, in his sleep. 'So defenseless' sakura thought when she saw the hokage smile in his sleep. The child of prophecy, the shinobi every evil nin feared, was so defenseless infront of her.

'He is still so cute..' she wiped his drool with her handkerchief. He had called her for the report of konoha hospital and medical nins. The seventh was still after giving access to medical nins in wars, just to fulfill his granny's wish.

After the report submission naruto fell asleep while talking to sakura. He had been getting less sleep after all. Even with shikamaru, who was the smartest nin in konoha, the workload was too much for naruto.

She wondered if he slept properly. He was never a person who would forget to sleep and eat ramen. He had sometimes forget to give his dazzling foxy grin, but won't forget to have ramen and a long satisfying sleep.

'Guess people change, huh naruto?' a smile, mixed with a bit of regret spread across her face.

What was her regret? It was her decision! Her decision to drive away naruto! It was her foolishness to suppress her feelings! It was her foolishness to never let him hear her feelings!

She regretted it till the day. But why did she regret it? She had a family, a strong reliable husband, a cute and precious daughter. Her husband loved her, her daughter loved her. They were a happy family.

Yet...it wasn't naruto. She had be lying if she said she was happy for hinata. She had been jealous of that girl for 12-13 years now. She had be lying if she said she didn't envy that girl. She had be lying if she said...she didn't love uzumaki naruto.

It all started with the confession she did at the Land of snow and he rejected it saying something like 'I THOSE WHO LIE TO THEMSELF'. She had told him about her feelings. Tho she was unsure of her feelings then, one thing was sure...she didn't have same obsession for the uchiha as she did before.

She would be an idiot if she didn't fall for her dumb, idiotic, childish yet strong brave and lovable mate. Her feelings got clear when naruto saved her from sasuke. It was the time her heart skipped a beat and beat so fast that she felt it popping out of her chest.

But she didn't...she didn't confess. How could she, when her friend hinata confessed her feelings for naruto, to her.

'I still don't deserve you,...baka.' a sad smile took place on her face instead of the before one. Her hand brushed over his small cut hair. 'You looked more handsome with your long bangs..' she kept her head on her hand, which rested on the table. Her eyes examining naruto.

'You already have eye bags...like an old man' her smile grew more warm. 'Why is it that only you make me feel warm and happy? Only with your presence at that.' her hand brushed over his cheeks. A heavy-sleeper like him won't get up just from a touch.

'Have you been doing well?... haha,what am i even asking? Ofcourse you are,...you have got such a lovely wife.' she caressed his cheeks. 'I hope i was her.' this time she pinched his cheek slightly.

'I should have told you...that your sakura-chan finally liked you. I couldn't...and you already had someone more precious.' she kept caressing his cheek. 'But who am i to get angry about? I made you run behind me...and yet push you away. It's my turn to be behind you yet away from you.' a small tear drop formed around her eye.

'It's surprising how sarada is more like you. Tho, she is smart...her behaviour is more like you, baka. Maybe because you took a dad's place instead of sasuke. I don't know how you'll feel when you understand that she kept thinking of you as her dad for so many years. Haha..that was really hilarious when she had a plushie of your face in her room with a dad sign on it. Thank god i kept it hidden or sasuke would have grabbed you first.' she slightly poked his cheek.

'Hey Naruto, why do you still call me 'sakura-chan'? I am in my thirties ok? I am more like an aunty now. But it's fine, hearing that name from you makes me work harder. It calms me.' she ruffled his hair.

The sun started to rise behind naruto. The bright reddish orange rays fell on his pale skin and his yellow hair. His face brightened in the sunlight and dazzled more.

'Hey, baka...I Love You.' she stood up. 'Forgive me this once hinata...' apologizing in her thoughts for her soon to be action she moved closer to naruto.

Pushing her bangs behind her ear, she planted her lips on his. The soft touch of his lips tingled her. A small blush on her face. Not trying to stop herself, she pushed her tongue inside. Rolling and moving her tongue around naruto's unresponsive tongue...she continued to kiss him.

After a minute, she broke the kiss off and a string of their saliva joined them. Licking off her lips, she stood up. But before waking him up, she kissed his cheek. "Hey, wake up!" with a cheerful smile and jerk, she woke up naruto.

After three heavy jerks, he finally opened his heavy eyelids.

A small tint of red on his face, when he saw sakura's shining face in the sunlight. "Sakura-chan... did i sleep too long!?" brushing his eyes he asked her. "Hm..might be?" she had seriously forgotten to check the time. She was so busy in admiring him that she even forgot the time she came to meet him.

"Oh...you filled this report?" naruto flipped pages of the file infront of him. "Yeah..i thought i had help hokage-sama..." she rolled her eyes up and laughed.

"Thanks sakura-chan! It would have taken me hours to fill it up! You are a life-saver 'attebayo!" he grabbed her hands and shook them hastily, looking at her with his blue oceanic eyes.

A blush appeared on sakura's face...she hid it by making the bangs fall on her face.

"I won't help you all the time, baka!" she slipped her hand out and slapped his hand. "Ow...sorry." he rubbed his hand. "It's fine..." she smiled back...' It's fine this way...' she took the file. Walked over to the door,..."It's fine...This love will stay in my heart forever...." she whispered.

"Hm? Did you say something sakura-chan?" naruto, with his sharp ears he heard something and asked her. "Nothing...your ears are ringing,...old man!" with a cheerful laugh she closed the door behind her. Standing behind the door as support, she kissed her hand which naruto held. "Always...i will keep loving you..." wiping the tear on her eye, she walked off the passage.

"She is still so cheerful..." naruto said with a smile...'...and pretty' a huge grin covered his face. "Hm? what's this? Did i drool?" he licked his lip. "GOD! I DROOLED INFRONT OF HER!" he slumped on his table. 'Now she must be thinking that i am so lame...' he sat straight again.

"I hope you had stayed for a little more while...sakura-chan." he said as he turned around on his chair...looking down of the tower, seeing sakura walk off. She suddenly looked up at him...waved her hand to him happily. He waved back with a huge smile.

'Had she known that this guy was still head over heels for her...i guess his clothes would have been took off by her...' kurama, who was examining sakura from inside thought with a grin. 'Life takes interesting turns... Yours did too naruto...' he thought with a bit of bitterness.

Kurama knew how much naruto still liked the pinkete...but none could do. He was already married and had a kid.

'Well not like i can do anything...' he thought and put his head on his front legs. "Start with the work kid, stop blushing, drooling and fanboying for your friends wife..." kurama said with a joking tone.

"Wha...wha! I...i...i didn't do that! You are such a huge idiot! I would never do that!" naruto did weird gestures like obito when he heard kurama's voice suddenly. Blushing hard..."Damn furball...saying something so silly..." he went back to his work.

Their love for each other will stay in their hearts... hopping around with joy and bitterness. They'll keep each other company, yet be apart... they'll like each other yet not at the same time. Their relationship ended, but their love will still keep blooming in their hearts.

Konoha's hero and konoha's gorilla will stay in love forever.

#boruto fanfiction

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haruno-sakura-san · 2 years

Text

20 Minutes

For @itasakumiamor (sorry for the delay!) This turned out a little more smutty than I meant... hope that's okay.😇

42 - Distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop the other person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead.

🌸🍡

"Have you been drinking?" Sakura asks Itachi, amused as he runs his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. His breath is warm on her neck and smells of sweet wine.

"A little," He admits, and Sakura feels his nose making light circles against her neck. It feels nice, and she tilts her head to give him more room to explore. "Shisui made us go out after the clan meeting."

"Hmm, of course. Blame Shisui," She's teasing him, and his laugh is a huff of air across her skin. He's not drunk but definitely buzzed.

"He does make it easy," He props his chin on her shoulder, looking across the kitchen table which is covered in books, reports, papers, and a few half-full mugs of tea. "What are you working on?"

Sakura sighs, "A funding proposal for a new program for the Hospital. The children's psychiatric program was such as success, I'd really like to expand to the special ops team and Anbu too."

"Sounds interesting." He says genuinely, but his hands now tracing featherlight trails up and down her sides tell her he's not fully paying attention.

"It's extremely boring actually. Lots of bureaucratic nonsense." She leans back to meet his gaze, regretfully, "And it's due Monday."

"So you have two days to finish it." He leans forward and brushes his lips against her cheek, then back to her neck. It's not much, but it sends warm tingles across Sakura's skin with each brush. Itachi tempts her further, "Plenty of time to take a break."

It's quite uncharacteristic of him to be tempting her away from work like this.

She hums, half in thought, half in contentment. They've both been busy, and it's been a long time since she'd had the luxury of his touch. She has missed it more than she realized. The way it stoked warmth from the inside out. The way it melted away the tension of several stressful weeks in a matter of moments. Weeks laying the groundwork for this very, very important report that would make or break her new program.

"As wonderful as that sounds," she starts, already disappointing herself, "But I really need to finish this next section."

It doesn't deter him. "A wise woman once told me that the mind needs at least 20 minutes of recovery for every 90 minutes of intense focus."

Her face heats with embarrassment. Of course even tipsy, Itachi Uchiha could remember something she'd nagged him about years ago. Well, even so, Sakura was nothing but stubborn when she set her mind on something.

She tries to ignore the way his hand has made its way to her knee and his thumb sweeping suggestive circles across her skin. "I can do a lot to help you recover in 20 minutes." Itachi's words are hot now on her neck, and she does her best to ignore the tingling running from where he's stroking her up the inside of her thigh.

"Itachi, this is really important. I need to keep working on it." She says, her breathing faster than she'd like, and pulls back from him again.

"I see," He's actually pouting and Sakura can't hold back the tug at her lips. "Can I watch?"

Her eyebrows shoot up.

"You...want to watch me work?"

"Mmhm," He straightens, coming to her side, and holds out a hand for her to take. Sakura looks at it, confused, but slowly puts her hand in his. He tugs her to her feet, which she again allows. Maybe he just wants one kiss to tide him over?

But instead, he takes her seat.

"That's my-" Sakura's cut off with a squeak as he tugs her back down on his lap, pulling her back flush to his front. He apparently isn't concerned with hiding his arousal from her. She can feel him against her hip and kami help her if it didn't send a throb of heat through her core.

He props his chin back on her shoulder, "Ready, Dr. Haruno."

Her eyes narrow at the nickname, but she just clears her throat. Dr. Haruno indeed and she was going to get this proposal done even with her annoying boyfriend's muscly thighs shifting to a more comfortable position under her.

She turns back to the report she'd been referencing from her last program.

75% of patients who participated in support groups weekly reported -

Itachi shifts and his chest drags up and down once across her back. She could feel the lines of his pecs through her thin tank top, remembers how good his skin feels dragging across hers.

She breathes in a long breath through her nose and out her mouth. Focus.

75% of patients who participated in support groups weekly reported a decrease in PTSD symptoms -

Soft lips press into the curve of her shoulder, lingering for one second, then another. They move inward a fraction, pressing smoothly against her skin. She can feel his chest move behind her as he inhales cool air scented of her and then exhales warm wine flavored air across her skin, the contrast sending shivers down her spine.

"You said watching." She reminds him. Her heartbeat is quick in her rips, he can probably feel it too.

"Oh, I am." It's heavy with suggestion, and Sakura squirms a little on his lap. Turning back to ignore him.

75% of patients who participated in support groups weekly reported a decrease in PTSD symptoms. More interesting is that 50% of patients who -

Hands have made their way under he tank top, laying hot against her hips. They are innocently still, so Sakura continues reading.

- More interesting is that 50% -

His nose is again tracing up and down her neck, and she's tilting her head to give him more room automatically. A flair of annoyance at her reaction has her straightening. The movement presses her hip more firmly against his arousal. He lets out a low sound in her ear. The same sound he makes when she reaches for him under the covers.

- More interesting is that -

Her eyes close as he finds a delicious spot just behind her jaw to kiss then suck lightly between his teeth.

"Itachi," It's more of a gasp than she intended. But he does release his mouth from her for a few moments. She starts back at the beginning of her reading, forgetting where she was.

75% of patients who participated in support groups -

His innocent hands are now tracing her hip bone.

- weekly reported a decrease -

His nose is nuzzling at the underside of her jaw, and her eyes slip closed for only a moment.

- in PTSD symptoms. More interesting-

He's kissing her jaw again, his hand dragging up her stomach, palm wide to take in as much of her softness as possible.

- More interesting -

Her hand finds his knee - she suddenly feels unsteady.

-More -

Her head rolls under his touch as he kisses her cheek, her temple, her forehead, her nose. She's turned her face to him, or maybe he's turned her. Her chin is in his grasp, thumb brushing over her bottom lip, fingers trailing up her cheek, and tangling in the hair at the base of her neck.

He kisses her cheekbone, trailing back to her hairline. Anticipation is rising in her, and all she wants is his lips crashing on hers after weeks of being apart.

Then she is. She's kissing him fully and it's better than she remembered - alone in her bed the past few days, missing him. His moist, warm lips move perfectly in sync with hers, his hands still exploring her curves with a neediness that matches her own. She forgets to breathe until he breaks away for a moment, chest rising and falling in rapid bursts. The ache in her chest was for air, not just for him.

There's less than a moment, then she turns in his lap, pressing her body flush to his. It fits with ease like it was made to nestle into his larger frame. His eyes are glazed from lust or the alcohol - both - but a hunger lurks beneath. Shades of crimson swirling in his dark eyes.

Just like that, she's tasting him again, sweet wine dancing across her tongue. His hand strokes down her back, gripping her hip and rolling her against him. Her moan is sweet on his lips too.

"20 minutes," She manages to say, grasping to hold on to something - his shoulder his hair - as he moves against her again. Her head is swimming and empty of anything but the sensations where his body is meeting hers. His answering chuckle, even just a rumble through his chest, has the tinge of victory to it.

She anchors it to his shoulder as he stands, lifting her up with him. Then he carries her to the bedroom where they spend much more than just 20 minutes making up for lost time.

(I felt like the obvious way would be to have Sakura distracting Itachi, so I decided to turn it around. Hope you liked it!)

#itasaku #Itachi gives very distracting kisses #kinda smutty #sorry I guess I can't help myself...#not edited just free formed so sorry for typos or tempo issues

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sakucherry · 2 years

Note

A few months passes by since Sasuke's officially declared death. Life in Konoha continues to be blessed with peace.

Itachi is slouched on the dining room table, exhausted as sleep dares to take him under. Sarada has just went down for her nap in her tent, the energetic girl was almost too much for him.

Sakura will be coming home soon. Home. Since he had invited her to stay, partly out of his desire to ensure he could look after her and Sarada, to fulfill his promise, she and Sarada have almost convinced him that they have always been here. He wondered what it was like without them, when they were only temporary visitors.

It was then that he heard a rustle. He sighed, a soft smile on his face as he rose from his seat. "Sarada, it's nap time."

Curious eyes watched him from her tent. A mischievous grin on her face.

She was more unpredictable than a well-seasoned shinobi. He could only anticipate her next move would force him to resort to tickling her back to her nap.

As his eyes darted to the clock, he only hoped the excitement of seeing her mother would then tire her out. As much as he would love to play with her and to entertain her, children needed rest.

Exhausted from her shift at the hospital, Sakura unlocks the door to her home. She pauses a little at the door, the thought of “home” rather than “Itachi’s home” stunning her for a moment. Home. Since when did she…? It almost felt wrong how natural it felt, how much she and her daughter belonged. She steels herself. This is her and her daughter’s home now.

With a smile on her face, she pushes the door open and walks in to the smiles and giggles she knows would be waiting for her.

“Sarada, dear, mama’s home,” she announces, eyes sweeping across the room in search for her little one.

Sarada stumbles out of Itachi’s grasp and makes a run for the door. “Mama!”

Smiling, Sakura picks up her daughter and presses a kiss to her plump cheek. “Had fun with Uncle Ita?”

Nodding vigorously, Sarada half-yawns and forces herself to stay awake, head bobbing as if the sight of her mother alone lulled her to peaceful sleep.

Careful not to startle her into wakefulness, Sakura shoots Itachi a smile and a nod in greeting, carefully slipping off her boots and placing them neatly by the doorway.

Months ago, she would have just unceremoniously tossed them aside, but living with Itachi has made her a little self-conscious. Somehow, having such a conscientious man for a housemate every single day has made her more conscientious herself. He is rubbing off on her. She smiles to herself at the thought. Itachi Uchiha, infamous ex-missing nin, domestic and clean and proper.

Sakura crosses the hallway, heads into the bedroom she shares with her daughter and places her gently on the bed. She arranges numerous pillows and plushies to surround her and leaves the lamp on.

She changes out of her hospital garb and joins Itachi back in the living room, picking up a few toys and odd things here and there along the way.

“Itachi. Thank you for today.” For taking care of Sarada. For welcoming us. For everything.

Somewhere along the way, she had dropped the polite -san to his name, like a natural progression of sorts. He is simply Itachi now. Itachi, the patient, loving uncle to Sarada. Itachi, their saviour. Her family.

#sarada melts me tbh I am goo in her presence #itasaku rp

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melody-of-lost-souls · 3 years

Note

So I’m the anon that asked if Sakura had orphanages, thanks for the extra insight. Like I said in that ask, I had seen a lot of Sakura stans on TikTok saying that she had opened them up around the world and saying that she did it because she didn’t want other kids to end up like Naruto and Sasuke. Some said that this made up for the Sakura talking bad about Naruto being an orphan situation.

Hello! your welcome! Yeah it's from Sakura Hiden, at least in retsuden and shikamaru hiden this topic is not there. I read it very quickly -is bad written, very basic, as all the light novels are tho-

these are the fragments of the novel

--------------- "Ah, that's true." Sakura nodded as well.

At the Konoha hospital, Sakura had created a position where she was especially in charge of the mental care of children. Sakura proposed the idea to the senior officials of the hospital. Approximately two years ago, the Fourth Great Ninja World War had ended. When half a year passed after conflict, she then she presented her suggestion.

It was a great war ... Ninjas from all over gathered in an alliance to prevent the resurrection by Otsutsuki Katipoa. She was an exceedingly powerful enemy. Often they thought that they would have been drawn into the depths of despair. But nevertheless, with Naruto In the heart of the Allied Forces, they could neither break nor yield to the enemy. They had fought until the bitter end. Katipoa's aspirations were cut short.

Everyone rejoiced at the arrival of peace. The world was saved. Soon after, rebuilding began after such a large-scale battle. They were making progress by repairing damaged soil and infrastructure.

As a medical ninja, Sakura also treated a large number of injured ninja. There was also many people who suffered serious injuries. Many people visited her for treatment. Without However, all of her patients' expressions were calm and quiet. Since the war finished, it was probably because of her sense of security.

--------------

Sakura thought incidentally:

"I wonder what the children are doing ...

She thought about it while she was in the hospital. Sakura noticed Kurenai, who was hugging her daughter. As for the children who were not directly involved in the combat, perhaps they were physically unharmed. However, what about his mental condition? Since the children did not know when the war would end, their young and tender hearts were probably stressing about your situation. Children saw countries in a state of collapse, or they knew of the death of someone close to them. Perhaps they were full of wounded in their hearts and minds.

-----------

Due to the stress of the great war, there were children whose hearts and minds were wounded by the situation. There should be children who were suffering like those in Konoha. If that is the case, with the prepared infrastructure of the mental care clinic, and in addition to increasing its effectiveness in Konoha, then your work should be applicable to other villages. In how many for the other villas, it would be extremely useful for your children.

-------------

―If only the Children's Mental Health Clinic and the support room could become what Naruto is for Sasuke, for other people ... "Sakura thought.

.------

A place where anyone could come and go as they wanted, talk about anything and everything. Yes the person was bad with words, he was good too. Then the members of the room support would try to start and lead the conversation so that something, anything, could be talked about, or just wait patiently until the other party feels like she can say something. A place like that.

--------

This is the Mental Hospital she WITH INO want to open for the children with mental issues regarding the horrible war. Which yeah i found it wonderful, but Sakura -maybe INo- hasnt got any kind of skill about Psychology and never even dared to care or put some emphaty towards orphans such as Naruto, Gaara or Sasuke. The only time I remember her thinking "Maybe this is how Naruto feels" is in Road to Ninja.

For example, here if you want to apply for being volunteer to take care and play with children in a orphanage, you have to be interviewed and take a psychological test. Because you are dealing with CHILDREN.

Anyway, this hospital doesnt have the "option" to adopt children or something like that so it's far from being an orphanage. And it's not across the world either. The Sakura portrayed here is the one all of her fans desire to be but isnt because her personality is far from being this kind of person.

Could she evolve? Yeah maybe sure, but with a lot of work and development. Development we didnt see here in Naruto nor in Boruto.

And i will rant with this a bit but this really fucked me up.

-----------------

Lately how are you with Hinata? Better than me, she would listen to you carefully.

-How jealous?

Sakura returned with tremendous speed and slammed her fist into Naruto's head. Sakura with an appearance of a demon looked at Naruto who now rested his face on a rock.

-Of course not! You know I decided to wait for Sasuke-kun!

-Y… Yes ma'am.

Naruto replied still lying.

--------

What did you decide to wait for, homegirl? Because i dont get it. He rejected you almost 5 times (not only love confessions but also your flirting advances) and you "decided to wait for him!". This basically means for me, that she is gonna force him until he "falls in love" with her, because the only thing sasuke said in 699 was "until next time" and that's a quote with the meaning itachi used to give. There wasnt next time, Sasuke went on his journey. -and this "cherry blossom" decided to chase him, and get pregnant because of course she had to get uchihas dick and crest. What do you want to wait for? Did Sasuke give any foreshadowing about coming back for your love? No.

Anyway.

#antisakura #antisasusaku #anti-ss #anti-sasusaku #anti-sakura

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cherrynojutsu · 3 years

Text

Title: Years Past

Summary: Sakura haunts their small home in grief, feeling already a ghost even while surrounded with beautiful raven-haired children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As she sees each and every one of them over the months that follow, a select few stare back with her own eyes. Most of them are so like her husband's, though, luciform soot flecked with silver, and she feels so sorry when she looks too long and starts to cry. Romance, Character Death, Sad With a Happy Ending, Sakura POV.

Disclaimer: I did not write Naruto. This is a fan-made piece solely created for entertainment purposes.

Rating: T

A/N: A little late to this prompt, but better late than never, I suppose. This has been sitting in my drafts since June, but reading it made me emotional and I got distracted by writing things for Like Gold. I apologize for the tardiness!

Sasusaku Month 2021, Day 7 Prompt: Years Past @ssskmonth

AO3 Link - FF.net Link

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura passes in her sleep, marcid and weary of a broken heart and missing mismatched eyes, at the age of eighty-two.

It is longer than most Shinobi make it by far, but she doesn't feel very grateful for it, in the last five excruciating months of her life.

Her husband hadn't made it to eighty-two; Sasuke-kun passed in December. It had been peaceful, all three of their children, most of their grandchildren, and even some great grandchildren, the ones not on missions outside of the village, at his bedside.

Sakura had been there, too, old and frail and holding his hand. She'd kissed him goodbye tearily, sensing it was almost time after decades of watching it happen to others inside secluded hospital walls. It had been in front of nearly all of their descendants, family the only thing helping to hold her together in his final moments.

He hadn't complained. He'd kissed her back, for everyone to see, and Sarada and the twins had started crying, then, squeezing their hands around those of their parents, because they knew it really was time.

He had thanked her, said her name one last time, all equanimity even then. Then, so softly, "I love you. I'll see you next time," before he went, bones settling wearily at long last.

There had been melancholy in his expression even in death, wrinkled skin turning glaucous and beginning to sag against old, hardened muscle.

Sasuke-kun was buried next to Itachi’s memorial. There is a plot he saved for her on his other side, his right arm, the hand she held so many times in life.

Sakura haunts their small home in grief, feeling already a ghost even while surrounded with beautiful raven-haired children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As she sees each and every one of them over the months that follow, a select few stare back with her own eyes. Most of them are so like her husband's, though, luciform soot flecked with silver, and she feels so sorry when she looks too long and starts to cry. Little Satoko, their newest great-grandchild all of eleven months old who she dotes on endlessly, reaches at her wrinkled cheeks to try to wipe them dry, babbling out a garbled version of "Oobasan, no cwy." He is talking earlier than most babies, stormy eyes eerily full of awareness and an endless lineage, just like Sarada at that age. Sakura laughs as she sobs, cradling him close to her heart, and looking out her window at their daughter's visage on the mountain. It is also Satoko's grandmother's image; it is hard to believe their sweet little baby is now old enough to be a grandmother. She remembers the first time Sarada had smiled at Sasuke-kun, the first time he held her at only an hour old, and he broke down sobbing.

She makes the trek to Sasuke-kun's grave every day for 138 days, each step an arduous agony, before stooping down to lay a fresh daffodil atop the soil where her husband's bones rest. She has also planted white lilies around his headstone, the same as those that surround Itachi's and the Uchiha Memorial Stone. Her children help her keep them watered as needed through a short spring drought; she is too old to carry a watering can now without spilling.

She misses him. It hurts worse than Sasori's poison or Madara stabbing her or giving birth or a giant shuriken nearly cleaving her in two.

There is joy to be found in the desolation, too, in her last few months of life. Their progenies throw her a birthday party like none other, and she eats her fill of cake while watching little hands eat some, too. Little Satoko dances, or moreso balters, with Sarada in time to a dramatic song he finds by pressing buttons on the radio; it is not a very appropriate tune for a dance with a toddler, all clumsy crescendo and orchestra, but amusing all the same. Sasuke-kun would have smiled, if he were there.

The white lilies bloom before her eyes one last time, resplendent and perfect. She gets to hear about Haruki making Chunin on the first try, every bit the pride of the Uchiha, reborn anew with Sharingan blazing. She even gets to see Akiko make Jonin in person, ambitious and ingenious with Sharingan and diamond seal on her forehead setting her apart from her adversaries in the arena.

But finally, at long last, it is her culminating day. 138 days doesn't seem like a long time to be without him, compared to the larger number of days he was absent in their youth, but she finds it is worse, following their life together.

She tells them all she loves them and falls asleep for the last time, watches their confluence of family say goodbye from above. Sarada and the twins cry the hardest, clinging to her body as her heart finally pumps for the last time. Satoko is too young to understand, but he pats at her, too, in a sea of dark-haired descendants that she knows will continue to bring honor back to a clan revived at the brink of death. She takes in each and every one of their beautiful faces one last time, faces so similar to Sasuke-kun's; not a single one of them has her nose.

It is a legacy of love they have created, exactly the dream they started willing into color the day they discovered they had made Sarada together.

Then, she is on a dock that has slightly singed edges, looking over a small, familiar pond.

It is a spring evening, the sun just falling beneath the horizon and cherry blossoms abloom, and she thinks that is strange, because it is June and Hanami has already passed them by. Satoko had been so cute in his new outfit; she had made it herself, not much else to do in their empty house filled with aching memories. The tiny uchiwa on the back of his collar was sewn with the utmost care, the kind that came from decades of practice.

Crickets chirp, cicadas buzz, and there are a few fireflies leaking out of the greenery, soft light reflectant in the stillness of the water. It is serene. She had sat on this dock many times with her husband, when he was alive, on his right side so she could hold his hand. He told her she was beautiful during Hanami here, every year. She shifts to begin the process of sitting down, planning on leaving the space he'd taken up in life empty for him, in case his ghost is around. She has felt it, sometimes, tugging at her own spirit; she leaves his side of the bed empty every night, trying to will him back to her.

As Sakura shifts, she looks down, and she is startled to see pink hair instead of white, and no wrinkles. She crouches to analyze herself more closely in water still as glass, and there are no creaking old bones. She is young again, somehow.

She is overjoyed; she will be able to water the white lilies herself again. She can even dance with little Satoko now.

Light footsteps sound behind her, and just as she stands and turns, she is being swept into an unfamiliar yet comforting pair of arms. A woman with long inky hair, black as night, is hugging her tight.

"Thank you for loving my son," she breathes immediately, and Sakura starts crying, because she somehow knew who it was before she even said anything, without even seeing her face. When her eyes focus blearily through tears over Mikoto Uchiha's shoulder, Sasuke-kun's brother is walking up not far behind her.

Itachi Uchiha is smiling at her like she's done something wonderful, like he has been waiting for years to meet her. He is younger, healthier here, flecks of silver dancing in eyes just like her husband's, just like their childrens'. There's an impossible ache in her chest.

He waits patiently for his mother to pull back. When she finally does, Sakura looks into her eyes, and Mikoto is smiling at her so big, like she hung the moon in the sky, beginning to peek out from behind clouds above them.

"I have waited so long to meet you," she says, eyes shining, and her eyes are like Sasuke-kun's, too. "You are so beautiful."

Then Itachi is embracing her, and Sakura cries harder, because his arms feel almost like Sasuke-kun's arm had felt, slipping around her for sixty-one years of marriage, the same height and strong.

"I have waited, too. It's an honor. Thank you, for everything," Itachi says as she sobs.

"They are so beautiful, too, Sakura," Mikoto adds softly, hand at her shoulder, and she knows she means their children, Mikoto's grandchildren that she hasn't gotten to hold yet, Sarada and the twins and their children and all the others. Little Satoko had made twenty-seven blood relatives; including spouses who married into the clan, the number was thirty-eight, and there were two more babies on the way, yet.

Itachi lets her go, smile tender when he pulls away. He directs his gaze momentarily to the path leading up the hill, as if he's looking for someone.

She follows his gaze; Fugaku Uchiha is coming over the top, all stoicism even as a spirit. He stops momentarily and gives her a nod of recognition, not breaking eye contact for a long time.

Then, he glances back over his shoulder, tilts his head as if telling someone to follow him down the hill, and Sakura is running, though she hasn't been able to for years.

Sasuke-kun is all of twenty again, young and strong, too handsome for his own good and every bit the sweet but stoic man she fell in love and grew old with. He's smiling at her, just for her, and she's in his arms - he has both, here - in the blink of mismatched, teary eyes.

His arms feel like home, two spirits together in permanence at long last. It is the same feeling as the little piece of heaven they touched together whenever they made love, souls intertwining, but this time for good. She has missed him. Oh, she has missed him.

"...I told you I'd see you next time," he murmurs against her hair.

#this doesn't feel quite as polished as my other stuff tbh but i still like it #feels more raw emotion #ssm21 #ssm21d7 #sasusaku #naruto #ssfanfiction #cherry writes

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catflorist · 3 years

Text

Warm (ao3/ffn) catflorist written for the beginnings with sasusaku zine

Falling snow made Konoha quiet, but this corner of the village was always quiet. Sasuke exited the Uchiha compound with a travel pack hanging heavy on his shoulder. On this evening, with hours until the beginning of the new year, the emptiness of his clan’s district gnawed at him more than usual.

In a different life, he would be fire-jumping with his clan.

Before the new year, the Uchiha clan gathered and lit fires in the streets. They jumped together over the flames. With each leap, the fire fed on their sickness, weakness, and bad luck. It offered health and good luck in return.

Sasuke was not an animated child, but during this ceremony, he would jump high and wild like the others. There was a sense of invulnerability when arriving on the other side of the flame unscathed, then a burning drive to leap again. His feet were loud on the ground when he landed, because he didn't know yet how to move like a shinobi. Every year, he swore he would jump as high as Itachi, though he never could.

No fires were burning in the Uchiha district now, and no children were leaping. The gates to the compound creaked as Sasuke pulled them shut. He slipped into the tangle of Konoha’s winding streets.

Halfway to his apartment, pink hair flashed in the beam of a street lamp. Sakura turned the corner, arms crowded with grocery bags, and strode towards the crosswalk.

Sasuke halted. She hadn’t spotted him yet.

“Sakura ka…” he called. He could not say hello when he greeted her, only, Ah, it’s Sakura, like she was a phenomenon to remark upon.

Sakura turned her head.

“Sasuke-kun,” she replied, eyes brightening. As her gaze flicked to the bag over his shoulder, her smile faltered. “Are you going again?”

Sasuke frowned, pulling on the strap of the offending bag. He had only recently returned to the village. Did she think he was leaving so soon?

“I was visiting...” He turned his head in the direction of the old Uchiha district. “Gathering some things.”

“I see,” she murmured. “Then...do you have plans this evening? I’m going to make toshikoshi soba.” She shifted an arm, revealing the green onions and package of soba noodles peeking out of one grocery bag. “It’ll be too much for one person.” Her cheeks were pink, but maybe it was the cold.

Sasuke usually preferred to be alone. Since returning to the village in the fall, he had his routine. It was not very different from his routine while traveling. In the mornings he trained. He cooked meals in silence and gazed at the view of the forest. In the evenings he tried not to sleep too deeply, his protocol to stave off the nightmares.

The only difference was that if Naruto pounded on the door enough, he might be convinced to spar. If Sakura was around, she healed his injuries. “Try to be more careful next time,” she would say with a crinkle between her eyebrows, which is what happened when she wanted to say more, but didn't want to push him.

She wore that same look now, gripping her bags tighter in case he said yes, eyes already down in case he refused. Snowflakes rested and melted on her eyelashes.

After sorting through his father and Itachi’s belongings, on a night when the compound should have been alive with fire, being alone wasn’t as appealing as usual.

“All right,” he heard himself saying.

Sakura had barely seen Sasuke since he had returned to the village. Now he was seated in her kitchen, tasting the toshikoshi soba she had made following her mother’s recipe. If she wanted, she could bump her knee against his under her small table.

“Your apartment...” Sasuke began. His voice was quiet, the same timbre as the hum of her radiator.

“I don’t spend a lot of time here,” she interjected, palms itching. Her apartment was small and unadorned. She had cobbled furniture together courtesy of her parents, Ino, and a spare office in the Hokage tower. Half the time, she sneezed when she walked in the door, because she never found a moment to sweep the dust.

Sasuke’s shoulder rose and fell. “No, it’s not that.” He raised the bowl to his lips, taking a long sip. “It looks like it’s yours.”

Before she could wonder how he concluded this, Sasuke lowered the bowl to the table, a little too gently. Something about the movement told Sakura to pay attention.

“I was gathering clothes. Mine are worn from traveling.” He swirled noodles slowly in his broth. “I don’t have another way to wear our crest. What I found wasn’t in great condition.”

Sakura would never fully grasp the lonely responsibilities Sasuke bore as the last of his clan. If he did not wear the crest, there was no one else who would. He had to choose, every day, to be an Uchiha. Otherwise they would disappear.

“If you need…” Sakura swallowed. “I can help. I know how to sew.”

The sink dripped, once, twice. Sakura’s mouth opened, an apology bubbling to her lips, when Sasuke left the kitchen. He returned to his chair and spread the contents of his bag on the table: carefully folded articles of clothing, uchiwa fans decorating each item.

Sakura stroked a loose thread, where the fabric of the Uchiha crest was lifting away from the back of a dark haori. “They're not in bad condition,” she said. “They just need some attention.”

“This was my father’s,” Sasuke said, fingertips grazing a deep blue yukata. He nodded towards the article in Sakura’s hands. “Itachi’s.”

Sakura touched her knee to Sasuke’s, soft enough to pass as an accident. He could easily move away, if he wanted to. He didn’t.

“There was a certain stitch we used to sew on crests,” he said. “But I was young. I never learned.”

Sakura inspected the stitching pattern on the haori. It was not too different from a surgical stitch she knew. She unearthed her sewing materials from a kitchen drawer and started the careful work of re-attaching the crest.

When the task was done, Sakura lifted her head. Sasuke’s chair was empty, and the table was clear of dishes.

“Sasuke-kun?” she called.

A soft grunt sounded from behind. Sasuke was leaning over the counter, next to a clean sink and a neat stack of dishes. He set aside a bottle of oil.

She frowned. “What are you doing?”

Sasuke turned, gripping her old cast iron skillet. Its surface appeared to possess more luster, and less rust, than usual.

“Your cast iron was rusting,” he said in disapproval. “I’m re-seasoning it.” He lit the oven and placed the pan inside with a clank. “It’ll need an hour.”

“You’ve made yourself at home,” Sakura said.

A faint smile raised the corners of Sasuke’s lips.

Sakura smoothed over the mended crest of Itachi’s haori. “How is this?”

Sasuke reclaimed his seat and leaned in. Their shoulders brushed. After a beat, he nodded. “Good.”

Sakura’s cheeks warmed, unexpectedly. “Being a trained surgeon doesn’t hurt.”

The smile returned, closer to a smirk this time. He discovered her kettle, brewed tea, and set two cups on the table. Outside the window, night deepened, approaching midnight.

Sakura slipped back into concentration. Tomorrow she would start off the new year with an early shift at the hospital. Instead of going to bed, she added a yukata to her growing pile of mended clothing. Sasuke remained a quiet presence beside her, sipping tea, making no move to leave.

Maybe, she thought, looping thread through cloth, we’ll do this again.

Sasuke peered at her face. “What are you thinking about?”

“Hm? Oh...nothing. Smells bad.” The scent of oil pushed past its smoking point was filling her kitchen. “What are you thinking about?”

“The new year,” he said, tracing the lip of his teacup. “Old traditions.”

“Traditions?” she prompted.

Sasuke stood and slid his left hand into an oven mitt. “My clan...we used to do fire-jumping before the new year.”

“That seems very beautiful,” Sakura said, voice hushed. “I know fire is important to your clan.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Why is that?”

Sasuke removed the pan from the oven. A dark, glassy finish replaced rust and dullness, every imperfection transformed under the oven’s fire. His eyes lowered. “It’s cleansing.”

Sakura stared down at the image of the uchiwa, symbolically fanning the flames of the Uchiha clan. Halfway through a stitch, she had an idea.

Fire-jumping was an exchange of energy, mutual agreement between human and flame. Both the Uchiha and the flames entered the new year warmer and stronger than before.

It was a long time since Sasuke had done anything resembling tradition. He had not even celebrated his birthday since first leaving the village, out of the habit of prioritizing his quest for revenge over himself. Tradition was hard when only one person remained to keep it fed. And there was so much he didn’t know, that he had never thought to ask.

He wondered if he could manage to explain this to Sakura.

Sakura’s eyes were fierce. She finished a stitch, barely looking, and disappeared into her bedroom.

The scent of lavender filled the air. Sakura paused in the hallway with a lit candle.

“You can do it here, if you want,” she said, holding out the flame like an offering.

“Why aren’t you jumping, nii-san?” Sasuke asked, tugging once on Itachi’s sleeve.

The streets were crowded tonight, loud with chatter, music, and crackling flames. The main avenue of the Uchiha district was dotted with fires every few paces, so people could jump down the length of the entire street. Sasuke’s chest was swelling with pride. This year, he had used his ever-strengthening katon to help otou-san light the fires.

Itachi crouched to Sasuke’s eye level. His face was softer than normal in the starlight and the warmth of the flames. “Maybe later,” he said, with a small smile, and a customary two-fingered tap.

As Sasuke frowned in disappointment, Itachi peered down an unlit alley. “I don’t know if the fire will help this year. I might have too much for it to take away.”

His brother’s statement was odd––casual, yet tinged with something Sasuke couldn’t understand. But the strangeness slipped from his mind once he rejoined the rest of his clan, the excitement of the ceremony taking hold of again.

Sasuke spent the next new year alone.

Sasuke was fourteen, footsteps echoing through the corridors of Orochimaru’s lair. Time had little meaning this deep in the earth, but reading the dates on Kabuto’s newest specimens had recalibrated him. The new year was days away.

Dim torches lined the walls. The fire beckoned him. Sasuke reached out a hand, considering.

Itachi’s strange words, uttered a lifetime ago, rang in his mind. Sasuke understood what he meant, all of a sudden. The fire promised to cleanse him, to take the hurt away. But like Itachi, he was carrying too much.

He turned his back to the flickering torchlight and slunk into the cold dim of his chamber.

The day Sasuke returned to Konoha, the forest was under autumn’s spell. Between mossy tree trunks and golden leaves, he caught his first glimpse of the village, bright beneath departing clouds.

“Okaeri!” Naruto shouted, a speck in the distance bounding through Konoha’s wide gates. Beside him, Kakashi raised a hand in greeting.

Sasuke crossed the treeline, and the steps of his journey quietly ran out. He halted before his old mentor and teammate, the village walls high over his head.

“Taidama,” he said. “What day is it?”

“The equinox,” Kakashi answered.

Sasuke’s gaze swept across his surroundings. The village streets were damp with afternoon rain. Wet leaves clumped together beneath his sandals. No one else was waiting for him.

Kakashi and Naruto exchanged a look.

“Sakura’s in the middle of surgery,” Naruto said.

“Hm,” Sasuke replied.

It was a short walk to his old townhouse apartment. Kakashi presented him the key he had safeguarded, Naruto ordered him to come to dinner later that week, and then he was alone on the stoop. A stray cat emerged from beneath the stairs, interested in Sasuke’s appearance.

Sasuke palmed the key in his hand, facing the door. He was not sure what he would find in the apartment he had vacated when he was thirteen. Did he make the bed before he left? Would he find his old clothes still folded in the drawers?

There was a blur in the air like falling blossoms. Sakura was standing on the sidewalk, mouth parted, exhaling a deep breath. Her boots were splattered with mud and what looked like blood. She wore a sweater thrown on top of scrubs, a crumpled surgery cap in her fist.

“Sakura ka,” he said.

She straightened. “Okaeri, Sasuke-kun.”

He had wondered what it would be like to look at her again. Now he learned it was the same. The exact same.

Sasuke was seated in Sakura’s kitchen, his eyes unfocused. He saw a clan, together, jumping over fire to bring in the new year. His clan was gone, yet he was warm, and alive, and Sakura was looking at him over the candle’s fire.

He must have been silent for too long, because Sakura’s hand drifted down. “I’m sorry,” she said, voice wavering. “I know it’s not the same––it’s nothing at all how it should be…”

Sasuke rose to his feet and caught her hand. “It will work fine.”

It was not the same. But a flame was a flame. It promised to take his bad luck away, if he so allowed.

Sakura set the candle on the ground, casting the walls of her narrow hallway in a whirl of light and shadow.

Sasuke closed his eyes and leapt. He leapt again, over and over Sakura’s small candle. Light footed, he didn't make a sound.

When he opened his eyes, Sakura was leaning against the wall, head bowed.

“Sakura. Your turn.”

Sakura’s brow furrowed. “It’s not my tradition.”

“I want you to,” he said, moving aside to create space.

Sakura took a breath, preparing herself. She bounded over the candle, twirling and twisting freely in the air. Watching her, Sasuke turned over a thought in his mind that he no longer wanted to ignore.

With a final leap, she landed close to him. She leaned up on her toes, balanced perfectly between standing and falling, eyes shining from the joy of the movement. Sasuke steadied her elbow, even though she didn't need him to. It was a reflex, like dragging up a blanket in the middle of a cold night, or sighing after drinking water. He could not help but catch her.

It was not the same. There was the scent of lavender, a pile of clothing with freshly sewn Uchiha crests, and somehow, Sakura’s fingers wound together with his.

“You’re an Uchiha now,” he told her. Perhaps it was too blunt to say it this way, but it was true. Anyone who fire-jumped was an Uchiha. If he was the last, then he could shape his traditions, and choose who to do them with.

Besides, they always knew each other well. They only needed some time to know each other well again.

Sakura squeezed his hand, her calloused palm pressed to his. “We can do this again next year. Whatever you like.”

“I would like that,” he agreed.

The candle flickered. It was the start of another year without his clan. But he and Naruto would spar together tomorrow morning. He would feed the stray cats, oil the Uchiha gates, and wear the crest of his clan on his back. Sakura might reach for his hand again. Lately he wasn’t feeling so heavy.

As years passed, the tradition changed. It was not a celebration the way it used to be. It was a moment for mourning, remembering. It also felt like beginning.

One year, he leapt over the flame holding his daughter. She wasn’t yet a year old, but her eyes already reflected the fire, like the eyes of any Uchiha. Sakura followed close behind. Everywhere around them was the comfort of warmth and good luck.

Sasuke was no longer alone. He hadn’t been alone in a long time.

notes: the fire jumping tradition mentioned in this story is inspired by chaharshanbeh soori, an iranian tradition my family and i celebrate as part of norooz (our new year, which occurs in the spring). i was not with my family this year, so i also jumped over a candle in the hallway of my apartment. it's been a long year. i'm sending my love to all of you!

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fic #ss #my ss #my fic #i literally forgot to post this here for months #warm

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ohhipstaplease · 3 years

Note

Angst number 24🥺

Angst # 24 “I thought I’d never see you again.”

Canon Compliant | One-shot | Angst With A Happy Ending | T+ | Ao3

Drabble List

Her heart was in her throat since the moment Sai had delivered the news.

“We can’t seem to locate him, Hinata.”

Naruto had always prepared her for this moment, the inevitable one that always seemed to cloud over them. He had left her a list of numbers to call, and bills that would have to be paid. The key to their old apartment, where they still stored some of their things. And a box of mementos, ones that he’d want her to pass on to their children. She’d always side-glance the desk where he’d keep all of this, praying that she’d never actually had to open the drawer that held all of the things she’d need in case of an emergency.

“I love you,” He had whispered the day he had left, kissing her gently as he wrapped his arms around her once more. He had told her not to get up from bed, he had already fed their son and she needed her to rest now that she was with child again.

She didn’t want to listen, but exhaustion kept her from fighting him. Instead, she breathed him in as he protectively placed a hand on her rounded stomach. He whispered sweet nothings to their unborn child, kissing her belly for good measure. It made her heart flutter as she watched him, knowing that another child meant another chance for her husband to be a loving father once again.

“Hinata?”

Her eyes fluttered open and met his once again, “Yes?”

“You know what to do if something happens, right?”

Her heart dropped into her stomach at the thought, but she pretended like she was fine. Worrying him right before he took off wouldn’t help anyone.

“Yes. But nothing will, Naruto-Kun. You’ll come home safely to us like you always do.”

A ninja’s life was tenuous, short-lived. The young couple understood that, they did. But Naruto...he was the exception to the rule. After everything he had lived through, all the battles he had won, Hinata believed him to be unbreakable, unbeatable. Sometimes she had even wondered if he was even human.

But then something like this happened and it led Hinata to question everything she had ever believed.

“Hinata, did you hear me?” Sai asked, worriedly. He led her to a chair in the couple’s kitchen and had her sit down, worried that she might faint.

“W-what do you mean you can’t locate him?”

She looked over her shoulder at their sleeping son on the couch, the spitting image of his father. Her hand protectively covered her growing bump, almost as if sheltering their unborn child from hearing what was being said.

“He’s been missing for more than a couple of hours now. We’ve sent out our best team to find him, Hinata...” Sai clasped her shoulder, trying to reassure her.

Still, nothing would ground her. She felt as if her soul had left her body. If it hadn’t been for Boruto asking why she was crying, she probably wouldn’t have even remembered she had two other lives to care for.

She didn’t have time to sit around and be sad, she was a mother first now. She knew that, understood that she and Naruto now came second. But still, she couldn’t bear to get up from bed.

“I-I’m okay, baby,” She tried, “Your sibling was kicking all night and wouldn’t let me sleep.”

“Is that why you’re crying?”

Her son jumped up onto their bed and gently patted her belly, “Hey you, you’re making mama cry. Stop moving around in there!”

Hinata couldn’t help but smile through her tears, grasping her son and cuddling him to her chest.

Yes, she and Naruto had the talk many times. What would happen if he died on a mission or if she passed away during childbirth. They weren’t easy things to discuss, no, they both would end up in tears, desperately grasping each other and hoping they’d never have to know what life was like without the other.

She had memorized every line on his face by now, every crinkle by his eyes when he laughed. She had always tried to drink in every detail of her life with him and their children, never for a second taking it for granted.

So she didn’t understand why, now when it counted, she couldn’t seem to picture Naruto’s laughing face.

“When is daddy coming back?”

Hinata stifled a sob and looked down at her son, “Soon, baby. He got a little lost on the way back home.”

“Oh, well...next time let’s draw him a map.”

She nodded, “That’s a great idea, Boruto. Why don’t we do that right now?”

“Yeah?”

She smiled, “Yes, go get your crayons. We can turn on the TV and sit on the floor in the living room.”

Boruto bolted from her side and giddily ran down the hall to his room to gather his coloring supplies.

Hinata tried to wipe her tears and compose herself. It wouldn’t be good for her or the baby to continue down this road. She knew Naruto would be worried if something were to happen to her or their unborn child, so she tried her best to push away any frightening thoughts and instead imagined her golden boy coming home to her once again.

“Mama, can you help me draw the map?”

She nodded as she poured her son a cup of tea and placed a few of his favorite treats in front of him. He smilingly picked one out and started eating, leaving a few crumbs behind. She watched him in awe, still not quite sure how they had managed to create him. Her heart swelled as she watched him, making the young boy furrow his brow and ask, “Are you okay?”

“Ignore me,” She waved her hand and picked up an orange crayon, “Let’s draw this for daddy, yes?”

The pair colored for what seemed like hours. Hinata attempted to focus on the task before her, but every so often her mind wandered and her eyes drifted to the phone. Willing it to finally ring, to finally have someone tell her the inevitable.

She just needed to know, either way. She needed to know if she had to go open the drawer, go through the papers, unlock their apartment, and move out their things.

So many things to do, so little time to process.

“Mama!?” Boruto asked frantically, waving his small hand in front of her face.

“What is it?”

“The phone is ringing!”

Hinata jumped up from her seat and dashed to the phone. With her heart in her throat as she picked up and said into the receiver, “Hello?” she prayed for good news.

“Hinata?” She heard Sakura’s voice ask.

“Yes!?”

“You need to come to the hospital. Let me send someone to bring you and Boruto.”

“I-Is he okay?”

Sakura exhaled, “He’s in rough shape, but he’s going to be fine.”

Hinata’s legs gave out from under her, and she managed to fall upon her knees as she cried into her hands. Boruto quickly picked up the phone and asked, “Auntie Sakura? Mama’s crying.”

“Is she alright?” Sakura asked.

Boruto studied his mother and nodded, “Mmhmm. I think she’s okay, just crying.”

“You take care of her, okay? I’m going to send Sai to bring you over to see your dad.”

“Dad’s back!?”

“Yes he is, we’ll see you soon okay? Take care of your mama.”

Boruto quickly hung up the phone and ran upstairs to grab his coat and his mother’s. Just as he heard Sai knock on the door he grabbed the map he and Hinata had just finished and folded it into his pocket.

He was going to make sure his dad didn’t worry his mom like that ever again.

---

“I thought I’d never see you again,” Hinata cried as she hugged her husband tightly to her chest.

“Hina, you know I’d never leave you,” He muttered as he tried to mask the pain she was inflicting onto his already injured body.

“Daddy!” Boruto called as he jumped onto his father’s hospital bed.

“Gentle!” Sakura yelled as she walked in behind him, “He has a long road ahead of him before he can horse around with you again, Boruto.”

Naruto look down at his son and smiled, “Did you take care of mom?”

Boruto nodded solemnly, “Yeah, and we made you this,” he grabbed the map out of his pocket and placed it on Naruto’s lap, “Just to make sure you always make your way back home okay? I don’t want you worrying mama like that again.”

Hinata brushed Boruto’s hair back and kissed his forehead as Naruto tried to push away his tears.

“No matter where I go, now I know I won’t get lost,” Naruto said proudly as he took Boruto into his embrace and pressed his cheek to Hinata’s swelling belly, “I’ll always know my way back home thanks to you three.”

#ask me whatever #drabbles #naruhina #naruhina fanfiction #one shot #can you tell i have nothing to do today?#sunshine family

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shikonotama · 3 years

Text

Noragami Reverse Bigbang 2021

Hello! This is my piece for this year's @noragamibigbang. The idea for this fic came from @littlessushi who was my partner for this reverse bigbang. Please make sure to check out her beatiful art! As this was the first time I participated in a reverse bigbang I was quite nervous at the beginning but thanks to my partner's help it was a really great time and I enyojed the writing a lot. Have fun reading! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ »That’s all. Thank you very much.« The young woman took the bag in front of her, bowed politely and left the supermarket she often used to visit on her way home. Right after stepping into the already fading sunlight that warmly lit the surroundings; she stretched both her arms high up into the air, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. It had been a tough day so far.

Since she had finished medical school and started to work at the local hospital some weeks ago, starting from tomorrow she had her first days off, so she could take things easy today.

‘Alright, Hiyori’, she told herself, ‘time to head back home, get some warm tea and a blanket and just chill on the couch.’

Meow…

Surprised she lowered her arms and opened her eyes to look around.

»Meow…« It took her quite some time to get a glimpse of a tiny black cat. It sat on top of a trash can cover and had its eyes strictly focused her way.

»… me…ow…«, the sound coming out of the small mouth got quite a bit lower after she took some steps into the small cat’s direction.

»Don’t be afraid…«, she smiled, stood still and squatted down while leaning forward a bit. At first Hiyori feared the cat would jump up straight away and run, but it just kept watching her, then the black head rose, the cat closed its eyes and the tiny black nose started to wiggle.

»What’s wrong?«, she asked, knowing well a cat wouldn’t answer. Instead it opened both eyes in an instant: »Meow!«, the big green eyes were now focusing the white bag Hiyori just bought. The woman smiled, stood back up and put one hand into the plastic bag.

»Are you hungry? I only bought some buns, you know?«, she laughed and held a piece between her fingers, so the small animal could reach it without any trouble. When their eyes met again, Hiyori’s smile vanished in an instant and she froze.

Even though the weather hadn’t changed the slightest, the sound of raindrops falling onto the ground reached her ears: raindrops that hit the ground, the roof, the rain drain, her umbrella and the trash can cover.

“I will keep my promise!” Her own words echoed in her ears, “I will never ever forget about you…!”The young woman shuddered and held her breath.

»Ya…to…?!«, she whispered while barely getting any kind of sound out of her mouth and took a closer look at the pair of light green eyes that carefully watched her. The bun she just held dropped on the floor. Just one second ago, Hiyori believed that the cat’s eyes’ colour had changed from green into a deep and light blue – but she was wrong: It was still the same.

‘Why …?’

“Will you really keep that promise, I wonder…?”

Not caring about some people who would probably think she had gotten crazy, Hiyori let the entire bag fall on the ground, turned around and ran.

The park she just entered was still filled with people, mostly families and friends. Many of them already started to prepare their way home, but some were still enjoying their time together. The cherry blossom trees throughout the city had just started to bloom and drew everyone’s attention towards them. Tiny pink petals were dancing through the air, swirling around and lightening everybody’s mood, or so it seemed.

Countless children were running around, screaming and dancing with both leaves and their friends while on the other hand older people were sitting on blankets, drinking, chatting and laughing with their beloveds and family – meanwhile Hiyori was still caught in her thoughts, not fully aware of what just happened or where she ran to.

It was only some minutes later when she finally recognised she ran quite a distance. She abruptly stopped and leaned against a trunk, her eyes still closed to get back a hold of her breathing.

As her emotions calmed down and the surrounding sounds started to reach her consciousness again, she carefully blinked and reopened her eyes. Even though she could still feel her heart pounding against her chest, her breathing tempo went back to normal and her brain had started to work properly again. Even her hands had stopped shaking.

‘What’s wrong with me, all of a sudden?’ She led out a heavy sigh and watched the children play on the grass right in front of her eyes. Hiyori couldn’t help herself but bring back a smile to her face. It felt like ages, since she last went out for a walk during the Hanami. When she was younger, she used to go out with her family and play with her brother and friends like those kids did just now. Later, when she entered middle school, she used to come visit the blooming trees together with her friends, but since she went afar to study to become a physician, she simply didn’t have the time to take a relaxing walk around the park.

Just now, when her eyes tried to follow the petals swirling through the air, she felt like a heavy weight was lifted from her chest – a feeling she hadn’t felt in quite a while. Like a vanishing mist that lay upon her soul for the past… days… maybe weeks… or even years?

»This place sure is amazing, isn’t it?! We definitely have to come back here again next year!«

»You bet we will!«

»For real?! It’s a promise! You better not forget, okay?«

»Of course I promise. How could I forget something that important?!«

The three people, walking by Hiyori who still leaned against the trunk of one of the biggest cherry blossom trees around, laughed and giggled up until she lost sight of them.

»… a… promise…?« Hiyori murmured, softly pushing her body away from the cherry tree trunk. Slowly she continued her way through the park, passing by several trees – some of which were lit by nearby street lamps that had just been switched on one second ago. As she moved on, the amount of people crossing her way decreased, until she finally found herself at the edge of the park, looking over a beautiful riverside, while the sun had continued its way, so it was just about to touch the ground in the far distance now. This caused the white and pink petals swirling around Hiyori’s body to be touched by the fading sunlight, turning the already beautiful view into an even more mysterious one. The tree right beside her, which had its trunk wrapped up in a mat of straw, didn’t seem to be one of the strongest or biggest ones she passed today, nevertheless its petals rained down and spread across – some of them might even reach the other riverbank.

She carefully approached the tree and put her palm on top of its somewhat familiar bark.

‘So warm…’ She lifted her eyes and waved her gaze to the treetop. In an instant she could feel a fresh breeze of wind playing with her hair.

“The Sakura’s in full blossom.”, her own voice echoed in her ears. She shrugged.

“Whoa… they sure are pretty!” It was the voice of a young man, maybe still at a kid’s age. Startled, Hiyori took some steps back from the tree she just put her hand on and searched her surroundings.

“They are… Let’s come back next year, too, okay?!”

“Definitely…” The blonde boy beside her, his eyes sparkling in joy, nodded, still gazing at the big cherry blossom tree. Just one second later he snapped out of his current mood, turning his attention to the back while shouting: “Yo – You dumb old stalker. We did you a big favour by letting you come with us, so you better be careful!” Following his voice, Hiyori turned around as well. Some meters behind them stood a young man dressed in a black track suit. His gaze was locked on the cherry tree as well, but in contrast to the boy, his eyes didn’t sparkle, nor was there any joy visible on his face. His expressions hadn’t changed since Yukine spoke to him, he didn’t even spare a glance on the two. Hiyori couldn’t help herself but feel unease: It was rare for him to put up that kind of face. She wanted to ask him, wanted to know if something happened she didn’t know about, but on the same time she didn’t find the right words to do so. His mind seemed to be in a place far away from here, would he even bother to answer?

Then suddenly, he started to mumble some words. Not loud enough to understand completely, even though she really tried. The wind made the young man’s black hair cover his eyes, so she couldn’t get a hold of his expression anymore. ‘What’s wrong??’ Just as she started to make a move to turn around and walk in his direction, some of his words made it through to her.

“… huh? … can’t even remember… when I last saw…”

‘When?’

“What are you rambling about?! Cherry blossoms are everywhere in Japan…!” The boy’s voice snapped both of them out of their thoughts.

“Hmph… Dumplings over flowers for me any day.”

Without any further word, Yato headed straight to the bento boxes Hiyori prepared for today, sat down on the blanket and pinched a bit out of the box next to him. “SO MUCH FOOD!”, he picked up one of the sausages shaped like an octopus. In contrast to his appearance just some moments ago, he wore a big grin on his face, his cheeks rosy from excitement.

“Ahh, just looking at these adorable octopus hotdogs makes me warm with Hiyori’s love…”

“Wait ‘til everybody gets here, okay?”

“Everybody?”

Just as they spoke, a bunch of people appeared in the far, strictly heading for the cherry blossom tree they prepared the picnic at.

Hiyori couldn’t help herself but giggle at the images that just flashed before her eyes. Both Yato and Bishamon sure were energetic that day. Everyone else probably had a lot of fun, too!

»You should quit drinking that much if you lose the capability to control your actions, you know? Don’t blame me, Yukine or anyone else for the things you did!«

Hiyori had turned around, rolling her eyes and both of her hands rested on her hip.

‘At least he doesn’t make that gloomy face anymore.’

The annoyed look on her face vanished and turned into a happy smile as their eyes met.

»Whatever… this day turned out to be a lot of fun, huh? Well… it was even more chaotic as I could’ve ever imagined beforehand…«

After a short pause, she continued: »Yato…!« It was just then, when she finally realised that neither Yato, nor Yukine nor one of the others had been with her to begin with.

In front of her eyes there was still that cherry tree which had a small part of its trunk covered, the same petals dancing around her body and the same river some steps ahead.

»Right…«, she told herself, »… it’s already been some years.« ‘How could I forget? … Again…’ The whole amount of energy she just felt some minutes ago had already left her body, so she leaned against the tree behind her, slowly sliding to the ground. In silence, tears had gathered in both of her eyes, blurring her vision before they rolled over and left a wet mark on her face.

Back then she couldn’t even think about a life without them – a so called normal life. A life where she simply went to school to learn, have fun with her classmates and friends and then starting to think about her future goals.

After she was hit by that truck when she was trying to save this reckless god running over the street to catch a stray, she tended to leave her body from time to time. Even now she couldn’t fully understand what happened back then. As a so called half Ayakashi she could jump up high and her kicks were even stronger than Tono’s. Yato had promised to find a cure for her state. ‘Right… I even payed him the five Yen he requested.’ As time went by, she had started to stop regretting her new state and used the power given to her to help her friends and fight. What started as something alarming and scary turned out to be a way full of friends and mysteries to solve. Never could she have imagined that it would not stay like this forever.

Even though Tenjin had warned her to stay alert and thus suggested that cutting ties with Yato and everybody else would be for the best, she refused and stayed. She wanted to stay by their side – by his side. After she almost forgot about everybody once, she treasured her dairy even more, closely paying attention to reread and write something down every single day.

‘Why did I forget about them again? Did he cut the ties for real this time? That night?’ – He didn’t, she just remembered. After her cord was heavily damaged and her physical body had gotten weaker, Tenjin brought up the matter of cutting ties again.

“I’m sorry… if it wasn’t for me, your condition wouldn’t be that bad right now…«, Yato stood some steps away from her, his eyes strictly directed to the floor. It wasn’t easy to understand every word he said, because his voice was about to start trembling any moment. To cover up, he kept it low.

“That’s not true! Why do keep blaming yourself for things you can’t change?!!”

Hiyori’s voice was filled with anger and despair. If he really wanted to cut the ties that connected the two there wasn’t much she was able to do against.

“Yato…”, after a while she lowered her voice too, slowly closing the gap between them until she was able to touch his chin with her fingertips. Gently and yet firmly she lifted his head so his eyes had to make contact with hers. His were cold and without the sparkling deep blue she loved about them the most. His face was covered in bruises from the many fights he had to endure and despite her having bandaged them the best she could, he really looked like someone who should rest rather than standing here at night, chatting.

“… please.”, she continued her talk, “I don’t want to forget, I will be fine, I’ll-…!”

She felt cold sweat running over her face and her breathing was unsteady and fast. It was just at that moment, when she suddenly felt dizzy and was about to tumble. Yato quickly had put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. She could feel every finger of his tightly holding onto her shirt while desperately trying to cover the fact that his hands were shaking.

“Please… I don’t want to forget… again…”, she whispered and could feel him strengthen his grip even more.

She tightly wrapped her arms around her knees as she remembered what happened more than six years ago. Her condition kept getting worse, so everyone suggested it may be best for her to continue living a normal life. That’s why she decided to sign up for medical school far away from Kofuku’s house. If she studied far away, kept her distance and regained her health, she would be able to meet with them again – at least that was what she had hoped for.

Her condition did indeed get better throughout the years passing by, she felt a lot healthier now and

could not remember a single day she left body again. ‘But… I ended up forgetting about them… about all of them nonetheless.’

‘I wonder… are they still arguing day for day? Fighting evil spirits? Did they get into a fight again and got hurt? Are they… still ali-…!’

Hiyori stopped her own thoughts, opened her eyes wide and held her breath while covering her mouth with both her hands.

“The only kinds of believers Yato could ever relay on were those one-time customers, not to mention he was never really blessed with a good shinki… I’m sure he had his fair share of fears and doubts. I bet there wasn’t a day when his mind was at ease, since he had to cling to one person’s memory at a time to stay alive…”

‘Right… without his lifeline, an unknown god like Yato would…’

Her chest hurt and her head was filled with dust. Hiyori could feel her knees shaking, as she tried to stand back up on her feet again. After she forgot about him during the past six years, did he…? No…

»This can’t be… right!« Hastily the woman grabbed the bag she was carrying her mobile in; at least she tried to. Where she remembered her bag to be, she could just grasp thin air. She must have lost her bag after encountering the black cat next to the supermarket this afternoon.

»Damn…!« With one jump she ignored her still shaking knees and jumped back on her feet.

‘It doesn’t matter if we’re supposed to cut ties… I don’t care…’ Her body ran back into the park she came out of some minutes ago. All its ways were lit by streetlamps, now that the sunlight was almost completely gone for today.

‘I have to call him… I have to know whether he and Yukine are safe… Please – be safe!’

The tears had flooded her eyes, making it difficult for her to follow the path she was heading properly.

‘Please…’, she begged in her mind, not able to think of something different anymore.

»YATO-…!«

Some birds that were sitting on nearby branches to enjoy the last warmth of the sun flew away in fright – not because Hiyori suddenly shouted out a name into the dark, but because of the sound of two bodies crashing into each other. The uninspected impact made the woman stagger backwards; therefore she was now sitting in the grass, heavily breathing.

»I’m terribly sorry… I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. Are you hurt?«, the calm voice of a young man dispelled the rising panic occupying her mind.

»No, I’m… I’m fine. Sorry.«, she answered in a low voice and raised her head. Since it already got dark and the last piece of sunlight couldn’t reach the centre of the park she was now in, the big cherry blossom trees around her were all lit by some streetlamps. One might say the contrast of the dark night with its deep blue sky made a beautiful contrast to the white and pink petals still swirling to the ground, but Hiyori didn’t care about anything like that right now. She was looking into the direction the young man’s voice had reached her ears from. Even though she could only see his silhouette because he stood right in front of one of the lights, he had a somewhat calming aura around him. As she took a closer look she noticed he wore some kind of tracksuit. Maybe he was one of the students or freshmen who spend their time after work for some fitness runs through the park.

‘Whatever… I have to hurry!’

As she made a move to stand back up again, the person in front of her came some steps closer and made something swing right before her eyes.

»This happens to be yours, doesn’t it?«

Just now she realised that it was indeed her mobile phone the stranger was holding. She nodded.

»I figured.«, he replied and straightened his back again, »Well then…«

»How did you kn-…?«

»Be careful – tonight’s gonna be a gloomy night.« The young man in front of her avoided to answer her question and turned around, just to be gone not even a second later.

»Wait!« Hiyori put her hand in front to push her body on her feet again, when she realised her phone lying right before her eyes. Hastily she picked it up and unlocked the screen when she suddenly paused. Attached to the upper right of her phone, there was a small keychain she did not remember putting there in the first place. It was a golden crown which was attached to a thin string, shining even in the pale light of the street lamps.

The tears that had stopped once she fell to the floor continued to run all over her face, as she embraced the small keychain and squeezed it close to her chest.

»Thank god…«, she murmured and couldn’t hold back the sobbing that echoed through the dark, while a gentle wind, which brought a lot of cherry blossom petals with it, gently caressed her body, as if it wanted to give her at least a little comfort.

************************************************************************

Close to the riverside the young man was looking back at the park full of cherry blossom trees, when the woman’s whispers reached his ears and a relieved smile hushed over his face. He closed his eyes and turned around to leave.

»Stupid… I won’t disappear that easy.«

#noragami #noragamireversebang2021 #hiyori #yato

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depressedhatakekakashi · 2 years

Note

TMS au

Itachi

Shizune

Ino

Itachi

(When it comes to Itachi I will always revert to @itachi-uchiha-deserved-better because they are the best with him, so if I have anything here wrong just let me know)

Although Itachi is no longer part of Konoha, he still likes to check in on his baby brother once in a while. even if Sasuke thinks he was the one who murdered their clan, and would likely attack him if he were to spot him, Itachi thinks it's worth the risk to know his brother is alright, and it breaks his heart to see him so lonely. Hating the only family member he has left because of Danzo's lies. The one thing Itachi wishes he could do is to tell Sasuke the truth, but he has long since accepted Sasuke's anger and decided to become his little brother's catalyst to reaching the peak of power through the Mangekyo Sharingan.

When Sakura is struggling to get used to the new training regime and wondering if her place is really here with strangers instead of in the village, Itachi is always there to support her and remind her of her goals. Pushing her to be the support that Naruto and Sasuke need and not to give up on the goals she has set for herself.

During the Pein arc, Itachi is away on a mission of his own to find his little brother and speak some reason into him if possible. He's angry that Tobi has used his brother's anger towards him and redirected it to all of Konoha, when Danzo should be his target. His hope is to convince his little brother out of being in the Akatsuki, and to redirect his energy onto the task Itachi is aiming to achieve. Taking down Danzo.

Shizune

Although Shizune doesn't make a habit of visiting the graveyard every day like Rin, she does visit it at least once a month. With flowers in hand and a cloth to give the gravestone a quick clean, she sits there and talks to Kakashi. tells him all about the things he has missed while he has been gone. She never realizes that Kakashi has learned her pattern and started to hang out nearby. not close enough to be seen, but to hear what she's saying. To know what's going on with the friends he misses so much.

Shizune was the one to ask Rin out on their first date. It was only a few months after Tsunade returned to Konoha to take on the mantle of the fifth Hokage, Rin didn't understand what she was asking for at first, so Shizune asks again just to clarify. She doesn't mind though. In fact, she thinks it's rather cute seeing Rin looking so surprised by her request.

Shizune does not chase Tsunade around as her assistant but instead takes up the position of Head of the hospital during Tsunade's run. It's only when Rin becomes Hokage that Shizune decides to become the Hokage's assistant, wanting a step back from the hospital life (though she still does shifts and has a huge say in any changes made). During her time as the head of the hospital, Shizune creates a mental health ward focused on helping those with PTSD. (Ino is still the one to make the children's mental health ward to help those who have lost people in war and have suffered because of the shinobi system)

Ino

Although Sakura leaves the village to train under the Hound masked shinobi, Ino chooses instead to approach Shizune about training. She recognizes that Shizune isn't as skilled in medical ninjutsu as Tsunade-sama, but also knows there are still things that she can learn from her. Things that will be useful in the field.

While she's learning under Shizune, Ino also continues to work with her team and actually takes on more of a leadership role. Shikamaru is still the one who does the mission planning, but all three of them agree Ino is best suited for actual leadership. Shikamaru likes that the responsibility isn't on him, and Ino gets to really work with the role she's best suited for. Ino-shika-cho flourishes more than any of the predecessors because of shikamaru's plans, Choji's support and Inos leadership.

During the fight against Kakazu, Ino actually gets a shot to take down one of his hearts herself. While he's fighting against Rin-sensei, he ends up exposing himself to ino. She quickly uses her mind transfer jutsu, and cements him in place. taking Rin's attack dead on and destroying one of his five hearts.

#Uchiha Itachi #Shizune #Ino Yamanaka #TMS AU

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i-would-have-come-for-you · 3 years

Text

A Marriage of convenience

The art does not belong to me. All credits go to @cyantasim for the beautiful work.

Chapter 2

Hinata Hyuga was not stupid.

So when she came home to find Sasuke Uchiha in her house, talking to her father privately, she knew something was wrong.

Neji was also there, strangely. Hinata was anxious. She was pacing in the garden, waiting for their private meeting to be over so she could ask what the hell was Uchiha Sasuke doing in the Hyuga compounds?

“Lady Hinata, you must calm down. It is merely clan business.” Ko, her care taker since she was a child, advised her.

“I just-It’s unsuaul.” She stumbled for words to express what she thought. She did not stutter anymore. No. she’d outgrown that phase along with the shyness.

She’d expressed her feelings to Naruto and she’d been understanding when he’d told her he could only be friends. She was okay with the fact that he was engaged to Sakura Haruno, her close friend now.

Since the war, everyone wanted to rebuild. Together. That’s why people did not hesitate to celebrate small things and small mercies either.

The war had been cruel. But that was 3 years ago. Hinata was a 19 year old now, strong and ready to take over her clan as head.

She’d become Jonin and then ANBU along with a few of her old classmates. Naruto was training to become Hokage under Kakashi’s wing. Sakura was the head of the Konoha Hospital. Ino had decided to become a Jounin teacher along with managing her flower shop.

And Sasuke…he’d left Konoha for a journey as atonement of his sins. He’d come back a few months ago after 3 years. Hinata had been one to welcome him back along with his friends as she felt bad because everyone was wary of him.

He’d flashed her a look of intrigue before resuming his mask of cold indifference. She sighed. She’d drive herself crazy, over thinking this.

She decided to shower and change to calm herself. She showered and changed into comfortable clothing before deciding to read the mission report for her previous mission before presenting it to the Hokage today.

She knew it would be dinner time soon so she walked downstairs, clad in her T-shirt and yoga pants. As she reached the lower floor, she almost bumped into Uchiha Sasuke. She stopped herself just in time.

She looked up at his face which was weary but showed no hint of any emotion. Hinata just stared at him for a moment. “Uh-I’m sorry.” She told him softly.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before walking off, not gracing her with a response. What the-?

She saw Neji, white as chalk come out of her father’s study. “Neji nii? What’s wrong?” she asked him carefully.

He looked at her and almost freaked out. “Nothing.” He breathed out heavily “Nothing at all. Please excuse me.”

He walked off. She wondered was wrong with him. Her father did not come out of the study at all. Hinata shrugged it off, determined to ask why Sasuke was here later.

For now, she had dinner to eat since she hadn’t eaten anything all day.

Hinata had just returned from presenting the Hokage her mission report. The Hokage had praised her good work.

She was still smiling from that, relishing the praise. She’d been happy with her performance on the mission. Her mind tracked back to when she was a young Genin. She’d been weak.

She remembered her father’s mission before most of her missions.

Try not to be a burden for anyone else.

That was always great encouragement, she thought bitterly. It was no use thinking back on that now. Once she was clan leader, she would surely change the ways of the Hyuga. She’d make sure there was no more resentment between the two branches.

She just finished taking off her shoes when the servant informed her that her father wanted to speak to her in his study.

It was something regarding Sasuke’s visit yesterday, Hinata was sure. She walked to her father’s study and knocked softly.

“Come in.” his voice rang out.

She entered and closed the door behind her. He stood besides the window in the room. As if anxious. Which was surely not possible.

“Good evening father.” She greeted.

“Good evening Hinata.” He said. She waited for him to say more.

“You called me here. What is the matter?” she got straight to the point as her father disliked beating around the bush.

“Hinata…I have some news for you and I hope you will take it well.”

Hinata’s heart beat faster. She had a feeling whatever the news was…it was not going to be very pleasant for her.

“What…?” she could not manage anymore words. Hiashi looked at her gravely, as if announcing her death.

“Uchiha Sasuke visited yesterday as I am sure you know. He presented me with a blood contract, sealing your engagement to him.”

Hinata’s breath was knocked out of her body as her father calmly informed her of this. “It was a marriage contract. Between you and Uchiha Sasuke.”

Hinata still could not grasp what he was saying. “The engagement was arranged by me and the Uchiha head Fugaku. It must be fulifilled.”

“No…” she breathed out.

“I’m afraid that is the arrangement. You will be married to Uchiha Sasuke with in the week.” He said it like he was not ripping her life apart right there and then. Like it was a good thing. Like it was routine. Maybe for him, ripping apart lives was not a big deal.

“You can’t do this to me.” She said angrily.

“It is for the best.” He told her.

“You can’t do this to me.” She said through gritted teeth this time. Hiashi sighed, like she was a child, stubbornly asking for a toy she could not have.

“I cannot break a blood contract. And besides, it is a beneficial match.” He said, eyeing her carefully. Her eyes burned with tears.

“You can’t rip my life apart just like that! What about my life? My ambitions. I don’t want to be a breeding mare for him!”

Hiashi flinched at this. He could not help but notice how alike she looked to her mother. It sent a pang through him. Clan before family, he reminded himself.

“Hinata…I expect you to understand.” He told her slowly.

“NO! You’re destroying my life and you expect me to UNDERSTAND?!” she said, raising her voice in front of him for the first time. Her tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Hinata…”

“NO! What about being clan head? I was trained for that all my life. I endured taunts from you, snide remarks from the elders, beatings from Neji only to become clan head and change this clan. What about that?!”

“Neji will be clan head.” He told her softly.

She stopped dead. Her breathing became very slow for a second. Neji. Clan head. Her mind wrapped around the fact that she was so replaceable.

“You…you think I’m so useless that you can replace me in a minute?” she whispered out. Hiashi’s head throbbed.

“It’s not like that. You need to understand…”

“That I’m going to be Uchiha’s breed mare, you’re selling me off, appointing Neji as the clan head and getting rid of me for good.”

“I trained all my life for naught. For this. Only to be married off. You never loved me, it hurt but it was okay. If it meant it would not happen to another under my watch, it was fine. This…death would be better than this.”

Her voice was chocked with tears and Hiashi felt something inside him break. He urged his demeanor not to break. He was clan head dammit.

“Yes.” He forced out.

She looked out and smiled without mirth. “I see.”

“You are expected to be married this week.” He informed her.

He looked at her, as she broke from the inside. He hated that he could do nothing about it. That he was the reason she was always hurting.

“After I’m sold to the Uchiha to be his whore” he flinched at her words for she was never one to use crude language “Do not expect me to visit. I will leave this compound, this clan and your lives forever. No coming back. If anyone tries to seal my Byakugan, I will kill them”

“And since you never played the role of a father anyways, what’s the use of the title alone? You are no father of mine Hyuga Hiashi. I hate you. You didn’t deserve my mother and you certainly don’t deserve me. Good bye.”

She walked outside, slamming the door shut, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Hiashi sat down on his chair, unable to support himself. He looked at the portrait of his wife, who looked as young as Hinata.

She’d always been like her mother, he mused. He’d lost Hana and now he’d lost Hinata for good too.

Hinata wiped her tears as she walked outside. She hated Hiashi. She hated him. She hated Uchiha Sasuke for barging into her life when it was finally becoming better.

She hated him. She walked to her room as her world collapsed around her.

________

“WHAT?!”

Hinata flinched at the volume of Ino and Sakura’s combined voices. She nodded wearily, not wanting to look at them.

“Your father is marrying you off to Sasuke?” Tenten asked, astonished as well.

“That’s what he told me.” She said bitterly.

“What about being clan head and changing the Hyuga?” Sakura asked softly, knowing it was her friend’s dream.

“Apparently marrying me off is better for me so Neji is going to be head while I will bear children for Uchiha Sasuke.” Hinata spat out.

Ino’s blue eyes filled with tears. “Hinata…I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.” She said, hugging her blue haifred friend.

“Ino…life is not fair. Who knows, maybe I even deserve being treated like nothing all my life.” Hinata shrugged sadly. At least her friends knew how she felt.

“Don’t say that.” Tenten scolded almost harshly “You deserve all the best things in life Hinata.”

Hinata chuckled bitterly. “That’s why I really am getting the best things.” Sakura had never seen her friend so down and it made her extremely mad at Hiashi.

“Hinata, I’ll go and kick your father’s ass if I have to. You won’t marry Sasuke if you don’t want to. You will become clan leader.” She said, taking Hinata’s hand.

Hinata shook her head. “He’s not my father anymore. I have cut ties with my clan and I will not force any bonds once I am married.”

“You’re actually accepting this ridiculousness?” Ino asked, angrily. Hinata shrugged.

“I am.”

“Hinata this is crazy.” Tenten said. Hinata did not say anything, staring ahead. She got up instead. “I should go tell the Hokage. I might need a few holidays for the preparations.”

“Hinata please-don’t. think about it. Don’t throw away your while life because of your asshole father.” Sakura urged her.

“Sakura, Ino, Tenten…it’s alright. Things will work out, I am sure.” She lied to them and herself “But more importantly…you’ll attend the wedding, right?”

Ino forced a smile and the others nodded glumly. “Of course.” Tenten said.

“You’ll regret coming to shop with us.” Ino said, grinning despite the fire burning in her heart for Hinata. Hinata let out a genuine smile.

“I am sure I will. I’ll see you tomorrow for shopping then. Good bye.”

She was gone in a flash, leaving her fuming friends who cursed Hiashi collectively, feeling bad for Hinata.

______

Sasuke was training by himself in a secluded area of the outskirts of Konoha when he felt Naruto’s chakra flash nearby. He stopped and looked around.

Naruto appeared in front of him in a flash. He grabbed Sasuke roughly by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the tree.

Sasuke could shake off his hold but he wanted to know what had caused Naruto to be frustrated this time. “What is it now Dobe? I told you I did not steal your ramen coupons.”

Naruto’s glare did not fade. “Sasuke…what is this rumor about you and Hinata getting married?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. That. He shook off Naruto’s hold and turned his back on him. “So you finally heard?”

Naruto growled. “Is it true?” he asked instead. Sasuke nodded.

“How could you, you bastard?!” Naruto yelled, lunging at him. Sasuke dodged his lunge and stood a distance away, an eyebrow arched perfectly.

“She wanted to be clan head! She had a life. How could you?!”

“Well her father did not really object. Plus the blood contract helped.” Sasuke shrugged. “What do you care?”

“I care because she’s my friend and Sakura told me she’s really messed up about this.”

“That is none of my concern.” Sasuke shrugged.

Naruto’s brows furrowed together as he aimed a punch at Sasuke. “Do you really want to go now?” Sasuke asked, grabbing his hand.

Naruto’s kick was the only answer. Sasuke sighed before the spar began.

____

And so Hinata got married to Sasuke by the end of the week. Sasuke offered her any room to sleep in. He noticed her surprise.

“Am I not your breeding mare Uchiha-san?” she asked, raising her eyebrows in a mocking gesture. He did not waver as he said.

“No. You are my wife, not a common whore. After all I did go through the trouble of marrying you.”

“You’re not going to bed me then?” he noticed there was a hint of relief in her voice which almost made him smirk at her fear of sharing a bed with him.

“I am not going to rape you, if that is what your indirect question means. If we sleep together, ever, it will be because we want to…not because of obligation.” He doubted it though. And he knew she did too.

He walked off, tired. She watched his retreating back with a slight admiration. But hate burned inside her. Why could he not be a complete demon to her so she’d hate him? Why did he say this? Why did he behave nicely?

She’d thought he was a sex-crazed, power hungry, obsessed and crazy bastard.

She cut the sex-crazed off the list.

As she lay in the unexpectedly soft bed in the room across from his, sleep engulfed her. She dreamt of demons, Uchihas and darkness.

________

Remember, sharing is caring. Reblog to spread the story :D

I'm going to be making a taglist for everyone who wants to be notified when I update the story so if you want to be added, please tell me.

#sasuhina fanfiction #SasuHina #Sasuke Uchiha #hinata hyuga #naruto shippuden #alternate universe #Married SasuHina #slow burn #enemies to lovers #Post war era

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shuttershocky · 3 years

Note

Hello! I was wondering if you could help me pin down Touko's personality? She has always been a hard character for me to read. I've heard a range of opinions about her ranging from cold heart magus to a kind hearted person. How do you personally interpret her personality? Thank you in advance!

Touko is both. Who she is really depends on who you are to her, as she's the sort of person with a two-faced approach to everything. You can even see that symbolized by her glasses, which she only really wears to give her a friendlier face. She takes them off when she's being serious, which shows her sharper-looking eyes that turn her smile into a devious grin.

Touko is someone very self-aware that she is a polymath genius with very little competition in the world of modern mages, but is deeply bitter over being disinherited by her family despite all her achievements and talent, and is defeated when she attempts to take revenge. This informs her every interaction — she knows at any given moment she's the smartest person in the room, and yet somehow none of that talent mattered to the one thing she deemed to matter, which could only mean a different approach to things is necessary.

When it comes to other mages, Touko ranges from "that asshole that thinks she's all that" to "terrifying and ruthless killer" depending on how well they treat her and her mood for that day. In Case Files for example, she's given a job to do with Siegfried's leaf as a reward, and she accomplishes the job by casting an incredible spell and destroying Siegfried's leaf. Her employers are scandalized that she would destroy such a rare artifact and catalyst to a powerful servant (likely planning to steal the leaf back later), but Touko just shrugged and said they were planning to give it to her as a reward anyway, so she just took her reward early to do what they hired her for. Meanwhile in Fate/Strange Fake, Prelati dared to mock her by calling her Dirty Red, a reminder that she'll always be inferior to her sister. This made Touko kill Prelati, and then do it again when Prelati revived in another body. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Prelati managed to kill Touko one time, but then a demon came out of her corpse and killed Prelati anyway. Afterwards, Touko STILL came back to kill Prelati again, forcing Prelati to contact the Aozaki family and beg them to make her stop. Touko agreed, but not before killing Prelati one more time "for good measure". She didn't just kill Prelati either just because the latter could revive, she killed everyone who ever called her Dirty Red, even her former researchmates and friends like Cornelius Alba (though Alba was being an asshole.)

When she interacts with normal people though, she puts on a kinder air. She gets hired to kill Fujino, and instead sends her to the hospital after Shiki incapacitates her. She also took in Azaka, a completely normal person with no magic circuits and yet wanted to learn magic, and created a mystic code specifically suited for her that would let her cast spells. She even acts friendly to Hakuno in Fate/Extra and sometimes gives them free advice on how to deal with their many opponents.

Where her kindness stops being a facade is when it comes to her apprentices Mikiya, Shiki, and Azaka. In their eyes, she's their weird boss with a head full of nonsense philosophy lectures that can't stop buying things they don't need on the internet and committing petty crimes. For Touko however, they're her family. She even says as much in the original light novel for Paradox Spiral where she tells Mikiya that a mage often starts seeing their apprentices as their children and protects them as such, hilarious in hindsight when you see what mages do with their actual flesh and blood kids. Touko is frightened by those feelings of genuine affection and ditches them at the end of Kara No Kyoukai, though her later appearances and interviews with Nasu revealed she eventually reestablished contact with them and keeps in touch.

So to sum it up, Touko is an asshole. She's an asshole with range, going from "Boss that can't pay me this week because she spent 2 million yen on a ouija board she knew was fake but thought it looked nice" to "This complete psychopath tore through several continents, kidnapping mages, putting them in pickle jars, then ripping their crests out to graft them onto herself when that shouldn't even be possible, just so she can come home and call me a bitch."

In most other settings she would be an unapologetic villain, and for at least one Nasu story she is the actual main antagonist. However, due to the targets of her assholery being an entire culture of giga-assholes and the recipients of her good deeds often being the protagonists (check out her brief cameo in HF3 where Rin and Sakura find her Build-A-Boyfriend workshop), she looks a lot nicer than she really is.

Also, she's hot. That's not a part of her personality but it's such an important trait of her character that it might as well be.

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bl1ndbraavosi · 3 years

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Stalking you bc I haven’t been able to be on tumblr lately. Seeing those prompts from earlier today and give me number 37 pls, dealers choice 🥰

hehe hi ty this is way longer than i anticipated but I COULDNT STOP so pls accept #1 Most Terrible Babysitter Rokudaime Hokage (under the cut bc she is kinda long for tumblr)

37. "What happened to their happily ever after?" "Not all those love stories get a happily ever after, sometimes it's just once upon a time"

There was something to be said about the fact that his most gifted medic was, for all intents and purposes, a single mother to a very precocious child. Sarada was the spitting image of Sasuke, but everything in her countenance screamed Sakura. He never knew a child to be so shrewd. Well, aside from himself, anyway.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have gotten involved. But, these circumstances were anything but normal; Sakura was his former pupil-become-friend. Sort of. He couldn’t very well demand her presence at the hospital and leave her young daughter to her own devices within the Uchiha compound.

No, instead, he’d demanded that one of the other parent-type shinobi take on the littlest Uchiha for the night. They had all adamantly refused, and now he understood why.

Sarada peered at him over her red-rimmed glasses, strapped to her little head with a thick rubber band, but all the ridiculous spectacles in the world could not diminish the dark eyes narrowed at him in suspicion as he paraphrased and skipped over entire sections in the bedtime story he was meant to be reading her.

“That’s not how it goes,” she said for the fifth time in the last five minutes.

“If you already know how it goes, why am I reading it?” he challenged. Her eyes narrowed further.

“Because I’m five and my mama said you have to,” she said.

“You know, she really takes orders from me? I’m her boss,” he pointed out, not entirely sure what he expected this five-year-old to do about it.

“Mama doesn’t take orders from anyone,” she said with a proud smile, like Sakura had trained her to say it. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she had done just that. He slumped over in the tiny wooden chair that was definitely not built for a grown man.

“Alright, kid, I’m gonna level with you; I’m not cut out for this bedtime story thing.”

“You’re telling me,” she said with a little scoff, popping her arms out from under her blankets to take the book from his lap. She flipped through the pages, skimming over all of them until one of them pleased her. “These aren’t my favourites, anyway,” she admitted. “My favourite is when mama tells me different stories. Without reading,” she said, her dark eyes big and imploring.

“You want me to make it up?” he asked doubtfully. Her cheeks went a little pink.

“Did you…know my dad?” she asked timidly. Kakashi got the feeling Sakura was not one to entertain this request very often, if Sarada’s shifty eyes and pink cheeks were anything to go by. “Could you tell me about him? And mama?”

“No way,” he said, knowing Sakura was probably going to give him shit for it later. But, right now, his main concern was that he was sat on a chair built for a toddler, and his legs were quickly going numb. At this rate, he would have to ask the ANBU guards stationed outside this house to carry him home. “I’ll tell you something better,” he promised.

Mollified, Sarada tucked herself lower into her bed, staring up at him impatiently. He launched into the story of her parents without telling her it was about them.

Sasuke and Sakura; where to begin. He supposed the beginning would do. So he started her off with their beginnings as he knew them; the genin team, where Sakura had been the brightest by far, but often overshadowed. Sarada, an academy student herself, was deeply invested in the details of Team Seven’s early days. Before he knew it, she was yawning uncontrollably and those dark eyes were falling shut despite all her efforts.

He made himself a tea and sat on the big couch in their house until Sakura came slumping in after a long night at the hospital. She was surprised to see him there, thanking him profusely before pouring herself into her own bed.

The next time it happened, he hadn’t even bothered asking anyone else to look after Sarada, even though he promised Sakura he would. Now that he knew how to get the little demon to conk out quickly, it would be a walk in the park. Besides, Sakura had bragged to just about everyone that Sarada apparently loved him, and wouldn’t stop talking about him. He just hoped the girl kept their story to herself.

She didn’t even bother with a book this time; she just laid on her pillow and stared up at him until he began. The story took an unpleasant turn here, and he was worried about telling her all the hardships her parents had faced as children. He shouldn’t have been; this was a reality of the shinobi world, a world that Sarada was a part of. Still, he tried to handle Sasuke’s running away and various attempts at killing Naruto and Sakura as delicately as possible.

“Didn’t he love them?” Sarada asked, looking sad.

“Yes, he did,” Kakashi said with absolute certainty. “But sometimes that’s not enough,” he finished.

“You shouldn’t leave people you love,” Sarada said adamantly, and Kakashi realized that perhaps this was not the version of this story to be telling her. Thankfully, she drifted off shortly thereafter.

It was a while before his storytelling was put to the test again, but it seemed no time had passed at all for Sarada. She was as deeply invested in the story as ever, bursting with questions and ready to hear more.

He jumped right into it; talking about a formidable clan, a noble and strong clan, and Sasuke’s dedication to that clan. He skipped over the nastier intricacies—like the slaughter and fratricide—and focusing in on the devotion Team Seven had for one another. Sarada didn’t seem overly suspicious of his sugar-coating, and allowed him to continue on uninterrupted.

“Why did they keep fighting so hard to save someone who didn’t want to be saved?” she asked, a little knot appearing above her brows, just as Sakura’s did when she worried.

“That’s what you do for family,” he explained. “You stick by them, no matter what.” Her knotted brow eased slightly.

The next story time brought them to the war; the rejoining of forces, Sasuke’s return to Konoha’s side, fighting alongside his remaining family, and saving the world. Sarada seemed a little more appeased by this part of the story, taking particular interest in hearing about Sakura’s healing prowess on the battlefield.

“She saved all those lives?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Yes, but let’s not forget it was a team effort. The leader also saved many lives,” he said, the leader being him. She didn’t particularly care. He wondered if Sakura had actively instilled her general disregard for him as a leader in her daughter, or if this behaviour was hereditary.

The only thing more impressive than Sakura keeping Naruto’s heart pumping by shoving her hand into his body was the fact that she had punched a goddess in the face.

“And then she saved her other team members? After all that?” she asked, her eyes wide. Kakashi realized belatedly that he had meant to tell her a small romance about her parents, but instead had exalted her mother for the better part of it all. He supposed that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps Sakura wouldn’t be so mad at him, should she find out.

But, of course, impudent as she was, Sarada made it clear that he would likely never be safe from Sakura’s wrath.

“So, they went through all that to save him, but he still left,” she said, a deep line appearing between her brows.

“He left to protect them,” Kakashi explained. Sarada did not look convinced.

“He didn’t leave for her,” Sarada said, rolling her eyes behind those thick red frames. “Does he come back?”

“Yes, eventually,” Kakashi said, feeling uneasy. “But he leaves again because he thinks it’s the right thing to do.”

“He’s wrong,” Sarada said. “I’m five and I know that. What happened to their happily ever after?” she complained. Kakashi had forgotten among all her quips and questions that she really was just a five-year-old girl.

“Not all those love stories get a happily ever after. Sometimes it's just once upon a time.”

“This story sucks, Hokage-sama,” she complained.

He found himself agreeing. He had always kept his reservations about Sasuke’s absence to himself, but it was hard to deny that his daughter certainly seemed to have a better understanding of duty than he did currently.

“Do you think my dad will come back?” she asked suddenly. “Do you think he loves us?”

“I’m sure of it,” he answered as quickly as his mouth would let him speak.

“But he’s not here now,” she said, her eyelids slowly getting heavier and her words slurring with sleepiness. “I’m glad you’re here, Hokage-sama.”

“Me too, kid.”

“Does that mean we’re family?” she asked softly. He didn’t know what to say.

“I guess it does.” And just like that, she was out.

“Hey, Kakashi?” Sakura poked her head into his office, her brow knotted and eyes narrowed at him.

“Hm?” he answered, barely sparing her a glance as he reviewed his pile of mission scrolls.

“Just a quick question for you,” she said, her voice dripping in suspicion. He felt his shoulders tense. “Why the fuck does my daughter keep telling people you’re her dad?”

#alholland #prompt

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