Hi anon, thanks for the prompt. Awkward kidfic sounds like it’ll be fun! 🙂
Though I think I’m going to have to do something like “Five Cousins Shikadai Might Have Had” kind of thing instead of just one strictly Shikaara kidfic…
It’ll probably have some Kareru from You and Me and Baby (Makes Fifteen), the as of yet unnamed but brainstormed Shikasuke kid, and… well. I dunno yet, we’ll see?
The girl from Leaf knocks him down and spares his life and all Haku can think to himself is,
Oh.
Later on he’ll come to the conclusion that this was the beginning.
—
It’s a cliche, he knows, but he thinks of people in terms of water. Zabuza-sama, for all that it’s Haku with the blood limit, is ice: sharp and deadly, but almost beautiful for it. Haku himself is more like snow–seemingly soft and corruptible, yet the cold and damp easily drawing the unwary into the gentle embrace of hypothermia.
The Leaf team, too, he thinks in water metaphors. The teacher a lake, placid on the surface but deep and teeming with secrets beneath. Naruto-kun the ocean, wide and encompassing and unstoppable. The other boy a waterfall, predictable yet powerful and compelling.
The girl a river, branching far and wide; life and movement and connections.
—
The girl from Leaf knocks him down and spares his life and then Gatou shows up and unsurprisingly betrays them, but that’s okay, Zabuza-sama didn’t like him anyway.
Haku doesn’t say I told you so, but he thinks it very quietly and doesn’t argue at all when Zabuza-sama decides to hang around the Leaf team and the bridge builder like stray cats once fed.
Now that they aren’t on opposing sides, Haku finds he likes the Leaf team–all of them, not just Naruto–likes what they represent.
He’ll never regret being Zabuza-sama’s tool–his apprentice, his friend or the closest thing he’ll allow himself to have–but seeing the Leaf team together makes him yearn. Makes him wish that Kiri were the kind of place where he could’ve had something like that, too. Wish it were the kind of place where survival wasn’t about being the meanest and toughest person around, where an existence wasn’t about survival so much as it was about living.
Having friends you would die for, and a teacher who acknowledges you and indulges in water fights of all things as if there were no dangers or hardships or sadness. Or as if to say yes, there are dangers and hardships and sadness in the world, but for now let us have safety and fun and happiness.
Haku wants that, too.
The girl from Leaf–Shikako–smiles at him and Haku thinks that maybe it’s not so impossible at all.
—
The bridge builder’s daughter really does treat them like stray cats once fed–which is a better reception than could be expected considering he and Zabuza-sama were hired to kill her father–and while she watches them warily, she doesn’t ask the team from Leaf to run them off.
Zabuza-sama and he have slept in worse places than in the quiet forest of a newly peaceful country.
Naruto-kun shakily carries them a tray from the bridge builder’s house, and dutifully relays that Tsunami-san told him to tell them that she had cooked extra and it would be a waste of food and that wouldn’t he be a dear and bring this to them?
Zabuza-sama scoffs at the blatant lie, but Haku has always been more practical than that. Isn’t too prideful to turn away even this minimal charity.
He wouldn’t be here with Zabuza-sama if he did.
—
Naruto and Shikako switch off on bringing out dinner–not that he and Zabuza-sama are actually dependent on the meals, but it’s nice and reminds him of that life he appreciates but doesn’t have–for obvious reasons. The other boy–Sasuke–is still recovering, for all that Haku’s attack wasn’t fatal, and it’s understandable that he wouldn’t want to be alone with the person who did that to him.
Not that Naruto and Shikako are alone, really, their teacher’s chakra not so much threatening as it is obviously present.
Naruto brings conversation along with the food: a continuous stream of chatter about training and the work on the bridge and the bridge builder’s grandson and tales of the Leaf village and nearly every little observation and thought that went through his mind in the day. Zabuza-sama finds it annoying, Haku thinks it’s hilarious.
Shikako brings secrets–not for charity, but for trade.
—
“In theory,” Shikako says one night, “if Hoshigaki Kisame were to work with a partner–”
“Not likely,” Zaubza-sama scoffs, dismissive.
“Of course,” she says, agreeable veneer over her argument, “Just as you wouldn’t.”
Haku would never smile at Zabuza-sama getting put in his place by a girl practically half his height and a third his weight.
“Theoretically,” she resumes, “he’d have a partner just as strong as him, who specializes in opposing skills.”
Haku tilts his head, “Do you have a specific person in mind?”
Shikako smiles brightly at him, before going onto a complete non sequitur. “Sasuke is naturally skilled in genjutsu.” She frowns, then adds, “The Uchiha used to be one of our village’s strongest bloodlines. Now Sasuke is the only one left in Konoha.”
Uchiha Itachi
He exchanges glances with Zabuza-sama, who nods in understanding and proceeds to tell a completely unrelated story about how a particular fellow former swordsman once fought and nearly lost against a Cloud nin with the strange ability to magnetize his shuriken.
The hour turns late and the Leaf teacher’s chakra flares once–protective and admonishing both–calling Shikako back inside to the bridge builder’s house.
“Thank you for the story,” she says, smile on her face.
Zabuza-sama shrugs, looks away. Haku smiles back.
—
The bridge is finished and both groups are ready to depart. The Leaf team back to their village, he and Zabuza-sama to an undisclosed island which may or may not be the headquarters of a number of unaffiliated Kiri nin, no really.
For all that their mission to kill the bridge builder was a failure, the two of them will join with more money and resources–both still from Gatou–than promised. And valuable intel on top of all that.
Though how a girl from Leaf would know the reason behind the Yondaime Mizukage’s bizarre shift from decent leadership to reign of terror is beyond Haku’s guess.
But since Zabuza-sama doesn’t care, Haku doesn’t need to know and neither does the Rebellion.
Besides, she knocked him down and spared his life. All beginnings lead somewhere; eventually the snow will melt and join the river.
~
A/N: Long long ago, anonymous asked for Haku/Shikako with Zabuza and Kakashi chaperoning and I thought I had an idea for it but couldn’t articulate it and so here’s this hot mess instead.
This is more like pre-relationship than actual relationship (I mean, even more so than my usual) but I just couldn’t come up with something that wouldn’t have been a rehash of Chances Gone By or Dreaming of S(omething) but Mist Edition instead. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Title from Lykke Li’s song “Follow Rivers”
Given everything that happened in the Land of Moon, it’s not a surprise that she forgot basically everything leading up to it.
So when Dad says, over one of the rare dinners where all of them are present, “Shikako, we need to talk tomorrow,” she freezes up immediately.
Her shoulders go tense and her eyes drop from Dad’s face to Shikamaru who is carefully maneuvering his chopsticks with the Shadow Hand and looking so uninterested that he’s no doubt preparing to memorize every word and breath of this upcoming conversation.
Mum doesn’t look worried at all; but, then again, Mum occasionally works for T&I so that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.
She swallows, a little irritated at the way the food has now turned tasteless in her mouth. “About what, Dad?” She tries for casual and misses by a mile.
Dad quirks an eyebrow, noticing, well, everything about her response. “Nothing bad,” he assures, which doesn’t work. “Noriko has been trying to catch the both of us at the same time.” That works better, mostly because…
“Ino’s mum?” she asks, confused. Shikako just saw Ino a few days ago, and she was fine. Also, why would Dad need to be involved.
Dad nods, “In this case, it’s in a more official capacity.”
Ah. That makes slightly more sense. Ino’s mum works for the part of the Intel Division that Shikako would liken to her old world’s Public Relations if it didn’t also include the negotiators in charge of extracting altered mission fees and the ominously named ‘Counter Intelligence’ Squad.
Unsurprisingly, they work closely with T&I.
Worrying, but not overly much. “So tomorrow morning?”
“The Tower,” Dad says, “at eight.” That done, the meal resumes as best as it can.
—
Walking to the Tower with Dad is a little weird. This is the path she walks for work with Cryptography, to get new missions, but with Dad? It’s as if she’s suddenly de-aged and become a child needing to be escorted by her parent.
But it’s not uncomfortable–the silence is calming, doesn’t let her anxiety or paranoia build up.
Inside the Tower, she follows after Dad, not really sure where they’re meant to meet Noriko-san and unwilling to get lost. That’s not an exaggeration, either. Like the Academy building, the Tower has an unusual layout so outsiders can’t just walk in and find sensitive information. The only places equally accessible is the bottom floor, where clients are processed.
At a nondescript office after way too many turns, Dad stops and knocks on the door a little unnecessarily. If this is Noriko-san’s office then she already knows they’re there.
“Come in already,” her voice calls out, “I’ve been wanting to get this done with for weeks,” she says gesturing at the chairs in front of her desk.
Shikako’s eyes dart around the room, but there’s nothing really particularly interesting about it. Except for the vase of fresh flowers–freesias–there’s no hint of this being Ino’s mum’s office. Which is probably the point.
“You know why I’ve asked you here,” Noriko-san begins, but Shikako feels obligated to interrupt.
“Uh, I don’t, actually,” she volunteers hesitantly. It wouldn’t do to start a meeting off on completely different pages, but it kind of feels rude to correct her.
Noriko-san looks at Dad exasperated, “Really, Shikaku?” she asks, with such a familiarity that it reminds Shikako keenly of Ino.
Dad shrugs, “It’d be more efficient if you explained it; you are the expert here.”
“More efficient for you, maybe,” Noriko-san snipes back, but lets the matter drop.
Given the tone of the conversation, Shikako is pretty sure that the topic of this meeting isn’t anything too bad.
She would have lost money by betting on it not being utterly and completely weird, though.
—
“I have… what?” she asks, no doubt sending completely baffled looks at Noriko-san and Dad.
“Fan mail, Shikako,” Dad says, repeating what Noriko-san just said. “Presumably from fans of yours,” he adds, because Dad never lets an opportunity for trolling to pass by.
“Like… mission requests?” she clarifies, almost hopefully. That would make sense–sometimes the more famous shinobi get requested specifically for missions. It costs the clients more, of course, but then they get the pleasure of saying they’ve hired so-and-so which apparently is like trading cards for nobility–given her showing at the Grass Chuunin Exams and rapid promotion, that’s not too unexpected.
“No, Shikako,” Noriko-san says gently, yet amused, “Fan mail. You apparently have quite the following from your role in the last Princess Fuun movie.”
The strangled sound that comes out of her mouth could possibly be described as a whimper.
“We’ve already discussed the matter of royalties with the studio–you as well as your teammates and sensei will be getting your deserved payment,” at this point Noriko-san’s smile turns sharp, “And given that they used footage of you without your consent, you can be assured that said payment is very high.”
Shikako swallows and tries not to look unassured. Just in case.
“The problem is,” Noriko-san continues, “there are talks of a spin-off series. Namely circling around you. Or rather, Shishimaru’s little sister, Shikako.”
A horrified laugh bubbles out of her before she can catch it.
Dad watches her the same way he does that one particular buck who keeps getting his antlers stuck in the same tree. Confused, but almost impressed.
“Frankly this situation has never come up before–for obvious reasons. You’re a special jounin, you’re more than capable of making this decision on your own, but I’ve included your father in this meeting just in case,” Noriko-san glances pointedly at both her and Dad’s sleeves, “You were, after all, wearing the clan crest and it’s apparently become part of your character’s image.”
Hundreds of years of clan tradition reduced to the costume of a minor character in a movie. Hopefully her ancestors–like Dad, given the not so subtle shaking of his shoulders in quiet laughter–are amused and not insulted.
“The question now is: given this is a unique opportunity, are you at all interested?”
~
A/N: Okay, for anon who wanted some cosplayers but I went with the general idea of Shikako becoming famous outside of being a ninja–because Chapter 112 was hilariously awkward for Shikako and I loved it.
Also, you can’t tell me Konoha didn’t squeeze so much money out of the studio for using footage of Team Seven without their permission. So Much Money.
It’s unlikely she’ll actually go for it seeing as how the first time around was a surprise and soooooo embarrassing for her, but I thought it was better to leave it as a technically open ending.
Noriko as Ino’s mum’s name because the narutowiki doesn’t have one for her and I don’t remember it being specified anywhere in DoS. And Noriko is the name of the VA so… unimaginative writer is unimaginative.
I’m going to wait posting it on ao3 until I have a title… does anyone have any suggestions?
edit: I’m tentatively titling it Primadonna Girl (Says No Thank You) because it’s very early in the morning and I find it hilarious.
Hey anon, thanks for the prompt. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be writing this exact prompt per se, seeing as how I’d feel compelled to fill in Sai and Shikako actually banding together to make a manga and how exactly that would have come about seeing as how Sai is still ~brainwashed~ and Shikako is way too stressed to take on a project that doesn’t directly lead to her/everyone’s survival.
That being said, this does kind of bring up something I’ve been meaning to write–so we’ll see?
Thanks! 😀
edit: kinda filled here
Four of a Kind
(The Ino-Shika-Cho is a good combination, but it’s never good to let genin teams become predictable–it makes them vulnerable to enemy action, and considering who makes up the roster of this year’s new genin? Vulnerability is to be avoided at all cost.
The idea behind the trio is still sound, shouldn’t be abandoned completely, and so the Hokage and Academy teachers build the new teams with that in mind.
It’s not their fault that it completely throws off a good chunk of her foreknowledge.)
“This is…” Shikako says, words drifting off to look at her two teammates.
“Uh, sensei?” Ino picks up, immediately “I think you’ve gotten it wrong–it’s Ino-Shika-Cho, not Ino-Shika-Inu.”
Akamaru barks, Kiba does too. “What you’ve got a problem with dogs?” Smirk easily changeable into baring of teeth.
“Only the ones that haven’t bathed in three days,” Ino says, sharp smile of her own, “Aren’t you supposed to have a good sense of smell?”
Shikako cuts in, brings the tension down but adds to the teasing as well. “Not all of us can smell like a flower shop all the time, Ino.”
(With a steady jounin sensei and normal missions, they would have become strong, solid shinobi in a few years.
With Anko as their sensei, in a matter of months they become the first genin team with the bingo book orders Flee On Sight)
—
Full House [of Queens]
“They didn’t even try for subtle, did they?” Shikako asks Kurenai-sensei, mouth an opposite slant to her raised eyebrow.
Her jounin sensei shrugs, “You could argue that’s what this entire team is for–given the tenets of kunoichi and all that.”
“Don’t you think this will be fun, Shikako?” Sakura asks, stars in her eyes–the disappointment at not being on the same team as Sasuke quickly passing at the excitement of being on a team with her two best friends.
“And anyway,” Ino adds, “Who needs a bunch of boys messing up our missions?”
(Despite the tenets of kunoichi, their team does not maintain subtlety for too long. Oh, their missions succeed, no doubt about that, and they’re never actually caught; but rumors of a group of girls capable of slipping in unnoticed and completely destroying any opposition spreads.
They become known as the Three Beauties of Konoha, though mostly, all enemies can remember about them is the color of their hair and the scent of fresh flowers)
“Someone asked me to punch them today,” Sakura says to her teammates, bemused.
Although the three of them have long since been promoted from genin, they tend to team up with each other regardless. Why mess with success?
“Oh, yeah?” Shikako adds absentmindedly, writing in one of her eternally present journals even as Ino begins to pull it away, “Me, too, a couple of days ago.”
“Did you?” Sakura asks, watching in amusement as Ino and Shikako begin playing tug of war with the journal.
“Yeah, he wouldn’t leave me alone until I did and by that point he was being so annoying it was a relief to do it.”
“I made mine pay for it,” Ino says, to which both of her teammates look up at her smug face in confusion. Pulling the journal from Shikako’s slack hands is easy; her expression only becomes more pleased. “He clearly wanted it for some reason, and why do something for free when you can get paid for it?”
“And?” Sakura prompts, while Shikako bemoans her lack of initiative.
“It bought me a new dress,” Ino brags. And because she’s always a well of information, she explains to her teammates. “Apparently there’s some kind of superstition going around that if someone gets punched by all three of us they get good luck.”
—
Two Pair
(She pulls back too late. The teachers have already spotted her talent; genius, prodigy, legend-in-the-making they murmur to each other. She gets accelerated, graduates among students several years older than herself.
When her genin team is called, she swallows down bile.)
“Shikako-chan,” Kabuto says, mild smile on his face. All of his smiles are mild, she wants to punch him in the face.
“Yes?” She chirps back, slipping into her role of over-eager kouhai. She’ll admit he knows an awful lot of tricks that’ll be useful in the future.
Let him think he’s converting the Jounin Commander’s daughter, she’ll feed him lies and bleed him dry.
“You’re always so curious,” he says, ever so patronizing, “it’s a good thing to have in a student.”
“Well, you’re a good teacher,” she says back–always flattering, always sweet–she needs to appear as a book smart genius, not an actual threat.
“It’s not so much a virtue when it comes to espionage,” Kabuto amends, voice still pleasant but suddenly sharp and deadly.
She can feel the blood freeze in her veins. Literally.
“W-what are you talking about, Kabuto-senpai?” she chokes out through the clawing in her throat, her rapidly stiffening lungs.
“Don’t worry,” he says as her vision goes blurry, then dark, “It’s time for you to get a real teacher.”
(When she wakes up, she’s almost relieved to see Orochimaru’s face.
Better him than Danzo, she thinks even as the abomination of mutated natural chakra burns through her. The Curse Seal.
Kabuto won’t need to convert her if a piece of Orochimaru is literally looking over her shoulder.)
—
Straight
The night of graduation, Shikako faints while walking up the stairs.
It’s also the first time the Kyuubi’s malevolent chakra has been felt in over a decade.
The two events are not unrelated.
Needless to say, Shikaku will not be having his daughter on the same team as someone whose chakra can render her unconscious. He knows the Academy teachers think he is just pulling rank, getting his child off a team with That Monster, but Shikaku’s always been more practical than that: it’d be like having someone allergic to dogs on the same team as an Inuzuka, illogical and troublesome.
And anyway, he remembers Kushina and Mito-sama before that, neither of them were monsters. How could their legacy ever be one?
(Shikako looks at her teammates and feels nothing but conflicted, guilty relief.
A part of her had wanted to be on a more integral team, to better alter the course of future events. But another part of her had always been afraid of taking on such a daunting task.
Better to be on a team with these two–childhood bullies though they may be–than, god forbid, Naruto and Sasuke. She’d constantly be in the crossfire of powerhouses, pushed further and further to a breaking point that she doesn’t know where it will lead.
Jiro and Youbirin are blank slates as far as she’s concerned. She doesn’t need to worry about them, doesn’t need to watch over their destinies. They could die for all she knows, and plotwise it’d still lead to a good ending.)
“Fuck!” She shouts, turning to her fallen teammate who has crumpled to the forest floor. Youbirin gives a bloody cough in response, hands shakily going for the sword through his chest. “Jiro get over here!”
“I’m a little busy!” He shouts back, sending a bolt of lightning towards his opponent before retreating. They’re fighting Rock nin, with an Earth Pillar it becomes useless.
“I can’t heal this on my own,” Shikako says, hands futilely glowing green anyway. “Why would you do that? You could probably heal something like this.”
Youbirin gives another wet cough.
“Don’t die, please,” she begs, “You matter to me, don’t die, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, don’t die, don’t die,” she chants, hoping and pushing herself to her limits.
That’s the problem with genin teammates–they’ll always be important, no matter who they are.
—
Royal Flush
(On the one hand, traveling through time to meet the Nidaime Hokage is pretty cool. Getting to compare fuinjutsu notes with him is practically a dream come true.
Somehow being stuck randomly appearing at various points in his life? She’d rather not.
But, well, there’s a silver lining to everything.
She just has to find this one.)
Team Tobirama is a seven person team.
Except for when it’s an eight person team.
Tobirama-sensei only briefly introduces the girl before they’re off on what will undoubtedly be a difficult mission.
Cloud shinobi. It won’t be anything but difficult.
She’s a stranger and it shows, their team falling into the familiar grouping–Kagami, Danzo, Torifu and Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu–while sensei single-handedly destroys his own opponents. It leaves her alone, and for a moment Kagami worries, before he realizes that she’s holding her own.
More than, even.
(The Kinkaku Force should have overpowered them, forced the genin to flee while their sensei sacrifices himself.
Eight instead of seven.
Nobody dies that day. The hat does not get passed on quite yet)
She’s not a permanent member of their team, which confuses Kagami because as far as he can tell she’s not on any other team either.
“I don’t recognize her,” Torifu says in a hush, which is especially worrying. It’s not an admission, it’s a clue: if Torifu can’t recognize someone wearing Nara sigils, something is going on.
“She keeps staring at me,” Danzo adds, before his face flushes with a sudden realization, “Not–not like that!” he says, embarrassed, while Kagami and Torifu share a smirk.
“She is rather pretty,” Kagami teases, Torifu nodding in solemn agreement, because an opportunity to fluster Danzo is always something to take advantage of. And besides, it’s not as if they don’t trust her–Tobirama-sensei trusts her, and more besides she’s risked her life alongside them–but this is a mystery that needs solving.
(They never do figure it out.)
~
A/N: A little late but still respectable, I think. Also it’s not really my fault since tumblr appears to be having technical trouble–is that everyone or is it just me? I do have somewhat sporadic wi-fi right now.
I’ll try to meet the midnight deadline properly tonight, anyway.
So the first two are from a conversation I had with @unfortunatehatlessness, the third one was just a haunting idea I had–though, highly influenced by @donapoetrypassion’s In Which Someone Attempts To Kidnap Shikamaru, Instead. Fourth is the anonymously prompted AU of @kuipernebula’s and mine Team Medic!AU (uh, sorry for the bleak ending on that one, it works out okay in the end?) And fifth is kiiinda a response to Linnypants’ comment on ao3 about Shikako’s POV of my Semi-Phenomenal, Nearly Cosmic ficlet.
Wow, okay, that’s a pretty impressive sweep if I do say so myself 😀 Also, happy belated birthday to myself.
I’ll post this to ao3 in a bit
(two: hunter and nukenin)
—
She couldn’t have stopped him.
Maybe it’s something she’d always known, albeit subconsciously, still so aware of her circumstances, of the future she only knew as fiction.
Some things cannot be changed.
She stopped him from going to Orochimaru–oh, that was the easy part. What is some stranger with false promises in comparison to his team–his friends? How could poisonous words and double-edged power ever compare to their history of trusting each other and facing dangers together, side by side?
No, that was the easy part. This Sasuke–her Sasuke, the Sasuke that she tied to herself and to Naruto with delicate strands of loyalty and friendship and vulnerability–would never leave Konoha for Orochimaru.
But that doesn’t mean he would never leave for a different reason. And if Orochimaru–some stranger who only ever spoke to Sasuke once, and in a fight at that–couldn’t match their importance as Sasuke’s teammates, then how would their short time together as friends compare to his clan? To blood and to revenge and to finally putting old ghosts to rest.
Sasuke wouldn’t leave Konoha–leave her–for Orochimaru. But for Itachi? For family? To fulfill the only goal he’s ever allowed himself to have?
Sasuke goes. Shikako stays.
She has never felt so insignificant in her life.
—
She thinks maybe the worst part about all of this is that she still doesn’t know what she should have done instead. If she handled it wrong, or if there just never was a right way to go about it. An imaginary series of actions and words that would have resulted in a bearable fall out.
But she had tried, at least, to prepare Sasuke for the truth, to minimize the impact. Little hints and whispered warnings; should she have done more?
Could she even have done so? Danzo waiting and watching, Sai sent years before he was meant to appear. Sasuke made paranoid by her own, seemingly inexplicable, suspicions. Had she made it worse instead?
The truth would have come out, one way or another. That at least she couldn’t and wouldn’t change. She had even tried to reveal it on her own–the most tenuous connections she could make, grasping at threads and hoping they wouldn’t snap–but not without risking her own secret.
And maybe that’s what the problem was. She knew everything there was to know about Sasuke–knew him better than he knew himself, even–but she hadn’t been willing to give him anything of herself. She was always holding back: maybe he could sense that.
Maybe it was easy for him to let go because she had never given him anything to keep.
—
When the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre is revealed, to say things went south would be a vast understatement.
Of course, things went differently this time around than she remembers. Or perhaps the political fall out wasn’t worth the ink on paper, especially not in an action-packed story loved for it’s characters.
But, unsurprisingly, there was turmoil amongst the clans–for obvious reasons, Danzo’s plots leading to nauseating implications. Even if she isn’t the clan heir, she had gotten tangled up in her family’s reactions–her father had been jounin commander, then, too. Had heard rumors of the Uchiha clan’s discontent, but hadn’t realized the extent of it, hadn’t been included in the response.
That relief–and how horrifying, that she had ever considered the opposite to even feel relieved–had been a slight breath, not even a sigh, before again she had been swept up in the consequences.
Clan politics is one thing, but for Sasuke? It was only ever going to be personal.
—
Sasuke goes. Shikako stays.
But only long enough to prepare herself–learn and train and plan. Maybe she couldn’t have stopped him, maybe some things cannot be changed.
Maybe it’s too late to reach out, to offer herself to him and hope that their brief shared history–moments of honesty and scraps of affection and their bond of trust, strained as it has become–will be enough to make him come back.
But she’ll be damned if she isn’t going to at least try.
~
A/N: So it’s… not really how they get together so much as… Shikako chases down Sasuke. Actually, it’s not even that either… but it still works, I think?
For @book14reader who wanted “regrets” and all I could think of was, well, she couldn’t save him completely: Orochimaru is one thing, but family? How could she compete against that? Especially Itachi. But even Obito/Madara are technically his family, too.
And I know, the style’s not the same as the first installment, but it really seemed to flow better like this and, well, considering each installment is basically separate, I don’t HAVE to make each part the same.
I will add this to ao3… later.
There’s always been something about Shikako.
Something between him and Shikako, to be more specific. Not. Not romantic. Not really. (Not yet?) But something…
It’s different than what’s between her and Naruto, though it’s similar in a way. The three of them intertwined.
If Naruto is the flames of a Grand Fireball, then Sasuke is the shuriken hidden within, and Shikako the shadow that stretches behind their enemies.
He didn’t need to be guided and encouraged like Naruto; he and Shikako are–not opposites, but not the same–complements, maybe, set on paths that wind around each other. Different trees in the same forest.
Equals, at least.
He thought the thing between them was trust.
She said wait. He asked why.
She wouldn’t answer.
He thinks that’s when it all started falling apart.
—
He thinks about regret and failure and betrayal. (He’s always thinking about that) Usually it’s featuring That Man and That Night, but lately it’s been about more recent decisions. (Mistakes.)
Maybe the worst part isn’t that she knew and didn’t tell him. Maybe the worst part is that as he left, she understood.
Second children of the clan head–similar but not the same. If it had been her clan, what would she have done?
She had known the entire time that the true killer of his clan was sitting secure in Konoha, his influence stretching throughout the village. She had suspected so early on, but hadn’t warned him at all.
He trusts her enough to know that it wasn’t out of ill will. Knows that her clan wasn’t involved in the destruction of his clan. But she still hadn’t told him the truth.
Did she not trust him to keep it a secret? Did she not trust him to watch her back? Did she not trust him to handle the truth?
Had she ever trusted him?
—
In all of Konoha, she was the most important to him. That still holds, even despite the strained thing between them.
But fractured trust and friendship doesn’t hold a candle to family and revenge. Nothing ever has, nothing ever will.
One man ruined Konoha for all the Uchiha.
One girl, no matter how impressive or important, cannot make up for it.
—
But she chases him. Their eyes meet. They fight.
She speaks, but it’s nothing like Naruto’s sermons. It’s facts and reasoning and logic, but no less emotional for it. His teammate’s suspicions finally out in the open.
The answers he asked for, a little too late.
Or is it?
Can he change his path once more? Can he return to when they were complements instead of at crossroads? Can trust be repaired?
She says wait. He asks why.
This time, she answers.
~
A/N: For the anon who wanted Shikako meeting up with missing-nin Sasuke… but I guess this is more like vague rantings from Sasuke’s POV instead…
I’ll add this to ao3 later?
Oh man, a biological Shikasuke child? Well, actually, even an adopted Shikasuke child I’d be a little worried about.
Mostly because as they are still such children themselves right now (even with Shikako’s reincarnation, she’s a teenager up against monsters and murderers and that’s really… she comes off as a very mature and mostly rational teenager, but still a teenager) and I’m hesitant to extrapolate what kind of adults and thus what kind of parents they’d be.
(I mean, I guess if I were to write something like this it would be Shikasuke child traveling back in time (or, alternatively, Shikako/Team Seven traveling forward in time) so that Shikasuke child meets Shikako when they’re all the same age.
Which would actually be kind of hilarious and… I mean, it’s happened before hasn’t it? Naruto travelled back in time to meet his parents in the anime, right? And he doesn’t even have the penchant for fuinjutsu experimentation or possible Mangekyou Sharingan omnipotence that Shikako and Sasuke do.)
Uh, anyway. I guess the thing is that on a purely biological point, an Uchiha-Nara child would be pretty dangerous. The Sharingan mixed with a spiritual predisposition for shadows? I would not want to be on the wrong end of that kunai. But I guess you can consider the mix of genes in three ways: either the child will have a genetic preference towards either the Uchiha traits or the Nara traits, the child will have both with lesser intensity than their parents, or the child will have a unique combination of the two.
(I mean, can you imagine how horrifying it would be if all the kid needed to do was connect to your shadow and you get sucked into an unbreakable genjutsu? WHYYYYY? Or, alternatively, all you need is eye contact and this kid has control of your body? OMG O_O )
That being said the other “clan traits” of the Uchiha and Nara–being powerful but emotionally unstable vs being intelligent and lazy–would probably end up in a kid that, yes, would be at risk of both clans’ psychological problems.
But you also have to consider that a lot of Sasuke’s emotional problems are because he legitimately has PTSD and basically raised himself at the scene of his family’s murder. Like… it’s surprising he’s as well adjusted as he is in canon before the Orochimaru bite.
This child would (hopefully) have at least one parent around growing up (seeing as how both of them are essentially un-killable) and possibly biological/honorary uncles and aunts, grandparents, and the entire Nara clan (Which might as well be the entire Akimichi-Nara-Yamanaka alliance) so there’s no chance of this kid ending up like Sasuke because that’s a fairly individual set of circumstances that will almost definitely not crop up again.
Will this child possibly end up like their parent because of a different reason (like Boruto basically acting like Naruto, not because he’s an orphaned pariah but because his dad is probs depressed and bad at parenting)? Yes, maybe. But I think this kid, especially seeing as how their mother was integral in making the Rookie Nine/Ten more cohesive than canon, will be the “it takes a village” kind of child than the simultaneously-put-on-a-pedestal-but-considered-a-potential-walking-bomb that was Sasuke’s childhood.
Actually, I guess maybe I should try to extrapolate what Sasuke and Shikako might be as parents… but another reason why that’s so hard for me is that I don’t actually think they want to be parents. Like, sure, Sasuke wants to “revive his clan” but that’s a lot different from “having and raising a child.” Whereas Shikako, during the babysitting missions they had early on, had been good at it but had also not been super keen on it.
That being said. DoS Sasuke wouldn’t be weirdly exiled from Konoha like canon!Sasuke is, so he would be around more for their kid’s childhood than for Sarada’s. Which is not to say that he’d be around all the time (maybe his village lockdown days will ingrain him with a sense of wanderlust, or maybe he really will just settle down okay in Konoha without the driving need to get stronger/revenge always pushing him forward) but definitely more often.
Ditto with Shikako. I mean, I kind of wrote a thing about what I thought a future/epilogue Shikako might be like but that’s literally only one of many possibilities. She, too, may prefer settling down since, presumably, the Akatsuki/Danzo/Madara/Kaguya threat has been taken care of. And we have seen her be especially academic–when not in danger, her tendency seems to be to research and invent–and staying in a peaceful Konoha would help with that.
I don’t know, anon, it’s still a little difficult for me to imagine. I mean… I actually think–if they are both active parents and, more importantly, the two primary guardians–that Sasuke would be the one who is better at the emotional matters than Shikako. Like, if that child gets scared? Shikako would probably reassure them that there’s nothing to be afraid of–which isn’t bad parenting–but Sasuke would be the one to coach that kid through their fear, be like “if there is a monster under the bed, we will do this and this so the monster can’t get you” (and then proceed to teach their child Grand Fireball, probably) which is acknowledged to be a better method of dealing with your child’s fears.
Just… conscientious snake versus rabid badger, you know?
I think this kid will be scary. I think this kid will be smart and emotional and ruthless. I think this kid will probably overstep their limits on multiple occasions, will fall into the black at least once, will hurt people around them when they’re angry. But that’s what a lot of kids are like–probably both in the Naruto world and in the real world.
This kid will have the advantage of having a loving support system. This kid will probably love their friends and family fiercely, will be loyal and the best person to have beside you in a fight and watching your back. This kid will probably invent jutsu that impress, bewilder, and exasperate people because do you know how much paperwork this is going to be? Let’s be honest, this kid will probably end up being the Hachidaime or best friends with the Hachidaime and will make their parents (and uncles and aunts and grandparents) hella proud.
So I don’t think we need to worry too much, anon, I think this child is going to be alright 🙂
edit: Wrote a bit about “Sakako Uchiha” in this ficlet here!
Thanks! I’m glad it wasn’t worse (it really could have been) though now I’m dreading when the hospital bill comes 😦
Despite that though, the trip was pretty okay. I’m about as introverted as a person can be so I get stressed easily when a lot of people are involved and i have no alone time to recharge–especially when its family who I can’t just blow off and never see again–and, well, in a way, being concussed was kinda beneficial because I wasn’t expected to go out and party.
Thanks for asking! 🙂
Hiya and you’re welcome! I’m glad that you enjoy my writing! 😀
I will try to do a Further Down Road Two, though I’m not sure how long that will take me to get to (especially given how, you know, I have a lot of other Shikasuke prompts to get through :P). As for the Grass Chuunin Exam…
Oh man, okay, so… I mean it’s probably been… not obvious per se but rather conspicuous how I keep trying to avoid doing the Grass Chuunin Exam (from now on referred to as GCE) and it’s. Well. I guess part of me is just like it’s still so new to me somehow?
It’s not like the Konoha Chuunin Exams which everyone and their grandmother knows by heart and so any changes to it is almost welcomed AND completely understood. Like, in the first Hail To The Queen installment I was pretty damn vague about what Shikako actually did and yet, somehow, people understood exactly what I was trying to convey.
With GCE I’m a liiiittle reluctant to change things but, at the same time, I wouldn’t want to not change things. If… that makes any sense whatsoever. Like, okay, witchbreaker’s The Grass Chunin Exams series is absolutely lovely because it does explore alternate POVs in depth and with such skilled turns of phrase that I don’t want to do a similar Sasuke POV of it and fall short.
And also because that doesn’t really appeal to me writing-wise. A lot of my writing is–”well what if this small thing was tweaked, let’s explore that”–and yes there are some introspective parts but it’s in reaction to those tweaks, you know?
I have maybe ONE idea for how to do a Shikasuke GCE fic but at the same time I’m reluctant to make any changes to the canon DoS GCE because Silver Queen crafted it soooo perfectly I almost don’t want to break it.
Also, I guess subconsciously my brain has linked the GCE with my Shikako x Gaara feels seeing is how that is what inspired my very first DoS recursive fic… it’s a little hard to untangle that, you know? Like–gosh, their fight against each other? And even the night before? *dreamy sigh*
Uh… sorry, I didn’t mean to rant at you… I mean, I’ll probably do it–that one Shikasuke GCE fic, that is–but it’s kind of on par with my Hail To The Queen series? Like–pretty far out there in terms of AU. And it might take me while to get into the right Sasuke headspace for it–because this is very distinctly DoS Sasuke still, not my weird un-traumatized baby Sasuke from Even Further Down Road One.
Hello again, anon (or, at least, I assume you’re the same anon from over at @dosbysilverqueen)! I’d be glad to fill this prompt because, as I said earlier, it is pretty interesting how the expanded Team Seven is actually seven people (Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikako, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato/Tenzo) and that would be fun to explore. Especially given Shikako’s edging on breaking the fourth wall at times…
I don’t know exactly what I’ll do with it, or when, but I do appreciate the prompt. 🙂
JackSGreyson Says 