Tag: naruto

Down Every Road: Or, Some Ways Shikako and Sasuke Get Together, 2/? (2016-06-06)

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(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.

Down Every Road: Or, Some Ways Shikako and Sasuke Get Together, 1/? (2016-04-09)

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jacksgreysays:

jacksgreysays:

(one: arranged marriage)

Shikaku’s daughter is a quiet creature. Content, but silent; solitary. She would rather read books or watch the grazing deer or follow in his and Yoshino’s footsteps than go outside and play with the other children.

It’s nothing to be worried about: Shikamaru is much the same, switching shogi for books and deer for clouds, though he, at least, has Chouji. Shikaku had been self-contained as a child, too, it is the way of most Nara children, he thinks, though he remembers, hazily, how Ikoma had been a little more active.

Eventually Shikako will come out of her shell–or perhaps she won’t, there is no rushing these things, pressure will only make the matter worse–Shikaku is prepared to be patient with his daughter.

Patience is not the problem.

“You want… what?” Shikaku asks, blindsided for the first time in three years–the last time had been when the ambassador from Cloud double crossed them and tried to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress–and by his own daughter no less.

His tiny, quiet daughter, who looks up at him, head tilted slightly, as if he’s the one acting oddly. “An engagement,” she says, with an odd twist to her mouth, as if the very word is bitter on her tongue, “to Sasuke Uchiha.”

He looks at Yoshino who also has an expression of bewilderment on her face.

“Shikako, sweetheart,” she says, stalling for time, trying to parse her thoughts, doing a better job than he is at the moment. “Just because you have a crush on this boy, it doesn’t mean you need to marry him. You can,” she pauses, glances at Shikaku, finding some sort of comfort from him, “Start small, honey, try being his friend first.”

It’s sound advice, truly; it probably would have ended the conversation if this were in fact a discussion about a girl with a crush on a boy.

It is not.

“I don’t have a crush on him,” Shikako says, entirely honest, no hint of embarrassed denial in her tone, “I don’t want this for me, I want this for…”

She drifts off. Neither he or Yoshino want to interrupt, and so they stay silent as she thinks. Searching for the right words.

“It’s the smart thing to do.”

—

[She is only a child, an untrained child, but what is the point of having this knowledge if not to save lives? She cannot stop this as a shinobi, not with her chakra hypersensitivity and her less than a year’s worth of training, not against S-class ninja who would sooner kill her than look at her.

But in this world she is not only a child. She is a Nara. The clan head’s only daughter, and that means something.

The Uchiha were isolated, seething and resentful, planning for a coup against a village that had already betrayed them. But what if she could change that? What if somehow, she could bring them back into the fold? The Uchiha were one of the founding clans of Konoha, and they just have to be reminded of this fact.

She is a Nara, and with her comes her clan. And where her clan goes, the Akimichi and the Yamanaka follow. And four clans is enough, has to be enough. Danzo cannot kill them all, not when the Akimichi are so deeply entrenched in the civilian sectors. Not when the Yamanaka pervade every branch of the shinobi forces. Not when her father is the Jounin Commander, as his father was before him, as, likely, his son will be after him.

She can do this. This isn’t something that requires chakra and jutsu and strength she doesn’t yet have and might never get. And, anyway, marriage is such a small thing to sacrifice to save so many lives and to prevent so much grief and hardship. It may not have to be a sacrifice at all. Sasuke, as she knows him from the past, was a product of his tragedy, twisted and angry and bitter but still with some moments of kindness and courage. Sasuke as she knows him now is just a little boy, but there is still kindness in him, and maybe some courage. More smiles, that’s for sure.

She will marry him and maybe they’ll become friends, maybe they’ll grow to love one another, maybe they’ll be happy together. But even if they don’t, even if they are cold to each other, civil colleagues forced to live together, then she’d still do it.

It’s the smart thing to do.]

~

A/N: Well… that was a quicker turn around time than I thought it would be. Also… I was supposed to go to sleep three hours ago but… oh well.

This is for you, anon, who wanted some Shikako/Sasuke. But that’s not all! As you can tell from the title I will be doing more installments of this in the future. Probably not as quickly–but it will definitely happen! Though, I’d definitely appreciate some Shikasuke-specific prompts to help with future installments

Title (or at least, the main title, not the subtitle) is from the song “The Only Dream” by Tyrone & Elina because it’s one of the few love songs in my favorites playlist and also it kind of works really well for the Shikasuke ship. Not this particular ficlet, but the general vibe I get of the ship from DoS.

Further Down Road One, (2016-04-15)

(shogi)

Someone is testing his patience–unfortunately, Danzo doesn’t know who.

His plan to destroy the Uchiha and steal their Sharingan–justified by preventing a coup, of course–has been thwarted by a single engagement. Which ought to point out the culprit as that upstart Nara clan head, especially given his tenacious tracking of supplies Danzo has appropriated for ROOT, except there is more:

The Merchant’s Guild, primarily a civilian organization, has begun making inquiries into some of Danzo’s less legitimate businesses–though they are several times removed from himself. The Intel Division, who aren’t worth the title shinobi, are enacting a stricter review over mission assignments and reports, restricting his soldiers’ movements.

The Uchiha Police Force–yet another reason to exterminate those overpowered menaces–have received anonymous tips, turning certain deaths from “accidental” to “potential foul play.” Most are easily avoided, but some lead directly to the younger recruits recently orphaned on his orders.

It is too many instances to be Shikaku Nara, beyond his scope as Nara clan head and Jounin Commander. And yet, the timing is far too suspicious to be merely coincidental.

Someone is testing his patience.

[She is still a Nara, no matter what she’s consigned herself to be in the future, and there are some parts of her heritage that she refuses to lose. Shogi may seem like such a small thing, but it is a connection she refuses to sever. She will remember these soft, lazy days with her parents and her brother fondly.

Also, the lessons are useful.

She has stepped into a shogi game spanning the entire village. Danzo has his political contacts, his wealth, and ROOT as his pieces. In opposition are her clans–present and future–their allies, and herself.

Danzo is paranoid, increasingly so, but not enough to correctly guess the identity of his opponent.

Shikako is piece and player, both.]

—

(friendship)

He is so busy straddling the line between clan heir and loyal ANBU that when news of his little brother’s engagement finally makes it’s way through the fog of stress and desperation, Itachi is completely blindsided.

Shisui is, too, so it’s not like he has any high ground to stand on. “Your little sister in law is very cute.”

“Future sister in law,” Itachi says back, just to be contrary, “Also, she’s six.”

“Yeah, which is why I said cute; smart, too, quiet, though,” he smirks, “She reminds me of you, actually,” he says pointedly enough that Itachi meets his eyes in curiosity.

There is danger in speaking out loud, unsure of who may hear, and so Itachi and Shisui have developed their own silent language.

Shisui can’t actually be thinking about bringing a six year old into their counter conspiracy, can he?

“She’s six,” Itachi repeats out loud.

“And what were you doing when you were six?” Shisui responds, dryly, “Anyway, I’m not saying we do anything until you actually talk to her.”

Itachi hums noncommittally.

“Ask her about the engagement,” Shisui suggests, “about whose idea it was.”

[She isn’t really expecting to make friends, doesn’t have the time to, what with the silent war she’s undertaken. She has her brother, she doesn’t really need anyone else. And anyway, allies are one thing, but friends? Not likely.]

—

(cats)

Mikoto has always had a soft spot for Sasuke: he is her baby, after all, unlike Itachi who has the weight of Fugaku and the clan elder’s expectations. Which is why she keeps such a close eye on her daughter-in-law to be. Mikoto is not against the engagement–Shikako Nara is a good match for her youngest son, and a sweet girl from what she’s seen–but she’ll be damned if her baby ends up in a marriage that makes him miserable.

As it is, perhaps she is too busy expecting the worst, focusing on Shikako instead of Sasuke, because he seems to be quite content with the engagement. Happy, even. Maybe even in love–though they are both only twelve and it is too early to say–at the very least, on the path to it.

Sasuke is her baby, so she was planning to pass down her summoning contract to him, but it appears as if he has other ideas:

“It’s an Uchiha contract,” Fugaku denies, never mind that it’s not even his decision to make, trying to divert his youngest son from this notion with a cold tone of voice.

But Sasuke holds his head up, standing firm against his father, and easily says, “Shikako will be my wife. She will be an Uchiha.”

The confidence, the devotion, the clear, pure conviction that he is right, that he will do this for his bride-to-be, no matter what his father–who might as well have been his god–says. It doesn’t matter what Mikoto thinks of Shikako Nara, not really, because she knows enough about the girl from this single moment to know. Sasuke may not love her yet, but he’s definitely on the way: as far as Mikoto is concerned, if Shikako is worthy of that, then she can be worthy Mikoto’s other legacy.

[She knows there is a deer summons. Knows that, because of the engagement, she will never be allowed to sign it. She may be a Nara for now, but she will not be in the future, and and children she has will be Uchiha not Nara. The deer contract should remain in the clan, she knows that, it’s enough that she still gets to learn shadow jutsu.

It’s a minor thing, anyway, summoning. There are powerful shinobi who don’t have summoning contracts and it’s not like she was guaranteed to have the deer summons, anyway. It was just a spare thought. Something that would have been nice to have–not something she needs. She resigns herself, something she’s been doing a lot of, to never being a summoner.

Except Sasuke changes that. His mother has a contract, and while it was originally meant to be for him, he’s convinced her to offer it to Shikako. And that still doesn’t guarantee anything–maybe the cats won’t like her, maybe they’ll reject her as a summoner–but it’s far more than she was expecting.

Cats are not deer, and being an Uchiha bride is not the same as being a Nara daughter, but it’s more than what she was expecting. More than enough.]

~

A/N: @book14reader and I had a very lengthy discussion (transcript here) about the consequences of a Shikasuke engagement. Primarily? The Problem of Danzo. And while I still basically sidestepped the issue, I thought it was important enough to brush over. In a way, this AU’s ultimate Big Bad isn’t Akatsuki or Madara, it’s Danzo. So… there you go.

Also, the other two were just kind of cute thoughts… and two POVs who I probably wouldn’t be able to do otherwise? Given… the obvious.

Even Further Down Road One (2016-06-04)

(friendship–jealousy)

“Little brother,” Itachi says, barely a warning before he musses Saskue’s hair. Now that he’s a genin with the forehead protector to go with it, his brother can no longer do his usual greeting flick. But Itachi has adapted easily, finding another way to simultaneously express fondness and casually exert dominance.

“Aniki!” he complains, trying to straighten the mess.

“Little sister. Naruto-kun,” Itachi continues, instead, gently tugging on Shikako’s braid. Which is, frankly, unfair. The idiot also gets treated to a hair ruffle, but considering his hair is always a mess, it hardly makes a difference.

“Itachi,” Shikako says with a smile, “What are you doing here?”

Here being Team Seven’s usual training grounds, sans their jounin sensei since no one knows where Kakashi might be at any given point in time. Certainly not where he’s supposed to be.

“We both just got back from missions and we wanted to check up on our favorite genin,” Itachi answers, with a smile of his own.

An evil smile.

“We?” Sasuke repeats, dread already pooling in his stomach.

“Sasuke-chan!” A terrible voice rings out before, yet again, a hand ruins his just neatened hair.

Shisui.

Fortunately, the offender moves on to a different victim. “Naruto! What embarrassing things has my baby cousin been up to?” Never mind–it’s unfortunate.

“Shisui!” Shikako says, delight in her tone and eyes. She doesn’t even flinch away when the bastard pulls her into a hug. “I thought you weren’t coming back for another week.”

“Well,” Shisui half shrugs, one arm staying around Shikako’s shoulders. Unnecessarily. “I couldn’t just let my adorable little sister languish without her favorite Uchiha.”

Okay, that’s it.

“Go away!” Sasuke shouts, just barely resisting the urge to physically shove Shisui away because that might jostle Shikako with his proximity. “Go bother your own team!” Because maybe that’ll work. “And she’s not your sister,” he adds.

“Little brother,” Itachi sighs, shaking his head in disappointment, “There’s no need to be rude.”

Shisui, infuriatingly, just smirks. “It’s okay, Itachi. I understand,” he nods, smirk growing wider, “Puberty.”

The inarticulate noise that claws its way out of his throat does more to ward off his brother and cousin, because–after yet another set of hair ruffling–they leave.

“Jeez, Sasuke,” Naruto says, because he never met a situation that he didn’t decide to aggravate immediately, “What’s wrong with you?”

Shikako is too tactful to ask, but looks equally interested in his answer. Sasuke tries not to blush, already embarrassed at how easily flustered he was.

“Nothing,” he mutters, “Let’s just spar already.”

Hopefully by the time Kakashi arrives, she’ll have forgotten his complete lack of cool.

—

(shogi–respect)

Sasuke has known–ever since they were children at the Academy, even before their engagement–that Shikako is a genius.

Sure, it probably started as a childish, self-absorbed acknowledgement–anyone smarter than him had to be a genius by default–but now that they are older, Sasuke has realized just how much of a genius his fianceé truly is.

She is constantly working on one project or another, always improving herself to tackle even bigger challenges. She sees beyond what everyone else can, always three steps ahead. So why would she do this?

“I’m not going to fight my brother,” she repeats, after returning to the viewing area, after forfeiting to Shikamaru of all people–the laziest person Sasuke has ever met.

He doesn’t understand. Even if her relationship with her brother is different from  his relationship with Itachi–which is, admittedly, probably more of a one-sided competition than a true sibling rivalry–that doesn’t mean she was only left with the one option. The preliminaries are hardly death matches, and it’s not as if she couldn’t have at least sparred against Shikamaru. Chances are, if it had required even a modicum of effort, Shikamaru would have been the one to forfeit first.

Sasuke doesn’t actually say so out loud, wouldn’t want to verbally undermine her decision in front of so many people, but she can probably see the confusion in the slant of his eyebrows, the twist of his mouth. Shikako’s always been able to read him so easily.

She smiles back at him, a poor attempt at reassurance given the tightness in the corners of her eyes. He likes to think he can read her just as well.

“Who knows the next time my brother will ever get close enough to a promotion?” She tries to joke, and while that’s enough to put off the others, it’s not enough for him.

Softer, so only their team can hear, she adds, “There’s a different battle I need to prepare for,” her tone tamped down to something serious, almost concerned.

He doesn’t understand, and neither does Naruto from the look on his face, but Kakashi seems to. For now, at least, Sasuke will trust their jounin sensei on this matter–at least until Shikako is ready to reveal more.

Somehow, even though she’s the only member of their team not part of the third round, Shikako trains harder than either of he or Naruto during the month long gap. Sasuke’s time is split between Itachi and Kakashi, Naruto’s split between Kakashi and some weird old pervert he randomly happened across, apparently, but Shikako? Has been participating in training with Kakashi, Itachi, Naruto’s old perverted mentor, Shisui, her parents, and even Sasuke’s mother. He would call it major overkill if it didn’t seem so important to her.

Just what is she preparing for, anyway?

The answer comes soon enough when, in the middle of his fight against Gaara, a genjutsu falls over the arena.

An invasion–by Sand and the snake bastard who tried to bite him in the Forest of Death–what the hell?

Sasuke goes after Gaara and his siblings because, well, he’s already fighting him so why not? Shikako and a bunch of the other Rookie Nine appear not long after, and if he weren’t so glad to see her, he’d probably be confused as to how easily she steps up and takes charge of the situation. As is, he’s still pretty damned impressed. Also, proud.

Now he understands why she forfeited during the preliminaries. An exam? A promotion? Those don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

This is the Shikako he knows–observing everything, three steps ahead and already reacting. A genius.

And he’s going to marry that girl.

—

(cats–affection)

Usually when Shikako and his mother train together, Sasuke tries not to hang around. He doesn’t want to distract them and, plus, he gave up his right to the cat summons. Also, sometimes, their training devolves into his mother regaling Shikako with baby stories which he’d rather not be around for. Bad enough that she hears them; if he’s not there to witness it, at least he has plausible deniability.

But given that they do train at the house and he, well, lives there, he can’t always avoid it.

Thankfully this time the two of them are actually summoning cats.

“Summoning Jutsu!” Shikako calls out, a familiar pattern of ink spreading from her fingertips. The chakra smoke is minimal, because Shikako has always had excellent chakra control, but the result is still… less than ideal.

A kitten mewls curiously, before shakily walking around.

Shikako sighs.

“Well,” his mother says diplomatically, “At least this one’s capable of moving.”

Shikako sighs again, even louder. Disheartened, she sits: legs crossed, elbows on her knees, head propped in her hands. She watches the kitten makes its sluggish trek across the floor.

“You’re actually doing quite well,” his mother tries again, “I didn’t even start learning how to summon until I was older than you.”

It doesn’t appear to be working, even though Shikako nods politely.

And it’s not as if Sasuke thinks he can do any better, but he hates seeing her so dejected. So he takes a seat beside her, scoops up the kitten, and holds it out to her. He tries to smile at her: it’s only strained as it is because he’s risking hearing really embarrassing childhood stories about himself and also the kitten apparently hates him and is using it’s tiny claws and teeth on his hands. What the hell, it might be breaking skin.

Shikako understands, because she gives a soft chuckle before taking the summon from his hands. Unsurprisingly, it stops fighting, rubbing it’s face affectionately against her skin.

Sasuke doesn’t need to say anything: he just sits quietly at her side and lets her know he’s there for her, no matter what.

~

A/N: God, Sasuke, way to be SUPER obvious about how totally in love with Shikako you are! That’s embarrassing… 😀

For this anon–I tweaked the prompts a bit, but hopefully you’ll still enjoy this. But seriously, y’all need to let me go down the other roads already. 😛

I’ll upload this to ao3 later.

Dreaming One Shots — now on ao3!

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

Combining all of my Dreaming of Sunshine recursive one shots into one collection called Dreaming One Shots on archiveofourown.

For now this includes:

  1. Becoming a Legend
  2. Stories of Ancient Gods
  3. Netsui/Shikako Three Sentence Fic
  4. Dropped Off Stitches (On The Loom Of Fate)

Check it out here!

Have also uploaded:

5.  Chances Gone By
6.  You and Me and Baby (Makes Fifteen)

You and Me and Baby (Makes Fifteen), part 2/2 (2016-06-02)

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It’s not exactly a problem, but considering the make up of Team Seven–the fact that she’s the only non-orphan and the only one with siblings who didn’t leave the village after slaughtering their entire clan–she probably could have handled the matter of introductions better.

Shikako’s teammates take the sudden appearance of a baby as well as she expected. Meaning, not with any measure of grace or dignity whatsoever.

“What do we do with it?” Naruto asks, his hands fluttering around Kareru without actually touching. In contrast, Sasuke’s stare has only become more suspicious, arms folded across his chest.

“He’s a baby,” she answers, exasperated, “not a kunai. We don’t do anything with him except, probably, raise him into a decent human being.”

“We?” Sasuke prompts.

“Oh, well, no,” Shikako says, amending her statement, “Not ‘we’ as in us, but ‘we’ as in people in general. I was hoping someone else would be willing to raise him. And I could just let them take over. It’s not as if we can, there’s other more qualified people.” Although, said out loud, it does sound an awful lot like she’s shirking responsibilities.

“Why not?” Naruto says, absolutely entranced by what might be his only living blood relative trying to eat his own foot. Shikako shifts her hold on Kareru so his infantile acrobatics won’t lead to him plummeting to the ground.

“Why not what?” she asks.

“Why not us?” Naruto clarifies, “Why can’t we raise him?” he asks, finally looking up, blue eyes full of conviction. “We can do this.”

Shikako and Sasuke glance at each other, expressions far less skeptical than the other would expect–neither of them have ever been all that successful at denying Naruto when it really matters.

And, yes, she may have been doubtful of Naruto’s ability to take care of a baby earlier–long ago D-rank babysitting missions flashing through her minds–but he’s not asking to take care of Kareru by himself. He’s asking if they can do it, together. And, well, together they’ve done some pretty amazing things.

She bites her lip, though, still unsure. This isn’t just some one-off mission that they can complete and walk away from. This is a baby, an actual whole other person who will be their responsibility for years. For the rest of their lives.

But it’s Sasuke who makes the decision, carefully extending a single finger in the baby’s direction. Fascinated, Kareru grabs it, a pleased squeal erupting from his mouth.

Naruto’s grin is wide and bright, “We can do this!” he repeats.

Shikako nods, an answering smile of her own spreading across her face. “But,” she adds, ever the pragmatist, “Probably not by ourselves.”

—

It wouldn’t make sense for the Hokage to be informed of every new citizen of Konoha–frankly, it’s an inefficient use of the village leader’s time and with this particular Hokage, time is something that his horde of administrative shinobi have to schedule with frenzied exactness–but when it comes to this particular citizen, exceptions can be made.

Or, well, Team Seven will make the exception for him. After all, it’s not everyday a jounin-sensei becomes a pseudo-grandpa via his students collectively adopting a baby found in the ruins of a fallen village.

… Well, it’s not as if the paperwork ninja didn’t already hate them.

“Maa, not the mask, Kareru-kun,” Kakashi says fondly to the baby currently seated on his desk and trying to unmask him. Except for gently pulling the tiny hands away from his face, Kakashi lets Kareru do whatever he wants, crawling across the desk and drooling on no doubt very important files.

“That’s all you have to say about this?” Naruto asks, impatient, the first one to crack.

“Hm,” Kakashi responds, stretching the noise out until Sasuke begins to scowl, “He’s a little young to learn the chidori,” he admonishes, just to see the team twitch in annoyed unison.

“Sensei!”

“I have a lot of free time,” Kakashi lies, blatantly, “I guess I could watch Kareru-kun occasionally,” he says, so nonchalant that it’s obvious he cares.

Not that Shikako was really expecting anything else, her sensei awkward but affectionate in his own way–but it’s nice to be proven right about things.

—

Team Ten, thankfully, is far less uncomfortable about sudden teenaged parenthood–skipping over origins and uncertainty of what constitutes family, going straight into how to raise Kareru. Which, isn’t really a surprise considering their clans are known for strong family ties.

“I always thought I’d end up with a kid first,” Shikamaru says, one eyebrow raised. But there’s a smile on the edge of his mouth, his shoulder brushing against his sister’s. It’s nice to know he’ll support her even in this somewhat spontaneous decision.

Chouji, in far fewer words, also expresses his approval by reaching out for the baby. His bulky arms a gentle cradle for Kareru to observe the world.

“Can you say Ino-neechan?” Ino coos to Kareru, who babbles happily in response.

“Neechan?” Naruto asks, as tactful as ever, “Wouldn’t you be Ino-bachan?”

“Excuse you,” Ino says, “If you want to be called uncle, then that’s fine. But I’m going to be Kareru’s fabulous older sister.”

“He’s not even old enough to talk yet,” Sasuke says, though he stands on the opposite side of Chouji from her. Strategically.

“I’m training him early,” Ino says with a shrug, before turning her attention back to the baby, “You can pull off purple, right Kareru-chan?”

Which starts Naruto in on the sanctity of Uzumaki wearing orange and somehow devolves into an argument about who will be Kareru’s favorite.

Well, at least he won’t be lacking for attention.

—

It doesn’t take long for Kiba to find them–hand on the pulse of Konoha’s rumor mill and having almost as good a sense for inane competition as he does smells–the rest of Team Eight follow after.

Preemptively, Shikako says, “No, this isn’t mine and Gaara’s kid,” which sends Kiba into a fit of raucous laughter.

Thankfully, it’s Shino who responds. “I did not think so. Why? First, because you have only been gone for a few months–not long enough for the human gestation period, or for the additional months this child has of age. Second, you were nowhere near Land of Wind, and it is well-known that the Kazekage does not often leave Sunagakure. Third, while it is true that the child and the Kazekage both have red hair, it is obvious, even within such a short period of time, that the child has more in common with Naruto in appearance than the Kazekage.”

There’s a beat of silence as everyone processes Shino’s statement.

“Thanks for the support?” Shikako says, more question than not, but Shino nods and she supposes it’s close enough.

“I-if I can help in any way, I’d like to,” Hinata offers, once the story has been repeated for Team Eight’s benefit. Shino nods again, in agreement, while Kiba is more vocal with his.

“And anyway, babies love dogs! Me and Akamaru will definitely end up this kid’s favorite.”

Which restarts the argument all over again: this time, with animal summons for added silliness.

—

It’s not as if Shikako ever planned for this–her entire life has basically been rolling with the punches–so it’s not like she’s actively recruiting people into helping out with Kareru.

Try convincing Lee that, though.

“I will run around Konoha one hundred times on my hands!” he declares, eyes bright and filled with determination. “I, too, will prove myself a worthy caregiver for young Kareru! Superior, even, to my rival, Neji!” He points, at said rival who, despite the look of deep disgruntlement, has not pulled away from Kareru’s curious hair tugging.

Instead, to rile up his teammate, Neji says only one word: “Byakugan,” which… is a fairly strong point. The Hyuuga bloodline would make literally watching a baby almost ludicrously easy.

TenTen huffs an exasperated laugh, “Of course they’d find a way to argue over a baby.”

“They might as well join the fight already in progress,” Shikako says, gesturing to where some of their friends have set up an impromptu sparring tournament to somehow prove which of them will end up as Kareru’s favorite. As if they were waiting for permission, Lee and Neji–untangling himself from tiny baby fingers–go and do just that.

“Mostly, I just wanted to see how your mission to Uzushio went,” TenTen admits, “I figured you’d bring back some seal samples, though, I didn’t think you’d return with a baby.”

Well, technically, she came back with both…

“My missions always end up really weird,” Shikako muses, before glancing over at the baby, still comfortably perched in Chouji’s arms. Kareru’s eyes meet hers and he smiles, a wide, toothless, drooling thing.

She can’t say it doesn’t tug at her heartstrings.

—

Within the hour, Sakura finds them–not that they were hiding–and she comes armed with paperwork and an unimpressed expression.

“I take it you’ve figured out what to name him, then,” she says, channeling as much of her shishou as Shikako tries to channel of her sensei. Given how infrequently Kakashi ever pulled one over on Tsunade, that was probably a poor decision.

“Aah, Sakura, I was just about to… you see, I was on my way home when–”

“Save it,” she interrupts, thankfully, because Shikako’s Kakashi impression isn’t all that good to begin with, “What’s his name and who should I put for his official guardians?”

With all of her friends around her, knowing that she’s far from alone in this, it’s less daunting to say:

“This is Kareru Uzumaki. And I’ll be his guardian.”

~

A/N: Sorry, y’all. It’s a little abrupt and clunky, but I kinda just wanted to get the full fifteen of the title at least mentioned so I can safely stow this two-shot away in my imaginary completed fic bin… still have a lot of prompts to go through. Oh, dear.

Okay, so I know it doesn’t really fulfill the prompt but… I kinda wanted to do more “reacting to sudden baby” fic than “raising sudden baby” fic, if that makes sense. And,Tth, I kind liked part one as is? But the title wouldn’t make any sense unless I actually wrote the others, so I just kinda use this as an opportunity to explore writing characters I never have before. It’s harder than I thought–less the actual characters and more having them interact in a group setting. One on one from now on, please and thank you.

Anyway… I think I’ll post both parts as one chapter in Dreaming One Shots on ao3…

Fake Fic Summaries, 15/? the Closer to Home edition (2016-05-31)

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A/N: Well, I was trying to write some fic, but then I caught on this idea and I couldn’t shake it, so here’s me expelling it from my brain. Sorry it’s so tiny.

~

Closer To Home

An entire nation cannot be destroyed in one night. Survivors flee, shed their names, take up new lives. But running away doesn’t always mean running far.

Sometimes, family is closer to home than you think.

—

So… what is this? It’s my EPIC UZUSHIO FEELS wrapped up with some “hey, wait a second, Tsunami’s name matches the Uzumaki naming convention” and a sprinkle of “where the hell did Tazuna even learn how to make such a giant bridge?”

And I blended it all up and got: OBVIOUSLY TAZUNA MET AND MARRIED AN UZUMAKI WOMAN WHILE HE ATTENDED UZUSHIO UNIVERSITY (because that’s definitely a thing) AND THEN A LITTLE AFTER TSUNAMI WAS BORN THE FALL OF UZUSHIO HAPPENED SO THE FAMILY HAD TO FLEE TO WAVE. And… well.

Naruto meets family waaaaay earlier in the series. And the thing is, they’re civilians. Like, straight up no shinobi skills whatsoever civilians. Maaaybe some tiny fuinjutsu skills but more like… kitchen appliances level than GIANT BULLDOZER or TELEPORTATION level, you know?

And I guess this would kind of let me navigate the repercussions of Uzushio’s fall as a parallel to the fall of the Uzumaki clan and sort of unleash all of my Uzushio feels (of which there are many) while not completely having to fabricate a whole bunch of interesting characters.

Because I do think it’d be fascinating (if I can articulate it well enough) to see how Tsunami as a completely civilian Uzumaki would be viewed by, well, everyone? No hidden secret abilities, no extra trauma or baggage–just the purest form of an Uzumaki after the fall. (Not that I’m disparaging Karin, Nagato, or Naruto’s histories, but to them the fall of Uzushio can never be the turning point in their lives even second hand. They have Orochimaru’s employee/test subject + Rinnegan wielder betrayed by Konoha + Kyuubi’s jinchuuriki and reincarnation of Ashura. Like… what? How could the fall of a homeland they’ve never known compare to those massive immediate problems).

And I guess some cameos from other somewhat minor characters who might also be descended from Uzushio peeps. Like, Iruka probably (Umino? Like… what). And maybe Yugao Uzuki.

I’m not really sure what the plot of such a story would be though? Because I wouldn’t want to do a giant rewrite but I don’t think the Tazuna family would have such a huge impact on the course of the world. Especially since I do want to keep them as civilians so…

UZUSHIO FEELS.

Chances Gone By, a Toki/Shikako fic (2016-05-27)

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Or, Five Conversations Toki Almost Had With Shikako

She is still running on the tumultuous rush of avenging her family and revealing her secret and endangering her life and killing a man and opening her lands to his people and the chanting of her name by her own people and the sudden ticking of the watch she thought forever broken and–

Toki is grateful for Shikako, an emotional port in the storm in the shape of a girl younger than herself with eyes that can be so warm and welcoming, but just as easily turn sharp like a steel blade. Toki feels safe around Shikako, a sensation she hasn’t had for such a long time–from even before Sagi was killed–and this is something she wants to have for as long as she can. Or, at least, bottle up to save for days when she can’t.

She thinks maybe–she wants this, she can have this, she deserves this–all she has to do is ask. But she is Daimyo now, truly, not just playacting in her brother’s place; she cannot be selfish anymore.

“You won’t stay will you?” Toki asks, even though she already knows the answer. It seems as if all good things leave her at one point or another.

Shikako smiles, and even though it is a small, slanted thing, Toki wants to see more of it. “To tell you the truth, I’m not really trained for this. I’m making it up as I go along.”

And Toki laughs, the first real and honestly happy laugh she’s had since… gods, such a long time. Toki wants to return the favor, “The secret is… so am I.”

It’s successful, to some extent: Shikako’s smile blooms full and bright, and though she doesn’t laugh, Toki feels the warm flush of victory.

After a comfortable silence, Toki picks up the thread of conversation again. “What kind of training would you need? To be qualified for this, that is,” she asks, and hopes the question sounds interested without being desperate.

Shikako doesn’t seem to suspect anything, pondering the question seriously, “Well to begin with, for a body guarding mission in general, I’d need to be at least a chuunin. Our original mission was to help Chishima-san investigate the ghost sightings, but our missions tend to go in unexpected directions,” she flashes another smile alongside the understatement.

“But a mission of this caliber? With your status and not to mention the matter of the Watari clan…”

Toki was hoping to put off thinking about that particular spontaneous decision until tomorrow at least.

“… Well, they’ll probably have at least a special jounin on the replacement team, if not higher.” Shikako shrugs, as if to say the matter is out of her hands. They settle back into a comfortable silence, and Toki finds herself drifting, soothed by the rhythm of Shikako’s breathing.

Toki understands, life doesn’t always work out so neatly or as immediately as hoped, but she can be patient. She can wait for Shikako to rise in rank.

—

On the day of Toki’s coronation, there are so many people fussing over her–her clothes, her hair, what she’ll say, where she’ll stand–that she finds she hardly has to worry about herself. Instead, she lets her eyes and thoughts rest on Shikako. She notices the way the younger girl, so confident against danger and battle, fidgets; fingers twisting with the end of her braid, hands alternately tugging and smoothing her clothes, eyes glancing over at her ruined sandals by the door.

“I have a kimono in your size, if you would like,” Toki offers. So many people fussing over Toki, Shikako deserves at least one person fussing over her.

The other girl looks up, a spill of pink spreading across her cheeks. Oh no, Toki didn’t intend to make her feel embarrassed.

“Come with me,” she says, and reaches out to hold one jittery hand in her own, “The palace has a bathhouse, and we both deserve more than just a quick wash after the days we’ve been through.”

Shikako laughs, a bright, brief giggle, before nodding, “That does sound amazing.”

Toki waves away the servants, and they obey, albeit anxiously. The two of them enjoy their baths, though they can’t linger for long: she does have a coronation to attend, after all. But it’s enough that Shikako relaxes, accepting the kimono without any protest and the aid of a servant to put it on. Toki’s own finery requires a team, but that is expected.

“Are you nervous?” Shikako asks, and while the servants working on Toki’s hair look at her with scandalized expressions, Toki herself is not offended. They have revealed greater truths to one another already.

“A little,” she admits, “but not as much as I thought I would be.”

When Toki is crowned daimyo of the Land of Birds–officially and as her true self–Shikako is standing, proud and protective, only a few steps away.

—

A few days later, more ninja from Konoha come, and Toki knows that means her ninja have to leave.

“This is Raido Namiashi,” Shikako introduces, “special jounin of Konoha.” Just like she predicted.

Toki is polite–she is the embodiment of her country now, she cannot be anything less–but she doesn’t want her last words in who knows how long to Shikako to be empty small talk. Shikako and her team are prepared to leave, but Toki calls out before they depart.

“Special jounin, right?”

The boys and Toki’s new bodyguard probably think she’s asking for confirmation of his rank, but Shikako nods answering a question that Toki hasn’t had the courage to ask out loud.

Shikako will be back one day, Toki knows, she just has to be patient.

—

Their reunion is actually far sooner than Toki expects, and all the more awkward for it. Standing between Raido and Hokuto at the Grass Chuunin Exams, she feels all too keenly the weight of her title, the distance between them.

Shikako, too, is with others. Her team–at least for the purposes of this exam–and another stand behind her, listening. They cannot be as intimate as they were before, but that does not mean Toki cannot be honest.

“You were a great help to me,” she says quietly, “So I’m glad that I can help you in turn, even with a small thing.” Toki draws the silver token given to her earlier from her sleeves, and holds it out to Shikako. “Good luck with your tests!”

The participants bow, Shikako included, and Toki wants so much to reach out, but she resists. They turn to leave, Toki lets them go.

“Toki,” Shikako calls back, “Chuunin first, then special jounin. You’ll see,” she smiles, and Toki would be lying if she said it hadn’t taken her breath away.

As daimyo, she is afforded an excellent seat during the tournament, even if her country is small. She watches, eagerly, and does not even pretend to be unbiased. But for all that she knows Shikako is a strong ninja, Toki only knows of her battle against other ninja second-hand–through Shikako and, later, Hokuto.

She knows Shikako is strong, doesn’t hold the first two fights against her even as the other audience members chatter in boredom. Her current bodyguards seem impressed, which means there is something about the fights that non-ninja cannot understand.

But everyone is blown away by her third fight.

“Chuunin, then special jounin,” Toki repeats to herself; maybe she won’t have to be so patient.

—

She has grown fond of Raido during his time as her bodyguard, he is a good shinobi and, more than that, a good man. Even his arguments with Hokuto, heated as they may be, are no longer as barbed as they were in the beginning. Konoha has sent her not only a bodyguard, but a skilled diplomat.

Regardless, he is not who Toki wants beside her. And Raido knows it.

Which is why, when Shikako is promoted to special jounin–not even a week after the Chuunin Exams–Raido is the one to bring the good news to Toki with an amused smile. But he also explains why Shikako cannot immediately return to Land of Birds–about special training and rotations in the Intelligence Division and, quietly, of preventing burn out.

Toki listens, understands. She was prepared to wait longer, before. She is only a little bit disappointed.

She is patient.

And it’s not as if she is just idly waiting: She has an entire country to run, a hidden village to build from the ground up alongside the Watari clan whose trust she is steadily gaining and vice versa. She is a daimyo going against tradition and the carefully crafted balance of the Elemental Nations. She is a busy woman, not just a girl waiting for a hero.

But she is still excited, a few months later, when Raido comes to her again, same amused smile, bringing news from Konoha.

Two days. It only takes two days for a ninja to travel from Konoha to the palace of Land of Birds.

When Shikako arrives, Toki is holding audiences with the public–a new monthly practice she’s implemented to better connect with her people. Like the others before her in line, Shikako goes to her knees and bows. When she rises, Toki can hear the murmurs–Shikako’s battle against the Kazekage during the Chuunin Exams put her on the map and, more specifically, she was an integral part of the Toki’s own rise to power. And the Watari clan’s settlement.

She is not an unfamiliar face, even before she introduces herself:

“Shikako Nara,” she says with a smile, “Special jounin of Konoha.”

—

(And One She Really Wanted To)

At night in Toki’s room, just the two of them, it feels like when they first met. It hasn’t even been a full year, and yet it might as well have been a different life. Toki, reeling from loss and anger, pretending to be someone else. Shikako, drifting and uncertain, injuring herself to survive enemies stronger than herself.

They are stronger and wiser and yet, in the darkness and silence, the same.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Toki says, low and soft.

In the moonlight, Shikako’s smile gleams. “So am I.”

~

A/N: WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT UP!!!! I had to write this furtively as my family flitted in and out of my personal space, but HERE IT IS! For you, anonymous who wanted some Shikako/Toki. I hope you like it 😀

I will also add this to the Dreaming One Shots ao3, later.