At last! My arm is complete again. ~

[ES21] Trust [Taka/Karin]

2009-02-23T07:56:58Z

Ahahahaha, I just answered my own question, right? I had fun, nonetheless, trying to get inside Taka’s head. Dork. XD

Again, this shot is for my dear partner in crime, paws_bells, just a token to let her know how much I cherish her friendship. 8D

As usual, much love to rapturesmusic for putting up with my and my fangirling, haha. XD

Trust

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his seemingly bored tone sharp with demand. She blinked, looking right back at him as he stood between her and the door to the field. They could hear the roar of the audience, the screams of the players that were battling against each other.

Russia versus Japan.

“Agon-san talked to us--” she started softly, but he shook his head, signaling he wasn’t exactly referring to the sudden appearance of the substitutes’ team.

“What are you doing here, Karin?”

She took a deep breath before answering.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she whispered, lowering her eyes. “I’m good enough to play against Japan, but not against America?”

Taka sighed. “That’s not what I meant,” he answered, leaning on the wall next to the door. “I thought you might be happier back at home. You never liked American football, after all.”

“In the beginning, perhaps,” she said softly, fiddling with the clasp to the chinstrap of her helmet. “But now... now I’m...” her eyes fixated on Taka’s before continuing, “I want to play American football, with Taka-shi, with Yamato-shi, with Achilles-shi and Heracles-shi... we are the Alexanders!”

Honjou Taka, receiver and Cornerback genius, only bested by Deimon’s Monta-kun, stared at the blonde girl, in the required protectors of the sport they loved so much.

Suddenly, those protectors weren’t enough for him, when he imagined her going against Rodchenko. She was so fragile, so feminine, so Karin.

“Please, Karin,” he started, but she shook her head, blonde locks flying wildly around her head.

“I want to be with you--” she blushed furiously, but pressed her lips together and continued, “I want to play with my nakama, the Japanese Team!”

The matter of the uniforms was about to be settled thanks to Yamato, Shin, Riku and Sena, but Taka knew that Oujou’s Takami wasn’t about to allow her to step on the field if he had anything to say in the issue. All in all, Karin wasn’t going to play against Russia... or even America. She was much too precious, too breakable, even with her astounding dodging abilities.

Still, her flushed face, determined eyes and frowning lips, he couldn’t – didn’t have the right – to tell her no.

“Be safe, Karin,” was all he managed to say.

Walking away, he heard her sigh. Imagining her slanted brows drawing upwards in sadness, knowing perfectly what was going on inside that pretty head of hers, he looked back. He was right, as usual. She was too predictable.

“Win this one for us, for Japan.”

“Hai,” she said, a little smile curving her lips.

Remembering how soft they felt under his in that train terminal in Osaka – back home, back when things were the way they were supposed to be – he nodded, waving his hand to see her out to the field.

It seemed she still had something to say.

“I trust you,” she whispered, looking up at him, her eyes as beseeching as always. “Please... trust me as well.”

He grasped her wrist gently. “Promise me,” he whispered, staring at her eyes.

Karin nodded. “I promise.”

As the audience roared and cheered a touchdown from the team that came from the land of the rising sun, Taka found his way back to his seat. He had fought the urge to lock her up to protect her, to shield her from harm, and to kiss her senseless.

“She’s on the bench,” Heracles informed him, his eyes going to the spot where she was sitting, talking to a pair of blushing Deimons, Kuroki and Togano. “I’m worried about her.”

“Me too,” admitted Shinryuuji’s Yamabushi, much to the Alexanders’ surprise. “Those Russians are a bunch of animals, if Rodchenko is anything to go by.”

“We’ll have to tell her to back out--” Achilles concluded, standing from his seat.

“No,” Taka said, cutting his friend off. “She’ll be fine. She’s an Alexander, after all.”

I trust you to come back to me safely.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-XxX-

A reader brought to my attention how protective the Alexanders are about Karin. My reasoning is actually pretty simple:

In Yamato's (and the other Alexanders) mind, there's a difference about encountering a Japanese team and the American one. Yamato should know a thing or two about that, and surely seeing Rodchenko (and knowing that Mr. Don would be playing against them for sure) he might let know his Teikoku pals about the danger of having Karin pitched in a match against those humongous guys. I'm not saying that she can't hold her ground against them, but once again, Kurita's speed isn't Rodchenko's (or Mr. Don's o_o;), so I believe their concern is completely valid. Taka might have put his two cents as well, seeing as he's the one responsible for her position in the team. Having Karin hurt or injured because of Russia or America... I don't think Taka would take it sitting down. Especially knowing how Japanese males are with that "I'll protectchoooo" principle. They're a bit of chauvinists, so... yeah. :P

Thanks for reading! Maybe I’ll pull a HiruMamo next time. Who knows? -winks-

[ES21] Wait [Taka/Karin]

2009-02-23T07:21:00Z

Haha, I have no idea where this came from, honestly. But, Taka/Karin is my Teikoku OTP, just like Hiru/Mamo is my Deimon OTP, and there’s so little Taka/Karin as a pairing that I decided to make a point, hahaha. A very fluffy point!

However, poor, dorky Taka might have gotten the surprise of his entire life when he saw Karin in Agon’s team of Japanese substitutes when they played against Russia, I’d say. I think they’re adorable together, really, in a dorky, shy manner. I wonder if they got to speak during this match against Russia... –plotting– mmm... XD

Last but not least, this is a little present for my dear friend paws_bells, who likes Eyeshield 21 as much as I do, and shares my tastes in OTPs and all. 8D I’m still a Yamato (and Shin) fangirl, though, whereas her love remains with that dork Taka. Therefore, here’s some love for the pair she likes so much. =P We fangirl Hiruma together, that goes without saying, haha.

Once more, much love to my dearest beta rapturesmusic for being such a sweetheart to me. :D ♥

Wait

It wasn’t a cheerful day for her. After all, she was bidding goodbye to her friends.

Her long, golden tresses fluttered in the wind. She had tied her hair as usual, but a few stray locks were as stubborn as she was on the field. The braid rested heavily on her shoulder, as her hands, idle, were itching with the urge to scramble and stop the long-haired man walking in front of her.

It was a bitter day for her. Following their defeat in the Christmas Bowl, Karin virtually left the Teikoku Amefuto Club to Yamato and his devices. The plan was coming to fruition, though. The try-outs for the Japan All-Stars team were in full swing in Deimon, or so she’d been told by a fired-up Heracles and a laughing Yamato.

She had actually expected them to ask her – just like they asked her to join the team – to be there with them during the try-outs, but it seemed that Yamato didn’t want to bother her anymore. She was relieved, but disappointed all the same.

Karin didn’t have an excuse to drop by to watch the try-outs during their school finals, but she had to. It wasn’t that she was particularly interested in watching Yamato mop the floor with the hopefuls, it was just…

Taka.

Since the Christmas Bowl, Karin hadn’t seen his entire face, as he’d taken to keeping it hidden behind that book he always carried with him. Once, during the Universal History class, he answered the teacher’s question correctly –as usual– without even looking up from his book. This particular habit actually infuriated her, but who was she to voice her thoughts regarding the matter?

Until this morning, Karin thought he was done with American Football.

How very wrong she was.

It took a call from Yamato – who sounded rather eager – to convince her to bother getting out of bed. Schoolwork after the fall tournament had increased threefold, and she was struggling with her least favorite subjects, namely English and biology. She’d been so tired, she was sleeping in when her cell phone rang.

But what Yamato told her had the former Teikoku Alexanders’ Quarterback scrambling from bed and into a cold shower so as to wake her up properly. She was ready to leave the house in fifteen minutes flat.

Arriving at school was a practiced motion; after all, she had the train schedules all but ingrained in her brain. She found Yamato, Heracles, Achilles and Taka there, and while the former Eyeshield 21 was laughing and joking with a young middle schooler, her eyes strayed to the tall, lean form of he whom she had lost so much sleep over.

He was reading – again – his long, silver hair as unkempt as he always had it, his face hidden once again by the pages of his book, looking as if he were lost in his own world.

Yamato noticed her then and greeted her cheerfully, introducing her to the new rookie, Chuubou, a little boy with shy manners, just like Deimon’s Sena-kun.

Karin had to smile at the boy, but gaped in surprise when Heracles told her about Chuubou’s prowess, stopping Yamato’s Caesar’s Charge.

Even she could see it now: they were gearing up to crush America.

Karin had to admit that even she was feeling the excitement and anticipation they were feeling. America, the monster of all opponents. The World Cup never looked so inviting, so challenging to her. It made her feel a little jealous and disappointed... she wanted to go with them.

But she was staying in Japan.

She almost wanted to scream.

Walking behind Yamato and Taka was a recurring thing, during the Amefuto season, but now, walking down the halls of the Osaka train terminal was something almost unbearable.

Especially if he wasn’t even involved in the conversation.

“Karin, are you alright? You look pale,” Yamato’s voice floated down, making the others look at her in concern. Such gentlemen, the Alexanders were; they were her comrades, always trying to shield her, even if she was in league – at least in terms of talent – with them.

“I’m fine,” she responded with one of her shy smiles, looking down at the floor, missing a pair of eyes that carefully noted her sudden discomfiture.

After all, he was a genius.

“I kind of want for Karin to come with us to America,” Heracles, always the warm guide –even if somewhat eccentric, but always a true friend– said. “It feels wrong to leave her here. She’s one of us, the first stringers of Teikoku.”

“She will always be one of us,” Taka said offhandedly, much to Karin’s surprise. “But America’s World Cup is dangerous as best. It wouldn’t be safe for her.”

“It sounds sexist, Karin, and I apologize in advance if we offend you,” Yamato piped in, with a chagrinned smile. “But we only want to protect you. This tournament will be ruthless; we can’t have you against one of those brutes.”

“But you did, Yamato,” Heracles added boisterously. “So you speak with the basis of experience?”

Their friend nodded, suddenly frowning. “America will be the wall we’ll have to climb. And we’ll to it with the help of the Kantou players, Sena-kun and the others.”

Karin almost wanted to point out that Sena-kun’s stats were on par with hers, but she kept her mouth shut. It wouldn’t do any good to them if she starts behaving like a whiny child. But boy, how she wanted to tell them she didn’t need any protectors.

She was Teikoku’s Quarterback, after all. The only female in the Japanese Amefuto high school level league. Koizumi Karin.

The train entered the terminal, signaling how her time – with them, with him – was running out. Bowing to them, smile in place like always, she bid a fond farewell to her nakama.

Yamato smiled as he shook her hand, warm and kind on the outside, he was, but in the inside, a strong force of nature was expecting patiently to be unleashed. Just like the Emperor’s Wall, biding his time until it was the precise moment to vanquish everything.

Heracles, the captain of the Alexanders, drew her into a tight, brotherly hug. He was the one who cared for his team, inspiring them all while striving forward to victory. A smart mind behind an eccentric façade; that was the leader of Teikoku.

Achilles just waved and grinned, always the playful and sarcastic one, but also a gentleman, never stepping out of line.

Chuubou blushed as he bowed deeply, to the others’ amusement. It seemed that her reputation as the Teikoku’s Flower was still raging in Kansai, much to her chagrin.

But when she looked at Taka, already dreading the goodbye – please take care of yourself, please don’t get hurt, you have no idea, I miss you already – his eyes rose from the book, settling on hers as the others went about boarding the train.

“Taka-”

“Karin,” he said softly. “Please wait for our return.”

Wait for me.

And with a caress that went unnoticed by the rest of their team, Honjou Taka boarded the train, glancing once more at the blushing blonde that was touching her lips with a look of wonder... and joy.

I will be back, for you.

Just after we triumph against America. You’ll see, Karin.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-XxX-

Thanks for reading!

[Naruto] Tis the Season [NejiSaku]

2009-01-03T02:06:24Z

Well, this is a belated seasonal schmoot I owed to my dear beta rapturesmusic. We were joking about the Naruto characters and the Christmas season, and somehow Manolito started to cook this without my permission. Of course, I realized this only when he deigned to grace me with his gnawing on my ear. XD

Regarding the title, Catherine told me that it is said that in winter up there in the States, a lot of babies are conceived because it's cold and people like to get some propinquity with their significant others, aka cuddling and other stuff. XD Once you read the shot, you'll know why I'm so amused. Yes, this is a seasonal fic. Why NejiSaku? Because my beta chose the pairing (after trying to convince me to do NaruSaku, ROFL), because NejiSaku needs more love, and because I needed to get a break from Hunter’s plot. Heh. If you have complaints, go blame the crazy Cat Lady. xD

Tis the Season

Sakura blinked.

And then she laughed nervously, because what she was bearing witness to was so ludicrous, she thought she just might be hallucinating.

The love of her life, the high and mighty ANBU Captain, Byakugan Master of the Thousand Punishing Hands, Hyuuga Neji was actually doing something to help her.

It had been a simple request, really, she recalled as she narrowed her eyes. She merely asked her grumpy-because-he-just-wanted-to-be-back-in-the-active-roster life partner – now recently designated husband – to help her decorate the Konoha Academy hall for the students’ Christmas party. He had immediately said no, hastily brandishing his favorite weapon: the usual training excuse.

He’d given said excuse as if she didn’t know that he’d been to remain in the village for the rest of the winter due to a nasty arm injury obtained during his last mission. As if she wasn’t aware of how little he rested between missions and how often he was absent from home.

Of course, she just frowned at him and left the house. She did not particularly want to get into a fight with her husband, especially around so many Byakugan users that just could not keep their noses in their own business.

After living together for almost four years, she knew her silver-eyed bedmate like the back of her hand. That was why she was instantly suspicious of the man that was currently standing on the wall with chakra and holding the heavy ribbon-and-pine-branches ornament with his good arm for their old sensei Iruka to pin to the wall with a few reinforced steel nails.

“I think it’s going to hold pretty good now,” the Academy sensei said with a happy sigh. Neji shook his head, his bloodline trait activated as he continued to sustain the heavy ornament.

“It would be best if you put on a few more, Iruka-sempai. The decoration might not hold if the children start pulling on the ribbons.”

“Oh yes, you are absolutely right, Neji. Allow me.”

“What’s going on with you, Forehead? You seem as if you ate your hubby’s breakfast this morning instead of yours,” Ino’s teasing voice shook Sakura from her thoughts, earning a frown from the pink-haired woman. “Now you frown like him. I tell you, I’m happy for you and all that, but he’s rubbing off on you too much.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Pig? I’m busy with this--” she cut herself off as she observed that she had actually finished decorating the main table. “Uh... I have to go pick up some more mistletoe to hang in the hallways.”

“Hinata recruited Naruto to do that,” the blonde kunoichi answered with a sly smirk. “Don’t fool yourself, Forehead; I know you were staring at Neji’s ass. I know he’s hot and you can’t get enough of him, but can you wait until the party is over to jump his bones? I don’t really want to find you taking advantage of him in one of the janitor’s closets.”

“Ino!”

“Alright, alright! Jeez, Sakura, the Hyuuga name is really rubbing off of you!”

“Shut up, Akimichi, and brief me about the food.”

Ino lifted a brow, as if she was finding more proofs about her previous statement. “Chouji sent me to tell you that everything is being packed right now and he and Shikamaru will be here in a few minutes to drop off the food.”

Now it was Sakura’s turn to lift a brow. “And pray tell why aren’t you helping them?”

“Because I have a secret for you, Sakura...” she lowered her voice as she leaned on her friend’s ear.

Neji blinked in surprise when he heard his wife emitting a high-pitched squeal, clapping her hands like a schoolgirl and throwing her arms around a grinning and laughing Yamanaka-Akimichi blonde.

“Oh Kami, Ino-chan, that’s wonderful news!!” he watched Sakura exclaim happily. “I’m so happy for you! If it’s a girl you have to name her after me!”

“Over my dead body, Forehead!” Ino laughed, blushing over the way her friend was fawning over her. “I’m just glad it’s now and not in summer, the heat would have killed me dead if I had to heave a huge watermelon inside me during those months!”

“Nah, you would have been fine, really,” Sakura said with a soft smile as her hand weaved over the blonde’s still-flat stomach. “Everything is in its proper place, Ino,” she added, as she grabbed her friend’s hand and led her to a chair. “Now rest for a while, okay? I’ll check on Naruto and Hinata and I’ll be right back.”

“Ne, Sakura, why don’t we leave them alone for a while,” Ino winked, and Sakura laughed.

Seeing the love of his life laugh made the silver-eyed man observing the exchange smirk faintly. It had been a while since she laughed like that, carefree and utterly happy, just like when they were living together--

Neji frowned. They were still living together, with the addendum of a marriage contract now. What had changed?

“I’m glad you could come, Neji,” Iruka’s voice came from somewhere near the pine adornment. “Sakura had been really helpful as of late with this seasonal party, but when I asked about you she seemed so sad... I hope you can work it out, though.”

Silver eyes narrowed in silent contemplation. Sad? How, if she knew that he was busy at home studying one of the Jyuuken scrolls...

Then his eyes looked for her instinctively and found her smiling. A smile so tender, so beautiful, so Sakura that he reminded accurately of how and why he had fallen in love with her.

He hadn’t forgotten how her smiles were; however, life, the hospital, the Clan and ANBU missions got in the middle of their relationship and... damn.

If Neji was something, it was observant. He remembered every single thing pertaining to his pink-haired life partner, especially her needs. Her need to be reassured of his love came first in the list, seconded by her need to drape herself over her husband often to feel him shiver as they made love.

Connecting the dots, Neji realized that it had been a while since they had such close, intimate encounters, due to his latest mission and recovery time. He also realized that he had been neglecting his wife, so engrossed with his ANBU-related tasks and eagerness to return to the field.

The reason of her sadness and general upset shone with its own light in his head as he concluded his analysis. Sakura missed him.

Hyuuga Neji was aware of how hard and tough his wife was; after all, he knew her better than anyone. He also knew that Sakura had a delicate heart due to her feelings, especially those regarding her love for him and her pride on her skills. His duties had made him neglect that little fact, but that wasn’t something he couldn’t remedy soon.

“Yare yare, you’re so lively today, Sakura,” Shikamaru greeted as he and Chouji entered the hall, carrying a tower of white boxes each. “I take she told you already?”

“Yeah... I’m really happy for you, Ino, Chouji. It seems that the Akimichi line is as strong as ever, ne, Chou?”

Chouji merely laughed heartily as he placed a kiss on his blushing wife’s cheek. “I’m just glad she’s okay and everything. I really got worried when she started to reject the sashimi I usually prepare for her.”

“It’s natural,” Sakura explained as Iruka and Neji jumped off the wall and joined them. “After the first three weeks, the mother-to-be’s body will be adjusting her body to her baby’s chakra. And since you’re just about two months along, you will probably experience morning sickness and cravings anytime now.”

“Thank God you’re going to be around, ne, Sakura?”

“Of course, Ino-chan, I’ll help you in any way I can,” she said fondly. “You have to rest a lot, though, so no more running around for a while, okay? Maybe Kurenai-sempai can give you some tips.”

“Oh? What’s going on, children?” Iruka asked, looking at loss.

Sakura let out an amused giggle. “Ino is expecting, Iruka-sensei.”

It was kind of comical to see the Chuunin Academy sensei’s eyes bugging out of his face in surprise. “Whoa! Ino-chan, that’s wonderful! Congratulations, Chouji! Now we only need some lovely babies from you two as well, Neji, Sakura-chan,” Iruka said, throwing a wink at the suddenly uncomfortable couple.

Clearing her throat, Sakura thanked the Gods Neji hadn’t said anything and for Naruto’s sudden entrance, carrying a laughing Hinata on piggyback. “Hey guys! The mistletoe is in place! What else is left to do?”

“I think we have everything now... too bad that Shishou won’t participate in the Red Ninja line, she said it was too much of a hassle to handle all those children,” Sakura commented, making everyone laugh at the mental image of Tsunade in a red robe, sitting kids on her legs and asking them what they wanted for Christmas.

“So who do you got to do that?” Naruto asked, as he allowed Hinata to get to the floor. “Tell me you convinced Sasuke-teme and I’ll be laughing until I die!”

Neji snorted at the absurdity of the idea, while Sakura almost dropped one of the food boxes due to a sudden and violent fit of laughter.

“Are you insane? I wouldn’t ask him in a million years; besides, he only would scare the children off his lap!”

“Then who? Kakashi-sensei? Gai-sensei?”

“Nope and nope,” Sakura denied with a mischievous smile. “You’ll have to wait until the party, Naruto, because I’m not going to tell you.”

As Hinata fussed over her significant other’s pout, Neji saw his opportunity and acted. The other former members of the Rookie Twelve started when they heard Sakura’s surprised squeal, but noting afterwards that both Hyuuga were now absent from the hall.

“About damn time,” Ino sighed with a smug smile. “Those Foreheads need to give me some nieces.”

-X-

“Neji, what are you--mmmph!”

Her husband had hid them both in a janitor’s closet it seemed, in order to have some privacy. But when she started to protest, that genius mouth of his sealed itself to hers, kissing thoroughly and passionately.

The muffled protest soon turned into a whimper, as Sakura slid her hands to her Hyuuga husband’s neck, embracing him tightly as she started to respond to his heated demands.

It had been too long without his passionate attentions.

To Neji, pressing her against a wall and having his wicked way with her was something he hadn’t done since their wedding. They were so urgent and ravenous of each other that they left early the festivities (at least, earlier than other couples might have) and their desires brought them to their apartment, kimono lifted and hakama lowered, having the first of many, many intimate encounters since they signed their names on that blasted scroll.

“Sakura...” he murmured as he broke the kiss and started exploring down her throat.

“Oh,” she gasped when her husband’s hands sneaked inside the cream-colored sweater she was wearing, a gift from Hanabi on these recent festivities. “Someone might come, Neji... ah!”

“Someone will shortly, my beloved Taika, but that will be you in all your glory,” he growled in amusement as his other hand reached down and unbuttoned the wool pants she was wearing to guard against the cold weather. Releasing a little bit of his chakra, he focused it on her belly, inwardly relishing the breathless gasp she let out when his energy touched her insides.

“Kami! Neji, this is dangerous, we can get caught here--ughnnn...”

“No one will catch us here, I promise,” he murmured as he released another chakra discharge over her womb and slipped his fingers inside her underwear. “And from what I’m feeling, you’re wearing the black ones...”

Sakura let out a breathless giggle. “I’m wearing them yes... and the black bra too.”

“Excellent,” he growled, silver eyes glinting with hunger as he slipped her sweater up until he uncovered those mounds which were secretly two of his favorite playthings. “I love those undergarments of yours.”

“Hey, no fair,” she whined as she tried to yank at his white haori. “I want to feel you too...”

“Alright,” he said as he dropped to his knees and yanked at her pants, undressing her from the waist down. As he had thought, those tiny black panties were there, damp with her secret flow and just... perfect.

Guiding the fabric to a side with his index finger, he released another tiny amount of chakra over her core, making her gasp and arch into his hand. Hyuuga Neji smirked, before covering her sex with his mouth, lapping and nibbling as he went.

“Oh! Yes... oh, Neji, oh...”

And apparently, she was still somewhat coherent. He would have to work a little harder to change that, he concluded as he delved his tongue inside her, bringing both hands to her hips, holding her in place as her body took over her mind.

“Uhnnn...”

Yes, exactly.

How he had missed her taste, he realized. Her breath was coming now in short pants, seeing that she was covering her mouth to muffle her moans and whimpers to avoid being heard by the people outside.

Especially when he released another chakra burst directly over her bundle of nerves, sending her over the edge as efficiently as only a Hyuuga could do. She gasped loudly; falling into the white hot world as Neji surged to stand, still pressing a finger over her clit, to swallow her orgasmic wail with his own mouth.

Holding her trembling form to the wall with his arm, Sakura opened her eyes to witness that silver-eyed husband of hers cleaning his hand of her juices with his tongue. She sighed in content; every time Neji used his chakra to stimulate her tenketsu points she received more than she bargained for. And it didn’t help that after four years of intimacy, he had gotten quite creative with the usage of his energy on her body.

Vaguely remembering how Neji, being the wicked man he was, had made her orgasm in the middle of a Clan meeting with just his fingertip as he kept his attention fixed on the discussion at hand, she realized that her darling man was, in every possible way, the most incredible man she had ever met. And sadly for them, that counted Naruto and Kakashi as well.

“What was all that about...” she whispered, watching her love smiling at her with just more than a tad of smugness in his beautiful lips.

“I missed you,” he merely rumbled, as his mouth descended to hers in a brief kiss. “It had been too long for me without showing my wife how much I love her, despite our demanding routines.”

“Neji...” she trailed off, taking note of how his hands hadn’t left her sated form. As her hands lowered to his own haori and pants and unbuttoned them, she added, “I’ve missed you too, my love.”

“Oh?” he asked with a smirk, silver eyes glinting with mischief and desire. “Would you care to tell me how much?”

“You have no idea,” she moaned softly, as he braced her body against the wall and she directed his erection to her center, wrapping her legs around his hips. She slipped on him slowly, arching her back in the process. Every single time he entered her elicited an incredible sensation, she thought incoherently, as his hips started to move.

Their lips encountered each other in another bout of challenge and wanton, passionate dominance, as their hips moved together, searching that ever elusive climax that they never failed to meet when they were joined as one. Neji brought his fingers to his wife’s breasts, running another chakra burst that made her jerk in his hold and clench her inner muscles intimately. She gasped and moaned, calling his name.

“Don’t... aaah, Neji!”

And since he had heard someone passing by out the door, his reward was double when he acutely heard those steps retreating quickly. Apparently, the Uchiha hadn’t forgotten Sakura’s attempt to set him up with a certain sadistic snake kunoichi, and he tended to give both pink and onyx-haired Hyuuga a wide berth whenever they gathered together for a celebration.

But now it wasn’t the time to gloat about that, it was time to make his wife squirm in his arms.

However, if she turned out to be pregnant after this little encounter, the better, seeing as he had duly noted how she had received Ino’s happy news.

After all, he didn’t mind some Hyuuga-Haruno offspring himself, now that they had the consent of the Clan Council and the full support of the Clan Head.

His thrusting sped up mechanically when he heard her breathing stutter erratically, a sure sign of her upcoming release. Engulfing her mouth in his, he brought a hand to her nape and released his last dose of chakra directly to the base of her skull. This never failed to make her wilder than anything, screaming until her throat was raw and stretching her orgasm until she almost passed out. It was a good thing Neji was a genius, swallowing her cries with his mouth as she spasmed and clenched around him, bringing him to his release as well.

Dragging her down to the floor until he was kneeling under her, they spent several minutes recovering their wits and breath, listening to their hearts beating in perfect synchrony.

“Ino was right,” she murmured with a tired, sated smile. “I really can’t get enough of you, my prince.”

“Likewise, my beloved Taika,” he whispered with a chuckle, as he stretched his back a little and pulled out, their mixed essences evident in his wake. She frowned for a moment, looking at him with inquisitive, confused eyes.

“Neji? Why didn’t you pull out before?”

Really, she was too perceptive for her own good. “Why I should do that?” he asked as he buttoned up his hakama and haori back into place, helping her to her feet. “After all, it’s time for us to imitate the example the Akimichi are setting, don’t you think?”

He could see how her emerald eyes softened as she leaned onto the wall, still disheveled and partially naked. “...Really?”

Neji nodded at his wife with a slight smile. “Yes. It would be a fitting Christmas present for the both of us... and the Clan.”

“Even if the children turn out to have pink hair?” she teased, settling her clothes back on. He seemed pensive for a moment, and then nodded firmly once more.

“I think it would be rather original,” he murmured with a smirk, kissing Hyuuga Sakura on the lips briefly as he ran his fingers over her soft but mussed roseate-colored hair. “Our genes only promise remarkable progeny from us... but even if they have pink hair... I will treasure them, because they came from our love.”

Of course, Sakura had believed him.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

Anyway, enjoy, and Happy New Year to all! ;D

[ES21] Promise [HiruMamo].~

2008-12-24T02:05:32Z

And this is the second part of my Christmas gift, Pawsies! And this is also for icyblu24, for making my life happy with her HiruMamo schmoot. :P

Betaing credit goes to the awesome rapturesmusic, as usual. :D

To celebrate that I finally finished reading that damn manga, hahaha!

Promise

It wasn’t like the last time he kissed her. This time, it was smug and a tad exhilarating. Their first kiss was full of frustration, anger, and determination.

When he asked her to help him with his uniform, she almost shouted at him in apprehension. Gaou had done a terribly good job, and it was just a matter of time until the Devilbats were defeated. This he knew, though he still had faith in his team, despite the fact that he wasn’t as open about it as most captains were. Of course, she knew that rather well, because he hid too much behind a mask – a wall, really – of obstinacy and arrogant madness. He was too blind to see that his team looked up to him like the leader that he was.

That they knew, because they’d been locked up together in the clubhouse one too many times, plotting strategies, some clever, some outrageous to the point of being dangerous. She had always protested against this, but he had always reassured her with the same blatant lie claiming that he was almighty. And in some ways, he was.

But in others, he was just as human as everybody else.

Mamori could still remember how he had shivered, trying to hide the pain while she was sliding the amefuto shirt on. He didn’t say a word, but she could feel how much he was enduring. Because of the team, because of the Christmas Bowl.

He observed her tears gathering in her eyes, but didn’t comment on them. It was better to act, he concluded as he ducked his head at the same time that he encircled her waist with his good arm. The other arm just hung at his side, but the torrent of heat that brought the feeling of her lips on his was enough to numb his pain.

That was back then; afterwards, they didn’t comment on anything, but he knew – like the back of his hand – that she was eaten up inside because of the confusion brought on by that moment.

It was better that way, he had thought when they entered the Tokyo Dome. He needed his head clear for the upcoming game, but the worry in her eyes just made him feel the urge to push her against the wall and kiss her stupid.

With a flash of pointy teeth, he merely made a covert hand sign that reassured her.

Wait.

And with that little lie with a flavor of a deeper promise, she did just that.

The second kiss was just after the rest of the team entered the showers, drunk with victory and blinded by the light reflected in the silver Christmas Bowl cup. In that moment they were alone, anyone could step out of the locker room and see them entangled against the other, but the danger made everything more thrilling. He just glanced at her happy smile and acted upon his own desires.

Lips against lips, the seal of their interaction was made just then. She had passed from fucking manager to damn girlfriend, but seeing her blush when he muttered those words to her before firing a round at the other members of the team was entirely worth it.

It wasn’t like the first, she decided, watching him cackling in wicked glee as he chased Sena and the others with one of his AK-47.

But the second kiss made her realize that she hadn’t been completely secretive with her feelings, and he had read her like an open book, like he always did with the others. It was just a matter of time, but she was glad that she hadn’t had to say anything.

It was just priceless, Hiruma mused, for the devil to have an angel by his side. Devils didn’t ask Gods for favors, but deep, deep down, he was grateful for her devotion.

He just couldn’t wait for their third kiss.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

This is because we know they're so canon it hurts, hahaha! :P

[FullMetal Alchemist] Understanding [Roy/Riza].~

2008-12-24T01:51:27Z

Yeah, I'm expanding my horizons, hehe. This is for katwamp and rapturesmusic, un.

Somewhat of an AU because I wrote it before reading about their past in the manga, but it complies with the end of the series and the movie. Also, it has an unhealthy dose of angst and fluff, so you've been warned. :P

Many smooches to Catherine for the awesome betaing!

Understanding

Something snapped inside him when he saw her fall.

It should had been an easy assignment, really, especially for such a seasoned weapons expert like her and a brilliant alchemist like him. Breda, Fuery and Farman were also with them, completing the team he favored and preferred above all others. He wouldn’t have anyone else with him.

But they didn’t expect two alchemists on a rampage, leading an army of chimeras.

The fight had been vicious, to say the least. Flames rose up to touch the nocturne skies as he commanded the fiery waves in a circle around his team as well as he dealt with the rogue alchemists. One, a male, had fallen, and the other suddenly charged in a fit of madness for the uniformed Colonel. It had happened so fast, that he just didn’t see the circle he was standing on. Maybe it was because his depth perception was shot to hell, thanks to Pride.

But he did feel the rude tackle that propelled him out of the array. He turned... and his blood froze in his veins.

She was standing in the middle of the summoning circle, jacket gone, tight black shirt revealing the lean muscles that strained as she leveled the rifle at the rampaging female alchemist.

He shouted at her, his voice high-pitched with dread and adrenaline and horror. He asked her why she was doing this, silently pleading for her to move, to leave. She was always near him, holding some sort of firearm. Right now was no different. And like any other time, she only looked at him, but something strange glinted in her eyes. It was something he didn’t recognize at first, because it was ludicrous that she of all people would ever look at him like that.

“Because I was born to protect you.”

She said that before she pulled the trigger, nailing the enemy between the eyes.

She was safe. She was safe. By the high flames, she was safe.

And then he was scrambling to his feet as she lowered her sniper to regard her handiwork quizzically.

But then the array started to glow, a sick green light surrounded the place, and it took all of his strength to fling himself to the circle and press his hands on it, quelling the spell and bringing part of the damage onto his own body.

No please, no, he thought frantically as he poured all his energy into the counter spell.

The light exploded, and it faded just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving his eye unscathed to look up.

And then she was falling, falling onto the ground, hair loose, eyes closed, lips muttering his rank. His eye widened in horror as he launched forward, catching her hand as it was about to hit the floor.

“Riza!” he shouted, blood boiling inside. I couldn’t save her, I couldn’t--

She cracked open her eyes, if just fraction. “You’re fine,” she whispered, a trickle of blood spilling from her mouth. “I’m... glad...”

“Hawkeye, don’t die, it’s an order!” he barked as he tried to crawl to her. The array was gone, and suddenly Breda and Farman were there, and both Elric brothers were leaning over them, and Ed’s sharp intake of breath was everything he could hear above the plummeting of his own heart.

He watched in horror how her eyes started to close.

But then a blinding blue light surrounded the both of them, the Colonel and his fallen First Lieutenant, but through the clear, shining blue he could easily see her body arching into life once more.

He couldn’t let go of her hand, despite the pain that scattered across his own body.

He wouldn’t.

-X-

She woke up among fresh and warm sheets in a sterile hospital room.

Her head hurt for a moment as her eyes accustomed to the daylight streaming from the open window. She blinked, and sighed deeply, taking in as much air as possible.

And then she remembered. The circle, Mustang’s horrified expression, the cold sweat of his palm when he clasped hers. She remembered the pain, the green light... and the Gate.

But the Gate closed before she could even approach to it. A steeled hand pounded it closed, as another kind of iron hand made some strange seals and kept it that way.

And then, very faintly, she could hear his voice in the darkness, calling for her relentlessly, calling her name.

Her eyes widened as the memories kicked in. She would have risen to a sitting position if it weren’t for the tight bandages that were wrapped around her torso and arms. Pain lanced through her, proof enough that she was alive. Alive.

And then someone moved at her side, and a familiar face, those features that were engraved in her very soul, wandered into her vision field.

A pair of onyx eyes looked at her intently, as a weak, relieved smile spread on thin lips.

She tried to speak, but a warm finger – alive, alive! – moved to prevent her from doing so.

“Don’t,” he spoke softly, almost reverently, as he helped her drink a glass of water. Afterwards, his other hand moved soundlessly, lifting her bandaged one--

And his eyes closed, both of them, in a grieving mask. Two hot tears rolled from his cheek to her fingers, their warmth spreading on her cold skin as they dampened it. Her breathing staggered, watching her superior.

“Ta...”

“I thought I had lost you,” he whispered roughly as his fingertips ghosted over her hand. “When I saw you standing there, I thought...”

“Taisa,” she breathed in a sigh, wincing when his hand closed over hers in a firm grasp.

“Riza,” he said, voice composed again in its mask of commanding officer. “That was something for the books, but it was incredibly stupid. You could have died.”

She nodded faintly, her pale lips twisting in a slight smile. “I know.”

“For now on, you will remain by my side until I deem it so. You are indispensable for me, so I can’t risk losing you. Besides, you have a dog to think of as well.”

Riza closed her eyes, nodding again.

Watching her embrace Morpheus’ arms once more, his eyes strayed to a plate of somewhat badly chopped apple slices for a moment before settling in her face. Recovery was a bitch and he knew she would fight tooth, bullets and nails to be released as soon as possible. He knew her like the back of his own gloved hand.

And yet, he knew that the fire of those auburn eyes was brighter with each day he spent with her.

He would fight for her, and cherish her in every way he could and she permitted.

But he couldn’t shake away the icy, odd feeling that flooded her senses when he thought the worst.

Now he could understand why Edward and Alphonse were so adamant about finding all the information possible about the biological transmutations. The mere thought of losing Riza made him almost lose what remained of his sanity after Hughes, after Pride, after everything.

Roy Mustang now understood everything.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

I almost made him go entirely blind, but I just couldn't do that to poor Roy. This is my protest to the end of the anime! Roy is too damn hot to play pirate.

Although, Roy in a pirate custom... *daydreams*

Merry Christmas, everybody! 8D

[Midnight Secretary] Steadfast.~

2008-10-10T00:31:49Z

A little explanation first. leafy_girl did a drabble trade on her LJ and I offered her this little one as a treat. (I think I was the only one who didn't post a Naruto drabble, but all of them were fabulous. If you want to go read them, you can find her entry here. I hope she doesn't mind the linkage, hehe.)

It's really short, but I'll spare the non-readers of this josei manga with the cut.

Steadfast
by Zelha

Kaya wasn’t the average secretary; that was of course, beyond obvious. She didn’t think other secretaries of other important businessmen in the country were this dedicated. It wasn’t really about the ‘food’ part, though – she had long resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be tackled by her boss whenever he felt the urge to taste her ‘delicious blood’. It was the insane amount of work, the unholy hours expended in front of the screen, rearranging the nascent company of her beloved Director Touma.

However, it was worth it. She understood his sheer possessiveness when it came to her serviceable disposition, to her administrative skills, to her amazing sense of organization, but most of all, Touma Kyouhei’s anger when he had to scold her for overworking herself. It was his way to show he was worried for her wellbeing, no matter how harsh and cold he might seem afterwards. He had seen to her recovery and even refrained himself from her blood. And that’s the most stunning thing, coming from a person who was accustomed to obtaining whatever it was he wanted.

In a way, he had ensured everything to make her remain at his side. His schemes and his ridiculously large pride were just tools he had used to tie her firmly to him. His kisses, however... his sudden gentleness when they were in bed, his husky whispers of her name when she was about to fall asleep, exhausted and weak from the blood drainage...

Everything was worth it. She loved him, therefore she was going to do everything in her power to protect him and his holier-than-thou pride. She decided to be at his side, even if he didn’t love her back. He was her most precious person.

Because of all that, Satozuki Kaya had found herself renewing her vows over an over every night as she rested her head on his chest, tired and sated, and listened to his heart, thumping unwaveringly against her ear.

What she didn’t know though, was that Kyouhei had took upon himself to watch her sleep, his fingertips pressed to her own torso, feeling how her heart beat rhythmically, for him and because of him.

- Tenna' ento lye omenta -

Hope you like it!

:P

Tomoe's Fanfiction Writer's Meme!

2008-09-08T05:23:03Z

I owe this since forever, so now that I'm bored 9000+ I'll fill this long bitch. XD

I had half of this done when a power outage occurred. Needless to say, I was not amused, even though paws_bells laughed blatantly at my misery. XD

Betaing goes to the lovely rapturesmusic, yeah!

Here's hoping I remember everything I was going to say. ó.ò

1. How about a brief introduction of yourself?
- Well *waves* besides the mandatory greeting from Venezuela and all that jazz, I'd like to tell you something interesting about my penname. Zelha is actually the second half of my real name, all powered up with a Z and an H; it's been my nickname for the fanfiction world and some great sites since... 7 or 8 years ago. I'm Venezuelan with strong roots in Spain, but somehow this makes me more invisible to the world. I love it, haha. I also have half of a Modern Languages degree completed, but some events prevented me from finishing college. I'm looking forward to going back to school next year, though.

I'm addicted to the Great Intarwebz (duh), and I take great care of my Niké (my laptop), Kakashi (my iPod Nano), and Apollo (my desktop), because my world would certainly be pointless without them. My favorite books are historical novels and epic fantasy stories, and same genres in movies. For music, I went back to my old metal roots, and I'm loving every single minute of it; however, I love New-Age, Alternative and Classical music as well, and the list of favorites artists/bands is currently still in the making. I happen to have anger management issues, but until now I haven't killed anyone. I'm rather sensitive, I can take great offense to something in 2-5 seconds flat; but I also have a very mean streak when someone attacks me, and my bitchslapping skills are legendary among my friends. There, enough about me, let's talk about life for a while~ ♪ *brick'd*

2. Fabulous! And what got you into fanfiction to begin with?
Let's see... I'm 28 and I've been toying with fanfiction since I joined the Universo Saint Seiya forums back in the day. A little later I started plotting my own story just for fun and everything was downhill from there. I contacted a girl from Spain that had been kind enough to put my first story (which I think is AWFUL nowadays XD) in her website, and a while later I entered the Saint Seiya Eternal forums and made a bunch of special friends (including my most admired fanfickers), along with FF.net, better known as The Pit. In short, Saint Seiya was the fandom that sucked me in this fiction-writing world, and I must say that I love it.

3. I see, so what kind of fanfiction do you like to write?
I tend to lean more to the adventure/general genre, but sprinkled with romance here and there. I fail spectacularly at writing angst, and I excel at writing porn. XD; What can I say? I'm a pervert at heart and a proud hentai. I also believe that my first fandom influenced me greatly when writing for other fandoms, because Saint Seiya was epic in every aspect. I love writing oneshots (it's what I can do easily) but sometimes behemoth plots grow inside my head and my dear muse Manolito drives and encourages me to plunge myself into the multi-chaptered-fiction pool.

4. Do you tend to write the same pairings/characters? Or are you a fandom whore?
Oh, I'm definitely a fandom whore. Especially when I write for the Naruto fandom or the Saint Seiya fandom. These two are my favorites, but here and there I can come up with stories for minor fandoms I like. Regarding pimping characters, Sakura (from Naruto) and Orihime (from Bleach) are my bicycles. Especially Sakura, though; she's like a baseball cap, she fits every head. XDDDD
The Saint Seiya fandom, strangely enough, is more about drama, emotional issues and epic fights to the death and defying the Gods, therefore romance is a rare thing.

5. What is your most popular fanfic and why do you think people like it so?
Er... I think my most popular story at the moment is Hunter, whether I like it or not. XD And I believe people like it because it's a fresh plot, something a few people (like Paws_Bells and Just Enough) had the guts to do such as the Non-Massacre genre for ItaSaku stories. Regardless, I like writing for a lot of pairings, I don't really have a specialty because I like a lot of them.

6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic you've written that you're most proud of?
Those would be Lux Aeterna for the Saint Seiya fandom and Refraction for the Naruto fandom. Both are epic stories in their own right, and the things that happened for me to write them are quite funny/strange. Lux Aeterna came to me while I was showering, hahaha, my bunny!muse showing me a mental image of a chick enduring a grueling training to become a Saint of Athena; and Refraction came to me (almost the whole story, the title and the main plot) when I was sleeping. I had to reach for my cellphone on my night stand, write a few words in a self-SMS to get back to sleep at peace with my muse and myself. XD

7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What are the most difficult aspects of writing you struggle with?
When I have the right mindset I find it easy, because most of the stories kind of write themselves. I only provide the fingers, haha. Strangely enough, my inspiration chooses to appear in the most random of places (especially in the office), haha. Riding the bus or day-dreaming, working in a particularly difficult case or just walking down the street, watching a movie and especially listening to music, anything can give me an idea for a story, a detail that I can include in a particular scene, the title of a chapter or a whole story. Trust me, it had happened.

8. Write a few sentences or so of your favorite pairing or character.
My main OTP is all about Kakashi and Sakura. Those two are my favorites for simple reasons.
Regarding Kakashi, his aloof and seemingly lazy manner, yet his readiness to shift into a battle stance, along with his love for porn and his mysterious antics are what made me love him since day one. He can be a lazy, tardy bastard, but somehow we can see this is only the tip of the iceberg of his character.
Regarding Sakura, she's one of the most realistic characters in the Naruto series. Growing up from a shallow crybaby to a mature, centered kunoichi made me adore her since I saw her how much she grew up after the time skip. Her determination to become strong has a rather endearing charm to my feminist side, especially since she hadn't stopped being a sensitive girl. This is her real strength! And for that I really love her development. It's a shame, honestly, that her own creator forsakes her so blatantly; it's my main pet-peeve with Kishimoto. She really dedicated herself to developing her skills, no matter how simple they were, and she didn't need a bloodline trait or a demon sealed in her body to shine with her own brilliant light.

Something happened in the time he had been away. It was certainly stupefying to see with his own eyes how time had passed with him being none the wiser. The way the earth shattered with a deafening crack was enough proof of this. She had changed. He was still the same, but she had changed, and now she held her ground against any opponent. Her feat of being the first in defeating a vicious Akatsuki member made him realize that she didn't need anything really special like a curse mark, freaky eyes or a wicked seal to be special, because she had been special since day one. The only disheartening thing was, that he had been too busy to notice it.

9. Are there any fanfiction trends/clichés you can't stand or are just sick of?
I happen to have a really open mind. I can read stories about many things and find at least one thing that makes me enjoy it. My tastes are quite varied, I'm not an elitist but I can't stand rape-fics for the sake of writing someone being raped. It's sick, it's stupid and it's kinda dumbfounding to see a female writer (because let's face it, most fanfickers in EVERY fandom are females) writing about something so degrading. I can't stand yaoi as well, but even I could enjoy some yaoi stories with a very well-thought storyline. Clichés exist because they work, as simple as that, and my years in the fanfiction world made me realize that this is not only something people enjoy, but celebrate sometimes.

And to be honest: fanfickers write stories because they like to write. They aren't getting paid to present something out of this world. This is just mere entertainment, and I appreciate the effort some of them put into their stories.

10. Are you guilty of any fanfiction trends/clichés you now hate? Or any other ones?
I'm guilty of OCs, but not of that idiotic Mary-Sue god-complex. It's just silly to over-power a character for no reason. That's my problem with OCs: they're even cooler than the coolest character in the series! Come on, be realistic. Not even the most awesome bishounen character has power enough to make me keep reading if he doesn't make a few awful mistakes or funny blunders along the way.
And in all honesty, Lux Aeterna is about a girl striving to serve Athena as one of her Saints. Despite the cliché plot and general randomness, I happen to like this story very much because I usually write my OCs being as human and realistic as I can. I'm not much into OCs, but if they help the story and don't fall into the MarySue/GaryStu abyss o' doom, then I can generally enjoy the story.
I'm also mostly guilty of OOC-ness and crack, but I'll keep writing them for the simple fact that I like sarcastic humor.

11. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Do you still like/participate in it?
Like I said, my first fandom was and will ever be Saint Seiya. It's certainly a really old-school series, but it wasn't my first anime. Saint Seiya had enough material for me to be curious enough to google a little about the characters. That's how I found The Pit and some Saint Seiya-dedicated forums, getting sucked within this world just by reading some fanfictions about my favorite characters. I blame Pollux Dioscuros to some extent, because the first of his Zodiac Chronicles: Aries - Heroism (in Spanish) and his Orphans of a Goddess (also in Spanish) were the main reasons for me to try my hand at this. :'D

I still write for Saint Seiya. It's a fandom really dear for me, because of the utter epicness of the series. Also because most of this fandom is kinda leveled, let's say 60/40 percent of males/females. I know a really big number of male fanfickers in this fandom, and this brings a sense of balance that I really like.

12. Name your OTPs or most frequently written pairings/characters and explain what it is about them you love to write.
I love crack-pairings dearly, haha. I like to pair a lot of people with Sakura, especially Kakashi, Itachi, Neji and Gaara. These four males each have really interesting characters, some of them have a nasty temper (Gaara, haha!) but all of them have something I really like to try and represent in a story. This sense of masculinity and maturity, this open minded awareness (regardless of their really different personalities) makes them oh-so endearing for my chosen female bicycle.

Regarding the Saint Seiya characters, I can't really say I have OTPs (besides the canon Siegfried/Hilda or Ikki/Esmeralda, for example), but I do have a favorite character I really love writing about. Shura (Capricorn Saint) is a very complex character, and I happen to enjoy portraying him greatly. Another big favorite is Saga (Gemini Saint), mostly because he's a dual enigma and I love picking his brain, haha.

13. What would you call your writing "style"?
Er... I like to think I'm an adventure/drama fanfic writer. I like to represent romance as well, and I've been told that I have a knack for smut, but the scenes I really like writing are action, battle scenes. The adrenaline I feel while writing a fierce fight to the death is something else, honestly. :'D

14. Do you read other people's fanfic? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Of course! I happen to read a bunch of them daily, haha. I love reading fanfiction, especially those from Cynchick, Pawsies, J-Pop Princess, Fallacy, Aelibia, Sometime-Usagi and Celtic Oak. They have very different writing styles (and preferred pairings!), but the way they manage to get the reader so involved in the story is exactly what I love about their stories.

Again, regarding Saint Seiya, my favorite writers are Pollux Dioscuros and Argesh Marek (Katwamp), although their stories are in Spanish. It's an honor to be their beta and editor.

15. Name one thing you'd LOVE to write, but have been too afraid or shy to do.
In all honesty, I have tried everything I wanted to try. I suck at angst, and surprisingly enough I love writing porn. XD The thing is that I have the firm belief that I write stories mostly for myself, because I like to overcome those challenges my mind place on me. If the stories are liked by the readers, that's an amazing feeling, but most of the bad and destructive criticism go down the drain because, the characters are portrayed they way they are for a reason.

16. Do you have trouble taking criticism? Or worse yet, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I generally don't have troubles taking criticism, and I really appreciate when someone points out a plot-hole or a loose end in the story, but it really angers me when someone points out grammar mistakes with condescending haughtiness.

I'll say it again, English is not my main language and sometimes it's really difficult for me to string sentences in this language because I don't know how to explain the things I want to explain. This is the main reason why I try to write as simple as possible, and I really appreciate the help that Sometime.Usagi, Celtic Oak and lately, the lovely Rapturesrevenge are giving me.

When writing in Spanish, though, I don't have this problem. I'm going to be arrogant for once and say that I know the Spanish vocabulary like the back of my hand, and I'm a vicious Grammar-Nazi in this language. So, in short, I'm as humble as I can be in the English fandom and as gracious as I can be in the Spanish fandom. I'm very confident of my writing skills in Spanish, so if confident means to have an ego, then you can say I have a little bit of an ego in this particular language field. :P

However, I have never flamed anyone in my life. Most advice I give is constructive, and not really about the plot they are tackling, but mostly about the sentence construction, syntax and grammar. I like to help people get better with their writing, and to improve their stories' flow for easier reading. I'm as honest as I can, and if I don't like the story they ask me to review/beta I say it outright. I don't go for negative reviews either, so if I don't like a story I'm reading I just... close the window, as simple as that.

17. When you write, is there anything that helps? Music? Quiet room?
I can honestly write in any environment. Heck, I even write at my office, haha! Music is a must, though, especially when writing battle, dramatic or romantic scenes. I can't write when I have someone hanging from my shoulder, it stalls my creative process. XD; Strangely enough, my workplace seems to elicit inspiration in my muse, so several of my stories have been written while being in the middle of some work-related task. I'm that insane, heheh. I can write with pen and paper sometimes, but my ideas flow faster and better when I'm smashing the keyboard (that and the fact that I type pretty fast when I'm on a writing roll). XD

18. What inspires you?
Pretty much everything. Music, people, food, motions, actions, movies, you name it. I have like 5 or 6 WIPs currently due to my dear Manolito's penchant to annoy me with mental images of scenes and plots and details to be developed until I sit down and scribble or type them. ¬¬

If someone is to blame, that's Manolito.

19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fanfiction experiences and yourself as a writer?
I adore writing. It's liberating to put my brain at work with something this creative, and since I can't draw, play an instrument or sing to save my life, I think this is the best creative outlet I have. The experience of being a fanficker is something I love as well, because I got to know a ton of people who nowadays are the best of my friends, no matter how far they are from me.

I don't plan to write a novel anytime soon, but who knows what life has in store for me, huh? ;D

20. Tag some friends, because they will hate you for it.
Let's just release this and whoever wants to do it is welcome to do so! (besides those who I already told to fill it or else) 8D

TL;DR! ^___^

[Naruto] Crimson Genii [ItaSaku] Collection~

2008-08-19T03:37:25Z

Just to post it here to make some use of the tags, heheh.

CRIMSON GENII @ ZE PIT

Yeah, I'm a lazy bitch. I'll do something better with this collections later. :P

[Naruto] The Trick is to Keep Breathing [Team Kakashi].~

2008-06-23T12:12:15Z

It seems that I enjoy picking emotionally stunted brains, haha.

Betaing credit goes to katwamp, un! :D
Spoilers from the latest manga chapter (405).

The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

“So who was he?” he asked, quite confused to see her crying. It wasn’t a regular occurrence nowadays, but it always struck him as rather fascinating sight.

“He was Naruto’s sensei, when he went away for a while with. He trained him.”

“So why was the Hokage so...” as usual, he was at loss when trying to identify emotions.

“She was sad,” the female at his side answered, wiping her own tears with the back of her fist. “I think she was upset because he was her only friend left. Her only teammate left.”

“So Jiraiya-sama was Tsunade-sama’s teammate?” he repeated, trying to picture the whole scheme. Of course the powerful blonde woman should be feeling sad. Now she was alone in this world.

“Yes. I don’t know how I would have reacted if someone told me that about Naruto... or Kakashi, Yamato-taichou... or even you.”

Of course, he noticed that she had carefully left the traitor out of her rumination. But the including of his own codename confused him again.

“Me?” he asked, plastering once again his little, fake smile. She rolled her eyes and sent him an exasperated glance that would have worked if it weren’t for the fact that she was still tearing.

“Of course, you dumbass. You are our teammate. Our friend, no matter how insensitive you are.”

He nodded numbly, watching her mulling about another thing, biting her lower lip in contemplation.

The medic-nin sighed heavily. “It was rather ironic, really. Jiraiya-sama was loud, devious, wicked and the worst pervert of the village. But he was also loyal, and friendly, wise and brilliant. I know that shishou said he was a hopeless moron, but he had a big heart.”

“He was like Naruto, then.”

Sakura snapped her head to look at his eyes. They were cautious and guarded, but also curious and somewhat understanding. A little smile tugged her lips, her eyebrows drawing upwards.

“Yes. He was like Naruto. I think that’s why she’s so sad. Tell me, Sai, if you were on Naruto’s place, how you would’ve reacted?”

He considered carefully her question, staring back at her green eyes. She seemed interested in his answer, so he felt he should be honest for once.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “If my sensei dies in the line of duty I...” he trailed off, trying to put his ideas into words but failing altogether.

“Let’s try something else,” she said, sniffling and shaking her head. “How did you react when you were told about your Nii-san’s passing?”

His eyes snapped at her gaze so fast that she nodded. “I know this is harsh because there’s no comparison. You have no comparison, but think about it, please.”

“I... was very still,” he relayed, looking down to the stairs they were sitting on. “He also died in an ambush, so my stillness was very dangerous for my integrity.”

“Alright. What did you think when you found out about his passing?” Sakura pressed. Sai shook his head, trying to concentrate on that particular memory.

“I started to... I started to think about all the moments we spent together,” he finally said after a while of pondering. The pink-haired female at his side nodded in approval.

“That is what Naruto is doing,” she remarked, her eyes straying down to the sole orange-clad person that was sitting on a park bench, a melting popsicle lying forgotten in his hand. “He’s mourning.”

Sai followed her gaze and nodded slowly.

She stood up, looking up at the sunset sky. “This is what we do when a loved one goes away. We cry, we feel bad, we feel sad... but sooner or later we get better and face life head on. We try to overcome the sense of loss that grips us, getting better and getting stronger to protect all those living ones that remain with us. We fight with everything we have, to keep the sadness at bay.”

The artist never took his eyes from her form. He suddenly understood all those labels for the thoughts and things that invaded his mind when his brother died. Loss, grief, and pain, were the main triggers for that emotion called sadness.

“Do you think he’ll be okay then?” he asked, trying to keep up with the varying course of questions that he suddenly wanted to ask her. After all, she was a master of feelings.

Sakura glanced once more at Naruto’s bowed head. “Yes, he’ll be okay, but we’ll have to make him remember that we are still here, with him.”

She directed her inquisitive gaze to Sai once more, making him think about an eagle’s gaze. Sharp.

“Do you understand, nakama?”

Sai smiled wanly, realizing the determination that lay in her tone. “Hai.”

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

In Memoriam, Jiraiya-sama. </3

[Naruto] Our Artistic Ways [DeiSaku] Theme 3~

2008-06-14T21:21:08Z

Hi again! 8D

This time I bring the first of my DeiSaku one-shot collection, Our Artistic Ways.
I'd like to thank cynchick for her opinions, her awesome betaing and her permission for me to recreate this series after her Silver Lining universe. These, of course, are mainly for her but also for all the DeiSaku fans out there.

Now, without further ado...

Our Artistic Ways
Theme 3: Forgetting an important date

The waves were rolling as usual, soothing her senses as her mama used to say they did every single time they came over to see Uncle Kisame.

“So, little princess,” Kisame drawled, amused as the little blonde girl pouted as she always did when he directed that endearment at her. Not because of the ‘princess’ part but the ‘little’.

She was a big girl! She was going to enter the Konoha Academy next year!

And she also had friends who respected her; Kazuki and Toshio were her best buddies ever, and Asuma-kun was the best ninja she had ever met... after her mama and daddy, of course.

For Kaya, watching her parents sparring was like watching something magical. Her daddy’s clay birds were awesome, and her mama’s avoiding skills were the best thing ever. She wished to be a super kunoichi like her mama was, so she did her best to learn everything that Kazu and Toshi taught her.

This of course, brought a little bit of exasperation from her daddy and her mama, because of one time she came back from Uncle Naruto’s Waterfall soaking wet.

When her mama asked about her clothes’ state, she simply told the truth, not missing the sudden glance that her parents had shared when she relayed her chakra exercises with her friends over the water surface.

But the training had paid off, seeing her Uncle Kisame grinning with those pointy teeth of his with pride.

“When did you learn to walk over water?”

“The other day with Kazu and Toshi,” Kaya explained with a happy smile of her own. “What do you think, Uncle Kisame?”

“You did very well, little princess,” the tall man said, making her pout once more.

“Why do you keep saying I’m little? I’m a big kunoichi!” she protested, suddenly hearing low chuckles coming from behind her.

“Come on, Kaya,” her daddy said with that little smile that only curled one side of his mouth as she ran up to him and he lifted her easily into his arms. “What did he do this time, hmm?”

“Uncle Kisame is mean!” she exclaimed, crossing her little arms on her chest. “He says I’m little and I’m not! I’m a big kunoichi like mama!” she ranted, suddenly looking at her daddy’s amused blue eyes. “Right, daddy?”

“Kaya, your Uncle Kisame is the tallest man we know,” her mama said, smiling gently at her. “Of course he sees everything as little from his point of view, don’t you think?”

A sudden breeze lifted her mama’s pink hair, blowing it softly. It was so nice, her mama’s hair; its color was so pretty and it was so soft, Kaya loved to play with her mama’s hair and making little braids on it. But daddy’s hair was even prettier; its color was just like her own hair but way longer, giving her the opportunity to knit more braids in its lovely tresses.

Kaya’s brilliant emerald eyes regarded the tall blue man in front of her with a suspicious glance. Something told her that he was just playing with her head like the last time he used the ‘princess’ word with her mama.

“Mama, if Uncle Kisame says I’m a princess, how come you’re not a queen? You should be, if I’m the princess!”

Strangely enough, Uncle Kisame burst out laughing and her mama giggled. Something was amiss; they knew something Kaya did not.

“And that would make daddy a king! Right, daddy? You’re a king!”

Her daddy’s blue eyes narrowed with the sudden lopsided grin he gave her. “Well, if you want I could be the king of our home, yeah. Then you get to be the princess and your mama the queen of our house, how about that?”

“You mean our house in Konoha?” she asked with wide eyes. She loved her house. It was gigantic!

She tried to remember that moment when they entered that old house for the first time. Hokage-sama was saying something about her mama inheriting that house but Kaya never understood, so busy she was exploring all the cool corners and hiding places. The girl had missed her daddy’s quirk of an eyebrow when Hokage-sama had said the name of the person who left that house to her mama, but paid enough attention to her when she skipped to him and pulled his shirt, telling him that she liked the house.

Hokage-sama had smiled and patted her head softly, before saying goodbye and inviting them for dinner the next week.

Kaya blinked, dispelling her own reverie and hearing her mama talking.

“I knew that Kakashi was part of a clan, but he never told me that he had such a huge house. He always lived in that little pad, so it was really surprising when Shikamaru told us about this inheritance he had left me.”

“It’s a nice house, yeah,” her daddy added with a shrug, lifting his face as Kaya leaned her head on his shoulder.

“I like our house,” she announced. “And I like Uncle Kisame’s house, too.”

“You should,” he said. “I’ve built that room for you, little princess.”

“Mama!” she protested, wiggling in her daddy’s embrace. “Daddy, let go! I’m going to kick Uncle Kisame! I’m not little!”

“Come on, sweetie, he’s just kidding,” her mama said with an amused smile. “Besides, he doesn’t know that today you’re a big girl.”

Only then Kaya remembered; today was her birthday!

“See, Uncle Kisame?” she said, changing her mood from irate to smug in an instant. “It’s my birthday today, I’m five years old! I’m a big girl now!”

“Is that so?” her blue uncle said with a tilt of his head. “Then you’re big enough to fish your own dinner. Let’s go.”

Wiggling again to be released, her daddy lowered her to the floor. Fast as a yellow little flash, she rand behind her uncle, yelling for him to wait for her.

A little while later, as she waited for the fishes to bite, she saw her mama and her daddy walking on the sandy beach. Her daddy’s yellow hair glinted in the sun; while her mama’s pink hair color was a little darker. Both of them had swimming suits, and they were laughing at something.

Bur suddenly her daddy swiped her mama into his arms, lifting her easily and running towards the water, as her mama laughed and squealed. It was so awesome to see them playing like that.

Kaya loved when her parents played with her.

“Uncle Kisame,” she said in a whisper, knowing that the fishes didn’t like he noise. “Can I go play with mama and daddy?”

“Sure, princess. I’ll take care of your fishing, but come when I call you to get the fishes back to the house.”

“Hai!” she yelled as she ran away, missing how her uncle sighed when he noticed the pretty bow she made with the line of the rod.

Sure enough, her parents received her happily, and they got to play together in the water, splashing each other and having fun. Her daddy lifted her to his shoulders as they swam around the beach, and Kaya promised to herself that she would learn to swim soon.

That night, as she was tuck into bed by her mama, she looked at her lovely green eyes and yawned.

“I liked this birthday,” she mused sleepily. Her mama smiled.

“Don’t worry baby, you’ll have more birthdays like this one.”

Kaya hoped so. Birthdays with her daddy and her mama were simply the best thing ever.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

Hope you like it! 8D

[Naruto] Breathe [GaaSaku].~

2008-06-12T05:18:06Z

So hi der again! This time I was feeling a bit sadistic so I tried to portray Gaara's thoughts when he attacked Sakura inb4 the jinchuuriki epic battoru. XD
Once more, beta credit goes to katwamp, praise her swiftness and uber coolness. :D

This piece is also dedicated to celticoak, of course, sometime_usagi and rapturesmusic, for being so kind and nice to me. ♥

Breathe

I could feel her rapid breathing growing ragged due to my sand prison around her.

I could sense her frantic heart pumping, overdriving her unconscious body with enough oxygen to keep her in this world.

I could almost hear her soft, choked moans of pain.

The sand claw I had left around her covered her lithe body with such harshness, meant to harm, to bruise, to suffocate.

It was the best for someone like her. I still could remember her fiery eyes when she stood up against me, a pitiful kunai in her hand against the most dangerous jinchuuriki of Wind Country.

Jade eyes so much like mine, raging with the same inner fire that shone through in the blue ones of the person who defeated me and made me regain my senses.

I recognized that fire, that determination. I had seen it for the first time in Yashamaru’s eyes when he was moving in for the kill.

I thought it was hate. I was proven wrong, once more, by Uzumaki Naruto.

But those jade eyes showed me that determination was a risky emotion, especially facing against a stronger opponent.

I could sense her soft breathing, relaxed, as she wasn’t encased within my grasp.

I could feel her heart slowing, keeping its pace as if it were a drum.

I could almost hear her dreams, soft whispers of a happy childhood.

A childhood I didn’t have. I realized later that for ninjas, a happy childhood was a rare gift. Hers wasn’t happy either, but surely her bubbly façade fooled me.

Then I observed how much a child can be influenced by those around them. Teachers and mentors, family and friends. Especially those in the latter category.

I could feel her hair brushing faintly against my grip.

I could sense her closed eyes’ movement, as if she were dreaming.

I could almost taste the blood in her veins, delectable and precious and so full of life.

And when I opened my eyes, a brightness that wasn’t there enveloped me. The brightness that pulled me back to life, back to my friends, back to my siblings.

But I could only see her happy yet sorrowful eyes, a shade darker that I remembered them to be, a little smile that welcomed me back into awareness. They weren’t jade anymore, they were emerald, darkened by life and wisdom and knowledge.

I could remember feeling her tears dripping over my sand claw.

I could remember sensing her heart almost stopping, her breathing shallow.

I could remember her brows drawing together in pain when I tightened my grip on her lean body.

But then I woke up, realizing I was alive, giving me a second chance to look at her.

She had changed... and suddenly I felt the urge to know how much.

All in due time. All in due time, and in the end she will be by my side... and then I will have her soft breathing ghosting over my own skin.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

*strikes Gai winnar pose* 8D

[Naruto] Drabble [ItaSaku].~

2008-05-12T23:34:26Z

Alright, peeps.

Since I first looked at this pic at Arriku's DA, I loved it so much that it has been my cellphone wallpaper, haha.

But then, my beloved Manolito (my muse, yes) prompted me to write a little drabble regarding this awesome art. Beta'ed by my beloved katwamp in a flash, praise her genius.

Ze Pic:

Commission: Itasaku by ~arriku on deviant ART

Ze Drabble:

When I slipped my hands up her parted thighs, noting that her skin was not as smooth as one might think – she’s a ninja after all, some light scars were on her skin and I wondered why she didn’t get rid of them with her powers – I realized that this woman was more than had I ever imagined.

She was still pressing her kunai against my neck, but her eyes were lowered, almost shy to meet my crimson ones. I could taste her hesitation on my tongue.

But then, she didn’t lower her weapon. I asked her why in a whisper, and this seemed to enact a response I never thought she had in her.

Of course, my life has been filled with plots and lies and blood ever since I was a child, but when she stammered and struggled with her mind to come up with an adequate answer, a wave of her armed hand brought the edge of the kunai dangerously close to her own face. She was so distracted that she never realized how close she had been to injuring herself, but something made my hand spring upwards and my fingers wrap tightly around her wrist.

Her mussed hair was so endearing in the poor light of the hallway – but her most striking features were her eyes. Eyes that in that very moment were darkened with utmost distress, trying to reach the decision I was asking her to make.

But when her fingers relaxed and the kunai clattered as it fell on the stone floor, I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

It was the point of no return, for her and for me. And she knew it.

She was trembling; I could feel it in through the hand that was still resting on her thigh. My other hand released her wrist and went to her other thigh, waiting for her to take the first step. I could only watch her, when she pressed her free hand against the wall, encasing me in a space where only she was within my reach.

Her eyes closed slowly as I raised my face to hers, and then I knew she had finally made a decision.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

8D

[Naruto] Silver and Emerald Days [NejiSaku] Themes 12, 9, 15!~

2008-02-29T05:55:03Z

Silver and Emerald Days is a drabble collection by celticoak and zelha. Neji now lives with Sakura, as their partnership has escalated to another level. Companionship and brilliant love among the two genii.

Much love and major glompage to CelticOak, who finished the betaing of these in a magnificent timing!

I had a LOT of fun doing these! 8D Major fluff alert and a treat for all the fans of the ill-tempered Kazekage!
Enjoy, people!

12. - Dealing with a pet

A pair of silver eyes glared ostensibly at another pair of slit-pupil, golden ones.

“You are joking.”

It wasn’t a question but a statement, an affirmation from the Hyuuga prodigy that proved to his mental process that his pink-haired life partner had, indeed, lost her mind.

“I’m not kidding, Neji,” she huffed, bringing the rather large object and placing it on the table. “I have to nurse him back to health here. The hospital is not a proper place to heal an animal, as you know by now.”

“I wouldn’t be sure, Uchiha and the Inuzuka mutt get treatment there,” he drawled, earning a swat on his shoulder.

“Don’t be mean, Neji, you know what I’m talking about,” she chided as she allowed her body to plop on the mat beside him near their low table. A low but angry cry broke from inside the object on the table.

“I am allergic to birds,” he stated, now grasping at any excuse for her not to let that winged thing in their private space.

“Yeah, right,” she drawled sarcastically, pointing at his ANBU mask that happened to be hanging near hers on the wall. “This is not a regular messenger hawk, Neji. This is Gaara’s eagle, Ramen.”

Silvery eyes glanced at her in disbelief. “Again, you have to be jesting. Who in his right mind names an animal as a dish, not to mention an unhealthy one?”

“Blame the Fourth Hokage, who started the whole trend,” she deadpanned with a snicker. “The Kazekage happens to like this eagle a lot, so I just can’t leave it to unqualified hands.”

“What about the mutt’s onee-san? I heard that Inuzuka Hana is a quite skilled veterinarian.”

“Neji,” she said, with that tone of voice that told him she was almost at her wit’s end. “Tsunade-shishou put me in charge of Ramen. Please.”

“I understand, Taika,” he sighed. “Do you need help with it?”

“Keep an eye on him while I take a shower,” she said, returning to a good mood. “I’ll pay you for this, love.”

The Hyuuga prodigy nodded, as she started to pull off her clothes. Back to the eagle, which glared aggressively at the snowy-eyed ningen male, Neji scowled openly.

“This is Naruto’s fault,” he muttered, annoyed. “I just know it.”

Ramen let out another wild, angry cry. Raising the book he was reading back to his face, Neji promptly ignored the irate bird that was less than a foot away from his seat.

And the eagle gave him hell for his sin. The long neck sneaked out of the cage, reaching the hand that sustained the book and doing what the instinct dictated the bird to do. Letting out a pained shout, the ningen snapped his weird white eyes to the bird accusingly, surveying the damage suffered by his hand thanks to the powerful beak.

Grabbing a napkin and enveloping his hand, Neji growled, detailing the bird in an attempt to retaliate, but something caught his attention.

One of the eagle’s talons was mangled in an unnatural way. Maybe that was why the bird was so angry, because the pain was too much for it to bear.

Standing up and gathering some fresh water into a little basin, the ANBU Captain placed it on the table, examining the cage that served its purpose by restraining the large bird of prey into place and not allowing it to flail and hurt itself more. But it seemed that even the cage was restraining it too much...

As long as it doesn’t poke my Byakugan out... he thought absently, sliding the water container towards the eagle as his hand stealthily opened the cage; this allowed the bird to stretch one of its wings.

It was a magnificent animal, Neji concluded as the eagle cautiously dipped its beak in the water, gulping it down eagerly.

“I knew you had a kind streak somewhere...”

Neji gazed at his fresh significant other who was currently wearing one of his white sweaters and a smile.

“I do not know what you are talking about, woman.”

Sakura just laughed, walking to the table and kneeling next to him, hands already glowing green, voice soothing and calming the hurt bird of prey in order to restore its health under her gentle fingers.

It was good, seeing her cooing softly to a spooked and irritated bird. The symbolism was not lost on the Hyuuga prodigy, seeing as the bird had black wings peppered with white.

“That’s it, sweetie... you’re going to be just fine in a few days and soon you’ll get back to Suna and its blue sky...”

Neji had to smirk at that. Since he showed her his new ANBU mask –a hawk– and she made a snide remark about him being a predator on the poor kitten she was –teasing that had cost her a dinner consisting of only sashimi with no chopsticks.

And the symbolism was complete because she had been wearing a blue dress on that more than special occasion.

Long fingers that were tying up a bandage around a sharp talon carefully while she hummed soothingly distracted him from his reverie. Those same fingers that liked to untangle his hair as she relayed her day to her tired ANBU Captain who had no qualms about allowing his pink-haired lover to run her hands through his hair, for that motion helped him relax and let go of his stress over missions and the like.

He liked to do the same for her when she needed it, but instead of combing those pink tresses he loved so much he liked to run his fingers over her naked back softly, lulling her to a much needed sleep after a grating shift at the hospital or a harsh mission.

“There you go, Ramen... you are such a good boy,” he heard the smile in her voice. “Love, can you get some live chicks from Watanaru-san? Ramen needs to be fed.”

Neji sighed minutely and nodded, standing up. Another cry from the eagle made him look down at it, finding that the bird was gazing back at him with a tilted head.

“I think you made a new friend, Neji,” she said cheekily.

His silver eyes glared into amused emerald orbs. “You will pay for this, woman.”

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

9. - Joined Mission

Jumping from branch to branch, Neji heard the Team’s medic let out a gleeful laugh.

It was obvious that this hard-pressed and chakra-powered race to their destination had something to do with her delight, for she was rather excited about this A-Class mission they were heading to after spending several months enclosed in the village’s hospital, leading the ANBU Ward with a firm but gentle hand.

Her stamina had increased over the years due to her workouts with her ex-sensei the Copy-nin and the Hyuuga prodigy, Kiba had said once, when all the former Rookies and their guides gathered in the training grounds in order to have a full-blown Battle Royale, forgoing their ranks and just having a lot of fun while beating the tar out of each other.

Naruto and Sasuke escalated positions until the final fight, only to be brought down by a chakra-enhanced punch from a late arrival, for Sakura had been allowed to leave the hospital until well into the afternoon.

Neji, who had not taken part in the impromptu tournament, finally stood up and placed a not-so-subtle challenge gauntlet on his significant other’s feet, ruffling her feathers with a smirk and a predatory glint in his pearly eyes.

And he knew that she wasn’t above shattering everything in sight, in her drive to have an upper hand on her beloved life partner. The resulting encounter left their friends gaping, for she had brought the infamous ANBU Ice Prince to his knees with a rather mean ninjutsu –provided by her former sensei– that smashed him violently into a tree, but he retaliated with a wave of chakra that sent her flying. Both ninja ended their fight in a draw, decision that was clapped by everyone, while she smiled at his smirk.

A few years had passed since she had found out what her chakra element was –Earth–, making her teamwork with Neji incredibly synchronized and harmonized, for his element was Water. After their bout, they teamed up against Naruto and Sasuke, stomping them into next year by sheer strength and strong but gentle chakra sealing taps.

Both the Sharingan Master and the Hokage-in-training had to admit that the ANBU-ranked couple had better team dynamics than they had when Sakura’s skillful hands brought them back to consciousness, much to their annoyance, and earning them some general teasing from the rest of the Konoha Twelve.

And now, watching her gliding gracefully from tree branch to tree branch, Neji realized that he hadn’t allowed anyone, until she walked into his life, to fight shoulder to shoulder beside him like he had done with her. Not even Tenten, Lee or Gai complimented his skills so perfectly, for they had another type of chakra element that didn’t match his.

But his loved one was everything and more. Kakashi had complimented them well after their combat against the Uchiha and the Uzumaki, adding up to Shikamaru’s comments about how their harmonized intimacy was well displayed in battle. Sakura had blushed profusely at her sempai’s compliment, for she knew and confided him later that Kakashi simply did not give out praise without meaning it. She was ecstatic with his words, showing how happy she was later that night by giving Neji a private performance of her hidden skills.

They were to arrive at Grass Country later that day. Both of them were silent behind their masks –a bird-like one and a neko–, for they knew that their unique traits were their disadvantage, resulting in her having to hide her hair beneath a black hood and him having to conceal his eyes by the mask at all times.

It wasn’t their first time working together in a mission, but it was their first time going on a joined mission, just the two of them. Tsunade had approved Ibiki’s insight about how ingrained their teamwork was, making them almost invincible.

The mission was easy enough: retrieve the Fire Daimyo’s sole Heir, for he had been kidnapped by Lightning nukenins, demanding a heavy ransom for the child. Sakura had accepted the mission without missing a beat, Neji agreeing with her with a firm nod of his head.

Arriving at the checkpoint where a platoon of Sand nins were posted in order to share some gathered data by the Kazekage’s orders, a meeting was held with the Suna Leader as soon as they were spotted by the desert people.

Neji and Sakura were received by Gaara himself, who blinked, surprised, when he recognized the two chakra signatures in front of him. Ordering privacy and for Temari to close the tent’s flap, he silently motioned for the Leaf ninja to take off their masks.

Kankurou gaped at the pink-haired ANBU, eliciting an amused laugh from her. “Good to see you too, Kankurou,” she greeted as she and Neji bowed respectfully towards the Kazekage. He nodded back.

“We’ve been told about the hostage,” Gaara said without any preamble. “We are to assist you in the child’s rescue operation, but...” his jade eyes fixed on the emerald ones that belonged to Sakura. “The Lightning nins are ours to handle.”

She nodded, looking at Neji as he agreed verbally. “It is a pleasure for us to work with the Kazekage once more.”

Temari smiled back at a grinning Sakura, as both kunoichi watched Gaara and Neji peering over the map and discussing ways to lay siege on the rogue ninjas’ compound. It was well known by the Sand how the two ANBU Leaf shinobi were engaged into a long-term liaison, as Shikamaru had enlightened the blond woman about it. Gossiping between whispers, Sakura and Temari shared a girl moment but it was cut short when pearly eyes called to them mutely.

After offering their input on the issue at hand and preparing for the attack, they waited for night to fall in order to proceed with the retrieval mission.

“Nervous?” asked Neji in a murmur while they hung from a tree branch, waiting for the Kazekage’s signal. Sakura glanced at him and shook her head.

“More like anxious,” she whispered. He nodded, eyes glinting with barely concealed eagerness for battle and worry for his pink-haired partner.

“I’m here with you, Taika.”

She gave him a brief smile. “I know, love. And I’m here with you.”

An owl cried to the dark sky. It was time.

They leapt.

-*-

If it hadn’t been for Gaara’s sand, Sakura would have been crushed into the concrete wall. The resulting fight against the Lightning nukenins was explosive, to say the least. It turned out that they had kidnapped the Wind Daimyo’s wife, placing both nations –Fire and Wind– into a rather aggressive political position against Lightning, Neji reflected absently while his ninjatô slashed through another opponent. The enemies swarmed the compound, but Sand ninjas were well trained and displayed good defenses, as Gaara lifted Temari and Sakura with his sand platform, getting them inside the building in order to start the search for the VIP hostages.

Spinning to get an opening among the myriad of Lightning thugs, he barely noted a blur of white falling from the top floor of the building. Thankfully, Gaara’s sand swirled to catch it. When he realized what that falling object was, his heart almost stopped.

Dashing between the fighters, he reached Sakura’s body as the sand lowered it to his arms, enclosing them later into a hard sand sphere. Sending a mute thanks to the Kazekage, he started prodding and checking the emerald-eyed kunoichi, who opened her orbs, dazed.

“Taika,” he called to her, supporting her sitting body. “Are you okay? What happened? Where’s the child?”

“Temari went a little wild with her fight,” she explained, blinking. He watched how she regained her bearings. “The kid and the woman are in the other wing. Where are we?”

As if on cue, Gaara released them. He approached the two Leaf ninjas slowly, stepping securely around the fallen shinobi and gathering his sand back into his gourd. “Where are the hostages?” he asked.

“In the other wing of the building,” Sakura reported, getting back on her two feet.

“They must have moved them as soon as we broke into the complex,” the pearly-eyed ANBU concluded out loud. “We need to get them back, fast.”

Neji noted how his life partner narrowed her emerald eyes dangerously before sliding her mask back on, drawing her ninjatô. “Let’s go.”

Smirking and feeling absurdly proud, he bounced behind her back into the building, as the red-haired ninja broke the gates with his sand, disposing of the guards while they rushed inside. Navigating the maze was easy for them, for his Byakugan led them quickly to the spot where the hostages were imprisoned. They found the leader of the rogue ninjas, a Sand missing-nin well known by those who lived in Sunagakure –although not as much as Akasuna no Sasori anyway–, threatening the woman’s life with a kunai while the kid lay unconscious in a pool of blood.

An angry swirl of chakra made both males blink. Sakura, behind her mask, was livid at the sight of the young boy in such a battered state. It didn’t matter to her that they were surrounded by enemies; she just wanted that Suna bastard to pay.

She made a series of seals, signaling her intention to throw a nasty genjutsu at the man who had caused this whole ordeal. It was one of her very own design, developed with Kakashi’s help, which made even the tough Sasuke fall to his knees shivering.

Pulling Gaara’s arm back in order for him not to fall into the illusion, Neji dived for the child as the Kazekage’s sand shot forward to deal with some opponents, releasing the female hostage while Sakura’s fist clenched, running up to the nukenin and bringing her genjutsu to an end.

The missing-nin’s body was thrown to the wall by the force of a vicious punch that broke all the bones of his face. Gaara took in some air to detain the lashing of the female white op, but a hand on his shoulder dissuaded him from doing so. A masked onyx-haired Hyuuga shook his head.

“I request your permission for her to vent, Gaara-sama,” he explained, barely holding the amusement in his deadpanned tone. “She will come around in less than a minute.”

True to his words, Sakura flung the unconscious shinobi former affiliated with Sand to the ground with a mighty kick, eliciting a deafening noise from the crashing body, and walked to the boy in Neji’s grasp as she summoned a green glow on her hands.

Seeing the medic concentrated on checking the child, Gaara looked at the white bird mask, nodding in secretive agreement. How the young woman could be as vicious as a starved tiger but when in medic mode could be as gentle as a mother cat, the Kazekage did not know.

Sakura let out a relieved sigh. “He’s fine, he just has a mild concussion,” she said, moving to the passed out woman in Gaara’s arms. “She’s under a state of shock –please lay her on the floor, Kazekage-sama.”

Sakura’s hands swirled with green chakra again, as fingers settled on the woman’s head. “She has blood clots in her bloodstream, I have to locate them before they get to her brain or her heart,” she ranted while placing her other hand on the woman’s chest, flaring her chakra furiously.

After the battle, Neji quickly appraised her energy levels with his Byakugan. Taking off his mask, he kneeled beside her with a frown, all the while releasing her own face from her masking confines.

“You’re about to pass out,” he informed her. “Your chakra levels are almost empty.”

She blatantly ignored him, pushing her viridian energy with more force on the Daimyo’s wife’s body, the medic’s face flushed with the effort.

“Almost...” she murmured strained, as the woman’s face turned to a side, breathing anxiously and Sakura finally raised her hands. “Done! Thank Kami.”

“Good job, Taika,” Neji whispered, silver eyes glinting with pride and worry.

“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help,” she answered, emerald orbs closing on their own volition but she struggled nonetheless to remain awake.

“It’s over, Sakura,” her significant other assured softly. “You can pass out now.”

Nodding her head numbly, she allowed her body to lean on Neji’s, welcoming the painless oblivion.

It took a great amount of self-control for the Hyuuga ANBU Captain to allow the Sand Puppet Master to carry his pink-haired life partner while he traveled with the Fire Daimyo’s child. The mission was completed in record time, just as he inferred when he traveled to his and Sakura’s apartment to gather his gear and give her the mission news after his briefing with the Hokage.

The Sand camp was big enough for them to rest assured between the desert people, as a medic team tended to the hostages while Sakura was unconscious. Neji came and went, checking on their young charge but remaining the rest of this time with his emerald-eyed lover. It wasn’t the first time she had used up almost all her chakra when she was healing someone, no matter if they were unknown or dear to her. Neji had witnessed a few fainting moments in which Sakura gave all for all, in order to save her patient.

He understood her commitment to her profession, to her calling. But that did not mean that he didn’t worry himself sick for his significant other when he saw her completely spent, oblivious to the world as she sank into a heavy sleep, a self-defense mechanism of all medics to regain energy and restore their bodies through a deep, death-like rest.

Neji sat beside her bedroll with a hand on her chest, feeling her heart beating slowly but steadily under his fingers. It was the only way for his distressed self to know for sure that she was still with him, for her slumber was too profound to notice her shallow breathing.

Temari saw that he was fed and assigned a medic to tend to his wounds, but he politely refused a thorough treatment, concentrated as he was in watching over his pink-haired love. Gaara had visited for a couple of minutes, thanking him formally for their help in the hostage retrieval and also for Sakura’s input in subduing the traitor.

Kankurou brought him new bandages, stepping out as the Hyuuga prodigy divested the female and tended to her shallow wounds, dressing them just like she had taught him one rainy afternoon that left them with no electric power. Among lit candles, she showed him how to patch up superficial injuries with her low and intense voice, delighted with the idea of teaching her genius lover something he did not know. He was an attentive student, Sakura had said with a laugh, only to find herself restrained with the bandages and a devious Hyuuga straddling her.

That night made Neji realize that he simply did not want to be apart from her. He wanted her to sign that blasted scroll, make his name hers and bear his children, as they surveyed that delicate topic that one time after Tsunade cleared them from prejudices and Hiashi declared a surprising but rather anticipated integration within the Hyuuga Clan.

Watching her sleeping –her body relaxed but too still for his liking, for he reveled when she curled her figure and covered her eyes, resembling a very lean and lazy pink kitten–, he pulled the silvery-like little object and rolled it between his fingers, absentmindedly.

Two days later, she finally opened her eyes.

Quickly surveying her surroundings made her realize that she was inside a tent. Blinking to adjust her pupils to the oil lamp that glowed beside her bedroll, she observed that the space between hers and another bedroll was nonexistent, but no one was in the other makeshift bed.

Clenching and unclenching her fingers in a reflexive exercise that helped her regain the use of her hands, she noticed that something was circling her finger. Lifting her hand, she recognized the object when she took in the dark green stone seated in the white-gold band.

A loving smile bloomed on her pale lips.

“I take you like it,” a deep voice murmured from the flap that served as a door. Sakura was no fool; she was so in tune with the slight inflexions in his voice that she could hear a tiny waver in his tone.

She merely nodded, her eyes shining with deep emotion. Neji advanced towards her, as the medic sat up ever so slowly on her bedroll. “I... it wasn’t my intention to give it to you in such unexpected conditions,” he explained, feeling his heart bashing inside his chest. “I was going to prepare a good moment when we returned to Konoha... but I could not help myself.”

A trembling hand touched his cheek, stopping his nervous explanation. His silver eyes flew to her emerald ones, which were full of tears.

“I love you, Hyuuga Neji,” she whispered, before being engulfed in a warm and tight embrace.

“I was worried about you,” he breathed in her ear after a while. “Your restoring periods concern me every single time.”

“I’m here with you, love,” Sakura uttered softly, grasping his hair like a lifeline.

“Haruno Sakura,” he said in his formal and regal voice, sitting back to look at her eyes. “I’d be most honored if you accept me as your husband. I’m just a Branch member, but that will not stop me from cherishing you forever, if you have me.”

“You, Hyuuga Neji,” she retorted with a dazzling smile that made his heart miss a beat for a moment, “are a silly, silly man. How could I care that you are ‘just a Branch member’? For me, you are the most amazing and incredible man in the whole world.”

Sakura let out an elated, exhilarated laugh.

“Yes, Hyuuga Neji, I’ll marry you, if you have this moody and freaky woman.”

Her smile met his in a passionate kiss, sealing them as one.

Two and a half years of shared moments, days of emerald and silver, days of challenges and understanding and harmony between two souls that soared to the sky in every path they walked...

Together.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

15. - Supporting the other (Kind of a follow up to Theme #9)

When Neji’s finely tuned senses perceived that his approaching significant other’s chakra signature promised hell, he knew that something was wrong.

Somehow, the door slamming that ensued and proclaimed her entrance to their humble abode, the clatter of thrown keys and thumping sandals on her way in supported his theory.

Opening his eyes from his meditation, the ANBU Captain witnessed how his pink-haired lover scowled hard at the floor of their bedroom while she started to unwrap her leg-holster and pull off her gloves.

Neji knew she was mad, but he needed to know how much. “Taika,” he murmured, making her snap into attention.

From the way she started, he concluded that she hadn’t even realized he was in the room. Sakura sighed deeply, padding to the balcony where he was sitting. This allowed Neji to see her clearly under the afternoon sunlight: her eyes showed a little puffiness around them. She had been crying.

He was about to ask her what was wrong when she dropped to the floor and crawled to his lap, surprising his senses.

Something was really wrong if she wanted him to comfort her like a little girl. This had happened only once, when she’d gotten into a nasty fight with Naruto. They had argued about her choice of a life partner in Neji, and the blond, being the overprotective moron he was, all but whined about how haughty the Hyuuga was and what the hell he had done to her that she wasn’t waiting for Sasuke anymore.

She encountered Neji that night and demanded for him to come clean or else. He had no qualms to comply and told her he loved her, only to see her breaking down in breath-wrenching sobs, explaining between her tears about Naruto’s sudden outburst and how she could not wait for the Uchiha anymore, because she was madly and hopelessly in love with the Ice Prince of Konoha.

This argument between her and her brother served for the strengthening of their bond, accepting their feelings and finally expressing what they had in their hearts. But according to the village’s gossips, it took a porn-loving seasoned Jounin and his bowl-hair styled rival to detain an incensed Hyuuga ANBU Operative, who had reprimanded a Kyuubi-wielder shinobi rather severely while he had also been restrained and who defused his anger and asked to be let out of the wooden, inked ties in a subdued voice.

A little later, Sakura had been tackled by a mass of orange, black and yellow, who begged for forgiveness in a rather emotional display. Neji, hidden in a tree, watched them crying and pardoning each other, almost getting out of his lookout post when the blond idiot threatened to kick his very own backside into next century if he dared to hurt the giggling pink-haired female that was at his side.

Sakura had laughed at him when he admitted his spying stunt a few months later, on a rainy night with no electricity, making the two ninjas huddle in their bed with a few candles and a warm quilt.

Now, patiently awaiting for her to calm herself enough to speak, he merely threaded his fingers on her roseate-colored hair with one hand, while the other rubbed repeatedly across her back, in a motion he had seen her use when she consoled a very distressed Hinata when they were waiting for news on Naruto’s condition after a vicious mission.

Her sobs subsided for a moment, and Neji took the opportunity to voice his concern with a soothing whisper.

“What’s wrong?” a perfect, simple question that made her shudder for a moment because of the effect his deep voice had on her. It was something that would never wane, those little tickles that swirled in her stomach and made her lightheaded enough to spill everything he wanted to know.

And now, he wanted to know what was wrong. She sighed, trying to put her distress into words.

“I fought with Sasuke,” she said brokenly. “He was flirting with Hanabi and I got mad.”

He lifted a brow. “Jealous?”

“No!” she almost shouted, revolving herself in his arms to glare at him. “I don’t want him near Hanabi, she’s too young for him... and he’s too dark for her!”

He made a mental note to reward his lover when she had calmed for displaying such caring loyalty to his family, but also, he promised himself to punt the Uchiha’s ass through the Hokage Mountain for his underhanded attempts to woo his little cousin.

“So Uchiha got angry at you?”

She nodded, sniffling. “He said that he needed someone to restore his clan, but I snapped and yelled at him about how stupid he was if he got together with someone he didn’t love...”

She trailed off and he waited, knowing that her explanation was incomplete.

“He... told me that the person he loved wasn’t available anymore...”

Neji’s chin tensed due to the clenching of his teeth.

Surely, he knew that Sasuke’s intentions with Sakura were less than innocuous. Since the Uchiha’s return, he had been prodding his former teammate about a liaison with him.

Sadly for him, Neji had claimed the pink-haired medic for himself for almost two years and a half at the moment, fact that he enjoyed seeing thrown into the Sharingan Master’s face by none other than Sakura herself.

She had punched Sasuke through three walls, refusing to heal him afterwards and stomping her way to her office, where she dissolved her anger into bitter tears between the arms of her silver-eyed lover, who embraced her, giving his silent support once more.

All in all, Sasuke had become a sore topic among them, not only because of his badly concealed intentions towards the ANBU Medic, but also for having created a horrible reputation on his behalf throughout Konoha: that of a womanizer, giving all the sought bachelors –even Genma!– a run for their money.

Sakura had been clear with Naruto and Sai about the Uchiha’s new habit: she wasn’t above kicking his ass if he all but got close to her female friends. Tenten had been circumspectly steered away from his presence by Lee, who had to request a mission to Suna in order to get a chance to get his girlfriend back. Hinata had been carefully avoided by Sasuke –and she was the only one of their age range that was pardoned by his stalking customs–, seeing that she was Naruto’s significant other.

Ino, on the other half, fell almost immediately into the Uchiha’s clutches. Sakura had been most distressed during their affair, mostly because she knew –despite the blonde’s scathing remarks of Sakura being the sore loser of their rivalry from years ago–, that Ino was going to be sorely dumped in a matter of days.

After the accomplished moment of doom, Ino had camped in Neji and Sakura’s couch, engrossed in a deep bout of depression. Sakura had had the tact to avoid rubbing all the warnings she had given into her friend’s face, but Neji wasn’t above reprimanding the blonde for her complete disregard of self-respect. Despite Sakura’s ire, he told Ino, in no sugar-coated terms, about the smooth subtleties of the dark womanizer, concluding that she had to stand back up from her blunder, otherwise the Uchiha would win.

The inverse psychology worked wonders on the Yamanaka girl, much to Sakura’s surprise. Ino had accepted Chouji’s affections a few weeks later, leaving Sasuke tasting a spoon of his own medicine when she appeared at Kiba’s birthday party wearing a trinket that showed her engagement to the young Akimichi.

Sakura was happier than anyone for her friend’s bliss, fingering the white-gold ring she wore everyday on her finger, a gift from her Hyuuga ANBU lover, now fiancé. The news about her engagement with Neji had been perfectly sorted, avoiding the explosion of emotion from their friends until they got clearance from his uncle, the Hyuuga Clan Head.

Neji, at this point, discerned that the Uchiha hadn’t taken the news very well.

Sakura had been looking at his eyes anxiously, as he remembered how much of a nuisance the prodigal ninja had been in their lives. Blinking, he focused his silver colored orbs into distressed emerald ones, which were at the point of a nervous breakdown if he didn’t start speaking soon.

“Sakura,” he sighed. “I know how you feel about Sasuke. However, I am afraid he needs to be reminded of his position within our group.”

“I know,” she responded with a hint of strain in her tone. “He’s going too far. I heard from Shikamaru that he had been hitting on Kurenai-sempai, of all people.”

“Uchiha has a death wish,” the silver-eyed man sentenced sternly. “He won’t gain any favor for his cause if he doesn’t start behaving with honor.”

“Neji...” the medic whispered, at a loss concerning his ambiguous posture.

“Do you really want to be my wife, Sakura?” he asked suddenly, watching her reaction closely. Her dumbstruck face said how little she had been expecting his question, but her eyes flooded with an emotion he had not been expecting either. Anger!

“Are you mad, Hyuuga?” she demanded, brows knitting in annoyance. “Don’t you dare give me that lenient exit, buddy, you’re goddamn stuck with me for the rest of your sorry life! Damn right I want to be your wife, you foolish man! How can your Byakugan not see how much you mean to me, Neji?!”

“Fair enough, Taika, calm yourself,” he said smoothly, wrapping his arms around her waist. She wiggled stubbornly, showing her displeasure about the implications of his words. “Listen to me, Sakura,” he added, tightening his embrace. “I know that Uchiha’s behavior has been taking an emotional toll on you. No, do not interrupt me, dear,” he admonished gently when he saw she was about to protest. “Sasuke needs to understand that you are not going to get together with him. He needs to see he’s sorely mistaken if he expects every woman in Konoha to fall for his charms – that is why I spoke to Ino like that, remember?”

Sakura nodded obediently. “I kind of object to your tactics, but in the end everything worked out fine.”

“I was too harsh, I admit you that. However, Ino needed to see for herself that she was merely a trophy for that idiot,” Neji concluded, eyes shining with mischief. She blinked in surprise when his regal features lighted with a wicked smirk. “That brings me to the best course of action: we will set Uchiha up with someone who teaches him the proper manner to treat a lady.”

The pink-haired medic stared at her lover, mouth agape. “You’re kidding.”

“No, I am not joking, Taika,” he said curtly. “I find encountering that moron every single time I go to the hospital to see you extremely displeasing. He needs to understand that you are about to be a Hyuuga, and Hyuuga females are to be treated with respect.”

Sakura’s face changed, showing disbelief through a one-eyed side glare. “You’re going to flaunt in front of him, aren’t you? Is this going to be a pissing contest again?”

“I do not know what are you talking about, woman,” he said with a blank face, which made her let out an incredulous laugh. “Besides...” he trailed off as his bandaged forehead leaned to rest on hers. “Uchiha needs to understand once and for all that you are mine.”

His husky remark made her flush furiously, earning a smug smirk from her lover.

“What if Hanabi is his true love?” she asked innocently, seeing his smirk transforming into a thunderous scowl.

“Over my dead body,” he growled. “I rather see her dating the mutt.”

She squeaked in surprise again. “You knew?!”

“Oh, please. Hanabi always reeks of dog when she comes back from training and her clothes sport white hair. Hiashi-sama is not pleased of her rebellion, but I believe he will approve of her liaison when he finds out who is attempting to woo her.”

She laughed. “You are an evil, evil man, love.”

“Says the woman that loves punching people through a wall,” he shot back sarcastically, listening to her giggles with a contented face.

A while of silence was broke because of a snort from Sakura. “What if I ask Anko-san to help us with Sasuke?”

Neji blinked. “Again, Taika, who is the evil one in this relationship?”

Her gleeful laughter filled the balcony, and Neji, inwardly, felt really sorry for the oblivious Uchiha.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

So I'M DONE!! 8DDDDD HA! *strikes Gai's winning pose*

Any thoughts? 8D

[Naruto] Silver and Emerald Days [NejiSaku] Theme 10~

2008-02-15T04:12:54Z

So hay there! 8DDDDDDDD

I'm not dead, and Manolito isn't either! We bring a nice Valentine's gift for all of you.

A warning though, this one shot is rated M for mature themes, or S for smut. You've been warned. 8D

And show some love to CelticOak, who was kind enough to beta this one in a hurry for me! Thank you very much, sistar! ♥

10. - Smut!

Emerald eyes widened as silver-colored orbs narrowed menacingly, predatorily.

“N-Neji,” she whispered, leaning back. “You need to rest! The healing you underwent left your skin raw and--”

“Come here, Taika,” he cut her off with a growl, raising his hands and slipping them down her arms. She shivered in anticipation, knowing pretty well that his large form –so like a bird of prey– was currently tensing with this little game. A game both of them liked to play when they got back from a difficult mission.

The most injured member of his squad was Neji, of course. Their objective had been to assassinate a warlord from the Lightning Daimyo, who was a tad bit too interested in the Fire Country’s affairs. They got in, performed their task flawlessly and in the way out the fight broke; splitting the squad apart in a blink of an eye and thus, a fierce battle began. It turned out that the warlord had rogue ninja on his payroll, so the outcome was quite uncertain, regarding the infiltrated ANBU team.

Thankfully, they managed to get out of the fray when a hard punch provoked an earthquake, catching the enemies by surprise while the ANBU Captain slew them, already accustomed to his partner’s evasion techniques.

Neji and his partner rendezvoused with the other two members of the squad several miles away from the location. Everybody was quite battered, for the quid of the operation was not to leave any evidence that would implicate the Fire Country in this mission. Therefore, no canine-related flashy techniques, no lotus-powered impressive moves, no obvious chakra-controlled massive destruction and of course, no subtle tenketsu points tapping was allowed.

After healing Kiba’s and Lee’s injuries - and bickering for quite a long while with her life partner because he just wouldn’t allow her to heal him before his team and that counted her as well, it was expected for her to run out of energy, almost passing out when she pressed the last of her energy on her snowy-eyed lover. Sending the Canine Ninja and the Taijutsu Master back to Konohagakure for debriefing on the successful mission, he quickly located a cave near the shore of the Lightning Island, which provided him and his currently unconscious pink-haired medic a place to rest, because he really doubted that someone could find them if the cave was located in the middle of a cliff fall.

Therefore, he muttered thanks to whatever Kami was around when his chakra remains lasted enough to get them securely in the cave, after a quick stroll over the cliff’s wall.

Sakura had awoken briefly, emptying her reserves a little more when she summoned a middle sized slug –Katsumomo–, who stood guard at the entrance of the cave while the two ninjas got some rest. Neji briefly wondered if the slug would remain even if Sakura was out, but soon exhaustion took over his senses and he welcomed the dark oblivion, cradling his lover’s body to his chest, their porcelain masks forgotten at their side.

He woke up to find her straddling his body, as she pressed a little more chakra into his body. He sported several gashes, but nothing to worry about... much. But Sakura always fussed about his injuries, no matter how small they were, because she simply loved his skin unmarred, or so she had claimed once when he asked her about the matter.

And to his inner amusement, other parts of his body awoke as well. The feeling of her warm apex pressed snugly into his lap was quite invigorating. He watched her, suddenly noticing how stiff her seat had become and glanced down to glinting pearly-eyes.

Her blush told him how much off-guard he had caught her. Sakura tried to rise from his lap, but strong, bandaged fingers went to capture her hips, steadying her firmly on her seat.

“Neji!” she whispered, flushing harder in the dim light of the cave. It was sunset, he concluded, by the way the shadows were projecting and the sunlight was almost hitting them. The dying rays of gold touched Sakura’s face and hair, lighting them with a very endearing effect to the prone shinobi.

His arousal heightened when she licked her lips nervously, well aware of the change in their atmosphere. “Neji, we shouldn’t be doing this now...”

“Doing what?” he asked, amused at her sudden modesty. Perhaps it was for Katsumomo’s sake? “I’m not doing anything.”

She shot him an exasperated –and glassy– glare when he pressed her hips to his.

“Yeah, right,” she drawled sarcastically. “I’m trying to heal you here!”

“Again, I’m not restraining your hands. You are free to do so.”

A distinct pop was heard, signaling the silent slug’s departure. The sound distracted her for a moment, instant he took to slip his digits under her shirt, playing with the little bit of skin that was available under the form-fitting white ANBU vest. She shivered, gazing back at his now light-gray eyes.

“Neji, we shouldn’t be doing this right now,” she admonished him gently, her eyes exploring her surroundings. “Lee and Kiba--”

“Are currently navigating back to the mainland and Konoha,” he informed her smoothly. “I told them to go ahead of us until we regained enough chakra.”

Sakura knew it was better for her if she didn’t get opinionated on Neji’s decisions, after all he was the Captain and he knew his team’s power better than her. “Okay... and where are we?”

“A cave in a cliff,” he told her, as his fingers trailed up her uniform and started snapping the clasps in order to divest her of her vest. He noticed she had done the same with his in order to reach his skin to heal it, so he could only reciprocate.

Sakura arched a brow at him, but accepted his silent demand and shrugged off the thick garment, leaving her in her red shirt. The zip was lowered down slowly, while he watched how flustered she was getting although she didn’t try to show it, fixing him with a reprimanding glare.

“Are you crazy? We’re on a mission!”

“I believe the mission is over, Taika,” he whispered as he slipped his hands up her wrapped chest, one kneading a breast gently as the other one went to her buttocks, pressing her a little into his stiffness. “And we were most successful, as always.”

“And this is your way to celebrate?” she gasped when his fingers found her nipple, tweaking it ever so slightly. Closing her eyes, she tentatively grinded on his lap, eliciting a growl of approval from her Byakugan-wielding lover.

“This is my way to express how impossible is for me to keep my hands off you sometimes,” he whispered, dragging his hands to her shirt and effectively slipping it off. “Seeing you fight is always exhilarating – especially when you perform all those evasive movements.”

“So you watched me instead of fighting?” she asked, already in the mood for some bickering or as they say, foreplay. “You’re getting soft, Captain...”

“One of the wonders of having a near three-sixty vision field is that I can perfectly fight an opponent while keeping an eye on my partner – we are a team, after all.”

She laughed, as she raised her arms to allow him to unwrap the bandages on her chest, freeing her breasts. “Oh, a team that currently split up, two of them is getting wet while the others are getting it on.”

“Oh,” he grunted as she arched when one of his hands stimulated her bare breast and the other rubbed lightly on her still covered core. “I think we will be getting wet as well,” he added huskily as she let out a breathy moan and leaned on him to finally crush her lips to his, kissing him passionately.

To Sakura, Neji’s hands were his most sexy feature, his eyes and hair a close second. His chakra manipulation for his Gentle Fist techniques made his hands a little rough but really sensitive to changes in temperature and energy flows. He didn’t need the Byakugan to locate Sakura’s tenketsu points; he was so familiarized with her body. His chakra levels were still low, but he figured that they would be usable.

He didn’t waste time to slip his hands under her pants, grabbing the flesh of her buttocks firmly and making her grind hard on his hips. Sakura let out a moan as the friction shot little spasms of pleasure up her spine.

“Oh, Kami,” she whispered, releasing his mouth to take some air. “Why you have to be so good at this?”

“Experience, my dear,” he smirked sexily, while he tugged at her lower clothes and his eyes darkened a bit more. “Lose them or I’ll push you to the wall and have my way with you, Taika.”

His demanding voice prickled her senses and sent them into overdrive. She loved it when he was the domineering one, but seeing as he hadn’t risen from his spot in the cave it meant he was giving her the choice to decide who was to lead their coupling.

And for her, that was equally exhilarating.

She stood up, snapping her leg guards and taking off her sandals quickly, pushing her pants down and off as she became aware of the intensity of his gaze, which turned it almost dangerous. He loved watching her undress for him, but being witness of her pulling off her clothes in a hurry to come back to him was simply enticing.

Neji started to twist out of his pants, but Sakura got there first. She was stark naked, her clothes in a pile next to her as she used them to shield her knees from the rocky floor. She pulled off his sandals and his guards with a sexy smile, as he could only watch her baring his body.

“You need to remain lying down, Neji-san,” she said playfully, receiving an amused growl and a feral smile in response. “Don’t worry; I’ll make you feel better.”

Without preamble, she dipped her head and took him in her mouth. He hissed at the sudden onslaught of pleasure, tensing his hips to avoid thrusting up. She hummed as she worked on him, his hands slipping through her hair to lift it and watch her better. He felt lightheaded – she was using a little bit of chakra to enhance his already sensitive skin!

“Sakura,” he rasped, “don’t make me finish so fast--”

She didn’t acknowledged his demanding plea, as her mouth went down and her tongue swirled over and over, sending him off the white hot edge after several long, torturous moments of playing and humming, eliciting a strained groan of pleasure.

His chest was warm with his perspiration, she noted as she smiled lazily into his unfocused eyes while caressing his well-defined pectorals, waiting for him to land from his ecstasy. “Likely?”

“I love you, hellish neko,” he said hoarsely, making her laugh at his satisfied expense. “But that was rather unfair,” Neji added as he grabbed her hips once again and forced her to sit on his chest. “I told you to wait but as usual, you just didn’t pay attention to your Captain.”

She felt a shiver running down her spine when he spoke those seemingly chastising words, but every thought flew to the sea at the feeling of his mouth blowing softly on her heated core.

“Neji,” she moaned, cheeks flushed, little shadows from the sunset light casting from her long eyelashes. His sexy smirk between her thighs was enough to make her breath hitch. But the squeal she let out was more obvious when he lifted his head, giving her the contact she craved.

Sakura was certainly more vocal than he was when they were making love, but she sustained that he was implacable with his tricks to get her so worked up than she didn’t have qualms to beg for him to bring her to release.

Neji didn’t argue with that, because he just loved how her voice resonated when she all but screamed his name when she climaxed. It was something about male pride, he told her, proceeding to prove his point on their kitchen table.

Sakura decided then that his tongue was in the same rank of his kneading hands, as she leaned against the stone wall, placing her hands on it for leverage as he applied himself thoroughly on his task, circling her gathered flesh with his tongue, flicking it and earning moans and wails from his lover while his hands added more caresses to her breasts.

She was almost there, she could feel it, she could almost grasp the edge and release, but suddenly her balance was moved, drawing her far from her craved release.

Sakura squeaked in surprise when she felt like falling, realizing belatedly that he had pivoted her unto her back as he sat up, leaving her lying down uncomfortably on the stone floor as he retracted his legs from her sides, kneeling down and hovering on her.

“Say it,” he murmured huskily, licking his lips eagerly. “Say it, Sakura.”

She let out a cry of mocked outrage and pouted, refusing to comply with his demand. He leaned forward, angling his hips and sliding his back-to-aroused-state member along her wetness, the very tip of it resuming the stimulation of her bundle of nerves. She threw her head back, moaning one more time.

“Neji, please!”

He smirked wickedly, but kept with his sliding motion. This indirect way to pleasure her seemed to make her thrash below him, already lost into sensation but desperate to climax. She had begged, yes, but not in the way he wanted.

Keeping his length sliding around her core, he leaned down on her and blew softly on her ear, working her up more than the feverish state she was already sporting.

“Say it, Taika,” he growled into her ear, nipping on the lobe and making her shiver and moan.

“Oh, Kami! Please, Neji!”

“Good girl,” he hissed, retracting his hips slightly and finally slipped inside her. She didn’t have the time to accommodate him, because his hand reached down and pressed on her nerves, molding a bit of his chakra to maximize the effect.

The result was instantaneous. Sakura arched her body –Neji took a moment to admire how flexible she was– and screamed her release, her muscles clamping down on him like a vice, but he held his own climax as she rode the waves of her orgasm. It had been a big one because of all the adrenaline from the battle and the mission, leaving her trembling from all the sensations perceived.

But Neji was far from being done with her, as he promptly proved when he pulled out for a bit and snapped his hips forward without warning, making her wail with the remnants of her pleasure.

She kept crying out his name fervently, as her over-sensitized inner walls tried to pull him in but the hard, fast rhythm Neji had set, as he lowered the upper part of his body on her, most of his weight on his forearms as he sealed his mouth to hers hungrily, making her taste herself on his tongue and tasting himself on hers.

One final thrust and she was flying again, all but wailing her lover’s name while her core clasped him in a grip he had no intention to struggle against, as he bit down on the curve of her neck when he followed her towards oblivion. Releasing his tension at last, his head found his favorite spot to rest on Sakura’s shoulders, both panting.

“What was that all about?” she asked breathlessly, feeling his now soothing tongue running along the mark he had made with his teeth. He smirked on her skin, too sated to pull himself up to look at her eyes. He did it regardless, watching how her face seemed to glow with the aftermath and her eyes showed more than just wonder at the recent assailment of pleasure.

“I saw Kiba looking at you,” he said simply, regaining his breath but his eyes were intense and luminous. “I didn’t like it.”

“And this--this was to prove a point?” she asked, knowing she should be mad at him but she just didn’t feel like beating her lover to a pulp. Besides, she didn’t have enough chakra yet for hitting him or the healing afterwards.

“No,” he said smoothly, offering her a wicked smile. “This was merely to make you mine again.”

She laughed at his smug statement, but her laugh was cut short when he dipped his head and kissed her again.

In the back of her mind, Sakura only hoped they could reach Konoha before the end of the month; otherwise they would be hard-pressed to present themselves to the Hokage and she could declare them missing and dispatch a search party and--

“Oh, screw it,” she gasped aloud when he ran his tongue on his biting handiwork.

“Believe me, I plan to.”

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

Yare yare, Neji, the last word always have to be yours! XD

Comments on the wacko basket plz! :'D

[Naruto] Silver and Emerald Days [NejiSaku] Themes 3, 6, 8~

2008-01-19T02:29:24Z

Yay!

Again, Silver and Emerald Days is a drabble collection by celticoak and zelha. Neji now lives with Sakura, as their partnership has escalated to another level. Companionship and brilliant love among the two genii.

Much love to CelticOak, who was kind enough to beta these for me! Thank you very much, sistar! ♥

3. - Forgetting an important date

Most had their anniversaries, birthdays and important reminders written on their calendar, for they had an easy life and they were likely to forget if they had other things to do on those specific days. But for ninja, a day to day reminder was needed, otherwise one could spend a whole day without realizing that it was their own birthday.

Neji woke up feeling a sharp pain on his side and with a huge migraine. Trying to remember what had happened, he opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. The hospital.

Recalling past events in bits and scratches, he started to piece everything together: his return from a rather nasty mission, who had all of his team on the brink of death; his refusal of treatment until all his teammates were seen to; the fury in those emerald eyes he loved so much when he finally passed out in her arms, as she scolded him for his recklessness and his incredible knack to spite all the medic-nins in the hospital, only allowing his significant other to treat him.

He understood then; she had snatched him back from Death’s clutches one more time, not allowing him to fly away from her and their still young bond.

Neji sighed deeply, perceiving a hint of mint in the room’s air. Twisting his head to the side, he allowed a little smile to form on his lips when he took in the slumped figure slumbering on the uncomfortable chair to one side. No one but Sakura could sleep on those, he thought with mild amusement, let alone look so at ease.

But he was wrong if he thought she was asleep, for her eyes flew open and she raised her head to look at his surprised snowy orbs.

Sakura offered him a relieved smile, scooting the chair over to his bed and placing her forehead on the mattress, letting out a deep breath.

“You have no idea of how much you scared me this time,” she mumbled into the sheet. Having heard her, he dragged his hand to her head, slipping his bandaged fingers between her tangled tresses.

“I’m sorry, Taika,” he murmured.

A silence stretched and she knew he wasn’t going to explain himself. ‘ANBU’, she mentally growled. ‘Those regulations are stupid anyway because we medics just know if they encountered missing-nins or rogue shinobi.’

Lifting her head finally, her eyes met his and she deflated in defeat. “We should stop meeting like this,” she drawled with a bit of sarcasm. “We hardly spend time together if one of us doesn’t,” she shot him a pointed look that meant ‘you’, “land in the hospital.”

He took the words in stride, because he just did not want to start an argument with his obviously exhausted life partner. “I think I have two weeks off now.”

She let out a snort. “Most of those days are hospital appointed,” she murmured as she stood up and started to check on his bandages. “That katana pierced your liver and scrambled most of your digestive system. It will be a while until you can take another S- Class mission.”

Neji swore internally. He thought he had come out of the battle mostly with surface wounds, but having his innards wrecked by a katana?

“I’m sorry, Sakura,” he whispered sincerely now. Her eyes softened as she looked at his now healed belly.

“I almost tried to resuscitate you this morning because of those,” she added, pointing at an extravagant marigolds bouquet, sitting on the table next to his bed. Neji arched a brow.

“I’d have to thank Lee for his gift – kicking him into oblivion,” he growled. Sakura had relayed once the meaning of the flowers to him –a kunoichi art pretty much forgotten by everyone but her, Hinata and Ino–, understanding immediately how great her distress might have been when confronted to a bunch of flowers that signified pain and grief.

“Neji,” she murmured next to his ear, making him shiver with the warmth of her breath on his skin. “Happy birthday, love.”

He turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were brimming with tears; at last taking notice of how much she had been worried about his condition. He just opened his arms and brought her slowly to his chest, calming her sobs with a tight embrace.

“I am here, Sakura, I am here,” he whispered as she let out her fears through her tears.

“Baka,” she sobbed. “I almost punched Lee into the next century because of those flowers.”

He chuckled and grunted in mild pain, for his belly just wasn’t ready for expressing mirth just yet. “Serves him right.”

Another silence, just broken by her dwindling sighs and his deep breaths.

“I thought...” she whispered again, her voice too hoarse for all the crying. Neji cut her off by pulling a lock of pink hair affectionately.

“I told you, Sakura,” he whispered back in her ear as he breathed in her slightly antiseptic odor and the underlying scent he loved so much, spring and vanilla. “I won’t leave you alone. Not now, not ever.”

“As much as I want to believe that... there will be a time when I will not be able to save you.”

“Taika, look at me,” he said with his most gentle tone, but with a hint of steel under it. “I cannot promise you that I always come back unscathed, nor will I stain our bond with empty words. I will come back to you, you can be sure of it. When I fail to do so...” he trailed of, knowing that she would pick up the sentence.

“I will not be alone, because you will be keeping an eye on me,” she sniffled, curling her lips in a shy smile.

Neji grunted his approval, as he lifted his lips to hers.

“You better believe it,” he whispered, earning a snort from her.

Seeing her laughing at his impromptu sarcasm, he realized that his birthday was not a grim date anymore. As the days passed, he found that his life next to his pink-haired kunoichi was filled with challenges, as well as with good memories and tender moments.

He had changed from the ever hard-ass shinobi who only cared about his clan; the day he learned how to really look into her eyes, just after she stood up after the defeat of one Akatsuki member -the very first of them!-, he understood that pride could be demonstrated in different manners.

And Sakura, seeing him relax under her embrace and falling back to a content slumber, sighed with the uttermost relief. He didn’t need to know how close he was to death this time; all her chakra and quite a bit of her life essence were poured recklessly into his prostrated body, just as her mind chanted over and over for him not to go away, not just yet, to please come back and to not leave her alone.

She risked her own life bringing him back, but no one had to know about it.

As her head fell back on the wall, she randomly thought that her actions could be considered as his birthday gift. Could be, yes...

She fell asleep under the watchful gaze of one blonde Godaime Hokage, who was checking in on them from the door.

Ever the careless ones, she mused wistfully as she closed the door. Happy birthday, Hyuuga, enjoy the new life Sakura pulled for you.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

6. - Messing with the cooking

For someone as independent as the number one surprising ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, what he was attesting in this special occasion was incredibly amazing.

Sakura, dressed in her daily attires with the add-on of a white apron, ducking her head timely, avoiding a rather sharp kitchen knife as she flipped it towards her cooking partner.

Neji, wearing his characteristically serious Hyuuga garments minus the white haori, snatched the knife from the air and proceeded to chop the cucumbers and carrots necessary to create the dish they were preparing: it wasn’t ramen, to Naruto’s dismay.

But it was fine, since he knew that both pink-haired kunoichi and snowy-eyed shinobi were very skilled in the kitchen. Only when cooking together, though, the Hokage wannabe pondered, for neither of the aforementioned people paid any attention to his whines about starvation on a mission nor when one of them wasn’t around.

Today was, indeed, a special occasion. Hinata had passed her Jounin exam, leveling her with the others in their initial class, except for Sasuke, who was now an ANBU Captain just like Neji; Sakura was the ANBU Chief Medic and Shikamaru the Chief Tactician of the white ops.

ANBU, Naruto had said, was not his coup of grace. With Sasuke back in Konoha he pretty much forgot about that specific branch of ninja ranks. He didn’t need to become an ANBU to prove how strong he was, like Sakura had said to him once. He was the Hokage-in-training; the whole village had seen how much he had grown. And Konoha accepted him for who he was and what his roots were, not what he had sealed up inside.

“Oi, knucklehead,” a snap of pale fingers brought him back from his reverie, blinking towards three pairs of eyes –two the color of fresh clouds, one the color of gorgeous forests– that were staring at him, puzzled.

“Are you okay?” Sakura questioned, raising one of her pink brows in concern. Naruto shook his head and smiled.

"I’m fine! I was just… thinking,” he explained, winking to a flustered Hyuuga Heiress by his side. Hinata just smiled.

“And since it is such a great feat, my best guess is that he got lost inside his own mind,” a sarcastic Hyuuga ANBU Captain remarked with a caustic smirk on his face as he started to pour the minutely chopped vegetables into the bubbling pot. Sakura snorted unladylike and swatted him on the arm.

“Don’t be so mean to poor Naruto,” she scolded him with a wicked grin of her own. “He just got his neurons to start functioning; it’s perfectly understandable for him to get zapped by the synapses.”

“Better that than a Chidori through his head,” Sasuke sneered from the couch, making Kiba and Tenten laugh.

“Besides, this is Hinata’s celebration, it’s not as if you are allowed to steal her thunder,” Ino pointed out from the window, keeping a close eye on what Chouji was wolfing down.

“Maa, Ino-pig, we aren’t going to allow him to space out on this special dinner party,” Sakura intervened with a smile, as she took two steps to her right as Neji passed by to gather more vegetables and a pack of rice, which he threw at his emerald-eyed life partner. Catching it nimbly, she opened the bag and added the contents to the pot she was tending closely.

They were observed amusedly by all Rookie Twelve companions as they danced around each other while the food was cooked, sharing jokes with their guests and pouring drinks to spirit up their gathering.

Recruiting Tenten and Lee to prepare the low coffee table to serve the delicious dinner they had prepared was a must. Team Gai was used to Neji’s personal culinary touch, for he was rather strict with food flavors since that Curry of Life fiasco, episode which had Sakura reduced to a puddle of laughter when she was told about it, much to her lover’s chagrin.

Snapping a pair of chopsticks and stabbing Chouji’s probing fingers aiming for the sushi rolls with them, Sakura kept conversing with Ino, Kiba and Tenten about Hinata’s combat skills, pretty much ignoring Naruto’s grumbles and Hinata’s attempts to hide from the spotlight.

When they were all seated around the low table, Neji raised his porcelain cup.

“To my cousin, Hinata.”

Naruto smiled at the Hyuuga’s lack of grace when he had to speak in front of an audience, but apparently it had the desired effect, as Hinata blushed when all of them started to cheer and clap loudly.

“I knew you could do it!” exclaimed a grinning Kiba while Shino nodded his assent.

“Indeed,” said Lee, with a stream of tears falling from his eyes. “Nothing can stop the power of youth!”

The whole table let out a laugh at the Green Beast’s antics.

“So, Hinata, what are your plans for this new rank?” asked Shikamaru, avoiding carefully the roasted meat –Chouji’s favorite. The Hyuuga girl cleared her throat, embarrassed when she noticed all eleven pairs of eyes on her.

“I... I-I... etto... I don’t know yet...”

“I think it’s okay, Hinata-chan,” soothed Sakura, as she served rice on her plate and a bit of grilled chicken. “When I achieved Jounin I didn’t think what I was going to do, I was too busy with the Hospital and such... but then Akatsuki appeared and I was forced to decide if I was going to remain here as a sensei or if I was going to the war with you guys.”

A little frown appeared on Neji’s lips, obvious to his former teammates and Naruto, who had taken upon himself the task to observe his sister and her significant other’s interaction. She was speaking about the war with the Akatsuki, which swallowed the lives of many shinobi, with a reverent but grim voice.

“I was rather torn,” relayed the pink-haired kunoichi. “I wanted to fight, but I also wanted to heal. For a medic-nin, this position is quite stressful, because our abilities to heal are to be employed into killing. Most of our colleagues don’t have the stomach to do that, right, Ino?”

The blonde nodded, smacking Kiba’s chopsticks with her own to keep him from stealing her food. “It was horrible for us,” she admitted. “I wanted to be here, but when Chouji and Shika told me they were going to fight the bastard that killed Asuma-sensei... I just snapped. I knew I had to be there, even if I had to follow them.”

“And that she did,” Chouji grumbled with his mouth full of meat. “She sneaked out of the village to follow our party. But if she hadn’t I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

“We thought the same when Lee asked me to stay, when we went on that mission to Suna?” Tenten said, accepting the iced tea that Shino poured into her glass. “I had to kick his ass to make him understand that I wasn’t going to be left behind.”

“Team issues are troublesome,” Shika sighed, earning a few laughs. “The good thing is that we are alive,” he added, tapping a new cigarette box and removing its wrapping.

“But we’re going to die if you light that disgusting thing at the table, Shikamaru,” scolded Sakura, clicking her chopsticks. “At least wait until we’re finished, for Kami’s sake.”

“This war hardened us,” Hinata mused in a whisper. “But now we are all together, and that has to count for something, right?”

“Right!” Naruto exclaimed, making her jump a little. “You know, Sakura-chan, Tenten-chan, Ino and you, Hinata-chan, are the most awesome kunoichi of the village,” he said excitedly, earning a few glares from the males. “I always learned something with you guys... and proved that even the most delicate person can shatter or severe a limb in your own way.”

“Naruto, have you been stealing Shika’s cigarettes again?” asked Kiba, eliciting a row of laughter from everyone.

“Oh, shut up, mutt,” grumbled Sasuke, finally adding something to the conversation. Sakura laughed at the Inuzuka’s growl, and waved her hands to attract the attention of the table back to her.

“Thank you, Naruto, for your kind words,” she smiled sweetly at him, converting her smile into a wicked grin that made the blond ninja squeak. “But if you think because we’re women we’re going to let you do whatever you want, you are sorely mistaken,” a snort at her side made her laugh again. “At least, someone had to learn that the hard way, am I right?”

“A wise man said once that a pissed kunoichi is a spawn from hell,” declared the Hyuuga prodigy while he placed his chopsticks besides his plate, making all the males in the table snicker. “But that same wise man encountered a certain ANBU Chief Medic and realized that even the most becoming flowers had twisted thorns to retaliate.”

“Oh?” asked Sasuke, looking a bit interested behind his sake. “And who was that wise man, Hyuuga?”

“Ero-sennin,” said Naruto, with a wistful expression. “Sakura-chan caught him peeking into the girl’s onsen when she was there with Tsunade-baachan and she punted him into oblivion.”

“I had to heal him afterwards, but he learned to avoid me when I went to the bathhouse. And I noticed that he had all his tenketsu closed before his release from the hospital. And to the very day he left for Amegakure, he didn’t say who beat him up...”

Neji’s candid, blank face made her laugh again, accompanied by Lee, Tenten and Hinata.

Watching them share memories and fond, sad and joyful moments was precious to the blond shinobi. Far back were left that haughty arrogance that graced the Hyuuga when he was young, and that lovesick crybaby girl who always froze at the sight of a battle. Before him sat two of the most powerful assets of Konohagakure no Sato, one with his white eyes glinting in amusement at Sakura’s story, Naruto realized that both were a force to be reckoned with, and that sort of dance they performed when they were cooking was just a little peek on their most harmonic intimacy.

“Oi, Naruto!” Kiba called out. “What’s with you, man? You’ve been off all night!”

“Shut up, mutt!” he shot back with a mock glare.

“It’s true, Naruto,” deadpanned their ever gracious host. “You have been mostly out of character this evening. Have your neurons deserted you already?”

“And you, Iceman, have you dislodged that pole out of your ass?”

“Naruto!” Sakura intervened, launching her chopsticks to the blond’s head. “Stop bickering and help me with the dishes, you good for nothing ototo! And Sasuke, please help Neji with the sake and the tea while I get the cake... and don’t even think of serving sake to Lee.”

Rubbing his sore temple, Naruto nodded humbly as he and the dark-haired man stood to obey her biddings. A few punches made them realize that it wasn’t wise to anger her. Even Sasuke knew this, for he didn’t comment or protest when she asked anything of him, Naruto thought with his arms already dipped in the bubbly sink.

Behind him, Sakura hummed as she took out the little plates for the cake, sending out a wink to the snowy-eyed man as he passed with the flasks, who offered her a little smirk in return.

Naruto smiled to himself. Yup, a force to be reckoned with.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

8. - Sleeping habits (Kinda of a follow up to Theme #11)

A most revealing thought struck the Hyuuga prodigy when he lay down in his childhood bed the night he and his life partner had to stay over at the Hyuuga Compound for a very early meeting with the Clan Elders.

He just couldn’t sleep without her at his side.

Mentally groaning, Neji turned on his side, remembering the time they had been almost caught by the patrolling chuunin in the Hokage Mountain. They had been making love on the top of the Shodai’s head, as they liked to have the stars over them as they reinforced their bond through their bodies. Sakura had thrown a genjutsu at the poor chuunin, allowing both ANBU-ranked ninja to flee the site without being spotted.

It had been a good adventure but much too dangerous, she pointed out with a laugh in their warm bed that night.

Now, knowing that she was sleeping in Hinata’s room while he had to stay in his former quarters, he simply couldn’t catch any sleep. Their liaison had bloomed into love on the night she almost lost her life bringing him back to the world of the living at the hospital, and he found out that he could only relax –sleep was overrated when the body couldn’t rest, he pondered once– at her side. It didn’t matter if they were sleeping on a tree branch, the hard floor or even in a dingy cave. The thing was that his body just knew when she was there, soothing his muscles into a good night’s respite.

Neji knew that his attachment to the pink-haired kunoichi was seen as a weakness by many relatives, as they liked to criticize their decision to live together without a marriage contract. The ANBU Captain had no qualms about this, and Sakura had cleverly pointed out that she didn’t have the intention to allow the Hyuuga Clan to have a say in their relationship.

It worked for a while but later on, the very Hokage, supported by the Clan Head, his uncle, had dunked their professional aspirations to the ground because they just didn’t understand Neji and Sakura’s reasons to live in a free union, without a signed paper.

The silvery-eyed shinobi knew that it took a very stressful time for his life partner and a near breakup to make her shishou and his uncle understand how deep their bond was; finally achieving the positions they wanted and rapidly escalating into the Ten Top Ranked Ninja in the whole Konohagakure no Sato.

As an ANBU Captain, his tactics were rather rigorous, but effective, earning him the title of Iceman, while Sakura earned the title of Tigress because of one incident in which she went berserk in an S-Class mission with her former teammates, pummeling the missing-nin into the next century because he dared to call her weak.

Therefore, they had walked half of their professional life together, and they simply didn’t care whatever a bunch of stuck-up Clan Elders and old-fashioned Hyuuga maidens had to say about their rather satisfactory relationship.

Turning on his other side, he regarded the moon that filtered through the blinds of his window as he kept going over the days he had spent with his lover. Sakura was moody but sweet, intelligent but innocent in some matters, quick to anger but also quick to understand and to heal; she had a mean hook but her hands were gentle when she touched him, she had a gleeful laugh and an amazing sense of humor, but she also had a wicked side that made all the people who knew her blanch and recoil in her presence. She was witty and expressive, wearing her emotions on her sleeve and had a soothing manner that brought him peace and serenity when he most needed it.

All in all, she was perfect for him, in his opinion.

Neji was so distracted with his thoughts that he failed to perceive a hand that slid open the shoji door noiselessly, and a figure that slipped into his bedroom stealthily. But he did notice the warm body that lay down next to him, breaking him out of his reverie when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

Turning back, his pearly eyes met emerald colored ones that glittered in the moonlight.

“I can’t sleep,” she whispered, bringing her face to his chest, reveling in his scent –forest, wind and cinnamon–, while he breathed into her hair, enjoying the vanilla and cinnamon fragrances that mixed together into her unique aroma made him forget everything.

“I’m sure the Clan Elders will throw a fit if they find out you’re here,” he murmured in her ear, his tone amused enough for her to let out a soft laugh.

“Hinata promised to wake us up before everybody rises in order to get me back to her room,” she said softly, trailing the tip of her nose down his neck and delivering a little kiss on his skin. “She said I was tossing and turning too much.”

“I can picture that,” he retorted with a little smirk. “I couldn’t catch any sleep either.”

Sakura smiled into his neck, as he arranged the covers around their bodies.

“Rest, love,” she whispered, as his strong arms returned the embrace, feeling his relaxed body press into hers and his beautiful face buried into her neck.

It was only after a few minutes that she realized that he was slumbering deeply, the stress and tiredness finally taking a toll on him.

Sakura knew that he couldn’t sleep without her; he had confessed it one morning when she returned from a night shift at the hospital and noticed the bags under his gorgeous eyes. It was a wonder that he could get some sleep while he was away on a mission, but she perfectly knew that those little breaks were catnaps, and he only allowed himself to get a proper rest only when she was there with him.

She also was aware that the Clan Elders were about to give their verdict about his choosing to court someone outside the Hyuuga Family. This made her nervous when Hiashi had told her about the meeting that was about to take place in a few hours, but Neji had assured her that, even if they had to elope or exile, no one was going to interfere with their love. They had proved themselves enough to the village and it was better for everyone else to understand that, her onyx-haired Hyuuga prodigy had stated with a resolute tone.

Sakura had the feeling that Tsunade had relayed to Hiashi all about her last reckless maneuver, when she saved Neji’s life by pouring half of her essential energy into his dying body, almost losing her own in the process. She cut her shishou’s berating off with the confidence that she simply couldn’t let him go, not like that.

Tsunade realized then how deeply in love her protégé was with the hard-ass Hyuuga, and judging by the way he gave a tender smile –a real smile!– to the emerald-eyed medic when he regained consciousness, he returned her feelings with the same intensity.

Sakura was no fool. She had earned that Tigress nickname by sheer strength and hard work; everybody at headquarters knew that she didn’t take shit from anyone, not even from her teammates, her family or her life partner. Everyone knew about the time she punched her old love Sasuke into three walls when Naruto finally managed to bring him back, not speaking to him until a whole year had passed. She had grown into a fine kunoichi, a kunoichi that was listed in two Bingo Books as the one that had defeated a bunch of missing-nins, including one of Akatsuki’s members.

But that didn’t mean anything to her. It was just statistics, as she had told her future lover once when they were coming back from a mission to Sand, the very same mission that demonstrated how much she had achieved over the years and made him realize that she was indeed a force to be reckoned with, admitting some respect to her as a fellow ninja.

But respect had evolved into friendship, and friendship into longing, and longing into fondness, and she realized one day that she was doomed, for she had fallen in love with the infamous Konoha’s Ice Prince. She wanted to take the next mission to Suna and stay there until she crushed all those feelings she shouldn’t have for her snowy-eyed friend –her friend!–, but destiny and fate teamed up against her, throwing her balance off when he shielded her against an enemy’s katana.

She had used the release jutsu when he finally told her how special she was for him, because it was an outrageous dream and she was sure that someone out there just knew how to mess with her paranoid and divided mind. Even now, a couple of years later, he liked to tease her about that decisive moment when she showed him how very cat-like she was when she almost jumped out of her skin when he stole her first kiss.

Sakura knew that she should be resting, gathering energy and patience to deal with his family the next morning, but for the life of her she couldn’t catch any sleep.

“Your thoughts are so loud that they don’t let me sleep,” Neji murmured, startling her. He was indeed awake, but his deep breathing had fooled her. Opening a pearly eye to regard her two distracted viridian ones, he added, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong...” she trailed off in a whisper. “I just can’t sleep, and I don’t know why.”

He let out a sigh. “Turn around,” he requested softly, changing their position until her back was pressed into his chest and he encased her body within his arms.

Breathing deeply, knowing that no one could reach her while she was protected by her love, Sakura finally drifted off into the realm of dreams.

-*-

Neji woke up first to the slight rasp on the door. Slipping from Sakura’s grasp, he nodded at a sleepy Hinata and allowed her entrance into his room. Going back to the bed, he noticed his pink-haired medic’s curious position while slumbering: both hands fisted, one cradled into her chest, as the other was draped on her face, shielding her eyes from view.

“She looks like a sleeping cat,” Hinata whispered, making him let out a low chuckle.

Indeed, that Tigress nickname suited her beautifully, he thought with a little smile as Hinata called to her softly. Neji marveled at the beauty of her emerald eyes when she opened them and yawned lazily, earning a giggle from the Hyuuga Heiress and an amused chuckle from the ANBU Captain.

“What time is it?” she asked in a husky murmur. Hinata lifted a hand, showing her five stretched fingers. With a groan, Sakura got up, accompanying the purple-haired young woman back to her quarters in order to get prepared for the meeting, but not before trailing her fingers on Neji’s waist after a quick embrace.

A while later, Neji saw her entering the room where breakfast was being served. Her eyes were now alert and a bit apprehensive, but they softened when they encountered his pearly colored ones. She was a walking contradiction, his uncle had said to him when he finally broke the news to him about his moving out of the Compound to join his life to the one of the Godaime’s protégé, and he had to agree as she threw him a smile as she took her place beside him.

And now, seeing his fiery Tigress in that gorgeous red kimono, her hair piled up into a classy bun and a bit of color touching her cheeks, he simply couldn’t understand how he had spent half of his life without her.

Linking his fingers with hers, he gave her a hidden, reassuring smile as they waited, not so patiently, for the meeting to commence.

But unsurprisingly, Neji’s mind was still reveling at the remembered picture of a certain slumbering pink-haired kunoichi, resembling a lazy cat enjoying an afternoon nap.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

Heeeee! Hope you like them! 8D

[Naruto] Silver and Emerald Days [NejiSaku] Themes 1, 7, 14~

2007-12-31T06:15:42Z

Ho-kay! The last post of the year and also three more installments of this collab. Happy New Year, minna! :D

As I stated before, Silver and Emerald Days is a drabble collection by celticoak and zelha. Neji now lives with Sakura, as their partnership has escalated to another level. Companionship and brilliant love among the two genii.

And this time, much love to sometime_usagi, who was kind enough to beta these on such short notice. Thank you soooo much, honey! ♥

Also, I want to point out that #7 is a some sort of an interactive drabble. At the end you will find two little gifts to accompany the experience. ;D

1. - Meeting the Family

Sakura wrung her hands out of anxiety. As much as she wanted to hightail out of the mess she was currently in, she knew it was impossible. It was a nuisance, her lover had told her, but a necessary one nonetheless.

If they wanted to be left alone by old geezers and stupid traditions, they needed to make a formal appearance at Hanabi’s birthday party.

Feeling smothered inside her red and white kimono, her fingers felt the kunai ring under the thick fabric, the concealed metal weapon reassuring her somewhat after all the nervousness of being inspected like a pink bug under the scrutiny and the glares of several Hyuuga relatives. The snowy-eyed males were eyeing her form appreciatively, but the females were downright glowering belligerently at her unsettled eyes.

“Sakura,” a murmur snapped her out of her thoughts, and the odd feeling she had about being a prey dissipated when Neji approached her with a gentle look. “Sorry for the delay. My uncle wanted to talk to me.”

Sakura nodded, blushing faintly when he slipped a hand under her arm and started leading her to the Main House garden. “Where are we going?”

“Outside for a moment. You seem flustered.”

Damn right she was, as usual, she thought sarcastically as they stepped out to the engawa. Walking slowly on the wood boards, they reached the austere garden, where all the flowers were purple or white, the bushes were perfectly cut and no undergrowth was overlooked.

“My uncle said you looked gorgeous,” he said in a whisper, leading her to the pebbled trail. She shook her head, denying such statement coming from the Hyuuga Clan Head.

“I left the geta at the front, I can’t go there in my tabi,” she explained, only to let out a squeal when the ever nimble ANBU Captain snaked his arms around her and lifted her easily. “Neji!” she hissed, alarmed. “What are you doing?!”

“I want to have a private talk with my significant other, of course,” he said seriously, as he walked down the garden trail and made way to a bench under a tree. Sitting down, he placed his precious burden on his lap. “I know you were nervous because of all these people. Most of my female cousins are quite a handful.”

Sakura sighed. “They weren’t hiding their contempt at having me here,” she said. “If I was dressed like always, I might probably felt different, but this kimono is so restraining...”

“I wasn’t lying before, my uncle said you looked beautiful,” he murmured with a hint of proud in his amused voice.

“I don’t buy that, Neji,” she drawled suspiciously. “Hiashi-sama wouldn’t say anything like that.”

“Well, he said you looked ‘quite becoming’ with your attire,” he responded. “I just merely translated his sentiment more accurately for you.”

Sakura let out an incredulous laugh. “I find that hard to believe, seriously... and why are your cousins so hostile? I’d rather to face some Sound nins instead of them, really.”

“You and me both, Taika,” he quipped. “They are a handful, as I stated before. Most of them are mad because I chose to court someone from outside the Clan, whereas the others are jealous of your achievements as Tsunade-sama’s protégé.”

“I guess they think that a girl with pink hair and no Kekkei Genkai shouldn’t be the Hokage’s apprentice, ne?”

Neji sighed. “Please don’t get mad, Sakura. They just don’t know the real you.”

“I’m not mad, love, I assure you,” she whispered, placing her head on Neji’s shoulder. “I’m just... uncomfortable, watching all those people staring at me like I were some sort of a circus freak.”

“This gathering will end soon,” he whispered. “Then we could go home and you can burn that kimono if you want.”

“Are you insane? I love this kimono!” she shot back, already knowing he was just trying to cheer her up. “And I think you’ll be the one mourning it if I burn it.”

“I do not know what you are talking about, woman,” Neji said with a blank face, making her giggle.

“We need to give Hanabi her present, though,” Sakura said after a few silent, peaceful moments. “Before they call us for dinner.”

“Of course,” he agreed, standing up again and carrying her back to the engawa. After discarding his geta, they entered the hall, locating Hanabi beside her father and sister, nodding to something Naruto –of all people– was saying.

“Kami help us,” she whispered. Neji nodded, clasping her hand in a reassuring squeeze.

Approaching them, Sakura composed a smile and knelt next to Hinata, Neji in tow.

“Please tell me he’s not drunk,” she whispered to the Hyuuga Heir. Hinata smothered a giggle under her kimono sleeve and shook her head.

“Ah, Sakura-chan!” greeted the only blond ninja among the sea of chocolate, onyx and purple heads. “I was telling Hanabi-chan about your battle against Sasori!”

“Is it true you destroyed the entire cave?” she asked, white eyes wide in awe. Feeling all the Hyuuga eyes on her, she nodded.

“But how is that possible?” said one nameless female relative. “You look certainly frail to be a kunoichi, let alone destroying a whole cave without using a Doton jutsu.”

Promptly picked in her most sensitive side, Sakura showed a wicked grin that made Naruto lean back with an eek and Neji blanch.

“Looks can be deceiving, Hyuuga-san,” she responded, melting her devilish façade into a cheerful one. Slipping her fingers inside her obi, she flipped a small package in front of the younger daughter of Hiashi. “Here, Hanabi-chan,” she added warmly. “This is from Neji and I. Enjoy it.”

Unwrapping the little parcel quickly but neatly, despite the outraged murmurs around her, Hanabi’s eyes lit with happiness when she lifted a tiny scroll.

“It’s a summoning scroll, cousin,” said Neji. “You can store things in that in order to conceal them. We believe it will come useful if you go on a mission in a humid location.”

“Kami, Neji-nii, this is awesome!” exclaimed said kunoichi in a vehement whisper. “Thank you so much, Sakura-nee, Neji-nii, I’m most grateful for your present.”

Nodding approvingly of the present and his daughter’s response, Hiashi looked at Sakura.

“She could be a role model to you, Hanabi. Being the Hokage’s apprentice and having her incredible strength has escalated Sakura-san into the Bingo Book. You’d do well to pay attention to what she says to you.”

Having Neji telling her sweet nothings in private didn’t prepare Sakura to such statement from the Hyuuga Head, especially in front of the entire Clan. Flushing prettily, she bowed her head in speechless thanks.

“It seems your partner does not have enough compliments paid to her in the past, nephew,” continued Hiashi, now with an amused glint in his pearly eyes. “It’s a good thing to do in the future, Neji, do not forget this.”

“I won’t, Hiashi-sama,” said the young ANBU Captain, having caught the real meaning behind his uncle’s words. “I am most thankful for her presence in my life.”

“Let’s gather for dinner, then,” ordered Hiashi, standing up and leading his younger offspring to the dining room. Naruto was led by Hinata, who started whispering something to the blond while he was nodding enthusiastically.

As they stood up and joined the others, Sakura shot a look to her lover. He seemed content, but Sakura knew better.

“What was that all about?” she mouthed. He slipped a tiny smile on his lips as he leaned to whisper on her ear.

“Don’t underestimate my uncle’s sight,” he breathed. “He knows that our relatives have been rather rude towards you.”

So that was why he paid those compliments to her, to spite the other members of the family?

The unspoken question hung in the air between them. “Wait until they know you are an ANBU-ranked kunoichi,” he continued, with sarcastic amusement in his murmur. “They will fall from their seats. I am looking forward to that, actually.”

Sakura snorted behind her hand. “Why you have to be so mean with them?”

Neji stopped walking and tugged her arm, making her look at him. His eyes were intense and fierce, making her gasp with all the emotions showing through them, despite the usual blank façade on the rest of his features.

“I do not find amusing their ill-speaking about the person I chose to be with,” he spoke. “They need to understand that I won’t back down from our union, no matter how much they whine against it. As long as we have my uncle’s approval, they might was well scream all they want.”

“Neji...” Sakura whispered, feeling his arms embracing her.

“Besides,” he added conspiringly. “I got what I wanted.”

“What?” she asked, walking again to the dining room, knowing they’d be expecting their presence.

“You in that kimono, looking so magnificent –like a royal princess, I might add– shutting them up ever so graciously. Best moment of the month, I swear.”

Sakura’s giggles were heard as soon as they opened the door, joining the Hyuuga Clan in the birthday celebration. It didn’t matter now how much the females were still scowling at her; as long as she had Neji by her side, she just didn’t care about anything else.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

7.- A secret hobby

It took a few weeks for the onyx-haired ANBU Captain to make out what was his life partner’s best kept secret.

He concluded that she was rather silly to hide that from him, despite all the reassuring conversations they had before, during and after the whole ‘moving in’ ordeal. But pondering it a bit, he found out she was kind of right to have kept that secret from him.

No, it wasn’t a tattoo. And she hadn’t skeletons stashed in her cupboard. Her secret was a silly one in nature, but rather dangerous when performing it.

Sakura liked to dance when alone, and only his Byakugan alerted him about her doings after a thorough and heated coupling.

Sliding under the shadows of their apartment, a vision under a flickering candle surprised him so much that rooted him on the spot.

His dear and darling medic-nin-slash-lover, lifting her hands over her head and swinging her hips to a beat that blared off her headphones. She was wearing his pajama shirt, as usual, the white fabric making a stark contrast with her golden skin under the candlelight.

Leaning on the hallway wall, he crossed his arm and enjoyed the impromptu show she was unwittingly giving him.

Falling in the rhythm, she leaned on one leg while taking the other in a demonstration of flexibility, flashing him with the obvious fact that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath the shirt but she didn’t act upon it. She was quite comfortable in her body, as Neji noted with a small smile, watching her spin and bend her body in a magnificent display of control and sensuality.

He loved how she was so light and lithe, making her so maneuverable when they were engaged in other activities –such as the ones performed early in the night– but now her assets were employed in a endearing and quite impressive exhibition.

His acute ears could pick up the song she was so engrossed listening to; it was one of her favorite beats. He remembered how incredibly sexy she looked when dancing with Tenten and Ino one night in the bar, earning a few catcalls and howls from the male shinobi gathered there.

He remembered how happy she looked, dancing with her friends as they struck a rhythm and started to move in a coordinated sync, steps and arms flailing as well as her smiles were cut by a whistle the three of them were shrilling, same whistle that was embedded in the song.

It was cute, seeing them dancing. And it was perfect when she pulled a flustered Hinata to them, convincing her to dance along and singing the lyrics to his blushing cousin. Interesting enough, she put aside her natural shyness and danced; all of them giggling when one of them placed a misstep, encouraging each other with claps and hoots and assertive words.

A gorgeous and hot performance, as the four kunoichi fell into another song and started teasing their teammates, singing along the female voice that was coming out of the bar’s speakers. He recalled Lee’s nosebleed and Naruto’s enthusiastic clapping, he remembered Kiba’s hooting and Shikamaru’s frustrated sighs, muttering about how troublesome was the resulting equation of the mix of alcohol, music and women.

He remembered Naruto bouncing on the dance floor to join the girls, followed closely by other two males, intent on claiming their girls before others had the mere thought of doing it. He also remembered his feet walking decisively to a certain pink-haired girl, startling her from her dancing haze by pulling her close to his body.

And they danced together, fused in a heated embrace that the rhythm was producing between them.

They moved in together by the end of that week.

Stepping inside the living room as silently as a cat, he waited that she stopped spinning to slip his arms around her waist, startling her and eliciting a shocked squeak.

“Neji!” she exclaimed, blushing to the roots of her hair seeing herself caught upon her performance. “I - I thought - I thought you were asleep!”

Her stammer was adorable, he concluded with a small smirk. She must have been dancing for quite some time, because her skin was warm and a bit sweaty.

“If you wanted to dance,” he murmured, after taking one of the headphones out of her ear. “You should have told me so, don’t you think?”

Pulling her hips to his, he placed the stray headphone in his ear and began leading her. Still blushing, she fell into his pace, noticing his small, smug smirk just before he started to whistle the song.

Sakura had to laugh, telling herself that she needed to share her other secrets with her snowy-eyed significant other.

The candle kept lighting them, as they shared a dance, while their hearts followed their rhythm.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

A/N: The songs described are “Love Generation” by Bob Sinclar and “Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. ;D

-*-*-*-*-*-

14. - Uncomfortable situations: PMS!Sakura

A tired Hyuuga Neji frowned when he entered the apartment, finding it dark and alone. He thought that his dear life partner was at home, seeing as she had to rest from a rather tiresome night shift at the hospital.

According to what Yamato had commented on a training break, a few comrades were found at the brink of death dear the border. Brought back by a patrolling ANBU team, the hospital went into a hectic frenzy as they determined that almost all of them were poisoned, meaning that Sakura, Shizune and even the Hokage herself had to treat them in order to save their lives.

They did, of course, but Sakura entered their abode looking like a ghost, for all the chakra spent on the healings and lack of fitful sleep, startling a sleepy onyx-haired Hyuuga, who was brooding about her absence in their bed that night.

Sending her to bed after a relaxing shower and tucking her in, he went to train knowing she would sleep the whole day and cursing the fact that he wasn’t there to watch after her, just in case she needed something. He knew she was a workaholic, just as he was, but that didn’t mean he didn’t worry about her and a possible burnout.

Closing his eyes briefly, he sensed her presence in their bedroom. Making his silent way to it, he noticed a brief scent of cinnamon in the air, as well as an increase in the temperature of the closed room. Opening the door, Neji saw his pink-haired bedmate lying face down on said surface, her legs pulled to her chest.

“What’s wrong, Taika?” he asked in a whisper, noticing her distress in her chakra pathways. She groaned and covered her face with her pillow.

Walking inside the room, he noticed the hot water bottle lying in the floor next to the bed. Suddenly dawning on him what was happening to Sakura as he remembered the marked day in the kitchen calendar, he sat next to her curled form, placing a hand on her back and starting to rub soothingly.

“Want me to fill up a hot bath for you?” he asked. She lifted the pillow and stared at his snowy eyes with dull emerald ones, making him sympathize with her pain.

“I already took a shower...” she answered in a strained murmur. “I hate when this happens, I should have chakra to counter these cramps.”

“In your defense, you had some tough cases last night. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he lectured softly. “Come on, we need to soothe your body.”

-*-

“Neji?” she asked, cheeks flaming as he sank her on the warm water. “Why do you put up with me in my cycle? Every guy I know runs away as fast as they can when they notice my mood swings.”

“I know how nasty you can get when you have your period, that’s perfectly normal,” he explained, picking her clothes and placing them in a cold water bucket. “And your teammates are bound to run away because you always beat them to a pulp.”

“That’s because they always say that I’m an unstable hag!” she snapped angrily.

“Sai doesn’t know about moods, remember?” he asked patiently, watching her anger dissipate in the hot water. “And you ask Naruto for understanding?”

“I know... I’m sorry, Neji,” she said, starting to tear up a little. He let out a sigh and took a chocolate bar out of his sweater pocket, unwrapping it and cracking it.

“Don’t be. Open up,” he instructed, placing the chocolate square inside her mouth. Placing the rest of the chocolate in the little table near the tub, he lit another cinnamon candle and got the soaked clothes in the bucket.

“I’ll get these to the washing machine and change the bedding. You, relax.”

Finding herself alone for the time being, Sakura let out a deep sigh. It was the second time in a year of sharing her home –and her bed– to one Hyuuga Neji, that he forgoes his own comfort to accommodate hers. Her cycle was a rather known topic for him, seeing that he kept count on her days much better than herself, because he was of the opinion that a healthy partnership was about knowing all the perks and quirks of the other.

She was told of certain peculiar habits of her lover, and she had to share the mathematics of her menstrual cycle with him to comply with his gentle demands.

But still, she was incredibly disturbed about the fact that he, of all people, was changing the bed clothing and getting her own garments to wash up. No man in Konoha –hell, no man in the whole world, let alone a shinobi– understood the mechanics of a woman’s “unclean time”, so they took the easy way out of those predicaments: avoiding said PMS-entrenched woman until she was back to normal a few days later.

That’s why Neji’s understanding behavior was highly unsettling for an independent woman like Haruno Sakura, who liked to hide her weaknesses from everyone.

But, living with a man was different than living with her mother, aunt or a girl friend. That meant she had to share a few intimate things with him, especially those body-related like shaving, taking a shower together and other things.

Feeling her chakra building up inside her and soothing the pain she was feeling as a non-conscious body reflex, she placed her head in the tub’s edge, thanking Kami for Neji’s thoughtfully prepared bath with the scents she loved and needed to help her chakra reserves restore in a slow but fitful manner.

Sensing the pain ebbing away, she let out another deep sigh and a relieved smile graced her features, which was not missed by the man leaning in the bathroom door. He was currently watching her with his Byakugan activated, checking how her chakra pathways were filling up again with her life energy.

“Feeling better?” he asked softly. She opened an eye and offered him a drowsy smile.

“Yes, thanks to you,” she whispered. “I’ll be okay in a few minutes.”

“Take your time, there’s no rush,” he quipped, starting to remove his clothes.

“What are you doing?” she asked, surprised at his sudden strip show but not at all complaining about it.

“I think I pulled a muscle in training today,” he explained, showing her the vast extent of his exposed back. Certainly, her expert eyes located the pulled muscle in his right shoulder. “Mind of I join you?”

“Of course not,” she said, opening the faucet and pulling the stopper to drain the used water in order to refill the tub without losing the water level.

Sitting between her legs, he allowed her hands to work on the strained muscle, and after a few grunts and clenched teeth the much sought relief appeared under her skillful massage.

Satisfied, Sakura hummed her approval when he leaned back to her chest, tucking his head on her shoulder.

“I guess we’re getting older,” he drawled, relaxed and eyes closed. She snorted at the sarcastic remark.

“At least we’ve got hot water,” she alleged, watching him lifting a foot to the water tap.

“Not anymore,” he pointed out, retracting his limb after turning the tap off. Sakura grimaced.

“Do we have to get out?” she asked innocently, digging his shoulder with her chin. He chuckled quietly.

“Not just yet. I guess the cramps are gone?”

“A bit, yes,” Sakura answered, with a playful tone. He opened one pearly eye to shoot a mock-glare at her.

“Taika, don’t tell me you ate the entire chocolate bar?” he asked, seeing her wicked grin.

“Okay, I won’t tell you.”

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

You know what to do! 8D

[Naruto] Silver and Emerald Days [NejiSaku] Themes 5, 11~

2007-12-13T03:38:41Z

More ficcage for you guys! ^___^

As I said in the latest post, Silver and Emerald Days is a drabble collection by celticoak and zelha. Neji now lives with Sakura, as their partnership has escalated to another level. Companionship and brilliant love among the two genii.

Much love to celticoak for her awesome -and fast!- betaing skills on both shots!! 8D

5. - Absences during a mission

It wasn’t like Neji to start daydreaming in the middle of training. So he had to wait until he got home to ponder on his pink-haired medic’s absence.

“Just an escort mission,” she had said as she packed her essentials into her favorite backpack. “I’ll be back in a week.”

And nine days later, he was almost tearing his skin off with worry.

He knew that she was more than a capable kunoichi; hell, she was the very first to take down an Akatsuki member, one of the most dangerous. Sakura had said one too many times that she wasn’t alone in that particular battle, but she allowed him to whisper in her ear how strong and incredible she was when she needed it the most.

The Hyuuga prodigy was nothing less than supportive with his life-partner, as he liked to call and label their relationship, but all Konoha (and mostly, their friends) knew that he was incapable of calling Sakura ‘his girlfriend’, because that label was too much for them. He sure liked to be around the pink-haired woman, otherwise he wouldn’t have moved in with her. But, past the ‘lover’ label and all those foolish words that, in his opinion, hampered the autonomy and the independence of their relationship, deep down, he liked to call her sweet nothings, only when no one was around.

Therefore, he sat at the windowsill, watching the stars from time to time, but more often focusing his snowy eyes on the dark streets of a silent Konoha autumn night.

Neji missed Sakura, which was more than obvious. He expected her back two days ago, preparing a nice dinner which almost went to waste if it weren’t for Naruto’s grand entrance into their humble abode, who told an unnerved Neji that his emerald-eyed sister had to stay back in their appointed village due to a complicated bout of some disease thingy, as the blond had relayed.

It was safe to say that the Hyuuga was more than worried for the safety and health of his one and only significant other, but he was sure as hell that his neat but rather explicative frown was sufficient enough for all his comrades and teammates to stay out of his range, consequences being dire.

He sighed, leaning his face against the cool window glass. Then, he saw it.

A cloaked figure was walking hurriedly, making its way towards his apartment. One second of Byakugan and two more to let out a relieved sigh, he went to open the door and greet the other half of his soul...

...Only to have her falling into his arms from exhaustion.

Breathing into her hair, he realized that she had pushed herself to her limits to come back with him, even to the point of falling unconscious, but at home.

Tucking her into bed after cleaning most of the travel grime off her body and slipping one of his shirts –she always liked to wear them as pajamas– on, he allowed himself a respite now that he knew and saw she was back at his side, safe and sound.

Watching her breathe heavily due to her tiredness, he opened his eyes in surprise when the significance of her presence after days of absence hit him.

Neji not only had missed Sakura, but also craved her presence.

Her penchant to hum a silly song in the mornings, even when she knew he was not easily amused during breakfast time, reveling in a cup of coffee made by her and presented to him with a sleepy smile as soon as he got out of the bathroom; her amazing ability to bring calmness to his most stressed self when arriving from a mission or a training session with his team, even when he had a discordance with his uncle; how endearing she looked when she made faces at the mirror when she thought he wasn’t looking, while fixing her hair in a quick ponytail before heading out to the kitchen or the hospital; how her sweet words went straight to his heart, whispering to his distracted ear that she was heading to bed and please, don’t read in this light that hurts your eyes, my prince.

He was sure he loved her. How couldn’t he, after all what they had been through?

“Neji...?” her voice broke his reverie. Looking up, she extended a hand towards him.

He complied, of course. “What is it, Sakura?”

“I missed you, love,” she breathed deeply as sleep took her again, this time embracing him tightly.

Neji only needed to feel her next to him to agree.

“I missed you too, my dear.”

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

11. - Role models don't approve something in the relationship

Remembering how hard it was for them to overcome with the usual scorn from friends and family –Neji’s family–, when they finally decided to move in together after a year of hidden meetings and kisses stolen under the moon shadows, Sakura sighed.

“You look troubled,” said Neji in a whisper, seeing her so engrossed with the scroll she was supposed to encode for the Godaime. “Is it too difficult to translate?”

Sakura blinked, looking at his sitting form. “No, it’s just that...”

He raised a brow. “What is it?”

“Remember what your uncle and Tsunade-shishou said about us?” she asked. Sensing the rather difficult topic that she was about to bring up, he nodded, standing to his full height from the balcony and approaching her as she spoke her insecurities. “It’s been another year, and they seem so adamant in blocking your promotion to the ANBU Captainship and... shishou retracted from her promise to endorse me as ANBU Chief Medic as well...”

Neji sat next to her, listening. It was hard for him to work under rookie operatives that were promoted when he was the next on the list. Also, he knew how frustrated his pink-haired partner was because she badly wanted the position she was denied.

“It’s just that...” she hesitated. “I keep thinking that if we are separated, maybe we could achieve the ranks we wanted...”

“What are you saying, Sakura?” he murmured, looking at her clouded eyes. “You are implying that we need to break up in order to advance in our careers?”

“That’s not what I meant!” she exclaimed, rubbing her arms unconsciously due to the frosty tone he had used. “I knew you wanted that position, Neji... and I feel awful because I’m restraining you...”

The Hyuuga prodigy sighed, slipping an arm around her back and pulling her to his chest. They sat in silence for a while, until he sensed that her heart was about to burst with anxiety.

“Sakura,” he started, in a serious tone. “We have been together for two years now. The Hokage and my uncle are witnesses of how we have been living, as true Konoha shinobi,” he continued, rubbing her back and pretending he wasn’t hearing her sniffling. “I do not care if they are still angry because we have chosen to live without a legal contract, I won’t allow you to yield to their desires for us to separate to continue our advances in our careers.”

“It’s been a year, Neji...” she whispered. “I feel like I’m a hindrance to your success.”

“Do not be absurd, Sakura,” he cut her off, his voice suddenly hard. “I’m content with just being an operative. I have more time off to spend it with you. Being a Captain is a position I desire, yes, but I also wish to be with my life partner.”

“Neji, I--”

“Do not interrupt me, dear,” he admonished softly. “Despite of what my uncle and Tsunade-sama might claim about our relationship, I won’t back down... except that you want to achieve that Chief Medic position?”

Sakura sat up straight, looking into his snowy eyes with a fierce glare. “What do you think I am? I’d rather to be with you than spend time in S-class missions or being demoted to desk work!”

“Do you really enjoy those ungodly shifts at the hospital?” he asked, bringing the first topic of disgruntlement between them and the penchant of the pink-haired medic to overwork herself. “Most of the times, I am on a mission while you spend a week secluded in the ER. What does that leave when I am here in the village?”

“I thought you understood the commitment I have with the hospital, Neji,” she said, frowning. “Those in there need my help, my skills, to improve and heal to be back in the roster...”

“I am aware of that. I have been on the receiving side,” he answered calmly. “I just want you to know that it sometimes displease me how you seem to forget about my presence because you need to perform some surgery or you have a difficult case.”

“What?” she replied. “Are you mad because I work at the hospital? What is this out of a sudden, Neji? What do you want from me?”

“To brace yourself,” he said, standing up. “We are not finished.”

He left, and Sakura looked at the cloudy sky, making a final decision.

When Neji got back, she wasn’t there, and her pack was gone as well.

-*-

It took a rather uncomfortable audience with the Hokage for Neji to realize that Sakura had locked herself into her hospital office, not allowing anyone to get close to her.

“What’s the matter, Hyuuga?” she asked with a sly smile. “Did you lovers have a spat?”

Neji did not answer the Godaime’s teasing.

-*-

Two days later and plenty of chakra wasted on rather reckless trainings, Neji received an unexpected visit.

“I was told of the troubles you have with your... partner,” Hyuuga Hiashi said by greeting. Neji crossed his arms and said nothing.

“Neji, why are you keeping on with this stubbornness?” his uncle asked. “Like I said earlier, I do approve of your relationship, but why do you have to keep up with this free liaison instead of legalizing your union?”

“Uncle, we—Sakura and I were very specific when we started seeing each other,” he responded. “It is not me who does not want to sign a marriage contract, but her.”

“And why is that, nephew?” Hiashi pressed, already knowing the answer.

Neji lowered his eyes. “Because she does not want our children to be marked as I was—as I am. And in fact, neither do I.”

Hyuuga Hiashi nodded, sighing heavily. “You two ask too much of the Clan, Neji,” he said, thoughtfully. “You are the most successful of our family at the moment. I have realized that you and Sakura, despite your appalling rebelliousness, have been nothing but truthful in the transparency and seriousness of your affiliation. I cannot keep you from doing what you want, nor can I force you to marry her if you do not want your children to be imposed as Branch members. I am sure she was devastated.”

“When she heard it from Hinata, she was indeed,” the onyx-haired young man agreed cautiously. What was the older man thinking?

“I am truly sorry, Neji,” the old Clan Head said honestly. “I did not realize how strong your bond was with the Hogake’s apprentice. Tsunade-sama was thinking that you were the one that refused to join your life with Sakura’s.”

“Uncle, it’s been a year,” Neji said in a respectful but hard tone. “If I only wanted to engage in physical activities with Sakura, I would have already left her, and I would not press her for us to live together as we are now... or we were.”

“Let us talk later about that, my nephew,” said the Clan Head with a relaxed face. “She will come back to you.”

-*-

A knock on Sakura’s office door served to raise her from her slumber on her desk. Finally getting a grip on herself, she quickly toweled her face with a moist Kleenex and went to open the door.

And she blinked. “Hiashi-sama...”

“I have come to talk to you, Sakura-san,” the man said. “Please, join me for tea.”

Already knowing how the Clan Leader was when something was on his mind, she just nodded and followed him after delivering a few orders to her assistant, fearing the worst.

-*-

Neji was bored.

He was so bored that he started to encode the scroll that Sakura had forgotten in her haste to leave the apartment, without understanding what and why he had said those words.

Neji knew that he had hurt her; his pink-haired lover was quite sensitive regarding their relationship and how her mentor liked to voice her opinions to spite him. Not because Tsunade thought that he was a bad person, no. It was deeper than that, and he understood the Hokage as well.

The Godaime wanted the best for her protégé, and no one was good enough for her.

“Moon Country is coded as cheese,” he heard a soft voice at the threshold. Snapping his head, he saw something that made his heart leap.

Sakura was wearing the most dazzling smile under her tears.

In all honesty, he had seen her laughing while enjoying herself, hanging out with their friends or when bickering with him. But that smile, that specific smile splashed with tears of joy, he had only seen it just once... and he was recovering for a rather nasty fight against a missing-nin that left him at the brink of death at the time.

“Sakura,” he breathed.

“Hiashi-sama came by a few hours ago,” she whispered. “He told me a few things...”

He dropped the scroll and stood up. “What did he tell you?”

“He told me... that we are safe,” she said, letting out a nervous laugh. “He cleared everything with Tsunade-shishou... and promised me that our descendants will not be marked, if we have them.”

“Do you want them?” he asked, feeling how his soul was filling with the very same emotion he felt when Sakura had finally accepted the depth of their bond.

“...Do you?” she shot back, blushing furiously. He crossed the living room in two steps and embraced her tightly, burying his nose in her neck, breathing the slight antiseptic scent he had learned to love as much as her.

“Maybe, but not now,” he whispered onto her skin. Sakura fisted his haori, giving into the distress that overcame her senses for the past days and releasing all the pent-up emotions through a good cry. Neji held her, allowing her to release her frustrations on his haori while he just supported her. It was the one thing she needed, for he knew how incredible his partner was to bounce back on her feet after a blunder.

“Does this mean that we are free to do as we want?” she sighed after a while. He shook his head with a little smile on his lips.

“I don’t know, Taika, but it seems that we’re about to find out,” he murmured.

Sure enough, a sharp knock on the door brought them back to reality. It was Izumo, bringing two scrolls from the Hokage to the new ANBU Captain and the Chief Medic.

They shared a glance and a winning smirk.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

AN: Taika means "large fire, expert, consideration, equivalent value". Leave it to Neji to look for the most undercover of endearments for Sakura! XD

Comments in that basket, please! :'D

[Naruto] Silver and Emerald Days [NejiSaku] Themes 13, 2, 4~

2007-12-04T01:52:25Z

Hooray! 8D
I bring ficcage for all NejiSaku fans out there. But first, here's a little background on this:

When I was visiting Celtic Oak in Costa Rica, we were brainstorming about doing a NejiSaku collab, since our beloved Ice Prince is a rather hard character to recreate. But then, after many laughs and rawrs and catcalls over our brainstorming session and themes were chosen, I can present you with three of these.

Silver and Emerald Days is a drabble collection by celticoak and zelha. Neji now lives with Sakura, as their partnership has escalated to another level. Companionship and brillant love among the two genii.

Also, I'd like to thank my lovely katwamp for betaing two of these (#2 and 4), and CO herself for her betaing skills on #13! :3

Enjoy! :D

13.- Christmas, snow

Whoever said that winter was a nice season, according to Sakura, was insanely wrong.

Especially when this pro-winter preacher was, in fact, her life partner, not some old naturalist lover. Sakura was everything about spring and summer; actually, she loved going to work in tight shorts and her usual skirted outfit, because it was light enough and very comfortable. Now, in winter, she had to wear a full-size cloak, just like the ANBU had to wear in every moment.

Of course, Sakura didn’t like to be overdressed, but she despised being cold, so... the conundrum was there, mocking her and pulling at her frozen face, making her dream about the warmth of her bed and her lover’s arms.

If only said lover was in Konoha, but sadly, he was not. He was on a mission, as usual for someone so gifted, taking a scroll to Sunagakure and he wasn’t due to come back in four more days.

It was safe to say that Sakura felt lonely and most of all, cold.

The only thing that cheered her up was how nice the village was decorated during this season: little lights everywhere and an uprising of hot chocolate vendors, as well as lovely bells hanged at every door. The children received presents during this time of the year, a custom that was initiated by the Third Hokage and was accepted by every parent in the village. Soon, this present giving thing was spread to the whole Fire Country and eventually not only parents ended up giving gifts to their children.

For the store owners and merchants, it was a very good season. But for people like Sakura, that spent all her productive time healing people with the seasonal bout of flu and some hypothermic ninja, it was a nightmare.

Strolling back to her apartment, with hands stuffed deeply in the insides of her traveling cloak and a scarf that covered her face just like her old sensei and tired green eyes because it had been a long day in the hospital and her chakra was depleted, Sakura thanked all the gods above for her heater and envisioned a night surrounded in warm pillows with a promise to sleep like the dead.

And sleep she did, stumbling on the step in front of their apartment building. With no strength to pick herself up, Sakura just arranged her cloak and said goodbye to consciousness.

She woke up the next day tucked in her bed, feeling rested and relaxed, something she hadn’t felt since he left.

Warm covers and a white sweater that she was positive she hasn’t worn the day before because she had seen her lover had put it on for his mission.

With a sleepy smile, she breathed and reveled on his scent, reassuring her and exhilarating her brain with a marvelous thought. He was back!

Stretching like a cat, she padded to the kitchen, where she found her scowling onyx-haired partner serving a bowl of soup. Not ramen though, just soup.

“Okaeri, Neji,” she smiled ad him, which made him diminish his scowl a bit.

“I found you at our doorstep,” he murmured. They always used to speak in whispers when together, enjoying the silence only broken by kisses and chuckles and giggles.

“I’m sorry...” Sakura sighed, lowering her head. “It was a long day at the hospital.”

The pearly-eyed ANBU walked to her and embraced her shivering form. “You gave me quite a scare,” he whispered to her mussed hair. “Your skin was all blue from the cold.”

“I had no chakra to counter it,” she explained to his chest. “I thought you were coming back in four days.”

“We tied everything up with the Kazekage in record time,” he relayed, cutting short his own explanation by tightening his embrace. “You’re still cold. Eat your soup.”

As the liquid warmed her insides, she felt that, having him at home in these cold winter nights was the best gift she could ask for.

Well, that and a new black dress, of course.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

2.- Meeting an Ex

Neji knew it was better for him not to object to Naruto’s birthday party. Mostly because he wanted to congratulate the blond knucklehead on his twenty fifth birthday, but also because Sakura had spent weeks organizing the big party that was about to take place in a couple of hours.

Nonetheless, he was a teensy bit unnerved regarding the guest list, which included a readapted black-haired ninja, the last of his clan and widely known for his epic and outrageous proposal to his current obsession, who in response knocked two teeth out the Uchiha’s mouth.

It was safe to say that Neji didn’t like Uchiha Sasuke near his girlfriend, as he liked to remind the Sharingan Master whenever he caught him in Sakura’s office at the hospital.

Now, it wasn’t just about jealousy, as Neji clearly explained to an amused Sakura; it was more like a matter of trust. Sakura trusted Sasuke, but that didn’t mean Neji had to trust that brooding, dark ninja, too.

Sakura didn’t comment because she knew why Neji was behaving like a five-year-old, spoiled brat. True, the past always got in the middle of her current life with Neji, but she tried to reassure the Hyuuga prodigy as much as she could. She had moved on about Sasuke, of course, finding a soul mate in Neji and realizing there were different kinds of love.

And Sakura and Neji had the deepest of loves.

All of Konoha knew about the genii living together since they hadn’t actually hidden the fact from anyone, including a discouraged Sasuke, who settled for the ‘friend’ label instead of holding a grudge.

Everything was fine, you’d say? Well... no.

Neji still didn’t like watching Sasuke prance around Sakura, and he made sure to be beside her every single time they had to appear at a social gathering, earning a few jokes from their friends about how possessive the snowy-eyed ninja turned out to be.

He didn’t give a damn, as long as Sasuke kept his distance.

All his broody thoughts went flying out the window when he saw Sakura coming out of the bathroom. Her dark green dress complimented her pale skin in a classic kind of way, and her short pink locks were bunched up in a messy-looking bun, which gave her the appearance of a high-class forest goddess.

“Likey?”

“I love you,” he said fondly, standing behind her and helping her zip up her dress.

“I’m sure the dress appreciates your affection,” she sneered as she spread some makeup on her eyelids. Neji smiled at her through the mirror.

“If it were for me, you’d be wearing green and white even during our most intimate moments, Haruno.”

Sakura reached out and opened a drawer, while she applied some mascara to her eyelashes. “I think you made your point when you got me this,” she added, lifting a lacy garment.

“And you liked it too,” he pointed out. She nodded with a giggle, and turned her lipstick in order to apply it.

Without warning, Neji grabbed her and turned her head, kissing her senseless.

“What was that about?” she asked later, when they left the apartment.

“A promise,” he said, draping an arm around her mid back. “One of the ways this night might turn out.”

Sakura laughed, trying to hide her flush.

-*-

The party was an overall success; Naruto was surprised and happy at having all of his friends there and Sasuke didn’t go on with his obnoxious act near Sakura. Neji felt as if he had accomplished an S-class mission, strolling back home with his pink-haired bedmate.

“You seem relieved,” an amused Sakura said. He nodded, and to his surprise she burst out laughing.

“Oh, Neji,” she breathed between cackles. “How many times do I have to tell you that he doesn’t even come close to what you mean to me?”

“I realized that a long time ago,” he snapped. “But still, I don’t trust him.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, snaking an arm around his waist and pressing her body to his side. “All I need is for you to trust me.”

“I do, Sakura,” he answered. “Thank you.”

“You can thank me by picking up where we left earlier at home,” she whispered with a devious smile.

A squeal and a laugh, followed by a poof were heard in the street, but no one saw anything.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-

4.- Movie Night

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sakura said with a slacked jaw. Neji huffed and crossed his arms.

“It’s the only movie I think I will enjoy,” he countered, looking over the posters on display again. “Those two are movies for girls; that one is a horror movie and I know you don’t like them, and that one is another Icha Icha, which we won’t see.”

Something in his voice made Sakura smirk.

“Why not?” she asked innocently. “For all we know, we can watch that one now. We’re adults, you know, and besides...” she leaned to whisper on his ear, “we already re-enacted quite a few scenes from the books.”

“Which is exactly why we won’t see that one,” Neji answered firmly, but Sakura knew better than to feel offended by his words, especially when that devious smirk from hell made its way to his lips. “I’m sure it can’t teach us anything new.”

To her dismay, she blushed heatedly at his narrowed eyes. Neji chuckled, slipping his blank façade one more time and turned his head back to the ticket vendor.

“Two for Top Gun, please.”

“Wait! Why don’t we see The Princess Diaries? It seems nice enough.”

Neji threw her a glare over his shoulder. “I won’t see that movie.”

“What about Rambo III?” she asked with a pout.

“I strongly dislike Stallone.”

“But... Silent Hill?”

“Now that one might be good, but you’re the one terrified of horror movies.”

“Ugh, Neji! Let’s watch Top Gun then!” she rolled her eyes at his triumphant smirk.

“I’m glad you could see it my way.”

-*-

“...I don’t like this movie.”

“Shh! Maverick is going to-- oh my God, Neji, look at that loop! Those airplanes are fantastic!”

Neji glared at the screen, while Sakura gasped every time the plane shifted.

In the end, Sakura liked the film and Neji did not. And Sakura enjoyed his flaring scowl every single time she got to tease him by singing Maverick’s song in the mornings.

Neji swore revenge on his pink-haired girl, which came in the form of a special midnight screening of Silent Hill.

Sakura didn’t sleep that night, tossing and turning and whimpering at the slightest noise in the house. Neji decided he had had enough, so he moved on to drastic measures.

“See?” he cleared his throat as they left the cinema. “Nothing particularly new was learned.”

“Yeah,” Sakura agreed, sporting a rather violent blush. “I wonder why it is that Jiraiya-sama can be so close-minded regarding plots and stories on the big screen.”

A silence stretched, then Neji leaned to whisper on her ear.

“Want to try out the roof scene?”

“Oh, yes, please.”

That was better both for them and the rest of the village, Sakura laughed out loud atop the Fourth Hokage’s stone head. Neji smirked at the clear night sky.

From that day on, they rented the movies instead of seeing them at the cinema.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

See, Neji, it didn't hurt! XD

Comments in that basket, please! :'D

[Bleach] Glance [IshiHime]

2007-10-29T19:41:14Z

English only!

Hay there! I bring ficcage for _debbiechan_'s IshiHime contest at bleachness. Pr0ntober, baybay, so this drabble is rated S for Smut, even if it's kinda short. My apologies in advance because I think I made Uryuu a bit OOC, but hey, he's coming clean about his feelings for 'Hime-chan.

Dorky love FTW! *waves flag* Also, my inspiration was the add that Debbiechan made, that Ishida glance just made the story pop into my head. Props to Manolito for his awesome work under pressure! x'D

Also I want to thank, as usual, to my lovely lovely katwamp-chyan~~~ for her awesome beta!

Glance

With just a glance, like those in the movies that left the female character with a mad blush on her face and waiting for the male to kiss her thoroughly and passionately while bells went off in her head and butterflies hula-danced in her stomach, Orihime found the true meaning of desire.

In Ishida Uryuu's hard, hostile and incredibly dark blue eyes.

It was something as sudden as one would think, because she was Inoue Orihime, and as much as her friends thought her somewhat dorky and a bit of a procrastinator, she liked to think and analyze things, in her own naive but fairly detailed way. She had analyzed Kurosaki Ichigo in several occasions, coming to the same conclusion every single time. A strawberry that needed some cream.

But as to that cream went, she had seen the dynamics of one petite, elegant shinigami with the carrot-head, finding them so meant-to-be that she had to admit, deep down, that Rukia's label was, indeed, cream.

So, determined to move on and make the inner self-bashing go away, she had turned around, just to come face to face with those blue eyes that always put her off, because of the intensity of his gaze.

Orihime knew that Ishida-kun was incredibly skillful with the needle; sewing was his forte, as well as that archery thingy she had always secretly loved. His über-clean glasses glinting with the light provided by his reiatsu as he aimed and fired, the arrow flying straight and true every single time. Like those fired in Soul Society, she recalled wistfully, stomping down a Kamaitachi because the real Archer and Epic Hero of that story was him, the quiet and stoic Ishida Uryuu.

Her reverie made her forget all about the lesson being taught in front of her, making her jump in fright when the bell rang, earning a strange look from Tatsuki, who chose not to comment on her obvious startle. But Ishida noticed her eyes on him, staring unabashedly at him as he put his books in his bag.

With just a glance, she knew that those hard blue eyes were going to be hard to overcome.

And because of that, when she went to answer the door and found him on the threshold, looking at her surprised wide eyes and wild rosy cheeks and that rather short t-shirt that didn't leave anything to the imagination, the tension was so unbearable that she staggered back, tripped by one of her wayward shoes, only to be stopped by a strong, lean arm, wrapping around her waist.

"Inoue-san," he all but whispered in that deep, gentle voice that he always used when talking to her. Only to talk to her, Tatsuki had remarked, amused at the sudden blush that covered Orihime's features.

"I...Ishida-kun," she replied, at a loss for words and a at loss for how to control the heat showing on her face when she noticed his dark pants and blue shirt.

"May I ask you something?" he asked her with the politeness he always sported, even in a battle to the death against a Shinigami or a Vasto Lorde. She only nodded, not daring to take her eyes of off his. "I felt you staring at me, Inoue-san," he murmured, lowering his gaze. Bad move, he thought later, as he saw how her bottom lip was bit in a clumsy attempt for control. "Is everything okay?"

"Hai...--No," she contradicted herself, almost stuttering. "I... I have been looking at you, Ishida-kun..."

"I noticed," he conceded, leaning back and making sure she was balanced on her own two feet before releasing her. "The question is, why? Do I have something on my face?"

"No! Er... no, Ishida-kun, it's just that..."

She didn't finish, for her hand was already reaching curiously for his glasses, taking them off to see his eyes more clearly... and sigh.

It only took a passing glance for Ishida Uryuu to fall for an orange-haired goddess. Those smoky, dark gray eyes filled with emotions and quirks were the first on his top-secret list of Favorite Things About Orihime.

As much as a smirking Tatsuki had commented to him at the end of Chemistry tuition, he had a secret admirer, information which made him curious. Not because of the info itself, but the informant. Arisawa wasn't one for gossip, he knew, so that had to be kind of important for her to bring it up in such a manner.

It turned out it really was important, because one Inoue Orihime was the one checking him out. He was stunned, to say the least, but he had also noticed her not fawning over Kurosaki anymore.

So, after a good while of contemplation and some sneaky glances to her beautiful face, he found out the shocking news that he was falling, and was falling hard for her.

Therefore, when she took off her glasses and both set of eyes encountered each other without shiny barriers, whether glass or fairy-made, he couldn't help himself.

It took just a glance at her kiss-swollen lips taking a frantic breath to make him lose control. Banging the door closed and stumbling on her tatami mat, he proceeded to uncover her body and cover it back again with his hands and lips and skin, making her shiver and tremble and ask for more in that hurried whisper that made him growl deep in his throat, grabbing fistfuls of her sheets as he felt his body trapped by her slender, long legs, urging him forward, into her warmth, into her core, into oblivion.

And her moans, calling out his name -Uryuu, not Ishida-, guiding him over yes and please and oh my gods and oh yes more and all those kind of words that shattered any attempt of gentleness at one point, just wanting to brand her with his mark, and draw blue crosses on her skin as if his long fingers were brushes and thoughts of having her wardrobe stitched with his trademark -even capes, he just knew she would look magnificent wearing them- flying out of his mind as she arched her back, reaching her peak and pushing him over the edge, among pants and clenches and sweat and more oh my god's.

It took just a glance for Orihime to love him with all her heart. It took just a glance for Uryuu to worship her.

Just a glance.

Comments in that basket! xD

[Naruto] ~ Refraction ~ [NejiSaku]

2007-10-20T18:16:43Z

Regarding Refraction:

Yes, it's NejiSaku story.

No, I won't pull a SasuNaru, I do not like yaoi.

There's a certain blatant NaruHina going on in the story, but mostly because it's kinda convenient for me. I do not swing to NaruHina either, at least, not anymore.

This is an AUish story.

Expect Neji being OOC, expect Hinata being mischievous, expect Naruto being mature and expect Sakura being a bit more mature and bitchy than usual, because it's been ten years since the Gaara Rescue mission and people change like that.

Ah, and expect a sarcastic Hyuuga Clan Head, too. xD

Crack abounds, yes. ♥

I love celticoak so much because her betaing skills with this story... although I wrote it mostly for her and mitsukishiroi, hahaha.

I'll edit this post if I come up with something else. Thanks for reading!

[Naruto] Synergy [KakaSakuYama One-Shot]

2007-09-23T17:44:33Z

Okay, let's put this here too. English and Spanish, pick your poison.

Disclaimer: No son míos. Si lo fueran, estuviese nadando en yenes. Dedicado a celticoak, mitsukishiroi y katwamp.

Sinergia

La interacción de dos o más agentes o fuerzas que sus efectos combinados da más resultados que la suma de sus efectos individuales.

Eventualmente, todo se resumió a una mirada de entendimiento, una palabra, una sonrisa que sí pudo ver porque no se ocultaba detrás de un brillante sol amarillo, un azul tormentoso o la impasibilidad de la noche oscura.

No era difícil para Sakura el verlo de un modo más beneficioso, desde que él mismo le salvó la vida más de una vez, incluso cuando ese viejo amor, ese dolor de corazón que aún sentía al ver esos ojos negros mirándola con tanta... ¿qué? ¿Frialdad, desconocimiento, impavidez, furia?

Luego se reía internamente al ver a Naruto escondiéndose a sus espaldas de sus caras intimidantes y sus bien planteados dardos, directos y bien apuntados como cada uno de sus jutsus.

Por otro lado, las enseñanzas que una vez le negó por haber caído en ese viejo estereotipo de ‘protección’, fueron disculpadas, olvidadas y compensadas con ratos de palabras, de reconocimiento, de besos descubiertos y recuerdos de más de una cicatriz que marcaba una realidad y un sentimiento que fue creciendo con el tiempo.

Muchos en Konoha la hubiesen tildado de zorra, por lo menos.

Pero Sakura no pensaba en etiquetas cuando yacía entre ellos.

Era más que un lado de ella que pocos conocían; era la máxima expresión de lo que significaba ser necesitado. El caminar lado a lado, en vez de ver las espaldas de sus acompañantes.

Lado a lado. Aceptación, respeto, consideración.

Y en donde caben dos, pueden caber tres, por qué no.

Kakashi le había dado más que el mirar debajo de los significados; ANBU enseñaba bien cuando todo se analizaba, la más breve palabra, la más leve mirada, el más silencioso suspiro.

Y cuando Kakashi no se hallaba entre su culpabilidad, Tenzou estaba allí, para hablar, para discutir, para sostener una conversación que iba mucho más allá de libros naranjas, de ramen de carne, de tintas especiales para brochas, de venganzas, de muertes y de remordimientos.

Ella recibía, aceptando todo lo que ambos tenían para ofrecerle. A cambio, su corazón, esa fuerza avasallante que dirigía tanto sus puños como sus palabras, sus lágrimas, su simpatía, su sonrisa y su gran empatía, se los entregaba a manos llenas, entre gemidos y susurros que cortaban la quietud de la noche de la Hoja.

Una combinación de movimientos, más de dos, pero nunca más de tres. Según la retorcida opinión de aquel de cabellos de plata y manos tan hábiles como sólo un genio las puede tener, sólo bastaban ellos dos para ella. Nunca se podría comprender, siendo un observador, sobre las mecánicas de sus encuentros, de sus recuerdos, de sus momentos.

Tenzou la hacía reír, tanto como Kakashi la hacía enojar con sus mil y unas excusas. Pero ella los perdonaba, porque a la final nunca había podido estar sin uno de ellos. Nunca había llegado a dejarlos esperando por ella, ni siquiera en misiones, cuando yacían en un charco de su propia sangre y ella batallaba entre una naciente fobia por la sangre -sangre en todos lados, sangre en sus ropas, en sus rostros, en sus cuerpos-, haciendo brillar sus manos en ese suave brillo verde que siempre les hacía suspirar de alivio e, internamente, aunque no lo admitiera ni el uno ni el otro, agradecer por esas suaves pero rudas manos cuando venía el caso.

Tenzou era un hombre práctico. No se le conoció cosa que le molestara sobremanera, así como a Kakashi, que aún con máscara hacía malas caras al tempura. Yamato no tenía malas mañas, ni tampoco se le encontró en eventos sociales. Pero, sí se le conocía el hecho de que muchos de los árboles del Forest of Death eran suyos. Un experimento genético que para muchos fue fallido, para Sakura, al verlo repoblar una sección de los bosques que rodeaban la villa, era más que una bendición.

Una habilidad única, pensó incoherentemente cuando las ramas la sujetaban suavemente, permitiéndole al creador acercarse, inhalar su aroma, hundirse en ella como si no hubiese un mañana, galante en movimientos, basto en sentimientos, completo en redención.

Más de mil técnicas que no hacían falta cuando el shinobi que alardeaba de ellas se despojaba de la máscara y se aplicaba en lo que de veras le enseñaban los libros que tanto favorecía: hacerla gritar hasta enronquecer era su máximo logro, hacerla vibrar con cada toque, con cada caricia, era su propio pasatiempo, olvidando por un momento en peso del pasado, del presente y del futuro.

Si les hubiese preguntado -claro, si ellos hubiesen estado dispuestos a contestar-, Tenzou hubiese respondido sobre el entendimiento que sólo las mentes que piensan igual pueden alcanzar. Kakashi, en cambio, hubiese puntualizado sobre la calidez de un corazón que va por el camino de la vida con un destino predeterminado.

A la final, ninguno de los dos admitiría en público, y menos el uno al otro, lo mucho que necesitaban de esas manos, de esos ojos y de esa alma.

Pronto, cada uno de ellos se rindió a la evidencia; ella no podía escoger entre uno de los dos. Y como nadie podía criticarle el ser egoísta -claro, más de una vez estuvo a punto de desfallecer por esforzarse demasiado, curándoles hasta el más mínimo rasguño, lo que marcaba realmente su nivel de egoísmo-, aceptaron concluyentemente que, aunque la tuviesen que compartir, era mejor con ellos que con otros; mejor ellos que con un minusválido emocional, con un vengador sin ilusiones o con un aspirante a Hokage que no veía a su alrededor.

No piensen mal. Esto era sólo la sinceridad y la realidad de los hechos. Sakura era demasiado dulce para decir lo contrario, así que quedaba en ellos la responsabilidad de protegerla... aún cuando ella no lo supiese.

Y así, una rutina fue establecida. Unas noches con el Copy Ninja, otras con el Capitán ANBU. Y otras -demandadas por ella-, donde ambos lograban arrancar la angustia y las subestimaciones de sus sentidos, entre caricias y contorsiones que nunca se había imaginado que en un plano horizontal fuesen tan impresionantes.

Trabajo en equipo, dirían con ironía para escuchar su suave y cansada risa, tintineante como cascabeles, en sus oídos y debajo de sus pieles.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. I dedicate this piece to celticoak, mitsukishiroi and katwamp.

Synergy

The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Eventually, everything resumed to an understanding glance, a word, a smile that she actually could see because it wasn’t hiding behind a bright yellow sun, or a stormy blue sky or a still dark night.

It wasn’t hard for Sakura to see it in the most beneficial way, since they saved her more than once, including from that old love, that old heartache that she still felt in that moment when those onyx eyes stared at her with so much... what? Coldness? Disregard? Disinterestedness? Fury?

Later she could laugh at Naruto, hiding behind her back from their so-called scary faces and their raised proverbs, direct and well aimed like all of their jutsu.

Nonetheless, those teachings that were denied at her for having fallen in that old and stereotyped ‘protection’ were forgiven, forgotten and rewarded with lasting moments of words, of acknowledging, of uncovered kisses and memories from more than one scar that marked a reality and a feeling, a sentiment that grew on them with time.

A lot of people in Konoha would have called her a whore, to say the least.

But Sakura didn’t think about labels when she lay between them.

Surely, it was more like a side of her that only they knew; it was the utmost expression of the meaning of ‘being needed’. To walk side by side, instead of watching retreating backs.

Side by side. Acceptance, respect, consideration.

And where there were two, why wasn’t it possible to squeeze in a third?

Kakashi had given her more than looking underneath the underneath; truly, ANBU taught its ops well, everything was analyzed: the shortest word, the briefest glance, the most silent sigh.

And when Kakashi didn’t find his way out of his guilt, Tenzou was there, either to talk, to argue, to have a conversation that went beyond orange books and beef ramen and special inks and revenges and deaths and uncertainties.

She received, accepting everything they both had to offer her. In exchange, her heart, that overwhelming strength of her that directed either her fists or her words, her tears, her sympathy, her smile and her grand empathy, she gave them all freely, between moans and whispers that bloomed across the stillness of the Leaf night.

A combination of movements, more than two but no more than three. According to the wicked opinion of one silver-haired man, with hands so gifted than only a genius could have, only they were enough for her. It could never be understood if it was observed from the outside, about the mechanics of their encounters, of their reminiscences, of their moments.

Tenzou made her laugh as mush as Kakashi made her angry with his one and thousand excuses. But she forgave them, because in the end she could never be without either one of them. She never had the nerve to leave them waiting, not even in missions, when they lay in a pool of their own blood and she battled an internal and ill-developing phobia for blood -blood everywhere, blood in their clothes, blood in their faces, blood in their bodies-, making her hands glow with that soft green luminosity that always made them sigh with relief and, inwardly, even though neither of them would admit it, feel that gratefulness for those soft but rough hands whenever they were needed.

Tenzou was a practical man. No one knew even one pet peeve of his, not like Kakashi, that even with his damned mask on he made faces to tempura. Yamato didn’t have quirks either, and nobody could claim about encountering him at social events. But, it was well known among the right people that many of the trees of the Forest of Death were his doing. A genetic experiment that for many was considered a failure, for Sakura, when seeing him using his gift to refill a forest section around the village, it was more than a blessing.

A unique ability, she liked to ponder as some branches held her kindly, allowing their creator to get close, to inhale her scent and to bore into her like there was no tomorrow, gallant in movements, rough in feelings, complete in redemption.

More than a thousand techniques that weren’t useful when the shinobi that used to gloat about them shed his masks and got to what he had really learned from those books that he liked so much: making her scream until her throat was raw with every vibrant touch was his coup of grace, every caress were his own personal and much more enjoyed pastime, forgetting for a moment about the weight of the past, of the present and of the future.

If someone would have asked -of course, if they were up to responding anyway-, Tenzou would have answered about the utmost understanding than only like minds could reach. Kakashi, however, would have pointed out about the quality of a heart that went down the road of life with a predetermined destination.

In the end, neither of them admitted in public -and never to each other-, how much they needed those hands, those eyes, that soul.

Soon, each of them surrendered to the evidence; she couldn’t choose only one of them. And no one could really blame or criticize her for being selfish -true, more than once she was this close to oblivion for overdoing it in her care for them, healing even to the slightest scratch, which was exactly what marked her levels of selfishness-, they came to accept conclusively that, although they had to share her between them, it was better to do so with each other that with someone else; better them than with an emotional handicapped potty mouth, better them than with an avenger without illusions and hopes or a Hokage wannabe that was indeed clueless about his surroundings.

No one should think badly about them, please. This was only about sincerity and the reality of facts that they surveyed thoroughly. Sakura was too damn sweet to say otherwise, so it was up to them to actually have the responsibility to protect her... even if she wasn’t aware of it.

And thus, a routine was established. Some nights she spent with the Copy Nin, some others with the ANBU Captain. And some others -demanded by the prized top Med-Nin in the whole Hidden Village of Leaf - where both of them managed to rip out her anguish and all the undervalues from her senses, among caresses and contortions that were so goddamn impressive she never would have imagined herself performing on a horizontal plane.

Teamwork, they would say in utter sarcasm, only to hear the soft and tired feminine chuckle, tinkling like bells in their ears and under their skin.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

~~~8DDDDD

20 Questions: Celtic Oak [Interview]

2007-09-22T03:23:55Z

And what's good for a Shiroi sister, is good too for the other! And another spoiler warning for the Naruto current manga arc and CO's stories, although she kept them quite light.

Despite her well known knack for procrastination, Celtic Oak -yes, she likes to compare herself to a tree- never fails to bring us fresh stories with certain insight and psychological development on her chosen characters. With a psychology degree under her belt, she provides her readers with beautifully written stories, sprinkled with a touch of humor than most of her fans find exquisite. A well-natured Costa Rican girl, she had been cornered by yours truly in order to let us know a bit more about her.

1.- Let's start with your tastes. Music?
Errm, well my taste in music is quite eclectic. I listen to everything from rock to Celtic to jpop to new age. Among my favorite bands/artists you'll find Afro Celt Sound System, Tori Amos, Tool, Loreena McKennitt, Yoshida Brothers, Héroes del Silencio... to name a few.

2.- What about books? Which is your favorite literary genre?
Fantasy, by far. I started out reading Dungeons & Dragons novels back in middle school and I've been hooked ever since. I also love latin america's 'magical realism'and the way it blends reality with all these aspects of the 'traditional magic' of the region.

3.- And now your reasons: Why Naruto, of all series?
Well, to tell you the truth, before reading the Naruto manga, I'd strayed from anime/manga for a while...it was sort of a real tough time in life, I guess. So for me, reading Naruto was like coming back to myself. Its characters simply seemed to be bubbling over with life and the complexity of their different personalities simply left me awestruck. After reading some fanfiction, I decided that it was time to get back to my writing and there wasn't a better choice than doing so for this anime/manga. It's story is simply compelling and it encompasses the whole array of human emotions and experiences. *is proud of that answer*

4.- And why Gaara?
For me, Gaara represents that chance that always comes in life when you're giving the opportunity to change. You always have the choice to either embrace that opportunity or slap it away. Gaara took that opportunity and despite his traumatized past, he managed to transcend those limitations that had been defining him since the day he was born. He managed to put all that behind him and rise to the challenge of becoming a better person... something he thought he would never be able to do in his life. He didn't cower despite the enormity of the challenge before him and managed to succeed out of sheer force of will.

5.- Do you think that we'll see the Kazekage again in the current story manga arc?
In all honesty, I don't think so. But hey, hope is the last thing you lose. Kishimoto is concentrating on completely different characters and to me, it seems like Gaara's rescue was like the 'closure' for Suna. I think he's definitely tying loose ends and I feel like the end of the whole story is approaching.

6.- How do you think that Kishimoto will end Naruto?
Well, at this point, with Kishimoto's recent decline in the quality of his story, it's truly hard to say. Nonetheless, he has picked up the pace lately and things have become much more interesting. I truly don't know how the imminent 'Uchiha encounter' will end since anything's possible at this point. Nonetheless, I definitely think that Naruto will reach his dream of being Hokage.

7.- Regarding your GaaSaku stories, which one was the easiest/hardest to write? Why?
This is a tough one! Let's see... I think the hardest one to write was 'Precious Flower, Fighting Sand.' It was my first multi-chapter GaaSaku fanfic and I was just starting out in the fandom so I didn't know if I was doing things right. As time progressed, Sakura and Gaara came much more easily to me and my writing flowed with much more ease. Now, the easiest to write... I'd say 'Magnetism'. The whole story came to me in a flash and it was just a matter of sitting down and telling it. I was really inspired when I wrote it.

8.- How are your writing methods? Planned plot or going all out when the muse graces you?
It actually depends but I usually go for the latter most of the time. In some instances, like I said in the previous question, the whole thing just comes to me and everything that'll happen is in my head. But most of the time, I only get like flashes of a scene or a theme. When that happens, I sit down to explore what I'm seeing and let things go from there. After doing that, the story sort of starts taking shape.

9.- Besides Equilibrium, Sunagakure Belly Dance and Sand Glass -just to name your GaaSaku stories-, are you planning something canon-related for this pairing?
Not at the moment, no. Since I've been disappointed with Kishimoto's recent developments, no canon inspiration has been coming my way. I'm sticking to AU's for the time being.

10.- Among your stories, which is your personal favorite?
Oh dear... this is a tough one. Each of my stories has special meaning for me. But I guess that in there's a tie for the personal favorite spot: 'Magnetism' and 'Flowers in the Rain.'

11.- Why do you specialize in AU stories?
Because it gives me more flexibility or at least, as much flexibility as you can get in fanfiction. In AU, nothing's set in stone and you can play around with all kinds of roles for the characters. Explore them in situations that they wouldn't normally find themselves in canon.

12.- Let's move to your other OTP. Why NejiSaku?
Because both of them are amazing characters in their own right. Neji has always been one of my favorite characters of Naruto and I wanted to explore how he'd do paired up with my favorite Naruto female. I did some reading and started writing and I was happy to find that they had some amazing chemistry.

13.- What are your thoughts on the Hyuuga Clan background story?
To be honest, I've actually done quite a lot of thinking about the Hyuuga Clan. The whole 'branch' part of the family being servants is something that never sat well with me and unfortunately, you do find this sort of thing in real life. To say that your role in life and how far you can succeed is determined by where you were born is the worst kind of discrimination; it's like setting limitations on people even before they are born. That's why I admire Neji so much. Despite the weight of years of traditions he was forced to carry on his shoulders, he is finally able to transcend the chains that were holding him back and he isn't afraid to fight against his 'supposed fate'. Neji manages to assert himself as a human being and not live by the label his family was determined to attach to him.

14.- Any other stories that have inspired you that you might want to recommend?
Well, I must confess that the stories that inspire me aren't from the Naruto fandom. I guess you could say that I find my inspiration elsewhere and it gets channeled back to Naruto. However, if there's any Rurouni Kenshin fans out there, I'd like to recommend 'Shadowed Mountain' or 'Crimson Stain' by Ravyn. Also, in the Samurai Deeper Kyo fandom 'Midori no Me' by vegita-dias is also a personal favorite.

15.- You seem to have a certain gift for lime scenes. Any thoughts about mature themes on fanfictions?
For me, mature themes are always a welcome bonus. However, the story has got to be written nicely and incorporate it as a natural progression of the story. Sometimes lime for the sake of lime doesn't cut it for me.

16.- Do you plan to tackle stories in other fandoms?
I hope so, yes. I've been wanting to tackle a Bleach fanfic for a while but I'm still not a 100% sure. I just have to wait for the inspiration to hit in the right moment.

17.- Being more personal, how's your ideal partner like?
Someone with confidence and who isn't afraid to speak his mind. There's nothing I hate more than people who don't stand up for themselves. Someone with a good sense of humour (this is actually essential for me!) and that can make me laugh. Someone who isn't afraid to voice his emotions and that's willing to fight for what he wants and believes in. For him to be supportive and to tolerate my random lapses into insanity. xD

18.- Why Celtic? Why Oak? WHY CO?!
Ok well, I've always been interested in Celtic culture for as long as I can remember. Their art, myths, stories, etc, have always enthralled me since they're a culture that's amazingly filled with symbolisms. But the truth of my pen name is simple. In the Celtic Lunar Horoscope (which is composed of 13 trees) I'm the sign of the 'Oak tree'. Thus, in other words, 'Celtic Oak' is just another way of saying 'me'. xD

19.- So, are you going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year? What are your expectations about this challenge?
I'm planning to, yes. I plan on actually continuing the story of the novel I started writing for NaNo last year. The thing is, I made some alterations to the plot line of the novel and have decided to start writing the bases of what lead to the events in the novel in the first place (but that are revealed until much later). As it's usually the case, novel's seem not to want to be written in a linear manner in the first place and I have no option but to obey the whims of my muse. I really hope to finish this year!

20.- First thought about the following words:
Sand = Beach
Sociopath = Orochimaru
Sharingan = Uchiha
Empathy = Naruto
Katana = Kenshin
Minato = Hero
Tite = Crack!!!!!
Crack = Bleach!

- Thank you soooo much for your time, Celtic Oak! Is there anything more that you want to say to the readers?
You are most welcome! I actually want to thank them for their support since their awesome reviews always bring a smile to my face and spur me to keep writing.
Hopefully my future GaaSaku stories will give them the fix they're looking for!

You know, I actually interviewed celticoak and mitsukishiroi at the same time. I'm INSANE. :'D

Any thoughts on her rants? :E

20 Questions: Mitsuki Shiroi [Interview]

2007-09-22T02:49:29Z

So I bring this interview since I was long due to make it. A spoiler warning for the current Naruto manga arc and Mitsuki Shiroi's fanfictions is mandatory.

Being worshiped by many and heavily criticized by others, Mitsuki Shiroi is quite a celebrity among the Naruto fanfictions writers. Despite having chosen a rather non-explored crack!pairing back in those days, she managed to pull one of the best ItaSaku fanfictions in the English fandom. A charming 18-year-old girl from the Netherlands, she agreed to answer a few questions about her life, her tastes and hobbies, and her stories.

1.- Mitsuki, why Naruto?
Why Naruto? Good question, Lady Dragon. When I first started watching the series, I was completely dazzled because the display of emotion and duty and other high ranking priorities for shinobi were so vividly explained. Then I began to wonder about the pairings and started shipping a lot of them, because really, except Asuma x Kurenai, nothing is set in stone. Mitsuki likes xD

2.- Do you like to read? Which are your favorite literary genres?
Do I like to read? I LOVE to read! My favorite genre is fantasy. :3

3.- And music? I know it would be unfair to ask you for a favorite band or singer, so... name me 5.
Gackt would be my standard answer xD I've adored him since he started his solo career. I love to listen to instrumental music, so I'd have to name Uematsu Nobuo and Kajiura Yuki as well. And I've been listening to quite a lot of Ayaka these days, and RIKKI.

4.- Being more personal, how's your ideal partner like?
Hmm... I like the bad boy kind of guys, but especially the ones with a soft spot somewhere. :3

5.- What is your view about the current Naruto manga story arc? How do you think it will end?
I am ADORING this part of the manga xD to be quite honest, I've been disliking the manga for a while now, which led to me hardly updating because I just couldn't be inspired anymore. But Pein and Konan jolted me right back and I have to confess I'm actually fangirling again. :3

I'm guessing it will end with Jiraiya dying, because it's kind of going the same direction as Asuma went, concerning hints and such. I don't think we'll see much more of the Uchiha brothers until the next arc. xD

6.- Regarding your Trilogy -Metamorphosis, Evolution, Salvation-, what was your inspiration? I mean, how this plot came to you?
Simple answer; Sasuke. Normal answer; Sasuke's role throughout the story. Long answer; I had started to ponder about writing fanfiction and then the part of Sasuke in Evolution just came to me, and my muse kept feeding my ideas. Eventually, Akatsuki was thrown into the mix, and with it, Itachi and Sakura as a couple. Well, that, and the song 'Poison' XD

7.- Itachi. Some thoughts about his development on your Trilogy?
Metamorphosis and Evolution were the keywords to Sakura's development as much as Itachi's. He starts out like a cold man who shows practically no emotions at all, and slowly changes into a man that willingly sleeps in a bed with a girl because he knows it'll comfort her. He'll never say it out loud, or even show it to her in the way Sakura would like, but he does love her, a lot, even if he tries to ignore it. That was basically his development; to learn to love (again?).

8.- Sakura, a role model or just a supporting character?
I'd never call Sakura a supporting character, not in Naruto or in my own fictions. She plays an important part, which, sadly, isn't seen by many people. Though she supports her two other teammates both emotionally and with her newfound abilities, she plays a very large part in keeping the group together as well. She's the first to understand Sasuke's feelings and she absolutely knew he'd leave Konoha. She also understands Naruto very well, though she perceives him as annoying in the beginning. The story grows and the team grows, and so does Sakura. She might not have extraordinary chakra or a blood-line limit, but she's definitely a strong and capable kunoichi. A role model.

9.- It is well known that you've specialize on stories about the Akatsuki. How do you see this criminal organization? Are their motives logical? And their strengths, their weaknesses?
I love Akatsuki. There isn't a single member in it that I hate. They're diverse and each have their own quirks and skills. I regret that four of them are out of the game already, though Deidara went with a blast and Sasori was wonderful till the end. I guess, their strengths are their individual talents. Take Konan for instance, I doubt there are many that can turn their entire body into paper, which probably is a unique talent. It makes them special. xD

Their weaknesses are probably similar to Itachi though. They have too big an ego from being praised because they're genius. Also, like Naruto stated, people are strongest when they fight for others. Akatsuki doesn't feel much for other people, so they'll never be able to be truly strong, imho.

10.- Regarding your writing methods, do you scheme all the plot and follow from there or just let all the thoughts scramble when inspiration strikes?
I have a rather peculiar though pattern when it comes to plotting, I guess. I envision the ending and beginning and some important parts throughout the story, but I don't plan the entire thing. The characters live in my mind and they grow there. All I do is write down how they move out through life and learn to accept things.

11.- And about the characters and your depiction of them: which is the easiest/the hardest to write? Why?
o_o; I think throughout the trilogy, the one I had little trouble with was Sakura. I envision her as a strong and capable kunoichi and used that as a 'theme' for her and built her character from there on. Hardest would be Itachi, for obvious reasons. XD

12.- Let's move to Twilight: which are your intentions when you bring a complete new AU to the readers?
I had the idea in my head to write an AU with a organization against Akatsuki when I asked Phantomica to write Twilight with me, and never wavered from that idea. AU stories that aren't high-school fictions are rare, so you can explore a lot with the possibilities. I guess that I wanted a complete change seeing as I'd been writing the Metamorphosis trilogy for 1,5 years, tied to the rules of the canon universe :3

13.- The Uchiha massacre, what do you think is behind all that?
I've read LOADS of theories about it, I love to hang around in narutofan forum's theory section, but I'm still keeping to what (for now) is canon, and think Itachi is behind it all. I do hope we'll get a better explanation though.

14.- Any thoughts about mature themes on fanfictions?
That depends on what you call 'mature' =p If it means anything of 16+ of age, including death, I like it. Death, sex, tragedy, depression and moving on is all a part of life and I love it when it's integrated in a story

15.- Among your stories, which is your personal favorite?
You're out for my blood :'D? I personally like Twilight best because it's reflecting my current writing style and how much I've evolved from Metamorphosis. Plot wise, it's the best one, if you ask me, but I'm still quite partial to Salvation.

16.- Any other stories that have inspired you that you might want to recommend?
Hindsight's 20/20 by Tea Leaf especially. I got influenced because she made this AMAZING AU fiction that's set in this world. It got me itching to write an AU of my own afterwards, so she's the main inspiration source for Twilight. xD

17.- Let's get sneaky. What do you want to say to all the people that flamed you about that ItaSaku essay?
Haha, nothing sneaky about that. xD Plainly said, I really don't care if they flame me because I made an essay that seems somewhat harsh in their opinion, or if they call me an elitist bitch. I wrote down the norms with which I write for others and they can use it, or they can hate it. It's all the same to me. :3

18.- Do you plan to tackle stories in other fandoms?
I was planning a GinRan (Bleach) story a while ago, but the inspiration seemed to have died already o_o; so I hope it'll return to me, or I wouldn't start at all. Otherwise, when Twilight is done, I'm going to take a break for a while and work on some original stuff. I might be back with an ItaSaku story in a couple of months, if I feel inspired.

19.- So, are you going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year? What are your expectations about this challenge?
Yes I am! And I have extremely high expectations for this project, seeing as this is going to be part of a larger series I had planned to write. I've got a lot of ideas roaming around, so I figure I'll be able to make the goal this year.

20.- First thought about the following words:
Power = Itachi (god I'm lame XD)
Sharingan = Uchiha-chacha xD
Orange = Naruto!
Sword = Masamune! I'm a Sephiroth fan, blame me. =p
Minato = Yondaime!
Fire = Avatar: The Last Airbender ;_;
Kishimoto = Naruto!
Crack = Yondaime x Mikoto, it's my sekrit OTP XD

:'D I loved this interview! Any thoughts, readers? :E

[Nightrunner series] Muse [Drabble]

2007-08-30T02:21:50Z

This is a little gift to mitsukishiroi, because I can.

Muse

The girl looked up from her desk with a sigh, letting the pen fall on the parchment with a sense of growing anger. Whatever her muse was doing, he surely wasn't with her and that was why she was so frustrated.

Stretching her limbs with a groan, the raven-haired woman stood and walked to the window, watching the rain fall through the warm night. She fanned her neck absently, going back to the story in her mind.

Two figures in the night, galloping under the moonlight to a new adventure and more dangers, more schemes, more witty remarks and a final realization she expected to read over and over again.

She knew the story was complete in her head, but why, by the Four, why couldn't she put it into flowing words on parchment?

What would the main character say to these kind of creative blocks? She asked herself with a lopsided smile, remembering the black hair that encased a handsome face and glimmering eyes, a crooked grin and a mischievous glance. He would surely have thrown a nice tantrum and lose himself in other kind of activities, allowing a creative streak to float into the back of his mind until a sudden inspiration got all the pieces together.

She sighed again, resting her forehead on the cool glass, hearing the thump of the rain clattering against her window. She figured her muse wasn't coming back for the night, so she finally decided to lie down and get some rest. Everything would look better in the morning, she thought as she pulled the covers off the bed, cursing the heat by Billairy's balls absently.

Warm hands were running on her moist skin, and a dark chuckle was heard in the vicinities of her ear. Tremors were racking her body into full awareness of her companion, whose mouth was deeply occupied with her neck and his hands -oh, Illior, his hands!- were eliciting shudder after shudder, gasp after gasp, moan after moan.

Slow and lazy murmurs and crafty caresses and deep hummings threw her off the edge, calling out a name she knew was a precious one for her. Calling out his name as he moved in crescendo, his rhythm never breaking, his smile never wavering, his weight never a burden but a blessing.

She awoke when the sun hit her eyelids. Yawning, she smiled faintly when she remembered the wild dream she had, knowing that her upmost fantasy had come to her once more, embracing a lightstone whose faint beam flickered, moving the shadows of her mind in the wild street dance she favored so much.

But her mouth dropped open when she glanced at her manuscript, complete and signed with a beautiful flourish in the most revered of languages.

She smiled again, widely this time, knowing that her wicked muse hadn't abandoned her.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

♥

[Naruto] Shinju [KabuShizu one-shot]

2007-07-29T21:52:28Z

This was originally a smut, but life got in the middle and I couldn't find my muse after the storm. I dedicate these pieces to my lovely Shiroi sisters. Adri, Mitsuki, my little talia. ♥

Let me tell you a little story:
Shinju means a double suicide in Japanese theatre. Two lovers separated by life and social conventions and family issues.

Having said that, I present...

Shinju

La lluvia caía sin parar.

La mujer no apartaba los ojos de la ventana, recordando la última vez que sintió frío, que sintió toda una gama de sensaciones que no tenían mucho que ver con los dedos cargados de chakra que recorrían su piel levemente, como sin querer dañarle.

Pero Shizune sabía mejor que no era por eso. Era la diversión oscura de hacer lo que hacía y con quien lo hacía, lo que movía esos dedos con una lentitud perezosa, casi sutil.

Tsunade podía expulsarla de la villa si se enterase, pero al ver esos ojos oscuros medio ocultos por una sonrisa retorcida detrás de esos lentes que reflejaban su misterio, su mortalidad, su pecado... no podía hacer otra cosa más que caer de nuevo.

Lo primero que hacía era soltarle los cabellos, quitarle el hitai-ate; luego los lentes... y por último ella se quitaba sus escrúpulos, colgados en su cuello, para hundirse en esa traición, ese olvido sin nombre, sin destino, sin esperanza.

Pero también Kabuto sabía mejor que eso. Sabía que ella aunque gentil y dulce era tan fiera y dura como la más fuerte de las katanas. Sabía que ella podía matarlo sencillamente, simplemente, con un senbon bien dirigido al corazón mientras sus cuerpos se ocupaban de otras cosas. Él también se exponía al peligro y a la muerte al dejar a su Sannin por ir al encuentro de una efímera pasión y un sentimiento que bien podría ser falso.

Aunque no admitiría que él mismo apretaba los dientes de frustración al ver el rostro femenino relajado, finalmente dormida, finalmente satisfecha, finalmente en paz.

Tal vez era una pasión momentánea, como le indicaba su lógica y analítica mente. Pero no podía dejar de hacer una mueca debajo de la capucha, sabiendo que todo se resumía a lo maldita que era la vida.

Porque por más analítico y frío que fuese, Kabuto sabía que había perdido la perspectiva en cuanto Shizune se le enfrentó, igualando movimiento tras movimiento.

Y mientras ella abría los ojos, despierta desde que él se levantó de su sitio de descanso para vestirse, sabía bien que todo se lo había llevado el demonio. Por fin comprendía el dolor visceral de Tsunade al perder a su amado tío.

...Pero aún no sabía qué era peor, pensó con sarcasmo. Perder a tu amado por la muerte, o perderlo porque, sencillamente, es un bastardo enemigo.

De pronto la muerte no le parecía una mala opción, pero se sabía consciente de sus limitaciones, consciente de sus emociones y sentimientos, consciente de su cobardía.

Quitándose una máscara para lucir otra, una sonrisa servil y sarcástica, divertido internamente por el giro de la situación, del destino, de la vida.

Pronto se verían de nuevo, pero no en los términos de siempre.

Y así lo hicieron. Pudo ver que la suave mandíbula que tanto había besado se apretaba para no gritar la rabia que invadía ese suave cuerpo, esas curvas que tanto había acariciado en noches cálidas y húmedas, sobrias y alertas, vanas y pasadas.

Oyó lejanamente el grito angustiado de Tsunade cuando esa mano que tanto adoraba sobre su cuerpo empujaba una oleada de chakra encima de su corazón, destrozándolo en una explosión interna que hizo que cayese sobre ese duro cuerpo que tanto había amado. Mejor así, mientras más rápido, mejor. Sin más dolor.

Oyó ausentemente el rugido de rabia de Orochimaru al ver que esos dedos gráciles y flexibles, hundían las agujas en el centro de su pecho. Si los senbon no perforaban el corazón, moriría por envenenamiento. Esto lo sabía bien.

Al caer ambos en el suelo, la tierra recompensándolos con su suave colchón de tierra mojada y charcos por la lluvia que aún caía sin parar, un suspiro se escapó de los labios del médico, cerrando finalmente los ojos, siendo recibido por los cálidos brazos de aquella que ya se había ido, pero que lo estaba esperando.

Orochimaru también cayó esa noche.

Kabuto fue enterrado con Shizune, después de que Tsunade leyese la última misiva de su casi sobrina. Un suicidio doble por un amor imposible. Por romántico que sonara, esa historia Shakesperiana terminaba allí, en ese día lluvioso, lavando penas, culpas, glorias.

Tal vez... en otra vida tuviesen una mejor oportunidad.

Tal vez.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Note: This one is unbeta'ed due to my beloved katwamp internetz issues.

Shinju

The rain kept falling mercilessly.

The woman didn’t tear her eyes from the window, remembering the last time she felt the biting cold on her skin, the last time she felt a myriad of sensations that didn’t had to do with those chakra-enlaced fingers that basked on her body, softly, meaning no threat nor damage.

But Shizune knew better than that. It was the dark fun to be doing what she was doing and with whom she was doing it, which had those fingers moving slowly, almost lazily.

Tsunade could banish her from the village easily if she knew; but when she glanced at those dark eyes half concealed by the glasses, reflecting his mystery, his mortality, their sin... she couldn’t do other thing than fall over again, and again.

First thing she did was loosing up his hair; removing his hitai-ate and with it his affiliation to that madman. Then the glasses were discarded... and lastly, she took off her conscience, hanging on her neck, to lose herself in that treason, that nameless oblivion, with no fate, with no hope.

But Kabuto too knew better than that. He knew that even when she was gentle and sweet was fierce and hard like the most strong of the katanas. He knew she could kill him easily, simply with a well-directed senbon to his heart while their bodies were busy doing other things. He too was exposed to danger and death when he left his Sannin to go to the encounter of an ephemeral passion and the feeling that could be easily faked.

However, he wouldn’t admit that he himself gritted his teeth in frustration when seeing those relaxed female features, finally asleep, finally satisfied, finally at peace.

Maybe it was fleeting passion, as his logical and analytical mind pointed out every single time. But he couldn’t refrain himself from wincing under his cloak, knowing that everything was narrowed to how damned and cursed was this life.

Because it never mattered how detached and cold he was, Kabuto knew well that he lost perspective when Shizune faced him in battle, keeping him on his toes, matching dance with dance, spin with spin, jutsu with jutsu.

And while she opened her eyes, awake since he abandoned his resting place in order to dress himself, she knew that everything was doomed. Finally she understood Tsunade’s pain when her lover -her beloved uncle- passed away.

... But still, she didn’t know what was worse, she thought with sarcasm. Losing your lover by the hands of death or losing him because, nevertheless, he was an enemy bastard.

Suddenly she considered death as not so bad choice, but she was too aware of her limitations, aware of her emotions and feelings, aware of her weakness–cowardice.

Removing a mask only to bear another, a negligible and sarcastic half-smile, amused internally at the situation, at destiny, at life.

Soon enough, they were going to meet again, only in another terms.

And they did. He could see that soft chin he liked to kiss and nip was being tightened to avoid screaming the rage that was boiling that body, those curves he was too much obsessed with, that pale skin he loved to caress on warm and moist nights; sober and alert nights, vain and elapsed nights.

She heard faintly Tsunade’s anguish scream when that hand she loved so much on her pushed a wave of chakra towards her heart, shattering it in an internal explosion that made her fall on that hard body that she loved and kissed and scratched and tasted with abandon. It was better this way, was her second to last thought, the faster the better. No more pain, no more lies.

He absently heard Orochimaru’s angry roar when those fragile and flexible fingers pushed the needles on the center of his chest. If the senbon didn’t perforate the heart, he surely would die of poisoning. He knew this and welcomed the darkness serenely.

When both of them fell on the ground, earth itself greeting them on its soft mattress made of soaked soil and puddles because the rain just didn’t stop falling, a sigh escaped the medic’s lips, finally closing his eyes, being pulled into a warm embrace. She was gone, but she waited for him nonetheless.

Orochimaru fell on that night too.

Kabuto was buried with Shizune, after that Tsunade read the last setter from her almost niece. It was a double suicide for an impossible love. No matter how romantic it sounded, that Shakespearian story ended that day, on that rainy day, washing away grieves, washing away guilts, washing away glories.

Maybe, just maybe... they had another chance in their next life.

Maybe.

~ Tenna' ento lye omenta ~

~~8D