How would they react at first if they realized they like you?
. ݁ ⟡ Characters: Kakashi, Itachi, Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru
. ݁ ⟡ Fandom: Naruto
. ݁ ⟡ Tags: Fluff. Suggestive. 7k words
A/N: It was a request. I couldn’t reply to you for some reason:( But thank youuuu very much for your kind words!
🍃 Kakashi
Kakashi will be in denial. He didn’t have a good relationship with his inner feelings, guarded behind impenetrable walls since he was young. Something substantial changed after losing his friends and learning that human connections are more important than following the shinobi’s world rules, to be a priority.
Yet, at first, he was thinking that his actions in protecting you, the only one remaining in his team, were only a proof of his lesson learned. Despite if that involved upsetting you for not letting you fight if wasn’t necessarily, even if catching a kunai with bare hands so it doesn’t even scratch an inch of your beautiful body, especially your face.
A beautiful woman who, after growing up enough for the hormones to be all over that place, even for the likes of him — he felt so much guilt when reading his books late at night, and flashbacks of you invaded his mind.
Kakashi was your shadow, ready to be here in any minute so he couldn’t repeat his past mistakes. After a while, you couldn’t think about yourself as delusive, asking him from time to time “Why are you protecting me?” or “How did you get here so fast?”.
Still, the last strike was confronting him after too many glasses of sake, inhibitions blurred enough to show how much your lingering, stealing gaze matched him than before when neither of you could see.
“I can’t stand it anymore, Kakashi.” He watched you, a flicker of tension could be seen between his scrunched eyebrows. “Please tell me I’m not insane. Please tell me all of these, all of what you did for me was not because I’m just a friend. Because I don’t. I don’t see you like one, Kakashi! I don’t see you like that for a while—“
As your confession started, Kakashi could feel just like a small knock turning gradually bigger, rougher against the walls inside of him until it broke so hard, so hard that the realization made him act impulsively, along with his throbbing heart. The urge was so bad that he even cut you off, your sincere words by his soft lips claiming yours in a passionate kiss so desperate, so intense that a tear painted your flushed cheeks. You barely caught your breath, stealed again by his response.
“You’re not. You’re not insane, [Name]. I apologize for my cowardice. I don’t deserve to trouble your kind soul.”
You cupped his cheeks, hands touching his mask as you spoke with a serious, yet gentle voice
“You deserve so much more. And I’m here to prove it if you let me.”
That doesn’t mean it will not be hard to do so, otherwise he wouldn’t nod in conformation too late, mostly because the fear of losing you is much bigger than his own flaws.
🍃 Itachi
Itachi’s priorities over the years didn’t led him to see the truth about what he really feels about you until late. At first, you were a member of the team along with Shisui. Despite not being in the Uchiha clan like he was, with a kind and altruistic personality, it wasn’t hard for him to get closer to you.
Actually, Itachi was curious (sometimes amused) by your constant desire to push his buttons. You weren’t part of a clan, you didn’t receive special, spectacular abilities like his Sharingan. It all came from insecurities that you didn’t belong here, at least not near a person like him that everyone knows. And it really enraged you how he was calm every damn time.
“Tell me, Uchiha. When you’ll show the world your real face, huh? Hidden by that pretty smile of yours that’s it clearly a mask?”
He was flattered by the compliment that you didn’t realize until after finishing speaking about your frustration. Itachi’s eyes flickered with surprise, a hint of a smile struggled to don’t appear, but you could see it. Immediately feeling your cheeks flush, you dismissed his presence with a wave of your hand, ready to vanish from the earth for actually saying out loud that he is pretty.
It wasn’t even clear that the bond deepened when the mission all of you were sent on, he found himself wanting to help you get out of the poisoned mind that fed you lies. Itachi was an observer most of the time so he didn’t miss how hard you trained yourself outside of the academy’s mandatory training. So, when the time comes, when the mission was successful and everyone did their best, Itachi knelt beside you.
With swollen eyes and a stuttering voice, you spoke with your head bowed.
“I failed again. Why? Why did they put me with you? Or him?” Shisui raised his hands in surrender, taking himself out of the equation in his own smooth way. “For what? To slow you down? To be a burden—“
Itachi put his hands gently on your head, his genuine words along with a serious expression made you freeze on the spot.
“You are not a burden and never were, [Name]. For all it costs, you prove yourself worthy every day for fighting your old self to be better and that’s all that matters. You are strong since I’ve met you and I’m glad I did.”
You couldn’t take your eyes from him, absorbing his words like a mantra. You hated that time to admit, but you really admired him. Still do. Wiping the tears away with your back hand, a chuckle managed to slip past your mouth.
“You and your ways of speaking.” A tease glinted in your eyes. “I’ll be stronger enough when I’ve managed to crush you in a fight, Uchiha.”
Itachi’s little smile widened, taking your hand to help you stand on your feet. “I’ll wait for that day.”
After that, your extra training now sometimes includes him too. With fights, with tears, with a will of living stronger to move mountains to be acknowledged.
Despite his loyality for Konoha, after many years of fighting for his village along with you, Itachi was pushed from behind to face what he feels since that part of him was untouched methodically, perhaps intentionally like he couldn’t think about himself first once in his life. And he could’ve help him with that? No one than his old, most important friend in his life. Shisui.
Travelling in mission wore you that night enough to admit you're tired, enough to sleep near the fire that warmed your body and soul. Enough to not hear a sound in your profound sleep.
Shisui was first to speak, indirectly how he liked it.
“She really did prove herself. That fierce attitude now helping in actual fights, huh.”
Itachi nodded, confirming what he anticipated.
“Indeed. She seems at peace with her soul.”
“But are you, dear Itachi? At peace with your soul like she is?”
Stunned by the sudden question of his camarade, he asked.
“I’m not sure I follow what you want to say.”
Shisui leaned his head back, arms under it while he was against the wooden wall in a comfortable position. The big smile on his face screamed trouble. “I’m sure you do, my friend. You’re fast with this kind of thing. Are you not?” Shisui gestured with his head to you, to your sleepy form, now with Itachi’s coat over your body.
Caught off guard by his friend, Itachi felt his cheek warmer, and this time the fire wasn’t the only reason.
“It’s not my place to trouble her with my personal feelings.“
Shisui was fast to counteract.
“Yeah? So I assume you won’t mind if I join the party? Making a little place in her world?” That was a new feeling gathered inside of Itachi’s soul. A feeling of doubt, of bitterness at the thought of seeing you with someone else. “Or I don’t know, maybe I can give Genma a free pass since I’m not the only one interested. You know, he asked me before about her.”
Itachi felt agitated for a second, showing for the first time a really intense expression on his face that only made Shisui chuckle.
“See? I told you. Better hurry up, Itachi.” He winked at him, sighing as tiredess envoled him too, closing his eyes.
Only Itachi couldn’t sleep that night, finally thinking about what’s most precious in his life besides his family. It took all of his courage, more than he ever had in fights to speak out loud about difficult things he wasn’t used to.
After graduation, having the real title of jonin, Itachi waited you near the door of the Academy. Controlled as he was, a shrewd mind could see the tremble of his hand, tighting against the akaibata flower, a red rose that symbolizes love in the village.
“Oh? You waited for me, Itachi? Such an honor for me to be waited by one of the best jonin from all times.” The big, teasing smile on your face faded as you saw the serious expression of your dear Itachi. You blinked, a rush of panic travelled in your bones.
“What happened? Don’t tell me they assigned you to another village.”
Itachi adjusted his voice while his hands slowly started being visible, not hidden beside his back. You were startled by the flower in his hands, looking back and forth from it to his face, trying to understand the situation.
Why did he choose specifically that flower? Can’t it be that…? No, definitely no. After all, it's Itachi.
“F-for me? Please, I should be the one thanking you—“
He stopped you, something he rarely does.
“I want to congratulate you.” It was bizarre for Itachi to avoid your gaze, making your own soul tremble, searching for answers. “And confess about something important to me. I must say I don’t pressure you for an immediate answer, perhaps taking your time to—“
“D-do you have feelings for me?”
Both of you freeze like a stone, like a paralysis jutsu stopped even the greatest genjutsu of Itachi that could bypass a weak ability like that. Still, he was the first to break the ice, to say something for the moment to not pass because it shouldn’t.
He nodded slowly, too slowly comparing about how fast his heart beat is. It took a couple of excruciating moments for you to fall all over him, in his arms. He raised them, shocked by the sudden reaction as your head leaned against his chest, tightening your grip around his back.
“It sure takes you a while.” You sniffled, adding your own confession. “I do too. I have feelings for you for a long time.”
Itachi managed to embrace you with the same intensity, putting his chin over your head as he murmured. “I’m glad to hear that.”
🍃 Naruto
Naruto had a burning, lively desire since he was young to have a name in the shinobi world and always craved human connections. Brainwashed by the people’s bad mouths, you were cautious at first to speak with him. Not that he was a loud, exhuberant kid that was in contrast to your reserved, yet upfront person. But because he was a constant reminder that despite everything he’ve been through, he managed to find enough confidence in himself that you lacked at that age.
Still, your person had an imprint in his mind because you were one of the few people who actually took his side.
The first time was when some random, uneducated kids tried to make a fool out of Naruto in the woods of Konoha. One of the pathetic brats spoke with a bitter tone, pointing a finger down at Naruto who was currently on the ground, pushed by them. How annoying. Three versus one and they call themself better.
Hiding behind a tree after your morning walk to the academy since it was interrupted by the sudden voices, you felt an unknown anger bubbling inside your chest.
“Hah! Not so strong of a genin, am I right? After all, a monster like you shouldn’t dare to want to be near the likes of us. A weakling dumbass, that’s all is about you!
You saw the determination in Naruto’s eyes, the fire behind them that was hard to maintain. He yelled, fighting with all his might.
“Shut up, assholes! I’ll kick your ass so hard when I become a Hokage! Just wait and—“
You move the same time the boy wanted to drag Naruto by his collar, gripping as hard as you can the disgusting hand of him to stop the moment. All of them were surprised at the same time you surprised yourself too. But here you are, too late to stop your action and not finishing it.
“Stop it!” The boy dragged his hand forcefully from your grip, unbalancing you for a second. “Leave him alone! You are the pathetic, stupid ones to fight him where he’s all alone!”
Your breath was heavy, chest rising up and down as you didn’t dare look past your shoulder, at a surprised Naruto with his mouth open. Are you in his class, right? He remembered you now.
Their voices melted together in insults, a fuel enough for the boy to try push you down too, yet Naruto was fast enough to catch you with his arms, supporting your back. That only enraged them even more, but their arrogance was enough for them to think that their time was more important than dealing with your kind of people.
“Freaks!”
And that was the insult you proudly carry on all these years for standing up for your new friend.
Naruto take his hands off you immediately after they were gone, scratching his head shyly. “S-sorry, sorry!” He spoke too fast for you to manake to answer yet. “Kuso!! Damn assholes! They’ll believe it soon how weak they are! I promise!”
You chuckled, shutting Naruto’s rambling at the beautiful laugh you heard. “I’m sure you’ll do!” His cheeks warmed, feeling so hot that one would believe it's Kurama’s fault.
He stuttered, unused to another person besides Iruka speaking normally. Naruto avoided looking in your eyes.
“T-thank you….?”
“Name].”
“Right! [Name].” Naruto chuckled, offering his big smile that he rarely offered to anyone when he was a child. “I’ll sure remember you! My new friend!”
And he did. He remembered you every time.
Always speaking with you in school, always invading your personal space to see what you are doing. If you want to eat with him, if you want to fight with him. All of this filled your soul with so much warm along the years that when he became a future leader, one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha, you were the most proud of him.
Hero of the Leaf.
You’ll never forget how every person before judged him, didn’t trust him, didn’t acknowledge him, but now praises him, pushing him with multiple hands in the air. You looked at him with so much love, tears wetting your cheeks.
Of course, he was quick to see, stumbling between people to come to you. He cupped your cheeks with both hands, looking agitated on all of your face as he spoke.
“[Name]! What’s wrong?? Tell me! Do I need to beat someone? Who! Say a name!”
You put your hand over his wrists, smiling so hard with tears in your eyes that you couldn’t be stopped. “No, dumbass! I’m just…feeling happy that people finally see you! See you for what you are, Naruto!”
Naruto gasped at that, feeling affected more than he was before. You were here from the beginning, right? He saw in a fraction of a second a flashback with old memories that culminated in this point, enough for his mind to tell him indirectly something he wasn’t aware of. Enough for his instincts to interfere, lowering his gaze to your lips for a second, making easy for you to see the answer you hoped for.
You pressed your lips against him, making Naruto have his eyes wide open at the feeling of your soft lips, until he himself start putting all his love into it.
None of you were aware of your surroundings and only when the cheers of others filled your ears, forced by the shyness, you stop kissing eachother. Both of you chuckled, returning to hug each other instead, so hard you aren't sure whose heart beat faster.
🍃 Shikamaru
As smart as he is, Shikamaru will be slow to realize he actually might like you. It’s true, you caught his eye for the first time when he spoke with you. In a debate.
Chosen by the fresh colleagues to be the one to organize the entire class with things like assigning projects based on strong or weak flaws of each one of them. Gather the project afterwards from anyone. Deliver new test announcements or any mundane tasks he needed to do. He wasn’t happy at all with the position and you can see it by the lazy expression he always had when speaking to all of you.
“Our sensei decides that it's time to see how good our teamwork is outside of missions. This time, they want us to work together on a project of our choice from Konoha’s history. But I suggest them to take the choice instead of us. They know our strength better than us.”
“I disagree.” The silence filled the room and you felt yourself warming for the sudden attention. Adjusting your voice, you looked straight in his Shikamaru direction, which just raised an eyebrow. “I-I think we are the one who knows our strengths better. Sure, they can help us and guide us, but we should have the free will to choose what we want to learn and write about.”
He spoke after assimilating your words like he always does. Thinking before speaking.
“We are too young to see our potential as they do.” Seeing the embarrassment on your face, he added. “Still, what are you suggesting?”
You gulped, feeling your throat tight since you could hear the muffled voices around you. It was fast for Shikamaru to catch that you are now insecure, so his eyes try to calm you in his own way, lacking any hint of judgment.
“Maybe a test?“ Everyone groaned and he felt the urge to do so, but he didn’t. “L-like to speak about ourselves? And what we think we are the best at and what little information we have that we want to dig deeper?”
The tension in the big room dissipates after Shikamaru spoke once again. “We can do that.” Finally, your breath out. Still, he continued no longer after. “But you’ll be the one speaking with them.”
“B-but you are—“
“Who said I should be the only one?”
With that, you and Shikamaru made a pair. Not like you were his assistant or anything like you thought you would be. Instead, Shikamaru treated you highly from the start, seeing the potential in you almost as much as a teacher with more experience would see in someone.
From that time, you get closer to Shikamaru without intending to. Putting up a fight when he sometimes forgets to do his own damn task, putting all the work on your shoulders. Or when he didn’t wanna fight against his opponent in the chunin exams. You still remember how hard you gripped both of your hands, pleading for his lazy ass to win.
But the real deal was when a wave of realization of what you meant to him hit Shikamaru harder when his sensei died. You didn’t leave his side, not for a second.
Cuffed in his own room, the depression swallowed him for the first time in his life. In that moment, Shikamaru watched the ceiling for hours, lost in painful memories, remembering his father’s words.
Out of nowhere, a powerful sound invaded the silence in his room. Coming from the window next to his bed. A rock? No, it wasn’t that bad. A tree branch? More plausible.
He dragged his legs out of the bed, slowly coming to see what happened. His eyes widened when he saw you, in front of his house, waving your hand in a desperate manner. Just before you put a hand near your mouth to shout, he opened the door.
“Hey!!”
“Shhh! What are you doing here? It’s late!” He whispered, scolding you. It’s dangerous for a girl like you to be on the streets right now.
“Then come outside, damn it!” You faked a shiver, trying to get a reaction out of him. “I’m scared all alone here…without my boy friend to protect me.”
Shikamaru scoffed. Yeah, right. You do a better job of protecting yourself than he can. But, of course, he closed the window after it, coming in a rush on his tiptoes so as not to don’t wake up his parents. His father will probably be disappointed to have a girl outside right now also that waited for him in this cold weather. At that thought, he took a jacket from the hanger near the exit door.
You were all smiles when he came, looking at a confused Shikamaru who walked with hurried steps until he was in front of you.
“What’s up with you? Do you know what the clock—“ You took his breath away, surprising him with the first affection you showed him. You hugged him. “What—“
“Shh. You’ll wake your parents, right?” You looked up, too close for him to think of a comeback. Then, you turned your head, cheeks against his chest. For sure you’ll catch him for how hard his heart was struggling to breathe. But you didn’t give him much time to be embarrassed, you made him compliant. “I wanted to know how you feel. I was scared, you know? I wanted to be here.”
He gulped, but he hugged you back. Troublesome girl. “I know you are here.”
At that, you gasped, taking a step back. “Is that a complain I hear?”
He waved his hand, panicking. “No, no! Damn.” He sighed, turning his head in another direction. “You know what I mean.”
Your mouth twitched, but it vanished when he was now the one catching you by surprise with that serious gaze he had. You didn’t know, maybe he didn’t know either that his pupils now filled with gratitude, mixed with a fondness that definetly excelled platonic feeling toward someone else.
“Come. I’ll walk you home.”
He put the jacket from his arms around your shoulder, pushing your back slightly to move forward. The night helped you not to don’t show you how flustered you were, concealing your reaction with your usual teasing.
“Oh? What an honor…Who would’ve thought Shikamaru is not an indolent brat every minute of his life…”
“Shut up. Not even I’m that bad of an asshole.”
Regardless of all of this time with you, seeing you grown later in a beautiful, strong woman — Shikamaru took his time. And it became annoying, so annoying that you find yourself doubting you're imagining the chemistry you two had.
This stopped when you fought. The biggest of them. You were outside with him, training. Alone. He was just watching, too comfortable to bother and join, having much “pleasure” to irritate you.
“And how do you know, huh? How do you know I will not win?”
You spoke between rough breaths, turning around in a swift pirouette for a perfect strike of kunai, sticking the pieces of wood arranged in opposite directions.
“I didn’t say you will not win. Don’t put words in my mouth, [Name]. I’m just saying I rather stick with the other plan—“
His closed eyes now wide open when you cut him off. “Because I’m weak. Say it.” You came close to him, anger in your voice. “Don’t hide around the corner, Shikamaru. I know how you think. I know what bullshit you think about—“
“I don’t wanna risk losing you for fuck sake! Can you stop being so loud at the first hour in the morning? It’s already hard enough to be alive this soon in the m—“
“W-what?”
Shikamaru stopped speaking, realizing he said too much. Too much for his own good. Risking now something more important than just being mad at him. At least he was used to it. He didn’t say nothing until you insisted.
“Since when are you so concerned about my well-being?”
He cursed under his breath, not believing what you are saying.
“What do you mean by that, [Name]?”
He raised on his feet, coming closer in front of you. Outside or not, the air ran thick, feeling like his shadows stilled you in place. Not enough for your mouth to stop speaking nonsense. Nonsense for him. For you, it was just voicing out your insecurities for a long time.
“I don’t know, Shikamaru. Sometimes I feel I’m not so important in your life like you are in mine.”
Shikamaru watched dumbfounded how your eyes were now red, how your breath was heavier comparable with a rough training.
“Are you insane?” Fuck. That was a mistake. His immediate reaction when you turned around with a painful expression was to grab you, to not leave him. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”
“Surprising for the mastermind not to think before speaking. Should I believe that?”
He felt an urgency he never felt before, as if he didn’t do something, say something, a distance would force both of you apart, maybe even unbreakable in the future.
“You don’t really know what I think.” At that, you stopped your impulses to run from him, furrowing your eyebrows. He sighed, letting go of your arms after seeing you listening to what he had to say. “I don’t see you weak. Never did. I think about you having a strong spirit with an impressive strength that definitely is much better than I can do.” He spoke again, not letting you contradict him. “I never doubt you. I was surprised to hear you talk so small about yourself and that to be surely my fault. I-I’m sorry.”
“Shikamaru…”
His hands twitched at the sides, sweating. “And…I care about you. In ways I didn’t think it was right to say. That I have a right to say.”
A heartbeat. Two heartbeats.
“A-are you saying what I think you are saying?”
He nodded. Now is the time. The time that everything will change after he will probably be refused—
“Asshole.” Ouch, deserved. He lowered his head just for a second, before raising it in an instant when he heard your laugh, landing a small punch in his arm. “And here I was preparing myself to wait decades until you will confess to me.”
“W-what?”
“I feel the same, Shikamaru. I was sure you already know since I don’t know…you are a genius and all that. But I see you’re not so sharp as you think you are.”
Shikamaru blushed in an instant, avoiding your gaze until he couldn’t do it anymore. “Right…” He could see you are waiting for something, or maybe gather the courage to not be a coward like this. But for once, the coward wasn’t him. “Can I kiss you?” The flushed cheeks gave your features a new light, accentuating your prettiness.
When you nod, Shikamaru lowers his head at the same time you raise yours for both of you to meet in the middle, in a much-needed kiss. A slow kiss that gradually turned hungrier, barely stopping yourself from continuing to touch each other.
Your happy laugh was enough for Shikamaru to give a real, honest smile too in return.
🍃 Sasuke
It will be a disaster. It will be a disaster for Sasuke to figure out the reason why he can’t stop himself from being near you and that will definitely happen in a long, long time.
Not even in the same team, Sasuke had his first interaction with you pretty late. He barely spoke with his team, forced to do so more accurately. That eventually became a blessing ij his life since they managed to bring out of him at least a bit of how little Sasuke was before. He didn’t bother interacting with other people, especially with the ones that didn’t stand out and at the same time initiating a conversation with him, not the other way around. Or that’s what it seemed until he met you.
On the other hand, you weren’t different than the other girls regarding one thing. He caught your eye. After all, you were a little girl seeing a pretty boy; a reserved one enough to seem like a misterous invidual from a young age.
But precisely for that reason, you differentiate yourself from the others. Asking the real question. Why is he so closed? Mysterious? What happened to him? Hearing the truth about his clan, you feel guilty to even see him in a light like that — to be attracted by the horrible reason he was the way he is. So you try to distance yourself from him, not having even a desire to speak with him only when necessary.
And surprisingly, that was at the chunin exams. After his fight.
It wasn’t so much time left until it was your turn. Hidden among all the people ready to fight to prove their worth, you were struggling to breathe. Prove what worth? Yeah, you passed all the tests after learning hard in order to don’t dare disappointing your parents again — the same parents who always had higher standards for you, rarely satisfied with any winning in your life.
But you didn’t dare complain once to them. To others? Hell no. Others have it much worse. Especially the boy that you didn’t hear near you, too much in your mind to see a confused Sasuke that didn’t know what the fuck happened here.
He looked around, looking for any threats until you felt his presence. You yelped, turning around and widening your eyes for such embarassing moment to happen. The first words you spoke surprised even him.
“What are you doing here?”
You turned around, rubbing your eyes for any sign of weakness. He spoke after a second too long, contemplating whether he should leave.
“Something happened?”
You shake your head and Sasuke thought it was a bit disrespectful not to don’t look at him as you speak, not how it was used to when speaking with others, especially girls. Maybe that’s what was the only reason why he spoke in a sharp tone. Not like he cared too much.
“No. It’s fine. Everything is fine.”
“Then?”
You looked at him of why he continue this pathetic conversation, feeling a bit exasperated.
“Ahm, then? Then nothing. Just don’t want to fight just to lose and dissapoint my family like I always do.”
And here you are. Complaining for the first time about your family to the wrong person. The worse option of all of them.
“Then don’t.”
You looked in disbelief at him, biting your tongue to don’t react to his arrogant tone that he seemed to have. Instead, you brush it off, snorting.
“Easy to say.”
Do you hear yourself? At least you have a family that is here to watch you. He knows how it feels to compare to someone else. He did that too in that past with his b—
“You don’t need to prove to anything to anyone.”
You blinked, swallowing your breath and letting it out slowly.
“Maybe you are right.”
He vanished after your first conversation. The conversation before anything.
You winned that fight. You are not sure if he was one of the reason. And especially, you weren’t even aware that after your fight, Sasuke was one of the few that actually felt something. His mouth twitched at the final blow you landed on your oppenent, seeing you cheerful, yet repressed smile. Like you couldn’t let yourself feel proud about your own achievement.
Not longer before he decided to leave Konoha, his decision influenced by the curse inside of him, driving him along with the fueling revange burning inside of him — he tried to get stronger on his own. He really tried to take another path after seeing how his rival start surpassing him.
Training in the crimson sunset, spreading a warm tinge around the big field was in discrepancy with what Sasuke felt in his soul. Maybe by the loneliness he felt in that moment, the vulnerability to be outside in such a missarable state of mind, made his attention to focus from his inner turmoil to the scene in front of him.
No far from here, he saw you.
Another faded question in the back of his mind existed. Not that he believe in superstitions like “nothing happens because of a coincidence” because it couldn’t be a coincidence what hell he was put through. The question was: Why he meet you again? Like the last time that for some unknown reason when he was oscillating mentally between insanity and clarity, you were there.
Meanwhile you, training for all it’s worth, once again you didn’t hear the presence coming closer until he made himself heard.
“Wrong position. You should use your good feet to land a powerful, not weak bow.”
You froze, ground glued to your swollen soles. That voice. You couldn’t lie, but you don’t think is there a possibility to don’t know from where is it from. From whom.
Weak bow. Sasuke didn’t say it as an insult, more like an advice he wasn’t think he should be the one to do so. But he already watched you for some time it seemed wrong to dissapear.
“T-thank you.”
He stepped closer, despite feeling the urge to don’t stay for long. He changed the subject, creating once more a start of a conversation he wasn’t really capable of. Or that’s what he thought about himself.
“It’s too dangerous to be outside at this hour.”
You sighed, coming near him only to sit down on the ground, catching your breath. After sipping for a bottle, making Sasuke involuntary wait for your answer, you responded.
“The sun is still up so I should be too.”
Sasuke scoffed, finding himself coming closer. He wasn’t stupid, he could see that anytime you can, you are avoiding his eyes. Too shy around him? Can’t be. You didn’t act like the rest to be perceived by him like that. More like the lack of confidence. Even if that was further from the true, otherwise your heart inside chest will not be so agitated.
“Fight with me.”
Sasuke wanted to slap himself for speaking. What is wrong with him? What could be the reason to even want that? (He doesn’t, you are not a match for him. It’s the truth.) The answer to his silent question was that now you looked at him and he could saw you more openly.
“W-what?”
“Up.”
You panicked, feeling flustered more than before. “No way—I could never fight you, I’ll be no match—“
He turned around, going straight to the middle of the training spot as he voiced with his back at you.
“Don’t be that weak.”
Your jaw tightened. Who does he think he was? The hint of a smile on Sasuke’s face when he heard steps from behind was unfortunately unseen by you.
After an embarassing short time, you crunched down your knees in front of him. Of course you lost. He didn’t use at least his chidori. Sasuke landed his hand and that time he couldn’t surpress his smirk when you take it with an annoyance scrawelled all over your face.
After the fight or what exactly was that, you challenged him. Now both of you resting on some random rocks around the area.
“You feel better about yourself now?”
He scoffed, giving you a side glance enough to make your heart stop for a second. But his unusual soft tone was more puzzling than that.
“Not at all.”
The silence set place harder than before. Not that you weren’t used to it or to feel uncomfortable by it. It was for that his now tilted head towards nothing in particular that seemed troubled enough to allow yourself to say something, yet fearful to don’t overstep.
“Thank you. For…that time. I think it helped much more that I was thinking in that moment. I won—“
“I know. I saw.” Sasuke locked his eyes on you, sending a tingling sensation in all of your body before he turned his head again. He wondered alone before asking. “What did your parents said?”
At your chuckle, a beautiful one, Sasuke unconsciously thought — he looked at you again.
“I think you already know.”
That’s unfortunate. They should appreciate you more like you do. You are their child, aren’t you? But he didn’t say anything, not even a congratulations since it wasn’t a thing he will say. Not knowing how.
“I saw your fight too.” You fidget for a second and Sasuke lowered his gaze to look on your fingers playing together before you raised your hand to face him. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one you heard this too or if it’s irrelevant, but you were impressive.”
He felt his cheeks warmer out of the sudden, not like you weren’t speaking the truth that you weren’t the only one telling him that. That emotion didn’t last long, changed drastically after what you added. “One of the best in our village.”
Because he is the second, not the first. You barely hear the murmured “Not enough” because he raised on his feet at the same time.
He tilted his head, looking down at you. “Come with me.”
Somehow, you sensed a bond of trust forming, concluding that night that make you follow him as Sasuke walked you home.
Still, that wasn’t the only thing you sensed that night. As you waved at him a goodbye, you watched him dissapered into the night with a pang in your chest, like you are not sure you’ll see him tomorrow again.
And it was truth, soon after dropping you off, he told Sakura he is gonna leave and he don’t want to be followed.
Come with me. You think if his question could’ve been in another life speaking about you following him on the rough path he chosen, will be any help. Probably not.
All the next years you knew about his wereabouts were painful to hear. You couldn’t know what to trust or what no. Did you really know him? Did he really did what everybody say he did? Did a person or more than one influenced him into being an unstable, bad person? It didn’t feel right to think about it.
But here, inside of you, a very small part existed that screamed hope.
Nobody can imagine what you felt when in the middle of the war, a presence suddeny catched everyone attention. For the first time, you weren’t the only one catched by surprise by his presence.
Everything stopped for you, maybe for him too — when he looked over his shoulder, having the first eye contact with you only, mantaining long enough to don’t be seen unintentional just before Naruto interfered.
But your moment vanished for days untill the war stopped, not having another one with him besides the little, rare ones when you felt his rinnegan eyes watching you from afar.
Well, that doesn’t mean you weren’t one of the few people to come see him in the hospital first.
The knock on the door was faint, almost shy. Not a sound could be heard from inside, yet you breath out once before you slide the door.
He wouldn’t think you will be here to see him, couldn’t anticipate it even if he will wanted to. Sasuke followed your slow moves until you reach his bed, asking him almost in a whisper.
“Can I sit?”
He didn’t trust his voice, he could only nod at your soft question.
“H-how are you feeling?”
Sasuke couldn’t stop looking at you. Couldn’t understand why you have that curious, concerned sight glintening in your eyes. He didn’t deserve any gentless. You were used from others to be dissapointed in you, but how about you? Why you aren’t at him now?
“Why are you here?”
His hoarse voice startled you. A roughness in it due to the lack of speaking to anyone until now. You fliched by his question, feeling the urge to leave that only deepened his guilt, but you didn’t.
“Do you want me to leave?”
He sighed, tilting his head as he murmured, fearful to speak too high.
“It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be here.”
You dragged the chair closer, catching his attention.
“Who said that? If you don’t tell me straight up, I might be too slow to understand.”
Not a hint of defiance can be seen in your gaze. He broke eye contact once again, stubbornly hiding himself.
Sasuke couldn’t lie. When he thought about you, rarely since his priority didn’t allow him more than once in a couple of months to lose his time with disruptive thoughts that could slow down his goal — only good things he remembered.
You didn’t judge him. Never. Not loudly at least. You didn’t insist on invading his space. You didn’t pressure him to choose the right path. Not even one of all the things he felt angry about in the past, even if those things also saved him. Still, it’s like you made space for him in your little, troubled world in own way — for him to join if he wants to that was starting to feel constrained mostly by himself to choose, not to be chosen by someone.
Sasuke didn’t realize he spoke out loud.
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“Y-you don’t?”
His eyes widen, head turning sharply towards you. The flush of your cheeks makes him almost choke on emotions. Fuck.
You bowed your head, hiding your face as you said in a whisper.
“I’m happy to hear that.” When you raised it back with a glinting gaze that transmits anything but indifference, Sasuke was now the one flustered. “And I’m glad you are alive.”
He gulped his feelings down, feeling still unworthy of them. “You will disappoint your parents for staying beside a person like me.”
“Someone told me before that I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I took that by heart.”
Sasuke’s heart throbbed after so much time he was sure he imagined at first, to be capable of feeling such a new, conflicting emotion.
When you smile, he was sure he couldn’t hide his own feelings toward you. Now in his black eyes, he also has a small flicker of light in them, maybe ready to expand. He also couldn’t hide anything, anymore when you dare to take his hand in yours — and for the first time, he squeezed back, tight enough to tell you any words he couldn’t say frankly now.
