#thetoaddaddy

[eternalserpentlair]

Echoes of a fading world, chapter 1 - starter

Time passed. The war had ended, and ordinary, gray people bore its consequences. Orochimaru was no exception in that regard; he carried the marks of the battles he had fought, which made it difficult for him to look at his own reflection in the mirror. He saw something there… something "off". For a long time, Orochimaru had noticed many differences between who he was and who he could have been - thoughts that often led him to deep reflection. The world didn’t look the way he wanted; its structure was fragile, easily shaken, and ready to collapse. It reminded him of the frail, fleeting nature of human life. Mortality… how fleeting and sorrowful it was. In the end, humans died as fools all the same.

Time. There was too little of it; too short, too insufficient, always slipping beyond one’s grasp.

Orochimaru didn’t agree with that; he refused to accept the existing reality, which weighed on him more and more each day. Now he desired only one thing - to stop time. And he was willing to do absolutely anything for that ideal. He never spoke of it to anyone, but he himself was a victim of what was coming. Yet this allowed him to see more clearly what "was to be". It broadened his perspective on the world - on everything. It gave him direction and a certain kind of motivation to act. He only needed to…

…shake the very foundations of his world.

That day, he thought a lot about it - about the decision he wanted to make and the consequences it would bring. So far, alcohol had never been his ally, but he decided to forget about that for a while and head to one of the roadside bars. He wasn’t expecting anything - he just wanted to see "what would happen if." Guided by that thought, he ordered a bottle of sake and sat down with it at one of the tables. He didn’t expect anyone to approach him - after all, he didn’t have many acquaintances. He was a loner, but that didn’t bother him in the slightest. Usually, it was in silence that he found "himself".

@thetoaddaddy

[soughthope]

Continued from x

@thetoaddaddy

She scoffs. " I think I'll keep that to myself so you don't get any ideas. " She rolled her eyes fondly at Jiraiya and takes a moment think about what they're celebrating before finally clinking the glasses. " To another day above earth? Seems worth enough to celebrate doesn't it? " She smirks.

[haganekotetsu]

Starter for @thetoaddaddy.

A simple delivery, she said.

Just a message, she said!

It's of great importance and I can't afford to let her down, she said!!

This bag was breaking his back. This sun was burning him alive. Heat radiating off of every surrounding dark gray surface of rock, rock, and more god damn rock!

The bag gets thrown into the dust, a body collapses on top of it right after.

Kotetsu feels around for his canteen and drains it dry of its very last drop before resting his forehead against the hot slate with a soft whine of defeat.

"When she told me to take a hike I didn't know she had Iwagakure in mind..." he mumbles pathetically to himself as he contemplates letting himself dry out and become a big red stain on the stone.

[taoreshi]

a new paralysis demon for @thetoaddaddy ! Lucidity was a series of snapshots for Haruka now, since the day he had failed his mission. The present was rooted in the past. There was no future. Memories that were not his bid his body to wander one way, for one duration of time, then, when another took hold, another way for another duration. The distinctness of 'Haruka' felt less and less authentic as he blended and blurred into the suffocating mass of 'other' that occupied him. That was, until, Haruka crossed paths with him. It was by a chance passing in the busy streets of some nameless village that the former ANBU felt the clawed grip of piercing clarity seize his mind. A Sannin, silver-haired and broad shouldered, there was no doubt. For all the time Haruka had been a serving shadow, sending and receiving intel, securing camps, acquiring supplies... anything that could be considered enabling Konoha's greatest assets, he would cease to exist without that context. He had spent the majority of his life in that service. Ever since, he resumed his former role. Now, just as then, he occupied the unseen spaces around Jiraiya as he traveled from village to village, amassing what Haruka could only conclude was a comprehensive report of some manner. While it bothered the former ANBU that he could not entirely grasp what it was and more especially why it eluded him, Haruka's frustrations were temporarily vented in the execution of his role. The roads Jiraiya opted to travel were always secured, rogue bandits were handled and obstacles were removed. They were a waste of a Sannin's skill, time, and effort. But the prickle of uncertainty built over time. They had been on the road for... days... weeks? It blended together now. Why had they not returned to Konoha? What nature of a report necessitated prolonged absence without communication? Where were the rest of the Sannin? It was unusual for Konoha units to work independently. And if there was such an occasion why did he not know of it?

It was in this way that in the dead of night, Haruka came to stand over one such Sannin's bed, a furious expression on his too-pale features. Physically, every living part of him had drained of color, his skin, his hair, his eyes. The outdated uniform he still wore was torn and stained, the sort of thing one would really only expect to come crawling up out of a grave. "Sannin-sama." He addressed cordially, but strained. "Your report... is it complete yet?"

[bladedhunter]

Continued from here [x] | @thetoaddaddy

Itachi hums lightly. "I've always run cold," he remarks, not commenting on any fire-natured chakra he may possess. It's not related, and he's confident a sannin knows that.

Besides, Itachi is a little too... dizzy to speak. He's not used to being touched. While he wasn't initially attracted to Jiraiya, it's a different kind of attraction to someone that's kind to you, someone who's keeping you warm out of that kindness -- something more wholesome.

And he can't help but shiver as the hands on him shift, a soft exhale of breath leaving him.

He catches (because how could he not?) Jiraiya looking down, and this causes Itachi to blush slightly. Wanting to hide it, he does the first thing he thinks of -- he tucks his head down. Incidentally, this results in him tucking his forehead against Jiraiya's neck. That's nice, so he presses his face there.

Ah, warm.

[ournindo]

@thetoaddaddy interacted for a starter and got one with Asuna!!

Brown eyes stare at him for a long moment. One of her fingers softly tap her chin as she gives him a once over. She's trying to decipher if she knows him or not. He looked familiar and yet she doesn't think she knows him at all. "Hmmm ..." She pauses, before giving him an answer. "Nope! I don't think I know you. Sorry."

[fodlansbestmom]

Sothis stared at him almost blankly as he gave his answer. In a way she could understand but personally it didn’t make sense. Not really.

“So it’s about bonds?” She asked finally after a moments silence. A hand reached out to take one of Jiraiya’s and held in within both of hers. A deep connection.. is that all it is?

“Can.. we try that?”

@thetoaddaddy

[copycaat]

@thetoaddaddy // here

“Then knock em’ back because I’m not letting you avoid this. I don’t want things to be awkward between us, Kakashi.” Jiraiya said with a shake of his head. More in a soft defeat than dismissive. Talking was neither of their strong suits… Well serious talking anyhow. He didn’t enjoy it. But he’s rather have a talk that felt like fingers where in his heart then deal with unspoken tension. Especially with someone he considered.. a friend.

"Avoid what." The question is completely flat, which is better than defensive. "Any supposed awkwardness is, I assure you, not noticed on my end."

Jiraiya would be shocked by the kinds of unfavorable interpersonal conditions Kakashi can flat-out ignore. It's suited him well enough so far, which is why he has a grand total of three to four friends and the nickname "friend-killer".