Wake Up. Get Up. Stand Up.

"Death of a Nation" (APH, Prussia/Hungary, Germany, K+)

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:28:50 GMT

Title: "Death of a Nation"
Author: yukari_rin
Series: Hetalia Axis Powers
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Prussia (East Germany), Hungary, Germany (West Germany), with slight Prussia/Hungary.
Summary: A wall falls and someone dies.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 3,290
Historical Context: the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany
Notes: First APH fanfiction (of more than one sentence), please be kind. Written with respect to Mr. Christopher Clark. Wheee for symbolism!
Disclaimer: Hetalia Axis Powers and related properties belong to Himaruya Hidekazu and related parties. Title not related to any pre-existing media of the same name (such as songs, books, or documentaries).

He was one of the first to reach the top of the wall. But rather then continue over into the outstretched arms of West Berliners, he crouched down and sat atop the cold concrete. Eager East Berliners paid him little mind as they hurried across, fearful that the government would rescind its permission to cross. There were all ready some people chipping away at the cement, those that had a premonition of what was to come in the following months, maybe.

East looked left and right at the crowds on either side, noting the differences between the people and the city. On West's side the gray slabs were covered in bright paints. Graffiti of abstract faces and the like as far as his eyes could see. On his side, on Russia's side, nothing. Nothing but trenches marking the death strip. East's chest tightened as the names of his fallen citizens who had risked it all for freedom flashed through his mind. He wondered if any of them had had family on West's side, and if they knew.

He was drawn from his reverie by the noise of the crowd. Everywhere people were talking excitedly, nervously, laughing and crying, shouting, embracing. Strangers to strangers, only wanting to be together once more. This was real, he had to remind himself.

“Big brother!” a deep voice called near his feet. It was familiar, but one he hadn't heard in many years. East looked down and saw West trying to remain in place on the ground below, jostled by the crush of human movement. Their eyes met and held for a moment. Memories playing in each of their minds. West made the first move, holding his hands up, cupped together for a foothold.

East rolled onto his side and lowered himself from the ground with his brother's help.

And time began moving again.

A few months later the wall was nearly completely gone. Most of it had been destroyed by those wanting to move forward or saved in little pieces by those who swore never to forget. Hungary watched the people go about their new lives as she walked through the streets. Reunification. The word tasted sweet on her tongue. It had been a long road, and upon reflection on her part of the Iron Wall's fall, it was the brothers' reunion that meant the most to her.

She arrived at their home and knocked on the door. West opened it a few moments later and invited her in. His older brother was in the study, he told her. She could go on, he'd bring some refreshments in a moment. She nodded gratefully and headed down the hall, but was stopped by the younger man's hand on her arm. She turned to look up at him with curious eyes.

“Thank you for coming,” he told her hesitantly, shyly. Awkwardly.

She smiled and placed her hand on his. “What are old friends for?” She searched his face briefly. “You and I are going to have to have our own little chat soon, too.”

He nodded, expression stoic. He let her go and they went their separate ways. The door to the study was open a few centimeters and she could see her friend seated behind a large library desk, frowning over the volume in his hands. It was a rare moment of quietness that enveloped the usually loud man, she wasn't certain she wanted to disturb him. But something about his brother's tone and expression after greeting her had her worried.

“You know, if you keep frowning like that you'll get wrinkles,” she offered, pushing the door open.

East looked up at her, red eyes ringed by shadows. “I'm too awesome for winkles,” he returned, “and besides, if I do get them – and I won't, mind you – I'll make them awesome and everyone'll want 'em, too.” He gave her a lopsided grin and placed a ribbon on the open page before closing the book.

“Wrinkles won't ever be fashionable. These days nobody likes getting old, and I doubt that will change.”

He shrugged as she sat in one of the chairs opposite the desk. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward, his eyes regaining some of their sparkle. “That's just because no one is cool enough to truly showcase how great one can look with them.”

“So are you saying you want wrinkles now?” she teased, fingers tracing the gilded letters on the cover of a tome on the small table beside her.

“Maybe I am,” he said boldly. She chuckled softly, but he remained quiet, watching her intently. “What?” she asked, feeling that odd sensation on the nape of her neck that she never liked. It never signaled anything good.

He opened his mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by his brother bringing them drinks and finger foods. He stayed with them for the rest of Hungary's visit, and it wasn't until she was back home that she remembered her question has gone unanswered.

More time has passed, and she hadn't seen the brothers in a while. She'd been busy keeping her own country in order, but needed a short break. West was out when she called, but East told her to come on over. With the stipulation that she stay for supper. It went unspoken between them that she'd be the one cooking the meal.

It was exactly the distraction she had been hoping for. There wasn't anyone else she could feel so free with. They had been through so much together, good times as well as bad. The worst of it being held down under Russia's thumb, but they had patched up their previous grievances during that time. But that was in the past, the recent past, but behind them.

Or so she thought.

“East,” she began, short of breath from laughing at the joke he had made. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand but kept from finishing her scolding when she saw the pained expression on his face. “East...?”

“Don't call me that anymore,” he spoke quietly. Gone was the gaiety from his mood.

“What?” Hungary asked slowly. “But... what else am I supposed to call you?” she asked incredulously. 'East' had been forced into her vocabulary and thought process over the past years. Russia had made it clear that 'Prussia' no longer existed, and had christened the red-eyed man East along with the rest of the Allies. It had been a hard fact to swallow for many of the nations Russia had been given care of.

“How about by my name?” he raised his eyes to hers, sad humor reflecting the light.

“That's what I was-” she caught herself. Oh. Oh. “Gilbert.” She hadn't called him that in hundreds of years, but it brought back memories of warm days spent racing each other and practicing swordsmanship. She couldn't help but smile embarrassedly at recalling how she had believed she was a man for so many years. She glanced at her friend and he smiled knowingly, recalling the ways she had firmly insisted that she'd grow a penis.

Hungary lifted her glass of water to her lips in an effort to cool the blush from her cheeks and throat. “Gilbert,” she began again.

“Gil is fine,” he inserted grinning.

“Gil... why....” she searched for the words.

“Because there's no longer two of us. Brother's boss and my old boss... it's been decided to make the reunification deeper.” He moved the food on his plate with his fork. “They think it'll be more awesome for everyone, this way.” But his heart wasn't in it.

“But, but every country has different regions, why strip you of your designation?”

He sighed and placed his fork down. “The connotation. Saying 'East' this and 'West' that, it keeps us separate. It'd be bad for the citizens, they might keep their old ways of thinking.”

She knew this, knew it quite well after divorcing Austria after so many years of marriage. Hungary nodded and swallowed hard, fighting a lump in her throat.

“And because I was all ready stripped of my nation status, brother was the obvious candidate to take over. That's why he's not here tonight, he's been at a meeting with our new boss all day.”

“I see,” she replied. “Gil, I'm-”

“This Linsen mit Spätzle is awesome!” he complimented, cutting her off. “How come you never made it for me before?”

She bit her lip, wanting to continue along the train of thought he was pulling her from. He was trying so hard, she realized. So she let it go and answered him as brightly as possible. They stayed on lighter topics for the rest of the evening and were still at the dinner table when West, no – Germany came home.

She had resolved to visit again, sooner, and more often (if she could). Each trip back was a bit more trying. She could see how Germany was growing weary. There were so many who were still uncertain of how to work with him, even after all these years. The reunification was supposed to have helped, but conditions were still strained.

Gil had taken ill a few months after the reunification and had taken to staying in bed. It was the warmest place in the apartment, he said in defense of his behavior. Hungary did her best to be there for him without spoiling him. He could be such a brat when he was sick and able to take advantage of people's kindness.

But then the turn of the year came and Spring crept into the city.

“A bit of fresh air would do you some good.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, mother.”

Hungary huffed. “I mean it, Gilbert. You've been cooped up inside for too long. It isn't healthy.”

“You must really miss taking care of Italy, huh?” He sighed at her glare. “I'm fine.” His friend started to protest that he cut off. “I prefer to stay in.”

His declaration stunned her. It had always been impossible to keep either one of them indoors when they were younger, and even as the years went by Gil was out romping around who knows where half the time. “Since when?”

He shifted uncomfortably in his bed. “Don't worry about it-”

“Tell me. Please,” she ended softly.

Their eyes held each other's for several moments before he looked away. “I'm too awesome to go out and mingle.” She frowned. He sighed again. “I don't want to cause any trouble, that's all.”

That was so unlike him, she thought.

“Things are still tense. I'm just lying low for a little. Until things get sorted out. That's all.” He peeked at her to gauge her mood. "Really," he tried to assure her.

She smiled weakly and nodded. “Okay.”

When Spring was in full bloom Hungary visited the brothers, a bouquet of wild flowers in hand to brighten their rather austere home. Germany thanked her politely and apologized that he had to leave, but she assured him it was all right, and that she'd look after his brother, who truly looked like he needed the bed rest now.

Hungary bit into the apple Gil had offered her as she settled herself in the chair beside his bed. He held up his own, half finished, and licked the fruit's juice from his lips. “I've been thinking,” he told her as if it was earth-shattering news.

“You mean you're able to?” she raised a brow at him.

“Oh ha haaa. You should know not to underestimate the awesome me.”

“My apologies. Go on, I'm curious to see if you were thinking anything of worth.”

He made a noise in the back of his throat at continued. “I've been thinking – about what makes a country a country. Is it the land? Its laws? The people who live within its borders and jurisdiction?”

Hungary moved the fruit to the left side of her mouth and held her hand up to cover her mouth. “This isn't a new topic, Gil. There are dozens, maybe even hundreds, of published books and essays on it.”

“Yeah, but there's not one conclusive answer. Which is what I've been thinking about.” He took a large bite and watched her as he chewed.

She swallowed and tilted her head gently. “And what have you concluded?”

His grin grew wide and he let her wait before regaling her with his answer. “A country, my dear Eliza, is nothing without the belief of it existing. It's not the land or the laws or its economy. It's the people with their belief in being a part of something greater than themselves simply by existing where they do that makes a country. One or two people believing they're a kingdom is stupidity, I'll admit that, but the collective population believing that they are great... that's a country. A nation is only as awesome as its people believe it is.”

He was looking out the window when he finished speaking, his expression a mix of emotion, his eyes distant, as if trying to see beyond what was before him.

“Some have said that before, you know. You can't take all the credit for that,” she said slowly.

He shrugged. “Maybe not, but I can claim being the one to declare it the definitive answer.”

She smiled and took another bite. “If you say so.”

A knock on the door put a lull on their discussion. Germany poked his head into the room and met Hungary's eyes. “Excuse me, Miss Hungary, but there's a phone call for you. It's from one of your boss' aides.”

“Ah, thank you, Germany,” she said barely tripping over the name that still brought her some pain. She rose and tossed the rest of her apple to her bedridden friend to finish. “I have a feeling I'll be going home sooner than expected,” she apologized. “But I'll be back before you can miss me.” She grinned at the older brother.

“Pft,” he spit out. “As if anyone would miss you,” he returned in the same joking manner. “It's great being alone.”

She shook her head and walked to the open doorway.

“Eliza?” he called, a trace of anxiety in his voice and expression. She nodded at him to go on. “A country is nothing without its people believing in it.”

“As you say. I'll be back.”

He nodded once. “Good-bye.”

She waved as she stepped into the hall, the heels of her shoes clacking down the bare hardwood floor. Gilbert leaned back against the headboard and looked for a moment at the apple she had given him before biting into its hard skin.

Spring was in full bloom when Hungary next managed to return to Berlin. There was an air about the city so different from her previous jaunts. Everything looked and felt different, but she couldn't put her finger on the exact cause. It gave her a niggling sensation on the back of her neck and she hurried along her way.

She arrived at her destination slightly out of breath, but was even more surprised by how quickly West answered the door after she knocked. His hopeful expression fell when he registered who was on his doorstep. “Miss Hungary- what... I wasn't expecting you for a little longer.” He stepped back and to the side to let her in.

“I know, I'm sorry. It was weird, walking through the city, I mean. Everything felt different.” She could see the pain in his eyes, the tightness in the firm line of his lips. Her stomach dropped. “How's Gil?”

But Germany paused too long for her liking and she ran down the hall, pushing open the door to her childhood friend's bedroom. It was empty. She spun around, hands rising to clutch the door frame.

“I was hoping it was him, when you knocked on the door,” Germany explained without prompting. “We... we've kept the door locked on a regular basis since last Autumn, just to be careful. But he hasn't gone out and never had a key to use.”

“Where did he go?” she asked softly.

“I don't know. He didn't leave a note.”

“H-how long has he been gone?” Hungary gripped the doorframe so tightly her knuckles whitened. Her voice cracked at the beginning of the question and she was willing with all her might to not cry. She hadn't cried in a long time, especially not over him. She wasn't going to start now. She wasn't.

“He was asleep when I went to bed last night, but when I woke up this morning... his room was as it is now.”

Hungary turned back to the room that was now so cold without its master dwelling in it. It looked abandoned despite all the belongings stored in it. The bed looked as if it had never been slept in.

“When will he be back.... do you think?” she asked, trailing her fingers along the thick comforter.

When Germany kept silent she looked to him. His blue eyes were veiled, his jaw tight, hands fisted at his sides. “I... I don't think he will be.”

She didn't notice the tear sliding down her cheek as he slid his gaze towards hers. “I think he's gone. For good.”

“Eliza... A country is nothing without its people believing in it.”

Countries and empires rose and ruled for ages, and just as easily fell and vanished in the blink of an eye. She had seen it happen numerous times, they all had. But she had never expected this to happen. She had believed that her loud-mouthed partner in crime in ages past would come into his own once more. He had fought against so much adversity before... why should now be any different?

But Germany was no longer East and West, and Prussia had been gone for decades in name and state, dismantled and forced into something else. But the people had still looked to their homeland for strength then. Now they were joining together under his brother. They had a new country to believe in.

Hungary squeezed her eyes shut and covered her mouth to muffle a sob. He had known. The bastard! He had known and hadn't told her. Not in his usual manner, at least. Why hadn't she noticed? But then again, she had.

But for once in their long relationship, she had played along to his game.

She took a deep breath and rubbed the back of her hands over her eyes. Germany held out a handkerchief for her, she accepted it quietly and noticed belatedly it was his brother's. A proud black eagle with its wings spread over his name, the one long since stripped from him, Preußen, carefully stitched in gold thread. The tightness in her chest was returning, memories from across the centuries coming unbidden.

“You'll call, if anything happens? Please?”

He nodded. “We still have to have our talk, after all,” he reminded her.

She understood it was his way of saying she could still visit, still return to a place where Gil would always remain in some way.

She smiled weakly and closed her hand around the handkerchief. “Yes, we do.”

She left the apartment feeling numb, the bright spring colors blurring into muted shades. She walked past one of the old check-points where the guards used to look threateningly at those lucky enough to travel between the divided sections of the city. She walked past buildings that had seen better days decades ago.

She left the part of the city that was slowly on its way to becoming something different.

Something Prussia could never be.

Would never be.

Something distinctly new.

But awesome, in its own way.

“The Beginning of the End” (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #25)

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:34:51 GMT

Title: “The Beginning of the End”
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme No.: #25, fence
Rating: M
Word Count: 1,541
Notes: Part 1/?
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

Shisui tucked her chin to her breastbone and gasped, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. The sheets were wet with sweat and fluids, the soft cotton sticking to her back as she moved against it.

Minato's hands were clamped around her hips, fingers digging into iliac crests, sure to leave bruises. She rest her cheek against the damp blond of his head and cried out at his intensity. His mouth was hot and slick against the column of her neck, pressing down on the pulse. She lifted a shaking hand to his back, “Mina-”, another wince.

A whispered plea, “Minato, please,” as red hair spills over the edge of his bed, her head tossed in pleasure.

He jerked his face away from her neck and froze. He stared down at Shisui with wide eyes, scarcely breathing. Her own expression she knew as if she could see it – brows drawn together in an unsightly clump above the top of her nose, mouth open in question. He backed away as if burned, pulling out of her without ceremony.

He started to speak, but the tightness in his throat allowed no words to be shared. He turned and walked quickly to the adjoining bathroom, shutting the door with a quiet slam. Shisui sat up and pulled the sheet over her chest. The pipes clanged and water came shooting out of the head. She knew instinctively it was cold water he was using. She sat for a few moments, growing chilled without his warmth.

There weren't any towels in the bathroom.

She slowly lifted herself off of the bed (she felt like bruised jelly) and pulled on her discarded panties and the jounin shirt he had been wearing. The basket of clean laundry was on the chair near the bathroom door and she lifted two of the thick red towels and knocked on the door before sliding it open.

He was standing with his head under the shower head, palms pressed flat against the wall. The curtain wasn't drawn. He didn't look up as she entered. Shisui placed the towels on the sink counter and watched the water cascade down his body. “Was it the mission?” she asked quietly, just above the pounding of the water.

“Not the last, no,” he replied in a more hushed tone. He closed his eyes and curled his fingers against the tiles.

“I'll make some tea,” she informed him, turning and shutting the door without a sound.

The Uchiha had a long history of feline familiars, though they treated the connection much differently than the Inuzuka clan did with dogs. Shisui, however, had a great dislike in general of cats. It was an irrational dislike, she knew that very well, but it was one of the things about her that hadn't changed since becoming intimate with her childhood companion. (Minato was ambivalent about them – good for keeping mice away, but they liked to chase his frogs...)

Shisui did everything possible to keep cats off of her property. It was difficult, though, since her father had loved the species deeply. Even years after his passing cats still came by, hoping for his attention.

The cat on the high wall surrounding her home was a new one. Slim and long-backed its ruddy fur was sleek in the sunlight. Shisui stared at it from the kitchen window, willing it to leave. Cats are ill omens-

Instead it slowly turned its head and met her gaze, settling down on the top of the fence and bathing.

“Not the last, no.”

The shuriken left her fingers before Shisui realized it, but the cat jumped down onto the street before the metal star could sink itself into its thick coat.

It had been a week since the Whirlpool Village had been declared officially destroyed, and Kushina was still in the hospital.

She wondered, had he stopped by to visit the girl on his way home? It'd be so like him to do so. She clenched the rim of the sink, tea kettle forgotten under the running faucet. The front door opened with a slight creak and she forcibly loosened her grip, rescuing the tea pot from drowning. “Minato?” she called, doing her best to sound unbothered.

The man himself entered the kitchen and stepped behind her, arms wrapping around her waist, preventing her from moving. His lips found the nape of her neck, bared by her uncharacteristic up do. “I'm sorry.”

“For what?” There was no hiding the slight edge to her voice.

“For last night,” he breathed slowly, mouth moving against her skin. “I...” His fingers dug into her hips, pressing against the still fresh bruises.

“No,” she said quietly. “It's okay.” She hoped she sounded convinced. “It happens to all of us.”

Minato took a step back and turned her so she was facing him, hands still holding her in place. Shisui braced one hand on his chest and another on the counter. He searched her face, blue eyes imploring her for something she did not know. In an instant his gaze sharpened and focused beyond the window, at the gleaming metal in the sunlight. Shisui looked back and then slid her eyes to his.

“There was a cat,” she said simply.

Minato's hands released her carefully and she went back to preparing tea as he watched her, wanting to speak but not knowing the words to use.

A month later Kushina was released. There was a party held for her at a small dive of a restaurant that Shisui wouldn't have ever thought about even looking at on her own. She spent most of the party poking at her food and listening to the conversations Minato joined in. They were sitting next to each other, with Kushina a few seats away at the head of the table. Shisui didn't know the majority of the ninja present, and her cool demeanor scared off many from approaching her, enabling her to watch her surroundings like a hawk.

The red cat had taken to teasing Shisui, lazing about the fence outside her home at every possible chance despite Shisui's constant attempts to harm it. It was a quick animal, always dodging the knives and blades Shisui threw at it. Watching Kushina at the party, Shisui could not help but think of the animal.

Kushina was small and lithe, with a healthy glow to her skin. Her red hair complimented her complexion, and her eyes were bright with happiness. Her mouth was in near constant motion, talking quietly to those close-by one moment and calling out to the other end of the restaurant the next. She had a healthy appetite, the Uchiha noticed. And not just for the food on the plate before her.

The beer and sake had been making their rounds so the less than covert glances Kushina stole at Minato were missed by most of the kunoichi's friends. Shisui, however, noticed each one, the knots in her stomach and throat that had formed weeks ago constricting with each moment. But what sent ice through her veins were the times that Minato couldn't ignore the feeling of being watched, when he would meet Kushina's eyes before looking away and loudly offering his thoughts to a discussion on the opposite end of the table.

After the third time Shisui stared open at Whirlpool ninja, willing the redhead's green eyes to lock with hers. The moment came and Shisui was satisfied at the other woman's jerk of fear upon seeing the red and black of the Uchiha bloodline limit.

That night, in the privacy of her bedroom she gave herself to Minato. He was desperate, distracted. She twisted her hips quickly, pulling him downward so that she could rise above him. The warm evening breeze blowing through the thin curtains, whispering to her the thoughts she had been trying to ignore for so long now.

The silence of the night, punctuated only by the sounds of their love-making, was interrupted by the yowling of a cat in heat as it sought a mate.

There is no denying the tension that lies between Shisui and Minato now. He is hiding something and she does her best to ignore it, but the doubt and fear wears her down, eroding at her confidence. She begins to falter on missions, a fact which does not go unnoticed by the Hokage, and worse, by her clansmen. She is watched, and as such, is unable to meet with Minato. So the tension grows thicker, more suffocating.

She sees them one afternoon on her way home from a mission. Minato's head is lowered, brows knit together as Kushina looks up at him, eyes wide with an emotion Shisui cannot read from her distance. He raises a hand to her face, but doesn't rest it upon her cheek. Instead he makes a fist and lowers it to his side. Kushina closes her eyes and lays her hands on her stomach. Minato's eyebrows relax a bit, and his expression softens ever so slightly as he watches her fingers flex and straighten against the material of her skirt.

Shisui drops the scroll she is carrying, and somehow in the bustle of the village, it catches their attention.

And she knows it is all over.

"Enough for Happiness" [Naruto, SasuSaku, T]

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:08:12 GMT

Title: Enough for Happiness
Author: yukari_rin
Series: Naruto
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Uchiha Sasuke/Haruno Sakura
Theme #: 31, the currency of hope
Word Count: 447
Rating: T
Notes: Spoilers for recent chapters, minor speculation for what may occur in upcoming chapters.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

If Sakura had a ryou for every piece of hope Sasuke had given her, she may not be the richest woman, but she'd have enough for happiness.

The first time they met, he had not teased her as so many of the other village children had. Instead, he had offered her his handkerchief as she cried silently, huddled behind a tree. He had said no more than, “here”, but she realized that things could, and would look up.

Then, when they were twelve and placed on the same Genin squad the hope came a bit more quickly. He shared things with her, even if she didn't understand his words. He stuck by her, he let her hold and cry over him. He encouraged her. He protected her on several occasions, he risked his life for her, too.

When they were thirteen, he offered her two words that would become more valuable to her than anything for many years of her life despite the pain they'd put her through. He said, “thank you”. And though he was gone, hope was not lost.

Years went by without hope or news from Sasuke. But she created her own hope. She got stronger, she gained confidence. And then Naruto came back and together they gave each other hope.

They met Sasuke again, and though he could have disobeyed Orochimaru's orders to not harm them, he didn't. There really was hope, still, she wanted to believe as the hope in her coffer decreased slightly.

Sasuke bested Orochimaru and survived the fight with his brother. Those bits of news were a few odd coins of hope. He was walking the wrong path but he had not strayed, and maybe – just maybe – he'd return.

But then he joined up with Akatsuki and as Karui's vehement charges were laid against him, Sakura struggled to find the hope of the situation. She couldn't respond to the Cloud kunoichi's demands for answers. All Sakura had left, really, was the love she could not let go of, the memories of the boy she had fallen in love with. The hope she had stored up was no longer in her bank.

And as the political situation in Konoha put allegiances to the test she walked a fine line between faithful and insubordinate soldier. But Sasuke was there again, in his own unique way, bringing her hope. He revealed all the hidden agendas, stripped the village to its bones much how Pain had rocked it to its foundations. Hope sprung up like never before, restoring her faith.

He stayed and invested himself in Konoha's rebuilding. He wouldn't allow for history to be repeated.

“And after all,” Sakura thoughts with a smile to herself as she walked to the Hokage's office, hearing Naruto's loud voice arguing with Kakashi, no - the Nanadaime, and the Uchiha heir, “he's still got his clan to revive...”

Oh yes, Sakura had just enough hope for happiness.

"Regrets" [Naruto, SasuSaku, T]

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:59:14 GMT

Title: Regrets
Author: yukari_rin
Series: Naruto
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Uchiha Sasuke/Haruno Sakura
Theme #: 30, Dutch courage
Word Count: 949
Rating: T
Notes: “Dutch courage”, for those who don't know, is the courage that one gets from alcohol. Divergent from canon. First time writing these two together in a very long time, so please forgive me of any OOCness.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

Sakura placed the glass down on the stained wood counter with a surprisingly steady hand for one who'd just downed four gin and whiskeys. Her gaze lingered on the rim of the glass, letting the noise around her blur into a soft hum.

“Another?” the bar keeper asked as he ran a dry cloth along the inside of a stein he'd just washed. Sakura shook her head and fumbled some coins from her pocket and placed them on the counter. With a nod of thanks for the drinks she carefully got off of the stool and made her way to the door. The bar keeper watched her progress and sighed deeply once she had safely made it outside of his establishment.

The night sky was a velvety black sprinkled with the twinkling of the stars. There was a colder breeze weaving itself through the village, something generally abnormal to Konoha, but so many things had been unusual lately. It was if all the rules were being re-written by some unknown higher power.

Some unknown higher power with a very cruel sense of humor.

Sakura walked as fast as she could without looking the part of a drunk, fearful that the cold breeze would sober her up too much before she reached her destination.

Maybe it was the cruel humor, or maybe it was luck working out in favor for once, because waiting a few blocks down, leaning against a building and mostly hidden in the shadows was Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura stopped short and almost tripped over her feet. She chided herself silently. She had to at least look and act as if she was in control.

“You're starting to pick up some bad habits,” he told her almost as if he was commenting on how nice the weather wasn't.

“Like you never picked up some of your teachers less pleasant traits?” she fired back.

“I don't kill indiscriminately, I don't conduct experiments, and I don't have a desire for immortality.”

“If those are the only bad things he's done, in your opinion, then you're more warped than I thought.” She was looking down at her feet so she didn't see the way her jab made him straighten his posture slightly.

“Forgive me for thinking I'd know more about my teacher than you,” his voice was ice cold.

Sakura's chest tightened. “Don't call him that. It makes it sound like you-”

“Like I actually learned things from him? I did. I may not have liked his personal pursuits, but he had his uses. I don't regret my time with him, so why should I speak as if I do?”

Sakura raised her eyes and focused on Sasuke's still so damnably beautiful face. “You don't regret anything, do you?” she asked softly.

He watched her for a moment before pushing away from the wall. “No.”

It was a cold hard fact. Sakura had known it in her heart for so long now, but to hear him actually say is so simply destroyed the last remaining bits of the young girl she used to be. “How...” she began, pausing to search for the words, “how do you do it? I have so many regrets. I...”

“I don't dwell on what could have been or should have been. Everything is what it is. All I can do is get stronger to overcome the obstacles in my path.”

They watched each other silently in the moonlight. Sakura swayed on her feet and took a few steps forward. “How lucky for you.” She could feel her eyes heating up as the tears threatened to break free. She tripped over a pebble and flailed her arms out to steady herself.

“Is that how you see it?”

“Yes. You've got it easy. You've killed your emotions while I-” she clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. “While I still can't get over you!” Her expression crumbled as the first of her tears streaked slowly down her cheeks. “I've tried, I've got every reason to hate you for all that you've done. But I can't. Why?”

Sasuke refrained from reply right away. “Because you'd regret it.” That caught her off guard. She looked at him, confusion and distrust plain in her green eyes. Sasuke chose his next words carefully, letting them get comfortable on his tongue before parting with them. “Ever since we were young, through the Chuunin Exam when we were barely teenagers to your asking the Hokage to take you as her apprentice, and probably many other things I don't know about, what's driven you?”

“My desire to help and protect you. My love for you!” she cried out in her head.

“To turn your back against what has so long been your driving force, that'd be denying who you are. Shinobi must know who they are, and when they do, they can live without regrets.”

Sakura closed her eyes. “Then what am I? I weak, love-sick fool?”

Sasuke shook his head, the faintest of smiles playing on his lips. “No. You know that you're more than that.”

She shook her head. “Don't dodge the question Sasuke. What am I? What am I to you?”

He looked up to the sky. “Someone I'm thankful to.” He glanced at her. She had stopped crying and was staring at him as if she didn't believe him. “I told you that before. I didn't say it lightly then, and I didn't mean it lightly just now.”

“Sasuke-kun-” she took a step towards him. He vanished the moment her foot hit the ground. The cold breeze blew hard on her face and she shivered, bringing her hands up to wrap around her arms. “Thank you.”

"Homecoming" (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #20)

Sun, 31 May 2009 21:06:31 GMT

Title: “Homecoming”
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #20, the road home
Rating: K+
Word Count: 811
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

It was probably the shortest war in the history of the five great nations, but as Minato walked through the dense forest of his homeland, the time he had spent on the front seemed to him an eternity, and he wanted nothing more than to be home, and reacquaint himself with the familiar things he had missed.

For there were a great many changes that occurred due to the war.

He had lost Obito nearly two years before and the loss still grieved him.

He had lost Rin only a few weeks ago, the day before the cessation of fighting was called.

Kakashi and he had been continually stationed apart after the boy had been deemed fit for work after his eye transplant. His new ANBU ranking kept him in more danger than Minato thought was necessary, but he was no longer Hatake's direct superior and could do nothing to stop it.

Konoha itself had changed slightly. After the Fire Country absorbed the former Whirlpool Country, the smaller nation's shinobi followed suit, trading in their Uzugakure issued flack vests and hitae-ate for Konoha's. Tensions were still strong between the two groups, Minato reflected as he watched the platoon he was heading home with remain in formation while being almost completely segregated. The Uzu-nin were a peculiar bunch, but Minato had befriended a family of shinobi from the former village that was generally esteemed by their people. Jiraiya had encouraged Minato to make friends with them so that he could act as an intermediary in any future scuffles.

The great wall surrounding Konoha rose up from the forest canopy and all of the shinobi picked their feet up a little higher and lengthed the strides. Home was in sight, and inside its walls the weariness of war would quickly melt away.

A few hundred feet further and the doors began swinging open to welcome the troop. There were some people waiting along side the medical ninja who were on stand-by for triage. Minato quickly scanned the welcoming party for Shisui's face, but didn't allow his heart to sink to deeply after confirming she wasn't there. He brushed away the medic who wanted to examine him and called out his departure to his captain.

“Oi! Namikaze! First round's on Tsukasa!” Kaigyo, one of the Uzugakure siblings he had befriended called out to him, annoying the medic who was fussing over the many cuts he was sporting.

“He'll take a raincheck, if that's okay with you,” the sweetest voice Minato had ever heard spoke right behind him. Instantly it was as if the invisible weight Minato had been carrying on his shoulders was lifted. He reached back and Shisui held his hand between hers.

Kaigyo whistled and grinned. “I don't blame him.” Minato waved good-bye and turned to Shisui.

She was a sight for sore eyes. She had returned to the village some weeks before, so the grime of battle and traveling was scrubbed away from her alabaster complexion. Her black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. She had a grocery bag nearly filled with fresh produce looped around one elbow. “Come on, let's get you home.”

He let her lead him through the village's streets at a sedate pace as he took in the sights. A sense of nostalgia came over him as he walked. So much was as he remembered, but here and there there was something new or different. The dango shop had been a general confectionary when he had left. One home had added flower boxes to its windows, letting bright pops of color brighten a shaded alley. Some vendors called out a greeting to him as he passed, while shinobi nodded their heads in comradeship. “It's good to be back,” he murmured.

Shisui chuckled gently. “Just wait until you've had a decent shower and meal. You'll feel even better, I promise.”

“I know something else that will make the end of the war even better,” he suggested while rubbing the back of her left hand with his thumb.

Shisui smiled knowingly and kept her attention in front of her. “Yes, well. After you're cleaned up we'll see what what we can do about that, hm?”

Minato stopped walking and tugged her close to him with his hand in hers. He brought his free hand up to her chin and held her face tilted up to his. “Do I have to wait that long for a simple 'welcome home' kiss?”

“It's yours for the taking whenever you want it,” was her reply.

Ignoring the pedestrians he lowered his mouth to hers for a chaste kiss. He breathed in the scent of her jasmine perfume and lingered a moment before stepping back.

“I'm home,” he told her, squeezing her hand.

“Welcome home,” she offered him, leading him onward once more.

Master List of "Small Town AU" Collaborative Project

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:35:17 GMT

Due to the collaborative nature of this project, not all of the one-shots are posted in this journal, drivemyheart. For those written by the_lady_lamb, I have linked to their posts in her creative journal, tothe_slaughter.

The one-shots are listed here according to where they fall in the timeline of the project's events. Since the chapters are being written outside of chronological order, I am including their first posted date if you wish to read them in the order they were written. This means that the list will not always have the newest additions placed at the end.

Both Lamb and I highly appreciate feedback, so please remember to leave a comment on the one-shot(s) when you've finished reading. From the both of us, we hope you enjoy our first collaboration! Thank you for reading!

The Stars Fall Down (11/29/08) *Takes place before and after Reaper.*
Reaper (06/05/08)
Five (11/29/08)
Last Words (06/04/08)

"Still the Same" [Katekyou Hitman REBORN!, Haru/Tsuna, K]

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:13:40 GMT

Title: “Still the Same”
Author: yukari_rin
Giftee: lambo_chu
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Haru/Tsuna
Series: Katekyou Hitman REBORN!
Rating: K
Word Count: 542
Notes: Happy Christmas, lambo_chu! I was so happy that I got to write for a fellow Haru/Tsuna fan. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Katekyou Hitman REBORN! and related properties belong to Akira Amano and related parties.

It's Tanabata. She's wearing the new yukata she bought just for the matsuri, he's wearing nicer casual clothes than normal. They're both twenty-one.

And he has just told her his biggest secret: that he is Vongola Decimo.

His hands are shoved deep into the pockets of his pants and his chin is tucked close to his chest as if he has just be scolded.

Her gaze is fastened on the ground in front of her feet, her mouth hanging open as she searches for what to say.

Tsuna doesn't entirely understand why he's come clean to Haru now after all these years. Maybe it's because he considers her not just someone to protect, but someone that's a part of his growing famiglia. Maybe it's because she's matured quite a bit since she was fifteen (but haven't they all? No thanks to him) and he trusts her with the truth. Maybe it's because he likes the way she takes care of his Guardians and treats them all with respect and geniality; and he's noticed they treat her the same way.

Haru wasn't entirely surprised by his confession. She's known for years that the mafia game wasn't a game at all, and also that it wasn't her place to ask for the truth. Tsuna would tell her when the time was right. So she had devoted herself to doing all that she could to help him and the other boys. If it meant taking care of Lambo and I-Pin, she'd gladly baby-sit them. If it meant learning all she could about the Italian underworld, she'd stay up all night reading history books. She had been studying Italian in secret since she was eighteen so that when Tsuna left with the others to Italy she could go with them.

He thinks maybe he told her because she's incredibly loyal, and it's not fair to force her to make an uniformed decision.

She thinks maybe he told her because he realizes she's already made her decision, and he cares enough for her to let her change her mind before this goes any further.

“Ha... Haru...?” he asks hesitantly, peeking at her through his eyelashes.

She takes a deep breath and smiles in earnest, lifting her head. The fireworks explode in the sky and reflect in their eyes as they watch each other. “That doesn't change anything.”

It's not what he expects. “Huh?” He raises a hand to scratch the back of his head.

Her smile turns soft and she reaches for his hand, holding it firmly between her palms. “Thank you for sharing the truth with me, Tsuna-san.” Her eyes are sharper and more adult than he's ever seen, but they're still bright and lively. “I'm honored that you're letting me share the burden of your position.”

She giggles and her eyes are suddenly how they were back when he first saved her from drowning in the river. “And Haru will be Tsuna-san's wife no matter what!”

“Uh, ah... that's not... Haru-”

But she's laughing now, tugging him along the path so that they can join up with their friends. Their Family.

His heart is lighter. Nothing has changed. She's still Haru.

Her heart is lighter. Nothing has changed. He's still Tsuna.

"Who Now Will Sing?" (Naruto, MinaKu + Naruto, K)

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:36:45 GMT

Title: “Who Now Will Sing?”
Author: yukari_rin
Character(s)/Pairing(s): MinaKu + Naruto
Series: Naruto
Prompt: “putting the brat to bed”
Rating: K
Word Count: 518
Notes: AU set in the Victorian era. Title taken from the song “Who Now Will Sing Me Lullabies” by Kate Rusby.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

Minato folded his arms over his chest and sighed. Large blue eyes stared at him unblinkingly as his son held fast to Kushina's arm. The maid in the doorway looked between her master and mistress, slightly distressed. Kushina raised her free hand to smooth Naruto's mussed hair. “Naruto,” she spoke gently, “go on now.”

“But, mama!” he turned his head to look at his mother and pushed out his bottom lip in an extraordinary pout.

“Naruto, you're a big boy now,” his mother attempted again, rubbing a thumb along one of his rosy cheeks.

The boy didn't look convinced. His bare feet dug into the oriental rug as he stepped closer to his mother's chair. The silk of his nightshirt slipped against the silk of her sleeve, causing him to slip a little as he attempted to climb onto her lap. “Just once... and then I'll go to bed. I promise.” His eyes shone in the lamplight as his eyebrows drew together.

Kushina glanced to her husband who returned her questioning expression with a smile in his eyes. She smiled at him and then looked down at her son, lifting him onto her lap. “Oh my,” she groaned as she held him against her chest, “this is the last time. You're too big for me to hold like this now.” She had meant it as a scold, but the way her son's small yet large body folded against her made her heart squeeze in longing. He was growing up so quickly. Already he was five years-old. Time had passed so quickly she was afraid when morning dawned he'd be a grown man already.

Minato stretched his legs out before him, ankles crossed, and watched the two. He rocked the upper of his feet in time to a silent tune and after a moment Kushina's voice created the melody with the words to a lullaby. Kushina sang until the boy's eyes began drifting shut, more verses than a proper song held and continued even as Minato rose and lifted their son from her lap. His own baritone hummed the tune as he walked through their home and up to the boy's room.

He placed Naruto on the feathered mattress and ran a hand through his hair as the maid drew the blankets over the child's body. “Good night, son,” Minato whispered.

Naruto awoke to the early light of dawn peeking through the top of the thick drapes. He ran a hand over his eyes and sat up, the heavy blanket falling away from his chest. It was the same dream that had haunted his sleep for so long now. It had been years since that night. Years since he had last seen his parents. But his father's voice was still clear in his ears, his mother's song still played in his mind. The words to the song were lost to the sands of time, just as his memories of his parents were. Only their ghosts were left to sing him to sleep, their voices merging into a sweet strain each morning before leaving him until night fell once more.

"The Stars Fall Down" (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #09)

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:58:59 GMT

Title: “The Stars Fall Down”
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #9, dash
Rating: T
Word Count: 3,178
Notes: Set in the small town AU the_lady_lamb and I created. Set a little bit before and after Lamb's "Reaper”.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

The sun was setting as Shisui drove home from the hospital. It was a quiet ride, except for the racing thoughts spinning around in her mind as if they were being kept in motion by a tornado. Hadn't it only been earlier that day that Minato's doctor has taken her aside in the hallway and confided that her lover hadn't much longer to live? Yet here she was, desperately attempting to speed home to take care of his stupid, stupid dog so that she could return to his side so he wouldn't be alone, but was stuck behind two tractor-trailers with doublewides on their beds. The speed limit was sixty-five miles per hour along the two-lane highway with nothing but farmland ripe for harvesting only a few feet from the pavement on both sides. The tractors were moving along ten miles per hour slower, and the oncoming traffic was too unpredictable for her to safely cross the yellow dashes painted into the cracked tar surface of the road for her to pass.

Her heart was in her throat, each breath was a struggle to inhale and even harder to release. Her knuckles were white, more so than normal; her long and elegant fingers wrapped tightly around the black steering wheel. Underneath the palm of her right hand was her cell phone, its volume turned all the way up (not that it needed to be since the radio was off) with the vibration mode on. The hospital knew to call her immediately if it looked like Minato was fading fast. It didn't matter where she was, she'd turn around immediately and floor it to the hospital.

Konoha Hospital sat on the border of the town it was named for and an even less populated blip on the map, and of course, Shisui and Minato had picked out an old farmhouse to call their own that was on the opposite side of the town. While it wasn't exactly a large metropolis, the dozens of farms surrounding the barely-there main street and the college all added up to making the trip between their shared home and the hospital at least a forty minute ride. Shisui was only halfway home and was making bad time. She was torn between keeping her promise to him that she'd take care of his dog and returning to his side before the end could sneak up upon them both. She could lie very easily, say that she sped home and fed the animal and sped back, but dying had made Minato wiser than he had ever been in his healthiest times.

She noticed the red brake lights in front of her at what had to have been the last moment before it was too late. The front bumper of her car was centimeters away from the trailer. She began shaking, full body shivers that raked her to her core. She put the car into reverse and then slipped it into drive, quickly crossing the center line and speeding past the disabled trailers, not bothering to check the oncoming traffic.

The god she didn't believe in must have been on her side, for once, because no one was on course for a frontal collision. (She didn't know if she was happy or sad about this. Minato was at death's door, and she did not want to live without him.) The rest of the way home was clear. It was as if the setting sun had signaled everyone into their homes to be with their loved ones. Everyone but herself.

She cursed the large dog Minato had rescued years before. The animal adored him and Minato was worried about leaving him behind. Minato had asked Shisui to return home to feed the beast and take him out so he could moves his bowels, and to pass on Minato's farewell. There would be no more walks on the campus grounds, no more swimming after fish in the Uzumaki's pond. “Please, Shisui,” Minato had asked, his thumb tracing the back of her hand as he strained his weak voice to sound his (dying) request, “please go take care of him. You know how anxious he gets when his schedule is disrupted. He won't take long, he never does. Please, it's the last time I'll ask you to do this.” She had taken his hand in hers. It'd be the last time because he'd get better and there wouldn't be a need for her to take care of the monster of a dog she had never liked. She told him so, but he hadn't even the strength to smile humorously at her stubbornness.

Minato smiled less lately, and each time he simply looked on instead of flashing his grin the knife that had been thrust into her chest twisted and sank deeper. And that was why she wasn't by his side. She was doing this so that he would have to get better. So that she had something to remind him about. A promise is a promise, after all. (Cross your heart and hope to die.)

The sun was just dipping below the horizon, painting the sky as she had never seen it before (and despite her distress there was a small part within her, locked in her fingers that itched for her paint brushes and a canvas. But capturing fire in watercolors was something she had never been able to do.). Konoha was not a coastal town, but would the red sky over it still bring its residents a beautiful tomorrow? Shisui pulled off of the road and down the dirt driveway, the tires of her car spinning up dust in her wake as she sped closer to home.

Kyuubi was barking, pacing the hallway that led from the front of the house to the back. Upon seeing his master's mistress he began whining, bumping his nose and face against Shisui's legs and pelvis. He kept weaving about her legs, crying out to her, causing her to trip several times.

“Just shut up!” Shisui yelled at the dog, unleashing the pent up emotions she had locked away ever since that fateful first trip to the hospital with Minato. “Just get out of my way so I can go back to him!” Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks as she smacked Kyuubi's hips. Normally such action would cause the dog to growl, but he only watched her, his large gold eyes expressing his own grief and loneliness. He sat, voicing one last whine as Shisui ran a hand through her hair, marching off to the kitchen. Kyuubi looked to the door and began whining again as Shisui opened the can of dog food. She dumped it into his bowl and set it on the floor, but he didn't come as he normally did.

Instead he let out a loud, keening howl that caused Shisui to jump and drop the can, splattering small flecks of meat and sauce across the linoleum as the aluminum bounced along the floor before rolling under the table.

She swore and called out to the dog, but he was still howling. She didn't hear the back screen door open and slam shut due to his loud cries. The notes were loud and piercing, making her cringe with each new cry he sounded.

“Shisui?”

She spun around in time to see Kakashi's body twitch at Kyuubi's wailing. His eyes were open wide, stricken, and he had lost his color. “Kakashi, what are you doing here?” she asked over the noise.

“I got a call... it's Professor Namikaze...”

The world was spinning too quickly. She gripped the counter, gasping for breath. Kakashi took a step toward her, but she turned and ran out of the house. Kyuubi followed her, racing down the driveway as Shisui threw herself into her car and put it into gear. She flipped open her cell phone, cursing when she realized it had shut off due to the battery dying. She must have still been on the road when they attempted any call, so she would have missed it at the house, too.

Dammit. Dammit all.

The speed limit didn't matter. Everyone was home now. Everyone but her. Everyone but Minato.

She made it to the hospital in twenty minutes, slamming on the brakes at the security station at the entrance to the parking lot. She hurriedly told the guard who she was hear to see, and as he fumbled with the button that would raise the gate a familiar car passed by the other side of the small booth. Her fists tightened around the steering wheel.

He didn't turn his head to acknowledge her, but Shisui knew that Itachi had recognized her, or at least her car. The lights on the security booth shone dully into his car, casting an eerie pallor to his skin against the shadows. When he didn't meet her eye, she flicked her gaze further into the vehicle to the man in the passenger seat. He was even harder to see, his dark skin a perfect camouflage in the darkness of Itachi's car. His eyes were bright violet, but after a moment he looked away and shifted in his seat.

Her eyes narrowed in further distaste and focused back on her cousin who was still ignoring her, returning the parking pass to the guard. He drove off, expression cool as could be. Had he been there? The mix of rage and incredible desolation stirred faster, urging her to hurry.

She slid under the gate as soon as she could, not caring about the guard's yells about following proper safety procedures. The closest parking spaces to the entrance were taken, and the few minutes taken to find a free spot and dash into the hospital felt agonizingly slow. The elevator was a small mercy, she was able to squeeze into a full lift right before the doors closed and pressed the button for Minato's floor. She ignored the strange glances the other passengers gave her, clenching and unclenching her hands as the floors ticked by and she was jostled by those exiting and joining.

The doors opened to the seventh floor and Shisui freed herself from the clump of bodies in the elevator like water bursting through a hole in a dam. It took all her control not to race through the quiet, sterile halls to his room. She breezed passed the nurses' station, only a few more feet.

“Ms. Uchiha!” a nurse called out, rising from her seat behind the tall counter. “Ms. Uchiha, please wait, they're in the middle of-”

Shisui pushed the door open with a stumble, hair falling over her shoulders like wild rain. The doctor and two nurses in the room jumped and took her in with wide, startled eyes. “Miss, I'm afraid you need to step out.” The doctor lay his clipboard near Minato's feet.

She did not recognize this man. “I'm his-,” she choked out, biting her lip as she searched for the right title. They certainly weren't married, nor were they engaged. With no civil union to bind them she had no proper legal tie to him other than that which he had granted by giving her the power of attorney. “He's my-” The knife in her chest couldn't go any further, the knife hilt was pressing into her skin – she could feel it.

The nurse that had called to her came into the room breathlessly. “Doctor, this is Shisui Uchiha. She's the patient's partner.”

“Who are you?” Shisui demanded of the doctor.

The two nurses looked like frightened mice. The one from the station gestured to them to leave the room and they did so happily.

“Mr. Namikaze's doctor is not on call, I'm Dr. Martin, the coroner.” He glanced to the remaining nurse, questioning her with his eyes, she shook her head slightly and glanced to Shisui who was visibly shaking where she stood. “I've gotten the important information recorded, I'll let you say your good-bye now.”

He moved towards the door and paused before shutting if after the nurse. “I'm sorry for your loss,” he offered quietly.

The room had changed dramatically in sixty minutes. Earlier there had been the quiet and steady hum of medical equipment, the bleeping of the heart monitor, the strains of Minato's labored breathing. And now all that there was in the room was silence, its fragile nature only broken by the ever increasing pace and volume of her own realization that all of this was real.

The knife dropped straight down in a clean stroke, slicing down through her gut. She blundered towards his side. The thin white sheet had already been pulled over his torso and head, but she reached out to pull it off of him so that she could hold his hand, caress his cheek.

One last time.

Her chest heaved as a sob she could no longer hold back freed itself. He was so much colder than he had ever been before. Rigor mortis had not sunk its claws into his body just yet, but she could feel the tough muscle underneath his skin on its way to stiffening.

“Minato...?” she whispered. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. But is was and she shook the thought from her head violently, hands curling so tightly around his skin that if she kept her hold it'd stay like that until his body was freed from its rocklike state. “Minato, please...”

Someone had closed his eyes, but he did not look like he was sleeping. Shisui had watched him sleep for so many years, the images of him in various states of rest flicking through her mind like a film reel. Death was but sleep? She sneered at the notion. Were his cheeks really that sunken? She lifted a hand to brush his hair from his face. Death had changed him, nothing felt correct anymore. She kept her hand on his and lifted it to her cheek, kissing his knuckles tenderly, as if it may be enough to bring him back. “Please don't go.”

She was crying, the damp cloth of her sleeve told her. Silent sobs kept her chest in constant motion even as her legs grew numb and fell asleep. She lost track of time sitting there as he lay unmoving before her. There was a gentle knock on the door and Kuzunoha entered silently. Shisui didn't look away from Minato's face, but she knew Minato's mother by the fresh scent of the flowers she loved to work with. “Shisui, dear,” her voice was soft as she padded closer but stayed on the opposite side of the bed. She cupped her son's cheek in her hand and her bottom lip trembled. Parents are not supposed to bury their children – it goes against the course of nature. But that is all the older woman could say before she cried out and pressed her forehead to Minato's as she had done so often when he was growing up to check his temperature.

And so they mourn together for a few minutes, the mother and the lover over the man-boy they lived for. One letting go of all she had held onto and the other still refusing to give it up.

“Excuse, Ms. Uchiha,” the nurse from before poked her head into the room, “I'm sorry, but as Mr. Namikaze's power of attorney we need you to fill out some documents.” Shisui wanted nothing more than to ignore the woman and continue her vigil, but Kuzunoha lay a hand on top of the one that was holding Minato's.

“Go, dear. I... I'd like a few minutes alone with my son.” It is the most selfish thing she has ever heard his mother utter, but soon enough she would know the true measure of Kuzunoha's cruelty. Shisui felt the anger boil up through her throat and into her mouth, ready to pour out on a woman whose pain was no less than hers, however much she may have wish it. “Go.”

Shisui stood shakily, pain shooting through her legs and feet. She leaned over Minato and nosed his cheek, breathing in his scent that only remained in her memories now and moved her lips over his. The nurse and Kuzunoha had the decency to avert their eyes to the kiss, understanding the importance of privacy for such a moment.

She had never kissed lips so cold before. Another first, another last. She made her way out of the room in a daze and the nurse helped her to the station where she explained what needed to be filled out and directed her to a chair to sit in while Shisui worked.

She was nearly finished when the squeaking of wheels catches her attention. The coroner was being assisted by two orderlies, bringing Minato out of his room and heading to a private elevator that opened to the morgue in the hospital's basement. Shisui stood but was unable move. Kuzunoha stepped into the hall, and for the first time in a month Minato's hospital room was empty, never to be filled with visitors for him again. She turned and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I'll go see if the gift shop has any boxes we can use for his things.”

Shisui nodded dumbly and added her signature to the last form. She returned them to the nurse who offered a sympathetic smile. Shisui returned it as best she could, knowing that her smile had been anything but. She opened the door to the room one last time. It was so incredibly empty now. Just as how their - her home would be now, without Minato there. She took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom. She turned the cold water lever and splashed her face several times, letting the rivulets streak down her face instead of wiping them away with one of the thin hospital towels. She walked back into the room and began collecting the items that had attempted to turn Minato's room into something homey. There was the poem and the drawings the students in his advisory group had made, all of the flowers, and the books that Shisui had read aloud to him from. She went to grab his duffle bag, but when she opened it all of the clothes were already folded.

The knife twisted once more.

Itachi had been with him, if not while he passed, too near to its happening for her comfort.

Kuzunoha returned with a box and disrupted that line of thought for a few moments as they helped each other pack up the last of Minato's things. They left the room together and bid farewell to the nurses. They parted in the lobby, the older woman to her car, Shisui to the cafeteria where she lost herself in thought, the box of Minato's things and his duffle bag on the floor b her feet. Her obvious grief kept the staff from approaching her, and she was left alone to prepare herself for her first night of the rest of her life without Minato.

"You Come Up For Air" (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #05)

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:48:54 GMT

Title: “You Come Up For Air”
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #05, “ano sa” (“hey, you know....”)
Rating: K
Word Count: 424
Notes: For the_lady_lamb.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties. Title and insert taken from Stretch Armstrong's “For Now”.

you say for now just let me be
you say for now I will be beat
you cry inside and you die inside
I stand by and watch it all go by
I hope for you
and I'll wait until you smile and you make my heart stand still
but, the wait is long
will it ever end?

The lights are off, but the curtains are open and the light of the half moon shies dimly into the room. The ticking of the clock on the dresser is the only noise in the room aside from your breathing, and it drives both of you even closer to the edge you just backed away from. The pain in your chest is growing tighter, clamping your heart down so that each beat, each pump of oxygen-filled blood is so painful you begin to hope you die from it. Words race through your head, but the edge is still so close, and you don't want to fall off.

To fall off would mean the world you've come to know will shatter, and you need its constancy more than ever right now. And yet, you know which is better for you both in the long run.

You want her to speak first, but she was the last to speak, so the ball is in your court now.

Two hundred and forty ticks pass and you stop all pretenses of being on your way to sleep. Both of you are so tense that neither of you will sleep, though you've drenched bleach on the other's wounds, you've hurt the other so deeply that sleep is the only way to heal. You sit up and the blankets fall to your hips. Goosebumps cover your flesh and a knot forms in your throat.

“I'll leave,” you tell her, and are out of bed in one swift movement, on your way to the dresser to grab a few items before stuffing them into one of your ever-ready packs. She hasn't moved, but you feel her eyes watching you.

“Say something!” you beg her in your mind. “Say anything at all, I beg you.” But she doesn't.

Your apartment is small, made even smaller by the fact that it was really only meant for one person, and even in the darkness you make your way to the front door without a hitch. The crickets have long since ended their nightly concert, and even the owls are quiet. The front door clicks shut behind you, but before you leave you bring your fingers to your lips and press their tips against the door.

As if paying your respects to the dead.

“Hey,” you offer above a whisper to the woman far beyond the door, “you know I'll always love you.”

And deep inside, you know that she will always love you, too.

But that is the crux of it all.

"Her Favorite Time of Day" [Naruto, Kosuke, K]

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:45:33 GMT

Title: "Her Favorite Time of Day"
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Characters: Namikaze Minato and Kosuke
Fandom: Naruto
Rating: K
Word Count: 544
Notes: For the_lady_lamb. Kosuke is Minato and Shisui's child, and therefore very much an original character of mine that was vaguely created in an old roleplay I was in with fujiappletan and Lamb, but this is not set in that RP's universe. The prince alluded to was also born in that RP, and is Shisui daughter by Itachi.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

Kosuke's favorite part of the day is her bedtime. She will already be in bed, her blankets pulled up to her armpits, hands folded across her stomach as she waits for her Papa to come in and start the nightly tradition.

Minato knocks on her door and waits for her permission to enter and once it is granted, he steps into the room and turns off the overhead light in favor of the smaller bedside lamp. He makes sure she's tucked in securely and picks up the thick anthology of fairy tales. "Let's see.... where were we?" he asks, sliding onto the bed beside her in the space she has made for him in preparation for his visit.

She giggles and summarizes the previous night's story, flipping the pages to the proper spot. He lifts his arm and she snuggles against his side, luxuriating in his warmth and solidness. "Ah, yes," he smiles and begins tonight's story.

His voice is strong and clear, but soft and soon enough she is lost in the story, his voice narrating the images in her mind as she closes her eyes to see it better. Every now and then he'll lean down and kiss the top of Kosuke's head or rest his cheek on her silky black hair, small gestures that let her know she is loved.

All too soon the story will be over. Minato will hug her tight and kiss her forehead and she will scoot over into the center of her narrow mattress, curling into the fetal position. "Good night, my princess," he'll whisper.

"Good night, Papa," she'll reply with a yawn. He'll turn off the lamp and quietly leave the room, and within minutes she is wading into the waves of sleep.

She dreams vividly of the story, sometimes with slight alterations, but she is always a princess, and there is always a prince. Kosuke is always surprised at first that the prince is not blond-haired and blue-eyed like her father. He is the most wonderful man she knows, and she swears to herself that she will only fall in love with a man just like him. The prince in her dreams is not tall and muscular. He is small and lithe, with hair blacker than her mother's that moves at every motion of his head. His eyes are deep chocolate, and a strange, small smile plays on his lips.

He takes her to balls, slays dragons for her, champions over weaker suitors, and always saves her from any harm. Every night is an adventure in her dreams, and when she wakes in the morning to her mother she has trouble believing she's awake. The prince is similar to her mother in so many ways that it startles her. When she tells her parents about her dreams over breakfast she doesn't notice the way her papa's jaw tightens or how her mother busies herself with her food.

She doesn't yet.

But each dawn brings her closer to the day when she will finally meet her prince (or so her father likes to tease her, adding that he's not ready to give up his princess just yet), and once she does, maybe she will understand that fairy tales do not always have a happily ever after.

the_lady_lamb drabble request #1

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:57:57 GMT

Vampire Knight: KanaYuu, “hair dye”

The water dripped down the nape of her neck slowly, causing goosebumps to rise up as it trailed downward. She shivered and gripped her hands along the sink's rim. Ever diligent, Kaname brought the towel gently against her skin, rubbing carefully. Yuuki released the tension in her shoulders and brought her chin closer to her chest so that it wouldn't happen again.

She closed her eyes as Kaname finished rinsing her hair, his long, aristocratic fingers combing through the wet tangles of her once ebony hair. Once her locks had dried they'd be a rusty auburn, or at least hinting at the shade.

He had told her it was for her own protection, that now that they were both on the run anything they could do to disguise themselves would help. She had been hesitant at first, but Kaname had persisted and she had acquiesced after some prodding he had done with his mouth hot against hers.

He placed the cup he had used to rinse her hair near the knobs and drapped the towel over her shoulders like a wrap. He smoothed her hair back as she stood. Yuuki's gaze went straight to her hair, but the change in shade was difficult to notice sincce her hair was still damp. “Yuuki...,” Kaname spoke quietly, sliding his hands down her arms.

“Thank you, sen.... onii-sama,” she offered, meeting his gaze in the broken mirror over the sink. She felt the towel over her bare shoulders soaking in the water, her pale skin flushed with having been bent over for so long. His eyes were growing lighter, crimson flecks on his usual chocolate-colored irises. Her heart began pounding against her ribcage and she was surprised that he couldn't see its beating in her chest in the mirror. But he could see the pulse in her neck, highlighted against the wet curls. She knew he could sense it, could practically taste it.

The heat grew stronger within her as he refused to let her break her eyes from his. She watched and felt his left hand drift from her arm to her chest. Knowing and wanting what was coming next, she tilted her head to the right and sucked in a breath as his mouth feathered along her throat. His lips parted and she felt the graze of his fangs quickly followed by the sharp pinch of his teeth piercing her skin.

And then there was ecstacy.

sahara_storm drabble request #1

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:26:56 GMT

Naruto: SaiKarin, "picking noses together"

Karin smiled proudly to herself. She had finished drawing, and boy – it was a masterpiece, if she said so herself. She picked it up, one hand on each side of the sheet to admire it and hopefully catch the attention of those nearby.

But that was the problem with kindergarten – too many short attention spans.

After no one glanced her way for a few minutes (not because her arms were getting tired from being held up for so long, of course not!) she sighed and lowered the paper to the table top once more. She reached for another piece of paper and grabbed the red crayon to begin another drawing when she noticed the boy on the opposite end and side of the table hadn't moved in an even longer period of time than she had. She drew her brows together and looked at him curiously.

Sai. He was a weird one – always staring at people and then smiling strangely. He gave Karin the creeps, to be honest, and that's saying something about a six year-old. He was staring at something or someone on the other side of the room, so she follwed the line of his gaze and was instantly horrified.

Sai was watching Suigetsu picking his nose intently. She may have squeaked, but she wasn't certain. The disgustingness of Suigetsu's digging made her stomach churn. She spun back to glance at Sai and her jaw dropped open as he slowly lifted his own hand to his right nostril.

Thinking of the way his action would contaminate the crayons, Karin threw the pink one at him, smacking the boy in the middle of his forehead. He blinked and turned to look at her, confused. “Don't even think about it,” she warned lowly, doing her best to imitate the voice and appearance her mother displayed whenever Karin did something naughty.

Sai blinked at her once more, then looked down to his hand and then at Suigetsu who was now eating (oh, gross! Boys were so foul!) his snot before looking to her once more. He nodded in reply and continued his own drawing.

antisaints drabble request #01

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:14:17 GMT

Naruto: KarinSasu, “metal”

She pressed her thumb along his lips with a rough touch. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as she lifted her bloodied digit to her lips, her pink tongue sliding out sensuously to lick his blood from her hand.

She rolled her hips and squeezed his thighs with her own. The bitter metalic taste mixed with the lingering taste of his semen. She stretched out her arms just beyond his head and leaned over him, a devilish smile playing across her full lips. “Now now, Sasuke,” she clucked at him, turning a wrist inwards to finger the edges of his slightly singed hair, “if you had told me you liked it rough to start with I could have come prepared.”

He growled and Karin barely attempted to supress her mirth. “I do feel sorry about your hair, though. I'll trim it for you once we're finished.” And then she cut off any cutting reply he may have made by bending her arms and pressing against him. The sensation of her tight and hard nipples and the soft fullness of her breasts on his own toned chest were a welcome change from the cold steel that had skimmed along his torso only moments ago. She ground against him, taking him deeper within her and he could not hold back a low moan. She smirked against the damp whiteness of his neck and bit down, wanting to taste metal once again.

"Last Words" (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #14)

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:08:00 GMT

Title: "Last Words"
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #14, radio-cassette player
Rating: K
Word Count: 965
Notes: For the_lady_lamb and fujiappletan. Very very AU. ~~This is totally not influenced by Koizora, totally.~~
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

Shisui shifted the gear into park and stared out of the windshield. She swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat to no avail. Her heart began to race once more, but she held her breath in an attempt to control its pace.

There was nothing but the sound of her breathing and the cooling radiator in the dark interior of her car. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against her folded arms on the steering wheel. Instantly, his face appeared in her mind's eye and she opened her eyes, not wanting to see him. "Go away," she pleaded. Met with silence, she unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed the small music device and its headphones. She opened the door and stepped out into the starry Indian Summer night.

She heard the river flowing ever onwards and breathed in the strong scent of the onion grass. She knew that ten feet before her her the ground sloped downwards at a forty-five degree angle for six feet and met the river that was four feet deep at its center. A warm breeze wrapped itself around her, fingering her hair like a lover. It was shorter now than she had ever had it. But even still, Shisui couldn't feel the wound on her heart healing.

Her fingers tightened around the radio-cassette player. It was an obsolete machine, battered and well-loved. It was - had been - his, but he had left it for her.

Shisui clenched her jaw. In the year that had passed since Minato left (forever) she had never once listened to the tape inside of it, hadn't even brought the player out until tonight, but she knew what was in it. The tape had only ever been removed to flip it over for the other side to play.

It was a recording of a play they had been in when they were no more than children.

A boy and a girl transported to a strange land and their adventures there. Nonsense, really, but it had been fun - as their many recorded giggles attested. Laughter had suited Minato so perfectly. Even as he had grown, as his laughter deepened it tones as his voice changed, it was still light and contagious.

Shisui only laughed with him.

She raised her arm to throw the device but the soft footsteps to her left stopped her. Itachi emerged under the moonlight, his own car parked several feet behind him. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked.

She felt her will waver with her heart. "He gave it to me, so it is mine to do with as I please."

"But did you do as he wanted you to?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The tape inside of it - did you listen to it?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What's it to you?"

He sighed, vaguely annoyed. "If you had listened to it I don't think you'd be acting this way."

"It's a tape from when we were little. I've heard it before, in addition to having been present for its recording."

He watched her, expression blank, but his eyes shining. "Is it really?"

Something in his tone made her doubtful. "It was all he ever kept in this old thing."

"Habits can change."

"So what, you listened to it one time while I wasn't around? Is that it? That's trespassing and using private prop-"

"You should listen to it."

"Stop talking like him!" she burst out, shocked at herself.

"Isn't that what you wanted me to be, though?" Itachi asked after a brief pause. "A replacement for your dead lover?"

"No!"

"Then why haven't you listened to the tape?"

Shisui had no reply and looked at the scratched-covered black prism in her hand, memories creeping closer to the forefront of her mind. Itachi sighed again and walked towards her, put the cheap headphones over her ears and pressed the 'play' button. She attempted to get away, but he held her in place. She glared at him as Minato's voice, weak with the disease that took his life met her ears.

"Shisui, I hope you don't cry for me," the voice that she heard in her dreams every night spoke. "Your tears always make me feel so powerless, partly because you're so strong you don't need to shed them often. And not being able to wipe them from your eyes... I could never rest in peace."

She shook her head to shake free of the headphones and tried to step away from Itachi, but he held her head soundly between his hands.

"You just left - my lips are still tingling from out kiss," Minato laughed and began coughing. It made her flinch, and she fought the urge to reach to her right to pour a cup of water as she had done for him all those times in the hospital. "You always were a good kisser, you know. Do you remember out first kiss? I do. Like it was yest-"

Shisui clawed at Itachi's hands and ripped off the headphones. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"Because you need to hear it."

"I've head enough!"

"You're refusing to listen to the the last words of the man you love?"

"Yes! Because, if I hear them, then-" she choked out, unable to hold back a year's worth of mourning any longer, "then it means he's really gone. That he won't be coming back. That I'll never see him again!" She fisted her hands in his light jacket and sank to her knees, chest heaving as she sobbed.

Itachi stood there silently, watching her for several minutes before he crouched down to look her in the eye. He lifted her hands and folded her fingers around the player. "Then you are a even bigger fool than he was."

"Home" (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #28)

Sat, 31 May 2008 17:10:21 GMT

Title: "Home"
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #28, Wada Calcium CD3
Rating: K
Word Count: 829
Notes: For fujiappletan, my wifey whom I love madly.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

Minato held his arm up and coughed into his shoulder, blinking several times as the dust in the air stung his eyes. He stretched his back and rolled his neck. Shisui simply wiped the top of the box with a rag, peering script written on the old wood. "Ah!" she exclaimed after a moment, picking up the hammer and using the back of its head to pull out the nails keeping it sealed.

"What is?" Minato choked. He wiggled his nose as she gave him a charmed smile.

"A box my father was looking for several years ago."

"What's in it?" The dust in the storage shed was incredibly thick - no one had cleaned it in at least a decade. It was no surprise that her late father couldn't find the box. Minato turned to the outside and tried to breath in a helpful dose of clean air, but in the humid late July day there was no relief for his allergies.

"Vitamins," the Uchiha replied simply, a small and happy smile reaching her eyes.

Minato drew his brows together as he turned back to watch her pull out boxes of unopened bottles. "A nailed shut wooden box holding unopened vitamins?"

She looked up at him, a box of rather large calcium pills in her hands. "They don't go bad, you know."

"That's besides the point, Shisui. Why didn't he just buy one multi-vitamin bottle and buy another when he was finished?"

"My father was a rather queer man," Shisui mused, frowning at the bottle in her hands before raising her gaze to Minato who was watching her from the doorway.

He wiped his hands on his pants and raised a brow. "Is that so?" he asked slowly, smiling amusedly.

She pursed her lips together and looked back at the bottle with a sigh. "It is."

Shisui set the bottle on the floor and repacked the others she had removed, taking care to hammer the lid back down on the box. Minato walked over to her and helped her up, fighting through another fit of coughs. They had spent the last week cleaning out the old storage shed, and the two weeks before it the home Shisui had grown up in. The two had been living together for some time, but with her father's passing it was left up to her to go through the things her parents had retained over the years. There wasn't very much that Shisui had wanted to keep for herself, but the furnishings had been well maintained over the years. Shisui decided the best thing to do would be to have an estate sale. Her uncle Fugaku had volunteered to take care of the important elements of the sale so that she could focus on training for the upcoming Jounin Exam.

Minato lifted the small crate and followed her out into the Summer sunshine, carrying the box to the small pile of things that Shisui had deemed as items without monetary value that might be of use to someone. She locked up the shed with a large rusty key, the calcium pills tucked under her arm.

"Well, that's finished," she breathed out heavily as they met on the lawn.

Minato reached across for her hand and weaved their fingers together. "Are you sure there's nothing more you want?"

She nodded. "This place hasn't been home to me in a long time, and even when it was there was very little I liked about it. My parents were both peculiar people, and their decor fit them, but not us as a family."

"May I ask why you separated that from the rest?" he inquired, nodding to the small box under her arm.

"I thought to put it on his grave. Better late than never, as they say," she pulled the box out with her other hand, reading the text on it. "I think he would appreciate it."

"Would you like to do that before heading home?"

She looked up at him, wordlessly reading his eyes. Without letting go of his hand she rose to her tiptoes and kissed his temple. "I would. Though maybe father would not like someone who criticizes his habits to pay his respects."

She had said it so earnestly that Minato felt guilty for chuckling softly at the comment. "Then I'll head home and start making lunch while you tend to him."

Shisui nodded and squeezed his hand before turning to head towards the Uchiha clan's cemetery. He watched her for several seconds. She never looked back to smile and shoo him on his way, walking determinedly to what would be her final resting place. It always unsettled him - how sure she was of everything she did, never questioning, always accepting. He wondered if a day would come that would change all of that, and if he would be around to see it. He sighed, turning down the opposite direction Shisui headed in towards their apartment, and shook his head, running through the list of what was in their kitchen cabinets and refrigerator.

"Funeral Pyre" (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #04)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:11:27 GMT

Title: "Funeral Pyre"
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #04, our distance and that person
Rating: K
Word Count: 465
Notes: For the_lady_lamb. She knows why.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

His mother's voice was gentle, quickly following the two taps upon his bedroom door. "Minato, darling? Shisui's here."

Minato looked up as his mother opened the door and let Shisui in. The young girl didn't look too different in the standard funeral clothing than she did in her normal attire. He had never thought about that before, but it bothered him immensely now that he noticed. Rather than rising and heading out, he turned back to stare out his window.

"We'll be late, if we don't leave soon," she spoke after a few minutes. She was in the same place by his door. That bothered him, too. Because Sanosuke wasn't one to remain still and silent. He had always been so full of life. And now-

"Do you care?" he asked softly.

"I thought you would," she replied easily. He shrugged. "Your mother's been worried about you."

"And how is Sano's mom?"

"Peas and carrots."

He turned to throw her a confused look. "What?"

"Peas and carrots. The two are completely different. Just like your mother and Sanosuke's."

He watched her silently, wishing she'd move, wishing black didn't look so appealing against her smooth white skin. The long hand of his clock jumped forward. "Will we really be late?" he asked.

"Not if we run," she answered.

Minato pushed himself off of his bed and walked over to her, sliding his palm against hers, lacing his fingers through hers. "I miss him."

"That's normal, Minato. He was a comrade."

"It feels wrong without him around. It's always been the three of us and sensei."

"Is that why you refused to see us?" There was no accusation in her voice, but he felt like his heart was being pricked with needles. He nodded slowly. "And if something had happened to him or myself in the meanwhile, what would you have done?"

"I-" he started, but was unable to finish. The mere thought of losing Shisui and Jiraiya so soon after Sano, or even the possibility of losing them at all (which was odd, due to how intimately he knew death worked) grpped him so tightly in fear.

"That's why people must come together when one dies, Minato. There is always a legacy left behind, and it should be celebrated."

Minato lowered his head in shame, resting against her shoulder. Shisui leaned over and kissed his temple, hidden behind a veil of golden hair. "Come on, sensei's downstairs."

They exited his room and somberly walked to the staircase. Shisui paused at the top and examined him.

"I'm okay now. Really," Minato offered.

"Black does not become you."

Uncertain of what to say, Minato just watched her descend ahead of him. 'And what does it mean that it becomes you?' he wondered before shaking his head and following.

"So It Goes" (Naruto, Yondaime Hokage [Namikaze Minato] x Uchiha Shisui, #11)

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:48:40 GMT

Title: "So It Goes"
Author/Artist: yukari_rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #11, gardenia
Rating: T, just in case.
Word Count: 352
Notes: For the_lady_lamb. She knows why. ♥ Also, since the way the theme is included in the fic may not be obvious: I associate the scent of jasmine with Shisui thanks to fujiappletan and there is a species of gardenia that is a jasmine, so I'm using a lesser known type of gardenia for the theme.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

The scent of jasmine fills the room and slowly stirs him awake. He blinks quickly and sees Shisui peeling off her shirt, black hair falling like rain over her smooth white shoulders. The moon and stars peek through the open curtains as the breeze continues to cool the summer night. She slides into place beside him, pressing her fingers to his lips. He presses against them, kissing their smooth tips, bringing an arm up to wrap around her waist. Her fingers twine themselves in his hair as her aristocratic fingers trail from his mouth down his neck to his bare chest, their path erratic but sensual. He feels his need growing and pulls her down over himself, leaning towards her for a kiss.

She is smiling as if there is a secret she knows that he does not, eyes closed to her private amusement. Their lips meet, and it is as if she burns with the fire her clan favors so much. Heat flows through her to him, raising his hair and sending a jolt down his spine. He wants more, but she draws back, laughing quietly. She opens her eyes and grins at him.

The crimson red of her Sharingan is a red-orange, the circular design replaced with a vulpine slit.

Minato goes still and the dream (illusion? Has he been sleeping in this place?) quickly flickers away as if the wind that had been in it carries it away. The scent of jasmine lingers.

Kyuubi removes himself from Minato's person, cackling loudly, voice echoing in the large, dank cell within the recesses of his son's consciousness. Minato's ears ring and he wants to hold his hands over his ears, but he will not. The Kyuubi is howling his glee, eyes welling with tears from his amusement. "Oh, your face! That expression!" He reaches out an arm and feathers the back of a clawed finger along Minato's cheek. Minato does not flinch, meeting the demon's eyes unblinkingly. "So it goes," he says, voice dripping with unveiled hate at the man who has entrapped him.

"So it goes," Minato whispers back firmly.

"Feeding the Birds at Midnight" (KHR, Hibari/Chrome, K+)

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:28:29 GMT

Title: "Feeding the Birds at Midnight"
Fandom: Kateyou Hitman Reborn!
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Hibari/Chrome [1896], Hibird
Prompt: Hibari, Chrome, 5 years later, feeding the birds in Italy at Trevi Fountain
Rating: K+
Word Count: 641
Notes/Spoilers: A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to start writing for the KHR fandom and asked fairywine to give me a few prompts to get me started. So this one's for her!
Disclaimer: Katekyou Hitman Reborn! and related properties belong to Akira Amano and related parties.

It was a warm summer night with a slight breeze that was just enough to be refreshing without producing a chill. Walking weather. And so Chrome had left the hotel to wander the historical city. Music drifted from open bistros, the notes holding longer in a subtle attempt to signal closing time was approaching and diners should finish the last drops of wine in their glasses.

She purchased a gelato from a shop as it was closing and headed in the direction of the city that she had not been able to explore earlier. To any other pedestrians she was no more than a single woman walk along, the streetlamps shadowed her face and she ducked her head whenever someone was close enough to catch sight of her eyepatch. The stares she received were less frequent here, outside of Japan, but a lone girl at night with an eyepatch might raise some questions, especially if her ties with the mafia were discovered.

She wandered for hours, late into the night even for Italians. And it was because of that that she found him. Rather, it was a familiar song being sung by a bird that led her to him.

The cascading water grew louder as she approached. It took her a moment to see him in the darkness, his standard black suit becoming a perfect camouflage for late night. Chrome whistled a few notes to the song, catching both the bird and its owner's attention. Hibird flew over to her, chirping happily. She rubbed the soft golden-yellow feathers on the bird's head as she approached Hibari. His narrow eyes followed her warily as her boots thumped on the paving stones.

"I didn't know you were also in the country, Hibari-san," she began.

He shrugged. "I didn't tell anyone."

"Except for Tsuna-san?" she asked with a smile.

The edges of his mouth turned downwards into a frown. "No. Kusakabe passed along the information for me."

Chrome nodded to herself. It wasn't unusual behavior for him after all. "Enjoying an uncrowded evening out?" Hibird was singing again, circling in a figure-eight around the two Vongola guardians. Tired from her exploring she walked to the edge of the fountain.

Hibari didn't reply for a moment. "Hibird wanted to come out earlier to play with the other birds, but aside from all the herbivores the likelihood that the large birds wouldn't take well to Hibird was there and I didn't see the point in risking her safety."

"She wanted to play with the other birds?"

He nodded. "The tourists would throw bread crumbs. Hibird thought it looked like fun."

Chrome smiled and set down her nearly finished ice cream. She closed her eyes and imagined that it was no longer night, but a gloriously warm and sun-shiny day. There were birds of several species flying in the sky near the fountain and pecking at the ground, calling to their friends to join them. Instead of the gelato at her side there was a loaf of fresh Italian bread. She stood up and walked over to Hibari. "Here," she offered shyly, though not as shyly as she once would have. "As much as she sings to them, the other birds are sleeping. This way Hibird can have fun and you don't have to concern yourself with the other birds and people."

He looked from her face to the illusion-turned-real bread. "Thank you, Dokuro Chrome," he said slowly, his long and elegant (but more often than not, violent) fingers breaking into the crust and tossing the crumb to the ground. Hibird and her avian friends fluttered around the two humans, cawing for more to be shared. Hibird twittered with clear delight, and as she snuck glances at the silent Cloud Guardian, Chrome could have sworn there was a smile almost visible on his lips.

Music Meme; Goong responses

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:48:22 GMT

Music Meme; Basara responses

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:46:04 GMT

Music Meme; Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann responses

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:43:22 GMT

Music Meme; Fushigi Yuugi responses

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:33:43 GMT

Music Meme; D.Gray-man responses

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:31:07 GMT

Music Meme; Katekyou Hitman Reborn! responses

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:28:41 GMT

Original meme:
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them~.

I decide to just set my iTunes library to random and wrote for whatever series caught my fancy with each new song. Genres vary, all are unedited so if you see any mistakes please point them out. I did 33 in total, 6 wound up being for Katekyou Hitman Reborn!.

Tommy heavenly6 - “Pray”
word count: 166

The change of seasons was always something Haru looked forward to. Spring especially. Not because she was named for the season, but for everything it symbolized. Even now when the world around her was a dark place to be, the coming warm weather, the green outside growing healthy before it became too green with the constant overhanging of something dangerous, she was happy.

The boys (she would always think of them that way, even after all of these years) were inspecting the grounds, pointing and visualizing the underground network they’d begin working on as soon as the last frost broke. It was rather exciting, and she silently prayed that everything would go well with the base’s construction. The Vongola men looked confident, but she knew that they were all on alert, ready to fight at any moment.

It went on for an hour longer before she rose and brushed her skirt. “Tsuna-sa~~n! Gokudera, Yamamoto-kun, let’s get some lunch now!”

They all turned and smiled. “Ossu!”

Phil Coulter - “Battle for Kinsale, Before the Battle”
word count: 207

It was a quiet and tense morning. Those who had moved into the base ate their breakfasts together at the table, but each was lost in their own thoughts. The forboding feeling that had been growing over their family had descended even lower over the night after the letter had come.

It was enclosed in a thick envelope made of heavy, expensive paper and sealed with an intricate wax stamp. Tsuna had taken one look at it and excused himself to his office. Yamamoto and Gokudera had made to follow him, but he had motioned for them to stay. “I want to read it privately, first,” he told them softly.

And he had. There had been hours of fighting after that first reading until his two closest friends had been blue in the face. Tsuna had remained calm throughout it, apologizing over and over as the discussion drew to a close. The younger members of their patchwork family had found out in the morning what their Boss was planning. They wanted to believe so desperately that it would go well, that the fighting would end.

But they didn’t agree with the method. No, they didn’t want to risk losing the most important person to them, and by his leaving, it felt they would.

All Saints - “Whoopin’ Over You”
word count: 141

The path was broken and if she had been any less careful Chrome would have fallen on the cracked steps. The high-pitched chirping made her look up. She smiled at the small, yellow bird making its way towards her. “Ah, and where’s you’re owner, Hibird? Locked away in the basement, I bet.”

“What are you doing here?” the very person she had been asking about questioned. He was dressed in his usual black suit.

“I was in town and decided to stop by. Figured you might enjoy a good spar so that you don’t get rusty.”

He narrowed his as he took her in. Same old short skirt, no longer military green, though. Her shirt was covered by a jacket. Some things just didn’t change.

“With you or him?”

“Well, maybe once Mukuro-sama tires you out I could have a go...”

surface - “Yume no Tsuduki he (TV Edit)”
word count: 64

Tsuna smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. The others had raced on ahead of him, joking and laughing with each other. It was like an ending to an old movie. The heroes won and were now racing off into the sunset. But their sunset was the past. Knowing that they had made things right set him at peace and he walked on.

RelientK - “When You’re Around”
word count: 64

Chrome smiled as she walked through the hallway. The mice and other animals had returned, and knowing they were back made her happy. Maybe their presence was due to Ken and Chikusa’s.

She hopped into the room they usually hung out in and smiled broadly at them. They looked up at her with matching expressions of boredom. “You came back?”

“Mukuro-sama sends his greetings.”

Emilie Autumn - “Rapunzel”
word count: 171

Chrome woke up and all she could think of was the heaviness in her head. She tried to sit up and that was when she heard the sounds of fighting. Her heart began racing and she brushed back the blankets only to draw them close to herself once more. The fighting was growing nearer and she growled softly before sliding off of the bed and creeping to the door, blanket wrapped tightly around her. She opened the door to a wet groan on the other side, in time to come face to face with Hibari.

“Get back to bed,” he told her after giving her a glance and turning his back to her.

“Hibari-sa-” she started.

“Just focus on your illusion. I’ll bite all of these herbivores to death so you don’t need to do anything foolish.”

She blinked. “Thank you,” she murmured as he walked out of hearing distance. She shut the door and returned to bed, hand over her stomach as she did what he had told her to.