Reaching
LilacLilyFlower © 2009
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Unfortunately. Or Noragami, which has yet another reference.
-O-O-O-O-
Chapter 8
(Kakashi's POV)
His little student graduated, and he was sad.
Normally, Kakashi wouldn't be upset about this. Sure, she'd have less time for training with him, but he was happy that she'd graduated. In fact, he was extremely proud that she graduated with the stats she did, at her age. Proud, like her parents would have been, if they were alive.
No, the only reason why Kakashi was wallowing in self-pity was because she didn't tell him.
When he'd first met Hikari, she didn't trust him. He could see it in her eyes. Honestly, it wasn't that surprising. She was an orphan, and the Third had told him that she knew things that she shouldn't know. Namely, about Naruto's permanent resident. Still, she had let him teach her, and they'd slowly gotten closer through a student-teacher bond. But for Kakashi, that wasn't enough. To Kakashi, Hikari was one of the last living mementos of Kushina and Sensei. She had Kushina's hair and skin, and her chakra (although it was strange that her chakra chains hadn't manifested yet, which were common for female water-type Uzumakis), Minato's eyes and smile, and an interesting mix of their personalities.
He wanted to be more than a teacher, he wanted to be a friend. Or maybe a mentor. Something like that.
So, he'd been estatic when she cried because of him. Wait, no, that sounds wrong. He was happy that her little episode with crying over not seeing Naruto had caused her to trust him more deeply, since having a breakdown in front of people tends to force one to trust them. They'd gone along developing their friendship, then Shisui died. And no matter how hard he tried to think of a way to help her, he couldn't. How could he, when the only method of coping he knew was to really, not cope at all, and spend too much time in front of the Memorial Stone, mourning those who certainly would have smacked his head and beaten him into the ground by now for not moving on?
Takahiro had really come through. When he pulled a kunai on Hikari, Kakashi had started, wondering if he should intervene, but everthing turned out okay.
Then the Massacre happened.
He knew he couldn't help, and really, he couldn't handle the mass death either, so he'd taken an extended mission out of the village. He couldn't take it, even if he wanted to. He was a coward, which was the only reason he was alive. If he were brave, like Obito and Rin and Sensei and Kushina and Tou-sama... he wondered, Would I really still be alive?
When he and Hikari resumed their lessons a month later, she'd been different. More distant than before, with less teasing and smiling. The pitch of her voice changed to be lower, and her eyes were lacking a certain spirit that they'd always had before. Her face was wearier, and her hair twisted into the half-updo that Uchiha Fumiko wore it in. She didn't talk with him about anything other than their lesson materials, and responded to his conversation starters with monosyllabic answers. It was justified, he supposed, since he'd copped out on her, but it hurt. He didn't know how much he valued her trust and the energy she brought into his life until she changed.
She was happy though, with Naruto and Takahiro, even though he felt slightly jealous of them for being able to help.
Well, he mused, staring blankly at the sky with his uncovered eye, she shouldn't spend time with a miserable 22-year old anyways.
-O-O-O-O-
(Hikari's POV)
Team assignments.
She entered her classroom for what would be the last time (unless she decided to pop in again for whatever reason in the future) with sweaty palms, nervously fidgeting with the loose end of the ribbon on her left wrist. Takahiro noticed and elbowed her gently, shooting her a strangely reassuring grin before tilting his head at their seats in the back.
"You go ahead," she said. "I need to speak with Sensei."
Hikari approached Ichirou quietly. "Uh, Ichirou-sensei," she said, getting his attention. He raised a brow expectantly. "I just want to tell you thank you, because I- we, I mean, Takahiro and I- wouldn't have graduated without your help. Thank you for giving us a chance," she finished, bowing slightly.
His face softened. "It was no problem. I'm glad that you were in my class. It was a pleasure."
"Well, about that," she said sheepishly, toeing the ground, "Are you so sure that I won't be back? The number of active genin is too small in comparison to each year's graduating class, after all."
He face-vaulted. "Always the sharp one, aren't you? Go up to your seat, I'm going to make announcements now." Before she turned to make her way to her seat, he gave her an almost imperceptible smirk.
Smiling brightly, she plopped down next to Takahiro. Her fingers skated across the table, tracing patterns and seals into its surface.
"Alright, guys, I'm going to read team assignments now, so shut up and listen," Ichirou called. Everyone quieted instantly.
"Team 1: Hikari-"
Her hands clenched.
"-Oshiro Eisuke-"
An Oshiro, but not Daisuke. Well, Takahiro got something right.
"-and Kurosawa-"
"YES!" Takahiro exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air before hugging Hikari.
"-Takahiro. Your jounin-sensei will be Kitagawa Shoumaru. He's outside the door. Now leave before I make you."
Outside the door? Hikari hadn't sensed anyone.
A boy with blue eyes and black hair that fell smoothly past his cheekbones in bangs like Itachi's (at least the back wasn't long like his) stood up and moved towards the door.
"Hey, look," Hikari said, distracting herself from the thought of Itachi. "He has black hair and blue eyes, like that Yato guy you told me about."
Takahiro pouted. "Whatever, let's go!"
They left the classroom and saw a man sitting cross-legged in the middle of the hallway. He was wearing the standard Konoha jounin outfit, and had brown hair that spiked gently in curls; his eyes were closed. And his Hitai-ate was over his forehead.
The black haired boy, who Hikari could safely assume was Eisuke at this point, was watching him worriedly with a concerned look on his face. When Hikari and Takahiro came closer, his eyes fell on them, and his mouth made a visible "Oh!".
"I don't know what to do," he whispered once they were close enough, bending down to accomodate for their height differences. "Do you think he's okay? Should I diagnose him? I don't know if he's awake or not."
Well, there was only one way to find out, since he was surpressing his chakra, which most jounin could do in their sleep (for highly ranked missions). And also, diagnose? Did Eisuke study Iryo-ninjutsu?
"Sir," Hikari said loudly, making sure her body language was confident, "are you Kitagawa Shoumaru? He's our sensei."
The man didn't respond.
Her brow furrowed, and she stepped closer. "Sir-"
The world suddenly spun, and Hikari found herself hanging from the arms of the man, locked in a choke hold. Wha-?
"Hey!" Takahiro yelled, taking out a kunai and pointing it at the man. "Let her go!"
"If you really want me to, come find me at Training Ground 13," the man said, speaking for the first time. His voice was unusually low, contrasting with his slender build.
A burst of dancing, cool chakra propelled her and the man forward into a Shunshin (Flash Step), and they arrived at the training ground. She kicked her feet wildly, trying to get purchase on anything, because she was running out of air.
The man dropped her, and she gasped for air as she scrambled away from him. Before she finished catching her breath, she was whipping out strings of tags attached to ninja wire and kunai, throwing them everywhere she could. She sent as much chakra as she could surging down the lines, and turned tail and fled, because Takahiro was definitely coming for her and she couldn't let him get hurt.
Then something poked her left shoulder that sent a stab of pain searing to her bone, and her left arm turned limp, useless, unable to channel chakra.
She looked up to see white eyes.
Hyuuga?
"I wouldn't run, if I were you. Instead, if you want me to unblock your arm and spare your teammates, you'll accept my proposition."
-O-O-O-O-
(Eisuke's POV)
When the man first opened his eyes, Eisuke gasped.
His teammate was dangling like fish from his arms, losing air as he wasted time gaping, but the man's eyes were white.
He was a Hyuuga, so he couldn't be their sensei.
His other teammate, Takahiro, had reacted quickly, demanding that the Hyuuga let go of Hikari, brandishing a kunai. He hadn't been hesitant, and it was how quickly and doubtlessly he reacted that left Eisuke feeling inferior.
He knew he wasn't strong. Why else would he be put on the same team as the top graduate of the year, and a taijutsu specialist? To top it all off, both of them were younger than him.
But honestly, he was used to feeling like he was nothing. After all, he'd been compared to his younger twin, Daisuke, all his life.
They'd been born with an unusual affinity for Yin Release, prompting their parents to enter them into the Academy. When they cast their first genjutsu, Daisuke found his talent. Eisuke could cast a good genjutsu too, but Daisuke was creative. At first, his illusions were common things, like creating animal chatter, but soon, they became darker, the animal chatter turning into screams. It happened soon after Kabuto, a trainee at the hospital, took him under his wing. Daisuke changed too. He didn't spend time with Eisuke anymore, and he was colder, almost frigid.
Eisuke, himself, decided to turn to Medical Jutsu, Iryo-ninjutsu. It was gentler, supportive, and helpful. It suited his personality more than illusions. The Head Medic had commented on his knack for forming Yin chakra, and everything just progressed from there. But he made sure to stay away from Kabuto. Something about him was just... off.
The one downside about Medical Jutsu, he thought as he and Takahiro rushed to Training Ground 13, is that it leaves almost no time for everything else. Like ninjutsu and taijutsu.
So he couldn't help his teammates unless they got hurt.
They arrived at the edge of the clearing of the training ground. Or, what was left of the clearing.
"They're not here!" Takahiro yelled, frustrated. "Hey! We showed up like you wanted us to! Hurry up and give Hikari back!" When he received no response, he turned to search, but Eisuke stopped him.
"Wait, we should check to see if there are any clues for what happened," he said, trying to think through everything rationally.
He may be weaker, but a 9-year old girl was kidnapped, and there was no way he'd let her kidnapper go so easily. Plus, she was his teammate.
But she's the top graduate, and couldn't defend against him... No, he told himself. There's no time for that. Focus. There is someone who needs your help. As an Iryo-nin, you took a vow to help those who needed it.
He approached the ravaged clearing. Examining the ground, he saw blackened wires and partially melted kunai, and ashes everywhere.
"Those look like they're from her explosive tags," Takahiro said quietly. "She must have used every single one she had on her for there to be so much."
That didn't bode well, and they both knew it.
Spotting a splash of color, Eisuke picked his way over to a pristine blue ribbon lying on a patch of unburnt grass. It was the ribbon she was wearing on her left wrist.
"That's..." Takahiro's voice trailed off.
"Y-yeah," Eisuke confirmed. "But... it's not ruined, like everything else."
Footsteps approached. "What a brilliant observation," Hikari drawled from behind them.
They whipped around, relief evident on their faces. "Hikari!" "Hikari-san!"
Takahiro ran to her, but she pulled out a brush still dripping with ink and pointed it straight at him. "Stop moving," she commanded harshly. Takahiro stumbled, surprised.
"What?"
"Stop moving, unless you want to be paralyzed or have your legs blown off. Or have other things happen to you. Those are only a few of the seals I drew on the ground. The ink is chakra ink, so it won't show until I channel chakra into it," she drawled, tossing her head haughtily.
Takahiro stared, and began laughing. "That's a funny joke! You really had me convince-"
"It's not a joke."
A disbelieving scowl crossed his face. "You usually don't try to blow my legs off when we spar. Plus, we need to leave before that guy gets back."
"This isn't a spar." She offered no other explanation, and just stared intently at them, never once looking away. Her eyes were wide, almost pleading.
Wait.
It had been well known at the Academy that Takahiro and Hikari were protective of each other, especially since they were the youngest aspiring graduates at the time. If anyone teased or bullied one (usually Hikari, since Takahiro's personality was easier to like), they'd find themselves pranked in the near future. This protectiveness was shown just moments earlier, when Takahiro yelled at the Hyuuga, and how he'd been tensely silent on the way to the training ground.
So, what if Hikari was protecting them? After all, the seals seemed to be set up in a perimeter around her, not them.
Eisuke deduced that something strange was going on, and that it had to do with the Hyuuga, because there was next to no chance that he dropped Hikari off and left.
He walked until he was by Takahiro's side, taking care to not overstep into the boundary of seals. He was going to test his theory.
"Hikari-san," he spoke up softly, interrupting the tension and startling both Takahiro and Hikari, "we need to leave before Hyuuga-san returns."
"No," she refused. "You guys go, but I'm staying here."
Eisuke narrowed his eyes. "Where is he?"
She was visibly startled, something Eisuke was secretly proud of causing. "W-what? What are you talking about?"
"Please don't deny it," he said, grabbing the back of Takahiro's shirt to take a step back together. "You know where he is."
Her muscles stiffened, and a blue and green form blurred behind her. "Very good," the Hyuuga said. He turned to Hikari. "You didn't do what I said."
"What the heck? Hikari, you're working with this guy? He kidnapped you!" Takahiro shouted.
"Idiot!" she hissed. "He's going to kill you!"
The Hyuuga just watched with an amused expression, even when Hikari began forming handseals, but his expression changed to something deadlier, more serious, and definitely not amused when she aimed the jutsu at him.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! (Fire style: Grand Fireball Technique)"
The Hyuuga leapt out of the way of ensuing fireball. Everyone knew about the technique; it was an Uchiha trademark.
Except the fireball didn't appear.
Hikari took the slight, momentary shock to run towards them, snagging their wrists and dragging them with her. "Hurry up!"
She led them into the forest, backtracking and creating false trails, before finally diving into some bushes. When they situated themselves around her, Takahiro demanded, "Explain."
"He wanted something from you guys and said he wouldn't hesitate to kill you guys to take it but also said that he probably would have to kill you to take it because you wouldn't want to give it up so he asked me to help him or else he would kill you and I can't have that happen because I can't have more people die when I can do something about-"
Eisuke silenced her by placing his hand over her mouth. "We understand," he said. "But we also prefer to protect ourselves. And you, if possible."
"But-"
"No, he's right," Takahiro interrupted. "You need to trust us, not with just protecting you, but also ourselves. I get it," he said when she opened her mouth, "I know how you feel. You want to protect everyone. But it's not fair to do that by throwing your safety away."
She was silent, then covered her face with her hands and laughed softly. "You always know how to make me see things sensibly," she whispered. "I'm sorry. To both of you," she said, looking at both him and Takahiro individually. Then, an awkward expression crossed her face. "Although, I don't think I've actually met you properly," she told Eisuke.
"Oh, yeah, me too," Takahiro interjected. "I'm Kurosawa Takahiro! I specialize in Taijutsu and I'm actually interested in learning Ninjutsu."
"I'm Hikari. I specialize in chakra sensing and Fuinjutsu. I want to learn everything," she said with a determined glint.
"Ah, well, I'm Oshiro Eisuke, and I'm studying Iryo-ninjutsu. I also want to learn everything," he admitted, "but I don't think I'd be very good."
"Don't say that!" Hikari blurted. She blushed when they stared at her. "At least you want to try! Besides, you can at least form Yin chakra. I can't. But I can help you learn other things, and you can help me with Yin Release, and I guess Takahiro-kun can help you with Taijutsu, even though he sucks at teaching."
"Hey! I'll have you know that my teaching would work on anyone else! It was just that you're hopeless at Genjutsu!"
Eisuke smiled as they bickered. It was fun, which was more than he could say was what he expected when he first heard his team assignment. Although, where was their sensei?
"Takahiro, Hikari-chan, do you know where our sensei is?"
Hikari furrowed her brow. "There was no one else in the hallway when we met the Hyuuga. I'd say that the Hyuuga is our sensei, except for the fact that, well, he's a Hyuuga. He has their eyes."
"That's because I'm half," an irritated voice said.
They automatically jumped into a defensive form, and Eisuke even began channeling chakra to his hands until he realized that there was nothing to heal and cut the flow.
"Oh, sit down," the man said dismissively, waving a hand at them, motioning for them to sit. "I think we need to clarify some things."
"My name is Kitagawa Shoumaru. I have Hyuuga eyes because my mother was a Hyuuga, and that's all I'm telling you about that. I was testing you guys, and from that little chat you guys had, I'd say that you all understand teamwork, so you pass. Congratulations. You're not going back to the Academy."
Met with stunned silence, he sighed, and continued. "Only nine out of 27 graduates continue on to become genin. You don't get to become a genin on the merit of graduation alone. This is Konoha. We work in teams, and our strength as a Hidden Village has always been teamwork. We've never been militarily strong, and produce high-classed nin, but we have strength in numbers and working together and covering each others' flaws. Sure, we have some famous shinobi, like your teacher, Hatake Kakashi," he said, nodding to Hikari, "but even he had a team at some point. Teamwork is essential, and learning to rely on comrades, and having them rely on you to make up for your flaws. Which is why, since you guys passed, in a very sappy and cute way, I might add, we're going to start to learn each others' specialties tomorrow, here, at Training Ground 13, eleven o' clock. We'll rotate every two weeks, until we're all familiar with each others' styles and quirks. Now go celebrate officially becoming genin. Bye." He disappeared in a flourish of leaves.
Takahiro was the first to speak. "Alright, I'm not hallucinating, am I? That guy is our sensei, and we're genin because we passed some sort of test about teamwork, and I'm going to be learning either Fuinjutsu or Iryo-ninjutsu tomorrow, right?"
Eisuke nodded.
Hikari just rolled her eyes and let herself fall onto her back. "I'm too tired for all this, and I didn't even use a quarter of my chakra. Wait, how much chakra did you use?"
"Only the amount we used to run here faster. So less than you, probably."
"Gah! You guys suck. No, nevermind, Sensei sucks," she complained. "I'm going to sleep now. Goodbye, consciousness," she proclaimed melodramatically, closing her eyes and falling limp immediately after. She made no noise, even when Takahiro poked her in the side.
"Wow, she actually fell asleep. Can you help prop her up for me? I'll take her to my house until she wakes up," he said.
Eisuke complied, holding Hikari up until Takahiro had her safely situated on his back. "Alright, see you tomorrow!"
After Takahiro left, Eisuke sighed, not wanting to go home to cold eyes.
He had an indifferent brother to get back to.
-O-O-O-O-
(Takahiro's POV)
Her breath tickled his ear.
It was cool, brushing his left ear in short puffs. He could feel the goosebumps that rose on his neck each time, contrasting with her warm weight against his back. She was light, almost unhealthily so, and all Academy students were taught to hold up to 150% of their body weight with no issue, so he barely registered her weight. It was hard to remember at times, but Hikari was small, and asleep, she seemed delicate.
Her hair fell over his shoulder, swaying lightly with each step he took. She smelled really... nature-y, he decided. Kinda like rain? Or wind?
Then, he flushed, realizing how creepy he was being, smelling a sleeping girl. Suddenly, he was very, very aware of her presence, and how pretty her smile had been that one time she really smiled at him, and he hurried home, eager to leave the odd awareness and yearning for that smile behind.
-O-O-O-O-
(Hikari's POV)
She woke up calmly, in what seemed like the first time in a while.
She was laying in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar, sparsely furnished room. The bed she was laying on was queen-sized, with plain, light blue sheets. There was a nightstand with three drawers and a small lamp, and a desk that also had drawers and a slightly bigger lamp. There was a brown armchair, with her gear on it, and three doors that were closed.
She extended her chakra sense, and felt the twitchy, shivering chakra of Takahiro. She was probably in a guest bedroom at Takahiro's house, then.
Getting out of the bed, she opened the first door, looking for the bathroom. It was a closet with 15 hangers and a plastic dresser with five drawers. There was also an ironing board, and a metal bar where the resident of the room (her, at the moment) could hang more clothes. The bar could work as a weapon in a pinch.
The next door held what she was looking for. She splashed her face with water and wiped it on a very white, fluffy, soft towel that was embroidered along the bottom edge.
Yeah, definitely rich.
Hikari had been to Takahiro's house before. It was a big, traditional home, with sliding rice paper doors and an entryway to take off shoes. But, as she'd progressed deeper into the home in the past, she'd found out that the recent renovations were more modern, like the guest bedroom she was in.
After strapping on her gear, she left the room, heading towards the kitchen, where she heard voices.
"... and I guess our sensei is okay. He scared us today, when he kidnapped Hikari, but it was all a part of a test," Takahiro explained. Hikari heard an exclamation of worry. "Mom, I'm going to be facing a lot of dangerous things as a shinobi. This was nothing!"
"It honestly wasn't dangerous to us," Hikari said as she entered the kitchen. "We'd be dead if our sensei was serious about killing us. He's a jounin, and we're just genin."
Natsuko, Takahiro's mother, started at her appearance. "Are you feeling okay, sweetie? Do you need any food?" she asked.
Hikari felt her insides warm from the concern she heard in her voice. Natsuko could never stand in as the mother Hikari never had, but she still appreciated the motherly gesture.
"No, thank you, Natsuko-san. I was just going to thank you for letting me rest here before leaving."
Natsuko smiled at her with warm, brown eyes. "You're always welcome in our home."
Takahiro stood up from the table. "I'll walk you home!"
"No, that's not nece-"
"Come back by dinner, okay?" Natsuko interrupted, hiding a smile behind her cup.
"Okay! Hikari, let's go!"
He chose the long route to her apartment, and was strangely silent the entire walk. She didn't bother asking him about his weird mood, because her own thoughts were racing.
We're rotating through our specialties. I'll be focusing on either Taijutsu or Iryo-ninjutsu soon, which is bad. I'm okay with Taijutsu, because I've trained with Takahiro, but if I get Iryo-ninjutsu, I'm going to get stuck. Plus, isn't there supposed to be a lot of material to study? Or am I just supposed to learn the jutsu? How long will we train before starting missions? Will I learn everything in time? What happens when we start with dangerous missions? What if I get hurt and can't protect Naru and Sasuke and everyone else anymore? What if I can't be a kunoichi if I get injured badly?
She didn't notice that they'd arrived at the door of her apartment until she almost walked into it, only managing to stop when Takahiro tugged on her shoulder.
"I wanted to talk with you about something, which is why I walked you home," he said, seriousness reflected across his face. "We talked about it earlier today with Eisuke, but I think we dropped the subject too quickly. Hikari, do you trust me?"
Brown eyes clashed with blue, and Hikari found herself angling her body inwards defensively. When she didn't respond, Takahiro's face flashed with hurt, and he dropped his hand from her shoulder.
"Alright," he said, "I just wanted to know."
And he began walking away.
No... she wanted to sceam. No, that's not it!
"Takahiro!"
That was all she said. No "I trust you" or "Of course", but just his name, with no attached qualifiers like "-kun", but it was enough for him to stop and turn around.
She knew that he knew she had trouble saying things like "I trust you" or "We're friends", and she hoped that he'd be able to see what she meant by calling him by a more familiar form of address.
Please. Please understand what I'm trying to say.
He studied her face carefully, and the silence stretched into minutes. Finally, he spoke.
"I need you to say it, Hikari," he said softly. "Trust works both ways. You have to do some of the work too. It's not fair for you to ask me to trust you, then not trust me."
"Then you say it!" she shot back, desperate to avoid saying it.
He looked straight into her eyes. "I trust you. I trust you to try and protect me, and I'd do the same for you."
He waited, eyes never straying from hers.
She broke eye contact first, looking down at the ground. Her hands clenched and unclenched, and her body screamed at her to run away, to do something before she said it and made it permanent, because there would be no going back after she admitted it.
That's what she was afraid of, wasn't it? The permanence. That in the end, Takahiro would break her trust in him and leave her like everyone else did, like Shisui and Fumiko and Itachi, and Kakashi when she'd needed him the most. She wanted to trust him. Could she? Could she take a leap of faith?
She could. She would. Trust was mutual. Takahiro was giving her a chance to hurt him by trusting her, so she could do the same for him.
"I... I... I trust you."
There. She said it.
Her heart jumped and her body waited for the inevitable hurt, but her emotions were saying different things.
She was... glad. She was happy that she could wholly trust someone. She was estatic that she was brave enough to trust someone.
Hikari looked up happily, truly smiling for what was probably the fourth time in her life. "I trust you." She ran at Takahiro, laughing. "I trust you, I trust you, I trust you I trust you I trust you!"
She hugged him, and he hugged her back with no hesitation.
I trust him. He trusts me. We're comrades now. Nakama.
"This is great. The entire you-discovering-trust-and-how-to-smile thing. But uh, it might have looked a little insane from someone else's point of view," Takahiro muttered. He pushed her back gently. "Go get some rest. You're gonna need it for tomorrow, if you really do start with Iryo-ninjutsu," he teased, bopping her nose.
She narrowed her eyes and punched him in the shoulder, unconsciously enhancing her muscles with chakra. He yelped as he lost his balance and tipped to the ground.
When he glared resentfully at her, she said, "Oops."
-O-O-O-O-
A/N: Oh my god, is this what I think it is?
YES, IT IS. An update that's ahead of schedule (for those of you who don't know, I try posting the first week of every month). I decided to post it the day after the last chapter, which was yesterday, because AP Testing and Finals are coming up, and I need to study, so this is to tide you guys through the next month.
To those who reviewed and followed: As usual, I can't iterate my gratitude in words. If possible, I'd draw you guys all pictures of characters and scenes of this story, since I draw too (with a tablet!), but that would take me YEARS. So please, just know how much I love you all. Don't be afraid to review and tell me if I'm doing something wrong, or if I have typos anywhere! Constructive criticism is always appreciated. (Praise too ;) )
As for Strawberry Days: For you newcomers, it's a collection of oneshots and short stories for this story, and readers can request oneshots with specific scenarios or pairings or AUs (Alternate Universes). My latest one was an AU that I loved so much that I plan writing a story based on it, in the future, after this story is in the Shippuden stage. If you want to send requests, request them in Strawberry Days please! It's easier to keep requests organized that way.
See you next time!