Prompt: Lapideous (of the nature of stone)
Title: build a house around him - 500 words
Series: Time Travel Shenanigans, Part XVIII

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It was Sakura's favorite kind of day. Sunny and warm, and it smelled like spring was coming.

She closed her eyes and focused… felt the breeze against her skin, heard the murmur of her classmate's voices, the song from the bird perched in the tree they were sitting under. Leaves rustled, and the shiiing, shiiiiing, shiiing of whetstone on metal was a constant.

She opened her eyes. It was their free period and most of their classmates were socializing by the outdoor tables. Girls tossed their hair and boys postured at each other. She didn't understand. Asking questions only made them sneer at her.

So she meditated and did chakra exercises while Itachi methodically sharpened kunai.

It was nice. Peaceful. (She needed peaceful. Her nightmares were getting worse.)

As she continued to modulate her breathing, something caught her eye near the main Academy building. What she saw made her frown.

"That guy's been here a lot lately. He's been watching you," she told her companion.

"That is councilman Danzo," Itachi told her. He continued sharpening.

Sakura hadn't heard the name before, but she felt like she knew it. Intimately. Adrenalin rushed through her body disrupting the steady flow of chakra. She had the most irrational urge to smash something. Or cry.

She pulled her gaze away from the man and looked at her friend. Sakura understood how things worked. Councilmen didn't concern themselves with anyone but the best, and despite she and Itachi's prodigal status at the Academy, they had a long way to go before they would be worth that kind of notice. "Why is a councilman coming to the Academy to watch you?"

The shiiing shiiing came to an abrupt halt and Itachi lifted dark eyes to hers. "Because I am the Uchiha heir. Everyone watches me."

His answer made her stomach knot, but it was his eyes that made her reach out and grab his hand. His expression was so unaffected, almost stony, but his eyes were tired and hurt and scared, and that made Sakura scared. (She hated Danzo.)

"Everybody's stupid. They should just leave you alone." An urgent kind of feeling bubbled up through the cold-hot adrenalin racing through her — that she should hold on tight and never let go (because if she did, the world would end in fire).

She linked her fingers with his and tightened her grip. "I'll make them leave you alone," she promised.

Itachi held her gaze for a long time. He must have found what he was looking for because his hand was suddenly clinging to hers just as tightly, and his eyes were more expressive than ever. Brighter. Trusting. "Thank you."

She wanted to smile, but the moment felt too heavy (like her dreams, like when her hands glowed green and Kakashi-kun's body knit back together). She only managed a slight curl of lips and the genuine affection in her eyes. "That's what friends are for."

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A/N: *snuggles the cute chibis*

So. There's four days left until the Last Fan Standing challenge is done. Four more drabbles and then this project will technically be complete. But... I kind of didn't expect to create an alternate universe/story concept to play with for most of the month. And... well, I'm beginning to think I should plot out a legitimate, stand-alone story for the time travel 'verse. Incorporate some of the bits I wrote in this series. I don't usually write longer stories (cause, like, that's a ton of work XD), but I've really enjoyed the TTS drabbles and I've been pretty surprised that a lot of you have as well. (I've never gotten so much feedback on one project! Y'all are awesome, basically.)

The question is, would you be interested in a real, full length story expanding upon the TTS drabbles? Thoughts? Suggestions? Cheese?

I don't like to solicit responses from people who would rather lurk (I get it. I lurk too.), but if you have an opinion about this, speak now or forever hold your peace!

And if you made it this far *showers you in sparkly confetti*