Disclaimer I: I do not own either the Naruto or Boruto franchises. Any familiar characters, settings, or plot points you see, unless I state directly otherwise, are the official properties of the likes of Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Viz Media, etc. Any characters you see represented here resembling someone in the real life waking world is completely unintentional. This is a work of fan fiction. I get no payment from this.
Disclaimer II: The lyrics you see direcrly below this section are taken from Colbie Caillat's beautiful-but-simple "Bubbly." I do not own her work anymore than I own Kishimoto's.
xxx
It starts in my toes
Makes me crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
You make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go
xxx
Pairing: Shinki / Himawari
POV: Himawari
Rating: T
Content Warning: None
Summary: Shinki and Himawari are together...sort of. It's hard to be together when you live in different countries, but she knows her feelings aren't weaker because of the distance. They bide their time, enjoying what they can, knowing the future holds many promises.
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Time was precious, and they did not want to let it slip away. He pushed her against the thick tree and captured her mouth with his. Himawari was almost taken aback, but quickly recovered. She wound her arms around his neck, shivering as his hands latched on to her hips.
After a few moments they broke away to fill their lungs with air. Shinki, usually so stoic, had a faint pink dusting his cheeks. It only made her heart flutter faster.
"Shinki? What's gotten into you?"
He huffed, but smiled. "It's been a good day."
She blinked at him, and he chuckled.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You've got that look."
"What look?"
"The same look your father gets when he's confused."
"Gah! C'mon, I'm not that bad."
He smiled. "Who said that it was a bad thing?"
"Oh?"
"I think it looks quite cute on you," he murmured. He said it like a confession.
She felt heat rise up her face. Shinki was not the most expressive man alive, but he was a little more romantic than people would pin him for. Himawari often felt like she didn't know how to respond, so captured was she by the childish fuzzy feelings he gave her. So she didn't. Instead, she squeezed his hand and sat down on the thick branch, pulling him with her. Himawari nestled her head into his lap, relaxing as she felt his steady breathing.
"It's a beautiful sunset, don't you think?"
She heard Shinki hum as he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. She thought idly that there was nowhere she would rather be.
The two of them had stolen away to a beautiful spot in the deep of the forest surrounding the Leaf -- their spot, the place they had claimed as theirs the very first time they started seeing each other. A grand oak tree stretched into the sky, its thick and twisting branches making the perfect place for them to sit and rest. From the place on their branch, they were able to see for miles in the forest, with the orange horizon being the star of the show.
It was her second favorite part of his visits to Konoha.
She averted her eyes from the dazzling sun, and instead favored his face. He was even more beautiful, in a way that perhaps people shouldn't be allowed to be. The way his eyes, so full of intelligence, looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered to him; the way his perfect nose shaped the rest of his face and made him look so unique; the way the traditional makeup of Suna puppeteers looked so fascinating; everything about him drew her in, deeper and deeper. Himawari snuggled closer into him. She was lost inside everything that made Shinki Shinki, and she did not want to be found.
"I love it when you're here," she said. "And I love when I'm there. I wish. . . ."
Shinki leaned back further against the tree bark. "I know, Himawari," he said softly. "I wish we could be together more, too."
Himawari ignored the tingle in her chest (no one said her name like he did, the way it flecked off his tongue, the way he made it sound as enchanting as a magician's incantation) and sat up, ignoring the regret she felt of missing the warmth of his lap.
Shinki looked at her curiously, a sad smile on his lips. He reached out, and when he found her hand he returned his attention to the Sun.
"I want to be with you all the time," she whispered.
He didn't say anything at first. If she didn't know him so well, she would have thought he was ignoring her. But over the few years of knowing him, and of their months of more familiar meetings, she had learned that Shinki was a man of few words, and that emotional displays and conversations did not come naturally to him. He was never cold to her, but it took him a while to think of the best way to express himself.
She didn't mind. It was just one more thing that made Shinki Shinki.
Finally, Shinki squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I want to be with you, too, Himawari. And one day we will be."
"I know. Don't worry, I'm not trying to rush us. There are so many things we both want to do. It's just. . . ."
"Just. . . ?"
"Just . . . I love these moments we have, Shinki. And I love our letters. I just wish we could see each other more often."
He hummed again. Shinki always did that when he was with her.
"I agree. I look forward to the times we have off and can visit one another. Yet I always wish for more."
Then, he sat up straighter. "Your brother is coming, Himawari."
Himawari sighed, a small smile on her lips. She let his hand go and scooted down until she was sitting in what she hoped was a definitely-platonic distance. Neither of them were quite ready to announce to their friends or family that they were seeing each other. The fact that Shinki was the son of the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand, and that Himawari was the daughter of the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, made things both interesting and complicated. Himawari was only interested in their romance, but -- as Shinki had pointed out a number of times -- there was no way they could avoid the innately political aspect of their union. When they chose to go forward, there would be no way to avoid their relationship being public.
And that was hardly their only concern. For Himawari, there was Yuba. For both of them, there was --
"Hey! I finally found you two!" said Boruto as he landed on the branch in front of them.
"Hi, big brother," said Himawari. She gave him a smile, hoping that it didn't portray any of the annoyance she felt at being interrupted. "What brings you here?"
"Mom told me to find you. Dinner is already finished!" He paused. "What are you two doing out here, anyway?"
"Um. . . ."
"Himawari was just showing me one of her favorite spots," said Shinki easily. "It's nice, don't you think?"
Boruto looked behind him. The Sun was already below the horizon, the sky above Konoha being painted a beautiful pink-orange-red. "Yeah, sure. Anyway, Shinki, our dads will probably be home too, so we should go."
"Of course," he said, standing up. He turned to Himawari and smiled at her in a way that made her grateful that Boruto, who was already heading back, had missed. "Shall we?"
"Yes," she said, and the two of them were jumping through the trees.
Himawari loved what she called branch-hopping. In her Academy days, it was one of her favorite things to do. It was very much like a dance of up -- up -- turn left -- left again -- now right -- go down -- now duck. You needed quick eyes and quick reflexes, and there was something so exhilarating and liberating about flying through the leaves that took her breath away.
Shinki was just behind her. By no means was he slow, but she was faster, especially in her home turf where she knew those trees like no other. Himawari could feel his eyes watching her, and it sent tingles throughout her body. She chose to ignore them and focus instead on her footing.
"Do you really think he would be angry?" he asked her.
Himawari looked ahead, to where Boruto could barely even be seen. He was definitely out of earshot, so she slowed down, just a hair, so that she was neck-and-neck with Shinki.
Boruto's reaction to their relationship was something that they had discussed before, but never in detail. Seeing as they were barely in an official relationship in the first place (not taking into account her actual feelings), it wasn't something that was labeled as "most pressing" for either of them.
"I think a bit, yes. Big Brother would come around though, I know he would. He thinks of you as a friend. He knows you have a good heart."
He said nothing, but her curiosity was piqued. "Why are you asking, Shinki?"
"I'm not saying I want us to rush things," he murmured softly, bouncing off the branches. "What we have now works well with all that we are now. But, I don't want to always be hiding my feelings for you, Himawari."
Butterflies. Butterflies in her stomach, fluttering up her chest and into her throat. They were choking her words in the most lovely of ways. Finally, she said, "I don't, either."
She didn't want to be around anyone other than Shinki, but they were already out of the woods, their shoes hitting the pavement with practiced ease. It would only be a short time before they reached the Uzumaki residence. There was no need for them to talk about things that neither of them were ready for just yet. She could enjoy what they had now. That was, after all, the tune they danced to.
With them, it was always about what they could do now. What time were they able to take to spend time with each other now? How much could they write in a letter without giving too much away now? Shinki and Himawari, children of the village leaders, riding down a path that was about only how much they could give and receive in any given moment.
They were not about tomorrow, because they rarely knew when their tomorrow would be.
Himawari had learned to deal with that. She knew that, for the time being, it was a necessity for them. Yet she still yearned for more: for more structure, for more time, for more him
And if Shinki was saying things like that, she knew he yearned for that, too.
xxx
Dinner was a pleasant affair, even though she wasn't able to talk to Shinki privately before Lord Kazekage beckoned him along. He gave her that smile and those eyes, and she knew that if they weren't surrounded he would have leaned down to kiss her. Her body missed his, but she would choose to be content with the knowledge that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Himawari watched them leave, and when she turned around to help her mother with the dishes, she found her parents watching her.
"I'm glad that you and Shinki are such good friends," said Dad happily.
"Oh, um -- yes, we are!"
Mom said nothing.
xxx
A/N: So...yeah. I know the pairing of choice is Inojin and Himawari for most of the fan base, for an understandable reason, but the idea of not just Naruto and Sasuke's kids getting together (hi, BoruSara fans), but ALSO Naruto and Gaara's? It's like a chef's kiss. Buuut, there's hardly any Shinki/Himawari content out there right now, so I gotta do my part. Right?
Anyway, as a reminder, this is a collection of stories that center around rare pairs of the Naruto 'verse. I am happy to take any requests or prompts that you might have, so don't be afraid to send me your suggestions!
Please do send me a review to let me know what you thought. If it's constructive criticism, that is also always welcome! I know I'm not the best, but I certainly desire to improve my craft!
As always, I hope you all have a beautiful time. Many blessings!