"I doubt that it matters," Emiko Uchiha said flippantly. "If they wanted the mission to be a success they would have sent someone other than you as back-up."
Kazuharu Saratobi's mouth twitched angrily. "Don't worry, I'll try not to slow you down," he grumbled sarcastically.
"Good because if you fall behind I'm not gonna waste time looking for you," she said matter-of-factly.
"As if I would!" He snapped. "You're the one who's gonna choke on my dust!"
She glared at him. The fire that burned in them illuminated her beauty in such a way that he felt his heart stop. Oh was she ever gorgeous! "You think this is a game? Some little competition to see who's the best? Don't you take anything seriously?"
"Of course I do!" He said as he towered over her.
"Then get your act together!" She snapped as she got in his face. Despite her being shorter she was incredibly intimidating. "I'm not about to waste my time picking up your slack."
"Oh c'mon! Give me a frickin' break!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "So I was a bit bratty as a kid but I've grown up a lot since then! And I'd like to think I've improved enough to impress even the likes of you!"
She was taken aback by his slip and frowned in confusion. "Impress me? What for?"
He face-palmed and swore under his breath. As his hand slipped from his red face, he looked uncharacteristically vulnerable. She looked at him with a hint of curiosity as she waited for his answer. This gave her a unique opportunity to actually take a good look at him. She had to admit…he was partially right. He was grown up. His once stubby chin was now elegantly square with some stubble on it. There was maturity in his features and in his dark eyes she saw longing for acceptance. How had she never noticed that before? She lowered her gaze shamefully. She spent so much time proving her worth to her peers. To think that she denied him what she too craved…that stung her sense of pride.
He slowly shook his head in disbelief. "Seriously…you have no idea?"
Now it was her turn to be flustered. "If you've got something to say then just spit it out already." Her tone lacked bite though.
His gaze softened as he cautiously reached out with his hand. It came to rest against her round cheek. It warmed his palm or was it just him? Her face did take on a bit of a rosy glow. Her eyes lifted to meet his and her heart ached at the gentleness of his gaze. He wouldn't call her expression affectionate but it was warmer than he was used to. "I wouldn't even know where to begin," he confessed in a whisper.
Her brow furrowed slightly though she didn't pull away. Part of her was convinced this all must be some sort of joke on his part. Surely he wasn't serious? He wore a tender side smile as his thumb lightly outlined her soft lips. That made her gasp slightly and she began to doubt herself now. What if he really was serious? But she didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. He leaned in closer as he was suddenly curious if her mouth tasted as sweet as it felt. His heart hammered in his chest as temptation swelled within him. His mouth angled towards hers, closer and closer. This was the opportunity he had always dreamed of and yet he hesitated. His eyes met hers once more. There was horror in her eyes which made him frown. No, this wasn't the dream. It was the harsh reality and he didn't want a kiss she wasn't willing to give.
With a heavy sigh, he turned away and shouldered his pack. "Forget it," he grumbled. "Let's just get this over with." He felt like such an idiot. What did he think was going to happen? That he'd confess his love for this vibrant, opinionated girl and she'd fall into his arms for a deep, satisfying kiss? His cheeks burned as he sulked. It was childish, definitely childish, he knew that. He swallowed hard as he struggled to let it go. If they were going to be an effective team, they would have to get along. "So…uh…you've got the map right?" He forced his tone to sound neutral.
No answer.
He paused and looked around. Where was she? He turned around to see her standing right where he left her. She just stared at him, her mouth was hung open slightly in shock. It was a bit of a funny sight to see the Uchiha so stunned. It was so humorous in fact, that he couldn't help himself. "What? Choking on dust already?" He called back to her. "I haven't even started running yet!" His joking grin faltered at the sight of her thunderous face. "Oh crap!" He squeaked out as he bolted.
She raced after him with kunai in hand. "Just wait till I get my hands on you!" She shouted after him as she slashed the air in front of her.
Another collaboration, of sorts, with the wickedly talented Ninja-Burito from Deviant Art! We're working on another Naruto OC pairing, this time with a generation younger than Naruto's though not by much (just a little younger than Konohamaru). Emiko is the unknown daughter of Shisui Uchiha, he died before she was born.
So the backdrop to this story is that for several years that knowledge was kept from her (for her own safety obviously). Meanwhile Kazuharu comes from a politically-important clan and its fame sorta goes to his head. He initially slacks off in the Academy, coasting on that popularity. When Emiko rightly calls him out on his crap, he defensively tells her off. "And what would a nobody like you know about anything? I'm somebody important because my Clan is important!"
She'll punch him on the nose and snap, "No you're not! You're just a jerk! Those who are great have earned it! You're nothing but a lazy leech!" That scorning rebuke stuns him and after some time he realizes that she's absolutely right. From then on he works hard to prove himself worthy, not just of his Clan but to earn Emiko's approval. And of course, he eventually finds himself in love with this feisty Uchiha. But she thoroughly despises him, can't blame her really. So here they are when he's 18 and she's 17. This moment becomes a turning point for them. I may add more as inspiration strikes but we'll see. It was a lot of fun to write in the meantime.