*wearing sunglasses and a hat and a big coat* ... Surprise?
YES I'M BACK. I kinda left the writing world for my internship, and then I had to write a thesis and I kinda had a burn-out from writing, oops. Now I'm okay :D Thank you for waiting! I even had to cut this chapter because it was getting too long, mama mia.
On another note, the results of the poll (does anyone remember it?) for future stories came out, and... *sighs* Seriously? Did you all agree about it?! D:
The FemNaruxShisui stories ended up with a draw. The FemNaruxSasuke ended up with a draw. I don't even know how that's possible but apparently, the only thing that you all agree on is that you want more Shisui. So, more Shisui you shall have. Thank you for voting!
Also, a big thank you to my beta, Yasumin J!
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter~
SUMMARY OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER:
- ANBU missions are leaving Shisui feeling empty and depressed.
- Jiraiya stopped Hanzo from killing Yahiko and decided to take care of Konoha ninjas in Ame.
- Genma was bored. So he decided to prank Shisui by painting Naruto's face, whom he knows is Shisui's soulmate.
- As for Naru, she's just happy since she found out about her parents and is looking at life more positively, without paying attention to the villagers. She also saw Genma using a storage seal and is curious about fuinjutsu, and is happy to help him better his kunoichi skills as a fellow ninja.
WARNING: More cursing than usual.
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Chapter 10
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The sounds of explosions, of crashes and of metal clicking against metal resonated in the fifth training ground of Konoha.
Anko jumped backwards, a set of senbons between her fingers, and she grinned so wide all of her teeth were visible. Nothing made her feel as good as a harsh training session where she could give it her all, before eventually taking a bath afterwards and rewarding herself with dangos.
And who better than Uchiha Shisui to give her a serious challenge, especially when he also needed to relieve some tension?
The young jōnin had been in a foul mood since he had come back from a mission on the previous day, and it seemed to keep getting worse. She had seen him once earlier that month, and if back then she had noticed that he was less talkative, his attitude was becoming more and more closed off in general. It was obvious to Anko that something was weighing on him, but she knew better than to preach. She could guess easily that it must be related to his latest missions anyway.
Being part of the T&I and having to work often with the ANBU, Anko was more knowledgeable than most when it came to the organization, despite how obscure and secretive it was. The light tan on his upper-arm reminded her of the ANBU uniform; it matched the exposed part of the body of most members of the unit. Shisui wouldn't even mention his missions at all these days, and she didn't have access to his file anymore.
Shisui was part of the ANBU now, which made no sense to her, seeing how he disliked their very concept.
Knowing his kindness and empathy, and the kind of missions he would be given if he were one of them, it was easy for her to guess what was going on in his head.
She strongly disliked the changes that she was observing in him and dreaded to see what would become of him if he didn't toughen up soon.
'As if the last war hadn't fucked his mind enough', she thought absent-mindedly.
But he would talk whenever he felt the need to do so. She wasn't going to insist.
That was she repeated to herself, at least.
She swiftly avoided a set of shuriken that he had thrown her way and readied herself to counter-attack, but when she sent her senbons in his direction, he inadvertently lost his balance and stumbled on his feet. Just like that.
Her moves slowed down and she stared at him dubiously. "Shisui?" she called, her voice a mix of surprise and very, very well-cancealed concern. "What the hell was that? Were you trying some dance moves or something? 'Cause give it up now, you looked like a drunken penguin," she chastised. She added as an afterthought, "And if you never saw them in the land of Snow, trust me, it's not a compliment."
With a little grunt and an embarrassed grimace, Shisui ran a hand through his hair. "Just erase this moment from your memory."
She blinked, still stunned by what she had just seen. It really wasn't like him. "Never in a million years. I'll remind you of this every day of your life. What was that rookie mistake?" she exclaimed as she levelled him with a stare.
Shisui groaned and shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze dropped. He wouldn't meet her eye. "It's nothing, let's go back to training."
Okay, clearly, he wasn't going to answer her. She was not going to let him get away with it, though; if she punctured his brain because he wasn't concentrating enough, she would be the one in trouble. What a brat.
Leaving out a sigh, she walked towards him and patted him on the back. "That's not happening. I could take your eye out, and it would be stupid if you had a missing eye now. The penguin's gait's bad enough. And that would be rather ironic for an Uchiha."
Shisui crossed his arms and remained silent, directing a stubborn look to the side.
That made her look up to the sky in defeat. "Fine! But I don't train with you when you're in no state to fight me."
Deciding not to insist any further with him (ahh, teenagers and their problem with communication… she was the same but knew not to be stupid and careless, sue her), Anko approached a tree and sat down against the trunk. She took out her arsenal; she might as well clean and sharpen her belongings while she was at it. She couldn't just leave now anyway; and leave Shisui alone.
Predictably, he joined her and laid down beside her, before he covered his eyes with an arm. Maybe he really was afraid that she would blind him.
They stayed in each other's company for a while, the only noise in the training ground being that of the river flowing by and of the birds chirping. It was relaxing.
"Say," Shisui started weakly.
Anko glanced at him silently. Finally.
"Do you ever wonder…" His voice cracked, and he paused to swallow. "Do you ever doubt yourself?"
Anko stared. What kind of existential crisis was the boy having now.
"No."
She never doubted herself. She didn't let herself doubt at all.
Shisui let out a deep sigh, and rubbed his eyes before he lowered his arm and turned his gaze towards her. "I mean, do you ever wonder if, as ninjas, we… I mean, sometimes, it feels like… umm..."
Oh.
No.
No no no no. Anko knew instantly where this was going. She had enough experience with Kakashi and ANBU and his drunken ass, when he started questioning the world and the system and the meaning of life and the shape of the Hokage hat and shit. Ah, geniuses.
She was a genius of execution herself. However, the political and philosophical over-thinking was not her thing.
(It had nothing to do with Orochimaru criticizing the way of ninjas and of war and Konoha, and suddenly turning traitor and leaving her behind. Not at all. She was way over it. She was stronger than that.)
Anko closed her eyes and shook her head. She could already feel a headache show its teeth.
Still, she waited for Shisui to continue his sentence. Nothing came.
When she ventured to look at him again, his gaze was unfocused and lost in space.
In other circumstances, she would have started to worry, would have most likely tried to talk to him; and tried to make him understand that over-questioning their lifestyle and these kinds of reflections would just harm his mental health, but...
But she found herself distracted by the colours that seemed to appear on his face. Out of nowhere.
At first, she wondered if she was hallucinating, but after a while, she realised that she was not, in fact, making it up, and that Shisui was indeed being made up by an invisible presence. The hell. What was going on? Was he seriously copying Orochimaru now?
She leaned towards him surreptitiously, her eyes wide and focused on her training partner.
It was real. And unbelievable. Anko thought back to the time when Shisui had told her about scribbling that appeared on his skin magically. He had been in a panic, thinking that a ghost or a prankster had been harassing him. There had also been the mission back in Kusagakure, where she found him in the street, his face painted and visibly embarrassed. He had kept repeating that it wasn't his doing, without giving further explanations on what had exactly happened to him.
Seeing what was happening before her eyes though, she now had the confirmation that the event in Kusa was linked to whatever elaborate joke Shisui had complained about before.
As the make-up was being refined on the face of the oblivious Uchiha, she recognised specific patterns and a style that was rather familiar to her.
The gradient eyeshadow, from white around the nose to orange on the outside of the eyes, like it was currently so popular in the village.
The fine eyeliner to enhance the eyes. (Eyeliner. On Shisui. Bruh.)
Three aligned points under the right eye, one white, one yellow, and one blue, as people in the Land of Lightning drew them symbolically. White for innocence and hope, yellow for joy and energy, and blue for peace and affection, if she recalled correctly.
The pinkish blush on the cheeks and nose.
The orange lipstick gradient mixed with a touch of gloss the way they liked it in the Land of Fire; and so many other details.
It was all so obvious. She knew this mix of style like the back of her hand. It was Genma's signature. He loved to discover different art-styles of make-up, and liked to learn new tricks during his missions whenever he had some free time. Because he always befriended women and engaged in enthralling conversations with them for hours, he had earned the reputation of a womanizer within the Konoha-nins' circle; without them knowing that he was just fueling his secret passion for painting faces.
Hot damn. That moron had actually been pranking Shisui all that time, and without her knowledge.
He had told them a weird story about a soulmate legend that the Yondaime Hokage presumably believed in, which explained how strange writings appeared on people's bodies. Nothing had made sense about that. She had thought at the time that Yondaime-sama had been bullshitting Genma. Of course, Genma was the one bullshitting them. What a bastard.
As realization dawned on her, a fit of laughter escaped her lips.
Shisui turned a sceptical look towards her. She passed her hand on her eyes and laughed as she shook her head in disbelief.
"Sorry man, but your face!" she cackled. "I can't, oh dear, this is too good, hahahaha!"
At her reaction, Shisui frowned and rose up slowly.
"Make-up," she elaborated with a snicker. "On your face."
His eyes widened as he seemed to understand what she meant, and he brought up his hand to his face. "Wha- What are you saying?!" he screeched in consternation.
Anko grabbed her abdomen and she leaned forward in an attempt to calm down.
"Seriously!? Again?" he whined. He buried his hands in his hair and messed it up in frustration. "Aaaargh! We really need to have a talk about this."
Anko looked up at him, a huge grin plastered on her face. "A talk with who? Genma? How's he doing that? Damn, he could have let me in!"
A confused expression formed on his face. "What? What does Genma have to do with this?"
"What do you mean? Genma's the one who did this to you, you know that, right?" The amusement was clear in her eyes. If Shisui hadn't been aware of his predicament before, she had to correct the situation. And enjoy the consequences. "I'd recognize this style anywhere! Whenever I have to make myself presentable, Genma's the one who takes care of my face."
She could see the gears spinning in Shisui's head as he took in her information. He let out a loud, high-pitched gasp and stood up energetically. "Come again?!"
At least, he had regained his fighting spirit. And stopped his horrendous thoughts from poisoning his mind. She'd have to invite Genma to lunch for both clearing Shisui's head and making her witness the play unravelling before her eyes.
Shisui paced in front of her, his mind racing and his fingers grabbing firmly his curly locks. "How could this happen? Is Genma on a mission? But that would mean... a ninja? No, that's not possible, not someone so... And way too young… Unless…?" An expression of pain crossed his face, and he closed his eyes tightly before shaking his head. "No, no, there's no way, not someone that childish." Shisui turned to her in alarm. "It could just be meeting by chance on a mission, it means nothing about being a ninja, right?" he asked as he looked at her with alarm.
Anko blinked a few times, trying to make sense of his rambling. "Genma's in the village," she informed him. "He got injured and is forbidden from getting out of the village for some time. I would know, he's been pestering everyone. I didn't understand anything else from what you said though."
Shisui's eyes widened and his lips parted in astonishment, but he made no sound. Had it been a different situation, Anko would have found that suspicious, because there was most definitely something up. But his usually smooth face was so much clearer and orange that she guffawed and bit her lip to keep her seriousness. Holy hell, this face was impossible to look at.
"If Genma's in the village..." Shisui started in a mutter and completely ignored her. He did not finish his sentence though, for he suddenly jumped on a tree and left hurriedly, without the shadow of an explanation. The fuck?
"Shisui!" she called as she followed after him. "You could give a warning!"
As if she'd stay behind. Whatever was going on, she would be in the first line to watch it all!
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When Naruto arrived in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, she hastily opened the front door, her head held high, a beaming smile stretching her lips, to expose the piece of art that her face had become after she had helped the shinobi with a toothpick.
Since she had no classes that day, and would most likely get bored all alone (the days off were so boring compared to those when she could see her friends!), Ino had suggested that they meet at her parents' shop so that they spend the day together. Apparently, the Yamanaka heiress had to help there sometimes, in order to learn the language of flowers and to practice her social skills intelligently, just like they did during the kunoichi classes. However, in Ino's opinion, those were excuses her parents gave her and were just taking advantage of her to get cheap labour.
But Naruto was delighted! She could spend time with her friend, and also do some gardening! It was not of common knowledge that Konoha's resident prankster actually loved taking care of plants. Somehow, the smell of trees, flowers and nature always made her feel peaceful and relaxed, and it was one of the rare activities that she could focus on and enjoy calmly. The fact that Ino had proposed to teach her more about flower arrangement was also a huge addition!
As she entered the flower shop, she spotted an elegant lady standing at the counter who looked towards her as soon a bell rang.
"Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower shop," the lady greeted her.
She should be Ino's mother, seeing that she was the only other person supposed to work that day at the shop. Her eyes were light brown and pupilless, and her long brown hair was tied in a sophisticated bun, to Naruto's great surprise, who had imagined her to be blonde like Ino. She was as pretty as her though!
Naruto walked towards her, a cheeky grin on her lips. "I'm Naruto! I came to see Ino-chan, I'm her friend, dattebayo!"
The lady nodded with a smile, a look of understanding crossing her face. "Ino told me you'd be coming. I am Yamanaka Yurika, Ino's mother." She leaned on the counter, and pointed at a door behind her. "She's in the back, she's listing the plants at our disposal. You can go in and keep her company."
"Thank you!" Naruto answered enthusiastically.
She headed towards the backdoor when the lady called her again. "By the way," she started and Naruto turned her eyes towards her, "Nice make-up," she said with a wink.
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, and she blushed. "Thank you, -ttebayo!" she chirped, this time with a pleased smile on her lips.
As she entered the back room, she saw her friend crouching in front of a flowerpot with a notebook in her hands, a serious pout on her face.
At the sight of her, Naruto immediately felt joy spread in her chest.
Now she could tell Ino that she had met a cool ninja and how she had helped him in his training!
"Ino-chan! Guess what, dattebayo!"
"Naru, control your voice!" Ino commanded in a murmur. "You'll disturb the flowers."
Naruto stopped in her tracks, a surprised expression on her face. Okay, so she had not to be loud, because. She crouched beside Ino and whispered loudly, "The flowers don't like my voice or something?"
"No, but they're sensitive," Ino explained as she put a sticker on the pot. "They don't like the noise, so you have to be quiet and tell them nice and positive words, so that they can blossom beautifully." Then, she turned her head towards her guest and smiled at her. "Anyway, welcome to my house!"
Naruto wrinkled her nose subconsciously, a tic that she had whenever she was pleased and happy. It was nice to be invited so warmly.
Ino's eyebrows rose as she studied her for a moment. "Did you make yourself so pretty because you were coming here? You didn't have to. But I like it, it's different. A nice different."
Pretty? Oh! The make-up of the shinobi with a toothpick!
"No, it wasn't for that! I helped a ninja today, I gotta tell you about it, dattebayo! He was very nice and wanted to train for a mission and he does funjutsu and he said he'd show me another time!"
Ino rolled her eyes with a faint smile. "Okay, okay, calm down and breathe, I'll listen to you. I just have to give my notes to Mommy, then you can come to help me and tell me about what happened."
Naruto laughed in delight. She was going to have a nice time.
"But Naruto," - Ino looked at her face expectedly this time - "What did I tell you about your soulmate and make-up?"
Hm? What about her soulmate?
Memories of her first kunoichi classes with the girls came back. Memories about how she couldn't paint her face anymore because… because…
…
Oops.
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About half an hour after departing from the training ground, Anko and Shisui found Genma, laid on a bench, without a care in the world.
"You!"
Damn, Shisui was seething.
Genma turned his head to them lazily, but he got up immediately when he saw Shisui. If his face was alit with an expression of interest upon spotting them, he quickly sobered up and even looked… disappointed?
Anko threw a glance at Shisui. His face was completely cleaned.
Shisui narrowed his eyes at him. "It was you, right?"
Moving his senbon up and down, Genma raised his hands in surrender and closed his eyes dejectedly. "Yeah, she didn't seem to realize that you'd get it as well." Then he threw an accusatory look at the Uchiha. "And now you dare show your face without all my hard work? That's so low, Shisui."
'She?' she wondered. Who were he talking about?
"You, you know?" Shisui asked in a weak voice. He cleared his throat and took a step forward. "Who...?"
Genma stared at him, and progressively, an eager expression took place on his face. That was definitely his smug look, the one that said that he knew something that no one else did, and that he would take advantage of it in the most entertaining way he could manage.
"Oh, my, Shisui~ You still don't know who she is?"
Shisui's voice caught in his throat and he frowned, an upset expression on his face.
Had Anko missed the beginning of the conversation?
"What's going on here?"
If only she knew. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see that Kakashi was looming behind her.
"You tell me," Anko said with a shrug. "Genma managed to put make-up on Shisui from a distance, so I thought that the brat would get revenge from all the ghostly scribbling he's been getting on his skin for the past months. And now apparently there's a girl?"
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Kakashi let out a hum as his lone eye trailed between both shinobis to analyze them.
Since he had a rare moment of freedom outside of his missions, and he had been thinking far too much as of late, he had decided to take a break on this sunny day to clear his mind. However, as he had been heading to his favourite tree to settle down and read a book lazily for once, he spotted a peculiar gathering of ninjas.
After debating for a short moment in his head, he had decided that, why not; that would be his investment in having a social life of the year.
And, what a surprise did he stumble upon!
So, Shisui also had a soulmate now? And when did Genma become Konoha's resident councillor in the matter of Soulmates? The guy was both a great and an awful confidant. After all, secrets were always safe with him, and he was one of the rare people who also believed in soulmates because of their experience with Minato-sensei and Kushina, which was why Kakashi had confided in him. That, and the fact that Genma had been with him when he was first contacted by Ribbon-girl, and while Kakashi had had a panic attack, Genma had been so excited that he had managed to convince him to write back. (In a terrible moment of weakness. Which put him into an illegal-ish investigation that alarmed half of the head clans of the village who were kinda questioning the higher-ups now. How did that even happen.)
But the teasing! Was the teasing truly worth it?
Kakashi did not think so.
Shisui's voice shrieked in annoyance, the tone of their conversation rising as he talked. "Oh Genma, stop being such a pain!" he complained. "For how long have you known who my soulmate was? Who is it?"
Oh. Oh! So Genma had figured it out by himself? Kakashi stared at Genma carefully.
As for Anko, her face blanked and all traces of humour disappeared from her face. "Wait a fucking minute," she started slowly before her gaze shifted from Shisui to Genma. "You're still hanging on that soulmate-crap?!"
Kakashi tuned her out and focused on this newly acquired information. If Genma had found out about it without Shisui actually knowing, he must have gotten his information from somewhere else.
To his knowledge, the only other person currently talking to their soulmate as of now was himself, though. Well, and the Ribbon-kid.
The gears of his brain started to turn. From what she had told him and what he had discovered in his research, Inoichi-sama's daughter was also talking to hers, a boy who was currently 'training' under Danzo's supervision.
And both the little girls formed a happy little trio of friends with Naruto.
Naruto, who had somehow raised Genma's curiosity one day while Kakashi had been too busy moping about his soulmate's babiness to actually care.
...
No way.
Genma was now sporting a broad smile and playing with the senbon in his mouth, looking like he had just won the lottery. Just like that night in the pub.
Naruto.
Naruto?! Seriously?!
"Shisui, Shisui," Genma sing-songed, "where would be the fun if I told you that?"
The Uchiha boy looked like an urge to slap Genma was about to overtake him, and had Kakashi been a lesser man, he would have done so as well. But Kakashi was cool.
That was why Kakashi simply watched the duo with interest, thinking at the back of his mind that this was probably the best investment in social interactions of the year he could have made.
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Shisui's heart was beating like crazy in his ribcage, because, oh my god, Genma was smirking and mocking him because he knew his soulmate! So, it was most likely someone in Konoha, and a girl - for almost four months now, he had tried to guess his soulmate's gender but not a word had given that away, and since he was never asked about his, he didn't bother either -, and Genma was enjoying the situation, which meant that she was safe, and it was safe to talk to her, and he needed to breathe because he was feeling hot and his head was spinning.
He raised his hand to massage his temple, and tried to focus on the conversation to get out of the dizziness of his thoughts.
"What- the hell, guys," Anko said dubiously, "don't tell me you're all serious about this?"
"Of course they are," a familiar voice intervened. Wait, when had Kakashi-senpai joined them? "The bond of soulmates is not a widely spread knowledge, but they do exist. Yondaime-sama and his wife were soulmates."
"What? For real?!"
Shisui turned his eyes to the masked man, and noticed a silent and subtle exchange going between Kakashi and Genma.
"You…" Shisui gasped as a realization hit him and he pointed at the silver-haired man with an agitated finger. "Wait, you know too?!"
In answer to such an accusatory tone, Kakashi feigned an expression of surprise and pretended to think over it. "Hum, do I?"
He absolutely did.
"Really?!" he whined and stomped his feet on the ground. If anyone called him childish, he'd sharingan them to death. He had had a bad enough week as it was.
Oh, the betrayal. The treachery. How could they do that to him?
"Can't you at least give me a hint?"
"Tss tss tss," Genma shook his head and had the guts to pout at him. "Aren't you supposed to be a prodigy, Shisui? How could you not figure it out yet? The Uchiha clan would be so disappointed in you."
Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. "They give the label to pretty much anyone, you know."
"Ah, the poor fair maiden," Genma lamented. "She must be waiting for you to find her and whisk her away, and here you are, without a clue on her identity."
Shisui's eyes burnt and he knew the sharingan was activated.
They were lucky he wasn't evil enough to use the mangekyō on fellow colleagues.
"We all had so much hope in you." If Genma didn't stop though, Shisui would hurt him.
"Shunshin no Shisui, genin at six, jōnin at fourteen, and so bad at information gathering." Shisui would hurt Kakashi-senpai as well, no matter how bad he idolized the man.
"Geniuses are overrated these days anyway," Anko muttered with a roll of her eyes. And what a joke?! She hadn't even known what they were talking about a moment ago!?
Shisui glared at all of them successively. Were they all trying to awaken his curse of hatred?! Because right at this moment, he could definitely see it happening.
However, after a moment, Anko added dubiously, still not overly convinced, "This whole thing is supposed to work by writing on yourself right? Why don't you just ask her?"
And, hadn't the answer been obvious all along?
Shisui had always avoided having conversations that could give away their identities to each other, in case they were part of enemy sides without knowing it. But now that he had the confirmation that she was also from Konoha, and that he would not endanger anyone by meeting her... Nothing prevented him from asking her name, at least.
He surprised himself with his own impulsiveness, and the realisation of how much he wanted to see her take a more important place in his life was unsettling, but he had already noticed during his mission that she had a pleasant effect on him. He knew that he wasn't in love, she was obviously still a child anyway, but he felt pulled towards her and he just… He craved meeting her, knowing her and getting to spend time with her face to face somehow.
He guessed that he needed more positive people in his life. With her contagious joy and her innocence.
The ANBU was messing him up. He could at least admit it to himself. But the moments he talked to her were always a breath of fresh air and peaceful.
Shisui had always been weak for children anyway.
Deciding that now was as good a moment as any, he grabbed a pen from his pouch, which he carried everywhere with him since he had started talking to her, and wrote hastily.
Hey
She answered immediately, making Shisui's heart beat like crazy.
Hello, Soulmate of Mine!
"Aaaaw," Genma cooed, his eyes on Shisui's arm. "She called you Soulmate of Miiiine~"
Anko deadpanned and levelled Genma with a judgemental stare. "Ew, no, don't."
Shisui moved away from those intruding weirdos; they had no sense of privacy and were all looming over him to read the conversation with his soulmate. Without wasting any more time, he jumped out of their reach and landed on a branch where he sat down.
As he took a deep breath, he leaned against the tree and focused back on his written exchange.
She had written more.
You're back! I'm happy you're back! How are you? I missed you! Did you have fun? Are you leaving soon? I'm with my friend now, she invited me to her home. It's the first time I'm going to a friend's home, her mom is nice and we're watering plants, it's fun!
Shisui felt his heart swell at her enthusiasm and energy. 'I missed you' . A relaxed grin stretched his lips. Ah, it was good to be home.
"Look at that stupid grin."
"She's far too young for you, kid. I mean it, nothing's happening before she's of age or I'll personally take care of your case."
Who let Anko and Genma be born in the same village in the same generation? In the same village and in the same generation as him no less.
Deep breaths, Shisui. Deep breaths.
They continued their exchange underneath the tree where he had settled - he really should have gone farther -, but he elected to simply ignore them.
("How old is she? Twelve? You mean to say that Shisui's been paired with a brat that's even brattier than him? How does it even work?"
"I don't know, I don't care, that's not what's important here. Let's focus on Shisui-chan's lovesick expression! I should take a picture and sell it to the highest bidder."
"You're sick."
"I just know how to enjoy the small things in life."
"Is that how you woe ladies? Wait, do you have a soulmate too?"
"Please. The referee does not play. I prefer to watch and comment.")
Since he didn't want to erase her message too quickly, he wrote his reply on the upper half of his arm.
Yeah, I'm back. I missed you too.
He thought over it for a moment and decided that it was alright now if she knew that he was a ninja. After all, she was a child of Konoha. One of the children for whom he was already fighting for; a child who he's been protecting all along.
The thought made him feel lighter.
I came back from my mission yesterday and I should stay in the village for a few days. I was with a friend as well, we were training when my face was suddenly plastered with make-up.
Everything was suddenly erased, even his own answer, and he saw how she wrote back hurriedly. His smile was back on his face and seemed to take a permanent place.
I'm very very very sorry! You're angry? I didn't mean too! My friend said that the make-up appeared on the soulmate too but I forgot! I won't do it again. Maybe I will during class, but that's all! It's okay?
'Oh, so precious,' he thought softly.
It's alright, I don't mind. Although it would be nice to have a warning next time it happens.
I'll tell you next time then!
He let out a chuckle and looked longly at his arm. He debated for a short while about how to approach the matter, and what he really wanted to do from now on.
Now that he was calmer and most of the adrenaline had worn off, he wondered if his decision wasn't rushed.
Of course it wasn't. Most people usually saw each other face to face and introduced themselves upon their first meeting! He was just… trying to make their situation less complicated. Normal. Although, getting to know her through writing was nice, he wanted more now.
Figuring out that he didn't need to give too many explanations about how he had discovered that they were from the same village (she was so young, he wasn't sure that she understood all the implications and risks of their exchanges originally), he decided not to beat around the bush and simply say what he wanted to say.
Would you like us to meet?
He didn't need to look at himself in a mirror to know that his face was as red as the sharingan, and his heartbeat had escalated all of a sudden.
That was so weird. But the novelty of the situation made him so nervous that he felt like he was being extremely bold, when he was just suggesting to meet.
Yeah thad be awesome!
A smirk formed on his lips, and he tried to calm himself down before his mind started projecting. He crossed out 'thad' and corrected underneath with 'that'd = that would'. She still had trouble with writing what sounded obvious orally, despite the fact that she had made amazing progress over the last few months.
She instantly added.
Oh right! I knew that! Promise!
With a laugh, he shook his head, feeling amused and light inside.
I know that you did. So, how do you say that we meet sometime in the next few days?
… Come on, Shisui, you're not a coward.
Or today, if you're free?
This time, however, she took her sweet time.
Worry started to creep inside his chest. Was it a bad idea, after all?
Wait, you mean now? For real?
Yes. We don't even know each other's names. I figured that we could get formally introduced and get to spend time together. Would you like it?
He anxiously tapped his thigh with his pen, waiting for a verdict. After a moment, the one he received made him understand that it wouldn't be as simple as he had first believed.
Is it okay if I say no?
That… Shisui swallowed with difficulty. Both literally and figuratively.
Why is it?
They had sounded excited just a few minutes ago? Why would they- she, crap, he had to get used to the pronoun-, why would she sound so uneasy now? Was it something he said?
I just like it this way. I like talking to you, and I like how things are. And maybe it will be nice when we meet someday but not now
Shisui's shoulders slumped. He rubbed his eyes, in frustration and fatigue, and let the information sink in.
It sounded out of a character. Ever since he had first talked to his soulmate, she had always been straightforward, eager and… and, he didn't know! He was the suspicious and cautious one usually!
Did I make you angry? I'm sorry
No, no he wasn't angry. He was just… Damn it.
No, don't worry.
Disappointed. A bit lost. But he couldn't find it in himself to be angry with her.
Will you still talk to me?
He blinked. What kind of question what that. That was so unfair, he couldn't- He was so weak !
Resigned, he couldn't help the rush of affection that overwhelmed him at the inquiry.
Of course, I will. I'll always be here, I'm your soulmate, remember? I told you once that we're the ones who make our own decisions. Don't feel pressured by me and choose what makes you comfortable. You'll always be my little sunshine.
Even if he really, really wanted to throw a tantrum and have a serious conversation about this, he had to keep in mind that he was talking to a child. And her reaction hid something more.
Thank you
Anytime, Soulmate of Mine.
He almost tried to ask her again for her name, and wondered if he should introduce himself first, but in the end, he opted against it. She wanted their relationship to stay that way for now, so he would respect that.
With a sigh, he jumped off the tree, reckoning that he better take his mind off the matter.
And he was met with three pairs of eyes staring at him.
Ugh.
"Why the long face?" Kakashi asked lazily.
"He was dumped. Look at that expression. It's so obvious he was dumped," Anko commented with wisdom.
Genma chewed on his senbon with a considering look, before he shrugged and walked towards him. Landing a hand on Shisui's shoulder, he gave him a sympathetic smile. "She was out of your league anyway."
Shisui bit his bottom lip to stop himself from screaming.
Who needed enemies with friends like them.
"I'm so getting back at you for this."
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Seated on Ino's bed, the Yamanaka heiress held firmly her friend in her arms and rubbed her back soothingly, the way her parents did when she was feeling down.
She had had a very nice day with Naruto. Work had been more entertaining than usual and she had taught her guest about the names of flowers and their symbols, and it had been great to find out that they both shared a mutual love for plants and gardening!
Then, Naruto had received a message from her soulmate, and she became even more excited, since he had been away for a long time now.
That was, until he suggested that they meet and asked her for her name. Naruto had completely freaked out and thrown a fit of panic.
Thankfully, he had been rather understanding and hadn't insisted, but Naruto had still felt guilty and sad, and she was probably disappointed as well. Whether in the situation or in herself, Ino wasn't sure.
So when she noticed how wet Naruto's eyes looked, she had decided that the best thing she could do now was to give her a big hug. And later, they'd have dinner together, and Naruto would be sleeping at home, no discussion allowed.
Now, had it happened a few months earlier, Ino would have pushed much more to make her meet her soulmate, because, come on, it was the love of her life they were talking about! And the guy always sounded so nice and good-natured! Sakura's soulmate was a weird one, but Naruto's seemed to be such a prince charming!
But with everything that she had witnessed ever since she had befriended the Uzumaki, she knew that people could be unfair and petty, and that Naruto deserved much better than the usual treatment she was given. Sakura had to hide their friendship from her parents. And when Ino had told her own parents that she would be bringing her friend home, she had heard them talking late at night. Even if her dad didn't seem to care, and treated Naruto nicely (her dad was the best man in the world anyway; with Sai), it had seemed like her mom had needed some reassurance. Ino had paid close attention during the day, and since she had been looking for the signs, she noticed that her mother wasn't being completely natural and seemed to be making a conscious effort. Although, by the end of the day, she seemed to have warmed up to Naruto. (Of course, she did, Naruto was so diligent in helping and careful not to mess up, soon they'd prefer her to Ino's big mouth. Maybe her parents would accept to adopt her and they could become sisters.)
That was a fact. People were unfair and dumb when it came to Naruto. (Sorry Mommy, though you made great progress in just a day, bravo.)
Ino knew that ever since they had found out about Naruto's origins, the little girl had stopped caring about whether people hated her or not, as long she had her friends by her side. So, now, she could brush off unfair people's dislike easily.
Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to stand it if her soulmate was one of them.
Ino sure hoped that he wasn't. She really wanted to think that he wasn't, but when even her own mother had to be convinced… Then she had to expect that from anyone.
If he happened to be one of those morons, Ino would trash him.
But, deep down, she was sure that he would be great to Naruto. They were soulmates, that had to mean something.
In the meantime, Ino would take good care of her. Because even if it was great to have a soulmate that she knew would be the love of her life, she was finding out that, in their own way, even without a pre-destined bond, her friends had become her soulmates as well.
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To be continued
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Note: Naruto canonically likes gardening and I couldn't pass up this opportunity.
Note2: I had to look up SO MANY makeup techniques! I don't know the first thing about makeup. The symbolic thing with colours (from the land of Lightening) is from tribal black Africans techniques, though I couldn't determine from which countries they were exactly, and I thought it sounded very nice and looked pretty. I also mixed Korean, French and American makeup. If you think that the final look sounds weird, you may be right, but please consider that it's cool and stylish because Genma's cool and stylish and I'm not.
I hope you had fun with this chapter, and if you have any question or suggestion, don't hesitate to ask! It would be easier for me to answer on tumblr (you can ask either privately, or anonymously if you don't have an account), though I can answer by PM on FFN too if you prefer!
I hope you're all doing well, thank you for your support and patience and encouragement, you're the bests! ;v; I keep re-reading your comments, you're all so sweet to me!
See you soon~