lilac aster

10 Answers: 2.5, The Infamous Bench

Sarada cursed for the nth time as she dried off her wet skirt.

“STUPID KIDS WHO RUN AROUND LIKE MONKEYS.”

If her mother could see her now, she’s sure to get a year’s worth of reprimand. But damn it, just how was she going to continue her research when she’s dripping from head to toe?

In her annoyance, Sarada slammed her fist on the bench she was sitting – without putting on any chakra of course.

“Ugh.”

And it was at this exact moment that she felt something carved under her palm.

Curious, Sarada got up and inspected the said anomaly,

SS

“Huh?”

(Later on, during dinner, Sarada would tell her mother about what she saw, making her Kaa-chan choke on her tea.

17:00, Kitchen

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For once, the rowdy kitchen is quiet as Mikasa enters with a basket full of potatoes.

“I thought Sasha would be here.”She says out loud, unaware of the pair of eyes watching her every movement.

Mikasa then brings the basket on the counter, washes her hand, and removes her scarf before cleaning their food.

“You know how to cook?”

The voice startles her and she almost drops the potato if not for her trained hands.

“Since when did you arrive?”

Rivaille unfolds his arms and heaves a sigh, “You’re not attentive enough. Some enemy might sneak up behind you and -”

“It’s a safe place here. There’s no need to put my guard up.”

“That’s not how I trained you.”

“Oh?”

Mikasa challenges, but it is too late when she notices Rivaille’s hand on her neck,

“Always be careful,” he says, before kissing her exposed collarbone,

10 Answers: 2, Grandpa’s Dog – Pakkun

Pakkun sat beside a bewildered Sarada as he sipped his current favorite matcha tea.

“So I heard from your mother that you were asking about how your parents got together-” Sip. “-and since I’ve witnessed their love first hand, I decided to give you some insights.”

“Really now?” The young Uchiha inquired, still not buying what her Grandpa’s favorite dog was saying.

“Trust me. I know.” Pakkun gulped down his tea and beckoned for Sarada to get closer, “Ever heard of the story where the Kazekage kicked your Dad’s ass back in their chuunin exam?”

The young girl shook her head.

10 Answers: 1, Weapons Master – Ten Ten

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“YES.”

“Um... Let’s see...” Ten Ten tapped her chin as she dug through her buried memories. She was just about to have some snacks when the Uchiha prodigy came bursting through her shop’s door as she said (commanded) – Stay right where you are, Aunt Ten Ten. “Well... They were childhood friends...”

“I know, Aunt Ten.”

“Um...” YOUR PAPA TRIED TO KILL YOUR MAMA XX NUMBER OF TIMES... OH AND HE ALSO CRUSHED YOUR POOR MAMA’S HEART TO DUST! “... I think you should go look for another source Dear, you see... I was a year older than your parents and I only had an ample amount of encounters with your Papa... But from what I remember...”

Sarada’s eyes widened.

10 Answers: 0, Prologue – Uchiha Sakura.

Uchiha Sarada crossed her arms and raised a brow at her mortified mother.

“Why are you asking me this now?”

And for the nth time, the young Uchiha sighed as she adjusted her glasses, “Because as your daughter, I have every right to know how my parents got together.”

“Ohh...”

Time was ticking fast and with her patience running thin at how her Kaa-chan tried to avoid answering her question, Sarada hastily grabbed a pen and notebook from her bag before exiting their living room.

“Sarada-chan?” Sakura called, “I thought you wanted to know our story?”

“I do. That’s why I’m gonna go ask my Godparents and other Aunties instead.”

“WHAAAAAT?!”

“See you later, Kaa-chan!”

And so, Uchiha Sarada ran through the rooftops with her first victim in mind.

.

.

15:00, Rivaille’s Room

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“Bear with it.”

Rivaille grunts and scoffs at Mikasa’s reprimanding voice.

“You’re acting like a child.”

“There’s no need for you to nurse me.”

The lady scrunches up her nose and presses on the wound a little less gently, “How do you plan to take care of this wound then?”

Rivaille turns his head and reaches for his back, he then snatches the cloth away from Mikasa’s hold as he tries (but fails miserably) to clean his wound.

“You’re doing a pretty good job there, heichou.”

“Shut up.”

He expects her to fight back like their usual banters, but Mikasa’s next move surprises him, rendering him still and at a loss for words.

“I’m so...” A kiss,

“-happy...” A lick,

“-that you’re alive...”

Theme 37: Training

Never had she experienced a feeling like this before.

Not even a rumble for a cute doll, or a fight on who gets to eat the last ramen, or a brawl to show she’s not just a girl with bright red-hair could compare to this.

“Ne, Minato, would you teach me your shuriken techniques?”

There was a soft press of palm on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Hm... Actually, how about you tutor me privately about your jutsu’s later?”

Kushina grabbed her Kunai and threw it unconsciously at Minato’s direction.

“WATCH IT YOU DIMWIT!”

“Sorry my hand slipped...” And she threw another three aimed directly at the snake currently wrapped around her teammate’s arm, “-Guess I’m just itching to spar with my partner, ne, Minato?”

13:00, Town Borders

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He said he won’t be captured easily, he said he was a thug, he-

“STUPID! Why did you save me?!”

Mikasa unravels her sword and points the blade at the man behind her, “Shorties in distress shouldn’t complain.”

A string of curses is the reply she hears.

Well, sorry for her man because she’s already immune to his dirty mouth. What’s more important right now is to escape to their hideout and get the hell out of here. Who knew busting Rivaille out of prison could be this troublesome?

“Just how many crimes did you make in your lifetime?”

Rivaille speeds in front of her and cocks his head,

“Does falling in love with my precious subordinate counts as one?”

“WHAT?!”

“Hurry, they’re closing in on us.”

Theme 38: Sing me a Song

It was probably one of the worst mission ever.

Reason One -

The daimyo they were guarding was a total pervert who kept touching Kushina’s behind.

Reason Two -

Although the pay was good, it was a waste of time and talent to watch over someone who didn’t have any threats in his life – at all. The man simply had a bad case of paranoia.

Reason Three-

There was a better mission offered to their team, an S-rank reconnaissance mission that could help hone their skills instead of this stupid guarding duty.

“Minato?”

“Yes?”

11:00, Kitchen

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Mikasa’s mother always reminded her to cherish what she has because nothing stays permanently.

She was right.

The happiness she is feeling, the peace coursing through her, are all threatening to escape.

“Are you listening to me?”

Mikasa continues to chop the onions as she shrugs her shoulders. Of course she IS listening to him. How else could she be rattled this badly if not for her Heichou’s news?

“We are moving two days from now. Saving Hanji and Erwin are our top priority.”

Yes, she knows that already. First, infiltrate the police hideout. And second, rescue their superiors who were captured for reasons unknown.  

“Don’t worry Mikasa, we’re gonna be safe. You need to be here to protect Eren and the others.”

“But what if something goes wrong?”

Rivaille ruffles her hair as he hugs her close,

Theme 39: Silk Kimono

It wasn’t a date.

It really wasn’t.

The event was simply a celebration for Konoha’s new set of chuunins (and not some pathetic excuse for asking Kushina out for the night).

Nope. This is not a date.

Minato adjusted his yukata as he waited patiently for his companion to arrive. There was a gift hidden inside his sleeves, a yellow fan tucked in his belt, and a scrunched up handkerchief in his hand.

“SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING!”

The young lad almost had his heart flew out of his chest. He was still trying to calm his nerves down (Did she think of it as a date? Will she ditch me? Is she angry at me and wants to cut off our friendship because we’re only frie-) when a yell shattered his resolve.

Calm-

“Let’s go?”

-dow-

“Ye-yeah.”

Theme 40: Heart Strings

They were literally swimming in puddles of dirt and mud. Bruises, scrapes, broken fingers, and broken ribs were some of the injuries their team sustained during the second phase of the chuunin exam.

“Kushina, can you still walk?”

The red-head shook her head as she breathed heavily, “I-I need... I need to rest.”

Minato placed an arm around Kushina’s waist and helped her sit on the ground. He frowned at his friend’s nearly-broken form; blaming himself for not being sensitive enough to notice her condition (especially with the nine tails waiting to break free from his cage).

“Don’t worry... I will be okay.”

“Yeah...”

There was still a few more hours before the deadline and with his other teammate searching for food, and with Kushina reaching her limit, perhaps a short nap wouldn’t hurt a bit.

09:00, Training Grounds

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Mikasa’s movements are slurred and unsteady. Her face, tainted with different shades of red, screams loudly of ‘I’m not here’.

It’s a sight that made her friends cringe inwardly because their favorite Ackerman ‘never messes up’.

(One hand on the tree branch to halt her fall)

Stop distracting me, shorty!

(A not-so-perfect landing on the ground with a loud thud afterwards)

Shit!

(An almost bulls-eye hit from Sasha’s arrow)

“YEEEEEES! I caught you.”

In a span of three minutes, Mikasa’s untarnished reputation in their training went down the drain. She is aching all over with her shirt still stuck on the tree behind her.

And to make things worse, the reason for her failure is now walking past her beaten body with an obvious smirk on his face.

“Guess the accidental kiss earlier caused some unwanted effects, huh?”

Theme 41: Rivals

When their team passed the written examinations (announced after the disqualification of twenty teams), Kushina immediately shouted in happiness as she punched the air with her fists.

Minato was smiling behind her, relieved that they were one step closer in receiving their chuunin titles.

“The battle portion’s next, right?”

The blonde nodded his head and placed a hand on Kushina’s shoulder, “Yeah, it-“

But his sentence was suddenly cut-off when a boy with pale eyes obscured his view.

“Hyuuga Hizashi.” Minato greeted.

Said person ignored him with a scoff, eyeing him from head to toe, before proceeding to hold Kushina’s hand, kissing it briefly, as he introduced himself to the startled girl.

“May I know your name, Hime-chan?”

07:00, Living room

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Visits from other members in the legion were a rare occurrence, which is why Erwin Smith almost lost his head when he arrived at the hideout unannounced courtesy of a hungry Sasha.

“Commander, I’m terribly sorry!”

The blonde Commander chuckles as he takes a glance at a proud Rivaille standing behind the bowing girl, “You’ve trained them good.”

“Of course, they are – after all – my protégés.”

Erwin steps forward, handing out to Sasha his hat, before taking off his coat (with a little bit of struggle), as he fully enters the house. He is about to sit on the couch when an unexpected moment happened.

“Rivaille, have you seen my scarf?”

Erwin’s mouth forms a big ‘O’.

“I think you left it in my room earlier, Mikasa.”

He remains silent as something finally clicks in his mind.

05:00, Kitchen

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Mikasa rouses earlier than the rest.

Usually, she uses this time doing some routine stretches and five rounds of twenty jabs and straight punches, before proceeding to cook the squads’ breakfast.

Usually.

Because now, that habit has already been broken when she discovered a new way to spend her mornings – one that involves a certain Heichou, who always greets her with a ‘You’re late, Mikasa’.

To which she would answer,

‘You’re just too early, Rivaille.’

Said man would then smile a little (a feat that only she can enjoy), before inviting her to sit on the counter as he pours her a cup of hot chocolate.

“Why not coffee, Heichou?”

“Because you said my coffee is too strong for your taste.”

She nods her head and inhales the sweet aroma on her cup.

“And Mikasa?”

“Hm?”