Ain't no party like a ninja party

[usedswift]

Who: open to literally anyone in Blackthorn City who wanders into the ninja party + friends
Where: Blackthorn City (mainly hotsprings but also anywhere)
When: July 23rd
Summary: Sasuke gets a birthday party whether he wants one or not. Lucky for him, he has friends (in spite of his best efforts) who'll plan one.
Rating: G? PG for violence

[ooc; general mingle log for Blackthorn City/Sasuke's birthday. Most of it will probably take place at the hotsprings itself, though like the 'who' says, it's completely open to anyone just walking by and wondering what the big deal is, or someone who's already there and then has their pleasant soak interrupted by a bunch of dumb ninjas.]

Comments

[aflashoffaith]

[His head tilted into her touch, eyes closing as he exhaled a contented hum.

Funny how such a simple action could just make everything okay.]

I think they'd be fools not to listen to her demands.

[ghostpepper]

Then they better be as smart as those she loves most.

[She slowly ran her fingers over his face. Gently, back and forth to a silent rhythm. So at peace just to feel the warmth of his skin. Taking advantage of every second possible to relax, savoring the time they were sharing. No disastrous interruptions to worry about besides Tsunade later. No death or dying in the foreseeable future. No missions. No demonic monsters threatening to destroy everything. In short, it was paradise.]

[aflashoffaith]

We can only hope.

[His head turned, nose nudging against her palm, lips pressing a light kiss against her warm skin. Their last memories of home were a whirlwind of difficult decisions and loss, pain and longing- he would never be able to forget the anger in her voice that night, the desperation as she pleaded to him for the son's sake. It haunted him more often than not, made him question his once firm resolve in his decisions.

Being here... this was the life he'd never been able to give her or Naruto, a place of peace where their main worry was making sure Inn rooms were paid for the length of their stay and the kitchen was stocked. That the kids would find their way back in time for dinner, to hear stories of the people they only knew as legends, details passed on to remind them strength wasn't always measured by the number of ninjutsu you knew.

Maybe it was a little selfish but Minato relished every day he was able to spend here, their temporary homes filled with laughter, the family he and Kushina hadn't been able to have.

They'd paid their dues, had struggled and fought more than enough to deserve the respite. Maybe they'd earned the right to be selfish now and then.]

[ghostpepper]

[She smiled as he kissed her hand, and in return, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead. After letting her lips linger a few seconds, she continued wading her way around to his side. As she moved and finally settled back down at Minato's side, she let her hand drift down on his chest. Her head came to rest against his shoulder.

This was wonderful. Better than that, even. This was right. This was how things should be. She couldn't imagine how life here would've gone if Minato hadn't been here at all. Sure she would've had everyone else, but he was her other half. Almost everyone else was from somewhere in the future. A future she never knew and was still trying to come to terms with.]

I'm so happy you're here.

[aflashoffaith]

I'm glad you're back.

[His words were murmured, quiet and soft as he tilted his head to rest against hers, eyes closing.

He'd always known how important Kushina's role in his life was, how he'd counted on her as a confidant and to nudge him along, keeping him on track with her bright optimism and strength.

But he'd never been so aware of the fact until suddenly she hadn't been there- it had made him realize how alone he could feel even in a group of people. Life had continued on and he'd done his best to make sure he'd been there for the kids, that they were taken care of. But the silence she'd left behind in all of their lives had been deafening.]

[ghostpepper]

[Content as she was to just sit there in the hot water, enjoying her husband's company, there were some things on her mind that she hadn't asked that first night. There had been a lot of information to process all at once. But first, there was one question that was burning to be answered.]

Minato... how long was I gone for?

[aflashoffaith]

Ah...

[He's a little embarrassed to answer that, hesitating for a few moments as he shifted, slipping an arm around her waist.]

About a month. You left not long before your birthday.

[The nature of this place, how seemingly random it was for people to show up and leave, had been the largest factor in how quickly he'd let his mind wander to worry.

They'd been separated before for unknown lengths of time, being shinobi in a time of war led to that sort of thing happening often. But here... he had no way of knowing when or even if he would have seen her again, and being sent home again himself didn't necessarily mean he'd get to see her either.

It had been difficult to remain positive when faced with the unknown.]

[ghostpepper]

[Damn... a month apart? Her fingers pressed into his skin. Had there been fabric, she would've gripped into it. Even if being shinobi had meant separating for varying periods of time, it never got easier. And the thought of being without Minato in this strange new world for more than a few days put a frown on her face. A whole month or more would have driven her crazy. And if he hadn't known if she'd be back...

Could that have been a reason for what drove him to use the Reaper Death Seal back home? Knowing she wouldn't be coming back ever again? She tried to put herself in his place: her as the Hokage, he as the Jinchuuriki. A village to save, a monster to hold at bay, a dying spouse, a newborn child... Would she have chosen the same route? The thought of life without Minato very nearly broke her heart.]

Is that why you--

[--No. She brought that train of thought to a screeching halt as it started to verbalize. Best not to finish that. She realized her fingers had dug into his chest at this point and forced them to relax. He was here. She was here. Naruto was here. Even if the village wasn't, they were all together as they should have been.]

I won't leave you again. I promise.

[She has no idea how hard that promise will be to keep yet. In a world where someone can get whisked off easily and may or may not return... Luckily no plans for her departure were in sight.]

[aflashoffaith]

[She didn't have to finish her statement for him to understand what she meant, thoughts helpfully filling in the blanks. Haven't been sleeping? Rushed so quickly to meet me?

Sacrificed yourself?

It was better to leave those things unsaid- there had been so little time to make a decision back home and so much at stake...

But if he were being honest, a simple yes might have sufficed.]

Even if you do, we'll find each other again.

[None of them could promise that sort of thing, no matter how much they wished it were true. He could tell his wife, his son, his students, that he would be there when they woke up each morning, but the truth was he very well could disappear without a word. Just like Kushina had before.]

I'll never stop looking for you, Kushina.

[Not even death would keep him from her.]

[ghostpepper]

And if you ever vanish, I'll tear apart every inch of land and water here until I find you again.

[That was a promise she could keep. ...Until she'd eventually get tossed in jail, something she's pretty unaware of for now. But the point remains, she'd search for him forever too.

Kushina lifted her head slightly to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.]

[aflashoffaith]

Well... try to leave one house or something at least, so we have somewhere to go.

[Light teasing as the feel of her lips against his cheek made his own quirk up in a smile.]

We do have a lot of kids this time around to take care of.

[ghostpepper]

Mm... I guess I could leave one house standing. If it's for our kids.

[Aaaaaaaand it's back to snuggle time. Because wow, thinking of the younger generation in their group as their kids... It puts a new perspective on things. The family (and then some) she had once dreamed of having around the time they were settling down together in Konoha. Here she would have to settle for adopting in the kids, but that was alright. Even if none of them would be hers like Naruto was. But hey, families were like the hidden villages. You didn't have to be tied to them by blood or clans to belong.]

[aflashoffaith]

[Snuggle time was definitely okay, though he reached out with his free hand to snag the floating tray, pulling it closer.]

They're quite a group.

[He'd been surprised by the ninja kids here, how different they all were from each other, how strong and capable and determined they were. Of course he probably shouldn't have expected anything less, but it had been a pleasant surprise, warmth and pride growing the more he learned about them.]

We're lucky to see how they've grown up. Hard to believe we saw them as newborns not that long ago, huh?

[ghostpepper]

Yeah... It almost feels like yesterday. But being here... It's like it was a whole lifetime ago.

[Her thoughts flash over the faces of the village's newest children, but finds so many of the memories blurred. She hadn't seen too much of her son's generation during her own pregnancy. Short of during visits to the Konoha hospital for the occasional check-up and a few walks around town so she didn't go crazy with no missions to keep her busy.]

I'm looking forward to seeing more of them around here. Even Mikoto's little je-- [AHEM...] younger son. You know... I don't think his hair changed at all since he was a baby. It's still fluffed out in the back.

[aflashoffaith]

[Since it's just the two of them... he doesn't try to stifle the laugh at her almost slip. No one was watching!]

He looks just like her, doesn't he? I think his... attitude is more like Fugaku though.

[Forever grump. Though Minato didn't doubt that the things Sasuke had already lived through in his short life were behind his sometimes short or cold demeanor- he'd probably be more surprised and worried if they hadn't affected Sasuke.]