Butterfly Effect

by Chochoshin

Summary:

Chocho Akimichi would do anything for love. Literally Anything....

Chapter 1

Butterfly Effect

 

She’d learned one thing through her years of training: duty always came first to a ninja. For Chocho, it wasn’t just about taking over as the head of her clan, nor was it the missions she still had to go on from time to time. Duty for a ninja meant not letting her village down. The Leaf greatly valued the strength the Ino-Shika-Cho trio provided, and that meant they expected another generation very soon.

Shikadai was married, Inojin was engaged, and Chocho Akimichi was regrettably single—and not really searching. She was only 19. They were all 19! But whatever. No one seemed to find it weird or anything.

She could complain, but no one else thought it was a problem—just her. “ How hard can it be?” Inojin just loved taunting her. She’d built a whole wall around her emotions, just because of him.
“Just find someone you like, date, and get married. Boom! Easy.”

No, it wasn’t that easy. Because the Akimichi princess did have someone she liked—just that things hadn’t worked out. Mitsuki was with Sumire now, and they happened to be the village’s hottest couple—aside from Boruto and Sarada, of course.

“I always thought you two would end up together,” Sarada had said once.

And Chocho thought so too. Mitsuki had been perfect. Weird, but perfect. She liked him, and she could swear he liked her too. Then she’d gone and distanced herself. And now Mitsuki and Sumire shared an apartment, and Akimichi Chocho was sadly single—because she just couldn’t get over that one guy. Sad. An Akimichi Chief should have a far better love story than that.

She ran into Mitsuki from time to time—they lived in the same village, after all. Today, it was at the market. Mitsuki didn’t need to eat—she knew that. So whatever groceries he was buying were for Sumire, no doubt.

“Can’t decide on the tomatoes?”

“Oh.” Mitsuki did this thing where his eyes would light up whenever he saw her. Sarada used to call it the lovestruck look. But that couldn’t have been it—Mitsuki was with Sumire now, and he still did the thing. So Chocho didn’t read much into it.
“She wants them extra fresh. They all seem the same to me.”

“Yeah, well, you need to have used them to know what extra fresh means.” Honestly, Chocho wasn’t even picky about vegetables. But the class rep had always been extra.
“This, and that…”

She helps Mitsuki pick out tomatoes for his girlfriend and tries not to think too much about it. Mitsuki watches—those golden eyes never seeming to stray from her, even once. It’s predatory, if she’s being honest. But Mitsuki is the snake dude in the class—go figure.
“You need anything else?”

“Asparagus.”

They shop together. It’s relaxing, just like old times. From time to time, the Akimichi princess would think to herself, ' If Mitsuki and I were still together, I wouldn’t have to worry…'

There would be no fear of an arranged marriage lingering in the back of her mind. But the reality was, Mitsuki was with Sumire, and Chocho was alone.

“Well, that seems to be all. I guess I’ll see you around, Mitsuki.”

“Akimichi-san.” He never used her name. Not once. “Would you like to come for dinner?”

“I don’t think Sumire would…”

“I want you there.”

How sad. Chocho really did mess this one up. She let him slip right out of her chubby fingers. Not chubby now—she was maintaining a standard weight these days. Unlike before, the fat-shaming had gotten to her.
“No, Mitsuki.”

“You don’t want to?” He gives her a tilted look. His golden eyes seemed to dilate the farther she stepped away.

“I don’t. Goodbye.”

She nearly ran the rest of the way home. Chocho could cry and scream at how everything was just not right. But what difference would that make? It’s best this way. She just needs to let go, and she’ll be fine.

⸻

* * *

An arranged marriage. Not with a civilian, nor any unknown ninja. She was the chief of one of the strongest and most influential clans in the village. She would have to be matched with someone of equal standing.

“Shinki of the Sands.”

Chocho blinked at the name. She stared at Yuki, a trusted aide of her father who was meant to guide her through her duties as chief—at least for the first few years. She respected the man a great deal, but at the moment, she just thought he was damn crazy.

“No.”

“He is a perfect match. And to make things better, you have history.”

“Yeah, the guy nearly killed me at the Chunin Exams.” They’d worked together on a few missions after that, but that was it. Shinki was at Yuno and Shikadai’s wedding. He kept to himself, as always. Good-looking, but too damn cold.
“It’s a no from me.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate.” He’s done something—she just knows it from the smug look on his face.
“The Mizukage will be at the village tomorrow at noon. You will be there to welcome him. We will see to it that you spend time together. This will be a good alliance between our two villages.”

Chocho scoffs. “Whatever.” Knowing Shinki, she didn’t have to do a single thing. The Sand boy would find a way to show his disinterest. They didn’t like each other, and Shinki hated socializing with people he thought were beneath him—and she just happened to be in that category.

It doesn’t matter. It won’t work out. Just wait and see.

Chapter 2: Butterfly Effect

The sun in Konoha was no match for that of Suna, but it’s still far too hot for her liking.

Akimichi Chocho, dressed in one of her best kimonos, had been dragged from the comfort of her office to welcome the Mizukage. Gaara of the Sand and his delinquent son were, unfortunately, running late—which meant she would need to remain in her heavy attire under the hot sun longer than planned.

If Chocho wasn’t aware of the matchmaking scheme, she would scoff at the mere thought of being here. But she was required to be present, required to look all pretty for Shinki, in hopes he grew an interest in her and they ended up getting married—like Shikadai and Yodo. That was just how pitiful her life was now.

There was the urge to scream. But she’d been told not to make a scene. So instead, she ran her hand through her long orange hair. It could be worse, she thought. She didn’t know how yet, but it could be.

Chocho closed her eyes, trying to calm her mind.

The sun was still relentless, the heat still unbearable, but for a moment, everything was quiet. She focused on her breathing—on blocking out the noise, the pressure, the weight of expectation hanging off her like the kimono she regretted wearing.

Then came the voice.

“Mizukage-sama! Welcome!” Yuki’s overly enthusiastic greeting rang through the courtyard.

Chocho didn’t need to look.

She knew.

She pried her eyes open slowly. The calm she’d tried to build slipped through her fingers like sand.

And there he was.

Shinki of the Sand.

Green eyes sharp and cool, spiky brown hair barely tamed from the journey, face paint stark against his skin. The black robes of the Iron Sand hung perfectly on him, as if tailored to intimidate. He stood behind Gaara—silent, still. Watching her.

His expression was unreadable. Not a flicker of emotion. Just that usual mask of steel he wore like a second skin.

Of course, he was watching her. Because she was the one he’d been brought here for. And just like that, time was up.

They stared at each other for what felt like eternity. For a single minute, Chocho’s bottom lip trembled, her eyes glazing over with tears that would have likely spilled if she hadn’t blinked them away. No, she couldn’t display her weakness like this. She wasn’t being forced into marriage with Shinki; it was simply an afterthought. Yuki would see soon enough that Shinki and she weren’t a match at all. And everything would be back to normal—for a while, at least.

Chocho pulled herself together. She stepped forward and performed the customary greetings to the Mizukage.

“You’ve grown,” Gaara said, looking at her—really looking—for the first time. And to think the only reason he would pay this much attention to her was because she was a marriage prospect for his son.

Chocho covered her scowl with a forced smile. “It’s been a while.”

⸻

It didn’t come as a surprise when she found out the Mizukage and his entourage would be staying at her compound. It was no surprise at all. She wore a steel expression that would rival Shinki’s all through dinner. Those green eyes simply wouldn’t stop looking at her, so she ensured to avoid his gaze—focusing more on her food and just how bland it was. She was too out of it to even enjoy the meal.

“Ninsuki,” Choji called out cheerfully.

She fought back a cringe at the childhood nickname.

“Why don’t you show Shinki-san around the compound?”

Chocho would have glared if she could, but she couldn’t. So she rose, waiting for the sand boy to do the same before walking out—more like storming. Shinki followed, his shadow looming over her, making her feel far more irritated than necessary. She took him to the garden, a place her mother had cultivated for years and was immensely proud of. The colorful flowers had never looked more unpleasant to her.

She didn’t proceed forward—just glared at the flowers angrily, like they were at fault for all her misfortunes. Shinki watched her glare in silence. Time passed, and finally, the princess couldn’t take it any longer.

“They plan on setting us up,” she retorted, as if he weren’t already aware of their circumstance. “Marrying us, even.”

“I’m aware,” he said. He didn’t sound bothered. Was she the only one who found this crazy?!

“Of course you are. But you… you don’t want to marry me.”

“Your assumptions.”

“I know you don’t! You hate me. We would be terrible together.”

“This match is of great benefit to both our villages.”

Of course! Self-righteous Shinki, always making sacrifices for his village. Honestly, he made the rest of them look bad—specifically herself. She rolled her eyes, deciding that being petty was likely the only way out of this.

“They just want a baby out of us.” She brushed a strand of hair back, crossed her legs in hopes of achieving a seductive pose but changed her mind halfway through. Shinki raised a single brow at her actions. Slowly, she inched toward him. His iron sand bristled around her fingertips as she reached for him. When she couldn’t get access, she looked up at him with a pout. Shinki didn’t react. But the sand gave way to his uniformed body.

“But then… who says we need to be married to make a baby?”

It was a joke, of course. Chocho made awful jokes like this when she was nervous. Shinki, however, wasn’t amused. It was hard to read him when his face was a blank sheet. He walked past her with all the aura of a spoiled prince. She watched him leave quietly, only looking away when she couldn’t see him anymore.

The princess looked at her mother’s garden once more. Suddenly, the flowers didn’t seem vibrant anymore.

A single tear ran down her cheek, and she wiped it off quickly.

⸻

The day after, she left the Akimichi compound as early as she could. The reason? She didn’t want to have any encounters with Shinki and his people. Knowing now the reason he was staying at her residence made him even more unbearable. A tough guy like him couldn’t even stand up for himself. He would let himself be shipped with any random woman—all for what?

Where was the romance? Did the world no longer have love to offer?! All the books she’d read on true love and all that—it was all a lie!

“Akimichi-san.”

Chocho had a rock in hand, ready to toss it into the river below. She paused in her actions due to an unexpected guest.

“Mitsuki.”

Sometimes, the universe had a way of aggravating her. She’d luckily escaped from the man everyone expected her to marry, only to have the man she wouldn’t mind marrying run into her. As handsome as Mitsuki was—and as much as she would like to have those stretchy arms around her, to feel the soft fabric of his kimono against her skin—she would rather be alone now.

“What are you doing here?”

“Passing by.” Mitsuki still hadn’t learned the art of respecting personal space. He edged closer to her—too close. She wanted to step back, to put some much-needed distance between them. But Mitsuki was… Mitsuki was everything she wanted. And if only she’d known better—if only Sumire wasn’t in the picture.

“The reunion.”

“What?”

“Class reunion. Tonight?”

“Oh.” That’s right—she’d heard about that from Sarada. She had no intention of attending before, but knowing that Shinki was at her home, she was having second thoughts.

“I’ll be there.”

Mitsuki hummed. Silence reigned over them. Mitsuki stared, and Chocho stared right back.

It was awkward. God, why was it so awkward?

“I guess I’ll see you tonight, then.”

She did the only thing she knew best—she ran.