Hi everyone! I'm back!

Here's part 1 of the story of how Itachi met Aiko's mother. I hope you enjoy!

…

It was a dark and snowy night. Itachi walked through a tiny, quiet village alone. Everything was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He didn't mind it, in fact, he reveled in the peacefulness of it. It was the year's first snow. As he continued to walk, he noticed the faint, far away cry of a child. Thinking of his kid brother, he instinctively went to the sound. As he got closer, he saw a tiny boy crouched alone in the snow. His nose was red, and he was covering his eyes. He was about to reach out his hand when he saw a girl running up to him. When she was in front of him, she crouched down.

"Xian! There you are! Your mother has been looking everywhere for you. They're waiting for you at home. They haven't eaten because they want to eat with you," she told the boy. He looked up at her with watery, red eyes and sniffled.

"Are you sure? Daddy got real mad at me when I broke my cup," the boy said. She smiled kindly at him and pat his head gently. Itachi couldn't see her face because she was turning away but he saw that she was tiny and slender.

"I promise. Have I ever lied? Now, go home now," she said reassuringly.

"Bye, nee-chan!" the little boy stood up and ran home. The girl stayed crouching for a moment before she slowly stood up.

"It's getting a lot colder you know. You should go into the tea shop to warm up," she said aloud for Itachi to hear. She knew he was there. How could she though? The girl turned to him and his eyes widened softly. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her eyes were the color of a deep ocean, her skin was milky white, and her lips were plump and rosy like her cheeks. Her long black hair was slightly pulled back behind her ears.

"Do you know a good one?" Itachi asked. She giggled and smiled widely.

"It's a tiny village, there's only one. Come on, I'll show you," she said. She began walking the opposite direction. Itachi followed. In the edge of the village, there it was, a tea shop.

"It's so far out here because we thought it best for travelers to get to it quickly rather than be at the center of the village. Come inside," she said leading him inside the warm cozy tea shop. Itachi sat down at a table she motioned and let out a breath. It was comforting to feel relaxed. The girl went to the back of the kitchen and came back with a hot cup of green tea.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat? I can whip something up for you," she said. When the curiosity was too much, Itachi snapped.

"Why are you so kind to a stranger who was walking alone in the middle of the night? I could be a dangerous man," he said, his voice velvety.

"Are you going to hurt me?" she asked him, smiling. He was puzzled at this very happy girl.

"No," he answered.

"Well then what's the matter? I saw a traveler who looked like he needed a warm cup of tea and a nice warm place to rest," she said matter-of-factly. Itachi looked at her, studied her.

"Why are you so cheerful?" he asked, confused. She laughed hard at this.

"Why should I be unhappy?" she asked in return. He thought for a moment before deciding that he spoke too much with a local. Instead, he turned to look out the window as he sipped his tea. The girl decided not to bother him and went to the kitchen.

"What a strange girl…" Itachi thought to himself. When he finished his tea, he got up and left without another word to the girl who had entranced him.

….

I hope you enjoyed it. I know it's short, but I want to get back into the rhythm of this story. Thank you for reading! (: