Back again with my latest one-shot. I've majorly gotten back into Naruto, specifically Shippuden.
I can't believe all the crap that's gone down! Most surprising to me was the whole Tobi/Obito/Madara thing.
More importantly, I've realized that Iruka Umino is probably one of the greatest characters ever. Don't believe me?
Watch the final scene of the sixth Naruto movie: Road to Ninja and tell me that Iruka isn't just the greatest person ever.
Anyways…..
…..I don't own Naruto (ah, to dream)
…..I got inspired for this. Hope you enjoy!
~I~
The sun was bearing down on the people of Konoha. Being the high point of summer, the days were long and hot. The upside is that lately the weather has been very pleasant, if not a bit dry. Thankfully, most civilians are able to escape the heat and stay indoors, but many shinobi were out training. Practicing their jutsu as well as their teamwork.
One prime example were the genin fresh out of the Academy, particularly Team 7. Despite the time that had passed since graduation, the team had far to go before they were ready for the upcoming Chunin Exams. Team 7 was made up of a hyperactive knucklehead, Naruto Uzumaki; a smart but boy-crazed pinkette, Sakura Haruno; and a brooding avenger, Sasuke Uchiha. After meeting at eight that morning, their sensei, Kakashi Hatake, was surprisingly early at only nine forty-five. The morning was hard. The three sparred against each other as well as Kakashi. Every day they got better, though not good enough that Kakashi ever put away his Icha Icha novel.
Training wore on until they decided to break for lunch.
While their sensei disappeared, the three genin headed to Ichiraku.
"Why does he have to read that stupid book?" Naruto complained, folding his hands behind his head as he walked.
"It is pretty annoying, not to mention embarrassing," admitted Sakura before sighing. 'I want to just burn that damn porn novel!' exclaimed Inner Sakura. The girl pushed her cotton-candy colored hair behind her ear. "What do you think Sasuke?"
The last Uchiha was silent, sticking his hands into the pockets of his white shorts. After a moment, when his teammates assumed he just wasn't going to answer, he replied, "It just means we have to train harder."
Sakura immediately began to gush about how right Sasuke was while Naruto rolled his eyes and wiped some sweat off of his brow.
"God, this heat is just unbearable!" Naruto complained, pulling at his jumpsuit, only cheering up when the ramen shop was in his sights. "If this keeps up I'm gonna –"
"Sasuke?"
All three of them stopped at the new voice. Naruto and Sakura glanced at Sasuke who had frozen, his stoic face growing harder as his eyes narrowed and teeth gritted. They turned their gazes to the source of the surprised voice. Standing near a vendor was a young woman carrying a bag of fruit. She was definitely a few years older than them, and her hazel eyes swept over each of them before lingering on Sasuke. Her body was slender with soft curves, betraying her as a civilian, and covered by a salmon colored sundress. A strand of champagne hair fell loose from the curly mass that was pulled back and falling to her lower back.
The mysterious woman cautiously took a step closer. "It's been awhile, Sasu-kun."
"Don't call me that!" Sasuke snarled. He sounded so harsh that the rest of his team flinched. The woman's nervous smile fell to a small frown.
"I'm sorry. Sasuke," she corrected.
A suffocating silence fell around the four, none wanting to break the tension. Sakura was curious about this woman who seemed so familiar to Sasuke, even going so far as to use a nickname, despite his rejection of it. What felt like forever passed, and Sakura couldn't take it anymore.
"Excuse me, but who is this, Sasuke?" she asked him, stepping closer. The woman blinked as if she only just realized that they weren't alone. A polite smile found its way to her lips, and she gave a small bow to the ninjas.
"Please forgive my rudeness," she said, sitting the bag of fruit on her hip. "My name is Miki Tamiko. It's a pleasure." Sasuke growled and refused to look at Miki.
"Okay?" Sakura was still confused on the woman's relationship with her precious Uchiha love.
"I used to be his –"
"Shut up!" Sasuke interjected. "It doesn't matter." With his temper simmering over, he began walking away. "We need to hurry and eat so we can get back to training."
"But…Sasuke," Sakura began, freezing at the glare he gave her when he stopped and turned towards her.
"Now," he barked. His female team member wanted to reply but could say nothing in the face of his fury. Why is he so angry? Sakura wondered. Jade eyes wandered over to the dejected expression that darkened Miki's eyes and then to the necklace that the curly haired woman fingered. From her neck hung a thin silver chain from which there were three charms. Upon closer inspection, Sakura realized that each charm was a tomoe, just like those in Sasuke's Sharingan eye. Sheer will kept her from gasping.
Who is she? What's the necklace for?! Inner Sakura freaked. She can't be an Uchiha. What had she been about to say? She used to be his….his what?! What if this girl dated Sasuke-kun? Sakura's eyes narrowed, no longer happy with that train of thought.
"Sakura. Naruto. Let's go already." Sasuke's patience had run out. As he began to once again leave, Miki stopped him.
"I had a girl," Miki told him. His hands clenched into fists, his shoulder shaking. Without another word, he left.
"What the hell is that bastard's problem?" Naruto demanded. He had been observing the whole thing. He'd always thought Sasuke was kind of an ass but that was just awful to watch.
Miki sighed, and her eyes softened as she gave a sad smile. "Please forgive him. I had hoped he would have settled down since it's been so long, but it seems he hates me just as much as he used to." The two hadn't seen each other since he was seven years old and she was fifteen.
~I~
Miki twiddled her fingers, pausing at the entrance to the abandoned compound. No one came by this way since the massacre. It had been a couple of months since she had been here. In all honesty, Miki could go the rest of her life without stepping foot in the home of the Uchiha Clan. There were so many good memories here that she didn't want tainted by the smell of death. Everything was pretty quiet about what had happened. Even the sky seemed to turn gray in this part of the village.
It had been days since she had gotten to see her two favorite boys, and she was worried. For more than one reason, she thought, gently placing a hand on her stomach. I wonder how he'll react.
That question constantlyl floated about her mind, ever since she found out. Her fingers caressed the necklace he had given her. It was inspired by his Sharingan and meant that she had a home with the Uchihas. Miki smiled. He'd be happy, if surprised, although their young ages were certainly an issue.
Something had felt wrong, though. He had been acting so strange the last time she saw him. Right before his family was killed.
The walk through the empty street felt uncomfortable. Even with no people around her, Miki felt like she was being watched. It wasn't long before she came across the household she had spent so much time in. It was just as empty as everywhere else. A small breeze blew her light, curly hair in her face, causing what she knew would be horrible tangles.
Where was he? Her fingers combed through her hair as Miki's feet began to lead her to the training yard she knew to be close. Personally, she didn't understand the desire to train all day every day, but then as a seamstress she didn't have the same physical requirements as a shinobi.
There was a familiar thunk-thunk sound up ahead. She let out a relieved breath and grinned. There he was! Must be practicing with those shuriken again.
When she arrived at the yard, Miki was surprised. The Uchiha training was not the one she had expected.
"Sasu-kun! Is this where you've been? I've missed you!" she laughed, happy to see the young boy. Instead of the cheerful Academy student she'd come to know, she was met with the angry glare of someone else. This couldn't be Sasuke. Could it?
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. As he faced her, his stance was rigid, as if he was expecting an attack.
"I hadn't seen you or Itachi in a while. They aren't telling anyone about what happened here. I was worried something had happened." Instead of soothing him, Miki's explanation only infuriated him. His open hostility surprised her. I didn't know Sasuke was even capable of being this angry, she thought. After a closer look, she gasped.
His eyes were a familiar red.
"Your eyes! Sasu-kun, you have the Sharingan now?" It must have happened after the massacre. With a nervous chuckle, Miki tried to move to a better topic. "I bet Itachi is having fun teaching you how to use it."
"Don't say that traitor's name!" Sasuke's vehement tone surprised, and admittedly scared, Miki. Then his words sank in.
Traitor?
"Sasuke. Where's Itachi?"
"I told you to shut up!" He threw a punch at her that she managed to dodge.
"Sasuke! What are you –" Another punch.
"Why didn't you stop him?!"
"I don't understand!" Miki needed to calm him down. Due to the height difference, his hits were aimed directly at her belly.
"He listened to you! You could have stopped him!" His fists faltered allowing her to grab his hands in her own. Tears were streaming down his face. Miki pulled him in and wrapped her arms around him. Sasuke was trembling, grasping her shirt with his dirty hands and crying. One of her hands curled into his hair to keep him close. As the realization of who caused the emptiness in these homes crashed upon her, Miki tightened her hold on Sasuke and began to shake with her own tears.
How is it even possible? Itachi loved his family.
Maybe it's a good thing, then. Miki pulled back from Sasuke. She cradled his cheek in her hand, wiping a tear away with her thumb, thankful that his eyes were once again smooth pools of black.
"Sasu-kun, I need to tell you something. It's very important," she began. It wasn't until he nodded that she continued. Taking a deep breath, Miki took his hands and placed them on her stomach. "I'm pregnant."
Coal eyes widened. Every possible emotion flited across them faster than Miki could blink. She saw excitement, curiosity, sadness, anger, joy, realization, then ending with fury. Sasuke pushed her away and backed up several feet. His gaze switched from her face to her belly, where the spawn of his clan's killer would soon grow.
Silence stretched between them.
"Go away." He spoke so quietly that she barely heard his words.
"Sasu-kun?" her voice wavered.
"Go away! I hate you!" he screamed, tossing a shuriken near her.
~I~
A whirlwind roared within Miki's mind as she walked home. She had left Sasuke's friends confused, but there was no helping that. Airing her dirty laundry about was not how she wanted to spend her afternoon, especially when she had a lovely little critter waiting for her back home. After picking up a few more things from the various vendors, Miki made her way to an apartment complex that actually wasn't too far from the Uchiha Compound. It's close enough that she was surprised that it had actually taken six years to see Sasuke again.
Balancing the various bags in her arms, Miki unlocked her door and prepared to have small arms tackle and hug her legs.
What she didn't expect were two shuriken to fly past her head and imbed themselves into the hallway wall behind her.
"Chiita Uchiha Tamiko! What do you think you're doing? What did I tell you about training by yourself? And inside the house!" Miki chastised the young girl who was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, the young mother placed her groceries on the table before going back out to yank the shuriken out of the wall.
Walking in and closing the door, Miki held up the shinobi projectiles and put on her very best mom face. She loudly cleared her throat, a signal for her daughter to come out. The sound of small feet came closer and the scared face of a little girl peeked around the door frame of her room.
A single crook of the fingers had the child running over, bowing her head with wide, tearing eyes. Miki kneeled down next to her and looked at her regretful daughter. Chiita Tamiko is beautiful and perfect mixture of me and father, Miki noted with a smile. Despite the champagne colored hair she shared with her mother, everything else screamed Uchiha. Chiita's hair felt straight, something Miki was thankful for after knowing how difficult curly hair can be, and often fell into her pitch black eyes.
"You know why you aren't supposed to practice alone," she started.
"So that I don't hurt myself," Chiita sniffled and hesitantly showed her poorly bandaged hands to her mother. Frustration forgotten due to the injuries, Miki quickly lifted Chiita into her arms and sat her on the kitchen counter. She quickly went to grab the first aid kit. Unwrapping the small fingers, Miki wasn't surprised to see multiple cuts, but thankfully none that seemed deep. This has become a fairly common occurrence ever since the five year old had recently begun the Academy.
She wanted to be a shinobi like her father.
Miki held back a sad sigh. The disinfectant stung a bit, but as always Chiita tried not to show any discomfort. That was definitely a trait from her father. God knows Miki had very little pain tolerance. Thanks to nimble fingers, Chiita's hands were freshly bandaged. Miki kissed her fingers and then her forehead, but didn't set the girl down on the ground yet.
"Now, why don't you tell me why you were throwing shuriken in the house," she prompted softly. Chiita obviously felt bad enough about breaking the rules already.
"Because it's not fair," Chiita muttered. Miki tilted her head in confusion. She was about to ask, but Chiita continued, "Everyone gets to practice at home! Their moms and dads help! But you just tell me no! It isn't fair!" Oh dear. To be honest, Miki had been expecting this kind of outburst ever since her daughter asked to be a shinobi. Surely Chiita wasn't the only student to come from a civilian family, but she always wanted to do the best she could. The problem is that Miki has no real way of helping. She isn't a shinobi. Never even thought about becoming one.
"Chiita," she started only for the girl to avoid her eyes. "Chi-chan…I'm sorry." Wiping her dripping nose on her sleeve, Chiita glanced up at her mother. "You're right. It isn't fair. Your father was the shinobi, and a great one at that." Over the years, Miki had told her daughter many stories of her absentee father. Of how kind and brave he was.
"I want my daddy," Chiita cried, bemoaning the father she had never met.
~I~
The warm bath water felt amazing on Miki's sore muscles. She had been running around all day trying to finish all her chores, run her errands, and finish the orders for her new tailoring shop. In typical clumsy fashion, she had poked herself with the needle half a dozen times. It was worth it, though, because she had a project in the works for her boyfriend. Miki chuckled as she imagined giving it to him. There were still the finishing touching, but it was going to make a great present!
Leaning back in the tub, her long, light yellow hair piled in a knot on top of her head to keep it dry, Miki closed her hazel eyes and breathed out a moan of relief. A comfortable silence fell around her until she heard a knocking on her window.
What is it with shinobi and using windows as doors? she pondered, eyebrow twitching at having her relaxing bath end.
Getting out and wrapping a fluffy yellow towel around her, Miki walked into her room. Her annoyance melted away to joy at the face outside on her window ledge.
"Itachi!" She skipped over and opened the window, allowing him inside. A cold wind blew past him, causing Miki to shiver since she was still wet. He was still wearing his ANBU uniform, the mask resting on the side of his head. "What are you doing here?"
Instead of a reply, Itachi jumped into the room and immediately pulled into a hug. He buried his face in the crook of her neck.
"I needed to see you," he whispered.
"Are you alright? Is something wrong?" Miki asked, holding him to her. Despite her being two years older, he was taller, even if only by a little. He pulled back and kissed her, ghost his lips over hers.
"I'm about to be sent on an extended mission," he told her. "I don't know when or if I'll be able to return." Miki felt like she was suffocating. Forcing a gentle smile to her lips, she caressed his cheek.
"You are a great shinobi, Ita-kun. Of course you'll come back," she consoled. "You have to."
Itachi kissed her again. And again. Slowly he moved her back until her knees hit the edge of her bed. His hand reached up and pulled her curly hair out of its bun so that it fell free, tangling in his fingers. He broke from her to lean his forehead against hers.
"Please. Let us have tonight," he pleaded. Miki's response was to kiss him and pull him down on top of her.
That was the night before the Uchiha Massacre.
~I~
It's amazing how fast time passes by.
It seemed like yesterday that Chiita was getting in trouble for throwing shuriken inside. Now she's a genin and going on missions!
She had been gone the past few days on a mission, so Miki promised that she would make whatever her daughter wanted for dinner. It had taken a short trip to the vendors, but soon Miki was making a dinner of onigiri with seaweed, dango, and green tea. She laughed to herself, remembering Itachi's love for the very same.
After dinner was prepared and she waited for Chiita to come home from training, Miki took the opportunity to slip away into her room. Clothes littered the floor and fabrics were draped over every surface. She had always been a little messy, something that she swore had bothered Itachi. At least a little. On the desk by the window was the only picture she kept in her room. It had a simple dark wood frame and held the image of Itachi, his arm wrapped around a younger Miki's waist with a hand on Sasuke's head, who stood just in front of the couple.
The seamstress smoothly removed the back of the picture frame and removed the small note within it.
Miki,
Forgive me.
Itachi
It had been folded around the necklace with the three tomoe charms, resting on the empty pillow beside her when she had woken up that morning in an empty bed.
She hasn't taken the necklace off since.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. Miki furrowed her brows, wondering who would be stopping by. Quickly slipping the note back into its hiding spot, she hurried to the door.
Sasuke Uchiha stood on the other side. He looked different than before, his hair longer and falling in his face, but there was no mistaken an Uchiha. As he stood there, his gaze met hers before falling to the ground. His face was covered in a veil of guilt.
"Hello…Miki," he greeted. Miki didn't know what to do. She had nothing against her ex-lover's brother, but he hadn't exactly been kind to her. What would Itachi do?
"Please, come in." She stepped back and allowed him to enter her home.
Miki took the time to observe him some more. She didn't think it was possible for the cold shinobi to look so uncomfortable, but he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. His eyes looked over every corner of the living room. She couldn't help but think he was searching for something in particular.
"She isn't here," Miki told him. His shoulders relaxed. "So what is it that you want, Sasuke?" Sitting down in a chair, she motioned for him to do the same. It must be important if he was here.
"There's something that you deserve to know," Sasuke began. He paused for a moment, as if to prepare himself, then continued to tell the story that he himself only discovered within the last couple years. In all honesty, he knew he should have come to tell her once he had found out, but he hadn't been strong enough to face her. Miki sat and listened as she learned the true story of Itachi and the Uchiha Massacre. The threat of rebellion and Danzo. How Itachi had been ordered to kill his entire family, managing to spare Sasuke, and then giving himself to the Akatsuki as a way to keep Konoha safe.
It wasn't until Sasuke finished with Itachi's death that Miki even realized that she was crying.
She could say how it happened, but when Chiita walked through the door, her mother was crying in the arms of a dark haired man.
"Mom! What did you do?" Chiita demanded of the stranger. Two pairs of black eyes met and froze. A mutual understanding passed between them. With the similarities between them, there was no other possibility but a shared relation.
"Chiita," Miki said, "I'm alright." Her mother wiped the tears from her eyes and was unable to stop smiling. She stepped back and grabbed the man's hand. "This…this is your uncle, Sasuke."
Sasuke's cheeks turned the slightest shade of red, both at the idea of being someone's uncle and at Miki holding his hand just as she used to when he was a kid.
The young girl moved closer to him, the concentration in her pitch eyes added a hard edge that exposed her as an Uchiha.
"Uncle, eh? So then you knew my dad? He was a hero, you know," she stated, daring him to disagree with her. Miki had never told her the truth, or what she had previously held as the truth, and said Chiita's father had been killed in action. "So where've you been my whole life?"
"Chiita! Be polite!" Miki reprimanded. Sasuke's brow furrowed in thought.
"Her name is Chiita?" he asked, watching the heat rise up Miki's neck as she blushed.
"Well…yeah. I wanted to honor him, and at fifteen that was what I thought up," she explained, slightly embarrassed.
"Hey! What's wrong with my name?" Chiita demanded, hands on her hips. Miki smiled at her frustrated daughter, holding back a laugh at the expression that met her.
"Nothing, Chi-chan. I'm just making your uncle understand that you were named after your father, Itachi."
Chiita paused. She'd never heard her mom say her father's name before. Her black eyes glanced between Miki and Sasuke, tears starting to fall. She tried to blink them away but when she opened her eyes to stare at her uncle they were bright red, a single tomoe gracing the scarlet orbs. Miki had begun to think Chiita was never going to access the Sharingan, but Chiita did make it her business to prove her mother wrong. It seemed like every day she got more and more like her father. Chiita had finally let her hair grow out, if only so it was just long enough to pull in into a ponytail and even began to have slightly more pronounced tear-troughs. Unfortunately, Chiita got most of her personality from her mother, shown by insisting Sasuke teach her everything there is to know about the Sharingan. Tonight.
It was nice to have her daughter back home.
Mika left the two Uchihas to a discussion about the bloodline ability so that she could double check on dinner. It was ready, but she didn't want to have to disrupt their conversation.
"Sasu-kun." The shinobi in question started, surprised to hear his old nickname. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
It was obvious that a denial was on his lips, but Chiita grabbed his arm and pulled him to the table and forced him down. Despite the clear discomfort of her uncle, Chiita launched into a story about how exciting her mission had been. It had just been a simple escort mission to the Land of Rice Patties, but her black eyes sparkling. Throughout the meal, Ciita was constantly activating and deactivating her Sharingan leading to Miki scolding her, "No Sharingan at the dinner table!"
After dinner, the eleven year old ran to get her shinobi tools so that she could show them to her "cool new uncle."
"She's beautiful," Sasuke commented quietly. Miki nodded her agreement. "Too bad she got your stupid hair color." The woman gasped her indignation and glared at the man who only smirked, boldly meeting her gaze. Miki reached over and pinched his cheek.
"For that, you get to do the dishes." She gave him a sidelong glance. "Better hurry before she comes back."
The rest of the evening passed by in a way that Miki could never had expected. Turns out Sasuke made a pretty decent uncle, despite his occasional bratty attitude. Chiita told him all about her training and missions, and he showed her some tricks with the kunai and shuriken, which had to be postponed once Miki noticed and said, "No playing with knives in the house!" However, she was certain that Sasuke disobeyed her the second her back was turned.
Leaving the two shinobi, Miki went to get something from her room. In the far back of her closet was the gift she had once made for Itachi. It was time that it finally got some use. Folding the cloth over her arm, Miki stopped by Chiita's room and placed her tomoe charm necklace on the bedside table. Chiita deserved a piece of her father. Back in the living room, they were kneeling on the ground in front of the other. They were just staring at each other through the Sharingan eyes.
Miki cleared her throat, and Chiita looked up at her.
"Mama! Uncle Sasu has been teaching me a lot!" Miki chuckled and ruffled her daughter's hair. The mother went to stand in front of him.
"Sasuke," she said, grabbing his attention. Shifting to hold her present out in front of her, she told him, "I have something for you."
His surprise bled all over his face. Accepting the pile of cloth from her, he held it out so that it unfolded to show her hard work. It was a long, sleeveless cloak, complete with the tradition high collar of the Uchiha. Made of black leather, the inner lining was Sharingan red and the back had the Uchiha insignia dyed into the leather. Sasuke didn't know what to say. He slipped it on, surprised at how well it fit.
"When did you…" he trailed off.
"Years ago. It was going to be a present for Itachi, but that didn't really work out." Miki walked around him, shifting and tugging various ends to ensure its fit. "You must have really taken after your father," she commented. "I measured him to try and get an idea of how much Itachi would grow, since this isn't something I can just tailor if it gets too small."
Sasuke grabbed her and held her tight against him.
"Forgive me," he whispered.
"It's fine," she muttered.
"It's not. Forgive me for what I did." Her arms tightened around him.
"Of course you're forgiven." Miki thought to the message hidden within her picture. You both are.
"I don't hate you."
~I~
"Brother, why do we have to do this?" Sasuke complained to his brother.
"Because our dear mother asked us to," was the reply. Itachi was actually grateful for the chance to take a break from training. The two brothers had been sent out to buy some food for a special dinner to celebrate Itachi's promotion to Chunin at only age ten.
They arrived at the market and quickly gathered everything needed for the meal and went to pay. That's when they heard a girl yelling.
"What do you mean 'What's the problem?' It's rotten!"
Itachi and Sasuke looked over and saw a young girl with a curly blond mess of hair and hazel eyes that were glinting angrily. She was waving an orange in the vendor's face.
"What part of this looks edible to you?" she demanded. As they moved closer, Itachi could see the brown spots and welts covering the surface.
"So it isn't pretty. Don't want it? Don't buy it!" the vendor yelled back.
"You can't sell this to people! It'll make them sick!"
"Mind your own business," he snarled, raising a hand at her. The girl flinched, but Itachi didn't, easily stopping the mean before he hit her.
The angry vendor turned to glare at whoever was interfering but quickly gave up when he recognized the Uchiha prodigy that sometimes shopped there. Itachi said nothing, but the man snatched the orange and shoved the girl's other items at her. The silent demand was easily recognized so she took her items and stomped away. The brothers went about their own way, paying for their food, and heading home. They were surprised to see the girl from earlier waiting for them.
She was leaning against a wall, her bags on the ground beside her. Narrowed eyes stared at Itachi as she stood in front of him.
"While I appreciate your intention, I had it covered," she said, though didn't seem any happier when the elder brother only nodded.
As a hope to diffuse the tension, Sasuke stepped forward. "Hi! My name's Sasuke Uchiha and this is my big brother, Itachi. What's yours?"
Unable to ignore the cheerful child, she took a deep breath and smiled down at Sasuke. "I'm Miki Tamiko. It's a pleasure to meet you." She glanced at Itachi. "And you as well, I suppose," she laughed, sending him a playful wink. Miki waved goodbye to the Uchiha brothers and made her way home, briefly glancing over her shoulder to smile at them one last time.
"She was nice," Sasuke commented.
"Hn," Itachi replied, though he did agree.
"She had stupid hair. Ow, hey!" Itachi had poked his younger brother in the forehead. "What was that for?"
"Be polite."
~I~
This ended up a lot longer than I had originally anticipated.
Hope you enjoyed it!