Chapter 2: A Day Out
Shisui watched his sister doing the house chores quietly. She is quiet, but then with a big grin spreading across her face as she moved. Ever since the day she and Itachi had began to talk, Tsubaki would usually come home with a smile across her features. Young love, Shisui would call it. He knows that his sister is not particularly immune to the word, but his best friend? He wasn't sure. Itachi was a kind of person who wouldn't readily open up himself to everyone. As far as he knows, the only person Itachi would trust was Sasuke. How did Tsubaki enter the picture? He wasn't sure about it.
"Tsubaki," he began. He was in their front door facing the yard wherein Tsubaki hung the newly washed clothes in the clothes line for it to dry. "When did you start liking Itachi-kun?"
"Is there any problem nii-san?" Tsubaki stopped her day dreams and focused on her brother standing by the door way.
"Not really, just curious..." he answered her casually.
Tsubaki grip tightened on the piece of clothing she had in her hands and even attempted to hide her face. "Uhm... must I answer truthfully?"
"I'll know if you're lying..." her brother warned.
Tsubaki made a face but looked away. "Fine, I didn't know the exact time I liked him... I didn't even notice him either way back then," she said matter-of-factly. "But," her voice grew softer but audible. "Whenever I watch you both spar and whenever you'll mention him in your stories... it makes me notice that he wasn't the apathetic youth I've met way back then..." then Tsubaki gave her brother a sharp look. "Nii-san, how about you? Have you ever liked someone?"
"It's a secret," he gave another playful smirk. He would always like to tease his sister about some trivial things. He hoped that Itachi would come and see her in such an uncool state.
"Nii-san!" Tsubaki was about to kick her brother when...
"Welcome Itachi-kun!" Her brother suddenly said he saw Itachi by their gate.
"Good morning Itachi-kun," Tsubaki said quite surprised and got a little ashamed because Itachi saw her in a very uncool pose. "Is there anything that you want?"
"Nothing, I just happened to pass by... and... did I interrupt something?" Itachi asked.
"You? Interrupt? No!" Shisui said then grabbed Tsubaki's shoulders and shoved her towards Itachi. "I was just telling her that she has to do her house chores well,"
"Nii-san..." the girl said helplessly but her face was getting all red.
"Just take care of Tsubaki-imouto for me today Itachi... maybe she is just getting stressed from school work, you are not busy today, are you?"
"Not at all," the lad answered.
"Ok, enjoy your day! I'll do your chores for today," Shisui said as he bid his sister and friend goodbye with a big smile in his face. It took a while for Tsubaki to realize that her brother had pushed her out of the house after she confessed that she really liked Itachi for quite a period of time, and now the gate is shut closed leaving her and Itachi outside. Nii-san you idiot...
"What was that all about?" Itachi asked the short haired girl with him.
"Nii-san is just a big IDIOT!" Tsubaki frowned and stomped ahead of the young man. When she went ahead and realized he wasn't following, she turned and said to him "What? Don't just stand there... come with me."
When she turned and resumed walking. Shisui entrusted her with him? He smirked at the thought, and then followed her.
-x-x-x-
"So, what do you plan to do today Itachi-kun?" Tsubaki asked her companion as they walked around the populated streets of Konoha. Today is a busy day at Konoha, after all today is a Saturday. "Aren't you going to train today?"
"I already trained this morning," he answered her. "I just went out to do a few errands for my mother," then he held out a grocery list. He sighed, there's so many in the list.
"If it's alright with you, I can help you," Tsubaki offered.
Itachi looked at her. He wasn't used with people helping him out. It was usually him who helps people out. "There's no need, thanks for the offer,"
"But I insist," Tsubaki protested "and... besides, nii-san entrusted me with you so... you'll have to bear with me, even for just today only. Please..."
Itachi couldn't fight back his smile "Alright, if you insist. Don't complain if things don't go your way,"
"No problem, I won't" she said as she raised her right hand "I promise," then she grinned.
Itachi saw the way she smiled again: those black beady eyes, the short layered raven hair, the pearly whites showing as she smiled, everything drives him crazy inside... "Don't grin too much," he said flatly which contradicted what he felt.
Tsubaki's smile dropped then pouted, why is he being such a downer? "Why? What's wrong with my smile? I don't see anything wrong with it..." the she got a pocket mirror from her pocket and practiced her smile at the mirror.
Itachi sighed, "Let's go..." then he continued walking towards the grocery store.
"Hey wait up!" Tsubaki said and then tried to catch up with him.
-x-x-x-
"You just don't have to dump the things you see on your list into the cart," Tsubaki scolded Itachi when she noticed that he was just satisfied in getting things done. Like, if he saw the word 'tea' in his shopping list, he would just grab the 'tea' nearest to him, regardless of the brand or the prize. Tsubaki called this irresponsible shopping. For some reason it frustrated her, maybe because this is not the way she does her shopping. If superiority complex is a main manifestation that runs through the Uchiha veins, then hers is starting to show. She couldn't tolerate it anymore. "Who usually does your groceries Itachi-kun?"
Itachi paused and looked at her with indifference. "My mom," he answered.
Then that explains it, Tsubaki thought. "So, is this your first time in doing such task?"
He nodded slowly.
As much as it irritated Tsubaki, she seemed equally amused by him. Sure, he was the ultimate ninja genius of the Uchiha clan, son of the clan leader, and in the succeeding months, he plans to join the ANBU, but seeing him so clueless about some household activity seemed to tickle her insides that she started to giggle. "If you are going to do things this way, you'll just suffer at home, let me teach you how things are done,"
She then took the shopping list in her hands and read "Cabbage," then she looked around the grocery store and found the 'fruits and vegetables' area. As they walked towards the section, she taught Itachi on how to pick a good quality of cabbage. "Be sure it is fresh and it's still intact, otherwise, the quality is low... same goes with the fruits, pick ripe ones but not to ripe, and avoid fruits with bruises... the bruises are usually sour and doesn't taste good,"
Itachi listened to what she had to say, and in the end of the day bought themselves some ice cream. They were sitting up on a hill overlooking the leaf village.
Tsubaki sighed in contentment while licking her ice cream, and then she glanced at Itachi who was lying down at the soft grass beneath them. It is starting to get dark, but neither of them would want to go home yet. "Thank you," she managed to say.
"Don't mention it," Itachi said as he looked at the indigo sky, "You were right, you are really a big help" then he looked at her "when did you learn those things?"
Tsubaki grinned and put her hand on her chest. "Experience." She answered. "You see Itachi-kun, nii-san and I were orphaned when we were young. My dad died during the third Shinobi war, then after the war, my mother had a fatal illness and died a short time after, so... nii-san was practically the one who raised me. He may not seem like it, but he is really a good person, he is caring although he can be so stupid at some times,"
"Shisui is a good person," Itachi told her "Do you know he had a nickname of Shisui of the Body Flicker? Because he had a great mastery of the body flicker technique,"
"Yeah, I know... amazing isn't it?" then she looked at Itachi. "You're amazing,"
"What made you say that?"
"You graduated the academy at around eight, mastered the Sharingan at eight, then passed the Chūnin exams at ten... unlike me, who hasn't graduated yet, your parents must be really very proud,"
For a while Itachi was silent, unsure of how to respond in what she said. He was certain that his father told him very often that he was proud that he is his son, but what if he wasn't born a genius? Will his father still be proud of him like he is now? Itachi doubted the thought. His father was a very dedicated Uchiha and the leader of the Konoha Military Police force.
"Itachi-kun, is there any reason why you wanted to join the ANBU?" Tsubaki, after finishing her ice cream, lay down beside him on top of the soft grass now gazing towards the clear night sky which gave them a good view of the stars.
"Because I am loyal towards Konoha," he answered her but he wasn't looking, instead he looked at the stars that scattered in the vast darkness.
"I see," Tsubaki answered him in the same manner. "Nii-san is part of the Konoha Military Police force, but sometimes I see that Police force exclusive for the Uchihas... I mean, I don't care about our clan or whatsoever... I just wanted peace; I don't want another Shinobi war to start again..."
"Yesterday after our training, Sasuke asked me if I'll ever join the Konoha Military Police force... then he said, when he grows up he'll join it like father, and then protect Konoha against the bad forces,"
"Heh, my nii-san on the other hand is extremely loyal to the clan," Tsubaki said, as her hand blindly reached the Itachi's grocery list on her pocket.
"Do you really like white?" Itachi asked her.
She turned her head to see the side of his face which was staring at the heavens. "Yup... black or blue is a little depressing for me... and for an Uchiha, the color is fresh"
Itachi closed his eyes then nodded approvingly, "you have a point in there,"
Tsubaki smiled. "Your family... I noticed are into vegetables,"
"Yeah, me and my brother loved eating onigiris," Itachi felt his cheeks blush and so did Tsubaki's. "To be honest, I really liked the onigiris you made,"
"Uhm... yeah, nii-san mentioned... that you... like them..." Tsubaki instinctively covered her burning face with her pale hands "I-I-If y-you w-w-want... I'll m-m-make... s-s-something f-for you and... S-s-sasuke...!"
"Thank you," Itachi answered. For some reason he found her gesture of shyness as 'cute'
It took a while for Tsubaki's blushing to subside. "Your favourite foods are cabbage and onigiri?"
He nodded.
"I like steak,"
"I hate them,"
"Vegetarian..." she snickered.
"Carnivore..." he countered.
They laughed and teased each other under the moonlight. Until they were found by Shisui at day break, apparently he was there for a morning exercise. He didn't expect to see the two of them lying side by side in the soft grass, with the newly purchased groceries placed neatly under the tree near them. If only he had brought his camera with him, he would have taken a picture and post it around the Uchiha compound with a caption that says: I don't know how the two got together.
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A/N: Please review! thank you very much! Tell me what you think about Tsubaki and Itachi in here ^^
