Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Not So Subtle Differences
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor the story
DESCRIPTION: Published with permission. Story Author: Darth-Taisha
~Chapter 2~
"HEY YOU! GET THE HELL OFF MY LAWN!" Fugaku yelled out the window as he flung a kunai knife near the group of fan-girls that were trying to peek through Sasuke's bedroom window.
Seeing the weapon sticking out of the yard they all screamed and scattered.
Glaring at his youngest son, Fugaku's mouth was tight as he lectured him. "How many times do I have to tell you to keep your friends off my lawn?"
Annoyed, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Tch, I keep telling you, Father," he said clenching his perfect teeth. "They are not my friends."
"They are fan-girls," Itachi said coolly with a mild look of irritation in his eyes as he entered the room.
Fugaku released a frustrated breath. "Well, can't you do something about them? I am tired of them hanging around here all the time."
"We could use them as moving targets for shuriken practice," Itachi said seriously without a trace of humor in his voice.
Shrugging as if he was actually considering it, Sasuke agreed in a bored voice, "Sounds good to me."
"Oh you boys stop it!" Mikoto complained knowing her sons were only joking (or at least she hoped they were). Resting her hands on her hips, her face suddenly became frustrated as she looked at her splendid looking sons.
"No wonder neither one of you has a girlfriend," she said glaring at them. "You treat every girl you meet as if she was one of your deluded fan-girls."
Twin stony faces glared back at their mother. "We do not," Sasuke responded tightly.
"Sasuke, what about that girl you were seeing a few weeks ago?" Itachi asked his brother attempting to prove to their mother they were somewhat normal.
A look of distaste passed over Sasuke's face before he answered him. "Dumped her, too clingy."
"See what I mean?" Mikoto said gesturing dramatically towards Sasuke as she glared at her husband. "Your two boys obviously have no respect for women." Her eyes were clearly laying the blame at his door.
Fugaku wisely kept his mouth shut and as soon as she turned away from him, he slipped out the back door. Mikoto's eyes narrowed darkly after him, deciding she was going to have a talk with him later in the evening.
"How am I ever going to get grandchildren if you two won't ever marry someone?" She wailed in frustration, and forced out a few faux tears out for good measure.
Having heard this complaint from their mother one too many times they both shared a pained look.
Grabbing a hot cinnamon bun from the table, Itachi decided to follow in his father's footsteps, and make his escape before she really got going.
"Hn," Sasuke smirked in Itachi's direction, before looking innocently over at his mother. "I'm only nineteen, if you want grandkids, Itachi's the one you should be complaining about...not me."
Itachi's eyes narrowed as he peered over at his younger brother, promising some heavy duty retribution later when no one else was around.
Seeing the irritated look in his older brother's eyes, Sasuke grabbed a biscuit off of the table and ran out the back door. "Don't worry about keeping dinner for me Mother, I'm going on a mission this evening."
Seeing that the others had left, Mikoto's expression softened as her eyes rested on her brilliant eldest son. "Itachi, come here please," she said with a small pout as she held open her arms.
Feeling like he was practically in diapers again, he had no choice but to obey his mother and submit to her hug. After she released him she peered closely into his remote and distant looking face.
"That look doesn't work with me and both you and your brother know it," she told him knowingly and watched as his face relaxed slightly.
"Why aren't you dating anyone Itachi?" She asked him softly as her eyes pressed for the truth.
Itachi sighed at her interference in his life. "I am married to my job in ANBU Black Ops, that's why," he told her coolly, daring her to refute him.
Mikoto nodded patiently. "I know you work practically all the time and are always on call or going out on missions. I understand that, I'm just worried about you," she admitted to him as she rested her hand softly on his shoulder. "Will you please just make an effort to meet someone nice (suitable, her mind hoped) and bring her home for dinner."
"I will consider it, Mother," he replied obediently, then his eyes grew distant again. "Is that all?"
Mikoto sighed, as much as she loved her boys; they weren't exactly the easiest people to deal with. She watched as he walked toward the door and she remembered something.
"Oh, and Itachi?" She said as she watched him turn back to look at her. "Just make sure she isn't from the Hyuuga clan, your father really hates Hiashi - he thinks he is a…"
A small dent flicked over his brow before he opened the back door. "I know mother, I will find someone other than her."
At his mention of her, Mikoto smiled secretly. Interesting…
Sitting at an outdoor café in the shade, Hinata consulted her watch again for about the tenth time and breathed out softly in frustration. Naruto was late again. Lifting up her soda and taking a delicate sip, she calmly pulled out a medical terminology book out of her backpack and began reading.
Soon the pages of her book became unfocused as she thought about Naruto. She had seen him this morning after they were both done with training, and after he kissed her he had promised her he would meet her here for lunch.
Hinata smiled to herself thinking how it was difficult to stay mad at him; Naruto was just so nice to her whenever they were together. Breathing out softly she stared out over her book, and a giggle escaped her.
She couldn't help herself as she watched a large group of girls suddenly scramble and hide themselves behind some bushes. With a knowing smile on her face, she guessed one of the Uchiha brothers must be nearby.
Sure enough, as she peered down the street, she saw Uchiha Itachi was heading this way. As he came closer to the café she was at, he turned his dark head in her direction, as if he had felt her eyes on him. Hinata began to blush when she felt his cold dark eyes boring straight into hers.
Oh no, her mind cringed as she turned her gaze away from his direction.
Hinata felt mortified by him catching her staring at him like one of his deluded fan-girls, and slunk down a little in her seat. Quietly activating her Byakugan she hoped he had kept on walking by.
It soon became apparent her hope was doomed to die a painful death, when she saw him emerge through the gate of the cafe.
Scrunching her face and sitting up straighter, she saw he was heading her way. Carefully putting on her social mask, she schooled her face to look calm and hastily picked up her book.
"Hyuuga-san," he said politely as he stood next to her table. "May I join you."
Gesturing graciously toward the seat across from hers she murmured politely, "Of course, Uchiha-san."
Inside her mind, she was almost reeling in shock that he was talking to her again. They barely knew each other, and she had no idea what to even say to him. In Konoha, Uchiha Itachi, was practically a god. Everyone knew of him, but no one really knew him. He seemed to have very few friends and most of those were ANBU comrades or members of his clan. Mostly, he was well known for being private, very private.
"Hyuuga-san, are you waiting for someone?" He asked her politely, seeing that she was all by herself.
Hinata sighed softly and felt a little depressed before her excellent manners kicked in. "Yes," she answered honestly as she looked down at the placemat in front of her. "But you may stay, my…um...friend was not able to make it."
Noticing she was no longer alone, the waiter brought them their menus. And for the next few minutes, they both read over them and then set them down.
Silence reigned over their table, but Hinata noticed oddly enough, it wasn't uncomfortable. Out of the corner of her eye she saw he was staring off into the distance almost as if he was deep in thought.
The waiter came back and efficiently took their order. After he left she felt Itachi's eyes on her so she turned to him.
"How did your training go this morning?" the Uchiha asked quietly, his facial expression was polite.
Surprised that he remembered, when no one else seemed to care that she was training to become a medic, Hinata blushed slightly.
"I-it went really well," she stammered out a little, her eyes were grateful as she added, "What you told me...did help a little."
Itachi nodded slightly at her implied thanks. "I was required to learn basic medical healing techniques when I joined ANBU."
Hinata took a small sip of her soda before she looked over at him again with a small dent in her forehead. "I think more people should have to learn basic healing skills, it would probably minimize our losses," she told him seriously. "I am looking forward to learning how treat injuries, so I can help my team-mates if they ever need it."
At her obvious sincerity, Itachi's estimation of her went up slightly. She seemed to genuinely care about improving her ninja skills and protecting her team-mates. He allowed himself to relax a fraction.
"I have to admit, my medic skills have proved to be beneficial on more than one occasion," he told her soberly, before taking a sip of his drink.
As he talked, Hinata couldn't help but look at his face and the slight emotion that passed over it as he thought about his team-mates. She got the feeling he was deeply committed to protecting them. Knowing that he wasn't some self-centered jerk, made her feel just a tiny bit more comfortable around him.
Looking up, she saw their waiter bringing out their order. They didn't talk much after that, as they simply enjoyed their lunch. Hinata smiled to herself when she noticed he had flawless table manners. She thought it was nice to eat with someone who didn't slurp his soup, and get food all over the place.
She frowned slightly to herself for thinking such a disloyal thought towards Naruto. After all, he had always been by himself, and never had a family around to teach him proper manners. Her mouth became determined as she decided that she was going to help him in those areas.
After they finished eating, the waiter brought them their bill and Itachi immediately reached for it and handed the waiter some bills. She blushed and thought it was very nice of him; he certainly didn't need to pay for both of them.
It wasn't as if they were on a date or anything.
Just before she could get up from her chair and excuse herself, she heard Itachi mutter something very softly under his breath. Looking over to the area he was staring at, she saw his mother was heading in their direction.
Always happy to see her, Hinata immediately waved hello to her.
Within a few seconds, Mikoto had her arms wrapped around Hinata in a big motherly hug. She had been best friends with her mother and always looked for Hinata whenever they went to the same functions around town.
"Oh Hinata, it is so good to see you," she gushed as she stepped out of Hinata's arms and looked her over from head to toe. "And you have grown up to be so pretty," she told her with soft admiration.
Hinata blushed profusely at her praise and offered Itachi's mother a seat. Before she sat down Mikoto hugged her son from behind his chair and whispered with cutting sarcasm in his ear. "I thought I told you no Hyuugas."
Breathing out a long suffering sigh, Itachi replied dryly, "This is not what you think it is, Mother."
Raising her eyebrow delicately, Mikoto looked over at both of them in disbelief.
"It's true ma'am…" Hinata began to say...
"Call me Mikoto, dear, ma'am makes me feel… so old," Itachi's mom told her with a slight grimmace.
"Um okay, Mikoto…" Hinata said shyly as she glanced over quickly toward Itachi. "As I was saying, this is not a date….I um (insert blush) already have a bo.."
"Hi sweetie!" Naruto yelled loudly from across the street as he waved in her direction and immediately began heading her way.
Not quite understanding why, Hinata mentally groaned as she saw him coming over. For some unknown reason, she did not want Itachi to see her with Naruto. Looking up and seeing Naruto already at their table she practically recoiled in embarrassment when he leaned over and gave her a big wet kiss in public.
"Naruto," she gasped, her voice was heavy with outraged embarrassment when he finally let her up for air. Hinata looked down at the ground and wished it would suddenly swallow her up. Not only was she mortified, if her father found out about this, he would kill her.
Completely oblivious to the discomfort his behavior was causing his girlfriend, Naruto flopped down casually into the chair next to hers.
"Hey Itachi," he said loudly with a grin, and wave of his hand.
"Naruto," Itachi replied indifferently as he looked over at the blonde. Inside his mind, he had finally calmed down his urge to vomit, and then gut Naruto wide open, after he had witnessed him kissing Hinata.
Mentally he frowned as his extreme reaction to what he had just witnessed puzzled him, because she meant nothing to him. Who cared if she was dating that knucklehead Naruto? He certainly didn't.
"Oh hi, Mrs. Uchiha," Naruto said sunnily, when he finally noticed her.
Mikoto smiled, happy to see him. "Hello Naruto."
Mikoto watched as the scene unfolded in front of her with barely restrained glee. She had been watching Itachi's face when Naruto had kissed Hinata and what she saw encouraged her greatly. Apparently, her son did not like what he saw, not at all.
"Please excuse me; I have a mission to prepare for," Itachi said with cool politeness as he nodded to his mother and Hinata, and then simply dissipated.
Grinning secretly to herself, Mikoto looked over at Hinata speculatively. It was time she got to know her better; she just hoped her son appreciated the things she did for him.
Smiling fondly over at both of them she positively oozed goodwill. "Oh you guys are so cute together."
Hinata blushed and looked at the ground.
"Uh… thanks," Naruto said hesitatingly, not all that comfortable with being called cute.
Turning towards Hinata, Naruto told her in a quiet voice, "I have to go now. I just wanted to stop by and let you know I have a mission tonight with Sakura and Sasuke."
Hearing his news, Hinata didn't know if she was happy or sad. She should be sad that she wouldn't be spending time with him this evening (right?) But for some reason she almost felt relieved. Frowning, she realized she needed some time alone to think and clear her head.
"Um okay, Naruto. I guess…I will see you tomorrow then," she told him a little distractedly as he stood up to leave.
"Well, bye then," Naruto said as he walked away completely oblivious that his girlfriend was feeling uneasy.
Sitting back and watching them, Mikoto's sharp eyes picked up everything. She said a quick prayer to her dead friend (Hinata's mother) and hoped she was doing the right thing.
"Hinata?"
"Yes Mikoto?"
"My family will all be busy tonight, and it seems you like you will have some free time also. How about we go have a little girl time, just you and me?" As she stared at her, her eyes had a 'come on - it will be fun' imploring look in them.
Thinking about all of the things she should take care of tonight, Hinata murmured, "Well, I am not sure…I do have…"
Sensing Hinata was about to refuse her, Mikoto cut her off by laying her hand gently over hers.
"Hinata, please don't say no to me. As you know, I was very good friends with your dear sweet mother before she died and I… (sniffle) really just want to spend some time getting to know you," she pleaded with her with big sad eyes knowing Hinata wouldn't be able to say no, if she laid it on thick enough.
Thinking about Hinata's soft heart, she felt a little uneasy as she wondered if getting her together with her oldest son was the best thing for her. Itachi wasn't exactly a softy; in fact she knew he could be downright scary at times.
Firming her jaw, she had seen how comfortable they were together before she intruded upon them and had a feeling they were perfect for each other. Besides, if they ever got married, she just knew they would give her the most darling little grandchildren.
Looking at Hinata she could see her weakening so she turned the screw on her emotions even tighter and gave her the puppy dog look.
Unable to say no to such a look, Hinata's shoulders sagged. "Okay," she said finally giving in.
Inwardly Mikoto grinned as she looked at her future daughter in law, and began dragging her away.
"Come on Hinata, Midori's is having a sale on shoes; I was just on my way over there when I ran into you and Itachi…"
Author's Notes: Okay, I know I took some liberty with Mikoto and Fugaku's characters, but with Itachi and Sasuke as main characters, someone has to be OOC. I did notice Mikoto was pretty spunky in one of the recent anime episodes where she kept getting on Itachi to do his homework. I hope you guys like this one. Here I refers to Darth-Taisha.