Culture Shock

Chapter 4: Itachi's Girlfriend

A/N: Itachi's back in the picture! And that was the last of the anti-ShikaTem (Sorry, I just can't stand that pairing, petty though I know that is.)

When Itachi was about 13 years old, his father had a chat with him about girls. He wanted to know if his son was interested in any of the local ladies, and he also wanted Itachi to know that he could talk to him about any problems he had.

Itachi had informed him simply that he was not interested in dating and would be needing no advice, thank you.

"Well, son, you say that now, but in a few years,"

"No, father. It isn't that I haven't developed an interest in women," (Itachi noticed his father relax slightly. He was probably afraid that he was gay.) "I just have no desire to waste time dating anyone."

Fugaku sighed. "Maybe this is partly my fault... We've put too much emphasis on your progress in training. You've proven clearly that you are a talented ninja, you can focus more on yourself now. You're a kid, you should be going out, having fun. Not everything is about your duty to the clan,"

"And yet the only reason you're concerned is because you want me looking for a wife to continue the clan," Itachi couldn't help but say. He was impatient for the interview to end; he had no time for his family's prying and hypocrisy.

"Itachi—,"

"I intend to take on all other responsibilities as the head of the Uchiha clan when you step down, but I refuse to marry. Sasuke's quite the heart-throb around town, I'm sure he will have no trouble providing an heir for me."

His father smiled fondly when Sasuke was mentioned, as he always did, but quickly returned to the topic at hand, clearly displeased. "This is childish, Itachi. I admit, it is important to the clan that you find somebody, but that is besides the point. It isn't healthy to isolate yourself like this. You should at least be talking to girls. You'd change your mind about dating soon enough."

"I highly doubt that."

"Don't be so cynical. You just haven't met anyone you like yet. That's fine, that's normal, but it's no reason to throw in the towel."

Itachi nodded not because he agreed but because he was tired of talking. "Father..." he asked after a moment, "When you first saw Mother, what did you think? Did you know you were in love?"

"Well," his father laughed, "when I saw her the first time, I thought 'this is the most beautiful woman in the world, and if I don't talk to her right now, I will hate myself for the rest of my life.' I was in love, but... no, I don't think I realized it right away."

Itachi nodded. "It takes a few days," he mumbled.

Fugaku smiled slyly. "Oh, so there is a girl?" he asked, picking up on the meanings behind his son's questions, for once.

"Yes," Itachi said frankly, but offered no more information.

"Is she in your class?"

"No. She is not from Konoha." He wondered if she was a shinobi. She would be a very good one, he had no doubt.

"That can be tough," Fugaku admitted. "But if you really care about her, maybe it's worth the effort to give it a try. What's her name?"

Itachi shrugged.

"Don't tell me if you don't want to, but-,"

"I don't know her name, father. I saw her once at a festival when I was young."

"Itachi, is this a joke?"

Itachi rolled his eyes, annoyed. The one time he decides to be honest his father thinks he's joking. Might have a lot to do with why he never tells anybody anything. But any minute he would realize he was serious, and then...

"What do you mean, you only saw her once?"

His father started in on a tirade one part pleading, one part yelling. Itachi tried not to listen, reminding himself that he had been through the very arguments that his father would now use against him. It was silly, naive, completely idiotic, to be in love with a girl you had only seen once, had never spoken to, and would never meet. He was too pragmatic to believe in love at first sight, in one true loves.

But no matter how he tried to tell himself that, the feeling he had wasn't silly or idealistic. It was real, in a way that no little emotion he had ever felt was. Itachi knew. He was in love with that odd little blond girl from the year he made chunin. He knew nothing about her, but he knew that he could never possibly love anyone else, and it was pointless waste time playing the field.

He conjured up her image as his father ranted. No doubt his imagination had improved on it over the years, but what did it matter? He would never see her again. He would never love anyone else. Itachi had resolved himself to this, and that nailed the lid on the coffin of his love life.

In many ways it was a relief. He listened to his cousin Shisui (his friend by token of the proximity of their ages) talk about sex and women; it all seemed very juvenile to Itachi. It was hard to believe that if he hadn't looked up for that one minute so long ago, he would be worried about all these trivial things. Sex didn't interest him; the girl's eyes held a desire more alluring than anything sexual could offer. Her eyes challenged him. He had to be the best he could if he could ever protect her, or compete with her. He wasn't sure which he wanted to do.

"Be logical, Itachi! You can't be in love with this girl. You're too young to know what—,"

Itachi had had enough. He stood up and walked out.

"Get back here! You can't walk away from this, Itachi! Listen to me,"

Itachi leaned against a fence, staring at the clan crest on the opposite wall. He could feel his hands shaking against the wood, full of angry energy.

"Nii-chan?"

Itachi's head snapped down to meet his little brother's eyes. Sasuke stared back at him, his young face full of innocent distress. "Did you and Father have another fight?"

"Yes, Sasuke. But don't worry, it has nothing to do with you."

"What was it about?"

"Nothing to do with you," Itachi repeated. He saw his mother emerge from the house out of the corner of his eye. His father had gotten to her, she would come to talk with him. Soon Shisui would be out there, too, and the others, swarming him with their questions and demands. Itachi suddenly felt suffocated. He pushed himself off of the fence, launching himself towards the woods.

Sasuke trotted after him. "Nii-chan, wait! Where are we going?"

Itachi made no move to stop him. "Practicing, Sasuke-chan. I need to let off some steam."

"I'm coming too, Nii-chan," the little boy said defiantly.

"I can't train you today, Sasuke, I'm too distracted. But if you don't mind watching, I'd like to have you there."

Sasuke nodded as he ran to keep up. "I'll be good. Will you tell me what you and Father were arguing about?"

"Maybe, Sasuke-chan." It wasn't fair to burden Sasuke with his stupid concerns. The boy would have enough of his own soon enough.

"Tell me. I want to know."

"Very well. Father doesn't like the girl that I'm in love with, that's all."

"The girl you met at the Chunin exams?" Sasuke asked. Itachi stopped his run for the first time to look at him.

"You know about her?"

Sasuke giggled at his absent-minded brother. "Yes. You told me about her, remember?"

"So I did."

"I'm on your side, Nii-chan," Sasuke said emphatically. "And when you see her again, you should ask her to marry you, no matter what Father says."

Itachi laughed aloud. Sasuke was so pure; he still believed in all that fairy tale nonsense, that he would see his love again, that she would be in love with him and they would get married and live happily ever after. Itachi couldn't ever remember being a child like Sasuke. It must be nice. "I will, Sasuke. I won't let Father push me around."

A/N: All right, enough background, next chapter we get into both the actual plot (yes, there is one) and the M-rated stuff! Aren't you happy?