The next morning was nearly the same. They got up bright and early and trained all the way into the afternoon, though the weather was less forgiving this time around. She was able to still fight to her best abilities and hold her own, but it was obvious that the snow was a hindrance to some degree. When they came inside for lunch, she took it upon herself to start a fire by opening the chimney and using a small amount of chakra to light some wood on fire while Itachi fixed what smelled like rice and miso soup.

It was unbelievably tense as they sat across from one another and ate in silence. Neither of them bothered to look up from their food and neither of them knew what to say to each other. What was there to say?

Eventually, the silence became unbearable. San started fidgeting where she sat, looking over the room with anxious eyes, and kept tapping her finger against her thigh. All she could think about was the events that had taken place over the past few days and how she, admittedly, wasn't ready for any of it. Kakuzu's words telling her she was weak kept pushing to the forefront of her mind and soon enough she felt her eyes stinging – something that didn't go unnoticed. Itachi raised his brow and glanced up at her, putting down his chopsticks and biting the inside of his lip.

"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."

She cleared her throat when her voice cracked, then taking a deep breath and looking him straight in the eyes. His expression was stoic, as always, but she could see the underlying anticipation in his eyes. He was easy to read, once one got to know him.

"I'm sorry for what I said." At the raise of his brow, she sighed and put her food down completely, feeling her cheeks tint red with the shame she felt. "I should not have said what I did yesterday. It was unbecoming of me and in trying gain the upper hand, I only succeeded in making myself look like a fool. So, I apologize."

There was a silence as she waited for Itachi's response and the longer it dragged, the more she was beginning to regret ever speaking. His gaze was beginning to make her uncomfortable, so she turned her attention to his chin instead.
"There was truth in your words," he started, his voice quiet and controlled. "However, my personal feelings are irrelevant. There is no need for you to apologize to me."

As much as he still wanted to be open with her, that was still very much out of the question. In his stubbornness, he didn't see that most of the tension between them would have dissipated if he stopped being so stoic. Or maybe he did know that and still opted to keep her at arm's length. Regardless, he kept his tone emotionless and neutral.

There was a flash of sadness in her eyes and she just looked down at her lap for a few moments before speaking to him again. "Is there ever going to be a way I can forgive you?"

Itachi's expression stays the same, but he can feel his heart ache at the twinge of hurt in her voice. He bit at the inside of his lip for a second to think on his answer and when he took too long, she just stood up and started to walk away. Before she could go past him, he reached up and gently grabbed her wrist, resisting the urge to run his thumb over the back of her hand. "Whether you decide to forgive me or not is up to you. I cannot make that decision for you."

"It would be easier if I just knew...why?"

He pauses again, his grip on her wrist just a little tighter. "There are many things I have yet to tell you – or anyone, for that matter. One day, I will tell you. But today is not that day."

It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was something. She nodded her head and sighed deeply, hesitating to take her hand away from him for the simple fact that no matter how much she was angry at him, she still missed him. She missed their closeness.

"I understand."

A pause.

"Out of curiosity... did you mean what you said that night?"

Itachi waited until her eyes connected with his before a gentle smile tugged at his lips. The night he assassinated the entirety of his clan was a hard one to forget. His hand slid from her wrist and he brushed his fingertips over her palm. The simple gesture causes a chill to go down her spine and she swallows the lump in her throat as he slowly wrapped his little finger around hers. It was an intimate act – a silent reassurance that somewhere under the cold exterior, the boy she remembered was still there.

"I meant every word," he said. "I meant it then, and...I mean them now."

She smiled a little at that and nodded her head, turning away and moving away from him so she could go to her room. She stopped when she reached the doorway of her room, looking back at him and meeting his eyes again. "I'll tell you about the fire when that day comes, then."

Itachi momentarily thought back to the imagery conjured in her mind and furrowed his brows. Did she mean she would tell him about her time before Konoha? He merely nodded his head and kept silent."Goodnight, Uchiha."

"Goodnight."