Hierarchical Complexity

by IceHaze

Understanding and predicting the behaviors of humans requires extensive analysis. Understanding and predicting the behaviors of Uchiha Itachi requires a miracle.

4. III Sentential

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Sailor Moon, but boy if I did, I'd buy a big house...no? No one gets the reference? LOL ok
Timeline: Non Massacre, slighlty alternate
Author's Notes: Not as big a wait as last time but still not what I hoped for. Sorry guys, midterms and all...
Warning: Language and suggestive situations (This one not so bad)

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Sentential

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There was just something about the power of a mother. It didn't matter who you were. Be it the swiftest and most devious ninja, the most relentless and powerful of all samurai or even the most shrewd and cunning of any politician. There was just an incredible command of respect and reverence. The ability to control a situation, the wisdom to carefully judge a person's character, the intelligence to meticulously plan every move, the charisma to manipulate others, and the tenacity to never betray a single conviction. They were undeniable truths to a mature woman. And as he sat watching his mother casually fiddling around with her tea cup, one fact was so very clear.

"Would you like some sugar, sweetheart?"

It terrified him beyond belief.

"Ah."

He accepted the glass canister carefully, opening the top and placing it aside as a small spoon gathered a small amount of sugar and dissolved it into his cup, sparing only one glance at his mother as he accomplished the task. She was giving him small smiles and relishing in the taste of her drink, and Itachi immediately denied the part of his mind that yearned to relax. The day was full of surprises at every turn, and had he been prepared for what exactly it entailed, he may have been fine. But the day was far from over and in any case, he had learned his lesson.

He watched the clock every now and then, trying hard to focus on his mother while trying hard not to focus on that heavy feeling of scrutiny and impending disaster.

"How was your day, sweetie?"

"Fine."

"Was it really? That's good to hear."

"Ah…"

Fine was merely a state of mind that relied on an individual's perspective. Even though the day had left him mentally exhausted, he was still physically okay. And relaxing at the thought that things between Sasuke and him had patched up fairly well, it crossed his mind that it was no lie; everything was indeed fine. He sipped his tea, satisfied with that thought and found why his mother relished in it. It was rather exotic in taste. Lightly sweet with an underlying sensation of a tropical fruit he couldn't quite identify. But it was delicious nonetheless. And perhaps if he pretended to be thoroughly enjoying the tea, she wouldn't think much of his presence.

"Any plans for tonight?"

There were no real plans in mind. The day itself had been packed with much excitement, too much for him in fact. But the night, he simply wanted to shower and sleep. He was sure the next day would be just as eventful and being the busy person he was, it was important to be opportunistic, especially when it came to resting his weary body.

He raised his head from the tea cup and gazed at his mother, ready to offer his usual single-word response. But it was her eyes that had him momentarily faltering in his composure. Dark eyes which held their usual gentle allure. They always were towards her family. Calm, gentle, soothing and warm. All that was still intact. But Itachi also saw something else. Something he didn't see often. It was impish and focused yet outlined with an aloof façade. And with her next words, it was déjà vu all over again.

"Well sweetie, if you're not too busy. There are a few things I would like to discuss with you."

He put his cup down and kept his focus on her. "About what?"

"Nothing too important. I just wanted to touch base with you in your life. We hardly have moments where it's just you and me. I find it rather refreshing honestly. So tell me, Itachi…anything new in your life?"

To anyone else, it would have warranted a grunt or shrug of the shoulders. But his mother was extremely critical of his usual short and curt responses. She often reprimanded both her children on that faulty trait that was undoubtedly inherited from their father. And so a conversation with her usually entailed more than just a simple nodding of the head or a positive or negative reaction. He actually had to speak. An annoyance, but it was his mother after all.

"Nothing in particular, work has been fairly stable since I started in Anbu."

"Oh but there are things you do outside of Anbu, aren't there? And surely those aren't static as well."

"No, I suppose not."

"I would like to hear about those things too. I have updated information on your brother and your father, but you have remained elusive to me. Surely you're not trying to become a stranger to your own mother."

He frowned as she let her lips set on a small pout. He hated it when women did that.

"No, I've just been fairly busy is all. And I don't know if there's anything of value to you that needs to be reported."

"Well, I'll be the judge of that. Let's start off simple. How is Shisui? Are you two boys getting along okay? It's probably hard for you two to meet often with your busy schedules."

"Actually, I just saw him today."

"Oh did you? That's wonderful. I'm sure you had much to catch up on. So what did you boys do?"

"We just had something to eat and talked."

"And what did you boys talk about?"

"Work, mostly."

"Mostly? Then there are other things you discussed, correct?"

"Correct."

"Such things as…?"

"Shisui always talks about the same things when we meet."

"And that would be…?"

He sighed before giving her an exasperated stare. He knew where she was getting at and whether it was simple teasing for her personal amusement or a much bigger cause was uncertain. Regardless, it wasn't easy for him to admit such things.

"Women."

She giggled into her teacup before wiping a few stray drops on her chin. "That boy. He never changes. I hear the women constantly gossiping about his latest victim. Well, one thing is for sure. At least he usually dates more experienced women. I would hate to see him prey on the younger, more innocent ones. Such a scandalous boy."

His eyes slowly drew upwards to her face, ears twitching in hidden curiosity. And it wasn't a secret to him why that was so.

"Well, in any case, most women go through their dangerous phases."

He raised an eyebrow, but to his mother, it may as well been a verbal reply.

"Most women go through a period of time, usually in their younger years, where they are attracted to dangerous men. It's hard to say what the appeal is, but I suppose it has a lot to do with the rush and the fact that it aggravates our parents so much. Just like when I dated your father."

He choked a chuckle into his teacup at the thought. His lips turning upwards in amusement.

"Hey now! I'll have you know that your father was a bit of a heartbreaker back in his days. And he was such a rascal that my parents detested me dating him."

No longer able to withhold the laughter, he let out a few low strung chuckles. "I can't exactly picture it."

"And what exactly do you have to go by, hmm? Do you have any women in your life to compare?"

Itachi sharply gazed at his mother as she carefully lifted the tea bag and dipped it in and out of the cup—indicating that she was allowing him time to answer. In an elegant tune, her fingers began to tap on the hardwood table—a sign that he was perhaps taking quite a bit of time. And the loud sipping while never breaking from his gaze…she was not going to accept an evasive answer. And he had to hand it to her in her segue. It was far more impressive than his father's. He admitted it; he walked into this one.

"No."

"And why not? Surely you don't expect your mother to believe that at your age and given the company of friends you always keep that you still, to this day, remain a single man."

"I'm afraid that between my missions, time at Anbu and the police corps that I really don't have time for anything else. I rarely have any personal time as it is."

"Oh don't give me that excuse. Shisui is just as busy as you and the boy still maintains many healthy relationships."

He half snorted. "I wouldn't say that."

Mikoto smiled at the thought. "No, I suppose I agree with you there. But you know, men at your age, surely they think about having a girlfriend or dating casually from time to time? Why, your father began dating me when he was twenty one and we got married by the time I was twenty-five. Now…" She stopped him before he could give the old 'times have changed' defense. "I know that times have changed since your father and I were young but I don't want you to feel like you're missing out on life."

"Not everything is about being in a relationship. Sometimes people are dealt unwanted hands. As a captain, my duty as a shinobi exceeds everything else. I can't allow trivial acts to interfere with my job."

Mikoto sighed, understanding her son's reasoning. She gave a small stretch before leaning on her hand heavily. "Whatever happened to the old days of romance and courtship? Of a time when men would give women flowers, write beautiful poems and serenade them under the moonlight?"

He blinked once, then twice. "He definitely didn't do all that."

She sighed. "Once again, you underestimate you father. Although, you are right about the serenading part. But he really did bring me flowers and write me letters!"

"Hmm."

"And wouldn't it be nice if you had a wonderful girl to share these experiences with? Unless of course…"

"No." He silenced that train of thought immediately.

"Of course not. It was simple teasing, sweetie." She sighed in relief, glad that the earlier gossip at the bathhouse was just that—silly rumors. "But you know honey, if it's for lack of time, I can always search for you. Hunting is the hardest part in finding a suitable companion. Luckily, I know a few girls from our clan who would probably—"

"No."

"What? Don't you trust my taste?"

"It's just not necessary is all."

"Not necessary?" Her lips curved up. "Why would you say that?"

"It would just be a waste of time on your part."

"And why would that be? I'm your mother. It wouldn't be a bother at all."

"I'm just not interested in meeting other women."

"Other women…" she echoed. "Very well, then." She smiled in content, returning back to her sweet tea.

He took one momentary glance upon her withdrawal from that train of thought, trying to decipher what his mother's angle was. It was nothing new, her talk of grandchildren. As the eldest brother, he was often the common target for such conversations since his mother still had it in her head that Sasuke was the seven year-old boy that played with plastic shuriken and bore a fairly large green dinosaur toy in his arms. And so, in the very rare moments they had together, a small conversation about when he would eventually bless the family with future little Uchiha was not unheard of. And especially, talk of finding him a suitable partner.

"You know, I remember when I first met your father. Did I ever tell you that story?"

He shook his head, honestly never recalling the incident.

"Well, actually, we first met during the chuunin exams. I was taking mine for the first time and he, already having passed them, was serving as a proctor for the written part of the exam since Ibiki was not available. I remember, during the exam, I reached over to grab a pencil from my friend's stack. Next thing I know, a kunai is flying straight past me and lands right into the wood, not even one inch away from my fingers. He tells me to stand up and state my name. He then accuses me of cheating and demands I leave the examination room immediately. I was so angry and tried to explain the situation. I distinctly remember a few choice words for him in my speech. And you know what he did?"

Itachi neither replied nor shook his head, simply giving his mother a glance. And to Mikoto, it was enough. It stated, at the least, that he was actually paying attention.

"He failed me."

He glanced up in surprise. Not once expecting his father to have failed his mother with something so trivial. He assumed she would have been upset but his curiosity grew when he noticed his mother blushing slightly.

"After the exams were over, and my teammates and I split up to go home, I noticed your father waiting for me by my house. Needless to say that I was not exactly thrilled to see him. But nevertheless, there he was, in all his confident glory. He spares only a glance at me and walks off, an obvious invitation to follow, which I did. When we find ourselves in a fairly secluded area, he turns to me and asks, 'Do you know why I failed you?' Well naturally I don't. And he says to me, 'It was because you weren't prepared.' I had no clue what he meant at first, honestly. 'Out of all the students in the class, you were the only one without the proper utensils and consequently, came unprepared. In the ninja world, that would mean you going into battle completely unequipped, and that would spell death to your team and the mission. If you couldn't come prepared for a simple written test, I didn't expect you to succeed in the second part of the exams. Furthermore, that exam was more of a test of mettle. If you had actually ignored me and stayed for the end, adamant in your decisions, you may have passed. The fact that you chose to leave told me you indeed were not ready to progress…'

"I was shocked to say the least but understood his reasoning. Afterwards, he asked me if I was going to try again for the next exam. And I agreed to try again. He suggested that I brush up on more physical training and try to come prepared next time. I was a bit embarrassed but then he said to me something that I knew would have a profound impact on both our lives. He says to me, 'Come to the library tomorrow after you finish your grocery shopping.' And he leaves right after. He was planning on helping me for the exams. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized something."

His eyes met her in a steady gaze, the story having effectively sucked him in. And the blush on his mother's cheeks grew bigger by the second.

"Your father, he didn't fail me in order to spare my team. He did it, so he could find a way to see me again. It didn't hit me until later, that I never once told him when I did my grocery shopping. And I realized right then and there why he really did what he did. I met him in the library and you know what he had for me?"

He shook his head.

"A case of pencils. We got straight to work and that was that. And after that day in the library, we just kept finding excuses to see each other. He would find me after one of my missions, come over to my house or even have his friends deliver notes to me. So you see, your father is quite a romantic man when he wants to be."

Itachi's eyes snuck a peak at her face before fixating themselves once again on the teacup. He picked it up and gently mixed more sugar in by swirling the contents. And after giving his lips another taste, he simply responded with a grunt.

Mikoto, who had locked gazes with her son, offered him a sly smile. "And so what about you? How is your courting moving along?"

"Hmm. Stagnant." His lips quirked up into a playful smile. Somehow, he liked aggravating his parents. But when he noticed his mother's smile widening, his smile faltered.

"Trouble in that department?"

"No."

"Then you're doing fine?"

He paused, a deadly, serious look to his face. His mother had once again evaded his gaze by sipping more of her tea and upon seeing her relaxed body, he realized that she may indeed know something he didn't. He reflected upon the entire conversation and the only thing he could conclude is that somehow, his mother got it in her mind that he was sporting a girlfriend. He wondered what influenced this conclusion. It was a very farfetched story considering that the usual company he kept was not only strictly professional, but mostly comprising of men from the workforce. If he somehow influenced his mother's irrational conclusions, he was completely dumbfounded as to how. He didn't think he ever once led her to believe such ideas. And so, his brain hit into overdrive, trying hard to figure out, what or rather who, did he spend enough time with to allow her to indulge in such fantasies. Aside from several kunoichi acquaintances he met in his line of work, he could honestly count the number of women directly involved in his life with his hands.

As far as work went, there was Taji and Yugao, both being older than him and already in relationships. His mother may have come across them conversing, since he and Yugao had done some Anbu assignments together. But he didn't think he ever gave anyone the impression of an infatuation or affair. His mother was, however, the queen of drama, and surely a simple passing of scrolls could eventually lead to eloping in her mind.

He groaned at the idea.

In the family department, there were a few Uchiha members that he did communicate with. Most of them being cousins and many of them were much older than he was. And the only time he ever encountered them was during a family assembly. Even then, it was a mere run in, a quick greeting, and then he was off to duty. That was as far as females within his family.

Outside of work and family…that was even more difficult. There was Sakura, one of Sasuke's partners, but she was far too young; they hardly even communicated. And despite his brother's insinuations, he honestly had no interest in a twelve year-old girl. In any way, no matter how much his brother denied it, he knew how enamored he was with her. A little batting of her eyes and the drawled out 'Sasuke-kun' had him completely turn into a pile of melted ice-cream or as Shisui once put it, whipped. Of course, Sasuke would intentionally give her the cold shoulder, pretend she didn't affect him and refer to her voice as 'annoying' but all kids his age said and did things like that. He blamed that mostly on lack of hormones for if Sasuke bore any, he would all but chase the girl away. He smirked at the thought. When that time did come, would Sakura be able to handle his volatile little brother? It would surely be amusing.

Itachi reached over and picked up the tea kettle, pouring in more water into his herbs and then setting it back down before he gently picked up a spoon and stirred it all together. He let out a sigh as he realized that perhaps his mother was insinuating things based all on any of the aforementioned women. And he thought in dreadful anxiety, that if she did assume such things, how much would she interfere? Women had a habit of making his life complicated. Whether it was coworkers or family. Even Usagi herself was a handful.

At the sudden thought of Usagi's name, he placed his cup down immediately and looked up at his mother who was humming to herself, drinking her tea, pretending not to have a care in the world. And suddenly, thoughts began to surface. His mother had mentioned gossip of Shisui earlier, someone leaking her information about him. Then he thought about her story and the more he dwelled on it, the more he realized how very similar it was to how he met Usagi, and their current way of communicating. And as he gazed at her casual demeanor and mysterious smiles, he came to two conclusions: either she somehow caught wind of Usagi and was now insinuating an affair or she was completely clueless and was now baiting him. To play it safe, he decided to feign innocence, much like he had done earlier that day.

"I stand by my previous statement. I am far too busy to indulge in trivial matters."

Mikoto flinched at his words, obviously not agreeing to his way of thinking. "And I stand by my notion. They don't make men like they used to." She took a swig of tea before continuing. "But you know, if you ever did have a girlfriend, please don't be shy with her. By all means, bring her around. That also extends to your friends, Itachi. I have never seen anyone, aside from the men at the police force, accompany you to this house. I would hate to think of my son being all alone without his fair share of company. Even your brother has maintained healthy relationships with Naruto and Sakura."

"They are his teammates. It's only natural they spend as much time together. Genin usually do allocate spare time to accomplishing tasks together in order to develop their communication and bonds; it makes the mission go more smoothly when a trust has been developed between one another."

"Don't feed me with protocol. Tell me, do teams go to movies together? Do they enjoy picnics in the park every Sunday afternoon or eat at Ichiraku Ramen every Friday evening without the presence of their captain?"

"All activities that were encouraged by their sensei, I assure you. It happened to me in my time as a genin. Once again, it is to strengthen the bond." His mother had a point though, Sasuke did spend a lot of leisure time with his teammates. He knew it stretched beyond a professional relationship. While they may have started out as mere teammates, he knew the bond between them had developed into something with much more substance. And he mentally laughed at the irony of his brother actually exceeding him in one aspect, for Sasuke had many more friends than he ever did or will. It was harder for him; he wouldn't deny that his father was much harsher on him in who he had contact with as opposed to his aloofness in Sasuke's life. He wasn't oblivious to it; he knew Sasuke's jealousy was justified. The focus was usually on him. And it was something he would willingly trade. Because of his father's strict attitude, he never once attempted friendships he knew wouldn't be approved. And he smirked at his mother's comment. It wouldn't be possible, due to that fact, to forego shyness and bring his friends. Maybe it would turn out okay and maybe it wouldn't. But risking it was another story. It explained Usagi's absence in his family's life.

"While we're on the subject, I am a little curious."

"Hmm?"

"What exactly are you attracted to? As far as women goes anyway." She watched as he stiffened and decided to intercept his reply. "Now I know you don't want me to intrude, but indulge your mother. Just think of it as mere curiosity."

He opened his mouth and closed it again. For once, he honestly had no clue. Women weren't usually at the top of his list, let alone what he found appealing.

"Is it hair? Do you prefer long hair or short hair? Face? Light tones or dark complexion? Eyes? Lips? Body shape? Oh! And what about age? Is that a personal preference for you? I know men probably find it harder to deal with older women."

"I don't know," he sighed in response to all those questions.

"Well it's not a hard decision, sweetie. Just pick your choices."

"I don't have a preference, I guess."

"Well then, maybe you have a preference for other things. Like long legs or bigger…"

"Let's just drop the subject."

She smirked evilly. "Very well." She had used up all the bait Itachi would forcibly take. It was either time to move in for the kill, or lose this opportunity. Judging from Itachi's discomfort, she knew he would flee very soon. "Then I'll bring up one more thing I think is crucial to discuss with you. And I expect you to sit there while I talk and not take it lightly. Am I understood?"

"Ah."

"I have been…concerned about you as of late. You haven't been acting yourself lately. And I can't help but think that you are being influenced into doing things that may not necessarily be healthy for you." She made sure to choose her words carefully. It wasn't an attempt to condemn his actions. Merely a conversation to allow him time to contemplate his actions and their repercussions, allowing him the opportunity to make his own decisions

He gave her the nod to continue. Itachi had every intention to listen to her, more attentive now than ever and fully thankful that she was now getting straight to the point. But her choice of words did stir a bit of confusion. He would have to decipher them.

"As you know, you have a lot of responsibilities in your life. And I completely understand that the job is quite daunting. I just want you to know how proud I am of you being able to make it this far."

He remained silent as requested by his mother.

Mikoto took a deep breath and clasped her hands together while letting her fingers tap each other feverishly. This was something that made Itachi even more anxious.

"And I know that sometimes the stress, well, can force you to do things to…relieve it. And just because other people are doing it, doesn't mean you should feel pressured into doing it yourself."

Itachi sighed and decided to speak when she took a long pause. "I'm not taking drugs."

"I know that, honey!" She replied quickly.

"Nor am I an alcoholic…" he replied.

"I know, I know!" She held a small part of her hair in frustration and released it just as quickly as she grabbed it. Her eyes darted around the room trying to figure out what the best way was for her to get it out. Itachi didn't like people to keep him suspended so she decided to get the message across the same way he would: straight to the point. And after a lengthy pause, she grabbed a hold of her chest and exhaled slowly in an attempt to steady her heartbeat.

"You see, sweetie, sex is a very emotional part of someone's life as it is physical."

Liquid mango spewed all over the table as Itachi was now violently coughing up the contents of his tea. He hadn't counted on her being so blatant.

"Oh, Itachi!"

She ran over to his side and began to help him get the liquid out of his lungs by patting his back. He wondered whoever came up with that bright idea. It wasn't helping at all.

"Keep coughing it out of your lungs!" She was beginning to worry frantically now but was stopped abruptly by Itachi's hand on her arm.

His coughing fit eventually settled, and he grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth clean.

"I'm so sorry, Itachi! But I didn't know how else to bring this up. Your father has never talked with you about it and you need to hear this!"

He stopped his mother with one hand in the air. "Kaa-san, I am very well aware of procreation."

She sighed heavily. "You see, Itachi. You don't! That's just it! It's not just procreation. When two people love each other very much, they share a spiritual bond. It's more than just sex. And when you do find that person, you need to understand that it goes beyond just the physical pleasure. While that itself is very important in stimulating—"

The story of the "Birds and the Bees" wasn't something exactly new to him. With Shisui pestering him constantly and giving him a playback on most his outings, he learned all he needed to at a young age. On top of that, all the training and classes he had taken in biology during his orientation into Anbu. At that time, it had been protocol and so he never gave it much thought to feel embarrassed about the situation. But looking over at his mother, he began to feel uncomfortable. Somehow, this conversation was getting more awkward by the minute.

"Okay, so it starts off pretty simple usually."

He leaned heavily on one hand and gazed at her wearily.

"You meet a girl and you greet her. Only now, it feels different when you do. You start to feel a tingling sensation and it fills you with so much anticipation that you can hardly wait until your next meeting." She frowned when she noticed his stares. "Haven't you ever felt that way before about anyone?"

"No."

She rolled her eyes. "Well of course not. Not when you keep things professional. And that's how it usually is…in the beginning. But you have to allow yourself to think beyond that level. For instance…oh let's see." She sighed and looked around the room, contemplating on the best examples but wanted one her son could work with. "Why don't we use a girl you know?" She desperately tried to think of one.

"What about Sakura?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You want me to fantasize about a twelve year-old girl?"

"Good point. Well…how about one of Shisui's girlfriends?"

"He hasn't kept one long enough for me to recall a face." He smiled inwardly; his mother would eventually run out of ideas.

"Oh! What about that girl you worked with in Anbu? Yugao! Let's use her as an example."

"She's already in a relationship."

"Well for this example, they broke up."

His mood fell once again.

"Okay, let's start with this. What do you think of her?"

"I don't."

She sighed, annoyed already at her son's smart ass responses. "I mean, do you find her attractive?"

"I don't know."

"Well think about it. Is she someone you could have se—"

He held up his hand to stop her. "Don't. I work with her."

"I'm just trying to give an example but fine. Let's think hypothetically. Say you meet a girl. And let's also say that you two worked together or were long-time childhood friends. You would, more than likely, only view her as just a friend, correct?"

"Ah."

"Well, let's say this girl developed more…attributes. You've taken notice of this and now suddenly, you no longer see her as your friend but something more. What happens now? Well, first of all—"

He glanced over at the clock, ignoring her completely at this point. He thought of all the excuses he could make to leave but remembered he did promise her that he would sit while she talked. He did not, however, promise he would listen. And he smirked at that. Ignoring was his specialty. And so he leaned back into his chair and let his mind loosen up. Eventually his thoughts turned back to his mother's previous statements. He couldn't picture being physically intimate with those women. True, he did find some fair, but that didn't necessarily mean the thoughts exceeded just a simple recognition of beauty. Luckily for him, the choice of women was scarce. And another fortunate factor was that his mother had no knowledge of Usagi. Now, he was sure of it.

And suddenly, another curious thought was conjured. He glanced over at the teacup, not really seeing anything, simply fixating his gaze in a direction as his mother's speech entered his mind subconsciously. He thought about how similar the situation was with Usagi. They started out very professional, much like the relationship between any female coworker and him. But much like Sasuke and his team, they eventually became more. Usagi was indeed a very good friend now; it was nothing he could deny. She had always been there for him, even in the miniscule of moments. Whether he needed a place to crash in emergency, wanted a hide away from his family or simply wanted someone to talk to, she was there for him. And thinking back to his mother's jabbering, he admitted, she was…charming, in her own idiotic ways. Aesthetically, he supposed she was what most men would consider attractive, still more room to develop but that was given her age. And in some ways most men would consider her a perfect candidate for…

Itachi stilled.

He thought about her hair. Her long, golden hair, something he often reprimanded considering her line of work. He thought about her long toned legs. How their length accented her looks to give her the appearance of being taller than she was. It was noticeable when she sprinted and were obviously responsible for her speed. He thought about her face and its light complexion. Every time they trained outside, the sun would cause it to redden and give her cheeks more color. He thought about her lips and how small yet gentle they adorned her face. Whenever she was angry or begging for a favor, they would often set into a pout that always had him nervous. Her eyes and how vivid a blue they were, almost mesmerizing. It was almost as if they possessed a doujutsu of their own. And then he thought of her body, petite and delicate. He recalled how easy it was for him to lift her up and how easily it was tossed from their sparring.

After contemplating it all, he thought of whether or not he would really consider being intimate with her. And that's when he really did curse his mother under his breath because now, his mind was traitorously thinking about her in a less than platonic kind of way. His head dropped in defeat at the realization of what he was doing. It was a dismal turn of events and a horrible development between friends.

"So, did you get all that?"

No. But he merely nodded.

"Okay now, here's the tricks of the trade. How to tell if she's also thinking about sex."

"First, there's the old 'repair job.' She will usually ask you to come by and fix something. Usually it's something stupid and easily fixed on her own. But the idea is to lure you into the trap." She fingered the last words before continuing. "And once she's reeled you in, she begins the seduction. It starts out simple, an offer for a massage if she noticed you're tired or aching. Then she'll ask if you would like to get situated, offering you food and simple entertainment while she 'freshens up' by showering and changing while you wait for her. But don't be fooled. It's all a ploy to lure you into the bedroom. And then, she'll ask if you would like something. Usually a drink or dessert and suggest you have it in her room because of something trivial like the lighting, seating or in general, comfort. Sometimes she'll say she has something 'to show you.' And once in her room, it all starts to fall apart and before you know it—"

"Kaa-san…"

"Oh now, sweetie. I'm not saying it's wrong to go along with it. But it's important to know if she wants it as well. Do not, for any reason, get the signals mixed up. Now I know you're a young man, and there are many pressures that accompany your duties as a shinobi…" she rose and began to pace around the room.

"Kaa-san."

"But please don't think that this is the only way to handle the stress. I'm not saying it's wrong, but you have to understand the complications that come with having casual sex at such a young age."

"Kaa-san."

"There are emotional problems for one. Then there's pregnancy and while I love the idea of being a grandmother, I would prefer if you were at a more suitable age to help raise them and if those babies all came from one mother. Which is why I need to make sure that it's only one woman…" She gasped loudly. "And if it's not…have you been using any condoms?"

Talking to her wasn't working so Itachi stood up quickly and firmly, but gently, grabbed a hold of her shoulder, placing his hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Okaa-san!"

Her eyes widened considerably.

"I need you to stop moving, stop talking…" which she did on orders, "…and relax. There are no women. I am not Shisui so you don't have to worry about that. I will not, in this lifetime or any for that matter, practice any form of polygamous acts. Please rest assured that I am not relieving my stress with any bad influences. I promise you that. Enough with these silly accusations. I'm going to move my hand now, so please stop shouting. "

She watched him carefully, opening her mouth but quickly silenced by her son's stern look. She did indeed promise that she would not speak. And her son had reassured her that there were not multiple women in her life. Something to be grateful for and yet disappointed. While she was now assured he was not engaging in casual fornication, it also meant she was back at square one for her son now confirmed her fears. He was indeed single.

Mikoto watched as she noticed her son retreating from the kitchen. "Where are you going?"

"I have a report to finish and need to head over to the Hokage's tower to turn it in." He thought about how much he really didn't want to come back to this crazy house just yet. He had enough for one day from all his family. "And I have some duties to attend to afterwards, just in case you're curious about my whereabouts later."

"Oh, okay. Will you be back in time for dinner?"

"I might run late. Don't wait up on me." Not wanting to stall anymore nor allow his father time to come home to see him, he hastily retreated before she could ask anything else. He disappeared into his room and began to prepare for his shower.

Once he gathered his clothes and entered the stall, he let the water fall hard on his face, as if it would wash away the conversation he just had with his mother, and more importantly, the entire day as well.

A part of him knew the day was not going to run smoothly. His instincts had never led him astray. Between his father's alleged interrogation, his brother's sudden outbursts and his mother's insistent need to engage a sex talk, it was a wonder why he hadn't lost his mind already. And thinking over it, he realized one unique trait between all three of them. They were all suspicious of his behavior. His mother had mentioned that his behavior has been recently erratic, but even as she said it, he couldn't think of one thing he had done differently. His father had hinted at a few things as well including his isolation, but that wasn't anything particularly new. He usually kept to himself.

There was something missing. A pivotal detail that would tie all these conversations together and explain their meaning. He thought of everything he could have missed. Some microscopic detail that would be the revelation, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. What was he overlooking?

He turned the knob to retrieve more warm water.

His father had accused him of ill intentions; he was sure of that. All his activities have, thus far, been strictly business. Whether it be the clan, the Hokage or his daily exercises and training. And as he thought back to every specific detail, he still could not figure out any form of communication that would have led to a misinterpretation of undesired practices.

Sasuke's outburst was no mystery to him. His little brother had always been jealous of him and for good reason. He suspected it had a lot more to do with attention and recognition of his own abilities more so than the resentment between siblings and rivalry. But it still didn't link, in his mind, to anything his father was accusing or his mother for that matter.

He released a breath of air as he shook his head. The only conclusion as to why she was insistent in her belief in him harboring women was the town gossips and quite possibly Shisui, who had been acting suspicious to him today. And as he thought about his friend, more and more images of Usagi kept popping up.

His mother accused him of being with a woman. She was adamant he was having sexual encounters. Yet, even she knew that there were hardly any that encompassed his lifestyle. Shisui had, coincidentally, encountered Usagi today as well. He was worried Shisui discovered something; his eyes held a suspicious glint. And if so, it was quite possible that he hinted to his mother that the relationship between the two was something more than simple friendship. Even though he didn't believe in coincidences, however, he still could not be certain that Shisui was aware of his friendship with the girl. It may, in fact, have just been a meeting by chance.

But all this still did not connect with his brother and father's thoughts. They seemed independent of one another, almost irrelevant. Yet the idea of Usagi would not cease to linger in his mind. If that was the case, there was something missing.

Itachi reached over to turn off the water and stepped out to get dressed. He hadn't lied to his mother; there really was paperwork he needed to wrap up and send to the Hokage's tower before dawn. And as he caught the scent of food being prepared, he realized it was getting time for his father to arrive. Not wanting to face them alone that evening, considering the day's events, he decided to forego his family's meal. It was best to just avoid the situation. He would have to hide out for the moment. Yes, escaping was good for now. Rethink the events, reanalyze the situation and then come back to tackle it. With firm resolution, he quickly got dressed, finished his paperwork and headed out before anyone could see him.

There was something there. Something he did overlook, the smallest of details. The crucial piece in deciphering this whole puzzle. It was there.

He just knew it.

---

"He looks just like my old sempai."

Usagi laughed at Makoto's dreamy state, clearly mesmerized by the sheer power the man was exhibiting. "You say that about every guy. That sempai of yours must have been one hell of a guy!"

"One hell of an ugly guy."

Makoto's face fell looking over at her friend in disdain. "Shut up, Minako. You just don't appreciate the beauty of a strong and diverse man."

"I'm just saying I agree with Usagi. You say that about everyone and everything you meet. First it was the temporary cook at Ichiraku Ramen, then it was that janitor at the academy, the botanist in the hospital, the pineapple in the market and even one of Kakashi-sensei's nin-ken. This sempai of yours was either a shape shifter or some kind of chimera."

"He was a man of many talents."

"Sure. In anyway, I'd have to question your taste."

"My tastes are just fine."

"I don't know. I hardly consider Guy-sensei to be the epitome of sensuality." Her body shook in a cold shiver. Somehow, the idea was not agreeing with her appetite. "Blah!"

"Guy-sensei is charming! He has a lot more class than half the shinobi in this village!" Her shoulders were crossed and her eyebrows scrunched downward. She would defend him to the very end, even from useless bickering.

"Tch. Whatever. Now, Kakashi-sensei on the other hand. That's a guy I could really let have his way with me." She swooned at the thought. The man was beyond just charming in her mind. And thoughts about being swept off her feet by him caused a different kind of shiver to run down her spine. It made her light blonde hair stand on end.

Makoto frowned. "The Yamanaka are a vain people."

"Well, the Kino lack aesthetic vision!"

Usagi shook her head at her friends. Having a strong bond meant being able to exercise the ability to speak freely. Makoto and Minako always had healthy debates. Whether it was a debate about men, tactical procedures in combat or even what flavor of ice cream tasted better. There was never a simple agreement between the two. And while most people would agree to disagree, Makoto and Minako wouldn't even agree to that. But it did have its benefits, for it was, more than anything else, a way to keep their wits up.

"What do you think, Usagi?"

Not wanting to be thrown in the middle of a guy feud, she simply threw her hands up in surrender. "Come on guys. These are old men. Don't you find it a little bit weird talking about them that way? I mean, I can't exactly picture myself kissing Guy-sensei…"

Minako smirked at Makoto.

"…or having an affair with Kakashi-sensei."

Makoto returned the smirk.

"I mean…they're…old."

"Mature men," Minako corrected. "And they're not much older than us. Plus, older men are much sexier than the younger ones."

"Yeah. Guys our generation really killed the courtship tradition. Now it's all about training and personal achievement. Pretty pathetic actually."

Usagi smiled. There was truth to their words. She saw it everywhere she went. Even with kids now at the academy. Before, there was at least the teasing and poking between a guy and a girl. That, at least, indicated some kind of interest. But nowadays, young girls were lucky if their crushes even looked at them. She smiled, however, as she thought about Naruto. He was about the only exception as he never kept it a secret that he had a crush on his teammate, Sakura. But she also remembered, when he invited her to one of their group meetings, that it wasn't going to be easy. The hints were subtle, but her keen eye didn't miss them. Earning Sakura's love wouldn't be easy.

He had competition.

Minako smiled mischievously. "But maybe it's not all dead. After all, Usagi here has been recently courted."

"Usagi! You have to tell us more about this guy you met!"

"Not much to tell, he was just some guy I met…"

"…that flirted with you, bought you food and took you close to his home. That's pretty significant, don't you think so?"

She had to agree with Makoto. It was significant of something though she was sure her line of thoughts were much different than both her friends. It wasn't an entirely good significance in her mind. Shisui had done casual flirting and treated her to senbei. He asked nothing too personal of her, mostly hobbies and interests. But there was something not quite right about the meeting. Whether it was the fact that he was a policeman, an Uchiha or a close friend of Itachi's, she didn't know. But it did leave the tingling sensation of being closely investigated, despite his actions proving otherwise.

"Yeah, maybe."

Minako sighed. "Ah, Usagi. Our little Usagi is growing up and losing her innocence to an Uchiha of all people. You're actually pretty lucky. If I had to pick from any clan from our generation, outside my own, to date; it would definitely be someone from the Uchiha clan."

"What are you crazy? The Hyuuga clan is way hotter than any Uchiha."

"Please, they don't have that dark, sexy appeal that you only get from an Uchiha man."

"They're overrated and lacking in the social department. Hyuuga are much more classy and refined. They definitely know how to treat a lady."

Usagi shook her head again as her friends picked up a new debate. She didn't really have many experiences with Hyuuga outside of Naruto's little friends, Neji and Hinata. But if she were to judge the entire clan based on those two experiences, she would have to agree with Makoto. Hyuuga were much more self-composed and patient. Very regal. Uchiha still had that same composure but they did lack in class. While prudent, they were usually impatient or easily provoked. But Minako had a point, they really did have a dark attractive appeal. It was something she caught from Shisui. Even Itachi had it, something she begrudgingly admitted. Uchiha didn't need the extra ego boost.

"Usagi, what else did you and this Shisui guy do?"

"Did he take you off to his room?" Minako winked.

"Minako! Lay off. Besides, Usagi's not you."

"I resent that."

She decided to continue her story before they could begin another fight. The encounter with Shisui had left her to question his motives and what better way to gauge innocent flirting than her friends—both of whom had more experiences with men than she did.

"We didn't do much aside from some conversation and eating. He actually only encountered me because I was careless enough to drop my wallet. After he brought it to me, it was pretty much everything I told you already. So what do you think?"

Makoto smiled. "I think he may genuinely be interested in you. Not only did he buy a meal for your—"

"Meeting."

"Date. But he even took you to meet some of his relatives! Usually that kind of thing is reserved until the relationship gets more serious."

"But it wasn't even his immediate family. Just more clan members. And they didn't talk much about me at all, just kept talking about…" she paused as she thought about that dangerous and taboo subject. "…something else. It didn't even have anything to do with me, really."

"I'm with Makoto on this one. I think he may really like you. What's the problem? Why not give him a chance if he is?"

"Well…I don't know. It just doesn't feel right to me."

"Hey, you asked us for advice, here you have it. Usagi, if you don't give some guys a chance, you'll never end up having a boyfriend."

She sighed. She wasn't sure if she wanted one or not at the moment, but even if she did, Shisui just didn't feel a perfect match. Especially considering his disposition with women; she was sure he was not exactly a gentleman, so to speak.

"We'll see."

And before Minako could retort to her nonchalant response, Usagi noticed the perfect distraction right before them. "Oh look! Guy-sensei is almost done with his demonstration."

"If everyone understood that, then I'll go ahead and take some volunteers."

Makoto was the first to shoot up and raise her hand enthusiastically, and Usagi and Minako were not surprised when she was chosen as the volunteer for his sparring practice.

"See kids? That's the energy and excitement you need! Alright, Kino Makoto, approach the mat and we shall begin the exercises!"

As Makoto sprinted up to the mat, Minako leaned close to Usagi's ear. "Let's go over to the equipment and pretend we're exercising. The last thing I want to do is be volunteered for the next round."

Usagi agreed. She could deal with a few exercises but a full-on battle with Guy-sensei? Not only was he admired for his remarkable speed and stamina but his amazing raw power as well. On top of that, if he opened up any gates and went full throttle on someone, it would be much more than a limp away to the hospital. No, it was out of the question. "Yeah, let's go."

She walked over with Minako to the opposite side of the dojo that was designed much like any gym. After glancing at all the machines, she opted for the shoulder press, knowing full well that her legs were toned well enough and that her upper body strength was still lacking in basic power. But when Minako chose the leg curl and set the weight to a lower number, she frowned. Minako's body structure was fairly similar to hers, meaning that extra leg exercises should be the last on her list. Her friend was even lazier than she was.

"You could at least pretend to be pushing yourself."

"The whole point is that we pretend like we're working, right?"

"Yeah, but if you don't raise the bars past fifty, Guy-sensei will set them to quadruple that if he decides to come over here."

Minako frowned. "Good point." And she reached over to reset the weights. "But, ne, Usagi-chan? In all honesty, what do you really think of that Shisui?"

Usagi sighed. "Nothing really. I mean, I just met him today so there's not much for me to go by."

"Yeah, that's true. But you know, I thought of something."

She grimaced as she realized that the exercise was putting quite a strain on her deltoids. "What's that?"

"What if he only pretended to be returning your so-called, 'lost wallet'?"

Usagi stilled and cast the machine aside. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've read something similar before, in a book. The girl runs into the shop to hide from the rain. Then while she browsed around, she bumps into this guy. She thinks nothing much of it and realizing she's late, runs out the shop, forgetting her briefcase. She runs off home without it, but later on in the day, that same guy comes to her house to return it. He says he read the address on the briefcase but later on in the story, you learn that he purposely takes the thing and follows her carefully so he could find an excuse to talk to her. Do you think Shisui could have done the same thing?"

It made sense to her. She was very overprotective of that wallet; it was very special to her, a gift. It didn't make sense to think she dropped it, but then again, it was also highly presumptuous to think that Shisui could have stolen it as an excuse to talk to her. But he was an Uchiha ninja. There was no denying he had the skills to pull it off.

"If so, Usagi-chan, that is so romantic! For him to go through all that trouble just to talk to you…he must be a shy guy."

"Or a devious one. Seriously, if you met him, you wouldn't be thinking the same thing about him."

"Seriously, just give it a chance!"

"Minako-chan, I don't know if—"

"How are you two ladies fairing today?"

Both Usagi and Minako turned to the third person that had accompanied them to exercise. They watched as he dropped to stretch before starting his usual routine of push-ups and sit-ups. He began counting softly to himself and moving at a fast pace to get them accomplished. The boy was known as Guy's protégé, and he never disappointed a crowd in demonstrating all of Guy's techniques. When it came to taijutsu, he was definitely on a tier his own.

"Lee-san, how are you today? Did you enjoy Guy-sensei's demonstration?"

"I am filled with vigor as usual, Usagi-san. And, yes. It was an excellent routine that we developed ourselves. With all the clans focusing on mostly ninjutsu, we knew that creating a taijutsu-strict strategy would come as an advantage to us. While everyone else focuses on overcoming each other's kekkei genkai, they will be lacking in the basic fighting skills. I plan to enhance my speed as well; the extra footwork will make it hard for even doujutsu users to keep up with me."

"This is all in preparation for the upcoming chuunin exams, right? Good luck to you. Although you won't need it if even Usagi passed them." Minako winked and playfully stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"Hey! For your information, I earned that title. And on top of that I beat a member of the Uchiha Clan. It wasn't like I was up against random Waterfall ninja sixteen, unlike someone else I know."

Before Minako could retort, inspiration hit Rock Lee as he thought about this information. "That is correct. Usagi-san defeated an elite shinobi from the prestigious Uchiha Clan! If it is fine with you, I would like some words of wisdom and motivation. I have not clashed with many doujutsu users aside from Hyuuga Neji, so I would like to have as much information as possible.

Usagi thought carefully for a few seconds. Obvious information wouldn't hurt, information that could be easily analyzed by any shinobi. She had to be careful not to give out too many details; however, of their full capabilities and jutsu. "I don't know much about fighting Hyuuga, but I do know a bit from the Uchiha from what I gathered in the chuunin exams. The most important thing you should know about Uchiha is their lack of stamina. While they are good for hitting hard and fast, if you can avoid or survive the initial barrage, pure stamina alone will wear them out. That's assuming that they try to hit you with everything they have at first. You can also lure and taunt them into attacking you first. Sometimes setting up for failure just to gauge or force them to attack works wonders. Then when you think they're wearing out, it's best to use speed to dodge their attacks and wear their eyes and bodies out over time. Be careful of high-class ones though, they may have just as high speed and reflexes. If that's the case, avoid close-range combat until you're sure you know every single one of their ninjutsu abilities. And if you don't know how to resist genjutsu, it's best to avoid eye contact with them as well. Once that sharingan traps you, it's over."

"Wow, Usagi-chan. You know a lot. Are you sure that Shisui guy didn't give you more than just casual conversation?"

"No. And I simply know from experience."

"Experience, Usagi-san?" Lee's eye sparkled in complete wonder, eager for as much information as Usagi could willingly share.

She blushed. "W-well from the exams, remember? I can learn and analyze things when I put my mind to it!"

"Ah, yes. Of course." He jotted down the notes eagerly. Nodding every now and then to everything she said. "I will make note of this and keep it for further records. Now I really cannot wait until the exams. Guy-sensei was correct in making us wait to take them. We still have much to learn. And there will also be more strong opponents in this upcoming tournament!"

Minako leaned over toward Usagi and whispered. "Kakashi-sensei and his team will be there. It must be the rivalry thing between the two."

Their rivalry was no secret and she had to admit, at times, the two were rather foolish. She remembered watching Guy challenging Kakashi to a racing challenge, another time to a punching bag challenge, and even a bobbing-for-apples challenge. At times, they were fairly trivial and somewhat pointless, at least, to her they were. But Guy always exhibited much excitement in partaking in these challenges; he genuinely enjoyed the competition. Kakashi, on the other hand, retained his aloof demeanor. And when she thought about it, he never really did accept the challenges, mostly sat on the sidelines and kept reading his book. In the race, he walked leisurely down the road reading, arriving at Guy's point three hours after the taijutsu fighter had already arrived. During the punching game, he merely flicked the object with a light fist, owning him a lower-than-average score and he completely refused the last challenge—stating simply that he had a cold and submerging his face in ice water would be hazardous to his health.

She shook her head. "I bet it is."

"Usagi-san, there is something I wanted to speak with you about."

"Oh?"

"I would appreciate your approval in me battling Naruto."

"My approval? Lee-san, you don't need such a thing."

"I know Naruto is almost a brother to you. And you would hate to see him in pain, but the truth is that it is my goal to battle all competitors, regardless of how weak they are."

Usagi frowned. It was just like when she was a genin. Everyone practically pinned her as a failure, someone not likely to succeed as a ninja. But even though Naruto slacked off a lot and caused his fair share of trouble, she was confident in his ability to get far in the exams. Anyone else who believed otherwise would reap the consequences.

"Lee-san, you shouldn't be so quick to judge based on appearances and preconceptions. Naruto is much stronger than he appears. And in anyway, you would be hurting my feelings if you didn't fight him with all your strength. The battlefield is no place for emotions. It's a serious competition between fighters. And if you didn't give it your all, it wouldn't prove your strength or your opponents'. We can only grow when we fight at our peak."

"Yes, that is correct. Thank you, Usagi-san. I will make note of this as well."

"All right everyone that concludes, our lesson for today. Remember, keep up the exercises until next week!"

They all turned to the direction of the voice and noticed several people gathering their bags. After confirming that they did indeed hear his commands, they packed up and, one by one, began to exit the dojo. The three ran over to where Makoto and Guy stood, both covered in dirt and sweat from the previous exertion.

"Makoto-san, I appreciate you allowing me to use your family's dojo for my lessons. I want to thank you again."

"It's my pleasure. Besides my family enjoys having you and your trainees over. It also helps me in my own training. I honestly take an interest in your teachings."

"Suck up," Minako whispered but was harshly jabbed in the stomach and out of hearing range.

"Just keep up the practices and we will resume next week. And if you are truly interested in furthering your training, you can meet with my team any time you desire."

"Thank you. I appreciate that and will keep it in mind."

"We need to move now. Lee, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, Guy-sensei."

The girls bid farewell, watching their backs slowly disappear into the evening.

"Isn't he great?"

"Sure, if you like the whole bushy eyebrow look."

"I find it appealing."

"Yeah? Well I find it—"

"Okay! I think I'll make my exit right now. It's getting dark anyway."

"Oi, Usagi! You haven't finished telling us about Shisui!"

"I told you everything you need to know, Mako-chan."

"No, she's right. You haven't told us how you feel about it. We haven't even planned how the next meeting is going to go."

"Look, he didn't offer his address nor did he ask to see me again…specifically anyway." She looked over at Minako and began to cut her off. "But, if I ever do meet him again, you two will be the first to know. Okay?"

"Sounds good."

"Fine with me, but you should really consider giving it a shot."

"Sure, sure. Anyway, I have to go now. I'm tired, sweaty and hungry. And those three things don't necessarily put me in a good mood. So I'll see you girls another day."

Taking off with her bag in hand, she hastily left the dojo. It had been a fairly eventful day for her between a team assignment and having to run into Shisui. On top of that, the exercising had left her feeling utterly exhausted and sweaty. It was nothing food and a shower couldn't cure and so she dashed off toward her home…

Ready for her usual eventless evening.

---

Fugaku was not at all surprised to see that his son was not home to share dinner with them. He predicted that Itachi was now wary of being caught in whatever activities he was engaging in and had retreated to regroup his thoughts. After which he could easily maneuver around the situation. No matter. They would deal with him tomorrow when Shisui could report back on his successful findings.

"Hi, honey. Dinner will be ready soon. Did you want to take a shower now or after eating?"

"After is fine." He sat down at the kitchen table, adjusting his feet to sit comfortably and pulled out a report he could work on in the meantime. But the more he read the scroll, the more his thoughts reverted back to his son. Assuming they did identify what Itachi was doing, what would be the repercussions? He had not given thought to the future and what it would mean. If it was scandalous, what course of action would the elders suggest and if it was illegal, would he be detained for it? There was so much to consider.

"Would you like some bean sprouts in your dish?"

"That's fine." He watched his wife gather some plates and bowls, setting them on the table. It was not until he saw her juggle two dishes at once did he stand to offer assistance. He didn't quite know how the table was properly set but considering they were the only two eating that night, Fugaku supposed it really did not matter.

"How was work today?"

"The usual. Reports mostly and some classified cases."

"I noticed that Itachi accompanied you this morning. Is everything alright? Anbu isn't involved with this next case is it?"

"Nothing to that extent. I simply wanted him to partake in the chuunin exam committee. His knowledge of the ninja in this village would be beneficial to helping train our next batch of Uchiha genin ready to take the exams."

Mikoto wasn't stupid. She raised an eyebrow. "Most of the committee is comprised of jounin level officers. Why would they need Itachi's input?"

"He has extensive knowledge of individuals. We needed more specific information."

"He is not supposed to compromise his work in Anbu. I know for a fact Itachi would not leak out information and play spy for you. So tell me, what really were your motives for bringing him in this morning?"

Fugaku smirked at his wife. He didn't marry her without reason. "Classified."

"Oh, you," she pouted and ignored his gloating smile as she went to reach for her chopsticks. He held up his bowl as she began to fill it up with rice. "You know, I actually had a conversation with your son not too long ago."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I just wanted to talk to him about some problems he has been having."

He gazed at her, anticipation of how the conversation went evident in his imploring eyes. "And, how did that go?"

She finished packing his rice and handed back the bowl as she offered him a mischievous smirk. "Classified."

"Hmm." He couldn't stop the smile that formed. And even though, under normal circumstances, he would simply ignore her teasing and avoid being baited into coaxing her for answers, it could have been highly probable that Mikoto had a conversation with Itachi in regards to his recent behavioral problems. And his son, having more trust in his mother, might have actually opened up more and revealed secrets to her that he would never reveal to anyone else in the household.

"What if I told you that I brought Itachi in for much more than a meeting?"

"I would say that now, I'm interested." She ushered him to continue and wiggled slightly in her seat. How she loved gossip.

"It is no secret that Itachi has been exhibiting strange behavior. This goes beyond the erratic change in diet."

"You mean all those sweets?"

"Yes. But while I do find that odd and an indicator that his lifestyle has warped, I am more concerned about his recent isolation with the clan."

"Isolation? What do you mean by that?"

"Have you not noticed how Itachi has begun spending less and less time with the clan? And his family?"

"Well, he is a busy boy…"

"His routine has not changed since he was thirteen, when he entered Anbu. And yet, he still managed to keep a normal appearance here with his family. But as of late, it's been apparent, not just to me, but the other members of the police force, that our son has been spending more time outside this clan."

"And that's a bad thing? Isn't it healthy for our son to be engaging in activities that do not necessarily pertain to the force? He has a life outside of us, you know?"

"But it's a matter of what kind of life. And if he is as busy as you said, then he wouldn't have time to seek out companionship on his own. Our son isn't that type of person, you know that."

"Yes, I know. Unfortuantely." She muttered that last part. According to the recent talk, Itachi did not have any relationships outside his family, be it friendships or love affairs.

"Well, the reason I brought him into the office today was to get some expert opinions outside the two of us. It's always good to get an outside perspective. I explained to my men of this recent development and several agreed; therefore, we conducted a meeting as a ways to evaluate him."

"An interrogation of sorts, you mean."

"Yes."

"And your findings? And don't give me that 'classified' nonsense. This is not official business; these are private matters. It shouldn't be a problem to discuss them with me."

"Very well. And our findings are still inconclusive though we have determined our suspicions are likely correct."

"And what are your suspicions?"

He took one sip and downed it slowly before he looked up to her again. And without any more delay or suspense, he spoke evenly. "Conspiracy against the clan." After setting the cup down, he watched her face carefully. Surely, her questions would come flooding now. But her eyes did anything but give off a suspicious gaze. Instead, he saw as her hand went to her mouth and her head fell low. Soon enough, the room was filled with his wife's trademark giggles.

"Conspiracy? Against the clan? Honestly, Fugaku! You have such a vivid imagination!"

"It's no jest, Mikoto. This is what the others have concluded as well."

"All based on what evidence now?"

"During the meeting, his body language was suspicious about the time we hinted at these accusations. He looked nervous as well, as if being caught in his acts. When one of my men discussed about the clan's priorities, your son did not deny anything. He did, however, remain fairly silent throughout this ordeal. An obvious sign that he was carefully assessing the situation. He knew we were on to him."

"Oh, please. He was probably just as amused by it all as I am right now. And your son's silence is typical of him. Even when I interrogated him with my suspicions, he was fairly quiet."

"Your suspicions?" He knew then that his wife's line of thinking was nowhere near his. And he wondered what it was that his wife had concluded. "Well I told you about my conversation. How did yours go? What was your brilliant deduction?"

"Well, I thought I had it all figured out, why he had been acting so peculiar. But by the end of the conversation, your son had debunked all my theories. I still say it's true though."

"That what is true?"

"Oh, nothing. It was just that well, given his age, and the fact that he has been secretly leaving this house—especially at night—that your son…well…was engaging in some secret activities."

"Like theft?"

"Nothing criminal. Well, hopefully not anyway." She never gave thought to the fact that he could be engaging in these activities with underage girls. But there was no way her son was that kind of man. "I meant things more, physical."

"Fights on the street? Gangs? You think he fell in with the wrong crowd?"

"Oh for crying out loud, Fugaku! It's obvious your sons inherited their dense heads from you!"

"Excuse me?"

"Fornication, Fugaku!"

His face fell in disbelief at his wife's statement. And his eyes remained fairly wide until the words and their meaning finally caught on to each other. Had there been anyone else present, he may have simply coughed it off. But his wife's face was determined and the pleading look in her eyes as if to ask for agreement was too cute to him. And so he raised a fist to his mouth and let out a few chuckles.

"Fornication? Honestly, Mikoto? You've been reading too many romance novels. I should stop buying them for you." He gave a few more chuckles into his drink. "I would have loved to hear that conversation," he muttered in amusement.

"Well at least my idea is more believable then yours! Criminal activity? Oh please, this is our son. The boy we raised since birth. We've done nothing but nurture him with love and kindness. He's not going off to join some yakuza."

"Our son is a ninja, meaning he is no longer a child. He knows very well what he's doing. He's grown too smart for his own good and we mustn't underestimate his capabilities. He has learned how to manipulate people easily and has obviously been throwing us all off in different directions in order to avoid being discovered. He may have been giving you mixed signals to send you off on a crazy hunt. But I doubt that any of this behavior is linked to sexual affairs, Mikoto." He laughed at that last part.

"Well excuse me for thinking that my son developed healthy hormones. Besides it's not such a fanciful idea. It would explain the sweets he has been receiving. Or do you think the members of his gang decided to part with a gift as an initiation rite?"

"Very funny. But our son has always had a sweet tooth. And he mentioned he picked them all up from his outings, did he not?"

"Come on! He has never brought this extravagant amount before! You know you've been curious about them too. I heard you grumbling at how much space they took up in the refrigerator."

"Hmm…"

"These were obviously gifts from a lover."

"Or his followers."

"I thought so, too, at first. But he wouldn't keep them if they were. He would simply have me discard them as he has done with previous letters. No, they were obviously from one girl."

"Sweetheart, you need to lay off the fiction for a while. It isn't healthy."

"But conspiring against your son and accusing us of harboring a criminal is?"

"My reasoning has more evidence to it."

"Mine is more biologically possible."

"Will never happen. Sasuke, maybe. Itachi? No."

She frowned. He was making fun of her and she felt a little insulted at it. But he did have a point. And Itachi had thrown away her theories, so he wasn't wrong in what he was saying. "Well luckily for you, there's nothing to worry about; your son will remain dedicated to his duties."

"And what does that mean?"

"After I talked with Itachi, he cleared up everything and denied all my accusations. And now not only is he not practicing that act, but it's safe to assume that your son doesn't have any interest in any type of relationship at all. He will never mate with a woman to gift me with grandchildren and remain alone all is life!" She laid her head on the table, too tired to think anymore. "He may as well become a celibate monk," was the mumbling that came from it.

"Mate? Our son isn't a wild tiger Mikoto. And don't be so melodramatic. Itachi is only eighteen, a fairly young man. He still has plenty of time to develop a healthy relationship. And there are many eligible Uchiha women for him. There's no need to rush him into anything. Besides, with his workload, children are out of the question."

"Well I didn't expect him to give us grandchildren right now! But if he doesn't even show interest in women at an age where his hormones are the most reactive, how will he even show interest at a time when he is no longer capable of having children?"

"Everyone does things at their own pace, Itachi included."

"You and I dated fairly young."

"Itachi is…a unique case. And the more I think about it, the more I realize something."

"What's that?"

"Our son…we hardly know anything about him really. His behaviors and quirks, perhaps. But not much else. And that is the part that has me worried."

"I have to agree with you there." She let out a breath of air. "So what do we do now?"

"Nothing. At least not until the morning. I will have Shisui report back what his findings for the day were. And we can either prolong the investigation or confront our son as a unit with the evidence at hand."

"Shisui? Don't you think it's a little underhanded to use his best friend against him? Won't Itachi be suspicious?"

"Who else do you recommend? Shisui is the only one capable of accomplishing the task. If anyone can pry information out of him, it's his best friend, don't you think?"

"Feels sneaky to me."

"Says the woman who constantly tries to play matchmaker behind her son's back."

"Don't start that with me."

He smiled. "Fair enough. On another note, I have also taken the liberty to postpone work in Anbu by speaking with the Hokage."

"Does he know anything of Itachi?"

"I have decided not to bring him into these affairs. We'll let our clan deal with it first for now."

"But what kind of impact will this have on Itachi?" she paused before realizing the details of the strategy. "Oh I see! If Itachi has no work, that means he will be around here more often for us to keep an eye on him. But that also means he can't escape with the excuse of Anbu work." She smiled and held a hand up to her mouth. "Which means I can catch him in the act if he does decide to sneak out to see his girlfriend." She giggled, an underlying sense of sneakiness hidden behind its silly mask.

He shook his head. "Mikoto…"

Her giggling ceased and suddenly, she was serious again. "So I guess we just wait now, huh?"

"Yes." Waiting was all they had left to do. There was no point in continuing this conversation tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow, Shisui had all the evidence they needed to press for a full-on interrogation with Itachi. But for the moment, patience was all they could muster.

Everything would be revealed in time.

---

He couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening. They had promised him.

He knew he should not have stopped and treaded down the path closest to headquarters on the way home. Had he not done that, he would already be in bed or at least out and about with a companion. But alas, he was careless and ended being stopped by an officer who enlisted his help on guard duty. True, it was originally his job for the night. But the captain had promised him the time off. And if he ever got the list of workers who either decided to play hooky or sick that night which led to him compensating for their lack of attendance, he would gladly kick their asses.

He leaned against the poll, lazily looking at the sky. "Geez what do they expect will happen? The sand village will attack us in the middle of the night? These guys are so paranoid."

And they were. The Uchiha clan liked to keep everything a secret. Whether it was the clan's kekkei genkai, or even something as mundane as a class schedule. It, more than likely, had to do with the Hyuuga. Sure there were other clans to consider, but the Hyuuga were in direct competition. Most likely because of the fact that they had a doujutsu as well.

He stretched his muscles and began to pace around. His current post was in a residential district, comprised of houses and apartment complexes. Judging from the simplicity of the designs, he assumed them to be houses mostly for merchants and labor workers. Those kinds of people were usually at the bottom of the middle class and as such, couldn't afford the lavish extravagant luxuries that upperclassmen held. On top of that, most of those people didn't belong to any prestigious clan and as such, were forced to find individual living quarters. But despite how plain they appeared, he admitted that if he ever broke free from the clan to live on his own, it would definitely be in those houses. They were quaint and the neighborhood didn't appear to be too bad.

He checked his watch and began his stroll. It was custom for guards to switch posts at given intervals. It was to ensure that all areas were covered and that one single person wasn't keeping guard in one area all night, possibly becoming lax at their position and missing out on details. It also gave him an opportunity to get some exercise. He didn't like the idea of standing in one place for an extended period of time.

His legs moved one after the other, eyes fully focused on his surroundings. And at that focus, he noticed a peculiar figure disappear right around the corner. He was about to brush it off as a citizen walking home but an indescribable curiosity consumed him at the familiarity.

The figure disappeared to the left; he followed, keeping a good distance. And as he rounded the corner, he noticed a small piece of hair barely escaping his sight. He paused before engaging the pursuit. This was already going past his station. On top of that, it was about time to switch with the other guard. But it wouldn't deter him; he could always say he was simply investigating some suspicious behavior.

Around another corner, a piece of fabric glided through the air and judging from the type of clothing, it was definitely a male he was pursuing. He pressed on and made an abrupt pause when the figure came to a complete stop, looking left and right. Damn. He was on to him. But as he carefully crept forward in the shadows, the person became evidently clear and the full figure of Uchiha Itachi was now standing before him.

Itachi continued to survey the area and it was only a few seconds later that he instantly vanished. A clone. He had taken the bait.

Shisui pondered on this behavior. Perhaps Fugaku was right, maybe his son was involved in some kind of illicit activities. He was careful of being watched and obviously did not want to be followed. Or maybe…

He smirked. That could also be a possibility but there was nothing he could prove as he was following a clone. Giving up for the moment, he retreated back to his post. He was running late for the swap as it was. Itachi would have to answer his questions later.

And unbeknown to him, that same person watched him exit carefully.

Itachi frowned. That had been close, too close. He automatically suspected someone following him and summoned a clone as he rounded the corner. Concealing his real self while observing his friend's intentions.

He smirked. Sneaky bastard. Did he honestly think he could get away with it? With a shake of his head, he made his exit into the cluster of apartments.

He knew what his friend wanted. His father was behind this, there was no doubt in his mind. But sending his best friend to keep tabs on him? It earned a smirk on his face because he had to hand it to his father. It was undeniably sneaky and the most productive way to go about it, much better than sending out his other lackeys. However, be it Shisui or not, he wasn't about to let his father's job be easy. After all, he wasn't a captain in Anbu for nothing.

His body came to an abrupt halt at its destination and he scanned once again, while not looking suspicious to other people. And only after a few minutes of waiting for the crowds to leave and enter their homes, did he make his move to enter the territory. He didn't want to go home just yet; he would just bide his time in his perfect hideout.

It was about time for this insanity to end.

End Chapter

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Author's Notes

Oh wow, I actually updated in the same year. Maybe the updates will have less and less gaps. My goal WAS for a chappy a month but alas, schoolwork and all. Once again, to everyone who takes the time review or just enjoy and read, keep at it. I enjoy writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it. It's a bit different but I'd like to think that the characters are entertaining. And if you love this story, please pass on the link. Chibi wants these two to dominate the world. (Chibi knows who she is). Thank you to my betas Chibi, kumanuma, and Firewhirl for pretesting my chappies. Your help is very much appreciated.

Comments/Questions

I know, I KNOW. A lot of you want Itachi/Usagi to start dating or whatever but this is supposed to be a well-developed story, or I think anyway. Meaning that things like that take time so please bear with me during the process. But as promised, interaction between the two is VERY near. In fact, next chapter.

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Preview:

Ch5: Itachi decides to avoid his family and what better way to hide then heading back to the source of the problem, right? Unfortunately, Usagi causes more problems for Itachi then he thought probable.

Ch6: The mystery unravels...

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Thank you all my wonderful readers and reviewers. I appreciate your reviews, comments, concerns and ahem, threats. hahaha They truly are inspiration.

As usual, Review if you like

~Icehaze