Chapter 7

Sweet Dango

It has been ten months since the Graduation Ceremony. Ten very active months. And since then, Itachi had been placed in Squad Two.

Being a genin turned out to be much busier than the Ninja Academy, even for Itachi. It took much time with all the training and missions his team received, though Itachi managed to breeze right through the earlier ones during the first few months. Most of the time.

Missions that involved snow plowing, catching cats, walking dogs, weed picking, and assistant traveling had been no sweat. The real challenge had been the slow adjustment to his older but excessively immature teammates. Then there was his sensei, Yuki Minazuki. There was nothing that remotely interesting or intimidating about his sensei. He was an average, middle-aged jounin with oddly ordinary-looking with a ragged stubble, an unkempt ponytail, bushy brows, a large nose, and a small mouth which often forced an awkward smile that never reached the timidness in his eyes. While the man wasted no time attempting to exercise their constantly poor teamwork, he was mostly left bemused with the two older members' eruptive bickering from the moment they first introduced themselves, making Itachi's first impression toward his new team ridiculously unimpressed.

From the very beginning, he knew that it was not going to be easy working with these people.

During mission-free hours, they would continue boosting up their levels of training, such as chakra control from the feet, the use of ninjutsus and genjutsu while sparring, tracking, and racing.

Naturally, Itachi beat them all, having used up all these times to perfect his newest techniques, determined in time to reach his fullest potential. He slowly began to learn, through the slightly tougher missions like rescues, retrievals, body guarding, and undercover information gathering, that he could no longer rely on only himself to win a battle when he was now accompanied by two other teammates.

His teammates, Tenma Izumo and Shinko Inari, were quite a characteristic pair.

Back when taking the senior class with them, Itachi didn't really associate with anyone, but that didn't mean he lived under a rock. Not completely. He was observant of students that stood out every now and then. For instance, this one student, Iruka Umino, had a reputation for being the class clown, especially for every slip-up he made in physical education, making the whole class (except for Itachi) laugh. Itachi also remembered that it was the same Iruka who fetched the medics the day Izumi was attacked by bullies, which was probably why the Uchiha spared an attentive glance toward the older kid once or twice when he wasn't looking.

Shinko Inari, the female of the group, was a peppy, mousy-haired girl who wore cut-off clothing, a bandana over her head (now a style from her hitai-ate) with two long-braided pigtails, and large almond-shaped black eyes. With civilian parents and no clan, she was labeled a foreign citizen of Konohakure ever since she and her family moved their private business into the village when she was nine years-old, her county accent still strong.

Shinko had that sly, girlish attitude that liked to tease, to mollycoddle, and to punish. Like all the other twelve year-old females in the class, it wasn't that Shinko had some kind of creepy crush on him like he had been preparing for.

It was worse. She babied him. Treating him like a cute little kid like she would a fluffy kitten. He managed to keep his cool whenever she cooed, hugged, or played with his hair, sometimes calling him "Itachi-chan," but really it was embarrassing. He was a killer, a prodigy, a surviving shinobi fighter from the Third Great Ninja War, and his maturity scale outranked hers by a lot. His reputation would be very shaken if any of his clan members saw him being cuddled like a teddy bear.

Sure, all the girls in the graduating class thought that Itachi had looks to die for at his young age, but it turned out that his "looks" to them were adorable, not cool. Also, they preferred older guys. So they all settled in babying him: cooing, hugging, and pinching his cheeks with every chance they had...unless Itachi escaped them first. This had even encouraged him to study the Transportation Jutsu with Shisui. Ever since she became his teammate, however, Shinko naturally became like a bossy older sister to him, but a protective and very considerate one, because she had another guy on her team to annoy and tease.

While not that much of a fighter, she was not scared easily, her cooking was great, and as a kunoichi, she had excellent chakra control, which was resourceful in her studies on medical ninjutu. Although it seemed she still had a long way to go, her skills as a healer surpassed the few years she had missed in the Ninja Academy and allowed her to graduate, since it was technically required for every team to have at least one person who knew medical ninjutsu. That rule may have be forced to change soon, because ever since the war had finally ceased and Tsunade Senju had left the village, the ratings of having exceptional medical ninja in the Hidden Leaf has become increasingly short, dropping down to a 1 to 5 chance of anyone, even more so for boys, becoming interested in attending any medical classes.

In short, having a good medical ninja on a team was now rare, and Shinko was the best one the Academy could provide. Her scores were the highest out of the only four members who had attended, including Hana Inuzuka, who was the youngest of those four. It was for this reason Shinko Inari was put in Team Two with Itachi.

Tenma Izumo was from another clan of the Hidden Leaf, the only son and heir of its patriarch. In Itachi's opinion, if everyone thought that he was stuck-up, Tenma was one of his own. Not to mention loud-mouthed, short-tempered, haughty, prideful, and reckless. Everyone at school called him "Speedy Tenma," because he was the fastest in his class before Itachi came along. Sometime during the second semester, when Itachi was transferred to the senior class, he also attempted to bully the young Uchiha because of his jealousy for being the top student, very much like Kamano was.

It was no secret that it was his clan's belief that the Uchiha clan were behind the Nine-tails attack on the village. While he had never physically attacked Itachi, or Izumi (either he never had the opportunity, or he had heard of Iwao and his gang's defeat, nobody knew), his verbal insults and threats often drove Itachi's well-known patience at times, even now.

There had been this one particular time when Tenma and his friends had confronted both Itachi and Izumi in the school hallway during the end of lunch with threatening intentions (not Iwao's group, thankfully). Laying heavy blame on them for being Uchiha, the clan who were responsible for the Nine-tails attack, leading to the deaths of some family members of theirs, they did not hold back in assaulting them with dirty insults and threats of domination. While Itachi had been running out of polite words to ask them to leave them alone, the hostility between the two sides had spiked. It had looked like Tenma was going to attack him when Itachi refused to forfeit to with the older kid's demands, but Izumi reacted first and ended up activating her Sharingan.

Unlike with Iwao's group, her red eyes had clearly spooked Tenma's group and sent them scattering away like the cowards they were. Once they were gone, Izumi had passed out on the spot from instantly drained chakra, and Itachi had to carry her to the infirmary yet again. He had stayed with her after that, even through class hours, until she woke up.

But as time went by for Team 2, while Tenma and his haughty attitude hadn't really changed, he proved to be skillful, focused, and courageous, which were valuable enough assets for their missions as genin.

Itachi had in time come to admire him greatly for that. Almost as much as he admired Shisui, surprisingly (in a very different way, since Tenma and Shisui were nothing alike). But Tenma and Shinko to him, even after ten months, were just partners and comrades for their missions. Besides, Tenma always seemed like an older, nastier version of Kamano (who may or may not not have close relations with the Izumo clan, Itachi didn't bother dwelling into), but Itachi didn't want to admit their relationship was anything more than what it was supposed to be.

Itachi had already come to accept that he wasn't good at letting others in, save for very few people, and didn't bother trying to change that. Sasuke, Shisui, and Izumi were enough.

But even with them, his most precious people, he was still working on opening up more, whenever possible.

...

After returning from a very recent mission that involved retrieving a priceless artifact (nobody got killed thankfully), Itachi casually walked along the streets of Konoha in the afternoon sunlight, feeling very buoyant, more than ready to return after a long line of successful missions from the last few weeks. He was exhausted, but too happy to be home to let it show.

Sasuke will definitely be happy to see him. He wanted so badly to hold his little brother again. He usually preferred going on missions, being useful as a ninja, protecting the village, and working hard to achieve his dream, but until he had his precious baby brother in his arms and heard him cry out, "Niisan," a most beautiful name to be called, Itachi could breathe properly again.

It felt like forever since he had seen Sasuke and his parents. He hardly ever got to even go home anymore ever since he became a genin, and when he did, he stayed no more than a day or so, sometimes even less. Apparently his team was assigned more missions than any other team, because the village leaders were very well aware of Itachi's usefulness. They were determined to use his abilities to continue protecting the village.

They had put the Izumo Clan heir and the Uchiha clan heir on the same team for a reason. Itachi had been kept so busy, in between missions, training, being clan heir, dutiful son, and a big brother that he now found himself tracing small tired, age lines under his eyes whenever he looked into his reflection, to the point when they never went away.

Itachi saw Shisui sometimes during missions with his own assigned team. The two teams would partner up for more advanced missions, such as rescues, or body guarding, but with the older Uchiha prodigy in the process of being promoted to Jounin now (at only twelve, too), Itachi hadn't seen him lately.

Breaking out of his thoughts, Itachi then spotted his father, Fugaku, who was deep in conversation with fellow Uchiha Police officers near their department building. It looked serious.

"Tousan!" he called, and started running over.

Fugaku looked over and spotted his son. Itachi heard him murmur, "We'll discuss this later," before finally halting before his elder. The officers left. "Back from a mission, Itachi?"

"Ah." Itachi nodded happily.

They both walked back to the Uchiha compound together. The path was filled with people, including some visitors from outside of the clan trying out the shops in the district.

"We haven't walked together like this in a while," said Fugaku to his son.

Itachi grinned. "Well, I'm a genin now...and I have missions," he said.

Fugaku closed his eyes. "Oh, I see..." He looked around, then frowned. "That's right. Since the Uchiha moved here..."

Itachi's smile faded as he listened, his good spirits now dampening. Was his father and the clan still going on about this?

"Two years have passed. We were pushed to the outskirts of the village, and the upper echelons took away our authority...Many still voice strong dissatisfaction toward the methods. You're aware of that, too, right?"

Itachi nodded. "Hn." Unfortunately. Ever since he became genin, he had been allowed to participate in the Uchiha meetings at the Nakano Shrine. Shisui had already been forced to attend them from the start. Since then, whatever tensions he had sensed within the clan in the beginning have then become clear to him. Itachi quickly became distressed after learning that his clansmen had not only not let go of their grudge against the village, but had been growing worse without his knowing.

Personally he never had any problems with the move. He actually thought their new area was better than before, surrounded by a peaceful environment that owned part of the forest, a lake, and widespread grassy fields, perfect for training, having picnics, and playing for children. Most of all, it was the perfect place for Sasuke to grow up and have a happy childhood, so what was there to complain about?

Itachi understood his clan's concerns and that the situation was unfair. He was not ignorant of the village's persecution against the Uchiha clan, but that didn't mean the conflict should continue to grow like a virus. Right?

It was then that he noticed nearby people smiling toward them and his mood lifted again.

"We want to regain our power one day," continued Fugaku, lost in his own dark thoughts, "and step out of the darkness into the light-"

"Tousan, look!" interrupted Itachi before he could continue, and smiled when Fugaku looked over to see both civilians and Uchiha members smiling, nodding, and waving at the patriarch. Fugaku blushed a little and waved them off. Itachi laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Fugaku, eying his son's cheerful mood.

"Sorry Tousan," said Itachi, lightly. "You're the face of the Uchiha. I'm proud to be able to walk alongside you."

And he really was. He still held his father in high regard, despite his flaws, and hoped that this will remind him that the outsiders who were present in this district, greeting him like an old friend, was proof that not everyone outside their clan held any suspicions against them. The Uchiha would follow him out of loyalty. It all relied on his father's decision, and Itachi was determined to give him a reason to not go through with the clan's power-hungry demands, least of all his 'most trusted' subordinate, Yashiro Uchiha. No matter their complaints, his father, as patriarch, had the power to prevent the clan from doing anything drastic, even to force them to make peace with the village's decision.

That was all Itachi ever wanted for them: peace.

"Enough flattery," said the embarrassed Fugaku. Then he allowed a soft smirk. "Should we get your favorite snack on the way home?"

Itachi's smile widened, his mouth already watering for his favorite treat. "Okay!"

When they found the Dumplings shop, Itachi was disappointed to find the Closed and Sold Out signs patched all over the entrance. Just when he finally came home, too, with some free time with his father.

"It can't be helped if they're sold out," sighed Fugaku, placing a hand briefly on Itachi's shoulder.

No, I suppose it can't, the eight year-old prodigy thought sadly. It had been very thoughtful of his father, though.

"Itachi-kun?"

Itachi's head jerked up, heart skipping a beat at the voice. That very familiar, bell-sweet voice he knew so well. He immediately found the source of that voice standing near the shop, staring back at him with equal surprise.

"Izumi..." he breathed. It had been so long...

She wore a sleeveless purple, high-collar shirt, blue-violet knee length sweatpants, and orange arm warmers pulled snugly over her wrists. Her brown hair was down, now waist-length, slightly lighter than he remembered from the sun. She looked taller, having lost some baby fat and replaced with some slim muscle in her arms and legs. Her dark brown eyes were large and beautiful as ever, the tiny mole still resided under her right eye. In her arms was a bag of dumplings from the shop.

She looked good. Really good.

"Ah, Izumi," said Fugaku. "Fancy running into you."

"Hai, you too, Fugaku-sama," replied Izumi, smiling politely while bowing her head. She then turned to Itachi. "How are you, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi blinked. "O-Oh, I'm good. You?" Izumi nodded in reply.

She seemed...different. It was not just her fitness. Then again, it's been nearly a year, but even so...What has been happening to her? There had been a time when she would come running to him with a huge smile and a huge sparkle in her eyes. She would call out his name, hug him affectionately, or would start talking nonstop to him on a daily basis. She would then stick by his side for as long as possible like a loving puppy. She was very open, unashamed of showing her joys and affections toward him, just being a child.

Was this her trying to act grownup...like he normally did?

"Did you just get back?" asked Izumi.

"Hai. We were sent to retrieve a stolen artifact for a wealthy merchant. Our mission was successful."

"Oh, that's good." Izumi shuffled the bag in her arms awkwardly, her eyes drifting towards her feet. "I, um...I'm sorry. I can see you're busy, so..."

"I'm not!" Itachi blurted out, causing Izumi's head to shoot back up in surprise. Itachi felt his cheeks heat up and cleared his throat. "I-I'm not," he said more calmly. He glanced up at his father, who gave a casual "Hn," which was enough confirmation, and turned back to Izumi. "I'm not," he repeated. "Busy, I mean. Are you?"

Izumi gaped at him...before a cheerful smile grew in her expression as she chuckled, "No, I'm not."

There she is. Itachi smiled.

"Hn, well I am," said Fugaku, squinting toward the sun. "I have to be heading back now. Itachi, take care and let your mother know that you're home."

"Hai."

When his father departed, Itachi and Izumi were alone.

Neither of them said a word, so Itachi started walking first. Izumi was standing still when he smoothly passed her, but was so close that his arm brushed lightly against her elbow, his air sweeping her bangs with his own.

The brief skin contact made her shiver. She turned to watch him walk away, his back facing her, revealing the small ponytail he grew out.

Memories of when she first tried to talk to him came flooding back, also of how he completely ignored her at the time...but she smiled to herself as her arms tightened around her bag of dango, and began to trail after him.

"Where are we going?" she asked him curiously, after minutes of walking past buildings.

"You'll see." There was a positive tone in his soft voice. Izumi wondered what he was thinking.

He hadn't seen her since the day before he graduated. He wasn't able to, because he used up whatever free time he had with Sasuke, naturally being a big brother first before a friend. Whenever he did try to see her for the first few months as a genin, eventually finding the time, she was always in the middle of something else, like at the Ninja Academy or family duties. A few times during those first couple of months did he come by the school to watch from a distance, hidden from sight, just to see her playing tag or picking flowers with her friends, or getting flocked by more fan boys (much to his annoyance) on the school playground. He did come to her house once a random Saturday, not long after her eighth birthday, believing that she would have to be free by then, but her mother was the one who answered the door, looking tired. She said that Izumi was busy with personal family matters Noriro had set up. Itachi had wanted to ask, but knowing it was not his business, he merely asked Hazuki to tell Izumi he stopped by, before he left, feeling sad and disappointed.

A few hours later, his team was assigned another mission. They had been gone for weeks, and the chances of seeing Izumi grew very slim, based on a busy schedule, or Itachi's deteriorating courage. The missions for Team Two had become longer and tougher during that time. They had even come as far as being assigned an assassination mission on a Iwagakure spy who had been posing as a vegetable peddler in the village, since ANBU were currently unavailable at the time.

Eventually, he gave up trying to see her and just read the letters that she always sent to his house, decorated in stickers and doodles, apologizing for not being able to come over and kept telling him to be careful. He never answered her letters, but he kept every single one of them tucked safely in a box under his bed.

They always ended with Love, Izumi.

He probably missed her the most, but he couldn't afford to think about her. It hurt too much. And it often deterred his focus with an empty feeling in his chest. He had figured that maybe Izumi decided to move on with her life and focus on her studies, like he reserved in focusing on his own. It was logical, but it didn't hurt any less. He wondered what she could possibly doing that was keeping her away. Knowing her as he did last, she would always find every opportunity to spend time with him. They had even made it work during the Academy after he had transferred to the senior class. But now...

They were now walking outside the compound, and soon, Izumi found they were near the training grounds, crossing the pier facing the lake. One of Itachi's favorite spots in the whole village.

Izumi felt nostalgia creep over her. She remembered two summers ago when watching and cheering for Itachi as he performed an impressive amount of ninjutsu while walking on water. She especially remembered her own pathetic attempts, but Itachi was always there to help her get back up and try again, his unwavering patience with her like a warm candle that gave her more confidence in herself. In the end, she had succeeded in making a fireball jutsu the size of her own body. It was only half the size of Itachi's, which was usually as big a small house, but accomplishing it was one of the proudest moments of her life. Especially with him there watching her getting stronger.

Those were fun times.

Itachi sat at the edge of the dock and Izumi, smiling, followed suite beside him. Placing her bag of dango down, she let the sun warm her skin before glancing at him. "I'm sorry, Itachi-kun," she said uneasily. "Are you sure I didn't interrupt you and your father?"

Itachi smiled shyly. "Yeah, it's okay," he said softly. His eyes automatically moved to the Dumpling bag next to her. "It's been a while," he added. And he couldn't help but feel guilty for that. He may have very busy as a genin, knowing that he wouldn't have much time with his old life anymore, but ten months of not seeing each other while living in the same district was just ridiculous. He should have tried harder, but instead he let his discomfort take over to the point of refusing to see or think about her.

"Yeah, it's the first time since you became a genin," agreed Izumi. Then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, that's right! I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your promotion...I didn't even come to congratulate you!" she cried out, startling Itachi with her sudden hysteria. She bowed her head in shame. "I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to apologize so much..." Itachi tried to assure her, but Izumi was already digging through her white bag of dumplings.

"I know that this doesn't qualify as a gift," said Izumi, as she pulled out a small package and unwrapped it, "but if you don't mind, would you have one?" She presented it with two hands, her face kind and hopeful.

When Itachi looked, his mouth watered at the sight of five sticks of delicious, sugary dango in colors of green, yellow, and pink. Still warm and fresh, their sweet, sugary smell reaching his nose.

"Okaasan likes the tricolored ones from that shop," said Izumi proudly.

Itachi remained silent, keeping all signs of temptation to himself.

When observing Itachi's silent, blank, and prideful expression, not missing the delight and craving in his eyes, she decided to tease him, "But I guess someone like you who's brilliant, and who excels in ninjutsu, and taijutsu, and whizzed through the academy in only a year, wouldn't have a sweet tooth after all." When she moved it away, she pretended not to notice Itachi's expression fall slightly at the loss and sighed dramatically. "Sorry for just assuming," she moaned. Then her sad expression brightened instantly. "Well, I guess since that I already opened one..." She picked up a stick. Itachi's face started to light up, his hand twitching to take the treat, until Izumi said cheerfully, "I guess I'll just eat them all by myself."

Itachi's face fell and he withdrew, disappointed.

Izumi opened her mouth wide to take a large bite of that delicious dango. Itachi gulped visibly, watching both her and the treat with boiling envy.

Sensing his silence, Izumi paused and glanced over at Itachi, freezing at the openly fierce (yet adorable) glare he directed at her, screaming out Stop torturing me and Surrender the dango or I'll make you!

She sweat-dropped nervously. Maybe she teased him a little bit too much. So smiling slightly, she decided to give him a break. "Oh, don't tell me," Izumi said, before holding out the treat as a peace offering, "would you like one?"

Itachi's pout became surprise when the dango hovered temptingly in front of his eyes. Then finding himself staring at her face, he jerked and quickly looked away, hiding a fierce blush staining across his cheeks. He could not believe his own reaction. Nobody ever attempted torturing him like this, even if they had known... and Izumi was just so...

Her smile became sly. Izumi leaned toward him, wiggling her eyebrows. "Itachi-kun..." she cooed sweetly, trying to meet his hidden eyes. She waved the dango under his nose. "I know you want it," the Uchiha girl sang.

Itachi's pink face darkened. Then she was leaning much closer, whispering in his ear, "So soft and sugary, hot, freshly made..." Itachi gulped again, mouth watering, his heart pounding hard when her breath ticked his ear, making him shiver, along with the sweet scent to dango. "Last chance, Itachi-kun!" She started to pull the dango away.

Oh, Kami, help him. One of his hand shot up and caught her wrist, making Izumi gasp. They stared at each other's eyes. Then, more gently, he moved her hand holding the stick of colored dumplings closer to his face. Izumi watched wordlessly, as Itachi took a large bite out of the whole first pastry, his shiny ebony eyes still fixed on her brown with heated intensity as the flavor filled his mouth. His gaze was soft, but vindictive. Both warm and cunning with a look intense enough to make all his fangirls fall over...He was satisfied to see her sly expression melt into wide-eyed surprise and smirked a little.

He had never tasted sweeter dango before now.

Izumi's heart pounded rapidly as she was bewitched by Itachi Uchiha's dreamy eyes (and he was doing it on purpose, the weasel!). Her head had become dizzy with nervousness and excitement. Finding it hard to breathe, her arm trembled in his warm grip. She could feel his warm, steamy breath over her knuckles, tickling her skin as he placed his mouth over the dango. Oh, Kami, if she didn't already know him for a long time, or had some Uchiha composure within her, she probably would have fainted from such a hot sight!

Then, watching his face melt in enjoyment, his beautiful eyes become so dreamy while fluttering closed, he took the whole treat to himself from her slackened hand and resumed in enjoying the dango. Breaking from her trance, Izumi burst out laughing and selected another from the package. "Oh, Itachi-kun!" she gasped, before taking a bite. Even then, her smile and laughter was muffled with sticky dumpling.

When both swallowed, Itachi glanced at her, smiling sheepishly. "Is it so strange?" he said softly.

Izumi shook her head. "Oh, no, it isn't that," she said, lightly. "It's just that I've known you for quite some time, but I never knew what your favorite foods were."

Itachi felt his cheeks heat up from her gaze and glanced sideways. "Rank and gender have nothing to do with what someone likes to eat," he mumbled.

Izumi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's true. Sorry." Then when noticing the pink tint tracing Itachi's cheeks, the image of his pouty glare from earlier resurfaced. It just looked so frightening goofy in her mind that Izumi couldn't control the giggles that spilled out of her, making it hard to breathe.

Itachi watched her in surprise and confusion, her body shaking with laughter, even with her dango attempting to hide her smile and pink cheeks in vain. Again, she glowed. Like an angel, in his eyes. Everything about her was warm and angelic. Her laugh was such a sweet sound, reminding him of the songs from bells and birds in the spring. So pure, carefree and musical.

"You're beautiful..." he whispered mindlessly.

"H-Hah...What was that...?" Izumi glanced at him, still trying to control her laughter, her eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed with mirth. Itachi's eyes widened, mortified when realizing what words slipped carelessly out of his mouth.

"I, uh...Are you going to eat that?" he quickly blurted out, pointing at her half-eaten dango stick, still blushing furiously.

Izumi nodded, though puzzled since he had one more dumpling to eat, and handed hers to him. One look at his red face, so uncharacteristically open like before, her laughter burst again until tears appeared in her eyes. Itachi was speechless. He didn't see what was so funny...not that he minded her laugh. She can be so weird...

"I'm sorry..." gasped Izumi finally, wiping a tear from her eye. "It's just that, Itachi-kun...you looked so ready to use your Sharingan. You should have seen your face. It was so funny."

Oh. Really embarrassed now, Itachi looked away from her. Izumi, not noticing, stretched her arms above her and let them down with a happy sigh. "Ahh!" She closed eyes to feel the sun hit her face. "Okay, I won't laugh anymore. Sorry, Itachi-kun!"

When there was silence, Izumi opened her eyes and noticed Itachi shying away, looking really embarrassed.

Feeling pity for him, and guilty for laughing at him, she said, "Look, I'm sorry. I forgot how sensitive you can be. Let me make it up to you. Is there anything you want?"

Itachi looked at her now. "Anything?" he said quietly, and Izumi nodded.

I want...His eyes met her dark brown, the sun lighting them until flecks of crimson can be seen around her pupils. Red and brown, an uncommon colored trait of his clan.

An image of her older self, wearing a pale blue kimono gown with a pink flower in her long brown hair, surrounded by little dark-haired, dark-eyed children with her lovely soft features, all eating dango, hovered in his mind briefly. It was a surprising, yet pleasant fantasy.

That's right. She's...

Izumi blinked, after being caught in his dark, dark gaze, realizing what he was really looking for. She looked away, her happy mood dampening completely. "Yeah, I thought so," she said sadly. "However….that is something I cannot give you." Nor did she want to, even if she was able. Awakening the Sharingan...was not really something to celebrate, like she once believed. Instead, since it was her father's death that awoken hers, it became more of a burden than an accomplishment.

Half-blooded.

A Sharingan user. Itachi too looked away, the two staring at the lake's ripples in solemn silence.

"Itachi-kun, I know you're now busy with your new team, and you have missions," said Izumi finally, "but I really miss this. I miss you."

I feel the same, Izumi. Itachi remained silent.

"Okaasan said you stopped by once months ago, but it seems that while you're free, I'm not. I'm sorry for that, by the way." Her tone became a whisper, and Itachi glanced at her, then. Her expression was sad, almost tired.

"What have you been doing?" he finally asked.

Izumi shrugged, smiling a little. "Classes, play dates, training..." She turned to him. "Ojiisama has been trying to get me to control the Sharingan. I can now activate it without fainting...mostly, because my chakra is still slightly unstable. But I'm improving!"

"That's good," said Itachi, but he could tell by the sadness in her eyes that there was more she was not telling him. "Has Noriro-sama been a good teacher?"

Izumi frowned. "Yeah, but he's very strict. He likes to drive me beyond my limits. It's almost as if he wants me to master my Sharingan more than I do...Sometimes I get too tired of his lessons and have tried stay away from home for a while until it was too late...That never worked."

Itachi frowned. He knew she would never say it, but...he seriously hoped Noriro wasn't abusing her. "Your mother said you were busy," he said slowly. Then he watched Izumi pick up another dango and started eating it, her eyes glaring intensely at the lake. He wondered what she was feeling in that moment. Nervous, stressed...? "Izumi, what-"

"I'm getting married!" Izumi blurted out loudly, her voice cracking.

"..." Itachi stared. His mind just blanked.

"I-I mean, not now, of course! I'm only eight!" she quickly corrected herself with a groan. Placing her dango down, she wiped her eyes and sniffed. She looked at Itachi, her face scrunched with despair and eyes misty with unshed tears. She had already cried all her tears before, but felt the pain resurface when finally able to tell her best friend and the boy she loved about her problems. "Believe it or not, I just found out a week ago," she said bitterly. "It turns out that I have been engaged since Kaasan and I moved in with the clan, right after Tousan died! Noriro-ojisama said it was the only way the clan can accept me and Okaasan back, so..." She broke off and swallowed, struggling not to cry. "I don't even know who it is yet," she whimpered.

"..."

"Itachi-kun? Won't you say something?"

"...Congratulations," Itachi automatically said, tonelessly.

Izumi looked at him in disbelief. "That's all you can say?!" she cried out.

"I don't know what else to say." His mind was still trying to process the information he absorbed. Engaged...Izumi...arranged marriage...clan... "I didn't mean any offense."

"Yeah, it's okay," muttered Izumi. "It's not like it's a new thing for the Uchiha anyway. Ever since I turned eight, Kaasan and my aunts have been giving me so many lessons on everything about being a housewife. They said all the Uchiha girls start preparing at my age. But I didn't see the real reason behind it until now."

That's right. Itachi remembered that now. He once heard that his mother had started her lessons when she too was eight, because it was strictly custom for every woman in the Uchiha clan to get married and produce offspring, preferably sons, so acting as housewife was considered their honorable positions. More so than being a kunoichi. It has always been that way.

"We do it for the clan," continued Izumi softly, "and I'm no different. Besides, since you're the clan heir, you were more likely to have an arranged marriage than I was. I'm right, aren't I?"

"...I guess...it would definitely be expected," Itachi said slowly. He hadn't really thought about it. Marriage was definitely not a topic he would think, let alone talk, about. It was actually the last thing on his mind. He mostly focused on excelling in his skills of becoming a great shinobi, protecting the village, his home, and to hopefully one day become Hokage so that he would succeed in erasing all fighting in the world. As far as he knew, his father hadn't announced anything about an arranged marriage with some mystery Uchiha girl of high class and skill. Even if he already was, he wondered who it would be...no! All he could think about right now was who Izumi's fiancée could possibly be.

"You could marry me if you want," he said quietly, twirling the dango in his hands uncomfortably.

Izumi gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. "W-What? You would?" Did those words actually just leave her stoic crush's mouth?

"Ah." He nodded, awkwardly.

Blushing deeply, she started to smile from this moment of pure bliss. It had always been her dream and wish to marry Itachi, and he was practically proposing to her now by offering to be her husband, like the kind, sweet friend he was…but a thought suddenly hit her, filling her with unease.

The thought of her uncle's fuming temper and disapproval filled her mind. She was used to being scolded, looked down upon like a bug with those icy black eyes and many others for being a "weak" half-Uchiha, but that didn't mean she didn't want it to stop. It wasn't until recently that she had discovered that she wasn't the only mixed-breed in the clan, which made her feel a little better, but the difference was that both she and her mother were from an important family, just slightly beneath Itachi's family. Like the Hyugga clan, the Uchiha kept the families in separate branches, only they made it less obvious.

The average Uchiha families normally followed tradition, but anyone would notice some people with different hair colors like brunette, light gray, dark blue, or dark green (there never has been a blond Uchiha, though) with slightly lighter-colored eyes like hers. Based on history, most of them were descended as multigenerational because members of their families had married into either royalty, aristocratic families, or prodigies and heirs from other noble clans, but any half-blood in those families had faded over time when their children and their children's children married other Uchiha.

Then there were the upper class families, who all strictly stuck to inbreeding, procreating pure-blooded Uchiha. No exceptions. Fugakgu Uchiha was an heir of what is considered the "head family" (like the Hyuggas would call it), a long line of leaders descended from Izuna Uchiha, the younger brother of Madara Uchiha, one of the village's founders. Mikoto, his wife, was probably one of his distant cousins.

Then there was her own branch, who were not exactly a line of leaders, but guardians of the Nakano Shrine, which in turn guarded the secrets of the Uchiha Clan's history and their Sharingan. But they did not have full rights or access to the scroll like the leaders of the clan did, such as Fugaku. It was for security reasons. Even Noriro did not have the rights to know the secrets, and she could guess that it always infuriated him.

Anyway, her family was just as honorable as the head family when it came to breeding...that is, until the honorable and favored niece of the elder Lord Noriro, Hazuki Uchiha, ran off from her arranged marriage to elope with a regular Jounin citizen of the Leaf, Kosuke Utada, whom she had been secretly meeting with for quite a time. Her mother's disobedience had been an ultimate disgrace to their family, and before an annulment can be forced, Hazuki was already pregnant. Since then, rumors had quickly spread that her father impregnated her mother before they had gotten married, but whether those accusations was false or not didn't change anything. Hazuki had been disowned from the clan and was sent to live outside of the compound, where she and Kosuke lived together in his small house.

Then Izumi was born. Her existence being the evidence of her mother's defiant actions, Izumi was a half-Uchiha, therefore a bastard in her clan's eyes, because the Uchiha refused to acknowledge her mother's marriage to her non-Uchiha father. And ever since her father died and their house was destroyed during the Nine-tails attack, both Izumi and her mother had lost everything...but were coincidentally summoned back by the great-uncle she had never met or heard of, not long after the funeral.

Her father's death, the village leaders' orders, or Izumi's newly awakened Sharingan, seemed to have been their opening in being welcomed back in the Uchiha clan, much to Izumi's anger, but Hazuki was desperate to find them a home for her daughter's sake. So her mother went to her uncle and was forced to beg for forgiveness, for a place to stay in his home, until they found stability. Out of 'mercy,' Noriro took them in, but he always seemed to look down at Izumi with undisguised disapproval and disgust, causing the little girl to shrink in fear. In his eyes, she remained a filthy mistake that tainted his family's heritage...but a mistake that still inherited the Sharingan.

Ironically, this was why the marriage was happening. It turned out to be part of the deal that would allow Izumi being fully welcomed back into her own clan, a sacrifice Hazuki agreed to. Since then, Izumi's relationship with her mother became delicate and her dreams of being Itachi's wife seemed to shatter.

But here he was now, offering to be her future husband, laying out all of her deepest desires at her feet for the taking...but something seemed to be missing. And it bothered her greatly when noticing the awkwardness in Itachi's tone when he offered, like his heart wasn't fully into it. That was what she wanted, she realized with a painful jolt. Not to be his wife...but to have him love her as much she loved him, marriage or not. Like her parents did.

"Itachi-kun...are you offering because you're being kind," Izumi said slowly, "or is it...you know, something more?" She added that latter with a mumble, hoping it was the case.

Itachi tilted his head, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Izumi stared at him. "Y-you know...do you, I mean, would you….love me?"

Itachi blinked. "Does it matter?" he said, undeterred.

Her heart tore in two right there. Izumi felt the breath knock out of her. It may not have been intentional, but his words hurt far more than he could possibly imagine. It was as she feared. She felt like crying and screaming. He doesn't love me.

She looked away, trying to hide the heartbreak and keeping her whole entire self composed, like she had been taught. It was so difficult. "E-Even if it were possible….even if we ever got permission from the leaders..." Izumi said quietly, "if you ever choose to marry someone, you should do it for love, not kindness. Do you love me, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi hesitated, not knowing how to answer. Izumi took his hesitation as an answer and took a deep breath. "Then I won't do this to you," she said quietly, carefully. No matter how much I want to, more than anything...but not if he doesn't love me. I'll probably only make him miserable. "Thank you for offering, Itachi-kun," she whispered, trying to hide the waver in her voice, "but this time, it will be my duty to the clan, not yours."

"Izumi..." Itachi began to say, but when she didn't look up, he dropped his gaze toward the water, staring at his reflection. He was so confused. His chest was continuously aching. Why wouldn't she just take his offer, to save the trouble? He was used to performing duties, making sacrifices for others' sake, but Itachi knew he would happily have sacrificed himself for Izumi just to spare her from any kind of pain, no matter how impossible and unrealistic it sounded to him. She was that important to him.

So why was she doing this?

"Oi!" Both Uchiha children turned to see an older boy with messy, gray hair, critical black eyes, and a Hidden Leaf headband around his forehead eyeballing them distastefully, one hand perched on his hip. Tenma Izumo. "We have another mission," he announced to Itachi, before turning on his heel to walk back across the pier. "Quit flirting."

"We're not flirting!" Izumi yelled after him defensively, as Itachi reluctantly stood up.

Not only did he want to stay longer with his old friend, but it looked like he wasn't going home after all. Once a mission was called out to him, Itachi was summoned without question or complaint. Sasuke will have to wait for him a little longer.

"Itachi-kun..."

Itachi looked back down at Izumi, who was still seated at the pier's edge. She was now smiling up at him, her face completely soft and bright from the light of the afternoon sun. Her smile was gentle and warm like her large doe eyes, which were so full adoration, innocence, and carefully hidden concern toward him. "I cannot give them to you, but I will pray for you," she said softly. "I hope your Sharingan activates really soon. And when it does, I'll congratulate you."

Itachi felt a strong urge to touch her face right there and then, remembering how soft and warm it was, but restrained himself as usual, keeping his own expression unmoving. She really did look beautiful, both inside and out. And there was so much left unsaid between them, but somehow, the emptiness in his chest felt fulfilled, even for just a short time. He truly was glad that he had run into her.

"Izumi..." he began.

"Oi, Uchiha, hurry it up! We're leaving!" Tenma shouted from the grassy hill bordering the pier.

Itachi let out a breath, and just bowed his head at her politely. "Thank you for sharing your treat with me," he said.

Izumi smiled sadly. "Stay safe, Itachi-kun," she whispered.

Itachi stared. Then, without another word, he turned around with a swish of his ponytail and started walking across the pier where Tenma was already leaving.

When he left, Izumi looked out at the beautiful lake, her smile slowly fading. She felt his chakra grow farther away behind her. When it was finally gone, her expression finally broke in agony as she started weeping silently. Tears poured out in streams.

She could not believe she was doing this. Not in million years did she ever think to have the strength to...to reject Itachi Uchiha, of all people. The chance of a lifetime...but it had to be done. If he didn't love her, then he would be trapped in her place. At least she would give him a chance to find love. He deserved that. Oh, but it hurt so much!

Yet somehow, she would never let go of her dream, however impossible it seemed.

When she finally stopped crying, Izumi wiped her cheeks with her two palms and took a deep breath. No more crying, she told herself, straightening up. She picked up a dango and started munching on it, hoping the sweetness will overcome her heartbreak. She will be strong. And seeing Itachi again reminded her that she will push harder to be stronger, both in battle and in spirit.

And maybe, just maybe, her future will become something unexpectedly wonderful. But her love for Itachi will be forever in her heart, no matter what.

...

Be safe, Itachi-kun.

While preparing to leave on his mission with Team Two, Itachi kept replaying his conversation with Izumi and was frustrated that their talk had been cut short by another mission, and by Tenma of all people.

Izumi...

Still tasting the sweet dango in his mouth, he thought of her soft, kind face looking up at him, pure and glowing...then a new question popped into his mind, all more new and confusing than his curiosity of birth and death.

Love...

He did not know if he loved her. Love had only been for his family. Love had been for Sasuke, without a doubt. Familial love. Even Shisui had the honor, after much consideration, since he was very much like a big brother to Itachi.

Izumi could be like a sister to him….but somehow Itachi didn't see her that way. It always felt like she was more than that. Much more. Which is why he was unsure of the term 'love' she was not satisfied enough with him.

What is love, exactly?