Itachi and Miko enjoyed themselves immensely. It had been a long time since they spent this much time together. His work in ANBU kept him incredibly busy. While he seldom went on missions outside of Konoha, he was busy with internal business. So he made a special point to make Miko happier than usual, even going out of his comfort zone to play a few of the games and tasting new food. As part of the festival, there was a "wishing tree" where people wrote their wishes down on slips of paper and tied them to the branches. Itachi started to write his when he noticed that Miko wasn't. He handed her a paper and she smiled as she shook her head. "My wish already came true."

"And what wish was that?" He asked curiously.

Her eyes softened as she drew close and kissed his cheek. "You came home safe and sound."

He blinked in surprise for a moment and then he crumpled up his paper and tossed it over his shoulder. He pulled her into his arms for a long kiss. What need did he have for wishes when he had someone like her? Just as the sun was setting they sat on a bench overlooking the Naka River. Itachi wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she rested her head on his shoulder. She smiled to herself. "Today has been the best ever!"

"Today has been fun," he agreed. "But it has not been the best ever."

She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

He smiled fondly as he kissed her forehead. "The day we married was the best ever."

Her gaze softened as she remembered that beautiful autumn day and those terribly itchy and stiff white wedding robes. They were almost as uncomfortable as those stupid uniforms she wore as a messenger in training. But they were worth it to marry the man she loved. She didn't remember the specifics of the ceremony but she did remember how handsome he looked in his dark robes and that his face shone. He looked the happiest she had ever seen him before. "You looked so happy then."

He chuckled as he gently squeezed her shoulder. "Of course I was. I was marrying the girl of my dreams."

"Am I really?" She whispered.

"Yes," he said kindly. "There is no one else quite like you."

She laughed. "Of course not. I'm a Kitsune. Everyone else around here is mortal."

"I didn't mean that," he said as he turned her chin so he could look into her beautiful eyes. "You have such a tender nature about you. You're so generous, forgiving, kind, innocent, and pure. That is so rare these days. And even when you do get discouraged it only motivates you to become even stronger and more optimistic. I'm not like that and I wish I was."

She smiled affectionately. "Why wish? Why not just be like that?"

"Why not indeed?" He smiled as he leaned down to kiss her.

They stopped as they heard Yusei groan. "Do you have to do that in public? It's disgusting enough at home!"

Miko laughed as she sat up and gestured for him to come closer. "What do you need Yusei?"

"The play is going to start soon and I need your help getting into my costume."

"You two go ahead then," Itachi said as he stood up. "Good luck son," he said as he playfully tweaked his ear.

Yusei grinned. "Thanks dad."

Itachi watched them walk away and smiled at the sight of them laughing over a private joke. His heart swelled in his chest as he realized just how lucky he was. But his happiness sobered as he thought about Sasuke. His poor little brother. He was all alone twisted by his pain; pain that Itachi had caused. As he walked back to the main stage where the festival started, he wondered if there was any way he could repair the damage he had done. Was it even possible?

The bright lights from the stage caught his eye and he pushed these troubling thoughts aside. Today was a celebration and he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He sat by the Hoshigaki's and Miko joined him just as it was starting.

Sadao emerged from the curtain, regal looking in his fancy robes. His face was solemn as he unrolled a scroll and held it out dramatically to read from. "We gather here tonight to celebrate the eternal love of Orihime and Hikoboshi. Their love remains alive and serves to remind us that distance is meaningless when two souls have become one."

As the curtain opened, he stepped to the far right of the stage and sat on a stool. The background was the night sky with the Milky Way shown prominently. Yusei looked regal in his robes, his expression was serious. He stood behind Katsuye who sat at his feet by a small weaving loom as she pretended to use it. She truly looked like a princess, every bit as graceful as her mother had during her dance. Kisame started to blubber again and Ritsuko rolled her eyes as she handed him a handkerchief.

"Our story begins with Orihime," Sadao read from his scroll in a loud and clear voice. "By the river Amanogawa she would work hard all day to weave beautiful clothes. This pleased her father very much because he was proud of her talent."

Yusei rested his hands on her shoulders and smiled down at her. She smiled back at him before turning back to her work. Then Yusei moved away from her, coming closer to the center of the stage. His expression slipped into a sad one as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

Sadao read on. "Tentei was sad that she was so busy weaving cloth that she did not have the opportunity to marry. He wanted her to experience the joy of true love."

Just then the left side of the stage lit up, showing Yasashiku standing in the midst of his cowherd. He was quite a sight in his own right. His clothes were just as noble as the others, but what made him stand out was that for once he did not wear his yellow goggles. His eyes were a soft shade of blue.

Kei and Jiro were two of the cows and they kept elbowing each other in good fun. Yasashiku gently tapped them with his stick to stop them. Yusei stood by the fake river (which was blue silk that was moved about by stagehands to make it look like it was flowing) and held out his hand towards Yasashiku and the other towards Katsuye.

"Tentei arranged for Orihime to meet Hikoboshi, the cow tender who lived just on the other side of the river."

Yasashiku stepped across the river and approached Katsuye. He held out his hands to her and she slipped her hands into them. They stood close, gazing into each others eyes. They shared a tender smile as she reached up to touch his cheek. "You have such beautiful eyes," she whispered, unheard by the crowd.

His expression softened. "Thank you," he whispered back.

Yusei frowned for a second in confusion. What were they doing? Weren't they playing the part little too well?

"It was love at first sight and they were soon wed," Sadao continued his narration as the stage hands moved the loom off to the side and a small model of the local Shinto Shrine was placed in the center. It was taller than the three kids and very detailed. Yusei stood in front of it as he gestured for the two to approach him for the wedding ceremony.

Yusei said a few words of the wedding ceremony while Katsuye and Yasahiku continued to look at each other. When he finished he braced himself for the kiss on the cheek part. His hands trembled slightly under his long sleeves as he watched them lean in close. He couldn't believe the teachers wrote this part in and he hated to see Katsuye a part of it. But the strangest feeling of all was wishing that he was in Yasashiku's place.

Then to his horror, Yasashiku brushed his lips against hers in a real kiss. A REAL KISS? Yusei's eyes widened and then narrowed contemptuously. It took all his will power to not knock him off his feet then and there. He would have to wait until the end of the play to confront the pervert. He wouldn't ruin the play by interrupting it. Katsuye's cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of crimson, but she didn't look upset. In fact, she looked rather pleased as she smiled back at Yasashiku. Taking his offered arm, he led her to the front of the stage and they sat beside each other.

"Orihime and Hikoboshi were happy together," Sadao read on. "So happy in fact that nothing got done. She forgot to weave her special cloth and Hikoboshi's cows ran all over the place without their keeper to guide them. It was chaos that was ignored by the lovers."

Kei and Jiro had a blast with the others as they crawled all over the stage and mooed loudly. Yusei rushed about trying to keep the cows in one place as well as gesturing for the couple to pay attention and get back to work. His frustration with the order of things was fairly genuine since he was still upset over the kiss.

"Things could not continue this way," Sadao said. "And it was with a heavy heart that Tentei had to separate the couple and forbid them from ever being together again."

Yusei placed a hand on each of their shoulder and pushed them apart, a little too forcefully. He jabbed a finger in the direction of the river, a gesture for Hikoboshi to return home. Hanging his head in shame, Yasahiku crossed back over the river as he gathered his cows once again. Katsuye grabbed a hold of Yusei's arm, a look of sadness on her face.

"Orihime was upset over the separation and begged her father to let her see Hikoboshi again."

Yusei turned towards her and gently patted her shoulder as he nodded.

"He agreed that they could meet on the seventh day of the seventh month as long as she had finished her work."

Katsuye and Yasashiku stood on either side of the river, hands stretched out towards each other. She knelt down and pretended to cry over the fact that she couldn't cross over the river. Just then a few fake birds lowered on strings "flew" around her and then lay across the river, using their wings to make a bridge. She quickly crossed over and he held her in his arms.

Sadao was just wrapping his narration of how the Tanabata festival is to celebrate their yearly reunion, but Yusei tuned him out as he watched the two. She looked so comfortable in his arms and their eyes were only for each other. Yasashiku gently stroked her cheek, an affectionate smile on his lips. She giggled at something he whispered. Yusei's temper flew into a rage. He couldn't believe she was letting him do this. Not even for the sake of a play. He had to stop this. He had to stop this NOW! He ran towards them, planning to punch Yasashiku away from her. That would teach him to keep his hands to himself. He drew his arm back, his hand clenched into a fist. Yasashiku and Katsuye looked up, startled by his growl. But once Yusei reached the fake river, his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the stage floor fast asleep.

Everyone on and off the stage started to panic as they rushed to his side but Miko and Itachi looked at each other warily.

"Did you remember to give him his medication this morning?" Miko asked.

"I thought you did," he said in exasperation. "Though granted this sleep attack couldn't have happened at a more opportune time."

Excusing himself he hurried to stop the medical-nin's from taking his son away. "He is quite well, there is no need for concern," he assured them. "He's narcoleptic."

They insisted on checking his vitals and once they were convinced that he was just sleeping, Itachi gathered his son in his arms and carried him away. Miko was waiting by the stage exit and they left during the closing ceremony. She gently brushed Yusei's bangs out of his eyes. "Poor Yusei, he'll feel so embarrassed when he wakes up. But why did he snap like that? That's not like him at all."

"I suspect I know and I'll have a talk with him when he awakens." Itachi said. He recognized that jealous look in his son's eye. He had suspected for some time that his son was jealous over Katsuye's friendship with the young Aburame boy. But Itachi had figured it was because he didn't want to share his friend. But after tonight's fit he suspected the jealously ran deeper. Yusei was in love with his friend. Did he realize it?

Miko wrapped an arm around Itachi's waist as she sighed. "Despite this setback, I still think today went pretty well."

Itachi nodded. "I agree."

[Authors Note] Amanogawa means the Milky Way. For more information on the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi and the Tanabata festival in general, be sure to check out "Tanabata" on Wikipedia.