Chapter 10 The…
Tailor Narubi
"Itachi?" Naruto yawned sleepily.
"Shush." Itachi said softly slipping under the covers with him.
"Did you fight with your father again?" Naruto asked sleepily.
"Yes." Itachi said blankly.
Naruto hummed his answer and curled up against the boy's clothed chest.
"You do not mind if I spend the night?"
"No. You have before." Naruto said already half asleep again.
Itachi pulled him close and Naruto happily burrowed into him as he drifted off again.
.-.
"Hello…um…"
"Hinata." She said shyly.
"Hello Hinata." He beamed.
"I haven't…I-I haven't seen you in c-class lately." She stuttered, pressing her fingers together. "So I-I came to check on y-you."
"Oh." He paused. "I didn't think anyone would care enough to notice I was gone."
She blushed wildly.
"But I haven't been missing school. I skipped a grade." He said softly.
"O-oh. Sorry." She stuttered.
"It's fine. Want to come in and have some tea? I also pulled some cookies from the oven.
"I-I wouldn't want t-to impose." She said quickly.
"It's fine." He smiled pulling her in and shutting the door.
She timidly followed him to his kitchen. Yuki sat on his couch stitching a design on a blanket as she sipped at the tea beside her.
"Hinata this is Yuki Oba-san. Yuki this is Hinata."
Yuki smiled kindly at the girl.
"Come join me on the couch dear. Naruto will get you some tea."
Hinata timidly sat down next to her, watching with avid fascination at the tiny delicate stitches the woman made. Naruto brought her tea and cookies and let her sit in silence watching the woman for a while.
"Do you want to learn dear?" Yuki asked after a while.
"Oh! No. I-I'd just get i-in the way." She said quickly, blushing. "I-I wouldn't be g-good anyways."
"Nonsense. Naruto get her some things to learn with."
Naruto smiled. That's how Hyuuga Hinata started to join them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two hours each time to learn to sew. Naruto talked her into being his model after only two visits and Yuki got another female to talk with.
.-.
Naruto woke suddenly. For a moment he lay still, trying to figure out what had woken him. He quickly realized it was Gin. The cat was growling low in his throat, back arched as he stood on Naruto's chest protectively.
"Gin?" He murmured questioningly.
Following the vicious cats gaze he found himself looking at a dark figure sitting in the corner of his room.
"Neko?... Tora?... Inu?" Naruto swallowed.
The figure stood jerkily and stepped toward shim, only a sliver of moonlight from the window lighting his features. It was Itachi. The teen moved with fluid grace as he stepped up beside Naruto. His eyes were a bloody red and he wore the same uniform that Neko, Tora, and Inu wore but with the mask at his waist.
"Itachi?" he asked softly, voice barely above a whisper.
The air was thick with tension and emotion. The boy held out his hands. Naruto looked to find him holding the kimono he'd first made for the boy, the poppy red one with black pinwheels and ravens.
"I'm here to return this."
"It was a gift." Naruto said softly, accepting it back all the same.
"I know. But I want you to look after it. I can't use it where I'm going."
"Are you going on a mission?" Naruto asked slowly.
"…"
"Thank you and goodbye," said Itachi.
And then he was gone. Naruto shakily stood and hurried for his workroom. He threw the light on without a care and practically threw the kimono on his work bench. He looked down at the unfolded cloth, eyes riveted on it. There were spots on the red background were darker then the cloth around it. Naruto shakily reached out and ran his fingers over the spot. He pulled his fingers back and stared at them for a long moment. They were covered in blood. The spots were blood splatters. He delicately picked the kimono up and moved it to a rack, hanging it open wide for display.
Naruto stared at the kimono for what seemed like eternity before the whoosh of his window gained his attention. A tense Neko stood on the sill, katana out. He relaxed after a moment of scanning the room. Then his eyes found the kimono.
"Naruto," He started softly, "Was Itachi here?"
"Yes."
Neko moved over to him and slowly kneeled in front of him. He checked the boy over.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?'
"No." Naruto shook his head. "He just came by to say goodbye."
"…Is that his kimono?"
"Yes. He asked me to keep it for him. It's stained though. I don't think I can get the blood stains out."
"That's okay." Neko said slowly.
"Who did he kill?" Naruto asked softly, eyes still frozen on the kimono.
"…The Uchiha clan has been massacred."
"Oh. I'm surprised he managed to get so little blood on his kimono if all of them were killed."
Neko said nothing, just drew Naruto into a tight embrace and stroked his hair while Naruto stared at the bloodstained kimono.