A/N: I've only gotten two summaries so far for the competition and I'm hopping for more. The current champion is Katana Mistress, let's all give her applause. I'm still taking summaries. Pictures of the dresses will be in my profile.
Chapter 13: A Spark, A Jolt, A Tingle Racing Up My Spine
"Thank you for inviting me over Uchiha-san." I bowed respectfully to my host as she ushered me into the house.
"Please call me Mikoto, I have been waiting ages to have you over for dinner Seira-san." I smiled at her enthusiasm.
"I was delighted by your invitation Mikoto-san. Sasuke is such a delightful student that I had been wishing to meet his parents." I grimaced inwardly as she ushered me into the dining room.
"I'm afraid Fugaku is out on business, but Itachi is home so he and Sasuke will be joining us." I was relieved about Fugaku not being here, but the information of Itachi joining us was both unexpected and expected. I smiled and nodded before she led me into the dining room to be seated. It was an old formal style dining room with pillows to sit on instead of chairs. I took my seat as Sasuke and Itachi arrived. Sasuke was sitting next to me and Itachi was directly across the table. "I have to grab the food, but I'll be back in a moment." We all waited in an awkward silence. Nobody knew what to say or how to break the tension.
"So . . . how are you two doing today?" I winced as I realized how stupid I sounded. Sasuke turned and smiled shyly at me.
"I'm fine Seira-sensei, how are you?" He was just so huggable.
"I'm fine thank you for asking." We both looked up at Itachi who had remained silent throughout the exchange. He stared back at us as if saying ' do you really want me to answer that?'. Face blank he replied,
"I'm fine." Then his chill eyes returned to observing his surroundings. Watching him with a hint of curiosity I realized that his muscles were tensed, as if waiting for an attack. Why would he be like this at home?
"Hey sensei, guess what I'm learning." I returned my attention to Sasuke with a smile playing at my lips.
"What are you learning?"
"Goukakyuu no Jutsu. Soon I'm going to be as strong as Aniki." I glanced at the elder Uchiha discreetly through my lashes and saw the ghost of a smile playing at the edges of his mouth. I looked back at Sasuke and found an entreating expression upon his face.
"That's incredible Sasuke. I'm sure that you should be able to complete it in no time." It was at this point that Mikoto returned with dinner. The table was soon laden with a feast of foods and I found my plate stuffed to the brim by a mothering Uchiha.
"So Seira-san I have heard wonderful things about you. Your healing escapades have become legendary. How are you handling that?"
"Well it was tough at first. The reason I have been excelling at such an amazing rate has been due to an irregularity in my chakra system." All three Uchihas perked up at this.
"What type of irregularity?" A toneless voice prompted me to continue my explanation. I hesitated before continuing, I still wasn't completely comfortable with my condition.
"After the attack my chakra points stabilized at about a third of the normal size for tenketsu. Because of this I can completely regulate my chakra output. Basically I can't do jutsu that are very large or are completed by large bursts of chakra, but in exchange I have perfect chakra control. It's great because it makes the medic jutsu much simpler to do as well as genjutsu, but it also limits what ninjutsu I can do."
"What attack?" I froze as Sasuke's innocent question alerted me to my slip. I felt the blood drain from my face as my mind raced back to that night.
"Are you ready to give up like the bitch you are? Have you finally had enough?" He was towering over me; a smirk was playing on his lips. I almost remained down. I really did. It was so useless to keep fighting. I had never felt so weak before, so helpless.
I could vaguely hear Mikoto berating Sasuke in the background.
After a minute or two the men moved back and I saw the mangled body of Uzumaki Naruto.
My heart began to race, I forced my eyes closed and clenched my teeth as I tried to shake the painful images out of my mind.
He ripped my shirt, causing me to gasp. He forced his tongue into my mouth as he continued to grope me.
I powerful pressure snapped me out of my memories as it paralyzed my muscles. I opened my eyes to see Itachi focused upon me. My mind lost its panic as I felt the force lessen into non-existence. My breathing evened out and I realized that both Mikoto and Sasuke were looking at me with concern.
"I'm sorry," my voice was shaking slightly, "I shouldn't have reacted so strongly. Your question just dredged up some bad memories that I wasn't prepared for." I tried to play the situation off with a nervous laugh, but I could tell I hadn't fooled anyone. " Really, I'm okay. I didn't mean to ruin our dinner." My host was quick to wave off my apology.
"It's quite alright Seira-san, living with shinobi has taught me that sometimes you can't control these things." I nodded my head in agreement before picking up my chopsticks and continuing eating. Mikoto resumed her chatter, but I was focused on the Uchiha prodigy. His head was bent as his hand moved with a thoughtless grace. Why would he help me? Why did he intervene when he could have learned more about me through inaction. Itachi was as much a mystery to me as I was to him. We were mutual enigmas. I chuckled inwardly.
He lifted his gaze to meet mine; our eyes locked. Mine clearly asked: why? I watched as another flicker, an ember of something, broke the cold obsidian. I say ember because the emotion seemed to hold warmth; for one moment his eyes held something besides the calculating darkness. I turned away and listened to Mikoto and Sasuke talking. By the time dinner finished it was dark out and Mikoto insisted that Itachi walk me home. We walked away from the compound in a semi-comfortable silence.
"Why did you help me?" His face was blank as he watched me.
"I don't know." He seemed frustrated with himself, a faint edge of irritation was present in his voice. "Why do you mistrust me?" I looked at him taking in a deep breath. Should I answer truthfully or lie? He answered me truthfully. I braced myself and gazed into his eyes.
" I don't trust your abilities." He stared blankly, which pushed me to continue. I gave an aggravated sigh before continuing. " You're very powerful Itachi and many are trying to use you. I mistrust you because I know that you won't let yourself be used much longer. This is my stop." I turned to go up the stairs before turning suddenly. This is my only chance to offer the olive branch. "Itachi," he paused, "if you ever need to talk or cool off, I'll be here for you. Goodnight." I turned away,
"Goodnight Seira-san." I didn't look back as I ascended the stairs to my apartment. Once inside I leaned against the front door and slid to the ground. Kaze walked over and sat with me.
"Hey boy. Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, it won't change anything?" I couldn't see him, but his head nodded in reply to my question. "Why am I asking you, you're a dog?" I stroked his fur as I stared up at the ceiling. "Let's head to bed." I threw on an over-large t-shirt to sleep in before allowing myself to succumb to dreamland.
I was dancing in a ballroom surrounded by an array of alluring guests. My partner led me around the ballroom, his expertise made up for my lack of experience. Many watched as we floated around the dance floor. I could feel the material of my dress twirl around my body as he spun me out and then back in. The waltz ended and he bowed to me taking my hand and placing a chaste kiss upon it before leading me away. I tried to look at his face, but it was hidden in shadow. I gave up and turned my eyes towards the strikingly majestic figures that surrounded me.
I squirmed with the realization that I could never come anywhere near their elegance and grace. Suddenly my guide's cool hands turned me to face a gilded mirror hanging from the wall causing me to gasp in shock. I was beautiful. My eyes glowed a peaceful blue, reminiscent of the glassy ocean water. Dark lashes under slender eyebrows framed them. My lips were smooth and a soft glossy pink, so unlike the usually weather beaten tissue. Normally straight hair fell to my shoulders in elegant curls. I was clothed in a gorgeous blue dress that fell like water and pooled at my feet. A stunning band of diamonds glistened from its place upon my neck. I noticed the man had left and I pursued him into the gardens. I was jerked as someone grabbed my elbow and spun me around. I came face to face with a beautiful girl with shining blonde hair and bright blue eyes set in flawless skin. She was perfect in her beauty. Her face was contorted with anger.
"This is my world and my dream, get lost. How could you have a hope of winning against someone as perfect as myself. Nothing beats fate, so nothing can beat fate's player." She sneered at me and I felt myself frown and reply to her.
"At least I'm not some perfect Sue. I don't care what it takes I'll beat you no matter what. They aren't your playthings, they are people." She scoffed at me before turning with a swish of pale pink fabric and stalking off. She called back over her shoulder.
"If you get in my way, I'll kill you. He's mine." I stared back defiantly before turning back towards the garden. A pale moon stood guardian over a hauntingly beautiful land. The hill was covered in a see of silvery grass. Standing alone on top of the hill was a tall thin man. His face was cast in shadows, but the moonlight illuminated a shock of white hair. A soft voice was beckoning me to come forward. He started to turn towards me and then, I woke up.
"Grr, what the hell was that?" I found the dream unsettling, like it wasn't the first time I had seen the man or the sueish girl. You know that déjà vu feeling you get. That was how I was feeling. It seemed too real. Shaking my head to rid myself of stupid thoughts I stretched before peering blearily around the room. The morning light was streaming through my curtains, illuminating my bedroom. I hopped out of bed and got ready for the day. I entered my kitchen to find Naruto putting breakfast on the table. "How is my little chef doing today?" He grinned up at me.
"I'm good Nee-chan, how was dinner at Sasuke-teme's house?" I frowned at the nickname.
"Naruto, why did you call him that?" Naruto recognized the subtle chastisement and bowed his head slightly.
"Well he never plays with anybody, he just keeps to himself. He's a snob." I started to shake my head sadly.
"Naruto, Sasuke's shy. He grew up his whole life trying to please adults and his only true friend is his brother. I don't think he's ever had friends your age, kind of like you. If you reach out to him I'm sure he'll play with you. Besides, he's probably afraid of increasing the size of his fan club." Naruto giggled as I ruffled his hair. I looked around the apartment and I realized how crowded it was. Even with only two people in here frequently it was still becoming cramped. I sighed thinking about the cost of a larger apartment, or a house. I had a quite a bit saved up from my many jobs, but it still wasn't tons. Maybe if I got another job I could save enough to buy a house by the end of the year.
" Anybody home?" I blinked several times to find Naruto's hand waving in front of my face. I grinned sheepishly before looking around. The table was cleared and Naruto was ready to go.
"Whoops. Let's get going to the Academy. You know that you're going to be staying at Suzume's tonight because of my-"
"Date with Iruka-sensei. Can I wait until I see your dress?" I ruffled his hair again.
"Sure you can, and you can give him the 'if you hurt her I'll kill you speech' just like any other overprotective brother. You weren't able to give it before the other dates." He laughed and ran out the door. I smiled as I followed him, my mind drifted back to my dilemma from earlier. Oh, maybe I could go on some missions outside of Konoha to gain some cash. The idea had merit so I decided to talk to the Hokage about it.
"Nee-chan, Iruka-sensei is here." I finished putting on some mascara before smoothing out my dress and looking at myself in the mirror. Normally I didn't wear make-up, but now I had used a touch to enhance my features. I smoothed the fabric of the simple black satin dress that I was wearing. I was shorter than I was used to, falling just above the knee. I adjusted the two-inch strap, before fixing 'the girls' as I have so lovingly dubbed them, so that the dress fell comfortably from the empire waist. I picked up a silver necklace that was lying on the dresser and gently placed it around my neck. It was a sparrow with a fan behind it, and I loved it. I stepped out into my bedroom to find Kaze chilling on my bed.
"What do you think?" He hoped off the bed and barked excitedly. I laughed and petted his head. "I'll take that as an 'absolutely gorgeous'." I strode out into the living room with and air of feigned confidence. The boys and Suzume looked up at the clicking of my black heels. Iruka blushed, Naruto gaped, and Suzume smiled.
"Nee-chan, when did you get so pretty?" I frowned before stalking over and smacking him upside the head.
"What kind of a question is that?" He blushed before stammering an apology. I sighed and turned to my date. "Sorry to keep you waiting Iruka." This broke him out of his trance.
"It's no problem at all Seira, you look beautiful." I smiled at him before saying good-bye to Naruto and Suzume and following him out the door. We made our way to a small restaurant that was known for its great food. We made small talk until we reached the restaurant. This was our fourth date since the day that Iruka asked me out to dinner. At first I had been pleased with the attention, back home I hadn't dated. Iruka was everything I had ever wanted in a boyfriend, or so I thought.
It had started with him kissing me goodbye at the end of our second date. I had expected a spark, a jolt, a tingle racing up my spine. I got nothing. Nada, zip, zilch. It was just a kiss, nothing more, nothing less. There was no spark, no undeniable chemistry. Iruka was a great friend, but it had taken me until now to realize that that was all he would ever, could ever be. We were seated quickly and soon the food was out and ready to eat. Iruka started to look uncomfortable as he played with his food.
"Seira, there's something I need to tell you and I can't stall any longer." His eyes held a determined glint and I braced myself. Not good, not good.
"Iruka you don't-"
"I think we should stop dating." I stopped as his words registered. He looked nervous and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you serious?" I couldn't have been happier, or at least relieved. Iruka misinterpreted my facial expressions and started to explain.
"I'm sorry it's just that there isn't a spark-" I interrupted him,
" or a jolt of something. You're a great person, but-" He took over my sentence smiling slightly,
" I don't love you I think we should remain-" I smiled as I finished the statement,
"friends." His faced relaxed as he realized that we both felt the same way.
"I'm so glad that you agree, I didn't want to loose you as a friend." I smiled at him.
"I'm glad that you wanted to keep this relationship platonic like me." We finished our meal and Iruka walked me home. I was a tad sad that I was single again, but I would rather be with nobody instead of with someone I could never love. He wished me goodnight before returning home. What a day.
A/N: I'm going to apologize to all of the Iruka shippers out there. I know you're probably in mourning, but hold faith in the fact that Iruka will fall in love with someone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried to incorporate several different scenes into one chapter. Pictures of the dresses are in my profile. Please review and tell me how you think I'm doing.