Chapter Fourteen: "New Beginnings."

After some chastising from Naruto- and Masami, for that matter, I ended up going to sleep a lot easier then usual the last couple of nights because I was running myself a big ragged trying to get this done. Mayumi believed in me, but at the same time she was stuck in her ways and wanted to see if this could really save the shop. Hopefully the rings around my eyes weren't as bad as they had been in ties prior.

I got up that morning and ran through my routine before meeting up with Masami to head into the shop. We may not have had the amount of people coming in like we once did, but there was still a need for us from people who hadn't changed their minds just yet since our work was quality and some people could look beyond their prejudice when they wanted something desperately.

What struck me as odd was the fact that Tsuki wasn't in the shop before either of us. The doors were still shut tight when we arrived, Masami noticed this as well but we didn't think too much about it as we got to work filling the daily orders.

"Have you noticed that boy lingering in the windows?" Masami spoke up.

"He's been coming back every day for the past while." I noted. It wasn't very often we would see men or boys come around the shop, not unless they were picking something up or with their significant other. I didn't recognize the kid though and while it was strange, I was into my work and tried not to focus on it. "Do you know him Masami-chan?"

Masami shook her head. "I don't know him. But he looks like he might be in the Civilian Academy?"

"I'm gonna go and see what he wants, he's been loitering for too long now." I let out a sigh and headed outside of the shop to clear up whatever needed to be done. This kid couldn't have been much older then twelve, so he wasn't all that much younger then Masami from first glance. He had shaggy brown hair and matching eyes, there was something that seemed familiar about him now that I was seeing him upfront but I couldn't put my finger on it.

The kid stared at me. "Are... Are you Sato Midori?"

"That would be me, yes, is there something that you need?" I asked.

He immediately bowed his head to me, hands shaking a bit as he proclaimed. "I want to be your student, please!"

I was at a loss for a words. Me? I think this kid was looking for my mother not me. "I think you want my Mother, Sato Mayumi, she's the head Seamstress here and the true professional."

He shook his head.

He seemed to be rather adamant in his choice of words. "No, I want you to be my teacher. You made something for my cousin some time ago, and I really want to be able to do what you do because it was the cooliest thing I've ever seen, it made my cousin whose usually cruel seem beautiful for once." He stared up at me with bright brown eyes. "My name is Hikasawa Akihiko."

Hikasawa?

Did that mean he was related to Kasumi?

"I know you might not want to teach me because of what my cousin did but I promise she won't be an issue and I'll do whatever it takes to make things right." He said.

I was a little reluctant when I realized whom he was, but I was not going to turn away somebody who seemed like he was really invested into this art. We always need extra hands and a new student for the shop meant promise for the future... Mayumi wouldn't push somebody away if they seemed like they were worth her time. This could benefit in more ways then one. "Well, if you think you can handle this then I have no choice but to take you in as a student, don't I?"

"I hope I don't disappoint you." Akihiko said seriously.

"I'll see you this Monday, do try to be here by eight in the morning at the latest because early mornings are the best time to get things done in this shop." I said. "That gives you two days to get ready and two days for me to tell my Mother we got fresh hands on the job."

Akihiko raised a fist to the air and let out a shout of delight. He was definitely happy that I had made the decision he wanted. I waved him off and went back to it. Masami was staring at me instead of working on the pit of fabric in front of her, she seemed a bit confused and amused at the same time. "What was that all about?"

"...I think I just got my first apprentice?" I said.

Masami burst into a fit of laughter. "Is that such a surprise? You've been doing a lot around here for the last couple of years and people are starting to take notice- in a good way!"

I finally asked what I had put in the back of my head when I first arrived. "Hey, has Tsuki been in at all today like not even in the back of the shop?"

Tsuki hadn't come in that morning and I hadn't seen any sign of her since the day prior. She was never late and usually beat me to the shop to open up most days, and when I asked Masami if she had heard from her she hadn't either which troubled me even more after hearing. I made up my mind that I would visit her after work to make sure that she was okay.

She was only a year or two my senior, and while she did spend her free time on dates with all different sorts of suitors I doubted something had happened with one of them to cause this.

"Masami, if Naruto drops by let him know that I'll be home a little late, okay?"

Tsuki

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure it was him?"

This morning had started out like any other had. She had got out of bed and did her hair and applied some makeup to her face, she got some breakfast with her Aunt Noriko, and then she went on her way to the shop. Today was different because Noriko was gone bright and early due to a meeting, so she started out all alone.

The next thing that she knew Uchiha Itachi was waiting at the door. She was surprised to see the thirteen year old standing there, but his face lacked anything she could read through. He never was one to visit her, not unless he was around Shisui and ended up getting dragged along with him. Something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

It was like tunnel vision and the only words that she heard out of him was "Dead."

Shisui was just here. He had just spent the night with her; They had been together in ways that they probably shouldn't but things had escalated and... He couldn't just be dead. Shisui couldn't be dead, and he most definitely couldn't be dead by his own hand. It wasn't possible and she did not want to believe it. Uchiha Itachi wouldn't joke about something like this so it had to be fact, not fiction.

"Thanks for telling me." Tsuki managed to choke out the words. "I know he was your best friend so this isn't any easier for you to deal with. But, I... I need to be alone." She shut the front door and leaned back against it as her legs began to give out underneath her. She slid down to the ground, eyes welling up with tears.

There had been countless mornings that she had been woken up by Shisui. There was a bit of a reoccurring theme with him, he always showed up just as the moon was beginning to set and the sun was starting to rise and take it's place. She was never much of a person who appreciated being woken up like that, but she almost wished that he was going to knock on her window like he always did before he left her.

There wouldn't be another time like that, she now knew.

The sun was shining through the window and past the sheer fabric to fill the room with an endless ray of light. There was a knock at the window and Tsuki grumbled as she got up to see who had rudely awoken her from her sleep. She removed the the curtain to see it was Shisui. "Shisui, how many times have I told you that I don't like getting up early?"

"Only a handful." Shisui teased.

"Ugh, you jerk." Tsuki opened the glass and crossed her arms over her chest in rebuff. "Are you on your way out of the village for another mission?"

He gave a nod of his head. "Yeah, I'm going to be gone for a little while so I wanted to make sure the last thing I saw in the village was you, so you know, it could tide me over until I got back."

Tsuki felt her face heat up as she gave him a polite shove to his arm. "Don't be charming this early in the morning I'm not awake so I don't have anything ready in response."

"That was the plan." He said.

"I can't believe you sometimes." Tsuki sighed.

Some time later that day there was a knock at the front door and she had to drag herself out of bed to answer it. To her surprise, and relief, it wasn't Itachi again with any more news that would crush her. It was Midori who seemed a bit surprised to see her in such a disheveled state. "Oh my goodness, Tsuki, what's wrong?" She asked.

"..." Tsuki wasn't sure that she had the strength to say it.

"Did something happen with your Aunt or...?" Midori trailed. "We were all concerned when you didn't come in this morning, I almost thought you might have come down with something and got sick but... I can see there's something else going on."

She whispered it but Midori didn't catch it. Her eyes felt like they were going to spill over again with tears and there was really no way that she was going to be able to hold it in this time.

"You don't have to tell me if it hurts to say what's wrong." Midori murmured.

"It's... Shisui." Tsuki finally said.

Midori stared a her for a moment as the name made her jump a bit. Tsuki continued to speak as the words began to storm out of her without a sense of control. "I don't really talk about people I've been with so I know this might been a surprise but I've had something with Uchiha Shisui for a long time, almost as long as I've worked for your Mayumi... and... He's killed himself, according to what Itachi-san told me and I just... I don't know what to do... I just don't want to do anything and it hurts so much, Midori."

"I'm so sorry." Midori snapped out of her daze and pulled Tsuki into a hug.

"I knew I should have sent something to tell you all I didn't want to come in..." Tsuki mumbled.

"You don't need to worry about work, Tsuki. Masami and I can handle ourselves and you don't need to put yourself out when you're hurting like that, okay? That's no good for your health. You take off as much time as you need to and I'll take care of my Mother." Midori said. "You've earned a break after these years so take one."

Tsuki wasn't sure that she could stay away from work for long. "I'll feel bad if I don't contribute..."

"And if you don't want to stay here, you're welcome to spend more time with Masami or myself at our places... Lord knows that the both of us could really use some company more often." Midori continued. "There's nothing wrong with taking some time for yourself, Tsuki, so please consider yourself before you come into work."

"I'll try." Tsuki promised weakly.

"That's all I ask. Now, have you eaten today?" Midori asked as she pulled away. "You know you can't skip a meal because that will make you feel even more lousy."

"Not yet." She admitted.

"Alright. You wait here and I'll go get some things from my house along with Naruto and we'll try and lighten your day just a bit." Midori smiled. "You should see him in the kitchen with me, somebody always gets covered in flour and if that doesn't make you laugh well, I don't know... because you have to see it to believe it."

"Thank you, Midori."

"It's no a problem."

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

I got a bit ahead of myself with how emotional this turned out to be and it ended up taking me a bit longer to put everything together without totally losing my mind. There was really no avoiding what happens, unfortunately, and it's going to sting and make you cry but that's just the reality of things. Midori has made changes, but this is something that she never considered possible to deal with, so with much of the guilt she feels for not being able to fix things will always haunt her.