Chapter 21 - Alcohol
Itachi had been sitting at home for the last few hours, and although he knew it was late, probably midnight by now, he wasn't tired yet. He had resorted to reading his book in the ancient armchair but snapped his head up towards his door when he heard the sound of glass smashing from the direction of Hitori's apartment. He hadn't even realised that she was home, more than likely from having his nose in his novel, and got up to investigate the sound. When he had gotten back from HQ, he had planned to see if she was alright, but she wasn't at home.
Her apartment door was still half open, but he knew that she kept it open sometimes because only one of her windows actually opened. She had been away for a week and was probably trying to air the place out, especially since she had been having a tough time with Inari's death. He announced his presence by knocking on the open door and strolled in casually, expecting to see a huge mess. The mess wasn't so bad, but Hitori was pushing the glass into one corner with her bare foot and he felt like screaming.
"What are you doing?!" he said with more alarm than he attempted to convey, and she spun around lazily, just barely acknowledging him. He could smell sake in the air, and gathered that she had been drinking.
"What? Did I disturb you?" she turned back away and continued her attempt at tidying up the glass, and Itachi sighed softly.
"You're going to cut yourself." she paid him no mind and kept going anyway. "You're a shinobi, and you managed to break a glass." his voice became more relaxed, knowing that she wasn't going to listen to his lecturing.
"Ahh, I'm only human." she waved her hand to brush off his comment, and he heard her chuckle softly.
"And you've been drinking." he leant against her fridge and crossed his arms over his chest.
She finally turned to him and he could tell from the way her eyes roamed over him that she was taking in his appearance for a moment. His hair was out, not in its usual ponytail, and he was in a simple black tank top, and stone-grey track pants that came to just below his knees. His sharp eyes didn't miss the way her gaze lingered momentarily and she looked back away from him, placing the kettle on the stove, blatantly ignoring the pile of glass near her feet.
"Yes, I have been. What's your point?" she grabbed out a pot and a package from her cupboards and he just decided to stay quiet and watch her.
Even though she was drunk to an extent, she was still rather graceful and he was surprised that she had actually knocked a glass off the counter after seeing her move around fairly well. It was only the delay in her reactions, and slowed movements that made it obvious. Shinobi were usually fairly good at doing normal things while under the influence. She moved around him carefully when she grabbed a pair of chopsticks from her drawers.
Her stove element clicked to life until flame appeared and she placed the pot down after half filling it with water. She opened the brightly coloured packaging and placed the dry noodles in the water which soon came to the boil. Quietly, he watched her make her late night snack and stayed quiet. Hitori turned the element off after a few minutes and placed the pot on a hot mat on the counter behind her. She stirred the contents until she was satisfied and blew on a mouthful before shovelling it in at an alarming pace.
"Did you not eat dinner?" He asked her with a teasing hint to his tone.
"You know what I heard today?" She ignored his question completely. "I heard three ladies who must have been in their sixties talking about a handsome young man with long dark hair who helped one of them with her shopping this morning." Her tone was purposely dramatic and melodic.
She turned to him briefly and smirked darkly. He figured that she had a point to her story and waited patiently for her to finish two more mouthfuls of noodles before she continued her tale. As per usual, she did everything in outbursts, a mouthful, then half of some epic tale, then more food, as so on. It was something that he'd always found rather amusing about her, and it was always funny.
"Apparently, one of her bags broke and he helped her carry her things back to her house." Her voice was purposely over dramatised. "They were flitting about talking about how young and handsome he was."
"Is there a point to your story?" He prompted her after she stayed silent for a moment.
"Mmm. I just thought it was funny that old ladies have a crush on you. You'll have a fan club in no time!" She tilted her head right back and cracked up laughing like a mad woman.
Itachi couldn't resist his own soft chuckle but he found Hitori's amusement much funnier than her story. Even when he was younger, there had been a few old ladies in the village who liked him because he had helped them on occasion. It was amusing that it had happened once again now that he was back. He just thought it was the courteous thing to do. But he wasn't interested in how the old ladies of Konoha felt about him.
He wanted to know how what Hitori saw when she looked at him and what she felt for him. If and how she saw him as a man, and as a person.
"I'm afraid I have no interest in women older than me." He responded as she finally slowed her laughter to continue eating.
"Is that right? What is your type then, Uchiha?" She asked with her mouth half full. Her question was meant to be a jab, but he found he could only answer her seriously.
"Someone who can see the man I am underneath my faults and flaws. A woman who can make me feel like I am wanted and loved. Someone who makes me feel like I am good enough for her, despite how broken I am."
She glanced sidelong and sobered at his serious tone, as she slurped a mouthful of noodles awkwardly. Once she swallowed, she stood up to her full height and stared at her bowl with unfocused, sad eyes. Her bottom lip came between her teeth and she sighed softly, but he could see her shoulders drop. A wistful smile came across her face and he could see a tinge of sadness in her eyes as she looked at him for a long moment. It wasn't awkward anymore, just strangely silent as she analysed him briefly.
"I hope you find someone like that. You deserve happiness, Itachi." Her sudden seriousness somewhat surprised him, but he should be used to her occasional bursts of profundity. As usual, her mood changed rapidly. He was surprised that she matched him.
"What about you?" He asked, his heart hammering louder than it was before in his chest and he waited for her answer.
He knew very well that regardless of her swagger, she was a romantic deep down. A lot of her books had a strong romance element to them, mostly with the guy and girl going up against the world, falling in love and beating the bad guys. It seemed that although she had a tough exterior, she was softer on the inside than she wanted to admit. It wasn't uncommon for shinobi to be like that, since most of them simply cut themselves off from their feelings to avoid pain and hurt if they lost those they cared about. He also couldn't deny that somewhere in his soul that he longed for an affectionate and understanding partner who would be patient with him. Clearly, he was still human.
"Can't say I've given it too much thought. Didn't think I would end up with a love life after choosing to be a shinobi." She tilted her head back and looked up as if she was seeing the stars and not the ceiling. "I always expected to be alone. Live fast and die young, you know."
The loneliness and yearning in her voice made him want to march over and embrace her, but he resisted the urge. His suspicion was right, she really was a romantic. Maybe she had read all those stories to satisfy her need to experience such things, since she didn't think she would have any of it herself. It made him sad to know that she felt this way, but he shared her feeling, and understood why she hadn't expected anything. The love life of adult shinobi usually just consisted of an occasional night in bed with someone you liked just enough and that was usually all. Getting attached just hurt everyone involved if someone was to die in the field. They tended to keep their relations strictly physical so as to avoid unnecessary heartbreak. Happy endings were rare.
"Isn't that the fate of shinobi though? We train, we fight and we die?" Although she was smiling, it was not a happy expression.
"Am I not an example that fate isn't absolute?" He answered her question with one of his own and watched her chuckle softly before she responded.
"Of course. You are always the exception to the rule, Itachi." Her silvery eyes softened and her smile became a little more cheery. He was glad to see her pain was lessened from her friend's death.
"So you've said before."
It seemed that he had ruined her playful buzz, but he didn't exactly regret their conversation. "I'm going to get some shut eye. Night."
She dumped her dishes in her sink and placed a small, but firm hand on his shoulder as she went past. He turned with her as she headed towards the bedroom, but didn't move from his spot against the fridge. After she closed her bedroom door, he quickly cleaned up the broken glass in the corner and rinsed her dishes so she wouldn't have to do it later. When he was done, he closed her apartment door behind him and headed across the hall to his place.
Turning his lights off as he went through, he took a seat in the darkness on the edge of his bed. He placed a hand on his shoulder, where hers had been minutes ago and took a deep breath, holding it briefly before letting it go. The memory of her sad eyes and smile came to mind, and it tugged at his heartstrings. A woman as bright, funny and kind as Hitori should not have to feel like that. She should be fighting men off with a stick, not expecting that no one will ever love her in her lifetime. Someone like her should not have to be worried about dying without ever being loved. There should be men lining up to court her and take her out on dates, and try to make her decide that he was the right one for her.
Although she was right about the lives of shinobi, that didn't mean that she couldn't try and find love in the meantime. Wasn't it love for her village that made her want to become a shinobi? Wasn't it love for those around her that made her want to be strong and protect them? Maybe she was just missing the obvious, or maybe ignoring it on purpose. If she convinced herself that she didn't love, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much when comrades and friends died in action. But he had seen how torn up she was about Inari, so she mustn't be too good at lying to herself.
Itachi wasn't sure, since Hitori was one of his only friends in the entire world. But he knew that it would rip his heart out to see her hurt. It pained him to even see her so sad and lonely and he wondered if maybe his friendship had helped any. He knew that she wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but maybe having someone to share a pot of tea with on the rooftop was good enough for her. Regardless, he hoped that as a friend he had been of some help at least.
Though he couldn't quite deny that part of him didn't want to be just friends…
Hitori woke up and immediately groaned loudly. Her head hurt and her mouth was dry, which was to be expected after how much she had drank last night with Haruko. Luckily, she had placed a full bottle of water on her bedside table and after she sat up, she downed the entire bottle. She channeled some chakra to ease the tension in her head and felt the pain fade into a barely noticeable, dull thud.
Once she got up, she headed straight for the bathroom and washed up. Not bothering too much with her wet hair, she threw it up in a messy bun before she headed back to her room and grabbed clean clothes. Picking out a pair of old, stone gray track pants and a baggy shirt to laze around in, she got dressed before she heard a knock at the door.
Uchiha Itachi's chakra flared from the other side and she flared her's in answer to permit him entry. She heard the door open and piled her dirty clothes together in a basket as he came to stand in her doorway.
"Morning." She greeted with a still drowsy voice.
"Good morning. How are you feeling?" He asked politely, and although her headache was sorted, she was glad for his being soft-spoken.
"Not too bad. Being a medic has its advantages." She answered with a smirk and he returned it faintly.
"I'm going to get something to eat. Would you like to join me?" His question surprised her, but she didn't let it show.
"I am quite hungry, but I am also grumpy and hungover. You don't need to deal with that so early in the morning." She said with a laugh, although she was entirely serious.
"I always enjoy time with you, Hitori." His small smile made her stop in her tracks and she felt her heart begin to speed up.
"Tsk. Don't complain later on if I'm intolerable then." She shrugged to try and hide her surprise at his kind words.
Itachi was always polite and respectful, but this was on another level. Guys didn't speak to her like that...ever. She wasn't used to it; not even Haruko was so nice to her. As lovely as it was, it was also somewhat frustrating. She guessed that he simply didn't realise, but talking like that to someone was a sure fire way to get them to fall for you. Even more so if you were a gorgeous, honourable man who was way out of her league. He was so intelligent, but she knew he still had trouble with his emotions, so he probably just didn't get it. It wouldn't be on purpose; he was much too kind for that. She shouldn't be mad at him for making her heart flutter like that, but the feeling rose within her anyway. It seemed that she was destined to try and punch above her weight, only to fail miserably.
"I'll need to change so…" she gestured for him to move and he nodded before walking in the direction of her front door.
With a confused sigh, she grabbed out a new outfit and threw it on quickly. It was a pair of form fitting, blue pants that were cropped at calf height. Her baggy shirt had changed to a plain black, v-necked singlet. She left her hair as it was, deciding that if she went to anymore effort, her brain would convince itself that she was going on a date.
Since that was not the case, she took one last look in the mirror and headed out to her door. She carefully stepped past Itachi to slide her shoes on and he did the same. He closed the door behind them and they stayed silent as they headed towards the restaurant district. While they walked, she could feel his eyes upon her occasionally, and she tried to remember to stop being in a bad mood. He was nice enough to invite her to breakfast, she shouldn't be acting like a bitch.
"Where would you like to go?" She asked him with a slightly forced smile, but hoped that pretending might help.
"Your choice. You are the one who is hungover." He offered as he glanced sidelong at her with his own tiny smile on his face.
"Mmm, I want...eggs. And toast. And juice." She mused out loud and heard his soft huff.
"This way it is then."
He gestured towards their left where there was a small cafe that was only open for breakfast. Hitori rarely ever went because she wasn't normally bothered to go so far for breakfast, if she felt like eating at all. But she was rather ravenous this morning, probably because she didn't have a proper dinner last night. Instead she had a bowl of instant noodles and that obviously didn't suffice.
They were seated immediately although it was busy, but not crazy and Itachi even pulled her seat out for her before he sat down himself. Hitori's eyes almost fell out of her head in shock, but she buried her head in the menu to distract herself. A waitress returned a minute later to ask them if they wanted to order drinks.
"Could I please get a freshly squeezed orange juice?" He asked and Hitori would have laughed at his tone if she wasn't so distracted.
"I'll have the same, please." She answered and quickly went back to putting her nose in the menu.
She already knew what she wanted but it was more or less a reason to escape Itachi's eyes for a few minutes. It was enough for her to feel like her heart was racing whenever he said something nice to her, but now she was just confused as to whether he was doing all this as a friend, or something more. As strongly as she doubted the latter, there was a faint inkling in the back of her mind that kept her on her toes. But she gathered it was simply her lonely and romantic mind playing tricks on her and ignored it as best she could.
Their juice arrived and Hitori downed half the glass in one go after they ordered their food. She tapped her feet against the floor in satisfaction and Itachi smiled at her. They made simple conversation until their food arrived and the conversation died off when Hitori began shovelling food into her mouth, and she was too hungry to help it. After they finished eating, Itachi swiftly paid the bill before Hitori could realise and they wandered aimlessly in the direction of their building.
For the most part, they were quiet on the way home but it was because Itachi was in his own world and Hitori was happy for him to space out if he needed to. He snapped out of it when she waved her hand in front of his face after they had reached his front door.
"Sorry, I was elsewhere." He still seemed somewhat distracted and wondered if he had seen or thought of something that had started his train of thought.
"It's alright. Thank you for breakfast, Itachi. You're very sweet." She smiled at him and this only seemed to further his thought process as he nodded quickly and disappeared into his apartment.
He wasn't rude or brusque, but it was just a little bit different than normal. Usually he would wait for her to walk across the hall and wave to him from her door before he closed his, but he didn't waste a second this time. Shrugging at his randomness, she decided to curl up on the lounge with a blanket and put the TV on. She didn't exactly have the mental capacity today to read a book, so staring at the screen would have to do.
She dozed lightly for almost the whole day, only getting up intermittently to have some water and use the bathroom. Once her stomach began to rumble, she fixed herself a quick dinner and ate in in front of the TV before she headed off to bed.
Even though she had dozed all day, her emotional turmoil over the last few days had taken it out of her and she had no trouble falling asleep but staying asleep was the problem…