Itachi's mine was reeling. Koka, his small, quiet and reclusive friend, had done something that could place her in jeopardy. She was training her visions to be stronger, and she was bringing them on by her own will.
"Koka…" First the first time in a long time, the young Uchiha heir felt his mouth dry in fear. Fear for his friend.
"Koka, you know the danger this will put you in." Kakashi was the one who spoke, voicing their thoughts with a seriousness they were unaccustomed to.
Koka did not waver. Instead she nodded. "It must be done."
Itachi felt his heart twisting. He did not like this one bit. Looking around the small table, he could see the other two boys did not either. The air was tense, Koka the only one seemingly unaffected. Then Kakashi let out a sigh, easing the tension.
"Well then I guess we can't let either of you girls out of our sight now." Kakashi said it so nonchalantly that it broke the remaining tension. Koka let out a long suffering sigh.
"Yes, yes. Do what you want." Her tone had Kakashi crinkling an eye into a smile and even Itachi and Shisui managed out a smile. At least Koka would always be Koka. The group quietly moved on to other topics.
It was finally time for Koka's birthday party. The small girl was all but ordered by Kaede to stay in her study room. Koka tried to say that keeping her away from the set up would be pointless, but the blond girl insisted that it was the idea of it that mattered.
Koka gave in, retreating to her study room. Itachi stayed with her, keeping the small girl company as she worked on various scrolls. She had just finished one when her eyes began to change, prompting Itachi to look up from his own scroll he had been reading.
"Koka?" The Uchiha questioned his friend. The vision had faded quickly, but left her furrowing her brows.
"Our new resident may be coming sooner than expected." The girl was quiet, and to Itachi's eyes she looked troubled.
"Is that a bad thing?" She shook her head.
"It is the reason that the event was pushed up that concerns me." Itachi waited for her to explain more. It was not often that Koka share her visions, but when she did, Itachi allowed her to do at her own pace.
"Itachi, this boy," Her own blue eyes met his, and Itachi felt the seriousness of the situation,
"This boy is so important. He will save the world, over and over. He will be the one to bring peace to the nations. Even without my interference, he will do all of that and more."
She looked troubled, but Itachi said nothing. This was too important for him to rush her. Finally she continued.
"But he feels so much pain. I want to help him." Koka was struggling to put the words together.
Itachi knew her better than anyone, but even then it was rare for her to open up to him. Koka was a very private and quiet girl. Expressing affection and her feelings was something that she rarely did.
"This boy, to me, is what Sasuke is to you. That is how I feel." Itachi was silent before nodding.
"Then I will help you."
"It's because it is you that I know you will do so, even without seeing it." Itachi gave a small smile as Koka turned back to her scrolls.
In a roundabout way, she had given him a compliment, but also expressed her trust in him. It made the warm feeling his chest grow once again.
It was a few hours later that Koka sighed and put down her scroll.
"It's about time." Though her voice and face were perfectly controlled, like usual, Itachi could still see the gleam of excitement in Koka's eyes. He stood up, helping Koka to her feet as Shisui bounded in.
"Time to go kids." He announced, receiving a dry look from both Itachi and Koka.
"Says the one acting like a child." Shisui's mouth dropped in response to Koka's quick retort. Itachi smothered a laugh at his cousin's expense. Koka truly was in a good mood if she was in the mood to joke around. Itachi decided to have some fun with it.
The Uchiha heir turned Koka and gave an elegant bow.
"May I escort you, my lady?" Koka raised an eyebrow but played along.
"Indeed you may, good sir." She took his offered arm and the two walked off towards the party. The small girl through one more comment over her shoulder.
"Shisui, the flies will get in." It was enough to snap him out of the shock induced by his cousin and Koka. He followed after them, complaining with a smile.
The shrine had been decorated in blue streamers and hanging lanterns. Butterfly ornaments hung from various places and sat on tables and the tables were filled with food and presents for the young girl. Koka took it all in with wide eyes. A vision could never compete with the real thing.
"Kaede, this is amazing." The older girl beamed with accomplishment.
"Koka-nee-chan! Happy Birthday!" The youngest of the Uchiha hurled himself into her legs, them being the only thing he was tall enough to hug. Itachi put a hand to her back to help keep her from toppling, but the weeks of training under Heiwa were beginning to show. The blue eyed girl barely stumbled.
"Thank you Sasuke." She released Itachi's arm and bent to pick Sasuke up. The young boy quickly latched on to hug her better. Itachi smiled. Koka really did have a soft spot for his younger brother. He looked around as Koka talked to Sasuke.
As expected, Heiwa stood with Mikoto, though Itachi was slightly surprised to see his own father there. Kakashi was talking with Fugaku quietly about something, and Kaede stood with Shisui next to Itachi and Koka. The blind haired girl finally cracked and pulled Koka over to the table. It was time to eat and then open presents.
Koka sat out on the engawa, Sasuke asleep on her lap. Itachi sat to her left and Kaede to her right. On the other side of Kaede was Shisui. The children were watching the stars together, enjoying the warm night.
The night had gone well. Fugaku had been more than civil, something that still surprised Itachi, and he and Mikoto had given Koka some new books. Heiwa had given Koka a new kimono and ribbons for her hair. Kakashi had given her a new training fan, one a little heavier than her current one, so as to help her build up her strength.
The girl shifted a little as Sasuke stirred in his sleep. Koka looked down briefly at the sleeping child, petting his hair to send him back to sleep. Her new bracelet tinkled lightly with the movement.
It had been Itachi's gift. Small, silver charms hung from it, matching the necklace he himself wore. In her other hand, Koka still held the gift Kaede had given her. A book that Itachi had only heard of, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja. She had been reading it to Sasuke until the young boy fell asleep. Shisui himself had given her a bookmark and a new ink and brush set. She went through them faster than either of the shinobi boys.
"This was a good day." The children looked over at Koka. The blue eyed girl was staring up at the stars. Kaede and Shisui grinned and Itachi smiled as he replied.
"Yeah, it was." There was a small smile on Koka's face.
A/N Want to know who is coming to the shrine? Review Review Review! Also, Id' like to take the time to thank you guys. Seeing all the followers, favorites and reviews is truly amazing for me. So thank you everyone for your support.