Chapter 9: The Return

Saya was absently humming as she wrote up the week's specials onto a blackboard sign just outside the restaurant, when she suddenly heard a familiar, yet unexpected voice.

"Sa~yaaaaAAAA!"

She only had time for a startled gasp-turned-shriek as she was swept up into a bear hug and spun around wildly, her apron-strings flying. "Shunsui*!" she admonished, half-laughing, as her larger friend deposited her back onto solid ground with a mischievous grin, "You almost gave me a heart-attack!" she clutched her chest dramatically, but couldn't help the massive smile from breaking out across her face as she drank in his features.

"You grew a beard!" she exclaimed, dusting the chalk off her hands.

"Like it?" He stroked the short brown goatee with a flourish. He was wearing a lime green and blue polka-dot sash which barely covered his half-exposed chest, his signature well-worn guitar bag slung across his back. Shusui was a travelling musician with a long pony-tail, a big personality, and a rather loud fashion-sense. She'd met him on her travels a few years ago and they'd become firm friends, though she hadn't seen him for a few months now.

"It suits you," confirmed Saya, but then frowned. "You look thinner - have you been eating enough?"

"Good god, woman, it hasn't been five minutes and you're already trying to feed me!" he threw his hands up. "You haven't changed one bit-"

Saya flinched, and thought of Itachi - she had been too overbearing with him, and look what had happened! "Sorry, I didn't mean to be all, you know... Me." she trailed off, drooping.

He frowned at her. "Why are you apologising?!" he asked.

She sighed, "Well, I've recently become aware that I have a tendency to, uh, you know... fuss." she explained. "So I'm trying to work on it - I guess I just fell into old habits." The initial high of seeing one of her best friends again was fading, being replaced by the gloom that was her new normal since the 'Uchiha Incident'. The Uchiha compound pass was burning a hole in her apron pocket, but she had resolutely avoided going to compound in the week since Mikoto had given it to her - though the whole encounter had been really weird, she somehow trusted that her message would be passed on. If Itachi still didn't come and find her, well... she'd return the pass and leave him in peace.

Shunsui grabbed her shoulder, "Has someone complained?" he demanded, looming over her protectively. He gave her a little shake so that she had to look up at him.

"Well, no-" she responded testily.

"Did some asshole make you think you were being an annoyance?"

"No!" she protested, freeing herself with a shrug. She crossed her arms mulishly. "I've just done some self-reflection and I have come to the conclusion that I'm too much of a busybody!"

"Self-reflection is over-rated," Shunsui drawled, waving a hand dismissively, "Listen, there's not a person on this good earth who would not appreciate your 'fussing'," he told her frankly. "You like giving people food and making them feel cared for! You're like, a ray of sunshine in a world that's sometimes a massive pile of stinking shit, you know? To be honest, I lost a bet in that little gambling town - you know, that one you and Fu did that pie-eating contest in that one time - and, well... it's been a shitty last few days. The grass was starting to look appetising on the way here. PLEASE feed me." he fluttered his eyelashes plaintively.

Despite herself, Saya couldn't help smiling again. "You always knew how to cheer me up."

"If feeding me makes you happy, who am I to deny you?" he quipped. "I've actually got exciting NEWS too, I'm not only here to impose on your hospitality."

"Well, now I'm intrigued." She gestured at the blackboard, "Let me just finish up here. I'll find you something to eat and you can tell what your latest scheme is, but why don't you go on inside first and say hi to Matada? I think he's missed you."

"I resent my fantastic plans being called 'schemes'" he said loftily, "But I will go and say hello to the old battle-axe. I've missed him, too." Shunsui cheerfully strolled inside.

There was a few seconds of silence as Saya carefully wrote up the specials, before the afternoon peace was broken again.

"SAYA!" Roared Matada from the back of the kitchens. A flock of birds was startled from the rooftops. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FREELOADER DOING BACK HERE?!"

*A/N: my inspiration for Shunsui is Captain Kyoraku Shunsui from Bleach... think a younger version with a guitar. I don't know why, it just happened this way.

Itachi arrived home just past midnight about three weeks after Mikoto met Saya. He looked exhausted, and barely said a word beyond a tired greeting before disappearing into his room. He had a fresh bandage around one arm, so she knew he had at least been to the hospital - which meant he had already reported into the Hokage as well. She kissed his cheek as he passed by and let him rest.

She didn't know anything about his mission, apart from the fact that he'd packed for a long journey. Before he'd left, he'd tried to smile at her and reassured her that the Hokage had given him a B-rank.

But a B-rank didn't usually take two months and result in an elite ninja getting injured.

Perhaps they should have known; nothing was ever simple with Tsunade. She must have anticipated the mission was incorrectly ranked and sent her best ANBU Captain just in case. If he'd had enough trouble to become injured, it was probably at least A or even S-rank.

And so Itachi was still just a weapon, to be wielded when necessary by those in power.

She went back to sleep with a troubled heart, and renewed motivation for things to change. She had a plan.

The next morning, she let Itachi sleep in, and slipped out of the house to pay a visit to a co-conspirator and set her plan in motion.

She was back in time to hear the faint sounds of her oldest son moving about his room at around 9am - uncharacteristically late, as he usually was up and training before the birds.

Mikoto walked into the kitchen and pressed a kiss of greeting to Sasuke's cheek in passing. He waved her off with an embarrassed "Mom!" and continued with his cereal.

She only smiled and opened the fridge, retrieving the paper package she'd placed behind the milk.

Sasuke watched her, his eyes narrowing briefly, but then he turned back to his meal without saying anything.

Itachi walked in and moved straight to the coffee pot with a side-smile at his brother.

"You look like crap." The younger Uchiha remarked, with his mouth full. His words were dismissive, but a faint hint of worry was in his eyes as they tracked his brother's slow movements.

"Why thank you," Itachi returned drily, stifling a yawn as he prepared his coffee. Black, with far too many spoons of sugar to be healthy. "I'm fine." Despite his 8 hours of sleep, the bags under Itachi's eyes looked like bruises, and he was still in the clothes he'd arrived in last night. He was definitely far from fine.

Mikoto waited, lingering by the breakfast counter patiently.

Itachi took a sip of coffee, sighed, and turned around. His sleep-soft eyes landed on his mother's serene expression, watching him closely, then shifted to the brown package innocuously sitting on the table in front of her.

He swallowed his sip of coffee. "What's that?" he asked, voice still raspy from sleep.

"This came for you, while you were away." She said, holding out the paper package.

He accepted it, confused, and then opened the top, looking inside.

She watched him carefully as his expression changed to shock, his indifferent mask abandoned for the first time in ages as he stared at the (now quite stale) dango. Shock turned to confusion, and then what looked strangely like raw hope flashed across his face. "Wha- How did-"

Her smile widened at his stuttering.

Sasuke was also staring at his brother with lazerlike intensity as he crunched his cereal. "Saya dropped it off in person." he said baldly. "It almost gave Dad a heart-attack."

Good thing Fugaku was out on clan business - Mikoto would fight that battle when it came to it.

Itachi looked like he was the one about to have a heart attack, looking rapidly between his brother (now rolling his eyes) to his mother, barely concealing her glee. He was at a complete loss of what to say - Mikoto really could not recall ever seeing him so flustered. It was so goddamn cute - and it was everything she needed as confirmation. He OBVIOUSLY liked her. Her son. Liked. A girl.

She decided to help him out a bit. "There's a note," she prompted, nodding at the package.

After a pause, Itachi seemed to gather himself, his expression wiping clean of all emotion, and he pulled the paper out and opened it.

He read the short note in silence, and Mikoto almost fell over as a light dusting of colour rose in his pale cheeks at the message. Before she melted at the cuteness of her fully grown, eldest son blushing – over a gift from a girl! – she turned to leave. She had some laundry to do, after all.

"Wait-!" he stopped her, frowning slightly. He looked at Sasuke and then back to her.

"Hmm?"

"When did this arrive?"

She hummed. "What would say, Sasuke?"

He shrugged, "'Bout three weeks ago?"

"But – that's – " he spluttered, "Three weeks!"

Sasuke snorted.

A slightly wicked gleam appeared in Mikoto's eyes. She affected a thoughtful expression. "You know… Sasuke, didn't you say the girl who delivered it seemed somewhat upset to arrive while Itachi was out?"

Sasuke shrugged. Itachi looked panicked.

"Is there something going on between you?" she tried to look stern.

He blinked. "N-no! No, she's just – Saya works at this restaurant, you see, and I've – well, we're friends." He finished lamely.

Her eyes danced in amusement. "I see. Are you sure? Because now… Oh dear… you've ignored her for three weeks. And your father was quite rude to her, I believe... Perhaps she thinks you're avoiding her on purpose? And after she wrote you that message, too." Mikoto hummed thoughtfully. "She might think you hate her." She mused.

She relished the fleeting look of panic in Itachi's eyes, before he bolted back into his room, and she suddenly heard clothes flying around as he hurriedly got dressed.

"Have a shower!" she called out helpfully, and he uttered a small exclamation before she heard the door to his ensuite bathroom get yanked open.

Back in the kitchen, Sasuke paused, spoon in mid-air, looking slightly freaked out as his mother proceeded to dissolve into giggles against the fridge, hugging her sides.

Not five minutes later, a shape flashed by and the front door slammed as Itachi ran out.

Itachi wasted no time finding his way to the restaurant using the rooftops, flashing across the chimney stacks in seconds. He suppressed his chakra and hid his presence, unwilling to engage with anyone who might know him. The village was full of ninja and he was somewhat of a reluctant celebrity among them.

Reaching his destination with no interruptions, he skidded to a halt on the roof opposite the restaurant and abruptly realized he had no clue what he was going to say.

Some pigeons startled nearby at his abrupt appearance, and he started pacing. The red roof tiles were warm under his feet in the late morning sun. He sensed the barely-there trace of a civilian's chakra signature in her room on the first floor, and her window was open.

But he had no clue what she would say, either. The message had been clear - she wanted to talk, she wanted him to come back... and that was everything. It allowed him to hope. Could it be that - even knowing who he was... what he'd done... she wasn't repulsed by him, after all? She wasn't afraid? She didn't hate him, even as he hated himself?

But maybe it was not so simple. Saya was an incredibly kind person. It was possible - no, likely - that she wanted to see him again and would assure him that they could still be friends. That she didn't see him differently. But behind her smile, even while her intentions were kind, he might see a hesitation, a cautiousness... an insincerity. A lingering distaste for everything he'd done, everything he'd become to do it. Her smile would be a lie. That, he thought to himself with heady despair, would surely break him.

He tugged at his hair and paced a few more times, cursing his insecurity. His weakness. The fact that he'd dwelled on that conversation to unhealthy levels since it happened. Saya? Had probably dropped off the gift as a nice gesture and hadn't thought on it again, especially since it appeared that he had ignored her and his family (oh god, his family...) had already made her feel unwelcome. A slap in the face to a young woman just trying to be nice. Perhaps she was angry with him. Perhaps she was tired of the drama intruding on her life since he'd started hanging around her like an unwanted stray.

Perhaps he should just grow a backbone and FIND OUT.

Before he could agonize any further, he leapt across the gap bewteen the buildings and landed on the windowsill, the curtains blowing open from his abrupt appearance.

And a man sprawled out on Saya's bed yelped and fell off with a crash and a twang that sounded suspiciously like a string instrument getting crushed.

The man scrambled backwards a bit and then stared at him from his position spread-eagled on the floor. Itachi stared back, his mind weirdly blank.

Then the man called out, somewhat shakily, "Uh... Saya? You uh... have a visitor."

The bathroom door opened. Saya was wearing a comfy dressing-gown and had a towel wrapped around her head, with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. She spoke around the toothbrush with some difficulty as she entered the room "Whadya mean I have a-"

Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. "Oh."

And then she choked on the toothpaste.