Crickets chirped in the cool night's air as Naruto stacked his final bundle of kindling neatly by the campfire. Sasuke leaned against a tree and threw a water canteen towards Naruto's head. He gave him a grin before loudly chugging its contents. Sasuke rolled his eyes in response and looked towards the darkening forest. It would take them two more days to reach the Land of Waves where they could finally be rid of their obnoxious and drunken client.
Chizu scared him sometimes, she had an uncanny ability to predict the future and see through people. Although he supposed, that was normal if you lived between life and death on a daily basis.
"Be careful, Sasu-chan. I have a bad feeling about this one," she whispered to him as they walked to the gate together.
"Do you say that to Itachi-nii whenever he leaves too?" Sasuke snapped.
"Sometimes…" Chizu cleared her throat and handed over a bag of bento lunches neatly packaged in storage scrolls. "Please remember to share. I didn't make all of this for one person." She winked and walked over to Kakashi as they arrived at the gate.
"Hatake-san, this is the second brother whose life you've held in your hands. I expect him to arrive home whole, as well."
"Maa, Uchiha-san, you needn't worry about ninja business."
"Kakashi. I am perfectly serious when I say if my brother is not returned whole to me, then I will find a way to end you. Hokage's special protection or not." A small shiver threatened to escape as her soft gaze hardened into cold obsidian.
"Aren't you cute." Kakashi's eye crinkled as he moved away with his back towards the fence. Even though she was a civilian, she was still an Uchiha. Uchiha were never to be underestimated.
Itachi had checked the time twice before deciding to leave the small tea shop. It was unlike Chizu to be late, especially when seasonal green tea was on the line. Two years ago, with their father's blessing, she had opened up a knitting store in the heart of the city. It was only a few blocks away from their meeting place.
As with most everything in their life, Chizu had 'offered' Itachi the opportunity to invest before opening. Which was to say that Chizu talked him into doing something foolish and he complied. This time, however, the gamble was paying off. In hindsight, it had been worth it to empty the vast majority of his life savings. It almost made up for the fact that her 'investment opportunities' turned out to be a way to grift money from him. Occasionally, it made him laugh to himself that Itachi, Captain of ANBU team two and heir to the Uchiha clan, was the proud owner of forty percent of 'Twining Knits and Fine Yarns'.
Of course, Chizu owned sixty percent. Eight years of ANBU salary did not match the generous dowry that Fugaku had set aside when Chizu was born. It had been expected, given her illness. It had also been expected that she would be married at the age of sixteen, as was common among civilian nobility. What had not been expected was for Chizu to be a lesbian. The elders detested the very idea and demanded that she be cast out of their clan. Fugaku laughed at their demands and instead granted her the dowry that had been set aside for a future marriage. Seed money for the business that she and their grandmother had dreamed about for years.
His feet stopped short of the dark green door inlaid with stained glass. It was slightly ajar and the warm smells of wool and vanilla wafted through. Another note hung darkly in the air. One that he was far too familiar with and one that he did not expect at the front door of his sister's store. Blood. For a moment, he too could not breathe.
Beep. Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Beep.
Fugaku ran his hands through his hair as the plastic chair beneath him creaked slightly. The Inuzuka hound on the bed opened an eye and gave him a cursory glance. It had come as no surprise to him that Chizu was in a serious relationship with the Inuzuka heiress. They had been best friends in the academy before Hana became a genin and Chizu began her apprenticeship. The two were inseparable. Bitterness bubbled inside him. He wanted to blame Hana Inuzuka for Chizu's kidnapping. He wanted it to be her fault, because if it wasn't hers, it was his own. His own for not placing enough officers in the downtown region. His own for not figuring out that his eighteen year-old, terminally-ill, civilian daughter was practically an agent for the Hokage.
The stubble on his chin rasped his fingers as they found their way to a new bruise. The last thing he remembered was feeling the satisfying crunch of Minato's nose underneath his fist. The fact that Minato let him go out of pity was the icing on top of a cake of bitterness and self-loathing. If only for a moment it was Hana's fault it could be bearable.
Beep. Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Beep.
"How did this happen?" he whispered to the room. The dog huffed and rose from its post. It laid a heavy head on Fugaku's lap and licked his knee in condolence. He threaded his fingers through the thick fur and bowed his head. There was a soft rap on the door before Hana walked in. She soundlessly checked the monitors and IVs. When he looked up, the young woman bowed before him.
"Stay, Mu," she said to the white dog. "I'm sorry that I wasn't enough, Uchiha-sama. If you'd like, I can tell you what happened. ANBU and Hokage-sama have already debriefed me…" Her voice sounded detached and far away.
"No. I've heard enough of it. I… I know you tried to stop them, Hana-chan. They told me that when you regained consciousness from whatever that white-haired freak did to you, that you tracked them until you and your nin-ken dropped from chakra exhaustion. Itachi told me it's because of you that he was able to find the deserter… I know all this. I do not want to know the details." He took in a calming breath, grateful that he was able to fill his lungs with air. "Sit with me, musume. We'll watch over her together."
Beep. Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Beep.
The proof of life clinging tenuously to its last thread resounded in the sterile room.
AN: If you have the lime, leave a comment and let's taco 'bout it. ;) Thank you so much for reading!