"Here we are! We made it at last." Mikoto sang as she spread out her hand and showed the three of us kids the wonder of the ocean. Sasuke was in my arms and his mouth was hanging wide open as he stared at the glittering sea, unable to believe just how vast and wide and blue it was, and neither could I. it was beautiful, far more beautiful than I could have imagined. It was like an infinite lake, shining like sapphires which turned to deep red rubies as the sun continued to set. "Isn't this wonderful? We have the cabin all to ourselves, so let's make the most of our time here, okay?"
"Wow, can you see Yuki onee-chan? Look at all that water!" Sasuke gasped, still staring with a wide smile. "It's huge!"
"The ocean goes even further than you can see, little brother. So this is only a small part of it." Itachi informed Sasuke, who was overwhelmed with the information and gripped onto me more securely out of dizziness, unable to comprehend just how large the ocean truly was. "Here, Miyuki, let's take a look at the cabin, then we can walk to town and buy things for dinner." Ever the responsible one, Itachi took my hand for me to follow him, however I quickly picked up my pace and changed grips so that he was holding mine.
"I do not mind going if you wish to play, Itachi." I told him softly, giving a smile as we followed Mikoto into the cabin and I let Sasuke down to run off. "It is a vacation for you too." Reaching out I ruffled his hair before informing Mikoto that I was going to the town, asking for a list of things she wanted so Mikoto quickly rattled off a few things which I then committed to memory. "I shall return soon. I'm leaving now." With a bow, I then went back outside and began to head in the direction of the nearest town which was only a mile or so down the road, intending to walk leisurely in order to properly take in the scenery.
After going only a few feet down the road, I heard the door to our cabin burst open and Itachi rushed outside and speedily caught up with me, carrying several carrier bags in his arms. "Miyuki! Miyuki, you forgot the bags to carry the food as well as the money." He informed me with a soft fondness, laughter dancing in his face as I blinked in realisation. "I'll come with you Miyuki, just in case you get lost or forget the ingredients mom wants."
"Oh…alright Itachi. Sorry I forgot." Sighing to myself I silently gave myself a scolding for being so absent minded. I was thirteen for goodness sake, I should be able to better take care of myself and not forget simple things. Shaking it off, I took the bags from Itachi and carried them myself before taking his hand, walking close to him as we set of for the village. "Stay close Itachi, we are in a strange place. We should be cautious."
"I agree." His fingers curled closer around mine and together, we went to the village. The shops were brightly lit and there was a lot of seafood in wide variety, so I took it upon myself to get some for us all to try. I tested and inspected every single item to ensure that it was good quality, especially the fruits and vegetables, and all the while Itachi watched me with a silent curiosity. "Yuki-chan, what is the difference between that vegetable and that one? They all look the same."
"Hm?" Lifting my head, I took a moment for my mind to process Itachi's question before answering. "This one is fresher." I informed him simply, holding it out for him to sniff. "Therefore, it will taste better."
"Oh I see, you always take your time when choosing things, I thought you were just being picky." Itachi teased me, giving me a smile so I gave one back. "Yuki-chan, will you teach me how to cook one day? Mom always does the cooking with you back at home, but I would like to be helpful too." This question caught me by surprise as I paid for the produce I had selected, casting a quick glance towards Itachi.
"But cooking is for the women. That's what the elders say."
"I think men and women should have equal share in the household chores, and besides, what if both you and mom were ill? I don't know how to make soup or porridge or anything like that, so how will I look after you?" Itachi reasoned as we continued on our way, holding hands once more.
"Then I shall never get sick." Itachi laughed, lines appearing at the corners of his mouth as it stretched into the joyous expression.
"Yuki, not even you can stay perfectly healthy forever. Promise you'll teach me soon?" Considering it for a moment, I finally nodded my head in agreement.
"Hm." Itachi was visibly pleased, drawing himself up and lifting my hand towards him as he beamed.
"Mom always works so hard at home, and so do you on top of all your other responsibilities, I admire you for always being on top of everything. If we ever get married, I'll make sure that you have a comfy chair to rest in whilst I do all the housework and bring you meals. I'll feed you until you're as fat as a house cat!" He told me, and although the sentiment was sweet, I did not like the idea of being a fat cat.
"If I were fat, you would not think me pretty, then you would not want to marry me." I reasoned logically, thinking it a perfectly reasonable deduction as it made sense. A man would only marry a woman because he found her beautiful, however Itachi seemed to take immediate offence to the idea, looking up at me with horrified expression.
"Of course not Yuki-chan! I will always find you beautiful no matter what, and one day we'll be husband and wife, and I'll be the one to take care of you and build you a huge house, cook you meals and then we'll have children of our own." Itachi planned our entire future with determination, going into specific details about how many children we were going to have, how many were boys and how many were girls, and even telling me all about how we would watch them grow and play in the garden full of flowers and beautiful trees. "I'll build the perfect life for you, Miyuki, you can rely on me." I smiled softly at Itachi, thinking how cute his sincerity was.
"Itachi, you are still very young. You will feel differently when you grow up." Removing my hand from his I placed it upon his head to ruffle his hair affectionately, doting on him like I had seen other older siblings show affection to their younger brothers and sisters in the village, doing my best to emulate the role of elder sister properly. "We are family. I shall love you always." Itachi began to pout at me with rosy cheeks, looking a little agitated that I was not taking his sincerity seriously.
"I won't…Miyuki is the only person I want to be with when I am old enough. Our parents arranged the betrothal between us, so it is only right we obey them, but that's not all…" He tried to explain to me, however I simply could not understand why he was defending his intentions so obstinately. I decided to simply nod my head and hum in agreement to save any possibly of an argument, going back to my task in securing food for the family, however Itachi was more adamant to show me that he was a reliable person, insisting on helping me carry the load and being mindful of other adults possibly bumping into one another.
He had always been a gentle child, and I had always noticed how much more care he had taken with me. Did I really appear so vulnerable and childlike? It appears I must continue to do better, as otherwise I may become nothing more than an inconvenience to the family who took me in, and that would hurt my already aching heart more than I could bear.