The tea Hinata had kindly made for me was shaking in my hands. I quickly placed it on the table before the hot liquid scalded my fingers and took a deep breath. Hinata knelt next to me, with a sympathetic look on her face that made my chest tighten.
"Naruto did tell me that you and Sasuke are having a bit of a problem with Sakura-san." she said softly. "He has spoken to her, I hope things are better?" A wave of relief washed over me, drowning out of the horrible fears that had made a home in my mind for the past few days. If Sasuke had said something awful she would have surely told me then.
"Not exactly." I chose my words carefully, remembering that Hinata and Sakura had known each other for a lot longer than we had.
"Why? What's happened?" she asked, looking surprised. As far as she knew, the conversation with Sakura had gone well and Naruto was sure that there wouldn't be any more problems.
I picked up my tea, with much steadier hands this time and made a decision to tell her everything.
"Well, she tried to convince Sasuke I was being unfaithful and she told me that he is only with me because we have Yoichi together, so he stays away from the village longer than he needs to because he can't stand being around me sometimes. Apparently she heard Sasuke telling Naruto." Finally telling someone felt great! The secrecy had definitely made it a heavier burden to bear.
Whilst I caught my breath, Hinata was still reeling from the shock, her hands were shaking a little now but not from fear- from anger. "Don't you believe a word of it! Sasuke loves you, Emiko!"
Hinata had no doubt in her mind, her words were pure truth. She could still remember as clear as day, after defeating kaguya, Sasuke explaining to Naruto why he couldn't yet return to the village. She had never before seen anyone look so lost, staring into the distance as he spoke of the wife he could not live without and the child that he would entrust to Naruto if he failed to return by the time his son turned six. In all of the time she had known Sasuke, even at the academy, he had been someone of very few words and even less emotion but at that moment, he laid all of his emotions bare- the pain he felt, the desperation to find the missing part of his heart and the bitter regret that made his words so raw.
When she told me about the state Sasuke had been in tears started falling down my face, just to think of him hurting so badly because of me made me feel a great deal of pain. Because we didn't talk much about our time apart or how much we had suffered in the other's absence it had been easy to forget what a difficult time it had been and how lucky we were to be together again. Five years apart, the thought made me shudder, if I hadn't lost my memories during that time I don't think I would have coped without him for that long. He was my everything and there was no way I was ever going to be without him again. She was not going to win.
I left Hinata's home feeling myself again and full of hope. When I saw Sakura on the way to the academy I smiled and waved, the confused look on her face was priceless. She actually stayed in my mind for the next few hours, I imagined myself in her position, chasing after an unrequited love. Without a doubt I would be pretty desperate too if that person was Sasuke! After getting Yoichi settled in bed that evening something occurred to me. If she was that set on Sasuke maybe she had never even been romantically involved with anyone.
When Yoichi woke up the next morning he felt sure that he was dreaming. He thought he could smell cookies! Forgetting to make his bed, he dashed down the stairs, missing the last few in an enormous jump.
"Good morning." I called from the kitchen, I was used to all the noise he always seemed to make when he woke up, in fact I quite enjoyed the boisterous energy from the moment he woke up.
"Morning!" he shouted, giving me a huge hug. His eyes were scanning the surfaces and table for any signs of a kids dream breakfast. "Did you make-?"
"They're for you to take to school. Did you really think I was going to let you eat cookies for breakfast?" I smiled, ruffling his already messy hair.
He started to scowl but he hadn't quite mastered it like Sasuke had, his was far too cute and slipped away from a single tickle. He wriggled out of my reach giggling and ran off down the hall, with me right behind him trying to tickle him under his chin.
"You're never gonna catch me!" he spluttered, laughing. Just when I thought I had him cornered in the living room he jumped through the open window into the garden, with a triumphant look on his face. He peeked back inside but got a huge surprise when I vanished in a puff of smoke and the real me appeared behind him, tickling him until we were all laughed out.
"Since when can you use bunshin no jutsu?" he asked, following me back indoors.
"A few days now. Come on, let's have some breakfast."
His eyes lit up, "Cookies?"
"Fruit." I said, shaking my head. He had a habit of being stubborn, he got that from both of his parents.
If Yoichi wasn't the most popular kid in his class before he definitely was when he walked into the academy carrying a box of freshly baked cookies. His sensei was pleased too when I gave him another box to share with the other sensei's. The last box was in my hands and it was part of a very important mission that I had set myself. Sakura's mouth fell open when she opened her front door to find me standing there with a friendly smile and some treats I had made for her. She invited me in and I moved on to the next part of my plan.
"So, I know you have this thing for my husband…" I began, watching her eyes avoid meeting mine. "After talking with you yesterday, I got to thinking. You need a man in your life, just not mine." Her eyebrows narrowed, she clearly wasn't appreciating me being so straight forward.
Sensing her mood change, I made sure my tone became much more sympathetic, "Have you been in a relationship recently?"
She took her time to reply so I snuck a look at her home which was beautifully decorated in a mixture of pink and white, with lots of fresh flowers displayed in pretty vases and a few pictures hanging on the walls- two of which had Sasuke in from when they had been part of a team.
"He looks so much like your son in those photos. I think we were twelve then." she said in a kind voice that she had never used when speaking to me before.
"He does." I grinned and we both took a cookie.
"I've never been in a relationship." she admitted with a heavy sigh.
She looked really uncomfortable and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her, it must have been hard to admit, especially to me. My eyes caught sight of the clock. I needed to be at the training grounds in ten minutes.
"You should. I think you'll feel a lot better." Her eyes widened in shock, she had never expected me to show up on her doorstep and certainly hadn't expected me to encourage her to find love.
"But with who?" she replied.
"I don't know." I shrugged, making my way to the door.
"Emiko?" she called and I paused in the open doorway. "Thank you."
I didn't know if she meant for the chat or the cookies but either way, I hoped that some good would come out of it.
Guess who is coming back next chapter :) xx