but in this universe they are happy
Chapter 1
An undercurrent of pain runs through their love in every lifetime, but in this universe they are happy.
Sakura watches her father lift the wooden mallet —the kine— over his head and pound the sticky mound of rice dough with a shout, swift and strong as shinobi. Her mother kneads the dough in the large stone mortar between swings, with deft swipes like a Hyuuga striking chakra points.
It is a dangerous rhythm of pound-knead, pound-knead but her parents work in tandem (1). Sakura holds her breath as the kine comes startlingly close to crushing her mother's fingers with each interval, but the expression on her parents' faces are as cool as steel.
When the mochi reaches the perfect texture, her mother peels it from the mortar. Her father wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead, catching Sakura's green eyed gaze and flashing her a huge grin.
Sakura bounds towards him and tugs at his pant leg, "When can I do it?"
"Soon." He says, ruffling her short pink hair.
Sakura pouts, crossing her arms as her father walks towards the front counter. She doesn't understand why she can't pound the mochi now. She is already a big, strong five year old and is ready to partake in the pride of her family's business. Bells chime at the front door, and her attention turns to her mother handing a package of mochi to a boy a bit older than her.
He has sleek dark hair tied at the nape of his neck, with dark creases under his eyes that belie his age. His complexion smooth with high cheekbones, and eyes dark as midnight.
"Thank you Itachi-kun," she hears her mother say, and the boy bows with a gentle smile. Sakura thinks he's beautiful and follows with gleaming eyes the fan crest on his receding back as he enters the Uchiha compound across their shop.
He is one of the very few customers to frequent Haruno Confectionery, and he is the one who shows up when Sakura's father throws out his back.
Her parents pool what little resources they have to enlist for help. Sakura's mother is surprised to see Itachi at their doorstep within a day of their request. "Oh my! I'm sorry that we might've pulled you away from more pressing missions! The doctor said Kizashi needs to rest for a few weeks. To think that they'd assign a shinobi of your skill to our little shop." Her mother chuckles, dusting rice flour from her hands onto her apron.
"It's no trouble, Mebuki-San." Itachi replies. Sakura peeks up at him from behind her mother, clutching her mother's clothes. Itachi glances down at her and a warm smile spreads over his face. Sakura's ears grow hot, and she burrows further into her mother's back.
Itachi learns fast, and on his first day his eyes glow red as he studies Mebuki pounding the rice dough. It doesn't take long for him to fall into rhythm with Mebuki as he swings the kine and she kneads the dough. Sakura sits on Kizashi's knee and gazes at their work, wonderstruck. There seems to be commas spinning in Itachi's red irises, and he has no trouble matching Mebuki's speed.
Days pass, and Itachi spends his breaks enjoying mochi with Sakura and sharing stories of his travels. He reads her all sorts of tales before her nap time and helps tuck her in when she's fallen asleep. By the time she wakes he's already leaving, and Sakura always feels tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
"Until next time," he says and pokes her forehead before she can protest.
She watches him every time he swings the kine, and on his seventeenth day at the confectionery he teaches her how to wield it too. At first the wooden mallet is a bit heavy, but with great focus Sakura imagines her strength and energy coursing through her body pooling into her arms and her hands. It's to her parent's surprise, and Itachi's, that she's able to lift the kine well above her head and pound the mochi. The strength of her swing nearly cracks the stone mortar, as if the energy that she gathered were expelled on impact.
The next day, Itachi teaches Sakura about chakra as they chew on mochi during his break.
"Chakra" He explains, "is the energy in our body that gives us strength to do powerful things. It's a mix of physical energy from our body's cells and spiritual energy from our mind."
Some of this is lost on Sakura, partly due to the abstract nature of the subject and also because she is distracted by his features. She thinks he is like the prince they read about before she falls asleep.
Itachi watches as Sakura's eyebrows furrow and he continues, "When you think of that strength—that energy— picture a faucet. That energy is like water flowing through you, and you control the pressure of that flow, imagine yourself turning the knobs of that faucet and you'll be able to control how much or how little strength you use—how much or how little chakra you use."
In the next few days, Sakura imagines that faucet as she swings the kine. Turning the knobs ever so slightly, imagining water pouring like a steady stream as she swings the mallet. Soon, her parents no longer have to worry about cracked mortars. Sakura beams at Itachi with pride, and he chuckles ruffling her hair.
Sakura wishes everyday could be like this, but knows that eventually Itachi will have to leave to do important shinobi things. At least that's what her mother tells her. Her father is recovering, slowly but surely, and their business seems to be recovering along with him. And although Sakura is happy that they are getting more customers, she can't seem to wipe the frown off her face at the number of young girls (and some boys) crowding at the counter, clamoring to catch a glimpse of her sweet, princely Itachi swinging into the mortar.
But she is with the people she loves most in the place she loves most, and no one can take that away from her.
That is until one day, Sakura opens the door to find Itachi and he is not alone. A boy who looks to be her age, with the same raven hair as Itachi, same smooth and pale complexion, eyes as dark as the deepest of night, is gripping tightly to the hem of Itachi's shirt. He looks an awful lot like Itachi, almost as handsome, but there is no gentle expression gracing his features. He glares at Sakura, a deep scowl settling on his face.
"Sakura-chan," Itachi says with a smile, he glances down and rests his hand on the young boy's head, "this is my brother, Sasuke."
And just like that, Sakura's world comes crashing down.
.
.
.
.
.
Itachi is cool. Very cool. He is the best ninja in the village, second maybe to Father (Otou-San). Definitely better than the Hokage, Sasuke is sure of it.
Itachi is the pride of the Uchiha, and clan pride is the most sought after currency when it comes to winning Otou-san's affection (something elusive to second sons).
Which is why it is all the more perplexing, that a shinobi of his brother's caliber is relegated to working at a mochi shop.
"Yes, a mochi shop. Haruno's Confectionery, across from the compound gates." His mother repeats as she washes dishes from the evening's dinner. Sasuke rises from his seat at the table and grabs a rag, drying off the wet dishes.
"Your brother accepted the mission after he heard of Haruno-san's injury. The shop seems to be running just fine now." His mother wipes her hands on her apron as she finishes the last of the dishes. Sasuke purses his lips and his eyebrows knit together, when he finishes drying the last dish, he turns to wipe the table clean. His mother gently protests, he doesn't have to do that, but Sasuke shakes his head and continues wiping.
Itachi is always busy, always on some foreign mission far away from his family, from Sasuke, and for long lengths at a time. And now that his brother is finally home he chooses to spend his time elsewhere, at a sweets shop of all places.
Sweets? UGH. Sasuke scrubs and scrubs, the table trembles under his force.
His mother smiles, "Helping others is important to your brother, Sasuke-chan, but that doesn't mean he dislikes spending time with you. You'll always be his precious otouto."
Sasuke stops scrubbing and wipes his forehead. "Next time" he recalls Itachi saying, two fingers tapping against his forehead. Next time. It's always next time. Just then, the sound of front doors sliding open snaps him from his memories. His eyes widen, and he deposits the rag into his mother's hands, racing to the foyer.
"I'm home." Itachi is sitting on the ground removing his sandals when Sasuke peers around the corner. A smile tugs at Itachi's lips.
"You promised." Sasuke pouts.
"Right, right." Itachi walks down the hall towards the backyard, ruffling Sasuke's hair along the way.
They spend the rest of the evening throwing shuriken until their arms are sore, and resign to laying on the engawa, the warm August breeze tickling their skin.
Sasuke is fighting to catch his breath but his brother is already calm, watching the sunset paint the indigo sky in reds and pinks. A comfortable silence settles between them.
"Nii-san, when…"Sasuke says, turning towards his brother, "…can we train again?"
Itachi glances back at Sasuke and with a small smile he replies, "Come with me to the shop tomorrow."
Author's Notes:
I did not know anything about the creation of mochi, or mochi-pounding until I read this article. I quite literally lifted this specific quote from it because I loved it so much, it is not mine and the author of that article deserves all the credit.
(1) "dangerous pound-knead, pound-knead"
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