In which Mikoto gives Itachi a haircut.
O-O-O-O-O
"Itachi, it's time," Mikoto ordered. On the floor surrounded by toys, Itachi froze and his eyes widened in fear.
"But, Mom, you cut my hair three days ago!" he argued, already looking at the edge of tears.
"I cut your hair three weeks ago," she replied, amused at the obvious lie.
"No! Last week!"
Mikoto sighed. Itachi was more mature, thoughtful, and patient than any other four-year-old child had the right to be. Yet, whenever it was time for a haircut, her son behaved like any other: crying and pleading to stop.
"You're leaving with your father tomorrow," she said, trying to reason with the boy. "Would you prefer that I cut your hair or your father?"
At that, Itachi froze. His lip was quivering and his eyes were shiny with unshed tears, but Mikoto knew she had won. Itachi hated cutting his hair, but he also knew a haircut from his father would only end in disaster. Reluctantly, Itachi stood up from the floor and walked toward her.
Mikoto knelt down, cupping her son's face in her hands. With her thumb, she wiped away a tear before it could fall. "It's going to be fine, Itachi," she reassured him with a smile. "It'll be done faster than you think, I promise."
Itachi nodded, a second tear rolling down his cheek. Mikoto hummed to herself before pulling Itachi in for a hug. She heard her son's breath hitching as he wrapped his tiny arms around her neck and sobbed. She ran her hands through his hair, longer than she liked, as he cried at the injustice.
"Come on, Itachi, it's the same thing every time," she said. "I'll be gentle, I promise." Her son nodded again, forcing himself to hold back another sob. With tears rolling down his face, he took a step back and looked up at her, eyes scared yet determined.
"I'm ready," he mumbled.
Mikoto stood up. She grabbed Itachi's hand and led him down the hall toward the garden. He sat down at the edge of the deck as she took out a pair of scissors from her apron.
"Are you excited to go with your father to see what it's like to be a shinobi?" she asked as she knelt behind him. Fugaku had promised to take him around and show him one of the campgrounds. While Mikoto was uncertain about Fugaku taking their son near the frontlines, she knew Itachi would be safe in his father's care. The war is over anyway.
"Yeah," Itachi murmured, voice breaking. "Dad says he's going to show me around. He says there's a lot of strong shinobi over there."
Mikoto nodded, snipping at the first lock of hair. "There are," she agreed. "Minato-kun is one of the strongest ones, remember? He's back in the village now."
"Really? He's really cool! Do you think I'll be as strong as him one day?" Itachi asked, voice excited.
Mikoto sighed in relief. Talking about Minato always served to cheer up her son, no matter the situation. "If you work hard, I think it's more than possible." She stopped cutting to whisper in Itachi's ear. "I hear he's going to be the next Hokage."
"Really?" Itachi asked, kicking his legs back and forth in the air in excitement. "Why not Dad? Isn't he the strongest person?"
Mikoto hummed to herself before answering. "Your father is very strong," she admitted. "But Minato-kun is maybe even stronger. Your father is a very good shinobi, but he already has a lot of things to do. Did you know he's the leader of the police department? And he has to take care of the Uchiha clan, too."
"I heard some uncles talking about it," Itachi confessed. "They said Dad should be the next Hokage. They said Minato-san is not as strong as Dad. Then they said Dad should talk to the Sandaime and tell him to make Dad the next Hokage."
Mikoto frowned, cutting off another lock of hair. Itachi is already too involved with clan affairs.
"Don't pay too much attention to them," she ordered. "Your father is not upset and he thinks Minato-kun is a good choice for Hokage, too. When you come back from the mission with your father, we can have lunch together with Minato-kun and Kushina. You can ask him about becoming the Hokage yourself. What do you think about that?"
Itachi hummed in assent. While her son had met both Minato and Kushina, they had not spent a lot of time together because of their respective duties. With the war done, I can have them over more often. The thought sent a wave of happiness coursing through her body.
Mikoto trimmed the last lock of hair before leaning back and inspecting her handiwork. To her relief, Itachi's hair was evenly trimmed, short enough to be out of the way during training.
"I'm done!" she declared, placing the scissors back into her pocket. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Itachi blinked. With that, he broke out into fresh sobs as he remembered how distressed he was. Mikoto chuckled to herself. I think he forgot he was supposed to be upset.
Mikoto moved to sit at her son's side on the deck. She pulled him over to sit on her lap, wrapping her arms around him. Without hesitation, Itachi let himself be pulled, burrowing his face into her shoulder as he cried. She rubbed the palm of her hand over her son's back, rocking him like she used to do when he was much, much younger.
She held her son until his crying stopped completely. Despite calming down, he kept his tiny fists holding tight onto her dress.
"Are you okay, Itachi?" she asked with a smile. She felt him nod into her shoulder.
"In that case, why don't you go play?" she suggested. He nodded again.
Almost reluctantly, he left the safety of her lap as he stood up, wiping the tears away from his eyes. He sniffled one last time before running down the hall and back to his bedroom, waving goodbye as he left.
Mikoto sighed to herself in fond exasperation. Her son was more mature and perceptive than any other child she had ever met. Still, the moments when he acted his age were her favorite. She knew she would miss him while he was with Fugaku. At least I'll be able to spend some time with Kushina while he's gone.
O-O-O-O-O
Itachi and Fugaku returned from the frontline two weeks later, both completely unharmed. While Itachi was quieter than usual, Mikoto took it as a sign that Fugaku had explained some of the serious matters that came with being a shinobi. She remembered her first time learning to make a fire and it still brought back traumatic memories of her childhood. Father kept yelling at me. I'm sure Fugaku was kinder.
"What are you doing, Itachi?" She knelt down next to her son, who was lying on the floor drawing something in his notebook.
"I'm writing," he answered, face impassive.
She blinked. Sure enough, Itachi was practicing kanji. Despite his age, the characters were clear and evenly spaced.
Mikoto hummed to herself, deep in thought. "That's very good," she said. "Have you been practicing a lot?"
Itachi nodded, not looking up from his work. Mikoto frowned before moving her hand to comb through his hair, already longer than she liked.
"How many characters do you know now?" she asked, trying to get her son to talk.
"One hundred and twenty-seven," Itachi answered.
That many already? Her eyes widened. Mikoto bit her lip, not sure what to say to that. She hummed to herself before speaking again.
"I'm going to meet Kushina for lunch," she said to redirect the conversation. "You can talk to Minato-kun and ask him questions. I know you wanted to before. I think I need to cut your hair first, though."
At that, Itachi stopped writing. His eyes widened and he balled his hands into tiny fists. "Okay," he said.
"Okay?" Mikoto repeated, taken aback. She waited for her son to break out into tears or beg for a delay, but it didn't come. Instead, Itachi stared resolutely at his hands, obviously upset and trying not to show it. He exhaled and relaxed his fists.
"I'm ready, Mother," he said, setting the pencil down and standing up. He stared at her, eyes full of calm determination.
"Oh... uh... okay." Mother? What happened to 'Mom'?
Taken aback, Mikoto stood up, holding her hand for Itachi to take. He ignored the gesture, walking away and heading outside instead. Mikoto swallowed before following behind him, clenching her offered hand into a fist. Well, that's a first.
When she arrived at the deck, Itachi was already sitting on the edge, face impassive as he waited for her. Mikoto knelt behind him, surprised to not receive any pushback. She took out her scissors and grabbed the first lock of hair.
"Are you happy to be back home, Itachi?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered, face emotionless.
"Your father told me you did well at the frontlines," she continued as she cut more of his hair. "What was it like?"
She saw Itachi biting his lip before answering, the first sign of distress she had seen since they sat down. "It was fine," he replied.
Mikoto frowned to herself. Itachi was a quiet child, but his behavior was starting to confuse and frustrate her. "We're going to Kushina's for lunch," she said, trying to get him to talk. "Minato-kun is going to be there. I already asked."
"Okay."
"Are you excited to see Minato-kun? You can ask him anything you want." She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "If you ask nicely, he might even teach you a new technique."
"Okay."
Mikoto's frown deepened. Her son had been acting strange since he returned with Fugaku. She had thought it came from learning about shinobi duties, but she was starting to wonder if it was more serious than that. I need to talk to Fugaku about this. They lapsed into silence as Mikoto cut his hair, not sure what to say.
"I'm done," she said as she trimmed the last lock and inspected her work.
"Thank you, Mother," Itachi muttered. He stood up and walked away, heading back to where his notebook and pencil were waiting.
Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise and she chewed on her lip. "We'll leave in half an hour," she called out. "We'll return in the afternoon."
"Yes, Mother," Itachi answered, opening the sliding door and walking back inside.
Concerned, Mikoto stood up, placing the scissors back into her pocket as she did so. She stared at the door where Itachi had passed through with a frown. Not sure what else to do, she walked to her own room to get ready.
O-O-O-O-O
Fugaku was standing in front of the dresser, taking off his uniform after returning from patrol. Her husband sighed as he undressed, placing his uniform and armor neatly on the surface. He caught of glimpse of Mikoto's reflection in the mirror before turning around.
"Mikoto," he greeted with a smile.
Mikoto frowned in response. She walked to her husband's side and helped him untie the breastplate. "Fugaku, we need to talk," she said.
"Talk? About what?" She saw Fugaku's eyebrows contract into a frown and heard a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"It's about... Itachi," she answered. "And... other things." Mikoto finished untying the breastplate, taking it off and placing it on the counter with the rest of the armor.
"Ah, Itachi." Relieved, Fugaku stretched tired muscles, trying to relieve some of the tension that came from wearing armor all day. "What happened with Itachi?"
Mikoto bit her lip. "He's been acting stranger than usual," she began. "You know how he hates getting his hair cut?" Fugaku nodded, walking to sit at the edge of the bed with an exhausted sigh. "Well, today, when I told him he needed a haircut, he just let me do it. Didn't even try to resist."
"Isn't that good?" Fugaku asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "He needs to understand that he can't always get what he wants. Sometimes you need to make sacrifices in life."
Mikoto shook her head. "It's not just that. Itachi just... seemed to go away when I tried talking to him," she said. "He doesn't talk to me anymore. And when I took him for lunch with Kushina and Minato-kun, he was withdrawn the entire time. He didn't even ask Minato-kun for any stories! It's just..." she sat down at her husband's side, holding his hands in hers. "I'm worried that something happened while he was with you."
"What do you mean something happened?" Fugaku asked, a hint of anger in his tone. "Are you saying I can't keep our son safe?"
Mikoto shook her head again. "Did someone say anything to him?" She bit her lip before continuing. "I... I can't believe that he would be so different after learning about shinobi protocol and stuff. If anything, I thought he would come back and beg to never be a ninja."
Fugaku closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. Mikoto's heart seemed to freeze as she felt a confession coming. What happened to our son?
"I took Itachi to the battlefield," Fugaku confessed. "I wanted him to see the results of the war."
She bolted up, staring down at her husband and covering her mouth in horror. "You... what!? Our son... on the battlefield? But.. he's just a child!"
"I know," Fugaku said, meeting her eyes calmly.
"What? Why?" Mikoto asked, feeling tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.
She saw Fugaku swallow nervously before answering. "I needed to show him the realities of war," he explained. "He needed to see the reality of the world he would live in as a shinobi and as a member of the Uchiha clan. I knew he would either break or become stronger. Based on what you told me, our son is more mature than ever before."
Mikoto felt the tears falling down her face. In numb horror, she took a step back, wanting to get away from the man she called her husband. Itachi... he's so young. Too young to see that.
"Mikoto!" Upon seeing her tears, Fugaku stepped forward and tried to grab at her hands in comfort.
Mikoto pushed him back. "Get away from me!" she screamed, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. "I don't want to talk to you right now!"
Fugaku froze, his fingertips only a few inches away from her face.
She pushed past him and sat down at the edge of the bed, weeping into the palms of her hands, sobbing harder than she had since she was a child. When Itachi was born, she had wanted her son to grow up in a time of peace and prosperity. But now my wishes are ruined. If only I could turn back time.
"Mikoto..." Fugaku began. She heard him swallow before taking a step closer. "What did you think I was going to do with him? Why do you think I took him with me to the frontlines?"
She refused to look in his direction. "The war is over, Fugaku!" she shouted, voice full of fury and despair. "I thought you were going to tell him how to make camp and about taking good care of weapons! I didn't want you to infect our son with our family's fucking bullshit!"
Fugaku froze. Mikoto could tell he was surprised at her use of foul language. She shook her head. And just like that, our family legacy continues. Will there ever be an Uchiha that's not traumatized?
"Mikoto..." he called out her name again before taking a step closer. When she didn't protest, he sat beside her on the bed, placing the palm of his hand on her shoulder. She shuddered but didn't push him away.
"Go away," she protested. "I don't want to talk to you right now. I can't believe you would do that to our son."
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I... I didn't think you would take it so badly. I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "I don't forgive you," she said. "I can't forgive you."
"I..." Fugaku swallowed, lost for words.
"Itachi deserved better!" she cried, turning around and staring into Fugaku's eyes. "How can we call ourselves parents when we can't protect him at all?" Her voice broke at the last word and she broke out into fresh sobs, crying into her palms once again.
"I'm sorry," Fugaku repeated. "We'll do better next time." She glared at him. "I'll do better next time. You know I only wanted to protect our son. I wanted to make him stronger."
Mikoto wiped the tears from her eyes. "After what your father did to you... and what my father did to me, I never believed you would do that to our own son."
Fugaku tensed at those words, hands balling into fists. "It's not the same thing," he argued. "I didn't... I didn't force Itachi to... to..." he swallowed, too afraid to finish the sentence.
"Kill someone?" Mikoto commented bitterly. "Well, if that's the case, then I guess looking at dead, mangled bodies is nothing in comparison."
Fugaku clenched his jaw but didn't refute her words. "Itachi is a natural prodigy," he argued. "It was the only way to ensure he learned."
Mikoto rolled her eyes and snorted. "There are many ways to learn, Fugaku. You've taken one of the worst options."
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I thought it was the best thing to do. I need our son to be the strongest in our clan."
"He would have been strong anyway," Mikoto muttered. "You're his father. He would have been just like you." She wiped her tears with her forearm. "What I would give to turn back time."
Defeated and with no other choice, she placed her head on Fugaku's shoulder. Automatically, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to his side. She let him.
"We'll get through this," Fugaku whispered in her ear. "Itachi is resilient. He's a good boy, and kind. And he has you."
"Us," Mikoto corrected. "He has us."
"He does," he agreed.
The two of them fell silent, having nothing else to say to each other. They sat together like that for nearly an hour, when Mikoto remembered the other piece of news. At least this one is not so bad.
"Fugaku?" He grunted to show he was listening. "There's one other thing."
"What is it?" he asked, voice exhausted.
"I'm pregnant."
Fugaku tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer until she was almost sitting on his lap. "W-what? You are? Since when? How long have you known?"
His voice was full of amazement and desperation. His reaction when she announced her first pregnancy had been almost the same. Mikoto hummed to herself before answering.
"I'm probably around 6 or 7 weeks along," she answered. "I only thought about the possibility today after I saw Kushina. She's thinking about trying for a baby herself."
"Is she?"
Mikoto nodded. "I took the test as soon as I got home. We... need to confirm it with the doctor, but I'm sure it's accurate."
"Itachi is going to have a little brother," Fugaku muttered.
"Or sister."
"Or sister," he agreed. He kissed the top of her head, shy despite being married for almost seven years.
"Take better care of this next one," she ordered.
"I will," he promised, pulling her head on top of his chest.
They sat together side by side, not knowing what else they could say.
O-O-O-O-O
"Itachi, it's time," Mikoto said, walking toward her son. He was throwing shuriken at the training posts, his aim accurate and confident.
Itachi paused, shuriken in his hand before turning around to look up at her. He nodded, face an emotionless mask, as he put the weapon back in his pouch. Without saying anything else, he walked past her and headed back inside. She followed him to the deck, where he waited, sitting on the edge.
Mikoto bit her lip. Despite trying to make his life as normal as possible in the past few weeks, Itachi was still too quiet. He rarely played with his toys anymore and he seemed more interested in training than being a child.
Reluctantly, she knelt behind Itachi, combing her fingers through his soft hair. As usual, she took out the scissors from her pocket and moved them toward his hair. She paused.
"Do you want to grow your hair out?" she asked, moving the scissors away from her son and back into her pocket. She felt Itachi's back straighten as he turned around, eyes wide. "I won't cut it today if you don't want me to."
"I can stop cutting my hair?" Itachi asked, leaning forward in excitement. It was the most emotion she had seen in her son's eyes in the last couple of weeks. Her heart throbbed at the sight.
She forced a smile on her face. "If you want. I don't want to force you anymore."
"Really?"
"Really."
At that, Itachi grinned, the first true smile she had seen since coming back. It made her heart ache and she bit her lip to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow down her face. Overwhelmed, she pulled Itachi onto her lap, making her son gasp in surprise.
"You can go and play now," she whispered in his ear.
"I'm not playing," Itachi replied as he wiggled free. "I'm training." With those words, he left the safety of her embrace, running to the training grounds on the other side of the house.
When Mikoto was sure Itachi was far enough away, she broke. She sobbed into her hands, glad that no one was there to see.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: I'm sorry. I wanted to update the main "Through Your Door" tonight but this scene would NOT leave my brain and begged to come out. The entire story of the Uchiha family just hurts my heart.
Feel free to talk to me on Tumblr at waffledogwrites.