The Nakano Shrine
Michiko pauses on the staircase, the slit-covering she wears over her shorts lazily bounces with the wind. She frowns up at the temple.
A passing Uchiha gives the young girl an odd look, and she is reminded that she doesn't belong here. Not without Obito by her side, at least.
She ponders her chance with luck, and doubts she will get anything out of the Uchiha patron god.
'To hell with luck.'
Huffing, she turns on her heel and marches back down, asking herself why she decided to come here in the first place.
From his bedroom window, Shisui peers down at the girl, "Tachi', she's leaving." Itachi doesn't respond and Shisui groans, "Why'd you make me watch her if you have nothing to say?"
Itachi silently smiles, only looking up at his friend when the older boy blushes.
Weaving her way through the compound, it takes some self-control for Michiko to stop herself from finding her way to Obito's house.
'Move on.' She groans in her mind, aware that Obito's feelings were directed very intensely towards someone else.
Rin.
Michiko goes anyway.
She pauses at the door, frozen in time.
In that very moment, the door slides open. Michiko is startled and hastily takes a few steps back. Her raddled gaze meets the gloomy, narrowed eyes of Obito Uchiha's grandmother. She can almost expect the woman to say something along the lines of 'I was expecting you.'
Instead the woman blinks, just as startled. "Michiko-chan?" She calls out in a frail, shaky voice. She is confused, her vision isn't as sharp as it used to be.
"H…Hai! Good morning, oba-chan!"
"Look at you! All grown up," Slowly her lips thin into what Michiko recalls was her version of a smile. The old woman takes another minute to stare at Michiko. "Come inside. I will make you tea."
Before Michiko can refuse, the woman shuffles slowly away, leaving the girl to watch her painfully-slow disappearing form as she moves into the house. She stops to look back at Michiko.
Pursing her lips and smoothing down her over-skirt, Michiko climbs up onto the porch and follows, sliding the door shut delicately behind her.
Elsewhere in Konoha...
Kakashi trudges quietly to Anbu HQ, aware that Gai is following him from a distance. He ignores him, not in the mood for Gai's outbursts of youthfulness.
His mind diverts his attention.
'Rin'
He wants to muse about her, and how she might have looked as a teenager. Shaking his head, he dispels the train of thought, identifying it as unhealthy, just as Tenzo falls into step with him.
"Good morning, Kakashi-senpai." He greets him with a half-smile, Kakashi nods and resists the urge to remain silent.
"Good morning, Tenzo."
At HQ they prepare for the mission ahead of them, Kakashi finds himself dressed and equipped quicker than the rest of the team. Leaning against the empty wall between the two rows of lockers, he sweeps his single eye over the squad.
"Where is Michiko?"
Murmurs rise and die down.
Nobody has seen her.
"She's late. We need a sixth person on the squad." Kakashi repeats out-loud, more to himself than his team.
"She was at the Nakano shrine when I last saw her." Itachi pipes up, his quiet voice chimes pleasantly in the room. Nobody really expects him to speak. Kakashi's single visible eye twitches with considerable irritation.
He is usually not one to reprimand his squad for tardiness, but no one is ever consistently late. The odd day here and there perhaps. But it is rare.
Michiko is almost just on time, give or take a few minutes. Each time, it irritates Kakashi.
Right now, he wonders if Michiko is trying to be like Obito.
20 minutes later
"Thank you for the tea and the biscuits, Oba-chan." Michiko bows respectfully, smiling gently at the older woman, who laughs heartily in response.
"I was quiet surprised to see you here, you should visit me more often. Come again soon, okay?"
Mildly startled, Michiko nods, "Of course, I will." Bowing again, she excuses herself.
'Taichou is going to eat me for dinner.' Groaning to herself, she feels many little anxious balloons in her chest, rubbing and squeaking against one another. She weaves her way quickly through the Uchiha compound, and just as she nears the gates, she breaks into a sprint.
Then she collides with someone who she swears wasn't there a moment ago.
Angered by the collision, she yells, "HEY!"
Michiko feels a pair of hands shove her to the side, she is thrown forward and rolls on the dusty ground, bouncing onto her feet in a defensive crouch, only to find the other victim of the accident sitting up and rubbing his head.
Shisui Uchiha doesn't realize she's glaring at him until he turns his head to ask her if she's okay. The glare throws him off for a moment when he realizes whose eyes he is looking at, "Ah…," The knot in his chest tightens evilly, making him forget his words, "Sorry! I didn't realize you were coming this way!"
Wordlessly, she stands up and takes a few steps towards the Uchiha. He eyes her with curiosity, his mind scrambling to identify her actions.
She peers down at him curiously, unable to place his very familiar features.
'Stop overthinking. Stop overthinking. Stop overthinking.'
She offers him a hand.
A laugh escapes him, his deep voice rumbling in his chest as he takes her hand and pushes himself onto his feet.
That changes things.
Now his head is a good few inches above her own so she peers up at him.
The little anxious balloons in her chest are now threatening to burst from the heat of her anger.
The scalding words that fall from her mouth wound him, slightly.
"Watch where you're going, Uchiha." She spits his name.
He feigns a frown as his eyes light up with amusement and it causes Michiko's cheeks to flush with embarrassment, especially when she recognizes him.
With a flicker, he vanishes.
'Shunshin no Shisui.'
Blinking at the empty space, a deep frown sets on Michiko's face that is followed by a myriad of expressions: confusion, irritation and lastly, panic.
'Show-off.'
Seething, she is turning on her heel and running again, apprehensive of the consequences for her tardiness.
Being late is not an option for an ANBU. The team has left without her.
Almost throwing her equipment around, she dresses herself in the changing room alone. She collides with the door of her locker a few times and nearly snags her shirt on the metal frame.
It takes a lot of chakra for her to catch up with them.
When their mission is over, they go back to HQ quietly, nursing some injuries.
Michiko sits placidly as the medic heals her arm. Itachi walks over and watches. His dark eyes regard the wound, before fully turning his attention to the Sarutobi.
"Taichou is upset that you're late."
She nods, feeling complacent and guilty, "I know."
Their conversation lapses when Michiko hisses, squeezing her eyes shut.
Her arm guard shattered on impact with someone's chakra blade. Now she has a massive red gash, deep enough for her to use as a pocket. It takes some time for the skin to stitch itself together and the process is anything but painless.
Patiently, the medic tends to it, green chakra illuminating both shinobi's serious faces.
Today's mission has ended up being more dangerous than the briefing indicated. Michiko feels her tardiness is partly responsible for the damage incurred.
"Michiko." Her head snaps up to meet Kakashi's single eye.
He dismisses the medic, her gash not quiet done yet. The medic however, does not question the taichou.
Michiko narrows her eyes in irritation. "He wasn't done healing my arm, taichou."
"You were very late today." Obviously, Kakashi does not care about her injury.
"I know." Michiko responds silently, "I was with this old lady-"
The sentence strikes a chord in Kakashi's mind and he raises a hand to silence her. Despite his face being partially concealed, Michiko can tell he is furious.
"You try too hard, why don't you stop the act Michiko?"
She blanches at him, her tone too sharp for his liking, "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
They glare at each other, rousing the attention of the rest of the team. Everyone watches them silently. Tenzo becomes nervous and fidgets with his kunai. The air is still and tense.
"Actually," She responds, slowly, articulating her words as she would speak to a child "I don't know what you're talking about Taichou."
Kakashi's eye dims slightly, and he rolls his shoulders. "Don't be late again. You're dismissed."
"But my arm-"
"You're dismissed." His voice is raised by an octave.
Michiko flinches.
Everyone else flinches.
Kakashi strides back to his locker and yanks the door open, watching Michiko's reaction in the little mirror in the door. The blob of heat in his chest begins to dissipate as he calms down.
What he doesn't expect is the way she cradles her arm, nearly jumps onto her feet and hurries out of the locker room, with tears falling from her eyes.
Tears.
He has made her cry.