An hour later…
Shisui and Michiko leave her apartment together, locking the door carefully behind them. They descend the steps, laughter chiming through the empty lobby in their wake. To anyone watching them now, it is not surprising that they are an attractive couple; one of the more favourite topics of gossip among their fellow jounin.
Off-duty, neither of them wear their forehead protectors. Relieved of the cold demeanor necessitated by their work, they seem bright and untainted, much like the clear afternoon sky. They don't know that this particular, fleeting moment is one that will be recalled much by them in what remains of each of their lifetimes; Shisui boyishly grinning as he combs his hair away from his forehead with his fingers, Michiko shaking her head as she chuckles at him, the ends of her glimmering locks dancing over her shoulders.
The Sarutobi and the Uchiha avoid public displays of affection, mostly for the sake of their families. Now, it is difficult for them to not look like a couple.
Absorbed in each other's company, they barely realize their journey until they reach the main market street. In the distance, the Hokage's office looms and the hustle and bustle of stalls and shops that line the roadsides bring them back to their usual alertness. Shisui cheekily nudges Michiko, realizing that they have brought themselves in the direction of their favorite place to eat.
"Ichiraku it is then."
Having been roused from his sleep by the shrill screech of his telephone, some minutes earlier Kakashi receives a reminder about today's lunch-date. Kurenai scheduled it for him over two weeks ago. Emerging out into the bustling main street, Kakashi is on his way to collect the girl from an address he isn't familiar with.
'I don't know how women remember.'
The date was arranged with a 'very nice and homely' girl that works at the Hokage's office. Her name is Kiyo Yatagarasu, a civilian whose family has lived in Konoha since its conception. Kakashi wonders why Kurenai doesn't quit trying to set him up with people- the most he ever manages to do is sleep with them.
'I can't really complain.' It's a miracle that she never gets upset at him for hooking up with all her girlfriends. It amuses him. He wonders what Obito would make of his little adventures. Perhaps, if Rin was around, there would be none.
'Now really isn't the time.' He reminds himself, feeling annoyed that he can't enjoy a single afternoon without thinking of the dead, 'I wonder if Michiko still has this problem.' His mind drifts to thoughts of her and her planned departure from their village, and just as if he'd conjured up a ghost, a figure in the distance is waving at him.
"Hey, taichou!"
Michiko's voice wouldn't be easy to distinguish in the noisy street if Kakashi didn't have sharp ears. An excited grin is on her face, and he can see the shiny line of her front teeth from afar. Shisui is following a little behind her, a stick of dango in his hand.
Kakashi is surprised to see them out together.
'Have they reconciled?' Walking steadily towards them, he watches Michiko stride across the busy street, weaving through the crowd. Shisui tails her easily.
'Maybe she is leaving soon.' Kakashi remembers seeing Jiraiya, and wonders if Michiko is going to leave with the sannin.
"Yo." He returns the greeting once she is finally within earshot, "Good to see you both together." He says pointedly. It is evident that he knows there was a rift, and Shisui suddenly experiences a range of emotions. First and foremost, he feels possessive. Secondly, surfacing from his curiosity, he feels an affectionate kind of amusement. To him, it's endearing that Kakashi would even let Michiko share something with him- the jounin has invested plenty of energy to avoid providing any indication that he cares for her.
While it annoys him that she would confide in someone outside of their relationship, he knows that there is hardly anyone she is close to besides Asuma, Itachi (who is his best friend) and to some extent now, Kakashi. Smiling lazily at the back of his girlfriend's head, he peers over her head so that he can meet the Hatake's gaze.
"It's good to see you too." Shisui responds smoothly, gesturing with the dango-stick. As the boys' eyes lock, there is something cool and withdrawn in both their gazes.
Searching for Michiko brought them together as colleagues and to some extent, as friends. The unsaid understanding that occurs between them now, ringing in the empty space occupied by a very chirpy young woman, is that she is now a point of contention.
Kakashi nods politely, "Are you two out for lunch then?"
"Yup." Michiko replies, "What about you? I don't think I've never run into you out in Konoha so much ever." She chuckles, easily spilling that she has seen Kakashi outside of work more than Shisui is aware. It pings on his boyfriend-radar as a threat.
He watches Kakashi carefully, taking another bite of the dango. It is not difficult for him to notice that Michiko has grown warmer towards her taichou.
'Maybe they've finally realized they have a lot of common ground.' Shisui muses, ignoring the urge to feel jealously possessive. It's not difficult for him, considering his excellent self-control.
"I'm picking up a friend, then we're going for lunch too." Glancing somewhere behind them, Kakashi means to say goodbye since he is already running late. Michiko nods slowly, a curious glimmer in her eyes as she glances at Shisui.
That is when he observes that there is something evidently different about the Sarutobi. It doesn't take him very long to figure out what it is. Her scent is different from the usual (Kakashi equates her scent to many things: the rain, pines, her scented deodorant, a faint dash of the same perfume or maybe its her detergent... and then beneath it all, the natural scent of her skin which he can never describe in words).
The tell-tale glow of her cheeks and the fresh pink blotching Shisui's cheeks along with the fact that their lips are dark and swollen, reveals many things to the keen eye. Kakashi puts the pieces together, an awkwardness descending over him that he didn't think he could possibly feel. Accompanying the awkwardness is the sensation of feeling threatened. He glances between the two and decides it is best for him to leave.
"I've got to run, I'm late." Kakashi says flatly, moving to walk around them, "You two have fun, I'll see you around." As he hastily escapes, Michiko turns to watch him go, perplexed.
"Was it just me or was that a little abrupt?"
Shisui follows Michiko's gaze to stare after him, not voicing his answer. He has a knowing look on his face, but she is too busy watching Kakashi to notice it. They watch the Hatake disappear into the crowd, his white hair still visible since he is almost a foot taller than the average citizen.
I hope he's okay.
At Ichiraku's, they take a spot in one of the booths tucked away in a corner and order their usual ramen. Michiko reaches out to put her hand over Shisui's.
"Do you still feel sore?" Responding to her touch, he leans forward, peering shyly into her eyes. She shakes her head, "Not really."
They lapse into a comfortable silence, both feeling woozy and tired. Michiko is absentmindedly picking at the wooden table when something crosses her mind and she frowns to herself.
"What's up?" Shisui rests an elbow on the table, thoughtfully studying her expression. Her eyes seem slightly glazed, and while it has been a long time since she has abruptly forgotten things, he always worries that those episodes may recur.
"I was just thinking about something that happened in school that day…" She chews her lip as she pauses to think, "These kids were bullying some of the Uchiha..."
"I heard about that." He says in a lowered, serious voice, "It's unfortunate." He finishes, tight-lipped and unwilling to speak on the topic further.
Michiko peers up at him, disgruntled. "Why do they let these people get away with saying all this shit? I don't get it."
He is oddly quiet, spacing out for a moment as he recollects his thoughts. Most of the alumni of the Academy grow up to become trusted shinobi of the Leaf. However, this privilege has not been granted to everyone, particularly the Uchiha clan, who despite historical proof, has never been trusted to act for the sake and safety of Konoha. It is unsurprising to him, and anyone who is well-read in their history of the Hidden Leaf, that the hostilities towards the Uchiha are finally reaching a boiling point.
'Always a threat. Always the outsiders.'
The current dominating narrative is that the Uchiha have inflicted pain, hardship and difficulties on the Village. This historically and politically inaccurate belief is easy to believe because everyone in Konoha needs someone to blame for the Nine-tails attack. With the Uchiha framed as the villains, anything they do or say is taken as a threat, even if it is something as simple as carrying the clan sygil on their dress.
The more trouble the Uchiha face, the more they are villainised and perpetrated as wanting to 'distinguish' themselves on the basis of power. With such an ultimately threatening Uchiha image established, other parties in the Village are able to push them out of the political system- they are now only a threat that must be dealt with.
Shisui is also aware now that within him is a deep resentment against the ideology of hatred and marginalization that has laid the foundations of third-party groups such as ROOT, that are growing to become a stronger threat to the security of the clan. He knows that he must protect his family and his clan against these forces.
He exhales loudly, as he usually does when he dispels his anger. He is deeply grateful to Hiruzen for taking up his offer to keep tabs on the clan, it allows the Sandaime to have several perspectives on the growing dissatisfaction within the clan as well us valid, unbiased information on the clan's activities.
His change in mood does not go unnoticed; Michiko knows that Shisui hardly loses his temper and that his loud exhales are warnings of the very rare bouts of anger that silently possess him. She notes that these have become a bit more frequent over the last few months, and she wonders if she is underestimating the problem.
Maybe what's happening at the Academy is really more serious than I know...
It is difficult to discern any emotion on Shisui's face unless he is happy but Michiko has managed to learn all his micro-expressions. His eyes appear narrower, his lower lip tenses and sometimes the veins on his forehead become prominent. In the few seconds that she pulls her hand away, he seems to snap out of it. The shift in emotions is so well transitioned that it's as if he was never upset at all.
He moves to speak, but Ichiraku-san has brought two steaming bowls of ramen.
"Oooohhh." Michiko says excitedly, making the chef chuckle as he sets the bowls down, their chopsticks neatly balanced across the rims, "Thank you!" She chimes. Shisui smiles politely, feeling too tired to speak. The exhaustion, of course, is more mental than physical. Michiko glances at him through the steam rising from her bowl and is unsurprised to find that all his previous emotions have been erased entirely, replaced by a content smile.
Annoyed, she picks up her chopsticks and her eyes wander to the entrance. Kakashi ducks into the restaurant, a petite woman following him in. She is very pretty; dark haired and doe eyed. Michiko swallows too quickly, coughing and spluttering, rousing Shisui from his silence as he pours her a glass of water.
"Here, drink." He pushes the glass towards her, and she obeys, gratefully.
"Thanks Shi-kun." She rasps, clearing her throat loudly.
"You okay?" He asks, taking a mouthful of noodles. Michiko watches him as she tries to recollect her thoughts. Kakashi and the woman have taken a seat at the front counter, their shoulders bumping amiably.
Her focus and attention returning, Michiko gives Shisui a sharp, reprimanding look. "Are you okay? I feel like something is going on and you won't tell me about it." She speaks in a hushed voice, perfectly aware of everyone's sharp ears, particularly Kakashi's.
"Michiko, what are you talking about?" Sounding a little edgy, Shisui looks down into his bowl, not surprised by her inquisitiveness. He wishes she didn't know him so well.
Sandaime has tasked him with several important, potentially life-changing tasks. One of these is to ensure that Michiko is unaware of the details of his clan's situation. No matter how much he wishes to confide in her, he cannot. Her safety is as much his responsibility as is ensuring peace in the Hidden Leaf. Reassuringly, he half-whispers "Everything is okay."
Michiko recognizes that the gentle smile painting his face is one that says 'I won't share anything with you, stop asking.' Unable to summon the courage to push him to divulge any information (which she is absolute certain he would never do), she pulls back into her thoughts. Yes, Michiko is frightened by that part of Shisui- the part of him that puts being a shinobi first, an Uchiha second and her lover last.
She has a fair idea of what is going on behind the scenes. At the Academy, teachers and students alike have resorted to bullying, backbiting and picking on the Uchiha children. There have been Uchiha-phobic comments and slurs thrown around between staff, and Michiko has shared her brunt of them due to her close affiliation with the clan. She questions just how nasty the situation could get.
I doubt anything too terrible could happen, she reasons, It's Konoha. We're not like Kirigakure…
With her fears temporarily vanquished, Michiko resigns to eating her ramen in silence.