A/N: Family drama! Sorry that there's no Kakashi today!
Conversation during dinner is unbearably strained. The only prospect of civility between Hanzou and Murakami is through their ten-year-old son, who is chattering about a new jutsu he has learnt. His parents indulge him with their attention and encouragement but the way they speak only to him and not to each other only excarbates the tension in the air.
When their son excuses himself with a flimsy excuse about studying, leaving half his food untouched, the silence that falls between the couple relaxes in some ways and pulls tighter in others. The servants read the mood well enough to leave the dishes as they are, making themselves scarce until they are called.
"They weren't always like this," Sugi titters awkwardly. Only she and Sakumo are there - Kakashi somewhere behind the shouji screen doors - the others either watching over Snake or taking a stroll in the gardens. A rare starry night has spread itself across Ame's skies tonight.
He feels obliged to reassure her even though he doesn't completely understand her nervousness. "Maa, every couple has their issues." A sad smile lifts the corners of Sugi's mouth as she agrees.
Hanzou clears his throat behind the rebreather he'd donned again after the meal. "I am... concerned about Hanyu's safety. The Akatsuki have been becoming more active recently." His wife's expressionless mask cracks a little at the mention of their son. "It would be better if both of you moved out of Ame. Kawa no Kuni is a good choice, I think. The land there is fertile and their crop abundant. It'll be easier and safer living there."
She reaches for her tea, trying to seek a distraction from having to answer, but her trembling fingers barely brush the lip of the ceramic teacup before she snatches her hand back. She fists her hand into the fabric of her haori to hide the evidence of her agitation. "Hanzou..."
"It won't be forever, just until this issue with the Akatsuki is settled." He says it lightly, trying to diffuse her anger with his own pretence of nonchalance. It's like throwing water into lava — everything only explode all the faster.
The teacup smashes into the far wall and shatters into a hundred gleaming pieces, making everyone in the room flinch. In sharp juxtaposition to her actions, her words come in a tightly controlled murmur. "And when will that be?" Her eyes are a frozen azure.
"How would I know?" Hanzou scowls, glancing at the shards of ceramic, the largest of which still rocking on its curved edge. "Even I can't predict the future."
"If you suspect me and want me gone, just tell me to my face. And I'll understand," she spits out the word bitterly, "that these eighteen years we have known each other mean nothing."
"Why can't you just accept that I'm concerned about your safety?" Annoyance is clear in his voice. "Why do you have to twist it into something else?"
"Because I saw the way you looked at me that day!" Murakami hisses, her eyes flashing with hurt. "How can you even—"
"I am the ruler of Ame! It's my duty to be suspicious of everyone," he rebuts, his voice as harsh as his words.
They glare at each other, two stubborn bulls locking horns in the deafening silence. Murakami looks away first, blinking away the moisture gathering in her eyes. "If you don't trust that I love you, then trust that I love our son. I would never do anything that would break apart this family or this country — the things I have built with my very own hands." Hanzou's tense shoulders relax an inch, his expression softening slightly. "I won't let anyone destroy them either," she continues, her gaze still fixed on her clasped hands. "I have sent a letter to the Hokage informing him of Danzou's activities here."
Hanzou's chakra bursts into the air as if a exploding tag had gone off, its sudden, oppressive pressure shocking a gasp out of the dark-haired woman. "What did you say?!" he roars, his hands clamping down on the edges of the table as he half-rises. Beside Sakumo, Sugi makes a faint sound of distress.
Murakami tilts up her chin defiantly, her mouth a grim line and her cheeks flushed with determination. "You won't be able to track it down. I sent it three weeks ago through the trade routes."
The table creaks under the force of Hanzou's grip. Slowly, he uncurls his fingers and sits back down, reeling back his swirling chakra bit by bit. "Get out. Before I kill you."
She stiffens but rises smoothly to her feet a moment later, her spine straight and her shoulders set even as she gathers the loose folds of her haori about herself and wraps her arms about her waist. Her hand has just alighted on the shouji door when Hanzou speaks again, his voice gravelly and unkind. "Go pack. You leave in a fortnight."
She starts to turn but catches herself, settling for a mute incline of her head instead. The door closes silently behind her and Hanzou slams his fist down on the table, cracking its lacquered surface.