A.N. Okay! I'm alive! And I apologize for the unscheduled hiatus, but I had midterms and a distinct uptick in the difficulty of my class work. Thank you all for your support and patience! Your comments made me laugh and smile, and motivated me to rewrite this set of chapters at least 4 times! I had several ideas about where this was going to go, and in the end, I'm happy.

This section is going to include a flashback, because I don't want a pure A.N. Chapter, and because I wrote way too much and had to break this apart.

Also! I promised that I would mention the inspiration behind the name of this piece, and a general storyline. Lot of you had really good guesses about the feelings and reasoning behind this, and you're all right. But the name itself, and the feeling I'm trying to capture with this reunion in the next chapter is from…. a SONG!

Yup. Little did you know, you've been reading a song fic this whole time! *evil laughter*

But seriously, I listen to music all the time, and I can't help but try to fit them to anime sometimes. This one was too perfect. So, I highly recommend you all listen to Haunted by Taylor Swift (my favorite singer) before reading the next chapter. I think you'll see what I'm doing.

As always, please comment and tell me what you think. We passed 500 hearts and 50 follows while I was on this hiatus, and I am eternally grateful that those of you who take the time to comment are always so encouraging!

THEN:

Tsukiko sighed, her legs curled to her chest as she sat under a tall oak tree near the clearing where she and Itachi spent their free time training. There was a soft breeze flowing that felt good against her hot face, still lined with tear marks.

Concerned that they'd never taken a proper day off in the five months since they'd become chunin, the village had ordered Itachi and Tsukiko to use the next week as a vacation of sorts. And Lord Fugaku had agreed, forbidding them to even train with Shisui.

It was weird, having all this time on her hands, but it couldn't have come at a worse moment. Unable to use missions as an excuse to escape from the glares and disgust of her clanmates, Tsukiko stayed inside most of the time, or hid out in the forest, as she was doing now. She'd spent a lot of time with Itachi and Sasuke, playing and helping the young boy train.

'He's so big now…'

Just a short while ago, Sasuke had been crawling around and babbling nonsensically. But now, he could walk and talk, and followed her and Itachi everywhere, talking about his day, his training, and anything else that popped into his head. He had been beyond delighted that his brother and sister could spend so much time with him, given that they usually weren't home. Tsukiko had enjoyed herself. It was good to just spend time with her family.

But even that was short-lived. After three days, Lord Fugaku had told them to go out and spend time with people their own age. And that was where the trouble began.

The only ones Tsukiko could talk to were Itachi and Shisui. She had stopped seeing Izumi so often, as she didn't want her to face the wrath of her fellow Uchiha peers.

But that hadn't stopped the young girl. Izumi often went out of her way to pop up around wherever Tsukiko was and spend time with her. She wasn't old enough to go to the secret Uchiha meetings, and with most of the adults out of the way, it was safe for them to be seen around the village together.

Izumi had suggested that Tsukiko make friends outside the clan, as she had many admirers. But that felt like she was doing exactly what she was accused of: choosing the village over her people.

'What a stupid argument…' Lady Mikoto and Lord Fugaku had done their best to make her feel welcome, but had only made her feel worse.

When Lady Mikoto suggested that she would like a bedroom of her own, panic and absolute misery had enveloped her. It felt like they were trying to separate her from Itachi and Sasuke, to keep them safe from her.

Lord Fugaku had been quick to dispel those fears, but there was a tension in the house now. Itachi was troubled and angry with his father, but wouldn't tell her why. After she'd been told that she'd been publicly acknowledged by Fugaku, as well as recommended for the Anbu with Itachi, she thought everything would be okay again.

But Itachi was still upset about something, and he was hiding things from her again. Tsukiko had gotten the sense that he wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, but it still felt like a punch to the gut.

So it was with some relief that she encountered Izumi on her way home from running errands. The two had gotten to talking, but Izumi had been quiet for most of the walk home.

"Hey…" she said after several seconds of silence. "Does Itachi like me?"

Tsukiko cocked her head confused at the sudden question. "Sure he does. You're his friend."

"I'm your friend," Izumi corrected, smiling sadly. "But I don't think he's comfortable around me yet."

That was news to the white-haired girl. She thought about it for several seconds, replaying their conversations. Sure, at first he'd been reluctant to have her around, but he seemed to generally like her now.

"Well…" she said slowly, coming to a stop with her bag of groceries in hand. "Maybe you just need to spend more time together."

Izumi's expression had brightened. "Really? You don't mind?"

"Why would I mind?" Tsukiko smiled happily. "You're one of my best friends, so of course I want you two to get along."

The Uchiha girl smiled back, suddenly more energetic. "You're one of my best friends too. But are you sure you're okay with me spending time with Itachi alone?"

For a moment, Tsukiko's expression froze, and she was silent. But before Izumi could notice the pause, her brain responded automatically. "Sure. Why don't you go get some dango with him? He'll like that for sure."

And Izumi had been so excited, that Tsukiko couldn't say what she'd actually been thinking, what she'd actually felt.

She sighed again, a tear escaping. In truth, she hadn't thought that Izumi was asking to be alone with Itachi. She thought that the three of them would hang out together, like always. And when Tsukiko had realized that Izumi didn't actually want her to come, the hurt took her breath away. And with that came the realization that...she didn't want Itachi to go with her, wanted him to refuse.

But that was selfish. Jealousy was not something Tsukiko enjoyed feeling, especially where her friends were involved. And she couldn't tell whether she was jealous of Izumi for being able to hang out in a public place with Itachi without getting glared at, or Itachi for being able to the same with Izumi. It felt like, once they realized how much easier it was without her there, they would start to leave her out more and more.

Itachi had sensed that something was wrong, but had allowed Izumi to drag him away after Tsukiko claimed that she wasn't feeling well.

And so, she'd retreated to the woods to cry and generally feel miserable, grasping for any thought that would make her feel better. Strangely, thoughts of Itachi and Izumi only made her mood darken further.

"Tsukiko? Is that you?"

Shisui's concerned voice came from the opposite end of the clearing.

Quickly, the young girl wiped her eyes on her sleeve, placing a bright smile on her features as she bounced up. "Hi, Shisui! What are you doing here?"

The older boy slowly took in her dirty, wrinkled clothing, frizzy hair, and puffy red eyes, his own eyes darkening with anger. "Looking for you," he said, forcing his tone to seem measured and calm. He was quickly losing patience with his clanmates' actions and attitude towards the small girl. He had voiced his objections many times, but had been brushed off by the older shinobi. And because they didn't care, the younger generation followed their lead.

"Is something wrong?" She asked timidly, grasping her hands tightly.

"No, nothing," he quickly reassured her, sitting down in the grass. He patted the spot next to him, a clear gesture for her to sit. "I just saw Itachi in town with Izumi, and he told me you weren't feeling well, so I wanted to check up on you."

Nodding, Tsukiko slowly sat down. "I feel better now," she lied, not making eye contact.

"I see," he said skeptically, pausing long enough to let her know that he'd seen through her. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you aren't sick, but you still look pretty upset to me."

Silence greeted him, and Shisui was struck by how alike Tsukiko and Itachi were. Neither were willing to share their pain with the other, preferring to suffer in silence.

So maybe the same tactic would work.

"If it helps, Itachi didn't look like he was particularly enjoying himself," Shisui offered, hoping to get a reaction out of the quiet girl.

It worked, but not in the way he was expecting.

"Really?" Tsukiko sighed sadly. "I guess Izumi was right then. Itachi doesn't like her very much. I was hoping they'd become better friends, but if that's not the case, then all of this was pointless." She stared gloomily into the trees.

Shisui raised an eyebrow. 'That was...unexpected.'

"Oh," he said, leaning back . "And here I thought you were upset because you were jealous."

"I am," she answered quietly, and his eyebrows shot higher.

"You are?" He repeated, thoroughly confused.

Tsukiko looked away ashamed. "Itachi can go have fun with Izumi without anyone saying rude things or giving them dirty looks. And Izumi is going to realize it's easier to be Itachi's friend than mine. I was afraid that they'd both get along so well that they won't want me around anymore."

The older boy scratched his head. 'Okay, not what I was expecting to hear. So she's jealous of...Itachi?'

"Hmph," he snorted, falling back with his arms out on the soft grass. "That won't happen," he said confidently. "Itachi would never leave you for Izumi."

Her eyes widened, and she turned to him. "I didn't even think of that," she said worriedly, her voice getting higher as she panicked. "I just thought they would start hanging out more without me. I didn't think Itachi would—"

"Whoa! Whoa!" Shisui sat up quickly, waving his arms. "I'm not trying to make it worse! All I'm saying is that Izumi is a very sweet girl, and she probably likes Itachi in a romantic sense. But I know that he doesn't feel the same, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"She...likes Itachi?" Tsukiko looked at him blankly.

He grinned awkwardly, feeling like an idiot. He'd seen the two out on a little date, and jumped to conclusions. "Yeah, seems like it. That's probably what she wanted to spend time with him alone."

"But...what does that have to do with me?" The white-haired girl seemed honestly confused.

Shisui stared at her, mouth slightly agape. 'Poor Itachi,' he thought with mock sadness. 'She may be mature for her age, but when it comes to love, she's way behind.'

He realized, after a moment, that Tsukiko was still waiting for him to respond. "Well, nothing, I guess. I just wondered if you also liked Itachi."

"Of course I do!" She answered automatically, but he was already shaking his head.

"No, I mean the way Izumi does. Romantically."

The older boy watched her mouth open and close several times, her cheeks darkening as she thought about what he was saying. Inwardly, he cheered. 'There might actually be hope for these two idiots!'

"I—You—He—" Tsukiko started helplessly, cutting herself off. She'd never once thought of Itachi in that sense, but found herself strangely embarrassed and confused, as if she'd been caught off-guard. "Itachi is my best friend," she said finally, unable to meet the grinning boy's eyes.

"It's okay, Tsukiko," Shisui said kindly, finally relenting his teasing. "Love is complicated and difficult. You're still too young to be worrying about all that nonsense. There's plenty of time for that when you're at my old age."

The white-haired girl cocked her head. "So are you saying there's someone who you like?"

The face of a girl with brown hair flashed in his mind, her green eyes glaring at him from behind stern glasses.

"N-No," he coughed awkwardly. "Nothing like that."

Tsukiko looked at him suspiciously, but let it go. She was too confused about everything. "I just want this week to be over so we can go back on missions and join the Anbu," she said grumpily. "At least then, I can hide behind a mask."

Shisui sighed, unable to think of anything to say to that. "Come on. Let's do some training."

She looked up, startled. "But Lord Fugaku said—"

The older boy made a show of looking around before shrugging. "Well, I don't see him here, and I'm not planning on telling him, so unless you're going to rat us out…"

"No!" Excited now, Tsukiko jumped up, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I think I finally have my new fire whips down, so you'd better watch out!"

Shisui groaned, shaking his head at a curious squirrel in the branch above his head. "I come over to talk to her, and the first thing she does is launch a flaming whip at me," he complained.

The squirrel cocked its head and chattered as if to say well, you're the one who suggested training.

Tsukiko laughed at the affronted look on the older boy's face, her eyes turning red as she lowered to a crouch. "I agree, Mr. Squirrel."

The Uchiha boy shrugged, seeing that he wasn't going to gain any sympathy. "Alright. Hit me with your best shot."

Itachi walked slowly, glancing over his shoulder to see which direction Shisui had gone. He was worried about Tsukiko, and glad that the older boy had offered to go check on her, but he was also mildly frustrated that he couldn't go himself.

Of course, Izumi was bouncing along beside him happily, talking about the new tea shop that opened up and how good it was. Itachi had to admit, he was coming to enjoy her company more and more, especially since the Uchiha girl was one of the only ones who was nice to Tsukiko. But without Tsukiko, he didn't really know how to talk to this girl.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Izumi's high-pitched voice asked teasingly. "We're almost there."

They had left the clan compound, and had come into the center of the village. They had received several knowing looks from adults passing by, and with each one, Izumi seemed to become increasingly happy. Itachi, for his part, didn't care about what people thought, seeing them together like this. He was taking a walk with a friend. There was nothing else to it.

The tea shop was cozy, and situated in a prime spot in the center of a market area. From the amount of customers, it was clear the little place would soon become a favorite.

Looking around at the simple decoration, Itachi had the sense that Tsukiko would like this place, and resolved to bring her here when she was feeling better. The more time she spent out of the compound, the better.

His eyes saw a mirror on the wall, low enough and at an angle so that he'd be able to see the entrance without being obvious. Directing his companion to the table nearest to it, they took their seats.

"Two orders of dango and tea, please!" Izumi called out, sitting so that she faced the front of the building, her back to the mirror.

"Jasmine for me," Itachi added, knowing that the usual pairing was green tea and dango. His mother didn't care for it, so he was used to drinking jasmine tea with his sweets. It was a habit he didn't care enough about to break.

"Comin'!" A familiar voice rang out from the back of the shop. "Oh! If it ain't Itachi!" The accented voice was that of an old teammate.

"Shinko," the boy greeted, nodding his head politely. In the back of his mind, he noted that Tsukiko would love to talk to the older girl again. The tea shop had gone further up in his estimation.

"Been ages, hm?" Shinko had been on his original team, and quit being a ninja after Tenma was killed. He hadn't seen her since, and felt satisfaction that he'd been able to remember her name after all this time. Although, she hadn't changed much. Her brown hair was still short and spiky, and her eyes held a certain mischief to them that made adults wary.

"My family just opened this place," she continued, gesturing around. "They're trainin' me to be the manager someday."

"Good luck to you, then."

Izumi hesitantly watched Itachi speaking so familiarly with the older girl.

Shinko seemed to finally notice her. "Hello, there. It's nice to see another Uchiha out 'n about. I'm Shinko, a former teammate of Itachi's." Balancing her tray with one hand, she held out the other. Her welcoming smile showed off the faint line of freckles across her nose.

The younger girl shook her hand, relaxing now that she understood the situation better.

"Speaking of bein' out 'n about, where's Tsukiko? You and her were always attached at the hip, Itachi."

"She's not feeling well," Itachi replied, his glance at the door the only sign of his agitation. He hadn't used the mirror and instead had turned his head, revealing a lot to Shinko, who was used to reading the feelings of customers. "I'll bring her with me as soon as she is well again. Tsukiko would like to talk to you."

The older girl nodded, her bright green eyes looking at the children in amusement. What could have brought her former teammate away from training? "So? Yer girlfriend?" She asked, setting down the tea and dango. In her mind, that was the only thing that could've separated the duo.

"Friend."

"Oh!" Shinko blinked at the curt reply. "I bet she's all disappointed now!" She grinned, teasing the two. Her smile widened when Izumi jumped in surprise, and she giggled. It was clear what the girl was after, and Shinko couldn't blame her. Itachi was famous now, and growing into a very handsome young man. He was sure to start attracting a lot of attention from the village women once he grew up a bit more.

To her satisfaction, she could still read something in her former teammate, even after he'd put his guard up. His glances at the mirror she'd put up on the wall told her that he was anxious to leave.

"Heard you and Tsukiko made Chunin," she continued, taking pity on the Uchiha girl. "Nice one."

"Thanks," he said.

Izumi sat quietly, her face to the ground. She'd wanted a chance to be alone with Itachi, to see if he could like her back. But even a mere acquaintance could see that Itachi's mind was back with her white-haired friend. Jealousy was not an emotion she enjoyed, but she couldn't help but feel it beginning to creep up.

'Itachi's the only real support Tsukiko has,' she reminded herself, shame taking over. 'He's never shown a preference for me, so what right do I have to feel jealous?'

"Knew I chose right when I quit the ninja." Shinko hugged her tray to her chest. "There was all that with Tenma dyin'. But halfa why I quit was coz of you."

"Me?" Itachi cocked his head slightly.

"Seein' a genius like you so up close, I saw the limits of my talents so clear. Tsukiko was the same, but she had her kekkei genkai. You didn't yet, and you were still miles better than me. I hated it. An' then I got sad, y'know? Started wonderin' if I should really keep at it at all. So the very next day, I went and quit it." She tossed her head back, laughing loudly and delightfully before hearing the voice of her mother calling her back to the kitchen.

"Right, then. Can't be lazing about here. Let me know if you need anything else." She turned and walked away quickly.

An awkward silence settled, and Itachi bit into his dango, unsure how to proceed. Tsukiko would be mad at him if he hurt Izumi's feelings, but he was confused as to why she had asked him to meet with her alone. Was something wrong with Tsukiko that she wanted to discuss?

"You really are amazing, huh, Itachi?" Izumi murmured finally, her gaze still directed at the floor. "I don't have the kind of talent that would make anyone just give up on being a ninja."

The young male continued to eat, trying to figure out from her words why she was upset. Perhaps Izumi was trying to improve and felt lacking? He could understand that feeling.

"But you're going to graduate this year, right?" He encouraged, trying to mimic Shisui's way of gently consoling him when he was upset. Izumi was eleven, so her graduation was a year early. It's not like she hadn't proven herself to be talented.

"That doesn't count as talent, you know," Izumi noted sadly, her hands fisting the material of her shirt. "You and Tsukiko are so good at being shinobi, it makes me want to try harder as well."

For the first time since Izumi had asked him to spend time with her, Itachi felt a faint sense of joy. At least someone was acknowledging Tsukiko as a talent, someone to be admired rather than a threat. He suddenly felt a lot warmer towards the Uchiha female.

And Shinko, as well, was proof of their efforts. Their power had removed a ninja from the world, removed all the fights and conflicts she would have gotten into. That was proof that they were not on the wrong path.

"I want to ask you something," he said suddenly, setting the now-bare dango stick down.

Izumi lifted her head and looked at him, a thin veil of tears in her eyes.

"Why do you want to be a ninja?"

"What?" She blinked, not expecting that to be the question.

"Being a ninja means actual battle," he explained, trying to use his "Shisui tone" again. "Which means that you'll have to deal with so many awful, terrible things all the time. A girl like you shouldn't have to go through that." Izumi, from what he'd seen, was sweet and timid. The thought of her seriously fighting against anyone was worrisome to him.

"But, I mean, my family are all ninjas, so…"

That was what he had feared. Becoming a shinobi, "just because" would eventually lead to this sweet girl, the only Uchiha to acknowledge Tsukiko, down the same path of the the other Uchiha, where she would become dark, cold, and bloodstained. "Is that the only reason?" he asked sadly.

"It's not just that!" Izumi replied forcefully.

Itachi caught a glimpse of anger in her flat black eyes. He didn't understand what it meant.

"Walking down the same path as the person you like...you're saying I shouldn't want that? Fine!"

She stood up, her fists clenched. "See you," she muttered. Looking back up at him, tears spilled out of her eyes as she forced a smile. "Tell Tsukiko I said thanks." And then she was gone.

Itachi stared after her, wondering what he'd done wrong.

"What's this? Made yer girl cry?" Shinko, who had at some point materialized behind Itachi, spoke in a teasing manner.

"If you can hide your aura that well, maybe you should become a ninja again?" Itachi's voice was curt, annoyed that he hadn't heard her and that he'd done something to hurt Izumi. Tsukiko was going to be mad at him now.

"No thanks!" Shinko laughed, cleaning up the plates. "Poor girl, she just wanted a date with you, but all you can think about is little Tsukiko, right?"

Itachi blinked. "A date?" He cocked his head. "How do you know that? I thought she was going to ask me how she can improve her ninja skills."

Shinko laughed loudly, shaking her head. "You really are somethin', Itachi! Miles ahead of us in skill, but socially, yer way behind!"

The young male's cheeks reddened, but he couldn't necessarily deny her claim. He glared at her, drinking his tea quickly. He wanted to check on Tsukiko.

"Thinkin' about her again?"

Startled, Itachi refocused on Shinko, who was now leaning against the table. "What?"

"It's easy to guess when yer thinkin' about Tsukiko," she explained smugly. "You get this like, almost smile expression. It's pretty cute." The dark-haired woman sighed blissfully, ignoring the embarrassed boy. "It's almost a sure thing that you two are goin' to fall in love and get married someday." She shook her head, smiling. "And look out when you have kids! The village won't be able to handle that kind of talent."

She looked over to grin at Itachi, but was surprised to see that he was gone, a small pile of money left to pay for the food and tea.

"Aw, he ran away! And I wanted to tease him more!"

Itachi jumped swiftly from roof to roof, his face burning. Shinko's words had been mortifyingly close to what he sometimes felt about his partner. Love? Of course he loved Tsukiko. Just like he loved his family. But...what she had said about their future…

Unbeknownst to the young male, his lips had lifted into a gentle smile.