CCNote: Some of you have gotten good at predicting the layout of this nonlinear story. That makes me happy.
This chapter is the one that has been bouncing around in my head for days. I see it in my sleep and when I daze off into space during the day. I personally enjoyed writing this and I hope you like reading it.
Don't forget to leave a REVIEW, they are literally what keeps me writing! Enjoy!
H is for Growth
Thursday, June 7, 2018, 10:31 am
Makinohara- Akatsuki Fireworks
….
"Okay so now add the pow- too much! Too much!"
Hanabi held her breath and narrowed her eyes at the small aluminum canister precariously clutched between her forefinger and thumb. The black powder she was supposed to be pouring into it was not that much off but Deidra was highly specific with his measurements. There was an art to making things go 'boom' and he did not tolerate sloppiness. The blonde man took the small canister from her possession and used a thin silver scrapper to level the powder off. Hanabi unsuccessfully blew an errant lock of hair out of her face in irritation. For someone who seemed so eccentric, Deidra was very anal.
She snickered at her own use of profanity in her mind. Deidra wasn't all that bad though, in fact, his craft was rather interesting. Learning how to make explosives was not something she expected to be doing with her summer but she'd rather be doing this than touring her future college campus. Plus, if she learned quickly enough she might actually be able to show Itachi her own handmade fireworks. Deidra was a decent teacher. In a few days time, with his help of course, she'd be able to see her own creations light up the night sky.
'Speaking of Itachi.' Hanabi thought as she plopped down on a wobble barstool beside Deidra's ashy workbench. 'He hasn't made any more mentions of leaving.'
The eighteen-year-old rested her chin in her hand, uncaring that her fingers left sooty prints on her skin, and watched Deidra work his magic. Since Itachi wasn't in any rush to leave maybe that meant that her plan had worked. Maybe he'd found a reason to stay...
The cool breeze lifted off of the ocean and blew up towards the deck, ruffling the hair of the Hyuuga and Uchiha. With barely suppressed growl Hanabi pushed some of her hair out of her face, determined not to be distracted. Itachi lazily yawned before laying his cards down on the weather-beaten deck. A royal flush. Hanabi's mouth dropped open in utter disbelief.
"You're fucking cheating!" She hissed and Itachi shrugged his shoulders at her accusation.
"You're the one that wished to play this game. It's not my fault I'm better."
Hanabi stuck out her tongue in a show of immature defiance and jumped to her feet. Itachi may have won the battle but he hadn't won the war. The last of the brownies from the diner were still up for grabs. She'd be damned if she let Itachi get the last one. They had been made from scratch by Izumi and they weren't available on the regular menu. They were like an explosion of chocolate in your mouth and she and Itachi had spent most of the night pilfering them behind each other's backs until there was only one left. Just the memory of the chewy, chocolate goodness had her mouth watering. She had to act casual though. If Itachi sensed that she was going to circumvent their bet he was likely going to try to stop her.
"Well, you win I guess." She sighed, inching closer towards the living room. Itachi narrowed his dark eyes at her suspiciously.
"Hanabi." He said warily as he started to rise up to his feet as well.
The Hyuuga shuffled backward more quickly as he rose to his full height, his broad frame towering over her.
"Oh, would you look at the time? I think I'll just-"
Before Itachi could even blink she'd bolted into the living room where the plastic container of brownies was sitting on the coffee table. Just as her fingers brushed against the clear box, Itachi's long arm reached over her and snatched it away.
"We had an agreement." He said with a disappointed shake of his head. "To think you would stoop so low to betray me."
He raised the box up high out of the reach from Hanabi's grubby fingers. She tried to jump to get the container but Itachi was just too tall. Damn Uchiha genes.
"You shouldn't be eating brownies in the first place. " Hanabi pouted. "Sugar is bad for old people!"
"Old." Itachi repeated incredulously, unaware that he was lowering the box as he did so. "Old? I am not old."
"Well, you're certainly not a spring chicken." Hanabi teased and snatched the box away from him.
Her feet immediately sprang into action as Itachi tried to reclaim the box. Luckily the fact that she was smaller than him meant that she could skirt around him more easily without getting caught. Quickly she opened the box and grabbed the last brownie inside as he chased her around the living room. Itachi was still much faster than she was, even if he was old. He swiftly gained on her and picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all. The room turned upside down as he slung her over his right shoulder and she let out a squeal of surprise. The motion was so sudden she almost lost her grip on the brownie which would have been a tragedy. His right arm kept her hooked in place so that no matter how much she moved she wasn't getting out of his grip.
"Don't you dare eat it." He threatened and she squirmed limply on his shoulder to get down but Itachi wasn't letting her go.
Knock Knock Knock
"Put me down and get the door." Hanabi huffed, seeing now as the perfect time to escape.
"This is punishment." He said and smacked the back of her thigh with his free hand as he headed towards the front door. "You'll run away with the brownie as soon as I put you down anyway."
Hanabi rolled her eyes, stopped wiggling, and took a bite of the brownie. The confectionary was already within her grasp anyway. It was awkward eating upside down but worth it. She didn't care about being carried around either. More than likely it was just Deidra coming to bug Itachi instead of running his shop like a responsible adult. The door to the beach house creaked open but the voice of the visitor was distinctly feminine.
"Good mor- oh...did I come at a bad time?" The voice asked and Hanabi instantly recognized it to belong to Izumi. Without the loud clattering of noise in the diner in the background, it was odd to hear her voice.
"No." Itachi replied flatly, shifting the teen like a sack of potatoes on his shoulder. "Someone is just being a traitor this morning."
"Hey! I'm doing you a favor by eating this!" Hanabi quipped and took another bite of the brownie. "Beswithc you're twoof wold to emboy it- ow!"
Hanabi glared at the floor and tried not kick Itachi for hitting her thigh yet again. So much for people thinking he didn't abuse her.
"What did I say about talking with food in your mouth?"
"Don't do it blah, blah, blah."
"Maybe I should come by another time." Izumi said, her clear discomfort seeping into her voice. "You just left your jacket at the diner and I-"
"You should stay." Itachi interrupted and put Hanabi back down on her feet.
His dark eyes narrowed when he saw that she'd already eaten half of the brownie. Being under his scrutinizing gaze actually made her feel a bit guilty. He had won the bet fair and square after all but the brownie was just so good! She hadn't had anything this good since they'd left Konoha! Itachi couldn't blame her for this! He should take her places that actually had good food. Unfortunately her conscious got the better of her and she begrudgingly handed Itachi the rest of the brownie.
The Uchiha's eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before he smiled at the peace offering. For a brief second Hanabi thought that all might be forgiven but instead, he took the brownie and simultaneously pushed her out of the door. He then pulled a confused Izumi into the house with his free hand.
"Be back by sunset." He said and shut the door...
Hanabi sighed at the memory and lazily swiveled around on the rickety barstool. She'd had to knock for a good three minutes before Itachi answered the door again so that she could get her shoes. She hoped that her exile wasn't for naught. Since Itachi hadn't mentioned leaving that could mean they were staying longer. If they were staying longer she hoped Itachi was able to convince Izumi to make more of those brownies. This time she would horde two or three in her room...for safe keeping of course.
"All done!" Deidra announced, clapping loose soot off of his hands.
The black powder got on their clothes but Hanabi didn't mind too much. Whatever Deidra had made today was probably going to look great. The blonde wiped his hands off on the front of his pants and turned a big bright smile in her direction.
"Wanna head out and get ice cream?" He asked hopefully and Hanabi rolled her eyes.
"How do you make any money when you're always ditching work?"
"I'll have you know I make plenty of money. I keep the lights on don't I?"
Hanabi shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. Keeping the lights on was not enough in her opinion. Besides the only ice cream shop here sucked. They didn't have any good flavors and all of the ice cream had a weird powdery taste to it.
"No ice cream." She said and hopped off the barstool.
Deidra pouted and followed her from his workshop in the back to the main storefront. The teen then turned the sign on the door from closed to open and turned on all the lights. Hanabi then went behind the counter and pulled out two dusty orange aprons that hadn't seen the light of day in a while. When she shook them out the cloud of dust they created made her and Deidra cough. Once they were moderately wearable she handed one to Deidra and put the other one on herself. The blonde clutched the slightly less dusty apron in his left hand, bottom lip quivering with disappointment.
"But what about the ice cream?" He asked and Hanabi poked him in the chest.
"No ice cream. Only money." She said and the promise of money perked him up a little bit.
The thought of helping Deidra run his fireworks shop actually made her feel a little excited. She didn't have any plans for the day so this was much better than wandering around aimlessly. She'd never had any kind of a job before so at the very least this would be interesting. The bell above the door rang and Hanabi immediately turned around to assist their first customer.
….
Thursday, June 7, 2018, 5:45 pm
Makinohara
….
The sun was just beginning to set as she walked up the sandy sidewalk to the Uchiha property. Soft gradients of oranges and pinks were seeping into the perfect blue sky, darkness would be upon them soon. Shops pulled down their metal barriers and bars started to turn on their lights, the entire area changed in preparation for a small but lively nightlife. Hanabi was a bit curious about how the area transformed itself at night. At night, if she was out on the deck, she could faintly hear the loud music and cheers down the opposite stretch of the beach. It sounded like people were having fun and part of her wanted to join but as always she had to be back before the sun completely set. The curious part of her wasn't strong enough to defy Itachi in that aspect.
Hanabi smirked and shook her head. The angriest she'd seen him was today when she backstabbed him for a brownie and, even then, she doubted that he was actually mad. She didn't want to see him actually upset or stress him out more than he already was. The Hyuuga bit her bottom lip and ran her fingers through her hair worriedly as she thought about the root cause of the Uchiha's stress. The only negative about being here in this little beach town was being completely disconnected from the outside world. It'd only been a week but it felt like forever. If she had access to the internet she'd be able to look up the uses for the multiple bottles of prescription pills Itachi kept in his room. She'd be able to find out what was wrong with him and maybe even be able to help him. Right now she felt like more of a burden. That was probably why he hadn't wished for her to accompany him on this trip in the first place.
"Hey, Hanabi!" A cheery voice called from the other side of the narrow street, breaking the Hyuuga from her thoughts.
Moegi waved brightly in her direction, Konohamaru at her side with an almost blank expression. The energetic girl looked both ways before crossing the street and pulled Konohamaru with her towards Hanabi. The Hyuuga's heart began to beat faster the closer they came, her mind whirling with excuses she could come up with to get out of having a conversation with them. None came up in time and she was left standing awkwardly in their presence. Moegi wrapped her arm around Konohamaru's and smiled brightly at her. Guilt ate the edges of Hanabi's conscious.
"I'm glad we spotted you!" Moegi said happily. "I thought we wouldn't run into you again before we left."
"Oh good." Hanabi said flatly but her sarcasm was lost on Moegi.
The brunette raised an eyebrow at Konohamaru but he was pointedly not looking at her. He clearly hadn't told Moegi that he'd run into her on the beach the other day. If he had Moegi would not be treating her this eagerly.
If she knew...
"We are having a party tonight to mark our one month anniversary."
"One month huh?"
"Yea it's been one month since our parents introduced us to each other. It sounds like a short time but it feels so much longer you know?"
If she knew she wouldn't be telling her this information so easily.
"It's not going to be anything big but I thought it would be a good idea to invite one of Konohamaru's friends to join."
"I don't think-" Hanabi started but Moegi let go of Konohamaru and took one of the Hyuuga's hands into both of hers.
"It will be lots of fun and I'd like to get to know you."
If she knew she would never say things like that.
"I'm sorry." Hanabi said as politely as she could while slipping her hand out of Moegi's grasp. "I'm busy tonight."
"Busy doing what?" Konohamaru asked a bit too quickly. Moegi looked at him curiously, surprised by his sudden interest in Hanabi's plans for the night.
"None of your buisness." The Hyuuga quipped.
"Mo. Why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch up." Konohamaru said, his brown eyes boring holes into her pale ones. Moegi looked between them worriedly, the tension that sprang up was almost palpable.
"But-" she started to say but her evident training to be a good future wife kicked in and she swallowed her protest. "Ok. I'll let the others know...Hanabi...it was nice seeing you again."
Hanabi watched the girl depart but her presence still remained on the Hyuuga's guilty conscious. It made her feel sick. Her stomach tossed and turned as Konohamaru took a step closer to her. Flashbacks of their kisses on the beach came back in full force and made her want to vomit. She was a horrible person. How could she let herself become overwhelmed like that? She should have never kissed him back. She should have never entertained his presence near her in the first place. His hand reached out to touch her but this time she smacked it away.
"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed, her eyes darting around the street to see if anyone noticed Konohamaru's lapse in judgment.
If the Senju owned most of the properties in the town then that meant that there was a spotlight on the heir. It appeared as though Moegi was ignorant of what had happened between her and Konohamaru on the beach but it would only be a matter of time before she grew suspicious. She might already have her doubts since Konohamaru had sent her away without much of an explanation. Luckily it appeared as though none of the people preparing their shops had noticed but that did not put her at ease. She needed to get as far away from Konohamaru before they said or did something they would both regret. Hanabi didn't even look at him as she continued past him and towards her trek to the Uchiha beach house. She could see the property at the top of the hill, if she walked continued at this pace she'd arrive within the safety of its weathered walls in no time.
"Hanabi please don't make me chase after you." Konohamaru groaned as his long legs kept pace with hers.
"I never asked you to." She snapped back and picked up her pace. "Go catch up with your girlfriend. There was no reason to send her away."
The Uchiha property wasn't far at all at this pace. She picked up her speed but Konohamaru easily matched her although he was breathing heavily to keep up. Inwardly Hanabi rolled her eyes, Konohamaru had gotten soft. Once she reached the beach house, she scurried up the porch steps two at a time but a second set continued to follow her.
"Hanabi-" he huffed at the top of the stairs. "About the other day on the beach. Don't mention it to Moegi."
"Why the hell would I do that?" Hanabi snorted and reached for the doorknob. " I'm not going to your stupid anniversary party. Besides, she's your girlfriend. You tell her. Now leave."
Konohamaru didn't listen and instead reached behind her and twisted open the doorknob. The front door swung open easily because Itachi had anticipated her returning home around this time and had left the door unlocked. She could smell warm chocolate baking in the oven they never used but she couldn't even enjoy it. The sight of Konohamaru in this space completely disrupted the safety that she usually felt here. He didn't belong here. A strange sense of unreasonable panic started to swirl in the back of her mind. She had nothing to hide. Why did she feel so scared? She followed him into the house and the door slamming behind her sounded louder than usual. He walked around her and into the small beach house. The sliding glass doors had been closed for the evening and all of the lights were on. They'd done a pretty decent job of cleaning the place up overall but the look of distaste on Konohamaru's face suggested that he did not agree with that sentiment.
"You gave up being elevated to the position of heir for this?" He said dryly as he looked around the simple space.
"The position of heir was never supposed to be mine to begin with." Hanabi retorted, not appreciating his tone in the slightest.
"You would rather live here in a shitty beach house than be with me?"
"First of all, this isn't a 'shitty beach house'. Second of all, if being with you means having to force my sister into a marriage she doesn't want then I guess I can't be with you. I didn't make those terms. Your family did and you went right along with it."
"Hanabi you know things are complicated-"
"Well, I uncomplicated them. We aren't together anymore. You have a girl that will satisfy your family. Congratulations. Leave."
Konohamaru shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. His brown eyes looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and longing that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. That is until his eyes shifted away from her and towards the hall when they heard the sound of a door opening.
"Hanabi." Itachi called calmly, his deep voice reverberating off the walls with his approach.
Hanabi turned around towards the hallway to see Itachi's imposing frame enter the living room. He had bags under his eyes which were a bit red, almost as though he'd been waking up from a nap. His dark grey pajama bottoms hung low on his hips and he'd neglected to put on a shirt. That in itself wasn't odd. Itachi never slept with a shirt on but now it felt...indecent. Hanabi tore her eyes away from him guilty.
"Who is this?" He asked and Hanabi awkwardly rubbed her right arm.
"Konohamaru Senju and he was just leaving." She answered and the boy scoffed.
"Like hell I'm leaving you here with- with him!" He hissed and grabbed Hanabi's upper arm. His fingers dug into her flesh causing her to yelp at the painful sensation. She tried to wrest her arm away but it only made Konohamaru hold onto her tighter as he marched towards the door.
"Let go of her." Itachi said, his voice low but threatening.
Konohamaru spun around so fast that Hanabi almost got whiplash as her body was forcibly turned around as well. He didn't let go of her as he marched right up to Itachi and glared at him. Itachi was still a head taller and slightly broader than Konohamaru's athletic frame but the teen remained unintimidated.
"You should be ashamed of yourself." He spat. "You're fucking sick."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Hanabi protested, pushing against his arm to force him to let her go. "Let me go!"
"He's hurt you hasn't he? That's why you're all the way out here alone with him isn't it?"
Hanabi and Itachi both froze at Konohamaru's accusations. She hadn't expected him to take things in that direction. His nails dug dipper into her skin and although Hanabi had a rather high pain tolerance she couldn't help but cry out. His nails were inadvertently drawing blood. Konohamaru had gotten soft, he didn't even realize his own strength the way he used to.
"You're hurting me. Let go!"
In the next instant two things happened. First, she was released from Konohamaru's grasp, her own feet stumbling forward from the imbalance. Second, Konohamaru was on the ground clutching his left eye. Itachi stepped towards the boy he'd just punched to the floor but Hanabi quickly jumped between them. She pressed her hands against Itachi's bare chest and she almost jumped at how hot his skin felt beneath her fingertips. It was almost as if his skin was on fire. She could feel the minuscule trembling of his muscles as he struggled to maintain his composure. His dark eyes looked down into her own and she could see a small crack in his cold mask, a glimpse of the fatigue that he was trying to tamp down. Without breaking from his gaze, she opened her mouth.
"Konohamaru...please leave...before I call the police."
It was a lie of course. Their phones were essentially paperweights but Konohamaru didn't know that.
"Hanabi!" He said in disbelief as he slowly rose up from the ground. "If anything he needs to be arrested!"
Her right arm tinged a bit with pain from Konohamaru's nails digging into her skin. That pain would be nothing compared to what she would do to him if he didn't get out. She wouldn't go to such drastic measures, would she? Yet as she felt the Uchiha's rapid heartbeat she knew she had to get Konohamaru out of here. Itachi was a prideful man and she would not allow his pride to be tarnished by an outsider seeing a moment of his weakness. It was something that even she should not bear witness to. She tore her eyes away from him and glared at the teen staring at them dumbstruck with one good eye.
"Leave now!" She shouted, causing Konohamaru to stiffen.
For a brief moment she thought that he would remain stubborn and stay but he finally gave in to her request. When the front door swung open a strong gust of wind swept in with it and chilled the occupants to the bone. The door slammed behind him loudly and Hanabi let out a breath of relief. Itachi stepped away from her and with his distance, the heat from his skin faded from her fingertips.
"Pack your bags." He commanded stiffly as he straightened his back. "We are boarding the first train in the morning."
"Wait-what?' Hanabi asked breathlessly, shocked by his sudden direction. "I've got to help Deidra in the morning with his shop. There's a bunch of back order fireworks he has to complete and-"
"Deidra can handle his own orders." Itachi snapped and turned on his heel to head back down the hall.
"You just want to boss me around like everyone else. You're not even taking into consideration what I want to do before picking up and taking off!"
Hanabi scurried behind him as he stopped in front of her door instead of his own. He wrenched open the door causing it to slam into the adjacent wall. He pulled her empty suitcases out from under the bed and unzipped them. The Hyuuga could only stand there confused as he methodically removed her clothing from the dresser drawers and began packing her things into her suitcase for her. He paused for a second when he noticed the box of sparklers Deidra had given her but tossed those into the suitcase as well.
"Itachi." She protested. "Please let's stay. What about Izumi? Have you even told her your plans for leaving?"
"Izumi is a nonfactor. I told you three days." Itachi replied simply and dumped the top drawer filled with socks into her suitcase. "We are leaving."
Hanabi snatched the now empty drawer away from Itachi and tossed the container onto the bed.
"Stop, please stop." She whispered and reached out to touch his arm. His body temperature was much too high. "You're burning up Chi."
The Uchiha's shoulders slumped as he took shallow breaths in an attempt to control himself. Soon his knees gave out and he sank down in front of her. His forehead rested against her stomach, perspiration seeped through the thin material of her shirt but she only weaved her fingers through his hair and pressed him closer. Short breaths brushed against her and she rubbed the pads of her fingers against his scalp. It was the only thing she could think of to do to calm him. When his breathing finally evened out she gently pulled his head away from her stomach and stared down into his tired eyes. He'd exerted himself too much today.
"You shouldn't have hit him." She said softly as he pressed his forehead back into her stomach.
"How do you expect me to stand there and do nothing when some punk is hurting you?" He sighed.
"I can handle myself just fine without your help."
"You are my responsibility."
"I think the word you're looking for is burden."
At that statement, Itachi lifted his weary body to its feet and stepped away from her.
"Hanabi... you aren't a burden." He said and made his way towards the door.
"Like I believe that. You're a liar anyway." She grumbled more to herself than him. He still caught every word.
"We are leaving at sunrise. Be ready."
To be continued...
I is for Mothers
"These boys will be the death of me." She sighed. "At this rate, I'll never have any grandchildren to spoil."