The next morning was quite awkward for Naruto and Kakashi. Everyone was gathered at the table, enjoying the large spread of food that Miki had put out for them; but the pair couldn't help sneaking glances at each other.
Thankfully, everyone else was involved in the conversation when a blush spread across Naruto's cheeks. He was so embarrassed about the situation, and didn't know how to talk to anyone about it; least of all Kakashi.
Guilt crept up on him again when he looked at Itachi, but he tried to squash it down; Itachi had told him it was okay to feel the way he did. It wasn't like Naruto had intentionally groped the older man..well he did, but only because he was trying to figure out if it was, in fact, Itachi. He tried to reason that it was dark as well, too dark to be sure about who he had crashed into.
Naruto shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts, and tuned back in to the conversation; his mind relaxing a bit as he basked in the warm atmosphere at the table.
After breakfast, Miki announced that she had planned things for them to do that day, and everyone went to get ready. They all returned shortly after, wearing comfortable civilian clothes and clearly eager to get on with the day.
Naruto and Itachi split off from the group as they were leaving, stating they had plans and wishing that everyone had a good time. Sasuke and Sakura shared a knowing look, Kakashi deflated in disappointment, and Miki watched everyone's reactions from the side, an amused smile pulling at her lips.
After that, the larger group went off on an adventure with Miki, while Itachi guided Naruto towards their first stop.
Naruto's eyes sparkled as a large bowl of ramen was placed in front of him, the fragrant steam filling his nostrils and making his mouth water. He clapped his hands together in thanks and looked over at Itachi, who was resting his head on his hand and gazing at Naruto with a fond smile on his lips.
"Have I ever told you that you're the love of my life?" Itachi's smile broadened, his cheeks turning slightly pink, and he responded in a playful tone.
"More times than I deserve, and less than I desire; though I wouldn't mind hearing it again." Naruto grinned and leaned over, peppering grateful kisses on Itachi's cheeks. The Uchiha closed his eyes, enjoying the affection, and felt his body tingle with joy.
Seeing Naruto happy made his happiness multiply tenfold, and part of him was amazed yet saddened, at how little it took to make the man happy. How the smallest things seemed to mean the world to him; and he was grateful for everything, as if he may never receive something good again.
It made Itachi's heart clench painfully with how much adoration swelled inside him.
They dug into their meals soon after, Naruto's disappearing within minutes as he greedily slurped up his noodles. By the time Itachi finished his first, Naruto was already on his third, and the Uchiha could do nothing but laugh at the redheads endless appetite.
He reached out and lightly tapped Naruto's arm, a smile spreading across his face as the redhead turned toward him with wide eyes, and slurped up a noodle.
"Try to save some room, we're going for dessert after this." If possible, his eyes widened further, and he wiggled in his chair excitedly.
"You're really going all out today Itachi, what's the occasion?" Itachi wrapped his hand around Naruto's and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it, yet never letting his gaze stray from those stunning violet eyes.
"You'll see later, I don't want to disrupt the mood right now." Naruto looked a little confused but didn't question the man, Itachi had a way of speaking in mysterious ways sometimes, and Naruto had learned to just go along with it.
He was having a good time so far, and he'd trust that it would continue to be a positive experience.
After paying for their meals, Itachi guided Naruto to a bakery a few minutes away; once there, they bought a few different types of pastries, and went to a nearby park where they indulged in the sweet treats.
With their bellies full, they decided to lay back in the grass and cloud watch, talking back and forth quietly as they soaked up the sun.
Itachi's attention eventually strayed towards Naruto, and he silently observed the way his hair glowed under the sunlight.
Up close he could see all the different shades of red, and even orange, that ran through his long locks as they glistened in the warm light. His skin was a gorgeous golden brown color that complemented his hair well, and he had a barely noticeable dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose. Long, red lashes fluttered softly as Naruto opened his eyes and met Itachi's soft stare.
They held each others gaze for a while, saying nothing, nor feeling the need to; a breeze swept through the area and ruffled their hair and clothes, yet both remained still, and silent. Then, they began to slowly reach out for the other, a contented sigh escaping their mouths as their hands embraced each other lovingly.
Itachi drew his thumb across Naruto's hand lazily, a small smile pulling at his lips as he admired the redhead. Naruto smiled back and closed his eyes, reveling in the pure bliss he felt in this moment.
The heat he felt from the sun, combined with the pure love coursing through his body right now, felt like being lost in clouds of heaven. He couldn't imagine that life could get better from here, nor did he think feeling this happy was possible after surviving the war.
And, he had his loved ones to thank for that; Itachi, Tsunade, Sakura, everyone. Even though there were less than favorable moments shared between the group, they never truly gave up on him. And without them, he certainly wouldn't be alive today, feeling so euphoric and lively.
Naruto took a deep breath and sent out a silent prayer of thanks into the universe, his smile deepening as a gust of wind blew through the area in response. Yes, today was indeed a good day.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, Miki, Sasuke and Sakura were all seated at a table, in the far corner of a lesser known pub in Hana.
Shopping bags crowded the floor around the table, as the group had just returned from their very eventful day. They had spent the better half of the morning and afternoon, going through nearly every single shop that Hana had to offer; looking for anything that caught their eye, or Miki's.
Afterwards, Miki took them to a sake tasting, which was a new experience for all present. Sasuke enjoyed it, being the kind of person that liked bitter things, and having the opinion that his palate was rather refined. Kakashi and Sakura weren't particularly enthused; they didn't care too much for alcohol, nor the minor differences that can be used to distinguish between different kinds.
Feeling a little buzzed after the tasting, Miki decided to treat them to some of the most underrated food that Hana had to offer.
The group was a tad apprehensive as they entered a, frankly, dingy and run down looking pub, that had very few patrons and less than friendly looking staff. Miki skipped over to the bar and greeted the bartender, who turned his attention to her and gave, what they assumed was, a rare smile.
"Hey Kid, what brings you here?" Miki beamed at him, feeling extra giddy due to the alcohol, and gestured widely to the group behind her.
"These are Hime's dear friends, here to visit us during this beautiful season. I brought them here to try your fabulous food items!" The bartender turned his attention towards the group that stood there awkwardly, waving at him in a casual greeting, and snorted in amusement.
"These are Naruto's friends?" Miki nodded and pointed at each of them as she introduced them.
"This is Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi. Very lovely individuals if I do say so myself." The bartender raised a brow and appraised them once more.
"Hmm. High praise coming from you, Miki." She shrugged with a smile, and gestured for the group to follow as she lead them towards the farthest table from the door.
Shortly after, they had placed their orders and were now indulging in some imported liquor, courtesy of the bartender.
Sakura watched Miki curiously, taking note of all the interactions they've watched her partake in throughout the day. Everyone in Hana seemed to hold her in very high regard, she was well respected and even adored by some. Money seemed to be of no issue to her yet she was, frankly, arguably more feral and rugged than Naruto; personality wise at least.
Sakura considered herself to be an intelligent individual, as well as having very sharp eyes, and she could tell that Miki was nearly drowning in her own secrets.
The way her eyes would dart around every couple minutes, as if she had forgotten where she was. The tremble in her fingers when someone would get too close. And, the way she would seem to tune out of reality at random times, getting this faraway look on her face as a frown tugged at her lips.
She was very good at deflection, this much was apparent, but Sakura could tell that she was incredibly worn down and, dare she say, frightened. There was something weighing heavily on her mind, and Sakura decided then, that she would try to alleviate some of Miki's worry during their stay.
She had been a gracious host thus far, and seemed to have a deep sense of loyalty and trust in regards to her loved ones.
From what she could gather, Sakura knew that she and Naruto had been through a lot together; obviously coming out of it for the better. Anyone that would take care of Naruto like that deserved Sakura's respect and trust. She cleared her throat and hesitantly tried to coerce some answers out of the woman, being as gentle as she could.
"Miki, do you mind if I ask how you and Naruto met?" MIki stiffened briefly, but quickly recovered and relaxed back into her seat. Her eyes began to soften, and that faraway look returned, though she didn't frown this time.
She rested her chin in her hand and looked at each of them, realizing then how interested they were in hearing this tale. Her lips tilted upwards in a small smile and she sighed, her eyes glazing over a bit as she dove into her memories.
"We met a while ago, probably-" she tilted her head to the side as she tried to count the years.
"-hmm, about eight years now." The group blinked in shock, never having heard even a whisper about the woman before. It saddened them that Naruto hadn't felt comfortable, or didn't feel the need to share such an important person with them.
Well, it wasn't like they were entitled to every little detail about his life; mentally, he was in a place they would, hopefully, never reach. He had reasons for keeping so many things private, and they could respect that.
Miki smiled at them sadly, understanding the conflicted looks on their faces.
"We met at the Battle of the Gods, it was basically just a competition between us two. We were both…processing a lot of emotions and needed an outlet; and we used each other as that outlet until we weren't able to stand anymore. I remember how quiet it was in the arena while we fought for the title, like no one could even find their breath let alone words-" Miki shook her head and laughed at the memory.
"-part of me hated him. He had this terrible habit of goading me on with words, I couldn't tell if he was trying to mess with my head, or encourage me. It confused me, it pissed me off, and what was worse is that it was like he wasn't even trying to fight me. Even after we beat each other near to death, I still think that part of him was holding back…" She looked like she wanted to say more, but couldn't find the courage to.
Sakura smiled at her softly and slowly reached out, making sure that Miki could see her move, and tentatively wrapped her fingers around her hand.
"You don't have to talk if you're not comfortable. Having known Naruto for so long, we've grown to understand that sometimes we're not ready to talk about certain things. Just know that we're all here to support you." Sasuke and Kakashi smiled at her and nodded in affirmation, while Miki's eyes widened in mild surprise.
They were all surprisingly understanding about her feelings, which was a rather uncommon occurrence. People tended to be very curious about her, and had no problem crossing boundaries in an attempt to obtain information.
She supposed that maybe she could divulge a few details about her life, and how it managed to bring her to Naruto. Miki took a deep breath and began to speak in a low voice, her eyes looking between everyone at the table.
"I was raised in a very..strict household. My life from an early age, was just an endless schedule full of classes that were going to prepare me for my future. Every day was wake up, eat, train, eat, sleep, and start again. I rarely was allowed outside, and when I was…-" Miki began to tremble slightly, but didn't let it deter her from finishing her story.
"-it was at night, so that I could gain a wider range of..experience-" She grimaced as memories played over in her mind.
"-and I was miserable. Once I completed my training, I was allowed to travel and do what I pleased, as long I return for missions when I'm called in. But, by then I was so beat down and exhausted that the world held no joy for me; everything I had dreamed about was at my fingertips, and none of it made a difference to me. So, I began going on missions, and going to underground fight clubs and tournaments, doing the only thing that made me feeling something. And that's how I met Naruto-" She smiled fondly at the memory, and gazed at the group with glassy eyes.
"-He was just like me. Broken, lost, and joyless. And I hated him for it.-" She chuckled bitterly and ran her fingers through her fringe.
"-But, just like you guys he found his way into my heart, and we helped each other find joy again. It's been amazing watching his confidence grow over the years, he was always so unsure of himself; even though he tried to hide it. He's funny that way." Sakura suppressed a laugh at the irony of that statement, and instead gave Miki a knowing look. The older woman ignored the look in favor of emptying her cup, sighing happily as that familiar burn clawed at her throat.
Unexpectedly, Sasuke spoke up and voiced his thoughts; his eyes full of sincerity.
"I'm sorry for what you've gone through, and I want to thank you for everything you've done for Naruto. I'm glad you both had each other when others couldn't be there for you." Miki smiled at him gratefully, noting how similar him and Itachi could be sometimes.
Both so quiet and gentle, very polite and helpful; though she suspected that Sasuke was much more hot headed and stubborn than he let on. Her attention turned to Kakashi when he asked an unexpected question.
"Are you still in contact with your family?" Miki's eyes darkened and the frown returned, making Kakashi feel very guilty for asking.
"Yes. I still follow their orders, and carry out my missions like a good little soldier." Kakashi frowned beneath his mask and prodded further.
"Why are you still loyal to them after everything they've put you through?" Miki's frame sagged in defeat and she gave a half smile.
"I can't escape them. They'll find me wherever I go and never let me leave again, trust me I've tried." Sasuke and Sakura downed their cups in an attempt to escape the depressive mood that had now settled at the table thanks to their questioning.
Kakashi nodded sympathetically and let her decide where the conversation would go from here, he didn't want to push her any further than he already had.
Thankfully, no one had to make any decisions as their food arrived and they excitedly dug into it, moaning in delight as an amazing array of flavors danced on their tongues. Maybe it was just the alcohol, or maybe they had just discovered one of the best chefs in existence.
Miki grinned at their reactions, remembering the first time that she had tried his food. She looked over to the side, and saw the bartender trying to fight the cocky smirk that was pulling at his lips. She then waved and called out to him.
"Hey Gigi! It's wonderful as always dear, thank you!" He blushed, embarrassed upon hearing that nickname in public, and glared at her. Miki laughed and blew him a kiss, smiling to herself as he rolled his eyes; yet he still cracked a smile.
Sakura tilted her head to the side in curiosity, and finished chewing so she could speak.
"Is Gigi a nickname?" Miki nodded, her smile growing wider.
"Yes, though he hates that I call him that-" She sighed dramatically and pouted.
"No one ever appreciates my nicknames." The group chuckled, understanding why people didn't take to them too kindly; though secretly, they all found it a little endearing. It reminded them of Naruto.
Sasuke looked over to the bartender, and then back to Miki and voiced his thoughts.
"What's his real name?" Miki smiled slyly and laughed as she caught the older man side-eyeing her.
"Gialdo." The group looked the man up and down, thinking that the name was a little odd, yet suited him quite well.
He was tall, at least six foot, had a medium brown skin tone and was covered in scars and tattoos. His body appeared to be all muscle, yet had a very gentle face; one could almost call him pretty. Long braids were pulled into a ponytail that showed off his gold eyebrow piercing, and soft, golden amber eyes.
Upon closer inspection, Kakashi could say that he was indeed a very attractive man; Gialdo was a fitting name for him. Kakashi waved and called out to the man as well.
"Thank you for the food, Gialdo! It's fantastic." The bartender blushed further and turned around, heading to the kitchen quickly.
Everyone smiled at the man's reaction and returned to their food, savoring every last morsel.
By the time they left the pub, it was well into the night and they had polished off more than a few bottles. They were all holding onto each other, stumbling around and laughing as they made their way back to the mansion.
Miki felt so close to them in this moment, and she began to understand why the loss of them had affected Naruto so much.
They were like a real family, a loving family; and they didn't seem to hesitate much in taking her in. It made her feel…warm and cozy, and…safe. Normally she only felt this relaxed around a handful of people, Naruto being one of them; so it was odd that she had managed to find that same spark in the rest of his friends.
For a moment, she wished that she could go with them and forget her upcoming mission. Then, she remembered that she would see them during the tournament; and when their mission was complete, Naruto had a plan to help her gain her freedom.
She just had to be patient.
Everyone sighed in relief when they reached the front door, and nearly tripped over each other as they tried to enter at the same time. They all laughed a bit as they regained their balance, fighting the alcohol that wanted to drag them to the floor.
The good mood was spoiled soon after though, as Sakura noticed someone laying on the couch; she immediately recognized him as Itachi. Tears were streaming down his face as he stared up at the ceiling blankly, seeming to not have even noticed their presence.
Sasuke hurried over to him and tried to comfort him, while Miki, Kakashi and Sakura looked on with grim expressions. Individually, they all knew what had happened, but Sakura and Kakashi didn't know how much Miki knew, and didn't want to give away Itachi's personal information without permission.
Miki clenched her fist and walked closer, sitting near his head and putting her hands on his temples. She squeezed the sides of his head until his distraught gaze met her firm one.
"Where is he?" More tears slipped down his cheeks and Itachi shook his head. Miki's eyes widened and her stare became fierce.
"What did you tell him?" Itachi's brow furrowed and he looked over to Kakashi, who went completely still as his heart skipped a beat.
Miki's head whipped between the two of them before her eyes settled back on Itachi.
He wouldn't look at her and turned his head away, while Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what was going on. Miki tsk'd and stomped over to Kakashi, grabbing him by his jacket and pulling him down to her level.
"Tell me right now, or I'm going to hurt you." Kakashi looked at everyone else for back up, but was met only with shocked, and confused faces. He put his hands up in surrender and looked at her with a pleading expression.
"Okay, just give me a minute.." Miki let go of him and took a step back while Kakashi looked over to Itachi.
"Does Naruto have any sealing supplies here?" Itachi looked over at him with defeated eyes and nodded, standing up moments later and disappearing upstairs.
Miki crossed her arms and raised a brow at Kakashi, who held up a finger, silently asking for her to be patient. Itachi returned with the supplies, and Kakashi began to create a familiar seal on his hand as he explained what was happening.
"I really don't want to talk about this out loud, I'd rather just show you. I used my sharingan to copy Naruto's memory seal, which I suppose has come in handy now." A few minutes later he finished the seal and held his hand out to Miki, who took it with a suspicious expression.
Her eyes glazed over, and she stiffened as foreign memories invaded her mind. Everyone was quiet while they waited for her to come back to reality; the suspense was slowly eating at them, especially Sasuke and Sakura as they were completely clueless to everything that was happening.
Sakura screamed and pulled Sasuke back when Miki abruptly slammed her fist into Kakashi's jaw, and kicked him away from her. Her eyes were burning with disdain for both Itachi and Kakashi, and when she unleashed her fury on them it shook the entire mansion.
Suddenly, she appeared in front of Itachi and kicked him back into the living room, where she got on top of him and gave him three hard punches on each cheek.
"How dare you! How could you lie to him, and treat him like an object-" Tears began to stream down her face as she screamed at him, her voice breaking at times with how emotional she was.
"Do you know what you've done?! How could you, either of you, think that he would ever want to be treated like that?!" Itachi said nothing, and accepted the final punch that took his breath away.
"He loves you! He doesn't want you to just give up on him and throw him to next person that'll take him! He wants you to fight for him, and be honest, even when it hurts. He didn't expect you to be perfect, he just wanted you to be someone he can trust; you were the one person that he was supposed to trust above everyone else, and you failed him!" She stood up, and wiped the tears from her eyes, sending a scathing glare Kakashi's way as the man scraped himself off the floor.
"You're no better. As mad I am at Itachi right now, it's disgusting to me that you're able to feel anything other than sadness at the thought of his death. Do you think that Naruto would be okay with you happily waiting til Itachi dies, to swoop in and steal him away? Does that sound like the actions of a rational human being to you?" Still the room was silent, the only sound being Itachi's ragged breathing as he laid motionless on the floor.
Kakashi and Miki stared at each other, one in shock, and the other in resentment. Sakura and Sasuke looked on with wide eyes, filling in the blanks of the information that had been revealed. Kakashi's lips opened and closed multiple times before he was able to choke out any words.
"I…don't know." Miki growled and launched towards him, driving her fist into his gut one last time. Her lip curled up in annoyance and she glared daggers at his hunched over form.
"You don't deserve him. Neither of you, and if he doesn't come back then you only have yourselves to blame." She turned around without another look back and raced out the door, hopping to the roofs as she desperately searched for the redhead.
Sasuke snapped out of his shock, and ran to attend to Itachi, while Sakura ran to Kakashi.
Most of Itachi's face was swollen and beginning to bruise, and there was a trail of blood coming from his mouth. His eyes were closed, and when Sasuke managed to get him to open them, they were hollow and unseeing.
Sasuke bit his lip as tears gathered in his eyes, and brushed the hair out of Itachi's face, slipping his hands under the man a second later so he could pick him up.
"Be still, I'm going to get you upstairs so we can clean you up." Itachi said nothing, just relaxed into Sasuke's hold and closed his eyes.
Kakashi brushed Sakura off after she tried to help him, he hadn't gotten hurt too bad and didn't want anyone's pity right now. He felt that he deserved what Miki had given him.
Sakura frowned and gave him a sympathetic look, before hurrying upstairs to help Sasuke with Itachi.
Kakashi sat there for a while, thinking about Miki's words and wondering why he hadn't seen things that way before. Having gained another perspective, he could see now where he and Itachi went wrong.
Maybe he had known all along, which would explain why he was so reluctant to tell Naruto.
Kakashi sighed and buried his face in his hands, the weight of him shame feeling like a five ton boulder on his chest; crushing him mercilessly and stealing his breath. His selfishness had truly come to bite him in the ass this time, and he really couldn't blame anyone but himself.
He wondered where Naruto was, what he was feeling right now, and what he was thinking about. He couldn't imagine the mental agony that was surely plaguing him at the moment. This was a betrayal that would probably haunt him for the rest of his life, even if he was able to move on from it.
But, he had already been through so much, and Kakashi knew that things would never be the same between himself, Itachi and Naruto. And, there wasn't anything he could do right now to try and repair it, nor would it do Naruto any good.
Kakashi sighed deeply, a single tear falling down his cheek, and clenched his fist; for all his genius, he had a terrible habit of not using his foresight when it mattered most.
Sakura and Sasuke had finished cleaning Itachi up, and were laying him in bed when his eyes opened and focused on them; eyes so full of sorrow that it made them tear up.
When he spoke, his voice was rough and quiet, it sounded like he was holding back more tears.
"How can I make this right?" Sasuke stiffened, not knowing how to respond as Itachi rarely asked for help.
His eyes went wide and he frowned, looking to Sakura for advice. She took a few moments to think, trying to figure out how they could even begin to approach Naruto, let alone repair what was broken between the couple. Eventually, she sighed and shrugged halfheartedly.
"I think he needs space right now. Give him til the end our stay here, and if he doesn't come back then we're going after him." Itachi's eyes slowly began to glaze over again, and he closed them shortly after.
"Okay, thank you. I'm grateful for your help." The couple smiled at him softly, and wished him sweet dreams before heading to their own room.
They found a small comfort in each other, once they were able to cuddle up under the silky sheets on their bed. Today had been too big a burden on their sore shoulders, and it was nice to have a positive moment that they could share with one another.
Finally able to sleep, they drifted off peacefully in each others' arms, unaware of the fitful slumber that awaited every member of the house.