The Beginning of Something
(A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I've been busy with a million things at once. Well, enjoy. Oh! You get to meet Gaara's son!)
Hideki and Ken arrived at the village gates with Tsunade, Ayako and the village council to greet them. Though they were tired from their journey, sparkling onyx eyes seemed to have livened their spirits as they smiled at Ayako.
"Welcome back Ken-sama, Hideki-sama." Ayako bowed. They bowed in return and shook hands with Tsunade.
"It's a little late this time, so we'll just have dinner and start fresh in the morning?" Tsunade suggested much to the relief wary and tired travelers.
"That sounds wonderful, Tsunade-sama. Do you have a place in mind?" Ken responded with a grin.
"If I may," Ayako said with a polite bow, excusing herself for interrupting. "I know of a nice restaurant; it's quiet, comfortable and close to your quarters."
"By all means, please lead the way." Tsunade smiled.
It was getting dark quickly, so getting to bed (or in Tsunade's case, grabbing the nearest sake bottle) was the first thing on their minds. But food reigned supreme at the moment, seeing is how they hadn't stopped to eat anything since breakfast. Both men wanted to be as far away from Ken's mother… as soon as possible.
~xxx~
As promised, the restaurant was as close to perfect as one could get. Dimly lit, spacious and it smelled delicious. There weren't too many other people in the building, save a few men at the bar plus their group. Of course it was a restaurant for shinobi, but no one seemed to mind as they took their seats.
"May I take your drink orders?" a young man asked, his handsome face cracked into a wide grin when he spotted Ayako. That is…until Hideki started talking to her. She had turned her gaze from the waiter to speak to the noble son…and it pissed the waiter off as a vein almost popped on his forehead.
"Oh, Tsunade-sama, they do carry your favorite brand of sake here." Ayako chimed, catching the gleam in the blond Hokage's eyes. Tsunade's face broke into a huge grin as she waved the young waiter to her side.
"Waiter," Tsunade commanded in a booming voice. "We need a large bottle of warm Sakoichi and glasses for everyone."
"I don't mean to sound rude, Tsunade-sama… but I'm not of drinking age." Ayako said with a sigh (plus her father would probably kill her… ok, ok, he would kill her). Tsunade just huffed and pushed a glass of water in her direction.
"Party pooper…"
Soon the waiter returned with a gigantic bottle of sake and placed it on the table.
"Are we ready to order something to eat?" he asked holding up a pen and paper. Obviously, this boy was not a shinobi. He was tall and lanky with dirty blonde hair, brown eyes and a smile that could rival Gai and Lee. But the way he carried himself spoke of a little work and even smaller manners… especially since he continued to stare at Ayako.
Ayako arched an annoyed brow as she waited for her turn to order. From the corner of her eye she could see him writing on the pad as his eyes zoned in on her chest, with blatant disregard.
"You lack proper manners." A cold voice murmured from behind the young waiter. "If you continue to stare at my daughter like that, I'll make sure the rest of your life will be spent collecting trash from the streets in your underwear." Well, he couldn't threaten the boy's life with the council and Hokage sitting right in front of him, could he?
'Yes, dad to the rescue,' her mind cheered as Ayako looked over the frightened boy's shoulder to her father's cool and calm gaze. She smiled softly and moved closer to Hideki to make room for Itachi.
There was a brief pause before everyone started chatting again, as if nothing happened. Ayako leaned closer to Itachi and smiled more.
"Thank you papa, I probably would have said something very un-lady-like."
"Hn." Translation: "no problem."
Playful banter surrounded the group, along with the sake and food. It was like a meeting between a group of old friends as the joked around and shared embarrassing stories. Then the topic of their first jonin mission popped up and Ayako immediately clamed up and frowned.
"Excuse me for a moment." She said as Itachi stood and she scooted out of the booth, walking briskly to the bathroom. Everyone, except Tsunade and Itachi, raised a brow at her retreating back.
"Her first jonin mission wasn't a good one." Itachi explained as he picked through her tempura. And that was all he was going to tell them. The rest was for her to explain when she felt she was ready to. Ayako returned a few minutes later, a small smile on her lips.
"Sorry about that." She beamed when she sat back down.
"You know, that's not good for you." Itachi remarked, pointing to her food.
"Neither is that." She retorted, nodding to his glass of sake. "That is more toxic than this, and besides… if it's so bad then why are you eating it?" Ayako asked as Itachi took another fried vegetable and popped it into his mouth.
"It's better than your mother's cooking." He replied simply. Ayako couldn't argue with that. Sakura had a habit for trying 'new and interesting' things when it came to cooking… which landed Itachi and Ayako a one way trip to the bathroom on more than one occasion.
"Do you want me to make breakfast tomorrow?" she whispered to him with a grin.
"Hn." Translation: "do you even have to ask?"
"Ayako-san tells me that you're quite the chess player, Itachi-sama." Ken said from the head of the booth, eyes shining with a mischievous spark. Itachi took a small sip of his sake before nodding to Ken.
"Hai, I play, though Ayako has beaten me." He responded sending a small glare in Ayako's direction.
"That only happened once and you let me win; you said so yourself." She retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her head away from him with a huff.
"But I couldn't resist that shine in your eyes when you yelled 'checkmate'." Itachi fired back with a low chuckle.
An elegant eyebrow arched as the two continued to argue playfully back and forth. Tsunade watched with great amusement as Itachi let his guard down for the only other person, besides Sakura, and enjoyed a night away from the clan elders. Even Hideki got a few playful snippets in on their bash fest… and managed to not get hit. Tsunade could clearly see how much Itachi loved his eldest child by that small glimmer in his eyes and soft smile on his lips. But the pride that reverberated in his voice when he spoke of or to her was clearer than any other sign that found it's way through his cold exterior.
Ken stifled a yawn as he tried not to stretch his tired and aching muscles. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I do believe it's time to hit the sack; I'm falling asleep on my feet." The others had to agree, though Tsunade poured herself another glass of sake and pushed it towards Ayako.
"Just once…for the sake of this meeting, take the damn thing and drink it." She commanded and waited for Itachi to snap. But he sat passively at the edge of the booth, sipping the last of his sake.
"We'll drink this last one together." He stated calmly pushing his cup forward for a refill.
"To hell with it…let's all have one last drink." Ken voiced waiting for the others to object. Surprisingly, Hideki was the first to move his glass forward then the council members begrudgingly nodded, placing their glasses in front of Tsunade.
A mischievous glint passed through Tsunade's eyes as they raised their glasses in the air. 'Ha! The council will be too hung-over to argue at tomorrow mornings meeting.' Ah, she was quite proud of herself at the thought and figured Ken was thinking the same thing.
"Here's to a new friendship forged here at this table, as well as the bonds of peace and prosperity." Ken chimed tilting his glass in Ayako's direction. "Even the smallest act of kindness can bring great things."
"Here, here." Tsunade agreed as she produced a new cup for herself. As one, the group downed the strong rice wine and slapped there cups on the table. Ayako wasn't fazed by the harsh burning in the back of her throat as she glanced at Tsunade, Itachi then to Ken who all seemed to have had one too many.
And off they went, Tsunade and the council in one direction and Ayako, Itachi, Hideki and Ken in the other.
"What do you say we get together for dinner tomorrow? I'm sure your wife and sons would like some company." Ken suggested as the group rounded the corner towards the Kage suites.
"Well, Sakura isn't happy unless she can talk to someone new…sure, that's fine with me." Itachi agreed as he looked to Ayako and Hideki who were chatting quietly amongst themselves. His eyes narrowed for a moment but turned his attention back to Ken.
Shortly after that, the tired and half drunk group arrived at the suite and stepped inside. Ken was a little tipsier than they realized and Ayako took it upon herself to make sure he made it to his room… without falling.
Itachi looked over Hideki as they sat in the drawing room, waiting for Ayako to return. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the young man just yet. Sure he had boyishly good looks; what girl in their right mind wouldn't fall for those piercing blue eyes, slightly messy mop of blond hair and heart stopping smile? No doubt Ayako had found the noble boy attractive. But just what really lies behind this good looks and warm charms? Itachi was not about to make any assumptions just yet… he had to get to know the boy first. And seeing as how Hideki was the noble son, Itachi couldn't test him like he normally would any of Ayako's suitors, disheartening as it was. Itachi resolved to do this the hard way and actually talk to him. But that would have to wait for Ayako had returned.
"Well, I guess we should be heading home. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Ayako said walking into the drawing room, stopping next to Itachi. "Be ready to help me shop. I do not trust my mother to cook dinner… especially if she decides to try something new."
"Surely it can't be that bad." Hideki said as he and Itachi stood and walked them to the door. Itachi and Ayako visibly cringed.
"You have no idea." She commented as the door swung open. They bowed to Hideki and made their way home. Tomorrow would prove interesting.
~xxx~
Kakashi turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Was that Hideki… carrying groceries? Ayako emerged from a small shop and beckoned Hideki to follow her as she took a bag from one of his hands so she could hold his hand in hers.
"Well now, I never imaged I'd live to see my granddaughter shopping with her boyfriend." Kakashi teased as he snuck up behind them. Ayako spun around and glared daggers at him.
"Not you too; it's bad enough Akito thinks Hideki and I are dating… now you? I must be having a nightmare!"
"Am I really that bad that you would throw a fit about dating?" Hideki said with a pout.
"What? No! Hideki, it's just that we barely know each other…" Ayako trailed off when she caught sight of his smile. "Why you little… you are so going to pay for that!" she turned and stalked off down the road.
"That was a good one… but I'd be careful about what you say when you apologize to her. She may just poison your food." Kakashi warned as they walked after her.
"Would she really do that?" Hideki gulped, turning his head to look up at Kakashi.
"It's possible, she is Konoha's poison expert, after all." He answered with a shrug. "Well, mostly antidotes and figuring out what poison is in effect."
They turned down another road to find Ayako speaking with a blonde haired woman at the flower shop. Well, they had locked themselves in the shop while thirty or so boys banged on the door, begging to go on a date with Ayako.
"Damn fan-boys…" Kakashi muttered as they made their way closer to the Yamanaka shop. "Alright, break it up! All of you have a snowballs chance in hell with my granddaughter, so move it!" but no one budged.
"I do believe he said for you to move out of the way. But if you insist, then I'll have to remove all of you myself." A cold, demanding voice said from the other side of the crowd. Catching sight of the red-haired, white-eyed boy to their left, all of the pleading boys ran like the wind to avoid his sand attacks.
"Long time, no see, huh Hattori-san?" Kakashi said when the dust cleared.
"Like wise, Hatake-san." The redhead responded, turning his attention to the flower shop.
Ino and Ayako stepped out of the shop and looked around, checking for any injured men that they would have to heal but found none. Ayako's eyes landed on her red-haired friend and she smiled so brightly that Hideki had thought that there was something between them.
"Hattori-oniisan!" she cheered running towards him and jumping into his open arms. He spun her around then set her back down before asking if she was all right. Of course she said she was fine before hugging him again. "Come on Hattori-oniisan, there's someone I want you to meet." Ayako beamed then took his hand and dragged him over to Hideki.
Hideki was still carrying groceries when Ayako stopped in front of him and took a few bags in her hands and stepped to the side.
"Oniisan, this is Fujimura Hideki-sama. Hideki-sama, this is Sabaku no Hattori, Kazekage Gaara-sama's son." She introduced as the boys shook hands.
"Ah, so this is the charge Hokage-sama was talking about." Hattori said looking over the young man before him. "It's a pleasure to meet you Fujimura-sama." He bowed low to the noble son.
Hideki bowed in return. "The pleasure is mine Sabaku-san."
"Please, Hattori will be fine." Hattori corrected holding up a hand. "Besides, any friend of Ayako's is a friend of mine." He smiled, placing an arm around Ayako's shoulders.
Ayako looked down at her watch. "We really should get going; I have to start dinner in an hour."
"Well then, we'd better get to the house and get the meat into the refrigerator." Kakashi offered offhandedly.
~xxx~
"So, it seems lucky number seven wasn't so lucky after all." Hattori commented as Ayako filled him in on everything that had happened while he was gone.
"Technically, Riku was number eight… Shin was my first boyfriend, and look how that turned out. Perverted bastard…" her eyes darkened at the memory of the attempted rape but then a smile graced her lips. "But I took care of that problem."
"And rightfully so, no man should ever force himself on a woman. Men like that are pigs and deserve a painful death." Hattori nodded, eyes fixed on the floor. "I still feel terrible about that. I was the one who set the two of you up… I should have seen it coming."
"Don't worry about it. Shin now lives with the humiliation of getting his ass handed to him by a girl." Kakashi responded with a grin under his mask. "What's that boy up to these days anyway?"
Hattori put a finger to his chin. "Still cleaning toilets with a toothbrush… I think. I have no association with him anymore, not after that day."
Hideki was able to put two and two together, so he had a grasp of what they were talking about but kept quiet.
"I thought I'd find you here, Hattori." A calm voice came from the other side of the room. Hideki had to do a double take. The man in the doorway looked like Hattori only slightly older with black rimmed teal eyes. A petite woman stood just behind him. She had dark blue hair and the same pearly eyes that Hattori was graced with.
"Good evening, A-Aya-chan." The woman said with a small smile.
"Good evening, Hinata-sama. Please have a seat; I'll put on some tea." Ayako responded as she stood from the table and moved over to the stove. Hattori introduced Hideki to his parents and they got into a long discussion about politics… much to Ayako's dismay. She wasn't the political type; only found herself in the middle of it.
Not too long after the arrival of Gaara and Hinata, Sakura and the boys returned home from training to find a house full of guests. The table on the patio had been set for twelve with the nice china while Ayako moved about the kitchen. The guests were seated at the kitchen table playing a game of Uno until dinner was served. Itachi and Ken walked in moments later to a full house and delicious smell.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. If you want, you guys can go out on the patio." Ayako said as she tasted a small piece of fish.
"I'll help you. That's a lot of food for one person to place on the table." Hinata spoke as she rose from the table and put on an apron.
"Thank you Hinata-obasan." She smiled lightly then turned back to the stove.
"Why wasn't I told that we were having guests over for dinner?" Sakura demanded when the boys left the room.
"Because you would have poisoned us with your weird cooking and this is a traditional meal. Grandma taught me this recipe." Ayako answered with a small laugh. Mikoto taught Ayako many things before she died, but cooking was by far her favorite lesson with her late grandmother. Sakura sighed.
"Is my cooking that bad?" Ayako didn't answer; she just gave Sakura an incredulous look.
"It's not bad; it's just that sometimes… you over do it."
Outside, the guys were laughing at Akito as he transformed into Naruto and started acting like him while Shiro did the same for Jiraiya.
"That's not half bad… but you two definitely need better role models." Itachi sighed watching his sons run around. Just then, the girls walked out with the food.
"It looks wonderful, Aya-chan." Hideki smiled as she set a heaping plate of grilled teriyaki chicken on the table.
"Thanks," she smiled back. "It tastes good too." She snapped sarcastically then sat down next to him, all in good fun. Sasuke came home then and walked out onto the patio.
"Oh thank god, Aya cooked!" Sakura glared daggers at his comment as he sat down.
"If you weren't my brother-in-law, I'd kill you." That got a few laughs out of everyone.
Seated at the table was Sakura, Kakashi, Ayako, Hideki and Hinata on one said. Sasuke, Shiro, Akito, Ken and Hattori on the other with Itachi and Gaara on the ends of the table, all enjoying the quiet, warm evening.
"You'll have to give this recipe to Tam-san, it's delicious." Ken commented as she shoveled another fork full of cooked cod into his mouth.
"Who's Tam-san?" Ayako asked placing a hand over her mouth to be polite.
"She's mother's personal attendant." Hideki answered, pushing his cleared plate away from himself. Ayako nodded and turned back to her plate.
"Well, I think it's time for dessert." Though she wasn't a sweets fan, Ayako did make a cake for them… and it was Ken's birthday. Ayako hurried into the house and grabbed some smaller plates. Setting them down on the table, she and Hideki walked back into the house, lit the candles and walked slowly back outside.
Ken sat stunned as Ayako set a homemade cake down in front of him while everyone sang happy birthday. He felt like a kid in a candy store as he blew out the candles on the cake. Ken had not expected anything for his birthday… outside of his family, so having a table full of mostly strangers wishing him a happy birthday was a bit much on the odd scale.
"This is from Akito-kun." Hideki smiled handing Ken a small card of folded construction paper.
"I made it myself." The boy chimed with a bright smile. Ken opened the card and smiled. Inside was a picture of Ken, Hideki and Haruka with the Uchiha family all had drawn. On the bottom he wrote, 'Happy Birthday, From Your Family and Friends.' The boy was pretty damn smart for a six-year-old.
His next gift was in a rather long box. Ken pulled the red velvet bow from the black box and lifted the lid…then closed it immediately. His eyes turned to Itachi and Sakura who smiled softly at his stunned face.
"How did you know?" he questioned softly.
"We had help." Itachi replied, his eyes gliding over to Hideki. Inside the box was a beautifully hand crafted katana. Ken had an extensive collection of swords back home, and loved the samurai's weapon the most.
"A few members of the clan are skilled in the blacksmithing craft." Sasuke commented as he pushed his gift forward. Ken opened the small bag to find a wide assortment of marbles. Who knew the daimyo still liked to play children's games?
Ayako's gift was next. She set a medium sized box on the table and took a step back. Ken lifted the lid of the box and met the bitter smell of coffee beans.
"I know you prefer coffee over tea, so I got you Konoha's best coffee to take home with you." She chimed with a warm smile. Ken stood and turned to Ayako with a wide smile.
"Domo arigato." He said with a bow. Ayako was stunned to silence. Never in her life had she expected someone as important as the daimyo to bow to her. Not sure what to do, Ayako grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Don't thank me… it was Hideki-sama's idea." She shrugged, watching Hideki turn his head and whistle a stupid tune. And for the first time in her life, Ayako felt a slight tug in her chest; like her heart was being pulled in one direction while her body moved in another. Maybe it was the light hitting his gorgeous blue eyes ever so slightly, or the softest of smiles on his peach-colored lips. Maybe it was the fact that he was starring at her so intently.
Well, whatever it was, Ayako was a little afraid of it. She had never felt something like this before… and that's what scared her. Ayako didn't know what this feeling meant. And just as quickly as it had come, the feeling was fleeting; only lasting a few seconds that seemed like an eternity.
It started to rain a little, breaking up the party as everyone grabbed something from the table and made their way inside. Hattori and Gaara decided to help Ayako get the rest of the dishes from the patio (sand does come in handy at time like these). While the girls cleaned up from dinner, the boys went into the den and sat by the fireplace.
"The storm's going to get a lot worse." Ayako commented as she walked into the den, having finished washing the dishes.
"We should head back to the suite, I don't wish to impose." Ken said as he stood. Just then a loud crackle of thunder erupted overhead.
"I'll prepare the guest rooms." Sakura hummed walking off down the hall.
"I'll send Karachi to tell you evening guards that you're staying here tonight." Ayako said making hand signs as she spoke. Once the smoke cleared, a black and cream colored ferret with a Konoha forehead protector wrapped around its neck stood waiting for orders. "Karachi, I need you to go to the Kage suite and inform the ANBU guards that Daimyo-sama and Hideki-sama will be staying here tonight." Another crack of thunder roared with a flash of lightning.
"You want me to go out in that?" squeaked the furry animal as he crossed his arms. "Not in this century."
"Would you prefer I give you wings and throw you out the window… just so you can be struck by lightning?" she glared. Karachi cocked an eyebrow.
"You wouldn't dare…" Ayako was making hand signs while bending down towards the small animal. "Ok, ok, I'll do it! But I want something in return, seeing is how I'll probably get sick from this."
Ayako's eyebrow twitched as she tapped her foot. "All right… you can sleep on my pillow. But I swear to god, if I find you in my hair again, I'll make you ware baby doll clothes for a month." The blue-eyed, pink-nosed ferret scampered out the window after that, leaving Ken and Hideki starring at Ayako as if she had a bird in her hair or something.
Everyone decided to retire for the night after that. Ayako walked around the house to make sure everyone was alright and to be sure that all of the rooms were secure. Just because they were staying at her house, doesn't mean her duties were over. She walked to the last door at the end of the hall and turned the knob.
"Karachi, you filthy beast, get off the bed! You're getting my clean sheets wet." She screeched as she strode into the room and grabbed a towel.
"Well, you did send me into the rain. Puddles get big fast when it's raining hard." He complained, being scooped up into the towel.
"You're a ninja too, deal with it runt."
Sufficiently dry, Ayako set him down on the pillow as promised. She changed into a pair of blue pajama bottoms and a white tank top then climbed into bed.
"Good night princess." Karachi yawned.
"Don't call me that, runt." She hissed then ruffled the hair on his head with her finger. "Good night Kara-kun."