Seeing You Clearly

(A/N: Thanks for all the support, guys… and girls. I'm glad that you all liked my story. Ok, ok… on with the show. Geez, you don't have to be so pushy.)

~xxx~

Three months had slipped by without much notice. Not much had changed in that time, Ayako was letting her hair grow out again, she and Hideki still wrote back and forth (with help from Sakura) and Ayako was still blind. Sakura greeted Ayako with another letter from Hideki.

"You sure are popular this month. That's what, five, in the last two weeks?" she smiled cheekily at her daughter who blushed and turned her head away.

"Very funny mom," Ayako sneered in return, closing her blind eyes and rubbed her temples. "Can you read it to me later, my head hurts?"

Sakura knelt next to Ayako and put a hand to her forehead. "You don't have a fever. Is it just a headache or migraine?"

Ayako let out a sigh and lay down on the couch. "Sinuses mostly, though it is starting to turn into a migraine." As if to prove her point, Hinato burst through the front door.

"AYA-CHAN, I HAVE RAMEN!!"

"Put a lid on it, Hinato." She snapped, sitting up and scowling. "I'll eat and take some aspirin, if that doesn't work; I guess I'll take a nap." Sakura seemed satisfied with that and patted Ayako on the shoulder. They stood and walked into the kitchen.

It still amazed Hinato to see Ayako walking around the house as if there wasn't anything wrong with her eyes. Hideki had commented on it a few months back, saying that she looked like a zombie with a purpose. And they had to agree. The way she turned her head when she heard the slightest noise was chilling.

Her other senses were heightened in the absence of her sight, cocking her head to the side when the wind blew, the way her fingers lingered on objects as she passed them in the hall. Ayako knew when her mother was about to burn something as she sniffed the air in the kitchen. She would often tell Sakura if she used too much spice with one bite of her food, but finished the dish without complaint.

But above all, her ability to sense chakra had improved drastically. At any given time, she could tell you where exactly every one of her family members was and take a damn good guess as to what they were doing. Ayako had gone as far as to develop this skill and had told –warned- Sakura that Tsunade was about to bust down the front door in five minutes. She was right but was off by about thirty seconds… but that was good enough for her.

Ayako had it down to an exact science about a month after her release from the hospital. She had been able to tell the instant Hideki crossed into the village and had been able to follow his aura through the streets to her house. Ayako loved to hear that surprised hitch in his breathing whenever she answered the door and addressed him directly. The same went for whoever happened to be with him.

This week, however, Hideki and Haruka would not be accompanying Ken to the village. They were getting ready for some party for the summer solstice or something to that effect.

Back to the merry group in the kitchen, Sakura sat down with a bowl of hot pork ramen while Ayako chewed thoughtfully on her beef dish. Hinato had eaten already and had decided to pay a visit to his captain while she was on leave.

"I have a mission in a few hours." He spoke unusually softly. Ayako put her chopsticks down and slid her unseeing gaze in his direction.

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… you see," he started but didn't finish as Ayako stood from the table and turned her body to face him.

"What information do you need?" she asked already knowing where he was going. She walked towards the courtyard with a wave of her hand, beckoning him to follow. Hinato stood and scurried to catch up to her.

"I just need the layout of the cellblock area." He said while stepping out into the afternoon sun.

"The door to my cell had the number 'five' written on it. From there, there's a long, dark hallway that leads to a single door. That is the entrance to the base from the cellblock. Beyond that is a network of tunnels but the second on the left leads to their leader's office." She said with her eyes closed while drawling the way with her finger in the air. Hinato scribbled on a piece of paper as she spoke, looking up when she stopped.

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

Ayako sighed. "It's highly unlikely that they're still there but they may have booby trapped the place until they deem it safe to use it again." She said lips pulling to a thin line. "Hinato… just be careful, ok?"

"Ah, you know me," he said.

"Yeah, you're brash, loud and helplessly stupid!" Ayako joked while crossing her arms over her chest. Hinato jumped back and pointed a finger at her.

"Take that back teme!" he yelled while she laughed.

"See? I was right." Her stomach growled at that point, making it blatantly clear that she was still hungry. "If we're finished, I need to eat." And just like that, the scowling blonde perked up and ushered her back into the house.

~xxx~

"How is that you can't see yet you can still make the best tea around?" Gansu asked placing his cup down with a soft clink.

Blind eyes stayed fixed on the floor. "A gift, I guess." Ayako answered with a soft smile. "It doesn't take much to memorize and perfect the art of tea, Gansu-san." Dainty hands folded on her lap, waiting for the three men to finish their drinks. Ken and Itachi sipped idly on their tea while watching the teen wait patiently for them.

"It's very good. The best I've had in a long time." Ken commented setting his cup down.

"You should try her coffee. There's nothing like a good kick in the pants to start off your day." Itachi smiled slightly watching Ayako blush and wring her hands in her kimono. How she got that thing on by herself was beyond him.

She bowed politely to them. "Thank you." Ayako smiled a little more and collected their cups before excusing herself.

"I would love to try her coffee." She heard Ken say as she walked down the hall. Busy-body Ayako cleaned the dishes and prepared lunch for the three of them while snaking on a few pieces of fish between plates. Her headache had long since disappeared and now she had boundless energy… but nothing really to do. So preparing tea and lunch had to suffice for now. Hell, even a walk through the district would be welcome if she didn't have guests over.

But in the middle of her preparations, it seemed that Tsunade wanted something. Ayako could feel the blonde's chakra approach from the front walk. Wiping her hands on a towel, Ayako walked to the door and opened it just as Tsunade raised her hand to knock.

"Good afternoon Tsunade-sama." She greeted the Hokage with a warm smile.

"What good timing." Tsunade commented as she looked over the girl before her. "Am I interrupting something?"

"I'm just preparing lunch. If you're hungry, I'm sure the guys won't mind your presence." Ayako said stepping aside to let her enter.

"Actually, that sounds nice." Ayako walked Tsunade through the house and led Tsunade to the back room. Ayako left them to talk while she hurriedly finished her work and snagged a bottle of sake from the cabinet.

The shoji door slid open and Ayako slipped in, unnoticed until the clank of dishes caught their attention.

"This is delicious." Tsunade purred after a few bites and the others had to agree. Ayako filled their glasses with sake and sat back down at the low table.

"Thank you very much, Tsunade-sama." She said and put her hands back in her lap. Ayako was the picture of what an heiress should be and Ken knew it. He had already seen the kick-ass kunoichi side of her, so seeing her primp and proper side was a pleasant surprise. She was the prime example of the wife he had been looking for, for Hideki.

"Do you feel well enough to train this evening?" Itachi asked setting down his glass. A smile bloomed on Ayako's face; she had been dying to get out of the house all month but with the infection still in her system, Ayako had to take things slow and sleep off the effects of the medication.

"I would like that very much, otousan." She answered with a firm nod.

"Let me make sure she's well enough for strenuous activities first." Tsunade interjected with a light frown. "I can't have one of my best shinobi put out of commission permanently." Fair enough. Tsunade was her attending physician after all. It didn't take long for the group to finish their meal.

~xxx~

Impressed was hardly the word to describe Ken's thoughts as he watched Ayako and Itachi attack each other with a ferocity unseen before. It was still unclear to him how Ayako knew where Itachi was and how she was able to attack him without tripping. But he soon realized that Duke was directing her movements. A loud bark equated to a punch, a grunt for a kick and so on. The two worked well a team, though he knew that Itachi was going easy on Ayako.

The match began to escalate, Ayako swept Itachi's legs while twisting her body to that her foot kept his head from hitting the ground. This always happened; they'd spar but never hurt the other on purpose. If it could be avoided, both would be there to keep the other from getting hurt. Ken raised an amused brow as Itachi stared up at Ayako with a shocked gaze. Tsunade seemed to be thinking the same thing for she stood with her mouth agape.

"H-how is this possible?" Itachi asked as he stood, dusting himself off.

Ayako shrugged. "Your chakra," she explained. "I can sense your chakra, when you fell, it flared so I adjusted to compensate." It was a simple explanation to her but to him it was like gibberish. She sighed, feeling his gaze on her. "Without my sight, my other senses are working to correct that. My ability to sense chakra grew far sharper than the rest, so I'm able to tell where you are and if you're in trouble by feeling your chakra."

"Ah," he seemed to understand her now. In either case, Itachi put his arm around her shoulders and led her back to Ken and Tsunade.

"Dinner's ready." Sakura called from the back door with an amused smile on her lips. She had watched most of the match, grinning all the while. She had been waiting for Itachi to see what Ayako could do… seeing is how she and Ayako had been working on her taijutsu for a while now. Even Sasuke helped out while Itachi was busy with the elders and all of the clan meetings. They made their way into the house and sat down for a nice meal.

~xxx~

The week came to a close and now it was time for Ken to return home. He was met at the gates by Tsunade, Ayako and Sasuke all waiting for him by the carriage. Ayako had a cup in her hands… steaming hot coffee, he hoped. And to his surprise, it was.

"Otousan said that you wished to try some, so here you go." Ayako said with a smile. He took the cup from her and sniffed the dark brew. Ayako had learned that Ken took his coffee black with a little honey. Honestly, she thought it was disgusting but said nothing of it. He took a sip and smiled before taking a larger sip.

"It's excellent. Your father's words doesn't give it justice." He said, raising his glass in thanks… then remembered she couldn't see. "Thank you Ayako-san." It was a hard habit to break, calling her 'san', but she didn't seem to mind nor did she correct him.

"There's no need for thanks, Ken-sama." She responded politely. "Everyone needs a good cup of coffee every once and a while. Heck, Tsunade-sama's had three this morning already." Then she turned to Sasuke and held out her hands. He handed her a small bag and a piece of paper. Ayako gave the bag to Ken and smiled. "Those are the same beans and these are the instructions on how to make it like I do, for Tam-chan."

Ken gave her a grateful smile. "I'll be sure to give them to her." He was running a little behind schedule but he didn't mind, Ayako was a very intelligent person to talk to. And she had a different perspective on things, which he sought to ask her opinion on different matters. But now was not the time. He had to make the plans for Hideki's birthday party finalized… which meant he had to leave now. Without further delay, Ken boarded the carriage and it took off.

~xxx~

Training, sleeping, helping the boys train, kunai practice… and the list goes on. Ayako really wanted to get out and go on a mission. Really, was that too much to ask? Even a D-rank mission would have made her happy. Hell, work at the hospital would have made her happy, as long as it got her out and away from the compound for a couple of hours. So, when news of an invitation came to her home, Ayako jumped at the chance to get away from the house and her bothersome cousin, Shisui. He may be her father's best friend, but that didn't mean she had to play nice with him all the time.

"So," he started with a cocky grin, not that she could see it… but she damn well heard the sneer in is voice. "Your father tells me that you and the noble son are an item. Is this true?"

An elegant brow rose in mock amusement; she was still pissed as hell at him for his little stunt yesterday.

~Flash back~

Sakura and Ayako left the house early in the morning. Ayako had an appointment with Tsunade then the duo went grocery shopping. It had been a nightmare that Saturday morning with people jam-packed in the streets and their arms leaden with bags and a few get well gifts. And so, Sakura insisted on asking a few of the neighborhood boys to help them which turned out to be a mistake.

"Ayako-sama… would you like to go out on a date with me?" one of the boys asked. It was cute, considering that the boy in question was the same age as Shiro.

Ayako gave a sweet smile and apologized to the young lad then told him that she was already seeing someone. The boy had laughed it off and asked again once they reached the compound. Again, she apologized but gave him a kiss on the cheek for his help. The boy had grinned and ran down the road screaming,

"I GOT A KISS FROM AYAKO-SAMA!"

Upon entering the house, all Ayako wanted to do was lie down and sleep. So, she trudged up the stairs and turned to her door. Walking into her room, she closed the door and took two steps and…

BAM

Her head connected with something. After a few colorful words, Ayako stuck her hands out and felt around only to discover her bed was on the ceiling. "What the hell is this?" she questioned as she checked out the rest of her room.

WHAM

This time her side smacked into her dresser that stuck out horizontally from the wall; that was the final straw. She charged out of her room and strode down stairs with a limp.

"Who the hell is responsible for my room?" she demanded with a death glare in her blind eyes. She had a huge red mark across her forehead and a limp from smacking her hip.

Someone snickered. Ayako's body turned in the direction of the snicker and tensed. She was ready to kill.

"I should've known it was you, asshole." She spat.

"Is that anyway to treat your older cousin? I thought Itachi would have taught you better." Shisui smiled at her beet red face.

"That's Itachi-SAMA to you, jack ass! Why the hell did you do that to my room?"

"I thought it'd be funny… and it was." He said and as if to prove his point, Shisui chuckled which turned to gut-wrenching laughter.

Ka-pow

She decked him right in the jaw.

~End flash back~

"As if it really matters to you cousin, but yes, I am dating Hideki-sama." She answered with a smug smirk that only the Uchiha could muster.

He smiled right back at her. "Sakura-sama told me that you and Tsunade-sama were invited to the noble son's birthday party. Are you going?" what a stupid question to ask.

"Of course I'm going. I have his present right here." She said while patting the box on the table.

"Ooh, what'd you get him? I wanna see, I wanna see!"

"God, you are such a child." But she pulled out the gift, nonetheless. The box contained an assortment of coins. Hideki's only hobby, other than studying taijutsu, was collecting rare coins. Of course, since it was an assortment, she knew that he was bound to have a few of them already but that didn't bother her in the least. All that mattered to her was the fact that she knew he would love it.

"Ayako, I have some good news." Sakura called as she entered the house and strode into the kitchen. Ayako could feel her mother's chakra vibrating with joy. It had to be really good news if it was affecting her chakra like that. "We can heal your eyes."

Silence

"What?" she was skeptical about her mother's declaration. Blindness wasn't something you can just cure at the snap of your fingers. But the way Sakura's voice rang with confidence, it had to be true. "H-how?" she heard herself ask in disbelief.

"Well," she began while escorting Ayako to the table to sit down. "We asked Tomoki-san for help. Rumor had it that a few herbs grow not to far from the palace, so we asked Tomoki-san to pick them and test them for us." Sakura explained with a wide smile. "He confirmed it and sent us a box full of them. So you see, we can, in fact, cure the cataracts and heal your eyes." It was eerily quiet for a while, like the aftermath of a bomb going off.

It took a while to register in Ayako's mind what her mother had just said. When it clicked, she smiled and cried. To her surprise, the arms that wrapped around her weren't her mother's but Shisui's. Though the man could be a pain in the ass, he cared for her just as her father did.

"When do we start?" Ayako asked when the tears subsided.

"Right now, if you want. We have everything we need to get started."

~xxx~

Ayako lay on the hospital table in one of those open-backed gowns that she hated. Unseeing eyes stared up at the ceiling, she was nervous. What if it didn't work? What then? Would she be blind for the rest of her life? Well, that was a given even if they hadn't found this 'miracle cure'. But she really wanted it to work. Heaving a shaky sigh, Ayako waited for Tsunade and Sakura to enter the room.

She would be anesthetized during the procedure due to the pain in removing the cataracts. It was a long and grueling operation that required concentration and skill. Both of which the two women had, hands down. Ayako brought her hands up to her face. She had seriously taken her sight for granted; how she wished she could see her fingers, toes, Hideki's eyes… everything.

The door opened but she didn't notice, too busy inspecting her hands, which she couldn't see just yet.

"Just you wait sweetie, you'll be able to see them in just a little while." Tsunade said is a calming voice.

"I…" she started but couldn't quite finish. She was terrified that it wouldn't work.

"Don't worry; we'll take good care of you." Sakura said as she placed an oxygen mask over Ayako's face. It took effect a lot quicker than anticipated but soon they were ready to begin.

Five different herbs were mixed and crushed in a bowl while Ayako's eyes were taped open. Sakura picked up the bowl and brought it over to the table, next to Ayako's head then she added hot water and mixed it.

"Do you think this'll work?" Sakura asked with a frown. It had worked on so many others, why not now?

"It will, we just need to worry about the Sharingan working after this." Tsunade sounded so confident. It was all Sakura needed to calm her nerves. As for the rest of her family, they were waiting outside of the OR; as nervous as a groundhog emerging from its burrow.

The first incision was made around the iris, dipping her hand in the bowl; Tsunade drew her chakra into her fingertips and placed them near the cut. It took an hour to completely remove the cataract from Ayako's left eye. Nothing was left but the onyx iris they were used to seeing. The process was repeated to her right eye after the left was sealed back up. Once she finished, Sakura reversed the effects of the sleeping gas and got to work on manually healing Ayako's eyes, like she did after the over use of the Sharingan.

"Take it easy. I want you to go through the Sharingan stages for me so I can heal them properly." Sakura said softly as Ayako snapped out of her grogginess. She did as she was told, activating her birthright and proceeded through its stages. Her Mangekyou had changed from three interconnected spikes to a hexagon shape with black lines that connected to the pupil. "Well, that's different." Sakura commented with a smirk.

"I saw that." Ayako said as she blinked.

"How well can you see?" Tsunade asked with a warm smile.

Ayako started to cry, bringing her hands into view. "Perfectly." She laughed suddenly, smiling from ear to ear as she turned her hands to look at the other side. Then she looked around the room and started reading the little signs on the wall to prove her point.

"Let's get you home then." Sakura said drawing her daughter into a bear hug.

The elders had been ecstatic about her recovery, claiming that it was only a matter of time before their matriarch found a way to heal their future leader. Of course that didn't sit well with Itachi or Ayako but they really didn't really matter at the moment. Ayako kept herself busy with packing for her trip to the palace; in the meantime, she had a few letters she wanted to read for herself.

~xxx~

Hideki waited patiently at the main gate for the carriage to arrive. He hadn't heard a word about her recovery, she had kept that a secret… a sort of surprise present for him because she knew how much it pained him to see her that way (Hinato let it slip once when he and Ayako had a heart-to-heart chat a while back).

There, just beyond the crest of the hill, Hideki could see the lanterns on the carriage closing in. His heart jumped into his throat. He didn't want to look into those lifeless eyes, but he would because it was the girl who had his heart so thoroughly captivated. A few minutes later, the carriage came to a stop in front of him and his mother and father had come to greet their guests.

Tsunade was the first to step out with the help of an ANBU guard. Hideki's heart stopped in mid beat as Ayako's hand floated through the air, clasping around the ANBU's. Then she was stepped one the first step, eyes locked on his; those big, beautiful and expressive onyx eyes.

"My God…" he stopped himself there as Ayako walked up to him, looking him straight in the eyes.

"I've missed this the most." She whispered with the warm smile.

"Missed what?" he questioned his voice just as low. The others in the group had turned to give them some privacy.

"Looking into your eyes." Her answer was simple but it spoke volumes between them. "Happy Birthday Hideki-kun," his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Having you here means more to me than anything in the world." And for the first time in the seven or eight months that they had known each other, she was seeing him clearly. Seeing him for the man he truly was; the man she loved with all her heart.