Chapter 9

Once upon on time on the same side,

Once upon a time on the same side

In the same game…

XOXO

Itachi

Misa typed the name into her tablet and the search came back with thousands of results. She clicked on the image refinements and raised a brow.

"Itachi Uchiha. He's hot." She murmured, scanning through some articles and photos. They were brothers. Many of them had Sasuke, Itachi and their father in them. Sorta set up like Fugaku Uchiha was king and his sons were princes. Matter of fact, numerous articles and photo captions called them princes. Prince Itachi and Prince Sasuke (she mentally rolled her eyes). Misa bit her lip in interest.

What happened with Itachi?

Sasuke's silky, venom laced voice echoed in her head and she frowned. So something happened between Ino, Sasuke and Itachi. From what she recalled about the black tie event last night, according to Sasuke, Ino and Itachi were messing around with each other behind his back. How did he find out? Did he always suspect? If it was true, then what made Ino betray Sasuke like that?

As she scanned the article she became more confused. Sasuke and Itachi were close. Very close and even though she was going on the profile that she read on his fan page (yes, he had one), Itachi was very conservative and put Sasuke's best interest above his own. If that were true then why would he ruin that kind of relationship with his little brother to have a go at Ino?

Maybe she was playing them against each other? The bitch…but that didn't explain the raw emotion she witness from the blonde. She had denied it, even now. Could she really play innocent even after all this time? Sasuke broke up with her and moved on (kinda), so it didn't really matter if she cheated or not, right? Unless it was a matter of pride or something…

Misa sighed and tossed her tab on the couch besides her. Well, she was supremely glad that she wasn't in Ino's position. Making Sasuke an enemy was suicide. She picked up her tablet again and tapped a picture of Itachi. He was Fugaku Uchiha's named heir but Misa knew Sasuke coveted that place. She and Sasuke never really talked about his family, about anything personal in their lives which was fine before. Now she wished she had asked him a million questions. Her older sister always told her she would have been a good private detective or reporter and she smiled at the thought.

After her modeling life got boring, she had plans in going into investigative reporting. Her daddy owned one of the biggest entertainment networks in Earth Country so she could get a job there easily enough if she was that kind of person. But she had gone through college and earned her Master's in Journalism and Bachelors in Speech Communication.

She grabbed her tab a final time and clicked on an image of Sasuke and Itachi and smiled to herself. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to find out all your secrets Sasuke? You think you could treat me like some throw away last minute resort?"

She typed in Ino's name and found a few pictures of her from Tea Country. She had claim to some minor fame in fashion but that was all. But Misa knew there would be more to her when she started digging. It was this, it was her that would be the key to getting back at Sasuke. A woman scorned indeed, she mused darkly to herself.

XOXO

"We're going to make some enemies. Are you ready for that?" Temari asked Ino. They were walking from the parking lot to a large commercial lingerie boutique in High Leaf.

Ino smiled and pushed her sunglass back on her face. "I know. Domination is a bloody affair." She said, glancing to the side to see Temari smirk. She was towering in six inch stilettos, her long Amazon legs going for miles in her dove grey pants suit that tailored to her voluptuous figure fantastically. Her hair was down, the light brown tresses framing her face and making her teal eyes sparkle.

Ino took it a deep breath and opened the door to Rin Rena, of RR Temptations. The store was a bit overdone in Ino's opinion once she stepped inside. Heavy drapes wrapped the dark red walls and white arches of varying styles ran throughout the sales floor. Mannequins, black, white and gold were dressed in the latest lingerie fashions with gaudy baby blue and light pink boa feathers hanging like a noose around their necks. The latest F-pop girl band was playing and a few flat screen TVs of the music video was dotted in the corners. It was an angular floor plan, easy to maneuver through. Rows of merchandise were a disorganized mess and Ino tsk tsked, catching Temari's eye.

"I know." She murmured, looking through a rack of silk robes. "Our shop never looked like this back in Tea."

"You would think since it location is in the heart of Leaf, they could put a little more effort in maintenance ." She murmured eyeing a bra and panty set that looked cheaply made. The stitching was loose and the material generic. It wouldn't make it past a dry cleaning.

"If this is what we're up against, then my worries are being put to rest."

Temari sighed. "Ino, you can't underestimate your competition. RR Temptations is so commercial; every small hick town from Fire Thistle to Flare Valley has one. Rin Rena has a lot of money and a lot of prestige in the fashion world."

Ino held up the bra set. "See this?" She shook it in Temari's face. "$65.95 for this crap? Seriously?"

Temari snatched the hanger from her with a peeved tsk, glaring at her before looking at the garment. She frowned, touching a hanging purple thread. "Low grade…I wonder who her manufacturer is."

"Some poor kids in a sweat shop." Ino muttered. She was annoyed that RR Temptation was so well received in Fire. Didn't they know quality garments or where they just too dazzled by the brand name that they didn't care? RR Temptations need to be knocked out of her way but that was not going to be an easy task whatsoever. Like Temari said, they were in every nook and cranny of Fire Country.

"How much are her stocks going for these days?" She asked. Temari replaced the hanger and pulled out her mini tab. "Initial investments are starting at $125." She said after a moment. "Option investment is $50. Initial purchasing fee is $10."

Ino was thoughtful as she continued to browse. "And her Shareholders?"

More strokes of the tab. "There are a few but she hold onto 29.3% of her company making her the primary Shareholder."

"Ages?"

Temari nodded along with her line of thinking. "The youngest is 47 and it's a guy."

"So old people are in charge. Conservative investors."

Temari smirked at the hinting tone. They had worked together for a long time and knew Ino's expressions in and out. "I heard she's quite conservative as well."

Ino snorted. "Look at the latest fashion here." She said, motioning to the mannequin with an ill fitting babydoll nighty on. One with ruffles on the top and down the front in a V fashion. "I can tell. Half of this stuff isn't sexy at all! And the good stuff is so expensive; it only fits a minor part of the female population. You have to be a model to pull this off? What about women who are shorter? Who have slim tummys and curvy hips? The athletic types could never pull of ruffles and I doubt they would want to. What about the woman—" Temari put a hand over her mouth.

"Don't start your rant in the middle of this store or I swear I'll drive off and pretend like I don't know you!" She hissed. Ino flushed. Temari wasn't joking…she did it before. She shoved her hand off of her mouth.

"Alright alright." She grumbled and they left the store. "Fire is stuck in the middle ages when it comes to feminine beauty. " She grumbled.

"A country run by men, favoring men." Temari said, turning on her black viper car with her key before opening the door. "Of course it's like this."

Ino slid into the passenger seat, reclining on Temari's lush leather seats. "That might change soon though. Tsunade Senji is running for Hokage and Itachi tells me that she has a pretty good chance of winning."

Temari smiled as she hit the accelerator, completely cutting of three cars behind her as she pulled onto the road. Ino giggled at the pull of force that made her tummy do a flip. Temari was a crazy driver! She loved that about her!

"Well, we'll be right behind that history making election when it comes to it. Fire won't know what hit them."

XOXO

The city was rolled out like a metal and glass field before him. Rows and rows of high-rise buildings, curving streets that seemed always clogged with traffic. From his view he could see small green patches on some buildings tops, sparking with pools and mini bars for their high end clientele and owners. But none of those buildings were as grand and commanding as the Uchiha Crown, their main business towers.

He grew up with this view, grew up with knowing that he would become his father's inheritor. He would stand in front of this wall window, frames by black and red curtains next to his father and listen to him say that Leaf was theirs; everything that went on in Fire's bustling capital was made possible by their family, by their wealth and power. It took a strong hand and a calculating mind to keep it under control.

"You are to be perfect Itachi." He would tell him, looking down with his dark eyes, his face sharply carved with the natural sunlight. "The Uchiha name can never be tarnished. Never dirty your hands." He said. In his office, two Enforcers had a bloody man on his knees. Itachi didn't know what he had done to cause his father's cruel attention. Someone who had displeased him for some reason. He was making him and example and wanted Itachi to witness it. At ten, Itachi had seen this scene too many times, heard those words too many times that when his father turned to him he clenched his jaw in anger, hidden by his special schooled features.

"And?" His father coached him.

He pushed his rage deep down, his guilt and horror was pushed aside. "Never get caught." He answered earning his father's please smile.

The bloody man was hauled to his feet, his eyes were swollen shut and the Enforcers took him to the secret door behind one of the Uchiha's clan tapestry. He asked once where he would go but his father had shrugged.

"He is beneath us Son. We don't worry about people like him."

I don't need someone like you to love me…

Sasuke's words that day had always haunted him , brought him to remember his fathers arrogant pride. Words like that had hurt him more than Ino. He was too much like their father then and he feared it would only get worse now.

He turned from the grand view to the soft knock at his door. His secretary had gone to lunch and he asked not to be disturbed. He flicked a button on one of his computers to the security cameras and saw a post-it note covering the lens.

Top in ten? He smiled in affection, recognizing the feminine scrawl of his mother. Ten minutes later, he was on Uchiha Crown's lush roof garden with a picnic spread out before him. His mother was dressed casually on black dress pants with a ruby red tunic, barefooted. Her long black hair was down, gently dancing in the cool afternoon sun. The winter was bipolar this year, he thought. Somedays it was bright and warm with a nice bite in the air, the next it was howling cold with petals of snow falling in mock apology.

Next to her was an expressionless Sasuke dressed in a dark suit. A cold glare passed to him but Itachi ignored it and gave his mother a smile.

"Come and sit!" His mother patted to a spot on her left, while Sasuke sat on her right. "I never get to see my sons as often as I want! Let me feed you both lunch while I can." She gushed warmly, and for her, Itachi kneeled.

"I apologize Mother. Since our return, we have neglected out duties in honoring you." He bowed in apology and Sasuke did as well. Itachi knew that Sasuke would keep up their brotherly love pretense in front of their mother. Often time is would slip in front of their father, but Itachi knew it only pleased him. His father and uncle lived off of contention.

His mother filled in the chatter with him or Sasuke putting in effort when they needed to. Over all it was a pleasant lunch and both brothers gave affectionate hugs to her before she left. Standing side by side, they watched her leave and when she was out of sight, Sasuke let out a huff of annoyance. Itachi ignored it and reached for his phone when he felt it vibrate.

I'm running late! Can you pick up the boys from Dads for me? Pretty please? Itachi my love, my life, my burning hunk of looovve?

He let an amused smile touch his lips at Ino's text message, not noticing Sasuke was staring hard at him. Quickly he schooled his features and slipped his phone back into the breast pocket of his suit. "Something's come up. I have a few documents to give father when he returns."

Sasuke scoffed. "Whatever." He said in agreement and left Itachi on the roof top.

XOXO

She would admit it, when she was in the work room, sketching out her ideas, she would get so lost in it that she would draw the whole day away. She was never a very good artist when she was younger, but after attending Kriss Sato's School of Fashion Design, she became quite the pro. There was always something to creating; taking ideas and molding them onto paper or her art tab. Seeing them come to life under ever stroke of her pencil or stylus. The hope and planning a new garment brought once the sketch was complete was like a drug.

"Ino." A line here and the hem reaching just above the thigh… "INO!"

She cried out and covered her ears at the booming, irritated voice of C.

"What?" She snapped, narrowing her eyes at the arrogant pretty boy who was dressed and polished with silver rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

"The day is done and we have an appointment with Aburame Models early in the morning." His expression was one of patient assholness and Ino glared at him when he lifted a mock smile. "Go home."

"I was just finishing." Ino insisted heatedly, standing up and flipping her sketchbook closed. Damn it, he was right, but she didn't have to like the concession. C was an ass, a talented ass, but an ass altogether.

It was just past seven and she knew that Itachi and the boys were still up. That made her irritation turn into joyous anticipation. She locked up and C walked her to her car, holding the door open for her. A gentlemanly ass, she thought when he closed it and she waved goodbye to him, pulling out of the small parking lot.

Dinner was waiting for her when she got home. Itachi and the boys were already eating and she helped herself to a mouthwatering home cooked meal, courtesy of chef Itachi.

The boys energetically filled them in on their fishing trip with their grandpa and told them that Shikamaru and Choji promised them a day at the amusement park the next time they had a free weekend.

"Grandpa let me cut the fishes scales off. I thought it would be easy but it was hard and then he let us watch when he gutted it!" Sesame boisterously said and Taeyo nodded enthusiastically with him, fine black hair bouncing on his head.

"There was only a little bit of blood though." Taeyo quipped and shoveled food into his mouth.

Itachi chuckled warmly. "Disappointed there wasn't more?"

Taeyo shrugged. "I was!" Sesame pouted playfully, making Ino heart clench at the expression. It was so much like…

"Can we go fishing again Daddy? I want to catch one again!" Taeyo asked, breaking Ino from her dark whimsical thoughts.

"When it gets warmer, can we go to the beach?" Sesame asked right after his little brother.

"Of course." Itachi agreed, sipping his glass of cold water. Ino wrinkled her nose. She remembered spending time with her dad when she was little. Fishing. Bleh, she hated fishing. Every one she caught, he made her scale and gut it on her own. The smell would linger on her fingers a few days after wards no matter how hard she scrubbed. She wondered if Itachi and Sasuke had fond memories of happier times with their family. Itachi was close with his cousin Shisui and when he was in Tea Country they always spent the day together to catch up.

When she was with Sasuke, he would tell her things he did with Naruto and Kiba. He enjoyed spending time with Itachi but she never recalled him saying anything about special times with his mother and father. Itachi never did as well.

Troubled, she watched Itachi converse happily with their sons over a simple thing like planning a fishing trip and felt guilty about not always enjoying her own fishing trips with her dad. She made a mental note to call him and thank him for the memories he made with her sons today.

Bedtime routines varied in their household. Tonight, the boys bathed and brushed their teeth before pulling on some pajamas. Little Taeyo was out as soon as Itachi tucked him it, but Sesame asked to be read a book. She took the time to clear the dishes since Itachi cooked that night and run them through their dishwasher. Table and counters wiped, and she finally fell onto her comfy bed exhausted. And it was only Eight thirty! Gods she was feeling like an adult…

She felt Itachi plop down beside her and she reached over and linked their fingers together in silent affection.

Tomorrow was Friday and she had that appointment to meet with Shino Aburame to discus using his modeling services. Itachi had a few meetings in the morning and then they would be off to Burning Willows. She loved her weekends she thought and lazily turned to Itachi. He looked like he was lost in thought but when he felt her staring at him his dark eyes focused on her. His inky black hair was spread out around his head and she began running her fingers through it, always amazed by how soft and silky it felt.

When their lips touched in tender emotion, Ino sighed in content. Her hands idly roamed up his back, both of them not in a hurry this night. Light touches, feather like and gentle still had the power to make her body quickly grow hot with desire and when Itachi began kissing and nibbling her sensitive neck her breath hitched. His hand dove under her shirt to cup a breast, under the wire of her satin red bra. Her skin prickled from the sensation and she moaned into his mouth.

"Mom?" Then all movement halted. Frozen, she and Itachi stared at one another for a second before he removed his hand. He sat up next to her and she missed the hardness and heat of him instantly.

Standing in the door way was the boys, holding hands and looking at their parents with big questioning blue eyes. "Can we sleep with you tonight?" Sesame asked hesitantly, looking back and forth between the two, knowing he interrupted something but didn't know what. Ino sighed and smiled to ease his concern. She smoothed out her shirt as she sat up.

"Sure." She and Itachi shared a look, both mirroring their amusement and embarrassment. She slid off the bed and motioned them on it. Eagerly the boys jumped on the pillowed comforter, crawling up the large bed and settling right in the middle. She left them to change out of her work clothes and into some black leggings and a long sleeved night shirt.

Crawling in bed after turning off the night side lamp, she curled herself around little Taeyo while Sesame lay next to Itachi. For a long while, she and Itachi just stared at one another listening to the boys breathe. Being here together like this, it always felt like bliss most of the time. Yet it was bittersweet as well. They were both aware that someone was missing the experience. Tears stung her eyes and Itachi reached across the sleeping boys and entwined their fingers in comfort.

"I know." He whispered, dark eyes serious with his own emotion too. Of loss and longing. In his heart there was a place that one person dwelled, a person that she could never replace. And he missed him. Itachi kissed the top of Sesame's head as temporary surrogate and squeezed her hand before closing his eyes.

XOXO

Mikoto Uchiha was a patient woman. One had to be when dealing with the Uchiha men and her sons were no different. For six years she had put up with the façade Itachi and Sasuke presented to her and for six years she made no comment about it. But a mother knew her children and Mikoto knew her sons very well. She saw beyond the pleasant smiles and saw the pain. She felt the tension rise between them every time they came for dinner. That surprise lunch last week just reinforced the concern. And no matter how much she wanted to know the story behind the change of heart, she knew not to ask. Uchiha men were as hard as nails but so very sensitive.

But lately she began so see her sons' pretenses falter. She began to see the heat in Sasuke's glare at Itachi and the raw pain in Itachi's smile. She gave them five years to deal with their problems on their own and now she was going to find out what the hell was going on with them.

Her personal driver Inabi Uchiha pulled the car around and Mikoto slipped in quietly, arranging her coat about her legs. She waited until the Uchiha Manor was out of sight before speaking.

"Well?"

He cleared his throat. "I found him…its…its something you have to see for yourself Mistress." He said. Mikoto's curiosity and worry spiked at his tone.

"Something bad?"

He hesitated. "It depends on how you look at it. I cannot judge." They didn't speak after. The whole trip a million different things ran though her head about Itachi and Sasuke's falling out. They reached Burning Willows, a small out of town community for the wealthy in two hours. She gazed out of the window at the rows and rows of neatly manicured lawns and slim, two story houses.

"I thought Itachi was staying in Leaf at the Ninth Place condos?"

"He is." Inabi said. "But he stays here on the weekends. He bought this house before he came back to Fire."

Humm…she shouldn't be surprised. Itachi was a secretive person by nature. But if he wanted a place to stay when he was wasn't working in Leaf, he could have just come home to Uchiha Manor. She tried not to feel hurt by it.

They pulled into a cul-de-sac and parked. It was early evening and many people in Burning Willows were outside doing various activities. It didn't escape her notice that many of the people who she saw were young families.

"There." Inabi pointed and Mikoto leaned forward and saw what he was showing her. A little ways away, beyond the security of a white iron fence was her eldest son dressed casually in faded blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Barefooted, laughing as he chased two young boys in the faded emerald grass with a water hose. Her eyes riveted to the sight, eagerly drinking it in. It had been so long since she had seen Itachi smile, let alone laugh. Gone was the serious draw of his brows, the tired look in his dark eyes. He looked younger than his thirty years, looked more alive than she ever thought possible.

The boys giggled and tackled him and he fell playfully to the ground as they piled on top him. In the fading light, she saw their blue eyes glow and their ebony hair was mussed with sweat despite the cold air. But their smiles, those beautiful smiles made her heart beat just a little faster. There was no mistaking who they were. Any mother would know the look of their sons, and any grandmother instantly knew her own blood.

Grandsons…Itachi has given me two grandsons. She wanted to go run and join them. She wanted to tumble in the grass with them laughing atop her. She wanted to hear them call her Grandma, but she was rooted to the spot. Too surprised, too enamored with the sight of all three of them. With the sound of their laughter, of Itachi's deep rumble.

Itachi my son, you keep so many things from me. Why would you deny me the chance of knowing your sons? She felt bittersweet emotion swell into her chest already knowing the answer.

Fugaku Uchiha. Madara Uchiha.

Mikoto clenched the headrest of the passenger seat. Husband…your greed for power has taken away something important from us. The chance of knowing our grandsons. As long as there was a power struggle between he and Madera, Itachi was going to keep his children secret. Keep them safe.

I don't know about our family anymore. Are the Uchiha still a family? Or are we an empire?

She remembered Itachi asking her that after dinner once. Sasuke had given him a victorious smirk when Fugaku called her youngest into the office with him and she saw the hurt in her eldest's eyes. Not from Fugaku's blatant exclusion, but from Sasuke's smug reaction.

Falling from grace Itachi? That's what that smirk said and even she felt a keen sense of loss when the door closed. Her baby boy was jumping into Fugaku's cold, cruel world and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Mistress?" Inabi turned to her, his plain face ceased with concern at her tears. She wiped her palm down her face to erase them.

"I'm fine. I just want to watch for a little while. It's been so long since I've seen Itachi smile. I don't remember the last time he did." Or Sasuke for that matter she thought sadly.

Inabi's lips twitched in amusement. "Yes Mistress." He said, turning back around to watch with her. Her eldest had to know that they were watching him, but he didn't let it show as he finished playing with her little Grandsons. From the look of them, the oldest was about five or six with thick black hair. His large, blue eyes dominated his face and when he smiled she found herself getting lost in the brightness of it. His smile…her boys' smile these days was a rare thing to behold, but when they did…when they were little…she remembered the way their smiles looked. She straightened her posture, watching all three of them closely now as a trickle of unease worked its way down her spine for some unknown reason.

The youngest, he had to be three or four. His hair was softer, longer and fell neatly across his forehead naturally on the right like Itachi's did when he was that age. His smile was his own, but the shape of his glowing blue eyes was like that of Itachi's. Was it just a quirk in genetics that had the oldest look like Sasuke more than he looked like Itachi? She tumbled the thought around in her head.

Who was their mother? Who was the woman that had entranced Itachi so?

"Do you know her?" She asked Inabi. He shook his head.

"I've never seen her."

Would she come out? If she lingered a bit longer, might she catch a glimpse of her? An intense need to see her built inside. She must be quite a person, to capture her eldest son's heart. Mikoto knew that Itachi would never be with someone he didn't love. He had a big heart, a gentleness in him that longed for romance. That was why he pushed back Fugaku's insistence on an arranged marriage for so long. Itachi would only marry someone he loved. But if he loved this woman, then why hadn't they tied the knot yet? Or maybe they did already? Her curiosity was rapidly building.

"Let's go." She finally said, settling slowly back in her seat. Itachi and the boys had left inside, but she knew he would call her. She pulled her phone from her purse and settled it on her lap. She would wait for him.