NAME: Uchiha Itachi
AFFILIATION: Leaf
CAPTURE RANK: S

KNOWN CRIMES:
- Kidnapping (several counts)
- Murder (several counts)

FURTHER NOTES:
- Affiliated with terrorist cell (Akatsuki)
- Known associate of Hoshigaki Kisame (pg. 139)

- Highly skilled eye-based genjutsu user. Do not make eye contact if possible.
- Chuunin rank and below: Avoid confrontation and try to escape. Do not provoke.
- Jounin rank and above: Kill on sight.

- Konoha Bingo Book (Prewar)

ACT 9

ESCAPE

Chapter 83 - Prenuptial Agreement

The last thing that Hajime wanted to do, on the day after that strange revelation about Yakata and the Orochimaru-lookalike, was to think about his family, much less be around them.

His father, blessedly, was staying out of the house, after receiving a messenger bird on that Friday night. He seemed far too angry to do anything else.

Why he was angry, Hajime only had a slight clue. Angry that he'd been duped by an—admittedly convincing—Orochimaru imposter, perhaps? Or that Yakata, a child-copy of his brother, Hajime's uncle—somehow?—was being forced to go home. The latter seemed to make more sense, considering how even Hajime noticed how much preference his father gave to the boy.

It was like with Takeru, only with far less fatherly pride behind it.

Takeru seemed to be in a foul mood as well, though Hajime didn't really understand why he would be upset. Maybe that he was the one that was going to escort Yakata home on that Saturday morning, when he probably had better things to do. Whatever they were.

And Inou was practically a vegetable. Hajime wanted to say something to make him feel better—he'd heard through his mother that the mental upset was caused by the S-rank mission that eventually unmasked the imposter, which impressed Hajime very much—but it didn't seem right to say "Good job with the mental ricochet on your mission, little brother!" Or anything even remotely related. So he left it alone. He'd know what to say when the time came.

His sisters seemed fine enough, however. And his mother was preoccupied with Inou.

He didn't even need to try to sneak out.

(His mother wouldn't have tried to stop him, anyways.)

He spent that Friday night with Ninako, after his father left, calling her on the phone and meeting her in a restaurant to talk to her about the recent events.

(Though embracing, first, discretely. It had been almost a week since they'd last seen each other.)

"Talk about crazy," Ninako said, after both of them ordered drinks. "I mean, is it true what they said, that the guy we caught is a clone of Orochimaru?"

"Seems to be," Hajime replied. "Same with that… Yakata kid that's been staying at my family's house lately, he's apparently a copy of my uncle? It's weird."

"Yeah, I heard about him…" Ninako said. "How's your… dad taken it?"

"Well, apparently, he's known from the start who Yakata-kun was; that's why he was brought here. And that's why I was stuck on guard duty at my house, these past few days. They thought something was gonna happen to him."

"I see…"

"But, hey, Takeru's bringing him home tomorrow, now that the threat's been taken care of. Or something." Hajime tried to sound cheerful. "And from what I hear, they're not going to let this affect the chuunin exams."

"That is good to hear…" Ninako said. "And after that…"

She trailed off, tilting her head sideways, though there wasn't much of a smile on her face.

"Ah, yeah, that…" Hajime said. "You still wanna go through with it, Ninako?" He added, much more softly, "You know, us getting… eloped in the country."

"I'm… thinking about it," she replied. Her voice wasn't terribly teasing, however.

"I mean, if you wanna wait then that's absolutely fine with me," Hajime continued, quickly. "I mean, we haven't really planned this out much, we don't even know where we're going to go, we only have a couple of weeks to plan…"

Ninako looked back at him, this time with a smile, though a slightly patronizing one.

"Hajime, we can… wait. There's some… things I need to think over, first."

"Things? What… sorts of things?"

He sounded far more worried than he'd have ever cared to sound.

"I'm just… waiting on a few things, wondering if what we're doing is… I don't know…"

She sounded listless. Hajime put his hand on the table.

"Ninako, what's bothering you…?"

"…I want to wait," she said. "I just need to think about some things, is all. I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize, that's totally all right. We shouldn't… rush stuff like this, you know?"

"Yeah, totally…" Her voice faded off. Hajime could tell she wasn't looking at him any more.

"Okay, Ninako, seriously, what's the matter? Is everything all right?"

She responded with a laugh. "Hajime, everything's fine. I'm just thinking some things over."

"What sorts of things?"

"Just… things, all right? With you gone I've had a lot of time to think."

Hajime's face creased with uncharacteristic worry. "What are you thinking about, Ninako?"

Ninako leaned up against the table a little more, pursing her lips. "I just don't know if… we're doing this for the right reasons."

"The right reasons?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, when I first suggested it I thought it would be romantic and stuff, but now that I'm thinking about it… I don't know, I just think we should wait. Now isn't the right time…"

"Then when would be the right time, Ninako?"

"…I don't know, maybe when we're older, or… I don't know, I just can't imagine it now, not with my family…"

Her voice began to sound particularly strained. Hajime wished that he could be holding her hand.

"Ninako, if you want to wait, I'll wait. No matter how long it takes. We've made it this far, right?"

She managed to look up, managed to smile a little.

"You're such a dork…"

There she was.

"Hey, I'm just trying to comfort you," he replied, putting on his best offended face. He knew it would make her feel better. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to do. We're in this together."

She laughed, lightly. "No matter what happens?"

"Come on, Ninako, you don't need to ask."

"Yeah. But I like asking anyways."

Their drinks arrived, and they continued to talk.

"Maybe we should just run away for good. Or for as long as we can manage," Ninako said, unexpectedly, stirring her soda with a straw. "I mean, we're already screwed if anyone finds out, might as well go all or nothing."

"Ninako, who says anyone's going to find out…?"

She looked at him with twisted, sarcastic eyebrows. "Hajime, I should have been married off to some… random guy in my clan already. They could give me a fiancé any year now. I'm not really allowed to object—but like hell I'd let them make me some guy's baby-maker. And an affair sounds too messy to manage."

"And… somehow this justifies… running away?" he replied, unable to decide if he should have laughed or not.

"Like I said, we're doomed either way if that happens."

"And what if it doesn't happen?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. But wouldn't it be nice, Hajime? Get a house on the beach, maybe, that'd be great…"

"We could always rent a bungalow on the eastern shore for a while," Hajime suggested. "Those aren't too expensive."

Ninako sighed, a long sigh that was almost a moan. "I just wish I could get away from this place," she said, "just somewhere they can't find me."

Hajime didn't need to answer.

She laughed again, noticing his silence. "Sorry, I probably sound completely nuts right now."

"Nothing wrong with a little escapism now and then," he replied. "Besides, shouldn't we be planning where we want to go after the chuunin exams?"

"I thought you said you'd be fine with waiting," she replied, almost sharply.

"…well, I just thought a vacation would be nice, either way. Eloping or not. This summer's been stressful and I think we deserve a… break."

The smile that followed was very warm.

"Hajime, you're such a sweetheart."

"No, I'm not."

"You are. Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere you want to," he replied, trying to hide his growing smile.

"The beach, then," she said. "I want to go there."

"Then let's get on it."

They spent the rest of their time thinking over what sort of beach vacation they could have, with Ninako saying she'd visit the travel agent the next day to see what was available in the week after the chuunin exams. "Because I have no doubt whatsoever that Naruto-san will give us the time off. We'll be golden."

"Call me tomorrow, then, and tell me what you find," Hajime said.

"Of course."

They left without kissing, or even embracing—they couldn't afford a second one—and returned to their homes.

The Uchiha house was very quiet. Most everyone was settling down by the time Hajime returned home, and he set up his bed on the couch without upset and laid down to sleep.

But he couldn't.

Something about his meeting with Ninako had been bothering him, and it was only in contemplating it, in that vulnerable time when thoughts tend to gather right before sleep, that it was plain.

Why was she so suddenly hesitant about getting eloped? Why did she want to wait?

He thought about what she'd said. A few things stood out.

Her family. Their ages. A "right reason."

…well, their families were no-brainers. No matter who was in question, his family or hers, the issue of approval was almost always a negative.

"We're doomed either way," Ninako put it. And though he wouldn't have been so harsh about it, he had to agree, somewhat.

And her parents had gotten married when they were twenty years old, and so had his parents. Hajime didn't know a thing about how her parents got along—they seemed to be fine enough together, arranged marriage and all—but Hajime knew how much his parents couldn't stand each other, and so did Ninako.

Maybe she didn't want to make the same mistake as them, choosing a spouse so early? But then again, they'd already been together seven years, and best friends for even longer, so maybe that wasn't even the issue.

It was the issue of a "right reason" that ended up bothering him the most.

Why did they even want to get married? Or eloped or whatever. To make it more official, more "real"—but what did that matter in the eyes of their families, or the law?

And they'd gotten along fine as just… loosely-associated partners, for the longest time.

…but at the same time, the idea of them continuing on like that unsettled him. Especially with the prospect of her family forcing her into a marriage, or his father issuing an ultimatum: "Get married to a girl I can tolerate by the end of the year and produce a grandchild or I'll disown you," or something.

(Truthfully, he wondered why his father wasn't already bearing down on him about it, given his age and how preoccupied Sasuke was about having a large, respectable clan.)

Silly as it sounded, just getting eloped did make it seem more official, more "real"—like they were that much more serious about each other, to risk the wrath of their families if they found out.

Because that was what they had risked for all those years, just on a smaller degree, right?

…right?

It all just felt horribly flimsy to Hajime, and he ended up in an uncomfortable sleep over it.

He decided to talk to someone about it in the morning.

Not his parents. Hell no, not his parents. Their marriage was everything he was trying to avoid.

And asking any of the Hyuugas was a right death wish.

So, Hajime turned to Sai-sensei. He was married, after all. Surely he'd know something.

Sai and his wife, Ten Ten, lived in a modestly-built two-story home with white walls and wooden windowsills. Hajime had been inside it many times, as its second floor was Sai's studio, and where Hajime had done much of his training when he was younger.

To any other person, the place would have seemed horribly unwelcoming. All of the furniture was very modern and uncomfortable-looking, and every room smelled strongly of paint thinner and ink.

But to Hajime, it was almost more of a home to him than where he slept, if only for the bizarre yet unconditional care he received from his teacher.

Sai greeted him very warmly at the door, after Hajime called him beforehand to ask if they could talk about something. His face was still very youthful and very pale, almost exactly the same—if not exactly, period—as when Hajime had first met him, at age ten. He was almost always smiling.

"You're very lucky all of that business about that imposter has mostly settled down, otherwise I'd have not been able to fit you in."

"Well, Sensei, I was busy then, too. They had me on guard duty at my house and I was helping guard the holding cell before that."

"Ah, yes, very true. Tea?"

"Yes, please."

Sai went to get the pot ready. He and Hajime preferred the same sort of leaves, and they both knew it.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about, Hajime-kun?"

Hajime took only a medium-deep breath. "Well, Sensei… What's a good reason to get… married?"

"Marriage…" Sai said, thoughtfully. "Well, people get married for a variety of reasons, I suppose."

"Like…?"

"Better tax rates on owning property together."

Hajime blinked a few times. "I suppose that's… one reason. But what else?"

"Well, improved social standing, as well. For many young people, getting married is the sign of finally becoming an adult. It's quite common to see people coupling and marrying as soon as they turn twenty. It makes cohabitation far more socially acceptable, though that seems to be less of an issue in this day and age."

"Mm…" Hajime said, uncomfortably.

Sai remained at the stove, watching the kettle with his hands folded behind his back. "There are also certain legal rights that come with such unions. Sharing property, finances. And there are also political marriages, though those are usually preordained by the families and not the individuals getting married. Unless said individuals are particularly shrewd or ambitious."

"Right… Well, aren't there any other reasons?" Because none of these seemed to apply to their situation in the slightest, since even simply sharing an apartment seemed like an impossibility.

"Well, marriages are also excellent ways to prevent a child from becoming a bastard."

Hajime almost snorted. "Somehow I get the feeling I won't need to worry about that…"

Sai turned around. "Ah, so are you the one considering marriage?"

Hajime looked at the ceiling, despite himself. "Yeah, I'm… considering it."

"With Hyuuga Ninako?"

Hajime almost choked, and looked directly into Sai's smiling face. It felt like a small boulder had dropped into his guts. "H-how did you know?"

"Hajime-kun, when one gets to know a person as well as I have gotten to know you, some things become very obvious," Sai replied, tilting his head slightly. "Don't worry, you're in no danger. I understand that a relationship between the two of you would cause considerable strain if known about by either of your families."

"Yeah…" Hajime said. "Neither of us think that we'd ever be able to get really married, so we might just elope somewhere, but at the same time…"

"Ah, then you should have specified that it was elopement and not marriage that you were interested in. There are slight differences, you know," Sai said.

"Sure…" Hajime tried not to sound so miserable.

Sai, however, seemed to have caught on. He left the stove and sat with him at the table. "It seems that you have doubts."

Hajime nodded, slowly. "It's just… even if it's just us getting eloped, I can't help but feel that it's not… necessary."

"Why would you, personally, want to get eloped with her, Hajime-kun?" Sai asked.

Hajime thought about it.

Because I love her, was the first thought. Because we're nothing but boyfriend-and-girlfriend otherwise, was the second.

Both of them sounded stupid, but Sai was the sort of person who considered even stupid things with utmost seriousness.

"…because I love her, and I want to be her… husband, not just her… boyfriend," he mumbled.

Sai thought over his response with a couple of nods. "Love. While I'm not much of an expert in romance, Hajime-kun, I do know that many people get married and eloped for this reason. True, it may not be the most lasting reason, but it's still a reason."

Somehow, his answer didn't help Hajime much. "So should we not go through with it…?"

"Well, all things taken into account, Hajime-kun, the both of you are probably incapable of anything but a symbolic marriage, considering your families," Sai said.

"You don't need to remind me, Sensei…" Hajime said, quietly.

Sai nodded. "A symbolic marriage, however, is still a marriage, especially to the two getting married. What matters is that it matters to you, and that you feel your reasons for the marriage are justified. And love, Hajime-kun," he added, tilting his head forward, pointedly, "is a fine reason, even though it is just an emotion."

"You really think so?" Hajime said.

"Well, it's just my opinion, but yes, I do think so," Sai replied. "Even if the only one who acknowledges you as her husband is her, if that's enough for you, then I see no reason why not to go through with it. Though I do advise caution, regardless."

"Well, yeah, we'll be careful," Hajime said.

"Considering how well you've carried on so far, I don't doubt that you will," Sai replied, with a kind nod. The kettle began to whistle, and he went to tend to it. "Do you know when you want to elope, then?"

"Well, we sort of wanted to do it over a vacation after the chuunin exams."

"Interesting time for a vacation. I'd think that travel expenses would be less costly in October or November, or the spring. But then again," he added, thoughtfully, almost to himself, "I would imagine that there are far more vacancies around the time of the exams, since most everyone is still staying in or around Konoha. Do you have a location picked out?"

"Eastern coast, probably. Ninako wants to see the beach."

"Ah, then that's not even an issue. The autumn is the off season for the beach, anyways. Very smart of you." Sai poured boiling water into two cups of tea leaves, and brought them both over to the table, giving one to Hajime, who was chuckling a little at his monologue. "You should be able to secure very affordable lodgings."

"Never change, Sai-sensei," Hajime said.

"I think that's rather impossible, Hajime-kun, but I will try my best," Sai replied, and they clinked their glasses together.

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting idly about art and the upcoming chuunin exams—Sai was very interested in the progress of Hajime's sister, Karai, which Hajime was eager to tell him about—before Hajime left.

"I'm gonna go talk to Ninako, she said she was gonna visit a travel agent today," he said. "Thanks for everything, Sai-sensei. You really helped."

"Any time, Hajime-kun," Sai replied. "And best of luck to you and Ninako-chan. Do take care, though, it looks like it's going to rain."

"I think I'll be fine." Hajime grinned in reply, and left.

Sai cleaned up their cups, afterward, and left to run an errand of his own.

When he said that he wanted for Hajime to be as careful as possible, he meant it quite strictly. And that included checking in with his gentler parent.

Sai knew very well the frustrations that Hajime had with his father, Sasuke. But his mother, Ino, seemed far more understanding, and was always the better listener whenever Sai held his parent conferences with the Uchihas.

(She had also made a point of asking Sai for as many studio sessions with Hajime as possible. "So he can get out of the house, it's better for him, you understand?")

He wasn't going to be callous, or even discouraging. He was just going to explain the situation to her for her benefit, because that seemed the fair thing to do.

(And even he knew that it would be unwise to speak to the Hyuuga clan.)

So when Sai arrived at the Uchiha house under a clear plastic umbrella a short while later, and Ino answered the door, he greeted her with, "Hello, Ino-san, are you aware that your son Hajime intends on running away and eloping with Hyuuga Ninako?"

Ino was a bit speechless, to say the least. And after calming down a little and inviting Sai in and asking him to elaborate, she got a less sensational story.

"Well I always knew that Hajime was fond of that girl, so I'm not terribly surprised…. But for him to want to marry her…"

(Ino suddenly felt very old, and yet the warmth in her chest seemed to negate this.)

"Elope, Ino-san. Hajime-kun told me that neither of them see much sensibility in going any further than that, considering the social leanings of her family and your husband's more controlling tendencies."

(For a moment and a moment only, she considered defending her husband.)

(But she knew better. It was only a reflex, anyways.)

Ino nodded, slightly.

"I thought to at least tell you, since it's obvious he hasn't informed you of much," Sai continued. "Though I encourage you to give him advice, rather than discourage him outright, if you don't exactly approve. He's very unsure about this and I can only help so much. As his mother you doubtlessly have far more authority with him than I do."

Ino smiled with a strange sort of humility. "Well, Hajime thinks the world of you, Sai-san. We both know that."

"Indeed, he does hold me in very high esteem." Sai smiled for a moment longer, before standing. "Well, I ought to be off, then. It's about time for dinner. I do hope things go well for the whole of you."

"Mm, I do too. Thank you for coming by," Ino said.

"You're most welcome. Take care."

When Sai returned home, he found his wife, Ten Ten, already preparing dinner, her hair pulled into a low, wet bun. The gentle rumble of thunder stirred beyond the large, square windows. "You're home early," he said.

"With the alert levels down to something more manageable, there was less to do today." She stirred the fried rice she was making in the pot. "There'll be enough for you, don't worry."

"Thank you," Sai replied, and sat down at the table.

He thought, for a while, listening to her cook.

"Dear, why did we get married?" he asked her.

"Because it's cheaper to share a house with a studio when you're married, because I didn't want kids and you were the only guy that seemed okay with that, and because we can talk about art and weapon-crafting for hours without getting sick of each other," she replied, neutrally. "That's just what comes to mind right away."

"Ah, yes," Sai replied. "That makes wonderful sense."

"Of course it does," Ten Ten replied, with a mild smirk. "Get the bowls, would you?"

"Right away."

Hajime was in a very good mood when he returned to his near-empty house in the early evening. Ninako had managed to secure a tidy vacation package for them, food and lodgings and everything, and the both of them had more than enough saved up from their Seal Team work to pay for it.

Plus, there was what she'd said, when they were alone, together, on the street, just walking.

"There's a beautiful temple on the cape, the agent told me. Been there forever."

"In case we want to go forward with it?"

She paused. "Well…"

"Ninako, if you want to wait, I'll wait. But if you want to go through with it—even if it's just a stupid ceremony that means nothing to anyone but us—I'd feel honored to be your husband."

She looked up at him, there, with moon-bright eyes. "How about I'm the husband, you're the wife, what do you say."

"Well, I—Ninako…"

"I'm kidding. Mostly."

She leaned into him, not quite a hug, not quite a shove.

"We'll see how I feel when we get there, all right?"

"All right."

Naturally, he couldn't stop smiling, even when he entered the kitchen to find his mother there. He was slightly damp from the rain outside—Ninako had brought an umbrella with her, having seen the storm clouds long before and anticipated the weather, but he refused to borrow it from her, when she offered.

"Having a good day?" Ino said, from the table. She was reading a magazine.

"You could say that," he replied. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, your father's… somewhere. And Inou's up in his room, resting; I don't think Karai's left hers either. But Takeru's out bringing Yakata-kun home."

(She didn't need to mention Nadeshiko. He wouldn't have asked about her anyways.)

"Ah, that's nice, that's nice," Hajime said, distractedly.

"Your sensei came by to visit this afternoon, by the way. Not too long ago, actually," Ino continued, casually.

"Oh. Did he."

Hajime tried, badly, to ignore the hum of nervousness that immediately began to circle his chest.

"Yes, we had quite an interesting conversation. Tell me, Hajime… do you honestly plan on getting eloped with Ninako-chan?"

Aw, crap. No, no, no, crap, no. "He told you…?" he squeezed out.

"Well, yes, but-"

"Because, Mom, we're going to continue living apart but it's not like we're gonna make a big deal out of it, it's just gonna be symbolic and stuff, we might not even get eloped in the first place, and-"

Ino put her hands out, standing, approaching him. "Hajime, Hajime, calm down! I'm not angry! So long as you're serious about each other then I'm more than happy with it! Marriage or not!"

Hajime paused very suddenly. "…what? You mean…"

"Hajime, I want you to be happy. And I've sort of had a feeling about Ninako-chan for a while, now, and my only wish is that you had told me about you two sooner. I'd have gladly given you excuses to go out and be with her, honest."

Hajime, embarrassing as it was, almost felt like crying. "Mom…"

"I know it's well out of my hands, by now, but if you two are serious about each other, then I… support you, unconditionally. And I'll cover for you for this vacation or honeymoon or whatever you two are planning. There's no way I'll let your father find out, for one," she continued, with a kindly, but almost rebellious smile at the end.

"Mom, are you serious…" Hajime swallowed.

"Yes, I am serious. Hajime, you're my son, and if I didn't want you to be happy then that would make me a horrible mother. If you need anything, or if you want to talk to me about it, I'm here for you, okay? I won't tell anyone else."

Hajime sniffed. "Thanks, Mom, honestly…"

She reached forward and pulled him into a hug; not a desperate, life-needing hug like Inou had asked of her, the day before, but a warm, secure hug. Her head came up to his shoulder.

"Aww, honey… Come on, no crying, this is a good thing."

Hajime nodded, sniffing again, and smiling quite sheepishly.

Ino pulled away and kept her hands on his arms. "Now, I want you to tell me everything. Where exactly are you going after the chuunin exams? Your sensei didn't exactly go into detail."

"Well, Ninako found us this great little beach house on the eastern coast, near the Land of Tea…"

The two of them sat down to talk for as long as they could afford, knowing to quiet down and change the subject if any sound was heard in the hallway upstairs, or if the front door opened.

Both of them knew that this was the closest thing that either of them would get to real wedding, so the details were fussed over to Ino's liking, even though Hajime found himself repeating things quite a lot.

Ino, in particular, was determined for it all to work out perfectly, offering money ("No, Mom, we have enough savings, but thanks, though.") and advice ("Mom, seriously, I told you, it's just going to be symbolic if we even go through with it…") to him in vast amounts.

(But could she be blamed? Here was proof that her son was doing fine outside the house, that he was happy. And she wanted to protect that happiness as best as she could.)

(No matter what Sasuke might have done to stomp on it.)

Luckily for them, the house remained quiet well into the evening.

Things weren't nearly as peaceful as night fell, however.