Fated to Meet You

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I use italics for thoughts, flashbacks, and tone of voice. Usually the italics are for thoughts, like in this chapter. If I put a dot/period in the middle of the page before italics then that is a flashback. And if italics are within quotation marks "italics" then they're for tone.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, character or plot, from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto.

Chapter Five: Changes for the New

Mai walked behind Ayaka with an empty basket in hand through the streets of the Uchiha Village. After her morning lesson with Elder Mio, Ayaka asked the student to accompany her to the tea store in the village, to which she complied to. Shinobi villages, like the Uchiha Village, did not hold such things as restaurants or inns like normal villages, but they did have a small number of stores and shops. All was done to minimize the chances of secret attacks within the shinobi village. Shipments of produce and goods were highly guarded into the village and checked before releasing them into the market.

There was only one tea store in the village, and it only held so much of a diversity. Entering the small store with a large sign 'Tea' above the door, the storekeeper, an old man, welcomed his two customers. "Ayaka! Good to see you again." The old man greeted. His dark eyes glanced over at the Mai's small stature behind Ayaka and nodded kindly at her. "Hello!" He directed a greeting towards the Uchiha girl.

Mai bowed to the elderly man; although, she assumed he was not as old as Elder Mio. Mai could tell by the lesser number wrinkles he had on his kind face. "Hello, sir."

"Is she who I think she is, Ayaka?" The old man laughed cheerily. "You're Elder Mio's student, aren't you?"

Mai looked at Ayaka lost in decision before the head maid nodded. "Yes, sir. I am." She looked back at the old man.

"Uchiha Mai." Ayaka added for her.

"Beautiful name." The shopkeeper noted. "Sounds very similar to Elder Mio's." He laughed before turning away. "I'm guessing you two are here for her tea, correct?" He walked further into his store. His tea store was small with two large shelves that took over the two walls on each side The shelves held boxes with lids to prevent air from entering. Mai figured the boxes held the dried tea leaves. "Just hold on a bit while I gather them for you."

"Take your time, Hiroshi-san." Ayaka reassured. "I have another errand to run, but Mai will be here if you need anything." She turned around, glanced at Mai, and walked out.

Ayaka had told her earlier that she would be leaving her for another errand. That was why she was needed to accompany her. Not that the girl mind, such changes in life comes with changes in habits and wants and everyday life in general.

"Ayaka is a busy woman." The storekeeper's statement brought Mai out of her thoughts. She watched as the old man took out a box from a shelf and set it on a nearby table. He proceeded to gather some dried tea leaves into a small bowl with his thin hand. The soft crunches filled the silence before the old man talked again. "Tell me, how old are you?" Hiroshi asked. "We don't see much female shinobi in our clan."

"Fifteen, sir." Mai answered.

He hummed at the answer and then chuckled at the child's politeness. "Please, call me…" He thought for a bit. "...Hiroshi-jiisan, that's it. You're going to see me a lot from now on with you being Elder Mio's student." Out of the entire Uchiha population, Elder Mio has been one of his primary customers for years. Her large consumption of tea enabled him to keep the store.

The shopkeeper set the small bowl down off to the side of the table and closed the box. "Who are your parents? They must be proud that you're an Elder's Apprentice." Hiroshi asked another question. It was his way of covering the silence in the shop and he was also curious about her, too, like the rest of the clan. Seeing the girl stand on the vacant spot behind Elder Mio brought the entire clan into confusion. Many were still trying to figure out how the girl no one seemed to care about attained that position. Through strenuous memory searching, he remembered seeing her here and there in the village. The young girl would stop by at the local food stand by his store and buy some fruits before leaving.

Mai blinked to herself before answering. It had been so long since she had verbally said her parents name. For the first time in a long time, their names came out of Elder Mio's mouth that it sounded so foreign to Mai. "...Uchiha Ryou and Uchiha Yuna."

She only knew of her father and had small memories of her mother. Uchiha Ryou, Lord Tajima told her, was an Uchiha shinobi. His family was a shinobi family and he kept the tradition. He died on the battlefield when Mai was an infant. Her mother, Uchiha Yuna, was well… a mother and wife. And according to Lord Tajima, she died due to an illness almost a decade ago from where Mai is now. Even now the questions still nagged her: what were her parents like, how did her father look like, what would her life be like if they were still alive and with her.

"I knew it." Hiroshi laughed. "I knew you looked familiar. You look just like your mother."

Mai blinked casually at the old man. She'd been receiving that comment a lot lately. Well, a lot in her terms of communication. "I get that a lot." She smiled modestly and looked down at the table before blinking back up to the old man. "Did you know them?" Her eyes looked eagerly at the old man with anticipation.

Hiroshi shook his head. "I didn't."

Within a blink of her pair of eyes, her feelings dissolved away.

Throughout the conversation, the shopkeeper made three small bowls of dried tea leaves. Mai glanced at them before watching the old man put the box back on the shelf.

"Alright! That is all." He gestured to Mai to step towards the table with the basket. "Ayaka should know what to do with these."

She set the basket on the table but before she could do anything else, Ayaka entered the store behind her. She turned around to glance at the head maid before turning back to put the three bowls into her woven basket. "Thank you, Hiroshi-jiisan." Mai thanked. Her lips curving unknowingly into a smile.

The old man's smile widened at Mai's use of his name. "Not a problem!" He looked over to Ayaka. "There was a shipment of fish this morning. Did you go get some?" Hiroshi asked Ayaka.

Mai lifted the basket off the table and slid off to the side as to not obstruct the two's conversation and line of sight. She noticed Ayaka's basket had something wrapped in cloth in it and watched as the head-maid gave Hiroshi one of the things wrapped in white cloth.

It was a fish from the shipment, Mai found that out while she listened to their conversation. Ayaka had given him a fish as a 'thank you' for his service before saying her goodbye, signalling their leave. Mai bowed one last time to the old man before leaving the store and followed the head maid out.

It was late morning and the sun was climbing towards its peak. Uchiha's, majority being women, made their way with life through the streets and shops and chatting with others. Many of them were holding baskets with wrapped cloth- the fish, Mai assumed. She stared absently at the basket in Ayaka's hand. If she was still living in her home, she probably wouldn't have known about the fish shipment. What would she be doing right now if she didn't accept Elder Mio's offer? Probably sleeping. Her life prior had a lot of free time.

Ayaka glanced back at the girl. The child's shoulders were held somewhat tightly together. The basket in her hand swung stiffly at every step. Her uncomfort was seeable. Within the past week, Ayaka grew, what people would say, 'fond' of the child. It was great to have another pair of hands in Elder Mio's house. Most of the maids were on leave, either with child or in the late stages of having a child. And best of all, the girl followed Ayaka's every request. She preferred it when no one questioned her and everyone to follow her orders. It was her mistress's home that they were caring for, and it needed to be at its best and finest shape.

She arrived late at the Clan Leader Succession Ceremony yesterday because she found herself making a row of onigiri for the child. She knew that child would come home immediately after the ceremony.

Pity.

Pity was what she concluded for a reason. The child was an orphan. She probably never came home to a snack waiting for her.

Entering Elder Mio's property, the two made their way into the kitchen. "You can set the basket on the table, Mai." Ayaka said without looking back. "But I need you to do something."

"Yes?" Mai set the basket on the table and turned to Ayaka.

"Because most of the maids are out on leave, I need you to wipe the second floor." Ayaka said without turning around.

"Okay." Bringing her hands together in front of her, Mai complied. One by one, many of the maids began leaving on maternity leave; each of them already possessing a large belly before their last day. All of whom, were, at most, only a couple years older than she was. And the maids who weren't on leave already had a child or more in their home and were older. Mai didn't feel any indifference in these kind of requests from Ayaka or any of the other maids. Doing any request made her feel useful in the home. It wasn't authentically her home after all. Not only that, but each of the maids gave her knowledge of the clan that she never knew of- like of Uchiha Hikaku. She enjoyed hearing their gossip.

Turning away, Mai made her way to the water quarter in the back. Because her teacher was a clan elder, she had a larger home with two floors. Although it was normal for an Uchiha family to have a two floor home, Elder Mio's expanded larger than most. The first floor held rooms such as the tea room, kitchen, and study; while the second floor held the bedrooms and Elder Mio's own private study. The water quarter in the back held three large jars of water for the maids to use for cleaning and such. Grabbing a wooden pail and filling it up with water, Mai carefully walked up to the second floor with a rag in the other hand. With a shortage of maids lately, the ones who were still working were probably cleaning the rest of the home.

Stepping onto the last step up to the second floor, Mai steadily set the wooden pail down, watching as the water shifted side to side barely containing itself within its wooden borders.

"Mai!"

Immediately, and not only, dropping the pail handle but also jerking it slightly, Mai straightened her back from it's bend. Jerking her head to look down the hall, Mai let out a steady and relieving breath before smiling at the woman walking towards her. "Sumiko-san." Her eyes lowered down to her large, swollen stomach. "Aren't you on leave? Like the others." She asked worryingly.

The woman, Sumiko, laughed until she reached the young girl. She rubbed circles on her stomach. "After today I am."

Mai watched the woman in front of her rub circles on her clearly pregnant stomach before looking back up to her. Sumiko was a maid for Elder Mio, and like the many of the maids her age, she was pregnant. "When are you due?"

"Soon." Sumiko smiled beamingly. She glanced down at the pail and wet floor. "You know, you don't have to do a maid's work." Her smile began to straighten.

Mai followed the woman's eyes down to the ground. "Even a student has to clean her teacher's home." Mai reassured. "Did you want me to walk you home?"

Shaking her head, Sumiko declined the request. "That's okay. I'm meeting with Kosuke-kun after this."

Mai nodded and stepped aside.

Within the first days of Mai's change of home, she met Sumiko and the rest of the maids. Sumiko was only three years older than her at eighteen and had married Kosuke just last year. This pregnancy was her first, and the woman could not stop talking about it. She had yet to meet the maid's husband but Sumiko told her he was a shinobi.

Mai watched carefully as the very pregnant woman hobbled down the stairs. Sumiko had always refused any help, even at the latest stage, on simple duties like walking. When Sumiko reached the first floor, Mai then turned back to the pail of water. The rag was on the ground beside it where she dropped it. Picking that up, she began soaking the rag in the water and wringing it before wiping the floors.

If today wasn't a meeting day, then she wouldn't have to wish that she was in her home drinking tea and enjoying the company of herself. Elder Mio, with a concealed lag, watched and listened as the rest of Uchiha elders talked about the recent mission approved by their new clan leader.

It was customary for the clan leader to approve the mission either lone or with the aid of the council of elders. The Clan Elders were traditionally then in charge of choosing who should be deployed. The Clan Leader, however, had the last say in the final decision and could change anything with or without the approval of the elders. In dire circumstances, the elders voice could over power the clan leader himself. But in the end, the Clan Elders were essentially only the Clan Leader's advisors.

"Elder Mio?"

Rolling her eyes to the elder who called her, she signaled her attention in the circle.

"What are your thoughts?" The other elder asked.

Taking a moment to take in the question, Elder Mio inhaled and exhaled steadily before answering. "We will need our sensors for this mission." She had been halfheartedly listening in despite her lag. The mission was a retrieval mission of a scroll. The contents of the scroll wasn't identified, but the female elder assumed it was a list of names. Lately, the Land of Lakes have been in political turmoil and the daimyo just recently destroyed his opposing side. The list was probably full of the names of his potential enemies. Men in power tend to rampage when they first taste it. Elder Mio said within her mind.

The other elders began talking amongst themselves again and Elder Mio faded back into the background- not that she didn't prefer that today.

Half listening, Elder Mio let her thoughts float away from the circle to her new student. Just this morning, she was teaching the child about ninjutsu and chakra. The female elder planned to continue on improving the child's sensory when she returned home today. Elder Mio was renowned within the clan as a great sensor and genjutsu specialist in her younger years. She knew and acknowledged that her skills wouldn't have been as great and she herself wouldn't have been accepted as a kunoichi without her Sharingan.

The Uchiha kekkei-genkai was activated from extreme trauma, and yes, any Uchiha could achieve it. But because women were kept within the walls of the village to have and care children, they were less prone to activation than men were, who majority of whom were on the battlefield. Adding to that, women weren't trained to use chakra as much as men were in the Uchiha Clan; and even if a woman were to gain the Sharingan, she probably wouldn't have the capability to activate it without depleting her chakra rapidly. Therefore, rendering women inadmissible as shinobi until proven wrong- which was very hard to do. Elder Mio fought for her strength to be recognized, and here she was as a part of a circle full of respected Clan Elders.

The words of dismissing the meeting brought Mio back to the circle. Each old man were beginning to rise off from their pillowed seat. Following the rest of the elders out of the meeting room, she was stopped when an elder called for her.

"Elder Mio."

The female elder turned her head to her right. "...Elder Hagetaka." Her eyes watched as the old man walked towards her from behind. "How are you?" Mio began to walk as soon as the male elder reached her. The two elders matched their pace with one another.

"I'm doing well." Elder Hagetaka answered. "I'm sure you are too. And your student is well, as well?" He added the last the sentence.

Elder Mio nonchalantly glanced at the male elder before rolling her eyes back to look ahead. "She is well. And your student is the same?" This whole morning when she reached the meeting room, every elder had asked her questions about her student: why her? Is she skilled?-

"I didn't think you would take another one in." Hagetaka said.

Mio smiled. "Mai and I are rather similar." She indirectly quoted Jirou.

"Is that the only reason?" Hagetaka asked with obvious skepticism. The two of them were still looking and walking ahead toward the exit of the Uchiha Center.

Mio blinked before answering. She knew Hagetaka only wanted assurance. Like her and all the elders, he only wanted stability in the clan. Although, their ideals and philosophies differed; and that, she knew, could cause problems unless they found a common ground. Turning her head to her right, Mio looked at her fellow elder. "She's a kunoichi and she needs a teacher. I also haven't had a student in a while." She said her reason. "Lord Tajima trained her before, why not continue that legacy." That was part of her reason. The other was walking right beside her.

Opening the door, the two elders exited the large building. The Uchiha Center was used for meetings usually for the elders and Clan Leader and anyone meeting with them. It also held the Clan Leader's office and important scrolls. Turning back to Elder Hagetaka, Mio could see the acceptance when his mouth straightened and when he nodded his goodbye. The rest of the elders had already walked ahead off in the direction of their own home and Elder Mio did the same.

Her first few steps had her mind free of thoughts before they eventually plagued her mind. It was amazing how she wouldn't have met Mai if it wasn't for Lord Tajima's wound. Wasn't it because of that?

Elder Mio slowed her pace.

No, it wasn't because of that. The elder meeting would've still happen.

"Hikaku may be strong, but there is another Uchiha who has experience in reconnaissance and assassination. Lord Tajima assigns her missions himself… Lord Tajima uses her skills on many recon and assassination missions because he knows she's skilled. Perhaps, almost as you were in your youth, Mio… If not more."

Mio scoffed. "...Jirou, you scheming bastard." Mio said before picking up her pace back to its normal one.

How was she so oblivious to that man's taunt.

"Perhaps, almost as you were in your youth, Mio… If not more."

She could hear Jirou in her thoughts. That man was always reading through her and ahead of her. Making plans for the future without her knowing while using her as if she was a pawn.

She knew Jirou meant no harm. Knowing that man, he probably wanted her to take another student in after so long. And she took in Mai- just like he planned.

Shaking her head before laughing softly. "You better have a good reason for this." She told the man kilometers away.

Mai wiped dry the last puddle of water on the wooden ground and stood up. Tightening her loose tail, she extended and stretched her arms above her with a rag in hand. Looking back at her work, she smiled and took a few moments to admire it. Her smile fell when she heard the light sound of the house door opening.

Closing her eyes, Mai carefully let her sensing chakra slowly and finely crawl throughout the entire property. Just like how Elder Mio taught her.

"Elder Mio!" She whispered and quickly grabbed the wooden pail before running down the stairs careful to not let any water spill. Dashing through the house, Mai was halfway to the water quarter when Elder Mio stopped her.

"Mai." Elder Mio's voice neutral.

Stopping in her tracks, Mai turned and bowed. "Elder Mio." She set the pail down behind her legs. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Elder Mio glanced at the pail and back at the girl. "You were using sensory earlier."

Mai tried to smile with her lips closed to hide her delight but failed and her lips expanded showing a bright smile with teeth. Bringing her eyes to the ground, Mai replied, "Yes, I did."

"Good job." Elder Mio let an ounce of feeling through into the two words.

Mai was still smiling until it hit her. Blinking up to her teacher, she asked, "H-How did you know?" Did she do a bad job at sensing? What did she miss?

"A good sensor can sense. A great sensor can sense what a person is doing." Elder Mio explained. "With practice, you'll be able to sense that. And more." The female elder looked at the girl: eyes wide and accepting, ears perked and concentrating. Her student was like an innocent child entranced in learning about the new world. "Get ready. I have a lesson for you after you put that away." Her eyes moved to the pail behind the girl.

Snapping out of her entrancement, Mai nodded. "Yes, Elder Mio."

Quickly and eagerly, she picked up the pail and quickly walked to the water quarter. The water quarter connected straight to the back land of Elder Mio's property, and the maids would dump excess water into the stream nearby or do laundry there in the freshwater. Dumping the water into the stream, Mai quickly walked back into the home and set the pail down on the ground before walking right back out where she came from.

Lessons with Elder Mio were always outside behind her home. Which was justifiable because there was a stream and trees to practice with and on. Adjusting her sandal shoes correctly, she waited for Elder Mio. She was going to get another lesson today. Lessons with Elder Mio fascinated Mai. Elder Mio only taught her on sensory so far, but never was it boring. She heard that Elder Mio was and is one of the Uchiha Clan's greatest sensors, and it was proven correct through her teachings. The female elder was precise with her words, and learning to correctly sense, gave Mai a nostalgic feeling. She could sense someone hundreds of kilometers over kilometers away with complete concentration than before.

Undoing her tail, she redid it into a neater one. Wiping and drying the floors made stray, black hairs fall out. Out of another door, Elder Mio walk onto the grass. Her fragile stature was not as fragile as one would think it was when she walked with an aura of grace.

Mai bowed and greeted. "Elder Mio." Her tail flowing with the light whiplash movement.

"I want to focus on your sensory for a couple more weeks until I know you're proficient enough in it." Elder Mio explained her plan. "A shinobi in the area of what you're more focused on will need it. But it's also a universal need. After sensory will be ninjutsu..."

Mai's eyes brightened at the plan. So this was what having a teacher was like.

"I expect you to improve on your taijutsu outside of these lessons. Lord Tajima made sure you knew how to fight, I know that, correct?"

Mai nodded. Out of all the little lessons with Lord Tajima, they mainly comprised of taijutsu. But even the lessons weren't enough and Mai had to train individually in her large amount of free time- although that was expected.

Elder Mio told her to sit down and sense everything around her, and Mai complied. Crossing her legs, she set her hands down on her lap and closed her eyes. With concentration, she let her sensory chakra crawl over the grass and around the trees to beyond the property and to the next. She let her chakra crawl out further and further.

"How far can you sense?" Elder Mio asked almost sounding distances away rather than the few feet she was.

Opening her eyes and losing concentration, Mai answered, "The entire village and few more kilometers." She looked up to Elder Mio to find her sitting on the grass also.

Elder Mio hummed and looked off into the trees beside her student. The girl was a fast learner. For her to expand her sensory through the entire village and beyond with only a week's practice was exceptional. Before, she was below average in what a shinobi should have in sensory. "Very good." Elder Mio turned her head slightly back to the girl. "How did you use to sense before?"

Mai blinked with uncertain. How did she learn to sense? And how did she use to do it? For all she knew she just felt it. Lord Tajima only spoke a couple sentences on sensory, and most of it was talking about Elder Mio. "I…" Her brows furrowed together while she stared into the green grass. "I just felt it. Not with concentration like this." She raised her arms to gesture. "But just felt."

The girl was naturally sensitive, Elder Mio concluded. Although, probably only moderately sensitive. Unlike Elder Mio who was naturally highly sensitive. But both of the females were blessed with the natural strong Uchiha chakra. A trait that in ninjutsu gave them an advantage.

"Talk to me while you sense." Elder Mio challenged. It was great that the child could sense so far, but it will be the death of her if she needed all her attention and concentration to just sense.

Mai nodded and began spreading her chakra again. "...Are there different ways to sense other than this one?" This technique required her to send her chakra sprawling in all directions. Everything her chakra touched, she felt it.

"There are." Elder Mio answered. "Some people use their own nature affinity to aid them in sensing. While others use seals that allow them to sense. There are people who are just very prone to sensitivity and can sense people almost naturally."

"And you, Elder Mio?"

"I'm the last."

Mai nodded. She could feel her sensing chakra crawl and touch a chakra signature. Because she wasn't using all her concentration, it took longer for her to cover ground. "This technique, where did you learn it from?"

Elder Mio flattened her kimono sleeve onto her lap. "My teacher. This is a very universal technique. Many sensors use it."

Mai nodded, listening while she continued to let her chakra to sprawl.

"How far are you?" Elder Mio asked.

"Almost to the border." Mai carefully said as if a word would disrupt her chakra and make it fall back.

While her student was sensing, Elder Mio was also too. She could feel her student's chakra crawl back at every word she spoke and at every word she was listening to. At the pause of each word, her chakra would climb forward before it was pulled back due to lack of concentration. "Continue sensing. I will be right back."

Mai nodded and watched as her teacher rose up and walked into her home. I should've brought tea for her. She cursed herself for her blindness. But she continued to sense, allowing all her focus to concentrate on her chakra and feel as it passed every chakra signature that were of the Uchiha population. Her concentration was disturbed when she heard Elder Mio's footsteps near her on the grass. Looking up to the elder, she watched as she set lit candle on the grass. Looking back up to the elder, Mai's face spoke all the questions she had: What is that? What is it for?

The sun had yet to set. There was no need for a candle yet.

"Watch the candle flame while you sense." Elder Mio said. "It will help you with your attention. And report to me how far and long you can sense while you do this."

Mai, getting the note that her teacher was leaving, nodded. "Yes, Elder Mio." She looked at the fire that came to a point at the tip and glanced at her teacher leaving before looking back at the flame.

A/N (again)

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