Serendipity
Chapter Twenty
"Can a kiss infect you with something?"
Kiba and Shino nearly spat out their food when Sasuke asked them that question. The small raven haired boy had been quiet and brooding for the past few days and neither of them had been able to get him to talk about what was bothering him. Eventually, they let him be and just waited to see when he would be ready.
Least to say, what he was asking was not what they had been expecting to hear, if anything else at all.
Turning to face him and ask him what the sudden question was about had then frowning instead. Sasuke's face still looked troubled, scrunched up in pure concern. He wasn't trying to be funny with what he was suddenly asking.
"I don't think so," Shino said, trying to sound assuring. "Kissing is normal and usually harmless. Everyone does it."
"Not unless the person was trying to kill you and they wore like some poison lipstick, or something," Kiba decided to add, just because.
Shino shot him a glare.
"That doesn't help," the insect boy snapped when he noticed the way Sasuke's eyes shot wide in pure fear. Kiba would have protested and said more if concern didn't bubble up in his chest for his raven haired friend.
"You think Izumi tried to poison my Itachi?" Sasuke asked, little fangs bared at the idea. "Why would she say that she wats to be his girlfriend if that's what she did?"
"What," Kiba blinked, confused.
Sasuke tugged at his hair, feeling helpless. "Itachi kissed her and since then he's been super sad and walking around lifeless like a zombie," Sasuke rambled, his face scrunched in agony. "I don't know what to do, Itachi could be sick with something and I wouldn't know what to do to help him!"
Ever since Itachi and Izumi kissed Sasuke had the urge to cry and destroy things, but he held it in. His anger and pain was nothing in comparison to how Itachi had started acting.
Itachi had become scary silent.
The demon had gone to work, returned home, and refused to acknowledge anyone outside of what was expected of him. There was this sad and lost expression he sometimes wore that caused worry to his friends.
It worried Sasuke the most.
In his head, he turned over that if Itachi really liked Izumi, then he was doomed. He never had a chance. That didn't sit well with him. He needed a plan to split them up so that they would never want to see each other again. Plotting had become Sasuke new pastime, and he did it so well. Although he wanted to think he could be happy for Itachi, as long as Itachi was happy, Sasuke had come to know better.
He wanted Itachi to be happy with him and he'd do anything to make that happen.
He'd grown selfish and possessive enough in his growth to know he wanted that above everything else…
What he hadn't counted on was the huge change Itachi was currently showing.
Kiba and Shino shared a look, scared that Sasuke was going to have a panic attack.
"Sasuke relax," Shino said in a calming tone, "While true that humans have tried different methods to kill each other, even bring harm to others…Demons are not susceptible to the same diseases or poisons that humans are,"
"But there is a chance that Itachi kissing Izumi could have made him sick." Sasuke groused.
"Well, kissing isn't all clean. You're sharing spit and germs with the person you're kissing, so it's kind of questionable, but it isn't life threatening," Shino tried to placate. "It does have some benefits,"
"Dude, that doesn't make kissing sound good, at all," Kiba rolled his eyes. "What he means is that you share germs with the person you like no matter what you do. So why worry about that. But what is this about Itachi being sick…. maybe he needs a disinfectant kiss…" Kiba joked.
"Disinfectant kiss?" Shino asked, not impressed. "The hell is that?"
"Yeah, you know a kiss that nullifies any other kiss that you might have shared with someone you didn't care for," Kiba rolled his eyes, like it was obvious.
"That's stupid," Shino deadpanned.
Sasuke took a deep breath, utterly confused by everything that he was being told.
Neither boy was making any sense.
Maybe he needed to explain.
Before Kiba and Shino could ramble on about different kinds of kisses, Sasuke spoke up.
"Izumi came by a few days ago and they got to talking about where their relationship is headed. She wanted to know if they could become boyfriend and girlfriend. When Itachi expressed he wasn't sure she asked for a kiss and he…gave her one," Sasuke flicked at his food solemnly, unhappy to have to tell this story at all.
"Okay so…that's bad." Kiba sighed.
Shino and Kiba knew that Sasuke was in love with Itachi.
The demon was the only topic that Sasuke readily talked about. Itachi this, and Itachi that. Everything Itachi did was fascinating to Sasuke. The little cat even liked to complain about the demon and how stupid he was for being a rational and kind person. Sometimes going into rambles about how amazing a mean and cruel Itachi would be. Don't even get him started on his fantasies about an evil Itachi taking over the world and ruling with Sasuke at his side…
Not that it surprised them.
Sasuke was mean and cold to most people, so it only stem that he'd have such a kink in him. Although they suspected that Sasuke wasn't aware.
"Of course it's bad, after that Itachi got really quiet and he just seems to go through the motions of the day. He's forgotten to eat, and gone to bed straight from work. He doesn't read or watch any of his favorite shows. He's just…quiet!" Sasuke had worry clearly written all over his face.
"It could be Itachi maybe didn't care much for the kiss," Kiba said. "Or something really upset him,"
Shino nodded in agreement. "It could be that Itachi didn't like the kiss…"
"You guys think so…" Sasuke had not paid much attention to know if Itachi had liked the kiss or not. The moment Itachi's lips had touched Izumi's, Sasuke saw red and all he'd wanted was to kill her.
He had been short of killing Izumi for even daring to ask for a kiss that he had not taken the time to see what Itachi was thinking of feeling at that moment. Sasuke had been hurting too much to focus on anything else.
"You could try being all cute and see if that gets him out of his head," Shino suggested, "he could just be thinking too much,"
Sasuke remained silent after that suggestion. Part of what he had been thinking the past few days had been about taking his chances and confessing to Itachi. Of course, to do that meant having to tell him who he truly was.
Swallowing hard Sasuke placed the rest of his food aside and brought his knees to his chest. "I think…" he started but clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Guys I'm going to tell Itachi," he said, his words firm and sure.
He didn't want to hesitate.
"Tell him what?" Kiba dumbly asked, already having placed their current conversation in the backburner.
"I'm going to tell him that I'm not just a cat, that I'm a demon…" Sasuke said, keeping his gaze firmly on the ground.
Kiba and Shino gapped in shock.
"If you're sure, we're here for you Sasuke," Kiba and Shino both said at the same time, placing reassuring hands on his shoulder.
Sasuke looked at them with a bit of awe before smiling. "You two are dorks," he muttered. He was glad to know that they had his back on this and supported his decision.
"Shut up," Kiba growled.
"Sasuke, they say that a demon can learn a lot about a person through one kiss. If Itachi doesn't favor Izumi it will come out soon enough, so you taking the initiative now is good. It could be the difference between having a chance with him or not," Shino said.
"If demons can know so much through that then…how would I ever know if I have a chance with him?" Sasuke wondered.
Demons were so complicated.
"Because you're a demon," Kiba snorted, "You think you'd be so invested in Itachi if you didn't feel something towards him,"
Sasuke wasn't sure what to think.
Was there actually hope for him?
"So Itachi isn't sick and dying?" Sasuke asked, just to be sure. His friends gave him looks that said he was an idiot.
"No Sasuke, Itachi is fine." Shino assured.
"Why don't you just confess to him and see if he will let you nurse him back to health, or something." Kiba rolled his eyes. "If he is for some reason sick, all he will need is some TLC from you,"
Sasuke blushed brightly, and groaned as he hid his face.
His friends were too much sometimes.
Still, he was glad he talked to them. He was feeling better about the situation now. Even better at the fact that he was about to confess himself to Itachi. He was scared, don't get him wrong, but he was willing to do this. He was going to do it today, once Itachi got home from work, he would tell him everything.
He was ready.
Sasuke was curled up under the couch, heart pounding in his chest, carefully watching the door for when Itachi would return from work.
He wanted to catch the demon just as he entered.
Part of him thought about surprising Itachi by transforming there and then. Maybe it would shock him enough to get him out of his sullen state. Kisame would be there, so that idea was out of the question. He wanted to wait for the perfect moment, and hoped he knew when that would be…
Sasuke wasn't sure what approach would be best.
Kiba and Shino had suggested that he make himself cute and cuddly as possible. They had assured him that there was no way Itachi could be that angry with him, especially if he truly cared about him. Sasuke would do anything to make Itachi look and smile at him again.
He had to have confidence that Itachi would like him at least a little bit in his demon form.
Just as Sasuke was thinking this, the door opened.
Sasuke got ready to pounce but stopped short when he saw a strange woman enter the house instead.
She was beautiful.
Her skin was pale, and her eyes dark and somewhat familiar, like he'd seen them somewhere before.
She shook her long raven hair as she set several heavy bags down and shut the door with a kick of her leg. She looked soft and gentle as she fixed her dress, and hummed as she flowed her way into the kitchen.
She rummaged a few of the cabinets and then the fridge, never halting in her movements.
Sasuke watched her with complete apprehension as she started to cook, moving around the kitchen as if it was hers.
Who was she?
Sasuke was sure he had never seen her before, but couldn't shake off the nagging suspicion that he had seen her somewhere before.
Jumping to his paws, he approached with a low and threatening growl, making his fur stand on end. His back arched as he tried to appear bigger than he really was, hissing at her. He needed to assert himself here and show her that she was trespassing in his territory.
The woman jumped with a gasp when she saw him, and then laughed, bringing a hand to her chest.
"Oh what a cutie, you scared me," she said in a very sweet tone. Her eyes smiled at him as she let out a deep breath.
She wasn't fooling him with her niceness.
Sasuke continued to growl, demanding in his kitty meows that she state who she was and what was her business in his owner's home. She wasn't welcomed here.
She went from smiling at him to looking miffed and started to slowly approach him.
Sasuke held his ground, baring his fangs at her when she tried to reach for him. His claws came out and he slapped her hand away before it could touch him.
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
Sasuke turned around to face Itachi, surprised to see him there. But not as surprised to hear who the woman was…
Did he just say mom?
"I came to cook dinner for you my precious son," The woman giggled, walking back to the stove where she continued to cook. "What a cute little house guard you have there, it gave me nearly half a scare," She conversed, ignoring the fact that Itachi wasn't happy to see her.
Itachi moved to scoop the frazzled kitten into his arms and watched his mother cautiously.
"Okay, what is it that you want to know," Itachi clearly stated making his mother give him a pointed look. Itachi frowned when his mother turned away from him, refusing to answer him.
He knew he was going to have to deal with her whims. The moment that he broke up with Izumi, he was sure that she would turn to his mother over it. There wasn't any other reason that he could think of as to why his mother would come all the way out here to see him.
Itachi was ready to stand his ground and play her games.
He wasn't going to let her win and he wasn't about to allow her to change his mind.
Turning, he made to leave the kitchen for his room but stopped when she called to him.
"Sweet heart can you set the table for me," She said it more like a demand than if she was asking him. But you wouldn't know it from her sweet tone.
"Okay," Itachi said, "Let me first go place my things in my room," Itachi moved out of the kitchen. He went to his room and placed the kitten gently on the bed as he tried gathering his thoughts. His fingers ran over the frazzled fur causing Kitty to purr.
Itachi knew his mother well.
The woman was relentless when it came to getting what it was that she wanted. It was safe to assume that his mother already knew that he and Izumi no only shared a kiss, but that few days after, he had ended their relationship.
Itachi had planned for when Izumi would tell his mother, but he had not counted on her actually coming over to his apartment. She had this effect that he hated. Having his mother around always made him feel like he was two years old all over again. He was usually powerless towards her that was why having distance and able to filter her calls had always been so important to him.
Taking a deep breath, Itachi decided to face her.
He needed to be strong for himself.
He could hear Kisame greeting his mom and asking to help set up so he could get some food. His mom happily accepted, calling him a good boy.
Itachi left the room, closing the door behind him.
Sasuke remained on the bed, flustered as he was left there alone. There was no way of him opening the door and following Itachi without making them suspicious of him. He hadn't counted on Itachi's mom being around when he decided to show Itachi who he really was.
This made him hesitate in his plans.
Itachi re-entered the kitchen and looked from Kisame to his mother.
His mother turned to him with that same sweet fake smile.
Itachi could see right through her expressions. Mikoto wasn't giving away how she truly felt about what he had done and that had him on edge. Kisame, clueless to the tense atmosphere between mother and son, took his seat and happily started to eat the food set out on the table.
"Itachi, come join us. We have a few things to talk about, don't we," She said as she took her seat. The tone of her voice took a dangerous lilt. Clearly she was telling him that he wasn't getting away from this conversation.
Itachi approached, taking his seat.
His mother continued to smile, being polite as she added food to his plate. She asked him to please eat. He couldn't stand it. Not her fake smile or the niceness that she was showing him. It was slowly killing him.
He had to say something, now.
"I'm guessing Izumi told you that I broke up with her," Itachi flatly said making Mikoto drop her spoon.
Kisame chocked, gathering his cup to take a drink.
Itachi reached for his spoon, moving the food in his plate around. He wasn't sure what to expect now that he had said it.
"What!" Kisame snapped before even his mother could gather herself. "Why would you break up with her when the two of you were doing so good?" Kisame asked, completely shocked at the news. He had thought things between the two of them had been great. Itachi had his concerns, sure, but he chalked it up to the demon never having dated before.
Itachi was new to it all, and Kisame was sure he'd get it eventually, but this…this was shocking.
"Itachi," His mom cut through, reprimanding. "Izumi was devastated. How could you just end things with her like that? She said that you gave her no reason and no warning,"
Itachi shrugged, "It just wasn't meant to be," and didn't elaborate on it.
Mikoto's eye twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
Itachi didn't say anything to her. He simply took a spoonful of food into his mouth and ignored her, his actions clearly saying that he had nothing else to say in the matter.
Mikoto gritted her teeth.
She knew her child well.
Itachi wasn't going to make things easy on her. She had anticipated it and had packed accordingly. If he was planning on being difficult with her then she was going to return the favor. Taking a bite of her own food, she narrowed her eyes at him challengingly.
Itachi paused, watching her in return.
"Itachi," she sweetly said, "Why don't you help me set my things in your room? Mommy is going to be staying with you for a few days,"
Itachi balked, "What, why?" he asked.
"You know why," she sung at how obvious the reason was.
Itachi shot a glare to his plate. "I won't be changing my mind mom, just so you know," was the last thing that was said between them. Kisame sat in the middle, watching back and forth as neither mother or son budged.
The air was thick enough to make someone lose their appetite, almost.
Itachi returned back to his room with several bags.
He dropped them by the entrance before disappearing into the bathroom with some clothes. When he was done and changed, he grabbed a blanket and Kitty, whom was asleep in his bed. He would be sleeping in the couch tonight.
Mikoto was in the living room, flicking through the channels while she spoke on the phone with his father. It only served to annoy him when he heard Fugaku agree with her staying there until everything was resolved.
There was nothing that had to be resolved.
Why couldn't his parents understand that?
Itachi sighed, taking a heavy seat next to his mom. Mikoto told Fugaku that she would call him later and turned to Itachi. Her gaze was judging as she looked him up and down. There was something that she wanted to say and Itachi prayed that it had nothing to do with Izumi and their break up.
He had nothing to say about that.
"When did you get a cat?" she asked, surprising him on the change of topic.
"I found him half dead by a trash bin and brought him home." Itachi said, his gaze fond as he petted the kitten curled up on his lap. The bluish gray fur shinned brightly now compared to back then. "He's been with me for a few months now,"
Mikoto looked at the kitten, eyeing the black collar around its neck. It looked mighty expensive, and if she recalled, Itachi never bought Izumi any kind of jewelry or anything remotely nice like that.
"You seem very fond of him," she huffed, adjusting herself against the couch. She turned to look at the television, frowning at the show that was playing. She never approved of all the physiological thrillers Itachi enjoyed, but Fugaku always told her to let him be. She honestly couldn't see how any of it would ever be beneficial to her son.
"I am," Itachi agreed.
Mikoto rolled her eyes. "How can you be so affectionate to that little insignificant creature but you can't spare Izumi some of your feelings." She snidely scoffed, clearly annoyed.
"I'm not going there with you mom," Itachi remained calm, not rising to her level.
"I just want to understand what you are thinking Itachi." She massaged her temples with exasperation, as if she was the one that was pained. "From what Izumi was telling me the two of you were doing great," Mikoto closed her eyes in stress. "I just can't understand why you would suddenly end things between you two,"
Itachi was so confusing.
"We hadn't made anything official, we just didn't match up," Itachi wanted to explain the feelings he got when he was with Izumi. He wanted to explain the lack of feeling that he had towards her, but he wasn't sure if words were enough to describe how he felt.
He could start with emptiness, but he doubted his mother would understand.
"Match up? You guys aren't some puzzle pieces, the two of you had to put the time and effort into your budding relationship. Izumi told me that the two of you even shared a kiss already!" Mikoto shot Itachi a glare. "I raised you better than to kiss a girl and then dump her the next second. How could you do that to her Itachi?"
"Mom, are you listening to me at all," Itachi demanded. "I said that the two of us wouldn't work out. I don't love her,"
"Of course you don't," Mikoto gritted her teeth, "You never gave her a chance. This isn't some game Itachi. I want you to call that girl and apologize for hurting her and I want you to take her out on a date to make up for your stupidity,"
No, resounded in his head.
"Mom, listen," he breathed, knowing that she wasn't going to change her mind no matter what he might have to say.
"No Itachi, why must you always fight me." she looked at him with pained filled eyes. "Do you enjoy hurting your mom?"
"I don't!" Itachi quickly denied. He never wanted to hurt anyone.
She wasn't playing fair.
Guilt blossomed in his chest at the sight of his mother's teary face. She always knew how to make him feel like the worst piece of shit in the world.
"I've told you what I expect from you already. I'm going to bed," his mom stood, making a show of sniffling and scrubbing her face. The woman marched all the way to Itachi's bedroom without once turning to look at him.
She shut the door loudly, with finality, making the wall rattle.
Itachi stared after his mom, not at all surprised by her response. He knew that she was going to make things hard on him until she got her way. Itachi refused to let her have her way as she usually did. This was his life. He was done trying to live it how she dictated that he should.
He would find his own mate when he was ready, but it wasn't going to be Izumi, and it wasn't going to be now.
That much he was clear on.
Turning off the television, Itachi settled into the couch. Kitty laid over his chest as he was left in the dark. His thoughts were in turmoil, everything that he wanted to say jumbled up in his brain so much that he couldn't voice it out. The image of his mom's upset face burned into his retinas like a bad curse, and it wasn't fair.
He needed to make his mom understand.
He just wasn't sure how he was going to do that. The couch under him itched his skin, prickled him, and he carefully sat up. Kitty might have woken up or not, he wasn't sure. He settled the small creature onto the couch and got to his feet.
He needed fresh air, he needed to get out.
The door shut behind him.
Sasuke was confused when he was jostled to the side, his small body meeting the couch in a soft poof. He blinked, adjusting his eyes to the dark, just in time to catch sight of Itachi leaving the apartment. His heart leaped with confusion and fear, concern as to where he could be possibly going at this time of night.
Given he wasn't sure how late it was, but Sasuke knew that he had fallen asleep after a while of waiting. It had been late evening, and he was hungry. He hadn't had dinner because Itachi's mother had come to visit, but he wasn't sure what had happened after.
He couldn't even fathom why Itachi had left him behind in his room like that. Maybe the woman was dangerous, he had been about to attack her before Itachi came and intervened.
Sasuke silently jumped over the couch, transforming on his way down. He carefully stepped to the door, cracking it open. He looked around the dark entrance, finding that Itachi wasn't immediately visible to him.
He stepped out, shuddering at the cold concrete that met his feet, leaving the door ajar as he walked around, careful.
He flinched when a cool breeze blew past him, and lightly shivered. He gasped when he spotted Itachi just a across the apartment, having stalled in the center by the elevator. It looked like he was staring up at the bright full moon.
Sasuke's heart pounded.
This could be his chance.
Swallowing hard, he took a step closer to Itachi. His eyes trained on the still form of the tall demon in front of him. Itachi's flexing muscles under his shirt as he breathed, his powerful body standing just a few feet away.
So close…
Sasuke reached his hand out to him, wanting to touch him.
His steps were light, he was quivering. He was a hairsbreadth away from Itachi now, just standing behind him. He was so small compared to Itachi…
Sasuke noticed the minute movements in Itachi, how he was unnaturally still, and then the man turned around…
"Kitty?" Itachi sounded confused, looking everywhere as if he had just lost sight of something…
Sasuke had panicked the moment that Itachi moved, and had spontaneously transformed back to his cat form, a state that made him feel safe. He meowed up at Itachi, flicking his tail back and forth in an attempt to seem cute and innocent.
Itachi shook his head, almost as if dismissing something. Sasuke wished he could read his mind to know what it was that the demon was thinking. Itachi ran his hands through his hair with a deep sigh, stepping closer to the kitten.
Itachi dropped to his hunches in front of him, making Kitty's heart jump to his throat. The demons piercing black eyes were locked on his, luring him in.
Itachi's hand reached out to him, caressing between two perky triangle ears, then under his chin and he was helplessly purring. Itachi snorted a smile before it dropped. His eyes filled with suspicion.
"Wait, how did you get out?" Itachi asked.
Kitty was dead, he was so dead.
Itachi lifted him, moving back to the apartment door. The demon paused when he noticed the door was slightly open and wondered if he had imagined closing it. He could have thought he did but actually left it open.
Not wanting to dwell too much on it, he sat next to the door, gazing back up at the sky with kitty settled on his lap. When kitty begun to purr and rub against his chest, Itachi's calm had returned. He softly hummed in return, chuckling when the kitten head butted him.
"Silly," Itachi whispered, allowing the little creature to burrow against his throat.
Sasuke relished the feel of Itachi's caress, his deep voice, and his laugh. He was in heaven and he could wait in letting Itachi know who he was.
There was no reason to ruin this moment.
Mikoto was restless.
After an hour of failing to fall asleep, she got up to get a cup of water. She just needed to do something, maybe walk a little. On her way to the kitchen, she decided to check in on Itachi. She hated that she had to be so hard on him, but it was all for his own good.
Mikoto frowned when she found the couch empty.
Confused, she wondered if Itachi decided to share the bed with Kisame or something.
Maybe she'd find out in the morning. Moving to go to the kitchen, her ears finally caught soft humming and murmuring from the direction of the front door. She bunched her brows in confusion, and made her way to the door when she noted that it was open the tiniest of bits.
She carefully pushed the door open and looked down to find that Itachi was sitting against the wall of the apartment, cuddling that kitten of his. She knew that sometimes Itachi liked to sit outside to gather his thoughts and look up at the moon. Her son was often silent in those moments, reflecting everything that was weighed on his mind.
She wasn't expecting the sight of Itachi humming a lullaby to an enthusiastically purring kitten.
She smiled when she noted that the tune he was humming was the same one that she always used on him as a child, when Itachi had trouble sleeping, or had a nightmare. She'd gather him in her arms, comforting him with that same lullaby.
She was happy that he remembered it and still used it.
She really had been hard on him if he was humming it now. She stepped back inside, leaving him to have his moment and went to get water. She headed back to her room, sure that Itachi was giving it serious thought, and hopefully he wouldn't be too difficult in the morning. By then he might be more than willing to listen to what she had to say.
She hoped that he'd give Izumi another chance.
She'd been wrong to assume Itachi would see things her way.
For the past three days, Itachi had used work as a buffer and excuse in order to avoid talking to her.
He was so obvious about it too.
He'd feed that damn cat of his and then leave, saying he had work so there was no time to do what she was asking him to. He'd avoid her calls and texts and then come home, just to be greeted by that cat. The cat he would bestow affection and baby talk to in order to avoid talking to her.
"He spoils him rotten," Kisame commented as Itachi packed up his things for an afternoon out with Kitty. Itachi always left after he fed Kitty and wouldn't return home until late night, and she wondered where he was going all the time. "He's definitely Itachi's favorite,"
Pissed, she left that evening when Itachi had walked out on her. She drove to Pain's house, and made it clear that Itachi had to have his schedule cleared.
Pain was left a bit scared by the Uchiha matriarch and Konan had agreed that Itachi would be free from work for the next two weeks. That was despite Pain's complaint that Itachi was one of his best agents and he needed him.
They would survive.
Itachi had been angry at her after he found out what she did, but although Mikoto thought she'd won, her son made it clear that he would not be listening to her any time soon.
"When are you coming home?" Fugaku asked through the phone while Mikoto got to doing a load of laundry.
"Just a few more days, I'm working on cracking our son," Mikoto cheerfully answered as she checked Itachi's pockets. She raised an eyebrow at finding them empty and wondered when he stopped forgetting his money.
Fugaku let out a deep, suffering sigh, "Mikoto, dear, when you and Itachi disagree it's a cold war." He admonished, "Just come home and let him be; You are not going to solve anything by being in the boy's space."
"No," she pouted, closing the lid. "Now, I have to go. Make sure you eat the correct food that I labeled for you. Just give me a few more days, I nearly got Itachi," she started the washing machine with a smirk, and hung up the phone.
"Itachi, I'm home," Mikoto walked into the kitchen, a happy smile on her face, and a load of groceries in her arms. "Darling I had the best idea on how you could make it all up to Izu…" she trailed off at the sight that greeted her.
Itachi was sitting at table, a plate of sandwiches rested in front of him. His phone was propped against the large bottle of juice, playing some sort of show. Next to Itachi's plate was an empty one, with only a few crumbs left as evidence that something had rested there a few moments ago. On the seat next to Itachi was Kitty, sitting regally as if he was some human, and licking his paw without a care in world.
Itachi glanced up at him mom, one cheek full of food.
"What's wrong?" he rudely asked with food still in his mouth. Kitty stretched out beside him, before turning to face away from her and stuck his foot up to lick at it.
Mikoto opened and closer her mouth, before pursing her lips in dislike. She dropped the groceries on the other side of the table, "What's that cat doing at the table," she demanded. Kitty's ears flicked, turning to look at her before going back to what he'd been doing.
Itachi glanced at Kitty, and then towards his mom. "Having lunch with me," Itachi said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're going out in a bit, so don't worry too much about it." he added when she bared her teeth at him.
"Itachi a cat at the table is disgusting and rude," she lectured. "You shouldn't be teaching it to do such things. Set it on the floor where it belongs,"
Itachi narrowed his eyes, "This is my house mom, my rules." Itachi pushed his plate aside and gathered that thing like it was the most delicate and precious thing in the world to him. The creature climbed onto his shoulders, stretching out over them like it belonged there.
Mikoto crossed her arms, "Where are you going?" she asked, "I bought groceries so you can prepare an apology dinner for Izumi. You are going to call her and invite her to come and have dinner with you, that you will personally cook," she ranted as she followed after him. "Itachi, are you listening to me young man!"
Itachi walked out, "bye mom," was all he said, shutting the door in her face.
Mikoto screamed in her rage.
Well no matter, she had other plans up her sleeve. Itachi wasn't going to win this.
"Kitty is like Itachi's child, there's no way I'd mess with that," Kisame said when Mikoto suggested that he take the cat and lose it somewhere.
"It's just a cat," she rolled her eyes.
"You don't get it, Itachi found that little demon and nursed it back to health. He's the reason that thing is alive." Kisame went through telling Mikoto the story of how Itachi and Kitty met. He even told her about how he had nearly lost him a second time to some rat demons and their troll of a dog.
Least to say, Mikoto wasn't moved or impressed by the story he had to tell. Seeing as Kisame was not going to get the cat away from Itachi at her command, she decided to drop that plan. Fine, she acknowledge that the cat was important to Itachi, but that didn't solve her problems with her boy.
She was running out of ideas.
A few days later, in the evening, she found Itachi asleep on the couch with Kitty draped over his chest.
The sight surprised her because she felt like she had rarely seen Itachi during her visit. On top of that, Itachi was looking a bit sunburnt, his skin reddish in some places. It looked a bit painful and he looked exhausted.
What was it that he was going out to do, she couldn't figure. It wasn't for lack of trying either. Her husband had raised their son well. If Itachi didn't want to be followed, there was no way for her to do so. She had tried her best to follow him and lost him each and every time.
Itachi was untraceable when he wanted to be.
"Itachi," she called as she poked his cheek. Itachi flinched, the redness on his face wasn't for show, it was painful. The poke alone half woke him up. Kitty too, woke up. Red eyes glanced up at her before slowly drooping close again.
Okay, she had to admit the little creature was adorable.
She smiled, but poked Itachi once more when he decided to do the same as his cat. He groaned a bit, swatting her hand away when she tried once more.
Itachi didn't truly wake up until she deliberately shoved Kitty off of him. The damn cat had reflexes because it's claws hooked on Itachi's shirt, preventing him from falling without scratching Itachi's chest. Itachi jolted, his arms moving to cradle the startled cat.
"Oops," she giggled.
"Mother," Itachi narrowed his eyes at her, knowing that she'd done that on purpose.
She smirked at him. "I was thinking, why don't I call Izumi to come over. We could all talk together, like a family," she happily suggested.
"I have a better idea, why don't you go back home to bother dad and leave me alone," Itachi made his own suggestion.
Her eye twitched in anger. "Itachi." She growled.
"Go away mom, I'm sleeping," Itachi pulled the covers from under him. He wrapped himself and Kitty together like a burrito and went back to sleep. Mikoto frowned at the sight.
Just what was making Itachi so tired?
The next day didn't offer any solutions either.
Mikoto had just given up. She was ready to go back home and just admit defeat to her own son. She hated that she even had to think of doing that. She wanted so badly to win and get Itachi and Izumi to talk with each other. To solve their problems like real couples do when they are going through hard times.
She was tired.
The two weeks were up.
Itachi would be going back to work tomorrow, making things even more difficult for her. Maybe some of the other ladies would have an idea as to what else she could do. All their lovely sons already had mates and giving them grandchildren.
She felt so left out.
For today, Mikoto decided she was calling it a day and would spend it asleep.
Walking into the bedroom, she was startled when the door to the bathroom opened. Walking out was a freshly showered Itachi, followed by that spoiled little kitten of his. The little thing too looked like it had showered and was shaking its slightly damp fur, licking himself aggressively as he followed Itachi.
Mikoto opened and closer her mouth, watching them, and it suddenly hit her—just how important Kitty truly was to Itachi.
"Mikoto, stop. Please just come home already. I'll talk to Itachi if you want." Fugaku was pleading with her now. He missed her like crazy. He wanted his beloved wife back home. "Just come back home already."
"Fine, I'll go soon. Just one more day okay," She said.
"Alright, one more day," he agreed.
"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow. I have things to prepare," She said, hanging up on him before he could stop her.
Mikoto hummed to herself as she prepared to leave, dutifully packing away her things. Itachi was on the couch, actually reading a book to that damned cat. Mikoto was a bit impressed now that she had not noticed before, even though Kisame had called it.
Kitty was like a child to Itachi.
Kitty was the one little fixture in Itachi's life that was treated the most preciously.
His most important thing.
Come to think of it, Mikoto had never seen Itachi care so much for something in his short life. Even when he was a child, Itachi had always been so quiet and calm. He never cried or begged for anything. He acted like he never wanted or needed anything.
He stood by, watching and learning, going about on his own to what he believed was right. A strange, but smart child, Mikoto was proud of him no matter what, and Fugaku was more than pleased to have such a genius for a son.
In fact, the first time Itachi rebelled was when his father was being pressured to eradicate some creatures so the area could be used to construct new apartments for humans. Fugaku hadn't felt like it was part of their job to clean up creatures that hadn't caused trouble, but had conceded to it when many of his men voiced their opinions.
To them the money was more important than the habitats and lives they would be destroying.
Itachi had been against it.
At that time he had made friends with Pain and Konan, and Mikoto believed that they had planted some of their ideas in her son's head. It had to be a passing phase and she told Fugaku to let Itachi do what he wanted. It was the first time he was voicing something that he believed in and as his parents they agreed to take a step back and let Itachi go on his own.
When they heard Akatsuki's plight for equal rights to all, they thought Itachi had joined some sort of cult. Now that they were being supported and had a few sponsors that agreed with them, they knew that they stood for something that was bringing change into the world.
Seeing that, Mikoto made the decision that in order to make Itachi have caution, he needed to have a mate. That would keep him from being reckless and potentially sacrificing himself into saving just anyone…
Her eyes settled on Kitty.
It was just an ordinary cat as far as she could tell. She didn't sense that there was anything else about it. The kitten was nothing special, but it was living and it was breathing. That alone was enough, she knew, for Itachi to have empathy towards it.
To Itachi, that kitten meant something.
Pet or not, it was what she needed.
To her that kitten had just become leverage.
Gathering up her purse, she walked to the living room and straight to Itachi. She grabbed both his cheeks, smacking a kiss onto one.
Itachi splutter, startled at her actions, he made the funniest of faces while rubbing at his cheek insistently.
"Mom," he shuddered in disgust, giving her a terrified look that left her grinning with delight.
"I'm going to go get you some groceries since I've used practically everything you had and tomorrow I will be leaving," Mikoto said as she walked to the door, "Your father is so hopeless without me, I need to go back and take care of him. I'll be back," she left.
Itachi stared at the closed door, confused.
"She's planning something," he muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes. He knew his mother better than to think she had actually given up. She was planning something new, just what it was, he wasn't sure.
The next morning, Mikoto yawned as she walked into the kitchen.
Itachi was making breakfast.
She knew that Itachi often did this and this morning she wasn't missing the sight of him spoiling that kitten that patiently waited at the table for his meal. She simply watched as Itachi plated the meal and placed it on the table. The kitten meowed loudly, spinning a few times, getting caught up in Itachi's movements.
It purred loudly, happily letting Itachi pet him. His purrs ended up sounding like chirps of pure affection that had Itachi softly smiling.
"Good morning Itachi," She greeted when her son had failed to acknowledge her. By now the kitten was eating his breakfast and Itachi was having some as well. Another little surprise that she had just learned about, Itachi actually ate properly these days.
Itachi radiated happiness, and was definitely looking a lot healthier than she had ever seen him.
That was saying something, because even as a child, Itachi was a picky eater.
"Morning, mom" Itachi mumbled.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm leaving. I just have to run an errand for your dad and I won't be here when you get back," she huffed.
"If you say so," Itachi said.
Mikoto gave him a sad smile, "I'll call you when I make it back. Please don't ignore my call. I just want what's best for you, sweetheart,"
Itachi hesitated, taking his time to chew his food. He swallowed with reluctance, giving his mom a nod. "I know," he said.
Mikoto sighed, "I just wish that you…"
"I know," he said once more, not allowing her to finish her thought.
Mikoto watched him for a moment, and then smiled. "Yeah," she said.
Kisame came into the kitchen then, looking half wrecked. "Okay I'm good. Let's go before we're late," the man was out of breath and trudged to the door, still falling apart.
"What's up with him?" Mikoto asked.
Itachi grabbed his things, petting Kitty one last time, going as far as planting a kiss at the top of his head.
"He was up late with Suigetsu on the phone," Itachi said, his mood lifted once more. He didn't want to bother explaining to his mom why Kisame was up on the phone all night. "Bye mom," he called on his way out.
Mikoto hummed to herself, her smile doubling now that she was alone with Kitty, who was still greedily eating.
"Such a chunky little thing, aren't you," she cooed, reaching to pet him.
Kitty simply watcher her, licking his lips as he had finished his meal. She smiled at the cute little thing before getting up. She started to cook something when she got a phone call, and then she was in her own world for a while.
Sasuke watched Itachi's mom with slight apprehension.
The woman had been here for a while now. He was slightly annoyed with her because she'd kept him from revealing himself to Itachi. It was enough to see Itachi deal with his mom, Sasuke wasn't sure if he should add any more stress than Itachi already had.
Most of the time they had been hanging out at Neko-baa after Itachi returned from work. Sasuke had only gone to school a hand full of times, and taken advice from his friends to wait until she was gone to confess to Itachi.
He was glad that they agreed with him.
Itachi's mother was something else.
He stopped going to school in favor of keeping an eye on her. She rarely did anything too bad, and was actually kind of nice when she wasn't being mean. What made Sasuke mad was when she didn't want to respect Itachi's decision on breaking up with Izumi, which had made Sasuke so happy when he heard the news.
It meant that for the moment, he could breathe easy.
So long as Mikoto didn't get her way.
Itachi was also happy that she was leaving.
Sasuke just had to ensure that she really would walk out the door and not come back. It was his duty to make sure that their home was safe, even from Itachi's mom.
"Yeah, I won't forget it." Mikoto was on the phone with Itachi's dad, Fugaku. "Will they charge for the postage?" She shifted the phone as she stirred. Sasuke looked away from her, licking his paw as he listened to her talk. "Yeah, I'll pass by on the way. Okay, I'll see you by tonight," She and Fugaku shared a few endearing words before the call ended.
"Here you go Kitty, a treat," She said, placing a bowl of warm milk in front of him.
Sasuke perked up, sniffing at it before he started to lap it up. He heard her say something about needing a shower and a change of clothing, and that she'd be back. He didn't focus on that as he drank down the deliciously sweet milk.
It tasted so good, there was no doubt Itachi got his cooking skills from her.
Sasuke yawned, suddenly sleepy.
Mikoto dragged her packed bags to her car that was parked in the street.
Inside, the car was messy with things she lugged about just in case. She had to make several trips before finally walking up to the passed out kitten. A smirk settled on her lips, "Those sleeping pills worked," She said to herself as she lifted the sleeping kitten into her arms, the last thing she needed to get was him.
The kitten was pliant, no matter how she moved him he didn't wake up.
She looked the kitten over.
It was a well fed cat, that she was sure of. Even the thickness of his fur showed how well taken care of he was. She nearly felt bad that she was taking him, but it had to be done.
She was sure that this would be the only way that Itachi would listen to her.
Mikoto removed the kitten's collar and pocketed, checking for her keys as she did so. The last thing she needed was for Itachi to use the collar to trace the cat. She'll leave it somewhere outside, just in case.
She locked the door behind her, and walked to her car, dropping the collar onto the side of the street. Sure it wouldn't be found there.
She sighed with frustration at the lack of space.
She didn't have anywhere she could safely settle the cat, so she made a little makeshift bed out of a box. She then stretched, cracking her back a bit and got into the driver seat. She turned the car on and drove away.
Mikoto had several errands to run before she could fully go home, but she was already looking forward to seeing her husband again. At some point, when it was high noon, she was becoming frustrated with all the people she had to put up with.
"Final stop, home," she grumbled to herself, not looking forward to the long drive.
As she was making her way into the highway, she got a call from Fugaku.
"Hey Fugaku," she greeted, happy to hear from him.
"Hello sweetheart, I was calling to ask if you had mailed out the boxes I asked you to," Fugaku sounded distracted, "It's important that it leaves by today,"
"Oh…yes," Mikoto slapped her hand on the steering wheel silently. Damn it, she had forgotten all about it. "Yeah, I'm doing that right now. I'm just driving there," she swerved, doing an illegal turn to get back onto the main streets. She cursed at some of the cars that honked at her and Fugaku got worried.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, honey, everything is okay," She sweetly lied. "After I'm done with this errand I get to go home," she said to distract him.
"Yes, I can't wait to see you. Please stay safe." He said with so much relief in his voice.
"I will," She chirped. Then she told him she had to go, and he asked her once more to stay safe, before hanging up. Mikoto looked at the street she was in, and made a turn. Once she was at the post office, she grabbed the labels and went to the back. She grabbed three of the boxes in the back, not caring to look into them as she placed the necessary gifts.
She and Fugaku had people that they needed to be in good terms with, and that meant sometimes sending off gifts for their children.
This time around the latest toy and a stuffed bear where the things that were being given all around. She taped up the boxes, slapped on the labels, and carried them into the post office. She signed off on anything she needed to, tracking, and then happily left once the boxes were accepted and she hadn't had to pay a fee.
With everything done, Mikoto finally left home in a happy mood.
Later that evening, Itachi entered his apartment cautiously.
He was expecting something from his mom, but when he looked around, he noted that she was gone. She had truly left.
Itachi was happy that she was gone, but at the same time something felt off. He looked around the apartment once more, and realized that Kitty was gone. There was no way…
"Itachi, we should go out with the guys," Kisame said. He had been in the kitchen getting something to drink, and had walked into the living room to find Itachi looking for something. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I can't find Kitty," Itachi snapped, getting to his feet from looking under the couch.
Kisame blinked, confused.
"Relax, just call for him. He has to be around here somewhere," Kisame said, trying to be casual about it.
Itachi gritted his teeth and reached for his phone. He called his mother, whom answered him happily. "Where's Kitty?" Itachi cut her off, demanding that she giving him Kitty back.
"What are you talking about?" Mikoto said with innocence, like she really didn't know what Itachi was talking about. Itachi wasn't having it.
"Mom, where's Kitty?"
Mikoto scrambled out of bed and ran to her car, fear pierced her heart. Had she left Itachi's cat in the hot car?
That was so careless of her. She wouldn't even do that to her own child. She tore into her car, searching for the cat, but couldn't find it. Itachi was still on the phone, demanding that she return Kitty to him. She thought fast, where had she put that kitten after it had fallen asleep.
She remembered walking to the car, throwing his collar away…the kitten was safely put in the box. The box…that was no longer in her car…
Her heart sunk.
"Itachi, I don't know what you are talking about! I don't have your cat," She snapped at him with the anger that she was feeling towards herself. "why don't you go search for him huh, instead of accusing your innocent mom," and she hung up on him.
She let out a scream that had Fugaku sauntering up to the car.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She turned fear filled eyes to him, "Fugaku, I think I shipped out Itachi's cat earlier today when I sent the mail away!" She confessed, tears falling from her eyes. She screamed once more, kicking the car. "Help me, what do I do?" she begged, scared.
This was not part of her plan.
Fugaku let out a breath, thinking hard.
"The tracking, we can keep an eye on the tracking and have the packages all pulled," He said, pulling out his phone for information on what they could do to get hold of the packages they sent out.
Mikoto looked at him with hope in her eyes.
She wasn't sure what else they could do. This was the best that they could try. They just had to get in contact with the post office and courier…
Hopefully Kitty was alright.
So...apparently I couldn't make it easy on Sasuke and Itachi lol. Let's see what new troubles Sasuke goes through XD