Warning in this chapter for some heavy grief over losses, but there are still happy moments throughout!
Saki and Shisui stand before a house.
It's not even a house, really, just a little shack on the outskirts edge of a pebbled and sandy beach, the waves before them choppy and hard. Cliffs and seagulls circle above their heads as Saki keeps her hands on the straps upholding their precious cargo. They both take deep breaths in, feeling the sting of salt in their nostrils.
Shisui plows forward, surprise forgotten. "C'mon, let's settle in and board that roof."
Saki closes her gobsmacked mouth and follows him, her gentle jog leaving indents in the sand. "I'm sorry Shisui, my contact didn't say it would be so…" She hesitates.
Shisui waves a hand. "I've been in worse places. Remind me to never take you to the Hidden Grass village. The mosquitoes there will suck your blood out in three seconds flat and nets don't deter them," He dramatically shudders. "All this will need is some tender love and care," He optimistically states, more for his own thoughts than Saki's. Shisui pets the worn-down porch banister as he says so, and immediately feels it give way.
Saki and Shisui stop and stare as the wood collapses on itself, the woodwork turning into a pile of scrap and splinters. Shisui intentionally does not look at Saki's piercing gaze in his peripheral vision and continues inside, this time with much more caution about what he touches.
It's musty, is the first thing Shisui thinks as he goes in. The saltwater air has corroded most of the paint, and the opened roof reveals a wet spot of wooden flooring, its leveling dangerously curved downward. He sets the baskets down next to Saki, who is checking the sleeping children, making sure they're all warm and in good health for when they awake.
"We may have to camp out until some things are fixed. There won't be enough usable room for all of us," He comments, eye peering into the dark, dilapidated bedrooms.
"You have the tents stored?" Saki absent-mindedly asks.
"Yep," He says, patting his pocket where the storage scroll was. "I'll sleep in it with some of the older kids and you can camp inside with the others, once we all get established," He pauses, realizing he's not on a mission. "Uh, I mean, if that's okay with you," He hastily adds. "You seem like you knew what to do for the younger kids, and the house is the more secure environment, especially when we fix—"
"Okay, Shisui," Saki amusingly interrupts. "That's fine by me. Just make sure to come in if it's too cold."
Shisui gives her a tired smile. "Alright."
He circles around the house as Saki continues her task, making note of each crack and chip he sees. Thankfully, the overall structure seemed to be fine apart from the dip in the flooring and superficial decoration. He sets up the tent near the house, mindful to slightly camouflage it with the surrounding shrubbery. Shisui obsesses a little over the minute details of the camouflage, aware that he was stalling.
He bites his lip. Time to face the music.
Turning around, he notices Saki similarly fussing with their campfire on the pebbled beach, taking in dried kelp to help start the fire. It's almost blazing now, surrounded by strong stone, but she's still standing over it, looking into the fire with a mild frown on her face. As if feeling his gaze on her body, she turns to him after a second, looking into his eye. Shisui nods, and her shoulders tense, but she heads back out to the house with him at her back.
Shisui carefully steps back into the house, the setting sun illuminating the place in a vivid array of golden orange. Saki has taken the Uchiha children out of their baskets, spreading them out on the extra futons they had brought with them. They look so peaceful, lying there together, but Shisui knows that it has to end — that they need to be thrust back into this harsh world.
"You ready?" He asks Saki. She's standing across from him, the frown now much more pronounced.
"It doesn't matter. Just do it," She clips out. Fair enough, he thinks.
A feeling of pity nags at him and he ignores it, ripping off the genjutsu overtaking their peaceful bodies like a used bandaid. There's a second of silence, then another, and then Shisui spots the faint flicker of an eyelid on one of the younger children. Someone else starts breathing differently, and then one by one, each child approaches the state of awakening into their new world.
"Grughhh," Someone groans out, and Shisui's lips twitch. The after-effects of a long genjutsu weren't the best.
"'am I?" An older one mumbles out, their brown hair splayed across the pillow. They haven't even opened their eyes; the just-awoken sleepiness is too great.
Saki kneels down next to the one who spoke, all traces of a frown clear from her face. "You're in a safe house with me and Shisui. My name is Saki, and everything is okay," She says in a calm, soothing tone. But the kid's visible eye snaps open at Shisui's name, the pupil moving to focus on Saki's face, then his own.
The child, no more than seven, suddenly sits up. With their face unsmushed from the pillow, Shisui recognizes them as the one who rallied the others against him for after going after Naomi. Shit.
They suspiciously eye them both, taking in their surroundings even as both Shisui and Saki stay calm, unmoving.
"Why am I here?" They demand, voice high pitched and a little shaky. They bring their gaze over to the other children next to them, and one of the younger ones grunts and instinctively shoves their pillow over their ears at the noise.
"We'll tell you once everyone is awake. For now, eat this. You need the strength," Saki says, handing them a plain riceball. "What's your name?"
They take it with suspicion, but a day's lack of food is hard for any child to go through, and they take it. "Raijin," He hesitantly answers, looking at Saki. He ignores Shisui entirely, which Shisui tells himself he's fine with. "What clan are you?"
Saki slightly smiles. "No clan. Now, eat up."
There's a soft silence that settles in as the sun goes down, each person waiting for the others to wake up. More mumbles and groans and some sniffles from the younger kids leave as each person awakes more and more, each of whom receives the standard answers and riceball if they manage to open their eyes. The toddler-aged don't even ask who they are, just chew on their food with wide, dark eyes. However, no tears come, so Shisui thanks the world for small mercies.
"Okay," Saki says, slowly rising up from where she had crouched to give the last of the rice to the newly awakened child. All eyes turn on her. "Is everyone ready to talk?"
Some hesitantly nod, and Shisui can see Saki mentally prepare for what they had planned to say. He stays in the shadows, knowing that his previous interaction with the children could stress them out too much.
"My name is Saki," She begins, "I know this all seems very confusing and frightening, but we are here in a safe place, and you can ask me any questions you want afterward," She takes a deep breath. "As some of you know, Konoha, where you and I lived, has been dealing with a lot of bad things. It was becoming a very dangerous place, and you all were in danger," Saki takes a second to pause, but no one speaks, each enraptured with her words. "Shisui and I had to take you away from the dangerous place so that you couldn't be hurt. Do you remember the basement?" Some slowly nod at this, frowns on their face. "That was supposed to be a safe place. But bad people were still going to come in there, so we had to take you further away. We are all going to live here until Konoha is safe to live in again. Any questions?" She asks, finishing her simple speech.
Someone raises their hand — Yuzuki, Shisui painfully notes. Deep purple bags line her eyes. "Are our parents coming here?" She says, voice hopeful.
Saki pauses. "No, they can't right now," She gently answers. Neither Saki or Shisui can even begin to extrapolate on why, so they stay silent. Yuzuki slowly puts her hand down, obviously disappointed by the news.
Raijin puts his hand up. "Shisui hurt Naomi-neechan," He accuses. "Why is he here?"
Pairs of eyes turn to him in accusation, and others less observant eye him with surprise.
Shisui licks his lips. "Naomi-san is fine," He says, feeling the lie taste heavy on his tongue. "There was a misunderstanding between us."
"Shisui helped you all escape from people who were going to hurt you," Saki quickly interjects. She pointedly looks at him, and he softens his face, coming out of the shadows to crouch down on the floor at the children's level.
"I'm sorry for scaring you," He softly says to all of them. "Sometimes, as shinobi, we do hard things." Shisui leans down to look at them. "Do you remember how we played ninja together, or how you played it with your friends?"
Confused faces nod. One of the younger ones starts sucking their thumb.
"Well, this is just like that. You can switch sides in 'ninja' without the other knowing, but this rule makes you not trust your comrades completely, which can make winning more difficult. Now, who knows the best strategy to win at 'ninja?'"
A girl in pigtails raises her hand. "By hiding for a long time and fighting the last person standing!" She proudly says.
Shisui nods. "Yes, that's right," She visibly preens at the praise. "And that's exactly what all of us are going to do here. We are going to hide here, and then come out later, so we can win. Okay?"
More of the children seem more sure of themselves as he finishes talking, and the air feels lighter. Raijin jumps up from his futon. "Wait, can we go outside?" He blurts out. Shisui's smile turns more genuine; they must have been cooped up in that basement for a while. It's no wonder Naomi was so protective.
"Yes, as long as me or Saki can see you. Don't talk to anyone and don't go into the water—"
But Raijin is already running outside, barefoot. Yuzuki pulls another girl forward on her feet, probably her friend, and they both patter onward past the porch. Gleeful sounds of laughter ring out as the three children play in the sand, particles of ground earth kicking up in the view of the opened door. The more nervous children become emboldened at the sounds and quickly follow, each letting out gasps of surprise or joy at the site of their new home.
"There's a beach!" A high voice bemusingly echoes out, their tone enraptured. Saki lightly chuckles at their comments, giving him a conspiratorial smile that he shares.
There's only one child left in front of them — the smallest one. He's in the tiniest informal yukata Shisui has ever seen, but his chest is heaving a little, and a sniffle confirms Shisui's worst fears.
Saki pats his kneeled thigh. "Don't worry, I got this," She says after sparing a look towards his face. She sweeps the child up, holding him expertly, and takes him outside with her. Shisui follows, unsure of what else to do.
The sand is cool as it gets into his sandals, so he takes them off, marveling a little at the sensory experience of sand weaving between his toes. He had gone on missions before where there were beaches, but none of them involved enough time or security where he could particularly enjoy the site. Saki seems to be in the same mind frame as Shisui, and she takes off her shoes as well, slipping off the toddler's too. She plops the baby into the sand, sitting down next to him, and starts to bring his attention to the flowing sand in her hands.
He sits there for a moment, confused, before his eyes focus on her movement. His face turns enraptured as the wind cascades the sand in its shifting direction.
"Sand?" The toddler asks, pointing to it.
Saki nods. "Yup, that's sand," She answers. She gently opens up the hand he was pointing with, letting the sand in her own hand fall on his. The sniffing immediately stops, and the child starts to dig his hands and feet into the beach with a sparkle in his eye.
Shisui decides to cautiously approach, crouching down to appear less threatening. "Hey, I'm Shisui," He says, pointing. "What's your name?"
The toddler looks at him with a blank stare, and then goes back to his abstract sand. "Where Kaasan?" He curiously asks, still playing.
Shisui and Saki share a look, and then they hear footsteps behind them. Shisui turns, facing Yuzuki, who seemed to be eavesdropping. "Um, Shisui-nii, his name is Taru Uchiha," She shyly informs him.
Saki smiles at her as Shisui's blood runs cold. "Thank you, Yuzuki-chan. That is very helpful," Saki says. Yuzuki's nods in acknowledgment, her ponytail bouncing as she runs back to the rest of the group, where the older children are playfully terrorizing a crab with a stick, giggling as it snaps its claws.
Saki turns to face him, frowning. "What's that look on your face for?" She quizzically asks.
"Taru-tan is Naomi's kid," Shisui hauntingly, quietly says, refusing to look at her as his eye settles on the toddler's face.
Saki grabs his hand and says nothing, both of them silently looking at Taru playing in the sand.
Taru, all of two years old, stares at him with a glare that would make Fugaku proud.
Shisui stares back, his eye full of uncertainty. "Um," He begins. "Listen, I can see how it works, I just need an example to be sure."
Saki doesn't roll her eyes or make fun of him for it, which he's grateful for. "It's okay to be nervous. Here, just unfasten this—" She says, pulling apart a button on the left side of Taru's cloth diaper. "Next, do this," Saki continues, pulling at the opposite side. "When it opens, you just wipe him, change the cloth, and fasten it in reverse," She confidently states. There's a pause. "Sometimes they pee when you open the flap, so watch out."
Shisui mournfully looks at Taru, begging him to not do exactly that. Anytime something like this came up with Sasuke, Shisui would happily send him off to Itachi, who would quickly whisk him away. Just as well too — the younger brother would always get fussy, and he would have definitely peed on Shisui just out of pure spite.
Just like Taru, apparently.
Shisui sighs to himself as he methodically cleans them both up, ignoring Saki's quiet snicker in the corner. At least Taru looks happy — the frown on his face has subsided, and he gives a toothless grin to Shisui in a move that, frankly, warms Shisui's grudge a little.
Shisui suspiciously eyes the babbling toddler. I won't be fooled next time just because you're cute, he tries to convey.
Saki walks up behind him as he throws the cloth in the dirty laundry bag. "That was good for your first time; you're a natural."
"Well, I have been called a genius," He mock-arrogantly says, formally bowing to her.
She smiles, playfully bowing back to him. "Thank you for your humble service, oh genius Shisui-sama," She gravely says. "Us idiots will forever remember your charity."
"Idiots!" Taru joyfully shrieks out as he continues laying on the bed. Shisui and Saki burst into light giggles at the unexpected announcement.
"No, no, stop laughing Shisui, he's going to—"
"Idiots!" Taru yells out again, bolstered by their gleeful sounds. Saki and Shisui burst back into snickers. "Idiots! Idiots! Idiots—!"
Saki quickly scoops Taru up, her body still slightly shaking with mirth. "Hush," She coos at him.
A high-pitched voice screams from outside, and Saki and Shisui immediately tense up.
"Shi-nii, Makoto got sand in my mouth! Make him stop!"
Both of them relax. "Looks like that's my cue to go over and teach them more taijutsu katas," Shisui wryly comments, stretching as he starts to walk towards the door.
"Shisui," Saki begins, frown clear in her voice. Shisui turns to her, inquisitive. "Have you thought about teaching them other things?"
Shisui contemplatively places a hand on his chin, scratching the dark stubble he didn't bother shaving. "Well, it's still too early for serious ninjutsu, but kenjutsu would be easy if we had enough kunai—"
"No, I mean, do they know math?" Saki worryingly comments.
Shisui blinks. "Math?"
"History, math, farming, sewing, reading and writing?" Saki lists off, worry thickening and eyes looking at him pointedly.
"Well, they need to know how to protect themselves," Shisui lamely begins. He doesn't finish his sentence as she levels him with a look.
"We got a house because there was the possibility of staying here long-term. We've been here for weeks now — energy needs to be focused on living in this region, or our livelihood will get a lot harder once our resources dry out or break. We are running out of supplies," Saki worriedly comments, frowning as she takes stock of their firewood, food, and fading clothing organized within the cluttered room.
"The garden has just started up — we'll have the first crop soon. The kids did good work with helping," Shisui says, trying to soothe her worries.
"No, I mean we need to get stuff we can't just grow or hunt," Saki says, critically examining one of the dented pans. "We need more screws, clothes, medicine…" She lists off, sighing. "I would kill for some flour, at this point. Depending on how long we stay, we might even need to get menstrual cloths for some of the kids. They won't be six forever," Saki glumly says.
Shisui leans against a wooden pillar. "The rags are getting pretty threadbare," He comments, a considering look on his face. His lips thin. "Yeah, you're right. I'll go slower with them, and we can both teach them what we know about survival living, in the meantime." He hums in thought. "However, we do have those pelts from hunting…"
Saki's eyebrow goes up as she places the toddler on the ground, watching him babble and start to play with the nearest metal pot, lightly banging it like a drum. "You're not planning on us wearing fur like beach cavemen, right?" She amusingly asks.
He grins at her comment. "We'll cure some for blankets, but the rest can be used for barter and trade. We passed a little town on the southwest side, and this far inland means trade isn't uncommon. We can get all the things mentioned," He looks up at the badly-patched roof, the crude wood already warping above,"...And finally fix the damn house."
"Damn house!" Taru happily yells. Saki lets out a laugh like a deflating balloon.
"Alright. You teach the kids, I'll establish connections in town and fix the house up. Deal?"
Shisui grins, shaking her hand. "Pleasure doing business with you," He jokes. Shisui's eyes rove over her. "Hm, your hair will raise suspicion though. Are you going to keep it short?"
Saki self-consciously runs her hand through the short locks. "I cut it as a disguise because men are less harassed on the road, and to recognize my new life, but…" She says, hesitating. "I like looking like a woman," She says, a hint of shame in her voice.
Shisui cocks his head not unlike a crow. "Wait, are you not a woman? I thought you were," He asks, surprised at this turn of events.
A blush creeps up Saki's cheeks. "I… didn't used to be seen as one. But yes," She suddenly exclaims, confidence pushed into her voice. "I am a woman."
Shisui thoughtfully thinks for a second. "I'm pretty sure I can set a henge on your hair for the trip, although it would only last for a couple of hours," He postulates. "But since you'll be growing it out, it'll only be a temporary measure anyway."
Saki's eyes widen at his words, and she throws her arms around him in a sudden hug, causing him to let out an oof!
"It's just a henge," He confusingly says, but that just makes Saki grip him tighter. The small patter of feet sound off behind both of them.
"What's going on?" Raijin asks, staring at them from his place next to the door. Other children crowd behind him, peering at them curiously.
Saki peeks up from where she had pressed her face into his shirt. "Dogpile Shisui!" She suddenly exclaims. Shisui's eyes widen as the children unquestionably follow her orders, letting out war cries as they rush over onto Shisui's back.
"Why?" Shisui's muffled voice rings out from underneath the weight of five children and one Saki. He could have shrugged them off, but he accepts his fate, pressing his cheek onto the floor. "Why me?" He dramatically groans.
Saki ruffles his head of hair. "Because you deserve a hug, Shisui Uchiha."
Shisui huffs out a sigh, and Saki laughs, bold and unburdened.
"You said you had a wife," Shisui says, handing Saki a wet plate.
She pauses with wiping the dishes down, rag clutched in her grip. "I did. I'm surprised you remember," Saki neutrally exclaims.
Shisui continues handing her the dishes; neither of them look at each other. The day is surprisingly quiet, and only the birds above seem to noisily relish in the summer sun. If he listens closely, Shisui can hear the soft footsteps of the older children playing near the other side of the house, where the vines drop low enough for them to grab. They rarely prefer to stay in the house, even though it has long since been repaired.
Shisui's lips twitch with nostalgia. "That was only a few years ago," He says. "I didn't want to pry."
Saki hums. "But now you're prying?" She says, but the words are teasing and undefensive.
"If you'll let me," Shisui gently reaffirms.
Saki is silent for a few seconds, and he lets her gather her thoughts. Years of living together allowed them to sit in silence, each doing their own activity as the chaos of the other children failed to permeate their goals. Before this life, silence always equated loneliness or exclusion for Shisui, but Saki showed him how it could be a time of reflection and quiet relaxation. Not everything had to be about achieving a grand goal, and wasn't that a shocker?
"I was 28 years old," Saki begins. Shisui looks at her in surprise, but doesn't interrupt. "I was successful, and I had finally gotten a steady paycheck — enough that I felt like I could be a good spouse to my partner. We were already living together, but her family was traditionalist, which I didn't mind," She softly says. "I didn't mind marrying her. She was so beautiful when she walked down the aisle. I felt uncomfortable in my suit, but she never made me feel uncomfortable, you know? Then I found out she was pregnant, and I saw the birth of my two boys…" Tears are starting to gather at the edges of Saki's eyes. "I don't know if I dreamed it all. It felt so real," She says, harshly sucking in a breath. "I don't know if it was real, but then I woke up in Konohagakure, young and confused and with an understanding of where I was. I moved out of my parents' house as fast as I could — I couldn't see them as parents, even if they were nice at times. Only baking made me feel connected to my dreams; the recipes that I pulled off in one try showed that it wasn't all fake. Or maybe I'm just crazy," Saki wonders out loud, gripping the edges of the sink with a white-knuckled hand. "Maybe this is the dream, and I'm asleep somewhere, forced to live the rest of it in silence," Saki finishes, breathing heavily.
Shisui sits in the silence, listening to her heartbeat. He gently, slowly, takes her hand, ignoring the feeling of water on them. "I won't pretend to know the answer to your questions," He carefully begins. "I only know you as you are now, which is kind, patient, beautiful, very sane, and loving. I'm glad we met at this moment in time. I'm glad you didn't know me as a child," He says, pausing as he wrestles with his confession. "You were partially wrong, back then. I didn't only watch someone die to get the mangekyou, Saki. I killed them."
It's Saki's turn to be silent, but both of them bask in it, feeling the intimacy simultaneously tearing them and mending them together. "Who were they to you?" She quietly asks.
"My teammate," Shisui genuinely answers. "We were eight. He was better than me — he had nicer parents, closer friends, an upright reputation. I hated him for it, and he was still kind to me. I seethed in jealousy for a year, which is a long time for a child, and when he was dangling off a cliff after a mission gone wrong… I didn't give him my hand. I just watched him slip slowly off the branch, his chakra and energy gone. He looked at me as he fell," Shisui says, picturing it as fresh as the day it happened in his mind. "I only extended my hand at the moment he let go." He turns back to the dishes so that Saki can't see the expression on his face. "It's my biggest regret, and my greatest failure. I try to be better because of it, but I often fail."
A hand settles on his shoulder, careful not to spook him. "Then I'm glad we managed to find each other, at least," Saki gently says.
Shisui furrows his brow. "Why?" He asks, voice gravelly with emotion. There was nothing in that story that would endear him to her — he confessed it for her own sake.
"Because I like you as you are now, Shisui Uchiha," Saki says, her voice thick with emotion. She extends her hand up, cupping his face. "You are strong, funny, handsome, and a kind man. You're right; our past shouldn't define us here. It's time we both moved on from our pains and regrets." She looks out the small window of their kitchen, gazing out towards the sunset as it frames the playful figures of the Uchiha children. "They have. Why can't we, if only for a moment?"
A deep pain starts in Shisui's heart. It's the kind that aches in his soul; the kind that doesn't easily stop. He grabs at it, pulling the emotion closer as he stares at Saki's form, her long hair overlayed with golden orange from the rays of the setting sun.
"I'm in love with you," Shisui suddenly blurts out.
There's a moment of surprised silence from both of them. Shisui turns to look into the filled sink, wondering if it would be physically possible to drown himself within a few seconds.
"You know, the two rooms in the house have been fixed," Saki suddenly says.
Shisui blinks, slowly turning to face her.
"It might be good for all the children to have one space of their own," Saki pointedly says, her lips curving in a small, shy smile as she meets his eye.
Shisui feels a fierce blush enter his cheeks. "Yes, that sounds reasonable," He diplomatically states.
There's a brief moment of tension after the words are spoken, each of them aware of the other, but neither making the first move.
As always, Saki is bolder than him, and she hurriedly places her dirty plate in the sink as Shisui does the same with his drying rag. Shisui barely has enough time to meet Saki's eyes before she's pulling him down by the neck and pressing her lips against his in a confident, brazen move. Shisui is less experienced, so he follows her lead, his heart about to burst out of his chest at the adrenaline and love and lust that pulse within him at the simple action.
Saki breaks away first, gasping. "Stay with me?" She whispers, her voice gravelly and desperate. Their foreheads touch as he reluctantly pulls apart, their warm breath intermingling and fanning each other's flushed cheeks.
Shisui nods, chest heaving. "Yes. Always."
That's enough for Saki, and she smiles, expression coy. "Bedroom?"
Shisui's eyes widen. "Now? After all that?"
Saki throws her head back and laughs, carefree and wild. "With six children in this house, I don't know our next opportunity!"
Shisui grins, heart still beating in his chest, and suddenly lifts her off her feet, laughing at Saki's instinctive shriek as he shunshins towards their bedroom.
I try to keep Saki's description vague, but I'm curious... what do you think Saki looks like in your mind? Leave a review to let me know! I have my own thought on her :]