I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 7
She dwelled in the room.
Another night had been poor. There were no chills, only nightmares. He rested for a mere hour after sunrise and now Kanna was in his room, doing as she always did, kneeling by the futon.
On these occasions she would prepare a small breakfast consisting of miso, fish, and rice. Sometimes there were fruits. She attempted eggs once—but they had been made unsuccessfully. She noted he did not touch them and never made them again.
He presumed Sasuke instructed his guardsman to keep him fed. But having come to know Kanna, Itachi surmised she operated on her own volition. Despite her kind nature, she was unexpectedly stubborn.
Itachi faced away from her as she set a tray beside the futon. Long, dark hair spilled like ink on the pale bedding.
His eyes stared at the wall, heavy with unrest. "You should not do this."
Not while an Anbu sought refuge. He doubted it would bode well for it to be known that the Rokudaime's daughter catered so privately to a criminal.
"I don't mind," she whispered. "Soota won't say anything."
There wasn't anything to say. She came and went quietly during such mornings. But she was clever. She understood what he was saying. Often, he speculated what her periodical reports looked like.
"And," she added, "I made breakfast for him too." She let out a small laugh. "It's like a hospital here."
"I am well," he said, turning onto his back to assess her.
A red hairband pulled hair from her face, though it was decorative in nature and held no insignia. She was busy wringing a towel over a bowl. Droplets of water trickled into the basin and he thought of a gentle current over rivulet stones. He knew from prior experience that the water was warm.
Kanna placed the compress on his forehead. Her cheeks were pink, but she met his gaze with a smile. On a whim, Itachi reached up and placed his fingers around her thin wrist.
An exhale tumbled from her lips.
"Thank you," he said. He closed his eyes when she demurely replied 'it's no trouble.'
His body and eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but his breathing was controlled. In addition, he was capable of speech. The episodes were less frequent. Their potency had diminished. For that, he was grateful.
"Tell me," he said, hoping to be distracted from the terrors of what little slumber he had achieved, "are you afraid of blood?" She had hesitated to care for her friend the day before.
She was not capable of replying until he withdrew from her. Her other hand came up to hold the wrist he had touched and gave a small nod.
He insisted, "How can it be?" Time after time her path of being a shinobi was a conundrum. Even administrative ninja could endure the wounded.
A steely expression overcame her countenance.
He understood then that her idiosyncrasies brought trouble to the path she chose for herself. He did not want to add to the trauma.
Her eyes misted over, and she hugged herself. "Do you think I'm pitiful?"
"I only wish to understand."
Kanna relented. She yielded easily, taking others at their word, and she never prolonged or instigated battles. She was easy.
She softly began, "It depends on the amount. Years ago, my father came home late after a mission. It was Hokage level, and he had to transport back using one of his emergency seals.
"I woke up to loud noises and Kaasan's crying. I went downstairs and she was holding on to him on the floor." She squeezed her arms. "There was so much blood. On the door and on the walls. It was on my mother, too. Tousan wasn't moving. He came home to say goodbye, I know that now.
"Our night guard at the time was pretty good at medical ninjutsu and kept him alive until others came. The next day they told me and my brothers that my father was sick, that he was in the hospital. We weren't allowed to visit him for two months. I thought he was dead that whole time and that they were lying to us.
"Kaasan finally took me to the hospital. There he was," her voice wavered, "smiling and holding his arms open, all bandaged and bruised. Like nothing ever happened."
"How old were you?"
Her shoulders rose in a small shrug. "Eight."
"He lived."
She passed him a smile. "Yeah. Everything went back to normal. Aren't I pitiful for being afraid of blood?"
"No," he answered. "You are not pitiful for that."
Confusion marred her features. "You think I'm a bad shinobi."
"I think no such thing." He sat up and the compress dropped to his lap. His dark hair fell across his back. He swiped a hand at his chest to make sure the yukata was providing proper coverage.
Kanna's pout deepened. He marveled that she could make such a disapproving expression. She was an amiable individual, mellow when frantic circumstances called for sternness, yet even she could look at him like this.
Understanding dawned upon him. "You spied on a conversation with my brother." It had been one of many.
She did not deny it. "You said my personality wasn't fit for the shinobi lifestyle."
"Then you should also know we acknowledged your proficiencies."
Her face reddened in the light of the room. "W-w-well, sure." She was embarrassed because she had not heard that at all.
"Hatake Kanna," he spoke deeply, purposefully. "You are not pitiful for having reservations against severe wounds. Do not think I regard you in low esteem after our time together. You are," he said, "the most understanding person I have ever met. If there had been more shinobi like you when I first lived, the world would have known peace sooner. And your Ghost Technique is a formidable jutsu." She could have slain him many times over if she had wished it.
Kanna gazed at him in wonder, but it was short-lived.
"But you are pitiful," he added and felt a measure of pleasure as her expression deflated, "for using powers of espionage to half listen. That is also how wars start."
Her look of awe flattened, but did not respond to the goading. No, she never responded to goading.
Itachi took the compress and handed it to her. Feeling hunger, he picked up the chopsticks and pinched a small piece of the salted shiozake. They sat in silence only for a moment.
"Can I ask a question too?" she queried in a smaller voice than usual.
Itachi made to grab the bowl of rice. He could say no, or rather, ask her to leave. But it was unfair. He did not want to deny the entirety of her curiosity. She oftentimes satisfied his own. She granted him access to the current world with texts and her personal knowledge of it.
"Yes." He would tread carefully.
Her eyes glimmered, earlier disappointment forgotten. "You speak as if you're from another time."
The corner of his mouth curved. "You know that I am."
She shook her head. "No—yes. But you know what I mean."
His gaze moved away from her and to the wall. "I was the heir to the Uchiha clan. My upbringing was very precise."
"Precise?" She leaned in and her pale, short hair rocked over her shoulders. Her knees pressed together, anticipating any revelation about him.
"That is all I will say."
"But you haven't said anything at all," she countered, chin dimpling and brow furrowing. He was frustrating her this morning.
"What is it you wish to know?" He took a bite of rice.
"I want to know why such a young person acts like an old man," she stated earnestly.
Itachi's brows rose, but of course he only stared at her until she flushed pink against the red of the hairband.
"Oh-oh, that was rude. Sorry!" She bowed from her waist. Her hair swung up and then behind her when she sat up.
But there was determination in her eyes. For what reason, he did not know. He took another bite of the fish and said nothing.
"Itachi, what do you mean by 'precise'?" She was persistent.
"You are aware of the Uchiha clan." What did she know? What was disclosed to young shinobi at chunin level?
She nodded. "I do. There was…a civil war."
Itachi closed his eyes. There were aspects to Konoha's contemporary society that he did not have access to, because he was bound to the district. Books and scrolls could only provide so much insight.
"A civil war," he repeated, almost sardonically.
Kanna crossed her arms. "It's very sad what happened to Sasuke-san's clan. Oh. To your clan." She looked down with empathy. "I've known Sasuke-san all my life. Your relationship to him is so odd to me, so I forget... I never knew he had a brother, only that his clan was gone. It's something out of a book that you're alive."
"It's unnatural."
She gasped. "No, it's amazing! You've been given a second chance." She smiled sweetly. "I'm so happy to have met you."
He said nothing to that.
"So," she began a little awkwardly, "you were the heir?"
"Yes. I was taught proper speech and etiquette." He set the bowl down, appetite gone. He grabbed the water instead.
She attempted humor, sensing his mood. "They created a little old man."
What they had created was a monster. "I suppose so."
"And Sasuke-san was the spare?" She said it with wit in her eyes and the returning tightness in his chest waned. It was not her fault. She did not know how difficult it was for him to talk about his family.
How he had loved them was how he had hated them. Their pride had destroyed them—their pride had chipped away at Itachi's excuses for them until there were none left, and Danzo's plan had cemented in his heart.
All he had wanted in the end was for his brother to live.
Changing the trajectory of the topic, Itachi tried, "Should second sons be considered spares?" Though in the clan elders' eyes, Sasuke had certainly been one. "Is Daiki Satomi's?"
She laughed, her face lighting up at the mention of her brothers. "Maybe," she jokingly went along with it. "What if there's two younger brothers? What's the third supposed to be?"
Itachi could not help but find her joy appealing. She was so innocent in her questioning. She meant no harm.
He said, "A third son is the true son of a family. He has no responsibility, only to be himself."
Kanna tapped her chin in thought. "Becoming a clan is starting to seem like too much work. I don't think Satomi knows what he's really asking for. Hiroyuki-chan will be the only one who'll have a good time if we become a clan."
A slight puzzlement flashed over his expression. Who was…
"Hiroyuki-chan is our youngest brother," she said, somewhat astonished herself it hadn't come up before.
Itachi set the water down. "One more?"
She laughed. "He's barely a toddler."
"I see." Another Hatake. And so much younger than the rest.
"What happens to a clan head's only daughter?" She asked it coyly.
"She is married off to a worthy clan member. If they are ninja, she will be given to their fiercest shinobi, or their most cunning advisor."
Kanna frowned. "That's…what if she doesn't want to?"
"She will," he said. "Because she will honor her family in that way."
"It seems…lonely. What if she falls in love with someone outside the clan?"
"It cannot be done. It is how shinobi clans keep a hold over their wealth and kekkei genkai."
"All for power?"
He shook his head once, eyeing the miso soup. "It is more complicated than that, at least for the shinobi clans of Konoha. You can marry in, but you cannot marry out.
"Hereditary abilities are dangerous when unchecked. If a child is raised outside the umbrella of their clan and their inherent powers manifest in an uncontrolled environment, people could die. Or that child, if discovered by enemies, could be in danger."
Her eyes widened. "It would be something like Sarada-chan waking up with the sharingan and having no idea what to do with it?"
He nodded. "In a way, yes."
Kanna became quiet and deep in thought. She glanced at Itachi with a growing blush. She then diverted her eyes to her lap.
He went to reach for the soup.
"W-were you married?"
His hand paused a moment before picking up the miso. He was cautious of the path her words were taking again.
"I never married." He had been too young then…much too young.
She pushed. "Um—would you have married a clan member…or maybe an outsider?"
He took a small sip of the miso. "That is irrelevant. They are all dead."
I killed them all.
She flinched at his words and looked away. "That's…right," she whispered.
"I do not wish to discuss my clan any further." He placed the cup of soup down.
At present, if she could use her jutsu without more social repercussions, she would.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She needed to hold her tongue about the Uchiha clan. But he was being so open she got ahead of herself.
Itachi obviously didn't want to talk about his past. He was being nice, too, skirting around the topic of clans just to satisfy her interest.
She was taking advantage of his politeness.
"That was too much," she acknowledged and bowed again.
He said nothing and she was mortified. They had been getting on so well. She wanted to know more about him. And she was fishing to see if marriage was something a man like him was interested in.
What was wrong with her, troubling him with childish questions? The reason she was even in the room was to make sure he didn't starve himself.
"I'll…I'll go check on Soota." She hurried to get up and bowed once more. "Thank you for talking with me."
"Kanna," he called when she made to slide the door. "Thank you."
She wasn't sure why her eyes misted over as she faced away from him.
They had a great conversation, but she barely scratched the surface. All she really managed to figure out was that clans were very strict (which she knew already). Ultimately, what she learned was that her juvenile crush would never amount to anything.
"You're welcome," she mumbled. "Get some rest, Itachi." She stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Uchiha Itachi was a few feet away, but it might as well have been nations. He was polite to her—kind, even. He tolerated the sneaking in on the mornings he was sick. He trained with her, too, and he asked for help when Sasuke-san came on the difficult mornings.
He relied on her.
She knew it was just that: politeness and a need to not burden his brother. She understood both things because it was how she herself was. Be kind, be good, and protect your family and friends.
Why was understanding the reasons behind his treatment toward her starting to hurt? She wanted…she wanted something more. But how could she get it? She did not want to overstep—she didn't want to trouble Itachi with her girlish feelings. She certainly didn't want her father finding out.
All in one sitting, Itachi thanked and complemented her, called out the ill-use of the ghost jutsu, and kicked her out of his room.
"Why the long face?" Soota said from the living room floor. He ate all his breakfast, unlike Itachi who often picked at everything and never finished.
Kanna smiled at her friend and hopelessly shrugged. "I think I annoyed Itachi."
"Hm," Soota nodded. "He seems private. Bit too serious, honestly. He has his reasons, ya know."
Being in the Black Ops, Kanna was sure Soota knew more about Itachi than she did.
She shook her head. "He's not as bad as he seems. At least…I hope not." Her smile fell a bit.
"I think," Soota said, carefully sitting up, "you might be right. He did joke with us yesterday."
She gave him a look of pity. "I'm not sure that was a joke. I think he was critical about you living with your mother at your age."
Soota blushed. "Hey! She's the one that doesn't want me to move. She cried last year when I suggested getting my own place. And your mom is way worse than mine when it comes to her 'babies'."
Kanna frowned. "Hiroyuki-chan is her 'baby'."
"Yeah, and you and the other two are 'big babies'—you're smiling." She was pursing her lips to hide it. "Good! Don't be too hard on yourself, okay?"
"Okay," she lightly conceded and sat next to him.
Tanako Soota made for good company. Despite acting as if they had been acquainted for more than two days, he was in fact a competent shinobi and well read.
The discovery was made when the Uchiha moved the injured man into the library for privacy (Sai's team was to be avoided at all costs, the Anbu begged).
Soota noticed a set of half-opened texts on a table near the window. He wordlessly skimmed through one and asked the Uchiha if he had read the original versions.
"I have not," Itachi said.
"Hm, during this era, the Sand Daimyo…" And so it was that Itachi sat with the man and uncovered a mystery he had been unable to solve due to a misedit in the texts given to him.
Soota's time at the Uchiha dwelling came and went. He promised to return, unprompted. And return, he did.
Sporadically, he came in the evenings after Kanna finished her work or after Sarada visited with her mother. The women often made use of Itachi's kitchen and made meals before departing, though his niece and her mother often joined him for dinner. Soota, still healing, happily partook of leftovers.
Once, Soota came with others whose chakra Itachi recognized. They were rookie Anbu who routinely monitored the Rokudaime's family. They came bearing gifts, or rather, alcohol, playing cards, and the promise of a memorable night.
Itachi did not care for the company nor the sake, but they had ventured no further than the engawa and stumbled away after midnight when he won their game.
After a spar with the enigmatic brother of Uchiha Sauske, Sai's team sat breathless in a haphazard semicircle. Kanna quietly took a turn tipping a canteen into their mouths. She dulcetly laughed when Daiki, whose eyebrows had finally regrown, pretended to gulp like a starved man.
When she approached Itachi, her cheeks reddened. Itachi's gaze flickered over her.
She had become too complacent working in the district. She wore an impractical dress that ended above the knees and her hair was different. It was twisted into two knots, with multicolor clips holding short strands in place.
She held out the canteen for him.
His fingers enclosed over hers and pulled the canteen over his face, allowing water to fall into his mouth. His eyes shut to enjoy the sweetness of the water. Soon after joining the team's sessions, he'd learned she liked to infuse water with fruits before she bottled it.
Her grip trembled in his, as if wanting to let go. But he wasn't done so his hand flexed around hers so she wouldn't prematurely tug away.
Quenched, he let go, and she released a whispery breath. He watched her scramble toward Satomi, who was staring at Itachi. The Uchiha was unphased by the examination.
Kanna had accidentally dropped the canteen on Daiki the day before and gave the boy a black eye.
"Here you go," Kanna said sweetly, offering the refresher to her brother.
"Tousan doesn't like that you're missing our family training sessions." Satomi snatched the canteen from her hand, rejecting her from spoiling him as she usually did.
Kanna frowned. "I'm working. And I'm almost seventeen…Tousan says I don't have to."
"He said that hoping you'd still come. It's good for you, anyway," Satomi rationalized, wiping his mouth. "You could always use more training."
Daiki crossed his arms and shook his head sympathetically. "Tousan says you love zombie-san more than you love him."
Kanna loudly gasped and Itachi rose a brow.
Satomi smirked. "You haven't been training, have you? I can tell. Look what you're wearing. If Tousan finds out you're just pushing pencils and checking off lists, you'll get a talking to again."
Tsubame huffed. "Leave Kanna-chan alone! She's meeting a friend later." A friend.
Kanna's face was red by this point and Itachi wondered at her behavior. Assessing the muscles in her arms and legs, for a chunin, she wasn't doing as much physical training as she should.
"She trains every day," Itachi said. All turned to him. "I cannot see her with the sharingan. She's bested me many times."
Satomi's eyes widened. "What?" Not once had Sai's team 'bested' Uchiha Itachi.
Daiki jumped on his feet and ran to his sister. What followed was a powerful embrace. "That's amazing, nechan!"
Kanna laughed when he spun her around. At thirteen, he was her height, lankily pubescent and thin. He would surpass his older brother soon, who was not that much taller.
Itachi met Satomi's gaze steadily. "There's no need to question your sister's discipline. If you cannot keep your inaccurate observations to yourself, then you are no longer welcome here."
Satomi was chagrined by the older man's words. Uchiha Itachi had become an idol of sorts for Sai's team. He was a comrade whose impressive strength challenged and encouraged them to become greater. The Hatake boy's fist clenched around the canteen. He had difficulty maintaining eye contact now.
The boy was many things, but he was not unreasonable. Decidedly observant for his age, he was a fourteen-year-old who had been called out by one whom he held great admiration for.
Hatake Satomi was embarrassed.
Kanna and Daiki grew silent. Tsubame was also quiet, abstaining from adding a fueling comment.
"I'm sorry," Satomi finally said. "Sometimes I get carried away." He turned to his sister. "I'm sorry, nechan."
Kanna smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "It's okay. You just miss me, right? That's why you tricked everyone into having your team volunteer and train here, so you would be closer to me."
Itachi watched, interest piqued, as Satomi's face reddened hotter than Kanna's ever had. His sister knew him well. And the two siblings were not dissimilar.
Daiki laughed at his brother when he stuttered over himself until smoke nearly came out of his ears. Tsubame snorted and threw herself back on the grass with a loud sigh.
Kanna giggled and the sound of it made Itachi glance at her. "Nechan will pay more attention to her little brother, 'kay?" She spoke in third person.
"What about me!" Daiki protested. "And Tsubame-chan!"
"Don't include me in your weird sibling obsession." Tsubame said such a thing, but she was smiling and intently staring at Kanna.
Kanna sagely nodded, patting Daiki's head. "Yes, yes, nechan will do better."
She was leaning into Daiki's side with the boy's arm around her shoulders. They were close, Itachi saw. That sort of relationship had lasted too few years with Sasuke. They could never again be as the Hatake siblings were. He recalled Sasuke's first steps, his first words, the first time he ever threw a kunai—and the first time Sasuke attacked him with the intent to kill—
"Itachi?" Kanna's face appeared in his line of sight. She was leaning in, smiling at him with a gentle curl of the lips and hands interwoven behind her back. "Would you like to head back now?" she said.
"Yes," he replied, somewhat distracted by her proximity.
Whilst Kanna dallied near the fields one day, the owner of an inner-village teahouse visited.
She was in her forties and often passed through Uchiha land. In the grove near the mountain grew herbs she found made excellent tea. She believed Itachi owned the grounds, so she thought it fair to give him a portion after each excursion.
She was Tamashine. Her auburn hair was long and tied together at the end with an emerald clip. She wore a simple yukata, but her beauty and grace were not lost to anyone.
Her mannerisms indicated she had once been a courtesan of an affluent house. Hoshigaki Kisame had frequented such establishments. He had found Itachi's devout disinterest amusing.
One day, she came with her regular offerings and asked if she and the stoic Uchiha could have tea together. They sat on the engawa, mostly in silence as they partook. Kanna excused herself to supervise Sai's students.
It was not until Tamashine's fourth visit that she told a tale of long ago, of youth and forced servitude under a cruel lord.
"I found a home in Konoha. I was saved many years ago."
"I see." Itachi sipped on bitter tea. Kanna began to store the honey in a location he could not find. When he asked, she insisted it was in the usual place. He did not care for bitter things or her lies.
The woman Tamashine lifted the sleeve of her kimono to her mouth. "I married a man for a short time. He passed last year."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Sasuke had not known that detail.
She smiled, never showing teeth. "Yes, quite sad. The time I spent with Yahiko-kun was the most precious of my life. I'll cherish the years I had with him, always."
Itachi had no words for that. He cherished little and all that was precious to him began and ended with Sasuke and his family.
"You are young, Itachi-san. Do you think you will ever marry?"
He answered negatively. "The path of my life will be as you see."
Tamashine covered a laugh with her sleeve. "Marriage has its uses."
Itachi thought of his parents. "I suppose so."
At the end of the visit, the feminine hands on her lap touched indexes before sliding along her thighs to her knees, bringing her torso down into a graceful bow. "Thank you for your time, Itachi-san. I will stop by again when I restock."
"Very well, Tamashine-san." He inclined his head politely and watched her go.
Not too far away from the engawa, Kanna kneeled by the garden. Her fingers tightened around a terracotta pot, displeased by the emotion stirring within her heart.
Spring was soon ending. Sasuke would return any day to welcome a new child.
Itachi continued to work on the property and balanced the company that came and went through the district. Time, he had more than enough of. And when there was an abundance of idle hours, undisturbed, Itachi did not evade the advent of visitors.
It was now not only Sasuke and Sarada whose company he awaited.
Today, there had been too much time. Itachi pulled his guardsman from her duties to practice the ghostly jutsu. He attempted to appeal to her taijutsu skills and have her strike him within a circular parameter, to see if he could defend against invisible attack.
She refused.
They settled for the typical game of guesswork. They overused the house, the field, and a few brooks.
Diverting, Kanna came up with the idea of hiding in a tree. Expanding the challenge, he proposed the territory increase to five trees. She was to locate at the base of branches, and he, speculating her position, was to land at center branch to avoid collision.
He recommended a low roundhouse to expel her technique. Noting her expression, he clarified there would be little force behind it.
"I will not harm you. You must dodge and continue to another branch. It will be your victory if I cannot tag you or your retreating position." She would have two chances to escape him.
She did not like the place-kick proposal, but she relented, if only to please him.
Itachi found himself standing in a meadow with surrounding trees, one of which Kanna was hidden in. The five trees predominantly encircled the meadow, so it was chosen to carry out the operation. Daises grew in haphazard patches throughout and it reminded him of when he first awakened. Songbirds trilled and their chirps carried in the wind.
The sharingan slowly traced every nook and cranny of the selected trees. The breeze rustled foliage and made branches sway. But which had Kanna selected? Ten minutes passed.
She was in her element. There was enough coverage to camouflage those without a formidable stealth technique. Many would be outmatched if they could not see or sense their opponent.
Many, but not an Uchiha.
Itachi flashed stepped on a branch whose angle had lowered two degrees. She should have stayed where she was. Slower than he ever had, he swooped down on his hands and swiped a leg in the direction of the trunk.
Kanna stopped herself from gasping with a chocked sound and jumped onto the adjacent tree.
Itachi easily followed her. "Your landing was heavy."
She appeared with a shy smile. "I got a little nervous."
"Nonsense," he said, "again." He closed his eyes to give her an advantage.
Used to his blatant honesty, Kanna nodded and activated her jutsu.
It took him thirty minutes to find her. They continued for two hours and were on their fifth round. It was likely because she was expending her chakra, but he spotted her within minutes and landed on the precise branch. She dodged the low kick and made it to another branch, which he simply followed her to, gaining another win. However, she jumped away again. And again.
Undeterred by Kanna's deliberate disregard for the rules, and her suppressed laughter, he followed her. Their landings were no longer calculated, and the branches shook under their weight. She could be as careless as her brothers.
He leapt toward the eighth branch she fled to. "Kanna, that is enough—"
Kanna screamed as the branch snapped beneath their feet. Itachi's eyes widened as he reached toward her but grasped only air.
He could not see her.
He landed in a crouch on the grass below. The branch crashed to the side but Itachi's sharingan fitfully searched the meadow. Where had she landed—was she wounded—
"Boo!" she laughed behind him.
He stood and turned to her, irritated. "You could have been injured and how would I find you?"
The intensity of his words shocked her. Her brown eyes widened, and her shoulders lifted as if scolded. "My…the jutsu dispels if I'm too hurt."
His red eyes narrowed into a glare. Her right leg was littered with glaring scraps, as if she had slid against the bark of the tree before she had gotten a grip midfall. The long scratches were teeming with small beads of blood. If she wore the chunin uniform, she could have been safe from harm.
The command to heal herself was heavy on his tongue, but he abstained if only to spare her pride. She was not in distress and had even been amused, endeavoring to startle him. It was his strict words that sobered her playful smile.
"I see," he said, calming. "Well done today." If he was not accustomed to her technique, he would not have found her as easily as he had.
Her smile returned, with the hint of unspoken understanding she indiscriminately gave to all.
"You, too," she said.
"I will head back. Do as you please," he said and made to turn. It was her lunch hour.
"Would you like to join me?" she spoke, catching up to his long strides. "My mother packed more than usual today." The Rokudaime's wife prepared afternoon meals for all her children, even the orphaned girl, who was more a part of their family than a teammate.
Kanna had never asked before. Famished these days, Itachi consented and followed her to a tree where she had stored her belongings. She ruffled through a small backpack.
He stood to the side, somewhat unsure of what to do.
She held up the bento and opened the lid. "Sweetened beef salad and rice. And look," with glee she pulled out a smaller container. "Dango!"
She set the containers aside so she could lay a blanket. "Come sit," she mumbled, patting the ground next to herself. He silently obeyed. "Here ya go," she said.
He took the bento as that was what she offered.
"Eat up. I get full with just these." She shook the smaller container.
Itachi stared as she happily took out a skewer with three colorful dango. He said, "Perhaps I could have one."
"Oh." She was hesitant, glancing back and forth between him and the rice sweet.
He looked at the packed meal in his hands. It was unlike her to withhold generosity. "Do you like them very much?" he asked.
"Do you?"
He said nothing. Outside of fruits, he had not consumed sweets in a very long time.
"Hm, okay," she mumbled. Instead of giving him one of the three skewers, she daintily pinched one ball and pulled it loose. With a smile, she presented it to him.
He quietly took the offering. "Thank you." He placed it in his mouth and closed his eyes. They were well done.
Itachi glanced at his companion when she began to giggle.
"I'm just kidding!" she said between breaths and offered an entire skewer.
"Are you laughing at me?" His inquiry prompted another round of chuckles and a smile pulled at his mouth. She often did this. He knew it was not at his expense. And nothing she did could ever be malevolent.
She found his stoic demeanor, at times, to be something humorous. Especially when he was confronted with circumstances in complete contrast to his personality. Those circumstances were becoming more and more frequent as she, her brothers and Soota persisted in inoculating themselves into Itachi's life.
They had lighthearted personalities. Itachi should have been decades older than them, but he was not. As it was, they were his peers. They, without thought, believed this to be true. Perhaps, Itachi deliberated, he could accept them as they were.
In another life, if the massacre had not happened, if he would have lived, those between Kakashi and Sasuke's generations would be his comrades. They would have been his friends. But now it was these relentless individuals that sought him.
It was Sai's team who amused him with their ridiculous theatrics. It was Soota who stood as his equal.
It was Kanna who—Itachi observed as she bit into a dango, eyes still creased in mirth, bopping her head in delight, enjoying her mother's cooking.
Itachi set the bento on the blanket and plucked the last skewer from its container, replacing it with the one she had teased him with.
"Hey!" she cried with laughter in her voice, mouth full.
Kanna was not his guardsman. She was an errand runner who gave more of herself than was required. She became a companion of sorts, a constant in Itachi's life, undisturbed by the outside world.
Thank you for reading! I hope the budding romance is to your liking.