After the Chuunin Exam, the Iwa duo tipped off my relatives. The sake-breath nobleman went to jail. The Kiri ninja got away, though. That was fine. As long as Itachi was okay.
I had wanted to congratulate Itachi after the Exam, but he was taken to the hospital before I had the chance.
I tried again, but I missed him at the hospital too. They told me Itachi had already been sent to the Hokage's office. It was so he could get his promotion. Supposedly you got new weapons and jackets. Shisui showed me his own chuunin pack once, bragging about how awesome the sword was.
So I tried again and missed him again. The people at the office told me Itachi had already left for some ceremony with the Daimyo. He ate with them, talking about politics and stuff. Shisui told me Itachi was hired as an escort for them.
I gave up after our clan stole him for a clan "party". My relatives had been in a good mood ever since Itachi's victory. It was weird since most had a permanent sour-face. Shisui, as Itachi's closest friend and my spy buddy, told me about the "party" too. You wear expensive clothes, drink expensive tea, and listen to old people talk. And bow a lot.
I was glad my dad and I were not invited.
I accepted I just wasn't going to see Itachi again. It'd be easier to forget about him, though, if the whole village weren't gossiping about him.
"Is it true that the royal family came to this Chuunin Exam?"
"Hey, I heard the winner this year was an Uchiha."
"No surprise there. They always win."
"Heard it was the future heir this time."
"No way! He's two years younger than us!"
"Isn't that the Uchiha girl from our school?"
"Oh yeah, I've seen her at lunch. She's not as interesting."
"Yeah, she's too normal."
"Shh, she'll hear."
I ignored the picnicking girls and focused on Gin. He was hurting another poor tree in Konoha's park.
I leaned back on a log. Fanning myself, I counted the times his kunai hit the tree.
"That's fifty," I said.
Gin was panting. "I told you to stop counting at one hundred!"
With new determination, he gathered his kunai. But one kunai was stuck in the tree, wedged in deeper than the rest. Even when he dug his feet against the bark, it would not come out.
"Some help, Ayae?"
I jogged over. I yanked on the handle of the kunai with him. No good. The kunai was planted in.
"How hard did you throw?"
"Just pull!" he said. "On three!"
I nodded and gripped, one hand on the handle, the other around Gin's hand. "One… Two… THREE!"
I slammed my foot into the bark and pulled as hard as I could. The kunai slid out. Unfortunately, while the kunai flew out, we fell down.
My head crashed into the grass. Gin made a thump next to me. Sunbeams scattered. I squinted. My eyes widened. Gin's kunai was coming straight at my face.
Something whooshed out and caught the kunai midair. I scrambled up. I saw the little beast that caught Gin's kunai.
"Are you two alright?" Hana asked, taming the other two puppies on her leash.
Gin punched his deflated hat. "Ugh, yeah. Hey! Tell that mutt to give it back!" He pointed to the furry creature.
The puppy snarled at Gin before running off.
Gin snatched the leash in time, only to be dragged off like dead weight, sliding in the dirt.
I sweatdropped. "Gin's just going training crazy again. But Hana, what are you doing here?"
Hana smirked. She showed me her two other, more obedient, puppies. "Walking them. They are my responsibility. Say hello to the Grey Triplets, Haimaru Sankyoda. Whoa—!"
The two dogs tackled me, tails wagging. I fell to the grass with them licking me. I laughed.
"EEek!"
We jerked our heads. Hana's stray dog was sending food flying at the nearby picnic. Gin tried to stop the puppy. He wasn't succeeding. The puppy bounced around, making Gin skid in the grass.
"Oh no. I— wait, aren't those upperclassmen from our school?" Hana watched her dog pounce on top of each girl.
The puppy sniffed a cup of berry sauce. He dropped the kunai in his mouth to lick the sauce.
He jumped into the lap of one of the girls, nuzzling her belly. Although hysterical before, the girls found that super cute. They took turns lifting him up.
"Aww, what a cutie."
"Look at those eyes!"
Hana's puppy ate more sauce while the girls cradled him.
Hana lowered an eyebrow.
With a startled whine, the puppy was sent flying out of the girls' laps. He was dragged across the grass on his butt.
"I believe this is mine, and this is yours." A dirt-caked Gin took back his kunai and gave Hana the leash. The puppy growled.
Gin went back to practice.
Hana let her puppies roam. The mischievous one earlier liked to chase Gin's kunai whenever he missed. He would catch the handle in his mouth and bring it back to Gin.
Hana relaxed with me at the log.
"That feels really nice. Where did you get it?" She pointed to my fan.
"It's a present!" I said.
She flipped the fan back and forth, before raising both eyebrows at the gush of wind.
"Interesting. Who gave it to you?" she said, inhaling the air.
"My cousin. He got it from the Wind country."
"Rich cousin." Bringing the fan to her nose, Hana sniffed the wood. "A lot of foreign scents. It even has traces of bougainvillea from the south and cypress from the north. The bamboo and silk are from the Rice country, judging from this quality. And this pigment is a mixture of ruddy sediments and black ore mined in Snow. Anywhere else, it would have that strong metallic odor to it and not deep of a color. But these chakra strings are definitely strung in the Wind country, because no other country has that business."
I gawked. "How did you know all that?"
Hana pointed to her nose. "See this? I've got over two and a half thousand smells memorized after studying with my parents. I'm aiming to reach ten thousand someday. All those smells are herbs and roots used for treating ailments at my parent's vet, so it was easy to pick them up. But for a fan to have traveled through all those places, it must have been one expensive thing on the market."
I snickered. "Hana, my cousin clings to his money like a monkey to his bananas. Not that your nose ain't amazing, but I don't think it's pricey."
Hana was surprised. "Ah, I'm still learning. Maybe the person selling it didn't know its worth. That, or it was made, not bought."
"Make? He can't even braid hair. And he's never been to Rice or Snow or any of those places. The only person I even know who has is—"
I stopped.
Itachi.
"Shoot, what time is it?!"
I hopped up, looking for my backpack.
"Around six? Why?"
"Oh no, I'm going to miss him!"
"Hey, where are you going?" Gin asked. The puppy next to him looked at me too, a kunai in his mouth.
"Sorry, but I have to go!" I was already running down the path.
I took two steps at a time down the stony stairwell of death. I ran out of the park and into the Konoha market district. Then the entertainment district.
Okay, maybe I had not entirely given up on seeing Itachi yet. Shisui had knocked on my window this morning. He had a plan to sneak me into Itachi's ridiculous schedule. He handed me a piece of paper and told me to meet him there after his police duties today.
From my pocket, I took out the piece of paper. On it was a map showing the spot we were supposed to meet up. Looking around, I found a small corner shop. The shop sign matched the name on my paper.
The door chimed.
"Shisui, sorry I'm la—" I closed my mouth.
Unlike the hustle and bustle outside, the cafe was very quiet. It was dim from the shades. I saw a shogi match in the back between two old men. A teenager was reading a book by the window. Three visitors from Iwa, judging by their clothes, were sharing tea.
I stood out of place, flushed and gasping, having run across the village.
I looked around for Shisui. Why did he pick to meet here?
Thinking he was running late, I took a stool at the bar. I stared up at the menu above.
My eye twitched. Okay. Tea shop. Of course they would sell tea.
"What would you like, little miss?" the lady at the counter asked, wiping a cup. I liked her voice, melodic and soothing like the rest of the cafe. The lady also looked a little like Aunt Mikoto, only with fanned hair and a mole on the corner of her mouth.
"A drink please," I said, thinking of a glass of lemonade.
The lady placed the cup down and asked, "What kind will that be? Green tea? Black? White?"
I blinked. There was such a thing as white tea? All the tea I knew was murky or moldy colored.
Seeing my confusion, the lady said, "Okay, little miss, tell me what taste suits you. Light or heavy?"
"Light."
"Sweet or unsweet?"
"Sweet."
"Hot or cold?"
"Cold." Extra cold.
"Herbal?"
"Um..." Herbs? Plants? What?
"Do you want it to smell flowery?" she tried again.
"Sure!" I said.
"Iced sparkling jasmine?" came a voice beside me.
"I was thinking the same thing," the lady said, smiling. "Would you like a serving of that, little miss?"
"I guess—"
I did a double take at the person sitting next to me and nearly fell down. My stool wobbled, loud and clanking. I gripped the counter. The person next to me also extended a foot to lock the stool in place.
"Where did you come from?" I asked, burying my face in my embarrassment.
Itachi looked at me with a funny expression.
Thinking he did not hear me, I repeated, "I said, where—"
"I've been here, Ayae," Itachi said. He put his cup down, his fingers laced around it for warmth. I could tell from the vapor that his drink was hot. "But I believe a better question would be, why are you here?"
"I… uhh…"
Okay. Think, Ayae, think. Why was I here? Right, to meet Shisui.
Why was I meeting Shisui? To talk about... oh.
I could not tell Itachi that I came to talk about him. That would be embarrassing. Damn, I needed to lie.
Itachi waited.
I was tongue-tied. "Because Shisui… well I came to see him because he… kinda said… I mean, we were supposed to— he wanted to show me—!"
While I tried to think of a believable lie, Itachi turned to the lady. He pointed to something on the menu. "One please."
"Anything else?"
"The special."
"Three forty five."
Itachi slid several bills across the counter. The lady counted, before going toward the back to prepare. If my brain wasn't too busy steaming, I would be dropping my jaw at the price. Three hundred and forty five ryou?
"He lied," Itachi told me.
I stopped sputtering. "Huh?"
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Shisui. Is he anywhere in sight?"
I blinked. Slowly I realized.
Wait a minute, no no no—!
"But he said he'd be there!" I said.
"I doubt that, Ayae. Shisui is attending a police meeting at this time."
"Police meeting?! He lied to me!"
"I believe we've established that," Itachi said. "I do find it an odd coincidence, though, that he requested you to meet him at this particular location at this particular time. Especially since he was aware of the fact he would not be able to make it. Why would he do that?"
Great, Itachi caught on.
"I have no idea!" I lied, laughing loudly. "Do you?"
Itachi smiled. "I'm sure he has his reasons."
The lady presented Itachi with a platter.
"Your order."
"Thank you." To me, Itachi asked softly, "Will you be staying nonetheless?"
"I guess," I said, giving in.
Well, Shisui, congratulations. You did it. You finally got Itachi and me in the same room.
Now what.
Itachi slid the platter toward me. "I'm glad then. It's been a long time." On the platter between us were desserts. "Try one. You'll be surprised."
Since I had nothing to say anyway, I took up his offer and grabbed a cake. It was the size of a coin, powdered with dark brown and white. There was a swirl of a leaf in powder. I popped the cake in my mouth and bit down.
I got hit with bitter cocoa. I was ready to spit it out. Then a creamy center melted in my mouth. Other spices came in, like cinnamon.
I sank in my chair, toes curled.
"This is ama—!" I closed my mouth and swallowed. "This is amazing! It's better than cheesecake! Well, it'd be better without the brown stuff."
"Without some bitterness, the center is not nearly as sweet."
"Like chocolate!" I nodded, getting what he was saying. I looked for another cake. I tried one with half of a strawberry capping the top. I loved strawberries.
I saw a cup in front of me. I drank. "Hey, this isn't that sparkling whatever thing," I said, realizing the drink was warm.
"Isn't it sweet?"
"Yeah! What is it?"
"Green tea."
I stopped and looked at the cup in my hands. "But green tea is bitter," I said.
"Tea is surprisingly pleasant after dessert, even the most bitter. Try another."
I did not need to be told twice, already biting down on a cake with pudding in the middle.
"So which did you enjoy the most?" Itachi asked, taking a cake for himself.
"Definitely the first," I said, on my fifth, a mochi this time.
"Why?"
"Don't know. They are all good, but the first one was too…"
"Too perfect to ignore?"
"You knew that one was the best, didn't you!"
"You chose it, not me."
I drank more of the tea. The tea did not taste that bad. Fine, even the tea was perfect. Ten out of ten.
I watched Itachi watch me back.
"So, why are you here?" I asked.
After a pause, he said, "I come here seeking solace."
"Oh." I picked up another cake.
"Unfortunately," he continued, twirling his tea, "since it seems our nosy cousin discovered this place, and now you know of it as well, it might be time to relocate."
I dropped my cake. Without thinking, I blurted, "Hey! So you can avoid me again?"
I was too loud. Heads turned in the cafe.
He looked surprised at my outburst.
"Why are you upset?" He reached out a hand but stopped himself. Instead, he let his fingers weave around his cup.
For some reason, his words made me angrier. Why was I upset? Was that not obvious?
My legs crossed painfully at the ankle. "I don't know, Itachi," I said sarcastically.
"Ayae—"
"You know why!" I said. "Prodigy of the Uchiha clan can't figure out why I'm mad? It ain't that hard!"
The cup in his grip cracked. Although the room was chilly, his tea did not seem to cool, only evaporate quicker.
When his grip on the cup was gone, the steam vanished.
"Excuse me."
Itachi stood up, making his way to the exit.
I jumped out of my own seat. The platter toppled over the edge, sending desserts all over the floor and knocking my cup over the counter. Tea dripped down my seat and onto the floors.
"Wait!"
I found myself in the spotlight. Even the teenager had her eyes on me, deciding we were more interesting than her novel.
The door chimed. Twice.
The air shifted. I was back in the ruckus of the streets and the hot, humid air. Itachi did not look back, ignoring my calls.
"Wait!" I screamed, pushing the people blocking my way.
When I was close, within reach of him, I grabbed onto something, hoping it would stop him.
I could have grabbed his shoulder. His shirt. His hand. Hell, I could have jumped for his leg and pulled him down with me. Instead, I drew the new chuunin-issued sword on his back.
I didn't know why. It was stupid to think I could play a game of catch-me-if-you-can with him and run the other way.
But I desperately wanted his attention. And I got it, along with the attention of everyone on the street.
The tip of the katana touched the back of his neck.
"I said wait."
It was so quiet that I could hear leaves rustling in the wind. All eyes were on me, the girl who drew a weapon out in the open street.
Itachi tensed, his fingers twitching.
I felt a surge at that. Anxiety, fear, excitement. Like a hunter walking into the red for the thrill of it, never knowing what might happen to him. Or an actress on the stage, who might make a mistake in front of a crowd.
But maybe it was pretend-danger after all. The hunter knew his chances of injury were rare. The actress knew failure was not the end of the world. I knew Itachi would not hurt me.
His shoulders lost tension. His head turned toward me. The katana brushed against his neck as he did so, but he saw no threat, taking the tip of the katana in his fingers.
He could not hide the concern in his eyes.
"Ayae, please drop the sword," he said.
I tightened my grip. "Not until you promise to not go."
Closing his eyes, he repeated, "Drop the sword."
"And if I don't?"
His eyes reopened at half mast. "What do you expect to accomplish?" he asked. His hand left the katana, causing the blade to land at the crook of his neck and shoulder.
I winced, confused as to why I was more worried about accidentally hurting him than he was.
"I…"
I almost leaped back when Itachi walked toward me, the edge of the blade grazing against his skin. "If I don't, are you going to kill me?" he asked.
"What!"
My eyes widened when his hands clasped over mine, controlling the unsteady blade. He could have ripped my hands off the katana. Instead, he held my hands, tilting the sword so it dug deeper into his skin. My arms were forced to lower, closing in our distance. I realized with fear that I lost all control. I could not pull the blade away from Itachi no matter how much I struggled.
Meanwhile, we were close enough that I could feel his breath at my ear. Embarrassed, I opened my mouth to ask for space, but my words were gone. My brain stopped. My chest tightened. My heart raced.
I should yell at him to back off. I should struggle against his grip, to save him from cutting himself. But I froze, not knowing why Itachi's closeness caused me to feel weird. I had never been this flushed. The hotter Itachi's breath was, the more my ears burned.
"I asked, are you going to kill me, Ayae?"
"W-what?" I looked into his eyes and felt a knot of panic.
There was something wrong with Itachi. The katana was so close to him. It was going to hurt him.
I yanked the sword away. He let go.
I stumbled back, the tip of the katana drawing an arc in the dirt. I backed away, dragging the sword in the street. I stared at the unbroken skin at his neck, the lining where the blade pressed against him.
Something was wrong. This was not Itachi. This was someone else, some ghost who would just fade away like… like… mom. Who was never coming back. My dad always told me of her, but no matter how many stories he told, my mom's face faded. Not just a little. I felt like another piece of her was gone with every passing day.
I could not let Itachi fade like mom. He could not. He would not.
I caught my thoughts and shook my head. What, no. How could I believe that Itachi would hurt himself?
No. I took his weapon, and this must be Itachi's strange way of teaching me a lesson. By scaring me.
I looked at the katana in my hand. This was not a toy. My dad did not even let me touch a kitchen knife.
I bit my lips, wondering what to do. Unlike Gin, who would charge at me and take away the katana by force, or Tamaki, who would try to persuade me with clever words, or Ayame, who would ask kindly and make me feel guilty, Itachi got me scared. He coldly slapped me from the delusion that I had any control over myself, let alone him.
He had trapped me, now waiting for me to drop the katana and run. He made me realize I could not fight him. And that...
That was just...evil!
Lips pursed, I stared at Itachi. Still, I was going to put up a fight anyway.
He was not leaving. I was not giving up. I slammed the blade into the dirt, digging it in a few good centimeters.
Without warning, I locked my foot against the edge of the blade to keep it from slipping and pressed down against the hilt. To my delight, the blade began to bend.
"Itachi, promise you will not leave me anymore, or I'll break your new katana."
My grin widened when Itachi's expression changed.
"Well?"
I could not beat Itachi at his mind-screwing games. So I was tossing out his gaming board and laying out my game, the one-way, yes or no, stupidity game, in which you had to be a stubborn idiot to win.
And we both knew I could do stupid things. I could throw temper tantrums, and I was not afraid of letting one loose. I put more of my weight on the katana, making it stretch. Soon, it would snap.
Alerted, Itachi stepped forward.
"Come closer and I'm breaking it!" Half way on the second step, I pressed down harder, to keep him at bay. I was serious.
He stopped, staring at the weapon, looking for ways to safely take the sword away.
I did not wait around for him to find a way out. "Itachi, promise me."
"Ayae, stop this."
"I will, if you promise me."
The sword was arcing sharply now. It could see that Itachi was worried about that.
I did not see what could be so hard. Neither one of us wanted the katana to break. It would get us both in trouble. But if Itachi said the words I wanted to hear, then we would both be happy.
But he had to force his next words out, straining to keep himself distant. "I can't do that," he said. "Let go of the katana, and I'll give you anything but that."
That got me interested.
"Anything?" I asked. Anything, after all, is a lot of possible things. I was not serious about his offer, but I was curious.
"Anything," Itachi said, hopeful.
I took the bait, and in a sing-song voice, said, "So… free meal at Suzuki's?" Suzuki's was Tamaki's favorite place to eat, with mad prices of five hundred ryou per person.
"Yes."
"Bicycle?"
That was a yes.
"Can I get a new in-style kimono on top of that?"
Another yes.
I upped the ante. "Actually, I changed my mind. I want a necklace. It had orange and red gems, but it was too pricey," I hinted, thinking maybe Itachi did not know the prices. "I lost track of the number of digits…"
When Itachi agreed, I raised an eyebrow, wondering how expensive this katana was. "On second thought, I think the diamonds were prettier. Can you get it for me?" Okay, there was no way he would—
"Yes."
"Can you afford it?"
"Is that what you want?"
"If I say yes…?"
"I'll steal it if I must."
Goody-two-shoes, son of the police chief, and newly made chuunin stealing a diamond necklace. That picture did not add up. Itachi was lying.
"Would it be easier if you named a price?" Itachi sighed.
That was when I realized money was not going to cut it. I could ask for a million ryou and Itachi would promise to rob a nobleman.
What was with this katana? Some ancient Uchiha heirloom that I was not aware of? I thought it was just a plain chuunin-issued blade, so what would be making Itachi agree to these stupid demands? I continued, making them sillier.
"What if I asked you to kiss that lady over there?" I asked, seeing how far I could take this.
Itachi was not amused. "If that is what you want."
"Nah, I meant Shisui," I teased, trying to hold in my laughter. I could tell Itachi was going along with this to see if I would slip and give him an opening.
"Let go of the blade and bring our cousin over here," he said. "I would gladly do so and murder him while I am at it, for causing this dilemma in the first place."
Okay, that was tempting. Really tempting. I hated Shisui at first, but now I thanked him for getting me and Itachi together like this.
"You wouldn't murder me if I made you kiss me, would you?" I laughed, not realizing what I had said until it was too late. I snapped shut my mouth. I hoped he had not caught that.
He did.
Well, that was embarrassing.
Shaking my head, I decided to drop the kissing thing, wondering if there was anything else I could think of that would make Itachi say no. That was, until I noticed that he never did reply.
Itachi kept his lips sealed, dropping his gaze and focusing on the bending sword.
I was insulted! He would agree to plant one on Shisui but not me? Okay, a million things wrong with that question.
Sighing, Itachi said, "Would that make you let go?" When I did not say anything, he closed his eyes. He was too tired to deal with my game anymore. "I see. Very well then."
My eyes widened.
Oh no, no, no. No. Hell no.
Then again, it was not a bad deal. To brag that I kissed the winner of the Chuunin Exam. It'd be a jaw dropper at school. And a get back at the princess. Plus, Itachi was not too—
What was I thinking.
"NO!" I blurted out, stopping him in his tracks. I must be crazy to give up everything for something as stupid as a kiss. Disgusting, germy spit. Disgusting, germy spit, I reminded myself. "No, no, no! It wouldn't! Forget all that. Forget everything. Deal's off. I just want the promise."
I breathed when Itachi stopped.
"Just the promise," I sighed, forcing a smile.
But he stayed still, his bangs hiding his eyes. I waited for a response, but he made none.
"I just want your promise to stay," I said. Come on, I was giving up diamonds here.
"I can't," he said, his voice seaming with... anger?
The idea of Itachi being angry scared me. His eyes were closed, his jaw shut, his hand in a fist at his side. I watched his fist, my heart was in a panic.
Frowning, I told him, "You aren't good at lying, you know that? You so can! Then I'll give you back the katana."
More silence.
My hands were pressed so hard against the hilt that it hurt. Yet, I held on tighter, frustrated that he would not say two simple words.
Why? "Why don't you just promise?" It was not as if I was asking him to give me the moon. Two words. That was all.
My knuckles turned white, my fingers numb. "Just promise me, Itachi!"
He kept his silence.
Could he not hear how desperate I was? I was not complaining but pleading now.
Time ticked away. We were at a standstill. Neither of us would give in any further.
The silence released the steam within me. After an eternity, I wanted to forget it. I wanted to let go. Walk away and return to my friends. Maybe this was not worth it. Had this been someone else, I would have long tossed the katana aside and went back to the park where Gin and Hana might still be waiting for me.
It was painfully obvious Itachi would not make such a simple promise. I had some hope that since he was not taking action, he might have been considering it. No lightning moves, no clones, no genjutsu. He could have knocked me off my feet and taken the blade before I broke it, but he did not. That made me think there was a chance he wanted to come back too, and I just needed to give him a nudge.
I had hoped that he would stay, that we could be friends again like old times, but nothing I say or do would. Not even this.
Itachi was silent and listless. I was frustrated and defeated. This was not worth it.
I gave up.
He seemed shocked. Even I was not expecting to give up first.
As if we entered some agreement, his fist unclenched and my grip loosened. I let the sword go back to its former shape, bit by bit. He stepped closer to me.
If this was a game, I lost. Or maybe, we both lost.
"Why. Why won't you promise," I asked when we were together again. I sounded like a deflated balloon.
"Why do you want me to." His voice was dry.
My fingers were numb when he took my hand and pulled the katana away.
The blade was crooked and ruined. Instead of returning the katana to its sheath, Itachi tossed it high into the air behind him. I winced when the tip made impact with roof tiles, the sword jutting into the sky somewhere far away.
The weapon safely out of reach, Itachi returned to me. He lifted my hands and flipped them inward. "Your palm is red. Do you want to treat—"
"No!" I jerked away from him. I stepped back, wanting him to get out of my face. For some reason, Itachi's kindness hurt. Why bother when he would just disappear?!
I wanted to scream, cry, and hit Itachi over and over again, cursing at him. It was becoming harder to keep my eyes dry.
I backed away. I blinked back the tears and calmed myself.
I lost.
I lost, but I refused to let it end there.
Closing my eyes, I spoke, my voice in the same deflated tone, though coarser. "My dad always says that if you can't speak your mind, you find some other way. He said my mom wrote children's stories, and that was her way of letting others know herself."
I peeked through one eye and saw that Itachi was listening. Encouraged, I went on, my hands laced behind my back.
"Once upon a time, I met a boy who said he was going to become a ninja. He had a nice mother, who could bake the best cookies ever, but a mean father, who would never let him play with me.
"He was my friend. My first friend here. One day, he left to go training to become a ninja. I was okay with that and waited. And waited and waited. But he never came back. I still waited even after I had other friends to play with. It was a long time, but I kept on waiting because I thought he would come back someday."
"Ayae—"
"But then," I said, keeping my eyes closed. "But then, I learned that I did not have to wait anymore. I heard he became a ninja. It was happy news, because I thought he would finally come back. And he did. But, the person who came back was not him."
I opened my eyes and stared into Itachi's. "Do you know what happened to that boy? The one with the nice mother but mean father? Because you aren't him. The real Itachi would promise to stay with me. The real Itachi was the one who braided my hair and stayed by my side to watch me dance."
I turned my back.
"Please tell me when my friend comes back. I miss him. It hurts that he's gone."
Itachi did not try to stop me from leaving.
Time moved again. I broke out of the little world that trapped Itachi and me together. I ignored the stares and whispers.
I passed the tea shop. The teenager leaned against the window, her book tucked away on her lap. She looked at me with a mix of amusement and pity. Did she hear some of my yells on the street? Or was this still about the spilled food?
Having enough, I ran.
I zigzagged the streets, turning from one to the next without thinking. Before I knew it, I was at the southern entrance of the park. I slowed down, thinking I could spend time on a bench and calm myself.
Someone shouted my name. There were barks.
I was surprised to see Gin, Hana, and three puppies jogging down the same path. They jumped on me.
"AYAE! You missed it, man! Two hundred, ten blindfolded, and thirty two in a ROW," Gin bragged after punching my arm. "You can ask her if you don't believe me! She and the mutts all saw me." Gin's grin spread wider as he rambled on.
I came around. "T-that's sweet!" I said.
Gin nodded, lifting his cap and waving it in the air. "You can expect your butt to be kicked tomorrow at school. Ten, Ayae, ten!"
I let him go on, rolling my eyes and adjusting the strap of my backpack to keep from fidgeting.
Hana pushed Gin aside. "Yeah, yeah, show offy pants. Glad to know you can count. We'll see if the guys don't get their butts handed to them tomorrow."
Hana pulled me aside. She made me walk in front while a mellow Gin strolled behind.
Once he was out of earshot, she asked, "What's wrong?"
I blinked. I opened my mouth. "N-nothing! Of course, I don't believe Gin at all. I mean, his last record was twelve. Did he really get thirty two—"
Hana slapped me. Literally. Owie.
"Okay, what happened? You have such a miserable look that I assumed you escaped a blender. Plus, I smell tears."
"You can't smell tears!" I said.
"Yes. Yes, I can. So stop lying to me."
"I can't. Lying runs in the family," I said sarcastically.
Hana growled. The puppies bobbled their heads back and forth to follow our talk. They copied Hana and growled as well.
Ignoring how outnumbered I was, I sighed. "Really. Nothing."
"I won't tell anyone. Now what is it? Is it a bully, because—" She cracked her knuckles.
"No! No, it wasn't! It's nothing! I'm fine! See?" I did a double thumbs-up.
She did not buy my act, giving me an unimpressed look.
When she saw that I was not going to spill, she wrinkled her nose.
"Fine, don't tell me. I just hope it wasn't your cousin who did this to you."
I froze. "W-what?"
How did she know?
She grinned. "So I'm not wrong." From her backpack, she took something out. "You left this behind. Bougainvillea from south, cypress from north, and one distinct human scent that you currently reek of."
Hana handed it back to me. My fan.
