Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Who knew... ❯ 2.PRICELESS ( Chapter 2 )

2. PRICELESS

 

After dinner, Sasuke insisted that Asuka looked at his toys and books and jutsu scrolls. The girl followed little Sasuke-chan right after she had helped Mikoto-san tiding the kitchen, which didn't take long, as Itachi was helping, too. While Mikoto was checking upon Sasuke's preparative for bed time, she was stuck in the kitchen with the stoic boy. `I never thought about Uchiha Itachi sweeping…it's like…like Kakashi-sempai burning all his dirty orange books…but after all, it's real, Uchiha Itachi is really sweeping.' And while she was doing the washing up, Itachi was thinking the very same things about Asuka. After all, they were the only 13 years-old in the Anbu, and she was just as skilled as he was. “Nee-chan! Asuka nee-chan!” came a loud cry from another room. “Yes Sasuke-chan, I'm coming, just let me dry my hands.” Itachi passed her a towel. She took it, but in her mind she thought that that was another thing to add to her “Uchiha Itachi is human after all” list.

 

She sat on Sasuke's bed until he fell asleep. He had shown her all his scrolls, which had once belonged to his beloved nii-san, and of which he was extremely fond of.

It was 9.30pm, not late, but Sasuke had had a tiring day, and needed to sleep. He was the cutest bundle she had ever seen, all wrapped up in his bed sheets. He wouldn't fall asleep, and eventually did it just after Itachi had kissed him goodnight.

 

The storm, which on the news had been defined typhoon, was getting worse every minute. Now heavy hailstones were falling, and Mikoto-san had refused that Asuka went outside.

 

Itachi, Mikoto and Asuka sat around the kotatsu; Itachi was writing, Mikoto was watching TV and Asuka was reading a book she had bought in a bookshop on the road for Konoha. It was a quite interesting novel, but she seemed stuck on that very sentence since Itachi had sat at the table. Every time she seemed to finish it, Itachi's pen would give a *screeeeek* and she had to start from the beginning for the…she didn't know, it was like the twentieth time.

 

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. “Who would be out with such a storm? Itachi, dear, go and see. Were you expecting somebody?” “No, kaa-san.” Replied Itachi standing up and heading to the door. “Itaaaachi!! Will you open the door? It's like being in hell out of here!” somebody yelled from the outside. Itachi just smirked and replied, calmly as ever “Coming, Shisui, coming…” he opened the door, and a freezing Shisui entered the Uchiha's kitchen. “Good evening, Mikoto-san…Hei Itachi, I just wanted to tell you that tomorr…” “Hello, Shisui-kun.” Shisui turned around just to see a smiling Asuka in front of him. His lips curved into a big smile; he began blushing slightly, and, for the first time in thirteen years, Itachi could swear it, Shisui was stuttering “G…good evening…A…Asuka-chan…how…how did your m-mission go?” “Quite fine, Shisui, thank you! And what about you? How is the special training you were talking to me about?” Itachi arched a brow. Special training? Shisui wasn't through any “special training”…Just what did Shisui say to that girl? No…that was not the question…*WHY* did Shisui know the Yoshizumi girl? And how long, and in what kind of relationship were they in? it was surprising how fast all these thoughts flashed into the Uchiha's prodigy mind…and also more surprising is how he managed to keep that expressionless expression of his, when inside is mind he was completely, utterly confused. Shisui, between a stutter and an “Ahm”, managed to say something that made at least a few sense, even if Itachi could understand that he was making things bigger than they were, and it was so evident that he didn't even need to use his Sharingan to detect it. The point Itachi was missing, and Itachi *hates* to miss something, was why was Shisui trying to look cool in front of the Yoshizumi girl.

Why? Just why were they chatting like they were close friends and ignoring him completely? Itachi being ignored? He had never experienced being ignored in his whole lifetime. He had been hated, admired, loved, feared, respected…but never, never never never…never had he been ignored. His ego couldn't stand that for much longer, definitely. Mikoto, from her seat, didn't really pay attention to what the three teens were doing; she was far too interested ion whether Brooke would have accepted Ridge's proposal or not to see one of the most peculiar sight ever. Uchiha Itachi, THE Uchiha Itachi, being put aside by his best friend Uchiha Shisui, the one who was always second to him, the one who was known as “Uchiha Itachi's best friend”, as “the other young Uchiha”, and nothing more. What exactly did Shisui have that *he* didn't? After all, he had been kind enough to the girl, he had also told her that she could not use the honorific title when talking to him. He had spoke to her, and she had blushed (oh, no, Uchiha Itachi wasn't one not to notice things), she had seen him without his shirt on, something that all his fan girls would have died for, and she had just blushed…just blushed! When EVERY girl would have gone berserk and screamed and sang about his legendary beauty…she just blushed. He had been kind to her, kinder than he would have normally been to a girl, even if she was the Yoshizumi heir, and she seemed to begin to get lost in his charm…and now she was putting him aside to talk to *Uchiha Shisui*??? Action was needed, Itachi decided. And so he spoke.

 

“Shisui…by the way, what did you come here for?” Shisui was still talking to that Yoshizumi girl, and when he heard Itachi clearing his throat he stopped and turned to his friend/cousin.

 

“Y…yes, Itachi? What did you say ?”. Again, if Itachi were the kind that rolls his eyes, he would have, again.

“I asked you, Shisui, just what you came here for.” Shisui opened his mouth to speak, as if it had been the most obvious thing on earth, and…and…said nothing. He closed his mouth, closed his eyes, and held his chin, while assuming a thoughtful expression.

 

“Let's see…what did I come here for…what did I come here for? I guess…I had to tell you something…I guess.”.

 

“This is rather obvious, Shisui.”

 

After a few seconds of thinking, Shisui opened his eyes, and stared at Itachi's onyx ones. “I'm sorry, Itachi. I think I forgot.”. Itachi was speechless…Asuka felt a sudden, irresistible need to laugh, but being a shinobi and being taught to keep your emotions for yourself (as she was trying to convince herself ), she resisted.

 

“You forgot? Shisui! You mean that you came here challenging the typhoon and …and you forget what you did it for?”. Shisui looked offended. “Why…yes, it seems so. I forgot.”. Itachi offered nothing more than an arched brow to express all his disbelief. “Hn. So you don't know what you're here for. And it's quite late, Shisui. What about you go home and you think about it, so that you can tell me tomorrow?” Itachi suggested. Shisui nodded. “Yup. Wait! I may come and tell you as soon as I remember!” this seemed a very good idea to the boy, because if it was something important…Shisui studied Itachi's blank expression. They had been friends (or as close to friends as Uchiha Itachi would allow) forever, and he had learnt how to interpret every seemingly non-existent movement of Itachi's face. “Oh, alright. Then what about I call you on the phone and…” “Shisui, you'd better go to bed now, and sleep on it. Tomorrow it'll be fine. If you forgot it means that nobody's life is pending on it.” Said Itachi, escorting Shisui back to the door. “Yeah…ok Itachi. Goodnight Mikoto-san! G…goodnight Asuka-chan…hope to see you soon…” “Goodnight Shisui-kun, and pay attention outside.” “Oh, don't worry…I live next door…so…g…goodnight, Asuka-chan…hope to see you soon…” “Yes, Shisui we understood. Now go, it's late. Goodnight.” Said Itachi pushing his friend outside.

 

There was a moment of silence, and then Itachi looked at Asuka. “Shisui-kun, right? And why I am `Itachi-san'?”

 

“W…well, just because I now him better than you. But don't mind, maybe one day I will call you Itachi-*chan* so that you won't be *jealous* anymore.” Asuka mocked him, grinning. She was beginning to feel at ease with the boy, after all. Good, in a next mission it might turn useful, because being around someone you don't really know or trust is just additional worry, which really isn't needed in the ANBU kind of mission.

 

Mikoto had now raised and was heading to her bedroom, eyelids almost closed, when she reminded of the dark haired girl standing in the kitchen.

 

“Asuka-chan, I suppose you won't be able to go home tonight. I'll have the guestroom prepared, so that you'll have a place to sleep.” She explained to the girl, rubbing her eyes.

 

“Thank you very much, Mikoto-san. You are very kind!” said the girl smiling kindly.

 

“Ok, Itachi, would you accompany her to the room once I'm done? It won't take long.”

“Hai, kaa-san. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Mikoto-san, and arigato.”

“Goodnight Itachi, goodnight Asuka-chan.”

And after that, she disappeared in the maze of corridors of the Uchiha mansion.

 

The two were left in the kitchen, and soon silence enveloped them. Each seemed to be thinking that the other would be speaking first, or at least was Asuka, regretting her boldness in calling Itachi “jealous”. Itachi seemed at ease with silence, and besides he had found a very interesting spot of the floor to look at. Actually, he was thinking about Shisui's stuttering, and what it might have been caused by. Shisui had has crushes before, but he always told him (not that it interested him, though), and definitely, he wouldn't stutter. Was it a new kind of crush, or was it something else? Let's think, when do people stutter? When they're afraid…ok, when they are embarrassed, but it's rather obvious…Itachi really didn't know. After all, he had *never* stuttered, and to be honest, he hated both people stuttering and the word stuttering itself. If you stutter you are weak, right? Because it means that you are not self confident and are easily scared by stronger people, and letting your weakness or moment of weakness show by stuttering was equivalent to ask to your enemy “hey, why don't you kill me now instead of making me wait??”. At least that's what Itachi thought, because being not one to stutter he couldn't really know. But, again, being Itachi the Itachi we know, his suppositions are always right. Ah, the brain of a genius. Anyway, he would clear that stuttering thing as soon as he had a few moments with Shisui.

 

“How long do you know Shisui?” asked Itachi, trying to look as if his was just an attempt to conversation, and nothing more, really.

“Mmm…well, it's less than one year (`one year! One year and he never told me! Shisui, I wasn't expecting this of you' Itachi thought). I met him one day that he was playing with Sasuke-chan at the park. Speaking of which,” and here her tone grew colder and colder, “I believe I've never seen you playing at the park with Sasuke-chan. He really cares about, you know, about your judgement, about your attention…about you.” She was quite worried for Sasuke, and now she had the chance to speak to Itachi about it.

 

“I do go to the playground with Sasuke, you know. Not very often, though, because I'm quite busy with my training and missions. And I think that I must not justify my relationship with *my* brother to anybody. Not to you, especially.” He ended this last sentence with the coldest smirk he could perform, as he knew it would have gotten on her nerves, though he wasn't really sure as to why he wanted to tick her off.

`You…you…jerk…who the hell do you think you are?? And what does that “especially to you” means?? Jerk jerk jerk jerk!!!! Usuratonkachi!!! Ok Asuka…keep your cool…now, breathe…1….2…3…uff.'

“You are right, Itachi-san” and there she paused, checking if there were any signs of reaction to the honorific he had asked her not to use, but Itachi's face was like a mask of ice “but I happen to care a lot about Sasuke-chan, so if you ever do anything, anything unpleasant to him, and mind, I'm talking about little things such as today, too, I will know, and I assure you I will try my best to make you suffer and feel the way Sasuke-chan felt. 1000 times worse.” And now she was smirking, too.

 

“Are you threatening me, Yoshizumi-san?” the boy inquired, arching a brow.

“Oh, no, I would never be this rude, neither this stupid. Take it as a friendly warning, Uchiha-san.”

“I will.”

“I think it's time for me to go to sleep, Itachi-san. I was coming home from a particularly bothersome mission before I found that little brother of yours crying, because you made him cry. Would you be so kind as to lead me to the bedroom Mikoto-san prepared for me?” she tried to keep her tone formal, but not hostile. Uchiha Itachi as an enemy for such a silly debate would be bad, bad, really bad, and at the moment she was just too tired to think properly.

“This way, Asuka-san.” Itachi had reasonably softened; he seemed to have thought the same things as she did. After all, he was Uchiha Itachi, the heir of the Uchiha clan, the best user of the Sharingan that ever walked this earth and master of fearsome techniques. But she was Yoshizumi Asuka, heiress of the Yoshizumi clan, and her Ishigan (stone sight) and Dokushinjutsu (mind reading) as well as her other techniques, were as feared as her rival's.

 

The room was as large as Itachi's, and very well furnished in a traditional style that was the dominating one in the Uchiha mansion. Mikoto had left a white kimono to be used as pyjama, and prepared the bed (Asuka was grateful for that, she really wasn't able to sleep on a futon). There was a large window in the left side of the room, which showed the normally peaceful Japanese garden shaken by the storm.

 

“Arigato, Itachi-san.”

“I already told you, Asuka, that you don't need the honorific when talking to me.”

Asuka smiled, “I will try my best not to use it…Itachi.”

“See?” he mocked her “It's not that difficult after all.”.

“Indeed, Itachi-s…Itachi. Now, if you excuse me, I'm really tired. Goodnight.” She smiled kindly, but not too much. After all, it was less than 5 minutes from the little argument they had. She turned her back at Itachi in order to grab the kimono.

“Goodnight Asuka. And sweet dreams.” He added.

As soon as she heard those last words, she turned as quickly as she could. “Swee…” but he was already gone, and the door shut. `Sweet dreams to you too, Itachi. So you can be kind, uh? But still, you are the biggest jerk ever.'

 

Itachi was halfway through the corridor between his room and the guests' room. He was walking slowly and silently, when he stopped a few seconds.

He turned to the guests' room. If someone was there to see it, they would have fainted.

The smile gracing Itachi's lips was really priceless.