Chapter 12: At Peace (End of Part I)

It was dark by the time Itachi and Kakashi had made it back to the village. Kakashi had left without a word, off to file the paperwork, leaving Itachi free to return home. He'd been gone for 5 days, but add that to his previous mission, and he realized Sasuke had not seen him in a little over a week.

Poor Sasuke. This was the longest he'd been without seeing Itachi for even a few minutes. He decided against all distractions and walked at brisk pace towards his home. He missed being home, mainly because of Sasuke.

"Nii-San!" Sasuke yelled. Itachi braced himself as Sasuke about knocked him over. He smiled and picked him up, resting him on his hip. "You're home! You're home!" Sasuke squeezed Itachi tightly.

"See, I told you he'd be home soon," Mikoto said. "He's been waiting for you every night. I've had to put him in his bed after he's fallen asleep," she continued, addressing Itachi, "and there's some leftovers in the pot if you want something to eat."

"Thank you," Itachi said, carrying Sasuke towards the kitchen. "Where's my father?" He asked.

"Oh he's working late again today," Mikoto explained, "same as he has been all week. It's getting harder to police the village." Itachi knew the reason and nodded to show he understood. The door flew open.

"I heard you were back, Itachi. A little bird told me." It was Izumi, who spoke in a bit of a sing-songy voice. If Itachi had to guess, the "little bird" was Shisui, although he had no idea how he managed to find out so quickly.

"Izumi, what a pleasant surprise," Mikoto said.

Deception Failed

Shisui must have planned this. Itachi couldn't decide if he was his favorite person, aside from Sasuke, or his least favorite person. But there wasn't much he could do, she was here. The only thing that concerned him was the suspicious lack of a giant wall of text.

It didn't matter though, as the last real meal Itachi had was at the daimyo's mansion. He didn't need to eat, but he still found himself enjoying the taste a lot more than field rations. Izumi helped herself to some as well. Sasuke didn't say much, he just waited patiently for Itachi to finish.

"Alright, Sasuke," Mikoto said, "I said you could stay up until Itachi was home. You need to get your sleep so you can do well in the academy tomorrow."

"It's not fair!" was the immediate response. "How come Izumi gets to stay up with Itachi and I don't?" Mikoto began her response before Itachi signalled to her that he'd get it.

"Sasuke," Itachi stooped down to look eye-to-eye with him, "how about this? I'll read you a bedtime story and I'll make sure Izumi goes home a few minutes later." Sasuke's pout immediately became a smile.

"Thanks, Nii-san!" he said, embracing him again. Itachi returned the hug and picked him up, carrying him to his room.

"Itachi, can I listen too?" Izumi asked, following.

"I don't see why not," Itachi replied. He didn't think Izumi would take no for an answer.

"Yay!" she yelled. It was kind of cute to see her as excited as Sasuke was for something as small as a bedtime story. Itachi put Sasuke into his bed and he eagerly clambered under the covers. Izumi flopped down at the foot of the bed.

"Alright, Sasuke, what kind of story do you want to hear tonight?" Itachi asked.

"Tell me about one of your missions, Nii-san," he said. Itachi was happy to oblige. Almost instantly he got an idea, and it didn't involve killing people, which was for the best.

"So this story is called, Mystery in the Manor," he said. Izumi ooh-ed at it, but Itachi ignored her. "It was a night like tonight, with a clear sky and bright moon. The daimyo had just finished getting his check up when his servant burst into the room.

"Your Lordship!" he cried, "Your sword, it's been, stolen!"

"What, who'd be dumb enough to steal from the daimyo?" Izumi interjected. Sasuke shot her a dirty glance for interrupting the story. Itachi saw an opportunity, however.

"That's a good question. Sasuke, I want you to pay attention to the story, and if you figure out who it is I want you to tell me," he said. "But don't give it away," he added, looking directly at Izumi.

"Okay, Nii-san!" Sasuke said. He'd never had an interactive story before. Itachi continued.

"Konoha got the report and within a few days, my partner and I had arrived. We met the daimyo and learned there were 5 suspects: the servant, the cook, the doctor, the gardener, and a family friend. I took statements from all of them.

The doctor was with the daimyo at the time, so she couldn't have done it. The cook had been preparing dinner, so she was also good. But, the servant, the friend, and the gardener didn't have stories I could immediately prove. It was time to investigate.

The first thing I had to do was check the crime scene. The lock of the display case had been picked." Itachi took a break from the story.

"Sasuke, do you know how to pick locks?" he asked. Izumi stifled a giggle from the foot of the bed.

"Not really Nii-san. Otou-san says not until I'm older," Sasuke seemed a bit ashamed to admit this.

"The important thing is that you need two bits of metal. A thick one like the tine of a fork, and a small one, smaller than a fork tine."

"Now that you've told your brother an intro for committing crimes, can you get back to the story?" Izumi complained. She got another dirty look from Sasuke. Itachi gave a small laugh before resuming.

"I noticed the sun glinting off a small piece of metal on the ground. Looks like the thief had been careless. I pocketed the evidence and moved on with the investigation. I was passing through the drawing room and I saw the servant searching the bookcases for something.

"What are you looking for?" I asked him.

"I seem to have misplaced a book. I was just looking for it," he told me. But something about it didn't seem right to me.

"Don't lie to me," I said. He started to panic as he should have. I'd let my Sharingan activate."

"Woah, harsh, Itachi," Izumi commented half-jokingly.

"Of course he was scared," Sasuke said, adding in his own commentary, "Nii-san can do anything." Izumi gave him a look of doubt.

"Alright you two," Itachi intervened, "I'm getting back to the story.

"You got me, I was looking for my fork I'd left here," he admitted to me. I let my sharingan fade.

"Was that so hard?" I asked him. He shook his head. "I'll be on the lookout for it. I can't help you if you don't help me." He bowed to me as I walked away. I went out to question the gardener some more. I ended up bumping into the friend on my way out.

"Watch where you're going buddy!" He yelled, "I'm walking here." I didn't care though. I just went about my business. In the garden, I was about to knock on the door of the shack when I caught a glimpse of metal amongst the earth.

It was a fork, and one of the tines had been bent backwards." Itachi once again stopped the story.

"Do you have any ideas yet, Sasuke?" he asked. Izumi looked like she was going to explode if Sasuke didn't answer it.

"Hmmm…" Sasuke thought aloud, "I don't Nii-san, sorry."

Deception Failed

Itachi dismissed the message. Sasuke had his reasons. Even Izumi realized that he'd been lying but said nothing. Itachi continued his story.

"I'd just found another clue. The fork and the metal I'd found were used to pick the lock, I had no doubt. And if I wasn't mistaken, then I'd just seen the thief. I left towards his room. Upon getting there, I found the door to be locked.

But it was no match for my training, and soon the door was open. I did a quick check of the room. Hiding under the bed was the sword. I'd found my man. I took it with me and presented it to the daimyo. He thanked me. I went and found the culprit.

"What do you mean I'm guilty, buddy? I've been friends with the daimyo for years, why would I steal from him?" he asked me. I ignored him.

"I guess the sword in your room was nothing then?" I asked him. He sputtered a bit but then I just used my sharingan to confirm. He was arrested, and the daimyo gave me a parting gift.

The end," Itachi finished. Izumi wasn't overly thrilled at the abrupt ending, but Sasuke was enraptured by it.

Storytelling's level has increased by one

"Wow, Nii-san, you solved it fast!" He said in wonder, "and you got something from the daimyo!"

"Indeed I did, Sasuke," Itachi told him, "and I have it right here." He pulled out the fork. Izumi stifled more laughter and Sasuke seemed less than pleased.

"He gave you a fork?" He said, "that's lame." Itachi laughed at him.

"Sometimes Sasuke, things don't have to be amazing to be a good gift. I'll always be able to remember my missions from this fork," he explained. Sasuke's face lightened up. "Good night, Sasuke, I'm walking Izumi home."

"Good night, Nii-san," Sasuke said. Itachi and Izumi left as Sasuke adjusted underneath the covers.

"Thank you, Itachi," Mikoto said as soon as the door was shut, "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes." Itachi gave a motion of thankfulness before he and Izumi left.

"Man, Itachi, your life has gotten so busy with you going to ANBU," she mused as they walked. The sudden appearance of a massive screen waiting for text put Itachi at ease.

The young lovers take a stroll towards one of their homes. Izumi, however, fears that Itachi is going to grow distant with his new occupation. She's already finding herself worried that he already has. Itachi reaches out to comfort her.

"Izumi, I won't be busy all the time, just a lot of it. I've got a lot to worry about."

His word choice was intended to comfort his love, but instead, it forces more weight onto her burdened heart. She's worried that "a lot of the time" means all of it. She pleas with him, trying to make him feel her pain.

"Itachi, I like you. I don't want to be without you. I don't know if I can handle you being gone for weeks at a time. What if something happens to you?"

The tears of her heart flow freely. Itachi takes swift action. He grabs onto her, holds her. He whispers gently into her ear words of comfort. He knows he can't fully relieve her, but he does what he can.

"Izumi, nothing will happen to me. I'll have my partner with me, and he's incredibly strong, I can feel it. And this past week was a coincidence more than anything. I got assigned to two longish missions in a row. It'll happen again, but I don't think it'll be that often. And I'll always make time for you like I make time for Sasuke."

She looks up at him, eyes full of wonder. She embraces him harder, burying her face into him, holding on dearly to this moment right now. The tears are still flowing, but now they flow for a different reason. She stands on her tiptoes and whispers two simple words to him.

"Thank you."

She calms down, and the two make their way to her house. Itachi treasures this quiet walk with her, just as he treasures his time with Sasuke. He looks up at the stars and moon and activates his sharingan. He wants to keep this memory forever, no matter what happens in the future...