14. Tea

"I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."

-Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

She knew him.

Of course she knew him.

Everyone knew the man who had been born an heir, raised a prodigy, lived a murderer, and died a martyr. He was the man whose actions had forever changed the dynamics and foundations of Konoha. His story had forced the village to permanently change the way it was governed, to purge the tainted parts and rebuild the whole, and to make sure that everyone knew what they had done so that it could never happen again. This man was nearly legendary. His name was still being whispered with respect and reverence across the nations beyond the Land of Fire.

His name was Uchiha Itachi, and he was supposed to be dead.

Now, whether his state of living was outside the ordinary or not, Hinata couldn't much fault him for it. Plenty of people were alive or had been alive who shouldn't be, Orochimaru being a prime example. This did not stop her from being wary of his intentions. She stepped lightly and carefully as she followed him to the kitchen, eyes fixed on the gentle sway of his long dark hair, and she hardly dared to breathe the whole way. Her fingers twitched reflexively where they hung next to her thigh, aching to reach for the kunai and shuriken she had tucked away in the pouch there.

Hinata was kind. She cared. She had given many the benefit of the doubt, even those who had been less than deserving, and her opinions of the goodness in people were not easily swayed. But Hinata was a skilled Kunoichi and a veteran of the worst war the lands had seen in an age, and she was not stupid, nor was she blind. Many a bad situation could easily be hidden by a pretty face and familiar actions. Some kind words were just not meant to be taken at face value.

As they entered the kitchen, Itachi went to the sink, the clink of ceramic and the sound of running water replacing the silence between them as he washed the few dishes remaining. He turned his face to the side when he heard one of the chairs at the table scrape back across the floor.

Hinata sat stiffly, her spine straight and her hands clasped tightly. She watched as a thin beam of light escaped from the curtains covering the small window above the sink, highlighting the strong line of the older man's jaw, tracing the almost delicate curve of his nose and drawing her focus almost completely on his long eyelashes. His dark eyes held her still for a short second, and their depth sent a bolt of fear burning through her blood. But then he shifted away again, and Hinata all but tore her gaze away, staring down at the table with the heat of embarrassment caught in her cheeks.

"Naruto told me you would likely come by today," he began, startling her even though she had been expecting it. "I apologize, I was caught off guard. I did not expect you'd be here so early."

It was rare to hear a shinobi admit he was caught off guard, let alone an Uchiha (at least in her experience), and Hinata bowed her head respectfully without quite having to tell herself to. "My apologies, Uchiha-san, I... Had I known of your presence here, I would have… I would have first initiated written correspondence a-and asked your permission before entering your home. It was... short sighted of me, I think."

"No, not short sighted," Itachi said. The water shut off and the lack of the noise was sharp. She watched him set the kettle to boil, stiffening once more as he came to the table. His movements were slow and deliberate as he sat across from her. Again, his eyes captured her, and she found herself unable to look away. Their effect was such that she would not be surprised if they suddenly shone scarlet red.

(The hint of a scrape on his forehead didn't escape her notice, either, and she felt her guilt returning full force.)

"... P-pardon?" she managed.

"You didn't know I was here. I wouldn't expect you to look so far ahead. This incident was no short sight on your part. If anything, the fault is mine... I knew you were coming, but I did not prepare accordingly." He dipped his head, a respectful gesture often used between equals of high standing that had rarely ever been used for Hinata. "I apologize, Hyuuga-san. The short sight was mine."

"Oh," she said quietly.

It struck her as odd that they, two children born of incredible dojutsu, would be using metaphors for lack of sight. The way he spoke also sounded strange to her ears. It was as if his formality was specifically meant to keep a polite distance between him and everyone else, as if he was setting his boundaries and still maintaining politeness. Hinata did so because she was raised to, and because it was an effective form of defense in regards to her clan. She wondered if for Itachi, it was just a way of surviving. She wondered how many years he had spent using his words and lack of words to dance the line between life and death. Hinata thought it was likely he had been doing so even before he fled Konoha.

Itachi looked away then, his fingertip lightly scratching at the table in thought. "Do you remember me?" he asked finally.

Hinata nodded. "A little." She forced herself to speak slowly and carefully so as not to stutter. "Memories of you are all quite vague. I remember most the things I heard about you. Especially after…" Her hands trembled, she folded them discreetly tighter. What she was thinking, bringing up that particular past so soon, she didn't know, and could only silently scold herself for the slip.

To her surprise, Itachi remained largely unfazed, almost as if he hadn't heard at all. He tipped his head a bit, a curious look. She thought she almost saw a smile there. "You've come a long way since last I saw you," he said.

Hinata blinked back at him, at a momentary loss for what to say. She swallowed thickly. "I… I like to think so, Uchiha-san."

His eyes shifted down, to the bag she had brought with her, resting next to her chair leg. "Tell me, what is it you are doing in the garden? I haven't been out to see yet."

Hinata couldn't yet decide if she was grateful or not for the change in topic. She supposed having to speak more was a fair exchange for a potentially awkward silence. "Well, I haven't been working with it long. Ino is showing me how to care for it to… well, to give me something to keep me busy while I'm not on missions."

Ino had known Hinata needed something to keep her out of the compound as much as possible. To help her stay as safe and as sane as possible. Hanabi hadn't really understood at first, but when she had come along one day, she went home knowing that whether the work was menial and boring or not didn't matter. Her older sister was relaxed and, well, happier at least. She needed the time to herself with no worries, and she couldn't fault her for that. Not with the cold cutthroat environment they lived in.

"It is Autumn now though, so… so I don't… It… I can't -" she cut herself off, looking down at her hands in shame. She'd gone and got herself worked up again. "It won't work," she finished simply.

"But you'll try it anyway?" Itachi asked.

Hinata nodded.

He actually did smile then, a small, quick flash that only seemed to linger as an after image. "Your determination is admirable. I think my mother would have taken comfort in the knowledge that her gardens have been left in yours and Ino's care."

His words hit the younger woman like a handful of ice water. She sat frozen in place, staring back at him with her eyes widened in shock. Her mind conjured up an image she knew well, of the tiny picture Sasuke had found one day during one of his brief returns home, held in gentle fingers and tucked away somewhere on his person while he traveled. She remembered seeing him take it out when he thought no one was paying attention, just to hold, to look, to remember. An image of his mother, smiling and radiant and happy, holding onto a toddler Sasuke and a youthful, serene Itachi like they were the most precious things on earth to her.

It struck Hinata how incredibly important it was that the eldest Uchiha brother had given his consent and his blessing to her work in this way, and that of his mother - the beautiful, caring woman he and Sasuke had cherished so much - by extension. Please don't, she wanted to say. Don't give me this. I don't deserve this. Not from you. No words made it passed the sudden dryness of her throat.

She was saved from having to try and articulate a response by the mournful keening of the teapot.

When Naruto got home later that day, it was with a head that ached with the knowledge Iruka had drilled into him and a rather sizable package of high quality teas (most of which was Gyokuro, for which Itachi had previously stated his preference). Along with the tea, he held a small container of honey. He knew Hinata enjoyed the sweet hint of it in her tea whenever she was over, and when Sasuke was home, the Uchiha had the habit of indulging her.

It wasn't odd for him to bring back all manner of sweet things for her and Hanabi from his travels. Oh, Sasuke made it seem like it was no big deal, of course. Like he had only gotten anything at all because he happened to be passing by and it was only logical. But Naruto saw the way his eyes softened when the usually calm, cold Hanabi's face lit up at the sight of the gifts, or when Hinata smiled serenely up at him as she gave him her thanks. Sasuke went out of his way to do it, not for any sort of perceived convenience, but because he liked to see them happy.

When this happened, Naruto did not point it out. He did not tease or joke about it, not even to coax a rare blush from him. He simply his a smile of his own and went back to whatever he was doing. It had taken years for Sasuke to get to this point, where compassion flowed freely, almost like it used to when he was a young child, before his world fell apart.

He was still quiet, still stoic, and it was doubtful that this would ever change, but regardless, he still tolerated Sakura when she was stressed out about her wedding plans. He allowed ino to twist different flowers in his hair to see how they looked. He visited Shikamaru sometimes, to play shogi or just keep the lonely man company in silence. Sometimes, he went with Hinata to Neji's grave, though he hadn't known him well, and allowed her to place some of her flowers next to Itachi's gravestone. He was learning to be kind. He was thoughtful. And he still found it in him to love Naruto.

It wasn't perfect, but it was there, and Naruto couldn't be more proud of him. He knew Itachi would feel the same way when he saw Sasuke again, and all the changes he had gone through. It was only a matter of time. Of course, Naruto would never tell Sasuke how proud he was. Knowing the bastard, he'd probably just quit out of spite.

His eyes widened immediately upon opening the door. There, in the entryway, was Itachi… and he was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor.

"Um… what are you doing?" he asked, stepping gingerly over the threshold and bending to remove his shoes. "I promise I cleaned the floors not too long ago. They should be good for awhile."

Itachi huffed - huffed - and pushed his bangs behind his ear as he stood. He scrutinized his work with narrowed eyes. "Do you see any red?" he asked.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Uh… no. Why? Did someone die?"

"Nearly," Itachi muttered.

"What?" Naruto's bag hit the floor loudly (courtesy of the textbooks Iruka had forced on him that were way too heavy to be any good for his spine). "Did someone get in? Were you attacked? Are you alright?" Naruto froze, hand reaching for his weapons pouch. "Are they still here?" He whispered loudly.

Itachi took a moment to absorb all the questions Naruto had fired at him, tilted his head a bit, and said, "... Yes, I think," in an attempt to answer them all at once.

Naruto felt his tolerance for Uchiha Bullshit™ begin to lower rapidly. "Yes? Yes?! Itachi, I don't think you realize just how dead I would be if I let something happen to you before Sasuke got home!" He sighed, making an effort to speak calmly. If it were Sasuke, he would have picked a fight already and called it good, but he was still just a little bit afraid of the infamous older brother. "Is it taken care of now?"

"You could say that."

"Did you get hurt?"

He thought he saw Itachi's jaw clench a short moment before he turned to face Naruto fully, lifting one side of his bangs from his forehead for him to see. Naruto stared for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it halfway through, and went back to staring. He ran over their conversation in his mind from the moment he opened the door. Finally, he said, "So, like… you just… I don't know, you just hit your head or something?"

Naruto watched as Itachi's jaw clenched a little further, dark eyes shifting to glare (and boy, did that make him shiver) over his shoulder. "This isn't over," he said quietly, all dark and cryptic-like. Naruto resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Gods, you're just like your brother, y'know," he sighed, shaking his head as he moved past him down the hall, vowing to forget about it entirely before his tolerance ran dry and began drawing from his life expectancy (though in all reality, the situation was laughable, and he would be sure to tell Sasuke about it when he got the chance). He missed the bewildered look on Itachi's face at being compared to his brother.

Naruto made a beeline for the large communal room he knew housed the door to the inner gardens, handing Itachi the bag of tea and honey. He changed the subject before Itachi had a chance to respond. "Did Hinata ever stop by? I don't think she wouldn't say something to me if she had decided not to, but her life is pretty crazy sometimes, so you never know."

"Yes, we had tea, and I let her into the gardens not ten minutes ago," he said, peering curiously into the bag. His nose scrunched up a little at the sight of the honey, having never been too fond of sweet things, but he let out a pleased hum when he saw Naruto had brought his favorite tea. "I've had entirely too much tea today for my own good, but I'll set it aside for tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure," Naruto replied absently as he opened the sliding door to the gardens. The light that fell through into the room was tinted a soft shade of rouge as evening approached. The blond smiled fondly at whatever he saw there. "I'll see her out safely myself, so don't worry about it. Just do whatever, I guess. I mean, It's your house, so…"

Itachi shook his head, but resisted the urge to correct him. It hadn't been his house for a very long time. He watched Naruto slip through the door and let it fall softly shut, and let himself relax into the silence his parting left. The kind of silence which embraces you whenever someone so bright exits the room and leaves you alone, but not lonely… the satisfying kind which doesn't leave you empty.

Itachi once again caught a smile forming on his lips, and once again, he let it linger a little. He had been doing that a lot lately - smiling, feeling content - and he would be lying if he said it didn't make him feel uncomfortable in his own skin. But for the first time in a long while, he shoved his incessant worries aside and allowed himself to look ahead. Itachi may not have known why he had been given a second chance when there were so many others more deserving, but assuming this wasn't all some cruel joke… assuming he wouldn't just wake up in an Akatsuki base somewhere with his life newly murdered at his feet and the broken shards of his heart in his hands…

He shook his head again, a bit more forcefully this time, and turned in the direction of his room. Whatever this life was that he was living, gifts or tricks aside, Itachi wouldn't waste it. He would live it and he would live it well, and when the time came to see Sasuke again, he would be sure to love his brother the way he hadn't been able to in the past. And this time, he would make sure Sasuke knew it. It would take some time, but come hell or high water, they would be a family again. With new faces, granted, but with the same constant.

That constant was happiness, and Itachi supposed it was worth getting used to.