Author's Note: This story takes place in a world where whatever happened to Kushina didn't happen to her. And, it's not really about a day in Mikoto's life; it's more of an afternoon. :) I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

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A girl could sit around all day, picking through her hair for split-ends while wondering about the luscious, rewarding meal she would prepare for the men in her family; or she could get up and find some inspiration as she flounced through the aisles of a grocery shop. Uchiha Mikoto did the latter. The sky had shown signs of possible precipitation earlier that day, but by the time she strolled out of the market with two bulging bags in her hands, it was clear, blue and benign. Graceful and cheery, she walked down the road; there was still plenty of time before dinner, so why not enjoy it?

All around her – beside, in front of, behind, 30˚ West of North – were kids, running and shouting. The Academy had probably let out; Sasuke would be home soon. Mikoto stepped into the Uchiha premises and stopped by the senbai shop for a brief rest.

"How's the business, obaa-chan?" she asked, putting down the bags.

Uchiha Uruchi turned around with a crate full of sweet rice crackers. "Mikoto! Good to see you, dear. Business is fine, thank you."

"Mm, I can tell; a lot of restocking?" Mikoto indicated the beads of sweat rolling down Uruchi's cheek as she pulled out her purse.

"Oh, it's just the heat. Now, come on in. It's cooler inside."

Uruchi shoved the door open with her back, releasing the cold air to the outside. After a quick grab at her groceries, Mikoto followed. Once she had set the crackers down, Uruchi faced her again. "So, what can I get for you today?"

Mikoto looked at the senbai and smiled. "I think I'll buy a dozen."

"My, my," Uruchi chuckled. "Wouldn't that spoil your boys?"

"The senbai are for Sasuke only. This," said Mikoto, lifting up the bags, "is for Itachi's obento. He's going on a mission tomorrow."

"Another one? But I thought he just came back from one."

"Yeah," Mikoto sighed.

"Terrible…Konoha…the ANBU…don't…" Uruchi mumbled as she wrapped the crackers. "Mikoto, sweetheart, why don't you take a couple more? For Itachi-chan – free of charge!"

"No, no, obaa-chan. I can't give any to Itachi," Mikoto said, worried. "They're too delicious. He might be so indulged with them he won't even notice an enemy's sneak attack."

Uruchi laughed. "Mikoto, you get more charming with each passing day. Here – 200 ryo. Oh, and try some of our new products before you leave."

"Thank you," Mikoto accepted the little red cracker while passing the money. "It tastes great."

"By the way, why is Sasuke-chan getting some senbai? Special occasion?"

"He's getting his report card today," Mikoto replied, picking up her things. "I thought the senbai could be a reward. If the results weren't as good as he'd hoped, they can still be used to cheer him up."

"With Uchiha blood in him, there's no way he won't make you proud."

"I'll be proud no matter what," whispered Mikoto. She smiled and nodded at Uruchi. "Thanks again, obaa-chan. I'll be back for more of that new cracker.

"Say hi to the boys for me! And you go make that obento delicious."

"Don't worry," Mikoto assured as she walked out the door. "He may be a prodigy and he may already be ANBU captain at age 13, but he's still got to eat."

- -

Mikoto turned on the tap and ran the cabbage under the water. The rice was kept heated in the cooker; the table was set. When the salad was prepared, the one thing required to make dinner perfect would be the rest of her family. Fugaku was in their bedroom napping; Itachi came home for a bit then left; Sasuke – she paused and the chilly water ran through her fingers. Just on time, she thought as she heard someone burst into the kitchen. Mikoto looked around and gave a smile that only the broad grin on her youngest son's face could match.

"Welcome home, Sasuke."

"Okaa-san, I got my report card!" Sasuke dumped his schoolbag by the table and flashed a tiny blue folder.

"You did really well, didn't you?" Mikoto asked, beaming as she shut the tap.

He opened the report card and smiled to himself. "Of course, okaa-san," his face scrunched up into a little pout. "Do you want to see?"

Mikoto shook her head. "Go show your father first," she said while drying her hands on her apron.

Sasuke flushed with hope. "Hai!" he nodded and dashed out. "Ah, okaa-san," he said suddenly at the door. "Where is onii-san?"

"Hm," Mikoto thought for a second. "Yondaime hokage-sama requested him to go over some quick details of tomorrow's mission. He'll be home soon."

Sasuke's mouth formed a small "o" of comprehension before he went out of sight, probably going at top speed to show his father his accomplishments. Mikoto sighed. If for once Fugaku could pat Sasuke on the head and praise him… She took a rag and began wiping the counter. There wasn't much to clean, though; a couple water spots, a bit of celery leaf, some unidentified brown material, and that was it. The funny urge to do something out of the ordinary gripped her. She flexed her fingers and turned to study the kitchen after putting the piece of cloth away.

It was a nice room. Sasuke had spoken his first word in there. The old family arm-wrestling competitions were held at the table before Itachi entered the Academy. She never won for some reason, she remembered and giggled. A pleasant pale shade of orange from the setting sun had engulfed every square-inch of the place. It was glowing.

Her eyes fell onto the telephone. Something extraordinary… She picked it up as the other hand opened the dusty phone book by its side. The sound of pressed buttons echoed in her ears like a lullaby – the ringing from the other end woke her up.

Click.

"Namikaze household," a female voice answered. It was lively and familiar.

Mikoto smiled. "Uzumaki Kushina."

There was a period of silence. The recipient scoffed. "If it isn't Uchiha Mikoto," she said. "About time, too."

"That's true," Mikoto nodded and sat down, feeling more amused than ever. "We haven't been in contact since Sasuke was born."

Kushina gasped. "So that's his name! I'd forgotten…"

"How nice."

"No, I'm just kidding," Kushina said, laughing. Mikoto could imagine Kushina shaking the head of long red hair while flapping a hand around. "My son talks about him a whole lot."

"…Your son? Huh! It's a boy then – I mean, your stomach was getting pretty huge when I went into labor."

"Mikoto, I'm the hokage's wife. When the hokage's son was born, there was such a large celebration. You're telling me you had no idea?"

"Well – I might know him. Since he talks about Sasuke, they should be in the same class. What's his name?"

"Naruto," Kushina replied proudly.

Mikoto pursed her lips and tapped the table with her fingers. "He's the loud one, isn't he?"

Instead of denying, Kushina laughed. "That's him. He looks a lot of like Minato, too."

"Really? But from what Sasuke tells me, Naruto seems to have inherited your personality."

"It's a good thing he did," Kushina said. There was a shuffling sound; perhaps she was getting into a comfortable position. "Alright, Mikoto. How's your little boy doing in school? They get their first semester report cards today, you know."

"I do," Mikoto sat up straighter. "Sasuke wanted to show it to me just now, but I made him take it to his father. What about you, did you see Naruto's yet?"

"Nah, he's not home yet. I just hope he isn't late because he's ashamed of his scores."

"Is that something he would do?"

"Kind of," Kushina sighed. "And there's a chart in the report card that shows you where you stand compared to other people, like first place or second place in class. Minato always tells Naruto not to worry about grades, but it'd be great if he was in the top three or something."

"Hokage-sama has a point."

"Oh, don't side with him," Kushina groaned.

"The housewife life doesn't suit you well, does it?"

"You understand," whispered Kushina, sounding grateful. "I do pretty much –"

"– Do the same thing everyday?" Mikoto completed the sentence.

"Exactly, yes."

"But it has its high points," Mikoto said. "We fuel the important men who keep this village safe and strong."

"In a lovely way, we control them," Kushina agreed. "Hey, now that I've accepted this housewife destiny, let's act like housewives and talk more about our kids."

Mikoto put the phone next to her other ear. The right side of her face was almost numb. "Sure…"

"Okay, so – ah, remember that awards ceremony a week ago?" Kushina asked. "I think I saw you there!"

"Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"Well, Naruto got his first award…"

Mikoto perked up again. "Oh? What did he get?"

Kushina cleared her throat. "Best in teamwork," Kushina said slowly, delivering each syllable with as much pride as she could dip it in.

"That's great," Mikoto smirked a little. "It's not much, but my Sasuke also got a couple awards."

"Not bad…not bad at all. What were they?"

"Notable accomplishments in taijutsu as well as senjutsu," Mikoto answered, her head held high. It was true her youngest child – her baby – had worked beyond what his classmates were willing to do. The shuriken "training," as he had often corrected her when she'd called it "practice," was just one part of achieving his goal to surpass Itachi. Others thought his brilliance came from the Uchiha in him; they failed to see the many times he chose practice – training – over playing. She tried to spare his childhood by making excuses for him to not be able to learn techniques from his brother, but he was thirsty for maturity. Maybe Itachi grew up too fast – that's why she wanted to slow Sasuke down. She really hated seeing little scratches and bruises all over his body.

All that thought reminded her that he truly deserved the awards. Mikoto had every right to be proud. She couldn't wait to see the reaction from him when he sees the senbai she bought him.

"Mikoto?" Kushina's voice snapped her out of her moment.

"Oh – sorry – you were saying?"

"I was talking about how cooperation is the most important element in a team."

"If you know your tactics and you can fight well, teamwork is simply just a bonus."

"Bonuses are nice."

"…Kushina, most of the time shinobi work alone. Taijutsu is extremely helpful."

"Good teamwork means good communication skills. Ninjas have to stay on their ally's good side."

"Two is bigger than one."

"But 'one' comes before 'two.'"

"I mean quantity –"

"– Is not as paramount as quality."

Mikoto frowned. The need for her to interact more often with those aside from her clan members was undeniable. Her arguing skills were leaning towards the rusty side. Still, her son got two out of the four awards given in his class. Speaking of which –

"Kushina…"

"Uh-huh?"

"Who got the other award? The one for ninjutsu."

Her friend didn't respond immediately. "I think it was a girl – ah, with pink hair!"

"Now that you mentioned it…" Mikoto mused. Sasuke had complained about a girl like that because she had beaten him on a test. "On second thought, ninjutsu is what makes a ninja ninja."

"You're right, and a girl got the award."

"It was meant to happen," Mikoto said. A crash on the other end faltered her smile. "Kushina, is everything okay?"

"Yes, except for Minato's office," she replied, distracted. "Naruto's home."

"Then –"

"It's fine, we can keep talking. Although" – she was turning a door handle – "ugh, no! He ruined the place."

"The crash was the first sign."

"You're so lucky you have obedient children," Kushina grumbled. "Hang on, let me close the window…"

Mikoto laughed softly. If the son was as energetic as Kushina, life at the Namikaze house must be filled with hilarious moments. "Sometimes I can't even get him to sit down for more than three minutes at the table, and his passion for ramen – my god," she was saying when Mikoto noticed Sasuke coming back in. She smiled at him but his head was down, even when he sat down across from her. Fugaku… she thought, brows furrowing. The report card was being held at the corner loosely. Mikoto took the chance to talk to him as Kushina went on about her son and graffiti.

"Ne, Sasuke, I think I heard the front door open. It should be your onii-san."

He looked up; a spark of light returned to his sullen eyes. Mikoto watched him get up and leave the kitchen once more. Sighing, she turned her attention back to the phone.

"Kushina? I'm sorry, I have to hang up now."

"Wha – alright. I saw a little orange blur running down the hall just now. It's probably Naruto."

"Orange –?"

"He likes to wear that color," Kushina explained. "So…call me when you have time?"

"I will."

"And not seven years later."

"I won't," Mikoto smiled. After hanging up, she placed the phone back and went to the counter.

I guess the senbai will be used to cheer Sasuke up after all...

Author's Note: Uruchi is the auntie with the broomstick that little Sasuke talked to in the anime, and had flashbacks of after he woke up at the hospital in the manga. I had to google her name...I made the whole awards ceremony thing up, but there was the report card. And Fugaku was all, "Keep this up and you'll be like your brother soon." Or something.

Anyway, if you have time, leave a review! Hehe...