Chapter Text
He and Kisame could have gone back together to the tavern, the girls back to their salon, but it wasn't fair in the slightest. One of each of them would head to their separate venues to survey the damage while two units from the fire department worked to get the last of the flames out and then took statements.
He insisted Izumi not go to her place since it would stress her out, but she had to be there, so here they were now. To see the smoldered, dark entrance of what used to be her Fountain of Fantasy's lobby was heartbreaking and devastating. She held herself like a statue until she couldn't take it anymore and buried her face into his neck and shoulder again, letting loose the flood.
This place where she and Rika had built everything from zero ground to what it was now - she really needed help more than ever. None of them could have predicted all of this would happen, but if he hadn't come back to her tonight, who knew where this terror would take them. She would have been afraid to reach out to him for the shoulder cry she got now. I wish I could say she's beautiful when she's like this; it's easy in fiction. It's too cruel. But she's just like a wisteria, as soon as I saw her again...
Whoever did this was going to pay dearly with what they had, if not their lives. Tempting as that was, it wasn't the answer. And he was sure that Danzo Shimura would use this against them if not one of their -
Wait a minute...
Izumi sensed his bodily tension, looking up at him with puffy red eyes and moist cheeks. She sniffed. "Wh-what is it?"
"It's just speculation, but I have an idea about who might have started all of this - both our places at the same time, coincidentally," Itachi answered, then looking in the direction of the fireman coming their way, ready to speak to the store's owner herself. Or was it a damned coincidence really?
He already knew the answer, knowing Kisame would agree: no, it sure wasn't. Too much of one, in fact.
~o~
This place where he and his friends made their memories...it was burning in so many places.
And on a night when people expected nothing but fun.
His rage had no limits on the inside; it was a miracle he controlled himself in the presence of Rika and everyone else around them. There was so much to lose if the Akatsuki had been gone completely to the ground. Itachi would have been here, but he had to go with Izumi as she needed someone there for her during her own crisis. Rika was here with Kisame as his much-needed support system.
"I don't...I don't know what the hell to say now," she said through her teeth. "I wish I could think of something, but I can just fantasize until I have the words." Through his anger, he had to chuckle. She did a great job trying to cheer him up. If only he knew what to say for her, though. That pissed him to no end. She leaned up, sensing his mood, and pressed a kiss on his jawline. That was all it took to make him lighten up just a little before it darkened when Konan approached him, an intense scowl on her lovely face.
"We're gonna have our work cut out for us in getting this baby back to what it was - or close enough. We got enough to cover it, but it NEVER should have happened!" she almost shouted, arms wrapping around herself as she massaged the goosebumps which were beginning to show.
"Izumi and I have it, too," Rika agreed sourly, "but I'm ready to wrangle whoever did this."
A throat was cleared from behind them. There stood police commissioner Kakashi Hatake, gray-haired and with an eye patch over his left eye - due to being shot once in the eye in the line of duty several years ago - and in his hand was someone's mobile phone. That was enough to tell him that someone had recorded what took place. Kisame's guts swelled with the hope that a suspect would be apprehended sooner than expected, whoever it might be, but he knew better than to jump to conclusions.
"According to one of my units over at the Fountain of Fantasy," Hatake said, somberly and hopeful at the same time, "we got another witness who recorded what might have transpired there, but I wouldn't have my hopes too high until we see everything..."
But that was enough to make Kisame grin as he turned his back to the man, looking first at an equally smirking Konan and then down into Rika's eyes. Light at the end of the tunnel yet.
~o~
He didn't like this in the slightest, regardless of how brilliant it was and how courageous his woman was being.
"We saw the evidence. Those two men were arrested soon after, and after days of probing, they spilled the beans," Izumi had said when she and Rika joined them at the tavern for lunch. Before them was an assortment of barbeque appetizers, and their tastiness was all the more reason they needed to keep their sanities intact: grilled, crispy rice balls joined with lemon-flavored eggplants on skewers, and saury filets. Izumi picked one of the crusted balls to take entirely into her mouth in a single bite. The sight made Itachi chew lightly on the inside of his mouth.
Both of them are paid lowlifes, preyed on out of desperation, and DANZO did a hell of a job making them loyal enough to not rat out - until they broke under interrogation pressure. One of them is a relative of one of Izumi's clients, but not close in a familial way, and the other an Aburame. He screwed them over like the shark he is, just like many others before them. He decided that he could get us this way, by having them burn down what mattered to us, and likely get us to go to him out of desperation...
Yes, it made sense: Danzo harassed them and drove them insane like thorns for the last time.
"But you really think the police will really get him, keep him where he deserves, and then the courts have him roasted?" Rika scoffed as she brought her whisky to her lips. "Be nice if we just try him, overwhelm him with the evidence, and get it over with. No doubt he has dirt that his connections don't want out..."
"Yeah, but chances are he might get a damned good lawyer; he has plenty of those," Konan stated icily. "He gets off the hook, I plan to blow him away myself, and you know I will." And get yourself arrested for vigilantism.
Which meant another way to get back at Danzo Shimura once and for all. This brought him back to the idea that Izumi had to bring up even if it disgusted her:
"Guys, ladies - we see him again, I let him come onto me, but you have everything recorded and then the police can come and arrest him for attempted assault and confession of his involvement."
This took place right after word got out that Danzo Shimura had vanished mysteriously, being today. He'd suspected something like this would happen, according to the commissioner, and had planned an escape...which meant he was at large. Chose to run away like the coward he really was -
- but it also meant he could go after THEM. Cue what Izumi had said, but Itachi didn't like it at all, so he rightfully objected.
"What if it backfires and he actually does it?" he demanded as soon as she and Rika were going to the front door. He had to hiss under his breath so that none of the other customers would hear. "I'll be willing to finish himself off if I can't control myself." And if he had his way, he'd do that a thousand times over again.
Izumi leaned up and kissed him on the lips, keeping it brief. "I'm armed with the new pepper spray I got, but I'd love to see you tear a limb off." There was a brief trace of a bloodlust that he seldom saw in her, and it made him all the more excited. Towards her, and the thought of them taking out the thorn in their sides themselves.
After all of that, I'm ready to start relaxing and enjoying my life with this woman and our friends.
~o~
Normally, those who took the law into their own hands - other lives involved, although - never had it well in the end, but it was all in their favor.
The truth was that both Izumi's Fountain of Fantasy and the Akatsuki tavern had coverage to get back on their feet again, though would take weeks to months of renovations. The plan was this: Izumi intended to lure Danzo Shimura out herself on her end, and that included bringing him into her store, into a private spot so that they could discuss a possible "accommodation", despite both knowing their history.
Everything Kisame had been told was something straight out of a bad soap opera or maybe an enticing drama; she flat out said that she was willing to do anything without being forced to shut down her pride and joy, which culminated in the old bastard smirking and repeating "Anything?" And that was when she forced a smile of her own and answered yes.
This began when Izumi had been contacted - or rather, she ignored an unknown caller before a voicemail message had been left, and what it said was chilling in that Danzo wanted to see her in particular, or else.
"I shall find you at your studio when you don't see it coming. I am being accused of something that is far from my jurisdiction, so I intend to lay low until it's settled, hence I refuse to reach you on my personal line. But I understand you have recently suffered a horrendous mishap of your own. I can assist you, but I anticipated you wouldn't listen to reason. Hence I will seek you on my own time so we can come to an arrangement, and you can drop the charges - as will Itachi."
On THEIR watches? Hell to the no, if they didn't say it enough. Good thing she kept the message, for they took it right to the police, with their plans still intact and the intent to share it with Commissioner Hatake alone - and as expected, he was impressed but wary. "Endangering a civilian is out of the question," he'd said, hands clasped in front of him as he'd sat behind his desk, "but if we have to catch him, it's best we monitor at all times. He says he will show up when you don't expect it, so..."
And so the deed was done: every resource available was installed in absolute secrecy, granted Konoha's police force was the finest there ever was, though no one could say it was perfect. This included the late hours of the night where the shop had to be reopened by its owners and the spy cameras and voice recorders could be installed from eyesight. The same went towards the Akatsuki saloon.
Anticipated, it happened at the end of the day, just before November came to an end and Izumi was giving her client, Ino Yamanaka, her long-awaited wedding getup - and Shimura had waited until then when closing time was coming, choosing the "opportune" moment when Rika was away to supervise in the locking up of the exits and such...
...and that was when it began to get heated and would no doubt escalate in a matter of time.
Izumi had been startled, by the sounds of her shouts when he said her name, but quickly composed herself. "What would you like me to do, so we can help each other out and then clear this out with the authorities?"
And Danzo's response was this: "I have connections, as you know good and well, so I will be willing to reach out, but only after my name has been preserved. Right now, I can take payment that wouldn't involve business as usual..."
And judging from the way he said THAT, he didn't mean money, and Izumi figured that out. Kisame was listening to all of this with Itachi and Konan - an hour before they, too, closed up for the night - and felt his blood boil to the point his hardened skin only seared with steam, whereas his best friend obviously bubbled. Konan narrowed her eyes and curled her fingers into her palms, drawing small rivers of blood.
This son of a bitch who harassed them long enough - and responsible for Izumi and Rika's old workplace being forced to shut down - had just done the worst in asking his weasel's woman to offer her own body to him like a common prostitute. Itachi snarled through his teeth, lips curled as he wished he could just go over there and strangle Danzo as well as jam a rod to where it hurt most. Or something absolutely lethal, for Izumi was heard protesting - playing the part well, he'd give her that - and the next thing they knew, there was the sound of fabric ripping, which meant he'd reached for her blouse and yanked enough to show whatever amount of her he wanted, flesh being smacked and making Kisame growl in his throat. If he slapped her, he's gonna get what's below his waist ripped off by both me and Itachi's hands. No one touches our women and lives.
Thank God it didn't last, for the voices of the police sounded, followed by Danzo roaring at his would-have-been victim and calling her a treacherous bitch, and then a hard punching sound and Rika threatening to cut his throat for doing that to her friend. If only Kisame could see that; he swelled at having such a tough woman just like Itachi had the bravest one who would agree to something like this.
Konan grinned and slapped the countertop with three empty glass shots and then the bottle of whisky when it was just the three of them. "Before you two go to them, this calls for a celebration." And then a weekend double-date if the ladies are eager. He could see Itachi was thinking the same thing but really wanted to leave soon just so he could hold onto Izumi, pure and simple.
Their worst enemy was likely to go to prison for a long time since the evidence was overwhelming, and everyone could go back to normal again - after things were rebuilt.
~o~
"Still can't get over this thing. Itachi knows you well enough to know what brings you two together like this."
Well, Danzo was now in jail and wouldn't get out to go after them again. Business as usual returned, and a lot of things were restored to former glory, though this was the damage done: first, for the Akatsuki, they had to get a brand new wall mural, and that was the one she slaved away just for all of them - the white rose with the foreboding red-and-black backdrop. And the very same bar was redone and placed with the exact same stools and beverages as before. Her and Rika's Fountain of Fantasy's lobby was more golden ivory in the walls and floors than before, but other than that, it seemed as though nothing ever happened.
But who knew if something this traumatic would take place again.
As for her and Itachi, it had taken a lot of effort to get back to what they were before, and he'd done everything to make up for how he treated her that terrible night. I also need to start trusting him with serious info even if it means backfiring, but love doesn't live without trust.
And here they were, the following start of summer and at the Uchiha beach house - where it really began for the two of them as a couple. Which brought her to looking down at the ring perfectly settled in the middle of her left third finger - the ruby cleanly cut into an emerald shape, set within a frame of her favorite rosy metal, and the four corners each had painted red roses to make you immediately assume the four corners of the world...and he'd said the world would always be at their feet.
It was then joined by the hand of the one who spoke; there lay on THAT finger unique and sculpted platinum with the shark's tail wrapping around, the animal going to meet the marquise-shaped blue topaz. Just as the plum blossoms had burst into bloom the past February, Kisame gave this to Rika, only their big day would be in the time of maple-viewing later this year.
Today was Izumi and Itachi.
It was a small and intimate affair with these people: Mikoto, Madara and Kazue, Deidara and Sasori, Konan; Hinata, her sister and new husband Naruto were also there, and of course Sasuke - but Sakura was nowhere to be seen. That was because she hadn't been invited. It's not really a grudge, but her being there would just ruin it for both of us, and it's not like she didn't have it coming. Coincidentally enough, she wound up having a brain tumor removal surgery that day, so it wasn't completely terrible timing.
And from what Sasuke told her and Itachi, they were finally talking about having a baby, but no signs of a possible pregnancy just yet. Had she and her man been friendlier with the pink-haired woman, they would have actually been happy for her, but it was reserved mostly for Sasuke.
Nothing was gonna ruin the biggest day of their lives - not even Sakura's presence. You know what they said about karma.
"Okay, girls, it's showtime," Aunt Kazue said, sticking her head around the corner of the master bedroom - where the girls had spent the last summer in, which felt like so long ago but like it was yesterday - and showed herself in an elegant gown of silk-satin with the top part being navy blue with a bow at the waist and the skirt ebony; tri-colored pearls of black, gold and white twisted around her neck and wrist and dripped from her ears. And with her was Mikoto, soon to be her mother-in-law, who couldn't stop wiping her eyes with a tissue. She was in fitted, knee-length black embroidered heavily with ivory flowers, earlobes bearing golden hydrangea petals in clusters, and sleek black heels adorned with silk white petals centered with a pearl.
Rika, maid of honor in irresistible rosy mauve silk with romantic lace in layers at the neck - bouquets of enameled roses and blushing gems in her ears and in that pendant - did the honor of giving the bride her bouquet and then picked up her own, which was simple in comparison in that she carried abundant lavender and white, and pink carnations.
And now Izumi looked at herself in the reflection of the long mirror which had been brought out from the closet, courtesy of Mikoto. There, smiling back, was a vibrant figure in airy snowy layers pushed off the shoulders, crossing over the curves and flaring around the legs, the breasts gently pushed at the top. A single-layered veil reached the elbows with another layer covering her face, all of which boasted dimensional white flowers. The short heels were set with white flowers like the ones on her veil, on the backs being gardenia shapes set with pearls and beadwork. And finally, her favorite jewelry along with the necklace Itachi gave her by the bonfire.
Her longtime best friend and maid of honor giving her the luxurious shades of red, pink, and purple - red and fuchsia roses, purple and lavender carnations, and pristine white freesia - brought it to full circle, and now she was ready to walk to that cliff overlooking the beach and marry the love of her life. I'm not gonna cry again, not gonna cry again...
Mikoto had to go before they left because her boys needed her there, but she stayed long enough to watch the second layer of the bride's veil being pulled over her face, and there went more flood works.
There at the cliff - overlooking the spot where she skied with Kisame and Itachi, then raced the latter back to the shore and beat his ass that way - were two great sprays of flowers bearing the ones in her hands. The sweet scent of the roses and freesia joined with the saltwater of the ocean, making it bittersweet in the best way possible...just like life itself with its ups and downs. The soft wind made her spine tingle with exhilaration.
She tingled with the same excitement when she and Itachi took their vows, overheard above the loud crashing of the waves against the rocks below: they had been friends forever, then parted ways before reconnecting - leaving out WHO was the reason - and thanked their families and friends for that. Especially Madara who officiated them even though he wasn't ordained, but the legal paperwork before today had been taken care of so that they could take their time to plan this day.
The sun finally began to set when he pulled that veil from her face and threw it behind so that her lips were all his for their first kiss as husband and wife. There was not one dry eye - from Deidara who got scolded and laughed at by his partner, as well as Mikoto and Hinata who was comforted by her sister and Naruto. Everyone else had a great, big smile of their own as they applauded.
Later on, when night had completely fallen, the fairy lights and simple white paper lanterns were hung over the pool area, some floating lotus-like candles set to float across the water itself, and everyone was outside dancing and having a grand old time before they would retreat inside for the dinner being made.
Oh, fireflies are coming...maybe we shouldn't have needed these lanterns and electrical wires, after all - or maybe just the lanterns themselves, had we'd predicted it.
But what did it matter? Seeing these cute little guys with their rear ends lit up like holiday light bulbs made Izumi Uchiha drift off into a fantasy moment of her own, beginning when she and Itachi had their first dance together in front of everyone: everything darkened out, even all interfering sounds, and all that remained was the two of them and the dancing fireflies of summer.
The fireflies' lights seemed to increase in their brightness levels when Naruto and Sasuke did the sweetest thing ever. Not just for the newlyweds, but all the other pairs tonight - Madara and Kazue, Deidara and Sasori, and Kisame and Rika who wound up catching the garter and bouquet - while Hinata and Hanabi cheered the two on, the former blushing towards her man with glazing moonlit irises. This one line in particular, along with everything else in the song, made Izumi think about the entire path her and Itachi's lives had taken, with so many obstacles but no ending in stone:
"I'm a believer; I couldn't leave her if I tried."