Work Text:
Tea House Hidden in the Leaves
By: Giancarla / Moonlight Rhapsody
“Hai, two genmaicha and four orders of dango. Coming right up!” With an audible tap on her notepad the waitress gave them a bright smile and went to get their orders. The tea house was relatively empty except for two other patrons and themselves.
It really was a picture-perfect day in Konoha with a slightly cooling breeze to counteract the bright afternoon sun. The quiet local teashop was a stand-alone building tucked inside one of the village’s many green spaces, a part of a new village initiative to entice its citizens to enjoy the outdoors. While it was almost instantly popular with the civilian folk, it was more difficult for shinobis as they were almost always on duty and rarely had any free time. It was especially true for the two of them.
“Really Itachi? You ordered three sticks of dango for yourself?” Sakura asked her male companion with one eyebrow arching slightly. “That’s quite uncharacteristically indulgent of you.”
Before he could respond, the waitress brought their tea first before excusing herself though not without a split-second glance at the dark-haired man and a small giggle first. Being the heir of the Uchiha clan and a former ANBU captain Itachi was used to those responses from the opposite sex and had become immune throughout the years. He preferred to minimize such attentions however; he was thankful that the tea shop only had two other parties who were seated away from earshot on the other side of the tea house so that he could enjoy private time.
He responded with a straight face., “I love dango and I think I deserve it after the week I have had.”
Sakura let out a small chuckle before taking a sip of the hot tea. “True, I’ll give you that. I’ll say, I never thought I’d see the great Itachi Uchiha indulge and give himself the credit he’s due. You’re too restrained most of the time.”
Itachi sighed, “That is a justified view. Any other time I would refrain from such pleasures, but maybe your constant reminders have made an impact.” He smiled at her, well, the equivalent of an Uchiha smile anyway. To anyone else his expression barely changed.
“Hn.” She gave him a mischievous smile as she mimicked his customary answer. Cupping her hands around the hot mug, absorbing the fragrant steam warming her insides, “So, what are you going to do about your brother?”
Their server re-appeared with a tray of warm goodies, so fresh the steam was softly wafting off of the dango sticks. “Thank you so much for waiting! Here are your four sticks of dango! Please let me know if you need anything else.“ She bowed deeply and disappeared just as quickly to give them privacy. She moved on to other customers to ensure they were also content with their orders.
Itachi did not even hesitate, he immediately grabbed for his first stick and chewed slowly and deliberately on his first dango piece before answering her. “What about my otouto?”
Though she enjoyed dango, she wasn’t as much of an afficionado as her companion and took her time. She also knew the game Itachi was playing, pretending not to be aware of the context of her question. She was not of below average intelligence, as evidenced by being the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage and a student of the Rokudaime Hokage. Her only response to him was a pointed stare and she knew he would understand the non-verbal communication; he was not obtuse unless that was the intention.
Theirs was an odd relationship, one that, though their paths had crossed many times and through different channels, was a very, very slow development. Sakura had been a presence through Itachi’s life firstly through her association with his younger brother though he barely registered her presence, and later on through their professional careers in the village’s administration. She was Tsunade-sama’s star apprentice and he an ANBU Captain. They rose through the ranks and eventually began interacting on a regular basis through her role as the Commander of the Konoha Medic Unit and his as the Commander of the ANBU. Though they lived in peaceful times they were always prepared for anything and thankfully so as a new terrorist group launched a surprise attack on Konoha and Sakura and Itachi found themselves back-to-back in the midst of a battle. Itachi suddenly found himself paying very close attention to Sakura and her battle style. What he witnessed impressed him, not a small feat. He was so distracted that he had not seen a stealthy assassin about to strike him down before Sakura flashed behind his would-be assailant and punched her fist through the shinobi’s chest. In saving his life she had earned his respect.
“Itachi?”
Snapped out of his reverie he re-focused on the woman in front of him. He let out a rare sigh, “I do not see a problem with Sasuke and the decisions he is making.” He took a sip of his genmaicha as he carefully thought the situation through. “He is a grown man and a shinobi.”
“As Sasuke’s teammate I agree with you. He has all the abilities and capabilities of being able to care for his own wellbeing. His strength is definitely not an issue and he has the support of everyone around him. As a woman, I would want for him to find someone who can compliment him and be a companion. I just disagree with how your parents are going about it with suggesting an arranged marriage.” Sakura sighed. “Sasuke would never allow himself to be forced into such a situation and I only see disaster up ahead if the family forges ahead with this plan.”
“I agree with you and that is why I have spoken with Chichi-ue and Haha-ue not too long ago. Sasuke should not have any heavy expectations of him, he is not the Clan Heir. I also discussed with them that I disagreed with the notion of subjecting him to a person, to a marriage, that he did not choose for himself.”
“I can see the good intentions of your parents, I do. I know that they want to make sure that Sasuke doesn’t end up alone but the relationship between your father and brother is already shaky at best and this will not help. Thank you for speaking with them, I appreciate it.”
He tilted his head towards her in acknowledgement. Truth be told he had developed a migraine when his otouto burst into his office one day, rage and fire in his eyes, asking if he knew anything about what their parents was proposing. He answered honestly; no, he was not previously aware as he had been buried deep in his duties to the village. He listened to his brother rant about the unfairness of the situation and how their mother and father were attempting to railroad him to conform to their standards. He managed to calm him down and silently planned to speak with their father after the next clan meeting. It was a heated discussion of which he was unsure of the final outcome. It came as a relief to him (and Sasuke) when their father finally backed down, albeit reluctantly.
The two of them continued to chat about little things as they enjoyed their snacks and the peace and tranquility of the moment. Free time was not something they had an abundance of with their respective roles in the village but they made an effort to meet up at a restaurant or tea shop periodically, just the two of them, without his ever-present entourage, much to Itachi’s chargin. Honestly, he can take care of himself.
Itachi let out a sigh and without turning his head, “Yes, what is it Bear?”
In a barely perceptible flash, an ANBU operative appeared next to their table before Sakura registered that someone else was with them. The corner of her mouth tilted upwards, “Duty calls.”
Bear bowed low in their direction, “Hokage-sama, the Elders have requested for your presence back at the Hokage Tower at your earliest convenience.”
Itachi’s relaxed expression evaporated and the characteristic lines on his face reappeared though less deep than when he was younger and on active ANBU duty. He took his role as the village leader just as seriously as he took his missions and he knew what he took on when he accepted his new role. It did not make it an easy decision.
“I also have another message,” Bear continued, “Sakura-sama, Tsunade-sama requests your participation for a patient’s care at the Konoha Hospital. A special case, she said.”
Itachi smirked at Sakura. “Duty calls.”
She scrunched her nose at him and sighed as she began to lift herself up from her seat, a task made more challenging by the extra weight she was carrying. Itachi, seeing her difficulty, rose and placed one hand behind her while using his other hand for her to use as leverage. Once safely on her feet he tenderly cradled the bump where his son or daughter lay growing inside his wife. He felt a swift kick respond with his palm and he sent a small tendril of chakra to let his child know he was there. They had no idea what they were having; Itachi surprisingly did not want to know before the birth and Sakura had agreed with him. They rarely had any good surprises in their lives and they wanted this to be one of them in only two months’ time.
Still cradling her hand, he placed his forehead on hers and smiled softly at Sakura. “I suppose I will see you later at home. I will have dinner ready.” Since they found out they were expecting, Hokage or not, he made it a priority to be home with a healthy meal prepared for his wife when she returned from her duties. He was actually a very talented cook and found the art of cooking as a way to relax when he could. The masculine side of him also quite enjoyed spoiling his wife as she enjoyed whatever he made, especially since, as talented as Sakura was in other aspects, she would burn the water if left to her own devices. He would rather not starve.
“Mmm hmm. Grilled salmon ochazuke?” She looked at him hopefully with hunger in her eyes. She looked quite adorable with the child-like sparkle in her eyes with the thought of one of her favorite foods.
“It will be done.” Letting her go and stepping away, he looked sideways to the waiting ANBU. “Bear, is Monkey around?”
“I am here Hokage-sama.” Answered another ANBU operative who appeared behind him, ready to take instruction.
“Monkey, please escort my wife to the hospital and to Tsunade-sama’s office. You are to also escort her home by 1800 hours.” He knew Sakura had a tendency to overdo things which has not faded since becoming pregnant.
“Hai Hokage-sama. Sakura-sama, we shall go whenever you are ready.”
“Thank you Itachi. I will see you later at home.” With a short and sweet kiss on the corner of his mouth, she smiled at him once more and headed to the direction of the hospital with Monkey right beside her.
Itachi watched his wife slightly waddle away with Monkey shadowing her as instructed. He could not help but smile at his life; it was not how he ever envisioned it to be. There were so many challenges he had to overcome to be where he was now, the largest being the would-be Uchiha coup that would have ended tragically had he not been able to stop it, however he would not have changed anything. He would go through it all again.
He drained the last of his genmaicha and, after grabbing the last stick of dango for the road, flickered away.
“The relationship between husband and wife should be one of closest friends” by B.R. Ambedkar