Komorebi |Uchiha Itachi| Kairos Sequel

chapter vii. we'll see

"Yo, Ai!"

The dark head of hair snapped up at the nickname, staring over at the boy taking a bite of his apple.

The two stood out in the rain at a training ground somewhere on the outskirts of the Village Hidden in the Leaf. It rained just enough to dampen their clothes and hair but not to the point of creating puddles of mud. The sky was grey and filled with heavy stormy clouds that blocked the sun.

Sasuke looked over curiously at his guardian. Aiko wore dark spandex and her hair in a low ponytail that day. In between her barking orders at him and sparring, he saw peaks of what looked like a tattoo on the back of her neck and the edges of her wrists. It was the appearance of the dark ink that made him realize he did not know as much about her as she knew about him. He had no idea what her arms looked like under the sleeves she wore no matter the weather. He has never seen a clear view of the back of her neck enough to make out the dark ink drawn on it.

Sasuke has seen her honey eyes glow a bright fuchsia but has not seen the true extent of whatever kekkei genkai she had. Though he knew she used to be a member of the Anbu Black Ops, he had never seen her tattoo or known what her ranking was.

Though Sasuke Uchiha knew her favorite flower, her nervous ticks, and her favorite food, he did not know Aiko as a shinobi. Even during their mission in the mist, she was mostly on defense while Kakashi took the lead on attacks.

Though this level of ignorance has been going on since the day she took him on as his legal guardian, it bothered him significantly. He boasted to Naruto that she was his older sister but in all reality, he did not know her as well as he wanted to.

"Sasuke? Did you have a stroke?"

Aiko raised an eyebrow at the young teenager. Something bothered him based on his dazed yet darkened gaze. When the scowl curved at his lips after she called his name, it was very obvious that something was simmering in his mind.

"Where are you from?"

Aiko grimaced immediately at the question that left his lips. She regularly tried to forget her origins and took to her current life of caring for her Uchiha brat.

After burying her grandmother, there was only one person to remind her of where she came from. Aiko avoided the man like the plague when she could.

Sasuke's existence was enough encouragement to forget everything and start fresh.

"I grew up in the Village Hidden in the Rain. Why do you ask?"

The Uchiha noticed the defensive tone that took Aiko immediately. When he thought about it, the only information on her past before he met her was from a conversation with his late mother. The only hints were shadowed and foggy with time but he remembered a few details clearly.

One is that Aiko's clan fell due to ailments discouraging reproduction.

The second is that Aiko had virtually no relatives.

Though this was more of a reason to overlook Aiko's life before coming to the Village Hidden in the Leaf, Sasuke hated not having all of the answers.

"I know that. I meant where is your family? What even was your clan?"

Sasuke could see the brick wall that was Aiko's emotional complex. Her eyes were hollow but the smile she plastered made Sasuke straighten up. It was as if the questions he had asked aged her immediately.

Those warm amber eyes were exhausted but she still smiled patiently at him.

"None of that matters anymore. I barely matter, ducky."