With you till the End - Uchiha Itachi Fanfic [Edited]

Chapter 4 - Ranking

Emiko pov:

It was seven in the morning when I woke, and Itachi was nowhere to be seen - I assumed that he had already left for his mission. I was quick to get ready for the day, showering and dressing up presentably before I made my way through the house in search of Itachi's mother. She was in the kitchen already preparing breakfast and I greeted her cheerily while entering.

"Good morning, Kaa san. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Good morning, Emiko dear," she greeted in response, glancing back at me a moment with a warm smile. "Don't worry about helping me with anything - I'm almost done with breakfast."

"Let me set the table, at least," I insisted and arranged plates, water and mats on the low height table. Though I had already guessed it, I couldn't help but ask while I worked, "Kaa san, did Itachi already leave for his mission?"

"Oh, yes. He left quite early," she answered and I hummed in response.

Kaa san, Tou san, Sasuke and I ate breakfast together when everything was ready, though Tou san was mostly silent during the meal. Kaa san asked me of my life in Fukushima while fussing over Sasuke, keeping the atmosphere in the dining room lighthearted. After breakfast, I helped Kaa san with the cleaning before she insisted on taking me for a tour around the house.

She walked me through the entire house, right from the rooms to the many beautiful gardens in and around the residence. The house was spacious and and it made sense for it to be this big considering Tou san's position as head of the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha Police Force.

While we toured the house, I was tempted to ask Kaa san if she had noticed anything odd about Itachi's behavior since last evening. I was sure that she would have noticed if something was different, being his mother - all mother's had a sixth sense that would make the notice if even the slightest thing was off about their children. But she didn't seem to say anything about him even when she mentioned him a few times while we toured the house. It had me assuming that he was probably just being distant with me so I didn't ask Kaa san about him in worry that I might sound a bit too forward. After all, I had barely known everyone for two days and I didn't want to sound rude in any way.

When we reached Sasuke's room, which was down the hallway from the room Itachi and I shared, I smiled at the sight of the slight clutter. His toys were thrown about here and there though there was one that caught my eye - a green dinosaur that was on his bed. Kaa san noticed me staring at it and laughed softly before she spoke, "That's his favorite toy. He still sleeps with it - oh, but don't tell him I told you that. He wants to look grown up to everyone around him. And don't mind the mess - it's hard to get him to be organized all the time!"

"I understand, Kaa san."

"Sasuke really likes you, you know?" she added while stepping into the room to clean up a little. I helped too, putting his toys away in the bin on the side. "He wouldn't stop going on about how pretty and nice you are to him since yesterday. Well, it is obvious that you are a sweetheart, you've been so polite to all of us."

Blushing slightly at her compliments, I said, "Thank you, Kaa san. Well, I really adore children and Sasuke is really cute!"

"I'm sure he's going to be sticking to your side a lot. I hope you won't feel too bothered by that."

"Not at all! I'll be more than happy to spend time with him," I answered, sharing a light laugh with her.

After the tour, we relaxed for a while with cups of tea, just talking about many things. Kaa san fondly spoke of when Itachi and Sasuke were younger, recalling memories of instances in their childhood. There was much pride in her eyes too, and it was obvious because Itachi was so skilled and Sasuke was already working hard to become a fine shinobi.