As you approach Itachi's house, you look over Itachi's shoulder to see Mikoto at the door, looking out while holding a candle.

"Itachi! There you are! Why are you so late? I was worried!" She stops as she notices you. "Who is that?"

"Sota," you mumble into Itachi's shoulder, too softly for any of them to hear you.

"It's Uzumaki Sota. He was having a hard time with his tutor, so I had to help him out," Itachi says as he carries you into the warm house.

"Oh," Mikoto smiles. "I'm proud of you! Help him with the bath before you get Sasuke, I need to get started on dinner," she says, following you two inside.

"But…" Itachi starts unhappily.

"Sasuke can wait a bit more, but Sota looks like he'll catch his death if he isn't warmed up! The faster you help Sota, the faster you can pick up your brother," she scolds.

"Alright," he sighs and grabs a candle to light the way before carrying you into the bathroom.

What meets your eyes is a lot more luxurious than what you'd expect from a residential home. It's more what you imagine you'd find at a spa. There's a shower and two stools to the right of the door, big, soft-looking towels are stacked neatly in an alcove to the left, and the bath is enormous, almost big enough to swim in, and appears to have been cut into the stone ground beneath the house.

He crouches down to let you off his back and you barely manage to loosen your grip with your stiff half-frozen arms and fingers.

"Just take a quick shower first to wash off the worst of the mud and you can get in the bath," he says, turning on the bathwater. "I'll tell my mother to bring you some of my old clothes to wear. Just remember to turn off the water when it's full. Alright?"

You nod.

"Good. I need to hurry to get Sasuke before the weather gets too much worse," he says and leaves you alone in the bathroom.

-x-

After the bath, you feel cleaner than ever and Itachi's old clothes fit you well enough even if it was a bit weird to wear the Uchiha emblem on your back.

As you enter the hallway, you can hear Mikoto talking to Sasuke in the living room. "Everything was fine. You were not alone, right?" she asks.

"I was playing cards with Iruka-sensei and Naruto while I waited, so I guess it wasn't so bad," he says.

"I'm glad to hear that you've finally made a friend."

"He's not a friend," Sasuke says in a dismissive tone. "I just had nothing else to do."

"Sota, everything okay?" Itachi asks behind you.

"... Oh yeah, sorry," you mumble.

"Let's go in and join the others," he says.

As you enter the living room, Sasuke almost immediately turns to glare at you. "What is he doing here?"

"The power is out in his apartment and he has no hot water, so I decided to bring him here to help him out," Itachi says.

Sasuke lets out an exasperated sigh. His frustration is evident in his voice. "So, he will go home now that he's had a bath?"

"Sasuke, be nice," Mikoto says. "I'm not sending him back out in this weather. Now go wash your hands and we can start eating. Itachi, please tell your father that dinner is ready."

"Yes, of course," Itachi says, and he and Sasuke leave the room.

"Just sit down and wait, Sota," Mikoto says with another smile and points to the table.

As you sit down, Fugaku enters the living room with a strong scowl on his face and sits down opposite you. He looks quite menacing, and it doesn't help that his face is only partly lit by the candle fire, but you try to keep your discomfort to yourself, as not to offend him.

"So, you're Uzumaki Sota?" Fugaku asks while lighting the other candles on the table with a fire jutsu.

"Yes," you say, awkwardly looking a bit to the side to avoid his gaze.

"Not exactly what I'd expected, but your results speak for themselves. Who has been teaching you?" he asks.

"Mostly Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei, but recently a man named Ichirou."

"No, you wouldn't match Itachi's academy skills with only your teachers helping you. Someone else must have taught you before you entered the academy."

Wait, was he onto you already? Could he know that you were a spy?

Mikoto comes up behind him and rubs his shoulders for a bit. "Stop interrogating him, dear. You're not at work and there is nothing strange about his abilities. Remember that Uzumaki girl that beat you in the chunin exam? What was her name, Satsuki?"

Fugaku's scowl somehow changes, eyebrows lowering and lips curling slightly with irritation. "She was the least competent ninja I've ever fought. She was late to our match, and she only noticed that she had forgotten her sword after the match had started. She even got herself disqualified."

"Despite that, she beat you, and I could tell from her lack of discipline that she didn't have much formal training. So please don't make Sota uncomfortable just because he's skilled," she says.

Fugaku grunts, but nods in agreement, and Mikoto leaves for the kitchen.

Itachi returns and sits down next to his father, and Sasuke next to him.

Despite the power outage, it seems like Mikoto has had no problem making a delicious dinner. As you're eating, Sasuke keeps glaring at you.

"Sasuke, behave yourself when we have guests," Fugaku scolds, looking at his son sternly.

"I don't want him here," Sasuke says.

"It's not up to you. Itachi invited him here," Mikoto says.

"Brother, tell him to go home," Sasuke says and looks up at Itachi imploringly.

Itachi looks quite uncomfortable, but continues eating like nothing is going on.

You follow his example and turn to your own food, but as you bite into your bread, you see a bright flash in the window shortly followed by a thundering growl. Before you know it, you've curled up on your chair and are shaking.

"Sota, what's wrong?" Mikoto asks, jumping to her feet and putting a hand on your shoulder.

"I'm fine," you mumble, shrugging off her hand uncomfortably and putting your feet back on the floor. You feel a little shaky, and your heart is racing, but the embarrassment wins out over your anxiety, so you try to force yourself to focus on your food again.

On the other end of the table, Sasuke is laughing at your expense.

"Sasuke, stop that at once. Be nice," Mikoto scolds.

"Why should I be nice to that…" a bright flash of light followed by another thunderous roar cuts Sasuke off.

You shut your eyes and start shaking worse than before. Every sense is blocked out. All you can hear is your own obsessive mumbling, but while you can hear your voice, you can't really process your own words and you can't think of anything beyond the panic.

You're unable to stop or even think properly. Eventually, the shaking gets even stronger, but you hear a soft voice in the distance. "Ta… Sota…"

"Sota, can you hear me?" Mikoto says as she's gently shaking you.

"Uh, yeah sorry," you suddenly snap out of it., You look at your food again, but you're not feeling hungry anymore. You look up and see that Sasuke's and Itachi's chairs are empty. You didn't mean to get him in trouble. Sasuke may act like a spoiled brat, but you are intruding on his home.

"Don't feel guilty, Sota, he brought it upon himself. Please, try to eat, it will make you feel better," she says and pats your head as Itachi sits down again.

You take a small bite of bread to make her happy, but your appetite does not return, and it doesn't magically make you feel better.

Itachi stirs around in his food for a moment before looking up. "Father, when is the next clan meeting? I want to start attending them."

Fugaku doesn't smile, but his scowl loses some of its grip on his face. "It's tomorrow night. I'm glad you've finally come to your senses."

"Already? Didn't you just have one last week?" Itachi asks.

"It's not appropriate to talk about clan business with guests here. If you have questions, we'll discuss them after the meeting tomorrow."

Things are already brewing, it seems. You just hope no one throws any surprises at you.

"Did something happen?" Mikoto looks at Itachi. "You refused vigorously just a couple of months ago."

Itachi pauses for a moment and glances at you before turning his focus back to Mikoto.

"Does Sota have something to do with this?" she asks.

"While I was talking with the Hokage regarding Sota's tutor, he hinted he might promote me as he's quite pleased with my performance. But he said that I don't yet have what is required to be a proper leader."

"So he suggested you should learn more from me? I think we finally agree on something," Fugaku says.

"Yes."

"You can shadow me on a day when it fits both our schedules."

"Thanks, I will have a bit of a reduced schedule in the next few weeks to focus on honing my skills," Itachi says.

It's a bit of a struggle to hold your composure and not reveal that he's lying his teeth out, but Itachi's handling it surprisingly well. You try to force-feed yourself tiny bites of bread so you don't blurt out something you'll regret.

-x-

"Thanks for the food," you say after the meal when everyone else has left the table and Itachi has gone to check up on Sasuke.

Mikoto sighs. "You didn't eat very much. Tell me if you get hungry later and I'll reheat some for you."

"Atchoo!"

"Are you feeling okay?" Mikoto asks.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit chilled," you say.

"Please tell me if you start to feel worse. Itachi said you'd been out in the rain for quite a while. What starts as a cold could turn into a deadly bout of pneumonia if you're not careful."

"I'll be fine," you assure her, pneumonia sounded like a bit of a stretch. "You've been very kind, but I don't want to intrude anymore. I can take care of myself."

"In a leaky apartment without any power and a bad cold?" Mikoto asks sceptically.

"Well… maybe if I can borrow some candles… and a rain cloak?" You suggest, "I think I'll be fine. I have plenty of blankets."

Mikoto sighs, "I'm not going to throw you out in this weather just because Sasuke is throwing a fit. It's not safe for you to go alone, and I wouldn't even want to send Itachi out in this either."

You remember the thunder during dinner and glance at the window uneasily. "I guess I can stay a bit longer."

"That's better. Itachi brought your bag from the academy, so you can do your homework while you're here," she says and hands you your bag. "If you feel up to it, that is?"

"Thanks, yeah, I feel fine," you say unpacking your books and getting to work.

-x-

"I should go," you mutter, closing your books and letting out another sneeze. "I think I need to go to bed, I feel quite tired."

"Are you sure you don't want something to eat, first?" Mikoto asks, "You didn't eat much earlier."

You shake your head, slowly putting your things back in your school bag.

"The storm is still bad, you'll sleep here tonight," Mikoto says, "I'll prepare a mattress for you in Itachi's room."

You're too tired to argue, and you're a little grateful that you don't have to go home to your chilly apartment in this weather.

"Why does he get to sleep with brother?" Sasuke asks petulantly.

"He's Itachi's guest. If you bring someone over, they'll sleep in your room," Mikoto replies.

"Can't he sleep out here?" Sasuke asks, glaring at you.

You glare back at him, but the effect is ruined when you let out another sneeze.

"Sasuke, enough," Mikoto says firmly. She turns to you with a frown, "Sota, are you sure you're okay? You don't look well." She puts a hand on your forehead. "I think you've got a fever. Let me brew some herbal tea, it should help bring it down a bit. Itachi, can you prepare a bed for Sota?"

He nods and leaves the room.

"Thanks," you mumble and sit down at the table again as the water boils. It feels like no time before she puts the cup in front of you.

You slowly sip the tea, barely keeping your eyes open. Despite a bitter undertone, it tastes quite sweet, probably with some sugar added.

Once you're finally ready for bed, in a set of borrowed pyjamas, you collapse onto your pillow. You feel Mikoto pulling the blanket over you, but you're drifting off before you can even think about protesting the childish treatment.

-x-

You wake up, shivering. The air feels as cold as ice, and you try to burrow deeper into your blankets. You hear voices in the doorway.

"Itachi, where have you been?" Mikoto asks.

You slowly turn your head to look at her. You want to ask for help but you're unable to get any sound out, your mouth feels completely dry.

"I had to talk with Kakashi-senpai," Itachi replies.

"At this hour and in this weather? Couldn't it wait til tomorrow?"

"Hokage's orders. He wanted me to ask Kakashi to tutor Sota before our meeting tomorrow. But it was strange. He was open to the idea of tutoring, at first, but when he saw Sota's file, he got furious and demanded that I leave straight away. Do you have any idea why?" Itachi asks.

"I… I'm not sure," she mumbles and turns to look at you. "Looks like Sota is awake… and he looks a lot worse."

"What's wrong?" Mikoto asks as she enters the room to kneel at your side. "It's quite hot, so you shouldn't be shivering," she says and touches a cold hand to your forehead. You flinch and she quickly retracts her hand. "Itachi, something is really wrong with Sota. I need you to go to the hospital and get a doctor who can look at him."

"Are you sure? Isn't it just a fever?" Itachi asks.

"Feel his forehead yourself," she says.

His hand is just hovering over your head before he pulls it back. "He's hot! I don't think even Sasuke has had a fever this high."

"Exactly. Make sure the hospital understands this is an emergency. Don't let them dismiss Sota just because he's an orphan," she says and turns back to you, "I'm going to make you another cup of tea."

Itachi's already gone as Mikoto leaves for the kitchen. You try to stay awake as you wait for the tea, but you're cold, your eyelids are heavy, and eventually, you slip away again.

-x-

You wake up with a nagging feeling of something being wrong.

"Good morning," Mikoto says with a yawn as you enter the kitchen.

"Good morning. Where is everyone?"

"Itachi walked Sasuke to the academy, and my husband is in his study. Do you feel up to some breakfast?"

You glance around for a clock, "Sasuke already left for the academy? Why didn't anyone wake me? I need to hurry so Iruka-sensei won't get too mad at me."

"I asked Itachi to tell your teacher that you'll be absent today," Mikota says, "You were so sick last night, I didn't expect you to be well again so quickly."

"Uh…" You remember not feeling great when you went to bed, and a hazy memory of someone sending Itachi for a doctor. "I guess I don't really remember that… Thanks for taking care of me."

"I'm happy to help," she says with another yawn.

She must have been up all night if you were that sick.

"Here," Mikoto places a steaming bowl on the table, "You didn't eat much last night, so eat as much as you can. I'll make some tea, too."

You sit down and your stomach growls in anticipation, even though it's only rice porridge. It smells amazing. You start eating as Mikoto puts a kettle on for the tea, and as you think your thoughts wander.

"Um… Why does Sasuke hate me so much? I know he's mad at me for beating him in spars, but it seems like there must be something else."

Mikoto sighs. "As an Uchiha, one of the founding clans, and especially as the son of the clan head, everyone expects Sasuke to be the strongest student in his class. He was quite excited to prove himself in his first sparring class, but things didn't go according to plan. Your teacher paired you two together. Itachi had to carry him home after you injured him, so it was obvious to everyone in the clan that he had lost."

"I'm really sorry." No wonder he hates your guts.

"You've nothing to apologize for," Mikoto assures you, "Other than his ego, Sasuke was not seriously injured. And it was your first spar at the academy too. Besides, the teachers are responsible for ensuring there are no injuries. Unfortunately, your current teachers are quite inexperienced. You will probably get new ones next year if they don't improve."

New teachers? That would be really bad given Iruka's influence on Naruto. If Iruka is replaced, Naruto might not have anyone to support him.

"What decides if they'll be replaced or not?" You ask.

"It's not just you students that will be evaluated on parents' day."

"I remember the teachers talking about that not too long ago. So, the parents will come and watch us spar and decide if our teachers are doing a good job…?"

"Something like that," Mikoto agrees, "Would you like some more breakfast?"

"No," you stand up from the table as she collects your bowl.

"I hope you won't think too badly of Sasuke," Mikoto says, "You don't need to be friends with him, just leave him be."

"You're afraid I will attack him?" You ask.

She doesn't answer right away. "I'm a bit afraid that he'll take after me. Remember the girl I mentioned yesterday? The one that beat Fugaku in the exams?"

You nod.

"I had already fallen for Fugaku, so when I saw her continue to beat him up even after he had surrendered, I decided to take revenge. I got the help of a friend and we ambushed her. We got in a lot of trouble, and both of us got disqualified from the finals. The only reason it didn't go worse for us was that she was from one of the smaller villages which reduced the political backlash."

"Where was she from?" You ask.

"I don't know, but she still wore her Uzushio forehead protector even if her village was destroyed."

"So, did you attack her just because she defeated Fugaku-san?" you ask.

"Oh, of course not. After he surrendered, she wouldn't stop hitting him. Looking back on it, I was afraid she was going to take him away from me. She was just so close to him! More than getting beat in a fight or being embarrassed, I think Sasuke is afraid that you'll take Itachi away from him. I'm glad he's content with just glaring at you; I was vicious when I was younger, and didn't pull myself together until I learnt that Fugaku was a bit afraid of me."

"Did you ever lose control and attack someone without intending to?" You ask, "During my last spar with my classmates, I felt like I lost my mind. I didn't want to hurt Shikamaru, but I didn't notice how far I had gone before he screamed and Iruka-sensei was dragging me off of him."

"No, I was always in control and knew exactly what I was doing. My viciousness was always deliberate," she frowns, "But if you're worried about what happened, or think it might have happened before, you should try to figure out more about yourself. Have you tried looking for a diary or journal? If this has happened to you before, it might help you figure out how to stay in control."

"I don't think I kept a diary," you say. If you had, then it would probably have been with the other things you found in your desk.

"Perhaps something else?" Mikoto asks. "Photos or pictures of people you knew, or maybe notes in the margins of your notebooks or texts?"

"I found a picture hidden in a box… it caused me to freeze up. I also found a few drawings I think I got from a friend before I left the orphanage. But we're a long way from the orphanage, so I don't know how much that will help?"

"Perhaps you could write to the orphanage matron. If there's someone there you were close with, they could send a letter back."

Danzo said you were basically wild and didn't have any friends at the orphanage. But that photo had to have come from somewhere… maybe this could help you get an answer. But you aren't even sure how or where to send a letter. "I don't know the address…"

Mikoto looks at you for a long moment before saying, "Maybe it's best just to leave it alone."

You frown, did you see something in the way she looked at you? "What? Why? You know something, don't you?"

"I don't know anything for sure."

"It's about me! Why does everyone hide things from me?" You ask in frustration, "Inoichi, Danzo, and now you…"

"Maybe they're doing it to protect you," Mikoto says, "Please just trust me on this, Sota. Instead of focusing on who you used to be, maybe you should just think about who you want to become."

You want to press the issue further, but you don't have the chance to talk about it anymore as someone knocks on the door.

Mikoto goes to open it and you trail behind her. An ANBU agent is outside, unmasked and wearing a raincoat. "Can I help you?" She asks.

"I'm looking for Uzumaki Sota, and I think I found him," he says and turns to look straight at you. "Come here."

You walk into the hallway but stay a bit of a distance from the door.

"Is there a problem?" she asks.

"He's coming back with me now. You've held him here long enough."

"Held him here? We were helping him. And the power is still out, it's not safe for him to be at home in this weather without power."

"Itachi was directed to see Uzumaki home yesterday, however, he took him away without leave and held him overnight," the ANBU says coolly. "This is completely against standard protocol." He places a hand on the door, forcing it further open, "Regardless, I have orders to take him home. Uzumaki, if you don't come out here now, I will-"

"You're trespassing, and overstepping your bounds," Fugaku pushes you to the side to get past you, interrupting the other man's threat, "Missing children are the responsibility and jurisdiction of the Military Police. Without proper cause, you have no right to be here," he says.

"We can't let you investigate yourself, Uchiha. I am here with permission from the Hokage," the ANBU says and hands Fugaku a scroll.

"I see," he says after reading it. "We offered a bit of hospitality and we're being treated like criminals."

"That's your words, not mine."

"Enough you two. I am not sending Sota back to a leaky apartment in this rain with no power," Mikoto says firmly.

"The power is back on at his apartment and everything is in great condition. We're taking good care of him and he's never complaining, so your concern here is unfounded."

"Itachi told me the exact conditions in his apartment. If Sota hasn't complained, then it's because he doesn't know how to."

The ANBU turns to you, "Uzumaki, you're able to ask for help when needed, right?"

You nod your head. "I'm used to it," you say. "It doesn't drip on me, and until yesterday it was fine. With enough blankets, the cold isn't usually an issue, it's just that the storm yesterday was terrible."

"As you hear from him, he's doing fine, so I'm taking him home now."

You walk towards the door, but as you try to pass Mikoto, she puts a hand on your shoulder.

"As a mother, I won't allow him to leave in the condition his apartment is in now."

The ANBU pauses for a moment, frowning. His entire posture quickly shifts into something more professional. "I'll see what I can do. Though, no matter what, he's not sleeping here another night."

What is this really about? If he was worried about you, why demand that you return home after confirming you were not held against your will?

"There will be no more discussion," he says as he leaves. But before he gets too far away from the entrance door, he turns around again. "One last thing, did Itachi tell you he got suspended from the ANBU?" He pauses for a second. "Judging from your faces, I guess not. Have a good day," he says and vanishes into thin air.

Fugaku and Mikoto stay where they are for a moment in silence. Are they shocked? You feel a little relieved that the secret is out in the open.

"Let's go back inside," Mikoto says.