Chapter Text
It doesn't take Team 7 to realize two things about guard duty: 1, it was an endless exercise in monotony, and 2, The clients usually treated you like they treated the help: Invisible. Sasuke stood at attention near the entry way into the master bedroom. This was a large house, one of several their client owned, and designed in the style of the far West. Whatever that meant. Sasuke had never actually stopped to wonder what that phrase meant. It had just meant a certain style of off the ground bed frame or specific architecture. The actual West of their country, as far as Sasuke's lessons had told him, almost never featured this style of design. Glass broke down the hall and Sasuke snapped out of his musings. Fuck, he was turning into Naruto with all the spare time this mission had given him, rambling rivers of thought and all. There was the sound of something else breaking and shouting. Sasuke clenched his jaw and stared at the fine details of a painting featuring Water country. The client, a silk merchant by named Hideyoshi Takeru, and his wife Mariko, the daughter of a noble, were always fighting, it didn't matter who was around.
Sasuke thought he'd have gotten used to the sound of things breaking but apparently, he hadn't. Neither had the children, from what Sasuke saw. Not really. There was another crash and a stream of the most creative cuss words Sasuke had never hard. It was actually quite funny. The door slammed open and the wife ran by screaming in fury. "I'LL CUT THE WHORE'S HAIR, YOU LOUSY LIMP DICKED PEASANT!"
She took no notice of Sasuke as she stormed past, knocking paintings and vases to the floor. A headache was beginning to form, just behind his eyes. Those had been becoming more frequent and Sasuke hoped the more he became accustomed to the Sharingan, the less the headaches would bother him. At least, the rest of the clan had told him they would. The Lady of House was still screaming obscenities but now she was behind thick doors. Sasuke glanced at the clock, his vision beginning to prick with odd sparks of light.
Shit, not another one. Sasuke Swallowed and began practicing his breaths, just like Miyuki Oba-chan had instructed him to do when these headaches hit. It would hold it off, but not for long.
Thankfully, Sakura suddenly rounded the corner, looking like she had just woken up. Sasuke exhaled in relief and stepped away from the entryway. "Are they done fighting for the night?" she whispered as she took Sasuke's place. The headache was beginning to stab his eyes and Sasuke just nodded.
Sakura scowled but said nothing as she took her place on guard duty. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm so glad I wasn't born into a rich family or even a shinobi clan; these arranged marriages seem miserable. Those two are certainly a good argument against the whole practice." Sasuke paused and felt a rising annoyance at her tone.
"Not all arranged marriages-" he began with every intention of defending his own clan's practices but lightning marks began appearing in his vision and Sasuke nearly fell to the ground with nausea. Sakura caught him and pressed two fingers to the pressure points in his skull.
"Breathe, Sasuke-kun," she whispered and held him until he could get his bearings. Finally, Sasuke stood, keeping his eyes mostly shut. He didn't know how long he had been like that but long enough that Kakashi-sensei had appeared next to them.
"Well, looks like Sakura's shift started in the nick of time. I'll take it from here." he said and Sasuke felt his hand slip under his arm and begin guiding him towards the servant's hall. "I'm sorry,"Sasuke managed to gasp and the stabbing in his eyes returned, worse than ever. "I'm doing everything I can manage this but I just can't control it."
Kakashi said nothing, just guided Sasuke their assigned rooms and lay him down. "Don't apologize, your body is adjusting and it will take the time it takes. Isn't that what everyone in your clan says? Besides, this is the first time it's happened in over a week. I'd say that's progress." Kakashi prepared him the medicine the Uchiha had left with him and stayed until Sasuke had swallowed the whole vile concoction.
Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and hoped the medicine would work quickly. The headaches by themselves were one thing, what they made him dream about was another. Ever since his Sharingan had awakened, his dreams had been more vivid than ever. Details were sharp and clear, places and people he had barley paid any attention to suddenly alive in his dreams. Memory too, had become sharper. And when the headaches came, when he squeezed his eyes shut...all he could see was her .
Sasuke had forgotten his mother's scent and what her hugs felt like, but he remembered her face in perfect detail. The way she had smiled as she sat down at the table next to father. As if it had all been real. But had hadn't been. None of it was real and Sasuke had been a little fool to believe any of it. Sasuke threw his arm over his eyes and prayed for sleep. Gods, he wanted to go home. (Home was gone, had it ever really been there?)
Sasuke awoke the next morning feeling a little better and by breakfast time, any side affects of his...episode were gone. The rest of the day was spent with Takeru as he met with a variety of clients and ships down in the harbor. Takeru spoke four languages and could read in two, a skill Sasuke envied. It was late afternoon by the time Takeru had finished his business with the captain of a large cargo ship who spoke a language that was deep and guttural. Sasuke hated this next part, as Takeru left the docks and went into a residential area to visit his mistress. Kakashi helped pass the time by drilling Sasuke on various subjects like strategy, tactics, and the history of the town.
It helped distract him but still...it didn't sit right with Sasuke that they were here. That Takeru thought because he had paid for their services that meant he could turn them into accomplices to his vices. But Sasuke said none of this and tried to distract himself and silently counted the days until they could go home.
It was early evening by the time they returned to the manor and Lady Mariko was outside in the garden with the children, Sakura and Naruto standing at the ready in background. Lady Mariko had four children, all born a year apart from each other. Lady Mariko sat in the shade of the gazebo, smoking a cigarette and ignoring the open book in front of her as she stared into the distance. She was well put together, every inch a noblewoman.
Suddenly, she seemed to realize Kakashi and Sasuke were there and turned to stare a them. No, no them, him. Just him. At that moment, Takeru came out with a flock of servants carrying dinner trays behind him. He had bathed and changed, with no sign on him that he had been anywhere except the harbor.
"Children!" he shouted, betraying his own merchant background, "Come eat, its too beautiful and hot to eat inside." Mariko sneered but forced the expression away when the children came to sit with them. Sasuke thought she looked uncomfortable in such an informal setting. She didn't seem to spend much time with her children and often left them with their tutors and maids.
The children kept up the chatter at dinner and Sasuke could see Naruto squirming with pent up energy and hunger. Honestly, he felt the same. Lady Mariko's eyes kept drifting towards him, hard and calculating, then back to her husband. He ignored her the whole dinner.
"Boy, you with the dark eyes." Lady Mariko said, a glass of wine in her hand. Sasuke stood up straighter and bowed his head. "Yes, my lady?" Even Takeru had stopped talking and was staring at her, his chopsticks clenched in his hand.
Mariko sipped her wine and stared at him. "I heard a little rumor today." she began and Sasuke's hackles rose at her sing song voice. "I heard a rumor that one Uchiha Mikoto had been seen near a friend of a friend's. Apparently, she was wrecking havoc, breaking hearts, and generally having a good time. Now, correct me if I'm mistaken, but wasn't she from Konoha? And none of your best could catch her after she murdered her husband and...well the rest don't matter."
Sakura sucked in sharply and Naruto's mouth fell open, but all Sasuke could do was freeze. He vaguely aware of Kakashi-sensei putting his hand on his shoulder but there was a heat building in his stomach, and his fingers were twitching.
"Mariko!" Takeru hissed but she ignored him. "What a tragedy, I suppose. But I have to say; Good for her. She got out of a marriage she hated and now she's just doing what she wants. Maybe we should all take a lesson from her. You're name is Uchiha, no relation I hope?" She asked lightly, is if she was innocent.
Sasuke nearly lunged for her but Kakashi held him back and all but threw him in the direction of the orchards behind the property. "Go, cool off." Kakashi ordered, steel in his voice and Sasuke took off. He didn't stop until he had reached the edge of the property.
It was all he could do to not collapse against the wall and cry.