Title: eyes I dare not meet in dreams
Word Count: 2449
Prompts: 14. hairclip & 002. beauty & 437. a twinkle in the night

Uchiha Mikoto was an exceptionally perceptive woman. Especially when it came to the three men of her life, no matter how much they prided themselves on being stoic and impenetrable. Itachi and Sasuke had come from her own womb; no matter what those silly boys of her thought, she always, always knew when something was amiss.

Like now, for instance.

"More rice, Itachi?" she hummed sweetly. Her eldest had just returned from a series of rather prolonged missions, and though she knew it was inevitable, she still missed him. This was the third mission he'd been sent away on in a row that had spanned more than two weeks.

"No, thank you, okaa-san."

"Dessert, then?"

"I am very full already, thank you."

And just like that Itachi pushed away from the table, placing his dirty dishes quietly in the sink, and bowed slightly before excusing himself. Mikoto's intuition had the alarm bells ringing like a symphony in her mind. Whenever Itachi returned from missions, he always made it a point to spend some time with her in the kitchen, either eating painfully slowly or reading every last page of the newspaper. The only times Mikoto could recall where Itachi had excused himself so eagerly were when was eagerly pursuing a new subject of interest to him. There was the time when he discovered a particular strand of jutsu that had been unknown to him before, and he had eagerly devoted all his time to it before learning and mastering the skill. Well, as eager as Itachi managed to show, anyway.

Mikoto sighed.

What could it be this time? She knew that her genius son had long ago exhausted most every external subject pertaining to the ninja arts, and she'd never known him to keep a hobby, despite her internal wishes for it. There was no use in speculating, though. Mikoto would simply have to be patient and bide her time. Itachi could never hide anything from her in the long run.

A few days later, Mikoto was still stuck in the mystery of her eldest son's newest habits. Itachi was still in Konoha, and every day his behaviour mimicked that of the first day, confirming her suspicions. Something was definitely up with her son, and she would be damned if she didn't find out. Being nosy was a mother's prerogative.

Her mood had lightened considerably, though, since Sasuke had mentioned that Sakura would be dropping by to cook dinner tonight.

The thought made Mikoto nostalgic for the innocence of their younger days, when Naruto and Sakura would often come by. They were here so often that it had almost seemed like they lived there, making the usually sombre Uchiha household lively and fun to live in.

Mikoto was ecstatic at the notion of having Sakura over for dinner. Since her promotion to co-head of the hospital, and, if Mikoto's sources were right, her occasional ANBU missions, Sakura's presence at the Uchiha household had greatly diminished. And sorely missed, Mikoto thought. She'd always more or less thought of Sakura as the daughter she'd never had. There was something about the uniqueness of her character, her unrelenting optimism and infectious laugh that had charmed Mikoto early on, rendering the woman quite smitten with the girl. And since Sakura had been orphaned at such a young age, Mikoto had often played the role of mother in their younger years.

And it never failed to amuse her to see how docile her Sasuke-chan could be in Sakura's presence. As if on cue, the voices of the two people she had just been thinking about carried over through the open kitchen window. The front door creaked open not a moment later, and Mikoto could just about make out the conversation from their muffled voices.

"Six months. He's that romantic type."

Mikoto could almost hear the scepticism in Sakura's voice as she replied, "No way, I'll give him at least a year. He's not that irresponsible. It's such a big decision."

"Six months. No more than that."

"All right, Uchiha – bet's on. Don't try to back out of this when I win!"

Sasuke scoffed. "As if. I know the dobe. Six months and no more."

At this point, Mikoto had a pretty strong suspicion as to what they were betting on, and were it not so inappropriate, she would also place her own bet. Knowing Naruto's impulsive tendencies, Mikoto would also bet on a short time frame before he popped the question to the Hyuuga heiress.

"Mikoto-san!" Sakura beamed as she caught sight of the matriarch. "How have you been? It's been so long since I last saw you!"

"Sakura!" the Uchiha woman smiled as she captured Sakura in a hug. "Yes, it's been too long! I was just thinking about when you guys were younger and used to come over all the time…"

As Mikoto continued on along that train of thought, her mind was completely overtaken by one thought: how absolutely stunning Sakura had become in her absence. It wasn't as if Sakura hadn't always been beautiful – she had always held her own sort of beauty, inseparable from her confidence, intelligence and assertiveness. But there was something different now, something on top of what she'd always possessed…Mikoto couldn't quite put her finger on the change, but Sakura just seemed to glow, completely comfortable in her own skin. There was a sureness to her speech and an elegance in the way she held herself that drew Mikoto to her, as she undoubtedly drew in everyone around her.

Mikoto couldn't help but be proud of the woman Sakura had become.

A light blush spread across Sakura's cheeks as she suddenly became aware of Mikoto's not-so-subtle stare. "Is there something on my face?" she said with a light laugh.

"Not at all, darling. I was just thinking about what a beautiful woman you've become."

The blush deepened on her face. Sakura scratched her head sheepishly in a move suspiciously similar to her absent blond friend. "I bought some fresh vegetables and peaches just now – shall we cook together, Mikoto-san?"

"Absolutely!" The sun glinted off a small jade ornament in Sakura's hair then, catching Mikoto's eye. It was a beautiful little thing, not very obtuse, but delicate, just as Sakura was. "Sakura-chan, that is a beautiful hair clip!"

Sakura touched the accessory fondly. "Yes, it's very precious to me. It belonged to my late mother."

A light silence settled in the air between them at the mention of Sakura's deceased mother, not out of awkwardness, but out of respect. "Shall we?" Mikoto said after the pause.

Sakura nodded, and as the two women headed to the kitchen, Sasuke reappeared. "Do you need a hand? If not, I'm going to go for a quick spar with Itachi – he just got back."

Mikoto all but shooed him out, and Sakura mimicked the matriarch's words. "I said I was cooking tonight! You boys go enjoy – just don't be late to dinner."

Mikoto thought she heard Sasuke mumble something along the lines of 'as if he'd dare be late' but wrote it off as preposterous. Sometimes she forgot how quickly age crept up on people – even an active kunoichi like herself. She should really make an appointment to get a check-up soon – especially a hearing check.

"So, Sakura-chan. Where do we begin?"

It was nearly three hours later when Sasuke grunted in satisfaction at the meal he'd just had. "Okaa-san, Sakura, thank you for cooking. That was much better than I thought it would be." As he uttered the latter part, he shot Sakura a pointed look.

"You do so know how to charm a girl, Sasuke." If looks could kill, Sakura's would have pierced the younger Uchiha into a million slivers, but other than that, no more malice came from the usually hot tempered woman. Sasuke, who had regretted uttering the words as soon as he'd said them, was surprised that no further retribution had befallen him. Sakura seemed to be in an oddly good mood, and Sasuke didn't know whether to be worried or intensely grateful.

"Well, Sasuke-chan, I think it's only fair that you help me clean up, darling," Mikoto said as she started clearing the table.

"Why just me? Itachi didn't help cook either." Even as he muttered this, he moved to help his mother with the empty plates.

Sakura got up to help the two Uchihas, but Mikoto swatted her hand away. "Sakura, darling, you slaved away with me for nearly two hours, you go rest and enjoy the moonlight." When Itachi moved to do the same, Mikoto repeated her refusal. "Itachi, you go rest too. You just got back from such a long mission – you can help another time."

Itachi bowed slightly to acknowledge his mother's words.

Sakura was never so easily pacified. "Are you sure, Mikoto-san? It'll be faster with three people."

"Nonsense, love. Go on, rest up."

"Okay…In that case, I think I might head on home, I've got an early sparring session tomorrow morning."

It saddened Mikoto to hear of the girl's departure, but it was inevitable, as it had always been. Mikoto handed off the dishes she had been holding to Sasuke as she moved over to envelop Sakura in a tight hug. "All right, good night, dear! Promise to come visit me more often, yes?"

"Of course! You know I consider this a second home."

The two exited the kitchen together after Mikoto finally relinquished her hold on Sakura. Mikoto raised a curious brow at the furiously deepening scowl on Sasuke's face as he watched their retreating backs. Her mother's intuition was ringing off the charts. The situation was curious…very curious. A moment later, Sakura's pink locks appeared in the window, and soon after the familiar creak of the front gate sounded as she slipped through.

Sakura walked exactly ten blocks away from the Uchiha compound before masking her chakra signature. Without wasting another moment, she jumped onto the nearest rooftop and turned back in the direction she had just come from. It wasn't even a minute later when she arrived back at where she had just left, only in a different part of the household. The door to her destination had been left slightly ajar, and she slipped through silently into the dark room.

"Hi, you," she whispered as she shut the door behind her.

Itachi was silent, but his actions spoke volumes. There was no hesitation, no time lost as he swept forward, all grace and all action as he gathered her in his arms. Nothing felt so right as when she was cradled in his embrace. The first time he had held her like this, an overwhelming sense of wholeness had overcome her, and she had marvelled at how well their bodies had fitted together, as if they had been two pieces torn from the same mould.

As he captured her lips in his for kiss after kiss, Itachi couldn't help but marvel at the fact that he never tired of kissing her, feeling her. Every touch was electrifying and every subsequent caress more addictive than the last. He never said hello back, not in words, not usually. His actions spoke volumes, and she knew that, if her reciprocated caresses were any indication. Even as they tumbled through the dark, all limbs and kisses, their movements were like a dance as they fell backwards into his tangle of sheets. If there had been light, or a spectator, the grace of their movements would warrant awe, but in heat of their moment, under the guidance of nothing but sheer moonlight, their dance was a volley of passion witnessed by none but themselves.

As his hands moved to explore her toned, lean body, lingering in delicate places and sweeping across others, only one thought could fight against the bombardment of passion to make itself legible in Sakura's mind. I love you, I love you. The words flirted with her tongue and her willpower, but at the last moment she bit them back.

Too soon, too fragile. She swallowed the thought, as she had so many times already, and willed herself to think of nothing but the power of his touch.

It had only been a few days, but Mikoto already missed the bustle of activity brought by having all four of her favourite children around, an occurrence that became rarer with every passing day. She called them children, still, but they were all already fully grown, not only by shinobi standards but even by civilian ones. Itachi was gone again on another classified ANBU mission to god know's where. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto had left just this morning for a quick mission, as Sasuke had mumbled. This meant only one thing for Mikoto: a dreadfully quiet household. She had already gone to the market in the morning, if only to absorb the hustle bustle of the morning chatter and haggling. She had even visited some of her neighbourhood lady friends this morning, if only to kill some time. The only thing left she could possibly do today was to clean the house inside and out.

Mikoto heaved a sigh and realized that she had in fact reached that mental state. The first room she endeavoured to tackle was Itachi's. First to leave, first to gather dust. She slipped in there with the grace of decades of shinobi training, and set about cleaning off every inch of his room. She was just about finished with sweeping up his floors at the finish when she noticed the light catching on a little trinket on the floor, behind the bed. Curiously enough, the trinket didn't reflect any of the light, and seemed to retain the light and glow slightly. Mikoto easily reached into the corner, and was surprised, absolutely shocked to realize what she was holding in her hand.

She not only recognized the trinket. She knew exactly who it belonged to. Finding it where she did warranted only one explanation. With a grin worthy of Naruto, she pocketed the little jade hairclip.

Oh, she would be having some fun with this one.

/ Note: sorry, all, as per my disclaimer in the first chapter, you'll note that this is slightly anachronistic, a little further down the road into their relationship. rest assured, the gaps will be filled later on with different anecdotes.