Third Person POV
The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Hatake woke up, staring at the ceiling that had become familiar to him over the last few days.
Sitting up, his eyes fell on the figure with predominantly red hair in the nearby bed, who seemed to still be sleeping deeply.
Over the past week, Hatake had noticed the redhead's nightmare-filled memories had decreased considerably. Because of that, Uzumaki was finally getting full nights of sleep.
He quietly got up to start the day, deciding to let Amaya rest a little longer he knew she needed it, for both her physical and mental health.
After showering and getting dressed, Hatake headed to the kitchen to get things ready for their breakfast. But as soon as he opened the refrigerator, he noticed it was almost empty.
He remembered it had been some time since Amaya last went to the village center to restock, as she had been focusing almost entirely on Team Minato's training.
That's how the platinum-haired boy decided to go shopping for the redhead. Besides helping her out so she could keep resting, he also wanted to assist however he could, since he'd practically been living there for the past few days.
With a list of everything they needed, Hatake wrote a brief note to leave for Amaya, letting her know he'd be out. He returned to the redhead's room, seeing her still in a peaceful sleep.
As he left the note on the girl's dresser, he saw the necklace he had given Uzumaki. A faint smile couldn't help but form on his lips as he remembered the redhead's happiness that day at the Hanami Festival, how everything had enchanted her and made her happy.
But then he felt his face burn, remembering her act of gratitude. Even though he had thought about it and deduced she had done it innocently, Hatake was still annoyed with himself for always getting embarrassed remembering it.
Clearly trying not to think about it anymore, Kakashi just headed out of the house towards the shops in the village center.
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It had been nearly a week and a half since Uchiha had left the village with his squad on an infiltration mission into enemy territory to gather information related to the war.
Everything had gone perfectly well, so Shisui and his Anbu team returned to Konoha early in the morning.
The Uchiha was restless to be dismissed quickly so he could go find his sister. She was still in the hospital when he was summoned for his mission, and since then he hadn't been able to get any news about her condition.
But being the excellent shinobi he was, he never let his eagerness to finish the mission show, not even earlier, to return to the village.
After informing the Sandaime about his squad's findings and receiving their dismissal for the rest of the day, the Uchiha ran off towards the village center.
Shisui imagined the redhead had probably been released from the hospital by now, so he bet she would be at her house. The possibility of her being outside the village on a mission had crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
No..., he corrected himself internally. The blonde demon wouldn't let Amaya do anything so soon... The "blonde demon," as the Uchiha had affectionately nicknamed her, was Tsunade. The nickname came to the boy's mind after the Sannin expelled him, and Kakashi, from the hospital.
Before he knew it, Shisui was already in front of the staircase leading to the entrance of Amaya's house. He quickly went up the steps, knocking on the door, anxious.
What his sister naturally had in calmness, he had in restlessness.
The door took only a few seconds to open, revealing who the Uchiha was looking for.
The girl had woken up a little while after Hatake left the residence and found the note on her dresser. She had already planned to handle the matters involving her house that day, before going with Kakashi for the training she had with her father's Team 7.
Grocery shopping was one of them, but it seemed the platinum-haired boy was already taking care of that now.
Because of that, she decided to move on to the next thing on her mental to-do list: A general cleaning of the house.
Normally it was Kushina who did it, and the younger Uzumaki helped when she was present. And with the older one's absence, Amaya didn't want to leave it for when she returned from her mission with Minato.
– Shisui? – The redhead asked, slightly confused to see her brother there.
A confusion that lasted only two seconds before she smiled and threw herself into the Uchiha's arms, hugging him tightly. And he returned the gesture in the same way, wrapping his arms around the younger one's waist and lifting her off the ground, spinning her around with him.
Smiles and happy laughter filled the environment at that moment between the siblings.
The redhead was happy to see her brother back safe and sound.
And he was joyful to see her exuding health and well-being.
Shisui released Uzumaki a little later and held her by her shoulders, looking her up and down, as if doing a complete analysis to check if she was really okay.
– I hope the blonde demon took good care of you... – The Uchiha said while still observing his sister.
– Blonde demon? – The girl questioned him in a lower tone, but soon understood what the other meant.
The girl, because of that, ended up laughing. She was already used to Shisui giving nicknames to others he had contact with – mainly to tease them.
– Don't worry, Tsunade-sama treated me very well, and thanks to her I'm almost completely recovered – The redhead informed her brother right after, while turning to close the front door.
Shisui took off his shoes, leaving them at the entrance, and followed Amaya, who went to the kitchen while he went to the living room.
The Uchiha was used to visiting his sister when Minato and Kushina were there, so he was practically considered family, given the naturalness and lack of concern for how he acted there.
He left his equipment beside the large sofa in the room and lay down on it, sighing heavily with his face buried in the cushions. Although he was anxious to see his sister, he was still tired from his recent mission.
Being so distracted thinking to himself about the end of his mission, as well as Amaya's condition, he didn't notice that several good minutes had passed until he felt someone lightly touching his shoulder.
And by the gentle way it was done, he knew it was the redhead.
Shisui turned his head on the cushions, seeing his sister standing beside him, holding a steaming cup. The scent of chamomile hung in the air and the boy couldn't help but smile.
The Uchiha was a coffee fan and never really considered drinking any kind of tea.
– With plenty of sugar – She warned with a faint smile and handed him the cup – Just how you like it – And he promptly sat up on the sofa and took the cup in his hands.
But when it was Amaya making it, the situation was different. Just like sweets, the teas the redhead prepared were something the Uchiha – practically – revered.
Watching her brother at that moment, Amaya had to hold back a laugh at how much he looked like a small child being given something he'd been asking for.
She herself picked up again a glass of water she had placed on the living room coffee table after getting Shisui's attention. A blue pill was in her other free hand: The medicine Tsunade had developed to regulate her cortisol.
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Using the time while Shisui waited for his tea to cool down a bit, Amaya resumed cleaning the house. She was almost finished, just needing to wipe the dust off some shelves of the living room bookcase, as well as the rugs in her parents' room.
And it was the moment when Uzumaki had slightly lowered her body to clean a lower shelf, that Shisui noticed the silver necklace with the small black tomoe pendant swing away from his sister's body, dangling on her neck.
– That's new... – He commented and Amaya looked at him for a moment, following his gaze to where his eyes were focused.
– Ah, yes... – She said and a simple, faint smile formed on her lips – It was a gift.
A simple, common response from Amaya, but it left her brother slightly bothered. A gift from whom?, he wondered. But he couldn't ask her that question.
– How was your mission? Did everything go well? – The redhead asked right after – You didn't get hurt, did you?
And this time the Uchiha was the one who let out a soft laugh. Uzumaki's concern for those close to her never changed, although he noticed she herself was gradually changing over time.
– I'm fine, don't worry – He reassured her – A bit tired, but nothing a good night's sleep won't fix. The mission wasn't that complicated, since we managed to act stealthily from start to finish, which meant we didn't engage in combat with the enemy – He took a sip of his tea – I bet the Sandaime is analyzing the documents right now... – The redhead gave a faint smile.
– You and your squad are always successful in your missions – She looked at her brother – That's amazing – The Uchiha smiled.
– Alright, I get it, you meant to say I'm an excellent leader and that's why we always complete all our missions...
The redhead just rolled her eyes and laughed softly. Shisui was an incredible shinobi, but when he was with her, he mostly acted like an immature child to annoy her.
Uzumaki straightened up again and calmly walked to Minato and Kushina's room. Shisui wasn't slow to follow his sister, while still taking his time with his tea.
– Getting back to your necklace... – The Uchiha said – Where's the other half?
Shisui knew the popular Yin Yang symbol and had also seen necklaces and bracelets with those tomoes being sold a few times.
– Why all this curiosity? – She questioned him.
The girl picked up the two small fluffy rugs that were on the right and left sides of her parents' bed, to shake them out outside.
– For no particular reason... – The Uchiha replied in a lower tone, clearly evasive, and took a generous gulp of his tea, finishing it – And I'm sure you weren't expecting me to show up today – Amaya headed for the bedroom balcony and the brunette followed her, staying a bit behind – So who were you expecting, since you answered the door in such a hurry?
The redhead couldn't contain a soft laugh, realizing just how curious her brother was. Must run in the family..., she thought for a moment.
She shook out the rugs there outside and the moment she turned to return to her parents' room, as well as answer Shisui, as she stepped on one of the floorboards under her feet, the redhead noticed a minimal, irregular movement in it.
It could be called a "gift" to notice such subtle details like that one.
Uzumaki crouched down before the small plank, dropping the rugs she was holding until then, and Shisui approached her. With some care, the redhead lifted the piece of wood, revealing a small compartment under the floorboards.
And a small box [27].
Curiosity...
That was one of the siblings' common weaknesses.
The redhead very carefully took the box in her hands, quickly noticing it had a soft texture. Amaya and Shisui shared the same expression of curiosity, as well as confusion, regarding that object and its, until then, hiding place.
Without wasting more time, Amaya, even though hesitant, opened the velvet box, revealing two small, shiny hoops.
The girl didn't understand what those two identical objects were, but her brother did.
Two rings.
Shisui remembered the ring that Akemi, his mother, wore even after Kagami's death. Those were wedding rings. And the boy had no doubt they belonged to Minato and Kushina.
– Nii-san, what is this? – Uzumaki asked her brother beside her, although she kept her eyes on the rings before her.
He prepared to answer as he always did with any new discovery for the redhead, but something in his mind seemed to light up regarding his sister, thanks to the rings they had found.
(If you could see your brother's face, Amaya... If you had seen the devilish smile the Uchiha wore on his features at that moment, you wouldn't have listened to what he would tell you next...)