Voices echo off the walls of the large, but crowded tea shop. As the only semi-traditional tea shop in all of Amegakure, it is the most popular place to be in the late afternoon. Located on the far side of the city and on top of a hill, it has the best view of the sunset, if one can even see the sun.

Amegakure has rain once every week, on Sundays, and on the days that it does not rain, it is cloudy, and it makes it hard to see the sun, but that does not mean there are not a few blessed days a week where the sun is visible and everyone can watch as the clouds turn different colors and the world begins to grow dark while showing off an amazing display of pinks, oranges, and purples.

On days like those, the shop is almost always filled from wall to wall with customers who wish to get a glimpse of the sunset from the best point a civilian can see from.

There is only one place higher up than the tea shop, and that is the tower of Amegakure’s ‘God’. The mysterious man resides inside the large tower and is rarely seen by anyone outside of it. It is taboo for anyone that is not tower unless invited or is a member of Pein’s shinobi force, also known as the Akatsuki. It is common knowledge in the village that the Akatsuki live in that tower, but everyone refuses to talk about it.

Luckily, today is Sunday, the day of rain. Which means that there are still many customers, but there are less than there would be if it was not raining. After all, not many people like to leave the comfort of their warm homes to visit a tea house, even if they are known for the best tea in all of Amegakure.

You strip free of your ordinary clothes and pull on the familiar uniform of the tea house, a kimono. The style changed again, going from Summer’s dull orange kimono and yellow sash to Fall’s soft red kimono and brighter orange sash. The fabric is a little stiff, as it has been in storage for almost a full year. However, it is clean, soft, and comfortable like it was last year, when you last wore it.

The orange sandals have a graceful, wind-like pattern to them created with red stitching. A smile lights your face as you slip them onto your feet, feeling the comfortable plushness to them. If only you could wear shoes like this every day, you find yourself thinking.

Two years ago, you hated the idea of wearing a kimono, but this was the only job opening you could find in the city that paid enough for you to stay here. You had just moved into the city from your village near Otogakure. You did not like the people there and eventually moved here. The rent was cheap, but you still needed money and went in search of work.

You found it rather quickly, as one of the hostesses from the tea shop quit a few days before you arrived and there were posters all around town for a new host or hostess to serve tea. You applied and got the job right away. At first, you did not like the job, as it was hard and the outfit made it uncomfortable. But as the time passed, you grew to like everything about the work, including the clothing.

The shop just opened for the day and your serving section is already full of customers. You slowly make your way through the rooms, going in to each room to address each customer’s needs and get their orders. In the entire building, there are four rooms, each can hold up to thirty tables with two people each while remaining comfortable. There are six hostesses and hosts working at one time, and a total of fifteen all together. On busy days, there are often seven or eight of you working at a time.

However, one hostess is new and you took on some of her tables so she can adjust before taking on twenty-four tables, which leaves you in charge of serving thirty tables at a time. Luckily, there are still multiple empty tables in your section and you do not have to take care of the full thirty, at least not until it gets more crowded later for the fabulous nighttime tea that is only served after dark.

As you reach the final table on your list, you smile. It is no surprise to see the dark-haired man, who is sitting at the table. As usual, he keeps a serious appearance, but in such a way that makes all the hostesses try to flirt with him. You are the only one who does not, as you don’t really understand the appeal. Sure, he is handsome, but he isn’t much of your type.

Your gaze goes to his companion, the blue-skinned man. Your smile grows as you recognize him from the multiple visits he has made with the quiet man. “Kisame, it is good to see you again.” You say, pulling out your notepad. With all the customers, you have to keep one today in case you forget something important. Though, you doubt you will need it with Kisame and his partner, as they order the same every time.

“Good seeing you, too, but I have to go. See ya later, [Name].” Kisame says, before exiting the shop. You watch after him for a moment, then turn back to Itachi with a renewed smile. Like you expected, he does not return the pleasant look, merely stares at you.

With a sigh, you roll your eyes before moving onto business. “Would you like your usual, Itachi-san?” You ask, stuffing your hands into your hidden kimono pockets.

Itachi does not move for a long moment, simply staring at you for what seems like two or three minutes. Just as you begin to get bothered by his staring, he gives you the smallest of nods. When he looks back down at the table, you do a double take. Did he just smirk? You scowl at the Uchiha, annoyed that he would be amused by your unsettled state. It was his fault, after all.

You hurry back to the kitchen, taking all your orders with you, as well as picking up finished orders. As you relax into your role as the hostess, you begin to notice how much you really enjoy this job and all the customers. Being greeted by the regulars, the hominess of the blended tea scents, the special atmosphere around the shop that gives off the feeling of home. You really love it here.

“Oh, [Name], I thought today was your day off?” One of the regulars, Regina, says, calling you over for a moment, a smile lighting up her elderly features. The old woman kindly takes your hand, much like a grandparent to their grandchild. She lights pats your hand, smiling happily.

“Shift change, but you know that, if I could, I would be working here every day, Regina-san.” You reply, reclaiming your hand and, in the process, taking both her hands into yours, engulfing the two colder hands in your warm hold. “Have a nice day, please stay safe. This place would never be the same if you were hurt.”

The woman smiles, saying something in reply, but you are already being called over to another table, so you leave her with a promise to talk again tomorrow. As you get back to work, you become aware of a gaze following your every move. You are stiff at first, but even when you do not find the watcher, you feel a strange sense of safety, like the gaze is watching over you, not just at you.

~Time Skip~

It is three days later, and it is your day off at work. However, you cannot help but want to visit the shop as a customer today. Serving and being served are two very different things and both are equally as nice. You head into the shop, finding it mostly empty. As it is not rush hour, there are only a few straggling customers, here and there.

“Are you a customer today, [Name]?” Your boss asks, currently the person in charge of the front counter. You nod, glancing at the Daily Special list, smiling when you see your favorite tea on it in purple marker against the black, erasable background. “Alright. Follow me.”

He takes you to the seat you always occupy when you come, near the back, facing the horizon that the sun sets on the days it doesn’t rain or is not cloudy. At first, it did not seem like it would be one of those lucky, few days, but you felt the change in the air this morning and, as a hostess at the special ‘sunset tea shop’, as it is often called, you know what that means. A sunset. And a beautiful one at that.

“Good afternoon, may I take your order, [Name]?” The host asks, smiling at you with his usual flirtatious smile. You know he means nothing by it, as he is your best guy friend and your only sempai that stayed, even when times were time and money was scarce.

“Do you even need to ask any more, Kento-kun?” You reply, answering his question with a rhetorical one. Kento grins, all flirting disappearing, replaced by his childish, boy charm.

“One [flavor] tea coming up. But, while you’re waiting, I think there is someone who wants to talk to you. Rena said something about warning you. Might as well see what she’s talking about while it is fresh in her mind.” Kento says, pointing towards the back.

With a slight sigh, you stand up, leaving your comfortable, but currently unnecessary jacket behind and heading into the heart of the shop, the locker room. As expected, you find Rena right away, gossiping away with the other female hostesses. They all look up when you approach, greeting you in turn. When that is over, you get right to the point. “What did you want to warn me about?”

“So, he did tell you. I thought he would ignore what we said. Anyway, I’m glad.” Rena says, then leans closer to you as she gets ready to tell you the ‘secret’. “That regular customer of yours, the red-eyed one with black hair, is really dangerous.”

You shrug, as this is nothing new. “Yeah, I know. He is a member of the Akatsuki. How could he not be dangerous?” You ask, suddenly wondering why you even came back here in the first place.

“C’mon, everyone knows that. What I mean is that he is dangerous to you, specifically. Everyone knows how you’ve never fallen in love or had any experience in love-”

“Hey, no need to broadcast my love life to the entire world. What’s your point?” You demand, growing more annoyed by the moment.

“My point is that he has turned down more than twenty girls who confessed in the last three months. I don’t think your fragile heart could take being broken like that.” Rena says, not  being sarcastic in the least bit.

“I. Am. Not. Crushing. On. Itachi-san.” You reply, emphasizing each word as they leave your mouth. Rena shakes her head.

“Not yet, but you will. Just remember this. Itachi-san ignores everyone that he doesn’t like.” Rena calls as you leave the room. You pay her words no real attention, as they do not affect you. Sure, you have noticed how he ignores many of the other hostesses, which is the main reason she is the only person willing to serve him. However, if he were to ignore you, then you would have no obligation to serve him, which would be his problem, not yours.

~Time Skip~

The day begins to come to a close, and you have yet to see any signs that the sunset will actually be seen, as the clouds have made no move to change their position. You sigh in contentment, drinking your tea. However, you really hope the sun will, in fact, be seen today, as you would like to end the day on a good note. And the sunset is as good a note as any.

The sound of the bell attached to the door draws your attention towards the front of the shop, where you find yourself staring in amusement at the black-haired Uchiha who just passed through the doorway. He is escorted to the table next to yours, as this is the only open section since the other hostess already went home for the day, only Kento is left.

“Are you waiting for the sunset as well, Itachi-san?” You ask. A moment passes by, but there is no reply. You frown, glancing over at him in confusion, only to find him paying you no attention. His attention is, instead, fixed on…nothing. He is merely looking at the table.

You say nothing else, taking it to mean that he does not want to talk. After all, you shouldn’t expect special treatment from the Uchiha. He ignores everyone he doesn’t like and he never made it clear that he thought anything of you more than a stranger. And, it is true, you are just a stranger to him.

Even though you won’t admit it, your chest hurts. You thought it to be a mild case of heart burn, but Kento speed walks over to you, a look of concern written on his face. “…W-why are you crying, [Name]?” He asks, making you frown in confusion.

Crying? You aren’t cry-Oh, you are. You gently touch your fingers to your cheek, feeling the warm wetness of the salty tears that were flowing down from your eyes without you even noticing. What is this about, you wonder? “It’s nothing. I didn’t even notice, sorry. Must be something in my eye.” You reply, wiping the tears away.

“In both of them?” Kento mutters under his breath, just barely loud enough for you to hear, but you say nothing back to him as he leaves, taking his concern with him. It is curious to you how you could start crying, without even a reason, without noticing.

You get up, wiping the tears that are still coming, even stronger now. The pain in your chest persists, making you wonder what could possibility be wrong with you. Is this some kind of weird allergic reaction? Or maybe there was some kind of prank in the tea you drank?

It is only two steps to the back door when an arm stops you, blocking the door. You look up, the world slightly fuzzy from the strange tears. Your eyes meet the red hue of the Uchiha, who is keeping you from leaving. “Excuse me,” You mutter, trying to dodge under his arm, but are stopped yet again when the hand grabs your shoulder this time.

“Why are you crying, [Name]?” Itachi asks, his face showing nothing but emotionlessness. However, after the many months you have spent serving him, you’ve learned how to read his very small facial changes. Like, right now, he is worried.

“No clue, but I can’t seem to stop.” You reply, sniffling helplessly. You feel so embarrassed that he had to see you like you are right now. Then you remember how he ignored you earlier and begin to believe that he is only asking because he is bored. You must have bothered him. “Sorry for ruining your day.”

“You ruined nothing. Now, come with me.” He says suddenly, grabbing your wrist and dragging you towards the terrace, the one facing the sunset. “It is about to start.”

At that moment, you realize what he means by that. The sunset. Behind the clouds, the sky changes from gray and dull to a more orange and red coloring, giving the appearance of a battle being fought above the Earth. A battle for light. You cover your mouth to hide the fact that your mouth dropped open upon seeing the beautiful scene. Even if it is not a full sunset, it is still amazing and precious.

“I don’t hate you,” Itachi says, yet again surprising you. Your head jerks up, stunned by the suddenness of his words. He doesn’t? But…you thought he did, which is why he ignored you earlier. Surely, you are nothing but an annoyance to him. Why else would he get up to confront you?

“I don’t hate you, either.” You reply, not sure of what else to say. It isn’t like you could say what you really feel. That you feel like you two have grown really close over the last couple of months and that you considered him to hold a special place in your heart…as a friend, of course.

“I see…Well, it seems I have fallen.” Itachi says, confusing you. Fallen? Fallen where?

“What do you mean?” You ask, curious and confused, wondering what he could have meant by that. Maybe it means he’s fallen in love. But with who? One of the hostesses?

The mere thought of him loving someone other than you makes your heart hurt…wait…other than you? Did you just think that? No, no, that must be wrong. You don’t think of him that way. At most, he is a friend. That. Is. All.

“I have fallen in love. With you.” Itachi says, turning his attention away from the beautiful sight in the sky and towards you, meeting your confused gaze.

You freeze, taking a moment to think over what he said. He just…no, of course, he didn’t…but, he did! No, you must have heard wrong, there is no way he could possibly think of you like that…right? It is a lie, it must be…but…what if it isn’t?

“I like you, too.” You reply, taking a big chance and telling him what your heart has been telling you all along. No point in ignoring it now, not now that he has confessed.

“Then, will you enjoy this sunset with me?” He asks, just as the skies open up. The clouds slowly, but surely begins to part, giving way to the most beautiful sight you have ever seen.

The clouds turn many different colors, oranges, reds, purples, pinks, and many more. However, none of them can even begin to describe what you are feeling in your heart. He loves you…and you love him back? Could this day get any better?