O N E

She doesn't particularly remember the first time she had that sort of cough, but she thinks it started when they first baked pastries together. Her eyelids fluttering, she manages to roll onto her back and stare at her beloved clearing where she first met the boy in the fox mask. 

Violet skies blanket the quiet woods, dulcet and smooth with a sprinkle of silver stars. A bird stirs in its nest, settling down with a sigh as the slightest drizzle of rain begins to darken the soil and grass. A slow, rhythmic lullaby begins to build, created lovingly by the timbre of the trees and the pitter patter on the leaves. The rich smell of earth and the telltale sweet scent of flowers linger in the air. 

Another round of coughing, and she's on all fours, trembling and spewing. 

The girl wraps a hand around her throat. Underneath her cold palm, it pulses, her vocal chords becoming increasingly decorated with small waterlilies, camellias, carnations and orchids. What a pretty sight, with the soft, supple petals and her soft, supple throat with the slick blood coating her lips, tongue, teeth. There is only one more whimper before she collapses under her own weight, hazily struggling to find him. 

The whites of her eyes glitter dully underneath the moonlight as she slips into the first sugarplum memory. 

.•° ✿ °•.

"Woo~" Hisano breathes out as she flings open the window, a little flour spraying out. The cool air rushes in, hitting her flushed cheeks with the spring breeze that faintly carries the scent of pine trees and blooming flowers from the garden out front. Inside, the kitchen is unsurprisingly a mess. 

Two freshly baked cakes sit on a rack, already crumb coated. Both are half decorated, the red themed one made by Itachi's hand and the white by hers. A tray of cupcakes and tarts are still inside the oven, pink bowls of different coloured frosting are lined up neatly in the middle of the bench, messy and with a wooden spoon stuck through each one. Some vague chocolate wrapper is definitely on the floor somewhere, and cartons of sugar, a can of whipped cream and a tub of sprinkles.  

And there's flour. Everywhere. 

Itachi is not a messy person, but she's always had this effect on him, where for a small moment in his rushed, death-torn life, he'd manage to forget his troubles and forced mannerisms. When his hands are covered in flour and sprinkles, it's easier to forget how many different types of hot blood has seeped between his fingers. 

"Do you usually make a mess?" He questions. Hisano smacks his arm playfully. 

"Being messy is a form of art, 'Tachi," she picks up the nearest bowl of icing and stirs it a little more. 

The smell of baking cakes and pastries begins to spread outside, attracting three little children who stop and stare. Dressed in civilian clothes a little bit too big for them, they chatter to one another before darting towards the house. They scramble up to the open window, hands open in demand for a little bite. 

"They're not ready yet," Itachi says with a respectful nod until Hisano barges through and shoulders him out of the way.

"Want some icing?" She grins at the three little ones before laughing at Itachi. "Loosen up, Mr. Stick. You're too stiff," she wipes some pink frosting onto his nose and then some on the children, who bite at her fingers. She begins telling them off and chasing them with a devilish smile. Itachi blinks. Lifting a finger up to his nose, he wipes it and licks it. 

"I am relaxed," he calls after her, uncharacteristically childish, and all she does is throw her head back and laugh. 

Sugared berries and a hint of vanilla. 

"Get back to work," he chides, but an undercurrent tone of playfulness puts her at ease. 

"Yeah, yeah, sorry mother." 

The smallest pull on the corners of his mouth causes her to freeze for the first time. Has he always been this breathtaking? Perhaps it's simply the lighting; the sun becomes a golden halo around his head, and his dark eyes seem to drink in the light like gods feverish on ichor. 

( Looking back at it now, Hisano knows that she should have left it there. Got rid of those thoughts, focused on baking instead, perhaps ask the neighbour for help next time. She also knows that, unfortunately, Itachi is the one thing that she could never bring herself to regret. ) 

Her eyes dart away too quickly. Turning her back to him, she peeks at her half finished cake before looking at his.

"This is unfair," she puffs out her cheeks. "You're supposed to make ugly ones so I can laugh at you."

"Hm," he says amusedly.

The two settle into a familiar, comfortable silence. He's helped her with the shop before, but this time seems to be a bit more soothing than usual. Perhaps it's the sunny weather. Throughout the rest of the day, they make sparse small talk fitted in between pauses where the sounds of baking smooth the air. More than once, she lets out boisterous laughter that gives way to Itachi's soft giggle. 

If only she could freeze time and stay in this moment forever. 

"Thanks for your help today, 'Tachi," she wipes her hands down on her apron and beams. The sun is already shrinking behind the horizon, and with it, her stomach drops a little at the prospect of him leaving. "God knows that my mother would have killed me if I didn't finish these on time for tomorrow's sales." 

"It's no problem." 

"Come around soon! I'll give you a discount." 

Pulling the apron over her head, she watches as Itachi packs up, dusting the excess flour off his silky hair, and walks away, spine straight and perfect like the poster boy he is. All she can really manage to do is blink confusedly as she quietly watches his silhouette blend into the shadows of the nearby houses. Hisano stores the newly made cakes into the pantry, turning off all ovens and begins dusting the kitchen floor. Itachi's giggle and his soft, sugar smile flashes across her mind again. 

Her heart starts thrumming against the soft, crushable velvet beats that cushion against her ribs as the first seed of love and death begins to dot into existence.

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

Hi, and thank you for reading!

itachi was one of the first ever anime characters I simped for, so it's about time I wrote him a fic just for himself. 

shameless self promoting: if you'd like to read less angsty fics about the akatsuki (including itachi), I have one in my drafts ready to be published in the following weeks!