Author's Note: This is a rewrite. Well, if you consider the change of an entire plot a rewrite.

Recital of Misfortune

Sakura

Little things like annoying blondes demanding she spend time with them or stuttering interns speaking to her never bothered Sakura. She knew how to sate her two best friends' needs without conflict and how to put those working under her at ease. The woman could stare death in the face and tell her that she would have to wait a bit longer without flinching. Sakura was a renown Physician with the power to diagnose most any ailment in moments. Unlike her mentor Tsunade Senju, her luck was on the better side of fantastic. Colleagues respected her. Patients adored her. At least, that was how her work life was.

Brushing her light pink hair out of her eyes, one Sakura Haruno pushed through the hospital's double doors. Winter's chilly edge cut across the bare skin of her arms where her white button down failed to cover. Goose bumps popped up along her legs, the black pencil skirt not covering enough to keep her warm. Dark heels clicked harshly on the concrete as the doctor raced towards her parked car. The tip of her nose was already turning red by the time she slipped through the crowded parking lot. Not for the first time she cursed her decision to give her luxurious parking spot to the woman at the front desk. Exercise was good for pregnant women!

On a similar note, Sakura did not know why she refused to exchange her beat up, 8 year old Nissan for something newer and warmer. A shiver tore down her spine as she sat down on the icy leather seat, slamming the rusting door shut behind her. The wind could no longer terrorize her but the cold was still very much present. Her fingers trembled as she fought to stick her key in the ignition and she cursed as she heard the key leave yet another scratch upon her steering column. With a wheeze, her Nissan came to life under her touch. Freezing air burst through the vents as the engine tried to warm up. Rolling her dark green eyes heavenward, the woman hugged herself.

Slowly, warmer air began to circulate inside the car much to the woman's relief. She sniffled lightly as her body shuddered in reaction to the temperature changing. Bright red numbers stared out at her from their place on the control panel and Sakura cursed again. As soon as her seat belt clicked into place she pulled out of her parking spot and coaxed her Nissan onto the road. She spared her hospital once last apologetic glance before she turned right, speeding away from it. While she despised having to place her responsibilities on someone else's shoulders she knew she could do nothing about it. Tonight was the night of her daughter's first dance recital of the year and she would not miss it. She had already missed the girl's rehearsals and it was only thanks to her best guy friend that Kazumi made it to them.

A wistful smile twisted her lips as her thoughts wandered to Deidara. At one time in his life he had a family of his own. The man's love had short hair of a crimson not seen very often and honey brown eyes that were often at half-mass. Sasori had finally agreed that they should adopt a child if only to shut the blonde man up. For as long as Sakura had known Deidara he had talked about wanting his own children, raising them to be artists much like himself. He had often laughed at her for saying she never wanted kids, claiming that they were in reverse roles. That it should have been him not looking forward to changing diapers and her picking out names for babies yet to be conceived.

It was a small, innocent mistake that sent Deidara's life into an uncontrollable spin. He had been on his way to have dinner at Sakura's house with Sasori. They had been arguing their points of what true art was when their car hit a large patch of ice. Deidara had done his best to straighten their path, turning into the spin but it was to no avail. The front of the car crashed into a low wall, stopping its movement sharply. For all of his meticulous mannerisms, the redhead often forwent buckling his seat belt. Sakura had never seen such a vacant expression upon the bright, sarcastic face of the blonde. It had scared her terribly, pushing her to make Deidara move in with her afterwards. No one realized it at the time but Sasori's death was only the first domino to fall.

Sakura jumped in her seat when a hand came down on the hood of her car. Her heart jack hammered against her ribs as an all too familiar face grinned at her from the other side of her windshield. At one time in his life Deidara had worn his hair in a half pony tail with half his face covered at all times. After the accident, a brutal scar had formed over the hidden part of his face. It resembled a small explosion and pulled down on the outer corner of his eye. Deidara had told her that he would not hide the mark but wear it proudly. This lead him to tossing all of his hair into a normal ponytail. In her opinion, she thought he looked better now than he had before.

"Are you gonna stay in there all night," his voice was muffled but she could hear its teasing tone through the glass. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him, earning a laugh as she removed the short sleeved medical coat she wore. Claiming her key, the woman shut off the car and stepped out into the night. The car door swung shut with a bang and she moved toward the building only to be stopped.

"W-what," the word lost most of its sharpness due to the stutter and the questioning look Deidara had melted into another grin. Not bothering to answer her any, the man invaded her personal space and grabbed the elastic band that kept her hair in its bun. Nimble fingers freed her hair, combing through it in an effort to loosen it up some. He knew that she hated having her hair toyed with but pulled part of it forward none the less. The faint pink hair stopped just short of her elbows and fluttered about in the breeze.

"Better," he said softly, smirking at the deadly glare she sent his way. Though he never admitted to it, they both knew that he had a natural talent with styling hair. Even if it was only ever her's he styled.

"C-can we go in now? I'm about to freeze m-my ass off," Sakura scowled at her own stuttering as she pushed past the man. Of course Deidara caught up to her easily enough, his boots crunching the snow quietly with every step. His hands were buried in the pockets of his winter resistant jeans and Sakura out right seethed at his thick, warm jacket. The blonde caught her eye and smirked again.

"You don't have an ass, Saks," his tone was plain as if he were commenting on the weather. His laughter rang through the halls of Tobirama Academy as Sakura attempted to give chase after the irritating blonde. Deidara rounded the corner ahead of her quickly, leaving Sakura struggling in her heels. She had only worn them because of the recital since she often preferred the comfort of her sneakers. Sakura cursed as she walked down another hallway, confusion evident with the way she bit her lower lip. Kazumi had been enrolled in the academy for the better part of four years and yet the woman still could not navigate the massive building. Her frustration fled her as she came to the conclusion that Deidara had been the better parent between them.

It was unfair how a woman like her was given such a gift while a wonderful man like Deidara did not. He was supposed to be the loving parent and she was supposed to be the woman who lived at work. Sakura's arms wrapped around her as she came to yet another intersection. She pressed her back against the yellow wall and slid to the white tile flooring. People were supposed to stay in one place when they became lost. Sakura doubted how many grown adults were capable of getting lost inside a school building. Her legs were folded against her as she tipped her head back, listening to the buzzing of the florescent lights above her head.

"I bet Ino knows her way around this place," she mumbled. When she was uncertain, it was a habit for the woman to talk to herself. Her other blonde best friend was a woman of the strangest sorts. Ino was in many ways a walking contradiction. While she was perfectly capable of dressing well and with style, she could not give acceptable fashion advice to a nudist. Though she had a PhD in psychology, she could not figure out how to set up her alarm clock. Ino was the kind of woman to keep her options open but she was also the first of them to really settle down. Naturally she settled down with a man only she would choose.

Slicked back hair and a rough attitude, Hidan instantly became a man hated by both Sakura and Deidara. He started out with little things such as not allowing 'that faggot' in the house whenever he was home. Then he moved to trying to touch Sakura in ways that would cause many to end up in the hospital for weeks. Ino had never believed a word the pair said or made up excuses for the man who kept her bed. Her refusal to see what was in front of her eyes put a strain before unknown on their friendship. It was because Hidan was only abusive to the pair that they did not push Ino into a break up, choosing to keep away from the albino man instead.

It was Iruka, a man that was as close to a brother as Sakura would ever have, who brought forth the idea Deidara and Sakura wished not to acknowledge. Ino had began to wear more conservative clothing no matter what the occasion. She had started to leave her long hair down, it often shadowing her face, and she would flinch whenever they would try to hug her. The last straw fell when the blonde woman disappeared for three days. She did not call. She did not write. She didn't even go to work. They had known then that something was very wrong.

Sakura and Deidara had raced to the police department without hesitating. It was there that the woman spoke to a man she had not seen in nearly seven years. She would always remember the utter shock on his pale face as she barged into his office, hair messy and clothes rumpled. When she was still just another kid in high school she had sworn that she would never come back to the man she had hurt so badly. Itachi had tried to speak but no words had formed before she was in front of his desk. It had taken the weight of Ino's life to get her to finally apologize for her selfish actions and to beg for his forgiveness. The Uchiha had taken her by surprise, telling her she had been forgiven the moment she had committed the crime. Itachi had offered his help with no further words on her part.

Ino's front door had caved in easily under Itachi's foot and the KPD stormed into the dingy house. The stench of smoke crashed into them like a wall. Sakura covered her mouth with both hands, her bullet proof vest making movement awkward as she pushed forward. The blinds were drawn shut as if in a effort to hide the sickly dark puddles on the floor. Deidara had steadied her as she noticed the undertone of iron in the air.

As one, the pair followed Itachi's lead down the single hallway. He and his partner had promptly kicked open the door at the end of the hall, its handle leaving a sizable crack on the wall behind it. The moment blood streaked hair came into view Sakura had ran forward. Tears were left in her wake as she pulled the fragile blonde into her lap. Gingerly she wiped some of the red from her broken lips. She was dully aware of the KPD entering the room, searching for Hidan. Itachi had promised to meet her at the hospital as the EMT loaded Ino onto the ambulance. The Uchiha did not disappoint.

It took time and patients; it took most of their energy and love. Ino needed everything from them as she fought to recover. Itachi did all he could to find Hidan. Deidara fought with his urge to act tough and come to terms with it all. Sakura spent many sleepless nights holding her then seven year old Kazumi close, hoping for things to go back to normal. In the end, Ino went back to work and school. Her wounds healed without infection and her spunky self came back in full force. Deidara was finally able to relax, enjoying his life as he once had. Sakura slowly allowed Itachi back into her life, Kazumi's life.

They never found Hidan.

"Are you okay," the soft baritone captured Sakura's attention and she couldn't help but smile a little. To her right stood a man with messy blonde hair and perhaps the prettiest blue eyes she had ever seen. His eyebrows were pulled together and he eyed her carefully. He seemed to find what he was looking for as he extended his hand out to her.

"I'm fine. I just got a bit lost," she muttered sheepishly, placing her smaller hand in his. Sakura shivered a little as he gently helped her to her feet.

"Oh? Were you going to the recital as well," his worry had dissipated only to be replaced with a kind smile.

"Yes, my daughter is in it," she said, unconsciously brushing her hair behind one ear. The woman offered him a smile of her own as her hands rubbed at her upper arms. He frowned as he watched her causing Sakura's expression to falter. She wondered if she had offended him in some way but could not come up with anything.

"Here," Sakura gawked as he slipped his jacket off, revealing an orange t-shirt in the process. He gave her no chance to back away before placing his jacket over her shoulders. Her first instinct was the instantly return the article of clothing but it was crushed to dust. Sakura curled in on herself as she absorbed the heat he had left in his jacket, a soft sound coming from deep in her chest at the feeling. The man's face had broken out into a genuine grin at her reaction. Scratching at the back of his head, he spoke up again, "Come on, I'll show you the way. My daughter Hikari is dancing as well."

"My daughter's name is Kazumi," pride was evident in the woman's words. The duo continued down the twisting halls, falling into comfortable silence. Sakura enjoyed the moment while she could, knowing that once she was around her blondes and Kazumi again peace would not be a visitor. It was one of the reasons that Sakura had not believed that Kazumi had been Itachi's daughter. The man had been soft spoken and thoughtful. Kazumi was brash and loud. She had inherited his straight, ebony colored hair and Sakura's green eyes. As she grew older, the girl showed that she had also gained her mother's temper.

After Ino's near death experience, Itachi had insisted on seeing Sakura. She had been hesitate with him being around so much because she had never told him about Kazumi. One night she had left her coat in his car and he, being the gentlemen that he had been, had returned to her home to deliver it. When the door opened with young Kazumi standing there instead of Sakura he had been puzzled. The woman had come out of her room to find something to eat only to see the two loves of her life sizing the other up. Kazumi had broken the silence first by stating that Itachi must have been her father. Both adults had startled at that; Itachi because he had not know about the little girl and Sakura because she had never told Kazumi the story of her father.

Needless to say, after that Itachi had become a more permanent fixture about their small apartment. They had not fallen back into the place they had been as children as most books claim happened. Itachi and Sakura worked every day at their relationship but the pay off was worth it. The picnics in Konoha Park in which father and daughter would swing on the swings. Outings to the movies where mother and daughter would cling to each other in fright. Dinners around the table that often ended in laughter. For three years they were the family they should have been from the beginning. Those three years ended in one quick move that blind sighted them.

Itachi had been working on a particularly difficult case at work. A man was going about the city slaughtering little girls without cause or reason. The fact he never shared with his family was that the girls all bore a striking resemblance to Kazumi. When the news came in that they knew where the man was, Itachi Uchiha was one of the first men on the scene. During the raid they were able to save the life of a young girl who lived with her grandparents. The price for her life was high. The man had set up a trap for the day when he was finally caught. Fire had torn through the entire warehouse, wounding many and killing several others. Shisui, the best friend and partner of Itachi, delivered the news to the small family with most of his arms and face covered in hastily applied bandages. He hadn't allowed the EMS a chance to do more than that before he had ran the five blocks to Sakura's hospital. Shisui had held his cousin's fiancé as she broke down in front of her coworkers.

"Looks like we're late," he whispered to her, peeking between the doors.

"Thank you for showing me the way, and here is your jacket back," Sakura replied as she slipped the coat from her shoulders. The man merely waved her off with one hand, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Don't mention it," she smiled in response and handed off the coat. Utilizing the ninja skills Kazumi persisted that she had, Sakura crept down the center aisle. Deidara was not hard to spot even with the lights as low as they were and the woman found her way into the seat beside him. She was not ignorant of the look he gave her. She simply chose not to acknowledge it. For a moment it appeared as if he would push the issue but he changed his mind. Shaking his head once with a sigh, Deidara returned his attention to the eight little dancers on the stage.

Author's Note: This will be in several parts and the next part will be out soon.

So, what did you think?