Okay, I know it's been like a day since I posted the end to the first volume, but I got so many reviews I couldn't help myself so, it's back by popular demand! The Sequel to "Only a Shadow can Reach into the Darkness" has finally arrived!

***Check out the other story I am writing too! It's called "When One Betrays" lol!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

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What is a Shadow Without the Sun

Chapter 1: Cold Suns and Warm Weasels

"What the hell do you mean he's gone?" Tsunade bellowed at the frightened shinobi.

"Naruto said he would come with me and then everything went black. It's possible Itachi might have taken him, but there didn't appear to be much of a struggle. I doubt Naruto put up a fight after everything that happened last night. He probably felt like we betrayed him and left," Jiraiya answered.

Everyone held their heads low in shame, knowing that they were to blame for Naruto's seeming passiveness.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune yelled as she burst into the room, "It's Shikamaru, the seal has broken! We can heal him!"

"I'll head over in a minute; I need to finish up with them first. Now, Naruto is a comrade, a friend, and quite frankly, family to everyone here. I was overruled by the council about what should be done with him, but none of that matters anymore. We have only a few days before the nine-tails will be extracted. Find him, now!" Tsunade shouted as they were dismissed.

The Konoha members split up into their usual teams, Iruka and Jiraiya joining team Kakashi.

~Time Skip: 2 Days~

"Hinata! Any sign of him?" Kiba yelled to his teammate.

The Hyuga heiress had tears in her eyes as she shook her head. "N-no! I c-c-can't see hi-m, you?"

"I can't find his scent anywhere, these bastards covered up their trail well."

Shino called the other teams over his headset, seeing if anyone else had any luck with the search, but no one had. Their friend was nowhere to be found, and the three days limit they had for extracting the Bijuu from Naruto was rapidly approaching.

~Time Skip: 1 Month~

Naruto was sparing with Itachi again. His skills had continued to thrive under his new sensei, the man was a genius after all. But today, the blonde was missing open targets and moving sluggishly, his normal stamina fully depleted.

"Kit, you have to tell him soon. We are rapidly approaching the time when it will become dangerous."

"I know that Kurama, but I have no guarantee of what will happen when I do. This is the guy that killed his entire clan."

"That won't matter in about another month. You won't be able to hide it. The Akatsuki are drawn to power and will, therefore, be more accepting than Danzo; that man would put an end to it 'to protect the Leaf' in an instant. Plus, the Uchiha bastard has been good to you, more so than any of the other members."

The blonde stopped his weak assault and sat down on the cool rock. The rain misted over his heated skin as he finished his argument with the Fox. He waited for the older man to come and sit beside him.

Kyuubi was right, for someone that had thoroughly ruined his life, the guy wasn't that bad to be around when you weren't his immediate enemy. They drank from their water containers and started eating on the lunches they had packed; the elder noticing the sheer amount of food his new partner was inhaling.

Naruto felt those black eyes on him, knowing he just had to get it over with. "Itachi, I'm pregnant."

The stoic Uchiha actually choked slightly on his rice ball. When he regained his composure he responded, "it's unwise to lie to me Naruto-kun. You will have to accompany me to retrieve the eight-tails if you wish to stay in good standing with us."

Naruto scowled at Itachi, his grief hardened eyes narrowing in anger. "You really think that I would lie about something like this? I'd let you use your chakra to look if I didn't think you'd try to get rid of it you clan-killer!" he spat out.

Itachi had watched Naruto for many years now and had really gotten to know him over the last month. The idiot was many things, but not a liar. "I presume the baby is Shikamaru's and is about a month old since you aren't showing yet?"

The blonde calmed down when the missing-nin stopped questioning his truthfulness. He even let a smile brighten his face when he thought of carrying his lover's child, the first time since he had left the village. As much as he had tried to be cold and ruthless like the rest of the Akatsuki, Naruto simply didn't have it in him. His hate had already begun to dissipate.

"I will tell Pein-sama that you cannot fight and that your training has been postponed until after your delivery" Itachi stated calmly.

Naruto was surprised, he had figured they would try to make him abort the child so that their plans could move forward.

Sensing the boy's confusion, Itachi continued, "I promised to take care of you for joining the Akatsuki. The baby is an extension of you and will thus be under my protection as well. No harm will come to you or your child so long as I am alive."

That confused him even more. There was no way this was the same man that destroyed his blissful life. But the elder said nothing more, he was far too busy trying to think himself.

~Time Skip: 3 Months~

Many things had changed in the months following Naruto's abduction, and sadness still lingered over the village.

Shikamaru was crying into his pillow again. Tsunade had been able to treat him, and his fear of Naruto had largely subsided. It had been a month since he was finally discharged from the hospital, but he was still struggling to cope with what had happened.

He hated himself for how he had screamed at Naruto and blamed him for his suffering. Even though everyone told him he was under a genjutsu and couldn't have stopped himself, the only thing he could think about was telling his love that he never wanted to see him again, and how now, he never would. By the time the seal had come off and he had woken up, the three days it would have taken to extract Kyuubi had long past.

Naruto was dead, and if he had just been strong enough to keep himself from being captured his lover would still be with him. The Hidden Leaf had lost its vibrancy when the blonde was taken, and everyone, even the villagers realized the loss.

Sasuke had broken down when he learned that Naruto had willingly gone to his death, and ran off again to Orochimaru so that he could kill his brother. He didn't realize that his friend was still alive and that the Mangekyo Sharingan would have activated if he wasn't. Itachi had never told him he didn't have to be the cause of his closest person's death.

No one went after Sasuke this time though, not even Sakura. They placed more blame on him considering he had actually tried to kill Naruto the last time he saw him. But even that couldn't quell the guilt that consumed them.

Gaara had also come to his senses when word reached the Sand. He realized that him turning his back on his friend had been Itachi's plan to take the jinchuriki without a fight, and it had worked. He had come to visit Shikamaru many times in the three months since Naruto's disappearance, bonding with him over the mutual loss of their precious ones, though he still hadn't been able to bring himself to pull the plug on Neji.

Shikamaru squeezed his hands until they bled, trying to will himself to forget, but to no avail. His choked sobs were muffled by his pillow, but his parents could hear them all the same, wishing they could bring their son peace.

Naruto sat in his room, gazing out the large window. It wasn't underground like most of the hide-out; Itachi had insisted that he have a room with natural light and fresh air since it was better for the baby.

He rubbed his stomach, feeling a slight bump where he used to have solid muscle. Kyuubi had explained that Naruto's pregnancy would last for nine months like any other, but that it would become excruciating near the end. His whole reproductive system needed to be altered, and even then, there was only so much the Fox could do.

"How are you feeling today Kit? Any better?"

"I'm still having morning sickness."

"That's not what I meant. Are you thinking of him again?"

Naruto closed his eyes in sadness, remembering how Shikamaru had screamed when he saw him, the fear and hatred consuming his damaged mind. "Itachi undid the seal and I'm sure Baa-chan has healed him already."

"But you still miss him."

"Of course I do, but even if he is better, not even granny can fix everything, he's probably still terrified of me. He wouldn't want to be near me, much less play husband. Plus, everyone turned their backs on me when I needed them most, I'm better off here alone."

Although he didn't want to, the Fox couldn't help but mostly agree with the blonde. His hatred for humans had only increased when he saw how they treated someone as kind-hearted and innocent as his host. Naruto had too much love in his heart for this world and its people, even now after everything that had happened the idiot couldn't maintain his hatred. "You aren't alone though Kit, you have me here, soon you'll have your baby and…"

"What is it Kurama, it sounded like you had something else to say."

"Well I know you hate him right now, but Itachi has been good to us, and made sure you have everything you could possibly need as a 'mother'. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to-"

"You want me to sleep with the guy that joined an organization hell-bent on killing me, mind-fucked my lover, and managed to turn every single person I know against me?"

"No! I'm not an idiot, baka, there's no way I'd 'let' you fall for that bastard…But as the pregnancy progresses it will require an increasing amount of energy to maintain, and using chakra in combat will hurt the child. Should you find yourself in a vulnerable position, it would be best to have a FRIEND to rely on."

The blonde went to sit on his bed as he mulled over the possibility of becoming friends with his nemesis. He still hated him for everything that had happened, but he had been the closest thing to 'kind' he could be. The baby was the most important thing in the world to Naruto now. He didn't care if the last shreds of his pride were destroyed, as long as his child was safe.

"Alright Kurama" he replied in defeat, "you're right, if we three are going to survive I'm going to need someone's help. Pein barely agreed to let me be on 'maternity leave' and Itachi is the most powerful shinobi I know."

Naruto left his subconscious and moved to get something to eat. He was hungry all the time now, eating everything in sight; it took way more energy than anticipated to have the child.

He walked down the hallway and descended the stairs, following the corridors to the dimly lit kitchen. He was relieved to find the area empty, but he kept his head down as he made his way to the pantry, searching it for treats.

The blonde inwardly groaned when he felt a familiar presence coming towards him. He refused to look back as he heard movement.

"Eat this Naruto-kun" came the cool voice of the elder Uchiha.

Giving in, he turned slightly to see what Itachi was offering him, his mouth watering at the sight. The table nearest him had plates of assorted fruits and vegetables, rice and fresh fish.

Somehow, the elder boy always knew when Naruto was hungry and would prepare him meals. Sometimes he and Kurama would even be amused when the missing-nin would show up at his door at odd hours in the morning, looking tired and frazzled.

The blonde grudgingly accepted everything that the older man had offered him thus far for the sake of his baby but never acknowledged his efforts. He really didn't think he should since it was the pricks own fault he was there.

"Come on Kit… do it for the baby…" Kurama cooed in his mind.

"Thank you, Itachi" he mumbled under his breath as he moved to sit down.

The Uchiha was somewhat surprised by the sudden gratefulness of his captive, but it never showed on his stoic face.

Naruto looked back up to see the Uchiha sitting next to him at the table, eating his own food.

"Kit, make conversation."

The blonde inwardly rolled his eyes but agreed. "So, who's the bigger asshole, you or your little brother?"

Kyuubi face-palmed in his cage. No matter how depressed his host became, he always managed to show defiance.

Itachi slowly chewed his dumplings, staring at Naruto. Amusement colored his handsome face, "I suppose that would depend on what your view of reality is" he answered.

The blonde groaned loudly at his typical Uchiha response. "There I talked to him. Are you happy now?"

~Time Skip: One Week~

Itachi knocked on Naruto's door softly, waiting for permission to enter. After it was granted, he made his way over to the pregnant boy.

He stood before the blonde, who was sitting on the side of his bed. "I am going into the nearby village today; can I bring you anything?" he asked.

Naruto peered up at him, letting Itachi see through his eyes that his heart was still damaged from the pain he endured months ago. "Can I come with you? Please? I promise I won't run."

"Why should I believe that Naruto-kun?"

"Because I have nowhere else to go" he replied, dropping his sorrow filled eyes to the ground.

Itachi started to leave but stopped in the doorway. He looked back at the sad shinobi and felt his nearly frozen heart ache. "Come on Naruto."

He wasn't expecting the smile that spread across the blonde's face, but he was secretly glad to see it.

The two missing-nin walked through the market, their straw hates shielding them from the still ever-present rain.

Naruto stopped suddenly and pulled the Uchiha into an ally, peering around the corner slightly. "What are you doing?" Itachi asked.

"I think I recognize the chakra of someone in the crowd" he whispered back.

The older ninja couldn't help but smirk at the young boy's paranoia, though he wasn't sure why he didn't try to get their attention. The constant stream of venom the boy had when he first arrived had steadily dropped to the point that his old self would occasionally peek through.

The teens eyes darted back up to the taller mans, "If it's someone from Konoha and they see me they could try to come and get me; the council would have my baby killed for sure" he started, pausing to check the area again. "Or Pein-sama will think that keeping it is too big of a risk. I can't lose the only thing I have left. P-please protect me Itachi" he pleaded, his pride obviously gone. The Uchiha nodded slightly, and moved out of the ally, searching for whatever had caused such fear to well up in the blonde.

After a few moments, he came back. "I don't sense any threat, let us continue."

They finished their shopping, but Naruto stayed close to Itachi now, almost hiding behind the older boy.

Naruto and Itachi entered the hideout, both soaking wet from the rain. Naruto undid the black cloak and hung it up. His temporary happiness of leaving the hideout had been squashed by the hope and fear of seeing one of his ex-comrades, leaving him angry and tired.

The Uchiha stopped to look at the small protruding belly. It had become visible under the wet cloth that stuck to the blonde's slender frame. Naruto saw the stare and covered his stomach protectively, backing away from him.

"I mean you and your child no harm Naruto-kun. I was merely observing how your pregnancy was coming along" he stated blandly.

"Why are you acting like you care" the blonde blurted out.

Itachi gazed at him intently for a few several minutes, the silence clinging to them like their rain-soaked clothes. "You should go and take a warm shower; it will not be good if you catch a cold in your condition."

Naruto watched in disbelief as the criminal walked away from him. He didn't know if he could trust someone that had killed their entire clan and practically ruined his life, but something bothered him about the way Itachi acted. It was like he was too separate people, one cold and cruel, the other warm and caring. The blonde wondered which one was real.

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Oh snap! Chapter 1 is finished! I hope you all are as excited for this story as I am! Oh, and as always, your opinions matter to me!

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***Check out my other story if you're interested! 😊