Life
Chapter.3
Sakura looked out the window as she and Itachi got ready for bed. "I never imagined you agreeing to stay with me." She said conversationally, her eyes looking at his reflection through the window like it were a mirror.
The Uchiha paused in removing his cloak to stare at her back. "Are you not satisfied with my decision? Are you having second thoughts?" He asked, his tone giving away nothing of what he was feeling.
Sakura turned sharply and met his eyes. "Of course that's not what I meant. I'm so happy you're here!" She reassured him, walking over and placing her hand on his chest reassuringly, not that she really needed to prove how happy she actually was that Itachi had decided to stay with her; he already knew how his choice in the matter affected her. "I just," she laughed into her hand. "never pictured a domesticated Kisame."
Itachi raised a perfectly arched brow and turned his head in the direction of the door, where they both heard loud snores coming from the front room where Kisame was already content and passed out on the couch, glad of the news that they weren't going to be going anywhere for a while. "I suppose you have me there."
She smiled warmly and took his cloak from him and set it down on the desk chair. She ran her hands over the material as a thought came to her. "Why is it you still wear the cloak of the Akatsuki, even though it is no more?"
Itachi hummed under his throat as he took off his shirt. "I guess it serves its purposes during trying weather."
Sakura snorted in amusement. "It also has a way of terrifying innocent viewers."
Itachi nodded absently. "That too."
Sakura settled herself on the bed and played with her hands for a little bit as Itachi untied his hair and let it flow freely on his back, his headband removed in the process. "Why did you sleep with me that night? I know you couldn't have been so inebriated that you didn't know up or down, you're too clever for that."
Itachi turned around to look at her, wondering where that question had come from. "Why are you asking me this question now, of all times?"
Sakura bit her lip and wondered the same thing. She didn't know where the question had come from, truthfully, but she did want to know. "I would just like to know where I stand in all of this. We're not married. Is this baby going to be trained as a Shinobi? Is he going to have to bear the name of Uchiha? I know people like you and you don't do things by chance or mistake. I'm not saying you have a plan or anything; I would just like to know what's going on in that head of yours."
Itachi paused for a moment and then chuckled lowly. "I see what this is; you're afraid I'm going to take the child and abandon you, simply because we have no other ties to each other." He moved and sat on the bed, moving the covers so he can get under them. "I'm going to be honest with you." He stated, looking her straight in her green, green eyes as he cupped her cheek. "I do not know what tomorrow has in store, nor do I know where I'll be in the next week or so. All I know is here, and now. And that's all I have got to offer you. I can't give you much, Sakura, but I promise I won't abandon you once our child is born."
Sakura relented and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, I must look crazy to you. All these emotions and hormones are driving me crazy, I can't wait to get him or her out of me!" She shifted herself to a more comfortable laying position on her side and watched as Itachi settled down next to her. She covered her yawn and pulled the blankets up around her neck, watching as Itachi settled against the headboard and grabbed a scroll of the side table. "You aren't going to sleep?"
"I have trouble sleeping sometimes, so I buy out time until I get tired before I try to sleep." He told her honestly, looking over at her with a kind quirk of his lips.
She nodded, her lips making an 'o' shape. "I have remedies for insomnia."
He smirked fully this time and ran a hand over her face and watched as her eyes closed with a pout on her lips. "Go to sleep, Sakura. I'll be here in the morning."
She sighed and turned over, reaching over and turning off her side of the light. "Goodnight, Itachi."
"Hn."
Kisame grumbled as Sakura smacked his head as she walked by, a small smile adorning her features. He looked over to Itachi who was comfortably seated on Sakura's love seat, his eyes scanning a scroll of some sort. "I see you've finally relented. Whipped."
Itachi raised a brow as he gazed at Kisame. "Are you not satisfied with our circumstances? If I recall it was you who always pestered me into finding somewhere to settle down."
Kisame picked his teeth. "Yeah, well, I didn't think you'd pick such a boring place to settle. I was thinking more of one of our abandoned hideouts. You know what I mean?"
Itachi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Kabuto has those spots all guarded and under watch. I do not like the chance of being tracked."
Kisame waved him off with his hand. "Yeah, yeah, you just want to make the kunoichi happy."
"Is that so bad?" Sakura asked as she brought in a tray of soup and fried fish, setting it in front of the men and handing them each a pair of chopsticks.
Kisame shrugged. "Hey, I'm just saying, though I do like the fact of being waited on hand and foot."
Sakura glared as she sat down next to Itachi. "Don't get use to it, fish face!"
Kisame glared as he stuffed his face full of rice. "Watch it pinkie."
"What are you going to do about it?"
Itachi rolled his eyes as the two went of on another one of their tirades. He ignored them as usual and just went on eating in peace, trying to ignore the way rice flew everywhere every time Kisame spoke with his mouth full.
"Ew, Kisame, eat your food before you speak! I'm already having one child, do I need to train you too?" Sakura barked as she raised her hand away from Kisame's spittle.
"Shut up!" Kisame grumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as Sakura looked on in disgust. "If you don't like it go to the kitchen and eat."
"This is my house!"
"Not anymore, we're all living here in the same roof." Kisame laughed at Sakura's disgruntled look and went on eating his meal.
"Now that I think about it, this house isn't really that big enough for all three of us, soon to be four of us. I don't even have an extra room for the baby." She told Itachi seriously.
"Well," Kisame started, setting his empty dish down. "we can't leave now, you're too close to your due date to think about moving."
Sakura sighed in agreement. He was right, she couldn't think about leaving now. She was going to be having her baby soon and she couldn't risk early birth by traveling to find somewhere else to live. The stress alone would send her to an early hospital bed. "Maybe we could think about it after the baby is born? I have a crib set up in my room. I feel bad, though, for Kisame; he can't sleep on the couch forever."
"Hey, I like your couch. Don't think you're getting rid of me either!" He pointed a finger at her nose and she acted like she was going to bite it off.
All while Sakura and Kisame were having their conversation with him, Itachi still silently ate and read his scroll. Only partly paying attention.
"Itachi," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "are you listening?"
"Somewhat..."
Kisame rolled his eyes.
"Well, what do you think we should do? Should we think about finding some place else to move when the baby is born?" Sakura asked curiously, wondering what was so important about that scroll Itachi had been reading since the night before.
"It's too dangerous to travel with an infant; if we were to move we'd have to do it now, while you're still pregnant." He said, putting the scroll down, finally, on his lap.
Both Kisame and Sakura looked at him strangely. "Have you thought about this a lot?" Sakura asked.
"Under recent events, yes." He answered honestly.
"What kind of events?" Sakura asked curiously. "Does it have something to do with that scroll?"
Itachi nodded. "Yes, it does. It is a message from Konoha."
Sakura blinked in surprise. "How did they find you?"
Itachi handed her the scroll and allowed her to read it while he went on to explain. "Konoha and I have been keeping in contact with each other over the last couple of months. As much as it may pain Sakura to hear, they are not my enemy and they only want what's best for Sakura and the baby. No matter if they are a danger to the village if they were to return."
"But this says they want me to come back." Sakura said, looking up from her readings.
"Yes, and I sent back notice telling them we were to return in the next few weeks."
Sakura flinched and then narrowed her eyes in anger. "What? I told you I didn't want to go back to Konoha, that's why I've been here this whole time!"
Kisame decided it best he just keep his opinions to himself and stay out of the conversation. That was why he just continued to eat and watch the show before him.
Itachi sighed and took the scroll back from Sakura. "Did you read the whole thing?"
Sakura glared and answered through clenched teeth. "Yes."
"Then you know Kabuto is on the move, he's not just searching shinobi villages anymore. He's already destroyed two civilian villages looking for us. He's not looking for another war; he's looking for you. And Konoha is safer for you and the child to stay."
Sakura's fists clenched. "What about you? Not everyone knows that you're innocent when it comes to the Uchiha Clan massacre. If I were to go back I'd be put in prison!"
"No you wouldn't." Itachi reassured. "As I have said; I've been in touch with your Hokage, Naruto, and he's assured me that there would be no harm done to you and that you wouldn't be put in prison. In his eyes I am innocent because of what the secret files and Sasuke have told him."
Sakura nodded and looked down at her bulging stomach. "Do I have to go back?"
"At this point, yes, you do." Itachi said, standing and taking the dishes to the kitchen, Sakura following behind him closely.
"What about you? You promised you'd stay with me!" She said, taking his arm and turning him to face her.
"I'm not going to break my promise, Sakura. But right now, your safety and that of my child's is more important." He told her, removing her hand and placing the empty cups and bowls down in the sink.
Sakura looked away, feeling brushed aside. "So, when are we leaving?"
"At dawn, we're to leave nothing of importance here, except for the things we can't carry. We're going to burn everything else."
Sakura closed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed. She was going back to Konoha.
A/N: Yay, I got another chapter out, and it's not leaving you wondering what's going to happen! Well, it is, but you know what I mean. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, no matter how short it came out to be. Sorry for any mistakes, I don't have a beta right now. Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you all so much for the reviews and favs and follows, I really appreciate them. You have no idea.
Thank you again,
Jung-Hee
