Wow! I posted that last chapter, and after just a few hours (okay, it was more like 6 or 7, but who cares, right? ;P) I had 6 new reviews!!! I'm truly touched, it made me so happy :') Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!! I love you all!!!

I don't really have much to say, except that school has (unfortunately) started again, so my updates might not be as frequent as they have been. Sorry!

Oh, also, this chapter and the next couple have some big time skips (as in years!), so be careful to pay attention to those!

Okay, well enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review it for me when you're finished :D !!! Thanks!!!

-Keita

Music: Title Track: "What It Is To Burn" by Finch; End Credits: "Hollow" by Submersed; Others: "Wild Child" by Enya, "The Hardest Part" by Coldplay, "Broken" by Seether, "Dance Floor Anthem" by Good Charlotte

What It Is To Burn

Like a bad star, I'm falling faster down to her

She's the only one who knows, what it is

to burn

--"What It Is To Burn"

She had cried on the day that she married Uzumaki Naruto as she sat alone in her dressing room, waiting for the ceremony to start. She felt like a traitor to Itachi, Mariko, and a part of her own heart. But she also felt that she was making the right choice, for the other part of her heart – the tiny part that didn't belong to Itachi and her daughter – said that it was right.

It was June and she was eighteen. She had agreed to marry him when he had proposed to her two days after her birthday.

Her wedding day was perfect: shining sun, clear skies, flowers everywhere, surrounded by her family and friends. Hanabi was her maid of honor, while Tenten, Sakura and Ino were her bridesmaids. Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru were groomsmen and Sasuke was the best man, despite the rivalry that he and Naruto had shared over the years.

Her father had been reluctant to accept Hinata's engagement to someone outside of the Hyuuga clan, but Hinata had convinced him that not only was that an old-fashioned way of thinking, but that she would marry Naruto or no one. In the end, Hiashi accepted Naruto as his son-in-law and had given his blessing to his daughter.

As they went through the wedding ceremony and said their "I dos", Hinata kept expecting Itachi to jump in out of nowhere and sweep her off her feet to some place where their daughter would be waiting for their return, and they would live happily-ever-after. Of course, this didn't happen; she knew that Itachi had taken Kakashi's threat seriously and he would do nothing that might endanger his freedom now that he was in charge of Mariko.

At the reception, she cheered up quite a bit. The joyful mood of everyone there, combined with the dancing and massive amounts of alcohol helped her out a lot. She managed to push her dark lover and her daughter from her mind for the rest of the evening and turn her focus on her new husband instead.

Mariko's first birthday party had been…interesting. By that time, the little girl had learned how to walk and say a few words. She wore the lucky beads that her mother had given her on the night she was born around her left wrist; they had had to be looped several times before they were tight enough so that they wouldn't slip off.

Kisame, being by far the best cook in the Akatsuki, had made her a cake, and the entire group had agreed to "celebrate" the baby's birthday, even Hidan.

She received some strange gifts from her "uncles", which included a flying-but-non-explosive clay bird from Diedara, a wooden marionette puppet from Sasori, a miniature and not-dangerous version of Samehada from Kisame, a Venus Flytrap plant from Zetzu, a nickel from Kakuzu (which he considered to be exceedingly generous), a crayon drawing depicting little Mariko holding hands with Tobi under a rainbow from Tobi, an Akatsuki cloud rattle with little bells on it from her father, and nothing from Hidan.

Mariko had laughed and clapped for most of the party. Her odd assortment of gifts delighted her. She succeeded in smashing her face into her cake and getting it in her shiny black hair and all over her clothes.

The Akatsuki members had been peaceable amongst each other while they mingled in the small kitchen, even Hidan. They talked and joked around a little, they held Mariko once she had been cleaned up and played with her. By this time, Hidan was the only one who didn't absolutely adore the silver-eyed baby; she could even bring a smile to Kakuzu's stern face.

When she was gently set on the floor by Sasori, she toddled her way over to the violet-eyed priest, who sat at the far end of the table, not really socializing with the rest. She stopped when she reached the chair that was next to his, looking up at him inquisitively. He noticed her out of the corner of his eye and turned his full gaze on her.

"What do you want?" he asked her quietly.

She smiled up at him and reached out her arms, indicating that she wanted him to pick her up.

"Go ask someone else; Deidara's right there," he pointed to the blond explosion artist, "He'll pick you up."

Her smile faded into a pout as she reached out for him further; he shook his head and looked away.

Her lip trembled and her eyes began to tear up. She gave a small whimper and reached out to him again.

He wasn't able to ignore her further without feeling like a complete asshole – it was her birthday, after all - so he turned to her once more, which made her look at him hopefully, and after a few seconds of staring, he lifted her up onto his lap.

She smiled and threw her little arms around him, nuzzling him like a puppy might.

He stiffened while she did this; he didn't like it at all, but at least the kid hadn't started crying. He was beat from his last mission and the last thing he needed was for his group members to kick the shit out of him for making the baby cry on her birthday.

"Alright, brat, you happy now?" he whispered venomously to Mariko. She sighed contentedly and cuddled up in his arms.

Five Years Later

She couldn't remember if it had hurt as much six years ago as it did now, but something in the back of her mind said that it had been worse. It had hurt her more then because not only had she gone through the physical pain of delivering a child, but she had endured the emotional pain of losing that child. At least now, she didn't have to worry about the latter.

It was done the right way this time. She was in a hospital bed, not the forest floor; there was proper equipment and there were doctors and nurses to help her; her husband had been there, waiting nervously in the other room with her parents, sister and cousin; her friends had been there too.

She had been a little scared to see her new baby, because she was afraid that the instant she saw the child, her memories of Mariko would disappear and she would lose her forever. The new baby, a boy with golden-blond hair and his father's piercing blue eyes, was so unlike Mariko, with her jet black hair and silver eyes. She wondered if this was good, because then he wouldn't remind her of Mariko, or bad, because it would make her forget her daughter.

They named him Hachi. Naruto had been so proud of his new son, and Hinata had been quite enthralled with him as well, once he was placed in her arms. Her foggy eyes met with her son's crystal blue ones and she vaguely remembered holding her daughter on the night she was born, even if it was just for a little while.

Naruto stood protectively by her bedside as her family members and friends, some now with children of their own as well, came in a few at a time to see the new baby and give their good wishes to the proud parents. He beamed at the compliments that were paid to him on his son's behalf, but instinctively moved slightly closer to his wife and baby when Hiashi entered.

Hiashi walked over to his daughter's bed and held out his arms, indicating that he wished to hold his grandson. Hinata handed Hachi over and waited, nervously wringing her hands, feeling like she was a child again, waiting for his approval, or lack of, regarding some piece of work that had been submitted to his inspection.

The older Hyuuga held the baby out at arm's length so that he could take in the entire tiny form. His eyes seemed to hold nothing but cold contempt upon seeing that the baby didn't have many resemblances to the Hyuuga clan members at all, however, his face broke into a smile – which Hinata had rarely seen occur with her father – and he kissed his grandson's head before handing him back to his mother.

"He's a fine boy, Hinata. You should be very proud; both of you should," Hiashi turned his eyes in Naruto's direction as he said the last bit, and the new father nodded graciously at his father-in-law's praise.

Her other visitors that day included: Neji and Tenten, now married and expecting their firstborn any day; Kiba and Ino and their two children, Suoh and Tama; Shino; Chouji; Shikamaru and his new wife, Temari, from Suna; Kurenai; and Sakura stopped in with her son, Kai, who was in the hospital daycare at the moment while his mother was on duty in the ER and Sasuke, his father, was out on a mission.

Naruto and Hinata had been delighted and touched that so many of their friends and their families came to bid their son welcome into the world.

When the visitors had all finally left, the family had been exhausted. Naruto hadn't wanted to leave Hinata and the baby, but she had insisted that he go home for a little while, at least to shower and get some clean clothes and something decent to eat. He finally agreed, but with reassurances that he would be back as soon as he had cleaned himself up a bit. He kissed Hachi on his fuzzy little head and Hinata softly on the lips, before leaving the room with a huge grin on his face.

Hinata had just laid her baby down in the bassinette when a soft knock was heard at the doorway. She turned to see who it was and froze when her eyes fell on the form of Hatake Kakashi. Without even thinking, she scooped Hachi up in her arms once again and held him tightly to her.

"Hi Hinata, I just dropped by to wish you and Naruto my congratulations," he held out a fluffy teddy bear with a blue bow around its neck.

"Thank you, Kakashi, that was very thoughtful of you."

He moved to set his gift in the pile that had accumulated as a result of the many visitors that had been received that day, then turned to the mother and infant. "Is Naruto around?"

"He went home for a little while to get cleaned up; he hasn't changed his clothes or had a shower for almost two whole days."

"I see. So is this the little one?" He moved over to get a better look at the baby in Hinata's arms.

As he came towards her, she couldn't help but recoil a little bit. She didn't mean to make it obvious, but her motion hadn't gone unnoticed. Kakashi paused.

"Look, I know that we haven't really ever spoken since that night in the woods, and I don't blame you for your behavior now," he began.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, I didn't mean to be offensive. I just…"

He cut her off. "No, no, you don't have to try to explain. I took something very precious away from you; I need to explain," She sat on the edge of her bed, still cradling her son, while he leaned against the wall. "People make mistakes all the time. You were young and you made a mistake. I know that you would deny that that's what it was, because you love the child that came as a result, but it was a mistake nonetheless. Anyways, good people who make honest mistakes should be given second chances; that's what I was doing. You're a good girl Hinata, you always have been, and by allowing your child's father to take her away I was giving you a second chance at a normal life. And it seems that things have gone much better for you this time: you have a husband who loves you more than anything and who also isn't a wanted criminal, you have a child that you don't have to hide, and you have a future.

"Your daughter has a future also, even if it's not the best, at least she'll be around someone who will love her for who she is. If I had taken Itachi in that night, you would have been found out and your reputation would have been tarnished forever and your daughter would no doubt be living in some home where she would be treated less-than-kindly for the sins that her father has committed. I was trying to spare her that fate. So please don't think that I did what I did to be cruel, because I was actually trying to spare you more pain."

Tears had formed in her eyes. "I know, Kakashi. I know that you did it out of pity and I do appreciate it. But you have to understand that it still hurts, even if I did do things right this time, I can't let go of what happened in the past. I can't just forget them."

"I know it's hard, but you should try. She is his now, and only his. They're not coming back; they belong to your past," he spoke so gently, but his words stabbed at Hinata's heart, "Your future is with this one," he pointed to Hachi, still wrapped up in his mother's arms, "and with Naruto. They are the ones who you need you now."

Hinata nodded her head, the tears in her eyes now dripping, one-by-one, onto her cheeks.

"I know that my words are hurtful to you, but try to understand that it would be a terrible waste for you to dwell on the past, when you have so much to look forward to. I really do want you to be happy Hinata, you deserve it; your family deserves it."

He slowly walked over to gently place his hand on the baby's head and meet the boy's azure gaze for a moment before nodding to Hinata, who was still letting her tears fall silently, and leaving the room.

Kisame and Itachi had been going over the protocol for their next mission, when a piercing shriek had promptly disrupted their conversation. The two briefly looked at each other, then took off running in the direction of the scream.

Itachi had sent Mariko out to play while he and Kisame worked, but he had told her not to go too far. He cursed himself inwardly for not keeping a better eye on her and prayed that she had only encountered a spider or a non-poisonous snake.

He and the shark-man came to a halt in a small clearing about a quarter of a mile from the main hideout.

"Mariko?!" Itachi called for his daughter, scanning the area frantically.

Kisame had taken Samehada from its place on his back and was holding it ready to fight off any enemies who might be lurking about.

"Mariko?!" His voice was a little more panicked this time.

Suddenly, they heard a twig snap and turned to see the little six-year-old girl walking towards them. There was mud and dirt staining her clothes in various spots; leaves were embedded in her dark hair and there was black war paint in two stripes under her brightly shining silver eyes. She had a dark blue strip of cloth tied around her forehead as a makeshift headband and she was dragging her mini-Samehada that Kisame had given her on her first birthday behind her.

Itachi ran and grabbed Mariko by the shoulders, kneeling in front of her. "Are you okay?" he began to scan her arms and face for any sign of injury.

"Yes," Mariko seemed confused as to why her father was so upset.

"Why were you screaming then?" He brushed one of the strands of hair that fell over her eyes away.

Mariko smiled, "It was my war scream."

"'War scream'?" Kisame asked uncertainly.

Mariko nodded fervently. "Uh-huh. I was playin' hide-and-seek with Tobi and Zeztu and it's not fair 'cause Zetzu is hard to find 'cause he looks like a tree and…"

"Mariko, just tell me what your war scream is," Itachi cut her off before she got too far from her main point.

"Oh, yeah, well, I was hiding in a tree with mini-Same and Hidan walked by, right under me! And he was mean to me yesterday, so I did my war scream and jumped down on him and smacked him with my mini-Same and then ran! I think he fell over! It was pretty funny! Anyways, I can't talk now, Dad, I have to go and hide before anyone finds me! Don't tell them that you saw me, kay?" And with that, Mariko took off, her black hair swinging in its little ponytail at the base of her neck, her mini-Same now strapped to her back the same way that Kisame's real Samehada was to his.

Itachi and Kisame watched her retreating form for a moment, before turning to look at each other and bursting into laughter. They were interrupted by someone loudly crashing through the trees and throwing fiery curses into the air.

"Son of a mother-fucking bitch! Where the hell is that brat?! I'm gonna cut her into twenty fucking pieces!" Hidan came staggering out of the woods and towards the pair, holding his three-bladed scythe in one hand and using the other to cover the left side of his face, which seemed to be a little bruised and swollen.

"Something wrong, Hidan?" Kisame coolly asked him.

The priest turned his violet eyes, which were alight with fury, on the shark-man. "Yes, something is wrong Kisame! That bastard's," he pointed to Itachi, "fucking brat jumped me and beat me nearly fucking senseless with that fucking sword-thing that you gave to her, you asshole!"

Kisame covered his mouth to stifle his laughing, which wasn't working out too well, so he resorted to pretending that he was coughing instead. Hidan glared evilly at the blue man and turned his fierce eyes on Itachi.

"You!" he pointed to him with the tip of his scythe, "You need to learn how to fucking control your fucking brat! She's like some fucking savage who was raised by wolves or something!"

Itachi cleared his throat in an attempt to choke down his laughter. "I'm sorry, Hidan. You're right; Mariko shouldn't be running around the forest smacking people with her toy. I'll have a word with her. It won't happen again."

"Fucking right it won't; next time I'll just chop her and save everyone the trouble." The silver-haired priest muttered as he stalked off, still holding his face.

You see

The things I cannot change

The things that make me plain

Lift me up my soul's so hollow

Lift me up

We've made

All from the sum of none

All that we have become

Lift me up my soul's so hollow

Lift me up my soul's so hollow

-- "Hollow"

Ahaha! Mariko is so bad! Can you see why I chose the Enya song for her??? ;D