I hope you all are liking the chapters so far?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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What is a Shadow Without the Sun?

Chapter 7: When Morning Comes

~Time-Skip: 1 Week~

Sai flew back to the small army on his ink bird; the hideout tip that they had received was not viable and they were back to square one. Wherever the Akatsuki were, they were being sure to stay hidden.

He landed before the two Kage and gave them the news. It was decided that they would continue to look for a couple more weeks before giving up; aside from the strong feelings everyone there had for the blonde if the Akatsuki were ever able to obtain the other eight Bijuu, their world was as good as over.

Choji did his best to comfort Shikamaru, who was utterly devastated that they still hadn't found any sign of his love. He kept thinking of all the possible horrors that Naruto was facing and that he couldn't do a damn thing to help. The brunette also considered how far the boy was in his pregnancy, and if the baby was alright, even if it wasn't his.

Though his best friend was doing all that he could to console him, he knew there was one other who would understand even better. Walking around almost aimlessly, he found his way to the Kazekage's building and headed for his personal chambers. The guards didn't even stop him anymore; the two had often sought solace in each other's company and the shadow user looked like hell at the moment.

He knocked on the door lightly, sniffing back his tears while he waited. After several minutes without an answer, he started to leave. Kankuro came up the hall opposite him and immediately knew what he was after. The puppet master sighed heavily, people weren't supposed to bother Gaara when he was with Neji, but the look on the boy's face said it was an emergency. "Hey, Shikamaru! Come with me; I'll take you to my brother."

The two walked the empty hallways towards the private infirmary, avoiding conversation. The redhead could sense the chakra coming and opened the door before they reached it, tilting his head for the shadow user to enter. He gave his older brother a sad smile before nodding for him to leave.

Shikamaru tried not to let his face show how shocked he was at seeing Neji; the boy hardly resembled the strong and capable shinobi he once knew.

"I was going to take him off life support, but we received word about Naruto just moments before my hand reached the wire. It is selfish of me, but I can't let him go until I know my friend is safe" Gaara commented, reading the brunette's eyes.

The two sat and talked for hours, remembering their favorite and worst memories with their respective lovers. They didn't need to talk about the fact that they were both lonely, and empty without them. Just knowing that the other was feeling the same loss was enough.

"Gaara, I want you to help me sneak out of Suna. I need to go after Naruto" Shikamaru started after they had paused in thought.

The redhead narrowed his eyes; he couldn't possibly give a mission to a Konoha shinobi that directly disobeyed their Hokage's orders. "You know what that would mean for Suna-Konoha relations don't you?"

The brunette shook his head, "I don't need your permission Gaara; I'm asking you to give me a path to get out of here and then pretend you didn't see."

The redhead paused; it wasn't like Shikamaru to be so reckless. He wondered if the boy's fragile mind had finally snapped from all the stress it was under. If he were caught by the Akatsuki after some miracle of finding them, then he'd have both Naruto and the brunette's captivity hanging over his head.

"Look, I know that this isn't my style at all. It's dumb, emotionally driven and will probably get me killed but that's how Naruto always did things. I can't wait around for some random root member to find 'my' lover. Please, no one will know you gave me the information" Shikamaru begged.


Naruto walked out of his shower slowly, his body still a wreck from the birth of his children. He gazed in the mirror at the still healing wound that split his abdomen in two, wondering if it would bother Shikamaru if the scar didn't go away.

After carefully pulling on baggy clothes, he opened to door and leaned against its frame when he saw his children. Itachi was bouncing softly, rocking one back to sleep after it had apparently woken up, the other was lying peacefully in its crib.

Had the elder Uchiha not been around, Naruto was sure he would have died of exhaustion. The missing ninja did everything except feed the two infants and still cooked for the blonde every day. He wondered if this was Itachi's way of atoning for the many sins he had committed trying to protect his village.

"I bet you were a great help to your mother with Sasuke. I have a feeling he was always a moody child," Naruto whispered, catching the man's attention.

He set the now sleeping infant down and the two left to eat their lunch, placing a strong barrier around the room. Itachi decided to answer Naruto's earlier comment. "Sasuke was always crying if someone else tried to hold him. Izumi once took him from me and he screamed at the top of his lungs until she gave him back."

Naruto frowned slightly, "who is Izumi?" he asked, immediately regretting it when he saw Itachi's solemn expression.

"She was the love of my life" the man answered as they entered the kitchen, "but she was an Uchiha and the first of my clan to die by my hand."

The blonde felt his heart break for the man. He had never thought that Itachi had enough time to have a relationship when he was still in Konoha, and being an S-Class criminal probably didn't make dating any easier. He couldn't imagine having to kill Shikamaru, but when he weighed it against the life of either of his children, it would be possible. He imagined that's how protective Itachi felt of his younger brother.

"I believe she understood why I did it. I trapped her in a powerful genjutsu and was able to 'live my life' with her through it. Izumi thanked me for giving her the life she had wanted and I thanked her for loving me before she died" Itachi continued. He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to tell Naruto about his lover.

Naruto let a few tears escape his eyes, "I'm so sorry Itachi; my hope is that I can become the Hokage and keep history from repeating itself again. No one should have to suffer like that."

A sad smile crept onto the Uchiha's face; "I believe you will Naruto."

Neither noticed that one of Konan's paper birds hovered just outside the doorway, listening to their conversation.

"What should we do Pein?" the purple haired girl questioned.

"We put an end to it" he replied, his face unreadable.


~Time-Skip: 2 Weeks~

Shikamaru had successfully made it away from the camp and was now slinking around what he believed to be the Akatsuki hideout. He sent a message back to Tsunade, knowing it wouldn't be received for a few days. Even if he died, he could flush out the criminals and give the Leaf and Sand a chance to catch them.

The brunette edged closer to the entrance, his heart beating loudly in his straining ears. A cold hand covered his mouth as a kunai threatened his throat. Frightened brown eyes darted up to see the familiar Sharingan peering back down at him. His body couldn't move he was so terrified. Memories of their last encounter flooded through his mind, causing tears to fall from his widened orbs and his body to shake violently.

"If you wish to see Naruto, you will keep quiet" the Uchiha whispered almost inaudibly. The Mangekyo activated and warped them through space, before spitting them back out in a bedroom. Shikamaru's eyes were tightly closed now, but he heard the sound of a baby cooing a few feet from him, and dared to open them.

Naruto felt the Uchiha's presence enter his room and abandoned his search for the baby powder, hoping he knew where it was. "Itachi, have you see-" his tongue and heart stopped when he saw his lover kneeling on the ground, terrified, the elder man's hand still firmly pressed on his shoulder to hold him still. The two locked eyes and stayed frozen, not believing they were each really there.

"I found him sneaking around just outside the compound; it appears he came alone" Itachi commented, releasing his hold on the boy, "the baby powder is in the left cabinet. Make sure you stay quiet tonight; I'll take him back to the edge of the allies' territory just before morning."

The Uchiha knew it was dangerous to sneak the boy in and then leave him with Naruto, but after their conversation about Izumi, he couldn't let go of how precious these moments were and was willing to take the chance.

Even after the two were left alone they didn't move. Their strained breathing was the only sound in the room until a small cry came from the crib. Shikamaru turned his head slightly, breaking their stalemate.

Naruto snapped out of his daze as well and quickly got between his children and lover, unsure if the boy meant them harm. The shadow user staggered to his feet and started stepping towards them. "If you try to hurt them I will kill you Shikamaru…" he growled lowly.

The shadow user cupped the blonde's face and pulled him into a searing kiss, letting all the love and suffering from the past nine months transfer over. Naruto couldn't stand the wait any longer; he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close deepening the already passionate embrace.

Another, slightly louder cry broke their hold on each other. Naruto dropped his tear-filled eyes, "Shikamaru, the babies a-"

"I don't care who fathered them Naruto. If they are yours then they are mine too and I will protect you all will my life, like I should have done months ago" the brunette interrupted, kissing him again.

Naruto didn't think that his heart could handle the overwhelming joy he felt from his lover's words. But then the meaning finally caught up and he chuckled some. "Whose else would they be?" he asked, though he figured he knew the answer.

The brunette had a grim look, "it was suggested that they could be the Uchiha's… that maybe he had forced you to be with him."

Naruto continued to smile, he was aware of how probable that seemed looking in from the outside. Itachi had really played the part of a psychotic killer well, but after getting to know him, it seemed hilariously ridiculous. "I'll explain more soon, but Itachi has actually just been doing his best to protect me and the village. He's the reason our children are still alive. Plus, when he's not being an asexual board, I'm pretty sure he's all straight."

Shikamaru let his embarrassment and relief show on his face and felt an intense urge to see the two infants. Naruto read his mind and stepped out of the way. He moved behind the boy so he could press his chest against his lover's back, wrapping his arms around him again. The blonde peered over the brunette's shoulder at their children, who had woken up at their 'mothers' earlier distress.

The shadow user felt tears slipping down his cheeks again as two pairs of eyes stared up at him curiously. "You can touch them Shikamaru; I'm sure they're excited for their father to finally hold them" Naruto whispered into his neck.


Shikamaru ran his fingers over the red scar that spanned his lover's stomach, making the boy blush in embarrassment. "Kurama said that it would go away after a while, but I have to use most of the chakra that would have gone to healing it to keep feeding the babies."

The brunette shook his head and caught his lips with his own, "I think it's beautiful, just like you Naruto."

The two laid together on the bed, their children between them sleeping soundly. Shikamaru wanted the blonde to come back with him to Konoha, but it wasn't possible yet. He still wasn't healed enough to handle a long journey, especially with the Akatsuki still holding him captive.

Naruto told him how sorry he was that he had momentarily given in to his hatred and left, and all that had happened since that fateful night. He explained all about why Itachi had killed his clan and done so many things that appeared to go against the village, but most importantly how he had done everything in his power to make sure that Naruto and the babies were taken care of.

"Please Shikamaru, I know it will take time, but forgive him; he's really not a bad guy. I know he hurt you and so many of our friends, but he's done what he thought was best to deal with the shitty hand he was dealt" Naruto pleaded. "You don't ever have to like him, or be his friend, but the children and I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for his intervention."

The shadow user didn't think he could ever forgive him, but he would tolerate the man for all he had done to help Naruto and their children.

"There's more" the blonde continued, his eyes more serious than ever. "Itachi has made sure to watch Danzo ever since he forced him into slaughtering his family. When you go back, you have to warn Tsunade and Gaara."

When Naruto had explained everything, he could remember the two fell silent reveling in the comfort they felt. Shikamaru pulled his love closer and practically glowed when his affections were returned. In the midst of such profound happiness, pain arose as well; they knew when morning came, they'd have to let go.

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Okay a bit gooey, but I liked it. Shit's about to start geting real in the next chapter (I think) and so we needed a bit of lovey-dovey stuff.

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