A/N: Hello loves! Please forgive the long wait. My brother has gone back to college, my work hours have picked up and our sister has started school once more. BUT! We bring you the new chapter! Enjoy!

It had been three days since the letter regarding their father's death had been delivered. Asami was in her backyard, pouring over a scroll from the library. Since the news had come, their mother, Seika, had been bed ridden. Every day she seemed to lose more and more of her will to live, despite being deep into her third trimester of pregnancy. Asami had been unwilling to venture far from the house, worried something would happen to the unborn baby if things were left alone.

Satoshi however, was not as nerved, but the event had driven him to increase his efforts at the house and in training. As he went out to the fields he had been training in, he called out a good bye to his sister who was sitting at the table reading. She waved him off before pausing and called him back.

"Satoshi, wait a second." Her younger brother paused to look at his sister.

"What's up?"

"Stop at the market when you're done. We are running low on rice and eggs."

"Kay, anything else?" Asami shook her head and waved him off. It was not until he was down the road that Satoshi realized he never told his sister what training he was doing. He wondered if she would be annoyed.

Asami watched her little brother head out, more than a little concerned. Regardless of how old he was mentally, in this world he was still physically a child. She debated on whether to follow him before glancing at the clock.

With a sigh, she set down the scroll she was working through and stood up. She would hunt down Satoshi later. Right now it was almost lunch time and Asami had been having a difficult time getting Seika to eat. The woman was heavily pregnant and needed the nutrients, but grief had taken away much of her will. Asami worried that her unborn baby would be born early with the stress their mother's body was going through.

She got up and began puttering around the kitchen, making a stir fry. She had only begun to heat the pan when she felt a familiar chakra near her house. Moments after he entered the house, Ibiki called out a greeting.

"Hungry?" Asami pulled out more ingredients as Ibiki walked over to the counter.

"Your brother took off down the streets like a man on a mission. Stir fry? Yes please."

Asami nodded as she sliced up the beef thinly. Seika could not chew large pieces of food. "He's off training again. He's all but destroyed the targets out back and with how things have been lately, I don't think he can stand sitting still."

Ibiki nodded in understanding before taking in the ingredients on the counter with a skeptical look. "Are you sure you're making stir fry? Because I'm pretty sure fish oil does not go in it."

Asami sniffed at her older teammate. "Shows what you know. This is cod liver oil, good for pregnant women. I drizzle a tablespoon over mom's bowl. I want to make sure she's getting the nutrients she needs."

She did not see Ibiki's eyes flick to the kitchen doorway, but she could feel his gaze when it switched to her. It was an assessing look, one she did not reply to.

"Your mother hasn't been eating enough and your brother is working himself to the bone. How are you coping with everything?"

Asami mulled over her reply for a few minutes as she traded added in the vegetables and sauce. Ibiki waited patiently, used to the waiting game. He continued to wait as his teammate turned off the stove while he fetched the bowls she requested. It was only as she began dishing up lunch that she replied.

"It's hard. We lost Toma, I lost Rin, our dad died and mom isn't doing well. Satoshi is bound to wear himself out. Our sibling might be born early and mom is no condition to care for her. But I can handle this. This much I can do. I can cook and clean for my family. I can train to get stronger and better to protect my friends and family. I can learn new things to teach my little brother. But I can handle it. I don't know what else I can do."

There was no judgement or pity in Ibiki's eyes when she finally looked at him. Simple acceptance and understanding were all that showed. Helped her gather the tray to take to her mother's room.

Some time passed and after Ibiki left, mentioning something about Intelligence, Asami couldn't help but wonder about Satoshi. The last time he went out training he had come back late and had obviously exhausted himself. Making a decision, Asami stood and put her shoes on. She took one last glance back towards her mother's room and walked out the door.

Talking with Ibiki about things had given Asami a renewed determination. She had never lost her will to keep her family safe, but with recent events she had become stuck in how to proceed. Now she was getting back on track. Their mother would not be moving anytime soon. And sitting around, wringing her hand would get nothing done. There were some things that she would never be able to change, but there were some that she could. Even if that meant stalking her little brother around the village.

She found him not too far from the village in one of the training fields. What he was doing was not training, but rather he was sitting with another kid. Being careful not alert the children she crept around until she spotted the crest on the back of the strange child's shirt. The Uchiha fan stood out prominently and Asami paused, taking in the sight as she ran through everything that she knew about the Uchiha's. The boy shifted slightly, allowing her to view his face.

Suddenly at that moment, Asami felt the urge to grab her brother and run before calming herself. The boy sitting beside Satoshi was none other than Uchiha Itachi.

The boys talked for a while longer before standing up. They walked to the different target and began practicing, still talking. Satoshi would occasionally stop to ask Itachi something, to which Itachi would promptly reply and demonstrate, both answering and showing Satoshi how it was done. Satoshi would then try to mimic the action.

Asami sat there, watching over the two boys, observing their actions. Itachi was good, much better than she had thought a boy would be at his age. But Asami was glad her brother had found a friend to train with. She turned and began making her way home, trusting her younger brother to be safe.

Then she paused, looking back at her brother. A grin worked its way on to her face. After all these years she still could not resist messing with her little brother. Asami pulled out a kunai and ripped a small piece of paper off of one of her scrolls before writing something on it. Snickering to herself, Asami wrapped the paper around the hilt of her kunai and took aim.

She did not wait to see their reactions, but booked it back home as soon as the blade left her hand. She had not cleared the area yet when she heard Satoshi's surprised yelp. Her kunai had sailed just over his head and embedded into the center of the target.

Don't forget groceries!