Love, Actually

Chapter 9

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Sakura remembered being in the hospital, trying to process everything without feeling a crippling sense of guilt.

So, Kakashi was the father of Kagome's children then. Not Sasuke. (Now that she'd been able to think clearly again, the woman had been able to see how Kagome's clues about the father also described Kakashi perfectly as well.) It meant that Sakura had attacked an innocent woman, caused her to go into early labour with heavy bleeding that almost resulted in the deaths of her and her two children.

Gods, Sakura had wanted to cry. What had she done?

Just as she had been deciding what exactly she needed to do to make it up to Kagome, she had heard Sasuke call her name, felt a huge flare of chakra from him and she had looked at him. The last thing she saw was a flash of red before everything went blank.

Now she stood alone in this large empty white space.

The white stretched out as far as the eye could see. There appeared to be no end to it. The place was white to the point of being almost blinding. There wasn't a hint of colour or anyone in sight.

"Bastard," Sakura muttered, "He put me under a Genjutsu with his Sharingan."

The pink haired medic put her hands together in the familiar sign and closed her eyes, concentrating. She paused the flow of chakra in her body momentarily before applying a stronger pulse of power to try and disrupt the illusion.

"Kai!" She waited for the Genjutsu to disappear, but nothing happened.

Sakura frowned and tried again, but nothing happened. She grit her teeth in frustration and tried again, the thought of giving up not even crossing her mind. But like the first and second times, nothing happened. Sakura wondered what was wrong. She was a Genjutsu specialist so breaking an illusion like this wasn't a problem for her. Yet nothing was happening. What the heck did Sasuke do?

"Oh, I'll kill him," she swore. "This time I won't just kick him in the balls. No. I'll rip them out and stomp on them until they're mush."

"Maa, maa," a low voice said. "That's a drastic thing to do to a man."

Sakura turned around to see that a previously blank space was now occupied by her former sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei," she said, her voice becoming relieved at the sight of someone familiar. "What are you doing here? What am I doing there? What kind of Genjutsu is this? Why is it so difficult to dispel?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to reply, but someone else beat him to it.

"This isn't an ordinary Genjutsu, Sakura. You're in the world of Tsukuyomi, one of my Mangekyou Sharingan techniques," Sasuke explained, materializing right before their very eyes. "And please don't kick my crotch again. They're still hurting from the first time." The Uchiha took a look at the world around them, ignoring the amused looks that had sprouted on his former teacher's face.

"Hmm," he mused quietly. "My world of Tsukuyomi is the complete opposite of Itachi's."

"It appears so," Kakashi said, and their eyes met in pained commiseration. Both the Copy Ninja and the Uchiha had had a first-hand experience on what Itachi's world of Tsukuyomi had been like. Every once in a while, the scarecrow still had nightmares about it.

"All right Sasuke, why did you bring me and Kakashi-sensei here? What's with this Genjutsu?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms.

She didn't really know what Sasuke and Kakashi were going on about, and she wasn't interested in finding out. All she was concerned about now was learning how to get out of here.

Sasuke wasn't fazed by the look she was sending him. He had seen much worse.

"Tsukuyomi is the ultimate Genjutsu technique. I can control time and space in here. Years spent here can equal only seconds out there. It is impossible to dispel. It will only be over when I decide it's over," Sasuke explained softly. "Kakashi is here because he wanted an answer to the things Kagome told him. You're here because there are some things that I need to show you."

She paused, considering his words. "Show me what?"

"You once asked me before about my relationship with Kagome," he said, and at her cautious nod he continued. "I told you that I wasn't having an affair with her. That I saw her as an older sister and my brother's best friend."

"Yes…" she replied slowly.

The guilt that she felt for causing Kagome to go into early labour reared its ugly head and rammed into her like one of Tsunade's chakra-infused fists again. How could Sakura have lost control of herself like that? How could she have done that to a woman she called a friend? How could she have doubted the words of her friend and husband but believed stupid rumours spread around by complete strangers?

Sakura felt a new measure of guilt well up within her when she recalled how little she had trusted her husband and the kind of things she had yelled at him in their apartment. But then she also remembered how he had made her day sheer hell with his vague answers and the kind of things he had yelled back at her too.

No. Sakura wouldn't allow herself to feel guilty for him. He had put her through too much for that to happen.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that. But that's just a part of it. There's more to our relationship than that, and I'm going to show you what it is," Sasuke said, and although his tone was monotonous, Sakura could see the emotion in his eyes. "You might end up hating me afterwards though."

Sakura blinked once in shock, her anger forgotten. Hate him?

Even after he had left Konoha and became a Missing-Nin, Sakura had never hated him. She'd felt angry with him for leaving and sad that he wouldn't come back, but she had never hated him. Yet now he was telling her that something he did involving Kagome would possibly result in her hating him? What was it? Did he sleep with the woman?

"It's either hating me or being disgusted by me," Sasuke finished sardonically. His eyes were shadowed.

Sakura's heart wavered. "Sasuke I would never—" she started to say, but he shook his head.

"Don't be so sure of it just yet. You haven't seen what I've done to her," he told her, his face wry. Then the expression melted away and his face became a blank mask. His tone was serious. "To get the answers that you both want I'll be showing you the memories of Kagome's life."

"The memories of her life?" Kakashi repeated, "How did you come by those?"

"Some, she showed to me," was the succinct reply. "We're good friends, and she had no problems letting me see them. The other memories I got from Itachi and the rest of the memories are of my own."

Sakura took a moment to process the information. She wasn't too shocked at the thought of Kagome being capable enough to show Sasuke her memories.

The blue-eyed woman wasn't a Kunoichi, but she still had her chakra and she knew how to use it. Not being a Kunoichi also didn't stop her from helping the Alliance in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Kagome and Sasuke had been fighting in the Third Division alongside Sakura and Kakashi. During the battles with the army of White Zetsu and the Ninja brought back from Edo Tensei, the pink haired medic had seen first hand what Kagome could do.

No, she wasn't shocked by Kagome's abilities. The woman was a Kunoichi in everything but a name.

"We'll need to start at the beginning then," Sasuke spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"How far back is the beginning?" Kakashi asked softly.

Sasuke took a moment to work it out. "Starting around the time Kagome is two-ish. That was when she met Itachi. Sakura," he said, looking at his wife. "If you want to understand my relationship with Kagome, first you have to understand the kind of relationship she had with my brother. And Kakashi, when I show you the memories of your interactions with Kagome, pay attention and reflect on her behaviour."

The Copy Ninja nodded while Sakura replied, "R-right."

"All right, let's begin," he told them softly, and the white space before them started to disappear while a new scene materialised in it's wake.

They were in Konoha.

Sakura didn't know exactly what street they were on and which part of town they were in, but it was still undeniably, distinctly, uniquely, Konoha. Even after 20 years and being destroyed Sakura could still see the similarities that her present-day village had with this one. The only thing that really stood out to her right now was the Hokage Monument, or rather, the three stone heads currently on it.

Ah, that's right, Sakura recalled. Yondaime-sama hasn't been chosen yet. She vaguely wondered if she would see him around in Kagome's memories.

From what she could tell, it was some time in the afternoon, probably earlier than later. The streets were somewhat crowded. Both civilians and Ninja walked by the three time travellers, going about their daily businesses and errands. Children ran across the streets, laughing joyously as they played and Sakura almost ended up stumbling in shock when one child ran straight through her.

"Relax," Sasuke said calmly, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Since these are just memories, we're essentially ghosts here."

The woman shrugged him off. "What are supposed to be looking for?"

The Uchiha took her rebuttal with a quiet grace. "That."

Sakura turned, looking to where Sasuke had indicated. A woman was coming down the far end of the street towards them. She was wearing a dark blouse and a plum coloured skirt. A medium-sized yellow bag was slung under her shoulder and in her arms she carried a small child probably no older than three. When Sakura glanced at the woman's face, she found her mouth opening in surprise.

The woman heading towards them looked like Sasuke.

Perhaps not completely, but the resemblance was uncanny. She had the same dark hair, the same doe-shaped eyes, the same fair skin and the same sort of quiet beauty as the man. Sakura glanced back at her husband, and saw that he was staring at the woman with a hint of sorrow on his face.

"Is that your mother?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "Uchiha Mikoto."

Sakura turned back to look at her. "Then the child in her arms is…"

"Yes. My brother Itachi."

Sakura didn't know what to say. What could you say in this sort of situation? She felt a wave of pity flash through her. It had to be very hard on Sasuke seeing his family and his brother alive again in these memories and yet he still offered to show them to Kakashi and Sakura.

Sakura still didn't know what to say to him. She turned to Kakashi. He looked like he didn't know what to say either.

As Mikoto finally passed by them, Sasuke seemed to snap himself of whatever daze he had gotten into when he first saw her. "Let's go then," he said crisply, and took off after her. Sakura and Kakashi followed. Even though they weren't physically there, the two still did their best to avoid bumping into anyone on the streets. Their basic instincts were simply too strong to avoid.

Sasuke on the other hand just walked straight through people without a care in the world.

"Kaa-san, where are we going?" Sakura heard little Itachi ask. His voice sounded melodious to her ears.

"We're going to the house of a friend of Kaa-san's. You remember Auntie Kun Loon right?" At Itachi's nod, Mikoto continued. "Well, she has a daughter about your age and her name is Kagome-chan. Would you like to be her friend?"

"Only if she likes me," he said seriously. Itachi may have been a child now, but he was still as thoughtful as when he was an adult.

Mikoto broke out into an amused smile and she pressed a kiss to her baby's forehead. "Don't worry my little leaf, she'll like you."

"But the other children don't like me. They think I'm weird because I like reading about our village history," Itachi explained calmly, and Sakura could hear the tiniest bit of hurt in his voice.

She felt a bit of empathy for him. She may not have been a genius of his level, but she too had been an outcast once for her intelligence.

"You're not weird my little leaf. The other children just can't see how wonderful you are because they're ordinary, while you on the other hand, are extraordinary," Mikoto replied. "So instead of making you play with ordinary children, Kaa-san is going to let you play with children like you."

Itachi perked up. "Like me?"

Mikoto nodded with a smile. "Yes my little leaf, like you. Kagome-chan is extraordinary too."

Sakura couldn't help but let out a little smile at their exchange. It was obvious that the woman really loved her son from the way she patiently spoke to him right to the way she held him in her arms. She glanced at Sasuke. He was smiling too, but it was a sad smile.

Very soon, Mikoto reached a street filled with houses.

She walked up to the first house on the left and pressed the doorbell. A moment later the door opened and a pretty woman with short brown hair appeared. She smiled at the sight of Itachi and Mikoto.

"Hello Mikoto," Kun Loon said, a warm smile on her face. "And hello to you too Itachi-chan."

"Hello Auntie," Itachi replied.

"Your son is very polite, Mikoto," Kun Loon said admiringly.

Mikoto adjusted her grip on her son. Her eyes shone with pride. "Yes, he is."

"Well, come on in then. Don't be shy! Make yourselves at home!" Kun Loon said, stepping out of the way. Mikoto and Itachi entered the house, with Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi following behind.

Sakura looked around, taking everything in. The Higurashi house was the typical size of a modern two-storey home. It was well furbished, with plenty of family pictures hung up around the house. Sakura breathed, inhaling the delicious smell of freshly baked cookies that seemed to permeate the air. Overall, Kagome's family house seemed like a very warm and welcoming place, full of love and joy.

Sakura could hear the faint sound of a child's laughter coming from somewhere in the house.

Itachi shifted in his mother's arms, looking around to try and find the source.

"I see Kagerou's home," Mikoto noted with a smile.

Kun Loon nodded, a loving expression on her face. "He came back from his mission last night. Now he and Kagome-chan are making cookies in the kitchen."

Mikoto let out a little laugh. "Your daughter is a real daddy's girl, ne?"

"That she is."

The two women reached outside the kitchen and Sakura blinked, taking a good look at the sight inside.

The kitchen was a food warzone. It looked like someone had detonated by a small bomb made entirely out of flour in there. Cookie batter was splattered on the cabinets, the sink, the counter, the windows and even the walls. Eggshells lined the floors and sugar spilled across the countertops.

A man stood by the counter. He was young and handsome, with striking blue eyes and a kind smile. His dark hair, face and clothes were stained in a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar and cookie batter, as if someone had thrown a handful of it at him. Next to him, on a high stool, stood a small girl in a dress with equally dark hair and blue eyes the exact same shade as the man's. She looked like she was made of the ingredients.

Sakura and Kakashi felt their breaths catch. Though the girl was young and messy, she was still unmistakably Kagome.

"Honestly, I leave you two alone for five minutes," Kun Loon spoke up, sounding exasperated. Behind her, Mikoto struggled not to laugh while Itachi merely blinked quietly in his mother's arms, his wide eyes taking stock of the mess.

The father-daughter duo eyed each other with equally contrite expressions on their faces, before breaking out into giggles.

"Do I even want to know how you both ended up like this?" Kun Loon asked dryly.

The man straightened and swiped a hand over his face, smearing more flour on his cheeks. "Probably not, my dearest," he said sheepishly. Then his blue eyes took note of the guests behind his wife. A mild flush came over his cheeks. "Ah, hello Mikoto-san, nice to see you again. I'm afraid you've caught me at a bad time."

"Hello Kagerou," Mikoto said amusedly. "It appears I have. This is my son, Itachi." The child shifted in her arms to get a better look at him.

"Ah, hello there Itachi-kun," Kagerou said with a smile, "I hope you don't mind the mess. My name is Higurashi Kagerou, but you can call me Uncle instead. It's very nice to meet you."

Itachi remained silent for a moment, considering the man. "Hello Uncle. It's nice to meet you too."

Kagerou seemed to notice that the boy's eyes were now fixed on the person next to him. "Ah, and this is my daughter Kagome," he said, placing a gentle hand on the girl's head. "Kagome-chan, say hello to Itachi-kun."

The girl, who had been watching her father talk to the strangers, didn't say a word.

Instead, she scrambled off the stool (with some assistance from her father) and went towards the boy. Itachi on the other hand struggled briefly in his mother's hold and after she set him down, he headed towards the girl.

The two children came to a stop in front of each other, neither one speaking. Kagome just continued to stare at Itachi with those unwavering blue eyes while the Uchiha looked back at her, his own gaze steady. The two behaved like a couple of cats sizing each other up, much to the amusement of everyone around, Sakura included.

Then suddenly, Kagome smiled.

It was a beautiful and dazzling smile, one that could melt the hearts of even the hardest of men. Uchiha Itachi never stood a chance. From behind him, Sakura could see that the small boy was lost. Lost in those blue eyes and that smile, lost but never wanting to find the way out again.

"Hi Itachi," Kagome said, in a soft, sweet voice. She held out her hand. "Want to be friends?"

Itachi stared at her outstretched hand a moment before looking up to meet her eyes. Then, for the first time ever that Sakura had seen in this memory, the boy's lips twitched up into a small, but genuine smile.

"Yes," he said simply, and as Sakura watched him place his hand in Kagome's, the scene around them swirled before disappearing away.

Another scene materialised in its wake.

In it, Itachi and a now cleaned up Kagome were sitting on the couch in the living room of her house. There was a plate of freshly baked cookies placed on the table in front of them and they were both eating from it as they talked. Well, mostly it was Kagome that talked. Itachi just listened to her quietly, an attentive look on his young face and sometimes, he would reply her back.

Sakura's lips twitched into a small smile. It seemed like Kagome had been quite the chatterbox in her youth.

But then her smile faded when she recalled how different the Kagome she knew back in the present seemed now when compared to this innocent and carefree little girl. Sakura would never have expected them to be the same person. The Kagome that she knew was older beyond her years, a woman shaped deeply by the events of her past. She was quiet, composed and prone to random bouts of unexplained melancholy. Much like Sasuke was.

Sakura's eyes glanced over to her husband. She wondered if he too had been like carefree like this before the slaughter of his clan.

Behind the two children, Kagerou painstakingly cleaned up the mess in the kitchen while Kun Loon and Mikoto chatted near him by the counter, nursing identical cups of warm tea and a plate of cookies. Occasionally, the women would pause in their conversation and look at their children with identical fond looks on their faces.

"Ah, dearest, can't you help me with this?" Kagerou asked as he swept the floor.

Kun Loon glanced at him. "No," her smile seemed downright predatory. "You made this mess, so you clean it up."

"But I wasn't the only one…" he protested weakly.

"Your daughter is only a child but you're an adult," she said reasonably. "So as a grown adult and a man, take responsibility for your actions and clean up your own mess instead of asking me to help."

The man sighed, and continued his sweeping. "Yes dearest."

"I'm glad we have an understanding," Kun Loon said, and turned back to Mikoto. Sakura bit back a laugh.

The scene around her started to fade again and another appeared. This time, Itachi was playing with Kagome in what Sakura guessed was probably the backyard of the boy's house. The design of the backyard was too… traditional to be Kagome's. From what Sakura had seen, the girl's house had been modern in layout. It would have been a bizarre thing to have differing designs for the outside and inside of the house.

Anyway, the two children were in Itachi's backyard, taking turns throwing dummy Kunai at a target marked out on a tree.

"After that first meeting, Itachi and Kagome spent a lot of the year playing together at each other's houses," Sasuke began softly. His piercing eyes were completely focused on the moving form of his brother.

Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the young Uchiha either. Even at a young age, it was so easy to see why many had hailed Itachi as a genius. He was good.

"My mother saw how isolated my brother was because he was a prodigy and wanted him to have a friend who understood. My father on the other hand wanted to foster a good relationship between the two heirs of the Uchiha Clan and the Higurashi Clan. Long ago, members of the Higurashi Clan were well known throughout the world for their unparalleled sensor abilities and great understanding of Barriers and Sealing. They even possessed a unique chakra capable of defeating demons," Sasuke explained. "With a Sharingan, it's possible for an Uchiha to control the Tailed Beasts but with the Higurashi's chakra, they are able to kill the Tailed Beasts. So even with the Higurashi Clan currently a shadow if it's former self, my father still wanted us to ally ourselves with them."

Sakura stayed silent for a moment, considering Sasuke's words.

She had known that Kagome's knowledge of barriers and sealing was supreme in Konoha, even beating out Ninja who specialised in Fuuinjutsu. The blue-eyed woman currently worked as a freelance consultant for anything pertaining to that subject. Sakura had also seen Kagome's strange chakra before, and how lethal it was. The colour of Kagome's chakra was neither the light blue of ordinary chakra nor the green of healing chakra.

It was light pink, nearly white.

Sakura had only seen that colour of chakra on one other person before. Shion, the Priestess from Demon Country. And even then, comparing Shion's chakra to Kagome's was like comparing a single candle to a raging bonfire.

"Sasuke… what did you mean when you said the Higurashi Clan was a shadow of it's former self?" Sakura asked, even though she had a sinking feeling in her gut she already knew the answer.

In the background she could faintly hear the steady thunk of Itachi's Kunai as it continuously hit its target.

Sasuke looked at her, his gaze clouded. "The Higurashi Clan was a powerful but peaceful clan. The members were pure of heart, as reflected in the colour of their chakra, and they didn't like fighting or conflict. Back during the Warring States era, the Clan was attacked by those who feared their strength and nearly wiped out."

Sakura stared at him. Exterminating an entire clan, a peaceful clan, just because they feared their power? "That's…"

"Yes, that is horrible. But that isn't the first time it's happened," Kakashi spoke up. The man had been so quiet throughout their whole time in Kagome's memories that Sakura had almost forgotten he was there. "It's the same way that people in Kiri killed anyone possessing a Kekkei Genkai while Iwa teamed up with Kumo and destroyed Uzushiogakure because they feared their Fuuinjutsu," he said softly.

"Yes," Sasuke agreed with a grim nod. "As far as Kagome knows, she is the only surviving Higurashi still living."

Sakura swallowed, and turned back to watch the scene. Itachi had finished his turn, and now it was Kagome's again. She threw the dummy Kunai with a steady hand, but it failed to hit the target. After a few more unsuccessful throwing attempts, the girl let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She opened them again when she felt Itachi step up behind her.

His small hand closed over hers, still gripping a Kunai, and he started speaking slowly, explaining what she was doing wrong and demonstrating how it should have been done instead. Sakura marvelled at his kindness and patience.

The next time Kagome threw a Kunai, it finally embedded itself into the target, dead centre.

The girl's striking blue eyes lit up in such unbridled joy and she turned back, flashing Itachi a wide grin. The young Uchiha smiled back at her, then motioned for her to try it again.

The scene faded, and another one materialised.

Kagome and Itachi were on the floor now, trying to make sense of some sealing scrolls they had spread out in front of them. The style of the room they were in was traditional in make, so they were in Itachi's house then. The parents of both children were sitting nearby, talking and watching their offspring together with pleased smiles on their lips.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise when she noticed Kagerou place his hand tenderly over the slight bulge of Kun Loon's stomach.

The scene faded and another materialised again. Sakura watched how Itachi and Kagome had a sleepover in the girl's bedroom, how the young Uchiha's eyes were wide in wonder and perhaps a little bit of fear at the horror story she was enthusiastically telling him.

The pink haired woman watched how Kagerou eventually came to tuck them in, how gently he kissed his daughter's forehead and how he prodded Itachi's instead when the boy shied away.

The memory shifted again. Itachi and Kagome, eating sticks of dango in his backyard. Shift. Itachi and Kagome, playing chakra control exercises and marvelling at the colour of her chakra. Shift. Itachi and Kagome, both looking at Kagerou in absolute wonder as he explained about Barrier and Sealing Techniques. Shift. Itachi and Kagome, sleeping beside each other after a long day of playing. Shift. Itachi and Kagome, placing their small hands over Kun Loon's stomach, now much bigger, and looking at her with amazement in their eyes as they feel the life beneath. Shift. Itachi and Kagome, both poking and prodding curiously at the girl's new baby brother, much to Kagerou and Kun Loon's amusement.

Kagome's memories of the times she spent with Itachi continued to shift by in a flash. Sasuke never dwelled long on them. He simply gave Sakura and Kakashi enough time to understand what was going on in it before changing the scene again.

Sasuke was right though, Sakura thought as she watched Kagome put a flower crown on Itachi's head. They were very close.

As the pink haired woman continued watching, the happy memories of Kagome's childhood seemed never-ending. She had a family that loved her and a best friend who understood everything about her.

It was like a kaleidoscope made up of solely happy moments. Until finally, it wasn't anymore.

.

End Chapter

Hello my lovelies.

So I expanded a bit on Sasuke's talk with Sakura and Kakashi in this. If you're wondering what he means when he says Sakura might end up hating him, he's talking about what he did to mentally scar Kagome so badly.

I also added Kagome and Itachi's first meeting. Cute right? Mikoto's nickname for Itachi is inspired by the LOTR/Hobbit fandom. I thought it was fitting.

The next chapter is Kakashi and Kagome's first meeting. It... goes as well as expected.

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans