What Does It All Mean?

Part II, Chapter XI: Answers

Author's note: (breathe) "Akio… I am your father." "NOOO!!!" I have no shame, really.

Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. This coming chapter isn't as dramatic (I figured a break was in order), but it gives you all a continuation of what happened. P

"Y…you're my…father?" came a shaking voice from the foyer.

All three turned to the hallway entrance. Akio stood in his pajamas and slippers; mouth and eyes wide open with shock and disbelief. "U…Uchi-Uchiha-san… you…"

Sakura's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh gods…"

"My…my… dad…?" Akio pushed the words out.

Sasuke stood still, frozen under Akio's gaze.

"Akio," Naruto gulped. "H-how long have you been there?"

Akio kept staring up at Sasuke.

Sakura swallowed, and then took a deep breath. With a gentle voice, she spoke. "Akio-chan, you should be in bed," she stepped forward towards her son, but Akio took one step to the left, away from her. "Akio-chan?"

"Uchi… Are you?" Akio's voice shook. "Are you my father?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto's back as the blonde man faced the boy. Sasuke finally looked at his son and told him, "I am."

Akio managed to look away to the other adults. "Okaa-chan… Naruto-nii-chan… why… why didn't you tell me?"

Naruto looked down to the floor, head hung in shame, brow furrowed in a frown.

"We didn't know how to," Sakura tried to explain.

Akio looked away for a moment, trying to understand his mother's answer. Eventually, he dismissed Sakura's answer and looked up to his father again. "So, are you done? Are you finished with your mission?" his eyes glimmered.

"I…" Sasuke gulped before answering, "I'm not finished."

The light that sparkled in the boy's eyes left. A chill ran down Sasuke's spine when he saw his son's expression fall. "Y-you're not coming home?"

"No," he answered honestly. "The truth is that I have important matters to deal with…so, I need to leave."

"More important that your family?" Akio's words shook with every breath.

"You don't understand, Akio," Sasuke said. "I'm not fighting villains like your mother said. I've been after one man for years, even when I was your age. Long ago, I made a promise to myself that I'd kill him."

"But… don't you want to come home to your family?" Akio looked wide-eyed, trying to understand everything that has happened within these five minutes. "You've been gone for a long time; didn't you want to be with us? With Okaa-chan… with me…?"

"I… didn't know you existed," Sasuke admitted in one breath. "I never found out until recently."

"Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes widened, not believing what Sasuke just said. Sakura buried her face in her hands, tears falling down her face. Tears also broke in Akio's eyes and his mouth was wide open in shock. "Dammit, Sasuke!" Naruto crossed over to him and held him by the collar, nearly lifting his feet off the floor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"He needs to know the truth," Sasuke held his arm across his chest and tried to push some distance between them.

"Okaa-chan, but, did you even try… to tell him?"

Slowly, Sakura shook her head.

"Why not? If he knew… he would have stayed. Then we wouldn't be so sad. Then you wouldn't cry all the time."

"No, Akio. Your dad left a long time ago," Naruto tried to explain. "She didn't want to look for him and tell him."

Hearing this, Akio's eyes widened as if realizing something. "She didn't…?" he looked over to his mother. "Is it me? You didn't want to tell him about me?"

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened. "No, no!" Sakura sobbed. "That--!" Before they knew it, Akio ran out the front door and into the dark night. "Wait! Akio-chan!" Sakura managed to find her legs and moved out the door.

Naruto shoved Sasuke aside. "Akio! No, that's not what I meant!" he and Sakura were out the door in a heartbeat.

Sasuke fell back against the chair and it clattered to the floor. He fell to the floor on his right side, gritting his teeth in pain. Sasuke reached up to the table with his left hand, using it to hoist himself up. After a few moments, he managed to get on his feet and, as fast as his aching muscles would allow, made his way out the door and onto the walkway outside. He looked over the railing, seeing the lifeless street cast with two yellow streetlights. Then Naruto and Sakura came into view, each coming from opposite directions of the street. They were talking, Sasuke guessed, as tears covered Sakura's cheeks.

Sasuke gripped the metal railing.

Sakura was shaking her head animatedly, her hands trying to catch her tears. Naruto grasped her shoulders with each hand, trying to look at her straight in the eye.

Sasuke's knuckles became white.

Naruto reached a hand to Sakura's face and used his fingers to brush her tears away. He moved closer to her and spoke as he stroked her hair. Her sobbing subsided slightly and she nodded to what he said.

Sasuke wanted to break the metal railing.

Naruto dashed off as Sakura headed back to the apartment. Within a few minutes, Sakura appeared to the left of Sasuke, a few feet from her apartment entrance. "He's, um…" she began, "he's going to look for him…" Sakura looked up to face him. "We should get inside. It's cold."

Sasuke stared at her for a few heartbeats before leaving his place behind the railing and going inside the apartment. Sakura followed and locked the door behind her. As Sasuke sat down on the sofa, he watched her speed to the phone in the kitchen and began calling numbers from a small address book beside her phone.

"Ino, Ino, oh thank god you're home!" he could hear Sakura cry. "It's Akio-chan. He ran away! Yes… he found out. Yes, everything. I know…"

Sasuke's eyes fell to another picture, behind the one he was looking at earlier. Akio was a few years younger in this one and Naruto was with him. It looked as if they were at a lake, with Naruto holding him, making Akio's head above the water, Akio's face in a smile as he splashed about. It seemed as if Naruto was teaching Akio how to swim.

"Hello, Chouji?" I'm sorry to call so late…"

Sasuke turned away from the picture. He ran his hand over the upholstery of the armrest, tracing lines on the fabric.

"Kakashi-sensei, this is Sakura. Please call--."

Sasuke forced his body to angle away from the picture. It sat, taunting and teasing him, displaying his son enjoying a summer's day with his old teammate and rival.

"Tenten, it's Sakura. If you see--."

Sasuke forced his eyes to the large window that framed the night sky. The skies were dark and the dots of stars served as very little light. Sasuke wondered if Akio could see out there.

"Lee-san, this is Sakura. If you see--."

Akio's face, twisted with pain and confusion, was etched in Sasuke's memory. Sasuke opened his eyes, cradling his chin in his hands. He could still see his son's tears trickling down his cheeks, his eyes wide, not quite able to grasp the knowledge he gained.

"Kiba, it's Sakura. I need--."

Something was pulling in his chest, yanking hard at his insides. Just remembering Akio's face, the rejection, all that pain… Guilt felt very foreign to Sasuke.

Sasuke sat in silence as Sakura continued calling people, asking whoever to keep an eye open for their son. Minutes passed and Sakura began to make another pot of tea. She emerged from the kitchen and took a seat at the dining table, face buried in her hands. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this…" she muttered.

Sasuke looked over to her, her figure shaking with worry and doubt. He opened his mouth but the words stuck to his tongue and he stayed silent.

A hand fell from her face to the tabletop. She tapped the surface gently before clenching her hand into a fist. Then her hand returned to her face.

"Maybe he should have been told earlier," Sasuke broke the silence.

Sakura looked up. "No… I couldn't. I couldn't tell him." She looked up directly Sasuke. "I was going to tell him when he was older."

"He needed to know."

"I know, but still, it wasn't supposed to happen like this! I would have never thought you'd come back to tell him." She wiped her cheeks and looked down to her twiddling thumbs. "So… are you really leaving?"

Sasuke turned to her, then the window. "Didn't I say that?"

"Oh gods, why?" she asked him. "Why did you tell him if you are going to leave again?"

"Akio needs to know."
"But he doesn't need to be hurt like this! Don't you see what this is doing to him? Akio finally met you face-to-face for the first time, only to be told you wouldn't stay with him; your own son!"

"I didn't plan this."

"It's destroying him, though. You have no idea how much he wants to make his parents proud. But then to be told his father will not stay with him? What do you think this is doing to him?"

Sasuke turned away from her to the floor space between the couch and the dining table. He ran an angry hand through his hair. He never meant for his son to become this upset. He did not anticipate him running out the door in tears. He started calculating the damage. "It's too late now."

"At least…" Sakura bit her lip, shifting her eyes away as she continued. "Why did you want him to know?"

Sasuke looked up at her.

"If you're leaving anyway, what's the point? Why did you want him to know?"

Sasuke swallowed. "Be-because…" he trailed off slowly.

Just then, the phone rang. Both of them jumped in their seats at the sound. "Akio-chan," Sakura muttered and headed to the phone. Sasuke tried to stand and stayed still when she answered the phone in the middle of the second ring. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Sakura."

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura's shoulders fell as she looked over to Sasuke from across the room

"Don't be too disappointed," Kakashi chuckled.

"No, it's just—I left a message--."

"I found Akio," he interrupted.

"You found him?" her eyes lit up and Sasuke stepped forward. "Is he okay? Where? How--?"

"Calm down, don't worry, he's fine."

Sakura covered her mouth and let the tears fall down her face. She began to hiccup. "He's okay…" she muttered to herself, reassuring, almost confirming what she heard. Sasuke's shoulders relaxed as he sat back on the couch's armrest.

"Sakura, what happened?"

Sakura swallowed. "Akio-chan, he…" her fingers ran down the spine of her address book, "… he found out. About Sasuke being his father."

A pause. "I see." Kakashi left out a sigh. "Well, I thought that's what happened. I found him at the memorial stone and he was very upset. I was wondering whether I should take him home."

"But…" Sakura glanced up at Sasuke, then looked down to the counter. "I don't think he wants to see me. Or any of us right now."

"I think so, too," Kakashi added. "Perhaps some time away will clear his head."

"If he doesn't want to come home tonight, would you take him to Ino's?"

Kakashi glanced at the little boy at the corner of his eye, sitting at a table across the room. "Sure. It's not that far from this dango shop."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Of course," he smiled softly, leaning against the counter the phone sat on.

"Um," Sakura muttered, "also… if Akio-chan asks anything… can you…?"

Kakashi already knew what she would ask. "I'll tell him," he said.

"Thank you."

"Try to sleep, Sakura. Good night," and Kakashi hung up. He turned to the shopkeeper. "Thank you," he told the attendant and left the phone on the counter. He brought three servings of dango over to Akio, who was sitting alone at a table across the room, a hot cup of tea sitting in front of him. He set the dango in front of the boy. "Here," and he sat down.

Akio sniffled and rubbed his red nose with the back of his hand. "Thank you, Kashi-jii-chan," and then he reached to eat one. He chewed on it quietly, filling the air with occasional hiccups and sniffles.

Kakashi sat back in his seat and watched the child eat. He closed his eyes for a moment, and for a brief second, while his eyelids were half-open, he saw an image of Sasuke, his eyes clouded with loneliness. Kakashi's vision cleared and watched Akio eat a second piece. Perhaps he was getting old, seeing things and such. He shook his head.

"Kashi-jii-chan," Akio spoke softly.

He looked to the boy sitting across from him.

"Uchiha-san… is my father," Akio took a deep breath. "But… he didn't know…. I was alive." He stared at his cup of tea, watching the leaves sit at the bottom. "Okaa-chan…" tears found their way to his eyes once more. "Okaa-chan didn't want him to know…"

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm no good," he uttered and let his head hang in shame, the tears falling to his lap. His hands balled to fists on the table, trying yet failing to hide his shaking.

Kakashi extended his hand, a spare napkin in hand. He let it touch the boy's forehead causing him to look up. "No, no. That's not the case at all," he smiled softly.

Akio's eyes widened and then took the napkin, wiping his cheeks. "But…" he sniffled, "Naruto-nii-chan said she didn't want to tell him."

"Ah, well, your Naruto-nii-chan was never good with words," Kakashi shrugged. "There are a lot of reasons as to why your father didn't know."

"Because he left? To kill a bad man?" Akio blew his nose.

"Yes," Kakashi answered.

Akio set the used napkins aside and clutched the teacup with his small hands. He took a sip and let out a sigh, then placed the cup back down. "Ano-sa… Kashi-jii-chan…"

Kakashi set his elbows on the table.

Akio's mouth opened as if he wanted to say something but then remained quiet. He took a few breaths before he spoke again. "What happened? To my parents?"

"What do you mean?"

"I wanna know everything. About my dad, my mom… no one tells me anything. But I'm older now," Akio frowned.

Kakashi did not have to debate on whether to say anything. He had wanted to tell the boy for years, but he kept quiet in respect for Sakura's request. He loved the woman like his own daughter; perhaps Akio was too young to comprehend. But seeing the child so insistent, with a sparkle of curiosity, wonder and determination all mixed in one reminded the jounin of the boy's Nii-chan, Okaa-chan and Otou-chan; all three students in one child. "Yes," he nodded. "You are older." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "What do you know about your father?"

Akio shrugged.

"Your father is the last survivor of the Uchiha clan, a long line of strong ninjas with a powerful bloodline limit."

"Like Neji-oji-chan and Hina-oba-chan?"

"Precisely. Like the Hyuuga clan, the Uchiha clan had its own strengths and advantages. They were happy and prosperous. However, when your father was your age, his entire clan was killed."

Akio's eyes widened. "Everyone?"

Kakashi nodded. "Everyone. By one man."

"Is that who father is after?"

"Yes. Ever since, he vowed to become strong, so one day, he could get his revenge. Being a ninja, getting promoted didn't matter to Sasuke. Strength was all he cared about. He focused on only that, so that one day, he could chase after the killer."

"Do you know?" Akio asked. "Do you know who the bad guy is?"

Slowly, Kakashi nodded. "I do."

"Who is it?"

Kakashi hesitated slightly, wondering if he should reveal that the boy was the nephew to the mass murderer. "His name is Itachi." Then, after a few moments of silence, he decided that hiding information was not the best decision. After all, that was why Akio was in this mess in the first place. "Uchiha Itachi, the older brother of your father."

Akio's eyes widened further. "Wait… that means… my uncle? He killed his family and now my dad wants to kill him, too?"

Kakashi slowly nodded, watching the boy's brow furrow in disbelief. "Your father was very set in obtaining strength, even if that meant leaving Konoha."

"Why did he leave? He couldn't get strong here? Okaa-chan and Naruto-nii-chan are strong and they stayed here."

"He didn't think so. He was offered a chance to gain power from the leader of the Village of the Hidden Sound."

The name struck Akio's brain.

"The leader was a Sannin, like the Godaime and Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya? Who?"

Kakashi blinked. "The man who taught Naruto after me. Tall, long white--."

"Oh! Ero-jii-jii."

"Yes, him," Kakashi smiled, recalling how Naruto used to address the Toad Sannin. One of the many things that rubbed off on the boy: Naruto's lingo.

"So, father left Konoha," Akio continued, trying to take it in.

Kakashi rested his crossed arms on the table. "Naruto tried to bring him back but he couldn't. And Sasuke had been gone ever since."

"When did he leave?"

"He was 13; almost fourteen years ago."

"But…" Akio thought for a moment. "I'm turning seven tomorrow. How could my mom and dad make me if dad was away?"

"Oh," Kakashi nearly forgot. "Well, Sasuke did return for a short while. I was not sure why."

"That's when Okaa-chan and he played fun in bed?" Akio asked.

Kakashi raised his brow. "What did you say?"

Akio shrugged. "Play fun in bed. That's what Shikano-chan called it. She said that's how babies are made. She walked into her parents' room and they were playing fun. She said sometimes, if you play the rules correctly, babies could be made."

"I see," Kakashi could not help feel amused at the awkwardness.

Akio nodded. "Shikano-chan is smart."

"Yes, yes she is."

Akio looked down to his last dango, half-finished. His eyes grew sad again. "So… do you know why my mom didn't tell my dad?"

"Because when she found out you were growing inside her, she didn't want to leave the village. Leaving the village meant that she could possibly be attacked by an enemy ninja and she didn't want to risk losing you," Kakashi explained. "Your mother loves you very much."

Akio closed his eyes before taking more of his dango. He wiped his eyes again before drinking some tea.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Kakashi suggested. "Or do you want me to take you to your friend's?"

"Can you take me to Shikano-chan's place?" Akio asked after finishing his tea.

Kakashi smiled warmly and nodded. "Sure."