Hello everyone!
I proudly present you the 13 chapter.
Thank you so much for the review for the previous chapter, THANK YOU. I am frankly amazed at the positive response I have received while writing this story. Never would I have thought that I would write thirteen chapters, without anybody threatening me at least. I started to write this story more on a whim than anything else. But now it had become a pride for me, I will finish this story no matter how long it will take. My first two stories were more of a test, to see how my writing was in English and such but now I am starting to feel a little more confident, even if I still need to relay on Beta's to check so everything looks alright.
With the twelfth chapter we finally reached the hundred thousand word line, which made me feel all excited and ridiculously proud of myself. With that I want to celebrate with starting this chapter with a character we will see more of later on in the story. I hope you all readers like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. Though I would, of course, not mind if I did.
Two broken souls heals together
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Chapter 12
"Normal speech"
'Thinking'
"Snake speech"
"Fawkes"
Previously: All that he had to do was to find him, the rest would solve itself, and it always did. He was still alive after all.
It was a quiet and peaceful morning in the small village, which was located in the middle of the Lightning country. In the early morning, few people were up and about, mostly elders that always awoke with the sun, much to the younger generations bemusement. The village was a small one, only a few hundred people lived there, but it had a steady income with traveling merchants and tourists who wanted to visit the famous natural hot springs nestled in the mountains not far from the village.
The village was quite lucky when it came to bandits and thieves, the location made the place moderately secure with a large mountain that protected the village's back and sides. The only way into the village was from the front, unless one wanted to climb the mountain, which took a week to arrive to the top of and only then to discover that it was impossible to climb down to the village because the mountain side was smooth like a baby's skin. If anyone was a foolish enough to try to glide down the side, he or she would be met with a gruesome death in form of metal spikes when reaching the bottom.
Ninjas didn't bother the village either because they never hired them, preferring to only use samurais if they needed help. While they didn't hold any dislike for ninjas, they found that samurais held more morals and common sense than their ninja counterpart's. It was more of a politic move to not bring the attention of one of the hidden ninja villages, though a ninja village wouldn't find any use of a small place like theirs, but they didn't want to take the risk anyway.
If they came by a ninja, they were treated like any other travelers and, because of this, the village had prospered for the many years that it had existed. The people were happy and content and they wanted to remain that way.
So when a large man with a gigantic sword on his back entered the small village, naturally everyone became uneasy, though they still tried to treat him like anyone else. The adults in the town didn't need to warn their children to stay away from the man, the man's chilling aura made everyone inch away on their own. The man paid for a room to stay for a couple of days and, every time he was seen in the market, he carried the large sword.
When a couple of days went by and nothing happened, the villagers started to relax, perhaps they had been too judgmental after all. The man was seen all over the place in the village, not just the hot springs, but everywhere. It made the villages understandingly curious, but they held their tongue, it wasn't their business what the man did unless he hurt someone or destroyed something.
Then, one week later after the man had arrived, he went from being indifferent and aloof to being angry and impatient. Suddenly, when the man walked by a shop selling books, he grabbed ahold of the man owning the building in a bruising grip, a terrifying expression on his face.
"Where is he? Where is the man with green eyes and wild black hair? Tell me!", the man spat in the terrified salesman's face.
"I don't know who you are talking about, I swear, I don't know!" The other man was so tall that the salesman was hanging in the air.
"Don't bullshit me! I know he was here! Where is he?", the man growled and his grip tightened dangerously.
"I don't know anyone with green eyes. None of the villagers here have it!", the salesman said desperately, afraid for his life.
By now everyone on the market street had gathered to see what was going on. There was a hushed silence as no one was brave enough to step in. There were currently no samurai in the village and, even if there was one, the villagers doubted that he would have been able to do anything anyway.
"Then he isn't a villager, fool! Now tell me if you have seen a man with green eyes and black hair. And don't lie, I will know if you do." The larger man shook the poor man in an attempt to shake the answer out of him and scowled fiercely.
"I don't know, I don't know, I promise!" The salesman cried out, feeling his fear taking over and his heart hammering in his chest.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd spoke up, it was clearly a female voice that sounded both scared but determined to help.
"There was someone like that here, a tourist that passed by five months ago, he had a young child with him. He isn't here anymore, though, I don't know where they traveled afterwards." The female speaking stepped out from the crowd and revealed to be quite a cute one with long dark hair and smooth skin. Her stance was confident, but her eyes exposed her fear for the terrifying man.
The man, possibly ninja by the appearance, eyed the woman with a skeptical look. Finally it seemed that he came to a decision and dropped the salesman, who fell to the ground in a heap and immediately started to crawl away from the dangerous man, too terrified to try to stand up. The man snorted at the cowardly act and simply turned around to walk away from the crowd of people.
Everyone was silent until the villagers saw with their own eyes that the man stepped out of the village and out of their lives. As soon as the man disappeared, a low chatter spread among the crowd, the name Zabuza the demon hung in the air like bad breath.
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The sound of pens scratching against papers filled the Common room. Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi sat patiently at the table in the room and wrote different words that Harry had previously shown them. Sitting on a sofa, Harry read the newspaper while waiting for the boys to finish their lesson. He suspected that Itachi was in reality already done with his, but waited for the young boys to finish theirs.
The one time that Itachi had shown that he'd finished way before them had left the two boys restless and impatient, not a good mood to be in when trying to learn a language. So instead, Itachi trained on other words and then sentences to make it look like he wasn't done.
Harry flipped the paper idly, bored out of his mind. He had found that he liked to teach, but not the moments it was silent like this, the boys working on their own, leaving him to his own thoughts. Perhaps he should start to plan Sasuke's birthday? Would Sasuke also like to travel around, to more fun places perhaps? He had two weeks left so he had time to talk with Itachi about it. Harry wanted to invite the Lupin family, but it was still a little strained between Sasuke and Teddy, so it might not be the best of ideas. Still, that could change in two weeks, children could adapt pretty fast.
'If the boys work hard today, then they deserve to have a desert to today.', Harry thought absently and turned a page without concentration on what was written. Harry and Itachi had earlier that day promised to begin training the boys in the ninja arts after lunch, much to their joy.
Most likely, Naruto and Sasuke thought that they would immediately learn powerful jutsus, but in reality they would only work on their reflexes and stamina. After all, they weren't mature or grown enough to handle any jutsus yet. Harry couldn't wait to see their faces when they realized it.
Thankfully, both Sasuke and Naruto were coming along fine in both writing and speaking English, which eased some pressure off the boys. Harry didn't think any of them would be far behind their future peers. Though he was a little concerned for Itachi, the boy was too old to be sent to school without the knowledge it required. Harry had started to notice in the last few days that the young teen had begun to feel a little restless with doing nothing except learning to speak and write English. Most likely, Itachi was so used to moving all the time that being locked up in the manor was strange and stifling for him.
They had started to visit different dojos to find a form that fitted Itachi, but Harry wanted something more for Itachi, to not always train and fight. Harry glanced over the pages to observe the children working diligently on their tasks. Itachi had begun to subtly help the younger two when they were stuck on some word or needed help pronouncing it.
Harry got a thoughtful expression on his face as he continued to watch Itachi help the other two. Itachi seemed to be good at teaching and gave the impression to enjoy it to some extent. Now there was a thought, Harry mused to himself, would Itachi like to teach martial arts to students? While it still involved training and fighting, it gave a whole different perspective on the subject. Teaching young to find discipline and the concentration to be able to learn complicated martial arts practices wasn't easy and it required a lot of patience and understanding that every student was different from one another and so required different methods to learn effectively.
'Maybe I am on to something here.', Harry thought and resolved to speak with the young genius later in the day. It was, after all, Itachi's decision if he wanted to do it, but personally Harry thought it would fit him.
The quiet atmosphere was broken by Naruto who let out a loud sigh and flopped backwards to stretch. Harry smiled fondly at his son.
"Are you done, son?", he asked quietly to not disturb Sasuke who worked on diligently, totally ignoring Naruto's antics. Itachi concentrated on his own paper to give the two a moment alone.
"Yeah, I am hungry dad.", Naruto whined and a rumbling sound let out from his stomach making him blush slightly.
"I see.", Harry said and looked at the clock on the wall. "The elves should be done with the lunch in ten minutes."
"But I am hungry now." Naruto creased his mouth into a pout. Harry only smiled at his son and stayed quiet.
A few minutes went past before Sasuke uncurled from his sitting pose at the table, a telling satisfied smirk on his face that told the others that he was done with his work as well. Only a moment later, Itachi laid down his pen on the table, signaling that he too was done, just before a soft bell was heard, which meant the lunch was ready.
Harry stood up from the armchair and banished the paper he'd tried to read. "Alright boys, go wash your hands before eating." With a little grumbling from the two younger boys his order was followed. Itachi only raised an eyebrow in answer to the order, before humoring the older man, and Harry pretended he hadn't seen it.
The lunch consisted of a delicious chicken salad with garlic dressing and freshly baked bread sticks. Naruto and Sasuke threw the food into their mouths, because the faster they ate, the faster they could begin to train to become a ninja. Itachi and Harry could only shake their heads at the boys and calmly eat their own food at a more sedate pace, knowing that the boys would finish before them and would have to wait for them to be done anyway.
After much whining and begging from Naruto and Sasuke for the two elder men to finish sometime today, the group gathered outside in the yard. The yard was as big as three soccer fields, of course, magic making it bigger and hidden from the non-magical eyes, made it perfect for the thing Harry and Itachi planned on making the boys do.
However, what the boys didn't know was that Harry planned on participating because he needed to build up his own stamina and reflexes. While the wizard had been in top condition under the war, he had spent three years imitating a sack of potatoes in the manor and it made his hard-earned strength wane and he hadn't trained seriously when he traveled in the elemental land. The first two years, when he traveled alone, he was just beginning to discover the joy of life again and then later, when in the company of Naruto, he hadn't had the time to focus on himself. Taking care of the brat was a full time job alone.
He had some muscles to build up again. He may never become as fit as the shinobi, like in the elemental land as they had different body structure after all, but he could damned well try. At least the children would enjoy seeing him work and sweat alongside them.
Naruto and Sasuke gave Harry an odd look when he exited the backdoor and entered the garden dressed in sports shorts and a tight t-shirt. However, they dismissed it when they saw Itachi trailing behind him, because while they knew that Harry was strong with his magic, he wasn't a ninja and Itachi was, and a famous one on top of that.
Itachi's lips twitched at the expectant looks he got from the boys and steeled himself for the whining he would receive soon enough.
"Ne, ne Nii-san, what will you teach us first? A fire jutsu? A earth jutsu?", Sasuke asked eagerly while Naruto bounced on his feet, barely able to contain his energy.
Itachi sighed before answering, opting for a blank but, to some degree, stern expression. "What I will teach you first is how to build up your stamina and endurance, then stretching exercises and perhaps in a few weeks, if you do well, start to show you the beginnings of the academy taijutsu."
The silence that followed was stifling, Harry barely could contain his laughter at the two dumbfounded expression the two young boys sported. Soon enough, Naruto shook himself out of his shock and voiced his protests.
"But that's lame! I want to learn awesome jutsu's!" He would have continued, but subsided when he got the 'look' from the older teen. Naruto didn't know how he did it or when his dad taught him it, all he knew was that it worked.
Itachi continued like Naruto hadn't said anything, absently noticing that Sasuke still seemed somewhat shocked. "We will start with running. I want you to run around the yard ten times. I don't want to see any of you lazing around, if you do, I will add an extra two laps as punishment."
With a fair amount of grumbling and whining, this time from both the boys, they started to run with Harry behind them. Itachi kept careful watch and seated himself against the house wall where he could see them all the time. Because they couldn't train together like this for longer than a few months, they would need more individual training later on, Itachi observed them carefully to see what each of them lacked.
Naruto clearly lacked the concentration and attentiveness that was needed to learn the more time-consuming technique such as chakra-sensitivity and tracking without using one's eyes. Right now, while running, that child was only concentrating on finishing the laps fastest and being first, not saving any energy so that he would be able to finish the laps in the first place. Instead, Naruto had an enormous well of chakra to his advantage, Itachi was, however, a little suspicious of it, it wasn't normal that such a young child had so much of it, not to mention an average adult either. It was something the young man knew he needed to ask Harry about, but he was reluctant to do it. Itachi had a theory already about it, but was weary of actually getting it confirmed to be the truth or not. However, the young ninja knew that he had to know if he was going to train the child to the best of his abilities.
Sasuke, on the other hand, had the concentration and patience which was needed, but lacked the self-confidence to move out and test new things to improve. He would rather learn exactly how to do it and then follow to the letter, quite the opposite from Naruto, Itachi had learned from their studies with Harry. Sasuke, at the moment, was a bit behind Naruto in the running, seemingly taking his own pace, but Itachi could see that it was hard for the child to maintain the speed in which Naruto had set from the beginning, clearly he did not have the stamina Naruto possessed. Sasuke had the normal store of chakra for a child his age, but Itachi suspected he would end up with more than average when he grew older, simply because of his genetics.
Then Itachi turned his gaze to the oldest in group. The man had already found his pace, two minutes in the running, in which he could hold for a longer period and so conserved energy for longer runs. Itachi approved whole heartily. That was something he needed to teach the children, it was a necessary skill to have in the ninja business. Missions could last for weeks or months and one need to know how to conserve energy and know when to use it wisely. To be a ninja meant to be alert and ready to fight at any moment.
Itachi could clearly see that Harry had previous training, even if it was a while ago he sharpened his skills. He knew that he could give the man a few tips to a more effective training and to faster build up his strength again, but first he needed to know what the wizard wanted. Did he want to become stronger in muscles, faster at running, faster reflexes or more agile? As the man didn't need any training in jutsus, since the man couldn't use them, it left them a little more time to hone his body.
Soon, two panting boys and one lightly breathing adult stopped next to Itachi. He let them take a quick breather and a chance to take a sip of water, before continuing to give instructions. After doing thirty sit-ups, twenty pull-ups and twenty knee-jumps, Itachi made them run ten laps again before calling it quits.
Both Naruto and Sasuke grumbled about doing boring exorcises that were meaningless, but were too tired to do anything else then complain with their voices. Itachi only smirked at the two, knowing it would be some time before he would start teaching them about the basic jutsu's such as Bunshin no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu and Henge no Jutsu. Perhaps both boys would know and be able to use them before their seventh birthday if they advanced as he expected they would.
Still, even that would be an accomplishment if one compared them to their peers in the elemental land and in Konoha.
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Later that same day, just after training, Harry and Itachi sat down in the Common room to talk alone. Naruto and Sasuke had both sleepily made their way up to their rooms to get a short nap, their bodies not used to the training yet. Itachi suspected that after a week he would need to increase the training if he wanted to challenge the boys.
Itachi brought a glass of water from the kitchen, feeling a little thirsty while Harry, on the other hand, ordered a glass of fire-whisky to be brought to him from a house-elf. The little elf gave him a disapproving stare as he gave him the glass though refrained from saying anything, which Harry interpreted that the creature disliked him drinking in the middle of the day. When Harry turned around to face Itachi, he was met with an equally disapproving stare from the young teen as well.
"Oh come on! It's just a glass, hardly anything really.", Harry burst out in dismay, feeling like they were both against him.
Itachi only stared some more before giving him a neutral look and snorted lightly.
Harry sneered some and demonstratively took a sip of his whisky, childishly proving to himself that no one could come between him and his alcohol. Harry shuffled slightly in his seat, a little bit uncomfortable with the silence after a couple of minutes.
"So, I have been thinking a bit.", Harry started, looking into the fireplace where the fire sparkled merrily despite being in the middle of the summer. Oddly enough, it didn't give away any heat, so it was just pretty to look at, Harry silently marveled at the house-elves magic. "Thinking about what you would like to do when Naruto and Sasuke head out for school, I mean. I was watching you earlier in the day and, when you helped the boys out with their lesson, you seemed to like it quite a lot. Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't teaching students in martial arts be something for you to do, besides your own training of course?"
Itachi thought over what Harry had said and nodded slowly after a short moment. "I suppose that doesn't sound so bad, I do enjoy too teach a little. But why would any parents let their children be taught by a fourteen old unknown stranger? Doesn't it require any evidence or proof that I am who I say I am and that I could actually teach something?"
Harry waved it off with his hand as one would a fly. "That's nothing that you have to worry about. All papers and such I can take care of and you will be famous as a genius soon enough. I do not think that any style will be too difficult for you to learn. Also, if you learn martial arts in another country or city, then you can teach here without anyone knowing that you were a beginner just a few months ago."
Harry paused and thought deeply for a minute, an idea coming to him. Itachi remained silent, a bit overwhelmed that the man wanted to help him so much without asking for anything in return, except being like a family, which Itachi certainly had no problem doing.
Harry continued speaking after getting his thoughts in order again. "If you want to pretend that you are not a total newbie, you could say to have been home-schooled for a bit. All you have to do is to observe your chosen dojo to learn, I know that your skills in the ninja arts will make you invisible and undetected. It would make it seem believable that a fourteen could become so skilled in such short time if he had some training beforehand after all."
"Also, as we have said before, we will claim that you and Sasuke come from Japan and it wouldn't be strange at all if there was someone in your family that was prominent in martial arts. It wouldn't be peculiar that he or she would teach you some if you had showed some interest in it."
Itachi nodded in agreement, it would sound better if he said that he'd had some training previously if he wanted to climb quickly in the ranks to be able to teach if he wanted too.
Itachi decided to speak up. "Still, I haven't chosen a style yet. I have a few on my mind, but none that fit my previous training in taijutsu. The Uchiha taijutsu relies heavily on agility and speed so I want to find something similar at least."
"Take your time Itachi, there is no hurry after all.", Harry said with a small smile, relaxing into his armchair to take a deep swallow of his drink, feeling the burn make its way down his stomach. With a satisfied grin on his face, he sighed deeply, he knew he was one of few wizards that could hold his alcohol when it came to fire-whisky, perhaps nothing to be proud of, but it had been something he and Ron had teased each other about, so it brought positive memories to him if he ignored the years after that they had died.
Itachi nodded slowly and allowed a small smile to twist his face. "Thank you, Harry. I appreciate it." There had never been a time that someone had said to him to take it easy and feel after what he really wanted to do. Itachi felt himself relax into his armchair and took a small sip of his cold water.
The comfortable silence between the two of them continued on for a few hours until the sound of feet running down the stairs broke it. Obviously, both Naruto and Sasuke had awoken from their nap and were ready to carry on the day.
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They established a routine, with doing various exorcises in the mornings with Itachi and then doing studies with Harry in the afternoon after lunch. The newly established family found comfort in the routine and it made them feel like more of a real family. The only thing that broke the routine was visits from Teddy and occasionally the whole Lupin family.
Then, with only one week left to Sasuke's birthday Harry and Itachi started to plan what to do. Knowing that Sasuke had loved traveling around, as they had done on Itachi birthday, they decided to do it again, a four-day trip to different countries. However, they knew that Sasuke valued different things then Itachi, so new places had to found and researched.
Having no computer in the manor, as the magic Harry and the house-elves used would interfere with it, Harry and Itachi was at a crossroad. Last time, when Harry selected where to go with Itachi, he had already been there before with the others several years before. With Sasuke, however, he would like to go to more fun places, like a zoo or amusement park, which Harry had no greater knowledge of as he had never visited these places himself, neither as a child nor as an adult.
When he had celebrated his birthday with Hermione, Luna, Ron and Neville, they had traveled into jungles and wandered around in different climates, as such, Harry had experienced all kinds of weathers and conditions. It had been a treasured experience Harry had come to realize, something he wanted to give to his newly created family as well.
Harry resolved to speak with Remus, as he surely would have some suggestions he could use. Luckily, the man was scheduled to visit in a few hours and then Itachi could set the boys on some training before joining them.
Harry stretched while lying on his bed, the sunlight peeking in from the closed curtains. Harry felt like he had only laid down so sleep, still exhausted from the day before. But mostly, he knew that it was because of the still coming dreams which had plagued him for weeks now. They frustrated him to tears sometimes.
While he wanted them to stop and to leave him alone, he wanted to keep dreaming to finally get a real glimpse of his future potential mate, despite knowing that if he knew how the man looked, he would stop at nothing to find him. He had many good logical reasons to stay where he was, with his boys, but his heart and emotions wanted to find his mate to complete the family. Harry let out a grumbling sound before rising out of the bed and wandering into the bathroom to shower.
Harry knew that he would be forced to shower again after his morning training, but it didn't bother him. After living with the Dursley's, where he was forbidden to shower too often and never with warm water, he relished the freedom to be able to shower how many times as he liked and how warm he wished. Small luxurious things like that made Harry think sometimes about his childhood, but he stubbornly always pushed it away. He was free now and he was never stepping a foot into the Dursley's household again.
When he arrived down to the kitchen to get his morning coffee, he noticed all the boys were seated at the table already, making him the last to arrive. However, both Naruto and Sasuke looked like they were sleeping in their breakfast while Itachi enjoyed his tea and the silence.
Muttering a faint good morning, Harry sat down and took a few sips of his coffee to wake him up. Only Itachi greeted him back as the two boys hadn't noticed that he had arrived. The silence continued for a few minutes, Harry managing to both eat two sandwiches and drink two cups of coffee before Naruto and Sasuke woke enough to eat and talk.
While the boys started chattering between each other, Harry caught Itachi glancing at him with a concerned stare. Harry sighed to himself, he supposed he would need to tell Itachi soon about his dreams and the whole mate thing soon. He knew he had black marks under his eyes, and that they had been there for some time now. Most likely Itachi knew that as well, no matter how hard Harry had tried to hide it. Harry grumbled to himself, how does one explain to a fourteen year old kid that he had a life-mate if he could find him?
The day dragged on and soon Remus was coming to visit. Neither Tonks nor Teddy could come because they were sick with some wizarding flu or something. Remus was immune to it because of his condition, Remus used to joke about it, that at least his ailment brought some usefulness and not only misery. Harry and Itachi spent a few hours discussing options about Sasuke birthday before going over to what was happening in the wizarding world.
Apparently the new Minister, Konrad Rother, was a pathetic minister when it came to taking important and changing decisions. His motto seemingly was, if something had worked before, then it can work again. It made changing the wizarding world even harder and there were many that wanted to take a step forward to come closer to their non-magical cousins' level. Well, according to Remus, it was a mess and he, being a werewolf, was unable to do anything about it. While it had become better for the werewolves, like getting permission to hold a job and get married and siring children, they still had no say when it came to the political stage and decisions regarding the law.
Another thing that had changed, much to Harry's surprise and enjoyment, was that the Daily Prophet had been shut down by a public vote. Apparently, when the people realized that Dumbledore and Harry were speaking the truth about Voldemort being back, they knew that the newspaper had slandered and lied right up in their faces, most likely being controlled by the Ministry. So in an effort to get a paper that wrote the truth, they gathered and made the Prophet shut down and resurrected a new newspaper, the Daily Oracle.
So far, the paper had behaved itself and only written truths with proof and facts behind its articles. Harry wondered how long that was going to last. He also learnt from the older man that the goblins were becoming restless and irritated with the attitude the ministry was treating them with. Harry wasn't the least a bit surprised, there was a reason there had been so many goblin wars in the past after all. 'Really, the wizards should know better.', Harry thought to himself, the goblins took care of the economy in the wizarding world, should one really upset the ones who handled all their money?
There would be chaos if the goblins disappeared one day, wizards didn't know a thing about managing money the way the goblins could.
Remus had also warned Harry to not use too much magic if he could. While no one would think it was odd that an adult was using magic in the middle of London, there could, however, be someone that checked where the magic was being used. If someone did that, they would also notice that the person's magical aura was hidden and the exact location impossible to discover. It could make them curious and it could lead to more, which Harry certainly didn't want to.
Luckily, the type of magic that was used to trace the use of magic was only granted to a few people in the ministry and very few even knew that it existed. Still, Remus wanted the young wizard to be careful, just in case. He knew how much Harry cherished his privacy and Remus was certain that if anyone found out that Harry Potter had returned to Britain and London, there would be mass panic to find out just exactly where the hero lived.
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Not long after Remus left the manor, Harry decided to turn in early. He had felt tired the entire day and wanted nothing more than to sleep eight hours straight, preferably without those pesky dreams. When he said god night to the boys, they all watched him with concerned eyes, noticing how tired the older man looked despite being only seven in the evening.
Itachi silently hoped that Harry wasn't sick and just tried to hide it from them. When he'd awoken from his typical nightmares, which happened every now and then, though not as often as usual, Itachi would often wander past Harry's door and nearly every time there would be a soft light coming from the room or there would be missing the sound of the elder sleeping. Itachi could understand that the older man didn't want to speak about his nightmares if he had them, he himself didn't want too, but when they affected him so much, Itachi couldn't help but wish that the man would share his troubles with him.
Itachi had hated the nightly talks the two of them had in the beginning, but after noticing the effects of them, he begun to lean the other way. While he didn't come to exactly like them, they were very rewarding and it wasn't just him that spoke, Harry shared much of his life with him. It made Itachi feel closer to the older man, like they had something special, just between themselves.
Harry had told him of many horrible things that had happened and what Harry had been forced to do, just to survive. Itachi didn't blame Harry for taking life, often quite brutally in a battle, how could he? He himself had taken many lives in his short life, starting from a very young age. He didn't want Sasuke or Naruto to feel the burden of knowing that they had taken a life, a life that had perhaps a family waiting for him or her.
They all say that the first time killing someone is the hardest. Itachi couldn't say he fully agreed with that, because with him, he was too young to really remember. Someone had broken into the compound and had tried to kidnap a young Uchiha child. Itachi had been at the right place at the right time, or it had been the wrong place at the wrong time, and he had seen the man kidnap the child and so reacted. Itachi hadn't really meant to kill the man, but the man had turned around so fast that he hadn't had the time to move his outstretched kunai and it had pierced the masked ninja's heart. He died instantly.
Itachi had only been six years old at the time.
Itachi had been honored with a party for saving the child and killing the man, but Itachi had only sat there in shock, his mind slowly making him forget the sight on of blood running down his arm from the dead man. Afterwards, he'd been promoted to a Genin and taken out on mission, the elders thinking that now when he'd killed that he was more prepared for the harsh reality that was the ninja life. They couldn't have been more wrong.
Itachi hated killing with a passion, that it almost scared him, but he would do it, if it protected his loved ones, meaning Sasuke and possibly Shisui. Now, however, he could include Harry and Naruto on that list.
Itachi was no fool, he knew that sooner or later they would return to Konoha, it was only a matter of time. What would happen then, he didn't know, but he would be damned if he let his skills become rusty when they traveled back. He would need all his strength to protect and defend himself. He had no reason to hope, but he really wanted it to be different the next time he stepped into Konoha again, never more to be a mere puppet at the whims of his father and clan elders.
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Sasuke grumbled and tried to turn away when he felt someone shake him awake. The bed felt to warm and comfortable that he wanted to sleep forever. The hands disappeared and Sasuke sighed in relief, thinking that they had given up. Not a second later, Sasuke felt himself rising from the bed and into the embrace of the person mean enough to force him out of the bed when all he wanted was to stay there. He instantly knew that the person holding him was his brother.
The black-haired child whined a weak 'no' when he felt the slight chill of the room creep in when the cover fell off him. Sasuke childishly refused to open his eyes out of sheer stubbornness and heard above him a deep sigh. So while his brother changed his clothes and brushed his teeth, Sasuke was almost asleep again.
He was vaguely aware that he was carried down the stairs as he heard his brother talking to what he guessed was Harry. When he peeked from his place in his brothers arms, he saw Naruto sleeping in Harry's arms as well. He started wondering what was going on before a massive yawn erupted and he began to feel sleepy again.
It was several hours later when the two children awoke once again and found themselves laying on a double bed in unfamiliar blue colored room. When they began to be more aware they started to look around.
"Where are we?", Naruto asked tiredness obvious in his voice and as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes with his fist.
Sasuke frowned before answering. "I don't know."
Naruto looked around again, but didn't see his dad or Itachi. "Dad? Where are you?" No one answered him.
Sasuke started to walk around and noticed two doors in the room. He walked forward to the one closest to him. It revealed a small bathroom with a toilet, a sink and a small shower. It looked clean and modern. He closed the door and, when he reached the other door, Naruto joined him, having awakened enough to walk without falling down. The door exposed a hallway with soft yellow paint on the walls. There were two doors just next to theirs on one side each and when the boys peeked into them they discovered that they were bedrooms as well. Both rooms were decorated almost exactly like the one they had awoken in.
They continued down the hallway with only a glance at each other, a testimony of how close they had become in the short time they had known each other. When they came closer to the end of the hallway, they begun to be able hear a soft spoken conversation. Immediately recognizing the voices as Itachi's and Harry's, both boys speed up and glided into a large room with a medium sized table were both older men sat at, both looking a bit startled with the boys hasty appearance.
"Dad!", Naruto cried out and hugged the man close as Sasuke walked up to his brother and glared mildly at him.
"Naruto, Sasuke." Harry nodded and hugged his son close. "We were just about to check in on you two to see if you had awoken yet."
"But dad, where are we anyway? I don't recognize anything.", Naruto asked with a small frown on his face.
"No, I wouldn't imagine you would. Now tell me, what day is it today?" Harry asked and looked both at Naruto and Sasuke.
Both Naruto and Sasuke frowned at first before Sasuke begun to smile and laugh out loud. Naruto looked confused at his best friend, wondering what was wrong with him. Sasuke ignored Naruto and turned around to his brother and threw himself at the older boy.
"You remembered, Nii-san!", he cried out in happiness and then ran up to Harry to hug the man as well.
Itachi smiled at his brother. "Of course I would, little brother." He lifted Sasuke to settle on his lap after the child had wandered back to him to give him another hug.
"Remember what? What's going on?", Naruto burst out with a frustrated expression, sulking slightly because he was apparently the only one who didn't know what was going on.
Harry smiled at his son and tugged the child closer to hug him. "Today is Sasuke's birthday, Naruto."
"What? How come I didn't know that? No one told me anything!" Naruto pouted in his father's arms, but it disappeared soon when Sasuke's happy mood infected him.
Harry lifted one of his arms and waved his wand in a circle and, through one of the connecting rooms, out came a birthday cake with six lit candles burning brightly. It was a delicious looking carrot cake with a white cover on top. It was Sasuke favorite type of cake because he wasn't a fan of too sweet of cakes. Sasuke whooped happily and quickly seated himself at the table to enjoy his cake. Not until everyone had taken a slice and begun to eat did Sasuke remember to ask just exactly where they were.
"Cake for breakfast is the best!", Naruto hummed, his mouth filled with the wonderful treat.
"Ne, Nii-san, where are we? Neither Naruto or I recognize anything.", Sasuke asked his brother while shuffling some more cake into his mouth.
Harry answered instead of Itachi. "We are currently in a city called Anaheim which is located in Californian in the USA. If you are interested, later I can show you on a map just exactly where we are."
Sasuke nodded, a little bit interested in geography. "Okay, so is there a reason we are here?"
"Indeed, there is.", Itachi answered and gave his brother a fond smile. "We are planning on spending the day at the place called Disneyland. It is-", he was interrupted by a high shout.
"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is going to be awesome! Right Naruto?", Sasuke babbled on happily, knowing exactly what Disneyland was. Teddy had told them all about Disneyland and how fun it was last time his family had been there on a vacation. Teddy was a large fan of many of the characters and showed his movies and action figures to the two boys very willingly.
"Yeah! I wanna go now! Can we go now dad?", Naruto asked eagerly, nearly falling of his chair in his excitement. Sasuke looked expectantly at Harry as well.
Harry and Itachi shared an amused glance, they hadn't known that the kids were aware of what Disneyland was, but apparently they were very wrong. At least it seemed to be a big hit. It had been Remus' idea to go, saying that it was a great place for both children and adults.
"Not before the cake is eaten and you two have showered, brushed your teeth and dressed properly.", Harry said firmly, a smile threatening to break out when the boys started to hurriedly eat the cake. "Sasuke, would you mind if you got to open your presents after we get back to the hotel?"
Sasuke shook his head, not even bothering to answer, before throwing himself over the cake, Naruto not far after him.
Soon enough, both boys raced into their room in the hotel Harry had rented for a two days. Harry figured that they would spend the whole day at Disneyland and, after that, they would be exhausted so it would be easier if they slept in the hotel another night rather than finding a new one at another place.
While watching the boys bounce down the hall enthusiastically, Itachi couldn't help but smile in fond amusement. Right then, a strong feeling overcame him, like a warm blanket had embraced him. When was the last time he really smiled without a problem in sight? When was the last time he really enjoyed himself without needing to look over his shoulder in a paranoid way? Finally, Itachi felt like he belonged somewhere, somewhere he didn't need to do dangerous missions against his will or be forced to kill children as well as innocent people.
After the two boys had run off to their room, Itachi turned to Harry to ask a question, only to freeze, his mouth still open to speak. Before him, Harry tried not to cry and sniffled as quiet as he could. To Itachi, Harry looked like sentimental fool, like he already mourning that the boys were growing up. Itachi couldn't hold in the mocking smirk even if someone had paid him.
Naturally, Harry noticed immediately.
Harry rolled his eyes, raising his nose in the air and sniffing haughtily. So what that he became a little sentimental? There was nothing wrong with that! Still, the thought of his boys growing up, Sasuke managing to crawl his way into his heart already and staying there, and living their own life made him want to cry again.
To hide from the mocking glances he got from Itachi, the wizard escaped into the kitchen to clean up the dishes. Harry vaguely heard a low chuckle from the room he just left and he sniffed to himself again. He couldn't wait for Itachi to realize that the older Sasuke got, the less the Uchiha heir had to say about his life.
Soon enough, the boys entered the dining room, showered and dressed for the day. Harry ushered everyone out of the hotel and ordered a taxi to take them to Disneyland. Half an hour later, they arrived as close as the taxi could take them to the entrance. Paying the chauffer, Harry walked up to the others and watched in slight awe at the magnificent place before them.
Both kids were vibrating on the spot, wanting to run ahead, but knowing better then to do it. Before they could react, Harry and Itachi lifted up Naruto and Sasuke respectively and sat them down on their shoulders, grinning like loons all the while. Naruto and Sasuke didn't get the time to compose themself because both Harry and Itachi dashed away, laughing as they went.
All the people around them saw was a happy family on a vacation without any trouble in sight and, if fate would allow, Harry hoped it would stay that way.
And that was that. I hope you like it! I had planned and wanted to get this chapter out around New Year, but you know what happens to the best laid plans.
Thank you for your support I have gotten, their lovely to read and I get very encouraged by them. Well I am of to write the next one which I hope will get a bit more action in it.
Next chapter: Second chances
~~Gloriosa Lily~~
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