Moving forward at last. Seems a fitting development for the 20th chapter milestone. Some of you guessed what I was planning for these next few chapters since almost the beginning. I'm excited to finally be able to write it.

Thank you for reviewing chapter nineteen: lizyeh2000!

Chapter Twenty

There was no reason this particular event should have snuck up on me. I had every reason to be prepared. In fact, I had started brainstorming more than a year ago. But time had a way of getting away from me these days. Before I knew it, another year was gone. I was working more hours than ever, doing more fruitless research whenever I could, and starting to make plans for Naruto's eighth birthday. In all the everyday chaos, I almost forgot about everything headed our way, in time. And then one morning brought reality crashing back.

For once, I was up before my alarm had a chance to crash through my dreams and jar me back to consciousness. I was standing by our tiny kitchen window, watching the sun rise, when the knock on our front door reached my ears. It did not sound particularly urgent, but the fact that it was so early was enough to make a knot form in my chest. I resisted the urge to check on Naruto before crossing the room to open the front door.

Kakashi stood on our doorstep, looking grim. I knew he was still checking up on us whenever he had the time, but I hadn't seen much of him as of late. And I was sure his appearance now couldn't mean anything good.

"Please tell me you didn't have anything to do with this." At my blank look, he went on, "I want to believe you're not capable of such a thing, but I've also had to admit to myself that you're still a mystery to me."

A subtle hint that he wouldn't give up on getting his promised answers? He couldn't be here on my doorstep just for that. "Why don't you tell me what you're talking about, and I'll let you know."

Kakashi's one showing eye grew even grimmer. He was silent for a moment to let me appreciate the full weight of his next words. "Last night, Itachi Uchiha massacred every member of the Uchiha clan before fleeing the village. Every single one… except his younger brother Sasuke."

The shocked horror that swept over my features was enough to ease Kakashi's suspicions, at least. He relaxed visibly and settled for just looking impossibly sad. Meanwhile, my mind was racing. Where had the time gone? The warning signs had passed me by, and I hadn't even realized it. Apparently the major one—Shisui's death—had never become public knowledge. And now I was left with what little planning I had managed.

"What are you thinking?" Kakashi asked when the silence had stretched on long enough.

"Well," I started slowly, "to start, I'm wondering whether I should be offended that you even considered that I could have played a part in something so horrendous… But mostly… I'm trying to come up with some way to convince you to do me another favor."

I felt a sudden wave of affection for the man as he sighed wearily. He didn't even have to ask. "Let me guess, same thing, take two?"

I cracked a smile. "You must trust me if it's not an immediate no. At least a little."

He considered that, choosing his words very carefully. "I believe your intentions are good."

"But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, right?" I answered wryly.

He just looked at me quizzically. Apparently, it wasn't a popular saying here. Oh well. Let him puzzle it out.

"So will you do it?"

"I can't promise it will all work out again," he warned me. "And he might have other reservations this time."

"I'm not asking you to put yourself on the line. Just get me in to meet with the Hokage. Everything else is on me."

Even so, it seemed he wasn't budging just yet. "I just need to know that you're prepared before you go rushing into this."

Perhaps our years of awkward acquaintanceship hadn't been for nothing. It was a little touching that he cared enough not to let me rush in and make a fool of myself. But I was getting a little impatient with his vague warnings. What reason did he have to be careful around me? "Don't tell me you're trying to give me parenting advice now?"

A smile seemed to twinkle in his eye for just a second before he returned to seriousness. "Kani, I once told you—albeit in passing—that an ordinary civilian like yourself could pose just as much of a threat as a trained shinobi if she were in a position to manipulate a power like the Nine-Tailed Fox. That wasn't a hypothetical. There are those who are worried about exactly that. They won't be eager to give you Naruto and Sasuke. The Uchiha clan have long been relied upon to control the Nine Tails. One or the other, maybe. But both of them together? You'd be too powerful. The possibility of you becoming a threat…"

I considered this. But it wasn't like this objection had never crossed my mind. And I felt like their origins wouldn't necessarily hurt my argument. After all, wasn't that precisely why the Hokage would eventually place them on the same genin team? Though, of course, I couldn't use my knowledge of the future to persuade Kakashi. It still wasn't the time to tell all just yet. So at last, I said, "But maybe that's exactly why I should take them both in."

"…I don't follow."

I looked him straight on, hoping my gaze pierced through to the eye covered by his headband too. "I'm not delusional, Kakashi. I know my original argument doesn't really hold up. The village's proposed plan of action isn't right, but that's true for countless orphans. I'm not fighting to take them all in. And I know it looks suspicious as hell that I want these two specifically. And it is because they're so powerful, but not for the reasons you're implying."

He waited patiently while I took a breath, tried to organize my thoughts. "The village will want to use them because they're powerful. And I want to take them in because the village with take advantage of them otherwise."

My gaze hardened. This time, I waited so he could fully absorb my words. "My son is not their political plaything. Not as long as I'm around. I want the two who need me the most."

"Well said. Much more articulate than last time."

The voice made me jump. Kakashi ducked his head as the Hokage walked out of the shadows. The old man smiled apologetically, but I found I wasn't even the slightest bit annoyed by Kakashi's deception. It was what it was, and I was sure he was just following orders. I had bigger things to worry about today.

"I had a feeling I would be seeing you today," the Hokage said. "I thought I would save you the trip, though I apologize for the secrecy. Today is going to be a very busy day, as I'm sure you can understand. I wanted to get to your true intentions as quickly as possible and thought you might be more inclined to share them with Kakashi."

"And what did you decide?" I asked, tense.

The Hokage studied me in silence for a moment. "Sasuke Uchiha has been left quite an inheritance, and the village has every capability of putting him up in an apartment of his own… but if Sasuke would rather stay with you… you have my blessing."

I realized then that I'd been holding my breath. I took 'his blessing' to mean I would be protected from any of the council's complaints. But I got the feeling the real battle was still to come. I inclined my head to the two on my doorstep. "Thank you. I'll let you get back to your day."

…

I stopped to check in on Naruto before heading to the hospital. He was still asleep, unaware that his life was about to change. I hadn't had the forethought to give him any sort of warning. Though to be fair, I wasn't sure what sort of warning I could have given for something like this. I sat down on his bed, but he only began to stir once I brushed back his bangs and leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead.

"…Sis? What's wrong?" He blinked up at me blearily. This hardly resembled his usual wake-up call.

"I want you to stay home today, okay?" My voice didn't rise above a whisper. "Everything's okay, but there may be some big changes coming our way. I'll explain more when I get home, all right?"

I was grateful to the Hokage for wanting to spring the news on me so early. There was no way I would have gotten away so easily if Naruto had been awake. I slipped out of the apartment as he settled back into sleep, confident he would take the chance to sleep in.

It could have been the early morning, but the village felt unusually quiet on my walk to the hospital. I did see a few civilians standing in a huddle, gossiping in whispers, but a tragedy of this scale was likely to have something of a silencing effect.

The Hokage must have cleared the bureaucratic path for me, because getting through the hospital was far easier than I'd expected it to be. I explained who I was at the front desk and a nurse led me up to Sasuke's room in grim silence.

They'd moved him to a quiet part of the hospital—all the private rooms for the wealthiest patients, to be sure. I remained in the doorway for a long time, staring in at the dim room. I could just make out Sasuke's still form in the bed. He wasn't hooked up to anything. According to the nurse, he was physically fine. Released from Itachi's genjutsu, he was being treated for shock.

Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this anxious. What do you say to a kid who just lost everything but his own life?

As I got closer, I saw that Sasuke was awake, but he appeared wholly unresponsive, staring blankly up at the ceiling. This was worse than anything I'd imagined. It was like staring at an empty shell. Like all the life had been sucked out of him. I looked into his eyes and couldn't find even a glimpse of light. Did he even know I was there?

I sat down beside him on the bed, just the way I'd awoken Naruto earlier. The comparison eased my mind a bit, so I went with it. Sasuke's reaction was minimal but better than nothing. I was sure the nurses had been keeping their distance, so there would be no mix-ups there. His eyes slowly moved to stared at me rather than the ceiling.

He remained motionless as I continued to repeat my earlier actions, brushing his hair back before I decided I might be overstepping my boundaries and withdrew my hand. There were plenty of things Sasuke needed right now, but pity wasn't one of them.

"Sasuke, my name is Kani Uzumaki. Naruto's older sister. We've met once before, but it's okay if you don't remember me. And… I knew your mother."

Barely, but this finally seemed to do the trick. Sasuke's eyes remained dull, but he blinked and turned his entire head to face me.

"I know you're not in a good place to be making any decisions right now. And I'm not asking you to just yet. I don't know how much longer the doctors plan to keep you here. But once you get out, I want you to know you have options. The village is willing to put you up in an apartment and let you take care of yourself with the funds you've inherited. Or… you can come stay with Naruto and me."

He didn't respond. I hadn't really been expecting him to. I could imagine all too easily what he was feeling right now—just a step away from nothing. Because this was how Sasuke dealt with his problems. I'd noticed it back when this had all been just a story, though I hadn't analyzed it too deeply at the time. Whenever Sasuke was faced with a conflict that threatened to shake his beliefs—to make him feel—he shut it out. Latched even more firmly onto his original, safe convictions… and eventually ended up doing a lot of callous, stupid things. That was one thing I would have to teach him—a healthier way to cope.

I got up then. I wouldn't press him today. When I returned tomorrow, I may have to repeat the whole shtick anyway. I had my doubts about his attentiveness. The way I imagined his mind right now, it was like Sasuke was totally submerged underwater. Any stimulus—my words included—could only reach him after passing through some sort of mental barrier, self-imposed to dull any further pain. By the time it did hit, it would be nothing more than an echo of the original. Ripples across the surface overhead.

As I left the room, I almost walked right into his nurse, on her way back in. I was about to take my leave when I noticed the IV she was wheeling in behind her. I stopped, shifting ever so slightly to put myself in her way, blocking her if need be. Sasuke didn't have to accept me just yet. Any protection I could give was free of charge. "What's going on?"

"Oh…" the nurse stopped, glancing hesitantly at her motionless charge. "You see… He won't eat. Or drink. Or speak. He's not on suicide watch yet, but…" Her eyes flickered to him again. "It's a possibility. The doctor wants me to do what I can to keep him from starving or dehydration at least."

I absorbed this and then nodded, stepping aside to let her do her job. Her words did not come as a shock to me. Right now, Sasuke was content to let the world continue on without him. That wasn't quite the same thing as actively moving to end his own life. But it would not surprise me to learn he'd considered that option. No one could completely subdue their thoughts, even with the body restrained. And, after the trauma he'd just endured, I was sure Sasuke couldn't even begin to fathom continuing on with his life as before.

Whenever I tried to put myself in his shoes, I could see the appeal of numbing yourself as thoroughly as possible. It would make it much easier to move on. The trick would be getting Sasuke back on his feet while keeping him vulnerable. It may sound cruel, but it would benefit him in the long run. I needed Sasuke to keep his mind open. If I could only manage that, perhaps it wouldn't take a near-death battle to get the two boys on the same page.

…

The initial meeting with Sasuke hadn't taken as long as I'd expected. It was just after noon when I got back to our apartment. Naruto was at the table, eating from a cup of instant ramen. He quickly slurped up the last of it when I came in.

"Sis! Where'd ya go? And why can't I go outside? I was supposed to go to school today, ya know."

I smiled at his rapid-fire questions, though I suddenly felt exhausted. (I was not looking forward to the long night of washing dishes ahead of me.) "Things must be getting better at school if you're actually worried about missing a day."

He wrinkled his nose and slumped forward on the table. "I wouldn't say that…"

I sat down across from him, and I think he could tell we were in for a serious conversation—an uncommon occurrence in this house. He was waiting for me to make the first move. Eventually, I just fell back on what I was good at and decided to be blunt.

"I went to go see Sasuke in the hospital today."

I could tell he was torn between curiosity and his automatic distaste for all things Sasuke. Thankfully, the former won out. "Why's Sasuke in the hospital?"

"Last night, his older brother murdered every other member of their clan. Sasuke is the only one left."

I watched as his face morphed into a mask of blank horror. I knew it was hardly fair to spring such a thing on him without preamble, but… there was really no way to be gentle about such a thing. Not without dulling down the impact. I let him flounder just long enough to absorb this. I wasn't expecting an answer just yet.

"And then I asked him to come live with us."

If this was still a cartoon, his eyes would have popped out of his head. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words passed his lips. The conflict was clear on his face. Having goodwill towards Sasuke did not come naturally… But it was hard to uphold the ill feelings from a few schoolyard squabbles after what Sasuke had just experienced.

"I know you two have had your differences," I continued. "But try to understand—he's all alone now. The Uchiha clan was respected, not well-liked. No one else is willing to take him in. He may have his flaws, but he doesn't deserve that. To be honest, he hasn't given me an answer yet, but I'm not giving up without a fight."

"Yeah…" Naruto agreed quietly, eyes downcast. He was stubborn, but not hardhearted. And he knew I was equally stubborn. I wasn't expecting it to be an easy road, but we would get there. We always did. Somehow. But the first step was up to Sasuke.

Review please!

I don't own Naruto!

The next few chapters are going to focus mainly on Sasuke's integration into their little family, as I'm sure you could guess. The original plan was for this chapter to be much longer and encompass a lot more… But I didn't want it to feel rushed. I've gotten really conscientious about trying to portray the passage of time in my stories as naturally as possible.