Title: Clan Heir: Itachi!
Notes: You know what today is right? Well it's father's day, so I suppose that this is only fitting.
Kind of. Well enjoy.
It's today. It's today!
I've been racing up and down the streets of the compound all morning. A bundle of excited energy for one simple reason.
June Ninth.
Itachi is being born sometime today.
With my own mother pregnant I had almost forgotten about Itachi. Until I awoke this morning and my eye actually caught the date. June Ninth, and I'm now nine. Itachi was born when Prime-Obito was nine. On the ninth, and now I'm just racing around because I can't wait. I'm going to have one younger itoko to spoil before my siblings.
My parents both smile indulgently, and Sakumo kind of grumbles. Kakashi merely seems bewildered, because where's all this energy come from? Especially since it's a Friday, the end of the week, when most people are the most tired due to working for the whole week(of course everyone is just as tired on Monday but whatever...).
I kind of bounce in place grinning, grinning even though I'm not entirely ready. I mean I'm dressed, but I only half pulled on a jacket, and I'm missing my goggles and a single shoe that I lost at some point during all my racing.
We don't have any missions today, so it's more casual, though I have shoved my hitai-ate down into the jacket's pocket. You never know when you might need to pull it on after all, and a shinobi is in the habit of typically never leaving home without it. It's only taken me a couple of months to get into the habit myself. Along with stashing weapons away, a belt with packs, and scrolls of fuinjutsu bolted away. It's all habit. It's all typical for shinobi.
And honestly otherwise you feel incredibly exposed.
It's an instinct thing. It's something that you just can't help. And honestly, emotion is the same.
Especially as I continue to race around, practically bouncing from wall to wall. Only remaining in place long enough to give some of the brightest beaming grins possible to the people around me...
Or pausing to let the elderly pass without trouble, you need to be mindful and respectful of them after all. Even the older shinobi need their space, though that's more because they'll stab you if you startle them than the possibility of accidentally killing them if you knock them over hard enough... No seriously, old bones are brittle bones. Although that might only hold true for certain people... it's still a lesson that I know.
"Obito-chan please settle down!" I don't really still as I remain in place, bouncing on the spot and beaming at Okaasan. "We know you're excited, but please..." she's smiling, despite herself. The tone isn't even upset, it's amused. I'm actually not sure if anyone really understands why I'm so excited honestly. As far as they know, I'm just having a really good day. A rare good day really, since even on my best days I'm not usually a bundle of energy and excitement.
But this is family, this is important and special and...
And I know that Itachi will be different. He's hopefully never going to have to choose between the Village and family, never going to make the fool's choices. Because I won't be that... at least, I hope that I won't be...
That thought actually slows me down, cuts my excitement off. And now I shift in place for a different reason. A sort of nervous energy around me as I start to slide towards fretting about that again. It only really lasts for a few moments though. Only a few short moments because today is not a day to worry.
At least, not for myself...
Itachi is going to be born! Today is Itachi's birthday!
The only thing I'm actually able to distantly worry about is whether or not Mikoto-hakubo would be hurt, or if anything could go wrong. I know nothing happened in canon... but, and I slow down again, eventually just kind of trotting down the streets. This is a different timeline, a different universe.
My parents are supposed to be dead.
I'm aware enough of that fact, and I know that Kakashi and I weren't really supposed to get along as friends... More rivals. Though there was some weird almost friendship between them... at least on Obito's end... And thinking about that reminds me of myself with my own bullies and awkwardly antagonistic relationships in my previous life. I could never really show true aggression to them, I could fuss, and get loud, complain but... I was incapable of truly hating them... and the original Obito gave me the same sort of weird feeling of no true hatred.
Oh he could hate the world, I can hate the world. But, we can't hate the people in it. We can rage and howl, and find things completely unfair but...
But we can't typically find it in us to truly hate people...
It's a rarity, though that might just be something that I do... I don't know. But I got that feeling from Obito with his awkwardness, the way he tried so hard.
"Mi!" I cheerfully call out when I actually catch sight of Mikoto-hakubo. I don't actually know what time Itachi will decide to be born, of even if he's going to come on time... but. I wave happily and grin at her. And I slow right down, she smiles at me. Amusement sparkling in her eyes when she notices the half-dressed far too excited state of my clothing. "Mi! Ita!" I already know what I'm going to always be calling Itachi.
Ita for now it can be assumed as a mispronunciation of itoko, a sort of slipped ito... Well, they do kind of sound similar if you say them fast enough with a bit of an accent...
But that's not the point. Not really, the point is, that I already know... and I'm really excited. Because this is family and family is always one of the most important things. And I can feel him, I can feel Itachi's chakra curled up in Mikoto-Hakubo's so strong and bright and... I know he's healthy at this point. I know that he's strong, that they both are... but there will always be a small little twitch and fear.
Because even if you're the healthiest person around, even if everything has run smoothly, complications may come out of nowhere.
Still I don't allow any of those thoughts to really show on my face instead grinning. Grinning and closing my eyes to tilt my head to the side. If I focus really hard I can almost hear Itachi's heartbeat. I can almost hear it...
"Mi, Ita?"
"Don't worry Obito... your little Itoko is safe." she softly says awkwardly ruffling my hair with one hand. I feel the small twitch of my lips at the action. I didn't give permission for that... Though I don't really mind since she's familiar, and safe, and it's rare from her.
Doesn't mean that I generally accept people touching me without permission. Unless they're really familiar with me, or family... but even then I do have days where I'll flail about the smallest bit of contact and it will register as pain first... Even the lightest brushes. Which is stupid, but it's how it happens.
It's how it happens.
But today I'm going to tolerate it... because Itachi!
And I can't wait to meet my itty-bitty itoko. I really can't wait. He's going to be so adorable I just know it. Of course, all babies are adorable, but there's always something that's just more about babies that are also family. And it's enough to make me tolerate the things that I typically would fuss about. Because I'm eager to meet my itoko, to hold him and know that he's real.
More than just a little blip of chakra that I can feel. More than just someone who I know has yet to be born.
And that's of course when my parents catch up, and that Mikoto-Hakubo grimaces. Her arms curl around her belly and she makes a small oh noise.
"Mi?" I ask while my otousan frowns and Okaasan moves to assist her. I don't actually catch all of what they say before things seem to rush ahead. Like a whirlwind, it all moves too fast for me to keep up.
Once it all slows back down we're sitting in the hospital and Fugaku-Shakufu is pacing the length of the room. Back and forth, back and forth. Constantly back and forth... and... my own excitement has died down.
I know that canon had everything fine, the Prime timeline was fine, and there weren't any complications... but again this isn't canon.
This isn't the prime timeline...
"Ita, 'kay?" I ask my Okaasan leaning over onto her and peering up, my hands actually resting gently over the curl of her belly. Just so that I can subtly feel for my own future siblings and know that they're okay. The small bit of extra reassurance. And, an extra reminder that this world has verged off the set path quite a lot.
I have my parents.
Sakumo is alive, Kakashi's not as much of a little jerk.
Kushina-shishou is our sensei... and Rin is quite likely beginning to develop into a certified badass.
And now another is going to join us, join our family.
"Don't worry Obito-chan" Okaasan sooths, running a hand gently through my hair. "The iryonin know what they're doing... Everyone will be fine." I still don't feel quite as confident as I should but I settle. Resting my head on her and simply listening to the steady, familiar, constant beat of her heart.
And, distantly the clock that ticks down in the room.
Time is limitless as we wait, seeming to just stretch on and on with no definition between one moment and the next. Until finally an iryonin comes in to fetch Fugaku-Shukufu. I lift my head and watch him race out.
And, a smile spreads over my face. Because that's how it's supposed to be.
New mothers always hold their babies first(after the ones who help deliver them...), then the father and other relatives.
It's right...
And it only takes a short while before we're invited in by a smiling, joyous Fugaku-Shukufu. I don't even wait moving quickly until I can see Mikoto-Hakubo sitting up in the bed. She's smiling that kind of dopey new-mother proud grin and her arms are cradling a small, tiny form with only the barest amount of soft thin hair on their head.
"Mi?" I slow right down almost scared to get any closer, kind of hovering at the wall.
"Obito-chan, come meet your new cousin." Mikoto smiles at me and gently motions for me to come closer. I slowly walk forwards until I'm right by the bed. "It's okay... just, hold your arms out, that's right..." And so gently she places him into my arms. It's almost instinctive the way that I curl my arms to cradle him, supporting his head and gently holding him.
He's so small, even in my nine year old arms. So small and delicate, so precious.
Eyes tightly squeezed shut, a small almost frown, tiny hands that curl and fist.
"Obito-chan, this is your little cousin Itachi."
"Ita... Chi..." He's perfect. He's Perfect. Absolutely perfect, and I will protect him with my life. After all, that's what you do when it comes to family.
You protect them, and care for them.
It's just the way things go. And I will definitely protect Itachi, especially now that he's here. He's tangible and real and... he's so small and precious and perfect. He's my itoko, mine to protect and treasure and spoil. And as soon as my toshishita kyoudai are born I will protect all of them. They'll be mine, my family, my relatives, my precious people and the greatest treasures in this world.
And wow...
That's a bit much...
Even in my own head.
Already way to possessive and protective. And I can't really blame the fact that I'm an Uchiha on that, because seriously, that's all me.
It's something that I've always had. Feeling things too strongly, too deeply and just being too sensitive to the emotions around me and in me. It's just how Autism is, whether your attentive or inattentive. Supercharged emotions, whether you understand them or not.
Carefully I settle Itachi back into his Okaasan's arms and I smile at them both. Before fleeing because too much, too much.
I don't flee that far, not really, just to the other end of the room, because I don't want to go too far.
Because they're my family, and this is a special day, a special and cherished occasion. Something precious, something that I don't really want to miss all that much of. It's just one of those times, and now I'm old enough to really remember it.
Not just a fuzzy faint drifting memory.
Abruptly I whimper, sniff and wipe a hand over my eyes.
Because I was there for my younger siblings birth in my previous life. I might not remember the first time, not really but I did have drifting moments of you used to be so small and hugs and snuggles. I vaguely remembered Freedom's, with a large white bed, and a small tiny pink thing wrapped in white. And a year later with the twins, holding each in their own turn but not really registering it or fully remember it. Just knowing that I was there. For the birth of all my younger siblings. From my full brother, to my little step sister and then my half-siblings the twins.
I sniff again.
It hurts... It hurts to remember.
Smiling faces that look up at me with dancing eyes filled with laughter. An expression that can only be described as a pout, arguments, and taking care of each other.
It hurts.
Because I can't go back to that. I'm here now, and... and this is important, this is family, but it's so achingly familiar. And I can't help but remember my previous family. To mourn and long, and... I haven't done any of that, too busy worrying about how I wasn't supposed to be here, how I wasn't Obito. And now it's all coming crashing down because this is familiar.
Another sniff. Another wipe of my hands at my eyes and...
Otousan wraps me up in a hug and I just cling. I cling because I haven't allowed myself to mourn and it's breaking. It's breaking, and I can't really stop this reaction. It's just that this situation brings up the familiar longing. And I'm no longer focusing on other things to block it out.
So I allow myself to cry, and to smile through the tears, because it's so ridiculous.
"Ita-chi... Itoko..." I say with a smile wiping at my eyes again. Looking around at everyone with sheen of tears over my eyes, tears that I can still feel at the very edges. A mixture of happy and sad. Happy because this is right, this is how it's supposed to be...
And sad because...
Sad because...
Sad, because it's such a familiar situation. Younger members welcomed to the family.
"Protect! Treasure!" my hands curl into my father's shirt and I take a deep breath. "Ita-chi, protect!" It's as close as I can come to a declaration of protection for him. It's as close as I can manage, and it's enough. It's enough, and I can feel the sense of pride, a sense of relief. A sense of something. I don't really know what it is in it's entirety, but it's there. And it's enough.
Enough with the burning promise in my eyes. With the determination, and the set of my eyes. The fierce promise that burns in them. Drying the few remaining tears.
Because Itachi is my itoko, and I'll protect him. I'll defend him, and I won't be afraid to admit that.
Because that's what you do when it comes to family.
You protect and defend and nurture and... It's what family is all about.
It's important.
"Shi-shiiou! Kaa... Kuu!" I realize, we need to let them know. I kind of swing myself around and look right up into my Otousan's face and he gives me a rather bemused smile. "Itoko, +share!+" And a small whoops of a brief lapse into English. "+Share Itachi, rest family...+" I think that I'll stick to English in my excitement. It's like getting close to a cute animal, or more specifically Pakkun when I'm in a speaking moment. You know, excitement increases the amount of stupidity that infects the air and your statements, or just how you deal with things in general.
At least that's my experience with it.
Or maybe it's the cuteness proximity kicking in. Because Itachi is the most precious little life here. And he's here now, tangible, real, visible, not just someone who I know is going to be born. Not just a small flicker tucked away and hidden.
"+Team!+" Rin needs to be included as well actually... Because she's our team mate, she's part of the family as well. And I just really want to share this happiness and joy, and jubilation. To share this event with those people who I care about, and who care for me. That's likely to include a certain konpaku if I ever run into him again.
After all, he's the original Obito.
He's family as well in his own way. But slowly I calm down, and just settle to watch as Mikoto and Fugaku both settle down to let Itachi familiarize himself with them. To allow him to imprint their chakra signatures as safety, as family and warmth. Protection, devotion, love.
And I allow my parents to take a hand of mine in each of theirs. I allow them to lead me away. To lead me home, because we've seen Itachi.
And all I can think...
All I can care about is...
Congratulations Shukufu, Hakubo.
Welcome to the world Itoko!
It's a happy day.