Bitter Warning

The first stage she went through was denial. They had to be joking. No one would have taken Sasuke away from her. No one, not even her supposed half-sister, could be that cruel.

It just wasn't possible. And yet the longer they stood in the clearing waiting for her to come to grips with what had been told her she knew that she was seconds away from going insane. Sakura grabbed her head as she felt it throb. Kakashi reached for her, but she shook her head, trying to tell him that she wasn't going to fall apart yet. She couldn't because her husband needed her, and it would be selfish for her to break down.

"Where did she take him from? We need to go back and track him down." It was a logical solution that Sakura felt needed to be heeded. She moved to Kakashi, gestured for him to sit, and began healing wounds that were visible to her eyes. Thereafter, she checked for internal wounds. Her actions told her how off of her game she actually was. She should have checked for internal wounds first.

"Sakura, I think you should head back to Konoha." Sakura paused. She took a deep breath in an effort the stifle the rage that erupted within her at Itachi's statement. She turned her head away from Kakashi and asked in what she assumed was a calm way, but instead came out really hostile.

"And why would you think that Itachi?"

Itachi, in his infinite wisdom, or more like his experience in fighting with Sakura, chose to explain himself in a calm and clear manner.

"Because you said yourself that Mari claims to be your sister. All of this is centered around you." And while Itachi had learned some things, he clearly hadn't learned everything because Sakura moved away from Kakashi and took several angry steps in his direction. "Taking Sasuke and attacking you—" Itachi halted his words after watching Sakura's countenance quickly pale. She whirled on her feet and looked at Kakashi with guilty large eyes. Sakura noted that Kakashi's whole body stiffened.

"She did what?" Sakura was no idiot. She could plainly see the wrath in his features. His lone eye promised retribution in the swiftest and deadliest form. She was afraid that in those seconds he would leave them all and go hunt Mari down alone and tear her limb from limb. But with Sasuke missing and Shisui injured, she wasn't willing to risk his safety on something that no longer mattered to her. So Sakura hastily tried to backtrack and erase Itachi's words and replace them with words of reassurance.

"I'm fine, Dad."

Kakashi reached out and placed a hand on her abdomen. "And the baby?"

"Is fine too."

Kakashi looked at her, searching her to see if she was hiding something from him and she did her best to keep her expression open in order to satisfy him. After that, Sakura then glanced at Naruto silently asking whether or not he needed some medical attention, but he only shook his head at her. Kakashi grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her closer to him. He waited until he had her full attention and told her what was honestly on his mind.

"I want you to go back to Konoha." Kakashi said firmly, but Sakura shook her head vehemently. Sakura knew that was where Itachi had been heading with the start of the conversation, but she had intended to fight him tooth and nail on it. However, hearing the words from Kakashi Hatake, her surrogate father was another matter entirely. It weakened her because she hated to make him worry. However, Sakura forced herself to make that play second fiddle to her role as a medic, wife, and daughter.

"I'm not leaving you again. You need a medic with you."

Kakashi grabbed her arms and gently squeezed. "What I need is you and my second grandchild to be safe. Sasuke would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you. So I'm not going to."

Sakura felt tears sting her eyes as Sasuke's half smirk appeared before her face and his sarcastic words filled her ears. Then she imagined what would happen if he knew she was out here searching for him and endangering herself and the welfare of their child. If he had been there with her it wouldn't have been a pretty sight. Still…

"Don't ask me to abandon him. He's out there with a maniac who nearly killed Shisui! Shisui!"

Sakura ignored Shisui when he said, "I wouldn't say nearly killed. She just roughed me up a bit."

"Sakura," Kakashi said gently, "I'm not asking you to abandon him. I'm asking you to protect his family. Can't you do that for him? For you both?"

Sakura felt her bottom lip quiver. She knew she was being foolhardy. She didn't want anything to happen to her and Sasuke's child. Though she didn't want to give in, she was well aware that the risk was too great. Sakura crossed her arms over her middle and nodded her head slightly.

Kakashi glanced around him trying to figure out who would be a suitable substitute to escort Sakura home, but before he could make a decision Sakura took it out of his hands.

"Shisui will come back with me."

Kakashi nodded. "We'll go back for him Sakura." Sakura nodded and said, "Be safe and please bring him home."

Sakura's return trip with Shisui was silent. She discouraged any attempts at conversation that Shisui made with her even though she knew he thought it was a kindness to keep her mind off of the situation. But truly how could she forget? How could she forgive herself for not making him a priority?

Perhaps Shisui figured out the direction of her thoughts so he changed his tactics. Instead of trying not to talk about Sasuke he talked about him and in a way, it worked.

"So, you and Sasuke have any thoughts on the name of the new baby?"

Sakura couldn't help herself, she immediately started laughing. Shisui looked at her curiously and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Sasuke gave me hell when I was trying to come up with a name for Raiden. I've deliberately not mentioned the topic with him this time around."

"You know, just because he hasn't mentioned it doesn't mean he isn't going to give you hell this time."

"I know, but I'd rather not start the Fourth Great Ninja war just yet in my own home."

Shisui chuckled. "I get that. So what are you hoping for this time around? Another boy or a girl?"

Sakura sighed. "I'd like to say I'm one of those mothers who feels like it doesn't matter as long as the baby is healthy."

Shisui outright laughed at the face Sakura made. "You've always been of a different ilk Sakura, so which one is it?"

"I want a boy."

This surprised Shisui. He would have thought that she wanted a girl for various reasons the first being she already had a boy. Another reason was because he thought she'd be afraid that Sasuke would love his own son more than Itachi's.

"Oh? Can I ask why?

Sakura hesitated for a second before responding, "I love Raiden. He's the light of my life. I can see a lot of myself in him, but I also see a lot of Itachi in him as well."

"You want a little Sasuke." Sakura shrugged at his very correct deduction.

"I know there's no guarantee that this child will be like either of us, but…"

"I get it." Shisui assured, but couldn't help but bring up the subject since she mentioned Itachi's name. "You know Itachi still loves you."

Sakura glanced at him and looked away. "I know."

"You know I'm worried about him because of it." Sakura looked at Shisui startled.

"What?"

"Itachi thinks this whole thing regarding Suzuki is centered on you, but I disagree. I think it's centered on him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Itachi made a bad decision regarding Suzuki. Instead of sending her packing he allowed her false hope. She thought she had a chance with him. In the end, I think she believed that if she just got rid of you, then he'd see her."

"Then it's centered around both Itachi and me, Shisui because now she's gotten Sasuke involved. Because what better way is there to get back at me for stealing the man that she 'loves' than to take the one I love?"

"It still doesn't change the fact that Itachi's obsession with you is doing nothing but hurting people."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"Nothing. I just thought you should know."

Sakura was silent for a moment and then said not looking at Shisui, "Then if we're sharing I think you should know…I'm aware that whatever you told Itachi your reasons for coming were not the only reason. You want to see her again. You should know though, if whatever is going on with you hurts my family then I don't care who you are I'll see that you pay for it."

Shisui smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from an Uchiha. Sasuke chose well."