A/N: Oh, my. The thirtieth chapter already? Holy woah. Thirty…thirty…I don't even have that many fingers and toes. That's a lot.
Um, hint hint, but I can't even begin to express how much I love it when you guys submit comprehensive reviews detailing which chapters you liked and why – kudos to PureWaterLily, see1Like, luver18, and HoloXam for doing just that. (Btw, Holo, your KakuIta will be submitted in..oh, a couple of minutes, I should think.)
So remember that I will love you forever (and probably check out your profile and stories; I tend to do that) if you write that kind of awesome review!
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Duty
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Mikoto sighed and glanced down at her eldest son from her seat next to his bed. She really wished he wouldn't push himself like this. He was only ten and was already aspiring for chuunin status; something she herself hadn't earned until she was sixteen. And she wasn't that bad of ninja, really. Fairly good, if she could say so herself. Fugaku had earned chuunin at fourteen, Shisui at fifteen. Their entire clan was made up of superb ninja, but her Itachi seemed to want to trump them all.
Leaning over and brushing his long bangs out of his face – she never did understand why he wanted his hair so long; even if it looked good it only got in his way – she bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Reaching for the washcloth that had slipped off, she dipped it in the bowl of water on the table beside her and replaced it on her son's fevered face.
Itachi…I know that the clan is pushing you to be the genius that you are, but if it were up to me, I'd take us out to a remote village on the edge of fire and we could live there in peace. You'd never have to hurt anyone and Sasuke could grow up like a normal child. We would be so much happier, never having to live under the curse of the name Uchiha…
A lone tear trailed down her cheek, falling to mingle with Itachi's own.
"Itachi, honey, are you okay? You're crying…"
He blinked slowly and turned to look at her. "So are you, Mother."
Mikoto let out a small gasp and brought her hand to her face, tracing a wet trail. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I hadn't realized that. I'm perfectly all right, I was just thinking…"
Itachi shook his head with some effort and grasped her hand, bringing it to his cheek. "Mother, you were talking out loud."
Her pupils dialated in fear and she pulled away, bringing her hands to her chest. "I was? Oh, god, if your father heard…"
Her son's arm came up and delicate fingers brushed away the tears on her face. "You were quiet enough. I just wanted to tell you that I wish that could be our life as well. But we have a duty to Konoha, and to this clan, even if we do not wish to accede to this way of life. The best we can do is protect Sasuke from the elders' wishes. I can't let him be turned into another prodigy, brought up the same way I was, even if he possesses that ability. He is ours, and we will never give him up. We will protect him with what we hate, the pride of the Uchiha."
Mikoto nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to go away. If only she was as strong as her son – a boy that was less than half her age. "Yes. Yes, Itachi…"
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500 words
11/15/09
Familial ItaMikoIta