Last week Itachi learned that his illness had taken hold, and was progressing faster than expected. Sasuke got into an argument with the clan elders and lost.
Thanks for all the reviews and favs.
I started playing Sims 2 (got a copy from a friend who upgraded) and man is that addictive! My Itachi sim bought a candy store and is arguing with customers instead of selling, Madara sim picked up Karin after Sasuke told her to get lost and they had a baby. He then divorced her and kept the kid and now Sasuke is kicking garbage cans and walking around depressed because he doesn't have a girlfriend. He's trying to hit on Sakura but she's with Deidara and only wants to be friends. I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but for some reason I can't stop playing xD
Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. We don't know yet who owns Sasuke, but its been narrowed down to either Madara or Danzou.
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Chapter 29 - The Snake and the Beetle
The heavily overcast sky drizzled a soft mist of rain as Itachi made his way through the damp autumn streets of Konoha. Morosely, he tilted his head and let the rain fall over his face before opening a tall gate and entering the garden surrounding a large traditionally constructed house. Kabuto stepped out just as he got halfway to the front door, dressed in his ninja gear and obviously in a hurry.
"I just heard… when did it happen?" Itachi stated as his childhood friend joined him on the garden path.
"Last night, just as his shift was starting. Father just… he collapsed and they couldn't revive him." Kabuto's face fell and a tear escaped from one eye. "He's been sick for years and no one could get him to take any time off. I thought he was in remission – that's what he told me – but his doctor said he was lying to me to keep me from worrying too much."
"I'm really sorry. He was the best healer since Tsunade."
"And a great father. I'm very lucky he was the one who adopted me. And he let Yota live with us… until he was killed…" Kabuto's voice drifted off.
"Kabuto…" Itachi's voice trailed off and he lowered his head, gazing guiltily at the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the teen's hands were trembling.
Kabuto dropped his voice to a whisper, "Sasori didn't order me kill him, Itachi. It was multiple tumors. Every time they removed one another popped up. This was going to happen no matter what. The fact that it happened now… I guess there is no good time to die, but perhaps… oh, I don't know what I want to say."
"You still going to participate in the Chuunin exams?"
"Yeah. Father would be seriously pissed off if I didn't go… but it will be hard. My teammates too… they really want to pass this year and I can't let them down. The funeral is later today, a friend of his is handling the arrangements for me."
"I'll be sure to attend. Well, I don't want to keep you." Itachi watched as Kabuto took off at a run. Following at a slower pace he made his way back home.
About half an hour after Sasuke and Naruto had left a messenger had arrived at the house for Fugaku, bearing bad news. Dr. Yakushi was dead. The man had been such a huge part of Itachi's life that he was having trouble wrapping his head around the fact. The healer had been invaluable to the health of the various kekkai genkai clans in Konoha, and his discretion was invaluable. Itachi figured the healer had probably known more about the Uchiha's blood-line limit than he did.
Halfway to the house Itachi stopped when a familiar face popped into view. "Jiraiya. Haven't seen you in a long time."
"Yeah, well, been busy doing research for my new book."
Itachi thought the man sounded a little down and he gave him a curious look. "Humph. So what are you up to?"
"Not much. Heard my godson was in the exams this year. If he makes it to the third exam I wanted to be here to see it. And…" His voice trailed off.
"What?"
"I'm going to steal him for a while from Fugaku after the exams finish. I think I found Tsunade and I'm going to use Naruto to get her to come back."
"And?" Itachi had a feeling there was something Jiraiya wasn't telling him.
"I heard he wanted to take Naruto with him to Mist for the wedding. I can't allow that." Jiraiya locked eyes with Itachi.
"It wasn't a definite thing. But finding someone willing to watch over him while we're gone has been nearly impossible and you know after what happened during the coup Fugaku doesn't want him left on his own."
"Yeah. It's got to be hard on the kid. But I thought long and hard about it and I decided that I needed to take a more active role in his life."
"Have you talked to Fugaku yet?"
"No. He's busy today, so I made an appointment for tomorrow. Was he looking forward to the wedding?"
"Not really. Naruto feels like an outsider at clan activities and doesn't really like to go to them. He only does because Sasuke and sometimes Hinata are there."
"Is Hinata going to Mist?"
"Yeah. Three Hyuugas have already been assigned as body guards for the trip. She's going on her first official visit to a foreign village as clan leader." Itachi gave a short laugh, "I'm pleased to hear you will be watching over Naruto."
Jiraiya dropped his voice, "Are you being pressured to collect his demon yet?"
"No. I don't know what happened, but after we sealed the first two Leader suddenly ordered us to hold off. And right now he's obsessing over Danzou for some reason."
"Hmmm. That can't last forever. Well, I'd like to stand here and talk to you all day, but the hot springs open in a few minutes and I've got research to do!" Jiraiya threw his arms into the air exuberantly and disappeared.
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The dark green foliage and moss blended together as trees larger than office buildings and thorny plants sharper than a kunai and more dangerous than a cobra rose out of the earth to heights unknown. The canopy of branches and fir needles covered the sky so effectively that one could easily imagine that it no longer existed, and many who had spent long periods of time in the forest had even found themselves forgetting how bright the sun could be.
The three teammates walked silently through the undergrowth, pushing branches away from their faces and brushing bugs out of each other's hair. They did have a small bit of excitement shortly after entering the forest when a single Rain ninja attempted to disguise himself as Naruto and steel their scroll. The ruse had been so poorly executed that Sakura had broken down in fits of laughter while Sasuke beat the shit out of him. Naruto had emerged from his "potty break" behind the bushes a few minutes later and when he asked what was going on with a straight face, Sasuke found himself unable to hold back and joined Sakura, falling to the ground laughing. It had been quiet since then.
"Hey Sasuke," Naruto stopped walking and squatted down. "You look like your thinking of something."
Sasuke stopped walking and stood with his back to his two friends, "When Itachi took the exam his team took out all but one other team. We can't do that, can we?"
"No." Sakura replied, "But you're not Itachi and no one expects you to be."
"The elders do."
"Oh." Sakura already knew that, after all Sasuke had explained to them, in detail, how he had gotten the bruises that covered his nose and forehead. "Well…"
"I really dread the end of this exam. I'm beginning to wish I hadn't entered. It's just… it's just one more way for them to prove that I'm not as good as my brother. I wish I could just disappear sometimes." Sasuke dropped to the ground and leaned back on his hands. "If you guys weren't here I would just fail on purpose and be done with it."
"Sasuke…" Sakura sat next to him and took his hand, forcing him to sit up. "I... I wish I could help. But quitting just to prove you're a looser isn't going to make things any better."
"That's right Sasuke! You should work harder and then when you do become great you can shove their words right up their ass holes."
"Yeah! Otherwise the rest of your life you'll hear them say things like 'I told you so'." Sakura smiled broadly, but it quickly turned to a frown when Sasuke refused to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry. My clan isn't like yours. We aren't organized and we don't have rules or anything. It's more like a regular family even though we call ourselves a clan. I don't even live with them, I live with Ino. I guess I just don't understand what you're going through."
"Its okay, Sakura. Naruto's right. I need to work harder. I already knew that of course, but… whenever they start yelling at me… and now that Itachi is sick I know it's going to get worse. I feel like… working harder isn't enough. There has to be something else I can do as well. Something that will make me stronger."
"Why do you want to please those jerks anyway? Why can't you just ignore them?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know… I just… I can't ignore them. Everyone listens to them, no one contradicts them. Even Itachi took their side. I bet he thinks I'm really weak too. He's just too nice to say it out loud."
"Sasuke… I didn't know you felt that way…" Sakura gasped as Sasuke suddenly sat up straight and blushed bright red.
"Oh. I'm… ummm. Forget it. I didn't mean to say anything." Extremely embarrassed at exposing his feelings like that he suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to hide and beat his head against a tree.
Naruto gave a short laugh and scratched the back of his head, "It's okay, we won't tell anyone, will we Sakura?"
Sakura grinned, "Nope. My lips are sealed."
Sasuke sighed as the color in his face returned to normal, "Thanks."
"But you know, I might say something." A woman's voice, strong, yet sibilant in tone echoed through the small clearing the kids had stopped in, causing all three to turn in surprise. A woman, perhaps in her early twenties and dressed in the garb of a Grass Shinobi stood about twenty feet away from them. "Unless of course, you hand over your scroll."
"Not on your life!" Naruto yelled as all three jumped to their feet and readied for battle.
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to play with you until you do give it up."
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"You sure have been watching a lot of movies lately. Giving up on reading?" Fugaku found his son planted in front of the TV gazing listlessly at an old movie. He noted that even though the funeral had ended two hours ago, the teen was still in his mourning clothes.
"Yeah, well… I don't feel like reading right now."
Fugaku sat down on the couch next to his son and grabbed his chin, turning it until he was looking him in the eyes. Itachi tried to pull away, but Fugaku grabbed the back of his head with his other hand and held him still. The fold of skin that formed between his eyes and his nose caught Fugaku's eyes, and he thought about how, sometimes, it made the boy look like an old man. This was one of those times.
"Itachi, your vision… you need to have it checked."
"No."
Fugaku released his son's head and sighed in exasperation. "Tomorrow, ten AM. I already made the appointment. If you don't show up, as Hokage I will remove you from active duty. Is that understood?"
Itachi opened his mouth once and shut it, then nodded. He should have guessed this would happen.
"Here's the scroll you wanted. It is a forbidden jutsu, usually only doctors use it so make sure you don't loose it."
Itachi took the scroll and opened it. It was a jutsu used to override the birth control jutsu, resulting in pregnancy. Virtually the only time it was used was when Kunoichi were sent off to "breed" with strong ninja of other villages in order to increase the gene pool of ninja clans. A hundred years ago that had been a common practice. Now, the act was so rare that most people didn't even know the scroll existed.
"You should just wait another two or three years, though. We have competent doctors here that can treat you…"
"I spoke with Dr. Yakushi before I was released. He said the disease is progressing very quickly and he was quite surprised at the damage already showing up in my lungs. It will spread to my heart. I can wait two or three years, but… then…"
"You wouldn't have much time to spend with your family? Is that what you're thinking? Itachi…" Fugaku didn't like discussing feelings, and he didn't like to see his son displaying them so openly either.
"Don't worry about it. It's my problem."
"Your mother is going to kill me, you know."
"Yeah, well. Sheeta will probably kill me so maybe we can save the priest some time and have a double funeral."
"Ha! Well I've got to get back. Sarutobi is handling a lot of the details of the exam, but I still want to keep a hand in it. I'll be staying at the tower in the Forest of Death tonight so you'll have the house to yourself."
"Still have a bad feeling?"
Fugaku rose from the couch and sighed, "Yeah. Can't shake it. Something is wrong. I keep wishing I had sent you in to trail Sasuke. I'm sure it's just that I'm over-protecting him. This is the first time he's been alone."
He smiled, "He'll be okay. He's a strong kid. He's an Uchiha after all." As he watched his father exit the living room Itachi shuddered involuntarily. His mother had said the same thing before Sasuke had gone of on his Wave country mission – and he had been attacked by a Jounin level ninja and nearly killed.
"It's just one thing after another isn't it?" Itachi spoke to the cat in a defeated voice.
"Meow."
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"So you're going to make this hard?" The Grass Kunoichi spoke calmly as she reached up to her face and used her fingers to open one eye. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were instantly caught in the strongest Genjutsu they had ever experienced. Fear overwhelmed the trio as, laid out before them, were their own violent and bloody deaths.
Naruto screamed, a high pitched, blood-curdling screech that sent dozens of birds hurtling towards the unseen sky in a desperate attempt to escape. Dropping to the ground he buried his head in his hands, trembling violently. Sakura dropped down onto her knees and gazed straight ahead, eyes wide open and tears streaming down her face. She could feel the horrendous ripping that rent apart her chest, exposing her vital organs and spraying blood in an arc over her head.
Sasuke watched in horror as his own death played out before him. Fear ate up his conscious mind as he struggled to dispel the Genjutsu. No matter how he tried, he couldn't break out. Slowly, he moved his hand toward his kunai and in one deft motion pulled out three knives, throwing two to distract the Grass Kunoichi and one which he promptly used to stab himself in the leg. Dropping down to the ground in pain he grabbed hold of Sakura and Naruto as the Genjutsu fell apart.
"Sasuke, you're hurt!" Sakura stretched her hand out, but quickly drew it back when she saw how badly she was trembling.
"So my prey is smarter than I first thought." The woman laughed, "But can you escape the predator's next move?" As she disappeared, the three Genin jumped up, landing on a branch about fifty feet above the forest floor.
"Where did she go?" Naruto started scanning the area as Sakura hugged herself, trying desperately to recover. Glancing over her shoulder she grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and pulled him around.
Sasuke found himself face to face with the largest snake head he had ever seen. Panicked, he jumped up into the air and threw several throwing stars, striking it in the throat and sending it spiraling onto a nearby tree.
"It's dead." Naruto breathed a shaky sigh of relief. However, his relief was short lived. As Sasuke landed next to them the trio watched in horror as the woman broke through the skin of the snake and stood upright in the middle of its remains. The carcass fell away, making a sickening "splat" sound when it reached the ground.
"Ha ha ha ha! What will my prey do next?"
"No matter what we do… she's more powerful!" Sasuke was close to whining, but in his fear he didn't feel any shame over it. His instincts were kicking in, and they told him to stay alive at all costs. "We'll have to give her the scroll!"
"No way!" Naruto yelled. "Not on your life!"
"But it is our life!" Sasuke yelled back. "If we die then who cares about the stupid scroll!"
"We can get another one, Naruto! Just let him give her the scroll." Sakura was feeling much the same way as Sasuke and she put her hands together, instinctively begging her friend to see reason.
The Kunoichi laughed, "It is the way of the prey to offer up something equally precious to the predator, hoping they can escape."
"Here!" Sasuke pulled out the scroll from his hip pack and tossed it into the air. As the Kunoichi raised her hands to catch it a streak flew by, intercepting it.
Landing next to Sasuke, scroll in one hand, Naruto raised his fist and punched his friend for all he was worth, "When did Sasuke become a coward? Huh? Just what is going on with you?"
"Give him the scroll, Naruto!" Sasuke screeched.
Naruto screeched back, "Coward!"
"Naruto, Sasuke watch out!" Sakura screamed as a second snake, this one larger than the first dropped down over the top of them. Jumping off the branch in three different directions Sasuke found himself targeted as the large reptile bore down on him at a tremendous rate. Just when he thought it would strike, Naruto jumped in front of it, holding it back with his body. Staring into his eyes, Sasuke saw that his friend had changed. The whiskers on his face were more defined, his eyes had turned a dark shade of red-orange and the chakra emanating from him was darker.
"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered, his voice failing him.
"When did my friend become a coward?" Naruto hissed. "Is this the person you wanted the elders to see? The person they think you are?"
Sasuke blinked, as if waking up from a bad dream. If he gave in then all he would do was prove that he was weak. He would never be able to stand before his clan as a proud, strong ninja and… "I made a promise three years ago when I found Itachi was sick that I would protect him and his family when he became too weak to do so himself. I had forgotten… I… I can't go back on my word. No matter what I must be strong!"
Naruto was suddenly snatched by a long tongue and pulled up into the air. Sasuke saw the woman's lips moving as she spoke quietly to the blond boy. Raising her hand, fingers forward, she thrust them onto Naruto's belly, sending him flying. He bounced off a tree, only stopping when a kunai Sakura threw caught his jacket, leaving the unconscious boy dangling precariously over the forest floor.
"What?" Sasuke blinked in surprise over how quickly the woman had taken out his friend. Glancing back at Sakura to verify her position he leaped up into the air to prepare an attack of his own. He reaching into his pockets and pulled out several tiny exploding tags and as he dropped down in front of her he threw them then fell to the ground, feigning exhaustion. She walked closer, gazing at her "prey" with an amused smile. Meanwhile, Sasuke was counting down and when he reached zero a small explosion caught the hem of the Grass Kunoichi's skirt, making her trip.
Momentarily distracted, Sasuke used this opportunity to spring back up into the air and pull on several nearly-invisible wires that were now attacked to the woman's body – via the tags. He jumped around the tree and pulled, dragging the Kunoichi with him.
"The triple Shuriken windmill attack. Very good." The woman was now firmly attached to the tree. Sasuke landed several feet away and executed a Phoenix Fire jutsu that caught his prisoner in a burst of fire. A horrendous screech filled the air as she burned alive. However, it was followed by laughter and a strange cracking sound.
The grass kunoichi was burned to a crisp, but what they saw next was much more terrifying. Hands extended up out of the charred mouth, followed by arms, a head and a torso. Soon, it wasn't the Grass Kunoichi standing before them, but a man dressed in the same garb. The man had white pasty skin, long stringy black hair and purple paint outlining his eyes. His mouth was held in a sneer and his eyes seemed to draw them in with their lust for power.
As he spoke, his voice changed from a woman's to a man's, "Truly you are his brother. A born Uchiha with all the power imbued with that bloodline. Indeed, I do believe you eyes even surpass Itachi's." Stretching out his tongue he grabbed Sasuke and pulled him closer. "My name is Orochimaru, and I have a gift for you, Sasuke. The power you desire, I can give it to you. And when this test ends and you have attained the highest score of all, we will meet again."
Sasuke had never felt pain on the magnitude of that which he now experienced as Orochimaru sank his fangs into his neck. It was a thousand times more intense than when he had been stabbed, or beaten up by Haku. He suddenly felt someone at his side, holding him. Vaguely, he was aware that it was Sakura and that she was crying. Vaguely, he was away of his own agonizing screams. Vaguely, he registered that perhaps, he was about to die.
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"Lord Hokage, Lord Sarutobi!" An ANBU operative rushed into the Hokage office without knocking, putting both men on alert.
"What's happened?" Fugaku felt the anxiety that had been building for the last week settle in the pit of his stomach as he stood up from the couch where he and Sarutobi had been drinking tea.
"Orochimaru! He's here! In the Forest of Death! Anko confirmed it and went after him. He's disguised himself as a Grass Kunoichi."
Fugaku let loose a string of curses before forcing himself to calm down. "What kind of backup did she take with her?"
"None. But she requested the deployment of two ANBU squads to follow her."
"Give the order then." He glanced at Sarutobi, "We'll go immediately to the tower and wait for her update."
"He can't have Itachi or Shisui, so now he's after Sasuke." Sarutobi spat bitterly.
"Damn it!"
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Itachi's nerves were on edge as he tidied the upstairs living room and his bedroom. He had read through several romance books and watched a few movies, but he wasn't naïve enough to believe that seducing his girlfriend would be that easy. It didn't help either that he was now starting to feel guilty. He had considered coming straight out and asking her to marry him now, but there was no way she would consent to that. He was positive of that. But perhaps he should ask anyway?
"It'll be okay. Quit worrying about it." Itachi tried to reassure himself as he shoved the fertility jutsu scroll into the top drawer of his armoire.
"Itachi? Are you up there?" Soft footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs and Itachi took a deep breath as he exited his bedroom.
"Hi Sheeta you look…" he had been about to make the standard compliment about her looks when he realized that she had completely gone all out. Her makeup was perfect, outlining her dark eyes with beautiful eyelashes and a hint of blush and maroon lipstick. Her long black hair was pulled back and two braids wove their way through the long tresses in an intricate style that must have taken an hour to prepare. She was dressed in a short, strapless red dress that flared out at the hips with a black ribbon that wound around her waist. She was swinging a pair of black high heeled shoes from one finger. Itachi looked down at her feet, bare on the hard wood floor and perfectly manicured.
Gulping, Itachi started over, this time speaking a little more careful, "You look beautiful, Sheeta."
"When you asked me to come over… you said you were alone tonight." She stopped swinging her shoes and blushed. "I… um… thought… we could spend some time together."
'Does she mean what I think she means?' Itachi thought to himself.
"Um… yeah… no one's here. Except me. And you." Itachi cringed inwardly. Those weren't the type of words the men in those books and movies used. He thought he sounded like an idiot.
"Well, good. I could use some time away from everyone. You were really sick, Itachi. I was worried. And you're away on missions all the time so I hardly ever see you. And… um… you look amazing." Itachi was dressed in a long sleeve black dress shirt with a thin red tie and long black pants that went down to his feet. His waist-length hair was tied back with a red leather strap. He stepped into his room and came out a few seconds later carrying a pair of black dress shoes.
"We're going to a restaurant for dinner, Casa Masashi. It's the best tasting five star restaurant in Konoha. Have you been there before?"
"No. Nui told me about it though. I'm really looking forward to it."
The restaurant was very high-class, considering it's location in a ninja village. Decorated in a Baroque style and staffed by pretentious waiters and uppity waitresses Itachi and Sheeta, nevertheless, had a very good time. Of course it helped that, in their positions as heirs to the head family of a clan, they had been taught methodically good manners. They knew what each fork and spoon was for and the name and order of each glass placed in the setting before them. The head waiter was very pleased to serve them and on their way out the chef even came out to meet the handsome couple that the staff was bragging so much about, making them promise to come back again soon.
As they walked back to the house Itachi felt a twinge of regret as Shisui passed through his thoughts. He may not have had a normal childhood, but he was positive that a night like this was something he was supposed to brag about to his friends. He supposed that, technically, with the passing of Yota and Shisui, Kabuto was probably the only friend he had left in Konoha. Yet they hadn't spoken but a handful of times since he had joined Root shortly after making Chuunin. This morning had been an exception. He wondered if he should really even consider the white-haired boy his friend anymore, but it was hard to think of him as anything else.
"What are you thinking about Itachi?" Sheeta asked quietly as they crossed one of the many bridges that arched over the river.
"Oh. Um… Kabuto Yakushi, Yota Hyuuga, Shisui and me used to all hang out together when we were kids. All that's left is Kabuto and I rarely see him anymore. I went by his house this morning when I heard his father had died, that's probably why I'm thinking of him now."
"Yeah. I think I feel that way about Aya. We had a good time and all, but it was different. There was something… a distance between us or… I don't know. Even though we were talking like it was old times, it just felt forced at times. She's changed, and I probably have too."
"Sometimes change is good. If I was the same as I had been when Aya was here…" Itachi hadn't meant to refer to his traitorous plan to kill the clan and clamped his mouth shut in shock.
"Fugaku gave you a second chance, Itachi. Be grateful."
"I am, Sheeta. He and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of stuff, but… he does his best I suppose. He's had a hard time too. You know, he didn't have any parents to raise him. He lived alone in our house for years until he got married."
"That must have been very lonely. But Toshiro was there. He's older than Fugaku, but they're great friends."
"Yeah." They were both silent the rest of the way home, but it was companionable and held a familiarity that only people who had known each other for years could feel.
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Loosening his tie, Itachi pulled off his shirt and threw it on the couch in the upstairs living room. "Much better." He sighed. "Dressing up for dinner is okay, but I guess I like my ninja clothes better."
Sheeta's cheeks took on a bit of color as she blushed at the sight of Itachi's bare chest. He had started to finally fill out and hard muscle was starting to take the place of the skinny little kid he had been all his life.
"There's something we forgot to do earlier, Sheeta." Itachi moved closer and placed his hands on her shoulder.
"Huh?" Distracted she looked up into his eyes and blinked as he lowered his face, capturing her lips with his he quickly deepened the kiss. His hands moved down until they rested on her lower back. Once he was sufficiently convinced that she was distracted his lifted his hands and formed several hand signs. Chakra sprang from his hands and, still kissing, he carefully turned her so she was leaning with her back to his chest. Lowering his hands once again he placed them over her abdomen.
The medical jutsu gave him a heightened sense of awareness as he broke through Sheeta's birth control jutsu and then moved an egg into place, ready for fertilization. The guilt he had been feeling all day reached a crescendo as he finished. She hadn't noticed anything, or if she did she hadn't said anything or reacted.
Pulling back Itachi remained standing behind his girlfriend and placed one hand on the zipper of her dress and pulled it down and inch. "Is this okay?"
"Um… y…yeah… I mean…" She was blushing a bright red, "We're betrothed anyway… so it's okay even if we aren't married… right? That's what the contract says… or tradition… or… hell with it." In one fluid motion she pulled off her dress and grabbed Itachi's hand, pulling him towards the bedroom. "You only live once. Let's go have some fun."
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"Fugaku… why is there a bra outside Itachi's room? Is there something about him you're not telling us?" Toshiro's voice broke through the late morning fog that swirled around Itachi brain as he struggled to wake up.
"He's special, Toshiro, but until recently we didn't know how special."
"What's going on?" Sheeta whispered. In her sleep she had wrapped herself around Itachi and her head was resting comfortably on his chest.
"He's a cross dresser." Toshiro sighed.
"Oh god." Itachi whispered back in exasperation. "What are they doing here?"
"I thought you said no one would be here?" Her whispered panic made Itachi smile. It was very cute.
Fugaku continued, "Yes. We tried to hide it, but… it's just too hard."
"Sheeta U." Toshiro said slowly. "I thought only nerds wrote their names on their underwear?"
"Oh god, oh god, oh god!" Sheeta was panicking now. "Why did I throw my bra outside into the hall?"
"I think I did that, actually." Itachi confessed. "You threw the panties."
"Oh god!"
Fugaku slid the door open as Sheeta dived under the covers. Itachi gazed up at his father with his usual blank expression. "Orochimaru attacked Sasuke yesterday afternoon."
Itachi sat straight up, "Is he okay?"
Sheeta dragged a blanket with her as she also sat up, fear written in her eyes and her face as pale as a ghost.
"Anko tracked Orochimaru down last night. He told her he gave Sasuke a curse mark. The same one she received as a child. She said there is a one in ten chance he will survive."
"No! Please don't let him die!" Sheeta pleaded.
"There is nothing we can do, but wait and see what happens. There is no treatment for this. The bright side is I don't think he would have done that to him unless he thought Sasuke had a good chance of surviving. He's always wanted an Uchiha and he's not about to throw away his one chance to get one by killing him. ANBU found team seven early this morning and are keeping an eye on them. They won't interfere unless it's a matter of life and death, then they have been ordered to remove the kids from the field." Fugaku spoke matter-of-factly but his eyes were tired.
"But what do they consider life and death?" Sheeta grabbed Itachi's arm and hung on tightly.
"More death than life." Itachi replied. Glancing at the clock he let out a sigh. "I missed my eye appointment."
"Forget about that for now. This is the second day of the test; there are three more days. I want you to use your sources to find out any information on what Orochimaru might be up to. While he no doubt is after Sasuke, I suspect there is something else going on here."
"Yes."
"Have you met Haku yet?"
"Yes. The boys brought him by while I was in the hospital." Itachi remembered that the teen had looked worn out and rather down-trodden.
"I want you to team up with him. Everyone is on alert to keep their eyes open for any menace. Haku is currently on a sort of 'parole'. If he can prove himself then I will let him join the village. He seems eager, but his heart's not in it. I want you to take this time to evaluate him. Both Naruto and Zabuza told me that Haku doesn't actually want to be a ninja. After talking to him I have to wonder if he would be happier in the medical corp."
"I'll meet up with him later."
Fugaku turned around to leave, but just as he was closing the door he gave his son a look that Itachi had seen only a few times in his life. Unveiled of the harshness that covered his soul and the awkwardness that ruled his emotions his eyes revealed all the sadness and worry that he kept locked away in heart. Itachi dropped his gaze, knowing full well that he was the cause of some of it. Especially today. As the door slid shut Itachi bent over, putting his head in his hands.
"Itachi…"
"Sheeta… I'm… I want to apologize, but I'm… I'm not really sorry. But I feel really guilty about what I did… I want you to understand…"
"What did you do? Are you… are you seeing someone else?" Sheeta couldn't think of anything else.
"No. Never. It's just… Armoire – top drawer."
Sheeta slowly slid out of the bed and grabbed Itachi's robe, wrapping it around her to ward off the chill. Opening the drawer she pulled out a scroll. Her face hardened as she read the contents. Slowly and methodically she put it back and closed the drawer.
"How could you?" She whispered. "I trusted you. Do you know how hard that is for me?"
"Yes. But…"
"But?" She paused, waiting for him to continued, but he remained silent. "So now we're having a baby." She gave a nervous laugh before continuing, "If you would have asked… I would have said yes. I love you, you know. Why did you have to trick me?" she dropped to the floor as bitter sobs wracked her body.
"Because… I…" Itachi didn't know where to start. His feelings were so complicated that he barely understood them himself. "I'm sick, Sheeta and I want a family with you because… because… I thought three years ago that would never happen. And if I waited I might get too sick to be with you and our children. I want to see them now."
Sheeta gave a short, bitter laugh, "So what you're saying is that you're a spoiled child who couldn't wait to unwrap his Christmas gift."
"We don't celebrate Christmas. We're Buddhists."
"You know what I mean!" Sheeta snapped. "And I had better get a Christmas gift from you this year!" She had no idea why she added that last bit, it was out before she could stop herself.
"Fine. I can do that." Itachi promised. He sat quietly for a couple minutes before standing up and kneeling down in front of the girl. She was sitting dejectedly with her hands in her lap and her face staring at the ground. The sobbing had stopped, but there were still tears leaking from her eyes.
"Is it… is it really that bad?" Itachi asked quietly.
"No. I want a baby. You know that. I just… you tricked me. I don't think I can forgive you for that."
"You don't have to, Sheeta. I made a mistake. I…" he sighed and changed the subject, "What do you want to name him?"
"Maybe it's a 'she'." Sheeta sniffled.
"No, it'll be a boy."
"It's a girl." Sheeta kept sniffling.
"Boy."
"Girl."
"Boy."
"Are you trying to push my buttons?" Sheeta yelled angrily. Her crying had stopped and she was now clenching her fists and glaring daggers at her boyfriend.
"It got you to stop crying."
"Jerk."
"Yeah."
"You'd better get going. I think we should probably worry more about Sasuke right now."
Itachi pulled Sheeta along with him as he stood up and started to walk towards the bathroom.
"What are you doing?" Sheeta asked, annoyed.
"We are going to shower before having breakfast."
"Jerk."
"Yeah."
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"Good boy." Fugaku pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against and made his way downstairs, where Toshiro was waiting. He had hoped Itachi would tell Sheeta the truth. Deep down in his heart he really hoped that neither one of his sons repeated the many mistakes he had made with Mikoto. And now that Itachi was going to be a father, he prayed he had learned more about how to be a parent from his mother than from him.
"Are you okay with this?" Toshiro had turned serious.
"As clan chief, it's my duty to see that good genes are passed on. As a father… as a father… I really had absolutely no idea what to do to stop him."
Toshiro laughed to lighten the mood, "Wait till Mikoto finds out she's a grandma. She'll give you a few ideas on how you could have stopped them."
"Don't remind me." Fugaku mumbled. He knew he had made a big mistake, but just as he had just mentioned, he had no idea how he could have stopped his son. 'I really fail as a parent, don't I?' He said to himself as he walked out of the house. 'On the other hand… Mikoto will have fun spoiling her grandkid. Maybe she won't kill me too badly.'
"Fugaku…" Toshiro was still standing in the entryway when he called out in a rather uncertain tone, causing Fugaku to stop in his tracks and turn around, "I know you were raised to handle things yourself, and you carried that through your entire adult life… but… the next time you feel pushed into a corner like this, ask for help. Kids can be… raising a kid isn't like running a clan or a village."
Fugaku nodded once and turned around, continuing his trek across the porch and down the stairs before stopping, "Perhaps you are right. But Itachi isn't a normal kid. He never was. And Sasuke… when he learns the truth… I have a feeling no amount of advice is going to help us over that bridge."
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Next week Itachi and Haku go on patrol and the second exam ends. Also, Sheeta gets devious.
Don't worry, Sheeta isn't letting Itachi off that easily. Right now she's just in a bit of shock. I was going to have her storm off and not speak to him, but that doesn't really fit her personality. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't see her doing that. She tends to be confrontational and outspoken, more of the in-your-face type of person. I see her as sticking around so she can make Itachi miserable.
(If you don't know by now, "Kabuto" means beetle xD)
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Updates on Fridays.
