Took me a while, but I finally got the next chapter up! Even with the birth of the twins, life just cannot seem to get any easier for Itachi and Selûne. Especially since the children are now their weakness! D:

ShadowBloodNinja- I think you might like this chapter since Selûne has made a decision :D let's see if you do.

WARNING: Minor Tobi bashing. Seriously, who cares about that guy? All he does is cause trouble. Thank God the giant mutated spider carried him off cause as far as Selûne knows, the lil bastard is still missing lol. ENJOY!

A few days after the birth of Aika and Shin'ichi, Selûne was laying on her bed with Shin'ichi cuddled to her chest and Aika sleeping peacefully on the pillow. Shin'ichi was still awake though, sucking contently on his thumb as he stared up at his mother. She smiled down at him and ran her hand through his soft black hair, loving how his black eyes would crinkle with happiness and he would coo up at her. Even Miyako was quiet, staring through the window of Selûne's mind at the twins.

'Shin'ichi reminds me so much of Seiichi…when I return, I shall have to take him as my own…'

She was happy that Selûne couldn't hear her thoughts or else the younger Amakura would get angry at her. Thank Kami for small favors!

The door to Selûne's room opened and Deidara walked in, closing the door quietly behind him and making his way to the bed. He stopped when he was standing right next to the bed, looking down at the sleeping Aika. "She's a cute one un," he said, running his finger down the baby's chubby cheek. Selûne smiled up at the blonde as he sat down next to her, taking Aika into his arms.

"You would make a really good father, Deidara," she whispered as she watched him cradle the baby to his chest, stroking her cheeks. Deidara gave her a surprised look before looking back at Aika, smiling down at the sleeping baby.

"You really think so un?"

She only nodded, turning back to Shin'ichi who was still sucking his thumb contently, but his black eyes were focused on Deidara. More like on Deidara's long blonde hair…Shin'ichi made a sound like a wail and held his arms out to Deidara, wanting to be held by the bomber. Selûne laughed and handed him over to the blonde, watching as Shin'ichi tugged on Deidara's golden locks and Aika remained asleep.

"Ow, watch it you little punk un," he said as he tried to retrieve his hair from the squealing baby. In the middle of their little tug of war, the door opened to reveal Pain standing there, his face solemn.

"Selûne, it's time."

"Already?" she asked, her eyes wide. It had been agreed upon that after the birth of the twins, the Akatsuki would seal away the malevolent spirit harbored in her body so that she couldn't take over the Amakura anymore. It was a long and extremely dangerous process that would take at least a day to complete due to the voracity of the spirit, but it would work in keeping Miyako at bay and also keep her from damaging Selûne's body anymore.

"If you want to keep yourself from suffering any more damage, then we need to perform the sealing right now," he explained, beckoning to the girl as she rose from the bed. She gave Deidara a concerned look before looking down at her children. Aika remained sleeping, but Shin'ichi looked up at her with his big black eyes. His face broke out into a toothless smile as he reached for her, making a "goo" sound as he did. She smiled down at him as a lone tear slipped down her cheek, taking him from Deidara's arms and holding him close to her.

"Shin'ichi…" she whispered, cradling his head in her neck. As if he could sense her distress, the baby began crying.

She knew that if she went through with the sealing, it was possible that it could kill her. In order for the seal to work, they had to tamper with her chakra network. Because Miyako had successfully been able to meld her chakra with Selûne's in order to be able to take over her body whenever she wanted, they had to separate her chakra from Selûne's and seal it into her mind where Miyako dwelled. The reason why it was so dangerous…they had to draw out every ounce of her chakra in order to separate it. And every ninja knew what would happen if they had absolutely no chakra left…

They would die.

Selûne didn't want to do it without first saying goodbye to her children. After all, there was a chance that she just might not survive the process. "Shin'ichi…if I don't pull through this, take care of your sister. Also…watch over your father for me." She kissed the baby's forehead, smiling down at the sniffling child. "Aishiteru." She then turned to his sister, sleeping ever so peacefully in Deidara's arms. She kissed her forehead as well, holding back her tears as best as she could. "Aishiteru, Aika."

The Amakura then took her daughter from Deidara and laid both children in their crib, smiling down at them before turning back to Pain. "I'm ready."

As the Akatsuki gathered for the sealing in the depths of the hideout, Sasuke and Kabuto slipped in through a secret entrance that Hidan used to sneak out to the nearby villages and capture unsuspecting females in order to copulate with them. After weeks of mapping out the hideout, they had finally made their move. Sasuke crept silently through the hallways with Kabuto in tow, heading for Selûne's room when footsteps echoed through the hall. The Uchiha grabbed Kabuto by the collar and dived into an empty room, both shinobi masking their chakra as Sasuke peeked his head out to see who it was. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Selûne being led by a man with spiky orange hair and another with long blonde hair, her face downcast.

"What's going on…?" he wondered, wanting nothing more than to grab her and take her far away from here. Even though he really wanted that, he knew that with what he had planned, she would undoubtedly follow and fall right into his trap. When they had disappeared from sight, Sasuke looked down at the small piece of paper that showed the layout of the hideout. Selûne's room was three doors down on the right, just past where the three shinobi had disappeared. He made his way cautiously to the corner and peeked around to see them disappear around another corner. Now was the time to go! He bolted to her door and stood outside it for a moment, scanning the room for any chakra signature. After finding it empty, he signaled to Kabuto to keep an eye out as he opened the door quietly.

Selûne's room was neat with a large bed and a small nightstand next to it. A dresser was placed against the right wall next to a door that led to the bathroom. And right next to the dresser…

Sasuke could hear the sound of a baby making gurgling sounds as it shifted in its crib, a sucking sound reaching his ears. He crept closer to the crib and looked down at the two children nestled in their blankets. Two children, a boy and a girl…the girl was asleep while the boy was wide awake, his eyes shifting from his sister to the man standing over them. Sasuke half expected the child to start crying when he saw him, but surprisingly the baby cooed and reached out to him. He reached into the crib and lifted the boy into his arms, looking him over while trying to keep the baby from pulling at his hair. He looked almost exactly like him when he had been a baby: black hair, black eyes…hell, even the mischievous look in his eyes. The Uchiha spared a glance at the girl, who matched her brother in hair color, but her eye color was to be determined until she woke up.

"Right…take both of them," he muttered to himself as he also took the girl into his arms, being mindful of their heads. He walked calmly out of the room and motioned to Kabuto, who took one of the babies from him so that he could hold the other properly.

"You do realize Selûne is going to kill us right?" the medic nin said, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. Sasuke grimaced at the thought of the Amakura going on a rampage when she discovers her children missing. Deciding that the only way she would know it was him, he took a kunai and walked back into her room, carving the Uchiha crest into the frame of the crib. He knew that once she looked at the crib, she would know it was him.

'I am so dead…'

"I'll say…" Daisuke laughed quietly, beaming with excitement as he looked down at the gurgling child in Sasuke's arms. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

'Do you know what she named them?' Sasuke thought to Daisuke, not wanting Kabuto to think that he was talking to himself.

"From what Atsuko told me, the girl Kabuto is holding is Aika and the boy you have is Shin'ichi. Believe me when I say this, but this was an incredibly stupid plan Sasuke. Mistress Selûne won't hesitate to kill you just to get her children back. There is nothing worse than a mother's fury."

'I'm so dead…' Sasuke thought again, mentally face palming as he walked out of the room with Shin'ichi in his arms, the baby cooing happily up at him. He chanced a look down at the smiling newborn, a warm sensation filling him slowly the longer he stared at the child. He didn't want to say it out loud, but the child was extremely adorable. 'And would no doubt grow up to become a powerful shinobi since he is of the Uchiha clan. I wonder what he'll be able to do when he's old enough…will he be able to control the spirits like you do, Selûne? Or will he command the power of the Sharingan like Itachi and I?'

Sasuke crept through the hideout until they reached the hidden entrance, slipping through it stealthily and making his way into the forest, Kabuto following close behind him with the sleeping Aika. Shin'ichi gurgled as his tiny fists clung to Sasuke's kimono top, unaware that he and his sister were being kidnapped.

In the depths of the hideout, Selûne stood in the middle of an extremely intricate seal surrounded by the members of the Akatsuki, nervousness making her belly turn over and over. Itachi was a bit pale, biting his lip when no one was looking. He was worried that the sealing would not go right and he would lose his beloved wife forever. He inwardly slapped himself. 'No, I need to believe that this will work. I need to be confident…for Selûne.'

Even Pain looked a bit skeptical from his position behind the Amakura. If Pain was doubtful about this, then that was most definitely not a good thing.

"Are we ready?" he asked, looking over the Akatsuki members as he said this. At the nods of agreement from each member, he brought his hands together in a sign. "Let us begin then."

Each member brought their hands up in the same sign as their leader and focused their chakra on the woman in the seal. Selûne closed her eyes as she felt the multiple chakra signatures swirl around her. She could feel the warmth of Itachi's chakra, the strange coldness of Kisame's, Pain's scorching chakra, the gentle brush of Konan's, the pulling sensation of Sasori's, Deidara's tingling chakra, Kakuzu's shocking chakra and the slippery feeling of Hidan's. Tobi was currently held up by the giant mutated spider from earlier, but he didn't count as an Akatsuki member so no one cared. As far as they were concerned, he wasn't needed for this ritual. The seal that Selûne stood in began to glow a bright blue, light emanating from it up to the ceiling. Selûne herself felt her body get extremely light all of a sudden until she hovered about two feet off the floor, her hair flowing around her face. Her eyes cracked open to meet Itachi's red eyes, the worry evident in his despite the thick barrier of chakra that surrounded her.

'Don't worry koibito, everything will be alright.' She hoped that he could hear her thoughts so that he would be reassured, but his expression didn't change.

"Now we will begin the extraction," Pain said, moving his hands so that his palms were now facing her, as if he were trying to push the barrier. The members copied his movements, bringing their hands up as if they were trying to push the barrier. A strange feeling came over Selûne, a pulling feeling that spread throughout her body until it settled in her chest. It was oddly relaxing…

She closed her eyes as the sensation continued, only for them to open once more as a stabbing sensation began in her chest. Selûne screamed in pain as the feeling continued, her body growing weaker and weaker with every passing second. If she could move, she would have. The pain was nearly blinding! Unfortunately her sight began to blur and fade until she finally lost consciousness, her last thought being of Itachi and her children.

Itachi grimaced as Selûne's head fell forward, her whole body going as limp as a rag doll. Her warm white chakra surrounded her in a whirlwind as well as Miyako's ominous black chakra, giving it a yin-yang appearance. Itachi was so caught up in the spectacle that he almost didn't hear what Leader said.

"Focus on the black chakra now."

Itachi shifted his hands so that they were now pressed together with both middle and index fingers pointing upward in a hand sign. He watched as the black chakra began to slowly take shape, forming the shape of a woman. It wasn't long before he was staring into the red eyes of Miyako Amakura. Her mouth opened in an angry scream before her chakra was slowly forced into a small sphere.

"Fūin!" Pain said, clapping his hands together, his motions copied by the Akatsuki. The black sphere hovered momentarily before it soared around the Amakura's head and flew right into the diamond on her forehead, the three tattoos on her face glowing with a bright blue light before going through a radical change. The diamond changed into three separate shapes: it remained a diamond shape, but a round dot separated the diamond from being completely whole. The two tattoos on the sides of her face also separated, but into two separate shapes: they remained a triangle shape, but the edges became rounded. Miyako had been successfully sealed into Selûne's mind. As long as the marks remained the way they were, the seal would hold.

"Now we need to place the chakra back into her body," Pain said as he brought his hands back to the very first sign, the Akatsuki once again copying his movements. A ripple went through the room as the white chakra swirled slowly around the Amakura. Putting the chakra back into her body would be the hardest part of the ritual since they had to introduce the chakra to her body once more. Itachi bit his lip even harder as he concentrated hard on the sealing.

'We can do this!'

Sasuke sat in his room in Orochimaru's hideout, having managed to get past the snake without him noticing the two babies. Kabuto had placed the children in a large basket before leaving the Uchiha to his thoughts, covering them with a rather thick blanket. Because of the trip, the girl had woken up so now Sasuke had a view of her eyes. She possessed the same beautiful blue eyes that his beloved Selûne possessed, but no one could compare to hers. He wondered momentarily what a child between him and Selûne would look like; would it have black hair and black eyes, or would it have brown hair with black eyes? Maybe even black hair and blue eyes like Aika, who was now looking up at him with the utmost curiosity. A warm feeling came over him as he bent down and picked the baby girl up, cradling her to his chest. She simply stared at him, her mouth open slightly in an 'o' shape.

'What is this feeling? Why do I feel so happy when I hold her children? They aren't even mine…'

"You're holding them because quite simply…they are a part of her. They are her own flesh and blood, born from her own body. You cling to anything that reminds you of her because you are obsessed with her! Obsession can become a very ugly thing, Sasuke. It is unbecoming of a young man," Daisuke said. Even though he was only a spirit, he too was feeling very warm at seeing the children of his mistress. He was glad that his mistress was happy, but he knew that when she found her children missing, she would be very angry.

"Even though the whole point of this plan was to bring Selûne to me, I don't feel like I can bring myself to give the children back…" Sasuke murmured, stroking Aika's silky black hair. Aika's mouth went from an 'o' shape to a big smile, her toothless gums immediately drawing the Uchiha in with its cuteness as she reached out to him with her tiny hands. He offered her a slim finger and she gladly took it, gripping it tightly in her chubby hand. "She's so cute…I have no doubt that she will be strong when she grows up."

Daisuke watched this with growing fascination. "You know, Sasuke…I can't believe I'm saying this, but you just might make a good father someday. If you make an effort and turn from this evil path!"

Sasuke shook his head, his brows furrowing into a frown. "I've chosen my path and I'm not changing it. I will have my revenge and nothing will stand in my way."

'Here he goes again.' Daisuke sighed as he was subjected once more to Sasuke's revenge speech. He was just about to tune the Uchiha out when an evil presence made itself known. 'It's him…'

"Well Sasuke, I'm surprised that you were able to get them here without me noticing. Excellent work." Sasuke froze when the hissing voice of Orochimaru reached his ears, noticing the long black hair of the snake Sannin bending over the basket containing Shin'ichi. "Twin Uchiha heirs! Fate is kind to bring children of the Uchiha and Amakura prodigies into my presence." It was then that Shin'ichi woke up and when he saw Orochimaru bending over him, he began to wail.

"You will not touch these children!" Sasuke hissed, snatching the basket away from Orochimaru and shielding the twins from his golden stare. "I hid them from you because I know you would take them and perform your disgusting experiments on them without thought to their lives! They are Selûne's children and as long as I have them, you will not touch them! If you do, I guarantee that you will not have a vessel with your precious Sharingan!"

Orochimaru thought carefully for a moment before drawing away, giving Sasuke a cold stare. "Very well, I leave them in your care Sasuke. Rest assured, I will have them in my grasp soon enough." With those words, the snake Sannin disappeared, closing the door to Sasuke's room behind him. Shin'ichi was still crying when Sasuke reached over and plucked him from the basket, holding him to his chest next to his sister. The boy's cries stopped almost instantly when he was within arm's length of his twin, the two babies staring at each other with dark eyes.

"I'm happy that you two are here with me," Sasuke said to them, holding them just a little tighter. "You two are the future of the Uchiha clan, even if you are the offspring of my brother. Aika…Shin'ichi…I'm so happy for this moment."

The twins looked up at their uncle curiously before breaking out into big gummy smiles, Shin'ichi clapping his hands together and Aika's fingers buried in her mouth. It made the Uchiha's heart swell slightly that the children weren't unhappy about being kidnapped and separated from their mother. Then it hit Sasuke. How was he going to feed them if they fed off of their mother!? What if Selûne couldn't find them in time!?

"Shit!"

In the hideout, the Akatsuki had successfully managed to transplant Selûne's chakra back into her body. The room began to return to its original darkness as the last light from the ritual faded away, the seal burned into the skin of her stomach. The seal had been placed there as an extra precaution just in case the original seal broke. Her body hovered in the air for a moment before slowly lowering to the ground, but Itachi was there to catch her, gathering her gently into his arms.

"Wake her up now, Itachi," Pain said, motioning for the rest of the Akatsuki to leave the room. As the members filed out, Itachi pressed two fingers to the modified diamond tattoo, releasing a small amount of chakra into her so that it would soothe her into waking her up. His heart nearly stopped when her eyes fluttered slightly before opening, the dark blue orbs blinking blearily at him.

"Itachi…is it done?" she whispered, her voice hoarse. Itachi could only nod, his throat feeling unbelievably tight. An almost imperceptible sigh escaped her, her body relaxing against his. She could no longer feel the darkness of Miyako's influence upon her…it almost felt like an unbelievably heavy burden had been taken from her shoulders. She licked her dry lips. "Aika and Shin'ichi…I want to see them," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Itachi's neck. She felt his nod before he stood up with her in his arms, carrying her out of the room and up the winding stairs. As the Uchiha walked, Selûne sent herself into the subconscious of her mind.

It was dark as Selûne walked through a labyrinth, stepping in random puddles that dotted the stone floors. Somehow it felt like she knew where to go…something was tugging her, helping her through the labyrinth. Harsh breathing reached her ears.

She turned another corner into a spacious room where a gate stood, a tag with the seal kanji written upon it. That was where the harsh breathing originated from.

"I see you've come…" It was Miyako's voice, angry and bitter. She appeared behind the gate, her face contorted in an expression of the utmost fury. "So now you have me sealed away so that I cannot take control…it does not mean that it detracts from my return! Once you die, I will come back!"

"I know this…" Selûne said as she approached the gate. "It is for the best that this happened. Now you will not endanger my life or the lives of my family."

"Maybe not now, but later on, it will happen. You've only delayed the inevitable, my dear," Miyako purred, leaning against the bars. "Watashi no gisei…watashi no yōki…"

"No Miyako, not your sacrifice nor your vessel. I am my own person and I will find a way to release this curse on Mayu and I!"

"Too bad dear, it's impossible. You cannot change fate," Miyako said, turning away from the Amakura and walking back into the shadows of her cell. "You will pay for this…"

Selûne opened her eyes and blinked up at her husband, who simply stared straight ahead as he carried her to her room. He must have sensed her staring at him because his eyes shifted to her, a smile lifting his lips. She smiled and snuggled closer to him, enjoying the warmth of his body. He reached her room and opened the door, setting Selûne down so that she could go tend to their children. She had taken only one step when she noticed the empty crib.

"Itachi…where are the children?" she said quietly, her voice holding a disbelieving tone.

"They should have been in here. I'm going to go ask the others if they know where they are," Itachi said as he ran out of the room. Selûne stood there in silence, staring down into the empty crib.

"Where could they be…?" she murmured, closing her eyes and running her hand over the smooth wood. As she ran her hand over the wood, her fingers snagged on an indent in the frame. Her eyes opened and looked down at the indent, her heart stopping when she saw the symbol carved there. "It can't be…why…?"

Itachi came running back in just as Selûne fell to her knees before the crib, her face buried in her hands. "None of the others have seen or touched the children, koibito. Do you think they might be crawling around somewhere?"

"Itachi, they're only three days old. They're not old enough to be crawling yet…besides, I think I know what happened to them…" she replied in a low voice, her fists clenching tightly. Itachi waited for her to tell him, but she remained silent, stewing in her anger. Finally he couldn't take the tension.

"What happened to them Selûne?" he asked, worry laced in his normally silky voice. The Amakura gritted her teeth as she looked up at the wall, her eyes swirling in a mix of gold and red.

"Sasuke…your own brother kidnapped them," she replied, her voice filled with the utmost hatred. Itachi's breath hitched in his throat, his eye twitching slightly.

"Foolish little brother…I never expected this of him…" he murmured, falling to his knees next to his wife and taking her into his arms. "We'll find them together, koibito."

"Yes…and when we do…" she said slowly. "I will kill Sasuke for what he has done…"