36 chapters…

And we still have a long way to go.

I'm updating today because it's 6/18/2012 and 6-18=12 and that messes with my OCD... So yeah.

Also, this is the third story, and this is the 36th chapter and it was posted in 2012. 12X3=36

YaY for math lessons!

Enjoy my dear readers.

"Welcome back." Tsunade smiled. She had seen it appropriate to meet us at the gate when she caught wind of our coming. Itachi had sent a crow with news of our early arrival to Sasuke and then said little brother informed the Hokage.

He stood off to the side with Cielo next to him and Naruto on his other side.

"Yo." I greeted, giving her a smirk. "How are you, Tsunade?"

She dipped her head in my direction. "Wonderful despite all of the paperwork. And yourself?"

"Stressed the fuck out, but I'll be fine." I shrugged. "Why don't you just pull a Naruto, make some clones, and use them to do your work?"

She stared at me. "I never thought of that."

I snickered. "And this is why I'm considered a genius." I looked around her and smiled at Naruto, Sasuke, and Cielo. "Hello you three."

"Hey Alice!" Naruto grinned. Sasuke dipped his head in greeting because he was too busy fighting off Sable to really respond and Cielo smiled at me with a small wave.

"Alice!"

I grunted as I was lifted off the ground in a hug by a big green blob. I instantly knew who it was, not only because of the enthusiastic voice, but because of the sheer amount of green youthfulness.

"Hi Lee." I deadpanned.

"It is very nice to see you Alice! You look very well!" He said excitedly.

I patted his head and he set me down. "It's good to see you too, Lee. And you're looking good yourself. Very youthful and fit."

He beamed.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Itachi and Kisame glaring at Lee, both of them easing their tense postures. I distinctly noticed a glint of metal disappear up Itachi's sleeve while Kisame lowered his arm from Samehada's hilt.

Lee's exuberance still catches them off guard.

"And Tiburon-kun!" Lee gasped, darting around me to stand unnaturally close to my son. He put his hand on Tiburon's shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up with his free hand. "Good to see you, Tiburon-kun!"

Tiburon grinned. "Hey Lee. What's up?"

"A lot is up, Tiburon-kun!" Lee yelled. "The sky for one!"

Itachi and Kisame both face-palmed.

I laughed and shook my head, looking around when I felt a soft, friendly bump on my shoulder. I smirked and dipped my head at the Hyūga beside me and the last member of their team. "Hey Neji, hey Tenten."

"Hello Alice." Neji greeted. Tenten simply smirked at me.

"How are you guys?" I asked.

Tenten shrugged. "Fine."

Neji dipped his head. "Well, thank you. I hear Tiburon is participating in the Chūnin exams."

"Yep." Tiburon confirmed. "Me, Cielo, and Sanaa are gonna kick ass!"

I glared at him. "Watch your mouth, Tiburon Shisui."

He hid behind Lee. "Sorry."

Tsunade laughed lightly at our antics before putting a hand on my shoulder. "So, shall we discuss living arrangements? I asked your leader to update you on our proposal."

I nodded and grabbed Itachi's hand as he stepped up to stand beside me. It was his way of being close to me, and lessening the number of people who would touch me. "Pein told us. We're alright with it."

"Good." Tsunade nodded. "Then we don't really need to go into detail. The district is yours to use as you please. Sasuke lives there permanently now, but you and the Akatsuki are free to come and go as you see fit. Of course, that means checking in with me when you leave and enter the village."

"Of course." I smirked. "Now, about these exams…"

Tsunade smiled. "Ah yes, Pein mentioned that you were probably going to demand being able to watch them."

"Hell yeah I am." I scoffed. "I'm a paranoid mother."

Neji raised his eyebrow at me. "Can't you just foresee the exams to soothe your worrying?"

Yeah… I never told these people that I'm not really a fortune teller. It's better to just let them believe what they want.

"I'm shutting out visions of the exams so I don't freak out if something goes wrong. Plus, it could be seen as cheating on Tiburon's part if I knew everything." I lied.

"Shutting out visions?" Tenten repeated.

I nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Naruto blinked. "You can do that?"

I scoffed. "I'm Alice, bitch. I do what I want."

Neji face-palmed, Itachi and Sasuke sighed, Kisame chuckled, and everyone else smirked.

"Truer words have never been spoken."

"Nice of you to show up, Kakashi." I smirked, looking at the silver haired Jōnin who took a standing position beside the Hokage. "I was wondering when you would get here."

"I'm always around where there's entertainment. And when you're here Alice, you are the most potent source." Kakashi chuckled.

"I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, but when I think about it, I'm a little flattered." I laughed.

He patted my head. "It is one of your best qualities."

"Some would disagree." I shrugged.

"Well, they aren't you so it's not your problem." He returned.

I patted his arm. "Good response." I looked around. "So, Tsunade, exams. Lay them on me."

"I should not discuss this before two participants." Tsunade said, her eyes flicking to Cielo and Tiburon.

"Sasuke, be a dear and take Tiburon and Cielo away. Take them and Lee to Shikamaru's house so they can annoy the crap out of him. And tell him it's from me." I said dismissively, waving my hand, internally smirking at the thought of driving Konoha's laziest Shinobi up a wall.

Third Person!

In the Nara household…

Shikamaru rubbed his forehead as he sat lazily on the porch of his family's estate. A frown creased his usually bored and tired expression and he sighed heavily.

"What's wrong, Shikamaru?" Shikaku asked, looking up at his son from their game of Shogi.

Shikamaru shook his head. "I have a feeling something troublesome is going to happen soon. And for some reason, I feel like Alice is behind it."

First Person!

"Kisame …" I whispered, looking over my shoulder at him as we approached the Uchiha district. "Do you want to give us a minute?"

Kisame looked by me to his extremely tense partner. He assessed Itachi from a moment before nodding. "I'll go check on Tiburon."

I smiled at him. "Thank you."

Kisame grinned at me before kissing the top of my head. He left a moment later, heading in the direction of Tiburon's chakra. I returned my attention to Itachi when Kisame was gone and squeezed his hand gently.

"You okay?" I asked.

He tore his gaze from the familiar walls surrounding his clan's old home to look at me. "Hn."

"Words please." I told him.

"I am alright." He said quietly.

I nodded. "Alright. We'll take it slow."

Itachi kissed the side of my head and squeezed my hand when we finally reached the entrance. "Don't leave."

"Never." I promised him. "Come on. You know your way around better than I do."

He dipped his head and sighed quietly before pulling me into the district. With slow, cautious steps, Itachi led me through the various streets of the deserted district until we finally reached what was, without question, the nicest looking house in the entire joint.

I recognized it as Itachi and Sasuke's childhood home.

Itachi stared at it, his face appeared void of emotions to anyone who couldn't read him as easily as I could. I could see the guilt, sadness, and slight fear on his face that was hidden under his stoic mask.

"It's okay." I whispered. "It's alright Itachi."

He twitched.

"Come on." I encouraged, pulling him after me. He let me pull him, his eyes never leaving the front door. When we reached it after what felt like an hour, I stopped him in front of the door and put my hands on either side of his face. "Itachi, look at me."

Itachi blinked out of his daze and met my gaze. "Alice."

"You are fine." I told him. "It's alright. I know this is hard for you, but it's just a house. Your brother forgave you for what you were forced to do and I never judged you for it. No one that matters blames you for what happened here." I kissed him gently. "Just think of it as a very scary nightmare."

Itachi closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against mine. "I killed them."

"You had no choice." I reminded him, kissing his nose. "You chose the lesser of all of the evils. You saved Sasuke's life."

His knuckles cracked. "My parents…"

"Love you regardless." I assured him. "Itachi, you are not responsible for that night. You did something that no one else could or would have done. You should never feel ashamed or guilty for that. You saved the lives of hundreds, potentially thousands, of people."

He opened his eyes and met my gaze. "I miss them."

My heart shattered a little at that. "I know you do, Itachi." I pulled him into a hug and kissed his head, stroking his hair. "I know and I'm sorry they are gone. I'm sorry you are sad. But you have Sasuke still. And you have me and Tiburon. I know just the three of us can't replace your entire clan and your parents, but we can help ease the pain."

Itachi returned my hug. "The three of you are all I need." He kissed my cheek. "Thank you, Alice. I love you. Thank you."

"I love you too." I told him. "And you are most welcome." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Come on. Let's go inside."

He nodded tensely and followed me inside. We took off our shoes in the foyer before fully entering the house.

It was fucking huge.

The Uchiha were loaded.

I kept those sentiments to myself as I followed Itachi down a few hallways until we reached the back patio thing where most of the flashbacks occurred. He froze halfway down it, his eyes locked on the double doors directly across from us.

There was a giant black seal on the door, preventing anyone from getting inside.

"Sasuke?" I asked, looking at the door.

Itachi didn't answer me, but I took his silence as a confirmation. Sasuke had sealed the door that lead to the room where his parents met their early deaths at the hands of his brother.

Itachi started shaking so I hugged him and turned him away from the door. "If you need to, let it out." I whispered. "No one is here but you and me. I will never think any less of you, Itachi. I respect you and love you more than any other man. You are entitled to show your emotions."

He buried his face into my neck and hugged me back, shaking. I stroked his back and played with his ponytail quietly while he calmed himself down. He didn't cry, but he did start breathing heavily and he started whispering apologies.

When he was finished, his hold on me loosened, but he never broke away from me. I just hugged him silently, giving him time to compose himself.

He pulled away from me slightly and met my gaze after a long while. "Forgive me, Alice."

"There's nothing to forgive you for, dork." I told him. I kissed him fully. "Feel better?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Good." I smiled. "Are you going to be okay here?"

"I believe so." He stated, with a sure look in his eyes. "As long as you are with me and Sasuke is alright with it."

"Well I'm staying with you wherever you go, and Sasuke wants you here with him." I told him, patting his cheek. "Where are we staying?"

"My room." He informed me, grabbing my hand. "Come."

I allowed Itachi to pull me through the house until we reached a giant room that was bigger than ours back in the Love Shack. He looked around it for a moment before going to the closet.

He pushed it open and looked around inside at all of the boxes stacked up in it before glancing at me. "This is my room. Is it alright?"

I looked around. There was a decently large bed in the corner of the room beside a window. A massive dresser was on the opposite wall, a weapons rack was against the other corner, and the walls were painted a darker green and the floor was hard wood.

I looked back at Itachi who was watching me curiously. "I like it. It's very… you."

He smirked.

"Do you have porn in one of those boxes? You were a teenage boy before you left…" I asked, grinning at him.

His smirk vanished and was replaced by a deadpan expression. "Alice."

I snickered. "You did, didn't you?"

"No." He deadpanned.

I huffed. "Boring." I extended my hands towards him and wiggled my fingers. "Let me raid your shit."

"Later." He told me. "Sasuke, Kisame, Sable, and the kids are coming."

"No fun." I pouted. "I wanted to analyze your stuff and your childhood and tease you about embarrassing things I found."

Itachi kissed my forehead. "Forgive me Alice. Maybe later."

"At least you didn't poke my forehead." I mused, shrugging. "Let's go."

Itachi led me back to the entrance because this place was huge and I would get lost and we just reached it when Sasuke, Kisame, Cielo, and Tiburon entered the estate. Sable trotted in ahead of them, sniffing everything curiously.

"I'm having fangirl moments right now." I told them as they reached us.

Sasuke smirked at me but looked at his brother. "Nii-san."

Itachi shifted slightly. "Otouto."

Sasuke sighed. "Are you alright with this?"

"Only if you are." Itachi replied.

"I haven't stayed here yet." Sasuke admitted. "I think I might feel more comfortable if you are here with me."

I smiled. "You two need a minute?"

Itachi glanced at me. "No Alice, it will be alright. It just might be uncomfortable for the first few days until we get used to it."

Sasuke nodded. "He's right. Thank you though."

"Anytime." I told him. I looked around at my son who was gawking at the place. "Like it Tibby?"

Tiburon nodded. "This place is awesome!"

"Sasuke and your dad used to live here. This is where they grew up." I told him.

Tiburon blinked. "Really?" He looked at his dad. "Where's your room?"

Itachi chuckled. "I will show you later. For now, we need to find somewhere for you, Cielo, and Kisame to stay."

"They can stay here. I've already had a few of the other houses renovated for the other members to stay in. Each set of partners gets their own place." Sasuke explained. "Cielo stays here with us as well."

Cielo nodded quietly before his attention flicked to the bushes. Ash slipped out of them and slinked over to Cielo to sit at his side. "I was wondering where you went, Ash."

Ash just rubbed his head against Cielo's leg.

"What about when we leave?" Kisame asked, grinning at Cielo and the fox before looking at Sasuke.

"I will stay here." Sasuke informed him. "I'm moving in permanently as of today." He put his hands on Cielo and Tiburon's heads. "When the kids are here, they will stay here with me as well."

I glanced at Sasuke. "I take it the kitchen is void of food?"

He nodded.

I sighed. "Tachi, Sasuke, Kisa, you three get comfortable and unpack. I'm going to the market." I whistled and patted my leg. "Sable." She howled and darted to my side.

Itachi raised his eyebrow at me. "What are you doing?"

"Going to get food. Among other things." I told him. "Tibby, Cielo, come please."

"Alright." Cielo shrugged. "Come Ash."

Tiburon just grinned and jogged after me, playfully shoving Sable to get her to chase him. "Come on Cielo!" Cielo nodded and darted after him, Ash running at his side. Sable chased both boys and the fox, howling playfully.

"How are you going to pay for it, let alone carry it all?" Sasuke wondered.

"Don't worry about that, Sasuke." I smirked, looking away from my kids to meet his gaze. "I have my methods."

"Just carry everything to the kitchen." I instructed. "Tiburon and Cielo will show you where to go."

Itachi, Sasuke, and Kisame raised their eyebrows from the porch as they watched Neji, Lee, Naruto, Sai, Yamato, Shikamaru, Choji, Kakashi, Suigetsu, Jūgo, and Kiba carry in a shit-ton of groceries. I stood off to the side with Sable next to me and Ash beside her, watching them with a smirk on my face. A pile of groceries was at my side since I carried my own weight.

"Alice?" Itachi wondered.

I smiled at him. "Hey sexy."

"… What…?" Sasuke began.

"I got food." I shrugged. "And other things like cleaning supplies." I smiled at my brother-in-law. "You're welcome."

"How did you pay for all this?" Kisame wondered.

"With my striking good looks." I said dismissively. "The details aren't important. What is important is that we have some guests for dinner tonight. I promised them all dinner if they helped me." I smirked. "My food is just that good I guess."

Itachi sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I worry about you sometimes."

I scoffed. "Please. I'm Alice." I pointed to the bags next to me. "Carry these in or I won't make you food."

Sasuke and Kisame rolled their eyes, the latter grinning, but walked over and grabbed the bags I had disposed of on the ground. They disappeared inside, carrying my goods to the kitchen for me. Itachi simply stood on the porch, face-palming.

"What?" I asked.

"You remind me of my mother." He stated.

"Good thing?" I wondered, walking over to him.

He nodded. "Hn."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him gently. "Good." He smirked into the kiss and returned it, deepening the gesture.

"Ew!"

Itachi and I looked around to see Tiburon, Cielo, and the others watching us. Naruto, Kiba, and Tiburon were the ones who said it. Kakashi, Yamato, and Kisame looked amused, while everyone else just didn't care.

Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Jūgo had seen their fair share of me eating Itachi's face. Neji, Cielo and Shikamaru were too indifferent, Choji was too busy snacking on a bag of chips I stole him, and Lee was watching us with an inspired tear. Sai just kind of stared, unmoved.

I smirked at them. "Don't be jealous. I know everyone wants to kiss Itachi, but he's mine so back off."

All of them made a face while Itachi just sighed.

I laughed. "Get your asses out of the house. I need to cook."

"Yes!"

Dinner was finished relatively soon and everyone piled into the kitchen to eat. Itachi and Sasuke were tense for a bit and they didn't eat at first, but after I threatened them, they did and I saw them relax a little bit since my scolding brought them back to reality and away from the pain of the past that clung to the house.

After dinner, I shooed all of the Konoha ninja out, promising to spend time with them tomorrow and I sent the kids to bed. Sasuke and Itachi's house had the three bedrooms used by Itachi, Sasuke, and their parents and then three guest bedrooms which were useful.

Once the kids were put away, Sable sleeping with Tiburon and Ash with Cielo, Kisame wondered off to go get settled and take a shower since he always took one at night before he went to sleep if he could.

I sat in the living room with Sasuke and Itachi, watching them quietly from the couch. They were sitting beside each other and every noise that they heard caused them to twitch and look towards a door as if they expected their mother or father to walk through at any second.

I tolerated this for about twenty minutes before my eyes narrowed and I crossed my arms. "Alright you two, it's bed time."

Sasuke looked at me and raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"I mean it." I stated. "Both of you are emotionally and physically exhausted. I can see it in your faces. Itachi has been awake since four o'clock this morning and I know you've been up for a while because Cielo told me you didn't sleep either." I pointed at them. "And don't think I didn't notice you two slipping Sable and Ash your food when you thought I wasn't looking."

Itachi winced at being caught while Sasuke looked away from me stubbornly.

"Bed." I repeated.

"Fine." Sasuke sighed, getting to his feet. "Good night Alice. Good night, Nii-san."

Itachi looked at Sasuke. "Good night, Otouto."

"Night Sasuke." I told him. "Love you."

He dipped his head at us before leaving the room. When he was gone, I stood up and looked at Itachi. "It's your bedtime too. And you're sleeping tonight, or I'll shoot you up with my drugs to knock you out."

Itachi sighed and stood. "Alright, Alice. Let's go."

Itachi led me to his bedroom where we curled up together on the smaller bed. It was fine with me since it meant I got to be closer to him though. Soon after, he fell asleep.

I didn't however.

It turns out I'm not the only one who can get night terrors, though Itachi and Sasuke's were quiet as… permanent as mine nor as violent. They were nightmares, not night terrors. But they were bad all the same.

I was holding Itachi tightly while he twitched and muttered in his sleep when my door opened and Kisame poked his head in. I raised my eyebrow at him. "Kisame?"

Kisame looked at Itachi and sighed. "It looks like both of them are having a hard time with this. Sasuke's having a nightmare too."

I sighed. "Bring him in here, will you? I'll watch over them."

Kisame nodded and disappeared. A few minutes later, he carried in a shivering Sasuke who was curled into a ball. He set Sasuke beside me before he left and Sasuke latched onto me like a child clutching a security blanket. Itachi was doing the same thing, though he didn't whisper for his mommy quiet as innocently as Sasuke did. Instead, Itachi begged for forgiveness and whispered Sasuke's name. Sasuke ended up asking for Itachi later on too.

I stayed awake all night, holding onto both Uchiha brothers as they battled their nightmares brought about by the haunting memories of their childhood home.

Eventually, my contact soothed both boys as did the close proximity to each other. Sasuke shaking stopped as did Itachi's twitching and Sasuke stopped whimpering. Itachi's muttering died, but every now and then, he would whisper Sasuke's name and his hand would twitch in his brother's direction.

I think their chakras being so close together was helping more than my petting.

The next morning, Itachi was the first to wake. He shifted in his sleep and opened his eyes, noticing his tight grip around my person first, before he noticed how he wasn't the only one hugging my legs, nor were my legs the only thing he was holding. Sasuke's hand was in his grasp.

My inner fangirl about died because of the brotherly love.

He frowned at Sasuke's presence and looked around until he noticed my gaze. He looked up at me and raised his eyebrow. "Alice?"

"You two were having nightmares." I told him. "You guys calmed down faster when you were together. My presence stopped some of it, but I wasn't the one you two were asking for."

Itachi looked down. "I remember."

"Good. That means they weren't night terrors and that means they'll stop. Dreams fade in time, Tachi. That's something to look forward to." I assured him.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up." He sighed.

"I've kept you up plenty of nights." I countered. "Don't worry about it."

Sasuke shifted and opened his eyes. He stared ahead tiredly as I continued to pet him before the fact that someone was petting him registered. A gleam of attentiveness sprang into his eyes and his body tensed. His head snapped up and he looked around.

"Easy Sasuke." I soothed. "It's just me."

Sasuke looked at me, a frown on his face. "What are you doing in here?"

"Technically, this is my husband's bedroom." I mused. "I was in here first."

Sasuke glanced over and saw Itachi and obviously he connected two and two before he sighed. "I was having nightmares, wasn't I?"

"So was Itachi." I informed him. "I couldn't keep you both calm separately, so I brought you in here. Besides, you kept asking for Itachi and him for you."

"How did you carry him?" Itachi asked.

I raised my eyebrow. "Kisame brought him in here for me."

Sasuke sighed and detached himself from my person before rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, Alice."

I waved off his apologies. "Nightmares are my area of expertise, sweetie. Now up, both of you. Go wake yourselves up and I'll make breakfast."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, getting off the bed. Itachi waited for me to get up and crack my back before he too got up and headed towards the bathroom connected to his bedroom. Sasuke left a moment before I did and he went one way while I went the other, heading to the kitchen.

Kisame was there already, pestering Tiburon who sat at the table looking dead. Cielo sat beside him, amusement in his eyes as he watched Tiburon get more and more irritated.

"Good morning Alice." Cielo told me.

"Hi Cielo." I smiled, stroking his hair. "Kisa, leave him alone before he puts you in a Genjutsu."

Kisame grinned. "He's too tired to fight me."

Tiburon smacked Kisame hand when he pulled on his ear. "I'll bite the crap out of you."

"Bring it. I'll return the favor and my teeth are sharper." Kisame challenged.

Tiburon stuck his tongue out at Kisame. "Butthead."

"Tiburon, Cielo, did you boys feed Sable and Ash?" I asked.

Cielo nodded. "I did."

"Thank you." I stated, going to the fridge. "We'll eat breakfast, and then we'll decide what we're doing."

"Sasuke-sensei said he wanted to train with Tiburon and I." Cielo informed me.

"Kisa said he wanted to help train with us too." Tiburon told me.

Kisame looked at me and away from irritating Tiburon. "I want to help him with the water jutsu he copied from me. He has the ability to use them; he just needs to learn how to use them without wasting his chakra."

I shrugged. "Alright. Then Itachi and I will probably wander around the village." I looked back to the table when I heard a loud thud and laughter sounded from behind me to see Tiburon had tackled Kisame and was punching his chest while Kisame's laughter began filling the room. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I told you to leave him alone, Kisame. He inherited my temper."

Fun Fact: Itachi is tied with Jiraiya for having the highest stat total in the databooks.

Answer: Either Chūnin Exams, or the Sasuke Retrieval arch. Btw, my brother bought me all the seasons from the original Naruto for my birthday and Christmas presents. He's single handedly, the best brother on the planet.

QotC: Favorite Shippuden Arch so far?

WotC: Truth – verdad

So, for those of you who love me as much as I love you, and for those of you who adore Naruto as much I as I do, I have a question/proposition.

I'm currently writing a slightly Alternate Universe/Alternate Time Naruto fanfiction. And well, because I love my readers and supporters so much, I thought I'd offer the chance to write a story with me!

Fun right?

No. While I do want to be more involved with you lovelies, that isn't the only reason why. I'm having a hard time getting inspiration for some of the vital parts of the story (since I already have the plot laid out) and I'm mainly just getting ideas for filler chapters. So, if you're interested or curious or something, message me and we'll talk. Or review or however you people contact others these days.

To address some questions and concerns that I know might pop up:
No OCs. If there are any original characters in the story, they will of my creation (or whoever wants to help me) and they will be random civilians or Shinobi that have little purpose.
No, it will not conflict with my updating of this story.
I love the idea I have for this story and I already have a named picked out. It's a solid idea so I won't abandon it like I did Snatched.
No, the Akatsuki are not the main characters. But yes, Itachi is one of the few.
Yes, it will be a badass story. XD

So, let me know what you guys think in a review (preferably PM) and if you're interested, let me know.

See you.