Keeping Secrets

Itachi awoke the following morning, feeling surprised for a moment as he felt a weight on his chest. He looked down in confusion, finding the source of the pressure he felt in the form of Shirohime asleep on his chest. He blinked a few times, taking a moment to recall the details of the previous night. He laid there for a few minutes, waiting to see if she would awaken.

"Do you need to relieve yourself?" She asked suddenly, making him jump slightly beneath her, which made a giggle escape her.

"Not yet," he replied calmly.

"Good. I don't feel like getting up yet," she said as she snuggled into him and wrapped her arm around his torso.

Itachi draped an arm over her in a light embrace as they lay together, neither realizing they were still naked until the crisp morning air was stirred by a light breeze. Shirohime was the first to rise to relieve herself, Itachi electing to use the opposite side of the camp to do the same while giving her some privacy. They rejoined at the camp shortly after, both grabbing their respective cloaks for warmth as knelt to Itachi relight the fire.

"We can go to my house if you're hungry," Shirohime said as she stretched, the bottom of her cloak rising above her waist as she brought her arms over her head.

"I have to return to the village and report on my completed mission," Itachi said as he began collecting his few things.

"I can walk you home though," he added as he finished gathering his clothes and putting them on.

"Okay," Shirohime answered in an almost pouting tone.

Itachi walked her back to her home, a small wooden cottage isolated within the dense forest. Itachi doubted he would have found himself if Shirohime had not been leading the way. It took them close to an hour to reach it from his camp, making him wonder if she had spotted him with her Byakugan before she appeared. He kept the question to himself, hoping to be able to leave quickly to report the success of his mission and maybe spend some time with his little brother.

"Thank you for last night," she said as she opened the door, to which he replied with a warm smile.

"Will you visit me again?" She asked him, her voice pleading.

"I can't promise when, but I will try to come see you when I can," he replied, which made her entire bearing change. He chuckled as she smiled from ear to ear like an overjoyed child.

She surprised him by flinging herself at him and wrapping her arms around him, her head level with his chest. She looked at him, a curious emotion within her wide eyes.

"You don't have to stay and help me raise our child, but I would like it very much if you would at least drop by every once in a while," she said.

"I can't guarantee anything, Shirohime. I rarely get much time between missions," he said, much to her displeasure.

"But I will stop by whenever I can or I'm in the area," he said, chuckling as she beamed up at him with another wide smile.

"Take care, Uchiha Itachi," she said as he left. He turned to wave over his shoulder and offer her a smile in parting.

After reporting the success of his mission to Danzo, Itachi went to the Uchiha compound. His parents offered their congratulations for another successful mission as he entered, while Sasuke immediately began asking him to train him.

"Let your brother get some rest before you make him train you, Sasuke," their mother chided, to which the younger boy scowled.

Itachi felt that their father should train the youngest member of their Family, but the head of the Police Force had eyes only for his eldest son. Itachi told Sasuke that they would train after lunch, much to the younger boy's excitement. Their mother cooked and they all sat down to eat as a family, their father leaving to handle clan affairs after they finished.

Itachi led Sasuke to their usual spot, eager to spend some time with the young boy. He knew that their father was never a very affectionate parent, but he felt that the man was neglecting the younger of his sons. Itachi wondered what his father would say if he knew he would be a grandfather, or what would happen if he found out that Itachi had slept with a member of the Hyuga clan. There was a lot of bad blood between the two clans, mostly born of pride. He sighed heavily as he began to realize how bad things could go if his actions came to the attention of either clan.

"You look distracted, brother," Sasuke said, snapping Itachi's attention back to the present.

"Sorry, Sasuke. My last mission didn't go as smoothly as I would've liked. I was just thinking of what I could do differently if I ever find myself in a similar situation," he replied, not wanting to reveal the truth just yet.

"If anyone can figure it out, it's you," Sasuke replied, his adoration for his older brother clear in his tone.

Itachi smiled at him before instructing him to begin. Sasuke was able to hit all but three targets, an impressive feat considering his young age. Itachi withheld his observation, seeing that his brother would accept nothing short of matching Itachi's skill. They continued training until it was time to return for dinner, at which point they returned home to wash up and eat. Itachi found himself thinking about Shirohime as he lay down to sleep, feeling a bond with her that was born of their similar views of their respective clans. He decided he would go to see her the next chance he got.

Itachi arose early the next morning. As usual, his father was the only other member of the house to awaken before dawn. They sat quietly together on the porch, sharing a small pot of hot tea to ward off the morning chill.

"You're hiding something from us, Itachi. If it is about your mission, I understand that you're not supposed to talk about it. Just remember that I am your father, and you can always come to me if you feel the need for guidance," Fugaku said to him, catching Itachi by surprise with his observation.

"It's just that something happened on my mission that could come back to bite me later. I guess I'm just a little worried about the possible repercussions," Itachi said, being purposely vague to both assuage his father's doubts and not reveal the true nature of his secrecy.

"As long as you didn't do anything against your clan or village, you will not have to face it alone," Fugaku said reassuringly, not realizing that Itachi's actions could possibly be seen as an act of treason by both parties.

Itachi knew that Danzo would never accept a mix of the Uchiha and Hyuga bloodlines, and would likely even send a hit squad after Shirohime. The realization made his blood boil, a response he wasn't expecting considering the briefness of their time together. He refrained from sharing any of those details with his father, knowing that Fugaku would be as likely to accept the information as happily as Danzo would, though Fugaku would be far less likely to order her death.

"Thank you, father. The problem is that I don't know who my decision might make angry," Itachi replied.

"You're worried about Danzo," Fugaku said, cutting to the source of Itachi's discomfort with unnerving accuracy.

"Yes," Itachi replied.

"If he tries anything against you, the Uchiha clan will back you," Fugaku said, his Sharingan activating by the strength of his unspoken emotions.

Itachi thanked his father for his advice and went inside, walking calmly to his room. Only once he was in the safety of his room did he let out the breath he had been holding, his heart hammering against his ribs. To think his father would suggest such a thing...