I do not own Naruto okay? I know it's been awhile since I updated this one, but what they hey, I've been pretty busy with my life and things don't always work like you want them to. But enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
Itachi and Sasuke sat quietly as they waited outside the Hokage's office, waiting to be called in. The tension in the air was think and both brothers could feel it. Itachi knew Sasuke had a point, that Sakura did do the best she could, but he couldn't help but think that there was more she could have done. He sat looking at Sasuke, Sakura's words playing in his mind when Izumi was dying.
"Okay Izumi, the baby is coming in breech, we may have to do a cesarian." Sakura said as Izumi cried in pain. Itachi was pacing around the room not knowing what to do. Akari had been pretty easy but this child was proving to be one complication after another.
"Is everything going to be okay?" Itachi said as he moved in closer to Sakura and Izumi.
"Yes it will be. Now back off!" Sakura said looking over at him rather irritated.
"You are dealing with my wife and unborn son!" Itachi yelled back at her.
"Yes and I cannot do so if you are hovering around me! I need space." She said as she pushed Itachi away. "Where is Akari anyway? She may need Daddy to let her know she won't be forgotten."
"She's at Shisui's. He and his wife are looking after her while this is going on. Akari is still rather young and I don't want her adding to the stress." Itachi said.
"Well maybe you should go to Shisui's too." Sakura yelled back.
"OH GOD THIS IS THE WORST PAIN EVER!" Izumi said as she looked towards Sakura with rage in her eyes. "AND I WANT ITACHI HERE AND NOW! THIS IS HIS FAULT ANYWAY!"
"How is it my fault?" Itachi said as he moistened a cloth to put on Izumi's head.
"You knocked me up!" Izumi said as she began to push.
"Hold on! Hold on!" Sakura panicked as she looked at the amniotic fluids that came before birth "This is no good."
"WHAT?" Itachi and Izumi yelled at the same time.
"There's dark green stains in the fluid. We've got to deliver now." Sakura said. "Push" she yelled as Izumi screamed in pain and pushed harder. "Almost there..." And Izumi pushed one more time as the baby came out in a foot first position and the cord was showing over it's neck. "This isn't good." Sakura mumbled as she began the chakra scalpel to remove the cord as it began to come out of the womb. "Okay, slow the pushing Izumi, we're getting closer to the head." Sakura ordered as Izumi panted and lay back with exhaustion.
"Is this okay Sakura?" Itachi asked as Izumi started to stare off into space and grow more and more pale.
"I need to focus on getting your son out. There's signs of meconium aspiration and the cord around his neck already. I can attend to Izumi's exhaustion when I am sure the baby is okay." Sakura said.
"Shouldn't you call Lady Tsunade or even another nurse? I hear your fried Ino is pretty good. I swear something is wrong with Izumi!" Itachi said.
"Relax!" Sakura ordered as she pulled a bottle out of her bag. "You need to drink this medicine."
"I want to know what is happening to my wife and son! This wasn't how it was with Akari!" Itachi yelled.
"Here!" Sakura said as she shoved the bottled in his hands, propped up his hands and made him drink. Itachi felt himself feel lighter and want to sit back down. "I need to attend to the baby." She then checked his heart rate. "It's falling fast. I've got to try and stabilize him before we can get to the hospital. Why didn't you come in sooner?"
"It was happening so fast! We couldn't make it!" Izumi said meekly before laying back down looking away out a window, away from Itachi, away from Sakura and her newborn son.
Itachi couldn't recall much what happened next, the memory seemed to wiped from his mind. He just remembered Sakura saying the baby had died and was stillborn and he could just recall her declaring Izumi dead and calling the coroners to collect the bodies. He could see them putting Izumi and the child on the stretcher and covering them with a blanket and taking them out of his manor. He collapsed on the ground and began to cry. It was then when Sakura began to place her hand on his shoulder.
"Get your hand off me you grim reaper!" Itachi yelled pushing her away.
"I'm sorry for your-" Sakura began but he turned to her and held a kunai at his side.
"Do not give me your canned, prepackaged condolences. Just leave me be!" Itachi yelled.
"Really?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. Be gone!" Itachi said as he collapsed where Izumi laid and cried once he heard Sakura shut the door behind her. It was later that night when he had finally gone to Shisui's house and picked up Akari.
"So, boy or girl?" Shisui asked looking at Itachi's blank face with concern. "What happened bro?" Shisui being his best friend could tell when Itachi was in distress.
"Can we speak in private? I don't want Akari to know just yet." Itachi said.
"What happened man?" Shisui asked as he led Itachi away to another room and shut the door.
"Izumi died in childbirth. Baby was stillborn." Itachi said simply. "I was hoping to bring Akari to a new baby brother, not two funerals."
Shisui nodded. "Look, I'll keep Akari here while you make the arrangements."
As Itachi was stuck in his memory, Sasuke spoke up, hoping to break the silence. "I didn't tell you what I just found out the other day did I?"
"What?" Itachi said plainly.
"Sakura's pregnant. Has her heart set on the name Sarada if it's a girl." Sasuke said.
"Good for her." Itachi said trying to keep his anger and bitterness to a minium. "Best of luck."
"So, how do you handle raising a girl?" Sasuke asked. "I have no idea what to expect when it comes time and I don't want to mess things up with her."
"It's hard to explain if there is any real difference. I couldn't tell you there is or isn't as I just had Akari and she is a very good child. But ask Sakura's parents how she was when she was young. The old saying of the child takes after how you were as a child does have some merit. Akari reminds me so much of Izumi when we were younger." Itachi said.
"Wow." Sasuke said with a slight note of intimidation. "Sakura is very strong willed. This might prove a challenge."
"I do recall when I was picking you up from the academy when we were kids that she wasn't that strong willed, or if she was, it didn't show." Itachi said.
"You noticed Sakura back then?" Sasuke asked.
"Can't forget that hair." He smiled, even though he had a slight hatred for the pink haired kunochi.
"True." Sasuke said. "If it's a boy I hope he gets my hair."
"What, so everyone will call him duck butt?" Itachi teased.
"Well, my color." Sasuke corrected. "It wouldn't be easy to be a boy with pink hair."
"True." Itachi said as the door to the Hokage's office opened. "Kakashi is ready to see you now."
"Sit down." Kakashi said as they headed into his office. "We're here to talk about the new training grounds and the plans on where to locate them."
"Understood." Itachi said as he got up and looked at the map. "It seems they go over the river here that is the border between Uchiha property and property of the village."
"Yes. We need some river space for water training." Kakashi said. "For water rescue and water attacks. Having it by the river will make this much easier."
"So why do you need it there? Why not at a spot further downstream?" Sasuke asked.
"Because of the developing civilian population there. Since the wars have ended, we have had less need for shinobi and many from the collapsed villages and dislocated civilians have moved here. We plan to put a new water treatment plant and hydroelectric power plant there. But to keep Konoha as one of the strongest and most ready villages, we need new training grounds and this spot by the Uchiha property seemed best. We plan on paying you both fairly for it."
"Can't we just rent you the property when you are using it to train?" Sasuke asked.
"I am afraid not. You see, we need access to these grounds at all times and training will be done at various times of the day. So we cannot have it as a rental only option. We must obtain it. The paperwork is already drawn up, we just need you both to sign." Kakashi explained.
"What if I don't?" Itachi asked, feeling rather affronted that his and Sasuke's land was going to be taken away from them by the government just like that.
"We can always override it if one of you agrees. I can say you are simply in a distressed mode as of late. Trust me Itachi, the village has been talking about you since Izumi died and spreading rumors." Kakashi warned.
"Like what?" Itachi demanded.
"The usual ones when a man becomes reclusive." Kakashi said as Itachi glared at him with rage. "No one is saying anything about Akari or that someone needs to take her from you but they are worried about you. However it's only a matter of time before someone thinks to up the rumor to become the center of attention. Most people are sympathetic to you but that will only last so long. You and I both know how people are."
"And that has to do with me signing over my share of the Uchiha property to the village how?" Itachi said, failing to see Kakashi's angle.
"Because people are thinking you are vengeful against them because of Izumi's death. They found out about you hiring Konan to treat Akari's measles. If you try to keep something secret, everyone finds out." Kakashi said.
Itachi looked at Kakashi with intense rage and read the offer on the contract. "Raise the price you are offering by 25000." Itachi said, wanting the village to feel some pain.
"5000 more." Kakashi offered.
"20000 more." Itachi counted.
"15000 more." Kakashi said, knowing what Itachi was doing and where it was going.
"Fine. I guess." Itachi said as he signed the contract. "Both you and Sasuke will get 15000 more than the initial offer, although why I am giving in I do not know."
"You need this. We have it. Without me signing you will cause a political chaos scandal that the other prominent clans will begin to talk about. And besides, why has no one spread nasty rumors about Shikamaru, a man who is a hokage's aide being involved with the Kazakage's sister?" He said annoyed.
"That is seen more as a political power move." Kakashi said. "Yes it's unfair and people need to get a life, but that is how they are talking." He added.
"Well it is bullshit." Itachi said as he signed his name. "I expect the money to be in my account by the end of the week. If not, the deal is off."
"Sure thing Itachi." Kakashi nodded peacefully.
With the final touch on his signature, Itachi stormed out, feeling like once again, the village had robbed him of something he loved and left him part of a man and slightly crushed. And to be the subject of gossip because he chose a different doctor for his child was enraging. As he headed back onto the Uchiha's property, he threw a kunai at the tree as Konan met him at the door.
"Is there anything wrong?" Konan asked cautiously.
"No. Nothing you can help anyway." Itachi said. "How is Akari?"
"Making good progress. I should be able to declare her fit to play tomorrow, nothing to strenuous yet but not complete bed rest either." Konan said.
"That's good to hear." Itachi smiled as he looked at Konan. "Listen, when she is not contagious, want to head with me for dinner? I can take Akari to my friend Shisui's for the time being then. It's just you and me."
"I'd be honored to." Konan blushed.
"Good." Itachi said as he looked back at her. Konan was a woman who felt his pain, understood him and did well with Akari. It may not have been one of the other village women who had just wanted money and Uchiha prestige, but what mattered was not the village they were from but how they treated him as a person. If they wanted to talk, Itachi would tell them where to take it. He already sold some of his family land forcefully to the village, he could at least move on with whomever he wanted.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. I know this chapter gives more on how Izumi died and why Itachi is how he is but this is a fluff story and provides history. Anyway, I don't have much else to say here other than remember to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now,
otherrealmwriter
aka
Realm.