I do not own Naruto okay? I know I haven't updated this one in a while but it is a little pet project of mine and like all my fics, no matter how long it takes, I do intend to finish it. But anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic.

A few days had passed and Akari was well enough to be out of bed and play like she did before she got sick. Itachi smiled as he saw her playing with her dolls in the library. This told him her life was coming back to how it was before she had fallen ill. "How are you feeling Akari-chan?" Itachi asked with a smile as he looked upon his daughter with happiness at her improving condition.

"Much better!" Akari smiled. "When can I go back to school? I don't want to fall behind."

"When Dr. Konan says you can my darling." Itachi said. "She doesn't want you to either make the other kids sick or get sick again."

"Ah poo…" Akari sighed.

"Why so glum?" Itachi asked, curious as to any young child would be sad about missing school. Most children he knew did not like going to school in the first place.

"Mirai is a few grades ahead of me and I want to show her I'm just as good as her. She can be quite a bully sometimes." Akari sulked. Mirai was the daughter of Kurenai and Asuma and a few years older than Akari and while it never seemed to Itachi that Mirai would bully anyone or that anyone would dare bully an Uchiha child, his own experiences as a child and with the Hokage recently told him different. While the village was in awe of the Uchiha skill and status, they also resented it. That was part of the reason that Itachi felt such a low price was the village's original offer for the land he had to just sell. He himself was a very skilled and brilliant student, meaning many of the boys in his class and above him would pick on him because of that. Jealously was evil. It led men to do petty and spiteful things and in jealous moves that had been taught over the generations, the kids would pick it up and act on it like their parents.

"I'm sure you will do fine once you get back to school." Itachi smiled. "Have you been keeping up with your homework?"

"Sort of…." She said eyes moving back and forth, trying to cover up the fact she did not do many of the assignments sent home so she could keep up with the schoolwork.

You love learning at school but yet won't do your homework without a fight. "Well Akari-chan," He began sternly, "If you are going to be as skilled as I am or your mother was, then you need to do your homework. Aburame-sensei will know how you are doing before you head back."

"You mean Aburame-sensei's bugs?" Akari shuddered, finding Shino's jutsu disgusting as she did not like bugs.

"Yes. He has used them to spy on the enemy in battle. Do you think he wouldn't do it to you to make sure that Akari-chan is doing her work?" Itachi said playfully stern.

"I'm getting to work!" Akari panicked and picked up a workbook sent home from the academy for her to work on while she was ill and began reading.

Itachi smiled as he headed to the kitchen to find Konan standing there looking annoyed at him. "You really told your daughter her teacher was spying on her? I mean do they do that here? Ame teachers were strict but once you were home, that was that for the day."

"I'll be honest," He said looking back to the library to make sure that Akari couldn't hear him and she was doing her homework. "Akari hates her homework. Something I haven't figured out why because she likes school, but hates that."

"Oh I think I know why." Konan smiled.

"Why?" Itachi asked, desperate to find a way to get his daughter more engaged without him having to force her to.

"Because she is quite fond of her father and while she likes school, she likes spending time with you more. She's smart enough to understand she needs to go and likes doing well because it makes you proud. However, she wants to spend some daddy daughter time together and sees homework as violating that." Konan said with a smile.

"You're quite insightful with children." Itachi said.

"Just part of my duties as a doctor. And with children, you must understand why they act so you can get them to do what you want so much easier." Konan said.

"I can imagine that many children would not like being at the doctor's office." Itachi said.

"Exactly. Especially when they're sick or needing a vaccine. Needles are scary." Konan said.

Itachi nodded and picked up the newspaper and began to read. She's wonderful when it comes to taking care of Akari, quite understanding and she's pretty attractive too. Itachi thought as he looked at Konan. Well, it's better to ask and be rejected than to sit wondering. Izumi would not want me to wallow on in sadness. She'd want me to find happiness again. "I have something to ask of you that may seem unorthodox." Itachi began.

"Yes?" Konan asked.

"Well, I've really enjoyed your presence here." Itachi began to say. I feel like a teenage boy again. Is it always awkward, no matter how old you are? He thought as he took a breath and continued. "I have been rather lonely since Izumi died and was wondering if you would like to come with me to a coffee house when Akari is well enough to be taken to her Uncle Shisui's?"

"Uncle Shisui?" Konan asked.

"He's my best friend, and well kind of adopted the de facto title of 'uncle' when Akari was born. We have a very brotherly bond." Itachi explained. "So, would you care to join me?" Konan paused. Yes, she did find Itachi quite interesting and even thought he was handsome, but to be asked out was surprising. "I mean I understand if you would rather not. It must be considered highly unprofessional for you to date an employer and a patient's father. I understand that must create a conflict of interest and I know you would highly value your career, so I won't be mad if you don't want to, I just thought I would offer." Izumi paused like this when I first asked her out and I gave her that same long rant trying to not make her feel bad if she wanted to reject me. She didn't but still.

"It would be my pleasure." Konan smiled. "How about tomorrow at 6pm? I always love watching the sunset with an order of dango and a good cup of tea. It also gives you plenty of time to let Shisui know. I doubt he would be too happy if you just dropped Akari off at his house and just went on a date."

"I think he would be happy I'm 'getting back out there' as he says it." Itachi said. "Well I'll go tell Akari about this. Spend some time with her while she does her homework. Maybe if she sees it won't interfere with her time with her father, she'll be more apt to do it."

"There you go." Konan smiled.

Itachi got up and walked back into the library where Akari was working on her assignment with an annoyed face. "I hate math. And word problems." She growled.

"Let me see what you are working on." Itachi said sitting beside her reading the problem. 'Rem has 4 apples and drops 3. She then gets 2 more and gives one of them to Ryuk. Finally, she gets a basket with 11 apples. Ryuk has 3 apples, gets one from Rem and eats 2 of them before finding a bag with 8 apples. Who has more apples, Rem or Ryuk?'"

"They should eat them all." Akari sulked.

Itachi laughed and carried on. "You have to take each part one at a time. Start with Rem. How many apples does she start with?"

"4." Akari said.

"She drops 3. Meaning she lost them. How would you account for something being taken away?"

"I'd subtract 3." Akari said. "So she has one. Then I add 2 more because she got two more so she has 3."

"And then she gave one to Ryuk. So how many does she have left?"

"2. Then she gets a basket of 11 apples. Meaning she has 13." Akari smiled.

"Now we follow the same steps with Ryuk." Itachi said.

"Ryuk has 3, then he got one from Rem. That means 4. Ryuk eats 2. So now he has 2. Then he finds a bag with 8 apples. Now he has 10." Akari said.

"So how many does Rem have and how many does Ryuk have?" Itachi said.

"Rem has 13 and Ryuk has 10." Akari said. "So Rem has more."

"See, now was that hard?" Itachi asked with a smile.

"Yes." Akari sulked. "Until you helped me daddy." She added with a smile.

"I can help you with any homework you need." He smiled. "Homework doesn't have to be a pain if I help you. I need to tell you a few things. You know your Uncle Sasuke?"

"Yes?" She asked.

"Well his wife is going to have a baby. You'll be a big cousin." Itachi said.

"Well if I can't be a big sister, I guess that will do." She sighed. "Unless…" She looked mischievously at Konan "You and Konan can make me a big sister!"

"Now now now…." Itachi blushed. "I was going to say we were going to go to a coffee house tomorrow night and we were going to take you to Uncle Shisui while we do so. Is that okay?"

"That's just fine!" Akari said hugging her father. "I'd love for you to get together with Konan so I can have a new mommy and maybe brothers and sisters again!"

"Now now, do not rush into these things. I'm not planning on marrying Konan or having children with her. I just wanted to thank her for being such a good and helpful doctor to you." Itachi said blushing.

"You're blushing daddy!" Akari said. "Daddy and Konan sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Daddy with the baby carriage! And Akari is finally a big sister!" She ran around the library singing.

"Enough." Itachi said sternly. "You've got homework to finish. Go work on that."

"Fine dad." Akari said as she slunk back in the chair and worked back on her assignments.

"I'm getting a drink." Itachi said as he headed back into the kitchen and sighed.

"I take it Akari wants to see us together." Konan laughed.

"She really wants to be a big sister." Itachi sighed. "She misses her mom and really wanted to be a big sister."

"They say kids have a real intuition." Konan said. "There may be a connecting between us after all."

"Maybe…." Itachi smiled. Well if this does go well, I don't need to worry about Akari not liking her new mother.

So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. This story is mainly fluff so a lot of these chapters won't be very long but I intend them to be really sweet. Yes, the names in the word problem are Death Note references with Rem and Ryuk. I couldn't think of anything else. Anyway, I don't have much else to say here so remember to read, (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now,

Otherrealmwriter

Aka

Realm