Chapter Twenty-Eight

Proposal

Mikoto stared at her oldest child aghast. The story he had uttered was one of terrible tragedy and horror. Her hand covered her mouth in an attempt to calm the nausea that threatened to overtake her.

Mikoto studied her oldest child, knowing that he was perfectly capable of the cold blooded murder he had spoken of, but against his own family? It seemed she did not know him as well as she thought she had. The thought that her son would even think about committing genocide was enough to make her deathly ill. She knew of that what the council had asked him to do…but she had thought he immediately dismissed it. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe her son had contemplated killing each and every family member he had-people who loved, respected, and trusted him. Maybe he considered allowing the blood of countless people stain his hands for eternity. Maybe he thought it was something that he could live with. Maybe her son was just that foolish.

"Did you consider this plan that this…other Itachi went through with?" He didn't answer immediately and that was answer enough for Mikoto. Still, his spoken answer sent a chill down her spine.

"…It was an option that I couldn't discount." Mikoto covered her face with her hands to hide the tears that stung the back of her eyes. She couldn't look at Itachi. She had never in her life been ashamed of her children, but in those moments she was.

"Why would you even consider it? Are the lives of the people in our clan so minuscule?"

"Mother…I did not kill the clan."

"No, you didn't, but a version of you out there did."

Her mind ran to the little boy who had gone through so much, lost so much. Mikoto knew her son Sasuke was a ray of sunshine. She knew that there was no one with a brighter personality. However, faced with such darkness how would he have turned out? What would have become of him? She could imagine a boy who had to carry the death of his loved ones alone. What kind of monster would that create inside her sweet baby? A tear slid down Mikoto's cheek and pain squeezed her heart with an unbearable force.

"And am I to be punished for the sins of another?"

His question went unanswered as his mother was lost in her own thoughts.

"He's insane, isn't he?" Itachi was silent before he replied, "I suspect he is."

Her shoulders shuddered violently before she realized that she had to pull herself together. They had a 'situation' on their hands the likes of which she never expected to encounter. Her son was lost. The very foundation of their world was in peril once more. So she had to do what women had been doing for centuries. She was going to have to suck it up and deal with it.

Mikoto wiped the tears from her eyes and squared her shoulders. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her voice became hoarse as the tears continued to fall even as she wiped them away. Her mind had settled upon a decision. One that would be necessary not only for the stability of the two worlds, but for the mind of boy turned man who had grown up without that which he deserved. "Bring the boy to me."

Itachi shook his head negatively. "You know that's not possible. Our world would collapse."

"Any other plan is irrelevant as long as he is a wild card. From what I understand he's a ruthless young man that only wants what was taken from him…what his village and his brother took from him. He will not rest until he gets what he wants and I can't say that I blame him, Itachi."

"Mother-"

"No person should have to suffer as this boy has. If I can erase even a second of the hardships he has witnessed, I will do it no matter the cost."

Itachi was torn. It hurt his heart to know that somewhere, a Sasuke in some dimension had been failed by the Itachi that resided there. But, the damages that could result in his mother's request…

Mikoto, seeing the still hesitant look upon Itachi's face, eyes hardened into steel. "I know what I'm doing Itachi. Bring me my baby."

:::

Sakura and Saku turned to see Kakashi leaning in the door frame. His tall, lanky form was filled with barely contained frustration and aggression. For a moment Sakura was certain she was looking at an exploding tag because judging from the expression on his face, things were going to get destroyed if they dared to argue with him. That only served to stoke both women's temper.

"When were you appointed my keeper?" Sakura said, rising to her feet while folding her arms across her chest and tapping her foot. Her brow began to twitch in anger, but fear was clawing up her throat. For some reason, though, Sakura glanced at her counterpart and realized that the tension in the air was thick and heavy. Because of that she made a valiant effort then to put a lid on her temper because the situation wasn't just about her. It was about Kakashi and Saku and all the feelings they had for each other but couldn't express to one another.

"I wasn't. That's your Uchiha's job. We wouldn't want to take anything from him."

Thereafter it took Sakura about ten seconds to change her mind about holding her temper. It was one thing to be upset about the way his relationship with Saku was going. It was quite another to drag Itachi into a situation that he was just a bystander in. Okay, honestly, Sakura knew that he was part of the problem but she also knew that it hadn't been a deliberately vicious action on his part. Kakashi should know that too.

"Look, you—"

"Kakashi," Saku said, interrupting her would-be tirade. Sakura scowled but otherwise held her tongue—for the moment.

"Who better to deal with her boys than her?"

"From what I could tell they didn't need to be 'dealt' with. It's a matter of her safety that's the concern. If she goes back there's a great probability that she'll die."

Saku shook her head negatively. "You don't know that. I didn't die."

"We're not talking about you."

Sakura took a moment to close her eyes and count to ten at the disparaging remark about her skills as a ninja. It made her angry but she wasn't childish enough to pitch a fit about it. Besides, there was more than one way to skin a Copy Cat. Instead she chose to hold up her hands and stop the fight that would break out at any moment. "Okay. Time out you two. There's a simple way to settle this."

Kakashi and Saku looked at her expectantly. Sakura took a deep breath and let it out slowly before uttering her demand. "Kakashi, summon Pakkun."

"Why are you summoning Pakkun?" Sakura turned around surprised to see Itachi standing in the entryway. Her heart dropped into her stomach, annoyed that his sudden appearance frightened her so much. Couldn't the man make a little noise when approaching? And why did he have to come home now of all times? "And why is Saku here?" Especially with a barrage of questions that would only lead to uncomfortable answers.

"It has become too dangerous for her to stay there." Kakashi said locking eyes with the younger man. "I brought her home."

"I see." Itachi said, and then looked directly at Sakura. "And what is it that you plan to do?"

Sakura felt her heart stutter at his going immediately to the crux of the situation. She planned to leave. Things were getting out of hand at home and she knew her boys needed her. She had to go. And yet she had made promises here, promises that she needed to keep. Sakura suddenly felt like her emotions were tugging her in two different directions.

"I need to speak to them…I need to make sure they don't do anything foolish."

"And why would they? Have things not been okay?"

Sakura glanced at Saku and Itachi followed her gaze. Itachi surveyed Saku's form knowing immediately she wasn't in peak condition. "How badly were you injured Saku?" Saku blushed and glanced away from Itachi's knowing gaze. "Sakura, please continue healing Saku while I speak with Hatake."

Sakura wanted to protest but she knew that Saku, whether she mentioned it or not was in pain and she couldn't leave her in that situation. So she nodded to Itachi and watched worriedly as he lead Kakashi out of the room and into his study.

:::

The silence should have been awkward filled with tension and bitterness. It was indeed awkward but the tension that lay underneath the awkwardness was what they felt the most. It is what prompted Itachi to speak first.

"What happened?"

"Someone is out to kill your fiancé. They attacked Saku in her stead." Kakashi moved toward the chair in Itachi's office and collapsed into it. His hands reached for his reliable novel but in his rush to find Saku after she had disappeared from his apartment he had left it behind. He wondered briefly if the Uchiha would notice if he made a clone and slipped out to retrieve it.

Itachi closed his eyes briefly as the news washed over him. "Does her team know?" Kakashi was silent for a moment before replying with a terse, "Yes."

A frown marred the Uchiha's face. It explained why Sakura was so desperate to get in touch with her team. When he entered his home he could see the mild panic that was rapidly increasing with every passing second in her eyes. It only meant one thing. Sakura was desperate to get back to her team and that she had completely forgotten him.

"She can't go back." Itachi stated and to his surprise Kakashi agreed.

"You're right she can't. It would be a death sentence. Saku barely managed to survive herself."

"And yet she won't sleep at night if she feels her team is unsettled. It may cause her to do something…foolish."

"I assume you have a plan."

"I had a proposal before I even knew what was going on, but I suppose everything will play out as needed."

"And your plan?"

"…I intend to bring her Sasuke here to this world."

"Impossible and improbable. Sakura being here is already more than both worlds can stand. If they both are here then it's only a matter of time before—"

"Don't you think I know that?"

"I know you know it, but perhaps you need to hear it out loud. Do not bring him here." Kakashi said rising to his feet and staring hard into the Uchiha's eyes.

"Do not presume to tell me what to do, Hatake. Be glad I share any information with you at all."

"And should I grovel at your feet because you deign to share with me?"

"At least you know your place."

A split second passed while Kakashi made a decision. The Uchiha clan had always hated him since Obito's eye had become his—they weren't exactly on pleasant terms before that either. However, he had always thought this particular Uchiha was different. No matter that Saku had chosen Itachi over him he still held some type of grudging respect for the man. Now that little respect he had dissolved into ashes that he could taste in his mouth. It fed a rage that had been held at bay for longer than he could remember. At with those few words that rage was set free.

:::

An earthquake rocked the house, it's strength causing Sakura and Saku's eyes to lock in fear. Both women jumped to their feet in order to rush to Itachi and Kakashi. Sakura reached the door first and threw it open only to stare at the room dumbfounded.

One of the walls was completely decimated. Sakura's eyes blinked slowly as she took in the room and the thoughts formed in her head while Saku said the words.

"They're going to kill each other."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened. They both knew that animosity lay between both men, though thinly veiled civility had kept them from becoming outwardly violent. However, something must have been said to unleash the pent up anger boiling between the two men, and now a very dangerous mess was begging to be cleaned up. Both women darted out of the wall in search of the charka signatures they were so familiar with. Their hearts were pounding in fear that they'd take things too far.

Thankfully, they had enough sense to take their brawl to a training field but before the two women could interrupt the fight, they were both grabbed by familiar arms and thrown over two strong shoulders.

"Sasuke!" Saku hissed from her perch on his shoulder. "Put me down! Can't you see-"

"I can see perfectly well what's happened and I can tell you it's been a long time coming. The both of you will leave them alone."

"They'll kill each other." Sakura said from where she was thrown over Naruto's shoulder.

"I like to think they have a look more restraint than that. You should too." Sasuke replied, not once breaking his stride. Sakura let out a growl of frustration and briefly considered using her superhuman strength on the orange clad ninja but thought better of it. Sasuke was right. Itachi and Kakashi probably needed this fight in order to clear the air between them. She knew it was some archaic male something that they just had to get out of their system. She had seen it happen often enough between her boys to expect this sort of behavior. It did feel, though, that she had exchanged one pair of knuckleheads for another.

Still, a part of her was disappointed that she was missing this fight that would probably be of dynamic proportions. The Last Hatake fighting the Uchiha Genius; this was the type of fight stories were written about. These men were the type of ninja that all ninja aspired to be like.

She really wanted to know…who exactly would win.

:::

There was no clear winner. Not in the traditional sense anyway. Taking a glance at the two of them one would think they were both dead, but the shaky rise and fall of their chest belied that notion.

Night had fallen and the two sat a respective distance away from each other in silence, nursing wounds and secretly admiring the fighting power of their opponent. However, things still needed clarification between them. The blood was flowing, now it was time to cleanse it of the poison.

"I hated you for taking her." Kakashi looked off into the distance instead of at his unwanted companion. He closed his single eye and could feel the bark of the tree behind him because of it. He focused on that instead of what he had just admitted out loud. His jealously had led to him hating a man so much that he wanted to kill him.

"And I hated you for being the one she wanted."

Kakashi paused, turned his head slowly, and looked at the younger man incredulously. Itachi had swept in and beguiled Saku before he could so much as blink his eye and he was the one she wanted. "What?"

Itachi didn't reply, he simply leaned against his own tree and gazed up into the stars.

"How long?" Kakashi asked, needing to know how long Itachi had known of these supposed feelings that Saku had for him. Yes, she had confessed to him but he hadn't truly believed it. He couldn't believe it because everything about Saku was synonymous with pain.

"Perhaps from the very beginning, or maybe it was near the end." Itachi said vaguely. "Regardless, you've always held a special part in her heart even while she hated you, she loved you. Still, it's not something I think of anymore."

"Why would you-?"

"You aren't the only person who loved her for some time. I could never make her happy, but you can." Itachi rose to his feet, intent upon leaving but Kakashi had another question. "Are you transferring your feelings for Saku to Sakura?"

Itachi slowly shook his head. "They're two completely different women. That wouldn't even be possible."

"Do you wish you could?"

"No, I don't." And with those words Itachi disappeared.

:::

He only sensed Sakura's presence when he returned home and was glad that Saku had left. Still, he was alone with Sakura and bound to have another confrontation. He moved in her direction to find her in the office, cleaning up the mess that he and Hatake had made.

He had every intention of assisting in the cleaning but she raised her head and looked in his direction and he froze. Itachi found that he just wanted to look at her for a moment. He took in her disheveled appearance. Her clothes were streaked in dirt from the rubble and debris scattered here and there. Dirt was even smudged on her forehead and left cheek. She broke eye contact and continued cleaning for a moment or two before softly sighing and moving over to him to heal his injuries. She stopped briefly and then gestured for him to sit on the desk…the only piece of future that had survived the destruction.

"You look like hell." Sakura murmured, pushing his hair out of face and incidentally getting the debris on her hand in his hair. He noticed but didn't really care.

"Worried?"

"Annoyed."

"Mmm."

"Itachi—" Sakura began but Itachi cut her off, raising a hand and placing it on her lips.

"I won't make you stay." Sakura's startled green eyes met Itachi's somber ones. "They're precious to you and I won't make you choose between us. I don't have that right."

Sakura gnawed on her bottom lip worriedly. "I can't leave you."

"And I don't want you to stay out of obligation."

"When did it become obligation?"

"The minute you felt you couldn't stay, but had to because of me."

"I never felt that way."

Itachi's eyes locked with hers searching their depths for honesty. "Didn't you?" Sakura looked away in order to hide the truth that she knew would be evident in her eyes. "Go to bed Sakura. I'll finish in here."

"But-"

"Go." He said softly and for some reason, she went.

:::

Saku was walking to Naruto's place when she suddenly felt Kakashi at her side. It would have startled her but for some reason she had been expecting him. She wanted to question him about his fight with Itachi but she didn't really think she wanted to know the outcome. He looked bad though and she wanted to offer to heal him, but she wasn't doing so great herself. Sakura had healed her but she still felt like she had been hit with a truck and she knew she'd probably feel that way for a few days and since misery loved company….

"Saku," Kakashi began and Saku raised her head and looked up at him hesitantly, "If I asked you to leave with me…for that other world…would you?" Saku's mouth gaped open as she stared at Kakashi stunned. Was he…no, he couldn't be. Could he?

My thanks to BlueArcticWolf.