The Other Uchiha

Fugaku looked back and forth between Itachi and Sakura. His eyes were dead and Sakura hated that the fire in them had died even though it had caused her so much trouble in the past.

"Why should I wait to have this meeting Sasuke wanted with the Clan? What does it have to do with the Hokage? What aren't you telling me?"

His questions were delivered in a flat tone and Sakura unthinkingly reached for Itachi's hand and squeezed it. He didn't let on that he knew how distressed she was becoming over Fugaku's grief and Sakura appreciated that.

"The Hokage wants to meet with Sakura this evening-and as the future Matriarch of the Clan, it is important that Sakura attends the Clan meeting."

"And is this meeting that she is to have with the Hokage more important that her prior arrangements? Does the Hokage have no respect for the Uchiha? Does she not know the importance of unity within the Clan?"

They were walking on dangerous ground and Sakura squeezed Itachi's hand tighter than before and then released him rising to her feet. Fugaku raised a brow at her, but Sakura didn't notice it.

"You're right. The Clans are important. It is detrimental that we keep them strong-that we keep the Uchiha strong. That is why meeting with the Hokage now, given everything we have lost, is so important."

Fugaku scoffed showing the first real emotion that Sakura noticed since entering his office.

"Do you honestly think one of the Senju cares anything about the Uchiha?"

Sakura smiled woodenly at Fugaku. "I think this particular Senju," Sakura had to fight with herself not to roll her eyes, "cares about me and by extension she cares about what I do, and that care extends to the Uchiha. It would be foolish to not take advantage of this situation."

Sakura knew what Fugaku was thinking. And she knew she was wrong for playing this game with Fugaku. However, she would do everything in her power to make sure that this man would do nothing foolhardy to hurt the Uchiha Clan. Sasuke and Itachi had already suffered enough. She glanced at Itachi's face, noting that it was blank. He was in no way discouraging her to continue, so she found herself forging ahead.

"So I ask that you help me not gravely insult the Uchiha by not attending the Clan meeting as well as keep me from angering our Kage by disregarding her summons and put our Clan that has already been diminished, at risk."

Fugaku leaned back in his chair and studied Sakura's face. Sakura found herself straightening and meeting the eyes of the Clan Head.

"You're different from what I remember."

Sakura didn't reply and she felt Itachi rise to his feet and stand at her side. He placed his hand at her lower back and Sakura moved closer to him. His warmth seeped into her making her feel stronger and more determined.

"Father," Itachi said softly but firmly, "Postpone the meeting."

And so the meeting was postponed.

Sakura walked into the Hokage's office that evening drained. It felt like everything that was going on was weighing her down like a ton of bricks. Mikoto's death, Fugaku's grief, the merging of worlds, Kakashi…

Sakura wiped her hand across her face and then focused her eyes on her mentor. She was pouring sake for both of them. A chuckle escaped Sakura's lips before she moved forward and took her portion downing it immediately. The Hokage followed suit and Sakura poured them more before she took her seat.

"How's life as an Uchiha treating you?" Tsunade inquired.

"I'm not quite Uchiha yet."

"You're Uchiha otherwise, you wouldn't be here right now."

Sakura paused and thought about that for a moment, trying to piece together what her mentor meant, but was unable to do so.

"Why did you summon me?"

"Because every decision we make is critical at this moment." Tsunade motioned for Sakura to drink which she did. Sakura was glad she took another drink because Tsunade decided to drop an exploding tag in her lap. "So you're in love with Kakashi."

Sakura didn't reply, instead, she waited to see where Tsunade was going with this line of talk. "If you marry Itachi and you don't love him like you should-"

"Lady Tsunade I-"

"Oh, hush, Sakura. You should know better than to interrupt me." Tsunade sat her sake down. "If you marry Itachi and you don't love him the way he thinks you do then you will bring nothing but misery to him and the Uchiha. So I'm going to ask you two important questions and I need you to answer me with the utmost honesty. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with Itachi and love only him? Can you burn and bury everything you feel for Kakashi?"

Sakura closed her eyes and thought about Kakashi and Itachi. She thought of the feelings she had for each man. And she ruminated on life without Kakashi and life without Itachi. When Sakura opened her eyes, she felt silently hollow and sick.

"Lady Tsunade," Sakura swallowed harshly, "the reason I told Itachi that I choose him was because that was a question that couldn't be answered with the heart. It could only be answered with the mind. The logical course of answer is that I marry Itachi."

"I'm not asking for the logical answer, Sakura. If I wanted a logical answer I wouldn't have summoned you to my office tonight. I know what your logical answer is. Now answer me."

Sakura felt tears sting the back of her eyes and rubbed her hand across her face.

"The truth is, I can't give either man all of my heart. Because of everything that has happened, they were both able to take a hold of it. When the worlds merged logic would hold that I would have a solid answer on which one I love with my whole heart. That didn't happen, though, nothing changed here," Sakura pat the left side of her chest where her heart lay. "They're both still here and I can't imagine living without either one. I don't want to. So the answer to your questions are yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with Itachi, but now I don't want to love only him. I don't think I can and nor do I think I can burn and bury my feelings for Kakashi. But I can't have both of them. So I chose Itachi because I can be happy with him and I will do the most good with the Uchiha. I'll make it work and I'll do my damnedest to make Itachi happy as well, even if it means I can never see Kakashi again."

Tsunade gave Sakura a wan smile and said, "And what about Sasuke?"