Disclaimer: I own any OCs in this, the rest is Masashi Kishimoto.

"What are you doing?"

I stopped in my steps and glanced at Itachi, who seemed to have finished his nap and was now looking at me through his dark lashes. But his eyes kept looking up and down my body suspiciously. I frowned slightly at him. I swear, I will never understand what goes through his mind.

"I need to buy things." I replied and shrugged. He sat up in the couch, still staring at me. Or more like staring at my outfit. "What, what's wrong with my clothes?" I looked down. Shorts and a tank top that showed my belly button because it's hot outside.

"You can't go out dressed like that." he stated as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"I wear what I w..."

"Too much skin is exposed." he told me blandly, his eyes not leaving my stomach. My right eye twitched and before I could voice out my disagreement, his deep voice rang in the room once again. "Akane."

I refused to look at him when I moved to stand in front of him when he asked me to. But I could only blushed when he grabbed my hips and put his lips on the skin of my stomach. I stuttered his name and grabbed onto his shoulders to keep me standing. Itachi simply sucked on my skin, his thumbs gently rubbing the skin of my hips above my shorts.

"Itachi..." I whispered tenderly, my hands in his hair. He slowly released the spot he was sucking on and raised his head to me. I melted when I met the possessive glint in his eyes.

"You're only mine to see." he murmured so lowly I almost didn't catch it. My eyes went wide at this. "Allow me this one thing please."

I sighed softly and gently pushed him. He grudgingly let go of me, probably thinking I was rejecting him, hence the surprised expression on his face when I straddled him. I still couldn't believe he let his guard down around me and showed me he was still human after all. I gave him a light kiss on the lips and placed my face in the crook of his neck.

"I thought I made that clear when I told you you were my friend despite what you did and that ugly black and red coat you wear. It didn't change when we became lover." I whispered again softly. "You're a hell lot of work, I don't have the time or energy for another guy. I was even planning on buying medicine for you before you stopped me, you're running low on them."

No reply came. Just his arms around my body, pressing me against his chest.

But that was enough.

More than enough.

Bright.

Too. Damn. Bright!

I squeezed my eyes right after I opened them because of the light. I blinked a few times and once the pain the bright light brought to my eyes was gone, took a look at my surroundings. White walls, white ceiling, white everything in that room. So...I was in the hospital? I briefly glanced at my side and saw a drip. That would explain the numbness in my left arm then.

"Finally awake?"

I jumped a little, startled by the voice of the Sandaime. I moved my eyes to him and met a warm smile and the smell of tobacco. I blinked blankly when I noticed the cast on his left arm and his wheelchair. Hopefully he was smoking his pipe by the open window but still...

"You've had a tough night too I presume, Hokage-sama?" I asked him tiredly, making myself more comfortable in my bed.

"I'm too old for such things." he commented with a chuckle and I let a smile appeared on my face. "Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto are grateful for Sasuke-kun. You did well against an experienced ANBU."

"I wasn't expecting a Hyuuga though, the Gentle Fist hurt like hell. But, if you're here I'm guessing that Danzo..."

"It was a hard fight, but with the help of all the Head Clans and your mother, I made sure he wouldn't be a problem anymore. And with what his autopsy revealed, Homura and Koharu cannot say anything against what happened."

"My mother?" I repeated, completely stunned.

"Danzo had tried to recruit you long ago and recently kidnapped you along with Naruto to lobby you. It made her pretty angry, I even thought I had Kushina in front of me for a minute." He laughed at the last part and I felt my cheeks blushing from embarrassment for a brief moment, before picking up on the mention of Naruto.

"So the Fox had nothing to do with him being taking by them?"

"He might have had an idea to bring it at some point to convince you to join, but we confronted him before he could do anything to him."

"And they're fine? Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Shocked but physically they're perfectively fine." he reassured me and moved back, rolling to the door. He stopped in front of it and turned his head to look at me. "As the Hokage, I will be forever grateful for the tragedy you told us about. You saved many lives."

"Have I?"

I glanced outside. It's a sunny day with a few clouds I'm sure Shikamaru is watching from somewhere.

"I wanted to save the lives of people I cared about. But even if they had died, everything had turned out good in the end. What if I just doomed us all in the end?"

"Then we'll fight for our future."

I looked up at him. His eyes...they're the same Minato-oji-chan would have once he was Yondaime. The eyes of a leader.

"It would be silly to think everything would turn out like it had for you. However, we have precious informations in our hands. Maybe everything turned out good before, so we will make it turn even better. We are shinobis, we are ready to die for what we believe in." he said in a powerful, yet gentle voice.

I widened my eyes. That's what Aunty Kushina would tell me sometimes, when I was asking why Minato-oji-chan was so ready to protect a whole village, people he didn't know on a personal level included, even if it meant his death.

"Thank you Sandaime-sama." I whispered, closing my eyes.

"Minato wouldn't stop saying you would be better than him one day and you would help his son make great things one day. Maybe this is what this second chance that has been given to you was for."

Someone knocked on the door. They opened it when I told them to and I recognized Sasuke's voice greeting the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, good morning." said another voice, a woman this time.

"Good morning Mikoto, Sasuke-kun. If you do not mind, I will go back to my room before the nurse scolds me. Have a good day."

They bowed to him as he left my room, and Mikoto-san closed the door behind him.

"You could have told me you knew me when I was a baby, nee-san." Sasuke scolded me with an adorable pout on his face. Mikoto put some flowers in a vase on my nightstand and I smiled teasingly at the child. "And that you were friend with Shisui-san and nii-san!"

"I wouldn't call myself a friend of Itachi Sasuke...It's been a while Mikoto-san."

"It has been, hasn't it?" she replied with, I noted, tired smile. But from my memories, she hadn't changed that much. "You're almost a grown woman."

If you only knew Mikoto-san...

"And thank you for protecting Sasuke like you did Akane-chan, him and Naruto-kun explained everything."

"I did what I could...if Sasuke hadn't used his fire jutsu, things could have turned out very badly." I admitted, chuckling lightly at Sasuke's smug smile. "Thanks for the flowers by the way."

"You're welcome. When we came earlier, the ones in the vase were faded so..."

"Wh...how long has it been?"

"You've been sleeping for a week nee-san." Sasuke informed me, getting on the bed to sit next to me. "I came with nii-san and Shisui-san a few times but you were sleeping. Shisui-san would complain and nii-san would tell him you needed to rest to recover your chakra and your leg injury."

My...sounds like something bound to happen with these two.

"Sometimes I wonder in what kind of situation Shisui-kun would end up without Itachi." Mikoto-san sighed but with some fondness in her voice.

"The worst kind." I giggled with her at my comment, Sasuke staring at the exchange with a bored expression. Probably wondering about those strange creatures that we, women, are.

But the mood broke the moment some ruckus could be heard outside my room. I sat up with raised eyebrows at the loud voices outside. I recognized Naruto's quickly.

"They're refusing to let him in again Mother?" Sasuke asked his mom.

Mikoto-san stood up abruptly, a frown on her face and fists clenched. Oh oh, is that a pissed off Mikoto Uchiha? Pissed off women are scary, pissed of Uchihas are scary, so the mix of the two? I'm not sure I really want to see it. So basically, when a calm but terrifying smile appeared on her face and she unclenched her fists to walk to the door, I started to squeeze the life out of Sasuke. I released him a little when his face turned blue but, the thing is...we looked at each other.

"Sasuke...your mom..."

"I've never seen her like that." he told me in a toneless voice.

"I just want to see someone dattebayo!" Naruto yelled, glaring daggers at the doctor in front of him. He tightened his hold on the flowers he bought and looked down. "I just want to say thank you to nee-chan..."

"I don't care, that patient needs to rest and not see someone like you!" the doctor roared, his face red with anger. He raised his hand and Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. But the blow never came. "Wha..."

"The last time I checked, Konoha wasn't the kind of place where the caregivers are the one to hurt innocent children." a woman said. Naruto opened his eyes and gaped at the sight in front of him, like everyone in the hall. The woman, with brown hair and light gray eyes, was holding the doctor's wrist in a death grip from the look on his face.

"He's hardly inn..."

"It sounds like you have forgotten the Sandaime is resting here too, Fujioka-san." A calm, yet threatening voice spoke from the stairs.

"U...Uchiha-sama..."

"From the look of it, Naruto-kun is here to visit the girl who I happened to also visit, and who is awake. Plus, that lovely woman restraining you is the mother of said girl, so it's okay for the both of them to come, isn't it?"

"Of...of course." the frightened man said.

Naruto was looking between the two women. The second one, the one he called 'Uchiha-sama' looked a kinda like Sasuke...Suddenly, he pointed his finger to her, his eyes wide.

"You...you're Sasuke's mother, right !?" he exclaimed loudly, which drew that Fujioka's attention. He directed a fuming glare at him, but the voice of the Uchiha matriarch stopped him before.

"I am, and you're Naruto-kun, you're in Sasuke's class, aren't you?" she asked him with a warm smile.

He blushed and nodded shyly, hiding instinctively behind the other woman's legs. She had let Fujioka go and was now kneeling. To pick up his flowers. But...if she was the mother's girl...then would she hate him because her daughter was in the hospital? But she had helped him too, hadn't she?

"Akane will be happy to receive such pretty flowers! Now let's give them to her, shall we?" she told him with a wink at him. She stood up and grabbed Naruto's hand, walking to the raven haired woman. As they went up the stairs, he silently listened to their conversations. "Thanks Mikoto-san, I could have say the wrong things back there hehe..."

"And I thought your temper was better than hers...but this was nothing, Akane-chan protected Sasuke too, the least I can do is stop any unnecessary ruckus here, right?" she replied with a knowing smile.

"Ne..." he muttered, pulling on the hand holding his when they stopped in front of a door. She looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Do...do you hate me because nee-chan is here?"

"Why would I? You're not the one who hurt her, you're the one she took the risk to protect even if it meant she would be hurt. I'm proud of her and happy you're okay, Naruto-kun." she said with a motherly smile, tenderly ruffling his hair. He snorted, fighting the tears building up in his eyes. He rubbed them to try to get ride of the tears.

"Hmph, why are you crying dobe?"

"Shut up teme!" Naruto retorted, glaring at the boy in front of him. He realized they walked in the room and that Sasuke was sitting next to Akane, who was looking at him with relief. "I'm not crying!"

"Then why are there tears on..."

"Sasuke!" his mother cut him sharply.

Akane chuckled at them and ruffled Sasuke's hair, which made the younger one try to shoo her hand away, only to fail. Naruto laughed at that.

"Honey, Naruto had something for you."

"Ha?" came her reply as the brown-haired woman gave his flowers back and pushed him forward.

I watched Naruto shifting from one foot to another and then he presented me a bunch of flowers. I accepted them and ruffled his hair too, making him blush in embarrassment.

"They're beautiful Naruto, thank you."

"Mines were bet..." Sasuke couldn't finish his sentence because I was pinching his cheek.

"Thank you for saving me nee-chan!" he thanked me loudly and I smiled sadly at him. With how his eyes were grateful, it's not hard to guess he never experienced the help of someone before.

"That's nothing, you were in there because of me aft..." I covered my mouth too late, and Naruto didn't miss my words. Sasuke either. I shot a panic look at my mom and she sighed.

"Well, that's not how I was planning on telling him but...Mikoto-san, would you mind give us a minutes?"

Mikoto-san shook her head and took Sasuke with her, who was giving us all a curious glance. But once alone, Naruto jumped onto my bed, eyes wide open.

"What do you mean it was your fault!?"

"Naruto," my mother called him, lifting him to put him back on the floor. "What Akane meant, is that they would have used you to make her do what they wanted because she wouldn't have risked your life. You're important to her, to us."

"Im...important?" He repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yes," she confirmed. She kneeled in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I talked to the Sandaime, and even though I can't tell you anything, I'll let you know the essential. You know nothing about your parents, right?"

Even if he had his back to me, his slumped shoulders were enough to tell me it was painful to think about it.

"I can't tell you who they were until you are much older, but I can tell you this. When she was a child your mom left her village to come to Konohagakure. Behind her, she left her family and an entire clan."

"A clan!?" he cried out and raised his head.

"Yes, but that's a long story so it will be for another time. What you need to know is that your mother's father and my father were brothers. Therefore, we were cousins."

It caused his whole body to twitch. Naruto may be oblivious, dense at time...okay, most of the time, but he knew the basis of a family tree, right? Argh, actually I had no idea. But a sobs could be heard in the room.

"So...so you're...you're...family? Then...Then why didn't you come earlier!? Why did I have to be alone!? They're all mean to me and...and..." he weeped with anger. I ignored the faint numbness of my body and, taking advantage of not being the center of attention, turned in my bed to put my feet on the cold, very cold floor.

"Because it was dangerous for my daughter. You've witnessed it a week ago. The man behind it tried to recruit Akane when she was younger than you, I couldn't take the risk to lose another child."

"MOM!" I yelled to stop her from saying too much. I calmed myself when they both turned to me and I stood up up on shaking legs. "Don't talk about it, we said we would never talk about it! Especially not to a child, he's too young to know that!"

I fell on my knees in front of a scared Naruto, because of my sudden outburst, and a teary mother. But I don't care. This thing...this event cannot be talked about. It never should be spoken about, ever. I don't want to remember it, I don't want to remember him, I don't want to remember the sight of my godfather, wounded and covered in blood, but not just his. I don't want to remember the tears mom shed, I don't want to remember Kushina embracing her as tightly as it could as if it would make the pain disappear. I don't want to remember how Kakashi-san was bloody but I wouldn't let go of him.

I don't want to remember the reason why I went to Konoha all those years ago!

"Nee-chan?" the quiet voice of Naruto snapped me out of my thoughts, and I realized he was holding my hand and I was on the verge of tears. Again. I threw my arms around him and brought him closer to me. And I didn't give a fuck about the pain in my arm because of the drip.

"I...I'm sorry Naruto, we're sorry, but just know that...that we love, that we care about you and that we will protect you. I'll protect you...please forgive us and let us be here for you..." I sobbed like a little girl.

He didn't say a word and dread filled my entire being. What if he just plainly hates us because he was all alone all these years...or...

A small, shy but hopeful voice got my attention: "You'll be there for me? For real?"

"For real."

Hesitantly, I felt small arms hugging me back and tears slowly wetting my hospital gown.

"He, I have a family 'tebbayo!" he stated through his tears when my mom joined our hug. "I'm...I'm not alone anymore dattebayo!"

"Naruto, don't you ever clean up!? How are we supposed to pack what you want to keep with how messy this place is!" I grumbled, lying on my back on the wooden floor after I slipped on dirty underwear. Boys will be boys, but still...

"But nee-chan, I'm not used to have people over!" he replied, cups of ramen in his hands. Don't tell me...yeah, he was emptying a cupboard in his kitchen.

I left the hospital a week ago, a week where, even if I have a crutch, Naruto dragged everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Not that I was mad to go back to Ichiraku and remembered how small it used to be, I could have avoided running everywhere in the forest or the village because Naruto wanted to show everything. He didn't know I knew my way in Konoha, at least where the main things were, but still...he's full of energy and I feel old. Not mentally, but physically.

But now, we're moving. My mom told me this morning, caught me by surprise and kicked me out to get Naruto, because he was going to live with us. It makes me happy, of course, and I knew we were going to leave that shitty place in which we were hiding to fully live our life, but...I didn't think mom would find a place that fast.

All of this to say, I packed storing scrolls to help packing Naruto's stuff while mom took care of the move, but she couldn't possibly do that all alone, could she? She said she had help but...from who?

"Naruto, you're not taking all of your ramen cup, are you?"

"I'm not throwing them away! Please" he pleaded, hugging his precious amount of junk food in his arms. Some of them fell, which made me sweat drop.

"Fine then," I said and got up, taking a scroll from by bag. I went to his kitchen table and opened the scroll on it. "Naruto, food on the table." He obeyed without a word and I sealed everything and I heard him gasp. I shot him a quick glance and couldn't keep the proud smirk from appearing on my face. "Now, gather your dirty clothes in a pile, the clean one in another and what you want to take with you in a third one."

"Okay, but how did you do that!? That was so cool!"

"I'll tell you more later, when we're home, so hurry up." I instructed him with a lazy yawn when I sat on his bed. "Moving is always a drag." I added more quietly to myself, unheard by the blond boy.

He beamed at the word 'home' and I gave a faint smile at that. I even laughed when he rushed to do what I told him to. Once all the storage was done and carefully placed into my bag, we started cleaning the whole place. We might have almost had a water fight but I stopped us before it went too far. But it wasn't my fault, old Naruto told me about his childhood, making me feeling guilty as fuck, so when I heard him laughing and truly smiling so much, I didn't want it to stop! But I had too, we couldn't give the place back in a worse condition than before.

So, after four long hours of cleaning from top to bottom, I gave the key back to the landlord. I kept myself from scowling at the extremely happy look on his face. But the beaming Naruto next to me reminded me that I wouldn't ruin this day.

"So kiddo," I started, giving him a piece of paper on which an address was written, "show me the way."

"Yosh!" he exclaimed, starting to walk immediately. He stopped when he realized I was following him slowly and waited for me. I could swear that he would soon start jumping from excitement. "Hurry up nee-chan!"

"Yeah yeah..." I mumbled once I reached him.

It was barely a ten minutes walk. But then, we were confronted to a huge dilemma.

"Naruto, you're sure it's here?" I asked, gazing in awe at the house. There was no way that...

"Yeah...I'm sure..." He answered in the same tone. He was even gaping like me. "Are you rich?"

"Well...we're not low on money because mom knows how to deal with this perfectly and gets jobs easily but...no way we could afford that..."

It was a two-story house, not that big but still bigger than what I was used to. There was a small courtyard in the front of the house and from the look of it, there should be a yard in the back. Other than that, the walls were white and the roof red, like most of the buildings in Konoha.

"Ha, there you are you two!" my mother shouted from the main door, her hair tied in a messy bun from where some red locks were popping out. A short term hair dye she did, and luckily. Brown hair didn't suit her, like it wouldn't have suited Aunty Kushina.

"Mom...how..."

"Later the question, come on in!"

I shared a look with my cousin and, shrugging at the same time, we executed the order. I threw my bag on the light brown couch at my left once I removed my shoes. In front of it is a TV, not cheap but not expensive either, against a beige wall, with a coffee table in between. Right in front of me is a dark brown dinner table with six chairs around of the same color. Once I'm next to it, I looked at my left. A fitted kitchen behind the TV wall, and the entire room has the same beige walls and light brown floor. In front of me is a patio door leading to the yard, as I was expecting. There was a big weeping willow too, which would make a good resting place for the sunny and warm days. Looking at my right, I saw two door. One lead to what looked like a study, and the other lead to the staircase.

Naruto helping my mother, I went up. Same colors for the walls and floor than downstairs. Right at my right is the bathroom, simple in white tiles. I went to my left to turn back. One door to a bedroom with a double bed, mom's room then. Then, two door opposing each other. Naruto's and my room pro...

"I'll ask Akiko-san nii-san!"

Huh? Sasuke?

"Wait Sasuke don't run!"

I froze and didn't even notice Sasuke running pass me. I...I haven't heard that voice for years and...and...

Itachi bumped into me when he ran out of the room to get Sasuke. Because we were both startled, I fell on my back and he didn't have the time to realize what was happening that he towering me, his knees on each side of my hips.

And we were staring at each other with wide eyes.

For very, very long seconds. Even at thirteen he was that attractive. From the long onyx hair, to onyx eyes that seemed to look directly at my soul and...

"Good afternoon Akane-san." he whispered quietly to me, gaining his composure back.

I hadn't heard his voice for so long...so deep and yet...

Before I knew it, a panic glint appeared in his eyes. Touching my cheek, I understood why. I wasn't ready to see him so abruptly and the excess of emotion got to me. I was crying.

"What the hell are you doing Itachi?" an irritated voice asked from the other room.

"I was running after Sasuke and I didn't see her Shisui, that's all." The younger Uchiha explained, averting his eyes to look at his relative. "I don't know why she's crying though."

"Why are you still on her?"

It seemed like it made him realize we were still in an ambiguous position and he got up, for Shisui to pull me up on my feet. He took my face in his hands to make me look at him, but my eyes were glued on Itachi. Itachi who was alive and not an S-rank criminal.

"Did he hurt you? Tried anything weird?"

"Shisui!" Itachi protested, clearly scowling at him.

"What, with those poor social abilities of yours, you could have done something without knowing it was wrong!" Shisui told him, still staring at him.

"I still know that..."

"I'm fine," I muttered under my breath, finally giving Shisui some attention. "I...wasn't expecting to see him today."

Shisui seemed to muse at my words and gave me a pointed look, finally letting go of my face.

"Well, your mom asked us to help her moving and, well, you did save Sasuke so..."

"You would have found us if we hadn't move, we were lucky only one was after us." I cut him, gazing once again at Itachi. "Sorry for startling you with my tears Itachi, it has been quit a rough..."

"Don't worry about it." He droned at me, but his eyes not meeting mine.

There was an awkward pause, that Shisui broke with an uncomfortable laugh to tell we should go downstairs. Naruto and Sasuke were apparently yelling at each other, and from the new voice, Mikoto-san was there as well.

Wow, that was not how I was planning to see Itachi. I was supposed to mentally be prepared and to see him in a long, long time.

Not now.

Thanks for reading ! And feel free to leave reviews !