So sorry it took so long. Had to do the next of "The Gutsy Jinchuuriki". Now things start to take a turn for the abnormal...ye been warned.

This was hard to do, even though I could manage, because of what I said in the warning.

Chapter Three

He's Gonna Die

Thankfully, the scratching stopped, but when Takuetsu came by, he'd said that there was nothing of the sort. Which baffled all of them. If there's no pests, what the hell was that?

That part over, there was another issue much bigger than that, and it was none other than her bastard brother-in-law whom Naruto said had come home with him but refused to ride with him when Hinata came to get him, after the kids were left at school. It took all of Izumi's efforts to not curse when she saw her niece's face as she took the girl to sit down with her while Itachi spoke to Naruto and then ordered at the counter.

Oh, she heard what he said exactly if he ever saw his brother, but to look at Sarada as she seemed to have negative thoughts... "Do you really not want to see him if we -?" she asked carefully, getting a brusque shake of the head.

"No."

Sad, Izumi understood why. That meant the girl didn't want her own father because she was old enough to project more than she should have. Sasuke could have stayed with them if he wanted to, but he was too wrapped up in his own feelings. Which was why she told her husband one day that they were both more deserving to be Sarada's parents than Sasuke was. "If you want, when we go out to the lake, we won't invite him if we see him." Sarada's eyes lit up and she nodded, though the irises were shining more with tears than joy, causing Izumi's heart to break.

Itachi came to join them eventually. "I'm sorry," he said to Sarada, reaching across to take her hand into his.

"It's okay," she answered, lowering her eyes. "I don't want to see him."

He sighed. "I know. But rest assured, you won't have to deal with him. I'll do that for you," he said with a pained smile. He cleared his throat then, changing the subject. "So, she'll have it in less than half an hour..."

And right on schedule: the tri-colored, white dipped with soy, and green tea flavors all on assortment. Sarada was happy to dig in more than they were - but after a stick and onto the second of the tri, her face looked like it was turning green, warning she was getting sick. That could mean one thing. "Sarada, are you sure you're not sick?" Izumi asked, concerned.

"I was just wondering that just now," Itachi said, and that was when his mobile started ringing. Grunting, he reached into his pocket to take it out, and when he saw the name, he hissed. "It's my brother." With that, he stood up and answered it only to start barking as he stepped outside.

"About damned time you responded, foolish brother! Your daughter has just finished school, Naruto tells me you don't come even to see her -"

It was good timing that he was outside because of the range of profanity he was spewing without a care in the world until his throat was sore later, and Izumi sighed, shaking her head. She hardly ever saw him this mad. "Oh, God," was all she could say because of knowing the effect this was having on the poor child in front of her who was getting up and walking in the direction of the women's restroom.

"Sorry, Auntie."

It was hard to tell if she meant the fact she was possibly sick or because her father blamed her for her mother's death. Izumi Uchiha could not think of which was worse, but the latter was so not true!

~o~

Cursing his brother on the phone with people passing by, Sasuke saying he was sorry but couldn't see his own child without a reason? And not even budging when he was informed Naruto, his best friend, had told him everything? That more than earned Itachi threatening to have full custody after all these years if his brother continued to keep this up. They would have to go to the law office for this, and when Sasuke heard the threat, he exploded.

"You honestly intend to take my child from me - a child I haven't seen much since she was born?"

"Because you chose that on your own, Sasuke!" Itachi countered heatedly. "Why should you care, if you intend to just say yes without a fight? If you loved her that much, you should let someone else give her what you can't, since you obviously refuse to have it in yourself to honor Sakura's wish!"

There was a pause before he heard a harsh hissing of breath at the mention of his late wife's name and the fact it had been used against him. "How DARE you say her name."

"I say it because she damned well would be ashamed of you if she saw this," Itachi answered, looking over his shoulder and seeing Izumi through the glass, at her enraged but sympathetic glance and Sarada's back to the door. He had to go back in soon, so he ended the call coldly. "If I ever see you, I'll make you see what you've missed, and you're not going to like it." He hung up without listening to the younger's reply.

When he went back in, Sarada said she didn't want to see her father again, and he had no words to console, but then she got sick after a stick and a half, which meant that the remainders had to be brought home. Only this could rationalize that it was a bug she'd contracted. Something sweet hadn't worked, after all.

That night apparently got all the more bizarre when it was barely midnight, and she awoke them both with an odd explanation as to why she wanted to sleep with them. "My bed was shaking," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and putting her glasses back on. "I can't get to sleep."

Itachi did the job of getting up for his girls and going to check. That was when he heard the noises, and it wasn't even scratching - it was thumping. Scraping, like furniture being moved around. But he didn't go for her bedroom right away; he made way for the attic, picking up a flashlight from the hallway table.

That was when he saw all the antiques of family history, as well as the traps Kisame laid out. All untouched and the pieces of cheese in place. Those damned noises again! But why didn't he see where they were coming from exactly?

No rats. That's just perfect! Takuetsu was right, but then Kisame double checks, and I see it all on my own.

Something at the back of his mind tweaked a warning sign based on that time Sarada brought the damned ghost board, but he brushed it back because this had gone on long before that infernal thing - except...

This was all nonsense. Who believed in this stuff anymore?

Come Friday night, it got no better when it should have, because of two reasons. It was an event where he arranged to have some of his closest colleagues and friends, to dress their best - but as far as he was concerned, the best was none other than his wife in her stunning, draping red dress and the necklace he gave her on their anniversary: brilliant pear-shaped diamonds stationary and surrounded with small rounds, the solo hanging at the end. Even after their wedding day, she would always wear this to any special occasion. Izumi was a model; she could have anything of her choosing, but this was one she would always show the cameras when the sky was a limit.

Sarada was upstairs in her room. She could have had a friend over, but she was getting sicker each day. This was the second day; he was considering calling off the trip until she was well again. The men would understand. "How is she?" he asked Izumi when she came down the stairs after putting the ailing preteen down for the night, and giving her something that would help her sleep easier.

"She's...content for now," she answered with a small smile. "Can we go back down and entertain our guests, honey?"

And how nice it was to mingle with their friends; Naruto and his wife were there while their children were with their Aunt Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister. There was also Shisui who asked how his niece was, to which Itachi replied that she would be taken to the hospital if things got worse. That was going to be on Sunday, with Dr. Yakushi to look over her. Not only was he a skilled surgeon and mental health specialist, but he was also first in pediatric medicine.

Sake was poured, sushi served as well as a cuisine provided by the finest gourmet of Konoha that the upper-class could afford.

The highlight: Shisui provided the entertainment at the piano with a song that they'd played together as children taking music class, turning it into a joyful melody that threatened to even wake the children, but what Izumi gave Sarada would have her out for the rest of the night - or so he thought.

"Itachi," Kisame said when he found him and led him away from the festivity that was leaving the excitement in his bones for more...and then it was over when his butler told him that there was an uninvited guest who wanted to talk to him in the kitchen. When he saw who it was - helping himself to a glass of champagne even - Itachi clenched his fists.

"I don't recall inviting you, little brother."

"Of course you didn't," Sasuke answered when he turned around and fixed him with a cool expression the elder matched. "I'm not planning to stay long."

"Then get it over with," Izumi said angrily as she came to join him, folding her arms across her chest. "And then leave before someone sees you - especially Naruto and Hinata. No one would enjoy you being here after all the shit you pulled."

He glared at her and sniffed. "Then I'll straight up say that if I say yes to the both of you having her, I'll agree to voluntary visitation rights. Because after all, she deserves the best, and I was never the one to give it to her," he said, face softening, and everything had gone still in the entire room.

Earlier, he swore at his younger sibling for his mistreatment of his only child all her life, avoiding her, saying there were things to do on important events like her birthday and the holidays, and here he was uninvited because Itachi thought he deserved it. He thought he could come here and just say he would agree to visitation rights, and everything would be fine?!

"You think you can -" Itachi started only to be interrupted by his wife putting her hand on his shoulder at the same time another voice entered the room, and it was one you would never expect. No one had HEARD the person come in because they walked on bare feet.

"Father." Not Dad or Papa, but the formality of the man who sired her but hadn't given her what he and her aunt did. She stood there in her sleeveless amethyst plaid pajamas, face blank and devoid of her glasses.

His face had before always been devoid of expression, being in her presence for a few moments or even a few days, and seeing this tender look on his mask, Itachi for a moment considered thinking his foolish younger brother meant his word, but his daughter believed something else entirely. "You're pathetic...coming here," she said tightly.

Izumi gasped, swallowing it down. On his part, all he could think of was this: Sarada, you -! And her father was all the rage. "What did you say? Sarada, I'm still your father no matter you hating me. You have no right saying that to my face."

Her words were blank, though dripping with poison. "You're right...just like it was your right to leave a child from the woman you loved, blaming that child? Blame her for your own problems? For your...lack of compensation?"

Behind them, the party goers burst out into laughter - or rather, shock and then laughter at the last part, seeing a little girl talk back to the father who never willingly involved himself in her life, and to top it off: insult his manhood in a subtle way...but also used a word bigger than herself. Where had she learned the word compensation? He was supposed to be impressed, but he didn't have time to congratulate her and tell her he was pleased. Instead, Sasuke's eyes bulged nearly out of his sockets before they narrowed, his lip curled, and he advanced on her with his hand raised in preparation to slap her -

- only for Izumi to come up and do the job just to him, leaving behind a red hand print in its wake.

Itachi chose to act fast before this got all the more out of hand. "Izumi, get her upstairs and clean her up!" he shouted, pissed beyond belief, then calmed down enough to turn back to Shisui, Kisame and the others. "I'm terribly sorry about all of this; she's just been sick and doesn't know what she's doing." His wife nodded as she took the girl by her shoulders and whisked her away from sight. He turned his cold attention back to his brother who was rubbing his burning cheek. "And you, foolish brother, get out of my house. We'll talk on Sunday."

There was the fading stench in his nostrils, telling him poor Sarada had an accident, which was probably caused by her father on the verge of striking her for humiliating him.

~o~

"He's gonna...die..."

Izumi could not remember the last time her niece had done something so shocking. Especially nothing like THIS. Never had Sarada ever said such horrible things to her father's face, nor in front of other people - especially with her and Itachi present. Nor has she been capable of saying them to us, either.

And just now, she hinted someone was going to die, while she bathed the girl like she used to when she was little. Her dirty PJs were going to be replaced by a loose, cotton nightgown. "Why would you say those things, Sarada?" she asked softly. "And just now?"

"...I don't know." She sounded almost miserable, then tilted her head upwards to look at her timidly in the eyes. "Auntie...what's wrong with me?"

Guilty, Izumi had no answers. Although: "We'll take you to the doctor Sunday, and we will find out. I promise." With that, she leaned down and placed a kiss on her brow before leaving her alone for the night. She felt so tired herself. It was supposed to be a fun night, but then her asshole brother-in-law arrived and ruined it all, and now this...

"Everything okay?" Itachi asked when he came up to join her. Sighing, she looked up, seeing his equally exhausted expression. He nodded mutely.

At least on Sunday, we'll hear what the doctor has to say.

Oh, man, family drama, but that's not the worst of it, obviously. Stay tuned. Step by step with all this...

Review. :)