Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Here you are everyone - The final chapter / epilogue. I hope this finishes off the story okay. I tried to make the mood light and happy and stick in a bit of humour - but that isn't really my strong point, so let me know how it turned out.
Chapter 24
Itachi paused as he heard fast footsteps coming down the stairs before Amaya appeared round the corner, nearly bumping into him. She smiled when she saw him, "Good morning!" she said as she passed and planted a soft kiss on his cheek before running to the front door. He didn't need to ask why, as a moment later it opened and a loud "Amaya-chan!" could be heard through the whole building.
"Hana-chan, it's so good to see you again!" Amaya cried, embracing her friend, "How's everything in Konoha?"
"It's great. Helping out in the hospital and working at the academy is so much fun – I get my own team soon, going out on missions, bravely protecting them, having them look up to me and respect me, ahh, it'll be great!"
"Somehow I don't think it'll be quite like that…" Amaya laughed, "Anyway, come on, I have something I want to talk to you about."
She led her friend out to the back of the house, where they sat and looked out over the large, green space where Itachi and the other Akatsuki members trained sometimes. Today there was only Deidara who was just finishing.
"Morning," he said to Amaya, and then a little shyly, "Hey, Hana-chan, un," and then he went inside quickly.
Amaya's gaze followed him before coming back to her friend, a spark of suspicion in her eye. "I'm gonna go ahead and guess I'm not the only one you've been writing to, huh?"
"Yeah, well, so what?" Hana blushed, "If it wasn't for his help you wouldn't be here…anyway, what was it that you wanted to talk about? It wouldn't happen to be about that pretty ring on your finger, now would it?"
"Yeah, that was one of the things-."
"So he proposed?" Hana cut in. Amaya nodded. "Really, did he go down on one knee, or did he prepare a candle lit dinner with soft music in the background? Was it romantic?"
"Itachi…doesn't really do romance very well…"
Amaya sighed as she wandered through the building, he's been avoiding me for days, she thought, what did I do? At that moment she spotted him at the other end of the corridor. "Ah!" she dashed after him only to find that he was already gone, "Dammit."
"What do you want?" He asked suddenly from behind her.
"Itachi! Don't do that! It's nothing, I just…" She looked up at him and noticed that he was avoiding her eyes, "Why won't you look at me? Did I do something wrong?"
Slowly he lowered his dark eyes to meet hers, "You haven't done anything wrong. I just don't know…" He paused," I just don't know how to ask you to marry me."
Amaya looked at him, her blue eyes as wide as they would go, before she laughed. "Is that how you propose? It wasn't even a question!" She was a little surprised and couldn't quite seem to believe what he had just said.
"I know, like I said, I don't know how to ask."
"Bwaha, that's silly. You just say it!"
"Then, will you marry me?"
"Yes, like that!"
"You said 'yes'."
"Huh, I did? No, wait, I meant..."
He grinned, taking hold of her hand and gently slipping on a golden engagement ring, "Yes, you did," he murmured.
"And that's how it happened."
"He's so sneaky, even when he's proposing – but you probably would have said yes anyway, so I don't suppose it matters. If anyone ever proposed to me it'd have to be really romantic or I'd definitely say no. Anyway, there was something else you wanted to talk about?"
"Yeah, you see…"
Itachi was walking past the slightly opened sliding doors when he heard Hana ask, "Amaya-chan, have you had any odd cravings lately?"
"Hmm, odd cravings, I don't think so."
"That depends what you count as 'odd'," Itachi said, sliding the door open a bit further and leaning against the frame, a small smile on his lips.
"What do you mean?" Hana asked.
"I haven't had any odd cravings," his fiancé defended, looking up at him, knowing that slightly mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Like I said, that depends on what you count as odd. Last night I woke up around two in the morning and you weren't there so I went to look for you. I found you creeping into Kisame's room murmuring 'Sushi, shark sushi, oiishi'."
"I don't remember that!" Amaya jumped to her feet, her face burning.
Itachi shrugged, "Kisame does."
"Oh…that's why he was so weird this morning…"
"Haha, poor Sharky. Well, I have one word for you two. Congratulations!" Hana clapped her hands together and laughed - and then paused as they both looked at her questioningly. "You're going to have a baby!" She explained excitedly.
"Huh, you mean I'm…" Amaya started.
Hana nodded, "Yup!"
Amaya and Itachi looked at each other. They smiled at the same time and Amaya threw her arms around his neck, "We're going to have a baby!"
It was a month later that the wedding took place. Amaya stood nervously, fiddling with snow white dress, checking that sparkling flowers in her hair were in the right place, and glancing at herself in the mirror. The dress was silk, and clung to her figure down to her waist and then outwards until it brushed the ground, just hiding the matching white shoes she had on her small feet.
There was a knock on the door and Hana entered. She gasped, "Amaya-chan," there were tears in her eyes, "You look like…like an angel!"
"Hana-chan, thank you."
There was another knock on the door, "Amaya, everyone is ready," Deidara said. He blinked at her, "You look…nice."
She smiled, "Thanks." She took a deep breath, "Here we go."
The wedding was being held outside, as getting married to a murderer in a church with all his murderer friends attending didn't really seem appropriate. Thankfully it was a beautiful day, and birds flew overhead, singing their songs loudly as if joining in with the music.
Deidara took her arm and walked her down the aisle in the absence of any fatherly figure. Hana was her maid of honour and Kisame was Itachi's best man. Sasori was taking the place of the priest. She wondered if the marriage would be counted as legitimate like this, but they had come to the conclusion that he would be the best person to do it and least likely to mess it up. Not that Deidara would have been terrible at it, but he was stumbling down the aisle as though it was his own wedding.
I wonder what he'll be like when it is his own wedding!
There weren't many people there to make up the congregation, just a few people Hana had contacted that they used to know and a few of the other Akatsuki members that she had met, Hidan, Kakuzu and Tobi, who was sat in the front row. Up in the trees she sensed a few people, and glancing in their direction she saw Naruto and Sakura smiling down at her.
Even they came, and I hardly know them…
She wondered if Sasuke was around somewhere, watching, but she was halfway down the aisle before she knew it and all thoughts of who was watching were pushed from her mind.
Itachi stood waiting, watching her as she came closer. He was dressed up smartly, his hair neatly tied back, and his eyes were dark – she'd made him promise that he wouldn't use the sharingan for the whole day – but he almost looked nervous too, which made Amaya smile and relax a little.
They managed to say their lines without stuttering over them and finally Sasori declared them man and wife.
"Now kiss the bride!" Tobi shouted.
"That is only tradition and not strictly required," Sasori told him.
Itachi smiled, "Then let's follow tradition."
Roughly eight months after that, when the weather was starting to grow colder, Amaya found herself in a Konoha hospital bed, Hana by her side.
Tsunade had agreed that she would allow Amaya to have her child in Konoha and, so long as they didn't cause any trouble, any Akatsuki members who wanted to be there, namely Itachi, were allowed.
As it happened, Deidara and Sasori were the only ones at the base when Amaya staggered out of her room.
"Amaya?" Deidara said, getting to his feet, "What's wrong?"
"I think it's time."
"It's time for what?"
"She's having her baby," Sasori answered and Amaya nodded.
"What do we do?" Deidara asked, suddenly panicking.
"Make a bird. I'll write a note to Itachi," Sasori replied calmly.
"Right, a bird, okay," and in an instant there was a large white bird, big enough for three to ride on…in the middle of the sitting room, along with a large hole in the roof and a whole load of crushed furniture. "Oh…"
"Worry about the damage when we get back. I've sent a message ahead to Hana-san, too."
"Thank you, Sasori. At least somebody can keep cool in this kind of situation," Amaya said as he helped her up onto the bird's back. Deidara blushed with embarrassment, but Amaya smiled at him to let him know she appreciated his help too.
A few hours later and there she was, in the hospital bed. Deidara and Sasori were sat in the waiting room down the hall that Tsunade had allowed them to use.
"I can't believe it's been three hours already. How long does this usually take?" Amaya asked.
"For your first child it can be pretty long," Tsunade answered, "you've got a while to wait yet." She gave some instructions to Hana and then left them alone.
"Itachi better get here in time."
"Amaya-chan, he was near Suna. That's three days away…I don't think you can be in labour for that long."
"Then he'll just have to get here extra quick, won't he?" Already she was getting snappy and feeling tired, and she wasn't even half way yet.
Three hours turned into five, and then to ten and then fifteen, but it was only when it was getting closer to the sixteenth hour that Hana called for Tsunade and everything started to happen rapidly.
Nurses filled the room, bustling around her, and Amaya was squeezing Hana's hand so tightly the medic-nin wondered if she'd ever be able to use it again.
"Okay, you need to start pushing," Tsunade said.
"I know!" Amaya said back through gritted teeth. Hana felt her pain. Literally. "And where is Itachi?! Why isn't he here yet?!" She paused to catch her breath, "I'm going to kill him if he doesn't get here in time!"
"So will I," muttered Hana as she flinched again.
Suddenly the door flew open.
Sweat shone on his forehead and his dark hair stuck to his face. He was breathing fast and looked tired. But his dark eyes shone and he smiled, much to the surprise of many of the room's occupants.
"Made it," was all he said, ignoring the fact that every eye was on him, and moved to take hold of the hand Hana had let go of the instant he appeared.
"Itachi!" Amaya said, raising a hand to place against his cheek, relieved and happy to see him, but then she switched to anger and was in pain again, and he received his first experience of his wife's true strength.
"What took you so long?!" She asked when she could manage it.
"I was near Suna," he explained, stopping himself from grimacing as his hand was crushed.
"So?!"
"It's three days away. I made it in…"
"Under sixteen hours," Hana filled in.
"…including the time it took the message to reach me," he finished.
Amaya smiled lovingly as the pain momentarily subsided a little, "Only you could have done it."
Half an hour later Amaya beamed tiredly as a loud cry rang around the room. Deidara and Sasori, now joined by Kisame heard it and looked up at each other.
"It's a boy," they heard Tsunade say loudly.
"Hah, a boy, Itachi-san will like that," Kisame laughed.
They couldn't hear anymore than that through the closed door, but they knew there was something else going on when they were left sitting in the room for another half hour.
"I wonder what's taking so long," Deidara murmured to no one in particular.
"A boy, our baby boy, can I hold him?" Amaya asked excitedly.
"Not yet, you're not done."
"Not done? What do you mean? Ah!" She cried out, "Still…hurts…"
"You're having twins," Tsunade explained, "You didn't know?"
"T-twins?" Amaya looked at her friend, "Hana-chan?"
"Sorry," Hana shrugged, "I'm not really an expert in the baby department."
"Clearly!"
"A girl," Tsunade announced eventually, and passed the bundle of pink towel to Itachi as a nurse laid a blue bundle in Amaya's arms.
The nurses left the room and Hana went to tell Deidara, Sasori and Kisame, leaving Itachi and Amaya with their two children alone.
"A girl and a boy…How perfect…" Amaya sighed, exhausted but happier than she had ever been. "Perfect."
She looked over to Itachi, holding his daughter in his arms. He had a look on his face she had never seen before. It was a soft, loving expression, as though he was gazing at something magical.
Both children had bright smiles, and midnight blue eyes, with small tufts of dark hair already on their heads.
"What shall we call them?" Amaya asked, letting her son clutch her finger in his small hand.
"Haruki," Itachi suggested, looking at the boy in his wife's arms.
Amaya nodded, "Radiant sunlight…Looking at his smile I'd say that fits. And…Akemi, bright and beautiful," she smiled.
"Haruki and Akemi," they said proudly together.
Two and half years later Amaya was sat with her daughter on her knee, watching Itachi teach his son a new jutsu.
"Mama, Akemi doesn't gerrit…why's Haru-oniichan wanna learn juzzu? S'not fun," the little girl said.
"Why don't you ask him?" Amaya said, as her son came running towards her, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Mama, mama, I did it! Did it!" He almost tripped but Itachi caught him and sat down beside Amaya, seating Haruki on his lap.
"Really, you learnt another new jutsu? You're so talented. I guess you get that from your father," Amaya said, smiling proudly.
"Haru-oniichan, Haru-oniichan," Akemi said, leaning towards her brother, her big eyes innocent and curious, "why'd you wanna learn so many juzzu for?"
"That's simple," the boy said knowingly, sitting up straight and pointing to himself as he spoke, "Haru-chan is your oniichan, so I's gotta be strong and protecter you!"
"Protecter me? From what?"
"Monsters 'n' bad peoples. That's what oniichans is for. Right, Mama?"
Amaya laughed, "That's right, ne, Itachi?"
Itachi gave her a dry look, but smiled, knowing she was only playing around, "Aa."
"Akemi have decided!" Akemi said suddenly, jumping off Amaya's lap, "I is gonna be strong too! Den we can protegger each chuva!"
Haruki leapt up too, "Yosh!" He said, his favourite word after he had heard 'auntie' Hana say it, "Come on, Emi-chan, oniichan will teacher you some cool juzzu," and he took his sister's hand.
Amaya watched them as they laughed and worked hard together. They both had dark hair; Haruki's was messy and sticking out in all directions, while Akemi's was long and sleek like her mother's, but in the bright light they looked like a mirror image of each other.
Looking sideways at Itachi, Amaya smiled again.
"You know, I was thinking about all that time ago, before we bumped into each other in the forest when Hana-chan and me were lost, back before that, there was only one word going through my mind: wasureru. To forget, everything, wipe my life clean and start again. But thinking back on it, I'm glad I bumped into you again, Itachi.
"This life, these children, you…
I don't ever want to forget this.
Ever."
And... they all lived happily ever after!
Well, I hope that was good enough... I couldn't really think of anything else to put, but I wanted to get everyone in there somehow. I think Itachi was really out of character here, but let's just say that being married and having children changed him, and made him happy and more laid back.
Thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed, even though I took so long to update. Somehow my first fanfic turned out to be a sort of success - I really didn't think I'd get to Chapter 24 when I started, so thanks to you all.
-xxblackrose-