Revival

A/N: Just saw Atonement and it's just one of those films that inspire…so wrote this for y'all. Hope you like. Please review…that also inspires!

Chapter 7: Rebel, Rebel

It was late at night when Sasuke had Mikoto back in his arms. He held her tightly and looked his former teacher in the face, "Thank you." She was asleep and it seemed it had been for quite sometime. He laid her gently on the couch, so as not to let her out of his sight and then invited Kakashi and Sakura inside.

"How is she?" Naruto said sitting next to his lover. He threw an arm around him and squeezed his shoulder.

"Fine, as far as I can tell." Kakashi said, suddenly looking at Sakura.

"There are some injuries that concerned me. Battle injuries." She averted her gaze from Sasuke's steely eyes. "I asked her about them but she wouldn't answer. They were already bandaged by the time we found her."

The fathers remained silent for a moment. "Has she said anything?"

"Just 'I'm sorry'." Kakashi said quietly.

Sasuke got up, distressed, and punched the wall angrily. "That…that…"

"Sasuke?" Sakura said; her voice was barely a whisper.

Naruto got up and pulled Sasuke into a tight embrace, "We'll kill that bastard. I promise." He took Sasuke's bloody knuckle in his hand and kissed it. "She's home…that's what matters." Kakashi took this as a cue to leave and pulled Sakura along by the elbow. Once they were gone, Naruto left and got some blankets and pillows. "I guess we'll be camping out tonight."

In the morning, Mikoto woke up early and sat outside on the porch. She ran her hands through her gritty hair, determined to take a shower later on. Somehow she felt older, different. "You aren't weak, are you?" Itachi's voice said in her head.

"I heard you were back." Her head snapped up and she saw Nao in the yard. She waved at him.

"Yeah." She said. "You can come sit here if you want." Nao tentatively sat down. "When I was with Itachi…" Her voice trailed off and she began fiddling with the bandage on her arm. "Never mind."

Nao sat there silent for a moment. "I know." She leaned against him. Then, there was a noise; she sat back up immediately.

"Nao." Sasuke said, coldly.

"Uchiha-san." Nao stood up and bowed slightly. "I was wondering if Mikoto would like to practice with us."

"Us?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Kouji, myself and Sai-sensei." Nao replied shortly.

"Can I come and watch, Miko-chan?" Sasuke said, kneeling down by his daughter.

"Dad…" Mikoto groaned.

"Aw, c'mon Miko." Naruto said from the doorway. "It'll be fun."

She sighed. "Fine." She leaped up and ran inside.

Later that day, Sasuke and Naruto, from a distance, watched their daughter dodge kunai and her teammate's blows. "She's gotten good, hasn't she?" Naruto smiled, trying to distract Sasuke. He squeezed Sasuke's tight muscle, "Massage?"

Sasuke furrowed his brow. "There's something different about it…she fights differently." He sighed, knowing that his daughter was safe with them nearby and leaned into Naruto's embrace.

"You're all doing wonderful, my pupils." Sai smiled broadly and patted them each on the head.

Kouji breathed heavily, with his hands on his knees. "When did you get so good, hime?"

Mikoto disarmed him lightning-quick and before he knew it he was on his back with Mikoto's heel against his neck. "My name…is Mikoto, remember?"

"Yes…yes…now get off of me." He grunted.

"What happened to your eyes?" Nao asked, brushing the black bangs out of her face.

"Nothing." She mouthed.

Sai approached them, his smile disappearing. "The Sharingan…when did this happen?"

"It's nothing." She said louder, catching Sasuke's ear.

He immediately made a beeline to his daughter. "What is it? Are you hurt?" She shook her head, covering her face. Sai pulled him aside and whispered in his ear. Sasuke closed his eyes in relief, "When did it happen?"

"Itachi…when I was…" Mikoto whispered, still not uncovering her face. Her father had told her about the Sharingan; how it was a gift that saved his life. He never told her how it was obtained.

//Flashback//

"Now…Miko-chan, you aren't weak, are you?" Itachi slid an arm around the small girl. "Did Sasuke ever tell you how weak he was?" Mikoto remained silently seething. "He wasn't even worth killing." She pushed him away and stood up.

"At least he's not a weasel like you." She said, shaking with anger.

"And that temper…that temper comes from Naruto." Itachi mused.

"Kill me if you want but leave my family alone." He moved quickly and pushed her up against the wall, she fought the urge to kick wildly, childishly.

"I won't kill you, daughter." He said tonelessly. "I have no intention of doing that." He let her go and she dropped to the floor in a heap. She glared at him. "As your father though, I do expect you to leave here a little more equipped."

Without warning, he flew at he flew at her. "If you're a true Uchiha, this is the moment." She tried to dodge his constant attacks but they were coming at her too fast.

She narrowly dodged a kunai and it grazed her arm. She cried out; sweat ran down her forehead but she was determined to survive.

Kisame, who was perched on the fence, chuckled to himself, "Merciless."

Mikoto tried to concentrate on his minor movements. She knew that if a hand bent a certain way or their footwork made a certain pattern, you predict the opponent's movements. But he was moving much too fast. Don't give up. Use your pain. You must survive.

She squinted; it felt as if her eyes were bleeding. Slowly, his movements were becoming clearer. Her eyes hurt and she bit into her bottom lip so deeply that she tasted blood.

But she could see! Clearer than she ever had.

He looked into her eyes with a slight flicker of satisfaction and then he stopped. "That's enough for now…" He readjusted his cloak and walked away.

She covered her face; her eyes burned like liquid fire. She breathed, trying to calm herself and glanced at herself in the nearest puddle. Her eyes were red, like her father's, like Itachi's.

//End Flashback//

Two days later, Mikoto found herself sitting on the floor of her bedroom with Kouji and Nao nearby. It had suddenly gotten hot and Mikoto had the fan running. The whirring was the only noise being made.

Kouji, fed up with the silence, said, "God, you two. How did I get stuck in this damn team?"

Mikoto squirmed. She didn't used to be this quiet. But most people, she guessed, resorted to silence after trauma; it was easier to withdraw. She could easily remember easier days. In one week, she was forced to grow up and now she was in that aftermath. Nao and Sasuke both retreated into themselves after trauma, why couldn't she? She got up and walked out of the room.

"Now you did it." Nao narrowed his eyes.

Kouji groaned, "Fine…I'll go apologize." He got up to follow her but was blocked by Sasuke.

"I think it's best if you two go elsewhere now." His tone was cold and unforgiving. Nao and Kouji silently left the house. Only Nao turned around to catch a glimpse of Mikoto staring at them from her window before it was closed.

"Am I like Itachi?" Mikoto said, closing the window and turning towards her parents. "Am I like him in any way?"

"Yes and no." Sasuke said, not facing her. "You look so much alike." Mikoto touched her long ponytail apprehensively.

"Anything else?" Her tone was sharp like the edge of a knife.

Sasuke shook his head.

"Did you love Itachi?" Mikoto asked a final question.

"I used to." Sasuke said simply, leaving the room.

Mikoto went to her room and pulled a small wooden box and placed it in her lap. Feelings rose in her; she didn't know whether to hate Itachi or not. Yes, he killed her relatives, innocent people she would never know but he was also, in one way or another, a part of her.

//Flashback//

Mikoto sat uncomfortably near Itachi as he bandaged the wounds he himself had inflicted. She squirmed uneasily. Once he was done, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small wooden box. It was simple enough but there was a small design etched into it. She glanced up at him, hesitantly. "I know you're leaving soon." She still didn't respond. "But if you ever want to contact me, put a letter inside this box and hide in the place we met." He turned away and it was if he had said nothing at all.

Why would I want to contact you? She thought bitterly.

And, as if he heard her, he replied, "Curiosity."

//End Flashback//

Mikoto folded up the small letter and placed it inside the box before leaving the house.

"Where're you going?" Naruto asked with a mouthful of ice-cream.

She hid the box behind her back. "Just taking a walk." And then she smiled sweetly. Naruto chuckled to himself and went back to what he was doing.

She didn't however expect him to respond.

A month later she received a response:

I must be brief. Do not expect love or affirmation from me. You are simply my blood. What Sasuke says about me is true.

She crumpled the response in her hand. He had simply stated truths she already knew. She sighed. Sasuke had been right the whole time: a monster like Itachi could never be her father. If only she had listened but perhaps it was better to find out this way.

She hurried home.

A/N: I know…another angsty chapter. Last one, I promise. Please review begs.