This was not exactly what Sasuke had thought would happen when he told Sakura they needed to talk about them. He had hoped it would be a more private conversation, but apparently, she did not feel it necessary for it to be between just them. Instead, Sasuke sat in an armchair across from a cozy little couch, where Sakura was comfortably curled up against Itachi. It was true that he needed to fix things with them both, but he did not think he would have to do it at the same time. Especially if he wanted to speak about their current relationship, or whatever they had going on.

Sakura and Itachi both sat expectantly, waiting for him to say something first. Sasuke sighed, unsure of how to even start. He had never thought that when he died, they would both act so indifferent towards him. Sasuke knew the truth, and even though he never dared to hope he would be reunited with his older brother, he had always thought that Itachi would be much more... caring. There was no need to hide his true character, yet he showed the same aloofness as always, except for Sakura.

Then there was Sakura. It had never crossed his mind as he watched the blood drip down from her cold lips that she would meet Itachi in the afterlife. He never suspected that they would form some sort of strange, consoling relationship. For said relationship to progress to the levels he had earlier witnessed, and Sasuke was left with the impression that Sakura meant more to Itachi than anything.

Though Sasuke did not know his older brother as well as he had once as a child, he was certain that Itachi was not the sort of person to haphazardly sleep with women. In fact, the way they seemed so intimately connected to one another as they sat on the couch, Sasuke would not have been surprised if Sakura had been his first. It was as if they moved against each other as one, in the simple, subtle movements of settling against each other on the couch. Sakura would shift slightly, and then Itachi would move to accommodate her. It seemed almost natural.

There was so much love between them, dare he say it. Something about how they acted together told Sasuke that even if he had been the one sitting on the couch next to her, after a night of teasing and lovemaking, it would not be the same. Itachi seemed to accept her on more than just a physical level, but and emotional one as well. It was not something to take lightly, that much he was certain of.

He finally spoke. "Why did you do it, aniki?" He asked quietly. There was no need guess of what he was speaking. The Uchiha massacre; first and foremost.

Itachi sighed. "I assume that Madara managed to tell you what he saw that night, and what I told him, despite the precautions taken. What he said is not entirely true, however, it was skewed, and said only to manipulate you."

This got Sasuke thinking about the strange encounter with Madara in the cave after his vengeful fight with Itachi, as he was beginning to recover. "He said they made you do it, that you killed everyone... Kaa-san, Tou-san, even your lover. I did not remember you even having a lover." Sasuke mumbled thoughtfully. Sakura stilled silently next to Itachi at the mentioning of this girl. Of course, she should not have expected to be his first love, because he was certainly not hers. Sasuke had, unfortunately, claimed that.

"It was not common knowledge, and our parents did not want anyone else to know until I came of age. I was set up for an arranged marriage from the age of three. Meiko had not been my lover, and I hardly knew her apart from that she was a member of the Uchiha clan. I only met her twice during my life, one of those times being the night I killed her." Itachi replied, almost more to Sakura than to Sasuke. She relaxed at this, easing against him again.

"You killed everyone though, and he helped. Why would you let Konoha do that?"

Again, Itachi sighed. Perhaps his sense of logic was not as obvious as he had assumed. Once hearing the truth, Itachi had thought Sasuke would be capable of deducing his reasons for allowing the massacre to take place. "You were born after the third shinobi war with Suna, and so you never saw how awful war can be. I was young when I experienced it, and it left an impression on me. I decided at the age of four that I would never let anyone, my little brother least of all, to see the same horrors I had. Kaa-san had been pregnant at the time, and Tou-san had left it up to me to protect her. I had killed to save her, and you."

Sasuke was quiet. He had already known that seeing war at such a young age had turned Itachi into a pacifist, but he had not known the extent of what Itachi had experienced. The first time he had ever killed anyone, it had been Orochimaru, and he had almost been sixteen. Itachi had been four. It was sickening to even compare the difference in age.

"You can never fully understand how terrible it was to see people dying left and right at such a young age, and seeing that was half of what made me decide to complete the mission I was assigned. I had no doubt of what the consequences would be should the Uchiha revolt, and I could not allow Konoha to be consumed in a civil war. So many innocent people would have died, and it would have been my fault if I had not stopped it. Konoha would have been weakened, and for all we knew, our enemies would come lining up to overtake us. The Uchiha were being selfish, and it would be unfair if everyone had to pay for our mistakes."

Sasuke closed his eyes, looking back to the first time he had met Madara, and remembered that he had said something very similar. It seems that the elderly Uchiha had known his pupil better than once thought. Still, Sasuke was not sure what to say to Itachi. He had heard this before, but it was somehow different when hearing from him, instead of a third party. It had sounded cruel and heartless from Madara, but not so much from Itachi.

Wordlessly, he turned to Sakura. Itachi, he felt was excusable, but for what she had done, Sasuke had a harder time accepting her choice and forgiving. Sakura met his eyes with a frown, cinching slightly closer to Itachi, obviously uncomfortable with being under the spotlight. Sasuke rose an eyebrow in irritation, waiting for some sort of explanation.

Sakura sighed, supposing she should start with the two dreams that had tortured her for three weeks. "Every night, for three weeks straight, I had two dreams about us. I woke up shortly after them each night, and feared falling back asleep. I would run off to the kitchen, brew myself a pot of tea, then cry. I would fall asleep again at the kitchen table every night, crying over you, Sasuke."

Like a jolt of electricity, Sasuke felt guilt strike right into him. What he had done to her was most heinous, he realized. The only thing that he could deduce as the cause for her misery was that kiss he had given her. Sasuke had been angry with her, and it was given to make her feel horrible. Clearly, it had the effect he had intended.

"What happened in these dreams?" He asked softly, wondering what cruel things he had done to her in her mind. Was it the scene of her murder, replaying in her head each night as she tried to sleep peacefully? He had a hard time thinking back to that time himself, and he had not been the one to die.

Sakura smiled sadly, looking down at the hand she had knitted with Itachi's and decided to be perfectly to the point with him. "My first dream, you had proposed to me. In my second, we had a son named Takumi. He was really smart, too smart, as a matter of fact, and you were coming home from a long-term mission that day. In my second dream, I told you I was carrying your child again. You had been shocked, but at the end, you told me that you loved me.

"Those two dreams kept me up all hours of the night, and I was too depressed to see what I had. I had rejected Itachi because of you, but every night, when I fell back asleep at the kitchen table, he carried me to bed. He suffered right alongside me, and I did not find out until the end of those three weeks. He had said I was blinded, and I realized he was right. I could not keep waiting for someone who would never love me, would never be the man who haunted my dreams, and that I needed to grow up.

"I decided I needed to get over you, and honestly, I was not certain how," here she paused, mentally editing out the part where she had clumsily tried to seduce Itachi. "but he never left my side. Eventually, we grew close. You saw for yourself what the results of that were."

Sasuke mulled over this, and was perfectly composed when he responded. "You loved me. I still love you." The unspoken You belong to me, and only me, went naturally with this proclamation. Itachi ground his teeth together at what his younger brother was implying, but could not will himself to speak. His actions must have been loud enough for Sakura to interpret however, because she squeezed his hand tighter.

"I moved on, Sasuke. The fact that he is your brother has nothing to do with anything, so get that idea out of your head. Itachi is not some replacement to you; I love him." She said, purposely emphasizing the word love. Still, Sasuke did not want to accept these feeling Sakura now had for Itachi. In his mind, he knew it was fair that his brother got her, he sure as hell deserved it, but Sasuke was naturally selfish. Most of his life, he had spent alone, and working for a cause that would only ever benefit himself. He wanted something, and he was not used to being denied it.

"I have known you longer." Sasuke retorted, trying to find some sort of even ground to fight on. Sakura shook her head, Itachi growing even more tense next to her.

"We have never even had a proper conversation with each other in years. Even as genin, you did not pay any attention to me, and we were on the same team. You hardly know anything about me, and you presume to think that you have 'known me longer?' That is complete bullshit." Sakura answered without missing a beat. Itachi seemed to relax a little more at this reply, and she smiled shyly up at him. The entire encounter was stressing him out.

"Itachi, come help me make breakfast." Sakura said before Sasuke could come up with a proper retort. His relief was clear to her, though he hardly showed it in his calm countenance. She stood from the couch, and he followed after her into the kitchen. Sasuke did not bother with going after them, it was very clear to him that he had lost this time around.

It really was his fault. He had pushed Sakura away, right until the moment of her death, and she had suffered for it. It was natural that she would want to move on from that, that she would let someone else, who quite obviously deserved her more, enter her damaged heart. If he had not been so heartless, she would have never fallen for his brother.

It was clear that Itachi had gotten Sakura to fall head over heels for him, not that it had probably been difficult. She had been injured, and Itachi was, from what he remembered as a child, a soft, caring individual. Most would have never have considered this, with how silent and emotionless he often appeared, but Sasuke knew very well how Itachi really was. He was exactly what Sakura would long for, after having her heart broken.

As for Itachi; he had been lonely for his entire life. He had never really rejected human contact, as much as Sasuke had, and he, though socially awkward, craved the attention and doting of a woman. Sakura clearly delivered that sort of care that his older brother never experienced in life. Sasuke should not have been so angry with them, should have understood that they had both moved on, had needed devotion from someone else.

Now, as he was slowly realizing, he was in a place he was not welcome. Itachi did not hate him, despite the fact he had killed him, and was more than comfortable with accepting Sakura's affections. Sakura, it was apparent, did not hate him either so much, but was perfectly happy with being the lover of his brother. Karin, though he supposed he should be pleased by it, had no interest in him any longer. Anyone else he met, would not be pleased to see him. Orochimaru, perhaps, would not be so angry with him, and like the pedophile he was, would likely start chasing him again. Not that he was looking forward to that.

Put out by the current turn of events, Sasuke decided to join Sakura and Itachi in the kitchen.

"Does it trouble you that Sasuke is here?" Itachi asked slowly, eyeballing a large pan of eggs he was supposed to be frying. Sakura sighed, pulling down a toaster, then smirked at him. Plugging in the toaster and sliding in the first two slices of bread, she stalked over to him, standing on her toes to kiss his downturned lips.

"I am fine, Itachi. I swear. I just do not know how to act around him. I never told you this, but Sasuke was my first kiss." She murmured, looking down at her feet in embarrassment. He stared at her for a moment, somewhat surprised by this revelation, then lifted her chin with a slender finger. He then leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. The suddenness of it all shocked her, but Sakura did not, by any means, object.

Almost instinctively, she moved closer to him, stepping on his feet to reach higher. His hands blindly felt around until finding their place on her back and neck, holding her as he wanted to as he tilted his head to get more access. She allowed this, mewling in pleasure when his tongue glided alongside hers. Sakura loved how he was able to make her feel; as if she was the single most important person in the world.

She eventually had to tear her lips away, out of breath and slightly dizzy from his ministrations. Itachi, however, did not so much as pause, instead tracing his sinful mouth to her ear, nibbling on her lobe and listening as she desperately tried to stifle her groans. Sakura tightened the arms she had around his neck, lifting her hips and grinding them into his. She could already feel him hardening, and as much as she wanted to continue, it was not the best time to do so.

"Itachi," she whispered, "we are supposed to be making breakfast. I really do not want people to walk in on us like this."

He hesitated thoughtfully, considering the consequences if someone did indeed walk in while they continued. "You know, I had every intention in throwing you on the kitchen table and eating you for breakfast." Itachi said smoothly in a sultry tone. She shuddered at the thought, seriously tempted to let her lover have his way, but refrained herself. The kitchen table was not an ideal place to make love, no matter how deliciously sexy it sounded.

"Later, Itachi." She finally said with a sad sigh. This decision was reinforced the moment Sasuke stumbled into the kitchen, his entire face beet red. Itachi grumbled in dissatisfaction, pulling away.

Almost as if a second thought, he dipped his mouth back to her ear and murmured, "If not now, then I will press you up against the wall in the shower, and take you there. Is that agreeable?"

His hot breath fanned her neck, and Sakura could not even respond to his claim. Itachi already knew she would not, by any means, object to his idea, and so he turned back to the fried eggs, as if nothing had ever happened. Sakura turned to the toaster, frustrated to find that the toast was now charcoal. She sent him a glare, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. He did not turn from his eggs, but smirked all the same.

Sasuke slumped at the kitchen table, trying to get the images of his brother making love to Sakura in the shower, but finding it to be impossible. He was well aware of the fact Itachi had said that to her more for him to hear than Sakura. Sasuke was almost certain that he did not deserve for Itachi to rub in the fact that he was screwing Sakura.

Okay, so maybe he did, after the hellish life both Sakura and Itachi went through because of him. Still, he did not want the picture of them in the shower together. Mulling over this, and just as Sakura was finally finishing with the malfunctioning toaster, the remaining members of purgatory decided to join up in the kitchen. To say they were surprised of seeing Sasuke there was an understatement. The first one to say anything was Deidara.

"What a dumb ass. Goddamned emos and their sick pleasure in killing themselves, un."

Then, naturally enough, the entire group cracked up. Sasuke huffed, then crossed his arms over his chest. "Like you have any right to speak. Who was it that decided the best way to defeat me was to blow yourself up?" Sasuke muttered, clearly distraught. His reason for suicide had nothing to do with pleasure. It was simply a matter of retaining some dignity.

"My, my Sasuke-kun. It has been a long time since we last saw each other, has it not?" Orochimaru cackled perversely. Sakura turned from the demented toaster and glared at the snake-man.

"If you are going to rape him, can you not tell us about it? None of us care about your gay romance with little boys." She scolded. Sasuke flushed, then turned a deathly pale. Surely she did not believe that he had ever had sexual intercourse with the snake sannin, did she? That was a kick below the belt. He was not, in any way, homosexual. He wanted to speak, to retort to this idea, but only choked on saliva.

"I think that you all are going to kill my ototo." Itachi finally said, taking the eggs off the burner. No one bothered to disagree, because for the most part, everyone in the room wanted to get some sort of revenge for their untimely deaths. Danzo, predictably enough, was the only one to not bother with the young Uchiha. He was too busy picking apart the breakfast that was set in front of him.

The table was rather crowded, with another person joining them, but with the bantering of everyone, Sasuke was quick to leave the kitchen. The only thing he could possibly be thankful for was that Karin no longer had such an infuriating crush on him. It was a little strange to watch her flirt with a certain blond terrorist, but he supposed it was better than seeing her giggling with Itachi. That would have been sickening.

Sasuke wordlessly followed his chakra remnants back to the room he had woken up in, hoping to relax if but a little. He was downright exhausted, after dealing with the trouble of the people he had killed. It had been a big morning; he had discovered the close relationship his brother shared with Sakura, that Karin had moved on, and that Orochimaru still had a disturbing interest in him. It was almost too much for his mind to process.

two months later

Sakura stood in shock. This should not be happening. It should not even be possible. She was dead. Itachi was dead. Everyone was dead. But lo and behold, right on the little screen was a big plus sign. How could she be... pregnant?

Karin had said, after she had suffered a month of throwing up every morning, that she should take a test. Sakura had scoffed at the thought, assuming because she was no longer alive, that it should not have been possible. Clearly, she had been very wrong about that. How was she ever going to break the news to Itachi?

They had never thought of using any sort of protection; they were dead for god's sake! This sort of problem should never have come up? She had never even considered that life could come out of death, that a child could be born when she was already six feet underground.

What would Itachi think? He sure was not expecting to be a father, and for all she knew, he was not interested in being a parent. They had never talked about it, as it should have been too far-fetched to think of. Sakura was not even sure she wanted a child. That was not to say she would do something to get rid of what they had created, but she wondered if it would even survive birth. Would it be deformed?

There was a sudden knock on the door, surprising Sakura. "Koishii, are you all right in there?" She heard a voice ask softly. Dammit, it was Itachi. She could not lie to him, not with all he meant to her. Besides, she was going to have to tell him eventually. It was better to tell him now, when she first found out about it.

It was a hard thing to ponder over, but what exactly was she even going to tell him? Oh, yeah... remember how we have a violent round of beautiful lovemaking every night? Well, apparently, I got pregnant. Interesting, right? That was not going to fly. She was certain that it was going to shock him, just as much as it had shocked her.

"No, not really. In fact, I am certain that something is wrong." She whispered, closing the toilet lid, then sitting on it. Sighing, she rested her head in her hands. Concerned, Itachi opened the door and entered, closing it again after himself. He crouched down next to her, then noticing what she had curled into her fist.

Itachi carefully took her hand, uncurling her fingers one by one, until taking it from her. He looked in confusion from her worried face, and then glanced at the small screen. His eyes widened, and he blinked. Just as she did, he was certain that it could not have been possible. Yet, that plus sign begged to differ.

He was not sure what to even say to her. It was not her fault, and he knew that, and he was not angry. Part of him was sort of pleased by the idea that Sakura was carrying something he had put in her. Sakura, he realized, must have been terrified. He could tell just by the blank look in her eye. She did not want him to know how scared by this she really was, but he knew her better than anyone else.

"It will be okay, Koishii." Itachi whispered, placing the pregnancy test onto the bathroom sink counter and then easing her off the toilet seat. She curled up into his chest, tears slowly forming in her viridian eyes. He sighed, breathing in her sweet, strawberry scent, and wrapped two strong arms around her anxious form.

It was natural that, considering how many times they had made love without even a thought of contraception, she would conceive. Perhaps it should be unusual, as they had both been dead for quite some time, but he had learned from a young age that nothing was impossible. Her pregnancy was proof of that much. Though he had never put any thought into bringing forth an Uchiha heir in his life; he had left that to Sasuke, Itachi was pleased by the news Sakura had to share.

"Itachi, it is not natural. What will our child even look like when it is born? Will it be a stillborn?" She questioned, her frame shaking subtly. Itachi shook his head, stroking her soft, short locks of pink hair. She was understandably confused, and he could comprehend that much, but he did not want her to think that their child would be deformed.

Itachi carefully used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the tears trailing down Sakura's cheek. "It is natural for you to conceive, Koishii. We have had sex unprotected so many times it is not even funny, and this is what happens. You are the medic, so you should know this better than I."

Sakura let out a shaky sigh. "I know what happens when two people have sex. I just never thought I could get pregnant. Did you?"

Silence fell, and dragged on for quite some time. Itachi thought, and wondered if before, when he made love to Sakura, would he have wanted her to conceive? He wanted the child now, he liked the idea of being the one to continue his clan, after being the one to destroy it, but life had never permitted him to do so. Who knew that death would?

He finally answered. "I did not know that in my death, I would be given such a blessing. Our child is a beautiful thing, and when it is born, months from now, no one will be able to even comprehend how breathtaking it is. I want this child, and I want to see you with this child. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Koishii?"

Warmth flooded through her, and a soft, tentative smile broke through her overall fear. Her arms snaked about his neck, pulling them closer as she laughed to herself. Itachi was, of course, right. Their child would be something more beautiful than anything either of them had ever seen. It was a gift, not something to curse; their child was going to be a miracle. After all, no other time had life resulted from death.

AN: I noticed something. I have a habit of making my characters get pregnant. I noticed something else. Itachi is a warrior poet. Okay, sorry, that was just me being random. :D

Anyway, I sorta did a time skip there. I was all pissed at Sasuke, and did not want to write any more of his stupid-emo-angst/woe is me crap. I actually was planning for Sakura to get pregnant from the beginning. Cuz a boy and girl + sexytimes = baby. Yeah. Common sense.

There is much more left to this fic, so rest assured! Most of the time, they only last until chapter fifteen, but this one will be longer than that!

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