Dearest Readers,

Once again…another time lapse. From what I'm planning, this will be the last major time lapse in this story…joy!

Read on, Cherubs.

Over and out.

Decision of a Lifetime

They looked down at the girls in the crib after finally being able to put them to sleep, worry etched in both of their features. They winced slightly as Amaranth released another wet cough, this one sounding worse than the ones she's had earlier that day. Itachi grabbed a tissue from the box on the table next to the crib and wiped the blood off of Amaranth's chin.

They saw what the doctor was talking about with Amaranth's legs and inability to balance herself about a year ago. Even though both Eli and Amaranth are able to talk using simple words, Amaranth can't walk but Eli is able to run. It was recommended that they put braces on Amaranth's legs when Eli started walking, but Amaranth can't walk without someone holding her up because she'll fall over.

However, they loved holding her hands above her head and slowly allowing her to walk, the smile on her face was priceless as she started to feel more like her sister. On Eli and Amaranth's first birthday, something unexpected and unexplainable happened to Amaranth: her eyes changed from dark ebony to dark crimson of the Sharingan. Even with all the knowledge that he has of his own clan, how Amaranth was able to activate her Sharingan without meaning to confused him. Not only that, but her eyes won't change back to their original color. But why would Amaranth's eyes do that?

But now there was a new, more worrisome problem: the cough. They knew that parents worry about their kids constantly and overreact at every little thing imaginable, but this was serious even though neither of them had a lot of medical knowledge.

"She needs to go to the doctor." Itachi said quietly, closing the twin's bedroom door behind him. Shikamaru sighed deeply, not understanding why Amaranth was having these medical problems.

"Yeah, I'll…I'll make an appointment with him tomorrow." He started to walk away, but Itachi grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards him. Wrapping his arms around his slim waist, he rested his chin on top of his head.

"We'll figure out what's wrong, Love. And once we know what's wrong, we'll do everything we can to fix it, alright?" Shikamaru sniffed into Itachi's chest, arms wrapped around his neck.

"Okay…I hope it's not as serious as its sounding."

ItachiXShikamaru

"Alright Miss Amaranth, what's going on?" The doctor asked nicely at her as Shikamaru lightly bounced her on his lap.

"This feels bad," She pointed at her chest, "and this hurts too." She pointed at her throat. The doctor smiled and then looked at Shikamaru.

"So a sore chest and throat, right?"

"She's had a really bad wet cough for a while…and she's been coughing up some blood." The doctor's eyebrow rose slightly.

"How long is a while?"

"About three weeks, maybe a little bit longer." The doctor nodded thoughtfully and looked at Amaranth again.

"Alright Missy, come on over here. Let's take a look inside of you."

"That can see inside of me?" She asked incredulously, staring at a machine as Shikamaru led her towards the x-ray machine.

"It sure can, now I need you to take your shirt and braces off for me."

She sat in the machine, shivering slightly because of chills. Shikamaru stood next to the doctor, not understanding what the screen was showing him. The doctor sighed as he looked at the screen, making Shikamaru's panic rise.

"What's wrong?" The doctor pointed to a lightish-gray spot near the top of Amaranth's chest.

"That's the problem."

"What is it?" The doctor hesitated, knowing that he wasn't going to take it well. "You're going to have to tell me anyway."

"It's Tuberculosis, by the looks of it." Shikamaru froze, becoming dead to the world. He knew of that disease and he also knew what it could do to a person who has it. He looked at Amaranth, knowing that she had no idea about the severity of her medical situation.

"W-what do we do from here?"

"Well, TB can be somewhat cured in a minimum of 6 months with antibiotics. However, Amaranth is…about…2 now?"

"2 and a half." Shikamaru corrected.

"She's young…very young…and TB takes 6 months to 2 years to cure and even then, there's the possibility of it returning."

"What's your point?"

"Since TB is a potentially deadly disease…and because she's so young, it's going to be more severe because of her age. Plus with the fact that it'll take at least 6 months for the treatment to take affect—"

"You're saying that we shouldn't do anything." Shikamaru growled, glaring at him.

"Now I didn't say that. I'm just warning you to not get your hopes up of this passing." Shikamaru felt his body freeze again. She…she can…die…that quickly?

"TB treatment is expensive, Shikamaru, trust me. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go through with treatment, I'm just saying that you shouldn't get your hopes up too high because at her age, TB will be more deadly."

"Mama, I'm cold." Amaranth's soft voice broke through their conversation and he smiled forcedly at her.

"Alright, Boo, put your shirt back on and I'll put on your braces."

"Shikamaru, I'm not telling you to not do anything. I'm just saying to…give it a lot of thought before you put her through treatment."

ItachiXShikamaru

Once he led Amaranth to her and Eli's room where Itachi was helping Eli draw…something, he motioned for Itachi to follow him. When he saw the glassy look in his eyes and the look of misery on his face, he knew that it was much more severe than they originally thought.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru threw himself into his arms, trying to keep his sobs quiet so that the girls didn't hear him. He held Shikamaru close to him, feeling himself begin to panic. Itachi gave him time to calm down before trying to talk to him.

"S-she has TB." Shikamaru sobbed quietly into the crook of his neck, hoping that the girls didn't hear them. Itachi felt as though someone punched him in the stomach, leaving him winded. He heard of Tuberculosis and one thing stuck out in his mind: it was deadly.

"What did he say we should do from here?" Shikamaru looked up at him, his eyes red and glassy.

"He said that because she's so young, it'll be more deadly…and since treatment takes about 6 months to take affect…he thinks that she w-won't make it to then." Itachi didn't know how to react to that: a doctor told them that they're daughter was dying and that there were possible treatments…but they wouldn't work in time.

He pulled Shikamaru close to him, burying his face against his neck. He's never felt this much despair and helplessness in his life. Their daughter was dying and there was nothing he could do to save her in time.

ItachiXShikamaru

"And there's nothing that can be done?" Deidara asked carefully, not knowing whether or not his question would make Itachi attack him.

"There is a treatment plan for TB, but because TB is more severe in children, if we did put Amaranth through treatment…it wouldn't work in time anyway." Itachi said quietly, hating himself for being so vulnerable in front of them.

Deidara looked at Kisame who was just as lost as he was about what to do with this situation. What could they do? Nothing…just…let time takes its course. He sighed, looking down at the brown rug he was standing on. Itachi and Shikamaru were slowly losing one of their daughters and no one could do anything about it…no one.

A thoughtful expression came over Deidara's face as he began to think hard, a possible idea forming in his head. His eyes darted up at Itachi who was sitting on the window sill, looking out into the woods. He may not like the idea…but I think he would rather do what I'm thinking of than to lose his kid.

"Hey…Itachi?" He asked tentatively, receiving a small grunt of recognition. "I think…there may be a way…to cure Amaranth." Itachi slowly turned towards him, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You better not be making anything up." He hissed darkly, glaring at him.

"I'm not, Itachi, I swear. I wouldn't mess around with something like this."

"What are you thinking then?" Deidara hesitated.

"You've…you've heard that the Leaf Village has a new Hokage now…right?" Kisame held his breath at the mention of Itachi's former village.

"I have heard of that, yes."

"H-her name's Tsunade…one of the Three Legendary Sannin…she uh…she's said to be an expert in uh…healing."

Itachi eyed him carefully, absorbing what he just said. This woman, Tsunade, is one of the Three Legendary Sannin…an expert with healing. Only problem is: she's the Hokage of the village he turned his back on…same with Shikamaru. He and Shikamaru can't walk right back into the village, expect her to heal Amaranth, and then walk right back out. That's not going to happen and they all knew that. But this woman can make Amaranth healthy…allow her to live.

There were really only two problems with this idea: One, how were they going to get Tsunade to heal Amaranth? Two, how were they going to get out of the village? Even though he hated the idea of it…they would have to give something in return to the village for Tsunade giving them their daughter's health. He sighed, considering this idea carefully. He always remembered Shikamaru saying that he wanted to visit the village someday…maybe that day is very near.

ItachiXShikamaru

"Help me." Itachi said with a pleading look in his eyes as he sat on the floor on Eli and Amaranth's bedroom…his arms being bombarded with glitter pens and Hello Kitty band-aids.

"Girls, are you decorating Papa?" Shikamaru asked, trying to hide the laughter from his voice as he sat down in front of Itachi.

"No, Mama," Eli said as she drew a glittery smiley face on Itachi's left bicep. "We're making him feel better!"

"Feel better? Was Papa feeling bad earlier?"

"Papa was sad, so we're making him better!" Amaranth chimed in, sticking another Hello Kitty band-aid on Itachi's right forearm.

"I am feeling much better now, Girls. You two are wonderful doctors." Itachi said, making Eli and Amaranth smile widely at him. Eli stood up gingerly and ran across the room for her sketchbook and brought it back to where they were. She flopped back down, opened it, and began to scribble in it with a blue crayon.

"Here you go, Papa." She said, ripping the piece of paper out of the book and handing it to him.

"What is it, Moo?" He asked, looking down at the blue scribbles.

"It's what you have to do to keep yourself feeling better!"

"And what exactly do I have to do?"

"Oh, Papa, you're silly. See," She pointed to one blue scribble. "You have to come back to us everyday until your Blueness goes away."

"What's Blueness?" Shikamaru butted in, smiling lightly at Itachi.

"Uncle Deidara said that Blueness is the color that the inside of a person is when they're sad." Amaranth said, drawing the last smiley face on the inside of Itachi's elbow. Shikamaru and Itachi shook their heads and laughed lightly. Of course Deidara would tell them something like that.

"Alright Drs. Eli and Amaranth, I'll keep coming back. But until then, you two need to take a nap." They both groaned as Itachi and Shikamaru picked them up and placed them in the crib, looking down at them.

"Here are the rules:" Itachi started, his voice becoming serious. "No wild parties, no random boys in the crib, no beating each other up, and—"

"No coming up with ways to make Mama cry." Eli and Amaranth said at the same time, making Itachi smile.

"Look at what you're teaching them." Shikamaru said, slapping his arm lightly as he led the way out of the room after kissing the girls on the forehead.

"You'll thank me later." Itachi said, closing the door behind him. He gently grabbed Shikamaru's elbow, bringing him back towards him; placing his hands on his hips. Shikamaru looked curiously up at him, his eyes sparkling slightly in the dim light.

"There might be a way to cure Amaranth." Itachi said quietly. Shikamaru's eyes went wide, now looking at him with anticipation.

"How?" Itachi bit his lower lip gently.

"Tsunade's an expert at healing…right?"

The pieces started to click in his mind: if they take Amaranth to the Leaf Village, Tsunade can heal her. But…both of them turned away from the village long ago…chances are, she's not going to do anything for them no matter how much they asked her. Knowing Itachi, it wouldn't be hard to get into the village…it's getting Amaranth healed then out of the village that'll cause problems.

His mind shifted to the blonde Hokage: she's not going to give them anything…especially without getting something in return. He cased his eyes downward, thinking of his former friends and mentors…surely they'll run into them if they decide to go back to the village. It's not a question of 'if' we're going…it's 'when'.

"What should we do from here?" He asked quietly, looking back up at Itachi. The Uchiha placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Looks like Eli and Amaranth are going on their first trip."

ItachiXShikamaru

"Are we going to kick butt and take names while we're there?" Deidara asked as he and Kisame sat across the small table from Itachi and Shikamaru.

"No, Deidara, we're going to be as peaceful as possible. However, knowing the people there…we most likely won't be leaving without a fight." Shikamaru said, stirring his tea absentmindedly.

"We're going to face confrontation, no matter which way you look at. Not just because all 4 of us are rogue ninja, but also because Shikamaru and I left…mind you, people hate me much more than they hate you, I'd imagine." Itachi said, glancing at Shikamaru.

"I know one person in the Leaf Village who hates you in particular." Shikamaru said, giving him a pointed look over the rim of his tea cup.

"We will encounter Sasuke and the others you were with no matter how we enter the village. However," He hesitated momentarily. "You said at one point that you wanted to see all of them again." Shikamaru choked on his tea.

"Yeah, I did, but not when I'm near you and Sasuke. If I know him well enough, he's going to try to kill you."

"You are right…he will. However, that should not be a worry to you. Leave Sasuke to me…I'll make sure he doesn't do anything that'll bring harm to you and the girls." There's his protectiveness. Deidara and Kisame thought at the same time.

"But how are we going to persuade Tsunade to heal Amaranth? She's not going to do anything for us…she's a very stubborn…and angry woman."

"That shouldn't be an issue." Zetsu said from the doorway, making them look at him.

"What does that mean?" Shikamaru asked as Zetsu sat next to him.

"It is the Hokage's job to protect their village, correct?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru said slowly, looking cautiously at him. Zetsu leaned back on his hands, looking up at the ceiling.

"Well, you can tell her that Orochimaru is near the end of a plan to invade the Leaf Village again."

"Is he now?" Itachi asked quietly, feeling his blood boil at Orochimaru's name.

"Oh yes, so how can Lady Tsunade keep her village safe if she doesn't know that an attack is in the works?" They thought about this for a moment, thinking through it carefully.

"She might not believe us." Shikamaru said finally, looking over at Zetsu.

"True, however, she was quite fond of you at one point I would imagine." Shikamaru nodded, looking away.

"Yeah, I guess she was. She always had me make new defenses for the village and—"

"Stop right there, Child." Zetsu interrupted, Itachi seeing what he was getting at.

"Very clever, Zetsu." Itachi said calmly, trying to rub some of the glitter off of his arms.

"What is he talking about then?" Shikamaru asked, looking between Itachi and Zetsu.

"Child, you know the village's defenses…quite well since you created most of them. They may have put new ones into place, but if she wanted you to make them…the village's defenses probably haven't changed since you left. What I'm saying, Child, is that you could threaten to tell rival villages…and Orochimaru if we come across him, about the Leaf Village's defenses and the secrets of the village if she doesn't heal Amaranth." Shikamaru thought about this for a moment…he had a point…and Amaranth was getting worse. "Plus with Orochimaru almost done with planning another invasion…that information is vital." Shikamaru looked over at Itachi who was watching him steadily.

"Will it…will it be safe for the girls to travel?"

"Munchkin, there's going to be you, me, Itachi, and Kisame…trust me, they'll be the two most protected and safest girls on the face of the Earth." Deidara butted in, pulling out split-ends from his hair.

"They'll be fine, Love. It'll be an adventure for them. They'll get to see different surroundings, even though that may be a bit of a shock, and they'll get to see their biological uncle."

ItachiXShikamaru

Alright Gang, I'm not good at fight scenes or anything along those lines. ^^;

When-Rabbit-Howls