~~~~~~~~~~three months later~~~~~~~~~~

Itachi was finally showing physical signs of being pregnant. The Uchiha's belly was sticking out now, growing bigger little by little as the days went on. His morning sickness had finally passed, but his strange appetite remained unchanged. He'd even managed to get his mood swings fairly under control, so Pein would let him leave his room now. However, the Uchiha still rarely left his chambers for one reason; Konan.

"You have to tell me what gender it is!" Konan begged.

"Konan, not even Kisame and I will know until it's born," the Uchiha explained for the thousandth time. The two Akatsuki had decided they'd let the gender be a surprise.

"No fair!" the female whined. "How am I supposed to know what color clothes to get?!"

"Get black."

"We are not raising an emo child," Kisame said, walking into the room.

"Then red."

"Won't that agitate the baby?"

"Hn."

"Hey, where are Deidara and Sasori?" Kisame asked. "I haven't seen them all day."

"Pein decided that, as punishment for getting Itachi knocked up, they had to go out and get the medical ninja that will handle the birth," Konan explained.

"How is that a punishment?" Kisame demanded.

"Sasori is frustrated, because he considers it a waste of time. And who do you think he's going to take that out on?"

"Deidara," Itachi answered.

"Yup."

"Damn, Sir Leader can be malicious," Kisame stated.

"I know! Isn't it dreamy?" Konan said.

"…You have weird taste in men."

"This coming from the guy dating the emo weasel?"

"Touché."

--

A few days later Sasori and Deidara returned with a doctor and, in Deidara's case, a pronounced limp. "Sasori got mad?" Itachi guessed.

"Shut up, un," the bomber commanded, wincing as he sat down on the couch. "I'm lucky I can even walk at all."

"Is the medic scarred for life?"

"Not like it matters, un," Deidara replied. "We're killing him once the kid's out of you, right?"

"Hn."

"So it really doesn't matter that he overheard danna and me going at it, un." The blonde moved closer and tilted his head slightly. "You got bigger, un," he stated, poking the weasel's stomach. "It's weird, seeing you pregnant."

"…"

"Kinda funny, too. I bet I could beat you in a fight now, un."

WHAM

Itachi watched calmly as Deidara flew across the room, crashing into a wall and falling limply to the ground. "Idiot."

--

Kisame withheld a sigh as Itachi turned over for the umpteenth time that night. "Will he just settle down already?"

"Kisame!"

The shark jumped at the excited whisper and turned over to face Itachi. The weasel grabbed Kisame's hand, hurriedly pressing it against his stomach. The shark raised a brow, about to voice his curiosity-

When he felt something push against his hand.

His eyes widened, nearly bugging out of his head when the action was repeated a little later. "It's kicking," he stated, unable to think of anything else to say.

Itachi nodded, a rare look of excitement in his eyes. "It doesn't like it when I sleep on my side, so it always throws a fit. This is the first time it's kicked so much."

A grin broke out on Kisame's face as he slid down in the bed, pressing his lips to Itachi's stomach. "Hey, settle down," he ordered, laying his head against the Uchiha's belly. "Angel wants to sleep, you know." The next kick gently pushed against his cheek, making him shake his head. "Great. It's not even born yet, and the kid doesn't listen to me."

Itachi smiled, turning over to lie on his back. Kisame frowned; he'd been hoping to feel the child kick a little longer. "It'll still be kicking in the morning," Itachi stated, seeing the look on Kisame's face. "But I want to sleep."

The shark nodded, moving back up the bed to lie beside Itachi. "How long has it been kicking?"

"Just a little while," Itachi admitted. "It's been nudging me for a few weeks." He heard a small pained sound and smirked up at the shark. "Jealous?"

"I'd better be the first one to hold the kid after you," Kisame said, running his fingers gently over the weasel's stomach.

"You are jealous."

"You've gotten to carry our kid around for almost six months," Kisame explained. "I want a chance to hold them."

"Hn," Itachi replied, twisting his head and kissing the shark gently on the lips. "Sleep," he ordered.

"Whatever you say," Kisame replied before pulling the covers up over both of them. In only a matter of moments, both Akatsuki members were asleep.