It had been a few weeks since Koka had gotten lost. Now she walked beside Kaede as the two girls followed Heiwa. The three of them were on their way to the Uchiha compound to visit Mikoto. The woman was due any day now and could not make the trip herself. So Heiwa took it upon herself to visit it the Uchiha Matriarch instead, bringing the two girls along.
Koka observed the area, memorizing the roads to avoid getting lost in the future. She had already decided to not get involved in this world, meeting the Uchiha's and now Kakashi was more than enough for her. She would learn enough to be self-sufficient and to protect Kaede. She felt like she owed the older girl that much at least. Koka tugged on the sleeve of her own blue kimono, straightening it. She did not want anyone to look down upon her favorite one.
The three of them entered the compound to see Shisui and Itachi waiting for them. Heiwa had sent a message ahead of time, alerting Mikoto of their visit.
"Heiwa-san, Kaede-chan, Koka-chan!" Shisui waved enthusiastically at the three arrivals. Kaede returned his greeting just as energetically. When they got closer, Heiwa returned the greeting and Itachi gave his own. Koka kept silent and ignored them.
Still, it was an improvement to Itachi. A few weeks ago Koka would have stayed away from them completely. At least she stayed around, even if she pretended they did not exist. It made Itachi smile slightly. Koka was different, and he liked that about her.
Shisui chatted with Heiwa and Kaede as he lead the group to Mikoto's home. Itachi walked next to a silent Koka, though he did notice her eyes taking in every detail and memorizing the road. He had heard from Kaede that Koka had gotten lost, only finding her way home when an AMBU had found her.
"You won't get lost here." The scathing look he got for his comment almost made him grin. But Itachi held it in check. For the most part any way. His lips still twitched, something that the younger girl noticed, and glared at him for before ignoring him once again.
When the group arrived, Mikoto stood in the door way smiling, a hand on her large belly. Koka noted that even though she looked ready to burst, the Uchiha woman still exuded grace and kindness. Koka greeted her, despite ignoring everyone else. They were all ushered inside as Heiwa scolded the woman for being on her feet.
Koka sat on the grass as she watched Shisui humor Kaede and play catch. The two had tried to convince Itachi and Koka to join, but the younger children promptly shot them down. None the less, the two playing seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"Koka, why do you hate us?" Itachi spoke out of the blue, surprising the young girl slightly. She did not respond right away, choosing to think about it first.
"I want nothing to do with this world. That's all." Itachi looked at her in confusion but Koka suddenly stood up, eyes glowing again, as she dusted off her kimono.
"Your brother, Sasuke, is about to be born." Itachi blinked at her for a moment before what she said sunk into his brain. By then she was already running back toward the house. Itachi was soon on her heels and the two of them burst into the house.
"Heiwa, Mikoto-san." Both women looked up at the two small children in surprise. Koka was pointing at the Uchiha woman.
"Your water is going to break." Itachi stared at Koka like she had grown another head. The baby was not being born yet.
"Oh my." Itachi whipped his head back to his mother in alarm. Heiwa stood up and helped Mikoto stand up. The woman's water had just broken.
Itachi, Koka, Shisui and Kaede sat in the waiting room of the hospital while they waited for Heiwa to come get them. The older woman was in the room with Mikoto, who was giving birth. Fugaku, too, was with his wife, having come as soon as he heard.
Itachi looked at Koka, who's eyes were closed. The four year old was puzzled. Koka had spoken as if Itachi's mom was going to give birth right then, but when they ran into the house, it had not happened yet. Instead, her water had broken moments later. The young prodigy thought back to her eyes and what his mother had told him about Koka being special. Things started falling into place.
Her eyes. When Koka's eyes changed, she saw things that were going to happen. The gears began turning in the young boy's head. His mother was right, if people found out about Koka, bad things would happen. Itachi was going to be a shinobi, he already knew that. He wanted to protect this village. But Koka was not a shinobi, nor would she be. She needed to be protected from the people who would use her like a tool.
The Uchiha clan was noted to be powerful. They demanded strength and loyalty. Itachi knew that if his father were to find out about Koka, then he would use her to gain more power in the village. Itachi resolved to help Koka.
Just then, Koka's eyes opened and Itachi caught the fading glow as her eyes returned to normal. The girl hopped off of her chair and stood, Itachi deciding to follow suit. Moments later, a baby's cries rang out. Sasuke had been born.
The four children were ushered into the room by Heiwa so they could all see the new born. The moment Itachi set eyes on him, a fierce, protective love overcame him. This was his baby brother, and Itachi would do anything to protect him. The older brother was watching Sasuke when a quiet voice rang out.
"Mikoto-sama, may I hold him?" Koko stood, just as enraptured by the baby as Itachi was. The worn out mother smiled though and agreed. Heiwa carefully extracted Sasuke from his mother's arms and handed the baby to Koka, instructing her how to properly support his head. Not once did the young girl's eyes leave the baby, and not once did they change colors.
Koka was looking at baby Sasuke just as he was, a baby in her arms. Itachi saw the waves of joy and sadness in her eyes. He saw it all, along with the budding desire to protect. Itachi saw the girl's resolve beginning to form. And he would protect that desire.