Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 35: Lessons Shared

Flashback

It was adorable that he thought he was being so sly and so sneaky. The way he snickered into his hand when she thought she was not looking. The hushed voices and not-so-subtle glances he shot his father. It had been the same last year and the year prior. Ever since he was old enough to understand the concept.

He loved surprises. He loved birthdays. So it did not come to anyone's surprise that he loved birthday surprises. For the past two years, it was their little game. He tried his best to surprise her and she kept the ruse going.

This year was no different. Sakura looked at herself in the full-length standing mirror in her bedroom. She let out a sigh as she tried to part her hair in the opposite direction than she normally did. It did not look right. She tried the center part again. She threw half back over her shoulder and smoothed the flyways to her head.

She stubbornly kept her eyes away from her stomach. She refused to let her anxiety dominate her thoughts or her day. It was much too soon anyway. She was being ridiculous. She had missed one pill. It had been a day that got away from her. She didn't even realize she forgot to take it until certain things had already taken place. But she refused to even entertain the thought.

She knew she could always just ask Akemi. The Hime would know. But they had an understanding. Even if she was the thing she did not want to think about, Akemi would not tell her unless asked. And Sakura would never ask. It almost seemed like cheating. She did not want to know. She was not ready to know.

They both wanted another kid. They had talked extensively about it over the years, even if they had not officially put it into words that now was a good time. It was a time as good as any. Naruto will be enrolling in the pre-academy in the fall. Both their jobs were in a good place. Waiting much longer would not add any benefits biologically, in fact, the opposite was true. They were fine financially. If she were what she refused to entertain, now was the time for it.

It would be a good thing. It would be a happy thing. She knew that.

So why was she feeling the way she did?

She let out a frustrated grunt as she pushed the thoughts she was refusing to have deeper and deeper down. She looked at her baby-blue knot front top paired with blue jeans. She looked fine. She looked normal even if she felt anything but. She checked her makeup one last time in the mirror before heading out of the room.

Sakura forced a larger smile than she felt on her face. No sooner had she stepped into the living room, was she bombarded with a massive hug.

"Happy Birthday, Mama!" Naruto was beside himself with joy.

"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed loudly. "I completely forgot what today was!" She lifted him up into his arms and rubbed the tip of her nose against his cheek. He erupted into full-blown belly laughter. She dodged the blue and yellow pointy party hat that was dangerously close to taking out her eye.

"Thank you, Baby. For both reminding me and wishing me a happy birthday."

"Did I surprise you?" He asked as he tried to catch his breath. She looked around the room at the balloons and the 'Happy Birthday' banner.

"You did. You got me so good!." She kissed his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her neck as she carried him into the kitchen where Minato awaited them much more calmly.

"Happy Birthday, Sakura," he kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, Darling." She smiled at him.

Naruto slithered out of her arms. "Can we have cake now?"

Minato chuckled. "Wash your hands."

Naruto ran to the sink. He pushed up onto his tiptoes. He was barely tall enough to turn on the faucet.

"Wait Naruto," she lifted him off the ground just enough so he could see what his hands were doing. They counted to ten three times together. He turned off the faucet. She turned him and Minato dried his dripping hands with a white towel. She set him back down on the ground.

He bounded over to a chair and pulled it out loudly. He climbed into it and looked at them expectantly.

"Cake time!"

"You heard the man," Sakura shot Minato a playful look.

"Almost cake time. There's something we need to do first." There was an equally playful gleam in his eyes.

Sakura scowled as a party hat was placed on her head. The elastic tugged at her chin. Naruto clapped his hands.

Sakura glared at Minato just as he was donning his own hat. It was green with a blue stripe in the middle with yellow pom pom on the top. He somehow still managed to look distinguished and composed. She supposed it was no less ridiculous than the Hokage hat.

"Sorry, I don't make the rules." He did not look apologetic at all.

Sakura lowered herself into a chair. The scowl softened into a smile as she watched Naruto's eyes light up when Minato brought the cake to the center of the table.

"I forgot Mama's present!" Naruto was up from the chair and shot off toward his room like a rocket.

"Naruto be careful," Minato pressed his fingertips to his forehead. "Your son doesn't understand the concept of patience."

Her brows shot up. "I believe he gets that from you."

"That's borderline blasphemy." He narrowed his eyes.

"Dada! Help!" Naruto held the haphazardly wrapped - the wrap job had Naruto's name on it - oddly shaped present in a bear hug.

Minato hurried to take it from him before it hit the ground. He made it just in time to save it.

"Is that for me?" She asked Naruto with ample excitement.

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded emphatically, coming to sit on the table once again. "Open it, Mama!"

Sakura pulled the partially opened present closer to her. Minato was now sitting in the chair across from her. She began to slowly pull away the red wrapping paper with yellow polka dots. She looked at the terracotta planter in front of her.

"It's backwards!" Naruto exclaimed. "Dada help me turn it please so Mama can see."

Sakura watched as father and son slowly turned the planter. Her eyes softened. She brought a hand to her mouth.

"Did you paint that Naruto?" She asked him with tenderness in her voice.

Naruto nodded his head. The pride was evident on his face. "Dada helped too. He cleaned up the mess."

"It's for the monstera in the living room that you wanted to repot," Minato explained.

"I love it," she cleared her throat. "Thank you. It's perfect." She reached over and kissed Naruto's temple. "Will you help Mama repot her plant? You get to play with dirt."

"Yes!" Naruto agreed with excitement. He looked at the white cake with red strawberries and yellow icing that spelled out 'Happy Birthday'.

"Can we have cake now?" He asked impatiently.

"Just one more thing," Minato said breezily.

Naruto deflated.

Minato placed a red candle right below the cursive writing. He lit it.

"Mama you're not turning one!" Naruto giggled. "Dada we need more candles."

"When you get to be as old as me Naruto there's more candles than cake. One is more than enough." She gave Minato a look of gratitude. It was a big milestone birthday but that did not mean she wanted her nose rubbed in it.

"Make a wish before you blow out the candle, Mama!" Naruto reminded her loudly.

Sakura closed her eyes. She made her wish. She blew out the candle while Naruto and Minato sang her happy birthday. She heard another click of the camera.

Her green eyes locked on the stick figure family painted on the terracotta pot. A little blond stickboy in between a pink-haired stickwoman and a blond stickman.

She had wished for the same thing every year since she married Minato.

The happiness and health of her family.

xXx

"Remind me why I'm not sitting at home eating all that cake that's in our fridge?" She asked him with a hunched-over posture and foul mood. Her black leather jacket hung over her shoulders.

"Because you're popular and our friends want to spend your birthday with you." He reminded her in a tone dripping with an excess of amusement.

"Having friends is the worst." She grumbled halfheartedly. Despite the restaurant getting closer and closer, she was no closer to finding the motivation to fake wanting to be there.

"It won't be that bad. You like all of them." The smile never left his face.

"We're too old to be celebrating birthdays like this," she continued to be committed to her mood.

"Interesting that you say that. I seem to recall you going all out on my last birthday."

"Is that what this is? Payback for forcing you to socialize?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"I had a great time." He said with a laugh.

"You never do anything nice for yourself." She said with a sigh.

"Because you go so crazy right?" He asked her sarcastically.

She scoffed. "I go out with the girls. Drinking with Tsunade-sama when Jiraiya-sama isn't around. I get the occasional nice thing for myself. You hardly ever go out with the guys. You wear the same thing every day!"

"You go out maybe once a month. The last time you went drinking with Tsunade-sama was before Naruto was born. The last few times you went were just to drag her home because she refused to leave the bar when they were closing. And you work hard. Really hard. Maybe even too hard. My daily clothing choice is practical. One less decision to make in the morning." He shot down without missing a beat.

Sakura threw up her hands. "I'm accepting him for who he is. We aren't having this debate again. The way he dresses is fine." She muttered darkly under her breath.

'Oh Flower-Chan,' Akemi was incredibly amused.

"What was that?" Minato asked her cheekily.

"Nothing. I love you. Whatever." She said in a barely audible volume.

"Is it really all that bad that I want to spend most of my free time with you and Naruto?" Normally she loved his face but right now the slightly smug look on it was grating on her nerves.

Sakura let out a sigh. He had her beat. They both knew it.

"I love you too," he added with a wink and a smile.

'Damn him for being so sweet.' She thought to herself.

'He's a good one.' Akemi provided her endorsement yet again.

Her black heels dug into the gravel road. They matched her black dress. Kushina had helped her pick it out just for today. She knew she looked good. Better than good. But she was no closer to feeling that way.

She grabbed his hand. He stopped walking. The restaurant was now less than ten steps away.

"You remember the signal right?" She searched his face with seriousness.

Minato nodded. "You tuck your hair behind your left ear. No right." He tapped his chin and looked upwards. "No left," he said with an easy grin. "Definitely the left."

Sakura groaned. "You're killing me, Porky."

"Are you alright, Sakura?" All traces of his playful mood were gone. The level of complaints was much higher than he had been anticipating. Even if she did like to play hard to please every now and then.

"I just have a headache," she brushed his concern aside. The guilt rose in her. She could not blame this on her anxiety. This was her being difficult. "I had an amazing day. Thank you, Darling." She smiled at him with genuine gratitude. Their quiet celebration as a family was all she ever wanted. "The cake was delicious."

"I'm glad you liked it. I was worried that ordering your birthday cake from a bakery we never tried before would backfire." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Can't go wrong with strawberry shortcake. I can't believe I'm 30." At least she still looked like she when they first met, nine years ago.

"I'm grateful for every minute of it." The way he looked at her made her head spin. If he kept it up her fake headache would become a very real one.

"I wouldn't have made it without you." She held his gaze despite the action being bad for her blood pressure.

"Likewise," there was an intense level of sincerity to him.

A sudden loud cheer pulled her attention from him. She looked over her shoulder. She could hear what a jovial time everyone was having.

"Keep an eye out for the signal." She reminded him tensely.

"We can leave whenever you're ready." He straightened out her jacket on her shoulders. "But try to have fun. Even if it is fleeting and it's just a little."

"I will," she grounded herself with his calm. "Try to avoid being alone with Tsume. If she gets more than three drinks in her, her filter is long gone and you don't want to be in her range for that." She would eat him alive.

"She has a filter?" Minato asked her incredulously.

"She does." She made a sympathetic face. "Just trust me. Avoid her." Tsume was still not the biggest fan of Minato. She patted his cheek. "You'll be fine."

"Your faith in me is overwhelming, really." There was not a single star in the sky.

"I don't plan on drinking tonight." She saw the surprise on his face. "Because of my headache." She explained quickly. "And I'm on call for the hospital tomorrow. I don't want to risk overdoing it."

"Okay," he had not planned on it either because he needed to be sober to ensure a drunk Sakura made it home without getting into trouble. Mission Sakura was only second to Drunk Sakura in that regard. He was not a big drinker anyway.

"I still have to give you the rest of your present."

She furrowed her brow. She already read his card.

"We agreed on no presents. And besides the cake and ensuring our house did not get a new modern art-inspired paint scheme is more than enough." She was genuinely curious how he kept Naruto from destroying everything while he was making her her birthday present.

"You're going to want your present." He grinned.

"Okay." Understanding hit her just as the words left his mouth. The look in his eye also made it abundantly clear. She felt her cheeks getting red.

"Unless your headache gets worse," he added suddenly, remembering.

Sakura shook her head. "It won't." She pulled him towards the restaurant. "Let's get this over with."

The smile that she donned on her face was genuine as the reserved portion of the restaurant greeted them both with loud cheers. It seemed she had completely forgotten about her headache the longer she interacted with their friends.

Just like she forgot that she was supposed to signal.

End of Flashback

Her hands clutched the handle of the woven basket firmly until her knuckles were white. She looked at the door. Never before had it been so daunting or such an obstacle. Not even on the ill-fated day when she had broken into his house nearly a decade ago. It was as if she was seeing the door for the first time for what it was, something to keep her out.

She lost track of time. She had no idea how long she had been standing out there. The soup had long gone cold. She kept expecting the door to open any second and for her warm eyes and bright smile to welcome her inside. Maybe that was why she could not bring herself to knock.

She never really had to do it before. Ever since she mastered the light release there had been no need for Kushina to knock. But that was then and this was now.

"Just do it already, dattebane." She voiced her frustrations with herself. "It's just Sakura-chan."

She took a deep breath and knocked. She did not allow herself a spare second for she ran the chance of changing her mind or losing her nerve if she did.

The smile fell completely from her face when her purple eyes locked with a magenta mask. Her disappointment was measurable. She suddenly remembered that it was Spider watching Sakura and not Wolf. She was not mentally prepared for this.

"Uzumaki-san," the ANBU was the first one to break the silence. Her voice was as smooth as velvet.

"Spider," she hoped her face did not betray the emotions that were churning in her. They were mostly unpleasant. She stood awkwardly at the door.

"Can I help you?" Spider finally asked her.

"I wanted to see Sakura-chan." Kushina managed to form the sentence that explained her presence at the doorstep.

"She's resting." The ANBU answered tersely.

"I can wait." Kushina shot back. The basket creaked in her hands.

"Uzumaki-san," Spider leaned against the doorframe. Kushina would have to tackle her to get into the house. From her angle, Kushina could just make out the empty hallway behind Spider. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."

She had to tell herself to loosen her clenched jaw. "You can't allow it?" She asked in a low tone. Her violet eyes were cutting.

"I'm just trying to honor Sakura's and Hokage-sama's wishes," Spider said in an even tone.

"I'll be quick. I just want to see her. I won't wake her." Kushina forced tranquility into her voice. Her chances of seeing Sakura would be next to zero if she barreled past the ANBU. Minato would have her head. She was sure of it.

"Uzumaki-san, I'm sorry. I hope you understand." Spider did not budge at all.

"Is Naruto home?" She knew it was a long shot. If he was he would have latched onto her leg by now.

"He's out," Spider answered cryptically.

She was getting nowhere. She lowered her eyes to the basket in her hands.

"Can you at least tell her I stopped by?" She hated every minute of this. Begging this woman she did not know. This woman she did not like.

"I can do that," Spider responded.

"Can you also give her the food I made?" She held out the basket. "It's soup. It's really easy to eat and digest. She doesn't even need to chew. It's gotten cold so you'll need to reheat it. But not too much. Don't let it boil. Sakura hates waiting for food to cool down. She's always in such a rush to do something that she has no time for it. She'll burn her tongue. And the bread is really soft. A newborn could eat it. I baked it this afternoon. It should stay soft for two days."

Spider took the basket wordlessly.

"Oh! And I made her some brownies too. Be sure to set some aside just for Sakura if she doesn't get to eat one before Naruto finds out. That boy can eat them all in one sitting. Don't let him do that. He'll throw up. It's not pretty. Just tell him that Sakura ate all the rest and he only gets one. You don't want him hyper off of sugar. Sakura will get no sleep that way." Kushina continued her rambling. She rubbed her elbow.

"Sakura gets cold really easily. So give her plenty of blankets. And turn the fan on. She loves to sleep like that. Make sure she's drinking enough water. It's probably a real pain for her to go to the bathroom so she might avoid drinking. But she needs to be hydrated. She hates asking for help. So don't wait for her to ask. Just help her. Please."

Spider stared at the redhead for what felt like forever without saying anything. Kushina's violet eyes were practically pleading.

"Don't worry, Uzumaki-san. I'm taking good care of her." Spider assured her.

Kushina remained rooted in place, unsure of what to do next.

"Just one second." Kushina watched as Spider closed the door. She reappeared just seconds later with the empty basket. "Do you need the containers too?"

Kushina's rising hope shattered into a million pieces. She shook her head. She grabbed the handle of the basket, avoiding Spider's fingers.

"No. The containers are Sakura's. I had borrowed them a little while back."

"Goodbye, Uzumaki-san." Spider dipped her head and closed the door.

Spider waited until Uzumaki's presence was no longer detectable before she threw all the containers into the trash.

It was not even minutes later that she felt a familiar presence.

"You should be in bed," Spider chided her lightly.

Sakura stood in the hallway. Her hand was on the wall. "I think Tsunade-sama's pills are working. I'm starting to feel something other than tired."

"You certainly look better," Spider crossed her arms and studied her. Her lips were back to being a rosy pink instead of pale and chapped. Her eyes were more alert.

"I feel better too," Sakura said with a small smile. "I thought I heard Kushina's voice?"

Spider tilted her head to the side. "No, you must have been dreaming."

"Maybe," Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "So strange. It felt like she was right outside talking about food." She reached her arms over her head and stretched.

"Must have been some dream," Spider mused.

"I should have slept longer. It would have been nice to have some of Kushina's cooking," she said with a dreamy sigh. "There's nothing like it."

"Can I get you something?" Spider asked her kindly.

"No. I think I'm going to go shower before dinner." She yawned.

"You sure you're okay?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Maybe I'll have a little snack before my shower." She crossed the distance. She pulled a piece of chocolate from Naruto's secret stash drawer. "Want one?"

Spider shook her head.

"Suit yourself." She said with a shrug. "Excuse me, Spider," she said as she walked past the ANBU to the trash.

Her green eyes narrowed slightly at the new liner. It had been only a fourth of the way full when she last opened right before she went to sleep.

"Everything okay?" Spider asked her.

Sakura threw the wrapper into the bin. The lid snapped closed.

"Yeah. A wave of nausea hit me but I'm fine now." She nibbled on the chocolate.

"The joys of pregnancy," Spider said dryly.

Sakura chuckled in response. "I'll see you later, Spider."

She waved over her shoulder as she made her way down the hall. She slipped out of her clothes and entered the shower.

'She's hiding something.' She thought to herself as the water warmed her skin.

Seeing was not everything. Neither was feeling. The present moment was a perfect example of that. He did not see the ANBU. He did not feel the ANBU. He did not sense the ANBU. But he knew that the ANBU was there. One from the shadow guard. They were really living up to their name. Everything was still on high alert since the attempt on her life nearly a week ago. Nothing was really the same but life went on regardless.

Things had been quiet. It made him uneasy. On the outside everything was fine but he was not amongst the majority. He did not have the veil of ignorance to shield his eyes. Nothing was fine. The attacker was still out there. Both of them. The Uchiha were still plotting something big and something bad. Nothing was okay.

His dark eyes scanned the path constantly. They never rested in one spot for more than a couple of seconds. The boy on his back was completely oblivious to it all. And he would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

"Naruto," Itachi began in a light tone. "You remember what to do when people have red eyes?"

Naruto furrowed his brow and pushed his lips out. He thought hard.

"Not look!" He exclaimed with excitement.

"That's right," Itachi nodded his head.

"How will I know if I can't look?" Naruto peeled his cheek from Itachi's back.

"You'll get a feeling."

"A feeling?" Naruto made a face. "What kind of feeling?"

"A feeling that something is wrong. Listen to that feeling. It comes from your gut. You can always trust your gut even if nothing else makes any sense." Itachi explained.

"My gut?" He looked up at the sky. "Sounds gross."

Itachi smiled despite himself. "Not all people who can have red eyes are good. And not all of them are bad."

"The Uchiha?" Naruto furrowed his blond brows together.

Itachi nodded his head. "Listen to your gut on who the good ones are and who the bad ones are. It will tell you who you can trust."

"Why are some Uchiha bad? Why aren't all of them good like you?" Naruto asked with childlike curiosity.

"They are just like everyone else, Naruto. Your Otosan and Okaasan taught you about good and bad, right?" Itachi turned to look at him.

Naruto nodded his head. "Mama and Dada said there's good and bad everywhere. That not everyone is nice."

"It's just like that. There are good people and bad people in every clan, even those without clans. That's just the way the world is."

"That's dumb," he grumbled. "I think everyone can be good. Everyone should be good. When I become Hokage I'm going to make it law that there can't be bad people."

Itachi chuckled. "Until then, you'll remember what I said?"

Naruto nodded his head. "Listen to my gut. Don't look at red eyes."

"Good."

"Itachi-oniichan?"

"Yes, Naruto?" Itachi turned his head and regarded him from the corner of his eye.

"Did you see Sasuke?" Naruto asked him with clear interest etched in his features.

Itachi turned his head back to the direction he was walking. "I did."

"Did he talk about me?"

"Your name came up," Itachi's lip pulled into a ghost of a smile.

Naruto grinned. "Next time we race I'm going to finally beat him."

"You might have a chance if you keep practicing," Itachi agreed. "Swimming has made you a lot faster."

"Yeah!" Naruto looked very pleased with himself. "Maybe next time Mama can come to the park with us and I can show Mama how fast I am."

Itachi turned the corner. They were not far from the house now. "Maybe." He did not have the heart to argue with him. She had spent practically all of yesterday in bed.

"You'll see. I'll be able to show Mama soon, dattebayo!" Naruto said with a determination that came out of nowhere.

Itachi turned his head and looked at Naruto. He studied the boy closely. There was unyielding belief and faith in his statement. He envied him; how simple things were to the boy.

"I believe you," Itachi said with a small smile. He let himself for a moment see the world through Naruto's lens.

She groaned quietly. It was the third time she needed to pee in the span of two hours. It was getting ridiculous. She moved onto her back. She just needed to get up onto her elbows then she could see her damn legs and then she could half turn and grab the backboard and pull herself into a half-seated position. Then she would swing her legs over. She had a system down. It just took some effort.

She looked up guiltily. "Sorry," she whispered as she grabbed his arms.

He pulled her up so that she was sitting, he turned her so that she was facing the right way.

"For what?" He asked her in an equally hushed tone.

"I was trying not to wake you." She admitted as he put her feet in her slippers. He knew how much she hated when her feet were cold.

His blue eyes looked back at her amused.

"Mission unsuccessful," he led her to the bathroom with a hand on the small of her back. He leaned against the doorframe.

"You don't have to keep getting up." She looked at him. "Just leave me here." She said pitifully.

"Or you could just stop your water intake earlier." He pointed out the other rational option.

She frowned. "But I was thirsty." She flushed the toilet. "Is this what you pictured married life to be?" She asked him as she turned on the tap to wash her hands.

"Never a dull moment." He rubbed his face. "Are you all set?"

"Minato?" She looked at him with her big green eyes.

"Sakura?" He asked her in a light tone.

"We'll be okay, right?" She asked him the question that was plaguing her mind every second she did not distract it with something to do instead.

"Everything will be fine." He led her back to her side of the bed. She sat down. He bent down and took off her slippers.

"You don't have to do that." She whispered. "I could just kick them off."

"And then I'll have to spend time in the morning straightening them out. Same with your shoes. Can we not have this discussion every time?" He asked her tiredly.

"But I like talking to you," she said in a small voice.

"About slippers and shoes?" He asked her in a tone that conveyed skepticism.

"About anything," she looked at him deeply. "Anything." She repeated firmly.

For a fraction of a second, she saw his expression softened. But then she blinked and it was gone, making her question if it was even there in the first place. She curled up on her side as he pulled the covers to her chin.

"Try to get some sleep." He told her.

She watched him leave. The bed dipped as he got in. He never did answer the question she asked him. She closed her eyes.

The knocking on her office door could only be described as aggressive. She did not have to guess who it was. Only a handful of people had the moxie to pound on her door and only one was accompanied by a four-leg companion whose nails clacked against the tile in a way that almost sounded like bells.

She closed the files and put them aside. She gave her desk as a once-over for breakables. She took special care to put the cactus, that the Kazekage had given her as a thank you all those years ago for sealing the One Tails in him, away in her bottom desk drawer. She managed to do so without pricking her fingers.

Either Tsume or Kuromaru's tail could do a great deal of damage to any of her belongings. The pounding was getting even louder. She heard Kuromaru whine from behind the door.

"Come in, Tsume." She said as she put a glass bird in the bottom drawer. It was also a gift. She smiled pleasantly at the glowering woman.

Tsume's brown eyes flickered to Spider before focusing on Sakura. Sakura leaned to her right so that she could see the ANBU obscured by Tsume's person.

"Spider, do you mind?" Sakura asked kindly.

The ANBU did not move.

"I'm a jonin. I'll kick anyone's ass who comes near her. Don't worry about Pinky." Tsume spat out.

Spider got up slowly. Tsume sized her up. Her brown eyes stared down the white and magenta mask. Kuromaru glared at Spider. His hackles were raised. It was not boding well for her space.

Sakura waved her hands. All three of them ignored her. She could only hope that level heads would prevail.

Spider looked over at her. "I'll be right outside, Sakura."

Sakura nodded. She waited for the ANBU to cross the room. Tsume and Kuromaru did not take their eyes off her until the door closed with a resounding slam.

"What the hell was that?" Sakura asked Tsume with a glare.

"I don't like her." Tsume's lip curled up. She looked like she had just smelled something unpleasant.

"You could have left something up to the imagination." Sakura rubbed her temples. "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't get in her face again," she pinned Tsume with a look. "Please," her face was the mask of seriousness.

"Fine." Tsume agreed reluctantly. "Get up," she gestured with her hand.

"Are we going somewhere?" Sakura asked with a raised brow.

"Are you going to make me make you?" Tsume threw back at her. She was more on edge than usual.

"Tsume what's going on?" Sakura asked her exasperatedly.

"You can't keep isolating yourself from us. We're worried about you."

"I'm fine," Sakura said with a frown. "I wasn't feeling so great the past few days but I feel so much better now. I have my energy back. So there's nothing to worry about." Tsunade's terrible-tasting pills were like magic.

Tsume nodded her head in understanding. "So what I'm hearing is that you can go on a walk with me."

Sakura looked at the stubborn glint in her eye. "Fine." She all but threw up her hands. "Spider has to come." She added.

"No. I'll take responsibility for you. If Spider has a problem with it, tell her to take it up with me." The tips of Tsume's canines were visible under her lip.

Sakura sucked her teeth. "Alright." She did not care to have a tag-along when having a conversation with her friend. "I'll let her know then," Sakura got up from her chair.

Tsume frowned as she took in her swollen belly. "Sometimes I forget you have that whole thing going on," she gestured vaguely to her midsection.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Believe me I wish I had that luxury." She looked down and sighed. "We'll need to go slow and take breaks."

"I've got you. There's always Kuromaru if you get too tired." Tsume's eyes softened as her ninken rubbed his head on Sakura's stomach.

"How could I forget?" She scratched behind his one ear. She walked from behind the desk. She propped open the door and stuck her head out. The words played in her head as she caught Spider's attention.

"Why did you want to go on a walk so bad?" Sakura asked Tsume. The woman was oddly quiet. She appeared to be deep in thought. Her face was pulled into a reflective mask. Even the red marking of her cheeks seemed to convey that.

"I wanted to see you. Fresh air is good for you. So why not combine the two activities?" She grinned. The action did not reach her eyes. Her lips, which were painted purple, pulled into a grimace not too long after.

"How have you been holding up?" She asked almost gently.

Sakura sighed. "I'm fine." She was. She was putting one foot in front of the other. She thought she was doing a decent enough job. She could not look at a container of yogurt without going into a blind rage but all things considered, she was fine.

Tsume did not look convinced. She looked at Sakura from the corner of her eye.

"Have you dealt with what happened?"

She had looked so composed at the funeral, even when speaking to Yuki's parents. Like an ANBU. Emotionless.

Sakura looked at the tree-lined street. They were leaving the populous center of Konoha. She knew what Tsume was doing. Only it was too late to do anything about it now. The woman would call her a coward if she backed out now.

"Not really." She admitted. Lying to Tsume was pointless. Sakura would not put it past the woman to be able to hear her heartbeat quicken at any hints of dishonesty.

Tsume nodded. Her wild mane of hair moved with the breeze.

"Then it is a good thing that we decided to take this walk."

She looked up in the distance. They were back at the graveyard. She hesitated. This place was bringing back a lot of unpleasant memories. She looked at Tsume with fear in her eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this." She looked down at her stomach.

Tsume grabbed her by the elbow. "You'll be fine." She led her up the steps.

Sakura took a long breath. "Tsume, I need to stop." She said stubbornly.

"You can't keep this in, Sakura. You'll explode." Tsume bared her fangs at her. Her eyes were narrowed so much that she mostly saw the scarlet markings.

Sakura took a step back. "If I start crying, I may never be able to stop." She looked at her with defeat. "There's only so much that I can take, Tsume."

Tsume's face pulled back into a more neutral expression.

"You go deal. You go let yourself feel. I'll pick you up. You can't keep going on like this. Let go. Clear room."

Sakura looked at the grave marker behind her. She took a couple of steps towards it. She vaguely registered that Tsume and Kuromaru had backed away to stand under the shade of a tree a few yards away. It was a nice gesture but with their ears, they would hear everything as clearly as if they were standing right next to her.

She traced her fingers along the nameplate. It was all wrong. She was not supposed to be the one that was buried.

"I'm so sorry, Yuki-chan." Her voice broke. Her lips trembled. She let out an angry sob. It all poured out of her until she had nothing left.

His heart was pounding in his ears and a lump in his throat. Each step he took felt too slow, too heavy, and too taxing. His lungs burned like nothing he had experienced before. He needed to stop. He needed to catch his breath. He needed a second to just stand still and let his body and mind rest.

But he did not have any time. Not even one second to spare. He kept his balance on the slick tiled roofs as he ran as fast as he could given the conditions. If he had been running at full speed he would surely have broken his neck by now. His hair whipped in his face but he paid it no mind. He needed to move. They needed him.

He jumped off the roof and landed on the ground. His joints - his knees and ankles - protested at his high-impact landing but he paid them no mind. He pushed himself forward down a road he knew like the back of his hand.

The smoke was thick. He could barely see beyond his own hand. He covered his nose and mouth with the crook of his elbow. He ran straight through the wall of smoke. He was getting closer. He could feel the heat of the fire on his face. He was sweating profusely now. It was dripping off of him like droplets of rain.

His heart stopped painfully in his chest. His knees buckled as his brain registered what his widened eyes were seeing. His home, burning to the ground. His mind turned off.

"Otosan! Okaasan!" He cried out their names. He ran to them as fast as he could. He entered what was left of the dining room of his home for the first time with his shoes still on. His father was on his back. His eyes were wide open. He was staring at the ceiling. There was blood in the corner of his mouth. He had a katana sticking out of him.

Itachi sank to his knees. The sounds coming out of his mother's mouth were not human. She clung to the corpse of his father. Sobbing. Itachi swallowed painfully.

"Okaasan," he reached out to her. He needed to touch her. To reassure himself that she was there. No sooner had he stretched his arm that the distance between them grew. "Okaasan!" He shouted for her. But she and his father were only moving further and further away, still in the dining room surrounded by flames.

He pushed up onto his feet. He was surrounded by a void. He could only see nothingness directly below and around him. The moonbeam was like a spotlight shining directly on his parents. He focused on his mother. He ran towards her. He needed to get her out of the building.

"Okaasan!" He kept shouting for her until his voice grew hoarse and he tasted blood in the back of his throat. She had no idea he was there.

Fear gripped him tightly. He saw a shadow. His parents were not alone. Itachi gritted his teeth together and ran with desperation. The fire cackled. The rice paper doors burned. The distance continued to grow. He did not care. He had to save her.

"Okaasan! Behind you!" He tried to warn her. He had never raised his volume to be this loud. "Shun is behind you!" He screamed.

His mother was completely unaware of the danger. She continued to sob over his father's body. The shadow was now solid. He could see the black hood. Itachi's face contorted into a mask of pure animalistic anger.

"Stay away from her!" He roared. He was completely weaponless. His frantic hands did not even find a single shuriken on his person.

The hooded figure walked slowly until he was directly behind his mother. Itachi's hands raced through hand signs. He brought his right hand to his lips. He blew like he had a hundred times before. Only this time there was no flame, there was no fire. There was only air.

The man raised his hand. Itachi's eyes widened. The blade of the katana flashed in the moonlight. It was sinister. It was vile. It was death.

"No!" He screamed. There was nothing he could do. He was not getting any closer. He moved through another string of signs. Again nothing happened. He tried to teleport. He remained in place.

"Stop!" He pleaded brokenly. Tears streamed down his face. "Please," he sank to his knees.

The hooded man stopped. Itachi looked up at him with hope. His insides froze when he felt the gaze of the man. He was wearing a mask. He was ANBU. It was not Shun.

Bile rose in his throat as the man moved his left hand towards his face. His labored breath hitched. His heart was beating painfully in his chest as he waited. It was agonizing. The gloved hand slowly pulled the mask away revealing pale skin. Itachi lurched forward on his hands. He emptied the contents of his stomach.

The killing intent was too strong coming off of the man even given their distance. He had not noticed it had reduced considerably. He was right there now. He had a seat at the table. But he could not move. Only his head. That was what he had control over. He raised his eyes slowly from the man's feet all the way up to his eyes.

Itachi stared back at him, slack-jawed. The hair was longer. He was taller and his shoulders were broader. The stress lines were longer. And the eyes were dead. But there was no doubt about it. He was looking at himself.

"You failed to prevent this." His older self said in a low voice that was much deeper than his own.

"No," he begged. "Please. Don't do this. Think of Sasuke." Tears and snot rained down his face. He did not care. "Don't do this to Sasuke."

"You failed Sasuke. Just like you failed Konoha." Older Itachi's face was emotionless as he plunged the katana into their mother's back.

She let out a shaky breath. Her body crumpled. She fell on top of their father. She did not move again.

"Okaasan!"

He bolted upright. He sat there in his terror. Reliving what he had just seen. He did not register the soft knock on the door. Nor the sound of the door opening. He did not even realize the bed dipped. It was only after she had wrapped her arms around him that he realized he was not alone.

"You're okay," she patted his back. "It was just a nightmare." She said in a soothing, gentle voice. "You're okay."

His bottom lip trembled as he tried to keep the unshed tears from his eyes.

"Our brains are really complex. Sometimes they are our own worst enemy. They like to make us see things when we're stressed or scared. Our subconscious tries to work out problems even when the rest of our brain is sleeping. It's all very normal. Some people dream of their teeth falling out. Some people dream of being chased or missing a big event."

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sound of her voice, her words. He tried to erase his own face from his mind with her ramblings.

"Just last night I dreamed that I was about to get married to Gamabunta, one of Minato's summons." He could hear the smile in her voice. "He's a toad. He has a very volatile temperament. He's massive. Like twice as tall as trees, big. It was all very disturbing." She chuckled.

He tried to picture the toad that was taller than the tallest tree he had seen without avail. The dead eyes of his older self - his future self - stared back at him. His accusation bounced in his ears.

"The venue was very beautifully staged. The table settings were very intricate. There were guests from both sides. I'm sure it would have been a nice wedding if I hadn't run away from the altar. Trying to outrun a giant toad in heels, full makeup, hair, and a long white dress is not fun. Or easy. Let me tell you."

A tear slid down his cheek at the memory of the motionless face of his father. He kept seeing his mother being stabbed. Over and over.

"My brain probably got the idea for the dream from Naruto's huge toad plushie that he most likely guilted Jiraiya-sama into buying for him. Naruto insists on sleeping with it. It even kind of looks like Gamabunta weirdly enough."

His breathing started to quicken. His hands fisted into the top sheet.

"Jiraiya-sama is a huge pushover. Naruto has him wrapped around his little finger. It's very sweet and a little pathetic."

He fought to remain in the present. He fought for his composure.

"Let it all out, Itachi-kun." Sakura patted his back gently. "A good friend reminded me recently that it's not good to keep things bottled up. Feel what you need to feel. Purge it from your system." She swayed gently. He followed along. "It's okay to be vulnerable. It's okay to be scared."

Itachi felt the tears slip from his eyes. He quickly lost count. His shoulders shook.

"It's not realistic to be collected and composed all the time. It's just not. We're all human. We are deeply flawed in our ways. And you're still so young, Itachi-kun. You're still figuring out who you are. You're allowed to make mistakes. You're allowed to be sad. You're allowed to be scared. You're allowed to feel what it is that you feel."

He took rapid shallow breaths.

"Your Okaasan is fine. She is safe. You are safe." Sakura hugged him tighter. She struggled to keep her voice light and even. "It was just a nightmare, Itachi-kun. It's not real."

He bowed his head. She felt his tears wet the fabric of her shirt.

"If it was a memory, it is in the past. It's over now. It can't hurt you." She continued on in the same soothing voice. "And none of us can see the future. No matter how vivid the nightmare may be. It was not real. What your brain showed you. It's not real. It's not going to happen." She added firmly. "It means nothing."

His breathing was starting to slow down again. His fingers relaxed.

"You're okay, Itachi-kun." Her tone was soothing again, it lost its edge. "We can go visit your Okaasan tomorrow if you want."

"I can't," his voice came out sounding broken.

"Okay," she held the back of his head. "Okay. We don't have to. You don't have to talk about it either. We can just stay like this as long as you'd like."

Itachi shook his head. He felt Sakura's arms loosen around him. He wiped his eyes.

"I'm okay," he said unconvincingly. "I'm sorry for waking you."

"You didn't wake me," she said flatly. Sakura leaned back.

He watched as she slowly got onto her feet. She walked over to the nightstand. She poured water from the pitcher and handed him the glass.

He took it with a steady hand. He took a couple of slow sips, testing out the extent of the rawness of his throat. His dark eyes looked on warily as she grabbed the first book she could get her hands on from Naruto's bookcase. She tucked it under her arm. She slowly brought the chair from Naruto's desk to the edge of the bed. She sat down in it.

"I'm okay," he repeated more firmly this time. He held the glass tightly in his hands.

"I know," she said in a relaxed manner.

"So why are you still here?" He asked her with a raised brow.

Sakura shook her head and crossed her arms all the while wearing a small smile. "I'm waiting for you to fall back asleep." She turned on the small lamp on the nightstand. Her face was cast in a warm yellow glow.

"Why?" He asked her, puzzled.

"It always makes me feel less nervous if someone is watching over me to fall asleep after a nightmare." Her eyes softened. "It makes me feel less lonely."

Itachi stared at her with mild shock. He finished the rest of the water. Sakura took the glass from him. He let out a grunt and laid back down when it became apparent that she had no intentions of leaving. He blinked slowly as he focused on the ceiling. He felt the covers being pulled up to his chin.

"I find it also helps to talk when I need to get my mind off of what the nightmare was." She mused. "So I'm going to read you a story now." She held the book in front of her.

He blinked in response. There was no stopping her. One way or the other. He did not have it in him to fight her.

He listened to her read the story about a frog and a toad who were friends. He found himself being pulled in despite his reservations. It was a simple story set in a simple world. It was a simple problem with a simple resolution.

By the time sleep had caught him again his previous nightmare was not at the forefront of his mind. In his unconscious state, he was oblivious to the long look exchanged between Sakura and the Hokage who had been just outside the room, obscured by the shadow cast by the open door.